his;
doomed though he was to perpetual and hopeless exile, upon an isolated
rock in the midst of the ocean. On seeing the yellow flags, with the motto
'_Orange boven_,' flying at the mast-heads of the shipping, and hearing of
the overthrow of the power of France, our old Dutch boatswain's-mate, (who
in his youth had served with the brave Admiral De Winter, and who had
braved the 'battle and the breeze' for more than half a century,) was
touched to the very depths of his stout heart. He was completely melted,
and wept like a child over the fallen fortunes of NAPOLEON. 'Holland,'
said he, 'has lost her best friend. Who like him will watch over and
protect my country!' He was naturally of a cheerful disposition; but from
that time to the close of the voyage, he appeared sad and disheartened,
and a smile scarce ever came over his countenance. I may remark in
passing, that there were on board of our ship some ten or fifteen Dutch
prisoners, who were the remnant of a large force that had formerly been
garrisoned at the island of Java. All but these few had been gradually
wasted away by pestilence and the poisoned spears and knives of the
natives; and Holland, being so much engaged in her wars at home, had no
means of aiding so distant a colony. Such was their condition when the
island fell into the hands of the English; and they were rescued from
destruction by the natives, only by becoming prisoners of war to the
English. They were all old men, and some of them could speak a little
English: they used to relate to me their former condition, and talk of
their future prospects. The tale was a sad one. When young they were
'kidnapped,' as they termed it, by the government, as no volunteers could
be got to serve in that sickly climate. They were forced from home and
their parents at a tender age and sent to that far country, whence they
had no prospect of ever returning, or hearing from their friends. Some of
them had been absent for forty years, during which time they had seen none
of their connexions, and seldom heard from them; for many years all
intercourse had been dropped. They felt themselves entire strangers in the
world; they were going to Holland to be sure, but not to their home. After
the lapse of so many years, where could they seek for their friends? Death
and other causes had removed and scattered them; and they almost dreaded
the time when they should again set their feet upon the land of their
fathers. Having bee