His Majesty took his seat on the _dais_, with the imperial crown upon his
head amid the deafening shouts of the up-standing noblesse of the land.
LORD GLENGALL'S seat was high up in the hall; and next to him, on one
side, was the EARL OF BLESSINGTON, whom I had the honor of knowing, and
the EARL OF FALMOUTH on the other, both of whom are now gathered to their
fathers. They insisted upon my taking a seat with them, to which of course
I was nothing loath; and there I fully participated in all the luxuries of
the table, instead of waiting like an humble page for the remains of the
feast. Lord Blessington requested me to go into the peeresses' gallery and
endeavour to procure refreshments for LADY BLESSINGTON. I had never seen
her ladyship; but her famed beauty and talents did not render the task one
of great difficulty. Amid a blaze of beauty, I soon discovered the fair
lady, to whom I was to enact my part of Esquire. In return for the
attentions I had the good fortune to offer, I received most gracious
smiles, and the blandest of speeches, and felt myself rise in stature as I
again paced the ancient hall. At length one of the most imposing
ceremonies commenced; and many a swan-like neck was stretched to catch a
glimpse of the unapproachable magnificence of the scene; the entrance of
the champion (accompanied by the hero of a thousand battles,) in a full
suit of armor and superbly mounted on a white charger with a plume of
feathers on its head; the MARQUIS OF ANGLESEA, similarly caparisoned; the
LORD HOWARD of Effingham, and others of comparatively less note. It had
been whispered that Mr. Horace Seymour (now SIR HORACE,) had been selected
by His Majesty for that important character, and his splendid appearance
would perhaps under other circumstances have justified the choice. The
right, however, was hereditary, and the real representative would indeed
have shown craven, and unworthy the high distinction, if he had
relinquished so honorable a position. The anecdote which is related at the
coronation of George III., of the challenge having been accepted in behalf
of PRINCE CHARLES STUART, after the gauntlet was dashed upon the earth,
was here omitted; for here, happily, there was an undisputed succession.
After the champion had drank to the health of 'GEORGE THE FOURTH, the
rightful monarch of Great Britain,' in a cup of gold sent by His Majesty,
(and which is retained by the champion,) he and the accompanying nobles
backed their horses the whole distance down the hall, gracefully bowing to
their monarch at distinct intervals, amid the most enthusiastic cheering.
WALTER SCOTT was there, his eye sparkling with delight, and devouring that
magnificence of which _his_ pen alone could convey the unlimited splendor.
_Non nobis Domine_ was given by a numerous choir most superbly; and the
whole of the ceremonies were at length concluded. I left the hall with the
loss of my cap and feathers, and in a humble beaver, which I borrowed from
a friend in the immediate vicinity, I elbowed my way through the crowd,
sated with splendor and fairly exhausted. London was a blaze of light, and
Hyde Park, I presume for the first time, was brilliantly illuminated.
Fireworks of the most dazzling description shot meteor-like from every
open spot in the vast metropolis, and the pyrotechnical art displayed in
the parks at the government expense beggared all description. As I have
already stated, Covent-Garden Theatre made a golden harvest by
anticipating the coronation; but it was left for Drury-Lane to give as
near as possible a fac-simile of the one that had so recently taken place.
A platform was thrown over the centre of the pit, across which the
procession took place. ELLISTON repeated it so often to crowded houses,
that at length he fancied himself the KING _de jure_; and his enthusiasm
carried him to such an extent, that on one occasion he stopped suddenly in
the centre of the platform, and with a most gracious and benignant smile,
extended his arms at full length and gave the audience a regal blessing,
in the following pithy sentence: '_Bless ye, my people!_'
I FOLLOW.
'O! mon roi!
Prends comme moi racine, ou donne-moi des ailes
Comme a toi!'
VICTOR HUGO.
Eagle! that coursing by on mighty pinion,
Cleaving the cloud with firm and dauntless breast,
Hast deigned to stoop thee from thy proud dominion,
To circle in thy flight my lowly nest.
I mark thee now, all heavenward ascending,
Thy far form cresting the cerulean,
Above earth's shadows on thy pathway wending,
Thine eye of fire aye fixed upon the sun.
