The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-12-06

pose-Dy fever, scorchIng OF opium, or the
hour of death. They are not dead, but
sleeping, and, like the seed deposited in the
earth, will spring up again to their own Vi
tality.
The case of Admiral Beaufort, in Ports.
mouth harbor, is familiar to the students Of
mental philosophy, but we add it for the sake
of the general reader; and, as an illustration
of the imperishableness of thought, it is in
trinscally worth repeating. This narrative
was drawn up in 1926, at the request of DR..
Wollaston, to whom it had been orally COM
municated some time before.
The Admiral was hastily jumping on board
the Excellent, but, missing the vessel, fell
into the water, sinking to great depth
For awhile he was supposed to be drowned.
Afterwards he said that all he remembered
after plunging into the water was sense of
freedom from pain and sudden recollection
Of all his past life, eapecislly Bis guilty ac-
tions, long forgotten. To use bis own Ian
guage, they were "as wildly fresh in my
memory as if they had occurred yesterday.
4 y Though the senses we're thus deadep-
ed, not SO the mind its activity seemed to
be invigorated in a ratio which defes all
description, for thought rose after thought
with rspidity of succession that is not only
indesoribable, but probably inconceigable by
any one who has not himself been in simi.
lar situation. Thus travelling back
wards, every past incident of my life seemed
to glance across my recollection in s,retro-
grade succession-nOt, however, in mere out
line, as here stated, but the pictures filed
up with every minute and collateral feature;
in short, the whole period of my existence
seemed to be placed before me in kind Of
panoramic review, aud each act of it seemed
to be accompanied by consciousness of
right or wrong, or By some reflection on its
consequences; indeed, msny trifing events,
which had long been forgotten, then crowd
ed into my imagination, and with the charac-
ter Of recent familiarity
Then he thus moralizas May not all
this be some indication of almost infinite
power of memory with which we may awaken
in another world, and thus be compelled to
contemplate our past lives !? Or might it
not, in some degree, warrant the inference
that death is only change or modification
of our existence. in which there is no real
pause or interruption? But, however that
may be, one circumstance was highly re-
that the innumerable ideas which
dashed into my mind were all Retrospective.
Yet had been religiously brought up. My
hopes and fears Of the next world had lost
,othing of their carly strength; and, at any
,ther period, intense interest and awful anx-
iety would have been excited by the mere
that was floating on the thres-
hold Of eternity; yet at that inexplicable
when | had q full conviction that |
had already crossed that threshold not sin
gle thought wandered into the future. 1
was wrapped entirely in that past. The
length Of time that was occupied by this del
uge of ideas, or rather the shortness Of time
into which they were condensed, cannot
now state with preciSien; yet certainly two
minutes could not have elapsed from tee mo-
ment Of suffocation to that Of my being haul
ed up "-Netter from Admiral Beaufort to
DR.. WolIaston, in Sir ]. Barrow's Autobiog-
raphy, p. 396-4O1)
Truly GREATS the power of memory-deep,
immense and boundleSsl What shall we do,
then, but to seek the true light that comes
from above, and SO to walk in it that this
power We call memory may ever be "void Of
offence towards God and man "-New York
Observer.