French intended to sortie that night; and in going round the advanced sentries, I came upon a good old soldier, who was quite a character in his way; and on my telling him that he must be particularly vigilant, and give immediate notice of any unusual sounds that he might hear;— he said,

"I do not think that the French will come arter us, Sir."

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"Why so, Swinney?" asked I.

Why, sir, the last time as we had a brush with them, we sarved them up a sarce they did not much relish."

I then inquired who had made the verses.

"Oh, Sir, that 'ere was Probyn; a wonderful scollard that man, Sir." Probyn's fame was now perfectly established with his comrades, as the greatest literary character and poet of the age.

The French did not attack that night, but the garrison was certainly under arms. About one o'clock in the morning there was a violent barking of dogs; and an officer who had crept forward as far as he dared to venture, reported that by laying his ear to the ground, he could distinctly hear the tread of a large body of troops in the direction of the dockyard.

Behind the convent there was a solitary lane, leading to the village of Beaucout, which was very little frequented, the usual route from the camp being across the heights. One of our surgeons, in passing that way without his sword, was assailed by a gang of savage dogs, belonging to no one, which were in the habit of scratching up those bodies that were slightly buried, and had become very ferocious. The doctor being sleek and plump, they no doubt thought that he was in sufficient good condition to afford them an excellent dinner. Most fortunately for him, some soldiers, who were accidentally returning that way, came to his rescue, and the discomfited doctor hopped into the camp with only a bite in his leg, but with his trousers dangling in shreds about his person,— no trifling loss at that period, when both money and cloth were scarce articles. On the morning of the 14th of April, before daylight, the French garrison made a desperate sortie. But of this I can give no account, having been ordered to England, on my promotion, a short time before it took place, and I left my old battalion with sincere regret. But when it was again ordered on service, before the battle of Waterloo, I was fortunate enough to effect an exchange into it, and was imme

diately posted to my old company. At Waterloo we lost our green feathers; and when next I joined the company in England, I found them with unwieldy bear-skin caps on their heads. As for myself, being remarkably short, and my cap a very high one, there was nearly as much to be seen above my face as below it; and I looked, for all the world,

Like Tommy Noddy,

All head and no body!

When we were metamorphosed into a grenadier regiment, the light companies requested to be allowed to retain the feather under which they had fought so long: but this was not granted.

I have now nothing left to say to my dear old comrades but "goodbye for ever!"-though, I sincerely hope, only in my character of GREEN FEATHER.

HISTORICAL YARNS AND SHAKINGS.

BY A TAR OF THE OLD SCHOOL.

[Continued from page 360, No. 160.]

A CHAPTER IN COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE BRITISH ADMIRALS WHO HAVE BEEN SLAIN IN BATTLE, FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD IN NAVAL HISTORY.

Sublimest virtue is desire of fame,

Where Justice gives the laurel :

The unextinguishable spark which fires

The souls of patriots

Undaunted valour and contempt of death.-GLover.

They disdained, for coward Ease,

And her insipid pleasures, to resign

The prize of glory, the keen sweets of toil,

And those high joys that teach the truly brave

To live for others, and for others die.-THOMSON.

In the infancy of the British Navy, and, indeed, for many years afterwards, a nautical education was not considered requisite or essential to the attainment of that coveted mark of distinction in the present day —I mean the privilege of carrying a flag at the mast-head, and progressively advancing it from the mizen to the fore, and ultimately to the main, through the several colours of blue, white, and red; for in the olden time there was no such thing as toiling through six, eight, or ten years as Midshipman, (even that very name was unknown,) no passing a severe examination to obtain a certificate of qualification for a commission-no dragging through years of Lieutenancy to rise to the rank of Commander-no anxious longings from the gangway of a sloop-ofwar at every frigate that hove in sight-and no order of succession to obtain blue at the mizen by veteran Post-Captains-the thing was done cleverly enough without all these gradations: for we find the direction of fleets, and the command of ships and of fleets, usually entrusted to land-officers, and a General of cavalry, without any previous maritime initiation, suddenly transformed into Lord High Admiral of England. And I suppose that it is in perpetuation of this system that military men have, in later times, been created First Lords of the Admiralty. I merely notice this as in the accounts I am about to give mention will be made of " Admirals" who received their appointments solely through favouritism or gallantry, and that, too, only a short time before they bravely fell in sustaining the honour of their country's flag.

