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Review-Captivity and Escape of Captain Knox.

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tieth and one-and-thirtieth verses, where the
What must I do
Gaoler asked St. Paul,
And he answered, saying,
to be saved?"
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; and thou
shalt be saved, and thine house."

"The sight of this book at once so rejoiced and affrighted me, that I cannot say which passion was greater; the joy, that I had got sight of a Bible, or the fear that I had not enough to buy it; having, then, but one pago(Ss.) in the world, which I would willingly have given for it, had it not been for my boy, who dissuaded me from giving so much; alleging my necessity for money many other for a far meaner price, provided I would seem ways; and undertaking to procure the book to slight it in the sight of the old man. This counsel, after I considered, I approved of;

my ability being but very small to relieve the same; and, however, I thought I could give my piece of gold at the last cost, if other

means should fail.

21st of January, 1657, with a design to trade one year from port to port, and then return to England. On taking in her cargo for this country, a violent tempest compelling them to cut away their main-mast, and preventing them from pursuing their voyage, they sailed to Cottair Bay, on the eastern shores of Ceylon, to trade with the inhabit-da ants, while their ship was undergoing repairs. On their arrival, they were treated with apparent kindness, until their suspicion was lulled to repose, when being decoyed ashore, they were surrounded with the natives, made prisoners, and carried up into the in-my urgent necessities earnestly craving, and terior. Of the treatment which the author and his companions in misfortune received, during the long period of their captivity, their manner of life, "The sight, indeed, of this bible, so overand various efforts to regain their li-joyed me, as if an angel had spoken to me from berty, we have a detailed account; but heaven; to see that my most gracious God had it is such as will admit of no epitome. prepared such an extraordinary blessing for On February 9th, 1660, the author's miraculous; to bring unto me a bible in my which I did, and ever shall look upon as father, who had previously commandown language, and that in such a remote part ed the vessel, died, and himself being of the world; where His name was not so sick and weak, and unable to bury much as known, and where an Englishman was never known to have been before. him, he applied to a native for assistance; but the only aid he could pro-ture with the Ten Commandments, he had looked upon it, as somewhat of the same nacure without paying for it, was, to have given the Israelites out of heaven; it being a rope tied round the neck of the the thing, for want whereof, I had so often corpse, by which it was to be dragged mourned, nay, and shed tears too; and, than naked into the woods. This, how- the enjoyment whereof, there could be no ever, was refused; and by some trifling greater joy in the world to me. property a grave was procured, into which he placed the body with his own hands. Shortly after the death of his father, the author relates the following

remarkable incident :

"Provisions falling short with me, though rice, I thank God, I never wanted; and money, also, growing low, as well to help out a meal, as for recreation, sometimes I went with an angle to catch small fish in the brooks, the aforesaid boy being with me. It chanced, as I was fishing, an old man passed by, and seeing me, asked of my boy, if I could read a book? He answered, "Yes." "The reason I ask,' said the old man," is, because I have one I got when the Portuguese lost Columbo; and, if your master please to buy it, I will sell it to him." Which, when I heard of, I bid my boy go to his house with him, which was not far off, and bring it to me, making no great account of the matter, supposing it might be some Portuguese book.

"The boy having formerly served the English, knew the book; and as soon as he had got it in his hand, came running with it, calling out to me, "It is a BIBLE! It

me,

I

Upon the sight of it, I left off fishing: God having brought a fish to me that my soul had longed for; and now, how to get it, and enjoy the same, all the powers of my soul that he had brought it so near to me, and most were employed. I gave God hearty thanks Now, it being well towards evening, and not earnestly prayed that he would bestow it on me. having wherewithal to buy it, about me, I departed home, telling the old man, that in the morning I would send my boy to buy it of him.

thinking of it, fearing lest I might be disap"All that night I could take no rest for pointed of it. In the morning, as soon as it was day, I sent the boy with a knit be сар, had made for me, to buy the book, praying in my heart for good success, which it pleased God to grant; for that cap purchased it; and the boy brought it to me, to my great joy: which did not a little comfort me over all my afflictions."

To the narrative of Captain Knox, Mr. Harvard has prefixed a judicious preface, in which he has included such testimonies, as must remove all doubt startled me to hear him mention the name of a of the author's veracity. We cannot Bible, for I neither had one, nor scarcely could conclude our remarks in language ever think to see one; upon which, I flung more appropriate, than that which has down my angle, and went to meet him. The first place the book opened in, after I took it in already expressed the character of my hand, was the 16th chapter of Acts; and this work. The author's narrative exthe first place my eye pitched on, was the thir-hibits "a lively picture of the state of

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed]

William Scoresby, Jun: Esq. FR.SE. Sch.

Published by Henry Fisher, Caxton, Liverpool.1821.

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Sanctification.Memoir of William Scoresby.

the country, and the manners of the people; and the account which he has given of what relates more immediately to himself, and particularly of his extraordinary escape from such a vigilant enemy, and in such difficult circumstances, combines the accurate details of a real transaction, with the glowing interest of a romance."

