The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-10-17 00:00:00

:BE LATE CAPTAIN COCHRANE.

Captain J. Dunilas Cochrane, H.N. whose death at Va-
lencia, S nub America, we announced on Thursday, was
perhaps the most extraorilinary pedestrian traveller upon
record. At the conclusion of the general peace, he Ira-
%med on foot the countries of France, Spain, and Portu-
gal; and in Da), lie tiif, red to undertake a journey into
the interior of Africa, to explore the source of the Niger.
'Co accomplish this object, it was even. his intention to hay:
sod himself as a slave to one of the owners of caravans
travelling in that country. The Admiralty, however.• to
whom be made the request, either from regard to the safety
of his person, or because they considered such an expedi-
tion foreign to their department, were unfavourable to the
plan. Ile subsequently set out with the intention of tra-
velling sound the globe, as nearly as it can be done by
land, creasing from Northern Asia to America, at Behr-
ing's Straits—all this, too, on foot, his circumstances
admitting of no other mode. His leading object was to
trace the shores of the Pular sea along America, by laud,
as Captain Parry is now attempting to do by sea. Having
arrived at St. Iktersburgh, and obtained letters of recom-
rm relation and protection from the Emperor Alexander, he
set out to traverse Siberia to Kamtschatka or Behring's
Straits, but had not pioceeded far, when, as lie was
travelling through a forest, he was attacked by robbers,
who first stripped him naked and then left him tied to a
tree, from which disagreeable situation lie was released by
a boy who happened to be passing that way. Ilia ardour,
however,-was by no means abated by dais untoward cir-
cumstance, for he still pursued his journey, and after en-
etunteeing incredible dangers, all of which ate fully de-
scribed in his " Pedestrian Tour," he succeeded in reach-
ins Kamtuhatka. While there, however, lie became fully
aware of the impracticability of his plan, and returned to
Europe. In the course of this extensive journey, he states
tb it he travelled upwards of 6,000 miles at the expense of
toile nee prisms.

his petsevering and astonishing pedestrian traveller
Veil' nephew of that distinguished and respected of t.er the
i fum Admiral Sir Alexander I. Cochrane, C 3.

STEAM PACKETS AND GREENWICH BOATS.

