Thou tremblest to survey: Then oh! for them, since such there be, Can love of gold-can thirst of gain, A moment's lull: the darkness clears; Alas! in such a night of fears, What bark can near, and live? Oh, deign to aid-for Mercy can- See, where the angry billows rave, While yon last broad and whitening sail Yet here in vain thy head-way tends; Its welcome arm for thee: She strikes-she heels-the billows rave: That wild cry of despair!-too well Rings human anguish on the ear! And that long' hideous scream that thrilled Till e'en the tempest's voice seemed stilled.............. 'Tis mute......yet now it springs again, Resounding o'er the roaring main, As though the merman mourned his caves But yon slow heaving billow swarms Still they come near......on safety's brink Comes drearier with the watery tone, As though the depths of ocean speak Its fearful tale in sounds unknown. Whence that shrill, strange and harrowing moan, See-shoreward as the billows sweep— Apart and few the strugglers come: Their limbs unwonted vigour keep, They strive with snort and foam. They come indeed-a goodly train Of coursers seek the strand; Still breathed and panting from the main, But still the heart looks out in vain ; Or sought they Scilly's treacherous coast, Yet there! the hindmost of the train, He lives!.....Opprest with travail sore, Aye, rest thee well-but not before Friends, food, and wine thy strength restore...... Life and its toils for ever o'er And Death's cold arms unfold !] But as his quivering members sank, One moment's respite brief: Fondly the faithful horse essayed His dying master's plight to aid; Turn'd to the hand so oft obeyed, Caressed, and gazed, and mournful neighed In sympathizing grief, As fain his weakness to upbraid That could not yield relief. And fixed, with low and plaintive cry, As conscious of the parting nigh, The long fore leg and fleshy thigh, Broad back and strength of bone; But, happier far, employed to share The spurless stripling's weight to bear, Or prance beneath the burthen fair Well in your sinewy forms I trace That snuff Estremadura's gales, The pride of stately Spain. For 'tis our boast, from age to age, But well for gallant pageants set Such, too, the wreck'd Armada's boast On Scotia's western strand: And hence the name, as records say, But seekest thou trace of those that fled, Here pause awhile......Goonhilly's mead And corn and fruits with morn must come GILBERT FORESTER. September 20, 1832. THE BRIG WATER WITCH-EARL BELFAST IN REPLY TO NEPTUNE. SIR, HA AVING read in your Magazine of this month a paper signed NEPTUNE, giving an account of my Brig the " Water Witch," I beg leave to set him right on some points with regard to her, that I feel confident he has unintentionally mis-stated. her stern being upright, and, consequently, not so handsome as if it had more over-hung; but being built for a man-of-war, the intention (which has completely succeeded) was to enable her to run two guns out astern without a platform, which most vessels are obliged to have, and which He is quite correct as regards 3 R is exceedingly inconvenient, inasmuch as it takes up a considerable portion of the quarter-deck. As regards the quantity of canvas, he is quite wrong, her sails being the same size as a ten-gun brig; nor has she any advantage in being without fittings below, having all the bulk-heads up (with the exception of the one that ought to divide the Captain's cabin from the gun-room), which was omitted, to make a larger and more airy cabin for my friends. Add to this, that she had her full weight of stores, &c. on board, as if provisioned for five months, with eight eighteen-pound carronades, and two long sixpounders, three boats, all spare spars, &c. on deck, and I am certain my friend NEPTUNE will own he has been mis-led. I have only to add, that to this day she has beaten everything that has ever attempted to sail with her, both large and small; SIR, and although His Majesty's ship Vernon (two thousand two hundred tons) had the advantage in light breezes of her one day, by crossing to windward of her (after a trial of eight hours) about a cable's length, she having started half a cable's length to leeward of the Vernon, I understand she retaliated next day by beating the Vernon (under double reefed topsails and top-gallantsails and considerable head-sea) two or three miles. I can also state, she never took advantage of any of her opponents in starting; and that I should not have the least objection to change her eighteen pounders for four-andtwenty pounders, and sail any square-rigged vessel (now built) in England for whatever sum they please. Yours obediently, September 24, 1832. THE DONCASTER MEETING. I ON my arrival on Saturday found this seat of speculation plentifully supplied with horses, most of them (excepting Julius, who appeared in a very ragged trim) looking in blooming and ripe condition, and many of them with very fascinating characters and forms. The bill of fare, however, was not of that delicious appearance as it was wont to be the Stakes, excepting the Champagne, Leger, and Twoyear-olds, being only moderately charged: and a deficiency of three which closed on the entranceday not having filled, tended to make its appearance worse, The attendance of Sporting BELFAST. characters, though not so nume rous as usual, was nevertheless pretty considerable; yet the town presented a calm and placid appearance quite unusual in the race weeks, from the absence of that numerous class of the middling orders of interested individuals, who usually flocked in to the town in hundreds, either to gratify their taste for the sport, to advocate their fancy with the needful, or treat themselves with an extra holiday and day's pleasure. This falling off was in a great measure to be attributed to the wild enthusiasm of the Saints resident in Doncaster, who fanatically wielded with tremendous |