had never confined the action
of my feet. My mental acquisitions were not much more valuable; they
consisted of a tolerable knowledge of the depth of water, names of
points and reaches in the River Thames, all of which was not very
available on dry land--of a few hieroglyphics of my father's, which, as
the crier says sometimes, winding up his oration, were of "no use to
nobody but the owner." Add to the above the three favourite maxims of
my taciturn father, which were indelibly imprinted upon my memory, and
you have the whole inventory of my stock-in-trade. These three maxims
were, I may say, incorporated into my very system, so continually had
they been quoted to me during my life; and before I went to sleep that
night they were again conned over. "What's done can't be helped,"
consoled me for the mishaps of my life; "Better luck next time," made me
look forward with hope and, "Take it coolly," was a subject of great
reflection, until I feel into a deep sleep; for I had sufficient
penetration to observe that my father had lost his life by not adhering
to his own principles; and this perception only rendered my belief in
the infallibility of these maxims to be even still more steadfast.

I have stated what was my father's legacy, and the reader will suppose
that from the maternal side the acquisition was _nil_. Directly such
was the case, but indirectly she proved a very good mother to me, and
that was by the very extraordinary way in which she had quitted the
world. Had she met with a common death, she would have been worth
nothing. Burke himself would not have been able to dispose of her; but
dying as she did, her ashes were the source of wealth. The bed, with
her remains lying in the centre, even the curtains of the bed, were all
brought on shore, and locked up in an outhouse. The coroner came down
in a post-chaise and four, charged to the country; the jury was
empanelled, my evidence was taken, surgeons and apothecaries attended
from far and near to give their opinions, and after much examination,
much arguing, and much disagreement, the verdict was brought in that she
died through "the visitation of God." As this, in other phraseology,
implies that "God only knows how she died," it was agreed to _nemine
contradicente_, and gave universal satisfaction. But the extraordinary
circumstance was spread everywhere, with all due amplifications, and
thousands flocked to the wharfinger's yard to witness the effect