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British Tars obliged the enemy to sheer off.

IV.

Lord Bridport's Victory off Port L'Orient, June 23 1795. Le Tigre, 80' Taken, after a Alexandre, 74 long chase, by the Le Formidable, 74 Sfleet under Admiral Lord Bridport close in with port L'Orient. These ships composed part of a fleet, consisting of twelve ships of the line, eleven frigates, and some smaller vessels, more of which would doubtless have been taken, had they not been sheltered by the land. The British Fleet, thirteen sail of the line.-Total of British killed 31wounded 108. V.

Lord Keith's capture of the Dutch squadron, in Saldanha Bay, August 17, 1796.

Two of 64, one of 54, one of 44, one of 40, one of 28, one of 26,guns, and a store-ship.

Surrendered by Rear-Admiral Lucas, on captulation to, and taken possession of, by the squadron under Lord Keith, without firing a gun.

VI.

Lord St. Vincent's Victory off Cape St. Vincent, February 14, 1797.

British Fleet-Two of 110, two of 98, two of 40, seven of 74, one of 64, one of 40, three of 32, two of 18, and one of 12, guns.

Spanish Fleet. One of 136, six of 112, two of 84, eighteen of 74, twelve of 34, and one of 12, guns.

Night put a period to this hard fought battle; but notwithstanding the vast superiority of the enemy, British valour deprived them of two ships of 112, one of 80, and one of

74, guns.

VII.

Lord Duncan's Victory off Camperdown, October 11, 1797. English Fleet.-Seven of 74, seven of 64, and two of 50, guns.

Dutch Fleet. Three of 74, four of 68, one of 67, two of 64, two of 56, two of 54, one of 48, two of 44, one of 32, one of 26, two of 24, three of 18, and two of 16, guns.

The action of that triumphant day commenced about forty minutes pat

noon, and ended in the capture of two af 74, three of 68, two of 64, two of 56, one of 44, and one of 32, guns, VIII.

Lord Nelson's Victory off the Mouth of the Nile, August 1 and 2, 1798.

English Fleet. Thirteen of 74, one of 50, guns, and a brig.

French Fleet. One of 120, two of 84, one of 80, one of 78, six of 74, two of 70, two of 44, and two of 36, guns.

It is needless to recount the innumerable instances of British bravery displayed in this action; suffice it to say, that the whole French fleet were taken or burnt, except two ships of the line, and two of 44 guns that escaped

IX.

Sir J. B. Warren's Victory off the N. W. Coast of Ireland, October 12, 13, and 18, 1798.

English Fleet.-One of 80, two of 74, three of 44, one of 38, and one of 36, guns.

French Fleet.-One of 30, one of 46, four of 40, one of 42, two of 36, and a schooner.

To describe distinctly the variousevolutions of the ships, or to expatiate on the conduct of the heroes who commanded them, would far exceed our limits, we need only remark, that out of the whole French squadron only three of their smallest ships escaped.

X.

Admiral Mitchell's Victory in the Texel, August 28 and 30, 1799.

British Fleet.-One of 66, seven of 64, one of 54, two of 50, one of 44, one of 38, and three of 32, guns.

Dutch Fleet.-One of 74, one of 69, four of 68, one of 66, three of 54, eight of 44, two of 32, three of 24, and one of 16, guns.

All of which surrendered, or were taken possession of, under the ordersof Admiral Lord Duncan, in the New Deep, and within the Texci.

XI. Lord Nelson's Victory off Copen"hagen, April 2, 1801.

The Danish force, for the defence of Copenhagen, consisted of six ships of the line, eleven floating batterics,

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Sir J. Saumarez's Victory off Algesiras, July 12, 1801.

The English squadron consisted of five ships of the line and three frigates; and the combined Spanish and French squadron of ten ships of the line, three frigates, and many smaller vessels, under the command of Admirals de Moreno and Linois.

The issue of this combat was, the San Antonia, of 74 guns, taken, and the Real Carlos and San Hermenigeldo, of 112 guns each, took fire and blew up, with more than 2000 souls on board.

Abstract of Ships captured and destroyed from the different Hostile powers to the end of the year 1800.

FRENCH.-45 ships of the line, 2 fifties, 130 frigates, and 143 sloops. DUTCH.-25 ships of the line, 1 fifty, 31 frigates, and 32 sloops. SPANISH. -8 ships of the line, 18 frigates, and 49 sloops. Total-78 ships of the line, 179 frigates and 224 sloops.

The Wit's Nunchian.

THE DEVIL AN ASS.

CLIO.

