and me-orphans, with the world for our resting place, and the pity of mankind to feed upon."

"Stop one minute, prisoner," said the President, "I spoke harshly to you a short time since, supposing that your mention of a girl had reference to some base woman.-Pray was the girl you spoke of your sister?" "She was indeed, your honor," responded Jem, in a mournful tone and with a shake of the head.

"I have then to express my regret that I offended your feelings," said the President.

6

"In course, your honor," responded Jem, who did not appear to comprehend the honorable conduct of Captain Moore. Yes, she was my ounly sister, and we were left poor and dessolute orphans, like the babes in the wood. But never mind Susan,' says I, an honest lad as is willing to work,' says I, 'will alays find grub for hisself, and enough for a messmate, if he ouply keeps a sharp look out to windard,' so your honors I carries on happy-go-lucky till I gets second mate of a marchant-man-helping Susan all as lays in my power till I gets pressed, and then I' lots as if she'd been my wife, and any heart was happy to think as she could weather a breeze. On the very day as I left the boat, your honors, a letter comed to me to say that Susan had been run foul on by a pirate as showed false colors, and if it had'nt have been for an ould gemman as man-handled the picarooning wagabone, and made him sheer off, why mayhap there'd have been another added to the list of onfortunates, and I should never have held up my head again;-for the dying commands of my parents would have alays rung in my ears whenever I went aloft, and their spirits would have shook the clews of my hammock every night I turned in. Your honors I could'nt beat to windard against it-I was afeard to ax the Captain for leave lest he should refuse, and arter all Jem,' says I to myself, it is but straining a pint, and you'll be aboard again in a couple of days,' so your honors to make long of the short of it, I gets Abrahams on the Hard, and hard enough he was with me, for the matter o' that—to take my power and pay out the cash, and off I starts for home. I know your honors that this warnt by no manner o' means ship-shape, and mayhap if I'd axed the skipper," looking towards the Captain, "I should'nt have passed three months in the darbies, nor been standing here now with about as many friends as a widow's pig. Howsomever I never went to think of the upshot of the consarn, and when I brought up at the cottage and saw Susan safe and well, and the ould boy as had stood her protector, why your honors I felt so howdaciously joyful, that I scarcely knew my stem from my starn—it slued me eend for eend, but when they tould me that the piratical wagabone was likely to come cruizing in the neighbourhood again, it threw me slap up in the wind, and there I was like the Yankee's schooner, jammed atwixt two breezes, without knowing which tack to stand upon. Your honors knows what home is with plenty o'shiners—

there's the places you've played in when boys, and there's the log book of memory with its dead reckoning of them as is gone afore, and then there's ould acquaintances and playmates, and all that takes turn after turn round the heart-and I never tould 'em I was absent without leave, but the ould gemman axed me, and I said I was on liberty, and everything went on as merry as if it had been the 4th of June all the week long. One day my ould friend-who he was nobody knowed, and as he shook a cloth in the wind why nobody cared;—well, he comes to me and opens out a piece o' news that the fellow as had grappled with Susan was coming that very night with some of his men to carry her off to his cutter. Well, your honors, I hardly didn't hoist it all in, but the ould un swore to it, and so we concealed ourselves in the cottage. Muster Mason has tould you the hour that they came, but when we- - that's me and the ould-un-bore up out of port upon the enemy as he grappled Susan the two men as was watching outside slipped their cables and put to sea, leaving their commander to Avast, he's tould you himself. I owns your honors that I did give him a broadside with now and then a longshot, but his worst mauling he got from the villagers till the swaddies came, and the sergeant being a civil well spoken man, and feeling I'd been playing the monkey long enough, I surrendered without any palaver, and here I am afore you. I knows I've done wrong and ought to suffer, but if you goes for to hang Jem Collins like a dog, why then you'll hang as good a seaman as ever spliced a cable, or took a trick at the weather wheel-and a man who loves his King and his country, barring Billy Pitt, and is ready as he has done afore to fight the French, and all who stand up for them. So your honors may just do as you like, its all the same to Jem, except in regard of Susan, though I hope and trust she has found a friend, as ull never forsake her. That's all I have got to say your honors; Captain will give me a karackter, for he carnt never say black's the white of my eye. So now if you pleases I'll just thank you to call my ould friend Edward Sprangfield into Court."

Jem's defence had been given with characteristic reckless humor and good feeling, and not a doubt could remain on the mind of any individual present of its truth. It was not, strictly speaking, such a defence as under other circumstances would probably have been allowed, but Graham Moore was himself a seaman of high-wrought feeling, and though plain and blunt in his manners and address, he nevertheless possessed much of the acute sensibility of the author of Zeluco, whose brother he was, as well as the intrepidity of him who slept beneath the walls of Corunna. There was a mystery in the evidence which had been given that would have taken days to have fathomed by cross-examination. Jen's plain advocacy of himself had in few words developed the whole, and the con

The day on which the anniversary of George the Third's birth was commemorated, and sailors enjoyed a double allowance of grog. Intoxication on this day seldom if ever met with punishment.

duct of Mason, whatever the result of the trial should be, was from henceforth stamped with infamy.

The name of Edward Sprangfield had been called several times, when the same good humored face I had seen in the stone galley presented itself, and its appearance evidently produced a sensation in the Court. The President rose from his chair, smiled, and beckoned the witness towards him, but the latter modestly declined, whilst several of the Captains evidently appeared to recognize him. His dress had undergone a change, and he was now habited in a style suitable to his years, but yet in the most genteel manner, and nothing about him remained the same except his face and silvery hair. Jem started with astonishment,-old Dick however seemed to be somewhat in the secret, for he gave one of his self-gratified looks, hitched up his trowsers and nodded his head to the solicitor.

