! ; 
 
 **N 
 
 (So. 
 
 Yn 
 
 «.■■.; sA'i • ?» 
 
 ' 
 
 BRIEF ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ~M%} vAf »>.*,.< ,:•>«( 
 
 < 
 
 ’A t 
 
 
 *•’ » - 
 
 • v * ,.v' . 
 
 MISSIONARY SHIPS 
 
 y v 4 ',. v- •.»,>. ■ . ■, 
 
 , 
 
 ■ ’ - 4 
 
 * K ‘ 
 
 (gmjjtoged in tlu Semite of tlu Pi^sioit 
 
 
 
 ON THE COAST OF 
 
 LABRADOR 
 
 FROM THE YEAR 1770 TO 1877. 
 
 July, 1877. 
 
 tLontron: 
 
 POINTED BY G. NORMAN AND SON, MAIDEN LANE, COVENT GARDEN, 
 
 FOR THE ,BRETH REN’S SOCIETY FOR THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL, AND 
 HOLD ifl^THE MORAVIAN CHURCH AND MISSION AGENCY, 32, FETTER LANE. 
 
 Price Threepence. 
 
 

 ' • . '• - . •- 
 
 , I 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2019 with funding from 
 Columbia University Libraries 
 
 https://archive.org/details/briefaccountofmiOOunse 
 
/ 
 
 HARMONY.” (LABRADOR.) 
 
LABRADOR. 
 
 Brtef Account of the Vessels employed in the Service of the Mis¬ 
 sion on the Coast of Labrador, and of the more remarhahle 
 Deliverances from imminent Peril, ivhich they have experienced from 
 the year 1770 to the present time. 
 
 [Note. —The following account is taken from Periodical Accounts, Vol. XXI. 
 Nos. ccxxii and ccxxiii. No alteration is made beyond what is required by the 
 lapse of time, and the only addition is what is requisite to bring the history down 
 to the present period.] 
 
 Tire Divine protection vonclisafed to the ships, which, for a cen¬ 
 tury, have been the medium of annual communication between the 
 settlements on the coast of Labrador and the Church at home, may 
 justly be regarded as one of the most remarkable features in the 
 history of the Brethren’s Missions. So marvellous has it been, that 
 it has arrested the attention of candid and observant men of the 
 world, as well as of children of God in various ranks of society, and 
 of various Christian denominations,—especially of such as were ex¬ 
 perienced in maritime affairs.* While the former have paid a willing, 
 and, in some instances, a practical homage to a truth, the nature and 
 value of which they were able but imperfectly to appreciate,f the 
 latter have been led to ponder with admiring gratitude the gracious 
 dealings of Jehovah with His servants and messengers, and to 
 acknowledge the striking proof hereby afforded, that “ whatsoever 
 the Lord pleaseth, that doth He in heaven and in earth, in the sea, 
 and all deep places.” (Ps. cxxxv. 6.) 
 
 * Among these may be particularly mentioned the late Admiral Lord Gambier, 
 who having, in the earlier part of his naval life, seen much service in the American 
 Seas, and for a time held the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland, was 
 well acquainted with the peculiar perils incident to the navigation of the Morth 
 Atlantic. This distinguished and truly Christian officer has more than once 
 declared, in the hearing of the writer, that he considered the preservation of the 
 Labrador ship, dui’ing so long a course of years, as the most remarkable occurrence 
 in maritime history that had come to his knowledge. 
 
 f In this light may be regarded the annually recurring fact, that the vessel 
 employed by the Society is insured by underwriters at Lloyd’s at a premium con¬ 
 siderably less than that which is charged for vessels hound to other portions of 
 British North America, including the territories of the Hudson’s Bay Company. 
 
 \ # 
 
2 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 A wish, having been often expressed that a somewhat detailed 
 account should be published relative to the vessels employed in the 
 service of the Labrador Mission, and the deliverances from imminent 
 danger which they had from time to time experienced, it has been 
 thought that the present would be a suitable occasion for the attempt 
 to gratify it.* In preparing the following statements, the Editor 
 has only to regret, that the imperfection of the materials to which 
 he has had access, including the documents in the archives of the 
 “Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel,” and the narrow limits 
 within which it is obviously necessary that he should confine himself, 
 have not allowed him to render it as complete as he should have de¬ 
 sired. It will be readily understood that the facts and circumstances 
 related are but a selection from those which might be adduced, and 
 which, to a considerable extent, have already been recorded in the 
 pages of the Periodical Accounts. To this journal the reader is 
 referred for particulars of occurrences since the year 1790. 
 
 It was at the general Synod of the Brethren’s Church, held at 
 Marienborn in the year 1769, that the resolution was definitely taken 
 to attempt the establishment of a Mission on the coast of Labrador. 
 The carrying out of this resolution was entrusted principally to the 
 “ Brethren’s Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel,” whose 
 members had already showed the lively interest which they felt in 
 the conversion of the Eskimoes, by the assistance they had rendered 
 to Erhardt in 1752, and to Haven and Drachart in 1764 and 1765, 
 in their endeavours to plant the standard of the Cross among those 
 rude and barbarous heathen. Though these several attempts had 
 been attended with no immediate success, and the first had proved 
 fatal to the leader of the enterprise, the experience acquired by 
 means of them was, in many respects, of the highest value. It served 
 to place in the clearest light the manifold difficulties and inconve¬ 
 nience inseparable from any effort to communicate with Labrador by 
 way of Newfoundland, and the consequent necessity of providing a 
 vessel for the maintenance of a direct and regular intercourse with that 
 coast, in the event of a mission being established upon it. A visit 
 of a preliminary and exploratory character having been determined 
 on in the early part of the year 1770, it became, therefore, one of the 
 first objects of the Society, to procure such a vessel, and to engage 
 the services of a trustworthy and experienced captain for the conduct 
 of the expedition. After a good deal of inquiry in London and in 
 other parts, a small sloop of eighty tons burden, called the Jersey 
 Packet ,t was purchased and fitted out by the Society, or rather, by 
 
 * For a very brief notice on this subject, see “ Retrospect of the Origin and 
 Progress of the Brethren’s Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel, and of its 
 Operations during the past 100 years.”—Periodical Accounts, Vol. xvi. pp. 1—16. 
 
 f It is a rather singular circumstance, that the only perfect document in the 
 Archives of the Society, printed or manuscript, which mentions the name of this 
 vessel—the first employed in the service of the Labrador Mission—is the proclama¬ 
 tion of Commodore Byron, at that time Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland, in 
 favour of the undertaking. This document, a token of the friendly feeling and 
 benevolent regard of an officer, whose services and sufferings have given him a 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 3 
 
 “ the ship’s company,”* and the command of her given to Captain 
 Francis Mugford. She is described, in a MS. letter of Br. Benj. 
 La Trobe to the Directing Board of the Unity, as not only u a tight 
 and sound ship, but also a prime sailer, readily obedient to the helm, 
 and out-sailing all the vessels on the river on the passage down to 
 Gravesend.” From the same letter, it appears, that the brethren, 
 wdio were connected with this expedition in one or other capacity, 
 were ten in number, of whom Jens Haven, Lawrence Drachart, and 
 Stephen Jensen, were considered the leaders.f The vessel, after 
 calling at Lymington, Hants, for a supply of sails, and at Exmouth, 
 in Devonshire, for a quantity of fishing tackle, the gift of Mr. S. 
 Parminter, himself an honorary member of the Society, proceeded 
 
 name in the naval annals of his country, and who was the grandfather of the late 
 celebrated Lord Byron, and of his cousin, the present estimable bearer of that title, 
 is herewith subjoined, Its contents, which are in entire harmony with the Order in 
 Coancil, granted by his Majesty King George III. in 1769, afford an additional 
 evidence of the praiseworthy intentions of the British Government, in sanctioning 
 and promoting the establishment of the Mission in Labrador. 
 
 “ By His Excellency the Hon. John Byron, Governor and Commander-in-Chief 
 in and over the Island of Newfoundland, the Coast of Labrador, &c.: — 
 
 “ Whereas His Majesty was pleased, by an Order of Council, May 3rd, 1769, to 
 encourage the Unitas Eratrum, and their Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel 
 among the Heathen, to make a settlement on the northern coast of Labrador, for 
 the purposes of civilising and instructing the savages inhabiting that coast, and to 
 permit and allow certain persons, in trust for the Unitas Fratrum and its Society 
 for the Furtherance of the Gospel, to occupy and possess, during His Majesty’s 
 pleasure, a certain quantity of land, in such part of Eskimo Bay, on the coast of 
 Labrador, as they should find most suitable for the purpose ; 
 
 “ And whereas His Majesty did at the same time order, that the Governor or 
 Commander-in-Chief of Newfoundland, for the time being, do give them all reason¬ 
 able assistance and support in forming the said establishment, and in His Majesty’s 
 name to warn all persons from molesting or disturbing the said settlers ; and 
 whereas certain persons, who are members of the said Society for the Furtherance 
 of the Gospel have purchased the ‘ Jersey Packet ’ (Francis Mugford, commander), 
 burthen 80 tons, square sterned, plantation-built, in order to go this year to the 
 coast of Labrador, to converse with the Eskimoes, and try to bring them to a 
 peaceable temper, and to look out for such parts on or near Eskimo Bay as may 
 suit best for the purpose of establishing a Mission of the Unitas Fratrum, and to 
 that end have engaged some Missionaries to go on board the said ‘ Jersey Packet ’ 
 for the laudable purposes aforesaid 
 
 “ These are therefore to certify, to all persons whom it may concern, that this 
 establishment is undertaken and formed under His Majesty’s express direction and 
 authority, whose protection they are under. And all officers, civil and military, and 
 all other His Majesty’s subjects within my government, are hereby strictly charged 
 and required, not to give any interruption or hindrance to the said Mission, but 
 that they do afford the said Brethren all friendly assistance for the success of their 
 pious undertaking, calculated for the benefit of mankind in general, and for the 
 Kingdom of Great Britain in particular. 
 
 “ Given under my hand this 21st day of April, 1770. 
 
 “ By his Excellency’s command, “ J. Byron. 
 
 “ Henry Stacy.” 
 
 * This company, consisting for the most part of brethren who were members of 
 the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel, but acting independently of that 
 body, continued to have the management of the ship and the barter traffic with the 
 Eskimoes till the year 1797, when it was dissolved, and its functions transferred to 
 the Society. (See “Retrospect,” pp. 7, 14.) 
 
 j- See also Kolbing’s “ History of the Missions in Greenland and Labrador,” 
 (in 1831, German). 
 
