The Weekly register. (Ponola [sic] Panola, Miss.) 1843-1844, 1843-10-07
MISCELLANEOUS.
A Night in the Royal George.
A CONFESSION OF THE DEEP.

late will do little 10 raise me in the opin-
ion Of the reader, into whose hands
these papers may happen to fall. Awful
and narrowing as were the events o.
that dreadful night, | can lay but small
claim to mental boldness, in having met
them as did. Avarice-sordid, calcu-
lating avarice-drove me to the attempt
and | well deserved the total miscar-.
rage, of all my plans which succeeded.
-Four years back was q clerk in one
Of the most respectable and influential
houses in Portsmouth, receiving an ex-
cellent salary, and, upon the Whole most
comfortably settled-lar more so than
the majority of the young men of my
own station in the town; and yet | was
not hapPy--(ar, far from it. | grum-
bled at the regularity Of attention which
my situation required; | deemed. my la
Dor i'll paid; and envied every one I
met, whose let IN life appeared better
cast than my own; little rejecting how
many secret miseries poison the exis-
tcncc of those who appear, in public,
most smiled upon by the fortunate.
The loss Of the RoycL George was
q lavoriio topic OF conversation with the
people Of Portsmouth, even when half a
century Fad elapsed since the occurrence,
and, indeed, the interest connected with
the subject was constantly kept alive by
the numerous projects and suggestions
for raising the sunken vessel, OR destroy
ing the wreck, that needy SPECTATORS
were perpetually starting. To myself,
will confess, the whole affair was one
of deep and constant thought. had
heard the various accounts of the acct
dent: of the heavy bags of gold that
were on board at the time to pay the
seamen; ofthe watches, jewels, and 9TH
err valuable articles, that the tradcspeo-
pie had sent for sale; and ell this was
SIT II therc-there, within the cumber-
some and sea-worn timbers cf the i'll
fated ship, lying as Useless at the bottom
of the sea, and as comparatively worth
less, as the rocks themselves.
Many, many evenings have sat up
on the shore, lullod into contemplation
by the low ripple Of the tide, when the
last red CLEAN Of the sun, ere he SUM-;
behind the Isle of Wight, illumined the
spot where that majestic vessel went
down; and wished | had power to roam
over her sea- bound boards for one short
hour, and appropriate to myself all
/ could collect frcm her stores Of value
in that time. Many times have | long,
ed for the power Of these beings in the
Arabiaa Nights, who could live under
water; and thought with what selfish
and unseen Joy, could then rsvel a
midst the gold and treasure that the hull
contained!
1t was somewhere about this perlot
that man came to Portsmouth;wI per
mission from the Admiralty to carfRor
some experiments connected with the
possibility of. conducting different sub
marine operations, Independent of the
diving-bell. 'This Incident changed tn
entire current efsmy thoughts. watch
ed his experiments with an intensity 9
interest; shat, am fam to believe, ex
ccoded ttat of the PERSON himself
saw him descend in< bis dress, from
small vessel, to the wreck of the Roya
George;-I noted the length Of time h
was enabled to remain under water;-
watched his return with divers small
articles-as oyster-shells, nails, &c
which he had picked from the wreck
and from that period contemplated bu
one subject;-it was the idea Of goln'
down myself! It cost me many SLEEP
less nights TO bring my schemes to pei
lection; nor was the working out of M
plans confined to night alone; though
of it always. ] NEGLECTED my business
| received endless reprimands from m
employers for orders forgotten, an
commissions uncared for; and, at last
! was discharged for my undertaking TO
getfulness.
AS soon as I was turned away,
: hired a small room in street, ar