rid, who it may be mentioned came from Costessey, four
miles from Norwich. It is written from the British Legation, and is
dated 23rd December 1839:

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your two
letters, the one without date, the second dated the _19th
November_ (which however ought to have been _December_),
respecting the outrageous conduct pursued towards you at
Seville by the Alcalde of the district in which you resided. I
lost no time in addressing a strong representation thereon to
the Spanish Minister, and I have to inform you that he has
acquainted me with his having written to Seville for exact
information upon the whole subject, and that he has promised a
further answer to my representation as soon as his inquiries
shall have been answered. In the meantime I shall not fail to
follow up your case with proper activity.

Borrow was still in Seville, hard at work upon the _Gypsies_, all
through the first three months of the year 1840. In April the three
friends left Cadiz for London. A letter of this period from Mr.
Brackenbury, the British Consul at Cadiz, is made clear by these facts:

To George Borrow, Esq.

BRITISH CONSULATE, CADIZ, _January 27th, 1840._

MY DEAR SIR,--I received on the 19th your very acceptable
letter without date, and am heartily rejoiced to find that you
have received satisfaction for the insult, and that the Alcalde
is likely to be punished for his unjustifiable conduct. If you
come to Cadiz your baggage may be landed and deposited at the
gates to be shipped with yourselves wherever the steamer may
go, in which case the authorities would not examine it, if you
bring it into Cadiz it would be examined at the gates--or, if
you were to get it examined at the Custom House at Seville and
there sealed with the seal of the Customs--it might then be
transhipped into the steamer or into any other vessel without
being subjected to any examination. If you take your horse, the
agents of the steamer ought to be apprized of your intention,
that they may be prepared, which I do not think they generally
are, with a suitable box.

Consuls are not authorised to unite Protestant subjects in the
bonds of Holy Matrimony in popish countries--which seems a
peculiar hardship, because popish priests could not, if they
would--