YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A NARRATIVE OP FOUR VOYAGES. iS}j!i,-i>^rj;.t\,MM;.w m .,u :iiiaiE :oir, Ki,« Vci-li ,1 ,v,r, II,,,.,,, r A NARRATIVE OP FOUR VOYAGES. TO THE SOUTH SEA, NORTH AND SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN, CHINESE SEA, ETHIOPIC AND SOUTHERN ATLANTIC OCEAN, INDIAN AND ANTARCTIC OCEAN. FROM THE YEAR 1832. TO 1831. COMPRISINO CRITICAL SURVEYS OP, COASTS AND ISLANDS, WITH SAILING DIKEGTIONS. AND AN ACCOUNT OP SOMS NEW AND VALUABLE DISCOVERIES, INCLUDING THB MASSACRE ISLANDS, WH^BE THIRTEEN OF THE AUTHOb's CBEW WERE MASSACRED AND EATEN BT CANNIBALS. TO WHICH IS PRKPIXBD' A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. By CAMr benjamin T^fORlifeLL, Jun. NEW-TORK: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. & J. HARPER, Ho. 82 CLIFF-STBEET. AND SOLD BV THE BOOKSELLEES GESBEAlLy THEODGHOUT THB UNITED STATES. 1832. [Entered, according to Act of Congress, by J. & 3. Harper, in the year 18SS, in the Office of the Clerk of the Southern District of New-Tort.] TO THE HON. LEVI WOODBURY, SEOUETART OP THE U. 8. NAVr, THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, IN TESTIMONY OP THE HISH RESPECT ENTERTAINED FOR HIS TALENTS AND VIRTUES, BY THE AUTHOR. ADVERTISEMENT. In order to render the following Narrative more use ful to mariners, as well as interesting to the general reader, I have occasionally availed myself of informa tion derived from other sources than my own personal observation. In the course of my four voyages, I touched at many places at which I could not remain long enough to enable me to make surveys, determine soundings, or collect materials for accurate descrip tion ; yet without these and general sailing directions, the work, as a whole, would have been imperfect. 1 have therefore to acknowledge my obligations to several voyagers for some valuable information; for the introduction of which, I am confident, none of my readers will require an apology. It will be observed that all the courses and bearings in the work have been made by comjf^s, and that the dates are according to nautical time. The Author. Neio- York, December, 1832. CONTENTS. Introdtjctkin ...*... .... Page 9 FIRST VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. Thoughts on a Polar Expedition — Objects of the present Vojrage — ^Departure from New-Tork — Fourth of July— ^Crossing the Equator — ^Visit from Father Nep tune — Arrival at St. Ann's Islands — ^Village of St. Joao de Macae — Cape Frio — ^Arrival at Rio Janeiro — Directions for Entering the Harbour — De scription of St. Sebastian's — Its Trade and Commerce — Beauty of the sur rounding Country — Natural Productions — Character of the Inhabitants . . 39 CHAPTER n. _. Departure from Rio Janeiro to survey the Coast of Patagonia — Cape Corrientes — White Bay — Rio Colorado— Rio Negro : Character and Manners of the In habitants, with Directions for entering the Harbour — Patagonia — Marvellous Stories — St. Matias's Bay — New Bay — Shooting Bullocks and other Game — St. George's Bay — ^Apology to the Reader — Cape Blanco— Port Desire, with Sailing Directions — Port St. Julian and Santa Ciuz, with Instructions for ap- proacUng and entering — ^A Sabbath-day's Adventure — Description of the Na tives, their Size, Dress, Mode of Living, Origin, &c. — Survey suspended — Arrival at the Falkland Islands — News of the Henry ....... 37 CHAPTER in. The Falkland Islands — History, Description, and Natural Productions — Pen guin, Albatross, &c. — Description of a South Sea Rookery — ^Arrival at Port Louis — Shooting Bullocks and Geese — Departure from Port Louis — A Search for the Aurora Islands — Perilous Situation among Icebergs — Kergulen's Land —Christmas Harbour — The Sea-elephant — Antarctic Seas, open and tem perate in lat. 64° 50' 49 CHAPTER IV. Desolation Island, or Kergulen's Land — Christmas Harbour — Natural Produc tions — Oceanic Animals — ^Departure from the Island, tifcvards the South Pole — Cross the Antarctic Circle — Procure fresh Water from the Ice — Steer for Sand wich-land — Candlemas Isles — Southern Thule — ^Burning Volcanoes — Return to the Antarctic Seas — Mild Temperature of the Air and Water — No Field-ice in Lat. 70° 14' — Ice-islands and Icebergs ; their Formation — ^Practicability of reaching the South Pole — New South Greenland— Staten Land .... 63 CHAPTER V. Erroneous Ideas corrected— Staten Land— Strait of Le Maixe— Natural History of 4he Fur-seal and Sea-elephant — Exaggerated Accounts of Cape Hom Dan gers accounted for, and refuted— DoubUug the Cape— Prevailing Winds and A ii CONTENTS. Weather in that Region— Diego Ramirez Islands— Ildefonso's Island— -Christ mas Sound— Westem Entrance to the Strait of Magellan— The V^asp saiis from Staten Land, and arrives at the Eastern Entrance, from the Atlantic Enters the Strait, and anchors in the Harbour of Cape Negro CHAPTER VI. Strait of Magellan-Face of the Country-HaUed by a Troop of Patagomans- Arrival at Port Famine— History of the Place— Ledger River— Natural Produc tions— An Excursion into the Interior— Ruins of Philipville--Cape Froward —Indians of the Highlands described— A Visit to their Village— The Visit recip rocated— Excursion up the River Capac, accompamed by two Chiels— -Adven tures in returning— Filial Affection of a Chief's :Son— Character, Manners, Habits, Customs, Employments, and Dress of the Natives— Their Canoes, Arms,&c Their Want of Cleanliness, moral Condition, and probable Ungui— Enter the Pacific Ocean ° CHAPTER VII. -Commence surveying the Westem Coast of South America— Capes St. Isabel and St. Lucia— Strait of Conception— Cape St. Jago — St. Martin's Island— Byers s Strait— Island of Madre de Dios— Capes Three PoinU and Corso— Campana Channel and Island— Port St. Barbara— Cape Nixon— Guayaneco Islmds— Interview with a tribe of Indians called the Caucaes — A brief Description of these Natives — The Fourth of July—The W^ in a perilous Situation on a Rook — ^Damages repaired — Anchors converted into Rudder Irons — Set Sail for Mocha Island — Obtain fresh Provisions — ^Island of Santa Maria . . . . 9S' ¦ CHAPTER VIII. -Bay of Conception and Port of Talcaguano— City of Mocha, or New Conception , — The River Biobio — Soil, Climate, and Natural Productions — Valparaiso Bay , and City — Kindness of the American Consul, Mr. Hogan — Santiago, or St. -Jago — ^Directions for entering the Harbour of Valparaiso— Climate, Winds, &c. — ^Valparaiso destroyed by an Earthquake — Amiable Character of Mr. Hogan — Arrive at Port Coquimbo — Captain Hutchins, of Bsiltimore — ^Heave down the Wasp to repair Damages — ^Directions for entering the Port of Coquimbo — ^De scription of the Town — Caution te Shipmasters — Villanous Attempt at Imposition — Sail from Coquimbo — ^Pursued by an armed Force, which soon retreats — Islands ,of St. Ambrose and St. Felix — ^An Adventure promised in the next Chapter 107 CHAPTER IX. A Discovery — Inexcusable Barbarity — ^Hopeless Sufferings and joyful Preserva tion — 'Lobos Afuero — Lobos de Terra — Indian Catamarans, and Balzas — River and Town of Tumbes — ^Pizarro in Peru — Port and Town of Tacamcs — Nat- < ural Productions — Volcanic Mountains — Height of Chimborazo — Cities ofQuito and Cuzco— Monuments of ancient Splendour — ^Walls of the Temple of the 'Sun still standing — ^Ruins of the Incas' Palace — Gallapagos Islands — Elephant Tortoises — Island of Juan Fernandez — Natural Productions — Escape of the 'Convicts — Alexander Selkirk, or Robinson Crusoe 113 CH.\PTER X. Island of Masafuero — The River Maule — Captain and Crew arrested — A Prison Scene — Symptoms of a bloody Crisis — Amicable Compromise — St. Valentine's Day — Guests of Distinction — A nautical Breakfast strangely interrupted False Colours — Retaliation, or the Yankee Trick — Arrive at Valparaiso — The Wasp changes Masters — Embark for the United States — Pilot a Ship through Magel lan's Strait — Touch at Pernambuco— Arrive at Salem — Gloomy ForebodingSi termin.iting in o fatal Reality— Visit to Stonington— Affecting Meeting— A Father's Advice . 130 CONTENTS.' iii SECOND VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. Preparations for the Second Voyage — The Schooner Tartar selected and pur chased for the Purpose — ^A Matrimonial Contract — The Voyage commenced — Island of Fernando Noronha, and the Roccas — Bahia, or the Bay of AU Saints — City of St. Salvador — Directions for entering the Harbour — Sail from Bahia — Island of St. Catharine's — Island of Lobos — Rio de la Plata — ^Monte Video and Buenos Ayres — The Falkland Islands — Strait of Magellan — Peninsula of the Three Mountains — Social Affections of Seals — Moral Reflections . . . 143 CHAPTER II. Peninsula de Tres Montes, and the adjacent Islands — Natives'of the Coast — ^Bene ficial Effects of foreign Missionaries, promoting the Interests of Commerce — A new Field for Missionary Labours — ^Archipelago of Chonos — Island of Chiloe — Natural Productions — Town of St. Carlos — Religion, Character, and Manners of the Inhabitants — Dress of the Females — Employments, Accomplishments, and Amusements — Equestrian Exercises — Mode of Mounting their Horses- Ponchos and Hammocks — The adjacent Country — Directions for Entering the Port 157 CHAPTER III. Bay and City of Valdivia — The Araucanians — Town of Pelchue — ^Retrospective Observations — Towns of Colema and Chillan-.-Province of Chilian — ^Arrive at Valparaiso — Continue the Survey of the Coast — Province and City of Copiaga — Bay and Town of Pisco — Sailing Directions, dec. — ^The Bay or Roads of Cal lao — The Blockade and Siege of Callao — General Rodil refuses to Surrender — The Tartar enters without Ceremony 163 CHAPTER IV. The Port of Callao — ^Destmction of the Town in 1746 — Condition of the Place in 1824 — Closely invested by Land and Sea — Did not " catch a Tartar" — The City of Lima — Sail from Callao — ^Arrive at Quiica — Visit the City^of Arequipa — Sail from Quiica — ^Arrive at Port Santa^Cruise along the Coast — Port of Guan- chaco^City of Truxillo — Bay of Caraccas, and the surrounding Country — ^View of Chimborazo — ^A Nation in the Clouds — Volcano of Pinchinca — Eruption of Cotopaxi — Sail from Caraccas Bay — ^Arrive at Cocos Island 178 CHAPTER V. Cocos Island — Gallapagos Islands — Eraption of a Volcano on Narborough Island — Critical Situation of the Tartar — A fruitless Search for Gallego and otherima- ^ary Islands-— Arrive on the Coast of California — Island of Guadaloupe — Cerros Island — ^Bay of St. Francis — Near to our native Land, and yet far from it — TheGulf of California and River Colorado — ^A new-Route from the United States to the Pacific Ocean — Old California — Cenezos Island — Port San Diego in New California — Character of the Inhabitants, &c 191 CHAPTER VI. A hunting Excursion — ^The Party attacked by a hostile Tribe of Indiana — ^A des perate Battle — ^Victory doubtful — The Savages defeated — A safe Return to St» Diego— Sail to the North — ^Arrive at Monterey — Mission of San Carlos and San Antonio — ^Mutiny on board the Asia sixty-four — ^Farallone Islands — Port St. Francisco — Description of the Country and Inhabitants — ^Mission of St. Clara — Cape Blanco in the Oregon Territory — Change our Course to the South — Island of Socono— -Steer for the West — Sandwich Islands • > . • . SOS '*' CONTENTS, r^ CHAPTER VIL Sail from the Sandwich Islands— Northem Polynesia— Bird's Island— Man-of- war Kock— Lisiansky Island— Caution to Navigators— Pearl and Hermes isliind— Byers's Island— An unknown Island — Steer towards the Continent t/Iipperton'« »ock— A Wild-goose Chase for St. Vincent Island— Arrive at the faa<|ap^aB Islands— Return to the Coast of Peru— ^ay and Town of SeckZfZlXt^^^'^ ,^^oi^'=^ior^^S¦lt P^n^'f'^r r"^"'' ^'"^ *« CapteSer" ^f; J«S». °^ Santiago- Peep at the Country— View the ForVifi?.? i^ "^"'^ w»* the Ladies— \ Dimier-party-Bay alad Anchorage-vSo oT^'""^ EstablistmmZA Brava-Imagmary Dangers . ". , """'^"oof Fogo, or Fuego— Island of CONTENTS. V Interior — Angra Pequena, or Santa;Cruz — Tchaboe Island — Mercury Island — In tercourse withthe Natives — ^Birdlsland — SandwichHarbour — WalwichBay 278 CHAPTER IV. Excursion into the Interior — Deseription of the Natives — Face of the Country — ' Natural Productions — Sudden and transitory Vegetation — Droves 6f Elephants — Return to the Vessel — Sail from Walwich Bay — Arrive at Mercury Island — A most afflicting Disaster, in the Loss of Ogden — Tribute to his Memon- — Ar rive at Point St. Helen — Wreck of the English Brig Columbine — An Offer to save her Cargo rejected — ^Arrive at Table Bay — ^Description of the Place — Sail ing Directions — Phenomenoa of the Tablecloth — Sail from Table Bay, aod again steer to the North 300 CHAPTER V. Robbeu or Penguin Island — Dassen or Coney Island — Arrive at Angra Pequena — Sand-winds, and a moving Column of SaniJ — Intercourse with the Natives — The Guinea-worm — A Horde of Macasses, or Makosses — Ogden's Harbour — Cape Frio, or Cold Cape — Great Fish Bay — A Tribe of the Cimbebas— Ex cursion into, the Interior — Port Alexander — St. Philip Benguela— St. PhiUp's Bonnet — Province, Bay, and Town of Benguela — Anchorage, Landing, Soil, Climate, Productions, Water, &c. — Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals — De scription of the Coast — Sailing Directions 311 CHAPTER VT. Visit to a Slave Brig — Cruelty andi Suffering — Slaves flogged to Death — Strength of conjugal Affection in an African — ^An affecting Scene— Beard the Tigers ip their Den — Cowardice of Guilt — How to abolish the Slave-trade — ^English Colony of Sierra Leone — ^United States' Colony of Liberia^Sail from Benguela — Homeward-bound — Island of Ascension — The Fourth of July, and a vertical Sun — ^Arrive at New- York — Kind Reception by the Owners, and a still kinder one by somebody else 324 CHAPTER VII. A Sister's Inquiry for her Brother — An, Evasive Answer — The Fatal Truth lEs- closed — A Mourning Family^Pious Resignation — A Funeral Sermon — ^Dis charge the Cargo^- Visit Stonington — Preparations for another Voyage in the Antarctic — Domestic Affairs — A Wife resolved to accompany her Husband — Vain Expostulations — Arguments pro and con — The Embarkation — The Pilot dismissed 334; FOURTH VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. . Departure of the Antarctic — Good Qualities of the Schooner — The Captain's Wife on board — Beauties of a dying Dolphin — Sudden Death of Francis Pat terson — ^Arrive at Bonavista — ^Arrive at Porto Praya — Steer for the South — The Crew assailed by Fever — The Lady suffering under the same Disease — Dis tressing Situation of the Antarctic — Death of Mr. Geery — Death of Mr. Spin ney — The Prospect darkens — ^A Wife's dying Request to her Husband — ^A Dawn of Hope— The Sick Begin to recover— Arrive at Tristan d'Acunha, and procure Refreshments 34? CHAPTER IL Island of Tristan d'Acunha — King^I.ambert — Governor Glass — Googji's Island — Kerguelen's Land— C!ape Desolation — Lord Auckland's Group — ^New-year's vi CONTENTS. Festivities— Learning to walk— Natural Productions of *!¦* are^-^tew- Schooner Henry, Captain Johnson, their probable Fate---The »n , ^ art's Isle, or South Cape of New-Zealand-^Molyneux's Harbour-Intercouree CHAPTER in. New-Zealand— Intercourse with the Natives— Their Habitations, Apparel, Work ing tools, and Weapons-Eating Human Flesh-Face of the Country-^nks s Peninsula-Cook's Cape, Harbour, and Strait-Visit from the Natives-Womca an Article of Traffic-East Cape— Mercury Bay— Great Utdity of Missionaries— Bay of Islands— Royal Visiters— Visit to the Mi8sjon--Orderly Arrangement- Sail to the North— The New-Hebrides— Hope Island— Steer to the Wert— New Discoveries anticipated ™* CHAPTER IV. New Discoveries — Wesfervelt's Group — An ominous Dream — ^A periloiis Situa tion — Extricated by a dexterous nautical Manoeuvre — Bergh's Group discovered — Livingston's Island— Arrive at Manilla — Philippine Islands — Luconia— City and Bay of Manilla— A Hint to the Ladies 376 CHAPTER V. Sail from Manilla for the Feejee Islands — ^Discover Skiddy's Shoal — ^Islands 'of Los Matires — Visit Bergh's Group — Discover Skiddy's Group — Visit Young VViUiam's Group — Interview with the Natives — Intended Treachery defeated— Visit Monteverdeson's Islands — ^Description of the Natives — ^Indications of Hostilities — An Attempt to board the Antarctic — Continuation of the Voyage — Discovery of the Massacre Islands — Friendly Disposition of the Natives 387 CHAPTER VI. Massacre Islands — Commence building a House — ^A Garden planted — Friendship of Henneen, the Island Chief— Friendly Disposition of the Natives — ^Precau tions against Surprise— Symptoms of Perfidy, Duplicity, and Dissimulation— Drawn into an Ambuscade — Disarm a Host — Amity and Confidence restored— Specious but hollow Professions of Good-will— The Alarm- The Massacre— I o Battle— The Rescue— Cannibalism— Deplorable Situation of the Survivcws / — Sail from the Islands — Arrive at Manilla 403 CHAPTER Aai. I Sail from ManiUa for the Massacre Islands— The Bay and Town of Taal— Port and Tovrn of St. Joseph's— Ladrone Islands— Arrive at Berffh's Group- Friendship of the Natives-Their Canoes, Fishmg Implements, &c.—Bea^ M Ji^^^iTlT w'"S"i and Agility of the Men-Theological Notions^. wir^' *?""! ^"'' &«=— Description of their Weapons, Houses, and Vil- lffrt^;;7r„T»K° Arrangements-FertiUty and CapebiUUes of the Soil-Im portance of this Discovery-Equipments, necessa^ for a Vovase toAele Islands— Depart for the Massacre Islands'. . . -^ _ "^ » ' °y»g« >¦<» i°|^ CHAPTER VIIL Monteverdeson's Group— Treachery of the Natives— Attack on iVo A... ~,i- pulsed-Wholesome Chastisement-Arrive at the Mass«^~ M^IhT "i^; by the Cannibals, who are repulsed with Loss-Fire uporth! T^^f^ "^ "^''^ Result-Leonard Shaw, supposed to have fallen ?n the In P" alive, and liberated from a horrid Slavery— Excitement oftl^n Massacre, of an Island-A Castle in the Air^Suspicious Cvements^A P^T;?""?"; the Sufferings of Leonard Shaw, during a Captivity of more th^n plft w^ v among the Cannibals . "'"'« ^"^ai Fifteen Weeks ^ 435 CONTENTS. v:i CHAPTER IX. Massacre Islands — More Treachery — Wallace's Island invaded — The Castle at tacked — The Assailants defeated — Henneen slain — Massacre Island evacuated by the Natives — The Antarctic's Crew land — Interment of the Martyrs' Sculls — Holmes's narrow Escape — The Enterprise abandoned — Sail for Bouka Island — St. George's Channel — New-Ireland — The Natives — Fertility and natural Riches of the Country — New-Britain — Dampier's Island 448 CHAPTER X. New-Britain — New-Guinea — Dekay's Bay — Description of the Natives — Natural Productions — Birds of Paradise — Requisites for a Voyage thither — Livingston's Cape — Burning Mountains, with Volcanic Eruptions — Cape Woodbury, and Woodbury Harbour — Another new Discovery — The Antarctic attacked — The Natives astonished — Sunday and Monday taken — Return to Manilla — Health and Fidelity of the Crew^-Directions to Ship-masters — Importance of Cleanli ness and wholesome Food — Vegetable Acids, &c 458" CHAPTER XI. Disappointed Hopes — Take Freight for Cadiz — Touch at Singapore to lighten the Vessel — ^Desc^tion of the Place — Climate, Soil, Health, and Beauty of the- Country — An Aerial Excursion — Delightful Prospects — Sail from Singapore — The treacherous Malays — Precautious necessary to be observed — Double the Cape of Good Hope — Saldanha Bay — Necessary Repairs — Island of St. Helena —Tomb of Bonapart-e — History and Description of the Island — The Azores — Cadiz — Bordeaux — Homeward Bound — Safe Arrival — Melancholy News — The Conclusion 469 INTRODUCTION. COMPRISING A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. In appearing thus before the public, and for the first time — not only as an author, but as the discoverer of countries the very existence of which was before unknown to the civilized world,— the writer of the suhsequsnt pages is aware that he is advancing claims of no ordinary character. With what degree of ability they are about to be sustained remains yet to be seen. The author makes no pretensions to literary attainments, or to the art of fine writing ; but he has the vanity to say, that, in his natural sphere, on, the deck of a ship, he will yield to none in his luiowledge and discharge of nautical duties. If this (perhaps gratuitous) boast require justification, he trusts that it may be found in the following brief sketch of some prominent incidents of his thus far checkered life and maritime career, previous to the voyages which furnished the subject-matter of the present work. This he gives the more readily, as the public have an undoubted right to know something of a man who comes before them with the high-sounding promise of increasing their stock of geographical knowledge, and adding much to the accu mulated treasures of cosmographical science. Ever anxious to avoid even the appearanceof egotism, he has thus introduced himself to the reader in the third person ; but in telling his own story, he finds it more convenient to adopt the first. My father, Benjamin Morrell, of Stonington, Connecticut, is well known to the commercial community in New-England and New- York, as a ship-builder of some professional eminence. His name, also, will be remembered, as connected with a domestic calamity of the most distressing and heart-rending character, which occurred in the great gale of September 23d, I8I5j which vdll be noticed in its proper place. His family once comprised a beloved wife and seven children — four sons and three daughters, of whom I was the eldest. I was bom on the 5th day of July, 1795. My parents at that time resided in a small town of Westchester county, in the state of New- York, called Rye, on Lcnig Island Sound, about eighteen miles N.E. of the great commercial emporium of the United States. Thus, I may say the salt water was almost the first scene presented to my infant view ; and I have Kved close by it, or on it, ever since. X INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1812- In less than a year after my birth, my father removed his family to Stonington, a borough in the county of New-London, Connecticu^ also lying on the margin of Long Island Sound, fifteen miles east ot New-London, and near the western line of Rhode Island. 1 his place is celebrated for having successfully resisted two funous bombard- mems by the English; one during the war of the revolution, and another, of two days' duration, in the last war. It can also boast ol having produced a greater number of excellent seamen, eminent ship masters, and enterprising merchants than any other town of equal population in the United States. The number of inhabitants according to the census of 1830 did not exceed 800 souls. It was here that my father commenced his business of ship-bmldmg ; wliich he pursued, with unremitting assiduity, until the year 1800, when he made a voyage to the Pacific Ocean, as third officer and carpenter of the schooner Oneco, of New-London, commanded by Captain George Howe. He was absent nearly three years, suffering many hardships and privations, the voyage proving unusually hazard ous and disagreeable. On his return to Stonington, he resumed his business of ship-buUding ; in which he lost a considerable sum of money, through the misfortunes of his employer. Captain Nathaniel Smith. Although this loss was severely felt by my father, he never attributed any blame to Captain Smith ; knowing him to be of a nature too noble and humane to enjoy a lengthened period of worldly pros perity. (JThe miser and the knave appear to be the most popular and successful in this life, while the generous and the just too often become the victims of treachery, and the prey of misfortune.") My infancy and early childhood were periods of sickness and pain. That laughing vivacity, bounding hilarity, and buoyancy of spirit which every healthy child experiences — '* That ligtatly draws its breath, And feels its hfe in every limb,^ were to me "like angels' visits;" for until I was ten years old I- had seldom, if ever, enjoyed health or ease for the short space of a single Week. At the age of ten, my health rapidly improved ; and it was about this period that I first felt a strong propensity to become a sailor, and visit distant parts of the world. This desire, by whatever cause excited, was keenly whetted by the many marvellous stories I daily heard, from those who followed the seas, concerning the " wonders of the mighty deep," and the curiosities of foreign climes. It literally " grew with my growth, and strengthened with my strength." Books, also, were not wanting to fan the flame, which at" length became inex tinguishable ; and after vainly soliciting my father's consent, I deter mined at once -to play the hero, and seize the first opportunity for running away ! Such an opportunity at length occurred ; but not until I had entered my seventeenth year: when, without taking leave of any member of the family, or intimating my purpose to a single soul, I left my paternal home, one pleasant morning in March, 1812; and without encounter- mg any adventures worth relating, soon found myself in the great city 1812.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. xi of New- York. Here I lost no time in looking out for a berth on board of some vessel engaged in foreign trade, the coasting business being a sphere far too limited for my expansive ambition. I finally succeeded in stepping myself on board the Enterprise, a ship belonging to Ralph Buckley, Esq., and commanded by Captain Alexander Cart- wright ; as fine a seaman, and as honest a man, as ever put his foot on the quarter-deck of a ship. Our destination was Lisbon,-with a cargo of flour, for which a great price was anticipated, as France was then at war with Spain and Por tugal, and a further supply from the United States was momentarily ex pected to be cut off; as an embargo law for ninety days had just passed both houses of Congress, and was hourly expected in New- York. Like several others in the same predicament, we were compelled to take in our cargo with the greatest expedition, and then to drop below in the outer harbour, to wait for our clearance. As soon as this was obtained, we all weighed anchor and put to sea. The word waa now, " Run for it ! and He|y.en help the hindmost !" for the collector's signature was scarcely ^y' upon the paper before he received orders from Washington by express to stop every vessel that was bound to sea. The revenue-cutter immediately gave chase to our little fleet of flour-dealers, and succeeded in stopping several of the fugitives, who were compelled to return. The rest of us had too much the start of him ; and I soon found myself far from land, on the element which I had so long and so ardently desired to traverse. I cannot describe my sensations on finding myself afloat on the- .mighty ocean. My soul seemed to have escaped from a prison or a cage — I could now breathe more freely. But large and boundless as the world of waters appeared, I was afraid that it was not large enough for my wholesale desires.' So many had traversed it before me that I felt apprehensive that they had gleaned the vast field of research, and left nothing new for me to discover and des^ibe. But doubtless many other lads of the same age, and under similar circumstances, have experienced the same kind of feelings. The enthusiastic glow which they imparted to my bosom, however, was -occasionally chilled by an intruding thgughl of home, and the affliction of my parents and rela tives, on account of my clandestine and mysterious disappearance. But the novelty of my situation soon enabled me to give such thoughts to the winds. After a pleasant passage, we touched at Lisbon, but finding the Ijirice of flour not equal to our expectations, we proceeded to Cadiz, which was then exposed to a severe bombardment from the French. This was of course a wonderful and interesting scene to me. To see the bomb-shells flying over our ship, and falling into the market place, which I had occasion to visit every day for beef and vegetables,. was truly grand and sublime. It was in some measure realizing what I had so often heard and read and dreamed of; it was a partial consummation of my most prominent juvenile desire. I soon became, familiar with danger,. and actually felt the most gratified when the shells fell thickest around me ; so that I might exhibit my contempt of fear. From that iieriod, I became romantically fond of hazardous. xii INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1812. and desperate enterprises, in the stchievement of which I na .^ ^^^ since sought occasion to place myself foremost. Whether , r ' pensity be physical or moral, or both combined, or .'"<"'"f' °"^'^ rashness, I leave it for others to decide. At all events, it ^PP^"; ¦" be inherent in my nature, and the most pleasant sensations i nave evei experienced were the effects of its gratification. „»,„-„„c We made a long stay in Cadiz, waiting to make an advantageous sale of our cargo, which we finally effected, and agam set sail on our return to New-York, ignorant of the fact that since our departure trom the United States war had been declared by om- govemmem against Great Britain and her deimndencies. . , , , ' We continued our passage with variable winds and occasional foul weather, until we arrived on the Banks of Newfoundland ; where we fell in with the British sloop-of-war Hazard, the commander ot which politely fiirnished our captain with the news of the war, and then ex tended his courtesy so far as to take charge of our ship, and give the officers and crew a free passage to St. JoWn's, Newfoundland, where we were all confined on board a prison-ship lying a^the head of the harbour. On board of this hulk we were detained as prisoners of war for about eight months, during which time we received every indulgence and liberty that could reasonably be expected by persons in our situation. For this liberal and humane treatment we were indebted to the kind ness of Sir John Thomas Duckworth, commander-in-chief of his Britannic majesty's forces on that station. He even permitted twenty- five of the American prisoners to go on shore every day, to work as riggers, receiving the customary wages for that business. He also . alloweti a market to be held on board the hulk, to which the country men were compelled to bring tbe best of every thing, at the same prices as were paid by citizens. Every article of provisions brought to this market which was found to be of bad quality was promptly thrown overboard by one of ; Sir John's officers. But notwithstanding the kmd treatment we received, we all sighed for liberty, longing to get home that we might embrace our friends, and join our brave countrymen in arms. We therefore resolved to petition Sir John, at his next humane weekly visit, to send the American prisoners home to their families and friends; We did so, and the admiral replied in substance as follows : " My brave men I feel for you, and will do all that lies in my power towards gratifying your wishes, in the course of this winter. It is natural that you should desire to be restored to your friends, families, and country. You may rely upon my best exertions in your behalf." Reanimated by this cordial assurance, we now felt like different beings, confident that the humane veteran spoke in the sincerity of his heart, and a few days furnished testimony that our confidence had not been misplaced. On his next visit he gave us the joyful intelligence that arrE^ngements had been made for our return to the States in about a month. No incident occurred to damp our hopes. At the time appointed we all embarked on board a cartel, and on the following day took our final leave of Sir John, with sentiments of affection and respect. It 1812.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. xiii is no small gratification to my feelings at the present moment, that I am favoured with an opportunity of thus bearing public testimony to the professional merits of this gentleman, as well as to the amiable qualities of his heart. He dropped a manly tear at our parting, and his cordial " God bless you, my lads !" was sensibly felt by every -heart among us. After interchanging an affectionate farewell with other kind friends and acquaintances, we set saU for our native land, and in a few days arrived in safety at Boston. I now found myself restored to liberty from a state of captivity ; a freeman in my native country, treading the soil of independence. This side of the picture was not without its charms. But I was pen niless, and amcmg strangers ; in the language of Dr. Watts, " Alike unknowing and unknown ;" many miles from my paternal home ; longing, yet dreading to meet my father, without even a change of linen, or the means of procuring such a luxury. This side of-the picture was shaded in gloom, and I hesitated what course to pursue. As a prompt decision, however, was indispensably necessary, I made up my mind to go home, and started for Stonington on foot, trusting to chance and charity for food and lodging on the road, and to parental affection for a pardon and cordial reoepdon at the termination of my journey. One of my comrades only accompanied me ; and though his pockets were light a,s my own, yet " misery loves company," and our conversation tended to beguile the tediousness of.the way. So we journeyed on together, being some times received and entertained with warm hospitality and kindness, at othertimes treated with churlish indifference, or repulsed with unfeeling rudeness. When we had arrived at a place within about fifteen miles of Sto nington, my companion found a friend from whom he borrowed a horse, and rode on before me to my father's home, to communicate tlie intel ligence that his son was on the road, and thus prepare him and the family for the approaching meeting. From the departure of my messenger until the first interview with my father, my feelings may more easily be conceived than described. On hearing that his " lost son was fpund," and returning, like the repentant prodigal to seek a reconciliation with his father, parental affection triumphed over every other feeling. " And while he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." This was almost literally the ease with me. On hearing the report of the messenger, my father instantly ordered a carriage, and rode out of town to meet m«. I shall not attempt to describe the long desired, long dreaded interview. It took place on the road, and resulted in the mutual satisfaction of both parties- His heart was overflowing with tenderness and forgiveness ; mine with gratitude and affection. The meeting with my mother, sisters, and brothers was equally affecting. " The best robe" was put upon me, " and shoes upon my feet." " The fatted calf was killed," and we " did all eat, and were merry." xiv INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1813. When a state of comparative calmness had succeeded to this excite-; ment, my father addressed me, nearly in the following words : "My son," said he, "you have my forgiveness for the past and also my consent to pursue the bent of your '"clmations, if you are still determined to follow the sea for a livelihood. But as "« neces sary for you to have education, I wish you to stop on shore until yo^ can acquire it; for I shaU then be satisfied that you will be capabte of reaching an elevated rank in the profession, and of becommg an lionour to the society of ship-masters. I know that you possess as much ambition as any lad of your age in the country, and are capable; oi becoming whatever you please, if you are careful to store your mind with useful knowledge. You have now health, strength, courage, and quick discernment. All that is wanting to ensme your success is a suitable education ; and that you must have." , j • Though I forcibly felt and readily acknowledged the truth and jus- tice of these remarks, the "spirit-stirring" influence of the times would not allow me to profit by them. My country was engaged m aa arduous struggle with a powerful enemy ; my countrymen were in arms — a daring foe hovered on the coast, and our gallant tars were reaping a harvest of glory on the ocean. During my unfortunate cap tivity, three of the enemy's first-rate frigates had been captured, by those " American cock-boats, with a piece of striped bunting at their mast-head," which were to have been swept from the ocean in half that time.* The gallant Hull had conquered and sunk the boasting Guerriere, in thirty minutes. Decatur had captured the Macedonian, after an obstinate action, and brought her safely into New- York through Long Island Sound. Bainbridge had captured and destroyed the Java. Porter of the Essex had captured the sloop-of-war Alert, in eight minutes, without the loss of a man. Jones of the Wasp had captured the Frolic of 22 guns, in forty-three minutes ; and Lawrence of the Hornet had captured the Peacock, of 18 guns, in fifteen min utes. All these victories had been achieved in the short space of six months, from the 19th of August, 1812, to the 24th of February, 1813 ! How could I hear of these glorious events — how read of the hon ours conferred upon the victors — how listen to the shouts of triumph, and witness the splendid illuminations lighted up in honour of those heroes, without resolving to seek the first oppormnity to share in their dangers and their glory ? even the common sailors attached to our vic torious ships were treated on shore like heroes and conquerors. Pub lic dinners were provided for them at the most magnificent hotels of our principal cities ; while splendid and expensive dramatic spec tacles were produced at the theatres expressly for their amusement. With such a luxuriant field of laurels before me, could I calmly look on, and see others reap all the harvest ? Could I, in short, waste days, and weeks, and months in a village school, while other lads of my age, among whom were several of my own acquaintances, were gainilig wealth and renown upon the ocean ? My resolution was soon taken. The privateer Joel Barlow,: a * Vide English newspapers of that day. •1813.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. XV schooner of one hundred and sixty tons, pierced for fourteen guns, was nearly ready for sea ; and I succeeded in obtaining the station of quarter-master on board of her, under Captain Buchanan. We set sail with bright hopes and high anticipations, all of which were destined 40 terminate in cruel disappointment ; our cruise being totally barren of incident, danger, or emolument. We finally put into Charleston, S. C, where our little privateer was converted into a letter-of-marque, and laden with cotton for France. Two nine-pounders were all the guns we retained, with eighteen men besides officers. We weighed anchor at daybreak on the 28th of May, 1813, and left the port of Charleston in company with the privateer schooner General Armstrong, of eighteen guns, afterward distinguished for the gallant and desperate defence she made against an overwhelming force, in Fayal R3ads. She was now under the command of Captain Champlin ; who, a few weeks before, had sustained an action with her against an English twenty-four gun frigate, for forty-five minutes within pistol shot ; and finally succeeded in escaping, with the loss of six killed and sixteen wounded. The General Armstrong, being light and well coppered, soon left «s behind, and we saw her no more. We had five passengers on board the Joel Barlow, bound for Bordeaux ; viz. a young Frenchman of about twenty-five years of age, said to be partially insane ; with his mother, and another French lady: also, two American gentlemen, one of whom was Major M. M. Noah, of New- York, who had been recently appointed cons^to Tunis. About the middle of June (I kept no journal at this time), we fell in with a fleet of English merchantmen, steering a south-easterly course ; and our captain proposed making love to one of them ; not doubting that our warlike appearance would induce an instant surrender. We accordingly gave chase, and came very near catching a tartar ; for as we neared our intended prize, she suddenly shortened sail, displayed a flag and pendant, hauled up her courses, and exhibited a row of teeth loo formidable for our present purpose. In short, it was the guardian dog of the flock— an English gun-brig convoying the fleet. The cap tain saw his en-or in time, appeared satisfied with the discovery, and we resumed our former course. I Our passage was considerably retarded and protracted by calms ; -SO that thirty-four days had elapsed before we obtained a sight of the Prench coast. On the 3d of "July, in the afternoon, within about fifty miles of Cordovan lighthouse, we fell in with an English gun-brig on the lee bow, and a sixteen gun cutter on the lee* (juarter. We im mediately commenced plying to windward, with a fair prospect of es caping our enemies ; as it was evident, after an hour's trial, that they did not gstin upon us, and the captain was only waiting for night to change our course. At sunset, however, we discovered to our aston ishment an English frigate to windward, running down directly on "*'* beam, with topmast, top-gallant, and royal steering sails set. I Escape "vf^fe no wjmposSible. She soon ran her jib-boom over our quarter, and orderetlVs to haul down oursailsand colours. We were then boarded by a lieutenant, midshipman, and several men from the X^i INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [I8I3. frigate, who informed us that she was ''^f^^'^^:^''''°^^''°Zr£fZ Sir Thomas Staines, and ordered us all to repair on board of her, bag and baggage. We obeyed with all reasonable alacrity, although ,t was latfi/the evening Wore every thing was properly- arranged ^.^ Tettled. It was a beautiful moonlight night; and I w^l not deny that as I gazed at the silver orb, I sHently wished myself at Stomngton. But regrets were now useless. , , , . » ' As soon as we were safely stowed between decks, the master-at-arms ordered a sentry to be placed over us. On the followmg moming, how- ever, as the captain was examining the ship, seemg .ns under guard, he called to the master-at-arms, and demanded why the marmes were placed over the Americans. . ¦' " Let them go about their business," said he ; and then, tnrmng to the lieutenant, he added, "let these American tars be put m messes among tlie ship's company ; and as this happens to be the 4th day of July, a day which they always celebrate in their proud and haj^y country, tell my steward to give them six bottles of spirits from my own private stores, that they may drink to the memory of the immor tal Washington, the fadier of his country." It is perhaps unnecessary to say that we cheerfully profited by this unexpected indulgence from a magnanimous enemy; and united in celebrating the anniversary of our country's independence on board of an enemy's ship of war, and under the flag of the same power tlHt had so often assailed our country's rights. «^ On the following day, our schooner, th^Boel Barlow, was sent to England as a prize, in charge of a lieutenant, midshipman, and ten men. sOur captain went in her, but the rest of us remained on board the Briton. The same day our French passengers were disposed of by putting them on board a little French fishing-smack out of Roehelle ; although much against the inclinations of the fishermen, who begged hard to be excused, as they were sure of being imprisoned for the ser vice the moment they landed. All their entreaties, however, were un availing. They were compelled to obey, and the old lady and her son, accompanied by the other French lady, were received on board- the smack, and we saw them no more. Major Noah, the Tunisian consul, and his friend, were treated with the greatest civility by Captain Staines and his officers ; and also by Admiral Duncan, whom they visited by imitation, on board the Bulwark seventy-four, as soon as we reached Basque Roads, where a British squadron was at anchor, watching the motion of the French, and pick ing up adventurers like ourselves. The consul was afterward trans ferred to the Rippon seventy-fow, and finally sent to England, in the Goldfinch brig. From tlience he proceeded on his mission to Tunis, by the way of Spain. A different destiny awaited myself and comrades. AVe were trans ferred to the Sultan seventy-four ; from thence to the Clarence sevene|a four; in which we were conveyed to Plymouth, and pujLqn bo^liM prison-ship, where we remained about one monti^tB#were then taken to Dartmoor Prison.* T^^ ;i*-; .¦¦¦ * This prison is sitnated on an extensive moor, through which flows the river Bart ; hence the Bamo of Dartmoor ; as the aeanort town m th« «.«.,*». n*' .i... .,«™.. ,:..™ i„ -„»_,i r.-..*..' .... 1815.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. xvii In this dreary abode we found above eight thousand Frenchmen, and| about half that number of Americans, all prisoners of war. Here we' received every indulgence that could be expected under such circum- ' stances ; and though we had no more than the customary " prisoner's allowance" of food, what we had was good and wholesome. We en joyed ihe privilege of an excellent market, at the regular prices of the country, where every thing offered for sale was obliged to be of the best kind. No imposition was allowed to be practised onthe prisoners by the English farmers. We had our own cooks, and our own nurses in the hospital ; and the doctor was one of the best and most humane of men. His name was M'Graw, and he was justly beloved and re-' spected by every American in Dartmoor prison. We had the liberty of a large yard from daylight until dark ; and a certain number of the prisoners were each day permitted to go outside the walls to work, for which they were regularly paid by the captain of the prison. Within the walls we amused ourselves with schools, dramatic per formances, and a variety of games and plays. In fact, I cannot con scientiously accuse the British of any inhumanity towards the Ameri can prisoners during all my detention of thirty-one months in St. John's and at Dartmoor, excepting the atrocious massacre at the latter place in April, 1815, after the peace. The history of this affair is familiar to every reader. The American prisoners were fired upon, by order of the infamous Capt. Shortland, when eight were killed, and thirty- seven wounded ! More than seventeen years have passed away since that horrid event occurred, and the vital current, of course, flows more calmly through my veins ; it is also not always right to probe a healing wound : yet I caimot, at this moment, refer to the affair without experiencing an unpleasant glow of indignation which it is difficult to suppress. It is the feeling of an unatoned injury ranlding in my bosom. Had I been one of the wounded, I could not be more sensitive onthe subject. I feel it as an American. It is true that some sort of an investigation took place — a kind of mock trial ; but it resulted in nothing satisfac tory to the friends of the deceased, or the" surviving wounded invalid^ the most of whom will bear the marks of their wrongs to the grave. Why was not satisfaction demanded for this brutal outrage 1 The ' humblest American citizen is as much entitled to the protection of his government as the most elevated. Surely they who fight the battles of their country, and stand ready to shed their blood freely as water to sustain her honour and her rights, ought not to be wantonly maltreated without receiving some adequate atonement from the assassins. ' About the Ist of May, 1815, the joyful assurance of our immediate release Was received in Dartmoor prison, and a few days afterward we were marched to Plymouth, where we embarked for the land of , , liberty, our country, and our homes. In the latter part of June I once more stepped upon American ground, with a heart ftill of gratitude to our heavenly Father for having again redeemed me from captivity, supported me through numerous dangers and difficulties, and finally restored me to fhe land of my nativity in safety and in health. We B - SViii INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1815. landed at Boston, and I lost no time in hastening to S'on«lf*f"' J^^l I had the additional satisfaction of finding my parents and all tnei^iuuj in perfect health. It was a joyful meeting, after an absence oi more than two years. , .„,.__1:.- I As our country was now at peace, and my love of hardy enterprise not yet satisfied, I soon began to look about for some active and manly employment, congenial with my roving propensities. 1 thCTeiore, ajter taking an affectionate leave of my friends, repaired to New-York, where I fell m with my old friend Captain Cartwright, who now commanded the ship New-York Packet, and was bound to Bordeaux. Wishing 10 see a little of France, I did not hesitate to ship myself on board his vessel, which shortly proceeded on her voyage. In about three months we returned to New- York, where mteUigence «f the most distressing nature awaited me. During my absence, four of our family had perished in the most dreadful manner— namely, my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and my cousin. This afliicting dispensation happened in the great gale of September 23, 1815. This was the most tremendous and disastrous tornado ever witnessed in the United States. It commenced at about four o'clock in the mom ing. At nine it blew a fresh gale from the east, with some rain. By twelve the wind was south-east, and had increased to a perfect hurri cane. It drove the water into Providence River to the heightof twelve feet above its usual high-water mark, destroying much property and many lives. But at Stonington, the home of my parents, sisters, and brothers, the effects of this gale were most disastrously exhibited, and most severely felt. At ten o'clock, A. M. the tide had risen so as to tsweep all the wharves. A vast number of stores and houses were de molished, blown to pieces, and washed away by the sea — and my father's house among the rest.