Schooner Frances.
On the sixteenth day of July, 1824, I made a contract with one Captain
Oliver C. Murray, master of the Schooner Frances, of New-York, to
proceed with him on a trading voyage to the Musquitto Shore, Chagres,
Porto Bello, St. Blas, &c. as a pilot and assistant trader.
We took on board an assorted cargo, and sailed from New-York about the
last of July. After being at sea some three days Captain Murray was
taken sick, when he called the mate and crew into the cabin and told
them that he had given up the charge of the schooner to me, that they
must obey me accordingly. This was unsolicited by me. We then proceeded
direct to Porto Bello, where we opened a trade with the inhabitants,
remaining there about three weeks, experiencing heavy showers of rain
every day we tarried there, it then being the rainy season on that
coast. We proceeded from that port to Carthagena, a distance of about
two hundred and sixty miles, where we were informed by the inhabitants
that there had not fallen a drop of rain in that place during the last
ten months.
Carthagena is the strongest fortified city I ever visited, being
enclosed with a wall some fifteen feet high, which is approached by a
slope of easy assent. The wall appears to be from fifteen to twenty feet
thick, having embrasures with heavy cannon mounted on it, about one
hundred feet from one to another, all around the city, with a good road
on the top of the wall. On the outside of the wall there is a deep
trench, where water can be let in five or six feet deep if the city
should be invaded by an enemy. Vessels bound into the harbor are obliged
to keep close to the main land, which brings them near a long tier of
forts. The greatest part of the channel is filled in with large stones,
which appears to have been the work of ages.
We remained here about two weeks, and were visited by numbers of
captains of Columbian privateers, most of them Americans, who had
obtained commissions signed by General Bolivar; they purchased many
articles from us. Before we got the schooner under weigh we took on
board three members of the Columbian Congress and their servants. A son
of one of the congressmen had been educated in Europe, and spoke good
English. We agreed to convey them to Chagres. They came direct from
Bogata, the seat of government of this Republic, their congress having
just adjourned; they were on their way home, across the Isthmus. The
Columbian Congress had passed a law to raise the duties on imports about
twelve per cent. We had a large assortment of goods on board, which we
sold at retail at every port where we landed. On our passage these
members of congress, who had come direct from the seat of government,
and assisted to pass laws to raise the revenue and prevent smuggling,
purchased over three hundred dollars' worth of goods of us on the
passage, and had them put up in proper packages to pass through the
custom house as their baggage, so as to defraud the government of the
duties.
A short time before we arrived at Chagres one of them, who had an
English negro servant, ordered him to tell Captain Murray that he could
put some of his goods amongst their baggage if he wanted to smuggle them
on shore through the custom house, as their baggage was considered
sacred, and that no custom house officer dare to examine it. Being well
acquainted with the tricks of these Spanish officers, I prevailed on
Murray not to trust them, telling him this was only a trick to cheat him
out of his goods, as I had heard, from good authority, of a number of
tricks of this kind which had been practised by the collector of Porto
Bello and other ports on the Main.
We landed our passengers and remained some days at Chagres, where we
sold some goods and then returned to Porto Bello. We purchased some
fustic and other articles, and proceeded to the coast of St. Blas,
touching at a number of small harbors, where we bought fustic in small
quantities. While laying in the mouth of one of these narrow rivers,
called Nombre Dios, (name of God,) I found by inquiry that I was only
about thirty miles from the residence of one of my old traders, named
Campbell, who had visited New-York with me in the Schooner Price, and
was there when General Jackson made his first visit to that city. I told
Captain Murray that I should feel much pleased to visit Campbell, and I
would willingly assist to paddle a canoe thirty miles to see any honest
friend. This pleased him much, as he wanted an introduction to the trade
on that coast. The next morning we fitted out our canoe, by putting a
dinner-pot, fire-works, and some provisions, and a large jug, containing
two or three gallons of gin, on board, to treat my Indian friends on my
arrival among them. We were now well prepared for the trip, having
plenty to eat and drink. If the winds or weather detained us on the
passage we could go on shore, haul up our canoe, build a fire, cook our
provision and then lay down on the ground and get a comfortable sleep,
by keeping a kind of watch amongst ourselves to prevent the fire from
going out, that being our only protection from tigers, panthers, and
other wild beasts, who will never approach a fire. They are very
numerous on this coast. I tried this experiment many years successfully.
