to Yorkshire, where all my family were
expired, except two sisters, and as many of one of my brother's
children. I found no provision had been made for me, they concluding I
had been long since dead; so that I was but in a very slender station.
Indeed the Captain did me a great kindness, by his report to the owners,
how I had delivered their ship on the Desolate Island, upon which they
made me a present of 200L. sterling. I next went to Lisbon, taking my
man Friday with me, and there arriving in April, I met the Portuguese
Captain who had taken me on board on the African coast; but, being
ancient, he had left off the sea, and resigned all his business to his
son, who followed the Brazil trade. So altered both of us were, that we
did not know each other at first, till I discovered myself more fully to
him. After a few embraces, I began to enquire of my concerns; and then
the old gentleman told me that it was nine years since he had been at
Brazil, where my partner was then living, but my trustees were both
dead; that he believed I should have a good account of the product of my
plantation; that the imagination of my being lost, had obliged my
trustees to give an estimate of my share to the procurator fiscal, who,
in case of my not returning, had given one third to the king & the rest
to the monastery of St. Augustine: but if I put in my claim, or any one
for me, it would be returned, except the yearly product which was given
to the poor. I then desired him to tell me what improvement he thought
had been made of my plantation, and whether he imagined it was worth my
while to look after it? he answered, he did not know how much it was
improved; but this he was certain of, that my partner was grown vastly
rich upon his half of it; and, that he had been informed, that the kind
had 200 moidores per annum of his third part. He added, that the
survivors of my trustees were nervous of an ingenuous character; that my
partner could witness my title, my name being registered in the country,
by which means I should indefensibly recover considerable sums of money,
but, answered, I, how could my trustees dispose of my effects, when I
made you only my heir? This, said he, was true but, there being no
affidavit made of my death he could not act as my executor. However, he
had ordered his don,(then at Brazil), to act by procuration upon my
account, and he had taken possession of my sugar-house, having accounted
himself for eight years with