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the ensuing number we should be able to furnish a memoir of his life. That wish, however, we were prevented from accomplishing, through causes in which the reader can have no particular interest. From that period until the present, we have been exerting ourselves to collect materials to redeem our pledge with the public; and altbough we have not been able to succeed to that extent which would at once gratify our subscribers and our-selves, we have been able to trace the general outline of his life; and we now present to our friends a narrative which we flatter ourselves will be

neither destitute of interest, nor un

So far as the fetters of the author's creed will allow, he every where incul-worthy of their acceptance. cates experimental and practical god-780, we introduced a paper inserted In our number for September, col. liness throughout this pamphlet. He in the Transactions of the Wernerian informs his readers, that," The high Society, written by this gentleman, on importance of sanctification appears the possibility and practicability of from its necessity to qualify us for reaching the North Pole. This paper eternal blessedness. A man may go is replete with sound and manly sense, to heaven without wealth, without containing observations founded upon power, without learning, without eloquence, without all or any of those reader on the ground of analogical actual experience, and conducting the things by which secular and worldly reasoning, through the only practicable men estimate his character, but "without holiness no man can see the in the reach of man, of accomplishing methods that appear to be placed withLord." But lest they should become righteous over much, he adds in the that great object, which would be hailed with joy by every nation in Europe. next paragraph, "that the holiness of saints in the present life is imperfect. for such an arduous undertaking are In this paper, the necessary equipments Perfection, though the ambition and aim of all the truly pious, is not the briefly given; and the various diffipositive attainment of any. We have would have to encounter, so far as culties which the daring adventurers heard of some such pure, and perfect, probability can extend her views, are and spotless beings; we have never seen any such; and we look in vain within the same compass a greater faithfully stated. Few papers contain for them in the historical record of the fund of information, or display a more Old and New Testaments. Where vigorous and comprehensive mind. shall we find this boasted perfection?" ~p. 5.

These passages fairly develope the character of this discourse. It is a pretty little dish of Antinomianism, rendered palatable to the taste by the seasoning that has been used in the cookery.

BRIEF MEMOIR OF WM. SCORESBY,
ESQ. F. R. S. E. &C. LATE OF
WHITBY, YORKSHIRE, BUT NOW OF

JUN.

LIVERPOOL.

In the life of such a man, every incident, however trifling, becomes interesting; and perhaps there is scarcely a reader who does not feel a wish to peruse the journals of his numerous voyages into the Greenland seas, to catch those emanations of science which associate with the various objects which arrested his attention, and excited his observations.

Mr. William Scoresby, Jun. was born at the village of Cropton, near Pickering, in Yorkshire, October 5th, 1789. His grandfathers were both In our number of the Imperial Maga- farmers; and his father was originally zine for June, 1821, we prefixed a por-intended for an agriculturist: but his trait of this enterprising and scientific active and enterprising mind finding navigator. This was accompanied itself cramped in such a limited scene with the expression of a hope, that in of employment, he left his paternal

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Memoir of William Scoresby, Jun. Esq.

roof while yet a youth; and atWhitby, the nearest sea-port, commenced a sea-faring life.

At the age of three years, Mr. Scoresby, Jun. was removed from the place of his nativity to Whitby, in which town his father, from his maritime employment, had found it convenient to take up his abode. Here the son received the rudiments of his education; but this consisted only in the acquirement of such common branches of knowledge as are regularly taught in country schools.

In the year 1800, when the subject of this memoir was only in his 11th year, his father, then commanding a whale fishing vessel from London, put into Whitby Roads, and invited him off to see the ship; and he, not being unwilling to undertake the enterprise, remained on board throughout the voyage. The first consideration of his father was, to furnish him with suitable clothing for resisting the severities of the climate in the region to which they were bound. Fortunately, there were several persons in the ship, who, previous to their engaging in the sea service, had been regularly trained to different handicraft occupations. These, being supplied with the requisite materials, most of which were luckily on board, soon equipped the young adventurer in a complete sailor's garb; and every thing being ready, they departed on their hazardous expedition. The voyage proved an arduous one. Owing to the uncommon perseverance of the commander, the ship became involved in the ice of Spitzbergen, where it lay immoveable, notwithstanding every exertion of the sailors to free themselves, for eight successive weeks, During this period the limit of the ice was never discernible from the mast-head; and the field into which the ship was frozen, accumulated to the thickness, in many places, of more than 14 feet.

The following year Mr. Scoresby remained in England with his mother, to improve himself in learning, while his father navigated the Greenland seas. This interval, however, afforded him no other opportunity of improvement than what a common day-school regularly supplies.

In 1802, Mr. S. joined his father in London, after his return from his usual voyage. During their stay, which was about 3 or 4 months, he enjoyed the

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privilege of an excellent seminary of instruction, conducted by Mr. Stock, of Poplar, from which he derived great advantages.

The next year he repeated his voyage to Greenland, along with his father; who having himself proved eminently successful in this occupation, was solicitous to train up his son to the same profession. He accordingly now pursued it year after year, and was progressively entrusted with the important and arduous duties of chief-mate and harpooner. In his 16th year, he had an accidental opportunity afforded him of attacking an unentangled whale. He was successful in harpooning it by a throw of the weapon, and in this first adventure succeeded in the capture.

His education, thus interrupted by professional duties, could only be promoted during the winter of each year; his summer months being regularly spent among the icebergs and whales of Spitzbergen.

In these intervals of his voyages, he attended a school in Whitby; but his opportunities of improvement being very much abridged, he was sent in 1806 to the university of Edinburgh, and again in 1809, where, for about two-thirds of each session, he attended various classes, calculated for expanding the mind, and inculcating philosophical knowledge. In this famous seminary, the development of his talents so far excited the attention of the learned and scientific, that, as a testimony of their approbation, and an encouragement to perseverance, on the latter occasion he was elected a member of the Wernerian Society.

In the autumn of this year, (1809) there was a call made upon all British seamen, especially upon those engaged in the Greenland trade, by the Government, for assisting in bringing the fleet captured from the Danes into a British port. On this occasion, the seamen of Whitby being unwilling to come forward, Mr. S. was the first to offer his services in the national cause. This stimulated many others to follow his laudable example; and the services which, on this memorable occasion, they rendered to their country, will not be soon forgotten.

On his arrival in Denmark, he was appointed to take charge of one of the gun-boats, which it was deemed practicable to deck and transport to Eng

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