82 PEIVATE TBADE ON THE FALMOUTH PACKETS. 



the surgeon, wholiad advised the surrender, had certainly gained 

 £250, but, by a remarkable lapse of memory, he was quite unable 

 to recollect what sum he had received in Lisbon for goods sold 

 there, so that it was impossible to arrive at the full amount of 

 his profit. The steward's mate was richer by £250, one of the 

 seamen by £200, and most of the crew had pocketed substantial 

 sums. 



The next step was to ascertain whether any of these men, 

 and especially those who had made large profits on this occasion, 

 had been captured before. 



The surgeon, who had been foremost in advising surrender, 

 and who was also (probably) the largest gainer in the affair, 

 had also been captured more frequently than any other of the 

 crew, except three men. He had been taken no less than three 

 times before. How much money he made on those three 

 occasions is not stated. Three of the crew had been equally 

 unfortunate. Four other men had been captured twice before, 

 most of the rest once, and eight of the crew had been on board 

 the " Gower " at the time of the disgraceful circumstance related 

 above. 



The captains who composed the court of enquiry are not 

 perhaps to be very severely blamed if they did not choose to draw 

 the legitimate inference from these facts. The influence of local 

 associations was strong upon them, but the Secretary of the 

 Post Oifice was controlled by no such ties, and the following 

 extracts from his report shew clearly the conclusion which he 

 formed, very reluctantly, and after long investigation : — 



"... .These papers prove beyond a doubt that His Majesty's 

 packet could not have been captured if the skill and courage of 

 her crew had been properly exerted. Their Lordships even 

 incline to think that the French privateer might have been 

 captured if our vessel had been carried into action with the 

 spirit which characterizes British seamen in general. No 

 resistance was made. It was not even seen what was the force 

 of the privateer. The packet was not even hailed or fired at by 

 the enemy, and a boat was sent off to meet the privateer, and to 

 accelerate a surrender of which the seamen themselves speak as 

 dishonourable and dishonest .... Under these circumstances my 



