THE
LIBRARY
OF
EMORY
UNIVERSITY
EMORY UNIVERSITY. GA.
44151
Accession No.
Date
MEMOIR
OF
EI CHARD "WILLIAMS,
SURGEON:
CATECHIST TO THE PATAGONIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY
IN TERRA DEL EUEGO.
BY
JAMES HAMILTON, D.D.,
AUTHOB OF "LIFE IN EARNEST," "THE MOUNT OF OLIYES," ETC.
REVISED BY TIIQMAS 0. SUMMERS, D.D.
Nagljbille, Cenu.:
TUBLISHED BY E. STEVENSON & E. A. OWEN, AGENTS,
FOE THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHUP.CH, SOUTH.
1855.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
This is one of the most interesting biogra¬
phies we ever read. The account of the ill-
fated mission to Patagonia is of thrilling
interest. The character of Mr. "Williams,
catechist to. the mission, is truly unique: it
deserves to be studied. Though a Wesleyan
Methodist himself, his biographer is a distin¬
guished minister of the Presbyterian Church
—a man of deep, earnest, Christian feeling,
and broad, catholic views. The picture of
Richard Williams is not, of course, exactly
what it would have been had it been drawn
by William Arthur, who was first chosen as
the artist. For obvious reasons he might
have spared here and there a touch of a par-
(iii)
iv INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
ticnlar hue, and brought out here and there
a feature with a little more vividness; but
we have no occasion to regret that the task
was performed by James Hamilton. We like
to see sectarian walls of separation broken
down once in a while, in deference to the
paramount claims of the common Christianity.
For this and other reasons which will appear
in the perusal of the volume, we take plea¬
sure in giving it our most hearty recommen¬
dation.
Thomas 0. Summers.
Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 19, 1855.
PREFACE.
Had the engagements of the Rev. "William
Arthur allowed him to undertake the compila¬
tion of the following Memoir, the public would
have received from his hand a missionary
biography as instructive, if not as exciting,
as The Successful Merchant. But when Mr
Arthur felt constrained to decline the task, the
present Editor ventured to attempt it, in the
belief that, under the most ordinary treatment,
the materials placed at his disposal could
scarcely fail to be useful.
The circumstance that Mr Williams belonged
to a branch of the evangelical church entirely
distinct from his biographer's denomination,
has not been felt as any embarrassment in the
progress of the work. A man does not repu-
vi
PREFACE.
diate his birthplace when he receives the
" freedom" of other cities; and the second
home which the Author has found in many a
Christian community, has not lessened his
affection to his own Mount Zion. On the
other hand, literary trusteeship is surely con¬
sistent with ecclesiastical integrity; and that
writer must be very distrustful of his own
sense, or his own honesty, who is afraid that
the one will interfere with the other.
For ample details regarding the Patagonian
Mission, and for an account of Captain Gar¬
diner and other members of the expedition,
the reader is referred to Hope Deferred, not
Lost; a Narrative of Missionary Effort in
South America, by the Rev. George Paken-
liam Despard, Honorary Secretary of the Pata¬
gonian Missionary Society. To Mr Despard
the best thanks of the Editor are due, for
repeated and kind communications during the
preparation of the following pages.
CONTENTS.
pxaa
CHAPTER I.
EARLY DAYS 1
CHAPTER II.
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS 9
CHAPTER III.
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS . . . # 31
CHAPTER IV.
THE MISSION 49
CHAPTER Y.
THE VOYAGE ,59
FUEGIA
CHAPTER YI.
99
1*
Viii CONTENTS.
rA9B
CHAPTER Y1I.
FIRST TOILS 121
CHAPTER YIII.
NEW TRIALS 153
CHAPTER IX.
CONCLUSION ........ 2*7
CHAPTER X.
"Richard "Williams was the second son of Mr Rice
Williams, of Dursley, Gloucestershire, and was
born there on the 15th of May 1815.
From the first he evinced great tenderness of
feeling; and very early he exhibited that ardent
and affectionate disposition which distinguished
him through life. But as he grew from infancy
to boyhood, there were frequent outbreaks of a
passionate temper, and his strong determination
amounted tot obstinacy. He gave no indication of
piety; but in the transparency and truthfulness
of his character might 'be perceived the germ of
future excellence. For if little can be hoped from
a childhood where deceit is the constitutional sin,
it is seldom that the boy attains to nothing noble,
who, like Washington, " cannot tell a lie."
Richard's first school was in Yorkshire; but he
was soon brought back to Dursley, and placed
under the care of the Rev. John Glanville, now the
much-esteemed minister of Kingsland Tabernacle,
4
EARLY BAYS.
near Bristol. Mir Glanvillo says, " I watched him
closely, inasmuch as I thought I saw something in
him which seemed to distinguish him from the mass
of common boyhood. This induced me to give
special attention to him, and, as far as I was able,
to bring out and direct his powers. There was a
character about him, even then, which indicated
good in the future He had mind,—not very
well balanced, nor always easily controlled, but
inquiring, earnest, persevering, and determined to
improve. He was diligent and painstaking in
whatever engaged his attention or suited his tastes.
o O
His quickness and thoughtfulness shewed that he
had abilities, which only required to be guided into
a proper channel, to make him a useful man. He
was intended and educated for secular employ, and
he had an encouraging prospect before him, and
many facilities for obtaining worldly prosperity.
But he soon manifested a distaste for business; it
was too monotonous and mechanical; he wanted
something more exciting and intellectual. I was
called upon to use my influence with him for the
purpose of urging him to throw his energies more
fully into the duties of his trade. This I did, both
by writing and speaking; but it was of no use: he
would be a doctor, and not a plane-manufacturer.
All the money he could procure, and all the hours
he could spare, were given to studies bearing on
the medical profession. At length, he resolved to
leave business, and sacrifice the solid gain for what
EARLY DATS.
5
appeared to his friends the doubtful success of a
professional course; and, in directing his attention
to surgery, he had to encounter many difficulties,
and to work against all sorts of disadvantage."
We have always regarded it as the heroic inci¬
dent in the history of the lamented Dr Hope, of
London, that, with a strong repugnance to medical
studies, but in deference to a father's wishes, he
not only selected medicine as his pursuit, but prose¬
cuted it so vigorously as to distance all his coevals.
Gladly would we have recorded the converse
achieyement in the outset of our own hero's career:
for we know not any finer feature of character than
an intense dutifulness, nor any sublimer incident
than the self-sacrifice to which dutiful feeling has
prompted. At such noble acts of self-conquest we
shall not arrive till somewhat later in this narra¬
tive ; and meanwhile we must describe the subject
of our biography as he was, and which is much the
same as other ardent and impulsive young men
have been.
An uncle in Westminster had acquired a reputa¬
tion in making carpenters' planes, and his thriving
business he bequeathed to his nephew, on condition
that the profits of the first ten years should be
shared with his sisters. It was a kind arrangement,
and gave the young man a good opportunity to
make his own fortune, and to provide for his
father's family. But he had other aspirations.
His older brother voyaged betwixt England and
6
EAKLY DAYS.
India as the surgeon of the Waimer Castle and the
Oiven Glendower; and Richard, too, must needs be
a surgeon. In his medical mania it is likely that
he was haunted by the brilliant precedent of the
Hunters, and, with youthful enthusiasm, he would
recall the example of the young journeyman who
quitted the carpenter's bench to become the prince
of anatomists, and the collector of a world-famed
museum. But Rheece and Richard Williams were
not destined to repeat the romance of William
Hunter and his brother John. Rheece died at
Madras, a generous and noble-hearted young man;
and for Richard, God had provided some better
thing than scientific reputation.
This professional bias was aided by a strong turn
for letters. Our friend delighted in reading books,
and sometimes dreamed of making* them. And in
a learned pursuit he doubtless reckoned on a large
amount of literary leisure. This is frequently a
mistake. A clergyman without a congregation, a
barrister without briefs, and a physician without
patients, have abundance of leisure; but, in that
case, there is great danger of their ceasing to be
literary. On the other hand, a minister who enters
heartily into his work, a lawyer or a doctor who
prospers in his practice, has as little time to spare
for his own special likings as a manufacturer or a
merchant; and, when the daily demand on his
energies is answered, we question if he will retain
an equal amount of zest and spirit. In other
EARLY DAYS.
7
words, should any of our readers be employed in
making planes, or in selling or using them, and
should they at the same time be sighing after better
opportunity to read great authors,—we know not
any road more royal than their present calling.
Most likely, even now it allows them an hour or
two for mental improvement or intellectual relaxa¬
tion ; and, if they are diligent in their business,
there is no more legitimate way of employing their
savings than in purchasing instalments of leisure
for their favorite pursuits.
By great exertions, Mr Williams accomplished
a medical curriculum. He studied at University
College, London, and at the London .Hospital; and
having been initiated in the practical details of his
profession by a cousin in Oxfordshire, he was able
to pass his examination in May 1841, when twenty-
six years of age. For some time he acted as assist¬
ant to various medical gentlemen at Norwich and
.elsewhere; and, eventually, his brother-in-law and
sister, Mr and Mrs Hill, being resident in Burslem,
Staffordshire, sent him an invitation to come and
settle beside them. That invitation he accepted;
and, by the success with which his first cases were
treated, he soon attracted notice, and became a
popular practitioner, with extensive employment.
For, with an irreproachable character, passionately
addicted to the noble science which wTas now his
calling, carrying a prepossession in his pleasant
countenance and gentle manners, prompt, punctual*.
a
8
EARLY DAYS.
and affectionately interested in his patients, and, in
a profession humane and generous beyond all
others, distinguished by his liberality and dis¬
interestedness,—it is not wonderful that he soon
became a favorite, and saw opening before him a
field of abundant occupation.
During all this interval, however, there was no
religion in his virtue. Warm-hearted and manly,
he was not devout; and, amidst all his solicitude for
the bodily health of his neighbours, the salvation
of their souls or of his own had never cost him a
thought. With an ardent and enthusiastic temper¬
ament, he had no love for his heavenly Friend, and
no sympathy with that philanthropy which seeks
the eternal welfare of its objects.
One Lord's Day, a friend returning from public
worship called on him, and found him in his surgery
reading a newspaper. His friend asked him if this
were a right employment of God's day. There was
something of rebuke in the reply: " Were my
mind, like yours, satisfied that Christianity is true,
I would embrace it with all my soul, and I would
live accordingly." His visitor felt that he was
sincere, and could only regret that, to a nature so
energetic, and, in many respects, so ingenuous, the
gospel was nothing more than a cunning fable or
a cabalistic formula.
CHAPTER II.
§£piunjj jof gdter ga$i.
Have mercy. Lord, on me,
As thou wert ever kind
Let me, opprest with loads of guilt,
Thy wonted mercy find.
Wash off my foul offence,
And cleanse me from my sin;
For I confess my crime, and see
How great my guilt has been.
Psalm li. 1, 2, 3.—Brady and TaU.
When the Lord Jesus first revealed himself to me, he did no*
reason with me about truth and error; but he attacked me like a
warrior, and felled me to the ground by the power of his arm.—Vatt-
der Kemp.
The most eventful date in a human history is the
commencement of its heavenward career; and,
provided it is really to the Better Country that the
pilgrim is travelling, it is immaterial whether hope
or fear had the greatest influence on his outset.
" Wherever it begins, every conversion ends in
Christ. Some, like Matthew Henry and Henry
Marty n, may have made the transition, they scarce
know how : but all agree to approve of God's way
of saving sinners by Jesus Christ alone ; all desire
to advance the glory of God their Saviour; all
regard Christ's yoke as easy, and his burden as
light; all combine to mourn for sin with deep and
godly sorrow; all arrive, sooner or later, at a good
hope through grace concerning their own personal
salvation; all profoundly revere the statutes and
ordinances of their Lord; all desire to spread the
savour of his name; all long' and pray for the day
2*
12 THE BEGINNING OP BETTER DATS.
when they shall he perfect in holiness, even as
their Father who is in heaven is perfect." *
No contrast can be greater than between a
Christianity thus practical, and the ordinary course
of the world. Such a contrast was now about to
be exhibited in the character of Mr Williams; and,
from a paper in his own handwriting, we are ap¬
prised of the circumstances in which it originated.
These are so peculiar, that some may think it
would have been wise to suppress them. But on
the principle of allowing the subject of this Memoir
to be, as much as possible, his own biographer, we
could not ignore facts which he has detailed so
fully. They have their own significance. They
harmonise with the eager temperament and lively
imagination of the writer. They are not without
their import as a contribution to spiritual patho¬
logy. Nor should the value of the result be
affected by the anomalies of the process. The
last three books of The Course of Time were writ¬
ten in the inspiration of a hectic fever, and Kubla
Khan was composed in a dream ; but they are fine
poems, notwithstanding. And, even allowing that
a good deal of the morbid and visionary may have
mingled with higher processes at this juncture of
Mr Williams's history, the result was a sober and
healthful reality. That result was, a disposition so
devout and benevolent, a life so holy, a spirit so
* Lights and Shadows of the Life of Faith. By the Bev. W. K.
Tweedie, Edinburgh.
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS. 13
self-sacrificing, that, whatever circumstances may
have attended its commencement, every Christian
will feel that God himself was its Author.
Mr Williams's mind was marked by a certain
fervid exuberance. However charming in personal
intercourse, with a fluent pen this fulness of emo¬
tion is apt to produce redundant writing. For the
sake of our readers, we shall, therefore, take the
freedom of shortening the paragraphs, and omit¬
ting expletive words and unimportant sentences.
Were we editing a British classic, we should not
venture on such retrenchments; but in the present
case, we feel that our responsibility is for the
author's sentiments and statements of fact, and
that condensation is not a licence, but a duty.
#With this preliminary remark, we proceed to give
Mr Williams's narrative of the singular illness
which issued in his conversion.
" I bless God that ever I was afflicted. Not
only do I date my conversion from my illness, but
I believe that this illness was designed for my con¬
version. It was a seizure more remarkable than
any of which I remember to have heard or read;
and, apart from the inward working of the mind,
it presented a series of extraordinary symptoms,
which seem to defy solution. Myself a medical
man, and for many years accustomed to witness
disease in every form, I have been able to explain,
14
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS.
to some extent at least, almost every case; but for
the cause of my own illness, and for the explana¬
tion of its strange symptoms, my knowledge and
means of judging fall far short. But whether
mere natural causes occasioned all the bodily
sensations or not, scarcely signifies: the mental
changes, I am fully assured, were altogether the
work of God.
" At the very outset, I should acknowledge that
I had no previous belief in the truth of Chris¬
tianity. I viewed it sometimes in one light, some¬
times in another. I regarded it, for the most part,
as an absurdity. At its many votaries I wondered,
and their understandings I looked down upon as
strangely deluded. I could not comprehend how
a God should die, nor even bring my mind to
admit that an atonement was necessary. The
works of infidels, however, I always read with
dissatisfaction or disgust; and any scurrilous at¬
tack on the faith of others I should Jiave been
ready to oppose. But into the truth of the matter
I never thought of inquiring; and, as far as my
perusal of it went, the Bible was a mere lumber-
book. Science, literature, and my profession,
were my whole delight; but the truth or falsehood
of Christianity I felt it no part of my business to
examine.
" Of natural religion I had something in my
heart. Many a time have I lifted my eyes from
nature up to nature's God, and have adored his
THE BEGINNING OP BETTER DATS. 15
excellency as revealed in his beautiful and mag¬
nificent works. I knew myself to be a creature
sprung from God; but I never dreamed that I
was a creature accursed before him. I knew God
to be infinitely just; but I never feared that that
justice would consign me to eternal misery. I
knew that I oftentimes acted contrary to my con¬
science ; but I believed that intellectual enlighten¬
ment and the mere force of reasoning could carry
human nature to perfection, and place it far above
the control of passion. I deified human nature as
capable of transcendent virtue, and absolutely
denied its innate corruption. I hoped that the
soul was immortal, but could never feel convinced
that it was so; but as to everlasting torments,—
I viewed the doctrine as sacrilege and a defama¬
tion of the justice of God. The existence of a devil
I believed no more than any other bugbear.
" The only instances when confidence in my own
opinions has been altogether shaken, were, I well
remember, moments when, without an assignable
reason, I have awakened from sleep, and an inde¬
scribable awe and terror have seized on my soul,
filling it with undefined apprehensions of the
future.*
* To such lucid moments does Jane Taylor refer, in lines not tha
less poetical because of their simple truthfulness :—
" And yet, amid the hurry, toil, and strife,
The claims, the urgencies, the whirl of life,—
The soul—perhaps in silence of the night-
Has flashes, transient intervals of light;
16 THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS.
" Such is a slight picture of my state of mind pre¬
vious to my illness. Up to the moment when it
seized me I had been engaged in the active duties
of my profession. I had visited many patients,
and during the evening had felt fatigued and lan¬
guid, and anxious to seat myself comfortably in my
arm-chair. A little after ten o'clock I saw the last
of the persons waiting for me, and instantly I felt
myself severely unwell. I went up-stairs, and threw
myself on my bed. In a few minutes I felt in¬
expressibly ill. The first sensation was an amazing
weight on the chest, with difficulty of respiration;
the carotids of my throat striking like hammers
on my head, and a feeling as though torrents of
air were rushing into my brain, and the head were
When things to come, without a shade of doubt,
In terrible reality stand out.
Those lucid moments suddenly present
A glance of truth, as though the heavens were rent;
And through that chasm of pure celestial light,
The future breaks upon the startled sight;
Life's vain pursuits, and Time's advancing pace,
Appear with death-bed clearness, face to face ;
And Immortality's expanse sublime,
In just proportion to the speck of time:
While Death, uprising from the silent shades,
Shews his dark outline ere the vision fades;
In strong relief against the blazing sky
Appears the shadow as it passes by.
And though overwhelming to the dazzled brain,
These are the moments when the mind is sane;
For then, a hope in heaven—the Saviour's cross,
Seem what they are, and all things else but dross."
Essays in Rhyme.
THE BEGINNING OP BETTER DATS. 17
itself expanding. The agony became insupport¬
able, and I knocked for some one to come to me.
Meanwhile my mind acquired a wonderful vivacity.
Thought upon thought came pouring in with a dis¬
tinctness of apprehension, enlargement of view, and
faithfulness of memory, such as L never before
experienced. A power to comprehend my personal
identity, and to understand my relation to time and
eternity, was wonderfully given me. The passing
moment seemed without beginning or end. I felt
as though immortal faculties, immortal relations,
were beginning to be recognised. The thought
began to stagger me, that the hand of death was
grasping the cords of life. With the thought, dark¬
ness—thick, palpable darkness—gathered on my
soul. A mountain load seemed to crush my breast.
It was girt as with bands of iron. My heart felt
too big for its wonted space. A horror of anguish
filled my whole being. Unnumbered sins sprang
up before my astonished conscience, and Death in
his terror rose up to my gaze. Look where I
would, there was no hope. One wide, unbounded
ocean of dismay and terror, lashed with tempestuous
bowlings, roared on every side ; and the thought of
an offended God pierced my soul with madness and
despair.
" In this state I lay for hours. Meanwhile my
sister, alarmed by my knocking, had come and
found me speechless. Others of my friends were
sent for, then medical attendance. Recourse was
B
18 THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS.
had to remedial measures; but I still grew worse.
The night passed, and the morning found me the
same. A painfully vivid consciousness of every¬
thing going on around me added greatly to my
distress. The first faint glimmer of light that
broke into my soul was when the name of Jesus
was uttered. With the very thought of that name
the hope of mercy was allied, and like a drowning
man I clung to that hope. In the agony of my
soul I called upon that name; and in the mean¬
while, finding that one of God's servants (Mr M.,
senior) had entered the room, I felt a new hope, as
if the very presence of a man of God was a source
of safety. He bade me look to Jesus. With the
very bidding, I felt an infinite joy in so doing.
Faith in that holy name rapidly gained the ascen¬
dant. My darkness was turned into light, and in
a short time I felt a sweet sense of the pardoning
mercy of God. After this I grew better and better,
and all my symptoms remitted, till I felt nothing
except the languor resulting from the violence of
my previous sufferings.
"^Towards the evening, however, a relapse took
place, with phenomena essentially different. Be¬
ginning with the same contraction of the chest as
before, there followed tetanic spasms—a violent
jerking of the upper part of the body from side to
side, interrupted by quiet intervals, sometimes by a
complete rigidity of the neck and spine. So sensi¬
tive was I to touch, or to the impression of a breath
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS.
19
of air, that the approach of any one evincing an
intention to disturb me would tl^'ow me into con¬
vulsions; and, suspecting tetanus or hydrophobia,
the three medical attendants inquired whether I
had been bitten by a dog, or had sustained any
mechanical injury. With short intermissions, this
state of things lasted for successive days, till my
strength was nearly exhausted. Towards the close
of the fourth day, and during the succeeding night,
.my eyes were upturned in their sockets; I retained
not the slightest power of voluntary breathing; I
was incapable of speech ; and the attempt to swallow
a drop of water brought on spasms which threatened
suffocation.
" During all this period I was possessed of per¬
fect consciousness; nor had I any pain. The only
painful sensation was the impossibility of resisting
the convulsive movements of my body, and the fear¬
ful constriction of my chest. At first I was, as it were,
a mere spectator and observer of the symptoms—■
thinking, and even reasoning upon them ; and when
abstracted from their consideration, I felt that I
could calmly meditate on God's mercies.' I had
no painful conflicts about my state, but a settled
serenity—a tranquillity for which. I could scarcely
account, unless from the conviction that my salvation
was sure. But during the last night of this stage,
I experienced wonderful evidence of a world to
come. My friends were assembled at various dis¬
tances around my bed. The curtains were drawn,
3
20 THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS.
and a candle yielded its obscure rays. I heard the
sobbings of my relations. I knew that they looked
on my life as fast fleeting. I was myself convinced
that I should not recover. I had pictured my body
carried to the grave, and had marked in my mind's
eye all the attendant circumstances. Mentally I
had taken leave of earth, and I lay in perfect
peace, assured of my salvation. A dead silence now
reigned around; and as I waited the moment of my
final change, it was an intense and deeply absorb¬
ing thought that soon the great scene would be
revealed. Whilst lying thus, I thought I heard a
gentle knocking. My soul started in expectation.
Inwardly I exclaimed, ' I come. Lord Jesus !' Re¬
lapsing into quietude, I felt all but dismissed. It
had the effect of so far arousing me, that I got
power to speak, and called to my kindred, who
came around me in surprise and anticipation. I
took leave of them. I told one to be watchful, and
spoke to the others, till power of speech again for¬
sook me. As I lay, I drew my hand to my breast,
to examine its beatings. I felt they were small and
weak, and I was content, for I should soon be in an¬
other world. I was even anxious to die; for I fe red
lest, living again, I might lose what now seemed so
sure. Then it was that a new order of feeling's
©
came over me. I had the most extraordinary sense
of the bodily presence of the Power of Darkness
standing by the side of my bed; not that I imagined
that I saw anything, but I felt as if I could have
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS. 21
put my hand on the very spot where he stood, and
I shrank from that side with horror and loathing.
But, blessed be God! on the opposite side stood,
equally revealed to my spiritual senses, the Power
unto Salvation, the very embodiment of' love; and to
this I turned as to a refuge. I shrank from the Evil
One, and poured out my prayers to Christ, whoso
protection was evident to me. Thus I lay, when,
all of a sudden, the most brilliant light darted into
the room, and filled me with astonishment. Now,
I thought, the time is surely at hand. God is
visibly making manifest his approach. Quickly
will the angels of God be descending, and I shall
behold my Redeemer. By the vigor thus imparted
I was enabled to sit up in bed, and with a feeling
like that which Lazarus might have experienced,
conscious of a supernatural Presence, I called out
to my friends, 'Did you not see the light?' Next
minute the impression came over me that I was yet
to live; and at the same time, inspired with the
certainty of knowing what I ought to take, I told
my assistant to bring me forty drops of the tincture
of opium, and twenty drops of the muriated tinc¬
ture of iron, and to repeat the dose every twenty
minutes. After taking the first dose, I continued
sitting in bed, feeling as though entranced; and,
what is singular, my arms, when extended at an
early part of the evening, had remained so, evincing
the cataleptic state. I took the second dose, and
lay down. These doses, so large that my assistant
22 THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS.
afterwards wondered what could have possessed
him to give them, were the means of my recovery.
After a miserable interval, during which the body
seemed to be sinking into corruption, and the mind
itself seemed to have lost all power of joy or sorrow,
hope or fear, a profound sleep closed my eyes. It
lasted upwards of twelve hours, and, awaking as
from a dream, there remained no trace of my
former state, except extreme debility. I never had
the slightest relapse, but made rapid progress in
recovery."
An interesting volume was lately published, in
which a Christian scholar recalls the workings of
his mind during a long period of derangement; *
and we believe that both science and religion are
eventually served by accurate statements of cases
in which moral and physical phenomena mingle.
We are too ignorant of pathology to be able to
explain all the symptoms which Mr Williams has so
vividly described; and it would be very presump¬
tuous in us to profess to account for those sensa¬
tions which the patient, himself a medical man,
modestly acknowledges as beyond the range of his
own experience or reading. Yet there are one or
two circumstances of which an ordinary spectator
may possibly judge as accurately as the patient
himself, with all his professional training.
For instance, it was at the close of a laborious
* Autobiography of the Rev. William Walford. Edited by the
Rev. J. Stoughton.
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS. 23
day, and when excessively fatigued, that Mr Wil¬
liams was first seized with those singular sensations
in his head, and with the brilliant accompanying
ideas. Now, to say nothing of any intermediate
cause, such as determination of blood to the brain,
we know that excessive application or exhaustion
is not unfrequently followed by similar odd sensa¬
tions. Dr Moore mentions Dr Isaac Watts, who,
after great exertion of mind, thought his head too
large to allow him to pass out at the study door;
as also the case of a gentleman who, after deliver¬
ing a lecture at the College of Surgeons, said that
his head felt as if it filled the room.* With Mr
Williams, the sensation was " as though torrents of
air were rushing into his brain, and the head itself
expanding." Nor do we suppose that it is at all
uncommon for nervous exhaustion to be followed
by'such cataleptic seizures as Mr Williams expe¬
rienced, when his eyes were fixed, and when he had
lost the power of speech, as well as voluntary respi-
ration.f The "inspired certainty" with which he
* The Power of the Soul over the Body. By George Moore, M. D.
Fourth edition, p. 264.
+ To'our lay ignorance, the most perplexing complication of this
illness is the tetanic access which marked the second stage. Per¬
haps some light may be thrown on it by the. following case detailed
by Dr Joseph Williams, who describes the patient as suffering from
cerebral irritation, mixed up with hysteria and violent tetanic
spasms. " She declared the pain was so great that she should go
mad. Alarmed at the tetanic symptoms more especially, I examined
carefully the thumb and fingers, to ascertain if these had been in¬
jured; inquired minutely if she had lately pricked her finger, or
24 THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DATS.
prescribed for himself the tonic opiate, need not
surprise us. Suggested by some constitutional
craving, invalids often fancy that if they could only
obtain a given antidote, they would instantly be
well. And they frequently are right. Sometimes
the specific is a strange one, and would not readily
have occurred to a man of science. In the present
instance we presume that science would have coun¬
tersigned the patient's prescription, had it only
known all the circumstances; but then it must be
remembered that in the present instance the patient
himself was a doctor.
" Intense mental conceptions so strongly im¬
pressed upon the mind as, for the moment, to be
believed to have a real existence," are amongst the
most frequent spectral illusions.* As coming near
this class, we must regard that "extraordinary
sense of the bodily presence of the Power of Dark¬
ness standing by the side of his bed," which filled
the imagination of the patient towards the close of
his illness, as well as the brilliant light which fol-
received any blow or fall, stating to tbe friends that I had never
seen such symptoms but where a nerve had been irritated. Ex¬
amined the mouth; the teeth perfect, undecayed; but still dissatis¬
fied, I took out my pencil-case and gently struck each tooth; on
tapping the second superior molar of the affected side, great pain
ensued, and on.repeating this it was increased." On removing the
tooth it was detected that pus was pressing on the pulpy portion of
the nerve; and thus incipient mania was cured, and the life of the
patient was saved.—See Williams on Insanity, p. 260.
* See Hibbert on Apparitions. Abercrombie on the Intellectual
Powers, part 3.
THE BEGINNING OP BETTER DAYS. 25
lowed. To bystanders no light was visible, no
presence was palpable. Unlike the voice and the
light on the road to Damascus, which the specta¬
tors heard and saw, these manifestations were con¬
fined to the individual's own mind.
Still these ideas were substantially correct.
Disease might embody them in forms too material;
and yet they were truths. It was true that sins
unnumbered stood chargeable against one who
& ©
had hitherto lived without God in the world. It
was true that God was offended, and death was
coming. It was true that boundless dismay and
terror environed the Christless transgressor. The
name of Jesus had no more effect in tranquillising
the conscience and kindling hope than that blessed
name should ever have. And the instinct which
shrank from the Power of Darkness and cried to
Jesus for protection, was itself a token that a new
life was dawning. There might be nervous excite¬
ment, but there was also a spiritual awakening.
There might be morbid sensations; but the per¬
vading conviction was scriptural, and the conse¬
quent change of thought and feeling was perma¬
nent. That change we shall leave Mr Williams to
describe.
" It was on the fifteenth day of September 1846
that I was taken ill. It is now September 1847
when I am writing this. The delightful feelings of
the first few days of convalescence I remember
well. Joyfully exulting in the interposition of
26 THE BEGINNING OE BETTER
Divine Providence and mercy, which had brought
me out of thick darkness into the glorious light of
truth, 0 what a heaven flitted through my soul 1
Holiness with its celestial gilding seemed to tinge
every object around me. The world was no longer
the same world; its people no longer the same
beings. Myself and my fellows I no longer re¬
garded as creatures of a moment's duration, but
I saw eternity impressed as a seal on the whole
generation of men. The universe was no longer
a confused assemblage of indistinct parts, moving
towards a gloomy terminus, but, as tar as the
Divine purposes were concerned, a bright whole
of uniform perfection, and the entire expanse filled
with love, unbounded love. God himself seemed
to move everywhere. .All was joy to my soul. I
looked on myself as a brand plucked from the burn¬
ing, and rejoiced in the sure hope of salvation.
Jesus was most precious to me—my glory and in¬
finite joy. The Bible, hitherto a sealed book, was
now a river of water to my thirsty soul. I was
astounded with its contents. As I turned over its
pages, wonder upon wonder ravished my delighted
heart. I felt that I would care to live only for
the sake of reading it. It was a glorious light.
O O ©
At times its heavenly rays would subdue me into
a mellow and peaceful benignity ; at ethers, rouse
me into ecstatic bliss. Everywhere was the autho¬
rity, the love, of God recognised. Its power to
command my obedience was as the thunder-clad
ahE BEGINNING OF BETTER, DATS. 27
arm of Omnipotence; and its pleadings for holi¬
ness were as the gentle whisperings of love,
to which my heart, my mind, my soul answered
assent. How I wondered at my former dark¬
ness! How amazed did I feel that the precious
light had so long shone in my way, and I never
had perceived it! I resolved to make it the
absolute rule of my life.
" These first days were as though they had been
a foretaste of heavenly peace. Never shall I forget
my first mortification at finding that sin still
existed within me. There had been no actual com¬
mittal of an offence that my conscience charged me
with; yet a sudden and unexpected change had
come over me. There was a cloudiness in my
mind; my faith was dim; my heart had ceased to
exult. It was as though all had been a bright and
glorious dream, and I had now awakened to the
stern realities of a cold and miserable world.
Alas, the bitterness of that moment! I strove to
recall my hopes—they seemed delusion. I read
my Bible—the bright revealing light which had
heretofore almost made the very print more clea-r
was gone; and, although I still knew it to he the
Word of God, the page had ceased to enkindle
rapture or inspire emotion. I knew not how to
account for this state. I had believed that the
work of change and renovation had been completed,
at least carried to so high a degree that it was im¬
possible I could wilfully sin against God again. I
28 THE BEGINNING OE BETTER DAYS.
abhorred the thought, yet here I was in darkness,
and sin palpably abounding in my heart. How sad
was the sight of myself! It was the first glimpse
at the inherent corruption and original depravity
of my heart. It was the first of a series of painful
but important lessons which convinced me that God
had only hitherto instructed me in the first prin¬
ciples, and laid the foundation for my faith; but
that the work of grace had to be carried on, and
an absolute change of heart effected, by many a
severe and fiery ordeal.
" In the course of weeks, I was enabled to take
a trip into North Wales; here my connexion with
the world was first re-established. All the avoca¬
tions of man, that were apart from his religious
duties, appeared to me to have vanity legibly
stamped on them. On my route I stopped a short
time in Liverpool, but the bustle and commotion
excited no pleasurable sympathy; for I felt that it
all was vanity. The whirl, the din, the confusion,
all told me of the world's spirit; and in the coun¬
tenance of the busy throng I could not read one
expression in unison with my own feelings, or
which came home to my heart. At Beaumaris I
abode at a commercial hotel, and there, in the
presence of the usual visitants of an inn, I took out
my Bible, glorying in the thought that I was thus
unfurling Christ's banner. One of the company
entered into conversation, and boasted of his reli¬
gious acquisitions, and of the high position he held
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS. 2-9
in the church to which he belonged as teacher and
deacon. But gradually he drank to inebriation.
I was glad to find a room to myself, and in dejec¬
tion to ponder over this first instance of a false
professor.
" My stay in North Wales, especially my visit
to Llanberis and Snowdon, afforded my mind the
healthful occupation of contemplating and adoring
God as revealed in his works. To me the God of
nature and the God of revelation now were one,
and I began more sensibly to feel the relation
wherein we stand to God by the conjoint link of
creation and redemption. How glorious to know
that a pathway had been opened for the rebellious
sinner to the favor of the great Eternal, whose
hand had formed the mighty fabric of the universe,
and who had given the being and life we enjoy, but
from whom I had so long been severed, and to
whom I had never felt my relation, nor acknow¬
ledged my obedience! But the great Eternal was
now the Lord my God; and I, the creature of his
hand, could, through the Redeemer, look up and
believe that the Power which guided the planets in
their course would direct me in all my ways, and
preserve me by his providential care. I felt that
he had first loved me. I felt that God so loved
the world as t*o give his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. I felt that it is the First and
the Last who there expresses his care for all the
30
THE BEGINNING OF BETTER DAYS.
family of man, including myself, a worm so insigni¬
ficant. At that mercy I could only wonder and
adore, and, with faint conceptions of his love and
grace, I could but humble myself before him."
CHAPTER III.
»n& teM«.
Mercy and Truth, that long were miss'd,
Now joyfully are met;
Sweet peace and righteousness have kiss'd,
And hand in hand are set.
Truth from the earth, like to a flower,
Shall hud and blossom then;
And justice from her heavenly bower
Look down on mortal men.
Psalm Ixxxv. 10,11.—Milton.
I fear that much of my backwardness in spiritual matters may be
imputed to my overlooking so much the work of the Spirit of God in
the plan of salvation. And oh! how important is His work ! To
open the eyes, enlighten the understanding, soften the heart, remove
prejudices, " shed abroad the love of God abundantly in the heart,"
to " witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God," to " help
our infirmities," to " seal us unto the day of redemption."—Rev. J.
Macdonald of Calcutta.
