This, man though a noted smuggler, had in the previous year, been employed in the Walcheren expedition to pilot one of our men-of-war into Flushing. I had been ordered by Mr. Croker, of the Admiralty, to engage pilots for the feet. It was a dif cult task, for about 120 were wanted: I however, succeeded in engaging a great number of Dutch Pilots and Fishermen, and what were then wanting, were made up by Deal and Dover smugglers who all knew the coast well. Amongst the many desperate chas racters I came in contact with, at that time, was the well known Johnstone whom I found in the custody of the revenue officers at Deal. He had been taken in the previous week running a lot of lace, had broken away from his captors, with the contraband goods, sold them in London, and returned in open day to the scene of his exploits, when he was re-captured. I knew the value of this man and immediately wrote to Lord Hawkesbury, Home Secretary, for his release, which was at once granted. He proved of great service in many ways: but his most daring undertaking was that of Fanding in the town of Flushing at night, guarded as were all the entrances by the enemys ships, to gather information from some of his old contrabandiste friends. The way in which he accomplished this was equally bold and clever. He had a small boat made by his own directions, covered over the top with waterproof cloth, in which covering was a small aperture. He got into this little boat, having his head and arms only above it; a weight was placed in it just sufficient to sink it below the surface of the water, and yet to leave his mouth above. In this dangerous conveyance he passed all the guard boats of the French, paddling himself along by means of short sculls which he kept below the water, and landing at a spot well known to him in his smuggling expe ditions, he passed into the suburbs of the town, and after gathering from his old associates all he wished for, returned in safety to the admiral's ship,

He did not serve the Admiralty quite so well on another occaion, when, his ruse, though it did not succeed, might have led so serious consequences: as it was, it only raised a laugh at the texpence of the officials. Ministers had devised a plan to attack some of the American ports and cut out their shipping, and Mr. Croker at once sent to Johnstone for his assistance. The smuggler, although he know no more of the American Coast then he did of the shores of the Indus, readily undertook to pilot the fleet to the desired ports, and of course had golden promises in case of snccess. He was desired to return in two days to meet S. an American, who had also offered his services, and then when their seperate opinions were weighed, the Admiralty would decide as to which of them should be acted upon. Johnstone was not idle: he sought out S- got him into a public-house and treating him, soon gleaned all the information he wished for, On the day appointed they both repaired to Mr. Croker, with whom they had seperate audiences, and so ably did Johnstone use the hints he had picked up, that he was actually chosen to conduct the expe dition. Before the plan was abandoned, however, the disappointed

American encountered his old tavern friend at the Admiralty and the trick was discovered, much to the Secretary's annoyance and mortification.

Old Richards, my fellow-traveller from Deal, had one of the finest sea-going boats on the coast. She would live in all weathers: and her little fairy form might often be seen skimming the billows when craft of ten times her tonnage dared not venture out of harbour. His boat was well known to the king's cutters, and when they could not go to sea; during heavy weather, he was employed to carry despatches to and from our Minister at the Hague, via Ostend. As a recompense for the risk he incurred, Lord Liverpool gave him a pass exempting his boat from searches, and thereby enabling him to do a good deal of business in laces, silks, &c.

