17ZZZ-lin V.SO IFOW.k.B3D&B WEDNESDAY, AUG us l r 6, 1845 [Written for the Bradford Reporter.] A Fragment. The years, the years! how noiselessly they weep Along this waste of being. Stealthfully They work with influence invisible, Yet in their imperceptible advance All earthly things must feel their power. They creep Upon The face of beauty and its sheen Isdarkened. The light and joyousness • Of childhood's cheek, grow faint and fade away Beneath the shadows which their airy wings Cast o'er their sunny tracts of life. How doth ' The rigid brow of manhood lose its cast 'Of hold adventure and grow tremulous And palsy-shaken, when the flying years With noiseless arrows have drunk up The spirit-fountains of the soul. Meanwhile,. No new vicissitude diversifies The march of their existence. Still they Move As rapidly as when they saw the earth's , Primeval landscapes clad with verdant groves-- Ere ever voice of man or beast or bird, Awoke the stillness of the new-born world; Or ever Nature, working in her sphere 'Midst forms and shapes and kinds innumerable Of untold beauty, found response and s aw Herself disclosed and worship'd by Intelligences of her own—changeless Themselves, though changing all.—Yonder new babe, A tiny being, rock'd in earliest Repose upon its mother's bosom, feels The freshest glow of life in heart and limb; Unconscious of all else. Some fleeting year Pass smoothly on : the stranger learns to act ", , His part with more or less adroitness, till His little tragady of life is done ; And new again he sleeps upon the breast Of Earth, our general Parent, which shall heave Not till the last trump shall sound its dread alarm And wake the slumberer.—- The years, the years ; with tempest roar an force They thunder by. In their majestic march They hurry onwards to their final close And consummation all created things. Methinks I bear the solemn melody .Of vast revolving spheres, that mix and whirl In undistinguishable mazes through The infinite of space. And stunning sounds Of elemental war and battle shock, And busy hum of every living thing, Arise in awful chorus to salute lily newly open'd ears. The earth, the sea, The liquid depths of ether, turn with life Painful of happy, and the farthest realms Of space are instinct with intelligence And motion. Winds that shake the mountains tops And earthq‘akes struggling under ground, the huge Leviathian.that flounders through the deep, Nor less the countless living things that fill Earth's smallest particle—the water-drop The green leaf and the rose's delicate tint, Display the workings of the boundless Mind. Nor we slime, the beings of a day, Do live—Se universe has one great Soul That lives and moves and breathes in every thing— And bears the burdens of existence too. The universe is living. Hills and rocks And morn and stars and seas and shores endure Change and vicissitude in endless round. And ever as the solemn years sweep by, The pulses of the universal Soul Heave through old Nature); mighty frame. Our life, A rnetcor r blaze across ‘ the azure sky, Endures but for a moment and is gone— A dancing bubble on the ocean wave, It bursts and sinks into the general mass Of waters. But the soul that breathes our breath— The ground on which our particolor'life Is painted, is eternal; and while all The fleeting forms that mock our vision come And go, it holds its lofty state above • All change, all passion, hope, desire or fear. Tow ANDA. July 27th, 1845, Getting to Sea, By HARRY DANFORTH, AUTHOR OF " CRUISING IN THE LAST WAR." We were blockaded at Newport. Our ves sel was a sharp. Baltimore-built craft, heavily sparred, and carrying twenty guns. She had never been beaten .by a square rigged vessel on wind. If once at sea, therefore, we should have little to lear. But for three weeks we had been lying idly -at anchor, and, as winter was cominz on, the crew began to be impa tient. At list a norther blew the blockading squadron from the Mouth Of the harbor, and the skipper resolved to seize the occasion and attempt to get to sea. The sun had declined towards the low shore of the opposite Island, when, in obedience to a note from the Captain, we met him at the wharf to repair on board. Our ship lay but a short distance off, and as we pulled towards her . I contemplated her exquisite proportion for the twentieth time. Her long low bull eat so light upon the waters; it scarcely seemed to touch them. The tall, jaunty masts, crossed by the long black yards, rose to an immense distance overhead, raking far away aft and ta pering aloft whipstalks. The bowsprit show ed itself high up in front, the stays bracing it taunt to the foremast, and appearing to extend thence, in mazy lines of hamper, to every part of the ship. From the mainmast to the" pen non drooped nearly to the water. now and then stirring lazily in the almost imperceptible currents of air. The :hull was painted of a deep black ; the only other color perceptible about the ship was the blood-red of the open ports. A few quick strokes brought us on board.