"Keep away for her " responded the captain. dawn breaking upon a sky as clear as a beryl, | craft through his telescope from the hurricaneand the sailors washing down the decks. It deck. proved, however, a fortunate alarm for me, as I thereby made the acquaintance of our captain (a commander in the navy), who was standing aft, consulting his compass. A tall, heavily-bearded, strong-framed man, of courte-about two hundred tons' burden, apparently wa ous manner and speech, he seemed a pleasant combination of the hardy sailor and the polite gentleman. On inquiring the cause of the heavy sea that was running while there existed such a perfect calm in the atmosphere, he replied that "it gave evidence of a severe gale which had been blowing from the southeast; and as several casks and bits of timber had been reported by the 'look-out,' he was apprehensive that some disaster might have occurred." Scarcely was this remark uttered when the look-out cried, "Sail, ho!" The ship's head was turned, and we bore down for the wreck. In a few moments more we were able to see distinctly a schooner of terlogged; her bowsprit broken, but still hanging to the wreck; her bulwarks gone; her foremast carried away-nothing left but the mainmast, upon which a storm-sail was spread, and her flag hoisted union down. Huddled together upon the poop-deck were six human beings in attitudes of anxious suspense, swinging their handkerchiefs and hats as they leaned forward awaiting our approach. When within about a hundred yards the captain hailed her, and was answered by a hoarse, excited voice, "The Eliza Ann, of Tremont, Maine, laden "Where away?" shouted the captain, in a with lumber, waterlogged. Will you take us off?" stentorian tone. "Three points on the starboard bow!-a dismasted schooner, showing signals of distress!" answered the mate, who was scrutinizing the "Ay, ay!" promptly replied the captain. A boat was at once lowered, manned by the second mate and a couple of sailors, who pulled off to the wreck. These poor fellows were indeed in a pitiable | which requires that all nuisances, in the shape plight. Except the small elevated space on which they stood, every portion of the vessel's deck was submerged by each passing wave. A buoyant lading alone kept her upon the surface. Now the rescue is certain, for the shipwrecked mariners have dropped, singly and cautiously, into the life-boat which was sent for their deliverance. One bore a compass, one a chronometer, and the last a faithful dog-all that could be saved from the wreck of the Eliza Ann. As the oarsmen bent their backs to the return an anxious multitude on the deck of the steamer sent up a shout that made the welkin ring. One hardy-looking seaman, who had borne himself with courage and fortitude through all, when he reached the deck of our vessel, could restrain the revulsion of feeling no longer-nature found relief in an uncontrollable flood of tears. For four days and nights they had been at the mercy of the elements, with neither rest nor food. The captain's right arm was broken in several places by the falling of the foremast. The crew had sustained but little injury, but their haggard features and weather-beaten costume gave painful evidence of the mental sufferings they had undergone. We were scarcely upon our onward course before the skipper's broken arm was in process of setting by the surgeon of the ship, and every necessary comfort had been administered to the rescued sea men. The turbulent condition of the waters this morning has not been without its effect on some of my fellow-passengers. Quite a serio-comic little incident occurred just after breakfast. Among the minor regulations of the ship is one of parrots and monkeys, shall be excluded from the privileges of the cabin, and consigned to the tender care of the porter. A ponderous Frenchwoman (weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of three hundred pounds) missed her "Polly," and had been informed of its probable whereabouts, when, regardless of the by no means gentle motion of the vessel, or her own unwieldy proportions, she determined upon ocular demonstration of its existence. The ascent of the cabin stairs was accomplished, and I met her just as she was issuing from the gangwaydoor; her firmly-set jaw, and her glaring, little black eyes, as they gleamed from their oleaginous setting, showed plainly that the steam was up. An unexpected movement of the vessel gave an eccentric impetus to her locomotion, and after one or two flour-bag pirouettes she brought up, by a miracle almost, in a large armchair opposite the rail. Every one pitied the poor thing, but what could be done? The end was not yet, for the fire of her eye still burned with unwavering determination. One more effort; she stood erect; she drew up her skirts for a fresh start! yet- The next I saw of her was a palpitating mass lying upon the seat under the rail, and a pair of ponderous limbs waving acknowledgment of the rights of Cape Hatteras. Having steered a course due south from Sandy Hook, we entered the Gulf Stream at the point where it trends to the northeast, and crossing diagonally, emerged from it this morning at about eleven o'clock. On its southern edge the line of demarkation is not so distinct as upon its northern boundary; but here other indications besides the difference in temperature de This note its location. In looking over the side of the vessel I discovered, floating upon the surface of the water, large masses of sea-weed, full of pale yellow