The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-13 00:00:00

2

•
EVENING EDIT -
Z=1.2.4
AFFECTING IN WI
A young man, whose pale and hag, ar. ,nrwA
tamed some traces of beauty and regu . r N.'
self yesterday at the c7,mmissarist of 5 : ce
self at the disposAl of tl-e judicial authorities. MP -1115.14111
he had involuntarily outraged the laws of society, and that
he now implored justice to release bum from the tortures
of remorse and the ceaseless torments of his tempestekuus
conscience.
On being interrogated nitkkindness by the magiatrate,
the wretched -nati, whose sobs and torrents of te,ra bore
but too ample evidence to the truth of his sad tale, spoke
as follows :......

"My name is Claude B—. lam thirty. four years of
age. I was formerly in the habit cf contributing to several
journals, and the success of several of my publications
would entitle me to rank as a man- cf letters. About thri e
years since I married a woman, good, sinuous, and beau.
tiful; and plc tough ua it and squalid misery Fat with us at
our board, love never deserted our bumble dwelling. For
twoyears we continued our hard struggle s with e. sity—
my wife with her needle, I with my pen ; but fiudiag it im.
possible to obtain my livelihood in Paris, we dew:mined to
seek for bread in the provinces. We left Palls t go
we knew not whither. The world was all before us, and
friendless, almost naked, and in misery, we went forth into
the wide world to seek our fortunes. I had no resource s,
no calling, or profession, and what to do I knew not.
Within a few miles of Paris, on the high road, we fell in
with a band of strolling players ; I joined them, cud for
a time prospered, at least I had I tamed to them that
prosperity which ensured food and raiment for myself ar d
wife. The band at length was dispersed, and we a ere
again cast like a weed upon the ocean of wretchedness.
Gaunt famine again stared us in the face, but my wife
parried its attacks for a time by reigning herself to sing
about the cafes in the evenings, as she was an accomplished
musician. But even the few wretched sous which she
obtained by her debasing cslling sufficed not to preserve us
from want and hunger. About a fortnight since w. we re
at Pont-Audemar, which we quitted 1,6 bout one fiv-
thing, intending to return to Paris, and relying upon
the charity of travellers, to prevent our dying of cold
and hunger by the way-side. Oa Thursday, the 18th,
we were granted from the thresholds of several au.
berges, where we had requested permission to sing
for the entertainment of the comp any. We had not
seen a fire or tasted a morsel off food, but providen-
tially we fell in with a poor labourer who procured us
admission for the night, to a stable. The smiling morn-
ing at length came on, instilling freshness and joy int,
save the miserable wretch you see before you. 'frump,
tramp, we arose from out our straw and again travelled
along the banks of the Eurc, towards Evreux ; but cur
sufferings had Leon greater than we could l e .r. Strength
and courage, simultaneously failed us, arid at length iriv
beautiful bcicved wife, who had borne up like an ang. 1
against our harrowing vicissitudes, turned her famW ei
looks towards me and said that she' would lay her down
and die, for that she could no longer support the rackiag
pains of hunger. I tried to encourage her, by pointing
out the steeple of Evreux Cathedral, which was rising up
out of the morning mists like a beacon of hope. I tried,
by rubbing her quivering limbs, to invigorate her %rusted
frame ; but it was of no avail, despair had shut up all ac-
cess to hope or consolation ; she turned and thanktd me
fur my efforts, and laid, in a voice of angelic sweetness
which I am for ever doomed to have ringing in my
cars, My friend, were I even to survive this dreadful
day, and arrive at Evreux, the same thing would occur
again tc-morrow or next week. We are destined to
sorrow and misery in this world. If amidst the trials
and degradations against which we have so manfully
contended, you still cherish the love wbl'ch presided at
our union, do as lam resolved to do. The river rolls be..
neath us, let it be our tomb, and let it be our consolatbn
that we have none to mourn over our low.' She repeled
all my exhortations and entreaties with stern resolve, and
findivg all my efforts useless, I agreed to plunge with her
into the foaming torrent beneath us. With my handker.
chief I tied her feet and hands, and we embraced fot the
last time. Can I erer forget that long last kiss of blighted
hopes and blasted eff,etiJns ? Ere yet I bad finished my
harrowing task, my wife, eager to quit a world of suffering,
sprang from the bank, and a few bubbles told me that all
was over. The tree::, hills, valleys, and river; 'whirled
round me in mad confusion. I saw and Mt no more,
until the day after I found myself in the middle of a field,
conscious that my misfortunes had bereft me of my reason.
I walked on, at times yelling like a madman gay, but dur-
ing my lucid intervals a prey to tortures, such as I hope
no hoarse being will ever suffer again. I have here, still
before my eyes, my gentle, uncomplaining, angel wife
springing from the bank, and I having the cowardice to
assist in consummating the horrible sacrifice,"
A proces-verbal was then drawn up, and Claude B.—.
was placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities:-.... Ga.
zetle des Tribun a ox.

A PEEP AT THE NORTH. POLE.

