With envious grasp the mortal most divine This is magnificent. We agree, however, in the language of the editor, "We should not perhaps very strenuously contend for the merits of the plan; and in truth could have wished that a similar train of reflection and sentiment had been deduced from some other source, than from the captivity and starvation of Count Ugolino." Nevertheless, it afforded materials for very powerful writing; and our author has advantaged by them to the utmost. We predict for the poem a lasting reminiscence: it will be read with admiration and instruction, when the insignificant jingle of more celebrated writers is forgotten. Review.—Of“ The Protestant Vindicator, containing a Refutation of Cobbett's History of the Reformation," by R. Oxlad, (Simpkin and Marshall, London,) we have three numbers before us; but to what extent the work will be carried we know not. Those under inspection are closely printed; they contain powerful arguments, and display an intimate acquaintance with the sources of ecclesiastical history. We Cobbett's vindication of popery will only cause the enormities of the system to be roused from their half for gotten torpor, and eventually ruin the cause he appears to serve. should not be surprised soon to hear, that he had undertaken the defence of Mahometanism, of Paganism, or of another well-known character in a warmer region. brated divine. It is republished by the Sunday School Union, for the benefit of the pupils. 66 Immediate not Gradual Abolition of Slavery," (Seeley, London) is a wellwritten pamphlet. Many questions, however, of importance occur on this subject, of which the author takes no notice, and the discussion of which, the limits of his pages would not admit. Justice and humanity are on his side, but all-powerful local interest lies in the opposite scale. of the World," (Cadell, London,) is "A Fragment on the Organization ly either mislead or instruct any of its one of those pamphlets that will hardreaders. "An Appeal to the Medical Profession, on the Utility of the Improved Patent Syringe, by John Read," (Glendinning, London) contains a plain statement of facts, to secure to the author the honour of that invention. His claims appear to be unequivocal; and we think the mean attempts which have been made to rob him of his wellearned fame, to be highly discreditable to the parties whose names he has exposed. "A Practical Treatise on Ruptures," (by Wm. Coles, London,) professes to offer to the afflicted a better truss than they can otherwise procure. Having never seen it, we cannot pronounce on its merits. We know, however, that multitudes of the best articles in every department are every day offered to the public, and the author may be assured, that many years may elapse before new inventions can claim universal suffrage. In "A Pastoral Address to the Members of a Dissenting Church," (Westley, London,) we find an old story new told. It contains a repetition of the stale invectives against national “ The Annual Report of the Sunday establishments, and a wish for the School Union for 1825,” (Davis, Lon-abolition, as a prelude to a demi-mildon,) states, that in that connexion lennium. there are throughout Great Britain alone, 666,535 scholars. It shews the amazing extent to which instruction is carried, and records many pleasing testimonies of the moral and religious | benefit the children have derived from the institution in its various ramifications. "A Discourse on the Way of Instruction by Catechisms, by Dr. Watts," (Davis, London) is a reprint of an excellent little article, by the above cele "A Catechism on the Works of Creation," by P. Smith, A.M. embodies much useful information for children, in a small compass; and if many grown persons were to read it, their time would not be thrown away. It is a scientific examination of scripture facts, and the questions and answers are at once both familiar and rational. 66 Affectionate Advice to Apprentices," by H. G. Watkins, M.A. (Seeley, London,) gives much wholesome admo admonitions to the class of society for whose sake it was written. The author seems to be a sturdy churchman, but bis instructions are good, and were they reduced to practice, vice would soon diminish, and that which remained would put on a less formidable and a less disgusting aspect. "Hymns for Children," (Nisbet London,) are pleasing, harmonious, familiar, and devotional. They are fifty in number, and are well adapted for Sunday Schools. "The Twelfth Report of the London Society for the Improvement and encouragement of female Servants,"(Hatchard London,) is entitled to more attention than we can devote to it in our pages. Its rewards to deserving merit, have been judiciously bestowed; and from the statements given, the institution, which was established in 1813, seems to have been attended with incalculable benefit to a valuable class of the community. "The Parish Apprentice, or the History of Sarah Lock," (Westley, London,) derives its chief interest from the change wrought in her spiritual condition, while residing with a pious family. It exemplifies the advantages of religious instruction, and holds out an incentive for imitation, both to masters and servants. and a quarter, and they lie immediately