have been permitted to affume poffeffion of her manfion, and declared that he was commiffioned by his mother to conduct her to the city of B-, where he would be received with friend hip and kindness. Unacquainted with the devices of man, and relying on his honour, the gratefully accepted this offer, was conducted to a handfome house, received with civility by a well-dreffed woman, and for a few weeks treated with much attention. She was however fometimes alarmed, by reflecting that the manners of this lady were often diftinguifhed by freedom and vulgarity, and that her conduct did not coincide with the accounts fhe had formerly received, and the ideas he had entertained of the mother of Ferdinand; but circumfpect conduct foon lulled every fufpicion, and infpired confidence, until her feduction was determined, her innocence betrayed, and her ruin accomplished. the fucceffor of the Curate bould her into the haunts of infamy; but at last, difgufted with her fituation, and weary of dife, the haftened from the city which contained her feducer, and wandered for feveral weeks in a ftate of fupreme mifery, with little fuftenance or repofe; in vain requesting employment, often fruitlefsly foliciting compaffion, expoled to frequent infult, and fuftaining almoft intolerable abuse A lait, exhauled by fatigue, oppreffed by wretchednefs, and weakened by pain, fhe fought a temporary relief by reft ing on the fpot where I chanced to oblerve her. I have already mentioned that he was feized with a fainting fit, from which the recovered with difficulty. Proper affiftance was procured, but without effect. The pulfe of existence throbbed with flow, feeble, and unequal motion; the hand of Adverfity preffed heavily on her heart; while her face fluthed or became pale, as the fenfations of fhame and of anguish pred dominated. She attempted to fpeak, but her ar ticulations were unintelligible; the film of death extinguished the luftre of her eye;-and the "big round drops," which farted on her forehead, marked the laft efforts of expiring animation. The ftruggles of nature againft the ravages of difirefs, difeafe, and hunger, were weak and fort; and her laft figh was breathed without violent exertion or violent agony. "Oh! that I had come one moment fooner." (Gentle reader! doft thou paufe at the confummation which thy ima. gination must have previously sketch ed, which the stage of existence is daily exemplifying, and which the law, with a pityful and pallied effort, fcarcely confiders to be deferving of even pecuniary punishment?) After keeping for three or four months the devoted girl, he was dif miffed and abandoned to deftruction. The imperious law of neceffity forced Thus, in life's delightful morning This sketch of the melancholy of villainy may be prepared to en fate of Ellen, was formed and tranfmitted to the Elinburgh Magazine, with the hope that it may be a warning to the young, the gay, and the thoughtless, not to rely with implicit confidence on fair profeffions; for even in the bofom of profperity. of joy, and of friendship, the fchemes fnare, and the arts of vice to feduce;-the bloom of beauty may be faded by forrow, innocence may be plunged into guilt, and eyes now fparkling with vivacity, or languishing with love, may be dim'd by "re"flection's bitter tear." D. DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. DUDDINGSTON-House, a feat belonging to the Marquis of Abercorn, is fituate at the distance of about a mile South Eaft from Edinburgh. The edifice is fpacious and handfome; its fite beautiful, Arthur's Seat, that rugged and craggy mountain, prefenting a remarkable image of defert wilderness in the midit of a richly cultivated country, and in the immediate vicinity of a great city; begins to rife, with a gradual elevation, almost close behind Duddington-Houfe; and as it afcends, exhibits its fhoulders and fummit, in bold contraft with the fofter and ornamented fcenery be low. On one hand, within fight from this Houfe, appear the Frith of Forth, the road and harbour of Leith, the rich and populous fhores of Fife. To the South and South Eaft, on the other hand, the profpect ftill taking in a part of the Frith, extends at the fame time, over a wide tract of country, rich with villas, parks, woods, hamlets, villages, rifing flopes, and rivers winding through "fmiling vales, cultivated fields, and fair-paf ture grounds. On the other fides, Arthur's Seat narrows and confines the view; yet fo as to improve the effects of the wide profpect to the North-Eaft and the South. The immediate environs of Duddington-Houfe are beautifully laid out and ornamented. An extenfive lawn fpreads out before the front; is encircled with rifing wood; is di verfified, on its area with clumps, and fingle trees, irregularly fcattered over it; is divided and animated by a winding artificial ftream,-conveyed from an adjacent lake,-crowned with a Chinele bridge which feems to increafe its magnitude,-and conducted at length, after many windings, into an artificial lake, the termination of which, being concealed in the wood, gives to the imagination an indefinite extent. The scene is enlivened by cattle feeding on the lawn, and by fwans, and other waterfowls fporting in the lakes and the ftreams. The outline is, every where, the charming waving line. In all feasons, these scenes are ftrikingly picturefque. In Spring, the vivid verdure which fhoots forth over them; the gay and bufy activity