prospect of a favourable voyage. The passengers consisted principally of invalided officers and soldiers, and Sam had the deck to himself. As night was coming on, a vessel about the same size as the St. Agata, hove in sight, and, in passing, made a signal of distress, and begged some water, as their casks, they said, had all leaked out. "O, give the poor devils some water," said Sam, as soon as he understood what they wanted. "Thirst is a horrible thing-especially of a morning after dining out.' The strange vessel sent its barge; but no sooner had the crew got on board, than at a whistle of the villain who had mounted first, eight armed men started from the bottom of the boat, and after a slight struggle, in which they shot two sailors, and threw the captain overboard, they gained possession of the St. Agata, and secured all the passengers below. After being kept in confinement a long time, and sparingly fed on bread and water, they were landed one moonlight night, and marched into a dark cave among the rocks on the sea-shore. Sam's meditations were by no means of a pleasing cast. "Don't you think it's very hard case, sir," he said to the officer who was chained to his wrist, and whose strength, after a severe fever in Malta, was scarcely able to support him under the treatment of his captors-" Don't you think it a hard case on a middle-aged man like ine, that I should be moved about all over the world against my will, leaving the nicest cottage in England, and a lot of good fellows-to be first suspected of murdering somebody else, and then most likely to be murdered myself?"-"The last," replied the invalid, "we shall all undoubtedly be, as we are in the hands of the Greeks." Of the Philistines, you mean,' said Sam," but it's all the same." While carrying on this melancholy conversation, they were suddenly startled by a great deal of firing, mixed with screams, and the other outcries which attend an on-slaught. "Mercy on us all!" said Sam, "what the devil is to come next?"-" They are most probably murdering some other prisoners," replied his companion; "it will be our turn soon."-" Then, I'll take my oath, they shan't kill me like a sheep. I'll have a tussle for it; and if I get a right-hander on some of the scoundrel's breadbaskets, I'll make them know what it is to bully a free-born Englishman. In a short time, advancing steps were heard, and our bold Briton, supporting his companion to the mouth of the cave,

stood in as Crib-like an attitude as his unencumbered hand could assume; and resolved to knock down the first man that entered. They had not been long in this situation, when they perceived that their place of confinement was left unguarded, and they were still more surprised, on proceeding a little way in front, to perceive the dead bodies of several of their captors, already partly stript, while further down upon the beach they saw a large body of Turks forcing many of the unarmed natives on board of some vessels close on shore. While congratulating themselves on this prospect of escape, and while they continued gazing on the scene before them, they were suddenly surrounded by a fresh body of Turks, and without a wordspoken on either side, they were conducted down the passes of the rocks, and conveyed on board. "Worse and worse," sighed Sam, whom this last disaster reduced to complete despair—“ It is my firm belief I am not Sam Holt of Bastock, but have changed places with the Wandering Jew.-Jack Thomson's prophecy is fulfilled, every bit of it!"— But poor Sam's lamentations were of no avail. On the third day, they were taken out of the vessel, and conveyed to shore. The unfortunate invalid with whom Sam had been chained so long, appeared so ill after landing, that he was released from the fetters; and what became of him Sam never discovered. Our friend, whose dress was of the most heterogeneous nature, consisting of whatever articles he could pick up-for, in all his misfortunes, his wardrobe was the first to suffer-was ranged along a wall, in a magnificent building, along with about forty others of all ages and countries. Many people, in strange dresses, with towels, as Sam expressed it, round their heads, passed and repassed them, looking narrowly at each. At last, an old white-whiskered man, pointing with his finger to the still portly figure of our friend, entered into a conversation with the person who had conducted them to the place, and in a few minutes Sam was taken out from the rest, and the old gentleman beckoning him to follow, walked majestically out of the building. Poor Sam, who now felt himself to be a very different being from what he used to be, presiding over his well-filled table at Bastock Lodge, followed in the most submissive manner imaginable. His conductor paused at the door of a very stately edifice, and said a few words, which Sam did not understand, to a group of lounging domestics.

