where he himself was billeted, and where he seemed to be an enfant de famille. The house belonged to one of the pastors of the church, and his establishment seemed to be nearly on the same footing as that of a clergyman in a country town, everything neat and bespeaking easy circumstances. The family consisted of himself, wife, and one remarkably pretty daughter, but there may have been more-one was sufficient for admiration. Some commonplace conversation took place, with a few remarks on what was meant by Chatham late or late Lord Chatham, which was in circulation amongst the Dutch inhabitants, and doubtless meant to convey some ideas they had formed of our operations. I heard a tribute of respect paid to the character of Louis Buonaparte, who seemed to have been much beloved by the Dutch, and therefore did not please his omnipotent brother, and having enjoyed much more comfort than my English ideas ever could picture in a foreign house, joined the party again at breakfast, which wanted our English addition of tablecloth to make it complete.

On my return to Flushing the following day I passed through the village I have alluded to, and heard sad details of the progress of the fever, my poor young friend whom I had visited at the beginning of the siege on the right of the lines was dyingan air of desolation pervaded everything, and my meetings with others of my acquaintance were sorrowful, faint smiles of

welcome which each expected might be the last. The terror of the malady seemed to bespeak its arrival. At Flushing I witnessed the destruction occasioned by our bombardment, the few houses untouched were appropriated to the reception of the sick and wounded, and though these were made as comfortable as the case afforded, yet it was a sickening scene, and again our nation ought to be thankful for their position saving them from the horrors of war. The inhabitants, few in number, seemed to prowl about the ruins of their houses like spectres-neither was there any pomp of war amongst the garrison. Who is to be left behind? was the only remark of the few groups seen in the streets. In the hospitals, French and English were lying side by side, and here it was gratifying to see that enmity had ceasedwounds, sickness, and death in their most hideous forms gave no no room for angry passions, the kind attention of the medical men was bestowed on all, and those sufferers who retained their senses seemed to feel that their situation received everything that human aid could afford.

madness to remain, that this possession was finally abandoned.

Here was an army and fleet larger than had ever before left the shores of England, which might have effected what were the intentions of Government had it been ready one month sooner, or had it not wasted its time in besieging Flushing. It failed, and the failure brought disgrace on the country. Where the fault lay it is useless to attempt to discover. It is said that had Flushing been merely watched by a strong body of men, and had the fleet and remainder of the army proceeded to Antwerp at our first appearance, almost unprovided as it was with means of defence, we should have obtained easy possession of the shipping_and town, and consequently Buonaparte's game with Austria would never have succeeded. Had our expedition been successful, he would not have so completely established his power on the Continent as to have been able to put in execution his grand scheme against Russia-and the overwhelming calamities attendant on the Russian campaign would never have been offered to our view.

We failed, our enemy gloried in our failure, he laughed at our folly in not pouring in our brave troops to aid our already distinguished General in Spain. The French Emperor, it is said, jumped from his seat in ecstasy when he heard of our siege of Flushing, and yet in less than six years afterwards he was no longer Emperor. He had run

his race, and was one more example "to point a moral or adorn a tale."

On reaching the frigate, the signal was made to transfer my detachment to a ship of the line on board which was a battalion of the Guards, and proceed to Deal. The ship was crowded to excess, and the officers were huddled together in those parts of it usually given to them. It was a scene of confusion that can hardly be described, but the good-nature of officers and sailors of the ship secured us welcome. captain, an old officer, gave his table to as many as it would hold, and I was one of the fortunate number: the following day I landed and marched my detachment to Woolwich, and to my delight without one sick man.

In a week after my arrival circumstances made me desirous of relieving a brother officer at Flushing, and having no fear respecting climate, or very little care as to my fate, I obtained an order to embark again at Deal on board a 74-gun ship, the Venerable, which was stationed there to receive a large increase of medical officers and women for the hospitals, and such military as were destined to Flushing. I again found myself on one of these magnificent floating castles, and was again a guest of its captain acting for Sir Home Popham, who was not with the ship. Here I had time to look about me and admire in detail the perfection of the arrangement of a ship of the line, little imagining how soon this

"brave vessel" was to present the appearance of a wreck.

It was on the evening of one of the latter days of September or beginning of October that the ship completed its stores for the voyage and received two female passengers, one the wife of a Captain in the Navy with the fleet off Flushing, the other unmarried, her friend. We sailed with a fair wind, which afterwards increased to a gale at seven in the next morning. Having two experienced pilots on board, we had every prospect of a speedy voyage, when towards evening one of those thick fogs coming on, to which the coast of Holland is subject, and the wind failing, the pilots became bewildered. They had forgotten the strength of the tides, and the anchor had scarcely been let go when we found we were aground. One of those long grating sounds that only those who have been in similar situations can comprehend, sounds that pierce you, give you a sensation of having your teeth on edge and your bones cracked at one moment, told the alarming truth: no time was lost, the cable was cut, the ship's head turned round, all sails set in a direction supposed towards the sea, it was of no avail; in one moment another crash was heard, we were at the mercy of the waves, fairly fixed at halfpast seven in the evening, without the least guess where we were. Luckily our ship was in perfect trim, her officers steady, and the men in the highest state of discipline. To this we may safely ascribe our escape.

