At 8 o’clock on the morning of the 6th we hove up our anchor, got under
weigh, and, with a fair wind, stood down the river--leaving Hobartown
in the distance--bound on another long cruise to the westward.
But before I take leave of Hobartown, I must acknowledge the general
welcome and hospitality with which we were greeted and treated by
its inhabitants, who seemed very desirous to add their contributions
to make our time whilst in their harbor pass pleasantly. The mere
fact of our being Americans was a passport to their good opinion.
Although, when we are absent, they jeer at our national peculiarities,
and lay great stress upon “guess” and “calculate,” yet they are all
suavity when in our company. Away from home the whole of our people
are known as Yankees, whether hailing from the northern, southern,
eastern, or western section of our Union. Being an American, as far
as my experience goes, is indeed a passport to civility amongst the
inhabitants of all these penal colonies. Though the greater part of
these people have been banished from Europe for their violation of
the laws of their native country, nevertheless, they still consider
themselves to be the injured party, and view England as a great
oppressor, by whose peculiar societary organization her subjects are
urged on to evil; and therefore they say, as such, they have neither
regard nor respect for her. I noticed that the military band were
continually playing, God save the Queen; but I saw nothing of that
affection for the sovereign, which the English papers are forever
rehearsing, as being an inherent principle in the British composition.
Respect for her virtues, as a woman, they readily yield; but these
people have a vague idea of republicanism, that will eventually cost
Great Britain her Australian colonies; although self-government among
such a people will undoubtedly be productive of little else than
anarchy and disorder. The discordant elements composing the population
need a thorough alternative, ere they can hope to form a government in
any way resembling our Union of the West; and from my own impressions,
drawn from an observation of both the higher and lower classes of
society, I should say that it would require all the abattoirs of
Paris,--which extend, I forget how many miles, and render it the most
thoroughly drained city in the world,--as an outlet for the moral
corruption of this country.
And now I must touch briefly on Van Dieman’s Land business-operations.
Yankee cuteness in bargaining has became a proverb, but I doubt whether
the sharpest of the speculators from the land of wooden nutmegs could
outdo the sharpers found here. Long before we passed the Iron Pot
light, a boat, containing a couple of speculators, came alongside, and
her passengers jumped aboard of us. (One of their names, by the way,
was Smart, and he sustained the aptitude of his cognomen to the best
of his ability.) We purchased a boat of them, which, after we were
outside, was found to be much worn, and the crevices filled with putty
and neatly painted, so as to defy detection. The potatoes, bought for
first-rate, were very ordinary; and the salt-meat, ten tierces of which
had been bought for corned beef--being represented as having been but
a short time out of pickle--was fairly white with an encrustation of
salt, which no amount of soaking would remove: being ten times more
saline than that which we had brought from home twenty-four months
previously. This meat, when opened, was not, like ours, of a rich red
and yellow hue, but of a sickly pink and white, which may have been
owing to the absence of saltpetre in the pickle. It was quite fat; but
the fat was like suet, and eatable only whilst warm; wanting the rich,
pleasant taste of the fat on our own meat. The epicure may laugh at my
expression of “rich taste,” applied to a piece of salt-junk; but let
him do, as I have done, after hours of fatiguing night-duty--when his
system is almost prostrated from exposure to wind and weather--go down
to his messpan, get a piece of fat beef, a cake of hard bread, and a
raw onion, (if he is fortunate enough to possess the latter,) and then
go on deck, and munch it, then, I think, he will find the taste of it
rich, grateful and pleasant.
Before I go farther, I must relate a New Zealand adventure, which
escaped my notice whilst writing of that delectable coast, and as it is
one of the few incidents of my voyage with which a woman is connected,
it would not be just for me to omit it: it was as follows. One night
whilst we lay in Milford Haven Bay, one of the owners of the schooner
Eliza approached me very mysteriously, and asked the privilege of a few
minutes conversation with me. Of course I acquiesced, wondering at the
motive for his request. I was soon enlightened. He stated that in the
settlement where he lived, at Jacob’s River Bluff, at the extremity
of the middle island, their former physician, who for many years
had practised in the vicinity, had died, and they, therefore, were
without medical attention. Having heard my shipmates call me Doctor,
and discovering, upon inquiry, that I had dabbled somewhat in physic
at home, he made up his mind that I was an expert practitioner, and
the idea entered his head to secure me as a resident at the Bluff. He
stated the matter to me, assuring me of a remunerative practice, and,
as a further inducement offered me one of his daughters as a wife.