of animal life which they difplay;, give them the power of captivation over the eye and the fancy. Their beauties are expanded, and their colours ftrengthened, amidst the glow of Summer. Autumn mellows their charms. Even in Winter, the impending mountain, and the expanding bay, preferve to them an interesting grandeur, which would otherwife be incompatible with the gloom and defolation which then prevail over their fofter features. In this view, Duddingston House, and its immediate environs, are reprefented as they appear when viewed from the South. ACCOUNT ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST APPEARANCES OF NAVIGATION AMONG THE ANCIENTS AND AMONG RUDE AND UNCULTIVATED NATIONS. [From the Introduction to the Squirrels or the origin of Sailing, a Fable, in verse, by Robert Brown, Esq. Advocate.] THE (Concluded from our last, p. 199.) HE hollowing the upper fide of the Log, to prevent any article the Hunter or Filher wished to carry with him, from falling over, now became an obvious and ftriking thought arifing of itself, and by finding its capacity and convenience thus fo aftonishingly increafed, would lead to the formation by fire or tools of the Tree Boat, wherever the Beam or Trunk was of fufficient fize to admit of its being made into one; and through it, as already traced, to that of Veffels of a more complex ftructure. In Don Ulloa's fatisfactory and entertaining Narrative we find, that, "the barks employed on" the River Chagare, near Panama in the Ifthmus of Darien; between Guiaquil and Manta Bay, where Balzas and Balza Logs; and California, where Bark-Logs were used; of two kinds, the Chatos, and Bongos. The former are like the Eu ropean Veffels, compofed of feveral pieces of timber, but of a greater breadth, that they may draw but little water; they carry from feven to eight hundred quintals. The latter are formed out of one piece of wood, and it is aftonishing to think there fhould be trees," from another place, ufually Cedars, "of fuch a prodigious magnitude, fome of them being eleven Paris feet broad, and carry conveniently four or five hundred quintals." And at Cape Or ford in New Albion, on the other fide of California, as already men. tioned, Captain Vancouver within thefe few years found Canoes "rudely hollowed, each from the Trunk are efpecially when joined to that from the eastern fide of the New Continent, more authentic and valuable information, as to the true appearances of mankind in a state of Nature, than from all the fabulous and real accounts of Antiquity combined; we have at one view the whole progrefs of Navigation in its firft ftages: From the Balzas or Rafts on the river Guiaquil, in South America, perhaps coeval with thofe on the Nile on the other fide of the Atlantic, to the improvements on the Tree Boat, equally common on the Old Continent, obferved by M. de la Peyrouse about Port de Francois, almoft at the oppofite western extremity of North America. In the courfe of navigating the original Raft or Log, when the Pole was too short to reach any particular part of the bottom of the River or Coast, the only poffible way of acting upon it, and which would be followed without any previous contrivance, was by preffing the end of the Pole, fince it could not make the ground, against the water; and, by repeating thefe instinctive efforts as quickly as poffible, to ftruggle or paddle it on, till the bottom was again within reach of the Pole. This would fhow, that the Raft, or Log, could be impelled forward without the affiftance of the ground, and would naturally lead to the flattening the extremity of the Pole, that it might include more of the water in its breadth, and, by encreafing the oppofition, be applied in directing it with the greater effect. This fuperfedes the neceffity (as in the Theory formerly alluded to) of furnishing favages with tackle, towing paths, as on an improved Nali of a vigable vigable Canal in a great commercial country, and domefticated "animals on the fhore," with which to draw their Rafts"in deep water;" and is befides both confiftent and agree. able to Hiftory. Almost the only ufe of Water-Carriages to people in a rude state, and which feems first to have led to their adoption, is to remove the obstacles which rivers prefent, and not to go along, but to get over them; yet in this very material cafe," in deep water," as "animals on the shore," even where the banks were fuitable for drawing, could be of no fervice, it is there entirely left to the reader's own ingenuity to find out what was to be done. We are informed that the canoes on the South Sea are brought to a point at both ends; either of which is the Prow indifcriminately. The flattened Pole is the Single Oar of the Balza-Log on the weft coaft of South America, ufed when ftanding. This, when fhortened for the accommodation of fitting, became the Pad dle of the Bark-Log at California, on the fame fide of North America; and of all the Tree-Boats and Ca noes conftructed afterwards. Paddles, thus arifing out of the common courfe of incidents, and as it were appearing neceffarily, and of themselves, were applied without any alteration of form both to the uses of the Oar and the Helm. "The Indians of thefe Islands," the Ladrones, fays the writer of Lord Anfon's voy. age, are a ftrong, well limbed, and bold people, and, from fome of their practices, feem to be no ways defective in understanding; for their Flying Proas, which