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THE FROZEN SHIP.

ONE serene evening in the middle of August, 1775, Captain Warrens, the master of the Greenland, whale-ship, found himself becalmed among an immense number of icebergs, in about 77 degrees north latitude. On one side, and within a mile of his vessel, these were of immense height and closely wedged together, and a succession of snow-covered peaks appeared behind each other as far as the eye could reach, showing that the ocean was completely blocked up in that quarter, and that it had probably been so, for a long period of time. Captain Warrens did not feel altogether satisfied with his situation; but there being no wind, he could not move either one way or the other, and he therefore kept a strict watch, knowing that he would be safe as long as the icebergs continued where they then were.

About midnight, the wind rose to a gale, accompanied by thick showers of snow, while a succession of tremendous thundering, grinding, and crashing noises, gave fearful evidence that the ice was in motion. The vessel received violent shocks every moment; for the haziness of the atmosphere prevented those on board from discovering in what direction the open water lay, or if there actually was any at all on either side of them. The night was spent in tacking as often as any cause of danger happened to present itself, and in the morning the storm abated, and Captain Warrens found, to his great joy, that his ship had not sustained any serious injury. He remarked with surprise that the accumulated icebergs, which had on the preceding evening formed an impenetrable barrier, had been separated and disarranged by the wind, and that in one place a canal of open sea wound its course among them as far as the eye could discern.

It was two miles beyond the entrance of this canal that a ship made its appearance about noon. The sun shone brightly at the time, and a gentle breeze blew from the north. At first some intervening icebergs prevented Captain Warrens from distinctly seeing anything but her masts; but he was struck with the strange manner in which her sails were disposed, and with the dismantled aspect of her yards and rigging. She

No. 90.

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THE FROZEN SHIP.

continued to go before the wind for a few furlongs, and then grounding upon the low icebergs, remained motionless.

Captain Warrens' curiosity was so much excited that he immediately leaped into his boat with several seamen, and rowed towards her. On approaching he observed that her hull was miserably weather-beaten, and not a soul appeared on deck, which was covered with snow to a considerable depth. He hailed her crew several times, but no answer was returned. Previous to stepping on board, an open port-hole near the main chains caught his eye, and, on looking into it, he perceived a man reclining back in a chair, with writing materials on a table before him, but the feebleness of the light made everything very indistinct. The party went upon deck, and having removed the hatchway, which they found closed, they descended into the cabin. They first came to the apartment which Captain Warrens viewed through the port-hole. A tremor seized him as he entered it. Its inmate retained his former position, and seemed to be insensible to strangers. He was found to be a corpse, and a green damp mould had covered his cheeks and forehead, and veiled his open eye-balls. He had a pen in his hand, and a log-book lay before him, the last sentence in whose unfinished page ran thus:-" Nov. 14, 1762. We have now been enclosed in the ice seventeen days. The fire went out yesterday, and our master has been trying ever since to kindle it again without success. His wife died this morning. There is no relief—”

Captain Warrens and his seamen hurried from the spot without uttering a word. On entering the principal cabin the first object that attracted their attention was the dead body of a female reclining on a bed in an attitude of deep interest and attention. Her countenance retained the freshness of life, and a contraction of the limbs showed that her form was inanimate, Seated on the floor was the corpse of an apparently young man, holding a steel in one hand and a flint in the other, as if in the act of striking fire upon some tinder which lay beside him. In the fore part of the vessel several sailors were found lying dead in their berths, and the body of a boy was crouched at the bottom of the gangway stairs. Neither provisions nor fuel could be discovered anywhere; but Captain Warrens was prevented, by the superstitious prejudices of his seamen, from examining the vessel as minutely as he wished to have done. He therefore carried away the log-book already mentioned, and returned to his own ship, and immediately steered to the

POETRY.

southward, deeply impressed with the awful example which he had just witnessed of the danger of navigating the Polar seas in high northern latitudes.

On returning to England he made various inquiries respecting vessels that had disappeared in an unknown way, and, by comparing the results of those with the information which was afforded by the written documents in his possesion, he assertained the name and history of the imprisoned ship, and of her unfortunate master, and found that she had been frozen 13 years previous to the time of his discovering her among the ice. What an affecting tale is this! Death, under such circumstances, must be appaling. But even there faith in Jesus could cheer the gloom.

Presteign.

Poetry.

WHAT WILL COME?

THE time will come when you must take
The last fond look of those you love;
Your tongue will then its last words speak,
Your limbs for the last time will move.

The time will come when your pale corpse
Will be laid out; and friends will weep

To see your coffin come, and then

Remove you for your last long sleep.

