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wards went to Constantinople, where the Grand Signior granted him a firman, permitting him to send his clocks throughout the Turkish empire free of importation duties.

ICY OCEAN.

Of the late discoveries of Russian travellers, that of an island in the Icy Ocean, by Syrawatskoi, a merchant, deserves particular notice. Hedemstrom, the Russian naturalist, who has recently examined the Island, which has received the appellation of New Siberia, found three bird's claws a yard in length; and the roving Jakute related, that they had sometimes found feathers, the barrels of which were capable of admitting a man's clenched fist.

PHENOMENON IN JAMAICA.

THERE has appeared, in different papers, an account of a strange phenomenon, observed lately in the island of Jamaica, viz. the gradual formation of an immense lake, where, a few years ago, stood a very valuable sugar work, and other plantations.-The following letter from Kingston, received some time ago, gives the best account of this astonishing event I have seen:

"Having plenty of leisure, I made an excursion about a fortnight ago, to the lake of St. Ann's; which certainly is a great curiosity-said now to cover 3000 acres of land, and still rising. It is thus accounted for.-There used always to be a large piece of water, say 70 acres, a little from the Montague, in which a rivulet called the Rio Ho, ran, and on one side sunk into the ground with a kind of hissing noise: this subterranean passage appears to have been stopped from some unknown cause; the stream still continues to run, and the water, of course, to increase. One sugar worker has lost 700 acres of good lands, its works, overseers and negro houses; the tops of some are still visible. Several proprietors have lost great part of their grass pastures, and been obliged to dispose of part of their stock. The surface being now so extensive, its perpendicular rising is not so visible -perhaps an inch a week may be about the mark. Some canoes and boats have already been carried there, and afford a pleasant amusement. I took a swim over a fine Guinea grass piece, and got hold of the branch of a tree to rest, but it immediately snapped off, and compelled me to make for shore, almost tired: I could not swim one third part so far in this water, as in the sea or a river; I never found any so soft. All the trees within its

surface are dead, and many very high ones covered over. How high it must rise before it finds a vent, is not yet ascertained, but it must be many yards, as hills surround the spot. I fancy it is 12 miles from the sea. Several ponds now appear, at the distance of half a mile or more from it, where never water was before; these also continue to rise; I suppose the water must ooze through the ground.

"In another part of the island, St. Elizabeth, some hundred acres of land are covered with water, where, in some years, the negroes and stock have been obliged to go 15 miles to drink; a number of springs have broke out where never before there was the least appearance; this at first was supposed to be in consequence of the very great quantity of rain that fell last year, but, when the rain ceased, the springs have not." Yours, &c.

O. H.

This phænomenon has been diminished since the above was received; but we are still without any precise account of the time when, and the means by which the water drained off. A correct and philosophical history of it would be very agreeable.

WAHABEES.

By accounts from Bombay it appears that those formidable religionists the Wahabees, of whom so little is known in Europe, continue to extend their power and their principles. They lately fought a severe battle with the Arabs of Muscat and some Persian troops, who had been sent to the assistance of the Imaum. In this battle the Wahabees are said to have greatly out-numbered their antagonists, their force amounting to 15,000 men; while that of the Arabs and Persians united did not exceed 4,000 men. Of this small army, between 2 and 3000 were put to the sword; and the victory, as might be expected, remained with the Waha

bees.

The Rajah of Travancore is become so favourable to the cause of Christianity, he is expected to prohibit the annual pilgrimages from his territories.

POETRY.

GARCI FERRANDEZ.

By Robert Southey, Esq.

I.

IN an evil day and an hour of wo
Did Garci Ferrandez wed!
He wedded the Lady Argentine,
He loved the Lady Argentine,

The Lady Argentine hath fled.
In an evil day and an hour of wo

She hath left the husband who loved her so,
To go to Count Aymerique's bed.

Garci Ferrandez was brave and young,

The loveliest of the land;

There was never a knight of Leon in the fight

Who could meet the force of his matchless might,

There was never a foe of the infidel band

Who against his dreadful sword could stand;
And yet Count Garci's strong right hand
Was shapely, and soft, and white;

As white and as soft as a lady's hand
Was the hand of the beautiful knight.

In an evil day and an hour of wo
To Garci's Hall did Count Aymerique go.
In an evil hour and a luckless night
From Garci's Hall did he take his flight,
And bear with him that lady bright,
That lady false, his bale and bane.

