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diff --git a/13633-h/13633-h.htm b/13633-h/13633-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8b2d6ec --- /dev/null +++ b/13633-h/13633-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,11332 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" + content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> + + <title>Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Volume 55. Issue 342. April, 1844.</title> + <style type="text/css"> + /*<![CDATA[*/ + + <!-- + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify;} + blockquote {text-align: justify;} + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {text-align: center;} + pre {font-size: 0.7em;} + + hr {text-align: center; width: 50%;} + html>body hr {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;} + hr.full {width: 100%;} + html>body hr.full {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.short {text-align: center; width: 20%;} + html>body hr.short {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;} + + .note, .footnote + {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + + span.pagenum + {position: absolute; left: 1%; right: 91%; font-size: 8pt;} + + .poem + {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem p {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem p.i2 {margin-left: 1em;} + .poem p.i4 {margin-left: 2em;} + .poem p.i6 {margin-left: 3em;} + .poem p.i8 {margin-left: 4em;} + .poem p.i10 {margin-left: 5em;} + + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> +</head> + +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13633 ***</div> + + <hr class="full" /> + + <h1>BLACKWOOD'S</h1> + + <h1>EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.</h1> + <hr /> + <br /> + + <h2>No. CCCXLII. APRIL, 1844. + VOL. LV.</h2> + <hr class="full" /> + <br /> + <br /> + + <table summary="TOC" + align="center"> + <tr> + <th>TABLE OF CONTENTS</th> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>THE PIRATES OF SEGNA.—A TALE OF VENICE AND + THE ADRIATIC. IN TWO PARTS.—PART II.</td> + + <td><a href="#pirates">401</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>THE SLAVE-TRADE.</td> + + <td><a href="#slave">425</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>MOSLEM HISTORIES OF SPAIN.—THE ARABS OF + CORDOVA.</td> + + <td><a href="#arabs">431</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.—A FRAGMENT + FROM THE JOURNAL OF AN AMERICAN TRAVELLER.</td> + + <td><a href="#mexico">449</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>THE BRITISH FLEET.</td> + + <td><a href="#fleet">462</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>MARSTON; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A STATESMAN.—PART + X.</td> + + <td><a href="#marston">483</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>THE CHILD'S WARNING.</td> + + <td><a href="#warning">499</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>THE TWO PATRONS.</td> + + <td><a href="#patrons">500</a></td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td>IRELAND.</td> + + <td><a href="#ireland">518</a></td> + </tr> + </table><br /> + <br /> + <hr class="full" /> + <a name="pirates" + id="pirates"></a> + + <h2>THE PIRATES OF SEGNA.</h2> + + <h2>A TALE OF VENICE AND THE ADRIATIC. IN TWO PARTS.</h2> + + <h3>PART II.</h3> + + <h3>CHAPTER I.—THE BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE.</h3> + + <p>The time occupied by the events detailed in the three + preceding chapters, had been passed by Antonio in a state of + self-exile from his master's studio. Conscious of having + disobeyed the earnest injunctions of Contarini, the weakness of + his character withheld him alike from confessing his fault, and + from encountering the penetrating gaze of the old painter. + Neglecting thus his usual occupation, he passed his days in his + gondola, wandering about the canals in the hope of again + meeting with the mysterious being who had made such an + impression on his excitable fancy. Hitherto all his researches + had been fruitless; but although day after day passed without + his finding the smallest trace of her he sought, his repeated + disappointments seemed only to increase the obstinacy with + which he continued the search.</p> + + <p>The incognita not only engrossed all his waking thoughts, + but she still haunted him in his dreams. Scarcely a night + passed that her wrinkled countenance did not hover round his + pillow, now partially shrouded by the ample veil, then again + fully exposed and apparently exulting in its unearthly + ugliness; or else peering at him from behind the drapery that + covered the walls of his apartment. In vain did he attempt to + address the vision, or to follow it as it gradually receded and + finally melted away into distance.</p> + + <p>It was from a dream of this description that he was one + morning awakened by his faithful gondolier Jacopo. The sun was + shining brightly through his chamber windows, and he heard an + unusual degree of noise and bustle upon the canal without.</p> + + <p>"Up, Signor mio!" cried the gondolier joyously, and with a + mixture of respect and affectionate familiarity in his tone and + manner. "Up, Signor Antonio! You were not wont to oversleep + yourself on the day of the Bridge Fight. All Venice is + hastening thither. Quick, quick! or we shall never be able to + make our way through the press of gondolas."</p> + + <p>The words of the gondolier reminded Antonio that this was + the day appointed for the celebration of a festival, which for + weeks past had been looked forward to with the greatest + impatience and interest, by Venetians of all ranks, ages, and + sexes; a festival which he himself was in the habit of + regularly attending, though on this occasion his preoccupied + thoughts and feelings had made him utterly unconscious that it + was so near at hand.</p> + + <p>Although the ancient and bitter hatred of the Guelphs and + Ghibellines had died away, and the factions which divided + northern Italy had sunk into insignificance, nearly a century + before this period, the memory of their feuds was still kept up + by their great grandchildren, and Venice was still severed + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page402" + id="page402"></a>[pg 402]</span> into two parties or + communities, separated from each other by the grand canal. + Those who dwelt on the western or land side of this boundary + were styled the Nicolotti, after the parish of San Nicolo; + while those on the eastern or sea side took the appellation + of Castellani, from the district of Castello. Not only the + inhabitants of the city itself, but those of the suburbs and + neighbouring country, were included in these two + denominations; the people from Mestre and the continent + ranging themselves under the banners of the Nicolotti, while + those from the islands were strenuous Castellani.</p> + + <p>The frequent and sanguinary conflicts of the Guelphs and + Ghibellines were now replaced and commemorated by a popular + festival, occurring sometimes once, sometimes oftener in the + year; usually in the autumn or spring. "In order that," says an + old chronicler of the time, "the heat being less great at those + seasons, the blood of the combatants should not become too + heated and the fight too dangerous." "Also on cloudy days," + says the same authority, "that the spectators might not be + molested by the sun; and on Sundays or Saints' days, that the + people thereby might not be hindered from their occupations." + On these occasions one of the numerous bridges was selected as + the scene of the mock combat that constituted the chief + amusement of the day. The quays afforded good standing-room to + the spectators; and here, under the inspection of ædiles + appointed by the people, the two parties met, and disputed for + supremacy in a battle, in which, however, no more dangerous + weapons than fists were allowed to be brought into play.</p> + + <p>It was not the populace alone that divided itself into these + two factions. Accordingly as the palaces of the nobles stood on + the one or the other side of the canal, were their owners + Castellani or Nicolotti, although their partizanship existed + but in jest, and only showed itself in the form of + encouragement to their respective parties; whereas with the + lower orders the strife, begun in good-humour, not unfrequently + turned to bitter earnest, and had dangerous and even fatal + results. In the wish, however, to keep up a warlike spirit in + the people, and perhaps still more with a view to make them + forget, in a temporary and boundless license, the strict + subjection in which they were habitually held, the senate was + induced to permit the continuance of a diversion, which from + the local arrangements of Venice, the narrowness of the streets + and bridges, and the depth of the larger canals, was + unavoidably dangerous, and almost invariably attended with loss + of life.</p> + + <p>Hastily dressing himself, Antonio hurried into his gondola + in order to proceed to the bridge of San Barnaba, opposite to + the church of the same name and to the Foscarini palace, that + being the spot appointed for the combat. The canal of the + Giudecca was one black mass of gondolas, which rendered even a + casual glimpse of the water scarcely obtainable; and it was + amidst the cries of the gondoliers and the noise of boats + knocking against each other, that the young painter passed the + Dogana and reached the grand canal. There the crowd became so + dense, that Jacopo, seeing the impossibility of passing, turned + aside in time, and making a circuit, entered the Rio de San + Trovaso, whence, through innumerable narrow canals, he + succeeded in reaching the scene of the approaching + conflict.</p> + + <p>The combatants were attending mass, and had not yet made + their appearance. Wonderfully great, however, was the concourse + of spectators already assembled. Since sunrise they had been + thronging thither from all sides, eager to secure places which + might afford them a good view of the fight. Every roof, gable, + and chimney had its occupants; not a projection however small, + not a wall however lofty and perilous, but was covered with + people, for the most part provided with baskets of provisions, + and evidently determined to sit or stand out the whole of the + spectacle. In the anxiety to obtain good places, the most + extraordinary risks were run, and feats of activity displayed. + Here might be seen individuals clambering up perpendicular + buildings, by the aid of ledges and projections which appeared + far too narrow to afford either grasp or foot-hold; further on, + some herculean gondolier or peasant served as base to a sort of + human column, composed of five or six men, who, scrambling over + each other's <span class="pagenum"><a name="page403" + id="page403"></a>[pg 403]</span> shoulders, attained in this + manner some seemingly inaccessible position. The seafaring + habits of the Venetian populace, who were accustomed from + boyhood to climb the masts and rigging of vessels, now stood + them in good stead; and notwithstanding all the noise, + confusion, and apparent peril, it was very rarely that an + accident occurred.</p> + + <p>Under the red awnings covering the balconies and flat roofs + of the palaces, were seated groups of ladies, whose rich + dresses, glittering with the costliest jewels and embroideries, + appeared the more magnificent from being contrasted with the + black attire of the grave patricians who accompanied them. But + perhaps the most striking feature of this striking scene was to + be found in the custom of masking, then almost universal in + Venice, and the origin of which may be traced in great part to + dread of the Inquisition, and of its prying enquiries into the + actions and affairs of individuals. Amidst the sea of faces + that thronged roofs, windows, balconies, streets, and quays, + the minority only were uncovered, and the immense collection of + masks, of every form and colour, had something in it peculiarly + fantastic and unnatural, conveying an impression that the + wearers mimicked human nature rather than belonged to it.</p> + + <p>Venice, whose trade and mercantile importance were at this + period greatly on the decline, saw nevertheless, on occasions + like the present, strangers from the most opposite nations of + Europe, and even Asia, mingling peaceably on her canals. Here + were Turks in their bright red caftans and turbans; there + Armenians in long black robes; and Jews, whose habitually + greedy and crafty countenances had for the nonce assumed an + expression of eager curiosity and expectation. The mercantile + spirit of the Venetians prevented them from extending to + individuals the quarrels of states; and although the republic + was then at war with Spain, more than one superb hidalgo might + be seen, wrapped in his national gravity as in a mantle, and + affecting a total disregard of the blunt or hostile + observations made within his hearing by sailors of the Venetian + navy, or by individuals smarting under the loss of ships and + cargoes captured by Spanish galleys.</p> + + <p>Scattered here and there amongst the crowd, Antonio's + searching eye soon remarked a number of men, to whom, + accustomed as he was to analyse the heterogeneous composition + of a Venetian mob, he was yet at a loss to assign any distinct + class or country. Their sunburnt and strongly marked features + were partially hidden by the folds of ample cloaks, in which + they kept themselves closely muffled; and it appeared to + Antonio, that in their selection of places they were more + anxious to escape observation than to obtain a good view of the + approaching fight. In the dark patches of shadow thrown by the + overhanging balconies, in the recesses of deep and gloomy + portals, or peering out from the entrance of some narrow and + tortuous alley, these men were grouped, silent, scowling, and + alone, and apparently known to none of the surrounding crowd. + But suspicious as were the appearance and deportment of the + persons in question, Antonio's thoughts were too much engrossed + by another and far more interesting subject, to accord them + much attention. He nourished the hope of discovering amongst + the multitude assembled around him, the mysterious being who + had taken so strong a hold on his imagination. Vainly, however, + did he scan every balcony and window and strain his eyes to + distinguish the faces of the more distant of the assembled + dames. More than once the flutter of a white robe, or a + momentarily fancied resemblance of figure, made his heart beat + high with expectation, until a second glance destroyed his + hopes; and the turning of a head or drawing aside of a veil + disclosed the blooming features of some youthful beauty, to + which, in his then state of mind, the wrinkled and unearthly + visage of the incognita would have been infinitely + preferable.</p> + + <p>While the young painter was thus fluctuating between hope + and disappointment, several lads with naked arms, or but + slightly encumbered with clothing, were giving the spectators a + foretaste of the approaching conflict; and, encouraged by the + applause which was liberally vouchsafed them, making violent + efforts to drive one another off the bridge. At times the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page404" + id="page404"></a>[pg 404]</span> spirit of partizanship + would induce some of the bystanders to come to the aid of + those who seemed likely to be defeated—an interference + that was repressed by the ædiles stationed at either + end of the bridge, who did their utmost to enforce the laws + of this popular tournament. Notwithstanding their efforts, + however, the <i>mostra</i> or duello between two persons, by + which the combat should begin, was often converted into the + <i>frotta</i> or mêlée, in which all pressed + forward without order. The first advantage was held to + be—for one of the combatants to draw blood, if it were + only a single drop, from the nose or mouth of his opponent. + Loud applause rewarded the skill and vigour of him who + succeeded in throwing his adversary into the canal; but the + clamour became deafening when a champion was found who + maintained his station in the centre of the bridge, without + any of the opposite party venturing to attack him. This feat + won the highest honour that could be obtained; and he who + achieved it retired from his post amid the waving of scarfs + and handkerchiefs, and the enthusiastic cheers of the + gratified spectators.</p> + + <p>At length the bell of the Campanile announced that mass was + over, and presently, out of two opposite streets that had been + purposely kept clear, the combatants emerged, pressing forward + in eager haste towards the bridge; their arms naked to the + shoulders, their breasts protected by leathern doublets, and + their heads by closely fitting caps—their dress + altogether as light as possible, and well adapted to the + struggle in which they were about to engage. The loud hum of + the multitude was hushed on their appearance, and the deepest + silence reigned while the ædiles marshaled them to their + respective places, on which they planted themselves in + threatening attitudes, their broad and muscular chests + expanded, their fists clenched, their feet seeming to grasp the + ground on which they stood.</p> + + <p>A loud flourish of trumpets gave the signal of the onset, + and with inconceivable impetuosity the two parties threw + themselves on each other. In spite, however, of the fury and + violence of the shock, neither side yielded an inch of ground. + The bridge was completely filled with men from end to end, and + from side to side; there was no parapet or barrier of any kind + to prevent the combatants from pushing one another into the + canal; yet so equally balanced was the strength of the two + parties, that after nearly half an hour's struggle very few men + had been thrown from the bridge, and not the smallest advantage + had been obtained either by Castellani or Nicolotti. Those in + the rear, who had as yet done nothing but push the others + forward, now came to the front, and the combat was renewed with + fresh vigour, but for a long time without any result. Again and + again were the combatants changed; but it was past noon before + Antonio, whose thoughts had been gradually diverted from the + incognita by the struggle that was going on, perceived symptoms + of weariness amongst those indefatigable athletes. Here and + there a knee was seen to bend, or a muscular form to sink, + under some well-directed blow, or before a sudden rush of the + opposite party. First one, then another of the combatants was + hurled from the bridge into the canal, an immersion that, + dripping with perspiration as they were, not unfrequently + caused death or severe illness. Nevertheless the fury of the + fight seemed rather to increase than diminish. So long as only + a man here and there fell into the water, they were dragged out + by their friends; and the spectators even seemed to feel pity + and sympathy for the unfortunates, as they saw them carried + along, some covered with blood, others paralysed by the sudden + cold, with faces pale as death and limbs stiff and rigid. But + as the fury and violence of the combatants augmented, the + bystanders forgot every other feeling in the excitement of the + fight, about the result of which they seemed as anxious as + those who were actively engaged in it. Even women might be seen + encouraging those who were driven back, and urging them once + more to the charge; applauding and cheering them on when they + advanced, and assailing those who hung back with vehement + reproaches. The uproar and shouting, shrieks and yells, + exceeded any thing that could be imagined. The partizans had + got completely mixed together; and, instead of the struggle + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page405" + id="page405"></a>[pg 405]</span> being confined to the + foremost ranks of the contending parties, the whole bridge + was now one coil of raging combatants. Men fell into the + canal by scores, but no one thought of rendering them any + assistance. Their places were immediately filled up, and the + fight lost none of its fury from their absence.</p> + + <p>Evening was now approaching, and the combat was more violent + than it had yet been, or than it had for years been known to + be, when Antonio saw the cloaked and mysterious individuals who + had already attracted his attention, emerge from their + lurking-places, and disappear in different directions. + Presently he thought he observed some of them on the bridge + mingling with the combatants, whose blind rage prevented them + from noticing the intrusion. Wherever they passed, there did + the fight augment in obstinacy and fury. Suddenly there was a + violent rush upon the bridge, a frightful outcry, and a clash + of steel. At the same moment the blades of several swords and + daggers were seen crossed and glittering upon the bridge, + without its being possible for any one to divine whence the + weapons came. The spectators, seized with a panic fear, fled in + every direction, and sprang in crowds from the quays to seek + shelter under the awnings of the gondolas covering the canal. + In vain did the gondoliers resist the intrusion of the + fugitives: all considerations of rank and property were lost + sight of in the terror of the moment, and some of the boats + sank under the weight of the multitudes that poured into them. + In their haste to get away, the gondolas impeded each other, + and became wedged together in the canal; and amidst the screams + of the ladies and angry exclamations of the men, the gondoliers + laid down their oars and began to dispute the precedence with + blows. Meanwhile the people on the roofs of the houses, + believing themselves in safety, espoused different sides, and + threw stones and bricks at each other, and at those standing + below. In an incredibly short time houses were entirely + unroofed, and a perfect storm of tiles rained upon the quays + and streets. Those who had first fled, when they attained what + appeared a safe distance, halted to look on, and thus prevented + others from getting away. Antonio was amongst the number whose + escape was thus impeded. His gondolier lay at the bottom of the + boat, stunned by a blow from a stone; he himself was bruised + and wounded by the missiles that fell in all directions.</p> + + <p>The tumult was at its height when suddenly a sound was heard + that had a truly magical effect upon the rioters, for such they + might now be termed. The alarm-bell of St Mark's rang out its + awful peal. In an instant the yells of defiance were hushed; + the arm that was already drawn back to deal a blow fell + harmless by its owner's side, the storm of missiles ceased, the + contending factions parted, and left the combat undecided. The + habit of obedience and the intimation of some danger to the + city, stilled in an instant the rage of party feeling, and + combatants and spectators alike hurried away in the direction + of St Mark's place, the usual point of rendezvous on such + occasions.</p> + + <p>Jacopo had now recovered his senses, and Antonio's gondola + was one of the first which reached the square in front of the + cathedral. Thence the young painter at once discovered the + cause of the alarm. Smoke and flame were issuing from some + buildings on the opposite island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where + the greater part of the merchants' warehouses were situated. + Thither the crowd of gondolas now steered, and Antonio found + himself carried along with the stream. But although the fire + was already beginning to subside before the prompt measures + taken to subdue it, the alarm-bell kept clanging on; and + Antonio soon perceived that there must be some other point of + danger to which it was intended to turn the attention of the + people. Gazing about for some indication of its source, he saw + several gondolas hurrying towards the grand canal, on which + most of the palaces of the nobles were situated, and he ordered + Jacopo to steer in the same direction.</p> + + <p>On reaching the palazzo of the Malipieri family, a strange + scene presented itself to him. The open space between the side + of the palace and the adjacent church of San Samuele, was + crowded with men engaged in a furious and sanguinary conflict. + At one of the windows of the palace, a + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page406" + id="page406"></a>[pg 406]</span> tall man in a flowing white + robe, with a naked sabre in one hand and a musquetoon in the + other, which, from the smoke still issuing from its muzzle, + had apparently just been discharged, stood defending himself + desperately against a band of fierce and bearded ruffians, + who swarmed up a rope ladder fixed below the window. The + person making so gallant a defence was the Senator + Malipiero; the assailants were Uzcoques from the fortress of + Segna.</p> + + <p>The arrival of the Proveditore Marcello at Gradiska, and his + subsequent recognition of his jewels at the ball, having + destroyed Strasolda's hopes of obtaining her father's + liberation through the intervention of the archducal + counsellors, the high-spirited maiden resolved to execute a + plan she had herself devised, and which, although in the + highest degree rash and hazardous, might still succeed if + favoured by circumstances and conducted with skill and + decision. This was to seize upon the person of a Venetian of + note, in order to exchange him for the Uzcoques then + languishing in the dungeons of the republic.</p> + + <p>The Venetians were not yet aware that the much-dreaded + woivode Dansowich was among their prisoners. The time chosen by + the Uzcoques for their expeditions and surprises was usually + the night; and this, added to the custom of mask-wearing, was + the cause that the features of Dansowich were unknown to his + captors. Nevertheless the striking countenance and lofty + bearing of the chieftain, and of one or two of those who were + taken prisoners with him, raised suspicions that they were + persons of mark—suspicions which were not dissipated by + their reiterated denial of being any thing more than common + Uzcoques. It was this doubt which saved their lives; for their + captors, instead of hanging them at once at the yard-arm of the + galleys, which was the usual manner of disposing of Segnarese + prisoners, took them to Venice, and placed them at the disposal + of the senate. All subsequent threats and promises proved + ineffectual to extort from the pirates an acknowledgment of + superior rank; and the Venetian authorities would perhaps have + ended in believing the account they gave of themselves, had not + the urgent applications made by the Austrian Envoy and the + Capitano of Fiume, for the release of the Uzcoques, given their + suspicions new strength. The object of the Venetians was, if + they could ascertain that there was a chief among the + prisoners, to obtain from him, by torture or otherwise, + confessions which might enable them to prove to the Archduke + the encouragement afforded by his counsellors to the piracies + of the Segnarese. They accordingly delayed, by every possible + pretext, giving an answer to the archducal ambassador, doing + their utmost meanwhile to find out the real quality of the + prisoners. This, Strasolda was most anxious that they should + not discover; and her anxiety was scarcely less to prevent the + captivity of their leader from becoming known among the pirates + themselves. His daughter's entreaties, and his own better + nature, had frequently caused Dansowich to check his followers + in the atrocities they were too apt to commit. In consequence + of this interference, Strasolda suspected her father to be more + feared than liked by Jurissa Caiduch and some others of the + inferior woivodes or officers; and she apprehended that, if she + confided her plan to them, they would be more likely to thwart + than to aid her in it. The crews of the two boats which had + been engaged in the skirmish with the Venetian galleys when + Dansowich was captured, and the men composing the garrison of + the castle on the evening of that fatal occurrence, were + therefore all whose assistance she could reckon upon. Some of + those were her relatives, and the others tried and trusty + adherents. They alone knew of their leader's captivity, his + absence having been accounted for to the mass of Uzcoques + dwelling in the town of Segna, by a pretended journey to + Gradiska; and being too few in number to attack a Venetian + galley, the sole plan that seemed to offer a chance of success + to this handful of faithful followers, was the hazardous one + devised by Strasolda. Of this, they did not hesitate to attempt + the execution.</p> + + <p>With the utmost cunning and audacity did the Uzcoques enter + Venice on the day appointed for the Battle of the Bridge, + singly, and by twos and threes, variously disguised, and + mingled with the country people and inhabitants + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page407" + id="page407"></a>[pg 407]</span> of the islands who were + hastening to the festival. Watching their opportunity when + the fight was at the fiercest, one party mixed with the + combatants, exciting and urging them on, and doing all in + their power to increase the confusion; others set fire to + the warehouses on the island of San Giorgio, in order to + draw the public attention in that direction; while the third + and most numerous division, favoured by the deepening + twilight and the deserted state of that part of the city, + succeeded in fixing a rope ladder to the window of the + Malipieri palace, the chief of which noble house was, as + they had previously ascertained, lying sick in bed in a + side-chamber, attended only by a few domestics.</p> + + <p>But there were two things which Strasolda and the Uzcoques + had forgotten to include in their calculations. These were, + first, the slavish obedience of the Venetian populace to the + call of their superiors—an obedience to which they were + accustomed to sacrifice every feeling and passion; secondly, + the Argus eyes and omnipresent vigilance of the Secret + Tribunal. Scarcely was the ladder applied, when the first gush + of flame from the warehouses brought a deafening peal from the + alarm-bell; and at the same moment, the masked and armed + familiars of the Venetian police, rising as it seemed out of + the very earth, surrounded the ladder, and a fierce conflict + began. Even the watchfulness and precautions of the + Inquisition, however, were to a certain extent overmatched by + Uzcoque cunning and foresight. Had it not been necessary to + ring the alarm bell on account of the fire, the police, who + were far the most numerous, and who each moment received an + accession to their numbers, could scarcely have failed to + capture some of their opponents, and thus have ascertained to a + certainty what the promoters and the object of this audacious + attempt really were. But before they could accomplish this, the + small piazza where the conflict was going on was thronged with + the populace, half intoxicated with the excitement of the + scarcely less serious fight they had been witnessing and + sharing in. In the crush and confusion that ensued, familiars + and Uzcoques were separated; and the latter, mingling with the + crowd, and no longer distinguishable from the cloaked and + masked figures that surrounded them, easily succeeded in + effecting their escape.</p> + + <p>When Antonio, who was pushed hither and thither by the mob, + was able to extricate himself sufficiently to get another view + of the window, the invalid nobleman, delivered from his + assailants, had retired into his apartment, while the ladder, + now deserted by the Uzcoques, had been cut and thrown down. + Desirous of escaping from this scene of confusion, the young + painter was making his way towards the quay, close to which his + gondola was waiting, when his heart suddenly leaped within him + at the sight of a muffled figure that passed near him, and in + which he thought he recognized the mysterious old woman who had + of late occupied so much of his thoughts. She was followed by a + number of the rabble, who pressed upon her with oaths and + curses, asserting that she was one of the party which had + attacked the palace of the Malipieri.</p> + + <p>"I saw her holding the ladder," exclaimed one fellow.</p> + + <p>"Nay, she was climbing up it herself," cried a second.</p> + + <p>"Strike the foul witch dead!" shouted a score of voices.</p> + + <p>The old woman's life was in the greatest peril, when a + strange and unaccountable, but at the same time irresistible + impulse, moved Antonio to go to her rescue. He was forcing his + way through the crowd with this intention, when the object of + the popular fury turned her head towards him. Her veil was for + a moment partially drawn aside, affording a glimpse of her + features in profile; and Antonio, still the slave of his + diseased imagination, fancied that her yellow shriveled + features had been metamorphosed into a countenance of regular + beauty; such a countenance, in short, as befitted the graceful + and symmetrical form to which it belonged. Confused and + bewildered, the naturally weak and undecided youth stood + deliberating and uncertain whether he should attempt the + rescue, which would have been by no means difficult to + accomplish by the display of a little boldness and promptitude. + Whilst he was thus hesitating, there suddenly broke + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page408" + id="page408"></a>[pg 408]</span> through the crowd a young + man, attired like himself in a black dress, and holding a + naked rapier in his hand. The new comer had probably lost + his mask in the tumult and confusion, for his features were + uncovered, and Antonio saw, to his inexpressible + consternation and astonishment, that they were the exact + counterpart of his own. Before he could recover from this + new shock, the stranger, by the aid of his fierce and + determined demeanour, and the rapid play of his weapon, had + made his way to the mysterious old woman, whose back was + turned towards him, and seizing her round the waist he again + forced a passage through the throng to the nearest gondola, + which happened to be that of the young painter. The crowd + pressed after him, and Antonio was hurried along with it to + the edge of the quay. But at the very moment that, to avoid + being pushed into the water by the throng, he sprang into + one end of his gondola, he saw the stranger, who had just + entered it at the other, gaze with a look of disgust and + dismay on the features of her he had rescued, and then with + a cry of horror, leap into another boat, which immediately + rowed rapidly away. At the same instant Jacopo, by a strong + sweep of the oar, spun the gondola round, and shot into a + narrow canal which soon led them out of sight and sound of + the scene of confusion they had just left.</p> + + <p>These various events had succeeded each other so rapidly, + that Antonio could hardly credit his senses when he found + himself in this strange manner the deliverer of the mysterious + being who now sat under the awning of his gondola, her + frightful countenance, unveiled in the struggle and no longer + seen through the beautifying prism of the young artist's + imagination, again displaying the yellow and wrinkled skin, and + the deep-set glittering eyes, which now seemed fixed upon him + with an expression of love and gratitude that froze his blood. + With a shuddering sensation he retreated to the stern of the + boat, where Jacopo stood pale and trembling, crossing himself + without a moment's intermission.</p> + + <p>"Are you mad, Signore," whispered the gondolier, "to risk + your life in behalf of such a frightful witch? Never did I see + you so ready with your rapier, flashing it in people's eyes as + though it had been one of your painting brushes."</p> + + <p>"By Heaven, Jacopo," answered Antonio, "that was not + I"—</p> + + <p>"The saints protect us!" interrupted the gondolier. "You are + assuredly bewitched, or have lost your senses, Signore. To + think of your thus denying your own noble daring! Do, for the + blessed virgin's sake, let us jump out upon the next + landing-place, and leave the gondola to the sorceress who has + bewitched you. Holy mother! she is coming this way!"</p> + + <p>A prey to the strangest and most contradictory emotions, + Antonio hastily advanced to meet the mysterious being, whom he + could not help regarding with superstitious awe, though he at + the same time felt himself drawn towards her by a fascination, + against which he found it was in vain to contend. The features + of the unknown were again shrouded carefully in her veil, but + her black and brilliant eyes glittered through it like nebulous + stars.</p> + + <p>"To the house of the Capitano of Fiume," whispered she to + Antonio, and then retreated, as if anxious to avoid further + conversation, into the interior of the gondola.</p> + + <p>In the district of Castello, through which Antonio and his + strange companion were now passing, the canals and quays were + deserted, and not a sound was heard except the distant hum of + the multitude assembled in the quarter of St Mark's. Without + exciting suspicion or attracting observation, they reached the + Rialto and the grand canal, and the gondola stopped at a + landing-place opposite the church of San Moyses.</p> + + <p>As the young painter assisted his mysterious charge out of + the boat, a gentle pressure from the warm soft hand which for a + moment rested upon his, quickened every pulse in his frame; and + long after the enigmatical being had disappeared behind the + angle of a palace, he stood gazing, like one entranced, at the + spot where he had last seen her imposing and graceful figure. + The approach of Jacopo, still crossing himself, and calling + upon all the saints for protection against the snares of the + evil one, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page409" + id="page409"></a>[pg 409]</span> roused the perplexed youth + from his reverie; and, stepping into the gondola, he was + soon gliding rapidly over the canals in the direction of his + father's palace.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> + + <h3>THE PICTURE.</h3> + + <p>The gondola of the young painter, gliding rapidly and + silently over the still waters of the canals, was passing a + turn leading to the Giudecca, when it suddenly occurred to + Antonio that he would seek his old master, and, after + confessing his disobedience, relate to him the events of the + day, and make him the confidant of his troubles and + perplexities. A word to Jacopo changed the direction of the + gondola, and they entered the grand canal, on which Contarini's + dwelling was situated.</p> + + <p>The brief twilight of Italy had passed, and it was now + completely night, dark and starless, which made more startling + the sudden appearance of several blazing torches, borne by + masked and hooded figures attired in black, who struck loud and + repeated blows on the gates of the Palazzo Contarini.</p> + + <p>"Antonio Marcello! We seek Antonio Marcello!" exclaimed a + deep and hollow voice.</p> + + <p>It would be necessary to be a Venetian, and to have lived in + those days, fully to comprehend the feeling of horror which + caused Antonio's blood to run cold, and the sweat to stand in + beads upon his forehead, when he heard his name uttered by the + familiars of the state Inquisition. Frightful dungeons, masked + judges, halls hung with black, the block and the gleaming axe, + the rack and its blood-stained attendants, the whole grim + paraphernalia of the Secret Tribunal, passed like the scenes of + a phantasmagoria before the mental vision of the young painter. + He at once conjectured the cause for which they were seeking + him. He had doubtless been taken for the youth who, by his + energy and promptitude, had rescued the mysterious old woman + from the mob, and who bore so striking and unaccountable + resemblance to himself; and it must be on suspicion of his + being connected with the attack on the Malipieri palace, that + the ministers of justice were hunting him out. Nor did he see + how he should he able to convince his judges of his innocence. + The tale he had to tell, although the truth, was still too + marvellous and improbable to obtain credence, and would be more + likely to draw upon him severe punishment, or perhaps the + torture, with the view of inducing him to confess its + falsehood. Bewildered by his terror, Antonio sat trembling, and + utterly incapable of deciding as to the course he should adopt, + when the trusty gondolier again came to his rescue.</p> + + <p>"Cospetto! Signor!" he exclaimed, "have you lost your + senses, that you run thus into the very jaws of those devil's + messengers? To one like myself flight would certainly avail + little; but, with a Proveditore for your father, you may + arrange matters if you only take time before you become their + prisoner. Quick, then, to the palazzo! Don't you see old + Contarini's head stuck out of his window? He is telling them + you are not there. They have doubtless been to your father's + palace, and will not be likely to return thither at + present."</p> + + <p>While the faithful fellow's tongue was thus wagging, his + arms were not idle. Intimately acquainted, as became his + calling, with the numerous windings and intricacies of the + Venetian canals, he threaded them with unhesitating confidence; + and, favoured by the darkness of the night, succeeded in + getting Antonio unobserved through a back entrance of his + father's palace.</p> + + <p>The first impulse of the terrified youth on finding himself + thus in at least temporary security, was to destroy the picture + of the mysterious old woman, which, if found by the agents of + the Inquisition, might bear false but fatal witness against + him. With pallid cheek, and still trembling with alarm, he was + hurrying to his chamber to execute his intention, when he + encountered his father, who advanced to meet him, and, grasping + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page410" + id="page410"></a>[pg 410]</span> his arm, fixed upon him for + some moments his stern and searching gaze.</p> + + <p>"The picture, father!" exclaimed the terror-stricken + Antonio. "For the love of Heaven, stay me not! Let me destroy + that fatal picture!"</p> + + <p>Regardless of his son's agitation and terror, the + Proveditore half led, half forced him to a seat in a part of + the room, when the red blaze from the larch logs that were + crackling on the hearth, lit up the young man's features.</p> + + <p>"What means this, Antonio?" he said; "what has befallen + during my absence at Gradiska? The familiars of the Inquisition + have been seeking you here—you, the last person whose + name I should expect to hear in such mouths. Alarm me it did + not; for well I know that you are too scant of energy and + settled purpose to be mixed up in conspiracies against the + state."</p> + + <p>Antonio was still too much preoccupied by his terror to + understand, or at any rate to heed, the severity of his + father's remark. Collecting his scattered thoughts, he + proceeded to narrate all that had occurred to him, not only on + that day, but since his first meeting with the incognita near + the church of San Moyses, on the very same spot whither he had + conveyed her in his gondola but a short hour ago.</p> + + <p>"Let me destroy the painting, father!" he concluded; "it may + be found, and used as testimony against me."</p> + + <p>The Proveditore had listened with a smile, that was at once + contemptuous and sorrowful, to his son's narrative, and to the + confession of his weakness and disobedience to the injunctions + of his aged teacher. When he had finished speaking, there was a + minute's silence, broken at last by the elder Marcello.</p> + + <p>"I have long been convinced," he said, "that Contarini would + never succeed in making of you a painter fit to rank with those + old and illustrious masters of whom Venice is so justly proud. + But I had not thought so poorly of you, Antonio, as to believe + that you would want courage to defend an object, for the + attainment of which you scrupled not to disobey your venerable + instructor. What the kind entreaties and remonstrances of + Contarini could not induce you to abandon, you are ready to + annihilate on the very first symptom of danger. Oh, Venice!" + exclaimed the Proveditore, his fine countenance assuming an + expression of extreme bitterness, as he gazed mournfully at the + portraits of his ancestors, including more than one Doge, which + were suspended round the walls of the apartment—"Venice! + thou art indeed degenerate, when peril so remote can blanch the + cheek of thy patrician youth."</p> + + <p>He strode twice up and down the hall, then returning to his + son, bade him fetch the picture which he was so desirous of + destroying. Antonio, downcast and abashed by these reproaches, + which, however, were insufficient to awaken nobler aspirations + in his weak and irresolute nature, hurried to his chamber, and + presently returned with a roll of canvass in his hand, which he + unfolded and spread before the Proveditore—then, dreading + to encounter his father's ridicule, he shrunk back out of the + firelight. But the effect produced upon Marcello by the + portrait of the old woman, was very different from that + anticipated by his son. Scarcely had he cast his eyes upon the + unearthly visage, when he started back with an exclamation of + horror and astonishment.</p> + + <p>"By all the saints, Antonio," cried he in an altered voice, + "that is a fearful portrait! Alas, poor wretch! thou art long + since in thy grave," continued he, addressing the picture, and + with looks and tones strangely at variance with his usually + stern and imperturbable deportment. "The worms have preyed on + thee, and thou art as dust and ashes. Why, then, dost thou rise + from the dead to fright me with that ghastly visage?"</p> + + <p>"Is the face known to you, father?" the astonished Antonio + ventured to exclaim.</p> + + <p>"Known to me! Ay, too well! That wrinkled skin, that + unearthly complexion, those deep-set eyes glowing like burning + coals. Just so did she glare upon me as she swung from the + tree, the blood driven into her features by the agonizing + pressure of the halter. 'Tis the very look that has haunted me + for years, and caused me many bitter moments of remorse; + though, God knows, the deed was lawful and justifiable, done in + the execution <span class="pagenum"><a name="page411" + id="page411"></a>[pg 411]</span> of my duty to the republic. + And yet she lives," he continued musingly. "How could she + have been saved? True, she had not been hanging long when we + left the place. Some of her people, doubtless, were + concealed hard by, and cut her down ere life had entirely + fled. But, ha! 'tis a clue this to the perpetrators of + to-day's outrage, for she was with them. Uzcoques, then they + must have been! Said you not, Antonio, that she came from + the house of the Capitano when first you saw her, and that + to-day you left her there?"</p> + + <p>"At her own special desire, father," replied Antonio.</p> + + <p>"Then is the chain of evidence almost complete," continued + the Proveditore. "It must have been herself. And now—this + attack on the Malipieri palace. What was its object? A + hostage?—Ay, I see it all, and our prisoner is none other + than Dansowich himself. But we must have proof of that from his + own confession; and this portrait may help to extort it."</p> + + <p>Whilst uttering these broken sentences, which were totally + incomprehensible to the bewildered Antonio, the Proveditore had + donned his mantle, and placed his plumed cap upon his head.</p> + + <p>"No, Antonio," said he, "we will not destroy this picture, + hideous though it be. It may prove the means of rendering + weighty service to the republic."</p> + + <p>And with these words, inexplicable to his son, the + Proveditore left the apartment; and, taking with him the + mysterious portrait, hastened to the prison were the Uzcoque + leader was immured.</p> + + <p>The pirate chief was a man of large and athletic frame, of + strong feelings, and great intellectual capabilities. His brow + was large, open, and commanding; his countenance, bronzed with + long exposure to the elements, and scarred with wounds, was + repulsive, but by no means ignoble; his hair and beard had long + been silvered over by time and calamity; but his vast bodily + strength was unimpaired, and when roused into furious + resentment, his manly chest emitted a volume of sound that awed + every listener. Upon a larger stage, and under circumstances + more favourable to the fair development of his natural powers + and dispositions, the pirate Dansowich would have become one of + the most distinguished and admirable men of his time. Placed by + the accident of birth upon the frontiers of Christian Europe, + and cherishing from early youth a belief that the highest + interests of the human race were involved in the struggle + between the Crescent and the Cross, he had embraced the + glorious cause with that enthusiastic and fiery zeal which + raises men into heroes and martyrs. Too soon, however, were + these lofty aspirations checked and blighted by the + anti-Christian policy of trading Venice, the bad faith of + Austria towards the Uzcoque race, and the extortions of her + counsellors. Cursing in the bitterness of his heart, not only + Turks, Austrians, and Venetians, but all mankind, he no longer + opposed the piratical tendencies of his neglected people, and + eventually headed many of their marauding expeditions.</p> + + <p>It was nearly midnight when Dansowich was awakened from a + deep but troubled slumber by a grating noise at the door of his + dungeon. Anxiety of mind, and still more, the effect of + confinement in an impure and stifling atmosphere, upon one + accustomed to the breezes of the Adriatic and the free air of + the mountains, had impaired his health, and his sleep was + broken by harassing and painful dreams. In that from which he + now awoke, with the sweat of anguish on his brow, he had + fancied himself before the tribunal of the Inquisition. The + rack was shown to him, and they bade him choose between + confession and torture. He then thought he heard his name + repeated several times in tones deep and sepulchral. Starting + up in alarm, he saw the door of his prison open, and give + admittance to a man muffled in a black cloak, who walked up to + the foot of his bed of damp straw, and threw the rays of a dark + lantern full into his dazzled eyes.</p> + + <p>The traces of recent and strong emotion, visible at that + moment on the pirate's countenance, did not escape the + Proveditore, who attributed them, and rightly, to an artifice + he had practised. Previously to entering + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page412" + id="page412"></a>[pg 412]</span> the dungeon, he had caused + the name of Nicolo Dansowich to be repeated several times in + a deep hollow voice. Aware of the superstitious credulity of + the Uzcoques, the wily Venetian had devised this stratagem + as one likely to produce a startling effect upon the + prisoner, and to forward the end he proposed to obtain by + his visit. He now seated himself upon a wooden bench, the + only piece of furniture in the dungeon, and addressed the + captive in a mild and conciliating tone.</p> + + <p>"You should keep better watch over your dreams," said he, + "if you wish our tribunals to remain in ignorance of your + secrets."</p> + + <p>"My dreams!" repeated the Uzcoque, somewhat startled by the + ominous coincidence between Marcello's words and the visions + that had broken his slumber.</p> + + <p>"Ay, friend, your dreams! The jailers are watchful, and + little passes in these prisons without coming to their + knowledge. More than once have they heard you revealing in your + sleep that which, during your waking hours, you so strenuously + deny.—'Enough! Enough!' you cried. 'I will confess all. I + am Nicolo Dansowich.'"</p> + + <p>While Marcello was speaking, the old Uzcoque had had time to + collect his thoughts, and call to mind the numerous snares and + devices by which the Venetian tribunals obtained confessions + from their prisoners. With an intuitive keenness of perception, + he in a moment saw through the Proveditore's stratagem, and + resolved to defeat it. A contemptuous smile played over his + features, and, shaking his head incredulously, he answered the + Venetian—</p> + + <p>"The watchful jailers you speak of have doubtless been + cheering their vigils with the wine flask," said he. "Their + draughts must have been deep, to make them hear that which was + never spoken."</p> + + <p>"Subterfuge will avail you nothing," replied Marcello. "Your + sleeping confessions, although you may now wish to retract + them, are yet sufficient grounds for the tribunal to go upon, + and the most excruciating tortures will be used, if needful, to + procure their waking confirmation. Reflect, Dansowich," + continued the Proveditore in a persuasive and gentle tone, "on + the position in which you now find yourself. Your life is + forfeited; and, if you persist in your denials, you will never + leave this dungeon but for the rack or scaffold. On the other + hand, the senate respects you as a brave and honourable, + although misguided man, and would gladly see you turn from the + error of your ways. Now is the time to ensure yourself a + tranquil and respected old age. Hearken to the proposals I am + empowered to make you. The Signoria offers you life, freedom, + and a captainship in the island of Candia, on the sole + condition, on your part, of disclosing the intrigues and + perfidy of the council at Gradiska, and furnishing us, as you + are assuredly able to do, with documents by which we may prove + to the Archduke the treachery of his ministers. Again, I + say—Reflect! or rather hesitate not, but decide at once + between a prosperous and honourable life, and a death of + degradation and anguish."</p> + + <p>Neither the threats nor the temptations held out by the + Proveditore seemed to have the smallest effect upon the + Uzcoque.</p> + + <p>"You are mistaken," replied he calmly. "I am not Dansowich, + nor have I any knowledge of the intrigues at Gradiska. I could + not therefore, if I wished it, buy my life by the treachery + demanded of me; and if the woivodes of Segna think as I do, + they will let themselves be hewn in pieces before they do the + bidding of your senators, or concede aught to the wishes of + false and crafty Venice."</p> + + <p>"You are a brave man, Dansowich!" resumed the Proveditore, + who saw the necessity of changing his tactics. "You care little + for the dangers and sufferings of this world. But + yet—pause and reflect. Your hair is silvered by time, and + even should you escape your present peril, you will still, ere + many years are past, have to render an account to a higher + tribunal than ours. By an upright course you might atone for + the crimes of your youth and manhood, and become the chosen + instrument of Heaven to deliver your fellow-Christians from a + cruel scourge and sore infliction."</p> + + <p>"And who has brought the scourge upon you?" demanded the old + man in <span class="pagenum"><a name="page413" + id="page413"></a>[pg 413]</span> a raised voice, measuring + the Proveditore with a stern and contemptuous look. "Is it + our fault that, whilst we were striving to keep the Turk + from the door of Christendom, you sought every means of + thwarting our efforts by forming treaties with the infidel? + You do well to remind me that my head is grey. I was still a + youth when the name of Uzcoque was a title of honour as it + is now a term of reproach—when my people were looked + upon as heroes, by whose valour the Cross was exalted, and + the Crescent bowed down to the dust. Those were the days + when, on the ruins of Spalatro, we swore to live like + eagles, amidst barren cliffs and naked rocks, the better to + harass the heathen—the days when the power of the + Moslem quailed and fled before us. And had not your sordid + Venetian traders stepped in, courting the infidel for love + of gain, the Cross would still be worshipped on all the + shores of the Adriatic, and the Uzcoques would still combat + for honour and victory instead of revenge and plunder. But + your hand has ever been against us. Your long galleys were + ever ready to sink our barks or blockade our coast; and the + fate of robbers and murderers awaited our people if they had + the mishap to fall into your hands. You reduced us at last + to despair. Each valiant deed performed against the Turk was + recompensed by you with new persecutions, till at last you + converted into deadly enemies those who would willingly have + been your friends and fast allies. Thank yourselves, then, + for the foe you have raised up. Your own cowardice and greed + have engendered the hydra which now preys upon your heart's + blood."</p> + + <p>The Proveditore remarked with satisfaction, not unmingled + with surprise, that the old pirate, who had hitherto replied to + all interrogatories with a degree of cold reserve and cunning + which had baffled his examiners, was becoming visibly excited, + and losing his power of self-control. This was favourable to + the meditated stratagem of the Venetian, who now, in pursuance + of the scheme he had combined, gave the conversation another + direction.</p> + + <p>"I an willing to acknowledge," said he, "that the republic + has at times dealt somewhat hardly with your people. But which + is in fact the worst foe, he who openly attacks you, or he who + makes you his tool to sow discord amongst Christians, and to + excite the Turks against Venice, while under pretence of + protection he squeezes from you the booty obtained at the price + of your blood?"</p> + + <p>"And who does that?" demanded the Uzcoque.</p> + + <p>"Who! Need you ask the question? What do you give for the + shelter you receive from Austria? At what price do you inhabit + the town and castle of Segna?"</p> + + <p>"At none that I am aware of," replied Dansowich fiercely. + "We dwell there, in virtue of our compact with the Emperor, as + soldiers of the Archduke, bound to defend the post confided to + us against the aggressions of the infidel. As soldiers we have + our pay, as mariners we have our lawful booty."</p> + + <p>"Pay and booty!" repeated the Proveditore scornfully. + "Whence comes, then, your manifest misery and poverty? Whence + comes it that you turn robbers, if in the pay of Austria? No, + Dansowich, you will not deceive us by such flimsy pretexts! + Your gains, lawful and unlawful, are wrested from you by the + archducal counsellors, in whose hands you are mere puppets. + 'Twas they who prompted you to tell the Turks that you were in + league with Venice; that the republic encouraged your misdeeds, + and shared the profits of your aggressions on the subjects of + the Porte. They it was who caused the documents to be prepared, + with forged seals and signatures of the illustrious Signoria, + which were to serve as proofs of your lying assertions. Deny + this, if you can."</p> + + <p>The beard and mustache of the old Uzcoque appeared to curl + and bristle with fury at the insulting imputations of the + Proveditore. For a moment he seemed about to fly at his + interlocutor; his fingers clutched and tore the straw upon + which he was sitting; and his fetters clanked as his whole + frame shook with rage. After a brief pause, and by a strong + effort, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page414" + id="page414"></a>[pg 414]</span> he restrained himself, and + replied calmly to the taunting accusation of the + Venetian.</p> + + <p>"Why go so far," said he, "to seek for motives that may be + found nearer home? You seem to have forgotten how many times + the Archduke has compelled us to make restitution of booty + wrested from Venetian subjects. You forget, too, that it was in + consequence of your complaints he sent to the cruel Rabbata to + control us—Rabbata whom we slew in our wrath, for we are + freemen and brook no tyranny. If we are poor individually, it + is because we yield up our booty into the hands of our + woivodes, to be used for the common good of seven hundred + families. No, Signor! if the republic has to complain of us, + let her remember the provocations received at her hands, the + persecutions which converted a band of heroes into a pirate + horde, and which changed our holy zeal against the enemies of + the Cross into remorseless hatred of all mankind. As to the + forged seals and signatures you talk of, and the deceptions + practised on the Turks, if such there were, they were the + self-willed act of our woivodes, and in no way instigated by + Austria."</p> + + <p>"Thou liest, Dansowich!" said the Proveditore sternly. "Did + you not proclaim and swear in the public market-place of the + Austrian town of Segna, that you were the friends and allies of + Venice? This you would never have dared to do, but with the + approval and connivance of the archducal government."</p> + + <p>The eyes of the pirate sparkled with a strange and + significant gleam as the Proveditore recalled the circumstance + to his recollection.</p> + + <p>"Know ye not," said he with a grim smile, "whom ye have to + thank for that good office? 'Twas Dansowich himself, who + thereby but half fulfilled his vow of vengeance against the + republic. And when did it occur?" he continued with rising + fury. "Was it not shortly after the day in which that heartless + villain, the Proveditore Marcello, captured the woivode's wife, + and hung her, unoffending and defenceless, unshriven and + unabsolved, upon a tree on the Dalmatian shore?"</p> + + <p>The Uzcoque paused, overcome by the bitter memories he was + calling up, and by the fury and hatred they revived in his + breast. His eyes were bloodshot, and the foam stood upon his + lips as he concluded. The Proveditore smiled. The favourable + moment he had been waiting had arrived, the moment when he + doubted not that Dansowich would betray himself. Taking + Antonio's drawing from under his cloak, he suddenly unrolled + and held it before the Uzcoque, in such a manner that the light + of the lantern fell full upon the ghastly countenance of the + old woman.</p> + + <p>"Behold!" said he. "Does that resemble her you speak + of?"</p> + + <p>The object of the Proveditore was gained, but he had not + well calculated all the consequences of his stratagem.</p> + + <p>"Fiend of hell!" shouted Dansowich in a voice of thunder, + while a sudden light seemed to burst upon him. "'Tis thou who + are her murderer!" And bounding forward with a violence that at + once freed him from his fetters, which fell clattering on the + dungeon floor, he clutched the senator by the throat, and + hurled him to the ground before the astonished Venetian had + time to make the slightest resistance.</p> + + <p>"Art thou still in being?" he muttered, while his teeth + gnashed and ground together. "I thought thee long since dead. + But, no! 'twas written thou shouldst die by my hand. Be it done + to thee as thou didst to the wife of my bosom," continued he, + while kneeling on the breast of the Proveditore, and + compressing his throat in an iron gripe that threatened to + prove as efficacious and nearly as speedy in its operation as + the bow-string of the Turk. In vain did Marcello struggle + violently to free himself from the crushing pressure of the + pirate's fingers. Although a very powerful man, and in the full + vigour of his strength, the disadvantage at which he had been + taken prevented his being a match for the old Uzcoque, whose + sinews were braced by a long life of hardship. Fortunately, + however, for the Venetian, the furious shout of Dansowich had + been overheard <span class="pagenum"><a name="page415" + id="page415"></a>[pg 415]</span> by the guards and jailers, + who now rushed into the dungeon, and rescued the half + strangled Proveditore from the grasp of his fierce + antagonist.</p> + + <p>"Do him no hurt!" exclaimed Marcello, so soon as he was able + to speak, seeing that the guards were disposed to handle the + Uzcoque somewhat roughly; "the secret I have won is well worth + the risk. The prisoner is Dansowich, woivode of Segna."</p> + + <p>The fetters which the pirate had snapped with such facility, + were, upon examination, found to be filed more than half + through. The instrument by which this had been effected was + sought for and discovered, and the prisoner, having been doubly + manacled, was again left to the solitude of his cell. After + directing all imaginable vigilance to be used for the safe + custody of so important a captive, the Proveditore re-entered + his gondola and was conveyed back to his palace.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER III.</h3> + + <h3>THE PIRATES.</h3> + + <p>The desperate attempt on the life of the Proveditore, and + the evidence given by him as to the identity of the prisoner, + had the result that may be supposed, and the old Uzcoque was + put to the torture. But the ingenuity of Venetian tormentors + was vainly exhausted upon him; the most unheard of sufferings + failed to extort a syllable of confession from his lips. At + last, despairing of obtaining the desired information by these + means, the senate commissioned Marcello, as one well acquainted + with the localities, to make a descent on the Dalmatian coast, + and profiting by the consternation of the Uzcoqes at the loss + of their leader, to endeavour to surprise a small fort situated + at some distance from Segna, and which was the abode of + Dansowich. In the absence of the old pirate it would probably + be carelessly guarded and easily surprised; and it was hoped + that documents would be found there, proving that which the + Venetians were so anxious to establish. Another object of the + expedition was to capture, if possible, the mysterious female + who had been lately seen more than once in Venice, and who had + taken so prominent a part in the attack on the palace of the + Malipieri.</p> + + <p>Accompanied by his son, whom for various reasons he had + resolved to take with him, Marcello went on board an armed + galley, and with a favouring breeze steered for the Dalmatian + coast. He had little doubt of accomplishing the object of his + expedition with ease and safety; for a Venetian Fleet was + already blockading the channel of Segna, and the archducal city + of Fiume, where several of the Uzcoque barks were undergoing + repairs. The blockade had been instituted in consequence of the + outrageous piracies committed by the Uzcoques during the Easter + festival, and was a measure frequently adopted by the republic; + which, although carefully avoiding a war, neglected no other + means of enforcing their applications to the court at Gradiska + for an energetic interference in the proceedings of the + pirates. The inconvenience and interruption to the trade of + Fiume occasioned by these blockades, usually induced the + archducal government to institute a pretended investigation + into the conduct of the Uzcoques, or at least to promise the + Venetians some reparation—a mockery of satisfaction with + which the latter, in their then state of decline and weakness, + were fain to content themselves. Reckoning upon the terror + inspired by the presence of the squadron now employed in the + blockade, as well as upon its support, should he require it, + the Proveditore made sure of success. He was doomed, however, + to be cruelly disappointed in his sanguine anticipations.</p> + + <p>When the attempt to get possession of the person of a + Venetian nobleman had failed, Strasolda found it impossible to + keep her father's captivity any longer a secret, and was + compelled to appeal to the whole of the Uzcoques to assist her + in his deliverance. Information of the woivode's recognition, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page416" + id="page416"></a>[pg 416]</span> and of the tortures he had + suffered, soon reached the ears of the pirates, who were not + slow to perceive that the safety, and even the existence of + their tribe, were now at stake. Although well acquainted + with the inflexible character of Dansowich, they trembled + lest the agonies he was made to suffer should force from him + a confession, which would enable the Venetians to convince + the archduke of the criminal collusion between his + counsellors and the Uzcoques. This would be the signal for + the withdrawal of the archducal protection from the pirates, + who then, exposed to the vengeance of all whom they had + plundered, must inevitably succumb in the unequal conflict + that would ensue.</p> + + <p>The imminence of the peril inspired the Uzcoques with + unwonted courage and energy. Jurissa Caiduch himself, + forgetting any cause of dislike he might have to Dansowich, + joined heart and hand in the plans formed by the pirates for + the deliverance of their leader. Every man in Segna, whether + young or old, all who could wield a cimeter or clutch a knife, + hastily armed themselves, and crowded into the fleet of long + light skiffs in which they were wont to make their predatory + excursions. Then breaking furiously through the line of + Venetian ships, stationed between Veglia and the mainland, and + which were totally unprepared for this sudden and daring + manœuvre, they disappeared amidst the shoals and in the + small creeks and inlets of the Dalmatian islands belonging to + the republic, where the ponderous Venetian galleys would vainly + attempt to follow them. Their object was the same which they + had already attempted to carry out in Venice on the day of the + Bridge Fight; namely, to seize upon some Venetian magistrate or + person of importance whom they might exchange for Dansowich. + Under the guidance of Jurissa Caiduch they waylaid and boarded + every vessel that passed up or down the Adriatic, especially + those coming from the Ionian islands, in hope of meeting with a + Venetian of rank. Nor did they pursue their researches upon the + water alone. Not a night passed that one or other of the + islands was not lighted up by the blaze of villages, hamlets, + and villas. In the absence of Dansowich, there was no restraint + upon their fury; and urged on by the bloodthirsty Jurissa, the + cruelties they committed were unprecedented even in their + sanguinary annals. Nor were they without hope that the + barbarities they were perpetrating might induce the Venetians + to restore their leader to liberty, in order that he might, as + was well known to be his wont, check the excesses of his + followers.</p> + + <p>The outbreak of the pirates had been so sudden and + unexpected, that the Proveditore, who sailed from Venice on the + same day on which it occurred, had received no intelligence of + it, and, unconscious of his peril, steered straight for the + islands. One circumstance alone appeared strange to him, which + was, that during the last part of his voyage he did not meet a + single vessel, although the quarter of the Adriatic through + which he was passing was usually crowded with shipping. But he + was far from attributing this extraordinary change to its real + cause.</p> + + <p>It was afternoon when Marcello's galley cane in sight of the + white cliffs of Cherso, and shortly afterwards entered the + channel, running between that island and Veglia. The masses of + dark clouds in the western horizon were becoming momentarily + more threatening, and various signs of an approaching storm + made the captain of the galley especially anxious to get, + before nightfall, into the nearest harbour, which was that of + Pesca, at the southern extremity of the island of Veglia. All + sail was made upon the galley, and they were running rapidly + down the channel, when a red light suddenly flashed over the + waves in the quarter of the horizon they were approaching, and + was reflected back upon the sky, now darkened with clouds and + by the approach of night. Attracted by this unusual appearance, + Antonio hurried to the high quarterdeck of the galley; and + scarcely had he ascended it, when the fiery glow fell in a + flood of rosy light upon the distant chalk cliffs. Entranced by + the picturesque beauty of the scene, the young painter forgot + to enquire the cause of this singular illumination, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page417" + id="page417"></a>[pg 417]</span> when suddenly his attention + was caught by a shout from the man at the helm.</p> + + <p>"By Heavens, 'tis a fire!" ejaculated the sailor, who had + been watching the unusual appearance. "All Pesca must be in + flames."</p> + + <p>He had scarcely uttered the words when the galley rounded a + projecting point of land, and the correctness of the seaman's + conjecture was apparent. A thick cloud of smoke hung like a + pall over the unfortunate town of Pesca. Tongues of flame + darted upwards from the dense black vapour, lighting up sea and + land to an immense distance.