[Illustration: THE WHITE SHARK. ]

THRILLING

STORIES OF THE OCEAN. 

FROM AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS OF MODERN

VOYAGERS AND TRAVELLERS;

DESIGNED FOR THE

ENTERTAINMENT AND INSTRUCTION

OF

YOUNG PEOPLE. 

BY MARMADUKE PARK. 

With Numerous Illustrations. 

PHILADELPHIA:

C. G. HENDERSON & CO. , NO. 164 CHESTNUT STREET. 

1852. 

[Illustration: THE WHITE SHARK]

STORIES OF THE OCEAN. 

VOLNEY BECKNER. 

The white sharks are the dread of sailors in all hot climates, for theyconstantly attend vessels in expectation of anything which may be thrownoverboard. A shark will thus sometimes traverse the ocean in companywith a ship for several hundred leagues. Woe to the poor mariner whomay chance to fall overboard while this sea-monster is present. 

Some species of sharks grow to an enormous size, often weighing from oneto four thousand pounds each. The skin of the shark is rough, and isused for polishing wood, ivory, &c. ; that of one species is manufacturedinto an article called _agreen_: spectacle-cases are made of it. Thewhite shark is the sailor's worst enemy: he has five rows ofwedge-shaped teeth, which are notched like a saw: when the animal is atrest they are flat in his mouth, but when about to seize his prey theyare erected by a set of muscles which join them to the jaw. His mouth isso situated under the head that he is obliged to turn himself on oneside before he can grasp any thing with those enormous jaws. 

I will now give you an account of the death of a very brave little boy, who was killed by a shark. He was an Irish boy; his name was VolneyBeckner, the son of a poor fisherman. His father, having always intendedVolney for a seafaring life, took great pains to teach him such thingsas it is useful for a sailor to know, and tried to make him brave andhardy; he taught him to swim when a mere baby. 

[Illustration: VOLNEY BECKNER'S FIRST VOYAGE. ]

Volney was only nine years old when he first went to sea in a merchantship; the same vessel in which his father sometimes sailed. Here heworked hard and fared hard, but this gave him no uneasiness; his framewas robust, he never took cold, he knew not what fear was. 

[Illustration: VOLNEY BECKNER AT SEA. ]

In the most boisterous weather, when the rain fell in torrents, and thewind howled around the ship, the little Irish boy would fearlessly andcheerfully climb the stays and sailyards, mount the topmast, or performany other duty required of him. At twelve years old the captain promotedthe clever, good tempered, and trustworthy boy; spoke well of him beforethe whole crew, and doubled his pay. 

Volney was very sensible to his praises. His messmates loved him for hisgenerous nature, and because he had often shown himself ready to bravedanger in order to assist them; but an occasion soon arrived in which hehad an opportunity of performing one of the most truly heroic deeds onrecord. 

The vessel in which Volney and his father sailed was bound to Port auPrince, in St. Domingo. A little girl, the daughter of one of thepassengers, having slipped away from her nurse, ran on deck to amuseherself. While gazing on the expanse of water, the heaving of the vesselmade her dizzy, and she fell overboard. 

Volney's father saw the accident, darted after her, and quickly caughther by the dress; but while with one hand he swam to reach the ship, andwith the other held the child, he saw a shark advancing towards them. Hecalled aloud for help; there was no time to lose, yet none dared toafford him any. No one, did I say? Yes, little Volney, prompted byfilial love, ventured on a deed which strong men dared not attempt. 

Armed with a broad, sharp sabre, he threw himself into the sea, thendiving like a fish under the shark, he stabbed the weapon into his bodyup to the hilt. Thus wounded the shark quitted his prey, and turned onthe boy, who again and again attacked him with the sabre, but thestruggle was too unequal; ropes were quickly thrown from the deck to thefather and son; each succeeded in grasping one, and loud rose the cry ofjoy, "They are saved!" Not so! The shark, enraged at seeing that he wasabout to be altogether disappointed of his prey, made one desperatespring, and tore asunder the body of the noble-hearted little boy, whilehis father and the fainting child in his arms were saved. 

[Illustration: THE POULTRY BASKET--A LIFE-PRESERVER. ]

THE POULTRY BASKET--A LIFE-PRESERVER. 

I will tell you an old story of an incident which occurred many yearsago, but perhaps it may be new to you, and please you as much as it didme when I was a little girl, and used to sit on my grandpapa's knee, andlisten to this tale among many others. 

The hero of my story was a countryman; you may, if you please, fancy hisneat white cottage on the hill-side, with its rustic porch, allovergrown with jasmine, roses, and clematis; the pretty garden andorchard belonging to it, with the snug poultry yard, the shed for thecow, and the stack of food for winter's use on one side. 

[Illustration: THE POULTRY YARD. ]

You may fancy the pleasure of the little children who lived at thiscottage in going with their mother morning and evening to feed thepoultry; the noise and bustle among the feathered tribe at this time;how some rudely push before and peck the others in their anxiety toobtain the first grains that fall from the basket, and how the littlechildren take care that the most greedy shall not get it all; their joyat seeing the young broods of tiny chicks covered with downy feathers, and the anxiety of the hens each to protect her own from danger, andteach them to scratch and pick up food for themselves; while they neverforget to admire and praise the beauty of the fine old cock, as hestruts about with an air of magnificence, like the very king of theguard. 

 "High was his comb, and coral red withal, In dents embattled like a castle wall; His bill was raven-black and shone like jet, Blue were his legs, and orient were his feet; White were his nails, like silver to behold! His body glittering like burnished gold. "

If you had been there, you would have wished to visit the littleorchard; to see the gentle cow, and the geese feeding on the commonbeyond; to watch the young ducklings, dipping and ducking and enjoyingtheir watering sport in the pond. 

If it be spring, the children would delight in gathering thesweet-scented meadow flowers--the water ranunculus, with its goldencups, the modest daisy, the pink cuckoo-flower, and the yellow cowslips;while overhead the bees kept up a constant humming; they have foundtheir way from the straw hives in the garden and are diving into thedelicious blossoms of the apple and cherry trees, robbing many a one ofits sweets. 

[Illustration: THE BEE HIVE. ]

But now to my history of what did really happen to a countryman, whovery likely lived in such a pretty cottage as I have described. 

He had more poultry in his yard than he needed for his own use; some ofthem had been fatted for sale; and wishing to turn them into money, heleft his home, which was near Bristol, with a basket full of them on hisarm. Having reached the river, he went on board the ferry boat, intending to go across to a place called Bristol Hot-Wells. Many gentlefolks visit this spot for the sake of drinking the waters of the wells, which are thought to be very beneficial in some complaints; and no doubtour countryman hoped that among them his poultry would fetch a goodprice. 

The ferry boat was nearly half way over the river, when, by someaccident, the poor man lost his footing and fell into the stream; hecould not swim, and the current carried him more than a hundred yardsfrom the boat; but he kept fast hold of his poultry basket, which beingbuoyant, supported him until he was perceived, and rescued by some menin a fishing-smack. 

I hope he reached the Hot-Wells in safety after all, and sold hispoultry for as much as he expected; and, what is still better, that hisheart was filled with gratitude to God for his preservation from dangerso imminent. 

[Illustration: THE LIFE BOAT. ]

THE LIFE BOAT. 

Oh what a stirring scene is this! see how the brave fellows are pullingwith their oars, and endeavoring with all their might to reach the shipin distress before it is too late! Well, I suppose you are curious toknow how an open boat like this can float in such an angry, boiling sea. I will tell you how it is accomplished; the sides of the boat are linedwith hollow boxes of copper, which being perfectly air-tight, render herbuoyant, even when full of water, or loaded to the very water's edge. 

The originator of this simple and beautiful contrivance was a Londoncoach maker, named Lionel Lukin, a man whose benevolent feelings flowedtowards all his fellow men, but more especially towards that portion ofthem who brave the dangers of the sea. After devoting sixty years of hislife to the pursuits of his business, he retired to Hythe in Kent, wherehe finished a well-spent life in peace and tranquility, dying inFebruary, 1834. His body was interred in the churchyard of Hythe, whichis situated on rising ground, commanding a fine view of the ocean; a fitresting place for the remains of one whose talents had been successfullydirected to the means of rescuing from shipwreck and a watery grave manyhundreds, or perhaps we may say many thousands, of poor seamen. Heobtained a patent for his first boat in 1785. 

The two sailors in the picture below are Greenwich pensioners, supported, you know, at Greenwich Hospital, which was founded by CharlesII. For superannuated or wounded sailors. They are smoking their pipes, and discussing the merits of the Life Boat. 

[Illustration: THE WHALE. ]

WHALE FISHING. 

The whale is the largest of all known animals. There are three kinds ofwhale; the Greenland, called by the sailors the right whale, as beingmost highly prized by them; the great northern rorqual, called byfishers the razor-back or finner, and the cachalot or spermaciti whale. The common whale measures from sixty to seventy feet in length: themouth, when open, is large enough to admit a ship's jolly boat, with allher men in it. It contains no teeth; and enormous as the creature is, the opening to the throat is very narrow, not more than an inch and ahalf across in the largest whale. 

[Illustration: WHALE FISHING]

Instead of teeth the mouth of the whale is furnished with a curiousframework of a substance called _baleen_; you will know it by the nameof whalebone; it is arranged in rows, and projects beyond the lips in ahanging fringe; the food of the whale consists of shrimps, small fishes, sea-snails, and innumerable minute creatures, called medusae, which arefound in those seas where the whales feed in such vast quantities thatthey make the water of a deep green or olive color. 

When feeding the whale swims with open mouth under the water, and allthe objects which lie in the way of that great moving cavern are caughtby the baleen, and never seen again. Along with their food they swallowa vast quantity of water, which passes back again through the nostrils, and is collected into a bag placed at the external orifice of the cavityof the nose, whence it is expelled by the pressure of powerful musclesthrough a very narrow opening pierced in the top of the head. 

[Illustration: THE CACHALOT]

In this way it spouts the water in beautiful jets from twenty to thirtyfeet in height. The voice of the whale is like a low murmuring: it has asmooth skin all over its body, under which lies that thick lard whichyields the oil for which they are so much sought. The Greenland whalehas but two side-fins; its tail is in the shape of a crescent; it is aninstrument of immense power; it has been sometimes known with one stroketo hurl large boats high into the air, breaking them into a thousandfragments. The whale shows great affection for her young, which iscalled the calf; the fishermen well know this, and turn it to their ownaccount; they try to strike the young with the harpoon, which is astrong, barbed instrument, and if they do this they are almost sure ofsecuring the mother also, as nothing will induce her to leave it. 

Mr. Scorseby, who was for a long time engaged in the whale fishery, haswritten a book containing a very interesting account of them. Hementions a case in which a young whale was struck beside its dam. Sheinstantly seized and darted off with it, but not until the line had beenfixed to its body. In spite of all that could be done to her, sheremained near her dying little one, till she was struck again and again, and thus both perished. Sometimes, however, on an occasion like this, the old whale becomes furious, and then the danger to the men is verygreat, as they attack the whale in boats, several of which belong toeach ship. 

A number of these boats once made towards a whale, which, with her calfwas playing round a group of rocks. The old whale perceiving theapproaching danger, did all she could to warn her little one of it, tillthe sight became quite affecting. She led it away from the boats, swamround it, embraced it with her fins, and sometimes rolled over with itin the waves. 

The men in the boats now rowed a-head of the whales, and drove them backamong the rocks, at which the mother evinced great uneasiness andanxiety; she swam round and round the young one in lessening circles;but all her care was unheeded, and the inexperienced calf soon met itsfate. It was struck and killed, and a harpoon fixed in the mother, when, roused to reckless fury, she flew on one of the boats, and made her taildescend with such tremendous force on the very centre of it, as to cutit in two, and kill two of the men, the rest swimming in all directionsfor their lives. 

[Illustration: A SHIP TOWED TO LAND BY BULLOCKS. ]

SHIP TOWED TO LAND BY BULLOCKS

Swimming is a manly exercise, and one in which, under proper care, everylittle boy ought to be instructed. In the first place it is a veryhealthy and invigorating practice frequently to immerse the body inwater: and when we recollect how often the knowledge of this art hasbeen blessed by the Supreme Disposer of events as a means of saving hisrational creatures from sudden death, it seems that to neglect thisobject is almost to refuse to avail ourselves of one of the means ofsafety, which a kind Providence has placed within our reach. 

Only imagine yourself to be, as many before you have been, in asituation of pressing danger on the sea, and yet at no great distancefrom the land, so that you might hope to reach it by swimming, but toremain on board the vessel appeared certain death, how thankful youwould then feel to your friends if they had put this means of escapeinto your power! Or if you were to see some unfortunate fellow-creaturestruggling in the water, and about to disappear from your sight, howwillingly, if conscious of your own power to support yourself, would youplunge into the water to his rescue! and how would your heart glow withdelight if your efforts to save him should prove successful!

Here is a picture representing the very remarkable preservation of thecrew of a vessel on the coast of Newfoundland. In this instance manavailed himself of the instinct which ever prompts the brute creation toself-preservation. The ship was freighted with live cattle; in adreadful storm she was dismasted, and became a mere wreck. The crewbeing unable to manage her, it occurred to the captain, whose name wasDrummond, as a last resort, to attach some ropes to the horns of some ofthe bullocks, and turn them into the sea. This was done, the bullocksswam towards land and towed the ship to the shore. Thus the lives of thecrew were saved. 

THE SINKING OF THE ROYAL GEORGE. 

The Royal George was an old ship; she had seen much service. Her buildwas rather short and high, but she sailed well, and carried the tallestmasts and squarest canvas of any of England's gun-ships. She had justreturned from Spithead, where there were twenty or thirty ships of war, called a fleet, lying under command of Lord Howe. It was on the 29th ofAugust, 1782. She was lying off Portsmouth; her decks had been washedthe day before, and the carpenter discovered that the pipes whichadmitted water to cleanse the ship was worn out, and must be replaced. This pipe being three feet under the water, it was needful to heel, orlay the ship a little on one side. To do this, the heavy guns on thelarboard side were run out of the port-holes (those window-like openingswhich you see in the side of the vessel) as far as they would go, andthe guns on the starboard side were drawn up and secured in the middleof the deck; this brought the sills of the port-holes on the lowest sidenearly even with the water. 

[Illustration: SINKING OF THE ROYAL GEORGE. ]

Just as the crew had finished breakfast, a vessel called the Lark cameon the low side of the ship to unship a cargo of rum; the casks were puton board on that side, and this additional weight, together with that ofthe men employed in unloading, caused the ship to heel still more on oneside; every wave of the sea now washed in at her port-holes, and thusshe had soon so great a weight of water in her hold, that slowly andalmost imperceptibly she sank still further down on her side. Twice, thecarpenter, seeing the danger, went on board to ask the officer on dutyto order the ship to be righted; and if he had not been a proud andangry man, who would not acknowledge himself to be in the wrong, allmight yet have been well. 

The plumbers had almost finished their work, when a sudden breeze blewon the raised side of the ship, forced her still further down, and thewater began to pour into her lower port-holes. Instantly the dangerbecame apparent; the men were ordered to right the ship: they ran tomove the guns for this purpose, but it was _too late_. 

In a minute or two more, she fell quite over on her side, with her mastsnearly flat on the water, and the Royal George sank to the bottom, before one signal of distress could be given! By this dreadful accident, about nine hundred persons lost their lives; about two hundred andthirty were saved, some by running up the rigging, and being with otherspicked up by the boats which put off immediately from other vessels totheir assistance. There were many visitors, women and little children onboard at the time of the accident. 

BLOWING UP OF THE ROYAL GEORGE. 

At the time when the dreadful event which I have just related to youoccurred, the Lark sloop, which brought the cargo of rum, was lyingalongside of the Royal George; in going down, the main-yard of the RoyalGeorge caught the boom of the Lark, and they sank together, but thismade the position of the Royal George much more upright in the waterthan it would otherwise have been. There she lay at the bottom of thesea, just as you have seen small vessels when left by the tide on abank. Cowper, when he heard the sad tale, thus wrote

 "Her timbers yet are sound, And she may float again, Full charged with England's thunder, And plough the distant main. 

 "But Kempenfelt is gone, His victories are o'er, And he, and his eight hundred Shall plough the wave no more. "

Admiral Kempenfelt was writing in his cabin when the ship sank; hisfirst captain tried to inform him of their situation, but the heeling ofthe ship so jammed the cabin doors that he could not open them: thus theadmiral perished with the rest. It seems Cowper thought the Royal Georgemight be recovered; other people were of the same opinion. 

[Illustration: BLOWING UP OF THE ROYAL GEORGE. ]

In September of the year in which the vessel sank, a gentleman, namedTracey, living in the neighborhood, by means of diving-machines, ascertained the position and state of the ship, and made proposals togovernment to adopt means of raising her and getting her again afloat. After a great many vexatious delays and interruptions on the part ofthose who were to have supplied him with assistance, he succeeded ingetting up the Lark sloop. His efforts to raise the Royal George were sofar successful, that at every time of high tide she was lifted from herbed; and on the 9th of October she was hove at least thirty or fortyfeet to westward; but the days were getting short, the boisterous windsof winter were setting in, the lighters to which Tracey's apparatus wasattached were too old and rotten to bear the strain, and he was forcedto abandon the attempt. 

The sunken ship remained, a constant impediment to other vessels wishingto cast anchor near the spot, for nearly fifty years, when ColonelPasley, by means of gunpowder, completely demolished the wreck: theloose pieces of timber floated to the surface; heavier pieces--theship's guns, cables, anchors, the fire-hearth, cooking utensils, andmany smaller articles were recovered by the divers. These men went downin Indian-rubber dresses, which were air and water-tight; they werefurnished with helmets, in each side of which were glass windows, toadmit light, and supplied with air by means of pipes, communicating withan air-pump above. By these means they could remain under water morethan an hour at a time. I do not think you are old enough to understandthe nature of Colonel Pasley's operations. Large hollow vessels, calledcylinders, were filled with gunpowder, and attached by the divers to thewreck, these were connected by conducting wires with a battery on boarda lighter above, at a sufficient distance to be out of reach of dangerwhen the explosion took place. Colonel Pasley then gave the word to firethe end of the rod; instantly a report was heard, and those whowitnessed the explosions, say that the effect was very beautiful. Onone occasion, the water rose in a splendid column above fifty feet high, the spray sparkling like diamonds in the sun; then the large fragmentsof the wreck came floating to the surface; soon after the mud from thebottom, blackening the circle of water, and spreading to a greatdistance around; and with it rose to the surface great numbers of fish, who, poor things, had found a hiding-place in the wreck, but weredislodged and killed by the terrible gunpowder. 

[Illustration: LOSS OF THE MELVILLE CASTLE. ]

LOSS OF THE MELVILLE CASTLE. 

Many and great are the dangers to which those who lead a seafaring lifeare exposed. The lightning's flash may strike a ship when far away fromport, upon the trackless deep, or the sudden bursting of a particularkind of cloud, called a waterspout, may overwhelm her, and none be leftto tell her fate. But of all the perils to which a ship is liable, Ithink that of her striking on a sand-bank, or on sunken rocks is thegreatest. There must be men and women now living on the Kentish coast, in whose memory the disastrous wreck of the Melville Castle, with allits attendant horrors, is yet fresh. It is a sorrowful tale, doubly so, inasmuch as acts of imprudence, and still worse, of obstinacy, may besaid to have occasioned the loss of four hundred and fifty lives. 

In the first place, the Melville Castle, or as I suppose we should callher the Vryheid, was in a very decayed state; she had been long in theEast India Company's service, and was by them sold to some Dutchmerchants, who had her upper works tolerably repaired, new sheathed andcoppered her, and resold her to the Dutch government, who were then inwant of a vessel to carry out troops and stores to Batavia. 

The Melville Castle was accordingly equipped for the voyage, paintedthroughout, and her name changed to the Vryheid. On the the morning ofNovember, 1802, she set sail from the Texel, a port on the coast ofHolland, with a fair wind, which lasted till early on the following day, when a heavy gale came on in an adverse direction. 

The captain immediately had the top-gallant masts and yards struck tomake her ride more easily; but as the day advanced, the violence of thewind increased, and vain seemed every effort of the crew to manage theship. There were many mothers and little children on board, whose statewas truly pitiable. The ship was scourged onward by the resistlessblast, which continued to increase until it blew a perfect hurricane. 

About three in the afternoon, the mainmast fell overboard, sweepingseveral of the crew into the sea, and severely injuring four or fivemore. By this time they were near enough to the Kentish coast to discernobjects on land, but the waves which rolled mountains high prevented thepossibility of any help approaching. By great exertion the ship wasbrought to anchor in Hythe Bay, and for a few moments hope cheered thebosoms of those on board; it was _but_ a few, for almost immediatelyshe was found to have sprung a leak; and while all hands were busy atthe pumps, the storm came on with increased fury. 

In this dismal plight they continued till about six o'clock thefollowing morning, when the ship parted from one of her largest anchors, and drifted on towards Dymchurch-wall, about three miles to the west ofHythe. This wall is formed by immense piles, and cross pieces of timber, supported by wooden jetties, which stretch far into the sea. It wasbuilt to prevent the water from overflowing a rich, level district, called Romney Marsh. 

