party zeal, but habits of business, and acquaintance with the practical wants and situation of the electors. Ask the electors of Edinburgh or Leith how they are satisfied with their representatives, who are unquestionably men of celebrity and talent, and you will find that dissatisfaction is general, and complaints in almost every mouth. The rapid change in Perthshire must convince even the most incredulous, that the cry of Reform will no longer do; and that it is in vain to attempt to bolster up ineffective or unbusinesslike members or candidates, by an appeal to their doctrines or language three years ago. The great thing to which electors should now look, who wish to resist the ulterior progress of Revolution, is integrity and resolution of private character, habits of activity and business, acquaintance with the local interests of the constituency they are called upon to represent, and the possession of such a stake in the country as forms the best security against acquiescence in those anarchical measures by which all the possessors of property, of whatever party, are equally threatened.

The insolence and inconsistency of the Whigs in consequence of their Reform triumph is really astonishing. They seem absolutely to think that their servile or ignorant partisans in the country will swallow any thing. Not content with trying to thrust a Lord of the Treasury, without an acre of land in the country, down the throats of the Perthshire elec-. tors; untaught by the signal defeat they sustained in the attempt, they are now disposing of Edinburgh as a close seat, and endeavouring to make a Treasury borough of a city containing 140,000 inhabitants. Sir John Campbell, rejected by the new constituency at Dudley, is to be

forced, against their declared resolution, upon the new constituency of Edinburgh, and the metropolis of Scotland converted into a decent retiring place, like Gatton or Old Sarum, for Whig placemen and beaten Attorneys-General. The audacity and effrontery of this actually exceeds belief. Can the metropolis of Scotland not find a fit representative among the numerous wealthy and able men, who, we are told, support the present Ministers in that country? Where are the Whig lawyers, the soi-disant illuminati of the age? Where the clique of the Edinburgh Review, who have been praising themselves and each other with the most laudable zeal and exemplary activity for thirty years? Sir John Campbell was actually proposed and rejected, at a great meeting of Edinburgh electors, and a deputation in consequence sent up to offer the seat to Sir John Hobhouse: but in the interim, unknown to them, Sir John Campbell is fixed on by Government; it is convenient for Ministers to have the Attorney-General in the House, and therefore the Edinburgh electors must retract their opposition, convert their groans into plaudits, their bisses into smiles, and bow to the beck of Earl Grey, as if they were a rotten borough, to be rolled over to a purchaser with the titledeeds of an estate. Whether the electors of Edinburgh will submit to such degradation, we know not; we prophesy nothing of a Reform constituency in any great town; but we have the greatest hopes that they will resent the insult; and of this we are well assured, that if they do not, the spirit of independence is extinct in Edinburgh, and the capital of Scotland, as the largest rotten borough in the island, should be put down at the head of the first column of schedule A in the next Reform Bill.

WE bowled along for half-an-hour, keeping a bright look-out for the frigate, but we could see nothing of her.

"I say, Sprawl, had not we better heave-to, till daylight? You see we can make nothing out as to her whereabouts; mind we do not run past her in the night."

"Indeed, Brail, I think we had better-so heave-to at once, will ye."

The word was passed; and after having given little Binnacle his instructions to call me, the instant they made out the frigate, or the weather assumed a threatening as pect, Sprawl and I went below to secure a couple of hours' sleep, troubled though they might be, before day broke. We had just commenced on our salt junk, and having each of us filled a glass of grog, I was in the very act of hobbing and nobbing with my illustrious ally, when we heard some one call down the after-hatchway. I instantly recognised the voice of Corporal Len

nox.

"I say, Dogvane, do rouse out Mr De Walden-I know he is regularly done up, but it is his watch, and unless he is on deck at muster, he will be sure to catch it, and Í should be sorry that he did."

"Why, Master Corporal," responded the quartermaster, "you might have put yourself to the trouble of coming down yourself, and awakening Mr De Walden, and so you would have been under no obligation to nobody-but I won't grudge the trouble, so I will do it for you." "Hillo," we immediately heard old Dogvane sing out, "on deck,

there."