The reign of Henry VIII., as I have already said, was the period when England first possessed anything like an organized and regulated Navy; but the various gradations in promotion, as well as the colours of the flags, were not then arranged, for the titles "Admiral,” “ ViceAdmiral," "Rear-Admiral," merely marked the seniority in command, and which in many instances rested, not on the service of the individual, but the will of the Chief, who named his second and third according to his own pleasure. Thus, on the departure of an "Admiral" from a fleet his Vice not only took the command but also assumed the rank—

the Rear-Admiral became Vice, and some other officer was made Rear; the whole being merely pro tempore, or "pro trumpery," as the old master of the London used to call it.

In my last paper (on marine architecture-and I purpose offering a second, down to the present day, before long,) I extracted a passage or two from Grafton, in which was an account of Henry VIII.'s visit to Portsmouth, to inspect his fleet, and his having appointed "Capitaynes for the Regent, Sir Thomas Knevet, Mayster of his Horse, and Sir John Crew, of Devonshire." The Regent, it will be remembered, was the Great Harry, and in the battle which took place with the French off Brest, she grappled and boarded an immense ship of the enemy, called the Cordelier, which was either wilfully set on fire by one of her own gunners or else caught fire during the engagement, so that both ships were destroyed, and Sir Thomas Knevet and Sir George Crew perished with the people. Now most of the old writers speak of these two Knights as "Capitaynes," and not as Admirals; but I think there can be no doubt that at least Sir Thomas Knevet acted in the latter capacity, for he was intrusted with the charge of the twenty-five "tall ships" that were sent to reinforce the Lord High Admiral, Sir Edward Howard, previous to the battle, and, as he shared the fate of his brave companions in arms, he may be considered the first of the British Admirals who was slain in the service of his country. What was the peculiar mode of his death-whether in fight with the enemy, or unwounded, he was blown up, is unknown; but as during the conflagration, whilst the raging element was destroying the two noble fabrics, (the French ship being much larger than the English,) the contest of human passion was carried on upon the Frenchman's deck, it is hardly reasonable to suppose that he, a daring and brave man, should be unscathed by the weapons of the enemy, although encased in armour, as was then the general custom both with officers and men. Amongst the latter, however, this practice was discontinued in the time of Elizabeth; for Sir Richard Hawkins attributes his defeat by the Spaniards to this amongst other causes. says, “There were two things which were most prejudicial to us, and the principal causes of our perdition, the errors and faults of late days crept in amongst those who follow the sea, and learned from the Flemings and Easterlings. The one is to fight unarmed, (that is without armour,) when they might fight armed; the other is, on coming to fight, to drink themselves drunk. Yea, some are so mad that they mingle powder with wine, to give it the greater force, imagining that it giveth spirit, strength, and courage, and taketh away all fear and doubt. The latter is for the most part true; but the former is false, and beastly, and altogether against reason. After I was wounded this nimium bred great disorder and inconvenience in our ship-the pot, continually walking, infused desperate and foolish-hardiness in many who, blinded with the fumes of the liquor, consider not of any danger, but thus and thus would stand at hazard; some in vain-glory vaunting themselves; some other railing upon the Spaniards, and then inviting his companion to come and stand by him, and not to budge a foot from him, which cost the lives of many a good man, slain by our enemies' musketeers, who suffered not a man to show himself but they presently overthrew him with speed and watchfulness." It also appears by his statement that Sir Richard had provided "large store of armor, as well of proof as of

He

light corselets," but the men would not put them on, preferring to strip themselves naked to the waist, and thus have the free use of their limbs. The Spaniards always fought in concealed armour, and thus were protected from the points of the short arrows which in those days were discharged from musketry. But to return more immediately to the subject of my chapter. Sir Thomas Knevet was high in the estimation of the King, and greatly respected for his brave qualities; for Henry had a nice and discriminating judgment in the choice of his servants. Of the next who fell, his real rank admits of no doubt.

SIR EDWARD HOWARD, LORD HIGH ADMIRAL OF ENGLAND. This truly daring and noble-minded man was a British seaman in every sense of the term. Descended from ancestors who had flourished through several reigns in exalted stations, his grandfather had been created Duke of Norfolk by Richard III., and fell with his patron at Bosworth Field. His father was created Earl of Surrey by the same monarch, but in consequence of attachment, after the defeat of Richard, the title was in abeyance till restored by Henry VII. Edward Howard was his second son, and the first we hear of his naval career is in the Flanders expedition, in 1492, under Sir Edward Poynings; and we are told that he conducted himself with so much gallantry in the attack upon Sluys, that he was knighted, and after the death of the King, when the eighth Henry came to the throne, the latter monarch conferred upon him the important and distinguished office of standard-bearer, and four years afterwards he was created Lord High Admiral of England. Of his undaunted attack upon the French fleet, when Sir Thomas Knevet was slain, I have already spoken; but previous to this, in concert with his elder brother, Lord Thomas, he had achieved a conquest over some noted pirates of Scotland, who infested the seas, greatly to the injury of English commerce. The incidents, as I have been able to collect them from different sources, are extremely romantic, and characteristically display the politic feelings which were manifested by the King, as well as the mode of warfare practised in those days.