— The decks were white with constant holyston ing, and the Rase ornaments around were burnished to their utmost polish. Immediate ly all hands were piped to muster. They numbered, all told, one hundred and twAnty " - • • . . . . . . . .. - 2.`• , r . . 'a. ;.:f . ,..:. , v ...; , f f et. •r, 4; The ensuing evening broke clear, without a particle of haze. The stars, however, had not yet faded from the 'firmament before the cold gray light of approaching day, when all hands were piped to make sail. We fired a gun, sat the colors, and loosed the top sails.— Then the shrill whistle of the boatswain again rang through the ship, and the cry, all hands unmoor," floated over the water. The men started merrily to their - work, and soon the ca ble hove short. Then followed the quick or der to brace the head-yards aback and the af ter-yards full ; the windlass was manned again, a sheer was given to port,' the anchor tripped, and the jib hoisted. Her head now fell rapid ly off,aud we began to hear the water bubbling under her stem. "Fill away the head-yards—haul out the spanker," thundered the officer of the deck, and, his orders being. obeyed, we were soon fairly under way, shooting out of the inner harbor with easy velocity, like a sea-bird ta king wing. By this time the sun was half way above the low hills, to the eastward, and the lofty spars, and then the decks were lighted up by his rays. A pleasurable excitement diffused itself in every heart, caused by the rapid mo tion of the vessel, and the beauty of the scene around. Behind us lay the town, the white steeples of some of the prouder mansions glis tening in the sun, while a low murmur rising from its crowded buildings betokened .that its inhabitants were beginning to stir... From the fort broad on our star board we heard thembeat ing the reveille, and its martial tones came stir ringly on our ears. Both the outer and the inner harbor were dotted with sails, mostly those of fishing boats or vessels trading up the river. A cable's length or so, from Fort 11/ol cott lay a taunt rigged brig, with her posts up, and a few men seen lazily about her decks.— She was a privateer that had slipped in a few days before, after a highly successful cruise. As we drew nearer to her, however, man after man showed his head above her bulwarks until her whole crew was visible, watching us as we came down. We were soon side by side. •• Give them three cheers, my lads," said the skipper, as we shot past. Instantly the deafening huzzas arose, died off, and rose again ; and when this round was complete, the crew of the privateer sprang into her rigging and answered us, while the offi cers on her quarter waved their caps for a parting salute. In a few minutes, the brig was far astern. We were now . opposite Fort Wolcott, when we fired a salute to set all drawing sails.— Newport lights waasoon left astern and before two hours Block island was visible from the deck. The broad ocean was now before us, and we took our exuberant spirits. The sky was' without a cloud, the waves danced and sparkled in the sunbeams, the freshening breeze whistled pleasantly in the rigging, and the log told us that we were leaving the shore with a velocity that would soon place us be yond the reach of danger, especially if the fleet of the enemy remained a few hours longer out of sight. " A sharp run this,,Alcott," said one of my brother lieutenants. "We shall have to thank our stars if we don't find any of the enemy in our track." I don't know," I replied ; our craft is a Clipper, and can go into the very eye of the wind.,, W bile I was speaking my eye had been turned to. the look-out at the mast-head, and with the steadiness with which he gazed down to leeward I suspected he saw a sail in that quarter.. I was not mistaken. Simultaneous ly with my remark he hailed. '• A sail—brow' on the lee-beam r All eves were turned toward the designated quarter, and, with the aid of our glass we made nut the stranger to be a heavy ship, apparently under a crowd of canvass, standing from us. We kept on our course, however, and directly saw a second, and then a thud sail under our lee. all crowding on every thing to come up with us. It was evident that they were the van of the English squadron, returning to their blockading station, and that they had made us out from the mast head and given chase. The sea was smooth, with a gentle breeze, so that we feared nothing so long as we kept the weather guage. We were anxious to get as far on our present tack as possible; accord ingly, we continued our course until the nearest 'of the squadron was but two miles distant.— She was a light frigate, whn had drawn far ahead of her consorts. As she came dashing up toward us, careening slightly, ber.pyrainitl of canvass rising gracefully from her hull, and _her peak blowing out from her main-topmast head, she presented a stirring picture. Even the skipper, who usually could see nothing to extol in an enemy, joined in the general praise:, ME " She, is a handsome croft," said he, pausing at the. end of his usual walk on the quarter deck, and wheeling sharp on his heel, after a military fashion he had acquired on shore.