4
There is such a thing as a denominational zoology.!,
There is a certain temperament, there are certain
mental tendencies, from which, if a man is not con¬
tent to remain a Presbyterian in Scotland or an
Episcopalian in England, it may be predicted which
other section of the Christian community he will
join. The Wesleyan body is the great absorbent
of warm hearts and fervid spirits. In the fre¬
quency of its devotional meetings, in the frankness
and unreserve of its Christian intercourse, in the
vigor of its responses and the soaring rapture of its
hymns, and in the benevolent vivacity which finds a
post and an employment for every member, it meets
many cravings of the young and ardent convert. Is
he crying, in the gladness of his soul, " Sing aloud
unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto
the God of Jacob " ? Alike in the cathedral and the
conventicle, he is apt to be depressed by an organic
solo or a rueful dirge; but escaping to the Metho¬
dist meeting, he finds their " glory " all " awake:"
n
34 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
they are "taking the psalm, and bringing the pleasant
harp with the psaltery, and blowing up the trumpet,"
and with exulting rivalry, " young men and maidens,
old men and children," are praising the Lord. In the
eagerness of first love is he exclaiming, " Come and
hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what
he hath done for my soul!" But nobody will stop
to listen; and so, for an audience he is driven, away
to the love-feast or class-meeting. In the exuber¬
ance of a newly-awakened zeal, would he like an
outlet for his energies, a field of Christian activity ?
In the sanctuary which he has hitherto frequented
he feels himself a cipher. He has never been in¬
vited to engage in any scheme of usefulness, and,
except the neat and noiseless sexton who bows him
into his pew, no one seems to know him. But he
has not worshipped three Sabbaths with the Metho¬
dists when he is recognised and accosted, and three
months have not passed before he is installed in the
Sunday-school, or, with a bundle of tracts and a rov¬
ing commission, is sent out into the highways and
hedges. The portrait of the great founder on the wall,
a box for Wesleyan missions on the mantel-shelf,
placards of the next anniversary, in the shop win¬
dow, the occasional dropping in of a brother during
the day with friendly inquiry as to his health of
soul, hearty hand-shakings at the evening prayer-
meeting, and a vesper stanza from the consecrated
hymn-book, all betoken the activity, the brotherly-
kindness, and the cheerful piety in the midst of
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 35
•which the young Theophilus has found hisy ecclesi¬
astical habitation and his congenial home.
The society which has yielded a logician so
acute as the younger Treffry, and a systematist
so masterly as Richard Watson, to say nothing of
a scholar so erudite as Adam Clarke,—such a so¬
ciety cannot be reproached with the lack of Biblical
or theological learning. Nevertheless, the lovers
of metaphysical divinity and Scriptural exposition
will not be apt to join a community whose migra¬
tory ministers and perpetual excitement make it
a church upon wheels. Wesleyan Christianity is
emotional and experimental; it has no attraction
for severe reasoners and abstract speculators; nor
is it adapted to spirits sedate or sombre. Its
ready-made materials are the men of feeling; the
sanguine, the impulsive, and enthusiastic natures,
whom the grace of God makes the best evangel¬
ists, and the kind, humane, and homely natures
whom the same grace converts into the salt of our
English factories, the living epistles of such rural
neighbourhoods as are blessed with their pre¬
sence. And although the predominance of the
emotional element in Wesleyan membership is not
without its inconvenience and its perils; although
it aggravates the task of the governing body, and
renders periods of internal commotion vehement
and almost volcanic; still, in the normal state of
the society, it gives a peculiar animation to the
services of its sanctuaries, and an intensity to its
4*
36 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
missionary zeal, far beyond the proportion of most
of the other Christian communities; and from what
we know of his ardent temperament, we cannot
wonder that the Wesleyan Society was the church
which, after his conversion, Mr Williams joined.
The last chapter left him on a tour of North
Wales. A short journey re-established his health,
and he returned to Burslem to receive a warm wel¬
come from former patients and friends. We shall
now resume his own narrative:—
" I sought to become connected with the visible
Church of Christ. Previous to my illness I had
for nearly twelve months attended divine service
at the Wesleyan chapel, owing to the esteem I
entertained for the abilities and eloquence of the
ministers then laboring in the circuit. But I
never looked on myself as a Methodist, nor pro¬
fessed to belong to any church. In my early years
I had with my parents attended the tabernacle of
the Independents, and as I grew older I occa¬
sionally went to the Established Church. When a
student in London, except when some popular
clergyman attracted my notice, I generally ab¬
sented myself entirely from public worship. In
those days I should have scorned the thought as
an insult to my understanding, had it been sug¬
gested that I might some day join the Methodist
Society. For them, of all sects, I had the greatest
distaste, and they were a by-word and a reproach
in my mouth. However, from many opportunities
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 37
of judging of one individual amongst tliem—the
same who proved such a friend during my illness—
I had arrived at a much more elevated opinion of
Christian integrity and worth than I had ever
entertained before; and now gratitude as well as
high respect bound me to the Wesleyan Church
through him. Besides, their fervent zeal for the
cause of God was attractive to my now roused
feelings. I desired that every creature should
rejoice in the glorious tidings revealed to myself,
and could have wished for a trumpet tongue to
echo salvation over the length and breadth of the
earth.
"Accordingly, on the 29th of November 1846,
I presented myself at one of the class meetings, the
leader of which was my already tried friend, and
received a ticket on trial. The minister was pre¬
sent that evening, and, besides giving expression to
that presence of God which he enjoyed in his own
soul, he addressed interrogatories, counsel, admoni¬
tion, and encouragement to each one of us. With
our veteran leader I was delighted; such was the
hon,est truthfulness of all he said, and such the
evidence he afforded of living in very near com¬
munion with God in Christ Jesus. However, there
were feelings in my breast which I little expected
to find there. That pride which depreciates the
understanding of others and exalts our own, and
which so abounded in my secret thoughts and
actions before my conversion, I found sensibly
38 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
existing now. I tried to conquer it, but it was not
yet overthrown. It was the intrenched fortress of
the enemy, from which he could issue at any
unguarded moment, and lay waste my peace of
mind. Many have been his triumphs. Many a
time has he taken me captive at his will; but I
feel that I shall be more than conqueror through
Him that loved me, and shall finally sing the glories
of Him that giveth us the victory.
" As I became better acquainted with the society,
I found that its doctrines and organisation wonder¬
fully coincided with my daily-increasing knowledge
of the Scriptures, and with the teaching which God's
Spirit imparted to me. I found it was God's will
that I should be associated with one individual who
served God in spirit and in truth; but, alas ! how
immeasurably distant was the period when I could
hope to be thus fervent in spirit, serving the Lord!
Day by day-1 found fresh evidence of the depravity
of my evil heart. I certainly felt an earnest desire
after righteousness; but my religion, I soon per¬
ceived, was too much characterised by fits and
starts, too much influenced by circumstances and
occasions. It was too much a religion of emotions
and feelings; and in the brief space of a single
day there were intervals of negligence and apathy,
when worldly avocations darkened my mind;
and when the hour of prayer arrived, the burden
of my sins bore heavily on my heart.
" The most striking instance of the revealment of
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 39
myself, in all my spiritual destitution, occurred some
months after my conversion. For some time there
had been a fearful conflict going on—desires to do
the will of God, on the one part, and yet a total
incapacity to make good my intentions. I perceived
an increasing helplessness—a powerlessness and in¬
ability to maintain a single resolution. The family
devotions I had instituted I felt absolutely inade¬
quate to perform. My prayers were without fer¬
vency. I could scarce find language for the most
ordinary sentiment, and I was utterly ashamed and
confounded at myself. The profession of religion
in such circumstances seemed impossible, and I was
dispirited at the prospect of attending my class,
where I could only expose the poverty and listless-
ness of my mind. I was ready to despair, and give
up the whole. The secret of it all was not then
known to me. I had.yet to learn a most important
lesson, which was, that I had been hitherto trusting
to my own strength, and had not recollected how,
without the aid of God's Holy Spirit, I could not
perform one duty aright.
" For weeks—I may say for months—it continued
thus. Yarious temptations came in my way, and I
felt that I had repeatedly sinned against God. My
soul became darker and darker, and in deep trouble
I groaned and wept over my sad condition. Doubts
assailed me as to the truth of all; but these I re¬
pelled with amazement and horror. There was
still an inward sincerity of heart in seeking after
40 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
God; and hour after hour, on my bended knees,
did I seek his help, but without any perceptible
progress in inward holiness or spiritual enlighten¬
ment.
" The climax of this condition was attained on a
Sunday night. I had spent part of the Sabbath
carelessly, and my conscience was heavily laden
with sin. My household had retired to rest, and I
was left alone. I was disposed to follow their
example, but I was not prepared to commit myself
in prayer to God. I felt no inclination for it; but
to go to bed without prayer was impossible. I
therefore sat down and tried to read. However,
my thoughts would not permit me to go on with
the book, and I was compelled to desist. I was now
sitting in what I may term a sullen moodiness.
There was a heavy weight on my heart, and a
terrible darkness began to throw its shadows around
me. I began to be alarmed at my position; I was
staggered at my callousness and insensibility. My
convictions I retained in full force, but I felt that I
was without religion. God seemed at an infinite
distance. An abyss of darkness intervened between
him and my soul. The thought that I was forsaken
by the Spirit of God, and abandoned to a reprobate
heart, took possession of my mind; and, looking to
the future, I saw how different were now my hopes
and prospects. I lay full length on the hearth-rug,
in absolute despair. At length I tried to pray, but
my lips refused their office: pray I could not. I
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 41
felt that I had now a real foretaste of hell, for I
was without God and without hope. Hours rolled
away, and I loathed myself, and abhorred'the pic¬
ture of my own heart which I now beheld. I made
renewed efforts at prayer, and determined that, if
I could express no more, I would repeat the pub¬
lican's petition, ' God he merciful to me, a sinner.'
I did so. Though it was the depth of winter, the
morning's light broke in whilst I was still engaged
in fervent supplication. I acknowledged my guilt;
I pleaded the blood of Christ shed for me; I sued
for mercy; hut no consolation was afforded, and,
quite exhausted, I retired to bed. There I renewed
my prayer, and while so doing I fell asleep. Shortly
after, I awoke, and, kneeling by my bed-side, I be¬
sought the Lord for a ray of heavenly light. Still
without a satisfactory sense of God's love, I rested
again for a short time; and, on awaking, a flood of
holy joy and peace burst in. God was present to
my soul, and his love was manifest to a degree more
rapturous than I had ever before experienced. I
praised, I adored, I blessed my Redeemer.
" From this time I began to understand more
fully, or rather it was now that I began to under¬
stand at all, the nature of the human heart in its
unregenerate state, and what are the glorious
changes to be expected from redeeming grace. I
perceived what a vitally important part in the work
of redemption pertains to the Holy Spirit, and that
every change, and each step in the way of holiness,
42 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
is effected by his agency; and this, too, in com¬
pliance with an earnest desire, and in answer to
fervent prayer. A most abhorrent picture of my¬
self had been set before me, and I felt that it was
just what I'should be were the Spirit of God with¬
drawn. Hence there was nothing for self-righteous¬
ness to build upon, and all pride was utterly con¬
founded. The glory of my salvation belonged only
to the Kedeemer—to God manifest in Christ Jesus;
and every grace was furnished through him, and
imparted by the Spirit of Grace. To me no¬
thing remained but humility, and prayer, and
praise. Self was prostrate; Christ was magnified.
Hitherto I had believed in Christ, but now I began
to see what faith in Christ really meant. It was
no longer the mere belief of assent, but the belief
of trust; no longer a dead, but a living and work¬
ing faith. I had now no remote nor indefinite
object to attain, but an immediate advantage to
pursue. Glorious as was the thought of an ulti¬
mate salvation, it could scarce afford an impulse so
quickening as the conviction that holiness of heart
and the peace of God might be obtained in this
life, and an absolute change of being be even now
effected. Here was scope enough for all diligence,
and for the fervency of prayer.
" For clearness I shall repeat the. knowledge I
now gained. I had fancied that in the change
wrought upon me at my conversion, the vile con¬
dition of my heart would have been altogether
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 43
amended and rectified; and I anticipated nothing
but purity of thought and conformity to God.
Disappointed in this, I began to doubt if the
change I had undergone were sufficient, and when
I found that sin had still dominion over me, I was
almost tempted to mistrust the power assigned to
religion. But when I knew my heart better, I
perceived that I had never been truly self-abased,
nor brought into a subjection to God sufficiently
lowly. But now that I knew that the very essence
of my nature was sin in God's sight, in that very
discovery there was laid the foundation for building
a holy temple unto God. I now felt an enmity to
the flesh which warred against the spirit, and I
could now with delight and comfort seek the aid
of God in the contest. The light of his counte¬
nance shone upon me; his Word grew precious
to me; and with the knowledge that his Spirit
helpeth our infirmities, I trust to set about the
work of ordering all things rightly in his sight
more seriously than ever."
The grace which he coveted was granted, and
the career of Mr Williams was henceforth marked
by warm and consistent piety. In his profession
more popular than ever, and, owing to his humane
and disinterested exertions, in great request among
the poor, he often seized the opportunity to urge
on their attention the interests of their never-dying
souls. His faithful counsels and exhortations were
frequently crowned with success; and long before
44 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS.
he had thoughts of laboring abroad, he had be¬
come a medical missionary at home. In the year
when Burslem was visited by cholera, the success
of his treatment entailed on him an enormous pres¬
sure of employment; but, even amidst all the toil
and hurry of that anxious season, he found time to
pray with the sick, and to point them to the Lamb
of God who taketh away the sins of the world. In
his manner there was something very softening and
assuring, as well as very impressive; and in re¬
peated instances he had reason to hope that his
" labor was not in vain in the Lord." Several de¬
parted declaring that their only confidence was in
the merits and mediation of that Saviour to whom
he had directed their dying eye; and in the
memory of many of his patients he still lives as the
good physician who strove so earnestly for the cure
of " all their diseases."
One field of his usefulness must not be forgotten.
He was in the habit of visiting the barracks at
Burslem, and distributing tracts to the soldiers.
In two instances, at least, he succeeded in re¬
awakening religious impressions; and the men
whom he then induced to join the Wesleyan
Society still maintain their steadfastness. "With
one of them, after he left Burslem, Mr Williams
kept up an affectionate correspondence; and we
may transcribe a few sentences from the first of
his letters:—
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 45
" Bueslem, April 26, 1850.
..." Remember, my brother, that it is a
matter of very little consequence what form our
trials take. To the ungodly, afflictions are indeed
vexations; but although to the Christian they are
grievous, yet they are cheerfully to be submitted
to, rejoicing that we are counted worthy to suffer
as sons, and that our heavenly Father chasteneth
us for our profit. The Lord give us more .faith
and love! Seek, my dear brother, ever to have
fellowship with God the Father and God the Son
in the Spirit, and let the thought of such amazing
privilege raise and ennoble your affections, whilst
you grow indifferent more and more to worldly
hopes and worldly fears. Set all your affections
on things above, and declare in the face of all men
that here you are but a pilgrim and sojourner, as
were all your fathers in the faith before you.
When you find your heart oppressed, bethink you
of the glorious reward Christ will give to all his
tempted but faithful followers, who shall all come
to the place of their rest through much tribula¬
tion.
" The Lord bless you, my dear brother. You
must endeavour to beat up recruits and enlist them
into the service of, the great and glorious King of
kings, the blessed and only Potentate. Shew
every man who doubts your being appointed on
such service the sign-manual of your Captain him¬
self,—' The Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and
46 christian experience and usefulness.
let Mm that heareth say, Come.' You have heard
and received the words of eternal life: therefore
take up your cross, follow your crucified Master,
and share his reproach and sufferings.
" From your sincerely affectionate brother in
the Lord, " R. Williams."
On the principle indicated in the close of this
letter Mr Williams was already acting. He
opened rooms in several neglected districts of the
town, and as many as could be induced to attend
he exhorted with much power and tenderness to
flee from the wrath to come. A marked impres¬
sion was often produced; and an eye-witness
informs us that from these labors " a few of the
most useful men have been raised up, and are
following his way of kindness to the souls and
bodies of their neighbours."
Mr Williams was thus gradually drawn into the
work of a home missionary. He enjoyed it ex¬
ceedingly. It was an outlet for all the energies of
his eager and benevolent nature, and the impres¬
sion frequently produced was a delightful recom-
pence, and cheered him to proceed. He began to
feel that in such labors he would fain " spend and
be spent;" and belonging to a community in which
evangelistic effort has been an almost invariable
result from personal piety, it is not wonderful that
his thoughts began to be directed towards the
missionary enterprise. Just as his thorough-going
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND USEFULNESS. 47
enthusiasm at a former period had forced its way
from the workshop to the college, so now the
same fervor, intensified and consecrated, was
urging him out into the field of the world; and,
although in a quarter little expected, a door was
about to open.
5*
CHAPTER IV.
%\t gjism
Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine,
With heams of heavenly grace;
Reveal thy power through all our coasts,
And shew thy smiling face.
When shall thy name, from shore to shore,
Sound all the earth abroad,
And distant nations know and love
Their Saviour and their God ]
Psalm lxvii. 1-3.—Watts.
If the love of Christ, above everything else, does not constrain us
to engage in the missionary work, surely, instead of finding happi¬
ness, of all persons we shall be the most miserable. —Gordon HaU.
There was a Christian officer of the British Navy,
whose attention had been especially directed to the
South American Indians. He was peculiarly pre¬
possessed in favor of the Araucanian tribes in
Bolivia and La Plata, and at great personal hazard
he undertook repeated journeys of exploration
among them. His object was to discover an open¬
ing for the introduction of the gospel; but he
found them so suspicious of strangers, and on
every side so hemmed in by Spanish Popery, that
he was shut up to the conclusion that little could
be effected till the local governments became more
tolerant, and a better understanding was estab¬
lished betwixt the independent Indians and their
white neighbours.
However, one region appeared more practicable.
This -was the extreme south of the American main¬
land. There were no Romish priests in Patagonia,
and scarcely any commencement of European set¬
tlements. The-Patagonians were a race of good
capacity; and should Ah.e AUft]} once find a lodg-
52
THE MISSION.
ment amongst them, it was hoped that it might he
thence transmitted to the northward, without need¬
ing to cross the barrier which Popery had thrown
around the coast.
Full of his benevolent project, Captain Gardiner
came to England. He succeeded in indoctrinating
with his views a few friends, and inspired them
with a measure of his own enthusiasm. So intent
was he on the execution of his plan, and so secure
of its ultimate success, that he was willing to de¬
vote to it not only his life and his property, but he
proposed to take with him his wife and family, and
establish his future home in Patagonia.
Meanwhile, a small committee was formed at
Brighton, with Sir Thomas Blomefield as the
treasurer; and in December 1844, Captain Gar¬
diner, accompanied by Mr Hunt, a missionary
catechist, set sail for Cape Gregory. But the
experiment failed. The inveterate thieving pro¬
pensities of the natives, and the daily increasing
risk of violence, rendered a longer sojourn on shore
impossible; and after a month of anxiety and dan¬
ger, the Captain and his companion were glad to
take refuge on ship-board, and return to England.
What he had experienced at Cape Gregory,
convinced Captain Gardiner that it would not be
safe for any missionary party to put itself entirely
in the power of the natives. And, therefore, he
proposed a scheme which he hoped would secure
them in case of danger. He recommended that a
THE MISSION.
53
decked boat should be provided, into which the
missionaries might retreat when needful; and, as
farther researches had led him to prefer Tierra del
Fuego to the Patagonian mainland, in this vessel
they would be able to follow, from island to island,
the migrations of the restless inhabitants.
Early in 1848 a trial was made; 'but so imper¬
fect were the means at the disposal of Captain
Gardiner, that he found it impossible to persevere.
Accordingly, he again returned to England, nowise
daunted by his repeated disappointments, and con¬
fident of triumph could he only command the
requisite appliances. But two apparent failures
were trying to the zeal of his most sanguine sup¬
porters, and the mission was not of that magni¬
ficent kind which lays hold of romantic sympathies.
There was little attraction in a few dim and oozy
islets away at the world's end; and, to many, the
very name of a "Patagonian" mission suggested a
sort of pious Quixotism. Besides, it was not un¬
fairly argued, Why waste the Church's resources
on a handful of savages, when the millions of India
and China have such a prepollent claim ?
But the South American Indians had seized the
imagination and the heart of Captain Gardiner,
and he would allow his friends no rest till they
gave him a fair and final opportunity. Far away
as Fuegia was, and few as were its hungry bar¬
barians, he could plead their relative importance.
Guiana excepted, of all that mighty continent no
54 THE MISSION.
other spot was accessible to Protestant missions.
It was the Gibraltar of the South Pacific, and it
was of no small consequence to our mariners to
people with friendly occupants the Straits of
Magellan and the coasts in the rear of Cape Horn.
Above all, it was the only avenue attainable to the
vast tribes of the interior;—the tenants of the
Andes, and the fierce nomads of the Pampas; and
as Popery had closed the main gates against the
gospel, it was of paramount urgency to seize and
keep open this postern.
The representations of this heroic evangelist
again produced their impression, and his own self-
devotion was more affecting than any argument.
He put his life into the venture; others gave
their money; one lady contributed a thousand
pounds; a new committee was constructed; meet¬
ings were held; circulars were issued. Two
launches, twenty-six feet long, were built, the one
as a floating mission-house, the other as a store-
ship and magazine, with two small boats as tenders.
An advertisement was inserted in the religious
o
newspapers inviting catecliists to join the expedi¬
tion ; and for the manning of the boats, a few suit¬
able seamen were selected.*
* A full account of these proceedings ■will he found in the " Nar¬
rative of Missionary Effort in South America," hy the Rev. George
Pakenham Despard, B.A. For many interesting details the editor
is also indebted to an obliging communication from Archibald
Tucker Ritchie, Esq., of Liverpool, Mr Pakenham's able and ardent
predecessor in the Secretariat of the Patagonian Missionary Fir.iety.
the mission.
55
it was to this advertisement that the eye of
Sir Williams was providentially directed, and he
answered it in the following letter addressed to
Captain Gardiner:—
u Burslem, May 17, 1850.
" Sir,—Having observed in the Watchman of
the current week an advertisement for a lay mis-,
sionary to Tierra del Fuego, I beg leave to request
farther particulars in reference to the mission, and
to be furnished with specific information as to the
qualifications required in the individual presenting
himself.
" The advertisement has struck me as present¬
ing a singular opportunity of realising hopes
which have been long indulged,—namely, of devot¬
ing my whole life and services to the cause of God.
Were I to engage in such a duty, it would not be
because of any necessity to seek a livelihood, as I
am already provided with a (profession, and in the
enjoyment of an income therefrom adequate to my
necessities and wishes. Indeed, if I sought for an
engagement in connexion with such an arduous
enterprise, I should do it with a full consciousness
of its requiring a sacrifice of all worldly and tern-,
poral good, sincerely reckoning all such loss to be
gain, and, I hope, ready also to put even life in
jeopardy that I might serve Christ, and be in his
hand an instrument, however humble, to advance
his dominion.
56
THE MISSION.
" I will just state a few particulars concerning
• myself:—
" I am, I humbly trust, a converted man, having
received the grace of God which bringeth salvation,
little more than tnree years,—previous to which I
had been a sceptic and deist.
" I belong to the Wesleyan Methodist commu¬
nion, and am a local preacher and class leader.
From the time of my conversion, and with an
ardent desire to promulgate the truths which so
deeply affected my own heart, I have been acting
on the principle of a home missionary, convening
the poor together, and exhorting them to receive
Christ; and God has acknowledged and blessed
my labors to the conversion of some, if not many,
souls.
" My profession is that of surgeon, which I
have been practising in this town with, I believe,
credit, and the esteem of my fellow-townsmen. I
am single, and just arrived at my thirty-third
year. I may add that I have been in practice on
my own account for nearly five years."
This letter was favorably received. The com¬
mittee satisfied itself as to Mr Williams's personal
worth and general qualifications; and, having
passed satisfactorily an examination in theology,
he was appointed, along with Mr Maidment, a cate-
chist in the Fuegian Mission.
In taking this step, Mr Williams relinquished a
THE MISSION.
57
good income, and postponed for a long period
some cherished prospects. Nor was it a slight
trial to his tender and affectionate spirit to part
with s<5 many loved friends and relatives. But
happily, after his services were accepted, so short
a period elapsed till he found himself on ship-board,
that there was no time for protracted partings or
sorrowful musings. Before he could dispose of his
practice, or go to bid farewell to some of his near¬
est kindred, the time of embarkation had arrived,
and it required his best speed to reach Liverpool
before the sailing of the Ocean Queen.
CHAPTER V.
The storm is changed into a calm
At His command and "mil;
So that the -waves, -which raged beibfp,
Now quiet are and still.
Then are they glad, because at rest,
And quiet now they be :
So to the haven He them brings,
Which they desired to see.
Psalm cvii. 29, 30.—Scotch Version.
These difficulties are nothing in reality. He that has an object in
view so exciting as the acquisition of ability to preach Christ to the
heathen, plods along without one thought of weariness or inconveni¬
ence; loving to tread the rough furrows, because he sees them strewn
with the promise of many a sheaf.—Rev. William Arthwr.
The partings were mostly over beforehand, and
the tranquillity and content of its autumn were
filling the air of England on the day when the
pilgrims left it. And the peace of God was keep¬
ing their minds. Mr Ritchie, the early and ardent
promoter of the mission, and a few other friends,
accompanied them to the ship, and, from the cheer¬
fulness of the voyagers, augured the best for the
success of their expedition. They considered their
preparations complete, and with hearts strong and
hopeful, they bore away down the Mersey.*
* From Mr Ritchie's communication, already mentioned, we may
give the following particulars of the last hour at Liverpool. Captain
Gardiner had not yet reached the vessel, which was already warping
out of dock: "I endeavoured, however, to improve the precious mo¬
ments by carrying on a conversation from the wharf with our friends
on the poop-deck, who were dressed in their sea-goiDg garbs, and pro¬
tected from a hot September sun by broad-brimmed' sombreros.' They
seemed full of hope, and animated by a high and holy zeal for the great
cause on which they were about to proceed; and, judging from their
healthful animated looks, they were as well adapted as any men ever
62
the voyage.
During the voyage, as well as afterwards in
the place of his destination, Mr Williams kept a
copious journal. This companion of his wander¬
ings, and confidant of all his musings, has survived
many perils, and been sent home to its author's
family. From its daily records we gather the
following account of the voyage :—
" Saturday, September 7,1850.—Came on board
the Ocean Queen at eleven a.m. At noon hauled
out of the Brunswick Dock Basin, and taken in tow
by steam-tug.
" Fairly on board and standing out for the wide
ocean, how varied were the emotions felt! But the
one above all others was a sense of joy at the cer-
were for the fatigues and privations which stared them in the face."
" When Captain Gardiner arrived, I particularlyrememher asking him,
with that frankness which became our intimacy, for how long a period
he considered the provisions he was taking would serve the party; to
which he replied, ' About six months after arrival, even allowing
we catch no fish nor kill any game.' I expressed my regret that he
had not taken a twelvemonth's provision at once, especially when he
was aware of the difficulty, if not impracticability, of hereafter landing
any at the mission,—owners not wishing .to allow their vessels to
deflect from their course, to touch at so dangerous a coast as Tierra
del Fuego. On this he gave me explanations,—based on the state of
the funds of the Mission, the certainty of damage by wet and damp,
and the exposure to robbery by the natives,—which, no doubt, were
perfectly satisfactory to himself, and must also have been so to me,
for I thought little further on the subject. Shortly afterwards,
about noon, the Ocean Queen was warped through the gates, and,
following her tug-steamer, swam nobly down the vassal river, amid
cheers from the pier-head, much augmented by the numerous friends
of the San Francisco emigrants, and the response from on board, un¬
til at length she was lost in the haze."
THE VOYAGE.
bo
tainty of now being actually engaged in the great
work of making known the Saviour of the world,
and that, too, to a poor benighted people—a race
of savages.
" Now for the first time I saw those who were
to be my companions in the work of faith. These
I found (besides Captain Gardiner) consisted of my
fellow-catechist Mr Maidment, Joseph Erwin, ship-
carpenter, and our three boatmen from Mousehole,
near Penzance,—John Badcock, John Bryant, John
Pearce.
" The vessel is bound for San Francisco, Cali¬
fornia, being 568 tons burden, commanded by
Captain H. S. Cooper, and carrying, besides our
own party, a lady and gentleman from Liverpool,
with their children and two servants, and four
German Jews.
" Sunday, September 8.—Captain Gardiner con¬
ducted services in the cabin, morning and night;
but I could not venture to be present,—as yet un¬
able to bear the motion below.
" I have much enjoyed the day, and felt much
of the goodness of God whilst pondering on my
situation. However, I can scarcely realise the
actuality of my position and this novel change so
suddenly brought about.—My poor dear friends!
" Thursday, September 12.—1 nave now had time
to see something of my associates. The more I see
of Captain Allen Gardiner, the more I admire his
character. Day by day he opens up before me in
6*
64
THE VOYAGE.
some new and pleasing light. I am sure he will
gain not only on my esteem, but also on my affec¬
tions. Every morning he reads a chapter and ex¬
pounds it, and then prays. In the evening I or my
fellow-catechist read the Scriptures and pray. I
am greatly pleased and derive much edification
from the enlightened and truly spiritual character
of the Captain's observations on the Scriptures, and
the unction which accompanies his prayers.
" One of our boatmen, John Pearce, is ill with
continued fever, contracted before he left home,
where fever was prevailing. He felt indisposed for
a day or two before he came on board. May God
preserve him to us, and enable me to act judiciously
in the treatment of his case !
" Tuesday, September 17.—Lat. 39° 52', long.
18° 8'. Wind directly aft; sea very smooth;
weather exceedingly fair and quite warm, so that
we need only light clothing. The nights, too, are
very beautiful. As things now are, a sea life is
really very delightful. We expect to be off Madeira
in a day or two, and have already a foretaste of
its balm-breathing atmosphere and sunny clime.
" Our boatman, John Pearce, is happily much
better; and now, thank God, there is every hope
of his speedy recovery. And what is very pleasing,
there is no appeAance of the fever spreading to
any others on board.
"We have been now ten days at sea. I begin
to realise the fact without so much maziness and
THE VOYAGE.
65
wonder as I felt at first. The change from my
accustomed avocations to a voyage for a distant
land was so abrupt and sudden} that it was impos¬
sible not to feel occasionally startled at the newness
of my position. Being unable, owing to the short¬
ness of time, to dispose of my practice, I was en¬
gaged up to the day of my leaving Burslem, with¬
out having so much as the opportunity of visiting
absent friends, from whom I had already been
separated for years past.
" When I reflect on the circumstances with
which I had to contend in entering on this engage¬
ment, I feel how great a cause I have for thankful¬
ness to the grace of God which has sustained me,
and enabled me to Jieep faithful to my purpose.
Scarcely four months elapsed between my first
hearing of the Patagonian Missions and my em¬
barkation. Settled in practice upwards of five years,
with a large connexion, many friends, and some
strong ties, to dissever myself from long-formed
associations, and to settle all my affairs in so short
a time, presented difficulties that at times seemed
insuperable. However, from the moment of pledg¬
ing myself to the work, I had a firm confidence
that I should be able to overcome every obstacle.
But when the time of my departure drew near, and
when, after every effort, my affairs were as far
from settlement as ever, a fear for the first time
crossed my mind as to whether it was really God's
will that I should go. One morning, I awoke with
E
66
THE YOYAGE.
a feeling of sadness, which deepened upon me.
And yet I saw that I could never again be
happy if anything prevented my going. I saw
that I could never be the same man, nor look
forward to a career of usefulness equal to the
past, trifling as that had been. This state of
mind continued till the evening of the second
day, when suddenly light shone in upon my
mind, and comfort and consolation filled my heart.
I saw that I-had been suffering from the tempter,
but now God had restored his energizing grace
and strength, and I resolved that nothing short of
illness or death should prevent my going forth in
his name. My friends who had greatly rejoiced
at the momentary hope of nfy not«leaving them,
had now the sad disappointment of seeing me more
firm in my purpose than ever. I felt for thee, my
poor dear Annie, when I was necessitated to check
again all thy rising hopes that thy brother would
not leave thee. The flush of exultation was on thy
cheek, the triumph of thy heart sparkled in thy
eye, when 1 was obliged again to tell thee, ' It
cannot be. No : I must go. It is the will of God.
Annie, I must go.' May God comfort the kindest
and most tender-hearted of sisters that ever brother
was blessed with ! God comfort and sustain thee,
Annie!
I shall not readily forget the evening of my
leaving Burslem. Though sad to part with so
many dear old friends, yet to see such an assem-
THE VOYAGE.
67
blage of Christian brethren, each with a tear in
his eye and a prayer on his lips, to wish me God
speed, was sweetly touching to my heart. I do not
forget you, my beloved friends. How happy is
the thought that on so many praying lips my
name will often find a place when the Holy One of
Israel is sought in fervent devotion!
" Wednesday, Sept. 18.—Everything is so agree¬
able, that at present our voyage is like a pleasure
trip. On deck, where we remain for the most
part of the day, enjoying the warm sunshine and
the fresh balmy breeze, with a clear sky and the
deep blue waters, with the ship steadily stealing
away, and all clean and orderly around us, cheer¬
ful countenances and pleasing associates,—there
seems scarce any thing awanting to contribute to
our enjoyment. I have felt real happiness this
day. Nothing has occurred that could make it
otherwise.. There has been communion betwixt
my soul and God the whole day long. I have had
the Scriptures in my hand, reading and meditating
the greater part of«the day; and the Word has
been applied by the Spirit of Truth with refreshing
power to my soul. I have been drinking of the
river whose waters make glad the city of the living
God. Now thrown entirely on the Lord, in body,
soul, and spirit given up to God, seeking to. draw
nio'her and closer unto Him whom I love and iu
O
whom I am chosen, aspiring after more of the
precious influences of the Spirit of grace and love,
68
THE VOYAGE.
desiring to be perfected in the knowledge and love
of Christ, I have this day felt that God is willing
to give me far more abundantly than all I can ask
or think. His banner has been spread over me,
and the presence of Christ fills my heart with joys
that are unutterable.
This evening I commenced a class meeting,
Erwin and the boatmen joining me. The Lord
was graciously present to bless. I was much
pleased with the simplicity and earnestness of
their experience. Poor Erwin, who has not yet
found Christ as his Saviour, was much affected,
and, I believe, is not very far from the kingdom of
God. May the Lord help him speedily to step in
into the glorious liberty of the sons of God!
" Thursday, Sept. 19.—I am deriving much
good from witnessing the Christian character exem¬
plified so strikingly in the person of our beloved
Captain [Gardiner]. Truly he is a man of God.
There is a devotedness to God manifested by him
delightful to witness; a fervent piety with great
simplicity of deportment, a high tone of exalted
greatness of soul, with the absence of all pride or
self-elevation. His mind is evidently deeply im¬
bued with the Word of Life. I sink utterly into
nothingness by comparison with him. I esteem it
a great privilege to have such a living example set
before me. Hitherto I have had to stru^ffle on
OO
unaided by man in my efforts to gain the mastery
over an evil heart of unbelief. Now I feel I shall
THE VOYAGE.
69
derive great help and encouragement from seeing
one far advanced in the way of holiness exemplify¬
ing the graces of the Christian character. He has
made me a present of two works written by him
—Travels in Africa, and A Voice from South
America*
" Saturday, Sept. 21.—Had our last view of
Madeira at noon, distant from us about fifty miles.
