Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/392

374 plan here has been to give to some person who had stock a share of the land, if he would go and reside upon it for a sufficient time. Many would have been sufferers. We had an annual meeting of our temperance society on Thursday evening. I spun a long and a tough yarn. The people were quite amused with the mode in which I illustrated the manner of ardent spirits being first taken out of the hands of the medical men, and every man administered the medicine to himself, till at length he seemed perpetually to require a repetition of the dose. When I represented the doctor measuring it out by drops from his bottle to his patient, who soon became impatient, and at last snatched the bottle out of his hand and said: "Give us the bottle, we know how to help ourselves," &c. "Bravo," they cried, as if they had witnessed some dexterous feat. Then the description of the various ailments to which it was applied as a cure amused the meeting also. When a man was hot, when he was cold, when he was wet or dry, sleepy, or watchful, had eaten heartily or had no appetite when he had company, when he was lonely, when he arose, when he lay down; his morning, his meridian altitude, his splicing the mainbrace, his night cap; when he had eaten fresh pork, or salt pork, or fish, or goose, or pudding, and, when there was no other reason, then because he liked it, and because he could not do without it. And so on.

S has written to you to procure one or two servants from Fallowlea school. I partly expect that labourers and servants will come out in Nash's vessel—perhaps one for me. If you have not sent any to me, and if labourers have not come out by Nash's vessel, then I shall be bare enough, though at present I am not in want; but prices are very high. However, 50 in one year would make a great change, and be as many as it would be safe to bring at first. S has told you, I suppose, of Mr. Louis Samson offering to take charge of, and pay the passage of, as many as may be bespoke by the master here, guaranteeing the repayment in instalments