Illuminated palaces floated down the river, which almost washed the walls of the royal residence. In an instant these sank, and rose up again, having changed their form into a garden or forest of fire, through which blazing serpents meandered. Next a stupendous fortress came swimming down the stream, when suddenly a fleet of illuminated boats attacked it with rockets, and battered it to pieces. Fiery fish rose and sank in the stream. The air was filled with every-coloured flower. Dragons tore about in the air, while trees of fire rose from the waters. To describe or do justice to this magnificent scene would be impossible. It lasted half an hour, and cost above twelve thousand pounds. It was worth almost a trip to India to behold. The following week I received notice, together with my brother officers, that each of us were to have two shawls as a present. Our commandant reported the circumstance to head-quarters, and at the same time solicited permission to accept them. This the government peremptorily refused; why, or wherefore, I never could learn.

The business of the royal jewels was hushed up. Bedford eventually returned to Europe a poor man.

HER FIRST VISIT AFLOAT.

A DIALOGUE OF THE DECK.

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE NAVAL SKETCH BOOK,' &c., &c. SCENE.-Malta Harbour. A group of Seamen seated round the fore-hatchway of the Vernon frigate.

Interlocutors.-BENJAMIN BUNTER, Captain of the Foretop, SAMUEL ROBERTS, Quarter-gunner, and ROBERT WILLIAMS, Main-topman.

BUNTER. Ah! I only wishes we had Her here: we should then have more of fun and less of fag.

WILLIAMS. And, in course, somet in the way of extra swizzle this hot weather, to make up for loss of leakage.

BUNTER. That you would-double allowance.

ROBERTS. 'Twas lucky, Ben, you were left behind sick at Hazlar hospital, or you wouldn't a seen the sight.

BUNTER. I rather ha' died than not a' seen it. And what's more, all the supernumeraries borne for a passage out on the books said the same. WILLIAMS. In course, Ben, she's like her pictur'?

BUNTER. Pictur! God help ye! Where's the pictur' as could give even the ghost of a notion of such flesh and blood? Did you ever see a pictur' as could show the sort o' sunset we sees on stations such as this? Moreover, where's the chap as could look patiently on, and paint the likes o' She? A boy may be brought to stare death full in the face; but where's the man as can fix a stedfast gaze on the eye of a reg'lar built angel? It's not in natur'!

ROBERTS. No more it isn't, Ben. Look here. We'll say I'm employed tarring down the main-stay.

Well,

Coaxin' Kate' comes alongside in a wherry. t'other on 'em threw a look aloft, the tar-brush

'Handsome Sue' or Why, if either one or would fall clean out of

a fellow's fist, and the precious contents of the bucket come slap on the bleached kiver of the launch stowed on the booms. It's all fine talkin', but ye can't work agen human natur'.

WILLIAMS. Well, but try back for a bend. It wasn't her first visit afloat?

BUNTER. Sartinly not. The crew of the Emerald cutter could tell ye a different tale. But 'twas what the first-leaftenant of the Queen called her first public 'spection afloat.

ROBERTS. The beginning o' March is no time for a frolic afloat. BUNTER. That it isn't. For the standin' part o' two days the weather was dirty, gusty, and terribly agen her. But, bless her heart! She braved it all, and behaved like a reg'lar Briton. 'Twas easy to see as She was a chip of the old block. She's none o' yer fine-weather birds, afeard of a bit o' a breeze, or a toppin' spray uncurlin' her locks or wettin' her corns. Some o' the young gemmen afloat might take pattern o' She-I'm blest if they mightn't! For the first day it was blowin' blunderbusses and rainin' bullets. Still, the ships at Spithead, as well as them in the harbour, was all titivated off to the nines,touched off in every way likely to tickle her eye. From the truck to the water's edge all were rigged out with flags, and dressed in colours

as never was seed afore. I'm blest if there wasn't buntin' enough flyin' afloat to soak up a month's rain in the wettest month of the year. At night the harbour was all of a blaze. Them as could see her, say as the flag-ship was the finest sight as was ever seed since the bringin' o' Boney into Plymouth Sound. All along her yards, low an' loft, glass signal-lanterns, not more nor two feet apart, were hung in reg. 'lar tiers. How they managed to muster so many is more nor Ben can tell; but we all knows where there's a will there's always a way. WILLIAMS. In course there is.

