THE FALMOUTH MUTINY OF 1810. 365 



places, the cartage of the mails, the purchasing of their anchors 

 in very deep water, pilotage — not one man-of-war goes to sea 

 without, so dangerous is the passage — that I see very clearly 

 we shall not gain anything in getting to sea, though the 



mail arrives here in the morning In the late gale, the 



"Diana" parted her cable and was nearly on shore, and the 

 "Stately," a 74, nearly ran on board the "Despatch," and 

 would have sunk her if she had, but fortunately she ran on 

 board a hulk, and just saved the packet . . . .• . .In Hamoaze 

 and the Sound, the water is so deep, that if ro blows a little 

 the packets cannot weigh their anchors, and anchors are so 

 distributed about by ships cutting and slipping their cables, that 

 cables are worn out in a few hours. The "Elizabeth" cut a 

 new cable, which cost £140, nearly through last night, getting 



foul of some anchor or wreck" Again, a few days after, he 



wrote. "The packets lie very badly here. . . .Unless moorings 

 are laid down, and a separate place assigned, some of them will 

 be lost before the winter is over. The seamen are obliged to be 

 victualled constantly on board, and stock of all kinds is dearer 

 than at Falmouth, together with greater wear and tear, exclusive 

 of risk.". . . .These representations were of course not without 

 effect, and were pressed home by the fact, that on more than 

 one occasion/packets which set sail from Plymouth in stormy 

 weather, were obliged to run for Falmouth for shelter. The 

 Post office, moreover, was exposed at this time to strong pressure, 

 exerted by prominent persons in Cornwall, who used all their 

 influence to secure the return of the packets to Falmouth. 



At that time forty-four members were returned to the 

 House of Commons by Cornwall ; and it was rightly foreseen 

 that these members would act unanimously in this matter. A 

 deputation of the inhabitants of Falmouth had, moreover, 

 reached London on the 8th or 9 th November. It consisted of 

 the Mayor, Mr. James Bully, Mr. John Carne, and Mr. Robert 

 W. Fox. These gentlemen had an interview with the Secretary 

 of the Post office on the 10th Nov., but received what was to 

 them an unsatisfactory answer to their representations. The 

 unyielding disposition shown to them, was due, not only to a 

 conviction that it was much to soon to give way, but also to 

 the difficulties arising from the case of Pascoe and Parker. 



