J. Gaskin came on board at Falmouth, bound to Barbadoes. M.r G. was a very small, gentle looking man and for the last three years had been at Oxford. Of course I expected to find in him a well informed messmate & good classic – but no – I found out afterwards that it had been to little purpose that he had been so long at College, – that he had misspent his time & spent his fathers money – that he knew less of Greek, Latin &.c than a boy with us in his third year. I was greatly disappointed in this respect – as well as in every other, for Gaskin was no better than an ignorant planter’s son, who had imbibed more of the races than of the learning of the Mother country. From what he said I understood that his father was highly indignant with him, and had sent for him in a hurry to prevent him from playing the fool any longer. I used to plague him a pretty considerable deed by quoting passages in Latin & asking his opinion – so that he told our Master that he wished I would leave him in peace. When he left us he forgot to give any thing to the Steward & Cook – which was of a piece with the rest of his conduct.
M.r Lamb, whom we also took on board at Falmouth was a person of a very different stamp. He was a considerable Merchant of S.t Thomas & a Scotchman by birth. He was a very pleasant companion and was very kind to us all while we lay in S.t Thomas. Between him & M.r Gaskin there was little love lost, for they disliked each other most cordially.
From S.t Kitts to S.t Thomas we had a M.r Adamson a Scotchman and long resident at Helensburg, near Dumbarton . He possessed some property in S.t Kitts. Of him I can say nothing as he was with us not more than 30 or 40 hours.
At Domingo we received on board a Lady Muskerry, the widow of a Lieut. Radford, H.P. 17th Reg.t & Chief Stipendiary Magistrate – who had died a few weeks before our arrival. While we lay at S.t Thomas she remained on board & never went out of the ship until we landed her at Falmouth. Lady Muskerry derived her title from her First husband (she has had three) an Irish Lord. She was a very pleasant woman, although were I inclined to be censorious, I might have found fault. I used to think what a pity it was that she had not more money to support the dignity of a Title.
Our last passenger was a M.r Ullathorne, a considerable planter in the Island of S.t Vincent and a very pleasant young fellow.