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THE SUMMER NIGHT.

Come Mary, come! the sun is set,
The moon is rising o'er the trees,
Whose branches, by the night dews wet,
Dance in the breeze.

Come, Mary, come! the laughing hours
Of sunshine are not half so sweet,
E'en though a thousand blooming flowers
Our presence greet.

'Tis true we may not now behold
Their varied forms, and radiant dyes;
Yet from each bell and tender fold
Such odours rise,

That the enraptured heart doth swell
With silent feelings of delight,

While Heaven's pure spirit seems to dwell
Ön earth at night.

'Tis now the pendant guelder-rose,
Touch'd by her soft and silv'ry light,
Salutes, 'mid Nature's deep repose,
The queen of night.

The sun-flower's broad unblushing face
Turns to her God at sultry noɔn;
But this, with a peculiar grace,

Smiles 'neath the moon.

Throwing their branching arms on high,
Each tree's rich foliage we may trace
Relieved by the clear cloudless sky

With matchless grace.

Nor are there wanting sounds which charm

To ecstasy the list'ning ear

Soft, floating on this air of balm,

Music we hear!

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ADMIRAL LORD MIZENDECK'S NARRATIVE.

THE ADMIRAL'S

BY THE LATE WATTY COCKNEY, Esq., author of DAUGHTER; OR THE MAN OF FASHION AT SEA." (EDITED BY THe author of PAUL PRY.")

[In publishing the "Admiral's Daughter," the Editor took upon himself the heavy responsibility of suppressing the entire of the Admiral's own Personal Narrative. For this he has been severely, and, he is willing to acknowledge, justly rebuked. One word, however, he may be permitted to say in defence of that proceeding. Although fully aware that the work intrusted to his superintendence was a work of surpassing excellence, he could scarcely foresee that it was destined at once to place its now illustrious author upon the very highest pinnacle of Fame; else would he not have dared to withhold from the world one single word that had emanated from the master-mind of Watty Cockney. Sufficient and the best atonement is now made for the error.

In the work before us the author touches upon many subjects-things collegiate, legal, and military: but its most important portions are those relating to modern or (rather, it should be said) recent French History, and to the manners, habits, and customs of Parisian Society. These he has described, whether in the glare of the public theatre, at the domestic fireside, or in the quiet seclusion of the cloister: and all with that scrupulous accuracy, that unimpeachable fidelity, by which, in his pictures of Naval Life, he has achieved an immortal celebrity. P*.]

СНАР. І.

Admiral Lord Mizendeck's Narrative-Educated at the two Universities-Studies the Civil Law-Abandons the Law and goes to Sea.

"It is now nearly nineteen years since the ruthless destroyer who lays his cold hand alike on the prince and the peasant, the rich one and the poor-need I say, Death ?-took from me the most indulgent of mothers. Who shall say that grief is powerless to kill? Within one little week of this melancholy event, my father, inconsolable for the loss of his gentle partner in the giddy waltz of life, was seized with a putrid fever of the most malignant character, and died of a broken heart! Thus was I,

at the age of twenty-seven, left an orphan in the wide world! But to

return. My father, like yours, my dear Jessamine, being a man of fashion and fortune, put me, at an early age, into the University of Cambridge to receive the rudiments of my education; and in my thirteenth year I was removed to Oxford to complete it. At the former place I was perfected in reading, writing, and ciphering; at the latter, I was taught navigation, geography, and the use of the globes. Like you, I had always longed for a sea-faring life, so that I devoted myself sedulously to those studies. By the most trifling of accidents was this longing converted into a resolute determination-so extraordinarily are the most important events of life made to turn on the uncertain pivot of chance! Upon the occasion of some public rejoicing the head master of

Oxford gave the boys a half-holiday. Accompanied by the usher we all went to a neighbouring tea-garden, where we regaled ourselves with tea and hot buttered rolls, gingerbread, apples, and other boyish luxuries. In the course of the afternoon the place was visited by a fine old sailor with a wooden leg. He sang several sea-songs, one of which was 'The Death of Admiral Benbow.' My fate was sealed: my youthful heart panted for naval glory: I resolved to be an admiral."

