Spirit, he was brought to see himself a sinner; so much so, that when about eleven years of age he said to his mother, "Oh, mother! I am dead." On being asked what he meant, he replied, "I am dead in trespasses and sins." This amiable youth was beloved by all his schoolmates, attentive to his studies, and it is said never received a reprimand from his tutor. He had the happy art of entwining himself around the hearts of all who knew him; and, from the inquiries made of his parents, friends, schoolmates, and domestics, he was never known out of temper; and, if experience did not give verity to revelation, that "the carnal mind is enmity against God," he might, with the Pharisee, have thanked God that he was not as other men, and, like him, have despised the humble and the pious. But the blandishments of morality could not hide from the searching power of the Spirit, those seeds of corruption that lie deep in the human heart. Although the picture may be finished to the moralist, yet to him who enjoys A liberty of heart derived from the Spirit of Grace, all the graces. of this amiable youth are but sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, without love, without salvation by grace, through faith in the merits of Jesus Christ. In the year 1820, our brother (not yet thirteen) visited a campmeeting in this circuit, with his father, who had a year previous embraced religion and attached himself to the Methodist church. It was a time of the mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God: perhaps as many as sixty souls were brought from darkness to light, and to taste the sweets of redeeming love. If God saw as man, convicting grace never would have warned young Spencer. If the maladies of the heart were not as universal as humanity, this youth would have needed no Physician, for he had kept the law from childhood; but he lacked one thing, he wanted love to God. During the meeting he saw himself in a new light, wretched, miserable, blind, and naked, owing ten thousand talents, and nothing to pay. He was brought to the foot of the cross, believing there is no other name given under heaven whereby men may be saved but the name of Jesus Christ. And he then pleaded for pardon until his Saviour became the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. From that period love to God and man continually reigned in his heart. Religion gave a calmness and benignity to his actions, a lamblike humility to his deportment, and a resigned expression to his countenance, which declared that he was adopted into the heavenly family. He was in constant pursuit of holiness, and so eircumspect was he in his conduct, that he perhaps never in more than one instance, though often tempted to it by others, spoke ill of any one. For about three years previous to his death he had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He first joined the class at Centreville, though for about a year and a half he had been a member of the Upperville class, where he has left a void which, in the estimation of his classmates, never can be filled by any one like him. In travelling round the circuit I have heard many persons speak of him, and they all, with one accord, say, such a youth they never expect to see again. For some time he was convinced the Lord had called him to the ministry, and was preparing himself to enter the itinerant connexion. He had acquired a knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages, and expected soon to commence the Hebrew, upon the acquirement of which he intended to offer himself to the Baltimore conference as an itinerant preacher. For the last two years he has attended different campmeetings, and manifested his love to souls by the most arduous and unceasing exertions. And, though so young, I have little doubt his crown is brightened with souls he has been instrumental in bringing from darkness to light. Thus have we followed this pious youth until we come near to the last moments of his life. In the bloom of youth, in the morning of his existence, when his cheek was blushing with health, did the fell destroyer come. Our brother had left his school to see his mother, who was ill, where he remained until herself and child had partially recovered from the same disease that proved fatal to him. Scarcely had his mother and brother began to recover than he was taken with the same disease. The same medicines were used in his case that were successful in restoring other members of the family, but on him they had no effect. Week after week passed and he still became more feeble; and, after five weeks of constant confinement to his bed, this dear youth left this, for another and a better world. During this time he never uttered a murmur, but would say, "He was resigned: if God saw best to take him he was willing to go." Some days previous to his death his disease changed and ended in the typhus fever. His sufferings were great; but great as they were he never, for a moment, doubted his acceptance with God. When he was so weak that his friends thought it impossible, he sung, with a clear voice, a hymn, and those who heard it said it had a heavenly sound. He delivered an exhortation that filled them with amazement, while it melted them to tears. When he called on the name of Jesus, there was a melody in the sound that would have reached the hardest heart. When requested by his physician not to exhaust his strength by talking, he looked at him as if interrupted, and said, "Oh, doctor, don't talk to me about strength now." And. while the cold hand of death was palsying his mortal faculties, his soul was in rapturous enjoyments. Some of his last words were, "Jesus gives me love, he gives me peace;" and lifting his eyes to heaven, exclaimed, "Oh for a sweet refreshing shower," smiled and died. MISCELLANEOUS. EXPEDITION TO THE POLAR REGIONS. In the last voyage of capt. Parry sufficient reasons are advanced to favour the supposition, that a western portion of the Polar sea lies at no great distance across Melville peninsula, from Repulse bay: all the Esquimaux agree in placing it at three days' journey. To determine this question, and then to examine the eastern part of the north coast of North America, from the western shore of Melville peninsula to the point at which capt. Franklin's journey terminated, was the service assigned by the lords of the Admiralty to capt. Lyon, in his Majesty's ship Griper. It was designed that the ship should winter in Repulse bay, and that in the spring of 1825, the captain, and a part of his brave associates, should proceed across the peninsula, and endeavour to trace the shores of the Polar sea, up to the point already mentioned. On the 10th of June, 1824, the Griper was towed from Deptford, and on the 10th of November ran into Portsmouth harbour, without having accomplished the object of her voyage. During this short interval, the ship's company were exposed to perils of the most appalling description, the accounts of which will be read with the deepest interest as long as the northern expedition is remembered. The narrative of captain Lyon, detail- lication, some parts of which are Passage up Hudson's strait. At daylight, on the 