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

NAVAL WAR INCIDENT ON SHORE.

'ere about.ten.miles to the eastward of Marseilles, when
a vessel at anchor in a narrow bay. Prize-money to a
like blood to a blood-hound ; once tasted, never relin-
, unless indeed superior force interfere. To see this
ssel, small as she was, and to know that a certain sum,
insignificant, would result from her capture, were sul-
:xcitements. Sir Peter Parker, who closely watched
tion of this miserable settee, and who had satisfied-hire-
her very defenceless situation, manned the boats, and
oue of the lieutenants to bring out the prize, for sd- we
ler' long before we had her. On this expeditieirviditad
•ee boats employed; for, as we could not distinguish the
t fortification, or any thing like a battery, or numerous
sembled, the small force was deemed amply sufficient,
left the ship just as certain of a bloodless prize' as we
our existence. Three marines had been placed in each
order to attract notice, in the event of one or two French
being in the neighbourhood. We approached the land
oon, and shortly were within pistol-shot. It was a fine
y, the shore looking attractive beyond measure to our
ndering eyes; the wood which overhung the right-hand
e of the bay cast a calm and beautiful shade over the
?e. At the extremity of the bay stood a low hut, which
arcely be dignified by the name of cottage, near which
roman sat spinning, and who continued her toil without
ig the slightest notice on the approach of her nation's
. It was a dead calm, and "ocean slumbered like an
ed child." The boat almost silently sprung through the
and war and all its horrors seemed far distant from this
.etired spot. The bowman was a corpse. A musket-ball
n fired from behind a rock on the left-hand entrance,
t first shot was fatal: it wss succeeded by another from
e place, and one marine was disabled; a third tore the
rom the lieutenant's neck, but otherwise was harmless;

, and the cockswain lost his arm. Still no one was visi-
t" the distance of time between each shot convinced us
had not more than two people opposed to us at the most.
liberate murder was by no means pleasant. Concealed
he rock the Frenchmen fired in perfect security; and
I. were the apertures from which they issued their de-
a, that they were imperceptible to us We gave three
and pulled right for the place. Only one more shot
d, and that struck an already wounded man. A small
ove offered a landing, and one and all, saving the
1, jumped on shore, and commenced a search for the
The lieutenant, myself, and a marine, took one direc-
Le other marine and the boat's crew began to examine
c near which we had landed. In the mean time the
)ats pulled to the vessel, cut her cable, and began to
out. To this there was not the slightest opposition,
a man was to be seen in the vicinity of the bay. After
iug every place with the utmost precaution, we had well
flared the search as fruitless; but, in turning a narrow
rock which led to a wider path, another shot convinced
ere close to our enemy. We pushed on, one after the
it the path was rugged and narrow, until coming into a
and more open view, we perceived a man and boy re-
with all speed. The instant we hailed him to stop, he
•ound and tired. It was a harmless shot. The lieutenant
y fired, but missed his mark; and the marine who levelled
Ket was desired to do the same, but to be cautious not to
:hiid. The Frenchman, who had loaded his musket as
ited, turned round and fired again. It was so completely
ti.g. tight and fire, that little -harm was likely to occur.
rine now stopped, and, resting his gun over a small pro-
a rock, fired, and shot the child : he fell iu the act of
another cartridge to the French soldier. The father in-
Iropped his musket, and fell by the side of liia son. of
ye made a rush to the spot, and both were prisoners at a

