Star.
London, England, 1823-11-08 00:00:00

TRANSLATION

CT TUX

FOURTH ODE OF ANACREON.

Ileclin'cl beneath the myrtle's shade.
With flow'ring lotcis round me spread,
I gaily drink to drown my cares;
While Cupid rob'd in vesture white,
With wreathleti of papyrus bright,
For me the empurpled bowl prepares!
See, Age with the revolving years,
I,cd on by fleeting Time appears,
And marks severe my furrow'd brow.
In vain o'er urns rich grapes are shed,
In vain sweet flow'rs perfume the dead;
• Give me my fruits, my garlands now !

Now round my brows the rose shall twine,
Now would I quaff the gen'rous wine,
And pleas'd enjoy a faithful friend ;
Before to Orcus' shades I go,
In Pluto's gloomy realms below
Each hour in social pleasure speed!
Maremg, October

VEN ATOR.

THE VAMPIRE OF THE OCEAN.

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK LYCEUM OF
NATURAL DISTORT, TO THE MEMBERS, DATED NEW
YORK, SEPTEMBER 11, 1823.
" On the 9th day of September, 1823, returned from
a cruise off Delaware Bay, the fishing smack. Una. She
had sailed about three weeks before from New York, for
the express purpose of catching an enormous fish, which
had been reported to frequent the ocean, a few leagues
beyond Cape Ilenlopen. The adventurers in this bold
enterprize have been successful. They have brought,
for the enlargement of science and the gratification of
curiosity, an uncommon inhabitant of the deep, which
has never been seen on the land before. The creatore
is one of the huge individuals of the family of ltaja ;
or perhaps may be erected, from his novelty and pecu-
liaiity, into a new genus, between that, the Squalas, and
the Acipenser. Its strength was such, that after the
body had been penetrated by two strong and well
formed gigs of the best tempered iron, the shank of one
of them was broken off, and the other singularly bent.
The boat containing the three intrepid men, John
Patchen, Theophilus Beebe, and William Porter, was
connected, after the deadly instrument had taken hold,
with the wounded inhabitant of the deep by a strong
warp or line. The celerity with which the fish swam
could only be compared to that of the harpooned whale,
dragging the boat after it with such speed, as to cause
a wave to rise on each side of the furrow in which he
moved several feet higher than 'the boat itself. The
vAight of the fish after death was such, that three pair
of oxen, one horse, and 22 men, all pulling together,
with the surge of the Atlantic wave to help, could not
convey it far to the dry beach. It was estimated
from this, a probable estimate, to equal four tons and a
half, or perhaps five tons. The size was enormous;
for the distance from the extremity of one wing or pec-
toral fin to the other, expanded like the•wing of an
eagle, measures IS feet ; over the extremity of the back,
and on the right line of the belly, 16 feet; the distance
from the snout to the end of the tail, 14 fcet; length of
the tail, four feet; wi,ith of the mouth, two feet nine
inches. The operation of combat and killing lasted
nine hours. It v. as an heroic achievement, and was
witnessed by crowds of citizens, on the 42otes of New
Jersey and Delaware, and by the persons on board the
flotilla of vessels in the bay and offing. During the
sAuffte, the wings, side flaps, or vast aimed fins of the
monster, lashed the sea with such vehemence, that the
spray rose to the height of SO feet, and rained round to
the distance of 50 feet. It was a tremendous encounter.
On shore, all was awe and expectation. Mr. Patchen,
'hose taste and zeal in Zoology are well known, has
attended very much to the manners of the Vampire of
tae Ocean ; to the preservation of the skin and external
mos ; to the osteology and skeleton ; the internal or-
ganizations; and, in short, to every ciicumstance that
wit practicable during such a hazardous business, and
tlal tempestuous weather which distrcssed them almost
from the beginning to the end of their voyage. I merely
mention, before I lay down my pen, that this animal is
viviparous, and of course connects fishes with mammi-
ferous animals; and that the respiratory motion, gene-
rative and sensitive or;ins, pretest an extraordinary
ainount of rare and interesting particulars. Incompre-
hekible as well as wonderful are thy works, 0 CREATOR!
in consummate sagacity Thou hest executed them all;
this is but an outline; I intend to finish this sketch ; and
prepare it as well as I can for the Society's formal
• notice. While I express full approbation of our friends,
whom neither difficulty nor danger could discourage.
I utter a further sentiment, that they may be well pair
by their intended exhibition.
" SAMUEL L. MITCHILL"

A letter has been sent to Mr. WONTNER, the Keeper
of Newgatc, from the Office of the Secretary for the Home De-
partment, directing that forty female convicts should be forth-
with sent to Woolwich, there to embaik on board the Brothers,
•for New South Wales. Sixty more female convicts are to be
sent from different prisons in the country on hoard the same vessel,
which engages to carry out M. Several of the' Women have been
already engaged as servants in the plaie of their destination. The
Chittlren of the women are allowed to accompany them.
EARTHQUAKE IN CA:4A EiA.—QuEBEc. 'SEPT. 10.—On
the `2Bth of last month, about three o'clock in the after-
noon, the inhahitants of the village of llayotte, in the
parish of Champlitn, were alarmed by the foltowing
extraordinary occurrence :—A trade of land, containing
a superficies 0f4407 :trpents, was suddenly moved ire
or six arpents (about 360 yards) horn the water's edge,
and precipitated into the river Champlain, overwhelm-
ing in its progress barns, houses, trees, and Whatever
else lay in its course. The earth thus removed dammed
up the river for a distance of 26 arpents. The effect
was instantaneous, and accompanied by an appalling',
sound; a dense vapour; as of pitch and sulphur, filled
the atmosphere, oppressing those. who witnessed this
awful convulsion almost to suffocation. A man named
Dube, who was on the ground at the ttme, was removed.
ith it to a considerable distance, and buried up to the
neck ; he was extricated without receiving any ierions
injury. The course of the river being thus obstructed,,
the waters swelled to a treat height, but must .tire seven.
or eight feet more before they calf find a passage. The,
above-narned Debe has jOtt an island which he'ha4 on
the river; another inhabitent,, 6004 fiatlelin las Also
suffered a..loss of land, wheat, incl,liap.; aria a
named Francis Gusuett, has had his hay and grain do;
struyed. The investigation of this singular phenomenon
may well enrage the 'attention of the, philosophic in-
Varmus causes arc at present assigned for it—
such is the.effect of a volcanic eruption, or an *much-
Neake ; and by others it is supposed to have been pro-
duced by the water having insinote4kittelf between the
strata of clay and the subjacent bed Of sand.