ing. A dead man was found upon the beach, and they suspect, from the wounds on his body, that he hasn't got fair play. They are making a great noise about it, and government means to send out a boat, with an officer on board, who is to visit all the shipping round this, that he may ascertain if any of them has lost a man lately. 'Tis a dark business; but they'll get to the bottom of it, I warrant ye. Why you look as pale as if you knew more about this matter than you choose to tell."-" No, no, no," returned Angerstoff; "I never hear of a murder, but I think of a friend of mine who-but I won't detain you, for the sea is getting upWe'll have a blowy night, I'm afraid." -"So you don't want any fish today?" cried the stranger. "Then I'll be off-Good morning, good morning. I suppose you'll have the government boat alongside by and bye." I now heard the sound of oars, and supposed, from the conversation having ceased, that the fishermen had departed. Angerstoff came down to the cabin soon after, and released me without speaking a word. Marietta then approached him, and, taking hold of his arm, said, "Do you believe what that man has told you?"-"Yes, by the eternal hell!" cried he vehemently; I suspect I will find the truth of it soon enough." -"My God!" exclaimed she, "what is to become of us? How dreadful! We are chained here, and cannot escape."- -"Escape what?" interrupted Angerstoff; girl, you have lost your senses. Why should we fear the officers of justice? Keep a guard over your tongue."-" Oh," returned Marietta, "I talk without thinking, or understanding my own words; but come upon deck, and let me speak with you there." They now went up the gangway stairs together, and continued in deep conversation for some time. Angerstoff gradually became more agitated as the day advanced. He watched upon deck almost without intermission, and seemed irresolute what to do, sometimes sitting down composedly, and at other times hurrying backwards and forwards, with clenched hands and bloodless cheeks. The wind blew pretty fresh from the shore, and there was a heavy swell; and I supposed, from the anxious looks with which he contemplated the sky, that he hoped the threatening aspect of the weather would prevent the government boat from putting out to sea. He kept his glass constantly in his hand, and surveyed the ocean through it in all directions. At length he suddenly dashed the instrument away, and exclaimed, “God help us! they are coming now!" Marietta, on hearing this, ran wildly towards him, and put her hands in his, but he pushed her to one side, and began to pace the deck, apparently in deep thought. After a little time, he started, and cried, "I have it now !— It's the only plan-I'll manage the business—yes, yes—I'll cut the cables, and off we'll go-that's settled!"He then seized an axe, and first divided the hawser at the bows, and afterwards the one attached to the stern. The vessel immediately began to drift away, and having no sails or helm to steady her, rolled with such violence, that I was dashed from side to side several times. She often swung over so much, that I thought she would not regain the upright position, and Angerstoff all the while unconsciously strengthened this belief, by exclaiming, "She will capsize! shift the ballast, or we must go to the bottom !" In the midst of this, I kept my station upon deck, inxently watching the boat, which was still several iniles distant. I waited in fearful expectation, thinking that every new wave against which we were impelled would burst upon our vessel, and overwhelm us, while our pursuers were too far off to afford any assistance. The idea of perishing when on the point of being saved, was inexcressibly agonizing. As the day advanced, the hopes I had entertained of the boat making up with us gradually diminished. The wind blew violently, and we drifted along at a rapid rate, and the weather grew so hazy that our pursuers soon became quite undistinguishable. Marietta and Angerstoff appeared to be stupified with terror. They stood motionless, holding firmly by the bulwarks of the vessel; and though the waves frequent ly broke over the deck, and rushed down the gangway, they did not offer to shut the companion door, which would have remained open, had not Ì closed it. The tempest, gloom, and danger, that thickened around us, neither elicited from them any expres sions of mutual regard, nor seemed to produce the slightest sympathetic emotion in their bosoms. They gazed sternly at each other and at me, and every time the vessel rolled, clung with convulsive eagerness to whatever lay within their reach. About sunset our attention was at tracted by a dreadful roaring, which evidently did not proceed from the waves around us; but the atmosphere being very hazy, we were unable to ascertain the cause of it, for a long time. At length we distinguished a range of high