For my belov'd Alberto. Soft, he lives→→→
Gently, ye gales-Husb, thou untuneful bird,
That idly carol'st in thy leafy home,
Thy dismal song sounds like a requiem.
Up, up to heaven, and tell high Providence
His creatures perish, 'rest of his kind care.
How fares it with thee now, my gracious lord?
Oh! there is some dumb message in his eye.
The eye's Love's telegraph; alas ! alas !
I cannot read, the characters are dim.
Oh! it was but the last convulsive throe,
A faint explosion of the elements,

The earth and air that go to make up man.
Now-now-and now 'tis gone! where is it gone,

Where? Which way did it pass? Stay, shadow, stay, And take me with you!

Oh! cumb'rous flesh, that weighs me down to earth.
My heart is swell'd; so sore distent with grief,
With this sharp pointed sword I'll pierce this breast,
Using it as a leech doth use his lancet,

To let the noxious humour forth and heal it.
Oh! dead, dead, dead; oh! sweet, unconscious clay,
The precious jewel's taken from the casket.
Death, like a dextrous thief, hath picked it out,
Whilst I sat watching by. What rout comes here?
What torches' glare, and busy footsteps tread?
Too late-past help-past cure-oh, my Alberto!
[Falls on the body.]

A Sailor generally uses his pen in writing as he does his cutlass in boarding—that is, dashes on in a straight-forward course, without making choice of any particular object for dissection, or using many flourishes by the way. There is however this difference, a sailor seldom wounds by the employment of his pen, though he is never so scrupulously delicate in the operations of his sword. Many persons have regretted the unpolished roughness of our navy, without considering it is to that very circumstance we are mainly indebted for our naval pre-eminence. Ignorance, however, is out of the question, for we are convinced few men have possessed greater capabilities than the generality of our naval officers; but the duties on which they have been incessantly engaged have precluded every possibility of indulging in a connected and continuous chain of thought, so necessary to the attainment of literary perfection. The early education of the "youngster" when he first entered the service of his country, and during his career as a Midshipman, has certainly been well calculated to make him a sea-philosopher; but who ever heard of a classical cock-pit? We might just as well expect to find our Boatswains studying Lord Chesterfield, and his Mates calculating algebraic equations. Still, genius cannot be wholly subdued, even amidst the noise and bustle of a

60 ATHENEUM VOL. 1. new series.

BY JOHN MAR

sailor's life-it bursts forth, and perhaps is rendered more valuable by the peculiar and characteristic touches which it displays. Biography is at all times a very delicate undertaking, but more particularly so when the parties are yet in existence, and may have their passions aroused by the unqualified language of truth, or their modesty wounded by unwished for praise. Some of the biographies, indeed, are very brief, merely stating the date of commission and the day of death, &c.; and strongly remind us of a well known old guardship's log

"The wind is west, or thereabout,

Nothing come in, and nothing gone out." But on the whole, we feel pleasure in recommending Mr. Marshall's book to all his brother Tars, and to every one who loves his country. Having said thus much, it only remains for us to give (without selection) a few specimens of the performance.

In a note annexed to the Memoirs of Capt. Fanshawe, we have the following anecdote of the deceased Admiral Pocock :—

"On the death of Vice-Admiral Watson, his friend Pocock succeeded to the command of the squadron in India, and three times defeated a superior force under M. d'Ache. When General Lally was brought prisoner to England, after the reduction of Pondicherry, immediately on his arrival he begged to be introduced to

Admiral (then Sir George) Pocock; whom he no sooner saw, than he flew to embrace him, and thus addressed him: Dear Sir George, as the first man in your profession, I cannot but esteem and respect you, though you have been the greatest enemy I ever had. But for you I had triumphed in India instead of being made a captive. When we first sailed out to give you battle, I had provided a number of musicians on board the Zodiac, intending to give the ladies a ball upon our victory; but you left me only three of my fiddlers alive, and treated us all so roughly, that you quite spoiled us for dancing."

On the 25th of July, 1782, Admiral Graves hoisted his flag in Port Royal, Jamaica, on board the Ramilies, of seventy-four guns, having under or ders the Canada and Centaur, with the Pallas frigate, and the following French prizes taken by Rodney on the preceding twelfth of April, the Ville de Paris, 120 guns, the Glorieux, Hector, Ardent, Caton, and Jason, of 74 guns each. The fleet sailed' from Bluefields for England, but on the 17th of September a violent storm arose off the banks of Newfoundland, which, in a few minutes, reduced the Admiral's ship to a very shattered condition. At dawn of day the Ramilies beheld the Dutton, store-ship, go down head foremost. A lieutenant of the navy, who commanded her, leaped from the deck into the sea, and was soon overwhelmed; but twelve or thirteen of the crew contrived to push off one of the boats, and running with the wind, succeeded in reaching a ship.

