easily leap over them, the sledge following without danger, they are only terrible to new comers inexperienced in the peculiarities of Labrador travelling.

As soon as the sun declined towards the west, the wind increased and rose to a storm, the bank of clouds from the east began to ascend, and the dark streaks to put themselves in motion against the wind. The snow was violently driven about. by partial whirlwinds, both on the ice, and from off the peaks of the high mountains, and filled the air. At the same time, the ground-swell had increased so much, that its effect upon the ice became very extraordinary and alarming. The sledges, instead of gliding smoothly upon an even surface, sometimes ran with violence after the dogs, and shortly after seemed with difficulty, to ascend the rising hill, for the elasticity of so vast a body of ice, of many leagues square, supported by a troubled sea, though in some places three or four yards in thickness, would, in some degree, occasion an undulatory motion, not unlike that of a sheet of paper accommodating itself to the surface of a rippling stream. Noises were now likewise distinctly heard in many directions, like the report of cannon, owing to the bursting of the ice at some distance.

The Esquimaux therefore drove with all haste to the shore, intending to take up their night quarters on the south side of the Vivak. But, as it plainly appeared that the ice would break, and disperse in the open sea, Mark advised to put forward to the north of Vivak, from whence he hoped the track to Okkak might still remain entire. To this proposal the company agreed, but when the sledges approached the coast, the prospect before them was truly terrific. The ice having broken loose from the rocks, was forced up and down, grinding and breaking into a thousand pieces against the precipices with a tremendous noise, which, added to the raging of the wind, and the snow driving about in the air, deprived the travellers almost of the power of hearing and seeing any thing distinctly. To make the land at any risk, was now the only hope left, but it was with the utmost difficulty the frightened dogs could be forced forward, the whole body of ice sinking frequently below the surface of the rocks, then rising above it. As the only moment to land, was that, when it gained the level of the coast, the attempt was extremely nice and hazardous. However, by God's mercy, it succeeded, both sledges gained the shore, and were drawn up the beach with much difficulty.

The travellers had hardly time to reflect with gratitude to God on their safety, when that part of the ice, from which they had just now made good their landing, burst asunder, and

the water forcing itself from below, covered and precipitated it into the sea. In an instant, as if by a signal given, the whole mass of ice extending for several miles from the coast, and as far as the eye could reach, began to burst and to be overwhelmed by the immense waves. The sight was tremendous and awfully grand, the large fields of ice raising themselves out of the water, striking against each other, and plunging into the deep, with a violence not to be described, and a noise like the discharge of innumerable batteries of heavy guns. The darkness of the night, the roaring of the wind and sea, and the dashing of the waves and ice against the rocks, filled the travellers with such sensations of awe and horror, as almost to deprive them of the power of utterance. They stood overwhelmed with astonishment at their miraculous escape, and even the heathenish Esquimaux expressed gratitude to God for their deliverance.

The Esquimaux now began to build a snow house about thirty paces from the beach, but before they had finished their work, the waves reached the place where the sledges were secured, and they were with difficulty saved from being washed into the sea.

BUYING LOTTERY TICKETS.

For the Magazine.

A Lecture before the Boston Young Men's Society, on the subject of Lotteries. Delivered March 12, 1833. By George William Gordon. Boston. Temperance, press. Ford & Damerell. pp. 79.

Yankees generally, have the credit of being too shrewd, to be easily cheated. And yet Yankees will buy lottery tickets! When I was a school boy, pin lotteries were quite in fashion, and when some young germ of a gambler, had brought out his imposing scheme of pin prizes before the school, all our mathematical talents were called into exercise, to see if the amount of pins to be paid out in prizes, nearly equalled the amount received in payment for the tickets. And if, perchance, it was found that the scheme presented an unfair proportion between the receipts and the expenditures, the whole play ground resounded with murmurs at the contemplated fraud. "Why!" some little fellow would exclaim, eloquent in earnestness, "I

would not buy a ticket in that lottery. All the prizes together will not come to more than one hundred and fifty pins, and the sale of the tickets will amount to five hundred." There was absolutely no standing this. With such a scheme, the juvenile lottery broker could find no sale for his wares. Some of the dupes of modern lotteries, might have learnt a salutary lesson, from the scrutiny and the shrewdness which was daily manifested, by this noisy group of incipient gamblers. For with all the bad influences we received from such scenes, we did learn not to embark our property in a lottery, until we had carefully examined the scheme. The largest prize which I ever drew, was fifty pins, and I really thought that fortune had marked me out as her peculiar favorite. I was perfectly intoxicated with delight, as I gambolled home with both sleeves glittering with my treasure. But, alas! like all other unfortunate winners, my success only enticed me to purchase more extensively till my whole stock was exhausted, and mother's pin-papers had been robbed of some scores into the bargain.

