The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-11 00:00:00

A NAVAL WAR INCIDENT ON SHORE.

We were about.ten.miles to the eastward of Marseilles, when
we saw a vessel at anchor in a narrow bay. Prize-monay to a
sailor is like blood to a blood-hound ; once tasted, never relin-
quished, unless indeed superior force interfere. To see this
little vessel, small as she was, and to know that a certain sum,
however insignificant, would result from her capture, were suf-
ficient excitements. Sir Peter Parker, who closely watched
the position of this miserable settee, and who had satisfied-him-
self of her very defenceless situation, manned the boats, Sand
desired one of the lieutenants to bring out the prize, for sd we
named her, long before we had her. On this expeditied-we had
only three boats employed; for, as tie could not distinguish the
slightest fortification, or any thing like a battery, or numerous
men assembled, the small force was deemed amply sufficient,
and we left the ship just as certain of a bloodless prize;as we
were of our existence. Three marines had been placed in each
boat, in order to attract notice, in the event of one or two French
soldiers being in the neighbourhood. We approached the land
about noon, and shortly were within pistol-shot. It was a fine
calm day, the shore looking attractive beyond meastre to our
long-wandering eyes; the wood which overhung the right-hand
entrance of the bay cast a calm and beautiful shade over the
landscape. At the extremity of the bay stood a low hut, which
could scarcely be dignified by the name of cottage, near which
an old woman sat spinning, and who continued her toil without
bestowing the slightest notice on the approach of her nation's
enemies. It was a dead calm, and "ocean slumbered like an
unweaned child." The boat almost silently sprung through the
water; and war and all its horrors seemed far distant from this
pretty, retired spot. The bowman was a corpse. A musket-bail
had been fired from behind a rock On the left-hand entrance,
and that first shot was fatal: it wss succeeded by another from
the same place, and one marine was disabled; a third tore the
cravat from the lieutenant's neck, but otherwise was harmless;
a fourth, and the cockswain lost his arm. Still no one was visi-
ble; and the distance of time between each shot convinced us
that we had not more than two people opposed to us at the most.
This deliberate murder was by no means pleasant. Concealed
behind the rock the Frenchmen fired in perfect security; and
so small were the apertures from which they issued their de-
struction, that they were imperceptible to us We gave three
cheers, and pulled right for the place. Only one more shot
was fired, and that struck an already wounded man. A small
sandy cove offered a landing, and one and all, saving the
wounded, jumped on shore, and commenced a search for the
enemy. The lieutenant, myself; and a marine, took one direc-
tion ; the other marine and the boat's crew began to examine
the rock near which we had landed. In the mean time the
other boats pulled to the vessel, cut her cable, and began to
tow her out. To this there was not the slightest opposition,
and not a man was to be seen iu the vicinity of the bay. After
examining every place with the utmost precaution, we had well
nigh declared the search as fruitless; but, in turning a narrow
point of rock which led to a wider path, another shot convinced
us we were close to our enemy. We pushed on, one after the
other, for the path was rugged and narrow, until coming into a
broader and more open view, we perceived a man and boy re-
treating with all speed. The instant we hailed him to stop, he
turned round and tired. It was a harmless shot. The lieutenant
instantly fired, but missed his mark; and the marine who levelled
his musket was desired to do the same, but to be cautious not to
hit the child. The Frenchman, who had loaded his musket as
lie retreated, turned round and fired again. It was so completely
a running tight and fire, that little -harm was likely to occur.
The marine now stopped, and, resting his gun over a small pro-
jection of a rock, filed, and shot the child: he fell in the act of
offering another cartridge to the French soldier. Thedather in-
stantly dropped his musket, and fell by the side of lria son. Of
course we made a rush to the spot, and both were prisoners at a
moment. The soldier seemed as insensible to our movements '
as if we were miles from the spot: he perfectly disregarded our
approach: he had seated himself in the centre of the road, and,
having placed the boy's head upon his lap, began to wipe away
the blood as it oozed from a wound in the child's forehead. Oil
being desired to get up and follow us, lie paidnot the least atten-
tion. The world and the world's light were shut to him: he
saw not—thought not—spoke not; but, with a kind of mecha-
nical motion, apparently involuntary, he wiped and wiped the
blood, as the increasing flow gushed through the wounu. The
eye rested upon the spot; but with such inanimation as almost
made it a mockery of sight. There were no tears; no sighs;
and save now and then a gurgle in the child's throat, as he made
an endeavour to breathe, the stillness of death itself could not
have been more profound. At last a shivering seized the boy;
the eye became fixed and glassy; and the opened jaw, gradu-
ally distending., marked the rapid approach of death; then came
one short convuisive sigh, and the boy was ,a corpse. My voice;
like the death-raven's, -croaked out the miserable truth; on which
the father sprang from his scat, the marine brought his bayonet
to the charge, and the Frenchman endeavoured to,throw himself
upon its point; but the marine, as the father rushed on, dropped
his musket and encircled him in his arms. We immediately
secured his hands, and desired him to lead us to the beach near-
the cottage. The marine carried the dead boy; and the fathe'
walked by the side, his eyes riveted on the corpse, in perfect
silence, without a tear, and apparently without a thought. VC,
certainly did not return the way we auvanced, for we had passe,'
our boat before we came suddenly upon the rear of the cottage'
'lle woman was still at her wheel; she was very old, and ay'
patently childish. She never raised her eyes from her employ'
ment until we were within about two yards-of her, when, lifting
her head, she fixed her eyes upon her son, bound, and iu tlar
custody of strangers: she gave a violent shriek; and, allot
gazing a short second, she turned the wheel again, and Leant.
to spin out her thread. The shriek was not ineffectual; for
fine woman, about thirty, immediately rushed from the hut, and
there saw, in painful reality; her husband a prisoner, her chit,
dead, and her mother an idiot. She looked lint at her parer"
and then rushed.to seize her dead child froth the arms of its reUr
deter. She kissed it, hugged it, gazed on it; then, giving eta
deep and audible sigh, fell at the feet of her -mother. The hu'l
baud had been unbound, and looked at the scene in pertesj
stone-like apathy; the grandmother still turned the wheel al'
pinched the thread with all the indifference of mechanism; tr 6
wife still clung to the dead child,- which she convulsively graspe,
and we, the cause of all this ruin and desolation, remained s
fixed eyes upon the melancholy sight before us.—Front the 14" !
vf a Sailor. '