* Business had called him away from his family at an early hour in the moming ; and when the danger be gan to be alarming, the water had risen to such a height that /te could not return ! He had advanced so far as to be in full view of his house ; but an impassable gulf prevented liis nearer approach. The house was now surrounded and more than half-filled by the imnatural deluge, the surface of which was covered with floating timbers, planks, and other evidences of its ravages. The family had retreated to the roof. Many attempts had been made to cross the raging whirlpool in boats, with the vain hope of rescuing the ill-fated sufferers from their im pending destiny. My father rushed forward to succour the helpless victims, with a desperation bordering on phrensy ; but was forcibly jestrained by his more considerate or less excited friends. There stood the distracted husband and father, surrounded by his neighbours, gazing on the heart-appalling scene, unable to aflbrd relief He saw the beings who were dearer to him than life, clinginhaUop Cove. After a short stay here, we started for Staten Land, where we came to anchor on the 15th of September, in East Harbour. I now took my brother, with the two boats well maimed, and started on a cruise around the island in search of fur seaL But this day's cruise had wellnigh proved my last ; for in attempting to land, wi^ two of my boat's crew, an accident happened which threatened fatal consequences both to them and myself. As a heavy swell was rolling into the shore, I ordered the two men to land before me, con fident that I could gain the top of the rock before the next roUer came in. But here I unfortunately overrated my own agility, .ind miscalculated the velocity of " the saucy billow," for before either of us could obtain a good foothold, a very hea\y roller, fuU fifteen feet in height, came swiftly in, and swept all three of us off the rock< Being in the rear of my men, it struck me with much greater vicdence than it did them, plunging me downwards with great velocity. I struggled manfully with the gigantic assailant, but before I could clear myself from the kelp and undertow, and rise again to the surface, I had become so completely strangled with water that it was useless to close my mouth, as no more could enter it. During all this struggle my presence of mind did not once forsake me. * My thoughts flew like lightning over the actions of my past life ; indeed, the rapidity with which I recalled every smgle transac tion of departed years is truly incredible. I reviewed tlie whole, but among a mass of youthiiil follies I beheld no crime for which I could condemn myself. Nothing troubled me but the idea of leaving my little family so poorly provided for, and exposed to the insults and impo sitions of an unfeeling world. ' Perceiving that my strength was wasting very rapidly, I made a ¦ desperate effort to swim off shore to my boat, which I saw just out- side of the breakers, and near her the boat of my brother, who was pullmg m, and admonishing me at the same time, in a loud but cheer ful voice, to keep up my spirits for a minute or two longer, when he would be able to reach and assist me. 1 All my attempts to swim off shore were frustrated by the heavy rollers, throwmg me back towards die rocks. I therefwe changed my purpose, and made several trials to reach the shore; but justTi coiUd almost touch the rocks which lined it, the undertow would t^ * Se« chapter ia. 1821.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. Xxi me fifteen or twenty feet beneath the water. At length, when my feeble struggles had once more raised me to the surface, I found that my strength had entirely left me ; and ceasing to struggle, I passively and slowly descended, confident that I could never coriie up again without assistance, and feeling that after such powerful exertions and consequent fatigue, it was sweet to rest, even if it were the rest of death ! When I had slowly sunk about two feet below the surface, in nearly an erect posture, with my face off shore, and my eyes open, I saw my brother's boat coming in, on a very heavy roUer ; he appearing determined to save or perish with me. As the boat came in with great velocity, I saw him standing in the bow, with a coiled line in his hand ready to throw to my assistance, which he did as soon as he came within proper distance, and with such accuracy that the coil, settling much faster than I did, came directly over my head. Heaven gave me strength to clench it in my hand, which I did with a death- gripe, and in the next moment my brother had hold of me. " Stem, all !" he exclaimed, and the oars were vigorously plied to pull the boat backwards from the breakers ; i but before she could clear them, she came very near standing on end or pitchpoling. Thus far my senses faithfully performed their several functions. I could see, hear, feel, think, reason, and draw conclusions. But the instant I was raised to the surface, and felt the breath of heaven on my face, I knew no more, but lay insensible, apparently dead, for four hours ; during all which time no human strength could compel my fingers to relax their hold of the cord which, under Providence, saved me frora a watery grave. When I recovered my senses, I "found that I had cascaded a vast quantity of salt water, and felt myself utterly prostrated wItK~excessive weakness. The boats were now pulling for the schooner, which they reached about midnight, the watch on deck having called Captain Johnson, on seeing us approach. My brother's boat was the first to get alongside, when he briefl^Mpmmunicated to the captain the nature of my situation. The momem^ was lifted from the boat to the deck of the Wasp I found myself in the arms of Captain Johnson ; who, with a fuUheart and overflowing eyes, inimediately returned thanks to God for my truly miraculous deliverance. '¦> From Staten Land we shaped our course for the South' Shetland Islands,* and arrived at Monroe's, after a pleasant run of four days, with light winds from the east and north-east, an& clear weather. Ia cruising among tljese islands we experienced many dangers and hair breadth escapes fi-om the fields of ice which frequently surrounded our little vessel. Our situation at times was peculiarly hazardous, cheer less, and lonely, — no other vessel appearing in those seas to interrupt the solitude which surrounded us for sixteen days, although we were daily expecting the brig Jane Maria, of New-York, belonging to the same concern, for which we were to prepare a cargo of sea-elephant, oil or blubber. On the third day after our arrival we explored our way, with ex- / * See chap, iii. xxii INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1821. treme difficulty and not a little danger, through the ice, as ^^r to the eastward as Yankee Harbour. Before we reached this place, no^^^f^, being then about three miles from it, we became completely enciosea in the centre of a vast field of ice; and before we could rescue tne vessel from this unpleasant and perilous situation it came on to blow a .smart gale from the S.S.W., nearly dead on-shore. In the course of two hours the violence of the wind had raised a heavy and dangerous iea, which caused these large cakes of ice, about six feet in thickness, to surge against the schooner with alarming force. This rendered our situation extremely critical ; and we made several bold attempts lo force the vessel through the ice into clear water, which «-as now only about three hundred yards from us. Convinced, at length, that our ice-bound schooner could not be made to move without putting on her such a press of canvass as would, almost to a certainty, carry away her masts, as the gale was increasing every moment. Captain Johnson ordered the sails to be taken in, and tlie boats to be prepared with provisions, muskets, ammunition, and fireworks,^ — in order that we might haul them to the shore over the ice, in case of the last extremity, — as there was every prospect of the schooner's going to pieces if she continued much longer in her present , dangerous situation. But 1^ the time the boats were in readiness the crew had become completely disheartened, — ^the mildest prospect be fore them being that of perishing with the cold on the ice, if they escaped a watery grave ! At this juncture of affairs Captain Johnson, myself, and brother Leld a consultation, which resulted in a determination to force the ves sel through the ice, at the hazard of her masts. Should we remain much longer where we were, our fate was inevitable ; and we could but - perish at last, if the masts went by the board. It was a desperate alternative ; but possibly it might prove successful. Captain Johnson gave the word, and I sprang forward to see it executed. " All hands, ahoy ! to make sail !" I exclaimed, and the crew were instantly in readiness. " My brave lads," I continued, " you all see ¦our danger, and must exert yourselves^lo escape it. Active obedience and manly presence of mind can now alone save us. I know you too well to doubt your skill and courage. Cheer up, my hearties, and ex ert yourselves like men in making sail to save the vessel and your lives. Let us give the little Wasp all her canvass, and she will either carry us safely out of this perilous situation, or lose her limbs in the attempt." This brief exhortation had the desired effect. Every man sprang to his duty with renovated cheerfulness and alacrity ; and in a few minutes all the heavy canvass in the vessel was spread to die gale. Sondin* mS!^^^ "'"""^^ °^ ^ ""^^ ~'^« --emenf on mrySi^tti:^SvSl^.i^JeStrSXr"r '^ backstays would permit On the'streng^ of thi ^or touTredem^ ion now depended We watched her motion with an ILost breX aess anxiety. At length we perceived that she began to raoi afthJ 1821.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. xxiit tardy rate of about twice her length in twenty minutes. This slow movement, however, was gradually accelerated, until, in about twenty- five minutes, we found her approaching the outer edge of her ice-bound prison with great velocity. It was now deemed necessary to shorteft saU, lest her still increasing speed should drive some sharp fragment of ice through her bottom. Every sail was therefore taken in, except the head of the foresail ; by which time we were in clear water, where we hove the vessel to under two reefs in her foresail, wliich was now as much canvass as she was able to stand under in such a gale. On the following day the gale abated, fine weather succeeded, and the sea soon became smooth. It was now found necessary to get the vessel into a safe anchorage as soon as possible. This was finally effected by the discovery of a new and commodious harbour, to which, in honour of our worthy captain, we gave the name of Johnson's Har bour. Here we came to anchor, and enjoyed a little respite after our late danger and fatigue. •¦¦¦^ The next morning my brother and myself, each in command of a well-furnished whale-boat, started on a cruise in search of sea-ele phants. Onr boats were equipped and stored with every thing neces sary for such service, — such as provisions, arms, fireworks, tent, &c. After coasting along the shore for about thirty miles to the westward, we discovered the objects of our search on the beach, in immense multitudes, to the amount of at least ten thousand. Exulting in the prospect of a successful enterprise, we immediately selected a con venient spot and pitched our tent, which was made of No. 1 canvass, and of sufficient capacity to accommodate the crews of both whale- boats. Here we encamped, in the midst of our unconscious victims, which were scattered around us in numbers more than sufficient for our present purpose, — which was merely to provide a cargo of seven hundred barrels of oil for the brig Jane Maria, of New-York, and which we effected in a very short time. \ As soon as the brig arrived and took charge of the oil, we weighed anchor and shaped our course to the north-east, in search of fur-seals. This unwearied activity was characteristic of our enterprising and amiable commander. On the accomplishment of one object he pro ceeded to another without a moment's delay. But it is to be feared that this laudable ambition at length carried him too far, and that he has fallen a victim to that spirit of manly enterprise by which he was always actuated. He sailed from New-York in 1826, on a voyage t» the South Seas, but has not been heard of since he left the south cape of New-Zealand, in 1827. We arrived at the Seal Islands in the latter part of November, 1821, but found very little game to reward us for the trouble of coming thither. Captain Johnson, therefore, whose active spirit would not permit him to linger among these islands in idleness, adopted the resolution of sailing eastward in search of new lands. So we took our boats on deck, and steered between the east and the south, until the second day of December, at one o'clock, when the man at mast head gave the cheering cry of ¦" Land, ho ! Land, ho !" This proved to be an island, bearing east-half-south, distant five XXIV INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1881. leagues; not noticed on any chart. At 2 P. M the wind had died away to a dead calm. Knowing this to be a new t"**^^^^' ^"a anxious to ascertain if there were any fur-seal on its shores, i P^evdueo on Captain Johnson to let me take my boat and visit ^^e «''^"^; The boat was accordingly lowered and manned, and at hall-past two our brave lads began to pull for the shore, which was now about ten miles from us. Our orders were to return before dark, and in case of a breeze springing up, to look for the Wasp under the lee of the island. Our men gave way with great spirit and alacrity, dieered with the hope of finding on the shores of our new discovered island an abundance of that amphibious game of which we were in search. ¦ After two hours' hard rowing our boat reached the beach, and anx- sous to be the first man on shore, I resigned the steering oar to one of the men, and sprang into the bows of die boat, from whence I leaped to land before a particle of sand had been disturbed by her ked. Here were no inhabitants either to bid me welcome or to resent Su intrusion, with the exception of some twenty sea-dogs, reposijig on the beach, and their tacit hospitality we inhumanly rewarded by des patching five of the handsomest, and making free with their ja^jebb On what trifling contingencies depend important events! This little adventure proved the means of saving our lives ! But for the capture of these sea-dogs, om* boat and crew, in all human probabili^, "would never have been heard" of more, nor would diis humble narras tive have ever been put to paper ! But I will not anticipate. ! We now proceeded to explore the beach, in search of fur-seal, and soon feel in with a yearling of the right sort. This put our lads in fine spirits, as it seemed the earnest of some heavy rookeries* ahead. But in this hope we were all sadly disaj^inted ; for after vainly exploring above ten miles of the shore, which abounded with spots of fine beach, and places suitable for seal in a pai-turient state, we gave up the search in despair, and prepared to return to our vesseL . It was now nekr eight o'clock, P. M., and the wind had commenced blowing a smart breeze from the west, attended with light snow- squalls. The Wasp, as we expected, was lying-to on the leeward side of the island, at the distance of about ten mUes, bearing E.N.E. by compass. We unmoored, hoisted sail, and steered directly for the schooner with a fair wind, imtil we were within about two noiles and a half of her, when a thick snow-storm set in, while the wind contin?^ lied to freshen. We still shaped our coiu-se for the position in which the Wasp was last seen, lying-to with her starboard tacks on board, bearing E. by N. half N. Consequently, we steered E. by N. for ^bout two miles, when we commenced firing muskets every five min utes, until we judged ourselves to be near £e schooner. Not receiving any answer to our signal-guns, we turned tlie boat's * As this noun, in hoth its Iiumbers, wUl frequently occur in tho course of Uiis work it mav not ha improper In tlijs place to exp ain its meaning. Tlie word n,o*ery, which Zp^ry me,,?g « rn.^ sery of woks," has been api>lied by all our South Sea navigatorS to the bitX/e^™" ' ," rf •various oqeanio animals, such as seal, penguins, &c. It ia possible, however thSJ^TIiH^l.^ keeii aSriV^a IVom the verb fo rook, or to nA, wiicb signifies lo »?uM; to benA^n^ 'LTZ ^."TS cower, &c. At the risk of transgressing tho canons oC criticism, I shall use the tirm 1i,^K i. liitoa'Syounl"-^' Sea s«riors-"aspot selected by certain animals Ibr tbc'pSjS^^Sfn^ 1821.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. Xxv head to windward, took in the sails, and pulled towards tlie island ; making, however, but very little headway. In this manner we pro ceeded until it began to grow dark, which in this latitude, and at that season, was at hadf past ten, P. M. At this time the haze opened a little, so that we obtained a sight of the schooner bearing S.W. by W. five miles to windward, under a heavy press of sail, with her larboard tacks on board. Tlje island now bore W. by S. distant seven miles, as we had gained about two miles in-shore. The wind had now increased to a perfect gale, and our situation every moment became more and more critical. Presuming that Cap tain Johnson did not see the boat, and finding that we were rapidly losing ground, the crew became veiy much disheartened. The snow storm again set in, thicker than ever ; so that we soon lost sight both of land and vessel. The gale continued to increase in violence, and the waves in magnitude ; so that it was almost impossible to keep the boat's head to the windward. I now found it absolutely necessary to adopt some other method to keep her in that position than merely hanging upon our oars ; for unless her head was pointed to the seas, she would inevitably fill. To prevent such a catastrophe, I fortunately hit upon the following expedient. We bent or fastened one end of the boat's warp to the five seal skins we had taken in the afternoon, and at about three fathoms dis tance from the skins, we secured the oars to the same cord. In order to prevent the latter proving too buoyant, we loaded them with the %oat's anchor, secured by what cordage we could command, such as the halyards and sheets of our sails. As soon as this rude appa ratus was completed, we committed it to the waves, paying out about twenty fathoms of the warp, which we secured to the bow and stern thwarts, keeping it well parcelled in the chucks, to prevent its chafing. When this was all properly arranged, we stowed ourselves in the centre of the boat, and soon found that one man could now keep her free, by baling only half his time, although the sea ran excessively heavy, and the gale blew with such violence that it was almost impossible to breathe while lookmg to windward. Still, however, our little boat made veiy good weather of it. The oil which worked from the blubber attached to the skin so smoothed the rough billows that not a sea broke near the boat. For the space of twenty-four hours we thus rode by our floating anchor, in a tre mendous gale of wind, a very heavy sea; and a violent snow-storm. During this time we must have drifted to leew'artl at least fifty mUes, as there was no land in sight when the storm abated, and the weather became elear. Our newly discovered island could have been easily discerned at the distance of forty miles. Although the storm had abated, our situation was still extremely perilous. We had neither provisions nor quadrant on board the boat, in the high latitude of 60° 30', and were, in fact, destitute of every thing necessary to extricate ourselves from this awkward predicament. To add to the difficulties and dangers which surrounded us, the feet, hands, aijd ears of the crew began to be frozen. I now found myself compelled to exercise some severity towards the poor fellows, in order to prevent their perishing with the cold. That treacherous and horrid XXVi INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF [1821, drowsiness which is ever the precursor of death ^^ f^ g^ gjg . over them with almost resistless force, and I knew that n p would wake no more. I therefore adopted every method i t^ouia imnK of to arouse their almost dormant faculties, and could only succeed by exciting some turbulent passion. I also compelled them o dip their hands and feet imo the water every few mmutes, to prevent their freezing any more ; as I, who set the salutary example, escaped the slightest touch of the frost. The momem I felt a sensation of numb ness in my extremities, I dipped the affected part m the salt water, and the feeling was almost immediately removed. ! On the 3d of December, at nine o'clock, A. M., the gale subsided, and was succeeded by fair weather. We now weigheti our floating anchor, the wind having shifted to the south, and agam set sail m search of our new island. The course we steered was W.S.W., running at the rate of five miles an hour, until two o'clock the next morning, December 4th; when, to our unspeakable joy, we found our selves close in with our little island, which we had left two days before. At four o'clock, A. M., we had the additional pleasure of discovering the schooner to the eastward, steering directly for the island, and at half past six we were once more safe on the bright decks of the Wasp, where my brave boat's crew received the cordial embraces of their sympathizing shipmates. It was necessary, however, that this inter change of congratulation should be abridged, as my men were much frost-bitten, and quite exhausted for the want of food and rest ; the little bread we had on board the boat being completely soaked with the salt water. I As respects myself, I was received by the captain and my brother as one risen from the dead. Both of them shed tears of joy, and fer vently expressed their thanks to Heaven for my deliverance. They had given us up for lost, concluding it impossible that our little boat could weather such a gale, or live an hour in such a sea. Even'l!»e schooner had suffered considerably, havmg part of her bulwark washed away while lying-to in the height of the gale, which split one three- reefed foresail and one balance-reefed mainsail. She had also drifted about ninety miles to the eastward. , I Captain Johnson had seen our boat just as the snow-storm set in, and concluded that we would immediately steer for the land, which was what we vainly attempted to do. At half past ten, P. M., when the snow cleared off for a few minutes, he could discover nothing of us from the masthead ; and finding the gale increasing to such an alarming degree of violence, attended with so rough a sea, he naturally concluded that the boat must have been swamped, and iliat as a neces sary consequence, all hands had perished ; as it seemed' to him, he said, "utterly impossible for any boat to live at sea in so violent a gale, with the sea runnmg so high as, at times, almost to bury the schooner." It was nothing, under Providence, but the soft persuasive influence of our sea-dog oil, that partially appeased the anwy god of the ocean, and restrained his fury from filling the little bubble of a vessel in which we floated. To the God of gods we gave the praise for to him alone was it due. ^ ' 1822.] THE AUTHOR'S EARLY LIFE. xxvii and at nine, P. M., having examined the coast to our satisfaction, and finding no seal, we steered for Staten Land, where we again fell in with the brig Jane Maria, bound to New- York. As this vessel was also under the orders of Captain Johnson, though now it\ the charge of one in whom he had not the most implicit confidence, lie expressed a wish that I \TOuld take passage, and navigate her to New- York. I cheerfully complied with my worthy friend's wishes, and embarked on board the Jane Maria, which, iii a few days afterward, arrived at the Falkland Islands. Here we remained about a month, for the purpose of taking fur-seal, and then set sail for the United States. After a pleasant passage of fifty-eight days, we arrived in safety at the port of New-York, on the 26th of April, 1822. I had the satisfaction of find ing my family and all my friends enjoymg good health ; but shall not trouble my readers with any trite remarks respecting the pleasure of meeting those we love, after so long an absence ; presuming that they know as much about it as I can tell them. At any rate, they will not look for sentiment in the rough journal of a sailor. On the day after my arrival, our owners having perused the letters which I brought from Captain Johnson, Mr. Byers promptly offered me the command of a vessel, if I would wait a month or two ; at the expiration of which time it would be the proper season to commence a South Sea voyage for the purpose of sealing, trading, and making new discoveries. I readily acceded to this proposal, and immediately took charge of the schooner Henry, to have her repaired and fitted against the return of Captain Johnson, who was then to take the com mand, and resign the Wasp to me. In about six weeks the latter vessel made her appearance, with a cargo of hair-seal skins — last from the island of Mocha ; and, in due time. Captain Johnson and myself exchanged places. I then took both vessels up to the ship-yard of Messrs. Blossom, Smith, and Damon, to be thoroughly overhauled, repaired, and fitted for a long voyage. When the two vessels were properly fitted for sea, and removed from the ship-yard to the stations assigned them for that purpose, we commenced taking in provisions and salt for a sealing voyage, which it was calculated would occupy about two years ; while both com manders were vested with discretionary powers to prosecute new dis coveries, and to trade for the benefit of all concerned. Each vessel was therefore liberally and bountifiilly supplied with every thing necessary and comfortable for such an expedition, by James Byers, Esq., one of the owners. In naming this gentleman, I cannot avoid expressing the high estimation in which I hold his character for honour, liberality, mercantile integrity, and every manly virtue, In due time our two schooners were completely equipped and ready for a two years' cruise in the South Seas, Antarctic Seas, and Pacific Ocean ; both of them being strong, stanch, well-rigged, fast-sailing vessels. On the SOth day of June, 1822, we prepared to set sail — having, of course, previously taken leave of' our friends, and parted with some perhaps for ever ! At eight, A. M., the pilot came on board, when we got under way, and put to sea with a fine breeze from the S.W. and fair weather. The journals of this and three subsequent voyages form the contents of the following pages. VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH SEAS AND PACIFIC OCEAN. CHAPTER I. Thoughts on a Polar Expedition — Objects of the present Voyage — Departure from New-York — Fourth of July — Crossing the Equator — ^Visit from Father Nep tune — ^Arrrral at St. Aim's Islands— Village of St. Joao de Macae — Cape Frio — ^Arrival at Rio Janeiro — Directions for Entering the Harbour — De scription of St. Sebastian's — ^Its Trade and Commerce'^Beauty of the sur rounding Country — Natural Productions — Character of the Inhabitants. Notwithstanding the length of time which has elapsed since the discovery of the westem continent, and the consequent impulse given to the spirit of discovery, it is a remarkable fact that the most in teresting section of this terraqueous globe stUl remains unexplored, and almost totally unknown. It is a reproach to every civilized country, that the people of this enlightened age possess so little accurate laiow- ledge of the seas, islands, and perhaps continents which exist in the polar regions of the southern hemisphere. i Many enterprising navigators of the last and present centuries have made highly laudable, and some of them partially successful, attempts to penetrate the cloud of mystery which still hangs over the Antarctic Seas. But every one has stopped at a certain point, timidly shrinking from the farther prosecution of what they deemed an im practicable project. Some, it is said, have even been deterred by a superstitious notion that an attempt to reach the South Pole was a presumptuous intrusion on the awful confines of nature, — an unlawfvd and sacrilegious prying into the secrets of the great Qreator ; who, they contend, has guarded the " ends of the earth" with an impassable bulwark of indissoluble ice ; on which is written, "" Thus far shalt thou come, but no farther ; and here shall thy proud course be stayed." Such an idea would have become the inquisitors of Spain in the days of Columbus. ' Admitting for a moment, however, that such is the fact, and that nothing less than a miracle could open the passage through this for midable barrier, I contend that genius, science, and energy com- bmed can work miracles, and even remove mountains ; for what is a miracle but the power of spirit over matter — the triumph of mind over 30 DEPARTURE FROM NEW-YORK. I physical impediments. The march of intellect is mesisti^^e^^^ an were the earth itself one globe of ice, the fire "f 8^""^^ The day the wand of science, could melt a P^jsage to its c • ^^ is not far distant when a visit to the South Pole wiu ii e more of a miracle than to cause an egg to stand "^ "^ P°" /- , j ., I have long been of this opinion ; and the voyage o^^^^^^^^ now about to give a plain but correct na"^"''®,^^ ,. - „„%.„„» was to opinion to a firm conviction. One grand object of this voyage was o acquire a more accurate knowledge of the Antarctic Seas, and to ascertain the practicability, under favourable ""'^^'f .^°^^!' f f w,t trating to the South Pole. For the furtherance of this object, I was vested with discretionary powers by the owners of the Wasp, a fine fast- sailing schooner, fitted out for the purpose, well manned and equipped, and intrusted to my command. We set sad from the port of New- York on Sunday morning, the 30th of June, 1822, with a fair wmd and pleasant weather. , , -i i Jult/ Ist.—Ai six o'clock, P. M., havmg discharged the puo'' Z? took our departure from Sandy Hook lighthouse, bearmg W.N.W. distant seven leagues, and steered a S.E. course, with a fine breeze on our starboard beam. This was on the afternoon of Monday, the first day of July, 1822 ; a year rendered somewhat memorable in the city of New-York, by the last visitation of that terrible scourge, fte yellow fever, which made its appearance about the 1st of August, a month after our departure, and did not stay its ravages until the Oc tober following. ,i t The favourable auspices under which we commenced our voyage were hailed as auguries of a successful result, and soon banished fi?om our minds every little tender regret which parting interviews might have left lingering about the heart. The wind was sufficiently fair for the course we lay ; the weather was pleasant, and the crew in high spirits. July 'ith. — Thursday, the 4th, being the anniversary of our coun try's . independence, the star-spangled banner was hoisted at sunrise, while a grand national salute reminded old Neptune that freemen ac knowledged no earthly power as mistress of the ocean. The crew on this occasion were furnished with an extra . allowance of such good things as tended to enliven their patriotism, and brighten their ideas ofj national glory ; during the discussion of which we of the quarter deck were not niggardly in setting them a good example. We were now in latitude 36° 6' N., long. 66° 15' W. — fair weather. ,'¥;:; Friday, July 5th, completed the 27th year of my age. The annual return of one's birth-day is always a suitable subject for serious re flection ; and on this occasion I reviewed the little checkered scene of my past years with mingled sensations of pleasure and re^et^ Bright anticipations of the future, however, soon became predominant in my imagination. At a comparatively eariy age, I had been deemed worthy to take charge of an expedition intended not only to benefit those immediately interested and concerned, but also to aid the cause of science, and add, perhaps, one litde ray to the already dazzlmg gloiy of my country. This single idea, in the mind of an enterprising young man, is certamly a sufficient excitement to a faithful discharge Aug.] CROSSING THE EQUATOR. 31i of his trust. Our latitude this day at noon was 35° 55' N., long. 63' 45' W. — ^weather pleasant. July 22d. — Although we left New- York with a fair wind and pleasant weather, experience had taught us not to expect a long continuance of , such favourable circumstances. We were not disappointed, therefore, in meeting a due share of baffling winds and occasional foul weather. Such, in fact, was the case with us until Monday, July 22d, when we took the N.E. trade-winds, in latitude 28° N., long. 40° 30' W. On the following day the sun entered the sign of Leo. July 23rf. — ^We cross^ed the tropic of Cancer on Tuesday, the 23d, at five o'clock, P. M., in long. 40° 1 1' W.;^wind from E.N.E., and fair weather.- '« July idth. — For about a week we were favoured with the N.E. trade- wind, and were withiiv two hundred leagues of the equator, when it forsook us, on Tuesday, the SOth, in lat. 10° 10' N., long. 36° 15' W. From this time, for twelve days, we had light variable winds from S.S.W. to S.S.E. attended with heavy rains. August \st. — Thursday, the first day of August, completed just 320 years since Columbus first discovered the continent of South America, on which he landed sixteen days afterward. This fact occurred to my mind in association with an important item in my instructions — namely, to make a critical survey of the South American coast, from Cape Cor rientes to Cape Horn ; and as far north on the Pacific side as circum stances would permit. It is a remarkable fact, that, after landing on this vast continent, and surveying much of its coast, Columbus lived and died under the impression that it was an island, and that all his new discoveries were on the eastern coast of Asia ! Our latitude this day at noon was 8° 27' N. August \%th. — On Monday, the I2th, we crossed the equator, in long. 26° 42' W. Agreeably to ancient usage on such occasions, we were honoured by a visit from Father Neptune, who courteously bid us wel come into the southern hemisphere ; in return for which civility, his health was drunk, if not in ambrosial nectar, at least in beverage which sailors are quite as fond of. The usual ceremony of shaving and duckuig the novitiates was then performed with the customary solemnities, conse crated by copious libations. Having by these indispensable rites pro pitiated the favour of our tutelar deity, he most graciously took his leave, wishing us a prosperous voyage. We therefore advanced with confidence into the southern section of his extensive domains. For nearly a fortnight previous to this date, we had light variable winds from quarters not very favourable to our wishes ; from S.S.W. to S.S.E. : but we now took the south-east trade-wind, in lat. 1° ¦ir S., long. 26° 42' W. This wind bkw from S.S.E. to E.S.E., and enabled us to lay our course S.W. for the islands of St. Ann's, which lie off the coast of Brazil, near the mouth of the river Macae. ,( We continued this S.W. course for about twenty days, wafted gently along by the light trade-wind, attended with pleasant weather. In this passage we frequently amused ourselves with catching dolphins, porpoises, benotas, skipjacks, &c., besides some sharks, and pilot- fish. Independent of the sport attending the capture of these inhab- 32 ST. ANN'S— CAPE FRIO. f*®^^' itants of the deep, some of them were veiy acceptable for e , after being without fresh provisions for so many "^^' Tvinndar tliB September 2d.-We arrived at St. Ann's Islands on Monday, the^ 2d day of September. These islands lie in If "f .f .;J„ ^--^••¦ long. 41° 47' 15" W., directly before the mouth ^^'^l-l'^^l^^"^' abolt three miles from the shore. The entrance to /his nver is not more than forty fathoms broad, and unfit for vessels f moje jh^ f/O tons burthen. A little south of its mouth, and close to the shore, is a ledge of rocks, which must be carefully avoided ; but every other part of The coast near the entrance appears to be free from any such hidden danger. ¦, . , ¦^^ e o On the northern side of the harbour's mouth is the village of St. Joao de Macae, consisting of about 125 houses, some of which not only present a handsome appearance, but are qmte commodious in their internal arrangements. Most of them, however, are of an infe rior class, consisting of a single story, small and inconvenient. The exteriors of all of them are either painted or whitewashed, which gives the village a picturesque appearance from a distance. A few edifices of superior style and dimensions occupy an eminence near the mouth of the river, on the summit of which are the church and flag-staff. Here a flag is displayed when the passage is safe, for the information of approaching vessels. In entering the harbour it is necessary to keep close to the rody point on the south side, and when.abreast of it, to let go an anchor, giving the vessel about tvi'enty fathoms of cable. The Moro, or castle «l St. Joao, on the north bank of the river, is a conspicuous mark to designate the bay of St. Ami's. Its situation is in lat, 22° 31' S., lon^ 42° 8' W. The coast hence to Cape Frio, with its numerous littk islands, will be best understood by referring to the late charts of the Brazilian coast. In running for this cape, the navigator will find it a high, rough promontory, separated from the mainland by an inlet, which forms a snug harbour. The eap of the cape, for shape and appearance, is the most remarkable and important landfall on this part of the coast. The land between the promontory and the entrance of Rio Janeiro is mostly low and sandy ; but as it recedes baek into the country, it rises into elevated and uneven mountains, presenting & very beautiful and picturesque appearance. The latitude of the piKk of Cape Frio is 23° 0' 30" S., long. 42° 2' 45" W. The harbour of Cape Frio is formed by Cape Island, and is about a mile in extent each way, with a depth of water varying from twenty to six fathoms. The best entrance is at tlie east, and on the sonth side of an islet called Jiha dos Porcos. This passage is about a quartet of a mile in width, and the depdi of water in the channel varies from twenty-five to fifteen fathoms, with a bottom of fine sand and mud. There is also a passage at the west end of Uie harbour, but that is only smtable for boats. About twenty ships may lie in this harbour ia perfect safety. Fres^i water may be had at the weUs in the coves on ^^., ^; ^i 1, ^^" ^^^'^ ^""^ '7"'' ^^°' ^" »» island at the west end of the harbour, where some huts are to be seen. The tide flows Sept.] ST. SEBASTIAN'S, 33 here on the days of new and full moon, until nine o'clock, and rises about five feet. Vessels bound to Rio Janeiro, when approaching Cape Frio by night, from E. to S.E., should be careful not to run into the bay to the north of the cape. Such neglects or inattentions to the ship's reckoning often prove fatal to the vessel. The appearance of the cape in approaching it from this dfrection is somewhat remarkable ; rising in two well-defined mounds or hummocks, pointed at their sum mits, bearing a very exact resemblance to a lady's bosom. The water about the cape is deep, as it is also around the islands in the vicinity. Consequently ships may run for the cape at night with safety, provided proper attention be paid to the reckoning, and the weather be tolerably clear. At the distance of sixty-four miles from Cape Frio, lat. 23° 2' 45" S., is a small low island, called Flat Island, on which stands a lighthouse, and at one and a half miles to the west is another island, more elevated, called Round Island. These islands are sometimes called Maurice Islands, and are very useful marks for ships running for the harbour of Rio Janeiro. Vessels bound for this harbour, after passing Cape Frio, should steer due west, keeping about four leagues from the shore in the night, and about one league and a half in the daytime, till they make Round Island, which will be seen before Flat Island, although the former lies nearly two mUes farther to the west ward. The currents on this coast generally set due east or west, and often at the rate of one and a half miles an hour. Between Cape Frio and the entrance to Rio Janeiro, the greatest part of the coast is low and sandy, and -within the beach are several extensive lagoons. The only remarkable headland between the cape and Rio Janeiro is Point or Cape Negro, which is the extremity of a lidge of high land extending from the north to the seashore. This headland lies thifty-two miles to the westward of Cape Frio. In the direction of W.S.W. four leagues distant, within about a league from the shore, are three small islands, called the Maricas, about four leagues E. by S. from the entrance to Rio Janeiro. With Round Island in sight to the westward, the Marica Isles (in a direct line with each other, nearly north and south) will be descried to the northward, and may be passed in safety within half a mile. September 4th. — We arrived at St. Sebastian's, Rio Janeiro, on Wednesday, the 4th day of September. The entrance to this cele brated river is very plain, being formed by a namow opening in a ledge of rocks, which skirts the coast in this vicinity, and is easily distinguished by the Gavia Corcovadia mountains, on the south-west side of the harbour. There are no pilots to be found off the coast ; for as there are no hidden dangers to encounter in going into the har bour, the assistance of professional pilots is deemed unnecessary. When the sea-breezes are strong enough to enable ships to stem the ebb-tide, vessels of any size may enter this port, by day or night, and repose in the beautiful basin above with perfeet . safety. On entering at night, however, the fort Santa Cruz makes a signal to the city, by firing two guns^ and .showing two lights. This is not to be under- C 34 CITY OF RIO JANEIRO. i^^^^- will be liable to imprisonment, in addition to paymg a fine for each sun so discharged. , . ... In entering this port, the navigator must take care to pass within hail of fort Santa Cruz, in order to answer any questions that may be asked, and he will find sufficient depth of water close to the rocks, even for a ship of the line. This ceremony complied with, he must ¦steer for fort Do Vilganhon, opposite to which he must either he-io or come to anchor, and not permit any boat to come alongside, except those of the government, untU he obtains a pass, or pratique. This necessary talisman will open a passage for him to the island of Cobras, or Copper Serpent Island, the place of anchorage for merchant-ships. -On this island are works of defence, magazines, dock-yards, wharves, ic. Rio Janeiro is the capital of all the Portuguese dominions in America. In former limes Bahia dos Todos, or Santos, was the principal seatof government and chief mart for commerce in the Brazils ; but the dis covery and improvement of the gold and diamond mines within one hundred leagues of the city of Rio Janeiro, or St. Sebastian's, gave a •decided preponderance to the latter. The city is buUt on a plsHilat the west side of the harbour or bay, at the foot of several high moan- tains which rise beliind it. It extends into the bay on a projec&g peninsula, or tongue of land, about four miles within the mouth of the 'iiarbour. The river, or arm of the sea, on which it stands, derives it3 ¦name from having been discovered on tlie day of the feast of St. Jan- uarius ; or on the first day of Januaiy, in the year 1516. The entrance into the harbour from the sea is bounded on the west ¦side by a leaning conic eminence called Sugar-loaf Hill, a gigantic rock a thousand feet high ; and on the other side by the huge mass of granite supporting the castle of Santa Cruz. This entrance being narrow, aad well fortified by nature, the port might easily be rendered impregnable to an enemy. The castle or fortress just named may be considered the principal work of defence. There is a batter}- of some extent on the other side, at the foot of Sugar-loaf Hill ; but, like many others along-shore, it has become almost useless by neglect. The city de rives but little protection from its immediate fortifications ; and the island of Cobras, notwithstanding its contiguity, is little calculated to afford the city any assistance in case of invasion. The city is well built, the houses in general being of stone, and two stories high, having a little balcony before the windows, and a lattice of wood before the balconj', after the fasliion of the European Portu guese and Spaniards. The streets are not broad, but quite straight, crossing each other at right angles. The palace, or imperial resi dence, fronts the water ; and, with the public square adjoining, is ia fidl view from the anchorage. This edifice, however, tliough exten- sive m dimepsions, has nothing particularly magnificent in its appear ance to indicate its bemg the mansion of royalty. There are also a Tiumberof churches, but not remarkable for splendour or elegance, ex- Sept.] HARBOUR OF RIO JANEIRO. 36 ceptmg the royal or imperial chapel, which adjoins the palace. On the same side of the square, also, are the theatre and opera house, neither of which presents a very striking appearance. The exterior of the theatre, however, is fully equal to the performances within, which are wretched abortions. Their operas are better conducted, as the Brazilians appear to possess a natural talent for music, which they ex ecute with much taste and effect. The market is well supplied, and so eligibly located, that with a very litde trouble, it might be kept in fine order : but the inhabitants are idolaters at the shrme of Filthiness, whose nostrils, if there be such a goddess, must be perpetually regaled with the odour of her fa vourite incense. The public square before mentioned, and some of the streets in its vicinity, are kept tolerably clean, but most of them are disgustingly filthy. Gold-street is the most attractive, being the general resort of strangers whose object is to procure jewelry and precious stones, the natural product of the country. Here, however, they too often suffer from an organized system of imposition and fraud. Since this place has become the seat of government, great numbers of commercial adventurers have flocked hither from England, Ireland, Scotland, and the United States. The most of these, under Portu guese tuition, prove to be apt pupils in the school of knavery ; so that from any of them a stranger is more than likely to receive a bit of paste, while he pays for a genuine gem. The shops are well supplied with English goods, and all other kinds of merchandise ; the trade of this place being considerable from va rious parts of the world. There is a Chinese warehouse of great ex tent ; where, at certain periods, the merchandise of that country may be purchased at a low rate. Sixty or seventy American and English mercantile houses are established here, and the export trade is almost entirely in their hands. The imports consist of English manufac tures, and every article of European produce that can find a purchaser in the Brazilian market. Their principal exports are sugar, coffee, and hides ; and the Rio coffee holds the third rank in the American market. Besides these, the country produces wheat, rice, cocoa, cotton, tobacco, salt, and wood. It has recently been asserted that the trade of Bra zil has lately become unprofitable to the foreign merchant, from the ex cess of capital employed in it ; and that European produce is now sold at or below prime cost. However this may be, the revenue of the custom-house at Rio is estimated at one million^and a half per annum. The population of the city is calculated at one hundred and fifty thousand ; two-thirds of which are slaves. The harbour of Rio Janeiro is perhaps the finest in the world for beauty, capacity, and safety ; and were the heat less oppressive than it is, the surrounding country would be a perfect paradise. As before staled, it is formed by a narrow opening in the ledge of rocks which line this part of the coast like a granite palisado, or wall. Notwith standing the entrance is so narrow, the basin within this little strait increases to the width of three or four leagues, speckled with small islands clothed in perpetual green ; on some of which are deligtful little hamlets, while others contain elegant country-seats, belongmg to C2 'ae SURROUNDING COUNTRY. [^^22. the nobility and gentry of St. Sebastian's. .O^''"*^:^; ^eotl's of this romamicVlf are lined, at the water's edge, J«th neat coUa^ occupied by fisheTmen; back of ^;^^J,:^:.CZ,''S:ieS^S gradually towards the water, are villas and t^i^n? """= . '^ . . " monasteries, all painted white, showing in beautiful rehef from the ver- ^^WheftheTiner has fairly entered this delightful recess from Nep- tune's turbulent realm, he is immediately struck with one of the most magnifioem spectacles in the whole compass of nature ; a bay one hun- dred miles in circumference, surrounded by a vast amphitheatre of mountains, which rise in every varied form conceivable, and are cov- ered with eternal verdure. Vessels of all dimensions may enter, and repose with perfect security anywhere below the island on which the English hospital is situated. Above this the water becomes gradually more shallow ; so that in many places there is not sufficient depth for vessels of more than twenty tons burthen. Even here, ho .vever, a great deal of business is done by means of large boats. The district of Braganza, lying on the north-east side of die har bour, forms also an interesting feature in the pictures We therefore thought proper to remain in our place of concealment until we could leave it under the cover of darkness. This we finally effected, and arrived safe on board the schooner at about three o'clock in the morning. October litfi. — Havmg enjoyed the refreshment of food and sleep after our adventure of yesterday, we prepared to leave Santa Cruz; and at eleven o'clock A. M. were agam under way and steering from the mouth of the river, being now within forty-five leagues of C^ Virgin, the northern point of the Straits of Magellan, where our sur vey was to terminate, until we had paid a visit to the Falkland Islands, and after that to the Antarctic Seas. At about sixty miles south from Santa Cruz is Point Varella, whence the shore runs S. by E. to the river Gallegos. This part of the coast is one continued chain of rocks and reefs, which stretch partly across the entrance of the river just named. In steering along here m die night it is necessary to give the shore a good berth. The entrance of the river Gallegos is in lat. 54° 41' S., long. 69° 2' W. Variatiou per azimuth 23° 15' easterly. From hence the coast tends to E.S.E. about fifty miles, to Cape Virgin, the northem boundary of the straps, as before mentioned ; and so called by Magellan because he discovered it on the feast of St. Ursula. October 16th. — Having thus thoroughly exammed the coast of Pata gonia from Cape Corrientes to Cape Virgm, keepmg the boats con stantly in-shore, while the schooner followed them at from two to three mUes' distance, we prepared, in conformity to my instructions, to visit the Falkland Islands. Accordmgly, at eleven o'clock A. M. we took our departure from Cape Virgin, and steered an easterly course, widi the wind W. by N., and fair weather ; and on Friday, the 18th, at noon, we arrived in safety at New Island, one of the Falkland group, and cast anehor on its eastern side, in Shallop Cove, in three fathoms of water. Here we found the second mate of the schooner Heniy, of New- York, with two of her crew, gathering eggs. The reader will recollect that this vessel was commanded by my old friend Cap tain Johnson, and left New- York about the time diat we did, Captaiii J. was now on a six weeks' craise in search of the Aurora Islands, but without success. FALKIAND ISLANDS. 