The crew continued to fire guns and hoist signals of distress. Atdaybreak a pilot boat put off from Dover, and nearing the MelvilleCastle, advised the captain to put back to Deal or Hythe, and wait forcalmer weather, or, said the boatman, "all hands will assuredly belost. " But the captain would not act on his recommendation; he thoughtthe pilot boat exaggerated the danger, hoped the wind would abate asthe day opened, and that he should avoid the demands of the Dover pilotor the Down fees by not casting anchor there. Another help the captainrejected, and bitterly did he lament it when it was too late. 

No sooner had the pilot boat departed, than the commodore at Dealdespatched two boats to endeavor to board the ship. The captainobstinately refused to take any notice of them, and ordered the crew tolet the vessel drive before the wind. This they did, till the ship ranso close in shore, that the captain himself saw the imminent danger, andtwice attempted to put her about, but in vain. On the first of theprojecting jetties of Dymchurch-wall the vessel struck. I would not if Icould grieve your young heart with a detail of all the horrors thatensued; the devoted ship continued to beat on the piles, the seabreaking over her with such violence, that the pumps could no longer beworked. 

The foremast soon went over the ship's side, carrying twelve seamenwith it, who were swallowed up by the billows. The rudder was unshipped, the tiller tore up the gundeck, and the water rushed in at theport-holes. At this fearful moment most of the passengers and crewjoined in solemn prayer to the Almighty. Morning came, but it was onlyto witness the demolition of the wreck. 

Many were the efforts made by the sufferers, some in the jolly boat, some on a raft, others by lashing themselves to pieces of timber, hogsheads, and even hencoops, to reach the shore; but out of fourhundred and seventy-two persons who a few days before had left the coastof Holland, not more than eighteen escaped the raging billows. Themiserable remnant received generous attention from the inhabitants ofthe place, who did all in their power to aid their recovery. 

[Illustration: BURNING OF THE KENT EAST INDIAMAN. ]

BURNING OF THE KENT EAST INDIAMAN. 

This picture represents the burning of the Kent East Indiaman, in theBay of Biscay. She had on board in all six hundred and forty-one personsat the time of the accident. The fire broke out in the hold during astorm. An officer on duty, finding that a spirit cask had broken loose, was taking measures to secure it, when a lurch of the ship caused him todrop his lantern, and in his eagerness to save it, he let go the cask, which suddenly stove in, and the spirits communicated with the flame, the whole place was instantly in a blaze. Hopes of subduing the fire atfirst were strong, but soon heavy volumes of smoke and a pitchy smelltold that it had reached the cable-room. 

In these awful circumstances, the captain ordered the lower decks to bescuttled, to admit water. This was done; several poor seamen beingsuffocated by the smoke in executing the order; but now a new dangerthreatened, the sea rushed in so furiously, that the ship was becomingwater-logged, and all feared her going down. Between six and sevenhundred human beings, were by by this time crowded on the deck. Many ontheir knees earnestly implored the mercy of an all-powerful God! whilesome old stout-hearted sailors quietly seated themselves directly overthe powder magazine, expecting an explosion every moment, and thinkingthus to put a speedier end to their torture. 

In this time of despair, it occurred to the fourth mate to send a man tothe foremast, hoping, but scarce daring to think it probable, that somefriendly sail might be in sight. The man at the fore-top looked aroundhim; it was a moment of intense anxiety; then waving his hat, he criedout, "A sail, on the lee-bow!"

Those on deck received the news with heart-felt gratitude, and answeredwith three cheers. Signals of distress were instantly hoisted, andendeavors used to make towards the stranger, while the minute guns werefired continuously. She proved to be the brig Cambria, Captain Cook, master, bound to Vera Cruz, having twenty Cornish miners, and someagents of the Mining Company on board. For about one quarter of an hour, the crew of the Kent doubted whether the brig perceived their signals:but after a period of dreadful suspense, they saw the British colorshoisted, and the brig making towards them. 

On this, the crew of the Kent got their boats in readiness; the firstwas filled with women, passengers, and officers' wives, and was loweredinto a sea so tempestuous as to leave small hope of their reaching thebrig; they did, however, after being nearly swamped through someentanglement of the ropes, get clear of the Kent, and were safely takenon board the Cambria, which prudently lay at some distance off. 

After the first trip, it was found impossible for the boats to comeclose alongside of the Kent, and the poor women and children suffereddreadfully, in being lowered over the stern into them by means of ropes. Amid this gloomy scene, many beautiful examples occurred of filial andparental affection, and of disinterested friendship; and many sorrowfulinstances of individual loss and suffering. At length, when all had beenremoved from the burning vessel, but a few, who were so overcome byfear as to refuse to make the attempt to reach the brig, the captainquitted his ill-fated ship. 

The flames which had spread along her upper deck, now mounted rapidly tothe mast and rigging, forming one general conflagration and lighting upthe heavens to an immense distance round. One by one her stately mastsfell over her sides. By half-past one in the morning the fire reachedthe powder magazine; the looked-for explosion took place, and theburning fragments of the vessel were blown high into the air, like somany rockets. 

The Cambria, with her crowd of sufferers, made all speed to the nearestport, and reached Portsmouth in safety, shortly after midnight, on the3d of March, 1825, the accident having taken place on the 28th ofFebruary. Wonderful to tell, fourteen of the poor creatures, left on theKent, were rescued by another ship, the Caroline, on her passage fromAlexandria to Liverpool. 

THE PELICAN. 

The life of a pelican seems to be a very lazy, if not a very pleasantone. Man, ever on the watch to turn the habits of animals to his ownaccount, observing how good a fisherman the pelican is, often catchesand tames him, and makes him fish for _him_. I have heard of a bird ofthis kind in America, which was so well trained, that it would atcommand go off in the morning, and return at night with its pouch full, and stretched to the utmost; part of its treasure it disgorged for itsmaster, the rest was given to the bird for its trouble. It is hardlycredible what these extraordinary pouches will hold; it is said, thatamong other things, a man's leg with the boots on was once found in oneof them. 

Pelicans live in flocks; they and the cormorants sometimes help oneanother to get a living. The cormorant is a species of pelican, of adusky color: it is sometimes called the sea crow. The cormorants are thebest divers, so the pelicans arrange themselves in a large circle atsome great distance from the land, and flap their great wings on thesurface of the water, while the cormorants dive beneath. Away swim thepoor frightened fish towards the shore; the pelicans draw into anarrower circle, and the fish at last are brought into so small acompass, that their pursuers find no difficulty in obtaining a plentifulmeal. 

[Illustration: THE SEA TURTLE. ]

CATCHING TURTLE. 

There are two kinds of turtle; the one is called the green turtle, andis much valued as a delicious article of food; the other the hawk's billturtle supplies the tortoise shell of commerce, which is prepared andmoulded into various forms by heat. The flesh of the hawk's bill turtleis considered very unwholesome. 

[Illustration: CATCHING TURTLE. ]

The turtles in the picture are of the edible kind; they are found on theshores of nearly all the countries within the tropics. 

There is a little rocky island in the south Atlantic Ocean, called theIsland of Ascension, where they are found in vast numbers, and thisbarren spot is often visited by Indiamen for the purpose of obtainingsome of them. The turtles feed on the sea weed and other marine plantswhich grow on the shoals and sand banks, and with their powerful jaws, they crush the small sea shells which are found among the weeds. Thiskind of food is always to be had in great abundance, so that the turtleshave no occasion to quarrel among themselves, for that which is affordedin such plenty for all; indeed they seem to be a very quiet andinoffensive race, herding peaceably together on their extensivefeeding-grounds, and when satisfied retiring to the fresh water at themouth of the rivers, where they remain holding their heads above water, as if to breathe the fresh air, till the shadow of any of their numerousenemies alarms them, when they instantly dive to the bottom forsecurity. 

In the month of April, the females leave the water after sunset, inorder to deposit their eggs in the sand. By means of their fore-finsthey dig a hole above high water mark, about one foot wide and two deep, into which they drop above a hundred eggs; they then cover them lightlyover with a layer of sand, sufficient to hide them, and yet thin enoughto admit the warmth of the sun's rays for hatching them. The instinctwhich leads the female turtle to the shore to lay her eggs, renders hera prey to man. The fishers wait for them on shore, especially on amoonlight night, and following them in one of their journeys, eithercoming or returning, they turn them quickly over on their backs, beforethey have time to defend themselves, or to blind their assailants bythrowing up the sand with their fins. 

When very large, for I should tell you that the usual weight of theturtle is from four to six hundred pounds, it requires the efforts ofseveral men to turn them over, and for this purpose they often employlevers: the back shell of the turtle is so flat that when once over itis impossible for them to right themselves, so there the poor creatureslie in this helpless condition, till they are either taken away in themanner you see in the picture, or deposited by their captors in a crawl, which is a kind of enclosure surrounded by stakes, and so situated as toadmit the influx of the sea. 

The inhabitants of the Bahama Isles, catch many turtles at aconsiderable distance from the shore; they strike them with a spear, thehead of which slips off when it has entered the body of the turtle, butit is fastened by a string to the pole, and by means of this apparatusthey are able to secure them, and either take them into the boat or haulthem on shore. The length of the green turtle frequently exceeds sixfeet. A boy ten years old, a son of Captain Roche, once made use of avery large shell as a boat, and ventured in it from the shore to hisfather's ship which lay about a quarter of a mile off. It was in thebay of Campeachy, off Port Royal, where the rightful occupant of thisshell was caught. 

[Illustration: WRECK OF THE STEAMBOAT. ]

THE WRECK OF THE STEAMBOAT. 

The following narrative teaches a lesson of courage and devotion such asare seldom read. In one of the light-houses of the desolate Farne Isles, amid the ocean, with no prospect before it but the wide expanse of sea, and now and then a distant sail appearing, her cradle hymn the ceaselesssound of the everlasting deep, there lived a little child whose namewas Grace Darling. Her father was the keeper of the light-house; andhere Grace lived and grew up to the age of twenty-two, her mother'sconstant helpmate in all domestic duties. She had a fair and healthycountenance, which wore a kind and cheerful smile, proceeding from aheart at peace with others, and happy in the consciousness ofendeavoring to do its duty. 

It was at early dawn, one September morning, in the year 1838, that thefamily at the Longstone light-house looked out through a dense fog whichhung over the waters. All night the sea had run extremely high, with aheavy gale from the north, and at this moment the storm continuedunabated. Mr. And Mrs. Darling and Grace were at this time the onlypersons in the light-house; through the dim mist they perceived thewreck of a large steam vessel on the rocks, and by the aid of theirtelescope the could even make out the forms of some persons clinging toher. 

It was the Forfarshire steamboat on her passage from Hull to Dundee. She left the former place with sixty-three persons on board. She hadentered Berwick Bay about eight o'clock the previous evening, in a heavygale and in a leaky condition; the motion of the vessel soon increasedthe leak to such a degree that the fires could not be kept burning. About ten o'clock she bore up off St. Abb's Head, the storm stillraging. Soon after the engineer reported that the engines would notwork; the vessel became unmanageable; it was raining heavily, and thefog was so dense that it was impossible to make out their situation. Atlength the appearance of breakers close to leeward, and the Farne lightsjust becoming visible, showed to all on board their imminent danger. 

The captain vainly tried to run the vessel between the islands and themain land, she would no longer answer the helm, and was driven to andfro by a furious sea. Between three and four o'clock in the morning shestruck with her bows foremost on a jagged rock, which pierced hertimbers. Soon after the first shock a mighty wave lifted the vesselfrom the rock, and let her fall again with such violence as fairly tobreak her in two pieces; the after part, containing the cabin with manypassengers, all of whom perished, was instantly carried away through atremendous current, while the fore part was fixed on the rock. Thesurvivors, only nine in number, five of the crew and four passengers, remained in this dreadful situation till daybreak, when they weredescried by the family at the light-house. But who could dare to crossthe raging abyss which lay between them?

Grace, full of pity and anxiety for the wretched people on the wreck, forgot all toil and danger, and urged her father to launch the boat; shetook one oar and her father the other; but Grace had never assisted inthe boat before, and it was only by extreme exertion and the mostdetermined courage that they succeeded in bringing the boat up to therock, and rescuing nine of their fellow creatures from a watery grave, and with the help of the crew in returning, landed all safe at thelight-house. 

Happy Grace Darling! she needed no other reward than the joy of her ownheart and the warm thanks of those she had helped to deliver; but thenews of the heroic deed soon spread, and wondering and admiringstrangers came from far and near to see Grace and that lonelylight-house. Nay more, they showered gifts upon her, and a publicsubscription was raised with a view of rewarding her bravery, to theamount of seven hundred pounds. She continued to live with her parentson their barren isles, finding happiness in her simple duties and inadministering to their comfort, until her death, which took place littlemore than three years after the wreck of the Forfarshire steamer. 

WATERSPOUTS. 

These wonderful appearances are caused by the action of currents of windmeeting in the atmosphere from different quarters. They are sometimesseen on land, but much more frequently at sea, where they are verydangerous visitors. I will try to give you some idea of what they are, and perhaps the picture may help you a little. I dare say you have oftennoticed little eddies of wind whirling up dust and leaves, or any lightsubstances which happened to be in the way; when these occur on a largerscale they are called whirlwinds. 

[Illustration: WATERSPOUTS. ]

Now if a cloud happens to be exactly in the point where two such furiouscurrents of wind meet, it is turned round and round by them with greatspeed and is condensed into the form of a cone; this whirling motiondrives from the centre of the cloud all the particles contained in it, producing what is called a vacuum, or empty space, into which the wateror any thing else lying beneath it has an irresistible tendency to rush. Underneath the dense impending cloud, the sea becomes violentlyagitated, and the waves dart rapidly towards the centre of the troubledmass of water: on reaching it they disperse in vapor, and rise, whirlingin a spiral direction towards the cloud. The descending and ascendingcolumns unite, the whole presenting the appearance of a hollow cylinder, or tube of glass, empty within. This, Maltebrun tells us, and he furtheradds, "it glides over the sea without any wind being felt; indeedseveral have been seen at once, pursuing different directions. When thecloud and the marine base of the waterspout move with equal velocity, the lower cone is often seen to incline sideways, or even to bend, andfinally to burst in pieces. A noise is then heard like the noise of acataract falling in a deep valley. Lightning frequently issues from thevery bosom of the waterspout, particularly when it breaks; but nothunder is ever heard. "

Sailors, to prevent the danger which would arise from coming in contactwith one of these tremendous columns, discharge a cannon into it: theball passing through it breaks the watery cylinder, and causes it toburst, just as a touch causes your beautiful soap-bubbles to vanish, andturn to water again. These waterspouts, at sea, generally occur betweenthe tropics, and I believe frequently after a calm, such as the poethas described in the following lines:

 "Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be, And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea!

 "All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody sun at noon, Right up above the mast did stand. No bigger than the moon. 

 "Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath, nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. 

 "Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where And not a drop to drink!"

Happily "dead calms" do not generally last so long as to lead to anyserious result. Sailors have a superstitious and foolish belief thatwhistling in a calm will bring up a breeze, and they do this in adrawling, beseeching tone, on some prominent part of the vessel. Poorfellows! what a pity that their thoughts should not more frequently bedirected to Him "who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, " and whose works and wonders in thedeep "they that go down to the sea in ships" have such abundantopportunity for observing. 

HEAVING THE LEAD. 

Here we have a sailor in the act of heaving the lead, or takingsoundings, which is a thing extremely necessary to be done when a shipis approaching the shore, as there is great danger of her running on asand-bank or striking on a sunken rock. I will now tell you how it ismanaged. A sailor gets over the ship's side, as you see in theengraving, and takes his station in what are called "the chains;" heholds in his hand a coil of rope, with the length in fathoms marked uponit; this rope has a mass of lead attached to the end of it. At thebottom of the lead, is a hollow place, into which a piece of tallowcandle is stuck, which brings up distinguishing marks from the bottom ofthe sea, such as small shells, sand, or mud, adhering to it. If thetallow be only indented it is supposed to have fallen on bare rocks. Acorrect account of the soundings is entered in the logbook; this bookcontains a description of the ship's course, the direction of the wind, and other circumstances, during every hour of each day and night. Havingarranged the rope so as to allow it to fall freely when cast, the sailorthrows the lead forward into the water, giving rope sufficient to allowit to touch the bottom; then with a sudden jerk, such as long practicealone can enable him to give, he raises the weight, and after examiningthe mark on the rope made by the water, calls out lustily, so that allforward can hear, "By the mark seven, " or "By the deep nine, " accordingto the case, or whatever the number of fathoms may be. The lead-line ismarked into lengths of six feet, called fathoms, by knots, or pieces ofleather, or old sail-cloth. In narrow or intricate channels, it issometimes needful to place a man in the chains on each side of the ship, as the depth will vary a fathom or more even in the breadth of thevessel, and it is of great consequence that the leadsmen give the depthcorrectly, as a wrong report might cause the ship to run aground. Thetime that the leadsman is employed in taking soundings is often a periodof deep anxiety to the crew and passengers, especially if the vessel benear an unknown coast. When the decrease in the number of fathoms issudden, the captain knows that danger is near, and quickly gives ordersto alter the ship's course: the sailors instantly obey his directions;but sometimes not all their activity and energy can save the vessel; shestrikes and becomes a wreck. 

Turn to the 27th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in your Bible, andyou will there read the deeply interesting account of Paul's shipwreckon the island Melita. Life has often been compared to a voyage--andaptly so. 

You will find that you, like the mariner, are exposed to many dangers, and that you are never for one moment safe in trusting to your own skillto guide your little bark. In watchfulness and prayer, look to yourHeavenly Pilot for directions under every circumstance, often examiningyour own heart, as the seaman heaves the lead in danger. Then will yoube safely guided through storms and calms, amid rocks and shoals, andreach at last the blessed haven of eternal rest and peace. 

THE BALLOON AT SEA. 

A balloon is a hollow globe, made of silk, rendered air-tight by acoating of gum and resin, and enclosed within a strong network. Whenfilled with gas it is so much lighter than the air which surrounds us, that it will rise with heavier bodies suspended to it. In a sort of caror boat attached, men, who are called "aeronauts, " have performedjourneys through the air. 

The balloon was invented by a Frenchman named Montgolfier. Greatexpectations were at first entertained of this art of sailing throughthe air, but as yet it has not proved of much practical use. Manydisasters have at different times befallen balloon voyagers. 

Many years ago, Major Mooney ascended in his balloon from Norwich, expecting from the direction of the wind that he might descend nearIpswich; but when he had risen about one mile from the earth, a violentcurrent carried him and his balloon towards Yarmouth. The balloon fellon the sea, about nine miles from land. The Major supported himself forsome time in the water, by holding firmly to the balloon, and was atlast rescued from his dangerous situation by the crew of a cutter whichwas cruising on the coast. 

This was a disastrous voyage, but I think it will interest you to hearof a more successful one, performed by three gentlemen, one of whom, Mr. Green, has introduced some great improvements in the art of fillingand guiding balloons. These gentlemen left the earth in the car of avery large balloon, at half-past one o'clock, on Monday, the 7th ofNovember, 1836, intending to proceed to some point on the continent ofEurope not very distant from Paris. They were provided with provisionsfor a fortnight; these, with sand-bags for ballast, cordage, and allneedful apparatus for such a journey were placed in the bottom of thecar, while all around hung cloaks, carpet bags, barrels of wood andcopper, barometers, telescopes, lamps, spirit-flasks, coffee-warmers, &c, for you know it would be impossible for them afterwards to supplyany thing which might have been forgotten. 

Thus duly furnished, the balloon was rapidly borne away by a moderatebreeze over the fertile fields of Kent to Dover. It was forty-eightminutes past four when the first sound of the waves on the sea-beachbroke on the voyagers' ears: the sun was sinking below the horizon, andas the balloon was rapidly borne into the region of mist which hung overthe ocean, we must suppose something of dread and uncertainty attendedthe adventurer's minds. Scarcely, however, had they completed somearrangements, intended to render the balloon more buoyant in the heavyatmosphere, than again the sound of waves surprised them, and below wereseen glittering the well-known lights of Calais and the neighboringshores. Passing over Calais the aeronauts lowered a blue-light to givenotice of their presence, but could not tell whether the inhabitantsperceived it. By this time night had completely closed in, and still thesilken ball pursued its course. So long as lights were burning in thetowns and villages which it passed in rapid succession, the solitaryvoyagers looked down on the scene with delight; sometimes they couldeven catch the hum of the yet busy multitude, or the bark of awatch-dog; but midnight came, and the world was hushed in sleep. 

As soon as the people were again stirring below, the guide-rope washauled into the balloon, and the grappling-iron lowered; and aftersundry difficulties from the danger of getting entangled in a wood, andgrievously affrighting two ladies, who stood awhile petrified withamazement at the unusual apparition, the voyagers succeeded in alightingin a grassy valley, about six miles from the town of Weilburg, in theDuchy of Nassau. Here every attention and accommodation was affordedthem, and thus ended this remarkable journey, an extent of about fivehundred British miles having been passed over in the space of eighteenhours. 