Oh! as I watch thee, all unfettered sweeping
High o'er the rift that weighs my pinion here,
I yearn like thee my plume in ether steeping,
To soar away through yon free atmosphere.
Thine eye was on my spirit's humble dwelling,
And as I met its all pervading rays,
I felt along each vein new nature swelling,
And my weak heart grow strong beneath thy gaze.
And thus infused with thine unfearing spirit,
My wing, that scarcely might essay yon rack,
Casting the feebleness it did inherit,
Would boldly dare with thee the upward track.
And think not I would sink: no, all unquailing,
I poise me now to follow on thy way;
To mount the tempest-cloud with nerve unfailing,
And thread the path whereon the lightnings play.
Press on! strong plumed! on tireless wing upspringing,
Thy course be ever toward the empyrean;
And at thy side my bonded spirit winging,
Will mount with thee till thy high goal be won!
_New-York, December, 1843._ MARY E. HEWITT.
REMINISCENCES OF A DARTMOOR PRISONER.
NUMBER ONE.
It was my fortune to be taken prisoner in India during the war of 1812. I
was, with others, confined in Fort William at Calcutta, for several
months, until the authorities could find an opportunity to send us to
England. At length the Bengal fleet being ready for their return voyage,
the prisoners were distributed on board the several vessels which composed
it. I was placed with a few others on board the 'Lord Wellington,' and
being in a destitute condition, I agreed to assist in working the ship to
England, at the same rate as the regular hands on board. The fleet
rendezvoused in the near vicinity, and consisted of something over thirty
sail, most of them of the largest class, and equal in size to a
line-of-battle ship. They were well armed, some carrying thirty or forty
guns, with a plentiful supply of muskets, pikes, etc. This had been
customary for many years, as a protection against the French privateers
and men-of-war, which swarmed the Indian ocean; in many instances proving
themselves more than a match for their enemies, and sometimes beating off
large class frigates.
On going on board, I found between four and five hundred people, including
officers, passengers, and crew. The captain was a large heavy-built man,
very unwieldy, and remarkable only for having a large, long body placed
upon very small legs. He reminded me of an ill-constructed building, ready
to fall by its own weight. He appeared never to be happy unless he was 'in
hot water,' either with the passengers or crew. There were six mates, or
more properly lieutenants, for all the officers were in uniform. There
were also a dozen or more midshipmen, a boatswain and his two mates,
gunners, quarter-masters, armorers, sail-makers, and carpenters in
abundance. In short, we were fitted out in complete man-of-war fashion;
not forgetting the cat-o'-nine-tails, which was used with great
liberality. The crew was made up of all nations, but the majority
consisted of broken-down men-of-war's men, who being unfit for His
Majesty's service had little fear of imprisonment. The others were
composed of Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, etc.; and taken altogether, one
would have inferred that they must have been drafted from Falstaff's
regiment of taterdamallions.
One fine morning the fleet got under way. Nothing note-worthy or
interesting however occurred until we made the island of Ceylon, where we
lay a couple of days; during which time the crew _got_ and _kept_ most
unaccountably drunk. The officers tried every method to solve the mystery,
but without effect. The truth was, the men became suddenly fond of
cocoa-nuts, selecting them from the bum-boats in preference to any other
fruit. The secret was, that the shell was bored before the nut was quite
ripe, the juice poured out, and _Arrack_ substituted in its place. Our
next place of stopping was Madras, where we took in more cargo, but no
more cocoa-nuts, as no fruit-boats put off to us, the weather being too
rough to admit of it.
We had now been at sea several weeks, and had many among our crew and
passengers upon the sick-list. Of the former, was a young man on his first
voyage. He had been ill more than a week, and there being no physician on
board, there was little or nothing done for him. At length he became
delirious at intervals; and during the whole of the last night of his
existence he made the most piercing and heart-rending cries; calling
incessantly for his mother and sister, and lamenting that he should never
see them more. Poor fellow! before the next night he was sewed up in his
hammock, with a couple of shot at his feet; prayers were read over him,
and in the presence of his silent and pensive ship-mates, he was consigned
to the ocean, that vast and sublime grave of countless millions of our
race. Several weeks after this occurrence, one of the passengers, a
Frenchman, died of the consumption, and was buried in the same way; and
had not the subject been of too serious a nature, the event would have
partaken somewhat of the ludicrous. As usual, the shot was placed at the
feet of the dead body, but proved to be insufficient to sink it. The
consequence was, that the head and shoulders remained above the surface,
bobbing up and down, until we lost sight of it in the distance. The
captain's clerk always officiated as Chaplain at the funerals and divine
service; which latter, by the way, was more of a farce than any thing
else; for I have known more than one instance where they have been
interrupted in the very midst by a squall of wind. Then to see the hubbub;
the congregation dispersed; some ordered aloft, with such pious (though
sometimes more forcible) ejaculations as: 'Lay aloft there, you lubbers!