4 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 on lier voyage to Labrador, where, under the protecting care of 
 God, she arrived in safety on the 24th of July. The result of this 
 expedition was the establishment of the most friendly relations with 
 the Eskimo population, and the selection, with their full concur¬ 
 rence, of a suitable locality for a missionary settlement. After 
 accomplishing these important objects, the whole party returned to 
 England in the autumn of the same year.* 
 
 In the course of the following winter, the final arrangements were 
 made for the establishment of the long proposed Mission. The 
 Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel, having deliberately and 
 cheerfully renewed its engagement to care for the temporal support 
 of the Mission,!" a vessel of somewhat larger dimensions, called The 
 Amity , was purchased by the ship’s company, and, having been fur¬ 
 nished by the Society with stores of every kind, requisite for the 
 commencement of the intended station, was despatched to the coast 
 of Labrador, under the orders of Captain Mugford. Among the 
 company on board, consisting of fourteen persons, were the Bm. 
 Haven, Brasen, and Schneider, with their wives, and the veteran 
 
 * As a specimen of the simple yet stedfast faith of the leaders of this blessed 
 enterprise, and of the favour manifested towards it by individuals high in office, it 
 may not he altogether irrelevant to give the following extract from the letter of 
 Br. Benjamin La Trobe, already referred to, describing the interview with Lord 
 Hillsborough, the Secietary of State for the American Colonies, to which he was 
 admitted on the 1st of May, 1770, with the Brn. Drachart and Haven :— 
 
 r ‘ Having introduced the Brethren above named, I informed his Lordship that 
 they were desirous of thanking him for his great kindness, and of taking their 
 respectful leave of him, previous to their approaching departure for Labrador. His 
 Lordship inquired, whether Drachart could speak English ? ‘ No.’ Where he had 
 been for some time past? ‘ In Yorkshire.’ And cannot speak English ? Drachart 
 replied, ‘that he was too old to learn.’ He looked at Drachart with concern, and 
 said: c Dear Sir, then you are certainly too old to go to Labrador, if you are too old 
 to learn English and turning to me, he added: ‘ Indeed, Sir, you should not send 
 this old gentleman to such a savage people.’ I told his Lordship, that it was his 
 own earnest desire to go. He answered : ‘ I protest, you are the only true public- 
 spirited people I know; and may God prosper you.’ Drachart being told what his 
 Lordship had said, pointed upwards and replied : ‘ There is One above, who can 
 bring me through, and if He only gives me grace to see one more Eskimo brought 
 to the feet of Jesus with my dear Karpik, I shall esteem all difficulties light.’ This 
 was interpreted to his Lordship. He was much pleased and struck, and remarked: 
 ‘Well, indeed, I know no people like you.’ At the same time he bemoaned the 
 death of poor Karpik, owing to an attack of small-pox, and said : ‘ If you had 
 spoken a word to me, he should have been inoculated.’ ” 
 
 It is proper to observe, in explanation of the foregoing, that Br. Drachart had 
 been for twelve years a missionary in Greenland, where the English language 
 was not spoken, and where he consequently had no opportunity of learning it; but 
 that the knowledge of Greenlandic which he had acquired was of the greatest 
 importance to the brethren engaged in the attempt to bring the Gospel to the 
 Eskimoes. To the Eskimo youth Karpik, who bad been sent to England in 1769, 
 by Governor Palliser, and placed in the Brethren’s School at Eulneck, in York¬ 
 shire, Drachart had been the instrument of much spiritual good. By the blessing 
 of the Lord on his faithful instruction, imparted in a language which he could 
 readily understand, this poor heathen was converted to the faith of Christ, and 
 having been baptized by Br. Drachart on his sick-bed, departed happily on the 4th 
 of October in the same year,'—being the first fruits of the Eskimo nation. (See 
 “ Retrospect,” p. 6.)— Ed. 
 
 f See “ Retrospect,” Periodical Accounts, Yol. xvi. pp. 7, 10. 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 5 
 
 Greenland missionary, Lawrence Dracharfc. Having been solemnly 
 commended to the grace and protecting care of God in a meeting of 
 the congregation, held on the 5th of May, in the Brethren’s Chapel 
 in Fetter-lane, they sailed from the Thames on the 8th of the same 
 month. After a tedious voyage of thirteen weeks, by way of St. 
 John’s, Newfoundland, they reached the place of their destination, 
 Nunengoak or Unity’s Bay, on the 9th of August. During the latter 
 portion of the voyage, they encountered many perils, being often 
 obliged by storms to run into bays, between numberless islands and 
 sunken rocks, and being surrounded at times by vast mountains of ice 
 and icefields, threatening momentary destruction to the vessel. Here 
 they were received with great joy by the Eskimoes, and in a short 
 time proceeded to the settlement of Nain, the oldest missionary sta¬ 
 tion of the four now existing in Labrador, and ordinarily the resi¬ 
 dence of the superintendent of the Mission. The Amity returned to 
 London in safety on the 26th of September. 
 
 The details of the expedition to the northward, undertaken in 
 August, 1774, by the Brn. Brasen, Lehman, Haven, and Lister, for 
 the purpose of fixing on a suitable place for a second settlement, do 
 not fall within the scope of this article. It is well known to the 
 readers of our missionary history, that the small sloop in which they 
 performed it was totally wrecked on their return near the rocky 
 promontory of Kiglapeit, and that the Bm. Brasen and Lehman lost 
 their lives in the attempt to reach the shore.* The establishment of 
 Okak, in the course of the following year (1775), of Hopedale, in 
 the year 1782, near the spot where Erhardt first landed in 1752, and 
 near which he lost his life, and at Hebron, in the Bay of Kanger- 
 tluksoak, in 1831, however interesting in themselves, are events con¬ 
 nected with the history of the Mission rather than with that of the 
 ships, which is the proper object of this paper. We therefore return 
 to the Amity , which we left at anchor in the Thames, on her safe ar¬ 
 rival from her first visit to Labrador. 
 
 On her second voyage in 1772, she proceeded first to the banks of 
 Newfoundland for the purpose of fishing, the hope being entertained, 
 that, by the profit derived from the fishery, a portion of the very large 
 expense attendant on the new undertaking might be defrayed. Owing 
 to this arrangement, the Amity did not reach Nain till the end of 
 October, the little missionary colony at that place having meanwhile 
 nearly given up all hope of her arrival, and consequently of obtaining 
 any additional supply of provisions. They had but two pieces of 
 butcher’s meat left, and very little food of any kind. They had there¬ 
 fore sought and gathered all the black and red berries growing upon 
 the neighbouring hills,f dried them, and laid them carefully by. Thus 
 circumstanced, their distress was turned into the greater joy, when 
 the ship at length appeared in Unity’s harbour on the 28th of Octo¬ 
 ber. “ Had you seen the joy that reigned among us,” writes one of 
 
 * See “ Memoir of Br. Jens Haven,” Periodical Accounts, Vol. xvii. p. 458. 
 f The Empctrum nigrum , and the various species of Vaccinium, found in these 
 
6 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 the Missionaries, “ when we heard that the ship was really arrived, 
 yon would never forget it, for we had given her up, and had resigned 
 ourselves to the extremist poverty. I cannot say that a dejected 
 spirit prevailed among us ; but we were resolved to submit to what¬ 
 ever might happen, hoping and believing, that He who had sent us 
 hither, who had numbered our very hairs, and without whose per¬ 
 mission not one of them could fall to the ground, would mercifully 
 preserve us.” In another letter it is remarked, “ the ship’s staying 
 away so long had two effects—first, it convinced us that nothing is too 
 hard for the Lord, and that He can command the seas to remain open 
 even to this late period of the year, so as to allow the approach of the 
 vessel sent for our relief. In the second place it made us all the 
 more thankful for the provision sent us.” It was late in December 
 before the ship returned to her moorings in the Thames.* 
 
 Of the voyages performed by the Amity in the years 1773 to 1776, 
 inclusive, nothing of interest appears to be on record. In 1777, a 
 sloop of seventy tons, called The Good Intent , took her place in the 
 service of the Society, and retained it till the year 1780. It was on 
 the return of this vessel from her second voyage, in the autumn of 
 1778, that she had the misfortune to be captured by a French pri¬ 
 vateer. In this instance, however, as in so many others, the Lord 
 was pleased mercifully to interpose for the prevention alike of serious 
 loss to the Society, and of material inconvenience to the Mission in 
 Labrador. The vessel was re-captured by a British cruiser before 
 she could reach a French port; and, though the captain and crew 
 were carried into Dunkirk, together with the letters and journals of 
 the missionaries, the latter were immediately given up to the Society, 
 (for the most part unopened) on the application of its President, Br. 
 James Hutton, to the French Minister of Marine ; and the former 
 were exchanged, in the course of the ensuing spring, by means of the 
 “ cartel ” which was at the time in course of negociation.f In one 
 important particular, the occurrence just referred to proved a 
 positive benefit to the Society. It was the occasion of a safe-con¬ 
 duct being granted to the vessel by the King of France, and by the 
 American Minister at the Court of Versailles, the celebrated Dr. 
 Benjamin Franklin, empowering her to pass unmolested by the 
 cruisers of both nations, on her voyage to and from the coast of 
 Labrador. £ 
 
 * “Brief Account of the Mission among the Esquimaux on the coast of 
 Labrador,” by Benj. La Trobe, London, 1784. 
 
 f “ Minutes of the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel,” of February 16th 
 and March 16th, 1779. 
 
 f The interesting documents by which this privilege was conferred, and which 
 do so much honour to the benevolent feelings of the parties by whom they were 
 respectively issued, are herewith subjoined. They are derived from manuscript 
 copies in the archives of the Society. 
 
 “Passport for an English Vessel. By the King 
 
 “ To our dear and well-beloved cousin, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of 
 Penthievre, Admiral of France; to the Vice-Admirals; Lieutenant-Generals of our 
 naval forces, commanders of the licet, captains in command of our vessels, and to 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 7 
 
 Between the years 1780 and 1786 inclusive, the Amity was again 
 employed in the service of the Labrador Mission ; the command of 
 the vessel being, however, resigned in 1782 by Captain Mugford in 
 favour of Br. James Fraser, who had acted as mate during several 
 voyages. In April, 1787, the first Harmony was launched at Bursle- 
 don, near Southampton, having been built there under the friendly 
 superintendence of Mr. Thomas Mitchell, one of the deputy surveyors 
 of the Navy, and an honorary member of the Society. She was a 
 brig of 133 tons, and proved an excellent ship throughout the whole 
 of her service of fifteen years. 
 