AN ADVENTURE OF PAUL JONES. 

John Paul Jones was a famous naval commander in the service of theUnited States, during the revolutionary war. He was a native ofScotland, but having come to Virginia and settled before the war brokeout, he joined the patriots as soon as hostilities commenced, andrendered the most important services through the whole of the long andarduous contest, by which our independence was acquired. 

The following account of one of his adventures is given by hisbiographer. 

Eager to retaliate upon Britain for some predatory exploits of hersailors on the American coast, and exasperated by the resolution whichthe English government had taken, to treat all the supporters ofindependence as traitors and rebels, Captain Paul Jones entered theIrish Channel, and approaching his native shores, not as a friend, butas a determined enemy. On the night of the 22d of April, 1778, he cameto anchor in the Solway Firth, almost within sight of the trees whichsheltered the house in which he first drew the breath of life. 

Early next morning, he rowed for the English coast, at the head ofthirty-one volunteers, in two boats, with the intention of destroyingthe shipping, about two hundred sail, which lay in the harbor ofWhitehaven. 

In this daring attempt he would probably have succeeded withoutdifficulty, had not the strength of the opposing tide retarded hisprogress so much, that day began to dawn before he could gain the shore. He despatched the smaller of the two boats to the north of the port toset fire to the vessels, whilst he led the remainder of the party to themore hazardous duty of securing the fort, which was situated on a hillto the south. It was a cold morning, and the sentinels little aware thatan enemy was so near, had retired into the guard-room for warmth, affording Jones an opportunity to take them by surprise, of which he didnot fail to avail himself. Climbing over the shoulders of the tallest ofhis men, he crept silently through one of the embrasures and wasinstantly followed by the rest. Their first care was to make fast thedoor of the guard-room, and their next to spike the cannon, thirty-sixin number. Having effected this without bloodshed, they proceeded tojoin the detachment which had been sent to the north; and finding that afalse alarm had deterred them from executing their orders, Jonesinstantly proceeded to set fire to the vessels within his reach. By thistime, however, the inhabitants were roused, and the invaders wereobliged to retreat, leaving three ships in flames, of which one alonewas destroyed. 

On the same day with this adventure, another memorable occurrence tookplace, which contributed, for a time, to add greatly to the odium whichthe first had brought on his name in Britain, but which, in the end, enabled him to prove that he was possessed of the most heroic qualities. In cruising off the coast of Galloway, it occurred to him, that, if hecould get into his power a man of high rank and influence in the state, he should able, by retaining him as a hostage, to ensure to the Americanprisoners of war more lenient treatment than was threatened by theBritish government. Knowing that the Earl of Selkirk possessed a seat atSt. Mary's Isle, a beautiful peninsula at the mouth of the Dee, andbeing ill-informed with regard to the political connections of thatnobleman, he destined him for the subject of his experiment. With thatview, he landed on the Isle, about noon, with two officers and a fewmen; but, before they had proceeded far, he learned that his lordshipwas from home. Finding his object frustrated, he now wished to return;but his crew were not so easily satisfied. Their object was plunder; andas they consisted of men in a very imperfect state of discipline, andwith whom it would have been dangerous to contend, he allowed them toproceed. He exacted from them, however, a promise that they should beguilty of no violence; that the men should not enter the house, and thatthe officers, after having made their demands, should accept what mightbe put into their hands without scrutiny. These conditions werepunctually obeyed. The greater part of the Selkirk plate was carried offin triumph by the crew, and Paul Jones was, for a time, stigmatized as afreebooter; but he nobly vindicated his character, by taking theearliest opportunity of purchasing the whole of it, out of his ownprivate funds, and remitting it safe to its original owner, withoutaccepting the smallest remuneration. National prejudice hasmisrepresented this transaction; and in order to excite the popularindignation against Jones, it has been common to state, that thisattempt on the person, and as it was supposed the property, of LordSelkirk, was aggravated by ingratitude, his father having eaten of thatnobleman's bread. Nothing can be more false. Neither Mr. Paul, nor anyof his kindred, ever was in the earl's employ, or had ever the mostdistant connection with his lordship or his family; and in acorrespondence which took place between our hero and Lady Selkirk, relative to the restitution of the plate, a most honorable testimony wasgratefully paid by the latter to the captain's character. 

[Illustration; NELSON SAVED BY HIS COXSWAIN. ]

ADMIRAL NELSON. 

Nelson lost the sight of one eye at the siege of Calvi, by a shotdriving the sand and gravel into it, and he lost his arm by a shot in anexpedition against Teneriffe; but the most dangerous of his exploitswere, boarding the battery at San Bartolomeo, boarding the San Joseph, the boat action in the Bay of Cadiz, and the famous battles of the Nileand Trafalgar. Of these, perhaps, the boat action during the blockade ofCadiz was the most severe. While making an attempt against the Spanishgunboats, he was attacked by D. Miguel Tregayen, in an armed launch, carrying twenty-six men; fearful odds against his ten bargemen, captain, and coxswain. Eighteen Spaniards were killed, the rest wounded, and thelaunch captured. 

[Illustration: ADMIRAL NELSON. ]

The Spaniards were more than two to one, and yet he beat them; but itwas a hard and desperate struggle, hand to hand and blade to blade. Twice did John Sykes, the coxswain, save Nelson's life, by parrying offblows that would have destroyed him, and once did he interpose his headto receive the blow of a Spanish sabre; but he would willingly have diedfor his admiral. 

Poor Sykes was wounded badly, but not killed. 

When Nelson's health was established after the loss of his arm, he sentto the minister of St. George's, Hanover Square, the following desire tooffer up his thanksgiving:--"An officer desires to return thanks toAlmighty God for his perfect recovery from a severe wound, and also forthe many mercies bestowed on him. " Thus showing that he was humbleenough to be thankful to God, and continued so in the midst of all hissuccesses. 

The following is an instance of his coolness in the hour of danger. Thelate Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir William Stewart, aslieutenant-colonel of the rifle-brigade, embarked to do duty in thefleet which was led by Sir Hyde Parker and Nelson, to the attack ofCopenhagen in 1801. "I was, " says he, "with Lord Nelson when he wrotethe note to the Crown Prince of Denmark, proposing terms of arrangement. A cannon ball struck off the head of the boy who was crossing the cabinwith the light to seal it. "Bring another candle, " said his lordship. Iobserved, that I thought it might very well be sent as it was, for itwould not be expected that the usual forms could be observed at such amoment. "That is the very thing I should wish to avoid, Colonel, "replied he, "for if the least appearance of precipitation wereperceptible in the manner of sending this note, it might spoil all. "Another candle being now brought, his lordship sealed the letter, carefully enclosed in an envelope, with a seal bearing his coat of armsand coronet, and delivered it to the officer in waiting to receive it. It is said that the moment was a critical one, and that Lord Nelson'snote decided the event. "

A seaman of the name of Hewson, who had served under Nelson, was workingas a caster in a manufactory at Birmingham when Nelson visited thatplace. Among other manufactories, the admiral paid a visit to that whereHewson was at work as a brass-founder; and though no employmentdisfigures a workman more with smoke and dust than the process ofcasting, the quick eye of Nelson recognized in the caster an oldassociate. "What, Hewson, my lad, " said he, "are you here?" Hewson laidhold of the hair that hung over his forehead, and making an awkward bow, replied, "Yes, your honor. " "Why, how comes this about! You and I areold acquaintances; you were with me in the Captain when I boarded theSan Joseph, were you not?" Hewson again laid hold of of his hair, andbowing, replied, "Yes, your honor. " "I remember you well, " said Nelson;"you were one of the cleverest fellows about the vessel! If any thingwas to be done, Hewson was the lad to do. Why, what do you here, workinglike a negro? Take this, " throwing him money, "and wash the dust downyour throat. "

Hewson withdrew to a neighboring alehouse, boasting of the character theadmiral had given him. Month after month passed away, but Hewsonreturned not--his shop-tools were abandoned, and no one could accountfor his absence. At length a stripling, in a sailor's jacket, enteredthe manufactory and said, "he was come to settle his father's affairs. "This was no other than Hewson's son, from whose account it appeared, that when Hewson, somewhat elevated with liquor, but more with thepraise the admiral had bestowed on him, quitted Birmingham, he walkedhis way down to Portsmouth, entered once more on board Lord Nelson'sship, and fell with him in the battle of Trafalgar. 

At the battle of Trafalgar, Collingwood, in the Royal Sovereign, led thelee-line of fourteen ships, Nelson, in the Victory, was at the head ofthe weather-line, consisting of fourteen ships. Besides these there werefour frigates. 

The ships of France and Spain, opposed to the British, were in numberthirty-three, with seven large frigates. The odds were great against theEnglish, but the superior tactics, and well-known bravery of Nelson, clothed him with power, that more than made up the difference. Whenevery thing was prepared for the engagement, Nelson retired into hiscabin alone, and wrote down the following prayer. 

"May the great God, whom I worship grant to my country, and for thebenefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory, and may nomisconduct in any one tarnish it, and may humanity after victory, be thepredominant feature in the British fleet! For myself, individually, Icommit my life to Him that made me; and may his blessing alight on myendeavors for serving my country faithfully! To him I resign myself, andthe just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen! Amen! Amen!"

He wore on the day of the battle his admiral's frock coat, and on hisleft breast, over his heart, four stars of the orders of honor, whichhad been conferred upon him. Those around thought it was dangerous towear his stars, lest he should be too plainly seen by the enemy, butthey were afraid to tell him so, because he had said, "In honor I gainedthem, and in honor I will die with them. "

The effect produced by the signal given by Lord Nelson, "England expectsevery man to do his duty!" was wonderful; it ran from ship to ship, from man to man, from heart to heart, like a train of gunpowder. Officers and men seemed animated with one spirit, and that was adetermination to win the day, or at least never to surrender to theenemy. 

The captains commanded on their quarterdecks; the boatswains in theforecastle; the gunners attended to the magazines, and the carpenterswith their plug-shots, put themselves in readiness with high-wroughtenergy, nor were the seamen and marines a whit behind hand in enteringon their several duties. The guns, the tackle, the round, grape, andcanister-shot, the powder-boys, the captains of guns, with theirpriming-boxes, and the officers with their drawn swords, cut an imposingappearance; and the cock-pit would have made a rudy face turn pale. 

The wounded are all taken down into the cock-pit. It will hardly bearthinking about. But in the cockpit were laid out ready for use, wine, water, and surgeon's instruments, with napkins, basins, sponges, andbandages. 

The combined fleets of France and Spain, at Trafalgar, underVillenueve, the French admiral, a brave and skilful man, were in theform of a crescent, and the two British lines ran down upon themparallel to each other. As soon as the British van was within gunshotthe enemy opened their fire. The Royal Sovereign soon rounded to underthe stern of the Santa Anna, and Admiral Nelson's ship, the Victory, laid herself on board the Redoubtable. From that moment the roaring ofguns, the crash against the sides of the ships, clouds of smoke, splintered yards, and falling masts, were the order of the day. 

The death warrant of the navy of France was signed and sealed by thefight of Trafalgar. In the heat of the action, a ball, fired from themizzen-top of the Redoubtable, struck Admiral Nelson on the leftshoulder, when he instantly fell. "They have done for me, at last, Hardy, " said he, to his captain. 

Though mortally wounded, he gave some necessary direction concerning theship, and when carried below inquired earnestly how the battle went on. When he knew that the victory had been gained--for twenty ships in allstruck to the British admiral--he expressed himself satisfied. "Now I amsatisfied, " said he; "thank God, I have done my duty!" Many times herepeated this expression, and "Thank God I have done my duty;" and "Kissme, Hardy, " were among the last words that were uttered by his lips. Thus, with a heart full of patriotism, died the bravest commander, themost vigilant seaman, and the most ardent friend of his country, thatevery led on a British fleet to victory. 

[Illustration: DEATH OF NELSON. ]

Even amid the exultation of victory, a grateful country mourned hisloss. A bountiful provision was made for his family; a public funeralwas awarded to his remains, and monuments in the principal cities of hisnative land were erected to his memory. A sorrowing nation lamented overhis bier, and Britania, indeed, felt that old England's defender wasnumbered with the dead. 

[Illustration: BALBOA DISCOVERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ]

DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

Vasco Nunes de Balboa, a Spaniard, as you see by his name, was born in1475. He was one of the adventurers who pursued the path which Columbushad pointed out. He led a party of Spaniards, who going out from Darienfounded a colony in the neighboring regions. Some gold being found theSpaniards got into a violent quarrel. 

[Illustration: THE INDIAN CHIEF DISGUSTED AT THE SPANIARDS. ]

One of the Indian chiefs being present, was so disgusted at this, thathe struck the scales with which they were weighing it so hard with hisfist, that the gold was scattered all about. 

"Why, " said he, "do you quarrel for such a trifle? If you really valuegold so highly, as to leave your own homes, and come and seize the landsand dwellings of others for the sake of it, I can tell you of a landwhere you may find it in plenty. Beyond those lofty mountains, " said he, pointing to the south-west, "lies a mighty sea, which people sail onwith vessels almost as big as yours. All the streams that flow from theother side of these mountains abound in gold, and all the utensils ofthe people are made of gold. "

This was enough for Balboa. He inquired of the Indian the best way ofgetting across the mountains, to find this land of gold. The Indiankindly told him every thing he knew, but at the same time warned him notto go over there, for the Indians were many and were fierce, and wouldeat human flesh. But Balboa was not to be discouraged. He collected aband of one hundred and ninety bold and hardy men, armed with swords, targets, and cross-bows, and some blood-hounds, (for, strange to tell, the Spaniards had trained fierce dogs to hunt the Indians, and even themild Bilboa was not ashamed to use them, ) and so he set out on hisexpedition to the west. 

Embarking with his men, September 1st, 1513, at the village of Darien, in a brigantine and nine large canoes, he sailed along the coast to thenorth-west, to Coyba, where the young Indian chief lived, and where theIsthmus of Darien is narrowest. He had taken a few friendly Indians withhim, as guides; and the young chief furnished him with a few more on hisarrival. Then leaving half his own men at Coyba, to guard the brigantineand canoes, he began his march for the mountains, and through theterrible wilderness. 

It was the 6th of September. The heat was excessive, and the journeytoilsome and difficult. They had to climb rocky precipices, strugglethrough close and tangled forests, and cross marshes, which the greatrains had rendered almost impassable. September 8th, they passed anIndian village at the foot of the mountains, but the inhabitants did notmolest them; on the contrary they fled into the forests. 

Here some of the men became exhausted, from the great heat andtravelling in the marshes. These were sent back, by slow marches, in thecare of guides, to Coyba. On the 20th of September they again setforward. 

The wilderness was so craggy, and the forest trees and underwood somatted together, that in four days they only advanced about thirtymiles, and they now began to suffer from hunger. They also met with manyrapid foaming streams, to cross some of which they had to stop and buildrafts. 

Now it was that they met with a numerous tribe of Indians, who, armedwith bows and arrows, and clubs of palm wood, almost as hard as iron, gave them battle. But the Spaniards, although comparatively few innumbers, with their fire-arms and bloodhounds and the aid of thefriendly Indians who were with them, soon put them to flight, and tookpossession of their village. Balboa's men robbed the village of all itsgold and silver, and of every thing valuable in it; and even he himself, whose heart the love of gold had begun already to harden, shared withhis men the plunder. 

It was a dear bought victory, however; for though the Indians had lostsix hundred of their number in the contest, they could easily recruittheir forces. But Balboa, whose band was now reduced, by sickness andthe contest, from ninety-five men to sixty-seven, had no means of addingto their strength, but was forced to proceed with what forces he had. 

Early the next morning after the battle, they set out on their journeyup the mountain. About ten o'clock they came out of the tangled forest, and reached an open space, where they enjoyed the cool breezes of themountains. They now began to take a little courage. Their joy washeightened still more, when they heard one of the Indian guides exclaim, "The sea! the sea!"

Balboa commanded his men to stop; and resolving to be the first Europeanwho should behold this new sea, he forbade his men to stir from theirplaces till he called them. Then ascending to the summit of the height, which the Indian had mounted, he beheld the sea glittering in themorning sun. 

Calling now upon his little troop to ascend the height, and view thenoble prospect along with him, "behold, " said he, "the rich reward ofour toil. This is a sight upon which no Spaniard's eye ever beforerested. " And in their great joy the leader and his men embraced eachother. 

Balboa then took possession of the sea and coast, and the surroundingcountry, in the name of the King of Spain; and having cut down a tree, and made it into the form of a cross--for they were Catholics--he set itup on the very spot where he first beheld the grand Pacific Ocean. Healso made a high mound, by heaping up large stones, upon which he carvedthe king's name. This was on September 26th, 1513. 

Not content with seeing the ocean, Balboa determined to visit it. Arriving, after much toil, at one of the bays on the coast, he called itSt. Michael's Bay. Coming to a beach a mile or two long, "If this is asea, " said he, "it will soon be covered with water; let us wait and seeif there be a tide. " So he seated himself under a tree, and the watersoon began to flow. He tasted it and found it salt; and then waded up tohis knees in it, and took possession of it in the name of his king. 

[Illustration: DEATH OF BALBOA. ]

Balboa's heart was now so lifted up by success, and his whole nature sochanged, that he was ready to fight and destroy every Indian tribe thatopposed his progress. But he had not always the best of it. On oneoccasion he was lost, with one or two followers, and having been seizedby some natives, carried immediately before their cazique, or chief. Hewas seated on a raised seat, covered with a panther's skin, and bore asingle feather of the vulture upon his head. Beside him stood hisslaves, to fan him, and screen his head from the sun, and around himwarriors, with the sculls of their enemies fixed upon their spears:which made the whole scene very horrible. 

Balboa humbled himself before the chief; and taking off his coat, profusely decorated, offered it as a peace offering. The cazique wouldnot accept it, but said, "You are poor and desolate--I am rich andpowerful. I will not hurt you, though you are my enemy. " He then orderedhim safe conduct through the forests; and Balboa regained his ownpeople, the Spaniards, in safety. This escape softened Balboa's heart, and he never afterwards treated the Indians with the same severity. 

After many victories, and many other singular escapes, he returned backto Coyba. But the sufferings of his men, in returning, were extreme, forwant both of water and provisions. The streams were most of them driedup, and provisions could not be found. Gold they indeed had, almost asmuch as they could carry, and the Indians kept bringing them more; butthis they could not eat or drink, and it would not buy what was not tobe bought. 

He arrived at Darien after about two months' absence, having lost nearlyall his men, by war and sickness. His discovery made a great noise, andprocured him much honor, but he did not live to enjoy it. 

A new governor was appointed in his place, who, having a mortal hatredto Balboa, threw him into prison, and, after a mock trial, had himbeheaded, in 1517, in his 48th year. 

[Illustration: ADMIRAL KEPPEL. ]

ADMIRAL KEPPEL AND THE DEY OF ALGIERS. 

When Admiral Keppel was sent to the Dey of Algiers, to demandrestitution of two ships which the pirates had taken, he sailed with hissquadron into the Bay of Algiers, and cast anchor in front of the Dey'spalace. He then landed, and, attended only by his captain and barge'screw, demanded an immediate audience of the Dey. This being granted, heclaimed full satisfaction for the injuries done to the subjects of hisBritannic Majesty. Surprised and enraged at the boldness of theadmiral's remonstrance, the Dey exclaimed, "that he wondered at theEnglish King's insolence in sending him a foolish, beardless boy. " Awell-timed reply from the admiral made the Dey forget the laws of allnations in respect to ambassadors, and he ordered his mutes to attendwith the bow-string, at the same time telling the admiral he should payfor his audacity with his life. Unmoved by this menace, the admiral tookthe Dey to the window facing the bay, and showed him the English fleetriding at anchor, and told him that if he dared put him to death therewere men enough in that fleet to make him a glorious funeral-pile. TheDey was wise enough to take the hint. The admiral obtained amplerestitution, and came off in safety. 

[Illustration: LOSS OF THE CATARAQUE. ]

LOSS OF THE CATARAQUE. 

The Cataraque, Captain C. W. Findlay, sailed from Liverpool, on the 20thof April, 1849, with three hundred and sixty emigrants, and a crewincluding two doctors, (brothers, ) of forty-six souls. The emigrantswere principally from Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, andNorthamptonshire. About one hundred and twenty of the passengers weremarried, with families, and in all seventy-three children. 

On the 3d of August, at seven o'clock in the evening, the ship was hoveto, and continued lying to until three A. M. Of the 4th. At half pastfour, being quite dark, and raining hard, blowing a fearful gale, theship struck on a reef, situated on the west coast of King's Island, atthe entrance of Bass's Straights. 

