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VOL. 20.
POET RY.
, M O O N L I G H T.
Wliat sce’st tltoii, silvercrescent ofthe sky,
When, in thy growing beauty, thou dost sail
Bright, through you blue unclottdecl catiopy,
And when, ere twilight gathers in the vale,
{Br sunny radiance leaves the mountain's brow,
Tliy gentler beams their loveliest light bestow ?
Thou sec'st the village dance, \v_liere light hearts
meet
Upon the village green. and where tlte lute
Breathes forth in merry ttines its accents sweet,
Nor stops,.until the tabor’s voice is mute,
And till the dancers in their mirth forgot
Thejingling music ofthe castanet.
Thoq scc'st the lover in the twilight bower,
\V hen vow is poured on vow, and eye meets eye,
And when the bliss ofthnt cnraptured hour
,' ls uttered only in the burning sigh ;
Ah ! tell tliein not that youth is on.the wing,
might not the hopes of their delicious spring.
Thou gee‘st the fishet loitering by the shore ;
‘.l‘hot.t eee’st the school-boy wandering through
H I the wood;
Thou see'st the peasant by his cottage door;
’.l‘hou see'st the poet in his solitude,’
Musing, precliance some high heroic lay-—
Soft fall thy light where’er his footsteps stray!
But other scenes are ‘diine, sweet star ofnight,
\Vhen, in thy wane. the too victorotts morn _
Steals from thee all thy ra ll.1lDCe, and with light
’From orb more dazzling hastens to adorn
This lower world: Ah ! then, fair planet, say.
\Vhat see’st thou, as thou hold’st thy lieaveniy
way '?
Thou sec'st the traveler, haply doomed to toam
in foreign lands, unfriciided and alone,
An exile from his country and his home,
. The sweets of frieridship and of lovcgunknown ;
Now rotind hiptltarl. the whitening billows tise,
And now his path tlirotigh Aft'ic'S ll!-isert lies.
Thou see’:-it the pale genius wzttcliittg from afar
" 'l‘lie first faint traces oftltc wztkoniiig day,
- ,Or grizing sadly oit you failing star,
\Vliose little light fades not more fast away;
Ah ! ’tis the vigil of the broken heart, '
lllliat fain would live, tlioti_glitrea,tcl1_erons Lope
depart. '
\-
Tbon see'.t the motltcr, wife, or sister stand,
llv the lorn sick-bed. where disease has found
Aiititteer victim, and with icy hztntl
Tiie joyful current ofthc blood has bound,
And from the brow plucked of the festive wreath,
'I‘riuinphant uftlie thorns that lurked beneath,
Thou see'st the soldier on the tcntcd field
Snatcliing short sliitiiher ere he wakes to die ;
Thou seeIst the wretcli whose senses never yield
’l‘tigeritle sleep, and in whose dim, sunk eye
'I‘litiu reatl’st remorse _a__nd terror ;—th_is is he
Wilio finds, too late, that guilt is inisery._
'‘ 'I‘hoti see'st, fair orb, the truth ofliuman life,
Things, which will be, and which have ever
' been ‘I
A motley stage, that shows a constant strife
letwixt the tragic and the comic scene;
\Vhcre now a sage, and now a fool appears ;
'I‘o-day delight and smiles, to iiiorrow care and
tears.
For (he i\"ut'wa[/: Grlzette.
Mr. Editor--The suhjoined was originally
preparetl for, and publislit-d in the Uiieitla
\Vhig. Uticn, Y, Should you tltink it like-
ly to interest your rcudt-.rs. as the bustling scenes
‘of election are pasr. you are at liberty to give it
V a place in the coliiiiiits of the Gazette.
I '§_'otirs 'lespct-tfully.
.. . imitstty t3tsst‘._1_..
' ' Norwalk, April 5, 1537.
l IXDIAN RELICS, .\1¥'I‘lIOLOG3_.",
r.iij.'i* _FlR3'1'.
The cotintry in which were found the Indian
g’. Remains about to be described, is sittiatcdiu
1; Oneida County, New-York, and is a part of the
i ancient territory oftlie Oneitlas, one of the Iro-
, (See Note
A.) It is an elevated strip oflanil, lying be-
tween the Skenantlo Creek on the east, and the
Qn_e_ida Creek on the west.
north to south is about eight tniles; its medium
_bre_a_dth three or four, atid its greatest elevation
sdme six hundred feet above the bed of those
'I‘lie following facts were collected
quois, or ‘ Six Nations of Indians.’
