The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-05 00:00:00

GREAT WESTERN OF CANADA.

A .t a general meeting of shareholders in this company,
held . in Canada on the 13th ult., a dividend of three per
cent . on the stock for the half-year ending Jan. 31 was
decla ,r ed. The dividend would have been at the rate of
7 per • t ,ent. per annum had it not been for the appropria-
tion of 9,125/. to the sinking fund fur redeeming the
loan fr om Government. The meeting agreed to post-
pone -6. 'le payment of the dividend, but the English di-
rect( had previously advised an immediate payment of
a ca, It dividend, warrants for which will be issued as
soon a 4 adviees have been received from the other side.
The r. tflic for the week ending March 16 was 7,4301.
sterlii I ".

GRE I&T NORTHERN RAILWAY.—Traffio return for the
week cix 'ding Mar 25, 1855 £18,054 19 8
Correso ouding ding week last year 17,022 15 11

LANG, tSIIIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAlLWAY.—Traffis re-
turn for the week ending April 1, 1855 £18,003 18 9
Corresps nding week last year 17,581 5 0

CHEM ER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic rbturn for
the week ending April 1, 1855 £4,341 9 3
Correspt ndin,g week last year 3,810 4 0

Itt crease hi 1855 . £s3l 5 3

GLASGO IV AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAlLWA.T.—Traffis re.
turn for tia, 9 week ending March 31, 1855 £4,849 3 2
corresponding week last year 5,472 10 11

Decrea fe in 1455 , R623 7 9

1 8 5 5.

WINTER CRUISING, IN LAKE
MICHIGAN.

