It is now more than forty years ago since I went out as chief-mate in a ship of twenty guns, sailing under Letter of Marque, and with the king's licence to traffic for gold, silver, and diamonds, to the coast of Chili. We carried out such a cargo of British manufactures as would have enabled us, had we succeeded in bartering the whole of it, to return with, what in those days would have been called, a princely

fortune.

We rounded the Horn without any particular occurrence, but on the coast of Chili were compelled to come to action, about midnight, with two Spanish vessels. With one of these, a guarda-costa of twenty-six guns, we had rather a severe encounter, the other being fortunately becalmed, and unable to come up with us. We fought her for three hours, during a great part of which time, we were within a very few yards of our opponent. Our cargo brought us down in the water, and as the enemy was a stately vessel, and only in ballast trim, we contrived to keep our position, where we were comparatively safe, as the guarda-costa could not depress her guns sufficiently to do us harm. Ours, however, told with such terrible effect, especially upon her stern, that we soon had the satisfaction of seeing her lanthorn sent down as a signal of defeat. It was evident to all, but our first-captain, who, for reasons best known to himself, affected to disbelieve it, that the enemy had struck, and I am still firmly of opinion that she did so more than once. But the respectful expostulations of the second-master were of no avail, and we continued fighting, without exactly knowing why. Our close quarters with the Spaniard, secured us from any imminent peril, though it was by no means a pleasant thing to be in such close contact with her broadside. So near were we, indeed, to her great guns, that our hair was actually singed, and our faces were blackened by the fire.

The lanthorn on board the enemy was now hoisted a second time, but it had not reached its full height, when a shot from our vessel brought down the poor fellow who was raising it, and it again fell to the deck. The cry to board could now hardly be kept under by the countermand of our first-master, who still pretended we had the worst of it. Our mainmast had been shot through, and our foreyard was carried away; but certain

am I, that nothing but the mistaken policy and caution of our merchant-captain, hindered us from making a prize of the guarda-costa.

Our cargo was valued at more than £30,000., and we had but ninety hands in all, five or six of whom were seriously wounded, and others slightly hurt. Our antagonist had between three and four hundred, and it seemed, perhaps, a fool-hardy undertaking to risk everything by attempting to board, under such circumstances. We were accordingly ordered off, and steered for the island of St. Felix and Ambrose to refit, while the Spaniard, bandaged with hides, and bound up and caulked, as well as circumstances would allow, crept, like an old cripple, into port, nearly going down stern foremost as she made the harbour.

We remained for about three years, cruising off the coast of Chili, and endeavoring to run our cargo in barter with the Spanish smugglers. We took a brig of about two hundred tons, coming out of Conception, and having ransacked her of everything that could be useful to us, sent her away. We fell in also with a vessel of about five hundred tons, bearing a name sanctioned by the use of nearly eighteen centuries, the "Castor and Pollux," from Valparaiso, and having boarded her without resistance, I was put in charge, and continued by her two or three days, during which time she was thoroughly rumaged and dismantled, her guns thrown overboard, and her anchors and cables transhipped.

I took up my berth in the captain's state-room, and when I laid down at night, finding my pillow rather hard, I cut it open, and discovered from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars, which I was allowed to retain for my own use. During our stay on board, nothing occurred worthy of mention, excepting, perhaps, the unintentional explosion of a quantity of powder, which, had it communicated with the magazine, might have blown us all overboard. A raw stripling had set fire to it, in order, as he said, "to try the strength of it," and apparently in complete ignorance of the probable result. He was, of coarse, terribly frightened, though not seriously hurt; in fact, he appeared even less alarmed than the Spanish padre, who crossed and blessed himself and us repeatedly, and then

modestly assured us, that he had been the salvation of the whole ship's company.