Its length from
streams.
during a residence of many years about ten
miles distant, and in consequence of being fre-
‘ quently called into and througli the neighbor-
hood, in the performance of professional servi-
ces, since the land has been occupied and cul-
tivated by the whites. Indian graves have been
found dispersed over every part of the sninniits
pfthe ridge, They are all of a square form ;
the sides being from six to ten feet in length,
and sunk to the depth of four or five feet. They
contain not only the remains of the dead; who
. seem to have been deposited in asitting posture;
‘ but cooking utensils, arrow heads, knives, hatch-
ctS,gur1 barrels. locks, bayoncts, and various
other articles. From sundry circumstances, it
tvis evident the interinents were made at, or near-
ly the same time, at some remote period, The
bones bear uniformly the marks ofthe same de-
gree ofdeeay. The land is heavily timhcred
iyith trees evidently of second growth, of which
I come are found growing upon the graves them-
lgeilves. Of the origin and history of these tombs
the present race of Indians have not the least
knowledge. or even tradition. They have, how-
ieiver, a vague belief of their being the graves of
their ancestors; approach them with the great-
?‘-'>“t5te and venerntion, and could not, under
I A stances, beiuduced to disturb the sa-
hatevcr tnight have been the great variety of forms and sizes, some perfectly
cause, the destruction of humati life must have
been immense. The single grave from which
were taken the relics about to be noticed, could
not have contained much less than fifty botlics;
as ottt ofit were taken twenty-nine entire skulls
with parts of many others, together with agreat
quantity of bones oftlie extremities. The lat-
ter were ttncommonly large, and must have be-
longed to a race ofmen ofgreat size and streugtli.
The followiiig articles, some evidently of In-
dian manufacture, others received from the
whites, either in barter for furs or as presents,
were taken from the sainegrave, viz: Some ar-
row heads, part of a musket, a brass kettle, ca-
pable of holding about tlirec gallons, in at good
state ofpreservation; a bell inctal inortar, capa-
ble of containing about two quarts, and very
finely cast; a stnall metal poringer; three me-
tal spoons, with large bowls, reseinbling in forrn
the lialfof an egg shell. l*3“g'll'*‘.’l.§t3-3
with astem seven inches in length attached to
the smaller end; also a _ie\vsl1_a_i_-p of singular
construction. That patt of the instrument ap-
plied to the month, is of precisely the forzn and_
size of an old fasliioned tea spoon. The ‘shank,
corresponding to the handle oftlie spoon, is about
twoinclies in lengt.li. I.‘rom_ the extremity, and
on the side correspondingto the convex surface
of the bowl, projects tlietongue ofthe harp to be
totiched vgitii the iinger, leaving the concave of
the bowl to be applied to the mouth.
Interspersed thickly among the soil, were
large quantities ofsmall white beads, about the
size of pigeon shot, which would seem to have
hecn promiseuously thrown in at the time of the
interment. Besides these were two pipes; the
first a lcaden one, with a very large four sided
bowl, terminating in a poitit at the bottotn,with
a stem about ten inches in length; the front face
of the bowl being surmounted with a very per-
fect figure of the eatamount. Second, a pipe
very ingeniotislywrought from the fat‘ famed
red stone, taken from the Indian Pipe Stone
Quarry, so graphically described a short time
since, by G. Catlin the painter. The bowl is
an inverted cone. From the small end is a pro-
jection about fourinclies in length, fitted fortlie
reception of the stem. The projection is six
sided, and on the tipper surface is a serrated
crest, perfogatetl with holes at the base, proba-
bly for the lll1I‘i7G_SCQfii_i,lZlCl]l[l_g to it some kind of
ornament. Of the fact ofits being oftlie material
before mentioned, I was fully assured by a gen-
tleman who had had much iiitercot,'rse with the
Itidians oftlie ‘Pipe Stone _eountry,’ and had vis
ited the quarry from whence the stone is taken.