UNPRECEDENTED EXPOSURE.
( From the Chicago Press, Ecb. 17.)
We have received a call from Captain Easson, of the
now famous little sloop Lady Ann, which entered the hat-
bour last Thursday, after having been a castaway in
the lake for almost a month. There may be many
who will call the captain's exposure of his life to
save so small a craft only a piece of fool-hardiness, which
success only saves from most hearty condemnation.
But we have imbibed a certain amount of respect for
his daring, and experienced a degree of interest in
the details of his efforts, which others will be ready
to share with us when they are acquainted with
the circumstances. He is one of those ambitious,
active, intrepid, generous, independent men, as
often found among American sailors as anywhere
else, and who, if they do not succeed in the
world, fail not through lack of effort or desert. All that
he was worth in the world was in that little sloop, and
he could not patiently endure to sit down by a winter fire,
even at the side of a fond young wife, and let the ele-
ments set him back several years in the struggle of life,
without fighting a desperate battle with them. Moreover,
he felt a love for the In.rd-looking, flat-bottomed,
diminutive craft, that landsmen cannot understand, and
they need not try. He declares that she is the easiest
managed, freest, fastest, staunchest, prettiest little craft
afloat
In the memorable storm of Sunday, Jan. 21, when
strong buildings rocked like a tree top, and the snow was
piled into mountains on land, the sloop Lady Ann ap-
pearad off our harbour, having on board Captain Easson
and three men. She could not make the piers, and came
to anchor, where she was soon surrounded by ice,
which kept down the sea, and she rode well all day.
In the night the wind suddenlyC changed to the west,
driving the ice toward the opposite shore of the
lake. The anchor and cable of the sloop held on
well, and would probably have stood through, but
Durkee's dredge broke from its fastenings, went out
before the gale, and drifted directly upon the sloop,
parting her cable in an instant. " Now for it, men,"
shouted the captain, "make all sail ; we must catch the
ice, work through it if we can, and try our best to make
the Michigan shore before it does."
Away bounded the sloop over the mighty billows. The
wind was right to keep her steadily head to the seas, and
she went over them like a bird. The captain has no
language to describe the wildness and grandeur of
that night voyage—neither have we. The sloop
fairly seemed to stand upon her boy and stern in
ascending and descending each mountain wave. There
was nothing for the four men to do. The helm
was lashed, and on, right on, the vessel flew,the play-
thing of the demons of the storm. Site reached the
ice, keeping all sail set she passed rapidly through it,
but its landward edge reached the shore while she was
yet some miles out, so all hope of harbour was aban-
doned by the crew. When the ice became-securely
lodged they easily escaped over it, leaving the good sloop
Lady Ann for the storm spirits to frolic with at will.
For several days the sloop passed hither and thither
about the head of the lake, and at last lodged in the ice
about ten miles from shore, New Buffalo, where the cap-
tain was yet resting, as if inviting him to " come
aboard." He accepted the challenge, prevailing upon
two men to accompany him. They were actuated less
by the hope of pecuniary reward than the desire to per-
form a great feat and to help a shipmate.
The sloop was lodged in a field of ice, between which
and the field lodged upon the shore intervened an open
water about ten miles wide. Hastily constructing a
light skiff, and putting it on runners, the three men
arted with a month's provisions to reach the sloop.
The wind was south and warm when they drew their
boat over the ice and launched it in the clear water.
They had rowed about half the distance when the
weather suddenly changed to intense cold. Bravely
they rowed on. The ice began to form rapidly around
their frail skiff. Their progress was slow. The cold
grew more intense. The ice made faster. The wind
came into the north-east and blew a gale. Night caine
on. They could move their boat no more in any direc-
tion, and they were yet a mile from the vessel. In an
open boat, ten feet by four, its sides only a few inches
above the water, with no protection against the cold but
their ordinary clothing, these three men stared one
another in the face as the darkness came upen them.
Capt. Easson never gave up, whatever may have been
his thoughts or fears. One of his companions, over-
come with the terror of their situation, lay down in his
boat, and cursed his own folly. The other kept up a
better courage. Captain Easson had in his pocket a
bottle of brandy; he knew just how to use it. Drinking
none himself, that he might exercise a better control over
himself and his companions, he gave them from time
to time just enough to animate them, and there, in
that little space, he kept them boxing and scuffling about
with him to keep them and himself from freezing to
death. The wind increased in fury, and drove the out-
ward field of ice towards the shore, breaking up the thin
ice around them, and piling the cakes one upon another,
and driving them sometimes over their little boat, as
well as under it. The frail thing was often nearly
crushed. Once a mass of ice drove under one side,
nearly turning the boat over. As quick ar thought
Captain Easson and one of the men jumped together
upon the upper edge of the boat, the force of the con-
cussion breaking the ice and saving them from instant
destruction. Daylight dawned upon them and soon
after they drifted up to the ice on the shore, over which
they escaped to the land, with only their feet frozen.
Capt. Easson could prevail upon no one at New Buf-
falo to make another effort to reach the sloop, so he re-
luctantly went down to the shore, took a good long fare-
well look at her single mast, pointing upward among the
icebergs, with his pennant still flying, and then hurried
away by the railway to his home at Racine. But the
last look at that gallant little sloop, and the thought of
her waiting for him to come and save her, still haunted
him. He found among the venturous spirits wintering
at that port a sailor named Horace 'Van Doozen, who
heard his story with interest, caught his spirit, and
offered to join him in a cruise on the Lady Ann. They
kept their project a secret, the one from his wife and the
other from his sweetheart, and going to New Buffalo,
laid in their supplies, dragged them over the ice to the
vessel, and entered upon their uncertain dreary voyage.
Their stock of supplies consisted of flour, salt, a song-
book, meat, matches, coffee, brandy, a Bible, a pack of
cards, and a fiddle. Easson, when he cannot possibly
do anything else, can set horsehair and catgut together
by the ears, so as to bring out " Devil's Dream,"
" Fisher's Hornpipe," and other similar melodies, in a
a manner that would almost wake the dead.
Having established themselves on board, these two
adventurers cut away the ice from the sides of the sloop,
and patiently waited for "something to turn up." Soon
after going aboard they drifted out of sight of laud, and
life became monotonous. They soon exhausted their in-
ventive powers in any variety of cookery they could pro-
duce from their assortment of edibles. Whenever they
emerged into clear water, they would make all sail to-
wards Racine; or, if it was only a little clear spot, they
would sail around in a circle for the fun of it, until the
ice closed in on them again. They made a note of each
day as it passed, that they might not forget when Sun-
day came, so that they could run up a flag, put away
the cards, song-book, and fiddle, and bring out their
Bible. One day they passed near Durfee's dredge, lifted
entirely out of water by the ice, but right side up, and
unbroken. On another, they saw what they supposed
to be the sloop Ole Bull, out of Milwaukee.
Last Tuesday they judged they were nearly opposite
Racine, but could not get near the shore for the ice. They
began to feel at this time a sense of separation from the
world by no means agreeable. They had grown tired
of all their means of diversions. The elements were pre-
paring a new excitement for them. Tuesday night a vio-
lent norsh-east wind set in. They made sail before the
wind, sometimes drifting with the ice, then pounding
and crushing through it, and then finding clear water'
and good sailing again. Their situation was enough to
drive courage out of anybody. When in the ice it seemed
as if they must be crushed, but they would remember
that the sloop had double sides. When in clear water
bounding en before the gale in the darkness, they could
not tell but they were driving on to an iceberg that
would shatter their vessel like an egg shell. Wednes-
day morning they heard the cars' whistle at Waukegan.
Soon after they emerged from the ice into clear water
near the shore, and thinking they saw a spot where
they could beach the vessel and save themselves, they
steered for it. When within about five rods of the sup-
posed beach, they discovered that it was lodged ice.
Death seemed sitting there waiting for them. They re-
solved to give him the slip. The sloop was put short
about. Right bravely did she work off into the lake
again.
The storm increased. The prospect for the two men
was dark enough. The shore was lined with ice every-
where, and vast fields of it were closing rapidiy down upon
them. Van Doozen brought the cards on deck, hove
them overboard, and would have sent the fiddle after
them, but for the earnest remonstrance of its owner.
The song-book was thrown into the stove, and the Bible
was frequently consulted. The captain steered, as near
as he could, is the direction of Chicago ; and about
noon, emerging from a field of ice, he found himself right
close to the harbour. He had no anchor, and the ice
would not let him come to the piers. He could not
endure the thought of being so near safety and yet be
lost. What should he de for an anchor A sudden
suggestion. A piece of cable was still on board. Making
it into a coil, and lashing it well together, he male a
line fast to it, and lowered it overboard. This novel
anchor held the sloop while the ice slowly drifted past.
The two men took courage. It was something to look
to the land and see human beings watching them with
apparent interest. Night came on again. A dark
and stormy night. Cold, too. No lights were dis-
played about the piers to guide or cheer them.
" Is it possible ?" thought they, " Where is the
lighthouse keeper ? We were seen here all day. Will
not he, will no one put out a beacon for our benefit ?"
The darkness answered "No !" The lights of the city
disappeared one after another, and nothing relieved the
gloom of their situation. So near a great city were they
that they could hear its heart beat, and its tongues tell
the hours, and yet not one finger raised to help them
A Government lighthouse keeper asleep in a comfortable
house, and no light for mariners wrestling with a storm !
Two Government lifeboats securely housed, and no one
to launch them for the rescue of the two men I
Suddenly the wind hauled. " Now is our time," raid
the two men together. Quickly cutting the line which
held the sloop, they made sail for the entrance to the
railroad basin. " It was dark as tar," says the captain,
in telling his story. " I steered boldly for the break-
water, against which the sea broke heavily.. I could see
nothing, so I steered by sound. I could hear the breakers
all along except at one point, and there I judged was
the opening to the basin. If I hit it, I was safe ; if I
missed it, there was no hope more. It was a desperate
case, but I was tired of uncertainties. We neared the
breakwater. Van held the helm, and I stood by the
jib-sheet. The roar grew deafening. As we drew closer,

