his coach; it was from his mistress to tell him it was impossible, from the crowd, to get her up to the spot where he had appointed her to meet and take leave of him, but that she was in a hackney-coach of such a number. He begged Vaillant to order his officers to try to get the hackney-coach up to his. "My lord," said Vaillant, "you have behaved so well hitherto that I think 'tis pity to venture unmanning yourself." He was struck, and was satisfied with seeing her.

As they drew nigh he said, "I perceive we are almost arrived; it is time to do what little more I have to do," and then, taking out his watch, gave it to Vaillant, desiring him to accept it as a mark of his gratitude for his kind behaviour, adding, "It is scarce worth your acceptance, but I have nothing else; it is a stop-watch, and a pretty accurate one." He gave five guineas to the chaplain, and took out as much for the executioner. Then giving Vaillant a pocket-book, he begged him to deliver it to Mrs. Clifford, his mistress, with what it contained, and with his most tender regard, saying, "The key of it is to the watch, but I am persuaded you are too much of a gentleman to open it." He destined the remainder of the money in his purse to the same person, and with the same tender regards.

When they came to Tyburn his coach was detained some minutes by the conflux of people, but as soon as the door was opened he stepped out readily and mounted the scaffold; it was hung with black by the undertaker, and at the expense of his family.

Under the gallows was a new-invented stage, to be struck from under him. He showed no kind of fear or discomposure, only just looking at the gallows with a slight motion of dissatisfaction. He said little, kneeled for a moment in prayer, said, "Lord, have mercy upon me, and forgive me my errors," and immediately mounted the upper stage. He had come pinioned with a black sash, and was unwilling to have his hands tied or his face covered, but was persuaded to both. When the rope was put round his neck he turned pale, but recovered his countenance instantly, and was but seven minutes from leaving the coach to the signal given for striking the stage. As the machine was new, they were not ready at it; his toes touched it, and he suffered a little, having had time by their bungling to raise his cap, but the executioner pulled it down again, and they pulled his legs, so that he was soon out of pain, and quite dead in four minutes.

He desired not to be stripped and exposed, and Vaillant promised him, though his clothes must be taken off, that his shirt should not. This decency ended with him; the sheriffs fell to eating and drinking on the scaffold, and helped up one of their friends to drink with them, as he was still hanging, which he did for above an hour, and then was conveyed back with the same pomp to Surgeons' Hall to be dissected.

The executioners fought for the rope, and the one who lost it cried. The mob tore off the black cloth as relics, but the universal crowd behaved with

great decency and admiration, as they well might, for sure no exit was ever made with more sensible resolution, and with less ostentation.

If I have tired you by this long narrative, you feel differently from me; the man, the manners of the country, the justice of so great and curious a nation, all to me seem striking, and must, I believe, be more so to you, who have been absent long enough to read of your own country as history.

In a subsequent letter Walpole says: "That wonderful creature Lord Ferrers, of whom I told you so much in my last, and with whom I am not going to plague you much more, made one of his keepers read Hamlet to him the night before his death, after he was in bed; paid all his bills before morning, as if leaving an inn; and half an hour before the sheriffs fetched him, corrected some verses he had written in the Tower, in imitation of the Duke of Buckingham's epitaph, Dubius sed non improbus vixi. What a noble author have I here to add to my catalogue!"

WAS master of the brigantine Glencoe, 125 tons register. The crew consisted of myself, four men, and a boy-six hands all told. On Sunday, October 22, 1882, I sailed from Hartlepool, bound to Hull Bridge, with a cargo of coal. In the afternoon of the following day I passed through Yarmouth Roads, weather moderate, and wind varying from S. to S.E. At midnight and until 1 a.m. on the Tuesday, the vessel was under all plain sail. The weather then became squally; the barometer was at 28-90, and still falling; so I called the watch to shorten canvas. My intention was to get Harwich, or, if the wind kept S.E., to get Burnham River. At 2.30 the wind came from S., sometimes blowing a gale, succeeded by dead calm. Sometimes we were wallowing about in the sea in a calm, and the next minute the wind would come in a tremendous puff. This continued till 8 a.m., when it became a strong gale from the S.E I sighted the Shipwash Light-vessel at 10 o'clock, the wind blowing a hurricane. The vessel was now under double-reefed mainsail, main and middle staysail, lower topsail, fore staysail, and foretopmast staysail.

On sighting the Shipwash all hearts were glad that we had made such a

good land-fall. About a mile from the Shipwash the weather was again speechless calm, and continued so till mid-day, when it came a smart breeze from the S.S.W. I then made canvas to get port; put on her jib, maintopmast staysail, and upper topsail. At 2 p.m. it came a strong gale from S.E., and I had to reduce canvas. The sea was very heavy; the whole of the bulwark on the lee side, and part of that on the weather side, was washed away. It was with joy that at 2.30 I made the Cork Light-ship; wind still from the S.E., a hurricane; but I thought I was all right, and I sang out, "Now, boys, for Harwich!" I ordered the mate to see the range of cable was all right to bring up in Harwich Harbour. When he went forward he found all the chain cable overboard to leeward, some forty-five fathoms in the bight. While he was reporting this to me I could see a brig going into Harwich Harbour. I saw her brail the main trysail up and immediately sheet it home again. One of my men said, "Buoy off the lee bow, master." It was the Platters, a short distance from Harwich Harbour. The wind had suddenly shifted from S.E. to W., caught the vessel aback, and put her about. I would have brought up then had not the cable been overboard; but that being impossible, I hove her to and let her drive, while we attempted to get the cable on board. We had to use a tackle, and it was very slow work; but ultimately we succeeded and it was lashed. I went to lend a hand, and sent the boy to keep a look-out. He reported Bawdsey Buoy on the weather bow. I then said, "Now, boys, we will wear ship," and at the same time ordered the mainsail to be lowered, and up foretopmast staysail and foresail. When I tried to wear her I found she had water in her, because she would not alter her course more than two points but fall down into the sea; a second ratline immersed.

During all this, the sea was breaking clean over us. We hoisted the jib, and away went the jib-boom. My idea then was to get the anchor ready to let go, to cant her head to westward, and, when the topsail came aback, to slip the cable, and sail her to land, to save life. But, to my great surprise, the cable had broken the lashings, and gone overboard again. I resolved to try and get the cable (the inboard part) up from below, and, if we could get the shackle, to bend it on to the anchor. There was not time to get the lee chain in. I could see the breakers on the Shipwash, and I knew that was where I must go if I could not get her head round. It was of no use; before we could get the cable up, we drove broadside on to the Sand, being perfectly powerless to avoid it. She lay port side on the Sand. We first tried to launch the boat, but a sea breaking over us fell into the boat, and smashed her from stem to stern. We then had to take to the rigging. We got into the fore-top; but, as the ship was breaking up, the masts gradually gave way, until they were lying flush with the water. The sea was making a clean breach over us. Being an American-built ship, the upper portion of the cabin formed a sort of deck-house, and, as the vessel lay, was the most prominent part of her. We soon saw that was the safest place, and we crawled along the rigging to the