— " I did not think his Britanic Majesty had a frigate so beautiful ! But ha !—the fellow- is going to fire at us. He is close within range, too. It wont do," he continued as if convers ing with himself, " to go nigher one might get one's spars crippled." His remarks were cut short, by the sfioot ing of a jet of flame from one of the forward ports of the frigate, followed by a puff of thick white smoke, which immediately floated back wards against the hulk part of it passing over her decks in thin white wreaths to leeward, and part clinging to her dark sides and settling doWn on the water. We had time to notice these things fully before we heard the ball whistling overhead. "By the Lord,!" ejaculated the skipper, "he flings his shot farther than I thought he could. It was well aimed, too—eh, Andrews !" he said, addressing his first lieutenant. "This wont do-z•we have gone as far as we can on this tack ; it is time to put about. Clear away the long thirty-four. however," he thundered, suddenly elevating h 4 worm. " and give that chase a ~Aiot," PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY, AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. S " REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER." The gun of which he spoke was a heavy piece, mounted aminships, for the purpose of crippling vessels we might be in chase of and which were out of reach of our cannonades.— The command was obeyed with alacrity, the crew had caught on the instant, the spirit of the skipper, " A little lower," said the old tar, who was the captain of this favorite piece " a wile yet —there, that's it my hearties. This is a beau tiful sea, lads. for a range—no pitching and jerking, as if one's teeth were to be drawn out —but easy and calm as a fresh water pond.— Now we have all right—stand off." With these words he applied the match, and instantly stoopim - - ! hand on a shipmate's shout' id stretching forward eagerly, ourse of the ball. In a few , he splinters fly frOrn the dark Hit her, by bore her througl wouldn't, if the sl chance. But 1 s windward." The old tar's pi so pnourn fully, was correct sr, however willing he might ige his crew in a harmless bra , II to endan ger his craft by ri wnhin reach of the enemy's „Illingly the smoke from our piece had scarcely blown away from the deck, when he issued orders fur all sail to be made and the ship close-hauled. We were soon, therefore, eating into the wind's eye with every thing set that would draw. The enemy, however, did not seem dispos ed to allow us to escape so easily. The mo ment his shot was returned and he saw us go ing oft dead on the wind, he threw out lighter canvass, and, bracing himself sharp up, began a serious chase. But before the trial of speed had continued half an hour, he saw that we were more than a match for him, and giving up all hope of overtaking us in a pursuit, be gan to fire on us, in the hope of crippling our spars. His first shot went through our mizzen topsail. " Hah !" said the skipper, wheeling again suddenly on his heel, while his brow gathered into a frown as he gazed at the frigate ; and then he muttered to himself in an under tone, " I have got the little Atlas into hot quarters," and again he look angrily and uneasily at the frigate, from whose side, at that Instant, an other sheet of flame leaped forth.,, We watched anxiously the approach of the shot—so anxiously that the few: secondsoccu pied by it in traversing the distance belts een the frigate and ourselves appeared protracted into an age. Our situation 0 as, in reality , one to awaken the most serious apprehensions.— W ith the wish to run to sea as lar as possible on our first tack, we had allowed the enemy to approach within a dangerous proxlmity, which the accuracy with which his guns were pointed rendered doubly critical. A single well•aimed shot might carry away some India= pensable spar, and before the damage could be repaired, the frigate might gain on us sufficient ly make our capture inevitable ; for the lessen ing by a tulle the distance that separated tie would render all attempts to escape futile, as, in that case, with the present smooth sea, the foe could pick off our important spars as sure ly and easily as a practical duelist could split his bullet on a knife, nine times out of ten. , We held our breath, then fore, during the passage of the Lall, nor were we relieved when it struck the transom knee, scattering the splin ters in every direction. They know more of gunnery on board yonder frigate than in most vessels to his ma jesty's navy," whispered the third lieutenant to me. a. We are in a pretty pickle. Depend on it, they have only been trying their range, and that we shall soon have a broadside rattling about us." He had scarcely spoken when the frigate, which hitherto had been firing on us tvith - her bow guns, yawed slightly, and siinulianously the whole of her side Mrward was sheeted with flame, while the cannon balls were visible re- Corbeling, over the waves