66 I rather think there is such a man". said Mr. Smith." 99 The beloved one, the apostrophised mother, had passed away to "make room for her pos "Nonsense, Mr. Smith-why you're a terity." greater goose than I supposed." Mr. Smith assented by a meek bow. [To be concluded in our next.] MAKE ROOM FOR POSTERITY. The editor of the Baltimore Clipper, in re- 26 Well, just what our brother does, has been done before from time immemorial. Cain wandered to "make room for posterity." Israel sojourned in the desert and possessed Canaan to "make room for posterity." Eneas the pious wandered into Italy to "make room for posterity." Penn gathered the people of his faith together, and sat peaceably down on the banks of the Delaware, to "make room for posterity." Men are elbowed from cities, and located in prairies, for that purpose. "The poor Indian," who had sat down quietly in his wigwam to smoke the pipe of peace, and see his semi-civilization prosper around him-he, too, is admonished that the whites need his land to "make room for their posterity." He goes reluctantly to the distant west, half pleased with the idea of hunting grounds that will afford "room for his posterity." The posterity of the Indian!!-poor, waning, tapering cone-its broad base the whole soil of the new world, its point lost in some peninsula that fades away into the distant Pacific. The deep foundations which our aged men are laying for habitations yet to rise, and the finished saloons and ornamental halls-what are these but "room for posterity?" All of us are crowding onward-all are passing away to "make room for our posterity." We are to be pressed close, like the gathered herbage, so that the whole harvest of our six thousand years will seem to occupy less space than the single generation that constitutes their posterity. Below the sod, we lie still and compact; the true equality of flesh and blood is understood and illustrated; while above, ample space is demanded, and acres are required for a single living. The true democracy is in the grave; "there the rich and the poor lie down together that they may "make room for their posterity." Even we who write, and moralise as we pass along, look back at the troop that demand our place, and feel that we too have the duty to perform and the debt to pay, and gathering up our mantle with decaying energies, we hope there is room for us where there are " many mansions," and in that hope we prepare, like our professional brother, to "make room for posterity." I I I Written for the Ladies' Garland. BY MRS. M. L. GARDINER. saw the young mother o'er the couch bending low, saw the full fount of her soul's inward woe, Where the friend of her heart lay reclined; Burst forth from her agonized mind. heard her exclaim, as she parted the curl Which clustered his brow, white and fair; "In this cold cheerless world, wilt thou leave me my love, My guide and my counsellor gone ?" Was aroused by the kiss, and awak'd by the sigh,) A glance from its depth now was seen. As the last rays of intellect shone in his face, And pointed his finger above! 'Twas the spirit's last struggle-but the smile lingered there, We followed, only a few days since, into a richly ornamented burying ground, the body of one who, for years, had filled a large space in the public eye; and when they had low-Looking upward, he drew her within his embrace, ered into the narrow resting and decaying place the coffin of the great man, and covered it partially with earth, our procession, turning to pass out, met another following a young maiden to her last earthly home. As we passed the mourning throng, marshalled Had death in his range selected a spot, into a funeral train, one whom we had long known shook his head in mournful recognition, and seemed to say of our errands thither: we have come to make room for posterity.' 66 "Room at thy hearth, O mother," said one of the sweetest poets of our time, as he started, full of filial affection, to place his new bride in a daughter's position. "Room at thy hearth." He came, and found ample room. And nature's last effort was o'er! Where love held unrivalled its sway; Where the strife of the world and its scenes were forgot? From his couch of distress, from his cold lifeless form, And now in her garden of loveliness-she Watches over each delicate one, Which stands in the forest alone. Sag Harbour, L. I. May, 1841. THE LIFE BOAT. with an appalling fierceness, as if driven back by some mysterious but overpowering agency. By this time the sun gleamed luridly through the brief intervals into which the clouds occasionally broke, as they swiftly careered over its dimly-enveloped disk. The impenetrable masses of vapour which by this time had overspread the sky, produced a supernatural darkness; and the golden edges with which the setting sun had adorned them, presented a singular contrast with the deep varying tints which they were constantly assuming, as they enveloped their huge but fan On the north-eastern coast of England are several dangerous banks or shoals, upon which the most melancholy wrecks frequently occur in stormy weather; and, perhaps, no part is