The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809Carter, Harry
History
The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809
Carter, Harry
Carter, Harry, 1749-1829; Smuggling -- Great Britain -- History
gladly continue in the same all the days of my life. So every Sabbath
day I went to New York to see my friends in the morning and return back
again in the evning.
I think it was in the later end of July when Mr. Dawson, one of them
English men I before mentioned that came from the County of Durham, came
over to inform me that if I would go home there was a vessel that would
be ready in the course _of_ a week's time, and he was going to England.
I th_anked_ him and went to New York, and asked the advice of my
friends. They all, as the voice of one man, said, "Surely this is the
Lord's doing; go, the Lord will be with you. We believe that it will not
be in the power of man to hurt you, but you must not think it strange if
you receive strong tryals from the Captain." The Captain was an English
man that come there from the West Indies, and had been in town for, I
suppose, six or seven weeks; a man that did profess Religion, and did at
times stand up in publick as a preacher, but of Calvinist principles.
And as I know him before, I went and asked him for a passage, then
fully believing it was my duty, and I thought I could trust the Lord
with my both soul and body. So he was quite agreeable, and then, as I
was not acquainted with the man, opened all my mind unto him,
notwithstanding for all the hints I had concarning him before. So he
asked me if I was a navigator, and if I could work, etc. I answered I
had my quadrant and books with me. So I agreed with him to be landed in
Mounts Bay, or close to the East of the Lizard Point, and then returned
back to Long Island, and told my employer I was going at home. He
desired me to stay a few days longer with him to finish the job, to
which I consented. And I think aboute the 3 or 4 of august, when we
settled our accounts, he paid me very handsomely. I returned to New
York. I paid off all my debts and bought myself sevrall little
_seafar_ing clothes for the voyage, and I think I had four pence in
_coppe_rs left. Well, then, here was a change in deed--from _such_ hard
labour to ease again. So I staid there with my dear friends, going from
house to house as before. I think I was allwayse rejoicing and praysing
of God, and still using the same self-denial by abstaining from food as
before time, and not only then, but allso when I was to my hardest
labour. I staid there until the 13 August, when took breakfast with my
old and first friend the glasar, and after breakfast he took a dollar
out of his pocket and said, "I insist on you to accept of it." I thanked
him, and I took it, so went on board, and that day got to an anchor in
Sandyhook, and the next morn sailed for England with a fair wind and
fair weather. The vessel was a small sloop aboute 40 tons,[51] bought by
the Captain then in New York, but the papars draw'd in the mate's name,
under cover him being an American. The cargo was coopers' timber, and
the whole crew was the Captain, mate, two boys, Mr. Dawson, and myself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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