A DARING PILOT.

On board the Immortalité, one of the squadron, which was appointed to watch Brest harbour, was a pilot, who spoke French extremely well. He frequently requested the captain of the Immortalité to permit him to go ashore on the coast of France, that he might learn some particulars respecting the fleet at Brest. The captain was at length prevailed to give his consent. He accordingly repaired on shore, it having been previously agreed upon that, in a few hours, a boat should be sent to bring him back. For five successive nights the boat was sent to the place appointed, but he was not there. Three days more passed away, when he came alongside the Immortalité in a French boat, rowed by two men. The following is his narrative:—" As I was apprehensive that I should be taken and treated as a spy, I gave up all idea of attempting to get on board in the manner and at the time agreed upon, and came to the resolution of hiring a boat to go into Camaret Bay. I accordingly hired a boat; but when we came near Camaret Bay, I told the men I did not mean that bay, but Bertheaume Bay, which was much nearer the ship; the men rowed me towards the place, and when we came near it, I again told them I wished to go to Point St. Matthew, only within two gun-shots of the frigate; upon hearing this, the men flew into a violent passion, telling me that they would take me back to Brest. I immediately took a brace of pistols from my pocket, and pointing one at each of them, exclaimed, 'I am an Englishman; if you do not put me on board of my ship, without delay, I will blow your brains out.' The Frenchmen judged it best to comply with my request." This man had actually been on board several of the French ships of war, and gave a particular and accurate account of their force and condition.

ONE OF NELSON'S WORSHIPPERS.

DURING the peace of Amiens, when Nelson was passing through Salisbury, and received there with those acclamations which followed him everywhere, he recognized among the crowd a man who had assisted at the amputa

tion of his arm, and attended him afterwards. Nelson beckoned him up the stairs of the Council-house, shook hands with him, and made him a present, in remembrance of his services at that time. The man drew from his bosom a piece of lace, which he had torn from the sleeve of the amputated limb, saying, he had preserved it, and would preserve it to the last moment, in memory of his old commander.

POVERTY AND PURITY.

Ar one time, Lord Rodney (then Sir George) became so embarrassed in his circumstances, owing chiefly to an expensive election contest, that he was compelled to seek refuge in France from his creditors. During his exile, the distress of this brave officer at length so much increased, as to become a subject of public notoriety. It had long been suspected by the keen observation of Monsieur de Sartine, who was no stranger to Sir George's merit; he accordingly communicated his ideas to the Duke de Biron, and persuaded him to make the admiral an offer of the command of the French fleet in the West Indies; and also to proffer a very liberal supply of money for the immediate settlement of his debts. In order to accomplish this infamous design with the greater ease, the Duke immediately sent a very civil invitation to Sir George to spend some weeks at his house. One morning, during a walk in the gardens, the Duke, with great caution, sounded the admiral on the subject. but so far was the ingenious mind of Sir George from being able to discover what this strange preamble could lead to, that he at length imagined his Grace must be deranged, and, in consequence, began to eye him with some degree of consideration for what might happen. The Duke, who had not been accustomed to such unyielding principles, now came at once to the point, and openly declared "that as the king, his royal master, intended the West Indies should become the theatre of the ensuing war, he was commissioned to make the most unbounded offers to Sir George, if he would quit the English service, and accept the command of a French squadron." Rodney, with an indignant air, made this memorable reply:My dis tresses, sir, it is true, have driven me from the bosom of

my country, but no temptation whatever can estrange me from her service. Had this offer been a voluntary one of your own, I should have deemed it an insult; but (refering to the kingly attribute) I am glad to learn it proceeds from a source that can do no wrong!" Some little time after this, Rodney was happily relieved from his embarrassments by his friends in England.

A GOOD SEAMAN BUT A BAD DRESSER.

COMMODORE THOMSON, an excellent seaman, but noted for being slovenly and careless about his dress, was one day espied by Sir John Jervis in a boat. clad in a purser's duck frock, and a common straw hat. As the commodore neared the stern of the flag-ship, the admiral called out, pretending to take him for a common sailor, "In the barge there! Go and assist in towing the transport!" A commodore is second in rank only to a rear-admiral, and this was a duty usually performed by the lowest class of seamen. But Commodore Thomson received the gentle rebuke as his chief intended it. Standing up in the boat, and taking off his hat, he answered the hail in proper style," Aye, aye, Sir!" and actually proceeded to execute the order.