He represented her as a beautiful half-caste girl--and I found, upon
inquiry, that he did her but justice. I was both amused and surprised
at the ardor with which he urged the matter, and did not give him a
final answer, wishing to draw him out. The old fellow thought that he
had me safe, when I deemed it time to put a stop to it, and informed
him that my engagements to the owners of our ship were of so urgent a
nature that I could not leave without the captain’s full consent. He
assured me that there would be no difficulty about that, if I would but
give _my_ consent to the matter; he would stow me away so that no one
would be able to find me, and at the end of their cruise carry me to
the Bluff. Of course I could not consent to this, although every time
he renewed his solicitations, he enjoined on me to remember the gal.
I certainly should have liked to have formed an acquaintance with her,
but I had too many ties at home to forget and forsake my country. This
old fellow was an English man-of-war’s man who had deserted from his
ship in the early days of the settlement of the island, and marrying a
native woman, had reared a family of handsome and interesting children.
His code of morals was not of the highest standard, neither was his
sense of duty as a parent, or he would not have wished to dispose of
his daughter so summarily without her consent; but then he may have
been fully acquainted with her wishes, and I was assured that these
girls consider it as a great honor to secure an American husband. In
proof of this I will relate the adventures of a townsman of mine. He
sailed from New Bedford in a whaler, deserted at Bravo, one of the
Cape De Verde Islands, contracted some sort of a marriage with one of
the Portuguese girls there, became tired of her, and shipped aboard
a second New Bedford ship bound to the South Seas. She cruised off
New Zealand, and then proceeded to the Australian Bight. Whilst in
these latitudes, this young man fell from the maintop into the waist
boat, and displaced his ribs. A few days after the accident we fell in
with her, and I went aboard and set them. We saw no more of the ship
or him for a long time, when one day, whilst we were gammoning with
the Colonial ship Pacific, I was surprised at seeing the self-same
individual step aboard from her boat, well and hearty, having perfectly
recovered from his injury. He told me that being weak for some time
after he was hurt, his captain had left him ashore at Stewart’s
Island, with sufficient for all his wants, promising to call at a
certain time. The ship not making her appearance at the stated period,
and being perfectly recovered, he became weary of inactivity, and on
the Pacific’s touching at the island, he joined her, throwing away
several hundred dollars which were his proportion of his former ships
(the Alexander) earnings. The Alexander touched at the island a few
weeks after, but found the bird flown, to the captain’s regret, as
the missing individual was one of his most useful men. He continued
in the Pacific for five or six months, and on her touching a second
time at the island, deserted from her and married the girl whom the
cooper was desirous that I should mate with. Thus this youngster,
scarce arrived at manhood, had, in the course of two years, left his
home, and been a member of three ships, married twice, and at the last
account of him was snugly anchored in an out of the way nook in the
South Pacific, thousands of miles from his kindred, who know nothing
of his whereabouts, neither are they likely to, without, amongst his
other freaks, he should attempt that of returning home. Thus it is,
a free life on the salt water certainly engenders this unsettled,
roving tendency. A sailor considering himself at home in every clime;
well-knowing that however little employment there may be for other
professions, the ways of commerce will always supply him with a berth
sufficient to provide for all his wants. The better the seaman,
generally, the more wild and reckless are his frolics; never learning
wisdom, or staying his rollicking career, until the blue waves of old
ocean close over his sinking form, or he is hove down in some foreign
hospital, a prey to disease brought on by his own imprudence. His life
ebbs out, amongst strangers, when, if at home, his sick couch would be
surrounded by kind friends, or, perhaps, a fond mother or sister, who,
at the dictates of affection, would minister to his dying wants, and
smooth his dreary passage with all the comforts procurable by affection.