berries, that glistened in the sunshine. "Gulf-weed," as it is technically termed, is so constantly present at the outer edge of the Stream, that it is depended upon as a reliable guide to the mariner. Quantities of these alga were thrown up by the wheels, and lodged upon the guards; I ventured down and secured a bunch. It was a mass of coral-covered branches, throwing out graceful sprays which bore delicate, translucent leaves, lanceolate, serrated, and of a pale reddish-yellow color, bearing berries of a lighter hue, spherical and hollow, which acted like so many little air-bladders, giving buoyancy to the mass. Large numbers of fish gather around these weeds, to prey upon the minute varieties of crustacea with which they are covered. A school of porpoises made its appearance this morning. The sailors call them "puffing-pigs," and, certainly, with their long, sharp noses and occasional "blow," they bear, at least, a suggest- | land. For half an hour hundreds of these nautiive resemblance to our grunting denizen of the cal porkers gamboled about the vessel, darting SCHOOL OF PORTOISES. from side to side and leaping out from the brine one after the other by threes and fours, like so many sheep clearing a wall. All at once, as if by a concerted signal, simultaneously turning their noses downward, they shot into the depths of the ocean, and we saw them no more. Nothing further worthy of note occurred until the fifth morning of our voyage, when we were thrilled by the exciting cry of "Land ho!" Who is there whose eyes have not rested save on the changeless blue of the sky and ocean for days, that can not remember how they brightened and his heart throbbed quicker at that welcome sound? It may prove but a storm-worn rock with not a blade of grass to invite the passing sea-bird, but it is "terra firma," and the wavetossed traveler gives it welcome. The "White Rocks" of Watling's Island were jutting above our southern horizon, myriads of sea-fowl hovered over the lime-covered ledges; a bright green belt of water stretching back to the southwest discovered the reef which | twenty or thirty fisher's huts peeped out from an connects these rocks with the low sandy shore of adjacent grove. This little islet, surrounded Watling. Coasting along within a couple of with reefs and sunken rocks, has long been miles of its western edge, we saw, on the ele- dreaded by mariners as the most dangerous of vated land about midway of the island, a little the Bahama group Fifteen miles in length cluster of frame-houses and a flag-staff, while and six in width, it has scarcely half a dozen SOUTHERN END OF WATLING'S ISLAND. square miles of soil, for a salt lagoon occupies the great part of its inland surface. A few wreckers, salt-makers, and turtlers, make up its population, who drive a petty trade with the Island of Nassau Watling's Island is one of the nominal dependencies of England, but might as well belong to the Great Mogul as far as any benefit of revenue is concerned. Passing the southern end, the Hinchenbroke Rocks reared their black heads to our view, and in a few minutes more Watling was hid by the rising outline of the ocean, It may be worth a passing thought to know that our track is almost the same which Columbus traversed on his earliest voyage, and that the first land discovered by him is only forty miles distant. It was here, perhaps, that he wrestled with his skeptical crew, and gained the few hours that landed him on the ever-memorable San Salvador. We are coasting along under the lee of Castle and Crooked Islands, whose salt ponds and turtle fisheries alone make them habitable. It is evening. The air has lost its fervent heat, and the waters, serene and placid, glow like silver in the moonlight Our decks swarm with passengers enjoying the perfumed breath of the land and the radiant night. Home-born memories come to us almost every where-but more than ever on a Saturday night at sea "Home, sweet home," quavered from many a pensive heart, while "Old Hundred," and "Mear," and "Chelmsford," with their quaint harmonies, told of the quiet Sabbath-keeping firesides many of our voyagers had left. Late in the night we were able to see that world-renowned constellation, the "Southern Cross." Just above the horizon four bright stars formed the glittering emblem, once hailed with superstitious joy by the early Spaniards, on their search for El Dorado. The Sabbath was calm and beautiful. No sonorous bells gave notice of the worship with which it was proposed to celebrate this holy time. A little placard upon the mainmast announced that an Episcopal service would be held on the quarter-deck, at eleven o'clock, by the Rev. Mr. B-, of Jamaica The capstan, canopied by the national flag of our Union, formed the lectern; benches, chairs, and sky-lights the pews. Every sect, from the Jew to the Mormon, had its representatives in the little assemblage gathered on the quarterdeck. A couple of "Sisters of Mercy" were unwittingly hemmed in by the congregation, and as they sat hooded with their sombre vails, each holding an hour-glass and a rosary, and devoutly absorbed in their rituals, the novelty of the scene was complete. Nothing can be more impressive than our solemn church service at sea. In such a time the feeling of utter dependence on that Providence whose feeblest breath might launch our frail bark into oblivion can scarcely fail to have its lodgment in the most thoughtless mind; and when that comprehensive prayer of the Litany, "May it please Thee to preserve |