And but for a bark, to Britannia's coast bound then, All my cares, by that plunge, in the deep had been drown'd then; But, by moonlight descry'd, I was snatch'd from the wave, And reluctantly robb'd of a watery grave. How disastrous my fate! freedom's ground tho' I tread now, Torn from home, wife and children, and wand'ring for bread now, While seas roll between us, which ne'er can be cross'd, And hope's distant glimm'rings in darkness are lost. Spare a halfpenny, &c. But of minds foul and fair, when the judge and the pond'rer Shall restore light and rest to the blind and the wand'rer, ** * Every feeling heart must rejoice in the abolition of the slave trade, and will readily award its tribute of praise to that true philanthropist, Mr. Wilberforce, for his unwearied exertions in the accomplishment of that grand object. The following extract from the Parliamentary Register (1791) of the debate on the abolition of the slave trade, may not, perhaps, be unacceptable to our readers:-" There was another transaction that he (Mr. Wilberforce) must distinctly state, not only on account of its enormous magnitude, but also because it established, beyond controversy, the frequency of those acts of rapine, which was the conclusion he had before referred to. When General Rooke, a respectable member of that House, was commanding in his Majesty's settlement at Goree, some of the subjects of a neighbouring king, with B FAIR ELLEN. FAIR Ellen like a lily grew, Antonio in her virgin breast First rais'd a tender sigh: whom he was on terms of amity, had come to pay him a friendly visit; there were from 100 to 150 of them, men, women, and children; all was gaiety and merriment; it was a scene to gladden the saddest, and to soften the hardest heart: but a slave-captain, ever faithful to the interests of his employers, is not so soon thrown off his guard; with what astonishment would the Committee hear, that, in the midst of this festivity, it was proposed to General Rooke, to seize the whole of this unsuspecting multitude, hurry them on board the ships, and carry them off to the West Indies! Was there ever a man bold enough to venture on such a proposal? Not only one, but three! three English slave-captains preferred it as their joint request, alleging the precedent of a former governor! If, in the annals of human wickedness, an instance of fouler treachery were to be found, Mr. Wilberforce was happy to be ignorant of it. But it was not on account of its magnitude that he wished to impress it on the Committee, so much as because it was a pregnant proof of the frequency of the acts of rapine he had before described; for what must be the habits of the slave-trade, what must have been the familiarity with scenes of depredation produced on the minds of slave-captains, when three of them durst not only meditate within themselves, not only confer one with another, but bring into the light of day, and carry to a British officer of rank, a proposal which one would have thought too horrid to be allowed for a single moment, even in the deepest retirement, in the darkest recesses of the most depraved heart ?" NOBODY. IF to force me to sing it be your intention, No, nobody, no, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, no. Nobody's a name every body will own, When something they ought to be asham'd of have done: 'Tis a name well applied to old maids and young beaus: What they were intended for nobody knows. No, nobody, &c. If negligent servants should china-plate crack, Nobody can tell you the tricks that are play'd, No, nobody, &c. But big with child proving, she's quickly discarded; No, nobody, &c. When, by stealth, the gallant the wanton wife leaves, 1 Enough now of nobody sure has been sung, WILL WATCH. 'TWAS one morn when the wind from the northward blew keenly, While sullenly roar'd the big waves of the main, A fam'd smuggler, Will Watch, kiss'd his Sue, then serenely Took helm, and to sea boldly steer'd out again. Will had promis'd his Sue that this trip, if well ended, Shou'd coil up his hopes, and he'd anchor ashore: When his pockets were lin'd, why his life should be mended; The laws he had broken, he'd never break more. His sea-boat was trim, made her port, took her lading; Will lay too till the night came on, darksome and dreary; The Philistines are out, (cried Will) well, take no heed on't: Attack'd, who's the man that will flinch from his gun? Shou'd my head be blown off, I shall ne'er feel the need on't, We'll fight while we can, when we can't, boys, we'll run. Thro' the haze of the night a bright flash now appearing, Oh! oh! cries Will Watch, the Philistines bear down: Bear a hand, my tight lads ; ere we think about sheering, One broadside pour in, shou'd we swim, boys, or drown. But shou'd I be popp'd off, you, my mates, left behind me, Regard my last words, see 'em kindly obey'd; Let no stone mark the spot; and my friends, do you mind me, Near the beach is the grave where Will Watch would be laid. Poor Will's yarn was spun out, for a bullet next minute Laid him low on the deck, and he never spoke more. His bold crew fought the brig while a shot remain'd in it; Then sheer'd-and Will's hulk to his Susan they bore. In the dead of the night his last wish was complied with; To few known his grave, and to few known his end: He was borne to the earth by the crew that he died with; He'd the tears of his Susan, the prayers of each friend. Near his grave dash the billows, the winds loudly bellow; Yon ash, struck with light'ning, points out the cold bed Where Will Watch, the bold smuggler, that fam'd lawless fellow, Once fear'd, now forgot, sleeps in peace with the dead. THE COTTAGE ON THE MOOR. My mam is no more, and my dad in his grave, |