and those who, quitting the ease and luxuries of the station in which fortune has placed them, go forth to contend with foreign climes, and the horrors of wild and desolate regions.

The particular feeling of which we have been speaking is common with nearly every individual in the British Navy, from the Vice Admiral down to honest Jack. A British sailor is imbued with the love of action, and considers the being paid off the worst way in the world of getting on. He has the same dread of being imprisoned on shore, that landsmen have of being imprisoned in a ship; and never considers himself perfectly free till he is penned up in a vessel, and tossed about upon the ocean. A common British Tar, is the noblest, bravest, and most enterprising creature in existence; and, as there is a vulgar saying, that in some professions Jack is as good as his master, so we may say, of the British Navy, that the master's as good as Jack. This brings us, in our narrative, back to Captain Cochrane and his narrative. object of his journey is thus detailed:

The

"In the month of January, 1820, I addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, offering to undertake a journey into the interior of Africa, which should have for its object the ascertaining of the course and determination of the river Niger. Besides the bent of my own inclination, I had an inducement to this step in the conviction, established by experience, of my capability to encounter the ordinary difficulties of a pedestrian traveller; having, on the conclusion of the general peace, traversed on foot the beau-ful countries of France, Spain, and Portugal-an excursion in which I certainly underwent a full proportion of fatigue and privations.

"The plan I purposed to follow was nearly that adopted by Mungo Park in his first journey; intending to proceed alone, and requiring only to be furnished with the countenance of some constituent part of government. With this protection, and such recommendations as it might procure me, I would have accompanied the caravans in some servile capacity, nor hesitated even to sell myself as a slave, if that miserable alternative were necessary, to accomplish the object I had in

view.

"In going alone, I relied upon my own individual exertions and knowledge of man, unfettered by the frailties and misconduct of others. I was then, as now, convinced, that many people travelling together for the purpose of exploring a barbarous country, haye the less chance of succeeding, more especially when they go armed, and take with them presents of value. The appearance of numbers most naturally excites the natives to resistance from motives of jealousy or fear; and the danger would be greatly increased by the hope of plunder. The death of the whole party, and consequently the failure of the expedition, will be the probable result of such a plan. The difficulty of finding men, otherwise suitable, whose constitutions admit an equal degree of suffering and fatigue, is also great: and that of collecting a number of people gifted with the due portion of those virtues, without which no expedition of discovery could succeed, is certainly a greater.

"My answer from the Admiralty was unfavourable, expressing an

unwillingness to countenance the undertaking; whether from tender regard to the safety of my person, or because they considered such an expedition foreign to their department, or from what other reason, I shall leave the reader to conjecture. I was not however the less convinced of the practicability of my plan: but finding that a young commander like myself was not likely to be employed afloat, I determined to undertake a journey, varying only the object and the scene to that of the unfortunate Ledyard, viz.-to travel round the globe, as nearly as can be done by land, crossing from northern Asia to America at Behring's Straights. I also determined to perform the journey on foot, for the best of all possible reasons, that my finances allowed of no other. I accordingly procured two years' leave of absence, and prepared to traverse the continents of Europe, Asia, and America."

In this object it is proper to premise, that Capt. Cochrane did not entirely succeed. Our limits will not permit us to enter into a detail of the circumstances which led to his partial failure; we shall therefore content ourselves (whether we shall content our readers is another question,) with giving an outline of his journey.

Equipping himself with a knapsack, he set sail from London in the Dieppe packet-boat; and after being cooped up for nearly forty hours in its four-feet-square cabin, he landed upon the shores of France, and with his knapsack on his back, "walked on to one of those most accommodating of all places of entertainment, announced by the simple words of--logement a pied ou a cheval."

"On Monday, 14th February," he says, "I commenced my route towards Paris, over a cultivated, but thinly peopled conntry, on which are a few pleasant country-seats, and neat villages, with a road far superior to that from the capital to Calais. I contemplated, as I jogged along, some of the differences between France and Spain, comparing the facilities of traversing the former, to the difficculties and dangers attending the latter; and contrasting the servile, frivolous, and seductive Frenchmen, with the noble, proud, and hospitable Dons. Nor is the scenery of the two countries less opposed; the bold, romantic, fertile, and mountainous features of Spain, to the long, low, sloping declivities, and the tame, though cultivated eminences, of France."