for ages past have been the only veffels they have employed, are a very fingular and extraordinary invention, and are faid to be capable of running with a brisk trade wind near 20 miles in an hour. The Head and Stern of the Proa are exactly alike; but her two sides are very different. That intended to be always the Lee fide being flat, whilst the Windward-fide is built rounding, in the manner of other veffels; but as her fmall breadth, and the straight run of her Lee-ward-fide would infallibly make her overfet, a Frame is laid out to the Windward, to the end of which is faftened a hollow Log, formed like a fmall Boat. The weight of the Frame is defigned to balance the Proa; and the small Boat, which is always in the water, to prevent her overletting to windward. In fhort, the body of the Proa is formed of two pieces joined endways, and sewed together with bark; for no iron is ufed in her conftruction. She is about two inches thick at the bottom, which at the gunwale is reduced to lefs than one. The Proa generally carries fix or feven Indians, two of whom are placed at the Head and Stern, who steer the veffel alternately with a Paddle, according to the tack fhe goes on, he in the ftern being the Steerfman. The other Indians are employed either in baling out the water, which fhe accidentally fhips, or in fetting and trimming the fail. Thefe veffels fail moft excellently on a wind, and with either end foremost, run from one of thefe iflands to the other, and back again, only by fhifting the Sail, without ever putting about; and, by their small breadth, and the flatness of their lee-fide, are capable of lying much nearer the wind than any other veffel hitherto`known." The following account of the vef. fels of New Zealand in 1770, is given in the Journal of Captain Cook's firft voyage." The canoes of this country are not unlike the whaleboats of New England, being long and narrow. The larger fort feem to be built for war, and will hold from 30 to 100 men. One of thefe at Tolaga meafured near 70 feet in length, 6 in width, and 4 in depth. It was fharp at the bottom, and confifted of 3 lengths, about 2 or 3 inches thick, and tied firmly together with Arong plaiting, each fide was formed of one entire plank, about 12 inches broad, and about 1 inches thick, which were fitted to the bottom with equal ftrength and ingenuity. Several Thwarts were laid from one fide to the other, to which they were fecurely fastened, in order to strengthen the whole. "Thefe veffels are rowed with a kind of Paddles, between 5 and 6 feet in length, the blade of which is a long oval, gradually decreafing till it reaches the handle; and the velocity with which they row with thefe paddles is really furprising. The veffels are steered by two men, having each a Paddle, and fitting in the Stern; but they can only fail before the wind, in which direction they move with confiderable fwift nefs. "These Indians use axes, adzes, and chiffels, with which laft they likewife bore holes. The chiffels are made of jafper, or of the bone of a man's arm; and their axes and adzes of a hard black stone. They afe their small jafper tools till they are blunted, and then throw them away, having no inftrument to sharpen them with. are "Their warlike weapons spears, darts, battle-axes, and the patoo patoo." Befides fhewing that at firft there was no fuch thing as a Rudder, dif tinct from a Paddle; the ftructure of thefe Veffels tend likewife to prove the futility of the fancy fo long implicitly followed, that " The thought of imitating a Fish advanced Naval Architecture;" to which neither of them have the most diftant refemblance. The "sides" of the Proa are very different" from each other; the head and the stern are "exactly alike," failing equally well either end foremoft; and they have two fteerfmen, one at each extremity, who, over its fides, fteer the veffel In "alternately" with a "Paddle;" When the Paddlers were fatigued, or wished to relieve their arms; the only way of doing fo was to reft the fhaft of the Paddle on the edge of the Boat, fo as to throw on it part of the weight, and eafe the exertion. In the courfe of repeating this, it would foon appear, that by trusting it entirely to the fide of the veffel, the arms would both be freed of the unneceffary load of the Paddle, and would thus be enabled to apply their whole strength towards accelerating the motion of the Canoe. On find. ing this, the making a notch in the Gunwale for the handle to lie across, and pulling in an oppofite direction with the face looking aft, was all that was requifite to convert a Paddle into an Oar. The Steering-Paddle, likewife, being, from weakness or indolence refted over the ftern, and managed in the fame way as when we still frequently direct a Cock-boat or Sculler with one Oar, or when we make it fimply a fubftitute for a Rudder in fteering a Yawl, foon got a crook in the handle, that it might be held eafily when fitting, without raising the Blade out of the water; and, being hung by thong loops, on a couple of pegs, to prevent it from shifting, became infenfibly a diftinct appendage to a veffel, under the name of a Helm. After thefe Improvements, it being difcovered that a Row. Boat, if long, has a fort of resemblance to fome kinds of Fishes; frequently seen near it and connected with the fame element; the notion that its form and management was furnished by them at first, was at once inconfiderately Ii2 adopted, |