Immediately three or four of them rushed forward, and seized violently hold of Sam, and carried him into the hall. There they let him stand for a few minutes, till the old gentleman, who had preceded them, and who had gone into an inner apartment, returned and spoke to them in the same language as before. Again they hurried Sam forward, and at last, when they came to a pause, the astonished 'Squire of Bastock had time to look round him. Seated on a low, richly covered ottoman, was an old white-headed man, with a long pipe in his mouth; near him were several others, but evidently his inferiors-while, a little way from the raised floor on which they were sitting, was a multitude of soldiers, in such a uniform, and with such arms, as had never entered into Sam's imagination to conceive. While he was taking this survey, the old gentleman, his conductor, bending to the very ground before the magnifico with the pipe, apparently directed his attention to Rosy Sam. Without casting his sublime eyes on so insignificant an object, the great man ordered the dragoman to discover who the stranger was. A young man now stept forward, and addressed our friend in French.

"No, no-no parley vous," said Sam, who knew just enough of the sound to guess what language it was.

He next spoke to him in English, and said he was ready to report Sam's answers to the dignitary on the sofa.

"I say," said Sam, who had now recovered a little of his confidence from hearing his mother tongue once more, "who's the old covey in the dressinggown? He seems a prime judge of tobacco."

The person alluded to scowled, and said something to the interpreter, who turned to Sam, and said,—“ His Highness, the Reis Effendi, says you are a dog, and if you speak till you 're spoken to, he will tear your tongue out, and cut off both your ears."

"He's cursedly polite-but did you say he was the Rice Offendy?—ask him if he has n't a brass gun upon wheels, that kills sea-mews at a hundred and fifty yards."

The interpreter, probably not understanding Sam's language, or willing to screen him from his Excellency's anger, said a few words, and promised obedience on the part of Sam.

The conversation went on. "The Reis Effendi wishes to know if you have any particular wish to be strangled ?" "Tell the Rice, that with his permis

sion I would much rather not, but am just as much obliged to him for his kind offer."

"His Highness wishes to know if you have any objections to be beautifully dressed, well treated, made rich, and have eight wives supported for you at the Sultan's expense.'

"Tell him," said Sam, quite delighted, "that he is a jolly old cock; that I accept his offer with all my heart; but as to the wives, I can't think of more than one, or two at the very most."

"Will you turn Mussulman to obtain all these advantages?"

"Mussulman? Ay, to be sure, I'm a devil of a fellow at all sorts of fish." Will you wear the turban, and swear by the prophet?"

"Turban? Yes-Lord bless you, what does it signify what a man wears? and as to swearing, 'gad I'll outswear you all for a hundred.'

On the dragoman relating the result of the conversation, his Highness deigned to cast eyes on the new believer, and at a nod several men stept forward and threw little jars of rose water over his face and person; and immediately he was hurried into another apartment, stript by five or six zealous attendants, forced into a warm bath which was richly perfumed, and after being rubbed and anointed, he was clothed in the splendid flowing robes, and ornamented with the glittering jewels of a Turkish Basha. When he came into the ante-room, through which he had already passed, he recognised the old gentleman who had brought him to the palace, and beckoned him to come near.

"I say, old boy, what can be the meaning of all this? Are ye all mad, or only drunk?" The old man bowed, and almost prostrated himself, but answered nothing. "O, I see how it is," continued Sam. "Whereabouts is the dragsman? He's no great hand at English, poor devil, but he is better than none.

The dragoman appeared, and bending obsequiously, said, "What is it your lordship's pleasure to do with your slave ?"

I

"Pooh, lordship! nonsense, man. say, Draggy, he 's a comical old shaver, that Rice Offendy; and fought rather shy of answering us about the gun; for my own part, I think it's a lie of Jack Thomson's."

"Your lordship is too complaisant to your slave."