But I must resume the legitimate course of my log, which was
interrupted, I believe, as we were making our way down the Derwent. By
night we were outside and beating up for the Southwest Cape. There,
on Sunday the 9th, we sighted sperm whales. We lowered away, and in
about an hour had one snugly moored alongside. The following day we
cut him in despite a gale of wind; fortunately, saving the whale. On
the following Wednesday we saw another school of whales, but, after
chasing all day, gave up the pursuit as hopeless. As soon as we were
done boiling, the James Allen hove in sight, having left Hobartown
several days after we sailed. They informed us that after we left, her
cooper, and one of her boatsteerers deserted, having been enticed away
by the smiles of some of Hobartown’s syrens. They also stated that the
Prince Regent had arrived, and brought news of our missing boat’s crew.
That, a few days after our leaving the coast of New Zealand, they came
alongside the Prince Regent and begged for provisions and some water,
saying that they had been lying in a bay a short distance South of
Milford Haven, waiting for our departure from the coast. Those who saw
them said that they were emaciated and woe-begone to a painful degree.
The captain of the Prince Regent, who, both with his own countrymen
and strangers, bears the unenviable notoriety of being a niggard,
refused to give them a single thing. They left him and went alongside
a Maurii schooner, where their wants were supplied--the semi-civilized
man, who is sneered at by his more polished cotemporary, displaying
the most humanity. Afterward they were seen to go into Open Bay, take
aboard several men who had deserted from the Lady Emma, and direct
their boat to the northward, where we will leave them, until, in the
due course of the narrative, their further exploits are developed.
On the 15th the sun arose amid a pretty fresh gale of wind. Directly
after breakfast we sighted sperm whales. The weather looked rather
dubious; but we wanted oil very bad--so down went our boats and after
them. They were slightly to windward of us, and it was impossible to
force our boats to the weather, in the teeth of both sea and wind, so,
at 10 o’clock, the boats returned aboard. At 11 we tried it again; at
12 again returned, ate dinner, and, not at all discouraged by the two
preceding failures, at two o’clock dropped our boats a third time,
after having beat up with the ship to windward of the school. The
third attempt proved successful, and, fortunately, the fish struck ran
but very little, and was easily disposed of. Some idea may be formed
of the hardships of the whaleman’s life, from a recountal of this
day’s work. During the whole time that the boats were down, the rain
descended in torrents, and the sea was so rugged that it was only by
incessant bailing that the boats were kept from swamping. Added to
this, the weather was quite cool, and the wind was at such a height
that double-reefed topsails were all the ship would hear; yet, despite
all this, the brave fellows, when they came aboard, although chilled
through and wet to the skin, made light of the difficulties, and stated
their willingness and even eagerness to encounter the same hardships
again for another whale. The wind continuing, we had a troublesome
job the next day in getting him aboard. The following Wednesday, as
if fortune was determined to make us some reparation for the former
sparsity of her favors, we again saw whales, captured one and got him
all aboard the same day--making over two hundred barrels of sperm
oil taken by us in ten days. The James Allen was in sight of us when
we captured the last two, and had the same chance; her miscarrying,
therefore, can be attributed only to the fact of her boats’ crews being
unaccustomed to boat duty, and unable to compete with ours--her old
crew being pretty nearly all gone, and her boats now manned by men who
never saw a whale before. I think that this should be a sufficient
inducement for whaling captains to treat their crews well, so as to
retain them, when, at the end of two years, they make a good port, they
may not have an inefficient, almost helpless crew, instead of able
hands to do their behests.
