the methodist's quotations evanished from his memory, and the hand of Mary, like the magician's wand, to govern his present and future destiny.

Much I grieve to break off here for a month: but my time is come, and the devils, who follow the methodist indecently close, warn me that I am not to monopolize the whole of the Journal. This story, began apparently at random, will be found hereafter, to be true in its details; and if I myself, or my ghost, ever was on board the Undaunted, or if the circumstances occurred on board of that ship or not, the reader need not inquire. Certain it is, that the principal points are true; and that I myself was an intimate acquaintance of Mary Brown. Throw not away the Loves of a Sailor, because they begin in low life; the moral shall be good; and if I fail, hereafter, to move the feelings of the public, the head, and not the heart, shall be to blame.

THE MISERIES OF A NEW MEMBER OF THE YACHT CLUB.

SOMEBODY has somewhere very sensibly remarked, "that men are never ridiculous for not possessing any particular accomplishment. It is the endeavour to seem that which they are not, which justly exposes them to ridicule."

No man ever learnt from experience the truth of this axiom more thoroughly than myself; and I am about to expose my own weaknesses, and the miseries that resulted from them for the benefit of mankind.

My father was a respectable professional gentleman, who resided in an inland county, and being a younger son, my allowance was small, and my expectations were not very great. It so happened, however, that I was fortunate enough to win the affections of a young lady of very large property; and after all the usual impediments offered by the relatives of a rich young lady who has set her heart upon marrying a poor young gentleman had been surmounted or set at defiance, (for she was of age and under no control,) we were married by one of my brothers at the church of my native parish, and after an elegant déjeûné à la fourchette, we set off in a travelling carriage and four to spend our honeymoon at Brighton.

My young wife had been educated at a fashionable boarding-school near the metropolis, and she had acquired notions of fashion and style that were perfectly astonishing to her less sophisticated husband.

I can't imagine what made her first think of marrying me; I had led so quiet a life in my somewhat retired country town in the inland county before alluded to, that her accomplishments and fascinations dazzled and bewildered me, and had she not smiled in a most encouraging manner, I never should have thought of popping the question. I believe she thought, and still thinks me remarkably good-looking, and ladies. being the best judges on such subjects, I am by no means inclined to affirm that she is mistaken.

"the sea, the When the residents of an inland county first look upon sea, the open sea," the event becomes an era in their existence. Never shall I forget the day of our arrival in Brighton; the vast deep lay before us, exceedingly blue, radiant with sunbeams, and so calm, that the pretty little pleasure-boats seemed to slumber on its bosom.

We drove to " The Ship;" none of your York and Brunswick hotels We for us; such places may be found in inland towns, and we were determined that, for the time being, we would be exclusively maritime. therefere took a house on the Marine Parade, walked before breakfast on the chain-pier, and, neglecting our own carriage and horses, we took daily drives in a fly, yclept "the Mermaid."

Said Mrs. Cockle to me one morning-(I forget whether I have already informed the reader that my name is Cockle,) said Mrs. Cockle to me," my dear, I am quite delighted with the sea, let us take a marine mansion."

"With all my heart," said I. 66 as our wealth will enable us to move fair bride, "And," added my in the first circles of fashion, you must become a member of the Royal Yacht Club. There is nothing so stylish as a yacht; the club is entirely composed of noblemen and members of Parliament, and Cockle, my love, you must become a member."

When a wife, who has enriched a husband, proposes agreeable ways of spending her own money, where is the man who could refuse her? I had never yet put my foot in a boat, and therefore could not flatter myself that I was quite fit to undertake the management of a large vessel. But, thought I, "the sea looks a mighty agreeable, sunshiny place, and the motion of a ship must be quite a lullaby to the nervesas to the names of the ropes and those things, I shall soon learn them; and by the end of the season, I shall be as good and practical a naval commander as any in the club."-At the wane of our honeymoon we left Brighton, proceeded to Portsmouth, embarked in a steam-vessel, and very soon landed at West Cowes, the head-quarters of the association of amateur nautical noblemen and gentlemen. Mrs. Cockle has a cousin, a Mr. Lorimer Lomax, an exquisite of a certain age, who is well known "about town," and piques himself on his dress and personal He is always to be found at the haunts of fashionable appearance. persons, at Melton, at Newmarket, at Brighton during the court season, in London during the spring months; and now it fortunately happened that he was residing at Cowes, and living constantly with the leading members of the club.