At Paris he remained several days, waiting for his passports; but, as every family has now its own historian of that wonderful city, we shall abstain from stating what Capt. C. saw, heard, and did there, which he himself says was very little. On the 20th of February, (we can hardly reconcile this date with the 14th, and the intermediate journey from Dieppe to Paris, and the sojourn of "several days" at the latter place,) he commenced his travels towards Petersburgh, travelling through Germany and Prussia. Of the Germans he speaks in very favourable terms. In the following passage he describes the great difference in education between a German and a Frenchman. He was at this time at Sarrebruck, on the German frontiers.

"Previous to retiring, I could not help remarking the difference in the education of a German and a Frenchman. The frontiers are the very best places to observe it; address a German, however poor or

vulgar his condition, upon any subject, and his answer will prove that he has been at least partially educated. Accost a Frenchman in like manner, and you will have for answer, "Monsieur, cela je ne puis pas vous dire," with a shrug of the shoulders, which none but a Frenchman can render equally expressive or ridiculous; nor does the comparison stop here. The manners of the people, their diet, the economy and cleanliness of their houses, nay, the modesty of their females—in a word, every thing that renders life agreeable, reminds me forcibly, that I am not going to bed in France."

Of the Prussians, he complains in very strong language; through whose inhospitality and brutal behaviour he appears to have experienced considerable mortification and inconvenience. A pretty correct idea may be formed, of the difficulties he experienced, from his statement of the plight in which he arrived at Romini, a post-house some distance beyond Berlin. "My cap," he states, "I had lost in the icy swamp, and in default, my head was bound up with a piece of flannel. My trowsers were literally torn to tatters; my shoes tied to my feet, to prevent their falling off; my shirt, except a flannel one, and waistcoat, superseded by my outer jacket. All I had retained was sound health, and a contented mind, and wanted no more.”—It will be recollected that our worthy traveller formerly expressed his intention to pursue his journey on foot; but in order to be more expeditious, we find him at length engaging for a conveyance in a stage coach. Hear, O ye drivers at the rate of fourteen miles an hour-hear, O ye Brighton Vans, and even ye Russell's waggons, what sort of a coach it was.

"I now started for Dantzic, distant about thirty-three miles; at about the tenth I was overtaken by the post-coach, and bargained for a convoy for three francs. This wretched vehicle, which does not merit even the name of a waggon, professes to accommodate nine passengers. It has three benches-the two back ones looking toward the front, the centre bench without a back; beyond the hindermost seat is the depository of the baggage, amounting to about one-third of the whole machine. It goes upon four wheels, each moving on a strong axle-tree, and is without any sort of spring whatever. The tout ensemble is probably more like a show-cart than any thing else."

In this vehicle he proceeded towards Dantzic, which he reached in fifteen hours; having travelled, in that time, the incredible distance of 32 miles. At Narva, he was accosted by a black gentleman, who informed him that he was a resident and retired merchant in Petersburgh. He made very particular enquiries as to Capt. C.'s rank and country, the object of his travels, and his reason for pursuing them on foot, and finally offered him a conveyance in his carriage, (drawn by four horses,) to Petersburgh. This was too good an offer to be rejected, and Captain C. agreed to wait his new acquaintance's pleasure, "rejoiced at the opportunity offered of entering Petersburgh in style." He says, "in the mean time, we ate and drank freely at his charge; and, not to appear backward, I ordered for myself the luxury of a proper bed-room, where I slept well." The two proceeded together as far as Kipene, where the following dialogue introduces us to a secret.

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"While at breakfast next morning, and just as the horses were announced, my companion asked me whether I was furnished with a passport. I replied in the affirmative. He requested to see it; and observing my name, inquired if I was related "to Admiral Kakran, who was in de West Indies, at de capture of de Danish Islands, in 1807 ?” Being informed I was the Admiral's nephew, he asked, Are you the son of Massa Kakran Johnstone ?"-"Yes, I am.' "You are den," said he, “dat lilly Massa Jonny, I know, at de same time."-It now turned out that this black gentleman, with the two carriages and four horses each, had been my father's and uncle's servant thirteen years before. Having talked over old matters, he remarked that he could never have recognized me, from the alteration that time had made in my features; observing that I seemed to have verified the West Indian proverb, "Like the black man's pig, very lilly but dam old." I acknowledged the justice of the remark, and proceeded to inquire his history; but, as he did not seem inclined to be communicative on this head, I did not press him; and we proceeded—both in the same carriage; my friend no longer considering me as a menial follower.