49 CHAPTER III. The Falkland Islands — History, Description, and Natural Productions — Pen guin, Albatross, &c. — Description of a South Sea Rookery — Arrival at Port: Louis — Shooting Bullocks and Geese — Departure from Port Louis — A Search for the Aurora Islands — Perilous Situation among Icebergs — Kergulen's Laud — Christinas Harbour — The Sea-elephant — Antarctic Seas, open and tem perate in lat. 64° 50'. The Falldand Islands form a group or cluster in the South Adantic Ocean, about eighty leagues east from Cape Virgin, on the Straits of Magellan; extending north and south from lat. 50° 58' to 52° 46' S., and east and west from long. 57° 32' to 61° 29' W. They were first seen in 1592, by Captain Davis, who sailed under the command of Sir Thomas Cavendish, and two years afterward by Sir Richard Hav'- Kins. They were afterward successively seen by other navigators, such as Dampier, Cowley, Strong, &;c. The latter gave them their present name, in honom- of Viscount Falkland. There is no appearance whatever of these islands having ever been inhabited previous to their discovery by Europeans ; and the naviga tors who first landed on their shores found the animals so totally un acquainted with man that the birds suffered themselves to be taken by the hand, and even settled upon the heads of the people. : The fii'st attempt at setthng these islands was made by the French, after losing Canada, in 1763, who selected them as a place of shelter and refreshment for vessels bound to the South Seas. For this pur pose they established a little colony on the eastern island, at Berkley Sound, which they denominated the Bay of Acheron. Two years afterward the British took possession of these islands, and settled a colony in Port Egmont. But neither attempt succeeded. The French ceded their settlement to the Spaniards in 1767, and the English abandoned theirs, as useless, in 1774. The whole country is now claimed by the government of Buenos Ayres, of whonr it might be purchased on advantageous terms. It is my opinion that something might be made of this country. The soil is good, clear of rocks, and susceptible of .easy tillage and high cultivation. Luxuriant meadows, or plains, in the interior, afford excellent grazing for cattle all the year round. I have killed wild cattle in Falkland Sound that produced from sixty to seventy pounds of rough taUow ; and the extensive grassy plains abound with some of the finest wild horses in the world. Though destitute of trees there is no want of fuel, the low grounds producmg an abundance of excel lent peat or turf, which burns well. I The climate is temperate and salubrious, free from the extremes of heat or cold, though subject to frequent rains and stormy winds. The soil is everywhere well watered bv running streams, which, are D ¦ 50 ' THE PENGUIN AND ALBATROSS. [1822. never frozen; and the ice on the lakes is seldom sufficiently strong to sustain the weight of a man. There are numerous excellent ana commodious harbours, and fresh water, of a good quality, in any quantities desired. Wood, however, cannot be obtained at any of them, except it be drift wood. Each of the islands abounds with wild horses, cattle, hogs, foxes, rabbits, geese, teal, ducks, rooks, nellies, albatross, mollymois, petrel, penguins, and shags ; besides a variety of land birds. Some fine sea-elephants, together with fur and han-- seal, are found on the sliores, and a variety of scale-fish may be taken from the waters. There is a tall grass grows here, and lussacks, or flag-grass, brush wood, and shrubs, some of which bear berries of a pleasant acid flavour ; also celery, cresses, sorrel, and a plant which some call the tea-plant, as it makes an excellent beverage of a similar flavour. There is another vegetable called sappmette, or the varnish plant ; it has the appearance of a green hillock, rising about three feet above the surface of the ground, and there exudes from it a resinous sub stance, which in flavour and odour resembles gum-ammoniac. The feathered tribes are very numerous on these lonely isles of the southern hemisphere, both in the South Seas and in the South Pacific Ocean. Of penguins there are four kinds wliich resort to the Falkland Islands ; viz. the kmg penguin, the macaroni, the jackass, and the rook ery. The first of these is much larger than a goose ; the other three are smaller, differing in appearance in several particulars. They all walk upright, as their legs project from their bodies in the same direction with their tails ; and when fifty or more of them are moving in file, they appear at a distance like a company of juvenile soldiers. They carry their heads high, with their wings drooping like two arms. As the feathers on the breast are delicately white, with a Ime of black running across the crop, they have been aptly compared, when seen at a litde distance, to a company of children with white aprons tied round their waists with black strings. This feathered animal may be said to combine the quaUties of men, fishes, and fowls : upright like the first ; their wings and feet acting the part of fins, like the second ; and furnished with bills and feathers, like the diird. Their gait on land, however, is very awkward ; more so than that of a jack-tar just landed from a long voyage ; their legs not being much better adapted for walking than their wings are lor flying. I The next most remarkable bird to be found on these shores is the penguin's intimate associate and most particular friend, the albatross. This is one of the largest and most formidable of the Soutli Sea birds ; being of the gull kind, mid tailing its prey upon the wings. Like many other oceanic birds, the albatross never comes on land except for the purpose of breeding ; when the attachment that exists between it and the penguin is evinced in many Remarkable instances ; indeed it seems as firm as any that can be formed by the sincerest friends. Their nests are constructed with great- uniformity near to each odier ; that of the albatross being always in tiie centre of a litde square, formed by the nests of four penguins. But more of this in its proper place. Another sea-fowl peculiar to these islands is called the upland Oct.] A SOUTH SEA ROOKERY. g^i goose, and is about the size of our domestic geese ; very palatable when cooked, being sweet, tender, and juicy. Their plumage is rich and glossy ; that of the gander a dazzling white ; his bill being short and black, and his feet yellow. The edges of the feathers which cover his breast and neck are black. The down is nearly equal to that of the swan, and would make beautiful trimming for ladies' dresses. But the down of the albatross is superior to any thing of the kind that I have ever seen ; though that of the shag approaches the nearest to it in quality. If any method could be invented to divest it of that disagreeable fishy odour peculiar to all oceanic birds, it would be the most valuable down ever brought to this country ; and I believe that their feathers might be made equally as valuable as geese feathers. The teal is likewise found here, and far surpassing in beauty those of this country. Their bills and feet are blue ; their wings of a golden green ; and the plumage of their bodies more brilliant and shining than that of the pmtado. The ducks are similar to those of our own country. There is also a goose here, called the lowland goose, which somewhat resembles our tame geese. The males are of a variegated hue, a kind of mixture of white and dark gray, chiefly white. The females are mostly gray, and resemble the brant of the United States. They are not quite so large as our geese, and feed on shellfish and rock kelp, which gives their flesh a very unpleasant flavour. Oct. 19. — On the day after our arrival at New Island, all hands were set to work, in the discharge of their peculiar and various duties. Apart of the crew were engaged in refitting the schooner, by repairing her sails, rigging, &c. Another part were occupied in filling water ; and the remainder were employed in gathering eggs from the rookeries on the back side of the island. As the latter process is not destitute of interest, I shall take this opportunity to make the reader better acquainted with a South Sea rookery, which is certainly a great curiosity. Indeed I know of few peculiarities in the history of animated nature that are better calculated to lead a reflecting mind to a serious con templation of the merciful economy of Providence, in his government of the creatures to which he has given existence, than the one novir under consideration. By turning back to the " Introductory Sketch," page xxiv., the reader will find in a note my definition of the word rookery, as applied to certain oceanic animals. It is a temporary encampment of such ani mals, for the purpose of bringing forth their young ; and they unite in immense numbers, and with great industry to construct it. When a sufficient number of penguins, albatross, &c. are assembled on the shore, sriter a deliberate consultation on the subject, they pro ceed to the execution of the grand purpose for which they left their favourite element. In the first place, they carefully select a level piece- of ground, of suitable extent, often comprising four or five acres, and as near the water as practicable ; always preferring that which is th& least encumbered with stones, and other hard substances, with which it would be dangerous to have their eggs come in contact. As soon as they ai-e satisfied on this point, they proceed to lay out the plan of their projected encampment ; which task they commence by tracing a JJ 2 S3 A SOUTH SEA ROOKERY. [1822. well defined parallelogram, of sufficient magnitude to accomiMdate the whole fraternity, say from one to five acres. One side ot this square runs parallel with the water's edge; and, is always left open for egress and regress ; the other three sides are differently arranged. These industrious feathered labourers next proceed to clear aU the ground within the square from obstructions of every kmd; pickmg up the stones in their bills, and carefiilly depositmg them outside of the lines before mentioned, untU they sometimes, by this means, create quite a little wall on three sides of the rookery. Within this range of stones and rubbish they form a pathway, six or eight feet m width, and 33 smooth as any of the paved or gravelled walks m the New- York Park, or on the Battery. This path is for a general promenade by day, and for the sentinels to patrol at night. Having thus finished their little works of defence on the three land- sides, they next lay out the whole area in litde squares of equal sizes, formed by narrow paths which cross each other at right angles, and which are also made very smooth. At each intersection of these paths an albatross constructs her nest, while in the centre of each httle square is a penguin's nest ; so that each albatross is surrounded by four penguins ; and each penguin has an albatross for itsneighbour, infoui directions. In this reg-ular manner is the whole area occnpied by these feathered sojourners, of different species ; leaving, at convenient iis- tances, accommodjitions for some other kinds of oceanic birds, such as the shag, or green cormorant, and another which the seamen call NeHy. Although the penguin and the albatross are on such ultimate terms, and appear to be so affectionately and sincerely attached to each other, they not only form their nests in a very different manner, but the pen guin will even rob her friend's nest whenever she has an opportunity. The penguin's nest is merely a slight excavation m the earth, just deep enough to prevent her single egg rolling from its primitive posidon ; while the albatross throws up a little mound of earth, grass, and shells, oight or ten inches high, and about the size of a water-bucket, on die summit of which she forms her nest, and thus looks down upon her nearest neighbours and best friends. None of the nests in these rookeries are ever left unoccupied for a single moment, until the eggs are hatched and the young ones old enough to take care of themselves. The male goes to sea m seareh of food until his hunger is appeased ; he then prompdy returns and affectionately takes the place of his mate, while she resorts to the same element for the like purpose. In the interchange of these kind t offices, they so contrive it as not to leave the eggs uncovered at all ; the present incumbent (say the female) making room for die partner of her cares and pleasures on his return from the sea, whUe he nesdes in by her side until the eggs are completely covered by his feathers. By this precaution they prevent their eggs being stolen by the other birds, which would be the case were they left exposed ; for the females are so ambitious of producing a large family at once, that they rob each other whenever they have an opportunity. Similar depredations are also committed by a bii-d called the rook^which is equally mischievous as the monkey. The royal penguin is generally foremost in felonies Oct.] A SOUTH SEA ROOKERY. 6$ of this description, and never neglects an opportunity of robbing a neighbour. Indeed, it often happens that when the period of incuba tion is terminated, the young brood will consist of three or four differ ent kinds of bhds m one nest. This is strong circumstantial evidence that the parent bird is not more honest than her neighbours. To stand at a little distance and observe the movements of the birds in these rookeries, is not only amusing, but edifying, and even affect ing. The spectacle is truly worthy the contemplation of a philosophic mind. You will see them marching round the encampment in the outside path, or public promenade, in pairs, or in squads of four, six, or eight, forcibly reminding you of officers and subalterns on a parade day. At the same tune, the camp, or rookery, is in continual motion ; some penguins passmg through the different paths, or alleys, on their return from an aquatic excursion, eager to caress their mates after a temporary absence ; while the latter are passing ont, in their turn, in quest of refreshment and recreation. At the same time, the air is almost darkened by an immehse number of the albatross hovering over the rookery like a dense cloud, some continually lighting and meeting their companions, while others are constantly rising and shaping their course for the sea. To see these creatures of the ocean so faithfully discharge the various duties assigned them by the great Creator ; to witness their affectionate meetings after a short absence on their natural element ; to observe their numerous little acts of tenderness and courtesy to each other ; — all this, and much more that might be mentioned, is truly interestmg and affecting to the contemplative and sympathetic spectator. I have observed them for hours together, and could not help thinking that if there was only as much order, harmony, and genuine affection between wedded pairs of the human race, as there is among these feathered people, the connubial state would then indeed be " all that we dream of heaven." A moral philosopher could not, perhaps, be more usefully employed, for a few days, than in contemplating the movements and operations of a South Sea rookery, and marking the almost incredible order and regularity with which every thing is per formed. Such a spectator could not fail to confess, that so wonderftil an instinct must be " the Divmity which stirs within" them. October 23d. — The schooner Henry, Captain Johnson, who had been vamly cruising for six weeks m search of the Aurora Islands,* returned to New Island on Wednesday, the 23d. Durmg his absence, Mr. George Noble, second mate of the Henry, and the t*if0 men left with him at New Island, had succeeded in gathering a sufficient quantity of eggs to supply their schooner, and our men had not been inactive in the same employment. These eggs, when packed in salt, will keep good a long whde, and are quite a luxuiy to those who have been con fined to salt provisions for any length of time. New Island, on the east side of which both vessels were now over hauled and refitted, is, with the exception of the Jasons, the most westerly of the Falkland group, lymg in long. 61° 20' W., while the ? The liistory of these imaginary islands will tie fcunil on a subsequent page. 54 THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. [1822. most easteriy point of them, called Cape St. Philip's, is in long. 57° 32'; The whole group lies easterly from the Straits of MageUan, at the distance of about three hundred and thirty miles, consisting ot two large islands of veiy irregular shape, and more than seventy leagues in circumference, with a number of small ones scattered around thena. These two large islands are separated by a channel called 1^ alkland Sound, running between them in a south-west and north-easteriy direc tion, about twelve leagues in length, and from one to three in breadth. This channel or sound has many little islands in it, on its south-east side, and several others near the opposite shore. Of the two prin cipal islands, or maloons, the most western (or rather north-western) is called the English Maloon, and comprises many excellent ports on every side of it ; particularly one, on the north-west, called Port Eg mont, where the English established a colony in 1764, which they abandoned in 1774. This harbour is well sheltered by several small islands which lie in front of it. The other large island on the. south-eastern side of Falkland Sound is called the Spanish Maloon, or Soledad, or the Eastern Falkland. It is twenty-four leagues in length from N.N .E. to S.S.W., but quite narrow in several places, one of which is reduced to an isthmus. On the north-east side of the Spanish Maloon is Berkley Sound, or die Puerto de la Soledad of the Spaniards, where M. Bougainville estab lished his French settlement in 1764, which was afterward ceded to the Spaniards. It is also called Port Louis Bay. This harbour is six miles wide at its entrance, and extends in to the westward abont four and a half leagues. Some rock)' flats lie off the bay, but they are not dangerous. When advanced half-way within the soimd, you will perceive some small islands, called Sea-Uon's Islands, which you may pass on either side without danger or difficult}-, keeping two cables' length from the shore. From the mouth of the bay to the anchorage, the depth of water lessens gradually from forty to four fathoms ; here you may choose your own anchorage, only keep clear of the kelp or rock-weed. To the eastward and southward of Soledad are manj- dangers. Vessels, therefore, that are passmg along this coast shoidd always give the island a good berth in the night ; but in daylight they may follow the course of the shore by keeping just outside the kelp, which will serve them instead of a branch pilot, as there are no hidden dan gers among these islands where there is no kelp to be seen. There is an island lying ofi' to the south, about seven leagues from Soledad, called Beauchesne Island, in lat. 52° 42' S., long. 58° 44' 15" W. This island is barren, and has deep water all around it. On its shores are found fur-seal, and many kinds of oceanic birds in the moulting season. It was so named by Mons. Beauchesne Gouin, a French navi gator, in 1699. To the north-west of the Falldand Islands are several small islands called the Jasons, which are frequently the first land made in commg from the northward. There are many passages between t'lem, but so lined with rocks and dangers as to be unsafe for strangers' The north-west Jason is in lat. 51° S., long. 61° 35' W. ° Oct.] CAPTAIN BARNARD. 55 in sailing for the west part of the Falklands, a vessel should en deavour to make lat. 51° 3C' S., and long. 61° 50' W. ; then, by steerino due east, she will make New Island right ahead. To enter the harbour on the eastern side, it is advisable to pass round two small islands lying about a mile and a half to the north of New Island ; then haul lip to the southward, and pass within half a mile of its north-east ex tremity, after which you wiU leave a small bay on the starboard quarter, and then open ship harbour, within which you may anchor in from six to three fathoms of -water, muddy ground. Ships, however, may lie in perfect safety in ten fathoms of water, with Peat Island bearing W.S.W., distant three-fourths of a mile, clay bottom. Cape Percival is onthe south of New Island, and there is a passage between them. In entering Falkl.ind Sound from the south-west, there are three islands on the starboard side, one of which, called Eagle Island, has been the scene of a drama unparalleled in the annals of navigation for ingratitude, treachery, and perfidy. I allude to the treatment re ceived by Captain Charles H. Barnard, of New- York, from the officers and crew of an English ship, whom he had previously rescued from all the horrors of shipwreck on a desolate island. In return for his kmd offices, they treacherously seized his vessel and made their escape, leaving him and a part of his crew to endure all the privations and suffermgs from which he had nohly preserved them ! Captain Barnard's narrative of this horrible transaction is before the public, and ought to be in the hands of every reader. For nearly two years he was compelled to drag out a miserable existence on an uninhabited island, in as high a south latitude as Kamschatka is in the north. ( '6 This unnatural act of perfidy was perpetrated in the year 1813, some time in the month of April, while Captain Barnard was engaged in a sealing voyage at the Falkland Islands, m a brig from New- York, called the Nanina. On the 9th of February previous, the British ship Isabella, on her passage from Port Jackson, New South Wales, to London, had been wrecked on Eagle Island, a place where navigators seldom touch. From that time until they were relieved by the noble exertions of Captain Barnard, the officers, passengers, and crew of the Isabella remained on this uninhabited and inhospitable island, with no prospect before them but an uncertain period of precarious subsist ence, to terminate in a fearful death from cold or famine, or both combined. There were several females among them to share the same fate. " | . Captain B. had laid his brig up in Barnard's Harbour, and was in search of seal at Fox Bay, opposite Eagle Island, in a small shallop built for that purpose, when his attention was attracted by a rising smoke on the other side the strait. Suspecting the real cause of this unusual appearance, and prompted by his characteristic benevolence of heart, he immediately crossed Falkland Sound in his shallop for the purpose of relieving the sufferers, whoever they might prove to be. His errand of mercy was successful ; and though they prqyed to be subjects of England, with whom our country was then at war, the 56 PORT LOUIS— SUCCESSFUL HUNTING. [1822. benevolent purpose of Captain Barnard remained unchanged. But here I must stop, and refer the reader to the narrative. I October 26iA.— Having, in due time, finished overhauhng our sails and rigging, obtained a sufficient supply of fresh water, and taken on board twenty-eight barrels of albatross' eggs packed in salt, we pro posed leaving our present anchorage. Accordingly, on Saturday, the 26th, at two o'clock, P. M., we got under way, and steered for Port Louis, in Berkley Sound, lat. 51° 31' S., long. 58° 2' W., for the pur- pose of obtaining some fresh provisions of a more substantial kmd, such as wild catde, geese, &c. We passed through the Very Gut and West- point Harbour, then along Tamer Pass, doubled Cape Dolphm, and passed St. Salvador Bay to Cape de Barra, which forms the northern side of Berkley Sound. ' October 29th. — ^We arrived at Port Louis Harbour, or bay, on Tues day, the 29th, and at two o'clock, P. M., came to anchor in three fathoms of water, near the ruins of St. Louis, It was here die French planted their litde colony in 1764, as already mentioned. Th^ called diis sound the Bay of Acheron, but whether with any reference to the son of Ceres, I have ne-ver been informed. It may be mentioned, however, as somewhat coincident, that there is a little strait at the north side of the English Maloon, which we passed through, called Hell's Backdoor. This French colony, I believe, never amounted to more than one hun dred and fifty souls, and the remains of about thfrty of their houses are still standing. At three o'clock, P. M., I sent the crew ashore in search of wild cattle, poultry, &c. At nine, they returned with two fine buUoeks, and two hundred and eighty-seven geese. On die following day, at three, A. M., the boats were again manned and despatched on the same errand. They returned at ten, P. M., with three fat bullocks, and three hundred and seventeen geese. October Slst. — The next day, Thursday, bemg stormy, it was not thought advisable to send the crew on shore, but to keep them employed in dressing the game they had already taken. On Fri day morning, however, the storm having subsided, they started on an other excursion, at three o'clock, but did not return until the foUowmg day, at five, P. M., when they brought with them three more bullocks, and two hundred and thirty-seven geese. November 2d. — Being now supplied with provisions and every tWng necessary for a voyage of discovery, except fuel, of which we were somewhat deficient, preparations were made for a cruise in search of the Aurora Islands. Accordingly, on Saturday, the 2d of November, at six, P. M., we got under way, and left Port Louis Bay, shaping our course towards the south and east, with die wind from the south-west and fair weather. The Henry was to sad the same evening, m search of new lands to the west. I We continued on our course, between the south and east, with fresh winds from W.S.W. to W.N.W., attended with snow audhaU-squalls, and a long regular sea-swell running from S.W. by W. On the 6th we crossed the spot which the Aurora Islands were supposed to occupy, without meeting any indications of land. After running to the east, in Nov.] THE AURORA ISLANDS. 57 the parallel of 52° 45'. S., as far as 43° 50' W., we stood to the nordi, to latitude 52° 30', when we took the wind frora south-east, and made a west course, keeping in the last parallel, by double altitudes, every opportunity, both morning and evening, and meridian altitudes of the moon and different planets. We continued making a west course until we were in long. 50° 22' W., when we steered to the south until we were in latitude 53° 10', and ran down in that parallel to the long, of 40° 0' W., keeping one, man at the masdiead day and night. All our labours, however, were unsuccessful. These tantalizing Auroras still eluded our search, and were nowhere to be seen. We therefore re luctantly made up our mmds that no such land existed in the location assigned to it. It being more than probable that some of my readers have never heard of these celebrated islands, as it is quite problematical whether any one has ever seen them, this may be a proper place to give some account of the circumstances which have led so many navigators to waste days and weeks in search of them. The commander of a ship called the Aurora Js said to have given to these airy nothings A local habitation and a name. This was in the year 1762. In the publications of the Spanish " Royal Hydrographical Society of Madrid," for 1809, it is said that these islands were seen again in 1790, "by the ship Princess, belonging to the Royal Philippine Company, Captain Manuel de Oyarvido; who .showed us his journal in Lima," say the publishers, " and gave us some information with regard to their situation. In 1794 the corvette Atrevida went purposely to situate them ; having practised in then- immediate vicinity, from the twenty-first to the twent5'-seventh of January, all the necessary observations, and measured by chronome ters the difference of longitude between these islands and the port of Soledad, in the Malninas (or Falkland Isles). The islands are three ; they are very nearly in the same meridian ; the centre one is rather low, and the otiier two may be seen at nine leagues' distance." According to the observations and calculations said to have been made onboard this corvette Atrevida, the most southern of these islands is in latitude 53° 15' 22" S., long. 47° 57' 15" W. ; the most northern in latitude 52° 37' 24" S., long. 47° 43' 15" W. ; and the centre one in latitude 53° 2' 40" S., long. 47° 55' 15" W. "These islands were also seen in 1769, by the ship San Miguel ; in 1774, by the ship Au rora ; in 1779, by the Peari ; and in 1790, by the Dolores. All agree that their mean latitude is about 53° S. In consequence of the credibility of such documents, published by authority of the Spanish government, my worthy friend Captain James Weddel, of the English navy, made a strict search for these islands in 1820, sailing for that purpose from St. John's, in Staten Land, onthe twenty-seventh of January. In concluding the account of h^cruise, he says, "Having thus diligenUy searched through the^supposed situation of the Auroras, I concluded that the discoverers must have been misled by appearances ; I therefore considered any further cruise 58 SOUTH GEORGIA— BOUVETTE'S ISLAJVD. [1822. to be an improvident waste of time." Captain Johnson and myself having each made a similar search with equal fidelity and with no better success, were botli compelled to adopt the same opinion. The reputed discoverers must have mistaken three floating icebergs -ttith earth attached to their sides, and covered with snow on their tops, for so many islands. November 19th. — Having thus wasted more than fifteen days in at tempting to discover this terra incognita, and being now fully convinced that any further search would be equally fruidess, we abandoned the pursuit ; and on Monday, the eighteenth of November, steered for the island of South Georgia, where we safely arrived on Wednesday, the 20th, and came to anchor in Wasp's Harbour, onthe north side of the island, at one o'clock, P. M. At two, P. M., I sent the boats ui search of seal ; but after an absence of three days they returned unsuccess ful, on Sunday, the twenty-fourth, at ten, A.M., having circumnavigated the whole island without discovering a single seal. ' South Georgia is an island in the Southern Ocean, bearing E. by S. from the Falklands, distant abont 260 leagues. Nearly half-way between the two, in a direct line, is the supposed situation of the Au roras. The island of South Georgia was first discovered by La Roche, in 1675 ; but not explored imtU one hundred years afterward, when it vvas attentively examined by the celebrated Captain Cook, who named it in. honour of the King of England. It is of an oblong shape, extending S.E. by E., and N.W. by W. ; thirty-one leagues in length, while its greatest breadth is nearly ten leagues ; its whole circumference being about seventy leagues. Wasp's Harbour, where we now lay at anchor, is in lat. 54° 58' S., long. 38° 25' W. The sides of this island are deeply indented by bays, some of them so deep on opposite sides as almost to meet in the centre. Tlie mountauis are lofty, and the tops perpetually covered -with snow ; but in the vallep there grows a strong-bladed grass in great plenty. November 24th. — The sole object of our visit to this cheerless port bemg frustrated by the absence of seal, -we weighed anchor on Sunday, the 24th, and proceeded to sea, steering an eastern course for Bouvette's Island, so called from being first seen by that navigator in October, 1808. It lies nearly due east from South Georgia, being in lat. 54" 15' S., long. 6° 11' E. ; about four hundred leagues S.S.W. from the Cape of Good Hope, and nearly on the meridian of Toulon, in France. We continued our course, with variable winds and occasional hea^y weather, attended with much snow and hail, until Friday, sixth of De cember, when we saw the island for which -we were bound, bearmg E.S.E., distant one league. This was at two, P. M., and at three o'clock the next morning I sent the second mate with a well-manned boat to search for seal on the shores of the island, with orders, if he found any, to see if they were tame, and to return immediately widi information. December 6th. — At seven o'clock, A. M., the boat returned with eighty fur-seal skins of a superior quality ; and die officer informed me diat the seal were perfectly tame ; so much so, that they would come up and play among tlie men who were skinning their cpmpanions. At eight Dec] BOUVETTE'S ISLAND. 59 o'clock, A. M., the boats were manned and sent on shore to finish taking the jackets of those seal which had been left dead on the beach by the first party. 1 Relying on the correctness of my officer's report, I naturally con cluded that there were seal in sufficient numbers on this island, not only to complete the cargo of our present voyage, but also to furnish cargoes for many others ; the island being at least twenty-five miles in circumference. The island of Masafuero, in the Pacific Ocean, of about the same dimensions, has been known to produce upwards of , three nullions. Here also, at Bouvette's Island, on the western shore, was fine anchorage inside of the immense number of ice-islands which lay in that quarter, from one to three miles off-shore, %11 of them agiound in from ten to one hundred fathoms of water. Some of these ice-islands were a mile in circumference, and lay so close to each other that it was with difficulty we got the vessel between them to the anchorage alluded to. We finally succeeded, however, and anchored on the north-west side of the island, in seventeen fathoms of water, about half a mile from the shore. In this situation we lay entirely sheltered, by the ice-islands on one side and Bouvette's on the other, from whatever point of the compass the wind might blow. ( I At nine, P. M., the boats returned with one hundred and twelve clap- ' match and wig-skins ; and on the morning of the eighth, at three, A. M., I again sent the boats on shore to examine the island, and discover some new seal-rookeries. But to our extreme disappointment and mortification, after sailing completely round the island, not another spot could be found on which a seal could land ; the shores being either perpendicular or covered by projecting cliffs. 1 ! This island is evidently of volcanic origin ; even the rocks having been melted by former eruptions into a complete mass of lava, pre senting the appearance of blue and green glass. There are some small spots of vegetation' on the hill-sides ; but the mountain, which rises about three thousand feet above the level of the sea, is covered -\vith pumice-stone — that spongy, light, crumbling substance, which is gene rally cast out from the volcanic entrails of burning mountains. Who can declare how many ages have elapsed since the fires were ex tinguished which once raged in the bosom of this mountain ! — He alone who laid the foundations of the earth. The shores of this island abound with fish, and mnumerable oceanic birds frequent the rocks and icebergs in their breeding season. I have no doubt that there is some other land m the vicinity of this ; and I think the most likely place to seek for it would be to the south. I December Bth. — At seven o'clock, P. M., on Sunday, the eighth, we got under way, and left this inhospitable island ; steering to the south and east, with a fine breeze from the south-west, and fan- weather, which continued until Thursday, the twelfth, when the wind com menced blowing a strong breeze from the north-east, attended with a thick snow-storm. December 13th. — On Friday, the 13th, being in latitude 60° 11' S., long. 10° 23' E., the wind moderated, and the weather became clear; at wliich time we found, ourselves in the midst of a vast field of drift- 60 SURROUNDED BY ICE-ISLANDS. [1822. ing ice, from which arose, in almost every direction, elevated islands, or rather floatmg mountains, of the same glittering material. Our situation now was extremely perilous, while the prospect around us was at once appalling, sublime, and beautiful. All that we have ever read of fairy palaces, and casUes with towers of crystal, surmounted by turrets and minarets of the whitest silver, may furnish some idea of the scene of treacherous brilliancy which now surrounded us. The morning sun shone_upon diem obliquely, and their irregular sides re flected its rays in a variety of gay colours ; but we were not so much dazzled by their beauty as alarmed at their proximity, as large masses of ice and snow were frequendy falling from their summits with a tre mendous cr^sh on the fieU-ice below, of magnitude and weight suffi cient to sink a ship of the largest size, should such a one unfortunately be found in the line of its descent. Happily for us, it was nearly calm. i December 14th. — The morning sun of Saturday rose upon the same scene of danger and sublimity which surrounded us the day before; and which his first beam lighted up into its former beauty and splen dour. This soon received an additional charm from the presence of a vast number of sea birds ; among which we recognised the albatross, Nelly, sea-hen, Port Egmont hen, white pigeon, blue petrel, ice-bhds, and penguins; Perceiving the water to be much discoloured in the openings between the ice, we tried for soundings ; but found no bottom with one hundred and twenty fathoms of line. A great number of right whales, fin-backs, and porpoises showed themselves in the clear water beyond the margin of the crystal field in which we were detained, and it is needless to add that we envied them their situation and liberty. The weather was still mild and pleasant ; but we knew not at what moment it might change its aspect. It has been justly observed that " a combination of thick weather, a strong gale of wind, aud a tem pestuous sea, crowded with detached pieces of ice, each of which is enveloped in a thick spray raised by the dashing of the waves, presents one of the most terrific navigations that can be conceived." Had a gale of wind arisen in our situation, our navigation would have been still more terrific, owing to the ice-islands around us. « December 15th. — On the following moming, which was Sunday, our prospect of Uberation was somewhat brightened, as the vast sheets of ice which for two days had evinced such a tendency to adhere together as to keep our vessel wedged in between diem, began to separate a little.* Taking advantage of this favourable circumstance we made every exertion to free ourselves from a situation that was far from be ing enviable. These exertions were at length crowned with success ; so that at four, P. M., we fomid ourselves once more in clear water, when we could gaze back upon the scene of danger, and con March I5th. — After relinquishing for this season the idea of an attempt to reach the south pole, we tacked about, and stood to the north and west. On Saturday, March 15th, at 2 P. iNL, land was seen from the masthead, bearing west, distant, three leag-ues. At this time tho wind had hauled to the south-west, and at half-past 4 P. M. we were close in with the eastern coast of the body of land to which Captain Johnson had given the name of New South Greenland. At six P. M. the wind hauled off the land, when we tacked and stood to the south, along the coast, which runs about south-by-east ; our boats being out, and searching the shore for seals untd 9 P. M., when they returned to the schooner. I March 16t}i. — Onthe following morning, Sunday, the 16th, the boats continued their search, the vessel following or keeping abreast of them, about two miles from the land, until the next day, at 4 P. M., when we were in lat. 67° 52' S. long. 48° 11' W. ; at which time we took a fresh breeze from the south, attended with light snow-squalls. Varia tion per azimuth at 9 A. M. 16° 4' easterly. The coast here tended about S.E. by S., and we thought we could discern some of the moun tains of snow, about seventy-five miles to the southward. Under the circumstances before mentioned, being without wood, on a short allowance of water, and the season far advanced, it was judged imprudent to proceed farther south ; although I felt very anxious (being now in an open sea) to ascertain the extent of this land towards the south. We therefore tacked about, and stood to the north. ] March I9th. — On AVednesday, the 19th, we were close in with the north cape of New South Greenland; lat. C3° 41' S.,long. 47° 21' AV. by dead reckoning, not having had an observation for three days ; coast ¦ tending to the south, and S. by W. This land abounds with oceanic birds of every description ; we also saw about three thousand sea-ele phants, and one hundred and fifty sea-dogs and leopards. In this place, I think it proper to remark, that every spot I have vis ited beyond the sixtieth degree in these high south latitudes, is entirely destitute of sod or vegetation ; but rising in vast mountains, or columns of impenetrable rocks, ice, and snow. I would also further state, w^hat is ray firm conviction, that ice-islands are never formed except in bays and other recesses of the land ; and that even field^ce is never pro duced in deep water, or on a rough sea. The necessary inference, therefore, is this : — If there be no more land to the south than that with which we are already acquainted, the antarctic seas must be much less obstructed by ice than is generally supposed ; and that a clear sea is open for voyages of discovery, even to the south pole. The existence of ice-fields, at a vast distance in the antarctic regions, whether accompanied by ice-islands or not, may frequently be ascer tained by their reflection on the iserge of the horizon, in a stratum of local whiteness. This appearance is occasioned by the rays of light striking the surface of the ice obliquely ; and such as the angle of in- 70 STATEN LAND. [1823r cidence happens to be, such is the degree of alihude in the atmosphere where the appearance is produced. This-shining streak of light is always brightest in clear weather, and indicates to the experienced mariner, whde at fifteen or twenty miles' distance, not only the extent and figure of the field, but even the quality of the ice. From the second day after we left the " Island of Desolation," up to this date, March I9th, we have not passed a day without seeing fields of broken ice, or ice-islands, or both combined ; and during all that period of sixty-six days, we have had, every day, more or less snow or hail. This was very unpleasant, as we could not keep fire on board, on account of our stock of wood being nearly exhausted ; although we found far less ice, and much finer weather, south of latitude sixty- seven, than we did between sixty-seven and sixty. On AVednesday, the 19th of March, at 10 o'clock P.M., we bade adieu. to the cheerless shores of New South Greenland, and steered for Staten Land, with a fresh breeze from the south-east, which lasted until Monday, the 24th ; when, at 9 A.M., we anchored in the harbour of St. Jolm's, or East Harbour, in seven fathoms of water, clay bottom. March 24th. — Staten Land is an island which forms the south eastern extremity of South America, and of which I wdl give some account in the next chapter. Knowing that its shores were sometunes the resort of fur-seal, I had the boats manned widiin an hour after we cast anchor, and sent them round the island in search of that animaL In the mean time, I encountered an old acquaintance, in the brig Her- silia, of Stonington, Conn., Captain James Sheffield commander, who had come into these distant regions on a simdar errand with our own. It may easily be conceived that it was very pleasant to meet one's fellow-townsmen so far from home, and engaged in the same pursuit as ourselves; March 2%th. — On Friday, the 28th, our boats returned from their coasting enterprise, with one hundred and eighty-two fur-seal skins. At seven, P. M., we got under way, in company with die Hersiha, and steered for the Falkland Islands, where we arrived on Sunday mormng at three o'clock, and anchored in Shallop Cove, on the east side of New Island, in our former situation. At four A. M., I despatched the boats in search of seal ; but, after an absence of seventeen hours, they returned with only twenty-two fur-skins. March 31st. — On the following moming at four o'clock, h.. M., we again got under way and steered to the south and wes*, , iih a fresh breeze from N.W. by W. April 3(i.— Thursday found us in lat. 62° 8' S., long. 66° 14' W. when we took a fresh breeze from the south-east, and steered to the •westward, untd we were in lat. 65° 42' S., long. 110° 16' AV. April 24th. — During this run we saw few if any indications of land, and there was very litde ice in sight. We now bore up for Staten Land, wiih a fresh breeze from S.S.AV., attended by a thick snow storm ; and continued steermg to the north and east, untd Thursday, the 24th, when, at eight P. M., we anchored in Hallett's Harbour, m five fathoms of -water, on the north side of Staten Land. On the fol lowing morning, at four A. M., the boats were sent round the island in search of seal ; and did not return until Tuesday, the 29th, at 5 P.M. April.] STATEN LAND. 71 CHAPTER V. Erroneous Ideas corrected— Staten Land— Strait of Le Maire— Natural History of the Fur-seal and Sea-elephant — Exaggerated Accounts of Cape Horn Dan gers accounted for, and refuted— Doubling the Cape— Prevailing -Winds ahA Weather in that Region — Diego Ramirez Islands — Ildefonso's Island — Christ- ¦ mas Sound — Western Entrance to the Strait of Magellan — The -Wasp sailsr from Staten Land, and arrives at the Eastern Entrance, from the Atlantic — Enters the Strait, and anchors in the Harbour of Cape Negro. I HAVE said that Staten Land is an island which forms the south eastern extremity of South America. To those who are not conver sant with maps, this is not sufficiently explicit ; I wdl therefore be more particular in describing its situation. I find that many persons, who ought to know better, are under the impression that the continent of South America, as it stretches into the southern hemisphere, gradually becomes more and more narrow, until it finally tapers off to a point, and that this point is called Cape Horn. The whole of this idea is not founded in truth ; for though the South American continent does gradually become more and more attenuated, as it extends beyond the tropic of Capricorn, it does not terminate in a point, nor vrithin one hundred mUes of the celebrated Cape Horn. The extreme southern prolongation of the American continent is Cape Froward, in the Strait of Magellan, in lat. 54° 3' S. Sixty-five imles north of this, at the river Gallegos, the distance across Patago nia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, is about two hundred miles.. South, or rather south-east, of Magellan's Strait, lies a large cluster of islands, called Terra del Fuego, or land of fire, on accoimt of its volcanoes. The greatest width of this cluster north and south is about one hundred and sixty miles ; and its length, in a straight line from east to west, is about double that distance. Its eastern extremity forms one side of Le Maire's Strait, and a small island called" Staten Land forms the other. On the south of Terra del Fuego are othei? little islands, such as Hermit's, Jordan's, Bamavell's, Evout's, Saddle Island, &c. The most southern of this cluster is called Horn Island, and its most southern extremity is called Cape Horn.