so much so, indeed, that on one occasion the French general was under the necessity of abandoning the whole of his artillery and field ammunition. During these operations he was twice wounded, and he a third time sustained injury in the defence of the castle of Rosas, under Lord Cochrane. On the arrival of the Impérieuse in the bay, she perceived that the castle of Trinidad, the maintaining of which was essential to the preservation of the main fortress,—had been so hotly bombarded by the enemy, that the British portion of the garrison had withdrawn from it. Lord Cochrane, therefore, taking with him a party of officers and seamen, amongst whom was Mr. Marryat, went on shore, and defended the fortress for some days,-indeed, until the main fortress was taken, notwithstanding that the castle, by this time a complete ruin, was attacked, sword in hand, by 1200 chosen men of the enemy.

When Lord Cochrane proceeded against the boom constructed by the enemy, before he sent in the fireship to attack the French fleet in the Basque Roads, Mr. Marryat was in one of the explosion vessels, commanded by Captain Ury Johnson, which his lordship led for that purpose. For his gallantry on that occasion, he received a certificate from Captain Johnson, who brought his services under the notice of the Admiralty, and for his whole conduct in the Mediterranean he was recommended in Lord Cochrane's despatches.

The log of the Centaur, 74, flag-ship of Sir S. Hood, attests, that in September, 1810, he jumped overboard and saved the life of a seaman named John Mowbray, who had fallen from the main-top; and in 1811, when on his passage to join the Æolus, on the American station, he leaped overboard, and endeavoured to save a seaman named John Walker, but did not succeed in doing so. But we must give this incident in his own words :-" One of the fore-topmen, drawing water in the chains, fell overboard; the alarm was instantly given, and the ship hove to. I ran upon the poop, and, seeing that the man could not swim, jumped overboard to save him. The height from which I descended made me go very deep in the water, and when I arose, I could perceive one of the man's hands. I swam towards him: but, Oh, God! what was my horror, when I found myself in the midst of his blood. I comprehended in a moment that a shark had taken him, and expected that every instant my own fate would be like his. I wonder I had not sank with fear: I was nearly paralysed. The ship, which had been going six or seven miles an hour, was at some distance, and I gave myself up for gone. I had scarcely the power of reflection, and was overwhelmed with the sudden, awful, and, as I thought, certain approach of death, in its most horrible shape. In a moment I recollected myself; and I believe the actions of five years crowded into my mind in as many minutes. I prayed most fervently, and vowed amendment, if it should please God to spare me. I was nearly a mile from the ship before I was picked up; and when the boat came alongside with me, three large sharks were under the stern. These had devoured the poor sailor, and, fortunately for me, had followed the ship for more prey, and thus left me to myself."

Whilst in the Eolus, he jumped overboard and saved the life of a boy, for which he received a certificate from Captain Lord James Townshend; nor was this the sole testimonial of approbation accorded to him by that gallant officer. He had previously been mainly instrumental in saving the frigate from shipwreck during a tremendous hur

ricane. The ship was on her beam-ends, and her top-masts and mizen-masts had been blown over the side, when the question arose, who would be found daring enough to venture aloft, and cut away the wreck of the main-topmast and the main-yard, "which was hanging up and down, with the weight of the topmast and topsail-yard resting upon it." We must let the captain tell how he conducted himself in this case of awful suspense and dismay :-"Seizing a sharp tomahawk, I made signs to the captain that I would attempt to cut away the wreck, follow me who dared. I mounted the weather-rigging: five or six hardy seamen followed me: sailors will rarely refuse to follow when they find an officer to lead the way. The jerks of the rigging had nearly thrown us overboard, or jammed us with the wreck. We were forced to embrace the shrouds with arms and legs; and anxiously, and with breathless apprehension for our lives, did the captain, officers, and crew, gaze on us as we mounted, and cheered us at every stroke of the tomahawk. The danger seemed passed when we reached the catharpens, where we had foot-room. We divided our work, some took the lanyards of the topmast-rigging, I, the slings of the mainyard. The lusty blows we dealt were answered by corresponding crashes, and at length, down fell the tremendous wreck over the larboard gunwale. The ship felt instant relief; she righted, and we descended amidst the cheers and the congratulations of most of our shipmates." For this heroic deed, Lord James Townshend gave him a certificate, and reported him to have "conducted himself with so much courage, intrepidity, and firmness, as to merit his warmest approbation."

When he belonged to the Spartan, he was put in command of a boat, and cut out the Morning Star and Polly, privateers, from Haycock's Harbour, and likewise a revenue cutter and two privateers in Little River.