A lovely day,—the thermometer in the cabin rang¬
ing above summer heat,—in the sun very hot. To¬
day I had occasion to go to the forecastle to attend
on two of the sailors who were confined by sick¬
ness. This gave me an opportunity of talking to
the men, and I had a long conversation with them,
and endeavoured to impress their minds, by God's
help, with thoughts concerning their own salvation.
They listened respectfully. Since coming on board,
I have been much affected by feeling myself pal¬
pably surrounded with wickedness on all hands.
Happily the position is quite novel ; for, although
I have been ever moving among the worldly and
the profane, yet I have been able to retire from
amongst them into the seclusion of my own or
some other quiet home. But now the harsh sound
Of vice reaches my ear all the day long, and I feel
I am indeed a stranger and a pilgrim here. I bless
the Lord that I look not for an abiding place, a
continuing city amongst men, but that I am travel¬
ling with a consciousness of its being the wilder¬
ness, and looking forward to the rest which God
70
THE VOYAGE.
hath prepared for his people. 'Twere a sin against
God to expect or seek a rest here in this world.
Here we must labour and lay up our treasure with
God. Here we must toil and patiently endure the
burden and heat of the day. Here we must wage
our warfare, and fight the good fight of faith.
' Behold, God will come with a recompence.' I
will look forward and hasten unto the day of his
appearing. I bless and praise God that I feel the
Lord most graciously helping me, strengthening
me, enlarging my faith, inspiring me with hope
and confidence, and giving me sensibly to feel the
tokens of his love. The sunshine of God is in my
heart,—it feels the love of Christ.
" I do desire to glorify God. I long to love God
with my whole soul. I seek and earnestly desire
to have my every thought directed to the Lord. I
truly wish for nothing the whole earth contains. I
ask for nothing but grace to love God with all my
heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and, accep¬
ted of him, to be laid out and be spent in his ser¬
vice, to his honor and glory. With the world I
have .done,—with all its interests and pursuits, as
far as feeling more attachment to them than as
things with which, whilst it pleases God, I am for
a moment connected.- But my treasure and my
heart are both in heaven. Grant, O Lord, that I
may truly love thee! Cold is my heart toward
thee ; O give me thy love! Lord Jesus, hear and
answer this my prayer •
THE VOYAGE.
71
" Ah, my dear,—my beloved friends, how many
have been your anxious thoughts ere this! 0
may the Almighty God, who blesses me with his
peace, and gives me to taste the sweet consolations
of Christ, bless you also, and keep your hearts
from all doubts and tormenting fears ! I am safe
from all harm and secure from all evil in his hands.
I wish I just could tell' each one of you so. God
bless you all.—The moment for our meeting to¬
gether in prayer has just arrived.
" Monday, September 23.—Yesterday—the Sab¬
bath, we had a very delightful day. In the morning
Captain Gardiner conducted the service, and read a
sermon ; in the evening Mr Maidment. These ser¬
vices were held in the cabin, and there was a large
muster of the ship's company present, and a pre¬
cious opportunity was afforded for sowing the seed
of life. But I fear the opportunity was somewhat
lost, for the reason that the discourses were not
suitable and adapted to the minds of these poor
ignorant men. I felt this at the time, and deter¬
mined to prepare a sermon for the next Sabbath
evening, in dependence on Divine help.
" This evening I went forward to the forecastle
in company with Mr Maidment. "VVe found most
of the sailors present, nothing being doing on
deck, as there was a perfect calm. They had just
concluded a very jovial song with a boisterous
chorus; and a party of them were engaged with
cards. I treated them as gently as possible, and
7
72
THE VOYAGE.
as I have had an interview with many of them indi¬
vidually before, I managed to work my way pretty
smoothly. The card-players, however, were very
intent on their game, and tried to evade our notice.
At length I asked,them if they would allow me to
pray with them, to which they consented. I had
great liberty and access to God, and the men after¬
wards thanked me, and seemed to think I had done
them a kindness. May the Lord bless the effort,
made in his name, to their good !
" Wednesday, October 2. — Lat. 13° 57', long.
26° 35'. Light winds, and very hot. All the
Jews ill with fever. Mrs T likewise ill. Ex¬
tracted a tooth for Captain C. Now that there
is absolute need of my aid, I feel a high degree
of gratification that I am able to afford assist¬
ance, and feel the value of my profession more, I
think, than I ever did. What a pleasure to prac¬
tise medicine irrespective of pecuniary considera¬
tions ! How much more pleasurable to do good
for its own sake, and to relieve the sufferings of
our fellow-creatures, and to have our reward in the
pleasure of doing so, than to connect therewith the
gain of money ! Would circumstances have allowed
it, I should willingly have practised without mak¬
ing any charge. How often did I regret that I
had an expensive establishment to keep up, and
wished it was but a cottage, and that I might prac¬
tise as a poor man amongst the poor! I never
desired to increase my connexion amongst the
THE VOYAGE.
73
more respectable; for so much unnecessary for¬
mality was required by them, and with them I had
not the same privilege of addressing them in the
language of affectionate concern, or of offering
spiritual advice to their souls. The poor have
generally some consciousness of their spiritual as
well as temporal destitution, and they are more
frequently accessible to a kindly intended act of
Christian philanthropy. But the rich and the
respectable feel that their worldly position entitles
them to consideration, and they expect that defer¬
ence should be paid as well to tlieir opinions as to
their rank; hence, they are offended by any dis¬
play of a disposition to teach and instruct them.
'Thou wast altogether born in sin,' is their lan¬
guage, ' and dost thou teach us ?' In the happy
change now presented to me in prospect, may God
grant that I may live unweariedly employed in
doing good, and enjoy the sweet charm of a life
spent in beneficence to others, and those others a
race of beings who have scarcely ever felt the flow¬
ing of human kindness toward them! 0 Jesus,
©
blessed Saviour, let these poor heathen, to whom
thou art sending us, taste of thy precious love, and
know thee in the riches of thy infinite mercy!
Darkest and most wretched of the human race,
my precious Saviour, it will be a fit occasion to
serve thee, in displaying thy goodness to ransom
vile man in his utmost degradation, and thy wil¬
lingness that not one should perish, but that all
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men should be saved. Lord Jesus, it is thy will
these should behold a great light shining forth
from thy presence in their darkness. 0 let thy
Spirit of grace go in advance of us, and dispose
their hearts to receive thy truth!
" Thursday, October 3.—Bless God ! I feel the
Lord is good and gracious to my soul. He is
drawing me by the cords of his love. Jesus is be¬
coming more and more precious; my heart feels
more true interest and delight in him. I more
clearly feel now, what, for a time, I failed to expe¬
rience, that even when my heart would withdraw
from the Lord, at a time when doubts and evil
thoughts were suggested—that then, as at all other
times, Jesus is waiting to hear our cry for help.
When perplexed by a sense of the evil of my
heart, struck with its hardness and insensibility,
impressed with its base ingratitude and forgetful-
ness of God, and horrified with the vile thoughts
injected into my mind,—how often have I kept
my eye fixed on my condition, until I could scarce
lift it up to God, and with a weak faith have hesi¬
tated to approach my beloved Lord! But now I
happily know that,—feel what I may of the work¬
ings of evil within, however strong the evidence of
my own baseness,—so far from keeping me from
applying to Jesus, this is the greater reason for
my instant looking up to him as 'the Lord my
Righteousness.' I bless God for a livelier trust in
the atonement of the blood of Christ, and for a
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75
more assured trust in Jesus, as my ever-willing,
ever-able, and ever-present Saviour. How does
my heart cleave to thee, my Lord! Assuredly
whilst I have hold upon thee, my ransom and plea,
my surety and trust, my hope and my joy, my
portion and my only love, all is, all will be well.
" Wednesday, October 23.—Crossed the line at
about three a.m.
"Friday, 25.—Left off smoking and taking
snuff. Gave my tobacco and meerschaum to Erwin,
my canister of snuff to the captain."
The foregoing extracts give a pleasing impres¬
sion of the writer. They bring out his tender
affection for his friends, the humanity and kindli¬
ness of his nature, and that delightful disposition
which makes the most of the present and hopes the
best for the future. They also evince his habitual
watchfulness over himself, and his firm faith in a
Divine sanctifying agency; and they glow with
that adoring affection to the Saviour which is the
surest sign of piety, and the richest source of per¬
sonal excellence. We think they can scarcely fail
to edify the reader and endear the writer.
But amidst these records of Christian experience,
some may regard the homely details of the follow¬
ing passage as a dreadful descent. We have no
such feeling. It is in such contests that the reality
of men's faith and the value of their " frames " are
tested. And ~thc Christianity? however rapturous,
76
THE VOYAGE.
which has never renounced a besetting sin, nor
conquered a bad habit, is too like the patriotism
which is confined to toasts and national melodies,
or the filial piety which, offering fond words and
embraces in lieu of solid services, tries to be at
once dutiful and self-indulgent. Mr Williams was
honest. lie believed that it was God's will that he
should give up a certain gratification; and, though
some would have tried to evade the sacrifice,
though they would have offered confessions of
their own weakness or higli-fiown protestations of
their general devotedness, in lieu of this particular
obedience, it was not thus deceitfully that he dealt
with his heavenly Father and with himself.
Nor should we be sorry if Mr Williams's ex¬
ample should find imitators amongst our readers.
It is true that Dr Parr and Robert Hall were
smokers. It is true that many good men are fond
of the "naughty foreign weed," and that Ralph
Erskine " spiritualised " it. And it may be true
that under its influence the spirits are serene, the
temper mild, and the entire man in a state of
comfortable self-complacency. But we prefer the
temper which is independent of tobacco; and we
fear that in its self-complacency there is some¬
thing illusive. At least we have known friends
who, under its influence, fancied themselves far
up Parnassus, but when the fog cleared away
it proved only a spur of the mountain: and al¬
though, among our college companions, we remem-
THE VOYAGE.
77
ber clever men who smoked, whilst their duller
neighbours studied; and although, in the mist of
the meerschaum, they used to espy gigantic figures,
which they hailed as their own glorious future;
now that the " morgana" has melted, there is a
sad contrast betwixt the cloudy colossus and the
slip-shod original from which it was projected, and
into which the stern day-light had resolved it
again.
At all events, a minister, and much more a
missionary, should deem himself a soldier, and the
less dependent he is on these time-wasting enjoy¬
ments, the more lightly will he march, and the
more ready will he be for instant action. Besides,
a soldier must endure hardness. It is good for a
man's Christianity to be the victor, even in such a
contest as the battle with tobacco. Every success
makes him a stronger and a happier man;—yes,
and a great deal richer. In this warfare there is
always prize-money. And if the reader is a lover
of books, or if, with a most benevolent heart, he is
always lamenting his empty hand, let him attack
and spoil this enemy. The cigar-case will soon fill
a handsome book-case; and were the snuff-box of
the British churches converted into a box of charity,
it would maintain all our missionaries, and would
soon pay the debts of our chapels and schools.*
* For smoking, chewing, and snuffing, Great Britain pays a yearly
bill of seven millions. Does she spend as much on books or bene¬
volence ?
78
THE VOYAGE.
" Saturday, Oct. 26. — S. lat. 6° 34', long. 32°
14'. This has been a day ever to be remembered.
The light of the Lord's countenance has broken
upon me, after having severely felt that clouds of
darkness were around me. For more than a month
before leaving England I had given up the practice
of smoking and taking snuff. The former habit I
had practised for seven or eight years; the latter
only occasionally; in fact, it was in consequence
of leaving off smoking that I had recourse to a
pinch as an occasional substitute. At various times
I have been under strong impressions that I ought
to leave it off, and have felt dissatisfied with myself
for the self-indulgence. But the cravings after it
were become so strong, and the will of the flesh so
urgently demanded it, that it was no easy task to
overcome the propensity. There is a charm in
tobacco powerfully beguiling to the senses. Whe¬
ther this arises from its soothing and sedative
quality, or from its being generally associated
with self-indulgence—serving as a plea for idleness,
and for a general relaxation of the whole man,
body and mind—certain it is, that tobacco has a
power of enslaving its votaries to a remarkable
degree. No one has ever been more enslaved than
©
I have been; yet many times has my conscience
smitten me, and frequently whilst in the act of
smoking I have been obliged to lay the pipe aside.
At times I thought I would leave it off altogether.
Accordingly, I have given away or burnt the stock
THE VOYAGE.
79
of tobacco I had in hand, broken my pipes, and for
days essayed to do without it. What cravings—
what a sense of bereavement have I felt! None
but an old smoker can have any idea of my miser¬
able longings. I have envied the hodman and the
meanest person with his short black pipe. The
very perfume was a treat—to inhale it a respite.
Vain were the efforts thus made. A toothache,
some bodily disease, or the persuasion of others,
induced a renewal of the habit, and its bond be¬
came stronger than ever. But the fiat had gone
forth, ' Crucify the flesh with its affections and
lusts;' and, blessed be God, there was One in me
greater than all that were against me. Conscience
became more and more severe upon me. At
length I resolved to leave it off, and happily suc¬
ceeded without experiencing any uncomfortable
effects. This was six weeks before leaving Eng¬
land. During that time I kept firm my resolution,
though, in lieu of smoking, I had recourse to snuff.
Some of my friends, who thought I was going to
unnecessary lengths of self-denial, would put up for
me, amongst the equipments for my voyage, both
tobacco, cigars, and a canister of snuff, and they
made me promise to purchase a meerschaum.
Well, I thought, circumstances may possibly be
such as to render it desirable to have them; so I
yielded to their wish. On board I could not resist
the temptation of taking a cigar—such was my
weakness; giving them freely away, and smoking
80
THE VOYAGE.
them daily, my stock was soon exhausted; hut all
the cravings for tobacco were re-acquired. I took
to the meerschaum, but with the indulgence came
the condemnation. My conscience would not allow
me to continue; so I gave the canister of snuff to
the captain of the ship, and reserved only a small
quantity. Captain Cooper likewise had my meer¬
schaum, on condition of my not requiring it again.
Three or four days passed without having recourse
to him for it, but never did I suffer such craving
after it. My stomach became affected, and my
spirits so depressed, that I was compelled to ask
for it again. With a sense of great bodily relief
and comfort, I smoked it; but, alas! my condem¬
nation was great. Hurriedly opening a book in
my hand, the question of the Psalmist was pre¬
sented to my eye, c Lord, who shall abide in thy
tabernacle ? who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? He
that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.'
These words were applied to my mind most for¬
cibly. I was condemned. But now I saw my
duty; and, suffer what I might, I resolved to give
up the practice in all its forms. Having sought
mercy and forgiveness with the Lord, and his
grace to help me, I gave away, in good earnest, all
my tobacco, my pipe, and my snuff-box, and I
threw overboard the small quantity of snuff I had
reserved. Thus a complete riddance was effected.
" Friday, November 1.—This day has been a
most happy one. Never, I think, did I enjoy
THE YOYAGE.
81
sweeter peace, nor feel a love so ardent and per¬
sonal towards God my Saviour. The years my
life have rolled before me, and the various epochs
and characteristic phases thereof have presented
themselves to me in a new and striking light. The
way of God with me, and his gracious dealing, in
leading me through all the stages of my career,
have exhibited instances multiplied indeed of in¬
finite goodness, mercy, and love. But as yesterday
I was the companion of schoolboys, drinking deep
of the spirit of wonder, and opening up new worlds
at every turn of my path, counting on the future
of this life as an indefinite period, and on the
scenes of this world's labors as an expanse with¬
out limits. Then manhood arrived. Ambition led
the way—a desire to live among the names that
die not, and to devote my life to the pursuit of
knowledge. The hand of necessity, as it then
seemed, but truly the hand of God, urged me on
from one point to another, and never at any
period of my life have I taken up a position as the
result of my own forethought and determination.
Even when blinded through the ignorance that
was in me, I was led by a way that I knew not.
And now I behold myself in a new scene, and my
heart rejoices to acknowledge the goodness and
love of God in eventuating this. A beautiful
thought filled my mind this afternoon, and swelled
it to a rapture of joy. It was this : Come what will,
—change and change as circumstances may, yea,
F
82
THE VOYAGE.
come death itself, that last great change—still con-
sciousness will not be interrupted. That consciousness
which identifies with the being that now thinks and
feels, the being which years ago played in childish
gambols, will bear onward a living remembrance of
the past whilst it enters the scenes of eternity.
What, then, is death ? It has lost its sting. I feel
no fear of it. I feel that nothing can hinder the
enjoyment of existence,—the continuous conscious¬
ness and immortality of that within me,—the soul
that has eternal life in Christ. How contented,
therefore, am I with my state! and, by the grace
of God, I trust to exult in tribulation, rejoicing in
hope of the glory of God. It was with a joyful
sense of this truth, and in the perception of God's
love in thus calling me to eternal life, that my soul
became full of love to Jesus my Saviour. From
the ground of my heart I praised him. Glory be
to the Lamb of God for ever and ever! My soul
rejoiced at the thought of an endless existence, be¬
cause I could then everlastingly love my Saviour,
and glorify God in him. Life everlasting was in¬
finitely desirable and precious, for such a reason
and upon such terms. 0 Lord Jesus! thou hast
broken in upon my soul in the light of thy own
revealing Spirit, shedding thy love abroad in my
heart. My heart and soul cry out unto thee, and
tell thee I love thee!"
From a letter written by Mr Williams to his
friend Mr Jones, and dated November 5, 1850,
THE VOYAGE.
83
we give a few extracts. It not only gives a
resume of the voyage thus far, but it introduces us
to the companions of our missionary :—
" Our voyage has hitherto been a very fair one :
we have no rough weather. We were for a con¬
siderable length of time delayed by variable winds
and calms as we approached the Line; but as far
as weather is concerned, this has been our prin¬
cipal trouble. I felt the heat greatly. Our berths
at night were more like ovens than anything else.
We have had the fever prevailing greatly among
us ; three of our men—the boatmen—have had it,
besides five or six others; and although I have had
some ground for anxiety, yet, thank God, all have
recovered remarkably. The Lord has been our
keeper. He has stayed the pestilence. Unto him
be the praise.
" We expect to make our destination in about
three weeks. On getting there, our intention is,
in the first place, by the help of the crew, to dig
an entrenchment around the site of our future
residence, and inside of this to raise up high walls
all round. This on a small islet, just big enough
for the purpose, situate betwixt Picton Island and
Garden Island, close to them both. The vessel,
which has been rather leaky, it is intended to over¬
haul when we get to Picton Island; and it is pro¬
bable that she will therefore stay with us a week,
if not longer. As soon as" she leaves, it is our in¬
tention to start also on a cruise of discovery, going
8
84
laiE voyage.
for that purpose to the north-west, into Beagle
Channel, and to the west of Navarin Island, and
among other places to Woolya, the place where
Jemmy Button, a Fuegian taken to England by
Captain FitzRoy, was left on his return from Eng¬
land, after three years' absence. If we can make
him out, doubtless it may prove very advantage¬
ous to us. At all events, we mean to purchase,*
if we can, two lads about ten or twelve years of
age, and take them back with us, and from them
acquire the language. Our cruise may perhaps
last two or three months. This, however, is uncer¬
tain. We are well provided with boats, having
two very large ones with us, besides two gigs to
attend on their seniors. We are well supplied with
provisions.
" Captain Gardiner is much what I expected
him to be. For indomitable perseverance he is
unquestionably to be ranked among men of the
first class, and his life is that of an exact and strict
disciplinarian. As a Christian, he is devout and
unaffected, and most sincere. I am indeed far, far
short of him. I am more conscious of my defects
since I have been able to compare myself with
him. I see that I am a mere vacillator and weak
believer, in contrast with his stability and strict in-
* Of course Mr Williams only means that it was intended to bor¬
row the children from their parents for a certain time, making the
parents such a present as would secure their consent. A button was
the consideration for which Jemmy's parents made him over to
Captain FitzKoy.
THE VOYAGE.
85
tegrity. I am greatly pleased with all my com¬
panions. Mr Maidment, my fellow-catechist, is an
amiable, kind, and worthy man; and one becomes
more attached to him, and respects him more,* the
more you know him. He is very sincere and
humble, and I fully believe a child of God. Our
three young men, having been much afflicted, have
exhibited their different characters strikingly.
Poor Bryan, who was worst, has shewn a very
meek and patient disposition, full of resignation
and a simple-hearted love to Christr Badcock,
who is the eldest and biggest of the three, is, I am
persuaded, the subject of divine grace. He, too, is
remarkably meek, but there is a somewhat timid
or nervous cast of mind in him. John Pearce is a
rough, just, honest, and upright man, but with a
little touch ©f independence of spirit which, subdued
by grace and properly directed, will rather prove an
advantage. Erwin, our ship-carpenter, is the most
dapper, sprightly, and excellent fellow I have met
for a long time. He is a summary of good quali¬
ties, good sense, kind disposition, unassuming de¬
portment,—and useful for all purposes; just the
man we want to help and comfort us in all exigen¬
cies. Every one of them has had to encounter
great objections and many persuasions not to go
on such an enterprise. But God provides all. He
is with us. How delightful is his service! How
do I rejoice that it is my calling to declare Christ,
to publish such glad tidings to a poor abject race I
86
the voyage.
Rejoice with me, brother Jones, whilst in the words
of Mary I would say, ' My soul doth magnify the
Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Saviour.'"
Returning to the Journal, under " Thursday,
November 28," we find the following entry:—
" To-day, at about eight o'clock in the morning,
we passed the Straits of Magellan; and, having
had a splendid breeze all day, we are at this time
—ten p.m.—considerably advanced toward the
Strait of Le Maire, which we hope to pass through
to-morrow. We are now happily bringing our
voyage to a close. To-day the sun has shone very
brilliantly, and this evening it has poured a bril¬
liant flood of light around us. Its setting was as
fine a scene as anything we have witnessed during
our voyage, and has greatly cheered us, taking it
as an earnest that we shall not be altogether
wanting bright days and sunny visitations, and
likewise deeming it in our fancies as a welcome
paid us by Fuegia's luminary.
"Friday, November 29.—To-day at half-past
one a.m. we first had a sight of the mountains of
Tierra del Fuego. At that time I heard the chief
mate awake the Captain, and inform him of the
fact. I was singularly impressed with the idea
that we were in danger. The thought crossed my
mind several times, but without affecting me with
any anxiety, but inducing me to call upon the Lord
with reliance and trust upon him. I had no
THE VOYAGE.
87
ground whatever for the surmise at the time, hear¬
ing no intimation to that effect, and I was surprised
when I afterwards learned from the second mate,
that in consequence of the men not keeping a good
look-out, we had well-nigh run ashore just at that
time.
" At about half-past four, Captain Gardiner
awoke me, and told me the land was well in sight.
I arose and went on deck. There was Tierra del
Fuego, sure enough; its snow-tipped mountains
were looming through the vapors of the morning
sky, and the land of Fuegia threw a faint cold
smile upon us, and greeted us with a rough, but,
doubtless, a hearty shake of the hand; for truly
enough we shivered, if not at the sight of it, yet,
with cold. At eight o'clock we were off the
entrance of the Strait of Le Maire; but the wind
being adverse, we could not take advantage of the
tide which set at that hour. Consequently, we
had to lie off, and beat between the two coasts of
Staten Island and the mainland. We had thus
abundant opportunity for seeing this remarkable
land, particularly Staten Island, and likewise abun¬
dant experience of the extreme disagreeableness of
our proximity to the Strait of Le Maire. The
swell from the ocean here rising in opposition to
the tide-race produces a scene altogether novel to
us; the sea seems literally alive; its commotion is
extreme. Abreast the land in particular, and
extending two or three miles out, or more, there
88
the voyage.
is the appearance of innumerable breakers, and
the white spray dashes its waters about in the
wildest manner. The wind blowing strong from
the S.E., we rolled about, owing to it and the
tide-race and swell combined, far more than we
should have done in an ordinary gale. At three
o'clock we hoped to have an opportunity again, it
being ebb-tide, to pass through; but though we
tried, it was impossible, the wind continuing un¬
favorable. We have thus during the day, it
being now nearly eleven p.m., had ample experi¬
ence of Fuegian weather. If we must take it for
a sample, it is certainly none of the best;—sudden
puffs of wind, with ominous gathering of dark
clouds, and a chilly aspect of the whole heavens,
with a conviction seizing your mind, that you are
going to have a snow-storm, which apprehension is
converted into the slighter infliction of a thin driv¬
ing but sharp sleet, or, as I expect we may yet
find, into a thumping hail-storm; and then the mist
on the mountains clears up, and exposes a few
glimmering rays of the sun, burnishing their sides
of snow.
" In excellent keeping with the rough and win¬
try climate is the aspect of the land. Words can
never do justice to its frowning, wild, and wintry
character. Staten Island must certainly be un¬
equalled in this respect. It is a place of dreariness
and of forlorn solitude, par excellence. Its bare,
broken, jagged, turret-like hills, present the idea
THE YOYAGE.
89
of an immense fortress, erected by nature herself
on her own grand scale, and designed to imprison
an unmolested solitude within its walls, and to
frown back all attempts on the part of man to
disturb her here. It is no wonder that it never
has been inhabited. It seems from a distance as
though it were clad in some hard and impenetrable
covering, saving the snows on its ridges and slopes,
of one uniform russet brown colour.
" I have not felt disturbed by any means. This
I must attribute to the grace of God only, and to
no resolution or constancy of my mind; for who
can delight more than I in sunny scenes? But,
praise God, I feel I can well forego all earthly
joys, if the Lord will graciously vouchsafe to bless
my soul, and endow me with the riches of his
grace. I was greatly strengthened while in prayer
this morning. At this the uttermost end of the
earth, and where there is less in climate, land, or
people, to cheer the mind, than at almost any
other spot of the world, if God has a work for me
to do, and his blessing rests upon me whilst engaged
therein, then God's holy will be done in me and
by me, let the circumstances surrounding, or the
events awaiting me, be what they will. At the
time of writing this it is blowing hard, and the
thermometer in the cabin, shut up around me,
stands at 52°. I arh indeed glad to wrap up now.
" Saturday, November 30.—Our twelfth week
at sea. At four o'clock this morning, our ship
90
THE VOYAGE.
having worked about all night, with a strong head
wind from the S.S.W., we were in the same posi¬
tion ; and our bearings off Cape San Diego, at the
entrance of the Strait of Le Maire, were much the
same as they were yesterday morning at eight
o'clock. "Wind and tide against us had beaten us
back from all attempts hitherto made to enter the
Strait; but now, taking advantage of an ebb-tide
and a strong wind, the Captain carried on a heavy-
canvas, and finally about mid-day we got through
the Strait. It was a hard contest, and we did but
just escape the lee-shore of Staten Island, as we
weathered Cape St Bartholomew. All the day long
we have continued to beat about under single-reefed
topsails, having, especially during the night, very
violent squalls and a tremendous sea, shipping
heavy seas on our poop. What with the extreme
gloom of the weather, snow, sleet, hail, and rain,
and fogs, intermixed with a driving cold S.S.Yf.
wind, blowing hard, with the dashing of the billows
over us, and the rolling and pitching of the vessel,
our position was by no means agreeable. Sucli
was the pitching and constant motion of the vessel,
that it induced a momentary attack of sea-sickness
with me, whilst my poor friend Mr Maidment
suffered very severely, as indeed he has done
throughout the voyage whenever the weather has
been rough.
" The following day, Sunday, was passed beat¬
ing about, with much the same weather prevailing,
THE VOYAGE.
91
the thermometer in the cabin standing most of the
day at 42° and 44° Fahr.
" Surely Fuegia is the land of darkness, the
country of gloom, a scene of wild desolation, both
land and climate agreed as to character, the one
frowning and desolate, the other black and tem¬
pestuous. A few, and only a few, cheering smiles
has the sun beamed upon us, and the cold snows
upon the rough masses of Staten Island put on an
unnatural appearance, and looked more and more
pale under the reviving influences of the light. If
such the land, and such the climate, we have
reason to expect the people will not fall short of
congruity with either. Well, and how do I bear
up under these not very flattering prospects ?
Have I had my expectations pointed to such an
agreeable picture ? What shall I say ? I will own
the truth. I have not been ignorant of the fact,
that such was the character of the region to which
I was bound. Captain FitzRoy, and especially Mr
Darwin, in his 'Journal,' had made this sufficiently
clear, yet I certainly had not in any degree
realised it. How different is the acquaintance we
get by reading, from that which we acquire by
personal experience of things! In our parlours at
home we do not shiver at the cold scenes we read
of, but rather enjoy by contrast our present com¬
forts. It is singular that amidst all the working of
my mind in connexion with this great undertaking,
never contemplated it in the character of one oi
92
THE VOYAGE.
great suffering and great trial. 1 was not ignor¬
ant that such it would assuredly prove itself to be,
but I troubled not myself with the thought of it.
I have all along felt that it Was required at my
hand to make the sacrifice of everything to God;
but I have had some such feeling as was suggested
by Abraham to his son Isaac, when he was on his
way to the altar, with the wood on his back
whereon he should be offered, that though thus
palpably going to the fiery ordeal, yet God would
provide for himself a lamb for the sacrifice. The
truth is, I could in anticipation cast all my care
so entirely upon the Lord, that I took no other
care but to ascertain that it was his will that I
should thus serve him, assured that in the hour of
my need he would strengthen my heart, and be
with me to sustain me. Have I then been taken
unawares ? No. Have I been disappointed ? JNTo.
The hour has come; and though I have never
painted to my mind all that I should have to
encounter, yet I am not any the less unpre¬
pared for the trial, because I have not to
grapple with it in my own strength, nor to prepare
myself for the encounter. I verified this yester¬
day (Sunday) morning in a remarkable manner,
whilst engaged in reading the 12th of Romans.
God's Holy Spirit engaged my souk in fervent
prayer for grace to help me. I was led to offer up
my body as a living sacrifice unto God, and with
my whole heart consenting, with my entire will
THE VOYAGE.
93
prostrate and subjected to tbe will of God, that I
might prove what is His good, and acceptable, and
perfect will. I surrendered myself into the hand
of the Lord Jesus, with so complete a trust in him,
and love to him, as it was indeed delightful to feel;
and how shall I praise the mercy and grace, and
condescending goodness of God! I felt a sensible
manifestation of God to my soul, accepting my
offer. My heart was broken by a sense of God's
love, that streamed in upon it, and my tears and
upheaving breast alone could speak my gratitude
and praise. Praise, praise to the Lord !
" To-day, Monday, December 2, after a some¬
what more favorable night, though making but
little headway, at eleven o'clock we were off Cape
Hall, Cape Good Success bearing north (true), and
we now expect to weather Cape Pio, and this after¬
noon make Picton Island.
" Tuesday, December 3.—Made little advance
upon yesterday, the wind being right ahead.
" Wednesday, December 4.—Since Monday, we
have been making laborious efforts to weather Cape
Pio, in Slogget Bay, but until this evening we have
been unsuccessful, the wind blowing right ahead,
and wearing ship and tacking about being both in
vain. This evening we have, however, succeeded,
and but for hazy weather we might soon have our
anchor down. Each day has been cold and squally,
with hail and sleet and rain; the sun has only
occasionally been visible: at sunset he has been
94
THE VOYAGE.
most conspicuous, and last evening it was as splen¬
did and brilliant a sight as any we have witnessed
during the voyage. The land along the shore has
still the same general characteristics, hold and
mountainous, dark and frowning. The men have
been sadly harassed at their duties ever since we
hove in sight of this land of storms. Exposed to
drifting snow squalls, and huge seas like cascades
pouring their volumes of water upon them, their
plight has been really pitiable, and they, as well as
every one else, have been anxiously expecting to
get to Banner Cove. But if all the rest have felt
the disappointment, I have reason to bless God.
Yesterday and to-day, but more especially to-day,
have been the brightest for spiritual enlargement
and joy in God of any I have known since I have
been on board. Graciously, indeed, has the Lord
blessed me, taking away every doubt, removing
every fear, confirming my hopes, and strengthen¬
ing my heart. By his grace I have been able
cheerfully and willingly to subject myself into an
entire obedience, and to yield myself up to him,
for him to do with me whatsoever it pleaseth him.
I have seen clearly that all has been ordered of
God, and that he will abundantly crown the work
with success. Plainly have I seen that he who
said, ' And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world, for a witness to all na¬
tions, and then shall the end come,' hath required
it at our hands, to plant his gospel in this the
THE VOYAGE.
95
uttermost end of the world. And, blessed be God,
I have experienced sensibly this day that I am a
son of God—the Holy Ghost witnessing and shed¬
ding abroad the love of God in my heart. Sweetly
have I realised that I am one with Christ, and have
the Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead.
Now do I feel how merciful the Lord is, and how
tender is his compassion; and now am I able, in
some poor degree, to comprehend with all saints,
what is the love of Christ, which passeth all know¬
ledge. Now do I feel that the Lord has blessed
me, and prepared me for his work, giving me the
whole armour of God. Now I can rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory. Now can I say that
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
keeps my heart and mind; and that
" Not a cloud doth arise
To darken my eyes.
" Thursday, December 5.—At eleven o'clock
this morning, we cast anchor in Banner Loads,
having by the mercy of God arrived safe at our des¬
tination. The whole of last night was foggy, with a
heavy drizzling rain, and the wind still ahead.
The Captain made short tacks, and with scarce any
possibility of telling whether we made any pro¬
gress, or how we were moving. When about four
o'clock it became clear enough to see, our position
was happily and providentially found to be greatly
in advance of our expectations, with every certainty
of continuing to make way to our anchorage ground.
9(3
THE VOYAGE.
About nine, whilst drifting on past Picton Island,
we observed lying off Garden Island three canoes,
which presently put off to us, each one containing
a Fuegian and his family, more or less numerous.
In each there were two women and children, in one
an infant at the breast, in another a poor decrepit
old man. Whilst scarcely discernible with the naked
eye, we heard their stentorian voices, shouting
'Yammer schooner' [Give me] :—amazing indeed is
the power of their voice. As they severally hove
in sight, they gesticulated and shouted w-ith every
wild and remarkable expression, one man in par¬
ticular being very garrulous, and full of vivacity.
The impression they made on my mind, as they
became distinctly seen, first by the telescope and
afterwards by the naked eye, is one which can
never be effaced. It seemed incredible they could
be human beings. You observed a lop-sided strange
uncouth thing on the water, not to be called a boat,
and not realising our ideas of a canoe, but so deep,
that just the heads of the Fuegians could be seen
in it. As these dark masses of hair, like so many
mops, drew nearer, we were able to discern the
features, which were, indeed, surprising to us. On
a nearer inspection, however, I could trace in many
of them, indeed I may say in all, the lineaments of
the noblest humanity, and features expressive of
benevolence and generosity, though, as it were,
buried deep in deplorable ignorance and abject
want. One woman had a remarkably prepossess-
THE VOYAGE.
97
ing countenance, very open and cheerful; so also
had one of the men, and he often in our after inter¬
course laughed heartily. I had taken some comfort
to my mind, from the favorable aspect which the
islands around us, particularly Picton and Garden
Islands, presented ; but now my heart swelled with
emotion, full of pleasure and satisfaction that our
errand was for the purpose of imparting benefits
so great and so much needed to these poor crea¬
tures. I hailed the prospect with a degree of
rapture."
Such was the cheerful spirit with which Mr
Williams surveyed the field of his destined labors.
But he made its acquaintance under great advan¬
tages. Being December, it was the Antarctic
midsummer; and, like the climate, the natives wore
their best faces.' They wanted food and trinkets
from the strangers; and as long as their visitors
remained on ship-board they were safe from tricks
and violence. — But, before proceeding with the
narrative, it may be well to introduce the reader
to the place and the people. We shall thus better
understand how arduous was the task which these
pious pilgrims had undertaken, and shall be able to
sympathise more fully in the great fight of afflic¬
tions which they were soon to pass through.
