morning he rushed on a poor sickly fellow-patient, and before he could be prevented, had inflicted wounds of which his victim died on the spot. Well, sir, he was considered so far sane as to be tried at Guilford assizes for the murder, but was acquitted on the ground of insanity. He told the jury, that he so much rejoiced at putting his victim out of the way, that if he could obtain the king's crown, and all the riches of the universe, he would not forego the pleasure of killing him. His vengeance was excited by some dispute on religion! The man, he said, had spoken profanely of the Virgin Mary! "But I must tell you some more of the freaks of this extraordinary wretched man, who has signalized himself in living in a state of warfare with the whole world, both before and since he escaped justice. His evil propensity haunted him day and night. By day he was constantly giving way to blasphemous imprecations, and abuse of those about him, naming them according to his gross and revengeful imaginations, among which the term 'Spaniard' was applied, evincing the recollection of his wanderings about the colony of Laguayra, after the Hermione's affair. His dreams by night were no less dreadful. He would wake and relate murders he had committed in his sleep, with infinite satisfaction, dwelling on the details with all the fury of a demon glaring from his eyes. One night he imagined he had cut the throats of his companions with a sword, and gloried in watching those who lived the longest; and after committing other dreadful absurdities, he is outrageous at seeing them alive the next morning. He roams about stamping and raving all day, with a piece of blanket crammed into his mouth; and as he is tearing it from between his teeth, imagines he is tearing to pieces more victims of his revenge. Suddenly he will stop, where he imagines he sees some persons prostrate before him; when, after giving vent to his imprecations, he jumps and stamps on them, as he supposes, exclaiming, Die, you rascals; die, you vagabonds!' with other expressions of revenge, and then he is satisfied and pleased, until another group rises in his imagination, to be served in the same manner. He can hear no one speak without supposing that he is abusing him; and even the ducks in the pond, he imagines, are calling him abusive names, which he in return applies most furiously to them. And this, Mr. Seaward, was the state of Patrick Walsh, a ringleader of the mutiny of the Hermione, one of the most brutal scenes that ever disgraced human nature-there he was, a hideous specimen of the human savage, deprived of reason, and living under the influence of the most unbounded passions." Middleburgh or English feet TABLE XXXIII. For reducing Middleburgh Feet to English, and English Feet to Middleburgh. VOYAGE OF H.M.S. ACTEON, CAPTAIN THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD EDWARD RUSSELL. England to Valparaiso.—By A. Eardley Wilmot, R.N. On the 18th of March, 1835, Her Majesty's ship Acteon, under the command of Lord Edward Russell, after several unsuccessful attempts to put to sea, occasioned by foul winds and bad weather, sailed from Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight, for the south American station. In the evening we parted company with the Scylla, going to the West Indies, the Victor for India, and the Pelican for the Mediterranean, which vessels had sailed in company with us. After touching at Plymouth, on the afternoon of the 22nd, we took our final departure from England. A sailor should be proof against all hardships, climate, weather, privation of all kinds, and the feelings of nature, in being separated from family and friends. He may have a wife and children to lament his absence; perhaps an aged mother, whose support he is; and when her greatest difficulties are approaching, he is torn away to brave the world, to meet sickness, and even death, in a foreign land. But he must banish all such reflections; he must steel his heart against the softer feelings of our nature, and take as his motto, "D'ye mind me, a seaman should be every inch All as one as a bit of his ship; And with her brave the world without offering to flinch By the time we hove in sight of the far-famed Peak of Tenerife, we had but a faint remembrance of the happy faces we had left behind. We hove to off the town to communicate with the consul, and in the evening made sail for Rio de Janeiro. The joys, the pleasures, and to many the terrors, of crossing the line, have been full oft related. No ship is exempt from the custom, and the Actæon was hailed by the venerable monarch of the deep, with the usual questions, viz.: the name of the ship? where from, and where bound to? and in the most polite terms possible, he begged to know if there were any on board who had never passed the limits of his dominions before. Lord Edward Russell answered all these questions through his speaking trumpet, with the utmost good-humour; and told his majesty that there were several who never had had the honour of an interview with him, and who consequently were unacquainted with the necessary forms on the occasion, at which his majesty was much pleased, and wished the captain good night; giving him to understand that he might expect him in the morning, and directing him to have everything prepared for his reception. He then vanished, and the splash of a hundred buckets of water, which were ready to greet him, and all those who were green enough to get too near, and whose interest might be excited to catch a glimpse of the flaming tar-barrel into which he had stepped, and disappeared astern. Accordingly, early the next morning, a trumpet