dreams foretell events, or not, is nothing to my purpose; I tell the tale as it was told to me, and the world may have it at the same price, namely, by giving their attention.

Commodore Bainbridge, as he lay in his birth, dreamed three times in succession, during the night previous to the action, that he fell in with and, after a bloody encounter, captured a British frigate, having red coats aboard—that her starboard gangway was shot away, and that the officers in coming on board his vessel came down the larboard ladder-that the frigate equalled him in size, and outnumbered him in crew-that her masts were all shot away-and that her commander was killed. Commodore Bainbridge, haunted by the spirit-stirring spectacle, could not sleep-he arose from his pillow, and after pacing his little cabin for a short time, sate down to his writing desk, and wrote a letter to Mrs B., in which he stated the facts as dreamed by him, but stated them positively, leav ing the blanks for the ship's name, commander's name, force, and other minor things, unfilled. The next day, the Java was captured, and the commodore merely filled up the blanks of the letter, and sent it to his wife as the first account of his victory.

After landing his prisoners at St. Salvador, and refitting ship, commodore Bainbridge shaped his course for the United States, and on the 27th of February, 1813, anchored in the harbor of Boston, and was received at the long wharf by the City Council, amid the shouts of the multitude, the thunder of cannon, and the pealing of bells.

This was a finisher to all objections-those people who knew the Americans would be whipped in fair fight, knew much less ever afterwards. The lion had been humbled again by the same gallant little frigate, and another flag of battle waved its smoke and blood-stained folds in the hall of Congress.

THIRD. TAKING TWO; OR THE CAPTURE OF THE CYANE AND THE LEVANT.

"Again the iron hail,

And the thunder note of war."

On the 17th of December, 1814, Old Ironsides sailed from Boston, under the command of captain Charles Stewart. She first ran off Bermuda, thence she steered for the Madeiras, and still finding nothing worthy of her thunder, entered the Bay of Biscay.

Cruizing down the shore of Portugal, she made the rock of Lisbon, and continued in sight of the barren peaks of Ceutra for some days. Here she made two prizes, one of which she destroyed, and the other she sent in.

While in this vicinity, she made a large ship in the offing, and gave chase, but before she had set her courses, she made a prize, and while securing it, the strange sail disappeared in the distance. This was the Elizabeth, 74, which came out of Lisbon, in quest of the saucy frigate; but captain Stewart stood to the southward and westward, in quest of an enemy, said to be in that direction.On the morning of the 20th February, the wind blowing a light Levanter, captain Stewart, for the want of something better to do, ordered the helm up, and ran his ship off to the south-west, varying her position nearly two degrees. At 1, P. M., a sail was made on the larboard bow, and the stranger hauled three points to windward, and made sail in chase. In twenty minutes, the stranger was made out to be a ship, and in a short half hour, a consort was seen to leeward, signalizing the ship in chase. At 4. P. M., the ship nearest to the Constitution made a signal to the leeward ship, and soon the latter kept away, and ran down towards her, then about three miles under her lee. The Constitution immediately squared her yards, and set her studding-sails above and below. No doubt of the enmity of the strangers now remained. The nearest vessel appeared to be a jackass frigate, and the most distant one, a corvette. The first was carrying studding-sails on both sides, while the last was running off under short canvass, to allow her consort to close.

Captain Stewart, believing that the enemy was endeavoring to escape, crowded on every thing that would draw, with a view to get the nearest vessel under his guns before night. At half-past four, the Constitution lost her main-royalmast, and the chase gained upon her. A few shots were now fired, but finding that his metal fell short, the attempt to cripple the frigate was abandoned. At half-past five, the drums on board the gallant Constitution beat to quarters, and soon she was cleared for action. In ten minutes, the two vessels of the enemy passed within hail of each other, came by the wind, with their heads to the northward, hauled up their courses, and cleared ship to engage. Both of the enemy's vessels, as though animated by a new idea, now suddenly made sail close by the wind, in order to weather upon the American frigate, but perceiving that the latter was closing too fast, they hauled up their courses and formed on the wind, the smallest ship ahead.

At 6, P. M., Old Ironsides had the enemy completely under her cannon, and yawing gracefully, showed the star-spangled banner beautiful amid the closing shadows of the ocean night. The strangers answered this proud defiance by setting English colors, and in five minutes, the American frigate ranged up abeam of the sternmost vessel, at one cable's length distance, passing ahead with her sails lifting, until the three ships formed a triangle, the Constitution being to windward.