opposite the town of Deal, on the coast of Kent, distant from the shore from five to seven miles. They are quite covered at high water, but their situation is pointed out by the tremendous breakers, which, even in moderately rough weather, perpetually roll over them. When the tide is low, these sands are dry, except at places, which have the appearance of lakes and rivers. The dry parts are then tolerably firm, and occasionally parties of pleasure have taken tea, and, it is said, even played at cricket upon this land of death.' To the eye of the observer on shore, the Goodwin Sands appear on the horizon like a long, continued wall, or bank, of a reddish colour, or like a large natural breakwater, which in fact they are; for it is the Goodwin and the Brake (a smaller sand about two miles within the former, between the North Land Head and Ramsgate) that protect the Downs from the waves of the North sea, and thereby constitute it, perhaps, the finest roadstead in the kingdom, in which a thousand ships may ride in safety. Thus, it will be seen, that "partial evil" is, even here, "universal good;" for the number of vessels damaged or lost upon these sands bears no proportion to the numbers that safely pass them, or that lie at anchor se "A Catechism on the Principal Para-curely under their lee. And the greater bles of the New Testament," by W. F. Lloyd, (Davis, London.) furnishes a familiar elucidation of these interesting portions of scripture. The questions proposed, and the answers given, are calculated to communicate much useful information to the youthful mind. A DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE GOODWIN SANDS. MR. EDITOR. SIR. As most persons have heard of the Goodwin Sands, a place so much the terror of mariners, and so frequently the scene of disastrous shipwrecks, some account of them may not be deemed uninteresting. These formidable banks extend in length about seven miles from north to south, in a line nearly parallel to the coast, between the two Forelands; their greatest breadth is about a mile part of those that do strike thereon, are either got off again, or their cargoes are saved by the valuable assistance of our boatmen. It is too well known for me to have occasion to add, that the best efforts of those men are invariably employed to save life, and extreme indeed is the case, (as with the late unfortunate ship "Ogle Cas tle," when these efforts are wholly unavailing. Tradition says, this place was once united to the mainland, and was the site of a town or village, forming part of the estate of Goodwin or Godwine, earl of Kent, a powerful nobleman, the father of king Harold. Much uncertainty rests upon this. I will, however, with your permission, introduce the following extract from an old and scarce History of Kent, written in the reign of queen Elizabeth, by Wm. Lambarde of Lincoln's Inn, which, as it transports us back in thought nearly three centuries nearer to those days of yore, may be accept able to your numerous readers. Yours, &c. EDMD. BROWN. Deal, December, 1825. The Goodwine is before mine eye, whereof I pray you hearken what I have to say: "There lived in the time of king Edwarde (commonly called the Confessour,) a noble man, named Godwine, whose daughter Edgithe, the same king, by great instance of his nobilitie (being otherwise of himselfe disposed to have lived sole) tooke unto his wife. By reason whereof, not only this Godwine himself (being at the first but a cowheards sonne, and afterwards advanced to honour by king Canutus, whose sister by fraud he obteined to wife,) became of great power and authoritie within the realme: but his sonnes also (being five in number) were by the king's gift advanced to large livelyhoods and honourable offices. For Godwine was earl of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Cornwal; his eldest sonne Swane, had Oxfordshire, and Somerset: Harold held Essex, Norfolke, Suffolke, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire: Tosti, had Northumberland: and Gurte and Leofwine, possessed other places. But as it is hard in great prosperitie to keep due temperance, (for, Superbia est vitium rebus solenne secundis: "Pride is a fault that accustomably followeth prosperitie:") so this man and his sonnes, being puffed up with the pride of the kings favour, their owne power, policie and possessions, contemned all other, and forgot them selves: abusing the simplicitie of the king by evil counsel, treading under foote the nobilitie by great disdain, and oppressing the common people by insatiable ravine, extortion, and tyrannie. So that immediately, and at once, they pulled upon their heads the heavie displeasure of the prince, the immortal hatred of the noblemen, and `the bitter execration and curse of the common sort. Whereupon the king for a season banished them, the nobles never after liked them, and the poore people not only railed upon while they lived, but also by devised tales (as the manner is) laboured to make them hateful to all posteritie after their death. And amongst other things touching Godwine himselfe, they feigned that he was choked at Winchester | (or Windsore, as others say, for liers cannot lightly agree) with a morsel of bread, and that his land in