was heard hailing the ship; the mizen top-sail was laid a-back, and presently a car, drawn by four sea-horses, came on board, in which were Neptune and Amphitrite. They were drawn round the decks, and stopped opposite the captain, who was ready to receive them, and before whom they went through the several ceremonies; such as drinking his health, and long life and happiness to the ship and her inmates. After this, the fun began with shaving and ducking, and buckets of water, and wet swabs were flying about the ship till a late hour. Those who had never crossed the line before were kept under hatches till their time came for presentation, on which they were brought up blindfolded from below, and saluted with buckets of water in their faces, by persons stationed for that purpose. After this preparation, they were presented to Neptune, who sat on his throne, on a raised platform in the fore part of the ship enjoying the proceedings. His majesty asks them a question or two, then calls the barber to shave them. This functionary is at hand with his razor and shaving apparatus; the former a very formidable looking affair, and larger than even the barber of Seville's, is made for the purpose, from a piece of an old saw, and the lather a compost formed of the most filthy ingredients. However, it is a penalty that must be paid, and in a manof-war especially; and the custom, when well managed throughout, is decidedly a good one. Neptune, seeing that the barber is ready to operate, puts a final question to his new acquaintance; who, opening his mouth to answer him, receives the contents of the barber's brush; his heels are tripped up at the same time, and the next minute he emerges half drowned from an immense reservoir of water, ready to give his very best assistance in retaliation on others. Such is part of the amusement of crossing the line; and as it is generally a long voyage, it comes very seasonably; for none but those who have actually experienced it know the monotony and ennui of a long sea voyage. On arriving at Rio de Janeiro, we found H.M.S. Spartiate there, with the flag of Real-admiral Sir G. E. Hamond, Bart., about to sail for England, expecting to be relieved by the Dublin. A French rearadmiral, and an American commodore, were also present. left England full of the hopes of seeing much of the Pacific Ocean; and having performed so much of our voyage, our thoughts were directed to the South Sea Islands than to the attractive scenery of the harbour of Rio, or the dirty city of the Brazils. Every one on board anticipated the voyage with feelings of delight, which were afterwards fully realized. more The only novelty at Rio is the establishment of two small steam boats, which ply every half hour between Santa Cruz and the town, and appear to answer very well. They belong to a company of merchants, established about two years and a half, who contemplate also a line of steam-packets to run up and down the coast. We sailed from Rio on the 16th May, for the River Plate, and anchored at Monte Video on the 28th, and found the change in the climate very perceptible. On arriving at Buenos Ayres, we found the population divided into sects of Federals and Unitarians, in deadly feud with each other. The national colour of the President, Rosas, who is a Federal, is red, and that of the Unitarian is blue; the consequence is, as Rosas is all powerful, the principal part of the dresses of both sexes is red, while the blue party scarcely dare show their heads. During our stay in the river, we were in attendance on the British minister, Mr. Hamilton, and conveyed him to Monte Video, where he had to settle some questions relative to the slave trade. From thence we returned with him to Buenos Ayres, and sailed for Rio. On our arrival at Rio, we found the Dublin had arrived, and that the Spartiate had sailed for England. We were ordered to proceed as soon as possible to Bahia and Pernambuco, which we did, after a refit of ten days. We had a pleasant passage of twenty days, and anchored at Bahia on the 5th of Oct. The town of San Salvador wears a pleasing appearance, more particularly in the summer season. After visiting several minor places on the coast, among others, Maceio, St. Catherine's, &c., we again returned to Rio to prepare for our anticipated voyage round Cape Horn. On the 31st of May, 1836, we sailed from Rio, and anchored in Port Louis, Berkeley Sound, on the 14th of June. Lieutenant Smith, the governor, came on board before we anchored, and materially assisted the master in piloting the ship up the sound. He formerly was first lieutenant of the Tyne; and when that ship went home, and it became necessary to have some person on the island to take charge of it in the English name, he volunteered his services, and remained there with six seamen. We found him very well pleased with his situation, having built several houses, and cultivated a large piece of ground, in which were growing radishes, onions, and mustard and cress, also several kinds of flowers. The English flag was flying on a staff in front of his house, and an eighteen-pounder cannonade was showing itself in angry defiance to intruders. Lieutenant Smith has accomplished much since he has been on the island, having discovered several excellent harbours and bays, and made several partial surveys. He has found out, by his activity and perseverance, what will grow and thrive upon the land, and sent home a complete statement of its advantages and disadvantages. He has also been of essential service to ships touching there, supplying them with beef, and other necessaries. These islands abound in wild horses and cattle: geese |