</p> + + <p>Scarcely had Antonio's startled glance been able to take in + this imposing spectacle, when the storm, which had long been + impending, burst forth with tremendous violence; the wind + howled furiously amongst the rigging, and the galley was tossed + like a nutshell from crest to crest of the foaming waves; each + moment bringing it into more dangerous proximity to the rocky + shoals of that iron-bound shore. The light from the burning + town showed the Venetians all the dangers of their situation; + and their peril was the more imminent because the signal + usually made for boats to tow large vessels through the rocks + and breakers, was at such a moment not likely to be observed or + attended to by the people of Pesca. Nevertheless the signal was + hoisted; but instead of bringing the assistance so much needed + by the Venetians, it drew upon them an enemy far more + formidable than the elements with which they were already + contending. Boats were soon seen approaching the galley; but as + they drew near it was evident they were not manned by the + peaceful fishermen, who usually came out to render assistance + to vessels. They were crowded with wild, fierce-looking + figures, who, on arriving within a short distance of the ship, + set up a savage yell of defiance, and sent a deadly volley of + musket-balls amongst the astounded Venetians. Before the latter + had recovered from their astonishment, the light skiffs of the + Uzcoques were within a few yards of the galley. Another fatally + effective volley of musketry; and then, throwing down their + fire-arms, the pirates grasped their sabres and made violent + efforts to board. But each time that they succeeded in closing, + the plunging of the ponderous galley into the trough of the + sea, or the rising of some huge wave, severed them from their + prey, and prevented them from setting foot on the decks of the + Venetian vessel. This delay was made the most of by the + officers of the latter, in making arrangements for defence. The + Proveditore himself, a man of tried and chivalrous courage, and + great experience both in land and sea warfare, lent his + personal aid to the preparations, and in a few pithy and + emphatic words strove to encourage the crew to a gallant + resistance. But the soldiers and mariners who manned the galley + had already sustained a heavy loss by the fire of the Uzcoques, + and were moreover alarmed by their near approach to that + perilous shore, as well as disheartened by the prospect of a + contest with greatly superior numbers. Although some few took + to their arms and occupied the posts assigned them by their + officers, the majority seemed more disposed to tell beads and + mutter prayers, than to display the energy and decision which + alone could rescue them from the double peril by which they + were menaced. The pirates, meanwhile, were constantly foiled in + their attempts to board by the fury of the elements, till at + last, becoming maddened by repeated disappointments, they threw + off their upper garments, and fixing their long knives firmly + between their teeth, dashed in crowds into the water. Familiar + with that element from childhood, they skimmed over its surface + with the lightness and rapidity of sea-mews, and swarmed up the + sides of the galley. A vigorous defence might yet have saved + the vessel; but the heroic days of Venice were long + past—the race of men who had so long maintained the + supremacy of the republic in all the Italian seas, was now + extinct. After a feeble and irresolute resistance, the + Venetians threw down their arms and begged for quarter; while + the Proveditore, disgusted at the cowardice of his countrymen, + indignantly broke his sword, and retreating to the quarterdeck, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page418" + id="page418"></a>[pg 418]</span> there seated himself beside + his son, and calmly awaited his fate.</p> + + <p>Foremost among the assailants was Jurissa Caiduch, who + sprang upon the deck of the galley, foaming with rage, and + slaughtering all he met on his passage. The blazing town + lighted up the scene, and showed him and his followers where to + strike. In vain did the unfortunate crew implore quarter. None + was given, and the decks of the ship soon streamed with blood, + while each moment the cries of the victims became fewer and + fainter.</p> + + <p>Totally forgetting in his blind fury the object of the + expedition, Jurissa stayed not his hand in quest of hostages, + but rushed with uplifted knife on Marcello and his son. The + latter shrieked for mercy; while the Proveditore, unmoved by + the imminence of the peril, preserved his dignity of mien, and + fixed his deep stern gaze upon the pirate. Jurissa paused for + an instant, staggered by the look, and awed by the commanding + aspect, of the Venetian. Soon, however, as though indignant at + his own momentary hesitation, he rushed forward with a furious + shout and uplifted blade. The knife was descending, the next + instant it would have entered the heart of Marcello; when an + Uzcoque, recognizing by the light of the conflagration the + patrician garb of the Proveditore, uttered a cry of surprise, + and seized the arm of his bloodthirsty leader.</p> + + <p>"Caiduch!" exclaimed the pirate, "would you again blast our + purpose? This man is a Venetian noble. His life may buy that of + Dansowich."</p> + + <p>"It is the Proveditore Marcello!" cried Antonio, eager to + profit by the momentary respite.</p> + + <p>The words of the young painter passed from mouth to mouth, + and in a few seconds the whole of the Uzcoques were acquainted + with the important capture that had been made. For a moment + astonishment kept them tongue-tied, and then a wild shout of + exultation conveyed to their companions on shore the + intelligence of some joyful event.</p> + + <p>Ropes were now thrown out to the pirate skiffs, the galley + was safely towed into the harbour, and the Proveditore, his + son, and the few Venetian sailors who had escaped the general + slaughter, were conducted to the burning town, amidst the jeers + and ill-treatment of their captors. Exposed to great danger + from the falling roofs and timbers of the blazing houses, they + were led through the streets of Pesca, and on their way had + ample opportunity of witnessing the incredible cruelties + exercised by the pirates upon the inhabitants of that ill-fated + town. What made these cruelties appear still more horrible, was + the part taken in them by the Uzcoque women, who, as was the + case at that period with most of the Sclavonian races, were all + trained to the use of arms,<a id="fn_1_tag1" + name="fn_1_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_1_1"><sup>1</sup></a> and + who on this occasion swelled the ranks of the freebooters. + Their ferocity exceeded, if possible, that of the men. + Neither age, sex, nor station afforded any protection + against these furies, who perpetrated barbarities the + details of which would exceed belief.</p> + + <p>The violence of the flames rendering it impossible to remain + in the town, the Uzcoques betook themselves to the castle of a + nobleman, situated on a rising ground a short distance from + Pesca. On first landing, the pirates had broken into this + castle and made it their headquarters. After pillaging every + thing of value, they had gratified their savage love of + destruction by breaking and destroying what they could not well + carry away. In the court-yard were collected piles of + furniture, pictures of price, and fragments of rich tapestry, + rent by those ruthless spoilers from the walls of the + apartments. With this costly fuel had the Uzcoques lit fires, + at which quarters of oxen and whole sheep were now + roasting.</p> + + <p>A shout of triumph burst forth when the news of the + Proveditore's capture was announced to the pirates + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page419" + id="page419"></a>[pg 419]</span> who had remained at the + castle, and they crowded round the unfortunate prisoners, + overwhelming them with threats and curses. Something like + silence being at length obtained, Jurissa commanded instant + preparations to be made for the banquet appointed to + celebrate the success of their expedition. Tables were + arranged in a spacious hall of the castle, and upon them + soon smoked the huge joints of meat that had been roasting + at the fires, placed on the bare boards without dish or + plate. Casks of wine that had been rescued from the flames + of the town, or extracted from the castle cellars, were + broached, or the heads knocked in, and the contents poured + into jugs and flagons of every shape and size. Although the + light of the conflagration, glaring red through the tall + Gothic windows, lit up the hall and rendered any further + illumination unnecessary, a number of torches had been fixed + round the apartment, the resinous smoke of which floated in + clouds over the heads of the revelers. Seating themselves + upon benches, chairs, and empty casks, the Uzcoques + commenced a ravenous attack upon the coarse but abundant + viands set before them.</p> + + <p>The scene was a strange one. The brutal demeanour of the + men, their bearded and savage aspect; the disheveled + bloodstained women, mingling their shrill voices with the + hoarse tones of their male companions; the disordered but often + picturesque garb and various weapons of the pirates; the whole + seen by the light of the burning houses—more resembled an + orgie of demons than an assemblage of human beings; and even + the cool and resolute Proveditore felt himself shudder and turn + pale as he contemplated this carnival of horrors, celebrated by + wretches on whose hands the blood of their fellow-men was as + yet hardly dry. Antonio sat supporting himself against the + table, seeming scarcely conscious of what passed around him. + Both father and son had been compelled to take their places at + the board, amidst the jeers and insults of the Uzcoques.</p> + + <p>The revel was at its height, when Jurissa suddenly started + from his seat, and struck the table violently with his + drinking-cup.</p> + + <p>"Hold, Uzcoques!" he exclaimed; "we have forgotten the + crowning ornament of our banquet."</p> + + <p>He whispered something to an Uzcoque seated beside him, who + left the room. While the pirates were still asking one another + the meaning of Jurissa's words, the man returned, bearing + before him a trencher covered with a cloth, which he placed at + the upper end of the table.</p> + + <p>"Behold the last and best dish we can offer to our noble + guests!" said Jurissa; "'twill suit, I doubt not, their dainty + palates." And, tearing off the cloth, he exposed to view the + grizzly and distorted features of a human head.</p> + + <p>The shout of savage exultation that burst from the pirates + at this ghastly spectacle, drowned the groan of rage and grief + uttered by the Proveditore, as he recognised in the pale and + rigid countenance the well-known features of his friend + Christophoro Veniero. That unfortunate nobleman, on his return + from a voyage to the Levant, had fallen into the hands of + Jurissa, who, before he was aware of the rank of his prisoner, + had barbarously slain him. This had occurred not many hours + before the capture of Marcello; and it was to the murder of + Veniero that the Uzcoque made allusion, when he seized + Jurissa's arm at the moment he was about to stab the + Proveditore.</p> + + <p>One of the pirates, a man of gigantic stature and hideous + aspect, now rose from his seat, staggering with drunkenness, + and forcing open the jaws of the dead, placed a piece of meat + between the teeth. The wildest laughter and applause greeted + this frightful pantomime, which made the blood of the + Proveditore run cold.</p> + + <p>"Infernal and bloody villains!" shouted he, unable to + restrain his indignation, and starting to his feet as he spoke. + There was a momentary pause, during which the pirates gazed at + the noble Venetian, seemingly struck dumb with surprise at his + temerity. Then, however, a dozen sinewy arms were extended to + seize him, and a dozen daggers menaced his life. Dignified and + immovable, the high-souled senator offered no resistance, but + inwardly ejaculating a <span class="pagenum"><a name="page420" + id="page420"></a>[pg 420]</span> short prayer, awaited the + death-stroke. It came not, however. Although some of the + Uzcoques, in their fury and intoxication, would have + immolated their valuable hostage, others, who had drunk less + deeply, protested against the madness of such an act, and + rushed forward to protect him. Their interference was + resented, and a violent quarrel ensued. Knives were drawn, + benches overturned, chairs broken up and converted into + weapons; on all sides bare steel was flashing, deep oaths + resounding, and missiles of various kinds flying across the + tables. It would be impossible to say how long this scene of + drunken violence would have lasted, or how long the + Proveditore and his son would have remained unscathed amidst + the storm, had not the advent of a fresh actor upon the + scene stilled the tumult in a manner so sudden as to appear + almost miraculous.</p> + + <p>The new comer was no other than the ghastly old woman who + has been seen to play such an important part in this history, + and who now entered the banqueting hall with hasty step and + impatient gesture.</p> + + <p>"Uzcoques!" she exclaimed in a shrill, clear, and emphatic + voice, that rose above the clamour of the brawl; "Uzcoques! + what means this savage uproar? Are you not yet sated with + rapine and slaughter, that you thus fall upon and tear each + other? Are ye men, or wolves and tigers? Is this the way to + obtain your leader's deliverance; and will the news of this + day's havoc, think you, better the position of Dansowich?"</p> + + <p>The pirates hung their heads in silent confusion at this + reproof. None dared to reply; Jurissa alone grumbled something + inaudible.</p> + + <p>"Follow me!" continued the singular woman whose words had so + extraordinary an effect on this brutal band. "Follow, every + man! and stop as far as may be, the ruin you have begun."</p> + + <p>Obedient to her voice the Uzcoques left the hall, some of + them sullenly and slowly enough, but none venturing to dispute + the injunction laid upon them. The old woman waited till the + scene of tumult and revel was abandoned by all but Marcello and + his son, and then hurrying after the pirates, led the way to + the burning town. In a few minutes the two Venetians beheld, + from the castle windows, the dark forms of the freebooters + moving about in the firelight, as they busied themselves to + extinguish the conflagration. Here and there the white robe of + the mysterious old woman was discernible as she flitted from + one group to another, directing their efforts, and urging them + to greater exertions.</p> + + <p>"Strange!" said the Proveditore musingly, "that so hideous + and repulsive an old creature should exercise such commanding + influence over these bandits."</p> + + <p>He looked round to his son as he spoke; but Antonio, worn + out by the fatigues and agitation of the day, had stretched + himself upon a bench and was already in a deep sleep. The + Proveditore gazed at him for a brief space, with an expression + of mingled pity, regret, and paternal affection upon his + countenance.</p> + + <p>"As weak of body as infirm of purpose," he murmured. "Alas! + that a name derived from old Roman ancestors should be borne by + one so little qualified to do it honour! Had it pleased Heaven + to preserve to me the child stolen in his infancy by the + Moslem, how different would have been my position! That + masculine and noble boy, so full of life and promise, would + have proved a prop to my old age, and an ornament to his + country. But now, alas!"—</p> + + <p>He continued for a while to indulge in vain regrets that the + course of events had not been otherwise; then turning to the + window, he watched the efforts made by the pirates to + extinguish the flames, until a dense cloud of smoke that + overhung the town was the only sign remaining of the + conflagration.</p> + + <p>For some time the Proveditore paced up and down the hall in + anxious thought upon his critical position, and the strange + circumstances that had led to it. In vain did he endeavour to + reconcile, with what now seemed more than ever inexplicable, + the vindictive rage of Dansowich in the dungeon, and the + evidence before him that the pirate's wife was still in + existence. It was a riddle which he was unable to solve; and at + last, despairing of <span class="pagenum"><a name="page421" + id="page421"></a>[pg 421]</span> success, he abandoned the + attempt, and sought in slumber a temporary oblivion of the + perils that surrounded him.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3> + + <h3>THE RECOGNITION.</h3> + + <p>Upon a divan in the splendid armoury of the pacha's palace + at Bosnia-Serai, the young Turk Ibrahim was seated in deep + thought, the day after his return home. On the walls around him + were displayed weapons and military accoutrements of every + kind. Damascus sabres richly inlaid, and many with jeweled + hilts, embroidered banners, golden stirrups, casques of + embossed silver, burnished armour and coats-of-mail, were + arranged in picturesque and fanciful devices. As the young + Moslem gazed around him, and beheld these trophies of victories + won by Turkish viziers and pachas in their wars against Austria + and Venice, his martial and fearless spirit rose high, and he + reproached himself with weakness and pusillanimity for having + abandoned the pursuit of her he loved. Bitterly did he now + regret his precipitation in leaving Venice the morning after + the Battle of the Bridge, and while under the influence of the + shock he had received, in beholding the hideous features of an + old woman where he had expected to find the blooming + countenance of Strasolda. His love for the Uzcoque maiden, as + he had seen her when his captive, and again in the cavern on + the coast by Segna, returned in full force. He was already + planning a journey to Venice, when he was interrupted in his + meditations by the noise of a horse's hoofs dashing full speed + into the court of the palace. In another minute an attendant + summoned him to the presence of the pacha, and there he heard + the news just received, of the wild outbreak of the Uzcoques. + The Martellossi and other troops were ordered to proceed + immediately to the frontier, in order to protect Turkish + Dalmatia from the pirates; and Ibrahim, at his urgent request, + was appointed to a command in the expedition.</p> + + <p>With joyful alacrity did the young Turk arm and hurry to + horse; and then, putting himself at the head of a troop of + light cavalry, sped onwards in the direction of the country + where he hoped to gain tidings of Strasolda. Having received + strict orders to content himself with protecting the Turkish + frontier, and above all not to infringe on Archducal territory, + Ibrahim, on arriving at the boundary of the pachalic, left his + troop in charge of the second in command, and with a handful of + men entered Venetian Dalmatia, with the intention of obtaining + information concerning the Uzcoques, and more especially + concerning her he loved. He was assisted in his enquiries by + the good understanding existing between Venice and the Porte; + and he soon learned that, after the burning of Pesca, the + pirates had suddenly ceased their excesses and returned to + Segna, taking the Proveditore with them. They had not gone, + however, either to the castle or the town; but fearful lest the + Archduke should interfere, and make them give up their + illustrious prisoners, had betaken themselves to the mountains, + in the numerous caverns and lurking-places of which they were + able to conceal their captives. From every mouth did the eager + enquirer hear praises of the female who accompanied the + Uzcoques. None spoke of her but in terms of love and gratitude. + As regarded her appearance accounts were at variance, some + representing her as young and beautiful, while others + compassionated her frightful ugliness; and, more than ever + perplexed by this conflicting testimony, Ibrahim pursued his + march and his enquiries, still hoping by perseverance to arrive + at a solution of the enigma.</p> + + <p>While the young Turk was thus employed, the Proveditore and + his son were conveyed by their captors from one place of + security to another, passing one night in the depths of some + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page422" + id="page422"></a>[pg 422]</span> ravine, the next amongst + the crags and clefts of the mountains, but always moving + about in the daytime, and never sleeping twice in the same + place. Since the evening of the revel at Pesca they had not + again beheld the mysterious old woman, although they had + more than once heard her clear and silvery voice near the + place allotted to them for confinement and repose. In + certain attentions and comforts, intended as alleviations of + their unpleasant position, female care and thought were also + visible; but all their efforts were vain to obtain a sight + of the friendly being who thus hovered around them.</p> + + <p>It was on a beautiful evening some fourteen days after their + capture, that the Proveditore and his son lay upon the bank of + the only river that waters the rocky vicinity of Segna, wearied + by a long and rapid march. There was an unusual degree of + bustle observable amongst the Uzcoques, and numerous messengers + had been passing to and from the castle of Segna, which was at + no great distance from the spot where they had now halted. From + the various indications of some extraordinary occurrence, the + two Venetians began to hope that the crisis of their fate was + approaching, and that they should at last know in what manner + their captors meant to dispose of them. Nor were they wrong in + their expectations. Suddenly the mysterious old woman stood + before them, her partially veiled features bearing their wonted + hideous aspect, and her eyes, usually so brilliant, dimmed with + tears.</p> + + <p>"You are free," said she in an agitated voice to the + Proveditore and his son. "Our people will escort you to Fiume + in all safety, and there you will find galleys of the republic + to convey you back to Venice."</p> + + <p>At the sight of the old woman's unearthly countenance, + Antonio covered his face with his hands; the Proveditore rose + from the ground deeply moved.</p> + + <p>"Singular being!" he exclaimed, "by this mildness and mercy + you punish me more effectually than by the bloodiest revenge + you could have taken for my cruel treatment of you."</p> + + <p>"You owe me no thanks," was the reply; "thank rather the + holy Virgin, who sent the youth beside you to be your guardian + angel, and who delivered you into the hands of the Uzcoques at + a time when they had need of a hostage. Surely it was by the + special intervention of Heaven that the murderer of the wife + was sent to serve as ransom for the captive husband. But the + atonement has come too late, the noble Dansowich was basely + ensnared into an act of violence, and his life paid the forfeit + of his wrath—he died upon the rack. And now the wily + counsellors at Gradiska compel us to release you."</p> + + <p>She paused, interrupted by a flood of tears. After a short + silence, broken only by her sobs, she became more composed, and + the Proveditore again addressed her.</p> + + <p>"But what," said he, "could have driven Dansowich to an act + of violence, which he must have known would entail a severe + punishment? Surely his wife's safety and the lapse of years + might have enabled him to forgive, if not to forget, the + unsuccessful attempt upon her life."</p> + + <p>"His wife's safety!" exclaimed the old woman. "Have the + trials and fatigues of the last few days turned your brain? + Alas! too surely was the rope fixed round her neck; and had you + not carried off her remains how could you have possessed her + portrait, and by the devilish stratagem of showing it to the + bereaved husband, have driven him to the act which cost him his + life?"</p> + + <p>"Gracious Heaven! what hideous jest is this?" exclaimed + Marcello. "Do I not see you living and standing before me; and + think you I could ever forget your features, or the look you + gave me when hanging from the tree? You were cut down and saved + after our departure; and but a few weeks have elapsed since my + son painted your likeness, after conveying you across the canal + in his gondola."</p> + + <p>The old woman stood for a few moments as though petrified by + what she had just heard. At last she passed her hand slowly + across her face, as if to convince herself of her identity.</p> + + <p>"And she you murdered resembled <i>me</i>?" she exclaimed in + a trembling voice. "It was of <i>me</i> that the portrait was + taken, and by <i>him</i>!" she continued, pointing to Antonio + with <span class="pagenum"><a name="page423" + id="page423"></a>[pg 423]</span> a gesture of horror and + contempt. "<i>My</i> picture was it, that was held before + Dansowich, and by <i>you</i>, the murderer of his wife? Holy + Virgin!" she exclaimed, as the truth seemed to flash upon + her, "how has my faith in thee misled me! I beheld in this + youth one sent by Heaven to aid me; but now I see that he + was prompted by the powers of darkness to steal my portrait, + and thus become the instrument of destruction to the best + and noblest of our race."</p> + + <p>"Forgive and spare us!" exclaimed Antonio, + conscience-stricken as he remembered the admonitions of + Contarini. "'Tis true, I was the instrument, but most + unwittingly. How could I know so sad an end would follow?"</p> + + <p>"'Tis not my wont to seek revenge," replied the old woman; + "nor do I forget that you saved my life from the fury of the + Venetians."</p> + + <p>Antonio essayed to speak, but had not courage to correct the + error into which she had been led by his strong resemblance to + the gallant stranger.</p> + + <p>"But," she continued, "'tis time you should have full proof + that the features you painted were not those of the wife of + Dansowich."</p> + + <p>With these words she threw back her veil, unfastened some + small hooks concealed in her abundant tresses, and took off a + mask of thin and untanned lambskin, wrinkled and stained with + yellow and purple streaks by exposure to sun and storm. This + mask, closely fitted to features regular and prominent, and + strongly resembling those of her unfortunate mother, whose + large, dark, and very brilliant eyes she had also inherited, + will explain the misconception of the Proveditore as well as + that of Dansowich, who had never seen his daughter in a + disguise worn only at Venice or other places of peril, and + while away from her father and his protection.</p> + + <p>While the beautiful but still tearful Uzcoque maid stood + thus revealed before the astonished senator, and his enraptured + and speechless son, the approaching footfall of a horse at full + speed was heard, and in an instant there darted round the angle + of a cliff the martial figure of a Turk, mounted upon a large + and powerful steed, of that noble race bred in the deserts + eastward of the Caspian. The tall and graceful person of the + stranger was attired in a close riding-dress of scarlet cloth, + from the open breast of which gleamed a light coat-of-mail. A + twisted turban bound with chains of glittering steel defended + and adorned his head. A crooked cimeter suspended from his belt + was his only weapon. His countenance bore a striking + resemblance to that of Antonio, and had the same sweet and + graceful expression about the mouth and chin; but the more + ample and commanding forehead, the well opened flashing eyes, + the more prominent and masculine nose, the clear, rich, olive + complexion and soldierly bearing, proclaimed him to be of a + widely different and higher nature. Riding close up to the side + of Strasolda, he reined in his steed with a force and + suddenness that threw him on his haunches; but speedily + recovering his balance, the noble animal stood pawing the earth + and lashing his sides with his long tail, like some untamed and + kingly creature of the desert; his veins starting out in sharp + relief, his broad chest and beautiful limbs spotted with foam, + and his long mane, that would have swept the ground, streaming + like a banner in the sea-breeze.</p> + + <p>For a moment the startled Strasolda gazed alternately, and + in wild and mute amazement, at Antonio and the stranger; but + all doubt and hesitation were dispersed in an instant by the + well-remembered and impassioned tones, the martial bearing and + Moslem garb of Ibrahim, whose captive she had been before she + saw him in the cavern.</p> + + <p>Leaping from his saddle and circling her slender waist with + his arm, he addressed her in those accents of truth and passion + which go at once to the heart—</p> + + <p>"Heroic daughter of Dansowich! thou art the bright star of + my destiny, the light of my soul! Thou must be mine! Come, + then, to my heart and home! Gladden with thy love the life of + Ibrahim, and he will give thee truth unfailing and love without + end."</p> + + <p>Strasolda did not long hesitate. Already prepossessed in + favour of the young and noble-minded Moslem; her + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page424" + id="page424"></a>[pg 424]</span> allegiance to the Christian + powers and faith weakened by the treachery of Austria; her + people degraded into robbers; a soldier's daughter, and + keenly alive to the splendours of martial gallantry and + glory; an orphan, too, and desolate—can it be wondered + at if she surrendered, at once and for ever, to this + generous and impassioned lover all the sympathies of her + affectionate nature? She spoke not; but, as she leaned + half-fainting on his arm, her eloquent looks said that which + made Ibrahim's pulses thrill with grateful rapture. Pressing + her fondly to his bosom, he placed her on the back of his + faithful steed, and vaulted into the saddle. Snorting as the + vapour flew from his red nostrils, and neighing with mad + delight, the impatient animal threw out his iron hoofs into + the air, flew round the angle of the cliff, and joined + erelong a dozen mounted spearmen. Then, bending their + headlong course towards the far east, in a few seconds all + had disappeared.</p> + + <p>During this scene, which passed almost with the speed of + thought, the Proveditore, who was seated on a ledge of the + cliff, had gazed anxiously and wildly at the youthful stranger. + He knew him in an instant, and would have singled him out + amidst thousands; but was so overwhelmed by a rushing tide of + strong and heartrending emotions, that he could neither rise + nor speak, and remained, long after the Turk had disappeared, + with out-stretched arms and straining eye-balls.</p> + + <p>"Gracious Heaven!" exclaimed the bewildered Antonio, half + suspecting the truth, "who was that daring youth?"</p> + + <p>After a pause, and in tones broken and inarticulate, his + father answered—"Thy twin brother, Antonio! When a child + he was stolen from me by some Turks in Candia; and those who + stole have given him their own daring and heroic nature, for + they are great and rising, while Venice and her sons are + falling and degenerate. Oh Ercole! my dear and long-lost + son—seen but a moment and then lost for ever!" ejaculated + the bereaved father, as, refusing all comfort, he folded his + cloak over his face and wept bitterly.</p> + <hr class="short" /> + + <p>NOTE.—Shortly after these events, Venice, urged at + last beyond all endurance, took up arms against Austria on + account of the protection afforded by the latter power to the + Uzcoques. The pirate vessels were burned, Segna besieged and + taken, the Uzcoques slain or dispersed. The quarrel between + Austria and the republic was put an end to by the mediation of + Spain shortly before the breaking out of the Thirty Years' + War.</p> + + <p>"Ces misérables," says a distinguished French writer, + speaking of the Uzcoques, "fûrent bien plus criminels par + la faute des puissances, que par l'instinct de leur propre + nature. Les Vénétiens les aigrirent; + l'église Romaine préféra de les + persécuter au devoir de les éclaircir; la maison + d'Autriche en fit les instruments de sa politique, et quand le + philosophe examine leur histoire il ne voit pas que les + Uscoques soient les seuls criminels."</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_1_1" + name="fn_1_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_1_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>The reader of German literature will call to mind the + anecdote, in Jean Paul's <i>Levana</i>, of a Moldavian + woman who in one day slew seven men with her own hand, and + the same evening was delivered of a child.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page425" + id="page425"></a>[pg 425]</span> <a name="slave" + id="slave"></a> + + <h2>THE SLAVE-TRADE.<a id="fn_2_tag1" + name="fn_2_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_2_1"><sup>1</sup></a></h2> + + <p>The extraordinary change which took place in the public mind + in the beginning of the century on the subject of the + slave-trade, unquestionably justified the determination of + Government to abolish a traffic contradictory to every + principle of Christianity. It had taken twenty years to obtain + this victory of justice. But we must exonerate the mind of + England from the charge of abetting this guilty traffic in + human misery. The nation had been almost wholly ignorant of its + nature. Of course, that Africans were shipped for the West + Indies was known; that, as slaves, they were liable to the + severities of labour, or the temper of masters, was also known; + but in a country like England, where every man is occupied with + the concerns of public or private life, and where the struggle + for competence, if not for existence, is often of the most + trying order, great evils may occur in the distant dependencies + of the crown without receiving general notice from the nation. + It seems to have been one of the singular results of the war + with America, that the calamities of the slave-trade should + have been originally brought to the knowledge of the people. + The loss of our colonies on the mainland, naturally directed + public attention to the increased importance of the West Indian + colonies. A large proportion of our supplies for the war had + been drawn from those islands; they had become the station of + powerful fleets during the latter portion of the war; large + garrisons were placed in them; the intercourse became enlarged + from a merely commercial connexion with our ports, to a + governmental connection with the empire; and the whole + machinery of the West Indian social system was brought before + the eye of England.</p> + + <p>The result was the exposure of the cruelties which slavery + entails, and the growing resolution to clear the country of the + stigma, and the benevolent desire to relieve a race of beings, + who, however differing in colour and clime from ourselves, were + sons of the same common blood, and objects of the same Divine + mercy. The exertions of Wilberforce, and the intelligent and + benevolent men whom he associated with himself in this great + cause, were at last successful; and he gained for the British + the noblest triumph ever gained for a nation over its own + habits, its selfishness, its pride, and its popular + opinion.</p> + + <p>But the manner in which this great redemption of national + character was effected, did less honour to the wisdom of the + cabinet than to the benevolence of the people. Fox, probably + sincere, but certainly headlong, rushed into emancipation as he + had rushed into every measure that bore the name of popularity. + Impatient of the delay which might take the honour of this + crowning act out of the hands of his party—and + unquestionably, in any shape, it was an honour to any + party—he hurried it forward without securing the concert, + or compelling the acquiescence, of any one of the European + kingdoms engaged in the slave-trade. It is true that England + was then at war with them all; but there was thus only the + stronger opportunity of pronouncing the national resolve, never + to tolerate the commerce in slaves, and never to receive any + country into our protection by which that most infamous of all + trades was tolerated. The opportunity was amply given for + establishing the principle, in the necessity which every + kingdom in succession felt for the aid of England, and the + abolition ought to have been the first article of the treaty. + But the occasion was thrown away.</p> + + <p>The parliamentary regulations, which had largely provided + for the comfort of the slaves on the passage from Africa, and + their protection in the British colonies, could not be extended + to the new and tremendous traffic which was engaged in by all + the commercial states of Europe and + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page426" + id="page426"></a>[pg 426]</span> the West. The closing of + the British mart of slavery flooded the African shore with + desperate dealers in the flesh and blood of man; whose only + object was profit, and who regarded the miseries of the + African only as they affected his sale. The ships which, by + the British regulations, had been suffered to carry only a + number limited to their accommodation, were now crowded with + wretches, stowed in spaces that scarcely allowed them to + breathe. The cheapness of the living cargo, produced by the + withdrawal of the British from the slave coast, excited the + activity, almost the fury, of the trade; and probably + 100,000 miserable beings were thus annually dragged from + their own country, to undergo the labour of brutes, and die + the death of brutes in the Western World.</p> + + <p>Another source of evil was added to the original crime. The + colonial possessions of Spain had been broken up into + republics, and those were all slave-dealers. The great colony + of Portugal, Brazil, had rushed into this frightful commerce + with the feverish avidity of avarice set free from all its old + restrictions. North America, coquetting with philanthropy, and + nominally abjuring the principle of slavery, suffered herself + to undergo the corruption of the practice for the temptation of + the lucre, and the Atlantic was covered with slave-ships.</p> + + <p>But rash, ill considered, and unfortunate as was the + precipitate measure of Fox, we shall never but rejoice at the + abolition of the slave-trade by our country. If England had + stood alone for ever in that abolition, it would be a national + glory. To have cast that commerce from her at all apparent + loss, was the noblest of national gains; and it may be only + when higher knowledge shall be given to man, of the causes + which have protected the empire through the struggles of war + and the trials of peace, that we may know the full virtue of + that most national and magnanimous achievement of charity to + man.</p> + + <p>It is only in the spirit of this principle that the + legislature has followed up those early exertions, by the + purchase of the final freedom of the slave, by the astonishing + donative of twenty millions sterling, the largest sum ever + given for the purposes of humanity. It is only in the same + spirit that our cabinet continues to press upon the commercial + states the right of search, a right which we solicit on the + simple ground of humanity; and which, though it cannot be our + duty to enforce at the hazard of hostility, must never be + abandoned where we can succeed by the representations of + reason, justice, and religion.</p> + + <p>The curious and succinct narrative to which we now advert, + gives the experience of a short voyage on board of one of those + slave ships. And the miseries witnessed by its writer, whose + detail seems as accurate as it is simple, more than justify the + zeal of our foreign secretary in labouring to effect the total + extinction of this death-dealing trade.</p> + + <p>H.M.S. the Cleopatra, of twenty-six guns, commanded by + Captain Wyvill, arriving at Rio Janeiro in September 1842, the + reverend writer took the opportunity of being transferred from + the Malabar, as chaplain. In the beginning of September the + Cleopatra left the Mauritius, to proceed to the Mozambique + Channel, off Madagascar, her appointed station, to watch the + slave-traders. After various cruises along the coast, and as + far as Algoa Bay, they at last captured a slaver.</p> + + <p><i>April 12.</i>—At daybreak the look-out at the + topmast-head perceived a vessel on the lee quarter, at such a + distance as to be scarcely visible; but her locality being + pronounced "very suspicious," the order was given to bear up + for her. The breeze falling, the boats were ordered out, and in + a few minutes the barge and the first gig were pulling away in + the direction of the stranger. So variable, however, is the + weather at this season, that before the boats had rowed a mile + from the ship, a thick haze surrounded the ship, and the chase + was lost sight of. The rain fell in torrents, and the ship was + going seven knots through the water. On the clearing up of the + fog, the chase was again visible. The sun broke forth, and the + rakish-looking brigantine appeared to have carried on all sail + during the squall. They could see, under her sails, the low + black hull pitching up and down; and, approaching within range, + one of the forecastle guns was cleared away for a bow-chaser. + The <span class="pagenum"><a name="page427" + id="page427"></a>[pg 427]</span> British ensign had been for + some time flying at the peak. It was at length answered by + the green and yellow Brazilian flag. At length, after a + variety of dexterous manœuvres to escape, and from + fifteen to twenty shots fired after her, she shortened sail + and lay to. Dark naked forms passing across the deck, + removed any remaining doubt as to her character, and showed + that she had her slave cargo on board. An officer was sent + to take possession, and the British ensign displaced the + Brazilian. The scene on board was a sufficiently strange + one; the deck was crowded with negroes to the number of 450, + in almost riotous confusion, having risen but a little while + before against the crew. The meagre, famished-looking + throng, having broken through all control, had seized every + thing for which they had a fancy in the vessel; some with + handfuls of the powdered roots of the cassava, others with + large pieces of pork and beef, having broken open the casks, + and others with fowls, which they had torn from the coops. + Many were busily dipping rags, fastened with bits of string, + into the water-casks to act as sponges, and had got at the + contents of a cask of Brazilian rum, which they greatly + enjoyed. However, they exhibited the wildest joy, mingled + with the clank of the iron, as they were knocking off their + fetters on every side. From the moment the first ball had + been fired, they had been actively employed in thus freeing + themselves. The crew found but thirty thus shackled in + pairs, but many more pairs of shackles were found below. + There could not be a moment's doubt as to the light in which + they viewed their captors, now become their liberators. They + rushed towards them in crowds, and rubbed their feet and + hands caressingly, even rolling themselves on the deck + before them; and, when they saw the crew of the vessel + rather unceremoniously sent over the side into the boat + which was to take them prisoners to the frigate, they set up + a long universal shout of triumph and delight. The actual + number of the negroes now on board, amounted to 447. Of + those 180 were men, few, however, exceeding twenty years of + age; 45 women; 213 boys. The name of the prize was the + Progresso, last from Brazil, and bound to Rio Janeiro. The + crew were seventeen; three Spaniards, and the rest + Brazilians. The vessel was of about 140 tons; the length of + the slave-deck, 37 feet; its mean breadth, 21½ feet; + its height, 3½ feet—a horrible space to contain + between four and five hundred human beings. How they could + even breathe is scarcely conceivable. The captain and one of + the crew were said to have been drowned in the surf at the + embarkation of the negroes. Two Spaniards, and a Portuguese + cook, were sent back into the prize.</p> + + <p>As the writer understood Spanish, and as some one was + wanting to interpret between the English crew and those + managers of the negroes, he proposed to go on board with them + to their place of destination, the Cape of Good Hope. The + English crew were a lieutenant, three petty officers, and nine + seamen. It had been the captain's first intention to take a + hundred of the negroes on board the frigate, which would + probably have prevented the fearful calamities that followed; + but an unfortunate impression prevailed, that some of them were + infected with the small-pox. In the same evening the Progresso + set sail. For the first few hours all went on well—the + breeze was light, the weather warm, and the negroes were + sleeping on the deck; their slender supple limbs entwined in a + surprisingly small compass, resembling in the moonlight + confused piles of arms and legs, rather than distinct human + forms. But about an hour after midnight, the sky began to + gather clouds, a haze overspread the horizon to windward, and a + squall approached. The hands, having to shorten sail, suddenly + found the negroes in the way, and the order was given to send + them all below.</p> + + <p>There seems to have been some dreadful mismanagement to + cause the horrid scene that followed. Why <i>all</i> the + negroes should have been driven down together; or why, when the + vessel was put to rights, they should not have been allowed to + return to the deck; or why, when driven down, the hatches + should have been forced upon them—are matters which we + cannot comprehend; but nothing could be more unfortunate than + the consequence of those rash measures. We + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page428" + id="page428"></a>[pg 428]</span> state the event in the + words of the narrative:—</p> + + <blockquote> + <p>"The night being intensely hot and close, 400 wretched + beings crammed into a hold twelve yards in length, seven in + breadth, and only three and a half feet in height, speedily + began to make an effort to re-issue to the open air; being + thrust back, and striving the more to get out, the <i>after + hatch</i> was forced down upon them. Over the other + hatchway, in the fore part of the vessel, a wooden grating + was fastened. A scene of agony followed those most + unfortunate measures, unequaled by any thing that we have + heard of since the Black Hole of Calcutta. To this <i>sole + inlet</i> for the air, the suffocating heat of the hold, + and perhaps panic from the strangeness of their situation, + made them press. They crowded to the grating, and, clinging + to it for air, completely barred its entrance. They strove + to force their way through apertures in length fourteen + inches, and barely six inches in breadth, and in some + instances succeeded. The cries, the heat, I may say without + exaggeration, 'the smoke of their torment,' which ascended, + can be compared to nothing earthly. One of the Spaniards + gave warning that the consequence would be many + deaths—<i>manana habra muchos muertos</i>."</p> + </blockquote> + + <p>If this statement with its consequences be true, we cannot + conceive how the conduct of those persons by whom it was + brought about can be passed over without enquiry. There seems + to have been nothing in the shape of <i>necessity</i> for its + palliation. There was no storm, the vessel was in no danger of + foundering unless the hatches were fastened down. That the + negroes might have lumbered the deck for the first few minutes + of preparing to meet the squall is probable; but why, when they + were palpably suffocating, they should still have been kept + down, is one of the most unaccountable circumstances we ever + remember. We must hope that while we are nationally incurring + an enormous expenditure to extinguish this most guilty and + detestable traffic, such scenes will be guarded against for + ever, by the strictest orders to the captors of the + slave-traders. It would have been infinitely better for the + wretched cargo if they had been carried to their original + destination, and sent to toil in the fields of Brazil.</p> + + <p>The Spaniard's prediction was true. Next morning no less + than fifty-four crushed and mangled corpses were lifted up from + the slave deck, and thrown overboard. We shall avoid disgusting + our readers with mentioning the state in which their struggles + had left those trampled and strangled beings. On the survivors + being released from their torrid dungeon, they drank their + allowance of water, somewhat more than half a pint to each, + with inconceivable eagerness. A heavy shower having freshened + the air, in the evening most of the negroes went below of their + own accord, the hatchways having been left open to allow them + air. But a short time, however, had elapsed, when they began + tumultuously to reascend; and some of the persons on deck, + fearful of their crowding it too much, repelled them, and they + were trampled back, screaming and writhing in a confused mass. + The hatch was about to be forced down upon them; and had not + the lieutenant in charge left positive orders to the contrary, + the catastrophe of last night would have been re-enacted. On + explaining to the Spaniard that it was desired he should + dispose those who came on deck in proper places, he set himself + to the task with great alacrity; and he showed with much + satisfaction how soon and how quietly they might be arranged + out of the way of the ropes, covered with long rugs provided + for the purpose. "To-morrow," said he, "there will be no + deaths, except perhaps among some of those who are sick + already." On the next day there was but one dead, but three + were reported dying from the sufferings of the first night. + They now saw the Cleopatra once more, and the alarm of + small-pox having been found groundless, the captain took on + board fifty of the boys.</p> + + <p>To our surprise, the provisions on board the slaver were + ample for the negroes, consisting of Monte Video dried beef, + small beans, rice, and cassava flour. The cabin stores were + profuse; lockers filled with ale and porter, barrels of wine, + liqueurs of various sorts, cases of English pickles, raisins, + &c. &c.; and its list of medicines amounted to almost + the whole <span class="pagenum"><a name="page429" + id="page429"></a>[pg 429]</span> <i>Materia Medica</i>. On + questioning the Spaniards as to the probability of + extinguishing the slave-trade, their reply was, that though + in the creeks of Brazil it might be difficult, yet it had + grown a desperate adventure. Four vessels had been already + taken on the east coast of Africa this year; but the venture + is so lucrative, that the profits of a fifth which escaped, + would probably more than compensate the loss of the + four.</p> + + <p>On the east coast negroes are paid for in money or coarse + cottons, at the rate of eighteen dollars for men, and twelve + for boys. At Rio Janeiro their value may be estimated at + £52 for men, £41, 10s. for women, and £31 for + boys. Thus, on a cargo of 500, at the mean price the profit + will exceed £19,000—</p> + + <table align="center" + summary="Slave profit" + cellpadding="5"> + <colgroup> + <col span="2" + align="left" /> + <col align="right" /> + </colgroup> + + <tr> + <td></td> + + <td>Cost price of 500, average fifteen dollars, or + £3 5s. each</td> + + <td>£1,625</td> + </tr> + + <tr> + <td></td> + + <td>Selling price at Rio Janeiro, average £41 + 10s.,</td> + + <td>£20,730</td> + </tr> + </table> + + <p>While these enormous profits continue, it must be a matter + of extreme difficulty to suppress the trade, especially while + the principals, captains, and crews, have perfect impunity. At + present, all that they suffer is the loss of their cargo. But + if enactments were made, by which heavy fines and imprisonment + were to be inflicted on the merchants to whom the expedition + could be traced, and corporal punishment and transportation for + life for the crews, and for the captains service as common + sailors on board our frigates, we should soon find the ardour + for the traffic diminished.</p> + + <p>The voyage was slow from the frequent calms. By the 20th of + April they had advanced only to the tropic, 350 miles. From day + to day the sick among the negroes were dropping off. A large + shark followed the ship, which they conceived might have gorged + some of the corpses. He was caught, but the stomach was empty. + When brought on the deck, he exhibited the usual and remarkable + tenacity of life. Though his tail was chopped, and even his + entrails taken out, in neither of which operations it exhibited + any sign of sensation, yet no sooner was a bucket of salt water + poured on it to wash the deck, than it began to flounder about + and bite on all sides.</p> + + <p>Symptoms of fever now began to appear on board, and the + Portuguese cook died.</p> + + <p><i>April 29</i>.—A storm, the lightning intolerably + vivid, flash succeeding flash with scarcely a sensible + intermission; blue, red, and of a still more dazzling white, + which made the eye shrink, lighting up every object on deck as + clearly as at mid-day. All the winds of heaven seemed let + loose, as it blew alternately from every point of the compass. + The screams of distress from the sick and weak in the hold, + were heard through the roar of the tempest. From the rolling + and creaking, one might fancy every thing going asunder. The + woman's shed on deck had been washed down, and the planks which + formed its roof falling in a heap, a woman was found dead under + the ruin.</p> + + <p><i>May 1</i>.—In this hemisphere, marking the approach + of the cold weather, the naked negroes began to shiver, and + their teeth to chatter.</p> + + <p><i>May 3</i>.—Another storm, with severe cold. Seven + negroes were found dead this morning. The wretched beings had + begun now to steal water and brandy from the hold. "None can + tell," says the writer, "save he who has tried, the pangs of + thirst which may excite them in that heated hold, many of them + fevered by mortal disease. Their daily allowance of water is + about a half pint in the morning, and the same quantity in the + evening." This passage now became all storms. A heavy squall + came on <i>May 8</i>, which continued next day a strong gale. + The first object which met the eye in the morning, was three + negroes dead on the deck.</p> + + <p><i>May 11</i>.—Another storm, heavier than any of the + preceding ones. Towards evening the report of the helmsman was + the gratifying one, that the heart of the gale was broke; yet a + yellow haze overspread the setting sun, and it continued to + blow as wildly as ever. Squalls rapidly succeeding each other + mingled sea and air in one sheet of spray, blinding the eyes of + the helmsman; waves towering high above us, tossing up the foam + from their crests towards the sky, threatened to engulf the + vessel at every moment. When the squalls, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page430" + id="page430"></a>[pg 430]</span> breaking heavily on the + vessel, caused her to heel over, and the negroes to tumble + one against each other in the hold, the shrieks of the + sufferers through the darkness of the night, rising above + the noise of the winds and waves, seemed of all horrors in + this unhappy vessel the saddest. Dysentery now attacked the + crew, and the boatswain's mate died. We pass over the + melancholy details of this miserable voyage, in which + disgusts and distresses of every kind seemed to threaten all + on board with death, every day bringing its mortality. At + last on Sunday, May 28th, the welcome sight of Cape Agulhas + cheered them at the distance of ten miles. The weather was + now fine, but the mortality continued, the fatal cases + averaging four a-day. On the 1st of June eight were found + dead in the morning; and, when the morning mist had cleared + away, they found themselves within three miles of Simon's + Bay. As soon as the Progresso anchored, the superintendent + of the naval hospital came on board, and the writer + descended with him for the last time to the slave hold. + Accustomed as he had been to scenes of suffering, he was + unable to endure a sight, surpassing all he could have + conceived, he said, of human misery, and made a hasty + retreat. The numbers who had died within the fifty days were + 163. Even this was not all; for, on returning to the vessel + next day, six corpses were added to the eight of the + preceding day, and the fourteen were piled on deck for + interment on the shore. A hundred of the healthiest negroes + were landed at the pier to proceed in waggons to Cape Town; + but though rescued from a state of extreme misery, the + change seemed to excite anxiety and apprehension. Each of + the men had received on landing a new warm jacket and + trousers, and the women had each a new white blanket in + addition to an under dress, and they were placed snugly in + waggons; yet their countenances resembled those of condemned + victims. Of the whole of the original cargo, not far short + of one half had died. To what causes this horrible mortality + must be imputed, it is not our purpose to decide; but that + it did not arise from the original tendency of the negroes + to sickness seems evident—the fact being, that of the + fifty who were taken on board the frigate, but one had died + at sea and one on shore. Within a few days the liberated + negroes had acquired a more cheerful look, their first + conception having been that they were to be devoured by the + people of the country, and they were reluctant to eat, + fearing that it was intended to fatten them for the purpose. + However, the negroes in the colonies soon freed them from + this apprehension.</p> + + <p>We shall be rejoiced if the publicity given to this little + but intelligent pamphlet by our means, may assist in drawing + the attention of the influential classes to the subject. We + fully believe that, if we were to look for the deepest misery + that was ever inflicted in this world, and the greatest mass of + it, we should find it in the slave-trade. It is the misery, not + as in civilized life, of scattered individuals, but of + multitudes, and a misery comprehending every other; sudden + separation from every tie of the human heart, parent, child, + spouse, and country; the misery of bodily affliction, disease, + famine, storms, shipwreck, and ultimately slavery, with all its + wretchedness of toil and tyranny for life. We certainly do not + think it our duty to go to war for the object of teaching + humanity to other nations. We must not attempt to heal the + calamity of the African by the greatest of all calamities and + crimes—an unnecessary war. But England has only to + persevere sincerely and steadily, however calmly, and she will, + by the blessing of that supreme Disposer of the ways of men, + who desires the happiness of all his creatures, succeed in the + extinction of a traffic which has brought a curse, and brings + it at this hour, and will bring it deeper still, upon every + nation which insults the laws of humanity and the dictates of + religion, by dealing in the flesh and blood of man.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_2_1" + name="fn_2_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_2_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>Fifty Days on board a Slave vessel, in 1843. By the Rev. + PASCOE GRENFELL HILL, Chaplain of H.M.S. Cleopatra.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page431" + id="page431"></a>[pg 431]</span> <a name="arabs" + id="arabs"></a> + + <h2>MOSLEM HISTORIES OF SPAIN.<a id="fn_3_tag1" + name="fn_3_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_3_1"><sup>1</sup></a></h2> + + <h3>THE ARABS OF CORDOVA.</h3> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"The second day was that when Martel broke</p> + + <p>The Mussulmen, delivering France opprest,</p> + + <p>And in one mighty conflict, from the yoke</p> + + <p>Of unbelieving Mecca saved the West."</p> + + <p style="margin-left: 50%">SOUTHEY.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The Arab domination in Spain is the grand romance of + European history. The splendid but mysterious fabric of Asiatic + power and science is seen for age after age, like the fairy + castle of St John, exalted far above the rugged plain of Frank + semi-barbarism—till the spell is at last broken by the + iron prowess of Christian chivalry; and the glittering edifice + vanishes from the land as though it had never been, leaving, + like the fabled structure of the poet, only a wreath of laurel + to bind the brows of the victor. Yet though replete with + gorgeous materials both for history and fiction, and stored not + only with the recondite lore of Asia and Egypt, but with the + borrowed treasures of ancient Greece, (long known to + Christendom only by versions through an Arabic medium,) the + language and literature of this marvellous people, and even + their history, except so far as it related to their + never-ceasing warfare with their Christian foes, remained, up + to the middle of the last century, a sealed book to their + Spanish successors. Coming into possession, like the Israelites + of old, "of a land for which they did not labour, of cities + which they built not, of vineyards and olive-yards which they + planted not," the Spaniards not merely contemned, but + persecuted with the fiercest bigotry, all that was left in the + peninsula of the genius and learning of their predecessors. + Eighty thousand volumes were publicly burned in one fatal + <i>auto-da-fé</i> at Granada by order of Cardinal + Ximenes, in whom the literature of his own language yet found a + munificent patron; and so meritorious, did the deed appear in + the eyes of his contemporaries, that the number has been + magnified to an incredible amount by his biographers, in their + zeal for the renown of their hero! So complete was the + destruction or deportation<a id="fn_3_tag2" + name="fn_3_tag2"></a><a href="#fn_3_2"><sup>2</sup></a> of + the seventy public libraries, which, a century and a half + before the subjugation of the Moors, were open in different + cities of Spain, that the valuable collection now in the + Escurial owes its origin to the accidental capture, early in + the seventeenth century, of three ships laden with books + belonging to Muley Zidan, emperor of Morocco—and even + of this casual prize so little was the value appreciated, + that it was not till more than a hundred years later, and + after three-fourths of the books had been consumed by fire + in 1671, that the learned and diligent Casiri was + commissioned to make a catalogue of the remainder. The + result was the well-known <i>Bibliotheca Arabico-Hispana + Escurialensis</i>, which appeared in 1760-70; and which, in + the words of the present learned translator, "though hasty + and superficial, and containing frequent unaccountable + blunders, must, with all its imperfections, ever be valuable + as affording palpable proof of the literary cultivation of + the Spanish Arabs, and as containing the first glimpses of + historical truth." Up to + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page432" + id="page432"></a>[pg 432]</span> this time the only + authority on Spanish history purporting to be drawn from + Mohammedan sources, was the work of a Morisco named Miguel + de Luna, written by command of the Inquisition; which was + first printed at Granada in 1592, and has passed through + many editions. Its value may be estimated from its placing + the Mohammedan conquest of Spain in the time of Yakub + Al-mansor, the actual date of whose reign was from A.D. 1184 + to 1199; insomuch that Señor de Gayangos suggests, as + a possible explanation of its glaring inaccuracies, that it + was the writer's intention to hoax his employers. Casiri + had, however, opened the door for further researches; and he + was followed in the same path by Don Faustino de Borbon, + whose works, valuable rather from the erudition which they + display than from their judgment or critical acumen, have + now become extremely scarce—and next by Don Antonio + José Condé, one of the most zealous and + laborious, if not the most accurate, of Spanish + orientalists. His "History of the Domination of the Arabs + and Moors in Spain," has been generally regarded as of high + authority, and is in truth the first work on the subject + drawn wholly from Arab sources; but it receives summary + condemnation from Señor de Gayangos, for "the uncouth + arrangement of the materials, the entire want of critical or + explanatory notes, the unaccountable neglect to cite + authorities, the numerous repetitions, blunders, and + contradictions." These charges are certainly not without + foundation; but they are in some measure accounted for by + the trouble and penury in which the author's last years were + spent, and the unfinished state in which the work was left + at his death in 1820.</p> + + <p>An authentic and comprehensive view of the Arab period, as + described by their own writers, was therefore still a + desideratum in European literature, which the publication + before us may be considered as the first step towards + supplying. The work of Al-Makkari, which has been taken as a + text-book, is not so much an original history as a collection + of extracts, sometimes abridged, and sometimes transcribed in + full, from more ancient historians; and frequently giving two + or three versions of the same event from different + authorities—so that, though it can claim but little merit + as a composition, it is of extreme value as a repository of + fragments of authors in many cases now lost; and further, as + the only "uninterrupted narrative of the conquests, wars, and + settlements of the Spanish Moslems, from their first invasion + of the Peninsula to their final expulsion." In the arrangement + of his materials, the translator has departed considerably, and + with advantage, from the original; giving the historical books + in the form of a continuous narrative, and omitting several + sections relating to matters of little interest—while the + deficiencies and omissions of the author are supplied by an + appendix, containing, in addition to a valuable body of + original notes, copious extracts from numerous unpublished + Arabic MSS. relating to Spain, which afford ample proof of the + extent and diligence of his researches among the Oriental + treasures of Paris and London. To those in the Escurial, + however, he was denied access during his labours—an + almost incredible measure of illiberality, which, if he be + correct in ascribing it to his known intention of publishing in + England, "ill suits a country" (as he justly remarks in the + preface) "which has lately seen its archives and monastic + libraries reduced to cinders, and scattered or sold in foreign + markets, without the least struggle to rescue or secure + them."</p> + + <p>Ahmed Al-Makkari, the author or compiler of the present + work, derived his surname from a village near Telemsan called + Makkarah, where his family had been established since the + conquest of Africa by the Arabs. He was born at Telemsan some + time in the latter half of the sixteenth century, and educated + by his uncle, who held the office of Mufti in that city; but + having quitted his native country in 1618 on a pilgrimage to + Mekka, he married and settled in Cairo. During a visit to + Damascus in 1628, he was received with high distinction by + Ahmed Ibn Shahin Effendi, the director of the college of Jakmak + in that city, and a distinguished patron of literature; at + whose suggestion (he tells us) he undertook this work. + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page433" + id="page433"></a>[pg 433]</span> His original purpose had + been only to write the life of Abu Abdullah Lisanuddin, a + celebrated historian and minister in Granada, better known + to Oriental scholars as Ibnu'l-Khattib; but having completed + this, the thought struck him of adding, as a second part, an + historical account of the Moslems of Spain. He had formerly + written an extensive and elaborate work on this subject, + composed (to use his own words) "in such an elevated and + pleasing style, that had it been publicly delivered by the + common crier, it would have made even the stones + deaf:—but, alas! the whole of this we had left in + Maghreb (Morocco) with the rest of our library.... However, + we have done our best to make the present work as useful and + complete as possible." It was probably the last literary + undertaking of his life; since he was on the point of + quitting Cairo to fix his residence in Damascus, when he + died of a fever in the second Jomada of A.H. 1041, (Jan. + 1632,) leaving a high reputation as a traditionist and + doctor of the Moslem law.</p> + + <p>The introductory chapter gives a sketch of the various + nations which inhabited <i>Andalus</i> or Spain before the Arab + conquest, prefaced by extracts from numerous writers eulogistic + of a country "whose excellences" (as Al-Makkari himself + declares) "are such and so many that they cannot easily be + contained in a book ... so that one of their wise men, who knew + that the country had been called the bird's tail, owing to the + supposed resemblance of the earth to a bird with extended + wings, remarked that that bird was the peacock, the principal + beauty of which was in the tail." These panegyrics are not in + all cases exactly consistent; for while the famous geographer, + Obeydullah Al-Bekri, "compares his native country to Syria for + purity of air and water, to China for mines and precious + stones, &c. &c., and to Al-Ahwaz (a district in Persia) + <i>for the magnitude of its snakes</i>"—the Sheikh Ahmed + Al-Razi (better known as the historian Razis) praises its + comparative freedom from wild beasts and reptiles. The name + <i>Andalus</i> is derived by some authors from a great grandson + of Noah so named, who settled there soon after the deluge; but + Al-Makkari rather inclines, with Ibn Khaldun and other writers, + to deduce it from the <i>Andalosh,</i> (Vandals,) "a tribe of + barbarians," who appear to be considered as the earliest + inhabitants; but who, having incurred the divine wrath by their + wickedness and idolatry, were all cut off by a terrible + drought, which left the land for a hundred years an uninhabited + desert. A colony then arrived from Africa, under a chief named + Batrikus, eleven generations of whose descendants reigned for + one hundred and fifty-seven years; after which they were all + annihilated by the "barbarians of Rome, who invaded and + conquered the country; and it was after their king Ishban, son + of Titus, that Andalus was called Ishbaniah," (Hispania.) As + Ishban is just after said to have "plundered and demolished + Ilia, which is the same as Al-Kods the illustrious," + (Jerusalem,) it is obvious that the name must be a corruption + of Vespasian, who is thus made the son instead of the father of + Titus. We are told that authors differ whether it was on this + occasion, or at the former capture of Jerusalem by + Bokht-Nasser, (Nebuchadnezzar,) at which a king of Spain named + Berian was also present, that the table constructed by the + genii for Solomon, and which Tarik afterwards found at Toledo, + was transported to Spain—and Al-Makkari professes + himself, as well he may, unable to reconcile the different + accounts. Fifty-five kings descended from Ishban, whose race + was dispossessed ("about the time of the Messiah, on whom be + peace!") by a people called Bishtilikat, (Visigoths?) under a + king called Talubush, (Ataulphus?) whom Al-Makkari holds to + have been the same people as the "barbarians of Rome," though + "there are not wanting authors who make the Goths and the + Bishtilikat only one nation." After holding possession during + the reigns of twenty-seven monarchs, they were in turn subdued + by the Goths, whose royal residence was "Toleyalah, (Toledo,) + though Isbiliah (Seville) continued to be the abode of the + sciences." The Gothic kings are said to have been + thirty-six;—but the only one particularized by name is + "Khoshandinus, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page434" + id="page434"></a>[pg 434]</span> (Constantine,) who not only + embraced Christianity himself, but called on his subjects to + do the same, and is held by the Christians as the greatest + king they ever had.... Several kings of his posterity + reigned after him, till Andalus was finally subdued by the + Arabs, by whose means God was pleased to make manifest the + superiority of Islam over every other religion."</p> + + <p>With the Arab, conquest the authentic history commences; and + the accounts given from the Moslem writers of this memorable + event, which first gave the followers of the Prophet a footing + in Europe, differ in no material point from the eloquent + narrative of Gibbon. Al-Makkari, however, does not fail to + inform us, that predictions had been rife from long past ages, + which foretold the invasion and conquest of the country by a + fierce people from Africa; and potent were the spells and + talismans constructed to ward off the danger, "by the + <i>Greek</i> kings who reigned in old times." Several of these + are described with due solemnity; and among them we find the + tale of the visit paid by Roderic<a id="fn_3_tag3" + name="fn_3_tag3"></a><a href="#fn_3_3"><sup>3</sup></a> to + the magic tower at Toledo, which has been rendered familiar + by the pages of Scott and Southey. We shall not here + recapitulate the well-known incidents of the wrongs and + revenge of Count Yllan, or Julian, the first landing of + Tarif at Tarifa, the second expedition sent by Musa under + Tarik Ibn Zeyad, and the death or disappearance of the + Gothic king on the fatal day of Guadalete.