in their passage to wards us. For an instant we experienced again the most intense anxiety. At last the iron.shower burst upon us. One ball shatter ed the bulwarks but a few feet from where I stood, knocking the splinters twenty feet into the air. One of these splinters was driven, as would drive a dagger, into the body of a sea man who happened to be near me. The poor man tell bleeding and ghastly to the deck, trom whence be was carried below ; and before an hour he was a corpse. "The main top-mast head is injured," re ported the captain of the top. This was a serious piece of news, and I no ticed that a look of anxiety came over the cap tain's face, nor did it disappear until the dam age had been examined and reported to be comparatively trifling, though in a stiff gale the spar would have certainly given way be fore it could hare been strengthened. The re pair of the injury was instantly begun ; and a feeling of relief spread abroad when we came to examine the remainder of the damages and found them to be immaterial, since most of the shot had passed over us or fallen short. We were now rapidly drawing out of reach of the enemy's fire. We had gained perceptii bly on him 'before he resorted to his batteries, but since then his velocity had been diminish ed while ours remained unabated, the conse quence was that he was now fast fallinv , astern. He appeared sensible of this, and - made anoth er effort to arrest our progress with his guns. This time he yawed widely and discharged his whole broadside at us, but every shot fell short. We now merrily bacle.him farewell, thinking the peril past. The day, meantime. had passed the meridi an, and night was fast approaching. The sea continued smooth with gentle breezes. All our light sails being set, we were rapidly in creasing the distance between us and the pur suing squadron, when suddenly four bells in the afternoon watch a sail was discovered to windward, which we soonoade out to bo a schooner with all her canvass abroad, evident ly watching us. Our glasses were immediate- ly put in requisition, and she was discovered to be heavily armed, with every appearance of belonging to the blockading squadron: A fast sailing schooner, origumlly an American priva teer, had lately been caiitued anti commission ed by the British admiral r at Halilaz to cruise off the Sound of Long Island. It war highly probable that she was the vessel in sight. ylf so," said the skipper, " she is a clip per on a wind, She will hug it close, and pepper at us with her long Tom, in order to cripple us so that the squadron may come up and complete the capture, I wonder if any one on board knows,. her." A weather 7 beaten topman ?resented himself when this inquiry ilas made on the forecastle. fie had' been chased in a plot-boat about a inonth before by the schooner, and could easi ly recognize , her. The old know was asked aft and a glass handed him. shot. I'd smote if 1 • give me a off to the He took it, after he had made his bow and placing his tarpolean carefully on the deck, proceeded, with a great deal of importance in his air, to adjust the slides, so as to get. the exact range for his eye. This, with some de lay, he succeded in doing. Then he took a long look at the schooner, during which the skipper and his officers stood by scarcely able to conceal their impatience. When lie had apparently satisfied himself, he removed the glass from his eve, and with the same slow exactness closed the slides aid handed it to the captain, still, however without ,uttering a syllable. " Well," said the 'skipper, now losing all patience, and speaking in his quick way, as he always did when excited, what do you think ? You have taken a look loig enough to recognize her, if you ever saw her be fore." " That's what I was bound to do." answered the imperturable tar, seeing all depended on sartainty in this waiter. Slow and sure is what they used to teach us in old Nhssachu setts, and I take it that what was a gm! rule then is a good rule now—" '• But the schooner," interrupted th! skip per. •. The schooner's a schooner, that's sirtin." replied the topinan, turning a gnidieisu•ely to his mouth, and if she ain't," he contnued, perhaps noticing the angry frown beginring to lower on the captain's brow, the same craft that chased us ofT 'Montauk, a matter of a month ago or an, then I know nothing tf 'the rigging of a fore and aft. The officers looked ateach other o ith think faces. A silence ensued. Then the skpper gave orders to heat to quarters. At the fint tap of the drum the men were at their maims. restless with imp:lth.! re to terminate the sus pense of, our present situation. As we were close on a wind, and theschoom er coming down free it was not long before we could see her decks, which appeared crowded with men. The setting son, as it wheeled its broad disc into the western ocean, dying the I horizon with the gorgeous colors of the expir ing dolphin, levelled its slant rays on he- white sails, and brought her boldly out into rilief.