Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-04-14

sell to meet her husband as he aliye +"
she says to herself, cor am | a widow, and
'nese poor children orphans 2" She walks
ABOUT the room unable to compose herself
snihciently to sit down eagerly she is look
ing ont of the window and down the strect
She sees man with hurried steps turn the
corner, and little boy has hold of his hand
Y es, It Is he. And her little son has zone
down to the boat aud found his father. Or
perhaps, instead of this, she sees two of her
neEhbors returning slowly and sadly. and
directing their steps to her door The blood
Rows back upon her heart. The ran at the
door. 1t is the knell Of her husbands death
And she falls senseless to the floor. as thew
tell her that her husband has long been ell
tombed IN the iathomlcss ocean.
This is not mere fiction. These are moi
extreme cases which the Imagination creates.
they are facts Of continual occurrence.
facts winch awaken emotions to which no
pen can do justice. A few weeks AGO. a
ship returned to this island. bringing the
news Of another ship, that she was nearly fill
ed with oil-that all on board we're well
and that she might be expected in neuh-
boring port in such month. The wife of
the captain resided at Nantucket. and early
IN the month, with heart ihrobbinc with
expectation and hope, she went to greet her
husband on his return. At length the shin
appeared, dropped her anchor in the harbor
and the friends of the lady went to the shin
to escort the husband to the wife from whom
he had so long been separated. Soon thew
sadly returned, with the tidings that her hus-
band had been seized with the coast fever
upon the island Of Madagascar, and when A.
bout week out, on his return home he di-
ed, and was committed to his ocean burial
a lew days after, | called on the weeping
widow and little daughter, in their desolated
home OF bereavement and anguish
"A lew months ago, boats crew Of six
men were lost under the following circum-
stances. A boat had been lowered TO take a
whale. They had plunged the harpoon in
to the huge monster, and he had rushed with
them, at railroad speed out of sight of the
ship. Suddenly fog began to rise, and en-
velop the ship, and to spread over the whole
eXpanse OF the ocean. 1t was impossible to
see any object at the distance of ships
length. And there was an open whale boat.
with six men in it, perhaps fifteen miles from
the ship, with food. aud water for but few
hours consumption, and utterly bewiIdered
in the dense fog. The darkness of night
came on. The wind began to rise; the bl-
lows to swell. Every effort was made. b,
firing guns, and showing lights, to attract
the lost boat The long hours of night roll
ed away, aud a stormy morning dawned, and
sui no boat appeared. For several DAYS
they sailed IN circles around the spot. but all
III VAIN. The boat was either dashed by the
whale, or swamped by the pillows of the
stormy nlght-or, as il floated day after dav
upon the wide expanse of the Pacific. one
alter another of the crew, emaciaie with
thirst aud famine, dropped down and died
And Is not that an afflicted home, where the
widowed mother now sits, with her child i'm
her arms, weeping over the husband thus
painfully lost.
And still, when we take into account the
great numbers engaged in the whale fishery.
and the imminent periIs which the pursuit
involves, 1t is indeed astonishing that there
are not more fatal accidents. A large whale
with one lash of his mighty fukes, can shiv-
or a boat to fragments, and sink to fathom-
less depths the mangled corpses of all who
arc in IT, lie needs TO close his iaus but
once, 10 crush the boat like an egg-shel.-
Sometimes, plungne into the oceans mys-
FERROUS profound, he comes rushing perpen-
dicnlarly up, with uncomfortable velocity
strikes the bottom of the boat with his head.
and throws il, with all who are in ii, fifteen
feet into the air, aud as the broken fragments
Of the boat, and the wounded men are scat
tered over the water he lashes the ocean in
10 foam with his ilukcs, and is off, leaving his
enemies to perish in the waves, or to be pick |
ed up by other boats. There are hardly any
scenes upon the field Of battle, more replete /
with danger, than those which are often wit !
messed IN this pcrilous pursuit. Many lives
are lost every year, And yet there appears
to be no difficulty in finding those who are
willing, for comparatively small remuner-
alton, to face these dangers, If a man is |
in the course Of some twenty |
years, he lays up moderate competence for
he rest of his days. And this hope cheers
him through nnumerabIe trials, and hard
ships, and disappontments, and dangers.
A Disease oitiont q Rcmedy.-A certain
ady went to physician in great trouble a.
bout her daughter
"What ais her ?" asked the doctor.
"Alas, doctor | cannot tell but she has