And how long after this event did you remain at college, my dear Admiral Lord Mizendeck ?" inquired I.

"Only till the end of the quarter, youngster," replied he; "when, having completed my seventeenth year, it was my father's desire that I should be expelled. I was so; and I may boast that no young man ever quitted his Universities with higher honours, or more beloved by all who knew him, than your humble. Naturally good-natured, I regularly kept my terms with everybody: generous, and careless of money, I did not care how often I was plucked. At Cambridge I won the silver medal for the best-written Christmas-piece; at Oxford I received a handsomely-bound copy of Hamilton Moore's "Treatise on Navigation,' for my proficiency in that science; and for my industry, and general good behaviour, I was rusticated for six weeks every summer at my father's seat in the country."

"And what degree did you take?" inquired I.

"None," replied the Admiral: "it was my father's wish, indeed, that I should be appointed a Master of Arts; but, though I liked them well enough, I must in candour confess that-blow my timbers!I was always a bad hand at drawing."

And did your father readily consent to your going to sea?" said I. "Tout au contraire, messmate," said the Admiral; "he had determined upon a very different profession for me-the law. Nor can I say he was wrong; for, being upon intimate terms with most of the twelve judges, he was fully aware of how much he might do for me in that line. To have opposed his will would have been madness: for his immense fortune being all in the funds, of which (as I knew at the time) he had not entailed one guinea, he might have left me destitute-cut me off without a single shilling. A lawyer, therefore, I consented to be— requesting only leave to choose for myself the branch of the profession I should follow. This my father granted. As the son of a gentleman, of course I could not condescend to be a mere common lawyer: disliking the idea of Old Bailey practice, I resolutely refused to be called to the bar: the King's Bench was but little less objectionable to me; so I at once decided for civil law, as being the more consonant with my own gentlemanlike habits and feelings. My father, a high-bred gentleman of the old school, declared that civil law was the very line that he should have selected for me; and, forthwith, I (being just then twenty years of age) was articled for seven years to a person admirably qualified to teach it to me-no low, six-and-eightpenny pettifogger, but Mr. Lovepeace, a most respectable solicitor in the Poultry. For seven long years I toiled in Mr. Lovepeace's office, though to very little advantage; for my mind, as you will readily believe, was running more upon cannon-law than any other. Pardon the joke. By a strange coincidence, those seven years and my dear parents expired just at the same time; and, being now master not only of myself, but also of upwards of one hundred thousand

Nor

pounds in ready money, I bade an eternal adieu to law, with all its (to me, disgusting) paraphernalia of briefs and arbitrations, of joined issues and separate indictments, of special retainers and of general warrants." "And immediately went to sea," said I, taking that step for granted. "Being in all respects independent," replied Lord Mizendeck, "and seven-and-twenty years of age, there was nothing to prevent my going to sea instantly, and starting upon my own account; but, as I was inexperienced in nautical affairs, and, unlike many young fellows, not too proud to acknowledge it" (this he added with a sly leer at me), "I prudently resolved to put myself under the guidance of some able commander. I bethought me of my god-father, Lord Sternpost, who, at that time, happened to be Admiral of the Pride of Putney,' one of the finest frigates (as he was one of the finest officers) in the service. was he inappropriately named, for he was a severe disciplinarian. To him, therefore, I wrote, stating my views and wishes; but, as he was commanding on the Adriatic station, I knew that several months must elapse before I could receive his reply. This interval, however, I did not employ unprofitably-remember that, youngster; for from morning till night was I amongst the shipping at Deptford or Woolwich, noting down all I saw, and absolutely fatiguing the officers and sailors with my inquiries concerning naval matters: so that I was a tolerable marine before I received my god-father's answer. At length it came. Lord Sternpost briefly desired me to join him without delay; adding a request that I would call at the Admiralty for any letters or despatches there might be for him, and also just drop in at the War-office and inquire whether there was any truth in the report then current of a probability of hostilities with France. At the latter department I was informed that they had just received intelligence, upon which they could rely, of the beheading of the French King by the tyrant Bonypart; of the consequent breaking out of the French Revolution; and of the horrible Massacre of the Innocents by the monster Robert-spear. To sum up all, they had every reason to believe that Bonypart, for the purpose of injuring our commerce, had got himself appointed to the place of Chief Consul: so that the chances of a war were more 'yes' than 'no.' At the Admiralty I was charged with a small three-cornered note, carefully sealed, and inscribed, To Admiral Lord Sternpost. Private and Confidential. Favoured by Neptune Mizendeck, Esq.' Of this I was desired to be particularly careful; upon no account to open it and to deliver it into the Admiral's own hands.'

