tude, backed the paddles, at the risk of losing command of the steerage of his own vessel. Providentially, the Tigris, leaving the two men ashore, passed clear before the Euphrates had quite lost her head-way, so that the paddles of the latter being again turned ahead, she gained the bank with difficulty, but happily without recoil. Instantly, Captain Charlewood was on shore, followed by several men bearing a hawser and light anchor; within a few seconds, another anchor and chain cable had been got ashore, and these were followed rapidly by a third, the engines were at the same time kept going at full power, and the vessel was thus happily secured. Not so with the poor Tigris! After she was blown from the bank, the engines were worked at full power, and every effort was made to turn her bow to the bank; one anchor was let go, but the heel of the vessel made it impossible to get another out. Lower down, another attempt was made, but equally in vain. To go down with the stream was impossible, as in the total darkness the windings of the river could not be seen, and she must have run right ashore, and the wind, which was tearing the boards from off the paddleboxes like shreds of paper, making it impossible to stand without holding by something, drove her upon her broadside, so that the engines became powerless, while the waves, rising to the height of four or five feet, dashed in through the windows. Every one made attempts, but ineffectually, to keep out the water; and two native servants continued so employed till they perished.

The fate of the vessel was soon decided. She began to fill fast, and every one came upon deck, with the exception of the engineer and his assistant, who remained in the engine-room until the water was more than knee deep, and the two natives previously mentioned. The fore part of the deck was under water when Captain Lynch came to report to the Colonel that the Tigris was sinking. The word was then passed for every one to save himself. At this instant, a momentary gleam of light faintly shewed the bank, at the distance of some twenty to thirty feet, and as there seemed every probability that the stern would touch it before she went down, the people were encouraged to remain steady until they reached the land. The officers and crew had continued perfectly cool and collected throughout this awful period. Orders were given and obeyed without the slightest confusion; not a word was spoken-not a murmur heard. As the steamer first began to sink forward, the men moved gradually aft, some clinging to the ropes of the awning, the paddle-boxes, and funnel, but the majority keeping close to the tiller, where they remained in a body, patiently awaiting the result. The ill-fated vessel and her crew did not long remain the sport of the wild waves; all at once she sank beneath them, casting thirty-four brave fellows upon the flood, to struggle against a furious wind and strong current, with an atmosphere so charged with dust and spray, that it was almost as dark as night,-indeed so awfully indistinct was it, that although there was but a short distance. between the two vessels, it appears to me, at the present moment, like a night-dream-the memory of that vessel, thus sinking so suddenly beneath the waves.

Captain Lynch had not left the vessel till there was about four-feet water on the deck, when he dived from beneath the starboard ridgerope; and Colonel Chesney got clear in the same manner through the larboard side, and luckily took a direction which brought him to the

land; for a moment, the Tigris remained, with the keel near the stern, uppermost; but having gone down bow foremost, she struck the bottom in that position, and turned round as on a pivot,-for she was afterwards found lying in the bed of the river completely upset. It was probably owing to this circumstance that so heavy a fatality accompanied the loss of this steamer, for it went down close to the bank -while the wind was driving everything on shore-and, (with one exception,) all were known to be expert swimmers. Even the survivors themselves were totally unable to account satisfactorily for the loss of twenty of our devoted men out of the thirty-four on board. Being for the most part huddled together, many, during the darkness, may have grasped each other, so as to have prevented the free use of their limbs it is likewise to be presumed that some took the wrong direction, and swam out into the middle of the river; but it is probable also, that many were involved in the whirlpool occasioned by the sudden sinking of the vessel, if not positively thrown over, by its own great revolution.

In the meantime, the Euphrates had been secured to the bank; but as the waves were still dashing in through the ports, with the utmost violence, great fears were entertained that she might, notwithstanding the exertions made, sink alongside the bank; and if the storm had lasted only five minutes longer, in all probability this would have been the case. But the Almighty mercifully ordained it otherwise; and the wind having suddenly abated, the Euphrates still floated, but alone! and the sun shone with a laughing light, over the spot where the ship and her crew had been, dispelling, at the same moment, the hurricane's mist, and lifting the veil from the work of death.

Scarcely was the Euphrates out of danger, than Lieut. Murphy and myself, after hastily arming ourselves, hurried down the banks of the river to the assistance of the wrecked. We had not proceeded far, when we came to where the Musah channel flowed into the river Euphrates. We did not hesitate taking the water, but plunged in at once, swimming with one hand, and holding our guns above water with the other. The stream was deep, and the current strong, and the task greater than appeared at first. The weight of clothes and arms fatigued us so much, that Lieut. Murphy was obliged to give up his firelock; and I was glad, on reaching the opposite bank, to cling by a shrub to drag myself out of the deep waters. In the meantime, Captain Charlewood had launched a boat, and floating down the stream, reached the wreck before us.