* The whole of diis group, south and south-east of the continent, ought to have been called the Archipelago of Maganhales, or Magellan, in honour of the discoverer. Staten Land, we have seen, is separated by the Strait of Le Maire from the island of Terra del Fuego, as the latter is separated from the continent by the Strait of Magellan. It presents to the eye of the na-vigator a surface of craggy hills, which rise to a vast height, espe cially near the west end of the island. The coast is rocky, and much indented with bays and mlets. The dismal aspect of this country (which has been much exaggerated) is painted m very strong colours 73 STATEN LAND. [1823.] by almost every navigator who has visited or passed it. It did not, however, present the same appalling aspect to the scientific Captam Cook that it did to the more romantic Commodore Anson. That un speakable horror and wUdness mentioned by the commodore were not observed by the scientific gendemen who accompanied the captain ; on the contrary, to them the land appeared to be supplied with both wood and verdure ; " nor was it covered with snow ; and on the north side they saw the appearance of bays and harbours." Even our American commodore, the brave and undaunted Porter, iii his account of his passage to the Pacific Ocean, in the U. S. frigate Essex, in the month of February, 1813, has added the weight of his testimony to the dismal side of this question. Speaking of his pas sage through the little strait that separates this island from Terra del Fuego, he says, " The land we first made, and attempted to weather, was Cape San Diego, on thc coast of Staten Land, and the appearance was dreary beyond description. Perhaps, however, the critical situa-' tion of the ship, the foaming of the breakers, the violence of the -wind, and the extreme haziness of the weather, may, all combined, have served to render the appearance more dreadful. But from the impres sion made by its appearance then, and from the description given by others, I am induced to believe that no part of the world presents a more horrible aspect than Staten Land." Staten Land is certainly more steril than Terra del Fuego, across the strait ; being, in general, one body of craggy sharp-pointed moun tains ; with the sea surging against it on all sides, with considerable violence. But there are several very good harbours on the north-east side. Among the best is New-year's Harbour, so called from being discovered on that day. It is readdy known by some islands that he about its entrance, a little to the eastward of which is the place of in gress. It is about two miles in length, and one in breadth ; penetratmg the land in a direction nearly S.W. by S., then gradually turning to W. by S. and W. Here you may have any depth of water, from thirty fathoms to five, with a bottom of mud and sand. Its shores abound -o'ith wood and- fresh water, and a few seal of the fur and hair kinds are frequendy found on the beach. Scale-fish of various sorts may be caught -with hook and line, and sea-fowls shot in several directions. Fresh green celery in its season can be had in any quantities, together with some berries of an agreeable flavour. The harbour of St. John's, or East Harbour, is also a fine port for a ship to procure wood and water, having an easy entrance (about four miles to the westward of Cape St. John's), as you may pass withm half a cable's length of the shore until you come to the head of the har bour, where you can anchor in four or five fathoms, mud and clay bot toms, entirely land-locked. This island is about twelve leagues in length, lying E.N.E. and W.S.W. In breadth it is unequal, but nowhere wide. Its north eastern extremity is called Cape St. John's, lying in latitude 54° 47' S. long. 83° 4r45" W. ; variation per azimuth 22° 58' easterly. At each end of this island there are very strong tide-rips, which have the AprU.] STRAIT OF LE MAIRE. 73 appearance of shoal water, and are often the cause of alarm to cautious mariners. But I can assure such that they may dismiss their ill- grounded apprehensions ; for they may circumnavigate the island at at any time, at two cables' length from shore, with the greatest safety, in ships of any size. The Strait of Le Maire, which separates Staten Land from Terra del Fuego, is a safe and commodious passage, without the slightest symptom of those dangers which have been attributed to it by several former navigators. Vessels of any size have nothing to fear, two cables' length from shore, on either side. There are neither winds, cun-ents, nor calms that can endanger a ship in this passage, which is about fifteen mUes wide, and only four miles in length, '^n my opinion, it owes all its supposed terrors to its being in a high latitude, and so far from home! The American prize frigate Macedonian was brought into the port of New- York by her gallant captor, in the middle of winter, through Hurlgate, the Scylla and Charybdis of Long Island Sound. Compfire this with a strait of fifteen miles in breadth without a rock or a whirlpool. In entering the Strait of Le Maire, you pass a low green sloping point of land, that projects out from Terra del Fuego, in an E.N.E. direction to the water. On the opposite side, Staten Land presents a high bluff point, with bold water to the edge of the rocks. In passing between these two distant points, there can be no more difficulty or danger than there is in entering Long Island Sound from the ocean. Some mariners have represented it to be difficult to discover Strait Le Maire. But I know that any navigator who keeps the land of Terra del Fuego in sight cannot possibly miss or mistake the strait. The only way, therefore, that such an occurrence could take place, would be by losing sight of the land, and running too far to the eastward;, which should never be done, as there is no danger that can possibly arise from keeping the western shore on board. Easterly winds are never kno-wn to blow fresh in this part of the world ; and by hugging the western shore, the passage to the Pacific is very much shortened. April 29th. — On Tuesday, at 5 P. M., our boats returned from their excursion in search of seal, having been absent four days, with moderate success. The seals which resort to the islands of this archipelago, as well as to other islands south of latitude fifty, are generally clc^hed in jackets of valuable fur. Tins species has been distinguished by naturalists, merely for their size and shape ; but there are other peculiarities con nected with the history and habits of this animal, of a far more inter esting nature, which I have never yet met with in print ; a few of which I will endeavour to describe. In killing a female which happens to be with young, even in an ad vanced state of pregnancy, if the scull be pressed in by the sealing club in dealing the fatal blow, an exacdy simUar indentation will fre quently be found on the scull of the foetus. This fact is a practical illustration of the wonderful power of sympathy, and worthy the inves tigation of naturalists. Although modern philosophers have laboured 74 FUR-SEALS. [182 hard to refute tne idea of such a sympathy in the hurnan race, the) are hundreds of credible witnesses ready to bear testimony to its e: istence in this particular species of marine animals. . The striking disparity of size between the male and female is als worthy of remark. The large male is about seven feet in lengtl whereas the female never exceeds four feet. Tbe large males are ra the most numerous ; but, being the most powerful, they are enabled I keep in their possession all the females. At the tirae of parturitioi the number of males attending one female is in the proportion of aboi "one to a dozen ; a proof that these animals are the greatest polygs mists in the world, not even excepting the Turks. That they are gr< garious and social is evident to the most superficial observer wh surveys their rookeries, where they herd together in classes, and j different periods. Warmed by the cheering influence of an antarctic spring, the male of the largest size go on shore about the first of November, corres ponding to our May, and there wait the arrival of the females, whicl happens about the first of December. This of course is an annual as signation, and occurs as regularly as the migration of our northen shad from the ocean to the fresh-water rivers, for purposes perfect! analogous. As soon as the female seal makes her appearance at the edg of the beach, one of the most gallant of the males immediately takei her under his protection. It seldom happens, however, that he is no obliged to sustain his right by one or more serious combats with hi rivals. While the males are fighting in the most desperate manner the object of their bloody feud sits calmly looking on, contemplating the fray with apparent delight, and no httle self-complacency.' I havt some reason to beheve that the same feeling has been evinced b} females of a higher species ; but on this head I do not presume U speak positively : the seal battles I have seen, and studied the comi' tenance of their object ; who voluntarily yields herself to the con queror as soon as the contest is decided, at the same time casting a look of ineffable contempt upon his vanquished rival. The proud victor now conducts his lovely prize from the late scene of contention up to the rookery prepared for her accommodation ; and this he does with a courtesy and tenderness of manner from which some husbands might derive a useful lesson. At ahnost every step he politely bows or nods to his new bride, and frequently touches her hps with his own. AVhen th? .cmale has selected her lodgings, and become settled in the rooker;;, lier partner is unremitting in his cares to afford her protection, and render her situation comfortable ; nor does she evince the slightest indications of jealousy whUe he is showing the same polite attentions to a dozen other wives ! Here, I believe, my former comparison does not exactly hold good. By the last of December, all the females have accomplished die purpose for which they came on shore. In this process, however, they evidendy endure a great deal of pain ; and the males appear to be much affected by their sufferings, — redoubling tiieir affectionate atten tions, and adopting various expedients to relieve their distress. The sense of smell, as well as that of hearing, in these anunals is 'AprU.] FUR-SEALS. 75 I '.. remarkably acute ; and for sagacity they are not a whit inferior to the dog. This latter quality, however, is more strikingly exhibited in their natural element than on land. As a proof of their docility, I may mention, that I have taken two young pups, of two or three weeks old, taught them to feed, and kept them with me, as pets, for two or three months ; in which time they became so tame that they would eat out of my hand, — expressing for me a great degree of fondness and affection, and soliciting my caresses in the bleating voice of a young lamb. I should have probably had them to this day, but some of the crew, whose enmity I had incurred by a proper adherence to nautical discipline, found occasion to destroy them both. The fur-seal may be known frora the hair-seal by its being of a much smaller size ; their noses are also smaller, and much more pointed. In swimming, likewise, they have a sort of jumping motion, not much unlUie that of the porpoise ; frequendy springing six or eight feet clear of the water, which is a feat the hair-seal never performs, except when excessively frightened, and even then they seldom succeed in throwing their bodies clear of the water. . AVhen these animals are for the first time visited by man, they evince no more apprehension of danger from their new guests than did the natives of San Salvador when first visited by the Spaniards ; and the confidence of the poor seals is requited in the same manner that theirs was, — by robbery and murder ! In fact, they will lie still whde their companions are slaughtered and skinned. But they soon become ac- quamted with the barbarous character of their invaders, withdraw their iU-placed confidence, and avoid the fatal intimacy. They now acquire habits of distrust and caution, and devise ways and means for counter acting human stratagem and treachery. They select more solitary retreats, on the tops of rocks, beneath high projecting cliffs, from which they can precipitate themselves into the water the moment they perceive the approach of their arch enemy. ' AVhde encamped in their rookeries, three or four sentinels are always posted to keep a look-out while the others sleep ; and the moment a boat makes its appearance, though it be a mile from the shore, these faithful watchmen promptly give the alarm, when in an instant the whole rookery is in motion. Every one makes for the surf with all possible expedition ; so that by the time the boat reaches the shore, they will nearly aU be in the water, with the exception of a few females that have pups or young ones to take care of. ThesI will remain to defend and protect their charge until the last moment ; when, if hard pushed, they will seize their pups by the back of the neck with their teeth, and dive into the surf, where they are obliged to hold the heads of the pups above water to prevent their suffocation. The males, many of them, will also stand their ground, and fight very hard for the young seals ; often till they perish in the noble cause. In different 'voyages to these seas, I have had more than fifty seamen very severely bitten in some of these contests ; yet it seldom happens that a man gets bitten who is not afraid of them : but the moment they perceive the slightest symptom of fear or cowardice in their enemy. 76 THE SEA-ELEPHANT. [1823. they begm to follow him up very close. When excited, their motions are very quick, — ^like the flash of a gun on touching the match : hence the name of clap-match, which sailors apply to the female. In retreat or pursuit, their speed is nearly equal to that of a man, and much swifter on the rocks than could be anticipated from their appearance. 1 About the latter end of February the dog-seals go on shore : these are the young male seals of the two preceding years ; but owing to their youth and inexperience, are not yet allowed to attend the pregnant females or clap-matches. The purposes for which they now seek dry land are, to shed their coats, and give the new-startmg crop of fine hair a chance to grow. By the first of May these objects are effected, when they again take to the ocean, and are seldom seen near the shores again untd the first of July, when they appear and disappear alternately, without order or any ostensible purpose, for the period of a month; after which they are seen no more untd the first of September follow ing. During this month a herd of young seals, male and female, resort to the shore ; and when they retire again to then: favourite element, the wigs, or large male seals, make their appearance on the land, for the purpose of selectmg a suitable spot for their rookeries, where they are to receive the clap-matches, or females of age. This completes the annual round of visits made to the land by fur-seals of all classes. In high northern latitudes the same process occurs in the opposite season. ! I wdl now attempt to give a description of the sea-elephant, an ani mal of which the public in general have a very imperfect idea. The male of this species has a cartUaginous substance projecting forward from the nose, six or seven inches in length ; and frora this pecuharity has the animal derived its name, as its purpose seems to be similar \a that of an elephant's proboscis. I have seen the male' sea-elephant- more than twenty-five feet in length, and measuring about sixteen feet around the body ; whereas the female is never half that size, and in form resembles the hair-seal, which does not materially differ from the fur-animal in shape, &c. I The male sea-elephant comes on shore the latter end of August; the female late in September, or about the fii'st of October ; her purpose, of course, to be delivered of a present burden, and afterward jield to the irresistible influence of the universal passion. AAHien the males first come on shore they are so excessively fat, that I have seen two from which might be produced a tun of oil ; but after a residence of three months on the land, without food, they become, as might be expected, very lean and emaciated. About the middle of December, their young being old enough to take the water, the whole breeding- herd leave the shore, to follow where instinct leads among the hidden recesses of the deep. About the first of January the brood of the previous year come on shore to renew their coats ; and in the middle of February the full-grown males and females do die same ; and by the first of May they have all disappeared, both old and young. From the fact of these animals li\ing so long on shore without food I should infer that they can derive sustenance by absorption during this period, — consuming the substance of their own bodies. Hence their extreme emaciation at the time they return to the ocean. There AprU.] PASSAGE ROUND CAFE HORN. 77 is a striking contrast between their clumsy, sluggish motions on land and their agility and sagacity in the water. Unlike the fur-seal, the sea-elephant seldom runs or fights ; but when the club is aimed at his scull, or the lance at his heart, he merely raises a supplicating look to his murderer, whUe the tears overflow from his eyes, and then awaits the death-stroke with a martyr-like composure. But were he conscious of his own powers, or were his courage equal to them, the assailant would probably get the worst of the bargain. Unwieldly as his form appears, should he rush forward, and compel his enemy to come to close quarters, human skill could avaU little against the astonishing power of his jaws, which, in the agonies of death, will literally grind the hardest stones to powder between his teeth. It is a remarkable fact that the sea-elephant has never been seen in the water by any navigator more than thirty rods from the shore. I have seen them come up to take breath within half a cable's length of the beach; but even then they only aUowed about half an inch of their nose to come above water. As I shall shortly invite the reader's attention to my passage through the Strait of Magellan, it may not be improper in this place to offer a few remarks on the long-agitated subject of a passage round Cape Horn. I have already said, that by hugging the western shore, the passage to the Pacific is very much shortened : I would, therefore, earnestly recommend shipmasters who intend to double Cape Horn always to pass to the westward of the Falkland Islands, which will ensure them smoother water and better weather. Experience has convinced me that the coast here, at the proper season of the year, is not more dan gerous than om- own coast in the fall. All navigators would be satis fied of tills fact would they discard from their imaginations the homble romances they have heard and read about Cape Horn, and judge for themselves with unprejudiced minds, — most of these nautical legends being only fit to class with the fiction of the Flying Dutchman. I have wintered and summered off Cape Horn, and in its vicinity, but never witnessed those extraordinary gales which we so often hear spoken of; I have never encountered worse weather on this coast than is experienced every autumn and spring in a passage from New- York to Liverpool. In doubhng Cape Horn, a ship may carry her royal- yards with as much ease as she can along our northern coast in the seasons before mentioned, and m the early part of winter. . In this opinion, founded on my own experience, I am sustained by the testimony of Cook, Vancouver, La Perouse, and others, including my friend Captam Weddell, whose journals are all before the public. The four' gendemen here named as cu-cumnavigators of the globe occupy the very highest rank in nautical eminence, and require not the homely eulogium of a seaman's pen. But their journals are not " steeped m horrors ;" they found nothing terrible, formidable, or even difficult, in doubling Cape Hom, or in exploring other distant regions, as others of far inferior abUities have done. But though these contradictory reports cannot well be reconcded, they may perhaps be accounted for without imputing wUful misrepre- 78 ' P.4lSSAGE round CAPE HORN. [1823. sentation to any one. No two men can view the same object through the same medium, because their mental as well as physical organiza tions are differently constructed and arranged. Peculiar circumstances also produce powerful and lasting impressions. What \Vould have been the report of a Patagonian or a Terra del Fuegan navigator, had he visited our coast on the 23d of September, 1815, somewhere in the vicinity of Nantucket, or at the entrance of Long Island Sound? On his return to the placid Strait of Magellan, he would have congratu lated his countrymen on being placed by Providence so far beyond the reach of such a horrible tornado as he had witnessed in the most pleasant month of a northem autumn ; and the horrors of doubling Montauk Point would have been the theme of many a winter's even ing tale. To some minds trivial and even common difficulties are apt to loom up into evils of enormous magnitude : how much more so when en countered for the first time, and at a vast distance from the scenes of early days ! But even such persons, when once they become famil iarized to danger and hardships, view every thing with a clearer, calmer, and more phUosophic eye, until they are wUling to confess that every part of the created universe has its uses and its beauty, and that every apparent evil is a real good. " In -R'isdom thou hast made them all !" " His tender mercies are over all his works." To return from this digression. Ships bound round Cape Horn, after passing the Strait of Le Maire and Cape Good Success (a pro jecting point of Terra del Fuego, a little south of the strait), shonld steer S.S.W. half W., taking care to pass to the south and east of all the islands, should the current set to the -westw-ard, wliich seldom happens. If it be night, however, and the wind permit, they should steer S. by AV. half AV. Should they be in want of wood and water, they can obtain a supply in the Bay of Good Success, before leaving the strait. This bay, which is visible from the northern entrance of the strait, is about two miles wide, and extends into the land, west wardly, two miles and a half. It may easily be known by a pecuhar mark or feature on its southern side, resembling a broad turnpike-road running into the country from the shore. The anchorage is good all over it, in from four to twelve fathoms of water, clear groundv The tide rises here about six feet, and it is high water on full and change days at a quarter past four. The flood-tide runs to the north, and about two hours longer in the strait than m the bay. Four leagues soutli of this bay is the Cape of Good Success, before mentioned, terminating in a point, from which die coast suddenly turns to the westward. About forty miles from this cape, S.AA'. half AA"., is New Island, within three leagues of the shore ; and seven leagues S.W. frora this lies Evout's Isle. At a short distance, S. by AA'. frora the latter, are two sraall low islands near to each other, called Barne- velt's ; and four leagues farther, S.AA". by S., is Cape Deceit. Cape Horn, -whicii lies nine miles farther S.S.AA^, may be kno^vn by a high round hill over it, which has a bold and majestic appearance, being an elevated precipitous black rock rising conspicuously above aU the adjacent land. Back from the pitch of the cape, northwardly. tho country is covered with woods, and iidiabited by a poor, miserable, AprU.] PASSAGE ROUND CAPE HORN. 79 inoffensive race of savages. The valleys and hill-sides in the neigh bourhood of the cape are covered with trees, moss, and green grass ; but the summits of the hills are rough and, rocky. Nine miles north-north-east from Cape Horn is Cape Deceit, before mentioned ; a rocky point, and the most easterly of Hermit's Islands. This cape has a very deceptive appearance, and strangers should be careful not to mistake it for Cape Horn ; for such mistakes have occurred, as its name imports. The rocky islands called Barnevelt's, lying north-east-by-north from Cape Deceit, are surrounded by deep bold water ; but ships should always keep to the eastward of them, untd the strait formed by Hermit's Islands and the main of Terra del Fuego has been raore critically explored and surve3'-ed. The northern entrance of this strait opens frora the capacious Bay of Nassau, but I am not sufficiently acquainted with its navigation to attempt a description. I luiow, however, that it contains many fine harbours, sheltered from all winds. On either side of Hermit's Islands, the passage is believed to be safe ; there bemg deep water, and no hidden dangers. 1 About the first of November, northwardly winds begin to prevail in the vicinity of the cape ; and, with the exception of occasional changes, continue until the first of February. From this period untd May, the wind generally blows from the south-west quarter, occasionally shifting to the north-west. From the middle of May to the first of June, east erly wuids and fine weather prevail ; and from July to October, the wind varies from north to west, and round to south-east, every four or fi.ve days. About fifty miles south-west of Cape Horn are the islands of Diego Bamirez, extending north-west and south-east, for a space of four or five mUes. This cluster is composed of three principal islands, and a great many rocks above water. The centre island is the largest, but contains neither wood nor water. As I shall speak- of them pres ently, I have merely introduced them here because the currents in their neighbourhood deserve some attention. Twenty-five miles to the south of Diego Ramirez, the current is constantly setting to the east-north-east, and north-east-by-east, about eight miles in twenty- four hours. But farther in-shore it is governed by the ebb and flood tides, whicli correspond to the course of the land. In doubling Cape Horn, with the wind from the north and west, or from the east, ships bound to the Pacific Ocean should haul close round the cape, and then, if practicable, make a due west C9urse until they are in the longitude of eighty west. If the wind continue to blow from the north, they should run as far as ninety, as they may then have the advantage of westerly winds to run to the northward, along the coast of ChUi ; being careful not to approach the land untU they are to the north of Valdivia. The Cape Hom gales have already been alluded to in connexion with the exaggerated accounts which several navigators have given of them. The heaviest and most lasting of these are from south- south-west to south-by-east. They are most frequent in the summer months, and often last two or three days at a time. When the southern horizon is filled with rising clouds, heavy and white, in a blue sky, it is a sure mdication of a lasting gale of wmd from the south to south- 80 PASSAGE ROUND CAPE HORN. [1823. west, which often comes on very suddenly, scarcely allowing sufficient time to take in the light sads, and close-reef the topsaUs. When the wind sets in from the north and east, it generally increases to a smart smgle-reef breeze ; at which it remams, unless it hauls to the south-east, from which quarter it wiU blow a moderate gale, and then die away to a perfect calm. But if it haul to the north, you raay depend upon two or three days of pleasant weather ; untU it hauls gendy round to the north-west, where it will remain from twelve to eighteen hours. It wUl then commence raining, and finally shift gently to the south-west, when the weather will become clear. A northerly gale likewise comes on gradually, imtU it blows a double or close-reef breeze, and lasts about twelve or eighteen hours, and then draws to the north-west, which brings on rain. Presently h shifts into the south-west, without relaxing its force, and continues m that point for twelve or sixteen hours, when it dies away to a perfect calm. Such is the general course of the wind and weather in the vicmity of Cape Horn, for the season round. The islands of Diego Eamirez, mentioned above, are in latitude 56° 27' S., long. 68° 38' 45" W. They are, m fact, a cluster of barren rocks, frequented by seals of the fur kind, and various oceanic birds. The westernmost rock is the highest, and is surrounded by several small rocks, sufficiently elevated for birds and seals to resort to. These rocks are sixteen leagues from Horn Island, between which and them the passage is open, and entirely free from danger. Around these rocks the water is bold within a cable's length of them ; and in clear weather a ship may safely run for them in the night, by keeping a good look-out. West of Hermit's are Ildefonso's Islands, m latitude 55° 50' 30° S., long. 69° 18' AV. This is a group of rocky isles lying twenty niUes distant from the nearest land. The passage between diem and Diego Ramirez is thirty-five miles in width, and entireh' free from dan ger. From Ildefonso to the entrance of Christmas Sound, the course is north-west-by-west-half-west, distant twenty-eight or thirty miles. Christmas Sound lies to the westward of Cape Horn, about ninety- five miles. It was visited in 1774 by the celebrated Cook, who ob serves that it affords good anchorage in various parts. At the head of the sound is a sandy beach, with a run of fresh water. Fish are scarce here, and fowls not very abundant. There are plenty of muscles and good celery. AVood and water can be had in all die various coves and harbours. The inhabitants live on the low islands m the bay, and are a short, miserable race of savage beings. At die west entrance of Christmas Sound is a lofty promontory, called York-minster, in latitude 55° 25' S., long. 69° 58' AV. The adjacent country, both east and west, has an inhospitable and dreary appearance. The coast is broken, and forms a chain of islands. ' Ten leagues to the westward of Christinas Sound are GUbert's Islands; and about the same distance west-north-west of them is Cape Desolation, in latitude 54° 55' S., long 71° 42' W. Fifteen leagues west-by-north of this cape is the entrance to St. Barbara's Channel, which leads into the Strah of JMagellan. Cape Nok forms May.] THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. gi the western pom of this entrance, a dark rocky island, in latitude 54" 31' S., long. 73° 15' W. Three leagues south-east-by-south from this cape are the La Tour Isles ; and eight leagues north-west from Cape Noir is Cape Gloucester, in latitude 54° 6' S., long. 73° 34' 30 " W. This latter cape is high and round, having much the ap pearance of an island. About sixteen leagues to the north-west of Cape Gloucester is Land-faU Island, -\vhich presents a high and rugged appearance ; and between the two are many rocks and reefs, stretching about two leagues from the shore. The coast now runs north-west-by-west to Cape Deseado, between which and Land-fall Island is one chain of small islands. North of Cape Deseado is Cape Pillar, the north-west extremity of Terra del Fuego, and constituting the southern boundary of the western entrance into the Straits of Magellan. Having thus assisted the reader in doubling Cape Horn, and piloted him fairly into the Pacific Ocean, without exposing him to a single danger, I shall now conduct hira back to Staten Land, in the Atlantic ; and from thence invite him to accompany me on another route to the same place ; -viz. through the Strait of Magellan. April 29. — On Tuesday, the twenty-ninth of Aprd, at six o'clock, P. M., we weighed anchor, and saUed from Staten Land, with a fine south-westerly breeze and fair weather; our course in steering for the Strait of Magellan being west-north-west. Leaving Capes St. Diego and St. Vincent on our left, we soon came abreast of St. Innes, in latitude 54° 7' S., long. 66° 58' W. This is a very remarkable part of the coast, from the appearance of a table-land, which mariners generally calculate to make when they are bound round Cape Horn. From Cape St. Innes to Cape St. Sebastian, the course is west-north west-half-north, distance about twenty leagues. The shore between the two last-mentioned capes is rocky, and dangerous to approach in the night. Cape St. Sebastian is the southern boundary of a channel of the same name, which is navigable by small vessels, and mns into the Strait of Magellan. Fourteen leagues north-west from Cape St. Se bastian is Queen Catherine's Foreland, in latitude 52° 42' S., long. 68° 27' AV. Variation per azimuth 23° 15' easteriy. This cape forms the southern boundary of the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Magellan, being the north-east extremity of Terra del Fuego. Cape Virgin, the south-east pouit of Patagonia, forms the northern boundary of the same strait. ^ ' May 1st. — On Thursday, the first day of May, we arrived m safety at the east entrance of the Strait of Magellan. At four o'clock, P. M,, we passed Queen Catherine's Foreland, with the wind at south west, and fair weather. It may be proper to remark m this place, that thick or wet weather is very uncommon on the east coast of Patago nia. We continued to ply westwardly during the night, keeping one man constantly in the chains, heaving the lead. May 2d. — On Friday morning, at.five o'clock, A. M., we passed the narrows, with a strong tide in our favour ; and at nine, P. M., we came to anchor in the harbour of Cape Negro, in five fathoms of water, clay bottom. F SiJ- STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. [1823, CHAPTER VL Strdt of Magellan— Face of the Country— Hailed by a Troop of Patagonians— Arrival at Port Famine — History of the Place— Ledger River — Natural Produc tions — An Excursion into the Interior — Ruins of Philipville — Cape Froward — Indians of the Highlands described — ^A Visit to their Village — The Visit recip- located — Excursion up the River Capac, accompanied by two Chiefe — Adven tures in returning — Filial Affection of a Chief's Son — Character, Manners, Habits, Customs, Employments, and Dress of the Natives — Their Canoes, Arras,&c. — Their Want of Cleanliness, moral Condition, and probable Origin- Inter the Pacific Ocean. Terra del Fuego, generally represented as one large island, is in fact composed of several islands, the cluster being separated from the continent of South America by the Strait of MageUan. The passages between these different islands are very narrow, and have never yet been explored. The interior of the largest presents a cold, dreary, cheerless, and desolate appearance ; rising into rugged barren moun tains, the summits of which are covered with snow. One of these is a volcano, the fires of which occasionally brighten and Ulume the snows, which they can never melt. " Here it was," says Burney, " that the saUors observed fires on ihe southern shores of the strait, for which reason the land on that side was called Terra del Fuego." Another writer says, " Narrow channels, strong currents, and boisterous wmds render it dangerous to enter into this desolate labyrinth. The coast, which is composed of granite, lava, and basaltic rocks, is inaccessible in many places. Cataracts interrupt the stUhiess that reigns there ; seals sport in the bays, or repose their unwieldy bodies on the sand." i Not-withstandmg the cheerless and forbidding aspect of this country, it is not destitute of vegetation or inhabhants. Li the vaUeys are to be found several sorts of trees of a large growth, w-hich are fi-equented by various kinds of birds. Here, also, a rich sod of considerable depth is clothed with beautiful verdure. At the base of ahnost every hUl is a brook of good water, havmg a reddish hue, but not iU tasted. The Strait of Magellan, at its eastern entrance, is between six and seven leagues in width, and has frora fifteen to fifty fathoms of water. Many vessels have passed through this strait to die Pacific Ocean, though the navigation is said to be dUficult, which is not' the case. There are many good harbours to be found m this passage, and an chorage under either shore, all the way through ; the bottom generally good holding-ground. Withm the strait the wind never blows fresh from north-north-east, round by the eastwai-d to south-east-by-east; consequently a shelter from these pomts is unnecessary. Wood and water can be procured with ease, fish may be caught in great abun dance, and antiscorbutic vegetables are found on both shores. May.] STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. ' 83 ' The rise of the tide at the east entrance is about^sixteen feet, and about eight feet at the west entrance, running regularly each way, and not sAvifter than two miles an hour, excepting in the narrows, where it runs about five railes an hour. Violent gales are never experienced here from any quarter ; the passage through is perfecdy safe for vessels of any size, and the navigation is pleasant and easy. If the navigator have before him the latest edition of Arrowsmith's chart, he may avoid every difficulty, as there is but one dangerous impediment in the whole passage raore than two cables' length from shore, that is not readily shown by the hand-lead. The danger alluded to lies about five mUes north-east of the narrows, and always betrays itself by the kelp or rock-weed which rises from it above the surface of the water. Vessels must keep to the north of this shoal, and leave it under their larboard quarter. Ships bound through this strait may run day and night by keeping the north shore on board, untd they come up with Indian Sound, and then keeping the south shore on board until they reach Cape Pillar, at the west entrance, on the Pacific coast. By following these direc tions, they wUl have the advantage of the prevaUing wmds, and keep smooth water. On arriving at Cape PUlar, if the wind blow from the westward, and it is thought inexpedient to put to sea, vessels may come to an chor in a perfectly safe harbour, about three mUes south-east of the cape, on the shore of Terra del Fuego. The entrance to this harbour is covered by two smaU islands, which may be passed on either side, in twenty fathoms of water. Then double a point which runs out from the land in a north-east direction, and enter the cove behind it, which extends to the south-west and west-north-west about two miles, and come to anchor in from four to ten fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom, and sheltered from all winds. It would be tedious to the reader, as well as to myself, to enumerate and name all the safe and commodious harbours in this noble strait. Let it suffice, that there is such a one every five or ten mUes, or equally safe anchorage for ships of any size. i MageUan's Strait is about three himdred and. seventy-five miles ia length, from its eastern entrance on the Atlantic coast to its westem entrance on the Pacific coast. But let it not be inferred from this that the continent in this vicinity is of that extent from one ocean to the other, as the course of the strait forms two sides qf a nearly right* angled triangle ; a third side would measure the distance across this part of the continent ; say one hundred and ninety miles. Terra del Fuego, from east to west along the south shore of the strait, is about three hundred and sixty miles in length, and about one himdred and sixty in breadth, from north to south, measuring from Cape Horn to the strait. This part of the country contains a large population, especially in the vicinity of the strait. Before I proceed any further into the strait, it may be proper to give the reader some idea of the face of the country, as the eastern and westem parts are very different from each other, not only in their F2 84 CAPE NEGRO— PORT FAMINE. [1823. aspect, but also in natural productions, as well as in the appearance and character of the natives. I have not the least doubt that the Cordilleras, or cham of the An des, once extended in an unbroken range to Cape Hom, and perhaps still farther south ; and that earthquakes, eruptions of volcanoes, or some other convulsion of nature, have broken the chain, and thus separated Terra del Fuego from the continent ; at the same time shattering the former into several smaller pieces of irregular shape. I ara led to this opinion by the exact correspondence which exists ui the aspect of the country on both sides the strait. At the eastern entrance, the land is low on both sides. The island formed by St. Sebastian's channel, on the left or south side of the passage, is a wide rolling prairie — an extensive field of low land. The land on the right or north side is of a simUar character, and contmues so through the whole extent of Patagonia ; which is, comparatively a long strip of meadow, stretching itself at the base of the Andes, and fringing the margin of the sea. Thus from Cape Negro, where we were now lying at anchor, to the Atlantic, the land is low, undulating, and destitute of trees ; while westward to the Pacific, it wears a very different aspect. Here the country begins to rise in broken ridges, which finaUy become rugged mountains ; being evidently but smaller links of the vast Andean chain ; of which Cape Froward appears to be the point of fracture, reduced by attrition to an ordinary elevation. The sides of these mountains are covered with ancient forests, while the verdant bottom lands abound with shrubbery, grass, and plants of Various descriptions. May 3d. — On Saturday morning, being at anchor in the harbour of Cape Negro, at four o'clock, A. M., we saw many of the Patagonian natives on the beach abreast of the vessel, making signs for the boats to come on shore. At tive, A. M., -we were making preparations to .land, when a man at the mast-head discovered about two hundred of the natives on horseback, in a sraall vaUey, about a quarter of a mile frora the beach. On being apprized of this fact, we declined gomg on shore ; and at six, A. M., got under way, and steered to the soudi for Port Famine. ' - i ! As soon as the savages perceived that we were bound to the soutli, they all showed themselves ; being about two hundred horsemen, armed with long spears and bows and arrows, with a drove of about four hundred guanacoes. But being now under fuU sad, with a smart breeze from the west, I thought it inexpedient to alter our course for the sake of holding any intercourse widi these copper-coloured stran gers. If they desired an intervie-w, they might easUy foUow us along shore to Port Famine, a distance of about fifty mUes. AVe therefore left them to their own reflections, and kept on our course. At four, P. M., we came to anchor at ^ort Famme, in five fadioms of water, muddy bottom. | 1 A brief history of this place will account for its present meager name. In the year 1581, the Spaniards selected the spot for die establishment of a colony, and brought hither about four hundred per sons of both sexes to commence it. A fortress was soon erected to. May.] PORT FAMINE. 