condition; little imagining that her letters often remained unread, perhaps scattered, torn, on the prison floor,while their contents were only received with pleasure as they enabled him to satisfy his dreadful appetite for spirits. After being thus confined for about a month, having during that period, by repeated intoxication, greatly injured his health,-so much so that his personal appearance was so altered that no one who formerly knew him could possibly have recognized in the drunken, besotted being that stood before him, the once handsome Henry Seaton, -a stranger called at the prison. He had accidentally arrived in London, and heard that a gentleman of the name of Seaton was imprisoned for debt. He inquired of some who could give him information further particulars, and then determined to repair to the prison. What was his amazement, on inquiring for Henry Seaton, to hear from the turnkey that a prisoner of that name had a few moments before died in a fit of apoplexy, occasioned by hard drinking! The stranger was Ellicombe. He had been successful in America, and had returned to England with a determination to make ample amends for his former baseness. He soon learned that Seaton was imprisoned for debt. He acquired the names of the creditors, answered their demands, and was hastening to the prison to communicate the delightful intelligence of his release, when he found the unhappy victim of his former persuasions had ceased to exist. He passed the remainder of his life in misery, troubled with a conscience stung with the bitterest remorse. The afflicting intelligence of her husband's decease, and the appalling circumstances under which it had taken place, so affected Mrs. Seaton, that after a few weeks of lingering illness, she died literally of a broken heart. The pillow of her dying bed was smoothed by the hand of an affectionate mother, whose sweet words of consolation and unremitting tenderness tended not a little to alleviate the poignancy of her grief. Her helpless orphan children she left to the care of her mother, who, during her lifetime, was to them as the most affectionate parent, and at her death bequeathed them all the property of which she was possessed. Avast there, messmate-I would read this lingo. WITH Goldsmith's affecting history of a disabled soldier, it is presumed, few of our readers are unacquainted, and while perusing it, they may have with ourselves, indulged frequently in the wish, that the same effective pen, in giving point and interest to every subject of nature, had furnished us with a similar sketch of the sufferings to which British sailors are subjected, and of the almost innumerable impositions which are daily practised upon them. But alas! wishes and regrets are vain, and we are therefore obliged to be content with such statements on the subjects as inferior pens may supply, or with such information as passing facts may furnish. The character of crimps, and their infamous trade, in conjunction with lodging-houses and gin-shops, require all the exposure that language can afford. The honour of our country, as well as the present and everlasting interests of our seamen require it. The manly and heroic daring of our tars, more than any thing besides of a mere earthly description, has tended to raise our island to the importance and celebrity which it possesses among the nations of the world; but alas, unless speedy and effective measures are taken to prevent the spreading evil, it will be found, if war should again arise, that our country's defenders, like the ancient Romans, have sunk down to meanness and effeminacy through the destructive influence of intemperance. Much is professed to be done for them, we are aware, but little is really accomplished. Whether this arise from want of practical knowledge, and efficient agency on the one hand, or a yielding to unholy temper on the other, is not necessary now to spend our time to inquire; the fact is obvious, and greatly to be lamented. The following scene, taken from life, and merely put together to make something like a whole, may serve to exhibit, in a small degree, the danger to which sailors are exposed, and may lead some of them to avoid it, or prompt others to become yet more active in providing for their preservation. It was a fine morning, towards the end of June, 1834, when a number of persons were crowded round one of those haunts of vice and destruction, of which Blackwall and its neighbourhood furnish so large a quantity,—a public house. Several already occupied the seats in a stinking tap-room, which was almost insufferable from the nauseous fumes of the preceding nights debauch. Half a dozen or more poor squalid and bloated, ragged wretches, waited their turns at the bar, while glasses of gin were served out as quickly as the well practised hand of an expert, fawning, finely dressed damsel, could supply it. A rude dirty seat at the front of the house, even at this early time of the day, was filled with idlers, male and female, some