"Do you answer to the name of Edward Sprangfield ?" enquired the President with respect, but at the same time with singular archness.

"I do, Sir," replied the witness," but I suppose my nomme de guerre must now be laid aside, still I am the person who has heen known and mentioned as Edward Sprangfield."

The President bowed, and there were not a few in the Court who pressed eagerly forward to look at the witness, whilst a low murmuring buzz of applause arose amongst the older seamen when they recognized the features of a worthy but eccentric Admiral, who, though owner of a splendid estate and immense wealth, was accustomed to wander about the country in disguise, dispensing his bounty under an assumed name in his own peculiar way.

"Will you be good enough to state to the Court your real name and rank?" requested the President.

Jem advanced a step so as to overreach the Judge Advocate, and never was astonishment more strongly marked on the countenance of a human being as the witness replied, "John Augustus MAdmiral of the

White."

"Whew-we,” whistled Jem," a pretty mess o' chowther I've made of it," then turning to his messmate," I say Dick, what does all this here mean P is it gammon or right arnest ?"

"Avast, Jem, avast," returned Wills, "belay all them 'ere questions just now, you'll find it all square and atant-o presently."

"The prisoner has called you in his defence Admiral," said the President, "pray favor the Court with what you may have to say in his behalf."

At this moment Mr. Mason entered, and looking at the witness, certainly Gorgons' head never appeared with more staring eyes,—he instantly recollected the features, but the dress puzzled him, however he felt satisfied the old man-Edward Sprangfield stood before him, though in what capacity and station of life he was then ignoraut, still as corrobo

rative of the testimony he had given, he without being questioned, exclaimed, "This is the man who joined in the attack, and knocked me down, I could tell the fellow any where."

"You are right," answered the veteran, "and but for the respect due to the Court, old as I am, I would knock you down again."

"Have you no knowledge of the witness? Mr. Mason," enquired one of the members of the Court.

"None whatever, Sir," returned the lieutenant with a look of indignant contempt at the veteran. "He is better dressed than when I last saw him, but I make no doubt, gentlemen, that you will find him out to be some imposter."

"You be " uttered Jem, in a tone of thunder that made the cabin echo, but he was not allowed to finish the exclamation, for Dick Wills's hand was pressed upon his mouth, and though something was spluttered out, yet the precise term no one could determine, though it sounded very much like "dum-um-muff-ushed."

There was evidently a great sensation in the Court, both amongst the judges and the audience, and by some perversion of intellect the lieutenant construed it into approval of his own line of procedure. But no language can describe his confusion and dismay when the President, without noticing the observations of Mason, uttered, "Admiral, will you have the goodness to proceed ?" The lieutenant seemed paralized, he did not breathe for nearly a minute, whilst his color went and came like the expiring embers of a lamp-wick. Nor did the Admiral make any other response to Mason's insinuation than by a look of cool scorn as he began, "I am not here, Sir, to explain why or wherefore it is that I like to enjoy a roving commission. I presume the fact will suffice that I do so, and that in one of my cruises I received kind attention at a cottage where fortune brought me up all-standing. I revisited the berth, and was happy enough to rescue a young female from the violence of a scoundrel, whom I well thrashed," he looked towards the lieutenant. "On a subsequent occasion I found the prisoner there, but believed him to be on liberty.-His honest and straight-forward manners pleased me, and fearing that he might outstay his leave, I again set out to visit the cottage. In my way I became acquainted with the intention of the individual to carry off the young female I had on a former occasion protected. The prisoner and I concealed ourselves to await the event,— Mr. Mason there, came with two men to effect his purpose, and whilst he was dragging away the sister of the prisoner we rushed upon him, and he struck directly. The villagers were so exasperated with the audacity of the fellow, that they towed him out, and administered a punishment that I hope will not be forgotten. The Sergeant and his party came up, and Collins surrendered. I then ascertained that he was a deserter, and as a point of strict duty, left things to take their own course, determined to appear at a proper time and tender my evidence

before the Court Martial. Gentlemen, I have done so, and have nothing more to add, except that as a matter of opinion I must do Collins the justice to express my conviction, that he had no intention of leaving his Majesty's service."

A hum of applause went round the cabin when the Admiral had closed his plain manly statement. Mason slunk away, but the occurrence had found its way to the quarter-deck, and he was shunned by every one.

A few questions of an unimportant nature were put to the Admiral. The Captain and some of the officers were next examined as to the character of the prisoner, and all concurred in speaking of him in the highest terms. The Court was then cleared-the members were left alone, and during an interval of twenty minutes duration, the most thrilling anxiety prevailed. At the expiration of that time the Court was re-opened, the cabin was crowded almost to suffocation, and the quarter-deck was one scene of eager excitement.

There was a serious gravity on the countenance of the members of the Court which neither the confusion nor the attempts to suppress it affected in the smallest degree. Any one might have seen that Jem's fate was sealed, and though all tried to delude themselves into a belief to the contrary, yet none were surprised when Captain Moore declared their verdict to be guilty, and pronounced sentence of death, to be executed at such time and on board such one of his Majesty's ships as the King in Council should appoint.

Yes, such was the judgment upon poor Jem, and for several minutes a low murmuring sound was heard in all parts of the ship-it was only two words that were uttered, but they passed from tongue to tongue, in mournful accents-GUILTY-DEATH.

HYMN TO NIGHT.

BY S. SMITH

HAIL to the night, the solemn night,
When the weary are at rest,
And shadowy sleep, in silence deep,
Stealeth o'er nature's breast.
Her mantle darkness weaveth o'er
The sky, like a mourning pall,

The pomp of day hath passed away,
Night reigneth over all.

Bright blooming day, with colours gay,

Is clothed like a bride,

But I love the night with deep delight,

"Tis the spirit's hour of pride.