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 i ,684/. 9^. 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 