with black eyes and bruised faces, which afforded too plain evidence of their character and habits. Some held in their mouths short filthy pipes, of the same colour as their eyes, from which tubes they sent forth clouds of offensive smoke, or from their mouths at the end of every whiff, belched forth low and obscene language. At a short distance from the motley group referred to, stood two shabby-genteel personages, familiarly and appropriately ycleped by sailors, "land sharks ;" that is crimps, whose profession it is to plunder seamen when they come ashore with money, and then ship them off to sea for a fresh supply, for which kind act, they receive a certain stipulated bounty, from owners or captains of vessels. It was evident those two individuals were in some way united, and that they were now anxiously engaged in a coloquy of (to themselves) some importance. The public-house in question, was not far from the Docks, and so situated as to command a view of the river Thames, and the approach to the Bason. The eyes of Messrs. Sharkish and Gullum were ever and anon turned with evident interest towards the mouth of the Docks, as if longing for, and expecting the appearance of some important object. In a short time, a fine ship, richly laden from India, hove in sight. The appearance of the floating town produced an electrical effect upon each of the gazers. Mr. Sharkish first gained the use of his tongue, which excess of joy appeared to have deprived his fellow the use of, and exclaimed right-joyfully, "I say, Gull, my boy, we are just in time, yonder she is, the good ship Mary Ann; but we must keep a good look out, or we shall lose some of our men, for see, here comes old Mother Cheatum and her handsome daughter; they enticed away some of my lads last voyage from this ship, however, I'll take care it shall not be my fault if she succeeds this time." As he closed his speech, a burly bully-like female, the keeper of a lodging-house, or brothel, came up, accompanied by one of those wretched beings who employ their dreadful arts of fascination to drag to ruin and death our hardy sailors. "Good morning, gentlemen," said Mrs. Cheatum, with courteous salutation, " pray is the ship up yet?" "Yes," returned Mr. Gullum, directing the inquirer at the same time by an expressive action, "there she is, long looked for, come at last, and I hope she'll well for our trouble in looking out so long." pay us The communicated intelligence evidently afforded the highest pleasure to Mrs. Cheatum,-"That's all right," she exclaimed, "come my friends," she continued, "let us have a drop of ginon the strength of it. Here, waiter!" shouted the fat-sided dame, "bring us a pot of ale, and half a pint of gin-none of your skim milk, or sky-blue, now; d'ye hear?" "Ay, ay, madam," responded a dirty, slovenly fellow, as he moved to perform the order, never fear that, we knows our customers—and we always serves our gooduns well." Mrs. Cheatum's tongue set a going, like the speed of a wild horse, was hard to be stopped. The sight of the ship, and the prospect of a golden harvest which it furnished, had loosed her tongue with alertness. It was evident she had been expecting its arrival, and had come prepared with destructive mixtures, to receive such of the men as might come within her remorseless grasp. "I have got a couple of bottles of rare Old Tom in my pocket, for our lodgers, when we get on board," she observed with a significant and well-understood wink, to her companions; "I warrant you, a sup or two of it will make merry lads of them, and send them longing for more." "How many lodgers," inquired Mr. Sharkish, "have you got on board of her, Mrs. Cheatum ?” "How many?" returned the beldame, "let me see," and she muttered a moment or two to herself, counting backwards and forward her well-ringed fingers, "fifteen,' she replied, "and the carpenter; and I have got a birth for him on board a ship bound for the coast of Africa." "Have you so ?" shouted Sharkish," you are the best provider I ever knew: but suppose, Mrs. Cheatum, he won't go, how then, eh?” "Won't go!" rejoined the virago in a half scream, "he must go, his money will soon be gone; he won't have more than about fifty pounds to receive, and a fortnight will bring that to an end, if not less, and when the last copper jingles upon the counter, he'll be glad to go; I'll take care that he shall feel no objection to a trip any where, don't fear me, I understand such matters perfectly well, gentlemen." "No one that knows you, doubts it;" grumbled Gullum to himself; "and pray Mrs. Cheatum," he inquired, where do you intend to send the sailors, next | voyage, to the south seas?" "Either there, or to some other snug quarter," returned Mrs. Cheatum, "be sure of that, I don't forget them; but here's our gin and ale—come, let us drink and be off, or we shall have the ship in the bason, and the men ashore before we get to them." Mrs. Cheatum was well instructed in the use of the pot and the glass, she held it |