<a id="fn_3_tag4" + name="fn_3_tag4"></a><a href="#fn_3_4"><sup>4</sup></a> So + complete was the discomfiture of the Christians, that the + kingdom fell, without a second blow, before the victors of a + single field; and was overrun with such rapidity, that from + the inability of the conquerors to garrison the cities which + surrendered, they were entrusted for the time to the guard + of the Jews!—a singular circumstance, which, when + coupled with the statement that many of the Berbers (of whom + the invading army was almost wholly composed) were recent + converts from Judaism,<a id="fn_3_tag5" + name="fn_3_tag5"></a><a href="#fn_3_5"><sup>5</sup></a> + would apparently imply that the conquest was facilitated by + a previous correspondence. The subjugation of the country + was completed by the arrival of Musa himself, who reduced + Seville and the other towns which still held out, and is + even said to have crossed the Pyrenees and sacked + Narbonne;<a id="fn_3_tag6" + name="fn_3_tag6"></a><a href="#fn_3_6"><sup>6</sup></a> but + this is not mentioned by any Christian writer, and is + referred by the translator to his invasion of Catalonia, + which the Arabs considered as part of "the land of the + Franks." After the first fury of conquest had subsided, the + Christians who remained in their homes were permitted to + live unmolested, on payment of the capitation-tax; but + peculiar privileges were accorded to the Jews, and the hold + of the Moslems on the country was strengthened by the vast + influx of settlers, not only from Africa, but from Syria and + Arabia, who were attracted by the reports of the riches and + fertility of the new province. Nearly all the tribes of + Arabia are enumerated by Al-Makkari as represented in Spain; + and the feuds of the two great divisions, the + Beni-Modhar<a id="fn_3_tag7" + name="fn_3_tag7"></a><a href="#fn_3_7"><sup>7</sup></a> or + race of Adnan, and the Beni-Kahttan or Arabs of Yemen, gave + rise to most of the civil wars which subsequently desolated + Andalus.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page435" + id="page435"></a>[pg 435]</span> + + <p>The spoil of the vanquished kingdom was immense—the + accumulation of long years of luxury and freedom from foreign + invasion in a country which, both from the fertility of the + soil and the abundance of the precious metals, was then + probably the richest in Europe. Whatever degree of credit we + may attach to the famous table of Solomon, "said by some to be + of pure gold, and by others green emerald," and the gems and + ornaments of which are described with full Oriental luxuriance, + every account referring to the booty acquired in the principal + cities, gives ample evidence of the riches and splendour of the + Visigoths. "The plunder found at Toledo<a id="fn_3_tag8" + name="fn_3_tag8"></a><a href="#fn_3_8"><sup>8</sup></a> was + beyond calculation. It was common for the lowest men in the + army to find magnificent gold chains, and long strings of + pearls and rubies. Among other precious objects were found + 170 diadems of the purest red gold, set with every sort of + precious stone; several measures full of emeralds, rubies, + and other gems; and an immense number of gold and silver + vases. Such was the eagerness for plunder, and the ignorance + of some, especially the Berbers, that when two or more of + this nation fell upon an article which they could not + conveniently divide, they would cut it in pieces, whatever + the material might be, and share it among them." Some of the + victorious army seized some ships in the eastern ports, and + set sail for their homes with their plunder; but they were + speedily overtaken by a tremendous storm, and all perished + in the waves—a manifest token, we are given to + understand, of the Divine vengeance for the abandonment of + the <i>holy</i> warfare under the banners of Islam.</p> + + <p>Musa was on his march into Galicia to crush the last embers + of national resistance, when his progress was checked by a + peremptory summons from the Khalif, to answer at Damascus the + charges forwarded against him by Tarik, whom he had unjustly + disgraced and punished. Being convicted of falsehood, on the + production by Tarik of the missing foot of the table of + Solomon, the merit of finding which had been claimed by Musa, + he was tortured and deprived of his riches; and the head of his + gallant son Abdulaziz, whom he had left in command in Spain, + was shown to him in public by the Khalif Soliman, the successor + of Walid, with the cruel demand if he knew whose it was. "I + do," was the father's reply: "it is the head of one who fasted + and prayed; may the curse of Allah fall on it if he who slew + him is a better man than he!" But though Musa was thus arrested + in the last stage of his conquering career, so complete was the + prostration of the Christians, that the viceroys who succeeded + Abdulaziz, overlooking or disregarding this yet unsubdued + corner of Spain, at once poured their forces across the + Pyrenees, seeking new fields of conquest and glory in the + countries of the Franks. But the antagonists whom they here + encountered, unlike the luxurious Goths of Spain, still + preserved the barbarian valour which they had brought from + their German forests. And As-Samh, (the Zama of the Christian + writers,) the first Saracen general who obtained a footing in + France, "fell a martyr to the faith," with nearly his whole + army, in a battle with Eudo, Duke of Aquitaine, before + Toulouse, May 10, A.D. 721. But the fiery zeal of the Moslems + was only stimulated by this reverse. In the course of the ten + following years, their dominion was established as far as the + Rhone and Garonne; till, in 732, the torrent of invasion, + headed by the <i>Wali</i> Abdurrahman, burst into the heart of + the country; and the battle, decisive of the destinies of + France, and perhaps of Europe, was fought between Tours and + Poitiers, in October of that year, (Ramadhan, A.H. 114.) Few + details are given by the Arab writers of the seven days' + conflict, in which the ranks of the Moslems were shattered by + the iron arm of Charles Martel; + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page436" + id="page436"></a>[pg 436]</span> "and the army of + Abdurrahman was cut to pieces at a spot called + <i>Balatt-ush-Shohadá</i>, (the Pavement of the + Martyrs,) he himself being in the number of the slain." Some + confusion here appears, as the same epithet had been applied + to the former battle near Toulouse; but this "disastrous + day" of Tours virtually extinguished the schemes of Arab + conquest in France, though it was not till many years later + that they were completely dislodged from Narbonne, and their + other acquisitions between the Garrone and the Pyrenees.</p> + + <p>Meanwhile the Christian remnant, left unmolested in the + Asturian and Galician mountains, gradually recovered courage: + and in 717-18, "a despicable barbarian," (as he is termed by + Ibn Hayyan, a writer often cited by Al-Makkari,) "named Belay, + (Pelayo or Pelagius,) rose in Galicia; and from that moment the + Christians began to resist the Moslems, and to defend their + wives and daughters; for till then they had not shown the least + inclination to do so." "Would to God," piously subjoins + Al-Makkari, "that the Moslems had then extinguished at once the + sparkles of a fire destined to consume their whole dominion in + those parts! But they said—'What are thirty barbarians, + perched on a rock? they must inevitably die!'" The spark, which + contained the germ of the future independence of Spain, was + thus suffered to remain and spread, while the swords of the + Moslems were occupied in France; and its growth was further + favoured by the anarchy and civil dissensions which broke out + among the conquerors. While the leaders of the different Arab + factions contested, sword in hand, the viceroyalty of Spain, + the Berbers (whose conversion to Islam was apparently yet but + imperfect) rose in furious revolt both in Spain and Africa, and + were only overpowered by a fresh army sent by the Khalif Hisham + from Syria. But the arrival of these reinforcements added new + fuel to the old feuds of the Beni-Modhar, and the Yemenis or + Beni-Kahttan; and a desperate civil war raged till 746, when + the Khalif's lieutenant, the Emir Abu'l-Khattar, who supported + the Yemenis, was killed in a pitched battle fought near + Cordova. The leader of the victorious tribe, Yusuf + Al-Fehri,<a id="fn_3_tag9" + name="fn_3_tag9"></a><a href="#fn_3_9"><sup>9</sup></a> now + assumed supreme power, which he exercised nearly ten years + as an independent ruler, without reference to the court of + Damascus. The state of affairs in the East, indeed, left + little leisure to the Umeyyan khalifs to attend to the + regulation of a remote province. Their throne was already + tottering before the arms and intrigues of the Abbasides, + whose black banners, under the guidance of the formidable + Abu-Moslem, were even now bearing down from Khorassan upon + Syria. The unpopular cause of the Beni-Umeyyah, who were + detested for the murder of the grandsons of the Prophet + under the second of their line, was lost in a single battle; + and the death of Merwan, the last khalif of the race, was + followed by the unsparing proscription of the whole family. + "Every where they were seized and put to death without + mercy; and few escaped the search made by the emissaries of + As-Seffah, (<i>the bloodshedder</i>, the surname of the + first Abbaside khalif,) in every province of the + empire."</p> + + <p>Among the few survivors of the general doom, was a youth + named Abdurrahman Ibn Muawiyah, a grandson of the Khalif + Hisham. In his infancy his granduncle Moslemah, the leader of + the first Saracen host sent against Constantinople, had + indicated him, from certain marks, as the destined restorer of + the fallen fortunes of his race; and he was preserved, by a + timely warning from a client of his house, from the fatal + banquet, in which ninety of the Beni-Umeyyah were treacherously + massacred. Yet so hot was the pursuit, that his younger brother + was taken and slain before his eyes, while swimming the + Euphrates with him in their flight. But Abdurrahman, after + numberless perils and adventures, at + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page437" + id="page437"></a>[pg 437]</span> length reached Africa, + which was ruled by the <i>wali</i> or viceroy Abdurrahman + Ibn Habib, the father of Yusuf Al-Fehri, who had been a + personal retainer of his family. But he soon found that he + had erred in trusting to the faith of Ibn Habib; and, after + narrowly escaping the search made for him by the emissaries + of the governor, lay concealed for several years, a fugitive + and outlaw, among the tribes of Northern Africa. In this + extremity, he at length cast his eyes on Spain, where the + Abbasides had never been recognized, and where his own + clansmen of the Koreysh, with their <i>maulis</i>, (freedmen + or clients,) were numerous and powerful. The overtures of + the royal adventurer were eagerly listened to by the + Yemenis, who burned to revenge their late defeat on the + Beni-Modhar; and Abdurrahman, landing at Al-muñecar + in the autumn of 755, found himself instantly at the head of + 700 horse, and was speedily joined by the chieftain of the + Yemenis, who admitted him into Seville. During the march the + want of a banner was remarked, "and a long spear was + produced, on the point of which a turban was to be placed; + but as it would have been necessary to incline the head of + the spear, which was supposed to be of extremely bad omen, + it was held erect between two olive trees, and a man, + ascending one of them, was enabled to fasten the turban to + the spear without lowering it.... With this same banner did + Abdurrahman, and his son Hisham, vanquish their enemies + whenever they met them; and in such veneration was it held, + that whenever the turban by long use decayed, it was not + removed, but a new one placed over it. In this manner it was + preserved till the days of Abdurrahman II.; some say till + the days of his son Mohammed, when the turban on the spear + being decayed, the vizirs of that monarch, seeing nothing + under it but a few rags twisted round the spear, gave orders + for their removal, and the whole was thrown away.... 'From + that time,' remarks the judicious historian Ibn Hayyan, 'the + empire of the Beni-Umeyyah began visibly to decline.'"</p> + + <p>Under the auspices of this novel <i>oriflamme</i> the + Umeyyan prince and his followers advanced upon Cordova, whither + Yusuf Al-Fehri, who had been engaged in suppressing an + insurrection in the <i>Thagher</i>, (Aragon,) had hastened to + oppose them at the head of the Beni-Modhar. Exchanging for a + mule the fiery courser which the jealous whispers of his + adherents had remarked as designed to secure his escape in case + of defeat, Abdurrahman led his troops to the attack; and his + victory established on the throne of Spain a new dynasty of the + Beni-Umeyyah, "who thus regained in the west the supremacy + which they had lost in the east." Those of the fallen family + who had escaped the general massacre, flocked to the court of + their fortunate kinsman, "to all of whom he gave pensions, + commands, and governments, by which means his empire was + strengthened;"—and the robes and turbans of the monarch + and the princes were always white, the colour assumed by the + house of Umeyyah, in opposition to the black livery of their + rivals. Though Abdurrahman never assumed the title of commander + of the faithful, he suppressed the <i>khotbah</i> or public + prayers in the name of the Abbasides; and when Al-Ala, the + <i>wali</i> of Africa, invaded Spain in order to re-establish + the supremacy of the eastern khalif, the head of his + unsuccessful general, thrown before the tent of Al-mansor at + Mekka, conveyed to him the first tidings of the destruction of + the armament by the "hawk of the Koreysh," as he was wont to + term Abdurrahman. In the elation of triumph from this success, + he is even said to have contemplated marching through Africa to + attack Al-mansor in the east; but this design was frustrated by + the continual rebellions of the Arab tribes, whom all his + address and prudence was unable to keep in order; and "while + the Moslems were revolting against their sovereign, the + Christians of Galicia gathered strength, took possession of the + towns and fortresses on the frontier, and expelled their + inhabitants." We find him at length obliged, in order to + maintain his authority, to have recourse to the system, which + in the next century became universal in the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page438" + id="page438"></a>[pg 438]</span> east, of entrusting the + defence of his throne and person, not to the native levies + of his kingdom, but to a standing army of purchased slaves + or <i>Mamlukes</i>. "He began to cease all communication + with the chiefs of the Arabian tribes, whom he found + animated with a strong hatred against him, and to surround + himself with slaves and people entirely devoted to him; for + which end he engaged followers and took clients from every + province of his empire, and sent over to Africa to enlist + Berbers. 'Thus,' says Ibn Hayyan, 'Abdurrahman collected an + army of slaves and Berbers, amounting to upwards of 40,000 + men, by means of whom he always remained victorious, in + every contest with the Arabian tribes of Andalus.'"</p> + + <p>The sciences and fine arts, which had been almost banished + from Spain since the conquest, returned in the train of the new + dynasty; and literature was encouraged by the example of + Abdurrahman, who was himself a poet of no mean merit. His + affectionate remembrance of his Syrian home, led him to + introduce into his new kingdom the flowers and fruits of the + east;—and the palm-tree, which was the parent of all + those of its kind in Spain, and to which he addressed the + well-known lines, lamenting their common fate as exiles from + their fatherland, was planted by himself in the gardens of the + Rissáfah, a country palace built on the model of one + near Damascus, in which the first years of his life had been + spent. In architectural magnificence he rivaled or surpassed + the former princes of his race, the monuments of whose grandeur + still exist in the mosque of the Beni-Umeyyah at Damascus, and + other edifices adorning the cities of Syria. The palaces and + aqueducts which he constructed in Cordova, testified his zeal + for the splendour, as well as his care for the salubrity, of + his capital;—and after expending the sum of 80,000 golden + <i>dinars</i> (the produce of the royal fifth of all spoil + taken in war) in the erection of the stately mosque which bears + his name, he bequeathed the completion of the structure, at his + death, A.D. 788, to his younger son Hisham, whom he nominated + as his successor, to the exclusion of the elder brother + Soliman. Al-Makkari devotes an entire chapter to the wonders of + this celebrated temple, which was finished A.D. 794, nine years + after its commencement, and received additions from almost + every successive sovereign of the house of Umeyyah. In its + present state, as the cathedral of Cordova, it still covers + more ground than any church in Christendom; but the inner roof, + with its elaborate carving, the <i>mihrab</i>, or shrine, of + minute inlaid work of ivory, gems, and precious woods, and + containing a copy of the Koran which had belonged to the Khalif + Othman—the embossed plates of gold and silver which + encrusted the doors, and the apples of the same metals which + surmounted the dome—have long since disappeared; and the + thousand (or, as some say, thirteen hundred) columns of + polished marble which it once boasted, have been grievously + reduced in number, to make room for the shrines and chapels of + Christian saints. The unequal length and proportions of those + which remain, their irregular grouping, and the want of height + in the roof which they support, indicate a far lower grade of + architectural taste than that which we find in the aerial + palaces of Granada; but all the Arabic writers who have + described it, concur in considering it one of the wonders of + the world; and it ranked, in the estimation of the Spanish + Moslems, as inferior in point of sanctity to none but the + Kaaba, and the mosque of Omar at Jerusalem.</p> + + <p>The mood of the Beni-Umeyyah, who appear in their eastern + reign only as gloomy and execrated tyrants, had been chastened + by their misfortunes; and the virtues of Abdurrahman + <i>Ad-dakhel</i> (<i>the enterer or conqueror</i>, as he is + generally termed by historians) were emulated by his + descendants. As an illustration of the character of his son + Hisham, it is related by Al-Makkari, that on hearing that the + people of Cordova said, that his only motive in restoring the + great bridge over the Guadalquivir was to pass over it himself + when he went out hunting, he bound himself by a solemn vow + never to cross it again as long as he lived; but the reign of + this beneficent prince lasted only eight years. His + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page439" + id="page439"></a>[pg 439]</span> immediate successors, + Al-hakem I., and Abdurrahman II., were almost constantly + engaged in warfare, either against their own rebellious + relatives and revolted subjects,<a id="fn_3_tag10" + name="fn_3_tag10"></a><a href="#fn_3_10"><sup>10</sup></a> + or against the Christians of Galicia, who, by the middle of + the ninth century, had advanced their frontier to the Douro + and repeatedly repulsed the armies sent against them from + Cordova; but we find no mention in the writers cited by + Al-Makkari, either of the annual tribute of a hundred + virgins, popularly said to have been exacted by the Moslems, + or of the great victory in 846, by which King Ramiro + redeemed his country from this degrading badge of + vassalage.<a id="fn_3_tag11" + name="fn_3_tag11"></a><a href="#fn_3_11"><sup>11</sup></a> + So widely extended was the martial renown of the Umeyyan + sovereigns, that in 839 a suppliant embassy was received by + Abdurrahman II. from the Greek Emperor <i>Tufilus</i>, + (Theophilus,) then hard pressed by the arms of the Abbaside + khalif Al-mutassem, to solicit his aid against their common + enemy; and, though Abdurrahman declined to embark in this + distant and hazardous enterprise, a friendly intercourse + long continued to be kept up between the courts of Cordova + and Constantinople. The military establishment was fully + organized, and placed on a formidable footing. Besides the + troops quartered in the provinces and receiving regular pay, + the <i>haras</i> or royal guard of Mamlukes, whose commander + was one of the principal officers of the court, was + augmented to 5000 horse and 1000 foot, all Christians or + foreigners by birth, who occupied barracks close to the + royal palace, and constantly mounted guard at the gates. The + coast was also defended by a powerful fleet of armed + vessels, of which each of the seaports fitted out its + proportion, against the hostile attacks of the Abbaside + lieutenauts of Africa, and the predatory descents of the + <i>Majus</i><a id="fn_3_tag12" + name="fn_3_tag12"></a><a href="#fn_3_12"><sup>12</sup></a> + or Northmen; who, after laying waste with fire and sword the + French and English coasts, had extended their ravages into + the southern seas even to the Straits of Gibraltar. Lisbon + and Seville were sacked by them in 844; and their piratical + fleets continued for many years to carry pillage and + bloodshed along the shores of the Peninsula.</p> + + <p>The simplicity which the first Abdurrahman had uniformly + preserved in his dress and habits of life, was soon exchanged + by his successors for royal magnificence, rivaling that of the + Abbaside court at Bagdad. It was Abdurrahman II. who, in a love + quarrel with a beautiful inmate of his harem, caused the door + of her chamber to be blocked up with bags of silver coin, to be + removed on her relenting—"and she threw herself on her + knees and kissed his feet; but," naïvely adds the Arab + historian, "the money she kept, and no portion of it ever + returned to the treasury." The same prince testified his esteem + for the fine arts, by riding forth in state from his capital, + to welcome the arrival of Zaryab, a far-famed musician, whom + the jealousy of a rival had driven from Bagdad, and who founded + in Spain a famous school of music; and in his convivial habits, + and the freedom which he allowed to the companions of his + festive hours, his character accords with that assigned in the + <i>Thousand and One Nights</i>, though not in the page of + history, to Haroon-Al-Rasheed. He died in 852, leaving the + crown to his son Mohammed, whose reign, as well as those of his + two sons Almundhir and Abdullah, who filled the throne in + succession, is but briefly noticed by Al-Makkari, though + Señor de Gayangos has supplied some valuable additional + matter in his notes. The never-ceasing contest + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page440" + id="page440"></a>[pg 440]</span> with the Christians was + waged year by year; and the Princes of Oviedo, though often + defeated in the plain and driven back into their mountains, + when the forces of Andalus were gathered against them; yet + surely, though slowly, gained ground against the provincial + <i>walis</i> or viceroys. At the death of "Ordhun Ibn + Adefunsh," (Ordoño I.) in 866, their territory + extended from the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay to + Salamanca; and the Moslem power was diverted by the rising + strength of Navarre, where the Basques had shaken off the + divided allegiance paid alternately to the court of Cordova + and the Carlovingian rulers of France, and conferred on + Garcia-Ramirez, in 857, an independent regal title. But + these distant hostilities, as yet, little affected the + tranquillity of the seat of government, which was more + nearly interested in the frequent revolts of the provinces + under its rule,<a id="fn_3_tag13" + name="fn_3_tag13"></a><a href="#fn_3_13"><sup>13</sup></a> + and particularly by the rebellion of the <i>Muwallads</i>, + (or descendants of Christian converts to Islam;) which, + though the information extant respecting it is somewhat + scanty, would appear to have been little less than a + struggle between the two races for the dominion of Spain. + One of the Muwallad chiefs, named Omar Ibn + Hafssun,<a id="fn_3_tag14" + name="fn_3_tag14"></a><a href="#fn_3_14"><sup>14</sup></a> + maintained for years a sort of semi-independence in the + Alpuxarras. Al-mundhir fell in a skirmish against him in + 888, only two years after his accession; and the + insurrection, after continuing through the whole reign of + Abdullah, was only finally suppressed under Abdurrahman + III.</p> + + <p>The system of government under these princes, appears to + have remained in nearly the same form as it had been fixed by + Abdurrahman I. The monarch nominated, during his lifetime, one + of his sons as his successor; and the <i>wali-al-ahd</i>, or + crown-prince, thus selected, received the oaths of allegiance + of the dignitaries of the state, and was admitted to a share in + the administration—a wise regulation, which prevented the + recurrence of the civil wars arising from the ambition of + princes of the blood, which had distracted the reigns of + Al-hakem I. and Abdurrahman II. The council of the sovereign + was composed of the <i>vizirs</i> or ministers of the different + departments, the <i>katibs</i> or secretaries, and the chiefs + of the law; the <i>walis</i> of the six great provinces into + which Abdurrahman I. divided his empire,<a id="fn_3_tag15" + name="fn_3_tag15"></a><a href="#fn_3_15"><sup>15</sup></a> + as well as the municipal chiefs of the principal cities were + also summoned on emergencies:—while the prime + minister, or highest officer of the state, in whom, as in + the Turkish <i>Vizir-Azem</i>,<a id="fn_3_tag16" + name="fn_3_tag16"></a><a href="#fn_3_16"><sup>16</sup></a> + the supreme direction of both civil and military affairs was + vested, was designated the <i>Hajib</i> or chamberlain. Of + the four orthodox<a id="fn_3_tag17" + name="fn_3_tag17"></a><a href="#fn_3_17"><sup>17</sup></a> + sects of the Soonis, the one which predominated in Spain, as + it does to the present day in Barbary and Africa, was that + of Malik Ibn Ans, whose doctrines were introduced in the + reign of Al-hakem I., by doctors who had received + instruction from the lips of the Imam Malik himself at + Mekka; and was formally established by that prince + throughout his dominions. The judicial offices were filled, + as in other Moslem countries, by Kadis, whose decisions were + regulated by the precepts of the Koran: but we find no + mention (even before the assumption of the titles of Imam + and Khalif by Abdurrahman III.) of any supreme + ecclesiastical chief like the Sheikh-al-Islam or Mufti of + the Ottomans;—though there were chief justices + analogous to the Turkish Kadileskers, who bore the title of + <i>Kadi-'l-jamah</i>.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page441" + id="page441"></a>[pg 441]</span> + + <p>The royal revenue was derived from a variety of sources. The + principal were, a land-tax amounting to one-tenth of the + produce of the soil and the mines, the capitation-tax paid by + the Jews and Christians, and the fifth of the spoil taken from + the enemy—an enormously productive item in a time of + constant warfare—besides a duty of two and a half per + cent on all exports and imports. These were the legitimate dues + of the crown, sanctioned by the Koran; but the splendid court + maintained by the later sovereigns of Cordova, their lavish + expenditure in building, and their large military and naval + establishments, often compelled them to have recourse to + irregular methods of raising money, by forced loans and by + duties laid on different articles of food, in direct violation + of the Moslem law. The amount raised by all these means varied + greatly at different periods. Under Abdurrahman II., the whole + direct revenue is said not to have exceeded 1,000,000 of gold + <i>dinārs</i>:—but the royal fifths, and other + extraordinary sources of income, appear not to have been + included in this estimate:—and a century later, under the + third and greatest prince of that name, we are told, on the + authority of the biographer Ibn Khallekan, that "the revenues + of Andalus amounted to 5,480,000 gold <i>dinārs</i>, + collected from taxes," (it is elsewhere said from the + <i>land</i>-tax:) besides 765,000 derived from + markets—exclusive also of the royal fifth of the spoil, + and the capitation-tax levied on Christians and Jews living in + the Moslem dominions, the amount of which is said to have + equaled all the rest. An annual sum of equal amount, reckoning + the <i>dinār</i> at ten shillings, had never in the + history of the world been raised in a territory of the same + extent, and probably equaled the united incomes of all the + Christian princes in Europe—if we except the revenue of + the Greek Emperor, it certainly far exceeded them. "Of this + vast income," Ibn Khallekan continues, "one-third was + appropriated to the payment of the army, another third was + deposited in the royal coffers to cover the expenses of the + household, and the remainder was spent yearly in the + construction of Az-zahra and such other buildings as were + erected under his reign." This tripartite allotment of the + revenue is alluded to under several reigns: the expenses of + administration and the salaries of the civil functionaries were + included under the second head; and the third portion was, in + ordinary case, reserved "to repel invasions and meet + emergencies."</p> + + <p>The prince under whom the vast revenue thus stated is said + to have been collected, ascended the throne on the death of his + grandfather Abdullah, in the 300th year of the Hejra, and the + 912th of the Christian era:—and his reign, of more than + fifty lunar years, saw the power and splendour of the Umeyyan + dynasty attain its zenith. For some years after his accession, + he headed his armies in person against the Christians and the + partizans of Ibn Hafssun, who still continued in arms: but the + severe defeat which he received in 939 at Simaneas, near + Zamora, (called by Moslem writers the battle of Al-handik,) + from Ramiro II. of Leon, disgusted him with active warfare; and + he deputed the command of his armies to his generals and the + princes of the blood, who, in annual campaigns, so effectually + kept the Christians within their limits, that little + territorial acquisition was made by them during his reign; + while the voluntary adhesion of the Berber tribes, after the + overthrow of the Edrisite dynasty in 941 by the arms of the + Fatimite khalifs, gave him almost unresisted possession of + great part of Fez and Morocco. The defeat of Al-handik, and the + treason and execution in 950, of his elder son Abdullah, (whom + disappointment at being postponed to his younger brother in the + succession, had led to <span class="pagenum"><a name="page442" + id="page442"></a>[pg 442]</span> conspire against his + father's life,) were almost the only clouds which dimmed the + continual sunshine of his prosperity—and his grandeur + was enhanced in the eyes of his subjects, by the assumption + of the highest prerogatives of Islam. Hitherto the princes + of his line had contented themselves with the style of + <i>Amirs of the Moslems,</i> and <i>Beni-Kholaifah</i> or + "sons of the Khalifs;" but in 929, "seeing the state of + weakness and degradation to which the khalifate of the + Beni-Abbas at Bagdad had been reduced," he no longer + hesitated to adopt the titles of Imam and Khalif, with the + appellation of An-nasir Ledinillah, (defender of the + religion of God,) under which he is generally mentioned by + historians.</p> + + <p>The writers from whom Al-Makkari has drawn his materials, + exhaust their powers of language in panegyrics on the unrivaled + magnificence of the court of Abdurrahman; which was thronged + both by men of letters whom the distracted state of the East + had driven thither for refuge, and by ambassadors, not only + from the princes of Islam, but from "Hoto the king of the + Alaman," (Otho the Great of Germany,) the king of France, and + numerous other Christian potentates. The reception of these + missions was usually signalized by a gorgeous display of the + pomp of the court—and the ceremonial on the arrival in + 949 of the envoys of Constantine VII. of Constantinople, is + described at length from Ibn Hayyan. "The vaulted hall in his + palace of Az-zahra, which he had fixed upon as the place where + he would receive their credentials, was beautifully decorated, + and a throne glittering with gold and sparkling with gems + raised in the midst. To the right of the throne stood five of + the khalif's sons, to the left three others, one being absent + from illness. Next to them were the vizirs, each at his post on + the right or left of the throne. Then came the hajibs or + chamberlains, the sons of the vizirs, the freed slaves of the + khalif, and the wakils or officers of his household. The court + of the palace had been strewn with the richest carpets; and + silken awnings of the most gorgeous description had every where + been thrown over the doors and arches. Presently the + ambassadors entered the hall, and were struck with awe at the + magnificence displayed, and the power of the Sultan before whom + they stood. They advanced a few steps, and presented the letter + of their master, Constantine son of Leo, Lord of Constantinah + the Great, (Constantinople.) It was written on sky-blue paper, + and the characters were of gold. Within the letter was an + enclosure, the ground of which was also sky-blue like the + first, but the characters were of silver: it was likewise + written in Greek, and contained a list of the presents which + the Lord of Constantinah sent to the Khalif. On the letter was + a seal of gold of the weight of four mithkals, on one side of + which was a likeness of the Messiah, and on the other those of + the King Constantine and his son. The letter was enclosed in a + bag of silver cloth, over which was a case of gold, with a + portrait of King Constantine admirably executed on stained + glass. All this was enclosed in a case covered with cloth of + silk and gold tissue. On the first line of the <i>Inwan</i> or + introduction was written, 'Constantine and Romanin, (Romanus,) + believers in the Messiah, kings of the Greeks;' and in the + next, 'To the great and exalted in dignity and power, as he + most deserves, the noble in descent, Abdurrahman the khalif, + who rules over the Arabs of Andalus: may God preserve his + life!'" The conclusion of this splendid ceremony was, however, + less imposing than the commencement; for a learned + <i>Faquih</i>, who had been appointed to harangue the envoys in + a set speech, was so overawed by the grandeur around him, that + "his tongue clove to his mouth, he could not aticulate a single + word, and fell senseless to the ground" Nor did his successor, + "who was reputed to be a prince in rhetoric, and an ocean of + language," fare much better; for though he began fluently, "all + of a sudden he stopped for want of a word which did not occur + to him, and thus put an end to his peroration." In this awkward + dilemma, the reputation of the Andalusian rhetoricians was + saved by Mundhir Ibn Said, who not only poured forth a torrent + of impromptu eloquence, but delivered a long ex-tempore + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page443" + id="page443"></a>[pg 443]</span> poem, "which to this day + stands unequalled; and Abdurrahman was so pleased, that he + appointed him preacher and Imam to the great mosque; and + some time after, the office of Kadi-'l-jamah, or supreme + judge, being vacant, he named him to that high post, and + made him besides reader of the Khoran to the mosque of + Az-zahra."</p> + + <p>The palace of Az-zahra, where the eyes of the Greeks were + dazzled by this costly pageant, is one of the familiar names of + the romance of Spanish history:—it is known to all the + world how Abdurrahman, to gratify the capricious fancy of a + beautiful and beloved mistress, expended millions, and tasked + the labour of thousands, in erecting on the plain beyond + Cordova a fairy palace and city which might bear her name and + be her own. And like a fairy fabric did Az-zahra vanish; for so + utterly was it destroyed, during the wars and civil tumults + attending the fall of the race which raised it, that at the + present day not a stone can be found, not a vestige even of the + foundations traced, to show where it once stood; and all that + we know of this "wondrous freak of magnificence" is drawn from + the glowing accounts of contemporary writers, who saw it during + the brief period of its glory. It is principally from Ibn + Hayyan that Al-Makkari has copied the details of this + marvellous structure, with its "15,000 doors, counting each + flap or fold as one," all covered either with plates of iron, + or sheets of polished brass; and its 4000 columns, great and + small, 140 of which were presented by the Emperor of + Constantinople, and 1013, mostly of green and rose-coloured + marble, were brought from various parts of Africa. Among the + principal ornaments were two fountains brought from + Constantinople, "the larger of gilt bronze, beautifully carved + with basso-relieve representing human figures,"—the + smaller surrounded by twelve figures, made of red gold in the + arsenal of Cordova: they were all ornamented with jewels, and + the water poured out of their mouths. The famous fountain of + quicksilver, which could be set in motion at pleasure, was + placed in the <i>Kasr-al-Kholaifa</i>, or hall of the khalifs, + "the roof and walls of which were of gold, and solid but + transparent blocks of marble of various colours: on each side + were eight doors fixed on arches of ivory and ebony, ornamented + with gold and precious stones, and resting on pillars of + variegated marble and transparent crystal:—and in the + centre was fixed the unique pearl presented to An-nassir by the + Greek Emperor." The mosque and baths attached to the palace + were on a corresponding scale of magnificence: and the number + of inmates, male and female, is said to have been not less than + 20,000. The expenses of the establishment must have consumed + the revenues of a kingdom, if we are to believe the statement, + that 12,000 loaves of bread were daily allowed to feed the fish + in the ponds! "But all this and more is recorded by orators and + poets who have exhausted the mines of eloquence in the + description,"—says Al-Makkari, who, after enlarging upon + "the running streams, the luxuriant gardens, the stately + buildings for the accommodation of the guards and high + functionaries—the throngs of soldiers, pages, eunuchs, + and slaves, attired in robes of silk and brocade, moving to and + fro through its broad streets—and the crowds of judges, + katibs, theologians, and poets, walking with becoming gravity + through the spacious halls and ample courts of the + palace,"—concludes with a burst of pious enthusiasm. + "Praise be to God who allowed those contemptible creatures + (mankind) to build such palaces, and to inhabit them as a + recompense in this world, that the faithful might be stimulated + to the path of virtue, by reflecting that the pleasures enjoyed + by their owners were still very far from giving even a remote + idea of those reserved for the true believers in paradise!"</p> + + <p>"Abdurrahman," as Al-Makkari sums up his character, "has + been described as the mildest and most enlightened of + sovereigns. His meekness, generosity, and love of justice, + became proverbial: none of his ancestors surpased him in + courage, zeal for religion, and other virtues which constitute + an able and beloved monarch. He was fond of science, and the + patron of the learned, with whom he + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page444" + id="page444"></a>[pg 444]</span> loved to converse.... We + should never finish, were we to transcribe the innumerable + anecdotes respecting him which are scattered like loose + pearls over the writings of the Andalusian poets and + historians,"—but as the "pearls" selected possess but + little novelty in the illustration of the kingly virtues + which they commemorate, we prefer to quote once more the + oft-repeated legacy to posterity, in which this "Soliman of + the West," as he was called by his contemporaries, confessed + that, like his eastern prototype, he had found all his + grandeur "but vanity and vexation of spirit."—"After + his death a paper was found in his on handwriting, in which + were noted those days he had spent in happiness and without + any cause of sorrow, and they were found to amount to + fourteen. O, man of understanding! consider and observe the + small portion of happiness the world affords, even in the + most enviable position! The khalif An-nasir, whose + prosperity in mundane affairs became proverbial, had only + fourteen days of undisturbed enjoyment during a reign of + fifty years, seven months, and three days. Praise be given + to him, the Lord of eternal glory and everlasting empire! + There is no God but he!"</p> + + <p>In the fulness of years and glory, Abdurrahman died of a + paralytic stroke at Az-zahra, on the second or third of + Ramadhan, A.H. 350, (Oct. 961,) and was succeeded, according to + his previous nomination, by his son Al-hakem II., who assumed + on this occasion the title of Al-mustanser-billah, (one who + implores God's assistance.) This prince has been characterized, + by one of the ablest of recent historians,<a id="fn_3_tag18" + name="fn_3_tag18"></a><a href="#fn_3_18"><sup>18</sup></a> + as "one of those rare beings, who have employed the awful + engine of despotism in promoting the happiness and + intelligence of his species;" and who rivaled, "in his + elegant tastes, appetite for knowledge, and munificent + patronage, the best of the Medici:"—nor is this high + praise undeserved. Though he more than once headed his + armies in person, with success, against the Christians and + Northmen, and maintained on public occasions the state and + magnificence which had been introduced by his father, the + toils of war and the pomp of royalty were alike alien to his + inclinations, which had been directed from his earliest + years to pursuits of literature and science. The library + which he amassed is said by some writers to have amounted to + the almost incredible number of 400,000 volumes: and such + was his ardour in the collection of books, that even in + Persia and other remote regions, the munificence which he + exercised through agents employed for the purpose, secured + him copies of forthcoming works even before their appearance + in their own country. "He made Andalus a great market for + the literary productions of every clime ... so that rich men + in Cordova, however illiterate they might be, rewarded + writers and poets with the greatest munificence, and spared + neither trouble nor expense in forming libraries." Nor were + these treasures of literature idly accumulated, at least by + Al-hakem himself; for so vast and various was his reading, + that there was scarcely one of his books (as we are assured + by the historian Ibn'ul-Abbar) which was not enriched with + remarks and annotations from his pen. "In the knowledge + especially of history, biography, and genealogy, he was + surpassed by no living author of his days: and he wrote a + voluminous history of Andalus, in which was displayed such + sound criticism, that whatever he related, as borrowed from + more ancient sources, might be implicitly relied upon."</p> + + <p>The reign of Al-hakem was the Augustan age of Andalusian + literature; and besides the numerous learned men whom the fame + of his father's and his own liberality, with the security of + their rule, had attracted to Spain from other regions of Islam, + we find in the pages of Al-Makkari an extensive list of native + authors, principally in the departments of poetry, history, and + philology, who are said to be "a few only of the most eminent + who flourished during this reign"—but none of their + names, however noted in their own day, are known in + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page445" + id="page445"></a>[pg 445]</span> modern Europe. Nor was the + gentler sex, as is usually the case in the lands of Islam, + excluded from the general taste for letters; and one of our + author's chapters is almost entirely filled with a catalogue + of the poetesses who adorned Andalus at this and other + periods of its history. One of these, Mariam or Mary, the + daughter of Abu-Yakub Al-ansari, who rose into celebrity in + the latter years of Al-hakem, appears to have been one of + the earliest <i>bas-bleus</i> on record. Independent of her + poetical talents, she gave lectures at her residence at + Seville "in rhetoric and literature; which, united to her + piety, virtue, and amiable disposition, gained her the + affection of her sex, and procured her many pupils: she + lived to old age, and died after the 400th year of the + Hejra," (A.D. 1010.) The favourite study of the Moslems, the + divinity and law of the Koran, was cultivated with especial + zeal under a monarch who was himself a rigid observer of its + ordinances; and various anecdotes are related by Al-Makkari + of the extraordinary deference paid by Al-hakem to the + eminent theologians who frequented his court. The Khalif + himself "attended public worship every Friday, and + distributed alms to the poor; he laid out large sums in the + construction of mosques, hospitals, and colleges for + youth;<a id="fn_3_tag19" + name="fn_3_tag19"></a><a href="#fn_3_19"><sup>19</sup></a> + and being himself very strict in the observance of his + religious duties, he enforced the precepts of the + <i>Sunnah</i> (tradition) throughout his dominions." With + this view, severe edicts were directed against the use of + wine, which had become prevalent among the Andalusian + Moslems; and Al-hakem was with difficulty restrained, by + representations of the ruin which would be thus brought on + the cultivators, from ordering the destruction of all the + vines in his dominions. But the reign of this excellent and + enlightened prince lasted only fifteen years; and at his + death, (Sept. 976,) which was caused by the same malady that + had proved fatal to his father, the glory of the house of + Umeyyah expired.</p> + + <p>The evils of a minority had never yet been experienced in + the succession of the Umeyyan princes, all of whom had ascended + the throne at a mature age, and with some experience of + administration from their previous recognition as heir. But + Hisham II., (surnamed Al-muyyed-billah, the assisted by God,) + the only son of Al-hakem, was but nine years old at the time of + his father's decease; and for some time the government was + directed in his name by the Hajib, Jafar Al-Mushafi; but the + influence of the queen-mother erelong succeeded in displacing + this faithful minister, in favour of Mohammed Ibn Abu Amir, who + then held the post of <i>sahib-ush-shortah</i>, or captain of + the guard. This remarkable personage (better known in history + by his surname of Al-mansur) was the son of a religious + devotee, and his condition in early life was so humble, that he + supported himself as a public letter-writer in the streets of + Cordova; but an accident having introduced him into the palace, + he so skilfully wound his way among the intigues of the court, + as to attain the highest place next the throne. But even this + dignity was far from satisfying his ambition. Under various + pretexts he destroyed or drove into exile, within a few years, + all the princes of the blood, and others whose influence or + station might have endangered the success of his projects, and + concentrated in his own hands all the powers of the state; + while the khalif, secluded from public view within his palace, + was as completely a puppet in the hands of his all-powerful + minister, as the khalifs of Bagdad at the same period in those + of the <i>Emirs-al-Omrah</i>. Secure of the support of the + soldiery, whose affections he had gained by his liberality, + Al-mansur so little affected to disguise his assumption of + supremacy, that he ordered his own name to be struck on the + coin, and repeated in the public prayers, along with that of + Hisham, thus arrogating to himself a share in the two most + inalienable prerogatives of sovereignty. + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page446" + id="page446"></a>[pg 446]</span> His robes were made of a + peculiar fashion and stuff appropriated to royalty; he + received embassies seated on the throne, and declared peace + and war in his own name. To such utter helplessness was the + khalif reduced,<a id="fn_3_tag20" + name="fn_3_tag20"></a><a href="#fn_3_20"><sup>20</sup></a> + that he was unable even to oppose the removal of the royal + treasure fiom Cordova to a fortified palace which Al-mansur + had built for his residence, not far from Az-zahra, and had + named, as if in mockery, Az-zahirah;—and the Hajib was + at one time obliged to quiet the murmurs of the populace, + who doubted whether their sovereign was still in existence, + by leading him in procession through the streets of the + capital; "and the eyes of the people feasted on what had + been so long concealed from them."</p> + + <p>But this daring usurpation was in part redeemed by qualities + in the usurper worthy of a king. Though the bigotry of Al-masur + led him to order the destruction of those volumes in the + library of Al-hakem which treated of philosophy and the + abstruse sciences, on the ground that such studies tended to + irreligion, he was yet liberal to the learned men who visited + his court at Az-zahirah, where he resided in royal splendour + during the intervals of his campaigns; and he endeared hinself + to the people, by his generosity, his rigid justice, and the + strict control which he enforced over his subordinate officers. + But it was on his fervent zeal for the cause of Islam, and his + martial exploits against the Christians, (whence his surname of + <i>Al-mansur</i>, or <i>the Victorious</i>, was derived,) that + his fame and popularity chiefly rested. The martial spirit of + the Spanish Moslems appears, from various anecdotes related by + Al-Makkari, to have suffered great deterioration from the + progress of luxury and decay of discipline; but the armies led + by Al-mansur were mainly recruited from the fiery tribes of + Barbary, and strengthened by numerous Christian slaves or + Mamlukes, trained to serve their captors in arms against their + own countrymen. With forces thus constituted, did Al-mansur, in + whom once more shone forth the spirit of the Arab conquerors of + past times, invade the Christian territories in each spring and + autumn for twenty-six successive years, carrying the Moslem + arms in triumph even to the shores of the "Green Sea," + (Atlantic Ocean,) and into regions which Tarik and Musa had + never reached. Astorga and Leon, in spite of the efforts of + Bermudo II. to save his capital, were taken and razed to the + ground in 983. Barcelona only escaped the same fate in the + following year by submission and tribute; but the crowning + glory of Al-mansur's achievements in the <i>al-jahid</i> or + holy war, was the capture, in 997, Santiago, the shrine and + sepulchre of the patron saint of Spain. "No Moslem general had + ever penetrated as far as that city, which is in an + inaccessible position in the most remote part of Galicia, and + is a sanctuary regarded by the Christians with veneration equal + to that which the Moslems entertain for the Kaaba,"—but + Al-mansur, supplied with provisions from a fleet which + accompanied his march along the coast of Portugal, forced his + way through the Galician defiles, and occupied the holy city + without opposition—all the inhabitants having fled, + according to Ibn Hayyan, with the exception of an old monk who + tended the tomb. The city and cathedral were leveled with the + ground; the shrine alone was left untouched in the midst of the + ruins, from the belief of the Moslems that St James was the + brother of the Messiah—and the church-bells were conveyed + on the shoulders of the captives to Cordova, where they were + suspended as lamps in the great mosque, to commemorate the + triumph of Islam in the principal seat of Christian worship and + pilgrimage.</p> + + <p>Such was the depression produced among the Christians by + these repeated disasters, that, if we may believe Al-Makkari, + "one of Al-mansur's soldiers having left his banner fixed in + the earth on a mountain before a Christian town, the garrison + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page447" + id="page447"></a>[pg 447]</span> dared not come out for + several days after the retreat of the Moslem army, not + knowing what troops might be behind it." The pressing sense + of common danger, at length extinguished ("for the first + time perhaps," as Conde remarks) the feuds of the Christian + princes; and in the spring of 1002 the united forces of the + Count of Castile, Sancho the Great of Navarre, and the King + of Leon, confronted the Moslem host at + Kalat-an-nosor,<a id="fn_3_tag21" + name="fn_3_tag21"></a><a href="#fn_3_21"><sup>21</sup></a> + (the Castle of the Eagles,) on the frontiers of Old Castile. + The mighty conflict which ensued is very briefly dismissed + by Al-Makkari—"Al-mansur attacked and defeated them + with great loss"—but a far different account is given + by the Christian chroniclers, who represent the Moslems as + only saved from a total overthrow by the approach of night. + It seems, in truth, to have been nearly a drawn battle, with + immense carnage on both sides; but the advantage was + decidedly with the Christians, who retained possession of + the field; while Al-mansur, weakened by the loss of great + numbers of his best men and officers, abandoned his camp, + and retreated the next day across the Douro. In all his + fifty-two campaigns he is said never before to have been + defeated; and the chagrin occasioned by this severe reverse, + joined to a malady under which he was previously suffering, + ended his life shortly after<a id="fn_3_tag22" + name="fn_3_tag22"></a><a href="#fn_3_22"><sup>22</sup></a> + at Medinah-Selim, (Medinaceli.) He was buried by his sons in + the same place; the dust which had adhered to his garments + in his campaigns against the Christians, and which had been + carefully preserved for the purpose, being placed in the + tomb with the corpse—a practice not unusual at the + funeral of a celebrated warrior. "This enlightened and + never-vanquished Hajib"—says Al-Makkali, with whom + Al-mansur is a favourite hero—"used continually to ask + God to permit him to die in his service and in war against + the infidels, and thus his desire was granted;... and after + his death, the Mohammedan empire in Andalus began to show + visible signs of decay."</p> + + <p>Al-mansur had a worthy successor in his son Abdul-malek, who + at once received the appointment of Hajib from the passive + Khalif:—but on his death in 1008, the post was assumed by + his brother Abdurrahman, popularly known as Shanjul, a Berber + word signifying <i>madman</i>—a surname which he had + earned by his habits of low vice and intemperance. Scarcely had + he entered upon office, when, not contented with exercising + sovereign authority, like his father and brother, under an + appearance of delegation from the Khalif, he persuaded or + compelled the feeble Hisham, who had no male issue, to appoint + him <i>Wali-al-ahd,</i> or heir-presumptive—the deed of + nomination is given at length by Al-Makkari, and is a curious + specimen of a state-paper. But this transfer was viewed with + deep indignation by the people of Cordova, who were warmly + attached to the line of their ancient princes; and their + discontent being fomented by the members of the Umeyyan family, + they rose in furious revolt during the absence of the Hajib on + the Galician frontiers, deposed Hisham, and raised to the + throne Mohammed-Al-muhdi, a great-grandson of Abdurrahman III. + Abdurrahman, returning in haste to quell the insurrection, + found himself deserted by his army, and was put to death with + most of his family and principal adherents; and the power of + the Amirites vanished in a day like the remembrance of dream. + But the sceptre which had thus been struck from their grasp, + found no other hand strong enough to seize it; and from the + first deposition of Hisham II. in 1009, to the final + dissolution of the monarchy on the abdication of Hisham III. in + 1031, the whole of Moslem Spain presented a frightful scene of + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page448" + id="page448"></a>[pg 448]</span> anarchy and civil war. + Besides the imbecile Hisham, who was at least once released + and restored to the throne, and was personated by more than + one pretender, the royal title was assumed, within twenty + years by not fewer than six princes of the house of Umeyyah, + and by three of a rival race—a branch of the Edrisites + called Beni-Hammud, who endeavoured in the general confusion + to assert their claims as descendants of the Khalif Ali. The + aid of the Christians was called in by more than one + faction; and Cordova was stormed and sacked after a long + siege in 1013, by the African troops who followed the + standard of Soliman Ab-muhdi, one of the Umeyyan + competitors. The palaces of Az-zahra and Az-zahirah were + utterly destroyed; the remains of Hakem's library, with the + treasures amassed by former sovereigns, were either + plundered or dispersed; nor did the ancient capital of + Audalus, no more the seat of the Khalifate, ever recover its + former grandeur. The provincial <i>walis</i>, many of whom + owed their appointments to the Hajibs of the house of Amir, + and were disaffected to the Beni-Umeyyah, every where threw + off their allegiance and assumed independence, till only the + districts in its immediate vicinity remained attached to + Cordova, which was still considered the seat of the + Mohammedan empire. The last Umeyyan prince who ruled there + was a grandson of the great Abdurrahman, named Hisham + Al-Mutadd; whom the inhabitants, after expelling the troops + of the Beni-Hammud in 1027, invited to ascend the throne of + his ancestors. "He was a mild and enlightened prince and + possessed many brilliant qualities; but notwithstanding + this, the volatile and degenerate citizens of Cordova grew + discontented with him, and he was deposed by the army in + 422, (A.D. 1031.) He left the capital and retired to Lerida, + where he died in 428, (A.D. 1036.) He was the last member of + that illustrious dynasty which had ruled over Andalus and a + great portion of Africa for two hundred and eighty-four + years, counting from the accession of Abdurrahman I., + surnamed Ab-dakhel, in 138, (A.D. 756.) There is no God but + God! He is the Almighty!"</p> + + <p>The fall of the Umeyyan khalifate closes the first of the + two brilliant periods which illustrate the Arab history of + Spain. The uninterrupted hereditary succession for ten + generations, and the long average duration of the reign of each + monarch, from the arrival in Spain of Abdurrahman I. in 756, to + the death or disappearance of Hisham II. in 1009, are without a + parallel it any other Moslem dynasty, with the single exception + of the Ottoman line; and though, on pursuing the comparison, + the Umeyyan princes cannot vie with the last-named race in + extent of conquest and splendour of martial achievement, they + far surpass not only the Ottomans, but almost every sovereign + family in the annals of Islam, in the cultivation of kingly + virtues and arts of peace, and the refinement and love of + literature, which they introduced and fostered in their + dominions. During the greater part of their rule, the court of + Cordova was the most polished and enlightened in Europe removed + equally from the martial rudeness of those of the Frank + monarchs, and the punctilious attention to forms and jealous + etiquette, within which the Grcek emperors studiously + intrenched themselves. The useful arts, and in particular the + science of agriculture, necessary for the support of a dense + population, were cultivated to an extent of which no other + country afforded an example; and the commerce which filled the + ports of Spain, from all parts of Europe and the East, was the + natural result of the industry of her people. In how great a + degree the personal character of the Umeyyan sovereigns + contributed to this state of political and social prosperity, + is best proved by the rapid disruption and fall of the + monarchy, when it passed into the feeble hands of Hisham II., + and by the history of the two following centuries of anarchy, + civil war, and foreign domination. But the sun of Andalusian + glory, which had attained its meridian splendour under the + Khalifs of Cordova, once more emerged before the close of its + course from the clouds and darkness which surrounded + it;—and its setting rays shone, with concentrated lustre, + over the kingdom of GRANADA.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_1" + name="fn_3_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>The History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain. By + AHMED IBN MOHAMMED AL-MAKKARI of Telemsan. Translated and + illustrated with Critical Notes by Pascual de Gayangos, + late Professor of Arabic in the Athenæum of + Madrid.—Printed for the Oriental Translation Fund. 2 + vols. 4to. 1840-43.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_2" + name="fn_3_2"></a><b>Footnote 2:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag2">(return)</a> + + <p>The Almoravide and Almohade princes, who ruled both in + Spain and Africa, often inserted a clause in their treaties + with the Christians for the restoration of the libraries + captured in the towns taken from the Moslems; and Ibn + Khaldun mentions, that Yakob Al-mansor destined a college + at Fez for the reception of the books thus recovered.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_3" + name="fn_3_3"></a><b>Footnote 3:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag3">(return)</a> + + <p>He is called by the Arabic writers Ludherik—a name + afterwards applied as a general designation to the kings of + Castile.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_4" + name="fn_3_4"></a><b>Footnote 4:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag4">(return)</a> + + <p>The translator adduces strong grounds for believing that + the battle was fought, not as usually held, in the plain of + Xeres, on the south bank of the Guadalete, but "nearer the + sea-shore, and not far from the town of + Medina-Sidonia."</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_5" + name="fn_3_5"></a><b>Footnote 5:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag5">(return)</a> + + <p>This is not mentioned by the authors from whom + Al-Makkari has drawn his materials, but is stated by + Professor de Gayangos on the authority of Ibn Khaldun.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_6" + name="fn_3_6"></a><b>Footnote 6:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag6">(return)</a> + + <p>A story is here told of Musa's reaching some colossal + ruins, and a monument inscribed with Arabic characters + pointing out that place as the term of his + conquests—a legend which perhaps gave the hint for + one of the tales in the Thousand and One Nights, in which + he is sent on an expedition to the city of Brass on the + shores of the Western Ocean.—See Lane's translation, + chap. 21.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_7" + name="fn_3_7"></a><b>Footnote 7:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag7">(return)</a> + + <p>Condé, and the writers who have followed him, + constantly speak of the Beni-Modhar as Egyptian—an + error owing to the neglect or omission of the point which + in Arabic orthography distinguishes <i>Modhar</i> from + <i>Missr</i>, (Egypt.)</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_8" + name="fn_3_8"></a><b>Footnote 8:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag8">(return)</a> + + <p>Burkhardt (Travels in Arabia, i. 303) says, that all the + golden ornaments which the Khalif Walid gave to the mosque + at Mekka, "were sent from Toledo in Spain, and carried upon + mules through Africa and Arabia."</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_9" + name="fn_3_9"></a><b>Footnote 9:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag9">(return)</a> + + <p>The tribe of Fehr hold a conspicuous place in the + Spanish annals, and one of them was the leader of the last + attempt to shake off the yoke of Castile, after the capture + of Granada.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_10" + name="fn_3_10"></a><b>Footnote 10:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag10">(return)</a> + + <p>It was by a body of exiles under Abu Hafss Omar, the + Apochapsus of the Greeks, (incorrectly called Abu + <i>Caab</i> by Gibbon,) driven from Cordova after one of + these insurrections, that Crete was conquered in 823.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_11" + name="fn_3_11"></a><b>Footnote 11:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag11">(return)</a> + + <p>In this battle, according to the veracious Spanish + chroniclers, Santiago first appeared on his white horse in + the mêlée, fighting for the + Christians.—See the "Maiden Tribute," in Lockhart's + <i>Spanish Ballads</i>.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_12" + name="fn_3_12"></a><b>Footnote 12:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag12">(return)</a> + + <p><i>Majus</i>—Magians or fire worshippers, is the + term invariably applied to these fierce Pagans by the + Arabic historians, apparently by a negative induction from + their being neither Moslems, Jews, nor Christians.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_13" + name="fn_3_13"></a><b>Footnote 13:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag13">(return)</a> + + <p>No fewer than twenty-seven insurgent leaders, in the + reign of Abdullah alone, are enumerated in the translator's + notes from Ibn Hayyan.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_14" + name="fn_3_14"></a><b>Footnote 14:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag14">(return)</a> + + <p>The epithet of <i>kelb</i>, "dog," frequently applied to + this leader, has led Condé into the strange error of + creating for him a son, whom he calls <i>Kalib</i> Ibun + Hafssun. The term <i>Muwallad</i> is said to be the origin + of <i>mulatto</i>.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_15" + name="fn_3_15"></a><b>Footnote 15:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag15">(return)</a> + + <p>We do not find this division mentioned by the authors + cited by Al-Makkari; but it is stated by Condé, and + appears to have prevailed as long as the kingdom retained + its unity. The six provincial capitals were Saragossa, + Toledo, Merida, Valencia, Murcia, and Granada. Shortly + before the arrival of Abdurrahman, Yusuf Al-Fehri had + organized <i>five</i> great governments, one of which + comprised Narbonne and the Trans-Pyrenean conquests.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_16" + name="fn_3_16"></a><b>Footnote 16:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag16">(return)</a> + + <p>Under the Arab dynasties of the east, the <i>vizir</i> + was exclusively an officer <i>of the pen</i>: and Makrizi + expressly mentions that Bedr-al-Jemali, who became vizir to + the Fatimite khalif Al-Mostanssor in 1074, was the first in + whom <i>the sword and the pen</i> were united.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_17" + name="fn_3_17"></a><b>Footnote 17:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag17">(return)</a> + + <p>See Sale's Koran. Preliminary Discourse. Sect. 8.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_18" + name="fn_3_18"></a><b>Footnote 18:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag18">(return)</a> + + <p>Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, i. 351.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_19" + name="fn_3_19"></a><b>Footnote 19:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag19">(return)</a> + + <p>Eighty free schools are said by other authorities to + have existed or been founded during this reign in Cordova; + the number of dwelling-houses in which at the same time, + great and small, is stated at 200,000.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_20" + name="fn_3_20"></a><b>Footnote 20:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag20">(return)</a> + + <p>Some historians even speak of this period as the + "dynasty of the Amirites," from Al-mansur's father, Abn + Amir.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_21" + name="fn_3_21"></a><b>Footnote 21:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag21">(return)</a> + + <p>The precise locality of this famous battle is not very + clearly ascertained; but Condé places it betveen + Soria and Medinaceli.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_3_22" + name="fn_3_22"></a><b>Footnote 22:</b> + <a href="#fn_3_tag22">(return)</a> + + <p>The battle is placed by the Christian writers in 998; + but the death of Al-mansur, which both Christians and + Moslems agree in stating to have taken place within a very + short time, is said by the latter to have been A.M. 392, + A.D. 1002.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page449" + id="page449"></a>[pg 449]</span> <a name="mexico" + id="mexico"></a> + + <h2>TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.</h2> + + <h3>A FRAGMENT FROM THE JOURNAL OF AN AMERICAN TRAVELLER.</h3> + + <p>"A capital place this for our bivouac!" cried I, swinging + myself off my mule, and stretching my arms and legs, which were + stiffened by a long ride.</p> + + <p>It <i>was</i> a fairish place, to all appearances—a + snug ravine, well shaded by mahogany-trees, the ground covered + with the luxuriant vegetation of that tropical region, a little + stream bubbling and leaping and dashing down one of the high + rocks that flanked the hollow, and rippling away through the + tall fern towards the rear of the spot where we had halted, at + the distance of a hundred yards from which the ground was low + and shelving.</p> + + <p>"A capital place this for our bivouac!"</p> + + <p>My companion nodded. As to our lazy Mexican <i>arrieros</i> + and servants, they said nothing, but began making arrangements + for passing the night. Curse the fellows! If they had seen us + preparing to lie down in a swamp, cheek by jowl with an + alligator, I believe they would not have offered a word of + remonstrance. Those Mexican half-breeds, half Indian half + Spaniard, with sometimes a dash of the Negro, are themselves so + little pervious to the dangers and evils of their soil and + climate, that they never seem to remember that Yankee flesh and + blood may be rather more susceptible; that + niguas<a id="fn_4_tag1" + name="fn_4_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_4_1"><sup>1</sup></a> and + musquittoes, and <i>vomito prieto</i>, as they call their + infernal fever, are no trifles to encounter; without + mentioning the snakes, and scorpions, and alligators, and + other creatures of the kind, which infest their strange, + wild, unnatural, and yet beautiful country.</p> + + <p>I had come to Mexico in company with Jonathan Rowley, a + youth of Virginian raising, six and twenty years of age, six + feet two in his stockings, with the limbs of a Hercules and + shoulders like the side of a house. It was towards the close of + 1824; and the recent emancipation of Mexico from the Spanish + yoke, and its self-formation into a republic, had given it a + new and strong interest to us Americans. We had been told much, + too, of the beauty of the country—but in this we were at + first rather disappointed; and we reached the capital without + having seen any thing, except some parts of the province of + Vera Cruz, that could justify the extravagant encomiums we had + heard bestowed in the States upon the splendid scenery of + Mexico. We had not, however, to go far southward from the chief + city, before the character of the country altered, and became + such as to satisfy our most sanguine expectations. Forests of + palms, of oranges, citrons, and bananas, filled the valleys: + the marshes and low grounds were crowded with mahogany-trees, + and with immense fern plants, in height equal to trees. All + nature was on a gigantic scale—the mountains of an + enormous height, the face of the country seamed and split by + <i>barrancas</i> or ravines, hundreds, ay, thousands of feet + deep, and filled with the most abundant and varied vegetation. + The sky, too, was of the deep glowing blue of the tropics, the + sort of blue which seems varnished or clouded with gold. But + this ardent climate and teeming soil are not without their + disadvantages. Vermin and reptiles of all kinds, and the deadly + fever of these latitudes, render the low lands uninhabitable + for eight months out of the twelve. At the same time there are + large districts which are comparatively free + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page450" + id="page450"></a>[pg 450]</span> from these + plagues—perfect gardens of Eden, of such extreme + beauty that the mere act of living and breathing amongst + their enchanting scenes, becomes a positive and real + enjoyment. The heart seems to leap with delight, and the + soul to be elevated, by the contemplation of those regions + of fairy-like magnificence.