The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-28 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

ZARAFFA.
IValsh, Dublin, 1839

There is some talent in this tragedy, but it is
throughout too closely modelled on the " Revenge."
Zaraffa, the principal character, is an exact copy of
Zanga. Both are slaves ; both African princes,
proud of their Royal blood, and maddened at the
thought of their humiliating servitude ; both have
similar—or nearly similar—wrongs to revenge ; and
both sct about the task in the same remorseless
style. Zaraffa, however, has some little redeeming
gentleness in his character, which his swarthy pro-
totype has not ; and this is the only difference be-
tween them. With regard Lo the other personages
in the play, the most distinctly marked is Escovedo,
who is a very fair specimen of the haughty, hot-
blooded Spanish noble. The language is fre-
quently vigorous, and occasionally poetical ; but its '
great defect is, that it is too declamatory. Maid-
servants, mistresses, slaves, pirates, and nobles, all
speak the same high-flown language. We subjoin
one or two of the most pleasingly written pas-

sages :
" What music in these words ! How sweet they come
Over my agitated bosom, like
A lute at midnight, for whose precious sound
Some lonely ear is watching."
" Hark !
Comes a small footstep, light as creeping breeze
Among the flowers at evening."
" Our minutes, full,
Hold, each within itself, a life of thoughts,
Made up of quick sensations."

MEMOIRS OF SIR SIDNEY SMITH, 2 Vele.
Bentley, London, 1839.

Sir Sidney Smith, the subject of these Memoirs,
and well-known for his skill and heroism at Acre,
where he gave Napoleon the first serious check
that great commander ever received, was born in
Westminster towards the close of the year 1764.
He was—we should rather is, for, we believe, he is
still living—of very good family, being " no 'emote
relative to the late Lord Chief Baron Sir Sidney
Stafford Smithe, and of the Smythe Lord Viscount
Strangford." His father was Gentleman Usher to
Queen Charlotte, and her " enjoying much of per-
sonal favour," was enabled to get his son appointed
midshipman, before he was twelve years of age. In
1781, young Sidney obtained his Lieutenant's com-
mission, and took share in the action of Admiral
Graves off the Chesapeake. In the following year
he participated in Sir George Rodney's glorious
victory; and was made Post-Captain in 1783, " at
the juvenile age of nineteen, having served as a
Commander only one year and five days I" Soon
afterwards, " impatient of a life of inactivity," he
entered into the naval service of Sweden, and dis-

tinguished himself so highly in the war with Russia,
that the Swedish Monarch rewarded him with the
grand cross of the order of the Sword, and George
the Third with the honour of knighthood. In 1793
he served as a volunteer in the Turkish marine, but
returned to England when the war broke out with
France, and offered his services to Lord Hood to
burn the French fleet, magazines, &c., at Toulon.
This he succeeded in accomplishing, infinitely to
the astonishment of all who knew the perilous cha-
racter of the achievement. About this period, too,

he obtained the command of the Diamond, and
while it was in harbour refitting for active service,
we are told that

" He used frequently to come to London, and mingle
in the festivities of the metropolis. Though he had his
peculiarities, yet he might justly be denominated a
steady man. At this time he was decidedly handsome,
and though not tall, of a compact, well-built, symme-
trical frame, with a dark and somewhat Hebraical coun-
tenance, and a profusion of jet black curling hair. Not-
withstanding the fierce bravery of his character, his
features were always remarkable for a degree of refine-
ment not often found in either the pale student or the
silken courtier. In his character mind predominated.
He had his singularities, and where is the thorough-bred
seaman who has not ? He bad himself trained a beau-
tiful and docile horse into a❑ amusing playmate, as well
as a valuable servant. When told to give a prance for
King George' he would rear on his hind legs and
dance like a well-educated dog. When requested to
pay the like compliment to Buonaparte he would take
the request as an insult, stiffen out his limbs into an
attitude of indignation, and snort indignantly. When
mounting his favourite Bucephalus at the door of his
hotel, Captain Smith would do it in the most approved
style of the fashionable equestrians of the day, and pre-
serve all the proprieties of equitation until he was fairly
clear of the suburbs, then would he fling the stirrups
across the back of the horse, settle himself sailor fashion
in the saddle, and ride as if he were chasing the wind."

