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 The Lady Argentine hath fled. She hath left the husband who loved her so, 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; As white and as soft as a lady's hand In an evil day and an hour of wo There was feasting and joy in Count Aymerique's bower, She sat in her lonely tower alone, And for her dead mother she made her moan, Might have brought a bride-groom home. Count Aymerique will not his daughter should wed. So thoughts of good and thoughts of ill 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 watches the pilgrims and poor who wait I would some knight were there, thought she, For Aymerique's blessing I would not stay, She watches her handmaid the pittance deal, From the castle gate her handmaid came, His stature was tall, his features bold; He told his name to the damsel fair, And then she knew the tale was true, 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. Where Abba, a stranger so long before, Count Aymerique looked on his daughters down, 357 And next to the Lady Argentine I little thought that I should see Or hath she quell'd her pride? Abba no angry word replied, That Abba again at his board should be seen! The wine hath warm'd Count Aymerique, The wine had warm'd Count Aymerique, In Aymerique's arms the Leman lay, It seemed was small delight, And he belike was loth with blood The adulterer on the Leman's breast. |