"Perhaps I should be if I had him; but we have no slaves. I have a servant, a d-d old canting scoundrel, called

Trusty Tommy; but pshaw! you know nothing about these things. Now, can you tell me what they want me to do, for surely all this scrubbing and dressing can't be for nothing?"

"Your highness's escort is now, I believe, at the door. You are about to proceed as ambassador from the Sultan of the World to the Pacha of Albania. Your highness is decorated with three tails.'

"The devil a tail have they left me at all-not so much as a jacket-I feel for all the world as if I were in petticoats. Well, you say I go as ambassador to some gentleman in Albania. Is it a long journey!"

"Yes, it will be some time before your highness's return."

"For I was thinking," continued Sam, "it would be as well, before I go to-to -how many wives did you say I was to have kept for me by the sultan ?" "There were eight destined to rejoice in your highness's smiles."

"The devil there were! But where do they hang out? They are, perhaps, ugly old frights."

"Beautiful as angels in Paradise. But the Sultan's orders are imperative. Your highness must not delay a single moment, but leave every thing till you return."

"Well, well, what must be, must." And Sam mounted a magnificent Arab, which was standing at the door, and set off with a large retinue of splendidly dressed warriors, while another interpreter rode close by his side. As he left the gate of the city, an officer stopt the cavalcade, and, with all due formalities, delivered a packet into the ambassador's hand. The interpreter told him to lay the packet on his head, for it was the firman of the sultan. In a short time the cortège passed on, and Sam had ample time to moralize on the mutability of fortune. Long before the journey was over, he was intimate with every man of the escort; and when, at length, on entering the Albanian territory, all, except four, left him, they took leave of him with so much appearance of regret, as evidently shewed how much they liked their commander.

One day, in riding down the side of a gentle valley, they came, at a winding of the rude track they were pursuing, upon a large body of horsemen and as they were immediately surrounded, they had no alternative but to mention who they were, and submit. On the interpreter informing them that his master bore a communication to the Pacha from

the Sultan, they drew back with the utmost respect, and fell into the line of march, as part of his military guard. They informed the party that the Pacha was encamped a few miles farther down the valley, with an army of forty thousand men, and that he had expected the Sultan's ambassador for some time. Encouraged by this assurance, Sam put his Arabian on his mettle, and soon was in the heart of the encampment. The Pacha's tent was easily known, from its superior splendour, and in a few minutes Sam was conducted in great splendour to his highness's quarters. Fierce-looking soldiers scowled upon him as he passed, and Sam was not altogether at ease, when he observed the ominous sneers they exchanged with each other.

At last he stopt short, and said to one of the soldiers, whose expression he did not like, "You poppinjay in fine clothes, do you make these faces at me?"

Another soldier who was standing by, started forward and said, "Good God! an Englishman, and in that dress !—it is not even yet too late to save you: if you go on, you will be murdered to a certainty-the Pacha has put twelve ambassadors to death already."

"The devil he has! and I'm sent here to make up the baker's dozen! Well, countryman, what's to be done? If you get me out of this scrape, and ever come to Bastock"

"Stay,-the only plan, when the Pacha asks you for the firman, is to say you've lost it ;-here, give it to me." And Sam had scarcely time to follow the soldier's advice, when he found himself in presence of the rebel chief.

He was standing at the farther end of the tent, in the middle of a group of officers. On seeing his highness the ambassador, he advanced half way to meet him, and bowed with all the reverence of an eastern prostration.

"I worship the shadow of the sovereign of the universe. Your highness does too much honour to your slave."

"Your servant, old gentleman, your servant," said Sam, who guessed from the Pacha's manner, that he was paying him a compliment: "a pleasant gentlemanly sort of man, and no murderer I'll be bound-tell him I am glad to see him, and hope he's well-ask him how his wife is, and the children."

The interpreter, at Sam's request, made a courteous speech.

"The messenger of the Sultan is master here. We are sorry we can offer him no better accommodation."

