almost entirely absorbed every consideration of personal safety. Having taken the necessary means for the security of his vessel, and anxious to contemplate the grandeur of the scene, he ordered himself to be lashed to an elevated part of his ship, that during the raging of the tempest, he might not only study, but actually sketch, the terrific appearances around him. Collected amidst the uproar of the elements, and regardless of danger, he produced a faithful and spirited drawing of a storm at sea, full of all the fury and sublimity of his subject, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy the following year, and attracted peculiar attention.

before me, I did not see one muscle quiver, nor the | of the lightning coming athwart the dark curtain of the slightest sign of alarm. The officers each secured some heavens, he beheld with an intensity of feeling that useful instrument about them, for the purpose of observation, although it was acknowledged by all that not the slightest hope remained, And now that every thing in our power had been done, I called all hands aft, and to a merciful God offered prayers for our preservation. I thanked every one for his excellent conduct, and cautioned them, as we should, in all probability, soon appear before our Maker, to enter his presence as men resigned to their fate. Noble as the character of the British sailor is always allowed to be in cases of danger, yet I did not believe it possible, that among forty-one persons, not one repining word should have been uttered. Each was at peace with his neighbour and all the world; and I am firmly persuaded, that the resignation which was shown to the will of the Almighty was the means of obtaining his mercy." Could such a scene as this pass and be forgotten?

It is said that he offended the Admiralty for daring to say his ship was not adapted for such an expedition; and holding such an opinion as this, he must have felt that the lives of his men had wantonly been exposed and Providence challenged; but the great will not bear to be told truths, and nautical talents and commanding abilities, have but little influence with those who love dishonest flattery, and who select, as their supporters,. men who can extol their errors into virtues.

Captain Lyon's chance of appointment in the service being now but small, he accepted a situation in one of the Mexican Mining Companies, and proceeded to the place of his appointment with his newly-married bride, a lady of great beauty and equal accomplishments. After a tedious. passage down the channel, he was wrecked off the coast of Cornwall, and lost all his property. Reluctantly obliged to leave his wife in England, whose constitution appeared to suffer from the fatigues and dangers of a sea voyage, he proceeded to America; returning home in the packet-ship Panther, he was wrecked at Holyhead, again losing every thing, including his journal, charts, and plans of the mines, &c. But his misfortunes did not rest here: a few hours after being on shore, he received the distressing intelligence of his wife's death.

Extraordinary Instance of Devotion and Self-possession.

In the year 1820, Captain Hastings, then on a voyage: between the Island of Madagascar and the Cape of Good Hope, was overtaken by a violent storm. The furious turmoil of the ocean-the mightiness of the surging waves the blackness of the water-and the vivid effects

TO THE SEA.

Thou glorious sea! more pleasing far
When all thy waters are at rest,
And noonday sun, or midnight star

Is shining on thy waveless breast.

More pleasing far than when the wings

Of stormy winds are o'er thee spread,
And every billowy mountain flings

Aloft to heaven its foaming head.

Yet is the very tempest dear,
Whose mighty voice but tells of thee;
For, wild or calm, or far or near,
I love thee still, thou glorious sea!

THE STORMY PETREL.

A thousand miles from land or tree,
Tossing about on the roaring sea;
From billow to bounding billow cast,
Like fleecy snow on the stormy blast,
When sails are scattered abroad, like weeds,
And strong masts shake, like quivering reeds,
The mighty cables, and iron chains,

The hull, which all earthly strength disdains-
They strain and they crack; and hearts of stone
Their natural hard, proud strength disown.

Up and down! up and down!

From the base of the wave to the billow's crown;

And amidst the flashing and feathery foam,

The Stormy Petrel finds a home

A home, if such a place may be,

For her who lives on the wide, wide sea,

On the craggy ice, in the frozen air,

And only seeketh her rocky lair

To warm her young, and teach them to spring,
At once o'er the waves on their stormy wing.

O'er the deep! o'er the deep!

Where the whale, and the shark, and the sword-fish sleep,
Out-flying the blast and the driving rain,
The Petrel telleth her tale-in vain;
For the mariner curseth the warning bird,
Who bringeth him news of the storms unheard.
Ah! thus does the prophet of good or ill,
Meet hate from the creatures he serveth still:
Yet he ne'er falters-so Petrel spring
Once more o'er the waves on thy stormy wing!

