At this time the fea was breaking in at the fore part of the ship, and reached as far as the main-maft, and Capt. Pierce gave Mr Rogers a nod, and they took a lamp and went together into the ftern, gallery, and after viewing the rock for fome time, Capt. Pierce afked Mr Rogers, if he thought there was any poffibility of faving the girls? to which he replied, he feared there was not, for they could only difcover the black face of the perpendicular rock, and not the cavern which afforded fhelter to thofe who efcaped. They then returned to the roundhoufe, and Mr Rogers hung up the lamp, and Capt. Pierce, with his great coat on, fat down between his two daughters, and struggled to fupprefs the parental tear which then burst into his eye. The fea continuing to break in very faft, Mr M Manus, a midthipman, and Mr Schutz, a paffenger, afked Mr Rogers what they could do to escape; who replied, "follow me ;" and they all went into the ftern gallery, and from thence by the weather upper quarter gallery upon the poop; and whilft they were there, a very heavy fea fell on board, and the round-house gave way; and he heard the ladies fhrick at intervals, as if the water had reached them, the noife of the waves at other times drowning their voices. Mr Brimmer had followed Mr Rogers to the poop, where they had remained together about five minutes, when on the coming of the laft-mentioned fea, they jointly feized a hen-coop, and the fame wave, which he apprehended, proved fatal to fome of those who remained below, happily carried him and his com panion to the rock, on which they were dafhed with fuch violence as to be miferably bruifed and hurt. On this rock were twenty feven men, but it was low water, and as they were convinced that upon the flowing of the tide they must all be washed off, many of them attempted to get to the back or fides of the cavern, out of the reach of the returning fea in this attempt fcarce more than fix, befides himself and Mr Brimmer, fucceeded; of the remainder fome shared the fate which they had apprehended, and the others perished in their efforts to get into the cavern. Mr Rogers and Mr Brimmer both, however, reached the cavern, and ferambled up the rock, on narrow shelves of which they fixed themselves. Mr Rogers got fo near to his friend Mr Meriton as to exchange congratulations with him; but he was prevented from joining him by at least twenty men who were between them, neither of whom could move without immediate peril of his life. -At the time Mr Rogers reached this ftation of poffible fafety, his strength was fo nearly exhausted, that had the struggle continued a few minutes longer he muft have been inevitably lost. They now found that a very confiderable number of the crew, feamen, foldiers, and fome petty officers, were in the fame fituation with themfelves, though many who had reached the rocks below, had perished in attempting to ascend ; what that fituation was they were still to learn; at prefent they had escaped immediate death, but they were yet to encounter cold, nakedness, wind, rain, and the perpetual beating of the spray of the fea, for a difficult, precarious, and doubtfur chance of escape. They could yet difcern fome part of the fhip, and folaced themselves, in their dreary ftations, with the hope of its remaining entire till day-break, for, in the midft of their own misfortunes, the fufferings of the females affected them with the most extreme anguilh, and every fea that broke, brought with it terror for the fate of thofe amiable and helpless beings. But, alas their apprehenfions were too foon realized. In a very few minutes after Mr Rogers had gained the rock, an univerfal fhriek, which till vibrates in their ears, and in which the voices of female diftrefs were lamentably diftinguishable, announced the dreadful catatrophe. In a few moments all was huthed, except the warring winds and beating waves; the wreck was buried in the remorfelefs deep, and not an atom of her was ever after difcoverable. Thus perithed the Halfewell, and with her worth, honour, fkill, beauty, amiability, and bright accomplishments. Never did the angry elements combat with more elegance; never was a watery grave filled with fuch precious remains. Great God, how infcrutable are thy judgements! yet we know them to be just; not will we arraign thy mercy, who haft transferred virtue and purity, from imperfect and mutable happiness, to blifs eternal ! What an aggravation of woe was this dreadful, i dreadful, this tremendous blow to the At length, after the bittereft three The firft men who gained the fummit of the cliff were the cook, and James Thompfon a quarter mafter. By their own exertions they made their way to the land, and the moment they reached it, haftened to the neareft houfe, and made known the fituation of their fellow fufferers." Here we fhall take leave of the editor of the narrative, to follow the account given by a clergyman on the spot, of the measures taken above to effect the deliverance of thofe who were yet in a moft perilous fituation below. "I was fitting at breakfast with Mr Garland on Friday the 6th of January, when news was brought us, that a large fhip was on fhore. The difpofition of the country to plunder is well known; we therefore immediately mounted our horfes, to afford what protection we could to the unfortunate. But the fury of the wind, the violence of the rain, thick fog, and a deep fnow, frustrated our endeavours after three hours riding round the coaft. We then met with