by some of the men, who, with a degree of mingled consideration, respect, and affection, that could hardly have been expected at such a moment, refused to partake of the grateful beverage, until they had offered a share of it to their officers.-Towards the close of this mournful tragedy, backwardness, rather than an impatience to adopt the perilous and only means of escape that offered, became discernible on the part of the unhappy remnant still on board. Captain Cobb, in his immoveable resolution to be the last, if possible, to quit his ship, and in his generous anxiety for the preservation of every life intrusted to his charge, refused to seek the boat, until he again endeavoured to urge onward the few still around him, who seemed struck dumb and powerless with dismay. [The difficulties and dangers which so much alarmed these men are well described in the Narrative, and were such as had nearly proved fatal to the captain's own personal escape.] But, finding all his entreaties fruitless, and hearing the guns, whose tackle was burst asunder by the advancing flames, successively exploding in the hold, into which they had fallen, this gallant officer, after having nobly pursued, for the preservation of others, a course of exertion, that has been rarely equalled either in its duration or difficulty, at last felt it right to provide for his own safety, by laying hold on the topping-lift, or rope that connects the driver-boom with the mizzen-top, and thereby getting over the heads of the infatuated men, who occupied the boom, unable to go either backward or forward, and ultimately dropping himself into the water. The means of escape, however, did not cease to be presented to the unfortunate individuals above referred to, long after Captain Cobb took his departure, -since one of the boats persevered in keeping its station under the Kent's stern, not only after all expostulation and entreaty with those on board had failed, but until the flames, bursting forth from the cabin windows, rendered it impossible to remain, without inflicting the greatest cruelty upon the individuals that manned it. After the arrival of the last boat, the flames, which had spread along the upper deck and poop, ascended with the rapidity of lightning to the masts and

side.

rigging, forming one general conflagration, that illuminated the heavens to an immense distance, and was strongly reflected upon several objects on board the brig. The flags of distress hoisted in the morning, were seen, for a considerable time, waving amid the flames, until the masts, to which they were suspended, successively fell, like stately steeples, over the ship's At last, about half-past one o'clock in the morning, the devouring element having communicated to the magazine, the long-threatened explosion was seen : and the blazing fragments of the once magnificent Kent were instantly hurried, like so many rockets, high into the air: leaving, in the comparative darkness that succeeded, the deathful scene of that disastrous day, floating before the mind, like some feverish dream. -[Byamost extraordinary interposition of Providence, fourteen of the unhappy men left behind in the Kent, were, after the explosion, picked up from the wreck by the crew of the Caroline, a vessel on its passage from Egypt to Liverpool.] Narrative of a Passenger.

DISMAL ADVENTURE IN AN EGYPTIAN CAVERN.

[In the year 1813, Mr Legh, an English traveller, and his companions, having, in the course of a voyage down the Nile, been informed of the existence, near Manfalout, of certain caverns, containing the mummies of crocodiles, resolved to pay them a visit. For this purpose they engaged four Arabs to be their guides to the caverns, which were situate within the confines of the desert. A circular pit, about 18 feet in depth, brought them down to the level of the excavations: three of the Arabs descended with them, and, with lighted torches, they made their way through various winding passages, without finding any more than a few fragments of the crocodile mummies. The interesting circumstances which followed, are thus described by the traveller.]-Our curiosity was still unsatisfied. We had been wandering, for more than an hour, in low subterranean passages, and felt considerably fatigued by the irksomeness of the posture,

