FRIENDS' REVIEW. VOL II. A RELIGIOUS, LITERARY AND MISCELLANEOUS JOURNAL. PHILADELPHIA, FIRST MONTH 6, 1849. EDITED BY ENOCH LEWIS. Published Weekly by Josiah Tatum, Price two dollars per annum, payable in advance, or six copies for ten dollars. This paper is subject to newspaper postage only. For Friends' Review. MEMORIALS OF REBECCA JONES. NO. XXIII. (Continued from page 227.) R. JONES TO ESTHER TUKE. Latitude 40° 42, 9th mo. 20th, 1788. Dearly beloved friend,-Being often favoured, whilst floating on the mighty ocean, to feel near unity of spirit with such dear friends in the land whence (with my natural "life for a prey," and a degree of that peace which exceeds description,) I have now escaped, with whom I have enjoyed sweet fellowship, and who are still near to my best life; and thou, among others, having been pleasantly brought into view this morning, I have sat down in order to give thee some account of thy poor feeble sister. No. 16. their vows." May the "north," through the softening influence of holy animating love and life, be prevailed upon during the day of offered mercy to "give up," and the south, in a state of faithful obedience to the Divine will, keep nothing back, is my humble prayer. Then will your light go forth with encouraging brightness, and the clothing of Divine salvation, on all the different classes in the family, be conspicuously clear "as a lamp that burneth." Nor shall I be, I humbly hope, deprived of the enjoyment of the bond of christian fellowship with those who meet at the approaching annual solemnity in Philadelphia, and at your Quarterly one held about the same time; but, by the great and good Remembrancer, may I, in this my watery peregrination, be raised as an epistle in your hearts, and feel the efficacy of the fervent prayer of the righteous, with whom I pray that I may now and forever be united. I know I am an “unprofitable servant," and yet can appeal to the great Master in a degree of childlike simplicity, that I have endeavoured to do that which was required as a duty at my hands and for the encouragement of other poor weaklings I have to testify to the goodness of that hand which "put forth :" it has gone before, made crooked things straight, and cast up a way, even when and where to my view there has appeared no I have given up all thought of reaching our way. So that now, though I am going to my Yearly Meeting, so that if more is given me than own country and people, with no spoil taken, I expect, I shall give it a place among the many yet am I returning with that acknowledgment marvellous displays of Almighty goodness, of made by the early publishers of the gospel in which I have been a thankful, grateful witness. reply to the query, "Lacked ye anything?" and But not this mighty deep, nor length of time, can, with reverence of soul, say, Nothing, will, I trust, ever erase from my remembrance an Lord." I know that it will be still necessary honest, faithful-hearted remnant, a tender visited for me to feel after and dwell deeply with the seed, a highly favoured people in that nation, heavenly gift on my return; and oh, that under whom everlasting loving kindness has so signal- its blessed influence, I may be favoured with ly cared for, and at whose hands He is now patience, lest, for want of this profitable virtue, I looking for fruits adequate to his abundant care should lose the things which have, through holy over them. May the upright, affectionate, dis- help, been wrought, and so miss of that consuminterested labours of the poor servants, who have mate reward with which we are not fully enbeen sent amongst you, be in some degree pro- trusted until the end of the painful race. May motive of this great end. May the hands of the this, dear Esther, be thine and my gladdening faithful among you be made strong to the re-experience when this short fight of affliction is moving of every obstruction in the way of ad- over, is my fervent prayer. vancement. May the dear youth who have I shall be much disappointed if I do not frebeen enamoured with the brightness of the Di- quently hear from the houses of York and Holdvine power arising in their hearts, "keep hum-gate. To all of them is my dear love, and to bly their solemn feasts, and faithfully perform all my other dear friends in your country, as it * 66 named. Thou knowest who they are: they are | had taken us ahead instead of astern, or had it too numerous for insertion, but not too many "in order one by one to rise" in my affectionate remembrance. When you do write, mention how "the lilies flourish, and the pomegranates bud and blossom," and whether "the garden of nuts" has furnished any more ripe fruits for the King's table-with whatever is interesting to thee: for it will be so to me, because we are (dare I presume) soldiers in the same army, consequently entitled to hear of the several movements therein. * * * * R. JONES. 