Immediately after the ship struck, she was sounded, and it wasascertained that there was four feet of water in the hold. An awfulscene of confusion and misery ensued. All the passengers attempted torush upon deck, and many succeeded in doing so, until the heaving of thevessel knocked down the ladders, when the shrieks from below, calling onthose on deck to assist them were terrific. The crew were on deck themoment the ship struck, and were instantly employed in handing up thepassengers. Up to the time the vessel began breaking up, the crewsucceeded in getting upwards of three hundred passengers on deck. But aterrible fate awaited the greater part of them. 

The day dawned. The stern of the vessel was found to be washed in, andnumerous dead bodies were found floating round the ship; some clingingto the rocks which they had grasped in despair. About two hundred of thepassengers and crew held on to the vessel, although the raging sea wasbreaking over her, and every wave washed some of them to a watery grave. In this manner, kindred were separated, while those who remained couldonly expect the same fate to reach them. Things continued in thiscondition until four in the afternoon, when the vessel parted amidships, at the fore part of the main rigging, and immediately between seventyand a hundred persons were thrown into the waves. Thus the insatiableocean swallowed its prey piece-meal. About five, the wreck parted by thefore-rigging, and so many persons were thrown into the sea, that onlyseventy were left on the forecastle, they being lashed to the wreck. Even these were gradually diminished in number, some giving out fromexhaustion, and others anticipating fate, by drowning themselves. 

When day dawned, on the following morning, only about thirty personswere left alive, and these were almost exhausted. The sea was making aclean breach into the forecastle, the deck of which was rapidly breakingup. Parents and children, husbands and wives, were seen floating aroundthe vessel, many in an embrace, which even the ocean's power could notsunder. The few who remained alive could only look up to heaven for ahope of safety. Soon after daylight, the vessel totally disappeared, andout of four hundred and twenty-three persons who had been on board thevessel, only nine were saved by being washed on shore, and these werenearly exhausted. 

[Illustration: LOSS OF THE FRANCIS SPAIGHT. ]

LOSS OF THE FRANCIS SPAIGHT. 

On the morning of the 7th of January, 1848, the barque Francis Spaight, lying in Table Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope, parted her anchor, and inattempting to beat out, grounded, broadside on the beach. The gale atthe time she struck was furious, and the surf tremendous, making a cleanbreach over the vessel, carrying away the bulwark, long boat, mainhatch, and part of the deck, with one of the crew. 

The shore was thronged with the inhabitants of Cape Town, anxious forthe fate of the vessel. An attempt was made to send a rope from the landto the wreck, but the rope broke. Rockets were fired with linesattached, and one was thrown across the foremast stay, where none of themen could reach it, on account of the fearful rolling of the sea. Aftersome extraordinary delay, a whale boat was brought from the town, andmanned by six daring fellows, who dashed through the surf, and were soonalongside the vessel. 

All except the carpenter, fifteen in number, got into the boat, andpushed off. At this moment a terrific sea upset the boat, and twenty-onepersons were struggling in the surf for life. The people on the beachwere horror-stricken; and men on horseback were seen plunging into thesea, risking their lives to save their fellow-creatures; but eighteensunk to rise no more. The masts of the vessel fell with a tremendouscrash, but the carpenter still clung to the wreck. At length asurf-boat, towed by a smaller one, proceeded towards the wreck. One ofthese boats was capsized, and two lives lost. But the carpenter wasrescued. This man, (James Robertson, ) and John McLeod, seaman, were allof the crew that reached the shore. The inhabitants of Cape Town wereall anxiety in regard to the fate of the vessel; and those daring heroeswho sacrificed themselves for the sake of their fellow men were worthyof a monument as lofty as those erected to the bravest warriors. 

The place where the Francis Spaight went ashore had been, a short timeprevious, the scene of a far more terrible disaster. This was the wreckof the ship Waterloo, by which two hundred persons were lost, in spiteof the most extraordinary and heroic exertions on the part of theinhabitants of Cape Town. 

The bay is very much exposed to storms, and its shores are particularydangerous, on account of their shelving character. The Francis Spaighthad just put into the bay for the purpose of obtaining a supply ofprovisions, and it was intended that she should sail the next day. Butthe Ruler of the elements intended it otherwise. Her cargo was nearly atotal loss. 

LOSS OF THE GOLDEN RULE. 

The ship Golden Rule, Captain Austin, sailed from Wiscasset, with acargo of timber, September, 8, 1807. 

On the 29th, she experienced a severe gale from the south-east; and ateight o'clock, A. M. , they discovered that she had sprung a leak, andhad four feet of water in her hold; at nine it had increased to eightfeet, notwithstanding they had two pumps going, and were throwing herdeck load overboard, which they were enabled to do very slowly, from thesea driving the planks about the deck, and wounding the crew. 

About ten o'clock, the water had risen to twelve feet, and the gale hadalso evidently increased; the crew and all on board were quiteexhausted; and on going into the cabin they found she was welling fast. The main and mizzen masts were now cut away, to prevent her upsetting, and she was quite clear of her deck load. At eleven o'clock she was fullup to her main deck, and all her bulk heads were knocked away. 

It now occurred to some of the crew, to endeavor to save some bread; andMr. Boyd, the first mate, with great resolution, went into the cabin andgave out some bread, and two bottles of rum; but so rapidly did shefill, from the timber of her cargo shifting, that he was forced to breakthrough the sky-light to save himself. Their small stock of provisionswas now put into the binnacle, as a secure place. It had been there buta few minutes, when a tremendous sea struck them, and carried away thebinnacle. 

They had now little hope left--the wheel was broken, and they proceededto secure themselves as well as they could, some in the fore-top, andthe rest were lashing themselves to the taffrail; before they couldaccomplish the latter plan, another sea, if possible, more heavy thanthe former, hurried them all from their places, and washed two of themen overboard; they were seen swimming for the ship, a short time, whena wave hurried them from the sight of their lamenting comrades. 

They now endeavored to keep the ship before the wind, which they werepartially enabled to do through the night. The next day another man diedfrom cold and hunger. 

The deck was now blown up, and her side stove in, all hands had giventhemselves up, when, on the 30th at noon, they were roused by the cryof "a sail!" and they had the satisfaction to see her bear down forthem. She was the brig George, of Portland; and Captain Wildridge senthis long-boat to take them from the wreck. 

DANGERS OF WHALING SHIPS AMONG ICE BERGS. 

The masses of ice by which the ocean is traversed assume a vast varietyof shapes, but may be comprehended in two general classes. The firstconsists of sheets of ice, analogous to those which annually cover thethe lakes and rivers of northern lands. They present a surface which isgenerally level, but here and there diversified by projections, called_hummocks_, which arise from the ice having been thrown up by somepressure or force to which it has been subject. Sheets of ice, which areso large that their whole extent of surface cannot be seen from themasthead of a vessel, are called _fields_. They have sometimes an areaof more than a hundred square miles, and rise above the level of the seafrom two to eight feet. When a piece of ice, though of a considerablesize, can be distinguished in its extent, it is termed a _floe_. Anumber of sheets, large or small, joining each other, and stretching outin any particular direction, constitute a _stream_. Captain Cook found astream extending across Behring's Straits, connecting eastern Asia withthe western extremity of North America. Owing to the vast extent of somefields of ice, they would undoubtedly be conducted to a lower latitudein the Atlantic before their dissolution, under the influence of awarmer climate, but for the intervention of other causes. It frequentlyhappens that two masses are propelled against each other, and are bothshivered into fragments by the violence of the concussion. The ordinaryswell of the ocean also acts with tremendous power upon a large tract, especially when it has been so thawed as to have become thin, and breaksit up into a thousand smaller pieces in a very short period. The dangerof being entrapped between two ice-fields coming into contact with eachother is one of the perils which the navigator has frequently toencounter in the northern seas; and fatal to his vessel and his life hasthe occurrence often been, while in a vast number of instances escapehas seemed almost miraculous. 

"At half-past six, " says Captain Ross, relating to his first voyage ofdiscovery, in the Isabella, to the arctic regions, with Captain Parry, in the Alexander, "the ice began to move, and, the wind increasing to agale, the only chance left for us was to endeavor to force the shipthrough it to the north, where it partially opened; but the channel wasso much obstructed by heavy fragments, that our utmost efforts wereineffectual; the ice closed in upon us, and at noon we felt its pressuremost severely. A large floe, which lay on one side of the Isabella, appeared to be fixed; while, on the other side, another of considerablebulk was passing along with a rapid motion, assuming a somewhat circulardirection, in consequence of one side having struck on the fixed field. The pressure continuing to increase, it became doubtful whether the shipwould be able to sustain it; every support threatened to give way, thebeams in the hold began to bend, and the iron tanks settled together. 

"At this critical moment, when it seemed impossible for us to bear theaccumulating pressure much longer, the hull rose several feet; while theice, which was more than six feet thick, broke against the sides, curling back on itself. The great stress now fell upon our bow; and, after being again lifted up, we were carried with great violence towardsthe Alexander which had hitherto been, in a great measure, defended bythe Isabella. Every effort to avoid their getting foul of each otherfailed; the ice-anchors and cables broke one after another; and thesterns of the two ships came so violently into contact, as to crush topieces a boat that could not be removed in time. The collision wastremendous, the anchors and chain-plates being broken, and nothing lessthan the loss of the masts expected; but at this eventful instant, bythe interposition of Providence, the force of the ice seemed exhausted;the two fields suddenly receded, and we passed the Alexander withcomparatively little damage. A clear channel soon after opened, and weran into a pool, thus escaping the immediate danger; but the fall ofsnow being very heavy, our situation still remained doubtful, nor couldwe conjecture whether we were yet in a place of safety. Neither themasters, the mates, nor those men who had been all their lives in theGreenland service, had ever experienced such imminent peril; and theydeclared, that a common whaler must have been crushed to atoms. "

Captain Scoresby relates a similar narrow escape from destruction owingto the same cause. "In the year 1804, " he observes, "I had anopportunity of witnessing the effects produced by the lesser masses inmotion. Passing between two fields of ice newly formed, about a foot inthickness, they were observed rapidly to approach each other, and, before our ship could pass the strait, they met with a velocity of threeor four miles per hour. The one overlaid the other, and presentlycovered many acres of surface. The ship proving an obstacle to thecourse of the ice, it squeezed up on both sides, shaking her in adreadful manner, and producing a loud grinding or lengthened acutetrembling noise, according as the degree of pressure was diminished orincreased, until it had risen as high as the deck. After about two hoursthe motion ceased, and soon afterwards the two sheets of ice recededfrom each other nearly as rapidly as they had before advanced. The shipin this case did not receive any injury; but, had the ice only been halfa foot thicker, she might have been wrecked. " Other navigators have notbeen so fortunate; and the annual loss of whaling vessels in the polarseas is considerable, the Dutch having had as many as seventy-three sailof ships wrecked in one season. Between the years 1669 and 1778, bothinclusive, or a period of one hundred and seven years, they sent to theGreenland fishery fourteen thousand one hundred and sixty-seven ships, of which five hundred and sixty-one, or about four in the hundred, werelost. 

Every one will remember the intense and mournful interest occasioned bythe loss of the President steamer which left New York in the year 1841to cross the Atlantic, but perished in the passage, without leaving asurvivor to tell the story of her fate. It has been deemed highlyprobable that this vessel got entangled in the ice, and was destroyed bycollision with its masses; for during that year, in the month of April, the Great Western steamer encountered a field extending upwards of ahundred miles in one direction, surrounded with an immense number offloes and bergs, and had great difficulty in effecting its passage bythis floating continent in safety. 

Another form under which the ice appears in the ocean is that of bergs, which differ from the ice-fields in shape and origin. They are massesprojecting to a great height above the surface of the water, and havethe appearance of chalk or marble cliffs and mountains upon the deep. They have been seen with an elevation of two hundred feet--acircumference of two miles: and it has been shown by experiments on thebuoyancy of ice floating in sea water, that the proportion above thesurface is only about one-seventh of the thickness of the whole mass. During the first expedition of Ross, he found an ice berg in Baffin'sBay, at a distance of seven leagues from the land, which was measured bya party under Lieutenant Parry. Considerable difficulty was experiencedin the attempt to land, as, in rowing round the berg, they found itperpendicular in every place but one. When they had ascended to thetop, which was perfectly flat, they discovered a white bear in quietpossession of the mass, who plunged into the sea without hesitation, andeffected his escape. The party found the ice berg to be four thousandone hundred and sixty-nine yards long, three thousand eight hundred andsixty-nine yards broad, and fifty-one feet high, being aground insixty-one fathoms. Its appearance was like that of the back of the Isleof Wight, and the cliffs resembled those of the chalk range to the westof Dover. The weight of this mass was calculated to amount to onebillion two hundred and ninety two millions three hundred and ninetyseven thousand six hundred and seventy-three tons. 

[Illustration: A WHITE BEAR. ]

An ice berg examined by Captain Graah, on the east coast of Greenland, rose one hundred and twenty feet out of the water, had a circumferenceof four thousand feet at the base, and its solid contents were estimatedto be upwards of nine hundred millions of cubic feet. When viewed at adistance, nothing can be more interesting than the appearance of aconsiderable number of these formations, exhibiting an infinite varietyof shape, and requiring no stretch of imagination to convert them into aseries of floating towers, castles, churches, obelisks, and pyramids, ora snowy range of Alpine heights. No pencil, an observer has remarked, has ever given any thing like the true effect of an ice berg. In apicture they are huge, uncouth masses, stuck in the sea; while theirchief beauty and grandeur--their slow stately motion, the whirling ofthe snow about their summits, and the fearful crackling of theirparts--they cannot give. The ice of the bergs is compact and solid, orof a fine green tint verging to blue; and large pieces may be frequentlyobtained, equal to the most beautiful crystal in transparency. It isstated by Scoresby, that with a portion of this ice, of by no meansregular convexity, used as a burning lens, he has frequently burnt wood, fired gunpowder, melted lead, and lit the sailors' pipes, to their nosmall astonishment, the ice itself remaining in the mean while perfectlyfixed and pellucid. 

MASSACRE OF THE CREW OF THE ATAHUALPA. 

The Atahualpa, of Boston, left that port in August, 1803, bound to thenorth-west coast of America, for the purpose of trading with thenatives. She arrived on the coast in the month of January, 1804; and, after visiting the several islands, and purchasing skins, on the 5th ofJune, 1805, weighed anchor from Chockokee, on the north-west coast, andmade sail. On the 8th, arrived at Millbank sound, and came to an anchorwithin musket-shot of the village. Soon after her arrival, the chief ofthe Indians, by the name of Keite, came off to the ship, with some ofhis tribe, and informed the captain that the Caroline, Captain Sturgess, had sailed from thence ten days before. 

On the 11th, the chief came off again, with his tribe, and another tribethat was there, and traded very briskly till towards night, whenbecoming very insolent, they were all turned out of the ship. 

On the 13th, Keite and his tribe came on board in the morning, andseemed much more desirous to trade than before, which Captain Porter wasvery glad to see. The chief mate and two of the ship's company, werethen engaged in ripping the main-sail in pieces, on the quarter-deck;the second mate with two hands was repairing the top-sail; two on thestarboard side of the main-deck, spinning spun yarn; two more on theforecastle, making sinnet; two more on the larboard side of themain-deck, running shot in the armorer's forge; the cooper was makingtubs; the cook, and captain's steward in the galley, at their duty; andall hands, as usual, employed on the ship's duty; the armorer was in thesteerage, and the boatswain in the cabin; Captain Porter, Mr. Ratstraw, his clerk, and Mr. Lyman Plummer, (nephew of Theodore Lyman, Esq. OfBoston, ship owner, ) were standing on the larboard side of thequarter-deck, abreast of the cabin hatchway. 

The chief, Keite, stood leaning on the rail, and called Captain Porterto look at the skins that were in the canoe, alongside the ship; thecaptain accordingly went to look over the side, when the chief, withsome more Indians, laid hold of him, and gave a shout. Immediately allthe Indians alongside of the canoe, and those on board, armed withdaggers, pistols, pikes, and other weapons, seized every man on deck, who were totally unprepared for so sudden an attack. A most dreadful andsanguinary contest immediately took place; when, after a short butbloody engagement of about five minutes, the deck was immediatelycleared of them. 

There were about two hundred Indians, it is supposed, on board at thistime; they first daggered Captain Porter several times in the back, puthim in a canoe alongside, and carried him on shore; and, as we wereafterwards informed by Captain Smith, of the ship Mary, of Boston, whowas informed by the New Hecta tribe, was by them tied to a tree, inwhich unhappy and miserable situation he languished fifteen days, refusing every species of nourishment offered him by these savages, occasioned by his grief at this unfortunate accident. 

Previous to this fatal business, there were twenty-three hands on board;ten of whom were barbarously killed, and nine wounded. Among the killedwere, Captain Oliver Porter, Mr. John Hill, chief mate; Daniel Gooding, second mate; John D. Katstraw, captain's clerk; Mr. Lyman Plummer, PeterShooner, Luther Lapham, Samuel Lapham, seamen; Isaac Lammes, cooper; andJohn Williams, cook. Mr. Lyman Plummer survived about two hours afterhe was wounded. The cook, who was most shockingly cut and mangled, languished till about six o'clock the next morning. 

Among the wounded were, Ebenezer Baker, seaman, most dangerously, withdaggers, he having two stabs in his left thigh, one in his groin, one inhis back, one in his breast, and one in his neck; Henry Thompson, seaman, very dangerously, with daggers, having one wound on the rightside, one on the left shoulder, another on the left arm, and two orthree smaller ones on the same arm, one on the right temple, and anotheron the left cheek; Ebenezer Williams, seaman, had three wounds in histhigh, with daggers, --two on his back, and one on the right shoulderwith a boarding-pike; Luke Bates, seamen, one wound on the rightshoulder with a boarding-pike; Joseph Robinson, carpenter, wounded onthe left breast; Thomas Edwards, steward, stabbed on the left shoulder;W. Walker had two stabs, with daggers, in his back. 

After the deck was cleared of these sanguinary savages, several gunswere fired at the village, the sails were loosened, stream-cable cut, and the ship put to sea. The same night they got under weigh, sevenlarge war-canoes hove in sight, with about thirty Indians in each. Inthis deplorable condition, with only four or five hands on board capableof duty, the Atahualpa shaped her course for New Heita; but the windchopping round, put about, and stood to the westward. 

On the 17th, it was thought time to bury the dead, when, after havingsewed them up, and got them ready for interment, prayers were read. Theywere then buried in Queen Charlotte's Sound. 

It cannot be ascertained with any degree of accuracy, how many of theIndians were killed in this dreadful contest. It is supposed, however, that the number must have exceeded forty; for a large canoe being underthe ship's bow, with about twenty Indians in her, who were cutting acable, a swivel and several muskets were fired into her, and but one ofthe Indians reached the shore in safety. 

During the conflict with the savages, there were two barrels of powderunheaded, and a loaded pistol prepared and given to a person who stoodready, should they get into the cabin, and secure to themselves theship, to fire into it, and blow the whole up, preferring to die in thatmanner rather than fall into the hands of such merciless wretches. 

[Illustration: SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. ]

SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 

In the year 1821, the Blendenhall, free trader, bound from England forBombay, partly laden with broad-cloths, was proceeding on her voyagewith every prospect of a successful issue. While thus pursuing her waythrough the Atlantic, she was unfortunately driven from her course, byadverse winds and currents, more to the southward and westward than wasrequired, and it became desirable to reach the island of Tristand'Acunha, in order to ascertain and rectify the reckoning. This island, which is called after the Portuguese admiral who first discovered it, isone of a group of three, the others being the Inaccessible andNightingale Islands, situated many hundreds of miles from any land, andin a south-westerly direction from the Cape of Good Hope. The shores arerugged and precipitous in the extreme, and form, perhaps, the mostdangerous coast upon which any vessel could be driven. 

It was while steering to reach this group of islands, that, one morning, a passenger on board the Blendenhall, who chanced to be upon deckearlier than usual, observed great quantities of sea-weed occasionallyfloating alongside. This excited some alarm, and a man was immediatelysent aloft to keep a good look-out. The weather was then extremely hazy, though moderate; the weeds continued; all were on the alert; theyshortened sail, and the boatswain piped for breakfast. In less than tenminutes, "breakers ahead!" startled every soul, and in a moment all wereon deck. "Breakers starboard! breakers larboard! breakers all around, "was the ominous cry a moment afterwards, and all was confusion. Thewords were scarcely uttered, when, and before the helm was up, theill-fated ship struck, and after a few tremendous shocks against thesunken reef, she parted about mid-ship. Ropes and stays were cutaway--all rushed forward, as if instinctively, and had barely reachedthe forecastle, when the stern and quarter-deck broke asunder with aviolent crash, and sunk to rise no more. Two of the seamen miserablyperished--the rest, including officers, passengers and crew, held onabout the head and bows--the struggle was for life!

