lay close to the dock-yard jetty, unfortunately blew up. Two parties were on board at dinner, one in the cabin, the other in the gun-room ; and, owing to its being known that the Amphion would put to sea on the following day, nearly 100 men, women, and children, over and above the ship's complement, were on board, taking leave of their kindred and townsfolk. Captain Pellew, his first lieutenant, and a visitor, Captain William Swaffield of the Overyssel, were sitting at table, when the first shock threw them all from their seats against the carlings of the main deck. The first two, although much bruised, retained their self-possession, and, running to the cabin windows, threw themselves out and were saved. Captain Swaffield, stunned probably by the blow against the deck, shared the fate of the ship, and of 300 out of her 310 or 312 unfortunate inmates. The mangled bodies, limbless trunks, and disunited arms, legs, and heads, that every where presented themselves, made humanity shudder. The Amphion having been chiefly manned from the town, these black and scorched pieces of flesh had to be scrutinized by the sorrowful inhabitants, in order that they might ascertain, if they could, which had belonged to a father, a son, a brother, a husband, or a friend.

Three or four of the survivors had been among the men engaged in the tops. Another, the boatswain, was standing on the cathead, superintending the rigging of the jib-boom : after being lifted up by the shock, he fell into the sea, and escaped with the loss of an arm. The sentinel at the cabin-door happened to be looking at his watch, when he felt it suddenly dashed out of his hand : beyond that he knew nothing, and yet was but little hurt. The cause of this dreadful disaster has never been satisfactorily explained. If by design, the incendiary, and, if by accident, the defaulter, probably fell a victim to his crime or his carelessness. Early in October an attempt was made to weigh the Amphion, and two frigates, the Castor and Iphigenia, were moored on each side of her. It only served to harrow up afresh the feelings of the inhabitants, by dislodging the putrid bodies, and casting them on shore all along the beach. In November, however, Mr. Hemmings, the master-attendant at Plymouth, succeeded in dragging the wreck to the jetty to be broken up. As one means of preventing the repetition of such an accident so near to the town, it was ordered that every ship should land her powder previously to entering. the harbour.

On the 23d of September, at daybreak, the island of Désirade bearing south-east by south distant six or seven leagues, the British 18-gun brig-sloop Pelican, Captain John Clarke Searle, mounting sixteen 32-pounder carronades and two long sixes, found herself close on the lee beam of an enemy's frigate. Not over-desirous of engaging where the odds were so decidedly against him, Captain Searle made sail to the north-west, and was followed by the frigate ; who, having the weathergage, and