"I can't say as how I like it all," replied Will, "'specially as them 'ere gulls are making such furious sail to the land; if them birds arn't the weather-glasses, I'm a land-lubber. But as for the matter of running to the south, why, I think 'twould be even better to run her right ashore, and take our chance; we may perhaps cheat Davy that way, but, by the other, 'tis all up with us." "" Belay there with your pipe, you young imp of the devil!" roared out Lawson to an embryo free-trader, who was whistling most unconcernedly on the forecastle, "or I'll make this rope and your back better acquainted. I wonder you havn't hoisted in more ballast in the article of sense since you've been to sea, than to whistle in a storm. A pretty sort of a place you sarved your time in, you lubber, not to know better than that." "Ahoy, there aft!" sung out a voice from the bow, where the lugger's look-out was stationed; "a sail rising seaward on the starboard bow! She's coming up right afore the wind, under reefed topsails and jib." "I'm blowed, Will, if I don't like this about as much as a stripped marine does the drummer! Who the devil can she be? Ahoy, there aft! What is't now, lad?" "The strange sail's hoisted her main, double reefed, and has veered a point more to the nor❜ard." "This is no joke now! Take the glass, Will--your eyes are younger than mine-and see what you can make of her." "By heaven, Lawson, her hull's rising; she's a king's ship, as I am alive. Who the devil can she be? Strike my tops! but she sees us now, and here she comes with a vengeance." "You're right, you're right, boy! We must clap on more sail-our spars will bear it; but it is very unpleasant to have this here nest of sharks flung in our way, when we'd made so sure of having the coast clear. All hands, ahoy! Let out another reef in the main, and hoist the foresail. Are ye ready there, fore-men ?" Ay, ay!" "Ay, ay." "Then listen, my lads, while I speechify a bit. You see we've but three chances. First, run, and so get clear off; second, fight, and beat them; third, blow ourselves and them to the devil together. We'll try 'em all in turn; and now lie in, every mother's son of ye, and let not a gun be fired till I give the word.” The schooner was by this time within a mile of the smugglers, and had now altered her course, so that in a short time she would have run across the lugger's bows, and brought her whole broadside to bear on her; but Lawson was too old a hand to be caught in that way; and putting the tiller a little to starboard, the Lucy, in a moment, was running parallel with her foe. "Ha, ha, old boy!" muttered the smuggler; "too deep for you this tack, I imagine. He's beginning to speak now, Will, and seriously too." A cloud of smoke rushed from the schooner's side, and a whole broadside of her shot passed harmlessly over the smuggler, owing to her falling, luckily, in the critical moment, into the trough of the sea, while her antagonist was, at the same moment, raised on the crest of a wave. See, Will, he's tired of this, and, by all my hopes, here he comes, right afore the wind! Bring her a point more to the wind, Will, and we'll rake her. Steady, my lads, steady; for God's sake wait till I sing out!" The schooner was now within pistol-shot of the lugger, never suspecting she could have any metal weight enough to harm her, and was just rounding to bring another broadside to bear, when Lawson, springing forward, sang out—" Away there, ye Lucies, up with the ports, and give it them cheerily, my lads!” The ports were up, the guns run out, and fired by the eager and anticipating smugglers, almost before the words were out of their captain's mouth. The schooner shook to her very kelson, under the unexpected volley. Down came her foremast, her rigging was almost cut to pieces, and in a moment she lay nearly a wreck upon the waters, tossing ungovernably. The smugglers, taking advantage of her helpless state, soon shot far ahead of her, but not before Lawson roared out, " All hands ahoy there, and clear your pipes, and give us "No, no she's let out another reef in her main, and the Lucy's song; 'twill serve as grog, by way of a relish hoisted her gaff with a single one." to their supper. You three musicians there, are ye ready to make sail on it?" "We must fight then, Will; and if we've any luck, we may send one of her masts by the board; but she's too old, I think, to have any hope in her yawing. Clear the deck there, and out with the tompions: we may perhaps make our sixes rattle in a way she'll like about as much as nine-water grog on a banyan day. Knock the head out of that cask, and lash it to the main; there'll be enough of fighting water in it. Are ye all ready now, every soul of ye?" all "Ay, ay," answered three of the men, who, from their having rather good voices, with tolerable ears, had ob. tained that sobriquet from their companions. "Heave away, then;" and instantly, with clear but strong voices, they struck up a rude strain, which sounded far from disagreeable, especially in the chorus given at the end of each verse, when the voices of the whole willing crew gave it a cast peculiar to their own wild kind of life; and the lashing of the waves against | place. Their bodies were soon found, but in a state too her sides, and the whistling of the wind through her | horrid to describe. An arm and hand of each were alone cordage, formed a not inappropriate accompaniment. left entire, firmly grasped together in the death-seal of friendship. They had been driven between two beams, which formed part of the