At this moment, the Inaccessible Island, which till then had been veiledin thick clouds and mist, appeared frowning above the haze. The wreckwas more than two miles from the frightful shore. The base of theisland was still buried in impenetrable gloom. In this perilousextremity, one was for cutting away the anchor, which had been got up tothe cat-head in time of need; another was for cutting down the foremast(the foretop-mast being already by the board. ) The fog totallydisappeared, and the black rocky island stood in all its ruggeddeformity before their eyes. Suddenly the sun broke out in fullsplendor, as if to expose more clearly to the view of the suffererstheir dreadful predicament. Despair was in every bosom--death, arrayedin all its terrors, seemed to hover over the wreck. But exertion wasrequired, and every thing that human energy could devise was effected. The wreck, on which all eagerly clung, was fortunately drifted by thetide and wind between ledges of sunken rocks and thundering breakers, until, after the lapse of several hours, it entered the only spot on theisland where a landing was possibly practicable, for all the other partsof the coast consisted of perpendicular cliffs of granite, rising fromamidst the deafening surf to the height of twenty, forty, and sixtyfeet. As the shore was neared, a raft was prepared, and on this a fewpaddled for the cove. At last the wreck drove right in: ropes wereinstantly thrown out, and the crew and passengers, (except two who hadbeen crushed in the wreck, ) including three ladies and a femaleattendant, were snatched from the watery grave, which a few short hoursbefore had appeared inevitable, and safely landed on the beach. Eveninghad now set in, and every effort was made to secure whatever could besaved from the wreck. Bales of cloth, cases of wine, a few boxes ofcheese, some hams, the carcass of a milch cow that had been washed onshore, buckets, tubs, butts, a seaman's chest, (containing a tinder-boxand needles and thread, ) with a number of elegant mahogany turnedbed-posts, and part of an investment for the India market, were got onshore. The rain poured down in torrents--all hands were busily at workto procure shelter from the weather; and with the bed-posts andbroad-cloths, and part of the foresail, as many tents were soon pitchedas there were individuals on the island. 

Drenched with the sea and with the rain, hungry, cold, and comfortless, thousands of miles from their native land, almost beyond expectation ofhuman succor, hope nearly annihilated, --the shipwrecked voyagers retiredto their tents. In the morning the wreck had gone to pieces; and planks, and spars, and whatever had floated in, were eagerly dragged on shore. No sooner was the unfortunate ship broken up, than deeming themselvesfreed from the bonds of authority, many began to secure whatever came toland: and the captain, officers, passengers, and crew, were now reducedto the same level, and obliged to take their turn to fetch water, andexplore the island for food. The work of exploring was soon over--therewas not a bird, nor a quadruped, nor a single tree to be seen. All wasbarren and desolate. The low parts were scattered over with stones andsand, and a few stunted weeds, rocks, ferns, and other plants. The topof the mountain was found to consist of a fragment of originaltable-land, very marshy, and full of deep sloughs, intersected withsmall rills of water, pure and pellucid as crystal, and a profusion ofwild parsley and celery. The prospect was one dreary scene ofdestitution, without a single ray of hope to relieve the misery of thedesponding crew. After some days, the dead cow, hams, and cheese, wereconsumed; and from one end of the island to the other, not a morsel offood could be seen. Even the celery began to fail. A few bottles ofwine, which, for security had been secreted under ground, only remained. Famine now began to threaten. Every stone near the sea was examined forshell-fish, but in vain. 

In this dreadful extremity, and while the half-famished seamen were atnight squatting in sullen dejection round their fires, a large lot ofsea-birds, allured by the flames, rushed into the midst of them, andwere greedily laid hold of as fast as they could be seized. For severalnights in succession, similar flocks came in; and by multiplying theirfires a considerable supply was secured. These visits, however, ceasedat length, and the wretched party were exposed again to the most severeprivation. When their stock of wild fowl had been exhausted for morethan two days, each began to fear they were now approaching that sadpoint of necessity, when, between death and casting lots who should besacrificed to serve for food for the rest, no alternative remained. While horror at the bare contemplation of an extremity so repulsiveoccupied the thoughts of all, the horizon was observed to be suddenlyobscured, and presently clouds of penguin alighted on the island. Thelow grounds were actually covered; and before the evening was dark, thesand could not be seen for the number of eggs, which, like a sheet ofsnow, lay on the surface of the earth. The penguins continued on theisland four or five days, when, as if by signal, the whole took theirflight, and were never seen again. A few were killed, but the flesh wasso extremely rank and nauseous that it could not be eaten. The eggswere collected and dressed in all manner of ways, and supplied abundanceof food for upwards of three weeks. At the expiration of that period, famine once more seemed inevitable; the third morning began to dawn uponthe unfortunate company after their stock of eggs were exhausted; theyhad now been without food for more than forty hours, and were faintingand dejected; when, as though this desolate rock were really a land ofmiracles, a man came running up to the encampment with the unexpectedand joyful tidings that "millions of sea-cows had come on shore. " Thecrew climbed over the ledge of rocks that flanked their tents, and thesight of a shoal of manatees immediately beneath them gladdened theirhearts. These came in with the flood, and were left in the puddlesbetween the broken rocks of the cove. This supply continued for two orthree weeks. The flesh was mere blubber, and quite unfit for food, fornot a man could retain it on his stomach; but the liver was excellent, and on this they subsisted. In the meantime, the carpenter with hisgang had constructed a boat, and four of the men had adventured in herfor Tristan d'Acunha, in hopes of ultimately extricating theirfellow-sufferers from their perilous situation. Unfortunately the boatwas lost--whether carried away by the violence of the currents that setin between the islands, or dashed to pieces against the breakers, wasnever known, for no vestige of the boat or crew was ever seen. Beforethe manatees, however, began to quit the shore, a second boat waslaunched; and in this an officer and some seamen made a second attempt, and happily succeeded in effecting a landing, after much labor, on theisland, where they were received with much cordiality and humanity byGovernor Glass--a personage whom it will be necessary to describe. 

Tristan d'Acunha is believed to have been uninhabited until 1811, whenthree Americans took up their residence upon it, for the purpose ofcultivating vegetables, and selling the produce, particularly potatoes, to vessels which might touch there on their way to India, the Cape, orother parts in the southern ocean. These Americans remained its onlyinhabitants till 1816, when, on Bonaparte being sent to St. Helena, theBritish government deemed it expedient to garrison the island, and sentthe Falmouth man-of-war with a colony of forty persons, which arrived inthe month of August. At this time the chief of the American settlers wasdead, and two only survived; but what finally became of these we are notinformed. The British garrison was soon given up, the colony abandoned, and all returned to the Cape of Good Hope, except a person named Glass, a Scotchman, who had been corporal of artillery, and his wife, a CapeCreole. One or two other families afterwards joined them, and thus thefoundation of a nation on a small scale was formed; Mr. Glass, with thetitle and character of governor, like a second Robinson Crusoe, beingthe undisputed chief and lawgiver of the whole. On being visited in1825, by Mr. Augustus Earle, the little colony was found to be on theincrease, a considerable number of children having been born since theperiod of settlement. The different families inhabited a small village, consisting of cottages covered with thatch made of the long grass of theisland, and exhibiting an air of comfort, cleanliness, and plenty, trulyEnglish. 

It was to this island that the boat's crew of the Blendenhall had benttheir course, and its principal inhabitant, Governor Glass, showed themevery mark of attention, not only on the score of humanity, but becausethey were fellow-subjects of the same power--for, be it known, Glass didnot lay claim to independent monarchy, but always prayed publicly forKing George as his lawful sovereign. On learning the situation of thecrew, on Inaccessible Island, he instantly launched his boat, and unawedby considerations of personal danger, hastened, at the risk of his life, to deliver his shipwrecked countrymen from the calamities they had solong endured. He made repeated trips, surmounted all difficulties, andfortunately succeeded in safely landing them on his own island, afterthey had been exposed for nearly three months to the horrors of asituation almost unparalleled in the recorded sufferings of seafaringmen. 

After being hospitably treated by Glass and his company for threemonths, the survivors obtained a passage to the Cape, all except a youngsailor named White, who had formed an attachment to one of the servantgirls on board, and who, in all the miseries which had been endured, hadbeen her constant protector and companion; whilst gratitude on her partprevented her wishing to leave him. Both chose to remain, and wereforthwith adopted as free citizens of the little community. 

SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

On the 17th of June, 1816, the Medusa, French frigate, commanded byCaptain Chaumareys, and accompanied by three smaller vessels, sailedfrom the island of Aix, for the coast of Africa, in order to takepossession of some colonies. The first accident she encountered was offCape Finisterre, when one of the crew fell into the sea; and from theapathy of his companions, their want of promptitude in manoeuvring, withthe want of every precaution, he was left to perish. On the tenth day ofsailing, there appeared an error of thirty leagues in the reckoning. Onthe 1st of July, they entered the tropics; and there, with a childishdisregard to danger, and knowing that she was surrounded by all theunseen perils of the ocean, her crew performed the ceremony usual to theoccasion, while the vessel was running headlong on destruction. Thecaptain, presided over the disgraceful scene of merriment, leaving theship to the command of a Mons. Richefort, who had passed the tenpreceding years of his life in an English prison--a few persons on boardremonstrated in vain; though it was ascertained that they were on thebanks of Arguise, she continued her course, and heaved the lead, withoutslackening the sail. Every thing denoted shallow water, but M. Richefortpersisted in saying that they were in one hundred fathoms. At that verymoment only six fathoms were found; and the vessel struck three times, being in about sixteen feet water, and the tide full flood. At ebb-tide, there remained but twelve feet water; and after some bunglingmanoeuvres, all hope of getting the ship off was abandoned. 

When the frigate struck, she had on board six boats, of variouscapacities, all of which could not contain the crew and passengers; anda raft was constructed. A dreadful scene ensued. All scrambled out ofthe wreck without order or precaution. The first who reached the boatsrefused to admit any of their fellow-sufferers into them, though therewas ample room for more. Some, apprehending that a plot had been formedto abandon them in the vessel, flew to arms. No one assisted hiscompanions; and Captain Chaumareys stole out of a port-hole into his ownboat, leaving a great part of the crew to shift for themselves. Atlength they put off to sea, intending to steer for the sandy coast ofthe desert, there to land, and thence to proceed with a caravan to theisland of St. Louis. 

The raft had been constructed without foresight or intelligence. It wasabout sixty-five feet long and twenty-five broad, but the only partwhich could be depended upon was the middle; and that was so small, thatfifteen persons could not lie down upon it. Those who stood on the floorwere in constant danger of slipping through between the planks; the seaflowed in on all its sides. When one hundred and fifty passengers whowere destined to be its burden, were on board, they stood like a solidparallelogram, without a possibility of moving; and they were up totheir waists in water. The original plan was, that as much provision aspossible should be put upon this raft; that it should be taken in tow bythe six boats; and that, at stated intervals, the crews should come onboard to receive their rations. As they left the ship, M. Correard askedwhether the charts, instruments, and sea-stores were on board; and wastold by an officer, that nothing was wanting. "And who is to commandus?" "I am to command you, " answered he, "and will be with you in amoment. " The officer with these words, the last in his mouth, went onboard one of the boats, and returned no more. 

The desperate squadron had only proceeded three leagues, when a faulty, if not treacherous manoeuvre, broke the tow-line which fastened thecaptain's boat to the raft; and this became the signal to all to letloose their cables. The weather was calm. The coast was known to be buttwelve or fifteen leagues distant; and the land was in fact discoveredby the boats on the very evening on which they abandoned the raft. Theywere not therefore driven to this measure by any new perils; and the cryof "_Nous les abandonons!_" which resounded throughout the line, was theyell of a spontaneous and instinctive impulse of cowardice, perfidy, andcruelty; and the impulse was as unanimous as it was diabolical. The raftwas left to the mercy of the waves; one after another, the boatsdisappeared, and despair became general. Not one of the promisedarticles, no provisions, except a very few casks of wine, and somespoiled biscuit, sufficient for one single meal was found. A smallpocket compass, which chance had discovered, their last guide in atrackless ocean, fell between the beams into the sea. As the crew hadtaken no nourishment since morning, some wine and biscuit weredistributed; and this day, the first of thirteen on the raft, was thelast on which they tasted any solid food--except such as human natureshudders at. The only thing which kept them alive was the hope ofrevenge on those who had treacherously betrayed them. 

The first night was stormy; and the waves, which had free access, committed dreadful ravages, and threatened worse. When day appeared, twelve miserable wretches were found crushed to death between theopenings of the raft, and several more were missing; but the numbercould not be ascertained, as several soldiers had taken the billets ofthe dead, in order to obtain two, or even three rations. The secondnight was still more dreadful, and many were washed off; although thecrew had so crowded together, that some were smothered by the merepressure. To soothe their last moments, the soldiers drank immoderately;and one, who affected to rest himself upon the side, but wastreacherously cutting the ropes, was thrown into the sea. Another whomM. Correard had snatched from the waves, turned traitor a second time, as soon as he had recovered his senses; but he too was killed. At lengththe revolted, who were chiefly soldiers, threw themselves upon theirknees, and abjectly implored mercy. At midnight, however, they rebelledagain. Those who had no arms, fought with their teeth, and thus manysevere wounds were inflicted. One was most wantonly and dreadfullybitten above the heel, while his companions were beating him upon thehead with their carbines, before throwing him into the sea. The raft wasstrewed with dead bodies, after innumerable instances of treachery andcruelty; and from sixty to sixty-five perished that night. The force andcourage of the strongest began to yield to their misfortunes; and eventhe most resolute labored under mental derangement. In the conflict, therevolted had thrown two casks of wine, and all the remaining water, intothe sea; and it became necessary to diminish each man's share. 

A day of comparative tranquility succeeded. The survivors erected theirmast again, which had been wantonly cut down in the battle of the night;and endeavored to catch some fish, but in vain. They were reduced tofeed on the dead bodies of their companions. A third night followed, broken by the plaintive cries of wretches, exposed to every kind ofsuffering, ten or twelve of whom died of want, and awfully foretold thefate of the remainder. The following day was fine. Some flying fish werecaught in the raft; which, mixed up with human flesh, afforded onescanty meal. 

A new insurrection to destroy the raft, broke out on the fourth night;this too, was marked by perfidy, and ended in blood. Most of the rebelswere thrown into the sea. The fifth morning mustered but thirty menalive; and these sick and wounded, with the skin of their lowerextremities corroded by the salt water. Two soldiers were detecteddrinking the wine of the only remaining cask; they were instantly throwninto the sea. One boy died, and there remained only twenty-seven; ofwhom fifteen only seemed likely to live. A council of war, preceded bythe most horrid despair, was held; as the weak consumed a part of thecommon store, they determined to throw them into the sea. This sentencewas put into immediate execution! and all the arms on board, which nowfilled their minds with horror, were, with the exception of a singlesabre, committed to the deep. 

Distress and misery increased with an accelerated ratio; and even afterthe desperate measure of destroying their companions, and eating themost nauseous aliments, the surviving fifteen could not hope for morethan a few days' existence. A butterfly lighted on their sail the ninthday, and though it was held to be a messenger of good, yet many agreedy eye was cast upon it. Some sea-fowl also appeared; but it wasimpossible to catch them. The misery of the survivors increased with arapidity which cannot be described; they even stole from each otherlittle goblets of urine which had been set to cool in the sea water, andwere now considered a luxury. The most trifling article of food, alemon, a small bottle of spirituous dentrifice, a little garlic, becamecauses of contention; and every daily distribution of wine awakened aspirit of selfishness and ferocity, which common sufferings and commoninterest could not subdue into more social feelings. 

Three days more passed over in expressible anguish, when theyconstructed a smaller and more manageable raft, in the hope of directingit to the shore; but on trial it was found insufficient. On theseventeenth day, a brig was seen; which, after exciting the vicissitudesof hope and fear, proved to be the Argus, sent out in quest of theMedusa. The inhabitants of the raft were all received on board, and wereagain very nearly perishing, by a fire which broke out in the night. The six boats which had so cruelly cast them adrift, reached the coastof Africa in safety; and after many dangers among the Moors, thesurvivors arrived at St. Louis. 

After this, a vessel was despatched to the wreck of the Medusa, to carryaway the money and provisions; after beating about for eight days, shewas forced to return. She again put to sea, but after being away fivedays, again came back. Ten days more were lost in repairing her; and shedid not reach the spot till fifty-two days after the vessel had beenlost; and dreadful to relate, three miserable sufferers were found onboard. Sixty men had been abandoned there by their magnanimouscountrymen. All these had been carried off except seventeen, some ofwhom were drunk, and others refused to leave the vessel. They remainedat peace as long as their provisions lasted. Twelve embarked on board araft, for Sahara, and were never more heard of. Another put to sea on ahen-coop, and sunk immediately. Four remained behind, one of whom, exhausted with hunger and fatigue, perished. The other three lived inseparate corners of the wreck, and never met but to run at each otherwith drawn _knives_. They were put on board the vessel, with all thatcould be saved from the wreck of the Medusa. 

The vessel was no sooner seen returning to St. Louis, than every heartbeat high with joy, in the hope of recovering some property. The men andofficers of the Medusa jumped on board, and asked if any thing had beensaved. "Yes, " was the reply, "but it is all ours now;" and the nakedFrenchmen, whose calamities had found pity from the Moors of the desert, were now deliberately plundered by their own countrymen. 

A fair was held in the town, which lasted eight days. The clothes, furniture, and necessary articles of life, belonging to the men andofficers of the Medusa, were publicly sold before their faces. Such ofthe French as were able, proceeded to the camp at Daceard, and the sickremained at St. Louis. The French governor had promised them clothesand provisions, but sent none; and during five months, they owed theirexistence to strangers--to the British. 

SINGULAR LOSS OF THE SHIP ESSEX, SUNK BY A WHALE. 

The ship Essex, Captain George Pollard, sailed from Nantucket, on the12th of August, 1819, on a whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Her crewconsisted of twenty-one men, fourteen of whom were whites, mostlybelonging to Nantucket, the remainder were blacks. On the 20th ofNovember, 1820, in latitude 0° 40' S. Longitude 119° W. A school ofwhales was discovered, and in pursuing them the mate's boat was stove, which obliged him to return to the ship, when they commenced repairingthe damage. The captain and second mate were left with their boatspursuing the whales. During this interval the mate discovered a largespermaceti whale, near the ship, but, not suspecting the approach of anydanger, it gave them no alarm, until they saw the whale coming with fullspeed towards them. In a moment they were astonished by a tremendouscrash. The whale had struck the ship a little forward of the forechains. It was some minutes before the crew recovered from theirastonishment, so far as to examine whether any damage had beensustained. They then tried their pumps, and found that the ship wassinking. A signal was immediately set for the boats. The whale nowappeared again making for the ship, and coming with great velocity, withthe water foaming around him, he struck the ship a second blow, whichnearly stove in her bows. There was now no hope of saving the ship, andthe only course to be pursued was, to prepare to leave her with allpossible haste. They collected a few things, hove them into the boat andshoved off. The ship immediately fell upon one side and sunk to thewater's edge. When the captain's and second mate's boat arrived, suchwas the consternation, that for some time not a word was spoken. Thedanger of their situation at length aroused them, as from a terrificdream, to a no less terrific reality. They remained by the wreck two orthree days, in which time they cut away the masts, which caused her toright a little. Holes were then cut in the deck, by which means theyobtained about six hundred pounds of bread, and as much water as theycould take, besides other articles likely to be of use to them. On the22d of November, they left the ship, with as gloomy a prospect beforethem as can well be imagined. The nearest land was about one thousandmiles to the windward of them; they were in open boats, weak and leaky, with a very small pittance of bread and water for support of so manymen, during the time they must necessarily be at sea. Sails had beenprepared for the boats, before leaving the ship, which proved ofmaterial benefit. Steering southerly by the wind, they hoped to fall inwith some ship, but in this they were disappointed. After being in theboat twenty-eight days, experiencing many sufferings by gales of wind, want of water, and scanty provisions, they arrived at Duncie's Island, latitude 24° 40' S. , longitude 124° 40' W. , where they were disappointedin not finding a sufficiency of any kind of food for so large a companyto subsist on. Their boats being very weak and leaky, they were hauledon shore and repaired. They found a gentle spring of fresh water, flowing out of a rock, at about half ebb of the tide, from which theyfilled their kegs. Three of the men chose to stay on the island, andtake their chance for some vessel to take them off. 

On the 27th of December, they left this island, and steered for EasterIsland; but passed it far to the leeward. They then directed theircourse for Juan Fernandez, which was about twenty-five hundred mileseast by south-east from them. On the 10th of January, 1821, Matthew P. Joy, the second mate, died, and his body was launched into the deep. Hisconstitution was slender, and it was supposed that his sufferings, though great, were not the immediate cause of his death. On the 12th, the mate's boat separated from the other two, and did not fall in withthem afterwards. The situation of the mate and his crew, became dailymore and more distressing. The weather was mostly calm, the sun hot andscorching. They were growing weaker and weaker by want of food, and yet, such was their distance from land, that they were obliged to lessentheir allowance nearly one half. On the 20th, a black man died. 

