was to be seen. About six feet above the up all the loose rope and disappeared. This looked very ugly-the cold was intense-the sea water drenching-and so the correspondent shinned up the davit tackle and got on the bulwark. He was stopped there, however, by a sailor in fur cap and sheepskin jacket, who plainly intimated he would not let him on board. As the fellow evidently relied on water, and as many from the top of her bulwarks, hung a crazy old boat over the side, and as soon as they had managed to get under her the men hoisted the correspondent's baggage into this boat; he contrived to get in after them, and the jollyboat made way to the Golden Fleece. As the brig's boat held a good deal of water, the correspondent the assistance of six or seven others who busied himself in arranging his property on were crouching about the deck, the corresthe thwarts, and then applied himself to the pondent saw that force would not avail-his task of climbing up from the boat into the pistols, indeed, were, as they generally are vessel. The instant he laid hold of the rope when wanted, in an obscure recess of some to do so, it came slack into his hand-it had unknown portmanteau. Entreaties were all been loosed on deck-and at the same mo- in vain. At last the ruffians asked, "Kewment a villianous face was thrust over the antey volete daree?' and the tender of a Naside of the brig, the hideous mouth of which poleon for the privilege of leaping on the deck said—“We Greek! No Inglis! You go made in reply was accepted, after a delay of away! We in quarantin!" The correspon- some minutes, which seemed hours to the dent called out to the officer in charge of the sufferer. The money was given and the doboat of the Golden Fleece, which was strug- nor leaped down on deck, but it was only to gling against the head wind near the brig, find himself in a more threatening position, and told him what the man said. He heard, for the Greeks thronged around him, and with and said he would tell the captain-his men the most murderous grins, intended for civil gave way, and as he watched their progress smiles, pressed lovingly around his pockets the correspondent was the cynosure of the and felt the contents as well as they could by neighbouring eyes of some half-dozen of the furtive passes, inviting him at the same time most ill-looking dogs that ever came from the to descend by a hole in the deck down into Morea, who peered at him malignantly as he their agreeable salon under the forecastle. stood shivering in the cold and spray, in the As there could be but little doubt of the inopen boat, suspended 'twixt sky and water, terested nature of their hospitality, these over the ship's side, and pitching and tossing offers were firmly rejected, and the unfortuas she plunged to her anchors. He watched nate "party" proceeded to make a last appeal the boat most anxiously, saw her pull under to "the Golden Fleece" by climbing up on the stern of the Golden Fleece after a tough the transport as well as he could in his famrow; then came a delay full of suspense to ished and half frozen state, and waving his the correspondent, and, judge his feelings handkerchief to the crew. The signal could when he saw the tackles lowered and the be, and no doubt was, distinctly seen, but no boat hoisted away up to the davits. He still notice was taken of it. All the time the unwaited in forlorn hope to see the gig lowered fortunate was displaying the little square of away. The shifting of the vessel as she white cambric, the Greeks were clustered at rolled in the seaway hid the Golden Fleece the foremast watching whether a boat would at times from his sight, and each time that be sent off or not. At length a volume of she was lost to view he imagined her hands spray flashed up from the stern of the Golden busied in pulling a boat to aid him, but the Fleece-it was the first turn of her screw— next lurch showed her with her boats hanging another and another followed, and the steamfrom the davits, her men busied only in pre- er, gathering way shot athwart the bows of paring for sea. When the Greeks saw the the brig, aud made right down the Dardaboat hoisted up and the signals of the corres-nelles for the sea. The Greeks muttered to pondent disregarded, they became very in- each other, and one fellow, with a very sigsulting, putting out their tongues, pointing nificant sneer, pointed to the vessel as she to the sea, and "making believe" they would rapidly increased her distance,—said "No tilt their boat into it, and at last they pulled mind, John-come down-we good men! Bono! Bono!" Meanwhile they began to dred deaths, or drown in the sea, than board finger a deal case which was amongst his a Greek vessel or ask aid from a Greek sailor. luggage. Pillage looked badly, for no one The prospect of being carried out to sea and can say where it ends once begun; and so knocked on the head en route to some clasthe proprietor descended from his elevated sically barbarous hole, was now painfully sugposition on the bowsprit, and redoubled his gested. A few turns of the windlass and entreaties for a boat to the