20th, Seventh day. Awoke refreshed, and with an easy mind. But soon found, on getting up, that the wind blew fresh and quite contrary, which was a fresh trial of faith and patience, when, on considering a little what should be the cause, and why we have such an unfavourable prospect, my mind was silenced from enquiry by a secret persuasion that it was all for the best, though not for the present seen to be so. Whereupon I again resigned to the thought of not reaching our Yearly Meeting, which, had it been, or should it be the Lord's blessed will we should do, would have been a comfortable circumstance. But as I have often been fully convinced that our Almighty Shepherd knows best what is best for his poor sheep and dependent children, may his holy will be done in all things, saith my soul. Our captain spoke a sloop this morning from Grenada, out 18 days, bound for Newfoundland, and upon comparing the ship's reckoning, it appeared that we were not by three degrees as forward in our passage as we expect ed. This was unpleasing tidings to our company, who had fixed the 7th of next month for getting to Philadelphia. In the evening the wind lowered, and it again grew calm, so that we retired early and soon went to sleep, trusting in the Lord. 21st, First day. About 5 o'clock, the wind for the first time was on our stern. It blew fresh, and rained heavily. I rose early, in hopes that we might hold our little meeting, and once more in the cabin together wait upon the Lord. But the wind so increased that we kept our seats with some difficulty. The dead lights were all put in, and candles brought into the cabin. I, however, sat down in quiet about an hour, with my mind inwardly turned to the Lord, who is worthy to be waited upon at all times. The ship was the whole day in a perpetual roll, from side to side, and a day of the most heavy and steady wind, our captain said, that he ever remembered, so that the poor men were wet to the skin, and we could not stir at all out of the cabin. We went, through the day, at the rate of 8 and 9 knots. The great motion, rolling, and thumping of the waves was alarming at first, but our Captain told us we were crossing the gulf stream, so that if the wind been quite calm as before, we should have been in a much worse situation. This, and his further information that this wind in Delaware bay would inevitably run us ashore, humbled and deeply affected my mind, leading to the renewed inquiry, What shall I render to the Lord," &c. A. W. having dreamed of her husband, pleased herself with the thoughts of getting to Philadelphia in a few days more. But having always found that I fared best when I was most fully resigned to the Lord's will, and having been favoured to come to this desirable attainment, I did not dare to flatter myself with so agreeable a circumstance, though fully persuaded that all things are possible with our gracious Creator. 22d, Second day. * * Our company seemed highly pleased with hopes of soon getting on shore; but, on divers accounts, my rejoicing is in fear. Oh, thou great Preserver of men, condescend to fortify my mind with a reverent trust in thy goodness and providential care, and clothe me with humility and watchfulness on my first meeting my beloved friends, and to the end of my time in this uncertain, fallacious and wicked world, for thy mercies' sake! In the evening the wind shifted, and by 2 o'clock the wind again shifted, and blew a heavy gale directly made snug, and lay to about twelve hours, duragainst us. Captain Sutton ordered all sails ing all which time the dead lights were in, and the ship laboured so much, and the sea was so high, that it made the most awful and gloomy appearance I ever beheld. Dear A. W. and Ỉ, not being able to keep safely in bed, sat up till day light. W. P., being much alarmed, sat up with us all night.* though the sea ran very high, and it was danger23d, Third day. The wind much lowered, and, as in the night, my mind was often engaged ous moving from our seats. I staid in my berth, in humble intercession to the Almighty for our preservation, and that he would be pleased, for His and influence our Captain with wisdom, and his great name's sake, to have mercy upon us, 8 o'clock, P. M., it was nearly calm, and I was men with strength in so perilous a time. About told that it was likely to remain so. 24th, Fourth day. After a good night's rest, I arose refreshed and thankful for the favour. This day makes just six weeks since we came o'clock we espied a sail, which proved to be a on board. Light wind, but fair. About 11 schooner-Juno-from New York, laden with corn, and bound to Teneriffe. She had been *Sarah R. Grubb, writing to R. J., says " If I am not mistaken, since thy leaving London, thou hast had thy portion of awful sensations on the mighty waters. My heart was so almost continually with thee, and so affected sometimes, as to amount to painful conflict, so in those natural, affectionate feelings, which a separathat I could hardly conclude that it originated merely Ition from one so beloved occasioned." The geological formation of the Faroe Isles is of volcanic origin ;* hence their splendid basaltic columns and conical hills, deep valleys and mural precipices, narrow fiords and rushing tides. The shores are so steep, that in many