fines of the petty republic of Ragusa, which was at this period groaning under the oppression and extortions of the celebrated General Marmont, who commanded there, and was exacting the unwilling homage of what remained of that little fallen state.

My regiment was to be embarked among the rest, and we had but a short time allowed for getting ourselves in readiness.

of Dioclesian, and for the ruins of his palace) is pronounced short in the second syllable; and though this may seem contrary both to the sonorous march of the Italian language, and to the quantity of the original Latin name, yet two other examples, exactly analogous, are presented upon the Italian shores of the Adriatic, in the names of Tarănto and Otrănto, both so pronounced. Horace Walpole has told us that he selected the latter name for his romance only from seeing it upon the map; and as he adopted it rather by the eye than by the ear, it may reasonably be suspected that he would not have chosen it had he been aware how it is pronounced on the spot.

There was just then a great deal of sickness amongst us; and, owing to the paucity of the transports, and the multitude of the troops which was to be conveyed in them, nothing could exceed the state of inconvenience and confinement to which we were subjected on board.

This was the first time that I had ever been at sea in my life, and I underwent my full share of the torment of sea-sickness, so as to find myself extremely weak and reduced from it.

The vessel in which I was, touched at an island of Dalmatia to procure water, the great consumption on board having already exhausted all the stock brought with us from Venice. I felt comforted by the sight of land, and, dreary as this place was, and without any sign of an inhabitant,

was in that disposition of mind to have thought myself happy, had it only been permitted to me to fix and to finish my days there.

Several of my comrades seem to have yielded to some impulse of the sort, for they went on shore on the pretext of assisting the crew in the provision of water, and never returned to us; it is probable that they may have found some means of making their way from thence to Trieste, and so entering into the Austrian service.

I myself felt strongly the temptation of seeking the same adventure, not from any particular zeal for the German cause, but because it appeared to me that I might lead a life of less disquiet and hardship in that service, than in this restless and conscript army.

The attempt, however, was for the present quite impossible upon my part, my strength being so reduced that I could not even hold myself upright; I remained therefore on board.

This island is situated not far from Rovigno, on the north-western side of the small gulf of Quarner: that gulf consequently remained to be crossed, which is of a peculiarly dangerous navigation in the winter season, during the prevalence of the violent wind called Bora, which sweeps downwards upon it from the northward.

We got under weigh, imprudently enough, with every sign of an approaching tempest, and had proceeded but a very few miles from the island, so as scarce to have reached the open part of the gulf, before the gale rose at once to a most

furious height, every wave breaking over

our vessel.

The captain ordered all the troops below, and, fastening down the hatches upon us, considered as to the best chance of saving the ship.

The Bora of the Adriatic is a wind of such a degree of violence, as is almost inconceivable to any person who has never been exposed to it, and the scantiness of sea-room there makes it peculiarly perilous, for, if a ship is unable to hold her course, and is driven before it, she is sure to be wrecked upon some part of the marshes of Ancona, where, from the shallows, and shelving nature of the coast, there can be little or no hope of any lives being saved. This consideration determined our captain at once to endeavour