</p> + + <p>The most celebrated among these favoured provinces is the + valley of Oaxaca, in which two mountainous districts, the + Mistecca and Tzapoteca, bear off the palm of beauty. It was + through this immense valley, nearly three hundred leagues in + length, and surrounded by the highest mountains in Mexico, that + we were now journeying. The kind attention of our + chargé-d'affaires at the Mexican capital, had procured + us every possible facility in travelling through a country, of + which the soil was at that time rarely trodden by any but + native feet. We had numerous letters to the alcaldes and + authorities of the towns and villages which are sparingly + sprinkled over the southern provinces of Mexico; we were to + have escorts when necessary; every assistance, protection, and + facility, were to be afforded us. But as neither the + authorities nor his excellency, Uncle Sam's envoy, could make + inns and houses where none existed, it followed that we were + often obliged to sleep <i>à la belle étoile</i>, + with the sky for a covering. And a right splendid roof it was + to our bedchamber, that tropical sky, with its constellations, + all new to us northerns, and every star magnified by the effect + of the atmosphere to an incredible size. Mars and Saturn, Venus + and Jupiter, had all disappeared; the great and little Bear + were still to be seen; in the far distance the ship Argo and + the glowing Centaur; and, beautiful above all, the glorious + sign of Christianity the colossal Southern Cross, in all its + brightness and sublimity, glittering in silvery magnificence + out of its setting of dark blue crystal.</p> + + <p>We were travelling with a state and a degree of luxury that + would have excited the contempt of our backwoodsmen; but in a + strange country we thought it best to do as the natives did; + and accordingly, instead of mounting our horses and setting + forth alone, with our rifles slung over our shoulders, and a + few handfuls of parched corn and dried flesh in our hunting + pouches, we journeyed Mexican fashion, with a whole string of + mules, a <i>topith</i> or guide, a couple of <i>arrieros</i> or + muleteers, a cook, and one or two other attendants. While the + latter were slinging our hammocks to the lowermost branches of + a tree—for in that part of Mexico it is not very safe to + sleep upon the ground, on account of the snakes and + vermin—our <i>cocinero</i> lit a fire against the rock, + and in a very few minutes an iguana which we had shot that day + was spitted and roasting before it. It looked strange to see + this hideous creature, in shape between a lizard and a dragon, + twisting and turning in the light of the fire; and its + disgusting appearance might have taken away some people's + appetites; but we knew by experience that there is no better + eating than a roasted iguana. We made a hearty meal off this + one, concluding it with a pull at the rum flask, and then + clambered into our hammocks; the Mexicans stretched themselves + on the ground with their heads upon the saddles of the mules, + and both masters and men were soon asleep.</p> + + <p>It was somewhere about midnight when I was awakened by an + indescribable sensation of oppression from the surrounding + atmosphere. The air seemed to be no longer air, but some + poisonous exhalation that had suddenly arisen and enveloped us. + From the rear of the ravine in which we lay, billows of dark + mephitic mist were rolling forward, surrounding us with their + baleful influence. It was the <i>vomito prieto</i>, the fever + itself, embodied in the shape of a fog. At the same moment, and + while I was gasping for breath, a sort of cloud seemed to + settle upon me, and a thousand stings, like redhot needles, + were run into my hands, face, neck—into every part of my + limbs and body that was not triply guarded by clothing. I + instinctively stretched forth my hands and closed them, + clutching by the action hundreds of enormous musquittoes, whose + droning, singing noise how almost deafened me. The air was + literally filled by a dense swarm of these insects; and the + agony caused <span class="pagenum"><a name="page451" + id="page451"></a>[pg 451]</span> by their repeated and + venomous stings was indescribable. It was a perfect plague + of Egypt.</p> + + <p>Rowley, whose hammock was slung some ten yards from mine, + soon gave tongue: I heard him kicking and plunging, spluttering + and swearing, with a vigour and energy that would have been + ludicrous under any other circumstances; but matters were just + then too serious for a laugh. With the torture, for such it + was, of the musquitto bites, and the effect of the insidious + and poisonous vapours that were each moment thickening around + me, I was already in a high state of fever, alternately glowing + with heat and shivering with cold, my tongue parched, my + eyelids throbbing, my brain seemingly on fire.</p> + + <p>There was a heavy thump upon the ground. It was Rowley + jumping out of his hammock. "Damnation" roared he, "Where are + we? On the earth, or under the earth?—We must be—we + are—in their Mexican purgatory. We are, or there's no + snakes in Virginny. Hallo, arrieros! Pablo! Matteo!"</p> + + <p>At that moment a scream—but a scream of such terror + and anguish as I never heard before or since—a scream as + of women in their hour of agony and extreme peril, sounded + within a few paces of us. I sprang out of my hammock; and as I + did so, two white and graceful female figures darted or rather + flew by me, shrieking—and oh! in what heart-rending + tones—for "<i>Socorro! Socorro! Por Dios</i>! Help! + Help!" Close upon the heels of the fugitives, bounding and + leaping along with enormous strides and springs, came three or + four dark objects which resembled nothing earthly. The human + form they certainly possessed; but so hideous and horrible, so + unnatural and spectre-like was their aspect, that their sudden + encounter in that gloomy ravine, and in the almost darkness + that surrounded us, might well have shaken the strongest + nerves. We stood for a second, Rowley and myself, paralysed + with astonishment at these strange appearances; but another + piercing scream restored to us our presence of mind. One of the + women had either tripped or fallen from fatigue, and she lay a + white heap, upon the ground. The drapery of the other was in + the clutch of one of the spectres, or devils, or whatever they + were, when Rowley, with a cry of horror, rushed forward and + struck a furious blow at the monster with his <i>machetto</i>. + At the same time, and almost without knowing how, I found + myself engaged with another of the creatures. But the contest + was no equal one. In vain did we stab and strike with our + machettos; our antagonists were covered and defended with a + hard bristly hide, which our knives, although keen and pointed, + had great difficulty in penetrating; and on the other hand we + found ourselves clutched in long sinewy arms, terminating in + hands and fingers, of which the nails were as sharp and strong + as an eagle's talons. I felt these horrible claws strike into + my shoulders as the creature seized me, and, drawing me towards + him, pressed me as in the hug of a bear; while his hideous half + man half brute visage was grinning and snarling at me, and his + long keen white teeth were snapping and gnashing within six + inches of my face.</p> + + <p>"God of heaven! This is horrible! Rowley! Help me!"</p> + + <p>But Rowley, in spite of his gigantic strength, was powerless + as an infant in the grasp of these terrible opponents. He was + within a few paces of me, struggling with two of them, and + making superhuman efforts to regain possession of his knife, + which had dropped or been wrenched from his hand. And all this + time, where were our arrieros? Were they attacked likewise? Why + didn't they come and help us? All this time!—pshaw! it + was no time: it all passed in the space of a few seconds, in + the circumference of a few yards, and in the feeble glimmering + light of the stars, and of the smouldering embers of our fire, + which was at some distance from us.</p> + + <p>"Ha! That has told!" A stab, dealt with all the energy of + despair, had entered my antagonist's side. But I was like to + pay dearly for it. Uttering a deafening yell of pain and fury, + the monster clasped me closer to his foul and loathsome body; + his sharp claws, dug deeper into my back, seemed to tear up my + flesh: the agony was <span class="pagenum"><a name="page452" + id="page452"></a>[pg 452]</span> insupportable—my eyes + began to swim, and my senses to leave me. Just + then—Crack! crack! Two—four—a dozen musket + and pistol shots, followed by such a chorus of yellings and + howlings and unearthly laughter! The creature that held me + seemed startled—relaxed his grasp slightly. At that + moment a dark arm was passed before my face, there was a + blinding flash, a yell, and I fell to the ground released + from the clutch of my opponent. I remember nothing more. + Overcome by pain, fatigue, terror, and the noxious vapors of + that vile ravine, my senses abandoned me, and I swooned + away.</p> + + <p>When consciousness returned, I found myself lying upon some + blankets, under a sort of arbour of foliage and flowers. It was + broad day; the sun shone brightly, the blossoms smelled sweet, + the gay-plumaged hummingbirds were darting and shooting about + in the sunbeams like so many animated fragments of a prism. A + Mexican Indian, standing beside my couch, and whose face was + unknown to me, held out a cocoa-nutshell containing some + liquid, which I eagerly seized, and drank off the contents. The + draught (it was a mixture of citron juice and water) revived me + greatly; and raising myself on my elbow, although with much + pain and difficulty, I looked around, and beheld a scene of + bustle and life which to me was quite unintelligible. Upon the + shelving hillside on which I was lying, a sort of encampment + was established. A number of mules and horses were wandering + about at liberty, or fastened to trees and bushes, and eating + the forage that had been collected and laid before them. Some + were provided with handsome and commodious saddles, while + others had pack-saddles, intended apparently for the conveyance + of numerous sacks, cases, and wallets, that were scattered + about on the ground. Several muskets and rifles were leaning + here and there against the trees; and a dozen or fifteen men + were occupied in various ways—some filling up saddle-bags + or fastening luggage on the mules, others lying on the ground + smoking, one party surrounding a fire at which cooking was + going on. At a short distance from my bed was another similarly + composed couch, occupied by a man muffled up in blankets, and + having his back turned towards me, so that I was unable to + obtain a view of his features.</p> + + <p>"What is all this? Where am I? Where is Rowley—our + guide—where are they all?"</p> + + <p>"<i>Non entiendo</i>," answered my brown-visaged Ganymede, + shaking his head, and with a good-humoured smile.</p> + + <p>"<i>Adonde estamos?</i>"</p> + + <p>"<i>In el valle de Chihuatan, in el gran valle de Oaxaca y + Guatimala; diez leguas de Tarifa</i>. In the valley of + Chihuatan; ten leagues from Tarifa."</p> + + <p>The figure lying on the bed near me now made a movement, and + turned round. What could it be? Its face was like a lump of raw + flesh streaked and stained with blood. No features were + distinguishable.</p> + + <p>"Who are you? What are you?" cried I.</p> + + <p>"Rowley," it answered: "Rowley I was, at least, if those + devils haven't changed me."</p> + + <p>"Then changed you they have," cried I, with a wild laugh. + "Good God! have they scalped him alive, or what? That is not + Rowley."</p> + + <p>The Mexican, who had gone to give some drink to the creature + claiming to be Rowley, now opened a valise that lay on the + ground a short distance off, and took out a small + looking-glass, which he brought and held before my face. It was + then only that I began to call to mind all that had occurred, + and understood how it was that the mask of human flesh lying + near me might indeed be Rowley. He was, if any thing, less + altered than myself. My eyes were almost closed; my lips, nose, + and whole face swollen to an immense size, and perfectly + unrecognisable. I involuntarily recoiled in dismay and disgust + at my own appearance. The horrible night passed in the ravine, + the foul and suffocating vapours, the furious attack of the + musquittoes—the bites of which, and the consequent fever + and inflammation, had thus disfigured us—all recurred to + our memory. But the women, the fight with the + monsters—beasts—Indians—whatever they were, + that was still incomprehensible. It was no dream: my back and + shoulders were still smarting from the wounds that had been + inflicted on them by the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page453" + id="page453"></a>[pg 453]</span> claws of those creatures, + and I now felt that various parts of my limbs and body were + swathed in wet bandages. I was mustering my Spanish to ask + the Mexican who still stood by me for an explanation of all + this, when I suddenly became aware of a great bustle in the + encampment, and saw every body crowding to meet a number of + persons who just then emerged from the high fern, and + amongst whom I recognized our arrieros and servants. The + new-comers were grouped around something which they seemed + to be dragging along the ground; several women—for the + most part young and graceful creatures, their slender supple + forms muffled in the flowing picturesque <i>reboxos</i> and + <i>frazadas</i>—preceded the party, looking back + occasionally with an expression of mingled horror and + triumph; all with rosaries in their hands, the beads of + which ran rapidly through their fingers, while they + occasionally kissed the cross, or made the sign on their + breasts or in the air.</p> + + <p>"<i>Un Zambo muerto! Un Zambo Muerto!</i>" shouted they as + they drew near.</p> + + <p>"<i>Han matado un Zambo!</i> They have killed a Zambo!" + repeated my attendant in a tone of exultation.</p> + + <p>The party came close up to where Rowley and I were lying; + the women stood aside, jumping and laughing, and crossing + themselves, and crying out "<i>Un Zambo! Un Zambo Muerto!</i>" + the group opened, and we saw, lying dead upon the ground, one + of our horrible antagonists of the preceding night.</p> + + <p>"Good God, what is that?" cried Rowley and I, with one + breath. "<i>Un demonio!</i> a devil!"</p> + + <p>"<i>Perdonen vos, Senores—Un Zambo mono—muy + terribles los Zambos.</i> Terrible monkeys these Zambos."</p> + + <p>"Monkeys!" cried I.</p> + + <p>"Monkeys!" repeated poor Rowley, raising himself up into a + sitting posture by the help of his hands. + "Monkeys—apes—by Jove! We've been fighting with + monkeys, and it's they who have mauled us in this way. Well, + Jonathan Rowley, think of your coming from old Virginny to + Mexico to be whipped by a monkey. It's gone goose with + <i>your</i> character. You can never show your face in the + States again. Whipped by an ape!—an ape, with a tail and + a hairy—O Lord! Whipped by a monkey!"</p> + + <p>And the ludicrousness of the notion overcoming his + mortification, and the pain of his wounds and bites, he sank + back upon the bed of blankets and banana leaves, laughing as + well as his swollen face and sausage-looking lips would allow + him.</p> + + <p>It was as much as I could do to persuade myself, that the + carcass lying before me had never been inhabited by a human + soul. It was humiliating to behold the close affinity between + this huge ape and our own species. Had it not been for the + tail, I could have fancied I saw the dead body of some prairie + hunter dressed in skins. It was exactly like a powerful, + well-grown man; and even the expression of the face had more of + bad human passions than of animal instinct. The feet and thighs + were those of a muscular man: the legs rather too curved and + calfless, though I have seen Negroes who had scarcely better + ones; the tendons of the hands stood out like whipcords; the + nails were as long as a tiger's claws. No wonder that we had + been overmatched in our struggle with the brutes. No man could + have withstood them. The arms of this one were like packets of + cordage, all muscle, nerve, and sinew; and the hands were + clasped together with such force, that the efforts of eight or + ten Mexicans and Indians were insufficient to disunite + them.</p> + + <p>Whatever remained to be cleared up in our night's adventures + was now soon explained. Our guide, through ignorance or + thoughtlessness, had allowed us to take up our bivouac within a + very unsafe distance of one of the most pestiferous swamps in + the whole province. Shortly after we had fallen asleep, a party + of Mexican travellers had arrived, and established themselves + within a few hundred yards of us, but on a rising ground, where + they avoided the mephitic vapours and the musquittoes which had + so tortured Rowley and myself. In the night two of the women, + having ventured a short distance from the encampment, were + surprised by the zambos, or huge man-apes, common in some parts + of Southern <span class="pagenum"><a name="page454" + id="page454"></a>[pg 454]</span> Mexico; and finding + themselves cut off from their friends, had fled they knew + not whither, fortunately for them taking the direction of + our bivouac. Their screams, our shouts, and the yellings and + diabolical laughter of the zambos, had brought the Mexicans + to our assistance. The monkeys showed no fight after the + first volley; several of then must have been wounded, but + only the one now lying before us had remained upon the + field.</p> + + <p>The Mexicans we had fallen amongst were on the Tzapoteca, + principally cochineal gatherers, and kinder-hearted people + there could not well be. They seemed to think they never could + do enough for us; the women especially, and more particularly + the two whom we had endeavoured to rescue from the power of the + apes. These latter certainly had cause to be grateful. It made + us shudder to think of their fate had they not met with us. It + was the delay caused by our attacking the brutes that had given + the Mexicans time to come up.</p> + + <p>Every attention was shown to us. We were fanned with palm + leaves, refreshed with cooling drinks, our wounds carefully + dressed and bandaged, our heated, irritated, musquitto-bitten + limbs and faces washed with balsam and the juice of herbs: more + tender and careful nurses it would be impossible to find. We + soon began to feel better, and were able to sit up and look + about us; carefully avoiding, however, to look at each other, + for we could not get reconciled to the horrible appearance of + our swollen, bloody, and disgusting features. From our position + on the rising ground, we had a full view over the frightful + swamp at the entrance of which all our misfortunes had + happened. There it lay, steaming like a great kettle; endless + mists rising from it, out of which appeared here and there the + crown of some mighty tree towering above the banks of vapour. + To the left, cliffs and crags were to be seen which had the + appearance of being baseless, and of swimming on the top of the + mist. The vultures and carrion-birds circled screaming above + the huge caldron, or perched on the tops of the tall palms, + which looked like enormous umbrellas, or like the roofs of + Chinese summer-houses. Out of the swamp itself proceeded the + yellings, snarlings, and growlings of the alligators, + bull-frogs, and myriads of unclean beasts that it + harboured.</p> + + <p>The air was unusually sultry and oppressive: from time to + time the rolling of distant thunder was audible. We could hear + the Mexicans consulting amongst themselves as to the propriety + of continuing their journey, to which our suffering state + seemed to be the chief obstacle. From what we could collect of + their discourse, they were unwilling to leave us in this + dangerous district, and in our helpless condition, with a guide + and attendants who were either untrustworthy or totally + incompetent to lead us aright. Yet there seemed to be some + pressing necessity for continuing the march; and presently some + of the older Mexicans, who appeared to have the direction of + the caravan, came up to us and enquired how we felt, and if we + thought we were able to travel; adding, that from the signs on + the earth and in the air, they feared a storm, and that the + nearest habitation or shelter was at many leagues' distance. + Thanks to the remedies that had been applied, our sufferings + were much diminished. We felt weak and hungry, and telling the + Mexicans we should be ready to proceed in half an hour, we + desired our servants to get us something to eat. But our new + friends forestalled them, and brought us a large piece of + iguana, with roasted bananas, and cocoa-nutshell cups full of + coffee, to all of which Rowley and I applied ourselves with + much gusto. Meanwhile our muleteers and the Tzapotecans were + busy packing their beasts and making ready for the start.</p> + + <p>We had not eaten a dozen mouthfuls when we say a man running + down the hill with a branch in each hand. As soon as he + appeared, a number of the Mexicans left their occupations and + hurried to meet him.</p> + + <p>"<i>Siete horas!</i>" shouted the man. "Seven hours, and no + more!"</p> + + <p>"No more than seven hours!" echoed the Tzapotecans, in tones + of the wildest terror and alarm. "<i>La Santissima nos + guarde!</i> It will take more than ten to reach the + village."</p> + + <p>"What's all that about?" said I with my mouth full, to + Rowley.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page455" + id="page455"></a>[pg 455]</span> + + <p>"Don't know—some of their Indian tricks, I + suppose."</p> + + <p>"<i>Que es esto</i>?" asked I carelessly. "What's the + matter?"</p> + + <p>"<i>Que es esto</i>!" repeated an old Tzapotecan, with long + grey hair curling from under his <i>sombrero</i>, and a + withered but finely marked countenance. "<i>Las aguas! El + ouracan!</i> In seven hours the deluge and the hurricane!"</p> + + <p>"<i>Vamos, por la Santissima!</i> For the blessed Virgin's + sake let us be gone!" cried a dozen of the Mexicans, pushing + two green boughs into our very faces.</p> + + <p>"What are those branches?"</p> + + <p>"From the tempest-tree—the prophet of the storm," was + the reply.</p> + + <p>And Tzapotecans and women, arrieros and servants, ran about + in the utmost terror and confusion, with cries of "<i>Vamos, + paso redoblado</i>! Off with us, or we are all lost, man and + beast," and saddling, packing, and scrambling on their mules. + And before Rowley and I knew where we were, they tore us away + from our iguana and coffee, and hoisted and pushed us into our + saddles. Such a scene of bustle and desperate hurry I never + beheld. The place where the encampment had been was alive with + men and women, horses and mules, shouting, shrieking and + talking, neighing and kicking; but with all the confusion there + was little time lost, and in less than three minutes from the + first alarm being given, we were scampering away over stock and + stone, in a long, wild, irregular sort of train.</p> + + <p>The rapidity and excitement of our ride seemed to have the + effect of calming our various sufferings, or of making us + forget them; and we soon thought no more of the fever, or of + stings or musquitto bites. It was a ride for life or death, and + our horses stepped out as if they knew how much depended on + their exertions.</p> + + <p>In the hurry and confusion we had been mounted on horses + instead of our our own mules; and splendid animals they were. I + doubt if our Virginians could beat them, and that is saying a + great deal. There was no effort or straining in their + movements; it seemed mere play to them to surmount the numerous + difficulties we encountered on our road. Over mountain and + valley, swamp and barranca, always the same steady + surefootedness—crawling like cats over the soft places, + gliding like snakes up the steep rocky ascents, and stretching + out with prodigious energy when the ground was favourable; yet + with such easy action that we scarcely felt the motion. We + should have sat in the roomy Spanish saddles as comfortably as + in arm-chairs, had it not been for the numerous obstacles in + our path, which was strewed with fallen trees and masses of + rock. We were obliged to be perpetually stooping and bowing our + heads to avoid the creeping plants that swung and twined and + twisted across the track, intermingled often with huge thorns + as long as a man's arm. These latter stuck out from the trees + on which they grew like so many brown bayonets; and a man who + had run up against one of them, would have been transfixed by + it as surely as though it had been of steel. We pushed on, + however, in Indian file, following the two guides, who kept at + the head of the party, and making our way through places where + a wild-cat would have difficulty in passing; through thickets + of mangroves, mimosas, and tall fern, and cactuses with their + thorny leaves full twenty feet long; the path turning and + winding all the while. Now and then a momentary improvement in + the nature of the ground enabled us to catch a glimpse of the + whole column of march. We were struck by its picturesque + appearance, the guides in front acting as pioneers, and looking + out on all sides as cautiously and anxiously as though they had + been soldiers expecting an ambuscade; the graceful forms of the + women bowing and bending over their horses' manes, and often + leaving fragments of their mantillas and rebozas on the + branches and thorns of the labyrinth through which we were + struggling. But it was no time to indulge in contemplation of + the picturesque, and of this we were constantly made aware by + the anxious vociferations of the Mexicans. "<i>Vamos! Por Dios, + vamos!</i>" cried they, if the slightest symptom of flagging + became visible in the movements of any one of the party; and at + the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page456" + id="page456"></a>[pg 456]</span> words, our horses, as + though gifted with understanding, pushed forward with + renewed vigour and alacrity.</p> + + <p>On we went—up hill and down, in the depths of the + valley and over the soft fetid swamp. That valley of Oaxaca has + just as much right to be called a valley as our Alleghanies + would have to be called bottoms. In the States we should call + it a chain of mountains. Out of it rise at every step hills a + good two thousand feet above the level of the valley, and four + or five thousand above that of the sea; but these are lost + sight of, and become flat ground by the force of comparison; + that is, when compared with the gigantic mountains that + surround the valley on all sides like a frame. And what a + splendid frame they do compose, those colossal mountains, in + their rich variety of form and colouring! here shining out like + molten gold, there changing to a dark bronze; covered lower + down with various shades of green, and with the crimson and + purple, and violet and bright yellow, and azure and dazzling + white, of the millions of paulinias and convolvoluses and other + flowering plants, from amongst which rise the stately + palm-trees, full a hundred feet high, their majestic green + turbans towering like sultans' heads above the luxuriance of + the surrounding flower and vegetable world. Then the + mahogany-trees, the chicozapotes, and again in the barrancas + the candelabra-like cactuses, and higher up the knotted and + majestic live oak. An incessant change of plants, trees, and + climate. We had been five hours in the saddle, and had already + changed our climate three times; passed from the temperate + zone, the <i>tierra templada</i>, into the torrid heat of the + <i>tierra muy caliente</i>. It was in the latter temperature + that we found ourselves at the expiration of the above-named + time, dripping with perspiration, roasting and stewing in the + heat. We were surrounded by a new world of plants and animals. + The borax and mangroves and fern were here as lofty as + forest-trees, whilst the trees themselves shot up like church + steeples. In the thickets around us were numbers of black + tigers—we saw dozens of those cowardly sneaking + beasts—iguanas full three feet long, squirrels double the + size of any we had ever seen, and panthers, and wild pigs, and + jackals, and apes and monkeys of every tribe and description, + who threatened and grinned and chattered at us from the + branches of the trees. But what is that yonder to the right, + that stands out so white against the dark blue sky and the + bronze-coloured rocks? A town—Quidricovi, d'ye call + it?</p> + + <p>We had now ridden a good five or six leagues, and begun to + think we had escaped the <i>aguas</i> or deluge, of which the + prospect had so terrified our friends the Tzapotecans. Rowley + calculated, as he went puffing and grumbling along, that it + wouldn't do any harm to let our beasts draw breath for a minute + or two. The scrambling and constant change of pace rendered + necessary by the nature of the road, or rather track, that we + followed, was certainly dreadfully fatiguing both to man and + beast. As for conversation it was out of the question. We had + plenty to do to avoid getting our necks broken, or our teeth + knocked out, as we struggled along, up and down barrancas, + through marshes and thickets, over rocks and fallen trees, and + through mimosas and bushes laced and twined together with + thorns and creeping plants—all of which would have been + beautiful in a picture, but was most infernally unpoetical in + reality.</p> + + <p>"<i>Vamos! Por la Santissima Madre, vamos!</i>" yelled our + guides, and the cry was taken up by the Mexicans, in a shrill + wild tone that jarred strangely upon our ears, and made the + horses start and strain forward. Hurra! on we go, through + thorns and bushes, which scratch and flog us, and tear our + clothes to rags. We shall be naked if this lasts long. It is a + regular race. In front the two guides, stooping, nodding, + bowing, crouching down, first to one side, then to the other, + like a couple of mandarins or Indian idols—behind them a + Tzapotecan in his picturesque capa, then the women, then more + Tzapotecans. There is little thought about precedence or + ceremony; and Rowley and I, having been in the least hurry to + start, find ourselves bringing up the rear of the whole + column.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page457" + id="page457"></a>[pg 457]</span> + + <p>"<i>Vamos! Por la Santissima! Las aguas, las aguas!</i>" is + again yelled by twenty voices. Hang the fools! Can't they be + quiet with their eternal <i>vamos</i>? We can have barely two + leagues more to go to reach the <i>rancho</i>, or village, they + were talking of, and appearances are not as yet very alarming. + It is getting rather thick to be sure; but that's nothing, only + the exhalations from the swamp, for we are again approaching + one of those cursed swamps, and can hear the music of the + alligators and bullfrogs. There they are, the beauties; a + couple of them are taking a peep at us, sticking their elegant + heads and long delicate snouts out of the slime and mud. The + neighbourhood is none of the best; but luckily the path is firm + and good, carefully made, evidently by Indian hands. None but + Indians could live and labour and travel habitually, in such a + pestilential atmosphere. Thank God! we are out of it at last. + Again on firm forest ground, amidst the magnificent monotony of + the eternal palms and mahogany-trees. But—see there!</p> + + <p>A new and surpassingly beautiful landscape burst suddenly + upon our view, seeming to dance in the transparent atmosphere. + On either side mountains, those on the left in deep shadow, + those on the right standing forth like colossal figures of + light, in a beauty and splendour that seemed really + supernatural, every tree, every branch shining in its own vivid + and glorious colouring. There lay the valley in its tropical + luxuriance and beauty, one sheet of bloom and blossom up to the + topmost crown of the palm-trees, that shot up, some of them, a + hundred and fifty and a hundred and eighty feet high. Thousands + and millions of convolvoluses, paulinias, bignonias, + dendrobiums, climbing from the fern to the tree trunks, from + the trunks to the branches and summits of the trees, and thence + again falling gracefully down, and catching and clinging to the + mangroves and blocks of granite. It burst upon us like a scene + of enchantment, as we emerged from the darkness of the forest + into the dazzling light and colouring of that glorious + valley.</p> + + <p>"<i>Misericordia, misericordia! Audi nos peccadores! + Misericordia, las aquas!</i>" suddenly screamed and exclaimed + the Mexicans in various intonations of terror and despair. We + looked around us. What can be the matter? We see nothing. + Nothing, except that from just behind those two mountains, + which project like mighty promontories into the valley, a cloud + is beginning to rise. "What is it? What is wrong?" A dozen + voices answered us—</p> + + <p>"<i>Por la Santa Virgen</i>, for the holy Virgin's sake, on, + on! <i>No hay tiempo para hablar</i>. We have still two leagues + to go, and in one hour comes the flood."</p> + + <p>And they recommenced their howling, yelling chorus of + "<i>Misericordia! Audi nos peccadores!</i>" and "<i>Santissima + Virgen</i>, and <i>Todos santos y angeles!</i>"</p> + + <p>"Are the fellows mad?" shouted Rowley, "What if the water + does come? It won't swallow you. A ducking more or less is no + such great matter. You are not made of sugar or salt. Many's + the drenching I've had in the States, and none the worse for + it. Yet our rains are no child's play neither."</p> + + <p>On looking round us, however, we were involuntarily struck + with the sudden change in the appearance of the heavens. The + usual golden black blue colour of the sky was gone, and had + been replaced by a dull gloomy grey. The quality of the air + appeared also to have changed; it was neither very warm nor + very cold, but it had lost its lightness and elasticity, and + seemed to oppress and weigh us down. Presently we saw the dark + cloud rise gradually from behind the hills, completely clearing + their summits, and then sweeping along until it hung over the + valley, in form and appearance like some monstrous night-moth, + resting the tips of its enormous wings on the mountains on + either side. To our right we still saw the roofs and walls of + Quidricovi, apparently at a very short distance.</p> + + <p>"Why not go to Quidricovi?" shouted I to the guides, "we + cannot be far off."</p> + + <p>"More than five leagues," answered the men, shaking their + heads and looking up anxiously at the huge moth, which was + still creeping and crawling on, each moment darker and + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page458" + id="page458"></a>[pg 458]</span> more threatening. It was + like some frightful monster, or the fabled Kraken, working + itself along by its claws, which were struck deep into the + mountain-wall on either side of its line of progress, and + casting its hideous shadow over hill and dale, forest and + valley, clothing them in gloom and darkness. To our right + hand and behind us, the mountains were still of a glowing + golden red, lighted up by the sun, but to the left and in + our front all was black and dark. With the same glance we + beheld the deepest gloom and the brightest day, meeting each + other but not mingling. It was a strange and ominous + sight.</p> + + <p>Ominous enough; and the brute creation seem to feel it so as + well as ourselves. The chattering parrots, the hopping, + gibbering, quarrelsome apes, all the birds and beasts, scream + and cry and flutter and spring about, as though seeking a + refuge from some impending danger. Even our horses begin to + tremble and groan—refuse to go on, start and snort. The + whole animal world is in commotion, as if seized with an + overwhelming panic. The forest is teeming with inhabitants. + Whence come they, all these living things? On every side is + heard the howling and snarling of beasts, the frightened cries + and chirpings of birds. The vultures and turkey-buzzards, that + a few minutes before were circling high in the air, are now + screaming amidst the branches of the mahogany-trees; every + creature that has life is running, scampering, + flying—apes and tigers, birds and creeping things.</p> + + <p>"<i>Vamos, por la Santissima!</i> On! or we are all + lost."</p> + + <p>And we ride, we rush along—neither masses of rock, nor + fallen trees, nor thorns and brambles, check our wild career. + Over every thing we go, leaping, scrambling, plunging, riding + like desperate men, flying from a danger of which the nature is + not clearly defined, but which we feel to be great and + imminent. It is a frightful terror-striking foe, that huge + night-moth, which comes ever nearer, growing each moment bigger + and blacker. Looking behind us, we catch one last glimpse of + the red and bloodshot sun, which the next instant disappears + behind the edge of the mighty cloud.</p> + + <p>Still we push on. Hosts of tigers, and monkeys both large + and small, and squirrels and jackals, come close up to us as if + seeking shelter, and then finding none, retreat howling into + the forest. There is not a breath of air stirring, yet all + nature—plants and trees, men and beasts—seem to + quiver and tremble with apprehension. Our horses pant and groan + as they bound along with dilated nostrils and glaring eyes, + trembling in every limb, sweating at every pore, half wild with + terror; giving springs and leaps that more resemble those of a + hunted tiger than of a horse.</p> + + <p>The prayer and exclamations of the terrified Mexicans, + continued without intermission, whispered and shrieked and + groaned in every variety of intonation. The earthy hue of + intense terror was upon every countenance. For some moments a + death-like stillness, an unnatural calm, reigned around us: it + was as though the elements were holding in their breath, and + collecting their energies for some mighty outbreak. Then came a + low indistinct moaning sound, that seemed to issue from the + bowels of the earth. The warning was significant.</p> + + <p>"Halt! stop" shouted we to the guides. "Stop! and let us + seek shelter from the storm."</p> + + <p>"On! for God's sake, on! or we are lost," was the reply.</p> + + <p>Thank Heaven! the path is getting wider—we come to a + descent—they are leading us out of the forest. If the + storm had come on while we were among the trees, we might be + crushed to death by the falling branches. We are close to a + barranca.</p> + + <p>"<i>Alerto! Alerto!</i>" shrieked the Mexicans. "<i>Madre de + Dios! Dios! Dios!"</i></p> + + <p>And well might they call to God for help in that awful + moment. The gigantic night-moth gaped and shot forth tongues of + fire—a ghastly white flame, that contrasted strangely and + horribly with the dense black cloud from which it issued. There + was a peal of thunder that seemed to shake the earth, then a + pause during which nothing was heard but the panting of our + horses as they dashed across the barranca, and began straining + up the steep side of a knoll or hillock. The + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page459" + id="page459"></a>[pg 459]</span> cloud again opened: for a + second every thing was lighted up. Another thunder clap, and + then, as though the gates of its prison had been suddenly + burst open, the tempest came forth in its might and fury, + breaking, crushing, and sweeping away all that opposed it. + The trees of the forest staggered and tottered for a moment, + as if making an effort to bear up against the storm; but it + was in vain: the next instant, with a report like that of + ten thousand cannon, whole acres of mighty trees were + snapped off, their branches shivered, their roots torn up; + it was no longer a forest but a chaos; an ocean of boughs + and tree-trunks, that were tossed about like the waves of + the sea, or thrown into the air like straws. The atmosphere + was darkened with dust, and leaves, and branches.</p> + + <p>"God be merciful to us! Rowley! where are ye?—No + answer. What is become of them all?"</p> + + <p>A second blast more furious than the first. Can the + mountains resist it? will they stand? By the Almighty! they do + not. The earth trembles; the hillock, on the leeside of which + we are, rocks and shakes; and the air grows thick and + suffocating—full of dust and saltpetre and sulphur. We + are like to choke. All around is dark as night. We can see + nothing, hear nothing but the howling of the hurricane, and the + thunder and rattle of falling trees and shivered branches.</p> + + <p>Suddenly the hurricane ceases, and all is hushed; but so + suddenly that the charge is startling and unnatural. No sound + is audible save the creaking and moaning of the trees with + which the ground is cumbered. It is like a sudden pause in a + battle, when the roar of the cannon and clang of charging + squadrons cease, and nought is heard but the groaning of the + wounded, the agonized sobs and gasps of the dying.</p> + + <p>The report of a pistol is heard; then another, a third, + hundreds, thousands of them. It is the flood, <i>las aguas</i>; + the shots are drops of rain; but such drops! each as big as a + hen's egg. They strike with the force of enormous + hailstones—stunning and blinding us. The next moment + there is no distinction of drops, the windows of heaven are + opened; it is no longer rain nor flood, but a sea, a cataract, + a Niagara. The hillock on which I am standing, undermined by + the waters, gives way and crumbles under me; in ten seconds' + time I find myself in the barranca, which is converted into a + river, off my horse, which is gone I know not whither. The only + person I see near me is Rowley, also dismounted and struggling + against the stream, which is already up to our waists, and + sweeps along with it huge branches and entire trees, that + threaten each moment to carry us away with them, or to crush us + against the rocks. We avoid these dangers, God knows how, make + violent efforts to stem the torrent and gain the side of the + barranca; although, even should we succeed, it is so steep that + we can scarcely hope to climb it without assistance. And whence + is that assistance to come? Of the Mexicans we see or hear + nothing. They are doubtless all drowned or dashed to pieces. + They were higher up on the hillock than we were, must + consequently have been swept down with more force, and were + probably carried away by the torrent. Nor can we hope for a + better fate. Wearied by our ride, weakened by the fever and + sufferings of the preceding night, we are in no condition to + strive much longer with the furious elements. For one step that + we gain, we lose two. The waters rise; already they are nearly + up to our armpits. It is in vain to resist any longer. Our fate + is sealed.</p> + + <p>"Rowley, all is over—let us die like men. God have + mercy on our souls!"</p> + + <p>Rowley was a few paces higher up the barranca. He made me no + answer, but looked at me with a calm, cold, and yet somewhat + regretful smile upon his countenance. Then all at once he + ceased the efforts he was making to resist the stream and gain + the bank, folded his arms on his breast and gave a look up and + around him as though to bid farewell to the world he was about + to leave. The current was sweeping him rapidly down towards me, + when suddenly a wild hurra burst from his lips, and he + recommenced his struggles against the waters, striving + violently to retain <span class="pagenum"><a name="page460" + id="page460"></a>[pg 460]</span> a footing on the slippery, + uneven bed of the stream.</p> + + <p>"<i>Tenga! Tenga!</i>" screamed a dozen voices, that seemed + to proceed from spirits of the air; and at the same moment + something whistled about my ears and struck me a smart blow + across the face. With the instinct of a drowning man, I + clutched the <i>lasso</i> that had been thrown to me. Rowley + was at my elbow and seized it also. It was immediately drawn + tight, and by its aid we gained the bank, and began ascending + the side of the barranca, composed of rugged, declivitous + rocks, affording but scanty foot-hold. God grant the lasso may + prove tough! The strain on it is fearful. Rowley is a good + fifteen stone, and I am no feather; and in some parts of our + perilous ascent the rocks are almost as perpendicular and + smooth as a wall of masonry, and we are obliged to cling with + our whole weight to the lasso, which seems to stretch, and + crack, and grow visibly thinner. Nothing but a strip of twisted + cow-hide between us and a frightful agonizing death on the + sharp rocks and in the foaming waters below. But the lasso + holds good, and now the chief peril is past: we get some sort + of footing—a point of rock, or a tree-root to clutch at. + Another strain up this rugged slope of granite, another pull at + the lasso; a leap, a last violent effort, + and—<i>Viva</i>!—we are seized under the arms, + dragged up, held upon our feet for a moment, and then—we + sink exhausted to the ground in the midst of the Tzapotecans, + mules, arrieros, guides, and women, who are sheltered from the + storm in a sort of natural cavern. At the moment at which the + hillock had given way under Rowley and myself, who were a short + distance in rear of the party, the Mexicans had succeeded in + attaining firm footing on a broad rocky ledge, a shelf of the + precipice that flanked the barranca. Upon this ledge, which + gradually widened into a platform, they found themselves in + safety under some projecting crags that sheltered them + completely from the tempest. Thence they looked down upon the + barranca, where they descried Rowley and myself struggling for + our lives in the roaring torrent; and thence, by knotting + several lassos together, they were able to give us the + opportune aid which had rescued us from our desperate + situation. But whether this aid had come soon enough to save + our lives was still a question, or at least for some time + appeared to be so. The life seemed driven out of our bodies by + all we had gone through: we were unable to move a finger, and + lay helpless and motionless, with only a glimmering indistinct + perception, not amounting to consciousness, of what was going + on around us. Fatigue, the fever, the immersion in cold water + when reeking with perspiration, the sufferings of all kinds we + had endured in the course of the last twenty hours, had + completely exhausted and broken us down.</p> + + <p>The storm did not last long in its violence, but swept + onwards, leaving a broad track of desolation behind it. The + Mexicans recommenced their journey, with the exception of four + or five who remained with us and our arrieros and servants. The + village to which we were proceeding was not above a league off; + but even that short distance Rowley and myself were in no + condition to accomplish. The kind-hearted Tzapotecans made us + swallow cordials, stripped off our drenched and tattered + garments, and wrapped us in an abundance of blankets. We fell + into a deep sleep, which lasted all that evening and the + greater part of the night, and so much refreshed us that about + an hour before daybreak we were able to resume our + march—at a slow pace, it is true, and suffering + grievously in every part of our bruised and wounded limbs and + bodies, at each jolt or rough motion of the mules on which we + were clinging, rather than sitting.</p> + + <p>Our path lay over hill and dale, perpetually rising and + falling. We soon got out of the district or zone that had been + swept by the preceding day's hurricane, and after nearly an + hour's ride, we paused on the crest of a steep descent, at the + foot of which, as our guides informed us, lay the land of + promise, the long looked-for <i>rancho</i>. While the muleteers + were seeing to the girths of their beasts, and giving the due + equilibrium to the baggage, before commencing the downward + march, Rowley <span class="pagenum"><a name="page461" + id="page461"></a>[pg 461]</span> and I sat upon our mules, + wrapped in large Mexican <i>capas</i>, gazing at the + morning-star as it sank down and grew gradually paler and + fainter. Suddenly the eastern sky began to brighten, and a + brilliant beam appeared in the west, a point of light no + bigger than a star—but yet not a star; it was of a far + rosier hue. The next moment a second sparkling spot + appeared, near to the first, which now swelled out into a + sort of fiery tongue, that seemed to lick round the silvery + summit of the snow-clad mountain. As we gazed, + five—ten—twenty hill tops were tinged with the + same rose-coloured glow; in another moment they became like + fiery banners spread out against the heavens, while + sparkling tongues and rays of golden light flashed and + flamed round them, springing like meteors from one mountain + summit to another, lighting them up like a succession of + beacons. Scarcely five minutes had elapsed since the distant + pinnacles of the mountains had appeared to us as huge + phantom-like figures of a silvery white, dimly marked out + upon a dark star-spangled ground; now the whole immense + chain blazed like volcanoes covered with glowing lava, + rising out of the darkness that still lingered on their + flanks and bases, visible and wonderful witnesses to the + omnipotence of <i>him</i> who said, "Let there be light, and + there was light."</p> + + <p>Above, all was broad day, flaming sunlight; below, all black + night. Here and there streams of light burst through clefts and + openings in the mountains, and then ensued an extraordinary + kind of conflict. The shades of darkness seemed to live and + move, to struggle against the bright beams that fell amongst + them and broke their masses, forcing them down the wooded + heights, tearing them asunder and dispersing them like tissues + of cobwebs; so that successively, and as if by a stroke of + enchantment, there appeared, first the deep indigo blue of the + tamarinds and chicozapotes, then the bright green of the + sugar-canes, lower down the darker green of the nopal-trees, + lower still the white and green and gold and bright yellow of + the orange and citron groves, and lowest of all, the stately + fan-palms, and date-palms, and bananas; all glittering with + millions of dewdrops, that covered them like a ganze veil + embroidered with diamonds and rubies. And still in the very + next valley all was utter darkness.</p> + + <p>We sat silent and motionless, gazing at this scene of + enchantment.</p> + + <p>Presently the sun rose higher, and a flood of light + illumined the whole valley, which lay some few hundred feet + below us—a perfect garden, such as no northern + imagination could picture forth; a garden of sugar-canes, + cotton, and nopal-trees, intermixed with thickets of + pomegranate and strawberry-trees, and groves of orange, fig, + and lemon, giants of their kind, shooting up to a far greater + height than the oak attains in the States—every tree a + perfect hothouse, a pyramid of flowers, covered with bloom and + blossom to its topmost spray. All was light, and freshness, and + beauty; every object seemed to dance and rejoice in the clear + elastic golden atmosphere. It was an earthly paradise, fresh + from the hand of its Creator, and at first we could discover no + sign of man or his works. Presently, however, we discerned the + village lying almost at our feet, the small stone houses + overgrown with flowers and embedded in trees; so that scarcely + a square foot of roof or wall was to be seen. Even the church + was concealed in a garland of orange-trees, and had lianas and + star-flowered creepers climbing over and dangling on it, up as + high as the slender cross that surmounted its square white + tower. As we gazed, the first sign of life appeared in the + village. A puff of blue smoke rose curling and spiral from a + chimney, and the matin bell rang out its summons to prayer. Our + Mexicans fell on their knees and crossed themselves, repeating + their Ave-marias. We involuntarily took off our hats, and + whispered a thanksgiving to the God who had been with us in the + hour of peril, and was now so visible to us in his works.</p> + + <p>The Mexicans rose from their knees.</p> + + <p>"<i>Vamos! Senores,</i>" said one of them, laying his hand + on the bridle of my mule. "To the <i>rancho</i>, to + breakfast."</p> + + <p>We rode slowly down into the valley.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_4_1" + name="fn_4_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_4_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>The nigua is a small but very dangerous insect which + fixes itself in the feet, bores holes in the skin, and lays + its eggs there. These, if not extracted, (which extraction + by the by is a most painful operation) cause first an + intolerable itching, and subsequently sores and ulcers of a + sufficiently serious nature to entail the loss of the + feet.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page462" + id="page462"></a>[pg 462]</span> <a name="fleet" + id="fleet"></a> + + <h2>THE BRITISH FLEET.<a id="fn_5_tag1" + name="fn_5_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_5_1"><sup>1</sup></a></h2> + + <p>Were the question proposed to us, What is the most + extraordinary, complete, and effective instance of skill, + contrivance, science, and power, ever combined by man? we + should unhesitatingly answer, an English line-of-battle ship. + Take the model of a 120 gun ship—large as it may be for a + floating body, its space is not great. For example, it is not + half the ordinary size of a nobleman's mansion; yet that ship + carries a thousand men with convenience, and lodges them day + and night, with sufficient room for the necessary distinctions + of obedience and command—has separate apartments for the + admiral and the captain, for the different ranks of officers, + and even for the different ranks of seamen—separate + portions below decks for the sleeping of the crew, the dining + of the officers, and the receptacle for the sick and wounded. + Those thousand men are to be fed three times a-day, and + provisions for four months are to be stowed. One hundred and + twenty cannon, some of them of the heaviest metal, are to be + carried; and room is to be found for all the weight of shot and + quantities of powder, with other missiles, rockets, and signal + fires, necessary for service. Besides this, room is to be + provided for the stowage of fresh rigging, sails, ropes, + cables, and yards, to replace those lost by accident, battle, + or wear and tear. Besides this, too, there is to be a provision + for the hospital. So far for the mere necessaries of the ship. + Then we are to regard the science; for nothing can be more + essential than the skill and the instruments of the navigator, + as nothing can be more fatal than a scientific error, a false + calculation, or a remission of vigilance. We shall do no more + than allude to the habits of command essential to keep a + thousand of these rough and daring spirits in order, and that, + too, an order of the most implicit, steady, and active kind; + nor to their knowledge of tactics, and conduct in battle. The + true definition of the line-of-battle ship being, a floating + regiment of artillery in a barrack, which, at the beat of a + drum, may be turned into a field of battle, or, at the command + of government, may be sent flying on the wings of the wind + round the world. We think that we have thus established our + proposition. If not, let any thing else be shown which exhibits + the same quantity of power <i>packed</i> within the same space; + and that power, too, increasing daily by new contrivances of + stowage and building, by new models of guns, and new inventions + in machinery. England is at this moment building two hundred + steam-ships, with guns of a calibre to which all the past were + trifling, with room for a regiment of land troops besides their + crews, and with the known power of defying wind and wave, and + throwing an army in full equipment for the field, within a few + days, on any coast of Europe.</p> + + <p>It is remarkable that the use of the navy, as a great branch + of the military power of England, had been scarcely + contemplated until the last century. Though the sea-coast of + England, the largest of any European state, and the national + habits of an insular country, might have pointed out this + direction for the national energies from the earliest period, + yet England was a kingdom for five hundred years before she + seems to have thought of the use of ships as an instrument of + public power. In the long war with France during the fourteenth + and fifteenth centuries, the ships were almost wholly + mercantile; and, when employed in wars, were chiefly employed + as transports to throw our troops on the French soil. It was + the reign of Elizabeth, that true birth of the progress of + England, that first developed the powers of an armed navy. The + Spanish invasion forced the country to meet the Armada by means + like its own; and the triumph, though won by a higher agency, + and due to the winds and waves, or rather to the Supreme + Providence which watched over the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page463" + id="page463"></a>[pg 463]</span> land of Protestantism, + awoke the nation to the true faculty of defence; and from + that period alone could the burden of the fine national song + be realized, and Britain was to "rule the main." The + expeditions against the Spanish West Indies, and the new + ardour of discovery in regions where brilliant fable lent + its aid to rational curiosity, carried on the process of + naval power. The war against Holland, under Charles II., + though disastrous and impolitic, showed at least that the + fleet of England was the true arm of its strength; and the + humiliation of the only rival of her commerce at once taught + her where the sinews of war lay, and by what means the + foundations of naval empire were to be laid. But it was not + until the close of the last century that the truth came + before the nation in its full form. The American war—a + war of skirmishes—had its direct effect, perhaps its + providential purpose, in compelling England to prepare for + the tremendous collision which was so soon to follow, and + which was to be the final security of the Continent itself. + It was then, for the first time, that the nation was driven + to the use of a navy on a great scale. The war, lying on the + western shore of an ocean, made the use of naval armaments + necessary to every operation. The treacherous hostility of + the French cabinet, and the unfortunate subserviency of + Spain to that treachery, made corresponding energy on the + part of England a matter of public demand; and when France + and Spain sent out fleets of a magnitude till then unknown, + England was urged to follow their example. The defeats of + the combined navies excited the nation to still more + vigorous efforts; and the war closed with so full a + demonstration of the matchless importance of a great navy to + England, that the public feeling was fixed on giving it the + largest contribution of the national confidence.</p> + + <p>The time was at hand when the trial was to involve every + interest of England and mankind. The first grand struggle of + revolutionary France with England was to be on the seas; and + the generation of naval officers who had been reared in the + American war, then rising into vigour, trained by its + experience, and stimulated by its example, gallantly maintained + the honour of their country. A succession of sanguinary battles + followed, each on the largest scale, and each closing in + British victory; until the republic, in despair, abandoned the + fatal element, and tied her fortunes in the easier conflicts of + the land. The accession of Napoleon renewed the struggle for + naval supremacy, until one vast blow extinguished his hopes and + his navy at Trafalgar. Peace now exists, and long may it exist! + but France is rapidly renewing her navy, taking every + opportunity of exercising its strength, and especially + patronising the policy of founding those colonies which it idly + imagines to be the source of British opulence. But whether the + wisdom of Louis Philippe limits the protection of French trade + to the benefits which commerce may confer on his vast kingdom, + or looks forward to the support which a mercantile navy may + give to a warlike one, we must not sleep on our posts. The life + of any individual is brief on a national scale; and his + successor, whether regent or republican, may be as hot-headed, + rash, and ambitious, as this great monarch has shown himself + rational, prudent, and peaceful. We must prepare for all + chances; and our true preparation must be, a fleet that may + defy all.</p> + + <p>It is a remarkable instance of the slowness with which + science advances, that almost the whole scientific portion of + seamanship has grown up since the middle of the seventeenth + century, though America had been reached in 1492, and India in + 1496; and thus the world had been nearly rounded before what + would now be regarded as the ordinary knowledge of a navigator + had been acquired. England has the honour of making the first + advances. It was an Englishman, Norwood, who made the first + measurement of a degree between London and York, and fixed it + at 122,399 English yards. The attention of the world thus once + awakened, Huygens and Cassini applied themselves to ascertain + the figure of the earth. The first experiments of the French + <i>savans</i> were in contradiction to Newton's theory of the + flattening of the poles; but the controversy was the means of + exciting new <span class="pagenum"><a name="page464" + id="page464"></a>[pg 464]</span> interest. The eyes of the + scientific world were turned more intently on the subject. + New experiments were made, which corrected the old; and + finally, on the measurement of the arc in Peru, and in the + north, truth and Newton triumphed, and the equatorial + diameter was found to exceed the polar by a two hundred and + fourth part of the whole. This was perhaps the finest + problem ever solved by science; the most perplexing in its + early state—exhibiting for a while the strongest + contradiction of experiment and theory, occupying in a + greater degree the attention of philosophers than any before + or since, and finally established with a certainty which + every subsequent observation has only tended to confirm. And + this triumph belonged to an Englishman.</p> + + <p>The investigation by measurements has since been largely + adopted. In 1787, joint commissions were issued by England and + France to connect the Greenwich and Parisian observations. Arcs + of the meridian have since been measured across the whole + breadth of France and Spain, and also near the Arctic circle, + and in the Indian peninsula.</p> + + <p>In navigation, the grand point for the sailor is to + ascertain his latitude and longitude; in other words, to know + where he is. The discovery of the latitude is easily effected + by the quadrant, but the longitude is the difficulty. Any means + which ascertained the hour at Greenwich, at the instant of + making a celestial observation in any other part, would answer + the difficulty; for the difference in quarters of an hour would + give the difference of the degrees. But clocks could not be + used on shipboard, and the best watches failed to keep the + time. In the reign of Anne, Parliament offered a reward of L. + 5000, perhaps not far from the value of twice the sum in the + present day, for a watch within a certain degree of accuracy. + Harrison, a watchmaker, sent in a watch which came within the + limits, losing but two minutes in a voyage to the West Indies; + yet even this was an error of thirty miles.</p> + + <p>But, though chronometers have since been considerably + improved, there are difficulties in their preservation in good + order which have made it expedient to apply to other means; and + the lunar tables of Mayer of Gottingen, formed in 1755, and + subsequently improved by Dr Maskelyne and others, have brought + the error within seven miles and a half.</p> + + <p>Improvements of a very important order have also taken place + in the mariner's compass; the variation of the needle has been + reduced to rules, and some anomalies arising from the metallic + attraction of the ship itself, have been corrected by Professor + Barlow's experiments. The use of the marine barometer and + thermometer have also largely assisted to give notice of + tempests; and some ingenious theories have been lately formed, + which, promising to give a knowledge of the origin and nature + of tempests, are obviously not unlikely to assist the navigator + in stemming their violence, or escaping them altogether.</p> + + <p>The construction of ships for both the merchant and the + public service has undergone striking improvements within this + century. Round sterns, for the defence of a vessel engaged with + several opponents at once; compartments in the hold, for + security against leaks; iron tanks for water, containing twice + the quantity, and keeping it free from the impurities of casks; + a better general stowage; provisions prepared so as to remain + almost fresh during an East Indian voyage; every means of + preserving health, suggested by science, and succeeding to the + most remarkable degree; a more intelligent system of + shipbuilding, and a constant series of experiments on the + shape, stowage, and sailing of ships, are among the beneficial + changes of later times. But the one great + change—steam—will probably swallow up all the rest, + and form a new era in shipbuilding, in navigation, in the power + and nature of a navy, and in the comfort, safety, and + protection of the crews in actual engagement. The use of steam + is still so palpably in its infancy, yet that infancy is so + gigantic, that it is equally difficult to say what it may yet + become, and to limit its progress. It will have the one obvious + advantage to mankind in general, of making the question of war + turn more than ever on the financial and mechanical resources + of a people; and thus increasing + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page465" + id="page465"></a>[pg 465]</span> the necessity for + commercial opulence and intellectual exertion. It may expose + nations more to each other's attacks; but it will render + hostility more dreaded, because more dangerous. On the + whole, like the use of gunpowder, which made a Tartar war + impossible, and which rapidly tended to civilize Europe, + steam appears to be intended as a further step in the same + high process, in which force is to be put down by + intelligence, and success, even in war, is to depend on the + industry of peace; thus, in fact, providing a perpetual + restriction on the belligerent propensities of nations, and + urging the uncivilized, by necessity, to own the + superiority, and follow the example of the civilized, by + knowledge, habit, and principle.</p> + + <p>It is not to be forgotten, even in this general and brief + view of the values of the British fleet, that it has, within + these few years, assumed a new character as an instrument of + war. The Syrian campaign, the shortest, and, beyond all + comparison, the most brilliant on record, if we are to estimate + military distinction, not only by the gallantry of the + conflict, but by the results of the victory—this + campaign, which at once finished the war in Syria, gave peace + to Turkey, reduced Egypt to obedience, rescued the sultan from + Russian influence, and Egypt from French; or rather rescued all + Europe from the collision of England, France, and Russia; and + even, by the evidence of our naval capabilities, taught + American faction the wisdom of avoiding hostilities—this + grand operation was effected by a small portion of the British + navy, well commanded, directed to the right point, and acting + with national energy. The three hours' cannonade of Acre, the + most effective achievement in the annals of war, exhibited a + new use of a ship's broadside; for, though ships' guns had + often battered forts before, it was the first instance of a + <i>fleet</i> employed in attack, and fully overpowering all + opposition. The attack on Algiers was the only exploit of a + similar kind; but its success was limited, and the result was + so far disastrous, that it at once fixed the eye of France on + the invasion of Algiers, and disabled and disheartened the + native government from vigorous resistance. The victory of the + fleet at Acre will also have the effect of changing the whole + system of defence in fortresses and cities exposed to the + sea.</p> + + <p>But a still further advance in the employment of fleets as + an instrument of hostilities, has since occurred in the Chinese + war—their simultaneous operation with troops. In former + assaults of fortresses, the troops and ships attacked the same + line of defence, and the consequence was the waste of force. + From the moment when the troops approached the land, the fire + of the ships necessarily ceased, and the fleet then remained + spectators of the assault. But in this war, while the troops + attacked on the land side, the fleet ran up to the sea + batteries, and both attacks went on together—of course + dividing the attention of the enemy, thus having a double + chance of success, and employing both arms of the service in + full energy. This masterly combination the Duke of Wellington, + the highest military authority in Europe, pronounced to be a + new principle in war; and even this is, perhaps, only the + beginning of a system of combination which will lead to new + victories, if war should ever unhappily return.</p> + + <p>We now revert to the history of a naval hero.</p> + + <p>John Jervis, the second son of Swynfen Jervis, Esq., was + born on the 20th of January 1735. He was descended, on both the + paternal and maternal side, from families which had figured in + the olden times of England. The family of Jervis possessed + estates in Staffordshire as far back as the reign of Edward + III. The family of Swynfen was also long established in + Worcestershire. John Swynfen was a public character during the + troubled times of Charles I. and Cromwell, and until a late + period in the reign of Charles II. He had been originally a + strong Parliamentarian; but, thinking that the party went too + far, he was turned out of parliament for tardiness by the + Protector. But his original politics adhered to him still; for, + even after the restoration, he was joined with Hampden, the + grandson of the celebrated patriot, in drawing up the Bill of + Exclusion. Among his ancestors by the mother's side was Sir + John Turton, a judge in the Court of King's + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page466" + id="page466"></a>[pg 466]</span> Bench, married to a + daughter of the brave Colonel Samuel Moore, who made the + memorable defence of Hopton Castle in the Civil War.</p> + + <p>But no man less regarded ancestry than the subject of the + present pages, who, in writing with reference to his pedigree, + observed, in his usual frank and straightforward + language—"They were all highly respectable; but, <i>et + genus et proavos</i>, nearly all the Latin I now recollect, + always struck my ear as the sound maxim for officers and + statesmen."</p> + + <p>His first school was at Burton-upon-Trent, where a slight + incident seemed to designate his future politics and fortitude. + In 1745, when the Pretender marched into the heart of the + kingdom, without being joined by his friends or opposed by his + enemies, as Gibbon antithetically observed, all the boys at the + school, excepting young Jervis and Dick Meux, (afterwards the + eminent brewer,) wore plaid ribands sent to them from home, and + they pelted their two constitutional playmates, calling them + Whigs.</p> + + <p>His father designed young Jervis for the law; but, in 1747, + removing to Greenwich on being appointed Counsel to the + Admiralty and Auditor to the Hospital, naval sights were too + near not to prove a strong temptation to the mind of an + animated and vigorous boy. His parents were still strongly for + the adoption of his father's profession; but there was another + authority on the subject, the family coachman, one Pinkhorne, + who, saying that it was a shame to go into a profession where + all were rogues, determined the future hero; and, before the + year was over, he ran away, to commence life as a sailor. He + was reclaimed, however, by his family, and was regularly + entered in the navy, in January 1748, on board the Gloucester, + fifty guns, Commodore Townshend—twenty pounds being all + that was given to him by his father for his equipment. The + Gloucester sailed for the West Indies; and thus, at the age of + thirteen, young Jervis began the world. It appears that the + rigid economy of his father, combined with the singular good + sense of this mere child, urged him to every means of acquiring + the knowledge of his profession. The monotonous life of a + guard-ship already seemed to him a waste of time, while the + expenses on shore must have been ruinous to his slender + finances. He therefore volunteered into whatever ship was going + to sea. He thus writes to his sister from on board the Sphinx, + 1753:—"There are many entertainments and public + assemblies here, but they are rather above my sphere, many + inconveniences and expenses attending them; so that my chief + employ, when from my duty, is reading, studying navigation, and + perusing my own letters, of which I have almost enough to make + an octavo volume."