Besides, it correspontls most perfectly, with one
described by Schoclcraft, a figure of which he
gives in a plate inserted in his .Io_ttrnal, from
which is the following extract ;-—“ The quarry
is situated in the prarie country, intermediate
between the St. Peters and the Sioux rivers. of
the Missouri. It is said the stratum does not
exceeda foot in tliicktiess, and that it is found
two or three feet below .ic soil. The Indians
go once a year to procure their supplies for the
iiiaiiufucture of pipes , and as it has been resort-
ed to f_o_r a very long period, the excavations are
said to be extensive; and ifthe accounts are to
be relied on, cover an area of fifty acres. This
stone is a red steatite, intermediate between the
common soap stone and serpentine. It yields
very easily to the knife when first taken from
the q_uarry, atid as it has no grit, may be sawed
with a common handsaw, but acquires hardnt-.ss
by long exposure to the air. A considerable de-
gree ofskill is manifested by the Indians in cut-
ting their, pipes. ’_ he bowls are invariably an
inverted cone, with a massy projection from the
small end for the reception of the stem. This
part of the pipe is generally ornamented with
carved work. 81191 surmounted by a kind of
coiub.’ In addition to the pipe were a consid-
erable number of ornaments of different pat-
terns, wrought from the same stone, and appar-
ently intended to be worn on the neck or urine,
as they were all perforated; and the buck skin
thongs on which they were strung, were entire
when taken up. Also a very perfect form of
the human face, oftlie size ofa dollar, with se-
veral other fancy articles. These facts would
seem to prove that tribes far distant from each
other, formerly maintained an intercourse, ei-
ther directly, or through the medium of white
travelers or traders. The following articles
must have been received from those profcssiiig
the Roman Catholic faith; probably from the
Jesuits or those accompanying them in their ex-
ploratory travels. It is well known that th_e
French .Icsu_its explored the wilds of North
America at a very early period. _Cl]arleV()lS
informs us that the discovery of the Mississippi
river, is due to Father Joseph Marquette, a Je-
suit Missionary twlio manifested’ a most un-
wearied enterprise in exploring the North West-
ern regions of New France, and laying the foun-
dations of Micliilirnackinac. In company with
the Sieur Juliet he proceeded to Green Bay, up
the Fox river, and crossing the Portage into the
Ouisconsin, first entered the Mississippi in 1763.’
The articles alluded to were, lst, a small bra-
zen cross, fitted for being suspended from the
neck ; 2d, several strings of atnber beads, of a
“ noN"r GIVE UP THE snip.”
NORWALII, CONN. WHSDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 183?,
round, others tnanyt sided, others oval, cylindri-
cal, flattened stilieizes, The size varied
front that ofa niusket ball to that of a buck-
sliot. 3d, several small inetalie tlrinkingctips,
holding, when whole, from three to four ounc-
ces, generally destitute of bottoms, which had
been destroyed by rust. These are supposed to
have been used as sacramental cups. 4th, sev-
eral vials, entire, of the capacity of an ounce
atid a half; probably used to contain the ‘Ho-
ly \Yater.’ 5th, a small hand bell, most proba-
bly used as a ‘ Matiii Bell.’ 6th, several knee
buckles, and others, ofthe size oftliose worn by
l_a_dies_ for shoe hntzkles, 7th, a ntimber of buttons
of the sltape and site of those commonly called
bullet buttons. 8th. an Irish half penny, with a
head on one side, as a device, with thisinscrip-
!l0.llt ‘Georgina Dei. Gratin. =' on the alter»
a female figure, sitti_n__g,with a harp lying at her
sitl_e_,v1ithti*,_e_ inscription, ‘_Hibernia,
Besides these were several things of minor con-
sequence, not described. There are also, in ad-
dition to these receptacles of the dead, the re-
mains of an ancient fortification, near the south-
ern ettttatitity of the tidge- '1.‘-b.e eF11l’3,“lS.‘1.3.!31.‘!‘*.!‘1
some placesiare now two or three feet high, en-
closing an area of al.out two acres, on which
stand several very large trees. By some it has
been supposed that this territory, at some re-
mote period, was possessed by a race of people
farther advanced in the arts of civilized life than
the Indians of our country, and who well un-
derstood the business of fortification. It seems
most propable, however, that the fort was con-
structed by the savages, for protection against
their hostile neighbors, and done under the su-
perintendence ofwhite men.
These Indian graves which we have been
considering, have given rise to tnuch specula-
tion amoiig tho curious and inquisitive. That
the interiiieiits were all made at about the same
time, scents notin the least to be doubtetl. But
from what cause such an astonishing destruction
ofhnmau life could have resulted, is a question
upon which there has been much diversity of
opinion. Some have supposed that the retiiains
were those of Indian WZ1I'I‘lOl‘S, who fell in
some sanguinary conflict with their enemies.-
'I‘liis appears improbable, from the fact, that the
number is far greater than we have any acconnt
ofhaving fallen in a single battle, in the annals
oflndian warfare. Also, from the circumstance
that the graves are dispersed over an extent of
territory seven or eight miles in length, by one
to two in breath; whereas, had such an im-
inense number been slain in deadly combat, the
llllei’.'_1'lelllS would doubtless have been made on
the spot where they fell. By far the most satis-
factory explanation I have met with was given
me a few years since, by the late Judge Dean,
of \Vestmoreland, Oneida County. (See Note
B.) According to his statement, in the begin-
ning of the last century, the smallpox broke out
among the Oneida Nation, and from their ignor-
ance of the disease, and of medicine, spread
with fearful rapidity. and with a mortality al-
most, if not quite unparalleled. By it the Na-
tion was well nigh exterminated. He suppos-
ed the remains in question were those of the
victims of that disease. One circumstance
would seem strongly to confirm the opinion-
Tlie Irish half penny, bearing date 1723, af-
fords strong proof of the interinents being made
near the sarne period at which the event was
fixed by Judge Dean. Again, it is well known
to those acquainted with Indian customs, that
they invariably choose the driest and most ele-
vated ridges for the place of interring their dead.