G
CHAPTER YI.
JfttNfW.
Th' eternal Monarch from on high.
Cast on the sons of earth his eye,
If haply some he yet might see
True to their God, from error free.
He look'd; but ah! not one could find
To virtue's Heaven-taught rules inclined;
Each, led from wisdom's path astray,
Pursues the tenor of his way.
Psalm, liii. 2,3.—Merrick.
What renders it much more difficult to convey divine truths to the
understandings of these Indians, is, that there seems to be no founda¬
tion in their minds to begin upon. Besides, their inconvenient situa¬
tions, savage manners, and unhappy method of living, have been an
unspeakable difficulty and discouragement to me in my work.—
David Brainerd.
The outline of South America may be compared
to a paper kite; and, like a kite, there is attached
to its apex a jointed tail, of which Fuegia and the
South Shetlands are the only fragments seen above
water. In other words, the mighty wall of the
Andes is broken through by the sea, and the
inundated valley forms the Strait of Magellan;
and, after a feeble re-appearance in the Fuegian
archipelago, the cordillera is lost in the ocean.
As seen on a school-room map, this Tierra del
Fuego is a dim islet, deriving its chief importance
from its famous headland, Cape Horn. On a
nearer inspection, however, this nebulous patch
resolves into a cluster of islands,—one very large,
with a crowd of smaller attendants to the west and
south; and, far from the mainland, stands the
kerbstone of the New World,—Cape Horn with his
surf-beaten pyramid.
Though only the fag-end of America—a mere
caudal vertebra of the Andes—if we had it in
9*
102
FUEGtlA.
Europe, Tierra del Fuego would be a country of
some consideration. Its second-rate islands are
larger than the Isle of Wight or the Isle of Man,
and the surface of its mainland is equal to the Low¬
lands of Scotland. Its climate, however, renders
it one of the most dreary and inhospitable regions
on the face of the globe. In a latitude correspond¬
ing to Edinburgh* the sky seldom clears, and the
rainy •squalls of the summer are the only relief
from the sleet and snow of the winter. A calm
sunshine is a great rarity. If we imagined the
mountains of the Hebrides rising to a height of
six or seven thousand feet, with glaciers coming
down to the sea, and a warm tide constantly flow¬
ing at their base ; and if, moreover, we could bring
the north polar ice into as low a latitude as the An¬
tarctic ice descends—our own Western Isles would
be the counterpart of Fuegia. The warm vapor
of the ocean would then be perpetually condensing
on the frost of the hills, and clouds and showers
would blot out from Mull and Skye their occasional
days of clear weather. Even then, however, our
Western Isles would be halcyon nests compared
with this stormy archipelago. Nothing save a
rampart of mountains, a mile or two in' height,
extending from the Cape Vcrdes to Campbelton,
damming up the winds, and forcing them to rush
through a few funnels on the Sound of Jura, could
give our Northern Hemisphere a fac-simile of a
Fuegian williwaw. This ferocious wind is capable
FUEGIA.
103
of overturning almost any obstacle; and, like grass
in a swathe, not only branches but whole trees
will sometimes be found piled up at the mouth of'
a gully where its rough sickle has passed.
Notwithstanding its boisterous summers and its
perpetual storms, the average temperature of
Fuegia is as high as Quebec or Montreal; and
perhaps we have in London days as cold as any
which occur in Hoste or Navarin Islands. The
range between the extremes of heat and cold is
small, and this comparative equability, along with
the abundant moisture, is favorable to certain
forms of vegetable life. In most districts of Britain
the Fuchsia is a conservatory plant; but in Devon¬
shire and in the Isle of Bute it grows luxuriantly
in the open air, and in winter wants no shelter.
Fuegia is one of its native lands, and there, along
with its equally delicate companion, Veronica de-
cussata, it becomes a tree with a trunk half a
foot in diameter. The potato is indigenous on the
adjacent mainland, although we do not know that
it has been found in these islands, where celery,
a species of currant, the berry of an arbutus, and
a fungus, are the only esculents. The characteristic
vegetation is two sorts of beech-tree. One of these
(Fagns betuloides) is an evergreen ; the other
(Fagus Antarctica) is deciduous. The latter
species is more hardy, and can scale the mountain¬
sides to a higher platform than its glossy-green
companion; so that in winter a zone of leafless
104
FUEGIA.
trees is seen at a lofty elevation, succeeding to the
verdure of the forest. Except where discouraged
by ,the thin granitic soil, these beeches occur every¬
where ; and, except when stunted by the winds, they
attain a goodly size; and one trunk is mentioned
seven feet in diameter. But any tourist who
expects a repetition of our own Buckinghamshire in
the forests of Fuegia will be wofully disappointed.
Our woodland scenery owes all its charm to its
park-like variety, where clumps of many kinds
occur; and where, from the sylvan labyrinth, you
easily emerge on smooth pastures and smoking
hamlets. But it is a very different thing to land
from a boat direct in the thicket, and after
struggling to the top of a Mount, Tarn or a Mount
Buckland, to look down on an expanse of silent
greenery, only broken by shipless arms of the sea;
and any one who has spent many weeks among
the pines of the Black Forest or the Arbor Yit®
swamps of the Mississippi, will understand what an
incubus on the spirits a monotonous vegetation
becomes. In Tierra del Fuego the only varie¬
gating incident is " the bursting of the leaf and
flower-buds of the deciduous beech from their
resinous gummy scales; when a delightfully fra¬
grant odour pervades the woods;" * and the
explorer may be occasionally rewarded by coming
on a Winter's Bark or some less usual tree.
* Hooter's Flora Antarctica, p. SIS.
FUEGIA.
105
Land animals are few. Even insects are rare;
and such flies and beetles as occur, are inconspi¬
cuous and uninteresting creatures. Like Ireland,
Fuegia is exempt from serpents, and even frogs
have been expelled by its St Patrick. " The
gloomy woods are inhabited by few birds; occa¬
sionally the plaintive notes of a tyrant fly-catcher
may be heard; and more rarely the loud strange
cry of a black woodpecker. A little dusky-
coloured wren hops in a skulking manner among
the entangled mass of the fallen and decaying
trunks. But the creeper (Oxyurus Tupinieri) is
the commonest bird of the country. Throughout
the beech forests, high up and low down, in the
most gloomy, • wet, and impenetrable ravines, it
may be met with. This little bird no doubt
appears more numerous than it really is, from its
habit of following, with seeming curiosity, any
person who enters these silent woods; continually
uttering its harsh twitter, it flutters from tree to
tree, within a few feet of the intruder's face. In
the more open parts, three or four species of
finches, &c., and several hawks and owls, occur." *
Most curious of all is the existence of a humming¬
bird (Mellisuga Kingii) on the shores of this wintry
realm; and which, even amidst the showers of snow,
has been observed flitting about in search of the
insects, equally hardy, that lurk in the blossoms of
* Darwin's Voyage round the World, chap. xi.—one of the most
charming and instructive journals ever published.
106
FUEGIA.
the Veronica and Fuchsia. The most important
quadruped is the guanaco or llama, that useful
compromise between the sheep and the camel, so
characteristic of the South American mountains. It
is found on Navarin Island, and on the main island,
or, Tierra del Fuego proper. In summer shy and
vigilant, the want of pasture drives it in the winter
down to the valleys, where its slender legs slump
into the snow, and make it an easy capture. Two
species of fox occur, and these, with a few small
rodents of the mouse and bat families, complete
the inland zoology of this inhospitable region.
But the waters largely-compensate for the life-
lessness of the land. With its colossal sea-weeds,
Fuegia might well be the paradise of fishes. To
say nothing of many beautiful varieties which are
dredged up from the rocks or washed ashore by
the tides, these coasts are the head-quarters of the
Lessonia and Macrocystis, the two giants of the
ocean Flora. The former is an arborescent sea¬
weed, with a trunk of concentric layers so timber-
like, that Dr Hooker mentions a captain who
employed a boat's crew two days collecting the
incombustible stems for fuel. The Macrocystis,
instead of a trunk as thick as an ordinary cherry-
tree, is moored to the rock by a tough but slen¬
der cable, which, rising to the surface, breaks into
leaves, and then streams along a luxuriant tangle
for several hundred feet. The Victoria water-lily
requires a tank and liot-housc for its soecial aceoui-
FUEGIA.
107
modation; but a prime Macrocystis would need a
tank a hundred feet deep, and as long as "West¬
minster Abbey. In general, however, its cable
is only a few fathoms long, and as its streamers
wave over every inundated rock, it is at once the
buoy and the breakwater of these dangerous chan¬
nels. The " moored kelp " warns the mariner of
a sunken rock, and if in stormy weather his little
vessel can only get to leeward of its floating acres,
he may set the wildest sea at defiance.* In this
way has Providence not only supplied the means of
safety in the very midst of danger, but, by the
same arrangement, he has prepared a source of sub¬
sistence for this land of famine. These gigantic sea¬
weeds are the home and the pasture-field of count¬
less mollusks and crustaceans. The leaves are
crowded with shell-fish. The stems are so encrust¬
ed with corallines, as to be of a white colour.
And " on shaking the great entangled roots, a pile
of small fish, shells, cuttle-fish, crabs of all orders,
sea-eggs, star-fish, and crawling nereidous animals
of a multitude of forms, all fall out together." f
To such a well-stored larder it is not wonderful
that shoals of fishes should resort, forsaking for it
brighter but less, bountiful waters ; and in the
wake of these fishes come armies of seals and
* For beautiful figures and many interesting particulars regarding
these and the other Algae of Fuegia, the reader is referred to Dr
Hooker's magnificent work, the " Flora Antarctica."
f Darwin.
108
FUEGHA.
clouds of sea-fowl. Among the latter are shags,
petrels, ducks, red-bills, sea-pigeons, geese, steamer-
ducks, and penguins. Of these many species have
their breeding-places on the cliffs of the desolate
islands. With their black coats and yellow waist¬
coats, the substantial and yeoman-like penguins take
up their abode on the grassy flats; and in the month
of January, that is to say, at their mid-summer,
a braying quack may constantly be heard from
morning to evening, inviting to dainty morsels their
fat and solemn fledglings,—a dinner-bell which is
never silent in the populous " penguinery." Not
improbably with sinister designs on the infant
penguins, the sea-lion is fond of a walk among the
tufts of tussac, and, along with the sea-otter and
the porpoise, this tyrant of the Southern Ocean is
the great terror of the larger fishes. Predaceous
as are the habits of so many of these creatures, it
is interesting to contemplate the skill and profusion
with which a sea so unpromising is peopled. All
are ultimately dependent on a seemingly worthless
sea-weed. That fucus cherishes the worms and
polypes, the crabs and corallines, which feed the
fishes; and these, in their turn, sustain legions of
cormorants and penguins, of seals and porpoises, as
well as the less dexterous human fishers on the
shore; so that Mr Darwin is probably correct in
his surmise, that the felling of a tropical forest
would not be so fatal to animal existence as the
destruction of this gigantic " kelp." " 0 Lord,
FUEGrlA.
309
how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou
made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things
creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
These wait all upon thee; that thou may est give
them their meat in due season. That thou givest
them they gather : thou openest thine hand, they
are filled with good."
The inhabitants of the Fuegian Archipelago have
sometimes been called Pesherais, from a word
which some of them are constantly using. In the
classification of the Human Families they have
been named " the Ichthyophagi," or Fish-eaters of
Tierra del Fuego.* Of course they are South
American Indians, and they belong to the Arau-
canian division of the great Andian race. They
are not only the nearest neighbours, but are un¬
doubtedly of the closest kindred, to the Patagonian
inhabitants of the adjacent continent; but they
are intellectually and physically inferior to these
stately specimens of mankind. Many of them
have trunks proportionate to a six-foot stature:
but their indolent squatting existence has dwarfed
their extremities. Their colour is something be¬
tween dark copper and brown. Captain FitzRoy
compares it to " very old mahogany." f But
owing to the wood-smoke with which they are
* See Prichard's Natural History of Man, Second Edition, p.
450; and Prichard's History of Mankind, vol. v.
f Yoyages of the Adventure and Beagle, vol. ii. p. 137.
110
FUEGIA.
saturated, the oil and blubber with which they art
smeared, and the earths, white, red, and black,
with which they are painted, it is difficult to ascer¬
tain exactly a Fuegian complexion. Like their
bodies, their heads are large. These heads are
oblate spheroids, with long jet hair hanging straight
down on either side, but cropped away over the
brow. The forehead is very low, but, like the face,
it is broad. The black eyes are oval, drawn to¬
wards the temples, and have usually an expression
of simple good-humour. The nose is not handsome:
flat and thick, with large nostrils, it is concave
in profile ; and it is well supported by a mouth of
great width, which closes in a straight line, and opens
in an ample ellipse. The beaux of the antipodes
do not fancy long beards, and what little hair
shews itself on the chin or the eye-brows is usually
extracted with tweezers made of two mussel-shells.
As already mentioned, from constantly crouching
in their huts and canoes, their legs are crooked and
stunted; but still, they are by no means deficient
in agility, and, in trials of strength, some of them
were more than a match for an English sailor.*
Their clothing is scanty. By the same provi¬
dential arrangement which coats the whale in
frozen seas with oil, the Fuegian is fortified
* For a minute description see a paper by Mr Wilson in the
appendix to tbe 2d vol. of tbe " Yoyages of tbe Adventure and
Beagle." Portraits of Fuegians may be seen there, and in the folio
atlas of plates to Cook's Last Voyage.
FUEGUA.
Ill
against his inclement sky by an abundant develop¬
ment of the adipose tissue; and though his sea-
otter or guanaco cloak is sometimes scanty, in ad¬
miring his hardihood, we must not forget that
inside his skin he wears a thick under-clothing of
non-conducting fat. Hence these islanders some¬
times exhibit feats, the recital of which is enough
to make us shiver. In the coldest mid-winter they
may be seen diving for sea-eggs ; and it was on a
dark night, when the thermometer was at 28°,
that some of them swam from the shore, and, from
its moorings alongside, cut away the ship's boat of
the Adelaide.
Nothing can be more wretched than their habi¬
tations. When a family lands from its canoe, the
first care of the women, who are the only workers,
is to build a house. For this purpose they cut
down twenty or thirty trees, and arranging them
in a circle, with the narrow ends resting on each
other, like the sheaves in a shock of corn, they tic
them together at the top, putting a little thatch or
a few skins on the windward side, and leaving one
entrance toward the sea and another toward the
forest. There they kindle a fire, and there they
huddle together night and day in stormy weather ;
and there they tarry till they have devoured all
the food of the district, and it is .time to seek an¬
other settlement.
They are not without a taste for ornament, nor
are they entirely devoid of ingenuity. They
112
FUEGrlA.
usually adorn their hair with a fillet of sinewy
threads, elaborately and not inelegantly plaited;
and on great occasions this fillet is pranked out
with birds' feathers or bits of 'red cloth obtained
from the sailors. They are fond of bracelets and
necklaces. These they make from shells or the
small hones of animals; or, failing beads and but¬
tons, from little chips of crockery. When shells
are used, they are drilled so neatly that the process
must require both skill and care. The Spanish
voyager Cordova speaks with admiration of a sort
of jar or basket which he found amongst them,
entirely formed of bark, and with the bottom so
accurately sewed in, that it could carry water
without leaking.* But, crazy as they are, their
canoes are perhaps a still more wonderful specimen
of needle-work. These also are composed of the
bark of trees. The main bulk may be the bark of
one single beech; but in order to complete it, a
great many patches and a large amount of stitch¬
ing are requisite. With grass for oakum, and clay
for pitch, and with thongs instead of nails, the
builder soon finishes a boat which, after its own
fashion, is a triumph of naval architecture. As
long as it can carry paddlers as well as pumpers, it
is considered sea-worthy; but as soon as it requires
all hands to bail it, they think it time to abandon
it, and a new one is built or stolen.
Although their comforts are so few, they are
* Cordova's Voyage to the Straits of Magellan.
FUEGrlA.
113
well provided with offensive weapons. They have
spears, and bows and arrows, and slings which
they use with such precision af nearly to equal in
effect an ordinary musket. Besides, many of them
are furnished with the Patagonian bolas—a chain-
shot of formidable character. It consists of two
round stones, covered with leather, and fastened to
the two ends of a string about eight feet long.
One stone is held in the hand -whilst the other is
whirled round the head till it has acquired sufficient
velocity; and then both are hurled at the object.
Should it strike the legs of an ostrich or guanaco,
it instantly twists tightly around them and holds
the creature in fetters till the huntsman comes up.
Yet, with all his weapons, it is a scanty subsist¬
ence which the Fuegian secures. The sea around
him is teeming with food, but he has neither net
nor angle ; and it is only when he is lucky enough
to spear a rock-salmon, or when he can get a suffi¬
ciency of a little simpleton fish which allows itself
to be spirited out of the water by a baited but
hookless line, that this Ichthyophagous Indian de¬
serves his name. But if he is not a clever fisher¬
man, he is a cunning bird-catcher. In his fowling
excursions he is attended by a knowing little dog,
half fox, half terrier ; and, if it is a moonlit night,
the sportsman may be descried on the beach near
the roosts of the sea-birds, and waiting till his four-
footed accomplice returns with a dead duck in his
jaws, which he instantly deposits at his master s
10* H
114
FUEGIA.
feet, and then scampers off in search of another.
This well-trained retriever, though an assiduous
barker at home, has the sense to carry on this
sport in the deepest silence; and the sleeping
spoon-bill is jerked from his perch without ever
dreaming of danger. They have also a plan of
their own for catching petrels. Having first se¬
cured one with a string to his leg, they lower him
into any crevice where petrels are known to breed.
The old birds are indignant at the stranger's intru¬
sion, and fall on him with such blind fury that
they allow themselves to be drawn out of the hole,
when they are instantly transferred to the fowler's
basket. But birds are not always to be procured,
and even sea-eggs are not attainable in stormy
weather. For a great period of every year these
poor islanders are entirely dependent on mussels,
limpets, and similar shell-fish; and, every time
that the tide retires, the whole population is spread
over the shore, rummaging for this sorry subsist¬
ence. Low-water is the meal-time of the dogs, as
well as their masters ; and it is amusing to notice
the adroitness with which these sharp-witted crea¬
tures detach the unwary limpet from his moorings.
As soon as this pasture is eaten up, these nomads
of the beach launch their canoes, and paddle off in
quest of new supplies. Sometimes they are so
lucky as to discover a stranded whale or a dead
sea-lion; and, however " high " such venison may
be, it is always welcome, and imparts a sudden
FUEGUA.
115
plumpness to the fortunate finders. Of course,
such prizes are rare; and, like most savages, the
life of a Fuegian is an alternation of occasional
feasts with long intervals of famine. In the des¬
peration of hunger it is fearful to think of the
expedients to which he is' occasionally driven.
There can be no doubt, however, that these In¬
dians are cannibals, and that when other subsist¬
ence fails, " they kill and devour their old women
before they kill their dogs." Those who fall in
battle are in like manner devoured by the victors.
The intellectual capacity of these savages is,
probably, small; but their powers of mimicry are
amazing. A long English sentence deliberately
uttered they will repeat with the utmost precision;
and grotesque attitudes or grimaces many of them
can reproduce with a comic gravity worthy of
Liston or Matthews. Shameless greed and syste¬
matic thieving are universal vices. As soon as a
canoe comes within hail of a ship, the well-known
cry, " Yammer schooner " (Give me), is set up, and
at everything given them they clutch and stow it
into their basket without one look or utterance of
gratitude. Nothing escapes their little glancing
predaceous eyes; and, but for the utmost vigilance,
nothing would escape their active fingers. Once
and again they proved too cunning for the watch
of a man-of-war, and succeeded in abstracting valu¬
able boats belonging to the surveying expedition of
the British Admiralty; and when a native gentle-
116
FUEGIA.
man had been paying a visit on board, before he
returned to his barge, it was thought no breach
of etiquette to examine his cloak for tea-kettles and
other trinkets. As Mungo Park experienced in
Africa, traces of gentleness and tenderness may be
found among the women; but the mercies of the
men are cruel. On the slightest provocation, the
roguish simper can be exchanged for a scowl
of fiendish ferocity; and when exasperated, or
brought to bay, they fight with more fury than
wild beasts. The men are surly tyrants; the
women are laborious slaves. The softening influ¬
ence of the domestic charities is scarcely known;
and an incident related by Commodore Byron
shews the fearful moroseness to which depraved
humanity sometimes subsides.*
Of the religious belief of these savages little is
known. Their divinity appears to be a great
black man, who frequents the dim trackless woods
* " Our cacique and his wife had gone off in their canoe, when she
dived for sea-eggs; but, not meeting with great success, they re¬
turned a good deal out of humour. A little hoy of theirs, about
three years old, whom they appeared to be doatingly fond of, watch¬
ing for his father and mother's return, ran into the surf to meet
them : the father handed a basket of sea-eggs to the child, which
being too heavy for him to carry, he let it fall; upon which the
father jumped out of the canoe, and catching the boy up in his arms,
dashed him with the utmost violence against the stones. The poor
little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and in that condition was
taken up by the mother; but died soon after. She appeared in¬
consolable for some time; but the brute, his father, shewed little
coneern about it."—Narrative of the Son, John Byron, 1768, page
118.
FUEGIA.
117
of the interior; who is very malignant and power¬
ful ; and who knows everything that is done or
spoken. They are very superstitious. They have
great faith in dreams. They will not for any con¬
sideration allow a stranger to cut off a lock of their
hair ; and they think it extremely unlucky to kill
the young sea-birds. " Oh, Mr Bynoe, very bad
to shoot little duck—come wind—come rain—blow
—very much blow," was the solemn remonstrance
of one of them to a gentleman who had killed some
very young ducklings as zoological specimens.
They never speak of the dead. When a boy,
hereafter to be mentioned, was questioned about
his dead father, he was very unhappy, and refused
to answer: " No good talk; my country never
talk of dead man."
Embruted as are these savages, they are not
sunk beyond recovery. Through the mercy of our
God, there is at this moment on the earth a power
well able to cure the worst woes of Fuegia. True,
they are not an inviting race; but they are none
the less a fac-siraile of our British forefathers. Sir
James Mackintosh was born in a northern latitude
exactly corresponding to Cape Horn in the south,
and his ancestors lived in a hut without window
or chimney, with a fire in the centre of the floor,
with a pile of mussel-shells at the threshold, and
with smoked fish and deer's flesh hanging from
the rafters; and when they wished to cross an
arm of the sea, they waited for a day of calm
118
FUEGIA.
weather which would not endanger their wicker
coracle. The ancestors of Davy and Newton lived
in forests almost as sombre as the beech-woods of
Narborough's Land. They wore cloaks of bull or
badger's skin, like the otter or guanaco robes of
Navarin Island; and they anointed their persons,
and pipeclayed their faces, in a truly Fuegian
fashion. The ancestors of "Wesley and Wilberforce
worshipped a devil, and were glad to propitiate his
wrath by flinging their infants into the fire. But
Christianity has wrought for Britain the best of
miracles. If it has not brightened the skies and
converted these islands into new Hesperides; it
has shed a balm into the moral atmosphere, and it
has transformed the population. It has made us,
as a people, honest, hard-working, and humane. It
has made a future existence a familiar idea, and it
has made the Most High a not unfamiliar presence.
It has given us tastes, aspirations, and affections,
which a nation of atheists or pagans can never
know. And whilst all this has been effected with
only a small per-centage of practical religionists in
our population, and, we may add, with only a small
per-centage of Bible Christianity in our practical
religion, it has done enough to teach us that the
only thing needed to make any land " a delight¬
some land," .is the gospel in ascendancy.
In the year 1831 there were three Fuegians in
England. They were brought to this country by
Captain FitzRoy, R.N., and the hope was enter-
FUEGIA.
119
tained that they might learn our language, and
acquire the habits of civilisation, so as to introduce
them, on their return, among their own compatriots.
One of them was a full-grown man, York Minster,
a gruff and surly fellow, who could never be in¬
duced to learn anything. Jemmy Button was a
good-natured boy of no great capacity; and Fuegia
Basket was a rather pleasing and very intelligent
girl. Considerable interest was felt in these visi¬
tors from the antipodes, and even the king and
queen expressed a desire to see them. They were
accordingly taken to the palace, and were received
with all the gentle kindness so characteristic of
Queen Adelaide. Captain FitzRoy consigned them
to the care of a schoolmaster at Walthamstow; and
after a few months, accompanied by Mr Matthews,
a missionary, he carried them back to their native
isles. It may be questioned whether their resi¬
dence in England was sufficiently long; and it is
likely that, had a selection been practicable, more
promising pupils might have been found than York
Minster and Jemmy Button. At all events, the ex¬
periment was very unproductive. On landing in
their own country, York Minster married Fuegia
Basket, and being a powerful, resolute man, it is pos¬
sible that he may have been able to preserve from
his rapacious neighbours the implements and manu¬
factured articles with which he was freely supplied.
But poor Jemmy was soon victimised. His goods
were stolen, and his little garden was trodden down;
120
FUEGIA.
justifying his verdict, "My people very bad; no
sabe nothing ; my people very great fool." And as
the violence of the people forced Mr Matthews to
return on board, there is too much reason to fear
that, left to themselves, his scholars would soon
relapse into the surrounding barbarism.
CHAPTER YII.
I'M fmls.
My wanderings thou hast numbered;
Even every tear mine eyes have shed
Thy vial holds;
All in the folds
Of thy large volume read.
Psalm lvi. 8.—George Sandys.
If our lives are preserved, and our attempt prospered, we shall
next New Year's Day be in India. We shall no more see our kind
friends around us, or enjoy the conveniences of civilised life, or go to
the house of God with those that keep holy day; but swarthy coun¬
tenances will everywhere meet our eye, the jargon of an unknown
tongue will assail our ears, and we shall witness the assembling of
the heathen to the worship of idol gods. We shall be weary of the
world, and wish for wings like a dove. We shall probably experi¬
ence seasons when we shall be "exceeding sorrowful, even unto
death."—Dr Judson.
11
When Dr Judson wrote to his future wife the
words just quoted, he did not know how terribly
the prognostic would be fulfilled. He did not fore¬
see the perils of the Burmese war, and the unima-
gined horrors of the death-prison at Bangoon.
And it is well for us that there is no Agabus to
reveal the tribulations through which each must
pass to the Kingdom, or to set fully before us the
dangers and hardships which attend a new under¬
taking.
It was with a cheerful eye that Mr Williams and
his comrades surveyed the scene of their projected
campaign. But, as we have already said, they saw
it to advantage. It was midsummer; and, as long
as the ship remained in sight, the natives wore
their summer faces, and appeared mild, and almost
friendly. The voyagers arrived in health and
vigor; and, in the excitement of strange circum¬
stances, the perils and difficulties of their under¬
taking were materially disguised.
124
FIRST TOILS.
It was on the 5th of December 1850 that the
Ocean Queen cast anchor in Banner Koads ; • and,
resuming Mr* Williams's Journal, we shall now
©
trace the first proceedings of the missionary pil¬
grims.
" December 5.—At noon we proceeded in the
ship's gig to a small island called Dothan, lying
betwixt Garden and Picton Islands. Captain
Gardiner had fixed on it as the site of our intended
dwelling-house, thinking it capable of being made
peculiarly secure from its position and shape. Here
we read an appropriate psalm, and offered prayer,
and sang the doxology. The natives had followed
us, and they stood gazing with wonder whilst we
were so engaged. One passed into the centre of
our circle, and now and then made an observation;
and when we sang they all joined heartily with
us. We .then took possession of the island, and cut
away the trees for a place where to fix our tent;
but afterwards; in the course of the day, upon more
consideration given, we abandoned Dothan, and
chose our site in Garden Island. Here accordingly
the axe was industriously used, and some large
timber was cleared away. In the course of the
afternoon, I shot a goose and a duck. In the course
of the evening, what from being very tired and
cold, and the rush of impressions being very great
and forcible upon my mind, my whole body seemed
to shrink from the hardships that were palpably
before me; and my flesh, with a cowardly tremor,
FIRST TOILS.
125
seemed to protest against the difficulties, the trials,
and the dangers. Whilst I felt this, I knew it was
but the weakness of the flesh, and although I could
not, under its present weariness, quiet its alarms, yet
I felt a firm and quiet resolution, if need be, to
sacrifice the flesh to the cause of God and humanity.
It was a trial and a war between the two ; but the
spirit within, strengthened by grace, offered the
flesh upon the altar of sacrifice. Praise God, never
did I feel more sensibly how God provides grace
against the day of trial than in this instance.
" Tuesday, December 10.—To-day the first oppor¬
tunity presents, of recording the events which have
marked our career. On Friday last, early in the
day, having selected a spot on Garden Island ad¬
mirably adapted for our purposes, we conveyed to
it bedding, apparel, provisions, and cooking utensils,
and engaged ourselves most actively in clearing
away a spot sufficiently large for our tents. These
we erected, and by nightfall had. everything pretty
comfortable. We had two tents—one for the men,
another for ourselves—and between the two a cook¬
ing-house or kitchen, made of poles we had cut
down and covered with oiled canvas. The floor of
our tent was covered with cork; over this, oiled
canvas, which thus made a dry place for our beds.
We had also begun a fence around our tents, which,
on the following day, by the assistance of some of
our ship's company, we enlarged and completed, so
as to be surrounded on all sides except an opening
126
FIRST TOILS.
from the beach. It was amusing to see us all at
work, each one plying the woodman's handicraft;
right and left, blows were being dealt, and the
entangled forest resounded to our hatchets. We
piled up a huge fire, and regaled ourselves with
provisions kindly sent us from the ship by our
excellent captain. We are indeed greatly indebted
to him for unexampled kindness, he having con¬
stantly manifested the most generous disposition
and an affectionate interest in all that concerned us;
ever ready to assist us, and most hospitably and
abundantly entertaining us during our whole voyage.
The name of Captain Cooper, of the Ocean Queen,
deserves to be remembered by us with respect and
affectionate gratitude.
"We were undisturbed by the natives the whole
of the day, and congratulated ourselves on this
fortunate circumstance, as we hoped, by their not
seeing our possessions, they would not be so excited
to molest and pilfer from us. By eleven at night
we were all so far straight as to be able to retire
to rest, which all of us did, excepting the Captain
and myself. We had agreed that each should keep
a two hours' watch the night through, and this the
Captain proposed should be commenced by himself
taking the first watch, commencing at ten o'clock
every night. The Captain accordingly rigged him¬
self in his sou'-wester and india-rubber overcoat
and overalls; and thus armed against the rain, for
it was Dourinff with JFueo'ian ...earnest, bo sallied
FIRST TOILS.
127
forth; and about half-past twelve, I succeeded
him.
" I had not lain down, on account of the short¬
ness of time before commencing my watch; and
now that I was alone in the dead hours of night,
surrounded by the dark masses of wood on the one
hand, and the rippling waters on the other, with
the rain pouring in heavy showers, and after a
fatiguing day, I could not overcome the weakness
of my frail heart, and I felt oppressed. The time
of my watch hung heavily upon me; and I almost
counted the minutes as they passed. Strange cries
broke upon my ear; the penguin's harsh croak,
with the shrill whistle of some sea-bird, and many
sounds that I could scarce account for, all tending
to give an extraordinary character to the scene. I
felt no fear, neither did I wish to be differently
circumstanced ; but I was weary, and I wished
heartily for rest. Two o'clock came, and then was
poor Mr Maidment's turn. He had thrown himself
down on his bed with his clothes on, and now he
engaged with alacrity in the duty which fell to him.
Selfish nature was glad of the opportunity to ex¬
change positions even thus with a friend and a
brother, and to comfort itself in the warmth and
repose of bed. I slept soundly, and awoke the next
morning ready to resume the labor of the day.
We persevered all Saturday in completing our fence,
and arranging matters to our satisfaction, and still
wo p.nn tinned unmolested bv any of the natives,—a
128
FIRST TOILS.
matter somewhat surprising, had we not hence
conjectured that thej were going to give the
intelligence of our arrival to others of their ac¬
quaintance.
" Toward the evening, however, we had intima¬
tion of their approach ; and three of them, whom
we had before seen alongside the vessel, came up
to us. They appeared no way surprised at what
they beheld, but greeted us with apparent good¬
nature, yammer-schoonering after everything they
saw, and moving in a sidelong manner towards the
enclosure of our tents, anxious to look in; but we
intimated our disapproval of this, and they were
very tractable. These three were very peaceable
and quiet, imitating every word we spoke, catching
at any oddity they observed in our manner or
doings, and laughing, and seeming altogether so
well disposed, that we had good hope of maintain¬
ing a friendly footing with them, and have no
reason to fear their molesting us. As the evening
grew late, Captain Gardiner made signs to them to
leave us, intimating that it was time to go to sleep,
by laying his head on his hand, and then gently
directing them to the entrance. They readily per¬
ceived our wish, and without hesitation departed.
" We had not provided meat for our food this clay.
For this purpose I went out with my gun (for wo
have first to shoot or fish, before we can dine); and
having brought back a goose and a duck, a stew
was made of tbesn. with the addition t>f some wild
FIEST TOILS.
129
celery we found in the woods; and having finished
the day with prayer, we again took our repose by
sleep.
" Forcibly convinced that we ought not to suffer
the Captain to share the duty of watching, I
begged him that he would allow us to divide it
entirely among ourselves, which, after some trouble
and entreaty, he at length consented to do. At
two o'clock I was called to take my post. The
morning was fine and quite light, and everything
around wore a pleasing aspect. The two hours I
now spent, I trust I shall never forget. I felt the
precious influence of the Spirit of grace and love
upon my heart, and never were my impressions of
divine truths so forcible; never did I feel more
sensibly the vanity and littleness of all human
things, save as they bear reference to the eternal
and invisible kingdom of God. I was much affect¬
ed by the thought, that what the poor natives of
these islands were to us, so thousands and tens of
thousands of the inhabitants of so-styled civilised
lands were in God's sight—savages in their enmity
against a just and good and holy God. I clearly
saw that I had not so much danger to dread at the
hands of these poor wretched natives, as at the
hands of polished and civilised people: those would
only assault my body, and rob me of a few earthly
comforts, whilst the latter, by their influence and
example, would rob me of an everlasting salvation.
My heart, by the reflection, was drawn out in behalf
i
130
FIBST TOILS.
of my native land, and, alas! I felt that there
was spiritual wickedness in high places, and cor¬
ruption working at the very core of human society.
The blessing of God's presence in a holy frame of
mind, with great joy, was felt as I never felt before
in like manner. The time very quickly passed
away, very differently from the night before.
Afterwards, whilst in bed, I was greatly led out in
spirit to praise and bless 6od.
" The following day, Sunday, was spent very
happily and profitably. I was engaged most of
the day with my Bible, and in close communion
with God, blessed in the sense of his presence and
favor. During the morning services, just as we
commenced them, the three natives we had hitherto
seen came again and either sat or stood at our tent
door. There they remained, for the most part
very quietly, whilst we were engaged in worship,
little thinking how nearly they themselves stood
concerned in what we were doing. All things
went on very quietly, and nothing occurred to dis¬
turb us until late in the afternoon, when we were
startled at the mournful yelling cry of some of the
women, from their canoes, like the prolonged howl
of a dog. The Fuegians, who were with us at the
time, immediately pricked up their ears, and mak¬
ing signs to us which we understood to mean that
we were not to follow them, they departed in
haste, and proceeded up to the head of Banner
Cove, toward the outlet leading to Banner Roads.
FIRST TOILS.
