n,"
who persuaded him to invest his money in cotton. Moved by flattering
inducements, he authorized a factor to purchase for him upon certain
restrictions, which, unfortunately for himself, were not drawn up with
regard to legal enforcement-one of those singular instruments between a
merchant and an inexperienced man which a professional quibbler can
take advantage of. Cotton was at the tip-top, and very soon Shannon
was presented with an account of purchase, and draft so far beyond his
limits, that he demurred, and rejected the purchase entirely; but some
plot should be laid to entrap him. The factor undertook the force
game, notified him that the cotton was held subject to his order, and
protested the draft for the appearance of straightforwardness. Cotton
shortly fell to the other extreme, the lot was "shoved up" for sale on
Shannon's account, Shannon was sued for the balance, held to bail, and
in default committed to prison. His confinement and endurance of it
would form a strange chapter in the history of imprisonment for debt.
Carrying his money with him, he closed the door of his cell, and neither
went out nor would allow any one but the priest to enter for more than
three years; and for eleven years and seven months he paced the room
upon a diagonal line from corner to corner, until he wore the first
flooring, of two-and-a-quarter-inch pine, entirely through.

I might go on and tell of many others, whose poverty was well known,
and yet suffered years of imprisonment for debt; but I find I have
digressed. I must relate an amusing affair which took place this morning
between Manuel Pereira, the steward of the English brig Janson, which
put into this port in distress, and the jailer. He is the man about whom
so much talk and little feeling has been enlisted--a fine, well-made,
generous-hearted Portuguese. He is olive-complexioned--as light as many
of the Carolinians--intelligent and obliging, and evidently unaccustomed
to such treatment as he receives here.

Manuel appeared before the jailer's office this morning with two junks
of disgusting-looking meat, the neck-bones, tainted and bloody, in each
hand. His Portuguese ire was up. "Mister Poulnot, what you call dis? In
South Carolina you feed man on him, ah? In my country, ah yes! we feed
him to dog. What you call him? May-be somethin' what me no know him. In
South Carolina, prison sailor when he shipwreck, starve him on nosin',
den tell him eat this, ah! I sails