It may perhaps be asked, if such be fact, why has
all traditionary lguowledge of such an occurrence
been lost in‘ little more than a century? The
answer is obvious, and I think satisfactory. The
disease, from its very nature, must entirely have
swept away the aged and infirm, and the rem-
nant spared, must have consisted only of the
younger portion of the community. Among
the Indians their old men are always the oracles
oftraditionary history. They of course, perish-
ed, and with them the principal part of their
knowledge ofpast events, Besides, after their
intercourse with the whites, they were gra-
dually divested of much of their primitive In-
dian character; lost their fondness for tradition-
ary lore, and consequently the knowledge of
their National History.
P. S. The Relics described were commit-
ted to my care by a Mr. Hewitt, the getitleipan
on whose fartn they were found and dug up,-
They wereleft behind inn. with the request that
they should be given to Ilaiiiiitou _G..i3lcge.
E- B.-
Nom; A.--It may not be improper here, to cor-
rect a sta_te_rnent which has often been made and
generally received as true, that the Iroquois
were the enimies of our country dtiring her Re-
volutionary st.uggle. The Oneidas were an
honorable exception, and during that eventful
period, were our tried and faithful friends and
allies, and under -tlie command of their sagas-
ious and daring chief, Skenantlo, rendered ma-
ny aud important services, in warding oil the
attacks of the liostiles from Canada arigl tlie
west. Of him it. was well and truly said in al-
lusion to his revoltitiouary services, that‘ ‘ with
the hon ry perseverance ofthe wolf, and the
agilityo the inountaincat, he watched against
and repelled Canadian invasious.'I This dis-
tinguished cliiefan_d wa_rri_or died in 1816, at the
advanced age of ].l__0 years, and was buried in
Clinton, by the side of his old ftjicnd and teach-
er, the liev.D_r. Kirklaiid, lung a missionary
among the I\lew-York Indians. In that region
be will long be held in‘ grateful and respectful
remembrance, ._Ele was truly one of ‘l_\lat_u3~e‘s
Noblemen.’
His finely moulded and gigantic form, and
stately bearing, the noble and cotnuiaiitlicg en-
ergies of his mind, his impassioned eloquence,
and above all, his consistent. ardent piety. will
never be erased from the memory ofthose who
saw and knew him. As a brief specimen of
his eloquence, take the following reply, to one
who spoke to him of his great age: ‘ Iain (said
he) like an aged hemlock——the winds ofan hun-
dred winters have whistled through my branch-
es-—I am dead at the top !’
I President Backus.
Now: B.-.Indge Dean was probably better
prepared to give a true solution oftlie problem
t'ha_n any other man. From the age of twelve
years, to the time when the coitutry was settled
by the whites, with the exception of four years
spent at Dartsmouth College, his whole life was
passed among the Itidi;‘,ns." Their history and
language he 'u_ntl_erstp,otl far better than any one
else, even than the India_n_s tl_i_eri_‘isel\_'es,,
(Conclutlctl next 2veel:.)
MISCELLANY,
THE wtnownn.
BY THOMAS H.
BAYLY.
\Vere I, Damon Daflbdil, to announce my iii-
tetitioii of writing the memoirs of my baeltelor
days, the tending public would be on tiptoe of ex-
pectation, eager to trace the flirtatious of unjoli
Garcon.,- while half the pretty women would be
on tlteir exquisite marrowboues, entreating to be
omitted in the long list of my conquests. But I
am no traitor to the fair, or, as it is veryjustly
called, the weaker sex. True it is I have de-
tailed the happy hours of my unmarried life, not
in black or white, but on pink paper with blue
ink; but the manuscript is carefully folded, seal-
ed, and tied with white satin riband, aiitl it is not
to be made public for a century at least.
I therefore skip in_y inany ‘hair breadth
‘scopes,’ and proceed at once to the day when I
so far _coininitted inyselfas to stand irrevocably
on the brink of tnatrimony.
