Читать книгу List, Ye Landsmen!. A Romance of Incident онлайн

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“What have you there, William?” said Bess.

“A north country rag,” said I, “some weeks old. The gift of a Geordie, no doubt, to the waterman who gave it to me.”

Such news as it contained related largely to shipping. There was a column of items of maritime intelligence. My eye naturally dwelt upon this column, and I read some passages aloud. At last I came to this paragraph:

A correspondent informs us that the brig Black Watch, 295 tons, built in 1806, by Mr. W. Dixon, of Sunderland, is fitting out in the Thames presumably for a privateering cruise. She is said to have been purchased by a gentleman of Amsterdam, but the person who goes in command of her is Captain Michael Greaves, who belongs to this town. If the owner be a Dutchman, as rumor asserts, it is not to be supposed that letters of marque will be issued.

“What do you say, uncle?” said I.

“I cannot tell. I know nothing about letters of marque, Bill. If she’s furrin’-owned her capers can’t be countenanced by our State, can ’ey?”

“No,” said I.