The chapel is elegant and unique; and should be seen by those who visit this place the altar-piece alone repaying the trouble. The subject is St. Paul landed at Mileta, (now Malta) when wrecked.

Beyond the hospital is seen the famous astronomical observatory, which stands on an eminence (in the park,) called Flamsteed Hill, from Flamsteed, the astronomer royal, who superintended its erection. This is the spot from which the English calculate the degrees of eastern and western longitude.

Woolwich appears next, having a great depôt of military and naval stores, a large Dock-yard, and excellent barracks for artillery. Here is a building containing various curiosities and works of art, principally connected with military affairs.

The next place of importance which you reach is Gravesend, where the river is a mile in width. Here the danger of a sea voyage being supposed to commence and terminate, the Underwriters' responsibility does the same.

At Gravesend there are handsome baths; and at high water, a salt-water bath in the river may be enjoyed. The shore, which is chalk or rock, and was rough, has been cut smooth, with much labour, at the bathing place. There is now a pier at this place, where passengers land from steamers.

Opposite to Gravesend, which is in Kent, lies Tilbury Fort, in Essex. It was in the adjacent plains, that, in the year 1588, Elizabeth reviewed her army, when the Spanish Armada was expected to overwhelm our shores with a mighty force. This illustrious Queen was resolved to hazard a battle, if she could not hinder the Spaniards from landing.

The rapid movement of the Royal Adelaide soon brought us to the mouth of the Thames, and to that of the Medway, at the confluence of whose waters, is that part called the Nore. This is an interesting scene. There, as well as up the Medway, several line-of-battle ships are generally to be seen. The Fort of Sheerness is here in view.

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It is the north-western point of the Isle of Sheppy. On the opposite coast of Essex, seven miles across, is seen Southend, a pretty watering place.

At the Nore the dreadful mutiny took place in the reign of his late majesty George the 3rd.

Here floats a vessel, containing the Nore light.

Up the Medway lies Rochester, the most ancient bishopric in England, and which was one of the principal towns in the heptarchate of Kent, during the age of the Anglo-Saxons.

Between the Isle of Sheppy and the Kentish shore, flows the Swale; where Saint Augustine in one day, baptized 10,000 English, who had renounced idolatry, and embraced the Christian religion, at the instance of his preaching, in the reign of the illustrious Ethelbert,

The Isle of Sheppy is about ten miles from east to west, and about six miles from north to south.

After some further progress, we passed Reculver; consisting of only two towers. This place is now a mere landmark to the mariner, or a picturesque object to the voyager, and many a tale is told concerning it; but we suppose that the following may. be relied on as veracious, being furnished from the records of authentic histo: y,

Reculver was one of the harbours of the Heptarchate of Kent, and at length became the seat of royalty; for, on many heathen temples being dedicated to the Christian religion, and on Canterbury cathedral being built, and the monastery of Saint Augustine being begun at that place, and the great work of the conversion of the English from idolatry to Christianity going on with rapidity, the generous Ethelbert, Heptarchist of Kent, moved his court from the city of Canterbury, which was the capital of the Heptarchate, and thenceforth held it at Reculver; which ancient port was then a mile or two from the sea shore and now supplies one of the in

stances we have of the sea's encrease of dominion in many places. He who contemplates those towers and the present surrounding vacuity, and pictures to himself the court of a flourishing prince (who was, in the latter part of his reign, chosen to be the head of the Heptarchy), and the population and bustle of a seaport, cannot choose but sigh over the mutability of human events in this transitory state, and mark with thoughtful sadness, how cities "rise and fall, flourish and decay."

I was mentioning to the captain, at dinner, the account I had read of Commodore Ross' Expedition to the Antarctic; and of the judicious sub-division of the ships, into three sections, by water tight partitions. But the captain informed me that this invention was not, in that instance, adopted for the first time, that the company to whom the Royal Adelaide belonged, had all their vessels thus protected.

As this is an important invention, and must interest every reader, and is little