old sail for a covering, and a small mattress and blanket, which were thrown out as the boats hastened away. One of the prisoners happened to have a little coffee in his pocket; and these comprehended all our means of sustaining life, and for what length of time we knew not. We now felt the need of water, and our supply was comparatively nothing. A man may live nearly twice as long without food as without water. Look at us now, my friends, left benighted on a little spot of sand in the midst of the ocean, far from the usual track of vessels, and every appearance of a violent thunder-tempest, and a boisterous night. Judge of my feelings, and the circumstances which our band of sufferers now witnessed. Perhaps you can, and have pitied us. I assure you, we were very wretched, and to paint the scene is not within my power. When the boats were moving from the shore, on recovering myself a little, I asked Bolidar if he was going to leave us so? He answered: "No, only two days -we go for water and wood, then come back, take you." I requested him to give us bread, and other stores, for they had plenty in the boat, and at least 100 barrels of flour in the Mexican-" No, no; suppose to-morrow morning we come, me give you bread," and hurried off to their vessel. This was the last time I saw him. We then turned our attention upon finding a spot most convenient for our comfort, and soon discovered a little roof supported by stakes driven into the sand, which was probably erected by the turtle-men or fishers, who visit these islands in June, for the purposes of their trade; it was thatched with leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, considerable part of which was torn or blown off. After spreading the old sail over this roof, we placed our little stock of provisions under it. Soon after came on a heavy shower of rain, which penetrated the canvas, and made it nearly as uncomfortable inside as it would have been out. We were not prepared to catch water, having nothing to put it in. Our next object was to get fire, and after gathering some of the driest fuel to be found, and having a small piece of cotton wick-yarn, with flint and steel, we

kindled a fire, which was never afterwards suffered to be extinguished. The night was very dark, but we found a piece of old rope, which, when well lighted, served for a candle. On examining the ground under the roof, we found perhaps thousands of creeping insects, scorpions, lizards, crickets, &c. After scraping them out as well as we could, the most of us having nothing but the damp earth for a bed, we laid ourselves down in hopes of some rest, but it being so wet, gave many of us severe colds.

'Sunday, 20th.-As soon as daylight came on, we proceeded to take a view of our little island, and found it to measure only one acre, of coarse white sand, about two feet, and in some spots perhaps three feet, above the surface of the ocean. On the highest part were growing some bushes and small mangroves-the dry part of which was our fuel-and the wild castor-oil beans. We were greatly disappointed in not finding the latter suitable food; likewise some of the prickly-pear bushes, which gave us only a few pears about the size of our small button-pear; the outside has thorns, which, if applied to the fingers or lips, will remain there, and cause a severe smarting similar to the nettle; the inside a spungy substance, full of juice and seeds, which are red and a little tartish-had they been there in abundance, we should not have suffered so much for water-but, alas! even this substitute was not for us. On the northerly side of the island was a hollow, where the tide penetrated the sand, leaving stagnant water. We presumed, in hurricanes, the island was nearly overflowed. According to the best calculations I could make, we were about thirtyfive miles from any part of Cuba, 100 from Trinidad, and forty from the usual track of American vessels, or others which might pass that way. After taking this view of our condition, which was very gloomy, we began to suspect we were left on this desolate island by those merciless plunderers to perish. Of this I am now fully convinced; still we looked anxiously for the pirate's boat to come, according to promise, with more water and provisions, but looked in vain. We saw them soon after get

under-way, with all sail set, and run directly from us, until out of our sight, and we never saw them again! One may partially imagine our feelings, but they cannot be put into words. Before they were entirely out of sight of us, we raised the white blanket upon a pole, waving it in the air, in hopes that at two miles' distance they would sce it, and be moved to pity. But pity in such monsters was not to be found. It was not their interest to save us from the lingering death which we now saw before us. We tried to compose ourselves, trusting that God, who had witnessed our sufferings, would yet make use of some one as the instrument of his mercy towards us. Our next care now was to try for water. We dug several holes in the sand, and found it, but quite too salt for use. The tide penetrates probably through the island. We now came on short allowance for water. Having no means of securing what we had by lock and key, some one in the night would slily drink, and it was soon gone. The next was to bake some bread, which we did by mixing flour with salt water, and frying it in lard, allowing ourselves eight quite small pancakes to begin with. The ham was reserved for some more important occasion, and the salt-fish was lost for want of fresh water. The remainder of this day was passed in the most serious conversation and reflection. At night, I read prayers from a prayer-book, which I had most carefully concealed while last on board the pirate's vessel. This plan was pursued morning and evening during our stay.'

Fourteen days of confinement to this miserable islet succeeded; starvation began to do its work in thinning the number of the unhappy prisoners, and hope of deliverance was almost gone. At length deliverance came, and in a manner the least expected. A vessel hove in sight, and from it a boat came on shore. To the surprise of the worn-out islanders, their deliverer was no other than Nickola, who had all along been the secret friend of Captain Lincoln, and had actually fled from the pirates with a few companions, and, procuring a vessel, had now come to rescue the victims of piratical oppression. Nickola,

in making known these circumstances, declared also his true name, which was Jamieson, and that he was a native of Greenock, in Scotland. By this wandering and really good-hearted Scot, the American captain and his men were kindly treated, and removed from their desolate place of residence. According to Captain Lincoln's narrative, Jamieson afterwards followed the profession of a teacher of navigation in the States, and died in 1829.

‘Since his death,' says he, ‘I have been informed that the piratical schooner Mexican was afterwards chased by an English government vessel from Jamaica, which was cruising in search of it. Being hotly pursued, the pirates deserted their vessel, and fled to the mangrove-bushes, on an island similar to that on which they had placed me and my crew to die. The English surrounded them, and thus they were cut off from all hope of escape. They remained there, I think, fourteen days, when being almost entirely subdued by famine, eleven surrendered themselves, and were taken. The others probably perished among the mangroves. The few who were taken were carried by the government vessel to Trinidad. They were in a state of starvation; their beards had grown to a frightful length; their bodies were covered with filth and vermin, and their countenances were hideous. From Trinidad they were taken to Kingston, Jamaica, and there executed. Thus there is every reason to believe that this horde of monsters was at last broken up and dispersed.'

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

THE following singularly-involved case, shewing the danger of yielding too much to circumstantial evidence, is given in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1754, with the initials of a correspondent, who states it to have been extracted from some minutes of evidence made by his grandfather in criminal causes in which he was counsel on the part of the crown in the reign of Charles II.:—

Jaques du Moulin, a French refugee, having brought over his family and a small sum of money, employed it in purchasing lots of goods that had been condemned at the custom-house, which he again disposed of by retail. As these goods were such as, having a high duty, were frequently smuggled, those who dealt in this way were generally suspected of increasing their stock by illicit means, and smuggling, or purchasing smuggled goods, under colour of dealing only in goods that had been legally seized by the king's officers, and taken from smugglers. This trade, however, did not, in the general estimation, impeach his honesty, though it gave no sanction to his character; but he was often detected in uttering false gold. He came frequently to persons of whom he had received money, with several of these pieces of counterfeit coin, and pretended that they were among the pieces which had been paid him: this was generally denied with great eagerness, but, if particular circumstances did not confirm the contrary, he was always peremptory and obstinate in his charge. This soon brought him into disrepute, and he gradually lost not only his business, but his credit. It happened that, having sold a parcel of goods, which amounted to L.78, to one Harris, a person with whom he had before had no dealings, he received the money in guineas and Portugal gold, several pieces of which he scrupled; but the man having assured him that he himself had carefully ex