</p> + + <p>At length, however, his twenty pounds were exhausted; and, + at the end of three years, he drew for twenty pounds more. It + is vexatious to say that his bill was dishonoured; and he never + received another shilling from any one. It is scarcely possible + to conceive that so harsh a measure could have been the result + of intention; but it subjected this extraordinary boy to the + severest privations. To take up the dishonoured bill, he was + obliged to effect his discharge from one ship into another, so + as to obtain his pay tickets, which he sold at forty per cent + discount. His remaining six years on the station were spent in + the exercise of a severe economy, and the endurance even of + severe suffering. He was compelled to sell all his bedding, and + sleep on the bare deck. He had no other resource than, + generally, to make and mend, and always to wash, his own + clothes. He never afforded himself any fresh meat; and even the + fruit and vegetables, which are so necessary and so cheap, he + could obtain only by barter from the negroes, for the small + share of provisions which he could subduct from his own + allowance. True as all this doubtless is, it reflects more + severely on the captain and officers of his own ship, than even + upon his parents. The latter, on the other side of the + Atlantic, might have no knowledge of his difficulties; but that + those who saw his sufferings from day to day could have allowed + them to continue, argues a degree of negligence and inhumanity, + of which we hope that no present instance occurs in our navy, + and which at any period would appear incomprehensible. + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page467" + id="page467"></a>[pg 467]</span> In 1754, young Jervis + returned to England, and passed his examination for + lieutenant with great credit.</p> + + <p>The commencement of the war with France was, like the + commencement of English wars in general, disastrous. We seldom + make due preparation. Fleets inferior to the enemy in equipment + and number, are sent out on the emergency; detachments of + troops are sent where armies should have gone; and thus victory + itself is without effect. Thus for a year or two we continue + blundering if not beaten, and angry with our generals and + admirals for failing to do impossibilities. At last the nation + becomes fairly roused; the success of the enemy makes exertion + necessary; their insolence inflames the popular indignation; a + great effort is made; a triumph is obtained, and a peace + follows, which might have been accomplished half a dozen years + before, at a tenth part of the expense in blood and treasure + which it cost to consummate the war. Our troops under Braddock, + a brave fool, were beaten by the French and Indians in America. + Our Mediterranean fleet was baffled under the unfortunate + command of Byng. Minorca was taken before our eyes, and the + naval and military stars of England seem to have gone down + together. Yet this era of national dishonour and public disgust + was followed by the three years of Chatham's administration, a + period of triumph that equaled the campaigns of Marlborough at + the commencement of the century, and was scarcely eclipsed even + by the splendours that followed its close.</p> + + <p>The skill and talent of young Jervis had already given him + distinction among the rising officers of the feet. He had + become a favourite with Admiral Saunders, was taken with him + from ship to ship; and when the admiral was recalled from the + Mediterranean to take the command of the naval force destined + to co-operate in the attack on Quebec, by the heroic and + lamented General Wolfe, young Jervis was selected to be first + lieutenant of the Prince, which bore the admiral's flag. On the + passage out, the general and his aide-de-camp, Captain, + afterwards the well-known Colonel Barré, were guests on + board the Prince, and of course Jervis had the advantage of + their intelligent society. In February 1759, the fleet sailed + from England, and in June proceeded from Louisburg to the St + Lawrence. Lieutenant Jervis was now appointed to the command of + the Porcupine sloop; and on the general requesting a naval + force to escort his transports past Quebec, the Porcupine was + ordered by the admiral to lead. The service was one of extreme + difficulty; for the attempt to sound the channel the day before + had failed, though it was made by the master of the fleet, + Cook, afterwards the celebrated navigator. The winds suddenly + falling calm, prevented the Porcupine from reaching her + station. A heavy fire was instantly opened upon her from every + gun that could be brought to bear, and the army were in terror + of her being destroyed, for the general was on board. But + Jervis's skill was equal to his gallantry; he hoisted out his + boats, cheered his men through the fire, and brought his ship + to her station.</p> + + <p>A little incident occurred on the night before the memorable + engagement, which even at this distance of time is of painful + interest, but which shows the confidence reposed in the young + naval officer by the hero of Quebec. After the orders for the + assault next day were given, Wolfe requested a private + interview with him; and saying that he had the strongest + presentiment of falling on the field, yet that he should fall + in victory, he took from his bosom the miniature of a young + lady to whom he was attached, gave it to Jervis, desiring that, + if the foreboding came to pass, he should return it to her on + his arrival in England. Wolfe's gallant fate and brilliant + victory are known: the picture was delivered to Miss + Lowther.</p> + + <p>After the capture of Quebec, Jervis was dispatched to + England; and was appointed to the Scorpion, to carry out + important despatches to General Amherst. On this occasion, he + gave an instance of that remarkable promptitude which + characterised him throughout his whole career. The Scorpion was + in such a crazy state that she had nearly foundered between + Spithead and Plymouth. On reaching + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page468" + id="page468"></a>[pg 468]</span> the latter port, and + representing at once the condition of the vessel and the + importance of the despatches, the port-admiral instantly + ordered him to proceed to sea in the Albany, a sloop in the + Sound. But the Albany had been a long time in commission; + her people claimed arrears of pay; and by no means relishing + a voyage across the Atlantic in such weather, they + absolutely refused to heave the anchor. Their young + commander first tried remonstrance, but in vain; he then + took a more effectual means—he ordered his boat's + crew, whom he had brought from the Scorpion, to take their + hatchets and cut the cables, and then go aloft to loosen the + foresail. Perceiving the kind of man with whom they had to + do, the crew submitted, and the Albany instantly proceeded + to sea: the ringleaders were punished; and the service was + performed. The Albany made New York in twenty-four days.</p> + + <p>In October 1761, Commander Jervis was made Post, into the + Gosport of 60 guns. Among his midshipmen was the afterwards + Admiral Lord Keith. In 1762, peace was made. The Gosport was + paid off next year, and Captain Jervis did not serve again + until 1769, when he commanded the Alarm of 32 guns for the next + three years.</p> + + <p>A striking incident occurred during the cruise of this + vessel in the Mediterranean, exhibiting not only the spirit of + her captain, but the historic recollections by which that + spirit was sustained. One Sunday afternoon, the day after her + arrival at Genoa, two Turkish slaves, in enjoyment of the + holiday's rest from labour, sauntered from their galley near + the mole. Seeing the Alarm's boat, they jumped into her, + wrapped themselves in the British colours, and exclaimed, "We + are free!" The Genoese officer on duty, however, ordered them + to be dragged out, which was done, though one of them tore away + in his struggle a piece of the boat's pendant. On the + circumstance reaching the captain's ears he was indignant, and + demanded instant reparation. To use his own language:—"I + required," said he, "of the Doge and Senate, that both the + slaves should be brought on board, with the part of the torn + pendant which the slave carried off with him; the officer of + the guard punished; and an apology made on the quarterdeck of + the Alarm, under the king's colours, for the outrage offered to + the British nation."</p> + + <p>On the following Tuesday this was complied with in all the + particulars; but, unhappily, the government at home did not + exhibit the spirit of their gallant officer abroad; and in a + letter which he addressed to his brother he says:—"<i>I + had an opportunity of carrying the British flag, in relation to + two Turkish slaves, as high as Blake had ever done</i>, for + which I am publicly censured; though I hope we have too much + virtue left, for me not to be justified in private."</p> + + <p>The result, however, of this transaction was, that for many + years afterwards, in the Barbary states, if a slave could but + touch the British colours, which all our men-of-war's boats + carry in foreign ports, he could of right demand his release. + This, however, was counteracted as far as possible by the + renewed vigilance of the Moors, who kept all their slaves out + of sight while a British flag flew in the harbour. The allusion + to the famous Blake shows with what studies the young officer + fed his mind, and in how high a spirit he was prepared to adopt + them.</p> + + <p>Another instance of his skill and intrepidity soon followed. + In March 1770, the frigate, after a tempestuous cruise, came to + anchor at Marseilles. An equinoctial gale came on, and after + two days of desperate exertion, and throwing many of the guns + overboard, the frigate was driven from her anchors, stranded on + a reef of rocks, and the crew in such peril that they were + saved only by the most extraordinary exertions, and the + assistance of the people on shore. The port officer, M. de + Peltier, exhibited great kindness and activity, and the ship + was rapidly repaired, but with such an exact economy, that its + complete refit, with the expense of the crew for three months, + amounted only to £1415.</p> + + <p>The first act of this excellent son was to write to his + father:—"Do not be alarmed, my dear sir, at the newspaper + accounts which you will hear of the Alarm. The interposition + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page469" + id="page469"></a>[pg 469]</span> of Divine Providence has + miraculously preserved her. The same Providence will, I + hope, give long life to my dear father, mother, and + brother."</p> + + <p>In July he wrote to his sister from Mahon, after the repairs + of the vessel:—"The Alarm is the completest thing I ever + saw on the water, insomuch that I forgot she was the other day, + in the opinion of most beholders, her own officers and crew not + excepted, a miserable sunken wreck. Such is the reward of + perseverance. Happily for my reputation, my health at that + period happened to be equal to the task, or I had been lost for + ever, instead of receiving continual marks of public and + private approbation of my conduct; but this is <i>entre + nous</i>. I never speak or write on the subject except to those + I most love. You will easily believe Barrington to be one; his + goodness to me is romantic."</p> + + <p>It is gratifying to state, that the English Admiralty, on + the young captain's warm representation of the French + superintendent, M. de Peltier's hospitality and kindness, sent + a handsome piece of plate in public acknowledgment to that + officer; and, as if to make the compliment perfect in all its + parts, as it arrived before the frigate had left the station, + the captain had the indulgence of presenting it in person; thus + making, as his letter to his father mentioned, "the family of + Pleville de Peltier happy beyond description."</p> + + <p>The frigate was soon after paid off, and as there was no + probability of his being speedily employed, he applied himself + to gain every species of knowledge connected with his + profession. We strongly doubt whether the example of this + rising officer is not even more important when we regard him in + peace than in the activity and daring of war. There is no want + of courage and conduct in the British fleet; but life on shore + offers too many temptations to indolence, to be always turned + to the use of which it is capable. Captain Jervis, on the + contrary, appears always to have regarded life on shore + preparatory to life afloat, and to be constantly employed in + laying up knowledge for those emergencies which so often occur + in the bold and perilous life of the sailor. There is often + something like a predictive spirit in the early career of great + men, which urges them to make provision for greatness; and + remote as is the condition of a captain of a smart frigate from + the commander of fleets, yet the captain of the Alarm, though + the least ostentatious of men, seems always to have had a + glance towards the highest duties of the British admiral. + "Time," says Franklin, "is the stuff that life is made of;" and + as France is the antagonist with which the power of England + naturally expects to struggle, his first object was to acquire + all possible knowledge of the naval means of France. The + primary step was to acquire a knowledge of the language. + Accordingly, he went to France, and placed himself in a + <i>pension</i>. There he applied himself so closely to the + study of the language, that his health became out of order, and + his family requested him to return. But this he declined, and + in his answer said that he had adopted this pursuit on the best + view a military man in his situation could form. "For it will + always," said he, "be useful to have a general idea of this + prevalent language, and a knowledge of the country with which + we have so long contended, and which must ever be our rival in + arms and commerce."</p> + + <p>Having accomplished his object of acquiring sufficient + fluency in speaking French, his next excursion was to St + Petersburg. He and Captain Barrington went in a merchant + vessel, and reached Cronstadt. While at sea, Captain Jervis + kept a regular log. During the voyage, all the headlands are + described, all the soundings noted, and every opportunity to + test and correct the charts adopted. As an example, he remarks + on the castle of Cronenburg, which guards the entrance into the + Sound, that it may be overlooked by a line-of-battle ship, + which may anchor in good ground as near the beach as she + pleases. He remarks the two channels leading to Copenhagen, + puts all the lighthouses down on his own chart, and lays down + all the approaches to St Petersburg accurately; "because," said + he, "I find all the charts are incorrect, and it may be + useful." And he actually did find it useful; for when he was at + the head of the Admiralty, this knowledge enabled him, while + his colleagues <span class="pagenum"><a name="page470" + id="page470"></a>[pg 470]</span> hesitated, to give his + orders confidently to Sir Charles Pole, in command of the + Baltic fleet. His sojourn at St Petersburg was but brief; + but it was at a time of remarkable excitement. The Empress + Catharine was at the height of her splendour, a legislator + and a conqueror, and surrounded by a court exhibiting all + the daring and dashing characters of her vast empire. His + description of this celebrated woman's character on one + public occasion, shows the exactness with which he observed + every thing:—"When she entered the cathedral, + Catharine mingled her salutations to the saints and the + people, showing at once her compliance with religious + ceremonials, and her attentions to her servants and the + foreign ambassadors. But she showed no devotion, in which + she was not singular, old people and Cossack officers + excepted. During the sermon she took occasion to smile and + nod to those whom she meant to gratify; and surely no + sovereign ever possessed the power of pleasing all within + her eye to the degree she did. She was dressed in the + Guards' uniform, which was a scarlet pelisse, and a green + silk robe lapelled from top to bottom. Her hair was combed + neatly, and boxed <i>en militaire</i>, with a small cap, and + an ornament of diamonds in front; a blue riband, and the + order of St Andrew on her right shoulder."</p> + + <p>He speaks of the empress excelling in that inclination of + the body which the Russian ladies substitute for the curtsy, + and which he justly regards as very becoming, the empress + adding dignity and grace. He describes Orloff as an herculean + figure, finely proportioned, with a cheerful eye, and, for a + Russian, a good complexion: Potemkin as having stature and + shoulders, but being ill limbed and of a most forbidding + countenance. His examination of the Russian dockyards, naval + armament, and general style of shipbuilding, was most exact; + and he records in his notes his having seen, in the naval + arsenals of Norway, sheds to cover ships on the stocks—an + important arrangement, which was afterwards claimed as an + invention at home.</p> + + <p>After inspecting the harbours of Sweden and Norway, the + travellers returned by Holland, where they made similar + investigations. In the following year they renewed their tour + of inspection, and traversed the western parts of France. And + this active pursuit of knowledge was carried on without any + pecuniary assistance beyond his half-pay. He had hitherto made + no prize-money. "To be sure," he said in after days, "we + sometimes did fare rather roughly; but what signifies that now? + my object was attained."</p> + + <p>His character was now high, but it is to be presumed that he + had some powerful interest; for on his return he was appointed + to two line-of-battle ships in succession, the Kent, 74, and + the Foudroyant, 84, a French prize, and reckoned the finest + two-decker in the navy.</p> + + <p>From this period a new scene opened before him, and his + career became a part of the naval history of England. In 1778 + he joined the Channel fleet, and his ship was placed by the + celebrated Keppel as one of his seconds in the order of battle, + and immediately astern of the admiral's ship, the Victory, on + the 27th of July, in the drawn battle off Ushant with the + French fleet commanded by D'Orvilliers. The people of England + are not content with drawn battles, and the result of this + action produced a general uproar. Keppel threw the blame on the + tardiness of Sir Hugh Palliser, the second in command. Palliser + retorted, and the result was a court-martial on the commander + of the fleet; which, however, ended in a triumphant acquittal. + It was not generally known that Keppel's defence, which was + admired as a model of intelligence, and even of eloquence, was + drawn up by Captain Jervis. The transaction, though so long + passed away, is not yet beyond discussion; and there is still + some interest in knowing the opinion of so powerful a mind on + the general subject. It was thus given in a private letter to + his friend Jackson:—"I do not agree that we were + outwitted. The French, I am convinced, never would have fought + us if they had not been surprised into it by a sudden flow of + wind; and when they formed their inimitable line after our + brush, it was merely to cover their intention of flight."</p> + + <p>He then gives one of those comprehensive maxims which + already show <span class="pagenum"><a name="page471" + id="page471"></a>[pg 471]</span> the experienced + "admiral:"—"I have often told you that two fleets of + equal force can never produce decisive events, unless they + are equally determined to fight it out, or the + commander-in-chief of one of them misconducts his line." We + have then an instance of that manly feeling which is one of + the truest characteristics of greatness, and yet which has + been deficient in some very remarkable men.</p> + + <p>"I perceive," says he, "it is the fashion of people to puff + themselves. For my part, I forbade my officers to write by the + frigate that carried the despatches. I did not write a syllable + myself, except touching my health; nor shall I, but to state + the intrepidity of the officers and people under my command, + (through the most infernal fire I ever saw or heard,) to Lord + Sandwich," (first lord of the Admiralty.) But one cannot feel + the merit of this self-denial without a glance at his actual + hazards and services during the battle.</p> + + <p>"In justice to the Foudroyant," he thus ends his letter, "I + must observe to you, that though she received the fire of + seventeen sail, and had the Bretagne, Ville de Paris, and a + seventy-four on her at the same time, and appeared more + disabled in her masts and rigging than any other ship, she was + the first in the line of battle, and truly fitter for business, + in essentials, (because her people were cool,) than when she + began. <i>Keep this to yourself</i>, unless you hear too much + said in praise of others.</p> + + <p style="text-align: right;">"J.J."</p> + + <p>The national wrath was poured on Sir Hugh Palliser, Keppel's + second in command, whose tardiness in obeying signals was + charged as the cause of the French escape; so strong had + already become the national assurance that a British fleet + could go forth only to victory. But the succession of + courts-martial cleared up nothing except the characters of the + two admirals. Palliser was enabled to show that his ship had + suffered so much from the enemy's fire as to be at least + (plausibly) unfit for close action, and the whole dispute on + land closed, like the naval conflict, in a drawn battle. Jervis + was the chief witness for Keppel, as serving next his ship; and + his testimony was of the highest order to the gallantry, skill, + and perseverance of the admiral. But Palliser was acknowledged + to be brave; and it is evident from Jervis's personal opinion, + that when it was once the object of the enemy's commander to + get away, it was next to impossible to have prevented his + escape.</p> + + <p>But these were trying times for the British navy: it was + scarcely acquainted with its own strength; the nation, + disgusted with the nature of the American war, refused its + sympathy; without that sympathy ministers could do nothing + effectual, and never can do any thing effectual. The character + of the cabinet was feebleness, the spirit of the metropolis was + faction; the king, though one of the best of men, was + singularly unpopular; and the war became a system of feeble + defence against arrogant and increasing hostilities. France, + powerful as she was, became more powerful by the national + exultation—the frenzied rejoicing in the success of + American revolt—and the revived hope of European + supremacy in a nation which had been broken down since the days + of Marlborough; a crush which had been felt in every sinew of + France for a hundred angry years. Spain, always strong, but + unable to use her strength, had now given it in to the training + of discipline; and the combined fleets presented a display of + force, which, in the haughty language of the Tuileries, was + formed to sweep the seas.</p> + + <p>The threat was put in rapid and unexpected execution. The + combined fleet moved up the Channel; and to the surprise, the + sorrow, and the indignation of England, the British fleet, + under Sir Charles Hardy, was seen making, what could only be + called "a dignified retreat." The Foudroyant, on that + melancholy occasion, had been astern of the Victory, the + admiral's ship. If Jervis had been admiral, he would have tried + the fate of battle—and he would have done right. No + result of a battle could have been so painful to the national + feelings, or so injurious in its effects on the feelings of + Europe, as that retreat. If the whole British fleet on that + occasion had perished, its gallantry would have only raised a + new spirit of worth and power in the nation; and England has + resources that, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page472" + id="page472"></a>[pg 472]</span> when once fully called into + exertion, are absolutely unconquerable. But that was a + dishonour; and even now we can echo the feelings of the + brave and high-minded young officer, who was condemned to + share in the disgrace. He writes to his sister, as if to + relieve the fulness of his heart at the moment—"I am + in the most humbled state of mind I ever experienced, from + the retreat we have made before the combined fleets all + <i>yesterday</i> and <i>this morning</i>." The Admiralty + ultimately gave the retreating admiral an official + certificate of good behaviour, "their high approbation of + Sir Charles Hardy's wise and prudent conduct;" but "gallant + and bold conduct" would have been a better testimonial. The + truth seems to be, that the Admiralty, blamable themselves + in sending him to sea with an inadequate force, and scarcely + expecting to escape if they had suffered him to lie under + the charge, were glad to avail themselves of his personal + character as a man of known bravery; and thus quash a + process which must finally have brought them before the + tribunal. But let naval officers remember, that the officer + who fights is the officer of the nation. Nelson's maxim is + unanswerable—"The captain cannot be mistaken who lays + his ship alongside the enemy."</p> + + <p>This, too, was a period of cabinet revolutions. No + favouritism can sustain a ministry which has become disgustful + to the nation. Lord North, though ingenious, dexterous, and + long enough in possession of power to have filled all its + offices with his dependents, was driven from the premiership + with such a storm of national contempt, that he could scarcely + be sheltered by the curtains of the throne. Lord Rockingham, a + dull minister, was transformed into a brilliant one by his + contrast with the national weariness of Lord North; and it fell + to the lot of Captain Jervis to give the country the first omen + of returning victory. France had already combined Holland in + her alliance, and the French minister, already made insolent by + his triumph in the Channel, had determined on a blow in a + quarter where English interests were most vulnerable, and where + the assault was least expected. A squadron of French + line-of-battle ships, convoying a fleet of transports, were + prepared for an expedition to the East Indies.</p> + + <p>The preparations for the combined movement were on an + immense scale. The fleets of France, Spain, and Holland were + again to sweep the Channel; and while the attention of the + British fleets was thus engrossed, the Eastern expedition was + to sail from Brest. The Admiralty, in order to counteract, or + at least delay, this formidable movement, immediately + dispatched Admiral Barrington, with twelve sail of the line, to + cruise in the bay of Biscay. On the 18th of April the French + expedition sailed, and on the 20th, when Admiral Barrington had + reached a few leagues beyond Ushant, the Artois frigate + signaled a hostile fleet, but could not discover their flag or + numbers. The signal being made for a general chase, the + Foudroyant, Jervis's ship, soon left the rest of the fleet + behind; and before night she had so much gained upon the enemy + as to ascertain that they were six French ships of war, with + eighteen sail of convoy. The whole of the British fleet, being + several leagues astern, was now lost sight of, and did not come + up till the following day. In the mean time Jervis was left + alone. At ten at night, the French ships of war separating, + Jervis, selecting the largest for pursuit, prepared to attack: + at twelve, he had approached near enough to see that the chase + was a ship of the line. The Foudroyant's superior + manœuvring enabled her to commence the engagement by a + raking fire. Its effect was so powerful, that the enemy was + thrown into extreme disorder, and was carried by boarding, + after an action of only three quarters of an hour. The prize + was the Pégase, seventy-four. The loss of life on board + the enemy was great; but by an extraordinary piece of good + fortune, on board the Foudroyant not a man was killed, Captain + Jervis and five seamen being the only wounded.</p> + + <p>To the gallantry which produced this striking success, the + young officer added extreme delicacy with respect to his + prisoners. He would not allow the first boat to be sent on + board the prize, until he had given written orders for the + particular preservation <span class="pagenum"><a name="page473" + id="page473"></a>[pg 473]</span> of every thing in the shape + of property belonging to the French officers, adding at the + bottom of his memorandum,—"For though I have the + highest opinion of my officers, we must not be suspected of + designs to plunder."</p> + + <p>The result of the action was, that sixteen transports out of + twenty were taken, according to the letter of young Ricketts, + the captain's nephew. It must be owned, that brave as the + French are, their admiral made but a bad figure in this + business: why the sight of one vessel should have been + sufficient to disperse a fleet of six men-of-war, and of course + ruin an expedition which must thus be left without convoy, is + not easily to be accounted for; or why, when the admiral saw + that his pursuer was but a single ship, he should not have + turned upon him and crushed him, it is equally difficult to + say. It only shows that his court wanted common sense as much + as he wanted discretion. The expedition was destroyed, and the + Foudroyant had the whole honour of the victory.</p> + + <p>An action between single ships of this force is rare at any + period, and nothing could be nearer a match in point of + equipment then the two ships. The Foudroyant had the larger + tonnage, and carried three more guns on her broadside; but the + Pégase threw a greater weight of shot, had a more + numerous crew, and a large proportion of soldiers on board. The + English ship, however, had the incomparable advantage of a crew + which had sailed together for six years, and been disciplined + by such an officer as Jervis.</p> + + <p>The ministry and the king were equally rejoiced at this + return of the naval distinctions of the country, and the + immediate consequence was, the conferring of a baronetcy and + the order of the Bath upon the gallant officer. Congratulations + of all kinds were poured upon him by the ministry, his admiral, + and his brother officers. The admiral writes, in speaking of + the squadron's cruise, "but the Pégase is every thing, + and does the highest honour to Jervis."</p> + + <p>Another instance of his decision, and, as in all probability + will be thought, of the clearness of his judgment, was shortly + after given in the memorable relief of Gibraltar. As it was + likely that the combined fleets of France and Spain would + oppose the passage of the British, Lord Howe, at an early + period, called the flag-officers and captains on board the + Victory, and proposed to them the question—Whether, + considering the superiority of the enemy's numbers, it might + not be advisable to fight the battle at night, when British + discipline might counterbalance the numerical superiority? All + the officers junior to Jervis gave their opinion for the night + attack, but he dissented. "Expressing his regret that he must + offer an opinion, not only contrary to that of his brother + officers, but also, as he feared, to that of his + commander-in-chief, he was convinced that battle in the day + would be greatly preferable. In the first place, because it + would give an opportunity for the display of his lordship's + tactics, and afford the means of taking prompt advantage of any + mistake of the enemy, change of the wind, or any other + favourable circumstance; while in the mêlée of a + battle at night, there must always be greater risk of + separation, and of ships receiving the fire of their friends as + well as their foes." It is obvious to every comprehension, that + a night action must preclude all manœuvring, and prevent + the greater skill of the tactician from having any advantage + over the blunderer who turns his ships into mere batteries. The + only officer who coincided with Jervis was Admiral Barrington, + who gave as an additional and a just argument for the attack by + day, that it would give an opportunity of ascertaining the + conduct of the respective captains in action. On those opinions + Lord Howe made no comment; but it is presumed that he + ultimately agreed with them, from his conduct in the celebrated + action of the 1st of June 1794, when he had the enemy's fleet + directly to leeward of him from the night before.</p> + + <p>In the relief of Gibraltar, the Foudroyant had the honour to + be the ship which was dispatched from the fleet to escort the + victuallers into the harbour, which was accomplished amid the + acclamations of the garrison. It had been expected that Lord + Howe would have attacked the combined fleets, and the nation of + course looked forward to a victory; but they were disappointed. + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page474" + id="page474"></a>[pg 474]</span> The fact is, that Lord + Howe, though a brave man, and what is generally regarded as + a good officer, was of a different class of mind from the + Jervises and Nelsons. He did his duty, but he did no more. + The men who were yet to give a character to the navy did + more than their duty, suffered no opportunity of distinction + to escape them, relied on the invincibility of British + prowess when it was boldly directed, and by that reliance + rendered it invincible.</p> + + <p>There was a kindness and generosity of nature in this future + "thunderbolt of war," which shows how compatible the gentler + feelings are with the gallant daring, and comprehensive talent + of the great commander. Having happened to receive the Duc de + Chabelais on board his ship when at Cadiz, the politeness of + his reception caused the Sardinian prince to exhibit his + gratitude in some handsome presents to the officers. One of + Jervis's letters mentions, that the prince had given to each of + the lieutenants a handsome gold box; to the lieutenant of + marines and five of the midshipmen gold watches; and to the + other officers and ship's company, a princely sum of money.</p> + + <p>"I pride myself," he adds, "exceedingly in the presents + being so diffused; on all former occasions they have centred in + the captain." In another letter he says,—"I was + twenty-four hours in the bay of Marseilles about a fortnight + ago, just time to receive the warm embraces of a man to whose + bravery and friendship I had some months before been indebted + for my reputation, the preservation of the people under my + command, and of the Alarm. You would have felt infinite + pleasure at the scene of our interview." In a letter to the + under-secretary of the Admiralty, he says,—"My dear + Jackson, you must allow me to interest your humanity in favour + of poor Spicer, who, overwhelmed with dropsy, asthma, and a + large family, and with nothing but his pay to support him under + those afflictions, is appointed to the —— under a + mean man, and very likely to go to the East Indies. The letter + which he writes to the Board, desiring to be excused from his + appointment, is dictated by me."</p> + + <p>He then mentions a contingency, "in which case I shall write + for Spicer to be first lieutenant of the Foudroyant, with + intention to nurse him, and keep him clear of all expense." + Shortly after the Foudroyant was paid off, Sir John Jervis was + united to a lady to whom he had long been attached, the + daughter of Sir Thomas Parker, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. + Every man in England, as he rises into distinction, necessarily + becomes a politician. It was the misfortune of Sir John Jervis, + and it was his only misfortune, that he was a politician before + he had risen into distinction. Having had the ill luck to + profess himself a Whig, at a period when he could scarcely have + known the nature of the connexion, he unhappily adhered to it + long after Whiggism had ceased to possess either public utility + or national respect. But his Whiggism was unconscious Toryism + after all: it was what even his biographer is forced to call + it, Whig Royalism, or pretty nearly what Blake's Republicanism + was—a determination to raise his country to the highest + eminence to which his talents and bravery could contribute, + without regarding by whom the government was administered. At + the general election of 1784, he sat for Yarmouth.</p> + + <p>In 1787, Sir John Jervis was promoted to the rank of + rear-admiral. At the general election in 1790, he was returned + for Wycombe, and shared in parliament the successive defeats of + his party; until, in 1793, he was called to a nobler field, in + which, unembarrassed by party, and undegraded by Whiggism, his + talents took their natural direction in the cause of his + country. It is now scarcely necessary to remark upon the narrow + system of enterprise with which England began the great + revolutionary war; nor can it now be doubted that, if the + energies of the country had been directed to meet the enemy in + Europe, measureless misfortunes might have been averted. If the + succession of fleets and armies which were wasted upon the + conquest of the French West Indies, had been employed in the + protection of the feebler European states, there can be no + question that the progress of the French armies would have been + signally retarded, if invasion had + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page475" + id="page475"></a>[pg 475]</span> not been thrown back over + the French frontier. For instance, it would have been + utterly impossible for Napoleon, in 1796, to have marched + triumphantly throughout Italy with the British fleet + covering the coast, commanding all the harbours, and ready + to throw in troops in aid of the insurrections in his + rear.</p> + + <p>But it was the policy of the time to pacify the merchants, + whose bugbear was a negro insurrection in the West Indies; and + whether the genius or the fears of Pitt gave way to the + impression, the consequence was equally lamentable—the + mighty power of England was wasted on the capture of sugar + islands, which we did not want, which we could not cultivate, + and which cost the lives, by disease and climate, of ten times + the number of gallant men who might have saved Europe. At the + close of 1793, a grand expedition against the French Caribbee + islands was resolved upon by the British cabinet; and it is a + remarkable instance of both the reputation of Sir John Jervis + and the impartiality of the great minister, that a Whig member + of parliament should have been chosen to command the naval part + of the expedition.</p> + + <p>The expedition consisted of twenty-two ships of war and six + thousand troops, the troops divided into three brigades, of + which one was commanded by the late Duke of Kent. Sir John + Jervis hoisted his flag as vice-admiral of the blue on the 3d + of October.</p> + + <p>A ludicrous circumstance occurred in the instance of a + favourite officer, Mr Bayntun, who had applied for permission + to join Sir John. Bayntun received in answer the following + decisive note: "Sir, your having thought fit to take to + yourself a wife, you are to look for no further attention from + your humble servant, J. JERVIS." It happened that Bayntun was a + bachelor, and he instantly wrote an exculpatory letter, denying + that he had been guilty of so formidable a charge. The mistake + arose from a misdirection in two notes which the admiral had + written on the same subject. He had left them to Lady Jervis to + direct, and she had addressed them to the wrong persons. The + consequence, however, was, that Bayntun received the + appointment, and the married man the refusal. This inveteracy + against married officers seems strange in one who had committed + the same crime himself; yet he constantly persisted in calling + officers who married moon-struck, and appears at all times to + have regarded matrimony in the service as little short of + personal ruin.</p> + + <p>On the passage out, a curious circumstance occurred to the + Zebra frigate, under command of the gallant Robert Faulknor. + The Zebra, which had been separated from the rest of the + squadron, saw one evening a ship on the horizon. All sail was + made in chase, and the ship was discovered to be a twenty-eight + gun frigate. All contrivances were adopted to induce her to + show her colours, but without success. At length Faulknor, + impatient of delay, and disregarding the disparity of force, + closed upon her, and jumped on board at the head of his men. To + his astonishment he found that she was a Dutch frigate, quietly + pursuing her way; and as Holland was at peace with England, + equally unexpecting and unprepared for an attack. This instance + of apathy night have procured her a broadside; but luckily the + affair finished with the shaking of hands.</p> + + <p>On the 5th of February the expedition reached Martinique. On + the 18th of March Fort Lewis was stormed, General Rochambeau + capitulated, and Martinique was taken, St Lucie followed, the + Saintes next fell, and the final conquest was Guadaloupe. Thus + in three months the capture of the French islands was + complete.</p> + + <p>But an enemy more formidable than the sword was now to be + encountered. The yellow fever began its ravages. The troops + perished in such numbers, that the regiments were reduced to + skeletons; and just at the moment when the disease was at its + height, Victor Hughes was dispatched from France with an + expedition. The islands fell one by one into his hands, and the + campaign was utterly thrown away.</p> + + <p>The romantic portion of the European campaigns now began. + The French Directory, unpopular at home, wearied by the + sanguinary successes of the Vendéan insurrection, and + baffled in their invasion of Germany, were in a condition of + the greatest perplexity, when a new wonder of war taught France + again to conquer. <span class="pagenum"><a name="page476" + id="page476"></a>[pg 476]</span> Napoleon Bonaparte, since + so memorable, but then known only as commanding a company of + artillery at Toulon, and repelling the armed mob in Paris, + was appointed to command the army on the Italian frontier. + Even now, with all our knowledge of his genius, and the + splendid experience of his successes, his sudden elevation, + his daring offer of command, his plan of the Italian + campaign, and his almost instantaneous victories, are + legitimate matter of astonishment. In him we have the + instance of a young man of twenty-six, who had never seen a + campaign, who had never commanded a brigade, nor even a + regiment, undertaking the command of an army, proposing the + invasion of a country of eighteen millions, garrisoned by + the army of one of the greatest military powers of Europe, + which had nearly 300,000 soldiers in the field, and which + was in the most intimate alliance with all the sovereigns of + Italy. Yet, extravagant as all those conceptions seem, and + improbable as those results certainly were, two campaigns + saw every project realized—Italy conquered, the Tyrol, + the great southern barrier of Austria, overpassed, and peace + signed within a hundred miles of Vienna. The invasion of + Italy first awoke the British ministry to the true direction + of the vast naval powers of England. To save Italy if + possible, was the primary object; the next was to prevent + the superiority of the French fleet in the Mediterranean. A + powerful fleet had been prepared in Toulon, for the purpose + of aiding the French army in its invasion, and finally + taking possession of all the ports and islands, until it + should have realized the project of Louis XIV., of turning + the Mediterranean into a French lake. It was determined to + keep up a powerful British fleet to oppose this project, and + Sir John Jervis was appointed to the command. Nothing could + be a higher testimony to the opinion entertained of his + talents, as his connexion with the Whigs was undisguised. + But Pitt's feeling for the public service overcame all + personal predilections, and this great officer was sent to + take the command of the most extensive and important station + to which a British admiral could be appointed. Lord Hood had + previously declined it, on the singular plea of inadequacy + of force; and Sir Charles Hotham having solicited his recall + in consequence of declining health, the gallant Jervis was + sent forth to establish the renown of his country and his + own.</p> + + <p>The fleet was a noble command. It consisted on the whole of + about twenty-five sail of the line, two of them of a hundred + guns, and five of ninety-eight; thirty-six frigates, and + fifteen or sixteen sloops and other armed vessels.</p> + + <p>Among the officers of the fleet were almost all the names + which subsequently obtained distinction in the great naval + victories—Troubridge, Hallowell, Hood, Collingwood, + &c., and first of the first, that star of the British + seaman, Nelson. It is remarkable, and only a just tribute to + the new admiral, that he, almost from his earliest intercourse + with those gallant men, marked their merits, although hitherto + they had found no opportunities of acquiring + distinction—all were to come. Nelson, in writing to his + wife, speaking of the admiral's notice of him, says, "Sir John + Jervis was a perfect stranger to me, therefore I feel the more + flattered." The admiral, in writing to the secretary of the + Admiralty, says—"I am afraid of being thought a puffer, + like many of my brethren, or I should before have dealt out to + the Board the merits of Captain Troubridge, which are very + uncommon."</p> + + <p>The French fleet, of fifteen sail of the line, lay in + Toulon, ready to convoy an army to plunge upon the Roman + states. Sir John Jervis instantly proceeded to block up Toulon, + keeping what is called the in-shore squadron looking into the + harbour's mouth, while the main body cruised outside. The + admiral at once employed Nelson on the brilliant service for + which he was fitted, and sent him with a flying squadron of a + ship of the line, three frigates, and two sloops, to scour the + coast of Italy. The duties of the Mediterranean fleet, powerful + as the armament was, were immense. Independently of the + blockade of Toulon, and the necessity of continually watching + the enemy's fleet, which might be brought out by the same wind + which blew off the British, the admiral had the responsibility + of protecting the Mediterranean convoys, of sustaining the + British interests <span class="pagenum"><a name="page477" + id="page477"></a>[pg 477]</span> in the neutral courts, of + assisting the allies on shore, of overawing the Barbary + powers, which were then peculiarly restless and insolent, + and of upholding the general supremacy of England, from + Smyrna to Gibraltar.</p> + + <p>The French campaign opened on the 9th of April 1797, and the + Austrians were beaten on the following day at Montenotte, and + in a campaign of a month Bonaparte reached Milan. The success + of the enemy increased to an extraordinary degree the + difficulties of the British admiral. The repairs of the fleet, + the provisioning, and every other circumstance connected with + the land, lay under increased impediments; but they were all + gradually overcome by the vigilance and intelligence of the + admiral.</p> + + <p>A curious and characteristic circumstance occurred, soon + after his taking the command. Nelson had captured a vessel + carrying 152 Austrian grenadiers, who had been made prisoners + by the French, and actually sold by their captors to the + Spaniards, for the purpose of enlisting them in the Spanish + army. His letter to Jackson, the secretary of legation at + Turin, on this subject, spiritedly expresses his + feelings:—</p> + + <blockquote> + <p>"SIR,—From a Swiss dealer in human flesh, the + demand made upon me to deliver up 152 Austrian grenadiers, + serving on board his Majesty's fleet under my command, is + natural enough, but that a Spaniard, who is a noble + creature, should join in such a demand, I must confess + astonishes me; and I can only account for it by the + Chevalier Caamano being ignorant that the persons in + question were made prisoners of war in the last war with + General Beaulieu, and are not deserters, and that they were + most basely sold by the French commissaries to the vile + crimps who recruit for the foreign regiments in the service + of Spain. It is high time a stop should be put to this + abominable traffic, a million times more disgraceful than + the African slave-trade."</p> + </blockquote> + + <p>But other dangers now menaced the British supremacy in the + Mediterranean. The victories of Bonaparte had terrified all the + Italian states into neutrality or absolute submission; and the + success of the Directory, and perhaps their bribes, influenced + the miserably corrupt and feeble Spanish ministry, to make + common cause with the conquering republic. Spain at last became + openly hostile. This was a tremendous increase of hazards, + because Spain had fifty-seven sail of the line, and a crowd of + frigates. The difficulty of blockading Toulon was now increased + by the failure of provisions. On the night of the 2d of + November, the admiral sent for the master of the Victory, and + told him that he now had not the least hope of being + reinforced, and had made up his mind to push down to Gibraltar + with all possible dispatch.</p> + + <p>The passage became a stormy one, and it was with + considerable difficulty that the fleet reached Gibraltar. Some + of the transports were lost, a ship of the line went down, and + several of the fleet were disabled.</p> + + <p>The result of the French successes and the Austrian + misfortunes, was an order for the fleet to leave the + Mediterranean, and take up its station at the Tagus. The vivid + spirit of Nelson was especially indignant at this change of + scene. In one of his letters he says—"We are preparing to + leave the Mediterranean, a measure which I cannot approve. They + at home do not know what this fleet is capable of + performing—any thing, and every thing. Of all the fleets + I ever saw, I never saw one, in point of officers and men, + equal to Sir John Jervis's, who is a commander able to lead + them to glory." The admiral's merits were recognized by the + government in a still more permanent manner; for, by a despatch + from the Admiralty in February 1797, it was announced that the + king had raised him to the dignity of the peerage.</p> + + <p>The prospect now darkened round every quarter of the + horizon. The power of Austria had given way; Spain and Holland + were combined against our naval supremacy; Italy was lost; a + French expedition threatened Ireland; there was a strong + probability of the invasion of Portugal; and the junction of + the French and Spanish fleets might endanger not merely the + Tagus fleet, but expose the Channel fleet to an encounter with + numbers so superior, as to leave the British shores open to + invasion. The domestic difficulties, too, had + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page478" + id="page478"></a>[pg 478]</span> their share. The necessity + of suspending cash payments at the Bank had, if not thrown a + damp upon the nation, at least given so formidable a ground + for the fallacies and bitterness of the Opposition, as + deeply to embarrass even the fortitude of the great + minister. We can now see how slightly all these hazards + eventually affected the real power of England; and we now + feel how fully adequate the strength of this extraordinary + and inexhaustible country was to resist all obstacles and + turn the trial into triumph. But faction was busy, party + predicted ruin, public men used every art to dispirit the + nation and inflame the populace; and the result was, a state + of public anxiety of which no former war had given the + example.</p> + + <p>It is incontestable that the list of the British navy at + this period of the war exhibited some of the noblest specimens + of English character—brave, intelligent, and + indefatigable men, ready for any service, and equal for all; + with all the intrepidity of heroes, possessing the highest + science of their profession, and exhibiting at once that + lion-heartedness, and that knowledge, which gave the British + navy the command of the ocean. And yet, if we were to assign + the highest place where all were high, we should probably + assign it to Lord St Vincent as an admiral. Nelson certainly, + as an executive officer, defies all competition; his three + battles, Copenhagen, Aboukir, and Trafalgar, each of them a + title to eminent distinction, place him as a conqueror at the + head of all. But an admiral has other duties than those of the + line of battle; and for a great naval administrator, first + disciplining a fleet, then supplying it with all the means of + victory, and finally leading it to victory—Lord St + Vincent was perhaps the most complete example on record of all + the combined qualities that make the British admiral. His + profound tactics, his stern but salutary exactness of command, + his incomparable judgment, and his cool and unhesitating + intrepidity, form one of the very noblest models of high + command. All those qualities were now to be called into full + exertion.</p> + + <p>The continental campaign had left Europe at the mercy of + France. England was now the only enemy, and she was to be + assailed, in the first instance, by a naval war. To prevent the + junction of the Spanish and French fleets, the Tagus was the + station fixed upon by Lord St Vincent. Ill luck seemed to frown + upon the fleet. The Bombay Castle, a seventy-four, was lost + going in; the St George, a ninety, grounded in coming out, and + was obliged to be docked; still the admiral determined to keep + the sea, though his fleet was reduced to eight sail of the + line. The day before he left the Tagus, information was + received that the enemy's fleets had both left the + Mediterranean. The French had gone to Brest, the Spanish first + to Toulon, then to Carthagena, and was now proceeding to join + the French at Brest. A reinforcement of six sail of the line + now fortunately joined the fleet off the Tagus; but at the same + time information was received that the Spanish fleet of + twenty-seven sail of the line, with fourteen frigates, had + passed Cadiz, and could not be far distant. To prevent the + junction of this immense force with the powerful fleet already + prepared for a start in Brest, was of the utmost national + importance; for, combined, they must sweep the Channel. The + admiral instantly formed his plan, and sailed for Cape St + Vincent.</p> + + <p>The details of the magnificent encounter which followed, are + among the best portions of the volumes. They are strikingly + given, and will attract the notice, as they might form the + model, of the future historian of this glorious period of our + annals. We can now give only an outline.</p> + + <p>On the announcement of the Spanish advance, the first object + was to gain exact intelligence, and ships were stationed in all + quarters on the look-out. But on the 13th Captain Foote, in the + Niger frigate, joined, with the intelligence that he had kept + sight of the enemy for three days. The admiral was now to have + a new reinforcement, not in ships but in heroes; the Minerva + frigate, bearing Nelson's broad pendant, from the + Mediterranean, arrived, and Nelson shifted his pendant into the + Captain. The Lively frigate, with Lord Garlies, also arrived + from Corsica. The signal was made, "To keep close order, and + prepare for battle." On that day, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page479" + id="page479"></a>[pg 479]</span> Lord Garlies, Sir Gilbert + Elliot, and Captain Hallowell, with some other officers, + dined on board the Victory. At breaking up, the toast was + drunk, "Victory over the Dons, in the battle from which they + cannot escape to-morrow!"</p> + + <p>The "gentlemen of England who live at home at ease," can + probably have but little conception of the price which men in + high command pay for glory. No language can describe the + anxieties which have often exercised the minds of those bold + and prominent characters, of whom we now know little but of + their laurels. The solemn responsibilities of their condition, + the consciousness that a false step might be ruin, the feeling + that the eye of their country was fixed upon them, the hope of + renown, the dread of tarnishing all their past distinctions, + must pass powerfully and painfully through the mind of men + fitted for the struggles by which greatness is to be alone + achieved.</p> + + <p>"It is believed that Sir John Jervis did not go to bed that + night, but sat up writing. It is certain that he executed his + will." In the course of the first and second watches, the + enemy's signal-guns were distinctly heard; and, as he noticed + them sounding more and more audibly, Sir John made more earnest + enquiries as to the compact order and situation of his own + ships, as well as they could be made out in the darkness. Long + before break of day, he walked the deck in more than even his + usual silence. When the grey of the morning of the 14th enabled + him to discern his fleet, his first remarks were high + approbation of his captains, for "their admirably close order, + and that he wished they were now well up with the enemy; for," + added he thoughtfully, "a victory is very essential to England + at this moment."</p> + + <p>Now came on the day of decision. The morning was foggy; but + as the mist cleared up, the Lively, and then the Niger, + signaled "a strange fleet." The Bonne Citoyenne was next + ordered to reconnoitre. Soon after, the Culloden's guns + announced the enemy. At twenty minutes past ten the signal was + made to six of the ships—"to chase." Sir John still + walked the quarterdeck, and, as the enemy's numbers were + counted, they were duly reported to him by the captain of the + fleet.</p> + + <p>"There are eight sail of the line, Sir John."</p> + + <p>"Very well, sir."</p> + + <p>"There are twenty sail of the line, Sir John."</p> + + <p>"Very well, sir."</p> + + <p>"There are twenty-five sail of the line, Sir John."</p> + + <p>"Very well, sir."</p> + + <p>"There are twenty-seven sail of the line, Sir John." This + was accompanied by some remark on the great disparity of the + two forces. Sir John's gallant answer now was:—</p> + + <p>"Enough, sir—no more of that: the die is cast, and if + there are fifty sail, I will go through them."</p> + + <p>At forty minutes past ten the signal was made to form line + of battle ahead and astern of the Victory, and to steer S.S.W. + The fog was now cleared off, and the British fleet were seen + admirably formed in the closest order; while the Spaniards were + stretching in two straggling bodies across the horizon, leaving + an open space between. The opportunity of dividing their fleet + struck the admiral at once, and at half-past eleven the signal + was made to pass through the enemy's line, and engage them to + leeward. At twelve o'clock, as the Culloden was reaching close + up to the enemy, the British fleet hoisted their colours, and + the Culloden opened her fire. An extraordinary incident, even + in those colossal battles, occurred to this fine ship. The + course of the Culloden brought her directly on board one of the + enemy's three-deckers. The first lieutenant, Griffiths, + reported to her captain, Troubridge, that a collision was + inevitable. "Can't help it, Griffiths—let the weakest + fend off," was the hero's reply. The Culloden, still pushing + on, fired two of her double-shotted broadsides into the + Spaniard with such tremendous effect, that the three-decker + went about, and the guns of her other side not being even cast + loose, she did not fire a single shot, while the Culloden + passed triumphantly through. Scarcely had she broken the + enemy's line, than the commander-in-chief signaled the order to + tack in succession. Troubridge's manœuvre was so + dashingly performed, that the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page480" + id="page480"></a>[pg 480]</span> admiral could not restrain + his delight and admiration.</p> + + <p>"Look, Jackson," he rapturously exclaimed, "look at + Troubridge there! He tacks his ship to battle as if the eyes of + all England were upon him; and would to God they were, for then + they would see him to be what I know him."</p> + + <p>The leeward division of the enemy, perceiving the fatal + consequences of their disunited order of sailing, now + endeavoured to retrieve the day, and to break through the + British line. A vice-admiral, in a three-decker, led them, and + was reaching up to the Victory just as she had come up to tack + in her station. The vice-admiral stood on with great apparent + determination till within pistol-shot, but there he stopped; + and when the Victory could bring her guns to bear upon him, she + thundered in two of her broadsides, sweeping the Spaniard's + decks, and so terrified him, that when his sails filled, he ran + clear out of the battle altogether. The Victory then tacked + into her station, and the conflict raged with desperate fury. + At this period of the battle, the Spanish commander-in-chief + bore up with nine sail of the line to run round the British, + and rejoin his leeward division. This was a formidable + manœuvre; but no sooner was it commenced, than his eye + caught it "whose greatest wish it ever was to be the first to + find, and foremost to fight, his enemy." Nelson, instead of + waiting till his turn to tack should bring him into action, + took it upon himself to depart from the prescribed mode of + attack, and ordered his ship to be immediately wore. This + masterly manœuvre was completely successful, at once + arresting the Spanish commander-in-chief, and carrying Nelson + and Collingwood into the van and brunt of the battle. He now + attacked the four-decker, the Santissima Trinidada, also + engaged by the Culloden. The Captain's fore-topmast being now + shot away, Nelson put his helm down, and let her come to the + wind, that he might board the San Nicolas; Captain, afterwards + Sir Edward Berry, then a passenger with Nelson, jumping into + her mizen-chains, was the first in the enemy's ship; Nelson + leading his boarders, and a party of the 69th regiment, + immediately followed, and the colours were hauled down. While + he was on the deck of the San Nicolas, the San Josef, disabled, + fell on board. Nelson instantly seized the opportunity of + boarding her from his prize; followed by Captain Berry, and + Lieutenant Pierson of the 69th, he led the boarders, and jumped + into the San Josef's main-chains. He was then informed that the + ship had surrendered. Four line-of-battle ships had now been + taken, and the Santissima Trinidada had also struck; but she + subsequently made her escape, for now the Spanish leeward + division, fourteen sail, having re-formed their line, bore down + to support their commander-in-chief: to receive them, Sir John + Jervis was obliged to form a line of battle on the starboard + tack—the enemy immediately retired. Thus, at five in the + evening, concluded the most brilliant battle that had ever till + then been fought at sea.</p> + + <p>Captain Calder was immediately sent off with the despatch, + and arrived in London on the 3d of March. A battle gained over + such a numerical superiority, for it was much more than two to + one, when we take into our estimate the immense size of the + enemy's ships, and their weight of metal, there being one + four-decker of 130 guns, and six three-deckers of 112, of which + two were taken; and further, the more interesting circumstance, + that this great victory was gained on our part with only the + loss of 73 killed and 227 wounded, the public feeling of + exultation was unbounded; and when the minister on that very + evening proposed that the vote of thanks should be taken on the + following Monday, the House would hear of no delay, but + insisted on recording its gratitude at the moment. The House of + Peers gave a similar vote on the 8th; and the Commons and the + Crown immediately proposed to settle upon the admiral a pension + of three thousand a-year. A member of the House of Commons, on + moving for an address to the Crown to confer some signal mark + of favour on the admiral, was instantly replied to by the + sonorous eloquence of the minister—"Can it be supposed," + said he, "that the Crown can require to be prompted to pay the + just tribute of approbation and honour to those who have + eminently <span class="pagenum"><a name="page481" + id="page481"></a>[pg 481]</span> distinguished themselves by + public services? On the part of his Majesty's ministers, I + can safely affirm, that before the last splendid instance of + the conduct of the gallant admiral, we have not been remiss + in watching the uniform tenor of his professional career. We + have witnessed the whole of his proceedings—such + instances of perseverance, of diligence, and of exertion in + the public service, as, though less brilliant and dazzling + than the last exploit, are only less meritorious as they are + put in competition with a single day, which has produced + such incalculable benefit to the British empire."</p> + + <p>The result was an earldom. The first lord of the Admiralty, + Lord Spencer, having already written to Sir John the royal + pleasure to promote him to a peerage, and the letter not having + reached him previously to the battle, he thus had notice of the + two steps in the peerage nearly at once.</p> + + <p>Popular honours now flowed in upon him: London voted its + freedom in a gold box, with swords to the admirals of the fleet + and Nelson; vice-admirals Parker and Thompson were created + baronets; Nelson received the red riband; the chief cities and + towns of England and Ireland sent their freedoms and presents; + and the king gave all the admirals and captains a gold + medal.</p> + + <p>We must now be brief in our observations on the services of + this most distinguished person. We have next a narrative of the + suppression of the memorable mutiny of 1798, whose purpose it + was to have suffered the enemy's fleet to leave their harbours, + to revolutionize the Mediterranean fleet, and, after putting + the admirals and captains to death, proceed to every folly and + frenzy that could be committed by men conscious of power, and + equally conscious that forgiveness was impossible. The fleet + under Lord St Vincent was on the point of corruption, when it + was restored to discipline by the singular firmness of the + admiral, who, by exhibiting his determination to punish all + insubordination, extinguished this most alarming disaffection, + and saved the naval name of the country.</p> + + <p>On the resignation of Mr Pitt in 1801, and the appointment + of Mr Addington as first lord of the treasury, a letter was + written from the new minister to Lord St Vincent, offering him + the appointment of first lord of the Admiralty. Having obtained + an interview with the king, and explained the general tone of + his political feelings, the king told him he very much wished + to see him at the Admiralty, and to place the navy entirely in + his hands. This was perhaps the only appointment of that + singularly feeble administration which met with universal + approval. There could be no question of the intelligence, high + principle, or public services of the great admiral. Mr + Addington came into power under circumstances which would have + tried the talents of a man of first-rate ability. The war had + exhausted the patience, though not the power, of the nation. + All our allies had failed. The severity of the taxes was doubly + felt, when the war had necessarily turned into a blockade on + the Continent. We had thus all the exhaustion of hostilities + without the excitement of triumph; and, to increase public + anxieties, the failure of the harvest threatened a comparative + famine. Wheat, which on an average of the preceding ten years + had been 54s. a quarter, was now at 110s., then rose to 139s., + and even reached as high as 180s. At one period the quartern + loaf had risen to 1s. 10-1/2d. The popular cry now arose for + peace. France, which with all her victories had been taught the + precariousness of war, by the loss of Egypt and the capture of + her army, was now also eager for peace. England had but two + allies, Portugal and Turkey. At length the peace was made, and + Lord St Vincent's attention was then drawn to an object which + he had long in view, the reformation of the dockyards. This was + indeed the Augean stable, and unexampled clamour arose from the + multitude who had indolently fattened for years on the easy + plunder of the public stores. However, the reform went on: + perquisites were abolished, privileges taken away; and, rough + as the operation was, nothing could be more salutary than its + effect. The acuteness of the gallant old man at the head of the + Admiralty could not be evaded, his vigour could not be + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page482" + id="page482"></a>[pg 482]</span> defied, and his public + spirit gave him an influence with the country, which enabled + him to outlive faction and put down calumny. Yet this was + evidently the most painful, and, to a certain extent, the + most unsuccessful portion of his long career. Nominally a + Whig, but practically a Tory—for his loyalty was + unimpeachable and his honour without a stain—Lord St + Vincent found himself in the condition of a man who presses + reform on those with whom hitherto it has been only a + watchword, and expects faction to act up to its + professions.</p> + + <p>The Addington treaty was soon discovered to be nothing more + than a truce. Napoleon lived only in war; hostilities were + essential to the government which he had formed for France; and + his theory of government, false as it was, and his passion for + excitement, whatever might be its price, made even the two + years of peace so irksome to him, that he actually adopted a + gross and foolish insult to the British ambassador as the means + of compelling us to renew the conflict. The first result was, + the return of Pitt to power; the next, the total ruin of the + French navy at Trafalgar; the next, the bloody and ruinous war + with Russia, expressly for the ruin of England through the ruin + of her commerce; and finally the crash of Waterloo, which + extinguished his diadem and his dominion together—a + series of events, occurring within little more than ten years, + of a more stupendous order than had hitherto affected the fate + of any individual, or influenced the destinies of an European + kingdom.</p> + + <p>With the ministry of Mr Addington, Lord St Vincent retired + from public life. He was now old, and the hardships of long + service had partially exhausted his original vigour of frame. + He retired to his seat, Rochetts in Essex, and there led the + delightful life of a man who had gained opulence and + distinction by pre-eminent services, and whose old age was + surrounded by love, honour, and troops of friends. He appeared + from time to time in the House of Lords, where, however, he + spoke but seldom, but where he always spoke with dignity and + effect.</p> + + <p>In the month of March 1823, Lord St Vincent was seized with + a general feeling of infirmity which portended his speedy + dissolution. He had a violent and convulsive cough; yet his + intellects were strongly turned upon public events, and he + expressed an anxiety to know all that could be known of events + in France, which was then disturbed; of the Spanish revolution, + which then threatened to involve Europe; and even of the + affairs of Greece. In the course of the evening of the 13th, + while his physician and family were round him, his strength + suddenly gave way, and at half past eight he died, at the age + of eighty-eight, and was buried at Stone in Staffordshire. He + was succeeded in the peerage by his nephew, who, however, + inherits only the viscounty.</p> + + <p>In our general notice of Lord St Vincent's career, we have + adverted as little as possible to the opinions which his + biographer had introduced from his own view of public affairs. + We have no wish to make a peevish return to the writer of a + work which has given us both information and pleasure. But it + is necessary to caution Mr Tucker against giving trite and + trifling opinions on subjects of which he evidently knows so + little as of the Romish question, or the state of Ireland. + Nothing is easier than to be at once solemn and superficial on + such topics; and when a writer of this order flings his + epithets of "bigoted, harsh, and impolitic," and the other + stock phrases of party organs, he only enfeebles our respect + for his authority in the immediate matters of his work, and + rather lowers our respect for his faculties in all. The + question of Popery in Ireland, is not a question of religion + but of faction. Religious controversy on Romish doctrines has + long ceased to exist. Romanism has no grounds on which a + controversy can be sustained. It cannot appeal to the + Scriptures, which it shuts up; and it will no longer be + suffered to appeal to its mere childish pretence of + infallibility. Its only ground in Ireland is party; and the + present unhappy condition to which it has reduced Ireland, + exhibits the natural consequences of indulgence to Popery, and + the only means by which its spirit can be rendered consistent + with the order of society.