"The accommodation's good enough ---but riding in these hot mornings, with a table-cloth on one's head, is thirsty work, Master Dragsman. Ask him if he could give one a glass of brandy and water-cold without-"

But the Pacha anticipated his desire. He seated him on the highest ottoman in the tent, and treated him with a deference and respect which were quite astonishing to Sam, but which seemed to yield the greatest amusement to the officers of the staff.

"The bearer of the firman is powerful as Azrael. Say, where is the imperial order for your slave's unfortunate head? The officers of the bowstring are

near.

"An order for his head! Tell him, I know nothing about his head, nor his bowstrings either. I brought a letter from an old smoking fellow at Constantinople, but I've unfortunatety lost it by the way."

"What! lost it?" said the Pacha, who did not seem by any means rejoiced at the prospect of retaining his head. "Your highness is pleased to jest with your servant. You undoubtedly came from the monarch of the earth to put the cord round your slave's neck?"

"I be cursed if I came for any such purpose."

"Ah, then," said the Pacha, "it grieves me we can only give you the second-rate robe of honour.-We are deprived of our sport, (he said to his attendants), for this time at least your chief's head is in safety-Put the caftan of favour round the dragoman's shoulders."

Two splendidly dressed men, with arms bared up to the elbow, and bearing a silk cord, now advanced towards the interpreter. He clung for safety to his Excellency the Ambassador, screaming, "Save me, save me; they are going to strangle your slave."

"Strangle!-Nonsense, man-Didn't the old gentleman treat us in the most polite way possible; and isn't he laughing, and all the other people too, as if it were a capital joke?" But in spite of Sam's consolatory observations, the interpreter continued his entreaties.

The men had now got up to him, and laid the green silk cord on his shoulder. They then brought the two ends round to his breast and another person, who seemed of higher rank, stept forward, bearing a short staff in his hand. Round this staff he twisted the ends of the cord till it was closely drawn to the drago

man's throat, and then he waited with the most imperturbable coolness for some signal from the chief. That personage, however, seemed to enjoy the scene too much to bring it to a speedy conclusion, and continued to pour out his ironical compliments both to the dragoman and Sam. "The caftan of honour is given to the servant of the messenger of the Sultan; he does not seem to prize the distinction sufficiently." "Oh, save your slave!" exclaimed the dragoman. "He is a dog, and would lick the dust; but save him, your highness!"

"Come, Mister Pacha," said Sam, as coaxingly as he could, "you have had your fun with the poor devil, though I can't see the joke of it myself. You see he's half dead with fright. Let him go, there's a good fellow.'

"There are twelve of your brethren, the scoundrelly Greeks of the Faynal, gone before you, all wearing the same marks of my favour. See that the caftan fits him close-he will catch cold, else." As he said these words, the Pacha nodded to the person who held the staff; and in an instant, by a dexterous turn of the wrist, the cord was drawn tight, and the howlings and terrified exclamations of the dragoman, were cut short by death. The staff was untwisted ere Sam recovered from his amazement, and the corpse of his companion, still writhing, fell down upon his feet. He started up in horror at the murder, and forgetting the danger which surrounded him, he exclaimed," You blood-thirsty Turk, by G-d! if there's law or justice to be had for love or money, you shall swing for this. You're a pretty

son of a to pretend to be so polite, and then to kill a poor devil of a fellow who never did you a morsel of harm. Keep your cursed sofa to yourself, for I would not stay with such a Burking old scoundrel, no, not to be mayor of London." And Sam, foaming with indignation, stalked away; but he had not gone far when the same two men who had brought the cord, stopt him, and led him back to the ottoman he had left. This time, instead of a bowstring, they carried a long thong of thick leather, and the Pacha, still continuing his respectful behaviour, said,-" Your excellency is too condescending to your slave. Ho! chamberlain-put the Shoes of Glory on his highness's feet." With the rapidity of lightning, Sam was thrown back upon the sofa; his shoes forcibly taken from his feet, and while the whole tent was convulsed with laughter, one of

the men swinging the bastinado round his head, inflicted such a blow on his unprotected soles, that Sam screamed aloud with mingled rage and pain.