My chosen was not so pretty as I could have
\visl=,-ed, being tall, thin, and angular; nor did
she writ out so amiable as I had thought her, be-
ing vain, opiiiiative, and tlir:t;,,,,r;u1, Bug ~ -, the
period uftvlti-::h I speak, every thing was caleur
de rose, so tntich so. indeed, that I never detect-
ed she wasa blue. ' ' ' i l '
\Ve married; and, as my wedding day was
one ofweepirtg to many fair datnsels, who shall
at present he riatneless, I, ofeourse, anticip-ited
perpetual smiles and suusliine on the part of
Mrs. Daffodil ; but Mrs. D.'s-serenity only last-
ed just so long as she was the one person ‘tliought
of, looked at, and attended to in society; and,
not being exactly the fairest of the fair, nor the
brightest of the bright, there were moments when
others, and when, it must be owned, I myself,
ventured to praise other beauties, and to listen to
the silver accents of other lips. Then it was
that Rebecca Dallbdil would boil with indigna-
tion, and talk at others, and praise herself, until
I began to wish that some more deserving indi-
vidual liad properlyappreciated her, and snatch-
ed her from the ofler wliicb I had rather precipi-
tately made.
As is the custom in all civilized societies, her
portrait was to be painted, and notninally ‘pre-
sented to her husband—tliat is to say, I was to
pay for it, and then was to see less ofit than
anybody else; for it was to be sent to the Exiti-
bition, and then to be hung up, not in my own
room, for nobody would have seen it there, but
in the drawing rootn. I pitied the poor artist
from my very soul. He began, and, indeed,
very nearly finished, a very atlmhable likeness;
bttt, in an uulticky hour, he peri_nittcd Rebecca
to peep at his performance. I never shall forget
herthatday as long as I live.
.‘Have you seen my portrait, love ?’ said she
to me at dinner. ’
‘ Yes, dear.’
‘ And what do yott think ofit I’ cried she.
‘Admirable ! I never saw a better likeizcse.‘
‘ You are jesting !'
‘No, indeed.’ I replied. ‘As Isaid to Mr.
Tititums, it really was like looking at yourself.‘
‘ He told me you said so; but I could not be-
lieve it until I heard it from your own lips.-
\Vhy. I showed It to liftecn highly talented peo-
ple this very day, and they say it is abominable.’
PI-lavitig first been told by you that yott did
not relish its being thought like.’
-‘Nonsense. Sir. Look at the lines: it makes
me forty, at least !' I '
.“vV'ell, Becky dear, but you know you
thirty sev ‘
‘Hold your tongue, Mr. Daffodil. I am
aware that I married an old bachelor of fifty;
l)Ul.?—_,-‘I .
‘IIcn1!-—to the point my dear. Your pic-
.Iure-’ ' I
.‘lVell, it’s condetnnetl. St. Attbyn said to-
day that he could not blame Mr. Tiiitttni_s, for
that I ought to be painted in rainbow tints,’
‘Oh ! ah !-—that accounts for it.’
.‘ And though raven hair and dark eyes may be
painted, it is not easy to give the hyacinthine
gloss to the one. nor t_lie ctnanzition the poetic
mind to the othei,-’ '
.‘ Yes, yes; Isee,’
‘In fact, is not possible to give to my por-
trait the delicacy and beauty of the original.’
‘Clearly money thrown away, |ltBu.' said
‘ Still, you know,’ atldetl my wife, ‘that bright
circle, ofwliicli I am the brilliant centre, expect
to see tne on canvass, and the attempt must be
made.’
.'It has been matle.’
‘I-Ie rnnsttry again. Had my poor mother
been alive, this triight have passed for her.’
I said no more; and Rebecca, like an old hen,
went on sitting atid sitting, until an oval produc_-
tion was exhibited to the public, as like her as it
was like me. An oval frame was then procured
are
and the picture was stispended. I stispended
my Judgment, because thinking it young and
NO. 5.
I-.2.
bettutiful, I could not conscientio_iis_ly say it re-
sembled Becky ; but my wife’s literary friends
all l,l‘.U"d Ottl‘ St)_l1lei del‘ect--spine eye, nose,
ll.7.0l.1,llJ. Or chin, not good c-plough for the corres-
pnn_ding feature in her face and lovely as they
all_de.clared it to be, they unanimously said or
tnslttitiateti that it was less lovely than the origi-
na . .