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_5_1" + name="fn_5_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_5_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>Memoirs of Admiral Earl St Vincent. By T.S. TUCKER. 2 + vols.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page483" + id="page483"></a>[pg 483]</span> <a name="marston" + id="marston"></a> + + <h2>MARSTON; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A STATESMAN.</h2> + + <h3>PART X.</h3> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Have I not in my time heard lions roar?</p> + + <p>Have I not heard the sea, puft up with wind,</p> + + <p>Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat?</p> + + <p>Have I not heard great ordnance in the field,</p> + + <p>And Heaven's artillery thunder in the skies?</p> + + <p>Have I not in the pitched battle heard</p> + + <p>Loud 'larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets + clang?"</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p style="margin-left: 50%;">SHAKSPEARE.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>On reaching the prison, I gave up all for lost; sullenly + resigned myself to what now seemed the will of fate; and + without a word, except in answer to the interrogatory of my + name and country, followed the two horrid-looking ruffians who + performed the office of turnkeys. St Lazare had been a + monastery, and its massiveness, grimness, and confusion of + buildings, with its extreme silence at that late hour, gave me + the strongest impression of a huge catacomb above ground. The + door of a cell was opened for me after traversing a long + succession of cloisters; and on a little wooden trestle, and + wrapt in my cloak, I attempted to sleep. But if sleep has not + much to boast of in Paris at any time, what was it then? I had + scarcely closed my eyes when I was roused by a rapid succession + of musket-shots, fired at the opposite side of the cloister, + the light of torches flashing through the long avenues, and the + shouts of men and women in wrath, terror, and agony. I threw + myself off my uneasy bed, and climbing up by my prison bars, + endeavoured to ascertain the cause of the mêlée. + But the imperfect light served little more than to show a + general mustering of the national guard in the court, and a + huge and heavy building, into which they were discharging + random shots whenever a head appeared at its casements. A loud + huzza followed whenever one of those shots appeared to take + effect, and a laugh equally loud ran through the ranks when the + bullet wasted its effect on the massive mullions or stained + glass of the windows. A tall figure on horseback, whom I + afterwards learned to be Henriot, the commandant of the + national guard, galloped up and down the court with the air of + a general-in-chief manœuvring an army. I think that he + actually had provided himself with a truncheon to meet all the + emergencies of supreme command. While this sanguinary, and yet + mocking representation of warfare was going on, M. le + Commandant was in full eloquence and prodigious gesticulation. + "A la gloire, mes enfans!" was his constant cry. "Fight, <i>mes + braves!</i> the honour of France demands it: the eyes of + Europe—of the world—are turned upon you. <i>Vive la + Republique!</i>" And all this accompanied with waving his hat, + and spurring his horse into foam and fury. But fortune is a + jade after all; and the hero of the tricolored scarf was + destined to have his laurels a little shorn, even on this + narrow field. While his charger was caracoling over the + cloisters, and his veterans from the cellars and counters of + Paris were popping off their muskets at the unfortunates who + started up against the old casement, I heard a sudden rush and + run; a low postern of the cloister had been flung back, and the + prisoners within the building had made a sally on their + tormentors. A massacre at the Bicêtre, in which six + thousand had perished, had warned these unhappy people that + neither the prison wall, nor night, was to be security against + the rage of the bloodhounds with whom murder seemed to have + grown into a pastime; and after having seen several of their + number shot down within their dungeon, they determined to + attack them, and, if they must die, at least die in manly + defence. Their rush was perfectly successful; it had the effect + of a complete surprise; and though their only weapons were + fragments of their firewood—for all fire-arms and knives + had been taken from them immediately + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page484" + id="page484"></a>[pg 484]</span> on their entrance into the + prison—they routed the heroes of the guard at the + first charge. Even the gallant commander himself only shared + the chance of his "camarades:" a flourish or two of his + sabre, and an adjuration of "liberty," had no other effect + than to insure a heavier shower of blows, and I had the + gratification of seeing the braggadocio go down from his + saddle in the midst of a group, who certainly had no + veneration for the majesty of the truncheon. The victory was + achieved; but, like many another victory, it produced no + results: the gates of the St Lazare were too strongly + guarded to be forced by an unarmed crowd, and I saw the + prisoners successively and gloomily return to the only roof, + melancholy as that was, which now could shelter them.</p> + + <p>The morning brought my case before the authorities of this + den. Half a dozen coarse and filthy uniformed men, and some of + them evidently sufferers in the tumult of the night, for their + heads were bound up and their arms bandaged—a matter + which, if it did not improve their appearance, gave me every + reason to expect increased brutishness in their + tempers—formed the tribunal. The hall in which they had + established their court had once been the kitchen of the + convent; and, though all signs of hospitality had vanished, its + rude and wild construction, its stone floor and vaulted roof, + and even its yawning and dark recesses for the different + operations which, in other days, had made it a scene of busy + cheerfulness, now gave it a look of dreariness in the extreme. + I could have easily imagined it to be a chamber of the + Inquisition. But men in my circumstances have not much time for + the work of fancy; and I was instantly called on for my name, + and business in France. I had heard enough of popular justice + to believe, that I had now arrived within sight of the last + struggle, and I resolved to give these ruffians no triumph over + the Englishman.</p> + + <p>"Citizen, who are you?" Was the first interrogatory.</p> + + <p>"I am no citizen, no Frenchman, and no republican," was my + answer. My judges stared at each other.</p> + + <p>"You are a prisoner. How came you here?"</p> + + <p>"You are judges; how came you there?"</p> + + <p>"You are charged with crimes against the Republic."</p> + + <p>"In my country no man is expected to criminate himself."</p> + + <p>"But you are a traitor: can you deny that?"</p> + + <p>"I am no traitor to my king; can you say as much for + yourselves?" They now began to cast furious glances at me.</p> + + <p>"You are insolent: what brought you into the territory of + France?"</p> + + <p>"The same thing which placed you on that + bench—force."</p> + + <p>"Are you mad?"</p> + + <p>"No—are you?"</p> + + <p>"Do you not know that we can send you to the"—</p> + + <p>"If you do, I shall only go before <i>you</i>."</p> + + <p>This put an end to my interrogatory at once. I had + accidentally touched upon the nerve which quivered in every + bosom of these fellows. There was a singular presentiment among + even the boldest of the Revolutionists, that the new order of + things would not last, and that, when the change came, it would + be a bloody one. Life had become sufficiently precarious + already among the possessors of power; and the least intimation + of death was actually formidable to a race of villains whose + hands were hourly imbued in slaughter. I had been hitherto + placed in scarcely more than surveillance. An order for my + confinement as a "Brigand Anglais," was made out by the + indignant "commission," and I was transferred from my narrow + and lonely cell into the huge crowded building in the opposite + cloister, which had been the scene of the attack on the + previous night. I could, with Cato, "smile on the drawn dagger + and defy its point." I walked out with the air of a Cato.</p> + + <p>This change, intended for my infinite degradation until the + guillotine should have dispatched its business in arrear, I + found much to my advantage. The man who expects nothing, cannot + be hurt by disappointment; and when I was conducted from my + solitary cell into the midst of four or five hundred prisoners, + I felt the human feelings kindle in me, which had been chilled + between my four stone walls.</p> + + <p>The prisoners with whom I was + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page485" + id="page485"></a>[pg 485]</span> now to take my chance, were + of all ranks, professions, and degrees of crime. The true + crime in the eyes of the republic being, to be rich. Yet + there the culprit had some hope of being suffered to live, + at least while daily examinations, with the hourly + perspective of the axe, could make him contribute to the + purses of the tribunal. Those who happened to be poor, were + found guilty of <i>incivisme</i> at once, and were daily + drafted off to the Place de Grève, from which they + never returned. But some of the prisoners were from La + Vendée, peasants mixed with nobles; who, though no + formal shape of resistance to the republic was yet declared, + had exhibited enough of that gallant contempt of the new + tyranny, which afterwards immortalized the name, to render + them obnoxious to the ruffians at its head. It was this + sturdy portion which had made the dash on the night of the + riot, and their daring had the effect, at least, of saving + their fellow-prisoners in future from being made marks, to + teach the national guard the art of shooting. Even their + sentries kept a respectful distance; and M. Henriot, wisely + mindful of his flagellation, flourished his staff of command + no more within our cloister. We were, in fact, left almost + wholly to ourselves. Yet, if a philosopher desired to take a + lesson in human nature, this was the spot of earth for the + study. We had it in every shape and shade. We had it in the + wits and blockheads, the courtiers and the clowns, the + opulent and the ruined, the brave and the + pusillanimous—and all under the strangest pressure of + those feelings which rouse the nature of man to its most + undisguised display. Death was before every eye. Where was + the use of wearing a mask, when the wearer was so soon to + part with his head? Pretence gradually vanished, and a + general spirit of boldness, frankness, and something, if not + exactly of dignity, at least of manliness, superseded the + customary cringing of society under a despotism. In all but + the name, we were better republicans than the tribe who + shouted in the streets, or robbed in the tribunals.</p> + + <p>I made the remark one day to the Marquis de Cassini, a + philosopher and pupil of the great Buffon. "The reason is," + said he, "that men differ chiefly by circumstances, as they + differ chiefly by their clothes. Throw off their dress, whether + embroidery or rags, and you will find the same number of ribs + in them all."</p> + + <p>"But my chief surprise is, to find in this prison more + mutual kindness, and, in every sense, more generosity of + sentiment, than one generally expects to meet in the + world."</p> + + <p>"Helvetius would tell you that all this was self-interest," + was my pale-visaged and contemplative friend's reply. "But I + always regarded M. Helvetius in the light of a well-trained + baboon, who thought, when men stared at his tricks, they were + admiring his talents. The truth is, that self-interest is the + mere creature of society, and is the most active in the basest + society. It is the combined cowardice and cruelty of men + struggling for existence; the savageness of the forest, where + men cannot gather acorns enough to share with their fellows; + the effort for life, where there is but one plank in a storm, + and where, if you are to cling at all, it must be by drowning + the weaker party. But here," and he cast his eyes calmly round + the crowd, "as there is not the slightest possibility that any + one of us will escape, we have the better opportunity of + showing our original <i>bienséance</i>. All the + struggling on earth will not save us from the guillotine; and + therefore we resolve to accommodate each other for the rest of + our journey."</p> + + <p>I agreed with him on the philosophy of the case, and in + return he introduced me to some of the Vendéan nobles, + who had hitherto exhibited their general scorn of Parisian + contact by confining themselves to the circle of their + followers. I was received with the distinction due to my + introducer, and was invited to join their supper that night. + The prison had once been the chapel of the convent; and though + the desecration had taken place a hundred years before, and the + revolutionary spoil had spared but little of the remaining + ornaments, the original massiveness of the building, and the + nobleness of the architecture, had withstood the assaults of + both time and plunder. The roofs of the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page486" + id="page486"></a>[pg 486]</span> aisles could not be reached + except by flame, and the monuments of the ancient priors and + prelates, when they had once been stripped of their crosses, + were too solid for the passing fury of the mob. And thus, in + the midst of emblems of mortality, and the recollections of + old solemnity, were set some hundreds of people, who knew as + little of each other as if they had met in a caravansery, + and who, perhaps, expected to part as soon. The scene was + curious, but by no means uncheerful. The national spirit is + inextinguishable; and, however my countrymen may bear up + against the extremes of ill-fortune, no man meets its + beginnings with so easy an air as the man of France. Our + supper was laid out in one of the side chapels; and, coarse + and scanty as it was, I seldom recollect an evening which I + passed with a lighter sense of the burden of a prisoner's + time. I found the Vendéan nobles a manlier race than + their more courtly countrymen. Yet they had courtliness of + their own; but it was more the manner of our own country + gentlemen of the last century, than the polish of + Versailles. Their habits of living on their domains, of + country sports, of intercourse with their peasantry, and of + the general simplicity of country life, had drawn a strong + line of distinction between them and the dukes and marquises + of the royal saloons. Like all Frenchmen of the day, they + conversed largely upon the politics of France; but there was + a striking reserve in their style. The existing royal family + were but little mentioned, or mentioned only with a certain + kind of sacred respect. Their misfortunes prohibited the + slightest severity of language. Yet still it was not + difficult to see, that those straightforward and honest + lords of the soil, who were yet to prove themselves the true + chevaliers of France, could feel as acutely, and express as + strongly, the injuries inflicted by the absurdities and + vices of the successive administrations of their reign, as + if they had figured in the clubs of the capital. But the + profligacies of the preceding monarch, and the tribe of + fools and knaves whom those profligacies as naturally + gathered round him as the plague propagates its own + contagion, met with no mercy. And, though they were spoken + of with the gravity which became the character and rank of + the speakers, they were denounced with a sternness which + seemed beyond the morals or the mind of their country. Louis + XV., Du Barri, and the whole long succession of corrupting + and corrupted cabinets, which had at length rendered the + monarchy odious, were denounced in terms worthy of gallant + men; who, though resolved to sink or swim with the throne, + experienced all the bitterness of generous indignation at + the crimes which had raised the storm.</p> + + <p>We had our songs too, and some of them were as contemptuous + as ever came from the pen of Parisian satire. Among my + recollections of the night was one of those songs, of which the + <i>refrain</i> was—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Le Bien-Aimé—<i>de l'Almanac</i>."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>A burlesque on the title—Le Bien-Aimé, &c., + which the court calendar, and the court calendar <i>alone</i>, + had annually given to the late king. I can offer only a + paraphrase.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Louis Quinze, our burning shame,</p> + + <p class="i2">Hear our song, 'old well-beloved,'</p> + + <p>What if courts and camps are tame,</p> + + <p class="i2">Pension'd beggars laced and gloved,</p> + + <p>France's love grows rather slack,</p> + + <p>Idol of—the Almanac.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Let your flatterers hang or drown,</p> + + <p class="i2">We are of another school,</p> + + <p>Truth no more shall be put down,</p> + + <p class="i2">We can call a fool a fool,</p> + + <p>Fearless of Bastile or rack,</p> + + <p>Titus of—the Almanac.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Louis, trample on your serfs,</p> + + <p class="i2">We'll be trampled on no more,</p> + + <p>Revel in your <i>parc aux + cerfs</i>,<a id="fn_6_tag1" + name="fn_6_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_6_1"><sup>1</sup></a></p> + + <p class="i2">Eat and drink—'twill soon be + o'er.</p> + + <p>France will steer another tack,</p> + + <p>Solon of—the Almanac!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Hear your praises from your pages,</p> + + <p class="i2">Hear them from your liveried lords,</p> + + <p>Let your valets earn their wages,</p> + + <p class="i2">Liars, living on their words;</p> + + <p>We'll soon give them nuts to crack,</p> + + <p>Cæsar of—the Almanac!</p> + </div> + </div><span class="pagenum"><a name="page487" + id="page487"></a>[pg 487]</span> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"When a dotard fills the throne,</p> + + <p class="i2">Fit for nothing but a nurse,</p> + + <p>When a nation's general groan,</p> + + <p class="i2">Yields to nothing but its curse;</p> + + <p>What are armies at thy back,</p> + + <p>Henri of—the Almanac?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"When the truth is bought and sold,</p> + + <p class="i2">When the wrongs of man are spurn'd,</p> + + <p>Then the crown's last knell is toll'd,</p> + + <p class="i2">Then, old Time, thy glass has turn'd,</p> + + <p>And comes flying from thy pack</p> + + <p>To nations a <i>new</i> Almanac!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Mistress, minister, Bourbon,</p> + + <p class="i2">Rule by bayonets, bribes, and spies,</p> + + <p>Charlatans in church and throne,</p> + + <p class="i2">France is opening all her eyes—</p> + + <p>Down go minion, king, and quack,</p> + + <p>We'll have <i>our</i> new Almanac!"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>When I returned to the place where my mattress was flung, + the crowd had already sunk to rest, and there was a general + silence throughout the building. The few lights which our + jailers supplied to us, had become fewer; and, except for the + heavy sound of the doubled sentries' tread outside, I might + have imagined myself in a vast cemetery. The agitation of the + day, followed by the somewhat unsuitable gayety of the evening, + had thrown me into such a state of mental and bodily fatigue, + that I had scarcely laid my side on my bed, untempting as it + was, when I dropped into a heavy slumber. The ingenuity of our + tormentors, however, prohibited our knowing any thing in the + shape of indulgence; and in realisation of the dramatist's + renowned <i>mot</i>, "traitors never sleep," the prison door + was suddenly flung open—a drum rattled through the + aisle—the whole body of the prisoners were ordered to + stand forth and answer to their names; this ceremony concluding + with the march of the whole night-guard into the chapel, and + their being ordered to load with ball-cartridge, to give us the + sufficient knowledge of what any attempt to escape would bring + upon us in future. This refinement in cruelty we owed to the + <i>escapade</i> of the night before.</p> + + <p>At length, after a variety of insulting queries, even this + scene was over. The guard marched out, the roll of their drum + passed away among the cloisters; we went shivering to our + beds—threw ourselves down dressed as we were, and tried + to forget France and our jailers.</p> + + <p>But a French night in those times was like no other, and I + had yet to witness a scene such as I believe could not have + existed in any other country of the globe.</p> + + <p>After some period of feverish sleep I was awakened by a + strange murmur, which, mixing with my dreams, had given me the + comfortless idea of hearing the roar of the multitude at some + of the horrid displays of the guillotine; and as I half opened + my unwilling eyes, still heavy with sleep, I saw a long + procession of figures, in flowing mantles and draperies, moving + down the huge hall. A semicircle of beds filled the extremity + of the chapel, which had been vacated by a draft of unfortunate + beings, carried off during the day to that dreadful tribunal, + whose sole employment seemed to be the supply of the axe, and + from which no one was ever expected to return. While my eyes, + with a strange and almost superstitious anxiety—such is + the influence of time and place—followed this + extraordinary train, I saw it take possession of the range of + beds; each new possessor sitting wrapt in his pale vesture, and + perfectly motionless. I can scarcely describe the singular + sensations with which I continued to gaze on the spectacle. My + eyes sometimes closed, and I almost conceived that the whole + was a dream; but the forms were too distinct for this + conjecture, and the question with me now became, "are they + flesh and blood?" I had not sunk so far into reverie as to + imagine that they were the actual spectres of the unhappy + tenants of those beds on the night before, all of whom were + now, doubtless, in the grave; but the silence, the distance, + the dimness perplexed me, and I left the question to be settled + by the event. At a gesture from the central figure they all + stood up—and a man loaded with fetters was brought + forward in front of their line. I now found that a trial was + going on: the group were the judges, the man was the presumed + criminal; there was an accuser, there was an advocate—in + short, all the general process of a trial was passing before my + view. Curiosity would naturally have made me spring from my bed + and approach this extraordinary spectacle; but I am not ashamed + now to acknowledge, that I felt a + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page488" + id="page488"></a>[pg 488]</span> nervelessness and inability + to speak or move, which for the time wholly awed me. All + that I could discover was, that the accused was charged with + <i>incivisme</i>, and that, defying the court and disdaining + the charge, he was pronounced guilty—the whole circle, + standing up as the sentence was pronounced, and with a + solemn waving of their arms and murmur of their voices, + assenting to the act of the judge. The victim was then + seized on, swept away into the darkness, and after a brief + pause I heard a shriek and a crash; the sentence had been + fulfilled—all was over. The court now covered their + heads with their mantles, as if in sorrow for this + formidable necessity.</p> + + <p>But how shall I speak of the closing scene? However it + surprised and absorbed me in that moment of nervous excitement, + I can allude to it now only as characteristic of a time when + every mind in France was half lunatic. I saw a figure enveloped + in star-coloured light emerge from the darkness, slowly ascend, + in a vesture floating round it like the robes which Raphael or + Guido gives to the beings of another sphere, and, accompanied + by a burst of harmony as it rose, ascend to the roof, where it + suddenly disappeared. All was instantly the silence and the + darkness of the grave.</p> + + <p>Daylight brought back my senses, and I was convinced that + the pantomimic spirit of the people, however unaccountably it + might disregard proprieties, had been busy with the scene. I + should now certainly have abandoned the supernatural portion of + the conjecture altogether; but on mentioning it to Cassini, he + let me into the solution at once.</p> + + <p>"Have you never observed," said he, "the passion of all + people for walking on the edge of a precipice, climbing a + church tower, looking down from a battlement, or doing any one + thing which gives them the nearest possible chance of breaking + their necks?—then you can comprehend the performance of + last night. There we are, like fowls in a coop: every day sees + some of us taken out; and the amusement of the remaining fowls + is to imagine how the heads of the others were taken from their + bodies." The prisoners were practising a trial.</p> + + <p>I gave an involuntary look of surprise at this species of + amusement, and remarked something on the violation of common + feeling—to say nothing of the almost profaneness which it + involved.</p> + + <p>"As to the feeling," said Cassini, with that shrug which no + shoulders but those of a Frenchman can ever give, "it is a + matter of taste; and perhaps we have no right to dictate in + such matters to persons who would think a week a long lease of + life, and who, instead of seven days, may not have so many + hours. As to the profanation, if your English scruples made you + sensitive on such points, I can assure you that you might have + seen some things much more calculated to excite your + sensibilities. The display last night was simply the trial of a + royalist; and as we are all more or less angry with + republicanism at this moment, and with some small reason too, + the royalist, though he was condemned, as every body now is, + was suffered to have his apotheosis. But <i>I</i> have seen + exhibitions in which the republican was the criminal, and the + scene that followed was really startling even to my rather + callous conceptions. Sometimes we even had one of the colossal + ruffians who are now lording it over France. I have seen St + Just, Couthon, Caier, Danton, nay Robespierre himself; + arraigned before our midnight tribunal; for this amusement is + the only one which we can enjoy without fear of interruption + from our jailers. Thus we enjoy it with the greater gusto, and + revenge ourselves for the tribulations of the day by trying our + tormentors at night."</p> + + <p>"I am satisfied with the reason, although I am not yet quite + reconciled to the performance. Who were the actors?"</p> + + <p>"You are now nearer the truth than you suspected. We have + men of every trade here, and, among the rest, we have actors + enough to stock the <i>Comédie Française</i>. If + you remain long enough among us, you will see some of the best + farces of the best time played uncommonly well by our fellow + <i>détenus</i>. But in the interim—for our stage + is permitted by the municipality to open in the St Lazare only + four times a month—a piece of + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page489" + id="page489"></a>[pg 489]</span> cruelty which we all regard + as intolerable—our actors refresh their faculties with + all kinds of displays. You acknowledge that the scene last + night was well got up; and if you should see the trial of + some of our 'Grands Democrats,' be assured that your + admiration will not be attracted by showy vesture, blue + lights, or the harmonies of the old asthmatic organ in + yonder gallery; our pattern will be taken from the last + scene of 'Il Don Giovanni.' You will have no pasteboard + figure suspended from the roof, and wafted upward in + starlight or moonlight. But if you wish to see the + exhibition, I am concerned to tell you that you must wait, + for to-night all our <i>artistes</i> are busy. In what, do + you conceive?"</p> + + <p>I professed my inability to fathom "the infinite resources + of the native mind, where amusement was the question."</p> + + <p>"Well then—not to keep you in suspense—we are to + have a masquerade."</p> + + <p>The fact was even so. France having grown tired of all + things that had been, grew tired of weeks, and Decades were the + law of the land. The year was divided into packs of ten days + each, and she began the great game of time by shuffling and + cutting her cards anew. The change was not marked by any + peculiar good fortune; for it was laughed at, as every thing in + France was except an order for deportation to the colonies, or + a march to the scaffold. The populace, fully admitting the + right of government to deal with kings and priests as it + pleased, regarded the interference with their pleasures as a + breach of compact; and the result was, that the populace had + their Dimanche as well as their Decadi, and that the grand + experiment for wiping out the Sunday, issued in giving them two + holidays instead of one.</p> + + <p>It was still early in the day when some bustle in the porch + of the prison turned all eyes towards it, and a new detachment + of prisoners was brought in. I shall say nothing of the scenes + of wretchedness which followed; the wild terrors of women on + finding themselves in this melancholy place, which looked, and + was, scarcely more than a vestibule to the tomb; the deep + distress of parents, with their children clinging round them, + and the general despair—a despair which was but too well + founded. Yet the tumult of their settling and distribution + among the various quarters of the chapel had scarcely subsided + when another scene was at hand. The commissary of the district + came in, with a list of the prisoners who were summoned before + the tribunal. Our prison population was like the waters of a + bath, as one stream flowed in another flowed out; the level was + constantly sustained. With an instinctive pang I heard my name + pronounced among those unhappy objects of sanguinary rule. + Cassini approached me with a smile, which he evidently put on + to conceal his emotion.</p> + + <p>"This is quick work, M. Marston," said he, taking my hand. + "As the ruffian in the school fable says, 'Hodie tibi, cras + nihi'—twelve hours will probably make all the difference + between us."</p> + + <p>I took off the little locket coutaining my last remembrance + of Clotilde, and put it into his hands, requesting him, if he + survived, to transmit it to his incomparable countrywoman, with + an assurance that I remembered her in an hour when all else was + forgotten.</p> + + <p>"I shall perform the part of your legatee," said he, "till + to-morrow; then I will find some other depositary. Here you + must know that heirship is rapid, and that the will is executed + before the ink is dry." He turned away to hide a tear. "I have + not known you long, sir," said he; "but in this place we must + be expeditious in every thing. You are too young to die. If you + are sacrificed, I am convinced that you will die like a + gentleman and a man of honour. And yet I have some feeling, + some presentiment, nay almost a consciousness, that you will + not be cut off, at least until you are as weary of the world as + I am."</p> + + <p>I endeavoured to put on a face of resignation, if not of + cheerfulness, and said, "That though my country might revenge + my death, my being engaged in its service would only make my + condemnation inevitable. But I was prepared."</p> + + <p>"At all events, my young friend," + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page490" + id="page490"></a>[pg 490]</span> said he, "if you escape + from this pandemonium of France, take this paper, and + vindicate the memory of Cassini."</p> + + <p>He gave me a memoir, which I could not help receiving with a + smile, from the brevity of the period during which the trust + was likely to hold. The gendarme now came up to demand my + attendance. I shook hands with the marquis, who at that moment + was certainly no philosopher, and followed the train.</p> + + <p>We were about fifty in number; and after being placed in + open artillery waggons, the procession moved rapidly through + the suburb, until we reached one of those dilapidated and + hideous-looking buildings which were then to be found startling + the stranger's eye with the recollections of the St Bartholomew + and the Fronde.</p> + + <p>A crowd, assembled round the door of one of these melancholy + shades, and the bayonets of a company of the national guard + glittering above their heads, at length indicated the place of + our destination. The crowd shouted, and called us "aristocrats, + thirsting for the blood of the good citizens." The line of the + guard opened, and we were rapidly passed through several halls, + the very dwelling of decay, until we reached a large court, + where the prisoners remained while the judges were occupied in + deciding on the fate of the train which the morning had already + provided. I say nothing of the insults which were intended, if + not to add new bitterness to death, to indulge the wretched men + and women who could find an existence in attending on the + offices of the tribunal, with opportunities of triumphing over + those born to better things. While we remained in the court + exposed to the weather, which was now cold and gusty, shouts + were heard at intervals, which, as the turnkeys informed us, + arose from the spectators of the executions—death, in + these fearful days, immediately following sentence. Yet, to the + last the ludicrous often mingled with the melancholy. While I + was taking my place in the file according to the order of our + summons, and was next in rotation for trial, a smart and + overdressed young man stepped out of his place in the rank, and + drawing from his bosom a pamphlet in manuscript, presented it + to me, with the special entreaty that, "in case I survived, I + should take care of its propagation throughout Europe." My + answer naturally was, "That my fate was fully as precarious as + that of the rest, and that thus I had no hope of being able to + give his pamphlet to mankind."</p> + + <p>"<i>Mais</i>, monsieur," that phrase which means so many + inexpressible things—"But, sir, you must observe, that by + putting my pamphlet into your charge, it has a double chance. + You may read it as a part of your defence; it is a treatise on + the government of France, which settles all the disputed + questions, reconciles republicanism with monarchy, and shows + how a revolution may be made to purify all things without + overthrowing any. Thus my sentiments will become public at + once, the world will be enlightened, and, though <i>you</i> may + perish, France will be saved."</p> + + <p>Nothing could be more convincing; yet I continued stubborn. + He persisted. I suggested the "possibility of my not being + suffered to make any defence whatever, but of being swept away + at once; in this case endangering the total loss of his + conceptions to the world;" but I had to deal with a man of + resources.</p> + + <p>"No," said the author and philanthropist; "for that event I + have provided. I have a second copy folded on my breast, which + I shall read when I am called on for trial. Then those immortal + truths shall not be left to accident; I shall have two chances + for celebrity; the labour of my life shall be known; nor shall + the name of Jean Jacques Pelletier go to the tomb without the + renown due to a philosopher."</p> + + <p>But further deprecation on my part was cut short by the + appearance of two of the guard, by whom I was marched to the + presence of the tribunal. The day had now waned, and two or + three lamps showed my weary eye the judges, whose decision was + to make the difference to me between life and death, within the + next half hour. Their appearance was the reverse of one likely + to reconcile the unfortunate to the severity of the law. They + were seven or eight sitting on a raised platform, with a long + table in their front, covered with papers, with + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page491" + id="page491"></a>[pg 491]</span> what seemed to be the + property taken from the condemned at the + moment—watches, purses, and trinkets; and among those + piles, very visibly the fragments of a dinner—plates + and soups, with several bottles of cognac and wine. Justice + was so indefatigable in France, that its ministers were + forced to mingle all the functions of public and private + life together; and to be intoxicated in the act of passing + sentence of death was no uncommon event.</p> + + <p>The judges of those sectional tribunals were generally + ruffians of the lowest description, who, having made themselves + notorious by violence and Jacobinism, had driven away the usual + magistracy, and, under the pretext of administering justice, + were actually driving a gainful trade in robbery of every kind. + The old costume of the courts of law was of course abjured; and + the new civic costume, which was obviously constructed on the + principle of leaving the lands free for butchery, and + preserving the garments free from any chance of being + disfigured by the blood of the victim—for they were the + perfection of savage squalidness—was displayed + <i>à la rigueur</i> on the bench. A short coat without + sleeves, the shirt sleeves tucked up as for instant execution, + the neck open, no collar, fierce mustaches, a head of clotted + hair, sometimes a red nightcap stuck on one side, and sometimes + a red handkerchief tied round it as a temporary "bonnet de + nuit"—for the judges frequently, in drunkenness or + fatigue, threw themselves on the bench or the floor, and + slept—exhibited the regenerated aspect of Themis in the + capital of the polished world.</p> + + <p>My name was now called. I shall not say with what a throb of + heart I heard it. But at the moment when I was stepping + forward, I felt my skirt pulled by one of the guard behind me. + I looked, and recognized through all his beard, and the hair + that in profusion covered his physiognomy, my police friend, + who seemed to possess the faculty of being every where—a + matter, however, rendered easier to him by his being in the + employ of the government—and who simply whispered the + words—"Be firm, and acknowledge nothing." Slight as the + hint was, it had come in good time; for I had grown desperate + from the sight of the perpetual casualties round me, and, like + Cassini's idea of the man walking on the edge of the precipice, + had felt some inclination to jump off, and take my chance. But + now contempt and defiance took the place of despair; and + instead of openly declaring my purposes and performances, my + mind was made up to leave them to find out what they could.</p> + + <p>On my being marched up to the foot of the platform between + two frightful-looking ruffians, whose coats and trousers seemed + to have been dyed in gore, to show that they were worthy of the + murders of September, and who, to make "assurance doubly sure," + wore on their sword-belts the word "September," painted in + broad characters, I remained for a while unquestioned, until + they turned over a pile of names which they had flung on the + table before them. At last their perplexity was relieved by one + of the clerks, who pronounced my name. I was then interrogated + in nearly the same style as before the committee of my first + captors. I gave them short answers.</p> + + <p>"Who are you?" asked the principal distributor of rabble + justice. The others stooped forward, pens in hand, to record my + conviction.</p> + + <p>My answer was—</p> + + <p>"I am a man." (Murmurs on the platform.)</p> + + <p>"Whence come you?"</p> + + <p>"From your prison."</p> + + <p>"You are not a Frenchman?"</p> + + <p>"No, thank Heaven!" (Murmurs again.)</p> + + <p>"Beware, sir, of insolence to the tribunal. We can send you + instantly to punishment."</p> + + <p>"I know it. Why then try me at all?"</p> + + <p>"Because, prisoner, we desire to hear the truth first."</p> + + <p>"First or last, can you bear to hear it?" (Angry looks, but + more attention.)</p> + + <p>"We have no time to waste—the business of the Republic + must be done. Are you a citizen?"</p> + + <p>"I am; a citizen of the world."</p> + + <p>"You must not equivocate with justice. Where did you live + before you were + arrested?"</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page492" + id="page492"></a>[pg 492]</span> + + <p>"On the globe." (A half-suppressed laugh among the crowd in + the back ground.)</p> + + <p>"What profession?"</p> + + <p>"None."</p> + + <p>"On what then do you live, have lived, or expect to + live?"</p> + + <p>"To-day on nothing, for your guards have given me nothing. + Yesterday, I lived on what I could get. To-morrow, it depends + on circumstances whether I shall want any thing." (A low murmur + of applause among the bystanders, who now gathered closer to + the front.)</p> + + <p>"Prisoner," said the chief, swilling a glass of cognac to + strengthen the solemnity of his jurisprudence, "the Republic + must not be trifled with. You are arraigned of + <i>incivisme</i>. Of what country are you a subject?"</p> + + <p>"Of France, while I remain on her territory."</p> + + <p>"Have you fought for France?"</p> + + <p>"I have; for her laws, her liberty, her property, and her + honour." (Bravo! from the crowd.)</p> + + <p>"Yet you are not a Republican?"</p> + + <p>"No; no more than you are."</p> + + <p>This produced confusion on the bench. The hit was + contemptuously accidental; but it was a home-thrust at the + chief, who had former been a domestic in the Tuileries, and was + still strongly suspected of being a spy of the Bourbons. The + crowd who knew his story, who are always delighted with a blow + at power, burst into a general roar. But a little spruce fellow + on the bench, who had already exhibited a desire to take his + share in the interrogatory, now thrust his head over the table, + and said in his most searching tone—</p> + + <p>"To come to the point—Prisoner, how do you live? What + are your means? All honest men must have visible means. That is + <i>my</i> question." (All eyes were now turned on me.)</p> + + <p>I was now growing angry; and, pointing to the pile of purses + and watches on the table—</p> + + <p>"No man," said I, "needs ask what are your visible means, + when they see that pile before you. Yet I doubt if that proves + you to be an honest man. That is <i>my</i> answer."</p> + + <p>The little inquisitor looked furious, and glanced towards + the chief for protection; but his intrusion had provoked wrath + in that quarter, and his glance was returned with a rigid + smile.</p> + + <p>"Prisoner," said the head of the tribunal, "though the + question was put improperly, it was itself a proper one. How do + you live?"</p> + + <p>"By my abilities."</p> + + <p>"That is a very doubtful support in those times."</p> + + <p>"I do not recommend you, or any of those around you, to make + the experiment," was my indignant answer.</p> + + <p>The bystanders gave a general laugh, in which even the guard + joined. To get the laugh against one, is the most unpardonable + of all injuries in France, and this answer roused up the whole + tribunal. They scarcely gave themselves the trouble of a + moment's consultation. A few nods and whispers settled the + whole affair; and the chief, standing up and drawing his sabre + from its sheath—then the significant custom of those + places of butchery, pronounced the fatal words, "Guilty of + <i>incivisme</i>. Let the criminal be conducted <i>à la + Force</i>," the well-known phrase for immediate execution.</p> + + <p>The door was opened from which none ever came back. Two + torches were seen glaring down the passage, and I was seized by + the grim escort who were to lead me to the axe.</p> + + <p>The affectation of cowardice is as childish as the + affectation of courage; but I felt a sensation at that moment + which took me by surprise. I had been perfectly assured of my + sentence from the first glance at the judges. If ever there was + a spot on earth which deserved Dante's motto of + Erebus—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Voi qui entrate, lasciate agui speranza"—</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>it was the revolutionary tribunal. Despair was written all + over it in characters impossible to be mistaken. I had fixed my + resolution to go through the whole scene, if not with heroism, + at least with that decent firmness which becomes a man; yet the + sound of the words which consigned me to the scaffold struck me + with a general chill. Momentary as the period was, the question + passed through my mind, are those paralysed limbs the same + which bore me so well through the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page493" + id="page493"></a>[pg 493]</span> hazards of the campaign? + Why am I to feel the fluttering of heart now, more than when + I was facing sabres and cannon-shot? Why am I thus frigid + and feeble, when I so lately fought and marched, and defied + alike fatigue and wounds? But I felt in this chamber of + death an inconceivable exhaustion, which had never + approached me in the havoc of the field. My feet refused to + move, my lips to breathe; all objects swam round, and sick + to death and fainting, I thrust out my hand to save me from + falling, and thus gave the last triumph to my murderers.</p> + + <p>At this decisive moment I found my hand caught by a powerful + grasp, and a strong voice exclaiming, "Messieurs, I demand the + delay of this sentence. The criminal before you is of higher + importance to the state than the wretches whom justice daily + compels you to sacrifice. His crime is of a deeper dye. I + exhibit the mandate of the Government to arrest the act of the + tribunal, and order him to be reserved until he reveals the + whole of the frightful plots which endanger the Republic."</p> + + <p>He then advanced to the platform; and, taking a paper from + his bosom, displayed to the court and the crowd the order for + my being remanded to prison, signed by the triumvirate, whose + word was law in France. Some confusion followed on the bench, + and some bustle among the spectators; but the document was + undeniable, and my sentence was suspended. I am not sure that + the people within much regretted the delay, however those who + had been lingering outside might feel themselves ill-used by a + pause in the executions, which had now become a popular + amusement; for the crowd instantly pushed forward to witness + another trial of sarcasm between me and my judges; but this the + new authority sternly forbade.</p> + + <p>"The prisoner," said he, in a dictatorial tone, "is now in + my charge. He is a prisoner of state—an + Englishman—an agent of the monster Pitt"—(he + paused, and was answered with a general shudder;) "and, above + all, has actually been in arms with the fiend Brunswick, (a + general groan,) and with those worse than fiends, those + parricides, those emigrant nobles, who have come to burn our + harvests, slay our wives and children, and destroy the proudest + monument of human wisdom, the grandest triumph of human + success, and the most illustrious monument of the age of + regeneration—the Republic of France." Loud acclamations + followed this popular rhetoric; and the panegyrist, firmly + grasping me by the arm, walked with me rapidly out of court. + All made way for him, and, before another word could be uttered + by the astounded bench, we were in one of the covered carriages + reserved for prisoners of the higher rank, and on our way, at + full gallop, through the intricate streets of Paris.</p> + + <p>All this was done with such hurried action, that I had + scarcely time to know what my own emotions were; but the relief + from immediate death, or rather from those depressing and + overwhelming sensations which perhaps make its worst + bitterness, was something, and hope dawned in me once more. + Still, it was wholly in vain that I attempted to make my man of + mystery utter a word. Nothing could extort a syllable from him, + and he was evidently unwilling that I should even see his face, + imperfect as the chance was among the few lamps which Paris + then exhibited to enlighten the dismal darkness of her + thoroughfares. Yet the idea that my rescue was not without a + purpose predominated; and I was beginning even to imagine that + I already felt the fresh air of the fields, and that our + journey would terminate outside the walls of Paris, when the + carriage came to a full stop, and, by the light of a torch + streaming on the wind in front, I saw the gate of the St + Lazare. All was now over—resistance or escape was equally + beyond me. The carriage was surrounded by the guard, who + ordered me to descend; their officer received the rescript for + my safe custody, and I had nothing before me but the dungeon. + But at the moment when my foot was on the step of the vehicle, + my companion stooped forward, and uttered in my ear, with a + pressure of my hand, the word "Mordecai." I was hurried onward, + and the carriage drove away.</p> + + <p>My surprise was excessive. This talismanic word changes the + current <span class="pagenum"><a name="page494" + id="page494"></a>[pg 494]</span> of my thoughts at once. It + had so often and so powerfully operated in my favour, that I + could scarcely doubt its effect once more; yet before me + were the stern realities of confinement. What spell was + equal to those stonewalls, what dexterity of man or + friendship, or even the stronger love of woman, could make + my dungeon free, or my chains vanish into "thin air?" Still + there had been a interposition, and to that interposition, + whether for future good or ill, it certainly was due that I + was not already mounting the scaffold, or flung, headless + trunk, into the miserable and nameless grave.</p> + + <p>As I passed again through the cloisters, my ears were caught + with the sound of music and dancing. The contrast was + sufficiently strong to the scene from which I had just + returned; yet this was the land of contrasts. To my look of + surprise, the turnkey who attended me answered "Perhaps you + have forgotten that this is Decadi, and on this night we always + have our masquerade. If you have not got a dress, I shall + supply you; my wife is a <i>fripier</i> in the Antoine; she + supplies all the civic fêtes with costumes, and you may + have any dress you like, from a grand signor with his turban, + down to a <i>colporteur</i> with his pack, or a watchman with + his nightcap."</p> + + <p>My mind was still too unsettled to enjoy masquerading, + notwithstanding the temptation of the turnkey's wardrobe; and I + felt all that absence of accommodation to circumstances, that + want of plasticity, that failure of grasping at every + hair's-breadth of enjoyment, which is declared by foreigners to + form the prodigious deficiency of John Bull. If I could have + taken refuge, for that night at least, in the saddest cell of + the old convent, or in the deepest dungeon of the new prison, I + should have gone to either with indulgence. I longed to lay + down my aching brains upon my pillow, and forget the fever of + the time. But prisoners have no choice; and the turnkey, after + repeating his recommendations that I should not commit an act + of such profound offence as to appear in the assembly without a + domino, if I should take nothing else from the store of the + most popular <i>marchande</i> in Paris, the wife of his bosom, + at last, with a shake of his head and a bending of his heavy + brows at my want of taste, unlocked the gate, and thrust me + into the midst of my old quarters, the chapel.</p> + + <p>There a new scene indeed awaited me. The place which I had + left filled with trembling clusters of people, whole families + clinging to each other in terror, loud or mute, but all in the + deepest dread of their next summons, I found in a state of the + most extravagant festivity—the chapel lighted up from + floor to root—bouquets planted wherever it was possible + to fix an artificial flower—gaudy wreaths depending from + the galleries—and all the genius of this country of + extremes lavished on attempts at decoration. Rude as the + materials were, they produced at first sight a remarkably + striking effect. More striking still was the spectacle of the + whole multitude in every grotesque dress of the world, dancing + away as if life was but one festival.</p> + + <p>As I stood aloof for a while, wholly dazzled by the glare, + the movement, and the multitude, I was recognised by some of my + "old" acquaintance—the acquaintance of twenty-four + hours—but here time, like every thing else, had changed + its meaning, and a new influx had recruited the hall. Cassini + and some others came forward and welcomed me, like one who had + returned from the tomb—the news of the day was given and + exchanged—a bottle of champagne was prescribed as the + true medicine for my lowness of pulse—and I gradually + gave myself up to the spirit of the hour.</p> + + <p>As I wandered through the crowd, a mask dressed as a sylph + bent its head over my shoulder, and I heard the words, "Why are + you not in a domino?" I made some careless answer. "Go and get + one immediately," was the reply. "Take this card, fasten it on + your robe, and meet me here again." The mask put a card marked + with a large rose into my hand, and was gone waltzing away + among the crowd. I still lingered, leaning against one of the + pillars of the aisle. The mask again approached me. "Monsieur + Anglais," was the whisper, "you do not know your friends. Go + and furnish yourself with + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page495" + id="page495"></a>[pg 495]</span> a domino. It is essential + to your safety." "Who are my friends, and why do you give me + this advice?" was my enquiry. The mask lightly tripped round + me, laid its ungloved hand on mine, as if in the mere sport + of the dance; and I saw that it was the hand of a female + from its whiteness and delicacy. I was now more perplexed + than ever. As the form floated round me with the lightness + of a zephyr, it whispered the word "Mordecai," and flew off + into an eddy of the moving multitude. I now obeyed the + command; went to the little shrine where the turnkey's wife + had opened her <i>friperie</i>, and equipped myself with the + dress appointed; and, with the card fixed upon my bosom, + returned to take my station beside the pillar. But no sylph + came again; no form rivaled the zephyr before me. I listened + for that soft, low voice; but listened in vain. Yet what was + all this but the common sport of a masquerade?</p> + + <p>However, an object soon drew the general attention so + strongly, as to put an end to private curiosity for the time. + This was a mask in the uniform of a national guard, but so + outrageously fine that his <i>entrée</i> excited an + universal burst of laughter. But when, after a few displays of + what was apparently all but intoxication, he began a detail of + his own exploits, it was evident that the whole was a daring + caricature; and as nothing could be less popular among us than + the heroes of the shops, the Colonels Calicot, and Mustaches + <i>au comptoir</i>, all his burlesque told incomparably. The + old officers among us, the Vendéans, and all the + ladies—for the sex are aristocrats under every government + and in every region of the globe—were especially + delighted. "Alexandre Jules Cæsar," colonel of the "brave + battalion of the Marais," was evidently worth a dozen + field-marshals in his own opinion; and his contempt for + Vendôme, Marlborough, and Frederick le Grand, was only + less piquant than the perfect imitation and keen burlesque of + Santerre, Henriot, and our municipal warriors. At length when + his plaudits and popularity were at their height, he proposed a + general toast to the "young heroism," of the capital, and + prefaced it by a song, in great repute in the old French + service.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"AVANCEZ, BRAVE GUERRIERS."</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Shoulder arms—brave regiment!</p> + + <p class="i2">Hark, the bugle sounds 'advance.'</p> + + <p>Pile the baggage—strike the tent;</p> + + <p class="i2">France demands you—fight for + France.</p> + + <p>If the hero gets a ball,</p> + + <p>His accounts are closed—that's all!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Who'd stay wasting time at home,</p> + + <p class="i2">Made for women to despise;</p> + + <p>When, where'er we choose to roam,</p> + + <p class="i2">All the world before us lies,</p> + + <p>Following our bugle's call,</p> + + <p>Life one holiday—that's all!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"When the soldier's coin is spent,</p> + + <p class="i2">He has but to fight for more;</p> + + <p>He pays neither tax nor rent,</p> + + <p class="i2">He's but where he was before.</p> + + <p>If he conquer, if he fall—</p> + + <p><i>Fortune de la guerre</i>—that's all!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Let the pedant waste his oil,</p> + + <p class="i2">With the soldier all is sport;</p> + + <p>Let your blockheads make a coil</p> + + <p class="i2">In the cloister or the court;</p> + + <p>Let them fatten in their stall,</p> + + <p>We can fatten too—that's all!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"What care we for fortune's frown,</p> + + <p class="i2">All that comes is for the best;</p> + + <p>What's the noble's bed of down</p> + + <p class="i2">To the soldier's evening rest</p> + + <p>On the heath or in the hall,</p> + + <p>All alike to him—that's all!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"When the morn is on the sky,</p> + + <p class="i2">Hark the gay <i>reveillé</i> + rings!</p> + + <p>Glory lights the soldier's eye,</p> + + <p class="i2">To the gory breach he springs,</p> + + <p>Plants his colours on the wall</p> + + <p>Wins and wears the <i>croix</i>—that's + all!"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The dashing style in which this hereditary song of the + French camp was given by "Colonel Alexandre Jules Cæsar" + of the "brave battalion of the Marais," his capitally awkward + imitation of the soldier of the old <i>régime</i>, and + his superb affectation of military nonchalance, were so + admirable, that his song excited actual raptures of applause. + His performance was encored, and he was surrounded by a group + of nymphs and graces, among whom his towering figure looked + like a grenadier of Brobdignag in the circle of a Liliputian + light company. He carried on the farce for a while with great + adroitness and animation; but at length he put the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page496" + id="page496"></a>[pg 496]</span> circle of tinsel and + tiffany aside, and rushing up to me, insisted on making me a + recruit for the "brave battalion of the Marais." But I had + no desire to play a part in this pantomime, and tried to + disengage myself. One word again made me a captive: that + word was now "Lafontaine;" and at the same moment I saw the + sylph bounding to my side. What was I to think of this + extraordinary combination? All was as strange as a midsummer + night's dream. The "colonel," as if fatigued, leaned against + the pillar, and slightly removing his mask, I saw, with + sudden rejoicing, the features of that gallant young friend, + whom I had almost despaired of ever seeing again. "Wait in + this spot until I return," was all that I heard, before he + and the sylph had waltzed away far down the hall.</p> + + <p>I waited for some time in growing anxiety; but the + pleasantry of the night went on as vividly as ever, and some + clever <i>tableaux vivants</i> had varied the quadrilles. While + the dancers gave way to a well-performed picture of Hector and + Andromache from the <i>Iliad</i>, and the hero was in the act + of taking the plumed helmet from his brow, with a grace which + enchanted our whole female population, an old Savoyard and his + daughter came up, one playing the little hand-organ of their + country, and the other dancing to her tamborine. This was + pretty, but my impatience was ill disposed to look or listen; + when I was awakened by a laugh, and the old man's mask being + again half turned aside, I again saw my friend: the man moved + slowly through the crowd, and I followed. We gradually twined + our way through the labyrinth of pillars, leaving the festivity + further and further behind, until he came to a low door, at + which the Savoyard tapped, and a watchword being given, the + cell was opened. There our robes and masks were laid aside; we + found peasant dresses, for which we exchanged them; and + following a muffled figure who carried a lantern, we began our + movements again through the recesses of the endless building. + At length we came to a stop, and our guide lifting up a + ponderous stone which covered the entrance to a deep and dark + staircase, we began to descend. I now for the first time heard + the cheerful voice of Lafontaine at my side. "I doubt," said + he, "whether a hundred years ago any one of us would have + ventured on a night march of this kind; for, be it known to + you, that we are now in the vaults of the convent, and shall + have to go through a whole regiment of monks and abbots in full + parade." I observed that, "if we were to meet them at all, they + would be less likely to impede our progress dead than alive;" + but I still advised Lafontaine to allude as little as he could + to the subject, lest it might have the effect of alarming our + fair companion. "There is no fear of that," said he, "for + little Julie is in love with M. le Comte, our gallant guide; + and a girl of eighteen desperately in love, is afraid of + nothing. You Englishmen are not remarkable for superstition; + and as for me and my compatriots, we have lost our reverence + for monks in any shape since the taking of the Bastile."</p> + + <p>We now went on drearily and wearily through a range of + catacombs, stopping from time to time to ascertain whether we + were pursued; and occasionally not a little startled by the + sudden burst of sound that came from the revelry above, through + the ventilators of these enormous vaults. But the Count had + well prepared his measures, had evidently traced his way + before, and led us on without hinderance, until we approached a + species of sallyport, which, once opened, would have let us out + into the suburb. Here misfortune first met us; none of the keys + which the Count had brought with him would fit the lock. It was + now concluded by our alarmed party, either that the design of + escape had been discovered, or that the lock had been changed + since the day before. Here was an insurmountable difficulty. To + break down the gate, or break through it, was palpably + impossible, for it was strongly plated with iron, and would + have resisted every thing but a six-pounder. What was to be + done? To remain where we were was starvation and death; to + return, would be heart-breaking; yet escape was clearly out of + the question. The Count was furious, as he tried in vain + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page497" + id="page497"></a>[pg 497]</span> to shake the solid + obstacle; Lafontaine was in despair. I, rather more quietly, + took it for granted that the guillotine would settle all our + troubles in the course of the next day; and the pretty + Julie, in a deluge of tears, charging herself with having + undone us all, hung upon the neck of her cavalier, and + pledged herself, by all the hopes and fears of passion, to + die along with him. While the lovers were exchanging their + last vows, Lafontaine, in all the vexation of his soul, was + explaining to me the matchless excellence of the plot, which + had been thus defeated in the very moment of promised + success.</p> + + <p>"You perhaps remember," said he, "the letter which the + father of Mariamne, that dearest girl whom I shall now never + see again in this world, gave you for one of his nation in + Paris. On the night when I last saw you, I had found it lying + on your table; and in the confusion of the moment, when I + thought you killed, and rushed into the street to gain some + tidings of you, I took charge of the letter, to assist me in + the enquiry. Unlucky as usual, I fell into the hands of a + rabble returning from the plunder of the palace, was fired on, + was wounded, and carried to the St Lazare. The governor was a + man of honour and a royalist, and he took care of me during a + dangerous illness and a slow recovery. But to give me liberty + was out of his power. I had lost sight of the world so long, + that the world lost sight of me, and I remained, forgetting and + forgotten; until, within these two days—when I received a + note from the head of the family to whom your letter was + directed, informing me that you had been arrested and sent to + the very prison in which I was—my recollection of the + world suddenly revived, and I determined to save you if + possible. I had grown familiar with the proceedings of that + tribunal of demons, the Revolutionary committee; and as I had + no doubt of your condemnation, through the mere love of + bloodshed, I concerted with my Jewish friend the plan of having + you claimed as a British agent, who had the means of making + important disclosures to the government. If this succeeded, + your life was saved for the day, and your escape was prepared + for the night. This weeping girl is the daughter of the late + governor, who has engaged in our plot to save the life of her + affianced husband; and now, within an hour of daylight, when + escape will be impossible, all our plans are thrown + away—we are brought to a dead stand by the want of one + miserable key, and shall have nothing more to do than to make + up our minds to die with what composure we can."</p> + + <p>Having finished his story, the narrator wrapt up his head in + his cloak, and laid himself down like one determined never to + rise again. The Count and his Julie were so engaged in + recapitulating their sorrows, sitting side by side on a + tombstone, like a pair of monumental figures, that they had + neither ear nor eye for any thing else; but my English nature + was made of sterner stuff, and thinking that at the last I + could but die, I took the lantern and set sturdily to work to + examine the gate. It was soon evident that it could be neither + undermined nor broken down by any strength of ours; but it was + also evident that the lock was the old one which had closed it + perhaps for the last century, and that the right key was the + only thing wanting. Leaving Lafontaine in his despair lying at + the foot of the monument, on which the lovers sat murmuring + like a pair of turtle doves, I determined to make a thorough + search for the missing key, and made my way back through all + the windings of the catacomb, tracing the ground step by step. + Still no key was to be found. At last I reached the cell where + we had changed our dresses, and examined table, floor, and + chair. Still nothing was to be found; but, unluckily, the light + of the lantern glancing through the loop-hole of the cell, + caught the eye of the sentinel on the outside, and he + challenged. The sound made me start; and I took up one of the + robes to cover the light. Something hard struck my hand. It was + in the gown of the Savoyard's daughter. I felt its pockets, + and, to my infinite astonishment and delight, produced the key. + The pretty Julie, who had procured it, had forgotten every + thing in the rapture of meeting her lover, and had left it + behind her when she threw off her masquerading + costume.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page498" + id="page498"></a>[pg 498]</span> + + <p>I now hastened back with the rapid step becoming the bearer + of good tidings, and revived the group of despair. The key was + applied to the lock, but it refused to move, and we had another + pang of disappointment. Lafontaine uttered a groan, and Julie + poured another gush of tears upon her companion's shoulder. I + made the experiment again; the rust of the lock was now found + to have been our only hinderance; and with a strong turn the + bolt flew back, and the door was open.</p> + + <p>We had all been so much exhausted by agitation, and the + dreary traverse of the catacomb, that the first gush of fresh + air conveyed a sensation almost of new life. The passage had + probably been formed in the period when every large building in + Paris was a species of fortress; and we had still a portcullis + to pass. When we first pushed against it, we felt another + momentary pang; but age had made it an unfaithful guardian, and + a few stout attacks on its decayed bars gave us free way. We + were now under the open sky; but, to our consternation, a new + and still more formidable difficulty presented itself. The moat + was still to be passed. To attempt the drawbridge was hopeless; + for we could hear the sentinel pacing up and down its creaking + planks. The moment was critical; for a streak of grey light in + the far east showed that the day was at hand. After resolving + all imaginable plans, and abandoning them all as fruitless; + determining, at all events, never to return, and yet without + the slightest prospect of escape, except in the bottom of that + sullen pool which lay at our feet—the thought occurred to + me, that in my return through the vault I had stumbled over the + planks which covered a vault lately dug for a prisoner. + Communicating my idea to Lafontaine, we returned to the spot, + loaded ourselves with the planks, and fortunately found them of + the length that would reach across the narrowest part of the + fosse. Our little bridge was made without delay, and Lafontaine + led the way, followed by the count and Julie, I waiting to see + them safe across, before I added my weight to the frail + structure. But I was not yet fated to escape. The sentinel, + whose vigilance I had startled by my lantern in the cell, had + given the alarm; and, as I was setting my foot on the plank, a + discharge of fire-arms came from the battlement above. I felt + that I was struck, and a stunning sensation seized me. I made + an attempt to spring forward, but suddenly found myself unable + to move. The patrol from the drawbridge now surrounded me, and + in this helpless state, bleeding, and as I thought dying, I was + hurried back into the St Lazare.</p> + + <p>After a fortnight's suffering in the hospital of the prison, + which alone probably saved me from the guillotine, then almost + the natural death of all the suspected, I was enabled to get on + my feet again. I found the prison as full as ever, but nearly + all its inmates had been changed except the Vendéans, + whom the crooked policy of the time kept alive, partly to avoid + raising the whole province in revolt, partly as hostages for + their countrymen.</p> + + <p>On my recovery, I had expected to be put down once more in + the list for trial; but it reached even the prison, that the + government were in a state of alarm for themselves, which + prevented them from indulging their friends in the streets with + the national amusement. The chance of mounting the scaffold + themselves had put the guillotine out of fashion; and two or + three minor attempts at the seizure of the Jacobin sceptre by + the partisans of the Girondists and Cordeliers, had been put + down with such difficulty, that even the Jacobin Club had begun + to protest against bloodshed, through the prospect of a speedy + retaliation. Thus we were suffered to linger on. But, "disguise + thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery, thou art a bitter + draught," and the suspense was heart-sickening. At length, + however, a bustle outside the walls, the firing of alarm guns, + and the hurrying of the national guard through the streets, + told us that some new measure of atrocity was at hand, and we + too soon learned the cause.</p> + + <p>The army under Dumourier had been attacked by the Austrians + under Clairfait, and had been defeated with heavy loss; + despatches had been received from their favourite general, in + all the rage of failure, declaring that the sole cause of the + disaster was <span class="pagenum"><a name="page499" + id="page499"></a>[pg 499]</span> information conveyed from + the capital to the Austrian headquarters, and demanding a + strict enquiry into the intrigues which had thus tarnished + the colours of the Republic. No intelligence could have been + more formidable to a government, which lived from day to day + on the breath of popularity; and, to turn the wrath of the + rabble from themselves, an order was given to examine the + prisons, and send the delinquents to immediate execution. It + may be easily believed that the briefest enquiry was enough + for vengeance, and the prisoners of St Lazare were the first + to furnish the spectacle. A train of carts rattled over the + pavement of our cloisters, and we were ordered to mount them + without delay. The guard was so strong as to preclude all + hope of resistance; and with all the pomp of a military + pageant, drums beating, trumpets sounding, and bands playing + <i>Ça Ira</i> and the <i>Marseillaise</i>, we left + our dreary dwelling, which habit had now almost turned into + a home, and moved through the principal streets of the + capital, for the express purposes of popular display, in the + centre of a large body of horse and foot, and an + incalculable multitude of spectators, until in the distance + we saw the instrument of death.