of the islands there is no convenient landing-place. Boats are drawn up precipitous banks by ropes and pulleys; and a ship of large burden may lie close to a wall of rock from one to two thousand out about a week-had met with a gale of wind | and state of society, is in much the same condilast First day, when we were going before it at tion as it has been for a century past at least, or the rate of ten knots. Had been under the ne- as Shetland was at that distance of time. cessity of throwing overboard 60 bushels, and Faroe belongs to the Danish crown, is governcutting in two her long boat, one-half of which ed by its absolute though mild and paternal rule, she threw overboard to lighten the ship. Her and is subject to a royal monopoly of all comcaptain desired Capt. Sutton to take a letter for merce and other resources. From analogy and him, and, to bring it to us, they immediately observation, however, we are disposed to the launched a small skiff with one of their hands, opinion that, for a half-instructed, isolated, and who, with two oars, made his way very dexter- pastoral people, the Faroese appear to be at preously over the waves, and brought the letter, re-sent in precisely the circumstances most conduturning safe again. This was a pleasing cir- cive to their morality, independence, and happicumstance to all our company, who were withness. one consent gathered to the larboard side to look at fellow men floating, like ourselves, on the watery element. But as I stood looking on, and considering how we had been preserved in that very gale, by which they had been distressed, my heart overflowed with gratitude and thanksgiving, and mine eyes with tears, and the more so when I adverted to what might have been the consequence had we been in the bay at the time. The sense of the Lord's protecting goodness ex-feet in height on either side, where the strait betorted from me this expression in the hearing of all, "Thanks be to Him who is forever worthy." This sense continued sweetly the covering of my spirit through the day. We made some preparation towards going on shore when it shall please the Lord so to favour us, which, when granted, will, I trust, sink me in the deepest gratitude, fear, obedience and love to mine Almighty Helper and Protector, all the days of my life. In the afternoon we were easy and pleasant on deck, and in the evening came down to writing. My heart felt peaceful and humble, which, I pray, may be continued to me till landing on ny native shore, and forever, Amen! Through the night I had not a wink of sleep, yet my mind was tranquil and easy. [For several days they were subjected to storms and consequent discomfort.] [To be continued.] From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal. FOWLING IN FAROE AND SHETLAND. These two groups of islands, situated in the northern Atlantic, and separated by only about one hundred and eighty miles, are not more contrasted in their political position and internal economy than in their geological structure, and consequent dissimilarity of scenery; though, from having been originally peopled by the same Scandinavian race, and long under one government, there are still to be discovered numerous traces of similar language, manners, and even personal appearance. tween is so narrow, that she can only be towed or warped onwards or outwards, as alongside a wharf. In some situations the cliffs present stupendous basaltic pillars, to which those of Staffa and the Giant's Causeway are pigmies. More commonly the precipices are broken into narrow terraces, overhanging crags, and gloomy recesses, tenanted by myriads of sea-fowl of every name, whose incessant motions and shrill echoing cries give variety and animation to scenes otherwise desolate in their sublimity. Among these dizzy and almost confounding scenes the fowler pursues his hazardous but familiar avocation; for the eggs and flesh of the sea-fowl are an important part of the food of the Faroese, and the feathers a profitable article of exportation. Little thinks many a discontented town-bred workman, or surly field labourer, and still less many a fashionable ennuyée, with what cheeriness and courage numbers of their fellewcreatures encounter not merely fatiguing toil, but frightful danger, while in quest of their daily bread! The manner of performing the perilous task of taking the birds from the precipices is thus described :t-The fowler (fuglemand) is let down from the top of the cliff by a rope about three inches thick, which is fastened to the waist and thighs by a broad woollen band, on which he sits. The adventurer soon loses sight of his companions, and can only communicate with them by a small line attached to his body. When he reaches the terraces, often not more than a foot broad, he frees himself from the While Shetland is an integral portion of the rope, attaches it to a stone, and commences his home British empire, participating in her enlight-pursuit of the feathery natives. When the ened laws and policy, her freedom and progress in improvement, together with the good, and also, alas! evil, more