supposed were Captain
Murray's sureties for the charter of the Frances, informing them of our
misfortune, when they applied to the underwriters for relief. When we
had waited two or three weeks in Charleston, an agent of the
underwriters arrived there from New-York, bringing with him rigging and
sails, when we made some tempory repairs, and then sailed for New-York,
where we arrived after a passage of two weeks.

After we arrived in port it was discovered that Murray had not over
twenty dollars when he first undertook the voyage. He was a good looking
man, and belonged to the Masonic order, could sing a good song, and tell
a humorous story, and had a peculiar way of gaining the confidence of
his associates. He had but few personal acquaintances in the city; but
had obtained security from two or three responsible merchants for the
charter of the schooner Frances for a voyage of some months, at two
hundred dollars per month, and they had loaned him money to pay the
advance wages of the mate and seamen, and supplied him with ship stores,
besides making large shipments of goods on their own account. He took
many goods from different people in invoices of from fifty to one
thousand dollars, agreeing to carry them free from freight, and return
them one-half of the net profits. Among the shippers was his landlady, a
poor widow woman, whom he persuaded to make a shipment of crockery
amounting to fifty or sixty dollars, who, no doubt expected it would be
sold at California prices. I have since conversed with many of the
shippers by the Frances on this voyage, who say that they never received
any returns for the goods which they shipped on board the schooner, or
any account of the sales of them. The sureties were compelled to pay the
seamen's wages and all other expenses. Some years after I learned that
Murray died in some part of Central America.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Voyage to New Orleans.

About the first of December, 1831, I entered into an agreement in
Philadelphia with a large contractor, who had engaged to open a canal
from the city of New Orleans to Lake Ponekertrain. He had hired about
one hundred and fifty men, and chartered a brig to carry them to New
Orleans. We sailed about the sixth of December, and made our passage out
in twenty days. The captain of the brig was a young man who was but
little acquainted with that coast. As he found that I was more
experienced than himself, he was very civil to me. I gave him