 The first six voyages performed by the Harmony appear to have been 
 attended with no circumstances deserving particular notice ; but the 
 seventh, in the year 1793, is remarkable, as having been the longest 
 recorded in the annals of the Society. This is in part attributable 
 to her detention of above two months at Okak, while an attempt 
 was being made by the people on board to catch whales in the neigh¬ 
 bourhood of that settlement, but in part also, to the perils of the 
 seas, which she encountered on her passage thence to the Orkneys. 
 The following is the report of the voyage home, contained in the 
 eleventh number of the Periodical Accounts:— 
 
 those of our subjects who are engaged in cruising; to the commanders at our ports, 
 coast guards, governors of our maritime towns and stations, mayors, consuls, 
 sheriffs, lieutenants of the Admiralty, and to all our other officers and subjects 
 whom it may concern, Greeting :— 
 
 “ Whereas we have permitted Captain Mugford, commander of the English 
 vessel, 1 The Good Intent ,’ about 60 or 66 tons burden, and manned by six sailors, 
 to go from London to the coast of Labrador, and to return from Labrador, with a 
 cargo of provisions, the destination of which is known to us : We will and com¬ 
 mand you, to allow said vessel to pass safe and free, going from London to Labrador, 
 and returning from Labrador to London, provided she be not laden with any other 
 merchandise but as above mentioned, nor carry any other person but the ship’s 
 crew. This present passport is to avail for one voyage only. 
 
 “ This is our pleasure. Given at Versailles, 15th of April, 1779. 
 
 “ By order of the King, “ Louis. 
 
 “ De Sartine.” 
 
 “ To all Captains and Commanders of vessels of war, Privateers, Letters of 
 Marque, belonging to the United States of America. 
 
 “ Gentlemen.—The religious Society, commonly called the Moravian Brethren, 
 having established a Mission on the coast of Labrador, for the conversion of the 
 savages there to the Christian religion, which has already had good effects in turning 
 them from their ancient practices of surprising, plundering, and murdering such 
 white people, Americans and Europeans, as for the purposes of trade or fishery 
 happened to come on that coast, and persuading them to lead a new life of honest 
 industry, and to treat strangers with humanity and kindness : 
 
 “ And it being necessary for the support of this useful Mission, that a small 
 vessel should go there every year, to furnish supplies and necessaries for the Mis¬ 
 sionaries and their converts, which vessel, for the present year, is a sloop of about 
 70 tons, called ‘ The Good Intent ,’ whereof is master, Captain Francis Mugford: 
 
 “ This is to request you, that, if the said vessel should happen to fall into your 
 hands, you would not suffer her to be plundered, or hindered in her voyage, but 
 on the contrary, would afford her any assistance she may stand in need of : wherein 
 I am confident your conduct will be approved of by the Congress and your owners. 
 
 “ Given at Passy, this lltli day of April, 1779. 
 
 “ Benj. Franklin, 
 
 “ Minister Plenipotentiary, from the United States at the Court of France,” 
 
 2 
 
8 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 “ The Harmony left Okak on the 22nd of November, with the 
 “ missionaries David Kriegelstein and William Turner, and their 
 “ wives, on board. Their passage to the Orkneys was remarkably 
 “ boisterous, and for several days and nights it blew so hard, and 
 “ the sea ran so high, that the captain and seamen were under great 
 “ apprehension for the safety of the ship. However, through the 
 “ kind providence of God, they arrived safe, on the 25th of Decem- 
 “ ber at Stromness, from whence we received the first account of the 
 “ ship’s return on the 13th of January. The Society had suffered 
 “ some uneasiness, on account of the unusual delay of her return, 
 “ which led to various conjectures. As we naturally supposed, that, 
 “ by going with the Hudson’s Bay convoy in May, she must arrive 
 “ rather too early on the coast to find an easy entrance into any of 
 “ our harbours, on account of the great quantity of drift-ice at that 
 “ time of the year, some feared that a misfortune might have befallen 
 “ her among the ice ; or, supposing her safely arrived on the coast, 
 “ that she was blocked up by the ice entering the bay of Okak in 
 “ autumn, which had been nearly the case last year; or that she had 
 “ met with some accident in returning home at so late a season, in 
 “ the late severe storms. Though we did not lose that confidence in 
 “ God, with which we are jnstly inspired, when we consider that He 
 “ has graciously averted all harm from the ship and company, now 
 “ above twenty years, yet we must own that the prospect appeared 
 “ rather gloomy ; and we frequently joined in the prayer that He 
 “ would bring the ship and our brethren safe to us. He answered 
 “ our prayers, and our fears were put to shame. From Yarmouth 
 “ Roads, we received on the 18th, the painful account, that Br. 
 “ Kriegelstein had departed this life on the passage thither, by oc- 
 “ casion of an inflammatory disorder in his lungs. He had been on 
 “ shore at Stromness, where the company went to church. Both at 
 “ church and in returning on board, after walking a good deal for 
 “ exercise, he appears to have caught a violent cold, which at length 
 “ brought on an inflammation, and hastened his dissolution. He 
 “ expected it himself, and expressed his resignation to the will of the 
 “ Lord, to whom he had devoted himself in life and death. The 
 “ letter, which brought the account of his departure, mentioned, 
 “ at the same time, that the rest of the passengers, and almost the 
 “ whole crew, were ailing ; upon which, two members of the Society 
 “ went down the river to meet them, and to administer some comfort 
 ££ and assistance, especially to the widow of our late brother. They 
 “ met the shij) in Long Reach, and arrived with the passengers in 
 “ London, on the 20th of January. The corpse of our late Br. 
 “ Kriegelstein was also safely brought on shore, and interred, on the 
 “ 22nd, in our burial ground at Chelsea.” 
 
 In 1797, the Harmony was mercifully preserved from capture on 
 her passage home. Having sailed from Hopedale on the 22nd of Sep¬ 
 tember, she reached Stromness, in the Orkneys, on the 10th of Oc¬ 
 tober. Here she found the Apollo frigate, Captain Manley, destined 
 to convoy the Hudson’s Bay ships home. Two of the latter arrived 
 on the 11 tli at Stromness, but the third being still missing, and not 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 9 
 
 arriving up to tlie 25th, the Apollo proceeded in quest of her; and, 
 after some days, fell in with a French frigate, cruising for the Hud¬ 
 son’s Bay ships, which she attacked and compelled to strike. This 
 frigate had been discovered by the Harmony , in a moonlight night, 
 some days previous to her arrival at Stromness, a few miles to the 
 south, and it is to be considered as a merciful interposition of God’s 
 providence, that she was not perceived by the enemy and captured. 
 During the Apollo’s absence, the third ship arrived ; and, on the 
 23rd of November, the whole convoy left Stromness, and reached 
 the Thames in safety. Captain Manley, of the Apollo, honoured the 
 missionaries with a visit, and showed them every kind attention. 
 
 At Stromness, they were very cordially received by a gentleman 
 belonging to the Edinburgh Missionary Society, who took every 
 opportunity of conversing with them and introducing them to his 
 friends. He also presented them with a copy of the numbers of the 
 Missionary Magazine, published by the Rev. Mr. Ewing, by the 
 perusal of which they were much pleased and edified during the 
 voyage home.* 
 
 The most striking deliverance of the vessel from hostile attacks 
 was, however, that which marked the year 1803, and which cannot be 
 better described than in the language of the Periodical Accounts.f 
 The following notice of the voyage was appended, by the editor, to 
 the letters received from the missionaries in Labrador, in the autumn 
 of that year :— 
 
 “The 'Resolution J left London on the 7th of June, and proceeded 
 “ (as usual in times of war) with the Hudson’s Bay convoy to the 
 “ Orkneys, from whence she made the best of her way to Labrador, 
 “ but was three weeks detained by the ice on the coast, before she 
 “ could reach Okak. After transacting the usual business at the 
 “ three settlements, Captain Fraser hastened back to the Orkneys, 
 “ to meet the convoy taking the Hudson’s Bay ships home, which, 
 “ during the whole of the last war, he never failed to effect. But, 
 “ this year, it pleased God to put our faith and patience to some 
 “ trial; for the convoy arriving in the river without him, and no 
 “ tidings whatever reaching us till the 23rd of December, we began 
 “ to entertain great apprehensions for the safety of the ship ; more 
 “ especially as there had been, about the usual time of her arrival 
 “ at Stromness, some very violent storms in the northern seas, which 
 “ proved the total destruction of many vessels. At length a letter 
 “ from Captain Fraser, dated at Stromness, December 5th, relieved 
 “ us from our fears, and created within us the most lively sense of 
 “ gratitude to God for the merciful preservation granted to him on 
 “ his passage. He left Hopedale on the 10th of October, and in 
 “ sixteen days was within about three days’ sail of the Orkneys, 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Yol. ii. p. 138. 
 f Periodical Accounts, Vol. iii. p. 256. 
 
 f This vessel, a Spanish prize, had been purchased by the Society, on the sale of 
 the Harmo7iy in 1802. 
 
10 
 
 ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 “ when strong easterly gales drove him back, and kept him three 
 “ weeks longer at sea. But the very storms we dreaded, proved, by 
 “ God’s great mercy, the means of liis deliverance from the enemy. 
 “ On the 18th of November he was chased by a French frigate, 
 “ brought to, and forced to keep her company. But the sea ran so 
 “ high, that it was impossible for the frigate to get out a boat to 
 “ board the Resolution , and continued so during the night and the 
 “ following day. The second night proving extremely dark and 
 “ boisterous, the captain, setting as much sail as the ship would carry, 
 “ ventured to attempt his escape, and in the morning saw no more of 
 “ the frigate. But two days after, he had the mortification to meet 
 “ her again, and to be chased and brought to a second time. Again 
 “ the Lord interposed in his and our behalf. The wind was so violent, 
 “ that the frigate could not put out a boat, and during the following 
 “ night, the captain, crowding all sail, escaped again, and saw no more 
 “ of the enemy. On December 2nd he reached Stromness. During 
 “ the tremendous storms in this month he lay there in safety, and 
 “ arrived in the river on the 15th of January, 1804.” 
 