Now commenced the action, with a vehemence that was hardly equalled on the sea. At the end of twenty minutes, the fire of the enemy evidently slackened, and the moon coming up, captain Stewart ordered the cannonading to cease. The sea was covered with an immense cloud of smoke. Beautiful as the silver veil of Mokanna, was the fleecy screen that rested upon the ocean, and terrible as the visage of the veiled prophet was the scene that burst upon the sight of the English three minutes afterwards, when the rolling vapor passed swiftly to leeward, and showed the American frigate ready to pour forth her volleys on either side, from her black 10w of teeth. The leading ship of the enemy was now seen under the lee beam of the Constitution, while the sternmost one was luffing up, as if she intended to tack and cross her stern. Giving a broadside to the ship abreast of her, that made a great many vacant numbers in her mess-book, the Constitution backed her main and mizzen topsails and topgallant-sails, shook all forward, let fly her jib-sheet, and backed swiftly, compelling the enemy to fill away, to avoid being raked. The leader now attempted to cross the Constitution's fore-foot, when the latter boarded her fore-tack, shot ahead, forced her antagonist to ware under a raking broadside, and to run off to leeward, to escape from her destructive fire. The Constitution, perceiving that the largest ship was waring also, wore in her turn, and crossing her stern, raked her with effect, though the enemy came by the wind immediately and delivered her larboard broadside; but as the Constitution ranged up close on her weather quarter, she struck. Lieutenant Hoflinan, the second of the Constitution, was immediately sent on board of her, and in a few minutes afterwards he returned, with the sword of captain Falcon, of H. B. M. ship Cyane, of 34 guns. In the meantime, the other vessel of the enemy, having repaired her running rigging, hauled up, and met the Constitution coming down in quest of her. It was nearly nine o'clock, when the two vessels crossed each other on opposite tacks, and delivered their awful broadsides. The English ship was satisfied with the first fire and bore up, while the American followed, raking and boring her with her broadside and bow-chasers, ripping off the planks, and mowing down the men, like the fiery thunderbolts of heaven. The enemy could not stand this riddling long; the crashing of the planks was heard on board the Constitution at every fire, and the groans of the dying enemy echoed mournfully over the moonlit wave.

At 10, P. M., the chase came by the wind, fired a gun to leeward, and lowered her ensign. Lieutenant Shubrick, the third of the frigate, was now sent on board of the prize, and upon his return, the sword of the honorable captain Douglass, of H. B. M. ship Levant, of 18 guns, was laid upon the capstan of the Constitution.

At 1, A. M., the conqueror was ready for another action. She suffered less in her crew than when she captured the Java. Not an officer was hurt; but she was hulled oftener in this engagement than in both her previous battles. Great credit was deservedly bestowed upon captain Stewart, for the skill and coolness displayed by him on this occasion. He fought two ships and conquered them without having been once raked; and his backing and filling his single frigate in a cloud of smoke, aking his opponents in turn, and forcing them down to leeward when they were endeavoring to cross his stern or fore-foot, was a piece of maneuvering scarcely paralleled in the annals of any navy. Captain Stewart, having secured his prizes, proceeded to Port Praya, where he arrived in safety on the 10th of March, and anchored near the town. A vessel was soon engaged as a cartel, and over one hundred prisoners were landed, with a view to aid in fitting her for sea.

ocean.

On the 11th of March, however, the old ship ran another squeak. It was a foggy day, when the sun looked down from the hazy heavens, and a cloud of mist rested heavily upon the waters of the The prisoners jolly "Yo, oh heave, oh!" echoed along the shore, and the American officer of the watch paced along the quarter-deck of the Constitution without noticing the clouded bosom of the ocean, when an English reefer exclaimed, " A ship, by -." One of the English captains gave the young sprig a silent reprimand, but it came too late, the plot was discovered before it was fairly hatched, and disappointment rested upon the faces of the past officers of the Cyane and Levant. Lieutenant Shubrick, ever on the alert, looked over the quarter and beheld the sails of a large ship looming over the fog. She appeared to be looking into the harbor.

After examining the stranger attentively, lieutenant Shubrick reported her approach to captain Stewart. That officer, coolly remarking that she was an English frigate, or an Indiaman, directed the first lieutenant to beat to quarters, and get ready for action. As soon as this order was given, the officer took another good look at the stranger, when he discovered the canvass of two other vessels rising like bright clouds above the fog-bank, in the same direction. These were evidently men of war, and captain Stewart was informed of the fact. He immediately came on deck, and took the trumpet.

"Gun-deck, there," shouted he, "cut the cable !"

