ItEABONS FOE WRITINO. 



189 



have mother reajson for entering on this subject The 

 omission to do so would disappoint Mr. Hume liimself. 

 Ill a puUlislied letter written within the last year, lie 

 expresses his surprise that Sir James Brooke "shoultl 

 sit doTO quietly under fche hea^y imputations under Tvliicli 

 lie labours." But maj they not sit bo lightly on him, in 

 consideration of their authors, as to make it no labour to 

 sit under them 1 



His friends, however^ need not be such philosophers ; 

 and Mr. Hume ivould probably ba the first to express a 

 charitable surprise, if a known friend of Sir James Brooke 

 were to pass over the piracy question in a publication on 

 the Indian seas. It is a manner of proceeding unknown 

 to any English court of law, equity, or lionour, to charge 

 a man as an impostor, a pubUc dehnquent, a murderer, 

 and then to say, " Prove you arc not so nor could 

 Parliament help Mr. Hume to fix on my friend these 

 hard names more than ho can help himacif. Indeed, he 

 possesses already all that tmth coiild ever furnish him 

 with from the East, — and a Utile fnore, Btilh I am now 

 at his service for a cliapter or two. Those readers who 

 have had enough of pirates may pass on to Chapter ^VL, 

 while the Honourable Member for Montrose may accom- 

 pany me to the Sere has liiver,— where I advise him 

 not to go alone. 



As an admitted definition is rather useful, let us define 

 a pirate : — 



A sea-robber," — Johmon, 



