in hospitals. Her majesty, the wife of George III, afterwards allowed her a pension of £20 a year, but the heroic maiden-she who had gone through the utmost hardships and endured almost the greatest vicissitudes that ever woman was known to endure-died at length in very indigent circumstances. Over her gravestone might well be recorded, "Here lieth one who loved not wisely, but too well,"-truly so constant a woman deserved a better fate. SKETCHES OF A SEA LIFE. CHAPTER I. THE BRIGANTINE. THE period at which the opening scene of our tale commences was about the middle of August......... The sun was slowly descending towards the western horizon, and the revelling waters of the broad Atlantic blushed most brilliantly beneath his reddening glare. The boisterous clamor of Æolus's rude voice for awhile had ceased, and all was hushed, save the gentle sighing of evening's softest zephyr which fanned the ocean's slightly agitated surface with its cooling and welcome breath. About the centre of this marine tableau two small white specks were visible.— The The only objects to be seen upon the wide expanse of dark blue waves, and still more extensive regions of fir mament above, were the two small specks just alluded to. One, on a nearer view, was observed to be a most beautiful little vessel, gracefully haling to the breeze, and stealing almost imperceptibly on her course. other was one of the largest kind of that immense species of sea fowl, called the Albatross. The saucy looking craft proved very deceptive with respect to her size, for at first sight she was taken for a light coasting cruiser, but on a closer survey was found to be the Fanny of Buenos Ayres, a fine Bermuda-built Brigantine of nearly two hundred and fifty tons burthen. The while this perfect specimen of naval architecture spread her large white studding sails to the wind, so apparently endowed with life were her gambols, that in the distance a landsman might easily have mistaken her for a mate of the wild ocean bird that majestically soared along with her in its flight. The Brigantine appeared to be in mourning, either for her captain, whom it was supposed she might have lost on the voyage, or otherwise for some one of her owners. Her masts, spars, booms, blocks, and dead eyes, as well as the inside of her bulwarks, nay every part about her, save the figure head, which represented the fine formed bust of a mature young female, and which was all gilt, were painted black. Her long low hull was of such unexceptionable symmetry in all its proportions, that she truly seemed to combine invincible strength with a swiftness perfectly incredible. The planks of which her deck was composed from stem to stern were of that hard cedar wood peculiar to the islands amongst which she was built, and the belaying pins and stanchions abaft the main-mast, of solid brass beautifully bright and untarnished. Her wheel was formed of knotted oak, and her capstan head of mahogany, the highly polished crown of which exhibited a specimen of the most exquisite workmanship, being divided into twelve elegantly carved panels, diverging in radii from the centre, and alternately composed of ebony, ivory, and satin wood, with the signs of the zodiac richly inlaid in mother-of-pearl represented upon each. In the centre was a small plate of pure silver, with the name of the vessel and the date of her build engraven thereon. |