 In the year 1808 the Resolution was exchanged for the Hector; 
 and this vessel, before tw r o months had elapsed, gave place to the 
 Jemima , a much better ship, which performed the voyage to Labrador 
 in the summer of the following year. It may be safely asserted, that 
 no vessel employed by the Society, during a period of fourscore years, 
 has encountered such dangers, been so roughly handled, or experi¬ 
 enced protection and deliverance so marvellous as this little brig of 
 180 tons, which having been purchased, and not built like the four 
 “ Harmonys,” expressly for the Arctic service, was less fitted to 
 encounter its peculiar perils. 
 
 On her third voyage in 1811, she sailed from the Thames on the 
 7th of June, but was unable to leave Yarmouth Hoads till nearly a 
 month after that date, owing to some circumstance connected wdth 
 the convoy. Her passage across the Atlantic was unusually boister¬ 
 ous, and it was the 8th of September before she arrived at Hopedale, 
 six weeks later than in the year preceding. In this very delay, the 
 providential care of God w r as however plainly manifested, as there was 
 not only an unusual quantity, but also a long continuance of drift- 
 ice upon the coast. Even had she reached it earlier, she could not 
 have attempted, without the greatest risk, to force a passage through 
 it. On her subsequent voyage from Nain to Okak, the weather was 
 severe in the extreme, and the mercy of God in her preservation was 
 thankfully acknowledged by all on board. The cold was so intense, 
 though it w r as only September, that the running rigging could not 
 w T ork through the blocks, and the sails once set, could not have been 
 furled, had it been needful. Indeed, the sails themselves were ren¬ 
 dered so stiff by the frost as to be quite unmanageable. But it 
 pleased the Lord to grant wind and weather so favourable, that 
 nothing further was required than to steer the vessel. On reaching 
 Okak on the 29th of September, the sailors were obliged to go aloft, 
 and strike off the ice, before they could furl the sails. Another cir¬ 
 cumstance attending this tedious and perilous voyage is deserving of 
 notice, viz. that her late arrival at Okak afforded time for the return 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIRS. 
 
 11 
 
 of the Bra. Kolilmeister and Kmocli to that settlement, from their 
 adventurous voyage to Ungava-bay, and for the consequent trans¬ 
 mission to London of their interesting journals.* 
 
 The year 1816, as is well known, was marked by a calamity, 
 similar to that which befel the Mission to Labrador, in 1853, though 
 happily affecting only one out of the three stations then existing, 
 viz. Hopedale, the most southern. What cause of thankfulness to 
 our gracious God is afforded by the fact, that the failures referred 
 to are the only ones on record during more than one hundred years ! 
 
 The report of the voyage of 1816, contained in the Periodical 
 Accounts, j" is prefaced with the remark, that the elements seemed to 
 have undergone some revolution in Labrador as in Europe, during 
 the summer of that year. On reaching the drift-ice on the 16th of 
 July, Capt. Fraser found it to extend to a distance of full 200 miles 
 from the coast, and after attempting in vain to find a passage through 
 it, first to Hopedale, then to Hain, and lastly to Okak, he found 
 himself by degrees completely enclosed by the ice. For six days and 
 nights the vessel was in the most imminent danger of being crushed 
 to pieces; nor was it without great and continuous exertions, that 
 she was at length brought to the outer edge. This conflict with the 
 frozen element lasted forty-nine days, at the close of which the Jemima 
 reached Okak in safety, to the astonishment of the Eskimoes as well 
 as of the missionaries. The very next day, August 30th, the whole 
 coast, as far as the eye could discover, was entirely choked up by 
 the ice, which presented such obstacles to the navigation, that Capt. 
 Fraser was twice driven back by it, on his passage from Okak to 
 Nain. On the 3rd of October he attempted to proceed to Hopedale ; 
 but, though the weather was fine, he had himself but little expecta¬ 
 tion of reaching that settlement. This feeling of his, which he men¬ 
 tioned to the missionaries at Nain, did not however prevent Br. and 
 Sr. Kmoch and the Brn. Christensen and Korner, from going on 
 board the ship, in pursuance of the appointment to Hopedale which 
 they had received. On the very evening of their departure from 
 Nain, it began to blow exceedingly hard, with an immense fall of 
 snow and very thick weather. Being nnable to see a ship’s length, 
 and being within half a mile of a dangerous reef, the captain was 
 obliged to carry some sail to clear it, which he did but just accom¬ 
 plish. The gale subsequently increasing, and the wind being right 
 on shore, he could not venture to carry sail any longer, and was 
 obliged to lay the ship to, although the sea broke continually over it. 
 After contending for two successive days with the furious elements, 
 he was at length compelled, on the 5th of October, to abandon the 
 attempt to reach Hopedale, and bear away for England. On the 
 homeward passage a gale resembling a hurricane was encountered on 
 the 8th, 9th, and 10th of October, which in the night, between the 
 two latter days, was so violent, that the captain expected the ship 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Vol. v. p. 135. See also “ Journal of a Voyage from Okak 
 on the coast of Labrador to Ungava Bay,” by the Brn. B. Kolilmeister and George 
 Kmoch, missionaries of the Church of the United Brethren, p. 33. London, 1814. 
 f Periodical Accounts, Vol. vi. p. 270. 
 
 3 
 
12 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 would have foundered. At one time slie was struck by a sea that 
 twisted her in such a manner that the very seams on her larboard 
 side opened, and the water gushed into the cabin and the mate’s 
 berth, as from a pump. The Lord was, however, pleased to protect 
 both ship and company from serious injury, and to bring them in 
 safety to the Thames, on the 28th of October. 
 
 After spending the winter in England, Br. and Sr. Kmoch returned 
 to Labrador the following year, accompanied by the Brn. Korner and 
 Beck. They were, however, destined to encounter perils on their 
 passage out, exceeding in number and in magnitude even those 
 which had rendered the voyage of 1816 so memorable. As a lively 
 and correct account of the dangers, which are more or less attendant 
 on Arctic navigation, even in latitudes much lower than those which 
 have recently witnessed the achievements and endurances of our 
 gallant countrymen, and as a record of the wonderful help and pro¬ 
 tection vouchsafed by the Lord to His feeble servants, the following 
 extracts from the Journal of Br. Kmoch cannot fail to be acceptable 
 to our readers.* Graphic in themselves, and exhibiting considerable 
 power of observation and description, they afford a pleasing insight 
 into the character of the writer, who, as the patriarch of the Labrador 
 Mission, at the age of more than fourscore years, entered the hea- 
 venlv rest. 
 
 V 
 
 After describing the voyage of the Jemima to Stromness, whence 
 she sailed on the 14th of June, and the favourable passage across the 
 Atlantic, up to the close of the month, Br. Kmoch proceeds :—- 
 
 “ Between the 4th and 5th of July, we heard and saw many ice- 
 “ birds. This bird is about the size of a starling, black, with white 
 “ and yellow spots, and is met with about 200 English miles from the 
 “ Labrador coast. When the sailors hear it, they know that they 
 “ are not far from the ice. It flies about a ship chiefly in the night, 
 “ and is known by its singular voice, which resembles a loud laugh. 
 
 “ 7th. The morning was cold and rainy. In all directions, drift- 
 “ ice was to be seen. In the afternoon it cleared up a little, and we 
 “ entered an opening in the ice, looking like a bay. The continual 
 “ rustling and roaring of the ice reminded us of the noise made by the 
 “ carriages in the streets of London, when one is standing in the 
 “ golden gallery of St. Paul’s cathedral. The mountains and large 
 “ flakes of ice take all manner of singular forms, some resembling 
 “ castles, others churches, waggons, and even creatures of various 
 “ descriptions. As we or they changed positions, the same objects 
 “ acquired a quite different appearance; and what had before ap- 
 “ peared like a church, looked like a huge floating monster. Sitting 
 “ on deck, and contemplating these wonderful works of God, I almost 
 “ lost myself in endeavouring to solve the question,—‘ for what pur- 
 “ pose these exhibitions are made, when so few can behold them, as 
 “ they so soon vanish, by returning to their former fluid and unde- 
 “ fined state.’ But surely everything is done with design, though 
 “ short-sighted man cannot comprehend it. Having in vain exerted 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Yol. vi. p. 397. 
 
ACCOUNT OP TIIE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 13 
 
 “ ourselves to penetrate tlirougli the ice, we returned at night into 
 “ the open sea. 
 
 “ 14th. Land was discovered a-head. It was the coast of Labrador, 
 “ sixty or eighty miles south of Hopedale. We were close to the 
 “ ice, and as a small opening presented itself, the captain ventured 
 “ to push in, hoping, if he could penetrate, to find open water between 
 “ the ice and the coast. For some time we got nearer to the land, 
 
 “ but were obliged at night to fasten the ship with two grapnels to a 
 “ large field. This was elevated between five and six feet above the 
 “ water’s edge, and between fifty and sixty feet in thickness below it. 
 
 “ It might be 300 feet in diameter, flat at the top, and as smooth as 
 “ a meadow covered with snow. The wind has but little power 
 “ over such huge masses, and they move very slowly with the cur- 
 “ rent. There are small streams and pools of fresh water found in 
 “ all those large pieces. Our situation now defended us against the 
 “ smaller flakes, which rushed by and were turned off by the large 
 “ field, without reaching the ship. We were all well pleased with 
 “ our place of refuge, and lay here three whole days, with the 
 “ brightest weather, and as safe as in the most commodious haven ; 
 “ but I cannot say that I felt easy, though I hid my anxiety from 
 “ the party. I feared that a gale of wind might overtake us in this 
 “ situation, and carry fields larger than that in which we lay, when 
 “ the most dreadful consequences might ensue; and the sequel 
 “ proved that I was not much mistaken. 
 
 “ On the 17th, the wind came round to the south, and we con- 
 “ ceived fresh hopes of the way being rendered open for us. 
 