The next Sunday, unlike the two preceding ones, was a day of rest--on
one of the former being engaged in whaling, and on the next in
cutting-in. Being a line day we gammoned with the James Allen; whilst
so employed, we noticed a brig to leeward with her colors set at the
mizzen-peak. At first, little attention was paid to her; but the
colors continuing set, we squared our yards and ran off to her. She
proved to be the brig Julia, of Hobartown, five months out, with
twenty-eight tons of sperm oil. Her reason for showing her colors
was, that she had on board a boat’s crew, who, with two other boats’
crews, now ashore in the vicinity, belonging to the brig Maid of Erin,
of Hobartown, separated from their vessel, having lowered for whales
just at nightfall, and lost sight of the brig in their eagerness to
capture whales. There was no one aboard the Maid of Erin, except a few
inexperienced hands, and the boat’s crew expressed their apprehensions
of some casualty to her, should it come on to blow. What the result was
I never learned, as a short time afterward we left the cape, proceeding
northward to Kangaroo Island. Seeing no whales, we changed our course
to the westward, passing the Recherche Islands, and having a fine view
of Pollock’s Reef--a dangerous line of rocks, a long distance from the
main land, extending for several miles, over which the sea roars and
tumbles in huge broken masses, impressing the beholder with a sense
of danger as he gazes upon it. Just before reaching this locality we
saw right whales, but could get nowhere near them. Soon afterward
we gammoned the ship Lapwing, of New Bedford; she brought letters
from home for us, but gave them to the Alexander, supposing that we
still remained off New Zealand. Whilst gammoning with her, a line of
dangerous reefs was sighted close to us, and, during the night and
following day, we carried sail to get a wide berth from it, and ran the
old ship into a school of sperm whales. We lowered away our boats. The
second mate fastened, and the whale sounded, taking out most of his
line; the third mate ran down and attached his line to it, just in the
nick of time, and saved the whale. The whales in this vicinity plunge
and sound deeply, when first struck. Half an hour previous to the
second mate’s fastening, the first mate struck a fellow that carried
off all his line.
About this time a curious malady affected a number of our crew, the
seeds of which were sown by exposure to the rains and damp air of
the South Pacific. It resembled inflammatory rheumatism, causing
excruciating pains in the joints, and resisting all application of
medicine. I experienced the affection myself. Having heard of the
marvellous efficacy of the oil extracted from the liver of the sun
fish, I urged the necessity of procuring some of the article; the
captain, coinciding with me, lowered away a boat and captured a sun
fish. It was a most curious creature, almost without shape; in weight,
I think it would exceed five hundred pounds; it had no scales and no
flukes; the after portion of the body appearing as if unfinished; on
each side was a long narrow fin. The skin was of a brown color, and as
rough as sandpaper. The eye was most beautiful, and the largest and
clearest of any creature’s that I ever saw. The bones were soft, and on
being exposed to the sun gradually melted away. The flesh is prepared
with vinegar and makes excellent eating. The oil, extracted from the
liver by expression in the sun, is of a reddish color, and fœtid smell.
It proved of great service to me--an application to a stiff joint at
night rendering it pliant and free from pain in the morning. Long
yarns are spun by seafaring men of the wonderful properties of this
oil; they assuring me that a too free use of it was always attended
by salivation, and enjoining an application of but a small quantity. I
used it pretty freely, but experienced no bad effect from it.
On the 5th of October we picked up a spruce plank, about twelve feet in
length and three in breadth; it was copper-fastened, and was adjudged
to be part of the keel of a large ship.
On the 17th we ran in and anchored in Frenchman’s Bay, intending
to procure a supply of water. This bay is the introduction to King
George’s Sound, and is a safe and pleasant harbor. We lay within a mile
of the shore, and from a spring close to the beach, procured three
hundred barrels of most excellent water. There were no vessels in
the bay, but in the sound there was an English barque, the Prince of
Wales. She brought out to the sound materials for the erection of two
light-houses--one on Point Possession, at the entrance of the sound;
the other on Breaksea, at the mouth of Frenchman’s Bay. These have
long been needed on the coast, and their advent will be a matter of
congratulation to the navigator in these seas. The crew of this vessel
refused to proceed in her, alleging as a reason her immoderate leakage,
asserting that she was unsafe and unseaworthy. The crew, including the
second mate, on the complaint of the captain, were arrested by the
authorities, and kept in durance vile until such time as the vessel
should leave the port. This probation had now continued for months,
and as the crew were determined not to embark in her, a new crew was
shipped, and, on the arrival of orders from England, she sailed for
some port in the West Indies. At her departure her former hands were
released.