Then the loose earth, with gloomy sound,

Will fall upon your coffin lid,

And when the sexton's work is done,

For evermore you will be hid

From all that passes 'neath the sun.

The time will come when the blind worm
Will banquet on your beauteous form;
When this world shall to ashes burn,

And into blood night's fair queen turn.

Soon will the trumpet's piercing blast
Call you before the throne of God;
The books be open'd, sentence passed,
And fix'd for ever your abode.

Then fly to Christ, for time is short;
Death and the day of judgment sure.
Oh, fly! and e'er your days depart,
Eternal life and bliss secure.

P.

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

THE MARROW OF THE BIBLE.-A poor man who valued his Bible lived near a sad reprobate who never paid any attention to divine things unless it was to revile them. The poor man, anxious to do him a kindness, paid him a visit with the bible under his arm. "Be persuaded," said he earnestly, "to read this blessed book; for, with God's grace, it will make you wise unto salvation." "Read that book!" said the reprobate, looking at the poor man's bible, which was not a very small one, "No, that I never will; that would be too hard a bone to pick. I like to get to the marrow of a thing. If you can give me the marrow of your big bible in about a couple of verses, why then I will attend to you." Agreed," said the poor man. So he sat down, opened the book, and read the following verses, "All have sinned and come short of the glory

66

of God"-Rom. iii. 23. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"-1 Tim. i. 15. Whether the reprobate remembered the verses or not I cannot tell; but I do trust that you and I shall never forget them, for they are truly what the poor man took them to be, the very marrow of the Bible.

1

TOO MUCH CHARITY.-An African preacher, speaking from, "What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" mentioned, among other things, that they lost their souls by being too charitable! Seeing the congregation astonished beyond measure at his saying, he very emphatically repeated it, and then proceeded to explain his meaning."Many people," said he, "attend meeting, hear the sermon, and, when it is over, they proceed to divide it among the congregation—this part was for that man, and that part for that woman; such denunciations for such persons; these threats for you sinners; and so," continued the shrewd African, "they give away the whole sermon, and keep none for themselves."

THE GREAT QUESTION.-Many years ago a Welsh minister, a man of God, beginning his sermon, leant over the pulpit, and said with a solemn air, "Friends, I have a question to ask. I cannot answer it. You cannot answer it. If an angel from heaven were here he could not answer it. If a devil from hell were here he could not answer it." Death-like silence reigned. Every eye was fixed on the speaker. He proceeded, "the question is this, 'How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ?" Reader! can you answer the question ? I ask not, do you intend, do you wish, or do you hope to flee-but have you fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before you in the Gospel? How shall you escape you neglect so great salvation?

if

THE FIRESIDE.

The Fireside.

THE DEATH-WATCH.

A GROUP of friends in busy chat,
Around the fire conversing sat;
But what their gossip was about
I never have as yet found out;
At any rate it caused them mirth,
While seated round the cheerful
hearth,

For oft they joined in hearty laughter,
Not dreaming what was coming!
after;

"I'm very sorry, my good folks,
That I've disturbed your evening
jokes ;

But when I tapp'd against the wall
I did not mean to scare you all.
You've laugh'd a deal amid your glee,
But now I think there's fun for me;
And if 't would not increase your
fright,

I'd laugh at you with all my might.

But all at once their mirth was What, can't an insect call his mate

stopp'd,

And all the conversation dropp'd-
No bursts of laughter filled the

room

All was silent as the tomb!

Without prognosticating fate?
Whene'er I try my clicking skill,
Am I the harbinger of ill?

How came you to suppose that I
Could tell the hour when you must
die?

A sound was heard, and each one But Death has never told me so.

You may to night for aught I know,

knew

What object to ascribe it to;

Fie! fie! wer't not for form and

features,

While one exclaimed, with pallid I could not think you reasoning

face, "Hark! there's a death watch in the place!"

Then while they listen'd to the
sound,

Whispers began to run around;
One wise-head, scarce above his
breath,

Declar'd it was "a sign of death,"
And hop'd that when they'd done
with time,

They might attain that happier
clime,

Where not a death-watch is allow'd
To tell of winding-sheet or shroud.

But while they thus remain'd in dread,

The death-watch ope'd his mouth and said

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THE PENNY POST BOX.-We find that we have not space now for the insertion of some of the papers we have received. They shall appear ere long. In the mean time we wish to say another single word of encouragement to any of our friends who may be desirous of expressing their thoughts or relating any facts. Let them do so in the best way they can, and send them, and we will look them over and prepare them for our pages.

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