d the cases of marble were so heavy as to require amazing
skill and good management to be ultimately successful. The cases
were all finally recovered, and none of the contents in the least
damaged, when they were forwarded to England. The whole cost of
these marbles, all expenses included, in the collecting, weighing
up, and conveying, is estimated at the enormous sum of 36,000_l_."

CHARLES. "When was this valuable collection made, sir?"

MR. WILTON. "It was many years in hand. I believe about the year
1799 investigations commenced; but the 'Mentor' was lost in 1802,
and the marbles did not all arrive in England until the end of the
year 1812; since then an immense number of valuable medals have been
added to the collection."

DORA. "May we now sail through the straits of Gibraltar into the
Atlantic?"

MR. WILTON. "We must necessarily pass through the straits of
Gibraltar to get out of the Mediterranean; but as we proposed to
examine into the different situations of the lesser divisions of
water, _first_, we will merely sail through a _portion_ of the
Atlantic, and have a little information concerning the Bay of
Biscay."

DORA. "The Bay of Biscay washes the shores of France and Spain; but
the sea is so very rough there, that I think, were our voyage _real_
instead of _imaginary_, we should all be anxious to leave this Bay
as quickly as possible: and the next name on the list is the British
Channel."

EMMA. "I have that. The British Channel is the southern boundary of
Great Britain, and extends to the coast of France. The islands in
this channel are the Isle of Wight--capital Newport,--Guernsey,
Jersey, Alderney and Sark."

MRS. WILTON. "The Isle of Wight has, from time immemorial, been
eulogized for its beautiful scenery. It is about twenty-three miles
from east to west, and twelve from north to south. You have all
heard of the Needles, which obtained their name from a lofty pointed
rock on the western coast, bearing a resemblance to that little
implement; and which, with other pieces of rock, had been disjointed
from the mainland by the force of the waves. This rock was 120 feet
high. About seventy years ago, it fell, and totally disappeared in
the sea. The height of the cliffs now standing, is in some places
600 feet, and, when viewed from a distance, they are magnificent in
the extreme. In this island her majesty Queen Victoria has a
delightful residence.

"Guernsey is the most westerly of the Channel Is