The next day after anchoring was Sunday, and all hands were bound
for a run ashore. The bay presented little attraction, but the green
appearance of the vegetation was enough to induce us to have a nearer
look at it. On landing we found the country covered with the prevailing
bush, and as it was in many places dry and inflammable as tinder, we
ignited it, and had a rousing fire coursing up the hills like a demon
in pursuit of prey. Having tired ourselves with this amusement, we ran
along the beach with the intention of shaking the scurvy out of our
bones; and as we progressed, saw numbers of mutton-fish, crabs, and
limpets. We gathered a sufficient quantity of these shell-fish, roasted
them, and had a fresh mess. Proceeding along the beach, over an uneven
ridge of boulders, after a walk of about eight miles, we came to the
whale fishery. Here we found about a dozen men, who were engaged in a
warfare against the humpback and right whales that resort to the bay.
They had taken, during the season, two of the former and one of the
latter species, yielding them one hundred and seventy barrels of oil;
they desired us to set no more bush afire, stating that the smoke or
glare of the flames intimidated the whales from entering the bay. From
these people we learned that the ships Alexander and James Allen had
touched here but a short time previous, and that whilst here both ships
had lost men by desertion, and that these men were now knocking about
the town, unable to procure employment. The James Allen also lost an
anchor here, in about the same spot in which she broke her windlass
whilst getting under weigh last year. From all accounts her Hobartown
crew had been anything but orderly and obedient, so that the captain
was glad to be rid of them. Amongst the men at the fishery there were
several Americans who had been in this section of the world for years;
they did not like the country, and, if we had wanted men, would gladly
have engaged and gone home with us.
It is the law of the English government, that no fishing shall be
carried on within three miles of the coast of colonies. This law is a
dead letter in the Indian Ocean, excepting where their fisheries exist;
and I am sure that, had whales made their appearance in this bay whilst
we were present, our boats would have been down amongst them. The men
at the fishery strongly urged their exclusive right to this privilege;
but, at the same time, they informed us that, a few weeks previous,
the ship Congress, of New Bedford, had taken a humpback whilst lying
where we now were; for, having no casks at the fishery, they were
necessitated to buy some from the ship, and because of this favor, they
had agreed not to interfere with their prize.
Returning from the fishery, we took a short cut through the bush, which
is lower here than any I have seen elsewhere in Australia--no tree or
shrub appearing that was over eight feet in height. Amidst the general
desolation, beautiful flowers of various descriptions and colors sprung
up; forming a strange contrast, and appearing as if Nature, to make
amends for the general loneliness and negligence displayed, had caused
these gay flowers to flourish here, and truly, as the poet says,
“To waste their sweetness on the desert air.”
On our way down, we continually passed little mounds, shaped like
beehives, and constructed of dried grass and sand, arranged to a
nicety. At first I was at a loss to tell the true character of these
nests; but, on knocking the top off of one of them with my stick, I
saw myriads of ants--it being a granary for these insects. On being
disturbed, they rushed hither and thither in search of the violator of
their domicile, and on discovering him, they ran up his clothing, and
bestowed no very gentle bites upon his legs and body. They are much
larger than our ants; and, unlike ours, instead of excavating a place
of retreat, they build it upon the surface of the earth.
We also saw and destroyed (without knowing what we were killing)
several iguanas--little creatures of the lizard species, that abound
here in great numbers. They are said to be a fierce enemy of the
serpent tribe, and to engage in long and severe contests with his
snakeship, and always gain the victory--running, when bitten by him,
to a certain herb that acts as a specific. When we were at Hobartown,
I was told of a man, named Underwood, who possessed a sure and speedy
antidote for the bite of any snake. The government had offered him
a large price for his secret, but he refused to divulge it on any
terms. He was a convict of the lowest grade, and represented that he
first discovered the antidote by observing the iguana running to, and
eating it, after having been bitten by his foe. This remedy, which is
vegetable, he states to be very common. Its infallibility is implicitly
believed in by the residents; and, from their account, even a stranger
cannot refuse credence to its worth, after listening to a recital of
the many satisfactory tests it has been subjected to by the faculty.
Whilst we were engaged ashore, those who chose to remain on board the
ship passed the time in angling. Amongst other specimens of what had
been caught, was one known as the snapper, each weighing from twenty
to thirty-five pounds. They had scales, and were of a reddish color.