"What do you want?" replied Corporal Lennox.

"Oh, nothing, but Mr De Walden is not here."

"Never mind then, old fellow," said Lennox, "he is in the cabin, I suppose."

VOL. XXXV. NO. CCXXIII.

"Ask him now, then, and tell him to say to Mr De Walden that he is wanted."

"I'll tell you what,"-at this moment struck in old Davie,—“ I am deucedly done up, so tip me the casebottle again, and I will make another tumbler of grog, and then turn in till daylight-for even if we make the frigate out, what use is there in".

"Hush," said I," what is that ?" There was a buz on deck, and a rattling up the ladder of the people from below, and we could hear a voice say, "Mr De Walden! he is not in the berth below,"-another responded, "The captain's steward says he is not in the cabin,"-" Is Mr De Walden forward there, boatswain ? "—" No," sung out a gruff voice, sounding low, and mollified by distance,-" no Mr De Walden here."

"Is Mr De Walden aft there?" continued little Binnacle, who had spoken.

"No, sir, no."

A sudden light flashed on me-I trembled, and a chill curdled the blood at my heart, for I had not seen him since we had hove the schooner on the reef. I ran on deck, but as I ascended the ladder, "Poob," said I to myself, "all nonsense-why put myself into a flurry?" And as I stepped off the ladder, little Binnacle called down the main-hatchway

"I say, De Walden - Henry Henry De Walden-come on deck, man-come on deck-this is no time for skylarking- Mr Brail is on deck."

Several gruff voices replied from 3N

Old Bloody Politeful, kind-hearted soul as he always was, had now also turned out "Why, Brail, what is all this bother about?"

"My dear Sprawl," said I, greatly excited, "young De Walden is nowhere to be seen."

"Nonsense," rejoined he; "why, he was standing close beside me the whole time we were crossing the bar, even up to the time when I was fool enough to squir my old hat over the masthead."

"And so he was," chimed in Pumpbolt.

"Then beat to quarters," said I -"the gallant youngster never missed muster yet-desire them to beat to quarters, Mr Marline."

Ay, ay, sir," responded the midshipman. All hands turned out promptly.

"Men," said I," Mr De Walden is missing-have any of you seen him?"

"No, sir,-none of us have seen him since the strange schooner struck."

"Have you overhauled the midshipmen's berth, Mr Marline?" "Yes, sir."

"The whole ship has been search ed," said little Binnacle, who had just returned from below, "cabletier, hold, and all. The boatswain and carpenter have been all over her. The gunner has even looked into the magazine. Mr De Walden is not on board, sir."

"Poo, there he is at the masthead there," said I; for as I looked up I distinctly saw a dark figure standing on the long-yard, with one hand holding on by a backstay, while with the other it pointed up. wards into the pure sky. I was in a towering passion. "Come down, Mr De Walden-come down, sirwhat is the fun of all this-why, your absence has put the whole ship in a fuss-we thought you had fallen overboard." The dark object remained stock-still. "What can the captain see?" passed amongst

the men. "Do you see any thing at the masthead?" said one to his neighbour-"Do you see any thing?" quoth another. No one saw any thing but myself. "Look there, Sprawl-there-by heaven what can this mean-do you really see nothing there?" The worthy fellow shaded his eyes with his hand, and kept twisting and turning and rolling his head about, as if it had been fixed on the ball and socket principle; but the object that had fascinated me was invisible to him. Gradually the figure, without changing its position, thinned, and anon, like a shred of dark vapour between us and the heavens, the stars were seen through it; but the outline of the form, to my distempered vision, was still as distinct as ever. Presently, however, it began to grow indistinct and misty; and whatever it was, it gradually melted away and disappeared. De Walden was nowhere to be found. I looked back towards the dark estuary we had left. The sky in the background was heavy, black, and surcharged, as if it had been one vast thundercloud, but the white line of breakers on the bar continued distinctly visible, over which the heavenly moonlight rainbow still hovered, although gradually fading, and even as I looked it ceased to be distinguishable. As it disappeared and melted into the surrounding blackness, even so vanished all hope from my mind of young De Walden's safety, and remembering the poor boy's last words-" A good omen!" said I, "Alas, alas, an evil one it hath been to thee, poor boy!"

