seamen are now what British seamen ought to be almost invincible. They really mind shot no more than peas." The French gave The event proved that Nelson was right. up the place to the English. "I am all astonishment," said Nelson, "when I reflect on what we have achieved. Four thousand men have surrendered to twelve hundred soldiers and marines! I always was of opinion, have ever acted up to it, and never had any reason to repent it, that one Englishman was equal to three Frenchmen. Had this been an English town, I am sure it would not have been taken by them." Nelson, however, received no praise or reward for his merits in this action. At the fall of Calvi, which took place soon after, Nelson received a serious injury. A shot struck the ground near him, and drove the sand and small gravel into one of his eyes. He spoke of it slightly at the time, and only suffered it to confine him for one day, but the sight was lost, so that he was ever after blind of one eye. His services in the action were altogether overlooked by the English Government. Nelson felt himself neglected. "One hundred and ten days," said he, "I have been actually engaged at sea and on shore against the enemy. I do not know if any one has done more. I have had the comfort to be always applauded by my commander-in-chief, but never to be rewarded; and what is more mortifying, for services in which I have been wounded, others have been praised who, at the same time, were actually in bed, far from the scene of action. They have not done me justice. But never mind, I'll have a gazette of my own." How amply was this foresight of glory realised! The fleet now was under the command of Admiral Hotham, a weak officer of limited capacity. In an action with the French, after inflicting upon them a partial defeat, he suffered them to escape. Upon this Nelson writes: "I wish to be an admiral, and in the command of the English fleet. I should very soon either do much or be ruined. My disposition cannot bear tame and slow measures. Sure I am had I commanded on the 14th, that either the whole French fleet would have graced my triumph, or I should have been in a confounded scrape." About this time, in 1795, Nelson was made colonel of marines ; a mark of approbation which he had long wished for rather than expected. Soon afterwards, Sir John Jervis arrived to take charge of the Mediterranean fleet. During this year, and the year following, he was engaged in a succession of important operations against the French. He still felt that the Government at home did not do him justice. "Had all my actions," said he, "been gazetted, not one fortnight would have passed during the whole war without a letter from me. One day or other I will have a long gazette to myself. I feel that such an opportunity will be given me. I cannot, if I am in the field of glory, be kept out of sight. Wherever there is anything to be done, there Providence is sure to direct my steps." Fairy Tales. THE IRON STOVE. KING'S son in the olden time was enchanted by an old witch, and imprisoned in an iron stove placed in the midst of a wood. Ah! how wretched he was; and no one could help him to get out. A princess one day came into the wood. She had left her father's kingdom on a journey, and lost her way. When she came to the iron stove, the prince called out to know who she was, and where she was going to. She told him she had strayed from her father's kingdom, and could not find her way home again. The prince then told her who he was, and how, by bad fortune, he was kept shut up in this stove. It was very uncomfortable to pass his life in this stove. He promised to show her the way home, if she would return to him, and do what he told her. He would then be released from the stove, and marry the princess; for he was as great a prince as she was a princess. She was so frightened that she agreed to all he asked, though she thought how impossible it would be for her to marry an iron stove. The prince told her to return again, and bring with her a knife to scrape a hole in the iron. He then sent some one home with her to her father's kingdom. When she arrived there, the old king her father was delighted to see her, but on her telling him she had promised to marry the iron stove he was greatly distressed, for she was his only daughter. It was therefore decided to send the pretty daughter of a neighbouring miller to marry the iron stove, instead of the princess. On reaching the stove, the miller's daughter scraped away hours and hours without making any impression. When it was getting morning, the prince in the stove exclaimed: "I think it is morning outside, is it not?" "Yes, it is,” replied the maiden; "I fancy I hear my father's mill turning round." "Oh, you are the miller's daughter, are you,” replied he; "go back and send your mistress the princess to me." They next sent the daughter of the swineherd, who scraped away all night without making any hole in the iron stove. When the prince asked her if it was morning, she said she thought she heard her father's horn sounding; so the prince knew she was the daughter of the swineherd. He was then very angry, and bid her tell her mistress that if she did not come according to her promise, her