twenty, perhaps of old and young, other twenty in the back ground. Every one of these vessels had received more or less damage; false keels knocked off, main-keels shaken, garboards started, stem posts split, stems twisted, rudders unshipped, pintles broken, and masts and hulls, in many instances, injured.

None of them, however, like me, had been on their beam ends, being all flattish floored; but all had cause to remember the gale, and Dieppe, essentially a large fishing place, supplying Paris with the choicest produce, was quite, for the time, hors de combat. Fortunately for their peace of mind, the gale still continued, and the surf on the bar was too high for any vessel to venture out, so they were relieved of one great anxiety; but the tears, the wailings of the women surrounding the quay walls, the despondency and groans of the crew, as the damage was pronounced by the shipwrights, who were at work by dozens on the Hards, were dreadful to witness. My misfortunes seemed light as air in comparison; and I was not, neither were

my crew, among the last to aid the general subscription for the thousands who, for a time, were thrown out of bread.

I went to the pier to watch the weather, got drenched as the sea broke over the light-house with the flowing tide; and believing there was no chance of a present change, took the diligence to Boulogne, where it was ascertained the royal family had proceeded the day before, without waiting, as expected, at Dieppe. I made one memorandum before leaving, as a general yachting rule-never lay aground when you can lay afloat; and, henceforth, if there be an inner floating dock, no craft of mine shall lay in a tidal basin.

In the mean time, I had left orders with my Captain to get out as soon as the weather moderated, and to join me at Boulogne; fortunately this was the case in a few hours; and the morning after my arrival, I watched two floods from the pier, and on the rise of the second, was gratified by seeing the 'Sandfly' at anchor off the bar, waiting for water. Louis Philippe, the late lamented Duke of Orleans,

and the Prince de Joinville, had reviewed the troops, and were to be present at the regatta. The royal yachts were moored to the quay, where thousands had flocked to witness the proceedings. All Boulogne was on the alert. The streets were filled with soldiers, the quays were crowded, a military band played in front of the baths. It happened that high water was at sunset, and it also happened that more than an ordinary supply of fish being required, a more than ordinary number of fishing-boats from all the adjacent ports and places had resorted to Boulogne. It was an amusing sight to witness the inset of these vessels, which being light, commenced early on the flood, and for hours I had watched the arrivals, and landing of their cargoes of fish. About the time I thought the pilot would bring my craft in, I was observing the outsets of the then numerous vessels, nervously hoping my own might keep out until they were all clear; for there was a numerous fleet of them.

The Captain, to do honour to the occasion, had crossed his spread yard, and hoisted all the

bunting he had on board-a complete set of signals, and numerous burgees and ensigns; among the rest, parallel with our own British colours, floated a new French flag I had bought at Dieppe. There she sat, like a swan on the water, graceful and elegant, the cynosure of sundry glasses, and the admiration of thousands, principally English. She weighed; and under mainsail, with tack well up, and jib, began to thread her way through the fishing craft over the bar.

For a time, all went well; but many were the shaves I witnessed. As she approached the pier, close to which, in avoiding two vessels, one on each side, she took too broad a sheer -smash went the bowsprit against the pier, into which the end made a hole.

"Monsieur will pay de dommage," said the harbour-master, to whom I had been talking.

Losing her jib, which was fast to the pier with the end of the bowsprit, and the gear of both of which were hastily let go, or cut away, the vessel flew up in the wind, and across hawse of two luggers, one on each side. Away went

the spread yard in three pieces, the yard-arm foul of either lugger; and the last I saw of all my beautiful flags, was their being towed by the luggers clean away to sea. Boats went to the assistance of my craft. The mainsail down, and the foresail up, she again paid off, and in she came, looking more like a vessel just out of action, than one prepared to take a part in the regatta. To add to my disappointment, I had mounted four brass swivel guns, intending to have fired a royal salute, had engaged a veteran of the artillery for the sole purpose of loading my ordnance, and had procured an additional number of flags and pendants, ready to dress out my craft, when the accident I have recorded took place; and so crest-fallen was I, that I had scarcely the heart to enter into the gaieties of the scene.

The result of this untoward affair, was to make up my mind to sell my yacht, and buy a larger one. I immediately turned my attention to Gester, a celebrated builder, from whom I had purchased the 'Rover,' carefully abstaining from finding fault with her qualifications, and