356 



Englifh : when the governor, on hearing the 

 obfervation, replied, no ! my dear, it is not at 



all ftrange that Captain mould not fpeak 



Englifh to-night ! on the contrary it is high-, 

 ly proper and corred : you know he is a 

 Britifh officer ! True ! faid Madame Van Bat- 

 tenburg, and that is the very reafon why he 

 fliould fpeak Englifh ! No, no, no ! my dear, 

 refumed the governor, that is exprefsly the rea- 

 fon why he fhould not—" It would be difloyal 

 in a Britifh officer to clip the Kings Englifh" 

 On another occafion this agreeable Dutch- 

 man gave a fimilar proof of his clofe acquain- 

 tance with our language. One day as they 

 Were fitting over the bottle, he and an officer 

 of the navy debated refpe&ing fome property, 

 which the governor confidered as private, and 

 the officer as public. The former urged that 

 it was facred, and might not be confifcated ; 

 while the latter infifted that it was co- 

 lonial, and ought to be condemned for the 

 benefit of the captors. Each maintained 

 his opinion with amicable warmth — neither 

 yielding to the other. In the evening a ball 

 was given to the party at the governor's houfe ; 

 and in the mirthful dance, the officer, perhaps 

 a little elevated by the debate, or the bottle, 

 6 