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It appears that, about the year 1450, Scotland, as well as England, carried on a considerable commerce with the ports of the Mediterranean, and amongst the adventurous mariners of the former country was Master John Barton, who, in the year 1476, when homeward bound, after a successful voyage to Sicily, was attacked and captured by a Portuguese squadron, and his ship and rich cargo condemned and sold by the captors. Upon what plea this was done, except that might overcomes right," we have no information; but Barton escaped, and returned to Scotland, where he made representations of his misfortune to James III., who took very little notice of them. The angry seaman, however, persevered, and urged his applications for letters of reprisal against the Portuguese, as well as endeavoured to obtain an interview with the monarch, but without avail, till Cochrane the architect (afterwards created Earl of Mar) undertook his cause, and succeeded in obtaining his request. Letters of reprisal upon the ships of Portugal were granted, and the bold mariner put to sea. But Fortune did not smile auspiciously on his exertions,-instead of making captures he lost vessel after vessel, till at last he abandoned the enterprise in despair.

Years passed away, and Barton's sons, who had followed the profes

sion of their father, served under their relative, the gallant Andrew Wood, of Largo, who had greatly distinguished himself by having defeated an English flotilla of superior force, that was levying contributions on the Scottish trade. In fact, the seas at that time were a sort of watery highway for thieves to practise their courage and skill upon. Henry VII. of England resented this, which he denounced as an act of piracy, and offered a large reward for Wood's capture. This induced a Captain Stephen Bull to fit out three ships, and sail in quest of the Scotchman, who met his opponent manfully. A conflict ensued, which terminated in the capture of Bull and his squadron, and they were carried into Dundee; but James IV. restored the prisoners to liberty, and sent a message to his brother monarch, Henry, to the effect that "the Scots could fight by sea as well as by land."

Wood was well received by the Scottish court, and was knighted by the King; but in the midst of the honours that were conferred upon him he did not forget his young officers-the Bartons-whose conduct had been instrumental to the victory. Sir Andrew Wood was appointed to command the Great Michael, [of which a description has been given in the March Number of this Magazine, page 353,] and the three Bartons, Andrew, Robert, and John, having found favour with the King, the circumstance of their father's capture, thirty years before, was revived, and application made to the Court of Portugal for twelve thousand ducats, the estimated value of the ship and cargo. This demand was rejected. Letters of reprisal were renewed till the amount should be obtained, and Sir Andrew Barton (who had received the honour of Knighthood) sailed, with two stout ships, to carry them into execution, to the great gratification of old John Barton, who still survived to exult in the fame of his sons. He was a royal burgher of no mean standing in Dundee; and though his property had been dissipated, yet filial duty and affection raised him above the common wants of nature, and the old seaman in his declining years resembled the towering mountains of those islands he had so often visited; for whilst the snows of age were gathering on his brow, there was a glowing warmth within his heart as he blessed his sons on their departure.

Away went the Lion with a flowing sheet-the banner of Scotlandthe Cross of Saint Andrew was at her ensign-staff-pennons and flags adorned her mast-heads and yard-arms-three hundred men were on her decks, and forty pieces of ordnance defended her well-armed sides. Away, too, went the Jenny Perwhyn, or Great Bark of Scotland, but little inferior to her consort, and every breast was filled with eager expectation of fame, and wealth, and honour. The name of the first ship (under Sir Andrew) speaks for itself, but the Jenny Perwhyn was called after one of Scotia's fairest daughters, to whom John Barton, her Commander, was betrothed. Away they went, bounding over the waters north about, so that they were altogether unseen from the English coast, and, consequently, their jealous neighbours were ignorant of their contemplated expedition in search of fortune. Arrived off Cape Finisterre they commenced exercising the men in armour with the pike, cross-bow, and ordnance, and here they rigged their beams-huge parallel pieces of timber, from twenty to thirty feet in length, and about eighteen inches apart, with cross-pieces like the spokes of a ladder, though much closer together. At the upper or outer extremity were