or less attendant on our peculiar institutions, Faroe, as respects manners They are composed almost entirely of trap rock. It is similarly pursued at Foula, St. Kilda, and others of the Scottish Islands. attempting each possible mode of egress from his nests are in a hollow of the rock, the bird-catcher, Every way he moved, carefully examining and gives himself a swinging motion by means of his pole, till the vibration carries him so close, that he can get footing on the rock. He can communicate to himself a swing of thirty to forty feet; but when the shelf lies deeper back, another rope is let down to his associates in a boat, who can thus give him a swing of one hundred or one hundred and twenty feet.' The Faroese talk with rapture of their sensations while thus suspended between sea and sky, swinging to and fro by what would seem a frail link when the value of a human life is concerned. An instructive and thrilling anecdote, which, so far as we know, has not appeared in print, was told our informant in Faroe by a member of the young man's family to whom it occurred. We have said that the fowlers are lowered from above, and manage to get stationed on some shelf or ledge of rock, frequently beneath an overhanging crag, where they disengage themselves from the rope, and proceed to their employment. Now it unfortunately happened that the young man we have alluded to, having secured his footing on the flat rock, by some accident lost his hold of the rope, to which was also attached his signal-line, which he had the agony to see, after a few pendulous swings, settle perpendicularly utterly beyond his reach. When the first moments of surprise and nearly mortal anguish had elapsed, he sat down to consider, as calmly as might be, what he should do, what effort make to save himself from the appalling fate of perishing by inches on that miserable spot. His friends above, he knew, after waiting the usual time, would draw up the rope, and finding him not there, would conclude he had perished; or should they by the same method descend to seek him, how among the thousand nooks of that bewildering depth of rock upon rock, find the secret recess he had chosen, where he had so often congratulated himself on his favourable position, but which seemed now destined for his grave? He Great was the amazement of his associates to find him hanging on by his hands-greater far their astonishment at his singular adventure: but once having told his tale, which every circumstance clearly corroborated, his pole and net being found on the rock as described, he never would again be prevailed on to recur to the subject; nor did he ever approach in the direction of the cliff from which he had descended, without turning shudderingly away from a spot associated with a trial so severe. More than once the almost invincible temptation rushed on his mind of ending his distraction and suspense by leaping into the abyss. One short moment, and his fears and sufferings, with his life's fitful fever,' would be over. But the Quite contrasted to all these scenes, as we obtemporary panic passed away; he raised his served at the outset, are the aspect of nature and thoughts to the guardian care of Omnipotence; the manner of taking the sea-fowl and their eggs and calmed and reassured, he trusted some mode in Shetland. The hills here are low, none of of deliverance would present itself. To this the seaward precipices are above six or seven end he more particularly scanned his limited hundred feet high; and so far from fowling being resting-place. It was a rocky shelf, about eight pursued as a regular branch of employment, feet wide, and gradually narrowing till it met the under proper regulations, as in Faroe, the Shetextended precipice, where not the foot of a gull land landlords and other superiors by all means could rest: at the other extreme it terminated in discourage their dependents from spending their an abrupt descent of hundreds of feet: at the time and energies in what is at best to them a back was a mural rock, smooth and slippery as desultory and most dangerous occupation, which, ice and above was a beetling crag, overarching moreover, robs the rocks, otherwise so bare and the place where he stood, outside of which de- rugged, of those feathered denizens, their appropended his only safety-his unfortunate rope.priate ornament. Still, so fascinating and ex citing is this method of idling away time, that | pitately began the descent-plunging on without might be much more profitably or improvingly an idea except his early-imbibed belief in predesemployed, at least in these islands, that many of tination, and an occasional aspiration to the Althe fishermen frequent the cliffs and peril their mighty for protection. He never knew, he lives in the forbidden pursuit. says, how or by what paths he reached a place of comparative safety; but he would not attempt to go again to that spot for twenty guineas. It is not, however, only in those localities with which from childhood he has been familiar that our courageous fowler is dexterous and adventurous in his