Out of the convoy of ninety-four or ninety-five sail, seen the day before, scarcely twenty could now be discerned. Of the ships of war, there were the Canada, down upon the lee quarter, her main-top-mast and the mizenmast gone, and otherwise much damaged. The Centaur without masts, bowsprit, or rudder; and the Glorieux without fore-mast, bowsprit, or maintop-mast. Of these, the two latter perished with all their crew, except the Captain of the Centaur, who, with

a few others, slipt off from her stern into one of the boats, and escaped the fate of the rest. The Ville de Paris appeared unhurt, and was commanded by Captain George Wilkinson, an experienced seaman, who had made twenty-four voyages to and from the West Indies, and had therefore been pitched upon to lead the fleet through the gulf. She was, however, never heard of afterwards, and foundered somewhere in the ocean with all on board her, consisting of more than eight hundred crew and passengers, many of them of rank and fortune. Of the convoy, eight more were discovered without mast or bowsprit, eighteen had lost masts, and some had foundered. The Ramilies had six feet water in the hold, and the pumps would not free her, the water having worked out the oakum. The admiral therefore gave orders for all the buckets to be re-manned, and every officer to help towards freeing the ship; this enabled her to sail on, and keep pace with some of the merchantmen; but in the evening it was found necessary to unship the forecastle and aftermost quarter-deck guns, together with some of the shot and other articles of great weight; and the frame of the ship having opened during the night, the admiral was next morning prevailed upon, to allow ten guns more to be thrown overboard. The ship still continuing to open very much, the admiral ordered tarred canvas and hides to be nailed fore and aft, from under the fills of the ports on the main deck, and on the fower deck. The admiral then directed all the guns on the upper deck, the shot, both on that and the lower deck, with various heavy stores, to be thrown overboard.

On the evening of the 20th, the water continued to increase, although the anchors were cut away, and all the lower deck guns thrown overboard; the people, who had hitherto borne their calamities without a murmur, began to despair, and earnestly expressed a desire to quit the ship, lest they should founder in her. The admiral advanced, and addressing the crew, said, "My brave fellows, al

though I and my officers have the same regard for our own lives that you have, yet I assure you we have no intention of deserting either you or the ship, and that we will stand or fall together, as becomes men and Englishmen. As to myself, I am determined to try one night more on board the Ramilies; I hope you will all remain with me, for one good day, with a moderate sea and our exertions, may enable us to clear and secure the well from the encroaching ballast; and then hands enough may be spared to raise jury masts, that may carry the ship to Ireland. The sight of the Ramilies alone, and the knowledge that she is manned so gallantly, will be sufficient to protect the remaining part of the convoy. But above all, as every thing has now been done for her relief that can be thought of, let us wait the event: and be assured, I will make the signal directly for the trade to lie by during the night."

His speech had the desired effect; the firmness and confidence with which he spoke, and their reliance on his seamanship and judgment, as well as kis constant presence and at tention to every accident, inspired them with new courage; they returned to their labours with cheerfulness, although they had had no rest from the first fatal stroke. At three the admiral resolved not to lose a moment in removing the people, whenever day-light should appear. At dawn the signal was made for the boats of the merchantmen, and about six o'clock the people were permitted to go off, and between nine and ten, there being nothing further to direct or regulate, the admiral himself, after shaking hands with every officer, and leaving his barge for their better accommodation and transport, quitted the Ramilies which had then nine feet water in her hold. By half-past four

all the crew had been taken out.

Among the vessels which suffered most in the dreadful storm, was the Centaur, of 74 guns, Captain Inglefield. During seven days in which she was the sport of the elements, every exertion was made to save her,

nor did the crew think of quitting her until the evening of the seventh day, when she seemed little more than suspended in the water, and there was no certainty that she would swim from one minute to another. The love of life, which has seldom waited so near an approach of death to exhibit itself, now began to level all distinctions. As it was impossible for any man to deceive himself with the hopes of being saved on a raft in such a sea, several men had forced the pinnace, and more were attempting to get into it, when Captain Inglefield came on deck, about five o'clock in the afternoon. There was not a moment for consideration, and he felt that he must either perish with the ship's company in the vessel, or seize the only opportunity which offered for escaping. The love of life prevailed, and accompanied by eleven persons, Captain Inglefield descended into the boat, which could only be got clear of the ship with much difficulty, as twice the number she could carry were pushing in. The boat was very leaky, and they were all thinly clothed, in the middle of the Western Ocean, without compass, quadrant, or sail. A blanket was discovered in the boat, which was used as a sail. A bag of bread, a small ham, one piece of pork, two quart bottles of water, and a few French cordials, constituted their whole stock of provisions.

On the fifth day after quitting the ship, the condition of those in the boat began to be truly miserable from hunger and cold; their bread was nearly all spoiled by salt water, and it became indispensably necessary that their allowance should be restricted.

One biscuit was divided into twelve morsels for breakfast, and the same for dinner; the neck of a bottle broken off, with a cork in it, served for a glass; and this filled with water was the allowance for twenty-four hours to each man. A little rain water that was caught was a seasonable help; but on the fifteenth day only one bottle of water, and one day's allowance of bread remained. Despair and gloom could be resisted