served under William III. and Queen Anne, and terminated his career at the battle of Malplaquet. Her father was a hosier and dyer, and had a family of three sons and six daughters, of whom our heroine was the youngest but one.

In the year 1740, having lost her father and mother, Hannah removed to London, where she for some time resided with one of her sisters, the wife of a Mr. Gray, carpenter, in Ship street, Wapping. Soon after her arrival in the metropolis, she became acquainted with a Dutch seaman, named James Summs, who paid his addresses to her, and they were married on the 6th of January, 1742. It was not long, however, before she found herself miserably deceived in the opinion she had formed of her husband. He abandoned her company for that of women of the lowest description, with whom he squandered the little property which his wife possessed, and having involved himself deeply in debt, he deserted her entirely, leaving her pregnant, to struggle with all the horrors of poverty. Two months after his departure, she was delivered of a girl, who died at the early age of seven months.

When her husband abandoned her, she again went to reside with her sister; but the death of her child releasing her from every tie, she resolved to set out in quest of the man, whom, notwithstanding his ill usage, she still continued to love. In order to execute this design with a better grace and more chance of success, she put on a suit of her brother-in-law's clothes, assumed his name, James Gray, and set off on the 23d of November, 1743. Having travelled to Coventry, and being unable to procure any intelligence of her husband, she, on the 27th of the same month, enlisted into General Guise's regiment, in the company commanded by Captain Miller.

She remained at Coventry about three weeks, during which time she made many fruitless inquiries after her husband. The north was then the seat of war, and her regiment being at Carlisle, she, with seventeen other recruits, left Coventry and joined the regiment after a march of three weeks, which she performed with as much ease as any one of her comrades.

On her arrival at Carlisle, she was instructed in the military exercise, and was soon able to perform it with great skill and dexterity. She had not been long in that city, when her sergeant, whose name was Davis, having a criminal passion for a young woman in the town, and considering our adventurer as a proper person for promoting his design, applied to her to assist him in executing it. She appeared to acquiesce in his desire, but privately disclosed the whole affair to the intended victim, and warned her of her danger. By this conduct she gained the young woman's confidence and esteem, and being frequently in each other's company, the jealousy of Davis was excited, and he was inflamed with the desire of

revenge. He accordingly seized an early opportunity of charging his supposed rival before the commanding officer with neglect of duty; and she was sentenced to receive six hundred lashes. Five hundred, we are told, were inflicted, but the remaining hundred were remitted in consequence of the intercession of some of the officers.

The resentment of the jealous Davis was not yet satisfied with this cruel punishment; he omitted no opportunity to mortify her, and to put her on such duties as he knew to be difficult or disagreeable. For this treatment she, however, found some compensation in the increased affection of her female friend.

Not long after the above occurrence, another cause of uneasiness occurred. A fresh recruit, a native of Worcester, by trade a carpenter, and who had lodged in the house of her brother-in-law, having joined the regi ment, she became justly apprehensive of a discovery of her sex, and her uneasiness increased to such a degree, that she at length resolved to desert. Having taken every possible precaution, she repaired to her female acquaintance, and informed her of her design. The latter endeavoured to dissuade her from such a dangerous enterprise; but finding her resolution fixed, she furnished her with money; and Hannah, having taken leave of her affectionate friend, immediately commenced her journey on foot for Portsmouth. About a mile from Carlisle, perceiving a number of people employed in picking pease, and their clothes lying at some distance, she exchanged her regimental coat for one of the old coats belonging to the men, and proceeded on her journey. She was about a month in travelling from Carlisle to Portsmouth, where she arrived safe, after running various risks of a discovery of her sex. Here she enlisted as a marine in Colonel Frazer's regiment. Three weeks afterwards, a draft was made from the regiment, for the East Indies, and Hannah, among the rest, was ordered to embark in the Swallow sloop of war, one of the ships of Admiral Boscawen's fleet. She soon made herself remarkable on board by her dexterity and address in washing, mending, and cooking for her messmates; and these little good offices obtained her the particular notice of Mr. Wyegate, one of the lieutenants of the marines, who, in a very friendly manner, requested her to become one of their mess. This offer she readily accepted, and soon became a great favourite with the crew of the sloop.

The Swallow, having sustained considerable damage in a storm, was obliged to put into the port of Lisbon to refit. A month having been occupied with the necessary repairs, the Swallow again put to sea, to rejoin the fleet; but the night after her departure, another tempest, equally violent with the former, destroyed the greatest part of the rigging, so that she was reduced to a state very little better than a wreck. Hannah took her turn at the pump, which was kept constantly going, declined no office

however dangerous, and established her character for courage, skill, and intrepidity.

The ship was a second time repaired at Gibraltar, and having touched at Madeira, made the best of her way to the Cape of Good Hope, where, having joined the rest of the squadron, they proceeded to make an attack on the Mauritius, which, however, proved unsuccessful. The admiral then bore away for Fort St. David, on the coast of Coromandel, where the fleet soon afterwards arrived.

