January, 1844.
"On the 15th of January, 1844, at which time H.M.S. 'Pelican' was
lying in the Ningpo River, on the north-eastern coast of China, a
seaman, named Joseph White, while working in the main-rigging, missed
his hold, and fell overboard. Lieut. Robert C. Whyte, senior of that
ship, in the most gallant manner, instantly jumped after him, with
his clothes on; and, although the man had sunk twice, and was
actually swept by the rapidity of the tide under the bow of a large
Chinese boat, succeeded in saving him. It was the greatest chance
that Lieut. Whyte's life was not sacrificed in this his gallant
attempt. From the well-known rapid tide, and dangerous undertow in
the large rivers of China, particularly the Ningpo, it had always
been supposed that any person falling overboard would inevitably have
been drowned; and so strong was this opinion on board, which was well
known to Lieut. Whyte at the time, that the ship's company had always
refrained from bathing during the fine seasons.
"This was the second time in which Lieut. Whyte succeeded in saving
this seaman's life, and the third man he had saved within a very few
months."