85 protect the new colonists from the neighbouring savages, and a small towni built for the families of the Spanish emigrants. This infant set tlement, which was called Philipville, in honour of the then reigning monai'ch of Spain, was intended to command this passage to the Pacific, and their valuable possessions on the western coast of the continent ; a passage round Cape Horn not being known at that period. The site was judiciously selected, being about one hundred and twenty mUes from the eastern entrance of the strait, having a good harbour, with a back country susceptible of much improvement. Had not the inviting riches of Peru, Mexico, and the West Indies diverted the attention of the Spanish government from this project, it could not have failed of suc cess, and none but Spanish ships would have been permitted to pass the strait without paying for the privilege. i Here these unfortunate' settlers were left, without a sufficient stock of provisions to sustain them, untU the land could be prepared and crops produced by labour and perseverance. Spaniards are pro- verbiaUy indolent, and are seldom willing to work, until driven to it by necessity. Expecting to be regularly supplied from the mother country, they probably did not exert their faculties much to provide for the future. Had they been such men as are daUy emigrating frora the New-England states to our western wilderness, so far from suffering from famine, they would in a few years have converted this region of Patagonia into a fruitful garden, and PhUipville would at this moment have been a splendid city. About seven years after the establishment of this colony, it was visited by the celebrated English navigator Cavendish, who entered the strait in 1587. On arriving at PhilipvUle he found the colony annUiilated, only one individual out of the original four hundred being left aUve ! All had perished by famine, except twenty-three ; who, to avoid such a horrible fate, had undertaken to explore their way du-ough the wUdemess to Rio de la Plata ; and no doubt fell victims to the savage ferocity of the natives, as they were never again heard of. To perpetuate the sad fate of this colony. Cavendish called the place Port Famine, and took the unhappy survivor to England. In this harbour, or rather in this fine capacious bay, twenty ships of the line might be moored in perfect safety, and supply themselves with wood and water with very litde trouble. The bay abounds with fish of various kinds, and a plenty of birds raay be had at the expense of a litde powder and shot. By diis raeans, during our whole passage through the strait, our table was daily furnished with a tempting variety ; such as geese, duck, teal, snipes, plovers, race-horses, &c. embeUished with wild celery, which may be gathered in any quantities. The banks of Ledger River, which empties into this bay, abreast of the anchorage, are covered with trees of various kinds, and the finest that I ever saw. Here are white-oak, red-oak, beech, and a sort of bastard cedar, which, in my opinion, would make the finest masts for line-of- batde ships that have ever yet been stepped m a kelson. Some of them are of great height, varying from five to seven feet in diameter. In a subsequent voyage, I explored this river for about twenty-five miles from its mouth, and found the country on both sides extremely 86 EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR. [1823. fine ; the soU being rich and mellow, and not less than eighteen inches in depth. The valleys are clothed with luxuriant verdure ; the clover- fields of Pennsylvania, if suffered to go a few seasons unmowed, would alone furnish a parallel. This clover was so completely matted and entangled that it was difficult to determine its actual height ; but it was certainly not less than two feet. On the banks of the river are copper, lead, and iron ore, of whicli I obtained specimens. Some fine wood is also found here, two kinds of which I examined. One was red, and the other a bright yellow ; the grain of each very fine. The valleys are seldom visited by the frost or snow, so that the ber ries are found on the bushes all the winter, without being touched by the frost. There are some streams descending to this river which would make fine mill-seats. I found the country very pleasant from Point Negro to this place ; undulating in hills and dales, and covered with groves, flowers, clover, and grass of various kinds. Many of the flowers were not inferior in beauty or fragrance to those which are cultivated in our gardens. I am not, however, sufficiently ac quainted with the science of botany to describe them. In short, if this land was in possession of a civilized industrious people, who well understood the theory and practice of agricultm-e, I have no doubt that it w-ould become, in a very few years, one of the finest countries in the world, as the inhabitants would be far more moral and happy than if every thing grew spontaneously to their hand. We caimot know the real value of any thing unless we labour for it. This fact converts the original curse into the greatest eartldy blessing. i Having passed through Magellan's Strait six times, at different seasons, and always with sufficient leisure to examine the natural pro ductions of the country, the result of ray observations is a conviction that the Spanish navigator Cordova has given a more correct descrip tion of the plants, trees, and animals on the northern border of the strait than any other writer. But he did not sufficiently penetrate into the interior, whicli abounds with productions that are unknown in the vicinity of the shore. It was ray misfortune, however, to be dfes- titute of scientific aid in all my reseai'ches, or I am confident that Cor dova's catalogue might have been much enlarged. We anchored in the liarbour of Port Famine at four o'clock, P. M., in' the afternoon of Saturday, the third of May, corresponding to the third of our November — a month distinguished in the United States by a period of mild, soft, pleasant weather, called the Indian summer. The weather at our anchorage, on Saturday evening, so forcibly re minded me of this peculiar period, that t determined to make an excursion into the countiy in search of valuable die-w^oods and nime- rals, and to see if these southern forests wore the same variegated dress in autumn as distinguishes our own at that season. I therefore selected as my companions three worthy and intelligent young men, viz. Messrs. John Simmons, AVilliani Cox, and Charles Cox, aU natives of New- York, where they are yet citizens. Having given the necessary instructions to my first officer, and ascertained that we were all well armed and equipped, we started on our expedhion towards the southern extremity of the lofty Andes. Our May.] EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR 87 weapons were muskets, pistols, and cutlasses, and our provisions a week's supply of bread, as we trusted to our arms for venison and poultry ; and I had never known them to deceive me, if any thing came within musket or pistol distance. AVe took a west-north-west course by compass; and travelled several railes without seeing such game as we considered worthy the honour of a eivUized death, by powder and baU. Our vigilance, however, began to sharpen with our appetites ; so that before nine o'clock we had sufficient fresh meat for a much larger party, having kUled a fine deer and two guanacoes. AVe now selected our quarters for the night on the bank of a fresh water rivulet, where there was but very little underbrush ; but where the forest trees grew to a great height, interweaving their thick and lofty branches so closely, that had there been a noon-day sun over our heads, we should hardly have been sensible of it. While my com panions were employed in skinning our game, I was busy in building a fire ; which, as there was no want of fuel, was soon large enough to have barbacued an ox. A saddle of one of the guanacoes was soon spitted and suspended, in the gipsy style, on the windward side of our flaming volcano, where we contrived to present every side to the in fluence of the heat untd it was fit for the table. The fat, of course, was mostly wasted, except so much of it as we caught with our bread. Each of us being supplied with pepper, salt, and a good appetite, il; must have been our own fault if we did not enjoy a good supper, equal to the best roast mutton I ever tasted. After giving our dogs a share of the supper, and having piled on about two cartloads of wood, we all stretched our weary limbs and bodies by the fire, with each a bunch of dry autumnal leaves for a pillow. Thus raoored, as we thought, for the night, we soon fell asleep, each with one hand on a pistol, with as much composure as if we had been in bed at the far distant homes of which we were dreaming. We slept very soundly untU about midnight, when we were suddenly alarmed by the distant barking of our dogs. In a moment every jnan was oh his feet, with his firearms in his hands, primed and cocked. The dogs continued to bark, and the sound evidently approached nearer and nearer. A rustling noise was now heard in the underbrush. Every one was prepared for the approaching crisis, with an undaunted front, and his finger on the trigger of his musket. At this moment of anx ious suspense, there suddenly appeared before us — one of our dogs, with a smaU gray fox m his custody, which had been surprised and captured whUe in the very act of approaching our firel After caressing and rewarding these faithful animals for their j^igUance and fidelity, we again " addressed ourselves to sleep ;" but in about two nours, we were again alarmed in the same manner, and with a lUie result, viz. another gray fox. Fmding our repose thus liable to be constantly broken, we concluded to sleep no more. AVe therefore resumed our journey towards that stupendous range of moun tams which extends through more than seventy degrees of latitude, or about four thousand three hundred mUes ! , . ' May 4 of the vessels," Another gentleman, a Bostonian, then residing at Valparaiso, de scribed his sensations nearly in the following terms : — " On the eighteenth," said he, " we had been removing to another building, and the goods, furniture, &c, were piled up loose and promiscuously about the room where we slept, not having had time to stow them away. We were in bed, and aU the lights extinguished, on a second floor, high from the street, and unacquainted with the passage out, I will not attempt to describe the horror of the moment when the first shock was felt. The sound resembled a long-continued peal of thunder. The brick floor under us rattled ; the tenders over our heads cracked ; while the lime and the dust from the crumbling mud-walls almost suffocated us. The whole edifice rolled and trembled like a ship in a heavy short sea. We finaUy effected our escape to 4he street, where the tUes and other missUes were falling around us like haU. The shrieks of women, the cries of chUdren, and the voices of men were heard in every direction ; and people of all classes were running almost naked through the streets, calluig on saints for mercy and protection." i Mr. Hogan then related an anecdote, which all the gentlemen pres ent assured me was a fact. He said that a few days after the earth quake, a number of priests drew up a petition &>r the expulsion Of all the English and Americans (or heretics, as they termed them) that resided at Valparaiso, as being the cause of the earthquake and its attendant calamities, by their not belonging to the trae church. TJjey applied to the oldest judge of the city to obtain his signature to head the list of petitioners. His reply was, " How can you attribute this affliction to the wickedness of the ' Anglices,'' when tJieir houses ares most of them standing, and all their lives spared, as witnesses of their iimocence ; while you, who call yourselves good Catholics, with all your prayers, and the assistance of patron saints, could Jiot save our churches, houses, and hundreds of the true faith from utter destraction % As for myself, on the night of the earthquake, with the rest of my famUy, I was taken frora impending ruin by an American, at the imminent risk ef his life,when no countryman of my own would come to my assistaiiee ; I shaU therefore not subscribe to any such thmg." I could not depart from Valparaiso without taking a more particular leave of the consul, and tendering him the sincere homage of my esteem and respect. He received me and parted from me as a father would with a favourite son. The warm cordiality of his manners, united with the sprighdiness and intelligence of his conversation,- en livened by anecdotes of all parts of the world, endear him to every TT 114 PORT OF COQUIMBO. [1823. one who has the happiness to be near him. He has been a great trav- eUer, and a very close observer, which facts render his conversation peculiarly interesting. He was once a midshipman hi the British navy, on board the same ship, and in the same mess, with the then Duke of Clarence, now King of England. I parted from him with regret and affection. I have had occasion to visit him in subsequent voyages, and always with sentiments of increased admiration. August 3d. — We this day departed from Valparaiso, with a light breeze from south-south-west, and fair weather. At 8, P. M., we took the wind from the northward, varying from north-west to north-east, at tended, part of the tirae, with heavy rains. August 7th. — AVe arrived at the port of Coquimbo, and at 5, P, M., came to anchor in four fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom. Here -we found the brig Canada, Captain Hutchms, from Baltimore, on a trading voyage, and waiting for part of a cargo of copper. Captain H. kindly assisted me in my contemplated repairs of the Wasp, by permitting me to transfer her cargo to his brig, which was lymg m ballast, and to heave the schooner do-wn by the brig. He likewise let me have his carpenter and a part of his crew, which was of very great assistance, and a courtesy that I shall not easily or speeddy forget. We immediately commenced overhauling the Wasp, and preparing ¦to turn her keel out of water ; so that on Monday, the eleventh, the starboard side of the schooner's bottom was exposed to view, when we discovered that the cut-water, with a portion of the main stem, also the false keel, with a part of the main keel, together with the heel of the stern-post, had all been beaten off on the rocks in the Gulf of Penas, on the fourth of July. We likewise found that a great part of the copper had been cut off the bottom, from the bends about six feet under -water, nearly fore and aft, by the ice in the antarctic circle; August 21st. — ^We had laboured so dUigently that by Monday, the eighteenth, the vessel's bottom was in perfect order ; and on Thurs day, the twenty-first, we were all ready for sea, with every thing on board. It is but just to remark, in this place, that I received every assistance from Mr. Stewart, the vice-consul of the Umted States, that my distressed situation required, the damages of the AVasp havmg ex ceeded our anticipations. The port of Coquimbo is a convenient and safe harbour, much fre quented, and noted for the extensive copper-mines in its vicinity. In entering this port, it is proper to make the land a few leagues south of it, say in latitude 30° 5' S,, and foUow the shore to the northward till you approach the nearest point of the bay, which opens to the north like that of Valparaiso. Off this point a number of rocks and rocky islets are visible, which strangers had best leave on the right-hand, although there is water four fathoms deep between them and the pomt ; but the passage is narrow, and by keeping outside of them, sufficient room is secured to beat to windward, wluch is generally necessary to reach the anchorage in the south-west part of the bay, abreast of some warehouses. Here a ship may anchor in frora eight to three fathoms, with the flag-staff on the fort bearing west, distant about one mile- Here is a fine harbour, and the fairest of weather that it is possible w Aug.]^ ADVENTURE WITH A PULLA-PEREE MAN. U& wish for nearly all the year round. It is approached without danger,. and enjoyed without any molestation from the elements. The only annoyance to be apprehended is frora man — degraded, base, mercenary man ! as I was taught by experience before my departure. The town of Coquimbo, sometimes called La Serena, is prepossess ing in its appearance ; the streets are shaded with myrtle-trees, and arranged so as to form squares ; a garden well stored with fruit trees- is attached to every house. It was the capital of the province of the same name previous to the revolution, being the second town buUt by Valdivia, for the purpose of maintainmg an intercourse between Peru and ChUi, It stands about a mile from the sea, in a most delightftd situation, commanding an extensive view of the country, the ocean, and a river of the same name. The country around presents a charming prospect, diversified with shady groves, cultivated fields, and verdant meadows. The town is large, but is said not to be proportionably populous. It has several churches and convents ; also a town-house, and some other public buddings. It is furnished with water hy canals cut from the river on its north side, which has previously meandered through a beautiful valley of the same name ; by this means the freshness, beauty, and fer tility of their gardens are rendered so conspicuous. This river empties into the bay where we were now lying at anchor, ready for sea. The country is not only very prolific in vegetable productions, but also abounds with mines of various kinds. There is one of copper about five leagues frora the town, on a high green hill in form of a sugar- loaf, which serves as a landmark in entering the port. The climate- is very agreeable, being almost uniformly mild and serene. Before I take my leave of Coquimbo, I feel it my duty to give one serious caution to shipmasters who visit this port ; and that is, to pro hibit their crews frora having any dealings with the pulla-perees, or grog-shops, as they are called ; as I can assert, from experience, that they are kept by some of the greatest vUlains on earth. I had much trouble with these fellows whUe heaving ray vessel down at this port j as they enticed a great part of ray crew from their duty, and kept theia concealed in a continued state of intoxication, at a time when I most wanted their services. On the evening before I sailed, Thursday, the twenty-first, one of these puUa-peree men carae to me and said that he knew where my men were, and that if I wished it he would take a guajd of soldiers and conduct them on board. I readUy assented to the proposition, and directed hira to get thera on board as soon as possible, though in a state of intoxication. They were accordingly taken on board at about four, P. M. ; and at five, P. M., the sarae villain carae to rae while I was on shore in company with Captain Hutchins, and told me that he had a small bill against some of my crew. I took the bUl, and the reader may guess my astonishment on finding the amount to be one hundred and eighty-seven dollars ! I coolly returned him the account, tellmg hira he must bring it on board in the morning, as I could not discharge it till the men had ex ammed the bUl, and acknowledged it to be correct. He appeared. 116 ADVENTURE WITH A PULLA-PEREE MAN. [1823, satisfied with this arrangement, bade me good night, and left me. I soon after went on board the schooner ; and at eleven, P. M., caUed the crew aft, and inquired what they had had while on shore. They re- plied that they could not teU, for this fellow had kept them out in the country in a state of senseless inebriation all the time they had been on shore ; that he had shown them a written paper, purporting to be a certificate from me that they might have their liberty whUe the vessel was in port ; and that I had ordered him to let them have whatever they wanted untU she was ready for sea ! This candid statement of the deUnquents confirmed what I had pre viously learned from the Spaniards respecting this man ; I therefore at once determined not to submit to such a shameful imposition. But knowing the imbecility of the civU authority, 1 concluded that it was worse than useless to look for legal protection ; I therefore resolved to leave the port during that night. Accordingly, at two, A. M., when 2 light air sprang up from the south, 1 called aU hands, muffled the palls of the windlass, ran the anchor up to the bows, got out the sweeps, and swept the vessel out of the harbour ; by which time it was day light, and a dead calm. August 22d. — ^A litde after daylight I saw a boat coming round the point, full of soldiers well armed, abont thirty in number. Having ex pected the, visit, I was fully prepared to receive them. All hands were at quarters, the guns double-shotted with canister and grape, and all the muskets and boarding-pikes were on deck. As soon as the boat came within haU, I ran up the star-spangled banner, and demanded of them what they wanted. They immediately lay upon their oars, while the puUa-peree gentleman assumed the office of spokesman, and said he must have either his money or the men who owed it. In reply, I reminded him of his villany, and that we were now five miles from the port, with a legal clearance from the custom-house ; assured him that I neither knew the party, nor would acknowledge any claims which they might pretend to have against die Wasp ; that my men were under the protection of my guns and the frag of my country ; and, finally, that if they advanced their boat's length nearer to the schooner, die account would very quicldy be settled with hard, if not with precious metal. Suiting the action to the word, every gun was immediately pomted for the boat. This manoeuvre was sufficient for our doughty assail ants. The word among them was instantly "Stern, all T and they lost no time in pulling to a respectful distance ; and no doubt con sidered themselves very fortunate in being permitted to return to the shore in as good health as they left it. At about ten, A. M., we took a breeze from south-by-west, with fair weather, when we shaped our course for the islands of St. Ambrose and St, Felix. During this passage we were often suiTOunded by sperm and right whales, porpoises, dolphins, bonettas, skipjacksi sharks, and pUot-fish, August 25 Card-tables are introduced at all their parties, at which the gende men play by themselves, whUe the ladies amuse them with songs, ac companied by the guitar or harp. Such gendemen as do not fancy cards have the privUege of joining the ladies — a privUege which I never forfeited by neglect. , This island is celebrated for manufacturing the best ponchos of any part of Chili. They are woven very thick, of a fine thread, and curi ously wrought, in variegated colours. In weaving the clodi, they use twelve or more treadles in the loom. It is generally about six feet square, beautifully fringed around the edges, and has a slit in the centre, just large enough to admit a man's head. The edees of this Nov.] ISL.\ND OF CHILOE, 167 slit are also bordered with beautiful needlework. They are worn by the gentlemen, as a protection from the weather ; and are so thick and fine, that they turn off water nearly as well as leather. When the wearer's head is put through the ornamented slit in the centre, the poncho hangs about him like a blanket, and is the most convenient garment to ride in, that could be invented ; the rider having his legs< and arms at liberty, and his body completely defended from the rain. The ladies have a handsomely striped cloth, manufactured of cotton, very much like the poncho, about seven feet in length, and three iw breadth. This is suspended like a searaan's hammock, about two feet and a half from the floor, in which the ladies amuse theraselves by swinging, sometimes in a lying and sometimes in a sitting posture, as fancy or indolence suggests. The island of ChUoe is separated from the main or continent, by the Gulf of Guaytecas, which is more than twelve leagues in width at the south entrance ; but to the northward the passage is quite narrow, bemg in some places not more than one league across, through which the tide occasionally runs with great velocity ; at spring tides from six to eight mUes an hour. There are likewise several dangers in the passage, which are concealed by the ripple of a strong tide, that rises eighteen feet with a strong westerly wind. In passing through this gulf or strait,'vessels should keep the ChUoean shore best on board, as the sunken rocks, reefs, &c. lie on the opposite side of the passage. The coast on the main is indented by numerous inlets, forming la goons, rivers, creeks, bays, and harbours. This land is tolerably well peopled, from the forty-first to the fifty-first degree of south latitude j especially in the vaUeys of the interior, on the banks of rivers, lagoons, &c., and at the heads of bays. The coast abounds with sea-otters, hair-seeds, fur-seals, &c, ; and the interior with lions, tigers, deer, guanacoes, hares, gray and black foxes, and many other animals- with which I am not acquainted, including a large black rabbit, which- has a fur equal to that of the beaver. There , are many kinds of ostriches, swans, &c,, and thousands of birds with the most beautiful plumage. There are likewise very valuable mines of gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron ; medicinal plants, drugs, and die-woods, with- much valuable timber for ship-building and cabinet work. I feel very anxious to direct the attention of my enterprising country men to this long neglected, almost unknown region of South America. A small exploring expedition, properly fitted out, anil conducted by men of skill and experience, would ensure golden returns to the pro jectors. The necessary investments of capital would be very trifling td a company of merchants ; and if accompanied by one or two scientific^ gendemen, I stand ready to tender ray professional services. Th& spirit of coraraercial enterprise cannot rauch longer leave these inter esting regions unexplored ; and I should be extremely sorry to see any foreign competitor enjoy the fame and opulence which now court the acceptance of my own countrymen. » The port of St. Carlos is sheltered on the north-west by the penin sula of Lacay, on the west side of which there are many dangerous. rocks, running from one to three miles seaward; and these require a 168 ST, CARLOS— VALDIVIA BAY. [1.824. good berth, as the tides run very rapidly along the shores of this island. The port is defended by two forts, about three mUes frora each other. It runs into the land in a south-west direction, and is safe, but subject to violent blows from the north-west and west-south-west in the winter season; and these often come on very suddenly, with heavy falls of rain. Vessels bound to this port should endeavour to enter it in clear weather, as the tides run through the strait about seven mUes an hour, and renders the navigation very dangerous in calms or thick weather. In aU cases it is proper to keep the shore of the island best on board, as the middle of the strait contains many sunken rocks and smaU low islands. Wood, water, fish, and refreshments of every kind, may be had here on the most moderate terms. The tide rises from fourteen to eighteen feet ; and it is high water, on full and change days, at half- past eleven o'clock. CHAPTER m. Bay and City of Valdivia — The Araucanians — Town of Pelchue — Retrospective Observations — Towns of Colema and Chilian — Province of Chilian — ^Arrive at Valparaiso — Continue the Survey of the Coast — Province and City of Copiago — Bay and Town of Pisco— Sailing Directions, &c. — The Bay or Roads of Cal lao — The Blockade and Siege of Callao — General Rodil refuses to Surrender — The Tartar enters without Ceremony. Having supplied ourselves with such refreshments as we stood in need of, and taken leave of our kind and hospitable friends at St. Car los, we left the island of ChUoe, and steered to die northward as far as the port of Valdivia, carefully examinuig the coast, which proved to be one continued range of rocks and breakers for the distance of about forty leagues. They extend from one to three miles off-shore, and are very dangerous for mariners to approach, who should always be careful to give them a good berth, uidess they are in search of hair- seals, which frequent this part of the coast ; but are difiicult of access, on account of the heavy swell that continuaUy rolls in from the west ward. Between St. Carlos and Valdivia, or rather Baldivia, as it ought to be written, there is no resting-place for the mariner ; neither port nor shelter — trade nor refreshments. Far inland are seen the towering Andes, lifting their giant forms to the sky, and coUecting at their base the means of supplying several small rivers wluch descend to this part of the seacoast ; but none of them are navigable. Between the paral lels of thirty-nine and fifty of soudi lathude, there are several volca noes to be seen among the Andes. I have seen more than a dozen in running along this part of the coast, some of which were near thc shore, and burning with inconceivable rage. Some distance inland are extensive plains, which form fine grazing fields for catde. November 27th. — We reached the mouth of Baldivia Bay on Nov.] • CITY OF VALDIVIA. 169 Saturday, the twenty-seventh of November ; latitude 39° SO' S., long. 73° 36' W. On the north-east side of this beautiful bay is a populous town of the same name, erected on the south bank of the river Baldivia, about eight raUes from the seaboard. The harbour is sheltered from all winds, and there is sufficient depth of water for vessels of one hun dred tons to lie abreast of the town, within a few fathoms of the land ing. This place is well defended by several fortifications, and carries on a considerable trade with the northern parts of ChUi and Peru.* This city was built by the Spanish general Baldivia, about the year 1551, Eight years afterward, the people of Chili, Araucanians prin cipally, defeated the Spanish troops, and chased them from this settle ment, burned the town, and put the inhabitants to the sword. How long they kept possession 1 have never learned ; but in 1 645 it was taken by the Dutch, who were soon compelled to abandon it, and to leave aU their cannon, consisting of thirty or forty pieces, their baggage, and their stores. This sudden retreat was owing to their receiving intelligence that succours had been transmitted from Peru. The population of Baldivia is estimated at about five thousand, being a mixture of Spaniards, Araucanians, and original Valdivians. They are, in general, a well raade, robust, active people, with pleasing and interesting countenances. Their faces are round and full ; their eyes small, but tjuick, lively, and expressive : all their features are well formed, especially the nose and mouth. Their limbs are very muscular, and finely proportioned, with small hands and feet. The head is covered with thick black hair, which is not suffered to grow long. The teeth of both sexes are very white, reg-ular, and handsome. For symmetry of form and grace of motion, the ladies of Baldivia will yield to no other on the coast. Their sharp, black, quick, penetrating eye is well calculated to soften the most frigid heart that may be ex posed to its glance. Easy in manners and address ; mild, gentle, tender, and affectionate in their social relations ; modest and retiring, yet not without a due share of well tempered self-confidence ; delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of expression — all these charms are theirs, besides others of less importance. There are raany valuable gold raines near this place, and for that reason the Spaniards fortified it, regarding it as a key to the South Seas. This circurastance has tended to assist its growth and increase its prosperity.' As-a seaport, Baldivia affords every convenience for ships to go through a thorough repair, at a very raoijerate expense. A considerable nuraber of ship-carpenters are constantly employed here in constructing small vessels, and some even as large as three hundred tons burthen, which they send to Peru and the north part of ChUi for sale, usually raeeting with a ready market. At this place, and also at St, Carlos, ships may generally find a sale for part of their cargoes, of the coarser kinds of goods than are used farther north, Al the same time, all kinds of refreshments can be had here in great abundance, and at a very lovv rate ; the natural productions being similar to those * Baiaivia Bay was surveyed in the year 1819, by CaptainWilliam Skiddy.eldest son of Captain John R. Sfcifldy, of New-York. I have sailed with this gentleman, as his flrst olHcer, eighteen months, and avail myself with pleasure of this occasion to bear testimony to his estimable character as a man, and his superior e.'^cellence as a ship-master. 170 THE ARAUCANIANS. [1824. of St. Carlos; and the raanners and customs of the two places differ but very litde. I have already mentioned that the aborigines on this coast are called Araucanians, and that they inhabit the rich and fertUe districts between the rivers Biobio and Valdivia. The fruitfulness of the soU, abundant springs, and a temperate climate, render that country even more de lightful than Chili. Arauco, the smallest province in their territory, has given its name to the whole nation. They never used to build towns, but resided in scattered villages, or in hamlets on the banks of rivers. Love of liberty and want of refinement induced them to consider walled cities as the residence of slaves. The Araucanians, says Vancouver, were the only people in South America that maintained their independence by force of arms ; but the prudence and ability of a single individual have done more in reducing that warlike people than all the armies of Spain. By the judicious policy of Vallenor, President of Chili, the two nations have long been kept on amicable terms with each other ; and now Indian magistrates superintend the trade carried on by their countrymen with the Span iards. The colonists and the natives associate with each other, and Araucanian workmen are frequendy raet with in the Spanish settle ments. Intermarriages have likewise tended to strengthen the bond of union, as is also the case at Chiloe, Polygamy is considered lawful by the Araucanians in the interior, who still adhere to their ancient usages ; but the first wife is treated with great respect by all the others, and acknowledged to be their superior. Each wife is obliged to present daUy to her husband a dish prepared with her own hands ; and once a year a poncho, or embroidered cloak. The women pay great attention to the cleanliness of their persons. November 28th. — On Sunday morning, at six, A. M., -ne resumed our survey of the coast, with a fine breeze from south-south-west, and fair weather ; and on Monday, the twenty-ninth, were close in with the entrance of the river Token. AVe soon discovered that tins river would admit nothing but boats ; and even to enter with them would be at the hazard of capsizing, from the heavy rollers that are continually running in from the south--w'est, and breaking on the bar a great part of die year. There is a small town on the northern bank of this river, which the natives caU Pelchue, containing about seven hundred inhabitants, principally converted Araucanians. They have a church and two Catholic priests, who are Spaniards, and keep the people completely under their control. These ecclesiastical gendemen attend the fan dango dances with the natives, and share in their favourite amusement of cock-fighting, at which die latter will often hazard aU that they are worth. There is a building erected expressly for that purpose in the south part of the town, surrounded by a beautiful garden. The buUd ing is one story high, and about forty by sixty feet on the floor, with a circle of seats and galleries. This amusement is allowed only on Sun days and festivals, on which days it is attended by a vast concourse of people of aU classes, the most of whom are never backward in betting. Dec] RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONS, I71 The church is large and capacious, but not elevated, on account of earthquakes. It is richly endowed, aud the interior is fitted up and embellished in a style of considerable splendour. In diese embellisli- meiits the precious metals are not spared, particularly about the altars. Sorae of the columns are plated with silver an inch thick ; while die drapery, curtains, cushions, and tassels are all of rich silk crimson damask. The bell is large, and in fair weather may be heard at a great distance. The arauseraents of both sexes, at evening or after noon parties, are similar to those of the citizens of St. Carlos, November 30th. — From the river Tolten we continued our course to- the north. The coast from Valdivia to the island of Mocha is en tirely free from dangers half a mUe frora the shore, and continues the- same to the island of St. Maria south of the river Biobio. From Val divia to Carnero Bay the course is about north-north-west one-quarter north ; and from thence to St. Maria the course is north-by-west, and north-half-west. We landed at the river Tarua, bearing east-by-north from the island of Mocha, distant about six leagues. The landing at the mouth of this river is very good at high-water. There is a small village on the south bank of this river, called by the natives Yapelhue, where refreshments of every kind may be had on the most moderate terms. The inhabitants are Araucanians, and are a very good-natured, friendly sort of people. Their property con sists principally of cattle, sheep, and hogs. They also raise an abun dance of fruit, particularly apples, of which they make very good cider. The mouth of this river is in latitude 38° 18' S., long. 73° 45' W. Frora this last-mentioned place to the island of St. Maria there are several small rivulets, but they are not even navigable for boats. The back country presents to the mariner, as he sads along this coast from one to three railes off-shore, one of the raost pleasing and picturesque appearances 1 have ever witnessed in any part of the world ; and the shores are entirely free frora dangers. We saw a few small rookeries of hair-seals on the beaches to the south of the Bay of Carnero. On the south side of the last-mentioned bay is the highland of Tu- capel, a rocky raountain about two thousand feet above the level of the sea, from which it rises in a bluff precipice, forming a very conspicu ous mark for this part of the coast, as there is no other elevated land between the island of Mocha and Conception Bay. December 3d. — On Friday, the 3d of December, -we passed the mouth of Port Conception, within about one mile of the shore. By this time the reader raust be aware that every mile of the east coast of Patagonia, from Cape Corrientes to the Strait of Magellan, through the strait to Cape Victory, and from thence to Port Concep tion, through the Gulf of Guaytecas, has been carefully examined by my boats ; and wherever there is no danger mentioned in this journalr the reader raay be sure that the passage or coast is safe. If a frankr open, plain statement of facts should obtain currency, instead of those highly wrought descriptions of dangers which border on romance, I, am led to believe that navigation in the most distant parts of the world will, in a short time, be considered equally safe and easy as that be tween America and Europe. All that is necessary to bring about this 172 TOWN OF CHILLAN. [1824. desirable result is for every navigator to give unvarnished statements of things as they really and actually exist ; and not attempt to enhance his own reputation for skUl and courage by exaggerating the difiiculties he has encountered and overcome. From the long experience which I have had, in the most windy, blustering, and boisterous seas,— along coasts, around capes, and through straits, on almost every part of the globe's surface, I can assert with confidence, without the fear of the fact's being disproved, that there is no worse weather or more hazard ous navigation, in any latitude or longitude, than there is on the coast of North America. It is a melancholy fact that most disastrous accidents have occurred, and will again occur, to the best of ships, commanded by the raost able navigators, and manned by the most eflicient crews. But where there is one fact of this description, there are many of a very dUferent character. Some ship-masters, I ara sorry to say it, do not understand their duty, and are not competent to fiU the station to which they have aspired ; others, who are better qualified, are deficient in energy and decision, and have not confidence in their own judgment. Many dis asters are attributable to both these facts ; and they are pubUshed to the world as so raany evidences of unavoidable penis in navigation. As before stated, we passed Port Conception on the 3d of Decem ber, and traced the shore along to the northward, for the distance of thirteen leagues, to the river Itata. The coast between the two places runs north-by-west, with a bold shore, free from dangers a Utde more than two cables' length from the beach. On the north bank of the river Itata, about ten mUes from its en trance, is the little town of Colemu, inhabited by about six hundred Araucanians, and one Catholic priest, a native of Old Spain. Farther up the river, at the distance of about seventy mdes, on the same side, stands the populous town of Chilian,* containing about twelve hundred inhabitants of the same race, who are blest with seven Catholic priests, besides about tldrty other persons from Spain, England, and the United States, most of whom have absconded from ships engaged in the whaling business, while watering at Talcaguano, and setded here ; having taken " wives of the daughters of the land," with whom they appear to live very happily. This town can boast of two churches and a convent. The inhabitants are a very active, industrious people, engaged in mral and pastoral occupations, particularly in raising wheat and cattle. A considerable quantity of grain is shipped from this place to Conception and Valparaiso, in small vessels of one himdred tons and less, navigated by the natives of the coast. On spring tides, the water has a depth of ten feet as far up this river as the town first mentioned ; between which and ChUlan inter course is kept open by small fiat canoes. In the summer season, a ship raay anchor in a sraall bay about three mUes to the northward of * This town, which is also called San Bartholomew, la the capital of tho province of Chilian, the laltor being twelve leagues fiom north to south, and twenty-live ftom east to west. Its plains, being considerably eleiatod, aflbrd excellent pnsture for sheep, whose wool is reckoned of a superior quality. The province Itata, bctwcon Chilian and Ihe coast, is eleven leagues from north to south, and Iwenly-tljrci- from eaal lo wcs.!. It produces Ihe best wine in all Chili, l..iiown by the name of Conception wine, r.o;» ,',.¦! being llip product of lands belonging to the iiiliabilants of that city. Dec] SURVEYING THE COAST— VALPARAISO. 173 the river ; where, with the prevailing winds, she will have a tolerable good shelter, in from twenty to five fathoms of water, with sandy bot>- torn. Whatever refreshments may be wanted will be brought off in bolses, if the sea be too rough for the ship's boat to land. There are no dangers along this part of the coast, exceptmg off the north point of the river, where there is a sandbank, ruiming nearly dead off-shore for the distance of half a raile. In approaching this bank, the water shaUows very suddenly, from ten fathoms to two. After bringing the extremity of the north point of the river (which is very low) to bear east-by-south, the ship will be to the north of the bank ; when she may choose her own anchorage, taking care to be at least half a mile from the shore, that she raay have room to get under way^ if the wind should set in from the westward, which is-seldom the case. About twenty-six leagues from the river Itata, on a north-half-west course, the river Maule, mentioned in my former voyage, empties its waters into the Pacific. Between these two rivers the coast is entirely free frora dangers, two cables' length from the shore. Twelve leagues north of the Itata are three small islands, or rocks, connected with the main, from which ships are perfectly safe at the distance of twenty fathoms. On these rocks we found a few hair-seals, but they were very wild. Seventeen leagues frora Rio Maule, about north-half-west, lies the Topocalma Shoal, which is nearly three miles in length, and about the same distance from the shore. I have seen the sea break on this reef with great violence, but the passage between it and the main is safe for small vessels. I would not, however, recomraend it to ships, ex cept in case of necessity. This reef lies in lat. 33° 53' S., and the land abreast of it runs circuitously towards the river Mapo, on the north bank of which is a small town, called by the natives Logrono, or Antonio. From the river Mapo, a course north-wcst-by-north leads to a white rock, in lat. 33° 27' S., which appears at a distance like a vessel under sail running along the coast. This rock is nearly connected with the shore, and forms a good landmark for distinguishing this part of the coast. Fifteen miles north-north-west from White Rock is Point de Couramilla, liaving a sugar-loaf hill near it, whicli has the same appearance from different points of view on the seaboard. The coast from Topocalma Shoal to Point Couramilla is bold, and free^rom dangers ; but to the northward of the latter there are some rocks, which run out about half a mUe from the land. From hence to Point Angel, at the entrance of Valparaiso Bay, the land is high, and the course north-north-east, about four leagues' distance. Point Angel may be known by a house and signal-staff upon it. December 8th. — Having thus examined the whole extent of this coast, from Cape Tres Montes to the Bay of Valparaiso, we entered the last-named port- on Wednesday, the 8th of December, and carae to anchor in fifteen fathoms of water, about three cables' length from shore. Frora this anchorage Point Angel bore west-by-north ; the fort in the town west-north-west ; the church of Almandel south-east- by-east-half-east ; and the eastern point of the bay north-east-by-easl. 174 VALPARAISO— COPIAPO. [1824, r I lost no time in paying my respects to my old friend, Mr. Hogan, who received me in the most cordial and affectionate manner, tendering his services in that kind, polite, delicate, and friendly style which re lieves a favour from the weight of obligation. Indeed, the generous feelings of this truly good man are too prone to run ahead of his limited means, especially in cases where the interests of his conntrj-men are concerned. His life is devoted to acts of usefulness and beneficence, and the emoluments of his office are nothing in comparison with the sum of good he performs. Few things would afford me greater pleasure than to see this venerable and faithful officer rewarded by his country with some situation under the government where the labours would be lighter and the reward more commensurate with his deserts. As a brief description of Valparaiso, comprising all the particulars with which I am acquainted, wUl be found in the joumal of my former voyage, I have nothing to add in this place. Having transacted the little business I had to perform at this port, we sailed for Callao on Saturday, the llth of December, with fresh winds frora south-south west, and fair weather. After passing Coquimbo, we touched at the Bird Islands in search of seals, but found very few of the fur kind. These islands are in lat. 29° 35' S., and lie about north-west from Point Tortuga, distant eight leagues ; being ten mUes from the nearest land. Still farther north is the island of Choros. Ships may run any where among these islands, or between them and the main, with perfect safety. Eleven leagues frora these islands, in the direction of north-by- west, is the island of Canaveral, joined to the main by a small sandbank, which is covered at full sea. Six leagues farther, north-half-east, is Point Aliade, off which there are a few rocks, which extend into the sea for the distance of about half a mUe, Nearly north, at the dis- ¦ tance of two leagues, in lat, 28° 24' S., long. 70° 58' W., is the port of Huasco, or Guasco, which is merely a roadstead, open to the -mnds from north to west-by-south ; which never blow at this place, ho-n-ever, so as to injure any ship. The anchorage is in front of the river, under a small low island, in from fifteen to seven fathoms of water, ¦Sand and mud bottom, Huasco Hill is high, rising in two peaks, the northernraost of which is tbe highest, forming a good mark in running for this place, as there is no other Uke them on all the coast. Ihcember 14th. — We left the port of Huasco on Tuesday, the llth, andlRteered to the north, with a favourable wind, and fair weather ; and on the following day we were off the port of Copiapo. All the islands and rocks between this place and Coquimbo are frequented bv hair-seals ; and a small cargo might be obtained in the pupping season. The city of Copiapo is the capital of a province of the same name, which contains mines of iron, copper, platina, lead, and silver, and abouii^ in gold, lapis-lazuli, and fossil salt. The city is situated on a river which also bears the same appellation, and is in lat. 27° 10' S., and long. 71° 4' W. The province, which stretches from the Andes to the sea, is one hundred leagues in length, and about seventy in breadth. Its northern part is inhabited chiefly by the hunters of an animal caUed the vicugna, about the size of a tame goat, but gready Dec] COPIAPO. 175 exceeding it in the length of its neck and legs. In this province, as in hs more southerly neighbour, Coquimbo, it very seldom rains ; but the dews fall in such abundance as in a great measure to supply the want of rain. Snow, except on the Andes, is very uncommon ; and on the coast entirely unknown. The cliraate is mUd, equable, and .salubrious, and the inhabitants enjoy a constant succession of fine weather frora the beginning of spring until autumn. ' Previous to the invasion of the Spaniards, in 1535, the provinces of Copiapo and Coquimbo had been subdued by the Peruvians, under their tenth inca, Yupanqui, who imposed on them an annual tribute of gold, but made no innovation, either in their customs, manners, or gov ernment, all of which they were suffered to retain free and unaltered, tUl the year 1535, when ChUi was invaded by the Spaniards, under Diego Almagro' This brave and enterprising officer, who afterward fell in a contest with the army of his rival, Pizarro, was succeeded by Valdivia, who gave his name to the city and river raentioned in the first part of this chapter. He was finally defeated by the intrepid Arau canians, his army cut to pieces, and himself taken prisoner. Not a single Spaniard escaped the slaughter ; only two Promaucians, who were now allies to their invaders, reached Conception with intelligence of the battle. Valdivia condescended to ask his life of the conquering" Araucanians, but was put to death. , The city of Copiapo has been frequently destroyed by earthquakes, which have occurred at different periods, about twenty-five years dis tant from each other. Thus there was one in 1773, another in 1796, and a third in 1819. The ruins, which are still visible, present a scene of dreadful destruction ; the walls of the different buildings and churches having fallen in different directions. ¦ On the west side of the ruins, at some distance, is the silver mine of Santa Clara. There are also gold mines in the neighbourhood. The-point of Copiapo forms a remarkable headland, and from a dis tance appears like an isl,and. The river empties into the north-east part of Salada Bay, and there is a small island lying before its en trance. The bluff point, or Moro of Copiapo, lies in lat, 27° 10' S., long, 71° 4' W. Variation per azimuth 11° 55' easterly. ¦ To the northward of Copiapo the coast runs north, a little westerly, to the Bay of MexUlones, which has good anchorage under the south shore, in from fifteen to five fathoms of water, sandy bottom. This place is situated in lat, 23° 2' S., long. 70° 24' W, — the great Desert of Atacama forming the interior. We continued examining the coast in this direction to the river Loa, in lat, 21° 31' S., long 69° 57' W. This river divides Peru frora Chili, and is the boundary line between 'Atacama in the latter and Tarrapaca in the former. The coast, from this place to Copiapo, has raany sraall islands and rocks lying near its shores, on each of which may be found hair-seals, the most of which can be easily taken. The whole extent of this part of the coast is entirely free from dangers, half a mUe off-shore. December 20th. — On Monday, the 20th, we left the river Loa, and steered for Callao, with a fine breeze frora south-south-east, and fair weather ; and on Thursday, the 23d, we carae to anchor on the east 176 BAY OF PISCO. [1824. side of SangaUan's Island, within about half a mUe from the mainland, in five fathoms of water, sandy bottom. On this island and the adja cent keys we found a few fur-seals. Hair-seals were quite numerous, but we did not take any of them. The passage between SangaUan's and the mainland is the southem entrance, and perhaps the best passage to approach Pisco ; though vessels may pass on either side. It is in lat, 13° 53' S,, long. 76° il3' W. After passing the east point of this entrance, you raay double immediately round to the eastward, and anchor in what is called Old Man's Bay, in from twelve to four fathoms of water, sandy bottom, sheltered frora all winds. There is no danger in entering this pas sage, keeping the raainland best aboard, to avoid a sunken rock which lies on the other side, about two cables' length frora the easternmost key, or small islet, on which the sea breaks in rough weather. The depth of water in the passage is from thirty to twelve fathoms. From this passage steer north-east-by-north, a Utile northerly, about eight miles, whicli will bring you to the anchorage of Pisco. It was in the Bay of Paraca, to the south of this anchorage, that the celebrated Lord Cochrane landed, in 1821. In sailing from Pisco Roads, you may pass between SangaUan's Island and the Chinca Islands, or to the north of the last-mentioned islands, with perfect safety, as there are no dangers around these islands, more than two cables' length from the shores, but what show themselves on the surface. The Bay of Pisco has been so accurately described by Capt. Amasa Delano, that I shall take the liberty of copying the paragraph verba tim, as far as it coincides with my own actual observations. " The Bay of Pisco is large, and as clear of aU dangers as any that I ever saw. It has regular poundings all over it, of a moderate depth of water, and fine clear ground for a ship to anchor in. The bay is a crescent in the land, and has a number of islands lying before the entrance to the westward of it, which break all the "sea, or wind, if there should be any frora that quarter. The islands are called the Tinkers, and are considerably large : they have good anchoring under the lee of thera, and there are many seals on them, " The most common way to go into Pisco is by coming from the southward, and sailing between the island of SangaUan's and the main land. This island lies in latitude 13° 52' S., and has a passage be tween it and the main about two mUes in width, which is very clear of aU kinds of danger. As soon as it is passed, the vessel must be hauled round ihe point of the bay to the eastward, and saU in to the northward and eastward, leaving all the islands and rocks to die left- hand, for the purpose of keeping to windward. After having passed to the eastward of all die islands in the bay, Pisco wiU come in view, lying in the easteriy part of it, in latitude, by our observations (though we had not a very good opportunity to observe), 13° 42' S, The anchor raay be cast in four, five, or six fathoms, to the westward of the town, though in reality there is good anchorage anywhere to the southward of Pisco, with a better riding-place than ofl' to the westwaid. " The shore or landing-place at Pisco is not very good, owing to j^^t:.] BLbOKAbE OF CALLAO. 