Although, in real life, persons are often found sufficiently shrewd and unprincipled, to cheat others with their spurious and deceitful schemes; it is always very certain that they will not be caught buying any tickets themselves. They know too much. They may make the large bow-window glitter with huge figures to catch the eye, and laugh as they see you gaze in stupid admiration, at the picture of the fabled goddess, showering dollars about her. And they may laugh still more loudly, as they pocket your money, and see you pocket your blank. It is a fair bargain they will say. If you are simpleton enough to pay five dollars for one chance in forty or fifty thousand, of drawing a high prize, why, it is your own choice, and the money is theirs, and the chance yours. But you may be assured, they will not reverse the tables, and let the money be yours and the chance theirs.

Yet after all, there is some strange infatuation about this business. A man who gets fairly into the vice of gaming, is hurried along, in defiance of his better judgment; in defiance of wide gaping misery, to irretrievable ruin. The lottery gamester, unless he has unusual self-control, is soon involved in the same delusion, in which he is endeavoring to bewilder others. Unless he has uncommon power to keep cool, in his ruinous frauds, he soon catches the distemper himself, and suffers and perishes with his own victims.

When the scheme of a lottery is presented to the public, how can the purchaser know that it is an honest exhibition of the scheme? The managers live in New-York,

VOL. I.

7

The very

or Rhode Island. You know not who they are. fact, that they are engaged in such business, is presumptive evidence that they are not honest and honorable men. The scheme promises a large number of prizes. How do you know that there will be half that number? The lottery is drawn some hundred miles from you, and you are simply informed that you have drawn a blank, and that, is the only comforting information you receive. There may be the number of prizes which were announced, or there may not be; but ninety-nine of the purchasers of the tickets, out of a hundred, have no possible means of ascertaining. Now who would think that Yankees, proverbial as they are for their intelligence and foresight, could be so gulled. A scheme got up in this style would have found no mercy in our school. We should have thought a boy deserved to be hooted from the play-ground, who showed himself to be such a simpleton as to purchase a ticket in a scheme so inexplicable and suspicious.

It is an unheard of novelty, that there is truth in gambling. But even upon the supposition, that the published scheme exhibits the truth, any person may see at once, that it is the very madness of folly, to embark in such enterprizes. Examine as a specimen, the scheme of any lottery which is or has been before the public. Mr. Gordon, who has done the community an invaluable service, by the pamphlet he has issued upon this subject, presents the scheme of a late New-York lottery, as a fair average specimen. The scheme is as follows:—

NEW-YORK CONSOLIDATED LOTTERY.

YATES & M'INTYRE, MANAGERS. 66 No. Lottery................10 Drawn Ballots. Wholes $5-Halves $2,50—Quarters $1,25.

Now it will be perceived, that in this scheme, the facts most important to be known are omitted entirely. The ordinary purchaser cannot tell the number of tickets, and consequently, can form no calculation as to his chance of loss or gain. The initiated in this "mystery of iniquity," read in the obscure char

acters

"66 No. LOTTERY.........10 DRAWN BALLOTS."

That the number of tickets, is, professedly, 45,760. But there is not one in a hundred, who understands this. And of those who do, how few can tell whether there is opportunity for undetected fraud? In this scheme the sum total of the prizes, is $183,040. But it is ever to be remembered, that in paying these prizes, 15 cents is deducted from every dollar. Consequently, the amount of prizes paid is but $145,584. Now, what sum of money is paid for the miserable chance of getting one of these prizes. Why, it is no less than $228,800. Thus after all the prizes are paid out, there is $83,216, taken from your pockets, to fill the pockets of those who are laughing in contempt, to see how easily you are gulled. You pay five dollars for a ticket, hoping to draw the highest prize. And then only 45,760 chances against you! What a shrewd calculator of chances the purchaser of lottery tickets must be! Only ninety-four out of every hundred who adventured in the above lottery, lost the whole or a part of their money! What an inviting speculation! And is it not strange that any man of common sense, can be so abominably wheedled? To be sure, it is a very pleasant thing for a few men to get up a lottery, and collect some hundred thousand dollars to cheer their own pockets; and there is hardly any laboring man, but can afford to give his five dollars to help them swell their purses. And if he has a mind to do so, very well; only I say, he is no Yankee. A common pedlar might put off on such a man, his whole store of wooden nutmegs, and tin razors. But, wretched as your chance is, even upon the supposition, that the published scheme is true, your chance in reality, is still more miserable, for you do not know, and cannot tell, that the scheme is faithfully followed. There may be an hundred thousand tickets sold. There may not be one half the published prizes. How can the purchaser tell? The extreme improbability of obtaining any large prize, is as evident from past experience, as from the above calculation. Says a New-York broker-"I have been in the lottery business upwards of twenty-three years; and in the course of that time, I suppose I have had upwards of thirty thousand tickets, which remained unsold, drawn to me in the lotteries