A St. Petersburgh periodical, Le Journal Scientque
tt Litteraire publishes a very extraordinary narrative of
an expedition to the Arctic regions, under the command
of M. Nidjnei Nitigoiwosnesenk. If the narrative be .
not exaggerated that traveller would appear to have
reached within a few wersts of the pole.
The occurrences he reports are of so marvellous a
nature that we certainly cannot vouch for their veracity ;
but they are too curious not- to 'be laid before our
readers, and we shall add that M. Nidjnei
cesenk's mei/wire I-.aa been submitted by that traveller
to the academics of Moscow and St. Petersburgh. It
is difficult to believe that anybody would have ventured
to call the attention of two such respectable bodies to
facts not offering every guarantee of truth, and an addi-
tional proof that fiction has nothing to do with this won-
derful narrative is, that M. Nidjnei and bis com-
panions, having arrived at St. Petersburgh on the 15th
of December, a deputation from the Academy went out
to receive them, and the Emperor was pleased to con-
fer the Order of St. Wladimir, of the 2d class, on the
licasl of the expedition.
" Embarked in the Catherine 11. frigate, we arrived
on the sth of September, at the northernmost point. of.
the Samoides' land. We were obliged to give up pass-
ing any further, owing to the enormous icebergs which
began to obstruct our course. The frigate was moored
in a sort of creek, which we had the good fortune to
discover as we followed the coast, and we imree.liaaely
betook ourselves to preparations for continuing our ex-
plorations by other means. The sledge we had got
builtwith that view at S. Petersburgh was put together
en deck, and filled with the provisions and instruments
indispensable for the hazardous enterprise we Ne:e about
to venture upon.
At about the eighty-eighth degree of latitude, all
the dogs that had hitherto dragged our egaipage were
frozen, so t. at in order to advance we were comp.red
to use our long iron hooks, which was a dreadfully fa-
tiguing task. The cold made us suffer horribly, des-
pite of the seventesn bearskins which we had eacis..
of us tahea the precaution to cover ours:lves with. it .
was alsa in the same latitude, or thole shouts, that
chance yielded us one of the most curious disceaeries
that have enriched the physical sciences in litter timer.
It occurred thus : for some dit3 s we had made no fire
for wait of wood, when in searching our box of provi-
sions I found some Lyons closauti which Mr. Arago
had sent me as a souvenir. 1 tick it into my head to
roast them. We put together some shavings which wa
still had, and kindled them. A bright flame forthwith
arose, and we were atiticipating the sweet iensations it
it was about to yield us, when suddenly an incornpre.
hensibl .! phenomenon manifested itself.- Tfe flame at
first so bright and crackling seemed struck with immo-
bility, and was gradually covered with a solid crust,
. . it was congesled.
Our astonishment Lilies ee,crir Con ea scientific
description of the ice thus produced then follows). I
broke a bit of it and put it into my mouth. Contrary
to my expectation, the sensation which resulted was
most agreeable; just fancy a little taste of barley-sugar
extremely refreshing though accompanied by a light
burnt smell. lam persuaded that when such ice shall
by produced by artificial means, confectioners will taro
it to great account.
46 A little further on another phenomenon,
e lessr
.
remarkable awaited us. we had forhe some
progress
of pour
ceived an increased rapidity
but little. The
sledge though we used our irondilnie
phenomenon was soon explain
ire Gat nt
srt
ieem potnfett us
ed otwoh:
uiancvsd:i
wonders
dropped his hook, the momentemove from us, flee before uta,
up we saw it gradually r
it
split the dense a tmosphere
and ultimately
iron,suece
eselmane
we stood mute with ast midi)
around us. Though
it were, at eve,' step,
ystgellri.liZonulardegyi'oanCseUhSatOdMper(ei tie')
which those mysterious
were soon roused from our amazement z our
sledge. almost wholly ma_dneuotf
• tit d • • •
hed on bymews e, an Invincible Power,
Put- Ikb draws a light boat t d
suca as W owar s cote-
but could
produced its effect,
cata-
ract cetnt;
were compelled to leave it to the mercy of heaven,
wbewethtriciehdwtoa stop it,
Tile magnetic power of the pole
and, after a few hours of that fantastle
were enabled to perceive by the is 1. lit progress, we
of an •
borealis, the sombre and mvsteri ' aurora
ous extremity of our
globe. It consisted of enormous mountains, probably
of pure loadstone, divioed into h
colours, green or blue. One w strata, of,various
ould have fancied the
was r
ising back of a gigantic zebra
before us. Alas l
unless Providence vouchsafed us unhoped-for assist- .
ance, we must soon be dashed to •
pieces against it. Im-
pelled by the proud deMon •
of science we bad tempted
Heaven, and already did we feel its hand suspended
over our heads ready to crush us.
" Nee ertheless, thus isolated in that vast frozen Soli-
tude, and fatally dragged to destruction, we were Balm
and resigned, so greatge is the power': t the grand mys-
teries of a nature over man ! Some :Konly, flowed in •
silence, and I heard beloved names utt&cl, when,•suct,
denly, a sort 'of barrier of icebergs heaped over one
another, made us deViate from our course, and at the
same moment; and in a few seconds, a force as powerful
as that which had made us before devour space in front-
of us, made us roughly recede. -1; We
had
just fallen into a negative magnetic current. .
We were saved, and saved carrying away with us, the
most awful secrets of nature. It was enough to rum
mad with joy. We raised our hands to Heaven.'
The Journal Scientifique et Littgraire 1101101112C01
that the whole memoire of this marvellous expedition
is to be shortly published.--Gazette du Midi.