his large ship. As he was unable to manage her, with the eighty men he had from the Venerable, the prisoners were ordered to man the yards, but hesitated, seeing that there was some gleam of a rescue. In this refusal they were encouraged by their lieutenant; when Mr. Richardson told this officer that he would make him set a good example to his men, and ordered the boatswain to cut off the end of a rope, and administer it soundly. After the third cut away bounded the astonished mynheer up the mast, and after him flew the requisite number of Dutch sailors, and the vessel got clear of the sand-bank. Every sail was now set for England, and Admiral Duncan soon appeared before Sheerness with all Storey's captured fleet.

Thus ended an expedition the failure of which, when planned by Mr. Dundas, was considered as almost impossible, and commenced with such brilliant advantages under Abercromby, that there was every prospect of ultimate success. The only benefit the country gained was from the admiral's disobedience; and the capture of the Dutch fleet almost annihilated the naval power of the Batavian republic, and more permanently secured to Britain the sovereignty of the sea. Duncan's spirited act saved the Duke of York from a parliamentary inquiry; for on the opposition affirming-"That although forty thousand men had been employed in Holland, great losses had been incurred, and the British had

capitulated to an inferior force under very humiliating conditions." In answer to this the ministers endeavoured to prove-" That the expedition had not failed, since the enemy's ships had been captured by our fleet:" and on this plea the motion was rejected.

Soon afterwards, the hero of Camperdown gave up the command of his fleet, and the remainder of his days were passed in retirement. In height the admiral stood six feet three inches, and in person he was finely and majestically formed, and had muscular strength corresponding to such a stature. His private manners were amiable, unassuming, and virtuous, and he possessed all the elements necessary to the formation of a good naval commander.

Shortly before he left, the Kent, a prize supposed to be carrying treasure and arms to Ireland, was captured; and, on overhauling the vessel, a dozen large wooden cases, stowed away with great care, met the delighted eyes of the officers and men. The captors felt certain they contained money for the Croppies ; and, doubtless, it would soon have been converted into the most valuable current coin of the realm, by the juggling and impositions of priestcraft, had it not fallen into infidel hands. On forcing open the lids, the mortified crew beheld nothing but crucifixes, carved virgins, saints by bushels, and other decoy toys to gull the benighted. Loud were the imprecations of the sailors

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on the senseless heads, trunks, eyes, and limbs of these figures of wood, ivory, and marble, -some being very. valuable and of exquisite workmanship. The rigid Presbyterian admiral viewed the sight with utter abhorrence, and ordered that none should "defile their hands with the idols," but commanded Lieutenant Richardson to cast them all into the sea. The sailors, not relishing such ugly company, gladly lowered a boat, with the Romish boxes and their odious contents. a few minutes the ocean was covered with images, relics, bleeding hearts, rosaries, and dispensations, sufficient to release Martin Luther out of the charitable hospital for wealthy souls, founded in 1439, by the Council of Florence, under the title of "Purgatory."

In

Adam Duncan paced his quarter-deck in high glee, as he beheld the finny tribe as much bamboozled and deceived as the Irish by painted and carved puppets: for the ignorant fish were lured by these shams, and fought for the saints as if they had been real flesh and blood. They bolted them by scores, and then writhed in agony to eject them on finding what indigestible trash they had foolishly swallowed. Mr. Richardson, while acting as grand inquisitor at this barbarous auto-de-fe, caught up an ivory image as it floated imploringly past him, and a few more were preserved in this manner by the sailors in the boat. Truly it was very hard upon the pitiable pope, who, having had his side pocket picked of

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He beheld the finny tribe as much bamboozled and deceived as the Irish by painted and carved puppets.

P. 98.