"Call the watch, boatswain's mate," and without speaking a word more, old Davie and I descended to the cabin again.

"What saw you aloft, Benjie?" said Sprawl.

I told him.

"I know it is all downright nonsense-there was no one aloft, and I am persuaded it was all a delusion, still ".

"Oh, nonsense," said Davie-"cannot be-you are overfatigued, man— you will laugh at all this to-morrowbut poor young De Walden-he must have fallen overboard when we drove the Don on the reef-God help us what a melancholy report we shall have to make to Sir Oliver-but give

us some grog, Brail, and I will lie down on the locker till daylight."

I was bewildered-my mind from my early youth was tinged with superstition, but, nevertheless, what could this have been? For four-andtwenty hours, whatever I might have drank, I had eaten little or nothing, and I began to perceive that I la boured under the oppressive effects of such a recoil, as one experiences after having had the folly and audacity to get tipsy on unaided champagne, without having stowed away a ground tier of wholesome solid food; besides, I now found that the blow on my head, hard and thick as that might be, was beginning to tell, for I was aware that my pulse was feverish, and I had had several attacks of giddiness during the evening. I puzzled myself for half-an-hour in vain, and after I raised my head from my hand, by which time the lamp was flickering in the socket, I saw my brother lieutenant sound asleep, and worn out as I was, I soon forgot every thing, and was as fast as he was.

I was called at about half-an-hour before daylight.

"We see the commodore, sir, about two miles on the lee-beam," said Mr Marline, as he stuck his head into the cabin.

"Very well-I will be on deck presently-how is her head?"

"South-west, sir-but the wind is very light."

He retired-and having rigged with an expedition unknown to all mankind, barring a sailor or a monkey, I went on deck.

It was now four in the morningthere were clouds in the sky, but very little wind. In the east, all was clear-the morning star had already slipt her moorings, and was several degrees above the horizon, against which the rolling swell rose and sank with startling distinctness, as black as ink, except where the glorious planet cast a tiny wake on it, and glittered in a small line of silver light;-underneath, as a background, the glow of the advancing sun gradually tinged the sky and every shred of clouds with a crimson flush.

On the other hand, when we look ed down to leeward, far in the steamy west, the declining moon hung over

the dark sea pale and sickly, as a lamp whose oil had failed. She looked as if she would have dropped at once into the ocean, and the feeble wake she cast through the ascending fog was dull and cheerless. There, however, in the very centre of her half quenched radiance, lay the noble frigate, rolling heavily on the long sea, under her three topsails; now rising distinct and clear against the horizon on the ridge of the dark swell, and again sinking with the liquid ridge until she disappeared, as if the ever heaving waters had swallowed her up. All overhead continued blue, and cold, and serene. "Mr Marline, bear up, and run down to her."

"Ay, ay, sir."

And the deadening splash and gushing sound of the felucca's counter, as it came surging down on the heaving swell, was soon, but gradually, exchanged for the rushing of the water and buzzing of the foam past us, of a vessel rapidly cleaving the billows.

As we approached, all remained quiet and still on board the frigate. We stood on-not a soul seemed to notice us-we crossed her sternstill all silent, and at length we rounded to under her lee. We were so close that one might have chucked a biscuit into her gangway.

"Are you waiting for a boat, Mr Brail?" at length said the officer of the watch, the old gunner.

"No, no," I replied, "I will be on board presently."

Sprawl was roused out, and in a few seconds we were in our own tiny skiff, and approaching the frigate. All continued dark and dismal, as we looked up at her black hull, and dark sails, and tall spars. She was rolling heavily, the masts and spars groaning, and the bulkheads creaking and screaming, and the topsails fluttering and grumbling, until the noise, every now and then, ended in a sounding thump, as if the old ship, in all her parts, were giving audible indications of her impatience of the tedious calm; while her canvass appeared to be as heavy as if a wetting shower had just poured down. We approached, and as the man in the bow stuck his boathook into the old lady's side to fend off, the sidesman handed us the man