131
Soon we perceived, by the help of our glasses, that
some strangers were joining them. We noticed
that our Fuegians took their spears with them
before they went to meet them, and we imagined
that the women might at first apprehend that the
strangers were their foes.
" In the course of a few hours appeared the
new-comers, who, we afterwards had reason to
conclude, were from Navarin Island, and of the
Yacuna tribe. We were immediately sensible that
they were altogether a different people from the
others. Their faces were quite blackened over,
and they were sturdy and audacious in their bear¬
ing, and, as we soon found, impudent and uncon¬
trollable. Unlike the former, they were ready to
resent every refusal of their importunate demands,
and resisted our endeavours to keep them in check,
looking at us with a most contemptuous and malign
expression, and, by their demeanor, plainly be¬
speaking mischief. They were very well made,
and, but for the diabolical passions expressed in
their countenances, really good-looking men. Like
the others, they had the crown of the head cropped
close, and the fore part like a circlet of long hair
hanging over the face. Like the others, too,
they were perfectly naked, except the guanaco
skin, which hung loosely over their shoulders and
back, and which they occasionally folded together
around their arms. Each wore a necklace made
of small shells. With five of these men around
132
FIRST TOILS.
us, prying into everything, the other three hav¬
ing now put on a less pacific deportment, and
almost entering our tent by force, our situation
was not agreeable. It required all our vigilance to
watch their motions; and, from their whispering
together, and their bold attempts to look into our
tents, we suspected that they were concocting some
plan of attack. However, after a time, they left
us, Captain Gardiner having very plainly expressed
his wish to that effect. After this—and upon the
conclusion of a very profitable service, during
which, as has always been our custom on the Sun¬
day evening, Captain Gardiner read a very excel¬
lent and encouraging sermon, and I read from the
Scriptures and prayed—we set the watch and retired
to bed.
"It had been agreed that, on the least occasion of
alarm, a railway whistle, provided for the purpose,
should be blown. Accordingly, a little before four
o'clock on Monday morning, we were startled by
its shrill sound, and were out of bed and dressed in
an instant. The cause of the alarm was the coming
of the two black-faced natives. It was raining
heavily and a very disagreeable morning, and we
were a little uncomfortable at so early an intru¬
sion. The Captain and Mr Maidment, together
with poor Bryant, who was on watch for the time,
encountered them, I returning in after a while, as
did the Captain also, Mr Maidment and Bryant
being left, had a groat deal of trouble with them
FIRST TOILS.
133
One of them had the audacity to push the former
quite off his seat, although he is a much bigger
made man than the native himself. They also
would have taken off Bryant's hoots, had they not
been forcibly resisted. After remaining two hours,
they grew tired and left us. But in the course of
the morning, whilst Mr Maidment and I were out
in the boat with Captain Cooper, the same men
with some others again visited our tents, and so
determined was their conduct, and so utterly con¬
temptuous, all but bordering upon open hostility,
that it was quite manifest we could no longer stay
on shore, and Erwin came from Captain Gardiner
with a message to Captain Cooper, asking him for
hands to assist him, as he would at once strike the
tents, and have all our things on board the boats.
This was the original intention of Captain Gar¬
diner ; but he was anxious, while the boats were
being got ready, and whilst the vessel was staying
with us, to try an establishment on the land, so as
to see what disposition the natives would evince.
1 was already firmly persuaded that the thing was
impracticable, and was convinced that to prolong
our stay another night would be attended with the
loss of our property, and perhaps of our lives. I
had only intimated these my apprehensions to
Captain Gardiner, but did not press my opinion.
I was therefore glad when I heard his determina¬
tion to abandon the land, and take to our boats.
For that purpose, last evening (Monday) all our
12
134
FIRST TOILS.
things were again brought on board the Ocean
Queen, where we shall remain for a few days in
the enjoyment of all our former comforts, until our
boats are ready.
" I should not omit to add that on Monday morn¬
ing, at the moment the whistle disturbed me from
my sleep, after some hours of troubled and anxious
thought, I had just begun to slumber. During the
night I could not but feel how portentous was our
present horizon, and what dangers, difficulties, and
privations awaited us on all hands. I greatly
deplored the pressure of such thoughts, and resisted
them over and over again with little success. But
my compassionate Jesus helped me to look up to
him as ready to help me even against myself, and
to offer up myself again a willing sacrifice unto
God. In this frame of mind I had sunk to sleep;
and when the alarm awoke me, it was just at the
moment when I seemed to be hearing the songs of
angels singing, 'We live to Christ alone;' and oh,
how heavenly was the impression made upon my
heart! how sweet the sound still ringing in my
ears, ' We live to Christ alone!' How full of mean¬
ing the words, 'Angels live to Christ alone!' We
live to him alone, so must you. Yes, yes, my
heart, my soul responded; by the grace of my
blessed Saviour, I will live to Christ alone.
" I should also mention that whilst reading the
Scriptures on Sunday, every word seemed to be a
yolume, and truly I could say that then he opened
FIRST TOILS.
135
to me the Scriptures. Yea, I bless God, the Scrip¬
tures are become a precious treasure to me now,
and I begin to verify the saying of Christ, that we
must sell all we have, before we can go and pur¬
chase the field containing the treasure of God's
grace and the riches of his Son. Oh! the world
and Christ are opposed indeed. We must leave all
if we would be his disciples : not that it is needful
that we should all go into a heathen land to find
the preciousness of Christ to our souls; but that all
who seek after Christ should in no respect be con¬
formed to the world. God's love cannot be felt
and known but where God's will is obeyed; and
his will requires of us, that we renounce the world,,
the flesh, and the devil, and live to God; glorify¬
ing Christ with our body and soul, which are his.
" On Saturday, in company with Captain
Cooper, we took one of the Fuegians with us in
the Captain's gig, and cruised about for some
hours. I'shot a penguin at a considerable distance
off, and this for the purpose of making an impres¬
sion on his mind. He seemed somewhat impressed
with the sight of the wounded bird, though not
much interested in the gun, or curious about it;
however, he did not like that it should be brought
very close to him, and seemed to have some fear
of it. We took the man afterwards on board the
ship, and rigged him out in trousers, shirt, stock¬
ings, coat, and cap, which one and another pro¬
vided for him; we also did the same for two other
136
FIRST TOILS.
Fuegians, who came alongside the vessel in their
canoes with their families. Afterwards we took the
man back with us to our station; gave him the
bird, which, when some of his companions, five in
all, including two children, joined him, he put on
the burning embers, singed the feathers, then
plucked them, and having laid it on the fire again
for about a quarter of an hour, it was ready cooked
according to their taste; and then, borrowing a
knife from one of the men, which he was honest
enough afterwards to return, he dissected it, giving
each one of the party a portion. These again bit
off pieces and gave them to each other. And thus
they devoured the whole, without the least part
being left except the bones and feathers, shewing
us such a specimen of rapacious voracity and ex-
pcrtness in dismembering and clearing the bones,
as we had no conception of before. I also shot a
large bird, the bald-headed vulture, which I gave
them; this they carried off to their families for a
repast at home. We have been disappointed in
finding no fish in any of the waters about us,
neither catching any ourselves, nor seeing any with
the natives, with one exception only, and then only
a solitary one. Yesterday, we took courage on
seeing some large albatrosses in the act of devour¬
ing a large rock salmon, which they had a minute
or two before caught. The absence of fish is the
more important to us, as the Captain, having ob¬
served plenty with tho natives when he was here
FIRST TOILS.
1^9
before, had fully reckoned on them, and had pro¬
vided no store of animal food, not even beef and
pork. One thing more to be noticed now, is the
remarkable aptitude of the people at imitation. Of
this we had a striking instance on Sunday last,
when talking to one of the boys. Not a word wo
uttered, but he repeated it over; not a question we
put to him, but he answered us back in our own
words, and imitated our every movement, so that
it was quite ludicrous to "see the child, as well as
tiresome to talk with him.
" Tuesday, Dec. 17.—In company with Cap¬
tain Cooper, we dined on shore in honor of the
Captain's birthday, and to celebrate the naming of
a point of land after him, called Cape Cooper. It
rained nearly all the time we were at dinner, but
we proceeded therewith as coolly as though we had
been in the sunshine, indeed somewhat more so."
Owing to some indispensable repairs, the Ocean
Queen had been detained in Banner Cove longer
than was anticipated; but the time was now
arrived when she must proceed on her voyage, and
take leave of the missionary settlers. They availed
themselves of the opportunity for sending letters
home; and a few paragraphs from one which Mr
Williams addressed to his sister will interest our
readers:—
u December 13.
" You will see, my dear Anne, by what I have
written to C., where we now are, and how we are
12*
first toils.
^ You can enter into my feelings. You
the source which supplies my consolations,
a the fountain whence my joys arise. God is
al-sufficient for us, if we are his children in Christ
Jesus, and put our whole trust in him. All -who
have hitherto inherited the promises have been
strangers and pilgrims, and this, by God's grace, I
am now. Rejoice therefore, my dear A., and
know that all things shall work together for my
good. Be not uneasy and apprehensive concerning
me; but let your heart be glad that I am thus
called to serve God and live to him. I believe I
shall be spared to return to you again. But what¬
ever be the will of God concerning this, we do
. *
know his will concerning our meeting together in
his own presence, where there are pleasures for
evermore. Then all will be lasting and secure: no
more change, no more partings; but every tear
will be dry, and the songs of our rapture will
abound. The lap of comfort is too often the nurse
of sin and sorrow, whilst the thorny path of duty,
although through tlm wilderness, is the sure road
to everlasting bliss, and fruitful in heavenly joys.
Cheer thee up, then, my dear A., and seek with me
first the kingdom of God, and live in the enjoyment
of the love of Christ."
"Wigwam, Banner Cove,
" December 18.
" My dear Sister,—We have this day taken
leave of the ship and all on board; and now, with
FIRST TOILS.
139
our ,boats moored alongside of our station, or
rather the place appointed for it, and in a wigwam
of our own building—made of trees, thatched at the
sides, with a fire in it—not far from the wigwams
of the natives; with the woods of Picton Island on
the one side, and separated from Garden Island by-
Banner Cove; seated on the earth for my floor, I
now write these last few lines again to say fare¬
well, and to bid you God-speed. God bless you.
All is well, dearest A.; the Lord does greatly
comfort and strengthen me.
" I have received a very pleasing testimony from
the Captain of the ship and the passengers and
crew, 'who united together, and purchased from one
of the passengers a gold watch, with a gold chain, a
silver pencil-case, and a gold ring. This handsome
present was given me to-day by the Captain, in
presence of all the company on board, with a very
flattering memorial drawn up and read. They
allege as the motive to this very handsome conduct,
the services I have rendered to many of them; but
I can sincerely say that nothing was farther from
my expectations, and that I was conscious of no
such desert. I simply performed a duty that de¬
volved upon me. Several of the men, even the
sailors, wept on my taking leave of them, and
seemed to feel greatly on leaving. They also pre¬
sented Mr Maidment 'with a ring and pencil-case.
He really deserved their- esteem; for I never saw
any person more kind in his attentions to the sick,.
140
first toils.
nursing them, cooking for them, and assisting them
at all hours of the night. I regard this expression
of their kindness as a good evidence that their
hearts have been somewhat touched by the pro¬
fession we have made of the Lord Jesus, and I
hope that the grace of God may more deeply and
permanently affect them.
" I must close. My love to C., to mother, &c.,
and to all my dear friends. To-night the ship
leaves us. I shall not go on board again; but a
boat shall take this on board.
" All is well, God be praised! It is beyond all
thought blessed to be given up entirely to the
service of Christ. His consolations and the com¬
forts of the Holy Ghost are infinitely precious, and
far outweigh all privations we have to encounter.
" Farewell, farewell!
" Your ever affectionate brother,
" Kichard."
It is the twofold glory of Christianity, that it
infuses fresh tenderness into the relative affections,
and yet, when needful, it can subordinate or
supersede them. Mr Williams had warm feelings
naturally, and religion made them warmer; and
the parting with loved friends was the sorest pang
in his departure for Fuegia. But as distance did
not impair his attachments, so these attachments
did not weaken his zeal. He did not put his hand
to the plough, and turn his eye to his English
FIRST TOILS.
141
home; but, whatever might he his secret hopes for
the future, he gave all his heart to the work
before him. The love of Christ constrained him,
and the sacrifice of earthly endearment which he
had made for His sake, helped to render that
Master's authority more august and his favor more
precious. And if it be a fine spectaele to see
a home-sick but oaken-hearted sailor like Colling-
wood, sustained by a simple sense of duty—keep¬
ing his post one weariful year after another, when
a flower from his own garden would have been
more welcome than a forest of laurel, and a sight"*
of his children more prized than a step in the
peerage—it is surely as great a lesson to see the
Christian missionary self-exiled from what he
deems an earthly paradise, and, in a calling which
admits no earthly recompence, bound to a bar¬
barous shore by no other mooring than compassion
for his fellow-men and loyalty to his Lord in
heaven. It would be wrong to print the outpour¬
ings of brotherly and friendly tenderness, and the
yearnings homeward with which Mr Williams's
letters overflow; but, having been allowed to read
them, we confess that they have greatly exalted
the writer in our eyes, and have imparted to his
. mission another element of martyrdom.
Returning to the Journal, we resume the record
after the sailing of the Ocean Queen:—
" Our ship was seen getting under weigh at about
nine o'clock on the morning of the 19th December,
142
FIRST TOILS.
and in a few hours we lost sight of her. God speed
her, and all that are in her! About ten o'clock on
the same morning we ourselves prepared to leave
Banner Cove, in search of a place where we
might deposit some of our stores, our boats being
too much crowded. We could not stow any in the
immediate vicinity, on account of the natives. Ac¬
cordingly, we got under weigh, but the wind was
ahead of us at first. We had to make several tacks,
and were sometimes puzzled in the attempt. My
berth was in the Pioneer with Captain Gardiner;
but, as he required two of the sailors with him, I
exchanged places with Bryant, and went on board
the Speedwell, which was under command of Erwin,
Badcock being with us. Thus we were divided,
Captain Gardiner, Mr Maidment, Pearce, and Bry¬
ant in the Pioneer, and we three in the Speedwell
The Speedwell was much the heavier laden of the
two, and greatly encumbered with stores. In
addition, we had a heavy raft of timber fastened
to our stern, and towed after us. I now turned to,
to assist for the first time in the management of a
sailing craft. I soon was able to handle the main-
sheet, in working the boat, ' hauling aft' and
1 slackening off,' ' brailing up' and ' furling,' as
required ; and rigged out in most of the gear of a
sailor, with sou'-wester, a blue serge shirt, and
heavy sea-boots. The wind was blowing fresh from
the N.E., with squalls of rain, and, although some¬
what gloomy the weather, and chilling, we set off
FIRST TOILS.
143
in excellent spirits. After tacking about for more
than an hour, the Pioneer got the start of us, by
weathering on one tack the point of land project¬
ing from Garden Island, and we lost sight of her.
In attempting to do the same, the raft we had in
tow came on our weather bow, whilst we were in
stays, and we were driven leeward considerably.
We now tried to wear her, but, owing to a field of
kelp on our lee bow, she would not go round, and
we saw ourselves fast drifting right on the surf.
We were startled and amazed at the suddenness of
the danger, as well as by its imminency and great¬
ness. It was scarcely credible to our senses, that,
in the course of a few minutes, and almost at the
instant of our losing sight of our companions, we
should be exposed to such a peril as was now before
us. All was anxiety and alacrity to do whatever
we could. The anchor was hastily let go. but,
owing to the mass of kelp and bad holding-ground,
it came home until we were in the midst of the
rocks. Destruction now, indeed, threatened us,
and poor Erwin was almost beside himself. ' The
boat, the boat will be lost!—she's done for, she'll
go to pieces!' was the poor fellow's repeated ex¬
clamation. We did our utmost, by means of the
boat-hooks, &c., to keep her from being heaved by
the roaring swell on the rocks. Now she was
broadside, and all but upon them; now her bow
was really in danger of being stoved : we were
first at one part, and as immediately at another,
144
FIRST TOILS.
our hands being fully engaged, to keep her from
striking. Betwixt two and three hours we con¬
tinued thus, in constant and unceasing effort, till at
length we were somewhat relieved by getting a
spring on the cable, on which I held for an hour
longer, whilst Erwin and Badcock fixed the boat-
hooks. The wind was blowing hard during the
whole time, with increasing blasts, at intervals, and
the surge was furiously dashing about us. For
more than four hours together had we thus to con-
template the probability of our destruction; and if
our lives should be saved, yet now, separated from
our companions, all our provisions gone, if left on
shore, helpless and destitute, and at the mercy of
the natives, the prospect was not pleasing. Were
such my thoughts ? They might have crossed
my mind. But they were not my thoughts; my
thoughts were altogether different. The grace of
God so strongly supported me, that I felt not the
least alarm, and was "all along confident that we
should again get off in safety. Indeed, I could not
help thinking that I was too insensible to our
danger, and too little affected by it. Certain,
however, it was, that not a struggle nor one emo¬
tion of fear occurred to me. I felt that, whatever
the result might be, all would be well, for God had
the ordering of this, as well as of any other circum¬
stance which should betide us. Poor Erwin, as yet
a stranger to the grace of God, gave way to pas¬
sionate paroxysms of grief, not on account of any
FIRST TOILS.
145
danger to himself, but on account of the appre¬
hended loss of our boat, and the injury we all, as
well as the mission itself, would sustain thereby.
Dear fellow! his feelings reflected honor upon him,
as well as his unparallelled exertions. After re¬
maining in our dangerous position the time before
specified, a lull occurred in the wind, and we
thought it a good opportunity to make an effort
to get out, and push round the rocks into open
water. It was, however, a most critical juncture,
and presented certain destruction if we failed.
Falling down before God, we sought his direction
and help in prayer, and upon rising from our knees
immediately proceeded to cut the chain cable; hut,
not succeeding in this, we let it go altogether.
And now, although destruction appeared inevitable,
the swell launching us broadside with great force
in the direction of the rocks; yet, by the mercy of
God, the danger was averted, and, after exerting
ourselves to the uttermost, we found ourselves out¬
side the rocks and round the point. Here again
another difficulty presented itself. Our rudder had
been unshipped and carried away, and, before we
could get any command of the boat, the wind and
tide drifted us against the opposite small island,
Round Island, when we had again to make strenu¬
ous efforts with our boat-hooks. Hardly had we
escaped this when we touched some sunken rocks
and shoal water, but were again mercifully pre¬
served. On getting free, we took the only alter-
23 sc
146
FIRST TOILS.
native left us, and ran aground on the shelving
beach of Garden Island. Now, thank God, there
was rest for the soles of our wearied feet. We
hauled up the boat, and gave God praise. Happily
at the time no natives appeared. Had they been
present and witnessed our distress, humanly speak¬
ing we should have been altogether in their power,
and in all probability must have fallen victims to
their cupidity. But the providence of God was
over us. The Lord is our shield. It was late in
the day when we got here, and now, without any
hope of seeing our companions this day, the wind
being strong and against their putting back, we
passed the night, sleeping very soundly till the
time of high water, about three in the morning,
when the boat was again afloat, and we once more
got her into Banner Cove.
" Friday the 20th passed, and we saw nothing
of our companions till past midnight, when we were
aroused from sleep by their shouting and rattling
against our boat. How happy were we to see them
returned and safe! They too had their difficulties.
After losing sight of us they had proceeded, think¬
ing we should soon follow them, and after survey¬
ing several entrances on the north shore, had found
an excellent harbour about twenty miles from
Banner Cove, which Captain Gardiner named
Blomefield Harbour, after Sir Thomas Blomefield,
former secretary to our Society. Here they passed
the night, remaining till the weather afforded them
FIRST TOILS.
147
a hope of returning to seek after us. Shortly after
our separation they lost both dingies which they
were towing astern, the heavy swell having snapped
the chain by which they were fastened. They Found
the boat not altogether fitted for sea, at least for
rough weather, having no scuttle on her fore hatch¬
way, and leaking greatly from one of the bolt-holes
in the knee of the bulk-head, which added much to
their perplexities. Captain Gardiner was, however,
highly gratified in having found a harbour so ex¬
cellently adapted for us as he deemed Blomefield
Harbour to be, where he thought there was every
facility to complete the fittings-up pf our boat, and
to overhaul the Pioneer for her leak, and likewise,
as no natives were seen, where we might deposit
our ample stores.
" Bent upon this, we again set out in company
at about ten o'clock, on Saturday the 21st. The
morning was very fine, with light breezes, but
against us; so that, when in Beagle Channel, we
had to tack about all day long, and made but little
way. However, all was very pleasant, and we kept
in company until the evening, when our boat, the
Speedwell, got considerably ahead, and we at length
lost sight of the Pioneer. We stood on our course,
and, by the directions given, we got abreast of the
entrance to Blomefield Harbour. Surprised, how¬
ever, at the delay in the Pioneer coming up with
us, we kept cruising about during the night, and
seeing nothing at all of them, we in our turn became
148
FIRST TOILS.
alarmed for their safety. Accordingly, about six in
the morning, a fine breeze springing up in favor of
our return, we put back for Banner Cove, hoping
they might have returned there. Abreast of the
Cove we at first saw no indication of them, and
were just in the act of standing out again for sea,
thinking that somehow or other they must have
passed us in the night, and got before us into the
harbour, when Badcock got sight of the boat masts
and a flag flying at the top of one of them. She
was but just visible, and we were greatly puzzled
to account for her position, as well as alarmed at
seeing her as we thought disastrously stranded.
"We got up to her as speedily as possible. Blessed
be God! our first salutation from Captain Gardiner
was, ' All is right, but had you not come, all would
have been wrong.' They had put back on account
of the light wind, to pass the night in our old
locality, and had entered by Cook's Passage, but
the tide, on ebbing, had receded further than was
expected, and had left them aground. A large
party of the natives had come back to Tent
Cove, and had been harassing them much. Just
as our boat hove in sight they were mustering their
forces, and our little party fully expected an attack;
but if they had any such intention, our coming
caused them to abandon it. Early in the morning
the natives had quite taken our friends by surprise,
and being ashore, they clambered up into the boat
without there being any possibility of preventing
FIRST TOILS.
149
them. At this moment, so critical, the Captain
■with his little band knelt down and offered up
prayer to God, the natives standing about them;
and it was apparent that during the time a real
change took place in the countenance of one in
particular of the natives, and they were all remark¬
ably quiet and subdued. As soon as the tide was at
full, the Pioneer was got off, and both boats got
under weigh.
" Tuesday, December 24.—At Tent Cove, early
in the morning, our alarm whistle was blown to
apprise us that the natives were coming off. This
was about four o'clock, and all hands were immedi¬
ately on deck to be prepared in case they meant to
attack us. The natives consisted of eight men with
their wives and families, in three canoes; they
came alongside, and we deemed it prudent not to
let them approach so near as to be able to spring
on board. They, however, shewed no actually
hostile spirit. We rather anticipated they would,
especially as the night previous they had hung up
white streamers on their canoes, and painted them¬
selves white, which we understood to mean hostility;
and we did not know for what purpose they all
were mustered together and put off in company.
As we gave them nothing on this occasion, but
intimated rather our dissatisfaction with them, they
soon left us and went out of the Bay into the Beagle
Channel. The natives being gone, we availed our-
13*
150
FIRST TOILS.
selves of this opportunity to get back our raft of
timber, which was lying on the beach opposite their
wigwams; and we also succeeded in recovering our
chain and ground tackle, and also a raft which we
had constructed in place of our dingies. In the
evening we buried, or rather stowed away, all our
surplus provisions, an excellent place being found
for that purpose on Garden Island.
" Wednesday, 25.—Took up our position at
Banner Cove, and overhauled the Pioneer, to get
at her leak. Christmas day was, as almost every
day had hitherto been since we got on board the
boats, a day of bustle and work ; this was unavoid¬
able. Our Christmas dinner consisted of preserved
meat, and some wheat-meal dough with a few
raisins in it, which we enjoyed as much as any
epicure in England could enjoy his well-spread
table and delicate viands. We remembered our
dear friends, and in God's name blessed them.
" Thursday, 26.—The natives returned, and
came up to us in a very friendly manner, and we
bartered with them for some small fish, which they
had speared; they then passed on in the direction
of their wigwams, but we saw nothing more of
them that day.
" Tuesday, 31.—Up to the present time, no¬
thing very material has occurred. We are now
getting into something like settled habits, as re¬
spects our new quarters and altered cirumstances.
FIRST TOILS.
151
Two things have happened of a disappointing na¬
ture, which it has rather puzzled us to make up
for. One is, that whereas Captain Gardiner was
in expectation of there being abundance of fish
here, we find literally none, saving the small ones
caught by the natives, but we do not know where
they obtained them. The other disappointment
arises from our having left our stock of powder on
board, so that we can no longer supply ourselves
with ducks and geese, of which there are plenty
here. Anticipating neither of these failures, no
large provision of animal food was made ; only two
casks of preserved meat, and one of pork, the
latter purchased from the Ocean Queen. Conse¬
quently, our diet consists chiefly of wheat-meal and
oat-meal, with rice and biscuit, cheese, butter, and
molasses.
" Thursday, January 2, 1851.—Yesterday was
with me n day of humbling and bowing down be¬
fore the Lord. Every circumstance that has oc¬
curred in this land of storms and desolation, has
tended to the same end—to humble and abase me.
The .natural man has day by day been crucified.
The privation of accustomed comforts, the vicissi¬
tudes already experienced, the trying duties de¬
volving on us, the dulness and great inclemency of
the climate, the solitude of the scenery, the unin¬
viting character of the natives, and the apparent
hopelessness of contending against so many difficul-
152
FIRST TOILS.
ties,—all these things the flesh has had to be loaded
with, and, together with its own fears and repin-
ings, to be nailed to the cross and yield up the
ghost, whilst in the room thereof Christ should be
raised up and found in me the hope of glory."
CHAPTER VIIL
% rials.
Lord, listen to my lowly dirge,
My plaintive call attend;
My fainting heart to thee would urge
A prayer from earth's far end.
Within thy tabernacle shade
I would for aye abide,
In wings of thy kind sheltering aid
Would safely rest and hide.
Psalm lxi. 1, 2, 4.—Kelle.
In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in ■
perils by the heathen, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the
sea; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.—A Primitive Mk'
sionary.
Had tlie funds of the mission admitted of the pur¬
chase of a vessel of a hundred tons burden, the
mission party would have been comparatively inde¬
pendent. As soon as it became dangerous to
remain on shore, they would have found a secure
refuge on ship-board; and, in the event of their
provisions failing, they could easily have proceeded
for supplies to Port Famine or the'Falkland Isles.
In that case, they would also have been saved the
fatigue and anxiety of hiding their stores where
there was great risk of the natives finding them;
and instead of creeping round these dreary coasts
in boats too small to weather a storm, and which
could scarcely offer them a dry berth when the day
was done, they would have faced the blast with
some confidence, and they would, at least, have
lodged in comfort.
As it was, with their shallop launches, as soon
as the Ocean Queen took leave of them they were
almost as completely imprisoned in the Fuegian
156
NEW TRIALS.
islands as was Alexander Selkirk in Juan Fernan¬
dez; and to reach a Christian settlement across such
turbulent seas, would have been little less than a
miracle. On the other hand, as Mr Ritchie repre¬
sented to Captain Gardiner, the chances of European
vessels visiting their rendezvous were very small,
and it would have required a powerful inducement to
tempt any to such a dangerous deflexion from their
usual course. But with a noble ardor the leader of
the expedition longed to enter on his cherished
project. He knew that there were fish in the sea,
and abundance of birds on the shore. He had
with him provisions for six months; and before
these should be expended he calculated on fresh
supplies from England. And although none knew
better the wildness of these waters, should, it be
found impossible to propitiate the natives, he
trusted that on some unfrequented coast, or afloat
in some tranquil cove, he and his comrades might
hold out till more effectual means were placed at
their disposal.
Already, however, several elements in this calcu¬
lation were annihilated. To say nothing of the
unsuitableness of low-decked boats, whose iron
roofs condensed the vapor and kept a perpetual
rain dripping on the berths and floors, their ser-
viceableness from the first was materially impaired
by the loss of the two dingies," which were in¬
tended as a communication between the launches and
the land. By a fearful oversight the gunpowder was
NEW TRIALS.
157
left in the ship, and it was now on its way to San
Francisco; and although there were fowling-pieces
and good marksmen in the party, they had less
power to secure the game with which they were
surrounded than the savages who had nothing but
their slings. And, although they had brought with
them a net, this also they were destined to lose;
so that, in a climate beyond all others requiring
warm shelter and generous diet, these devoted
men soon found themselves without cordials, without
animal food, without dry clothing, without a single
material comfort.
But not to anticipate the narrative, we resume
the Journal of our meek and cheerful missionary:—
" Lennox Cove, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 1851.—
Another eventful period has elapsed, and intro¬
duced new scenes, and brought fresh trials; but,
praise God, the good providence of God has been
marvellously manifested. As previously men¬
tioned, the natives caused us some alarm, by their
mustering together at an early hour on the
morning of Tuesday the 24th December; but we
could not be sure, though we had a strong sus¬
picion, that their intentions on that occasion were
hostile. They passed on, and did not return
till Thursday the 26th, when they shewed a de¬
cidedly pacific spirit, but we were surprised to see
nothing more of them after that time. We did not
o
know whether they left the Cove the same evening
or the morning following; nor did we know their
14
158
NEW TRIALS.
motive for leaving again. It might be that they
were planning some mischief against us, or it might
be that they were going to fish. "We, however,
cheerfully entrusted our keeping to God, and de¬
termined to wait the order of events, and to act as
circumstances should direct.
" That the Fuegians were not to be trusted, and
that our property was a great excitement to their
cupidity, and that they would go any length to
gain possession of it, we were now well assured.
The art of dissimulation is very perfect among
them: when they were few in number, and while
the ship was present, their demeanor was quiet
enough; but when they were upon a par with us,
the ship being gone, matters were altogether altered.
" The boldness and troublesome conduct of the
party who disturbed us whilst in our tents on
Garden Island, afforded us one striking instance of
their disposition. On that occasion, there were
only three or four of them; yet we had some diffi¬
culty to keep them from thrusting themselves into
our tents, and repeatedly since then we had occa¬
sion to notice the haughtiness of their bearing and
the forwardness of their conduct. This was more
particularly the case with the individual whom, for
the sake of distinction, we named ' Jemmy.' This
man was very well formed and featured, and most
active in his habits : unusual energy and quickness
of mind were very perceptible in him. But all this
was for evil, and not for good: he was the ring-
NEW TRIALS.
159
leader, and acted in some measure as chief. He
was a daring and determined spirit, and his pride
and consequence were exhibited in his rejecting
with contempt anything of a trifling character,
whilst he shewed a sound judgment in appreciating
aught of a useful nature. On one occasion he
passed back a preserved-meat can, which the
others always gladly accepted; and unless it was a
knife, or a nail, or something of the sort, which was
given him, a withering smile passed across his lips.
If we might judge by the working of his features,
his opinion of us was altogether contemptuous.
" A rather singular circumstance is connected
with the coming of this individual and his party,
which happened on the' Sunday evening, whilst at
our tent as before mentioned. It was then that the
peculiar and dismal yelling cry, a loud and pro¬
longed wail of the women in their canoes, moored
to the kelp, was set up. We also thought that this
c Jemmy,' as we called him, was in all probability
acquainted with a spot where we found the muti¬
lated and charred remains of a human body, the
skin of the head and face being undestroyed ; and
we were not without a suspicion that he might be
the perpetrator of this work of malevolence. A
sling was found near these remains.
©
" Another thing to be noticed in 'Jemmy' was
his frequent change of complexion. At first he and
his companions were painted black; this was after¬
wards exchanged for white streaks, and then gave
160
NEW TRIA.LS.
place to a very tastefully executed ornamental
painting of white dots very orderly arranged.
One of his two wives, as we suppose the young
women to be who were generally in his canoe with
him, was painted precisely like him, which we took
to express his favor towards her. Both these were
finely made persons, and really good looking ; they
had each an infant at the breast. I have been
greatly struck with the quiet and easily abashed
deportment of these young persons, and with their
utter subjection to their master. 'Jemmy,' how¬
ever, appeared to treat them kindly, and whatever
beads or light articles we gave him, he handed to
these companions.
" After some days had elapsed, the natives re¬
turned on Saturday morning, January 4, about
seven o'clock. The signal was given by our look-out,
and 'Jemmy' and some others of our old acquaint¬
ance were soon alongside. But we found that
others, to the number of eight canoes, were coming
in sight; and as there are usually two men, and
sometimes more, in each canoe, we knew that their
strength was greatly superior to ours. Captain
Gardiner got his glass, and he plainly enough saw
that they were come purposely to attack us, as
they were well provided with their war spears;
and moreover, they were taking in stones from the
beach, the most certain evidence of their hostile
intentions. No time was now to be lost, and with
all speed both boats were got under sail.
NEW TRIALS.
161
" Several circumstances here are to be recorded
of the mercy of God to us. Had we been lying in
Tent Cove, as the day before it was proposed we
should, we never should have got out of it in time.
Or had we had our tents rigged, as we all along
had until two days before, when the high winds
compelled us to take them down, we should not
have been able to get the boats ready soon enough.
Or had we not had moorings independent of our
anchors, which we had but just been able to pro¬
vide, we might not have been able to weigh our
anchors in time to escape. And, lastly, had not a
breeze sprung up just at the very minute we
wanted it, we could not have got out and prevented
the attack. As it was, we were able, by God's good
and merciful care, to get out before they had time
to enclose us.
" The marks of disappointment and chagrin
were but too evident in their manner, when they
saw us safely passing beyond their reach. It was
a merciful manifestation of God's care, and truly
he answered our trustful expectations and de¬
pendence upon him. Had we been well armed,
and come to open conflict with them, our chance
of success had been poor ; but to resist them
and to do them harm, would have been as great
an evil, and as deeply to be regretted by us, as our
receiving bodily injury from them, and would have
occasioned a double necessity for flight. I had
made this very thing a special subject of prayer;
14* T.
162
NEW TRIALS.
for the thought of injuring them, even in self-de¬
fence, is horror to my feelings, neither do I think I
could lift up my head any more, were such a thing
to happen. In our sudden flight we had to cut away
the raft we had built as a substitute for our dingies,
as well as the hawser by which we were moored.
We were also in the exigency unprovided with
water, having but a day's allowance or so with us,
and without wood for our fire. The Captain
thought our only course was to go again to Blome-
field Harbour, the same place we had tried to
reach before; but on getting out into the Bay, it
was clear we could not attempt it, the boats not
yet being properly rigged, their scuttles not being
on, and without bulwarks,—the spindles of both
rudders being broken, and having no other where¬
with to replace them. We therefore determined
to sail eastward, and shaped our course accordingly,
under favor of a fine fresh breeze from the west.
On making the south-east point of Picton Island,
we sought to find a cove on the south side, but in
vain; and about noon, a dead calm coming on, we
lay for some time anchored to the kelp. Here
Captain Gardiner offered up a'prayer to God, in
gratitude for our merciful deliverance. Whilst we
were lying here, the Captain expressed himself as
being now entirely left to the directing hand of
God, and that nothing remained for us, but to leave
it to his good providence to direct us where next
we should go. His original intention of fortifying
NEW TRIALS.