I grew confused for a moment and thought it was all
roar—all breakwater, no opening at all, that I had mis-
judged. On we came. `'Thank God! boy, we are i❑
the basin,' I cried, and if I ever was thankful to Him,
or hope to be, I was at that minute. We had neither of
us slept for three days and nights."

PRICES OF SHARES
IN BANKS, ASSURANCE, AND OTHER COM-

PANIES' STOCK.

From the official List.
PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING.

LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1855.

GAS LIGHT AND COKE COMPANIES.

Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per j of Paid. Price.
Annum. Share.
X s. d. £ s. d.
British •• •• •• ........
Ditto l'rovincial .... 71. i2O 0 0 20 0 0 20
Brighton ••—..• • • • ~ 51, 20 0 0 20 0 0 14
City of London —•• •• 41 Os. 100 0 0 150 5 0
Continental (3d Cap.)... 41. Os. 10 0 0 43 10 0
Equitable ••• •• ..1.• •• 21. 16s. 50 0 0 all 29
Great Central .... •• . 71 per cent. 10 0 0 all 1114
Imperial ............ 101.& bonus. 50 0 0 all 103
Independent ......... 51. 40 0 0
f P -
L0nd0n.............. - 50 0 0 f t ...-•
Do., Part. Preference 61. per cent. 25 0 0 25
Pce ix ............. 41. per cent. 60 0 0 50 0 0 I 284
Ratcliff ..... ....... 5/. 100 0 0 90 0 0 73
United General ...... 11. ss. 60 0 0 all 20
Westminster ( hartered s'. per cent. 60 0 0 f t 3936
Ditto, New .... •• 51. per cent 50 0 0 10 o 0
WATER-WORKS.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price.
Annum. Share.
-
X a. d. X s. d.
East London
Grand Junction .... • • V. per cnt. 50 0 0 all 6830
Kent
Lambeth
New River Company 21.105. •
Southwark & Vauxhall 51. per cnt. 100 0 0 813
West Middlesex .... 5/.los. pr ct. 61 0 0 90
DOCKS.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price,
Annum. Share.
£ s. d. £ s. d.
Commercial .......... 41. pr cent. Stock. Stock.
East and West India.. 61. pr zent. Stock.
East Country... 2os. per sir. ...10
London .• . •
Ditto Bonds 4l. per cent.
St. Katharine
onthampton
Victoria