Here I took the liberty to interrupt Lord Mizendeck. Say what we will about Bony, my Lord," said I, "we must admit him to be a politician as wary as he is cautious, as deep as he is profound. Consul! a mere Consul! Had he desired to be made a Charge-d'affaires, or an Ambassador, his ambitious projects would at once have been manifest. All he wanted was to get his foot quietly into the stirrup: he knew the rest must follow."

Lord Mizendeck looked at me for a moment with absolute astonishment.

"Profound reflection!" at length he exclaimed. "Original and true! Wisdom beyond his years! A reflection worthy of a mature political

economist!"

He approvingly patted my head, and proceeded in his narrative.

CHAP. II.

Mizendeck joins his God-father, Admiral Sternpost Is well seasoned in Fighting-Promoted-Atrocities committed by BonypartThreatened Siege of Gibraltar-Judicious preparations made by the Governor-Siege, Defence, and Preservation of the Place-Destruction of the Enemy-Peace between England and France.

"I soon found a hoy that was going to land some passengers in the Adriatic, so off I went. We had not been many weeks at sea, when, in lat. 205° 15′ N.N.W., what should we meet but an immense hundredgun frigate coming our way. Conceive my joy upon reading on her stern the words' Pride of Putney! We fired a gun to bring her to; she instantly ran foul of us, and I jumped on board. I shall not attempt to describe the pleasure of Lord Sternpost and myself at this unexpected meeting. He was perfectly extasie'd (as your father would say) at the news I told him, for fighting was his delight: but when he had read his instructions from the Admiralty, contained in the little threecornered note, he danced about the quarter-deck for very joy. Those instructions were brief but precise: they were simply

Go IT, STERNY!'

"Now I know exactly what to be at,' cried Lord Sternpost, rubbing his hands. And I must do my noble god-father the justice to say," continued Lord Mizendeck, " that he obeyed his orders to the very letter; for, from that moment forward, he attacked everything that fell in our way, friend or foe. We were not sailing in the Pacific ocean, that I can tell you. Scarcely a day passed that we did not draw a prize; but we were sadly perplexed by the want of a ship of the line to tow them home. I need scarcely say that, constantly fighting as we did, immense numbers of our crew were killed, so that we were almost weary of the melancholy task of manning the shrouds. Indeed, Sternpost himself declared that he had never witnessed anything like it-except at the battle of Otaheite, in which the famous Captain Cook was slain. All this gave me a good seasoning; nor, blow my timbers! was it unlucky for me: for, having lost all our officers, my god-father was enabled at once to make me a captain, without exciting any of those jealousies and heart-burnings which, otherwise, such a proceeding might have occasioned.

"Some months had passed when Lord S. received a letter from the Governor-general of the Island of Gibraltar. This was sent to him by one of the natives, in a canoe. It stated that the Governor had received positive intelligence that the monster Bonypart, having already killed the King of France, had smothered the Dauphin (the French Prince of Wales) in his chambers in the Temple, and mounted the throne with the title of Emperor. But, what was of most importance to us, it added that the usurper had sent out a first-rate man-of-war to take Gibraltar; and it concluded with a request that the Admiral would come immediately in his ship to defend the place. With this request my god-father complied without a moment's delay; for the possession of Gibraltar was all in all to us, it being (I must inform you, my dear Jessamine) the key to the Mediterranean."

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My Lord," replied I (with somewhat of indignation at his presuming me to be ignorant upon such a point)," my Lord, I am well

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