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_6_1" + name="fn_6_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_6_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>A scene of peculiar infamy near Paris.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr /> + <a name="warning" + id="warning"></a> + + <h2>THE CHILD'S WARNING.</h2> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>There's blood upon the lady's cheek,</p> + + <p class="i2">There's brightness in her eye:</p> + + <p>Who says the sentence is gone forth</p> + + <p class="i2">That that fair thing must die?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>Must die before the flowering lime,</p> + + <p class="i2">Out yonder, sheds its leaf—</p> + + <p>Can this thing be, O human flower!</p> + + <p class="i2">Thy blossoming so brief?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>Nay, nay, 'tis but a passing cloud,</p> + + <p class="i2">Thou didst but droop awhile;</p> + + <p>There's life, long years, and love and joy,</p> + + <p class="i2">Whole ages, in that smile—</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>In the gay call that to thy knee</p> + + <p class="i2">Brings quick that loving child,</p> + + <p>Who looks up in those laughing eyes</p> + + <p class="i2">With his large eyes so mild.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>Yet, thou art doom'd—art dying; all</p> + + <p class="i2">The coming hour foresee,</p> + + <p>But, in love's cowardice, withhold</p> + + <p class="i2">The warning word from thee.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>God keep thee and be merciful!</p> + + <p class="i2">His strength is with the weak;</p> + + <p>Through babes and sucklings, the Most High</p> + + <p class="i2">Hath oft vouchsafed to speak—</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>And speaketh now—"Oh, mother dear!"</p> + + <p class="i2">Murmurs the little child;</p> + + <p>And there is trouble in its eyes,</p> + + <p class="i2">Those large blue eyes so mild—</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Oh, mother dear! they say that soon,</p> + + <p class="i2">When here I seek for thee,</p> + + <p>I shall not find thee—nor out there,</p> + + <p class="i2">Under the old oak-tree;</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Nor up stairs in the nursery,</p> + + <p class="i2">Nor any where, they say.</p> + + <p>Where wilt thou go to, mother dear?</p> + + <p class="i2">Oh, do not go away!"</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>Then was long silence—a deep hush—</p> + + <p class="i2">And then the child's low sob.</p> + + <p><i>Her</i> quivering eyelids close—one + hand</p> + + <p class="i2">Keeps down the heart's quick throb.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>And the lips move, though sound is none,</p> + + <p class="i2">That inward voice is prayer.</p> + + <p>And hark! "Thy will, O Lord, be done!"</p> + + <p class="i2">And tears are trickling there,</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>Down that pale cheek, on that young head—</p> + + <p class="i2">And round her neck he clings;</p> + + <p>And child and mother murmur out</p> + + <p class="i2">Unutterable things.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p><i>He</i> half unconscious—<i>she</i> + deep-struck</p> + + <p class="i2">With sudden, solemn truth,</p> + + <p>That number'd are her days on earth,</p> + + <p class="i2">Her shroud prepared in youth—</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>That all in life her heart holds dear,</p> + + <p class="i2">God calls her to resign.</p> + + <p>She hears—feels—trembles—but looks + up,</p> + + <p class="i2">And sighs, "Thy will be mine!"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p style="margin-left: 50%">C.</p> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page500" + id="page500"></a>[pg 500]</span> <a name="patrons" + id="patrons"></a> + + <h2>THE TWO PATRONS.</h2> + + <h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> + + <p>The front door of a large house in Harley Street stood + hospitably open, and leaning against the plaster pillars (which + were of a very miscellaneous architecture) were two + individuals, who appeared as if they had been set there + expressly to invite the passengers to walk in. Beyond the red + door that intersected the passage, was seen the coloured-glass + entrance to a conservatory on the first landing of the + drawing-room stairs; and a multitude of statues lined each side + of the lobby, like soldiers at a procession, but which the + inventive skill of the proprietor had converted to nearly as + much use as ornament; for a plaster Apollo, in addition to + watching the "arrow's deathful flight," had been appointed + custodier of a Taglioni and a Mackintosh, which he wore with + easy negligence over his head—a distracted Niobe, in the + same manner, had undertaken the charge of a grey silk hat and a + green umbrella. The Gladiator wore a lady's bonnet; the Farnese + Hercules looked like an old-fashioned watchman, and sported a + dreadnought coat. A glaring red paper gave a rich appearance to + the hall; the stair carpet also added its contribution to the + rubicundity of the scene, which was brought to a <i>ne plus + ultra</i> by the nether habiliments of the two gentlemen who, + as already stated, did the honours of the door.</p> + + <p>A more pleasing sight than two footmen refreshing themselves + on the top of the front stairs with a view of the opposite + houses, and gratifying the anxious public at the same time with + a view of themselves, it is difficult to imagine. They always + look so diffident and respectful, that involuntarily our + interest in them becomes almost too lively for words. We think + with disdain on miserable soldiers and hungry mechanics, and + half-starved paupers and whole-starved labourers; and turn, + with feelings of a very different kind, to the contemplation of + virtue rewarded, and modesty well fed, in the persons of the + two meditative gentlemen whose appearance at the front door in + Harley Street has given rise to these reflections. The elder of + them, who kept the post of honour on the right hand side, just + opposite the bell-handle, and whose superiority over the other + was marked by much larger legs, a more prominent blue + waistcoat, and a slight covering of powder over his auburn + locks, looked for some time at his companion, while an + expression of ill-disguised contempt turned up to still more + dignified altitude the point of his nose. At last, as if by an + effort, he broke forth in speech.</p> + + <p>"Snipe," he said—and seeing that Mr Snipe's ears were + open, he continued—"I can't tell how it is, but I saw, + when first I came, you had never been in a reg'lar + fambly—never."</p> + + <p>"We was always more reg'larer at Miss Hendy's nor + here—bed every night at ten o'clock, and up in the + morning at five."</p> + + <p>"You'll never get up to cribbage—you're so confounded + slow," replied the senior; "you'll have to stick to dominoes, + which is only fit for babbies. Did ye think I meant Miss + Hendy's, or low people of that kind, when I spoke of a reg'lar + fambly?—I meant that you had never seen life. Did you + ever change plates for a marquis, Snipe?"</p> + + <p>"Never heared of one. Is he in a great way of business?"</p> + + <p>"A marquis is a reg'lar nob, you know; and gives reg'lar + good wages when you gets 'em paid. A man can't be a gentleman + as lives with vulgar people—old Pitskiver is a genuine + snob."</p> + + <p>"He's a rich gentleman," returned Mr Snipe.</p> + + <p>"But he's low—uncommon low"—said the + other—"reg'lar boiled mutton and turnips."</p> + + <p>"And a wery good dish too," observed Mr Snipe, whose + intellect, being strictly limited to dominoes, was not quite + equal to the metaphorical.</p> + + <p>"By mutton and turnips, I means—he may be rich; but he + ain't genteel, Snipe. Look at our Sophiar's + shoulders."</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page501" + id="page501"></a>[pg 501]</span> + + <p>Mr Snipe looked up towards his senior with a puzzled + expression, as if he waited for information—"What has + Miss Sophiar's shoulders to do with boiled mutton and + turnips?"</p> + + <p>"Nothing won't do but to be at it from the very beginning," + said the superior, with a toss of his powdered head; "fight + after it as much as ever they like, wear the best of gownds, + and go to the fustest of boarding-schools—though they + plays ever so well on the piando, and talks Italian like a + reg'lar Frenchman—nothing won't do—<i>there's</i> + the boiled mutton and turnips—shocking wulgarity! Look + again, I say, at our Sophiar's shoulders, and see how her + head's set on. Spinks's Charlotte is a very different + affair—and there she is at the winder over the way. + That's quite the roast fowl and blamange," he continued, + looking at a very beautiful girl who appeared at the window of + one of the opposite houses—"a pretty blowen as ever I + see, and uncommon fond of Spinks."</p> + + <p>"I see nothing like a fowl about the young lady," replied + the prosaic Mr Snipe; "and Spinks is a horrid liar."</p> + + <p>"But can't you judge for yourself, Snipe? That girl opposite + found two footmen and a butler all waiting to receive her, with + a French governess and a lady's maid, the moment she got out of + the cradle; and I say again she's nothing but roast fowl and + blamange, or perhaps a breast slice of pheasant, for she's + uncommon genteel. How different from our boiled veals, and + parsley and butters! I shall give warning if we don't change + soon."</p> + + <p>"She's a beautiful young lady," said Mr Snipe; "but I thinks + not half so plump and jolly as our Miss Emily or Sophia."</p> + + <p>"Plump! do you think you've got a sporting license, and are + on the look-out for a partridge? No; I tell you all the + Pitskivers is low, and old Pits is the worst of the lot."</p> + + <p>"I used always to hear him called a great man at Miss + Hendy's," replied Snipe; "no end of money, and a reg'lar + tip-topper. I really expected to see the queen very often drop + in to supper."</p> + + <p>"And meet all the tag-rag we have here! What would the queen + care for all them portrait-painters, and poets, and engineers, + and writing vagabonds, as old Pits is eternally feeding? The + queen knows a mighty sight better, and wouldn't ax any body to + her table as had done nothing but write books or paint picters. + No; old Pits is the boy for patronizing them there fellers; but + mark ye, Snipe, he takes the wrong chaps. If a man is to demean + himself by axing a riff-raff of authors to his house, let it be + the big 'uns; I should not care to give a bit of dinner to + Dickens or Bulwer myself."</p> + + <p>With this condescending confession of his interest in + literature, the gentleman in the shining garments looked down + the street, as if he expected some public approval of his + praiseworthy sentiments.</p> + + <p>Being disappointed in this natural expectation, he resolved + to revenge himself by severe observations on the passers-by; + but the severity was partly lost on the slow-minded Mr + Snipe—being clothed in the peculiar phraseology of his + senior, in which it appeared that some particular dish was + placed as the representative of the individual attacked. Not + that Mr Daggles—for such was the philosophical footman's + name—saw any resemblance between his master, Mr + Pitskiver, and a dish of boiled mutton and turnips, or between + the beautiful young lady opposite and the breast of a pheasant; + but that, to his finely constituted mind, those dishes shadowed + forth the relative degrees in aristocracy which Mr Pitskiver + and the young lady occupied. He had probably established some + one super-eminent article of food as a high "ideal" to which to + refer all other kinds of edibles—perhaps an ortolan pie; + and the further removed from this imaginary point of perfection + any dish appeared, the more vulgar and commonplace it became; + and taking it for granted, that as far as human gradations are + concerned, the loftiest aristocracy corresponded with the + ortolan pie, it is evident that Mr Daggles's mode of assigning + rank and precedence was founded on strictly philosophical + principles; as much so, perhaps, as the labours of Debrett.</p> + + <p>"Now, look at this old covey—twig his shorts and long + gaiters: he's some old Suffolk squire, has grown too fat + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page502" + id="page502"></a>[pg 502]</span> for harriers, and goes out + with the greyhounds twice a-week—a truly respectable + member of society"—continued Mr Daggles with a sneer, + when the subject of his lecture had passed on—"reg'lar + boiled beef and greens."</p> + + <p>"He ain't so fat as our Mr Pitskiver," replied Snipe; "I + thinks I never see no gentleman with so broad a back; except + p'raps a prize ox."</p> + + <p>"You should get a set of harrows to clean his Chesterfield + with, instead of a brush—it's more like a field than a + coat," said Daggles. "But look here—here comes a + ticket!"</p> + + <p>The ticket alluded to was a well-made young man, with a very + healthy complexion, long glossy black curls hanging down his + cheek, a remarkably long-backed surtout, and a small silk hat + resting on the very top of his umbrageous head. As he drew + near, he slackened his pace—passed the house slowly, + looking up to the drawing-room window, evidently in hopes of + seeing some object more attractive than the vast hydrangia + which rose majestically out of a large flowerpot, and darkened + all the lower panes. Before he had proceeded ten yards, and + just when Mr Daggles had fixed in his own mind on the + particular effort of culinary skill suggested by his + appearance, the ticket turned quickly round and darted up the + steps. Snipe stepped forward in some alarm.</p> + + <p>"Your master's not at home," said the Ticket; "but the + ladies"—</p> + + <p>"Is all out in the featon, sir."</p> + + <p>"Will you be good enough—I see I may trust + you—to give this note to Miss Sophia? I shall take an + opportunity of showing my gratitude very soon. Will you give + it?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, sir, in course."</p> + + <p>"Secretly? And, be assured, I shall not forget you." So + saying, the Ticket walked hurriedly away, and Snipe stood with + the note still in his hand, and looked dubiously at his + companion.</p> + + <p>Mr Daggle's eyes were fixed on the retreating figure of the + Ticket; and, after a careful observation of every part of his + dress, from the silk hat to the Wellingtons, he shook his head + in a desponding manner, and merely said—"Tripe!"</p> + + <p>"What's to be done with this here letter?" enquired + Snipe.</p> + + <p>"Open and read it of course. By dad! I don't think you + <i>are</i> up to dominoes; you must go back to skittles. He's + evidently enclosed the sovereign in the note; for he never + could have been fool enough to think that two gentlemen like us + are to give tick for such a sum to a stranger."</p> + + <p>"What sum?" enquired Snipe.</p> + + <p>"Why, the sovereign he was to pay for delivering the letter. + If you don't like to read it yourself, give it to the old + snob—Pitskiver will give you a tip."</p> + + <p>"But the gentleman said he would show his + gratitude"—</p> + + <p>"He should have showed his tin fust. There ain't no use of + denying it, Snipe; this is a wery low establishment, and I + shall cut it as soon as I can. What right has a dowdy like our + Sophia to be getting billydoos from fellers as ought to be + ashamed of theirselves for getting off their three-legged + stools at this time of the day? Give the note to old + Pits—and here, I think, he is."</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver—or old Pits, as he was irreverently + called by his domestic—came rapidly up the street. He was + a little man, between fifty and sixty years of age, with an + exceedingly stout body and very thin legs. He was very red in + the face, and very short in the neck. A bright blue coat, + lively-coloured waistcoat, and light-green silk handkerchief + fastened with two sparkling pins, united to each other by a + gold chain, check trowsers, and polished French leather boots, + composed his attire. He wore an eyeglass though he was not + short-sighted, and a beautifully inlaid riding-whip though he + never rode. His white muslin pocket-handkerchief hung very + prominently out of the breast pocket of his coat, and his hat + was set a little on one side of his head, and rested with a + coquettish air on the top of the left whisker. What with his + prodigious width, and the flourishing of his whip, and the + imposing dignity of his appearance altogether, he seemed to + fill the street. Several humble pedestrians stepped off the + pavement on to the dirty causeway to give him room. Daggles + drew up, Snipe slunk back to hold the door, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page503" + id="page503"></a>[pg 503]</span> and Mr Pitskiver retired + from the eyes of men, and entered his own hall, followed by + his retainers.</p> + + <p>"If you please, sir," said Snipe, "I have a letter for Miss + Sophiar."</p> + + <p>"Then don't you think you had better give it her?" replied + Mr Pitskiver.</p> + + <p>"A gentleman, sir, gave it to me."</p> + + <p>"I'll give it you, too," said the master of the mansion, + shaking the whip over the astonished Snipe. "What are you + bothering me with the ladies' notes for? Any thing for me, + Daggles?"</p> + + <p>"A few parcels, sir—books, and a couple of + pictures."</p> + + <p>"No statue? My friend Bristles has deceived me. It was to + have been finished to-day. If he gives the first view to the + Whalleys, I'll never speak to him again. Nothing else? Then + have the phaeton at the door at half past five. I dine at Miss + Hendy's, at Hammersmith."</p> + + <p>While Mr Pitskiver stepped up stairs, Snipe was going over + in his own mind the different grammatical meanings of the + words, "I'll give it you." And concluding at last that, in the + mouth of his master, it meant nothing but a horsewhipping, he + resolved, with the magnanimity of many other virtuous + characters who find treachery unproductive, to be true to Miss + Sophia, and give her the mysterious note with the greatest + possible secrecy.</p> + + <p>"Now, donkey," said Daggles, aiding his benevolent advice + with a kick that made it nearly superfluous, "get down them + kitchen stairs and learn pitch-and-toss, for you haven't brains + enough for any thing else—and recollect, you owes me a + sovereign; half from master for telling, and half from the + long-backed Ticket for keeping mum. You can keep the other to + yourself; for the job was well worth a sovereign a-piece."</p> + + <p>A knock at the door interrupted the colloquy, and Snipe once + more emerged from the lower regions, and admitted the two fair + daughters of his master.</p> + + <p>They were stout, bustling, rosy-cheeked girls, two or three + and twenty years of age, superbly dressed in flashy silks, and + bedizened with ribands like a triumphal arch.</p> + + <p>"Miss," said Snipe, "I've got a summut for you." And he + looked as knowing as it was possible for a student of + pitch-and-toss to do.</p> + + <p>"For me? What is it? Make haste, Thomas."</p> + + <p>"A gentleman has been here, and left you this," replied the + Mercury, holding out the note. "He said something about giving + me a guinea; but I wasn't to let any body see."</p> + + <p>"It is his hand—I know it!" cried Miss Sophia, and + hurried up stairs to her own room.</p> + + <p>"You donkey!" growled Mr Daggles, who had overheard Snipe's + proceedings; "you've done me out of another ten shillings. + Blowed if I don't put you under the pump! She would have given + you a guinea for the letter by way of postage. But it all comes + of living with red herrings and gooses' eggs." And so saying Mr + Daggles resumed his usual seat in the dining-room, and went on + with the perusal of the <i>Morning Post</i>.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver's origin, like that of early Greece, is lost in + the depths of antiquity. Through an infinite variety of posts + and offices, he had risen to his present position, and was + perhaps the most multifariously occupied gentleman in her + majesty's dominions. He was chairman of three companies, + steward of six societies, general agent, and had lately reached + the crowning eminence of his hopes by being appointed trustee + of unaudited accounts. In the midst of all these labours, he + had gone on increasing in breadth and honour till his name was + a symbol of every thing respectable and well to do in the + world. With each new office his ambition rose, and a list of + his residences would be a perfect index to the state of his + fortunes. We can trace him from Stepney to Whitechapel; from + Whitechapel to Finsbury square; from Finsbury square to + Hammersmith; and finally, the last office (which, by the by, + was without a salary) had raised him, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page504" + id="page504"></a>[pg 504]</span> three months before our + account of him begins, to the centre of Harley Street. With + his fortune and ambition, we must do him the justice to say, + his liberality equally increased. He was a patron, and, + would have travelled fifty miles to entertain a poet at his + table; he had music-masters (without any other pupils) who + were Mozarts and Handels for his daughters—Turners and + Landseers (whose names were yet unknown) to teach them + drawing—for, by a remarkable property possessed by + him, in common with a great majority of mankind, every thing + gained a new value when it came into contact with himself. + He bought sets of china because they were <i>artistic</i>; + changed his silver plate for a more <i>picturesque</i> + pattern; employed Stultz for his clothes, and, above all, + Bell and Rannie for his wines. His cook was superb; and, + thanks to the above-named Bell and Rannie, there were fewer + headachs in the morning after a Mæcenatian dinner at + Pitskiver's, than could have been expected by Father Matthew + himself. With these two exceptions—wine and + clothes—his patronage was more indiscriminate than + judicious. In fact, he patronized for the sake of + patronizing; and as he was always in search of a new + miracle, it is no wonder that he was sometimes + disappointed—that his Landseers sometimes turned out + to have no eyes, and his musicians more fitted to play the + Handel to a pump than an organ. But Pitskiver never lost + heart. If he failed in one he was sure to succeed in + another; he saw his name occasionally in the newspaper, by + giving an invitation to one of the literary gentlemen who + enliven the public with accounts of fearful accidents and + desperate offences; had his picture at the Exhibition in the + character of the "Portrait of a gentleman," and his bust in + the same place as the semblance of the honorary Secretary to + the Poor Man's Pension and Perpetual Annuity Institution. He + was a widower, and looked dreadful things at all the widows + of his acquaintance. And it was thought that, if he + succeeded in marrying off his girls, he should himself + become once more a candidate for the holy estate; and by + this wise manœuvre—for, in fact, he made no + secret of his intention—he enlisted in his daughters' + behalf all the elderly ladies who thought they had any + claims on the attentions of that charming creature Mr + Pitskiver. There were certainly no young ladies I have ever + heard of, so well supplied with assistants in the great art + of catching husbands as the two plump damsels whom we have + already seen enter the house in Harley Street, and one of + whom we have perceived placed in possession of the + mysterious letter by the skittle-minded Mr Snipe.</p> + + <p>Miss Sophia Pitskiver, according to all ordinary ideas of + romance and true love, had no right whatever to indulge in such + luxuries, being more adapted to make pies than enter into the + beauty of sonnets to the moon. She was short, stout—shall + we be pardoned for saying the hateful word?—she was + dumpy, but a perfect picture of rosy health and hilarious + good-nature. And yet, if she had been half a foot taller, and + half a yard thinner, and infinitely paler, she could not have + been one jot more sentimental. She cultivated sentiment, + because it was so pleasant, and her father approved of it + because it was genteel. Her enthusiasm was tremendous. Her + ideas were all crackers, and exploded at the slightest touch. + She had a taste for every thing—poetry, history, fine + arts in general, philosophy, glory, puseyism, and, perhaps more + than all, for a certain tall young man, with an interesting + complexion, whom we have introduced to the courteous reader by + the name of the long-backed Ticket. It was this gentleman's + note she was now about to read. Sundry palpitations about the + robust regions of the heart might, to common eyes, have + appeared to arise from her speed in running up stairs. But she + knew better. She took but one look of the cheval glass, and + broke the seal.</p> + + <p>"Stanzas!" she said; and, taking one other glance at the + mirror, she exclaimed to the agitated young lady represented + there, "only think!" and devoured the following + lines:—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"There is a tear that will not fall</p> + + <p class="i2">To cool the burning heart and brain;</p> + + <p>Oh, I would give my life, my all,</p> + + <p class="i2">To feel once more that blessed rain!</p> + </div> + </div><span class="pagenum"><a name="page505" + id="page505"></a>[pg 505]</span> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"There is a grief—I feel, in sooth,</p> + + <p class="i2">It rends my soul, it quells my + tongue;</p> + + <p>It dims the sunshine of my youth,</p> + + <p class="i2">But, oh, it will not dim it long!</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"There is a place where life is o'er,</p> + + <p class="i2">And sorrow's blasts innocuous rave;</p> + + <p>A place where sadness comes no more.</p> + + <p class="i2">Know'st thou the place? It is the + grave.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"Yes, if within that gentle breast</p> + + <p class="i2">Mild pity ever held her sway,</p> + + <p>Thou'lt weep for one who finds no rest—</p> + + <p class="i2">The reason he can never say.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>"P.S.—Miss Hendy is an angel upon earth. My friend Mr + Bristles, of the <i>Universal Surveyor</i>, one of the most + distinguished literary men of the age, has got me an invitation + to go to her house to-night, to read the first act of my + tragedy. Shall I have the happiness of seeing thee? Would to my + stars my fate were so fortunate! I enclose you the above lines, + which Bristles says are better than any of Lord Byron's, and + will publish next week in the <i>Universal</i>. Mayest thou + like them, sweetest, for they are dedicated to thee, Thine + ever—ALMANSOR." What she might have done beyond reading + the lines and letter six times over, and crying "beautiful, + beautiful!" as fast as she could, it is impossible to say, for + at that moment she was called by her venerable sire. She + crumpled the note up after the manner of all other heroines, + and hid it in her bosom; and hurried to the drawing-room, where + she found her father in full dress, pulling on a pair of new + kid gloves.</p> + + <p>"Well, Soph, I'm off for Miss Hendy's—don't give me + any nonsense now about her being low, and all that sort of + thing; she don't move in the same circle of society, certainly, + as we do, but she has always distinguished people about + her."</p> + + <p>"Oh, papa!" interrupted the young lady. "I don't object to + Miss Hendy in the least. I love her of all things, and would + give worlds to be going with you!"</p> + + <p>"That's right! You've heard of the new poet then? Tremendous + they say; equal to Shakspeare—quite a great man."</p> + + <p>"Indeed! Oh, how I long to see him!"</p> + + <p>"Well, perhaps you may one of these days. Bristles—my + friend Bristles of the <i>Universal</i>-says he's a + perfect—what do they call that pretty street in + Southampton?—Paragon—a perfect paragon, Bristles + says: I'll ask him to dinner some day."</p> + + <p>"What day?—Oh, let it be soon, dear papa!"</p> + + <p>"There's a dear delightful enthusiastic girl! We ought to + encourage people of genius. Curious we never heard of him + before, for he was our neighbour, I hear, in Finsbury; but + poor, I suppose, and did not mix with our set even then."</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver looked at the opposite side of the street while + he spoke, as if to assure himself that he was in a still higher + altitude above the poet now than some few years before. But, as + if feeling called on to show his increased superiority by + greater condescension, he said, as he walked out of the room, + "I shall certainly have him to dinner, and Bristles, and some + more men of talent to meet him—</p> + + <blockquote> + <p>'The feast of reason, and the flow of soul!'"</p> + </blockquote> + + <p>the only quotation, by the way, in which Mr Pitskiver was + ever known to indulge.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER III.</h3> + + <p>Miss Hendy had formerly kept a school, and her portrait + would have done very well for a frontispiece to Mrs Trimmer. + She was what is called prim in her manner, and as delicate as + an American. She always called the legs of a table its + props—for the word legs was highly unfeminine. She + admired talent, and gave it vast quantities of tea and toast. + Her drawing-room was a temple of the Muses, and only open to + those who were bountifully endowed with the gifts of nature or + of fortune; for she considered it a great part of her duty to + act as a kind of link between Plutus and Minerva. In the effort + to discover objects worthy of her recommendation, she was + mainly aided by the celebrated Mr Bristles. Every + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page506" + id="page506"></a>[pg 506]</span> month whole troops of + Herschels and Wordsworths, and Humes and Gibbons, were + presented to her by the great critic; and with a devout + faith in all he told her, she listened enraptured to the + praises of those astonishing geniuses, till she had begun to + enter into Mr Bristles's own feelings of contempt for every + body except the favoured few. And to-night was the grand + debut of a more remarkable phenomenon than any of the + others. A youth of twenty-three, tall, modest, intellectual, + and long-haired—in short, the "Ticket"—was to + read the opening of a tragedy; and sculptors, painters, + mechanicians, and city Croesuses, were invited to be present + at the display. Among these last shone our friend Mr + Pitskiver, radiant in white waistcoat and gold chains, two + rings on each finger, and a cameo the size of a cheese-cake + on his neckcloth. The other critic, in right of his account + at the bank, was a tall silent gentleman, a wood-merchant + from the Boro', who nodded his head in an oracular manner + when any thing was said above his comprehension; and who was + a patron of rising talent, on the same enlightened + principles as his friend Mr Pitskiver. Mr Whalley also + showed his patronage in the same economical manner as the + other, and expected immortality at the expense of a few + roasts of beef and bottles of new wine.</p> + + <p>Mr Bristles was also of the dinner party—an + arrangement made by the provident Miss Hendy, that the two + <i>millionaires</i> might receive a little preliminary + information on the merits of the rest of the company, who were + only invited to tea. Four maiden ladies (who had pulled on blue + stockings in order to hide the increasing thickness of their + ankles, and considered Miss Hendy the legitimate successor of + Madame de Staël, and Mr Pitskiver in Harley Street the + beau-ideal of love in a cottage) relieved the monotony of a + gentleman party by as profuse a display of female charms as low + gowns and short sleeves would allow. And about six o'clock + there was a highly interesting and superior party of eight, to + whom Miss Hendy administered cod's-head and shoulders, + aphorisms and oyster sauce, in almost equal proportion; while + Mr Pitskiver, like a "sweet seducer, blandly smiling," made + polite enquiries whether he should not relieve her of the + trouble.—"Oh no!—it degrades woman from the lofty + sphere of equal usefulness with the rougher sex. Why shouldn't + a lady help fish?—Why should she confess her inferiority? + The post assigned to her by nature—though usurped by + man—is to elevate by her example, to enlighten by her + precepts, and to add to the great aggregate of human felicity + by a manifestation of all the virtues;" saying this, she + inserted her knife with astonishing dexterity just under the + gills—and looked round for approbation.</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver had recourse to his usual expedient, and said + something about the feast of reason; Mr Whalley shook his head + in a way that would have made his fortune in a grocer's window + in the character of Howqua; and Mr Bristles prepared himself to + reply—while the four literary maidens turned their eyes + on Aristarchus in expectation of hearing something fine. "I + decidedly am of opinion," said that great man, "that woman's + sphere is greatly misunderstood, and that you maintain the + dignity of your glorious sex by carving the fish.—Yet on + being further interrogated, I should be inclined to proceed + with my statement, and assert that you deprive us of pleasure, + in debarring us from giving you our assistance."</p> + + <p>"Then, why don't you help us with our samplers? why don't + you aid us in our knitting? why don't you assist us in hemming + garments?"—exclaimed Miss Hendy, digging her spoon into + the oyster-boat.</p> + + <p>"This is what I call the feast and flow," said Mr Pitskiver; + while Mr Whalley nearly shook his head off his shoulders on to + the table-cloth. The young ladies looked slyly at Mr Pitskiver, + and laughed.</p> + + <p>"It would be rather undignified," said Mr Bristles, "to see + the Lord Chancellor darning a stocking."</p> + + <p>"Dignity! the very thing I complain of. Why more undignified + in a Lord Chancellor, or a Bishop, than in his wife? Oh, will + the time never come when society will be so regenerated, that + man will know his own position, and woman—noble, + elevating, surprising woman—will assume the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page507" + id="page507"></a>[pg 507]</span> rank to which her powers + and virtues entitle her!"</p> + + <p>Mr Bristles was very hungry, and at that moment received his + plate.—"Really, Miss Hendy," he said, with his mouth + prodigiously distended with codfish—"there's no arguing + against such eloquence. I must give in." But Miss Hendy, who + had probably lunched, determined to accept no + surrender.—"No," she cried—"you shall <i>not</i> + give in, till I have overwhelmed you with reasons for your + submission. A great move is in progress—woman's rights + and duties are becoming every day more widely appreciated. The + old-fashioned scale must be re-adjusted, and woman—noble, + elevating, surprising woman—ascend to the loftiest + eminence, and sit superior on the topmost branch of the social + tree."</p> + + <p>Mr Whalley, whose professional ear was caught by the last + word, broke through his usual rule of only nodding his remarks, + and ventured to say—"Uncommon bad climbers, for the most + part in general, is women. Their clothes isn't adapted for + it.—I minds once I see a woman climb a pole after a leg + of mutting."</p> + + <p>If looks could have killed Mr Whalley, Mr Pitskiver's eyes + would certainly have been tried for murder; but that + matter-of-fact individual was impervious to the most + impassioned glances. Miss Hendy sank her face in horror over + her plate, and celestial rosy red overspread her countenance; + while a look of the most extraordinary nature rewarded Mr + Pitskiver for all his efforts in her behalf. A look!—it + went quite through his waistcoat, and if it had gone straight + on, must have reached his heart. Mr Pitskiver was amazed at the + expression of the look; for he little knew that his labours + under the table, in attempting to check Mr Whalley's oratory by + pressing his toes, had unfortunately been bestowed on the + delicate foot of his hostess; and what less could she do than + respond to the gentle courtesy by a glance of gratitude for + what she considered a movement of sympathy and condolence under + the atrocious reminiscences of the wood-merchant? Mr Whalley, + however, was struck with the mournful silence that followed his + observation.</p> + + <p>"That was a thing as happing'd on a pole," he said. "In + cooss it would be wery different on a tree—because of the + branches, as I think you was a-saying, Miss Hendy?"</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver grew desperate. "Bristles," he cried, "any + thing new in sculpture? By the by, you haven't sent me + Stickleback's jack-ass as you promised. Is it a fine work?"</p> + + <p>"I have no hesitation," replied the critic, "with a perfect + recollection of Canova's Venus, and even Moggs's Pandean Piper, + which I reviewed in last number of the <i>Universal</i>, in + declaring that Stickleback's work (it is a female, not a + jack-ass) is the noblest effort of the English chisel; there is + life about it—a power—a feeling—a + sentiment—it is overwhelming! I shall express these ideas + in print. Stickleback's fame is secured by a stupendous ass, at + once so simple and so grand."</p> + + <p>"A female, I think you said?" enquired Miss Hendy.</p> + + <p>"A jeanie—miraculously soft, yet full of graceful + dignity," replied Bristles bowing to the enquirer, as if the + description applied to her.</p> + + <p>"I honour the sculptor for breaking through the prejudices + of sex in this splendid instance!" exclaimed the lady. "The + feminine star is in the ascendant. How much more illustrious + the triumph! How greater the difficulty to express in visible + types, the soft, subduing, humanizing graces of the female + disposition, than to imprint the coarse outline of masculine + strength! How rough the contour of an Irish hodman to the sweet + flexibilities of the Venus of Canova!"</p> + + <p>"Canova was by no means equal to Stickleback," said Mr + Bristles magisterially. "I have devoted much time to the study + of the fine arts—I have seen many statues—I have + frequently been in sculptors' studios; I prefer Stickleback to + Canova."</p> + + <p>"I honour his moral elevation," observed Miss Hendy, "in + stamping on eternal marble the femininity of the subject of his + chisel."</p> + + <p>"I must really have the first view," whispered Mr Pitskiver. + "Can't you <span class="pagenum"><a name="page508" + id="page508"></a>[pg 508]</span> remind him, Bristles? Don't + send it to Whalley on my account."</p> + + <p>But Mr Whalley, who was a rival Mæcenas, put in a word + for himself, "Mr Bristles," he said, "this must be a uncomming + statty of a she-ass. I oncet was recommended to drink a + she-ass's milk myself, and liked it uncomming. I must have the + private sight you promised; and, if you'll fix a day, I vill + ask you and the artist to dine."</p> + + <p>"Certainly, my dear sir—but Mr Pitskiver and + Stickleback, they are friends, you know, Mr Whalley, and + perhaps Mr P.'s interest may be useful in getting the great + artist an order to ornament some of the new buildings. I have + some thoughts of recommending him to offer the very statue we + talk of for the front of the Mansion-house. A hint on the + subject has already appeared in the <i>Universal</i>."</p> + + <p>"Miss Hendy," said Mr Pitskiver for the tenth time, "this is + the regular feast and flow; and nothing pleases me so much in + my good friend Bristles as his candid praise of other men's + talents. You seldom find clever people allowing each other's + merits."</p> + + <p>"Or stupid ones either"—replied Mr Bristles before the + lady had time to answer; "the fact is, we are much improved + since former days. Our great men don't quarrel as they used to + do—conscious of one's own dignity, why refuse a just + appreciation of others? Stickleback has often told me, that + Chantrey was not altogether without merit—I myself + pronounce Macauley far from stupid; and my intellectual friend, + young Sidsby, who will read us the first act of his tragedy + to-night, allows a very respectable degree of dramatic power to + Lord Byron. Surely this is a far better state of things than + the perpetual carpings of Popes and Addisons, Smiths and + Johnsons, Foxes and Pitts."</p> + + <p>"And all owing to the rising influence of the female sex," + interposed Miss Hendy. "But woman has not yet received her full + development. The time will come when her influence is + universal; when, softened, subdued, purified, and elevated, the + animal now called Man will be unknown. You will be all + women—can the world look for higher destiny?"</p> + + <p>"In cooss," observed Mr Whalley—"if we are all turned + into woming, the world will come to a end. For 'spose a + case;—'spose it had been my sister as married Mrs Whalley + instead of me—it's probable there wouldn't have been no + great fambly; wich in cooss, if there was no + poppleation"—</p> + + <p>But what the fearful result of this supposed case would have + been, has never been discovered; for Miss Hendy, making a + signal to the four representatives of the female sex started + out of the room as if she had heard Mr Whalley had the plague, + and left the gentlemen to themselves.</p> + + <p>"De Staël was no match for that wonderful woman," said + Mr Bristles, resuming his chair. "I don't believe so noble an + intellect was ever enshrined in so beautiful a form + before."</p> + + <p>"Do you think her pretty?" enquired Mr Pitskiver.</p> + + <p>"Pretty? no, sir—beautiful! Here is the finest sort of + loveliness—the light blazing from within, that years + cannot extinguish. I consider Miss Hendy the finest woman in + England; and decidedly the most intellectual."</p> + + <p>The fact of Miss Hendy's beauty had never struck Mr + Pitskiver before. But he knew that Bristles was a judge, and + took it at once for granted. The finest woman in England had + looked in a most marvellous manner into his face, and the small + incident of the foot under the table was not forgotten.</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver was inspired by the subject of his + contemplations, and proposed her health in a strain of + eloquence which produced a wonderful amount of head-shaking + from Mr Whalley, and frequent exclamations of "Demosthenes," + "Cicero," "Burke all over!" from the more enraptured Mr + Bristles.</p> + + <p>"I'm horrible afear'd," observed the elder gentleman putting + down his empty glass, "as my son Bill Whalley is a reg'lar + fool."</p> + + <p>"Oh, pardon me!" exclaimed Bristles—"I haven't the, + honour of his intimacy, + but—"</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page509" + id="page509"></a>[pg 509]</span> + + <p>"Only think the liberties he allows himself in regard to + this here intellectual lady, Miss Hendy. He never hears her + name without a putting of his thumb on the top of his nose, and + a shaking of his fingers in my face, and a crying out for a + friend of his'n of the name of Walker. Its uncomming + provoking—and sich a steady good business hand there + ain't in the Boro'. I can't fadom it."</p> + + <p>"Some people have positively no souls," chimed in Mr + Pitskiver, looking complacently down his beautiful waistcoat, + as if he felt that souls were in some sort of proportion to the + tenements they inhabited, and that his was of gigantic size; + "but I did not think that your son William was so totally void + of ideas. I shall talk to him next Sunday's dinner."</p> + + <p>"If you talks to him about Memel and Dantzic, you'll find + there ain't such a judge of timber in London," said the father, + who was evidently proud of his son's mercantile qualifications; + "but with regard to this here pottery, and scupshire, and other + things as I myself delights in, he don't care nothin about 'em. + He wouldn't give twopence to see Stickleback's statty."</p> + + <p>"Then he had better not have the honour," said Pitskiver. + "Bristles, you'll send it to Harley Street. First view is every + thing."</p> + + <p>"Really, gentlemen, you are both such exquisite judges of + the arts, and such discriminating patrons of artists, that I + find it difficult to determine between you. Shall we let + Stickleback settle the point himself?"</p> + + <p>Both the Mæcenases consented, each at the same time + making resolutions in his own mind to make the unhappy artist + suffer, if by any chance his rival should get the preference. + After another glass or two of the dark-coloured liquid which + wore the label of port, and which Bristles maintained was the + richest wine he had ever tasted, as it was furnished by a + particular friend of his, who, in addition to being a wine + merchant, was one of the most talented men in Europe, and a + regular contributor to the <i>Universal</i> under the signature + "Squirk,"—after another glass or two of this bepraised + beverage, which, at the same time, did not seem altogether to + suit the taste of the two patrons of the arts and sciences, the + gentlemen adjourned to the drawing-room, from which music had + been sounding for a considerable time.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3> + + <p>On entering the room they were nearly made fitting inmates + of the deaf and dumb institution, by the most portentous sounds + that ever endangered a human ear. A large party was assembled, + ranged solemnly on chairs and sofas all round the wall, every + eye turned with intense interest to the upper end of the + apartment, where stood a tall stout man, blowing with + incredible effect into a twisted horn, which, to all outward + appearance, had not long ceased to ornament the forehead of a + Highland bull. A common horn it was—and the skill of the + strong-winded performer consisted in extracting a succession of + roars and bellowings from its upper end, which would have done + honour to the vocal powers of its late possessor. A tune it + certainly was, for immense outbreaks of sound came at regular + intervals, and the performer kept thumping his foot on the + floor as if he were keeping time; but as the intermediate notes + were of such a very soft nature as to be altogether inaudible, + the company were left to fill up the blanks at their own + discretion; and Mr Pitskiver, who was somewhat warlike, + perceived at once it was Rule Britannia, while Mr Whalley shook + his head in a state of profound loyalty, and thought it was God + save the Queen. When the ingenious musician withdrew the bull's + horn from his mouth, and paused after his labours in a state of + extreme calefaction, murmurs of applause ran all round the + room.</p> + + <p>"Mr Slingo," said Mr Bristles, "Mr Slingo, you have + immortalized yourself, by evoking the soul of Handel from so + common an instrument as an ox's horn. I have studied music as a + science—I have reviewed an + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page510" + id="page510"></a>[pg 510]</span> opera—and once met + Sir Henry Bishop at the Chinese exhibition; and I will make + bold to say, that more genius was never shown by Rossini or + Cherubini, than you have displayed on this stupendous and + interesting occasion. Allow me, Mr Slingo, to shake your + hand."</p> + + <p>Mr Bristles gave a warm squeeze to the delighted musician's + enormous fingers—and all the company were enchanted with + the liberality and condescension of the celebrated author, and + the humility and gratitude of the musical phenomenon, who could + not find words to express his gratification. Miss Hendy was + also profuse in her praises. "Pray, Mr Slingo," she said taking + the horn, and examining it very closely, "do you know what + animal we are indebted to for this delicious instrument?"</p> + + <p>"I took it from the head of a brown cow."</p> + + <p>"A cow!—ha!"—exclaimed the lady—"but I + could have told you so before. There is a sweetness, a + softness, and femininization of tone, in the slower passages, + that it struck me at once could only proceed from the milder + sex. We shall not have to wait long for the answer to a + question which has stirred the heart of mankind to its + foundations—can Women etherealize society? I say she + can—I say she will—I say she shall!"</p> + + <p>Miss Hendy said this with considerable vehemence, and darted + a look of the same extraordinary nature as had puzzled Mr + Pitskiver at dinner, full in the face of that enraptured + gentleman.</p> + + <p>"Oh, 'pon my soul, she's a very fine woman!" he said almost + audibly; and again the commendations of Mr Bristles recurred to + his thoughts—"and has such a fund of eloquence. I wish to + heaven somebody would take a fancy to my girls! I will ask a + lot of young men to dinner."</p> + + <p>In the midst of these cogitations he drew near Miss + Hendy—and if you were to judge by the number of elbows + which young ladies, in all parts of the room, nudged into other + young ladies' sides, and the strange smiles and winks that were + exchanged by the more distant members of the society—you + might easily perceive that there was something very impressive + in the manner of his address. He bowed at every word, while the + gold chains across his waistcoat glistened and jingled at every + motion. Miss Hendy's head also was bent till the white spangles + on her turban seemed affected with St Vitus's dance; and their + voices gradually sank lower and lower, till they descended at + last to an actual whisper. There were seven female hearts in + that assemblage bursting with spite, and one with triumph. Mr + Pitskiver had never been known to whisper it any body's ear + before.</p> + + <p>In the mean time Mr Bristles, as literary master of the + ceremonies, had made a call on Mr Sidsby to proceed with his + reading of the first act of his play. A tall young gentleman, + very good-looking, and very shy, was with difficulty persuaded + to seat himself in the middle of the room; and with trembling + hands he drew from his pocket a roll of manuscript, though, to + judge from his manner, he did not seem quite master of his + subject.</p> + + <p>"Modesty, always the accompaniment of true genius," observed + Mr Bristles, apologetically to the expectant audience. "Go on, + my good sir; you will gain courage as you proceed."</p> + + <p>All was then silent. Mr Pitskiver at Miss Hendy's side, near + the door; Mr Whalley straining his long neck to catch the + faintest echo of their conversation; the others casting from + time to time enquiring glances towards the illustrious pair; + but all endeavouring to appear intensely interested in the + drama. Mr Sidsby began:—</p> + + <p>It was a play of the passions. A black lady fell in love + with a white general. Her language was fit for a dragon. She + breathed nothing but fire. It seemed, by a strange coincidence + of ideas between Sidsby and Shakspeare, to bear no small + resemblance to Othello, with the distinction already stated of + the colour of the Desdemona. But breathless attention rewarded + the reader's toil; and though he occasionally missed a word, in + which he was always set right by Mr Bristles, and did not enter + very warmly into the more vigorous parts of the declamation, + his efforts were <span class="pagenum"><a name="page511" + id="page511"></a>[pg 511]</span> received with overwhelming + approbation, and Bristles as usual led the chorus of + admiration.</p> + + <p>"A wonderful play! an astonishing effort! Certainly up to + the finest things in Otway, if not of Shakspeare + himself—a power, a life, an impetus. I have never met + with such a magnificent opening act."</p> + + <p>"I wish you would bring him to taste my mutting, Mr + Bristles," said Mr Whalley; "as he's a poet he most likely + don't touch butcher meat every day, and a good tuck-out of a + Sunday won't do him no harm. But I say, Mr Bristles, I must + railly make a point of seeing Stickleback's donkey first. Say + you'll do it—there's a good fellow."</p> + + <p>Mr Pitskiver also extended his hospitable invitation to the + successful dramatist; and urged no less warmly his right to the + first inspection of the masterpiece of the modern chisel.</p> + + <p>"I have had a very particular conversation with Miss Hendy," + he said, laying his hand confidentially on the great critic's + shoulder.</p> + + <p>"An extraordinary woman!" chimed in Bristles, "the glory of + the present times."</p> + + <p>"I must have an additional treasure to boast of in my + house," resumed Mr Pitskiver, whose heart seemed more than ever + set on cutting out Mr Whalley in priority of inspection of the + unequaled statue. "You'll help me, I know—I may depend on + you, Mr Bristles."</p> + + <p>"You may indeed, sir—a house such as yours needed only + such an addition to make it perfect."</p> + + <p>"You'll procure me the pride, the gratification—you'll + manage it for me."</p> + + <p>"I will indeed," said Mr Bristles, seizing the offered hand + of the overjoyed Pitskiver; "since your happiness depends on + it, you may trust to me for every exertion."</p> + + <p>"And you'll plead my cause—you'll speak in the proper + quarter?"</p> + + <p>"Certainly, you may consider it all arranged."</p> + + <p>"But secretly, quietly, no blabbing—these matters are + always best done without noise. I would even keep it from my + daughters' knowledge, till we are quite prepared to reveal it + in all its charms."</p> + + <p>"It is indeed a masterpiece—a + chef-d'oeuvre—beauty and expression unequaled."</p> + + <p>"I flatter myself I am a bit of a judge; and when I have had + it in my possession for a short time, I will let you know the + result."</p> + + <p>The party were now about to break up.</p> + + <p>"Them's uncomming pleasant little meetings, arn't them?" + said Mr Whalley to one of the middle-aged spinsters who had + been present at dinner; "and I thinks this one is like to have + a very favourable conclusion."</p> + + <p>"Miss Hendy?" enquired the spinster in breathless + anticipation.</p> + + <p>"Jist so," responded the other—"there can't be no + mystery no longer, and they'll be off for France in a few + days."</p> + + <p>"For France?—gracious! how do you know?"</p> + + <p>"I hear'd Mr Bristles, which is their confidant, say + something about a chay and Dover. In cooss they will go that + way to Boulogne."</p> + + <p>Oh, Mæcenas! is there no difference between the + chef-d'oeuvre of the great Stickleback, and the town of Dover + and a post-chaise.</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER V.</h3> + + <p>In a week after these events, six or seven gentlemen were + gathered round a table in a room very near the skylight in the + Minerva chambers. Our former acquaintance, Mr Bristles, whose + name shone in white paint above the entrance door, was + evidently strongly impressed with the dignity of his position; + and as in the pauses of conversation he placed the pen he was + using transversely in his mouth, and turned over the pages of + various books on the table before him, it will be seen that he + presided not at a feast of substantial meat and drink, but at + one of those regular "feasts and flows" which the great Mr + Pitskiver was in the habit of alluding to, in describing the + intellectual treats of which he was so prodigious a + glutton.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page512" + id="page512"></a>[pg 512]</span> + + <p>"What success, Sidsby?" enquired Bristles with a vast + appearance of interest.</p> + + <p>"None at all," replied the successful dramatist, or, in + other words, the long-backed Ticket to whom we were introduced + at the commencement of the story. "I have no invitation to + dinner yet, and Sophy thinks he has forgotten me."</p> + + <p>"That's odd—very odd," mused Mr Bristles, "for I don't + know that I ever praised any one half so highly before, not + even Stickleback; and the first act was really superb. It took + me a whole week to write it."</p> + + <p>"But I did not understand some parts of it, and I am afraid + I spoiled it in the reading. But Sophy was enchanted with the + poem you made me copy."</p> + + <p>"A sensible girl; but how to get at the father is the thing. + I have mentioned a few of the perfections of our friend Miss + Hendy to him in a way that I think will stick. If we could get + <i>her</i> good word."</p> + + <p>"Oh, she's very good!" replied Sidsby, "she says I'm far + above Lord Byron and Thomas Moore."</p> + + <p>"Why not? haven't I told you to say, wherever you go, that + she is above Corinne?"</p> + + <p>"Ah," said Sidsby, "but what's the use of all this to me? I + am a wine-merchant, not a poet; my uncle will soon take me into + partnership, and when they find out that I know no more about + literature than a pig, what an impostor they'll think me!"</p> + + <p>"Not more of an impostor than half the other literary men of + the day, who have got praised into fame as you have, by + judicious and disinterested friends. No: you must still go on. + I shall have the second act ready for you next week, and you + can make it six dozen of sherry instead of three. You must + please the girl first, and get at the father afterwards. She's + of a decidedly intellectual turn, and has four thousand pounds + in her own right."</p> + + <p>"I don't believe she is more intellectual than myself; but + that silly old noodle, her father"—</p> + + <p>"Stop!" exclaimed Bristles in great agitation, "this is + against all rule. Mr Pitskiver is our friend—a man of the + profoundest judgment and most capacious understanding. I doubt + whether a greater judge of merit ever existed than Mr + Pitskiver."</p> + + <p>"Hear, hear!" resounded in various degrees of intensity all + round the table.</p> + + <p>"Well, all I can say is this—that if I don't get on by + shamming cleverness, I'll try what open honesty will do, and + follow Bill Whalley's advice."</p> + + <p>"Bill Whalley! who is he?" asked Bristles with a sneer.</p> + + <p>"Son of the old Tom Noddy you make such a precious fool + of."</p> + + <p>"Mr Whalley of the Boro' is <i>our</i> friend, Mr + Sidsby—a man of the profoundest judgment and most + capacious understanding. I doubt whether a greater judge of + merit ever existed than Mr Whalley of the Boro'."</p> + + <p>"Hear hear!" again resounded; and Mr Sidsby, shaking his + head, said no more, but looked as sulky as his naturally + good-tempered features would let him.</p> + + <p>"And now, Stickleback," said Mr Bristles—"I am happy + to tell you your fortune is made; your fame will rise higher + and higher."</p> + + <p>A little dark-complexioned man with very large mouth and + very flat nose, looked a little disdainful at this speech, + which to any one else would have sounded like a compliment.</p> + + <p>"I always knew that merit such as I felt I possessed, would + force its way, in spite of envy and detraction," he said.</p> + + <p>"We have an uphill fight of it, I assure you," rejoined Mr + Bristles; "but by dint of throwing it on pretty thick, we are + in hopes some of it will stick."</p> + + <p>"Now, Mr Bristles," resumed the artist, "I don't at all like + the style you talk in to me. You always speak as if my + reputation had been made by your praises. Now, talents such as + mine"—</p> + + <p>"Are very high, my good sir; no one who reads the + <i>Universal</i> doubts that fact for a moment."</p> + + <p>"Talents, I say, such as mine," pursued Mr Stickleback, + "were sure to raise me to the highest honours; and it is too + bad for you to claim all the merit of my success."</p> + + <p>"Not I; but all our friends here," said Bristles. "For two + years we <span class="pagenum"><a name="page513" + id="page513"></a>[pg 513]</span> have done nothing but + praise you wherever we went. Haven't we sneered at Bailey, + and laughed at the ancient statues? Who wrote the epigram on + Thorwaldsen—was it not our friend now present, Mr + Banks? a gentleman, I must say, perfectly unequaled in the + radiance of his wit and the delicious pungency of his + satire. Without us, what would you have been?"</p> + + <p>"Exactly what I am. The only sculptor worth a sixpence since + the fine arts were invented," replied the self-satisfied Mr + Stickleback.</p> + + <p>"No," said Mr Bristles; "since you force us to tell you what + we have done for you, I will mention it. We have persuaded all + our friends, we have even persuaded yourself, that you have + some knowledge of sculpture; whereas every one who follows his + own judgment, and is not led astray by our puffs, must see that + you could not carve an old woman's face out of a radish; that + you are fit for nothing with the chisel but to smooth + gravestones, and cut crying cherubs over a churchyard door; + that your donkey"—</p> + + <p>"Well, what of my donkey, as you call it?" cried the enraged + sculptor, "I have heard you praise it a thousand times."</p> + + <p>"Of course you have; but do you think I meant it?"</p> + + <p>"As much as I meant what I said, when I praised some of your + ridiculous rubbish in the <i>Universal</i>."</p> + + <p>"Oh, indeed! Then you think my writings ridiculous + rubbish?"</p> + + <p>"Yes—I do—very ridiculous rubbish."</p> + + <p>"Then let me tell you, Mr Stickleback, you are about as good + a critic as a sculptor. My writings, sir, are universally + appreciated. To find fault with <i>them</i> shows you are unfit + for our acquaintance; and with regard to Mr Pitskiver's + recommendation to the city building committee, and your donkey + to adorn the pediment of the Mansion-house—you have of + course given up all hopes of any interest <i>I</i> may + possess."</p> + + <p>"Gentlemen," said a young man with small piercing eyes and a + rather dirty complexion, with long hair rolling over the collar + of his coat—"are you not a little premature in shivering + the friendship by a blow of temper which had been consolidated + by several years of mutual reciprocity?"</p> + + <p>"Silence, Snooksby!—I have been insulted. I was ever a + foe to ingratitude, and grievous shall the expiation be," + replied Bristles.</p> + + <p>"I now address myself to you, sir," continued Snooksby, + turning to the wrathful sculptor, whose wrath, however, had + begun to evaporate in reflecting on the diminished chance of + the promotion so repeatedly promised by Mr Bristles for his + donkey; "and I feel on this momintous occasion, that it is my + impiritive duty to endeavour to reinimite the expiring imbers + of amity, and re-knit the relaxed cords of unanimity. Mr + Stickleback, you were wrong—decidedly, powerfully, + undeniably wrong—in denominiting the splindid + lucibritions of our illustrious friend by the name of + ridiculous rubbish. Apoligise, apoligise, apoligise; and I know + too well the glowing sympithies of that philinthripic heart to + doubt for a moment that its vibrations will instantly beat in + unisin with yours."</p> + + <p>"I never meant to call his writings rubbish," said the + subdued sculptor. "I know he's the greatest writer in + England."</p> + + <p>"And you, my dear Stickleback, the greatest sculptor the + world has ever seen!" exclaimed the easily propitiated critic. + "Why will you doubt my respect, my admiration of your + surpassing talent? Let us understand each other better—we + shall both be ever indebted to the eloquent Mr + Snooksby—(may he soon get on the vestry, the object of + his inadequate ambition;) for a speech more refulgent in simple + pathos, varied metaphor, and conclusive reasoning, it has not + been my good fortune to hear. When our other friends leave me, + Stickleback, I hope you will stay for half an hour. I have a + most important secret to confide to you, and a favour to + ask."</p> + + <p>The hint seemed to be sufficient. The rest of the party soon + retired; and Bristles and Stickleback began their confidential + conclave.</p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page514" + id="page514"></a>[pg 514]</span> + + <h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3> + + <p>But another confidential conclave, of rather a more + interesting nature to the parties concerned, took place three + days after these occurrences in the shady walk in St James's + Park. Under the trees sauntered four people—equally + divided—a lady and a gentleman; the ladies brilliantly + dressed, stout, and handsome—the gentlemen also in the + most fashionable costume: one tall and thin, the long-backed + Ticket; and the other short and amazingly comfortable-looking, + Mr William Whalley—for shortness called Bill. Whether, + while he admired the trunks of the old elms, he calculated what + would be their value in deals, this narrative disdains to + mention; but it feels by no means bound to retain the same + cautious reserve with regard to his sentiments while he gazed + into the eyes of Emily Pitskiver. He thought them beautiful + eyes; and if they had been turned upon you with the same + loving, trusting expression, ten to one you would have thought + them beautiful too. The other pair seemed equally happy.</p> + + <p>"So you don't like me the worse," said Mr Sidsby, "now that + you know I am not a poet?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know how it is, but I don't think I care for poetry + now at all," replied the lady. "In fact, I suppose my passion + for it was never real, and I only fancied I was enchanted with + it from hearing papa and Mr Bristles perpetually raving about + strength and genius. Is Miss Hendy a really clever woman?"</p> + + <p>"A genuine humbug, I should say—gooseberry champagne + at two shillings a bottle," was the somewhat professional + verdict on Miss Hendy's claims.</p> + + <p>"Oh! you shouldn't talk that way of Miss Hendy—who + knows but she may be my mamma soon?"</p> + + <p>"He can never be such a confounded jackass!" said Mr Sidsby, + without giving a local habitation or a name to the personal + pronoun <i>he</i>.</p> + + <p>"He loses his daughters, I can tell him," said Miss Sophy + with a toss of her head, that set all the flowers on the top of + her bonnet shaking—"Emily and I are quite resolved on + that."</p> + + <p>"But what can you do?" enquired the gentleman, who did not + appear to be very nearly akin to Œdipus.</p> + + <p>"Do? Why, don't we get possession of mamma's fortune if he + marries; and can't we—oh, you've squeezed my ring into my + finger!"</p> + + <p>"My dear Sophy, I was only trying to show you how much I + admired your spirit. I hope he'll marry Miss Hendy with all my + heart."</p> + + <p>When a conversation has got to this point, a chronicle of + any pretensions to respectability will maintain a rigid + silence; and we will therefore only observe, that by the time + Mr William Whalley and Emily had come to Marlborough House, + their conversation had arrived at a point where discretion + becomes as indispensably a chronicler's duty as in the case of + the other couple.</p> + + <p>"We must get home," said Sophy.</p> + + <p>"Why should you go yet? There is no chance of your father + being back from the city for hours to come."</p> + + <p>"Oh! but we must get home. We have been out a long time." + And so saying, she led the way up the steps by the Duke of + York's column, followed by her sister and her swain—and + attended at a respectful distance by a tall gentleman with an + immense gold-headed walking-stick, displaying nether + integuments of the brightest red, and white silk stockings of + unexampled purity. The reader, if he had heard the various + whispered allusions to different dishes, such as "sheep's + head," "calf's foot jelly," "rhubarb tart," and "toasted + cheese," would have been at no loss to recognise the indignant + Daggles, whose culinary vocabulary it seemed impossible to + exhaust. He followed, watching every motion of the happy + couples. "Well, if this ain't too bad!—I've a great mind + to tell old Pits how them disgusting saussingers runs after his + mince-pies—meets 'em in the Park; gallivants with them + under the trees as if they was ortolans and beccaficas; bills + and coos with 'em as if they was real turtles and punch + <i>à la Romaine</i>. + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page515" + id="page515"></a>[pg 515]</span> How the old cucumber would + flare up! Up Regent Street, along Oxford Street, through the + square, up to our own door. Well, blowed if that ain't a + good one! Into the very house they goes; up stairs to the + drawing-room. O Lord! that there should be such impudence in + beefsteaks and ingans! They couldn't be more audacious if + they was Perigord pies."</p> + + <h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3> + + <p>Half an hour passed—an hour—and yet the + conversation was flowing on as briskly as ever. Mr Bill Whalley + had explained the exact difference between Norway and Canada + timber, greatly to Miss Emily's satisfaction; and Miss Sophia + had again and again expressed her determination to leave the + house the moment Miss Hendy entered it; and both the young + ladies had related the energetic language in which they had + expressed this resolution to their father, and threatened him + with immediate desertion if he didn't cut that horrid old + schoolmistress at once. The same speeches about happiness and + simple cottages, with peace and contentment, had been made a + dozen time over by all parties, when the great clock in the + hall—a Dutch pendule, inserted in a statue of + Time—struck three o'clock, and at the same moment a loud + rap was heard at the front door.</p> + + <p>"Who can it be?" exclaimed Miss Sophia. "It isn't papa's + knock;"—and hiding her face in the thick hydrangia which + filled the drawing-room window, she gazed down to catch a + glimpse of the entrance steps. She only saw the top of a large + wooden case, and the white hat of a gentleman who rested his + hand on the burden, and was giving directions to the bearers to + be very careful how they carried it up stairs.</p> + + <p>Mr Whalley started up, as did Mr Sidsby, in no small alarm. + "I wouldn't be found here for half-a-crown," said the former + gentleman: "old father would shake his head into a reg'lar + palsy if he knew I was philandering here, when the Riga brig is + unloading at the wharf."</p> + + <p>"Let us go into the back drawing-room," suggested one of the + young ladies, "and you can get out quite easily when the + parcel, whatever it is, is delivered." They accordingly retired + to the back drawing-room, and in a few minutes had the + satisfaction of hearing heavy steps on the stairs, and the + voice of the redoubtable Mr Bristles saying, "Gently, + gently,—I have no hesitation in stating, that you were + never entrusted with so valuable a burden before. Deposit it + with gentleness on the large table in the middle; and, you may + now boast, that your hands have borne the noblest specimen of + grace and genius that modern ages have produced."</p> + + <p>"It's that everlasting donkey papa is always talking about!" + whispered Sophia.</p> + + <p>"If it's Stickleback's statue," said Mr William Whalley, + "the little vagabond promised the first sight of it to old + father. He'll be in a precious stew when he finds his rival has + been beforehand!"</p> + + <p>The porters now apparently retired, and the youthful + prisoners in the back drawing-room tried to effect their escape + by the door which opened on the stairs; but, alas! it was + locked on the outside, and it was evident, from the soliloquy + of Mr Bristles, that their retreat was cut off through the + front room. A knock—the well-known rat, tat, tat, of the + owner of the mansion—now completed their perplexity; and, + in a moment more, they heard the steps of several persons + rushing up stairs.</p> + + <p>"Mr Pitskiver!" exclaimed Bristles in intense agitation, + "you have surely forgotten our agreement—Snooksby! + Butters! Banks! Why, I am quite overpowered with the surprise! + It was to have been alone, without witnesses; or at most, in my + presence. But so public!"</p> + + <p>"Never mind, my dear Bristles. Why should I conceal my + triumph—my happiness—the boast and gratification of + my future days? Let us <span class="pagenum"><a name="page516" + id="page516"></a>[pg 516]</span> open the casket that + enshrines such unequaled merits."</p> + + <p>"If you really wish for no further secresy," replied Mr + Bristles.</p> + + <p>"Certainly! Don't I know that that case contains a + masterpiece, softly sweet and beautifully feminine, as a + talented friend of ours would say?"</p> + + <p>"An exquisite woman, indeed!" said Bristles; "and a truly + talented friend. The case, as you justly observe," proceeded + the critic, while he untied the cords, "contains the most + glorious manifestation of the softening influences of sex."</p> + + <p>"It's a pity she's an ass," suggested Mr Pitskiver. "I can't + help thinking that that's a drawback."</p> + + <p>"What?—what is a drawback, my dear sir?"</p> + + <p>"That femininity, as Miss Hendy calls it, should be brought + so prominently forward in the person of an ass."