more dangerous than the shore between Yarmouth and Lowestoft, where the violence of the sea has repeatedly caused considerable dainage, and made appalling irruptions. Upon occasions of imminent danger, where the energies of man are called into action by the voice of humanity, to save his fellow-creatures from the yawning tombless grave, noth-tastic shapes over the horizon, like the hideing can exceed the noble and gallant daring of the Yarmouth and Lowestoft boatmen, as they put off, heedless of all personal danger, to attempt the rescue of crews in distress. Hundreds of human beings are annually saved by the successful exertions of those noble fellows; who, from their constant occupation of fishing, naturally acquire a skill in the management of their frail barks in tempestuous weather, not to be surpassed by boatmen on any part of Britain's iron-bound coast. The calm intrepidity with which these men launch their boats into the boisterous ocean, with the furious threatenings of death in their ears, and the greatest perils before their eyes, and all around them, creates a stirring interest in the bosom of the anxious beholder. ous fiction of a dream, or the creation of a capricious imagination. In a few hours the sea had swollen from a state of gentle undulation to one of appalling disorder, resembling a monster writhing in agony, and uniting with the roar of the elements in such dreadful commotion, that made the beholder tremble. Ere the sun had sunk below the horizon, it was blowing a complete hurricane. The fishing boats made for shore with the utmost speed, and were soon hauled upon the beach, with the assistance of the wives, children, and relatives of those whose safety had now become a subject of painful anxiety. The sea rolled upon the shore with frightful violence, and dashed against any opposing object, with a force which carried a sheet of spray almost In the early part of the year particular to the sky, and flinging it over the land like attention was arrested by the violence of the a huge shroud uplifted from the billows, where breakers dashing over the banks, so danger- the minister of death appeared to be preparing ous to mariners, upon this part of the coast. to enter upon a mission of awful devastation. The wind was high, but not boisterous, though When evening set in, the tempest had nearthe aspect of the weather, even to an un-ly reached its climax, and the darkness was practiced eye, was anything but favourable. The rising wind soon began to increase to a fearful degree, and the sudden gusts were not only more frequent, but louder and more continuous. The sea was becoming gradually ruffled, and the foam was gathering upon the crest of every billow, as they rolled towards the shore. The breakers whitened more and more as they dashed their heavy and ponderous masses over the fatal spot which had been the cause of so many disastrous wrecks. The sun glared through the uneven sections of the gathering clouds, as they passed rapidly over that beautifully radiating orb. The wind boomed loudly, and the clouds began to collect in deeper hues. As evening advanced the storm increased with awful rapidity and equal violence-the chafing waters were already white with continual and angry collision. How thrillingly was heard the first portentous harsh moan of the wind, which rapidly rose and roared over the expanse of waters with the voice and threatening of omnipotent terror! The rushing torrent seemed to leap up to meet its rude embrace, from which it immediately receded so intense that nothing was to be seen but the frothy surface of the waters, illuminated by its own igneous illusory gleaming, exhibiting its ponderous heaving body, that seemed a huge spectre of the deep arising from a disturbed repose, and labouring under the throes of some supernatural convulsion. Shortly after midnight the impetuosity of the wind appeared to moderate; but early in the morning there was a thick heavy mist upon the sea, which was so dense that the eye could not pierce it. The glorious orb of day alone was visible through the impenetrable vapour; and that looked as if suspended from the sky. The effect was singularly painful, as there was something altogether ominous in the strange aspect. As the morning advanced the wind rapidly rose and dispersed the mist, the clouds once more gathered over the sun, and before noon the tempest raged as fiercely as on the preceding night. As soon as objects in the distance became at all visible, it was perceived that a ship had run upon the furthermost and most dangerous shoal. She lay quite upon "her beam-ends, not a sail set, and the sea dashing over her hull with frightful impetu- which they threatened. Notwithstanding osity. It was evident that she could not long her extreme buoyancy, the billows frequently withstand such a terrible assault. By the aid rolled over her bows, completely filling her of a glass, the crew were seen clinging to with water, a large portion of which escaped the wreck in a state of agonizing distress. as she yielded her side to the the leeward, The rigging and tackle of the vessel was in burying