4 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. I. 



as a West India merchant, and at the beginning 

 of the present century contracted for the supplies 

 of the French troops at St. Dominique, but 

 Napoleon I. afterwards repudiated all English 

 debts. Talleyrand, however, represented to him 

 that Mr. Owen's contract had been most faith- 

 fully carried out, and that he was deserving of 

 some return at least. Napoleon thereupon gave 

 orders that the estates which he had confiscated 

 from the Bishop of Deux-Ponts should be offered 

 to Mr. Owen as payment. 



Before giving an answer Mr. Owen consulted 

 his wife. She was strongly of opinion that, as 

 the title to the estates was so insecure, the best 

 thing to be done was to accept them, and then 

 sell them for anything they would fetch. The 

 place was accordingly sold, and without much 

 difficulty, for the position was a beautiful one and 

 the land productive. It so happens that the title 

 to these lands has never been disputed, and the 

 descendants of the original purchaser occupy 

 them to this day. 



A letter from St. Bartholomew, dated July 

 30, 1807, to ' Kitty,' from her husband, contains 

 the following statement : — 



' Yesterday I received a letter from Mr. Wars- 

 wick, dated June 3, advising me that they had 

 received 1 ,684/. gs. 2d. for the lands in France taken 

 for the French bills. This is a heavy loss, but I 

 am glad on your account that there is that sum in 



