Saturday. Will to-morrow's newspaper lift the veil?"

"November 22d.--Saturday's newspaper _has_ lifted the veil! Words are
vain to express the panic of astonishment in which I write. I never once
anticipated it; I can't believe it or realize it, now it has happened.
The winds and waves themselves have turned my accomplices! The yacht has
foundered at sea, and every soul on board has perished!

"Here is the account cut out of this morning's newspaper:

"'DISASTER AT SEA.--Intelligence has reached the Royal Yacht Squadron
and the insurers which leaves no reasonable doubt, we regret to say,
of the total loss, on the fifth of the present month, of the yacht
_Dorothea_, with every soul on board. The particulars are as follows:
At daylight, on the morning of the sixth, the Italian brig _Speranza_,
bound from Venice to Marsala for orders, encountered some floating
objects off Cape Spartivento (at the southernmost extremity of Italy)
which attracted the curiosity of the people of the brig. The previous
day had been marked by one of the most severe of the sudden and violent
storms, peculiar to these southern seas, which has been remembered
for years. The _Speranza_ herself having been in danger while the gale
lasted, the captain and crew concluded that they were on the traces of
a wreck, and a boat was lowered for the purpose of examining the objects
in the water. A hen-coop, some broken spars, and fragments of shattered
plank were the first evidences discovered of the terrible disaster that
had happened. Some of the lighter articles of cabin furniture, wrenched
and shattered, were found next. And, lastly, a memento of melancholy
interest turned up, in the shape of a lifebuoy, with a corked bottle
attached to it. These latter objects, with the relics of cabin
furniture, were brought on board the _Speranza_. On the buoy the name
of the vessel was painted, as follows: "_Dorothea, R. Y. S._" (meaning
Royal Yacht Squadron). The bottle, on being uncorked, contained a sheet
of note-paper, on which the following lines were hurriedly traced in
pencil: "Off Cape Spartivento; two days out from Messina. Nov. 5th, 4
P.M." (being the hour at which the log of the Italian brig showed the
storm to have been at its height). "Both our boats are stove in by the
sea. The rudder is gone, and we have sprung a leak astern which is more
than we can stop. The Lord help us all--we are sinking. (Signed) John
Mitchenden, Mate." On reaching Marsala, th