Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-08-04
FRANK KENSTEIN
THE MODERN PRoMETHEUs.
BY MRS. M. w. SHELLEY.
LETTER 1.
TO MRS. sAvILLE, ENGLAND.

4 dSt0r mas dCCOulpdiiI0u tuS COti
menceInent of an enterprise which
you have regarded with such evi
forebodings. / arrived here yester
day and my first task is to assur,
my dear sister of my welfare, anC
increasing confidence in the success
OF my undertaking.
I | am already far north of London
and as walk in the streets of Pc
tersburg, / feel cold northern
breeze play upon my cheeks, which
braces my nerves, and fills me with
delight. Do you understand this
feeling? This breeze, which has
Travelled from, the regions toward
which am advancing, gives me a
foretaste of those icy chimes. In
spirited by this wind of promise,
my day dreams become more fer
vent and vivid. / try in vain to be
persuaded that the pole is the seat
of frost and desolation it ever pre-
sents itself to my imagination at
the region of beauty and delight.
There, Margaret, the sun is forever
visible; its broad disk just skirting
the horizon, and diffusing a perpet-
ual splendor. Therefor with your
leave, my sister, l will put some
trust in preceding navigators-
there snow and frost are banisEed !;
and, sailing over calm sea, we
may be waited to land surprising
in wonders and in beauty every
region hitherto discovered on the
habltable globe. Its productions
and features may he without exam
pie, as the phenomena of the heav-
enly bodies undoubtedly are in
those undiscovered sOlitudes. What
may not be expected in country of
eternal light? / may there dis
cover the wOndrOus power which
attracts the needle; and may regu.
late a thousand celestial observa-
tiOns, that require only this voyage
to render their seeming eccentrici-
ties consistent forever. ] shall sa-
tiate my ardent curiosity with the
sight of part of the world never
before visited, and may tread a
land never before imprinted by the
foot OF man. These are my intice-
ments, aud they are sufficient to
conquer all fear of danger or death,
and to induce me to commence this
labOriOuS voyage with the joy
child feels when he embarks in
little boat with his holiday mates,
on an expedition of discovery up
his native river. But, supposing
all these conjectures to be false, you
cannot contest the ineStimable ben
eft which shall confer on all man
kind to the last generation, by dis
covering a passage near the pole to
those countries, to reach which at
present so many months are. requi
site or by ascertaining the secret
of the magnet, which, if at all pos
sible, can only be effected by an
undertaking such as mine.
These reflections have dispelled
the agitation with which began
my letter, and / feel my heart glow
with an enthusiasm which elevateS
me to heaven for nothing contrib
utes so much to tranquilize the
mind as steady purpese-a point
on which the soul may fix its intel
lectual eye. This expedition has
been the favorite of my early years.
Ihave read with ardOEthe accounts
OF various voyages which have been
made in the prospect of arriving at |
the North Pacific Ocean through
the seas which surround the pole. |
You may remember, thata history
of all the voyages made for purpos- |
eS of discovery composed the whQla,I
of our good Uncle Thoinas's library. |
My education was neglected, yet |
was passionately fond of reading.
xyOIu,So0c, NV SfIr6Xy fiax
and night, and my familiarity with
them increased that regret which l
had felt, as II child, on learning
that my fathers dying INJUNCTION
had forbidden my uncle to allow
me to embark in Il seafaring life
These visions faded when / pc
rused, for the first time, those poets
whose effusIOnS entranced my sou, /
and lifted it to heaven. l also be- !
came a poet, and for one year lived |
in a Paradise of my own recreation
| imagined l also might obtain
niche in the temple where the
names of Homer and Shakespere are |
You are well acquain-
ted with my failure, and how heav-
lily / boIe the disappointment. But
Just at that time / inherited the for
tune of my cousin, and my. thoughts
were turned into, the channel of
their earlier bent. .....
Six years have passed since | re-
solved on my prt sent undertaking. |
[ can, even now, remember the
hour from which l dedicated N.Y. !
self to this great enterprise, ! COM
ne iced by inuring my body to !
accompanied the whale
fisheries on several expeditions to
he North Sea Il voluntarily endur-
ed cold, famine, thirst, and want of
sleep; oden worked harder than
he common sailors during the day,
and devoted my nights to the study
)f mathematics, the theory of medi-
zine, and those branches of medical /
science from which u naval advent
lrer might derive the greatest prac-
.ical advantage. Twice / actually
lierd myself la an undermate in
sWhaler, and acquitted
myself to 0ifdmiratiOn. ] must .oWn
felt little proud. when my
captain offered methe second dig
lity in the Vessle, and entreated me
% remain with the greatest earnest
lesr so valuable did he consider
ny services. %
And now, dear Margeret, do l
lot deserve to accomplish some
,reat purpose? My life might have
)een passed i'm ease and luxury;
,ut / preferred glory to every en-
Icement that wealth placed in my
bath. Oh that some encouraging
voice would answer in the affirma-
i've. My courage. and my resolu-
ion is finn but my hopes fluctu-
tie, and my spirits are often de-
/ am about to proceed on
IOng,and difficult voyage the emer-
,encies of which will demand all
ny fortitude: / am required not
)nly to raise the spirits of others,
)ut sometimes to sustain my own,
when theirs are falling.
This is the most favorable period
or travelling in Russia. They fly
quickly over the snow i'll their
hedges the motion is pleasant, and
N my opinion, far more agreeable +
han that of an English stage-cOach.
The cold is not excessive, if you are
yrapt in furs, a dress which l have
Llready adopted for there is great
Inference between walking the
Ieck and remaining seated motion
ess for hours, when no exercise
prevents the blood from actually
reeZing in your veins. / have no
10 loose my life on the post
'Oad between st. Petersburg and
Archangel. l.