Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-02-06

her lover would voluntarily expose himself.
while she esteemed him the mere highly for
the courage and boldness he evinced in his
noble undertaking. She, the young, the
beautiful. and amiablc, who had scarcely been
willing TO make the slightest return for the
passion which he had so constantly cherish
ed during long and intimate acquaintance,
now, that danger approached in its most
trightful form, no longer scrupled to acknow-
ledge her reciprocal affection. and to beseech
him, by his love and regard Tor her, not to
expose himself to the perils of his project.
But the noble youth, while his eye beamed
with tear of tenderness, held more firmly
his resolution to make himself worthy of so
grateful an attachment.
At length an evening arrived suitable for
his fixed purpose. He had given a parting
kiss to the maiden; had wept at his mothers
grief, and melted to tears at her tenderness
as he babe her farewell, perhaps forever; the
torpedo was i'll readiness, and he descended
with tremulous steps to the shore, having
before him the alternative of death on the one
hand, or affuence and glory on the other
hand.-The night chosen as the most favora-
bic to success was dark and gloomy. Not a
breath of air was stirring, and thick clouds
covered the face Of the heavens, portending
storm slowly approaching. few lights
still gimmered from the shailops, scattered
thlnly over the bay, and the hoarse cry of the
Waterman inthe deserted streets the city, so
o'clock and al's we'll, was heard as Halsey
reached the place of rendezvous. A boat well
manned, was in readiness to transport him as
near to the enemy as could be done with safe
ty; and having received him, the oars were
vigorously applied to the completion Of this
object. When they had arrived within the
distance OF four score rods from the enemy's
ship, Its towering masts appeared family i'm
the surrounding mist; their direction was ia
ken by the help of dark lantern; the torpe-
do with its appending magazine was loosen
ed from the boat; young Halsey took his
place in the fatal machine, its entrance was
closed, its ballast adjusted by the men in the
boat, and 1t gently sunk beneath the water
and began to move slowly in the direction of
the British ship. The boats crew hastily but
silently rowed towards place ofrendezvous,
previously appointed, and awaited the event.
But hardly had they proceeded to double
their distance from the enemy's ship when
the rain began to fall in torrents, attended by
severe gust of wind, and the waves dashed
the sides of their boat with increased vio-
lence.
Constantly watching the British ship, they
at length saw unusual lights moving upon
the forecastle, and heard confused noise like
the call of call hands on deck.' An alarm
gun was fired, betraying the fearful truth
that the watch had discovered the approach of
| the torpedo. Resting on their oars, the boat
men perceived that the whole crew were en-
gagged In sweeping the ships bottom, and
with dire foreboding they concluded that the
enemy had been informed Of their danger and
prepared to escape it. At length by the mo-
ton of the lights it appeared that boats were
manned by the ships crew and they moved off
from the vessel irregularly as if in pursuit of
the torpedo. They had proceeded some dis
sance, and met each other as if to seize upon
some object in the water, when bright glare
of light shot over the horizon; an explosion
louder than the pealing thunder reverberated
on the water ; vast hollow was seen where
a moment before the enemy's boats were sail
ing I; the ship reeled as if in hurricane; the
waves suddenly rose above the lights of the
deck, and, foaming as they advanced, tossed
the frail American bark like the feather in the
whirlwind, and soon lashed the distant shore.
The torpedo had exploded and the boats
which pursued it were blown to atoms and
sunk In the ocean; and darkness again COW
cred the sky mid the peltings of the increas-
ing storm. The crew of the boat which car
ried out the torpedo, had been anxious spec
tators of the catastrophe and CLEAN of hope
still remained that Halsey had separated from
the magazine, and made his escape in the
| torpedo before that explosion took place.
Under this impression they returned to the
| place of rendezvous, and waited for his APP
proach but the hours glided by, and still he
was not seen.
| AT length they procured a party of their
friends on shore, to look out at the rendezvous,
and went back in their boat into the vicinity
of the British ship. They rowed all around
it, and protected by the darkness, called loud
| ly for MIR. Halsey, but there was no answer
Morning appeared but he came not, inqui-
rles were made on all the adjacent shores,
but he had no where been heard of; theetorm
had passed, and the morning sun shone out
in ali it's glory, but its brightest rays were
gloom and darkness to the maiden who loved
him, and the mother who bore him; for with
those rays came the news that he whom they
loved slept in watery grave. Still there
was hope; days rolled away, and new inqui-
rles were made, but with the same result
lie might have been driven 10 sea by the
storm, or have been taken by the enemy; and
under this belief, inquiries were made in Eng
land after the close Of the war by his afflicted
friends; but never since he entered the fatal
torpedo has Plowden Halsey been heard of;
and the unavoidable conclusion is, that he
persisted by the accidental explosion of the
magazine, and that his mangled limbs lie
scattered In the depths of the ocean.
HIS requiem is the murmuring billow, and
ms dirge the moaning wind Of the midnight
winter. But ne fell not umevcnged Samp-
son-like, In dying, he drew down destruction
upon his enemies, and they shared common
sepulchre; he fell not in vain, for on the next
morning after the explosion, the enemy's ship
withdrew from the harbor, and left it free to