Practique and Passengers

Arrive at Falmouth

Saturday 12 October – at 6 a.m. we arrived at Falmouth and came to in the roads, to be in readiness to move up to [the] Quarantine pool, should it be judged necessary. In a short time the custom House boat came alongside to make the usual inquiries, and upon learning that we had [lost] a man by fever, went on shore again for D.^r Fox. The time they were absent was spent by us in doubt & impatience – in doubt as to whether we should be obliged to ride Quarantine or not – in impatience at the tardy movements of the old Fox. At last the Physician arrived, and being satisfied with the answers I gave to his interrogatories, he very kindly & considerately admitted us to Practique. No time was then lost before we moved up to our old anchorage in the Harbour – and for my part as soon as my Cabin & appurt[en]ance[s] had been overhauled, I went on shore to see if all my acquaintances were alive, of which I had some doubts, because the Cholera had been raging in Falmouth for the last three weeks, & had committed great ravages. With one exception (M.^rs Collins) I found all well.[8]

M.^r Power passenger

As soon as we were free to go on wherever we pleased, our two passengers, M.^r George Power, and M^r Robert Ferrier, left us for Pearce’s Hotel. It had been the intention of these gentlemen to have remained at Falmouth for two or three days – but no sooner did they learn that the dreaded Cholera was there in all its fury, than they resolved to quit by the Evening Mail. In the afternoon I had the pleasure of dining with them, and the sorrow of bidding adieu to two very pleasant companions at half past six oClock. According to custom I shall speak of these gentlemen individually, and tell you what impression I received of them from their manners & conversation.

M.^r George Power was a young man (roughly 30), a native of the emerald Isles, and a Merchant in the Island of S.^t Vincent. From his conversation I learned that he, was of very good family, and that his eldest brother would inherit 4000 a year. One of his brothers was an archdeacon & two were in the army. His uncle was Sir George Hill, now Governor of Trinadad. M.^r Power was one who, having been intended for the Church, had received a most liberal education at Trinity College, Dublin. He was an [sic] Latinist and a superior Grecian. His knowledge of Spanish and Italian was most respectable. He spoke French and was no mean proficient in the Hebrew. Possessed, however, as he was of all these accomplishments, he never shewed them, but hid them under a bushel. To accident alone, at the latter end of our voyage, was I indebted for the knowledge of his multifarious acquirements – and then I exceedingly regretted that I had not sooner enjoyed the pleasure of conversing with a competent person on classical subjects – a pleasure doubly great from the infrequency of the opportunities which accrue for gratifying it. I was delighted with his momentary enthusiasm and absolutely transported beyond myself when he began to recite from various authors passages with which I had once been familiar, but which had slipped from my memory – and he no doubt was no less delighted to find one who could understand him & sympathise with [him] in his tastes and ideas – But yet alas this classical furor had only a temporary influence on him – find he soon became alive only to share copies which engrossed his mind viz. profit & loss. I soon found that he had greater pleasure in conversing with M.^r Ferrier on mercantile affairs, than on the most inspiring strains of Roman parts, or the eloquised sentiments of Roman orators & Historians. Still however we found in M.^r Power a very agreeable and gentlemanly messmate whose company we were sorry to lose, when we arrived at our journey’s end.

M.^r Robert Ferrier

M.^r Robert Ferrier was a merchant in the Island of Nevis – indeed one of  the first and the wealthiest there. He was either born or had been educated at Dumbarton – afterwards lived at Glasgow and finally came out to the West Indies. He seemed near 40 – rather plain in his appearance – with a pretty considerable deal of the brogue. His manners were plain & unpretending – never vulgar. His conversation was marked [with] quite good sense, and considerable extent of information on general topics. Most men have some peculiarity, more or less striking in their dress, manners or language. Now M.^r Ferrier was rather a little remarkable for repeating the fag end of his sentences five or six times over – as “Napoleon was a very remarkable man – a very remarkable man – a very remarkable man – and the circumstances of the times alone would have [forth his heaven ____ – called forth &.^c three or four times. But enough. M.^r R Ferrier delighted us all.

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