— As the billows heaved and fill against tie gol , den orb, their white spray flashed like 'soften silver ; while the tops of the waves between it and us glistened gloriously along the wake of the sunbeams. For some minutes we forgot everything else in admiration of this settle.— Gradually the luminary sank beneath tht ion zoo ; and one alter another of the brilliant tints in the western sky faded into others less splen did, the gold changing into crimson, the crim son into purple, and that finally subsiding into a pale, cold apple-green. While, however• twilight was gradually stealing over the ,eaboard in this quarter, bringing with it the vague feeling of loueliness which always attends that hour on the mean, the moon, long since risen and now almost at her meridian, was filooding the waters around with her silvery light. Insensibly her berms changed the character of the prospect to the windward. The apple-green disappeared !root the firmament, and night sensibly set in. The horizon grew vague and shadowy ; thin indis tinct masses of what - appeared mist hung around the seaboard, which contrasted strik ingly with the floods of effulgence poured down from the - full moon, in our immediate vicinity. There was not a cloud in the sky. The stars were mostly hidden, though here and their one larger than the rest twinkled with a subdued light. And us the beams of the moon tell on the snowy sails of the schooner. surrounded by its shadows; it seemed like some renal barque. Nv e were now within range of each other, when suddenly the schooner hauled her wind and stood away on the same tack with our selves. 'lmmediately afterward the foot of her foresail lifted and a cloud of smoke puffed up ward. Almost before we could comprehend these manmuvres a- shot went hissing and whizzing ahead of its, and plumpieg, into the sea a few fathoms off, threw up a column of spray. ‘• By the gods !" exclaimed the skipper, "just as I expected. But if the fellow thinks we carry only' earronades. and believeS that by keeping aloof Iromi them lie can cut our spars to pieces with his longtTom, and so en sure our capture when the squadron came up, he is mistaken. We may get crippled, but we'll have a trial on him, at any rate.. For ward there, Tackle. and see what your bull dog can say." Ay I. ay ! sir," answered the captain of our thirty-four ; " we'll give a good account of him. Now, look out, my hearties." As he spoke he sighted the gun and imme diately afterward we heard the report and saw the shot skimming away over the waters. It did not, however, hit the enemy, but passed quite a pistol shot ahead. Tackle gave vent to an impatient oath. and took care to keep his eye from meeting that of the skipper, who stood on the quarter deck. " Dowse her out, my lads," erclaimed the old whter dog. "and we'll try her again.— Yellow Bess wont fail us a second time, Or my name ain't Thomas Tackle." His favorite piece was soon loaded.. He stooped down, squinted along it, and rose up GOODRICH & SON. with au impatient humph. After wauuig a second, he ran his eye again along the gun: and from the length of time he occupied before he succeeded in pointing it to his satisfaction, we knew that his pride was aroused, and that ,the ball would tell home. While lie was yet sight ing the gun, a shot from the long Tom of the schooner rang through the rigging overhead.— But not a muscle of the old lellow's counte nance moved. Quick as lightning he applied the match, and as the smoke eddied off palely in the moonlight, we saw the ball froth his piece knock off the white splinters from the after part of the schooner and then pass in ou her deck, no doubt doing much damage, " Huzza !--there she takes it," cried.out Tackle ; • the varmints have it now on full allowance, plenty of yankee balls and British splinters. We'll give 'em more before we have done with them. I'll pick off their spars directly as I used to knack over the ducks in the Egg Harbor thoroughfares. Howse her out—bowse away merrily. We'll show 'em what we can do." Several shots were now exchanged with considerable animation, the enemy returning our fire briskly from its long Tom. But the distance between us was so great as to redder this kind of warfare of but little peril, for ma ny of the shots fell short and the few lhat hit the schooner had mostly spent their force.— Tackle, however, soon proved.to our satisfac tion his superior gunnery, for scarcely a hall that carried far enough missed its aim. Had we been able to get nearer to - the foe, we should have bored her through and through. but she hugged the wind miraculously. and soon gained enough on us to render it certain that she could beat us on our present tack, a thing not so surprising, however. when' her fore and aft rig was considered. Having satis fied herielf of her superiority in this point she allowed us again to approach. and began a ra pid fire on us from her piece once more. in this hopes of disabling us. We replied. however, to her fire as rapidly, and . with more certainty. Making every effort to get nearer, and close. But this she evaded. dexterously keeping