177 a bar that lies before die town ; but' at inost times One cart land with a good boat, and always procure plenty of refreshments, if the govern ment wiU give permission. The town is much larger than the other small ports on some parts of the coast, but it is an inconsiderable place. It stands on a plain which is low, -and mns for some raUes back beforu it borders on the mountains, and appears handsome in comparison ^i*ith any place south of this lift you get to Coquimbo. It is tolerably welt supplied with all kinds of provisions, vegetables, and frnk:; but the fresh water is not very good; Thejiouses are buUt after th^ style of, Conception and Valparaiso : the habits, and customs of the people are likewise similar. "The country back has a much better aspect (on account of the level ground before you come to the inountains) than any place to the south for many degrees. The bay would accommodate any number of ships, and afford them good shelter. Thf islands to the westward of it are large, and afford notiiing but seals, eggs, and bird-manure : the latter is a great article of trade on the coast of Peru," &c- Dec. 25th. — After examining SangaUan's Island and the Chinca Islands for fur-seals, with very little success, although hair-seals were plenty, we saUed for the" port of Callao, the seaport and citadel of " the queen of cities," as Lima was formerly called by the Spaniards. This was on Saturday, the 25th of December ; the -weather was pleasant, and we were wafted along with a fresh breeze from south-south-east. At two o'clock on the following morning we came to anchor in Callao rbads, in four fathoins of «ater, muddy bottom, abbut two cable's length from the landing-place. The Bay of Callao is protected from the preVaUing south winds by a long neck of land which projects into the sea, and by the large island of St. Lorenzo, which rises opposite to this cape ; also by the small islands of Fronton and El Corcobado. The island of St, Lorenzo is readUy known, on making it from the west or south-west, by the hills or peaks on its north end. There are several small rocky islets lying off the 'south end of this island; but tiiere is deep water between them, and a elear passage for running into Callao, keeping St. Lorenzo best on board, untU the castle on Callao Point opens norfh of the low sandy point to the west of it, l^iit though this entrance to Callao is perfeetl)' safe for those who are acquainted with it, I would advise strangers to , go round the north end of St. Lorenzo. The shore on the north side of the bay is bold, and free from dangers .> ^ I • ' Call'dO was at this time in possession of the royil troops, under General Rodil, commandant of the ca^de and fortress by which the place is defended. Although the port Vas declared to be under block ade by the patriots, I found no difficulty in passing in unmolested. The independence of Peru had been'at lengdi accomplished by the decisive victory of Ayacucho, fought seventeen days before my arrival. Bolivar was then, at Lima, invested -with diptatorial powers, and the main body of the liberating army from Colombia was commandedby Antonio Jose de Sucre. Five months of skilful manoeuvring on either side preceded the battle : the result is well known ; the royalists were defeated with great slaughter. La Serna the viceroy was pursued and taken prisoner; M 178 TOWN OF CALLAO. [1824. and General Ganterac, the second in command, foimd it necessary to capitulate. .-y. By the terms of capitulation, aU the Spanish possessions in Pera were to be given up, including the casdes of Callao ; and all the officers, stores, milUafy magazines, and arms were to remain in possession of the patriots. But the commandant (RodU) refused to sun-ender in com pliance with the capitulation, and continued to defend the casdes of CaUao with unyielding obstmacy. Bolivar had therefore issued a proclamation declaring the port to^be in strict blockade ; and that RodU, by his conduct in holding the casdes, should be considered as having separated himself from the Sp-anish nation, and cut hiraself off frora all the rights of nations. Adequate forces were also assembled by sea and land, and the castles closely invested. The patriots had erected a -battery within gun-shot of Callao, and the besiegers and besieged -were continually* firing upon each other, but without much effect. Bodil was well supplied with stores and araraunition, and rejected evei-y proposal for his surrender.* Such was the state of affairs when I entered the port of CaUao on the 26th of December, 1824, and aijchored near the town. A United States' squadron, under Commodore Hull, was lying in the roadstead, consisting of the frigate United States, the sloop-of-war Peacock, and 'schooner Dolphin : their object was the protection of North American commerce, which had suffered much during the straggle of the revo lution. CHAPTER IV. The Port of Callao — ^Destruction of the Town in 1746 — Condition of the Place in 1824' — Closely invested by Land and Sea — Did not " catch a Tartar" — The City cf Lima — Sail from Callao — Arrive at Quiica — Visit the City of Arequipa — Sad from Quiica — Arrive at Port Santa — ^Crtlise along the Coast — Port of Guan- chaco — iCity of Truxillo — Bay of Caraccas, and the surrounding Country — View of Chimborazo — ^A Nation in the Cloud-s — Volcano of PicMnca — Eruption of Cotopaxi — Sail from Caraccas Bay — Arrive at Cqcos Island. Callao,. as the reader probably luiows, is a seaport town of Peru, .situated on - the south-east side of k beautiful bay or harbour, which forras the raouth of the River Rimac, or Lima ; on die south side of which, seven or eight miles more udand, staijtis the celebrated city of that name. Previous to the dreadful eardiquake of 1746, Callao was considered by the Spaniards to be impregnable : it was tiien fortified by ten bastions and several batteries, and defended by a strong garri son. But that Callao was entirely destroyed by the visitation just alluded to, aud the present town stands, farthpr from the Water, con sisting of a single street, not more than half a niUe in lengdi, following -' For a inore particular description of tliis siege, see the Annual Kcrfsler, publisliol By G Ss C. CarvUl, fcr 16W-I), p. 183. Dec] DESTRUCTION OF CALLAO. 179 the curvature of the bay; this street is intersected by two or three othei-s, which are of course very short, except the one which commences the great road to Lima. The houses generally are of one stpi-y only, with flat roofs, which is of no inconvenience in a country like this, where it seldora or never rains. For the greater security against earthquakes, these buildings are constructed in a pecuHar manner, and covered with exceedingly light materials. In' the first place, th^ size and shape of the,mtended edifice is carefully marked out upon the ground which it is intended to occupy. . Then, instead of proceeding to lay a foundation as we do, they dig deep holes in the groimd along the line which marks the build ing's dimensions, about six feet apart, in which they firmly set posts of twelve or eighteen inches in circumference, and of sufficient height to form a dweUing. On the outside of these posts long sticks of bam boo, an inch or more in diameter, are fastened in a horizontal position, with thongs of undressed hide. They commence at the ground, where they lash on three bamboos close together ; two feet above them, they lash on three more, and so on to the top, leaving about the same dis tance between each triplet of bamboos : through these horizontal layers more slender bamboos are woven perpendicularly as closely as possible. On the outside of aU is put a coat of plastering, and the walls of the house are completed. The roofs are of cane, and are woven and plastered in the same manner ; so that in the most violent earthquake, unless the , ground be broken, nothing can fall but bamboos and plaster, the weight of which might bruisg, but would hardly fi-acture a limb, much less destroy life. The old town was differently constructed* and " great was the faU thereof;" but though the earthquake was the cause of its destruction j it was not the immediate instrument. "The sea," says UUoa, " re- ¦ceding to a considerable distance from the shore, returned in moun tainous waves, foaming with the violence of the agitation, and suddenly turned Callao and the neighbouring^ coimtry into a sea. This was not, however, totally performed by the first sweU of the waves ; for the sea, retfring farther" (so far, says another writer, as to leave the shipping dry), " returned with stUl more impetuosity, — the stupendous masses of water covering both the walls and other buildings of the place ; so that whatever had escaped the first irruption was now totaUy over whelmed by these terrible mountains of waves, and nothmg remained except a piece of the wall of the port of Santa Craj as a memorial of this terrible devastation. " There werfe then in the harbour twenty-three ships and other vessels, great and smaU, of which nmeteen were absolutely sunk ; whde the other four, one of which was a frigate caUed St. Fermus, were carried by the force» of the waves to a great distance up the country. This terrible inundation extended to other parts of the coast, as Cavallos and Guanape. At CaUao, where the number of inhabitants •amounted to about four thousand, two hundred only escaped; and twenty-two of these by means of the above-mentioned fragment of a wall." ¦Thus was Callao enthely swept' away ; and according to Captain 312 ' ,180 TOWN OF CALLAO^ [1824. Delano, who received his information from an antiquated survivor, " the sea broke over the ^rotmd where it stood for several days successively after it happened. This," he adds, " so entiraly destroyed the soil that it has never collected since so as to produce a spire of grass." Captain Delano was here in 1805, nineteen years before my visit; and on surveying die site of the former town, he says, "The sight was shocking to a man of sensibUity lo see the piles of human bones that lie here. The principal remains or sign? of a town Vi^ere the brick arches and stoned cellars which were not destroyed by the earthquake. My companions informed me that some of the arches were the ruins of prisons, where all the foreigners, as well as the lower order of the Spanish people, were confined. These arches were filled with human bones, as were also most of the cellars, without any kind of covering over thera. The reason,. as I was informed, that the arches were so filled with th& bones was. that there were people employed to pick them up as fast as they woritea out of the gravel, and put them into these cellars and arches, but they had not yet put them all in. I presump we saw many cart-loads strewed all over the ground, besides those that were already picked up and deposited." The same earthquake almost totally destroyed the city of Lima. CaUao road, bay, or harbour is the largest, safest, and mostbeaatifiil of any in the South Seas.* It contains no rocks, and the water is very deep. As the winds which prevail here during the winter always blow froni some point between the south-east and the south, but most generally from the south, the water in the bay is always tranquil, being sheltered b.y Callao Point and the island of St. Lorenzo. "The river of Lima, which discharges itself into the sea under the walls of Callao, furnishes an abundance of good water ; and the loading and unloading of vessels are facilitated by a mole fumished with cranes, &c. The turbulent state of the times during the revolutions and counter revolutions whieh had distracted South America for several years pre- -vious to my visiting its western coast, had gready retarded the growth of her cities, and the prosperity of the inhabitants. While under the government of the Spanish viceroys, the cities and towns of Pem were more populous than at present. In the year 1810 the population of CaUao was estimated at'five thousand ; but in 1829 the Rev. Mr. Stewart ^ reports it to be about two thousand. When I visited it in 1824, as related in this journal, it was difficult to form any accurate estimate. Most of its males were in the patriot army, and many of its inhabitants had removed to more tranquU situations. As the seaport of Lima, Callao has been a place of considerable commerce, and wiU no doubt becftme so again when the new republics have once setded down on a plermanent basis. Before the provinces threw off the Spanish yoke, Lima was the general ^emporium of the vieeroyalty, and the common fawory for commerce of every Idnd. On tlie arrival of afleet at Callao with Eiuropean coramoduies, the merchants of Lima would forward ttJ their correspondents in other cities such ar- ticlfes as they had received commissions to purchase, and reserve the * The Paciflc Ocean was flrst called the Soufli Seas, because the Spaniards crossed tbie Isthmu* e{ Darlon flroin nbrtll to soiilli wticii they discovcrod it. Dec] CITY OF LI.VIA. .181 rest in warehouses, to be disposed of on. their own account to traders who resorted to the place, or to be sent to ijheir factors in the inland pirovinces. The produce of these sales in the interior was remitted in bars of silver, upon which also a great profit was made at the raint. The city of Lima, of which so much has been said, sung,' and writ ten, is the capital of Peru, and was founded by the celebrated Pizarro, on the 15th of January, 1535. U stands in the midst of a broad, spa cious, fruitful, and delightful valley, caUed Rimac, which received its name from an idol formerly worshipped there by the Peruvians. The word signifies " He who speaks," and is supposed to have been corrupted by the Spanish pronunciation into Lima. A river of the sarae name runs close by the city, on the north, watering the valley by numerous canals, and falling into the sea near Callao ; from the roadstead of which can, be seen the towers and domes of " the splendid city," stretch ing for a mUe or more in the distance, with the gigantic Andes soaring in hoary majesty at least thirty mUes beyond them. These features. present a beautiful appearance, as seen from the bay where I was now at anchor, and excited a strong desire in ray bosom to visit the " queen of cities." But mat -was now impossible ; 1 had therefore to rest con tented with such imperfect descriptions as I could pick up from those who had been there, which I afterward found to be correct from my own observations. The.form of the city is triangular, the longest side extending along the banks of the river above three thousand yards ; and the greatest breadth from the base lo the apex is about two thousand two hundred. The whole of.the town is, surrounded with a brick wall, flanked by thirty-fou^ bastions ; the streets, which are broad and regular, cross each other at right angles : they are weU pavecL and kept constantly clean by streams of water frora the river, which are arched over, and rendered subservient not only to cleanliness, but to many other conve niences. The number of streets in Lima is not less thaji three hun dred and fifty Pizarro, in laying out this city, distributed the spaces for die houses mto quarters of one hundred and fifty varas, or Spanish yards. The ': houses of the wealthy have gardens attached to them, which are wa tered by the canals that run through the city : these hquses are gene raUy buUt in the Moorish style, as introduced into old Spain by their invaders, — consisting of a square pUe, of two stories, enclosing a quad rangular court, which is surrounded with piazzas, and sjjmetimes con- ¦ : tain a second, or even a third inner court. Thoseof the less opulent, though low, are generally commodious, and of a handsome appearance ; they are constructed of wood, on account .of the frequent earthquakes, ' but are so plastered and painted as to resemble stone edifices. The best, buddings are in and near the centre of the city, and the houses gradually decrease in beauty and convenience as the streets approach the circumference. Indeed, Mr. Stewart very jusdy remarks,- that on entering the city from the Callao avenue, the appearance of Luaa is far frora being prepossessing. " I scarce ever felt greater surprise," says this observant traveller, "than on eiitermg the first street after passing the gate. Instead of ' the splendid city,' of which 182 CITY OF LIMA. [1824. from childhood I had read with such admiration, I was tempted to think myself in Timbuctoo itself. Mud houses of one low story, with large , doors and grated windows, exposing filth and poverty to view, inhabited only by negroes and mulattoes, thronging in gaping and half-naked crowds" about tbe doors and corners, were alone in sight. " By degrees, however, the appearance began to improve : the houses became more neat and lofty, tiU something like civilization and comfort, if not elegance, was to be' seen. But even in the best streets through which we passed every thmg wore a decayed -and shabby appearance, while the covQred'veraiidas projecting from the second story, of clumsy architecture and dark colours, threw an air of gloom over the streets." Much of ,the decayed and shabby appearance above alluded to is attributable to the horrors of civil war ; ibr no city can be alternately occupied by hostile armi.es without.suffering in its appearance, as well as in hs moral and commercial health. But Lima is now gradually improving in both, ¦ and may yet resume the splendid rank she for merly held. On the opposite side of the river, connected with the city by abridge of brown freestone, is the suburb of St. Lazaro,,of considerable extent, equalling the city itself in the regularity of its streets and the beauty of its edifices. The bridge is necessarUy very substantial and lofty, as the River Rimac is at some seasons swollen to an immense torrent by the melting of snow and ice on the Andes ; whUe in the winter the stream is shallow and insignificant, sometimes " presenting only a mass of dry gravel, intersected in two or three places by smaQ rivulets, purl ing like so raany brooks in their pebbly courses," The_ river here is about one hundred yards in width. The grand square, .^or Plaza, as the inhabitants term it, in the middle of the' city, is about three hundred and eighty feet in extent on each side ; and the centre of it is occupied by a handsome brass fountain, which fornierly must h^ve been highly ornamental to it. Historians describe it as being magnificent, " ornamented by a bronze statue of Fame, from the trumpet of which, and the mouths of eight lions sur rounding it, the water is ejected." During the struggles of the revolution, however, this fountain was suffered to become dilapidated and out of repair, so that it had ceased to play when I visited the city in 1825. Captain Delano describes it, in 1805, as "spouting the water ten or twelve feet high, "so' as to fall into a square reservoir, from which it continually runs through about twelve copper pipes into a basin of sixteen or eighteen feet diameter, and has a conductor through wluch the siiperfluous water runs ofl'. The rim of this basin is just hi^ enough for the people to step over and fill their kegs, which vessels are (he- most common in use for that purpose." ' ' The east side of the Pla.za, or public square, is occupied by the cathedral and arjhbishop's palace, both of which are large buddings, partly constructed of stone. On the noijth side of the square is the lialace formerly the residence of the viceroy, but now of the republifean president: this building is said to have been erected by Pizarro, at the founding of the city in 1536 ; and they show strangers one of the halls of (he apartment in which the tyrant was assassinated : another exten- Dec] CITY OF LIMA. 183 sive apartment in die same building is called the Hall of Independence. On the west side ,is the town-house and city -prison ; and the south is occupied widi private houses, which have fronts of stone, adorned with elegant porticoes. The churches and chapels, whieh are partiy buUt of stone, are deco rated m the most splendid style, with paintings and ornaments of the greatest value." But the riches which have been lavished on the cathe dral are almost' beyond belief, though chat-acteristic of a people who I once paved a whole street with ingots of silver in honour of the arrival of a new viceroy ! Among the other public buildings worthy of notice, I would mention the cabildo, or city-house, built in the Chinese style; the raint ; the palace of the Inquisition, part of which is now occupied as a national museum; and tlie convent of the Franciscans, said to cover an eighth" of the whole city. There -were formerly more than twelve hundredmonks ui this place, but the number i4 now very much. reduced. There are fourteen convents for women, and an edifice for a-university, that was founded in 1576. The women of Lima are celebrated for their beauty, vivacity, and extravagance in dress. "They have handsome persons, fair cora- plexions, beautiful hair, and a pleasing lustre in their eyes : their intel lects are very acute, their behaviour e^sy, yet respe'ctful; and their con versation inexpressibly interesting; and though chargeable with- a considerable degree of haughtiness, even towards their husbands, yet their address, affection, and general discretion are seldom equalled in! any other part of the world. The women of the lower classes, besides imitating the j> superiors in the love of dress, are. remarkably cleanly, and keep thefr houses in the utmost neatness. They are natUraUy sprightly in their dispositions, and fond of music and dancing. The reigning passions, in short, of the fair sex in this city are show, mirth, and festivity ; and the inhabitants generally are distinguished by their vivfacity, intelUgence, and agreeable manners."* Both sexes smoke tobacco, for Which they excuse themselves by- saying that it is to guard against the deleterious effects of a certain mist and drizzle which hangs over the city at some particular seasons, and which, is called Peravian dew. The Spaniards in Lima are all Creoles ; and the whole population, comprising negroes, Indians, mes- - tizoes, and other castes, together with the Spaniards, has been variously estimated at, from fifty to seventy thousand. In 1824 there were .fifteen thousand slaves in the city, but slavery has sinc#been abolished- This city has frequently been laid in ruins by earthquakes ; and in ,1746, when Callao was destroyed, not more than twenty houses were left standing in Lima, out of more than three thousand,', Since the year 1582 more than twenty earthquakes have, occurred, of such vio lence as to occasion more or less damage to the'buildmgs, and destmc tion of lives. I . ^ The country around Lima is remarkably fertUe,^produeuigaU kinds of grain and fruits in the greatest abundance ; and the fields are regu larly irrigated by trenches and canals arranged for the purpose. The * Edinbnrgli Encyclopedia. 184 , PORT OF CALLAO— QUILCA. [1825. provisions with which the city is supplied are equaUy abundant and excellent. ' The road from fiima to CaUao is straight, wide, and level ; but at this time untravelled, being occupied by the besieging army of patriots, who had posses.sion of Bella Vista, a dUapidated town about two miles frorti tho port. General Rodil's artiUery was daily playing upon the ruins of thisiplace, and no doubt assisted in completing the half-accom plished devastation of time and earthquakes. Dec. 2&th. — Early on the morning of my arrival in the port of CaUao the star-spangled banner was displayed at the mast-head of the Tartar, to the no small surprise of the officeirs of the United States' squadron, who had not seen us enter ; and Commodore Hull soon sent an officer on board to inquire our character and business. The latter, however, 1 did not think proper to communicate, as the success of some com mercial speculations depends entirely on prodence and reserve ; and though a ship-master may do what he pleases with his own secrets, he has no right to dispose of the secrets of others. In a subsequent interr view with the commodore himself, he expressed some curiosity on the subject, apd wondered vvhy I should have ventured into a port so closely invested; when, if I escaped the blockading squadron, he thought I was still liable to become the victim of Rodil's cupidity, who was already straitened for provisions. My answer was evasive ; but as there is no necessity for the same reserve with the reader, I shad HOW be more explicit. I knew, from information that I Ijad received at St. Carlos, that there were individuals in Callao who belonged to Are quipa, an Episcopal town on the River Qnilca, about two hundred and seventeen leagues south-east of Lima. 1 knew likewise that they were anxious to feturn home, and not remain shut up in a besieged citadel, the commandant of which had resolved never to surrender, bat to hold out till death, I ftirther knew that their escape could onlv be effected in a swift-sailing vessel like the Tartar, which could bid defiance to the vigilance of the blockading squadron. 'It was therefore to afford these -people an opportunity of escapuig the horrors of a siege, and perhaps death by famine, that I entered the port? of Callao on ,Sundav morning, the 16th of December, 1824. * * * >* ' * t ^; « ^Jan. 1st, 1825. — After frequent interviews widi- General Rodd on die subject, I obtained permission to take away nineteen passengers, male and I'emale,' belonging to the city of Arequipa, with whom I sailed on New-year's day, 1825, ibv the port of QuUca. It was five, P. M,, when we got under way, with a fine breeze from soutli-east-by-so«th, and fair weather. We Contuiued beating to windward, standing in shore, until about ten, P. M., -when we look the wind from east-south east, within a mile of the shore ; tacked ship, and stood 'off-shore until nine or ten, A. M. The w-ind then gradually hauled fi-om east-south- cast to soutlveast, and often to south-south-east, when we would tack again, and stand in-shore. In this manner we continued to take ad vantage, of the wind until we arrived at our destined jjort. Jan. 8th. — 6n Saturday, the 8th of .lamiary, we arrived in safety at die port of QuUca, and sipchored on die bank nearly abreast of the Jan.] PORT OF QUILCA— -A^Ri;QUIPA. 185 town, m fourteen fathoms of water, mud and sandy bottom. J.iatitude 16° 41' S., long. 72° 58' W. Variation per azimuth 10° 27' easterly. On the following day we landed Our passengers. The town or viUage of QuUca is the seaport bf Arequipa, a fine inland city, situated on the same river, about twenty leagues frora the coast. Quiica is a small place, comprising about seventy-five houses, or rather huts, built at die head, of a small cove, about two mUes north- north-west of ¦'the anchorage. The entrance to this cove is nai;row, and betweentwo bluff points ; at the head of it the landing is smooth, and small vessels may lie here with perfect safety, moored to ring bolts in the rocks, on each side the basin. The houses in the village are generaUy of singular construction; being buUt with reed mats, and covered with tliatch. Some of them are surrounded with veran das, and covered with a flat cane roof ; without chimneys or glazed windows, and the doors are made of basket- worlc, or wicker. The ground about the town is covered with a white dust or powder, supposed to have been thrown out of the volcano of Arequipa, during some of its dreadful eruptions, in " by-gone years." This is not only very unpleasant to the eyes of strangers, but it hag also destroyed vegetation, and rendered die country nearly barren. In saUing along this part of the coast, the volcano of Arequipa presents a remarkable appearance, that of a single sharp-pointed peak, rising about two thou sand feet above the level of the sea. About twenty miles to the south-east of QuUca is Aranta road ; and to the north-ivest is die vUlage of Camana, situated in an extensive and beautiful vaUey. About five miles to the . north-west of Camana ai-e several small islands, or rocks, called the Pescadores, lying neai- the shore. On passing these islets, we must give the bank of Caraana a good berth ; and immediately afterwai-d we suddenly deepen the water. We then stand in-shore,, keeping the land close on board, as there ai-e no dan gers, imtU we are abreast of the high land of QuUca, where we imme diately anchor abreast of a small valley, in' from twenty to twelve fathoms of water. This anchorage is open ¦ to the seaward, entirely unsheltered, and exposed to a heavy swell which rolls in fiom the south-south-west. The sldppihg -are seen lying at anchor as we ap proach the port. The city of Arequipa, or, as it is sometimes .spelled, Arequiba, is the capital of a Peruvian province bearing die same name.j It is situated; about twenty leaguesifrom the coast, in the d^lightfS and fertUe valley of Qudea, on the margin of a beautiful river, and is said to be nearly eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. Thi?. city was founded in the year 1536, by the celebrated Francisco Pizarro, who fii-st marked out a place for it in a different situation ; but repeated earthquakes, and the inconvenience arising from its being too near a terrible vol cano, induced the inliabitaats to leave it, and to remove to their present site. The word " Arequipa" signifies, in the Pemvian language, " to fpr^ain," and the district was thus named, because the troops of the inca who conquered the country became so fond of it that they en treated their leader to permit ihem to remain there for the rest of, their 186 COAST OF PERX:. [1825. lives. The inca granted their request ; and in commemoration of the event, caUed the conquered territory by the name of Arequipa. Arequipa is a large well-buUt city ; the houses being neatly con structed of stone, vaulted, and much decorated on the outside. Araong its public buildings are a cathedral, a coUege, an hospital, three nunne ries, six convents, several churches, &c. &c. In the centre of the great square there is an elegant fountain of bronze, which was the usual appendage to all the cities whieh Pizarro founded. There is also a handsome bridge over the river. This city is subject to earth quakes, and has been four or five times laid in ruins by that dreadful scourge of South America. This evil, however, seems to be over balanced by the .mUdness of the climate, and the fertUit}- of the coun^ try round about it. Belund the city rise three lofty mountains, one of Which is called the volcaro of Arequipa, or the Peak of Miste, bemg one of the most elevated rjuhamits of the Andes. The population^ of , this .place has been variously estimated from twenty-four to forty thou sand souls. The air is dry, and the cUmate mUd and salubrious. Ai-equipa is in latitude 16° 20' S., long. 72° 17' W. I retumed to QuUca on the 14th, and on the foUowing moming, at eight, A. M., we got under way, and again dfrected the Tartar's course , to the north. It may not be useless to mention in this place, that the high land adjacent forras an exceUent mark to designate the entrance to Quiica, which Ues immediately on the north-west extremity of the high bluff shore at the south-east of the river's mouth. From this place to Hay harbour, at the eastward, the land is high and abrupt, whh a bold shore, clear of dangers. January 18th. — We left QuUca on" Saturday, the 15th, wath a fine breeze frora south-south-east, and fine -weather ; and on Tuesday, the 18th, at six, A. M., we were close in with the island of St. Alartin, which lies directly In front of the town and river of Huaura. At this island, and some small ones in its vicinity, we found a few hair-seals. These islets rise immediately out of the sea, with steep bold shores ; and the coast between here and CaUao is free from dangers, witliin half a mUe of the beach. There are many salt ponds and pits between Callao and Guarmey River, the latter being in latitude 10° 7' south. You may anchor under the south point of this port, in from ten to five fathoms, mud and sandy bottom, where a vessel wUl he tolerably smooth. The town contains about two hundred houses and two churches, and is a fine place to procure refreshments of all kinds. Wood -and water, of a good quality, may be had here with little trouble: January %Oth. — On leavhig tiiis place, we continued examining the coast to the north, finding many Small rocky islets, most of which contained hair-seals, untU Thursday, the 20th, when we arrived at Port Santa, in latithde 8° 56' south. A litde to the south of the town is the island of Santa, behind which vessels may anchor, and he in perfect safety, in from ten to four fathoms of water, muddy bottom, abreast of the river Santa, where fresh water may easily be obtamed, together with wood, and refreshments of almost every description, at a very low rate. , This town is quite populous, and the inhabitants appear to be Jan.] CITY OF TRUXILLO. 187 friendly and hospitable. The air is salubrious, the cUmate mUd, and the sod productive. The shores and waters abound with sheU and scale-fish of an exceUent quality. The surrounding country is said to be very fertile, die plantations producing sugar, wheat, ^ocoa, indigo, *> coffee, maize, olives, vines, fruits, and vegetables in abundance. The natives are an interesting, friendly, and industrious people. The inte rior abounds with wUd animals, and the forests are mhabited and visited by a great varietv of beautiful birds. ' January 21.j?.-^0n Friday, the 21st, we arrived at Guanchaco, the seaport of TruxUlo, a Peruvian city of some celebrity, of which I shall speak presently. The port of Guanchaco is six or eight miles north-west, of it, m latitude 8° 1.' S., long. 78° 58' W. .Variatioli per azimiKh 8° 57' easterly. . T This place is easily kno\vn by the bell mountam which rises in the interior, to the south of Truxillo, and by the mountain of Malabrigo, a httle to the north of Guanchaco, which descends to |he seashore: The coast between this place and Port Santa has many smaU reefs and sunken rocks, some of which extend nearly two miles into the sea; and from Guanchaco to CaUao there are many small rocky islands, lying near the shore, aU of which contain haiivseals. I beUeve that a vessel might soon collect a cargo of hair-seal skins from the islands and rocks along this coast, were she to come in the proper seasons— namely, when they visit the shore to breed, and when they return to shed their coats. ' ' Truxillo is another South American city which owes its origin to the Spanish conqueror of Pem, Francisco Pizarro, who founded it in the year 1535, and gave it the name of his native city in old Spain. It stands in the fertUe valley of Chimo, on the north side of the river Moche, about two mUes from the sea, shut in by tVo majestic moun tains. The city is surrounded with a brick wall, and the^houses gen- ¦ eraUy are constructed of the same material ; embellished with stately balconies and superb porticoes. Few of them, however, exceed one story in height, on account of those terraneous convulsions to which aU these countries are more br less subject. . The population of TruxUlo, including Spaniards, Indians, mestizoes, mulattoe^, &c., is estimated at about eight thousand souls. The inhab itants, generally, in .their character, manners, customs, and habits, are much like those of Lima ; the women are a^ handsorae, as accom plished, and as fond of dress ; and the city has sjiffered nearly as Tuuch as its neighbour by the prolonged struggle of the revolution. The sun-oAding country is pieturesque in appearance, and prolific in all the comforts of life. The fertUe plains in this district are cov ered with sugar-canes and -vineyards ; wheat and different kmds of grain have been cultivated with so much success in that part of it- near the Andes, that these articles are exported to Panama, on the Isthmus of Darien. In the neighbourhood of the city are still extant the ruins of several Peravian monuments that were sacked by the earUer settlers. The waters of a neighbouring river are carried through the whole of this deliglitful country by canals and other arti ficial conveyances; \ 188 COAST OF COLO.MBIA— MOUNT CHIMBORAZO. [1825. Jamary 23d.— Oa Sunday, the 23d, we left the Malabrigo Islands, lying iabout north-west-by-west from Guanchaco, distant eight leagues, and steered, to the north-west, with a Kght breeze from the south-east, and fair weaij)er. On the foUowing day we passed Point Aguja, which projects from the main, in latitude 5° 58' S., long* 81° V W. The coast to the soudi-east of the cape is low, until we come to the hill of Eton. The land between the two last-mentioned places forras a part of the Desert of Sechura. After passing Cape Blanco, the coast tends to the north-east to the river Tumbez, which marks the boundary between Peru and Colombia, January 26th. — Crossing the Gulf of Guayaqiril, we continued standing along shore to the north, until Monday, the ;24th, when we arrived at Salango Bay, at six, A. M,, and after examining the islands of Peledo and Salango, we steered for Callo Island. We found no dangers round these islands, nor any thing else, pxcept birds and hair- seals ; we th^«fore directed our course for the Bay 6f Caraccas, where we arrived on Wednesday, the 26th, and anchored near the month of the river,' in fimr fathoms of water, clay bottom ; latitude 0° 31' S,, long* 80° 11' W. Variation per azimuth 8° 13' easterly. In entering this bay, strict attention must be paid to tbe lead,- as there are many shoals to the north and in front of the entrance ; and there are some also on the south-west side of the bay. The water being generally smooth here, these dangers seldom show theiMelves on the surface, and therefore render the greater caution necessary. If it be the navigator's wish to anchor near the mouth of the river, he wUl approach it on the south-west side, where he may anchor within half a mUe of it, between two banks that are nearly dry at low -water. The Western bank -will coimpletely shelter him from the seaward, and he -vrill have four fathoms of water at low tide, with sufficient room for four or five other ships to lie in his company, with perfect safety. From this place we had a fine view of the gigantic Chimborazo^ towering in awful majesty, with his snow-crowned summit far above the clouds. This mountain, like Mont Blanc of the Alps, in Savoy, forms the extremity of a colossal group ; for in the ancient kingdom of Quito, the capital of which is nearly due east of our anchorage, the three chains of the Andes are intermingled into one cluster, com prising no less than sixteen lofty peaks, many of which are livincr vol- >' caiioes. The most elevated summits are ranged in two files, which in some measure form a double crest to the Cordillera. These are literally moimtainspUed upon mountains, fiar the highest ridge of the Andes forms the bottom of the vaUeys which separate iHlse volcanic peaks ! The lowest level of these plateaus is stiU eight thousand four hundred feet above the bosom of the bay on which the Tartar was now riding at anchor ! It is in these aerial vaUeys, or on these lofty plateaus, that die irai-nense population of this -ivonderful country is concentrated ; and diere, too, are situated towns that contain from thirty to fifty thousand inhabitants. That enterprising and scientific trayeUer Humboldt, who has thrown more lighj^ on the physical geography of Soudi America than any other writer, expresses himself on this subject in the foUowing terms : Jan.] VOLCANOES OF Q^ITO. I8« " After living some months on this elevated plateau, where the barom eter stands at 21.33 inches Enghsh, the traveUer experiences an extraordinary illusion. He, gradually forgets that every surrounding object — those vUlages that proclaim the industry of a nation of moun taineers ;, those pastures, covered at the sarae tirae with lamas, and with the sheep of Europe ; those orchards bordered with quickset hedges of the Duranta and the Bamadesia ; those luxuriant and highly culti vated cornfields— occupy a station, suspended, as it were, in tlie high regions of t!{e atmosphere ; and he can scarce bring himself to believe that this habitable region is even stUl farther elevated above the neigh bouring shores of the Pacific Ocean, than, the Pyrenean summit of Canigou is above the basin of the Mediterranean." . The' majestic Chimborazo, says Malte BrUn, is probably nothing but an extinguished volcano. The snow which for centuries has crowned its colossal peak will nrobably, one day or other, be melted by -the rembrseless fires pent up within its vast and fathoraless caverns resum ing their destructive activity. But one of the greatest volcanoes on the surface of the whole globe is rauch nearer the city of Quito than is chimborazo. It is called Pichinca, and rises eleven mUes south of the equator, to the height of fifteen thousand nine hundred and thirty- nine feet above the level of the ocean, as measured by Humboldt. Three rocky peaks rise from the circumference bf Pichnnca^s crated, as if shooting up from the abyss below. They are not covered with snow, because iPis constantly melted by the vapours that exhale from the volcano. " In order the better to examine the bottom of the crater," Says Humboldt, " we lay down flat on our breasts ; and I do not be lieve that the imagination could figure to itself any thing more melan choly, gloomy, and terrific than what we now beheld. The mouth of the volcano forras a circular hole of nearly a league in circumfer- ¦ ence, the sides of which, a perpendicular precipice, are covered above with snow to their very edge. The interior was of a deep black'; but the gulf is so immense that we could distinguish the tops of several mountains that are situated within it. Their summits appeared to be two or three hundred fathoms {toises) below us^ — judge then where must be their base f I myself have no doubt that the bottom of the water is on a level with the city of Quito," But the raost formidable volcano of all this group is that of CotO' paxi, rising to nearly eighteen thousand nine hundred feet above the level of the ocean ; as us eruptions have been the (lost frequent and the most destructive of any in South America. Its last was in the year 1803. The cinders and fragments of rocks that have been ejected at different times by this volcano cover the neighbouring vaUeys to an extent of several square leagues. In 1758 the flames of Cotopaxi shot up to k height of two thousand seven hundred feet above the edge of the crater. In 1744 the roaring of this volcano was heard as far as Honda, a town situated on the river M^agdialena, at a distance of two hundred leagues. On the 4th' of April, in the year 1768, the q^uan- tiry clashes vomited up from the rhouth of Cotopaxi was so greast that in the towns of Hambato and Taeunga, the sky continued as dark as night until the thfrd hour after midday. The eruption which toofc 190 CARACCAS B.AY AND RIVER, [1825. place in" the 'month of January, 1803, was preceded by a frightful phenomenon— the sudden melting of the snows that covered the mountain. For more than twenty years neither smoke nor any dis tinguishable vapour had issued from the crater; and yet, in a smgle liight, the subterranean fire had becoriie so active, that at sunrise the external walls of the cone, strongly heatec), had become naked, and had acquired the black colour which is pecuhar to vitrUied scoria. At the port of GuayaquU, fifty-two leagues in a , su-aight line from the edge, of the crater, Hu^nboldt heard, day and night, the roaring of this vol cano, like repeated discharges of artillei-y.* The country on both sides of Caraccas bay and river, is the most beautiful that can possibly be imagined. The soU is rich and fertUe, producing in great abundance cocoa, coffee, rice, Indian com, tobacco, and a great variety ofexcellent fruits. Among other valuable woods are laurel, ebony, cedar, saffron, cinnamon, balsam, and oak. All kinds of vegetables are plenty, as are also honly and wax. This is one of the best places on the coast to procure a cargo of cocoa, a^ you may depend on its being of the very best quality that grows p this country ; whereas, if you go to Guayaquil to procure this article, you are liable to be imposed upon by adulterations. The best coffee and wax may likewise be had at this place, and at a much lower rate than at Guayaquil. Among the animal productions of this country are cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultrj-, in abundance. The»forests are well tenanted with a great variety of wild animals, including a multitude of birds of very beautiful plumage. The usual temperature of the atmosphere being warm and moist, brings into existence innumerable swarms of insects and animals of a noxious kind. But the period of their existence is not very protracted, as the south-west winds, which generally prevaU from .May to December inclusive, destroy them in great numbers. In the height of the wet season, the aUigators and other disagreeable reptiles spread themselves over the country, and become very troublesome to the n-atives ; but in the fair-weather season they cause very little annoyance. The south-west winds, just alluded to, commence blowing about noon, and continue untii after daylight the next moming. During those months of the year in which these winds prevaU, die atmosphere is very clear, and it is seldom or never known to rain ; but from Janu ary to the last of April the heat is very oppressive, accompanied with frequent and heavy falls of rain, with tremendous thunder-storms, and very sharp lightning. There are several small towns situated on the banks of this river ; and near the head of i^ is quite a populous one, called Hipperhapper. The country beyond this, towards the Andes, is piroUfic in vegetablp productions, ,gold-dust, maiiiUa, copal, ;md many valuable drugs. February 3d. — Having transacted the busuiess which took me into Caraccas Bay, and procured some necessary refreshments for our cmise, we got under way on Saturday, the 29th of January, shapmg our course for Cocos ,lsland, at which we arrivpd on Thursdav, the 3d of February. ,s * Malte BriinVs Sjstoni of GoograpUy, vol. ii. p. 292. FebiJ COCOS ISLAND. 191 iP HAPTER V. Cocos Island— Galapagos Islands— Eruption of a Volcano on Narborough Island —Critical Sitiiation of the Tartar— A fruitless Seaich for Gallego and other ima ginary Islands— Arrive on the Coa#t of California— IslaM of Guadaloupe — Cerros Island— Bay of St. Francis— Near to our. native Land, and yet far frbm it— The Gulf of Califoitiia and River Color,ido— A new Route from the United States tp tha Pacific Ocean— Old California— Cenezos Island— Port San Diego in New California^— Character of the Inhabitants, &c. Cocos Island is situated in the North Pacific, Ocean, about one hundred and seventeen leagues west-south-west of the'Gulf of Panama, at the Isthmus of Darien, and" one hundred and forty leagues north-east of th6< Galapagos Islands. It Ues in latitude 5° 25' N., long. 87° 0' W. Tliis island is of an oblong shape, being twelve mUes in length, from north-east to south-west, and about four in hreadth. Its western side is vei-y much elevated, presentmg the appearance of a round hUl, whicli can be' seen at the distance of more than thirty mUes. Vancouver says it has been seen from the south at the distance of forty-six miles. On the eastern side the surface is broken, and slopes rather abruptly to wards the sea ; presenting, in some places, bold and perpendicular cliffs. 1 • This island, and, the islets whieh siu-round it, are well covered with trees, mostly co6oanuts, yielding their fruit in luxuriant abundance. The cUmate i^ temperate and salidgious, and from the great variety of vegetables that grow in abunda^re close to the verge of high-water inark, in the bays, it is evident that neither violent , storms nor ImavV seas are frequent. There are two bays, or places fit for anchc^ge ; the one near to the north-east end of the island, called Chatham B^y ; the other, to which we gave the narne of Byers's Bay, is three miles farther to the westward. ¦» -^ . *i / Chatham Bay is well sheltered by a small islet that lies off its northr , ' west point. The widxli of this bay, from pomt to point of the two" islets that form each of its extremities, iS about one mUe, bearing nearly **' south-east and north-west. From this line to the head, or bottom of the bay the distance is about the same. The sounJKngs in this' bay are from fifty to twelve fathoms; and vessels may ride very snugly within less than half ^nile of the beach, in twenty- fathoms of water. In a less depth, Iiowctot? the bottom wUl be found rocky, ' The westem bay is somewhat more exposed, its- soundings are not so regular, nor the ground so good ibr anchorage, th^H the depth of water varies from fi% to seven fathoms. The shp.re'df'this bay is not steep, like that of Chatham, but consists of a tekutiful vaUey and sandy beach, where cocoanut-trees grow in great profusion, and whe,i:e there is a rivulet of,pui;e water eighteen or twenty feet in breadth, which is supplied from, a natural basin abofit one mUe from the shore. 192 VOLCANIC* ERUPTION. [1835. This bay is smaU, but very convenierif for vessels lo recriiit in ; and as safe as any that is not entirely sheltered, '. Vessels, in want of refreshments can here supply themselves w-ith pork in abundance, for the trouble of shooting the wUd hogfe, which have multipUed greatly since the breed '(^fcfirst left here, by Captam Colnett. The ,vi'ai;ers in the bays and rSmd the ;ghores are teeraing with fish of various kinds. Eels are also abundant and large ; turtles are nhmerous, hvi} appear shy of coraing to land, which is frequented by astonishing numbers of white anS brown rats, and Iswd-crabs of a prodigious size. , Sharks are said to assemble rgund this island in liB-ge shoals, to feast upOTi,the more dimmutive finny tribes that abound here. • The best course for those who wish to anchor in the wes'l,em bay is to go round the south-western point of the island, hugging that pomt close on board ; and when in the bay, to moor head >and stern. The tide rises on the shores of this island tvvjce in twentjj-four hours, -nith- out any apparent current ; the riight tides are estimated at ten feet, those of the day not quite so much. It is higfewater two hoars and ten minutes after tbe mom passes the meridian. February 6th.