As we were engaged in illicit traffic with the natives, it was often necessary to act with extreme caution, and we seldom ventured to send a boat on shore without passing the usual signals. We were forcibly reminded of the wandering Israelites of old, when the customary notices from the coast—a pillar of smoke by day, and of fire by night—assured us that we might venture to land. We usually sent on shore British manufactures, and received in return, gold and silver-the latter not uncommonly in "sugar-loaves," as they were called, of many pounds weight. The rate of exchange for this article was about 3s. 10d. sterling the ounce, so that, what with the profit on our own goods, and on this, we cleared, as far as we could prosecute our traffic, a very handsome per centage. Sometimes, to be sure, we had a little skirmishing with the Spanish soldiery; and had not the rocks befriended us, by affording so many places of retreat, and such means of attack and defence, we might have lost several hands in the undertaking. We did not, indeed, as it was, escape altogether. One morning, when between Coquimbo and Valparaiso, and on the look-out for signals, we saw the well-known column of smoke from the green-wood fire of the natives, rising calmly and perpendicularly into the deep and perfectly cloudless sky, and accordingly prepared to go on shore. The gig was manned, and six of our best hands sent off. We could see upon the coast a strong body of men, whom we supposed to be smugglers, apparently all anxiety to do business with us. Meanwhile, the boat was fast making for the land, and the sailors, in their rude but hearty manner, were welcoming their friends on shore. We watched them with a good deal of interest, till the oars, after the last long and strong pull, were unshipped; and the gig's headway was carrying her fast in-shore, when we saw one of the tall Spaniards assume an unusual attitude, and in a second, the laso was firmly round the boat's stem, and the whole crew, who had risen for landing, were thrown pell-mell together into the bottom of the gig. Another moment, and the disguised soldiery, whom we had mistaken for smugglers, had made them all prisoners, and manned the boat with their own people,

We never saw nor heard any thing more of the poor fellows, though we have no reason to believe they were severely punished; and the probability is that, if not doomed to confinement, they found their way to one or another of our vessels trading off the same coast.

At the expiration of three years we came away, unfortunately very short of water. After passing the Horn, we were, in fact, so badly off that we attempted, notwithstanding the risk, to make the ice-islands to the southward. But these floating monsters are only to be met with when least wanted, and we soon bore up for Rio, having failed in this our last resource. We were accordingly put upon half-a-pint a day, from which many of us managed to spare a spoonful for old "Boatswain," a faithful dog on board, to which a community of trials and odd experiments, had endeared us all. We suffered much, but contrived by wearing wet shirts, to avoid those intolerable pangs of thirst to which we should otherwise have been liable. We were, however, regularly pickled alive, a saline efflorescence forming all over our arms and bodies.

At Rio, the commander in chief gave orders that none of our men, now reduced to about forty, should be pressed, in consequence of past services. I was, however, so ill from rheumatism, that I should have been otherwise exempt; but after remaining in the hospital for about two months, I so far recovered as to ship in a vessel of 400 tons, and bound for Malta, again as chief-mate.

We sailed under convoy, and had a very fair run without any particular occurrences till we had passed the Straits. On reaching Maritimo, about thirty miles to the westward of Sicily, we were unable to run down to Malta, and accordingly made for Palermo, where we lay till the wind changed, and then sailed for the Straits of Messina. In passing the Lipari Islands, we distinctly saw the flames of Stromboli, at midnight, though we were never within about fifty miles of it; and whilst lying in Messina, about as far distant from Etna, which was then unusually turbulent, the ashes from that mountain fell frequently on deck. We took in a cargo for Hull; and I again reached England in safety.

T.

PRECEPT AND PRACTICE.

"A BENEVOLENT friend of mine who resides at a village near London, where he has a school of the class of those called Sunday schools, recommended several lads to me for education. He is a pious man, and those children had the advantage of good precepts under his instruction in an eminent degree, but had reduced them to very little practice. As they came to my school from some distance, they were permitted to bring their dinners, and in the interval between morning and afternoon school hours, spent their time, with a number of lads under similar circumstances, in a play ground adjoining the school room. In this play ground the boys usually enjoy an hour's recreation: tops, balls, races, or what best suits their inclination and the season of the year; but with this charge "Let all be kept in innocence." These lads thought themselves very happy at play with their new associates; but on a sudden they were seized, and, overcome by numbers, were brought into school just as people in the street would seize a pickpocket and bring him to a police office. Happening at that time to be within, I enquired 'Well, boys, what is all this bustle about ?' 'Why, sir,' was the general reply; 'these lads have been swearing.' This was announced with as much emphasis and solemnity as a judge would use in passing sentence upon a criminal. The culprits were, as may be supposed, in much terror. After the examination of witnesses and proof of the facts, they received an admonition as to the offence; and on promise of better behaviour were dismissed. No more was ever heard of their swearing! yet it is observable that they were better acquainted with the theory of Christianity, and could give a more rational answer to questions from the Scriptures than several of the boys who had thus treated them, in comparison, as constables would do a thief."Lancaster on Education.

HOME INFLUENCES.

I am anxious in the education of the people to defend and hallow the parental constitution. This is the grand provision. Society is based upon this law-the earliest law. It cannot be