He used to felate the following trick which he played upon the revenue officers, with great glee. He had gone over to Ostend with a packet, as usual, and had to returu in another boat as his own was compelled to undergo some repairs. Not liking however; to come back without doing a little business, and being obliged to leave the pass with his own vessel, which had a cargo, he devised a plan bý which he put a tolerable profit into his pocket. He got one of the large leather bags used for sending over the, government des patches in, and of which there were plenty at the Consul's office, and then folding up his lace in parcels about the size of the letters, wrapped them in stout paper and sealed them he filled the bag with these fictitious despatches, and when it was tied and sealed with a consular seal, none but a pactised eye would have told the real from the false one. He landed at day-break at Ramsgate, the usual port in bad weather, and marched his prize off to the principal Hotel, where he sat down to a good breakfast and ordered a post-chaise to be in readiness for London. While he was enjoying his mutton chops, the searching officer, who had seen him land with two bags and knew his character well, entered the room and demanded to examine them. Richards, who knew his game and delighted in playing a trick, answered him briefly that he was on government duty and no one but my Lord L--should lay a finger on the bags; placing at the same time, a most significant pair of weapons on the table. The man of customs still suspicious, but cautious, declared his intention to accompany him to Downing-street and see all right: the other replied that he might follow him if he could, but he should not go in his chaise, and immediately or dered it to be got ready. The officer, still determined, called for another post-chaise, upon which Richards ordered four horses to his Seeing his acquaintance so bold, the searcher began to think that he might possibly be overstepping his duty if he put his threat into execution, and at length after a little parleying they sat down together, finished the mutton chops, and the smuggler-messenger posted to town in great glee, dropping one bag in Kent-street, Borough, and the other in Downing-street.

In those days the preventive service was in a most disgraceful state. Scarcely an officer in it but had a share in some smuggling

boat, the consequence of which was that an immense quantity of contraband goods found their way into the country, to the great prejudice of fair traders. This evil arose from two canses:-from the service being badly paid, and from the enormous duties levied upon many articles of foreign produce. The manner in which these frands were connived at was as follows: when the officer on guard upon any part of the coast received intimation from his smuggling partner that he meditated a "run," as it was technically called, upon a certain night, he pretended to have intelligence of some job to be done ten or a dozen miles away, and accordingly made sail upon the false scent, leaving the coast clear for his friend. Of course some prizes were taken to lull suspicion, but they were usually of small value, though a mistake would occasionally be made, and the officer for the sake of his reputation, be obliged to capture his own property. I remember a blunder of this sort once brought a brother of Richards, into custody, but R-. fortunately being at the time on the point of leaving for Holland with some important despatches, was enabled to beg his freedom from Lord L which he obtained, after some pietended doubts and difficulties.

Amongst the many French pensioners of England during the wars with the republic was Admiral D'Imbaud. He commanded the Toulon Fleet when captured by the British and it was pretty generally known that he surrendered upon an understanding. The price of his treachery was £900 a year, but this did not satisfy him and in the early part of 1803 he was detected in a secret correspondence with the First Consul to whom he was furnishing details of our Militia Force, Naval and Military Stores, &c. I received an order from the Secretary of State to arrest and conduct him out of the kingdom; we went on board a King's cutter at Gravesend during the night, and at day-break set sail for Boulogne. The Admiral was a desperate fellow to deal with, and vented his rage in the most dreadful oaths: he talked of the insult of being deprived of his arms, and expressed a desire to exchange shots with either myself or the commander of the cutter, all of which we of course laughed at. In the course of the day the wind, which had been fresh, encreased to a gale and late at night we were obliged to stand in for Margate. The Admiral's courage failed him during the storm and the bully's blustering gave way to tears and sea-sickness. I would not land my charge in spite of his prayers and supplications to do so, and the next day at noon we pursued our trip across the channel, and finally landed him more dead than alive at Boulogne. He was of course patronized by Bonaparte who was just then full of his intended invasion of England and auxious for information of any kind; but D'Imbaud was not to be depended upon, and a few years afterwards he was sent to the Galleys for life, for tampering with the Bourbons. He remained there tiil the restoration when Louis set him at liberty and gave him some trifling post under the Minister of the Marine.

The Overland Route.

BY THE REV. J. G. MACVICAR.

(Continued.)

ATHENS.

THE steam ships by which the French have been extending their influence in the Levant of late years, traverse the Mediterranean in such a way that a way that the Malta, Constantinople and Alexandria lines of communication all meet in Syra one of the Islands of the Archipelago only twelve hours steaming from the Pyræus the port of Athens. For this place also a steamer generally departs on the arrival of the French steamers at Syra, Athens may therefore be easily visited by the Overland traveller for India. It may not be wrong to mention, however, that the same facility does not always exist in favour of the Overland traveller going homewards. The quarantine which is so generally established by all the European powers upon vessels coming from Alexandria often demands the delay of a week or more in the harbour of Syra or in some other quarantine station. Still even in the case of quarantine the visit to Athens may be managed without much detention; and certainly there is nothing all the way that is better worth the travellers pains.