cliffs, against which the sea beat with terrible fury. Whenever the surge broke upon them, large jets of foam started up to a great height, and flashed angrily over their black and rugged surfaces, while the wind moaned and whistled with fearful caprice among the projecting points of rock. A dense mist covered the upper part of the cliffs, and prevented us from seeing if there were any houses upon their summits, though this point appeared of little importance, for we drifted towards the shore so fast that immediate death seemed inevitable. We soon felt our vessel bound twice against the sand, and, in a little time after, a heavy sea carried her up the beach, where she remained imbedded and hard a-ground. During the ebb of the waves there was not more than two feet of water round her bows. I immediately perceived this, and watching a favourable opportunity, swung myself down to the beach, by means of part of the cable that projected through the hawse-hole. I began to run towards the cliffs, the moment my feet touched the ground, and Angerstoff attempted to follow me, that he might prevent my escape; but, while in the act of descending from the vessel, the sea flowed in with such violence, that he was obliged to spring on board again to save himself from being overwhelmed by its waters. I hurried on and began to climb up the rocks, which were very steep and slippery; but I soon grew breathless from fatigue, and found it necessary to stop. It was now almost dark, and when I looked around, I neither saw any thing distinctly, nor could form the least idea how far I had still to as cend before I reached the top of the cliffs. I knew not which way to turn my steps, and remained irresolute, till the barking of a dog faintly struck my ear. I joyfully followed the sound, and, after an hour of perilous exertion, discovered a light at some distance, which I soon found to proceed from the window of a small hut. After I had knocked repeatedly, the door was opened by an old man, with a lamp in his hand. He started back on seeing me, for my dress was wet and disordered, my face and hands had been wounded while scrambling among the rocks, and fatigue and terror had given me a wan and agitated look. I entered the house, the inmates of which were a woman and a boy, and having seated myself near the fire, related to my host all that had occurred on board the floating beacon, and then requested him to accompany me down to the beach, that we might search for Angerstoff and Marietta. "No, no," cried he," that is impossible. Hear how the storm rages! Worlds would not induce me to have any communication with murderers. It would be impious to attempt it on such a night as this. The Almighty is surely punishing them now! Come here, and look out." I followed him to the door, but the moment he opened it, the wind extinguished the lamp. Total darkness prevailed without, and a chaos of rushing, bursting, and moaning sounds swelled upon the ear with irregular loudness. The blast swept round the hut in violent eddyings, and we felt the chilly spray of the sea driving upon our faces at intervals. I shuddered, and the old man closed the door, and then resumed his seat near the fire. My entertainer made a bed for me upon the floor, but the noise of the tempest, and the anxiety I felt about the fate of Angerstoff and Marietta, kept me awake the greater part of the night. Soon after dawn my host accompanied me down to the beach. We found the wreck of the floating beacon, but were unable to discover any traces of the guilty pair whom I had left on board of it. LETTER FROM ALEXANDER SIDNEY TROTT, ESQ. IN the devil's name, Christopher, what did you mean by printing that rig-marole of mine? You've nearly ruined me, man. The prosers at the Academies have regularly expelled me, and the Eccentrics themselves look suspicious, but have gone no farther as yet than the threat of a huge dose of salt and water. Nevertheless, I'll on- there's no resisting the parenthesis of" (we hope to hear frequently)," especially when accompanied with the hams and other appendages you were so good as to send. Your ham is a true inspirer, a solid sort of Castalian, a whet for the muse as well as the appetite: I always stow in some ballast of the kind previous to setting sail into a new sheet. Some folks are all for a vegetable diet, especially embryo poets, and minor novelists, who swear, one and all, that Byron lived on cauliflowers while he was writing the Corsair. This I'm inclined to doubt, although there is much of the sentimentality of cabbage about his Lordship; and many of his lines smell strongly of sour crout. But every one to his liking, "Suum cuique proprium dat natura mu nus, Ego nunquam potui scribere jejunus.”