In the spring of 1820, Becky and I agreed to
travel. It is a sad thing for a bifight circle when
its brilliant centre talks of going ‘away: and
many “(etc the latI_]_cDlallQ_[1_S_ uttered "by the
lie,nget_'s on who radiated round my wife. I was
ll,0WGY0t‘,_ thoroughly sick oftlietn ; and finding
that I had set my heart on an exciirsion, and
moreover ratlier 'wi_slii_ng to see something ofthe
Wflrltl herself, the amiable woman yieldcd to my
30llcttations, and out final artangcnients were
made._ ' " '
\Ve had tesolved to visit Guernsey and ._I_ersey,
and then to proceed to St. Malo, some other
port on the coast of Erance. \Vé embarltetl in a
large and conitnodious steam packet,’ liaying en-
gaged a small private cabin; and away we
went from the Tower stairs, ftiii ofeager hopes
and niiticipations, as long as we were in calm
water in the river; but all qualms and tvret_ched-
rises as soon as the motion oftlie vessel indica-
ted that we were oil‘ the North Foreland." \Ve
paddled on, however, whether we liked it or not.
and got within sight of Dover, when contrary
winds and gales, that terrified even our captain,
Ollllged us to put back and anchor in the Downs.
§),h_, the misery of the days that we spent, rock-
ing. and r_o_lli_ug. and pitching to and fro, without
a_dvancin_g one" inch on our voyage ! I was
very ill riiyself, and as for Becky, I_ really tho‘t
she would have died; but she didn't at least
not then. Our cabin was a mere coil, and the mis-
ery ofit, during the period that we were anchor-
ites, not to be described. Btit somehow poor
Becky and I never agreed so well in our lives!
Being both sea sick to a most humiliating extent,
we were connectctl by a reciprocity of feeling
that had never existed before. In the pauses of
our intlisposition we look wistfitlly in one another,
and sympathy was ki_n_dlc_d in our liosonis. '
Besides. there is uotliiiig like l'i_abit ; it recon-
ciles us to any thing and atiybody; ‘and, wretcli-
ed as wasin the little cupboard where we were
imured, I felt that I should have beet) tno;
wretched had I been deprived ofithe society of
my wife and her little dog Snap." Snap was as
sea sick as ourselves; and never sballl forget
Becky’s anger when a rough sailor said, ‘ flow
yourdog be calling, marin I’ I think there was
a contradiction in the phrase. It is truly said,
that‘after a storm comes a calm,’ and so it did ;
but then again, after the calm came another
storm ; and so it went on, _€lll.£l we were l;lo"w‘t't
hither and thitlier. until otirpaddles were broken,
our coal exhausted, and our provisions as low as
ourspirits. Not that I and Becky cared about
provisions, but the cirew did ; and whilst the
captain and the mate xvalkcd the deck and con-
sulted wliat. was est to be dope, i and my iiizite
watched them in silence, like unhappy crimirials
.e-‘meeting every utitmem to, hear the $.3“‘§9F¢ 9!‘
death pronounced open tliein,
Qur vessel hail been christened“ Tito Duck ;
but so battered and forlorn was er condition,
that Icould not help asking myselfthe old ques-
tion, 5 Cat; a clue]: sititiigt?’ confess I began to
have my misgivings. ' ' ' i
‘The sea was rough, the clouds were dark.’
and our captain evidently did not exactly know
iyhere we were; by no means a cheering situa-
tion; bur, y.’y'ori) outwith watching, weariiiess. and
want of food, Becky and I tiudressed ourselves
and retired to our very little bed. Wlllcll was
spread upon a sort of ahelfin our cabin." I am
morally convinced it never could have been in-
tended to accoinmodatetrwo, but in such an hour
we were no_t to be separated, and we both soon
fell asleep, ‘ i
All of a sudden the ship struck upon sonic-
thing with a concussion so violent, that who
had placed myselfon the oittcr extremity of the
shelf, was thrown out of bed u ion the floor of
the cabin, Becky, lielicve, slept on——l cannot
say positively ; I am not sn_re _; for in the hurry
of the moment, without thinking of her, poor
thing! snatched with my right haiitl a box
containing all my valuables. and, seizitig my
small clothes with my left, I rushed upon deck
in a state of nudity and anxiety. to see what was
the matter; and foun_d_ that our vessel The
Duck, had run foul of anotlier vessel, and was
filling fast, and going to the bottom.
The two vessels became entangled for a minute
or two, and it wasjust possible to step front tire
smaller one into the bigger and the safer. I in-
stantly took the step, and found myself standing
on the deck of a, strange vessel, stirrounded by
gentlemen and ladies had never seen before ;
and just as I had left my pillow, with my box in
one liatid and my small clothes in the other. I
rushed to a secluded corner to put on the latter,
and then paid my respects to the captain, polite-
ly requesting him to aeconmiodate Mrs. Daffo-
dil as well as myself.
