7.00 



MoiUhly Review of Literature, 



[DEC. 



with the precision of a geometrical sur- 

 veyor, and described with the author's 

 own glowing pencil, still require a chart 

 of so much importance are me localities 

 to a tolerable conception of the piece. 

 The chief characters are an honest 

 Dutch Burgher's family, the Skimmer 

 himself, and the gallant captain of the 

 English cruizer on the station ; and the 

 period of time is the latter part of Queen 

 Anne's reign, when Lord Cornbury, the 

 queen's cousin, had just been superseded 

 in the government of New York, but 

 was still unable to leave the colony for 

 the claims of his creditors. He is re- 

 presented historically as a man of 

 profligate habits, and driven to enable 

 him to meet the demands incurred by 

 extravagance not only to connive at 

 smuggling, but to join in the ventures, 

 and connect himself with even more 

 unjustifiable transactions. Buccaneer- 

 ing habits still lingered among the Eng- 

 lish, and the Drakes and Raleighs, who 

 Avere in their day no better than lega- 

 lized pirates, had left their mantles 

 behind them, and they were not yet 

 worn to rags. Lord Cornbury is brought 

 prominently forward, but unluckily for 

 the interest of the tale, is not well mixed 

 up with its texture he only fills the 

 pages, without advancing the story. 



The old burgher has a country house a 

 few miles from New York, but still 

 within the waters of the estuary, where 

 he occasionally goes, professedly for 

 country air and retirement, but, in rea- 

 lity, the better to cover his intercourse 

 with the commander of the Water 

 Witch for he dabbles in contraband 

 wares. On one occasion he is accom- 

 panied by his niece, a wealthy heiress 

 a lady for whom the captain of the 

 English cruizer avows his admiration. 

 The captain, who calls to pay his de- 

 voirs, makes some awkward discoveries 

 relative to the old burgher's dealings 

 with the smuggler, and his duties and 

 affections come a little into conflict. He 

 is, however, too much a man of honour, 

 and too much devoted to his profession, 

 to suffer his public duties to give way 

 to his private feelings. They only mo- 

 dify his conduct. Circumstances occur 

 also to excite his jealousy he surprises 

 the young lady smiling very graciously 

 upon a youthful, but very animated 

 personage, who was displaying before 

 her his silks and laces, and whom, the 

 captain concludes, though he seeais fitter 

 for a lady's boudoir than a smuggler's 

 deck, is the notorious commander of the 

 Water Witch. That same night she 

 suddenly disappears, and every body, as 

 well as the captain, believes her to have 

 gone off with the Skimmer on board the 

 Wj.ter Witch. This remarkable vessel 

 was Avell known on the station the 

 caplyin had long had orders to seize her, 



and, exasperated as he was at the recent 

 event, on discovering she was within the 

 waters, he loses not a moment in com- 

 mencing the pursuit of her. The chase 

 is eagerly prosecuted, and vast space is 

 occupied in describing the witch's ma- 

 noeuvres, and the captain's annoyance, 

 at finding himself repeatedly baffled. 

 The sailors universally believe her some 

 unearthly thing. Giving up the pursuit 

 at last as hopeless, the captain returns 

 to his station, and visiting the old bur- 

 gher's country house he again finds the 

 lady, who reappears as if nothing had 

 happened, and again in company with 

 the smuggler. The burgher's house is 

 neutral ground the Skimmer is safe 

 from his resentments and his authority ; 

 but returning to his ship in the even- 

 ing, the captain intercepts him in a boat, 

 and whips him off to his own deck. The 

 seizure is communicated, at the smug- 

 gler's desire, to the family, and they all, 

 in a body, come aboard, and the captain 

 politely cedes his cabin to the party. 

 But the Water Witch is within sight, 

 and he, with the visitors and the prisoner 

 on board, again starts in pursuit of her, 

 and is again fairly baffled he loses 

 sight of her, but falls in with a French 

 frigate, and an engagement ensues, in 

 which the captain offers the Skimmer a 

 chance of redeeming his credit in the 

 command of some guns. The offer 

 leads to a discovery, which explains 

 some previous mysteries the Skimmer 

 proves a lady, and declines the com- 

 mand. Returning to the New York 

 waters the real Skimmer comes on board, 

 and gives the captain notice of a new 

 and inore formidable French force ; and, 

 finally, by his exertions, and those of 

 part of his crew, rescues him from cer- 

 tain destruction. Scarcely is the captain 

 thus nobly rescued, when the ship is 

 discovered to be on fire, and a tre- 

 mendous scene of distress follows from 

 which, when all hope has vanished, they 

 are again delivered by the Witch's crew. 

 Discoveries and explanations now take 

 place at the old burgher's the lady who 

 so long figured as the Skimmer is the 

 old man's daughter she finally refuses 

 to abandon the Skimmer (the scene 

 here is a very striking one) and he 

 and she put to sea again, and are heard 

 of no more. 



Principles of Geology, by Charles Lyell, 

 Esq, Vol. /.Mr. Lyell' s book is a 

 masterly performance, and its publication 

 will form an epoch in the history of a 

 science, Avhich, Avhile its professors are 

 most of them in chase of theories 

 thinking of little but cosmogonies is yet 

 adding daily to our real and useful 

 knowledge o"f the globe, and detecting 

 or defining the laAvs of nature. The 

 leading- object of the author is to shew 



