ARRIVAL AT SOUTHAMPTON. 285 



phin. On seeing the way my parcels were put toge- 

 ther, "Ah, ha I" I thought, "when the lubberly 

 skipper who sliglited me came to know whose things 

 they were, perhaps he altered his tone." Having 

 breakfasted, I then went to lodge my complaint against 

 the captain at the packet office, and wrote a similar 

 notice to the railway officials, with a full statement of 

 all the circumstances as to the established system of 

 extortion and robbery existing on the French line. 



Before I quitted Havre, I left in writing an infor- 

 mation also against the constable, with a reference to 

 the young Englishman remaining at Havre, whose 

 testimony on the subject was conclusive, and ordered it 

 to be delivered on the following morning to the Prefect 

 of Police. From the English officials I had civil re- 

 plies, regretting that I should have been put to any 

 inconvenience, but from the Prefect of Police no notice 

 whatever; and — hear it. Frenchmen and English- 

 men — from none of the parties could I obtain the 

 slightest redress. What became of the young French-* 

 man I know not ; he promised to take a parcel for me 

 back with him on his return to Paris, but he never 

 came to hand. The afternoon of the day of my re- 

 turn from France saw me once more in my comfort- 

 able English home, happy in my visit to the Chateau 

 Sauvages, happy in the few hours I was enabled to 