us just within range. By what miracle our spars escaped unhurt I know not. hut after keeping up the contest for some time, we were still un- Injured aloft, except by one or two trifling hurts. Several shot however had taken effect in our hull. On the otker hand, we bad cut away the main peak halyards of our adversary, and riddled her sails so thoroughly that she began perceptibly to lose her advantage in sail ing. A successful shot from Tackle's.piece, at length. cut her foresail loose, and it came down by the run. We now gained rapidly nn her. - Every ex ertion appeared to be making to repair damage, but ht fore the foresail could be replaced we we had run up comparatively close on her quarter, and were doing terrible execution with our gun. She was not -long without spirit on her part, however; and her long thir ty-four was working with such rapidity and precision as to make us heartily wish to get beyond its range. But our only chance of do ing this safely remained in cracking on every thing and so working to windward. . " Hot work this, sir," ssid Tackle, as the skipper came forward and addressed him ; " but it's a smooth sea, and nearly as light as day. I've had a shot already at that long gun of theirs, and I'm no Egg Harbor man it I don't dismount it yet. There's nothing, else in our way when that's gone, except a broad side from their earronades when we pass them, and we can Trepper them after that fashion quite as well as they can pepper us. That's it. now for cutting legs of that barking devil of theirs." . . The shot hissed through the air, and almost before we knew it had left the piece, reached its destination. There was a perceptible con. fusion on the deck of the schooner-; their gun was dismounted, as the old tar had tore• told. Iluzza!" he exclaimed, unable to conceal his exultation. waving his smoke griminvd, hat around Ins head, and the crew, now equally excited, took up the shout until the welkiii quivered with the sounds. Our gallant craft seemed to catch the en thusiasm and start forward like a high mettled courser when he feels the spur. iNe were soon drawing across the schooners bows with every man at his quarters, and the matches lighted. Our piece, meanwhile• had kept do ing the execution: Most oldie head•sails of the schooner had been shot away, so that she now lay unmanageable and at our mercy. Haul down your flag,," . thundered ourcom mander, as we ranged up across her forefoot. or I'll sink there was no answer, unless-a sullen din' feeble shout of di fiance might be called one, that floated across the silent waters.. •• Then God have merry on you!" spid the skipper. and, leaping from the gun where lie had stood, he gave the command to fire. instantaneously our sides were sheeted with flames ; the ship reeled backward, quivered from keel to truck, and the iron tempest sped on its work dl destruction, We heard the splintering of timbers. the cracking of spars, the shrieks of thetounded, and the fall of the foremost into the .ater. When the smoke eddied away partially, so as to give us a glimpse of the foe, t saw him lying a perfect wreck. We have surrendered I" cried a voice from the schooner. A boat was instantly despatched on board. When - we mounted the deck there were scarce ly half a dozen persons to be seen, for most of the crew had flinched from their guns• and ran below before we delivered our raking lire. The shout of defiance we heard had proceeded from the officers and a few resolute veterans who stuck to them. Our almost miraculous success suggested a plan In our skipper which he instantly pro ceeded to carry Into effect. The speed of the schooner make her a dreaded foe ; he there. fore determined to disarm her men and remove them into the boats, after which he would Set the prize on fire. 4. That will he soinethincr to be talked he said rubbing his hands in glee. uTheEn=, giish will never forget our having captured their crack schooner in sight of their squadron aid set her on fire. By jove this has been a clorinus night. We are getting to sea tt's some pi:rporr." This hold resolution was instantly carried into effect. The men were ordered up ne by one through the hatchway, disarmed, and commanded to take their places in boatri. The wounded were then carefully removedi those who could hear it were placed with their companions. and the rest given in charge of our own - surgeon. Now, my lads," s aid the skin ,per. ligh, the bonfire, and let us by its light see where the - British squadron Iles " The boats pulled sullenly away in the dirq lion of the fleet, which they would have - no difficulty in reaching, as the night was clear and the sea smooth. Meantime the schoon'er WAS fired to several places, and having satisfied ourselves that the crew could not return and extinguish it, we once more stood away to windward. Soon the flames , began to break tip the hatchways, rolling before them huge volumes of !may smoke that settled away to leeward, as if a gigantic black curtain had been dropped from the sky in that direction.L A gainst this gloomy