He was charmed to hear of my seafaring propensities, readily offered to introduce me to the commodore, and declared that a very excellent first-rate yacht was to be sold, the property of a young gentleman, who had found it convenient to sell off, and retire for a time to the continent.

My arrangements were soon made, I became master and commander of the cutter " Waterwagtail," of 100 tons burden, and also of her crew, and I made my appearance on the parade in a straw hat, a blue check shirt, large rough blue trowsers, and a sailor's jacket ornamented with the button of the club.

I confess I felt rather like a mountebank, but my dear wife admired me, and indeed kept me in countenance, for she too had cloth trowsers, and upon her head a very unladylike cap.

When I enter on a new pursuit, I like to be given time to settle down calmly and gradually into the habits to which I have been hitherto unaccustomed; as a new member of the yacht club I should have preferred being left to myself, to feel my way as it were, and like a cat on a wet floor, to put out one paw, and then the other, ere I too rashly ventured from dry land. I should have liked to have remained at anchor for the first month or so, and indeed had it been possible to draw up the "Waterwagtail" high and dry upon the beach, I should have infinitely preferred that arrangement, and should thus have got accustomed to the smell of pitch, before I was called upon to encounter the motion of the vessel.

But friends are always injudicious; and I had now unfortunately enlisted at an inauspicious moment. The whole squadron was on the eve of departure to Cherbourg, and I was congratulated on having joined them when an opportunity offered for at once enjoying a delightful voyage, visiting a French port, and looking at a French king and all the royal family.

I confess that a little qualm came over me as I listened to the enumeration of these promised joys; but my wife was in an ecstacy, and her cousin, Mr. Lorimer Lomax, kindly offered to accompany us. The next morning we were to put to sea; we were therefore in no small bustle making preparations, and laying in stores for our first voyage.

The dawn was overcast, the morning lowered," and when I looked out of my window, and saw the clouds, and heard the wind whistle, I at once decided that there would be no embarkation that day. But I was no longer my own master. Every body but myself seemed to exult in the fairness of the wind; to me it sounded very foul, and when I looked at the sea, and saw a quantity of what us landsmen call "white horses," I felt as if something had disagreed with me, and said in a supplicating tone to a "brother sailor," who stood near me, "Of course we shall not sail to-day?" "Not sail!" he replied, " to be sure we shall, this is just the breeze we wanted."

It was too late to retreat; I believe. I had got some orders from the commodore about the time and order of our sailing, and the exact place allotted to the "Waterwagtail;" but of all this I knew nothing, my people on board had the management of my vessel, and now came my time for going on board, with my wife and her cousin.

It now really blew hard, I do not mean in my estimation alone, for it had done that all the morning; but all the people about me cast ominous looks at the skies, and seemed to my nervously excited ima gination to consider us doomed creatures. When we got to the steps in front of the club-house, we found the little boat which was to convey us to our Waterwagtail," tossing about like a mad thing, now up, now down, and the water splashing over her. "It is a tempting of Providence to think of getting into her," said I; and my wife clinging to my arm, said, "Had we not better go back?" But Lorimer Lomax, though no sailor himself, seemed desperately bent on destruction to himself and us, and almost unconsciously he and my boatmen hurried us into the danger, and enveloped us in cloaks.

The boatmen seized their oars and away we went, rolling and tossing in a terrible manner, the shore receded, and the happy people walking on the immoveable parade grew less and less, and I now longed to tread

the deck of my newly-purchased yacht, thinking that, of two evils, the big ship would be better than the diminutive punt.

We now got into fearfully rough water; a strong current of the tide, which, I believe, met the wind, caused commotion; I am not sure about this, but I think I heard somebody say so; but whatever might be the causes, I am sure that I can answer for the effects. My wife screamed, and leant upon me; and Lorimer Lomax pinched my left arm black and blue. "Luff, luff!" said the man who steered the boat, and thinking that he looked at me, and that very probably our safety depended on my instantly doing something that he desired, I almost shouted in reply-" In the name of heaven, what do you mean by luff? Mary, my dear, luff, if you please; Lomax, pray luff, if you happen to know how." The steersman (I think you call him) gave a grim smile, and addressing my wife, said, "Trim the boat, if you please, Ma'am."

"Mary," said I," the man speaks to you."

