Washington telegraph., 1847-01-13

ffsa s. : d. Hsadas Nee Hsat. f'af RaIzHs5f.,
Ia the middle u the great 81. Lawrence
ihefa Is neafly opposite Montreal. an
lsanl called It. lleIens. between which
anl Tie shafe the stream. about three #iaf.
ter. ii a mic broad, runs Wilh great fapid.
ili; AMI yel. notwithstanding this current,
The intense cold of winter invariably
freezes Is surface. The winter am
speaking OF vas unusually severe. aud the
ice On lie ST. Lawrence particularly thick:
however. Nhiln The river beneath was
rushing towards the sea. tho ice was wait.
ing in. ahayanee in the middle allhe stream
until the narrow lasiness between Montreal
aud 81. iIelens should burst aud allow The
Whole mass 10 break into pieces. and then
IN s.upanlllaa confusion IA In r d1Wn 10,
wards Quebec. On 81. Helens there was
quarlefed small detachment Of troops, and
while the breaking up Of the ice vas mo.
menlly expected, many of the soldiers
naiIled up IA their great coats, with thick
storm gloves on their hands. aud with a
pieee Of uT attached 10 their caps 10 pro
eetthsir ears tfon bsins frozen, wera on
the ice, employed in attending to the road
acruss TO Montreal. After a short suspense
which increased rather than allayed their
excitement, deep laundering noise an.
nonneed 10 ihcm that the process | have
described had commenced. The ice be.
fare them wrilhed, heaged mp, burst, broke
into fragments, aud the whole mass, except.
ing a small portion, which remaining risel.
ted Ia the shore Of St. lIciens. formed an
artificial pier, with deep water beneath it
gradually moved downwards.
Jus, atihis moment Of intense interest.
little girl, the daughter of an arillcrynan
on the Island, was seen Oh The lee in the
middle vi the river, In an attitude of agony
aud alarm. lmprdenlly and unobsefyea
she had attempted to cross over TO Mon.
lreal, and was hardly halt way when the
lee both above, below her, and ia all direc.
tons, gave way. Tha ehilds fate seemed
inevitable, and il was exciting yarions sen.
sntion in the minds, and various cxclama.
lions from the mouths Of the soldiers, when
something within the brcas, of Thomas
Neil, young sergeant in The 2ith Rcgi.,
who happened to be much nearer To her
than the rest, distinctly uttered to him the
monnsyllables, "Quca march" aud ia obe.
d'ence thereto fixing bis eyes on the child
as Oh parade bandlrole, he steadily pro.
ceclei towards her. Sometimes before
him, sometimes Just behind him, aud some.
times on either side, an immense piece Of
ice would pause, rear upon end and roll
over, so as occasionally to hide him nlto.
gothcr from view. Sometimes he was seen
jumping from piece that was beginning
10 rise, aud then like a white bear, careful
ly GIambering down a piece that was be.
ginning to sink; however onwarls be pro.
ceeded, uniil reaching the little island Of
icp on which the poor child stood, with the
feelings ol calm triumph with which he
would have surmouU,ed breach, he firmly
graspcd her by The hand. BJ tai. time he
had been iloaed down the river nearly out
ofsight oil his comrades. However some
u them having run to their barracks for
spy. glasses, distinctly behed them about
two miles below them, sometimes leading
the child with bis hand, sometimes carrying
her in his arms, sometimes "halting,
sometimes running "dou5le quick" and in
this dangerous predEament he coniinled
six miles, until, afer passing Longucnil, he
was given up by his comrades as lost He
remained with the little girl floating down
the middle OF the river for considerable
time; at last towards evening, they were
discovered by some French Canadians,
who, at no small risk, hunanely pushed OH
in a canoe TO their assistance, and thus res.
cued them both from their perlous sitna.
ton. The Canadians took them 10 their
home. At last, in due time, they returned
to 81. Hulens. The child was happil,
restored 10 its parents, and Sergeant Nei
quietly returned 10 his barracks,