June, 1858. AECTIC HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES. 131 



visible was sawed off and taken to England. 

 It is most probable that the vessel was either 

 H.M.S. 'Intrepid' or 'Pioneer,' as two months 

 later, and 250 miles further south, the ' Eesolute' 

 was picked up. About two or three years ago, 

 Captain Deuchars lost his ship, the ' Princess 

 Charlotte,' in Melville Bay. It was a beautiful 

 morning ; they had almost reached the North 

 Water, and were anticipating a very successful 

 voyage ; the steward had just reported break- 

 fast ready, when Captain Deuchars, seeing the 

 floes closing together ahead of the ship, re- 

 mained on deck to see her pass safely between 

 them, but they closed too quickly ; the vessel 

 was almost through, when the points of ice 

 caught her sides abreast of the mizenmast, and, 

 passing through, held the wreck up for a few 

 minutes, barely long enough for the crew to 

 escape and save their boats ! Poor Deuchars 

 thus suddenly lost his breakfast and his ship ; 

 within ten minutes her royal yards disappeared 

 beneath the surface. How closely danger besets 

 the Arctic cruiser, yet how insidiously ; every- 

 thing looks so bright, so calm, so still, that it 

 requires positive experience to convince one 

 that ice only a very few inches, perhaps only 

 three or four inches, above water, perfectly level, 

 and moving extremely slow, could possibly en- 



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