BUNTER. Well, when they mans the yards, an' all laid-out aloft, steadily placed, every man standin' upright in his station as stiff as a steeple, an' all facin' in full the spot ashore, as was fixed for her to see the sight; a blue-light was let off from every yard-arm in the ship, 'sides two from the folksel, two from the gangways, an' two from the poop. For more nor a minute an' a half four-an'-twenty beautiful blue blazes was seed all at once flarin' up the same dientical time; an' by the strong flexshun as fell full on the faces o' all aloft, She could see, they say, the very muscles of every mug on the highest yard as plainly, by Joe, as if she was lookin' at her own straight in the glass. But, bless yer hearts, all this was a flash in the pan compared to her comin' off to 'spect the ship at Spithead; for they say no breeze-no, not even the Breeze* of old, as made all the lords in the land shake in their shoes, would a' stopped She from comin' off to see the craft as was christened after herself!

ROBERTS. Did she christen her herself? In course she shied the bottle at her figure-head when she was launched.

BUNTER. How should I know when I wasn't there? But, howsomever, three or four days afore She comes afloat, an order was gived reg'larly out in writin', as when She went round the decks there wasn't to be as much as a breath breathed. A churchyard in commission wasn't to be silenter, no, nor the ship fore an' aft! The ship's company was to be all mum as monks, an' seated in their berths below. Whether this was to give every feller borne on the books a fair chance of throwing an eye at Her as She went her reg'lar rounds, or only a bit of a caper o' the skipper to shew off the kelter o' the ship and order o' the crew, is more nor Ben can say. But this I can tell ye, the order was stuck up in the bellfray; and, to make it clear as a pikestaff, the people was mustered at divisions, an' every man and boy borne on the books o' the barkey was told by the officers what they was to do, and what they wasn't to do. Well, the next day the clerk o' the weather gets better behaved, gives his bad humour a bit of a spell, and breaks out in a fit of open-hearted Natur' as claps a smile on the mug of all afloat. Out shines the sun, an' out comes the Steamer, with the Standard flying at the main. Then it was, my bose, as the barkey was all alive. Clearin' for action wasn't a more cheering thing. Fire was flashin' out of eyes as afore was duller nor purser's dips. Young gemmen was seed flyin' here an' scuddin' there, divin' down ladders, an' tumbling up ways. The admiral rubbin' his two-fisted flippers,† an' now an' again throwin' an eye on his new roast-beef coat, his laced trowsers, or the stars and crosses clingin' to his double-bank breast. The skipper strut

hatch

The Mutiny at Spithead was termed by the tars of that time The Breeze at Spithead.' Whether Jack is correct in this particular we cannot say. But the gallant and distinguished officer in question is unquestionably a man of immense stature.

tin' like a lord o' the land; the boson lookin' bigger nor a bishop (for the thought o' pipin' the side to She well nigh turned the brain o' the man). Then the leaftenants were all on the tack o' touch-me-not. The passed midshipmen, and the passed mates ('ticklarly them as was stationed to tend the side,) pacin' the deck, as if every man Jack on 'em had his parchment in his pocket, an' his swab on his starboard shoulder. As soon as the smoker rounds the buoy of the Spit, then there was, Man yards, all the ships at the anchorage a-followin', in course the admiral's motions. The wind lullin', and the water turnin' as smooth as milk, the smoker runs slap alongside o' the ship, and up She comes the 'commodation-ladder, wanting no one to lend her a fist, and seemin' to care never nothin' for no one.