On the 28th, they found, on calculation, that their allowance, only oneand a half ounce of bread per day to a man, would be exhausted infourteen days; and that this allowance was not sufficient to sustainlife. They therefore determined to extend the indulgence, and take theconsequence, whether to live or die. On the 8th of February, another ofthe crew died. From this time to the 17th, their sufferings wereextreme. At seven o'clock, A. M. Of that day, they were aroused from alethargy by the cheering cry of the steersman, "there's a sail!" Theboat was soon descried by the vessel, the brig Indian, Captain Grozier, of London, which took them on board, latitude 33° 45' S. , longitude 81°3' W. They were treated by Captain Grozier with all the care andtenderness which their weak condition required. On the same day theymade Massafuero, and on the 25th, arrived at Valparaiso. 

Captain Pollard and Charles Ramsdell, the only survivors in thecaptain's boat, were taken up on the 23d of February, 1821, by the shipDauphin, of Nantucket, Captain Zimri Coffin, in latitude 37° S. Off St. Mary's. The captain relates, that, after the mate's boat was separatedfrom the others, they made what progress their weak condition wouldpermit, towards the island of Juan Fernandez, but contrary winds andcalm weather, together with the extreme debility of the crew, preventedtheir making much progress. 

On the 29th of January, the second mate's boat separated from thecaptain's, in the night, at which time their provisions were totallyexhausted, since which they have not been heard from. 

We shall not attempt a sketch of the sufferings of the crews of theseboats. Imagination may picture the horrors of their situation, and theextremes to which they were driven to sustain life, but no power of theimagination can heighten the dreadful reality. 

The following is an account of the whole crew. 

In the captain's boat but two survived, Captain Pollard and CharlesRamsdell. In the mate's boat three survived, Owen Chase, the mate, Benjamin Lawrence, and Thomas Nickerson. Left on Duncie's Island, andafterwards taken off, Seth Weeks, William Wright, and Thomas Chapple. One left the ship before the accident. In the second mate's boat, whenseparated from the captain's, three. Dead, nine, which added to thesecond mate's crew, doubtless lost, makes total deaths twelve. 

LOSS OF THE WELLINGTON. 

We sailed from the Cove of Cork for St. Andrews, on the 6th of October, 1833. During a passage of sixty days, all of which time we struggledagainst adverse winds, nothing material occurred, save the shifting ofour ballast, (limestone, ) which caused some alarm; but the promptitudeand alacrity of the crew soon set it all right. On reaching theballast-ground, we discharged our ballast; and after we had repaired therigging, we took in a cargo of deals. Here four of the men left us, andwe had to wait for others to supply their place. 

On the 23d of December we sailed on our return to Cork; mustering in allseventeen persons, including one male and one female passenger. With afine stiff breeze down the bay, we soon lost sight of land, and nothingof note occurred till the 30th, when the wind got up from thenorth-west, and soon blew so heavy a gale, that we were obliged to takein every thing but a close-reefed main-topsail, under which we scuddedtill the 5th of January. All this time it blew a hurricane, principallyfrom the north-west, but occasionally, after a short lull, flying roundto the south-west, with a fury that nothing could resist. The seathreatened to overwhelm our little craft. It was several times proposedto lay her to; but the fatal opinion prevailed that she did better inscudding. On the night of the 6th, a tremendous sea struck her on thestern, stove in all the dead-lights, and washed them into the cabin, lifted the taffrail a foot or more out of its place, carried away theafterpart of the larboard bulwark, shattered the whole of thestern-frame, and washed one of the steersmen away from the wheel. Thecarpenter and crew with much labor secured the stern as well as theycould for the night, and next morning the wind moderated a little, newdead-lights were put in, and the damages further repaired. 

Every stitch of canvas, but the main-topsail, jib, and trysail, weresplit into ribbons, so that we became anxious to know how we shouldreach port when the gale subsided. But we were soon spared further careon that head. As the day closed in, the tempest resumed its fury, and bythe following morning, (the 8th, ) raged with such appalling violence, that we laid her too. From her straining, the brig had now began to makeso much water, as to require all hands in succession at the pumps tillthe following morning at two, when the larboard watch went below, thewatch on deck, by constant exertion, sufficing to keep her free. 

At seven on the morning of the 9th, a tremendous sea broke over thestarboard bow, overwhelming all, and sweeping caboose, boats, planks, casks, every thing before it, to the afterpart of the deck; even thestarboard anchor was lifted on to the forecastle; and and the cook, whowas in the galley, washed with all his culinary apparatus into thelee-scuppers, where he remained some time in a very perilous situation, jammed in amongst the loose spars and other portions of the wreck, untilextricated by the watch on deck, who, being aft at the moment of theoccurrence, escaped unhurt. Before we could recover from this shock, thewatch below rushed on deck, with the appalling intelligence, that thewater had found its way below, and was pouring in like a torrent Wefound that the coppers, forced along the deck with irresistibleviolence, had, by striking a stanchen fixed firmly in the deck, splitthe covering fore and aft, and let in the water. The captain thought ittime to prepare for the worst. As the ship, from her buoyant cargo, could not sink, he ordered the crew to store the top with provisions. And as all exerted themselves with the energy of despair, two barrels ofbeef, some hams, pork, butter, cheese, and a large jar of brandy, werehanded in a trice up from below, but not before the water had nearlyfilled the cabin, and forced those employed there to cease theiroperations, and with the two unfortunate passengers to fly to the deck. Fortunately for the latter, they knew not the full horror of oursituation. The poor lady, whose name I have forgotten, young anddelicate, already suffering from confinement below and sea sickness, pale and shivering, but patient and resigned, had but a short time takenher seat beside her fellow passenger on some planks near the taffrail, on which lay extended the unfortunate cook, unable to move from hisbruises, when the vessel, a heavy lurch having shifted her cargo, waslaid on her beam-ends, and the water rushing in, carried every thingoff the deck--provisions, stores, planks, all went adrift--and with thelatter, the poor lady, who, with the cook, floated away on them, withoutthe possibility of our saving either of them. But such was theindescribable horror of those who were left, that had we been able toreason or reflect we might have envied our departed shipmates. 

A few minutes before we went over, two of the crew, invalids, havinggone to the maintop, one of them was forced into the belly of the maintop-sail, and there found a watery grave. The rest of the crew, and themale passenger, got upon her side. In this hopeless situation, secured, and clinging to the channels and rigging, the sea every instant dashingover us, and threatening destruction, we remained some hours. Then thevessel once more righted, and we crawled on board. The deck having blownup, and the stern gone the same way, we had now the prospect ofperishing with cold and hunger. For our ultimate preservation I conceivewe were mainly indebted to the carpenter's having providentiallyretained his axe. With it, the foremast was cut away. While doing this, we found a piece of pork about four pounds weight; and even thepossession of this morsel raised our drooping spirits. It would at leastprolong existence a few hours, and in that interval, the gale mightabate, some friendly sail heave in sight, and the elements relent. Suchwere our reflections. Oh, how our eye-balls strained, as, emerging fromthe trough of the sea on the crest of a liquid mountain, we gazed on themisty horizon, until, from time to time, we fancied, nay, felt assured, we saw the object of our search, but the evening closed in, and with ithope almost expired. That day, not a morsel passed our lips. The pork, our only supply, given in charge to the captain, it was thought prudentto husband as long as possible. 

Meanwhile, with a top-gallant studding-sail remaining in the top, whichwas stretched over the mast-head, we contrived to procure a partialshelter from the inclemency of the weather. Under this, drenched as wewere and shivering with cold, some of us crouched for the night; butothers of the crew remained all that night in the rigging. In themorning we all--fourteen in number--mustered on deck, and received fromthe mate a small piece of pork, about two ounces, the remainder beingput away, and reserved for the next day. This, and some water, the onlyarticle of which--a cask had been discovered forward, well stowed awayamong the planks--we had abundance, constituted our only meal that day. Somewhat refreshed, we all went to work, and as the studding-sailafforded but a scanty shelter, we fitted the trysail for this purpose;on opening which we found the cat drowned, and much as our stomachsmight have revolted against such food on ordinary occasions, yet poorpuss was instantly skinned and her carcass hung up in the maintop. 

This night we were somewhat better lodged, and the following day, havingreceived our scanty ration of pork, now nearly consumed, we got threeswiftsures round the hull of the vessel, to prevent her from going topieces. Foraging daily for food, we sought incessantly in everycrevice, hole, and corner, but in vain. We were now approaching thatstate of suffering beyond which nature cannot carry us. With some, indeed, they were already past endurance; and one individual, who hadleft a wife and family dependent upon him for support in London, unableany longer to bear up against them, and the almost certain prospect ofstarvation, went down out of the top, and we saw him no more. Havingeked out the pork until the fourth day, we commenced on thecat--fortunately large and in good condition--a mouthful of which, withsome water, furnished our daily allowance. 

Sickness and debility had now made such ravages among us all, thatalthough we had a tolerable stock of water, we found great difficulty inprocuring it. We had hitherto, in rotation, taken our turn to fill asmall beaker at the cask, wedged in among the cargo of deals; but now, scarcely able to keep our feet along the planks, and still less so tohaul the vessel up to the top, we were in danger of even this resourcebeing cut off from us. In this manner, incredible as it may seem, wemanaged to keep body and soul together till the eleventh day; our onlysustenance, the pork, the cat, water, and the bark of some young birchtrees, which latter, in searching for a keg of tamarinds, which we hadhoped to find, we had latterly come athwart. 

On the twelfth morning, at daybreak, the hailing of some one from thedeck electrified us all. Supposing, as we had missed none of ourshipmates from the top, that it must be some boat or vessel, we alleagerly made a movement to answer our supposed deliverers, and such wasour excitement that it well nigh upset what little reason we had left. We soon found out our mistake. We saw that one of the party was missing;and from this individual, whom we had found without shoes, hat, orjacket, had the voice proceeded. 

Despair had now taken such complete hold, that, suspended between lifeand death, a torpor had seized us, and, resigned to our fate, we hadscarcely sufficient energy to lift our heads, and exercise the onlyfaculty on which depended our safety. The delirium of our unfortunateshipmate had, however, reanimated us, and by this means, throughProvidence, he was made instrumental to our deliverance. Not long after, one of the men suddenly exclaimed, "This is Sunday morning!--The Lordwill deliver us from our distress!--at any rate I will take a lookround. " With this he arose, and having looked about him a few minutes, the cheering cry of "a sail!" announced the fulfilment of this singularprophecy. "Yes, " he repeated in answer to our doubts, "a sail, andbearing right down upon us!"

We all eagerly got up, and looking in the direction indicated to us, thewelcome certainty, that we were not cheated of our hopes almost turnedour brains. The vessel, which proved to be a Boston brig, bound toLondon, ran down across our bows, hove too, sent the boats alongside, and by ten o'clock we were all safe on board. Singularly enough, ourbrig, which had been lying-to with her head to the northward andwestward, since the commencement of our disasters, went about theevening previous to our quitting her as well as if she had been undersail, --another providential occurrence, for had she remained with herhead to the northward, we should have seen nothing of our deliverers. From the latter we experienced all the care and attention our deplorablecondition required; and, with the exception of two of the party, whowere frost-bitten, and who died two days after our quitting the wreck, we were soon restored to health, and reached St. Catherine's Dock on the30th of the following month. 

[Illustration: VOYAGE OF THE ABERGAVENNY. ]

LOSS OF THE ABERGAVENNY. 

The Earl of Abergavenny, East Indiaman, left Portsmouth, in thebeginning of February, 1805, with forty passengers, and property to thevalue of eighty-nine thousand pounds sterling on board. On the 5th ofFebruary, at ten A. M. When she was about ten leagues to the westward ofPortland, the commodore gave a signal for her to bear up. At this timethe wind was west south-west; she had the main top-mast struck, the foreand mizzen top-gallant mast on deck, and the jib-boom in. At three apilot came on board, when they were about two leagues west fromPortland; the cables were ranged and bitted, and the jib-boom got out. The wind suddenly died away as she crossed the Shangles, a shoal of rockand shingle, about two miles from the land; and a strong tide settingthe ship to westward, drifted her into the breakers. A sea taking her onthe larboard quarter brought her to, with her head to the northward, when she instantly struck the ground, at five in afternoon. All thereefs were let out, and the top-sails hoisted up, in the hope that theship might shoot across the reef; the wind shifting meanwhile tonorth-west, she remained there two hours and a half, with four feet ofwater in the hold, the tide alternately setting her on, and the surfdriving her back, beating all the while with such violent shocks, thatthe men for some time could scarcely stand upon the decks. At length, however, she was got off the rocks. 

The pumps were kept constantly going, and for fifteen minutes afterclearing the rocks, kept the water at four feet; but the leak gainingupon them, all sails were set, with the view of running for the nearestport. But the water now rose so fast, than she refused to answer thehelm, and they resolved to run her on the first shore. The captain andofficers still thought that she might be got off without materialdamage, and no signal guns of distress were fired for three quarters ofan hour, though sensible of some danger, they kept silent, lest theyshould alarm the passengers. Soon however the peril appeared but toomanifest; the carpenter announced that a leak was at the bottom of thechain-pumps, through which the water gushed so fast, that they could notstop it. Eleven feet of water were already in the hold, and the crewwere set to bale at the fore scuttle and hatchway. Though they could notkeep the water under, they still hoped to preserve her afloat, till shecould be run upon Weymouth sand. The lashings of the boats were cut;but they could not get out the long-boat, without bending the mainsailaback, which would have retarded the vessel so much, as to deprive themof the chance of running her aground. 

At six in the afternoon they gave up all hope of saving the vessel;other leaks had been sprung, and it became manifest, from the damage shehad sustained that she must speedily go down. The captain and officerswere still cool, and preserved perfect subordination. As night came on, and their situation became more terrible, several passengers insisted onbeing set on shore; and some small sloops being near, one of which sentoff a skiff, two ladies, and three other passengers went away in her. More would have embarked had they not feared to encounter a tempestuoussea in so dark a night. 

Several boats were heard at a short distance, about nine o'clock, butthey rendered no assistance; being either engaged in plunder, or inrescuing some of those unfortunate individuals who hazarded themselveson pieces of wreck, to gain the land. Those on board baled and pumpedwithout intermission; the cadets and passengers struggling with therest. A midshipman was appointed to guard the spirit room. Some of themore disorderly sailors pressed upon him. "Give us some grog, " theycried, "it will be all one an hour hence. " "I know we must die, " repliedhe, coolly, "but let us die like men;" and armed with a brace ofpistols, he kept his post even while the ship was sinking. 

At length the carpenter came up from below, and told those who worked atthe pumps that he could do no more. Some gave themselves up to despair, others prayed; and some resolved not to perish without a struggle, committed themselves on pieces of the wreck to the waves. The chief matecame to the captain, and said, "We have done all we can, sir, the shipwill sink in a moment;" to which the captain replied, "it cannot behelped--God's will be done. " The vessel gradually settled in the troughof the sea. The cries of the drowning rose above the sound of thewaters, and were heard at a great distance. Some kept running about thedeck as long as it kept above the waves. At eleven, when she went down, many hastened up the shrouds and masts. The captain was seen clinging tothe ropes; the fourth mate tried to persuade him to exert himself, buthe submitted without resistance to his fate. 

The hull struck the ground, while part of the masts and rigging remainedabove water. On the last cast of the lead, eleven fathoms had beenfound, and about one hundred and eighty men still clung to the rigging. The night was dark and frosty, the sea incessantly breaking upon them. Shocking scenes occurred, in the attempts made by some to obtain placesof greater safety. One seaman had ascended to a considerable height, andendeavored to climb yet higher; another seized hold of his leg; he drewhis clasp-knife, and deliberately cut the miserable wretch's fingersasunder; he dropped and was killed by the fall. Many perished in theshrouds. A sergeant had secured his wife there; she lost her hold, andin her last struggle for life, bit a large piece from her husband's arm, which was dreadfully lacerated. 

About an hour after she went down, the survivors were cheered by hearingthe sound of vessels beating the waves at a distance; they hailed asloop-rigged vessel, with two boats astern of her. Their voices musthave been drowned by the waves. By twelve many more had perished. Somefrom cold and fatigue could no longer retain their hold; every instantthose who still hung on, were shocked by the splash, which told thatanother of their number had yielded to his fate. In a short time, boatswere again heard near them, but they did not, though repeatedly hailed, come near enough to take any on board; an act of cold and calculatingtimidity, which could not be justified by the excuse, that they fearedlest all, eager to be saved, should have jumped down, and borne them tothe bottom. 

At length two sloops, which had heard the guns of distress, anchoredclose to the wreck, took off the survivors, twenty at a time, from theshrouds, and in the morning conveyed them to Weymouth; so far fromcrowding into the boats, they got off one by one, as called upon bythose who commanded the boats. One still remained; the sixth mateascended the mast and found him in a state of insensibility; he bore himdown on his back, and with his burden reached the boat in safety; butthe delivered person died the next day. 

When the awful words were heard, "The ship must go down, " three of thecadets went into the cabin, where they stood for a short time, lookingat each other, without saying a word. At length one said, "Let us returnto the deck;" two did so, but the other remained below. He opened hisdesk, took out his commission, his introductory letters, and some money, went on deck, but saw neither of his companions. Then looking forward, he saw the ship going down head foremost, and the sea rolling in animmense column along the deck. He tried to ascend the steps leading tothe poop, but was launched among the waves encumbered by boots and agreat coat, and unable to swim. Afterwards, finding himself on theopposite side, he conceived that when the stern of the ship sunk, hewould be drawn into the vortex. While struggling to keep himself afloat, he seized something which frequently struck the back of his hand, andfound it to be a rope hanging from the mizzen-shrouds. Trying to ascendseveral feet by it, he fell into the sea; but by a sudden lurch from theship, he was thrown into the mizzen-shrouds, where he fixed himself aswell as circumstances would allow. 

CRUISE OF THE SALDANHA AND TALBOT. 

BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS. 

At midnight of Saturday, the 30th of November, 1811, with a fair windand a smooth sea, we weighed from our station, in company with theSaldanha frigate, of thirty-eight guns, Captain Packenham, with a crewof three hundred men, on a cruise, as was intended, of twenty days--theSaldanha taking a westerly course, while we stood in the oppositedirection. 

We had scarcely got out of the lock and cleared the heads, however, whenwe plunged at once into all the miseries of a gale of wind blowing fromthe west. During the three following days it continued to increase inviolence, when the islands of Coll and Tiree became visible to us. Asthe wind had now chopped round more to the north, and continued unabatedin violence, the danger of getting involved among the numerous smallislands and rugged headlands, on the north-west coast ofInverness-shire, became evident. It was therefore deemed expedient towear the ship round, and make a port with all expedition. With thisview, and favored by the wind, a course was shaped for Lochswilly, andaway we scudded under close-reefed foresail and main-topsail, followedby a tremendous sea, which threatened every moment to overwhelm us, andaccompanied by piercing showers of hail, and a gale which blew withincredible fury. The same course was steered until next day about noon, when land was seen on the lee-bow. The weather being thick, some timeelapsed before it could be distinctly made out, and it was thenascertained to be the island of North Arran, on the coast of Donegal, westward of Lochswilly. The ship was therefore hauled up some points, and we yet entertained hopes of reaching an anchorage before nightfall, when the weather gradually thickened, and the sea, now that we were uponthe wind, broke over us in all directions. Its violence was such, thatin a few minutes several of our ports were stove in, at which the waterpoured in in great abundance, until it was actually breast high on thelee-side of the main deck. Fortunately, but little got below, and theship was relieved by taking in the foresail. But a dreadful addition wasnow made to the precariousness of our situation, by the cry of "landa-head!" which was seen from the forecastle, and must have been verynear. Not a moment was now lost in wearing the ship round on the othertack, and making what little sail could be carried, to weather the landwe had already passed. This soon proved, however, to be a forlornprospect, for it was found that we should run our distance by teno'clock. All the horrors of shipwreck now stared us in the face, aggravated tenfold by the darkness of the night, and the tremendousforce of the wind, which now blew a hurricane. Mountains areinsignificant when speaking of the sea that kept pace with it; itsviolence was awful beyond description, and it frequently broke over allthe poor little ship, that shivered and groaned, but behaved admirably. 

The force of the sea may be guessed from the fact of the sheet-anchor, nearly a ton and a half in weight, being actually lifted on board, tosay nothing of the forechain-plates' board broken, both gangways tornaway, quarter-galleries stove in, &c. In short, on getting into port, the vessel was found to be loosened through all her frame, and leakingat every seam. As far as depended on her good qualities, however, I feltassured at the time we were safe, for I had seen enough of the Talbotto be convinced we were in one of the finest sea-boats that ever swam. But what could all the skill of the ship builder avail in a situationlike ours? With a night full fifteen hours long before us, and knowingthat we were fast driving on the land, anxiety and dread were on everyface, and every mind felt the terrors of uncertainty and suspense. Atlength, about twelve o'clock, the dreadful truth was disclosed to us!