 “ 18th. The weather was clear, and the wind in our favour ; we 
 “ therefore took up our grapnel, got clear of our floating haven, and 
 “ again endeavoured to penetrate through some small openings. 
 “ Both we and the ship’s company were peculiarly impressed with 
 “ gratitude for the protection and rest we had enjoyed, and the 
 “ warmth of a summer’s sun felt very comfortable among these 
 “ masses of ice. The clearness of the atmosphere to-day caused them 
 “ to appear singularly picturesque. It seemed as if we were sur- 
 “ rounded by immense white walls and towers. In the afternoon, 
 “ we had penetrated to the open water, between the ice and the 
 “ land, but we durst not venture nearer, as the sea is here full of 
 “ sunken rocks, and the captain knew of no harbour on this part of 
 “ the coast. Having found another large piece of ice convenient 
 “ for the purpose, we fastened the ship to it. In the evening, a 
 “ thick fog overspread us from the north-east, and we were again 
 “ quite surrounded by ice, which, however, was soon after dispersed 
 “ by a strong north-west wind. 
 
 “ In the night, between the 19th and 20th, we were driven back 
 “ by a strong current to nearly the same situation we had left on the 
 “ 17th, only somewhat nearer the coast. On the 20th, the morning 
 “ was fine, and we vainly endeavoured to get clear, but towards even- 
 “ ing the sky lowered, and it grew very dark. The air also felt so 
 “ oppressive that we all went to bed, and every one of us was troubled 
 “ with uneasy dreams. At midnight we heard a great noise on deck. 
 “ We hastened thither to know the cause, and found the ship driving 
 
14 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 “ fast towards a huge ice mountain, on which we expected every mo- 
 “ ment to suffer shipwreck. The sailors exerted themselves to the 
 “ utmost, but it was by God’s merciful providence alone that we 
 “ were saved. The night was exceedingly cold with rain, and the 
 “ poor people suffered much. We were now driven to and fro at the 
 “ mercy of the ice, till one in the morning, when we succeeded in 
 “ fastening the ship again to a large field. But all this was only the 
 “ prelude to greater terrors. Deliverance from danger is so gratify- 
 “ ing, that it raises one’s spirits above the common level. We made 
 “ a hearty breakfast, and retired again into our cabins. At one 
 “ o’clock the cook, in his usual boisterous way, aroused us by an- 
 “ nouncing dinner, and putting a large piece of pork and a huge 
 “ pudding upon the table, of which we partook with a good appetite, 
 “ but in silence, everyone seemingly buried in thought, or only half 
 “ awake. Shortly after, the wind changed to north-east and north, 
 “ increasing gradually, till it turned into a furious storm. Top-masts 
 “ were lowered, and everything done to ease the ship. We now saw 
 “ an immense ice-mountain at a distance, towards which we were 
 “ driving, without the power of turning aside. Between six and 
 “ seven, we were again roused by a great outcry on deck. We ran 
 “ up, and saw onr ship, with the field to which we were fast, with 
 “ great swiftness approaching towards the mountain; nor did there 
 “ appear the smallest hope of escaping being crushed to atoms be- 
 “ tween it and the field. However, by veering out as much cable as 
 “ we could, the ship got to such a distance, that the mountain passed 
 “ through between us and the field. We all cried fervently to the 
 “ Lord for speedy help in this most perilous situation, for if we had 
 “ but touched the mountain, we must have been instantly destroyed. 
 “ One of our cables was broken, and we lost a grapnel; the ship also 
 “ sustained some damage. But we were now left to the mercy of 
 “ the storm and current, both of which were violent; and exposed 
 “ likewise to the large fields of ice, which floated all around us, 
 “ being from ten to twenty feet in thickness. The following night 
 “was dreadfully dark, the heavens covered with the blackest clouds 
 “ driven by a furious wind, the roaring and the howling of the ice 
 “as it moved along, the fields shoving and dashing against each 
 “ other, were truly terrible, A fender was made of a large beam, 
 “ suspended by ropes to the ship’s sides, to secure her in some mea- 
 “ sure from the ice; but the ropes were soon cut by its sharp edges, 
 “ and we lost the fender. Repeated attempts were now made to 
 “ make the ship again fast to some large field ; and the second mate, 
 “ a clever young man, full of spirit and willingness, swung himself 
 “ several times off, and upon such fields as approached us, endeavour- 
 “ ing to fix a grapnel to them, but in vain, and we even lost another 
 “ grapnel on this occasion. The storm indeed dispersed the ice, and 
 “ made openings in several places; but our situation was thereby 
 “ rendered only still more alarming, for when the ship got into open 
 “ water, her motion became more rapid by the power of the wind, 
 “ and consequently the blows she received from the ice more violent. 
 “ Whenever therefore we perceived a field of ice through the gloom, 
 “ towards which we were hurried, nothing appeared more probable, 
 
ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 15 
 
 “ than that the violence of the shock would determine onr fate, and 
 “ be attended with immediate destruction to the vessel. Such 
 “ shocks were repeated every five or ten minutes, and sometimes 
 “ oftener, and the longer she remained exposed to the wind, the 
 “ more violently she ran against the sharp edges and spits of the 
 “ ice, not having any power to avoid them. After every stroke, we 
 “ tried the pumps, to find whether we had sprung a leak; but the 
 “ Lord kept His hand over us, and preserved us in a manner almost 
 “ miraculous. In this awful situation, we offered up fervent prayers 
 “ to Him, who alone is able to save, and besought Him, that, if it 
 “ were His divine will that we should end our lives among the ice, 
 
 “ He would, for the sake of His precious merits, soon take us home 
 “ to Himself, nor let us die a miserable death from cold and hunger, 
 
 “ floating about in this boisterous ocean. 
 
 “ It is impossible to describe all the horrors of this eventful night, 
 
 “ in which we expected every approaching ice-field to be fraught 
 “ with death. We were full ten hours in this dreadful situation, 
 
 “ till about six in the morning, when we were driven into open 
 “ water, not far from the coast. We could hardly believe that we 
 “ had got clear of the ice ; all seemed as a dream. We now ven- 
 “ tured to carry some sail, with a view to bear up against the wind. 
 
 “ The ship had become leaky, and we were obliged to keep the 
 “ pump a-going, with only about ten minutes rest at a time. Both 
 “ the sailors and we were thereby so much exhausted, that whenever 
 “ any one sat down, he immediately fell asleep. 
 
 “ During the afternoon, the wind abated, and towards evening it 
 “ fell calm. A thick mist ensued, which, however, soon dispersed, 
 “ when we found ourselves near a high rock, towards which the 
 “ current was fast carrying us. We were now in great danger of 
 “ suffering shipwreck among the rocks, but by God’s mercy, the 
 “ good management of our captain succeeded in steering clear of 
 “them; and after sunset, the heavens were free from clouds. A 
 “ magnificent northern light illumined the horizon, and as we were 
 “ again among floating pieces of ice, its brightness enabled us to 
 “ avoid them. I retired to rest, but, after midnight, was roused by 
 “ the cracking noise made by the ice against the sides of the vessel. 
 “ In an instant, I was on deck, and found that we were forcing our 
 “ way through a quantity of floating ice, out of which we soon got 
 “ again into open water. The wind also turned in our favour, and 
 “ carried us swiftly forward towards the Hopedale shore. Every 
 “ one on board was again in full expectation of soon reaching the 
 “ end of our voyage, and ready to forget all former troubles. But 
 “ alas, arriving at the same spot from which we had been driven 
 “ yesterday, we found our way anew blocked up with a vast quan- 
 “ tity of ice. The wind also drove us irresistibly towards it. We 
 “ were now in a great dilemma. If we went between the islands, 
 “ where the sea is full of sunken rocks, we were in danger of strik- 
 “ ing upon one of them, and being instantly lost; again, if we ven- 
 “ tured into the ice, it was doubtful whether the ship would bear 
 “ many more such shocks as she had received. At length, the for- 
 “ mcr measure was determined on, as, in case of any mishap, there 
 “ might be some possibility of escaping to shore.” 
 
16 
 
 ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 After encountering a succession of further perils and disappoint¬ 
 ments for three additional weeks, the Jemima was brought safely 
 into Hopedale harbour on the 9th of August. 
 
 To the foregoing narrative the following remarks are appended by 
 the Editor of the Periodical Accounts :—“ The captain and mate 
 “ report, that though, for these three years past, they have met with 
 “ an unusual quantity of ice on the coast of Labrador, yet, in no year, 
 “ since the beginning of the Mission, has it appeared so dreadfully on 
 “ the increase. The colour likewise of this year’s ice was different 
 “ from that usually seen, and the size of the ice-mountains and thick- 
 “ ness of the fields immense, with sand-stones imbedded in them. As 
 “ a great part of the coast of Greenland, which for centuries has been 
 “ choked up with ice, apparently immovable, has, by some revolu- 
 “ tion, been cleared, this may perhaps account for the great quantity 
 “ alluded to.” 
 
 In the year 1818, another vessel, a brig of 176 tons, was built for 
 the service of the Mission in Labrador, to which the name of “ The 
 Harmony" was again given. She proved an excellent ship, and con¬ 
 tinued in the employment of the Society for a period of thirteen 
 years. The first voyage in 1819, proved difficult and hazardous, 
 and she did not reach Okak, the station first visited, till the 20th of 
 August. The missionaries wrote: “The coast was everywhere 
 choked up with ice, and the wind, blowing continually from the 
 sea, and forcing it directly into every bay and inlet, it seemed im¬ 
 possible for the ship to approach the coast. Yet the Lord of heaven 
 and earth commanded, and provided a passage for her through 
 every obstacle, and we had the inexpressible joy to see her arrive 
 without any damage.” 
 
 The year 1821, memorable for the celebration of the fifty years’ 
 jubilee of Nain, the first missionary settlement formed in Labrador, 
 was rendered additionally so by the visit of the Clinker sloop-of-war, 
 commanded by Capt. W. Martin. This officer, having been com¬ 
 missioned by Sir Charles Hamilton, Governor of Newfoundland, to 
 make a survey of the coast, and afford the missionaries of the 
 Brethren residing upon it any assistance which their circumstances 
 might call for, arrived at Okak in the middle of August, and thence 
 proceeded to Nain, which he reached on the 21st of the same month 
 and where he gave a feast, consisting of boiled peas and biscuit, to 
 the Eskimo congregation, as an after celebration of the jubilee. The 
 entertainment was opened by the singing of the hymn, “ Now, let us 
 praise the Lord,” and concluded with “ Praise God for ever;”* and 
 was conducted throughout with great decorum—several short but 
 appropriate addresses being delivered before its close. The Clinker 
 was meanwhile decorated with fifty flags of different nations. From 
 Nain to Hopedale she had the benefit of being accompanied and 
 piloted by the Harmony , the navigation being in the highest degree 
 intricate and dangerous. This unlooked-for visit afforded great 
 
 * A hymn of the ancient Brethren s Church, with a very fine tune adapted to it. 
 See Hymn Book, No. 761. 
 
ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR SUirS. 
 
 17 
 
 pleasure to tlic missionaries atul tlicir Eskimo flocks. The de¬ 
 meanour of Capt. Martin, in his intercourse with both, was such 
 as became a Christian officer; and nothing occurred to disturb the 
 peaceful and orderly course of the several congregations. The report 
 which he made to the Governor on his return, was highly favourable 
 to the character of the Mission, and of all engaged in it, and may 
 therefore be considered to have done a real service to the cause.* 
 
 The voyages of the Harmony in 1826 and 1829 were rendered 
 very difficult and dangerous by the quantity of ice which beset the 
 coast of Labrador ; in the former year, to a distance of nearly 400 
 miles from the land. In 1829, Capt. Eraser ventured, in passing 
 from Hopedale to Kain, to try a new channel between the islands 
 and the coast; and though the attempt was a somewhat hazardous 
 one, it succeeded completely, through the blessing of God, on the 
 skill and care of the Eskimo pilots. The passage outside the islands 
 would probably have occupied several weeks, owing to the accumu¬ 
 lation of ice on their eastern shores. It had been intended, that the 
 ship should proceed as far as the Bay of Kangertluksoak (where 
 Hebron is now situated), but the lateness of her arrival at Okak 
 frustrated this design.f 
 
 In 1830, the Harmony was accompanied by the Oliver , a vessel 
 chartered by the Society for the purpose of assisting in the transport 
 of stores to the Bay of Kangertluksoak, where it had been deter¬ 
 mined to establish a fourth settlement. The voyage proved a suc¬ 
 cessful one, both ships entering the bay, and delivering their cargoes 
 without accident, though the access was by no means easy, and the 
 navigation previously unknown. Her last voyage in 1831, with the 
 Venus for her consort, was attended with somewhat greater hazard, 
 but, through the mercy of God, with no serious injury to either 
 vessel. 
 
 It being considered necessary, in prospect of the establishment of 
 a fourth station, to provide a ship of larger dimensions for the use 
 of the Mission, another Harmony , the third of the name, was built 
 at Yarmouth during the autumn and winter of 1831 and 1832, at an 
 expense of about £3500. Br. Taylor superintended the building, 
 as in the case of her predecessor. She was a brig, or rather a snow, 
 of about 230 tons burden, and proved herself well adapted to the 
 performance of the service to which she was destined. Her first 
 voyage, performed in the year 1832, J a year remarkable as being 
 the centenary of the Brethren’s Missions, was marked by conflicts 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Yol. viii. pp. 95—104. It may not be altogether out of 
 place to refer to the fact, that the first offering to the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society from the Arctic race, was made in 1821, by the Eslumoes at Nain. To show 
 their gratitude for the New Testament in their own tongue, which the Society had 
 printed for their use, they begged to be permitted to contribute a quantity of seal- 
 oil to its stores. “ Having neither silver nor gold, they gave such as they had,” 
 and the gift was kindly accepted. 
 
 f Periodical Accounts, Yol. xi. p. 164. 
 
 I In the “ Retrospect of the Origin and Progress of the Society for the Fur¬ 
 therance of the Gospel,” the date of the first employment of the Harmony is given 
 by mistake as 1831. 
 
18 
 
 ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 with, the ice, more continuous and more alarming than had been 
 experienced since the year 1817. The following extract of a letter 
 from Capt. Taylor to the Treasurer of the Society, describing the 
 peculiar hazards encountered by the Harmony on her outward pas¬ 
 sage, will prove an interesting supplement to the particulars of 
 Arctic adventure, already given :— 
 
 “ On the 6th of July (about five weeks after leaving the Thames) 
 “ we first fell in with the ice, but, the weather being very hazy, we 
 “ stood off and on, till the 11th, when it cleared up a little, and the 
 “ land appeared in sight. We now steered for the shore; but, the 
 “ light failing us, we made the ship fast to a field of ice. We sup- 
 “ posed that we were at this time not more than twenty-five or 
 “ thirty miles distant from Hopedale. The next morning the fog 
 “ returned, and was so thick, that we could not see any object two 
 “ ships’ length from us. Meanwhile the ice closed about us in such 
 “ dense masses, that there w r as not water enough to dip a bucket 
 “ into on either side of the ship. We remained in this state till 
 “ the 13th, about noon ; when the fog partially clearing away again, 
 “ we beheld, to our no small alarm, an immense iceberg aground 
 “ right in our way, our course being at this time in a direction to 
 “ the S.S.E. It was not till about 3 p.m. that we could at all suc- 
 “ ceed in our attempts to move the vessel; and even then our utmost 
 “ exertions, continued without interruption during the space of six 
 “ hours, only brought her forward about three times her own length. 
 “ Our object at this time w r as to get round the point of the ice-field 
 “ to which we were moored, and thus place it between us and the 
 “ iceberg, which was towering above us to the height of nearly twice 
 “ the mainmast. Our position was indeed a fearful one; and I 
 “ believe most on board were ready to give up all hope of saving 
 “ either the ship or their own lives. The Lord, however, was better 
 ‘ 4 to us than our fears ; He heard and answered the supplications we 
 “ offered up to Him, and sent us deliverance in a way we least ex- 
 “ pected. May we never lose the remembrance of His great mercy! 
 “ As soon as the field of ice to which we were attached came in con- 
 “ tact with the berg, it veered round, and dragged us after it without 
 “ the least injury, the distance between the ship and the latter being 
 “ scarcely greater than a foot. Had we not succeeded in getting 
 “ round the point in the way we did, we should probably have been 
 “ crushed to pieces in an instant. We continued exposed to the 
 “ same kind of perils till the 22nd instant, and, during the greater 
 “ part of this time, the frost was so intense, that our ropes were 
 “ almost immoveable. Even the small ropes were coated with ice to 
 “ the thickness of four or five inches ; so that we were obliged every 
 “ morning to send up some of our people to the mast-head, to strike 
 “ off the ice with sticks, that the ropes might pass through the 
 “ blocks. On the 23rd we succeeded, by dint of great exertion, and 
 “ under press of sail, in getting clear of the ice and reaching the 
 “ open water, and on the 24th, arrived at Hopedale in safety.”* 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Vol. xii. p. 247. 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 19 
 
 It may here he observed, that, up to this date, embracing a period 
 of more than sixty years, the ship had always proceeded to Labrador 
 by way of Stroumess, though, in returning home, she had generally 
 taken her passage through the Channel. The reasons for the north¬ 
 ward course having been so long preferred, were various. In the 
 first place, as the latitude of the Orkneys very nearly corresponds 
 with that of northern Labrador, the portion of the Atlantic to be 
 traversed was somewhat smaller by this than by the southern pas¬ 
 sage, especially in the alternate years, when Okak had to be first 
 visited. Again, the danger from hostile cruizers was less imminent 
 by taking this course, a convoy being ordinarily provided for the Hud¬ 
 son’s Bay and Davis’ Straits ships. This was a consideration of some 
 importance in time of war, and led to its being generally preferred, also 
 on the passage home, up to the year 1815; and lastly, it has so hap¬ 
 pened, that nearly all the successive commanders of the vessel have 
 been natives of the Orkney Islands, and the greater number of the 
 crew likewise. It was natural, therefore, that they should prefer a 
 course which brought them, at least twice a year, into personal con¬ 
 tact with such of their relatives and friends, as were still residing in 
 those islands, not to mention that the annual visit of the ship tended 
 to excite and keep alive a very warm interest in the Labrador 
 Mission, in the minds of not a few of the Christian people of Strom- 
 ness and neighbouring islands, and to call forth their active and 
 sympathising benevolence.* 
 
 On the establishment of a fourth Missionary settlement on the 
 coast of Labrador, an alteration took place in the Society’s practice 
 in this particular. It being found necessary to send the ship to 
 Hopedale first, as the most southern, and consequently, under ordi¬ 
 nary circumstances, the most accessible of the four stations, the 
 Channel passage was for some time preferred in going out as well as 
 in returning. The voyage of the Harmony in 1832, was the first 
 in which this course was taken. 
 
 According to the testimony of the captain, the weather, that year, 
 was more severe, and the hardships experienced by himself and his 
 crew greater, than he had ever before known, in the twenty-eight 
 voyages he had made in the service of the Society.f 
 
 The year following, the ship was exposed to imminent danger, 
 from a violent storm which she encountered while lying off Hebron. 
 For some hours, the captain, who with two boys happened to be the 
 only persons on board, the remaining hands being variously occupied 
 on shore, expected almost every moment that the ship would part 
 
 * Among the departed friends of the Society in the Orkneys, two deserve to 
 he especially remembered. The one, the liev. Mr. Clouston, the parish minister 
 of Stromness, a truly faithful servant of Christ, whose affection for his Moravian 
 Brethren, and interest in the Mission in Labrador, continued unimpaired till his 
 decease. The other, Mr. David Kamsay, of Kirkwall, a tradesman of moderate 
 means, but of a large heart and liberal hand, whose attachment to his own par¬ 
 ticular community, that of the Congregationalists, was far outweighed by the un¬ 
 feigned love which he bore to all Christ’s disciples of whatever name, 
 f Periodical Accounts, Vol. xii. p. 454, 
 
20 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 from her cable and be driven upon the rocks ; but, by God’s mercy, 
 she rode out the gale, without sustaining any serious injury. 
 