- — Having examined this island to our satisfaction, and taken on board a plentiful .supply of cocoanuts; we saUed for the GaUa pagos Island^ on Sunday, the sixth of February, with the wind from • east-south-east, attehded with light rain. On the foUowing day we - took the -wind from north-north-east, with much raih ; this was suc ceeded by variable winds untd we arrived in latitude 2^ 0' N,, long. 89° C W.-, when we took the wind from soudi-east, -with fair weather. February 10th.- — On Thursday, the tenth, at six, M. M., we arrived at the GallapagcB Islands, in Baud's Bay, and anchored m Albemarle Basin, in four fathoms of water, ^ndy bottom. At eight, A. M., the bo^b.were sent in search of fiir-seal-s ; but stJon discovered that we had' reaped the harvest iji die previous voyage ; for there were very few fur-seals to be seen around the islands. In a few days w'e com menced gathering terrapins, or elephant tortoises, .„ FebfuUry 14th. — OttMonday, the fom-teenth, at two o'cloflj, A. M,, - while the s,|tble mantle of night was yet spread over the mighty Pacific, shrouding the neighbouring islands from our view, and while the stUl- iiess of death reigned everywhere arodnd us, our ears were suddenly assq^led by asound that could only be cquaUed bv ten thousand dimi- » ders bursting upon the air at once ; wlule, at the same * instant, the whole hemisphere was lighted up with a horrid glare diat might have appaUed the stoutest heart ! I soon asc.ertajn^that one of die volca noes of Narborough IslSnd, which had qni^^slept for the last ten years, had suddfenly broken forth with accumulated vengeance. The sublimity, the majesty, tlie terrific grmideur of this scene baffle description, aijfl set the powers of language at%efiance. Had.the fires of MUton's hell burst its vault of adamant, and threatened the heavens , with conflagration, his description of tbe incident would have 'been ap propriate to the present subject. No words that 1 can command, will givr the reader even a faint idea of the awful splendour of the great reality. , , If Feb.] VOLCANIC ERUPTION, 193 Had it been " the crack of doom" that aroused them, my men coidd not have been sooner on deck, where they stood gazing like " sheeted spectres," speechless and bewildered -vs-ith astonishment and dismay. The heavens appeared to be in one blaze of fire, interraingled with millions of falling stars and meteors ; whde the flames shot upward from the peak of Narborough to die height of at least two thousand feet in the air. AU hands soon became sensible of the cause of the startling phenomenon, and on recovering from their first panic could contemplate its progress with some degree of composure. But the most splendid and interesting scene of this spectacle was yet lo be exhibited. At about half-past four o'clock. A, M,, the boil ing contents of the tremendous caldron had swoUen to the brim, and poured over the edge of the crater in a cataract of liquid fire, A river of melted lava was now seen rushing down die side of the raountain, pursuing a serpentine course to the sea, a distance of about three miles from the blazing orifice of the volcano. This dazzling stream de scended in a gully, one-fourth of a mUe in width, presenting the appearance of a tremendous torrent of melted iron running frora the furnace. Although the mountain was steep, and the gully capacious, the flaming rivei- could not descend with sufficient rapidity to prevent its overflowhig its banks in certain places, and forming new rivers, which- branched out in almost every direction, each rushing downward as if eager to cool its temperament in the deep caverns of the neighbouring ocean. Tlie demon of fire seemed rushing to the embraces of Nep tune ; and dreadful indeed was the uproar occasioned by their raeet ing. The ocean boiled, and roared, and bellowed, as if a civil war had broken out in the Tartarean gulf. At three, A. M., I ascertained the temperature of the water, by Fahrenheit's thermometer, to be 6 1 °, whUe that of the air was 71°. At eleven, A. M., the air was 113°, and the water 100°, the eruption stUl continuing with unabated fury. The Tartar's anchorage was gkiut *^° "'fe*' *^ northward of the mountain, and the heat was so great that tl^ielted pitch was running from the vessel's seams, and the tar dropping from the rigging. In order to give the reader a correct idea of our situation, it wiU be necessary to remind hira of the relative position of these two islands. Albemarle Islapd is the raost extensive of the whole GaUapagos gi-oup, being about ninety mdes in length from north to south, narrow and nearly straight on its eastern shore ; but on the western side it hollows in from Christopher's Point on the south, to Capl Berkley on the north ; and within this space lies the island of Narborough, its eastern point approaching nearest to Albemarle. The Tartar lay in a cove of Banks's Bay, on the western shore of Albemarle, directly opposite the north-east point of Narborough ; and this cove could be approached from the north-west through Banks's Bay, or from the south-west through Elizabeth Bay. Our situation was every hour becoming more critical and alarming. Not a breath of air was stirring to fill a sail, had we attempted ta escape ; so that we were compelled to remain idle and unwiUing spec tators of a pyrotechnic exhibition which evinced no indications of even N 194 VOLCANIC ERUPTION. [1825. a temporary suspension, AU that day the fires contmued to rage with unabating activity, while the mountain still continued to belch forth its melted entrails in an unceasing cataract. The mercury continued to rise untd four, P. M., when the tempera- tureoftheairhadincreasedtol23°,andthatofthe waterto 105°. Our respiration now became difficult, and several of the crew complained of extreme faintness. It was evident that something must be done, and that promptly. " 0 for a cap-full of wind !" was the prayer of each. The breath of a light zephyr from the continent, scarcely per ceptible to the cheek, was at length announced as the welcome signal for the word, " All hands, unraoor !" This was a Utde before eight, P. M. The anchor was soon apeak, and every inch of canvass ex tended along the spars, where it hung in useless drapery. All was again suspense and anxious expectation. Again the zephyr breathed, and hope revived. At length itfwas announced from aloft that the lighter canvass began ts*feel the air ; and in a few minutes more the topsails began gradually to fiU, when the anchor was brought to the bow, and the Tartar began to move. At eight o'clock we were wafted along by a fine little easterly breeze, for which we felt gratefiil to Heaven. Our course lay southward, through the little strait or sound that separated the burning mountain frora Albemarle Island ; my object being to get to windward of Narborough as soon as possible.. It is true that the north-west passage from Banks's Bay, by Cape Berkley, would have been a shorter route into the main ocean ; but not the safest, under existing circumstances. I therefore chose to ran south, to EUzabeth Bay, though in doing so we had to pass within about four mUes of those rivers of flaming lava, which were pouring into the wa ters of the bay. Had I adopted the other course, and passed to the leeward of Narborough, we might have got clear of the island, but it would have been impossible to prevent the sads and rigging taking fire ; as the whole atmosphere on the lee side of the bay aPp^uied to be one mass of flarae. The deafening sounds accompai^ng the eruption still continued ; indeed the terrific grandeur of the scene would have been incomplete without it. Heaven continued to favour us with a fine breeze, and the Tartar slid along through the almost boiluig ocean at the rate of about seven miles an hour. On passing the currents of raeltcd lava, I became ap prehensive that I should lose some of my men, as the influence of the heat was so great that several of them Avere incapable of standing. At that time the mercury in the therraometer was at 147° ; but on im mersing it into the water, it instantly rose to 150°. Had die wind deserted us here, the consequences must have been horrible. But the mercy of Providence was still extended towards us — the refreshing breeze still urged us forward towards a more temperate atmosphere ; so that at eleven P. M. we were safely anchored at the south extremity -of the bay, whUe the flaming Narborough lay fifteen miles to the lee ward. Here the temperature of the air was 110°, and that of the w^ater i92° ; but at eight o'clock the next morning, the 16th, there bemg no March.] FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR ISLANDS, 195 abatement in the rage of the vomiting volcano, the heat had increased to such an alarming degree that we found it necessary again to get under way, and abandon the bay entirely. At twelve meridian we passed the south point of Albemarle Bay, called Christopher's Point, at which time I found the mercury at 122° in the air, and at 98° in the water. We now steered for Charles's Island, which lies about forty miles south-east of Albemarle, and came to anchor in its north west harbour at eleven, P, M. Fifty railes and raore to the leeward, in the north-west, the crater of Narborough appeared like a colossal beacon-light, shooting its vengeful flames high into the gloomy atmo sphere, with a rumbUng noise Uke distant thunder. February 17 th. — Having taken on board two hundred and ninety- four terrapins, that would average about- twenty-five pounds each, we got under way*"on Friday, the 17th, at two o'clock, P. M., and com menced a cruise in seareh pf the island of Gallego, said to lie in lat. 1° 42' N,, 104° 5' W. After cutting the ground up in the above- mentioned parallel, and from 100° to 110° west, 1 was convinced that no such island existed -withm many leagues of the situation which had been assigned to it. We therefore bore up, and steered for two clus ters of islands, which were said to lie in lat. 16° and 17° N,, and in long. 133° and 136° W,, with a fine breeze from east-south-east, and fair weather. Before we bore up, however, we tried the current, and found it setting about west-north-west, at the rate of two and a half mUes an hour. The sea was here literally covered with pumice-stone, some pieces of which were quite large, supposed to have been ejected from the volcano of Narborough. March 8th. — We continued standing to the north-west, with steady winds from east to east-south-east, and fair weather (experiencing a strong westerly current, which set from one and a half to three knots per hour), until Tuesday, the 8th of March, when we found ourselves, by astronomical observations, in the location assigned to the first-men tioned island, said to lie in lat. 16° N., long. 133° W. ; but discovered no appearance of land. We then shaped our course for that whicli was said to be situated hi lat, 17° N., long. 1 36° W,, but saw no indica tions of land whatever. We then took different angles between the two locations, stretching from one parallel to the other, untU we were in long, 138° W., with no better success, March 14th. — On Monday, the 14th of March, we hauled in to the north, for the coast of Califomia, well satisfied that any farther search for the islands in question would be as idle a waste of time as that which we had spent in the previous voyage in looking for the Auroras. I could not refrain, however, from recording my astonishment and re gret that ship-masters should ignorandy or wantonly make and publish reports of discoveries which have no existence in reality. We continued standing to the north, with a fine breeze from east to east-south-east, and fair weather, until Saturday, the 19th ; when, in lat. 24° 1' N,, long. 130° 27' W., the wind suddenly shifted, in a squall, from east to north-west. We then stood to the north-east, and on Sunday, the 27th, we arrived at the island of Guadaloupe, in lat. 28° 56' N., long. 117° 41' W. N2 196 COAST OF CALIFORNIA, [1825 "" March 27th. — This island, which is situated about one hundred and eighty miles from the shore, on the western coast of North America, in the same latitude as New-Orleans, is about twenty miles in circum ference, and uninhabited. From unerring indications, there is no doubt that it has once been volcanic ; it is very barren on its south end, but in the northern part there are several fertUe valleys, and the mountams contain vegetation. Wood and water may be had here from a smaU cove on the north-east side of the island, and goat's flesh may be ob tained for the trouble of shooting the animal. The island is high, with bluff shores on the north and west sides, and may be seen from the mast-head, in clear weather, at the distance of fifteen leagues. The shores are free from dangers one-fourth of a mUe from the island. The only anchorage is on the south-east side, in a small cove, formed by a few rocky islets that lie off in that direc tion. Here vessels may anchor in seven fathoms of water, sheltered from all winds, excepting from the south-east to east-north-east, which seldom blow here, W« lay here three days, during which time we took a number of fur-seals. April 2d. — On Friday, the 1st of April, we got under way, and steered for CeiTOs Island, with the wind from north-north-west ; and on the following day, at six o'clock. A, M,, we were close in with its eastern side. At seven the boats were sent round the island, and re turned without finding either seals or sea-elephants. This island, as it is called, is a mere pile of rocks, of volcanic origin — ^high and barren. It is about eight niUes in circumference, and only four miles frora the western shore of the peninsula of Old Cali fornia, a litde north of Herraoso Point, The passage between this point and the island is clear of dangers, giving the former a berth of half a mile, to avoid sorae sunken rocks that lie about that distance off-shore, in a north-north-west direction. The anchorage on the east side of the island is in lat, 27° 52' N,, long, 114° 37' W,, and sheltered from the prevaUing -winds, which generally blow direct along shore. Fi'ora the 1st of March to die 1st of November the winds blow from the north-west, attended with beau tiful weather ; and during this season there is seldom any rain. But frora November to March the winds frequently blow with violence frora the south-east and south-south-west, attended with torrents of rain, which renders the navigation of this coast very unpleasant during the winter season. In the suinraer months the wind sometimes hauls round to the south-east ; but it is always very light at that season of the year. There are raany fine fish to be caught around this island, and it was formerly a great resort for sea-elephants and fur-seals ; but it now ap pears to be entirely abandoned by these animals. A few aquatic birds still continue to visit here in the laying and incubation season ; but we saw no land-birds. There is a small rocky island lying oft' the north west side of Cerros, about two mUes' distance ; but diere is no danger between the two islands, April 6th. — On Monday, the 4lh, we took r. slant of wind from the north-east, off the land, and steered for St, Francis's Bay, where we AprU.] COAST OF CALIFORNIA. 197 arrived on Wednesday, the 6th, and anchored in three fathoms of water, with the south point of the bay bearing south-south-east, which cornpletely sheltered us from -all winds. About eight miles from the anchorage, in the direction of north-north-east, is the town and mission of Rosario,, to whieh place there is a good road from the head of this bay. For the first time during our present voyage, we found ourselves moored in a North American port, within four hundred leagues of the south-west boundary of the UnUed States, and yet more than thirteen thousand mUes distant frora it by w-ater ! Near to our native land, and yet far frora it ! A narrow peninsula only divided us frora the Gulf of California, once celebrated for its pearl-fisheries. Although this gulf is a great estuai-y, or arm of the sea, eight hundred miles in length, and one hundred and twenty in breadth at its mouth, running that whole distance parallel with the coast on the Pacific, and some times not more than thirty raUes from it — stUl, in geographical strict ness, the Gulf of California is only the continuation of the river Colo rado, which rises in the same mountains that give source to the Rio del Norte, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico ; to the Arkansas, which pours its waters into the Mississippi ; and to the Columbia, which empties into the Pacific Ocean, from the Oregon territory. The sources of these three rivers are near each other, which fact will, at some future period, prove of immense importance to the United States. The river La Platte also rises in the same region ; which, after run ning a course nearly due east, falls into the Missouri, about six hun dred mUes by water, above the junction of the Missouri and the Mis sissippi, which is eighteen mUes above St. Louis, on the right bank of the Mississippi, the principal dep6t for the imraense regions drained by those numerous rivers, the congregated waters of which are here col lected into one great stream. I think I hazard litde in asserting, that long before another century rolls roiind, the principal avenue of trade between the United States and the different seaports on tho Pacific Ocean will be the river Colorado, as connected with the Gulf of California. The China and India trade wUl, of course, ultimately flow through the same channel ; which -\vUI render this route to the Pacific far raore eligible than that of the river Columbia caa ever become. This prediction might be warranted on the difference of latitude alone ; the Gulf of California entering the Pacific in lat. 23° N., while the mouth of Columbi% River is a litde farther north than the parallel of St, John's, New-Brunswick, on the Adantic coast. The mouth of the Gulf of California is nearly on the paraUel of Havana, in the island of Cuba. In the language of the late scientific WiUiara Darby, "it is irapos- sible to view a map of North America, and carefully ex-araine the course of its great rivers, without appreciating the prodigious commercial and political advantages of the Colorado route. By it the Pacific Ocean is entered twenty-three degrees of lathude- farther south th-an by the river Columbia ; and by the former, also, the ship-channel is much deeper into the body of the continent than by the latter. An approxi mation towards the tropical regions of Polynesia, India, and China 198 OLD CALIFORNIA. [1825.^ decides the preference in favour of the southem route. In this great line of civUized intercourse, St. Louis, in the United States, wUI, we may suppose, assume the rank of an immense entrepdt, whUe another must arise on the side of the Pacific." The name of California has been given to so much of the western. coast of North America as lies between lat. 22° 52' to 42° N., or through nearly twenty degrees of latitude, although no one can tell from what source the word has been derived ; its origin and etymology having never been accurately ascertained. This country received the appellation of Califomia when first visited by Hernando de Grixalvo, who was acting under the direction of Heman Cortes, in 1534, and has retained it ever since. In all the various dialects of the natives, no trace of such a name has ever been discovered ; and though some writers have had recourse to conjecture, and suppose that the term California is compounded of calida and fornax, a hot fumace, and was derived from the sultriness of its climate, yet it does not appear that any of the Spanish captains ever took this method of giving names to their conquests. Father Venegas is rather inclined to think that it owed its origin to some accident ; possibly to some words spoken by the natives, and raisunderstood by the Spaniards, as happened, accord ing to a very learned American, in the naming of Peru. Be this as it may, the natives of the country distuiguish it by no general denomination ; although each tribe has a name and lan guage peculiar to itself. The Californians of the peninsida (which is called Old Califomia) are divided into three distinct nations, whf»se languages are entirely different from each other. The Pericues occupy the south end of the peninsula ; the Menquis inhabit the centre ; and the Cochimies are on the north part, where it joins to the main. Each of these nations is subdivided into several tribes or branches, distinguished by considerable variations in their dialect. In New California, which is north of the peninsula, the distinctions are stiU more numerous ; and it has been asserted by one of the Cathode mis sionaries, who laboured hard and zealously in converting these natives to the Christian religion, that on an extent of one hundred and eighty leagues, from San Diego to the Bay of St. Francisco, no fewer than seventeen languages are spoken ! The condition, character, manners, habits, and customs of the native Californians have been all much improved since a knowledge of Chris tianity was introduced among thera by the Spanish Jesuits, aud espe cially since the whole country has been annexed to the Mexican nation. The arts of civilization have b^en introduced among them with the most salutary effects. Their manners have become softened, raany of their superstitious ceremonies have been abolished, and agriculture has rapidly increased. White settiements are now sprmging up i^ both Californias, and the day is not far distant when this long-neglected and much-depreciated region of America will become the envy of its neighbours. As soon as its resources and advantages become better known, and raore justly estimated, its increase and prosperity may challenge a competitor in the same parallel of latitude on the western continent. But this anticipated state of renovation and prosperity AprU,] OLD CALIFORNIA, I99. must be brought about by foreigners : it will never be effected by the natives. By this time the most ineicperienced reader must be aware that Old California is a long narrow peninsula, extending nearly north-west and south-east dirough abont eleven degrees of latitude, and perhaps eight of longitude, being united to the continent at its north-west extremity by a neck of land one hundred and sixty niUes in width, reaching from the mouth of the Colorado river to a bay called San Diego, A chain of mountains ranges through the whole length of this extensive peninsula, the most elevated peak of which rises to nearly five thousand feet above the level of the sea. The width of this peninsula varies from. thirty to one hundred and twenty railes. It is said to comprise fifty-six. thousand square railes ; viz, eight hundred in length by an average of seventy in breadth. The population, however, is only estimated at a httle over ten thousand. Wherever fresh water is found the soil is. excellent ; and vines grow spontaneously in the mountains. It is said that the Jesuits, when they resided here, made abundance of wine, which in taste was much Uke Madeira. Among the mountains are interspersed several fertile valleys of good soil ; and sorae of the plains, particularly in the vicinity of the coast, are well adapted both for pas turage and tiUage, and are now in a fair way to become greatly im proved by cultivation. The Bay of St. Francis, in which we now lay at anchor, is in the northern division of the peninsula, being in latitude 30° 20' N. The surrounding country abounds with excellent grazing-meadows, which are thickly stocked with wild catde, deer, gray foxes, &c. Here also- are found raany different kinds of birds, but very few that are reraark- able for beauty of plumage or sweetness of song. In this bay vessels may procure cattle, sheep, deer, hogs, potatoes, and vegetables of va rious kinds, at the most moderate prices. But it is difficult to obtain fresh water or wood at this place. The banks in this bay are fre quently visited by sea-leopards, but they are very wild ; the sea-otter likewise is soraetiraes taken by the natives, but they have becorae quite, scarce, and I believe the race is nearly extirpated. There are many kinds of scale-fish at the head of this bay, whichj may be caught with a sraall seine in great abundance ; araong them are very large mullets, which average three pounds apiece. The neighbouring country abounds with rattlesnakes of an enormous size. During an excursion of five miles into the interior 1 have seen more than two hundred of these reptUes, and killed some #iat were six feet in length and twelve inches hi circumference. Vessels intending to enter this port raust steer for the south-west point of the bay, whicli opens to the south. This point is in latitude 30° 20' N., long. 115° 14' W. ; and when you are within two railes of its southern extreraity, steer north-north-east until the point bears west- north-west, when you may haul north-north-west ; or, if the wind is out of the bay, you may make short tacks, t-aking care not to stretch under the east shore in less than five fathoms of water, frora which it shallows, very suddenly. In approaching the west shore, you may stand within, a cable's length of the beach, after the point bears west, and choosa 200 NEW CALIFORNIA. [1825. your anchorage in from seven to three fathoms, muddy bottom. There is a sand and rocky bank ranning off the south-west point, in a south- south-west direction, with four feet of water on it at low ebb. The tide rises here about nine feet on the neap, and eleven feet on the spring tides. April 8th. — We remained in this bay untU Friday, the 8th, when we got under way at four. A, M., and steered for port St, Diego, for the purpose of buUding a whale-boat. At ten, A, M., we landed on Cenizas Island, in search of fur-seals. Here we found about eight himdred sea- elephants on a beach at the east side of the island ; and on the north and west sides there were about four hundred sea-leopards. The ele phants were very tame, but the leopards were extremely wild, and difficult to approach, Cenizas Island is about five mUes in circumference ; lies eighteen miles frora the south-west point of St, Francisco, on a north-north-west course, and is three railes west from the raainland. It is of volcanic origin, and is entirely barren : the rocks have been melted into a com plete lava, and the lowland is covered with pumice-stone. There is a reef lying off the north-east end of the island, about two mUes, and another off the north-west part, at nearly the sarae distance. The coast from this to Point or Morro Hermoso, a distance of fifty leagues south-east, is bold, and clear of dangers two mdes from the shore. The soundings are regular, gradually shaUowing as you ap proach the land. We now continued pljting to the northward, with the wind, between the hours of ten, A. M., and seven, P. M., frora north-north-west to west- north-west ; and between the hours of nine in the evening and six or seven the next morning, the wind blew from north-north-west to north- north east. By taking advantage of the land and sea-breezes a ship will here work to windward very rapidly, April llth. — We arrived at the port of St, Diego on Monday, the 1 1th of April, and anchored in four fathoms of water, with the fort on the west side of the bay bearing south-west, distance one mUe. In this situation we were corapletely landlocked, in as fine a bay for ves sels under three hundred tons as was ever formed by Nature in her most friendly mood to mariners. The port of San Diego is hi latitude 32° 39' N., long. 1 16° 51' W. ; and a line drawn from this port, due east, to the raouth of the Colorado river, would divide the peninsida frora New California, This commo dious and spacious harbour was first discovered by Sebastian Viscaino, in the year 1603, who also discovered another three hundred miles farther north, which he named Monterey, and which subsequently be came the principal sefdement of the Spaniards in this country. The first mission founded in New California was at this port in 1769, Although Viscaino described New California in the most favourable colours, as to fertUity of soU and salubrity of climate, the Spamards StUl continued to neglect it,— clinging round the rude, sterU peninsula for the sake of the pearls, and die raines which had been discovered on the mainland across the gulf. For nearly a century and a half they were dius wasting their strength and treasure in attempting to AprU.] TOWN OF SAN DIEGO. 201 convert and civilize a barren and ungrateful country, while New Cali fornia, a fine populous region, but a few leagues farther north, was suffered to remain unexplored, and almost unvisited. This beautiful territory, which would have most amply repaid all their exertions if properly colonized, was not occupied by the Spaniards untd one hun dred and sixty-seven years after its discovery. The town of San Diego is four miles from the landing at the fort, in a north-east direction. Its form is nearly circular, and it is surrounded by a wall about twenty feet in height, which forms the back sides of the houses, the latter being erected against it, and fronting inwardly. There are about tv.'o hundred and fifty houses erected in this manner, from one to two stories high, built of freestone, and neatly finished. There is also a large church, one nunnery, and a very neat little court house. Tills to^vn contains about 1 500 inhabitants, principally natives of the coast, and they appear to be a very agreeable, friendly kind of people, but not quite so cleanly and industrious as could be wished. Their principal employment is attending herds of catde, and cultivating some small patches of earth, which produce wheat, vegetables, &c. They are much addicted to such amusements as are comraon to all the Spanish settlements on the western coast of America, from California to Chiloe, viz, horse-racing, cock-fighting, and buU-baiting, whicfr are enjoyed with equal zest by both sexes. In equestrian exercises they are but little inferior to the Chilotes ; and will break a wild horse, so that he will becorae perfectly tractable, by only once riding him : they are also very expert in the use of the lasso, with which they catch the wild cattle ; and their hunting excursions in the mountains are replete with interest aad excitement to the lovers of field-sports. The females have generally fine forms, and expressive countenances. Their eyes are dark and sparkling, and they dress their long black hair in a very tasteful and becoming manner, with folds and braids. Their hands and feet are remarkably small, and they generally displaj"- an extremely deUcate ankle. They also delight in equestrian exer cises, and usually honour each side of the horse with a beautiful lUtle foot and ankle. Their evenings are comraonly passed in sraall cote ries, or parties of both sexes, where they arause themselves and each other with singing, playing the guitar, dancing, &c. Their favourite dance is the Spanish fandango. April 22d. — On the day after our arrival in the port of San Diego, we landed the materials, forge, &c., and coraraenced the buUding of a new whale-boat, of which we stood very much in need. This task employed our carpenter and men eleven days, which gave myself and officers an ample opportunity of examining the town, and forming ac quaintances among the inhabitants, vvho treated us with the greatest hospitality and most polite attention. We regularly attended their favourite amusements and evening parties, several of which were pro jected expressly on our account. Horses were always at our service, which afforded us several delightftd rural excursions, one of which wUl furnish an incident for the next chapter. The passage into this beautiful bay is plain, easy, and safe. There is a flat on the east shore of die entrance, which runs off to the west- 202 A HUNTING EXCURSION. [1025^. ward about one raUe, covered at low water to the depth of about three feet. There is also a small sand-bank running off from the south west point, or Point Loma, to the distance of about one hundred fathoms, on which the water is shoal. After passing this point, which is high and bluff, you steer for the flag-staff on the fort, which wUl bear north-by-west ; in which course you wiU have three fathoms of water, sandy bottom, when within one hundred fathoms of the point on which the fort stands. This point may be doubled at that distance, and after passing it you may haul in to the westward, and choose your anchorage in frora five to three fathoms, clay bottom. Pomt Loraa is in lat, 32° 36' N,, loi g, 116° 48' W. The centre of the state of Georgia lies in the same parallel, and the cUmates are very simUar. CHAPTER VI. A hunting Excursion — The Party attacked by a hostile Tribe of Indians — ^A des perate Battle — Victory doubtful — The Savages ^lefeated — ^A safe Return to St. Diego — Sail to the North — Arrive at Monterey — Mission of San Carlos and San Antonio — Mutiny on board thc Asia sixty-four — Farallone Islands — ^Port St. Francisco — Description of the Country and Inhabitants — ^Mission of St. Clara — Cape Blanco in the Oregon Territory — Change our Course to the South — Island of -Socorro — Steer for the -West — Sandwich Islands. On Monday, the ] 8th of April, agreeably to pre-vious arrangements, I joined a hunting party, consisting of seven well mounted horsemen, armed with long muskets, broadswords, aud lassos. I was also armed in the sarae manner, with the exception of the lasso, which would have been of little use in my unpractised hand. The party complimented rae with a- well accoutred horse, as fine high-spirited an animal as ever I had under rae ; and at three o'clock in the moming we were all mounted, with a plentiful supply of provisions and ammu nition for the projected cruise, light hearts, and a keen relish for the anticipated sport. On leaving the town of San Diego, we took a course nearly due east ; and long before sunrise had penetrated many nules into the country. At half-past five o'clock, we first saw the golden luminai-y peering through a volurae of blue mist that was slowly ascending from the distant range of mountains. This was soon dissipated by the increasing warrath of the sun, untU at length that purity of atmosphere and serenity of sky mentioned by Humboldt as peculiar to Cali fornia, were witnessed and enjoyed by our party. At seven we halted near a stream of clear running water, and made a hearty breakfast of such materials as we had brought with us for the purpose ; and at nine we estimated our distance from the coast to be about forty miles. The face of the country now began to assume a more rugged ap pearance, and from several eminences which we ascended we cau^t glimpses of the broad Pacific in the distant western horizon. Hitherto April.] ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 203: we had seen no game worthy the expense of ammunition, and our mteiided hunting ground was yet many miles distant. One of my companions had succeeded in taking a wild cat with his lasso, and after securing the skin left the carcass for the bears to dine on, with which he said the neighbourmg woods abounded. By the hour [of noon, we had shot aud taken a variety of game, among which were hares, rabbits, and partridges ; and as our horses now required rest and refreshment as well as their riders, we gave them an hour to graze in a beautiful litde valley which the opening- spring had just covered with a velvet carpet of green. On the side of a raountain at a short distance we saw several flocks of deer brows ing, and among them some stags of an immense size. But they took to flight before we could approach within musket-shot, and disappeared in the forest. Just as we had finished our midday repast, and were collecting our horses together, a rustUng in a neighbouring thicket arrested my at tention, and in the next instant a stag darted forth, and rushed across the valley directly towards our party. Fright must have deprived him of his~ usual quick-sightedness, for it was evident he did not per ceive the new danger into which he was plunging headlong. One of my Califomian friends direw his lasso just as I touched the trig ger of my musket. The animal leaped high in the air, and fell dead on the spot. The ball had entered his forehead, and his huge branch ing anders were completely entangled in the lasso, at the same moment. The hero of the lasso sprang from his horse, and while disentan gling his successful instrument, he good-huraouredly observed that we must decide our right to the noble animal by a game at biUiards. Just as I was signifying ray assent to the proposition, a whizzing sound passed my ear, and the Californian exclaimed that he was wounded. An Indian arrow from the thicket had pierced his arm. " An Apacherian ! an Apacherian !" exclaimed every voice at once,, as each man sprang upon his steed, and the whole party rushed into the thicket in search of the ambushed enemy. Nothing, however, was to be seen, until we had gained the sumrait of a little eminence on the south, when we discovered three Indians on horseback, riding in a south-eastern direction in a very deliberate raanner. My wounded friend clapped spurs to his horse, and fired at the same time without success. We all joined in the pursuit, determined to chastise the as sailants at all hazards. On seeing our purpose, they gave a horrid yeU, and put their horses at full speed. This of course excited greater ardour in the pursuit, aud for the first time that day did my fiery- charger feel the spur. The hint was sufficient — he ouiflew the wind, and I should have soon overtaken the fugitives, but was aware of the imprudence of doing so. I therefore so far checked my steed as to keep only about fifty yards in front of our party. The'south extremity of a bluff .ridge, terminating in a rocky preci pice, was soon to conceal the retreating savages from our view ; and before passing it they had the audacity to wheel, and discharge their arrows in our faces. The next moment they were invisible. One of their arrows only took effect, piercing my bridle-arm just above 204 A DESPERATE BATTLE, [1825, the elbow. It was a mere scratch, but it had considerable effect in whetting my appetite for revenge. We doubled the precipice just men tioned, and instead of three, more than fifty mounted savages were par aded before us, each whh his arrow notched and presented. This was unexpected, and for a moment ray party gazed at each other in speech less tlisraay. My wovinded companion, who had reloaded his musket during die pursuit, was the first to break silence, by exclaimmg, " Un trampa ! ua eraboscado ! senor capitan !" I asked him if he could point out the chief of this wandermg horde of half-naked freebooters. He directed my attention to one of supe rior stature andrauscle, with soraething intended for an ornament hang ing on his breast. As this individual appeared to be the leader of the part}', I kept ray eye on him. He took care, however, not to keep us long in suspense, but addressed rae in a commanding tone, accom panied by gestures that I could not misunderstand. " I can understand his jargon," said the wounded CaUfornian, who kept close to my side. "He addresses you as our chief, and demands a surrender of our weapons." " We will perish first !" I repUed. " But let us be politic. Demand honourable terms of capitulation, and gain us a moment's time for reflection." My companion did as I desired, in the savage's own dialect ; and the answer was unconditional submission, or instant death. If we complied our lives should be spared. Should we resist, no quarter would be given. Having heard ranch of the treachery of this tribe, I resolved to place no confidence m the promises of then- chief; but told my companions that we might better perish like men, with arras in our hands, than fall like cowards, by our own weapons, as we should be certain to do if we gave them up ; that om- first movement must be a desperate one ; and that each man must bear in mmd that he was contending for life and liberty. I then desired our interpreter to amuse the Indians by pretending to comply with their demand, while the party dismounted, to put the savages off dieir guard, and induce them to dismount also ; at the same tirae du-ecting each of my corapanions to single out his man, and to fire the raomeut he heard my musket ; then to spring again into their saddles, and attack the enemy sword in hand, until they were wilUng to let us retreat without molestation. My plan was unanimously approved, and instantly adopted. As soon as my party left their saddles, the Indians dismounted to a man, and stood w-aiting the orders of dieir chief, the parties being within pistol-shot of each other. I was the last to make a motion of dis mounting, wliich I did in such an awkward and clumsy manner as drew a laugh of derision from the savages, and brought my eye to range along the barrel of my musket, which lay along the horse's neck, pointing to the ornament on the bosom of die colossal chief in front of me. The report of seven muskets besides my own brought every man April.] THE INDIANS DEFEATED. 205 again to the saddle, and we charged the astonished foe with such resistiess fury as bore down all before us. Seven Indians, besides the chief, fell by our muskets ; and the new leader who now assumed the command seemed determined to single rae out as the mark of his vengeance. He retreated a litde space, then wheeling his horse, rode towards me at fuU speed, bran(lishing in his right hand a long pointed javelin of hard wood, which he aimed at my breast, as our horses rushed past each other, I fortunately parried the blow, and wheeling on his rear complimented him with a cut across the right shoulder that nearly penetrated to the pap. He fell to the ground, and was able to rise no more. At this moraent I received an arrow- in my right thigh, ^vhile three others were planted in the left side of ray gallant steed, one of which had reached his heart, and he feU to the ground, with one of my legs crushed beneath him, in such a manner that it was some time before I could extricate myself, which I at length effected, rising under a shower of arrows. I now attempted to take the horse of the leader whom I had just put hors du combat, and who was stUl holding the bridle in his left hand. Just as I was mounting this animal, five of the raost ferocious of the enemy started for me at full speed, and would doubt less have sent me after their two leaders, had not three of my friends perceived my danger, and darted to my rescue: They reached rae just in time to cut down three of the assaUants, while I had as rauch business as I could attend to iu arausing the other two, one of whom fell under his horse, and the other was glad to make his escape to the forest. Several of my brave comrades had by this time received a number of severe wounds from the flint-headed arrows of the enemy, and the horse of my friend and interpreter was killed under him by a wooden lance or spear like that which had threatened my own Yik. He fortu nately, succeeded, however, in catching a fallen Indian's horse, which he instantly mounted, and returned to the charge. By this time the enemy had drawn off within short arrow distance, and commenced firing a shower of those sharp-pointed missiles among us. From the first voUey one of our party received, a wound in the thigh; another arrow severely tickled my left leg, while a third penetrated the collar of my coat. We soon became convinced that our only safety depended upon close quarters ; w-e therefore made another desperate charge on the bloodthirsty wretches, who maintained their ground inch by inch, with a valour worthy of a better cause. Their countenances became more and more ferocious as they felt the sharp edges of our sabres ; and as their cause began to assume an aspect of hopelessness, their horrid yells of rage and disappointment were truly diabolicaL In a few minutes we cut down four of them, when the survivors thought it the best policy to make a precipitate retreat, at the same time turning back in their saddles, to deliver their arrows as they departed, in order to deter pursuit. They raight have dispensed with this ceremony, however, for we felt no disposition to follow them, being as glad to get rid of them as they could be to escape from us. A number of thera must have carried away some " mortal gashes" on 206 RETURN FROM HUNTING. [1825. their heads and shoulders, which, having no covering, presented no im- pediraent to the full operation of our sharp arguments. After we had rested a litde from the fatigue of half an hour's hard fighting, we proceeded to inspect the field of batde, on which we found seventeen of the enemy, lying in the sleep of death. The counte nance of the chief who fell by ray rausket stiU wore the smUe of derision caused by the affected awkwardness with which 1 was dis mounting in order to bring my musket to bear at his heart. On our part, we had not lost a raan, though only one escaped without a wound. Four of us were wounded in several places, and I felt considerable uneasiness on that account, untU my companions assured me that the Indians of Sonora y Sinaloa were ignorant of the art of poisoning arrows ; and I afterward discovered that Humboldt and La Perouse both attest to the same fact. The fruits of our victory were eleven fine horses, a dozen bows, several wooden spears, the points of which were very sharp, and had evidently been hardened in the fire, and arrows without number. Our loss was seven men wounded ; three horses killed, and two wounded : missing none. I then proposed that we should unite in returning our acknowledgments to the great Disposer of events, who had given us the victory against such a great disparity of force, and saved us from sudden death, or a horrible captivity. This duty being performed, we col lected our spoils and our game, with which we loaded some of our led horses, and soon set out on our retm-n to St. Diego, at which place we arrived in safety, about eight o'clock the next morning ; much fatigued from fighting, travelling, and the want of sleep for twenty- • nine hom-s. Our adventure with the Indians soon became rumoured about, and the whole town was immediately in a state of alarm. The good padre of the mission, with most of his flock, thronged about us, offering their congratulations on our safety, and the old priest actually shed tears as he audibly retumed thanks to Heaven for our deliverance from such irarainent danger. My companions related the story m their own way, and interlarded it with so many imnierited compliments to the courage, and coolness, and calmness of " Senor Capitan MorreU," as they termed me, that I felt quite ashamed of it — as every man did his duty nobly, and not one of thera was the least deficient in those quaU ties which they so liberaUy attributed to me. Heaven favoured our cause, or skUl and courage would have been totally unavaUable. Yet stUl I feel it a duty to seize every occasion to recommend coolness and calmness to every one who raay be placed in scenes of danger, especially where the conduct of others will depend gready upon his own. It was with feelings of sincere affection and regret that I took leave of the friends and acquaintances I had acqmred during our short stay at St. Diego. The good old padre of the mission gave me his blessing, and made me promise never to pass the port without stop ping for repose and refreshment. April 23d. — On Saturday, at four P. M., we got under way, and left the harbour of St. Diego, with the wind from west-north-west, and May.} BAY AND PORT OF MONTEREY. 