"What, Sir?" cried Mrs. Cockle.

"Trim the boat," said the man.

"Mercy on us," I cried," he talks as if he were desiring her to trim a bonnet! "

"Sit there," said the sailor.

And thankful that at last he spoke intelligibly, without saying a word, I took my wife by the shoulders, and placed her in the identical spot to which he had pointed. We were now nearing the Waterwagtail," and the sailor said, "There's your yacht, your Honour, they'll soon bear down upon us."

"Down upon us!" cried I, looking at the great black body that came nearer and nearer every moment; "Oh, how shocking! to be run over by one's own Waterwagtail!"

We were now tossed about worse than ever. A rope was thrown to us, which hit me in the right eye, the boat bumped against the side of the yacht, and Lomax lay prostrate on the flat of his back. My wife fainted, and was borne up in a state of insensibility, and I followed, holding two slippery ropes, and with difficulty keeping my feet upon what, I believe, they called the accommodation-ladder. A pretty accommodation, indeed!

I stood upon my own deck, I leant against my own mast, and my own sailors pushed me about, and seemed to consider me in the way. I felt as if an illness was coming over me-my legs lost all strengthcold drops stood upon my forehead-I sank upon a seat-my head dangled over the side of the vessel-I was sea-sick!

All fears left me, and with them all natural affections. I cared not three straws about my inestimable wife,-I heeded not her cousin, who was my guest and fellow-sufferer,-I gave no orders, I knew nothing that was going on. I was conscious the weather was getting worse and worse; but I was getting worse and worse myself, and what is the weather to a dying man?

I knew nothing about the commodore,-I knew nothing about the squadron. All night I lay on my berth in the cabin, opposite to my wife, who also lay upon hers; and our beds being on something like shelves let into the wall, and we being pale and motionless, I thought we resembled bodies in a mausoleum.

One lamp, suspended from the ceiling, cast on us a melancholy light. Oh, how it swang to and fro! and the chairs, how they tumbled about! and the horrid clamour that I heard of shouting men, and flapping sails, and creaking masts, and howling winds, and rushing waters. I speak nothing but the truth, when I declare that I expected every minute that we should go to the bottom.

One of my men came down to us occasionally, and gave me brandy, which I passively swallowed, and then gave brandy to Mrs. Cockle. I had just sense enough left to observe that she drank it passively too. Once I ventured to whisper, Is there any hope? I trust we're

near land."

"Near land!" he replied. "No, no; we must keep clear of land. Land is the worst place we could see, such a night as this."

How people may be mistaken! Land was what I had been longing for.

"Could we not go ashore?" said Į.

"Aye; if we don't keep a good look-out, we shall go ashore," he answered.

"Well?" said I.

"And in ten minutes the vessel would go to pieces, and every soul on board would perish."

My wife groaned, and so did I, and I heard an echoing groan from Lorimer Lomax, whose body had been laid out in a sort of closet which served many purposes, and, being lined with plate glass, among others, as a place to dress in.

Little need had we now of dress. Day dawned, but still the storm roared on; and the vessel pitched so much, that, had my sickness permitted me to rise from my bed, I should have found it impossible to stand or walk.

Of Lorimer Lomax I heard nothing but the oft-repeated groan. He was a bachelor of sixty, and ever anxious to appear to the best advanlage. He always "made himself up," as the phrase goes, and was the very worst subject in the world for a sea voyage like the present. The chances were, that his outward man would be entirely washed away, and that, when we did meet, I should not recognise him.

But I thought not of this; I thought of nothing but impending destruction. Again came the horrid night, with the swinging lamp, and the din of many noises; and another day passed, and another; and at length, feeling the improbability of her having survived so long, I some. times spoke faintly to my wife, that I might, from her answering or remaining silent, judge whether she was alive or dead.

One morning I heard guns firing, and people huzzaing, and was informed that, the weather having abated, we had ventured nearer the French coast, and that we were now off Cherbourg. My mate was a communicative person, and he told me all that was going on. We had arrived too late for great part of the festivities, a sort of awkward squad to the squadron. But the sailor told me, with great glee, that we were at that moment going through evolutions for the amusement of the great people on shore, where I was invited, with the other members of the R. Y. C., to dine with French royalty.

"Dine!" said I, shaking my head convulsively, as a sick person always does when you talk to him of dainties. However, I rose, for the