While her father was commander-in-chief at Plymouth, she was one day out in the Channel, beyond the Eddystone, in the Admiral's cutter.

As the country was at war, she was courting danger; and in fact, the cutter was sighted by a French cruiser, which gave chase.

But Miss Pasley declined to run away.

She "popped at the Frenchman with the cutter's two brass guns." It was like blowing peas at an elephant; and she would undoubtedly have been captured, had not an English frigate seen the danger and put out to the rescue.
Flinders' cousin had interested herself in his studies and ambitions, and gave him some encouragement.

She also spoke about him to Captain Pasley, who seems to have listened sympathetically.