66

Ay, ay, sir!" answered the master's mate, as he cracked away with his axe at Uncle Sam's big rope-a hissing sound-a rattling along the ship's side-a smoke, as though a fire was pouring out of the hawse-hole-and then the old frigate cast to starboard, and stood out of the roads under her three topsails. The prizes followed with, promptitude. The north-east trades were blowing freshly outside, and the three vessels, catching their influence, passed to sea, about gun-shot to the windward of the hostile squadron, just rounding East Point. As the Constitution left the land, she crossed her topgallant yards, boarded her tacks, and set all her kites.

The English prisoners on shore now took advantage of the predicament of their conquerors, and most unkindly aimed the guns of the shore battery at them, as they swept swiftly past it. As soon as the Americans had gained the weather beam of the enemy, the latter tacked, and the six vessels, under all the canvas that they could show, staggered along to the southward and eastward at the rate of 10-6.

A heavy fog still lay in fleecy shapes upon the ocean, and concealed the dark and frowning hulls of the strangers; but they were supposed, from their canvas, to be two line of battle ships, and a first class frigate. The leeward vessel bore the pennant of the commodore.

The frigate weathered upon the American ships in a manner as unusual as it was interesting, gaining on the Levant and Cyane, but falling astern of the Constitution, while the two latter vessels on the Constitution's lee quarter held way with her.

The Constitution now cut adrift two boats which she could not hoist in, and walked away from the prizes and pursuers, like a cloud upon the breath of the summer gale. Captain Stewart now made a signal for the Cyane, the lagging prize, to tack. This order was promptly obeyed by lieutenant Hoffman, the prizemaster, and it was expected that one of the enemy would go about and pursue her, but in this captain Stewart was disappointed.

The Cyane, finding that the enemy did not pursue her, stood on towards the south until she was lost in the fog, when lieutenant Hoffman tacked again, anticipating that the enemy might chase him to leeward. This skillful and prudent officer kept to windward long enough to allow the enemy to get ahead should they pursue him, and then he squared away for the United States, and arrived safely at New York, on the 10th of April following.

The three ships of the enemy continued to chase the Constitution and Levant. As the vessels left the land, the fog thinned, until it showed captain Stewart the force of the enemy, which was stated by the English officers to consist of the Leander, 50, Sir George Collier; the Newcastle, 50, Lord George Stewart; and the Acasta, 40, captain Kerr. They eventually proved to be those vessels, which were cruising for the President, Peacock, and Hornet. At 24, P. M., the officers of the Newcastle were seen standing upon her hammock-cloths. She now began to fine by divisions, and through the low fog bank the flashes of her guns proclaimed her force. Her shot struck the water within one hundred yards of the Constitution. At 3, P. M., the Levant having fallen some distance astern, captain Stewart made the signal for her to tack. Lieutenant Ballard, the prize officer, promptly obeyed the signal, and in seven minutes afterwards, the English vessels tacked by signal, and chased the prize, leaving the Constitution bowling along in her majesty, in a contrary direction, at the rate of eleven knots per hour.

The Levant ran into port, and was retaken. Captain Stewart, however, kept on his course, and after landing his prisoners at Maranham, and learning at Porto Rico that peace had been made between the United States and Great Britain, he proceeded for New York, where he arrived in the middle of May, 1815

The Constitution had been in three actions, was twice critically chased, and had captured five vessels of war in the short space of two years and three quarters. Her losses in men, and her injuries in body, were trivial. She was always well commanded; and in her two last cruises, she had superior crews-hardy New Englanders, who were able to fight a ship without officers-men who had braved the icy perils of the north, and who had dared to put a hook in the mouth of Leviathan himself. Laid up to rot in glory, we now leave her for a time. Reader, her battle cruize is over. " Haul down the colors!"

BEREAVEMENT.

WHEN some Beloveds, 'neath whose eyelids lay
The sweet lights of my childhood, one by one
Did leave me dark before the natural son,
As I astonished fell, and could not pray;
A thought within me to myself did say,
"Is God less God, that thou art mortal-sad?
Rise, worship, bless Him! in this sackcloth clad

| As in that purple!"-But I answer, nay!
What child his filial heart in words conveys,
If him for very good his father choose
To smite? What can he, but with sobbing breath
Embrace th' unwilling hand which chasteneth?
And my dear Father, thinking fit to bruise,
Discerns in silent tears, both prayer and praise.

A CHAPTER

ON

FIELD SPORTS AND MANLY PASTIMES.

BY AN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONER.

THE GAME OF CRICKET.

Ir is a matter to be regretted by all true lovers of the manly pastimes that this noble and invigorating game has never been introduced among us here in America; for it certainly never has beenat least to any extent, or in a proper spirit. In England, it has long been a favorite amusement with all classes of society; with the highest of the aristocracy not less than with the populace. Indeed, its fascinations have been so great that all orders are frequently seen commingling in the same game; the nobility giving up prejudice for the nonce in its behalf, and making no scruple of contending, in its stirring excitements, with the poorest yeomen of the land.