We left the schooner early in the morning and proceeded more than one
half of our journey, when a strong breeze of head wind compelled us to
go on shore and take up our lodging for the night. The next morning, the
wind having abated, we got under weigh, and reached Campbell's house
that afternoon. I was received by my old friend in the most affectionate
manner. He, knowing that I was very fond of craw-fish, wilkes, &c.
despatched a number of young men to fish for them, and others to go and
gather some of their best fruits for us to eat. At the same time the
most of his neighbors visited his house, many of them bringing fruits,
sugar-cane, &c. We were treated to the best supper the country afforded,
and he furnished us with clean hammocks to sleep in. The morning after,
we made a good breakfast; a large assemblage of Indians met at
Campbell's house, when he asked me to christen his children, which I
declined, by saying I had no book with me. I soon discovered that he
felt dissatisfied with my denial, for he had invited all his neighbors
there to witness the performance. He earnestly entreated me a second
time to perform the ceremony. After some further entreaty I yielded to
his request, which seemed to throw a gleam of joy on all the assembly of
Indians, whose eyes were steadily fixed upon me. When I got prepared to
perform the ceremony, I asked Campbell in his usual way of speaking
English, "What him name." He answered me, saying, "Dat General Jackson."
I then sprinkled water on his head, laid my hand upon it, and pronounced
his name with an audible voice; this was the oldest boy. I called for
the next, when he brought forward a younger lad; when I asked his name,
the answer was, "Dat must be your name," so I christened him Jacob
Dunham; then calling for another, he brought me a small girl, when I
asked concerning the name, he answered me, "Dat must be your wife name,"
and I christened her Fanny Dunham. The fourth one being called for,
Captain Murray requested Campbell to have it christened after his wife;
he agreed to it, as it was a small girl, and I named her Lucretia
Murray. After the ceremony was ended Captain Murray presented the
children with fifty cents each. A good dinner was prepared on the
occasion, which we partook of in the most jovial and friendly manner,
after which we visited a number of the neighboring houses in company
with my friend Campbell, where we were received with a hearty welcome,
and presented with such fruits as the country afforded.
In the morning, while we were preparing to return to the schooner,
Campbell called me out to a small store house, where he took up the hind
quarter of a baboon or large monkey, well smoked, and presented it to me
to eat on our passage back to the schooner. I did not like to wound his
feelings by refusing his present. On looking into his store room I
observed a number of large smoked birds about the size of a common
turkey, which I told him suited my taste much better than monkey, which
he readily exchanged, as the natives consider a fat monkey the best
meat that the country produces. He supplied us with bread-stuff and
fruits. We took our departure for the vessel, and arrived on board that
night.
We continued trading along the coast a few days, when we fell in with an
old schooner under Columbian colors, but American built, said to belong
to a man named Varney, who was on board of her, but could not hold her
papers while sailing under that flag, not being a naturalized citizen of
that government. It appeared he had employed a black citizen of that
country to hold her papers, in the capacity of captain, who was then
laying sick in a canoe on the schooner's deck.
Captain Murray told me he had heard from Carthagena that a government
schooner was cruising in pursuit of the Frances to capture her for
trading on this coast without license, that we must take the goods out
of her and put them on board of Varney's old schooner as speedily as
possible, and then proceed to sea with her immediately; that I must go
on board of her and take charge of the goods as supercargo. The goods
were transferred that afternoon in great haste, without my having time
to examine the old vessel as I ought to have done. She had a motley crew
of different nations on board. When I took a view of them, I told Murray
that I would not trust my life on board of her without he gave me two or
three of the Frances' crew to go with me, which request he complied
with, when we hurried to sea, bound to the Island of St. Andreas. After
we got out a little from the land we tried the pump, and found she
leaked very badly, but dared not put back, fearing we might be captured.