163
Dotlian Island, as he proposed in that case calling
it, but which was afterwards, on the abandonment
of the scheme, called Round Island, had been frus¬
trated; as had our effort to take up our abode in
Picton Island, and our several efforts to find a
suitable spot on the north shore of the mainland,
particularly our purpose to reach Blomefield
Harbour, which the Captain thought so admirably
suited to our wants. In fact, we had devised no¬
thing that had issued in success, and we seemed to
be getting disastrously crippled; being now without
•means altogether of getting ashore, unless unusual
facilities should be afforded in the character of the
harbour. New, Navarin, and Lennox Islands,
remained for us to go to. Navarin had the disad¬
vantage of being peopled thickly with the natives,
but the light breeze which after a time sprung up
seemed to determine in its favor. We accordingly
for some time pursued our course for Navarin
Island; but about midnight it fell calm, and con¬
tinued so till near three o'clock, when a breeze
from the N.W. sprang up, which soon increased
to a heavy gale, and now, wind and tide against us,
and unable to beat through the channel, we bore
up for Lennox Island. We ran before the wind,
passing every creek and cove, in search of a
suitable place for anchorage, and between nine and
ten, on the Sunday morning, Jan. 5, arrived off
Lennox Harbour. We anchored during that day
in the harbour, and next morning weighed for the
164
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purpose of grounding the boat. The wind being
ahead, we, that is, the Pioneer, were just on the
point of running in on the beach, when the wind
taking her aback, she was driven among a reef of
rocks, and escaped destruction as by a miracle. A
sharp-pointed rock was just cleared by her, and
her quarter was in imminent danger of being stove
in on another mass of rock. She, however, ran on
a little sandy bed, and escaped all the rocks most
marvellously, so that afterwards, when the tide
had ebbed, we were astounded to see how remark¬
able her escape had been. It was rather singular,
that just at the moment I heard her bouncing
against the ground, I was calling on the Lord in
my morning prayer; and though conscious some¬
thing was wrong from the hasty movements and
anxious expressions overhead, yet I was assured
of our safety, and altogether without any perturbed
feelings.
" The Speedwell took the land where it was
proposed she should,—the beach, happily a sandy
one, affording very favorable means of getting
ashore. There was nothing very inviting in the
appearance of Lennox Harbour, or the island; but
a resting-place from storms, where we could lie
some time undisturbed by the natives, and complete
our boats, was very desirable, and we felt truly
thankful when we saw neither wigwam nor natives
in the harbour.
" The day after our arrival here, we found that
new trials.
165
we could not get either boat afloat, the tide on the
previous morning being higher than usual, owing
to the force of the tempest, and it being the second
or third day after spring-tide. We must now wait
till the next spring-tide, some nine or ten days,
and if natives come, we can't flee from them. Bless
the Lord, His hand has some secret but wise
purpose here. We shall see by and by what it
means.
" Thursday, January 9.—Last night I remark¬
ably experienced the force of St Paul's words, Eph.
iii. 16. I literally felt the might of Christ strength¬
ening me by his Spirit in the inner man. A
powerful temptation to view our present circum¬
stances with apprehension was forced into my
mind. I felt that it was a device of Satan, and I
instantly fastened my hold on the Lord Jesus.
Delightfully did I feel that, leaning on his power,
I feared no evil; and, with a sense of his presence
to cheer and bless me, I had ' a heart for any fate.'
Never did I experience , so vividly that it was not I
myself, but ' Christ in me,' that won the victory;
or rather, that it was faith which seized hold on
Christ's right arm, and thus wrought the triumph.
I seemed at the time as if, in my complete, nothing¬
ness, I had a power in my hand with which I could
resist the devil, and stand firm against all his wiles.
" Friday, January 10, Eleven p.m.—I bless
and praise God that this day has been, I think,
the happiest of my life. The fire of divine love has
166
NEW TRIALS.
been burning on the mean altar of my heart, and
the torch-light of faith has been in full trim, so
o
that I have only had to wave it to the right hand
or left, in order to discern spiritual things in
heavenly places. With it this poor heart of mine,
that so long has been a dark cavern, wherein with
mournful consciousness of sin and vileness I have
withdrawn myself and fainted at the rebuke of the
Lord, has now been lighted up, and shewn to me
both swept and garnished, sprinkled as it is with
the blood of Christ Jesus. And now it is made a
temple-shrine for an indwelling God. And lo! I
have come out from my darkness, and am made
light in the Lord, and, like Elijah standing on the
mount before the Lord, I no longer pine in the
sadness of gloom and disappointment, as not
understanding ' the ways of God with men,' and
his providential as well as his spiritual guidance of
his children; but awakening up from my reverie,
and finishing my journey in the wilderness, I learn
how great is the mystery of godliness, and how
needful is the chastening of the Lord to his
children, whilst as a Father he afflicts us for our
profit, and humbles and abases us by the rod of his
hand, and gives us to feel our poverty of spirit, our
helplessness, and unworthiness, as a needful pre¬
paration to our beholding his glory, and hearing
the still small voice of his love. To-day, the voice
of the Lord has sounded in my ears, ' Come up
hither;5 yea> I ^ave ascended up on high, and
NEW TRIALS.
167
dwelt with God in love. Now, now, now, the
Lord Jesus is in me the hope of eternal glory.
" Saturday, Jan. 11.—Another day of joy and
peace, and sweet communion with my Lord.
During the evening had a very sweet season with
the men in prayer, each one, after the good old
Methodist fashion, praying. Bless God, it was a
favored time. The Spirit of God was with us, and
we sang together with heart and voice. Erwin is,
thank God, laboring under deep conviction and
penitential sorrow for sin. I have no doubt now
of his soon being one with us. This is indeed a
matter of praise to God."
The present circumstances of the mission party
were very critical. Their boats were aground,
and there was no prospect of getting them afloat
for a week. And to make the peril imminent, two
of their number returned from a walk with the
tidings that there were natives in the adjoining
cove. But amidst these dangers and disasters a
holy joy was filling the mind of Mr Williams, and
rendering him forgetful of every temporal evil.
The only member of the expedition of whom he
stood in doubt was becoming " a brother in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ;" and,
under the teaching of the Comforter, his own spirit
was surcharged with those sublime realisations
which render the believer more than heroic. It is
thus that he writes in his Antarctic Patmos :—
" Monday, Jan. 13.—Last night, I was awak-
168
NEW TRIALS.
ened by thoughts crowding into my mind. The
eye of faith ran over the foundations of its hope,
and discovered such glorious marks of everlasting
stability. I saw a necessity for the atonement in
the astonishing baseness to which our nature had
fallen, and for the power and wisdom engaged in
our restoration being nothing short of God—the
eternal God manifest in the flesh. As clearly as I
perceived that body and soul make one man, so
clearly and certainly did I see that God and man
make one Christ, ' the Wonderful, the Counsellor,
the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace.' Now my
soul drank plentifully of the streams which make
glad the city of our God. Every feature of the
Divine sacrifice acquired additional value in my
eyes. I bowed before the Lord, and humbled my
soul before him who saith of himself, ' I am he
that liveth and was dead, and, behold, I am alive
for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell
and of death.' I felt that the inestimable price of
my Saviour's blood was put into my hand. I could
not tell nor count the riches I was worth; yea, I
could scarce grasp the thought that all this was
mine. But God strengthened my faith again, and
I realised the glorious truth that with such a price
in my hand I could buy all heaven and all the pro¬
mises of God. I did apply the golden key to
heaven's treasury, and with it opened the store¬
house of God's exceeding great and precious pro¬
mises. With glorious light streaming in my face,
NEW TRIALS.
169
and my heart dancing for very joy, I saw such a
meaning in the words, 4 Grace reigns through
righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our
Lord,' as filled me with wonder and 4 great admira¬
tion.' Indeed, I was lost in wonder, love, and joy.
Grace reigns! Mercy is on the throne of Omni¬
potence ! Love is exalted,—to do its own will, to
follow its own promptings, to give out of a full
hand, to bless according to its. boundless charity.
Grace reigns! Jesus is enthroned! He who
loved us and gave himself for us, has all power in
heaven and on earth, and is ascended to give gifts
unto men, and to dispense eternal bliss to his re¬
deemed people. What I saw and felt of Christ's
love no tongue can tell. Heaven was begun below.
How long I continued feasting on such a feast of
fat things and on this 4 wine of the kingdom ' well
refined, I cannot tell. But some hours must have
passed, for with the exertion of the spiritual and
mental energies nature was all but exhausted. I
was just on the point of dozing, when the imagery
of Israel singing in the wilderness was presented
to me; 41 will give her her vineyards from thence,
and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and
she shall .sing there, as in the days of her youth,
and as in the day when she came up out of the
land of Egypt.'* I recognised the promise, and,
whilst praise swelled upon my lips, melody was
* Hosea ii. 15.
15
170 NEW TRIALS.
made in my heart, and I felt the blessedness of
an intimate communion with, those who sing the
song of Moses and the Lamb.
" O glorious hope of perfect love !
It lifts me up to things above;
It hears on eagle wings;
It gives my ravish'd soul a taste,
And makes me for some moments feast
With Jesus' priests and kings.
" 0 that I might at once go up !
No more on this side Jordan stop,
But now the land possess :
This moment end my legal years,
Sorrows, and sins, and doubts, and fears,
A howling wilderness!
" Now, 0 my Joshua, bring me in,
Cast out thy foes ; the inbred sin,
The carnal mind, remove;
The purchase of thy death divide,
And oh, with all the sanctified
Give me a 'lot' of love !
"Yesterday I held a prayer-meeting in the
morning with the men; in the evening I read to
them one of Mr Wesley's sermons. Dear Erwin is
thirsting after the righteousness which is of God.
I am delighted to see his humble and contrite
spirit before the Lord. Bless God, he is not far
from the kingdom of heaven.
" Lennox Harbour, Saturday, January 18.—
Come to-morrow, Sunday, we shall have been
here just a fortnight. Many have been the mercies
we have experienced since coming here. In our
utterly helpless state, both boats aground, and the
NEW TRIALS.
171
tide not reaching anything near to them, we day
by day verified the gracious and merciful protec¬
tion of God's providence in keeping the Fuegians
unapprised of our situation, and hindering their
coming. We did not expect to get otf before the
return of the next spring-tide, which would be at
least ten days; and during this time, of course,
there would be many possibilities of our situation
being discovered. Jammed as the Pioneer was
among the rocks, so that any one bent on doing us
an injury could stand right above us; and to this
add the weakness of our small party : and to human
thinking, no position could present more occasion for
apprehension and anxiety. But I believe not one
of our party felt either, or if any one of us did,
there was at least no indication of it; but our
solicitude was hushed into repose by our hope in
God. The boats were separated at some distance
from each other, and we thus made two parties.
It was to me a favorable occasion for pressing on
the men the need they had, together with myself,
of doubling our diligence to cmake our calling and
election sure ;' and of uniting with them in fervent
prayer unto God. The special presence of the
Lord was felt on two occasions, whilst we held
prayer-meetings. I have great hope of dear Erwin,
that God will make him a blessing to us and to
himself. It is this coming to the vital matters, and
urging on the soul an immediate consideration of
the truth as it is in Jesus; pressing home the con-
172
NEW TRIALS.
vietion, at the same time carrying help to the
stricken penitent, encouraging him to seek and
helping him to find, according to God's promise, a
present salvation,—it is this which makes such a
material difference betwixt our Methodistic mode of
procedure and that of many other denominations
of Christians. Many brands are thus plucked from
the burning, who, according to a more formal mode
of administering the things of God, might never
have been saved."
Captain Gardiner and Mr Maidment were mem¬
bers of the Church of England, and, in the hope of
its being eventually taken up by some Church
Society, it was agreed that the Fuegian Mission
should be conducted on Church of England princi¬
ples. This arrangement was with the entire assent
of Mr Williams; but it is not wonderful that re¬
miniscences of love-feasts and class-meetings should
have mingled with his adopted churchmanship.
And having in his three Cornish brethren so nlany
live coals, it was all the easier to set the fire a-burn-
ing. His faithfulness and fervor were, we trust,
blessed to the salvation of the only member of the
expedition who had not yet tasted that the Lord is
gracious. In being thus instant in season, Mr
Williams set an example to every Christian; even
as the personal urgency which Mr Williams justly
claims as a distinction of Wesleyan Methodism, is a
lesson to all the churches. But, to return to
Lennox Harbour, and our interrupted narrative:—■
NEW TRIALS.
173
" On the day of our arrival, we saw two fine
Fuegian dogs, which led us to expect that the
natives were not far off. In the course of the
week we saw the dogs again, but still no natives.
In the neighbouring cove there was a well-built
wigwam, and an enormous pile of mussel-shells,
the work, I should think, of -many generations.
Here, too, not far from the wigwam, we found
human remains—a skull and bones of the ex¬
tremities. In the cove on Sunday last, the
12th, we saw a canoe, and the smoke issuing from
a wigwam, but when we looked the next day the
natives were gone. We Avere well pleased to think
they had not perceived us.
" Day after day we waited patiently for the moon
to enlarge her borders and approach to full, that
we might by the spring-tide get our boats off. On
Wednesday Ave dug away the sand from under the
Speedwell's keel, and tried, by tackles and rollers
under her, to get her nearer the sea, that we might
make doubly sure of success. However, this was
a vain effort, the weight of the iron decks rendering
it utterly impracticable. We made greater efforts
the next day, turning in a stream of fresh Avatcr
and damming it up around her, and then using the
lever and rollers as before; but with no avail. The
Captain thought that the moon was at full that day,
and as the tide Avas still deficient, not more than
reaching to the stern of the Speedwell, which Avas
nearest the sea, he considered that we had little
15*
174
NEW TRIALS.
hope of getting off at all, unless a similar combina¬
tion of circumstances should occur, as was the- cause
of our driving so high upon the beach, viz., a gale
blowing from the N.N.E. and a high spring-tide.
" Friday the Vlth.—I awoke, and sweet was
the communion of my soul with the Lord in
prayer. I felt that I could trust God, yea, for all
things. It was sufficient for me to know that my
God ordered all events, and that he had all power
to do whatever pleased him. Whilst thus hanging
upon Him, it suddenly occurred whether I could
believe that we should get out of our present
difficulties. Faith unhesitatingly replied, Yes.
But when ? when wilt thou get out of them ?
When it shall please God. ' Couldst thou not
believe God was able to send his water high
enough to float the boats this very morning?'
Yes, replied faith. I could believe it without a
doubt. ' But now ?' said the same questioner
within me. 'Now,' I thought, 'now?' It re¬
quired only the pause of a moment to answer,
' Yes, now. I do believe that God will send his
water this very morning, and float the boats, that
we shall get off.' A wondrous power constrained
me to believe it. It was no act of my natural,
fleshly mind, but the Spirit of God gave light to
see the Lord's will, and that therefore I might
believe he could precisely do what he suggested to
me to believe. Scarce had the assent of my faith
been given, when I heard one of the men, T\;ho had
NEW TRIALS.
175
just got up, and gone on deck, say, ' She is afloat!'
From any natural ground I had not the slightest
suspicion, much less intimation, of the fact. It was
not long afterwards that our boat (Pioneer), which
had so dangerously entered among the rocks, but
as wondrously escaped injury from them, was once
more in open water, and safe. The Speedwell was
also .sufficiently surrounded with water to have
enabled her to float, only that the rollers which
were under her raised her considerably, and did
not allow of her getting off. This, however, she
did the next day (Saturday), the rollers having
been taken away. And thus once more we were
out of our difficulties.
" The natural cause of this singular rising of the
tide, contrary to our expectations, was, that here
the difference between two tides is very remark¬
able, and it being so low the day before, we did
not see any probability of there being a rise so
much above the level of what it was only a tide or
two before.
" As it was impracticable for us to continue any
longer in Lennox Harbour, it being too exposed
for us to ride safely at anchor, our tackling being
not strong enough, and we had had enough of
beaching the boats, we were fain to seek new
quarters. Some few days before, the Captain,
with Mr Maidment, had walked across the country
to explore for a fresh cove, and found one which
promised to answer well, and to which he gave the
176
NEW TRIALS.
name of Mercy Cove. Thither we now directed
our course.
" During the first week of our residence at
o
Lennox Harbour, with the exception of seeing the
two dogs, which crossed the beach and barked at
us on two different occasions, we had no reason to
think natives were near us. On Tuesday the 14th,
a party came to us. It consisted of two men, and
we believe one family. They were very quiet and
docile, and one of the men very good-looking, with
good feelings exhibited in his peaceful and pleasant
countenance. It seemed quite unwarrantable and
uncharitable to think evil of him, or to suspect he
would do us harm. The child they brought with
them was a very interesting little vivacious fellow.
The father was most careful of him, and scarcely
allowed us to handle him. He was well wrapped
up in skins. All this was pleasing, and it is a
pleasing trait—conspicuous in the Fuegian charac¬
ter, as far as we have yet been able to judge—their
fondness for their children. As these were the
only party that we saw whilst we were in the har¬
bour, we were very easy as long as they continued
with us. We could not tell, however, but that they
might go off for others. They did leave us on the
Friday, but came back on the following morning,
and again in the course of the morning left us.
" Late on Saturday afternoon, at high water,
after experiencing fresh difficulties in getting our
boats over the irregular sand-banks in our way, and
NEW TRIALS.
177
grounding repeatedly, at length we found all right,
and shaped our course for Mercy Cove, a few
miles south of Lennox Harbour. When abreast
of a cluster of islands adjacent to Luff Island, we
saw a large body of natives on the beach to the
left of us, and our old acquaintance of Lennox
Harbour on the island to the right. They were
engaged in fishing or hunting seals, which were
very plentiful near to the spot. They no sooner
caught sight of us than, as uShal, the uproar was
great; shouting and gesticulating were the order
of the day. Canoes immediately put off, and they
paddled away with a speed which exceeded all our
previous thoughts of their skill. We were now
within a short distance of Mercy Cove; but it was
evident that if we proceeded, the whole of the large
party, consisting of about five-and-twenty persons,
would follow us, and we should be at their mercy.
We therefore regretfully turned back upon our
path, and cast anchor in Lennox Harbour.
" Next morning, Sunday the 19th, just a fort¬
night after our first arrival in the harbour, the
Captain thought it advisable to get under weigh
again, with the intention of going to Cape Eees or
Blomefield Harbour. His reason was, that he felt
sure the natives would follow us, and we should
not be able to spend a quiet Sabbath where we
were; and he thought it very desirable that we
should get off early, and arrive at our fresh desti¬
nation, wherever that should be, early enough to
M
178
NEW TRIALS.
hold our religious services. We weighed anchor,
therefore, soon after four o'clock; with a wind at
first light and favorable, and a promising morning.
However, we had scarcely got into Oglander Bay,
when the wind freshened and became dead ahead.
We consequently beat about, still persisting in our
intention. Whilst tacking, the two boats ran foul
of each other, and carried away our bowsprit,
doing some slight injuries also to the Speedwell.
It was a time of great danger, and the wonder is
that one or both of us had not our bows stove in,
—the rudder of the Pioneer not being seaworthy.
We therefore bore away for Lennox Harbour, and
reached it again. As we entered the mouth of the
harbour, the wind being right ahead, and our bow¬
sprit and jib having been carried away, we missed
stays, and were obliged to run an anchor out in
haste to keep ourselves off the rocks. Our posi¬
tion was a fresh instance of imminent peril. The
wind now blew a hurricane; and at first our an¬
chor dragged, and we were threatened with de¬
struction; but the kelp did us good service, and
we held on. Nearly the whole day the pitiless
blasts smote us, and the foaming water raged
around us, the dark clouds pouring on us their
pelting hailstones and deluges of rain. It was
really fearful. We were anything but sheltered,
being nearly at the entrance of the harbour, and
within thirty or forty feet of the rocks, against
which had we dashed, we mustinevit^hlv LoVp boen
JNJSW TRIALS.
179
lost. But God in his providential mercy was
with us. We all felt, however, that we had done
wrong in getting under weigh on the Sunday
morning; and greatly did I feel relieved when I
heard the Captain say that he also felt it wrong.
' Never,' said he, 'never have I commenced a voyage
or a journey on the Sabbath before, and this shall
be the last time.'
" Reliance Cove, Wednesday, January 22.—
On Monday following, the 20th, we again got under
weigh for Blomefield Harbour, ^the day being fine.
Our doing so was contrary to the impression I had
derived from what had occurred on our former
attempts. However, I gave no expression whatever
to my thoughts ; and there were such great advan¬
tages to be reaped from the nature of the harbour,
the serenity and completeness of the shelter, that it
appeared very desirable we should go there. In
our way to it we passed, about mid-day or some¬
what later, Cape Rees, where a snug cove seemed
to invite us in, and the wind falling calm, we
dropped almost into the opening of it. Nothing,
however, would do but Blomefield; so on we went
as soon as the wind sprang up.
"We arrived off Blomefield Harbour at half-
past eight o'clock. As we got in sight of the
harbour, we saw several fires a little to the eastward
of Cape Despard, and we were soon apprised that
there was a good party of the natives present.
Three canoes put off, and it being calm at the time,
180
NEW TRIALS.
they shortly came up with us. Amongst them was
one of our Banner Cove acquaintances, and a mem¬
ber of the league organised against us. There
were some very fine men amongst them, who, one
especially, we thought must belong to the main¬
land.
" Our errand was now altogether useless. It
was clear we should have no rest nor quiet, and
equally clear that the natives would soon accumu¬
late an overwhelming force, and overpower our
small and feeble party. It was agreed that our
only course was, late as it was now getting, to
turn back upon our route, and make again for
Banner Cove, as a temporary asylum. We kept
under sail all night, it being for the most part of
the time a calm, or but very little wind. Whilst
we lay becalmed off the north-west end of Picton
Island, a canoe put off, in which we found the inti¬
mate associate of Jemmy, the great concerter of
the attacks upon us, and our most troublesome
acquaintance. This circumstance at once apprised
us that Banner Cove would be no shelter for us;
for we were quite certain that the hue and cry
would go forth, and that they would all be around
us very soon. Thus being driven out of every
asylum, and it being quite impracticable, in the
crippled state of our boats, to beat about and
dodge off and on from place to place, an oppor¬
tunity was sought to confer together as to the
course we should, in the midst of such perplexities,
new trials.
181
pursue. The Captain offered up prayer,—a prayer
breathed in simplicity and godly sincerity, and in
firm reliance upon the goodness and providential
direction of our heavenly Father; and afterwards
it was decided, that, as the only alternative now
left, we should pursue our course to the eastward,
and if unable to find a convenient cove, that we
should go on to Spaniard's Harbour,
" The wind favoring us, we proceeded accord¬
ingly. At half-past eleven we found a cove
under Cape St Pio, where we might make at least
a short stay, and get fresh supplies of water and
wood. We accordingly anchored, and in the after¬
noon went ashore, and walked over the headland
till we came in sight of Cape Jessie. In the course
of our walk, which, going and returning, occupied
five hours, we saw a guanaco acting as a scout,
perched on the highest point of land, and watching
us with a very narrow scrutiny. It did not allow
us to get very near, but, with a leap and a bound
in the air, gave the signal to the herd and started
off. We saw the footprints of these animals very-
numerous, and also many Indian paths. The only
other trace of natives was a wigwam near the
beach.
" Thursday, Jan. 23.—Having got the rudder
put to rights, and having obtained fresh supplies of
wood and water, we left Reliance Cove, at a
quarter to ten a.m., with a fair-weather sky. As
we passed one of the lying-out rocks, we were
182
new trials.
interested in seeing the number of fur seals which
were grouped upon it. We were becalmed for a
time, within a short distance of them; their grunt-
ings amused us much. Towards evening the wind
freshened, and we sought for shelter in Slogget
Bay, and anchored for the night in West Cove.
" Next morning, Friday, 24th, we again weighed
anchor at a quarter te twelve. We had a good
run, nothing occurring to us but the loss of the
sprit to the Speedwell, which happened while
beating in for Spaniard Harbour, where we
anchored at a quarter past nine p.m. We now
hoped we were got to a place of refuge, where we
might for a time, at least, have rest from our
wanderings; and remembering our bad and
troublesome and long passage in the Ocean Queen
over the ground we had now with so much pleasant¬
ness and facility traversed, we were very thankful,
seeing plainly the hand of our God in his mercy
and favoring providence. To God we did unitedly
give the praise and the glory.
" Next morning, Saturday the 25th, perceiving
an opening from the sea to what appeared a
lagoon of fresh water, we resolved to take up our
position there. We got on shore, and I took a
long stroll. Whilst pursuing my way along the
bank of a mountain torrent, I was struck with the
many advantages the country here possesses over
what we had seen elsewhere. In some spots there
was really good meadow land, and the scenery was
NEW TRIALS.
183
pleasing—valleys, and copses of wood, with a bold
range of mountains and hilly bluffs, meeting the
eye in its furthest range. The sun was shining
out quite warm ; indeed, the weather was delightful,
and I felt a real pleasure whilst contemplating the
country around me, and joyous and pleasing hopes
threw a radiance on my spirits. I began to think
that even Tierra del Fuego had in itself natural
charms and beauty, and that it could put on a
pleasing aspect and claim our sympathy. But
when, in addition to such physical enjoyment, I
thought of the poor inhabitants of the land as
eventually brought to the knowledge of a Saviour,
I was overjoyed and full of praise to God at what
I felt of his goodness, and at what I felt of hope
and expectation from that goodness. In such a
sense of God's blessing and favor, I knelt down
where no eye but His could see, and prayed, and
gave thanks.
" Returning to the boats, I found them anchored
off the right bank of the river—the side opposite
to the one I had got ashore—and, as the tide was
ebbing, they were both aground; and as they had
no means of sending off for me, it was necessary
that I should walk, and find a fordable place for
crossing the stream. I therefore retraced my
steps, and scrambled through copse and brush¬
wood, some of which consisted of a species of
currant-tree, and was so strongly entangled it was
almost impossible to get through. Penetrating
184
NEW TRIALS.
further inland, the country became more open and
trees larger, and I perceived at a distance a few
wigwams, which I thought it not prudent to
approach any nearer, as I was already some miles
away from the boats. I therefore crossed the
river here, and after a long journey, now in the
forest and presently again in the plain, with some
difficulty in finding my way at all, I got back,
having been absent five or six hours, both fatigued
and hungry.
" We continued at Cook's River until Tuesday,
Jan. 28, when finding it to be very inconvenient
for us to get ashore, as well as imprudent to be so
long aground, we removed to a well sheltered inlet,
which we called Earnest Cove. The weather every
day for nearly a fortnight had been fine, the sun
quite strong, and much light wind, with but occa¬
sional showers of rain. At Lennox Harbour we
had it very fine, and in our various journeys, as
well as since our arrival in Spaniard's Harbour, the
weather had been very fine, some of the days for a
short time equalling in warmth and brightness a
summer's day in England. At nightfall, however,
it generally becomes cold, though there were three
exceptions in a fortnight to that, the temperature
remaining high, and even close. We were much
cheered by the prevalence of fine weather, and
how greatly it had favored us we could not suffi¬
ciently estimate.
" Friday, the last day of January, after a
NEW TRIALS.
185
beautiful day, the weather began to look squally
and to rain heavily, and continued to do so all
night. A heavy gale was blowing out in the offing,
but we rode very snugly, protected from the wind
which blew off shore, yet feeling the swell of the
sea; and as the two boats were moored, one ahead
of the other, with an anchor to seaward and a
hawser to the shore, we felt the strain on them
caused by the sea, and most of us were kept awake
throughout the night. I had remarkable impres¬
sions made on my mind. There were many vivid
suggestions of danger, but never did I feel so
unaffected by the thought. A very heaven of
repose and love was around me, and my heart
rested so assuredly and trusted so implicitly in
God, that it was blissful to feel as I did. Awakened
repeatedly by the jerk of the hawser and the strain
of the boats, and hearing the roar and dash of the
water around, and the pelting of the hail and rain,
and the howl of the sweeping blasts, something
would point at danger as present; but I quietly
resigned myself to slumber, after communion with
the Keeper of Israel, whose eye I knew was over
me. Some time betwixt ten and twelve o'clock
next morning, whilst calm and sheltered from the
rough weather, I heard the Captain give orders
for the Speedwell to cast off from our stern,
apprehensive, it seemed, of the hawser giving way,
as both boats were riding by it. Scarce a minute
elapsed after this was done, before the concussion
16*
186
NEW TRIALS.
of the boat against the beach was felt, and almost
as instantly a swell broke over her stern, and
rushed into our dormitory. I could scarcely credit
my senses. Another, and another thump, and
another sea breaking in over us, confirmed me in
the fact that something fearful had happened. On
looking out, the Captain and Pearce were busily
occupied with poles, endeavouring to keep her
broadside from the surf; but this seemed next to
impossible, as the water was pouring into the after
part of the boat, tumbling right over the stern-
sheets, and threatening to float everything. The
poor Pioneer was not only thumping against the
beach, which, being of sand, might not so materially
have damaged her; but it was evident from the
grating sound that her bilge was upon rocks.
Owing to the force of the swell, no effort could
keep her from swinging upon them, and she rolled
backwards and forwards upon the surge, threaten¬
ing to knock herself to pieces. It was useless to
bail any longer, and we soon gave up all hope of
doing anything for her, but proceeded as rapidly
as we could to get our things out of her. Our
Captain, always first in everything, now got into
our so-called cabin, to hand out the things, and by
this time our boxes were already floating, and the
most of our goods were wet. Mr Maidment and I
waded through the surf and the swell backwards
and forwards, carrying ashore the bedding and
tools as the Captain and Pearce handed them out.
NEW TRIALS,
187
By the time we had cleared out most of the cargo,
the water had risen as high as the thwart, and the
Captain's two boxes floated .themselves out into
the stern-sheets, with their contents. - My chest
was too large to admit of being removed, and had
to remain in.
" During all this time it was raining and hailing
in heavy showers; and we looked most miserable.
But I felt neither cast down nor much discom¬
forted. A strong consolation sustained me; it was
my God who gave it me. I have often, under
ordinary circumstances, as being wetted by a
shower of rain in England, experienced more
depression and discomfort than all that I felt on
this occasion. Indeed, the strong arm of God was
so around me, that I felt more happiness in His
presence and support, than pain in contemplating
this disaster, or distress from exposure to the
weather and the water. Besides, something seemed
to whisper and tell me that all was right, that this
was a movement of God's providence in our favor.
And I did not doubt but that it was.
"We had done all that could be done, closing
up the fore hatchway, as not much water was in
this section of the boat, and we had no alternative
but to let her drive with the advancing tide and
take the strand. It was impossible to carry an
anchor out to sea, as, although we had the day
before succeeded in making another raft, yet it
was too light to bear the anchor and chain with a
188
NEW TRIALS.
man on it; besides, the heavy swell of itself ren¬
dered this impracticable.
" Towards nightfall, it came on a storm of snow,
and we were heartily glad to take shelter in a
large cavern in the rocks, which opened to the sea,
and indeed at high water it was cut off by the sea
rising some way into it. It was very spacious, and
after running some thirty yards back, branched off
at either side like the letter T; but these flanks did
not extend very far. Under extraordinary tides,
with gales of wind concurring, from the shells cast up
at the further end of the cavern, it was evident
that the water reached even so far,—no very
agreeable information to us, in prospect of taking
up our night's quarters there. However, we saw
no cause for present apprehension, as the wind was
not blowing into the harbour, and having lighted a
fire near the entrance of the cave, after refresh¬
ment and prayer, we committed ourselves to God,
as unto a faithful Creator.
" In spite of wet things, and in spite of all appre¬
hensions, we managed to get a sound night's rest.
The roar of the water, as it washed through the
archway of a huge rock forming a prolongation
of one of the sides of the cavern, and met with
another army of waves from the opposite side, and
then, in a mighty struggle against each other,
heaving and foaming, came bellowing into our cave
—this roar of the water disturbed me now and
then, and -the thought that, like some voracious
NEW TRIALS.
189
animal, it was almost upon us, just occurred to me;
but it could not drive away sleep from my eyes,
for I was at peace with God, and had hope in Him.
The disaster which had befallen us was singularly
presented to my mind as ordered by Providence
for our good. Strangely did I feel impressed that
this was the case, and felt a satisfaction in seeing
the stranded boat, that, but for my conviction that
it was God's doing, would have been most unrea¬
sonable. But seeing it in this light, how great
was the mercy that spared us, and brought it
about with so little suffering to ourselves, neither
permitting irretrievable damage to our clothes and
property, nor suffering us to be exposed to the
inclemency of the weather without an asylum and
the means of providing comfort!
" On the Saturday evening, before retiring to
the cavern, the Captain still entertained hopes that
the boat would be repairable, and that her damages
were not very serious. Next morning, however,
she was found to be stove in, and that by an unex¬
pected cause. Upon the beach, but considerably
above the tide of the previous evening, and not in
a direct line with the boat, was a large tree lying
lengthwise with its stump to the sea; and against
this the boat had by the morning's tide been
driven, the sea rising higher, and the swell turning
her bow right opposite the stem of the tree, so
that her timbers were sadly stove in. And now
190
NEW TRIALS.
also we found her bilge so much injured that all
hope of saying her was at once given up.
" Sunday evening's tide, and more particularly
that on Monday morning, completed the work of
destruction. On these days the weather continued
most stormy, the wind blowing a furious gale, the
sea foaming, and the lee-sliore opposite presenting
one continued line of breaking sea. Hail, rain,
and snow, succeeded each other, or were all com¬
bined by fits and starts. We were entirely con¬
fined to our cave, which proved to be very damp,
and the smoke of our fire .drifting; into it made it
altogether no very desirable residence; although,
in our emergency, we felt it to be indeed a merci¬
fully provided shelter.
"On Monday evening, for the first time, we were
able to hold communication with the Speedwell,
the weather subsiding sufficiently for the crew
to come ashore on the raft; and then we learned
how great had been their apprehension concerning
us, and their own alarm, lest they themselves
should undergo severe disasters by being loosed
from their moorings. They were obliged to take
their stove and attach it to a hawser ready to
throw out as an anchor, in case her chain cable
parted; consequently they could cook nothing, nor
provide themselves tea all the time. We were
happy again to comfort one another.
" We continued our residence in the cavern bj?
night as well as by day, until Thursday night,
NEW TRIALS.
191
February 5, when we again made use of the after
section of our boat as a sleeping-place, and on the
Friday following we divided her into her original
two sections, and hauled up the sound section
further on the beach. Here we have at present,
Saturday, February 8, a comfortable sleeping-place,
covered with our oiled canvas, quite protected from
the wet, though not quite beyond the reach of the
sea should a very high tide roll in.
" My night in the -cavern has been somewhat
restless, feeling the damp and the gloom of it, and
smothered by the smoke which is condensed within
its walls. Again for four days in succession I have
had all my linen, and nearly all my clothes, lying
out on the beach to dry; being obliged to rinse
nearly the whole of them, in order to clear them
from salt water. But it required constant activity
to improve every glance of sunshine, and to snatch
them under covert at the approach of a storm.
Owing to the constant rains the ground is now like
a sponge, and the beach is crossed by streams
flowing from the high lands through the woods,
mid washing away the sand in all directions. The
mountain stream, where the flow of water is always
abundant, has now become a perfect cascade, dash-
insr its roaring torrent down from one level to
& D
another, with a very striking effect. How remark¬
able is our pr.esent situation! How striking is the
providence of God! Here we have shelter and
security; and here we propose to remain until the
192
NEW TRIALS.
commencement of April, and only to leave hero
when the prospect of a vessel's arrival draws nigh.