Kent sunke suddenly into the sea. Neither were these things continued in memorie, by the mouthes of the unlearned people only, but committed to writing also by the hands and pens of monks, frears, and others of the learned sort: so that in course of time the matter was past all peradventure, and the things beleeved for undoubted veritie. "But whatsoever hath been heretofore thought of these matters, having now just occasion offered me to treat of the thing, I will not spare to speake that which I have red in some credible writers, and which I do think meete to be believed of all indifferent readers. “And first of all, touching this place itselfe, Silvester Giraldus, (in his Itinerarie of Wales) and many others, do write, that about the end of the reigne of king William Rufus, (or the beginning of Henerie the First) A. D. 1100, there was a sudden and mightie inundation of the sea, by the which a great part of Flanders, and of the low countries thereabout, was drenched," and lost: so that many of the inhabitants (being thereby expulsed from their seates) came over to England, and made sute to the same king Henrie, for some place of dwelling within his dominion. The king pitying their calamitie, and seeing that they might be profitable to his realme, by instructing his people in the art of clothing, (wherein at that time they chiefly excelled) first placed them about Carlile in the north countrie, and afterward (upon cause) removed them to Rosse and Haverford in Wales. Now at the same time that this happened in Flanders, the like harme was done in sundry places, both of England and Scotland also, as Hector Boethius, the Scottish historiographer, most plainly writeth, affirming that amongst other, this place being some time maine land, and of the possession of earle Godwine, was then first violently overwhelmed with a light sand, wherewith it not only remaineth covered ever since, but is become withal (navium gurges et vorago) a most dreadful gulfe, and ship swallower, sometime passable by foote, and sometime laid under water, in dubio pelagi, terræque; so as it may bee said either sea or land, or neither of both. Our shipping intelligence gives the melancholy tidings of the return of Captain Edwards, late of the Mercury, to this port, on the Pocklington. Our information, which is elicited from a correct source, goes to state, that the Mercury, which belonged to Richard "This, thing, as I cannot but marvell how it hath escaped the pens of our owne countrie writers, the rather for that some of them (living about that time) have mention of that harme in the low countries: so I sticke not to accept it for assured truth, considering either the auctoritie of the wri-Jones, Esq. of this colony, went into ter himselfe, being a diligent and Whangarooa, for the purposeof refreshlearned man, or the circumstances of ment, on the 5th of March, 1825. No the thing that he hath left written, sooner had the vessel entered, and being then in itselfe both reasonable the anchor dropped, than the deck and likely." was crowded with natives fore and aft. A system of plunder commenced, attended with every species of violence. The cabin was thronged with the savages; and every gentle effort used by Captain Edwards and his crew, to persuade them to retire from the cabin, and leave the deck, was ineffectual-they remained all night in possession. The author gives us the commonly received account of Godwin's death, which I also subjoin. "Ealred, the abbot of Ryvauxe, (who tooke paines to pen the historie of the same king Edward's whole life, and of whom all others (as I thinke) learned this tale, saith, that while the king and Godwine sate at the table, accompanied with others of the nobilitie, it chanced the cupbearer (as he brought wine to the board) to slip with the one foote, and yet by the good strength of his other leg to recover himself without falling; which thing the earle earnestly marking, said pleasantly, that there one brother had well helped another: Marry, (quoth the king,) so might we mine, ne haddest thou been earl Godwine, casting in his dish the murder of his brother Alfred, which was done to death at Elie by the counsell of Godwine. Hereat the earle was sore moved, and thinking it more than time to make his purgation, took a morsel of bread in his hand, and praying (with great and vehement obtestation) that it might choke him if he by any means caused the slaughter, or consented thereto, he put the bread into his mouth, and was immediately strangled therewithall." DISASTROUS INTELLIGENCE FROM (From the Sydney Gazette.) The following day, Sunday, the captain attempted to conciliate them, but in vain. News of the vessel's arrival in the harbour, and her critical situation, reaching the mission station; the Rev. William White, in his boat, hastened to the spot, arriving about noon. Mr. White, after vainly exerting all his influence, proceeded on shore with some of the natives. Captain Edwards thought it advisable to attempt a struggle for the recovery of his vessel; and therefore began to weigh the anchor, sending out the boats ahead to tow, as the wind was only light. The moment the natives perceived the captain's intention, they gave the dreadful war-whoop, and hundreds, if not