Those who had succeeded in gaining the shore, fourteen in number, were washed over the bank some distance into a field of corn. Colonel Chesney was of the number; and the happy circumstance of our gallant leader having been spared to us, gave us the only ray of joy that could brighten such a melancholy scene; and it did gladden all our hearts to see him safe, assisting and encouraging some of those poor fellows who had sunk down exhausted by their recent struggles, at the brink of the watery grave they had so narrowly escaped. It was indeed a touching sight to see those half-drowned men scattered upon the field, their clothes drenched and clinging to their bodies, some partly uncovered, their hair lank and dishevelled, and their faces pale and horror-stricken. Except Lynch, who required to be supported, and Chesney, who struggled away, half smiling, in advance, most of them

fell mechanically into pairs, and walked, holding each other by the hand, thus forming a kind of procession, which the whole crew of the Euphrates received with a silent, but deep felt sympathy.

Exertions were now made to save any stores that might be found scattered along the bank. We could not also, at the first moment, admit the extent of the catastrophe that had visited us; and it was vainly hoped that some had been carried lower down the stream, and others might have swum to the opposite bank. Close and anxious search was made among the reeds and tamarisk jungle, but without success. Among those especially regretted, were Lieut. Cockburn, of the Royal Artillery, and Lieut. Lynch, of the 21st Native Bengal Infantry.

Some of the wood of the paddle-boxes had been driven upon the bank; and with these fragments, came several cases of Birmingham and Sheffield goods, containing guns, pistols, &c.; also two casks of salt meat (nearly two hundred weight each) which must have been thrown ashore by the force of the hurricane, together with a few books, amongst which was Colonel Chesney's Bible, which had already, when he was navigating the river on a raft, gone to the bottom, and had been washed ashore in a similar manner.

The situation of the lost vessel could not at first be discovered; and we remained four days,-partly at the scene of the catastrophe, and partly a little below it, and close behind the cliffs of Irzah, sounding for the steamer, picking up what stores were thrown ashore, and looking out for the remains of our companions. The conduct of the Arabs was throughout most praiseworthy. They crowded, on seeing the catastrophe, in considerable numbers, around the spot where so many valuable things were scattered about; and immediately began to collect them with the utmost good will. Of course, at such a moment, everything lay quite unprotected; but so far from taking advantage of this circumstance, they did not attempt to pilfer a single article, with the exception of one man, who seized upon a bag, which he was immediately compelled to relinquish by his comrades. This was attributable to our having paid them for the wood in the morning-a line of conduct which would not have been pursued by a Turkish ship in similar circumstances.

The second day, a report was brought that the Arabs had found a body. It was recognised to be that of Yuseff Sader, the interpreter. He was lying on his face, and must have died swimming. His hands were firmly clenched, and his countenance still indicated the fierce struggle he had made for his life. We buried him the same afternoon. The next day, Thomson, one of the survivors, and myself, had gone out to shoot rock partridges which abounded on the cliffs, when we observed another corpse floating down the river. It lay on its back, one arm extended, and only the face above the water, upon which sat a vulture at prey. This body was picked up on arriving at the steamer.

We had at this time several thunderstorms; one, on the evening of the 23rd, was accompanied by thunder and very vivid lightning, and by a fall of large hailstones, one of which measured an inch and a quarter in every direction, and weighed 128 grains.

These hurricanes appear to be common to great level tracts and desert spaces, from their being exposed to changes which, acting upon an extensive uniform surface, unbroken by forests or mountains, accu

mulate with an intensity that causes them to burst over some fated spot with fearful energy and destructiveness. For the same reason, they only last a brief time; discharging, almost at once, their pent-up electric tension, and at the same time re-establishing an equilibrium of temperature, elasticity, and pressure, with the atmosphere around. Since the occurrence here related, I have had many opportunities of observing them. The days on which they occurred were generally calm and sultry. A dense dark bank would come on steadily, the line of base being as distinct as a sheet of water. The wind appeared to blow strongest at the base, which was always in advance of the higher parts, and of an orange or red, or sometimes fiery red, colour, occasioned by the refraction of the sun's rays from behind through the sand. The almost resistless whirls would tear up the plants and shrubs of the plain, and even carry sheep off their legs if taken unawares; but these animals generally meet the hurricane with their legs drawn up and their noses to the ground. The Arabs, it is well known, also lie close to the ground during the prevalence of the blast, which they call by various names, as fatulah and samm, whence our simoom." During its prevalence, the sky is often cloudless, and there is very little rain: and I have seen the city of Musul involved for a short time in utter darkness, and everything buried in a cloud of sand and dust, without a drop of rain falling. When the hurricane thus comes upon a city, the natives announce its arrival by loud shouts of warning from the house-tops.

Ammianus relates, in his history of Julian, that when he was at Anatho (Anah), there occurred" a terrible event-whirlwinds which blew down the houses and tents, overthrew the soldiers, and caused many boats to sink." Josephus writes, upon the authority of a sibyl (very questionable authority), that it was by a similar phenomenon viz., an impetuous wind or violent hurricane, that the tower of Babel was thrown to the ground.

On the 26th, we descended to Anah-the most beautiful town upon the Euphrates, occupying a long fringe of soil between a low ridge of rocks and the swift flowing waters. Every house was embosomed in its own rich grove of palm trees, pomegranates, and flowering shrubs; and every grove was fertilized by self-acting wheels, which tilted up the waters into aqueducts, green with a rich drapery of ferns and mosses, while the middle of the stream was diversified by a long line of islands, whose refreshing depths of verdure were only interrupted by holy shrines or tombs, and the more towering ruins of the ancient Castle of Anatho.

Here a number of bodies overtook us floating down the stream; and we hired an Arab to swim out and bring them in; but they were mostly so disfigured as to be no longer recognisable. We dug graves for them ashore, and buried them deep, leaving them only to the jackals' howl, for they could not disturb more than the surface of their resting-place. The liberality of the governor and council of Bombay has provided funds for the erection of a fountain as a monument to those who perished on this unfortunate occasion; and it will probably soon be raised at this lovely place which, when the commercial and other advantages of the Euphrates are more generally known, is likely to become a place of resort to Europeans.

RECOLLECTIONS OF O'KEEFE.

HA, ha! John O'Keefe! The Soul of Whim, Master of the Revels to the Court of Momus! Rex Jocandi! President of the Board of Fun! High Priest to the Temple of Folly! or by whatsoever nonsensical title thy shade may rejoice in-all hail! "Your lordship is welcome among us. Would that thy mirth-moving spirit could, at each anniversary of merrie England's ancient holiday, induce us indeed to

What a goodly train of fantastic images arises when we syllable the name of the merry enchanter! Shelty, Nipperkin, Darby, Quiz, Bagatelle, Munns, Old Dowdle, Cranky, Bowkit, Lingo, Cockletop! Not the phantasmagoria of a French magic-lantern-reflected forms, that " come like shadows, so depart"-but the choice spirits of our bard's own creation-" sport for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever!" A distillation from the leaves of the "Merry Mourners" would yield an elixir vitæ to "cleanse the bosom of the perilous stuff that weighs upon the heart." O'Keefe! Dispose in a circle the mystic characters that form his name, and the shades of Edwin, Quick, and Munden, dance the hays within it. By the way, would there be anything terrific in the bona fide ghost of Munden or little Quick? Could any body pretend to be frightened at it?

It is a consolation, on the approach of the yellow leaf, to have been born in time for the enjoyment of O'Keefe's "excellent fooling." The young men of the day talk of having seen Munden once or twice! Nobody owns to Quick. In a year or two, Elliston will be spoken of as an actor of some celebrity in his day, as we say of Burbage or Tarleton. We have seen him in his heyday, in "Wild Oats." The veteran author himself, we believe, more than once witnessed that actor's glorious impersonation of his Rover. No wonder that he lived to a good old age. Elliston would have been alive now had he not quenched his fine ethereal spirit in the mephitic vapour-the foul exhalation from a banquet "of the earth, earthy." He should have taken more draughts of O'Keefe, and fewer of brandy and water. it not be supposed, from this association of the names of bygone actors with that of the subject of this rambling article, that his characters were written exclusively for the peculiarities of an individual. We have seen Jemmy Jumps played by Munden and Elliston.

Let

laughed right joyously at the representatives-how excellent, yet how different! of the ludicrous compound of "tags, laces, whalebones, busks, and bodices;" but in the tempest and whirlwind of our mirth we never forgot the fun-compelling Frankenstein, the creator of the merry monstrosity.

We think it is Mr. Leigh Hunt, who, in a cordial notice of our author, says, "In his Lingo he has hit the perfection of the ridiculous." We agree with that admirable critic, and feel that in the following passage he has reached its sublime extremity :-" Lingo. Pray, sir, can you decline the amatum supine to a lady that's fine?