. Being duly inspired in my favourite way, I shall commence, mon cher Christophe, by lauding your shrewdness in snapping at me for a correspondent. For we Metropolitans, especially my noble fraternity of the Templars, were growing very indignant at having no place in your consideration. And with reason were we jealous, to see you cram-full of the localities of Blarney, while ours, the first city in the world, was either passed over in total silence, or, what was more insulting, confounded with a set of Cockney drivellers, who really have not the courage to live within our smoke. I assure you, we were proceeding to form very invidious comparisons between Isaac Bickerstaff and you; we called to mind the classical fun of Will Honeycomb and the Templar; and we looked at thy pages, blank to us, not even deigning to mention our stage-lights, our debutants, and all the glorious company of lions. We had resolved on vengeance, but the debate was, whether we should take it in the shape of silent contempt, the feasibility of which was much doubted, or whether we should coalesce with the Cockneys, and literally write you down, when lo! my epistle appeared, and a worthy Templar of great weight, got up in full synod, and declared his resolution of ". sticking by Blackwood, since there were some hopes of sharing its pages with the Hirish mauraders”—sic te servavit Apollar. I recommend you, my good Kit, to be cautious in your connection with those said Hirish. We are here very angry with them for having the impudence to entice our King from us, and then shake his hands off almost when he landed. For myself, I don't join in these prejudices. I am greatly amused with the happiness of the Dublinians; they shew great_spirit, and are resolved not to be out-done in any thing. You must know they pride themselves upon having the longest and strongest names in the world, and are so jealous of Prince Esterhazy's quantum of syllables, that they've docked him down to plain Mister Hazy. I shudder to think of the consumption of whisky-punch that will or has inevitably taken place in that spungystomached city. But I shudder still more to think of the hornet's nest of bulls, jokes, and puns, with which we shall be inundated. All parties have made up their quarrels, that they may beatleisure to manufacturegood things. Mr Ogreman and Sir Edward Stanley, have been buttoning each other's breeches, and tying each other's stockings with sky-blue garters in token of amity,-though I can't see for the life o' me, what sky-blue ribbons have to do with amity. We intend laughing a whole year on the strength of this visit; but all in good part, for our neighbours are the best-humoured honest blundering set of fellows in the * Pray, were you god-father to the unfortunate King of Hayti? world. But your inhabitants of small islands are so apt to be taken at a nonplus. His Grace of Gloucester visited the good people of Guernsey one day, and put them in such a fuss, that they have, not recovered from it to this hour. First, the militia were to be called to gether, in order to receive him; the bell-man went about the fields for the purpose, and hurried the labourers home, to put on their scarlet coats and white breeches. They were almost in time; his Grace met them in a muck, running like devils to line the quay and street. He was good enough to compliment them on their rosy looks, and rosy they had reason to be, being nearly broken-winded from haste. The honours of reception being over, the next business was the ball; "Who is he to dance with?" was a serious subject of consideration. However, they left that to time, and waited on his Highness's Equerry, Colonel Higgins, to demand the proper dress for gentlemen, consonant to etiquette. The Colonel replied, plain dress would be sufficient, but at any rate to wear small-clothes, shoes, and buckles. Now the bite was, the deuce a buckle was to be had in the whole island;-this was indeed distress. To conclude, they drew up a petition to his Serene High ness, that he would be contented with simple shoe-strings; and, as it is recorded in newspaper phraseology, the Duke graciously complied with the feelings of the good people of Guernsey. For all their wanting shoebuckles, they are a very pleasant social set, and great readers of Blackwood, Sir James Sumries himself being your professed patron. But to return to the Royal visit to Ireland, the number of congratulatory odes are inconceivable. My friend Banim (erst Bannon) has had one in leash here this some time, ready to let slip at his Majesty the moment he touched land. Have you seen this gentleman's "Damon and Pythias," which the Cockneys have so befouled? Mr Hazlitt pretends to praise it, and quotes, with extravagant commendation, two of the very worst lines in it, "The blessings, and the bounties of the gods Be with you, over you, and all about you.” Did you ever hear such an Irishism, except "Arrah, Paddy, my jewel, how is every bit o' you?" What arrant malevolence, or utter stupidity there must have been in the