(From the Sailors' Magazine.]
The following is the extract to which we allude in
another part of our paper. They are wholly mistaken who
fancy that such fanatical rhapsodies as these can produce
any other feeling than that of pity for the writer, and
contempt for the publications in which they appear :
I have this moment stepped on shore, after having at-
tended on board a ship lying off the Tower, where a ser-
mon was preached to sailors, soldiers, and rivernien. If
my observations this morning are at all correct, 1 must say
that the moral and religious state of this part of the river
is moat deplorable. 1 really had ho conception it could
be so bad ; I cannot express my utter astonishment (not to
say more) at the daring of some persons who have printed,
;hat there is no occasion fora seamen's chapel on this part
of the Thames. I have, however, something more to say
of these active zealous gentlemen who have never sought
the salvation of one sailor in this part by a personal visit;
and therefore I shall reserve some remarks for another
month. My business now is to tell you of the most awful
profanation of the Sabbath on the Ricer. From six o'clock
this morning until past eight, the stairs near the Tower,
and the streets in the vicinity, exhibited such a scene as
might well make an Englishman blush, who had the
least regard to the honour of his country as a Christi tn
land. In addition to the placards that cover the walls,
persons were stationed along the streets to meet the crowds
of Sabbath-breakers, who rush forward and press them
to enter the several packets. It was really appalling to
see the number of respeclably-dreased young men and wo-
men who were hastening forward to the guilty revel, and
the tradesmen and their.tirmilies who followed. A friend
who lives in the Tower informed me that fiddling, danc-
ing, and every evil work, proceed on board when the pac-
kets get below Woolwich ; and that hundreds of young
persons are reined by the association of one Sabbath, and
the company it leads them to frequent afterwards. I said,
I do not wonder now to read in the reports of the police
offices, that tills are robhed, f.rgrries numerous, and
daughters who desert a parent's roof increase. Ah, Sir,
said my friend, there is now a youth either in Newgate or
on the point of going there, who has been brought to this
by Sabbath-breaking on board a steam packet. The water-
man who brought me on shore this morning, informed me
that the crowd of Sabbath-breakers at the Tower-stairs was
amazing. " Six packets, Sir," said he, " are gone don n ;
the Vest's, the Eeetese, the Amore, the FAVOURITI.
the LONDON ENCINLIR, and I think the SWIFTSCRE ; 1
suppose nearly 2,000 persons are gone in them altogether,
and I have counted 38 wherries from the Tower-stairs to
Greenwich this morning, each boat carrying eight persons.
I have no doubt but we shall have 100 boats at least leave
these stairs alone to-day for GREENWICH with parties of
Sabbath-breakers." There then are about lOU more on the
river in pre-sumptuous violation of the law of God, notwith-
standing the almost constant accidents and deaths that take
place on the Lard's day by boats and bridges. In addition, I
find that thete are not less than g,OOO Sabbath-breakers
going up the river above London-bridge every fine Sabbath,
so that we may estimate .5,000 souls from liecirmoso to
the Nome on such a day as this, are exhibiting their bold
and fearless rebellion against God as an example to all the
towns and villages on the shores of this noble river.—" The
waters law thee, 0, God," said the Psalmist, " anti were
afraid," hut man, infinitely more stupid than inanimate
nature, &firs the Almighty, and tries his forte, trance unto the
very utmost. The very tides that bear the guilty culprits on
their bosom in the ebb and flood, are God's servants, and
obey his commands, ready it' He speaks to inundate the I
country, and deluge tire world ; but lie graciously Nile the'
flux and reflux perform their accustomed course, and only
here and there drowns a Salim:A-breaker as a monument of
his vengeance; but will not the eery THAMES appear in
judgment at last against those wretched men and women
who borrowed its surjbee and its tides to assist them in their
crimes against Me God of heaven and earth, whom the
river Jordan obeyed, .and at whose word the Red Sea was
divided ? Independent of the immense number cf persons
brought down to witness the embarkation and debarkation
of Sabbath-breakers, and the multitude of watennen and
others employed on this day, I must consider that the In-
fluence of floe thousand Sabbath-breakers, on sailors; and
rivennen, will be peculiarly filial. The British and Foreign
Seamen's Friend Society has its sermons and prayer-meetings
on the decks of ships all down the river where they lie in tiers.
The Greenwich, Woolwich, a nd Gravesend branches aim
• also to restrain this horrid wickedness, while the Thames
Rivermen Society brings forward its mild and beneficial
influence to soften the roughness of its objects afloat, and
raise the character of the riverman, by evangelizing his
privileges. The Port of London Society employs also its
local advantages in the middle pool of the'fhames, to instruct,
reform, and convert, the guilty mariner; but alas, they
find that Sabbath-breaking is now rolling down upon them
like a mighty torrent, and it is with great difficulty they
can stein the current, and struggle onward to grasp some
sinking victims and save them
_prom perishing eternally.
Who then are the vile multitude who are thus aiming in
paralyze the eflorts of those noble institutions, and wrest
from their friendly hand the drowning seamen and river-
men ? Are they out the population of London, who have
churches, chapels, and societies in abundance? Alas, who
bath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the
Lord tevealcd? It vas well obaer:'ed by a late Reverend
Speaker, " When I attend the public meetings of many
evangelical institutions, I ray, surely the millennium is
come, when all shall know the Lord ; but when I walk
out in the streets, I c7ye out, if the Son of Man were to
come, would He find faith ou the earth ?—surely LONDON
is the. glee: were Satan's seat is!" Admitting most fully
this fearful exclamation concerning the me., apolis in
general, still/ lament most aver Me TH AM ER and its banks,
h;cause there of late years some of us have worked hard
to save souls and raise the gospel standard, and there our
hopes have been very sanguine, and our success very great;
but the will boar of Me forest rushes forward to despoil
oar vines that hare tender gropes, and SATAN the destroyer
is poorbig ifUtOa like an overrunning flood, to overwhelm
and annihilate that garden we had happily raised for the
Lord from the vast howling wilderness of moral degradation
and misery. " For these things I weep ; mine eye, mine eye
runneth down with water," and from my very soul would
I exhort every friend of Seamen and Itivermen. " Arise,
cry out in the night, in ti.e begitning of the watches pour
out thine heart before the face of the Lord," that he may
mercifully arrest the course of the mass of LondunSabhath-
breakers, and save the beloved objects of our commisera-
tion and zeal from being carried away with the stream, and
borne forward to the gulf of endless perdition.
Lord, I adore thy matchless gmee,
That warn'd me of that dark abyss ;
That drew me from those treacherous seas,
And bid me seek superior bliss.
Deeply affected with such consideration, I hailed the ap-
proach of evening, when I joined a large congregation on
board the Joim and Amelia, of Gainaborough, at Hay's
wharf, and after the sermon had the pleasure of !haring a
Captain and several sailors fervently praying
.for Sabbath-
breakers. The scene was most delightful, and the relief
afforded from the nflectious of the morning unpseakably
great. Drectly opposite was the Cos-roar-House prome-
nade, and a large assembly walking there and watching the
return of the steam packets : during the singing of several
short,hymns from the Sailors' Ilyinti-Book, the crowd on
shore listened with evident surprise and astonishment ; I
was delighted to think SATAN had not all the Thames under
his control, but that JEHOVAH had his servants mho hod
hoisted the Bethel Fla; in sight rf London-bridge, w.tere
many sailors were ardently pouring out their souls to God
in prayer, or raising their voices cheerfully to his praise.
Ah, what a contrast! Such was the south side qf the
Thames at half-past eight, p. res. while on the north side
some of the packets and Greenwich boats were vomiting
forth their guilty drunken hosts of Sabbath-breakers, toddy
prepared for rubbing their masters' tills on MONDAY, plan.
tiering their mistress's uwrdrobe, cheating, defrauding,l
and imposing upon their customers to get money foranother
Sunday revel, and snaking assignations fur some tea-gar-
dens, where the seeds of iniquity sown on board to-day
will spring up in for nication and adultery, the sure precur-
sors of domestic misery. Deserted families, illegitimate
offsprings, rapid suicides by arsenic, drowning perhaps in
this river, or the lingering heart-breaking inelincholv ;
while, in sonic instances, confirmed' libertinism in the
male, prostitution in the female, and final transportation
or execution in one or both, will seal up in this world the
doom of the carat se Sabbath-breaker.

hoe -.Nit isidis.