Two women prating in a church,
The devil, who stood upon the lurch,
In short-hand, on a parchment roll,
Wrote down their words, and when the
scroll

Would hold no more, it was so full,
His devilship began to pull,
And stretch it with his teeth, which
failing,

He knock'd his head against the railing.
St. Martin laugh'd, tho' then at Mass,
To see the Devil such an ass,

*We hope our correspondent will favour us with a continuation of this article, down to the Peace of 1815.

ED.

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TO CORRESPONDENTS. M. has our warmest thanks for his kindness, which we shall endeavour to evince our sense of. We do not often make public the encomiums we receive on the conduct of the NIC-NAC, but the observations of JUSTUS are really so gratifying to our vanity, that our selflove will not allow us to suppress them entirely. He says:-"Whenever I feel harassed, fatigued, or low-spirited, and disinclined to serious study, I take down your first volume, in which I am sure to meet with some article to dispel my spleen: sufficiently interesting to command my attention, without requiring too great a stretch of attention to comprehend it. I do sincerely believe that a more amusing miscellany cannot be met with." After this, our readers will readily believe that we stand at least three inches higher in our own estimation.

RECEIVED. Clio(1 and 2)-F. M. L. and F. Summers.

LONDON--Printed and Published by T. Wallis, Camden Town; and also Published by C. Harris, Bow Street, Covent Garden,

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[Circumstances compel us to postpone the explanation of our cut: it will be given in a future Number.]

HERALDRY, AN ANECDOTE.

AFTER having made a considerable fortune by the exercise of his profession in the capitol, a certain tailor retired to the province in which he had been born, on purpose, as he himself declared, to enjoy oтIUM CUM DIGNITATE; for this tailor had been several years at a grammar-school, and still remembered some sentences of Latin. He resolved that the coach, in which he and his family arrived at the place of his residence in the country, instead of a cypher, should have in future for its ornament a coat of arms. He chose for a crest a large pair of scissars expanded: gratitude, he said, dictated this; because they were the chief instruments

of his fortune. For his motto he

chose the words "Vincere aut mori."" On being told that those words might be thought more suitable to a soldier, than to a man of his profession; he said that he belonged to a military family; for his father had been hautboy to a regiment, and that he, himself, in his youth, had felt some inclination for being a soldier, which he was prevented from indulging by the unexpected breaking out of a war. When his wife understood what had been decided, she declared that a mere crest and matto was little better than a cypher, and would look scandalously naked, which was what she could not bear.

The husband consulted the curate respecting some additional device The curate, who was somewhat of a wag, observed that although scissars were made of cold iron as well as swords, yet some people might

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think, that there was not a sufficient
correspondence between the crest and
the motto. It would be therefore of
importance to contrive such or
ments (supporters for instance) as
would link them a little better toge-
ther. "I have no particular objection
to supporters," said the tailor, "and
I am sure they would deliglit my wife."
Would you choose men or beasts?
said the curate. "I think one of
each would be best,' answered the
tailor- pray what beast would
you advise me to?"-"A lion, by all
means," said the curate; because
being the most powerful beast of the
forest, he suits with VINCERE in your
motto."- "That it does to a hair!"
exclaimed the tailor; "but I cannot
conceive what kind of MAN will suit
with MORI."- "A dead man, to be
sure,' said the curate." "On my
conscience, that is true," cried the
tailor. The arms were ordered
directly. A pair of scissars expanded,
with a lion and a dead man support-
ing them. The tailor's wife was de-
lighted Great was the importance
which swelled his own heart, when he
remarked the admiration with which
the villagers contemplated the emble-
matical painting on his coach, or
when the import of the motto was
explained to the gazing multitude, by
the school-master, or some other of
equal learning.

CHARACTERISTICS.
MY BISHOP HALL.

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JOSEPH HALL, was born in 1547, educated at Emanuel College, Cam bridge, and was afterwards successively Bishop of Norwich and Exeter. His reputation is so thoroughly established for learning and piety, that any thing from his pen must undoubtedly be acceptable to the reader,

In 1597 he published a volume of Satires, which lash the follies of his day with infinite spirit and cleverness. These were not reprinted with the collection of his works in folio, 1628, but that volume contains some PROSE SATIRES, under the title of Characteristics," which greatly resemble his early effusions in cleverness and truth. Of these we shall lay before our readers half-a-dozen specimens, and feel convinced they will readily admit the justice of our commenda tions.