shore. The Greeks the brig would have flown down the Dardashook their heads, and grumbled and grunt-nelles like an arrow. Who could prevent it? ed angrily, getting closer around him, till Who could even tell what had become of the at last one very ill-looking dog, coming close hapless Briton whom the captain of the up along side, laid hold of the black leather steamer had sent on board a vessel anchored case of the racing glass, which hung by a in the Dardanelles at half-past five o'clock strap over the shoulder of their unwelcome one spring morning in half a gale of wind? visitor, evidently thinking that it contained As the captain had positively refused to have arms. The correspondent shoved off the anything to do with the Englishman, and fellow with a thrust of his elbow, and as the had gone so far in his rage as to spit on the vessel gave a little heel over at the same time, deck and trample on it, when, in reply to sent him reeling up against the bulwark. He questions, he said he had been in England, caught hold of his knife made a rush at the "Oh! too often! too often!" There was eviEnglishman, swearing horribly as he did so, dently nothing for it but to "await the but one of his companions caught him by the course of events." The crew held a consulwrist. As there was an evident disposition tation among themselves, and one of their to take his part among the majority of the number came aft to the captain and had an ancrew, our correspondent prepared for the gry discussion with him. A steamer visible worst. It suddenly occurred to him that it through the haze running down from the sea did not seem as if any man of the superior of Marmora towards Gallipoli was frequently class who could command such a vessel was pointed to, and reference was also made again among the men, and he passed quickly through and again to the ships closer in to the town by the crew, and walking aft with an eye well over both captain and sailor, while the crew seemed his shoulder made for the cabin. The crew to watch the result with much interest. followed, but as soon as he gained the com- The Englishman had not lost sight of the panion, he dived below, and was greeted by fact that some bottles of his sherry had disthe sight of the captain fast asleep in his appeared from the case, and had evidently berth. As he tried to explain to him the been drunk by the crew, and there is no doubt object of his unceremonious intrusion in his but that he too evinced a good deal of anxiety best Italian, the correspondent was interupted as to the dialogue. As he was craning his neck by the captain saying, in very fair vernacular, to listen, the captain roared out, "Go forward "Speak English, I understand better." He there! what for you listen to me, eh?" This flew into a violent rage on being told the was too much, and so the correspondent, cause of the intrusion-said he was going to taking advantage of their evident dread of sea in half an hour-that he had been driven the steamers a-head, said, "Come, come, my from Constantinople without papers by the good man, keep a civil tongue in your head; help of the English and French, and might remember there are English ships at anchor be seized as a pirate by any ship of war-near," (there was not one), "and that there that the English had ruined him and his men, had helped the Turks to murder them and oppress them, and yet called themselves Christians; that he would give no boat to the shore -had no boat to give even if disposed to do so, and that the Englishman might get out of the ship his own way as he contrived to get into it, adding that if he (the captain) was an Englishman, he would sooner die a hun are English soldiers on shore, and if you insult me it will be the saddest day you ever knew." The steamer from the Bosphorus was all this time coming down closer, and may be supposed to have entered into the calculations of these worthies. After a little further eager consultation the captain returned, and said though he felt the affront of being boarded in that way without his con sent by an Englishman, he had prevailed on his men to try and take him in the boat, which was small and bad for such a sea, to an Italian brigantine which lay anchored to leeward, and though he would not touch a penny of money belonging to such a people his men were poor and had no choice but to go if they were well paid. The Englishman said he would give a Napoleon for the service (he would gladly have given ten if put to it at the time), and the Greek seemed to consider it liberal. After a fresh "row" with the men, some of whom absolutely refused to go with the boat, the captain succeeded in persuading four of them to go over the side-the Englishman followed with a heart full of thankfulness, though the boat was indeed small and bad, and the sea ran high, and after a hard struggle the crew pulled clear of the bows, and were battling with the full force of the short thick waves that broke on all sides. It was a fighting for life, but anything was better than the brig and the prowling pirates on board her. Many times the men were about to give up and return