frame-work of the quay. The song was finished her sails were double reefed, her hatches closed, and all made snug to meet the storm, which by this time had almost risen to a hurricane. Morning broke bright and joyously; the storm was However, Lawson, confident in the seaworthiness of his over, and all nature seemed rejoicing in the change; but favourite, fearlessly kept on his way, and in three bells not so Lucy. She was sitting, gazing fixedly on the came off the harbour, against the piers of which the bed which contained the inanimate remains of those who waves were breaking so furiously, that they were nearly were dearest to her on earth. One of her companions hid in a cloud of foam and spray. This run the Lucy spoke to her. She turned her dewy eyes on her for a had little to fear from unwelcome visitors, the revenue moment, took another long last look, then rose, and with officers being far south, on a wrong scent. We're just an erect step walked out of the cottage, under whose roof in the nick of the tide, Lawson," said Will; we'll she had passed so many years, and sat herself on the clear the bar primely. A little more to the wind, edge of the cliff, with her eyes wandering eagerly over the sea. The guiding light of reason had happily left eh?" 66 Right, boy; in with that foresail there, and stand by to haul-in every rag." The lugger appeared for a moment on the crest of a wave, was immediately lost in the spray, and next moment was in the mouth of the harbour in comparative safety. her. By the side of a brawling brook, running through a beautiful sequestered little glen, a still lovely face might be seen, every summer's eve, reflected on the pure surface, as it bent, sceking the water-cresses that were We'll make for the south side I suppose, Lawson, abundant in its bed. 'Twas Lucy. She recollected that eh ?" "Ay, boy, do. Come aft here, you young imp, aud take the tiller; and now, Will, come forʼard. A keg of Nantz to a pound of granny's delight, I jump ashore first. Keep her steady, you lubber, or I'm blowed if I don't make a dead marine of your back." They were now almost close to the quay. At that time, none of the houses on the northern side, which now protect the harbour from the wind when in that quarter were built. A fisherman's hut or two, formed of walls half mud, half brick, with an old boat inverted for the roof, were all that then broke the dreariness of the prospect in that direction. "Come, Will, art ready?" cried Lawson, one foot on the gunwale, about to leap. "Ay, ay. Steady there, steady!" roared he to the lad at the helm. The latter, more intent on recognising his own friends among the crowd on the quay, than in attending to his duty, and hearing some command given, moved the tiller a little to leeward; a gust of wind tore the half hauled-in sails from the hands of the men; her head yawed off to the wind. Lawson and Will sprung at that moment, without seeing what had happened; their feet slipped, and they both fell into the water between the lugger and the quay. At the cry of, "The skipper and the mate overboard!" the lad lost all power in amaze-, ment, the tiller slipped from his hands, and at the very moment they rose above the water, the lugger, being no longer under control, yielded to the wind, and was instantly dashed violently against the quay. A shriek of horror burst from the crowd. As quickly as hundreds of eager hands could effect it, she was moved from the Alas! her father liked them, and in the morning she might be THE SAILOR'S DEATH SONG. OH! ye who can fancy a sailor's emotion We die for our country, with proud exultation, Though destined awhile from those blessings to sever, * Farewell, my dear country! no skill can restore us, 5 creased, they were obliged to shorten sail. At four o'clock, they were under double-reefed topsails, foresail, and mainsail, when a sudden squall carried away the fore- yard and split the fore-topsail; they, however, got the pieces of the yard down, and prepared to get another yard up; and as the gale still increased, they took in the mainsail and mizen-topsail, and set the main-trysail. THE Albion, of 447 tons burthen, one of the finest class of packet-ships between New York and Liverpool, commanded by Captain John Williams, having on board a crew of twenty-five persons, besides twenty-three cabin and six steerage passengers, making fifty-four persons in all, sailed from New York on the 1st of April, 1822. For the first twenty days the voyage had been pros- As night came on, the decks were cleared for working perous and pleasant, with moderate and favourable the ship; the wind lulled, and it was supposed that the weather; and at about half-past one o'clock in the after-storm of the day was over: they were near to the coast, noon of Sunday, the 21st, they made the land; the and all hands flattered [themselves that in a short time Fastnet Rock bore, by compass, E.N.E., distant about three leagues. At two, they made Cape Clear, bearing E. and by N., distant about two leagues. The weather at this time was thick and foggy, the wind blowing fresh, and heavy squalls from the southward. The ship was now heading up E.S.E., and carrying all prudent sail to crowd the ship off the shore; but as the gale in they should reach their destined harbour; but about nine o'clock they were struck by a heavy sea, which threw the ship on her beam-ends, and carried away the main-mast by the deck, the heads of the mizen-mast and fore-topmast sweeping the decks clear of everything, including boats, caboose-house and bulwarks, and staveing