Mr. Marryat obtained his promotion as lieutenant in 1812, and in the following year was appointed to l'Espeigle, Captain J. Taylor, in the West Indies. Whilst on service in this vessel, he once more risked his life, in an unsuccessful attempt to save the life of a sailor who had fallen overboard in a heavy sea. Lieutenant Marryat was picked up, utterly exhausted, more than a mile and a half from l'Espiegle. Having burst a blood-vessel, he was left behind in the West Indies, in sick-quarters, and after a time was sent home invalided.

In January, 1814, he joined the Newcastle, 58, Captain Lord George Stuart, and led an expedition which was dispatched to cut out four vessels off New Orleans. This he did with a loss of one officer and twelve men. He acquired his commander's rank in 1815, and in 1820, commanded the Beacon, sloop, at St. Helena, from which he exchanged into the Roserio, 18, in which vessel he brought home du plicate despatches, announcing the death of Napoleon. He was now actively engaged in the Preventive Service, in which he effected thirteen seizures. Appointed to the Larne, 18, in March 1823, he sailed to the East Indies, where, until the Burmese war in 1825, he was fully employed as senior officer of the naval forces, the order of Commodore Grant being, that none should interfere with or supersede him. Sir Archibald Campbell, the commander-in-chief, was received on board the Larne at Calcutta, and Commander Marryat led the attack at Rangoon. When Captain Chads, of the Arachne, relieved him in

September, 1824, he had lost nearly the whole of his ship's company. He now proceeded to Penang and Calcutta, returning to Rangoon in December, 1824, and in the following February sailed with the late Sir Robert Sale, of glorious memory, on an expedition to reduce the territory of Bassein. On his return in April, having successfully performed his perilous duty, he was promoted to a death vacancy, and commanded the Tees, which, on her arrival in England, he paid off.

Captain Marryat commanded the Ariadne in the Channel and Western Islands, from November, 1828, to November, 1830. Twice thanked for his services in the Burmese war by the Governor-General of India, he received three letters of thanks from Sir Archibald Campbell, commander-in-chief of the forces, and was five times recommended by him. He was likewise thanked for his expedition with Sir Robert Sale, and was three times recommended and thanked by Commodore Coe. In June, 1825, he received the decoration of C.B., and, an honour, a record of which must not be omitted,—he was presented with a medal by that admirable institution, the Humane Society, for his daring and humane exertions to save the lives of so many men. That society has not on its list a name so worthy of honour as that of Marryat.

In 1837, the Captain published "A Code of Signals for the Use of Vessels employed in the Merchant Service." That admirable invention is now in use in the royal and mercantile service, not only of this country but of foreign nations. He twice received the thanks of the Ship Owners' Society for it, and, the publication having been translated into French in 1840, was brought under the notice of Louis Philippe, from whom he received the gold cross of the Legion of Honour.

man,

In connection with this last distinction, we have a story to relate which we are sorry to feel ourselves constrained to tell, because it presents our late king in a light in which it is not pleasant, and has not been customary, to regard him. William IV. had read and had been delighted with "Peter Simple." It was likely that so true and striking a picture of naval life and manners would have captivated a sailor. He expressed a wish to see the author. The captain, standing in an ante-room in his favourite attitude, of which the reader will form a notion by turning to the accompanying portrait, the king came forth, and observing him, asked a gentleman in waiting who he was. The captain overheard the question, and said, addressing the gentleTell his majesty I am Peter Simple." Upon this, the king came forward, and received him graciously. Some time after this his majesty was waited upon by a distinguished member of the government, to request permission for the captain to wear the order conferred upon him by the King of the French, and to obtain, if not some further promotion, some higher distinction for one who had so long and ably served his country. The former request was granted as a matter of course; and as to the latter, the king said, "You best know his services; give him what you please." The minister was about to retire, when his majesty called him back. "Marryat! Marryat! bythe-bye, is not that the man who wrote a book against the impressment of seamen?" "The same, your majesty." "Then he shan't wear the order, and he shall have nothing," said his majesty.

Every reader will make his own comment upon this. The work in question had been written by a man who had the best interests and

the honour of his profession at heart, who had done much to maintain them, and whom the Earl of Dundonald,-best known as Lord Cochrane, the hero of Basque Road,-in a letter recently written, has thus characterized:-"He was brave, zealous, intelligent, and even thoughtful, yet active in the performance of his duties." It is painful to expose one act of injustice on the part of a sovereign whose nature, in the main, was manly, upright, and generous.