Of all the athletic exercises, no one, perhaps, presents so fine a scope for bringing into full and constant play the qualities both of the mind and body, as that of cricket. A man who is essentially stupid will not make a fine cricketer; neither will he who is not essentially active. He must be active in all his faculties-he must be active in mind to prepare for every advantage; and active in eye and limb, to avail himself of those advantages. He must be cool-tempered, and in the best sense of the term, manly; for he must be able to endure fatigue, and to make light of pain-since, like all athletic sports, cricket is not unattended with danger, resulting from inattention and inexperience. The accidents, however, attendant upon the players at cricket commonly arise from unwatchfulness, or slowness of eye. A short-sighted person is as unfit to become a cricketer, as one

deaf would be to discriminate the most delicate gradations and varieties in tones; added to which he must be in constant jeopardy of serious injury.

This noble game is thoroughly British. The derivation of its name is probably from the Saxon cryce, (a stick.) Strutt, however, in his "Sports and Pastimes," states that he can find no record of the game under its present appellation "beyond the commencement of the last century, where it occurs in one of the songs published by D'Urfey." The first four lines of "Of a noble race was Shekin,” run thus:

"Her was the prettiest fellow

At foot ball or at cricket,
At hunting chase, or nimble race,
How featly her could prick it."

The same historian of British games doubts not that cricket derived its origin from the ancient game of club-ball, the patronymics of which being compounded of Welsh and Danish (clwppa and bol) do not warrant his conclusion, the Saxon being an elder occupant of Great Britain. From the circumstance, however, of there being no illustration extant-no missal illuminated with a group engaged in this king of athletic games, as is the case with its plebeian brother, the club-ball; also from its constitution being of a more civil and complicated character, we may rationally infer that it is the offspring of a more polite, at all events of a maturer age, than its fellow. The game of clubball appears to have been no other than the present well known cat-and-ball, which, with similar laws and customs prescribed in the playing at it, was doubtless anterior to trap-ball. The trap, indeed, carries with it an air of refinement in "the march of mechanism."

They who are acquainted with some of the remote and unfrequented villages of England, where the primitive manners, customs, and games of our ancestors survive in the perfection of rude and unadulterated simplicity, must have remarked the lads playing at a game which is the same in its outline and principal features as that " cricket," which is, to day, the pride and glory of the English athlete. We mean the game in which a single stick is appointed for the wicket, ditto for a bat, and ditto, of about three inches in length, for a ball. If this be not the original of the game of cricket, it is at least a plebeian imitation of it.

The constitution of the pastime has undergone considerable alteration and improvement since becoming a fashionable and favorite recreation. We proceed to give the necessary analysis of the game, with the proper instructions for playing, being forced to reserve for another number "The laws of the game, as revised by the London Marylebone Club."

QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD PLAYER.

One who intends to cut any figure as a cricket player should be active, and capable of enduring fatigue. He should not be afraid of his person, nor timid about catching a ball when at its speed. He should have a clear head, and a quick eye and hand, and above all be cool and collected, all nerve or none at all. A batsman who "flutters" or flurries himself in the least, had better throw his bat down at once and walk out to save time, for he cannot do any good in, and may do harm by getting out the other in-player.

If we had to choose players by sight, without knowing any thing of their qualifications, we would stick to what the doctors call the sanguine, and avoid the heavy lymphatic, or the dark bilious looking subject; a light complexion and a clear blue eye, with a firm elastic step for us.

If it be the lot of the reader to join in any match at home or from home, let us advise him to stick to the old motto, "early to bed and early to rise." Let him shun all larks except those that he can hear in the fields in a summer's morning; racketing at night gives him the palsy next day.

A cricket club, to make sure of your number for private matches, should consist of twenty-eight or thirty members at least; for, taking away two for umpires, and two for scorers, you may generally calculate upon one or two absent from sickness or other causes.

BATS, BALLS, ETC.

The bat now in general use is made of willow, wrapped in the handle with silk or thread so as to give good hold; it must not exceed four inches and a quarter in the widest part, and must not be more than thirty-eight inches in length.

The ball is made of stout leather, strongly sewed; for regular play, the weight must not be less than five ounces and a half; for boys we should recommend a lighter ball, the regular weight is too much for their strength.

The stumps are six pieces of wood, three of which are to be placed in the ground at a point fixed upon, and the other three at another point, twenty-two yards distant. On the top of these stumps is placed a piece of wood, eight inches long, called a bail. The stumps should be twenty-seven inches above the ground, and the bail so placed that a touch will knock it off.