t l I. l 4 _ detection. ’ , V A_._ L“.-..«. TREE VALE‘ 0F'AVOCA---1_i! Mooim. ' ‘There is not in the wide W0!“ 3 "9n°Y~ 5° 5“'°°f9 As that vale. oniwhose bosom the bright waters meet ; _ Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart, Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart. Yet it was not that nature had shed o’er the stem: The clearest ofcrystal or bvighltst Of SW99?! It was not the soft magic of streamlet.or hills 0 no! it was something more exquisite 51111- ’Twas that friends, the beloved of my bosom W€!‘¢ I near, " i:d°"‘r’ VVho made every scene of enchantmenr more And who felt how the blast charms of nature im- prove, il°"e' VVhen we see them reflected in the looks that we Sweet vale of Avoca, how calm could I rest, In my bosom ofshade with the friends I love bests \Vhen the storms which we meet in this cold world shall cease, _[P°3C¢_- And our hearts, like thy waters be mingled in FROM 'l)WIGH'l‘,S TRAVELS. STORY OF GEN. ‘WADSVVORTH. (coi~,"i‘1xUEn.) Not long after a cartel arrived‘ from Boston, bringing letters from the Governor and Council to General VVadswortli, with a proposal for his ex- change, and a sum of money, &c. for his use.—- These were carefully delivered to him ; but the exchange being, as General Campbell said, not authorised, he refused to liberate the prisoners. This determination they had expected. Several plans were proposed by the gentlemen for their escape ; and successively rejected. At length they resolved on the following. The room, , in whichthey were confined was ceiled with boards. One of these they determined to cut off, so as to make ahole, sufiiciently large for a man to go through. After having. passed through this hole, they proposed to cieepalong one of the joists, on- I der which these boards were nailed, and thus to pass over the officers’ rooms, bordering on it, un. til they should come to the next, or middle, en- try; and then to lower themselves down into this _ entry by a blanket which they proposed to carry, vfith them. If they should be discovered, they - proposed to act the character of officers, belong- ing. to the garrison, intoxicated. These being ob- jects to which the seiitinels were famil.iai'ized,_ they hoped in this disguise to escape detection. lfthey Sll0Ui‘l.'fl‘.Ji. be discovered. the passage to the wallsof the fort was easy. Tncnce they in- tended to leap into the ditch_; and, if they escap- ed without serious injury from the fall, to make the best of their way to the cove ; on the surface - of whose water they meant to leave their hats fioa-. -ting, (it they should be closely pursued,) to at- tract the fire of the enemy : while they were soft- ~ly, and silently, making their escape. Such was their original plan. Accordingly af- ter the prisoners had‘ been seen by the sentinel, looking through the glass ofthe door,to have gone to bed, Gen. VV. got up, the room being dark ; anti, standing in a chair, attempted to cut with his knife the intended opening ; but he found the at- tempt useless, and hazardous. It was useless, because the labour was too great to be accomplish- ed with the necessary expedition. It was hazar- dous, because the noise,‘ made by the strokes of the knife, could not fail, amid the profound si- lence, of being heard by the sentinel ; and because the next morning must bring on an unpleasant This part of the design was there- fore given tip. The next day, a soldier, who was their barber, was requested to procure a large gimblet, and bring it with him, when he came the next time to dress General \-Vadsworth. This he promis- ed, and performed without a suspicion, that it was intended for any more than amuserneiit. He re- ceived a dollar for this piece of civility ; and was sufficiently careful not to disclose a secret, which might create trouble for himself. The prisoners waited with anxiety for the ar- rival of the succeeding night. To their surprise, the noise made by the gimblet was such, as to a- larmithcir apprehensions, and induce them again to desist. They were however, not discouraged ; but determined to make the experiment again during the day, when they hoped the noise would either not be heard at all. or would attract no no- tice‘. _The eyes of the sentinels were now to be eluded‘; for the operation must in this case be performed at times, when they might very natu- rally be employed in inspecting the room. It was necessat‘y, also, to escape the observation of their servants ; who often came in without any warning; and that of the officers ; who were accustomed to visit thorn at almost all times ofthe day.