Southport Telegraph

The Arctic Regions.

The following account of a thrilling adventure in the Arctic Seas, is from a magazine published some time since. The circumstances are certainly in the range of possibility, since no putrefaction could take place, whilst the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers were in the temperature of a vessel encased in thick ribbed ice.

"In the spring of the year 1824, a whaling vessel sailed from the port of London, upon a voyage to the polar seas. Nothing material is said to have occurred until the arrival in those solitary regions, when it becomes the duty of the crew, to keep a perpetual look out upon the horizon in search of fish; while thus employed, it was fancied by one of the seamen, that a sail was discernible as far as the eye could reach, and as the course of the whales was towards the supposed vessel. a mast became gradually distinguishable amidst the mountains of ice which appeared in that quarter to bound the sea. It was now summer, and the afternoon unusually calm whilst the whaler gradually neared the object in view-the supposition being that it was a vessel engaged in operating upon the blubber in a bay which would open to view upon approaching nearer to the ice. Upon arriving, however, upon the spot, it became clear that the vessel was a wreck embedded in the ice, and could only be approached by a boat. This having been lowered, the captain and several seamen landed upon the ice, and approached to the vessel, which proved to be a brig. The sails were furled; very little appeared upon the deck, and all the arrangements wore those of a vessel laid up for a period of time. Descending to the cabin, the first object that was seen, was a large New Foundland dog, coiled upon a mat, and apparently asleep. Upon touching the animal it was found to be dead, and the body frozen to the hardness of a stone. Entering the cabin there was next seen a young lady seated at table, her eyes open, and gazing with mild and steadfast expression upon the new comers to that solitary spot. She was a corpse, and in that apparent resigned and religious attitude, had been frozen to death. Beside her was a young man, who, it appeared, was the brother of the young lady, and doubtless commander of the brig. He too was dead, but sitting at the table, and before him lay a sheet of paper, upon which he had written the following words:

"Our cook has endeavored to strike up a light, since yesterday, but in vain; all is over."

At the other side of the cabin stood the cook, with a flint and steel in his hands frozen to a statue, in the vain endeavor to procure that fire which alone could save himself and his companions from the cold arms of death.

The superstitious terrors of the seamen now hurried the captain away from the wreck, the log book alone being brought away; and from this it appeared, that the ill-fated vessel was a brig, which had belonged to the port of London, and had sailed for the arctic regions more than fourteen years ago."