D--n your bloods! I'll see your back-bones! I'll set the cat at you!' etc.
We now approached the Cape of Good Hope. The weather became lowering; and
as the day advanced, heavy masses of black clouds gradually arose above
the horizon, and palled the sky. Night came on suddenly, and with it the
threatened storm in all its fury. The darkness was as it were the
quintessence of an ink-bottle. _Nothing_ could be seen, save when the
lightning gleamed, or when the rockets which were sent up from the
Commodore, and broke forth, spreading their lurid, baleful light to give
notice to the squadron of their position; then for an instant the whole
scene was lit up with a hideous glare, when all would subside again into
tenfold darkness. This, accompanied by the whistling of the wind, the roar
of thunder, and the booming of a gun at intervals from the Commodore, to
give notice for putting about, gave a grandeur and sublimity to the scene,
which I have never seen surpassed. Fear gave way to excitement; and the
idea of perishing amid this terrible war of the elements was worth years
of the monotony of every-day life. I thought too of the Flying Dutchman,
but did not fall in with him until some time after, and then it was by
day-light, and without the poetry of 'darkness, and cloud, and storm.'
The tempest gradually subsided, and at the end of two or three days
scarcely a breath of wind was to be felt. Angry Nature had changed her
frowns for sportive smiles; the face of the great deep was like polished
glass; but there was a long swell of the ocean, apparently of miles in
length; its bosom heaving and sinking, as if still oppressed with its late
troubles. Our ship lay utterly unmanageable, her sails flapping idly
against the masts. There was not sufficient wind to make her answer the
helm; and there we lay, rolling and plunging, expecting every moment to
see our masts go by the board. The lower yards dipped at every roll; and
so great was the strain, that it drew the strong iron ring-bolts by which
the guns were secured, and the lashings which fastened the large
water-butts broke loose. This was at night; and the power and speed with
which these heavy articles were driven from side to side was truly
terrific. It took all hands the whole night, (and not without great
danger) to secure them. The next day, a new and greater danger presented
itself in a different form. A large ship, about the size of our own, lay
in the same helpless condition; and by reason of a current, or some other
cause, approached so near that it became truly alarming. Both vessels were
rolling their keels nearly out of the water; and had they come in contact,
it would have been certain destruction to both. It was necessary that
something should be done immediately; and the crews of both vessels were
ordered into their respective boats, with lines attached to the ships; and
with several hours' hard labor at the oars, they were enabled to separate
them.
It was about this time that I had a view, not of the Flying Dutchman
exactly, but of his ship, while standing on the forecastle early one
morning. There had been a fog during the night, and a portion of the vapor
still hung over the surface of the water. I had remained in that position
but a few moments, when my attention was called by the boatswain's-mate,
who stood near by: 'Look yonder!' said he, pointing with his finger. I
looked in the direction indicated, and lo! there lay the mystic 'Phantom
Ship.' She was only a few yards off; perfectly becalmed, with no more
motion than if painted on canvass, and apparently not over six feet long,
yet perfect in every respect. I was gazing in admiration, with my eyes
rivetted upon the object, when there came a light breath of air, so light
that I could hardly feel it; presently the mist began gradually to rise
and disperse; the ship began to recede; the magic scene was at an end! A
breeze had sprung up, and the phantom-ship proved to be one of the fleet;
and by a signal from the Commodore, she took her station in line with the
other vessels. I never saw any thing like it before nor since. The
atmospheric delusion was astonishing; but it was nothing new to the old
boatswain's-mate. All the other vessels were obscured by the fog, and this
happened to be the nearest to us. Had the others been in sight they might
(or might not) have presented the same appearance. Possibly the position
of that particular ship helped to produce the effect. The sight of so
large a fleet formed in two lines, extending four or five miles, each
convoyed by a man-of-war, like a troop of soldiers led on in single-file
by its officers, was 'beautiful exceedingly;' especially when the rising
or setting sun illuminated their white sails, and a signal-gun from the
Commodore changed their course; every ship in that vast fleet, at the cry
of 'About ship!' moving as by one mind, and gracefully bowing to, and as
it were saluting, the breeze! It was a scene never to be forgotten.
