The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-10-28
Anxieties Of the Sailors Lifo
BY REV. MIR. ABBOT, OF NANTUCKET

Bi REV. MR. ABBOT, OF NANTUCKET.
a man was speaking few days ago Of the
emotions with which he WIS overwhelmed,
when he babe adicu to his family on his last
voyage. The ship in which he was to sail was
at Edgartown On Mariha's Vineyard. The
packet was at the wharf which was to convey
him from Nantucket to the ship. lie went
down in the morning and saw all his private
sea stores stored away in the sloop and then
returned to his home to take leave Of his wife
and children.
His wife was sitting at the fire side, strug-
Cling in vain to restrain her tears She had
an infant three months old in her arms. and
with her foot was rocking the cradle in which
lay another little daughter about three years
of age, with her checks flushed with burning
fever. No pen can describe the anguish OF such
parting. 1t is almost like the bitterness Of
death The departing father mprints a kiss
upon the cheeks of his child. Four years will
pass away ere he will again take that child in
his arms. Leaving his wife sobbing in anguish,
he closes the door of his house behind him.
Four years must clapse ere he cal again cross
that threshold again. One sea captain has
passed but seven years out Of forty one upon
the land.
A lady said to me few evenings ago, have
been married eleven years, and counting all
the days my husband has been at home since
our marriage, it amounts to but three hundred
and sixty days. lie is now absent, having
been gone fifteen months, and two years must
undoubtedly elapse before his wife can see his
face again, and when he shall return, it will be
merely "A visit to his family for few months,
when he will again bid them adieu for another
four years absence.
asked the lady the other day how many let
tiers she wrote to her husband during his last
voyage. One hundred, was the answer And
how many did he receive Six The iney
it,1 la. iS To ria 1.xyn a,
the port of New Bedford. or any other port
that may be heard of for the Pacific Ocean
Aud yet the chances are very small that any
two ships will meet on this bolinlless cypanse
1t sometimes happens that ship returns when
those on board have not heard one word from
their families during The whole period of their
absence. Imagine then the feelings of a hus-
band and father, who returns to the harbor of
Nantucket after the separation of forty-eicht
months, during which time he has heard no
tidings whatever from his home. lie sees the
boat pushing oil from the wharf, which is to
bring him the tidngs of veal or wo, lie stands
pale and trembling pacing the deck with emo
ton which he in vain endcavOrs to conceal
friend in the boat grects him with smile and
says, Captain your family are all well. Or
perhaps he says, Captain. l have heavy news
for you. your wife died two years and half
ago
a young man left this island last summer
leaving i'll his quiet home a young and beauti-
ful wife and infant child. The wife and child
are both now in the grave. But the husband
knows not and probably will not know of il
for some months to come He perhaps fell
asleep every night thinking of the loved ones
left at his firesidc. little imagining that they
are both cold in death
On bright summer afternoon, the tell
graph announces that Cape Horn shin has al.
reared in the horizon and Immediately tho
stars and stripes of our national banner are un.
furled from our flagstaff sending a wave Of
emotion through the town. Many families are
hoping that it is the ship in which their friend.
are to return. and all arc hoping for tdings
from the absent. Soon the name of the shin is
And then there is an eager con-
tentlon with the boys to be the first bearer of
The Joy ful tldIngs to the wife of the captains.
For which service silver dollar is the estab-
llshed and nvariablc fee. And who can de-
scribe the feelings which must then agitate the
bosom of the wife? Perhaps she has heard no
tldlngs OF the ship for more than a year.
Trembling with excitement. she dresses herself
to meet her husband. lis he alive ~ saws she
to herself, cor am ! a widow. and the Door
children orphans?' She walks about the room
unable to compose herself sufficiently to sit
lown eagerly is she looking out of the win
dow and down the street She sees man with
hurried step turn the corner and q little bow
hold OF his hand. Yes. it is he And her little
son has gone down to the boat and found his ia
Their. Or, perhaps, instead of this she sees two
OF her neighbors returning slowly and sadly,
and directing their steps TO her door. The
blood flows back upon her heart They rap at
The door. 1t is the kncll of her husbands
ieath And she falls sensclcsss to the floor, as
they tell her that her husband has long since
been entombed in the iathomlcss ocean.
This is not fiction. These are not extreme
cases which the Imagination creates. They are
facts of continued occurrence, facts which
awaken emotions to which no pen can do ms
lice.
A lew weeks ago ship returned to this is
and, bringing the news of another ship, that
vas nearly filled with oil, that all were we'll
md that she might be expected in ncigbbor-
ng port in such month. The wife of the cap
am resided IN Nantucket, and early in tho
month. with a heart throbbing with af c,,ru
md hope, she went to greet her husband on his
eturn. At length the ship appeared. dropped
Ter anchor in the harbOr and the friends OF the
ady went to the ship TO escort the husband to
he wife from whom he had been SO long scna
atcd. Soon they sadly returned with The lid
ngs that her husband had been seized with the
cast fever. upon the island Of Madagascar. and
'hen about week out, on his return home. he
led and was committed to his ocean burial. A
ew days after | called upon the weeping widow
nd little daughter in their destined home of
bereavement and anguish.
The indianapolis Sentinel tells of a farmer
that State who last week took to the market
'ur bushels of sweet potatoes. which he sold
'r eight dollars with five of which he entered
Tue Land Office forty more acres of land.
I'D Journeyed home with the remainder of bis
ash. This is all very Well. and makes unite
pleasant story. But the Sentinel with great
attributes these good times to the
.rmcr' to "he Uisdom and liberalitv ofthe
'ieree administration 1t would. in crdi.-ry
mes. take an eight horse team to draw SUCH
n inference as that.