three poor wretches, who had escaped from the ge. neral ruin over the cliffs, They were in a moft diftreffed ftate at Worth. We removed them to a better houfe, and left them in good beds, and well pro-, vided, and then proceeded with a guide to the fatal fpot. But fuch a horrid, tremendous scene never did my eyes behold! and God of his mercy grant they never may again! The fea ran mountains high, and lafhed the rocks, which checked ita rage with all the appearance of infolence and anger. The hip, which struck at two in the morning, was fo entirely beat to pieces, that nothing but the whole ocean covered with her fragments could have perfuaded me the ever had been drifted thither. In one place lay her rigging, &c. wound up like the garbage of an animal, and rolling to and fro in fullen fubmiffion to the imperious waves. In the different receffes of the rocks, a confufed heap of boards, broken mafts, chefts, trunks, and dead bodies, were huddled together, and the face of the water, as far as the eye could extend, was disfigured with floating carcafes, tables, chairs, cafks, and part of every other article in the vessel. I do not think any two boards remained together. You remember Winspit Quarry; he was loft half a mile to the east of it. I do not mention all the circumftances, as you have probably feen them in the papers. Of the whole crew about 70 were faved, moftly failors; the reft, with the captain and 15 women, of whom two were his own daughters, and three more young ladies, perifhed. The fecond-mate, a ftout young man, afcended the cliffa without help; but how, it is impoffible to tell, nor could he himself*, as they are nearly perpendicular; a few others were equally fortunate, by being carried on pieces of the wreck to parts more cafily to be gained. The fourth mate and about 40 of the men followed the fecond as far as they dared, and then waited in painful fufpenfe till they were drawn up by a rope let down by the quarriers. Another party of 30, worfe fituated, or unable to gain an higher part, were feen to be washed from the rock It is faid in the Narrative, that a foldier, who was climbing up before him, had his foot on a projecting ftone, to which Mr Meriton had fixed his hand; at this critical inftant the quarriers arrived, who, feeing a man fo nearly within their reach, let fall a rope. The foldier, in his vigorous effort to grafp it, loofed the ftone on which he flood, and by its giving way Mr Meriton must have been precipitated to the bottom, had he not, in the act of falling, caught an other rope, by which he was fafely drawn to the fummit. on on which they stood by one furious wave, at the return of the morning tide. The arrival of Mr Garland and myself proved fortunate for about 20 more unhappy wretches, who were discovered under the shelter of a large chaẩm or cavern in the rock, about 30 feet from the bottom. The quarriers were worn out with fatigue, cold, wet, and hunger; and were more eager to get their share of two cafks of fpirits which had been juft fent them, than to attend to the cries of the sufferers below; nor was there one person attending of fufficient authority to encou rage or direct them. Our prefence occafioned a proper application of the liquor, prevented all intoxication, and faved many of them from tumbling down the precipice; and our promises of reward cheered them to proceed with vi gour, till we had drawn up every one that remained alive. The method of faving these laft was fingular, and does honour to the humanity and intrepidity of the quarriers. The distance from the top of the rock to the cranny was about 60 feet, (100 fays the Narrative), with a projection of the former of about eight feet; ten of thefe 60 feet formed a declivity to the edge, and the remaining 50 feet were quite perpendicular. On the very brink of the precipice ftood two daring fellows, a rope being tied round their bodies, and faftened above to a ftrong iron bar, fixed in the ground; behind them, in like manner, two more, and two more. A large cable, alfo pro perly fecured, paffed between them, by which they might hold and support themfelves from falling; they then let down a rope, with a noofe ready fixed, below the cavern; and the wind blowing hard, forced it under the projecting rock fuf ficiently for the men to reach it. Whoever caught it put the noofe round his waift; and after efcaping from one element, committed himself, in full fwing, to another, in which he dangled till he was drawn up with great care and caution. We brought up 18 in this man ner; three died before we could affift them: they were all fenfeless when we received them, and fadly bruised; but we had brought cherry-brandy and ginger bread with us, and by supplying them with fmall quantities of thefe, we foon recovered them, and fent them to a farm house, where they were fupplied with every poffible affiftance. The furviving officers, feamen, and foldiers, be ing now affembled at the house of their benevolent friend, Mr Garland, they were mustered, and found to amount to feventy four, out of rather more than two hundred and forty, which was about the number of the crew and passengers in the ship when the failed through the Downs; of the remainder, who unhappily lost their lives, upwards of 70 are fupposed to have reached the rocks, but to have been washed off, or to perish in falling from the cliffs, and 50 or more to have funk with the captain and the ladies in the round-houfe, when the after part of the ship went to pieces. I