NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[July 29, 



xazsoEi.LAKix:s. 



THE MAELSTROM WHIRLPOOL. 

 I^etter from a gentleman in Washington to the Hon. A. 

 B. WooDwABD, Judge of Middle Florida. 



This wonderful phenomenon, that has excit- 

 ed the wonder and astonishment of the world, I 

 hare seen. There are few of my countrymen 

 who have had the opportunity, in consequence 

 of the situation of it being remote from any port 

 ef commerce. Its latitude and longitude I do 

 not exactly recollect. It is situated between 

 (wo islands, belonging to a group off the coast 

 of Norway, called the Low-in-staff Islands, be- 

 tween Drontheim (being the most northern port 

 of commerce) and the North Cape. 1 suppose 

 the latitude to be about 69 north, but will not 

 be certain. 



I had occasion some years since, to navigate a 

 ship from the North Cape to Drontheim, nearly 

 all the way between the islands of rocks and the 

 main. On inquiring of my Norway pilot, about 

 the practicability of running near the whirlpool, 

 he told me that with a good breeze it could be 

 approached near enough for examination, with- 

 out danger. I at once determined to satisfy my- 

 self. We began to near it about 10, A. M. in 

 the month of September, with a fine leading 

 wind N. AVesl. Two good seamen were placed 

 at the helm, the mate on the quarter deck, all 

 bands at their stations for vcrking ship, and the 

 pilot standing on the bowsprit, between the 

 night heads. 1 ivent on the main topsail yard, 

 with a good glass. I had been seated but a few 

 moments, when my ship entered the dish of the 

 whirlpool ; the velocity of the water altered her 

 course three points towards the centre, although 

 she was going eight knots through the water. — 

 This alarmed me extremely ; for a moment, 1 

 thought that destruction was inevitable. She, 

 however, answered her helm sweetly, and we 

 run along the edge, the waves foaming round us 

 in every form, while she was dancing gaily over 

 them. The sensations I experienced, are diffi- 

 cult to describe. Imagine to yourself an im- 

 mense circle, running round, of a diameter of 

 one and a half miles, the velocity increasing as 

 it approximated toivards the centre, and gradu- 

 ally changing its dark blue colour to white — 

 foaming, rushing, tumbling, to its vortex ; very 

 much concave, as much so as the water in a tun- 

 nel when half run out; the noise too, hissing, 

 roaring, dashing — all pressing on the mind at 

 once, presented the most awful, grand, solemn 

 sight, 1 ever experienced. 



We were near it about 18 minutes, and in 

 sight of it two hours. It is evidently a subter- 

 ranean passage, that leads, the Lord knows 

 where. From its magnitude, 1 should not doubt 

 that instant destruction would be the fate of a 

 dozen of our largest ships, were they drawn in 

 at the same moment. The pilot says that sev- 

 eral vessels have been sucked doivn, and that 

 whales have also been destroyed. The first I 

 think probable enough, but I rather doubt the 

 latter. 



I h;iye thus, sir, given you a lame, hut true ac- 

 count. If hereafter I can occupy a leisure hour 

 in detailing sci?aes and circumstance* within my 

 own knowledge, in (he course of twenty-two 

 years" voyaging, 1 shall be l\appy, and shall be 

 amply repaid by the conscioustii^.;s that I have 

 contributed to adil one moment's pleasure to a 

 gentleman 1 so highly respect and esteem. 



Michigan Herald. 



The Duke of Sussex, one of the Royal fami- 

 ly of England, and president of the Society of 

 Arts, speaking in commendation of Agriculture, 

 (at the Holkham sheep-shearing) observed, 



" Where industry prospers and is duly en- 

 couraged, the picture of humanity is delightful. 

 Where the plough is honored before the spear, 

 and where instead of swords we use sickles, it is 

 a state of society not only good for this country, 

 but for the world at large; and it is a sentiment 

 which cannot but he reciprocated by the foreign- 

 ers who attend this meeting ; and this is one of 

 the best effects of it : To harmonize the mutual 

 good will of nations, and disarm at once their 

 prejtidices and their animosity. Among others, 

 I notice here an American Gentleman, and it 

 gives me an opportunity to remark, that as Pres- 

 ident of the Society of Arts, I have frequently 

 met with some of the most useful and ingenious 

 inventions, as coming from the people of that 

 country, and have frequently given medals which 

 were due to their merit. This I say with the 

 more pleasure, because it is a sentiment most 

 grateful to my feelings to encourage that friend- 

 ship and good will between tliis country and 

 that, which is the honor as well as the interest 

 of both." 



Smoking Tobacco. — The only thing that can 

 be said in favour of smoking, chewing, and 

 snuffing, is that it encourages the tobacco trade 

 — but as a commercial nation we have no right 

 to be our own consumers. It is a vile habit and 

 leads to drinking. There mr.y be comforts in it 

 which I cannot discover, but to see a gentleman 

 straddling in presence of a lady, taking trom his 

 pocket a blue paper and tilling his mouth with 

 a handful of tobacco shavings, making wry 

 mouths and adjiisting the same under his jaw, is 

 at least shockingly disgusting. A cigar cooly 

 smoked at'ler dinner may be comfortable, but in 

 the street it is vulgar and should be discontinu- 

 ed. Every puppy of a boy struts about with a 

 cigar in his mouth, and the sooner such smokers 

 are checked the better. — A". Y. Advocate. 



industrious must necessarily prosper." No such 

 thing. Ben, half the time does more harm than 

 good. When driving plough, whip and ge-ho, 

 his horses are kept upon a half trot ; the plough- 

 ing is only half done, and his team is distressed 

 so that they are unht to work for a month after 

 his crop is in ; but then he boasts that he doeg 

 more in one week than his neighbor Thornbury 

 in two. 