Another, known as the groper, from its swimming close to the bottom,
weighs from fifty to one hundred and fifty pounds. It has scales on
its body, and is black in color. Both these fish have ivory teeth,
from a quarter to three-quarters of an inch in length, and of the
same shape as those of the sperm whale. Both are good eating, salted
or fresh. They require a strong line and stout arm to secure them.
Beside these members of the finny tribe, there are also to be found
here others of less note: the mackerel, herring, benita, salmon, and
whitings--existing in great numbers. We caught and salted a barrel of
them; but, from an excess of salt, they were unpalatable, and we were
forced to heave them overboard when we got outside.
On returning to the beach to go aboard, we discovered that one of our
party was missing. It proved to be a New Bedford boy, who, although
his name was John, had been ’yclept Barney, from the first day of our
sailing. He was a good-natured fellow, who did not care what name
he answered to, and became more accustomed to his alias than to his
true cognomen. A call for John would pass unnoticed, when one for
Barney would secure his attention in double-quick time. Having no
taste for whaling, and being desirous of getting home speedily, he
had donned several suits of clothes, and determined to run for it. He
separated himself from the rest of the party soon after going ashore,
and started directly for the town of Albany, where he arrived at
midnight; but finding those who had left the ships before mentioned in
a sad predicament--destitute and wretched--he changed his mind, and
gave himself up to the captain, who was about instituting a search,
and offering a reward for his apprehension. Two days afterward he was
aboard the ship again.
On the 21st we had all our work done, but were unable to get to
sea, being wind-bound by a heavy easterly gale. The mouth of the
bay being narrow, precluded the possibility of our beating out. The
gale gradually increased; but our ground-tackle was good, and, with
both anchors down, we rode it out. On the afternoon of this day
the steamship Simla made her appearance. She is a noble vessel, of
twenty-five hundred tons burden--three hundred and sixty-five feet in
length. Just before approaching the sound she took the pilot aboard,
and under his guidance proceeded in. Here she came to anchor alongside
the Larkin, in order to receive her coal--this being, after leaving
Melbourne, the first station for fuel for the line of steamships to
which she belongs. They remain here for twenty-four hours, and bring
hither and convey hence the mail to and from the Swan River colony.
On the morning after the Simla’s arrival her mails were opened, and
hardly an idea can be formed of our surprise on seeing the following
announcement in a copy of the Melbourne Weekly Herald:--
“Supposed Loss of the Whaling Barque Pacific, of New Bedford, U. S.
“The following letter appeared in the Nelson Examiner of the 16th ult.:
“‘_To the Editor of the Nelson Examiner._
“‘SIR:--I regret to inform you, that there is too much reason to
believe that the whaling barque Pacific, of New Bedford, U. S.,
foundered on the western coast of this Island, on the night of the
21st of May last. As the readiest means of communicating the news to
those who are interested in the fate of the vessel and crew, I send
you a copy of the deposition of one of the known survivors, which is
fully corroborated by the statements of the rest. I have ascertained
that the Pacific belonged to the firm of Swift & Perry, of New
Bedford; that she had on board three hundred and fifty barrels of oil
when she was supposed to have foundered. The names of her officers
were: John W. Sherman, master; John Hood, chief mate; John Dexter,
second mate; Clarke Allen, third mate. The names of the men who landed
on the western coast were: Theodore Jerome, David Jones, William
Charles Baylis, Joseph Riley, William Anderson, William Owen, Harvey
William Miller, David Ling.
“‘Yours, etc.
“‘H. G. GOULAND, _Resident Magistrate_.
“‘COLLINGWOOD, September 10th, 1857.
“‘(_Deposition above referred to._)
“‘Theodore Jerome, being sworn, said: I am a seaman, and belonged to
barque Pacific, of New Bedford; Sherman, master. The barque Pacific
belonged to Swift & Perry, of New Bedford. She was a whaler, of three
hundred and fifty tons burden. She left New Bedford last June was a
twelvemonth. The last port we left was Bunbury, in New Holland. We put
in there for supplies, and left in January last. The vessel leaked
considerably when we left New Bedford, but in Bunbury she was caulked.