in all the hatches, state-rooms, and bulwarks in the cabin, which was nearly filled with water. At the same | Desnouettes, during the voyage, had evidently wished to moment six seamen, and one of the cabin passengers, remain without particular observation; and, to prevent Mr. A. B. Conyers, of Troy, New York, were swept his being known, besides taking passage under a feigned overboard; in short, that fatal wave left the Albion a name, had suffered his beard to grow during the whole wreck. She was then about twenty miles from the voyage. He had the misfortune, before the ship struck, shore, and Captain Williams steadily and coolly gave to be much bruised, and one of his arms was broken, his orders, and cheered the passengers and crew with which disabled him from exertion if it could have been the hope that the wind would shift, and before morning of any avail. blow off shore. It is barely possible to conceive the horrors of their situation: the deadly and relentless blast impelled them to destruction-the ship a wreck-the raging of the billows against the precipice on which they were driving, sending back from the caverns and the rocks the hoarse and melancholy warnings of death-dark, cold, and wet. In such a situation, the stoutest heart must have The ship being unmanageable, and the sea making a complete breach over, both crew and passengers were obliged to lash themselves to the pumps that they might work them. All who were useless on deck retired below, but the water was knee-deep in the cabin, and the furniture floating about rendered the situation dangerous and dreadful. On deck they were in total dark-quaked with utter despair. When there is a ray of ness, and, having no correct compasses, they could not tell how the ship's head lay. About one o'clock in the morning of the 22nd, they made the light of the Old Head of Kinsale, but could not ascertain its bearing, and at two o'oclock they found the ship embayed. All night long the wind had blown directly on shore, towards which the Albion was drifting at the rate of about three miles an hour. The complete hopelessness of their situation was known to few, except Captain Williams; the coast was familiar to him, and he must have seen, in despair and horror, throughout the night, the certainty of their fate. At length the ocean roaring and dashing upon the precipice of rocks, told them them too plainly that their hour was come. Captain Williams summoned all the passengers up who had not before been on deck, and briefly told them that the ship must soon strike-it was impossible to preserve her. Their state was pitiable; many of them had received considerable injury when the sea first struck her, and were scarcely able to come on deck; others had been incessantly assisting at the pumps; and it is an interesting fact, that Miss Powell, of Canada, daughter of Judge Powell, an amiable young lady, was desirous of being allowed to take her turn. One gentleman, who had been extremely ill during the voyage, Mr. William Everhart, of Chester, Pennsylvania, was too feeble to crawl to the deck without assistance, though, strange to say, he was the only cabin passenger who was saved. Professor Fisher never came on deck, and perished below. Their situation, at that moment, is indescribable, and can scarcely be dwelt upon, much less to attempt to detail its horrors. Major Gough, of the British army, remarked, "That death, come as he would, was an unwelcome messenger, but that they must meet him like men." Very little was said by the others; the men waited in silence for the expected shock. General Lefebvre hope, there may be a corresponding buoyancy of spirit; when there is any thing to be done, the active man may drown the sense of danger while exerting himself; but here there was nothing to do but to die! Just at the grey of dawn the Albion struck on a reef, her upper-works beat in over the rocks, and in about half an hour, after coming in over the first reef, they parted midships, and her quarter-deck drifted in on the top of the inside ledge, immediately under the cliffs. The perpendicular precipice of rocks is nearly two hundred feet in height, the sea beating for ages against it had worn large caverns in its base, into which the waves rushed violently, sending back a deep and hollow sound, then running out in various directions, formed whirlpools of great violence. For some distance from the precipice, rocks rise out of the water, broad at bottom, and sharp at top; on one of these the Albion first struck, the next wave threw her farther on the rock, the third farther still, until, nearly balanced, she swung round, and her stern was driven against another near in shore. In this perilous situation, every wave making a complete breach over her, many were drowned on deck. Up to the period of her parting, nearly twenty persons were clinging to the wreck, among whom were two females, Mrs. Pye and Miss Powell. Captain Williams had, with several others, been swept away soon after she struck, a circumstance which may be attributed to the very extraordinary exertions which he used to the last moment for the preservation of the lives of the unfortunate passengers and crew. A woman, but who Mr. Everhart could not distinguish, fell near him and cried for help. He left his hold and raised her up-another wave came, but she was too far exhausted to sustain herself and sunk on the deck, and the next wave swept her into the vast abyss of the ocean. A short time before the vessel parted, the mate and six of the crew got away from her. After gainiog a