her gunwale, for a moment, in the the greatest disorder, as if it had suffered ex- tumultuous flood, then rising with the lighttremely by the hurricane of the preceding ness of a gull upon the convulsive waters. night. The sails had been furled, but hung She was instantly bailed out by the crew, in loose bags from the masts. It became with an activity that gave little time for manifest, at the first glance, that there was accumulation. On they went, bounding no hope of saving the ship, and that great through the foaming surges; yet the crew, peril must be incurred in attempting to rescue in spite of all their skill, were exposed to conthe crew. This, however, was determined siderable peril from the dashing of the sea upon the moment their danger was ascer- over the boat's bow, which threatened to wash tained. them overboard, and which required the greatTo be prepared for casualties like the pre-est caution to prevent. The sudden lurchsent, a life-boat had been built, upon a newing of the boat would have been fatal to any and singularly safe construction. It was less accustomed to the storms so frequent off capable of containing eighty persons. The this coast, and which they continually enwhole of the outside was faced with cork, counter in their small open fishing-boats. which projected from the wood to a thickness of, at least, four inches. The outer surface of the cork was covered with tarpaulin, well secured, and the whole protected by a thick coat of white lead. This preparation not only rendered the boat so buoyant as to secure her against upsetting, but, should she strike against any hard substance, the elastic nature of the cork caused her to rebound, and, by yielding to the force of the shock, escape staving. Also, in order to increase her buoyancy, and render her upsetting next to an impossibility, copper pipes, eight inches in diameter, filled with air, were passed from head to stern, in the inside, just below the gunwale. Above these pipes was the bench for the accommodation of those persons who might be fortunate enough to be saved from shipwreck. She carried two masts and two square sails, and was generally manned by from twelve to sixteen picked men. The security of her construction considerably diminished the danger attendant upon occasions like the present-though it was still a work of very great peril. As they approached the shallows, the cross ground swell rendered the boat much more exposed to ship water, and kept many of them constantly employed in bailing. Sea after sea poured over her, but still she rode triumphant. The crew, however, had now more difficulty than ever in securing themselves from being washed overboard. They were obliged to lower the mainsail, and keep her under just sufficient canvass to steady her, and give her an impulse towards the object of their dangerous undertaking. The breakers, as they rolled over the bank, presented a fearful object of peril. How to approach the stranded ship was an undetermined difficulty. One part of the bank was so shoally, that the boat could not venture near enough to be of any service; the crew were, therefore, obliged to keep her upon that side of the wreck where the depth of water enabled her to float, with some degree of safety. When within the immediate influence of the breakers, it being impossible to keep her steady, she was, of course, subject to the dangerous contingency which now perpetually happened, of being The moment it was perceived that there filled with water; and it required all their was a vessel in distress, the crew assembled, activity to get rid of their liquid burthen. with great alacrity, and launched the life-boat || The promptness and decision of the men were into the turbulent sea. The anxiety depicted above all praise; yet, notwithstanding the upon every countenance, to save the lives of skill with which the helmsman met the biltheir fellow-creatures, was extreme. The feel-low, and rode over its crested bosom, the ings of humanity, expressed in the rough fea-wave frequently, for a moment, buried her tures of those kind-hearted fishermen, claimed the admiration of those who witnessed their intrepidity and earnestness in the cause of suffering fellow mortals. They launched from the beach accompanied by the fervent prayers of all present. The wind had somewhat subsided, but the sea was in awful commotion; nevertheless, the lightness of their bark caused it to leap over the waves, as if it defied their fury, and was secure from the peril within its briny waters; but she immediately rose to the surface again with the freedom and lightness of a swan in its pastime. By this time they were within twenty yards of the ship. Her crew were clinging to her bulwarks on the weather side. Every. wave that struck against her swept her deck from stem to stern, and rendered it a great dificulty for the unfortunate seamen to maintain their hold. She was a merchant vessel of about three hundred tons burthen, and, being A crash was now heard in the stranded heavily laden, had already sunk deep into the ship, and the mainmast fell by the board. It sand-bank on which she