DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0340
300
kirby’s wonderful museum.
Cooke’s knowlege of the business, but particularly the
regularity with which he rendered his accounts to the Board
of Excise, induced the Commissioners to continue him in the
employ. In the mean time, he took a regular and exact account
of sundry infractions of the laws, which either from design or
inadvertence, were daily committed in this paper manufac-
tory,. Having calculated the value of the concern, and the
several thousand pounds the penalties incurred, by frauds
on the revenue, would amount to, he seized an opportunity of
privately informing the widow, that these penalties, if levied,
would amount to more than double the value of all her pro-
perty, and expose her to beggary and the King’s Bench.
He assured her, that the frauds which had been at different
times committed, were only known to himself, and suddenly
proposed marriage to her, as the only means of insuring his
secrecy. The widow, no doubt, convinced of the truth of
Mr. Cooke’s statement, and seeing in him a man of comely
countenance, and of good figure, gave him a favourable an-
swer, but suggested the propriety of deferring the marriage
till the time allotted to the mourning for her first husband
had expired. Mr. Cooke agreed to this delay, having taken
care to obtain her consent and promise on parchment.
On his marriage with this lady, Cooke became possessed
of all her property, which was very large, and particu-
larly of the mills at Tottenham, which were on lease to
her former husband. On the expiration of the lease, he
applied to the proprietors for a renewal of it; but in conse-
quence of a previous treaty, the premises were, to his great
mortification, let to another gentleman.
Having heard of a large sugar concern in Puddle-dock,
which was to be disposed of, he immediately took it, as he
knew something of the business, and flattered himself, that
he would be able to add rapidly to his already very large for-
tune. He now adopted an economical plan, never being at
home at meal times, for fear a customer or friend might call in
kirby’s wonderful museum.
Cooke’s knowlege of the business, but particularly the
regularity with which he rendered his accounts to the Board
of Excise, induced the Commissioners to continue him in the
employ. In the mean time, he took a regular and exact account
of sundry infractions of the laws, which either from design or
inadvertence, were daily committed in this paper manufac-
tory,. Having calculated the value of the concern, and the
several thousand pounds the penalties incurred, by frauds
on the revenue, would amount to, he seized an opportunity of
privately informing the widow, that these penalties, if levied,
would amount to more than double the value of all her pro-
perty, and expose her to beggary and the King’s Bench.
He assured her, that the frauds which had been at different
times committed, were only known to himself, and suddenly
proposed marriage to her, as the only means of insuring his
secrecy. The widow, no doubt, convinced of the truth of
Mr. Cooke’s statement, and seeing in him a man of comely
countenance, and of good figure, gave him a favourable an-
swer, but suggested the propriety of deferring the marriage
till the time allotted to the mourning for her first husband
had expired. Mr. Cooke agreed to this delay, having taken
care to obtain her consent and promise on parchment.
On his marriage with this lady, Cooke became possessed
of all her property, which was very large, and particu-
larly of the mills at Tottenham, which were on lease to
her former husband. On the expiration of the lease, he
applied to the proprietors for a renewal of it; but in conse-
quence of a previous treaty, the premises were, to his great
mortification, let to another gentleman.
Having heard of a large sugar concern in Puddle-dock,
which was to be disposed of, he immediately took it, as he
knew something of the business, and flattered himself, that
he would be able to add rapidly to his already very large for-
tune. He now adopted an economical plan, never being at
home at meal times, for fear a customer or friend might call in