The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-08-21
~, Cve,vVagV's ae.Ilan Aavensurrs.

-
ssShortly after Mr.. Coleridge had arrived
4 Rome, he attracted some notice amongst
he literati, us an English Man Of Letters.
,ardinal Fesch, in particular, was civil, and
ought his company; but that which was
most remarkable, Jerome Bonaparte was
hen resident at Rome, and Mr.. C.'s rep.
becoming known to him, he sent for
lin, and after showing him his palace, pic
urcs, &c, thus generously addressed him
Sir, have sent for YOU to give you little
candid advice. do not know that you have
said or written anything against my brother
Napoleon. but as an Englishman, the sup
position is not unreasonable. If you have,
my advice is, that you leave Italy as soon as
you possibly cam
This hint was gratefully received. and
Mr.. Coleridge soon after quilted Rome, in
the suite Of Cardinal Fesch. From his
anxiety to reach England, he proceeded to
Leghorn, where a circumstance occurred
which will excite every readers sympathy.
MIR. Coleridge had joumeyed 10 this port,
where he rather hoped, than expected, TO find
some conveyance, throug gil the medium Of a
neutral, that should watt him 10 the land
more priced than ever. The hope proved
delusive, The war was now raging be-
tween England and France, and BOnaparte
being lord Of the ascendant in Italy, Mr..
Coleridge's situation became insecure, and
even perilous. To obtain a passport was
impossible; and as Mr.. C. had formerly
rendered himself obnoxious to the great
Captain by some political papers, he was in
daily, hourly expectation of being incarce-
rated in an Italian prison, which would
have been the infallible road to death!
"In half despair of ever again seeing his
family and friends, and under the constan,
dread Of apprehension by the emissaries oil
the Tuscan government, or Of French spies
he went out one morning to look at some
ruins in the neighborhood Of Leghom in a
state of dependency, where certainty, how
ever terrible, would have been almost pre-.
lerablc to suspense. While musing on the
ravages of time, he turned his eye, and oh
served at little distance, sea-farng look
ing man, musing in silence like himself on
the waste around. Mr.. COleridge advanced
towards him, supposing, Or at least deemine
it possible, that he also might be mourning
his captivity. and commenced discourse
with him: when he found that the stranger
was am American captain, whose ship wa.
then in the harbor, and on the point Of sail
ing for England.
The information sent Joy into his heart
but he testified no emotion, determined t6
obtain the captains good will, by showing
him all the civilities in his power, as a pre-
liminary to any future service the captain
might be disposed to render him, whether
the power was united with the disposition OF
not. This showed adroitness, with grea
knowledge Of human nature; and NOR.
winning and captivating manners than thos.
Of Mr.. c., when called forth, were neve
possessed by mortal In conformity witt
this forlorn nope, Mr.. Coleridge explained
to the American captain the history of tn,
ruin; read to him some of the half delace,
Latin and Italian inscriptions, and conclu
ded with exiolling General Washington
and predicting the stability of the Union
The right keys, treble and tenor, wer,
touched at the same moment. Pray
young man, said the captain, who ar,
you? Mr.. C. replied, Il am a poor unEor
tunate Englishman, with wife and iamil,
at home; but am afraid shall never Sc,
them more! | have no passport, nor means
of escape; and, to increase my sorrow,
am in daily dread Of being thrown into Jail
when those | love will not have the las
pleasure of k',otrins that | am dead Tn,
captain 5 heart was touched. He had wifi
and family at distance. My young man,
said he, what is you namef' The repl,
was, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.' Poo
young man, answered the captain. 'yo,
meet me at this place tomorrow morning
| exactly al ten O'Clock. So saving tn
captain withdrew. Mr.. c, stood musing OF
the singular occurrence, in which there wa
something inerplicabls His discernmen
OF the strangers character convinced hin
there existed no nnder plot, but still Their
was wide space between probability ant
certainty. On balance of the circum
stances, he still thought all fair, and at tn
appointed time repaired TO the interior O
the ruins.
"No captain was there but in ley
minutes he appeared, and, Fastening up 3
MIR. Coleridge, exclaimed exulting, Il hav
got your passport How, what 2 sal
MIR. Z. almost overpowered by his feeling.
Ask me no questions, replied the captain,
you are my sterard, and you shall ava
with me to morrow morning. He contin
ued giving him his address, You come t
my house tomorrow early, when will pre-
vide you with jacket and trorsers, and 20
shall follow me to the ship with basket o
vegetables. In short, thus accoutred, h
did follow the captain to the ship ne,
morning; and in three hours fairly sale
out of Leghorn harbor, triumphantly on hi
way to England,
as soon as the ship had cleared the POI
Mr.. Coleridge fastened down to the cabin
and cried, My dear captain, tell me no,
you obtained my passport Said the car
tain very gavely, why | went TO the az
thorities and s,corc that you were an Amer
en-, and my steward | s,roYc also, that
knew your father and mother; that the
lived in red.brick house, about half mil
out Of New York, on the road to Boston
at is gratifying to add, that this bene,
client, little-scrupulous captain refused to n
ceve any thing from Mr.. c. for his passas
to England; and behaved in many other n
spects, with the same uniform kindnes:
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