stretched at his length upon
pillows and clothes, placed on the floor, attended by two clergymen, and
some women, who, in their attentions to this apparently dying old
gentleman, seemed to have forgotten their own comfortless situation,
arising from so many persons being crowded in so small a space, for our
numbers above and below amounted to sixty. Upon inquiry, they informed
me, that the person whose appearance had so affected me, had been a
clergyman of great repute and esteem at Havre, that he was then past the
age of ninety five years, scarcely expected to survive our short voyage,
but was anxious to breathe his last in his own country. They spoke of
him, as a man who in other times, and in the fulness of his faculties,
had often from his pulpit, struck with terror and contrition, the
trembling souls of his auditors, by the force of his exalted eloquence;
who had embellished the society in which he moved, with his elegant
attainments; and who had relieved the unhappy, with an enlarged heart
and munificent hand--A mere mass of misery, and helpless infirmities,
remained of all these noble qualities!

During the early part of the night, we made but little way--behind, the
dark shadowy line of land faded in mist; before us, the moon spread a
stream of silver light upon the sea. The soft stillness of this repose
of nature was broken only by the rippling of the light wave against the
head and sides of the vessel, and by the whistling of the helmsman, who,
with the helm between his knees, and his arms crossed, alternately
watching the compass and the sail, thus invoked the presence of the
favouring breeze.

Leaving him, and some few of our unfortunate comrades, to whom the
motion of the sea was more novel than gratifying, we descended into the
steerage, (for our births in the cabin were completely occupied by
females). As we were going down the ladder, the appearance of so many
recumbent persons, faintly distinguishable by the light of a solitary
taper, reminded us of a floating catacomb; here, crawling under a cot
which contained two very corpulent priests, upon a spare cable, wrapt up
in our own great coats, we resigned ourselves to rest.

The next day, without having made much progress in our little voyage, we
arose, and assembled round the companion, which formed our breakfast
table; at dinner, we were enabled to spread a handsome table of
refreshments, to which we invited all our fellow passengers who were
capabl