Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-11-26
a STORY or a SHlPwRECR.
FROM CHAMBERS rp1NBuReH JOURNAL

John Singers name was household
word with us in the days of frocks and
socks, when we were under the dominion
of the nursery -maid--to go to Johns farm
and feast on curds and cream, being one
of the grand delights Of those unclouded
days. John titled small holding in
Wiltshire, and might have titled it to the
day of his dessn, as his father did, had he
had, like his father, but one child his Off
spring, however, numbered seven before
he had been welded ten years; and as the
land remained the same while the family
increased exceedingly fast, he had to cast
about for a better provision for them
The failure of some experiments which,
under this pressure, he was driven to make
upon new and stubborn soil, deprived him
of good part of his capital, and dis
heartened him from any renewed attempt
in that direction He now began to think
of emigrating, His wife, a busy, right
minded, active woman, made no objection
to the step--if poverty was to come upon
them, she said, she would rather face it
abroad than at home. just then the
newspapers were teeming with prosperous
accounts concerning settlers in the far west
of North America, where land, it was said,
was to be had for nominal price and the
trouble of clearing. The Singers made
up their minds to go and that point be-
ing decided, John lost no time in dispos-
fng of his lease, his farming stock, produce,
and implements, and putting money in his
pocket. There was quite a commotion in
the district when the news got wind and,
as usual, diversity of opinions on the
subject. Some said it was the best thing
that Singer could do, seeing that he had
such large family; while others said it
was flying in the face of Providence, to
throw mp the farm on which the father
had got a living for fifty years. The
Singers paid small attention to these vari-
ous verdicts, but busted themselves in set
tling their affairs and in the course of a
month or six weeks from the time of form
ing their resolution, were ready for their
departure.
DESTROYS of obtaining an immediate
passage for his numerous family, John set
off to B., and began search for YES
sells about to sail. There were several in
h. L.. L., ~ ola o.,tx in q
months time; but the charge for passage
across the Atlantic was much higher then
than it is now, and John who had ample
reason for the practice of economy, was
anxious to make the voyage as little costly
as possible. Not much short of hund-
red pounds was demanded by some of the
captains for the accommodation he wanted
"a sum he could not afford and he was
thinking of coming away and trying some
other port when he fell in with an agent
who offered to introduce him to the cap.
tain of the Camden, who he said, would
take him and his family on his own terms
John followed the man to the basin, and
boarded the Camden. She was but small
vessel and was singularlv dirty and dis.
orderly but the captain assured him she
was sound and seaworthy, and would be
in neat and tidy trim before she cot into
blue water. The terms the captain offered
were temntinylv advantageous and h,
further proeered for the use of SINCE,
and his family a strip of cabin in tb,