1. THE HYPOCRITE.-An Hypocrite is the worst kind of player, by so much as he acts the better part; which hath alwaies two faces, oft times two hearts; that can compose his forehead to sadness and grauity (while he bids his heart be wanton and careless within), and, in the mean time, laughs within himself, to think how smoothly he hath cozened the beholder. In whose silent face are written the characters of religion, which his tongue Why that disdainful smile at the and gestures pronounce, but his hands vanity of this poor tailor? The recant. That hath a clean face and story is told of yourself, under another garment, with a foule soule whose name. Let some who ridicule this mouth belies his heart, and his fingers motto and lion, recollect how little belie his mouth Walking early vp their own vain pretensions, low pur into the citie, he turnes into the great suits, debasing habits, and the whole church, and salutes one of the pillars despicable tenor of their lives, accord on one knee, worshipping that God with the emblems or mottos of their which at home he cares not for; while coats of arms. Let them remember his eie is fixed on some window, or that, if truth and propriety were some passenger, and his heart knows always observed in those articles, not whether his lips goe. He rises, instead of lions, eagles, and other and looking about with admiration, noble animals, many of them would have asses, hogs, peacocks, or dung hill-cocks, for their supporters: and let them also remember, that the respect which is still paid to some of them, proceeds entirely from a regard to the memory of men that are dead.

J. M.

complaines on our frozen charity, commends the ancient. At church he will euer set where he may be seen best, and in the middest of the sermon puls out his tables* in haste, as if he feared to lose that note; when he

#i, e. his Note-Book.

closely he frownes on his wife for too much. He shewes well, and saies well; and himself is the worst thing he hath. In briefe, he is the strangers' saint, the neighbours' disease, the blot of goodnesse; a rotten sticke in a dark night, a poppie in a corne field, an ill tempered candle, with a great snuffe, that in going out smells ill; an angell abroad, a deuill at home; and worse when an angell, than when a deuill.-(Resumed at page 186.

GHOST STORIES, No. 5.

I've heard, but not believ'd,
The spirits of the dead may walk again;
Yet for this once, yea superstitiously,
I will be squar'd by this."

WINTER'S TALE.

writes either his forgotten errand, or nothing: then he turnes his hible with a noise, to seeke an omitted quotation; and folds the leafe, as if he had found it; and askes aloud the name of the preacher, and repeats it, whom he publikely salutes, thankes, praises, inuites, entertains with tedious good counsell, with good discourse, if it had come from an honester mouth. He can command teares when he speaks of his youth; indeed because it is past, not because it was sinfull: himselfe is now better, but the times are worse. All other sinnes he reckons -vp with detestation, while he loues and hides his darling in his bosom. All his speech returns to himself, and every occurrent drawes in a story to his own praise. When he should giue, he lookes about him, and saies, observed that we have been somewhat [We believe we have more than once "Who sees me?" No almes, no 'embarrassed by the conflicting opiprayers, fall from him without a wit-nions expressed by many of our cornesse; belike lest God should deny that he hath received them: and when he hath done (lest the world should not know it) his owne mouth is his trumpet to proclaime it. With the superfluity of his vsury he builds an hospitall, and harbours them whom his extortion hath spoiled; so while he makes many beggers, he kepes some. He turneth all gnats into camels, and cares not to vndoe the world for a circumstance. Flesh on a Friday is more abomination to him than his neighbour's bed: he abhorres more not to vncouer at the name of Iesus, than to sweare by the name of God. When a rimer reads his pocme to him, he begs a copie, and perswades the presse; there is nothing that he dislikes in presence, that in absence he censures not. He comes to the sick bed of his step mother, and weepes, when he secretly feares her recouerie. He greets his friend in the street with so cleere a couutenance, so fast a closure, that the other thinkes he reads his heart in his face, and shakes hands with an indefinite inuitation of "When will you come?" and when his backe is turned, ioyes that he is so well rid of a guest: yet if that guest visit him vufeared, he counterfets a smiling welCome, and excuses his cheare, when

respondents on the subject of our has severely censured us for ever inseries of "Ghost-Stories;" one party serting such "trash" at all, while the other has as keenly reproached us for discontinuing it. The numbers on each side of the question seem to be pretty equal: thus situated, what are we to do? To please both parties we hear is a hopeless undertaking, but we will nevertheless make the attempt, viz. by declining to discontinue the "Ghost-Stories altogether, but by giving them at coniderable intervals.

We this week preface a relation of the kind by a few remarks received him a candid hearing (page 112), and from a correspondent: we promised

he shall have it.

SIR,-So great is the dominion and prevalence of modern scepticism, that the existence of spirits and their occasional appearance is doubted even by the simple-minded. Scepticism, under whatever form it appears, derives its origin from a want of innocence; and though it is want to pride itself upon the greatness of its wisdom, the only and most significant name that is due to its knowledge is that of self-derived intelligence, which is the greatest ignorance and insanity a human being can possibly fall into. Scepticism is

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