"At noon, on the 30th of April, I reached St. Petersburgh, having been eighty-three days from London, in performing a distance of sixteen hundred miles, an average of nearly twenty miles a day. My sable friend, at parting, declined to give me his address. I suppressed my chagrin; but felt an increased curiosity to learn the source of his wealth and his situation of life.

"The following morning I was relating the adventure at a friend's house, where Doctor Ryan, (the medical attendant of the young Prince Labanoff's family, with whom I had dined at the house of Mr. Rose, in Berlin,) was present. He was mentioning that the young Prince being on the road from Petersburgh to Berlin, had been overtaken by winter in his summer carriage; and as the latter season was near at hand, had sent his black servant to Narva, to bring his carriages to the capital. Fortune's frolic was now explained; my wealthy, dashing, overbearing and intriguing companion, being no more than the very humble attendant of his Highness."

We are certainly getting on pretty nearly as slowly as the Dantzic coach, for when we should have been in the midst of Siberia, or on the frontiers of China, or in sight of the Polar Sea, we are simply getting into Petersburgh. We find we must make a few short cuts, or we shall never get to the end of our journey.

At Petersburgh Captain Cochrane met with every possible civility and attention. The Emperor Alexander made him an offer of pecuniary assistance, and promised to afford him every facility in the prosecution of that part of his travels which lay through his Imperial Majesty's dominions. After remaining three weeks in the capital of Russia, he set off for Siberia, with an order addressed "to all civil governors," commanding them to afford Capt. C. every possible security and assistance, with an open order to the police not to interfere with, or molest him, and an especial letter to the Governor of Siberia. A few miles from Tosna, he sat down at the road-side to smoke his segar, and was sud

denly seized by two ruffians, who forcibly dragged him off to the wood, robbed him of all his property and papers, and tied him, naked, to a tree. From this situation he was relieved by a boy, and in a state, nearly as free from artificial ornaments as when he came into the world, proceeded on his route. He soon met with General Woronoff, who supplied him with clothes and other necessaries, and through whose active interference he, ultimately, recovered his papers.

At Vladimir, in consequence of certain informalities in his conduct, his hostess, with the assistance of others of her sex, drove him from the house at the point of the broomstick. Difficulties now began to creep around him. At Pogost, he says, "I thought myself fortunate, being too jaded to proceed further, in being enabled to pass the night in a cask:"—it was certainly, for that night, a cask of proof spirit. He passed the Volga and the gold mines, and a great many other places, which we think proper to pass too.

On his arrival at Omsk, the merchants endeavoured to prevail upon him to accept a commission to the Kirgeese and Kalmuck's country; but he avoided the engagement, (Captains in the British Navy are not celebrated for avoiding engagements,) by proposing terms which they did not think proper to accept. Whilst he remained at Omsk, he was treated in the handsomest manner. Feasts and fetes were given to him by the first individuals, all of whom vied in exemplifying to him the boundless hospitality of their nation. From Omsk he proceeded towards Irkutsk. He complains that the road between Chornaretsk and Malokemtchoutska (oh! one's poor jaws,) is wretchedly rugged, and he proposes to call the faculties of the director-general into exertion by making him ride over the road, fifty miles every day, in a telega—we perfectly agree in the propriety of the remedy.

The habits and customs of the Yakuti are dwelt upon at some length. The manners in which they go through the ceremonies of the tea-table is, certainly, perfectly original; if, indeed, we may except that of the ladies in New York, mentioned by Knickerbocker. It is thus: each individual takes a small lump, which he grates between his teeth in such a manner as only to consume a very small part of it; and thus, although the person has drank three or more cups, the greater portion of sugar remains, and being placed upon the inverted cup, finds its way back to the sugar dish, when the party has broken up; so that, probably, at the feast on the following day, a lady or gentleman may happen to get his old friend back again."

He departed from Yakutsk, which he terms "the last limit of civilization," on the last day of October. Here, we should imagine the interest of the work begins; but we have been told the contrary, and therefore leave our readers to decide the question for themselves.

J. H. H,