The ship's company being at their different duties, the passengers assembled in groups, and at such moments a man who is desirous of studying character has ample opportunity. The different shades of anxiety and fear play round the countenances of men without the possibility of concealment. More from a desire to make a change in the thoughts of the bystanders than to prove any superior coolness at that trying juncture, I proposed to one of the marine officers to sit down and play a game at chess. Scarcely had we placed our men and seated ourselves, than our ship, which as yet had only been slightly acted on by the waves, gave one of those appalling heaves which seemed to make every timber open,-a sound like thunder struck our ears, the ship's stern writhing in the furrow it had made in the sands seemed to struggle for liberation, the rudder was unshipped with a terrific noise, was raised out of its place, and as the ship heaved it was driven against the stern, which it broke in the men at the wheel were whisked round each to his opposite side, and by one of the strange chances of life neither of them hurt. It was time to think of something besides chess our men, board, and ourselves were all unseated, and from the constant rolling of the vessel we could with difficulty keep our legs. I shall not forget the looks of the bystanders at the sudden flight of the chess-board and men to the ceiling of the cabin, the general overthrow of the

It was ascertained

that the ship was aground astern, while there was deep water at the head. It had sprung a leak, or rather whole seams were ripped open and the water rushed in like a rivulet. At nine o'clock there were 8 feet of water in the main and 16 feet in the after hold. Between seven and eleven in the evening the ship had struck ninety-nine times, and each shock fully as strong as that which unshipped the rudder. At eleven the tide being at its height gave a short cessation to the shocks, till having run out, we were again exposed to them.

At first a few of the poop guns were thrown overboard, but the danger being evident that if they did not fall horizontally, they from the shallowness of the water might by remaining upright in the sands be dangerous to the ship's sides in its constant rollings, no others were unshipped: two or three broke from their lashings, and no pen can describe the confusion occasioned by such an accident, the scamper caused to get out of their way, the haste of all hands to secure VOL. CLXXXVIII.—NO. MCXXXIX.

stationed at the pumps on the lower deck in gangs whose labours were relieved every five minutes. I attempted to show I was disposed to work, but my arms were powerless in a few strokes-thus much for the fatigue. As soon as a relief took place, in a minute the relieved party were asleep on the guns and on sacks of bread lying about, which there was not time to throw overboard - totally indifferent to the torrents of water flowing about them or the loud noise of the pumps, proving that fatigue was the best night-cap. One or two of the sailors let me know that all this would be unavailing if the gale sprung up in greater force, or had we been on rocks instead of sands. While these things were passing, our situation was one of a succession of sublime horrors. Torrents of rain and hail at one moment seemed to quell the force of the waves, and all was obscurity around us. ment the darkness ceased, and a bright moon showed us our situation: violent flashes of lightning and peals of thunder seemed to be the repetition of the minute-guns of distress that were fired from the moment

In a mo

Y

of our striking, of the rockets sent into the skies and the blue lights hung out to give notice of our danger. We were again enveloped with darkness, the moon was hid from our sight, while the lightning and thunder continued the accompaniment to the solemn sound of our minute-guns, the hissing of the rockets, and the shortlived glare of the blue lights. Attempts were made to check the rush of the waters by lowering a sail to pass under the ship's bottom : these were fruitless, for on bringing one on deck it became saturated with wet, was frozen by a sudden cold, stiffened, and, in spite of every effort to prepare it, the men could not succeed in raising it over the ship's side— so the project was abandoned. The fear now was that the ship should get waterlogged, and by the deep water keeping her bows floating it would break in two. One of the pumps becoming choked, we were almost powerless against the leak, which however never increased the quantity already named. During the night we were assailed by the cries of the wives of the soldiers, and the unemployed passengers had some difficulty in tranquillising them. With the exception of our captain, the unemployed were the only people who had time to think of the danger. All my feelings were regulated by him, and I could not but contemplate with respect the strength of mind he showed in this trying situation, where he had to compare the change one short day had

made in the magnificent ship he commanded and which most probably would become & wreck. All that officers and crew could do was at work. To them no fault could be ascribed, and all responsibility rested with the pilots. "I do not think there is any danger for the lives of those on board, but we shall be fortunate if we save the ship," were the few words we heard the captain allow himself to utter. I fancied he felt his misfortune as one worse than death. The morning at last arrived, and as daylight appeared we were enabled to ascertain our position: we were on a bank called the Droeg Raen, sixteen miles from West Capel. We had been observed by the Fleet off Flushing, and assistance had been sent towards us almost as soon as we had fired our signals of distress, but the wind and tide prevented any approach to us, and it was not till late on the following day that the boats of the Fleet could reach the ship. In the meantime the officers thought it prudent to send off the women to the nearest shore,— the largest boat was manned for that purpose, and one of the medical men, whose alarm had not been under much restraint, straint, took his took his departure with them. The two ladies, who had shown great calmness during the alarm of the night, of which, however, they only knew as much as we chose to tell them, preferred remaining with the ship. They, as well as the other passengers, made it a point of honour to join