</p> + + <p>"An ass?—I don't understand! Are you serious?"</p> + + <p>"Serious! to be sure, my dear Bristles. In spite of all + efforts to assume an intellectual expression, the donkey, + depend upon it, preponderates—the long visage, the dull + eyes, the crooked legs—it is impossible to perceive any + grace in such a wretched animal. I can't help thinking that if + it had been a young girl you had brought me—say, a + sleeping nymph—full of youth and beauty, 'twould have + been a vast improvement on the scraggy jeanie contained in this + box. But clear away, Bristles, we are all impatience."</p> + + <p>"My dear sir—Mr Pitskiver—unaccustomed as I am, + his I can truly say is the most uncomfortable moment of my + life."</p> + + <p>"Why, what's the matter with you, Bristles, can't you untie + the string?"—"Here," continued Mr Pitskiver, "give me the + cord," and so saying he untwisted it in a moment—down + fell the side of the case, and to the astonished eyes of the + assembled critics, and also of the party in the back + drawing-room, revealed, not the masterpiece of the immortal + Stickleback, but a female figure enveloped in a grey silk + cloak, and covering its face with a white muslin + handkerchief.</p> + + <p>"Why, what the mischief is all this?" exclaimed the + bewildered Mr Pitskiver; "this isn't the jeanie-ass you + promised me a sight of. Who the deuce is this?"</p> + + <p>The handkerchief was majestically removed, and the sharp + eyes of Miss Hendy fixed in unspeakable disdain on the + assembled party.</p> + + <p>"'Tis I, base man! Are all your protestations of admiration + come to this? Who shall doubt hereafter that it is the task of + noble, gentle, self-denying woman to elevate society?"</p> + + <p>A smothered but very audible laugh proceeding from the back + drawing-room, interrupted the further eloquence of the + regenerator of mankind; and, finding concealment useless, the + two young ladies threw open the door, and advanced with their + attendant lovers to the table. The female philosopher, with the + assistance of Mr Bristles, descended from her lofty pedestal, + and looked unutterable basilisks at the open-mouthed + Mæcenas, who turned his eyes from the wooden box to Miss + Hendy, and from Miss Hendy to the wooden box, without trusting + himself with a word of either explanation or enquiry.</p> + + <p>"We told you of our intentions, papa," said Miss Sophia, "if + you brought that old lady to your house."</p> + + <p>"I didn't bring her; I give you my honour 'twas that + scoundrel Bristles," whispered the dismayed Pitskiver.</p> + + <p>"You told me sir," exclaimed Bristles, "that you would be + for ever indebted to me if I brought this lady to your + mansion—that she was the perfection of grace and + innocence. By a friendly arrangement with Mr Stickleback, the + greatest sculptor of ancient or modern times, I managed to + secure to this illustrious woman an admission to your house, + which, I understood, she could not openly obtain through the + opposition of your daughters. I considered that you knew of the + arrangement, sir; and I know that, with a soft and feminine + trustfulness, this most gentle and intellectual ornament of her + sex and species consented to meet the wish you had so ardently + expressed."</p> + + <p>"I never had a wish of the kind," cried Mr Pitskiver; "and I + believe you talking fellows and chattering + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page517" + id="page517"></a>[pg 517]</span> women are all in a plot to + make me ridiculous. I won't stand it any longer."</p> + + <p>"Stand what?" enquired Mr Bristles, knitting his brows.</p> + + <p>"Your nonsensical praises of each other—your boastings + of Sticklebacks, and Snooksbys, and Bankses; a set of mere + humbugs and blockheads! And even this foolish woman, with her + femininities and re-invigorating society, I believe to be a + regular quack. By dad! one would think there had never been a + woman in the world before."</p> + + <p>"Your observations are uncalled for"—</p> + + <p>"By no manner of means," continued the senior, waxing bolder + from the sound of his own voice. "I believe you're in a + conspiracy to puff each other into reputation; and, if + possible, get hold of some silly fellow's daughters. But no + painting, chiseling, writing, or sonneteering blackguard, shall + ever catch a girl of mine. What the deuce brings <i>you</i> + here, sir?" he added, fiercely turning to Mr Sidsby. "You're + the impostor that read the first act of a play"—</p> + + <p>"I read it, sir," said the youth, "but didn't write a word + of it, I assure you. Bristles is the author, and I gave him six + dozen of sherry."</p> + + <p>"No indeed, papa; he never wrote a line in his life," said + Sophia.</p> + + <p>"Then he may have you if he likes."</p> + + <p>"Nor I, except in the ledger," modestly observed Mr Bill + Whalley.</p> + + <p>"Then take Emily with all my heart. Here, Daggles," he + continue, ringing the bell, "open the street-door, and show + these parties out!"</p> + + <p>Amidst muttered threats, fierce looks, and lips contorted + into all modes and expression of indignation, the guests + speedily disappeared. And while Mr Pitskiver, still panting + from his exertions, related to his daughters and their + enchanted partners his grounds for anger at the attempt to + impose Miss Hendy on him instead of a statue, Mr Daggles shut + the front door in great exultation as the last of the intruders + vanished, and said—</p> + + <p>"Snipe, old Pits may do after all. He ain't a bad round of + beef; and I almost like our two mutton-chops, since they have + freed the house from such shocking sour-crouts and watery + taties as I have just flinged into the street."</p> + + <p>But it was impossible to convert the great Mr Bristles to + the belief into which his quondam follower, Mr Pitskiver, had + fallen as to the qualities of Miss Hendy. That literary + gentleman had too just a perception of the virtues of the + modern Corinne, and of a comfortable house at Hammersmith, with + an income of seven hundred a-year, to allow them to waste their + sweetness on some indecent clown, unqualified by genius and + education to appreciate them. The result of this resolution was + seen in a very few days after the interesting scene in Harley + Street; and the following announcement in the newspapers will + put our readers in as full a state of knowledge as we can boast + of being in ourselves:—</p> + + <p>"Woman's value Vindicated as the teacher and example of Man, + by Mrs Bristles, late Miss Hendy, Hammersmith."</p> + <hr class="full" /> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page518" + id="page518"></a>[pg 518]</span> <a name="ireland" + id="ireland"></a> + + <h2>IRELAND.</h2> + + <p>An interdict has rested, through four months, on the + discussion of Irish affairs—an interdict self-imposed by + the English press, in a spirit of honourable (almost of + superstitious) jealousy on behalf of public justice; jealousy + for the law, that it should not be biased by irresponsible + statements—jealousy for the accused, that they should not + be prejudiced by extra-judicial charges. At length the + interdict is raised, and we are all free once more to discuss + the great interests so long sealed up and sequestered by the + tribunals of Dublin. Could it have been foreseen or fancied, + pending this sequestration, that before it should be removed by + the delivery of the verdict, nay, two months before the trial + should have closed in a technical sense, by the delivery of the + sentence, the original interest (profound as it was) would be + obliterated, effaced, practically superseded, by a new phasis + of the same unparalleled movement? Yet this has happened. A + debate, which (like a series of natural echoes) has awakened + and revived all the political transactions of last year in + Ireland, should naturally have preserved the same relation to + those transactions that any other shadow or reflection bears to + the substance. And so it would: but unhappily with these + rehearsals of the past, have mingled tumultuous menaces of a + new plot. And these menaces, in the very act of uttering + themselves, advertise for accomplices, and openly organize + themselves as the principle of a new faction for refusing + tranquillity once more to Ireland. Once more an opportunity is + to be stifled for obtaining rest to that afflicted land.</p> + + <p>This "monster" debate, therefore, presents us in equal + proportions with grounds of disgust and terror—a disgust + which forces us often to forget the new form of terror—a + terror (from a new conspiracy) which forces us to forget even + the late conspiracy of Repeal, and that glorious catastrophe + which has trampled it under foot for ever.</p> + + <p>It is painful to the understanding—this iteration of + statements a thousand times refuted; it is painful to the + heart—this eternal neglect (in exchange for a <i>hear, + hear</i>) of what the speaker knows to be mere necessities of a + poor distracted land: this folly privileged by courtesy, this + treason privileged by the place. If indeed of every idle + word—meaning not trivial word, but word consciously + false—men shall hereafter give account, Heavens! what an + arrear, in the single case of Ireland, will by this time have + gathered against the House of Commons! Perfectly appalled we + are when we look into the formless chaos of that nine nights' + debate! Beginning with a motion which he who made it did not + wish<a id="fn_7_tag1" + name="fn_7_tag1"></a><a href="#fn_7_1"><sup>1</sup></a> to + succeed—ending <span class="pagenum"><a name="page519" + id="page519"></a>[pg 519]</span> with a vote by which + one-half of the parties to that vote meant the flattest + contradiction of all that was contemplated by the rest. On + this quarter, a section raging in the highest against the + Protestant church—on that quarter, a section (in + terror of their constituents) vowing aid to this church, and + yet allying themselves with men pledged to her destruction. + <i>Here</i>, men rampant against the Minister as having + strained the laws, in what regarded Ireland, for the sake of + a vigour altogether unnecessary; <i>there</i>, men + threatening impeachment—as for a lenity in the same + case altogether intolerable! To the right, "how durst you + diminish the army in Ireland, leaving that country, up to + March 1843, with a force lower by 2400 rank and file shall + the lowest that the Whigs had maintained?" To the left, "how + durst you govern Ireland by martial strength?" Question from + the Minister—"Will you of the Opposition place popish + bishops in the House of Lords?" Answer from a premature + sponsor of Lord John's—"We will." Answer from Lord + John—"I will not." <i>Question retrospective</i> from + the Conservatives—"What is it, not being already done, + that we could have done for Ireland?" <i>Answer</i> from the + Liberals—"Oh, a thousand things!" <i>Question + prospective</i> from the Conservatives—"What is it, + then, in particular, that you, in our places, would do for + Ireland? Name it." <i>Answer</i> from the + Liberals—"Oh, nothing in particular!" Sir R. Peel + ought to have done for Ireland whole worlds of new things. + But the Liberals, with the very same power to <i>do</i> + heretofore, and to <i>propose</i> now, neither did then, nor + can propose at present. And why? partly because the + privilege of acting for Ireland, so fruitful in reproaches, + is barren in practice: the one thing that remained to be + done,—viz. the putting down agitators—<i>has</i> + been done; and partly because the privilege of proposing for + Ireland is dangerous: first, as pledging themselves + hereafter; second, because to specify, though it were in so + trivial a matter as the making pounds into guineas for + Maynooth, is but to put on record, and to publish their own + party incapacity to agree upon any one of the merest trifles + imaginable. Anarchy of anarchies, very mob of very mobs, + whose internal strife is greater than your common enmity + <i>ab extra</i>—what shall we believe? Which is your + true doctrine? Where do you fasten your real charge? Amongst + conflicting arguments, which is it that you adopt? Amongst + self-destroying purposes, for which is it that you make your + election?</p> + + <p>It might seem almost unnecessary to answer those who thus + answer themselves, or to expose the ruinous architecture of + politicians, who thus with mutual hands tear down their own + walls as they advance, were it not for the other aspect of the + debate. But the times are agitated; the crisis of Ireland is + upon us; now, or not at all, there is an opening for a new dawn + to arise upon the distracted land; and when a public necessity + calls for a contradiction of the enemy, it is a providential + bounty that we are able to plead his <i>self</i>-contradiction. + In the hurry of the public mind, there is always a danger that + many great advantages for the truth should be overlooked: even + things seen steadily, yet seen but once and amongst alien + objects, are seen to little purpose. Lowered also in their + apparent value by the prejudice, that what passes in parliament + is but the harmless skirmishing of partisanship, dazzling the + eye, but innocuous as the aurora borealis, demonstrations only + too certain of coming evils receive but little attention in + their earlier stages. Yet undoubtedly, if the laws applicable + to conspiracy can in any way be evaded, we may see by the + extensive cabal now organizing itself in England for aiding the + Irish conspiracy to overthrow the Irish Protestant church, that + we have but exchanged one form of agitation for a worse. Worse + in what respect? Not as measured simply by the ruin it would + cause—between ruin and ruin, there is little reason for + choice; but worse, as having all the old supporters that Repeal + ever counted, and many others beside. Especially with Repeal + agitation recommending itself to the Irish priesthood, and to + those whom the priesthood can put in motion, it will recommend + itself also and separately to vast multitudes amongst + ourselves. It is worse also—not because in the event more + ruinous, but because in its means less desperate. All the + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page520" + id="page520"></a>[pg 520]</span> factious in politics and + the schismatic in religion—all those who, caring + little or nothing about religion as a <i>spiritual</i> + interest, seek to overthrow the present Ministers—all + those who (caring little or nothing about politics as a + trading interest) seek to overthrow the Church of + England—all, again, who are distressed in point of + patriotism, as in Ireland many are, hoping to establish a + foreign influence upon any prosperous body of native + prejudice against British influence, are now throwing + themselves, as by a forlorn hope, into this rearmost of + their batteries, (but also the strongest)—a deadly and + combined struggle to pull down the Irish Protestant + establishment. And why? because nothing else is left to them + as a hopeful subject of conspiracy, now that the Repeal + conspiracy is crushed; and because in its own nature an + assault upon Protestantism has always been a promising + speculation—sure to draw support from England, whilst + Repeal drew none; and because such an assault strikes at the + citadel of our strength. For the established church of + Ireland is the one main lever by which Great Britain carries + out the machinery of her power over the Irish people. The + Protestant church is by analogy the umbilical cord through + which England connects herself <i>materially</i> with + Ireland; through <i>that</i> she propagates her milder + influence; <i>that</i> gone, the rest would offer only + coercive influence. Without going diffusively into such a + point, two vast advantages to the civil administration, from + the predominance of a Protestant church in Ireland, meet us + at the threshold: 1st, that it moulds by the gentlest of all + possible agencies the <i>recusant</i> part of this Irish + nation into a growing conformity with the two other limbs of + the empire. The Irish population is usually assumed at about + one fourth part of the total imperial population. Now, the + gradual absorption of so large a section amongst our + resources into the temper, sympathies, and moral habits of + the rest, is an object to be kept in view by every + successive government, let their politics otherwise be what + they may; and therefore to be kept in view by all Irish + institutions. In Canada everybody is <i>now</i> aware how + much this country has been wanting to herself, (that is, + wanting to the united interests equally of England and + Canada,) in not having operated from the first upon the + political dispositions of the old French population by the + powerful machinery of her own language, and in some cases of + her institutions. Her neglect in this instance she now feels + to have been at her own cost, and therefore politically to + have been her crime. Granting to her population a certain + degree of education, and of familiarity with the English + language, certain civic privileges, (as those of voting at + political elections, of holding offices, profitable or + honorary, &c.,) under such reasonable latitude as to + time as might have made the transition easy, England would + have prevented the late wicked insurrection in Canada, and + gradually have obliterated the external monuments of French + remembrances, which have served only to nurse a senseless + (because a hopeless) enmity. Now, in Ireland, the Protestant + predominance has long since trained and moulded the channels + through which flows the ordinary ambition of her national + aristocracy. The Popery of Ireland settles and roots itself + chiefly in the peasantry of three provinces. The bias of the + gentry, and of the aspiring in all ranks, is towards + Protestantism. Activity of mind and honourable ambition in + every land, where the two forms of Christianity are + politically in equilibrium, move in that same line of + direction. Undoubtedly the Emancipation bill of 1829 was + calculated, or might have seemed calculated, to disturb this + old order of tendencies. But against that disturbance, and + in defiance of the unexampled liberality shown to Papists + upon <i>every</i> mode of national competition, there is + still in action (<i>and judging by the condition of the + Irish bar, in undiminished action</i>) the old spontaneous + tendency of Protestantism to 'go ahead;' the fact being that + the original independency and freedom of the Protestant + principle not only create this tendency, but also meet and + favour it wherever nature has already created it, so as to + operate in the way of a perpetual bounty upon Protestant + leanings. Here, therefore, is <i>one</i> of the great + advantages to every English government + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page521" + id="page521"></a>[pg 521]</span> from upholding and + fostering, in all modes left open by the Emancipation bill, + the Protestant principle—viz. as a principle which is + the pledge of a continual tendency to union; since, as no + prejudice can flatter itself with seeing the twenty-one + millions of our Protestant population pass over to Popery, + it remains that we encourage a tendency in the adverse + direction, long since established and annually increasing + amongst the six and a half Irish Papists. Thus only can our + total population be fused; and without that fusion, it will + scarcely be hoped that we can enjoy the whole unmutilated + use of our own latent power.</p> + + <p>Towards such a purpose therefore, <i>as tending to union</i> + by its political effects, the Protestant predominancy is + useful; and secondly, were it no otherwise useful, it is so to + every possible administration by means of its patronage. This + function of a government—which, being withdrawn, no + government could have the means of sustaining itself for a + year—connects the collateral channels of Irish honours + and remunerations with the great national current of similar + distributions at home. We see that the Scottish establishment, + although differing essentially by church government, yet on the + ground that doctrinally it is almost in alliance with the + Church of England, has not (except by a transient caprice) + refused to the crown a portion of its patronage. On the other + hand, if the Roman Catholic church were installed as the ruling + church, every avenue and access for the government to the + administration of national resources so great, would be closed + at once. These evils from the overthrow of the Protestant + church, we mention <i>in limine</i>, not as the + greatest—they are the least; or, at any rate, they are so + with reference to the highest interests—but for their + immediate results upon the purposes common to all governments; + and <i>there</i> they would be fatal, for any Roman Catholic + church, where it happens also (like the Irish) to be a Papal + church, neither will nor <i>can</i> confide privileges of this + nature to the state. A Papal church, not modified (as the + Gallican church) by <i>original</i> limitations of the Papal + authority, not modified (as even the bigoted churches of + Portugal and Austria) by modern <i>conventional</i> limitations + of that alien authority, gloomily refuses and must refuse, to + accept any thing from the state, for the simple reason that she + is incapacitated for giving any thing. Wisely, according to the + wisdom of this world, she cuts away from below the footing of + the state all ground on which a pretence could ever be advanced + for interfering with herself. Consequently, whosoever, and by + whatsoever organs, would suffer from the overthrow of the Irish + church as now established by law, the administration of the + land would feel the effects from such a change, first and + instantly. Let us not mistake the case. Mr O'Connell did not + seriously aim at Repeal—<i>that</i> he knew too well to + be an enterprise which could not surmount its earliest stages + without coming into collision with the armed forces of the + land; and no man will ever believe that he dreamed of + prevailing <i>there</i>. What was it, then, that he <i>did</i> + aim at? It was the establishment in supremacy of the Papal + church. His meaning was, in case he had been left quietly to + build up his aspiring purpose so high as seriously to alarm the + government, then suddenly to halt, to propose by way of + compromise some step in advance for his own church. Suppose + that some arrangement which should have the effect of placing + that church on a footing of equality, as a privileged (not as + an endowed) church, with the present establishment; this + gained, he might have safely left the church herself + thenceforwards, from such a position of advantage, to fight her + way onwards, to the utter destruction of her rival.</p> + + <p>Thus it was that the conspirators hoped to terrify the + minister into secret negotiation and compromise. But that hope + failed. The minister was firm. He watched and waited his + opportunity; he kept his eye settled upon them, to profit by + the first opening which their folly should offer to the + dreadful artillery of law. At last, said the minister, we will + put to proof this vaunt of yours. We dare not bring you to + trial, is your boast. Now, we will see that settled; and, at + the same time, we will try whether + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page522" + id="page522"></a>[pg 522]</span> we cannot put you down for + ever. That trial was made, and with what perfection of + success the reader knows; for let us remind him, that the + perfection we speak of lay as much in the manner of the + trial as in its result—in the sanctities of + abstinence, in the holy forbearance to use any one of many + decent advantages, in the reverence for the sublime equities + of law. Oh, mightiest of spectacles which human grandeur can + unfold to the gaze of less civilized nations, when the + ermine of the judge and the judgment-seat, belted by no + swords, bristling with no bayonets—when the shadowy + power of conscience, citing, as it were, into the immediate + presence of God twelve upright men, accomplishing for great + kingdoms, by one day's memorable verdict, that solemn + revolution which elsewhere would have caused torrents of + blood to flow, and would perhaps have unsealed the tears of + generations. Since the trial of the seven + bishops<a id="fn_7_tag2" + name="fn_7_tag2"></a><a href="#fn_7_2"><sup>2</sup></a>—which + inaugurated for England the certainty that for <i>her</i> + the "bloody writing" was torn which would have consigned her + children to the mercies of despotism—there has been no + such crisis, no such agitation, no such almighty triumph. + Here was the <i>second</i> chapter of the history; and + lastly, that the nine nights' debate attached itself as the + <i>third</i>, is evident from its real purpose, which may be + expressed strictly in this problem: Given, as a fact beyond + all doubt, that O'Connell's Repeal conspiracy is for ever + shattered; let it now be proposed, as a thing worthy of the + combined parties in opposition, to find out some vicarious + or supplementary matter for sedition. A new agitation must + be found, gentlemen—a new grievance must be had, or + Ireland is tranquillized, and we are lost. Was there ever a + case illustrating so strongly the maxim, that no man can be + effectually ruined except by himself? Here is Lord John + Russell, taxed a thousand times with having not merely used + Mr O'Connell as an ally, but actually as having lent himself + to Mr O'Connell as an instrument. Is that true? A wise man, + kind-hearted, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page523" + id="page523"></a>[pg 523]</span> and liberal in the + construction of motives, will have found himself hitherto + unwilling to suppose a thing so full of disgrace; he will + have fancied arguments for scepticism. But just at this + moment of critical suspense, forth steps Lord John himself, + and by his own act dissipates all doubts, frankly + subscribing the whole charge against himself; for his own + motion reveals and publishes his wrath against the ministers + for having extinguished the only man, viz. a piratical + conspirator, by whose private license there was any safety + for navigating the sea of Irish politics. The exact relation + in which Lord John had hitherto stood to Mr O'Connell, was + that of a land-owner paying black-mail to the cateran who + guaranteed his flocks from molestation: how naturally must + the grazier turn with fury on the man who, by suppressing + his guardian, has made it hopeless for the future to gain + private ease by trafficking in public wrongs! The real + grievance was, the lopping Dagon of all power to stand + erect, and thus laying the Whig-radical under the necessity + of "walking in the light of the constitution" without aid + from Irish crutches. The real<i>onus</i> imposed on Lord + John's party is, where to look for, and how to suborn, some + new idol and some fresh idolatry. Still to dispense with the + laws in Ireland in the event of their own return to power, + still to banish tranquillity from Ireland in the event of + Sir Robert's power continuing, required that some new + conspiracy should be cited to the public service, possibly + (after the 15th of April) some new conspirator. The new + seditious movement could not be doubtful: by many degrees of + preference, the war upon the Irish church had the "call." + This is to be the war now pursued, and with advantages (as + we have already said) never possessed by the Repeal cause. + The chief advantage of <i>that</i> lay in the utter darkness + to the Irish peasantry of the word "Repeal." What it meant + no wizard could guess; and merely as a subject to allure by + uncertain hopes, on the old maxim of "omne ignotum pro + magnifico," the choice of that word had considerable merit. + But the cause of Popery has another kind of merit, and + (again we remind the reader) reposes upon another kind of + support. In that cause the Irish peasantry will be + unaffectedly and spontaneously zealous; in that cause there + will be a confluence from many quarters of English aid. Far + other phenomena will now come forward. Meetings, even of the + kind convened by Mr O'Connell, are not, we must remember, + found to be unlawful by the issue of the late trials. Had + certain melodramatic features been as cautiously banished + from Mr O'Connell's parades as latterly they were affectedly + sought, it is certain that, to this hour, he and his + pretended myriads would have been untouched by the petrific + mace of the policeman. Lay aside this theatrical costuming + of cavalry, of military step, &c., and it will be found + that these meetings were lawful. Most certainly a meeting + for the purpose of petitioning is not, and (unless by its + own folly) never can be, found unlawful.</p> + + <p>But may not this new conspiracy, which is now mustering and + organizing itself, be put down summarily by force? We may judge + of <i>that</i> by what has happened to the old conspiracy. Put + down by martial violence, or by the police, Repeal would have + retired for the moment only to come forward and reconstruct + itself in successive shapes of mischief not provided for by + law, or not shaped to meet the grasp of an executive so limited + as, in these days, any English executive must find itself. On + the other hand, once brought under the cognizance of law, it + has been crushed in its fraudulent form, and compelled to + transmigrate at once into that sincere, substantial, and final + form, towards which it was always tending. Whatever of extra + peril is connected with a movement so much more intelligible + than Repeal, and so much more in alliance with the natural + prepossessions of the Irish mind—better it is, after all, + that this peril should be forced to show itself in open + daylight, than that it should be lurking in ambush or mining + underground; ready for a burst when other mischief might be + abroad, or evading the clue of our public guardians. Besides + that, Repeal also had its own peculiar terrors, notwithstanding + that it did not grow up originally upon any stock of popular + wishes, but <span class="pagenum"><a name="page524" + id="page524"></a>[pg 524]</span> had been an artificial + growth propagated by an artificial inoculation. That flame + also could burn fiercely when fanned by incendiaries, + although it did not supply its own combustibles. And, think + as we may of the two evils, valued as mischief against + mischief, Repeal against Anti-protestantism, certain it is, + that one most important advantage has accrued to Government + from the change. Fighting against Repeal, they had to rely + upon one sole resource of doubtful issue; for, after all, + the law stood on the interpretation of a jury, and therefore + too much on the soundness of individual minds; whereas in + meeting the assaults of Anti-protestantism, backed as it is + by six millions of combatants, ministers will find + themselves reposing on the whole strength of two nations, + and of that section, even amongst the Irish, which is + socially the strongest. An old enemy is thus replaced by a + new one many hundred-fold more naturally malignant; true, + but immediately the new one will call forth a natural + antagonism many thousand-fold more determined. Such is the + result; and, though alarming in itself, for ministers it + remains an advantage and a trophy. How was this result + accomplished? By a Fabian policy of watching, waiting, + warding, and assaulting at the right moment. Three times + within the last twelve months have the Government been + thrown upon their energies of attack and defence; three + times have they been summoned to the most trying exercise of + skill—vigilantly to parry, and seasonably to strike: + <i>first</i>, when their duty was to watch and to arrest + agitation; <i>secondly</i>, when their duty was, by process + of law, to crush agitation; <i>thirdly</i>, when their duty + was to explain and justify before Parliament whatsoever they + had done through the two former stages. Now, then, let us + rapidly pursue the steps of our ministers through each + severally of these three stages; and by seasonable + <i>resumé</i> or recapitulation, however brief, let + us claim the public praise for what merits praise, and apply + our vindication to what has been most misrepresented. The + first charge preferred against the Government was, that it + did not instantly attack the Repealers on their earliest + appearance. We must all recollect this charge, and the + bitterness with which it was urged during the whole of last + summer; for, in fact, the difference of opinion upon this + question led to a schism even amongst the Conservative party + and press. The majority, headed by the leading morning + paper, have treated it to this day as a ground of suspicion + against Government, or at least as an impeachment of their + courage, that they should have lingered or hesitated upon + the proper policy. Our Journal was amongst the few which, + after considerable reflection and perhaps doubt, defended + the course adopted; and specifically upon the following + suggestion, <i>inter alia</i>, viz. that Peel and the + Wellesley were assuredly at that moment watching Mr + O'Connell, not at all, therefore, hesitating as to the + general character of the policy to be observed, but only + waiting for the best mode (best in effect, best in + popularity) of enforcing that policy. And we may remind our + readers, that on that occasion we applied to the situation + of the two parties, as they stood watching and watched, the + passage from Wordsworth—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p>"The vacillating bondsman of the Pope</p> + + <p>Shrinks from the verdict of that steadfast eye."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>There was no great merit in being right; but it is proper to + remind our readers that we <i>were</i> right. And there is + considerable merit, more merit than appears, in not having been + wrong; for in that we should have followed not only a vast + leading majority amongst public authorities, but we should have + followed an instinct of impassioned justice, which cannot + endure to witness the triumph, though known to be but fugitive, + of insolence and hyperbolical audacity. Not as partisans, which + was proved by the caution of our manner, but after some + deliberation, we expressed our conviction that Government was + not slumbering, but surveying its ground, taking up its + position, and trying the range of its artillery, in order to + strike surely, to strike once, but so that no second blow + should be needed. All <span class="pagenum"><a name="page525" + id="page525"></a>[pg 525]</span> this has been done; so far + our predictions have been realized; and to that extent the + Government has vindicated itself. But still it may be asked, + to <i>what</i> extent? Doubtless the thing has been done, + and done completely. Yet <i>that</i> will not necessarily + excuse the Government. To be well done is, in many cases, + all that we require; but in questions of civil policy often + there is even more importance that it should be <i>soon</i> + done, done maturely, (that is, seasonably done with a view + to certain evils growing up concurrently with the evil,) + done even prematurely with respect to immediate bad + consequences open to instant arrest. At this moment amongst + the parliamentary opponents of ministers, though some are + taxing them with unconstitutional harshness, (or at least + with that <i>summum jus</i> which the Roman proverb + denounces as <i>summa injuria</i>,) in having ever + interfered at all with Mr O'Connell, others of the same + faction are roundly imputing to them a system of decoy, a + "laying of traps," (that was the word,) in waiting so + patiently for the ripening of the Repeal frenzy. Upon the + same principle, a criminal may have a right to complain that + her Majesty, when extending mercy to a first crime, or a + crime palliated by its circumstances, and that a merciful + prosecutor who intercedes effectually on his behalf with the + court, have both been laying a trap for his future conduct; + since, assuredly, there is one motive the less to a base + nature for abstaining from evil in the mitigated + consequences which the evil drew after it. On the same + principle the Repealers, having found Sir R. Peel so + anxious, in the first stages of their career, to spare them + altogether, were seduced into thinking that surely he never + would strike so hard when at length he had made ready to + strike. Still, with submission, we think that to found false + expectations upon a spirit of lenity, and upon that mistake + to found an abuse of goodness that was really sincere, was + not the fault of Sir R. Peel, but of the Repealers. Any + man's goodness becomes a trap to him who is capable of + making it such; since the most noble forbearance, + misinterpreted as fear, will probably enough operate as a + snare for such a person by tempting him into excesses + calculated to rouse that courage with which all genuine + forbearance is associated. If the early moderation of + Government did really entrap any man, that man has himself, + and his own meanness of heart, to thank for his delusion. + But were it otherwise, and the Government became properly + responsible for any possible misinterpretation of their own + lenity—even in that case, it will remain to be + enquired whether Government <i>could</i> have acted + otherwise than it did. For else, though Government could owe + little enough to the conspirator; yet with respect to the + ill-educated and misled labouring man, whose honest + sensibilities were so grievously played upon by traitors, we + do ourselves conceive that Government had a clamorous duty. + If such men by thousands believed that the cause of Repeal + was patriotic, that we consider a delusion not of a kind or + a class to challenge exposure from Government; they have + neither such functions assigned to them, nor could they + assume any office of teaching without suspicion. But when + the credulity of the poor was shown also in anticipating + impunity for the leader of Repeal, and upon the ground that + ministers feared him, when for this belief there was really + much plausible sanction in the behaviour of the Whig + ministers—too plainly it became a marked duty of Sir + Robert Peel to warn them how matters stood; to let them know + that sedition tended to dangerous results, and that + <i>his</i> Government was bound by no secret understanding, + with sedition for averting its natural penalties. So much, + we all agree, was due from the present Government to the + poorer classes; and exactly because former governments had + practically taken another view of sedition. If, therefore, + Sir R. Peel had left unpaid this great debt, he failed + grievously in the duties of his high office; but we are of + opinion that he did <i>not</i>. We have an obscure + remembrance that the Queen's speech uttered a voice on this + point—a solemn, a monitory, a parental voice. We seem + to recollect also, that in his own parliamentary place he + warned the deluded followers of Repeal—that they were + engaged in a chase that must be fruitless, and + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page526" + id="page526"></a>[pg 526]</span> might easily become + criminal. What was open to him, therefore, Sir Robert did. + He applied motives, such as there were within his power, to + lure men away from this seditious service. The "traps" he + laid were all in that direction. If more is required of him + by people arguing the case at present, it remains to ask + whether more was at that time in his power.</p> + + <p>The present administration came into power in September + 1841. Why the Repealers did not go to work instantly, is more + than we can explain; but so it was. In March of 1843, and not + sooner, Mr O'Connell opened a new shop of mercenary agitation, + and probably for the last time that he will ever do so. The + <i>surveillance</i> of Government, it now appears, commenced + almost simultaneously; why not the reaction of Government? Upon + that it is worth spending a few words. It is now made known to + the public, that from the very first Sir R. Peel had taken such + measures of precaution as were really open to him. In + communicating, officially with any district whatsoever, in any + one of the three kingdoms, the proper channel through which the + directions travel is the lord-lieutenant of the particular + county in which the district lies. He is the direct + representative of the sovereign—he stands at the head of + the county magistrates, and is officially the organ between the + executive and his own rural province. To this officer in every + county, Sir R. Peel addressed a letter of instructions; and the + principle on which these instructions turned was—that for + the present he was to exercise a jealous neutrality; not + interfering without further directions in ordinary cases, that + is, where simply Repeal was advocated, or individuals were + abused; but that, on the first <i>suggestion</i> of local + outrages, the first <i>incitement</i> to mischief, arrests and + other precautionary measures were to take place. Not much more + than twenty years are gone by, since magistrates moved on + principles so wholly different, that now, and to the youthful + of this generation, they would seem monstrous. In those days, + let any man be found to swear that he apprehended danger to his + property, or violence to his person, from the assembling of a + mob in a place assigned, and the magistrate would have held it + his duty to disperse or prevent that meeting. But now <i>on a + changé tout cela</i>; and as easily might a magistrate + of this day commit Fanny Elssler as a vagabond. Yet even in + these days we have heard it mooted—</p> + + <p>1. On the mere ground of <i>numerical amount</i>, and as for + that reason alone an uncontrollable mass, might not such a + meeting have been liable to dispersion? + <i>Answer</i>—this allegation of monstrous numbers was + uniformly a falsehood; and a falsehood gross and childish. Was + it for the dignity of Government to assume, as grounds of + action, fables so absurd as these? <i>Not</i> to have assumed + them, will never be made an argument of blame against the + Executive; and, indeed, it was not possible to do so, since + Government had employed qualified persons to estimate the + numbers, and in some instances to measure the ground. The only + real charge against Government, in connexion with these fables, + is (and we grieve to say it) that of having echoed them, in an + ambiguous way, at one point of the trials; not exactly assuming + them for true, and resting any other truth upon their credit, + but repeating them as parts <i>inter alia</i> of current + popular hearsay. Now this, though probably the act of some + subordinate officer, does a double indignity to Government; it + is discreditable to the understanding, if such palpable nursery + tales are adopted for any purpose; and openly to adulterate + with falsehood, even in those cases where the falsehood is not + associated with folly, still more deeply wounds the character + of an honourable government. But, besides, had the numerical + estimates stood upon any footing of truth, mere numbers could + not have been pleaded as an argument for reasonable alarm. The + false estimate was not pleaded by the Repealers until + <i>after</i> the meetings, and as an inference from facts. But + the use of the argument was <i>before</i> the meeting, and to + prevent the meeting. And if the experience of past meetings + were urged as an argument for presuming that the coming one + would be not less numerous, concurrently would be urged this + same experience as a demonstration that no + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page527" + id="page527"></a>[pg 527]</span> danger was to be + apprehended. Dangerous the meetings certainly were in + another sense; but, in the police sense, so little + dangerous, that each successive meeting squared, cubed, + &c., in geometrical progression the guarantee in point + of safety for all meetings that were to follow.</p> + + <p>2. On the ground of <i>sedition</i>, and disaffection to the + Government, might not these assemblages have been lawfully + dispersed or prevented? Unfortunately, not under our modern + atmosphere of political liberality. In time of war, when it may + again become necessary, for the very salvation of the land, to + suspend the <i>habeas corpus</i> act, sedition would revive + into a new meaning. But, at all times, sedition is of too + unlimited a nature to form the basis of an affidavit sworn + before a police magistrate; and it is an idea which very much + sympathizes with the <i>general</i> principles of political + rights. When these are unusually licentious, sedition is + interpreted liberally and laxly. Where danger tightens the + restraints upon popular liberty, the idea of sedition is more + narrowly defined. Sedition, besides, very much depends upon + overt acts as expounding it. And to take any controversial + ground for the basis of restraint upon personal liberty, would + probably end in disappointment. At the same time, we must make + one remark. Some months ago, in considering what offence was + committed by the public avowal of the Repeal doctrine, we + contended, that it amounted constructively to treason; and on + the following argument—Why had any body supposed it + lawful to entertain or to propagate such a doctrine? Simply, on + the reflexion that, up to the summer of 1800, there <i>was</i> + no union with Ireland: since August of that 1800, this great + change had been made. And by what? By an act of Parliament. But + could there be any harm in seeking the repeal of a + parliamentary act? Is not <i>that</i> done in every session of + the two Houses? And as to the more or less importance of an + act, <i>that</i> is a matter of opinion. But we contended, that + the sanctity of an act is to be deduced from the sanctity of + the subjects for which it legislates. And in proof of this, we + alleged the <i>Act of Settlement</i>. Were it so, that simply + the term <i>Act of Parliament</i> implied a license universally + for undoing and canceling it, then how came the Act of + Settlement to enjoy so peculiar a consecration? We take upon us + to say—that, in any year since the Revolution of 1688-9, + to have called a meeting for the purpose of framing a petition + against this act, would have been treason. Might not Parliament + itself entertain a motion for repealing it, or for modifying + it? Certainly; for we have no laws resembling those Athenian + laws, which made it capitally punishable to propose their + repeal. And secondly,—no body external to the two Houses, + however venerable, can have power to take cognizance of words + uttered in either of those Houses. Every Parliament, of + necessity, must be invested with a discretionary power over + every arrangement made by their predecessors. Each several + Parliament must have the same power to <i>undo</i>, which + former Parliaments had to <i>do</i>. The two Houses have the + keys of St Peter—to unloose in the nineteenth century + whatever the earliest Parliament in the twelfth century could + bind. But this privilege is proper and exclusive to the two + Houses acting in conjunction. Outside their walls, no man has + power to do more than to propose as a petitioner some lawful + change. But how could that be a lawful change which must begin + by proposing to shift the allegiance into some other channel + than that in which it now flows? The line of succession, as + limited in the act, is composed of persons all interested. As + against <i>them</i>, merely contingent and reversionary heirs, + no treason could exist. But we have supposed the attempt to be + against the individual family then occupying the throne. And it + is clear that no pretence, drawn from the repealable nature of + an English law, can avail to make it less, or other than + treason, for a person outside of Parliament to propose the + repeal of <i>this</i> act as to any point affecting the + existing royal family, or at least, so many of that family as + are privileged persons known to the constitution. Now, then, + this remark instantly points to two classes of acts; one upon + which to all men is open + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page528" + id="page528"></a>[pg 528]</span> the right of calling for + Repeal; another upon which no such right is open. But if + this be so, then to urge the legality of calling for a + Repeal of the Union, on the ground that this union rests + only upon an act of Parliament, is absurd; because that + leaves it still doubtful whether this act falls under the + one class or the other.</p> + + <p>Why do we mention this? Because we think it exceedingly + important that the attention of parliament should be called to + the subject, and to the necessity of holding certain points in + our constitution as absolutely sacred. If a man or party should + go about proclaiming the unlawfulness, in a religious sense, of + <i>property</i>, and agitating for that doctrine amongst the + lower classes by appropriate arguments—it would soon be + found necessary to check them, and the sanctity of property + would soon be felt to merit civil support. Possibly it will be + replied—"Supposing the revolutionary doctrines followed + by overt acts, then the true redress is by attacking these + acts." Yet every body feels that, if the doctrine and the acts + continued to propagate themselves, very soon both would be + punished. In the case where missionaries incited negro slaves + to outrages on property, or were said to do so, nobody proposed + to punish only the overt outrages. So, again, in the event of + those doctrines being revived which denounced all differences + of rank, and the official distinctions of civil government, it + would be too late to punish the results after the bonds of + society were generally relaxed. Ministers are placed in a very + false position, continually taxing a man with proposing the + repeal of a law as if <i>that</i> were an admitted crime, and + yet also pronouncing the proposed repeal of any law to be a + privilege of every citizen. They will soon find it necessary to + make their election for one or other of these incompatible + views.</p> + + <p>Meantime, in direct opposition to this uncertainty of the + ministers, the Irish Attorney-General has drawn the same + argument from the Act of Settlement which we have drawn. In + February 1844, the Irish Attorney-General pronounced his views; + <i>Blackwood's Magazine</i> in August or September 1843. A fact + which we mention—not as imputing to that learned + gentleman any obligation to ourselves; for, on the contrary, it + strengthens the opinion to have been <i>independently</i> + adopted by different minds, but in order to acquit ourselves + from the natural suspicion of having, in a legal question, + derived our own views from a high legal authority.</p> + + <p>3. Might not the Repeal Association have been arrested and + prosecuted at first, viz. in March 1843, as six months + afterwards they were, on a charge of conspiracy? That was a + happy thought, by whomsoever suggested; and strange that an + idea, so often applied to minor offences as well as to + political offences, should not at once have been seen to press + with crushing effect upon these disturbers of the public peace. + Since the great change in the combination laws, this doctrine + of conspiracy is the only means by which masters retain any + power at all. Wheresoever there are reciprocal rights, for one + of the two antagonist interests to combine in defence of their + own, presupposes in very many cases an unfair disturbance of + the legal equilibrium. Society, as being an inert body in + relation to any separate interests of its own, and chiefly from + the obscurity of these interests, cannot be supposed to + combine; and therefore cannot combine even to prevent + combinations. Government is the perpetual guardian and organ of + society in relation to its interests. Government, therefore, + prosecutes. This, however, left the original question as to the + Repeal of the Irish Union act, whether a lawful attempt or not + lawful, untouched. And necessary it was to do so. Had the + prosecutor even been satisfied on that point, no jury would + have regarded it as other than a delicate question in the + casuistry of political metaphysics. But the offence of + combining, by means of tumultuous meetings, and by means of + connecting with this obscure question rancorous nationalities + or personalities, so as to make <i>that</i> a matter of + agitating interest to poor men, which else they would have + regarded as a pure scholastic abstraction—this was a + crime well understood by the jury; and thence + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page529" + id="page529"></a>[pg 529]</span> flowed the verdict. But + could not the same verdict have been obtained in the month + of March? Certainly not. For the act of <i>conspiracy</i> + must prove itself by collusion between speeches and + speeches, between speeches and newspapers, between reporters + and newspapers, between newspaper and newspaper. But in the + infancy of such a concern, these links of concert and mutual + reverberation are few, hard to collect, and unless + carelessly diffused, (as in the palmy days of the Repeal + Association they were,) difficult to prove.</p> + + <p>In short, no indictment could have availed that was not + founded on the offence of conspiracy; and <i>that</i> would not + have been available with certainty much before the autumn, when + in fact the conspirators were held to bail. To have failed + would have been ruinous. We have seen how hardly the furious + Opposition have submitted to the Government measure, under its + present principle of simple confidence in the law as it is: had + new laws, or suspension of old ones, been found + requisite—the desperate resistance of the Liberals would + have reacted contagiously on the excitement in Ireland, so as + to cause more mischief in a secondary way, than any measure of + restraint upon the Repealers could have healed directly.</p> + + <p>It is certain, meantime, that Sir R. Peel did not wish to + provoke a struggle with the Repealers. Feeling, probably, + considerable doubts upon the issue of any trial, moving upon + whatsoever principle—because in any case the composition + of the jury must depend a good deal upon chance, and one + recusant juror, or one juror falling ill at a critical moment, + might have reduced the whole process to a nihility—Sir + Robert, like any moderate man, hoped that his warnings might + meet with attention. They did not. So far from <i>that</i>, the + Repealers kindled into more frenzy through their own violence, + irritated no doubt by public sympathy with their worst counsels + in America and elsewhere. At length the case indicated in the + minister's instructions to the lords-lieutenant of counties, + the <i>casus fæderis</i>, actually occurred. One meeting + was fixed ostentatiously on the anniversary of the rebellion in + 1798; and against the intended meeting at Clontarf, large + displays of cavalry and of military discipline were publicly + advertised. These things were decisive: the viceroy returned + suddenly to Ireland: the Privy Council of Ireland assembled: a + proclamation issued from government: the conspirators were + arrested: and in the regular course the trials came on.</p> + + <p>Such is our account of the first stage in this great + political transaction; and this first stage it is which most + concerns the reputation of Government. For though the merit of + the trials, or second stage, must also belong to Government, so + far as regards the resolution to adopt this course, and the + general principle of their movement; yet in the particular + conduct of their parts, these trials naturally devolved upon + the law-officers. In the admirable balance of firmness and + forbearance it is hardly possible to imagine the minister + exceeded. And here, where chiefly he stood between a double + fire of attacks, irreconcilable in themselves, and proceeding + not less on friends than foes, it is now found by official + exposures that Sir Robert's conduct is not open to a trivial + demur. He made his preparations for vindicating the laws in + such a spirit of energy, as though he had resolved upon + allowing no escape for the enemy; he opened a <i>locus + penitentiæ</i>, noiseless and indulgent to the feelings + of the offenders, with so constant an overture of placability + as if he had resolved upon letting them <i>all</i> escape. The + kindness of the manner was as perfect as the brilliancy of the + success.</p> + + <p>Next, as regards the trials, there is so very much diffused + through the speeches or the incidents of what is noticeable on + one ground or other—that we shall confine ourselves to + those points which are chiefly concerned in the one great + factious (let us add fraudulent) attempt within the House of + Commons to disparage the justice of the trial. In all history, + we remember nothing that ever issued from a baffled and + mortified party more audacious than this. As, on the other + hand, in all history we remember nothing more anxiously or + sublimely conscientious than the whole + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page530" + id="page530"></a>[pg 530]</span> conduct of the trial. More + conspicuously are these qualities displayed, as it was + inevitable they should, in the verdict. Never yet has there + been a document of this nature more elaborate and fervent in + the energy of its distinctions, than this most memorable + verdict; and the immortal twelve will send down their names + to posterity as the roll-call of those upright citizens, + who, in defiance of menaces, purchased peace to their + afflicted country at the price of peril to themselves. With + partisans, of course, all this goes for nothing; and no cry + was more steadily raised in the House of Commons than the + revolting falsehood—that the conspirators had not + obtained a fair trial. Upon the three pretences by which + this monstrous allegation endeavoured to sustain itself, we + will say a word. Two quarrels have been raised with + incidents occurring at separate stages in the striking of + the jury. What happened first of all was supposed to be a + mere casual effect of hurry. Good reason there has since + appeared, to suspect in this affair no such excusable + accident, but a very fraudulent result of a plan for + vitiating the whole proceedings. Such things are likely + enough to be attempted by obscure partisans. But at all + events any trick that may have been practised, is traced + decisively to the party of the defendants. But the whole + effect of the trick, if such it were, was to diminish the + original fund from which the names of the second list were + to be drawn, by about one twenty-ninth part. But this + inconsiderable loss was as likely to serve the defendants as + not; for the object, as we have said, was—simply by + vitiating the proceeding to protract the trial, and thus to + benefit by a larger range of favourable accidents. But why + not cure this irregularity, however caused, by the means + open to the court? Simply for these reasons, explained by + the Attorney-General:—1st, that such a proceeding + would operate injuriously upon many other trials; and 2d, as + to this particular trial, that it would delay it until the + year 1845. The next incident is still more illustrative of + the determination, taken beforehand, to quarrel with the + arrangements, on whatever principle conducted. When the list + of persons eligible as jurors has been reduced by the + unobjectionable process of balloting to forty-eight, from + that amount they are further reduced by ultimate challenges; + and the necessity resting upon each party to make these + challenges is not discretional, but peremptory. It happened + that the officer who challenged on behalf of the crown, + struck off about ten Roman Catholics. The public are weary + of hearing it explained—that these names were not + challenged <i>as</i> Catholics, but as Repealers. Some + persons have gone so far as to maintain—that even + Repealers ought not to have been challenged. This, however, + has been found rather too strong a doctrine for the House of + Commons—to have asked for a verdict of guilty from men + glorying in the very name which expresses the offence. Did + any man ever suggest a special jury of smugglers in a suit + of our lady the Queen, for the offence of "running" goods? + Yet certainly they are well qualified as respects + professional knowledge of the case. We on our part maintain, + that not merely Repealers were inadmissible on the Dublin + jury, but generally Roman Catholics; and we say this without + disrespect to that body, as will appear from what follows. + It will often happen that men are challenged as labouring + under prejudices which disqualify them for an impartial + discharge of a juror's duty. But these prejudices may be of + two kinds. First, they may be the natural product of a + certain birth, education, and connexion; and these are cases + in which it will almost be a <i>duty</i> for one so biased + to have contracted something of a permanent inability to + judge fairly under circumstances which interest his + prejudices. But secondly, there are other prejudices, as, + for instance, of passions, of blind anger, or of selfish + interest. Such cases of prejudice are less honourable; and + yet no man scruples to tell another, under circumstances of + this nature, that he cannot place confidence in his + impartiality. No offence is either meant or taken. A trial + is transferred from Radnorshire to Warwickshire in order to + secure justice: yet Radnorshire is not offended. And every + day a witness is <span class="pagenum"><a name="page531" + id="page531"></a>[pg 531]</span> told to stand down, when he + is acknowledged to have the slightest pecuniary interest in + the case, without feeling himself insulted. Yet the + insinuation is a most gross one—that, because he might + be ten guineas richer or poorer by the event of the trial, + he is not capable of giving a fair testimony. This would be + humiliating, were it not seen that keen interests compel men + to speak bluntly and plainly: men cannot sacrifice their + prospects of justice to ceremony and form. Now, when a Roman + Catholic is challenged as a juryman, it is under the first + and comparatively inoffensive mode of imputation. It is not + said—you are under a cloud of passion, or under a bias + of gross self-interest. But simply—you have certain + religious opinions: no imputation is made on your integrity. + On the contrary, it is honourable to you that you should be + alive to the interests of your class. Some think, and so may + you, that separation from England would elevate the + Catholics; since, in such a case, undoubtedly your religion + would become predominant in Ireland. It is but natural, + therefore, that you should lean to the cause of those who + favour yours. In setting aside a Catholic as a juryman on + the trial of Repealers, this is the imputation made upon + him. Now, what is there in that to wound any man's feelings? + Lastly, it is alleged that the presiding judge summed up in + terms unfavourable to the Repealers. Of course he did; and, + as an upright judge, how could he have done otherwise? Let + us for one moment consider this point also. It is often said + that the judge is counsel for the prisoner. But this is a + gross misconception. The judge, properly speaking, is + counsel for the law, and for every thing which can effect + the right understanding of the evidence. Consequently he + sometimes appears to be advocating the prisoner's cause, + merely because the point which he is clearing up happens to + make for the prisoner. But equally he would have appeared to + be against the prisoner, if he found it necessary to + dissipate perplexities that would have benefited the + prisoner. His business is with no personal interest, but + generally with the interest of truth and + equity—whichever way those may point. Upon this + principle, in summing up, it is the judge's duty to appraise + the entire evidence; and if any argument lurks obscurely in + the evidence, he must strip it of its obscurity, and bring + it forward with fuller advantage. That may happen to favour + the prisoner, or it may weigh against him. But the judge + cannot have any regard to these consequences. His concern is + simply with the pressure and incidence of the testimony. If, + therefore, a prisoner has brought forward witnesses who were + able to depose any thing in his favour, be assured that the + judge will not overlook that deposition. But, if no such + deposition were made, is it meant that the judge is to + invent it? The whole notion has grown out of the original + conceit—that a defendant in relation to the judge is + in the relation of a client to an advocate. But this is no + otherwise true than as it is true of every party and + interest connected with the case. All these alike the judge + is to uphold in their true equitable position and rights. In + summing up, the judge used such facts as had been furnished + to him. All these happened to be against the Repealers; and + therefore the judge appeared to be against then. But the + same impression would have resulted, if he had simply read + his notes of the evidence.</p> + + <p>Such are the desperate attempts to fasten charges of + unfairness on this fairest of all recorded trials. And with an + interest so keen in promoting the belief of some unfairness, + was there ever yet a trial that could have satisfied the losing + party? Losers have a proverbial privilege for being out of + temper. But in this case more is sought than the mere + gratification of wrath. Fresh hopes spring up in every stage of + this protracted contest, and they are all equally groundless. + First, Mr O'Connell was not to be arrested: it was impossible + and absurd to suppose it. Next, <i>being</i> arrested, he was + not to be tried. We must all remember the many assurances in + Dublin papers—that all was done to save appearances, but + that no trial would take place. Then, when it was past denial + that the trial had really begun, it was to break down on + grounds past numbering. Finally, + <span class="pagenum"><a name="page532" + id="page532"></a>[pg 532]</span> the jury would never dare + to record a verdict of guilty. This, however, being actually + done, then was Mr O'Connell to bring writs of error; he was + to "take the sense" of the whole Irish bench; and, having + taken all that, he was to take the sense of the Lords. And + after all these things were accomplished, finally (as we + then understood it) he was to take himself off in the + direction pointed out by the judges. But we find that he has + not yet reconciled himself to <i>that</i>. Intimations come + out at intervals that the judges will never dare to pass any + but a nominal sentence upon him. We conclude that all these + endless conflicts with the legal necessities of his case are + the mere gasconades of Irish newspapers, addressing + themselves to provincial readers. Were there reason to + suppose them authorized by the Repealers, there would be + still higher argument for what we are going to say. But + under any circumstances, we agree with the opinion expressed + dispassionately and seasonably by the <i>Times</i> + newspaper—that judgment must be executed in this case. + We agree with that journal—that the nation requires it + as a homage rendered necessary to the violated majesty of + law. Nobody wishes that, at Mr O'Connell's age, any + <i>severe</i> punishment should be inflicted. Nobody will + misunderstand, in such a case, the mitigation of the + sentence. The very absence of all claim to mitigation, makes + it impossible to mistake the motive to lenity in <i>his</i> + case. But judgment must be done on Cawdor. Two aggravations, + and heavy ones, of the offence have occurred even since the + trial. One is the tone of defiance still maintained by + newspapers under his control. Already, with one voice, they + are ready to assure the country, in case of the sentence + being incommensurate to the case, that Government wished to + be severe, but had not courage for the effort; and that + Government dares not enforce the sentence. The other + aggravation lies in this—that he, a convicted + conspirator, has presumed to take his seat amongst the + senators of the land—"Venit in senatum, fit particeps + consilii." Yet Catiline, here denounced to the public rage, + <i>was</i> not a <i>convicted</i> conspirator; and even his + conspiracy rests very much on the word of an enemy. It is + true that, in some formal sense, a man's conviction is not + complete in our law until sentence has been pronounced. But + this makes no real difference as to the scandalous affront + which Mr O'Connell has thus put upon the laws of the land. + And in that view it is, viz. as an atonement for the many + outrages offered to the laws, that the nation waits for the + consummation of this public example.</p> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_7_1" + name="fn_7_1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> + <a href="#fn_7_tag1">(return)</a> + + <p>The reader may suppose that Lord John Russell had no + motive for wishing his motion to fail, because (as he was + truly admonished by Sir Robert Peel) that motion pledged + him to nothing, and was "an exercise in political fluxions + on the problem of combining the <i>maximum</i> of damage to + his opponents with the <i>minimum</i> of prospective + engagement to himself." True: but for all that Lord John + would have cursed the hour in which he resolved on such a + motion, had it succeeded. What would have followed? + Ministers would have gone out: Sir Robert Peel has + repeatedly said they would in the event of parliament + condemning their Irish policy. This would bring in Lord + John, and <i>then</i> would be revealed the distraction of + his party, the chicanery of his late motion, and the mere + incapacity of moving at all upon Irish questions, either to + the right or to the left, for <i>any</i> government which + at this moment the Whig-radicals could form. Doubtless, + Lord John cherishes hopes of future power; but not at + present. "Wait a little," is his secret caution to friends: + let us see Ireland settled; let the turn be taken; let the + policy of Sir Robert Peel (at length able to operate + through the last assertion of the law) have once taken + root; and then, having the benefit of measures which past + declarations would not permit him personally to initiate, + nor his party even to propose, Lord John might return to + power securely—saying of the Peel policy, "Fieri non + debuit, <i>factum</i> valet."</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="fn_7_2" + name="fn_7_2"></a><b>Footnote 2:</b> + <a href="#fn_7_tag2">(return)</a> + + <p>The trial of the seven bishops for declining to obey the + king's order in council against what, in conscience, they + believed to be the law of the land, is the more strictly a + parallel case, because, as in Ireland, the whole Popish + part of the population—in effect, therefore, the + whole physical strength of the land—<i>seemed</i> to + have arrayed itself on the side of the conspiracy; so in + England, the only armed force, and that close to London, + was supposed to have been bought over by the systematic + indulgence of the king. Himself and the queen (Mary of + Modena) had courted them through the summer. But all was + fruitless against the overwhelming sympathy of the troops + with an universal popular feeling. Bishop Burnet mentions + that this army (about 10,000 men, and then encamped beyond + Hounslow) broke into tremendous cheers at the moment when + the news of the acquittal reached them. Whilst lauding + their Creator his majesty was present. But a far more + picturesque account of the case is given by an ancestor of + the present Lord Lonsdale's, whose memoirs (still in MS.) + are alluded to in one of his Ecclesiastic Sonnets by Mr + Wordsworth, our present illustrious laureate. One trait is + of a nature so fine, and so inevitable under similar + circumstances of interest, that, but for the intervention + of the sea, we should certainly have witnessed its + repetition on the termination of the Dublin trials. Lord + Lowther (such was the title at that time) mentions that, as + the bishops came down the Thames in their boat after their + acquittal, a perpetual series of men, linked knee to knee, + knelt down along the shore. The blessing given, up rose a + continuous thunder of huzzas; and these, by a kind of + natural telegraph, ran along the streets and the river, + through Brentford, and so on to Hounslow. According to the + illustration of Lord L., this voice of a nation rolled like + a <i>feu-de-joie</i>, or running fire, the who le ten miles + from London to Hounslow, within a few minutes; or, like a + train of gunpowder laid from London to the camp, this + irresistible sentiment finally involved in its torrent + evenits professional and hired enemies. Cæsar + mentions that such a transmission, telegraphically + propagated from mouth to mouth, of a Roman victory, reached + himself, at a distance of 160 miles, within about four + hours.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr class="full" /> + + <h4><i>Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, Paul's + Work</i></h4> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13633 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |