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cuiustanccs ~oT* tiucxTlecled horror; the most Moody and obstinately contested that had occurred during the war?and r. which, if Napoleon did not sustain a positive defeat, he underwent a disaster which had well ulgh proved his ruin. The loss on both tides was immense, and never iu modern times, had a field of battle been etreived with such a multitude of slain. On the side of the Russians, 25,000 had fallen, of whom, about 700*0 were no mure; un mai oi tno Trench upwards or 30,000 were killed or wounded, and nearly 10,000 had left their colors, under -pretence of attending t.o the wounded, apd did not make their appearance for several days afterwards. The other trophies of victory were nearly equally balanced? the Russians had to boast of the unusual spectacle of twelve eagles taken from their antagonists?while they made spoil of sixteen of tho Russian guns and fourteen standards. Hardly any prisoners were made 011 either side during the action?but six thousand of the wounded, most of them in a hopelss state, were left on the field of battle and fell in the hands of the French. Never was a spectacle so dreadful as the field of battle presented on the following rooming. About fifty thousand mpn ln? ?r? *? ...w?. an ?iii/ rjraiiC VI IWU leagues, wittering in blood. The wounds Were for the most part, of tho severest kind, from the extraordinary quantity of cannon balls which had been discharged during the action, and the close proximity of the-contending mass to the deadly batteries which spread grape at half musket shot, through their ranks. Though stretched on the cold snow, and exposed to the severity of an Arctic winter, they were burning with thirst, and piteous cries were heard on all sides for water, or aasislnnno /-? ?-> J - * vava iciiuiu wuunucu moil from beneath the heaps of slain, or load of horses by which they were crushed.? Six thousand of these noble animals encumbered the field, or maddened with ' pain, were shrieking aloud amidst the sti- I lied groans of the wounded Subdued i by loss of blood, tamed by cold, exhaust- i cd by hunger, the foemen lay side by side | amidst the general wreck. The Cassack 1 was to be seen beside the Italian; the gay t vine dresser, from the smiling banks of the s Garonne, lay athwart the stern peasant \ from the plains of the Ukraine. The ex- a trcmity of suffering had extinguished alike 1 the fiercest and the most generous pas- i sions. After his usual custom, Napoleon, r in the afternoon, rode through the dreadful n liehl, accompanied by his generals and u stall while the still burning piles of Ser- tl pallen and Saussgarten sent volumes of ti black smoke over the scene of death?but b the men exhibited none of their wonted. y enthusiasm?no cries of Vive l'Emperor o were heard. n AN OLD SEA CAPTAIN'S YARN. On the corner of a pleasant green in a quiet village in Connecticut stood a re- ^ spcctable looking Tavern, one room of which was rented to a small club of news- tj readers, who there were wont to assent-, ^ blc for the purpose of learning and dis-j. cussing the affairs of the ^li^n^^Uisunginshed among this little so-1,1 cicty, was a captain Andrew Merryweatlicr, a retired ship master of the old school. lie had spent the early part of his life in the East India trade, and had j risen in that service by his good conduct to the command of a tine ship. When a ** boy he was a general favorite with his shipmates who gave him the appellation " of * Jack Merry" by which name he was J* known, until as mate he changed his cog- " nomcn to "Mr. Mcrrywcather." He ^ was an accomplished seaman and by de- " voting those hours to studying his profes- " sion which all have at their command in ? long voyages, he became a scientific na- * vigator. lie was remarkable for his v knowledge of the pulley, and by his com- F bination of different blocks always had his c ship worked more easily than any other, c which made him a great favorite with sai- a lors. From this peculiarity, some wag v --.l- - i -i 1 l-i ?... _r.__ u? i 1 Willi LiUlUXJgru id 111& truw, unci lie ucuuiuc | master, christened him "Sir Andrew All-;c blocks" by which characteristic title he v was long known in the China fleet. Ilav- ^ ing retired with a well earned competence ' to his native village he became an inve- ? tcrate news reader, and, soon as the notes 1 of the distant stage horns announced the r approaching mail, his weather-beaten, * though stately and gentlemanly form, was a seen wending its way across the village c green to his accustomed seat in the Ilea- 1 ding Room. 1 Here on one occasion lately after looking over the papers with evident signs of s impatience; they being all alike filled I with accounts of Bank failures, commer- * n ! ii 1 /I! n t m n n n nvnnri m nnlo JLr I 1 i/iui uiaucasy 11 iiu nuiai i/Ai/ui uii^iH.i. v*/i/. j lie tossed from him u the Globe" in a < pet, and having placed his tortoise shell : spectacles in a curious otter skin pouch, I drew his chair toward mine and told inc if I I had leisure to hear it, he would spin me ! a yarn. As I had often listened with dc- : light to his sea stories in telling which, i though a gentleman he always adopted nautical language; 1 expressed my satisfaction, and ho spun as follows. 14 Once when I was before the mast I made a voyage in the old Union, you will recollect that she was a fine ship of the first class and though fitted for trade in which she had been very successful, yet was fully armed, and had once or twice made successful cruises as a man of war. She was divided into many shares and each indivi- : dual of the crew had an interest in the voyage. She had just arrived from a successful voyage, and the old captain had left her, but 1 knew most of the officers, who were perfect icamrn and se-vcral of I them entirely competent to eommiimi her, so thit11 Celt no anxiety <>n that uccou t. , N??w- you will understand thai an she ' was a joint stock concern w.c hud all hands a voice in choosing the captain; there were several talked of, one of them a capital seamen, had been one of the mates in former voyages, his name was Harry Kay, ho was at this time " captain oi the starboard watch" and was a fine intrepid fellow, frank and honorable, and n true sailor every iuch of him, he would have been made skipper long before but for the dirty and malicious slanders of a set of lubbers who envied him his good name, and charged him with crimes of which he was incapable. There was another officer on board by the nanio of Webber, who would have made an excellent commander; he was fr?.? ? ?' ? vni vivitii ciiuij*-"iirsi snippcu 11) d luti)*berrnan, aficrward moved up to cape Cod and followed the fishing, and finally shipped in the Union many years ago. He was in her when she watt a man-of-war and had served in her ever since. He. could handled a marlin spike or a quadrant, strap a block, or measure a distance; take a reef or a lunar, and was as well acquainted witii every timber head in the old Union as the carpenter who built her. He knew just her trim and rale of sailing,how much sail she could carry and how to set it. I always thought that if he had not been a down easier be would huvc been made a skipper years ago; but nowa-days a man thai has belonged to a Codfishorman seldom gets above it, though Jack Adams did. There were many clever seamen 011 board who knew their duty and were willing to do it, but I should spin out my yarn too long if I describe them all to vou. I Knew that several of tliem were talked of for Captain; and as I knew them all to be ; competent seamen and navigators, I did not trouble myself much about the matter, until I heard it whispered about among i my shipmates that they talked of voting i for old Andrews the marine officer. This I man had been captain of a militia com- j < pany and had done good service in the . i Indian wars for which he was made Cap-11 ain of marines: but knew no more about j i seamanship than the cook's mate. He U vas first set up by the ship boys merely! a is matter of fun, and every time they saw id lis cocked hat upon deck they would set 1 ip a huzza. At first 1 laughed with the ;! est, supposing it to be all a joke, having li to idea that there was a man in the ship j d rlio would vote for the old soldier, or h !iat he would wish to be placed in a situa-1 s f? ?Li -I- I " uii iui which iic was so entirely unfit, o ut it proved to be a very serious joke as g ou well see. Our crew like all large a ncs was composed of seamen and lands- d ten; and though there were many first o ate men among them, still, there were, a aany who were mere live lumber, and o et their votes counted as much asthe.st est. Many were foreigners just shipped, b fho aiu not know one rope from another, |c 'tese for the most jmT1 joined in the hurra .a ^ ? ?? " * - - ???iuii;?vs, uniif, w/ien int* vuie carou i if y astonishmen^i^^Wre y? unounced that lie was to be Captain for ct le cruise, and to be obeyed and respcc- hi id accordingly. My ey< s! how the old ni tilors laughed when first they saw the ; g< scked hat and spurs walking the quarter 111: cck under a long red feather; but it soon ? roved no laughing matter. tn When Capt. Andrews came into com- s' land lie brought with him a chief mate Ir y the name of Martin who puzzled us all, n e had been a good at sea and was thought sl y many to be an excellent seaman; that l' /as my own opinion, and as I knew that a e would live aft, and be able to exercise e good deal of influence over the Captain, h felt great confidence that all would go a veil, I was at least in hopes that lie would 11 irevail on the old gentleman to 44 let well h nough alone" a maxim which if better ibservcd would prevent many accidents " it sea and on shore. But there again I 0 vasoutot my reckoning. We had scarcey got to sea before the captain cornmcnctl a regular turn out of all the officers, a vho as I told you were generally safe men, |i nd in place of them with few exceptions, v ic put in as scalv a set of fellows as the c :rew afforded. The cook was made sail- fc ng Master, the cook's mate, a quarter s naster, in short there was hardly a deck valloper or loblolly boy on board hut had c in office; and the most experienced olfi- I :ers in the ship were turned forward. 1 f hen began to think it] was all day with i is. I Dan Webber, Harry Kay and others iaid all they could to prevent this, and joldlv told the skipper that if he went ' ihead this fashion we should soon have the j Devil to pay, hut it was of no use. The ^ :hief mate kept dark, he pretended to do ill he could for the good of the voyage f but most of 11s believed him to he at the ' bottom of the deviltry. You may well ' suppose that things soon got to he helterskelter fore and aft, the ship's duty which j used to go on like clock work, was either neglected or done wrong, and instead of [ attending to it, all hands were at b?ggor- j heads, trying to get an office or keep such ?? I 1 if I 1 .1 1 no mujf iiuii. i iv new ii llilll WCilllUT ' , should come on, it would be a cold scald , for us, and tried to persuade the crew to listen to the warnings of their true friends, , but it did no good, for the captain had taken a parcel of loafers aft to live with |, him, and although they were not officers and in a well regulated ship would hove been kicked out of the cabin, they were his principal advisers, and were employed j to go among the crew and prevent their complaining. It was a pity to see a fine ship in ucf\ bands and mnnv of us would J > fiavo given our 1ai?t shirt to have seen Iter saf? in |>ori again, but buii uj ihiugs were lUC'w Klton lin'niiifl' Ui..nui "ri." ..?... I.? ,. t. nmo?< * u? ncauii'l which had been unusually tine from the time we sailed, now began to lookdirty, and a heavy swell denoted foul weather. At this juncture to our astonishment we were ordered to take in the maintopsail, unbend it and stow it away. We supposed o( course that another would be bent in place of it, but soon found that no such thin? was designed. In vai? Wcubef and others i told the captain that the sail was a good 1 one, and altogether the most useful sail, on the ship, lending more to keep her steady in foul weather than all the other sails together,?that it would be belter to! tako in some of the light kites, or if he, thought the topsail too targe reef it, or j even double reel' it, but entreated that it | mil/ill Stand nr mnlano.l Km - ' _ ?- , ... .V|'<?vv>< ijj u new oue. A largo purl of illv ere* joined in this request, bul in vain, the captain said the topsail w.ts worn oui, and tinally, getting mad swore, and d?d ull topsails and the men who invented them, insisting at the same lime that studding sails were the only sails a ship wanted in any weaihcr. So the topsail was taken in and as the ship yawed aboui for want of it, studding sails were sc-t wherever there was room to rig out a boom and she soon had a devil of a press of canvas ou her. The old skipper stood 011 the quar er deck calling upon all hands to see how beautifully the ship weut through the water under studding sails, and the mate and all lubbers oil* hats and huzzau to see how she skimmed it. All the seamen on board were alarmed, for though the ship was going through the water like a wild horse they knew that as , the weather grew rough if she should , chance to 44 broach to'* there would be a | terrible crash among the studding sail | booms and many a good seaman would ( get his head broke bv tlietn who had <1mm his utmost to prevent the danger. As the sea increased the pood ship reel- j ed like a dru.iken man, lurching gunwale t to, while the booms, yielding to the press ^ af the gale, were springing like coach a whips. At this time, it' the light sails had v acen taken in and the maintopsai's set, she y would have ridden out of the gale like a v luck,* hut instead of this, to our horror j ind amazement, as the ship rolled deeper | tnd deeper, the ballast was ordered to be j loistcd from the hold where alone it could | >e of any service, and placed at the mast j, icad, where it could only increase the g lunger oi our situation, and most probu- g >ly carry away the mast, or capsize the (j hip, ami this was done under the pretence f keeping her steady! As the Captain tj ave this preposterous order the mate and r II the loafers, instead of attempting to I r; issuadc him front such monstrous fnllr I J * tc illy shouted louder huzzas in his praise w nd to his glory. Before the consequences f this fatal measure could he seen, it atruck eight bells, ard the captain's watch w eing out, he left the deck and Martin had harge of the ship. We now hoped that n. (though he had encouraged the old gen- jjj email in Ins folly, to serve his own ends vc !n!uluhc?!iv!^ is own reputation, by resc?.'I(>m? l"is I cs ischievous order. The people g.?t to j,j( ?ther forward and sent aft to entreat, jK tat as they were part owners of the ship ca _?.wl *i.~ - 1 -u..u niuu lives were ai biane, he would j)i; ike measures to save them from total w, lip wreck; but though the gale was each w loment increasing?and though the sea cc lade a "clean breach'* over the decks, Laving casks and damaging cargo?tho' ,, le studding sail booms were snapping jf nd llie sails flying to ribbands, he refus- Gj d. At length the ship "broached to"? as er remaining sails took "hard aback," Sj nd the gallant ship Union, which might, y ndcr snug sail and good management ave been careering like a gull on the top of the wave" "keeled over" on her beam ends" and lay a wreck in the trough <r( if the sea." p, # ? #*# ej At this moment the village clock struck p me, which being the captain's dinner It tour he seized his cane to depart, but I ha- It ing become interested in the narrative al aught him by a huttom and begged to it liiuw now me unlucky slup got out of the crape. A Why she has not got nut of it said the w lapluin?she is there now; and unless all ci lands muster on the first Monday of April ti or a long anil strong pull, to " right her ip" 'clear the wreck'* and get snug sail e lpon her, she never will get out o f it. jt The value of a wig.?A Southern ^ laper relates the following story of an (J >fiicer of the army, who, having lost his lair during an illness contracted at New .1 Orleans, provided himself with a hand* g some wig before starling on a late cam[>aign in Florida: In an engagement with lie Seminole*, he was wounded ami fell ^ to the ground, where he lay without the M power to rise. The red enemy who | wounded him came up for his scalp. The t) officer feigned himself dead, and breathed |( is low and softly as possible. The Indian M bent over him, drew his knife, passed it ^ fearfully and quickly around the head of c bis victim; and then with a "whoop?" t botinded with his bloodless trophy into an everglade. The officer afterwards got bark in snfetv to his r?mi? n?wt . __ ? ..w. with much glee the story of the loss of a his?wig. ? s To have Music before Dinner.?Toll p your wile she is not s ? handsome as the lady who lives across the way. To make Pie.?Play at blind roan's bull c in a Printing Ofl&ce. tl Poetry. BEAU CATCHERS?SONG. - ??-mw. e. _ .. Beau catchers now, are raado of gold, ' Oh! what will poor girls do; Ringlets alas, are of no uso, __ , ? Nor eyes of azure A^:ae! Ah me! Oh! what will poor girld do. Oh! what will poor girls do. Tho magic spell of love is broke, The little god has flod, And thoso that now would bind tho boy, Must got a golden thread. Ah me! Ah me! doc. Beauty reign'd in days of old, Naught else to love had charms; But now the littlo god can't rest Unless in golden arms. Ah me! Ah mo! dee. If poverty but pa66es by. Or pcops in at tho door, Lovo sproads hie wings, alas, alas! Ho'h hoard of thcro no more. Ah inc! Ah me! dee. I once fell in company with a gentle-j man, whoso silvered hairs obviously showed, that he had numbered many winters, j He was a tall and upright figure, com-j plexion rather brown, and his counten- j nncc though grave, was nevertheless plea sing. He told many amusing and iutcres-; ting talcs, and recounted a circumstance relative to himself, which seemed deeply to nfleet him He observed, 4< In my youthful days 1 ? travelled much, and in one of my tours; to the Northern States. I put up at a | beautiful country seat a few days. I dcighted in rambling, and in one of my ex- j Mirsions went as far as u lake within two j i r -1 i mies 01 ine notise; feeling myself fatigued and the heat oppressive, I sat down )<?neath the spreading branches of a hawhorn; a cold breeze from the water rereshed me, and upon its smooth surface i number of small boats and sail vessels j vcrc gliding about in various directions, j While contemplating on the scenery, I ; vas suddenly roused by the warbling of a I female voice. I started, turned, and be-1 leld her just by mc: she was much conused at meeting a stranger so unexpected; however, arose immediately, politely owed, introduced myself to her, and inisted on her taking a seat under the amc shade with myself; accordingly, she ! one so, and we soon got into convcrsa- ; ion. I never felt such a variety of cmo-j 1 ions as at that moment; my eyes were ' ( lised to hers with the most ardent admi-! i ltion. She was apparently, about six-!1 ;cn, and was both as to face and figure,; f hat a painter would choose to conv ns i 1 le portrait of a little playful Ilcbe.? j hough a little below the middle size, she as formed of the nicest symmetry; her . e tin was very fair, the softest blush of! itureshadcd her beautiful roundedcheeks, ! n '.r mouth small and pouting', nnd whene- j v 'v she smiled, a thousand graces sported ue, soft, yet animated, giving like the i pression of her whole countenance, an j ca of innocence, spirit, and sensibility;; " r hair of a most glossy brown, hung j relcssly about her, and her dress plain, it neat. I beheld her (in what indeed ; . as a true light,) as a little playful nymph, i 11 hose actions were the offspring of inno-! st snce. J vi 441 assure you," exclaimed she, rising,11, 1 am loth to quit this nleasant ?n!i? I stay much longer I shall find the hulv 01 ' the cottage in anxious expectation." I a dvrd her it* I should have the pleasure of ai oing her home, to which she assented, j. /e walked on a distance of aboutaquariramilc, entered a small gate, ascended l' trough a grass-grown path to a very j ? lain white cottage, which stood on a c ently sloping lawn surrounded by a rude 'j c tiling. We entered, and directly an1 ^ iderly woman of a genteel figure and leasing countenance appeared, who I ; turned was the aunt of this lovely young i idy. After a little while 1 retired to my bode, but before leaving, was politely | tvited to renew my visit. I This young lady bore the appellation of t jnelii Fairfield; her parents both died \ hen she was quite young, and left her it) \ are of her mine tlio IU?-l.. l __ _ - ??IV Kiuilijr mil^r UI'IUI'U j I leulioiied. I a In a short time, Amelia anil myself be- \ nme quite intimate, she seemed to en-i 1 ijr more pleasure in a solitary ramble j i rith me, than the gayest company could j t fl'ord her. We visited almost every eve- c ing a favorite spot on the margin of the ! si ike at the foot of a woody mountain; 11 lere often seated, we viewed the sun i f inking behind the opposite hills, and a bile enjoyed the benignancy of his dc- i arting rays, beheld her tinge the trcm11 ii rr 11/ n twill. /."'-I *1 1 linn gum uiiu purpic; iue low ; t 'hisile of the ploughman returning to his j i timhic cottage; the plaintive carol of I < irds from the adjacent grove, and the | c >\v bleating of entile from pastures, t rhich swelled above the water; all these,. t v giving the softness and most pleasing 1 harms of nature to the hour, contrived v (? touch more smsinltr -i? ? ~ j t nv<iiir> illl'L'UllV t repossessed in favor of each other. v Amelia would sometimes sing a little ' s implc air, and carelessly leaning on my j h rmy, appear to enjoy perfect felicity; in'a hurt, my young friend, we were cn-jll aged. I soon married and carried her c lome; we live happily together, were of a ongenia) tastes and sentiments; she re- v eived tne after the daily toils of my avo- a ation, with cheerfulness and smiles; was li !tc faithful guardian of my treasury, theic I alleviator ot my calamities, and iu a word, was all that a kind and virtuous wife could be. I resided on an island about a half mile - from the broad atlantic, and upon 'one afternoon, my wife proposed a walk to the beech; so off we went. The scene: wi m W ith low murmurs on the shores?the shadows" of evening were begining to descend-? the gentle breeze agitated the marino plants that grew among the crevices of the rocks?the sea-fowl with harsh and melancholy notes were llocking to their nests, and a ship past hy spreading her white sails to the wind, and which we watched, till she appeared like a speck on the horizon. Just at that moment we were alarmed by a flash of lightning and a quick sharp crasli of thunder; the birds became silent in their leafy bowers, the | insects chirped no longer, and the waves murmured no more. There was a dead pause in the air, the earth, and the sea; the dead dull calm that intervened, announced that the rain and tempest were near. We immediately bent our way for ! home, and had not proceeded but a few j steps, when the tempest sent forth its hoards of rain and wind, smiting the groaning trees, and deluging the thirsty earth, till it could drink no more, but. voided its surplus into the sea that began anon to roar in angry violence. My wife on her return to the house was so fatigued and overcome with fright, that she was immediately taken ill,and expired about midnight. Oh! what can describe the anguish of my feelings; they were not outrageous?it was that deep, still sorrow, which fastens in the heart and cannot vent itself in tears or lamentations. I sat with calmness by the bed where the remains of Amelia lay; I gazed on her pale face, which death, as if in pity to my feeling's, had not disfigured. I ki'scd her cold lips continually, exclaiming. 44 Oh. had w? never met, she might still be living.*'?It was a dreadful night, the tempest shook the house, and the wind howled through the galleries, which seemed like the last moans of some wandering spirit of the pile, bewailing the loss of one of its fairest daughters. Late in the afternoon of the next day, she was committed to the grave. Oh, how impossible to describe the anguish of my poor heart, when I returned from seeing Amelia laid in her last receptical. I shut myself up i 11 my room, threw myself upon the bed where she had expired, laid my check upon the pillow, grasped t to my bosom, bathed it in tears bemuse she had breathed upon it; '' Ah! Amelia" he exclaimed, "shall these eyes lever he cheered by beholding your anrelic face." Late at night exhausted by ny feelings, I sank into a slumber; I Ireaint of Amelia, and thought she lay icsido me; I stretched cut mv arms to ? nlold Iter?alas, all was empty and void." I saw a silent tear Mealing down his tanly check. At that moment our con- ? crsation was interrupted l>y the presence ith many others in my travels; who.-o ices perhaps I will never again behold. outliern Post. American Flag Insui.teo.- The parculars of the rencounter between the cam boat Columbia and two .Mexican essels of war will be found in our ni. iinns of this morning. The outrage ommitted by the Mexicans in firing upon neutral Hag seems to have been wanton nd unprovoked. In this adventure we now not which most to admire, the conage of captain Wright, or the activity f the Mexican in hiding from the fcroious captain, when the noise of the scaping steam, frightened them into the iclict", that he was about to execute his hreul and "blow them to Hell" in earnest. On hoard tjic Stkam Ship Coi.vmma. ) Near New Orlnan*. MnrMi )?i I Mis t Leaving Galveston on the morning of he 24ill inst. for Yelasco, we soon afiorvards discovered two Mexican vessels of var, one a brig under a press of canvass naking for us, the other a large ship lying it anchor. The latter soon got under veigh and joined the chase, but after folowing for three hours they both gave it ip, landing our passengers at Yelasco and aking on board several others, we stood >n our course for New Orleans, and when ibout ten miles from Yelasco we again liscovcrcd the same vessels that gave us diasc in the morning. The brig shot tcross our starboard bow effectually to ?.... j1 l. a r .a - % iiiviitjii our infill ii ancinpicu. Wc kept the national colors living from he moment we raised our anchoi in the uorning; also, the private signal of the Columbia at the main. On dividing in irdcr to prevent our flight, at a little more , hail musket shot distance the brig hoised the Mexican color and fired a gun oaded with grape and ball which passed ritliin a short distance of us; shortly afer another gun with grape and cannistcr rliich passed close under our bow, the hip at the same time hoisting her colors, eing a very short distance from us, lired ball which fell on our starboard side, lie brig again lired at us with grape and annistcr, evidently aiming at our colors, s one of the shrouds connecting them nth the mast was cut through and tlie Hag t the time perforated bv the ball. Alhough we were lying perfectly still the ngine being ?toj>dcd: and within forty or