"I thought as much, my good girl. But come, you will surely give me your hand at parting?"

"O, certainly, Captain," said the lady," and wish you fine weather, and a successful cruize into the bargain."

The Captain thanked her and bow. ed; and having taken leave and made his obeisance to the rest of the party, he stepped into his gig, which immediately shoved off, and darted from the harbour with all that celerity, for which these boats are so famed.

The commander of his Majesty's sloop of war Whippersnapper, was speedily on board, and the vessel was already under way, when the Admiral telegraphed him to lay to, and send a midshipman on board the guardship, an order which was instantly obeyed, while the Captain impatiently exclaimed to his First Lieutenant, "What the deuce does the old fellow want now, Toddrell, think you?"

"Heaven knows, sir! for he's troublesome enough at times. However, I can soon tell you," replied the Lieutenant, snatching a telescope from the capstan. "Oho! the old boy is going to send us his last quarter's gatherings, for a passage to Yarmouth, I suppose."

"Confound him and his rubbish," said Captain Farrell, peevishly. "Why the devil don't he kept a tender for his own use, like any other guardo, and not be continually disgracing his Majesty's officers and vessels with the transportation of all the felons and jail-sweepings of Scotland. Are there many of them ?"

No, not above a dozen, I think," replied the Lieutenant; "yet the cutter is completely crowded; but that may be owing to the luggage, you know.-You'll see them all directly."

The cutter was soon along side, discharged of her cargo, and hoisted on board; whilst the Whippersnapper, taking a sweeping stretch round the islet of Inch Keith, stood down the Forth under all the sail she could carry.

From his antipathy to what he phrased rubbish and jail-sweepings, Captain Farrell was too much engrossed in crowding every inch of canvass upon his vessel his ingenuity could suggest, in order to give her a more imposing appearance from the shore, to pay the smallest attention to his new comers; and the petty officers seeing them stand

ing idle and unnoticed, instantly hurried them to work. This very inattention on his part, however, proved the very means of bringing them all the sooner under his notice; for having at last got the Whippersnapper something to his mind, he was hurrying aft to indulge himself with a stern-forward view of her, when, in passing a solid mass of fellows, who were tugging away at a weather-brace, the whole suddenly lost footing by a yaw of the vessel, and tripping up his heels, rolled him before them into the lea scuppers. From this awkward and ignoble situation he was speedily released by the exertions of a young man, who, with great alacrity, flew to his assistance, and succeeded in dragging him from the embraces, and from under some hundreds weight of sturdy terrestrial matter, ere his astonished subalterns could come to his relief; then, assisting him to his feet, and modestly expressing his hope that he had sustained no injury, he rapidly mixed among the crew. Captain Farrell looked after the stranger in silence, surveyed his crest-fallen and uprising levellers with an angry eye, and having bestowed upon them a few passionate epithets, which we shall not stop to repeat, retired to his cabin to adjust his soiled clothes.

66

"By G-d, my lads," cried an old seaman, addressing these unfortunate aggressors on dignity," you had better keep a good look out in future. The skipper, I can tell you, is not the lad that will allow himself to be floundered about in that there sort of manner even by us, who are sea-goers, far less by the like of you mere land lubbers, who are good for nothing but emptying a bread bag. I would therefore have you stand clear the next time, otherwise you'll catch it."

"Catch what?" asked one of the recruits, with great simplicity.

"A broom-stick, you scoundrel!" replied old Bluff, walking away and eyeing his querist with infinite contempt.

But Captain Farrell had been bred in too hardy a school to allow his good humour to be invaded by trifles, and no sooner had consigned his clothes into the hands of his servant, than he was again upon deck, with no other remembrance of his fall than a certain degree of curiosity to see and know something of his passengers, as

most of the strangers over to a man of war, and laughed very heartily at the bungling attempts some of them made to palliate their crimes.

He next made some slight inquiries into the respective abilities of the other seamen, and concluded this ceremonial by consigning them all into the hands of the purser's steward, in order to be dressed, retaining only the young volunteer, to whom he signified his intention of having something to say.

He was now joined by his Lieutenant, who, after perusing the aforesaid epistle, burst out into a most immoderate fit of laughter, at what he called the absurdity of Highgate's opinion. "By the Lord Harry, he gets worse

and worse: that Guardo will not leave one drop of seaman's blood in him. But why should I be surprised at any of Ralph's freaks or whimsies-it was ever thus with him; he was ever full of romance and poetry, madrigals, players, and skip-jacks. I remember as well as 'twere yesterday, when I was Mid. with him in the Temeraire, he was known to all the fleet by the name of Sentimental Jacky: and it's not the first dozen of times I've seen him grace the cross-trees or topgallantyard for coquetting on paper with some fanciful Daphne or other, when he ought to have been thumbing his Hamilton Moore. He is a brave fellow, however, and a good seaman; and his only fault, if it be one, is, that he is inclined to look on passing matters with eyes that would do more honour to a parson than to a naval officer. As to his notions regarding this lad, I'm convinced they'll be quite of a piece with many others that I've seen him forin. However, let us overhaul the fellow-this highflying incognito 'twill be but unkenneling a fox, and will afford some excellent sport."

