80 PRIVATE TRADE ON THE FALMOUTH PACKETS. 



system. What was recognized and approved in 1798 was 

 abolished hardly more than a year later, and immediately, as 

 must have been anticipated, difficulties began at Falmouth. 

 The crews of several vessels refused to proceed to sea, many 

 captains reported that they could not obtain sailors unless the 

 trade was restored; the seamen petitioned the Postmaster 

 General for its restoration, pointing out that their wages, if they 

 must rely on them solely, were not sufficient for their main- 

 tenance. This was perfectly true, and the sanction of the 

 Government had to be obtained for increasing the wages. It is 

 not possible that these consequences of the abolition of the trade 

 were not forseen. What induced the Government to draw these 

 difficulties down upon itself in the midst of a dangerous and 

 exhausting war? To deprive the Falmouth sailors of their 

 profits from trade was to render them more than half mutinous. 

 What advantage did the Government anticipate which was to 

 compensate them for disaffection spread among the men to whom 

 the mails and despatches in war time were entrusted ? 



It is clear that the Government had convinced themselves 

 that the retention of the private trade involved more danger 

 than abolishing it. The danger they had in view may of course 

 have been simply that the presence of goods on board the packets 

 rendered them more valuable prizes than if they carried nothing 

 more than the mails. This does not seem however to account 

 very satisfactorily for the suddenness with which the trade was 

 abolished at an inconvenient time. If the Government believed, 

 or suspected, that the system of insuring goods was connected 

 with the frequent loss of packets, the promptness of their action, 

 and the tenacity with which they adhered to it when confronted 

 with great difficulties, need no further explanation. 



Some light may be thrown upon the matter by glancing at 

 the circumstances connected with the capture of two packets on 

 the Lisbon station shortly after this time. 



The *'Earl Gower," Captain Deake, was on her way home 

 from Lisbon in June, 1801, when she encountered the 

 "Telegraphe" privateer cutter of fourteen guns and seventy 

 men, a force considerably superior to his own. Captain Deake 

 however, was not daunted, but made good use of his guns while 