Loss of the Lady Hobart Packet, Captain Fellowes, on an | struck her colours. Having sent some men on board Island of Ice, June 28th, 1803.

from the gunwale and pitched into the bottom of the boat with considerable violence; but although such an accident might have been productive of effects equally fatal to herself and them all, it was not attended by any bad consequences. The few provisions which had been saved from the men's berths were then put into the boats, which were quickly veered astern. The maindeck forward was by this time under water, and nothing but the quarter-deck appeared. The men were then ordered into the boats, and the mail, after being lashed to some iron pigs of ballast, was thrown overboard.

On Tuesday, June 28, it blew a hard gale from the | Miss Cottenham, was so terrified, that she sprung westward, with a heavy sea, hazy weather, and intervals of thick fog. About one o'clock in the morning, when the ship was going at the rate of seven miles an hour by the log, she struck against an island of ice with such violence, that several of the crew were pitched out of their hammocks. The captain was roused from his sleep by the suddenness of the shock, and instantly ran upon deck, and ordered the helm to be put hard a-port, when the ship struck again upon the chesstree, and then swung round upon her heel, the stern-post being stove in, and the rudder carried away, before they could succeed in their attempts to haul her off. At this time, the ice appeared to hang quite over the ship, forming a high peak, which must have been at least twice the height of their topmast head. The length of the island, as near as they could judge, was from a quarter to half a mile.

The sea was now breaking over the ice in a frightful manner, and the water rushed in so fast, that in a very few minutes the hold was completely filled. Every exertion was made to lighten the ship; the guns were hove overboard, the anchors were cut away from the bows, two sails were got under the ship's bottom, both pumps kept going, and they also baled with buckets from the main-hatchway, in the hope of preventing her from sinking; but notwithstanding all their efforts, she settled down in the water to her fore-chains in less than a quarter of an hour.

Their situation now became perilous in the extreme. The captain, who was aware of the danger of a moment's delay in hoisting out the boats, immediately consulted with Captain Thomas, of the royal navy, who was a passenger, and Mr. Bargus the master, as to the propriety of making any further efforts to save the ship, and also as to the possibility of taking the mail into the boats, in the event of their being able to get them over the ship's side. They agreed that no time ought to be lost in hoisting the boats out, and that, as the vessel was then settling fast, the preservation of the crew should be their first consideration.

That tribute of praise, which the steady discipline and good conduct of all on board so justly merit, ought not to be omitted. From the first moment of the ship's striking, not a word was uttered expressive of a desire to leave the wreck. The orders of the captain were promptly obeyed; and though every moment increased the danger of perishing, each man waited his turn to get into the boats, with a coolness and composure which was never surpassed, and scarcely ever equalled.

Having fortunately succeeded in hoisting out the cutter and jolly-boat, the sea still running very high, they placed the ladies in the former. One young lady,

The ship was now rapidly sinking, when the captain, having used every exertion to save his men, called out to them to haul up and receive him, as, fearing the cutter might be stove under the counter, he intended to drop himself into her from the end of the trysail-boom. He desired Mr. Bargus, the master, who remained with him on the wreck to go over first; but in this instance he replied, that he begged leave to disobey his orders, adding, that he must see the captain safely over before he attempted to go himself. On such noble behaviour, the captain, in his dispatches, observes, "Such conduct, at such a moment, requires no comment; but I should be wanting to myself and to the service, if I did not faithfully state to your lordships (the postmasters general) every circumstance, however trifling; and it is highly satisfactory to me to have this opportunity of recording an incident so honourable to a meritorious officer."

The sea ran so high at the time the boats were hoisted out, that they hardly dared flatter themselves they should get them out in safety. Indeed, nothing but the steady and orderly conduct of the crew could have enabled them to effect an undertaking which was attended with so much difficulty and danger; and it is but justice to observe, that not a man in the ship attempted to make use of the liquor, which every one had in his power. As an instance of this resolution and self-denial on the part of the men, one of them, John Tipper, was observed emptying a demi-jean, or five-gallon bottle, which on inquiry proved to be rum. He said he was emptying it for the purpose of filling it with water from the scuttle-cask on the quarter-deck, which was the only fresh water that could be got at, a circumstance highly creditable to the character of a British sailor; and the water thus procured, afterwards became their principal supply.

They had scarcely quitted the ship, when she suddenly gave a heavy lurch to port, and went down headforemost, the boats narrowly escaping being swallowed up in the vortex caused by the sinking of the vessel. The colours had been hoisted at the maintop

gallantmast-head with the union downwards, as a signal of distress, so that if any vessel should happen to be near them at the dawn of day, she might perceive their calamitous situation, and afford them relief.