In 1829, Captain Marryat turned his attention to authorship, and having published "The Naval Officer; or, Frank Mildmay," the reception of which gave him encouragement, he set to work with an earnestness and a zeal which he brought to all his undertakings. "The King's Own," "Peter Simple," and " Jacob Faithful," followed each other in rapid succession. To these he added, in the course of a few years, 66 Japhet in Search of a Father," "Newton Forster," "Midshipman Easy," "The Pacha of Many Tales," "The Poacher," "The Phantom Ship," "Snarley Yow; or, the Dog-Fiend," cival Keane," "Masterman Ready," "Poor Jack," "The Settlers," "Olla Podrida," "Diary in America," in Two Parts; "Monsieur Violet's Adventures," &c. All these works obtained a considerable popularity, and even gained the author a reputation which very few modern writers of fiction have succeeded in acquiring.

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It would be unprofitable to dwell upon the genius of Marryat as a novelist. His merits lie upon the surface, and are obvious to every man, woman, and child, who take up one of his works and find themselves unable to lay it down again. He tells plainly and straightforwardly a story, tolerably well constructed, of diversified incidents, alive with uncommon characters, and, as his experience was large and had been acquired over a wide expanse, he had always something to tell which would excite curiosity or rivet attention. He had one quality in common with great men, and in which men of finer genius than himself have been deficient,-a thorough manliness of heart and soul, which, by clearly shewing him what he was able to accomplish, preserved him against the perpetration of that sublime nonsense and drivelling cant which now-a-days often pass for fine writing and fine sentiment. "Peter Simple" has been pronounced his best novel; but we confess we like "Jacob Faithful" at least as well; although we think it would have been better if the Dominie had been mitigated, who is rather an extravagance than an original, and if that passage had been discarded in which the parish-boy tells us he read Tacitus and Horace at a charity-school.

His "Diary in America" gave great offence on the other side of the Atlantic. We do not know whether the captain ever regretted it, but it was an ill-advised publication, and was certain, from its tone as well as its matter, to wound deeply a gallant and sensitive people, who, say what some few of them may to the contrary, are anxious to stand well in the estimation of the mother-country. But that this work was written with malice prepense against the Americans we cannot believe, for the author's venerable mother is a native of the United States; and it may be pleasing to our brother Jonathan to know, what we are pretty certain is the fact, that from that lady he inherited the energy of will and the vigour of mind which he displayed in all the occurrences of his life.

Captain Marryat had been seriously ill for more than a year, from the bursting of a succession of blood-vessels, which forbade all hope of

his recovery, and on the 9th of August, 1848, his sufferings were brought to a termination.

This gallant officer and distinguished man had two sons in the navy. The elder was a lieutenant, and bade fair to have proved himself a worthy son of his father. He jumped overboard and saved the life of a seaman in the Tagus, and his exertions at the wreck of the Syphax were of the most heroic kind. He perished with nearly the whole of his crew in the wreck of the Avenger. The younger son is s. a midshipman, and has, we are told, displayed great talents as an hydrographer.

THE reader will imagine probably more forcibly than we could describe the varying emotions excited by the perusal of the epistle which concluded our last chapter. Whatever they were they produced a fixed and unalterable result. Forgiveness to his erring brother, was recorded in heaven long before Mr. Oldmixon had concluded the prayer which sought it; but no reflection was needed to decide on the path of duty which he deemed was now before him. Restitution the wretched wanderer had been deprived of the means of making. But it must be made. With the view of providing for younger children, Mr. Oldmixon had from time to time made considerable purchases in his neighbourhood, and had thus somewhat largely extended his paternal estate. Having always since he came to his inheritance acted as his own steward, he knew precisely in what quarters to apply in case of exigency. He sent, therefore, directly for his attorney, and desired him to advertise for immediate sale certain farms, &c. which were not entailed; and, aware that the produce of such sales would not nearly meet his present wants, he wrote off to his bankers to request them to advance, or obtain for him, the loan of ten thousand pounds on mortgage of his entailed and unincumbered property, for which loan he engaged to insure his life, and, as collateral security for fulfilling that engagement, to deposit the deeds of a certain estate which he reserved for that purpose. The next foreign post was charged with a letter to his wretched brother, conveying in the language of heartrending agony his own feelings of humiliation and disgrace, and at the same time announcing his personal forgiveness: desiring him to draw quarterly by the name he had adopted on a London banker, whom he designated, for the annual sum of two hundred pounds, so long as he never acknowledged or resumed his paternal name, and which he trusted would enable him to live, if not with luxury, at least above temptation. In this he enclosed a banker's letter of credit for fifty pounds, as an anticipation of the first quarter.

He moreover desired him merely to acknowledge the receipt of his letter and enclosure, and then to write no more, since he had resolved