 In 1836, the Harmony fell in with the ice, as early as the 24th 
 of June, after a speedy and prosperous voyage to within 200 miles 
 of the coast of Labrador. “ According to the statement of the cap- 
 “ tain, it was not merely the immense quantity of ice, that rendered 
 “ the navigation difficult and dangerous, nor yet the number of 
 “ icebergs that crowded the narrow channels, and of which he, on 
 “ one occasion, counted no fewer than seventy ; but more especially 
 “ the character of the frozen masses, consisting chief!} 7 ' of what sea- 
 “ men call bottom-ice, # and the violent swells by which they were 
 “ frequently agitated. The undulations hereby produced, exceeded, 
 “ on one occasion, 100 feet in perpendicular height; a spectacle 
 “ which, however sublime, could not be contemplated without the 
 “ most lively sensations of alarm ; for though the Harmony was at 
 “ the time beyond the reach of the most violent agitation, the strik- 
 “ ing of the ice against the ship’s side was sufficiently severe to 
 “ cause the utmost apprehension for her safety. It was, in fact, 
 “ only by the constant use of fenders of tow, or cable junk, let down 
 “ beneath the surface of the water, and interposed between the 
 “ vessel and the advancing masses, that the sailors were enabled, 
 “ with the Divine help, to prevent her receiving serious, and perhaps, 
 “ irreparable injury from their sharp and rugged edges. For eight 
 “ days subsequent to this anxious period, the vessel remained com- 
 “ pletely entrenched in the ice, not a drop of water being visible on 
 “ any side of her as far as the eye could reach. At length, however, 
 “ the Lord sent deliverance from these accumulated perils, and opened 
 “ for her a safe, though toilsome passage, through the ice to the coast 
 “ of Labrador. On entering Hopedale harbour, on the 4th of August, 
 “ the captain learned, that it had become clear of ice only two days 
 “ before; a circumstance, which led him to consider, as peculiarly 
 “ providential, the many obstacles which had hitherto opposed his 
 “ progress, having every reason to believe, that, had the ship been 
 “ obliged to contend with similar ones, in the narrow and rocky 
 “ channels between Hopedale and the islands, the destruction of the 
 “ vessel would, humanly speaking, have been inevitable.” 
 
 It was on returning from this voyage that Captain Taylor had the 
 privilege of rescuing from a watery grave the nine survivors of the 
 crew of the Superior , Captain Dunn, bound from Miramichi to Car¬ 
 diff, which had been thrown on her beam ends, during a furious gale, 
 on the 28th of September, and had become a total wreck. Eight 
 of these poor mariners, including the captain, were brought in safety 
 to England.t 
 
 In 1837, the vessel encountered dangers of another kind. In the 
 attempt, justified apparently by the state of the wind and weather, 
 to enter the bay of Hopedale by a new channel, she struck three 
 
 * Ice of great thickness, concealed either wholly or partially beneath a covering 
 of water too shallow to allow a vessel to pass with safety, 
 f Periodical Accounts, Yol. xix. pp. 6, 7. 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 21 
 
 times on a sunken rock, wliicli, however, she eventually cleared with¬ 
 out sustaining any material damage. A similar accident befel her 
 in 1840, on leaving the same harbour, though, in this instance, the 
 channel was one with which the captain and mate thought themselves 
 perfectly familiar. As she was going at the rate of six miles an hour, 
 and the shocks were anything but slight, it was matter of thankful 
 surprise to all on board, that no leak appeared to have been sprung, 
 nor any serious injury done to the hull of the vessel.* 
 
 The year 1841, the centenary of the Society for the Furtherance of 
 the Gospel, was marked by a state of the weather on the coast of La¬ 
 brador, not very dissimilar to that which rendered the year 1853 so 
 memorable. Being prevented by the storms which prevailed, from 
 visiting Hopedale first, the captain steered for Okak, which he was 
 enabled to reach on the 18th of August. Thence he proceeded suc¬ 
 cessively to Hebron and Nain, where he delivered a portion of the 
 stores destined for Hopedale, feeling very doubtful as to the practi¬ 
 cability of reaching that settlement, owing to the lateness of the 
 season and the continued prevalence of adverse winds. After a trying 
 and difficult passage the Harmony reached Hopedale on the 20th of 
 September, and, while lying in the harbour of that settlement, rode 
 out a furious tempest, which at one time threatened to tear her from 
 her moorings and drive her upon the rocks. Her return to Horsely- 
 down was on the 23rd of October. 
 
 The year 1845 was again a year of icebergs and ice-fields, by which 
 the progress of the ship was greatly impeded, both on her approach 
 to the coast and on her passage from one station to the other. That 
 Captain Sutherland was compelled by the quantity of ice which he 
 encountered on leaving Hopedale for Nain, and, by the prevailing 
 dense fogs, to put back to the former settlement, he had afterwards 
 reason to consider a very providential circumstance, as it would have 
 been scarcely possible for the ship to have weathered the storm which 
 shortly after ensued, in a channel encumbered with ice and abounding 
 with sunken rocks. Before the Harmony took her departure from 
 Hebron, on the 8th of September, the weather was so severe, that 
 the snow lay 18 inches deep on her decks, and the mountains en¬ 
 circling the bay, raised their white summits high above the surround¬ 
 ing vapours. The sea outside the bay, was studded with icebergs, 
 some of them of the largest dimensions. 
 
 In 1849, the Harmony was favoured to be the means of restoring 
 to their families and friends the eight survivors of the crew of the 
 barque Graham, Captain Froud, who, after enduring extreme hard¬ 
 ships and sufferings, had found their way to Okak, from the entrance 
 of Hudson’s Straits, where the vessel had been wrecked, by coming 
 into contact with a field of ice. The circumstances attending the 
 rescue of the poor sufferers were such as to do great credit to the 
 humane and generous feelings of the Christian Eskimoes, who were 
 the instruments of effecting it, and to afford a striking testimony to 
 the value of the instruction thev had received, and the influence of 
 the Gospel upon their hearts and lives. 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Vol. xv. pp. 208, 306. 
 
 I 
 
22 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 In August 1851, the Harmony was again preserved from the serious 
 injury which might have been the result of her violent collision with 
 a sunken rock, as she was entering the bay of Hopedale. In Sep¬ 
 tember of the following year, the Divine protection was not less 
 manifestly vouchsafed on her approach to Hebron. 
 
 In 1853, the voyage of the Harmony was marked by a very serious 
 and distressing failure. The vessel sailed on the 10th of June, and, 
 on her voyage down the Channel and across the Atlantic, was much 
 impeded by contrary winds, so that she did not enter Hopedale Bay 
 until the 25th of August. On the 3rd of the following month she 
 left for the north ; but, within twenty-four hours from quitting 
 Hopedale, she was assailed by a violent storm from the N. and 
 N.N.W., and driven nearly 400 miles out to sea. An attempt to 
 reach Okak was frustrated by a second violent storm, accompanied 
 by a heavy fall of snow. At length, the ship having sustained serious 
 injury from the violence of the weather, and several of the crew 
 being disabled by sickness, the captain was reluctantly compelled to 
 bear away for England, leaving the three northern stations unvisited. 
 Happily, the European letters for all the stations had, as usual, been 
 landed at Hopedale, whence those destined for the other stations 
 were forwarded by post-kayaks, while of the most needful articles of 
 consumption there was a sufficient stock on hand to avert absolute 
 want in the mission-families at the northern stations. 
 
 The voyage of 1858, especially the homeward passage, was marked 
 by circumstances of a peculiarly trying character. The outward 
 passage was rendered longer than usual by the large number of ice¬ 
 bergs, and, subsequently on the coast, by calms and dense fogs. Yet 
 the Harmony could sail from Hebron on her homeward voyage on the 
 25th of September. “ For five or six days,” states the report issued 
 at the time ;* “ the weather was favourable ; but when to the south 
 of Cape Farewell in Greenland, she encountered a heavy gale from 
 the eastward, which continued several days ; and from the first week 
 in October there followed a succession of violent storms with short 
 intervals of calm, quite sufficient to retard the progress of a vessel 
 like the Harmony ,—firmly built, and well fitted to bear the shock of 
 the waves and the crash of the ice, but bearing up indifferently 
 against a head-wind. On the 18tli of October, she was, neverthe¬ 
 less, almost within soundings, when another easterly gale sprung up, 
 which drove her back, the sea breaking over the deck, and carrying 
 away the stern boat. Between the 18th of October and the 22nd of 
 November, the ship was driven into the Atlantic three successive 
 times,—her course varying from 46° to 52° N. lat., and from 9° to 
 16° W. long., often exposed to imminent peril from the fury of the 
 waves. After making Dursey Island, north of Ban try Bay, on the 
 last-mentioned day, she came in sight of the Lizard on the 30th, and 
 thence had a favourable run up Channel,—passing Dungeness on the 
 2nd of December, and reaching Horselydown on the morning of the 
 5th. Her homeward voyage of ten weeks, from port to port, is one 
 of the longest recorded in the annals of the Society. To customary 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Yol. xxiii. p. 47. 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SIIIPS. 
 
 23 
 
 trials were added tlioso arising from a partial failure of provisions, 
 the supplies of more than one article of food running short during 
 the last month or six weeks. The greater cause is there for thank¬ 
 fulness to the Lord, who visibly gave His blessing to the use of 
 such as were left, suffering none of the passengers, whether adults 
 or children, to want any real necessary of life, and preserving them 
 in health, strength, and spirits, till the hour of their reaching the 
 desired haven.” 
 
 In the following year, the Harmony brought home the survivors 
 of the crew of the Kitty , a vessel in the employ of the Hudson’s 
 Bay Company, which was wrecked in September of that year. 
 Happily for them, these men, after eilduring terrible sufferings, fell 
 into the hands of Christian Eskimoes, by whom their immediate 
 wants were supplied, and they were conducted in safety to Okak. 
 
 As time advanced, it was found that the Harmony , after her long 
 service, required very considerable repairs to enable her to endure 
 the wear and tear of continued arctic navigation. A somewhat 
 larger vessel, having the advantage of modern improvements in 
 construction, in many respects appearing desirable, it was resolved, 
 after mature deliberation, to build one to meet the special require¬ 
 ments of the service. On the 24th of April, 1861, she was launched 
 from the yard of the builders, Messrs. Fellows and Sons, at Yarmouth, 
 in the presence of several members of the Committee and many 
 Christian friends. W. Leach, Esq., the Vice-President of the London 
 Association, gave to the ship the same time-honoured name, which 
 had been borne by three of her predecessors. “ Shortly afterwards, 
 a considerable number of Christian friends assembled on the deck, 
 to dedicate the new vessel to the service of the Lord. Various 
 ministers of religion took part in the devotional portion of the service, 
 and the Secretary of the Society delivered an address containing an 
 account of the ships employed by the Society since the commencement 
 of the mission in Labrador, directing attention to the gracious pro¬ 
 tection afforded to them through so long a series of years, and 
 commending the present vessel to the prayerful remembrance of the 
 friends of Christian Missions.”* 
 
 On her very first voyage, under the command of Captain Henry 
 Linklater, the new vessel met with an accident which excited much 
 alarm at the time, but was happily unattended with any serious 
 results. Leaving the river, she struck with considerable force on 
 a sand-bank; but, on the rising of the tide, was got off without 
 injury. 
 