in which we had been obliged to move, and the heat of our torches, in those narrow and low galleries. But the Arabs spoke so confidently of succeeding in this second trial, that we were induced once more to attend them. We found the opening of the chamber, which we now approached, guarded by a trench of unknown depth, and wide enough to require a good leap. The first Arab jumped the ditch, and we all followed him. The passage we entered was extremely small, and so low in some places, as to oblige us to crawl flat on the ground, and almost always on our hands and knees. The intricacies of its windings resembled a labyrinth; and it terminated at length in a chamber much smaller than that we had left; but, like it, containing nothing to satisfy our curiosity. Our search hitherto had been fruitless: but the mummies might not be far distant; another effort, and we might still be successful. The Arab, whom I followed, and who led the way, now entered another gallery, and we all continued to move in the same manner as before, each preceded by a guide. We had not gone far before the heat became excessive; for my own part, I found my breathing extremely difficult, my head began to ache most violently, and I had a most distressing sensation of fulness about the breast. We felt that we had gone too far, and yet were almost deprived of the power of returning. At this moment the torch of the first Arab went out. I was close to him, and saw him fall on his side: he uttered a groan; his legs were strongly convulsed; and I heard a rattling noise in his throat;-he was dead! The Arab behind me, seeing the torch of his companion extinguished, and conceiving he had stumbled, passed me, advanced to his assistance and stooped. I observed him appear faint, totter, and fall in a moment-he also was dead! The third Arab came forward and made an effort to approach the bodies, but stopt short. We looked at each other in silent horror, the danger increased every instant; our torches burnt faintly our breathing became more difficult; our knees tottered under us; and we felt our strength nearly gone. There was no time to be lost. American, Barthow, cried to us to take courage; and

:

The

we began to move back as fast as we could. We heard the remaining Arab shouting after us, calling us Caffres, imploring our assistance, and upbraiding us with deserting him. But we were obliged to leave him to his fate, expecting every moment to share it with him. The windings of the passages, through which we had come, increased the difficulty of our escape; we might take a wrong turn, and never reach the great chamber we had first entered. Even supposing we took the shortest road, it was but too probable our strength would fail us before we arrived. We had each of us separately, and unknown to one another, observed attentively the different shapes of the stones, which projected into the galleries we had passed, so that each had an imperfect clew to the labyrinth we had now to retrace. We compared notes, and only on one occasion had a dispute; the American differing from my friend and myself. In this dilemma we were determined by the majority, and fortunately were right. Exhausted with fatigue and terror, we reached the edge of the deep trench, which remained to be crossed, before we got into the great chamber. Mustering all my strength I leaped, and was followed by the American. Smelt stood on the brink, ready to drop with fatigue. He called to us, "for God's sake to help him over the fosse, or at least to stop, if only for five minutes, to allow him to recover his strength." It was impossible. To stay was death, and we could not resist the desire to push on, and reach the open air. We encouraged him to summon all his force, and he cleared the trench. When we reached the open air, it was one o'clock. and the heat of the sun about 160°. Our sailors, who were waiting for us, had luckily a bardak full of water, which they sprinkled upon us: but, though a little refreshed, it was not possible to climb the sides of the pit; they unfolded their turbans, and, slinging them round our bodies, drew us to the top. Our appearance alone without our guides naturally astonished the Arab, who had remained at the entrance of the cavern; and he anxiously inquired for his friends. To have confessed they were dead, would have excited suspicion: he would have supposed we had murdered

them, and have alarmed the inhabitants of Amabdie to pursue us, and revenge the death of their friends. We replied, therefore," they were coming, and were employed in bringing out the mummies we had found, which was the cause of their delay." We lost no time in mounting our asses, recrossed the Desert, and passed hastily by the village, to regain the ferry at Manfalout. Legh.

[After this, the travellers, as may well be believed, embarked with all possible haste, but, being retarded by contrary wind, were overtaken by some Turks and Arabs, who carried them back to Manfalout, where the Arabs demanded vengeance for the murder of their friends. The magistrate, before whom they were carried, behaved to them very harshly in public, but in private advised and assisted them to escape. Being, however, a second time retarded by the wind, they were again brought back, and on this occasion, found, among their clamorous accusers, the Arab, whom they refused to assist in the cavern, by whom they were now charged with having murdered his companions by magic. But in consequence of a threatened appeal to the Pacha of Egypt, and the payment of two Spanish dollars to each of the widows of the unfortunate men, they were allowed to proceed on their voyage.]

FALL OF PART OF A MOUNTAIN IN SWITZERLAND.

[MANY of our young readers may have heard of those frightful avalanches of snow, which so often come thundering down from the lofty mountains of Switzerland; but perhaps few of them are aware of the danger, to which the inhabitants of Alpine districts are not unfrequently exposed, by the still more awful precipitation of the mountains themselves, into the valleys beneath. A signal catastrophe of this description took place in the year 1806, when a portion of the mountain of Rossberg, which had occupied a space twice as great as the city of Paris, descended at once, with the most dreadful devastation, into the Lake of Lowertz. Of this aw