Douglas, a brother of the keeper, she made her escape, on Sunday, May 2, 1568; a boat was prepared for her, and on reaching the shore, she was joyfully received by Lord Seaton and others: she instantly mounted on horseback, and rode full speed to the seat of Lord Seaton. Her court was soon brilliantly attended; and her generals commanded their army to conduct her to Dunbarton Castle: a battle ensued between her troops and those of Murray, the regent, where Mary on a hill beheld the total destruction of her army, on which she hastened, in confusion and horror, to Dunrenan Abbey. Here she remained for a short time, when she resolved to place herself under the protection of Elizabeth; and landed at Workington, in Cumberland; from whence she was conducted to Carlisle. After remaining seventeen years a captive in England, commissioners appointed by Elizbeth arrived at Fotheringay Castle, on the 11th of October, 1586; and intimated to Mary, that a public inquiry was to be made into her conduct, which took place on the 14th of the same month, in the great hall of the castle. This disgraceful and illegal investigation terminated by Elizabeth signing the warrant

for the execution of Mary, for being, among other crimes, concerned with Babington, in conspiring against the life of Elizabeth.

On Tuesday, February 7, 1587, the Earls of Shrewsbury and Kent arrived at Fotheringay castle, and read to Mary the warrant for her execution, which was appointed for the ensuing day. She arose early in the morning, and after employing a considerable time in her devotional exercises, she with a firm step ascended the scaffold, which was erected in the great hall in the castle; and with intrepid calmness laid her neck on the block; her hands were held by one executioner, while the other, with two blows, severed her head from her body. Thus, after a life of forty-four years and two months, nineteen years of which had been passed in captivity, perished the lovely and unfortunate Queen of Scots.

CAPTAIN JAMES COOK.

The elements

Se mixed in him, that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, This was a man!

Shakspeare.

JAMES COOK, one of the most enterprising and skilful navigators the world has produced, was born at Marton in Cleveland, a village about four miles from Great Ayton, in the county of York, on the 27th of October, 1728, His father, whose name was likewise James, was a day-labourer to Mr Mewburn, a very respectable farmer. In the year 1730, when our navigator was about two years old, his father removed with his family to Great Ayton, and was employed as a hind by Thomas Scottowe, Esq. having the charge of a considerable farm in that neighbourhood, known by the name of Airyholm.

As the father continued long in that trust, Captain Cook was employed in assisting him in various kinds of husbandry, suited to his

years, until the age of thirteen. At that period he was put under the care of Mr Pullen, a school-master who taught at Ayton, where he learned arithmetic, book-keeping, &c. and is said to have shown a very early genius for figures. While a boy he displayed an extraordinary spirit of inquiry, which was often not a little perplexing to his school-master. About January, 1745, at the age of seventeen, his father bound him apprentice to William Saunderson for four years, to learn the grocery and haberdashery business, at Snaith, a populous fishing town about ten miles from Whitby: but his natural inclination not having been consulted on this occasion, he soon quitted the counter in disgust, and in July, 1746, he bound himself apprentice to Mr J. Walker of Whitby, for the term of three years. He first sailed on board the ship Freelove, burthen about 450 tons, chiefly employed in the coal trade from Newcastle to London, and afterwards in the Three Brothers, about 600 tons burthen. After two coal voyages the latter ship was taken into the service of Government, and sent as a transport to Middleburg, to carry some troops to Dublin.

In the spring of 1750, Mr Cook shipped

himself as a seaman on board the Maria, belonging to Mr John Wilkinson, of Whitby, under the command of Captain Gaskin. In her he continued all the year in the Baltic trade. Early in February, 1752, Mr Walker sent for him and made him mate of one of his vessels, called the Friendship, of about 400 tons burthen. In this station he continued till May or June, 1753, in the coal trade.

At the breaking out of the war, in 1755, he entered into the king's service, on board the Eagle, at that time commanded by Captain Hamer, and afterwards by Sir Hugh Palliser, who soon discovered his merit, and introduced him on the quarter-deck.

In the year 1758, he was appointed master of the Northumberland, the flag-ship of Lord Colville, who had taken the command of the squadron stationed on the coast of America. It was here, as he was often heard to say, that, during a hard winter, he first read Euclid, and applied himself to the study of mathematics and astronomy, without any other assistance than what a few books and his own industry afforded him. At the same time that he thus found means to cultivate and improve his mind, and to supply the deficiencies of an