rock in a very exhausted state, the mate was washed off, but by the assistance of Providence was enabled to gain it before the return of the sea. He was obliged to lie down to regain a little strength, after the severe bruises and contusions he had received on the body and feet, before he could attempt to climb the rock, which was nearly perpendicular. One of the passengers, Colonel Augustine J. Provost, reached the rock alive, but was, together with one of the stewards, washed off and drowned. Some of the passengers were suffocated on deck, and in the fore-rigging, and some must have been destroyed, by an anchor which was loose on the forecastle, before the ship parted. The devastation which followed was frightful. The entire cargo, consisting of cotton, rice, turpentine, and bees'-wax, together with a quantity of silver and gold to a large amount, was in all directions beaten about by the violence of the sea, without a possibility of saving it. Perceiving that the stern was higher out of water and the sea had less power in its sweep over it, Mr. Everhart went aft. He now perceived that the bottom had been broken out of the ship. The heavy articles must have sunk, and the cotton and lighter articles were floating around, dashed by every wave against the rocks. Presently the ship broke in two, and all those who remained near the bow were lost. Several from the stern of the ship had got on the side of the precipice, and were hanging by the crags as well as they could. Although weakened by previous sickness and present suffering, Mr. Everhart made an effort and got upon the rock, and stood upon one foot, which was the only hold he could obtain. He saw several around him, and, among the rest, Colonel Prevost, who observed, on seeing him take his station, "Here is another poor fellow." But the waves rolling heavily against them, and often dashing the spray fifty feet above their heads, gradually swept those who had taken refuge, one by one, away; and one poor fellow losing his hold, grasped the leg of Mr. Everhart and nearly pulled him from his place. Weak and sick as he was, Mr. Everhart stood several hours on one foot on a little crag, the billows dashing over him, and quite benumbed with cold. the centre of the two farms, found a vessel on the rocks under a high cliff. At this time, as it blew a gale, with spring tide and approaching high water, the sea ran mountains high; however, he descended with some men as far down the cliff as the dashing of the sea would permit them to go with safety, and there had the horrid spectacle of viewing five dead bodies stretched on the deck, and four other fellow creatures distractedly calling for assistance, which they were unable to afford them, as certain death would have attended the attempt to render them any. Of those in this perilous situation, one was a female, whom, though it was impossible to hear from the wind and the roaring of the sea, yet from her gestures and the stretching out of her hands, they judged she was calling and imploring for that assistance they were incapable of affording her. At this time, the greater part of the vessel lay on a rock, and part of the stern, where this poor woman lay, projected over a narrow creek that divided this rock from another. Here the sea ran over her with the greatest fury, yet she kept a firm hold; but they soon perceived that the vessel was broken across, where she projected over the rock; and after many waves dashing against her, this part of the vessel rolled into the waves, and they had the heart-rending scene of seeing the poor woman perish. Three men lay towards the stern of the vessel, one of whom stuck to a mast which projetted towards the cliff, to whom, after many attempts, they succeeded in throwing a rope, and brought him safe ashore. Another they also saved; but the constant dashing of the waves put an end to the sufferings of the others. On hearing of the disaster, Mr. Marks, the American consul, hastened to the spot, and did all that a man of humanity could to aid the survivors and save the property. As the dead bodies lay on the shore, the mate pointed them out to him, and he affixed each person's name to the corpses, and had them buried in a row, and the graves numbered, so that if the relatives of any of the deceased wished to have them disinterred, their bodies could be easily found. Among the bodies washed. ashore was that of a French lady; she was extremely beautiful, and when first discovered by some respectable persons it was entirely naked. A boy, who first saw the As soon as it was light, and the tide ebbed so as to body, took off his outside coat and covered it and it is render it possible, the people descended the rocks as far related of others of the country people, that they also as they could, and dropped Mr. Everhart a rope, which took off their warm clothing and put them on the halfhe fastened round his body and was drawn up to a place perished part of the crew that escaped. Mr. Marks had of safety. Of twenty-three cabin passengers he alone coffins provided for each body, a clergyman of the Church escaped. of England officiated at the funeral, and they were At four o'clock in the morning, Mr. Purcell, of Gar-buried in Templetrine churchyard, four miles from Kinret's Town, was informed that a ship was cast on the rocks at the bottom of the dairy farms of T. Rochfort, Esq.; he immediately repaired to the spot, and at about sale, and one from the fatal spot. Mr. Everhart was taken to the hospitable mansion of Mr. James B. Gibbens, where he lay for several weeks |