Sir Sidney Smith's next expedition was to cut
out a French lugger which was lying near the shore
off' Havre, but no sooner had he secured this vessel,
than it was drifted, together with the boats, a con-
siderable way up the Seine. The whole party- were,
in consequence, captured, and their gallant leader
conveyed to Paris, where he was confined in the
Temple for the space of two years. After making
many abortive efforts, he at length succeeded in
effecting his escape, reached London in 1798,
where he was welt omed by the universal con-
gratulations of the people," and a few months after-
wards was appointed to the command of the Tigre,
and made Joint Plenipotentiary to the Turkish
Court. The subsequent year saw him at Acre,
engaged in the defence of that town, and frustrating
all Napoleon's efforts to capture it. As the details
of this memorable siege are familiar to all our
readers, we shall not dwell on them, but just con-
tent ourselves with extracting a curious anecdote
relating to a British sailor :
" The seamen of the squadron took each their turn
for the military service on the wails of Acre. One of
them, belonging to the Tigre, had observed, in his spell
ashore, the body of a French General, splendid in his
uniform, that lay exposed in the very centre of the ditch,
This dwelt on the mind of the honest, though—the
truth must be told—somewhat obtuse-minded tar. In-
deed, he had never shown himself remarkable either
for intellect or activity, and held no higher office in the
ship than a waister. Yet, by some unexplained mental
process, the fate and the unburied corpse of the French
General had fixed themselves so strongly on his imagi-
nation, that he was determined, at all risks, to give his
glittering dead opponent the rights of sepulture. The
next day, though out of his turn, he asked and obtained
permission to take his spell on the walls, Nothing
divided the hostile entrenchments but this same ditch,'
and so closely placed were the foes to each other, that
a moderate whisper could be easily heard from one em-
bankment to the other. Nothing appeared above these
embankments but a serried line of bayonets, for if a
hat or a head. or anything tangible, appeared on either
side, it was saluted with a volley of perforating balls.
It was about noon, and the respective hostile lines were
preserving a dead silence, anxiously watching for the
opportunity of a shot at each other. Our seaman—
without informing any one of his intention, had pro-
vided himself with a spade and pickaxe—suddenly
broke the ominous silence by shouting out, in a stento-
rian voice, Mounseers, a-boy ! 'vast heaving there a
bit, will ye? and belay over all with your poppers for a
spell.' And then he shoved his broad unmeaning face
over the lines. Two hundred muskets were imme-
diately pointed at him, but seeing him with only the
implements of digging, and not exactly understanding
his demand for a parley, the French forbore to fire.
Jack very leisurely then scrambled over the entrench-
ment into the ditch, the muzzle of the enemy's muskets
still following his every motion. All this did not in the
least disturb his sang froid ; but going up to the French
General, he took his measure in quite a business-like
manner, and dug a very decent grave close alongside the
defunct in glory. When this was finished, shaking what
was so lately a French General very cordially and affec-
tionately by the hand, he reverently placed him in his
impromptu grave, then shovelled the earth upon and
made all smooth above him. When all was properly
completed, he made his best sailor's bow and foot-scrape
to the French, shouldered his implements of burial, and
climbed over into his own quarters with the same im-
perturbability that had marked his previous appearance.
This he did amidst the cheers of both parties."
For his skill and courage at Acre, Sir Sidney re-
ceived the thanks of both House'z of Parliament,
and a pension of one thousand pounds per annum,
while the city of London presented him with its
freedom, accompanied by a sword, valued at one
hundred guineas. He next assisted in landing Sir
Ralph
previous to his great victory there over the French
troops, and on his return soon afterwards to Abercromby's artillery at Alexandria, just
Eng-
land, was elected Member of Parliament for Ro-
chester. Sir s•
idney, however, seems to have been
soon weary of his pacific duties as a senator, for we
find him in 1805, in command of an English
squadron destined for the defence of Sicily
the machinations of King Joseph Bonaparte. against The
last expedition of any ng
moment in which he was en-
gaged, was escorting the
after, Royal family of Portugal
to
he was made an Ad-
miral, and on the close of the
war,
the Duke of Wellington, at Paris, was invested by
of Knight Commander of the Batiwith the insignia
Memoirs of the " Hero of Acre is usually
styled—are exceedingly entertaining, for they presentabound
in anecdote, and romantic incident, to adi
often witnessed in biographical sketches. gsroeem not
of
the despatches, however, especially those whiche
relate to Toulon, might, we think, have been omited