enth salt-water glass of gin-toddy. He rubbed his grey eyes,
that he might peer through the grey of the morning; the fresh breeze
blew about his grizzly locks, and cooled his rubicund nose. The
revenue-cutter, whose name was the _Active_, cast off from the buoy;
and, with a fresh breeze, steered her course for the Needles' passage.

Chapter III

CUTTER THE THIRD

Reader! have you been to St Maloes? If you have, you were glad enough to
leave the hole; and, if you have not, take my advice, and do not give
yourself the trouble to go and see that, or any other French port in the
Channel. There is not one worth looking at. They have made one or two
artificial ports, and they are no great things; there is no getting out,
or getting in. In fact, they have no harbours in the Channel, while we
have the finest in the world; a peculiar dispensation of Providence,
because it knew that we should want them, and France would not. In
France, what are called ports are all alike, nasty narrow holes, only to
be entered at certain times of tide and certain winds; made up of basins
and back-waters, custom-houses, and cabarets; just fit for smugglers to
run into, and nothing more; and, therefore, they are used for very
little else.

Now, in the dog-hole called St Maloes there is some pretty land,
although a great deficiency of marine scenery. But never mind that: stay
at home, and don't go abroad to drink sour wine, because they call it
Bordeaux, and eat villanous trash, so disguised by cooking that you
cannot possibly tell which of the birds of the air, or beasts of the
field, or fishes of the sea, you are cramming down your throat. "If all
is right, there is no occasion for disguise," is an old saying; so
depend upon it, that there is something wrong, and that you are eating
offal, under a grand French name. They eat everything in France, and
would serve you up the head of a monkey who has died of the smallpox, as
_singe au petite verole_--that is, if you did not understand French; if
you did, they would call it, _Tete d'amour a l'Ethiopique,_ and then you
would be even more puzzled. As for their wine, there is no disguise in
that--it's half vinegar. No, no! stay at home; you can live just as
cheaply, if you choose; and then you will have good meat, good
vegetables, good ale, good beer, and a good glass of grog--and what is
of more importance, you will be in good company. Live with your friends,
and don't make a fool of yoursel