—But on _ these difficulties their persevering minds dwelt, only for the purpose of overcoming them. The two sentinels. who guarded the prisoners, coni- monly walked through the entry, one after the other from the front of the building to the rear. This distance was exactly the breadth of two rooms. After they had begun their walk, the prisoners watched them with attention, until they acquired a complete comprehension of the length of the intervals between the moments, at which the sentinel successively passed their door. The prisoners then began to walkwiihin their room at the some pace with that of their watch men :' the sound ofth-:ir feet being mutually heard; and all passing by the glass door the same way, at the same time. The prisoners in this manner took turns acrossthe room, while a sentinel took one through the entry. ‘The difference of time gave them all the opportunities which they enjoy- ed, for using their giinblet. . General Wadsworth, being of the middle sta- ture, could, while standing on the floor, only reach the ceiling with the ends ofhis fingers. But Major Burton was very tall, and could reach it conveniently; so as to use the gimblet without the aid of a chair. This was a very fortunate cir- cumstance ;- as it saved appearances, and not int- probahly prevented the discovery, to which they were expo'sed from so inany sources. Accord- ingly, whilst the garrison was under arms on the parade, and their servants were purposely sent a- way on errands, the gentlemen began their walk, and passed by the glass door with the sentinels. General ‘rVadsworth then walked on ; but§Maj'or Burton, stopping short in the proper spot, per- forated the ceiling with his gimblet, in sufficient season '.ojoin'General Wadsworth on his return. ‘by mere accident: when the ceiling was in the same manner perforated again. . was repeated untila sufiicient number of holes were bored. The interstices in_ the mean time ' were cut through with a pen-knife; the wounds in the ceiling, which were small, being carefully the same colour with that of the board. The dust made bythe giinblet, was also carefully swept from the floor. In this manner they completely avoided suspicion, eitlior from the sentinels, the servants, or the gentlemen by whom they were visited. In the course ofthrce weeks a board was entirely cut asunder except a small part at each corner, which was left for the purpose of holding the severed piece in its propel‘ P1365» I631 50795 35' ciclent should open the passage prematurely. During all this time the prisoners had watched every thing, which related to the return of the privateer, in which they were to be embarked. -They had also, made every ttnsuspicious_inquit'y in their power, while occasionally conversing with their visitors, and with the servants, concerning the exterior part ofthe fort ; the ditch, the posi- tion of the clieraux-de-frize, the fraising, the post- ing ofthe outer sentinels. and piquet-giiard._ The scraps of information, which were obtained in this cautions manner, General VVadsworth, who was tolerably well acquainted with the place, was able to put together in such a manner, as i‘.t)‘f0l‘n:l a .;oml—,1e,.e view of the whole ground ; to fix with precision the place, where they should attempt to cross the wall; where, ifseparated by accident, they should meet again ; and to determine on sev- eral other objects, of the same_ general. nature. Major Burton, whose first acquaintance with Bag- aduce commenced when he was lauded as a pris- oner, was less able to foijm correct views concern- ing these subjects; and labored, therefore, under disadvantages, which might prove serious. The privateer was now daily expected.‘ It is hardly necessary to observe, that the prlsotters regarded the moment of her approach with ex- treme anxiety. They wished for a dark and bois- terous night, to conceal their attempt, and to es- cape from the observation of their guard : ill” dc- termined, that if such an opportunity should pot‘ be furnished before the return of the privateer, to ‘seize the best time which should occur. A part of the meat, supplied for their daily meals, they laid up, and dried, and preserved the crust oftheir bread, to sustain them on their projected excur- sion. Tbcy also made, each a_ large skewer of strong wood; with which they intended to fasten the corner of a large bed blanket to one of the stakes in the fraising, on the top of the wall; in order to let themselves down more easily into tie ditch. _ ‘ ‘When their preparations were finished, a whole week elapsed without a single favourable night.