1803. ] 
Dower, Fan. 7-—Mercy onus, what a 
paflage have we had! Yefterday morning 
the wind blew véry frefh from the fouth: 
the French Captain, probably not much 
acquainted with the navigation, was afraid 
of the {well of the ‘ea, and refufed to ven- 
ture out. On a hint, however, we un- 
derftand, that as the Englifh Captain had 
failed, he would-lofe his birth if he de- 
clined to follow him, he thought it pru- 
dent to depart. ‘This indecifion had well 
nigh been attended with unpleafant con- 
iequences to us: on a fudden ovr bag- 
gage was hurried to the Cuftom-houle, 
and thence down to the veflel: we return- 
ed to Ducroq’s in order to fettle our bill, 
and in the mean time the Captain, taking 
French leave, fet fail without us. What 
a civil fellow this! We inftantly took an 
open boat, and went two leagues out to 
fea in purfuit of the packet: it did not 
appear that we gained much upon her, 
er that fhe had feen our fignals, The 
failors refufed to proceed, under an ap- 
prehenfion that their little boat could not 
poflibly live out at fea: we were obliged 
to fubmit, and very relu€tantly tacked 
about-and failed back for Calais. Juft 
before we made the harbour fome one per- 
ceived that the packet had reefed her fails, 
and appeared to be tacking about. We 
did not hefitate to renew our attempts to 
come up-with her, and fortunately foon 
fucceeded: the Captain, it feems, when 
he got out to fea, had thought it impofli- 
ble to reack Dover that tide, and, without 
any necefliry, had flackened, his {ail till it 
ablolutely was fo! As the {well was heavy, 
he pradently preferred tacking backwards 
and ferwards on the French coaft to ftand- 
ing out-at fea all night ;. and»as the tide 
at Dover did not ferve till one in the 
morming, it was not neceflary to make 
fail before eight at night, . Dreadfully ill 
in a hammock I lay till “* A light in the 
harbour!" was fung out: this. cheered 
me a little, till one of the paflengers, an 
old falor, went upon deck, and declared 
that the Captain had fteered his veflel to 
leeward of the harbour, and it was very 
probable that by the time he had worked 
her back againft tide it would: not ferve 
him to get in! At two o'clock this 
morming, however, we gained the har- 
bour, after having been at fea fifteen long 
hours: but.our trouble did not end here; 
for on fending to the In{pector, or what= 
ever name he is, called, whofe bulinefS it 
is to, examine, the paflengers as they ar- 
rive, he refufed to rife from his bed, and 
fent us a cool infolent command to remain 
en board all night. We had a great 
Cantabrigiana correéted. 
15 
number of paflengers, and feveral fick 
ladies: this imfamous conduct was not to 
be fubmitted to, and after having fent 
repeated meflages, and waited three quar- 
ters of an hour on deck, during a bitter 
cold night, two or three gentlemen forced 
their way, and we all of us contrived to 
feramble afhore as well as we could, Mr. 
In{pector afterwards paid his vifit to an 
empty vetlel: thefe fellows give them- 
felves airs of mlolence and authority on 
the too-well founded prefumption, that a 
crew, when once difperfed, is not likely to 
be colleéted again, and that no individual 
will think it worth while to feek redref&S 
when the firit fit of ill-humour is fub- 
fided. 
The chaife is now at the dcor, and we 
are off for town within five minutes; £ 
fha!l fee you on Saturday in good. health, 
I hope, and in gocd fpirits. It is ufne- 
ceffary to affure you ‘with what fincere - 
affection I remain, Wow. akc... 
T.S. NorcaTE. 
ee E 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR; 
BY in Author of the Cantabriziana is 
IK entirely miftaken when he {ates un- 
der the head “ Baker's Manufcripis,” 
p- 495 of your lait Magazine, that Mn 
Baker “ Lert tqwenty-three volumes of bis 
manufcripts to that great collefor, the Earl 
of Oxford.”—Indeed there is a ftrange 
inaccuracy in the whole fentence, for in 
the next line but one he fays ** The deed of 
BARGAIN’AND SALE of the manu/cripts ta 
the Earl of Oxford, written in Baker's 
own hand, was executed December 6, 
1716.” The deed is xotin Baker's hand= 
write, but in that of Mr. Wanley, li- 
brarian to Lord Harley ; and if there were 
a deed of bargain and fale, how could Mr. 
Baker have Lert them to. Lord Oxford? 
‘The fact is, that by this deed, which is 
bound up with the firft volume of the ma- 
nufcripts, this indefatigable antiquary, 
fells to Edward Lord Harley twenty-one 
volumes of his colle&tions, all written 
with his own hand, and fpecified ina {che~ 
dule annexed to the deed, in confideration 
of the fum of one pound one foilliag and 
JSixpence, “To have and to hold to the 
firft Edward, Lord Harley after my: des 
ceafe ; but in caie I happeh to furvive the 
faid Lord Harley, then upon my-death to 
the executors and adminiftrators: of. the 
faid Lord Harley.” The execution of this 
deed is attelted by Mr. Wanley, By a 
paper alfo bound up with this volume, 
which as in the haad writing. of Mr. Baker, 
it 
