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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



DEC. IS, 1839. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



PERILS OF WHALE FISHERY. 



In 1832, two boats belonging to the ship Baffin, 

 went in pursuit of a whale. John Carr was har- 

 pooner and commander of one of them. The whale 

 they pursued led them into a vast school of his own 

 species ; they were so numerous that their blowing 

 was incessant, and they believed that they did not 

 see fewer than an hundred. Fearful of alarming 

 them without striking any, they remained for a 

 while motionless. At last, one rose near Carr's 

 boat, and he approached, and fatally for himself, 

 harpooned it. 



When ho struck, the fish was approaching the 

 boat ; and passing very rapidly, jerked the line out 

 of its place over the stern, and threw it upon the 

 gunwale. Its pressure in this unfavorable position 

 so careened the boat, that the side was pulled under 

 water, and it began to fill. 



In this emergency, Carr, who was a brave, active 

 man, seized the line, and endeavored to relieve the 

 boat by restoring it to its place ; but, by some cir- 

 cumstance which was never accounted for, a turn 

 of the line flew over his arm, dragged him over- 

 board in an instant, and drew him under the water, 

 never more to rise. So sudden was the accident, 

 that only one man, who was watching him, saw 

 what had happened ; so that wlien the boat righted, 

 which it immediately did, though half full of water, 

 the whole crew on looking round, inquired what had 

 become of Carr. 



It is impossible to imagine a death m^ ire awfully 

 sudden and unexpected. The invisible bullet could 

 not have etfected more instantaneous destruction. 

 The velocity of the whale at its first descent, is 

 from thirteen to fifteen feet per second. Now as 

 this unfortunate man was adjusting the line at the 

 water's very edge, where it must have been per- 

 fectly tight, owing to its obstruction in running out 

 of the boat, the interval between the fastening the 

 line about him and his disappearance could not 

 have exceeded the third part of a second of time, 

 for in one second only he must have been dragged 

 ten or twelve feet deep. Indeed, he had not time 

 for the least exclamation ; and the person who saw 

 his removal, observed that it was exceeding quick, 

 that though his eye was upon him at the moment, 

 he could scarcely distinguish his figure as he dis- 

 appeared. 



A harpooner once succeeded in striking a whale 

 which dragged out ten lines, (2400 yards,) and was 

 supposed to be seen blowing in different holes in 

 the ice. After some time it made its appearance 

 on the exterior, and was again, struck, at the mo- 

 ment it was about to go under the second time. 

 About an hundred yards from the edge, it broke the 

 ice where it was a foot thick, with its head, and 

 respired through the opening. It then pushed for- 

 ward, breaking the ice as it advanced, in spite of 

 the lances constantly directed against it. At last 

 it reached a kind of basin in the field, where it 

 floated on the surface without any incumbrance 

 from ice. * 



Its back being fairly exposed, the harpoon struck 

 from the boat on the outside, was observed to be so 



slightly entangled, that it was ready to drop out. 



Some of the officers lamented this circumstance, 

 and wished that the harpoon might be better fast ; 

 at the same time observing that if it sliould slip 

 out, either the fish would be lost, or they would be ' 

 under the necessity of flinching it where it lay, and 



of dragging the blubber over the ice to the ship ; a 

 kind and degree of labor every one was anxious to 

 avoid. 



No sooner was the wish expressed, and its im- 

 portance explained, than a young and daring sailor 

 stepped forward, and offered to strike the harpoon 

 deeper. Not at all intimidated by the surprise man- 

 ifested on every countenance at such a bold propo- 

 sal, he leaped on the back of the living whale, and 

 cut the harpoon out with his pocket knife. Stimu- 

 lated by his gallant example, one of his compan- 

 ions proceeded to his assistance. While one of 

 them hauled upon the line and held it in his hands, 

 the other set his shoulder against the end of the 

 harpoon, and though it was witho.ut a stock, con- 

 trived to strike it again into the fish more effectu- 

 ally than at first ! 



The whale was in motion before they had fin- 

 ished. After they got off its back, if advanced a 

 considerable distance, breaking the ice all the way, 

 and survived this novel treatment ten or fifteen 

 minutes. This daring deed was of essential ser- 

 vice. The whale fortunately sunk spontaneously 

 after it expired ; on which it was hauled out under 

 the ice by the line, and secured without farther 

 trouble. It proved a mighty whale, — a very con- 

 siderable prize. 



Captain Lyons while prosecuting the whale fish- 

 ery on the Labrador coast, in the season of 1602, 

 discovered a large whale at a short distance from 

 the ship. Four boats were despatched in pursuit, 

 and two of them succeeded in approaching it so 

 closely together, that two harpoons were struck at 

 the same moment. The fish descended a few fath- 

 oms in the direction of another of the boats which 

 was on the advance, rose accidentally beneath it, 

 struck it with its head, and threw the boat, men 

 and apparatus about fifteen feet into the air. It 

 was inverted by the strok?, and fell into the water 

 with its keel upwards. All the people were picked 

 up alive by the fourth boat, which was just at hand, 

 excepting one man, who having got entangled in 

 the boat, fell beneath it and was unfortunately 

 drowne'd. 



