gether with his more than ordinary strength and activity, insured him the good-will of his superiors, while his general good-nature and cheerful disposition, added to his wellproved courage, gained for him the admiration of the men. He had become an especial favorite with the captain, who had been much struck with his gentlemanly appearance and demeanor. Upon several occasions he had drawn from Ned certain descriptions of his former life that increased the interest he had taken, and he comforted Ned with the assurance that upon their arrival at the Indian station he would be able to write home to his parents, and thus relieve their anxiety. At the same time he advised him to stick to the profession, and that he would apply for his promotion to enable him to enter as midshipman on the next voyage.

There was only one individual among the entire crew of the Sybille who did not share the general feeling toward Ned Grey. This was Jem Stevens, who, although he had in some degree abated the insolence of his former demeanor, now sullenly passed him upon every occasion without condescending to notice his presence.

Generosity of character is one of a sailor's virtues, and the ingratitude of Jem Stevens, thus publicly exhibited, increased the dislike with which he was generally regarded. In the midshipmen's berth he was positively hated; by the superior officers he was despised; and the sailors had on more than one occasion declared that the dog Nero had shown more discretion than Ned in refusing to assist so worthless a fellow.

This was the state of feeling among the officers and crew of the Sybille when, after a prosperous voyage, during which she had captured several prizes, she arrived off the coast of Ceylon, which was the rst land she had sighted since leaving the Cape Verde Islands.

The frigate had coasted the southern portion of Ceylon

at a distance that obscured all but the beautiful deep blue mountains of the interior, which rose to an altitude that concealed their summits in the clouds. Upon rounding the eastern point the Sybille steered directly north, and as the south-west monsoon was blowing strong she coasted within ten miles of the shore to make the harbor of Trincomalee. Nothing could be more beautiful than the appearance of this Paradise of the East. At times the lofty mountains, although upward of sixty miles distant, appeared to be within a day's march of the vessel. The sea was the deepest blue, and as the frigate stood close in shore when passing a projecting headland the white surf was seen to break upon the coral reefs almost at the feet of the waving cocoa-nut palms which formed dense groves even to the water's edge. At times the native villages could be perceived nestled among the shady palms. At length the latitude of the wished-for harbor was reached, and the Sybille steered direct for the shore toward the heights that rose near the entrance to Trincomalee. As the frigate approached the scene increased in beauty; the palms appeared to spring from the surface of the waves, and the hills, clothed with verdure to their summits, were reflected in the calm waters of the magnificent harbor which, completely land-locked, lay like an inland lake surrounded by the most lovely vegetation of the tropics.

With her sails close hauled, the Sybille steered through the narrow entrance, and shot after shot rang from her decks and re-echoed from the surrounding hills as she saluted the fort upon the Point; she then came sharp up to the wind, and cast anchor within a hundred yards of the shore, while the men swarmed up the rigging at the sound of the boatswain's whistle, and in a few minutes every sail was furled, and the Sybille looked as snug as though she had been lying for a month in port.

At that time the beautiful island of Ceylon had not been long in our possession since England had wrested it from the Dutch. The latter people had contented themselves with the seaboard and adjoining lowlands, as they considered that the great importance of Ceylon consisted in the peculiar harbor of Trincomalee, which not only would contain a powerful fleet to command the Indian seas, but was sufficiently large to float half the navies of the world; in addition to its vast capacity, the water was of sufficient depth within a few feet of the land to enable a first-class ship of the line to lie with her bowsprit overhanging the shore. Trincomalee may be called the key of India; in the hands of a powerful enemy a fleet would lie in perfect security that could defy attack, as the vicinity of the harbor is specially arranged by nature for defense. At the time of which we write there was no other protection than the Dutch fort at the Point, which exists at the present day, and it is a curious instance of neglect that this magnificent harbor remains otherwise unprotected.

With a fleet of fast cruisers concentrated at Trincomalee by an enemy the trade of India would be almost annihilated, as such vessels would scour the seas like falcons, and when chased by a superior force they would run for the impregnable nest. On the same principle the possession of Trincomalee affords incalculable advantages as a great dépôt and arsenal for naval and military stores. There is no other safe harbor in the island, neither is there any secure port nearer than Bombay; thus, in the event of a naval action in the Indian seas, there are no ports to which the crippled ships could retreat for repairs, except those of Port Louis in the Mauritius, Trincomalee, and Bombay; it was accordingly of vital importance to our Indian possessions that these three harbors should belong to England.

Unfortunately for our Indian commerce, at that time

Mauritius belonged to the French, with whom we were at war, and the extreme importance of our position was painfully exhibited to the English by the havoc committed on our trade. In the strongly-fortified harbor of Port Louis a French fleet of powerful frigates was established, with which our vessels of inferior force upon the station were unable to cope. In consequence of our inferiority several actions. had been fought in the Indian seas which added more to French renown than to the glory of England; nevertheless our Admiralty authorities continued to send to the Indian station a number of second-class frigates and corvettes that were totally unadapted for a collision with the large ships and heavy metal of the enemy.

Although this inferiority was admitted, it did not interfere with the ardor of our captains, who with a reckless intrepidity hovered around the coasts of Mauritius, and challenged every combat without considering the overpowering odds. Thus many severe losses had befallen us.

Among those French vessels that had gained a high reputation was a powerful frigate, the Forte. This vessel had been newly built in France expressly to harass our commerce in the Indian seas; and as our naval supremacy was generally admitted, the French had constructed this ship upon a scale and armament so superior to any thing that the English possessed that without some gross mismanagement success would appear almost certain.

As the English losses had become of serious importance it was resolved that the fleet upon the Indian station should be re-enforced. Thus, among other vessels, the Sybille had been dispatched from England, and it was the determination of her captain to seek out and fight the renowned Forte upon the earliest opportunity.

A

CHAPTER XII.

WEEK after the Sybille had arrived in the harbor of Trincomalee she looked as though she had only just been rigged and fitted for sea; her lower rigging had been tightened and retarred, her top-masts fresh varnished, and the vessel had been newly painted from stem to stern. There was not a ship in the British navy that looked more like a perfect specimen of a man-of-war; her guns were not only in beautiful neatness and finish of polish, but her crew were constantly trained in their use, as Captain Cooke was of opinion that a shot thrown away was worse than wasted: thus he instructed his men never to fire at a useless range, but to wait patiently for close quarters: "Close quarters and good seamanship will win the battle" was a well-known saying of the Sybille's captain, in which his men had learned to thoroughly believe.

During the frigate's stay at Trincomalee she on several occasions put to sea to exercise her guns, until at length the day arrived when she was to sail in search of the renowned depredator, the Forte.

At that time the French Indian squadron, under Admiral Sercey, was cruising with great success in the neighborhood of Manilla and throughout the China seas, in which direction our losses of homeward bound Indiamen had been most severe; it was reported that the Forte was also in those seas, and the Sybille left the quiet harbor of Trincomalee with her officers and crew in high spirits at the expected

rencontre.

After a rapid voyage to Manilla, to the great disappoint