Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1849-03-16

as ne said, by the grace OF God. tie ISSUED
decree against seditious conventicles and meet
ings of the Friends of the People. Putting
the King at defiance, we continued to meet,
till one morning posse of officers from Edin-
burg arrived in our village, having warrants
for eighteen Of us, my name being on the list.
We were marched into Edinburg as we en-
tered the gates of the city we were mustered
by the officers, two by two in file, the tallest
marching first, being the shortest of course
brought up the rear. From the gates to the
castle is near mile. While traversing the
streets thousands were assembled, the great
majority of whom were women. AT certain
corner where two streets met, stood tall,
masculine, Highlander looking woman; be-
ing mounted on stone or block. she appear
ed, by the head and shoulders, like SAUL a.
bove all the people. AS passed her in re-
view, raising her hands and arms above her
head, she exclaimed in the broad Scottish dia-
lect, " may the LoSh preserUe as, if the King
is feer'd for sac Tellosr as that, dinna ken
artot III become o. him ~ OF in plain English
may the Lord preserve US; if the King is afraid
of such fellow as that, know not what
will become of him. She closed this speech
with loud laugh, in which Joined with all
my heart. for thought at the time was one
of the martyrs to freedom.
After examination we gave bail for our ap-
pearance, and were then set at liberty. A
ship, the Providence, of New York, then lay
at Leith enrolling passengers for America
My brother [who was twenty months my Sc
nior) entered the list Having arranged with
our bailsman-(we were both in the same con-
demnation)-we sailed from Scotland OIL the
18th April, and landed in New York. 10th
June, 1894, after (as the New York Gazette
who reported our arrival expressed it) short
passage of mine Ireeks. The vessel had three
masts, to be sure, but she was only one hum
bred and ninety TONS We had ninety steer
age and twenty cabin passengers. Between
decks was only five feet deep, with two tier
of berths, three passengers sleeping in each
berth. When seated between decks in rough
weather we were literally damned, and when
in our berths at night we were slowed as close
as behring's on plate. AS we weighed an
Choir and got fairly under way, a boat having
an officer and a press gang on board, put of
from His Majesty's frigate Hussar, then lying
in Leith Roads, and made towards our ship.
AT that period King George III usurped au-
thority over our ships, though he had been
driven from the soil; they had not yet heard
of Commodores Decatur, Hull, Rogers, and
others, just as good. Among our passengers
were some fine young men equipped for the
voyage, with jackets, trowsers, &c. Sus-
pecting the object of the boat they ran be-
low, doused their sea clothes. and turned in to
their berths with a few old men and women
kept the deck. AS the officer passed, says
he, &c My lad will you go with me - "What
TO do'" saysI. ITO fight the French" say
he. "Will you put me on the hospital list"
says |. eve have too Elany there already"
says he, and passed on. He selected about a
dozen of the hkei1est, and told them TO pick up
and go with him. Our captain invited him
down into the cabin. What passed cannot
/ tell, as he returned to the boat taking no no.
tce of the men he had selected. but told the
captain 10 proceed on his voyage.
To note all the curious scenes in which /
was an actor, or spectator, during passage of
nine weeks, in small vessel, with one hun
dred and twenty persons, would of itself form
volume. Before this, had never been TWEEN
ty miles from the house in which l was born
Here I was, without having seen or expert
enced aught of the world, set as it were on
which there was no retreat. With my brother
kept possession of the front of the berth, and
ten in danger of suffocation by his enormous
weight He was subject to the nightmare
and talking in his sleep. One night, while
blowing gale, he dream't the ship was sink
ing. With all the strength of his tremen-
dous voice, he roared out Lord God AL
mighty, help! help! 1Oee'r game to hell
heed foremost. His cry for help awoke my
sleeping powers. | cought the alarm, and
roared murder. with all my might. A large
| Newfoundland dow on deck Joined in chorus;
he barked and howled at the top of his lungs:
the whole mass of humanity came rolling from
their berths, women screaming, children cry
ing and men praying. 1t was the Mates watch.
He appeared with light, when sight ap-
peared which bafes the powers of description.
Here, in bold relief, stood forth the whole
mystery and beauties of nature and art, some
dressed and some half dressed, some in state OF
nudity, and some in state OF sin and misery,
IKE Mother Eve an hour after she eat the
Divels apple; the head of one man was peer
ing through the top of his wife's neither gar
ment, he looked like old-digger in Califor-
MIA; woman had inserted her left foot in
the right wing of her husbands buskins, There
was no pants in those davs;l this, to be sure
was not turning the world up side down, but
it was bringing the rear rank class 10 the front
In short, my wondering eyes were contour
ded; and to this day the impression is so vi
we'd, that had the powers and pencil of Ho
garth, could sketch scene, the like of which
has not been seen since the confusion Of
tongues.
The next scrap will commence with The
most pleasant and the most painful period il
life: viz: the season of courtship-to boarding
school misses, and 10 bachelors of an olde
growth. 1t will be more interesting tEan t.
read of Nightmares and tchite squalls at sea.