And there are the poison'd (10), who stand, With countenance livid and pale; And tauntingly drinks thee,-“ All hail !" Away! to the land of the dead; Their frown is grown deeper with shade. Thee far to thy destin'd abode; Illumines the desolate road? eye is turn'd dim-it is glaz’d with a tear, A streamlet is wandering by; Till, like him, they wither and die. A stone is placed over his breast; There, there, let him slumber and rest: R. MATTHEWS. NOTES. Note (1.) Note (2.) Note (3.) At Thebes, in ancient Egypt, was a statue of Memnon, with a harp in his hand, which is said to have hailed with cheerful notes the beams of the rising sun; and in melancholy tones to have mourned his departure. This statue was thrown down, during the conflicts between the French and English armies; and recent travellers assert; (with how much reason or veracity, is not for me to determine,) that the mysterious sound still continues to issue from the pedestal upon which it stood, both at morning and in the evening. Note (4.) The army which Buonaparte carried to Egypt was the same with which he threatened to invade England; but which, after many unsuccessful engagements, was obliged to surrender to an enemy it affected to despise, while it exceeded 30,000 men in number. Note (5.) At the celebrated siege of Acre, Napoleon was disappointed in no less than eleven attempts to carry the place by assault ; and, after losing half his army, and the flower of his officers, was obliged to retire in disgrace. One of the attacks was made during a truce, agreed upon for the purpose of burying the dead. The place, it is well known, was defended by Sir Sidney Smith. Note (6.) Now a lake, in Italy; formerly the river of Hell, said to have been formed for the purpose of assisting the Titans, who fought against Jupiter; and the same over which Charon is fabled to have ferried the souls of the departed into eternity. Note (7.) “ Before the battle of the bridge of Lodi," said Buonaparte, I fought for my honour, but there I fouybit for my life.” Note (8.) The battles of Austerlitz, Marengo, Jena, and Wagram, stand amongst the most wonderful military achievements of modern times. Note (9.) Moscow. Note (10.) The charge brought against Buonaparte, of poisoning the sick and wounded, at Jaffa, (whatever may bave been his motive,) has never yet been satisfactorily rebutted. OCCASIONED THE LINES, ACCOMPANIED BY MARTIAL gaze with delight, Or awaken emotions of bliss ? - As to make me forget I am man? 0, curse on its charms ! if it can. To gaze on the vision of fear - And, exulting, exclaim-" I was there!". Let valour, encas'd in its pride, Unshrinking the carnage survey To virtue, my bosom shall sway. At their meeting what fury they breathe! Each sword has deserted its sheath. And thousands lie stretch'd on the plain! Spare, spare me,-it fires thro' my brain. The lov'd, the lamented, are down- The hopes they encircled are flown. Fond sisters, this sorrowful day; Far, far from their country away. On the face of that youth, as he calls One step,—but one step,—and he falls ! Deserted and helpless he lies; He groans; his brain maddens; he dies ! When the flag of revenge is uprear'd; The chief of an ill-fated house they denote Young Brunswick !- the omen he heard, As he stood mid the lovely and brave His ear caught the sound of alarm! No wonder the dance could not charm; Which fill'd the gay revellers round with such glee. N But veil it! ah! veil the sad scene! Close, close, the long detail of woe! Did blood thus unceasingly flow? They call up no joys in my breast; Be the feelings they cherish repress'd! And demands the applause of the eye; Can I look on them all, nor a sigh The features of war from the view ? And exhibit their horrible hue ! Falls so sweet on the listener's ear; Were they mix'd with those accents of fear, The echoes of Waterloo's field; Could hear the dread harmony peal'd- On a scene of such horror as this? Or awaken emotions of bliss ? As to make me forget I am man? O curse on its charms if it can! spurn their control, And debar them for ever access to my soul. PHILOSOPHICAL AND LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Interesting Narrative of a Voyage to Pulo-Penang, or Prince of Wales's Island. - The following narrative (taken almost verbatim from Captain Lockerby, of the ship Lindsays, now in the port of Liverpool) will be found highly interesting, not only to the merchant, but to the general reader: to the former, as it explains the voyage which the ship made to the Malay Islands, without infringement of the charter of the East India Company ; to the latter, as it details some particulars of the fine island of Singapore, where a thriving settlement has recently been made by Sir T. S. Raffles. It contains also some interesting accounts relative to the burial-place of the ExEmperor Napoleon. Captain Lockerby sailed in the Lindsays from London in May, 1820, with a full cargo of British goods, for Gibraltar. Without discharging, be proceeded to Madeira, thence to Buenos Ayres; and then to PuloPenang, in the Straits of Malaca. There he discharged part of his cargo, and sailed to the new settlement of Singapore, which was established about three years ago by Sir T. Stamford Raffles. Here he remained for three weeks'; discharged the whole of his outward cargo, and purchased sugar of an excellent quality, brought from the Gulf of Siam by Chinese junks. Singapore is a beautiful island in the straits of that name, in the entrance of the Chinese sea, and a few leagues from the southern extremity of Asia. Singapore (the capital) is divided into three separate towns; namely, Malaytown, containing about 10,000 Malay inhabitants; Chinese-town, about 7000 Chinese; and English-town, which yet contains but few Europeans, among whom are about five respectable English merchants. English-town is laid out in beautiful squares, and spacious streets crossing each other at right angles; and is agreeably decorated with trees. The site of the mansion of the resident Governor is on a rising ground behind the town, and commands an extensive and delightful view of the whole of the straits, and of the numerous and beautiful islands that surround the new settlement. Colonel Farquhar (formerly Governor of Malaca) is Governor here; a gentleman well calculated for the office, from his experimental knowledge of the manners and character of the Malays*; who, it may be here remarked, appear to be partial to the British government, and inimical to the Dutch. The climate of Singapore, although warm, is extremely salubrious; and appears to be so little subject to the diseases so fatal to Europeans in most tropical climates, that only two of these had died, since the formation of the settlement, a period of three years. The markets are well supplied with fish and poultry; and dried and salted provisions are plentifully imported in the Chinese junks from Siam. Tropical fruits and roots are also abundant. The trade of the island is very considerable, and is fast increasing. During the last year, it had been triple that of Prince of Wales's Island. Captain Lockerby is of opinion, that, from its advantageous situation and excellent harbour, it will eventually draw the trade from that island entirely. There is also a considerable trade with Batavia. The intercourse, through means of Chinese junks, is immense. During Captain Lockerby's stay, upwards of twenty of these vessels, of from two to three hundred tons burthen, loaded with sugar (great quantities of which are sent to Batavia) arrived daily. Sugar is generally sold at half a dollar less per picul than at Pulo-Penang. * It is not perhaps generally known that these people are by no means immersed in savage barbarity. Their language is established; they are possessed of books and writings, and pride themselves in tracing their origin from record and tradition, back to a remote period of 4000 years. The papers in our fifth and present Numbers, communicated by the individual here so honourably mentioned, throw considerable light on the character of this singular people ; as do those furnished by sir Alexander Johnson, in the fifth and sixth, on their antiquity. |
