roved; but this he knew, that my partner
was grown exceeding rich upon the enjoying his part of it; and that, to
the best of his remembrance, he had heard that the king's third of my
part, which was, it seems, granted away to some other monastery or
religious house, amounted to above two hundred moidores a year: that as
to my being restored to a quiet possession of it, there was no question
to be made of that, my partner being alive to witness my title, and my
name being also enrolled in the register of the country; also he told
me, that the survivors of my two trustees were very fair honest people,
and very wealthy; and he believed I would hot only have their assistance
for putting me in possession, but would find a very considerable sum of
money in their hands for my account, being the produce of the farm while
their fathers held the trust, and before it was given up, as above;
which, as he remembered, was for about twelve years.

I showed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this account, and
inquired of the old captain how it came to pass that the trustees should
thus dispose of my effects, when he knew that I had made my will, and
had made him, the Portuguese captain, my universal heir, &c.

He told me that was true; but that as there was no proof of my being
dead, he could not act as executor, until some certain account should
come of my death; and, besides, he was not willing to intermeddle with a
thing so remote: that it was true he had registered my will, and put in
his claim; and could he have given any account of my being dead or
alive, he would have acted by procuration, and taken possession of the
ingeino, (so they called the sugar-house) and have given his son, who
was now at the Brazils, orders to do it. "But," says the old man, "I
have one piece of news to tell you, which perhaps may not be so
acceptable to you as the rest; and that is, believing you were lost, and
all the world believing so also, your partner and trustees did offer to
account with me, in your name, for six or eight of the first years'
profits, which I received. There being at that time great disbursements
for increasing the works, building an ingeino, and buying slaves, it did
not amount to near so much as afterwards it produced: however," says the
old man, "I shall give you a true account of what I have received in
all, and how I have disposed of it."

After a few days' farther conference with this ancient friend, he
brought me an