PAYING THEM BACK IN THEIR OWN COIN.

DURING the blockade of Alexandria, some French officers were sent off to Captain Hallowell, to offer a supply of vegetables, and observe, of course, the state of the blockading squadron. They were received with all possible civility. In the course of conversation, after dinner, one of them remarked that we had made use of unfair weapons during the action, by which probably the Orient was burnt; and that General Buonaparte had expressed great indignation at it. In proof of this operation, he stated, that in the late gun-boat attack, their camp had been twice set on fire, by balls of unextinguishable matter, which were fired from one of the English boats. Captain Hallowell instantly ordered the gunner to bring up some of those balls, and asked him whence he had received them. To the confusion of the accusers, he related that

they were found on board of the Spartiate, one of the ships captured on the 1st of August; as these balls were distinguished by particular marks, though in other respects alike, the captain ordered an experiment to be made, so as to ascertain the nature of them. The first that was tried proved to be a fire-ball, but of what materials composed could not be ascertained. As it did not explode (as was at first apprehended), it was rolled into the sea, where it continued to burn under-water; a black pitchy substance exuding from it, till only an iron skeleton of a shell remained. The whole had been carefully crusted over with a substance which gave it the appearance of a perfect shell. On setting fire to the fusee of the other, which was differently marked, it burst into many pieces, fortunately doing no hurt. The probability is, therefore, that the fire which occurred on board the French admiral, were from some of these fire-balls, left perhaps carelessly on the poop, or cabin; and this is confirmed, by the fact of several pieces of such shells having been found sticking in the Bellerophon, which she most probably received from the first fire of the Orient.

LORD EXMOUTH'S COURAGE AND AGILITY.

On one occasion, during a severe gale, in which it became necessary to take in every reef, furl most of the sails, and strike the top-gallant masts and other spars, the midshipmen being on the yards as well as the men, and Lord Exmouth (then Captain Pellew) sometimes at their elbow, in close reefing the maintopsail, there was much difficulty in clewing up the sail for the purpose of making it quiet; the captain issued his orders from the quarter-deck, and sent the men aloft. On gaining the topsail-yard, the most active and daring of the party hesitated to go out upon it, as the sail was flapping about violently, rendering it a service of great danger. A voice was heard amidst the roaring of the gale, from the extreme end of the yard-arm, calling on the seamen to save the sail, which would otherwise beat to pieces. A man said, Why, that is the captain-how the deuce did he get there?" The explanation is, that the instant that Captain Pellew had given his orders, he laid down his speaking-trumpet, and clambered

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like a cat by the rigging over the backs of the seamen ; by the time they had reached the main-top, he had gained the head of the topmast, and thence he had slid down by a single rope to the outer end of the yard beneath.

A SAILOR'S BIBLE.

THE following transcript from the fly-leaf of a brave officer's Bible, narrates a touching tale of the dangers of a seaman's life, and the source of his confidence in the hour of trial and danger :

"This Bible was presented to me by Mr. Raikes, at the town of Hertford, January, 1781, as a reward for my punctual attendance at the Sunday-school, and good behaviour when there. And after being my companion 53 years, 41 of which I spent in the sea-service, during which time I was in forty-five engagements, received thirteen wounds, was three times shipwrecked, once burned out, twice capsized in a boat, and had fevers of different sorts fifteen times, this Bible was my consolation; and was newly bound for me by James Bishop of Edinburgh, on the 26th October, 1834, the day I completed the 60th year of my age, as witness my hand.”

"N.B. During the whole time but one leaf has been lost the last of Ezra and beginning of Nehemiah. I gave it to my son on the 1st of January, 1841, aged four years, after it had been in my possession 60 years, and he being enabled by the grace of God to read it at that age. And may the Lord bless it to him, and make him wise unto salvation."

HOW SIR CHARLES NAPIER PRESENTED HIMSELF TO THE ELECTORS OF GREENWICH.

IN 1837, Sir Charles Napier stood candidate for the representation of Greenwich. He polled 1153 votes, but was defeated by a majority of 39. The following characteristic personal sketch of him appeared in the newspapers of the day :-"Captain Napier is a stout man, with an intelligent face, the head poked rather forward, and with dark hair, now becoming grey. On the occasion of his election, he appeared in an old blue frock-coat, with brass navy