back-ground the lurid cdn. flogration shone in hold relief. The fire spre l ad now with inconceOrable rapidity. It licked the masts caught the shrouds, leaped into the fore-rigging, and shooting its thousand Corky tongues in every direction. caught to the stays and other parts of the mazy hamper. until the schooner was a sheet of flame that blazed high above the main mast and streamed far down to leeward. illuminating the horizon 'with the light of noon-day. The burning cinders floated off like showers of stars, and spattered on the waters contindal ly. The crest of every wave in our immediate vicinity glowed like molten gold. -At length the flames reached the magazine, for suddebly a jet of flame of intense brilliancy shot intothe air, while the huge mainmast went up to the sky like an arrow from a bow. , Instantly— quicker than the thunderbolt follows the flash —we heard a stunning roar that made our ship red like a drunken man ; then follbwed !the splashing of timbers on the deep. the hissing as !hey sunk into silence and darkness:—Awe struck and speechless. we stood gazing. is if spell-hound on the spot where the schooner had been.—Nothing was to be seen there ;I but behind it still hung that ominous cloudl, I drew a long, breath. At that instant the moon. w Inch had been concealed by the pall of smoke, broke through its upper edge and poured] her pensive beams across the deep. It waa like the opening of a magic curtain. By its light we saw the boats pulling rapidly away to lee ward where on the farthest Seaboat, the sqhad ron was visible. The night passed without further incident. We kept on our course, gradually losing eight of one after another of the enemy, until then morningltlawned we found ourselves alorle on tho.deep. Not a sail was in sight. I aseend ed to the mast head to look out for bind to the westward, but we had run it out of sight,l and were fairly at sea. The breeze was rapidly freshening and the comb began to gather on the hitherto lazy and monotonous waves.— There was every appearance of a rising storm, when we shaped our course for the African coast. ' Tilt CA-1101AM or PARIS.—PrOrtIVEOTIDur hin, in his work ortEurope. gives a sketch of i the catacombs of Paris. He states that that part of the French metropolis which lies upon the lower side of the Seine is the oldestl'• and from time immemorial, the stone for budding was obtained from quarries lying under the city. It is supposed that the excavations extend un der one-sixth of the city. b 11785, a sugges tion. was made to convert them into receptacles fir the dead ; mid it was finally decided that the remains of the millions that had , passedlaway front the capital during ten centuries, ' should' he removed to those subterranean abodes. I The rubbish wus removed, and pillars built ill) in folic! mashnry, and particular portions oft sep arated front the rest by strong doois, with locks, to serve as first rt. eemaeles. - In 1788, the hones were conveyed in funeral eats, froth one of the prim iples cemeteries, and were p.lrceipi tated into die caverns below. The contents of oilier cemeteries, were soon priced in the vita• combs, w Inch were rapidly augmented by the massacres of tho evolution a little building is erected (to kide Barriers a' IVer, in w hieit is the opening ofthe Tall. The professor and hiii party descentied by ninety steps, and found therhselves alum in the caverns.- '1 hey followed thei t r guide al-out tweniy minutes a.id came to a strong floor. each side of which was ornamented whit Vitus of Tuscan architecture. This door wad open, end as the parry passed through the threshold, the stringers round themselves surrounded by walk of human bones, which the glare 4f their tapers showed . to lie rt gularly -piled up f om the floors to the roof of the quarries. Tfin ones of the legs and atlas mire closely laid in Crr, with i, their ends oomanis ; and at regular i terrals,, skulls-axe interspersed in three horizomal ran ges, disposed so as to present alternate parts of the head, and sometimes a perpentlictilai range is seen, still further varying the generallobtlinr, Passing along what seemed to be interminable ranges of these piles of human beings. they came to several apartments twanged like chape l ls, with yariril dispositions of legs and arms-and grin ning skulk. How new, how strange, ilremarks the author, were the associations of the place. .4 Over our beads was rolling the cast tide fir tire in the gay and the wicked city : its myriads of. Mhabitains were jostling each other on ithe high:. - r unt of haistne , s. while here were the i remains -, of four limes their number; lying in silent and - motionless piles in the derlis below." I - ~. The Pica. !we teiiq story of a an old i horse o far gone that he wasnot able to die. He used to lean on the sunny side of the barn. without strength enough to wink the flies front his eyelids, and his owner was compelled to get another horse to help the poor iroal to draw his Just breath F 'mama ecl, htu l i ME
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