The wind gradually increased until it became a smart breeze, and we soon
neared the Island of St. Helena. Here we first heard of the downfall of
NAPOLEON, the greatest warrior of all ages; one who struck such terror
into the souls of combined Europe, that they dared not let him go free,
and imposed upon Great Britain the honorable task of becoming his jailor;
and her very heart quaked within her bosom while life remained in his;
doomed though he was to perpetual and hopeless exile, upon an isolated
rock in the midst of the ocean. On seeing the yellow flags, with the motto
'_Orange boven_,' flying at the mast-heads of the shipping, and hearing of
the overthrow of the power of France, our old Dutch boatswain's-mate, (who
in his youth had served with the brave Admiral De Winter, and who had
braved the 'battle and the breeze' for more than half a century,) was
touched to the very depths of his stout heart. He was completely melted,
and wept like a child over the fallen fortunes of NAPOLEON. 'Holland,'
said he, 'has lost her best friend. Who like him will watch over and
protect my country!' He was naturally of a cheerful disposition; but from
that time to the close of the voyage, he appeared sad and disheartened,
and a smile scarce ever came over his countenance. I may remark in
passing, that there were on board of our ship some ten or fifteen Dutch
prisoners, who were the remnant of a large force that had formerly been
garrisoned at the island of Java. All but these few had been gradually
wasted away by pestilence and the poisoned spears and knives of the
natives; and Holland, being so much engaged in her wars at home, had no
means of aiding so distant a colony. Such was their condition when the
island fell into the hands of the English; and they were rescued from
destruction by the natives, only by becoming prisoners of war to the
English. They were all old men, and some of them could speak a little
English: they used to relate to me their former condition, and talk of
their future prospects. The tale was a sad one. When young they were
'kidnapped,' as they termed it, by the government, as no volunteers could
be got to serve in that sickly climate. They were forced from home and
their parents at a tender age and sent to that far country, whence they
had no prospect of ever returning, or hearing from their friends. Some of
them had been absent for forty years, during which time they had seen none
of their connexions, and seldom heard from them; for many years all
intercourse had been dropped. They felt themselves entire strangers in the
world; they were going to Holland to be sure, but not to their home. After
the lapse of so many years, where could they seek for their friends? Death
and other causes had removed and scattered them; and they almost dreaded
the time when they should again set their feet upon the land of their
fathers. Having been many months their associate in imprisonment, I took a
deep interest in these poor fellows; participated in their feelings, and
parted from them with regret. Peace to their memories! They have without
doubt long ere this ended their weary pilgrimage of life.
We remained at St. Helena several weeks, waiting for the China fleet,
during which time we took in a fresh supply of provisions, water, etc.
This now famed island is nothing more nor less than a huge irregular block
of granite, rising perpendicularly from the midst of the sea. The town,
what there is of it, is built in a gully or chasm in the rock: the
inhabitants are composed mostly of the military establishment and those
connected with it, with perhaps a few exceptions. The island is only
useful as a stopping-place for outward and homeward bound India-men, etc;
and the inhabitants would be in a state of starvation, were it not for the
supplies of provisions which they obtain from the shipping which put in
there. All manner of coins from all manner of countries are in circulation
here; and all copper coin goes for a penny, be it twice the size of a
dollar, or as small as a five-cent piece. A person that way minded might
soon make a large and curious collection here.
