Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-08-06
MISCEL
from the London Literary Gazette
THE STORY OF A LIFE.

THE STORY OF A LIFE.
BY the author of Scenes and Impressions III
Egypt and Italy-Recollection of the Pc
nisula, &c.
The author of these volumes having
been among the most successful candi-
dates for popularity as awriter OF OBJ
servations on men and manners in
real life, has been tempted to embody
his ideas in the bolder flight of fiction
The scenes are principally laid in the
countries he has already painted, name
ly, the Peninsula, Italy, and Egypt; but
Aleiers, India, and other parts of the
earth, are visited by the person cloth
ed in the character Of the hero in this
story; and it is in his delineations Of
these parts that the author is distin-
guished from others.
The story is one of many vicissi-
tudes undergone by Osman Beauvoir,
an English gentleman of good family
and fortune, who travels to see the
world, and who enters into its vortices
with such impetuosit. as to destroy
his own happiness and those who are
dear to him. !, This seems to arise out
OF morbid sensibility more than ac-
tual crime; though, towards the close
of his active career, we find him alb
Turing the Christian faith, and Ito save
the life of beautiful girl who loved
him. and risked all for her love- turn
ing Mahommedan.
The work is full Of episodes, and,
like the Chinese balls ofivory, we have
story within story, cut out cleverly E.
nough. But what the book is, may be
made to appear better by extract than
criticism, and we shall therefore select
such passages as will serve best.to il
lustrate it for our readers. In this,
from the length of the connected sto-
ries, we must be guided by the space
we can spare, and therefore beg TO give,
in the first instance, the account of a
capture by an Algcrine pirate, in the
bay of Naples:
"The breeze blew soft-the mariners
sung their evening hymn most cheeri-
ly-pathos at every close; but yet most
happy was the sound"
at is fine night, Senior, said the
Padrone; shall we stretch out Of the
bay?'-A night sail had been SO com.
monty my pastime, that it was his wont
| 70 ask this. sYes:' s tomyselfI thou chit
that I would thus wear out the night
and watch the stars, and listen to the
waves. We had. just cleared the bay
when suddenly it fell quite calm, and
the sail Tapped happily, and the sailors
lowered it with laughings, and asked
me if | would let them sleep till the
morning breeze. l did not like the
idea of giving them long and tire,
some row, so babe them do as they
would: they smoked and sung, and
at length l heard no sound but the
breathing of tired men, thankfully
sleeping. For long time | continued
lying recumbent, with my eyes fixed or
those distant worlds, of which we shall
know more hereafter. AT length
murmured my confessions mournfully
and poured my thanksgivings, and
breathed my prayer, and felt forgiven
and felt hope, and thought of home
without fear, and then of fair Maria
attired as my bride, and kneeling with
me at the altar; and seldom in my life
have | sunk more happily or conhding'
ly to rest.
"Quick treadings awakened me: a.
bcve me was the lived Moore; the tur'
bansd AIgerine: his knee was pressed
upon anybody; one bare and nervou:
arm grasped fercely at my throat, and
with the other he held naked scimi.
tar, and menaced death-but he die
J not Stay. A dusky slave broughtiror