"Let me go this moment, ye bloodyminded rascals. De if I don't hawl you up for this.—I'll bring an action."

But here the second blow enraged him beyond all endurance; and while struggling with enormous strength, and roaring at the top of his lungs, he felt a hand laid on his shoulder, and, on looking up, saw Jack Thomson in his dressinggown, and all the rest of us standing round his bed.

66

'Why, Rosy Sam, what the deuce is the matter with you this morning, disturbing the whole house?"

"Matter," said Sam, sitting bolt upright, "where's that infernal Turk? I'll teach him to strike an Englishman on the feet. What, Jack Thomson! Jem! Bill!-all here at Bastock-Lord bless ye, I've had such a dream--all coming of your confounded stories, Jack-I thought I was tried, drowned, taken, sold, beat, bastinadoed, married to eight wivesand the devil knows all what. But here we are, my boys, let's have our breakfast; then we'll have a day's coursing in the upland fields, and after dinner, I'll tell you all my adventures-how I was sent as an ambassador by the Sultan." "And they could not have found a fellow," said Jack, "who was a considerable punster, who could have made himself more at home with the Sublime Port than yourself."-Blackwood's Magazine.

MISCELLANIES.

FLATTERY.

THAT flattery is most successful which ascribes to us some quality that we do not possess, rather than bestows commendation on any which we have; for all men are apt to disregard those virtues or talents which are actually in them, and aspire to the reputation of those which they have not.

LITERAL.

"WHAT news to-day ?" said a merchant to his friend lately. "What news!" responded the other, "nothing, only things grow better-people are getting on their legs again." "On their legs!" said the first, "I don't see how you can make that out?"-" Why, yes," replied the other, "folks that used to ride are obliged to walk now; is not that getting on their legs again!"

FPIGRAM.

If one have served thee, tell the deed to

many;

Hast thou served many, tell it not to any.

WHIMSICAL ANECDOTE OF THE EARL OF

CHATHAM.

In his domestic circle, the earl of Chatham frequently amused himself by reading the serious parts of Shakspeare's Plays; the comic scenes being, on such occasions, invariably taken by some other person present. He would never suffer himself, if possible, it is said, to be seen, by his nearest friends, in an undress; and that, while in office, he would not transact any public business until he had assumed his full official costume. He was, however, often compelled, on account of his hereditary complaint, to receive his colleagues in bed. One evening, in the depth of winter, the duke of Newcastle, on whom he frequently infilicted a lecture, had a consultation with him in his chamber. Pitt had so great a horror of heat that he would never suffer a fire to be lighted in his room; the duke had an equal antipathy to cold; and the night being excessively severe, and his coadjutor's lecture unusually long, perceiving a second bed in the room, he seated himself upon it, and partly covered himself with a blanket. But still feeling insupportably cold, he gradually crept, full-dressed as he was, into it; and the two ministers lay, for a considerable time, at opposite ends of the room, the one warmly declaiming, and the other, shivering, and submissively listening, with nothing but their heads visible above the bed-clothes.

SENSITIVE FRIENDSHIP.

We love to have our friend in the coun

try sitting thus at our table by proxy.. to apprehend his presence, (though a hundred miles may lie between us), by a turkey, whose goodly aspect reflects to us his "plump corpusculum; to taste him in grouse or woodcock; to feel him gliding down in the toast peculiar to the latter; to incorporate him in the larger half of a noble trout, some fourteen inches between the gills and the tail. This is, indeed, to have him within ourselves; to know him intimately; such participation is, methinks, unitive, as the old theologians phrase it, and comes up to the most sublime conceptions of close Pythian-and-Damonic friendship.

ELIA.