Judge of my sensation when I saw the frowning rocks of Arran, scarcelyhalf a mile distant, on our lee-bow. To our inexpressible relief, andnot less to our surprise, we fairly weathered all, and werecongratulating each other on our escape, when on looking forward Iimagined I saw breakers at no great distance on our lee; and thissuspicion was soon confirmed, when the moon, which shone at intervals, suddenly broke out from behind a cloud, and presented to us a mostterrific spectacle. At not more than a quarter of a mile's distance onour lee-beam, appeared a range of tremendous breakers, amongst which itseemed as if every sea would throw us. Their height, it may be guessed, was prodigious, when they could be clearly distinguished from thefoaming waters of the surrounded ocean. It was a scene seldom to bewitnessed, and never forgotten! "Lord have mercy on us!" was now on thelip of everyone--destruction seemed inevitable. Captain Swaine, whosecoolness I have never seen surpassed issued his orders clearly andcollectedly when it was proposed as a last resource to drop the anchors, cut away the masts, and trust to the chance of riding out the gale. Thisscheme was actually determined on, and every thing was in readiness, buthappily was deferred until an experiment was tried aloft In addition tothe close-reefed main-topsail and foresail, the fore-topsail and trysailwere now set, and the result was almost magical. With a few plunges wecleared not only the reef, but a huge rock upon which I could with easehave tossed a biscuit, and in a few minutes we were inexpressiblyrejoiced to observe both far astern. 

We had now miraculously escaped all but certain destruction a secondtime, but much was yet to be feared. We had still to pass Cape Jeller, and the moments dragged on in gloomy apprehension and anxious suspense. The ship carried sail most wonderfully, and we continued to go along atthe rate of seven knots, shipping very heavy seas, and laboringmuch--all with much solicitude looking out for daylight. The dawn atlength appeared, and to our great joy we saw the land several milesastern, having passed the Cape and many other hidden dangers during thedarkness. 

Matters on the morning of the 5th, assumed a very different aspect fromthat which we had experienced for the last two days; the wind graduallysubsided, and with it the sea, and a favorable breeze now springing up, we were enabled to make a good offing. Fortunately no accident ofconsequence occurred, although several of our people were severelybruised by falls. Poor fellows! they certainly suffered enough; not adry stitch, not a dry hammock have they had since we sailed. Happily, however, their misfortunes are soon forgot in a dry shirt and a can ofgrog. 

The most melancholy part of the narrative is still to be told. On comingup to our anchorage, we observed an unusual degree of curiosity andbustle in the fort; crowds of people were congregated on both sides, running to and fro, examining us through spy-glasses; in short, anextraordinary commotion was apparent. The meaning of all this was buttoo soon made known to us by a boat coming alongside, from which welearned that the unfortunate Saldanha had gone to pieces, and every manperished! Our own destruction had likewise been reckoned inevitable fromthe time of the discovery of the unhappy fate of our consort, five daysbeforehand; and hence the astonishment at our unexpected return. Fromall that could be learned concerning the dreadful catastrophe, I aminclined to believe that the Saldanha had been driven on the rocks aboutthe time our doom appeared so certain in another quarter. Her lightswere seen by the signal-tower at nine o'clock of that fearful Wednesdaynight, December 4th, after which it is supposed she went ashore on therocks at a small bay called Ballymastaker, almost at the entrance ofLochswilly harbor. 

Next morning the beach was strewed with fragments of the wreck, andupwards of two hundred of the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers werewashed ashore. One man--and one only--out of the three hundred, wasascertained to have come ashore alive, but almost in a state ofinsensibility. Unhappily there was no person present to administer tohis wants judiciously, and upon craving something to drink, about half apint of whisky was given him by the people, which almost instantlykilled him! Poor Pakenham's body was recognised amidst the others, andlike these, stripped quite naked by the inhuman wretches, who flocked tothe wreck as to a blessing! It is even suspected that he came on shorealive, but was stripped and left to perish. Nothing could equal theaudacity of the plunderers, although a party of the Lanark militia wasdoing duty around the wreck. But this is an ungracious and revoltingsubject, which no one of proper feeling would wish to dwell upon. Stillless am I inclined so describe the heart-rending scene at Buncrana, where the widows of many of the sufferers are residing. The surgeon'swife, a native of Halifax, has never spoken since the dreadful tidingsarrived. Consolation is inadmissible, and no one has yet ventured tooffer it. 

SHIPWRECK OF THE NAUTILUS. 

The ship Nautilus, Captain Palmer, with important despatches forEngland, sailed from the Dardanelles, on the 30th of January, 1807. Passing through the islands which abound in the Greek Archipelago, sheapproached the Negropont, where the navigation became both intricateand dangerous. The wind blew fresh, and the night was dark and squally;the pilot, a Greek, advised them to lay-to till morning; at daylight sheagain went on her course, passing in the evening, Falconera andAnti-Milo. The pilot, who had never gone farther on this tack, hererelinquished the management of the vessel to the captain, who, anxiousto get on, resolved to proceed during the night, confidently expectingto clear the Archipelago by morning; he then went below, to take somerest, after marking out on the chest the course which he meant to steer. 

[Illustration: SHIPWRECK OF THE NAUTILUS. ]

The night was extremely dark, vivid lightning at times flashed throughthe horizon. The wind increased; and though the ship carried but littlesail, she went at the rate of nine miles an hour, borne on by a highsea, which, with the brightness of the lightning, made the night appearawful. At half past two in the morning, they saw high land, which theytook for the island of Cerigotto, and went confidently on, supposingthat all danger was over. At half-past four, the man on the look-out, cried, "breakers a-head!" and instantly the vessel struck with atremendous crash; the violence of the shock being such, that those belowwere thrown from their beds, and on coming on deck, were compelled tocling to the cordage. All was confusion and alarm; scarcely had part ofthe crew time to hurry on deck, before the ladder gave way, leavingnumbers struggling with the water, which rushed in at the bottom. Thecaptain and lieutenant endeavored to mitigate the fears of the people;and afterwards, going down to the cabin, burnt the papers and privatesignals. Meantime, every sea dashed the vessel against the rocks; andthey were soon compelled to climb the rigging, where they remained anhour, the surge continually breaking upon them. 

The lightning had ceased, but so dark was the night, that they could notsee a ship's length before them; their only hope rested in the fallingof the main mast, which they trusted would reach a small rock, which layvery near them. About half an hour before morning, the mast gave way, providentially falling towards the rock, and by means of it they wereenabled to gain the land. In this hasty struggle to get to the rock, many accidents occurred; some were drowned, one man had his arm broke, and many were much hurt. The captain was the last man who left thevessel, refusing to quit it till all had gained the rock. All the boatsbut one had been staved in pieces; the jolly-boat indeed remained, butthey could not haul it in. For a time the hull of the wreck shelteredthem from the violence of the surf; but it soon broke up, and it becamenecessary to abandon the small rock on which they stood, and to wade toanother somewhat larger. In their way they encountered many loose spars, dashing about in the channel; several in crossing were severely hurt bythem. They felt grievously the loss of their shoes, for the sharp rockstore their feet dreadfully, and their legs were covered with blood. Inthe morning they saw the sea covered with the fragments of the wreck, and many of their comrades floating about on spars and timbers, to whomthey could not give any assistance. 

They saw that they were cast away on a coral rock almost on a level withthe sea, about four hundred yards long, and three hundred broad. Theywere at least twelve miles from the nearest islands, which wereafterwards found to be those of Cerigotto and Pera. In case any vesselshould pass by, they hoisted a signal of distress on a long pole. Theweather was very cold, and the day before they were wrecked, the deckhad been covered with ice; with much difficulty they managed to kindle afire, by means of a flint and some powder. They erected a small tent, composed of pieces of canvas and boards, and were thus enabled to drytheir few clothes. The night was dreary and comfortless; but theyconsoled themselves with the hope that their fire might be descried inthe dark, and taken for a signal of distress. Next day they weredelighted at the approach of a small whale-boat, manned by ten of theircomrades. When the vessel was wrecked, these men had lowered themselvesinto the water, and had reached the island of Pera, but finding no freshwater, were compelled to depart; and noticing the fire were enabled tojoin their shipmates. But the waves ran so high that the boat could notcome to the shore, and some of those on the land endeavored to reach it. One of the seamen called to Captain Palmer, inviting him to come tothem, but he steadily refused, saying, "No, Smith, save your unfortunateshipmates; never mind me. " After some consultation, they resolved totake the Greek pilot on board, intending to go to Cerigotto, where, heassured them, were a few families of fishermen, who might perhaps beable to afford them some relief. 

After the boat departed, the wind increased; in about two hours afearful storm came on. The waves mounted up, and extinguished theirfire; they swept over nearly the whole of the rock, compelling them toflee for refuge to the highest part. Thus did nearly ninety pass a nightof the utmost horror; being compelled, lest they should be washed off, to fasten a rope round the summit of a rock, and to clasp each other. Their fatigue had been so great that several of them became delirious, and lost their hold. They were also in constant terror of the windveering more to the north, in which case the waves would have dashedover their position. 

They now began to sink under their hardships, and many had suffereddeplorably. One had been so dashed against the rocks as to be nearlyscalped, exhibiting a dreadful spectacle; he lingered out the night, butexpired next morning. They were ill prepared to sustain famine, and theywere almost hopeless of escape. They dreaded lest the storm should comeon before the boat could have reached the island, for on her safetytheir own depended. In the midst of these horrors the daylight broke, and they saw the bodies of their departed shipmates, some still writhingin the agonies of death. The sea had broken over them all night, andsome, among whom was the carpenter, had perished from cold. 

Soon after, a vessel approached, and their hearts beat high with thehope of deliverance. All her sails were set, and she came down beforethe wind, steering right for the rock. They made repeated signals ofdistress, and the vessel hove to, and hoisted out her boat. They hastilyprepared rafts to carry them through the surf, confident that the boatwas provided with supplies to relieve them. The boat came withinpistol-shot, full of men dressed in the European fashion. But what weretheir indignation and grief, when the person who steered, after gazingat them a few minutes, waved his hat, and then rowed off to the ship!Their misery was increased by seeing the crew of the stranger-vesselemployed in collecting the floating fragments of the wreck. After thisgrievous disappointment, their only hopes lay in the return of the boat. They looked in vain; not a glimpse of her was to be seen. A ragingthirst tormented them; and some, in spite of warning, drank salt water;raging madness soon followed, and their agonies were terminated bydeath. Another awful night was passed by them. To preserve themselvesfrom the cold, they huddled close together, and covered themselves withtheir few remaining rags. They were haunted by the ravings of those whohad drunk the sea-water, whom they tried in vain to pacify. 

About twelve o'clock, the crew of the whale-boat hailed them; they criedout in their agony for water. They could not procure it, for those inthe boat had none but earthen vessels, which could not be conveyedthrough the surf. They were assured that they would be taken off by afishing vessel next morning; but there seemed to be little chance oftheir surviving till then. 

In the morning, the sun for the first time shone upon the rock. Theywaited hour after hour, but there was no appearance either of the boator the vessel. Famine consumed them; but they looked with loathing onthe only means of appeasing it. When, however, the day wore on, afterpraying for forgiveness of the sinful act, they were compelled to feedon one of their number who had died the preceding night. Severalexpired towards evening; among whom were the captain and firstlieutenant. During the night, some thought of constructing a raft whichmight carry them to Cerigotto. The wind seemed favorable; and to perishin the waters seemed preferable to remaining to die a lingering deathfrom hunger and thirst. At daylight, as fast as their feeble strengthpermitted, they prepared to put their plan in execution, by lashingtogether a number of larger spars. Scarcely had they launched it, whenit was destroyed. Five, rendered desperate, embarked on a few sparshastily lashed together, which gave them scarcely room to stand; theywere soon carried away by unknown currents, and were no more heard of. 

In the afternoon the whale-boat came again in sight. The crew told themthat they had experienced great difficulty in persuading the Greekfishermen of Cerigotto to venture to put to sea, because of the stormyweather; but they gave them hopes, that if the weather moderated, theboats would come next day. Before they had done speaking, twelve menplunged from the rock into the sea, and nearly reached the boat; twowere taken in, one was drowned, and the rest were so fortunate as torecover their former station. 

As the day wore on, their weakness increased. One of the survivorsdescribed himself as feeling the approach of annihilation; his sightfailed, and his senses were confused; his strength was exhausted; helooked towards the setting sun, expecting never to see it rise again. Suddenly the approach of the boats was announced; and from the depth ofdespair, they rose to the very summit of joy. Their parched frames wererefreshed with copious draughts of water. 

Immediate preparations were made for departure. Of one hundred andtwenty-two persons on board the Nautilus, when she struck, fifty-eighthad perished. Eighteen were drowned when she was wrecked, five were lostin the small boat, and thirty-four died of famine. About fifty nowembarked in four fishing vessels, and landed the same evening atCerigotto; making sixty-four in all, including those saved in thewhale-boat. During their six days sojourn on the rock, they had nothingto subsist on, save human flesh. 

They landed at a small creek. The Greeks received them with greathospitality, but had not skill to cure their wounds, and had no bandagesbut those procured by tearing up their own shirts. Wishing to procuresome medical assistance, they desired to reach Cerigo, an island twentymiles distant, on which an English vice-consul resided. Fourteen dayselapsed before they could set sail. They bade adieu to these kindpreservers, and in six or eight hours reached Cerigo, where all possiblehelp was afforded them. Thence they were conveyed by a Russian ship toCorfu; where they arrived on the 2d of March, 1807, about two monthsafter their melancholy disaster. 

GALLANT EXPLOITS OF COMMODORE DECATUR. 

Decatur is one of the most illustrious names in the naval annals ofAmerica. Among the many officers who have borne this name, none was morecelebrated and admired in his life time and none more deeply lamentedat his untimely decease than Commodore Stephen Decatur. 

[Illustration: BURNING OF THE PHILADELPHIA. ]

His life was a series of heroic actions. But of these perhaps the mostremarkable of all is that which is recorded in the following language ofhis biographer--the burning of the frigate Philadelphia. 

Decatur had been sent out from the United States, in the Argus, to joinCommodore Preble's squadron before Tripoli. He exchanged this vesselwith Lieutenant Hull for the Enterprise. 

After making that exchange, he proceeded to Syracuse, where the squadronwas to rendezvous. On his arrival at that port, he was informed of thefate of the frigate Philadelphia, which had run aground on the Barbarycoast, and fallen into the hands of the Tripolitans. The ideaimmediately presented itself to his mind of attempting her recapture ordestruction. On Commodore Preble's arrival, a few days afterwards, heproposed to him a plan for the purpose, and volunteered his services toexecute it. The wary mind of that veteran officer at first disapprovedof an enterprise so full of peril; but the risks and difficulties thatsurrounded it, only stimulated the ardour of Decatur, and imparted to itan air of adventure, fascinating to his youthful imagination. 

[Illustration: COMMODORE PREBLE. ]

The consent of the commodore having been obtained, Lieutenant Decaturselected for the expedition a ketch (the Intrepid) which he had captureda few weeks before from the enemy, and manned her with seventyvolunteers, chiefly from his own crew. He sailed from Syracuse on the 3dof February, 1804, accompanied by the United States brig Syren, Lieutenant Stewart, who was to aid with his boats, and to receive thecrew of the ketch, in case it should be found expedient to use her as afire ship. 

After fifteen days of very tempestuous weather, they arrived at theharbor of Tripoli, a little before sunset. It had been arranged betweenLieutenants Decatur and Stewart, that the ketch should enter the harborabout ten o'clock that night, attended by the boats of the Syren. Onarriving off the harbor, the Syren, in consequence of a change of wind, had been thrown six or eight miles without the Intrepid. The wind atthis time was fair, but fast declining, and Lieutenant Decaturapprehended that, should he wait for the Syren's boats to come up, itmight be fatal to the enterprise, as they could not remain longer on thecoast, their provisions being nearly exhausted. For these reasons hedetermined to venture into the harbor alone, which he did about eighto'clock. 

An idea may be formed of the extreme hazard of the enterprise from thesituation of the frigate. She was moored within half gunshot of thebashaw's castle, and of the principal battery. Two of the enemy'scruisers lay within two cables' length, on the starboard quarter, andtheir gunboats within half gunshot, on the starboard bow. All the gunsof the frigate were mounted and loaded. Such were the immediate perilsthat our hero ventured to encounter with a single ketch, beside theother dangers that abound in a strongly fortified harbor. 

Although from the entrance to the place where the frigate lay, was onlythree miles, yet, in consequence of the lightness of the wind, they didnot get within hail of her until eleven o'clock. When they hadapproached within two hundred yards, they were hailed and ordered toanchor, or they would be fired into. Lieutenant Decatur ordered aMaltese pilot, who was on board the ketch, to answer that they had losttheir anchors in a gale of wind on the coast, and, therefore, could notcomply with their request. By this time it had become perfectly calm, and they were about fifty yards from the frigate. Lieutenant Decaturordered a small boat that was alongside of the ketch, to take a rope andmake it fast to the frigate's fore-chains. This being done, they beganto warp the ketch alongside. It was not until this moment that the enemysuspected the character of their visitor, and great confusionimmediately ensued. This enabled our adventurers to get alongside of thefrigate, when Decatur immediately sprang aboard, followed by Mr. CharlesMorris, midshipman. These two were nearly a minute on deck, before theircompanions could succeed in mounting the side. Fortunately, the Turkshad not sufficiently recovered from their surprise to take advantage ofthis delay. They were crowded together on the quarterdeck, perfectlyastonished and aghast, without making any attempt to oppose theassailing party. As soon as a sufficient number of men had gained thedeck to form a front equal to that of the enemy, they rushed in uponthem. The Turks stood the assault for a short time, and were completelyoverpowered. About twenty were killed on the spot, many jumpedoverboard, and the rest flew to the maindeck, whither they were pursuedand driven to the hold. 

After entire possession had been gained of the ship, and every thingprepared to set fire to her, a number of launches were seen rowing aboutthe harbor. This determined Lieutenant Decatur to remain on board thefrigate, from whence a better defence could be made than from on boardthe ketch. The enemy had already commenced firing on them from theirbatteries and castle, and from two corsairs that were lying near. Perceiving that the launches did not attempt to approach, he ordered theship should be set on fire, which was done, at the same time, indifferent parts. As soon as this was done, they left her; and such wasthe rapidity of the flames, that it was with the utmost difficulty theypreserved the ketch. At this critical moment a most propitious breezesprang up, blowing directly out of the harbor, which, in a few moments, carried them out of reach of the enemy's guns, and they made good theirretreat without the loss of a single man, and with but four wounded. 

For this gallant and romantic achievement, Lieutenant Decatur waspromoted to the rank of post captain, there being at that time nointermediate grade. This promotion was peculiarly gratifying to him, insomuch as it was done with the consent of the officers over whoseheads he was raised. 

In the ensuing spring, it being determined to make an attack uponTripoli, Commodore Preble obtained from the King of Naples, the loan ofsix gunboats and two bombards, which he formed into two divisions, andgave the command of one of them to Captain Decatur, the other toLieutenant Somers. The squadron sailed from Syracuse, consisting of thefrigate Constitution, the brig Syren, the schooners Nautilus and Vixen, and the gunboats. 

Having arrived on the coast of Barbary, they were for some daysprevented from making the attack, by adverse wind and weather. Atlength on the morning of the 3d of August, the weather being favorable, the signal was made from the commodore's ship to prepare for action, thelight vessels towing the gunboats to windward. At nine o'clock, thesignal was given for bombarding the enemy's vessels and the town. 

The gunboats were cast off, and advanced in a line ahead, led on byCaptain Decatur, and covered by the frigate Constitution, and the brigsand schooners. 

The enemy's gunboats were moored along the harbor under the batteriesand within musket shot. Their sails had been taken from them, and theywere ordered to sink, rather than abandon their position. They wereaided and covered, likewise, by a brig of sixteen, and a schooner of tenguns. 

Before entering into close action, Captain Decatur went alongside eachof his boats, and ordered them to unship their bowsprits and follow him, as it was his intention to board the enemy's boats. 

Lieutenant James Decatur commanded one of the boats belonging toCommodore Preble's division, but, being farther to windward than therest of his division, he joined and took orders from his brother. 

When Captain Decatur, who was in the leading boat, came within range ofthe fire from the batteries, a heavy fire was opened upon him from themand the gunboats. He returned the fire, and continued advancing, untilhe came in contact with the boats. At this time, Commodore Preble seeingDecatur advancing nearer than he thought prudent, ordered the signal tobe made for a retreat, but it was found that in making out the signalsfor the boats, the one for a retreat had been omitted. 

The enemy's boats had about forty men each; ours an equal number, twenty-seven of whom were Americans, and thirteen Neapolitans. 

Decatur, on boarding the enemy, was instantly followed by hiscountrymen, but the Neapolitans remained behind. The Turks did notsustain the combat hand to hand, with that firmness they had obtained areputation for. In ten minutes the deck was cleared. Eight of themsought refuge in the hold, and, of the rest, some fell on the deck, andothers jumped into the sea. Only three of the Americans were wounded. 

As Decatur was about to proceed out with his prize, the boat which hadbeen commanded by his brother, came under his stern, and the meninformed him that they had engaged and captured one of the enemy; butthat her commander, after surrendering, had treacherously shotLieutenant James Decatur, and pushed off with the boat, and was thenmaking for the harbor. 