-— Tbeir anxiety became intense. The weather be- came warm; and the butter which had been ac- cidentally attached to some of the bread, employ- ed as paste to cover the holes in the ceiling, spread along the neighbouring parts of the board, and discoloured them to a considerable extent. This fact alarmed them not a little ; particularly when their visitors were now and then gazing around the room, in which they were confined. Nor were their apprehensions at all lessened by seve- ral incidental expressions of some British officers, which to the jealous minds of the prisoners seem- ed to indicate, that their design was discovered. On the afternoon of June l8th the sky was 0- vercast. At the close of evening, thick clouds from the South brought on an unusual darkness. The lightning began to blaze with intense splen- dour and speedily became almost: incess-.tnt.--A- bout eleven o’clock, the flashes ceased. The pris- oners sat up till this time ; apparently playing at cards, but really waiting; for the return of abso- lute darkness. Suddenly rain began to descend in torrents. The darkness was profound. The propitious moment for which they had so long waited with extreme solicitude, had, as they be- lieved, finally come, and more advantageotisly than could have been reasonably expected. They, therefore, went immedi.-.tely to bed; while the sentinel was looking through the glass door; and extinguished their can lcs. They immediately rose, and dressed them- selves. General Wadsworth standing in a chair, attempted to cut the corner of the board, which had been left, to prevent the severed piece from falling ; but found that he made a slow progress. Major Burton then took the knife; and within somewhat less than an hour completed the inten- ded opening. The noise attending this operation was considerable; but was drowned by the rain upon the roof. Burton ascended first ; and being ’a large man, forced his way through the hole with diiiiculty. By agreement he was to proceed a- long the joists, till he reached the middle entry; where he was to wait for his companion. The fowls, which roosted above these rooms, gave no- tice of his passage by their cacltling ; but it was unheeded, and perhaps unheard by the sentinels. As soon as this noise ceased, General VVadsworth put his blanket through the hole ; fastcnedit with a skewer; and attempted with ibis aid to make his way through the passage, standing in a chair below. But he found his arm weaker, and ofless service, than he had expected. He did not ac- complish his design without extreme difiicully._... But the urgency of the case reanimated his mind, invigorated his limbs ; and enabled him at length to overcome every obstacle. The auspicious rain, in the mean time, roared incessantly on the roof ofthe building. entirely concealed the noise,which he made during this part ofthe enterprize, and which in a common season must certainly have betrayed him’. \Vhen the General had reached the middle en- try, he could not find his companion. After search- ing for him several minutes in vain, be perceived the air, blowing in through the door of the entry ; gave over the search ; and proceeded to take care of himself. After passing tlirough the door he felt his way along the eastern side, and northern end, and a part of the western side of the build- ing ; walking directly under the sheet of water, which poured from the roof, that he might avoid impinging against any person, accidentally in his way ; a misfortune, to which he was entirely ex- posed by the extreme darkness ofthe night. After he had reached the Western side of the building he made his way towards the neighbour- ing wall of the fort; and attempted to climb the This process - covered with a" paste, of chewed bread, almost of and concluded that Major Burton had already gone out, and left the door open. ‘ He therefore,’ Again they passed the door’, and retur'ned, as if bank; but. the ascent being steep, and the sand. giving way he found it impossible to reach the top. He then felt out an oblique path ; and as- cended to the top; as from his window he had obseived the soldiers do, when they went out to man the wall. After he had gained the top, he proceeded to the spot on the North Bastian, ti. here Burton and himself had agreed to cross the wall if no accident should intervene. \Vhen he had arrived at this place, and was endeavouring to dis- cover the sentry boxes, that he might creep be- tween them, across the top ofthe wall ; the guard- house door on the opposite side of the fort was thrown open ; and the sctgcttllt ofthe guard cal- led ‘ Relief; turn out.’ Instantly there was a scrambling on the gorge ofthe bastion, opposite to that, where he now was. 'l his scrambling he knew must be made by Bttrton. The rain, in the mean time, kept the stntinels within their boxes; and made such a noise on z/u-m, that they could not hear that which was made by the prisoners. In this critical moment no time was to be lost. The relief guard was approaching. Gen. \Vads- worth made all haste, therefore, to get himself with his heavy blanket, across the parapet, upon the fraising. which was on the exterior margin ol the wall : a measure indispensable, to prevent the relifiif from treading on him ; as they came round onvtlie top of the wall; and he barely effected it during the time, in which the relief was shifting the scntinels. At the same time be fastened. with the skewer, the cornerofhis blanket round a pick- et of the fraising; so that it might hang at the greatest length beneath him. After the relief had passed on, the General with great difficulty, arising p-.trtictilarly from the lameness of his arm, slid with his feet foremost off the ends of the pickets of the fraising ; clinging with his arms and hands totlie ends ; thus bringing himself un- derneath the pickets, so as to get hold of the blanket hanging below. Then he let himself down by the blanket, until he reached the corner nearest to the ground. From this he dropped without injury, on the berme. Leaving his blan- ket suspended from the fraising, he crept unto he had descended; and moved softly along to the next angle. Here he remained without noise, or motion, until the relief, having gone round the walls, and out of the gate, to relieve the sctitinels without the abattis, should have passed by. As soon as he had heard them pass, and before the sentine-ls had become accustomed to noise around them, he crept softly down into the ditch ; went out at the water course, between the sentry box- es; and descended the declivity of the hill, on which the fort stood, into the open field. Find- ing himseiffairly without the line of sentries, and perceiving no evidence that he had been discover- ed, he could scarcely persuade himself, that the whole adventure was not a dream; from which he might soon awake, and find himself still in his prison. Both the rain and the darkness, continued. He groped his way, therefore, among rocks, stumps,‘ and brush very leisurely, to an old guard-house on the shore of the back cove. This building had been agreed upon between the prisoners as their place of rendezvous, if any accident should separate them. After searching, and waiting, for his companion half an hour in vain, be pro- ceeded otiward to the cove. The time was hap- pily that of low water. Here he drew off his shoes and stockings; took his ha: from the skirt of his coat, to which hitherto it had been pinned 3 girder] up his clothes ; and began to cross the wa- ter, which was about a mile in breadth. Fortu- nately he found it no where more than three feet in depth —-Having safely arrived at the opposite shore, and put on his stockings, and shoes, he found the rain beginning to abate, and the sky becoming less dark. Still he saw nothing of his companion. (co.