Bustling through the kitchen the other morn- 

 ing with the swill bucket, "I hate," said he" to 

 see folks standing about like stumps; and he 

 rushed along as if he heard the cry oi' fire; to 

 show how ihe family should stir abou*; ran 

 plump against Mrs Bustle, dashed ihe new cof- 

 fee pot trom her hand, and broke more than he 

 could earn the -whole day. 



If on a journey he rides sixty-five miles a day, 

 saves five hours and half a dollar, spoils a geld- 

 ing worth twenty pounds. 



If he cuts wood, it is always too long for the 

 fireplace ; scalds his mouth as he drinks his lea ; 

 cuts himself when he shaves; keeps his whole 

 family in a nervous excitemfnt that much busi- 

 ness may be done; and would, were it not for 

 his excellent, calm, placid wife, whose good 

 temper and steady deportment counteract tine ill 

 effects of her husband's haste, go utterly to ruin. 

 The truth is, Ben, don't work it right.' 



A pump for one of the Mexican Mining Com- 

 panies, of one thousand feet in length, has re- 

 cently been cast at a furnace near Cincinnati. — 

 The hore is about four inches ; and the pump 

 was cast in one hundred detached pieces, of ten 

 feet in length, each. This stupendous pump 

 cost 6 cents per pound, and each piece weigh- 

 ing 1000 pounds, the aggregate cost was §6000. 

 It was taken to New-Orleans, by the steam boat 

 Mississippi. From New-Orleans, it was intend- 

 ed to ship it to some filexican port, whence it 

 is to be carried in waggons about 300 miles into 

 the interior. Finally it will be borne thirty 

 miles up a steep and rugged mountain on the 

 backs of the Indians, to its place of destination. 

 The pump will be worked by steam. 



Beauhj, (says Steele,) has been the delight and 

 torment of the world eve^ since it began. The 

 philosophers have felt its influence so sensibly, 

 that almost every one of them has left u3 some 

 saying or other, which intimates that he too well 

 knew the power of it. Aristotle has told us, that 

 a graceful person is a more powerful recom- 

 mendation than the best letter that can be writ- 

 ten in our favor. Plato desires the possessor of 

 it to consider it as a mere gift of nature, and not 

 any of our own. Socrates calls it a short-lived 

 tyranny. Theophrastus a silent fraud, because 

 it imposes upon us without Ihe help of language. 

 Hut 1 think Carneades spoke as much like a |ihi- 

 losopher as any of them, though more like a 

 lover, when he called it Royalty ■without force .' 

 It is not indeed to be denied, that there is some- 

 thing irresistible in a beauteous form ; and llie 

 most severe will not pretend, that they do not 

 feel an immediate prepossession in favor of the 

 handsome. 



Beji Bustle is one of the most busy men alive. 

 A gadfly or a borer is not more constantly on 

 the move. He rises early ; sits up late; hard- 

 ly takes time to eat, and is never idle a moment. 

 " Ah, a thriving fellow,"' says one, " a man so 



Q:j=Agents, to whom payment caa be made in ad- 

 vance for the 4lh volume. 



Maine. 

 Bangor, Ezra Brewster 

 Bucksporl, H. Little Esq. 

 Castine, M. Chamberlain 

 Ellsworth, Leonard .Tarris 

 Machias, A. Butterfield, 

 S. Berwick, W. A. Hayes 



Mas.^cichuseth. 

 Concord, Col. D. Shattuck 

 Danvers, }. W. Proctor 

 E. Sandwich, J. Hall, Esq. 

 Falmonlh, R. S. Wood 

 Mi'.ford Centre, P. Hunt 

 Nantucket, S. H. Jenks 



N. Bedford, jJ^-'^<;*;yi3^ 



Newburyport, E. Stedman 

 \. Bridgewater, G.W. Pratt 

 launton, S. W. Mortimer 

 Viestboro, E. Peters, Esq. 

 WoTCPstnr, E. Bigclow 

 Pittsfield. J. A. Danforth 

 Lenox, Hon. W. P. Walker 



A'ew llampshirt. 

 Concord. R. W. Bannister 

 Kecne, N. Dana, Esq. 

 Portsmouth, J. W. Koster 



Wakefield, Doc. R. Russell 

 '■Varner, L. Bartlett, Esq. 

 Walpolc:, S. Grant, Esq, 

 Orford, J. .Mann, Esq. 



VtTinonl. 

 Brattleboro, J. Fcssendeu 

 \'ernon, C. Washburn, Esq. 

 Woodstock, J. A.Pratt 



lihodt Island. 

 Bristol, L. W. Briggs, Esq. 

 Providence, E.& W.Rhodes 

 Tiverton, P. O. Seabury 

 Newport, G. JIumford 

 Warren, Hon. S. Randall 



Connecticut. 

 E. Windsor, J. Watson, Jr. 



JVcui York. 

 .\lbany, J. Alexander, Esq. 

 Geneva, T. D. BiirraIl,Esq. 

 Syracuse, J. Durnford. 



Penmyliania. 

 Stockport, S. Preston 

 Washington, A. R.ccd. 

 Philadelphia,.!. E. Halt 

 Silver Lake. R. Rose, Esq. 

 Mount lIolly,N..I.D.PaImer 

 Huntsburg, Ohio, L. Hunt. 



The FARMER is published every Friday, by JoHw B. 

 Russell, at $2.a0 per annum, in advance. 



