Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-02-24
Irom the Democratic Review for January.
,N THE SEA SIxnysE

1t must be spirit much unlike my own,
which can keep itselfin health and vigor with
out sometimes stealing from the sullry sunshine
Of the world. to plunge into the cool bath of So
litude. AT intervals. and not infrequcnt ones.
7 the forest and the ocean summon me---one with,
the roar of its waves. the other with the mur-
muir of its boughs.--forih from the haunts of
men. But must wander many mile, ere
could stand beneath the shadow Of even one
primeval tree, much less be lost among the
multitude Of hoary trunks, and hidden from
earth and sky by the mystery Of darksome
foliage. Nothing is within my daily reach
more like forest than The acre or two of wood
land near some suburban farm house. When.
therefore, the yealnrg (cr seclusion becomes
necessity within me, | am drawn to the sea-
| shore, which extends its line of rude rocks
and #seldom-trodden sands for leagues around
| Our bay. Setting forth, at my last ramble, on
Ia September morning, l bound myself with Il
hermit voG, 10 interchange no thoughts with
man or womaG, SO share no social pleasure.
but to derive all that days enjoyment from
shore, and sea, and sky.---from my souls COM
munion with these, and from fantasies, and re-
collections, and anticipated realities. Surely
here is enough TO feed a human spirit ioi SIN
| Gle day. Farewell. then. busy world! Till
your evening lights shall shine along he street
It'll they CLEAN upon my sea-fushed face as
| | tread homeward--- me from your ties, and
let me be peaceful outlaw.
| Highways and cross-p:ihs are hastily ira
versed; and, clamhrring down crag, find
myself at the extremity of a long beach How
gladly does the spirit leap forth, and suddenly
enlarge its sense Of hcing to the full eN'en, of
the broad. blue, sunny deep! greeting and
a homage 10 the Sea! ldcscend over lis mar
gin, and dip my hand into the wave that n,c.'s
me. and baihe my brow. The far-resonnding
roar is Oceans voice Of welcome. His sal,
breath brings a blessing along with it. Now
let us pace together 1.-The reader fancy arm in
arm with mine--.this noble beach. which tx.
tends mile or more from ,ha, cragoy promon-
tory 10 yonder rampant of broken rocks. in
| front, the sea; in the rear. PERCEPTIONS bank,
the grassy verge Of which is breaking away,
wear after year. and filings down its tufts of
verdnrn upon the harrenncss below. The
beech itself is broad space of sand. brown
and sparkling, with hardly any pebbles inter-
mixed Near the waters edge there is wet
margin, which glistcns hrinhlly in the sun
shine, and reflects objects ike a mirror; aud
as we tread along the elisicning border. dry
spot flashes around each tnoistcp. bnt crows
moist again as we lift our feet In some spots.
The sand receives a complies Impression Of the
sole. square toe and all; elsewhere, il is of
such marble 6rInncss. that we mnst stamp
heavily TO leave a print even Of the iron shod
feel Along the Whole ofthis extensive beach
Igamhols the sUrl-wavc; now 1t makesa iein,
of dashEg onward in fury, yet dies away
with meek nurnnir. and does but kiss The
strand: now. after luany such abcriyc efforts,
il rears itself up in an unbrokcn line. heinht-
cning as il advances. wilheb, srcck otioa'n
on lis green crest. With how fierce u roar il
ninas itself forward, and rushes Grup the
beach!
AS threw my eyes along The edge Of The
surf / remember that was startled. as 10.
binson Crusoe might have been, by tho sense
th2i human life was within the magic circle of
my solitude. Aiar # in The r,rno'c di>tnce
81 the beech. appearing like sea-nymphs. or
sont airlcr things, s,iciI IS nigh, 'tcad Upon
the feaiheTy spray. was u group ni gifls.---
| Hardly had brhrid ,hem. when they passed
INTO the shadow Of The rocks and vanished. 10
comfort myself -ior truly / would fam have
sazcd awhile lorgcr-.l made acqumnlance
with "A flock of bcah.hIrds.! These iiillc ciii-
zcns ol The sea aud air preceded ne,by about,
!, stones throw along the strand. seeking. Il
la Gtdsoplly which mankind would do well 10
sIispiia,e, they drew continual pleasure from
their toll or "a subsistence. The SEA WAS each
Iiue BIRDS great playmate. They chased il
downward as IT swept back. aud again ran up
swiftly before HE impending wave. which
4 sometimes overlook them and bore them off
4 their feet But they foatcd as lightly rs one
of their own feathers on the breaking crest.
i In their airy gatherings, they seemed TO rest
on the evanescent spray. Theft images --,-long-
legged litIe figures, with gray hicks and
/ snowy bosoms, --warc seen as distinctly as the
y realities il the mirror vi the glis,cnlng strand.
4 AS advanced, they flew q score or Two OF
yards. and, again aligh'ing. recommended Their
daIliance witt, the surf-wave; and ihus ihcy
bore me company along the beach, the types
Of pleasant fantasies. ill., at it's extremity ib'y
4 took Wig over the ocean, and were gone. A.
4 ter forming friendship will, these little suri-
/ spirits, is really worth sigh. 10 ilod no me-
7 mortal Of them save their muItitudlnous little
tracks id the sand. iE3fh
/ When wehavepaccd ihelengih ofihebeach;
| it is pleasant. and not Improbable. 10 reffacc
our steps and recall the whole mood and occu-
patton OF the mind during the former passage
Our tracks, being all discerniblc, will guide
US with an observing consciousness through
every euncouscious wandering Of thought and
fancy. Here we found a sea-weed, WIN an
! immense brown leaf, ,and trai'ed il behind US !,
iby its long snake-likc stalk. Here we .selzed
a live horseshoe by the tail, and counted me
claws Of thai queermonster. Here we hns
! into the sand for pebbles, and skipped mem
upon the surface Of the water. Here we WEI
our feet, while examining iel'y-6sb, Which
The waves, hayingjus tossed itup, now sought
TO- snatch away again. Here we tfod along
,ttItef brink Of a fresh-water brookin. WINCH
flows across she beach, becoming ,sha''ower
and more shallow. till az last II slDEesa INC 10 in y,
j sand and ncsishcd In the eff s -