With the bills, drawn through Mr. Bell and Mr. Beaudin, there are life-certificates. You know my weakness of sight, and that, consequently, I cannot write the bills myself; but, thank God! I can still, though with great pain, read a letter, although I cannot extend the effort to books and newspapers. This is the reason why I have had the bills of exchange, to the order of Mr. Beaudin, written by old General Loustaunau, and those, to Mr. Bell, written by Mr. Beaudin; nor must you wonder, if, another time, Mr. Beaudin should himself write bills to his own order.
The mercantile house of ——, at ——, has asked me for a letter of introduction to you, because they say you are a man of high respectability: but I should be very sorry to render a service to such rogues.
[Signed] H. L. S.
The distressed situation in which Lady Hester Stanhope found herself by such a severe calamity as the loss of Miss Williams, who, in sickness and in health, had been all in all to her, induced me to set aside every other consideration, and to resolve on making the voyage to Syria without loss of time, even in the depth of winter, although the navigation of the Mediterranean is exceedingly boisterous in the months of January, February, and March. I accordingly went over to Leghorn, and entered into an agreement with the master of a merchant-vessel, who was to sail in a few days for Beyrout. Nothing remained but to sign it; but, previously to so doing, I had to overcome the repugnance which Mrs. —— felt to being left behind, if she remained, and the apprehension of fresh piracies, if she accompanied me. Between the two she hesitated and wavered until the opportunity was lost, and, being unable to make up her mind one way or the other, spring came, and then summer, until it was finally settled that I should take her back to England, and, leaving her there, return and perform the voyage alone.
We accordingly set off for Marseilles in August, 1829, and traversed France as far as Paris. But there her womanish fears, and the dread of losing me in a foreign country by plague, and a thousand ills, which persons, who have not visited the East, fancy to be more common in distant countries than at home, still preyed on her mind, and a fresh resolution was formed to accompany me. We therefore returned to Marseilles: but not until November, 1830, could I prevail upon her to set her foot in a vessel.
On the 3rd of November, we set sail from Marseilles, in the Belle Sophie, Coulonne master, a brig of 220 tons or thereabouts. We had secured the state-room, and one berth out of four which the cabin contained. Two others were occupied by two English ladies, and the fourth by the captain. Temporary berths were fitted up for three Englishmen adjoining the companion-ladder, who, in society with these pious ladies, had embarked on the wide world in the holy mission of making proselytes among Jews and Mahometans.[26] On the floor and lockers of the cabin was an Arab woman with three daughters and a son, whilst her husband, with a Cypriot Greek, were tenants of the hold. Thus we were twelve cabin-passengers, where six only could have been comfortably accommodated: but no scruples of this kind would appear to have ever crossed the conscience of the master of the vessel or the owners.
FOOTNOTES:
[14] The death of the Hon. James Stanhope.
[15] Firmanlee is synonymous with outlaw.