\'cI.UnEi9 NEXT WEEK.) —€Q'}-' From t/zc Ladies Litrrary Cabmrt. THE SCENES OF A SOLDIER. I last a _frz'eI2d, and In I/tut,/rierztl, a /lc'7‘0. Edwin was the son of a wealthy farmer living in Groton, Conn. His intrepid soul had caught the fire of patriotism that glowed in the breast of his sire, The wrtmgs ofhis beloved country had prompted to the field ofbattle his father and old- est brother, and he longed to follow. An opportunity soon ofi'ct'ed—-Tlic traitor Ar nold, with his floating batteries, armed uith thun- dering cannon and infuriated troops, arrived at New-London. Scarce had the first dawnings of day glimmered in the eastern hoti7.on,and the signal gun thrice sounded the alarm, when he was aroused from his slnmbers. An enemy was about invading the domestic fire-sides of his friends and neighbors, and his magnanimous soul thirsted for glory. Accoutred in the only arms the dwelling afforded forth be rushed to join his assembled countrymen. The brave but unfortu- nate Ledyard commanded Ednin and his com- panions on that memorable day. While the le- gions of Arnold were landing to spread desolation over the land of his nativity, Fort Griswold re. ceived her dauntless band, am.-mg whom with l)lll‘l‘ill‘.g ardor stood Edwin : The Fire of manhood blazed in his eyes as his cotnuiander ordered ev- ery nian to his post. Already had the work of death commenced on the opposite side ofthe rive'1i. Already were the flames fast spreading over New-London, when the dread demand was made for the surrender of the garrison and its bold defenders. The indig- .nant answer of Ledyatd was returned to the haughty traitor, and Edwin, grasped with a firm. er hold his firelock. Rank after rank of the ap- proaching enemy fell beneath the deadly fire of our heroes. Edwin, more forward than the rest, mounted the parapet ; the nodding plumes of a Briton cauglit his eagle eye, and the leaden mes- senger winged its flight—-he fell biting tht: ttronud in death. "Twas well done said his comrade who had mounted uith him. Edwin turned to reply. when the dreadful shout of ‘ surrenrler or die,’ met his car, at the same moment he received the contents ofa musket which shattered his tight arm. ’Tis nothing,-said he, as the mangled limb fell powerless by his side, and he staggered down towards his place in the ranks. ¢ W’hat l so soon disabled my brave fellow,’ cried a veteran com- panion next to him. ‘ ’Tis pure blood,’ said Ed- win, as he saw the crimson stream color the earth ‘-beneath his feet. ‘ Retire my son of Mars,’ said 2 the veteran, ‘ your wound must be dressed.’ 0: the Chev-aux-de-frise, nearest to the spot, where v "supposed, might be liberated. The thunder of cannon and musketty now shock the fort to its foundation, and the genius of Columbia wept, as the brave Letlyard‘ delivered his shining blade to the barbarous Briton, who stood before him as his conqueror. * Thus I re- ceive, and thus I return a rebel’s sword,’ said the merciless monster as he sheathed to the hilt the steely claymor in the body of Ledyard. Ven- geance soundcd and flew like lightning through the garrison. Edwin could stand no more--his before powerless arm appeared new strung and with a mighty effort be caught his falling chief. The stillietl blade he drew from his body, and plunged it yet warm andbloody through the mur- derer. At this noble deed a shout rent the air, and fifteen alternate Britons and Americans, sha- win rcceivetl it thr» ugh his body. and fell-his eyes closed to the lit: ht ofday, thejvital spark lay dormant. He was put into a cart, which the un- feeling wretches heaped uith the mutilated C8l‘Cl.l4 ses of fathers and sons to roll to the foot oftheihill. Fortunately the wheels ofthe carriage struck a projecting stump and turned over, emptying its load ere it reached its destined place. Buried beneath a heap of slain the inanimate remains of Etluin ti as found by his anxious mother. Thrice was his bloody body turned 0- ver ere her tear dimmed eyes recognized the child ofher bosom. Life was not yet fled, the vital sptnlé yet glimmct-ed, the feeble pulse yet faintly vibra- ted as they conveyed him from the spot. If it is heavcifs will. said the afflicted mother, as he opened his eyes for the last time-—Ifit is heaven’s will, I must not murmur. He has fall- en, bravely fullen, and a wreath of glory encircles’ his martial brow. . Edwin smiled, cast a long and last look at his honored mother, then closed his eyes forever.-— Cati time erase such scenes as these from my re- Collection ? No, never 1 while memory holds her empire they are engraren on "the heart of A .