have not yet recovered the fhock I felt at this horrible affair." Thus far the letter-writer. The editor of the narrative adds, "It would be unjuft to fupprefs a circumftance, which reflects great honour on the benevolence of the master of the Crown Inn, at Blandford, Dorsetshire : when the diftreffed feamen arrived in that town, he fent for them to his house, and having given them the refreshment of a comfortable dinner, he prefented each man with a crown to help him on his journey. An example of liberality, which we trust will have its effect. We have to add to this melancholy relation, part of a letter from ChriftChurch: "Every day brings in fresh intelligence of dead bodies being caft on fhore on the weft beach,' from the wreck of the unfortunate Halfewell Indiaman. There were two buried here yesterday,and two more are to be buried this day; and I heard laft night four or five dead bodies were lying on the beach. The whole fhore from Chrift Church head to Poole, is ftrewed with wrecks. For the honour of humanity, I thould wish to conceal the treatment which these dead bodies meet with from the favage fhore walkers; they are generally ftripped naked, and left without any difcriminating mark, except of fex only. The gentlemen of the neighbourhood have (much to their honour) done all in their power to rescue the unfortunate sufferers from the rapacity of these wretches, but it is hardly poffible to prevent it." Mifcellaneous Thoughts, in Effays, Dialogues, Epiftles, &c. By M. P. 8vo. AS a fpecimen of this author's fenfibility we fhall infert the following extract from his firft effay, which is intitled, "Thoughts "Thoughts on revifiting a long forfaken neighbourhood." It is natural, fimple, and affecting. "I do not know any thing that spreads a more contemplative kind of melancholy (if I may be allowed the expreffion) over the mind, than revifiting the fpot where we paffed the days of our youth; after having been abfent from it for fome years. The various thoughts which at once rush on the mind, as every step prefents fomething that recalls the idea of what we once loved, feared, or were, create fuch a bufy, regular confufion in our bofoms, that no form of words can fufficiently exprefs, or convey any fuitable notion of, to those who have never experienced it; and to those who have, their own feelings willinform them, what kind offenfations I mean to'refer to, when I defcribe them as a contemplative melancholy. The house to which I was going, was the fame (at leaft occupied the fame fpot of ground) as that my father had for many years inhabited. I entered it with emotions not to be defcribed. The mafter of it received me with all that cheerful alacrity by which some people so happily have the art of affuring you they rejoice to fee you, without the painful repetition of compliment." After defcribing certain alterations made in the house, and about it, he proceeds. "No heart upon earth befides my own I fancy, would have heaved a high upon fight of fuch alterations; but I could not forbear fetching a deep one. Not that I could deny the improvement to be great, but I wanted a fight of those trees behind which I had fo often concealed myself from my play-mates, whilft I beheld them diligently creeping on tip-toe to discover me. I had fancied great pleasure at the fight of the initials of my name, which, in company with five of my fchool fellows, we had carved round the trunk of a chefnut-tree one fultry day, as we fheltered ourselves beneath its branches: but the lofs of a little fish-pond, into which I used to throw bread to feed the carp, compleated my difappointment, and almoft broke my heart. An arbour too, where, on a fummer's evening, my mother was used to take her needle work (whilft my father, feated in a wooden chair a little on one fide, for the fake of enjoying more of the air, while he read to her), was pulled down, and a ftand of auriculas placed in its room. I declare the mortification overcame me fo far, as almost to make me forget the laws of hofpitality; and I could scarce refrain from feverely cenfuring my friend for the facrilege he had been guilty of, in pulling down the little wooden feat. What led me into this train of thought was a vifit I a few weeks fince made to the village of ******, the scene of all my childish fports and youthful pleasures. As I drew within a few miles of it, my heart beat quick with expectation of nothing particular; and when from a little eminence, at about half a mile di ftance, I fpied the mofs-covered fteeple of the church-from weakness perhaps, or what cause I will not pretend to fay I burst into a flood of tears: and had the welfare of my dearest friend, or the whole nation, depended upon it, I could not have forborne. I stopped my horie, and for fome time gave way to all that lux ury of feeling which the heart of fenfibility, at fome particular moments of its life, is fo acutely fenfible of: though, had any one inquired of me the cause of my tears, I shout have found it impoffible to ex plain it; I could not even analife it to myfelf; and yet I felt the impulse too powerful to be refifted. After having, therefore, given full fcope to my incli nation, till the violence of my emotions abated, I wiped my tears, and proceed. ed (with all the folemnity as if following a funeral) to the entrance of the little ham-fit and watch us whilft we sported before let. Again the water gushed into my eyes; but I was now in light of its inhabitants: it was therefore neceffary to