to their ship, but the top of the Napoleon and the fear of the shore deferred them, and after tumbling and plunging about for a much longer time than was pleasant the boat ran under the stern, of the Italian brigantine La Minerva of Genova. The captain seeing a boat put off from the Greek, manned by four very unprepossessing looking people, shrieked over the taffrail, "Che mandate? Che voleteSignori?" The principal signor was too much occupied with the desire to get on board to reply; a rope hung over the side, and seizing hold of it as the boat rose on a wave, the correspondent swung himself off from her, and with desperate energy struggled up the side till he stood breathless before the frightened master and his crew. A few words set all to rights. The good Italian received the stranger with open arms, and saw that instant steps were taken to secure his luggage from the boat. His boat, he said, would not live in such a sea, and indeed he had given the Greeks over several times, though conscious they were especially protected in a certain quarter when he saw them descend into the trough of the sea. He was very indignant when he learned the way in which the Greeks had acted, and taking down his glass they made out the name on her side, in gilt letters-blank something Nicholas. As they were looking the Greek loosed his top sails, flew down the Dardanelles, and was out of sight-round a point of land in a few minutes. In the course of the morning the wind abated, and the sea went down, the boat was manned with six stout Genoese, and the Englishman and good Captain Ogile parted on the deck of the Minerva as did only old friends sever, and it was with a thankful heart the correspondent scrambled up on the crazy planks of the beach of the Gallipoli, and sought the hospitality of the English commissariat. PLURALITY OF WORLDS.-According to this hypothesis, which has received the sanction of great minds, from Huygens down to Herschel, all the solar, stellar, and planetary bodies are regarded as the abodes of rational, sentient beings. But there are facts which seem to disturb this hypothesis. A terrestrial man, placed on one of the newly discovered planets, would weigh only a few pounds, whilst the same individual, placed upon the surface of the sun, would weigh about two tons. In the one case, therefore, gravity would scarcely keep the man's feet to the ground, and in the other it would fix them immovably. Moreover, the great attraction of the sun must cause bodies to fall through nearly 335 feet in a second, and, consequently, a man who might accidentally fall prostrate, would inevitably be dashed to pieces. A man of straw, or a locomotive bladder of smoke, might walk up with exemplary steadiness and keep his head up, on the sun, and a leaden dandy might possibly adonize with comparative comfort on one of the recent asteroides. Seriously, before we can people the universe, we must discover species of the genus Homo, physically adapted to the various conditions of all cosmical bodies. VISITATION.-A festival instituted by Urban VI. to obtain the Virgin's intercession, and in memory of the visit to her cousin Elizabeth. In several parts of France the Feast of the Ass was celebrated on this day. The asinine performer, and his brethren the clergy, repaired to the altar together, and brayed in unison! THE EARL OF ELGIN. We have selected as the first of our gallery of portraits the present Governor-General, James Bruce, Earl of Elgin, &c. &c., in the peerage of Scotland, and Baron Elgin in that of the United Kingdom. Our sketch is taken from that in the Illustrated London News, and the accompanying description, with all political applications omitted, is drawn from the saine source. daughter of James Townshend Oswald, Esq., of The Earl of Elgin claims common ancestry with the royal family of the same name, so illustrious in the earlier records of Scotland. One of his comparatively later predecessors, Edward Bruce, of Blairhall, was among the Commissioners in the proceedings of which Assembly, however, nominated to witness the nuptials of Queen Mary he scarcely took part, owing to the death of his with the Dauphin, in 1558, and was supposed to father, the November following, when he suchave been poisoned—a circumstance but too signi- ceeded to the family honours. But though till then ficant of the long train of disasters that followed untried in public life, his administrative aptitude that luckless union. His second son, Edward was discovered by the Cabinet in power at the Bruce, of Kinloss, was accredited by James VI. to time, and the result has been alike creditable to the Court of Elizabeth to congratulate her Majesty their prescience and his capacity. In March, upon the suppression of the commotions excited by 1842, he was nominated by the Earl of Derby the Earl of Essex; and furthered the interests of (Lord Stanley), then for the second time Colonial his royal master so well in this mission, that on his Minister in Sir Robert Peel's Ministry, as Governor return he was created Baron Bruce of Kinloss, county of Jamaica, where, singularly enough, he succeeded Elgin; and, on the accession of James to the throne Sir Charles (afterwards Lord) Metcalf, whom he of England, was nominated of the Privy Council, subsequently succeeded in Canada (Lord Cathcart and appointed Master of the Rolls. Thomas, third intervening); and higher praise can hardly be Baron, was created Earl of Elgin in 1683; but bestowed upon Lord Elgin than the fact, that in Charles, fourth of that title, dying without surviv- either sphere he proved himself in every way ing male issue in 1747, the family honours reverted worthy of so impartial, enlightened, and discrimito his relative and namesake, ninth Earl of Kin-nating a predecessor. For four years, during a cardine, descended from the third son of Edward most eventful period in the history of the island, Bruce, of Blairhall, already mentioned. Uniting while, in what may be called the transition stage the two dignities, his Lordship assumed the title of society consequent on recent legislative alteraof Elgin and Kincardine; and was succeeded, on tions affecting the staple of the colony, he conducted his death in 1771, by his eldest son, William Robert, its affairs with exemplary prudence, and with a who died a few months afterwards; the Countess degree of satisfaction to the inhabitants of which surviving him many years, and discharging with vivid remembrance is borne to the present day. great credit to herself the responsible station of governess to the lamented Princess Charlotte of Wales. His Lordship's honours devolved upon his brother Thomas, who married the only daughter of William Hamilton Nisbet, Esq., of Dirleton, in Haddingtonshire. In August, 1846, his Lordship resigned the Governorship of Jamaica, and in the following month was appointed Governor-General of Canada, with a salary of £7777 per annum. Of his conduct in this important post, perhaps the most emphatic eulogium that can be expressed is conveyed in the This accomplished nobleman filled several im- fact, that he has been continued in it by four sucportant diplomatic appointments, and, while Am-cessive Colonial Ministers, and that these four were bassador Extraordinary in Turkey, formed the all at a festival in his honour, viz., Mr. Gladstone, design of collecting and transporting to England the invaluable remains of Grecian art (chiefly consisting of decorations from the Parthenon) now in the British Museum, and known as the Elgin Marbles. Lord Elgin married, in 1810, Elizabeth, youngest * See Engraving. Earl Grey, Sir John Pakington, and the Duke of State for the Colonies. A seventh may be virtually said to have done so too; for the Earl of Derby, in declining the invitation on the score of an important prior engagement, expressed his "respect and regard" for the guest of the evening; and, moreover, the noble Earl's son, Lord Stanley, was present. When Lord Elgin assumed the government of Canada, he took the earliest opportunity to avow the principles on which he proposed to administer the trust reposed in him by his Sovereign, and this avowal obtained for him the general confidence of the Canadian people. It would be wholly out of place here to discuss the political measures brought forward by the advisers of the Earl of Elgin. According to the recognized principles of the Canadian Government, the Ministers of the Crown are responsible for every act of the Government, and from that responsibility they have never shrunk. It must not, however, be supposed that the Governor-General's duties are either light or unimportant. The zeal displayed by the Earl of Elgin in advancing the material interests of the Province, by countenancing every measure calculated to promote them, has been admitted on all hands. His able despatches to the Secretary of State for the Colonies have been read with admiration by Canadians of all classes; who have likewise appreciated his efforts to promote, by the offer of prizes and otherwise, all really useful projects for the improvement of the agriculture, commerce, or export manufactures of the Province. Lord Elgin finds a most effective auxiliary to his deserved popularity in the person of his present estimable and accomplished Countess. This lady, the life and light, as she is the ornament, of the circle which her husband's courteous hospitality, no less than his official position, draws around him, has also hereditary claims on Canadian feeling. She is the eldest surviving daughter of the late Earl of Durham, formerly Governor-General of Canada; his son, her brother, the present Earl, being also among those who assembled to honour Lord Elgin. CANDLEMAS.-At an early period a festival was observed on this day commemorative of the presentation of Christ in the Temple, and the Purification of the Virgin. A profusion of lights was introduced with reference to Simeon's acknowledgement of Christ as a "light to lighten the Gentiles.” CURRAN.-Curran and a companion passing along the streets in Dublin, overheard a person remarks to another-" He is a great genus" (genius) "That man murdered the word," said Curran's friend. "Not at all," replied the wit "he has only knocked an i out." |