Captain Farrell smiled at the mischief he saw hatching in Toddrell's brain; but protested against all severity, as the young man, besides having rendered him very essential service that day, was a volunteer, and did not belong to the ship.

"Phoo!" cried the Lieutenant, "a volunteer! that's all in my eye!-and as for not belonging to the vessel, what matters it ?-isn't he in the service? However, take your own way of it; for I am devilishly mistaken indeed if you shan't find me right."

The young stranger, who had all this while stood uncovered at a humble distance, was now ordered to advance by Captain Farrell,-" Come nearer, my lad," said he, leaning his back to the capstan; "I find by this list, that you call yourself Edward Davies?" The stranger bowed in silent assent. "And pray, Mr Davies, d'ye belong to this place?"-"Yes, sir," was the answer. "Were you ever at sea before, my lad ?" "No, sir."

"O well, then, you were probably brought up from childhood in its neighbourhood, and have been accustomed all your life to the noise and bustle of shipping?"

66 No, sir."

Here the impatient Lieutenant broke in,-"Or perhaps you've had some near relations in the service who were accustomed to spin their yarns?— Pshaw! I mean, to tell you marvellous long stories about it when you were a boy?"

"No, sir," was still the response. "What!" exclaimed the Lieutenant indignantly, "were you neither brought up in the neighbourhood of the sea, nor had some kinsman or other to tell you lies and blarney about it? -Pray what the devil then made you think of it? Was it because the shore would support you no longer? or was it"

"Truce, Toddrell," said Captain Farrell, smiling and interrupting him, "give the lad fair play at least. I asked you, my lad, a plain question, and you have hitherto returned me an evasive answer. I must, and will have a distinct one.-Tell me, and tell me at once, were you ever at sea before?"

No, sir," replied the young man, with looks of distress.

Ha, ha, ha, ho-a!" burst out the Lieutenant, and stamped his foot for joy. “Come, come, Mister Davies," said the Captain somewhat sternly, "this will never do. I must have more from you than no, sir, when I condescend to ask you questions."

"I have answered you both, gentlemen, with the most scrupulous regard to truth," replied Edward, modestly, but firmly. "I never lived nearer the sea than Edinburgh where I was born, or the banks of Esk, where I believe I spent the happiest years of my life. As to my reason for beco

ming a volunteer, I did it, I can assure this gentleman, from no unworthier motive than choice; for as to the flattery and falsehood I might unhappily imbibe of a sea-faring life, it could only reach me through the volumes I have, seemingly too often, spent an idle hour with. That I was completely a novice in the whole matter, however," added he, sighing, and surveying his clothes," needs no other confirmation than my present appearance before you."

"True, true, my lad," replied the Captain, softened, and hastily interrupting him, " your clothes are battered and cut-up enough, to be sure but that's nothing, for the wind will soon come round again in that quarter, if you behave well-at least, I should hope so.-Are your parents living, Davies ?"

"So far as my knowledge extends, I believe they are, sir."

"You believe they are, sir?" echoed the Captain, with surprise; while his Lieutenant, with the affected calmness of a victorious soothsayer, looked still harder in the abashed youth's face, exclaimed, "D-n me, that beats cock-fighting!"

"Pshaw!" said the Captain to himself, leaving the capstan, and pacing the quarter-deck with hurried steps. "Highgate's completely at fault, as Toddrell said. The fellow's a regular drilled darby-ringer after all! and yet," continued he, carefully surveying Edward, "who would have thought it?" Then stepping up in front of the astonished Davies, he said, with considerable severity, "Did you not tell me just now, fellow, that you were born in Edinburgh ?"

"I certainly did, sir," answered Edward, calmly," but I never said that my parents resided there."

"Well, well, be it so," cried Captain Farrell, coolly, but somewhat sarcastically; "and, pray, where are you now pleased to say they reside? for, remember, you believe they are still alive."

The young man looked embarrassed, blushed deeply, and, though the question was eagerly repeated by Lieutenant Toddrell, continued silent.

"What, does it clinch at last, my lad?" cried the Lieutenant; "D-n me, but I thought as much," and commenced a walk in his turn.