undertakings. Tempted by an offer of adequate remuneration from an amateur, he engaged to procure an eagle's egg from a distant quarter, where they were known to have a nest. The gentleman, in the interval of his absence, sorely repented that he had proffered the bribe, though he by no means urged the step. But in due time the brave cragsman returned successful, having twice scaled the precipice to the eyrie. The first time when he reached the place, from whence he scared the parent birds, he found the nest so situated, that though he saw the eggs, he could not by any possibility reach them. Nothing daunted, he returned and made his preparations. To the end of a long fishing-rod he attached a bladder, the mouth of which he kept distended by a wire. Reaching this simple but ingenious apparatus to the nest, from the perching-place where he leaned, he gradually worked the eggs into the bladder-bag with the point of the rod, and bore them off in triumph. It was the most lucrative, though the most dangerous adventure he had ever accomplished; for the locality was strange, the weather was gloomy, and the birds were fierce, and at one time in startling proximity to the spoiler. There is in the island of Unst, the most northerly of the Shetlands, one man who, by his bravery, expertness, and, we may perhaps add, his incorrigible perseverance, has gained a sort of tacit immunity from the general restriction, or at least his poaching misdemeanours are winked at. His father was a noted fowler before him; and since his own earliest boyhood, he has been accustomed to make it his pastime to scramble among the steepest crags and cliffs, making many a hairbreadth escape, many an unheard-of prize. He has robbed the most inaccessible nooks of their inhabitants, and even surprised the sea eagle in her nest. He climbs barefooted, and his toes clasp the slippery rock as talons would. Fear or dizziness he knows not of; and for a few shillings, or for an afternoon's recreation, he will scale many a ladder of rock, and penetrate many a time-worn crevice, where human foot but his own will probably never tread. Every cranny, every stepping-place of the precipitous headlands of his native island are intimately known to him; and at how much expense of unconquerable perseverance, zig-zag explorings, and undaunted courage this has been accomplished, we may not stop too particularly to relate. On one occasion, led on by his indomitable love of exploring, he had passed to a point of a cliff to which even he had never dared to venture before. His object was to discover the spot where he believed a pair of eagles had long built unmolested. Overjoyed, he reached the place; triumphantly he possessed himself of the eggs (for which, by the by, a commercial collector afterwards paid him five shillings;) and then he for the first time became aware of his whereabouts. How he got there he could not even imagine. He paused a few moments: it was not fear, but unfeigned surprise and awe that entranced him; and then the consideration naturally forced itself on his attention-'How shall I return?' It ought to be mentioned, for the benefit of the uninitiated, that it is much more difficult to get down than to ascend. The whole tortuosities and difficulties of the path are more clearly in view, and the head is apt not to be so steady. In the present case, moreover, the exEXPORTING APPLES.-Asa Smith, of Lockport citement was past-the object was attained; and Niagara co., went out in the Europa, and took it is wonderful how the blood cools, and courage with him about 2,000 barrels of choice apples, of becomes calculating, in these latter circumstances. some twenty-five different varieties, selected from Well, beside the plundered eyrie our gallant ad- the orchards of Niagara co., with special reference venturer sat cogitating. I'll never return, that's to the foreign market. The exportation of apples certain, to begin with,' he said to himself. After has heretofore been carried on only on a limited all my escapes and exploits, my time is come at scale, and we trust that the enterprise on which last. Well, if it is, it is: let me meet it like a A. Smith, with pure Yankee zeal, has entered, man! If it is not come, I shall get down in may prove not only remunerating, but initiatory safety, as I have done ere now, though never to a successful trade that will prove beneficial to from such an awful place before.' So he preci- the fruit-growers of this country.-Utica Gaz. This man, who in every respect is the beau ideal of a successful fowler, is now in the prime of life, about medium height, active and agile of course, and slender and lithe as an eel. During the late trying season of destitution from the failure of crops and fishing, he has mainly sup. ported his family by the produce of such exploits as we have been detailing. And he has a little son, the tiny counterpart of himself, whom, almost ever since he could walk, he has taught to climb the rocks alongwith him, and who therefore bids fair, should he escape casualties, to be as bold and expert in fowling as is his parent. |