It was a dreadful moment for a litisband !—-
There are tragedies in real life too painf_t_il to be
detailed in a narrative, too heart tending to be
represented on the stage; such was mine. ~ The
captain congratulated me on my own escape ;
but as for my beloved wife, and The Duck that
bore her, of which in the darkness he had ob-
tained btit a glimpse, it appeared to be the gen-
eral opinion that she was a wreck and gone to
the bottom. "
\Vhat a liorrid phrase for a iiusbantl to hear!
I believe I fainted, and contitiiied many hours in
a state of inseiisihility. The next _day went
on deck and eagerly looked arotind for The Duck,
nay, for a fragment of that vessel, :1 hen-coop
with Becky as-tride upon it,.v/aviug her night cap
to attract attention , but no, saw nothing but
what people call the waste of waters illuminatetl
by the rising sun,
I was yielding sadly to the combined ellects
of grief and sea sickness, when it cccnrred to me
to inquire in what ship I was sailing, and whith-
er we were going, The ship was the Hope,
bound for the East Indies! The East Indies!
Impossible! 1 assnrred Captain Higgins that
I could not think of uccompaning him, but he
smiled, and inquired whether a voyage with him
was not preferable to being drowned.
I will not dwell on my sensations and st.ilIi:r-
ings ; for months I walked the deck, looking on
Becky's winding sheet, a sheelofwater .’ or peep-
ing over the side of the vessel into the depths be-
», . 2
low. at the‘ horrible water wag-tails which had
perhaps devoured her.
It was so awkward tobe made extcmporan-
eously a widower; no funeral, no tombstone, no
body buried anywhere! For as to whatipeioplo
call ‘a watery grave,’ itamoiints, to my thinking,
to no grave at all; and then the seaihas such an
awkward way ofthrowing it up again ; one can
never feel quite sure. Poor Becky,‘ I pictured
her to myself; no Collin, and not a rag ofshroud,
stretched‘ upon an oyster bed, where at least
there was no want ofa shell. All this was very
shocking; she was. as one ofthe sailors unfeol-
ingly observed in my hearing, ‘food for fishes ;'
and it was a very longtime beforel could recon-
cile niyselfto the flavor of soles orttirbot. I
even loathed lobsi_ers.——I who used to be I0
partial to them. i ' ' '
Another thing that vexed me was the impossi-
bility of paying proper respect to the del'nnct,
and weatiiig mourning. Becky had all the weeds
to herself, " (sea weeds, ‘alas I) and I ' walked
about in‘ a"borrowed blue jacket" and duck
trowsers ; my only piourni_tig for The Duck and
her precious passeiiger! My voyage continued
to be unprtisperotts; what ‘could be extracted af-
ter such a btcginniizgl and it was twoimonths
beyond the usual time allotted fora voyage that
I landed at Madras. Oh! that landing! shall I
ever forget it I in such a boat, and amid such a
surf; every moment I expected to be remitted
to my Becky ; but my better angel presided,
and I was siiatclied front the danger that im-
pcndetl. ' ' ' ‘I " ‘
I am not going to dwell upon the events which
occurred in the East, nor my motives for remain-
ing there tiiiich longer than I intended. I was
now a single tiiaii ; no lies united me to my na-
tive t:ouiitry ; I atnuscd myself very agreeably,
and two years had elapsed before I revisited the
land ofnty fzitlicrs.' ‘ " ‘ I I
There was a iiiee old lntly on board, and a ‘dear,
dark, iiitercstiitg girl, her daughter. VVe be-
came intiniate; aiid sullice it to say, that, when
we lztntletl, was all but ‘a happy man. ' ‘
\Ve went to the siittie hotel; and the very
next night, bcfotc l_’i,aIdco;,‘iiti'iuiiiczited with my
man of bttsiticss, or made known my arrival. to
my friends. I at:cotupati_ied my fair companions
to Dury Lane Theatre. where a young lady
was to inake her first appearance in Belvidera.
\Vc occupied a private’box. and, engrossed by
the interest of the scene, anti with my right hand
locked in that of the beantiftil Anna Maria, I
gave myself up to enjoyinetit, and almost forgot
that there was any one else in the house except
our three selves. ’I‘o\vards the end of the fifth
act, however. there rcsotindctl a shrill scream
from an opposite box. and raising my eyes, I
saw--was it possible ?—oo. it could not be,—yet
it was—-—it was Beck),-7, gazing wildly at me, and
resting on the shoulder of an exceedingly tall,
dark whiskcred gentleman. screamed too, and
then Becky scifieanietl again, and the debutante
on the stage cncotiragcd by her apparent
success, screamed also ; falling on her knees, and
scratching away at the boards with her nails, to
dig up Jallier. Btit without any digging on my
part, and without the aid of any scratch (unless
it was the old onc,) there stood Becky alive be-
fore I110;-Eitttl to end so horrible an uncertainity
I ran roi.tiitl'tl1e house, and entered her private
box.
