sorter's journat.. 



229 



•with his friend, Mr.Clapp, were furnished by Mr. Sumpter 

 with horses to visit him at his seat, three miles from town. 



On the 18th, a grand salute was fired, in commemoration 

 of the Queen's birthday, now fourscore years of age. On 

 this occasion, the chapel of the Prince Regent was orna- 

 mented in the most splendid style. The sumptuous dresses 

 of the priests, combined with the glitter of the massive 

 gold and silver candlesticks in every part of the building, 

 could not fail to have a very dazzling effect. 



After being detained a month on board the Cherub, in 

 the harbour, the rest of the prisoners of war were landed ; 

 and Mr. Sumpter, after many fruitless attempts, was at 

 length enabled to purchase a fishing smack, of 80 tons 

 burthen, to convey them home. By the 8th of February, 

 1815, the heat had become so oppressive as to make it al- 

 most insufferable to venture out; the mean temperature of 

 the air being about 89°. No rain had fallen for some days ; 

 and the dust of the streets, together with the heat of the 

 atmosphere, prevented the citizens from walking or riding 

 any distance with comfort, except when the cool sea- 

 breezes blew into the Bay. To his extreme surprise and 

 regret, Mr. Sumpter was this day notified by the British 

 consul-general, that the cartel could not be permitted to 

 proceed, in consequence of instructions received from 

 England, on the ^Qth of December last. Many doubted this 

 allegation ; for they could not believe that admiral Dixon 

 and the consul-general were so far lost to a sense of honour, 

 as to put Mr. Sumpter to the trouble and expense of pur- 

 chasing a vessel, and, by their own act, constituting that 

 vessel a cartel in due form, and then, a month after, when 

 the cartel was on the eve of sailing, to countermand these 

 solemn stipulations, solely on account of instructions re- 

 ceived forty-two days before. If it be admitted, that in- 

 structions to that effect were actually received on the 28th 

 of December, as alleged by the consul-general, then was 

 not he, or admiral Dixon, in duty bound to apprize Mr. 

 Sumpter of that fact, before they assented to his purchase of 

 the vessel, and before even they themselves constituted that 

 vessel a cartel ? For my own part, 1 confess myself unable 

 to construe the matter in any other light, than as a wanton 

 breach of honour, and a shameful violation of the terms of 

 a written agreement, officially entered into between the 

 legal representatives of two separate states. 