There was feasting and joy in Count Aymerique's bower,
Where he with triumph, and pomp, and pride,
Brought home the adultress like a bride,
His daughter only sat in her tower,

She sat in her lonely tower alone,

And for her dead mother she made her moan,
Methinks, said she, my father for me

Might have brought a bride-groom home.
A step-mother he brings hither instead,

Count Aymerique will not his daughter should wed.
But he brings home a Leman for his own bed.

So thoughts of good and thoughts of ill
Were working thus in Abba's will,
And Argentine with evil intent

Ever to work her wo was bent,

That still she sat in her tower alone,

And in that melancholy gloom,

When for her mother she made her moan,
She wished her father too in the tomb.

She watches the pilgrims and poor who wait
For daily food at her father's gate.

I would some knight were there, thought she,
Disguised in pilgrims-weeds for me!

For Aymerique's blessing I would not stay,
Nor he nor his Leman should say me nay,
But I with him would wend away.

She watches her handmaid the pittance deal,
They took their dole and went away.
But yonder is one who lingers still
As though he had something in his will,
Some secret which he fain would say;
And close to the portal she sees him go,
He talks with her handmaid in accents low;
Oh then she thought that time went slow,
And long were the minutes that she must wait
Till her handmaid came from the castle gate.

From the castle gate her handmaid came,
And told her that a Knight was there,
Who sought to speak with Abba the fair,
Count Aymerique's beautiful daughter and heir.
She bade the stranger to her bower.

His stature was tall, his features bold;
A goodlier form might never maid
At tilt or tourney hope to see,
And though in pilgrim weeds arrayed,
Yet noble in his weeds was he,
And did his arms in them enfold
As they were robes of royalty.

He told his name to the damsel fair,
He said that vengeance led him there;
Now aid me, lady dear, quoth he,
To smite the adultress in her pride;
Your wrongs and mine avenged shall be,
And I will take you for my bride.
He pledged the word of a true knight,
From out the weeds his hand he drew.
She took the hand that Garci gave,

And then she knew the tale was true,
For she saw the warrior's hand so white,
And she knew the fame of the beautiful Knight.

II.

"Tis the hour of noon,

The bell of the convent hath done,

And the Sexts are begun;

The Count and his Leman are gone to their meat.
They look to their pages, and lo they see

Where Abba, a stranger so long before,
A ewer, and bason, and napkin bore;
She caine and knelt on her bended knee,
And first to her father ministred she.

Count Aymerique looked on his daughters down,
He looked on her then without a frown.

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And next to the Lady Argentine
Humbly she went and knelt;
The Lady Argentine the while
A haughty wonder felt,
Her face put on an evil smile;

I little thought that I should see
The Lady Abba kneel to me
In service of love and courtesy!
Count Amerique, the Leman cried,
Is she weary of her solitude,

Or hath she quell'd her pride?

Abba no angry word replied,
She only raised her eyes and cried,
Let not the Lady Argentine
Be wroth at ministry of mine!
She looked at Aymerique and sighed.
My father will not frown, I ween,

That Abba again at his board should be seen!
Then Aymerique raised her from her knee,
And kissed her eyes, and bade her be
The daughter she was wont to be.

The wine hath warm'd Count Aymerique,
That mood his crafty daughter knew;
She came and kiss'd her father's cheek,
And stroked his beard with gentle hand,
And winning eye, and action bland,
As she in childhood used to do.
A boon! Count Aymerique, quoth she;
If I have found favour in thy sight,
Let me sleep at my father's feet tonight.
Grant this, quoth she, and so I shall see
That you will let your Abba be
The daughter she was wont to be.
With asking eye did Abba speak,
Her voice was soft and sweet;

The wine had warm'd Count Aymerique,
And when the hour of rest was come,
She lay at her father's feet.

In Aymerique's arms the Leman lay,
Their talk was of the distant day,
How they from Garci fled away
In the silent hour of night;
And then amid their wanton play
They mock'd the beautiful Knight.
Far, far away his castle lay,
The weary road of many a day,
And travel long, they said, to him

It seemed was small delight,

And he belike was loth with blood
To stain his hands so white.
They little thought that Garci then
Heard every scornful word,
They little thought the avenging hand
Was on the avenging sword.
Fearless, unpenitent, unblest,
Without a prayer, they sunk to rest,

The adulterer on the Leman's breast.

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