It was Becky, and by her side was the Irish
gentleman, Captain O’I_)'ibble, of I{illballycur-
inutlgeon Castle, in the county of Clare, wlio was
to be united to my wealthy widow on the follow-
ing iVIonilny. I was sorry for him, very sorry ;-
and for myself, tnorc sorry; and for Anna Maria.
and her tiiothcr, and Becky too ; it was unpleas-
ant for all parties. However, my late wife and
Iwerc soon establislied i_n our old iesigienee ;
arid she once iriorebecaine tlieioriiiiantcentre of
a bright circle. The Duck though very much
damziged, had kept afloat until her crew and
passengers were rescued by a steamer on her
way to Dublin. Becky, supposing had fallen
overboard, mourned a decent timein that capi-
tal ; and then went to Killarney, and the Giant's
Causeway, and other“ celebrated places in the
"Emerald Isle, and made the acquaintance of
Captain O'Diddlo. She never" recovered the
shock. (go/iiclt shock it is impossible for me to say,
my loss, or my sudden reztppearance.) At the
end of two years. she grew nervous; and, hav-
ing no paitic_tilar complaint, she employed 8.
new popular doctor, who cured every imagi-
nable disease after it fashion of his own.
Mrs. Daflbdil died ; I never felt so awkward
in my life"; I had gone through all the grief
which was to he expected on such an occasion
already, and could not do it allover again; be-
sides, moiitlis ago,I had made up my mind to
life; loss. I however went into the deepest
mourning (ft,-. ;[;;;t was still due to her,) andI
attended the futtertll,-I-St) lliui. ;‘_.9W there Can be
no mistake, aiid I am justified’ in p.i;,3,:lIVel)I'
stating that the remains of Mrs. Daffodil are de-
nosited in _ clitirch yard, beneath a very
iandsoitie, large, and weighty monunient, which
has been erected to _l:_c_rn_1_omory by her disconso-
late littsbarul. '
Anna Maria is still single; and ‘as she is at
present residing with her motlter in the Isle of
‘,Vig_lit,I ant ineditatiug an excursion to that
lovely spot, and may probably hereafter com-
iiiniiicate to the public the result ofour meeting;
GREAT IiITI£P_»ARY ENTER_PRIZE!
The publishers of the Eglantine being deter-
mined to encourage American talent, and being
iesolved to render their paper worthy the pat-
ronage oftlie public, offer the following liberal
pijeniiums ;
' For the best original tale, founded on the mer-
cantile prosperity of our country, they will give
a new edition of Cock Robin, ornamentetl with
seven wood cuts and colored. I
For tlie-‘nest pceiu on the subject of the Texi-
an Wat'¥—‘aije\\'Sllal’p without a tongue, a patent
boot-jack, and a pair of bellows without a nose.
For the best original essay on the present high
price of milk-a cow's tail preserve_d in pickle,
a green cojav-iliide, and a pair of second-hantl
woolen drawers.
For the best acrostic; one pound of bloom
raisins and fotirteen ounces of beef sue_t.'
‘For the best original essay on thestate of the
woutlier; two paper dickeys, a bnrich of long
nine cigars, and a pair of new boots.
I‘ "For the best political essay; a stout shillelah
and as iiiucli new rum as the author can drink.
For the best patriotic ode; a fine portrait of Ba-
laani’s ass, and a piece of white _rop'e, once the
property of John Endicott, governor of Massa-
chusetts.
For the best essay on the noble game of push
pin ; a kitchen crane. three flatirous without-
bandles, and the nose of an old collee pot in a
high state of preservation.
For an article on the best course _to be pursu-
ed iri order to put a stop to the alarming increase
of snake root in the United States; two apple
dumplings, a rye and Indian tooth-pick, and the
iron hoops of a dcfuiict hogsheari.
In order that every one may have a chance to
get something, \ve shall opena box of red her-
ring, and each unsuccessful contributor will be
entitled to two of that exquisite fish.
\Vriters will please send in their communica-
tions beforc the next fall of snow, as otherwise
the boots offered as above,'will be appropriated
by our devil, to whom they are conditionally
promised. ’
The committee to decide upon the compara-
tive merit of the pieces will consist of Mr.Arnog
My voyage home was pleasant enough.— -
Norwalk Chronicler