12th of August, we had driven considerably, owing to the smallness of our floe, but no other was found of a greater size. Standing along side in the forenoon, and lamenting to one of the officers the want of amusing incident, so much required while lying helpless in the ice, we suddenly saw an Esquimaux close at hand, and paddling very quietly towards us. He required but little encouragement to land, and having hauled his boat up on the ice, immediately began to barter the little fortune he carried in his kayak. I was happy to find that he understood me perfectly, and that he spoke, in a great measure, the same dialect as our friends at Igloolik: a fact we were before unable to ascertain from our total ignorance of the Esquimaux language, when we first saw the natives of the Savage islands. new acquaintance was called Kéé My põõng-ai-li, and he anxiously ask- not discourage him. Amongst ed my name, a custom never other things he robbed me of my omitted by Esquimaux on meeting handkerchief, and was particulara stranger,-until he remembered ly amused when I discovered his it perfectly. He was extremely roguery; for which I thought a urgent that we should carry the box on the ear would have acted ship to the shore; and with very as a warning; but I afterwards excusable anxiety at finding him- found that he had crept on board, self alone, expressed impatience and was carrying off a bag of seafor the arrival of others of his men's clothes: a grand prize, for tribe, many of whom, he said, the retention of which he made a were coming off. most violent stand, until I succeeded in tumbling him over the side. The generality of the others behaved pretty well, and traded fairly, each woman producing her stores from a neat little skin bag, which was distinguished by our men by the name a 'ridicule, than which I conceive it to be a far more respectable appendage. Our visiters did not possess many curiosities, and were certainly not so rich as we had found them on our former voyage; the chief articles in which they bartered being their weapons and clothes. A few seal, deer, and hare skins, with those also of young dogs, mice, and birds, were the other articles of commerce; and a very few ivory toys, with seahorse teeth of a small size, completed the assortment. A new variety of comb was also purchased, and I procured a mirror, composed of a broad plate of black mica, so fitted into a leathern case as to be seen on either side. Our trading had continued some time before we discovered four small puppies in the women's boats, and they were, of course, immediately purchased, as an incipient team for future operations. In half an hour our visiters amounted to about sixty persons, in eight kayaks, or men's, and three oomiaks, or women's boats; which latter had stood out to us under one lug-sail, composed of the transparent intestines of the walrus. As the females approached they shouted with all their might, and we were not so deficient in gallantry as to be silent on such an occasion; for the specimen-collectors were happy to observe that our fair visiters wore immense mittens of delicate white hare-skin, trimmed in the palms with the jetty feathers of the breast of the dovekie. The boats being all hauled on the ice,-Babel was let loose. On our former voyage, being myself a novice in the country, I was not aware, in the excitation of the moment, of the noise we all made, but being now well acquainted with the vociferous people who were visiting us, I quietly witnessed the present interview, and am convinced that it is not possible to give any idea of the raving and screaming which prevailed for a couple of hours. Some of the natives, however, were not so violently overpowered by their joyous sensations, as to forget that they came to improve their fortunes; and one most expert fellow succeeded pretty well in picking pockets: an occupation from which frequent detection did The acquisition of these little. animals reminded us of our own live stock on board, and the pigs and ponies were accordingly exhibited to a few natives, who were called on deck for the occasion; but they drew back from the little length made it difficult of pronunhorses with evident signs of fear, ciation, repeating it quicker each while the squeaking of the pigs, time that I asked to hear it again. in their struggles to escape from He informed me that muskoxen, those who held them, added not a deer, and the usual sea-animals little to the surprise of the mo- abounded there, as well as fish, ment. A safe retreat for a few which, from the description, I yards, however, re-assured our should suppose to be salmon. visiters, when a loud laugh and Kee-põõng-ai-li appeared much shout announced their satisfction amused when I informed him that at having seen two new species of I had seen "In-nŭ*” last year, and that their country was very far Tooktoo: (rein-deer.) off: but when I mentioned "Shadlermioo,t" he seemed perfectly acquainted with the name; and pointing to the northwest, said, "They live there." Before my informant left me, I exchanged an ash paddle, and some other useful articles, for his own oar, which was neatly constructed of several pieces of wood, and edged with ivory. As a lake of water was seen in shore at noon, we were under the necessity of bidding our visiters adieu; yet such was their desire to remain with us, that when we left the floe, our people who attended the hawsers escaped with difficulty into the boat, from the friendly, and not very ceremonious struggle which was made to detain them. In the tumult of our trading, I My last purchase, at parting, was the ingeniously constructed observed that the natives took no sail of a woman's boat, which was heed as to whether the ice struck gladly bartered for a knife. This their boats or not: and I accordwas nine feet five inches at the ingly held one of ours in readiness head, by only six feet at the foot, to be lowered in case of accidents. and having a dip of thirteen feet. This was scarcely done when all The gut of which it was composed the native boats were actually was in four-inch breadths, neatly towed over one poor fellow in sewed with thread of the same consequence of his obstinacy in material; and the whole sail only holding on, although he saw, and weighed three pounds three quar- had been warned of his danger. I ters. As we stood in for the land instantly went after him, and all the kayaks accompanied us for his countrymen, with more humasome time; and when every thing nity than I had seen displayed on had been sold, a couple of them a similar occasion, shoved off also lay quietly towing along side. One to his assistance, one picking up of the men was Kee-põõng-ai-li, his spears, another his paddle, and he informed me that the whole of his tribe, with the exception of the old and sick, who were not numerous, had been off with every boat in their possession. Their settlement was in the bay immediately behind the north bluff; but I could not obtain the name of the place, owing to the wittiness of my friend, who, observing that its &c., while he, without appearing lence. A contemptuous term applied by Esquimaux to any others who are not of their own tribe. |