whole of the poor who receive relief. Mr. W. informed me, that until 1824, there was no regular person appointed as inspector of the poor, or to take charge of them. M. Le Patourel was then appointed Inspector of the hospital, and Overseer of the poor; there are also collectors for the poor, the expenditure for that object being about 2007. per annum, which sum is raised by way of tax on the inhabitants, by the Douzaniers of the island, according to the property of the individuals, and the exigencies of the poor, and for other expenses of the island, from one penny to six-pence assessment per quarter of corn.

It has been before remarked, that Governor Le Mesurier, during his residence in the island, employed from forty to fifty labourers all the winter. Since his departure, these persons have received some assistance from the town, not having been able to find work during the winter. The wages of the labouring class are from one shilling to one shilling and sixpence per day; gardeners, two shillings, with drink.

The chief employment of the poor in this island is agriculture and fishing; a few of them only are employed in spinning wool, and in manufacturing it into coarse apparel; but this is so trifling, that it scarcely deserves mentioning. The importation of four hundred tods of wool from Southampton, allowed by Act of Parliament, whatever it might have been formerly, has for many years ceased to that amount, and, at present, the act is a dead letter. Quantities of the rock-fish are caught here, as well as the whiting-bass, and other common sorts of fish, with the conger-eel, many of which are salted and dried, for winter use. There are a few soles and mullets occasionally brought in; but, although so many of the lower class are engaged in this pursuit, it is said that they are not very active in catching mackerel during the season, which

1 Since repealed by the Act of 1824. See Art. Trade, Guernsey.

are brought to them from Guernsey: there are quantities of the large crab, spider crab, cray-fish, and lobsters taken here; the last, sufficient to be sent to Southampton for the English market, there being an agent for purchasing lobsters by contract at sixpence each if they measure eleven inches in length; all smaller ones are taken at half price. These are generally sent away every week during the height of the season.

Almost all the lower class can speak English, though the Norman patois is their mother tongue.

But,

The trade of Alderney may now be said to be scarcely any thing, except for the supply of the island. There are two regular weekly traders to Guernsey, whence the inhabitants are supplied with shop-goods, etc., viz. the Experiment, of forty tons, Capt. Deslandes, and the Frederick, Capt. Killarvay; there is also a small vessel which goes regularly to and from Southampton in the lobster season, and a few vessels occasionally bring coals for the troops and inhabitants. although English manufactures of cottons, lace, etc., to the amount of fifty or sixty thousand pounds value per annum, are said to be brought here by the Guernsey traders, there are no regular vessels employed to export them again: corn, flour, and provisions are, indeed, imported here, but generally in small craft, from France, etc. Nothing can show the distressed state of the trade so clearly as the following document, taken from the Greffe Papers, fol. 183: We, nevertheless, trust their Lordships will not deem it presumption in us to state, with great deference, that what the inhabitants of our sister islands have prayed for, would not prove a relief to this island; for unless this little island is favoured by His Majesty's government with some privileges more than our sister islands. (they having resources which this island has not), it will not be able to command sufficient trade for the support of its inhabitants. Their Lordships, we trust, fully convinced of the distress and misery the inhabitants of this island labour under,

and which are accumulating every day, will see the expediency of taking into consideration, at their earliest convenience, the Petition of the States of this Island of the 1st November, 1815. We have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's obedient, etc. servants,

(Signed)

NICOLAS BARBENSON,
THOMAS N. ROBILLARD,
W. J. SANDFOrd,

J. W. LE PATOUREL,"

To the Rt. Hon. Lord Viscount Chetwynd,

Council Office.

Dated 20th June, 1818."

Formerly this island had a great trade in contraband goods, particularly in spirituous liquors. It was whispered abroad, during my abode here, that there was still a small remnant of this trade carried on from Cherbourg to this place; and it was said, that in consequence of this, several other revenue cutters (besides the Arrow, which is constantly stationed here afloat, with the Adder watch-vessel fixed in the harbour,) were added to the Weymouth station, which were to sail to and from Cherbourg. It may, however, be remarked, that the smuggling trade of the present day, if any, is very trifling, as Mr. Sandford, one of the Jurats, informed me. When I mentioned this subject to him, the answer was: "There is now no smuggling here. I myself have paid fifty thousand pounds per annum for fitting out, and expenses of the shipping formerly engaged in that trade, and now I do not disburse a farthing. The whole of this money, employed as above, went to England, and was chiefly remitted by way bills on London. Now the French possess this contraband trade.' There may, indeed, be some trifling business of this description still carried on, as I can speak from my own experience, having been detained here several weeks, from the cir

of

cumstance of the Guernsey trader having been seized, and not delivered up, till after the lapse of several weeks. This seizure was owing to one of the passengers having secreted, in his packages, twelve pounds of tobacco, unknown to Capt. Simon. Had it not been for the kindness of Capt. Boden, I should have been detained a prisoner in Alderney some time longer, not chusing to venture, in an open boat, on a voyage of twenty-one miles, in such a rough navigation.

To show the distress of the trade, and want of employment of the poor, in 1823, it need only be remarked, that there were forty-five houses standing empty, beside store-houses in abundance; that there was a diminution of fourteen families; a decrease of population of eighty-five persons, and twenty houses uninhabited, between the period of Jan. 3, 1821, and May 24, 1823, as appears from the Census, Appendix, No. II. The rents, also, of houses have diminished more than It may here fifty per cent since the termination of the war. be observed, that butcher's meat is about one penny per pound cheaper than in Guernsey; but it is certainly not so good. Poultry, butter, etc. a trifle cheaper, as well as fish.

CHAPTER VII.

FROM the history of the Protestant church, it appears that Alderney, Guernsey, etc. were united to the see of Winchester in 1568, and from that period to the year 1818, a lapse of two hundred and fifty years, no English bishop had ever visited these islands.

I

It may, therefore, be imagined, that when the first bishop made his appearance in these parts, he would be most graciously received: this was, indeed, the fact; for no person could have been more highly honoured than his lordship, the Bishop of Salisbury, who embarked at Guernsey, for Alderney, with his family and suite, at about eight o'clock on Monday morning, the 10th of August, 1818, on board the Vigilant, the Governor of Alderney's yatch, which had been sent for him, and which was accompanied by the Sea Gull tender, in the service of His Majesty's customs. At four o'clock the same afternoon, they were landed by the Casket Light House boat, at the harbour of Craby, not having been able, owing to the north-east wind, to reach the Braye harbour, or pier. His lordship was accompanied by Admiral Sir J. Saumerez, the very Rev. the Dean of Guernsey, and his son; also by his

1 Dr. Fisher, he having been deputed to proceed to these islands, ' by the Hon. and Right Rev. the Bishop of Winchester, who, from age and infirmity, was unable to come himself. The account of the Bishop's arrival at Alderney is extracted from MS., by Mr. F. Williams, the Greffier, with this motto to it :-Hæc legant nostri nepotes; in which are given the charges and sentence of the court against the Rev. J. C Ubele.-EDIT.