Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1839-05-16

chains and channels, but many an anxious
eye was turned towards the remaining bolts.
for upon them depended the masIs. and
upon the masts depended the safety Of the
ship-for with one foot of canvass less size
Gould not live fifteen minutes.
inward plunged the Overladen frigate,
ana az every surge she seemed bent upon
making the deep, the sailors grave, and
ner ave oak sides, his coffin Of glory
She nad been fitted out at Boston, when
the Thermometer was below zero. Her
shrOudSs Of course, therefore slackened AZ
every strain, and her unwieldy n,asts flor
she had these designed for the frigate Cum
be'land, a much larger ship, seemed ready
to jump out of her. And now, while ali
was apprehension, another bolt drew -
and then another until at last, our whole
stay was placed upon single bolt less than
mans wrist in circumference. Still the
good iron chung to the solid wood, and bore
US alongside the breakers, though in most
fearful proximity to them. This thrilling
incident has never; I believe, been noticed
in public, bnt it is the literal fact-which
I make not the slightest attempt to cn,bel-
lish. As we gallOped on-for can COM
pare our vessels leaping to nothing else
the rocks seemed very near US. Dark as
was the night, the. white foam scowled a.
round their black heads, while the spray
fell over US. and the thunder of the dashng
surge sounded like the awful knell that the,
ocean was singing for the victims it was ea--
ger TO eng6lph.
At length the light bore upor, our quar-.
ter, and the broad Atlantic rolled its white
caps before US. During this time all were
silent, each officer and man vas at his post.
and the bearing and counlenance Of the
Captain seemed to give encouragement to
every person on board. With but bare
possibility Of saving the ship and those on
board, he placed his reliance on his nauti-'
cal skill and courage, and by carrying the
mainsail when in any other situation il
would have been considered suicidal act.-
he a0e0thered the Iee-sh0re, and soved the
Consultation.
The mainsail was now hauled up, by
light hearts and strong hands, the lib and
spanker taken in, and from the light Of
Scilly. the gallant vessel, under close reef;
ed topsails and main trysails, took her de-
partuTe and danced merrily over the deer
towards the United States.
Pipe down. said the Captain to the
First Lieutenant, and splice the uain-r
Brace Pipe down. echoed the First
Lieutenant to the boatswain.--s Pipe
down, whstlsd the boasswain to the crew.,
and, pipe down. il was.
Soon the Jack Of The dust held his le-
wee on the main gun deck, and the wealth.
er-beaten tars, az they gathered about the
grog tub, and luxuriated upon full allow
ance Of Old Eye, forgot ali their perils and
fatigue.
How near the rocks did we 60 z said /
to one Of the masters mates the next NOR
ming. He made me no reply, but taking
down his chart, showed me a pencil line
betsOeen the outside shoal, and Light House
IslGnd, which must have been small strait
| for a fisherman 10 ron his smack through in
good weather by daylight.
For what is the noble and dear old fri-'
gate reserved
wen. upon deck; the sea was calm,
gentle breeze was swelling our canvass
from fnainsail to royal, the Isles Of Scilly
had sank in the eastern waters, and the,
clouds Of the dying storm were rolling off
in broken masses to the nortbward and
westward, like the flying columns Of a
beaten army.
/ have been In many gale Of wind, and
have passed through scenes ofgreat danger:
but never, before or since, have ! expert
enced an hour SO terrific, as that when the
Constitution was laboring, with the lives Of
five hundred men hanging on small iron
bolt. to weather ScilIy, on the night Of The
18th Of May, 1885.
Talcnt6nd Indwstry.-More is to be ex-
pected from laborious mediocrity than from
erratic efforts Of maynard genius. There
may be harlequin in mind as well % in
body; and ] always consider him TO have
been Of this character, who boosted that he
could throw of hundred verses while
standing on one leg. 1t IS not TO such
source rs this we are indebted for good po-
etry. Demosthenes elaborated sentence
after sentence, and Newton rose TO the
heavens by the steps Of geometry, and said
at the close Of his career, that it was only
in the habit Of patient thinking he was
conscious Of differing from other men. II
is generally thought that men are sigDasiz-
ed more BY talent than by industry j il 10
felt 10 be v0lgarixiDg Of genius to attribute
it to anything but direct inspiration from
heaven; they overlook the stesdy and per-
ssvsfing devotion Of mind to one subject.
There are higher and lower walks il schol.
srship, bot the highest 10 . walk Of labor.
We are often led into contrary opinion.
by looking at the magnitude Of The object
10 lbs finished, state such 10 the Prineipia
Of Newton. and .he Pyramids Of Egypts
without rejoicing ON the gradual. continn-
ous. had almost said cysepisg progress. by
which they grew into objects Of she great