father's kingdom should be destroyed. The king was now greatly distressed, and the princess wept bitterly; but as nothing else would satisfy the prince, she set off with a knife in her pocket. In about two hours she scraped a hole in the iron stove, and looking inside saw the prince, who was a handsome young man, with a dress glittering with splendid jewels. She now scraped with all her might, so that in a very short time he was able to get out. He now wished to marry her, and take her home at once to his father's kingdom; but she entreated that she might first go home to bid her father good bye. He consented, but told her that she must on no account say to him more than three words, and then return to him. But what maiden who had seen such wonders could comply with such a condition; she spoke more than three words, and the iron stove was at once conveyed hundreds of miles, over high mountains and broad rivers. A lucky thing it was that the prince was out of it, or he would have gone too. When the princess returned, she looked all about, but there was no iron stove to be seen. She wandered about the wood many days, and was obliged to climb a tree at night to keep her safe from the wild beasts. Suddenly she saw a light, and, on approaching near, found a small cottage, with a little bundle of wood at the door. She could see through the window, and oh! how wonderful it was! A number of frogs were having a delicious supper, and when they saw her, one of them opened the door to let her in. She slept in this curious house all night, and on departing in the morning, one of the frogs gave her three needles out of a great box. She would have to go over a glass mountain, across three sharp swords, and to the other side of a wide sea. He also presented her with a plough-wheel and three nuts. When she came to the glass mountain, it was so slippery that she thought she never should get across it; but by sticking the needles into it, and holding on by them, she got over it safely. The sharp swords also stopped her, but here the plough-wheel was useful, for it rolled her over them. She then sailed over the wide sea, and came to a great castle, where the frogs told her the prince who was shut up in the iron stove was staying. Now if she had come into the castle, and said she was the princess who had released the prince, people might have said she was an impostor; so she hired herself to the mistress as a kitchen-maid. There was in this castle another maiden, and people told the prince she would be just the one for his wife, and this grieved the princess, who was kitchen-maid, sadly. So when she had washed her dishes at night, she cracked one of the nuts the frogs had given her, and found inside it a most beautiful silk dress. When the maiden who was to marry the prince had seen it, she wished to buy it, but the kitchen-maid would not sell it. She said she would give it her, if she would let her sleep one night outside the prince's door, on the door-mat. Before the prince went to bed, they gave him a potion to make him sleep soundly. So when the princess called to him from the mat outside, that she had released him from the dreadful iron stove, and had come over glass mountains, sharp swords, and a wide sea to find him, he did not hear a word that she said. The next night she cracked the second nut, and this contained a silk dress more beautiful than the other. The maiden who was to marry the prince, begged hard for this dress, and she gave it her on condition that she should be allowed again to sleep on the mat outside the prince's door. But this night, also, they gave him something to drink that made him sleep so soundly that he did not hear one word that the princess said, which made her feel very sad and desponding. The third evening she cracked the last nut, which contained a dress compared with which the two others were quite plain, and the maiden who was to marry the prince was quite excited in her efforts to obtain it. She willingly allowed her to sleep for the third night on the mat outside the prince's bedroom. Now this night the prince did not drink the draught they made up for him; so when the princess told him how that she had found him in the iron stove, and let him out from that dreadful prison, and had travelled across slippery glass mountains, sharp swords, and a great sea to find him, he knew at once that it was his true love, whom he had vowed to marry, and whom he loved as dearly as his life. So he got up in the middle of the night, and went away with the kitchen-maid, who was princess. They sailed across the great sea; they rode on the ploughwheel over the sharp swords; with the three needles they traversed the slippery glass mountains; and lo! they came to the frogs' house. When they went in the frogs were tumed to princes and princesses, and they received them with great gladness. Here the prince of the iron stove was married to the princess, and they lived happily all their days. The Two Bungerers. I SAW a boy, with eager eye, Open a book upon a stall, And read, as he'd devour it all; The boy passed slowly on, and with a sigh, He wished he never had been taught to read, Then of the old churl's books he should have had no need.. |