SHEATHING FOR SHIPS' BOTTOMS.—A new metallic she
ing, the invention of Baron Wetterstedt, has recently Kr
made for covering ships' bottoms, which, according to the jo,"`;
meat of the editor of the Nautical Magazine, possesses iii i
practical advantages over copper. 'lbis new compound
described aslighly tenacious and elastic, and is said to pot''e*%.,
the peculiar Mid, advantageous power of adapting itself to
face, so much so, that by a violent strain or blow, it re'llul'
yields to the force of the percussion. This power of adaptillgo,
itself to any form of surface, will not only be. found ad-vantaS..'o.° it
On first sheathing the vessel,. but will also prevent the evil enec.c.)
Of any subsequent strain or blow, and even tend much, to l'1:4
serve her from external injury. The price is considerably l'as*,,
than that of ordinary copper 'sheathing, whilst it is found to
far more durable. •
PROSPECTS OF YOUNG SEA OFFICERS.—The ruidshipmello
berths presented the usual number of human casts between
ages of fourteen and thirty; and some among them were as m,
lads as ever took 14eisou for a leading star. 'What a field I."c,i
physiognomist is a middy's berth! In it we see a happY "03
Just emancipated from school; a few years older, a youth prti
of the watch on deck just intrusted to him; another trenabliv4
anxious as the hour of passing approaches. Tile eyes of an0t1,1,,"0,
More advanced,- beam with the prospect of speedy proinativis
pn the manly cheek of another the cancer of hope delay e,'he -
beginning to develop itself; and silent in the corner may atpti
seen one -brooding over long and often renewed disappointble 1
which have worn his spirit till it became callous to reproacb.o6,
never enter a crowded- berth without thinking that the ye'llo":1
ster, who is buoyantly mirthful over his glass, had better be ee,ll
where than there, %iewing the interval of mental agony hetor to
him and the care-worn neglected oldster at the other elicii-ter
which state he must come have he no interest, and the biiglipe
his mind the deeper his pain. Two of my messmates in}'
sunk under the weight of disappointment, and became tbe.es-
mates of a mad-house. It is against the dictates of justice, s'od
son, and clemency, the way in which midshipmen are allq,prtl.
to pine away the best years of life, deprived of ordinary coo' 0'
and common-place education, in expectation of—ivhat?
ninety pounds a . year as the reward of long years of toil, '1111;e3
tilential clinics May be,—a reward delayed-until it is not than ,or
for, and, except per se, useless, as an old midshipman whett.iroo
mOted is never employed. Thus, estranged -from his conne%ok
by long absence, a stranger to his country and its institute ,t
he sits down in it at the age of thirty to vegetate for. the re.'l,o,
life, condemned by a system to be a pauper-gentleman ; 40111
often, by the consciousness of inferiorit, to the pothouse44
relict'. Think of this; parents ! -this faint outline of a gl°,W
!itgicotuoliet„hairntdeenletfonrofitittyliepobuanidt
sofa:getting rid of. your suns al:ie‘i)
,i'oo
on board of one of his Madesty'r ships'il
se
l'ht them rather behind a counter in a situation where their'here a rvite
exertions will avail them, and they will bless you. 0
expenses incl
your re uf
osio
present above two thousand midshipmen on the lists, nol pot
tgoagettecirouelonamis!usi
josislisonast all, arui.tiore
till they
one-fourth of
passed ciUht, `he
ten, even expectelVi oi ttl.(,)' eive years. \ hat Irian (with
terest) would knowingly allow his son to enter sudi a "
of,De4ond."-6LADL's Ira rad in Tarke.L.