nd introduce to our
readers a company assembled in the best inn which, at that time, was to
be found in the town of Cherbourg. The room in which they were assembled
was large in dimensions, but with a low ceiling--the windows were
diminutive, and gave but a subdued light, on account of the vicinity of
the houses opposite. The window-frames were small, and cut diamond-wise;
and, in the centre of each of the panes, was a round of coarsely-painted
glass. A narrow table ran nearly the length of the room, and, at each
end of it, there was a large chimney, in both of which logs of wood were
burning cheerfully. What are now termed _chaises longues_, were drawn to
the sides of the table, or leaning against the walls of the room, which
were without ornament, and neatly coloured with yellow ochre.

The company assembled might have been about thirty in number, of which
half a dozen, perhaps, were in the ecclesiastical dress of the time;
while the others wore the habiliments then appropriated to cavaliers or
gentlemen, with very little difference from those as worn in the times
of the Charleses in England, except that the cloak had been discarded,
and the more substantial roquelaure substituted in its place. Most of
the party were men who had not yet arrived to middle age, if we except
the clericals, who were much more advanced in life; and any one, who had
ever fallen in with the smuggling lugger and its crew, would have had no
difficulty in recognising many of them, in the well-attired and
evidently high-born and well-educated young men, who were seated or
standing in the room. Among them Sir Robert Barclay was eminently
conspicuous; he was standing by the fire conversing with two of the
ecclesiastics.

"Gentlemen," said he at last, "our worthy Father Lovell has just arrived
from St Germains; and, as the most rapid communication is now necessary,
he is empowered to open here and before us, every despatch which we
bring over, before it is transmitted to head-quarters, with permission
to act as may seem best to the friends of his Majesty here assembled."

The fact was, that King James had lately completely given himself up to
religious exercises and mortification, and any communication to him was
attended with so much delay, that it had been considered advisable to
act without consulting him; and to avoid the delay consequent on the
transmission of communications to Paris, the most active parties had
determined that they would, f