Much may be said in favour of Italy and Rome, and yet after all, the Romans were a people of only one idea that was their own. But Greece -Athens-how many spirit-stirring associations, how many delightful contemplations does not the very name awaken! The decaying fingers of Time have also, on the whole dealt gently with Athens. It does indeed lie in ruins. Yet one may still see the Areopagus where St. Paul addressed the men of Athens,-the prison where Socrates was confined,-the grove, where Plato and the Academy wereimmense blocks of marble too which either still lie where they were laid by their classic builders or strewed about, and which do al! but utter the name of Pericles. One may also stand on the very spot where Demosthenes stood while he harangued his countrymen, and by his individual eloquence roused their patriotism and animated them with irresistable force. An audience his, how different from those of modern times and how superior in candour and in intelligence !-Thus when the Athenian orator spoke eloquently and conducted his argument well, his audience not only listened, but admired and applauded, though they differed from the speaker and refused to be persuaded by him. And though in more degenerate days, yet when St. Paul opened his discourse to them in such terms of reproach as these " ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious," and charged them with ignorance from first to last, still, instead of putting him down or leaving him, some were convinced and clave to him" and others said as they went away we will hear thee again of this matter." This candour in the

U

Athenian audiences in listening long and voluntarily to disagreeable truths and in admitting a man to be a great man, and in admiring him though he maintained the opposite of their views, marks a state in the popular intellect very different and very superior to any which exists now, even in the most enlightened nations of the west. In the present day before a public speaker can gain a popular audience he must be known to be the advocate of those views only which are agreeable to the people, before he can gain an aristocratic audience he must be known to be the advocate of those views only which are agreable to the aristocracy. Instead of being open to conviction with many points still undecided upon, which must even be the state of every deep-thinking man in every age, the minds of the generality now are made up on all subjects human and divine. When people go to listen to a public speaker it is generally with no other end, but to be confirmed in their pre-possessions; and the great man now-a-days is generally no more than the mouth-piece of his audience,--the mirror wherein they see themselves pleasingly reflected-and whom they therefore naturally exalt and admire, as they would themselves no doubt but for shame. It is indeed true that every man who is great in his day must of necessity be one in whom the spirit of the times he lives in, is as it were concentrated; it is true that no man however great in himself, or however plenarily inspired by heaven will attain to fame in his own day unless he either utter the spirit of his times, ог can manage somehow to inweave the truths he is charged with into the spirit of his times-Let him be even ammated by the spirit of the times which are immediately coming, still, it will only be his dust that will he honoured, if happily it can be discovered where he died neglected and was buried. In spite of all these melancholy facts however individual freedom is to a certain extent possible. A thoughtful man may to a certain extent emancipate himself from the spirit of his times, and think for himself, and investigate the truth of a matter all independently of the public opinion of his day. And this power of acquiring individual freedom the ancient Giceks appear to have possessed in a very eminent degree, in so much thai not in successive eras only but even simultaneously there were politicians of all principles, and philosophers of all sects, and popular audiences who were ready to go and listen to any body who had any thing to propound to them. Everything intimates in short that the Greeks were the most cultivated and spirituel people that ever existed. And if we only possessed a full history of their philosophies I believe it would be found that they had exhausted the science of reflection so far as the unaided mind of man is capable-But to return,

On approaching the Pyræus the eye looks out anxiously for the gulf of Salamis and the tomb of Themistocles, names pre-eminent in the naval history of the Athenians. And both are indeed to be seen, the former suitable to the mind's expectations, but the latter "no tomb gleaming o'er a cliff high o'er the land" as Byron des scribes it, but on the contrary a small questionabie structure down at the very level of the water. The Pyræus is a very fine harbour