314 CAPTAIN CARTWRIGHT'S 



tion of every man on board. I then had the mor- 

 tification to hear, that the ship, John, foundered 

 at sea m a few days after she left Trinity; conse- 

 quently all my furs and whalebone went to the 

 bottom; and I soon after learnt that, Mr. Lester 

 not receiving my letter till after the above news 

 arrived in England, not one penny had been in- 

 sured on them. Early the next morning Mr. 

 Stone and I, together with three other passengers 

 got into the pilot boat and went up to Poole, where 

 we landed safe at nine o'clock. We immediately 

 dressed ourselves, and went to church to return 

 God thanks for the mercies which we had so lately 

 received at his hands; and, through the minister, 

 offered our public thanks, also. I remained at 

 Mr. Lester's house during my stay at Poole, which 

 was till the eighteenth; when I set out for Lon- 

 don in the Post Coach, lay that night at Alresford, 

 departed from thence the next morning at seven, 

 and arrived in London at five o'clock in the eve^ 

 ning. 



Well knowing that it was utterly out of my 

 power to satisfy the demands of my creditors, 

 principal and interest, together amounting to 

 upwards of seven thousand pounds, on my arrival 

 in town, I employed a friend to make the follow- 

 ing offers to them; and to request of them to 

 choose that which they thought would be most 

 conducive to their interest. 



1st. I would give up to them, upon oath, every 

 article of property I possessed in the world, pro- 

 vided they would give me a discharge in full. 