CONNECTICUT BLUE LAWS. 



The following sketch of some of the laws made 

 by the colony of New Haven, two hundred years 

 ago, and denominated Blue Lmvs by the neighbor- 

 ing colonies, will give an idea of the spirit which 

 pervades the whole. 



No one shall be a freeman, or give a vote, unless 

 he be converted and a member in full communion 

 of one of the churches allowed in this Dominion. 



No man sliall hold any office who ^s not sound 

 in the faith, and faithful to this Dominion; and 

 wlioever gives a vote to such a person, shall pay a 

 fine of £1 : for a second offence he shall be dis- 

 franchised. 



No quaker or dissenter from the established wor- 

 ship of this Dominion, shall be allowed to give a 

 vote for the election of magistrate or any officer. 



No food or lodging shall be aftorded to a Qua- 

 ker, Adamite, or other Heretic. 



If any person turns Quaker, he shall be banish- 

 ed, and not suffered to return but upon pain of death. 



No one shall run on Sunday, or walk in his gar- 

 den or elsewhere, except reverently to and from 

 meeting. 



No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, 

 sweep house, cut hair or shave on Sunday. 



No woman shall kiss her child on Sunday or fast- 

 ing day. 



No one shall buy or sell lands without permis 

 sion of the Selectmen. 

 • No minister shall keep a mistress. 



Whoever wears cloth trimmed with gold, silve: 

 or bone lace, above two shillings by the yard, sha! 

 be presented by the grand jurors, and the select 

 men shall tax the offender at £300 estate. 



A debtor in prison, swearing he has no eslatf 

 shall be let out, and sold, to make satisfaction. 



Whoever brings cards or dice into this Domin 

 ion shall pay a fine of £5. 



No priest shall abide in the Dominion: he sha! 

 be banished, and suffer death on his return. 



Priests may be seized by any one without a wai 

 rant. 



No one shall read common prayer, keep ChrisI 

 mas or Saints' days, make minced pies, dance, pla 

 cards, or play on any instrument of music, excef 

 the drum, trumpet, and jewsharp. 



No man shall court a maid in person, or by let 

 ter, witliout first obtaining consent of her parents 

 £5 penalty for the first oftence ; £10 for the sec 

 ond ; and for the third, imprisonment during th 

 pleasure of the Court. 



Married persons must live together or be impriE 

 oned. 



Every male shall have his haircut round accord 

 ing to a cap. 



Of such sort %vere the laws made by the peopl 

 of New Haven, previous to their incorporation wit 

 Saybrook and Hartford colonies by the charter.— 

 They consist of a vast multitude, and were ver 

 properly termed Blue Laws, i. e. bloody laws ; fo 

 they were all sanctified with excommunication, cor 

 fiscation, fines, banishment, whippings, cutting o 

 the ears, burning the tongue, and death. 



Useless Ornaments The New Orleans Pica 



yune has the following sensible touch at the cock 

 ney taste, or rather want of taste, which induce 

 some people to load themselves with gimcrack or 

 naments. It says — 



" We have about as high an opinion of the intel 

 lect of an Indian squaw who coils beads around he 

 neck, or the good sense of an African who suspend 

 brass rings from his nasal organ, as we have of th 

 brainless fop who voluntarily enters the chain ganj 

 and encumbers his person with baubles. Does 

 chain of gold, or one of diamonds, give brillianc; 

 to the eye ? Does a broach of stained glass, th 

 size of a carriage window, even though it be cor 

 nelian, add a tint to a blush of the cheek ? Th' 

 custom of wearing a superfluity of such gewgav 

 trinkets is abominable, and displays anything bu 

 good taste — particularly republican taste. He wh' 

 is a slave of G-by-4 inch breast pins, watch chain 

 like the tiller rope of a Mississippi steamboat, or fin 

 ger rings that would enchain a culprit, is, in ou 

 opinion, deficient of the necessary weight of braim 

 — a man with a partially finished attic story." 



The best capital. — We hear much said in thes( 

 days about capital — money capital — but the best o 

 all capital for the young to start with in the work 

 is a good moral character. This is but little talked of 



THE KEVV ENGLAKD PARMEK 



Is pubiishcd every Wednesday Evening, at S3 per annun 

 payable at the end of t!ie year — but those who pay willni 

 siitydays fromlhetimeof subscribing are entitled to a cie 

 duclioiiof 58 cents. 



DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTIBS, 

 n senooL STR.'iET.....Boeiu-s 



