60 REFLECTIONS ON NATURE'S GIFTS. \0dober, 



Palace, of which I had long joked, now rose in real 

 grandeur, under the principal superintendence of Com- 

 mander Richards, aided by our trusty Boatswain, the 

 essence of any work to be done ; always ready, master 

 of every trade, and of an extraordinary even temper. 

 Verily, sailors are wonderful animals ! 



But, amid all this mixture of fun and seriousness, for 

 both had their alternations, can the philosophic mind fail 

 to perceive the merciful dispensation of Providence per- 

 v ading all around us ? The peculiar bed, of soft plastic 

 clay, on which the ship is grounded ; the crescent of 

 huge masses of ice grounded and cemented together, 

 forming an outer arc constituting the present piled rani- 

 part of broken ice, momentarily increasing, and thus 

 shielding us more effectually from further danger ; and 

 last, but not least important, the smooth, unbroken 

 carpet within, on which we may have yet to convey 

 our provisions to the shore, possibly to our future domi- 

 cile ! The terraced land itself, hitherto our unpromising 

 surface, already smoothed and prepared for our conve- 

 nience, not forgetting too the upheaved, cast-on-shore 

 slabs of ice, without which we should have been reduced 

 to the stores saved from the wreck. Wonderful indeed 

 to the contemplative mind are all these matters, and all 

 their adaptations to the ends of science. Shall it be 

 again inquired, " What is the use of science ?" Without 

 it, all the gifts of Nature, their application, beauty, and 

 gratitude for their enjoyment, would cease to exist ! 

 Throughout our progress we cannot but maintain, won- 

 derful have been our pursuits, our escapes, preservation 

 in health, etc.; these last are but a continuation of the 

 blessings we have enjoyed. 



