too often leads to feats of the greatest daring, which the widow and
the orphan have long to deplore. To one of these companies, known by
the name of 'Laytons,' whose rendezvous and 'look-out' were close to
Yarmouth jetty, Brock belonged; and in pursuit of his calling, the
following event is recorded by an acquaintance of Brock's.

"About 1 P.M. on the 6th of October, 1835, a vessel was observed at
sea from this station with a signal flying for a pilot, bearing east
distant about twelve miles: in a space of time incredible to those
who have not witnessed the launching of a large boat on a like
occasion, the yawl, 'Increase,' eighteen tons burden, belonging to
Laytons' gang, with ten men and a London Branch pilot, was under
weigh, steering for the object of their enterprise. About 4 o'clock
she came up with the vessel, which proved to be a Spanish brig,
Paquette de Bilboa, laden with a general cargo, and bound from
Hamburg to Cadiz, leaky, and both pumps at work. After a great deal
of chaffering in regard to the amount of salvage, and some little
altercation with part of the boat's crew as to which of them should
stay with the vessel, J. Layton, J. Woolsey, and George Darling,
boatmen, were finally chosen to assist in pumping and piloting her
into Yarmouth harbor: the remainder of the crew of the yawl were
then sent away. The brig at this time was about five miles to the
eastward of the Newarp Floating Light, off Winterton on the Norfolk
coast, the weather looking squally. On passing the light in their
homeward course, a signal was made for them to go alongside, and
they were requested to take on shore a sick man; and the poor fellow
being comfortably placed upon some jackets and spare coats, they
again shoved off, and set all sail: they had a fresh breeze from the
W.S.W. 'There was little better,' said Brock, 'than a pint of liquor
in the boat, which the Spaniard had given us, and the bottle had
passed once round, each man taking a mouthful, till about half of it
was consumed: we all had a bit of biscuit each, and while we were
making our light meal, we talked of our earnings, and calculated
that by 10 o'clock we should be at Yarmouth.

"'Without the slightest notice of its approach a terrific squall
from the northward took the yawl's sails flat aback, and the ballast
which we had trained to windward, being thus suddenly changed to
leeward, she was upset in an instant.

"'Our crew and passenger were nine men--'twas