256 COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Editor,

Perusing your paper the other evening, I was pleased with some verses written by the Rustic Hard of Richmond Bay. When I say I was pleased, I mean with the sim- ple and easy style. For the subject ‘Prince- Town’s Lament’l cannot say much. Pore- ring over the probable consequences likely to result to St. Eleanor’s in the monopoly ot'the County Jail; I fell into a train of thoughts which for their inﬁnity had well nigh bewil- dered my brain; fortunately, however, as is uualwith me ouuch occasions, terminated inalong nap w ich allthe interestl felt could not prevent. ad the theme ended here it had been well, but the subject gave rise to endless incidental eﬂ‘ects. Methought I was strolling beside the margin of Indian river, near Oyster Cove, admiring the beautiful expanse of water, marking the gentle undulations ofthe stream, and enjoy- ing the zephyr of a calm summers evening, in distant perspective was seen the village spire. The sun was sinking with radiant splendour below the horizon, and leaving his crimson tinge on the far off western hills; a dead silence seemed to preside o’er nature’s works. AsI watched the bark of an Indian canoe as it receded from my sight—in the same direction, gazing in- tensely On this object, methought I could discern aluminous body on the surface of the river that exoited my curiosity, and keeping my eye ﬁxed, it seemed gradually to increase in size, and the stillness of the evening enabling me almost to hear a leaf fall. I shortly distinguished stralns of the most melodious music, softly stealing on the wind not unlike the (Eolean Harp— and on its more near approach became so

‘ captivating to the auricular sense, from

its delicate and tender notes, as to intimate that it proceeded from some celes- tial choir, than any thing appertaining to this system-

As it approached more near the notes becwmore distinct, and seemed to pro- eee mm a number of instruments, and

the soft notes of the ﬂute bore a promi- nent part. The full moon had risen some time, though obscured by an opaque cloud soon broke forth, and presented the most “sublime object my eyes ever beheld, words would be inadequate to describe the im- pression it seemed to make on my senses. With the aid of the bright luminary I ob- served a superb yacht, or pleasure-boat, skiming along the surface of the- stream, impetled by. some twenty silver oars, keep- ing time with the music. It seemed to near the spot of the shore where I stood, near enough to see mere particularly this, splendid vessel, her sails from the circum- stance ofits being calm hung with graceful negligence on her masts, and had rather- the appearance of rich and gorgeous ban»

THE BRITISH AMERICAN.

ners emblazoned with gold. She came methought within a few yards of the shore, when a small skiﬂ'seemed to put off, and paddled by a handsome youth who received me, and by signs requested me to repair on board. I felt methought no hOSIIQII‘OH, being powerfully inﬂuenced by curiosity. In a few minutes Iwas on board, and it I was surprised at the beauty of this ves- sel as] beheld her from the shore, words would be vague to express the astounding splendour and magniﬁcence of this exqui- site vessel.

I was met methought on the gaugway by the Genii ofPrince-Town, who welcomed ine by signs but spake not, but with his usual digniﬁed department coaducted me aft the yacht, and presented me to a female, who appeared to preside over this fairy scene, she sat half reclined on a couch raised high on the poop of the vessel, sur- rounded by a company of ladies, whose charms exceeded all terrestrial females. and surpassed in loveliness, beauty herself. \Vhen on board this handsome craft, she appear- ed far superior in point of magnitude, and in grandeur equal to an audience chamber ofan eastern monarch- Beneath the feet was an exquisite wrought Persian carpet, with couches of down arranged with taste, and covered with crimson velvet, embroid- ered and studded with diamonds or precious stones. Over the head was drawn .a sump- tuous aWning of purple silk, and round the sides hung in elegant folds of the same ma- terials. The whole of the attendants of this beanteous queen, (those admitted into her presence,) were all females, they ap- peared to pay her great deference, but ra- ther savored of affection, than that fawning system so much in practice at other courts: most of them were reclining on the various couches that furnished the aquatic drawing room. The sofa whereon the princess sat was more elevated than the rest; a few feet to the right was a red cushion‘abour four feet high, wnereon lay a crown and sceptre or regalia,intimatiug I supposed, the presence of Royalty. On a kind of otto- man in front of her Majesty a little below her, sat a living ﬁgure,that aGrecian Sculp- ture might have chosen for the purest model of symetry. She appeared to represent Commerce ; in her right hand she held an entablature description of trade, bales ofgoods, shipping et cetera, and beside her lay globes and instruments of science, and a cap of Liberty on ﬂag staff. On one side the genious of commerce carved round an ivory pillar, a cornucopia over the top of which poured, forth a profusion of pure- virgin gold, in divers coins, into a square resceptacle written thereon in phos- phoric italics, “Treasury Nationalis. ”

I observed one thing that appeared very singular, a little forward or about midship of the yacht, was ﬁxeda pelestal about

three feet andahalf high, and on the. top

ﬂoss

was a kind of vase com precious metal containing incense that “m forth an odoriferous perfume that seemed the whole vessel and the surroundino‘at. mosphere, and from time to time ‘30,“ blaze likea meteor. There stood on lone side of the pedestal a lovelydamsel, who held in her hand a small torch, the hilt of which shone with a brilliancy indescribable and whenever and anOn she waved it over,‘ the incense, it emitted a pure lambent ﬂame thatrivaled the queen of night. The res. sel was all the time moving gently down the stream, a perfect silence prevailed, no, had one word been spoken, all was either dumb show, enigmatical or emblematical the devination 'was left me to construe, according to my own ideas. I was me. thought too much embarrassed at the time to make much comment, I was too much overawed to interrupt the profound silence, but must have appeared perfectly amazed or confused by such singular circumstan. ces, when fortunately the Genii entered, and to relieve me made a sign to walk forth on the deck. We were cutting through the water at a brisk rate, and several youths were busy in trimming the sails, she must now have had a most gallant appearance, the wind blew a gentle breeze a little abaft her beam. I have read of Cleopatra sail- ing down the Nile, and if she surpass this superb. set-out words would not des- cribe her splendour.

We were now methought rounding apoint, having hauled our wind and laying close upon it. In a moment the sheets were let go and away we went before it, riding a-breast a magnificent city on our larboard bow. This fairy-like display or preterna- tural appearance must have had a most imposing effect, melodious strains of music, the phosphoric meteor, the hour of night, all was calculated to impress the inhabi- tants with wonder, awe, and admiration. That we were seen from the city admitted of no doubt, which was evinced by a dis- charge of m'isketry from the battlements. In a moment from the dead silence of the midnight watch interrupted only at inter- vals by the melancholy hail or response of ‘All’s well,’ all was bustle and life, had an enemy’s line of battle ship appeared oil the town, it could hardly have produceda more sudden movement, in ashorttirne from entire darkness it appeared bril- liantly illuminated, the ordnance poured forth loud peals of thunder, the bells "1 the various steeples rang their merry changes, the brazen trumpet’s shrill bl!lst was answered by the distant echo of the bugle horn, with various ﬁres on the atl- jacent hills gave additional effect to this midnight scene. As we receded fromlbe city its appearance was grand, and to the eye like Venice, emerging from the water! element. Turning myself from the sublime picture, and resting my arm on the gun- whale of the bark, my eye fell full on tbt‘