The China fleet now made its appearance, and after a few days' delay we
all got under weigh, with a convoy of a frigate, a sloop-of-war, and a
transport full of troops, who on their arrival in England were ordered
immediately to the United States, where they were sadly cut up at the
battle of New-Orleans. We left the island with a stiff breeze, which
continued with fine clear weather for several days. The fleet amounted to
over seventy sail, and was arranged in two lines; and in fine weather,
with all sail set, we composed a beautiful spectacle. During the whole of
the voyage the utmost precaution was used to prevent an attack or capture
by privateers, or national vessels of the enemy. Lights of every kind were
strictly forbidden at night, except through a special order from a
superior officer, and a double watch was kept day and night.
'Land, ho!' cried the look-out at the mast-head, one day. It proved to be
what is termed the Western Islands, which lay directly ahead of us. 'Sail,
ho!' was the next cry; and all eyes were turned toward the strangers. They
were two 'long, low, black-looking schooners,' lying-to very quietly,
about three miles ahead. 'See the d----d Yankees!' shouted all hands, in
full chorus, as the American flag was displayed at their gaff. A thrill
shot through my nerves; my heart swelled, and my eyes filled with tears,
as I beheld the Flag of my Country for the first time for many months. No
one can imagine the love he bears his native land, until he tests it as I
have done. Many were the speculations as to the probability of capturing
the saucy privateersman; for by this time all the sail that the convoy
could possibly set was spread in chase of the enemy, who as yet had made
no attempt to fly, although apparently but a stone's throw ahead of us.
Our captain was the only one in my hearing who seemed to doubt their being
taken: 'The d----d scamps know too well,' said he, 'what their craft can
do, to trust themselves so near us.' We now appeared close on board of
them, and the chase well under way, when each fired a gun in defiance or
derision, and darted off like birds. It was now nearly dark, and we were
not far from land, for which one of the schooners seemed to fly right
before the wind, closely pursued by the frigate, under all the canvass she
could set. The other put out to sea, close-hauled upon the wind. The brig
and transport, the fastest craft in the fleet, crowded all sail, but
without nearing the schooner, as she could lie at least two points more to
windward than her pursuers. They both escaped! The frigate being disabled,
by springing her fore-top-mast, gave up the chase; the others relinquished
the pursuit as fruitless, and rejoined the fleet.
The night was extremely dark; and the next morning two large vessels were
missing. It seemed that the privateers had returned, and hovering around,
watched their opportunity, and captured two of our most richly-freighted
ships; but as those seas were swarming with British cruisers, they were
shortly re-captured and sent to England, where the whole fleet soon
arrived. The West-India fleet came into port about the same time; and the
amount of wealth brought into London by the safe arrival of the Bengal,
China, and West-India fleets, must have been almost incredible. For
myself, I was consigned to a dreary prison, 'as will more particularly
appear' in an ensuing number.
A VERITABLE SEA STORY.
BY HARRY FRANCO.
'The sea, the sea, the o--pen sea, the blue, the _fresh_;' but
here we halt;
Mr. CORNWALL knew very little about the sea, or he would have
written SALT.
'The whales they whistled, the porpoise rolled,
And the dolphins bared their backs of gold;'
Worse and worse; more blunders than words, and such a jumble!
Whales _spout_, but never whistle; dolphins' backs are silver; and
porpoises never roll, but tumble.
'It plays with the clouds, it mocks the skies,
And like a cradled creature lies,' and squalls,
He should have added; but to avoid brawls
With the poet's friends I'll quote no more; but _entre nous_,
Those who write correctly about the sea are exceeding few.
Young DANA with us, and MARRYAT over the water,[1]
Are all the writers that I know of, who appear to have brought a
Discerning eye to bear on that peculiar state of existence,
An ocean life, which looks so romantic at a distance.
To succeed where every body else fails, would be an uncommon glory,
While to fail would be no disgrace; so I am resolved to try my
hand upon a sea-story.
In naming sea-authors, I omitted COOPER, CHAMIER, SUE, and many others,
Because they appear to have gone to sea without asking leave of
their mothers:
For those good ladies never could have consented that their boys
should dwell on
An element that Nature never fitted them to excel on.
Their descriptions are so fine, and their tars so exceedingly flowery,
They appear to have gathered their ideas from some naval spectacle
at the 'Bowery;'
And in fact I have serious doubts whether either of them ever saw
blue water,
Or ever had the felicity of saluting the 'gunner's daughter.'
[1] I HAVE unintentionally omitted to name FALCONER, who
deserves the highest honors among nautical writers.