How mercifully had God ordered that we, so weak
a party, and so defenceless and helpless, should
not be exposed to the irruption of the natives upon
us! Had this asylum been rendered unavailing
by the presence of the natives, none of whom we
have seen since our arrival, what should we have
done ? I know that God could even then have
provided for us; but, humanly speaking, our posi¬
tion would have been most dangerous. To have
put to sea again would have been to expose our¬
selves to the tremendous gales which incessantly
have prevailed for so long a time, and which we
could not possibly have weathered in our frail boat
of seven tons burden only. And could we have got
back to Picton Island, no prospect would have re¬
mained to us but to be hunted about from place to
place, like a hare chased by the hounds.
" How evident that we were not in a position to
commence, witbr such slight means, so arduous an
undertaking! But all this is well; the Mission has
been thereby begun, which, had we awaited for
more efficient means, it never probably would have
been. We are all agreed that nothing short of a
brigantine or schooner of 80 or 100 tons burden
can answer our ends, and to procure this ultimately
the Captain has fully determined fp use every
effort. Our plan of action now is to " rough it"
through all the circumstances which it shall please
NEW TRIALS.
193
God to permit to happen to us, until the arrival of
a vessel, and then to take with us some Fuegians,
O 7
and go to the Falkland Islands, there to learn their
language, and when we have acquired it, and got
the necessary vessel, to come out again, and go
amongst them. It is utterly impracticable ever to
acquire the language by any other method, so far
as human foresight can judge of such matters;
and to sojourn amongst them before the language is
known, would be to run in the face of certain de¬
struction, and to tempt Providence, as much as to
run under a falling wall or to leap over a precipice,
and expect safety.
" "When first I cast my eyes upon the -work be¬
fore me, and viewed the natives of Banner Cove,
—the people to whom, by God's mercy, I and my
companions were sent to shew them an open door
to eternal life,—it was with a profound ignorance
of the means whereby so great a work was to be
accomplished. I had no clue whatever in any plan
that had been submitted to my understanding, and
as to the steps to be taken I was in darkness; for
in this the Captain consulted not with me, neither
did he propound his plans more than the mo¬
mentary intimation which preceded some new step,
which the exigency of the moment had given birth
to. Therefore, as far as my judgment went, I saw
nothino- practicable or feasible; but I committed
the direction of our affairs to Him who, I was sure,
would wisely and beneficently order all things by
17 jt
194
NEW TRIALS.
his providence, and who, I felt persuaded, would
send light for our guidance in the very midst of
our present thick darkness. A short acquaintance
with the natives confirmed the unfavorable report
which such writers as FitzRoy, King, and Darwin,
had given; and in the forefront of all their actions
it was visible that when they were the weaker
party, they were mild and submissive; but the
instant they had the prospect of taking us at a dis¬
advantage, or unawares, they became presuming
and full of mischief. Consequently, from the time
we fixed our abode in Banner Cove to the present,
I never saw any one way likely to lead us to
success.
" The destruction of the Pioneer in Earnest
Cove, is another of the acts of God's providence
toward us. How many had been the dangers, or
at least apprehensions, we had experienced of our
being separated one from another! Now in the
Speedwell was nearly all our store of provisions,
and a separation at sea must have been fatal to
both of us. The Pioneer was also more difficult
of management than the Speedwell, not answering
readily to her helm, nor sailing so well. Both
boats were ill manned; though under the perma¬
nent arrangement of our party, the Pioneer was
worst off, as there was only one sailor, besides her
commander, on board, though with Mr Maidment
and mvself there were four persons. Besides, the
weight of the iron decka ^ them both top-
NEW TRIALS.
195
heavy. When, therefore, the Pioneer met her un¬
timely end, I was forcibly struck that it would
prove to our advantage, in point of safety and
satisfaction; though little absolute comfort could
be expected from the stowage of seven persons,
and all our effects, where there had hardly been
room for three. But this was altogether a second¬
ary consideration, compared to the danger of our
separation at sea, and to the advantage of our
being able to take so much better care of one boat,
with undivided numbers. In this sentiment Captain
Gardiner fully concurs. And yet, should not trust
in God have led us to venture among the Indians at
all hazards ? My conscience tells me in what we
have done we have acted with prudential consider¬
ation of actual circumstances. The facts were be¬
fore us; we have been directed by them, and to
have done otherwise would have been presumption
and folly. By the grace of God that has been
given me, I.can say that in the moment of peril
and when confronted by danger I felt no fear, but
had a firm assurance that all would be well, with
such a peace and serenity of mind as only God could
give. Yet have I felt and do feel, that God re¬
quires us to act according to a just judgment and
sober consideration of the actual circumstances ofia
case. When a danger is not vaguely apprehended,
but is actually known to exist, we are not to run
into it, but to avoid it. Faith never runs contrary
to an enlightened judgment and just appreciation
196
NEW TRIALS.
of things as they really are ; but it is the first to
yield and acknowledge that here there is no way
open; whilst also the first to inspire the confident
hope that God will himself open a way, in a man¬
ner different from any we know of, and in his own
good and set time. So do I believe, and humbly
do I acknowledge and thank God for all his mani¬
fold mercies and precious dealings with us.
" Saturday, Feb. 23. — For the last two days
the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart,
and he himself has been nigh, in all my thoughts,
and, what was more, in all my affections. Praise,
and prayer, and meditation on his Holy Word, were
more than ever one constant act, and in all things I
had liberty. The Lord's blessing, too, was upon us
in our meetings together with the men at night,
and his Spirit was graciously poured out, pro¬
ducing great compunction of spirit and contrition
of heart, with new and eager desires for the bless¬
ings of the gospel of grace in its fulness. On
Thursday evening I gave the men a full view of
the Lord's gracious dealings with myself, shewed
them how I had laboured in ignorance, and the
many ways in which I had grieved the Holy
Spirit. I also plainly declared the nature of that
perfection which we are commanded to seek after,
and I told them how God had visited my soul with
his love and the baptism of his Spirit. Earnest
attention was given me, and much affectionate
rejoicing was manifested by these simple-hearted
NEW TRIALS.
197
friends, especially my dear brother Badcock. A
child of God indeed is he,—an Israqjite indeed, in
whom there is no guile. Never did I see any one
who was more truly a meek and humble follower
of the Lamb. He has long been walking with
God in righteousness and holiness, and breathing a
filial childlike affection to God in Christ. Often
have I praised the Lord for providing this example
of his truth — this simple proof of the effectual
working of his grace, where the Divine image is
reflected from a groundwork of gross material,
and where the great Creator alone could have
wrought so mighty a change."
17*
CHAPTER IX,
Sittes into Jmme.
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from
him.
He only is my rock and my salvation : he is my defence; I shall
not he moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory : the rock of my strength,
and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before
him: God is a refuge for us.—Psalm Ixii. 5-8.
I sat in the orchard, and thought, with sweet comfort and peace, of
my God; in solitude—my company, my friend, and comforter. Oh!
when shall time give place to eternity 1 When shall appear that
new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness l There,
there shall in nowise enter in anything that defileth ; none of that
wickedness that has made men worse than wild beasts; none of those
corruptions that add still more to the miseries of mortality, shall be
seen or heard of any more.—The last entry in the Journal of Henry
Martyn.
The humidity of the climate and continual hard*
ships began to tell on the health of the party.
The first sufferer was Mr Williams himself; and
the commencement of his illness is thus recorded:—■
" Monday, February 25.—Obliged to lie by in
consequence of a severe chill caught on Friday.
" Wednesday, March 12.—I am just recovering
from a severe illness, having been confined to bed
and to the boat, with the exception of the last few
days, during which I have been able to walk on
the beach at favorable opportunities, since Mon¬
day the 25th of February. I caught a violent
chill from putting' on damp flannels, and having
been for some time weakly and disordered through
want of proper animal food—having it only twice
a-week. Owing to the weakening and disturbing
effect of a farinaceous diet, so long continued, when
the cold attacked me it threatened at once to pros¬
trate all my powers, and assumed an alarming
aspect. But the hand of the Lord was graciously
202
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
with me, and by a clear perception of what means
I ought to use I was able to treat myself very suc¬
cessfully. There was every threatening of rheu¬
matic fever, and the pain in my limbs was excru¬
ciating, whilst considerable feverishness set in ; but
the medicines were all remarkably efficacious, and
through these and the kind nursing of Mr Maid-
ment, who waited upon me with affectionate and
assiduous attention, by the blessing of God I am
now fast recovering;.
"Monday, March 17.—Goodness and mercy
follow me ; yea, abundantly so, and -my heart re¬
joices in God my Saviour. Bodily, I am in a poor
weak state, having been getting worse for some
days past, with symptoms of that prostrating dis¬
ease, the scurvy. Poor Badcock, I am also sorry
to say, has symptoms of the same too; indeed, we
are all in a very weak condition, Erwin and Mr
Maidment complaining. How are we brought low!
But thou, 0 God, hast the ordering of all things.
Wise and good are all thy ways. Thou knowest
the end from the beginning, and orderest all things
according to thy will. Thy will be done, 0 God,
and blessed for ever be thy holy name.
" Wednesday, March 19. — This morning at
seven o'clock we weighed anchor, and quitted
Earnest Cove for Banner Cove, in order to be in
readiness against a vessel's coming, and that we
might not miss her. This is a sudden movement
of ours, as the time contemplated for changing our
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
203
locality was still distant some.weeks; but the Cap¬
tain was suddenly impressed with the necessity of
our doing so, and became anxious lest we should
miss our vessel. The change was only proposed
yesterday, and carried into execution to-day. One
circumstance of a somewhat singular character
helped to hasten the present decision; that was
the taking fire of the ' Hurricane house,' as we
called it, a place fitted up by the Captain for his
sleeping apartment, in lieu of the stranded and
dissevered boat, from whence kindness and con¬
sideration towards me, on account of my illness,
had driven him. The ' Hurricane house' was com¬
posed of a row of poles, inclined against a rocky
projection, some sails and canvas being used to
cover them, and thus keep out the wind and rain.
To keep it warm, a fire was maintained night and
day, and owing to the fire having blazed up very
fiercely a few mornings back, the canvas caught
fire, and the flames extended to the wood above
the rocks, and a considerable conflagration ensued.
We consequently expected that the natives from
some quarter or other would see it; and although
this proved not to be the case, yet it seemed to
impress the Captain as an intimation for us to
stir and be going. The night following the fire, a
stone from the rocks above gave way, and fell just
where the Captain's head would have been had he
continued to sleep there. Behold the goodness
and mercy of God's providential care!
204
SICKNESS AND FAAIINE.
" I am writing tliis as I lie in bed; we liave but
light wind, almost a calm, which enables me to do
so. Unhappily I am not getting better, and last
night I was much distressed with the feeling of my
excessive debility, and the pains in my limbs.
Situated as we are, it is impossible to obtain the
means necessary to my recovery, such as animal
food and wine. How needful it is that a vessel
should speedily arrive! But God will order all
things; of this I am fully sure, and with joy and
assurance I can yield myself into the Lord's hand,
without a care possessing my breast as to when or
how he will provide.
" Reliance Cove, Friday, March 21.—We
arrived here safely by the mercy of God yesterday
morning, at about ten o'clock. The wind at the
time of our setting out was blowing from the east¬
ward, and every thing very propitious, the morn¬
ing being beautifully fine. Before we got out of
the harbour a calm ensued, which detained us the
best part of the morning; afterwards it freshened
up from the north and north-west, still blowing
from a quarter that happily favored us, and where¬
by our passage was rendered comparatively a short
one,—short, indeed, compared with what might
have been expected, when the winds for weeks and
even months together are from the south and south¬
west, and this with fearful gales and overwhelming
tempests.
" During the night of Wednesday, while we were
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
205
pursuing our way over the watery deep, the wind
repeatedly threatened to blow hard, sudden gusts
coming on and betokening what hard things should
follow. The swell was great, and the angry sea
raged around our little boat and dashed its billows
over it, so that the water penetrated both fore and
aft, and wetted our beds, especially those of the
men in the fore part. Heavily laden as our boat
likewise was, crowded indeed in every part, she
was quite top-heavy, and out of trim, as it is called;
that is, the weight above did not bear the just pro¬
portion to her capacity beneath. There was really
ground for fear, and the men were more than once
alarmed lest she should capsize. I lay conscious
and satisfied that I and all of us were in the hand
of the Lord, and assured that, holding the winds in
the hollow of his fist, he could restrain his rough
wind, and say unto the sea and its boiling waves,
' Peace, be still.' I did not, however, rest on this
conviction, but frequently during the night lifted
up my soul to God in prayer, and I did observe a
coincidence between the asking of God and the sub¬
sidence of the wind, yea, more than once that night.
Great was the peace I knew, and wonderful was the
loving-kindness of the Lord, supporting, yea, bless¬
ing me, with joy in his Holy Spirit, in the midst
of much bodily weakness.
" Reliance Cove, where we now are, derives its
claim to that title from some outlying rocks break¬
ing the great swell of the ocean, except when the
206
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
wind blows from the south south-west, to east south¬
east.
" To-day, although I have not ventured at all
out of bed, even to sit up, yet, through the good¬
ness of God, I feel better than yesterday, during
the whole of which I was very ill. My disease is
gaining ground, though I hope but slowly. The
Captain and Mr Maidment are at present gone
ashore, to explore the coast in the direction of
Banner Cove or westward, to find, if possible, a
better and safer anchorage. They have been gone
since the morning, and a terrible walk they will
have; for the Captain is iron-hearted as to diffi¬
culties, and almost incapable of fatigue,—at least
he will not yield to anything less than impossi¬
bilities. Poor Mr Maidment is by no means in a
state for such a trial of strength, being in fact very
weak and unwell. May God preserve them and
bless them both! In their absence I have got poor
John Badcock, my fellow-sufferer, to come and
take up his abode with me for the day, and we
have both been greatly refreshed, whilst we have
communed together in the Lord. How sweet is
Christian fellowship and sympathy, when springing
from Christian love!
" Since writing the above, I have had the men
together and joined with them in a hymn and
prayer. 0, how greatly did I feel the melody of
song in my heart! It was like a little heaven
below. 0 that such feasts of sacred love and com-
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
207
munion with God were mine day by day! but
they are as stolen waters.—It is getting late in the
evening, and the Captain and Mr Maidment are
not returned. Thrice have I lifted up my soul
to God, beseeching that no evil may come upon
them.
" —Thank God, they are returned in safety,
coming back a little after nine o'clock, having gone,
by the Captain's admission, more than sixteen
miles there and back, and through a rough and
mountainous country. I hear the Captain give
expression to weariness and fatigue, and, to my
great surprise, Mr Maidment seems really less
affected than the Captain; thus assuredly the Lord
strengthened him, for when he set out he was a
poor, tottering, and disabled person.
" Saturday, March 22.—I was exceedingly
ill last night,—the sense of exhaustion being as
though the life-blood were leaving my heart. This
arose partly from my being too free yesterday in
talking, singing, and praying; but so great was
my happiness that I availed myself of the joyous
moments as they passed. But another reason is
the want of sufficient support. I never slept a mo¬
ment the whole night, and towards the morning
cold shivers came on.
" This morning we left Reliance Harbour for
some new abode. Whither we were bound circum¬
stances would decide. The name of Reliance Cove
was properly given, for our reliance was not in
2J08
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
the protection it was capable of affording, but upon
God who made it a place of shelter during a short
halt by the way. Both nights we remained there
the wind rose and threatened to blow hard, which
had it done, we certainly should have had our
boat dashed in pieces against the steep shingle
beach. A few hours only after we left, a strong
breeze from the southward sprang up, which would
have blown right into the cove, and the swell of
the ocean here is quite terrible. It is remark¬
able also, that the day of our leaving Earnest Cove,
in Spaniard Harbour, the wind blew strong in from
the eastward, and consequently, right into the
cove,—the only time of its blowing strong from
that quarter since our arrival there. It might
have damaged our remaining boat, and most cer¬
tainly, as it was full moon, and consequently spring
tide, we should have been dislodged both from the
cavern and our stranded boat. Thus how clearly
has God manifested his providential care over us.
0 how good is the Lord, and how greatly to be
praised! Blessed be his name for ever !
Our passage from Reliance Cove to-day has
been very trying. The weather has been boiste¬
rous, strong squalls, ' williwaws,' with hail and
snow; the sea consequently has been very rough,
and our cockle-shell of a boat, with its dispropor-
tioned deck-load, has not been free from danger of
a sudden capsize. However, here we are, nearly
at the entrance of Banner Cove once more, the
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
209
only place where we poor strolling outcasts can
find a secure anchorage ground. It is now nearly
nine o'clock, and a dark and cheerless night. Thank
God, we have escaped all the dangers of the day,
and doubtless, God willing, shall escape the perils
of the night. I have been very weak and poorly
all the day, and whilst cooped up in bed, swinging
under the iron canopy of our cribbed and scanty
cabin, and hearing the waters dash over, yes, and
sometimes tasting a little of them, even inside;
whilst thus situated, rolling and rocking about,
trying to escape from the gathering tempest, and
hastening our way to a refuge, yet knowing not
whither we should go, nor where our resting-place
would be, my position was not calculated to fasci¬
nate the eye. Very weak have I felt myself, and
Satan has urged his fierce assaults upon me. I had
not strength to read, nor indeed to pray. Joy I
could not summon to my heart, and I felt greatly
wanting in love and in thankfulness and praise.
But what could I do ? I strove to pray; yea, I
told the Lord I loved him with all my heart, and
I blessed his holy name: yet words came not to
my thoughts, and thoughts came not to my desires.
I called, and all was silent: no voice responded. I
did not discern the meaning of this at the time.
I did not see that God had left me to a naked
faith, and that it was to pass through a fiery ordeal
in contending with all my trials and temptations.
I saw danger on every side, but I feared it not.
o
210
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
Temptation pointed to death from the floods even
as I was, cabined up in this small smoking place;
then to death as likely to be the issue of my pre¬
sent disease, sea-scurvy, and no adequate means, no
remedy at hand; and then to death as inflicted by
the jagged war-spear of the Fuegian, or his deadly
sling. But faith was more than conqueror, through
Him that loved me and gave himself for me. It
could and did answer, that if God willed either to
take place, I desired nothing but his will, and in
that case any death would be a welcome summons
to a glorious immortality.
" After much conflict of this kind, I took up my
Bible to try to read it; hut I felt as though it
would be impossible to summon up application suffi¬
cient for this delightful task, and I turned listlessly
over the page, till my attention was powerfully
arrested by these words of St Peter, ' But the God
of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered
a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you.' I at once saw the Lord, and heard
the voice of my God, and great was the consolation
imparted to me thus by Christ Jesus. ' Bless the
Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me, bless
his holy name.' Now can I, and now do I, with all
sweetness and assurance of hope, with peace and joy,
leave myself in the hand of the Lord that he may do
with me whatsoever seemeth him good, content in
knowing that whatever be the way he takes with
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
211
me, I shall see his great, yea his wonderful salva¬
tion, and give glory to his excellent name for ever.
" Monday, March 24.—At Banner Cove again;
and with the mercy and goodness of God very
manifest both in bringing us here at this time, and
in the providential arrangement of circumstances
favorable to our safely and peaceably remaining
here. May I never forget thy benefits, O my God,
but give thee endless praise !
"It was nearly three o'clock on Sunday morn¬
ing, that we cast anchor once more off our old and
much to be remembered Station Hill, ne-ar to
which we had built our wigwam, and dug a gar¬
den, and where our supplies of water were got
from; and glad were all hands to find a place of
rest after their fatiguing and harassing day's work.
On glancing their eyes in the direction of our old
quarters, the men discovered a light from a fire,
kindled, they thought, in our wigwam. We there¬
fore concluded that it had been taken possession of,
and was now inhabited by the natives. In the
morning, however, it was discovered that a new
wigwam had been built during our absence, near
our own, and ocular demonstration was soon afford¬
ed, as also by the well known vociferations ad¬
dressed to the ears, that a large party of natives
was established here. We now of course expected
to behold the face of Jemmy, and his redoubtable
associates, our late mortal foes, and that we should
have a repetition of the trials which we had for-
212
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
merly encountered here. We were therefore
agreeably surprised, when they came off to us,
to find that they were all entire strangers. The
party numbered fourteen or fifteen, five men and
five women, the rest children. They appeared
rather a more squalid lot than our former com¬
panions, and not possessed of the same energy of
character. Should their number not be increased
by the addition of others, or of our old acquaint¬
ances, we shall be able to stay here in comfort and
in peace. All things are in God's hand, and he
will temper the wind to his shorn lambs. I doubt
it not. His mercy is over all his works, and he
loves us with a Father's tender love and gentle
compassion. He will do all things well for us; of
this I am deeply assured.
" Yesterday (Sunday) the day was very stormy,
the equinoctial gales blowing most furiously, and
from the southward, so that had we been at
Reliance Harbour we must have perished, or had
we been at sea our danger would have been great.
Snow fell with rain, and the temperature was very
low. Being in bed, I did not feel it, as happily
our quarters are warm enough when closed up. I
now am wholly confined to my bed, not daring to
venture up, fearing that the exertion of rising
would prostrate me too much. The Lord does
make all my bed in my sickness; the angel of his
presence overshadowing my soul, and hanging
about me with such irradiations of glorious light,
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
213
—the light of God's love,—that I am happy, very
happy, and not a moment sits wearily upon me.
Sweet is the presence of Jesus, and oh! I am
happy in his love.
" After the trials I encountered on Saturday,
and our knocking about was over, the sleep that •
followed was, I think, the most refreshing that I
ever enjoyed; not so much because it was a balmy
restorative to my poor debilitated body, but
because if ever the whisperings of Almighty love
spoke tranquillity to the soul of man, and breathed
a continued flow of divine consolation upon his
heart, I felt them that night. I was, so to speak,
talking with the Lord, and his grace supplied me
with such rich treasure of wisdom in the discourse,
and his unction so made the purport of my
thoughts to diffuse a precious odor and a rich
influence around me, that I could very well have
thought I was in Paradise. I might have thought
so, but that the subject-matter of my communings
with the Lord, was the services, the joyful, heart¬
felt services, I should render unto him in this my
lifetime, and period of sojourn here on earth. My
heart seemed to tell the Lord how willingly, how
gladly, my poor all should be given unto him, to
spend and be spent for him alone; and how I
should triumph with heavenly delight, whilst glory¬
ing that, by the power of his grace, I was able to
win souls to Christ. And whilst such were my
thoughts, the Lord seemed to accept me in all my
214
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
proffered service, and to pour upon me the bless¬
ings of his grace, so that he was unto me as the
dew unto Israel. Communion, heavenly and
blessed! Earnest of joys to come, and foretaste of
that inheritance undefiled and that fadeth not
away, where I shall see him face to fcice, yea,
behold him as he is, not even the transparent veil
of a divine faith being betwixt him and me! And
how transcendently glorious is the further assur¬
ance, that when we do see him as he is, we shall be
like him, partakers of his divine nature, and
sharers of his glorious image. O God, my Lord,
for ever be thy name adored.
" To-day we hope to recover the provisions
which we stowed away when we were here before.
Amongst these is a barrel of pork, purchased of the
Ocean Queen; this will be of great service to our
party, and will, I trust, with God's blessing,
strengthen them greatly. Our preserved meat is
now nearly out, our store of spirits nearly
exhausted, and when these are ended, as in a week
or two they will be, then with the prophet Ilabak-
kuk I will exclaim, as I know by grace I shall be
able to do, ' Although the fig-tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the
labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I
will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of
my salvation.'
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
215
" I have been greatly gratified and affected by
pleasing evidence that the work of grace is
deepened in my brethren's minds. This, not in
one, but I think in all. The trials and dangers we
have been subject to, have, by the sanctifying
grace of God, had a gracious influence. Yesterday
and Saturday I was quite affected by the kindness
of the Captain, and his humble and gentle deport¬
ment ; his prayer, too, yesterday, was an outpour¬
ing of his soul before God, in so unaffected and
sincere a manner, with such unqualified expressions
of resignation to the will, and humble trust in the
mercy, of God, that it did make me own with joy,
that here is a child of God addressing the Father
of all mercies. This morning, too, the prayer of
Mr Maidment was in like manner a sincere breath¬
ing out of the soul in humble supplication and con¬
fident trust in God. Oh! I am glad and rejoice
in the Lord to see my brethren thus meek and
trustful.
" Banner Cove, Wednesday, March 26.—Yester¬
day the party of natives left the harbour, with
what intent we of course are ignorant. In order
to be in as great a state of preparedness as
possible, and to omit n.o way of affording intelli¬
gence to the vessel that should come to our relief,
provided we were forced to leave this part again,
the place appointed for her coming to, the Captain
has enclosed notices in bottles, and sunk them in
various places, with boards erected above them,
218
sickness and e amine.
and letters painted thereon, ' Look underneath.'
A copy of these notices is as follows:—
" ' The natives are hostile. We are obliged to
move from place to place. If not in Banner Cove,
we shall be near Cape Rees or Cape James, on the
N.E. side of Navarin Island ; if not there, in
Spaniard Harbour, which is on the main island,
not far from Cape Kinnaird. We have sickness on
board, our supplies are nearly out, and if not soon
relieved we shall be starved. We do not intend
to go to Staten Island, but, if unable to remain at
the two places indicated above, to run for Spaniard
Harbour, and stay there in a cove, on the western
side, until some vessel comes to our assistance.
(Signed) Allen F. Gardiner,
Superintendent of the Mission.
banner cove,
March 26, 1851, Wednesday.'
"We yesterday got back our provisions which
had been deposited at Tent Cove, consisting of
three barrels of biscuits, and the barrel of pork.
How thankful ought we to be that they had never
been discovered by the natives! The goats on
Garden Island they have disappointed us of, having
destroyed them all.
"Yesterday the sun being out for a little while, I
got outside my prison-house, and how greatly did
I feel the invigorating effect of the sight of this
interesting spot, the scenery ciuite wuit'^ul i to,
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
217
day, the weather being cold, I could not venture
out of bed.
" Banner Gove, March 27.—To-day a fresh
party of natives have made their appearance, to
our discomfort. It was blowing very hard at the
time they came in, which we could only account
for on the supposition that they had received in¬
telligence of our arrival from the party which left
on Tuesday, as in general they are so cautious
and indisposed to move about in rough weather.
Amongst them were some of our old acquaint¬
ance, and doubtless they are but the harbingers
of the whole of our evil-disposed former associ¬
ates. They have been very boisterous and pre¬
suming, and have displayed the same daring as
before. Whilst all our party were on deck, except¬
ing Badcock and myself, they cut the rope attached
to our raft, and but for the alertness of our men,
would have had it adrift. We expect that to-mor¬
row others will arrive, and we all fear that it is
impracticable for us to stay here. Should the
weather therefore permit, the Captain proposes to
start the first thing in the morning for Spaniard
Harbour again, the only place where there is rest
for the soles of our feet. And there we shall
remain, as far as we can tell, till a vessel comes to
our relief. In the meantime, not a being on the
earth wall have any knowledge of the place where
we are; but God knows, and how much better to
be known, and to know we are seen, of God, than
218
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
to have the eyes of the whole world resting upon
us! I have been more than once struck with the
thought that our present separation from the
haunts and abodes of all we have ever known, is a
striking illustration of that separation which death
makes. We are, as it were, dead to our dear
friends, yet we are living. We have the active
faculties of the soul still at work, incessantly bring¬
ing our dear ones to our remembrance; but we
are no longer living amongst them, identified in
all our interests with them, ^ut we are living in
God and to God. He is our being and end, and
with him alone we are identified now through the
exceeding riches of the grace abounding unto us in
Christ Jesus. Yet we are associated in love with
all our earthly friends more sweetly, more firmly,
more endearingly than ever. May God bless them
all, is my fervent prayer.
" Friday, March 28.—Left Banner Cove this
morning at half-past four o'clock. The natives as
usual had retired to their wigwam soon after sun¬
set ; but they were up and stirring as early as one
o'clock. Of course we had kept a watch. From
one o'clock until the hour of our departure they
were very busily employed. Their early rising
confirmed our suspicion that they expected to be
joined by others, and their incessant hammering on
the trunks of trees, appeared to be a sort of signal
as to their whereabouts. We never knew the
natives to be moving about until three or four,
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
219
even in summer when it was quite light; but, set¬
ting aside these signs of concerted vigilance on
their part, we were morally certain that there
would be a large muster of them in the course of
the day.
" Spaniard Harbour, March 29, Saturday
afternoon.—We are now just sighting Earnest
Cove, after being becalmed in the entrance of the
Harbour the most part of the day. We had what
the sailors call a fine start of wind, blowing from
the northward and westward, and which brought
us into the troubled water of Slogget Bay soon
after nightfall, and which freshening up and blow¬
ing in sudden and violent blasts, we were again in
danger of capsizing. As I lay in bed, I heard the
Captain say, £ It is a wonder we were not cap¬
sized.' At first, it was proposed to lie-to for the
night in the bay, and not to encounter the tide
races which we should meet in rounding the cape.
However, we pursued our way without stoppage,
groping alo'ng in the dark, and tumbling over the
billows.
" Earnest Cove, Tuesday, April 1.—The morn¬
ing being fine, and the sun shining quite warm, I
ventured to rise, and got out into the stern-sheets;
but I soon became so sensible of my weakness, my
limbs almost' failing me, and faintness and pains
comma- on, that I hastened back to my peaceful
bed, where alone I can obtain any mitigation to
the distresses of ray body. Sometimes I almost
19
220
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
forget that anything is the matter with me, and
would almost persuade myself that if I were up I
should still feel the same; hut, alas! the trial soon
shews how slight is the ground of my expectation.
But as I, day by day, and night by night, lie here,
what a world, unknown to the world, do I live in!
God is indeed about my bed, and spies out all my
ways, and his countenance is over me for good,
now blessed is the thought! The Lord is teaching
me, and counselling my heart with his hidden
wisdom, and making known his secret unto me;
yea, he is revealing unto my soul the deep things
of God, and giving me spiritual understanding in
the knowledge of that which hath been hidden
from the foundation of the world. The glory and
everlasting praise be to my God, through Jesus
Christ my Lord.
" Wednesday Evening, eight o'clock, April 9.—
To-day we have had most boisterous weather, the
sea and the waves roaring. Happily we are well
sheltered, so as not to be exposed to any danger,
at least we trust not; yet the surf on the shore is
prodigious in volume, and the straining jerk on our
hawser is somewhat alarming at times. We are,
however, in God's hands. The cold has been very
severe to-day, and this, together with the raging
of the tempest, the gloom of a sunless day, and the
heavy fall of hail and rain, has rendered our posi¬
tion somewhat cheerless. Badcock and I are com¬
panions in affliction. We get no better, but worse
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
221
—the disease slowly progressing. However, poor
John has not yet suffered anything like the same
amount of prostration as myself. The exhaustion
occasioned by my previous illness accounts for the
difference. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday last
were rather distressing days. The oppression from
my bodily disorder was very great, and so incapa¬
ble of all exertion did I feel, that I could not apply
my mind to reading. On Sunday night I made it
an especial matter of prayer, that God would so
strengthen, my mind that I might be able to exer¬
cise it in reading; and my prayer was answered,
for with greai delight I spent nearly the whole of
the next day on Bonar's Commentary on Leviticus,
and the Bible in conjunction therewith.
" Our boat is in some respects unsuitable. If
we draw up the door at the entrance to o.ur
berth, we then exclude all air, as there is no other
opening, not even for ventilation. But on the
other hand, if we have it open, then the wind and
the cold night air come in, and render clothing
almost ineffectual for keeping us warm. So I felt
it last night, and upon previous occasions,—a cold,
chilly sensation pervading my back. If to obviate
this, we close the door altogether, the vapor from
our breaths accumulates on the iron roof of our
deck, only a few inches higher than our pillows,
and drops over us and trickles down on our beds
in such quantities that we find it very troublesome.
Add to this the muddled state of our apartments,
222
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
from our not being able to dispose things comfort¬
ably about us, not having now for several days
been able so much as to get out of bed to have it
made. Add also that our appetites rather fail in
attacking the boiled pork, which at first was a
great treat, and that the preserved meat is fast
hastening to an end, as is also our supply of
spirits. Add to this that our kind and attentive
nurse, Bryant, a most affectionate and sympathis¬
ing attendant, is himself shewing symptoms of the
disease. Add to this the uncertainty as to when a
vessel may come to our relief, and the possibility
that she may not see and observe our notices put
up on various parts of Banner Cove, and so not
come at all; and you may ask if we have not some
ground of apprehension concerning our supplies
and well-being. I can deliberately answer, that
my mind is free' from such apprehension; and
although I have felt so weak that I could take
comfort in scarcely anything, nor could even coerce
my mind into an active contemplation of God's
goodness so as to give and feel praise to Him, yet
I do know and am confident ' the Lord will provide,'
and that we shall want no good thing, nor suffer
more than we can bear, neither shall evil betide us.
The Lord is with us, and will not fail us in our
need; but our extremity will be his opportunity.
" Earnest Cove, Saturday, April 12.—Last
night we had the most fearful storm we havo
encountered at all. It commenced about nine or
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
223
ten o'clock, and continued to rage throughout the
night. Before witnessing it, we had no just con¬
ception of what a south-west gale in these latitudes
is. It reminded me of the blast from the iron
mouth of the bellows at a smelting furnace; or
what might be supposed would be the rush and
violence of a furious storm driving through a
tunnel. During the whole period the roar and
wail of the tempest around us and in the distance
were appalling. The bands of violence seemed let
loose, and we could not but feel that the time was
one of peril and alarm. Sheltered as we were, by
being all but land-locked, we found that we were
not out of reach of its direct assault, when gather¬
ing its forces from every quarter, its tremendous
gusts were every now and then aimed straight at
our devoted heads. The rush, and fury, and force
of its beating point-blank upon us were tremendous.
Our poor boat trembled and quivered, and the
hawser whereby it was made fast to the shore
became as ' taught' as it could be; but still time
after time it lifted its head up uninjured. The
night was dark, and very wet, and much hail fell.
We ascertained that the Captain, Mr Maidment,
and Pearce, who slept ashore, were up, and with¬
drawn to the cavern, and we rightly conjectured
that they were in great and painful anxiety on our
account. They and the men on board were greatly
afraid that the hawser, which was but a small one,
would give way, and in that case our anchor might
224
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
drag, and so we should be driven out to sea or
dashed upon the rocks. Not one of our party
slept the whole night, but with anxious expectation
looked out for the coming day. When the morn¬
ing came, one proof was afforded us of the fury of
the gale. A pair of trowsers and a woollen jersey
had been made fast to the mast to dry, tied with a
rope ; the legs of one, and the body of the other,
were torn right off, leaving the waist of the former
and the arms of the other remaining.
" Cook's River, Monday, April 14.—In conse¬
quence of our late severe weather, and the dangers
to which we were exposed, the Captain thought it
advisable to take the first opportunity for removing
to Cook's River, where storms can in no way
endanger us. We are accordingly come here this
afternoon. The opening is narrow indeed, and it
is defended from the sea by a shifting bar, over
which the sea roars with a vain effort to disquiet
the peaceful waters inside. This river, or rivulet
rather, expands into a small lake, which trends along
the head of the bay, and then winds about in many
serpentine foldings, until it loses itself in a small
stream. To the bar at the entrance, and to one a
little further to the seaward, the ducks, gulls,
divers, and shags, often resort in large numbers.
