me. Instead of so doing, he walked into several
offices by chance, over which he saw written "Shipping Agent and
Broker." Some had no ships going to the British North American ports,
others did not know of any captains who would take charge of a raw
youngster like me. One said if I liked to go to the coast of Africa he
could accommodate me, but that he could not say that I might not have to
spend two or three months up some of the rivers, waiting for a return
cargo of ivory and gold dust. Another said he could secure me a trip to
China if I would pay a premium; and three others offered me cruises to
the West Indies and North America. The fact was, that the navigation of
the mighty river Saint Lawrence was scarcely open, and consequently few
ships were ready to sail for Quebec. At last a broker into whose office
we entered, informed us that he was agent for one of the first emigrant
ships which would sail that year; that her captain was a very superior
man, a great friend of his; and that he doubted not for a small premium
he would take charge of me. Mr John Cruden, our new friend, insurance
broker and general shipping agent, was a very polite man, and extremely
soft-spoken; but he was of an extremely inquisitive disposition, I
thought, for he asked my father numberless questions about himself and
me, to all of which he returned the short monosyllable "H'm," which did
not inform us whether he was satisfied or not. I found all the time
that he was merely trying to discover what amount of premium my father
was likely to be able to pay, that he might ask accordingly.

The office, in which we stood, was very small for the large amount of
business Mr Cruden informed us he transacted in it, and very dark; and
so dirty, that I thought it could never have been cleaned out since he
commenced his avocations there. There were sea-chests, and cases, and
small casks of all sorts piled up in all the odd corners. There were
also coils of rope, and bottles, and rusty iron implements, the form of
which I could not discern, and bundles of old clothes and canvas bags,
and compass-boxes in and about the cases, and hanging from the ceiling;
while a tarry, fishy, strong shippy odour pervaded the room. I was
particularly struck with the model of a ship fully rigged on a shelf
over the mantelpiece; but she also was as much covered with dust as the
ship in which the ancient mariner went to sea would have been, after he
had shot the alb