‘5OLDlER. ‘ --<>+o-- , INQUISITION AT LISBON. Extract ofa [ctler dated Lisbon, Oct. 20, I82}. ‘ I send you a description of the Inquisition at this place, whichl have been to visit. At [ha sitting ofthe Cortes on the iOt|i inst. SCllil()l'Fi. gueras presented a letter from the Keeper ofthe Inquisition, stating that on the building being 0-‘ pened for public inspection, the people had bcha. ved in a very disorderly imitiner, breaking (rpm doors carrying anay papers. and threatening to burn the building. The k'.:c[)er therefore prayed that measures might be taken to prevent the re- currence of such scenes. Senhor Bastos said, that if any such disorders as had been described had occurred, it was owing to the refusal of the keepers to show the instruments of torture and the lower cells of the prison to the visitants. In his opinion these gentlemen, the keepers, cher- ished a religious respect for the tribunal of which they spoke with apparent vcneration. St-nhor Fernando Thomas proposed that an inscription, of which the following is a transaction. should be fixed on every place occupied by the Inquisition in Portugal : ‘ May eternal malediction follow CW1’ ery Portuguese, who does not hold for ever inab- horrence an Invention so infernal.’ , .-.‘,_ ‘ On the 8th of October, the Inqtiisitiéfi at Lise bun was .llll‘0Wll open for public i'nspeciion,’and for the first four days the concourse of people of all tlcsetiptions that crowded to View it was so great that the pressure at the entrance rendered it an enterprizc of some risk. The buliding is a are three floors, with a nun.ber of vault:-d pztsszt-‘ ges, along“-the sidesfof which are cells.‘of dilferetit sizes, from six by seven feet, to right by nine feet. Each cell has two doors ; the inner‘ one of iron. the outer ofoak, very strong. As lhcrc are no windows in the cells on the ground and mid- dlc floors, no light is admitted when the doors are shut. . T he cells on the upper floor are larger than the othePs, and each has an aperture like a chimney through which the sky is visible. These were appropriated to the use ofthose who, it was In the roof of each cell (for they are all vaulted) is a small aper- ture of about an inch in diameter, and a private‘ passage runs over each range, so that the persons employed by the Holy Office could, at any time, observe the conduct of the prisoners unseen, and iftwo persons were confined in one cell, iltal‘ their conversation. There are seats in these pi i- rate passages so contrived, that. a person sitting might inspect two of the cells at the same time, as by a ttitn ofthe head he could fix his eye upon the hole over either cell at pleasure; or he could ht.-ar what was said in either. ‘ ' The persons appointed to listen to the discourse" of the prisoners wore cloth shoes ; so that their footsteps could not be heard. Frequently a I-,,.. miliar of the Holy Office was put into the cell of a prisoner, as a pt:t'son arrested, in order to en. trap the unfortunate inmate ofthis horrible pltrcr: into admissions that might afterwards he used a. gainst hint. I saw in several ofthe cells human sculls and bones ; many of them appeared to have lain therefor "many years, asl broke some of them easily with my fingers ; others were hard and fresh. In a number ofthe cells the names ofthe unhappy inmates were written on the walls: some had strokes, apparently marking the num- ber of days or weeks the victims of this horiid ty- ranny had been confined. On the wall of one cell I counted upwards of 500 of these marks _. Some of the cells which had not been used for several years were locked up, but the viciiams soon broke them open. Human bones we re f«,nnd in many of these. ln one was found part of a ft-iar’s habit, with a waist girdle oi rope and some bones. The apertures like chiinnies in some cells were closed; and I have been informed that it was a common mode of putting prisoner.-. to‘ death, to place them in these apertures, which tvct'e then walled up, and quick lime being poor- ed in from the top, aspeedy end was put to their sufferings. The furniture is V: ry old; the chairs in the halls are covered with leath.-r studded all round with very large brass nails. The large ta- bles in the halls had dtawers for papers ; ihese the visitants broke open; etery one being desi- ions of obtaining some relic of the once terrible Inquisition. Besides the three floors which I have described, there are a number of cells un- der ground which have not yet been opened - These it is supposed contain the apar.-itus for iii- flictihg the torture, Sac. It is understood that these will be shortly thrown open to the public. red the fate of Ledyard and the English chief. Ed-. lur e oblou r, with a iarden in the centre ' there ' E; in .3 a
Norwalk Chronicler