The evening being fine, I got up to have a look
around me, and never did I feel more interested in
any scene, unless I may except the sight of Banner
Cove under similar circumstances. On both occa-
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
225
sions the deep verdure mingling with the many
shades of the now fading beech, with the grand and
wild mountain scenery stretching along the side of
the Bay, and the forest-covered hills overhanging
us to the south, and, above all, the bright beams
of a fiery and storm-portending sun, going down
beyond the furthest range of highlands in the deep
background, leaving broad tracks of light betwixt
the clouds of indigo and purple,—all had a vivid
and strong effect upon my feelings, and greatly
cheered me. Seeing the sunset once more, for it is
long since I beheld it, my soul aspired towards the
plains of light, and I could conceive some such a
portal as yon bright scqjie, only brighter, brighter
far, and cloudless, opened into the paradise of our
God. Thither my happy spirit bent its way upon
the wings of hope, faith pointing out the pathway
to the golden gate, and love desiring and hastening
on the soul to win so priceless an inheritance among
the saints in light.
" Good Friday, April 18.—Since writing the
above, we have had gales and furious storms in
almost constant succession, the weather being
severely cold, with a considerable fall of snow, and
with dreary hail-storms and sleet. I have fre¬
quently lifted my head from my pillow to look out
on the cold and cloudy and wintry scenes around
me. My bed-head being close to the door, by just
lifting myself up, I could see the mountains to the
south of us, and their new vesture of driven snow
p
226
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
The first sight of this, the fall being great during
o y © o o
the night of the 15th, was very full of pleasure to
me. Dreary and desolate as was the scene, I could
yet feel pleasure in the grandeur and magnificence
of its very wildness. The aspect of nature was all
around changed; and with the winds howling
© 7 ©
around, the sea roaring over the sand-bank close
by, the air filled everywhere with falling snow, and
with that peculiar sense of lonesome isolation which
a bleak winter scene conjures up in the mind, sug¬
gesting our need of relative and social connexions,—
there was still a sense of the sublime truly pleasur¬
able.
" To-day, the weather having abated its violence,
I availed myself of the afternoon sunshine to get
up for a short time. I could scarcely support
myself, and had to take freely of spirits to endble
me to keep up a little while; but the enjoyment of
looking around me is so great, that I mind not a
little trouble to accomplish it. Poor John [Bad-
cock], alas! cannot do this much, and is decidedly
getting worse than myself, the disease making
more progress with him than with me.; yet we fare
in all respects alike, and share the same comforts,
and use the same means, and certainly I was much
worse than he at the beginning. His legs are
swollen and discolored, his gums get very bad, his
loss of blood is frequent, and the prostration of his
strength is daily more marked. I am truly
affected by observing this; but I keep him from
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
227
knowing my suspicions, and as I treat my own case
very lightly, and, by the grace of God, am ever
able to keep a cheerful countenance, I succeed in
preserving his mind from tho alarm and despond¬
ency so peculiar to this disease, and which so
greatly adds to its distress. Poor and weak
though we are, our abode is a very Bethel to our
souls, and God we feel and know is here. John
often smiles through a tear that flows from a heart
full of a sense of God's love ; and though, both of
us subject to many infirmities, and sensible of our
numberless shortcomings, yet moments so speed
by, many of them winged with aspirations after
God, that we ourselves forget all our bodily com¬
plaints, until reminded of them by exhaustion.
" As the weather gets colder, we naturally enough
wish to hasten the period of the vessel's arrival
that shall bring us succour, and carry us hence.
" During the day, whilst storms are raging
especially, we are under the necessity of shutting
out the light, in order to exclude the cold; and at
other times our place is filled with the smoke which
is blown in from the stove close to us in the stern-
sheets. At low water too, now that we are in
Cook's Biver, our boat heels over so that John is
at one time deep down on the lee-side, at another
time I; and then one of us gets all or the most
part of the water accumulating from condensation
on the iron roof, which drips on our head and
back, or saturates our pillows and bed-clothes,
228
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
should they also unhappily gravitate leeward.
We, however, look these inconveniences well in
the face, and by patience disarm them of half
their unpleasantness,—a good lesson acquired in
the school of experience, with the grace of God
for our helper and teacher.
" To-day the first of our supplies, tapioca, which
we have depended much upon, having had of it
for our breakfast daily, has failed us; our only
remaining substitute being rice. Somewhat more
serious than this, is the fact, that after having
exhausted our store of brandy and of rum, we
are now drawing upon our last bottle of gin;
and as it grows less and less, whilst we consume
it by another and another* draught, necessary
to stimulate our debilitated bodies and recover
us from our severe fits of exhaustion, we look
at each other and say, ' The sooner gone, the
sooner the ship must come!' This sentiment
the Captain also gave utterance to to-day, and
indeed it is our general feeling, belief, and hope,
that God will permit our means to fail us, and
just then his mercy will shine forth in tlig op¬
portune and gracious deliverance which he shall
send us.
" The Captain, who happily continues well,
but unaccompanied by Mr Maidment, who is suffer¬
ing from cold, came and held service with us.
The sermon he read was out of a volume by
the Rev. J. Ilarington Evans, on the seventeenth
SICKNESS AND EAMINE.
229
chapter of John. It was a delightful and most ap¬
propriate discourse,—the subject being, ' Finished
Work.5
" Monday, April 21.—To-day the boat was
moored in-shore, close to the hank, so that we
can step from the deck on the land; and I felt
greatly tempted to try once more to put my foot
ashore. I therefore got up, and with the assist¬
ance of Bryant, stepped on the green turf. But
to my surprise I found that I had no power
over my limbs, and the attempt at progression
was almost ludicrous; for my legs went sideways
rather than forward, and I must have fallen had
I not been supported by Bryant. Although I
have frequent distressing bodily prostration,' with
great languor, I praise God that only on one
occasion has my mind greatly participated. Some¬
times so powerless as to be unable for reading or
much thought, I have felt this state to be merely
passive, and without any positive gloom or real
depression of spirits.
" This night we have a pretty hard frost, which
covers the roof above my head with its hoary
frost-work. It pinches me much, my back espe¬
cially, clothes being insufficient to keep me warm.
" Thursday, May 1.—The violence and in¬
clemency of a Fuegian winter have been now for
some time felt by us. We have had the snow
falling day by, day, covering all around with its
white mantle, and with this a daily succession
230
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
of fearful storms of wind. In our present position
we are more than ever exposed to the raging
of the blast and the penetrating of the cold,
as to the westward we are open to the plains
or valleys which stretch beneath the mountains.
At times we greatly feel the cold, being obliged
to remain shut up in the darkness of our berth
by day as well as by night, save when relieved
by the light of our candle. Occasionally, however,
we get an interval of moderate weather, and the
effect of it is very cheering to us all. Our provisions
are fast consuming away: our £ sick diet,' in
particular, is likely to come to an end still more
speedily; the preserved meat and pork being
now nearly finished, and our stock of spirits,
having had no wine, having been for some days
exhausted. We have tried in vain to catch fish
in the net and with a line, !None are to be
seen, and although ducks and wild fowl are not
scarce around us, we have no means of getting at
them.
" On Friday the Captain and Mr Maidment
succeeded in catching a fox, or rather in killing
him. tie had frequently paid them visits during
the night, entering the cavern whilst they were
in bed in the boat, and making free with whatever
came to hand. He had carried off pieces of pork,
shoes, and even books ; and to the great mortifica¬
tion of Mr Maidment, his Bible was among the latter,
which being bound in morocco, was doubtless a
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
231
booty to the hungry beast. They therefore laid
a bait for him, a piece of pork attached by a cord
to the trigger of a loaded gun, so placed that when
lie took the bait he should fire the gun. He fired
it off once, but escaped unhurt; twice the cap went
off, but the powder did not take fire. At last, he
received the whole discharge in his breast. In his
stomach were found feathers, fish, and mice. He
was a fine animal, with a splendid brush. Albeit
the odium attached to a fox, our party on shore
have-already so far overcome any such fastidious¬
ness, that this morning they made a hearty break¬
fast of his ' pluck.' His quarters are cut up and
kept in reserve. This is not the first extraordin¬
ary bonne bouche our worthy caterer has put upon
the spit, or made into soup for us. The penguin
and shag, and the equally fishy-tasted duck, have
all contributed their quota. The penguin was
caught on shore, without attempting to get away,
more than by a backward movement, as Mr
Maidment laid hold on him. The shag was asleep
on a fallen tree, lying on the beach, so that Mr M.
caught it also by hand.
" The most formidable drawback of all, is the
dampness of the boat. Although I have my
Mackintosh spread over my bed, the water from
the roof lodges in pools upon it, and has at length
saturated the counterpane under it. The side of
our beds, and -all our clothes there, as well as at
the head and the foot, are all wringing wet. One
20
232
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
night I felt a deadly chill from the damp, from which
for hours I could get no relief, and having failed
of our supply of spirits, I had a great pain the
whole night, which continued very severe the two
following days. Whilst it lasted I was almost
tempted to think I could not recover; the pro¬
stration of death seemed upon me.
" Wednesday, May 7.—To-day we have been
just eight months from the time of our leaving
Liverpool. The weather is now confirmed in its
winterly severity, and we have had pretty hard
frosts, sufficient to freeze large portions of the river
in which we are lying, and which drifts past us at
each ebb tide.
" This evening, having Pearce in addition to our
company, I felt in prayer much softening and ten¬
derness of heart, with longing after the perfect
love of God. Pearce read Mr Wesley's sermon on
Repentance in Believers, and its plain, simple ex¬
hortations did me much good. Since then I have
been able to exercise such a measure of faith in
Christ as I had not felt before, and to realise bless¬
ings far higher. I could say that I did—I can say
that I do love God with a love I had no conception of,
with a love that actuates every faculty of my whole
soul; and the love of God in Christ I feel beyond
all expression. This much I venture in much weak¬
ness to write ; whether I shall be able to add much
more to this journal is known only to God. But
this I may say, I have not at any time a dis-
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
233
quieting thought, or a mistrusting fear as to the
result. I have felt, Come life, come death, God's
will would be my choice. I have not had any
doubts as to a vessel coming to our help. I have,
for the most part, believed God would restore me
to health, and I have thought, in accordance with
a singular impression madp on my mind, that my
course would be directed back again to my native
country. This I have believed—yet I cannot say
that God will not take me hence, by taking me
sooner than I expected to heaven and glory. His
will be done—his blessed will be done : I have no
longer a choice, when I know his holy will. My
poor frail body is now very attenuated, and my
sinking, depressed feelings are very great at times.
But my mind scarcely feels depression, and cer¬
tainly no depression except in mourning over my
unfaithfulness and shortcomings.
" Should anything prevent my ever adding to
this, let all my beloved ones at. home rest assured
that I was happy, beyond all expression, the night
I wrote these lines, and would not have changed
situations with any man living. Let them also be
assured, that my hopes were full and blooming with
immortality; that heaven, and love, and Christ,
which mean one and the same divine thing, were in
my heart; that the hope of glory, the hope laid up
for me in heaven, filled my whole heart with joy
and gladness, and that to me to live is Christ, to
die is gain. I am in a strait betwixt two, to abide
234
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
in the body, or to depart and be with Christ, which
is far better. Let them know that I loved them,
and prayed for every one of them. God bless them
all.
" Tuesday, May 20.—I am now, as it were,
suspended by a slender thread betwixt life and
death. Three days folk)wing I have had attacks,
which seemed to threaten a termination in dissolu¬
tion. But God is with me. I am happy in the
love of Christ. I could not choose, were it left to
me, whether to die or to live. I feel the conviction
in my mind still strong that I shall recover ; but I
am got so near to heaven, by the falling into ruin¬
ous decay of this earthly house of my tabernacle,
that another shake, and there seems reason to ex¬
pect that my soul will be numbered with the
departed who are gone to glory. This I can say,
that no other thought or desire has crossed my
mind, as a reason for the prolongation of my
earthly existence, but that it might thereby please
my Lord to make me an instrument of winning
souls to him.
"Friday, May 23.—To-day I have felt much
sinking, and have felt a desire to depart and be
with Christ. Last night I felt much for the situation
of my companions, and prayed to God with great
fervor in their behalf, entreating the Lord to send
* ©
relief to them, and if it were his will, that I should
see that succour come, and then, if it pleased him,
be taken hence. I excluded myself from any par-
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
235
ticipation of benefit to be derived from a vessel's
coming, lest I might seem to fall into impatience,
or display aught else than absolute resignation to
God's holy will concerning myself. But I did
feel I might intercede for others, and I sought
God's blessing on their bodies and souls. This
evening I have been so allured by the love of
Jesus, that I have not been able to refrain from
asking the Lord to permit me to come to himself.
Nothing on earth could hold'back my wishes from
transporting me at once into his presence. I felt it
could be no sin to desire thus eagerly for heaven.
Its light, its atmosphere, its peace, its joys, yea, and
its holiness, were around my soul, and earth to my
eyes seemed a dreary place. But am I ready to
go? 0 yes; Jesus has made me ready. I could
not be more ready than he can make me, were I
to live a century longer. His blood, his precious
blood, I bear upon my heart; his righteousness
declared of God, I hold for my title-deed.
" Tuesday, May 27.—To-day I have perceived
new symptoms, which shew the inroads of the
disease upon my system, and strongly point out a
fatal termination. Can I be in any way disap¬
pointed at this, instead of a life of much service
and glory to God? No, not for a moment; for
God's glory can only be enhanced by fulfilling the
counsels of his own will; and to suffer his blessed
will, as much glorifies my God as to do it. I am
not disappointed; rather do I rejoice greatly, that
20'*
236
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
now it seems manifestly the design of God to take
me hence. I have time after time felt an inex¬
pressible desire to be with Christ, and to-day I
have been ravished with his love. Should this
then be the will of God, then, my beloved ones,
weep not for me. Let no mourning thought possess
your hearts, nor sigh of sadness once escape your
lips. Say rejoicingly, How good was the Lord!
how greatly was he blessed of God, and he is
gone to be with Jesus! There you, my beloved
ones,—you, my mother, you, my sisters, may all
of you—oh yes, you will shortly meet me,—will
you not t The love of Christ fills my heart; but
with this love which loves him supremely, I love
you as I never did before. But heaven is at hand.
It is nigh to my soul. It is my home. I shall
look for you there. There we shall meet to part
110 more. Its glories invite me. Its holiness, its
purity, makes me desire it, where I shall no more
feel the curse of sin, nor see that loathsome thing,
corruption. I hail the glorious change. My soul
rejoices in the Lord, and I would not exchange my
dying hopes, surrounded as I now am with all
earthly discomforts, for the greatest luxuries and
all the blandishments the world could set before
me; nay, nor could it stop one minute my onward
flight to God, were the whole realm of nature, and
every monarch with his crown, inviting me to lin¬
ger for a while, and taste of honor, power, and
earthly good. No, oh no! All that is vanity and
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
237
a delusion. There is no other happiness hut in
knowing God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent;
m knowing him as our merciful, gracious, long-suf¬
fering God; forgiving iniquity, transgression, and
sin : and Jesus Christ as—no words can say what
Jesus Christ is when you know him. This is the
white stone, inscribed with a new name, which no
one knows but he to whom it is given. O Jesus,
blessed Mediator and Intercessor! into thy hands I
commit my beloved ones. Do thou effectually prevail
in the behalf of each, so that all may receive thy
Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life, to thy own
and the Father's everlasting glory, world without
end. Amen." [Then follow affectionate messages
to various friends by name.]
" Thursday, June 12.—Ah! I am happy day
and night, hour by hour. Asleep or awake, I am
happy beyond the poor compass of language to
tell. My joys are with him whose delights have
always been with the sons of men ; and my heart
and spirit are in heaven with the blessed. I haye
felt how holy is that company; I have felt how
pure are their affections, and I have washed me in
the blood of the Lamb, and asked my Lord for the
white garment, that I, too, may mingle with the
blaze of day, and be amongst them one of the sons
of light.
" We have long been without animal food of any
kind. Our diet consists of oatmeal and pease, with
rice occasionally; but even of this we have only a
238
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
stock sufficient to last out the present month, or a
very short period beyond this. The weather is
very severe, with a deep fall of snow on the
ground. But this is not the worst feature of our
case. All hands are now sadly affected. Captain
Gardiner, a miracle of constitutional vigor, has
suffered the least, and if I listened to his own
words he is still none the worse; hut his counte¬
nance bespeaks the contrary. Would it -were not
so! Mr Maidment, likewise, has sustained the
shock of our circumstances very well, but yet great
debility is now manifesting itself. All the rest
have decided symptoms of scurvy, and have some¬
thing to do to stand under the burden of the duties
devolving upon them ; hut their perseverance, and
willingness, and patience, deserve the highest
praise, whilst it elicits from our hearts a feeling
sense of our obligations to them, and a regret to
put them to such a severe trial. The Lord reward
and bless them! Indeed, his blessing is upon
them; and the Spirit of grace is deepening his
work in their souls. Much more could I add, hut
my fingers are aching with cold, and I must wrap
them up in the clothes. But my heart is warm—
warm with praise, thanksgiving, and love to God
my Father and to God my .Redeemer."
Up to this period Mr Williams's Journal had
been carefully kept; and, looking at its neat and
legible pages; knowing, too, the distress and dis¬
comfort in the midst of which its latter portions
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
239
were written, we cannot but regard it as a very
affecting document. It is quite evident that he
had acquired a fond attachment to this personal
narrative, and that the hours passed lightly which
were spent in its life-like society. Not only was it
a survivor from brighter days, and a remembrance
of the hopes and aspirations of the outward voyage,
but it was becoming too manifest that his Burslem
friends might have no other messenger to tell how
it fared with him in the last stage of the pilgrim¬
age. Eventually, therefore, we believe that it was
chiefly for their sakes that, by the light of a candle,
and with " aching fing'ers," as he lay in his cheer¬
less cabin, he continued to record the incidents
and impressions of these lonely days.
We are now arrived at the last entry. It is
dated, " Cook's River, Sunday night, or possibly
Monday morning, June 21 or 22"—rthe shortest
day of those regions, when the night lasts sixteen
hours. It tells how Pearce had come to sit up
with the invalids, but had been persuaded to retire
to rest; and it speaks of Badcock as dying. It
contains expressions which would almost indicate
that the mind of the writer was beginning to wan¬
der ; but, even amidst confused perceptions, it
shews that his faith in God was still clear and
unclouded. The last words are:—
" When I left Burslem on the mission, it was
with a secret confidence I should see the salvation
of God. Oh, my soul hath beheld it! ' But the
240
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
greatest trouble,' some would say, ' is not over yet.
You have but a week's provision more, even at the
rate you are now living at, and no certain expecta¬
tion of a vessel's coming in that time!' Yes, this
is so; but I have a certain and sure expectation
of deliverance in that time. To-day is. June 22;
for I believe it is far advanced in the morning.
We shall see. He that believeth shall never be
confounded.
" Here I rest my hope.
" The Lord's will be done."
Captain Gardiner and Mr Maidment continued
to lodge at the cavern, ab6ut a mile and a half
from the mouth of Cook's River, where the boat
containing the rest of the party was moored. And
though the distance was not great, so exhausted
and weakened were they all, that they could not
maintain a daily communication. But on Saturday,
June 28, Captain Gardiner visited the Speedwell;
and in his own brief journal he writes:—
" Found Mr Williams and Badcock to-day very
ill. Mr Williams considers the latter beyond the
hope of recovery. He is most patient, and leaning
only upon his God. Mr Williams is certainly
weaker than he has been during his long illness,
c) C5 '
and to-day spoke very incoherently. He was
praying aloud when I reached the boat, for himself
and his dying companion, committing themselves to
God, and rejoicing in his faithfulness and truth. I
have kept no record of the expressions which have
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
241
fallen from him during my various visits to Cook's
River; but the invariable tenor of them has been
entire resignation to the will of God, joy and peace
in believing, and a firm trust in his Redeemer, with
the full assurance that all had and still would work
together for the advancement of his eternal inte¬
rests. On one occasion, ' that each day's expe¬
rience had proved a blessing, that he felt that no
one of his trials (and he had many) could have been
spared, that he had no will of his own, but left all
in the hand of his heavenly Father, and that he
was willing to depart in any way that the Lord
should see fit.' To-day he said, that c he only called
upon God, on him alone he leaned, and that he was
all to him.'"
At eleven o'clock on that same evening, John
Badcock died. He requested Mr Williams to join
him in singing a hymn, and repeated the 202d of
Wesley's Collection, beginning—
Arise, my soul, arise,
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice
In my behalf appears.
Before the throne my Surety stands;
My name is written on his hands. .
He sang it through with a loud voiee, and a few
minutes afterwards expired.
Early in June the net, which had occasionally
procured a few fishes, was carried away by the
floating ice; and on the 4th of July Captain Gar-
Q
242
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
diner mentions, as all the provisions remaining in
the cavern, " half a duck, about a pound of salt
pork, the same of damaged tea, a pint of rice, two
cakes of chocolate, and four pints of pease, to which
I may add six mice." From this time forward, to
the end of their tragic history, they had little other
subsistence besides mussels and limpets, and a
species of gelatinous seaweed.
On Tuesday, July 22, Captain Gardiner writes—■
" For six days we have had no intercourse with
Cook's Iiiver, on account of the weather. I was
there this afternoon, and John Bryant, to our
great surprise, came over to us, being anxious to
know how we were. Poor fellow! it is too great
an exertion for him, although he says he feels bet¬
ter. Mr Williams is wonderfully supported, both
in body and mind. The Lord has been very gra¬
cious to him. He is exceedingly weak, but has
little pain, and says that he feels even better than
he has done, although now reduced to subsist on
mussels, which, to my great surprise, he is able to
digest."
On Saturday, August 23, Joseph Erwin, the car¬
penter, died: and the following Tuesday terminated
the sufferings of another of the boatmen, John
Bryant. Captain Gardiner was now confined to
his bed, and the fatigue of burying his two com¬
panions so exhausted Mr Maidment, that he never
rallied. On the Cth of September, Captain Gar¬
diner wrote a note, which never reached its desti-
sickness and famine.
243
nation, and* which was afterwards found defaced by
the weather:—
" My dear Mr Williams,-—The Lord has seen
fit to call home another of our little company.
Our dear departed brother left the boat on Tuesday
afternoon (Sept. 2), and has not since returned.
Doubtless he is in the presence of his Redeemer,
whom he served faithfully. Yet a little while, and
though .... the Almighty to sing the praises
.... throne. I neither hunger nor thirst, though
five days without food.—Your affectionate brother
in ... .
" Allen F. Gardiner."
Meanwhile, it will be asked, what steps were
taken elsewhere for the relief of the famished exiles?
As early as January, the Secretary of the Society
had commenced his inquiries for a vessel to convey
additional stores to the Mission; but it was uni¬
formly answered, that no vessel would imperil her
insurance for so small a freight; and it was not till
the 6th of June that a vessel, advertised for April
21, actually set sail, carrying six months' supplies
by way of the Falkland Islands. Nor was any
consternation created by the delay; for, naturally
enough, the office-bearers hoped that fish and game
might be procured as abundantly as Captain Gar¬
diner seemed to expect; and then there was the
hope that the Captain might have established a
244
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
communication with his friends at Montevideo or
East Falkland. However, when October arrived,
and the expedition had been gone for more than a
year without any tidings returning, the worst fore¬
bodings began to be felt, and an application was
made to the Admiralty to assist the Society in the
effort to reach its agents. H.M.S. Dido was then
sailing for the Pacific, and instructions were in¬
stantly forwarded to her commander, Captain Mors-
head, to touch, if possible, at Picton Island, and
inquire after the missionaries.
Simultaneously with this movement in England,
Samuel Lafone, Esq., of Montevideo, had commis¬
sioned a fast-sailing American pilot-boat to proceed
to Picton Island, and render any assistance which
the mission party might require. After a run of
four weeks, Captain Smyley reached Banner Cove
on the 21st of October; but finding it painted on
the rocks, " Gone to Spaniard Harbour," he pro¬
ceeded thither and arrived on the following day.
He soon found a boat on the beach, and inside of it
lay one person dead. There was a large scar on
his head, and another on his neck, and a mattrass
was thrown over him. The name " Pearce " was
found on his frock, and there can be little doubt
that he was the last survivor of the party. The
Indians, whose naked footprints were observed on
the strand, had no doubt found him still alive and
had murdered him ; and books, papers, medicine,—
everything which was of no value to the savages,—
SICKNESS AND FAMINE.
245
were found scattered on the deck or strewn alonf*
the beach. On the shore was found a body com¬
pletely washed to pieces, which must have been that
of Mr Williams, as his three companions had been
already buried. Captain Smyley had barely time
to bury it, when a violent gale arose, and drove
him from his anchorage and out to sea. His little
vessel being laden with the crew of a castaway
Danish barque, Captain Smyley could prosecute
the search no farther, but was forced to return to
Montevideo. The report of this humane and
right-hearted man concludes with the following
o ©
testimony:—
" I have never found in my life such Christian
fortitude, such patience, and bearings in my life as
in these poor unfortunate men. They have never
murmured even. They seemed resigned. And Mr
Williams says, even in his worst distress, he would
not swap his situation for, or with, any man in life.
He is happy beyond expression.
" They speak in their Journals of going to the
Falklands, but they found their boats not fit, and
in fact they waited until all their provisions were
gone, and they were taken with the scurvy so bad,
that it was impossible for them to go. They had
no rest; they were drove from place to place by
the Indians, always in dread and fear. Add to
these, the stormy, dreary, long nights, with almost
perpetual ice and snow; and cooped up in a small
boat, so laden that there was scarce room to move,
246
sickness and famine.
without food, and with that terrible disease the
scurvy ; and you can judge their situation partly
Unapprised of Captain Smyley's discovery, Cap¬
tain Morshead in the Dido reached these dangerous
seas about the middle of January 1852, and prose¬
cuted the search with the skill and energy of a
British sailor, and with the solicitude of a Christian
friend. He reached Spaniard Harbour on the
evening of January 21, and immediately sent Lieu¬
tenant Pigott and Mr Roberts on shore. They
found the bodies of Captain Gardiner and Mr
Maidment, and returned to the ship with a variety
of books and papers. Next morning, amidst threat¬
ening weather, Captain Morshead landed. Mr
Maidment's body lay in the cavern where he had
so often spent the night, and in which the stores
rescued from the Pioneer were kept. Outside on
the rocks was painted, by way of direction to any
visitor, a hand, and under it, " Psalm Ixii. 5-8."
Captain Gardiner's body was lying beside the
wreck of the Pioneer. It seemed that he had left
his berth, but being too weak to climb into it again,
he had died at the side of the boat. The remains
were collected and buried; the funeral service was
read; an inscription was placed on the rocks ; three
volleys of musketry were fired; the ship's colours
were struck half-mast high; and having fulfilled
her mournful commission, the Dido went on her
way.
CHAPTER X.
(tatlttOT,
With offerings of devotion,
Ships from the isles shall meet,
To pour the wealth of ocean
In tribute at his feet.
For he shall have dominion
O'er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle's pinion,
Or dove's light wing can soar.
Psalm*, lxxii. 8,10.—James Montgomery.
When we look abroad on a world that is rent with woe> and bur¬
dened with the curse, how gladly »ought we to turn to the prophetic
picture of the same world, clothed with the verdure of righteousness
and peace, love and joy! When we behold the wretched multi¬
tudes everywhere ground down by oppression, how cheering to think
of the happy period when kings shall be the nursing-fathers and
queens the nursing-mothers of their people—when justice will every*-
where be seen holding up her even scales—and the genius of charity
opening, on the most barbarous shores, new founts of blessing that
shall never more be sealed!—Dr Duff.
21*
We neyer hear of a great catastrophe without see¬
ing, or fancying that we see, how it might have
been averted. And it is a relief from the sharp¬
ness of sorrow to be allowed to criticise the conduct
of others, and to point out the simple precautions
which ought to have been adopted. In concluding
the foregoing narrative, many will feel that this
entire, mission was sadly mismanaged. They will
condemn the initial blunder which induced seven
men, divided betwixt two little boats, to venture
into seas so wild, and among savages so treacher¬
ous ; and in such an expedition they will say that a
strong ship, ably manned, was the true economy.
They will lament the over-sanguine calculation
which, for an imprisonment of uncertain duration,
provided supplies so very limited; and they will
allege that it was not prudent generalship, but
a foolhardy trust in the chapter of accidents,
which, far its commissariat, drew on the uncaught
fish and fowl of Euegia, and the unpurchased beef
CONCLUSION.
250
of Montevideo. They will lift up their hands at
the successive fatalities which left the ammunition
on ship-board, which lost the fishing-nets, and
which, the very first day they were used, let the
dingies go adrift. They will point out expedients
which might from time to time have been tried
with advantage; and, with the precedent of long
voyages in whale-boats and wherries, they will
wonder why the adventurers did not seek to escape
in their launches to some more friendly shore.
And, in the fair distribution of reproof, they will
blame the directors who allowed their agents to
depart so scantily provided, and who permitted
nine months instead of six to elapse betwixt the
sailing of the Ocean Queen and the despatch of ad¬
ditional supplies.
We do not deprecate discussion, and we are
assured that the community eventually gains much
from the freedom with which the proceedings of
associations and official personages are reviewed
by the organs of public opinion. And it is only
candid to add that we have felt in full force some
of the regrets which have been expressed in regard
to this Patagonian Mission. But it ought to be re¬
membered that the scanty equipment of the expedi¬
tion was necessitated by the want of funds. None
knew better than Captain Gardiner the desirable¬
ness of a large sloop or brig; but as this was
utterly unattainable, he resolved to do his best
with such launches as the Society could afford.
251
CONCLUSION.
And although an ample supply of provisions would
have been a great security, the boats could scarcely
carry more ; and believing that in the directors at
home, in correspondents at Montevideo, and in
the produce of the islands, he had three strings to
his bow, the leader of the enterprise again yielded
to his too chivalrous anxiety to spare the funds of a
Society whose treasury was low, and whose friends
were few. On the other hand, to account for the
disasters of Banner Cove and Lennox Harbour, we
would, need to exchange places with the devoted
band, and imagine ourselves an inexperienced crew
of seven persons, two of them mere landsmen,
divided betwixt two vessels, contending with cease¬
less tempests, drenched in rain, pierced with cold,
disheartened by hunger and disease, and only left
the wretched choice betwixt a coast swarming with
cannibals, and " desolate places," the domain of
frost and hunger. And to account for the delay in
forwarding supplies, we would need to exchange
places with the ofhee-bearers, and repeat the despe¬
rate search for a conveyance made by men whose
freight was no inducement to ships of any value,
and who had not the means wherewith to charter
a vessel of their own.
But from all disputes about secondary causes,
and from vain speculations about contingencies
which cannot now be realised, the Christian will
raise his thoughts to that " determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God " which ordained the
CONCLUSION.
252
result, and which overlooked none of the inter¬
vening incidents ; and, in a world which owes every¬
thing to the vicarious principle on which it is
administered, he will try to ascertain the lessons
taught by the sufferings and the self-sacrifice of
these missionary-martyrs.
To every devout reader there must be confirma¬
tion and encouragement in such a narrative as
the one now concluded. Seldom have we met with
a more striking example of " comfort in the wil¬
derness ;" and, after perusing the experience of
Mr Williams, no Christian need fear that his cir¬
cumstances will be ever so forlorn, but that the
Heavenly Comforter can still inspire him with
a " joy unspeakable and full of glory." Illumed
by an immortal prospect, the dreary cabin becomes
" none other than the gate of heaven;" and,
cheered by a celestial Visitor, the long hours of
an Antarctic night are never counted. Without
a crust of bread, the spirit is regaled with " food-
such as angels eat; " and, in a disease depressing
beyond most others, hope and exultation are the
predominant emotions. And far from repenting
their own rashness,—farther still from " charging
God foolishly,"—they congratulate their lot, on
being counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake;
and when, in their little hospital, the first death
takes place, the good soldier asks his feeble com¬
rade to join him in a hymn.
Nor is it a small matter to find that the Saviour
253
.CONCLUSION.
lias still disci pies who are willing not only to suffer,
but to die for his sake. Last century produced no
martyrs: but there is again faith in the earth;
and the convicts of Tuscany, the thousand exiles of
Madeira, the slaughtered hundreds of Madagascar,
" the martyr of Erromanga," and the proto-
evan^elists- of Fueffia, all shew that there are
o o '
many - to whom Christ is so precious, that they
are prepared to follow him to prison and to death.
But, besides their lesson of self-devotion, have
not these good confessors left to the Church a
legacy of duty ? Have not their writings, so
remarkably preserved, come back from the ends
of the earth, as a cry to go over and help these poor
degraded Indians?
With the precedents of New Zealand and the
South Sea Isles, there is nothing in the treachery,
the barbarism, nor even in the cannibalism of these
Araucanians, to make a Christian philanthropist
despair; whilst, in their position as a possible
inlet to the vast Indian populations of the main¬
land, there is a powerful inducement to early and
untiring effort.
Nor should we omit a subordinate and selfish
reason for attempting to evangelise these islanders
and their Patagonian neighbours. Within the last
five years the Straits of Magellan and the ocean
highway round Cape Horn have been traversed
by an unprecedented amount of shipping; and, as
long as this continues the main route to San Fran-
CONCLUSION.
254
Cisco, the traffic through these seas is likely to in*
crease. In such a dangerous navigation we need
not say what casualties are likely to occur; but
woe betide the ship's company which is thrown into
the hands of these savages! Last winter the ship
Porcupine, of Liverpool, was passing through the
Straits of Magellan on her way to California, when
she grounded. Next morning she was surrounded
by numerous canoes, full of natives, carrying light¬
ed pine-branches, who endeavoured to set the ship
on fire ; and it was not till after a desperate conflict,
in which two emigrants were killed and others
severely wounded, that the assailants were re¬
pulsed, and the disabled vessel was floated off and
worked back to the Falklands. And it is only five
or six years ago when the captain and crew of the
brig Avon were murdered by the same barbarians,
and two English gentlemen whom they had in¬
veigled ashore were carried off and put to death,
and their bodies, it is believed, were devoured.*
Similar casualties are too certain to recur; and
even although the governments of England and
America should send war-steamers to the station,
they cannot be ubiquitous; and, on the coercive sys¬
tem, nothing short of an extirpation of the wretched
natives can secure the castaway from the knife of
* The dangers of a detention on these coasts are vividly described
in a rough hut romantic book published in America during the pre-
sent year : " The Captive in Patagonia; or Life among the Giants.
By Benjamin Franklin Bourne." Boston : Gould and Lincoln.
255
CONCLUSION.
the cannibal. How much better—how much more
worthy of a Christian country, and how much
cheaper—to reclaim and civilise them! This the
missionary, with God's blessing, alone can accom¬
plish ; but the same agency which, all through the
Southern Archipelago, has secured for the merchant
and whaler depots of provisions and refitting sta¬
tions, and the assistance of clever mechanics, where
formerly the war-club was his only welcome,—this
agency may soon stud with gardens and farms and
industrious villages these inhospitable shores. The
church-going bell may awaken these silent forests ;
and, round its cheerful hearth and kind teachers,
the Sunday-school may assemble the now joyless
children of Navarin Island. The mariner may run
his battered ship into Lennox Harbour, and leave
her to the care of Fuegian caulkers and carpenters;
and after rambling through the streets of a thriv¬
ing seaport town, he may turn aside to read the
papers in the Gardiner Institution, or may step in
to the week-evening service in the Richard Williams
Chapel. When that day arrives, a grateful popu¬
lation will survey Cook's River and Pioneer Cove,
if not with emotions as sacred as those with which
our Old-World pilgrims visit St Paul's Bay in
Malta, and the Grotto in Patmos, at least with
feelings as tender as the Christian Briton has often
confessed on the rocks of Lindisfarn, and among
the ruins of Iona.