thousands, rushed to their assistance from the shore. Captain Edwards was standing on the bows giving directions to the crew, when his eye caught a fellow aiming a blow at his head-he stooped, and the hatchet went into the windlass. Captain E. then jumped into the sea, and swam for the boats. They cut from the ship, and made the best of their way for the Bay of Islands, where the Church Missionaries are stationed, being obliged to abandon the vessel, and leave the mate, cook, and steward on board, to their fate. The natives were then seen to tear the sails from the yard, cut away the rigging, and make every possible havoc, so as to disable the vessel. They emptied her of every moveable, actually lifting the casks up the main hatchway,—and then they destroyed all the cabins, lockers, windows, &c. producing a | articles of wearing apparel, which they complete wreck between decks, fore so much needed. Captain Edwards and aft. Captain Edwards would lost no time in going over to the other have returned for his officer and the side of the bay, where the whalers other men, but it must have been at were lying at anchor. Here six boats, the certain risk of their lives, as the well manned and armed, with the Rev. threats and menaces of the natives Mr. Williams, of the Church Missionwere truly horrible. ary Society, in his boat, were procured. This little fleet instantly repaired to Whangarooa, thinking to rescue the vessel from the possession of the natives; but Captain Edwards ascertained in the interim, that Mr. White, at the risk of his own life, had taken her out to sea. A small schooner was then engaged to go in quest of her, and after beating about for twelve days, it was discovered that she had drifted on shore, and was burnt to the water's edge by the savages, for the sake of the iron. Captain Edwards then returned to the Bay of Islands, where he continued till the Pocklington sailed for this port. The Rev. Mr. White, however, with a species of heroism that manifested a total disregard to personal safety, went on board on Sunday evening, and partly by threats, and partly by promises, persuaded them to relinquish the vessel. He was compelled to remain on shore during the night, with the intention of returning in the morning. On Monday morning, Mr. White revisited the vessel, and found her again in the possession of the savages. Once more (indeed, it is reported thrice) he released her from their hands. With the assistance of the mate, the steward, and the cook, Mr. White managed to slip the cable, and clear the detested and ill-fated harbour of Whangarooa, without a quadrant or compass-very few sails left -no pump gear-four feet water in the hold and not an axe, adze, hammer, saw, or nail, on board. The wind, unfortunately, was contrary, as it was the wish of Mr. White to conduct the vessel to the Bay of Islands; and hav- | ing drifted 15 miles from land, it was judged the most prudential course to leave the vessel to her fate. Those on board took to Mr. White's boat; they were several hours ere they gained the shore; and then found themselves 20 miles north of Whangarooa. Here the natives threatened them with death, plundering the boat of its contents, taking Mr. White's trunk and portmanteau, with some of his best apparel, and two watches belonging to Captain Edwards and the mate, which Mr. White had recovered from the natives of Whangarooa; and, after submitting to all these cruelties, they were glad to be allowed to escape with their lives. Mr. White, and his distressed little party, at length succeeded in gaining the mission station in a deplorable condition. Captain Edwards, with his two boats, after pulling hard all night, reached the hospitable residence of Mr. William Hall, at the Bay of Islands, in a naked, cold, and most pitiable state. They were soon supplied with that refreshment, and those 85.-VOL. VIII. However disastrous this intelligence proves to one of our colonial merchants, whereby that gentleman sustains a loss of some thousands of pounds, [a note says the property was insured,] still it is a matter of great thankfulness that the lives of our fellow-creatures, as in the case of the massacre of the Boyd, did not fall victims to this inhuman race of people-upon whom some example should be made, which, no doubt, would have the effect of affording them a lesson that might be remembered for years to come. The Prince of Denmark, Captain Stewart, was to have sailed a fortnight since, with 18 months' supply for the Wesleyan Missionaries at Whangarooa, but most providentially she has been detained;-if such had not been the case, that fine smart vessel would also have been lost. We are pained to say, that the above intelligence is not the most doleful that we have to communicate, in reference to Whangarooa, which has long been notorious by the destruction of the Boyd. The principal chief of that part is known to go by the name of George, with whom originated that dreadful massacre. But it was too fondly hoped, after a lapse of several years, that this chief had repented of his atrocity on that occasion, and wished for a restoration of amity between himself and the English. So sincere apparently were his professions, that the Wesleyan Missionaries were in |