 The voyages since performed by the vessel, though marked by a 
 continuance of the protection so long graciously vouchsafed, do not 
 present any striking feature worthy of special mention. 
 
 For the sake of the numerous friends of the Labrador mission 
 who have never seen the ship, a few descriptive particulars may be 
 here given. The Harmony (the fourth of the Society’s ships which 
 have borne that name), is a barque of about 250 tons register. She 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Vol. xxiv. p. 49. 
 
24 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 has a slightly raised quarter-deck, by which additional height is 
 gained for the cabins. The latter, though small, are neat and com¬ 
 modious, and the sleeping-places are comfortable. Though furnished 
 with every additional protection required in case of contact with 
 the ice, the outline of the ship is elegant, while the materials and 
 style of construction are good. The figure-head represents an angel 
 with a trumpet, with the appropriate words of Scripture on an 
 ornamental scroll: “ Glory to God, Peace on Earth.” On the stern 
 are carved representations of various arctic animals, together with 
 the Society’s monogram, S. E. G. All these simple though charac¬ 
 teristic decorations are in wdiite and gold. For many years the 
 Labrador ship had a berth in the river, but owing to some new 
 harbour-regulations, she now lies at the West India Dock. Her 
 usual crew consists of twelve hands, besides the captain. 
 
 In the year 1870 the development of the cod-fish trade in Labra¬ 
 dor, which for the sake of the natives it was most desirable to 
 encourage, as a substitute for the decreasing supply of seals and 
 foxes, required far more space than could be sup plied by the 
 Harmony. Hence the Society was obliged to purchase a second 
 vessel, the Cordelia , a schooner of 160 tons register, which has 
 made annual voyages to Labrador since the year of her purchase, 
 always under the command of Captain J. Linklater, a near relative 
 of the master of the Harmony. Her usual course is from London 
 or Bristol to Cadiz, where she loads salt, thence to Newfoundland 
 for mixed stores, and thence to Labrador; she is expected to reach 
 that coast before the Harmony. Occasionally she has taken pas¬ 
 sengers out or home, but for this purpose the accommodation is 
 very limited. From Labrador she returns laden with salt-fish, via 
 Newfoundland, to some British port. The first return voyage across 
 the Atlantic was marked by the only fatal accident which has ever 
 occurred in the Society’s vessels. During a violent storm a terrific 
 wave broke over the ship, carrying away a portion of the bulwarks 
 and the wheel, and killing two men on the spot. With this excep¬ 
 tion the Cordelia has been privileged to enjoy the same Divine 
 protection in many perils as the Harmony; this the Society desires 
 to acknowledge with deep gratitude to the Lord. 
 
 A small steam-launch has now (1877) been added to the Labrador 
 vessels. She is 30 feet long by 7-^-feet beam, is furnished with 
 engines of about 7-horse power, and is intended, during the summer, 
 to convey letters and passengers, especially the superintendents 
 along the coast, besides towing rafts of timber for firewood from 
 distant bays, and occasionally the Harmony or Cordelia , when 
 becalmed: in winter the engine can be utilized for sawing wood on 
 shore. We trust that this little craft will prove of great convenience 
 and advantage to our brethren on the Labrador coast in meeting the 
 varied exigencies of the work entrusted to their care. A consider¬ 
 able portion of the cost of the steam-launch is provided by the 
 liberality of the pupils in our Boarding Schools in England, who 
 form together a Juvenile Missionary Association. 
 
 In reference to those on whom the important duties of com- 
 
25 
 
 ACCOUNT OF TTTE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 manders of tlicsc vessels have devolved, the following remarks are 
 still appropriate :* “ The Society cannot forbear a grateful acknow¬ 
 ledgment of the goodness of God, in providing a succession of 
 faithful, experienced, and able seamen to take the superior and 
 subordinate charge of the vessels, in whose safety their missionary 
 brethren and dear Christian friends, as well as themselves, are so 
 deeply interested. In Captains Mugford, James Fraser, Thomas 
 Fraser (no relation to his predecessor), William Taylor, James 
 Sutherland, and John White, a degree of confidence has been 
 placed, which could only have been inspired by the belief that they 
 considered themselves the servants of the cause rather than of the 
 Society,—that they acknowledged their entire and continued de¬ 
 pendence on that Lord whom winds and waves obey, and that they 
 were disposed at all times, and especially in seasons of difficulty and 
 peril, to seek His counsel, help, and blessing.” To these remarks it 
 may be added, that Captain White, whose acquaintance with all the 
 landmarks on the Labrador coast was particularly valuable, retired 
 from the service in 1862, in consequence of advancing age and the 
 failure of his bodily powers. He, however, manifested his abiding 
 interest in the cause he had so long served, by successfully navi¬ 
 gating on her voyage to Labrador in 1866, the Meta, a small vessel 
 which had been purchased for service on the coast. He was succeeded 
 in command of the Harmony by Captain Henry Linklater, who 
 fills his important post in such a manner as to enjoy in the highest 
 degree the esteem and confidence of his employers. To him may 
 without doubt be applied in its fullest sense the language used with 
 reference to his predecessor sixteen years ago: 
 
 “ The worthy captain of the Harmony will, it is hoped, be more 
 than ever prepared to admit, in practice as well as theory, that it is 
 ‘under God’ that ‘he is master for the present voyage,’and that 
 it is ‘by the grace of God that he is bound to the coast of Labrador,’ 
 the friends of the Mission on that coast, and of the Society to whom 
 he is more immediately responsible, will not fail to support him by 
 their fervent prayers, and to unite in the utterance of the heartfelt 
 wish—‘ And so God send the good ship to her destined port in 
 safety.’ ”f 
 
 Such aspirations will arise on behalf of the missionary vessel and 
 those who navigate her, on the conclusion of a century of voyages. 
 And surely, humble yet confident hopes for the future are abund¬ 
 antly justified by the experience of the past. Time indeed brings 
 changes to all that is sublunary, and it cannot be expected that the 
 mission in Labrador, and the arrangements found necessary for its 
 welfare, and even its continued prosperous existence, will form an 
 exception to the general rule. But there is One who changes not. 
 He surely will not forsake the work of His own hands, but will, in 
 His love and wisdom, perfect that which concerneth the dwellers in 
 dreary Labrador. Nor need the hope be expressed with less confi- 
 
 * Periodical Accounts, Vol. xxi. p. 132. 
 
 f See the ancient form of ‘ l hills of lading,” which the present age has allowed 
 to fall into disuse. 
 
26 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 dence, that all who are concerned with the carrying on and the 
 management of the Labrador mission, whether here or beyond the 
 ocean, may continue to be favoured with the pardoning grace, the 
 loving kindness, and the tender mercy, which have so abundantly 
 been experienced through the century now drawing to its close. 
 
 The following stanzas, by the skilful hand of the greatest master 
 of English sacred song whom this generation has known, the late Br. 
 Jas. Montgomery, will, it is hoped, be considered to form no inap¬ 
 propriate sequel to the foregoing narrative. They form part of a 
 beautiful hymn, composed in 1841, for the centenary of the Society 
 for the Furtherance of the Gospel, of which the writer was an es¬ 
 teemed and faithful member : — 
 
 To-day, one world-neglected race, 
 
 We fervently commend 
 To Thee, and to thy word of grace; 
 
 Lord, visit and befriend 
 A people scatter’d, peel’d, and rude, 
 
 By land and ocean-solitude 
 Cut off from every kinder shore, 
 
 In dreary Labrador. 
 
 Thither, while to and fro she steers, 
 
 Still guide our annual bark, 
 
 By night and day, through hopes and fears, 
 
 While lonely as the Ark, 
 
 Along her single track, she braves 
 
 Gulphs, whirlpools, ice-fields, winds, and waves, 
 
 To waft glad tidings to the shore 
 Of longing Labrador. 
 
 How welcome to the watcher’s eye, 
 
 From mom till even fix’d, 
 
 The first faint speck that shows her nigh, 
 
 Where surge and sky are mix’d ! 
 
 Till, looming large, and larger yet, 
 
 With bounding prow, and sails full set, 
 
 She speeds to anchor on the shore 
 Of joyful Labrador. 
 
 Then hearts with hearts, and souls with souls 
 In thrilling transport meet, 
 
 Though broad and dark the Atlantic rolls 
 Between their parted feet; 
 
 For letters thus, with boundless range, 
 
 Thoughts, feelings, prayers, can interchange, 
 
 And once a year join Britain’s shore 
 To Icindred Labrador. 
 
 Then, at the Vessel’s glad return, 
 
 The absent meet again ; 
 
 At home, our hearts within us burn, 
 
 To trace the cunning pen, 
 
 Whose strokes, like rays from star to star, 
 
 Bring happy messages from far, 
 
 And once a year, to Britain’s shore 
 Join Christian Labrador. 
 
THE “HARMONY.” 
 
 Captain HENRY LINKLATER. 
 
 Length (Extreme) . . . . 
 
 120 
 
 ft. 
 
 Breadth . . . 
 
 m 
 
 55 
 
 Depth . . . 
 
 15 
 
 „ 4 in. 
 
 Length of Mast ..... 
 
 . 87 
 
 55 
 
 Tonnage . ..<* .... 
 
 251 
 
 tons. 
 
 Launched, April 24th, 1861. 
 
 
 
 The average duration of the outward voyage with the present 
 vessel has been 41^ days, including a short stay at Stromness in the 
 Orkneys. The homeward voyage has been accomplished on an 
 average in 23 days, including the course up channel to the West 
 India Dock. The whole voyage, including the stay on the coast 
 and visit to six stations there, has averaged 117f days. 
 
 »■ ' 
 
 The Temperature of Labrador. 
 
 At Hopedale, the most southerly of our mission stations, ther- 
 mometrical observations during several years give 4- 36° Fahrenheit 
 as the greatest heat (July 26, 1871),—104°, or 72° below freezing 
 point, Fahrenheit, as the greatest cold (February 2nd, 1873). The 
 average temperature for the year is—5° F. For four years the 
 month of July was the only one in which there was not a fall of 
 snow. The average temperature of Edinburgh, which lies in about 
 the same degree of latitude as Hopedale, is +47° F. At the Ho¬ 
 spice of St. Bernard in the Alps, which is situated at an elevation 
 of 7192 feet above the level of the sea, the average temperature for 
 the year is not quite—3° F. There winter and spring are much less 
 cold, summer and autumn much less warm than in Labrador.