quaintance. I noticed that he uniformly diminished every figure in the original statement by a considerable percentage: the tonnage of the ship, the value of the cargo, the number of the crew and of those that had perished, and the hours of exposure. It might be that he had special reasons for believing there to be some exaggeration, but it seemed simple habit. His business might compel under-estimates, to meet over-estimates.

More recently I became acquainted with the affairs of a dealer in timber of home growth. A servant complained to him that he found himself placed in difficulties by the fact that every fallen tree or bit of timber was entered in the stock-book at measurements exceeding the truth. The answer was that the purchaser would be sure to knock off something from the estimates, so that a little exaggeration on the seller's side was necessary to the truth. The plan, I must add, did not answer in that

case.

my

A sister of my grandfather married a Mr. Ward, who in 1800 was in London, and from whose house mother went to Drury Lane, and saw George III. shot at. I frequently heard it mentioned that my grandfather had given material assistance to Mr. Ward, or, upon his death, to his son.

This son, an only child, was my grandfather's godson, and was named after him, as I too was He became a large shipowner. He was too wise ever to build a ship, but he knew how and when to buy one. By pacing up and down the decks, and giving an occasional stamp, he could tell whether a ship was

sound or not, and even its age. What he knew, he took care to keep to himself. When he had sounded a ship others in the trade tried to sound him, and complained, rather unreasonably, if they afterwards found that what they got out of him was not worth much. Of course they said more.

At one time, 'Tom Ward' had a large and valuable fleet. In the manning and management of it and in other matters he had a valuable ally, Captain Holiday, another cousin of my mother's. For a long period Tom Ward was a daily frequenter of the Merchants' and Shipowners' room at Lloyd's, and Captain Holiday of the Captains' room. At the end of every day they compared notes, and were thus able to see both sides of many a question in which shipowners and their servants are apt to see severally one side only.

Meeting with scarcely any losses, Tom Ward latterly became his own insurer. Fate, however, or the sea, or the salvage interest, had a revenge at last. He left in his will that as his ships returned to port they should be sold, for the daughter, to whom he had left everything. At the last, one was still on its voyage from Calcutta, the 'Lady Kennaway,' a fine new ship, with a very valuable cargo. It had had a very bad voyage. The crew, which happened to be much too small for the ship, were thoroughly exhausted and out of heart. In this condition they encountered a terrible storm in the Bay of Biscay, and found themselves unable to manage the ship. They took to their boats, and arrived finally at Plymouth, with the statement that they had left the ship

sinking, with I know not how many feet of water in the hold. The very evening of their arrival there came news that the ship had been brought into Falmouth, I think it was, safe and sound. Some small craft had boarded it, but, finding it too much for them, had engaged a tug and so saved it. The result was a very curious trial, for the salvage had to be assessed and re-assessed for division between the salvors. But her ladyship had been knocking about in the bay and taking good care of herself for several days, just as the 'Cleopatra' with the 'Needle ' did a few years ago.

This singular, indeed almost single, casualty was a comparatively small deduction from the very large fortune left by my cousin and namesake to his only child, a daughter. She married Captain Douglas Lane, who had a large stud of horses and was said to be on the turf. By I forget what accident she was sadly burnt, and died.

CHAPTER XXV.

COUNTY KERRY.

My maternal grandfather imported 'Irish blood' into the family. I have been often reminded lately that it has been the making of me. It may be a useful complement of Saxon, and still more of Dutch blood, but how much real Celtic is involved in the name of 'Waters' passes me to say. I have been told by a

A CELTIC INFUSION.

145

well-informed Irish gentleman that, like some other names of English derivation, it is borne by many native Irish families, having possibly been adopted in times of necessity to obtain English protection.

In County Kerry, near Derrynane, Daniel O'Connell's home, there lived one Waters, with three sons, who managed his property. That property, I conclude, was leasehold-not freehold, certainly. The youngest of the three came to England and settled at Bridlington. There he died, leaving some young children, who had been given to understand that they were heirs to Irish property. Their grandfather died, and they expected to hear from Ireland. They did not. At last they heard that their two uncles had taken possession, and that they intended to keep everything to themselves.

It must have been rather more than a century ago that my grandfather married one of the younger of the daughters, said to have been pretty, clever, refined, and good, and I should think a little above her surroundings. She was, however, always delicate, insomuch that the care of the household devolved much on my mother, who was her eldest daughter. Three years after that daughter's marriage, she died.

She was an Independent. Whether she brought this from County Kerry I know not, but the state of things at Bridlington Quay was enough to account for it. Even when I was there in 1825, the Quay, both a busy port and a fashionable watering-place, with a population of several thousands, and a mile from the town of Bridlington, had no church, though it had several meeting-houses. Very likely at that

VOL. I.

L

time it would have been quite impossible to get a church built, even if the money had been forthcoming. All, however, I know about the matter is that my grandmother was an Independent, and that she so remained.

My mother had been baptised at the parish church of Bridlington. There also was she confirmed, upon her own presentation, as appears from her account of the matter. Archbishop Markham, then over eighty, was holding a Confirmation at Bridlington. My mother and a young friend were walking that way, and they saw the candidates going in order to the church. They felt a sudden impulse to join the procession. They stepped into the line; but my mother was immediately seized with some very natural and proper misgivings. What if they were detected, questioned, and examined? My mother had not learnt the Catechism, but she knew that the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments were in it, and she had always repeated the Creed as part of her daily prayers. No tickets, it appears, were then required. My mother was received and confirmed with the rest. Though she had had no preparation, the impression received that day always lived in her memory, and no doubt left its mark in her character. Had she consulted her parents beforehand, it must have raised a painful question between them. Of this, as of Of this, as of many other

irregular acts, it may be said, Factum valet.

As I have said above, the mother-that is, the Kerry girl, or at least the daughter of the Kerry man -died young. Her brother I remember well, having