The feelings of the gallant Decatur, on receiving this intelligence, maybe more easily imagined than described. Every consideration of prudenceand safety was lost in his eagerness to punish so dastardly an act, andto revenge the death of a brother so basely murdered. He pushed withinthe enemy's line with his single boat, and having succeeded in gettingalongside of the retreating foe, boarded her at the head of eleven men, who were all the Americans he had left. The fate of this contest wasextremely doubtful for about twenty minutes. All the Americans, exceptfour, were now severely wounded. Decatur singled out the commander asthe peculiar object of his vengeance. The Turk was armed with anespontoon, Decatur with a cutlass; in attempting to cut off the head ofthe weapon, his sword struck on the iron, and broke off close to thehilt. The Turk, at this moment, made a push, which slightly wounded himin the right arm and breast. He immediately seized the spear, and closedwith him. A fierce struggle ensued, and both fell, Decatur uppermost. Bythis time the Turk had drawn a dagger from his belt, and was about toplunge it into the body of his foe, when Decatur caught his arm, andshot him with a pistol, which he drew from his pocket. During the timethey were struggling on the deck, the crews rushed to aid theircommanders, and a most sanguinary scene took place, insomuch that whenDecatur had despatched his adversary, it was with the utmost difficultyhe could extricate himself from the killed and wounded that had fallenaround him. 

It is with no common feeling of admiration that we record an instance ofheroic courage, and loyal self-devotion, on the part of a common sailor. 

During the early part of Decatur's struggle with the Turk, he wasassailed in the rear by one of the enemy, who had just aimed a blow athis head which must have proved fatal; at this fearful juncture, anoble-hearted tar, who had been so badly wounded as to lose the use ofhis hands, seeing no other means of saving his commander, rushed betweenhim and the uplifted sabre, and received the blow on his own head, whichfractured his skull. We love to pause and honor great actions in humblelife, because they speak well for human nature. Men of rank and stationin society, often do gallant deeds, in a manner from necessity. Theirconspicuous station obliges them to do so, or their eagerness for gloryurges them on; but an act like this we have mentioned, so desperate, yetso disinterested, done by an obscure, unambitious individual, a poorsailor, can spring from nothing but nobleness of soul. We are happy toadd that this generous fellow survived, and long after received apension from government. 

Decatur succeeded in getting, with both his prizes, to the squadron, andthe next day received the highest commendation, in a general order, fromCommodore Preble. When that able officer was superseded in the commandof the squadron, he gave the Constitution to Captain Decatur, who hadsome time before received his commission. From that ship he was removedto the Congress, and returned home in her, when peace was concluded inTripoli. 

EXPLOITS OF COMMODORE HULL. 

Commodore Hull became a sailor when he was only eight years old. Hedistinguished himself greatly in the naval war with France, and in thewar with Tripoli, especially at the capture of Derne, in Africa. 

[Illustration: COMMODORE HULL. ]

At the commencement of the war of 1812, Hull having been advanced in themeantime to the rank of captain, was placed in command of the frigateConstitution, in which he was destined to perform those brilliantactions which have rendered him one of the most celebrated heroes of ournavy. His first exploit was the escape of the Constitution from aBritish squadron, which is justly regarded as one of the most remarkablerecorded in naval history. The account of it contained in the officialletter of Captain Hull has all the interest of a romance. It is asfollows:

 "SIR:--In pursuance of your orders of the 3d instant, I left Annapolis on the 5th instant, and the capes on the 12th, of which I advised you by the pilot who brought the ship to sea. 

 For several days after we got out, the wind was light and ahead, which, with a strong southerly current, prevented our making much way to the northward. On the 17th, at two P. M. , being in twenty-two fathoms water off Egg Harbor, four sail of ships were discovered from the masthead, to the northward and in shore of us, apparently ships of war. The wind being very light all sail was made in chase of them, to ascertain whether they were the enemy's ships, or our squadron having got out of New York, waiting the arrival of the Constitution, the latter of which I had reason to believe was the case. 

 At four in the afternoon, a ship was seen from the masthead, bearing about north-east, standing in for us under all sail, which she continued so to do until sundown, at which time she was too far off to distinguish signals, and the ships in shore only to be seen from the tops; they were standing off to the southward and eastward. As we could not ascertain before dark what the ship in the offing was, I determined to stand for her, and get near enough to make the night signal. 

 At ten in the evening, being within six or eight miles of the strange sail, the private signal was made, and kept up nearly one hour, but finding she could not answer it, I concluded she and the ships in shore were enemy. 

 I immediately hauled off to the southward and eastward, and made all sail, having determined to lie off till daylight to see what they were. The ship that we had been chasing hauled off after us, showing a light, and occasionally making signals, supposed to be for the ships in shore. 

 On the 18th, at daylight, or a little before it was quite light, saw two sail under our lee, which proved to be frigates of the enemy's. One frigate astern within about five or six miles, and a line of battle ship, a frigate, a brig, and a schooner, about ten or twelve miles directly astern, all in chase of us, with a fine breeze, and coming up fast, it being nearly calm where we were. Soon after sunrise, the wind entirely left us, and the ship would not steer, but fell round off with her head towards the two ships under our lee. The boats were instantly hoisted out, and sent ahead to tow the ship's head around, and to endeavor to get her farther from the enemy, being then within five miles of three heavy frigates. The boats of the enemy were got out and sent ahead to tow, by which, with the light air that remained with them, they came up very fast. Finding the enemy gaining on us, and but little chance of escaping from them, I ordered two of the guns on the gun deck to be ran out at the cabin windows for stern guns on the gun deck, and hoisted one of the twenty-four pounders off the gun deck, and ran that, with the forecastle gun, an eighteen pounder, out at the ports on the quarter deck, and cleared the ship for action, being determined they should not get her without resistance on our part, notwithstanding their force and the situation we were placed in. 

 At about seven, in the morning, the ship nearest us approaching within gunshot, and directly astern, I ordered one of the stern guns fired, to see if we could reach her, to endeavor to disable her masts; found the shot fell a little short, would not fire any more. 

 [Illustration: ESCAPE OF THE CONSTITUTION. ]

 At eight, four of the enemy's ships nearly within gunshot, some of them having six or eight boats ahead towing, with all their oars and sweeps out, to row them up with us, which they were fast doing. It now appeared that we must be taken, and that our escape was impossible--four heavy ships nearly within gunshot, and coming up fast, and not the least hope of a breeze to give us a chance of getting off by out sailing them. 

 In this situation, finding ourselves in only twenty-four fathoms water, by the suggestion of that valuable officer, Lieutenant Morris, I determined to try and warp the ship ahead, by carrying out anchors and warping her up to them; three or four hundred fathoms of rope was instantly got up, and two anchors got ready and sent ahead, by which means we began to gain ahead of the enemy; they, however, soon saw our boats carrying out the anchors, and adopted the same plan, under very advantageous circumstances, as all the boats from the ships furthermost off were sent to tow and warp up those nearest to us, by which means they again came up, so that at nine, the ship nearest us began to fire her bow guns, which we instantly returned by our stern guns in the cabin and on the quarter deck. All the shot from the enemy fell short; but we have reason to believe that some of ours went on board her, as we could not see them strike the water. Soon after nine, a second frigate passed under our lee, and opened her broadside, but finding her shot fall short, discontinued her fire; but continued, as did all the rest of them, to make all possible exertion to get up with us. From nine to twelve, all hands were employed in warping the ship ahead, and in starting some of the water in the main hold to lighten her, which, with the help of a light air, we rather gained of the enemy, or, at least, held our own. About two, in the afternoon, all the boats from the line of battle ship and some of the frigates were sent to the frigate nearest us, to endeavor to tow her up, but a light breeze sprung up, which enabled us to hold way with her, notwithstanding they had eight or ten boats ahead, and all her sails furled to tow her to windward. The wind continued light until eleven at night, and the boats were kept ahead towing and warping to keep out of reach of the enemy, three of the frigates being very near us; at eleven, we got a light breeze from the southward, the boats came along side and were hoisted up, the ship having too much way to keep them ahead, the enemy still in chase and very near. 

 On the 19th, at daylight, passed within gunshot of one of the frigates, but she did not fire on us, perhaps, for fear of becalming her, as the wind was light; soon after passing us she tacked, and stood after us--at this time six sail were in sight, under all sail after us. At nine in the morning, saw a strange sail, on our weather beam, supposed to be an American merchant ship; the instant the frigate nearest us saw her, she hoisted American colors, as did all the squadron, in hopes to decoy her down; I immediately hoisted the English colors, that she might not be deceived; she soon hauled her wind, and, as is to be hoped, made her escape. All this day the wind increased gradually, and we gained on the enemy, in the course of the day, six or eight miles; they, however, continued chasing all night under a press of sail. 

 On the 20th, at daylight in the morning, only three of them could be seen from the masthead, the nearest of which was about twelve miles off, directly astern. All hands were set at work wetting the sails, from the royals down, with the engines and fire buckets, and we soon found that we left the enemy very fast. At a quarter past eight, the enemy finding that they were fast dropping astern, gave over chase, and hauled their wind to the northward, probably for the station off New York. At half past eight, saw a sail ahead, gave chase after her under all sail. At nine, saw another strange sail under our lee bow, we soon spoke the first sail discovered, and found her to be an American brig from St. Domingo, bound to Portland; I directed the captain how to steer to avoid the enemy, and made sail for the vessel to leeward; on coming up with her, she proved to be an American brig from St. Bartholomew's, bound to Philadelphia; but, on being informed of war, he bore up for Charleston, South Carolina. Finding the ship so far to the southward and eastward, and the enemy's squadron stationed off New York, which would make it impossible to get in there, I determined to make for Boston, to receive your farther orders, and I hope my having done so will meet your approbation. My wish to explain to you as clearly as possible why your orders have not been executed, and the length of time the enemy were in chase of us, with various other circumstances, have caused me to make this communication much longer than I could have wished, yet I cannot in justice to the brave officers and crew under my command, close it without expressing to you the confidence I have in them, and assuring you that their conduct while under the guns of the enemy was such as might have been expected from American officers and seamen. I have the honor to be, with very great respect, sir, your obedient humble servant, ISAAC HULL. "

[Illustration: Hull's Victory]

Such is Captain Hull's modest account of this truly brilliant exploit. Sailing on a cruise immediately after this, with the same frigate, officers, and crew, on the 19th of August he fell in with His BritannicMajesty's ship Guerriere, rated at thirty-eight guns, and carryingfifty, commanded by Captain Dacres, who, sometime before, had politelyendorsed on the register of an American ship an invitation to CaptainHull to give him a meeting of this kind. 

[Illustration: DACRES DELIVERING UP HIS SWORD. ]

At half past three, P. M. , Captain Hull made out his antagonist to be afrigate, and continued the chase till he was within about three miles, when he cleared for action; the chase backed her main-topsail and waitedfor him to come down. As soon as the Constitution was ready, Hull boredown to bring the enemy to close action immediately; but, on comingwithin gunshot, the Guerriere gave a broadside and filled away and wore, giving a broadside on the other tack; but without effect, her shotfalling short. She then continued wearing and manoeuvring for aboutthree quarters of an hour to get a raking position, --but, finding shecould not, she bore up and ran under her topsails and jib, with the windon the quarter. During this time, the Constitution, not having fired asingle broadside, the impatience of the officers and men to engage wasexcessive. Nothing but the most rigid discipline could have restrainedthem. Hull, however, was preparing to decide the contest in a summarymethod of his own. He now made sail to bring the Constitution up withher antagonist, and at five minutes before six P. M. , _being alongsidewithin half pistol shot_, he commenced a heavy fire from all his guns, _double shotted with round and grape_; and so well directed, and so wellkept up was the fire, that in sixteen minutes the mizzenmast of theGuerriere went by the board, and her mainyard in the slings, and thehull, rigging, and sails were completely torn to pieces. The fire waskept up for fifteen minutes longer, when the main and foremast went, taking with them every spar except the bowsprit, and leaving theGuerriere a complete wreck. On seeing this Hull ordered the firing tocease, having brought his enemy in thirty minutes after he was fairlyalongside to such a condition, that a few more broadsides must havecarried her down. 

The prize being so shattered that she was not worth bringing into port, after removing the prisoners to the Constitution, she was set on fireand blown up. In the action, the Constitution lost seven killed, andseven wounded; the Guerriere, fifteen killed, sixty-twowounded--including the captain and several officers, and twenty-fourmissing. 

The news of this victory was received in the United States with thegreatest joy and exultation. All parties united in celebrating it, andthe citizens and public authorities vied with each other in bestowingmarks of approbation upon Captain Hull and his gallant officers andcrew. 

[Illustration: HYDER ALLY AND GENERAL MONK]

EXPLOITS OF COMMODORE BARNEY. 

This gentleman was one of the old fashioned commodores, a capitalsailor, an intrepid warrior, and a thorough going patriot. He was bornin Baltimore, in 1759. He entered the marine early in life. At the ageof sixteen he served in the expedition of Commodore Hopkins to theBahama Islands, and continued in active service through the wholerevolutionary war. 

In 1780 he was captured by a British seventy-four, when taking a prizeinto port and sent with other prisoners to England. On the passage, theprisoners--amounting to about sixty--were confined in the most loathsomeof dungeons, without light or pure air, and with a scanty supply ofprovisions. 

They thought when they arrived at Plymouth, that their privations wereat an end; but they were only removed to another prison-ship, which, although dirty and crowded, was, in some measure, better than the onethey had left. From this, contrary to expectation, as soon as they wereso much recovered as to be able to walk, they were brought on shore andconfined in Mill prison, where they met the anxious faces of severalhundred American prisoners, who had undergone the same privations asthemselves. 

This prison was surrounded by two strong walls, twenty feet apart, andwas guarded by numerous sentries. There were small gates in the walls, and these were placed opposite each other, the inner one generallyremaining open. The prisoners were allowed the privilege of the yardnearly all day, and this set the inventive mind of Barney upon thescheme, which, in the end, terminated in his liberty; not, however, without infinite danger and trouble. He set about finding out some smallchance which might afford the least hope of release; and havingdiscovered one of the sentries that had served in the United States, andremembered the kindness with which he had been there treated, Barney andhe formed the means of escape. It was arranged that Barney should affectto have hurt his foot and obtain a pair of crutches, and thus lullsuspicion. 

On the 18th of May, 1781, he habited himself in the undress uniform of aBritish officer, the whole covered with a old greatcoat, and, by the aidof the sentinel, cleared the prison; when he threw off the coat, andsoon arrived at the house of a well known friend to the American cause, in Plymouth. That he might not be soon missed, he got a lad, who, afteranswering to his own name, was to get out, and answer to Barney's, inthe yard, which little stratagem succeeded admirably. When Barneyarrived at the friend's house, he made preparations to leave as soon aspossible, well knowing that if any of the British were detectedharboring him, they would be convicted of high treason. In the evening, therefore, he departed to the house of his friend's father, at aconsiderable distance, where he would be safer. On arriving there, hewas surprised to find two of his old friends--Americans--who had been, for some time, anxiously waiting for an opportunity of returning home, and now thought that the time had arrived. 

Lieutenant Barney determined to sail for the French coast, and, for thispurpose, he and the two gentlemen purchased a small fishing vessel, andhabiting themselves in some fishermen's old apparel, they set sail ontheir intended voyage. Admiral Digby's fleet lay at the mouth of theriver, and our adventurers had to pass through the midst of them, andthen run the chance of capture by the numerous British cruisers, whichcontinually ply about the channel. This was a daring undertaking, as thefleet, he thought, had doubtless received notice of his escape, and theenemy would be rigid in their search. He, therefore, determined to actwith coolness, and, if intercepted, to give such answers to thequestions put to him, as might best lull suspicion. If he was detected, he would pay for the attempt with his life. 

He knew that if his escape was detected, it would be immediatelycommunicated to the fleet, and thus lessen his chances; especially asthe least unusual appearance in his assumed character, would exciteimmediate suspicion. Even should he be able to pass through the fleet, the British channel abounded with the English cruisers, which were quiteadept in the art of picking up stragglers. With these dangers painted inlively colors before his eyes, he preserved his usual self-possession, and inspired with confidence his companions, who had never handled arope, and relied exclusively upon his daring. 

By sunrise, the next morning, they were "under way, " the two gentlemenremaining below, and Lieutenant Barney and the servant being the onlyones on deck, to avoid suspicion. With a good breeze, and a favorabletide, it was not long before they were in the midst of the hostilefleet, which seemed to take no notice of them. Their hearts beat quickwhen they were thus hanging between life and death; but as soon as thelast of the enemy was passed, they declared themselves safe through_that_ portion of the ordeal. 

But what attempt ever ended to the satisfaction of the undertaker?Before the enemy were clear out of sight, the practised eye of Barneycaught a sail which he knew to be bearing down upon him. He saw thatresistance was out of the question; but that if he managed the affairadroitly he _might_ escape. It was now that he was called upon toexercise that firmness of mind, coolness and contempt of danger, andquickness of resource in time of need, that ever distinguished hischaracter, and showed him to be a man of no ordinary talents. In lessthan an hour the privateer--for such she was--came alongside, and sentan officer to see "what he wanted steering for a hostile coast. " Thefirst questions that were put, and answered unhesitatingly, were--whathe had on board? and where he was bound? Of course he had nothing onboard, and his destination was France--on business of importance fromthe ministry; at the same time untying the rope that bound the old coataround him, and displaying the British half uniform. The officer touchedhis hat, begged pardon, and said he would go on board and report to thecommanding officer. 

The result of the interview was that Barney was made a prisoner oncemore, and ordered with a prize-master to Plymouth. But being forced bystress of weather into a small bay, near Plymouth, he contrived toescape from his captors, and find his way to the mansion of thevenerable clergyman, at Plymouth. Deeming it unsafe to remain there, lest he might be discovered, after a few days he set out at midnight ina postchaise for Exeter, and from thence by stages to Bristol, where hehad a letter of credit to an American gentleman. 

Here he remained for three weeks, and from thence he went to London, directed to a countryman, who received him kindly, and offered hisservices towards effecting his final escape. After remaining here forsix weeks, he found an opportunity of sailing for France; and after anextremely boisterous and squally passage, reached Ostend, from whence hesoon found his way to Amsterdam, where he seized the opportunity ofpaying his respects to Mr. John Adams, then Minister Plenipotentiaryfrom the United States to Holland. Through the courtesy of thisgentleman, he obtained a passage to his own country, and, after someadventures, reached Philadelphia, on the 21st of March, 1782. 

But he was not long allowed to enjoy the pleasure which he expected, after such a trial of danger and fatigue. In less than a week after hearrived at Philadelphia, he was offered the command of the Hyder Ally, of sixteen guns, fitted out by the state authorities of Pennsylvania, torepress the enemy's privateers, with which the Delaware river abounded. 

On the 8th of April, 1782, he entered upon his destined service, whichwas to convoy a fleet of merchantmen to the capes, and to protect themfrom the "refugee boats, " with which the river abounded. While waitingat the capes, he was assailed by two ships and a brig belong to theenemy, who, finding him unsupported, commenced a furious attack, whichhe sustained with great coolness, while his convoy were safely retiringup the river. The brig came up first, and gave him a broadside as shewas passing; but kept her course up the bay after the convoy, whileBarney waited for the ship, which was coming up rapidly. Havingapproached within pistol shot, the Hyder Ally poured a broadside intoher, which somewhat staggered the enemy, who thought Barney would"strike his colors. " The enemy seemed disposed to board, and was rangingalongside of him, when he ordered the quarter-master, in a loud voice, to "port the helm!"--having previously given him secret instructions toput the helm hard a-starboard, which latter order was obeyed; by thismanoeuvre the enemy's jib-boom caught in the fore-rigging of the HyderAlly, thus giving her a raking position, which Captain Barney knew howto improve. The firing on both sides was tremendous;--an idea of it maybe obtained from the fact, that more than twenty broadsides were firedin twenty-six minutes! In the mizzen staystail of the General Monk therewere afterwards counted, three hundred and sixty-five shot-holes. Duringthe whole of this short but glorious battle, Captain Barney wasstationed upon the quarterdeck, exposed to the fire of the enemy'smusketry, which was excessively annoying, and began to be felt by themen, insomuch that Captain Barney ordered a body of riflemen, whom hehad on board, to direct their fire into the enemy's top, whichimmediately had the desired effect. 

The capture of the General Monk was one of the most brilliantachievements in naval history. The General Monk mounted eighteen guns, and had one hundred and thirty-six men, and lost twenty men killed, andthirty-three wounded. The Hyder Ally had sixteen guns, and one hundredand ten men, and lost four men killed, and eleven wounded. 

All the officers of the General Monk were wounded except one. Thecaptain himself was severely wounded. The brig which accompanied theenemy ran ashore to avoid capture. Captain Barney now followed hisconvoy up to Philadelphia. After a short visit to his family, hereturned to his command, where he soon captured the "Hook-'em-snivy"--arefugee schooner, which had done a great deal of mischief on theDelaware river. 

These captures struck such terror among the privateers, that they beganto disperse to more profitable grounds. In consequence of the gloriousactions, Captain Barney was presented with a gold-hilted sword, in thename of the state. 

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