"Hark'ee, fellow," said Captain

Farrell, with a mixture of anger and contempt, " from what I had myself seen and learnt of you from this paper, I was fool enough to feel friendly inclined towards you-but that is now over. 'Tis true, we are entire strangers to one another, and yet I cannot help thanking God that you don't belong where I command-for I hate a suspicious character, to say no worse of you, as I hate the devil. Before you go, however, take a friend's advice for once, and bethink yourself better before you venture again to answer such questions on a quarter-deck, otherwise you will stand a fair chance of paying the gangway a visit.-Remember this, and so farewell-you are at liberty to depart."

Edward, whose face had been an alternate deep-flushing red and an ashy paleness, while the Captain was speaking, still stood, however, apparently absorbed in the most painful feelings. Twice he essayed to speak, but his tongue denied its office; and it was only by a desperate effort, on a second order to depart, that he was able to utter, in a tremulous voice, "I obey you, sir, and I do so with deep regret; for I leave you under impressions, which, I would fain flatter myself, are as disagreeable to you as they are infamous to me. Believe me -believe me-they have not the smallest foundation in truth."

"Then, why not be as honest as you talk of," said the Captain, more coolly, " and answer me a common question in a common way, without resorting to that paltry, shuffling, quibbling manner, to which I cannot help thinking, you've had too much occasion to resort to lately? If you think, my lad, such a stale trick will serve in the least to conceal you, you are mightily mistaken;-for, were such a thing at all worth my trouble, I could tell you in a moment what you are. There are thousands of such fellows as you in the service already-for whom I would not give one straw in comparison of the bold and fearless scoundrel, who honestly hoists his flag and lets every body know that he is one."

"I must confess, sir," replied the youth, with great humility," considering my present appearance, and the associates amongst whom you found me, that your suspicions are perfectly reasonable, though, as applying to me, I solemnly assure you, they are per

"Very well, young man," cried Captain Farrell, "very well, take your own way of it, and content yourself; for your concerns you know are nothing to me, and I have something else to do than stand here prating with you. I must tell you, however, that I think you are a queer one, and no better, I doubt me much, than you ought to be. You may leave me."

So saying, Captain Farrell turned on his heel, and walked towards his officers, leaving poor Davies to join his bandit companions in a state of mind far from being enviable.

"Well, sir," said Toddrell, “don't you think poor Ralph's headpiece is in a sad taking? An unaccountable, forsooth! Pray God all our matters were as easy to be accounted for as that fellow-who is a smart lad enough, but who, no doubt, is some barber's clerk ashore, who has bilked his tailor, and run for it. However, I'm really sorry for Highgate, poor fellow! for

he gets to leeward so very rapidly, that, d-n me, if I don't think the little brain he ever had is leaving him fast; and if God and the Admiralty spare him a few years more of the first fiddle of a guardo, he'll get as muddled, and crank, and pompously stu pid, as a port-admiral, or a dock-yard commissioner."

Here Toddrell's laughter overcame his wit, and he bayed away, as our Campbell says, " both long and loud," to the great admiration of all his juniors, who joined him as a chorus with great glee. Captain Farrell's gravity, however, and his utterance of a peevish pshaw! soon abridged the view of their well scrubbed teeth, and put their merry muscles in a more decorous and business-like form. Leaving them, therefore, more sedately making various remarks on the unexampled strength of that Scottish genius, whose magic pencil make such paltry fragments as the Fern Islands, objects of such high interest in the literary world,-and the juniors busied in taking observations of the headlands of the beautiful coast of Northumbria-the saucy Whippersnapper nimbly walking through it meanwhile-we will conclude for the present, content with having introduced our man-of-war's man, however inauspiciously, to the notice of our readers.

S.

Ox the morning after the Coronation, I found myself in a very disjasked state, being both sore in lith and limb, and worn out in my mind with the great fatigue I had undergone, together with a waff of cold that had come upon me, no doubt caused by that disaster of the thunder plump that drookit me to the skin, as I have rehearsed at length in the foregoing chapter. I was thereby constrained to keep my lodgings for a day; and Mrs Damask was wonderful attentive, and sparing in no pains to get me pleased and comfortable. However, by and by, I came to my ordinar, and then I went about to see the sights, being, in

the meantime, much solaced with occasional visitations from that most worthy divine, Dr Pringle. He was indeed to me a friend among strangers, in that foreign land of London, and took a pleasure in letting me know, from his past experience, what was most becoming of notice and observation.

The first place of note that I went to see, was the Gardens of Vauxhall; and I had for my companion, Mr Ettle, a Greenock gentleman, that I had dined with in the house of Mr Tartan, my friend and correspondent in that town. He was a busy man, seeing all sort of things. I trow no grass grew beneath his feet on the plainstanes of London ;