The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1826-11-07

WIN Sucu FapaOHy AZ 10 leap enuFety out
! of the water. This feat they sometimes
perform as an amusement apparently to
tho high admiration Of the distant specta-
| tor; but to the no small terror Of the un-
experienced fishers, who, even under such
circumstances, are often ordered, by the
foolhardy harpoOner, to pull away" to the
| attack. Sometimes the whales throw them
| selves into a perpendicular posture, with
their heads downwards, and rearing their
tails on high in the air, beat the water with
awful violence. In both these cases, the
sea is thrown into foam, and the air filed
| with vapours; the noise, in calm weather,
is heard to great distance and the con-
centric waves produced by the conclusion
on the water, are communicated abroad to
a considerable extent. Sometimes the whale
shakes its tremendous tail in the air, which
cracking like whip, resounds to the dis
| lance of two or three miles. When itsre-
tires from the surface, it first lifts its head.
then, plunging it under water, elevates its
| back like the segment of sphere, delibe-
rately rounds its way towards the extremi-
ty, throws its tail out Of the water, and then
| disappears.
In their usual conduct, whales remain at
| tho surface to breathe about two minutes.
seldom longer; during which time, they
"biow" eight or nine times, and then de-
scend for an interval usually Of five or tens
minutes; but sometimes, when feeding, fif-
teen or twenty. The depth to which they
commonly descend, is not known, though.
from the teddy" occasionally observed on
the water, it is evidently, at times, only tri-
fling. But when struck, the quantity of
line they sometimes take out of the boats,
in particular descent, affords a good niea-
sure of the depth. By this rule, they have
English mile; and with such velocity, that
instances have occurred, in which whales
have been drawn up, by the line attached.
from depth Of 700 or 800 fathoms, and
have been found TO have broken their jaw
bones, and sometimes crown-bones, by tho
blow strnck against the bottom. Some per-
sons are of opinion. that whales can remain
under field of ice, or at the bottom of the
sea, in shallow water, when undisturbed.
for many hours at time. Whales are sell
dom found sleeping; yet, in calm weather
among the ice, instances occasionally oc-
cur. The food Of the whale consists of
various species of actinie, CLONES, sepia,
medusa, cancri, and helices; or at least,
some Of these genera are always to be seen
wherever any tribe Of whales is found sta
tionary and feeding. In the dead animals,
however, in the very few instances in which
have been enabled to open their stom-
achs, squille or shrimps, were the only
substances discovered. In the mouth of a
whale just killed, once found a quantity
of the same kind of insect. When the
whale feeds, it swims will, considerable We
locity below the surface Of the sea, with
it's jaws widely extended. A stream Of
water consequently enters its capacious
mouth, and along with it, large quantities
Of water insects; the water escapes again
at the sides; but the food IS entangled and
siftcd, as il were, by the whalebone, which,
from its compact arrangement, and the thick
internal covering of hair, does not allow ;
particle the size of the smallest grain TO
escape. 3
A SKETCH IN sPAIN.-(BR,Tlsn.)
yet still there whispers the small voice
within,
Heard through gains silence, and DER glory's
I din, 1e+-
Whatever creed be taught, or land be trod,
Mans conscience is the oracle Of God"
BYRoN.
War, with all its concon,itent horrors,
hasle~er been the subject Of universal re.
greet, but, like every other evil, it may be
said to have mingled with II its portion Of
good it represses the ambition Of one
man, and calls into action the heroic ener-
gies of another. Many agallant spirit that
might have slumbered in obscurity, has
been aroused to deeds of daring, by It's soul
| inspiring summons; many hearts that
now beats proudly high at the recollection
of nations liberated from slavery, Of ops
preston defeated, of invasion repelled,
might have slept in the waveless calm,
with no remembrances but the mere every
day occurrences Of human life, ON which,
to dwell in the evening of his years the
brows now cnwreathed with ducal coro-
net, might never have arrived at such
proud distinction; and the ashes now en-
tombed in sculptured marble. and embalm-
ell with nations tears, which may be said
to shed lustre even over the darkness Of
the grave, might have slumbered in obsca-
rity.
The kindiier passions are likewise CALI
cd into play BY its rude voice mercy, pi.