conceal thofe fenfations which, perhaps, their ruftic hearts might be utter itrangers to. The drops of fenfibility trembled in my eye, but I dared not let them advance farther, left I thould be hooted at for my weakRefs. What!' faid I, haitily, remove that arbour? That arbour where we used to fit of an evening-where my father always heard us our catechifm-where he read to my mother-where they used to them-and where, when his neighbour Tom Adams, came to fee him, they always fmoked their pipes together! How could you think of deftroying ?But, come,' faid I, let us return to the houfe, I have walked enough for the prefent; we will take a farther furvey of the improvements to morrow.' The next day I arofe before any of the family were ftirring, and letting my felt out, went went to lament over the lofs of thofe objects I had flattered myself with once more beholding. After traverfing every corner of my friend's territories, and fcarcely finding an inch that had not undergone a total metamorphofe, I wandered out into the village in fearch of fome old acquaintance, either animate or inanimate, which might recall to my remembrance, with ftill greater ftrength, the times that were paft. And it is not to be expreffed, how my heart fwelled when I came to an old ftump of a tree at the end of a lane, round which the boys used to affemble in their way to fchool, and lolling upon it with their elbows, fpin their te-totums; or with their knives engrave various devices upon its fmooth furface. There was a flight circumftance that had totally flipped my memory, but the fight of the old ftump brought it as fresh to my mind, as if it had paffed but the day before; and that was, breaking one of my father's gimb. lets, in making a hole in the top of it, That very hole I difcovered, and upon finding it, I felt as if I had met a long loft friend I even could not forbear addref fing it as if it understood me.—Close by the foot of the faid ftump ran a little rivu let of clear water, from whence, when I was young, the inhabitants used to fill their pitchers. As the fpring was ftill bubbling, I thought, perchance, the prefent race might probably make the fame ufe of it; I therefore fat me down upon it, to fee if any would come, from whom 1 could learn fome intelligence I wished to know. After waiting for fome time, an old woman fupporting herfelf upon a little crutch ftick, advanced with a pitcher in her other hand; tied round its neck, and acrofs its top, with a piece of ftring, by way of handle. Upon coming up the made me a curtfey, and looking earnettly in my face, enquired if my name was not? I told her it was, and wanted no farther introduction to enter into converfation. She told me the well remembered me when a child, and from my refemblance to her good old friend, my father, fhould have known me any where upon the earth.' We then talked over circumftances which paffed threefcore years before, and the related many particulars that had happen ed fince I laft faw ******. She lamented the times being fadly altered fince the was young, and ran over a lift of twenty good families all dead and gone, whilst their houfes were only now filled with young people, who did not feem to care for any body but themfelves. In short the conluded with faying, the world was very wicked; and the verily believed the wars, and the taxes, and one difafter or another, would certainly put a stop either to that or its fins; and fo the supposed the good folks were removed before fuch tribulations came on; and for her part, the fhould be glad to follow them: for fince the loft her laft, dear, good lady, Madani Helpful, no one had taken any notice of her, or cared any more for her than for the duft in the road.' I endeavour to convince her it was very natural for young folk to have their own acquaintance and connections; and that, no doubt, they were every way as worthy as their ancestors had been, who in their youth likewise had been acquainted with thole who then felt as the now did. She fhook her head, faying, It might be so, but she could not think it.' I promised to make her known to my friend whom I was come to fee, and that the fhould at least find caufe to think well of one of the present inhabitants of the village. She thanked me a thousand times for my goodness, as the called it, and prayed for a bleffing upon me, because I was fo like my father. After I parted from her, (which was not in less than a couple of hours time), I proceeded to the church, and took a melancholy walk among my departed friends. Every tomb I came to, bore the name of one I had formerly known; in fhort, I found that thofe I came to fee, had almost all taken up their apartments in the narrow grave. As I faid before, it is impoffible to defcribe my emotions, at finding fuch numbers of my coevals, as well as elders, all gone before me. Many who were my school-fellows, and whom I had not feen fince that active period, I found, by the infcriptions on the tomb-ftones, had alfo been followed to the grave by their fons, older than themselves were when I laft saw them; and not a friend of my parents, whofe name I could recollect, was abfent from this filent general affembly. Some families, which formerly were very numerous and difperfed all over the country, I here found collected together in the fmall compafs of a tomb. Five fi fters and a brother, together with their feveral partners, with whom I was wont to fpend my days in joyous feftivity, I here learned, had completed their va. rious |