wester.

to the sailor "That was very well done of you, my man, and right well deserves a glass of grog. Say so to the gun-room steward as you pass; and tell him it is my orders to fill you out a stiff norThe soldier's offer was kindly meant, but rather clumsily timid, at least so thought Jack: for though he inclined his head in acknowledgment of the attention, and instinctively touched his hat when spoken to by an officer, he made no reply till out of the marine's hearing, when he laughed, or rather chuckled out to the people near him, "Does the good gentleman suppose I'll take a glass of grog for saving a boy's life."-Capt. Hall

CAPTAIN WOODES ROGERS.

This voyage was undertaken chiefly by the merchants of Bristol. Captain Woodes Rogers was appointed commander in chief, and William Dampier first pilot of the expedition. They sailed from King-road, Bristol, on the 1st of August, 1708, their force consisting of the Duke, a ship of three hundred tons burden, thirty guns, and one hundred and seventy men, commanded by Rogers; and the Duchess of two hundred and seventy tons, twenty-six guns, and one nundred and fifty-one men, under the command of captain Courtney. They entered the harbor of Cork on the 6th of August, where they enlisted a number of seamen in the room of about forty fellows who had ran away. They set sail on the 1st of September, with a very mixed crew, and on the morning of the 10th discovered a sail, to which they immediately gave chase. On coming up with her she proved to be a Swedish ship, and was permitted to proceed unmolested on her way. During the time the ship was in custody, a design had been privately formed on board the Duke, by four inferior officers, to make a prize of her; and when they found she was given up, they began to mutiny; but the boatsman, being displaced, and, with ten others, put in irons, and a severe whipping given to some of the leaders of the disturbance, all was quiet again. On the 14th, however, some of the ship's company, headed by a daring fellow, came up to captain Rogers at the steerage-door, and demanded the boatswain out of irons. captain gave them good words, and having taken the ringleader, as if to speak with him on the quarter-deck, had him suddenly seized by the help of the officers, and lashed by one of his own followers. On the 16th the captain released the prisoners from irons on their acknowledging their sorrow for what they had done.

The

On the 17th, gained sight of the peak of Teneriffe, and the next day took a Spanish bark of twenty-five tons. On the 25th of September passed the tropic, when about sixty of the crew, who

had never been this course before, were ducked three times, by hoisting them up halfway the main-yard, with a rope to which they were made fast, and sousing them into the water. After visiting the Cape de Verd islands, where they took in water and provisions, the ships again set sail on the 8th of October, in the evening. On the 14th, they came within sight of Brazil, and soon after came to anchor before the island of Grande, in eleven fathoms water. While they lay here another quarrel arose on board the Duchess, and eight of the ringleaders were put in irons. the 25th, two men deserted and made their escape into the woods; but, in the night, were so terrified by the noise made by the baboons and monkeys, that they ran back, plunged into the water, and prayed to be taken on board again

The ships sailed out of the bay of Grande on the first of De cember, steering for Juan Fernandez, and on the 5th of January, encountered a violent storm, which drove such a quantity of water into the Duchess, that they expected she would sink every moment. As the men were going to supper about nine o'clock at night, she shipped a sea at the poop, which beat in the bulkhead and all the cabin windows. On deck the yawl was staved in pieces and one or two of tne men severely hurt. On the 17th, took an observation, by which they found they had got round Cape Horn and were to the northward of Cape Victoria. About this time the scurvy began to make great havoc among the crews. They now bore away for the island of Juan Fernandez, which appeared in sight on the last day of January. On going on shore here they discovered a man clothed in goat-skins, whose name

wa. Alexander Selkirk. His story will be found at the end of this narrative. They remained at this island till the 14th of February having fully refreshed themselves, when they weighed anchor, with a fair gale at south-east.

After taking a number of valuable prizes, on the 23d of April, captain Rogers with some of his men made a descent in boats and barks upon the town of Guiaquil, which they took with but little resistance and plundered of great quantities of money, jewels, and provisions. He then marched out of the town, and returned on board his own ship, where he was heartily greeted by those of his people whom he had left behind. They afterwards obtained a considerable sum as a ransom for the town, and bore away for the Galapagos islands, with a strong gale at S. S. W.; discovered land on the 17th of May, but found it barren and destitute of water. Continuing on their voyage, they took several rich prizes, visited Gorgona and the Gallapagos, and sailing for the East Indies arrived at the islands of Serpana and Guam. They left the latter place on the 21st of March, and on the 25th of May, made Bouton. They sailed from this island on the 8th of June, and on the 23d of July, they hove down upon Horn Island to careen their vessels. Having supplied themselves with such necessaries as they wanted, they left Batavia on the 12th of October, and sailed for the Cape of Good Hope.

They came to anchor in the Cape harbor, on the 28th of December. The English saluted the Dutch fort with nine guns; which compliment was returned with seven. At this place they waited for the convoy of the Dutch fleet till April, on the 5th of which month the Dutch admiral hoisted a blue flag, and loosed his fore-top-sail, as a signal to unmoor; and the next day the whole flcet sailed with a fresh breeze at S. S. E. On the 23d of July they arrived in the Texel, and sailing hence with seven prizes came to the moorings in the Downs on the 2d of October, 1711

STORY OF ALEXANDER SELKIRK.

Mr. Selkirk, whose adventures gave rise to the celebrated story of Robinson Crusoe, was a native of Scotland, and bred a sailor from his youth. He was left on the island of Juan Fernandez, on account of a difference between him and his captain, which, together with the ship's being leaky, made him at first willing to stay there; but afterwards wishing to go on board, the captain would not receive him. Selkirk had with him his clothes and bedding, also a firelock, a little powder, some bullets and tobacco; a hatchet, a kettle, a knife, a bible, and a few mathematical in

struments and books. He diverted and provided for himself as wel as he could, but for the first eight months he was extremely melan choly, and could hardly support the terror of being alone in such a desolate place. He built two huts with pimento trees, covered them with long grass, and lined them with the skins of goats, which he killed with his gun, as he wanted, so long as his powder, of which there was but a pound, lasted. He procured fire, by rubbing two sticks of pimento wood upon his knee.

In the smaller hut, which was at some distance from the other. he dressed his victuals; and in the larger he slept, and employed himself in reading and praying; so that he said he was a better christian while in this solitude than he ever was before, or than, he feared, he should ever be again.

The pimento wood, which burnt very clear, served him both for fire and candle, and refreshed him with its fragrant smell. He could have procured fish enough, but would not eat them for want of salt; except a sort of cray-fish, which were very good, and as large as our lobsters. Of the goat's-flesh he made excellent broth. He kept an account of five hundred of these animals which he had killed, and as many more which he caught; and, having mark. ed them on the ear, let them go again. When his powder was .gone, he took them by outrunning them. His agility in pursuing a goat had once like to have cost him his life; he pursued it with so much eagerness, that he caught hold of it on the brink of a precipice, of which he was not aware, as the bushes concealed it from his sight; so that he fell with the goat down the precipice, a prodigious height, and was so stunned and bruised with the fall that he lay there insensible about twenty-four hours, and when he came to his senses, he found the goat dead under him. He was so hurt that he was hardly able to crawl to his hut, which was about a mile distant, nor was he able to go abroad again in less than ten days. He came at length to relish his meat without salt or bread, and found plenty of good turnips, which had been sowed there by captain Dampier's men, and had now overspread some acres of ground. He soon wore out his shoes as well as his clothes by running in the woods, and at length his feet became so hard that he ran every where without difficulty.

After he had recovered his cheerfulness, he diverted himself sometimes with cutting his name on the trees, together with the time of his being left, and continuance there. He was at first much pestered with rats, which had bred in great numbers, from some which had got on shore from ships which put in there for water. The rats gnawed his feet and clothes while he slept, so that he was obliged to cherish some cats, which had also bred from some that had got ashore from different ships; these he fed with goat's-flesh, by which many of them became so tame, that they would lie about him in hundreds, and soon delivered him from the rats. He likewise tamed some kids; and, to divert himself

would frequently sing and dance with them and his cats, so that he at length overcame all the weariness of his solitude, and became quite easy. When his clothes were worn out he made a coat and a cap of goat's skin sewed together with little thongs of the same, which he cut with his knife. He had no other needle than a nail, and when his knife was worn out he made others as well as he could of some iron hoops that were left ashore, which he beat straight and thin and ground upon stones. Having some linen cloth, he cut out some shirts, which he sewed with the worsted of his old stockings; and he had his last shirt on when he was found.

Selkirk had been on the island four years and four months, when one day beholding a ship at a distance, he kindled a fire, and the next morning saw a yawl containing eight men well-armed approach the shore. It proved to be from the Duke, under the command of captain Rogers, who had seen the fire and supposed it to be from the crew of some enemy's ships, who had landed on the island. Next day, while still under apprehensions of an enemy, they stood in for the shore, from which blew such sudden and frequent gusts of wind, that they were forced to reef their topsail, and stand by the masts, lest they should go by the board. Seeing no ships, they conjectured that some had been there and left on seeing their approach.

At first going on board the Duke, Selkirk seemed much rejoiced, but had so far forgot his native language, for want of use, that he could not speak plainly or connectedly. A dram was offeredhim but he would not taste it, having drank nothing but water for so long a time, and it was a good while before he could relish the victuals on board.

Selkirk saw no venomous creature on the island, nor any sort of beast but goats, which had originally been put on shore by Juan Fernando, who settled here with some families and gave name to the place. He afterwards left it, and it was entirely deserted when Selkirk took up his abode there.*

The island of Juan Fernandez'is now used by the Chilian government as a place for the transportation of convicts, and a garrison is stationed there. About one hundred of these criminals lately formed a plot, seized the garrison, took possession of an American brig just arrived from New York, and sailed for Copiapo, in Chili, where they landed. At the las: advices they had not yet been taken