And thrice I sneez'd.-The smelting furnace glows. She knocks it off, indeed-'tis time to sound, 3820 The rate of a ship's velocity through the sea is ascertained by the log-line, which is marked off by knots, and wound on a reel. + The term stiff is applied to a ship in contradistinction to crank. Of one that carries sail well, it is always said that she is as stiff as a church. On the morning of October 24, 1707, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, returning from the Mediterranean to England in the Association of 90 guns, 640 men, with the Royal Anne, 100 guns, 754 men, Sir George Byng; the Saint George, 90 guns, 688 men, Lord Dursley; the Eagle, 70 guns, 446 men, Captain Hancock; and the Romney, 50 guns, 250 men, Captain Cony; got soundings off the Scilly isles in 90 fathoms ; the wind blowing strong from the S. S. W. with thick, foggy weather. The admiral lay to with his fleet that day; but, in the evening, believing that he saw the Scilly light, he made sail under his courses, and steered by compass E. and by N. with the fatal persuasion that he had the Channel open; for, soon after, the different ships made signals for a lee-shore, and the Association, striking on a reef of rocks, went instantly to pieces-her whole crew pesishing: the Eagle and the Romney shared the same disastrous fate, both ships also going to pieces, and not a man being saved: the Royal Anne escaped by the presence of mind of her lieutenants, who sheeted home the top-sails and weathered the breakers close under the main-chains: and the Hie you on deck-look out for squalls ahead- VII. RHODES HOUSE CXFORD LIBRARY SOUNDING IN THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL. 3830 Haul down the jib! and man the spanker brails! Saint George was actually dashed on the same rock with the Admiral, but miraculously set afloat again by the same wave that beat out Sir Cloudesley's lights. How many fathoms ?-Ninety, less or more.— Rig in the booms-Pipes, urge the laggard train.— 3845 The backstays ere the shaking sails we trim. VIII. SCILLY LIGHT-HOUSE. Sublime in darkness o'er the midnight tides, * The illustrious Johnson, in his famous edict, interdicts writers the use of nautical language even when discussing nautical affairs. This reminds one of the polite lieutenant in Shadwell's Comedy, who says, "I wish my crew to reform, and discard your larboard and "starboard, hawsers and swabs: I will have no such thing as hawl "cat hawl, nor belay: uncouth words, only fit for dutchmen to pro66 nounce, and enough to unship an englishman's under-jaw." Pacing in gloom the deck with anxious tread, 3855 "Tis no ship's lanthorn-brighter is the glare- 3860 Welcome fair lamp! held from the topmost tow'r By pity in the dark, tempestuous hour, 3865 When the pale moon and all the starry host The Scilly isles are a cluster of dangerous rocks to the number of 140, lying ten leagues west of Cornwall. Six only are inhabited. St. Mary's, the largest isle, is about two miles and a half long, one and a half broad, and between nine and ten miles in circumference. Its inhabitants amount to 700. Trescaw is about half the size, and has 40 families. St. Martin is little inferior to Trescaw, and has 17 families. St. Agnes is remarkable for its Light House, and has 50 families. Bryer has 13 families, and Samson only one. The isle of Scilly, which confers its name on the groupe, is a mishapen, inaccessible rock, the northwesternmost of the whole. Sir Cloudesley Shovel's fleet got upon the reef called the Bishop and his Clerks, in the south-west corner of the cluster. + The Light House on St. Agnes (the southernmost of the inhabited Scilly Isles) has a lanthorn on an improved principle, exhibiting a number of Argand's lamps; which, moving round, produce a bright and conspicuous light, in every direction, once in a minute. I am like one who, with a wakeful eye, 3880 IX. MAKING THE LAND. The lingering night is past-o'er ocean's stream When a ship approaches the coast in the night, a quarter-master calls at short intervals to the watch on the fore-castle, Keep a good look-out before there! to which injunction they rebellow, in the same tone, Aye, aye! |