“‘We made the coast of New Zealand early in February last. We were
whaling off the coast. Shortly after making the coast of New Zealand
we experienced several gales of wind, which, according to the
captain’s opinion, increased the leakage considerably.
“‘On the night of the 21st of May the leakage increased considerably,
and the pumps were kept constantly going till near midnight. The
carpenter reported the condition of the vessel to be dangerous, and
the captain thought it advisable to abandon her. He called all hands
aft, and stated the condition of the vessel to them, and advised
them to be orderly, and to get in their respective boats without
confusion. He turned to Mr. Hood, the chief officer, and told him
to put the vessel before the wind, to make it easier for the boats
to get away from the ship’s side. The captain ordered Mr. Allen to
clear away the bow-boat, and lower her; at the same time a heavy sea
pooped the ship, and swept her fore and aft. The vessel was by this
time settling by the stern. There was then an immediate rush for the
boats--each man getting in the first that he could. I and others got
into the bow-boat. I saw Mr. Allen, the third mate, standing on the
rail, giving directions for the lowering of the boat. I never saw him
afterwards. The boat that I was in escaped from the ship’s side, and
we put her before the wind. It was about 11¹⁄₂ o’clock when we were
called aft by the captain. It might have been half an hour between
that and the time we got clear of the ship’s side. At the time we got
into the boat there was another boat in the act of lowering--there may
have been more, but that is all that I can say positively. We stood
in towards the shore; and made the shore, as nearly as I could judge,
about 3¹⁄₂ o’clock in the morning. The boat was stoven in landing. We
landed between Milford Haven and Open Bay, on the Milford Haven side
of Cascade Point. We had been cruising off and on the shore, and had
seen land the previous day. We had been into Milford Haven about a
fortnight before this, to get water. From cruising off and on, and
repeatedly seeing the land, I was sufficiently acquainted with the
coast to know where we landed. At break of day we ascended a hill
to look for the ship, but saw nothing of her or of the boats. The
weather was very hazy, and it rained heavily then and for several days
afterwards; and we saw no wreck, either of vessel or boats. My opinion
is, that the currents run outward from the shore, and would carry any
wreck out to sea. It was blowing a double-reefed topsail breeze when
we left the vessel. The vessel appeared to be water-logged, and was
settling by the stern. I think that in all probability the vessel
foundered. We remained where we were for one day, and then endeavored
to go to the southward; but the bush was so thick, and obstacles so
great, that we could not get on in that direction. We then shaped
our course in the other direction, towards Open Bay; that is, to
the northward of where we landed. We found natives at Open Bay, and
remained with them about a fortnight. A native sealing-boat came into
Open Bay while we were there, and from one of the crew, that could
speak a little English, we got directions that enabled us to make our
way along the coast. We left Open Bay, and made the best of our way
along the coast to this place, where we arrived yesterday evening. The
names of the persons who landed with me were, William Harvey Miller,
David Ling, Joseph Riley, W. C. Baylis, William or John Owen, William
Anderson, and David Jones. Miller and Ling have not yet arrived. We
left Ling, who is a boy about eighteen years old, with the native
sealers at Open Bay. The natives told us that the roads were so bad,
that he would not be able to travel. Miller’s feet were too sore to
walk, and he remained behind. We found the road very difficult. We
crossed several rivers; among others, the Mewera and Kawatiri--the
names we got from the natives. Whenever we met with any natives, they
proved very kind to us: they fed us, and gave us food to take on with
us--this, with fern, shellfish, and whatever we could get, enabled us
to live on the journey. I cannot remember the names of all the persons
aboard: but I can of a good many of them; and of the officers, the
captain’s name was Sherman--I don’t know his Christian name; the
chief mate’s name was Hood; the second mate’s, Dexter; and the third
mate’s, Allen. There was also an acting fourth mate and boatsteerer,
whose name I do not remember. The number of officers and crew was
thirty-two. I am inclined to think, that if any of the other boats
escaped, and had any of the officers aboard, they would shape their
course to the nearest port--that is, Jacob’s River.
“‘(Signed)
“‘THEODORE JEROME.