It is impossible to describe the feelings and sensations of these unfortunate people, thus suddenly exposed in two open boats upon the vast Atlantic Ocean, and bereft of all assistance, but what their own exertions could, under Providence, afford them. Men accustomed to vicissitudes are not soon dejected; but there are trials which human nature alone cannot surmount. The consciousness of having done their duty, and a reliance upon the mercies of a kind Providence, enabled them to endure their calamity, and with the confident hope of better fortune, they animated each other to

increased exertions to attain it.

In the jolly-boat, which was fourteen feet from stem to stern, five feet three inches broad, and two feet deep, were Mr. Samuel Bargus, master; Lieutenant-colonel George Cooke, of the first regiment of guards; the boatswain, sail-maker, and seven scamen: being eleven persons in all.

The only provisions which they had time to save, consisted of about forty or fifty pounds of bread, one demijean, and a small jug of water, part of a small barrel of spruce beer, one demi-jean of rum, a few bottles of portwine, two compasses, a quadrant, a spy-glass, a small tin mug, and a wine-glass. The deck-lantern, containing a few spare candles, had also been thrown into the boat; and the cook having taken the precaution to secure his tinder-box, together with a few matches that were kept in a bladder, they were thus enabled to steer by night.

While they were employed in deliberating upon their Scarcely an hour elapsed from the time the ship struck future course, a curious circumstance occurred, which, till she foundered; and the boats left the fatal spot just as it caused them a considerable degree of uneasiness, as the day dawned. As near as they could estimate, deserves to be mentioned. At the moment when the they were about 350 miles from St. John's, Newfoundship was sinking, she was surrounded by an amazing land, and had the wind have continued westerly, as there number of whales, which at this season of the year re-appeared every prospect of its doing, it would have pair to the coast of Newfoundland, in quest of a small fish called capelin. As the whales approached the boats, the men were extremely apprehensive that they might strike and materially damage them, as frequent instances have occurred in the fishery, where boats have been cut asunder by a single blow from a whale. They therefore shouted as loud as they could, and employed every effort to scare them away, but all to no effect; for the whales appeared to be pursuing them, and remained about the boats for more than half an hour, when they disappeared without having done them any injury.

been necessary to exercise the most rigid economy in the consumption of their provisions. For this purpose the captain addressed them on the propriety of at once submitting to privation, which must soon be inevitable, and concluded by ordering half a biscuit and a glass of wine to each individual, which was to be the whole allowance for the ensuing twenty-four hours, all of them agreeing to leave the water untouched as long as possible.

While they were employed in hoisting out the boats, the captain had ordered the master to throw the mainhatch tarpauling into the cutter, which being afterwards After surmounting difficulties and dangers which cut into lengths, enabled them to form a temporary bulbaffle all description, they rigged the foremast, and pre-wark against the waves. The carpenter had also been pared to shape their course in the best manner that circumstances would admit, the wind blowing precisely from the point towards which it was necessary to sail to reach the nearest land. The crew were distributed in the boats in the following manner :—

In the cutter, which was twenty feet long, six feet four inches broad, and two feet six inches deep, were embarked three ladies, the captain of the Lady Hobart, Captain Richard Thomas, of the royal navy, the commander of the French schooner, which they had taken two days before, the master's mate, gunner, steward, carpenter, and eight seamen, being eighteen persons in all; whose weight, together with that of the provisions, brought the gunwale of the boat within six or seven inches of the water. From this confined space, some idea may be formed of their crowded state; but it is scarcely possible for the imagination to conceive the extent of their sufferings in consequence of it.

ordered to carry with him as many tools as he could; he accordingly, among other things, put a few nails in his pockets, with which they repaired the gunwale of the cutter that had been stove in hoisting her out.

Soon after daylight, they made sail with the cutter, and took the jolly-boat in tow, standing close-hauled to the northward and westward, in the hope of reaching the coast of Newfoundland, or of being picked up by some vessel. They passed two islands of ice, and shortly afterwards, said prayers, fervently returning thanks to the Almighty for their providential deliverance. At noon they were, by observation, in lat. 46° 33′ N., St. John's bearing about W. N., distant 350 miles.