So we all agreed to pursue the voyage. We were now compelled to try the
pump every fifteen minutes during the passage to St. Andreas, which was
twenty-three days.
Immediately after our arrival in that harbor I took all the goods on
shore. Two days after, Varney undertook to heave the old schooner out,
to repair her bottom, when the deck slid off, and she sunk, never to
rise again. The negro captain died the second day after we went to sea,
when we committed his body to a watery grave.
Some time after Captain Murray arrived with the Frances in the harbor
and learned the fate of Varney's old vessel, when he chartered a small
schooner belonging to St. Andreas to take the remainder of his goods on
board, and carry them to St. John's, on the Spanish Main. The next day
they were all put on board of the new schooner. Murray now made up his
mind to send the Frances back to New-York, and wanted me to take charge
of her as master, which I refused to do, knowing it to be a broken
voyage, and if I acted as master of her I could not libel the vessel for
my wages. I told him he could give the mate charge of the Frances, and
that I would assist to navigate her back to New-York, which he agreed
to. He and Varney went on board of the new chartered schooner, and
proceeding to St. John's, took out the goods and transported them up
that river into Nunanger Lake, on a trading voyage. All our arrangements
being finished, both vessels proceeded to sea, when we shaped our course
for New-York.
Soon after we got to sea I examined the list of return cargo which
Murray had left on board the Frances; it consisted mostly of fustic,
which was selling in New-York at that time at reduced prices, and I
found that the whole cargo would not pay the charter of the schooner,
which was two hundred dollars per month, besides victualing, manning and
port charges.
The Frances proved to be such a dull sailer that we could seldom force
her more than seven knots per hour, in addition to which her sails and
rigging had been badly injured by the continued rains on that coast,
which rendered her unfit for any voyage. We were beating to the
northward about fourteen days before we made the land, which proved to
be Cape Antonio, we then steered into the Gulf-stream, which assisted us
to work our way to the northward and eastward, and were a number of days
sailing in the Gulf before we reached the latitude of Charleston, where
we encountered a succession of heavy gales of wind which split our sails
and carried away the greatest part of our running rigging. Finding our
water and provisions growing short, we concluded to put into Charleston
for relief, and the next day the wind proving favorable we steered
direct for that port, where we anchored in a crippled condition. After
our arrival there, we wrote to the men whom we supposed were Captain
Murray's sureties for the charter of the Frances, informing them of our
misfortune, when they applied to the underwriters for relief. When we
had waited two or three weeks in Charleston, an agent of the
underwriters arrived there from New-York, bringing with him rigging and
sails, when we made some tempory repairs, and then sailed for New-York,
where we arrived after a passage of two weeks.
After we arrived in port it was discovered that Murray had not over
twenty dollars when he first undertook the voyage. He was a good looking
man, and belonged to the Masonic order, could sing a good song, and tell
a humorous story, and had a peculiar way of gaining the confidence of
his associates. He had but few personal acquaintances in the city; but
had obtained security from two or three responsible merchants for the
charter of the schooner Frances for a voyage of some months, at two
hundred dollars per month, and they had loaned him money to pay the
advance wages of the mate and seamen, and supplied him with ship stores,
besides making large shipments of goods on their own account. He took
many goods from different people in invoices of from fifty to one
thousand dollars, agreeing to carry them free from freight, and return
them one-half of the net profits. Among the shippers was his landlady, a
poor widow woman, whom he persuaded to make a shipment of crockery
amounting to fifty or sixty dollars, who, no doubt expected it would be
sold at California prices. I have since conversed with many of the
shippers by the Frances on this voyage, who say that they never received
any returns for the goods which they shipped on board the schooner, or
any account of the sales of them. The sureties were compelled to pay the
seamen's wages and all other expenses. Some years after I learned that
Murray died in some part of Central America.