Cockney critic's quoting this as the sample of a young poet's powers; for there are really some beautiful passages in the tra gedy. But let me not name other poets or poetry while I have before me the great chef d'œuvre of the age. I know, Mr North, how much you will sympathize with the Whigs, and congratulate them on the appearance of "The Glorious Revolution, an Historical Tragedy, by the Baron, alias, the Reverend Francis Lee; Warren, London." I had some thoughts of inditing a learned review thereon; but, alas! am not well enough acquainted with political economy, for a poetical critic. Since the appearance of the article on Chandos Leigh, in the Edinburgh, which talks so much of the 66 raw material," and "manufactured stuff" of poesy, I've given up the trade of criticising young poets, till I can become a little more familiar with the terms of Adam Smith. Nevertheless, we must have some talk with this learned Theban.* The play opens in the House of Commons, and "Mr Coke (Whig M. P. for Derby)" gets up and speaks: "These Tory plots will be the nation's ruin ; Laws are dispensed with. All the whole some tests Of true allegiance to qualify for office; And needful acts of Britain's constitution Just at caprice; new systems have destroy'd Baron Middleton a Tory member, Secre t'ry of State." Do understand this? But thus it "Mid Turks our constitution's seen : Hundred 19. Cull'd from Fox, Rapin,Smollett, Hume, King James, it seems; And his Lord Keeper, Guildford's loom, Not his own dreams, The same author has translated the Theban Pindar. VOL. X. 2 N With Aristotle's Unities, Action, time, place; Nearly:-your unanimities Give us most grace.. He writes-His story's very true,- That you would kindly hear it through, (You will I see!) I believe you've heard enough of "this man in grease." There is a note, however, which bears strongly on the point at issue between Mr Hogg and the Edinburgh Reviewer, who prides himself so much on a knowledge of etiquette, It is as follows, from page 53 of the Tragedy: "The monument dedicated to the three last (postremis) of the Royal Stuart Family, which Canova Marquis d'Ischia shewed the author, while that great sculptor was executing it in his studio at Rome, to be placed in St Peter's Cathedral, at the expence of the Prince Regent, now his Britannic Majesty King George the Fourth; bears the following inscription; "Jacobo III. Jacobo II. Magnæ Brit. Regis filio. Karolo-Edwardo, Et Henrico, Decano Patrum Cardinalium Jacobo III. filiis. Regiæ Stirpis Stuardia Postremis Anno MDCCCXIX." Now, if Jacobo tertio be the etiquette for George the Fourth, to express on a public monument, what has the Reviewer to say for his cavils on Mr Hogg? Besides, did not Louis the Fourteenth recognize and allow the title of King of France and England to Charles and James, his pensioners and prisoners? But this is not the only passage in which Baron Lee glances at the great Northern Review. In page 61 he relates, "22d of January, Mr Jeffrey, looking out of a window, at a Wapping porter-house, in a seaman's cap, for a collier, by which he might escape, was discovered by a clerk of Chancery, and taken before the Lord Mayor, (Mr Thorpe,) who committed him to the Tower, where he since died." Can this be true? I had some sus . picions of the kind before, from seeing the decay of that once dashing work. depart, and be talked of no more than But really that such a big man should Buonaparte, is wonderful. Pray let ly dead; or is Mr Lee's report but a me know in your next, is he absolutefabrication? That noble and reverend abuse Lord Eldon, and talks most luauthor proceeds in the same note to minously of " Angelica Catalani,""Golden Fleece,' Cheek." But I am mystified with talking of him, and shall lay down the pen till after dinner. Till toddy-time, - and "Pluto's Adieu. If the bell rings true, Christopher, it behoves you to bestir yourself.— They're reprinting the New Monthly in Kamtschatka; and the two Londons have united their forces, and, as Colman says, become "Two single Gentlemen roll'd into one." Mr Joyce Gold has sold the proprietorship of his Magazine, and contributes to prop its falling namesake.— And let me tell you, Mr Gold's contributors are not to be sneezed at.— Deacon is a cleverish fellow; and, to prove it to you, I'll give you a song of his from Gold's London, No. XV. put into the mouth of one of his present coadjutors. "Oh! I'm the gallant lecturer, as all of you do know, Who with pen and paper, word and deed, make such a raree-show; I write and write, from spleen and spite, and when my wit is vain, I change the language of the joke, and write it down again, With my flocci, nauci, nihili, pili, &c. My head, like petty bankers, (I speak it not in fun ;) 'Tis ever open, day and night, for customers to come, But, like the Bank whose firm is gone, there's nobody at home. With my flocci, nauci, &c. |