240 PHOSPHORESCENCE OF THE OCEAN. 



waves. It seemed absolutely on fire : if you have 

 never seen this beautiful phenomenon, I will give you 

 a lively description of it, in the words of Crabbe : 



" See, as they float along, th' entangled weeds 

 Slowly approach, upborne on bladdery beads ; 

 Wait till they land, and you shall then behold 

 The fiery sparks those tangled fronds infold. 

 Myriads of living points ; the unaided eye 

 Can but the fire, and not the form, descry. 

 And now your view upon the ocean turn, 

 And there the splendour of the waves discern. 

 Cast but a stone, or strike them with an oar. 

 And you shall flames within the deep explore ; 

 Or scoop the stream phosphoric as you stand. 

 And the cold flame shall flash along your hand ; 

 When, lost in wonder, you shall walk and gaze 

 On weeds that sparkle, and on waves that blaze." 



Some assert that these brilliant flashes of phospho- 

 ric light, that sometimes fringe every wave that rolls 

 towards the shore, are produced by vast quantities of 

 putrid matter, formed by the remains of dead fish ; 

 others, with more probability, as I think, attribute this 

 splendid appearance to luminous insects. Leaving the 

 solution of this interesting question to philosophers, I 

 shall close my letter with an instance of gratitude 

 and attachment in an elephant, that Mr. Palmer has 

 read, but he cannot recollect the authority on which it 

 rests, with the hope that it will excite Mr. Hervey to 

 supply us with some more anecdotes of that intelli- 



