WE are indebted to THOMAS GRAY, Esq., the talented Assistant Secretary of the Marine Department of the Board of Trade, for the following interesting song adapted to the well-known music " Heart of Oak." Messrs. CHAPPELL of Bond Street, London, have also very obligingly given us per- mission to print in our pages the music which Mr. GRAY has so admirably turned to account for the benefit of the Life-boat Cause.

The year 1759, in which the song " Heart of Oak" was written, was pro- bably one of the most memorable years in the annals of Britain. On the colours of our 12th, 23rd, 25th, 28th, 37th, and 51st Regiments, are inscribed the name of " Min- den," a name which will ever be distin- guished in the annals of our army.

It was on the night of the 12th Septem- ber in that year that WOLFE and his little army embarked with the view of capturing Quebec. They were crowded into boats, and, favoured by a flowing tide, they pro- ceeded up the broad St. Lawrence to a place which has ever since been called " Wolfe's Cove." WOLFE, who had the poetical element in Viis composition, repeated in. a low voice to his brother-officers as they sat in the boat the fine poem which he had re- tained in his memory,—GRAY'S " Elegy in a Country Churchyard,"* WOLFE de- claring that he would rather prefer to be the author of that poem than to take Quebec.

After landing, the men struggled up the precipitous cliffs with the aid of boughs and stumps of trees, or by clinging to pro- jections in the rocks; and by the dawn of day the heights of Abraham behind Quebec had been ascended by the immortal WOLFE and his gallant army. Thus, when the day broke, a compact though small army stood at the back of Quebec as if brought thither by magic. He had ordered his troops not to fire until the enemy came within 40 yards.

The gallant French general's troops fired as they advanced, when General WOLFE re- ceived a shot in his wrist. He bound the wound in his handkerchief. The volley of the British stopped the advance of the French, WOLFE heading his grenadiers to the charge, * Strange as this may seem in such a moment of anxiety it was the relief from the weight of an overwhelming thought; such as SHAKESPERE has exhibited when he makes CINNA and CASCA discuss where the coming day was to break, in the interval that preceded the resolve that CJISAK should die.

when he was shot again.* Still he issued his orders, and pressed on. A third shot struck him in the breast. He fell mortally wounded, and was carried to the rear. His eyes were growing dim as he looked upon the battle; and he was sinking on the ground, when an officer near him exclaimed, " They run, they run I" The dying man raised himself on his elbow, and asked, " Who run ?"—" The enemy I the enemy !" " Then God be praised!" said WOLFE, after a short pause, —" I shall die happy." These were his last words, and immediately afterwards he ex- pired. The brave French General MONT- CALM was also mortally wounded on the occasion. When told that his end was ap- proaching, he answered in a spirit worthy the antagonist of WOLFE,—" So much the better; I shall not live, then, to see the surrender of Quebec." More recently a small monument has been raised by a gallant soldier—DALHOUSIE— to mark the very spot where WOLFE re- ceived his death wound, blending his fame with the fame of his gallant enemy. On the land side, along which the French General moved, the column bears on it the word MONTCALM ; and on its south front, towards which the English General advanced, the word WOLFE is inscribed. On the 18th September, 1759, Quebec capitulated.

The hearts of the English people were stirred to their depths when they heard of the death of the gallant WOLFE, and of the triumph of his little army, which consisted of about 3,000 men.

Again, in this year Admiral HAWKE was driven by the equinoctial gales from his blockade of Brest. CONFLANS, the French admiral, came out with 21 ships of the line, and 4 frigates. Admiral DUFF was off Quiberon Bay with his squadron ; and uFLAiis hoped to attack him before HAWKE could come to the rescue. But HAWKE did return, and then CONFLANS hurried to the mouth of the Vilaine, fancy- ing himself secure amidst the rocks and shoals on that shore to which the Britons sailed to the aid of the Veneti. The dangers of a sea-fight in such a place had no danger for the brave HAWKE. " Lay me alongside of the French admiral," was HAWKE'S reply to the pilot's remonstrance; "you have done your duty, but now obey my orders." The fight went on until night whilst a tempest was raging. Signal guns of distress were heard on every side, and when the morning came, two British ships were found to be stranded; but their crews were happily saved. Four of the French fleet had been sunk, amongst which was the Admiral's ship. Two had struck.

This final victory put an end to all the appre- hensions then prevalent of a descent upon England. The French Admiral THUEOT was to have co-operated with CONFLANS on this occasion. He landed in the north of Ireland, attacked Carrickfergus, which was bravely defended by 72 men, and then went to sea again, having plundered the town, and carried off the mayor and three other men as his prisoners.

It was in this memorable year of 1759, that DAVID GARRICK, the pupil and friend of Dr. JOHNSON, composed the well-known and popular song called " Heart of Oak;" and Mr. GRAY observes that although his song is founded on that of GARRICK, " the words of " The Life-boat's Crew' are en- tirely new. To keep the true character of the song, I have retained the old chorus, modified to accord with the burden of my song.

" GARRICK'S song is one intended to stir men's souls to deeds of destructive daring on behalf of their country's honour and glory. Mine refers to deeds as daring and as perilous, if not as glorious—for ' Peace has her victories no less renowned than War.' " I trust that my humble effort in this way may be the means, not only of stimu- lating the gallant Life-boats' crews to re- newed efforts to save shipwrecked sailors, but also of increastog, if that be possible, public interest in the welfare of the NA- TIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION." KHIOHT'B Hut. Eng., voL vi, 235. Lord MAHOH'S Hist., voL Iv, 166..