“‘Sworn before me, at Collingwood, the tenth day of September,
eighteen hundred and fifty-seven.
“‘(Signed)
“‘H. G. GOULAND,
“‘_Resident Magistrate_.’”
It is almost needless to append, in explanation, that the above is
a tissue of falsehoods, fabricated by the deserters from our ship,
whilst in the South Pacific. Their story is plausible; and, were a
person not aware to the contrary, it would obtain implicit credence.
It was concocted by the one named Joseph Riley. He is a native of New
Jersey--of Irish extraction. He has been for years in the merchant
service; and this, united with a previous voyage whaling, rendered
him well acquainted with maritime affairs: hence, he found little
difficulty in weaving a yarn that sounded plausible enough, although
there is not a particle of truth in the whole account--our old ship
never having leaked, during the continuance of the voyage thus far,
more than enough to keep her sweet; only requiring to be pumped once
a week, and then but for a few minutes. The carpenter is an imaginary
personage--we never having possessed one: one was shipped in New
Bedford, but ran away before we sailed. The person, who, under the
name of Theodore Jerome, made the deposition before the magistrate at
Collingwood, is supposed to have been in reality John Roberts, a London
cockney, who had been transported to Australia. He had been in the
Henry H. Crapo for twelve months, but left her in Vasse, and engaged
with us; thus escaping the fate of the crew of that vessel, to live
and play a rascal’s part in another clime. The true Theodore Jerome
is still on board our ship, and justly indignant at the liberties
taken with his name. The fact of their assuming it is attributable to
their having in their possession an American protection, bearing the
name of Theodore Jerome. Roberts is the only one of the party whose
description corresponds with that contained in it; and hence we suppose
him to be the person who made the affidavit. He is weak-minded, with
little intelligence, and totally incapable of giving such an account;
except at the instigation of a person like Riley, and afterwards being
well drilled, until he was perfected in his part. The other names were
real; or, rather, a part were those of our crew, whilst the rest, Owen,
Anderson, and Ling, were the names of the deserters from the barque
Lady Emma, of Hobartown, whom our fellows took aboard their boat at
Open Bay. From their own account, they had pretty rough travelling; but
the descriptive part, like the substance of their narrative, may be
more romance than reality. But, apart from this, let us candidly judge
their culpability. In the first place, no doubt, they were driven to
an extremity by hunger and suffering; and, knowing that, as deserters,
they would meet with no sympathy, in such emergency they concocted this
method to obtain relief for their necessities: but why did they not,
if such was their intention, substitute a fictitious name for that
of our ship, and avoid particularizing as they did? Secondly, should
any amount of personal suffering induce men to embitter for months
the whole tenor of the existence of many happy circles, who, on the
reception of such fatal news through relatives and friends, without
any rebutting information on the subject, would at once set us down as
irrecoverably lost?
Here was a pretty kettle of fish--some thirty-two of us consigned to
the tender mercies of David Jones, Esq., the hereditary enemy of our
profession, with as little remorse as if we were so many kittens; but,
fortunately, the same mail that conveyed the papers containing the
baleful news, gave us opportunity to send our own missives explanatory
of the proceedings; but then our letters from Hobartown, in July, were
sufficient evidence of our safety; so that, although it might create
some uneasiness, it would be but evanescent.
Some months before we touched at Frenchman’s Bay, one of our
boatsteerers received a letter from his family, in which was contained
the report of a vessel having been seen by a merchantman in the South
Atlantic, bottom up. She was evidently a whaler, a barque, and bore on
her stern the name of Pacific, New Bedford. This was thought to be us,
and thus our old ship was given up to the mercies of that ocean over
which she had so gallantly rode for more than half a century, and, as
far as I am able to judge, still rides as proudly as in her palmiest
days--carrying her spars as jauntily as any of the constructions of
shipwrights of the present day.
At 10 o’clock on the morning of the 26th, the gale having moderated
and the wind shifted to a favorable quarter, we took our departure
from Frenchman’s Bay. When directly opposite Baldhead we saw right
and humpback whales, bound up the bay. We lowered away, but could get
nowhere near them. They saw them from the fishery but met with like
success in their attempt to capture one.