The marines, being disembarked, joined the English army; encamping before Areacopong, they laid siege to the place, which on the tenth day surrendered. This adventure gave our heroine fresh spirits, and afforded her an opportunity of displaying her intrepidity, which she omitted no opportunity of doing, so that her conduct acquired the commendation of all her officers.

The army then proceeded to the attack of Pondicherry, and after lying before that place eleven weeks, and suffering very great hardships, they were obliged, by the rainy season, to abandon the siege. Our heroine was in the first party of English foot who forded the river breast high, under an incessant fire from a French battery. She was likewise on the picket guard, continued on that duty seven nights successively, and laboured very hard about fourteen days at throwing up the trenches.

During this time, she maintained her usual firmness, and her conduct was perfectly consistent with the character of bravery which has ever distinguished the British soldier. In one of the attacks, however, her career was wellnigh terminated. She fired thirty-seven rounds during the engagement, and received, according to her account, six shots in her right leg, five in the left, and, what was still more painful, a dangerous wound in the abdomen. The latter gave her great uneasiness, as she feared lest it might lead to a discovery of her sex, which, even at the hazard of her life, she was determined not to reveal. It was, therefore, necessary that she should conceal the knowledge of her wound from the surgeons, and this she knew it would be in vain to attempt without assistance. Intrusting her secret to a black woman who attended her, and who had access to the surgeon's medicines, the latter procured lint, salve, and other necessaries. The pain became extremely acute, and she endeavoured to extract the ball, which she at length accomplished with no other instrument than her finger and thumb. Notwithstanding this painful and dangerous operation. she soon made a perfect cure.

Being removed to the hospital of Cuddalore, during her residence there, the greater part of the fleet sailed. As soon as she was completely cured, she was sent on board the Tartar Pink, and continued to do the duty of a sailor till the return of the fleet from Madras. She was soon afterwards turned over to the Eltham man-of-war, commanded by Captain Lloyd, and

sailed with that ship to Bombay. Here the vessel, which had sprung a leak on the passage, was heaved down to have her bottom thoroughly cleaned and repaired.

This operation lasted five weeks; the captain remained on shore, while Hannah, in common with the rest of the crew, had her turn on the watch. On one of these occasions, she offended the lieutenant who commanded in the captain's absence, by peremptorily refusing to sing a song. She soon afterwards had occasion to regret her non-compliance, for being charged with making free with a shirt belonging to one of her comrades, though no proof could be adduced, the lieutenant ordered her to be put in irons. After remaining in this situation five days, she was ordered to the gangway, and received twelve lashes. The shirt was found in the chest of the man who complained that he had lost it.

After various adventures, Hannah returned with the fleet to Europe, and reached Lisbon in 1749. One day, being on shore with some of her shipmates, she chanced to enter a house of entertainment, where they met with an English sailor who had been at Genoa in a Dutch vessel. She took the opportunity of inquiring after her long-lost husband, and was informed that he had been confined at Genoa, for murdering a native of that place, a gentleman of some distinction, and that, to expiate his crime, he had been put into a bag with a quantity of stones, and thus thrown headlong into the sea. Distressing as this information must have been, Hannah had, however, sufficient command over herself to conceal her emotion. Leaving Lisbon, our adventurer arrived in safety at Spithead, and proceeded to London to the house of her sister, who, notwithstanding her disguise and long absence, immediately recognised her, and gave her a hearty welcome.

Having, when her story became known, acquired a considerable degree of popularity, she was advised, as she had a good voice, to apply for an engagement to the managers of the Royalty Theatre, Wellclose square. As they closed with her offer, she appeared before the public in the character of Bill Bobstay, a sailor. She likewise represented Firelock, a military character, and, in a most masterly and correct manner, went through the manual and platoon exercises.

In this capacity she did not, however, continue many months, but quitted the stage; and as she preferred male attire, she resolved to continue to wear it during the remainder of her life. In consideration of the hardships she had endured in the service of her country, government granted her a pension of £20, with the assistance of which she took a public house in the neighbourhood of Wapping. On one side of the sign was painted the figure of a jolly British tar, and on the other the valiant Marine; underneath was inscribed, "The Widow in Masquerade; or, the Female Warrior."

These attractive signs produced the desired effect; her house was well frequented, and she lived many years in the enjoyment of prosperity, which compensated, in some measure, for the distresses she had experienced in the early period of her life.

Such is the substance of the account given to the public, either by this extraordinary woman herself, or under her authority. We have weeded it of several inaccuracies with respect to names and other particulars; but, after all, we cannot forbear observing, that there seems to be some reason to doubt the veracity of various circumstances recorded in it. To mention only one seeming inconsistency; how is it possible that she could have been twice flogged without a discovery of her sex? And though it is pretended that she had the art to keep her secret to the very last, yet it has been stated, upon good authority, that her wound led to its exposure. It is added, that on her recovery, an Irish officer took her under his protection, and that by this gentleman she had two sons, one of whom was stil! living in 1807.