Wednesday, June the 29th, was ushered in with variable winds from the southward and eastward. They had passed a long and sleepless night, and at the dawn of day, the captain found himself with twenty-eight persons looking up to him with anxiety for the distribution of

their scanty allowance, and also for the direction of their course. Upon examining their provisions, they found the bag of biscuit much damaged by salt water, which made it necessary for them to diminish their allowance; and to this precaution they all cheerfully assented. It was at this moment that they became more sensible to the horrors of their situation, but grateful to Providence they returned thanks for past mercies, and offered up prayers for their future safety.

Soon afterwards a thick fog came on, which continued the whole day, with heavy rain, but as they had no means of collecting it, it afforded them no relief; and their crowded and exposed situation was rendered still more distressing by their being thoroughly wet, as no person had been permitted to take more than a greatcoat or a blanket, besides the clothes on his back.

On Friday, July 1st, it blew a hard gale from the W.S.W. during the greater part of the day, with a heavy sea from the same quarter. The weather was excessively cold, and the spray of the sea freezing as it flew over the boats, rendered their situation truly deplorable. The want of nourishment, coupled with the cold and wet weather, had produced a most painful depression of spirits, and rendered them almost incapable of exertion; added to which, the very confined space in the boat would not allow them to stretch their limbs, that several of the men whose feet were much swelled, called out repeatedly for water; but on being reminded of their former resolution, and the absolute necessity of strictly adheringto it, they acknowledged the propriety of its being refused to them, and the water remained untouched.

The oars in both boats were kept constantly going, At the commencement of the gale they stood to the steering a W.N.W. course, and every one anxiously look-northward and westward; but the cutter was so low in the ing out for a sail. At noon, a quarter of a biscuit and a glass of rum were served to each person. St. John's bore W. by N. N., distant 310 miles-no observation. One of the ladies again read prayers, particularly that for deliverance after a storm.

On Thursday, June 30th, at day-break, they were all so benumbed with wet and cold, that a glass of rum and a mouthful of biscuit were served out to each person. The ladies, who before had refused to taste the spirits, were now prevailed on to take the stated allowance, which afforded them much benefit, and enabled them the better to resist the severity of the weather. The air was raw and cold, with thick fog and sleet, and the sea was mostly calm. They had kept at their oars all night, and continued to row during the whole of this day. The jolly-boat having unfortunately put off from the ship with only three oars, and having but a small sail, which had been converted from a foresail into a top-gallant steering-sail, without needles or twine, the cutter was obliged to keep her constantly in tow. The cutter had likewise lost two of her oars in hoisting out, and was now so deep in the water that, with the least sea, she made so little way, that they were unable to profit much by the light winds.

One of the men in the jolly-boat called out that they had found part of a cold ham, which had not been discovered before; a morsel, about the size of a nutmeg, was immediately distributed to each person, but the captain had the remainder thrown overboard, as he was fearful that it might create an intolerable thirst, which they had no means of assuaging. At noon, they judged they were on the north-eastern edge of the Grand Bank, St. John's bearing W. by N. & N., distant about 246 miles. On this day divine service was performed, in which all fervently joined.

water, that they were obliged to cast off the jolly-boat's tow-rope, and very soon lost sight of her in the fog. This unfortunate circumstance caused all of them the utmost distress; as they were uncertain of ever again meeting their companions in misfortune; and to add to the misery of their situation, they lost with the boat, not only a considerable part of their stores, but also their quadrant and spy-glass. About four, P.M., the gale increasing, with a prodigiously heavy sea, they brought the cutter to, by heaving the boat's sail loose over the bow, and veering it out with a rope bent to each yardarm, which kept her head to the sea, and broke the force of the waves before they reached them.

In the course of this day there were repeated cries of a strange sail being in sight; and although the captain was aware that it was next to impossible to discern any thing, owing to the thickness of the fog; yet, being urged by many of the seamen with such apparent certainty, he was induced to put the boat before the wind, the rather to convince them of their error, than with any expectation of their hopes being realized. But the captain being convinced of the dangerous consequences of such deviations, remonstrated with them on the subject, representing in language as forcible as he could command, that the depression arising from disappointment infinitely overbalanced the momentary relief proceeding from such delusive expectations, and exhorted them not to indulge in such fancies. Under all these circumstances, the ladies, with a heroism that no words can sufficiently do justice to, afforded the best examples of patience and fortitude.

They all joined in prayer, which tended greatly to calm their minds, and inspired them with the consolatory hope of an alleviation to their sufferings. On these solemn occasions they were all bareheaded, notwithstand