. The soldier seemed as insensible to our movement:3 '
were miles from the spot: he perfectly disregarded our
he had seated himself in the centre of the road, and,
placed the boy's head upon his lap, began to wipe away
as it oozed from a wound in the chilies forehead. his
:sired to get up and follow us, he paid.not the least atteu-
'he world and the world's light were shut to him: he
—thought not—spoke not; out, with a kind of mecha-
°don, apparently involuntary, he wiped and wiped the
,s the increasing flow gushed through the wound. The
ed upon the spot; but with such inanimation as almost
a mockery of sight. There were no tears, no sighs;
now and then a gurgle in the child's throat, as he made
avour to breathe, the stillness of death itseif could not
en mote profound. At last a shivering seized the boy;
because fixed and glassy; and the opened jaw, gradu-
endiug, marked the rapid approach of death; then came
7t convulsive sigh, and the boy was ,a,corpse. My voice, ,
death-raven's, ,croaked out the miserable truth; on which
er sprang front his seat, the marine brought his bayonet
Large, and the Frenchman endeavoured to.throw himself
point; but the marine, as the father rushed oh, droppea
ket and encircled him in his arms. -We hurnediateiY
his hands, and desired him to lead us to the beach ilea;
age. The marine carried the dead boy; and the father
by the side, his eyes riveted on the corpSe, in perfe!.'t
without a tear, and apparently without a thought \‘'
y did not return the way we advanced, for WC had passed
before we came suddenly upon the rear of the cottage'
taan was still at her wheel; she was very old, and al'"
childish. She never raised her eves from her employ'
itil we were within about two yardi'of her, when, lifting;
1, she fixed her eyes upon her son, bound, and iu the
of strangers: she gave a violent shriek; and, air'
t short second, she turned the wheel again, and begac,
out her thread. The shriek was not ineffectual; for
aan, about thirty, immediately rushed front the hut,
w, in painful reality; her husband a prisoner, her cbli,",
ad her mother an idiot. Site looked first at her pareiw,
rushed,to seize her dead child froni the arms of its relic
She kissed it, bugged it, gazed ou it; then, giving 013,
d audible sigh, fed at the feet of her. mother. The ha•''.
al been unbound, and looked at. the scene in panful
ie apathy; the grandmother still turned the wheel
the thread with all the indifference of mechanism; ti:,
iclung to the dead child, which site convulsively grasPe.
the cause of all This ruin and desolation, remained 1/4'4.'4
'es upon the melancholy sight before us.—From, the 14
'tor.

.THING FOR SHIPS' BOTTOMS.--A new metallic shcolvii
invention of Baron Wetterstedt, has recently befe
,r covering ships' bottoms, which, according to the ill"?
the editor of the Nautical Magazine, possesses noo°o
rl advantages over copper. This new compound
.das highly tenacious and elastic, and is said to pox t.
uhar and advantageous power of adapting itself to
much so, that by a violent strain or blow, it rg,ol,"'g
a the three of the percussion. This power of adal4ll;o'
any form of surface, will not only be found advantoV° is
sheathing the vessel,. but will also prevent the evil cdocv,
subsequent strain or blow, and even tend much to pi'
ar from external injury. The price is considerably ie5.2
at of ordinary copper sheathing, whilst it iS found to '7
e durable

r.
PECTS OF YOUNG SEA OFFICERS.—The midshipmen).
)resented the usual number of human casts between tiol,
'fourteen and thirty; and some among them were as $
ever took Nelson for a leading star. What a field tone
•noraist is a middy's berth! In it we see a happY "„
ancipated from school; a few years older, a youth pro,l
atch on deck just intrusted to linn ; another trembiiiikr,
as the hour of passing approaches. The eyes of anotto;
ivanced,- beam with the prospect of speedy promoln6
manly cheek of another the cancer of hope delayeAo •
ng to develop itself; and silent in the corner may o'o
;e -brooding over long and often renewed disappointille 1
tave worn his spirit till it became callous to reproach'or
nter a crowded berth without thinking that the y 0 of
in is buoyantly mirthful over his glass, had better be ee)"
han there, dewing the interval of mental agony bets"; to
I the care-worn neglected oldster at the other eller
tate he must come have he no interest, and the brig„:"
d the deeper his pain. Two of my messraates iu
ider the weight of disappointment, and became tneetv
if a mad-house. It is against the dictates of justice, l'cetl
d clemency, the way in which midshipmen are allq;jro,
away the best years of life, deprived of ordinary coo; 0'
inmon-place education, in expectation of—what' „ei;
pounds a year as the reward of long years of toil, ill 'l,eo •
climes May be,—a reward delayed un! it is not thortr
except per se, useless, as an old midshipman when.l'oo
s never employed. Thus, estranged from his conne).ool
absence, a stranger to his country and its institutit
town in it at the age of thirty to vegetate for. the
idenined by a system to be a pauper-gentleman ; closfer
)3, the consciousness of inferiority, to the pothouse..o
Think of this, parents ! -this taint outline of a gloftjio
, and let not the bait of • getting lid of, your suns a'Aetl)
.hirteeu for fifty pounds a year (ad expenses i0c1u,.7.00.
rd. of cue of his Majesty's ships seduce your reo'sio
um rather behind a counter in a situation where their ° at
as will avail them, and•they will bless you. There arc
above two thoustuid midshipmen 9u the lists, net pot
whom can expect to get, counnissions at all, and
rth of that Ittuf to get their commissions till they
eight, ten, even twelve years. NV hat man (withotpues
would knowingly' allow his son to enter such a "
loud."-•--sL A 2).U's Tramets in 2 'arkeL.