had struck. Every was almost immediately followed by the mimoment increased the peril of the unhappy | zen and foremasts, which fell, likewise, with crew; and their cries came upon the ear an ominous splash into the foaming deep. through the crashings of the tempest, beseech- The cord was again flung to the wreck, and ing despatch, as they were in the greatest the captain siezed it, in order to fix it round extremity. The hoarse scream of supplica- the body of his wife, who clasped her infant to tion roused the energy of the boatmen to still her bosom with a despairing look; the babe greater exertions. It was an awful situation. being fastened to its agonized mother by a The surf broke over the bank with such ter-shawl wrapped round her waist. At this morific fury, that they had the greatest diffi- ment she was swept from the gangway, toculty to avoid being cast upon the engulph-gether with her husband, who was in the act ing shoal. of fixing the rope. Both instantly disappeared, They were now within about ten yards of but almost immediately rose amid the conthe vessel, and being to the leeward, they vulsed waters, which broke over them with lowered the remaining sail, as the elevated alarming impetuosity. One of the fishermen, position of the hull broke the force of the wind, with heroic resolution, having dragged the and arrested the impetus of the breakers. line on board the boat, tied it round himself, Thus, having got into what the seamen call and, plunging into the sea, swam towards the the lull of the sea, they found themselves hapless woman, just as she was sinking. better able to steady the boat, though the With desperate energy she clung to her precross-swell was so troublesome, that it re-server, and both were hauled into the boat, quired great skill and caution to prevent her the former in a dreadful state of exhaustion. being forced upon the bank. There was no The unhappy husband sunk, to rise no more, possibility of getting nearer the wreck, with-in sight of the wretched partner of his toils, out incurring the hazard of being dashed to pieces against her hull; they were, therefore, obliged to keep the boat off. As they had now no sail to steady her, and send her over the chafing surges, she was continually filled with water; and all their efforts to keep her free were unavailing. At this moment one of the crew on board the wreck, who had been clinging to an anchor at the bow, was washed off by a sea with a force that sent him several yards from his hold. In an instant he was swept past the boat with great velocity. He rose upon the surface with evident difficulty, struggled fiercely, then sank to sleep his last sleep within the ocean's bosom, before the boat could possibly reach him. whose screams rose above the clamour of the elements; and had she not been restrained by the powerful arm of her preserver, would have leaped into the angry flood. The infant, though senseless when rescued from the billows, was eventually restored to animation by the warmth of its distracted mother's bosom. With extreme labour, and at considerable hazard, several of the seamen were released from their perilous situation, and the cord was again flung to the wreck, and secured by one of the unhappy sufferers: but so many of the ship's planks had sprung, that it was every instant apprehended the hull would go to pieces. Every sea that broke over her, added to the danger. She groaned terribly, The boat regained its former position, and and her whole frame vibrated with the conone of her crew, standing at the bow, flung|cussion that every sea caused to her shattered a small rope on board, which was instantly caught by one of the sailors, who, having ob served the action, was prepared to receive it. Without a moment's delay he fastened the rope round his body, and then sprang into the sea; and was instantly hauled on board, but in a state of insensibility. By this time, from the repeated shocks of the breakers, the ship had sprung several planks, and the water poured into her hold, which was filled in a short time. It had now become quite evident that she would soon go to pieces; and the danger, therefore, of the unhappy crew became every instant more and more imminent. As yet only one had been rescued, and there still remained fourteen on the wreck, besides the captain's wife and her infant child. hull. At length a terrific breaker struck her upon the weather quarter-a tremendous crash followed-a second and a third breaker followed in succession, and struck her-she reeled for a moment-the spray hid her from sight, and after a short interval, nothing was to be seen but her planks floating upon the || convulsed expanse of waters. Before the rope could be fastened round the body of the sailor who had caught it, the shock came-the deck opened-the frame of the vessel was rent asunder-and the remaining three unhappy men were whirled into eternity. The crew of the life-boat had succeeded in saving ten out of fifteen of the hapless crew, besides the bereaved mother and her fatherless infant. These lives had been preserved by the intrepid fishermen, at the imminent |