ROBERTS. That's Her! She's a trump.

as

BUNTER. Well, as soon as she sets her tiny, taperin' foot upon the deck (for, facin' aft from the foretaupsle-yard, I follows with my eye every step she takes, and every plank she paces,) bang goes the first gun o' the salute (all the ships openin' their fire with our second barker,) an' down in the thick o' the smoke comes the admiral's flag, an' up in lieu goes the Standard at the main. As soon, you know, all the bisiness o' presentin' arms, rattlin' o' drums was over, the band done God-savin'-the-Queen, and all scrapers were clapped on, an' the big wigs kivered agen, down she dives to the admiral's cabin on the middle-deck; whilst the people was piped down from aloft, and then piped to dinner below. To show ye, as She's a reg'lar-built chip'-o'the-old-block, She waits till they sarves the grog afore she axes to go below. Well, you might a hard a pin drop on the deck when She claps her foot on the first step o' the after-lower-deck ladder. At this dientical time, Big Bob, as they calls the chief boson's mate, takes up his station in front of the main hatchway ladder, holdin' up his hand like the arm of a telly-graff, as much as to say, the ship's company was to look at he! But who the devil wanted to look at he when all as we wanted was to look at She?

WILLIAMS. In course.

BUNTER. Well, the first thing She does was to taste the ship's soup -in course she didn't make much of a meal o' that; then she sends for a sample of the ship's company's three-water swizzle. This the skipper on a silver salver brings her in a clear crystal glass, as was never afore touched by mortal lip. Well, as soon as she tastes the tipple, an' shows as she likes it in her heart by takin' another swill, and tossin' it all off, Big Bob, as all the time was watchin' her, with his call placed atwixt his two lips, gives the pipes 'stand by;' and then all seeing his drift, and struck by the one thought, up in less than the turn of a quid starts upon their pins more nor seven hundred souls, and out breaks (Bob leadin' with the call) three thunderin' cheers, as ye thought would a burst the very sides o' the ship! It was then, my bose, as She did look as if She liked us all the better for breakin' the admiral's order! God bless her! The weather spoilt my best mustrin-trowsers, to be sure. But, I'm blest if I wouldn't go without trowsers all the days o' my life could I only see her again afloat! I'm blest if I wouldn't! Come! spell oh!

And here the group broke up, all to a man delighted with 'Ben's' account of 'Her First Visit afloat!'

• Boatswain's whistle.

Sing, sing, who sings

To her who weareth a hundred rings.
Ah! who is this lady fine?

The vine, boys, the vine,

The mother of mighty wine.

A roamer is she o'er wall and tree,

And sometimes very good company.-BARRY CORNWALL.

We have at length arrived at the end; and I dismiss from my desk the author to translate and illustrate whom is a very labour of love. I am conscious that the versions possess many faults; the favourable manner in which they have been noticed by the press, makes me be lieve that they possess some merit. Whether they shall be deemed worthy of taking their places amid the good or bad translations of our author, time only can demonstrate.

It would be difficult to find any two poets between whom so great a similarity of genius and disposition existed as that between Anacreon and Horace; and if we could be disposed to believe in the doctrine of Pythagoras, we might without much scruple suppose the spirit of the Teian to have transmigrated into the amorous Roman lyrist. Both might have inscribed over their libraries the motto of Alcæus, No peOvGKELV: both continually preached the doctrine of carpe diem [noc temque], and practised what they preached.

Huc vina, et unguenta, et nimium breves

Flores amœnæ ferre jube rosæ,

Dum res, et ætas, et sororum

Fila trium patiuntur atra.-HoR.

Both were favourites of kings: both deserted the splendours of a court for the agrestic pleasures of their villas.

When I have Telesilla,' says Mr. Menage, 'I think I have the world; if I had the world, and had not Telesilla, I should feel myself poor.' Horace and Anacreon were of one mind in this respect also; and, as far as we can learn from their writings, were never without &

'Telesilla.'