207 fair weather, our port of destination being Monterey, about one hundred leagues farther up the coast. While crossing the great Bay of St. Barbara, we examined many islands for fur-seals, but without much success. We saw a few sea-elephants, and a considerable number of sea-leopards, which were very wild. Among the islands examined by us in the bay just naraed are St. Clement, St. Catalina, St. Barbara, St. Rosa, and St, Miguel. The last-named island is in lat. 33° 58' N,, long, 119° 43' W, The coast between Cape Conception and Cenizas Island is clear of dangers half a mUe from the shore ; and there is a good and safe passage inside of the islands which lie off the Bay of St. Barbara, and good anchorage round most of them. From the majority of these islands a shoal runs off to sorae distance ; but every danger is marked by the kelp or rock- weed, which often grows to twenty fathoms m length. To the north of Conception Point are several sunken rocks, lying about a mUe and a half to the west of Point Arguello. There are also rocks and breakers lying one raile off-shore frora Point Buchon ; but the shores from this point, all the way to Point Pinos, which is the south point of Monterey Bay, are bold and clear from dangers one- fourth of a mile from the land; In entering the Bay of Monterey fi-om the south, it is necessary to give the western part of Point Pinos a good berth of about a mile and a half; as there are several sunken rocks lying more than a mile from the shore, with shallow water on them. After bringing the northem extremity of Point Pinos to bear south-south-east, you may haul mto I; the bay to the south-east, and from that to south-west, and anchor in ' six fathoms, with the fort on the west side of the bay bearing west- half-south, distant about one mile. May 5th. — Having exarained the coast and islands from St. Diego, to the north, as far as Point Pinos, in lat. 36° 39' N,, long. 121° 30' W., we arrived at the port of Monterey on Thursday, the 5th of May, at nine A, M,, and anchored in six fathoms of water, clay bottom ; the flag-staff on the fort at the west side of the bay bearing west-half- south, distant one mile, -" "The Bay of Monterey is formed by Point Pinos on the south, and Point New-year on the north. It is a spacious, sandy, open roadstead, about twenty mUes across, -with anchorage near the shore in almost every part of it. Although it is exposed to a heavy swell which rolls in from the westward, no accidents have ever occm-red to vessels properly provided with .cables and anchors. The lanfling is rough at times, but not dangerously so ; and the best anchorage is in its south angle, south-east of Point Pinos, close in with the shore, so as to enjoy the protection of that point, "The village and presidio of Monterey are situated upon a plain, which is terminated by a range of wood-crowaed heights. This place was plundered and bumt, in the year 1819, by a piratical vessel under the Buenos Ayrean flag, the crew having first taken possession of the fort, and destroyed the greater part of its guns. The town is about one mile from the landing; being, as is usual with the Californian 208 SAN CARLOS AND SAN ANTONIO. [1825. missions, surrounded by a waU of ten feet in height, buUt of free-stone, and enclosing about two hundred houses. There are also one church and a nunnery. The residence of the governor, his exceUency Don Miguel Gonzales, is a very handsome edifice. The inhabitants of Monterey are very. simUar to those of St, Diego, in appearance, character, manners, customs, and habits. The cUmate is mild, salubrious, and healthy ; being on the sarae parallel as Nor folk, Virginia, and never colder than 58°, and seldom warmer than 85°. This part of the country is well wooded, and the soil is rich and fer tile. Some of the plantations would eclipse our finest gardens — pro ducing all kinds of grain, vegetables, garden herbs, and a variety of fruits common to the United States. This is a fine place for whaling- ships to touch at for refreshments, which may be had in great abun dance, including cattle, sheep, deer, hogs, poultry, vegetables, fruits, &c. ; all of which may be purchased here at very reasonable prices. This coast has been famous for its abundant suppUes of hides and tallow ; but the success of this trade drew such numbers into it for the last ten or fifteen years, that the catde and horses are becoming scarce, and their prices too high to render it a business worth foUow ing any longer by vessels frora the United States. Previous to the revolution in Mexico, and before a repubUcan flag had ever floated over the presidios* and forts of CaUfomia, the government of Old Spain reserved to itself the exclusive commerce of its hides and pel tries, from which they coUected an imraense revenue. The mission of San Carlos de Monterey lies about a league to the ^ southward of the presidio ; it is a small establishment, containing two hundred and sixty Indians. It stands in a pleasant valley, near th# river St. Carraelo, a small stream that runs into a rocky bay, south of Point Pinos. The road from the port to this place is tmly delightful, leading through rural scenery of the raost pleasing and picturesque appearance. Here are fine pasture lands, interspersed with pine, oak, and birch trees, with very litde underwood. About ten mUes to the east-south-east of Jlouterey is the mission of St. Antonio de Padua. This place is built in a cfrculai- form, having the appearance of mUitary barracks, with a church iu the centre. There are now about fifteen hundred Indians in this mission, governed by two friars and four monks, who keep the Indians at work iif culti vating the ground and rearing catde. All that their labour -produces over and above the support of the estabUshraent, is sold at Monterey by the friars, and the proceeds laid out in clothing, agi-icultural imple ments, and other necessaries, for the good of the mission, and the im provement of the Indians. The latter are very industrious in their i labours, and obedient to their teachers and directors, to whom they look up as to a father and protector, and who in return discharge their duty towards tH^ poor Indians with a great deal of feeling and humanity. They are generally well clodied and fed, have houses of their own, and are made as comfortable as they wish to be. The • VViih llie Spaniards tlie word presiiio is a general namo for all forts (bottt in AfVica and Amonca) which are placort in tho middle of a country of infldels, and implyine that lUero are no other InhabltantB, besides tli4 garrison, whitrh reside wlUiln tho citadel jfay.J FARALLONE ISLANDS. 509 greatest care is taken of all who are affected with any disease, and every attention is paid to their wants. We found lying in the port of Monterey the Spanish ship Asia, of sixty-four guns, which had saUed from the coast of Peru in the month of December, 1824, bound to Old Spain, by the way of ManiUa, The Asia was employed to convey home as passengers the ex-viceroy of .Peru and suite, many Spanish merchants, and a few troops, returning according to the terras of capitulation after the batde of Ayacucho, which secured the independence of Peru. After passing the Sandwich Islands, in her course to ManiUa, a part of the officers and crew rose on the others and -took the ship, with a determination to turn back and give her up to the Mexicans, Having thus obtained charge of the vessel, the mutineers navigated her to the island of Guam, chief of the Ladrones, where they landed the viceroy and suite, aU the merchants, and a good part of their property. They then steered to the north untd they took the fresh westerly wind, when they ran to the eastward for the port of Monterey, where they arrived on Sunday, the 1 st day of May, four days before the Tartar, I afterward learned that they left Monterey after taking on board the necessary provisions, and saUed for Acapulco, a port of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean, at which place they gave themselves up to the Mexican government. May 7th. — My object in touching at Monterey was to obtain in formation of the coast to the north ; but I soon discovered that the inhabitants here knew nothing of the subject, either north or south : I .^therefore left them as wise as I came. On Saturday, the 7th of May, we got under way, and continued examining the coast to the north and west, with the wind from west-north-west to north-by-east, and fair weather. May llth. — On Wednesday, the llth, we arrived at the Farallone Islands, m lat. 37° 41' N., long. 122° 35' W. These are nothing but a cluster of rocky islands, destitute of vegetation. The northernmost, which is the largest, is about two railes in cfrcumference, of an oblong shape, lying east-north-east and west-south-west. On each end is a hiU, rising about three hundred feet, and declining to a valley in the centre of the island, forming the appearance, when viewed from the north or south, of a saddle. Many years ago this place was the resort of numerous fur-seal, but the Russians have made such havoc among them that there is scarcely a breed left. On this barren rock we found a Russian family, and twenty-three Codiacks, or north-west Indians, with their bark canrffes. They were employed in taking sea-leopards, sea-horses, and sea-elephants, for their skins, oU, and flesh ; the latter being jerked' for the Russian market, on the north-west coast. At the time of our visit they had about fifty tons of this beef cured, and were then expecting the arrival of a Russian vessel to take off the beef, aniWeave them a supply of fresh water, there being none on the island. ^ This island is of volcanic origin ; most of the rocks have evidently been once in a st-ate of fusion, and the lowland is covered with pumice- stone. Aquatic bfrds, in considerable variety, resort hither for the 0 310 PORT ST. FRANCISCO. [1825. purposes of laying and incubation; but the Russians, seldom give them a chance for the latter process, generally securing the eggs as fast as they are deposited. > May 12th. — ^After carefully examining this island, without finding a single fur-seal, we bore away for Port St. Francisco, where we ar rived on the 12th of May ; and at six, P. M., carae to anchor on the south-west side of the bay, in four fathoms of water, with the mission of St. Clara bearing south-west, and the nearest land to the westward distant one-fourth of a mile from the vessel. This magnificent harbour, the entrance to which lies in lat. 37° 48* N., long. 122° 16' W., possesses almost all the requisites for a great naval establishment, and is better calculated for such a dep6t than any other port between the island of ChUoe, on the south coast of ChUi, and the Columbia River, on the coast of our Oregon territory. It is easy of access, the entrance being about two mUes wide, between two iiluff points ; and there is sufiicient water for a line-of-battle ship, within a cable's length of the shore, untU she is six mUes within the bay, where a flat puts off from the south shore, about one hundred fathoms. After steering in east for eight mUes, you wdl come to a low pomt of land, on the south side of the bay, to which a good berth must be given, say half a mile. Having passed this point, the south arm of the bay opens to view, extending south a few degrees easterly, for more than twenty mUes. At the head of this is a river which extends far into the country. This southern arm is about five mdes wide for a considerable distance to the south, with a moderate depth of watei^ varying from twenty to five fathoms ; thus affording a water communi cation between the missions of San Jose, Santa Clara, and the presidio. The best anchorage is on the west side of the bay, in from ten to four fathoms, near the shore, and nearly abreast of the mission, which is in full view, about two mUes from the shore of the bay, and five miles within the entrance of the port. I There is also another arm of the bay, which extends to the north and north-east about twenty -five raUes, where it becomes contracted to a strait, communicating with a basin raore than ten mUes in width. This basin has a water communication on the north-west side with the new mission of San Francisco Solano. This northern arm of the bay is sprinkled with a number of sraall green islands, between which there are good passages for ships of any size, for about fifteen raUes to the north, and good anchorage all over the bay, in from twenty to five fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom. i Three rivers empty their waters into this arm of St. Francisco Bay ; one of which, caUed El Sacramento, has its rise among the Rocky Mountains near the sources of the Columbia, Colorada, Rio del Norte, Arkansas, and La Platt^ Thus the water on which the Tartar now reposed was partly supped from the mountain springs of our native country. Any thought like this, however trifling m itself, is interest ing to those who are far from home. Any thing that remuids one of his native land is dear to die heart of the wanderer. The bay of St. Francisco, connected with the surroimding scenery. jiiay,] PORT ST. FRANCISCO 211 is the most delightful place 1 have ever seen on the western coast of America. It presents a broad sheet of water, of sufficient extent to float aU the British navy without crowduig ; the circling grassy shores, mdented with convenient coves, and the whole . surrounded by a ver dant blooming country, pleasmgly diversified with cultured fields and waving forests ; meadows clothed -^vith the richest verdure in the gift of bounteous May ; pastures covered with grazmg herds ; hid and dale, mountain and vaUey, noble rivers, and gurgling brooks. Man, enlight ened, civilized man, alone is w^anting to complete the picture, and give- a sold, a divuuty to the whole. Were these beautiful regions, wlucb have been so rauch UbeUed, and are so little known, the property of the United States, our government would never permit them to remain thus neglected. The eastern and middle states would pour out thefr thousands of emigrants, untU magnificent cities would rise on the shores of every udet along the coast of New California, whUe the wUderness of the interior would be raade to blossom like the rose. The soU of the surrounding country is very rich, deep, and fertile, and much of it is thickly clothed with as fine ship-timber as grows in the United States, and generaUy of the same kinds. Pine, spruce, and red cedar are found in abundance, and of a size sufficient for masts of the largest ships. At some distance in the interior are extensive plains, luxuriantly covered with clover and various kinds of grasses, on which thousands of wUd catde and horses graze unraolested. Many animals that produce fur are found on the banks of the rivers, and a great variety of fish resort to the bay in the spawning season. I During the summer season the wind generaUy blows, in the day time, frora north-north-west to west in the bay ; but never very strong. During the winter months it blows in the daytime from south-west to south-south-east ; but at night, within the bay, it is calra nineteen- twentieths of the year. ' The town of St. Francisco stands on a table-land, elevated about three hundred and fifty feet above the sea, on a peninsula five mUes ia width, on the south side of the entrance to the bay, about two raUes to the eastward of the outer entrance, and one-fourth of a raUe frora the shore. It is buUt in the same manner as Monterey, but much smaller, comprising only about one hundred and twenty houses and a church, with perhaps five hundred inhabitants. The fort stands on a promon tory, on the south side of the entrance, and mounts ten guns, which would be sufficient to command the passage, were the works kept in 'any kind of order. ' ,_ The inhabitants of this place are prmcipally Mexicans and Span iards, who are very indolent, and consequendy very filthy. They cul- .tivate barely sufiicient land to support nature ; consequently nothing can be obtained here by way of refreshments for ships ; but at the mission of St, Clara, of which I shall speak presently, ten ships at a _tune may be abundantly supplied with every thmg they require, at a |Very low price. The table-land before mentioned would produce abundantly -with proper cultivation ; but its surface is scarcely ever disturbed by plough or spade, and the garrison depends entirely upon the mission for all its supplies. Sufficient wheat and vegetables for 02 312 CAPE PLANCO. . [1825. the troops might easUy be derived from this soU if the proper means were duly applied, as their whole raiUtary force does not exceed one hundred, including officers. The mission of St, Clara is situated on a delightful plain, surrounded by beautiful groves of oak, and other hard wood of a durable nature, one of which is much like lignumvitae. This mission, which was founded in 1777, contains about twelve hundred native Indians, and is governed in the same humane manner as that of St, Antonio, before mentioned. No person of an unprejudiced mind could witness the labours of these Catholic missionaries, and contemplate the happy re sults of their phUanthropic exertions, without confessing that they are miwearied in well-doing. The lives of these simple-hearted, benevo lent men are solely devoted to the temporal and (as they think) eternal welfare of a rat^e of savages, apparently abandoned by Providence to the lowest state of human degradation. Surely such dismterested be ings, whatever may be their errors of opinion, will meet a rich reward from Him who hath said, " Love one another." These converted Indians have a very smart, active, friendly, and good-natured demeanour. Their features are handsome and weU-pro- portioned ; their countenances are cheerful and interesting ; and diey are generaUy a very industrious, ingenious, and cleanly people. The sins of lying and stealing are held by them in the utmost abhorrence, and they look upon thera as two of the most heinous crimes of which a man can be guilty, murder alone excepted. They evince the most tender affection for their wives and children, w^hich is abundantly re ciprocated by the feraales and their offspring. May 17th. — On Monday, the seventeenth of May, at one, P, M., we again got under way, and put to sea, and continued examining the coast to the north-west, taking advantage of the land and sea-breezes as much as possible. May 20th. — On Friday, the twentieth, we arrived at Cape Blanco, situated in latitude 42° 49' N,, long, 124° 13' W. Between this cape and that of Mendocino, which is m latitude 40° 17' N., long. 123° 12' W., there are many small islands and rocks, some of which lie tliree miles from the main. On these islands or keys I expected to find fur- seals ; whereas I found them all manned with Russians, standing ready with their rifles to shoot every seal or sea-otter that showed his head above water. This part of the coast is very dangerous to approach in the night, there being many sunken rocks lymg from two to three mUes off-shore. Cape Blanco, being about fifty mUes north of the division line which separates the Mexican possessions from those of the United States, be longs of course to our own country, being a point of the Oregon terri tory. Between this cape and the mouth of Columbia River, a distance of seventy leagues, the coast, I believe, has never been closely ex amined, and of course I cannot pretend to give any description of it. The Russians make no ceremony of hunting and even of forming settle ments on any part of the coast that suits their convenience ; and unless our government plant a colony there, under the protection of the national June.] ISLAND OF SOCORRO— SANDWICH ISLANDS. 213 banner, our claim to the country wdl soon be laughed at by the uncivil ized vassals of the destroyer of Poland. May 22d. — Perceiving very Utde prospect of taking fur-seals on any part of the coast which the Russians have monopolized, without pur- chasmg them of the intruders, we squared away, and ran before the wmd to the southward. This was on Saturday, the twenty-second pf May. We continued standing to the south-east, with fresh winds frpm west-north-west to north-nortli-west, and fair weather, untU the thirtieth day of May; when, at five, A-. M., we were close in with the west end of the island of Socorro, the south point of which is in latitude 18° 53' N,, long, 110° 9' W. May 30th. — This island lies about ninety leagues due south from Cape St, Lucas, the most southern extremity of the peninsula of Old Cali fornia, and a little more than that distance south-west from Cape Cor rientes in Mexico. It may be seen at the distance of fourteen leagues ; is of volcanic origin, though tolerably well wooded ; and is. found to be a convenient stopping-place for vessels wanting water oj,- fuel. These articles may be procured in a sm-all bay near the middle of the soutlk side of the island, where good anchorage is found, in moderate weather,' , in from twenty-five to ten fadioms of water, sandy and rocky bottom. The shores aU around this island are clear of danger two cables' length . from the land, excepting on the north side, where diere are sraall islets lying near the main island : and about one mile to the north of them diere is a sunken rock, on which the sea breaks in rough weather. At six. A, M., the boats were despatched to examine the island in search of fur-seals ; but returned, after a faithful inspection, without seeing more than twenty animals of that species, "They saw about three hundred sea-leopards, and fifteen hundred hau--seals, A variety of sea-birds are found to frequent this island, and a few sraall land- birds are seen among the shrubbery. June 5th. — On Sunday, the fifth of June, we steered for the Sand- ' wich Islands, with a fresh breeze from north-north-east, and fair weather, which continued, with Uttle interruption, for more than a fortnight. June 22d. — On Wednesday, the twenty-second, at four, A. M., we saw the island of Owhyee, bearing west-south-west, distant seven leagues. At elev-en, A. M., we c-arae to anchor on the south-west side of Mow-ee, about half a mUe off-shore, in seven fathoms of water, sand and coral bottom. We had not been at anchor more tjian half an hour, before we had twenty canoes alongside, with hogs, potatoes, pump kins, watermelons, onions, plantains, bananas, cocoanuts, and fish, for sale. The history of this interesting group of islands is so familiar to every one of my readers that all 1 could say on the subject would necessarUy be a mere repetition of what has already been repeated a thousand times. No other section of the globe has been visited so often, or de scribed so fidly, as this cluster of islands-; for they have been touched ^ by almost every navigator that has crossed the Pacific since their msi discovery by Captain Cook. I shaU therefore merely describe then: location, size, and appearance, and refer the reader for further SI 4 SANDWICH ISLANDS. [1825. particulars to Stewart's Visit to the South Sea in 1829 and 1830, EUis's Polynesian Researches, and the printed journal of almost every voyage which has been raade to the Pacific. The reader is well aware that this group of islands was among the last of Cook's discoveries, and that he was assassinated on one of them hythe natives. It was under the adrainistration of the Earl of Sand wich that this great navigator prosecuted his discoveries in the Pacific -Ocean ; and he therefore named these islands in honour of that noble- .man. The group comprises eleven islands, extending in latitude from 18° 54' to 22° 15' N,, and in longitude from 154° 50' to 160° 24' W. Tliey are called by the natives Owhyee, Mowee, Ranai, Morotoi, Toohoorawa, Vv''oahoo, Atooi, Oneeheeow, Oveehoua, Morotinni, and Toohoora. They are all inhabited, except the two last. June 23d. — Owhyee, which we visited on the twenty-third, is the largest and most eastern of these islands, its length from north to south leing eighty-four miles, and its breadth seventy. On the north side is a mountain that rises in three peaks, about half a mUe high, perpetually covered with snow, and raay be seen at the distance of forty leagues. To the north of this mountain the coast consists of high and abrupt cliffs, down which fall many beautiful cascades ; and the whole country JS covered with cocoanut and bread-fruit trees. The ground south of the three-peaked raountain is covered with cinders, and in many places presents black streaks, which seem to indicate the course of the lava that has been ejected from the mountain, and flowed in streams to the shore. The projecting headland is composed of broken and craggy rocks, pUed irregularly on one another, and terrninating in sharp points. Amid these ruins, however, are many patches of rich soU, carefully laid out in plantations. The fields are enclosed by stone fences, and are interspersed with gi-oves of cocoanut-trees. It was on flKs island that Captain Cook, in 1779, fell a victim to the sudden r§sentment of tlie natives, with whom he unfortunately had a dispute. -* Mowee is one hundred and sixty-two railes in circumference. It is divided by a low isthmus into two circular pemnsulas, the eastern being double the size of the western. In each of these peninsulas there is a mountain rising to a very great height, which may be seen at the distance of twenty leagues. There are no soundings on the north shores, but the country presents an appearance of verdure and fertUity, Near the west point of the smaller peninsula is a spacious bay, with a sandy beach, shaded by cocoanut trees. The country behind has tmly a romantic appearance, the hUls rising in a great variety of peaked forms ; their steep sides, and the deep chasms be tween thera, being covered with trees. The inhabitants are computed at sixty-five thousand. June 26th. — On Sunday, the 26th, we visited Woahoo, which is seven leagues north-west of Morotoi. From the appearance of the north-east and north-west parts of this island, I should judge it to be the finest one of the group. Morotoi is only seven mdes west-north west of Mowee, and its principal produce is yams ; but it has Utde wood. On the south and west sides the coast is indented with several Iiays, which are tolerably well sheltered from the trade-winds. jQjie.] SANDWICH ISLANDS, 216 June 28th.— On Tuesday, the 28th, we touched at Atooi, which appears to be well wooded. Towards the north and north-west, the face of the country is rugged and broken ; but to the south it is more even. The hills rise from die seaside with a gende acclivity, and at a Uttle distance back are clothed with flourishing timber. June 29th. — On the following day we touched at the island of Oneeheeow, which is five leagues west of Atooi. Its eastem coast is high, rising abrapdy from ihe sea ; but the other parts consist of low ground, except a round bluff head on the south-east point. It produces a plenty of yams, and a sweet root called tee. It contains about ten thousand inhabitants. Three leagues south-west of Mowee lies Ta^ hoorowa, one of the smallest of the group. It is destitute of wood, and the soU seems to be sandy and barren. CHAPTER VII. Sail from the Sandwich Islands — Northem Polynesia — Bird's Island — Man-of- war Rock — Lisiansky Island — Caution to Navigators — ^Pearl and Hermes Island — Byers's Island — ^An unknown Island — Steer towards the Continent — Clipperton's Rock — ^A Wild-goose Chase for St. Vincent Island — ^Arrive at the Gallapagos Islands — Return to the Coast of Peru — Bay and Town of Sechura — City of Piura — Directions for entering the Port of Sechura — Bay and Town of Payta — Port of St. Pedro — Bay and Tovra of Ferrol — Natural Productions -Cinchona, or Peruvian Bark — ^Ajiimals, &c, — Arrive at the Port of Chorillos. TuElkjrtsvich Islands lie within the tropic of Cancer, about one- third of the distance from the western coast of Mexico, towards the eastern sTTtRteW.fij^jpa. They lie m a range from south-east to north west, Owhyee (or, according to the scientific Ellis, Hawau) forming the south-eastern extremity of the group, which is terminated on the north-west by Nihau (Neeheeheon) and Taura (Toohoora), the latter being merely a barren rock, inhabited only by a vast number of sea- fowl. The other uninhabited island is called Morokini (Morotinni), a barren rock lying between Mowee and Toohoorawa, and would render the navigation of the strait exceedingly dangerous, did not its elevation above the water render it visible at all times. To the north-west of the group which bears the name of " the Sand wich Islands," are a number of uninhabited islands, or rocky islets, which appear to be a continuation of the same chain, nearly to the 180° of longitude, and 30° of north latitude. These are called by the names of Bird's, Necker, Gardner, Allen, Lisiansky, Bunker, Clarke's, Massachusetts, (fee. As it was my intention to examine some of these lonely spots, which reared their ragged heads above the surface of the wUderness of waters, 1 made but a short stay with the friendly islanders of the Sandwich cluster, and sliaped my course for Northern Polynesia, June 30th.T—On Thursday, die 30th, we got under way, and steered 216 NORTHERN POLYNESIA, [1825. a north-west course, with a fine breeze from north-east-by-nortb. On the foUowing day we passed within half a mUe of Bird's Island, and found it to lie in lat. 23° 8' N., long. 161° 58' W. This is merely a barren rock of volcanic origin, about two hundred feet above the water, which is bold aU round it, and numerous sea-birds find a retreat araong its cliffs and precipices. July 3d. — We continued our course %vith a strong breeze from north-east-by-east, and on Sunday, the 3d day of July, at five A. M., passed within half a mile of Man-of-war's Bock, situated in lat, 25° r N,, long. 167° 37' W. This is also the rocky summit of a sub marine raountain, which was once volcanic. There is deep water aU round it, except on the south-west side, where there is a coral reef extending into the sea about half a mile. This rock is destimte of vegetation, and is inhabited by nothing but sea-fowl and green turdes. July 6th. — We continued standing to the westward, with fresh breezes from north-east, keeping two men at the raast-head day and night, untU Wednesday, the 6th, when we landed on the west side of Lisiansky Island, which lies in lat. 25° 59' N., long. 173° 44' W. It is sometimes called Lassion's and sometimes Neavas's Island. It is but little elevated above the surface of the ocean, and cannot be seen from the mast-head at a greater distance than ten mUes. It is only about six miles in circumference, presenting a few smaU spots of vege tation, consisting of coarse grass and a little shmbbery. The whole surface of this little island is nearly covered with rookeries of different kinds of birds, araong which are whale-birds, wake-up-kittles, man- of-war birds, gulls, and tropic-birds. On the shores we found an abundance of sea-elephants and green turtles, but nowhere on the island could we obtain fresh water. Coral reefs run off frora this island in two dfrections ; and as some remuneration for their own dangers, they form a safe anchorage be tween them. One of these reefs runs fi-om the north end of the island to the north-west, about four mUes, the sea breakuig on its weather side. The other reef runs off from the south-south-west part of the island, m a south-west direction, about seven mUes, upon the eastern side of which the sea breaks all the year round. On the west side of the island, between these two reefs, about half a mUe from the shore, there is a safe and smooth harbour for ships, which may ride at anchor in from ten to four fathoms of water, sand and coral bottom. There is one word of caution necessary to navigators, in saUing west of the Sandwich Islands, between the parallels of 20° and 30° N. In crossing between these two latitudes, a vessel should never t-uu in thick weather ; and even in the clearest of weather, they shoidd alwavs have one or two men at the mast-head, day and night. These reefs, which are all formed of coral, may be seen from the mast-head, by their Ught reflecting on the top of the water, day or night, double the distance that they can be seen from the deck, and in time sufiicient to avoid them, if there be a breeze of wind. As another reason for keeping a look-out from die mast-head, I would observe, that in runnnig free, or before the wind, a vessel is running on the back of the breakers, the foam of which cannot be seen July.) PEARL AND HERMES ISLANDS. 217 from die deck untd the vessel is close on board of it. But frora the mast-head a man can see the foam over the breakers at a siifllicient distance to give tirae enough to tack ship, or haul off. From a long experience in these seas, I know these precautions to be necessary ; and, if observed, tiiey may prevent many serious calamities. Not only is it necessary to guard against unkno-wn reefs and islands, but also agahifst islands which have been visited, and are erroneously laid down on the charts ; some of which 1 have found to be one and two degrees out of the way in longitude, particularly in this part of the Pacific, The lead and line are of very litde use in these seas, as the islands and reefs are nearly all surrounded with vci-y deep water, close to the breakers, July 8th. — From Lisiansky Island we stood to the westward, with a steady north-east trade-'wind and pleasant weather for two days, durmg whieh time we saw many sperm-whales and a great number of sea-birds. On Friday, the 8th, we landed on Pearl and Hermes Island ; or, more properly, a group of sand-pits and coral reefs, so caUed on account of two British whale-ships having been lost here on the same night, one of which was naraed the Pearl, and the other the Herraes. . 'fhey both went ashore at nearly the same time, and met their fate about ten miles from each other. These dangerous reefs he so low, and so near the surface of the water, that the wreck of the Pearl was seen by the man at our mast-head before he discerned the land, which cannot be seen more than six or seven mUes from a ship's top. "The Pearl and Hermes were cast away on the east side of the island, with a light breeze from north-east, attended with rain. Both vessels bUged in a few minutes after they struck. They were fortu nately favoured with moderate w^eather for se-veral days, which enabled them to save all thefr water and provisions, together with every other article of value, as well as a part of their oil. When this was effected, all hands set to w-ork in buUding a vessel of about thirty tons, from the timber and planks of the two wrecks, which they completed in six weeks, when they embarked on board of her for the Sandwich Islands, where they arrived hi safety. The situation of this island, or rather of the southern extremity of the reef which puts off from tlie south eud of it, is in lat, 27° 31' N., long, 176° 29' W, The north-west extremity of the reef which puts off from the northem island is in lat. 28°^2' N,, long, 177° 32' W. The eastern point of the group is in long, 176° 1 1' W,, lat. 27° 41' N. From the north and south extreme points there is one continuation of smaU islands, covered with sand, and rocks which appear to have been once in a fluid stale. The whole group presents the form of a crescent, the concave side of which, facing to the west-soudi-west, encloses an extensive bay, with good anchorage all over it, in from twenty-five to four fathoms of water. Here I have seen pearl-oysters and biuche de mer ; but it is difficult to procure them, as there are very few lying in shoal water, and perhaps not very plenty at the greatest depth. There is an abundance of fine scale-fish in this bay, of various kinds. The sea- 318 BYERS'S ISLAND. [1825. elephant and sea-leopard resort to the islands in the summer season, in large rookeries, and the former are perfectly tame. Great numbers of green turdes are found on the sand-beaches, where they come to deposite their eggs. The hawk's-biU turtle, also, sometimes visits this place, but in small numbers. The water is very bold on the east side of this group, there being a depth of one hundred fathoms within three tiraes that distance from shore. On the west side, however, the water rans off shallow for a considerable distance, to thirty-five fathoms. From thence it deepens very suddenly to one hundred and twenty fathoms ; and half a mde farther off-shore no soundings are to be found. The rookeries of sea- fowl on this group bear no comparison to those on Lisiansky Island, owing, perhaps, to the island's being so very narrow ; not one of them exceeding a hundred fathoras in width, from east to west, and aU of them are destitute of vegetation. Prom the lava and pumice-stone to be seen here, I am led to believe that this whole group has been, at sorae distant period, one treraendous volcano. There is no fresh water to be found here ; but turtle and fish can be had in abundance, at all seasons of the year. July llth. — ^We now took our leave of this dangerous group, and steered to the westward, a little northerly, with a fine breeze from north east-by-north, the weather stUl pleasant. It is here proper to remark, that between Pearl and Hermes and the Sandwich Islands, we tried the current several tiraes, and uniformly found it setting about west-by- south, from three-fourths of a mUe to a mUe and a quarter an hour. After fresh trades we found the current strongest. July 12th. — ^We crossed the meridian of 1S0°, the ne plus ultra of longitude, in lat, 28° 30' north, and on the 13th we landed on Byers's Island, situated in lat, 28° 32' north, long, 177° 4' east. This island is moderately elevated, and has some bushes and spots of vegetation. It is about four mUes in circuraference, and has good anchorage on the west-south-west side, with fifteen fathoras of water, sand and coral bottom. There are no dangers around this island, excepting on the south-east side, where there is a coral reef, running to the southward about two mUes. Sea-birds, green turdes, and sea-elephants resort to this island; and a plenty of fine fish maybe caught with hook and line about its shores. Fresh Avater may be had here from the south- south-west side of theisland, which is of volcanic origin. At 6, P, M,, we bore upiand stood to the north-west ; and at 4, A, M,, the men aloft saw breakers ahead. We then tacked ship, and stood to the soudi-east one hour, when we again tacked, and stood for the reef At 6, A, M,, we were within half a mde of the brealiers, and no land insight. We bore up, and passed around the west end of the reef, which was distant about two mUes, We then hauled on a wind to the north, the water being perfecdy smooth ; a|id after running along under the lee of the reef at the rate of seven miles an hour, for two liours, ou a north-by-west course, we saw the land from the raast-head, bearing north-west. We immediately kept off for it, and at 10, A, M., we were close in with a small low islantl, covered with sea-fowl, and the shores of which were lined with sea-elephants. Green turtles Aug.] CLIPPERTON'S ROCK. ' 219 were found here in great abundance, and two hawk's-biU turtles were seen. This island presents all the usual indications of volcanic origin. On the west side of this island diere is a reef which runs off about fifteen miles, while diat on the south-east side extends about thirty mUes, in the direction of south-south-east. These reefs are formed of coral, and afford good anchorage on the south-west side ; but on the east side the water is bold close to the reef. The island is low, being nearly level with the surface of the sea, and about four miles in circum ference. Its centre is in lat. 29° 57' north, long. 174° 31' east. Convinced by a careful examination that this island afforded neither fiirs nor other valuable articles, we left it to its solitude, and steered to the north on a wind, intending to get into the westerly variables, and itin down to the western coast of America. This was Thursday, the 14th of July ; and on the Sunday following, being in lat. 34° 1 1' north, ilong. 172° 14' east, we took the wind from north-north-west in a squall, and immediately tacked ship, and stood to the north-east. On Mon day, the 18th, being m lat. 35° 2' north, long. 174° 22' east, we took a fine breeze from north-west, with fair weather. The winds con tinued from west to north-north-west until we were in lat. 32° 15' north, long. 129° 30' west. From the 19th of July we continued making an east course ; and on Saturday, the 23d, being in lat. 34° 17' north, long. 170° 42' west, we saw about two thousand sperm whale lying feeding : we likewise saw sperm whale on the two foUowing days, in shoals of frora fifty to a hundred. On the 27th, being in lat. 34° 11' north, long. 156° 47'* west, we again saw sperra whale, after which we saw nothing worth mentioning untU Thursday, the 4th of August, when we once more fell in with a large school of sperm whale in lat. 32° 15' north, long. 129° 30' west. We now took the wind from the north, with fair weather, and steered to the south-east for Clipperton's Rock. In lat. 27° 0' north, we took the wind from north-east, which continued until the 17th of August. Aug. 17th. — We arrived at Clipperton's Rock, and at 4, P. M., carae to anchor on the south-south-west side of the island, in eight fathoms of water, sandy bottom, about one-fourth of a mile off-shore. This island is situated in lat. 10° 15' north, long. 109° 28' west, and exhibits unequivocal proofs of volcanic origin. It is low all around near the water, but a high rock rises in the centre, which may be seen at the distance of six leagues. It produces a litde shrpbbery and sorae coarse grass, among which I think fresh water might be found by dig ging. The whole island is literally covered with sea-birds, such as gulls, whale-birds, gannets, and the booby. There are also a few small land-birds, which were probably blown from the American coast during the hurricane months. Fur-seal and sea-elephant resort here in small numbers in the proper seasons, and green turtle come hither to deposite their eggs. Among the few vegetable productions of this island we found a plant resembling sarsaparUla, which badly poisoned several of the crew who handled it. After taking what few fur-seal could be found about the island, we * In this position the inhabitants of Cape-town, on the southern extremity of Africa, -wer« our aniipodes, the fall diameter of the earth being between us. 220 *^SEARCH FOR ST. VINCENT ISLANDS. [1825. got under way, and saUed for the GaUapagos Islands, on our way to which we had another wild-goose chase for land that does not exist. 1 aUude to two islands, which were said to have been seen by Captain Antonio Martinus, of the ship St. Vincent, while saUing from Panama to Macao. These islands were s-aid to be m lat. 7° 21' north, and long. 1 27° 4' west, lying north and south, with a boat-channel between them ; moderately elevated, weU wooded, abounding with cocoanuts, and covered with fur-seals. They were also said to be about twenty mUes in circumference, with several small islands lying off their west ends, forming good harbours between them and the main islands. They were reported to have been discovered on the 17th of April, 1789, and that the fur-seal, with which they were Uterally filled, were so tame that they would not move out of the way of the crew who had landed to procure cocoanuts and bread-firuit. This information I obtained from the priest of the mission of Rosa rio, while I was lying in the bay of St. Francis, in Old CaUfomia, in the month of April preceding. This reverend padre was chaplain on board of the ship St. Vincent at the time of the discovery, and he told me that he was on shore every day that the ship lay at the islands. The holy father permitted me to copy these particulars from his own pri vate journal, which states that they arrived at the Sandwich Islands on the 12th of M-ay, 1789. This allowed them a passage of thirteen days from the new discovered islands, which might easUy be the case. The manuscript from which I copied these alleged facts had the ap pearance of having been written forty or fifty years ; and Father St. Clara assured me that I was the first man he had faUen in with in search of fur-seals ; and that he was very happy to have it in his power to give me this information, which he was positive would be the means of making me a profitable voyage. I was further informed, that at the time the ship St. Vmcent left these new-discovered islands, wliich was twelve days after her arrival there, a tremendous volcano was blazing in the centre of each of the large islands ; and that three of the small ones, which lay near them on the west, were also vomiting smoke from thefr centres. They took away with them five thousand cocoanuts, t^vo hundred and fifty bread fruits, four hundred land terrapins, and twenty-five green turtle. Relying on the correctness of the foregoing mformation I resolved to take an early opportunity of seeking for these islands ; and such an opportunity occurred during our passage from Clipperton's Rock to the Gallapagos Islands. We accordingly steered for the paraUel of lat itude stated in the padre's joumal, two degrees east of the meridian there mentioned. We continued this course, with a fine breeze from north-north-east to north-east-by-east, with pleasant weather, for one week. Aug. 28th. — On Sunday we found ourselves in the latitude and longitude assigned to the St. Vincent Islands, without perceiving any indications of land, other than discoloured water. We tried for sound ings with one hundred and twenty fathom of Une, but found no bottom. We then stood five degrees to the west, on the same paraUel, with no better success. After diat we beat up to windward between the lati tude of 7° 10' and 7° 30', until we were m the longitude of 122° lO'i Nov.] CITY OF PIURA. 221 west, without seeing any thing that indicated land except discoloured water. We tried several times for soundings, but found no bottom. We now stood to the north as far as the latitude of 7° 50', and in that parallel ran to the westward until we were in long. 130° 7' west. AVe dien stood to the south, to the latitude of 7° 1 0', and beat up to the eastward between the latitude of 6° 50' and 7' 10', to long. 120° 30' west. In short, having wasted forty-six days in this fruidess search, we were satisfied that no such land existed within many leagues of the location assigned to it. October 13th. — On Thursday, the 13th of October, we resumed our course to the Gallapagos Islands, with light variable winds from north east to east-south-east, and fair weather, which continued nearly a formight. October 27th. — We arrived at the Gallapagos Islands on Thursday, the 27th, and at eleven, A. M., anchored in the south bay of Albemarle, otherwise called Elizabeth Bay, in four fathoms of water, half a mile from the land to the south, with sandy bottom. The volcano of Nar borough, which broke out in February, was stiU burning, but very moderately. November 5th. — Having examined the south end of Albemarle, and talien a few fur-seal, we got under way and saUed for Indefatigable Island, one of the sarae group, where we arrived on Saturday, the 5th of November, and sent all hands on shore in search of terrapins. November lOth. — This duty was performed with so much alacrity, tiiat in four days' tirae we had taken on hoard one hundred and eighty- seven of these valuable animals. We then got under way on Thurs day, the 10th, and set sail for the Bay of Sechura on the coast of Peru, about two hundred and thirty leagues south-east of the GaUapagos Islands. We had the wind from east-north-east to south-south-east, and fafr weather with little intermption for more than a week, November 19th. — On Saturday, the 19th, we arrived in front of the river Sechura, or Piura, as it was originally naraed, and came to anchor at four, P. M,, in three fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom, half a mUe frora the shore. This river, which generally goes by the name of Sechura, from the town and desert so called, and is so marked on the charts, was origin ally named Piura, from the province in which it rises and- to which it gives fertility. Its entrance is m lat, 5° 31' south, long, 80° 44' west ; but its source is many miles farther north, from whence it flows in a south-west direction, and empties into Sechura B^ north of Point Aguja, or Needle Point, On the south bank of this river, about two mUes from the seashore, is the town of Sechura, of which I shall speak presently, and some sixty mUes up the river is the celebrated city of Piura, in the bishopric of TruxUlo, and about twenty-five nules south east of Payta, The city of Piura, which is the capital of the province of that name, is in lat, 3° 15' south, long. 80° 40' west. It is celebrated as being the first city that was buUt by the Spaniards after their arrival in the New World, and as being founded by Don Francisco Pizarro in the year 1531. This successful chieftain also buih the first church in it. The 222 TOWN OF SECHURA. [1825. city was commenced in the vaUey of Targasa.le, and called St. Miguel di Piura; but was afterward removed to its present situation on account of the superior salubrity of air. What was gamed in atmo sphere, however, was lost in sod by the change, for it now stands on a sandy plain, though the adjacent country abounds in wood, and pro duces cotton, sugar, and maize. The houses of Piura are constmcted either of bricks baked in the sun, or of a kind of cane called quincas, and they are generally only one story high. The population has been variously estimated by different travellers, the mean of whose calculations would be about twelve thousand souls. There is a fine hospital in the city, under the care of the Bethlehemites. The climate is hot and dry, and it is seldom known to ram for ten months out of twelve, though the sun is often obscured for many weeks together. Still the country is by no means unhealthy. In ascending the uplands between the river and the Andes, to the distance of ten thousand feet above the sea, the climate seems to be a mixture of spring and autumn ; whUe stUl farther east, at the height of fifteen thousand feet, comraences the region of perpetual winter. Here active volcanoes are burning and raging within, while all wdthout is clad in eternal ice. But my observations must be confined to a less elevated region, near the seacoast. Here are immense forests of pine, cedar, acacia, and cecba-trees, of gigantic growth, together with an abundance of others of rich and valuable qualities for cabinet-work or dying. These forests are inhab ited by wild animals of various descriptions, and abound -with bfrds of beautiful plumage. Various kinds of reptUes and venomous insects are found on the banks of the river, and the aUigator is no stranger to its waters. The sand of its banks is nuxed with gold, which is annuaUy washed down from the inountains. In some seasons this river becomes almost dry, and its tributary streams entirely disappear. The town of Sechura, as I have already stated, is built on the south bank of the river, between two and three miles only from the ocean. This town contains about three hundred houses and a handsome brick church. The houses are principally constructed of cane or bamboo basket-work, with sharp peaked roofs thatched with a taU grass peculiar to the country, and though not very prepossessing eidier in their exte rior appearance or interior accommodations, are nevertheless well adapted to a climate where it seldom rains. "The population of Sechura comprises about fifteen hundred iidiabit- ants, who are principally Indians, or a mixture of Spanish blood with that of the Sana and Piura tribes. They constitute between four and five hundred families, and are cluefly employed in fishing or driving- mules. They are very poor, but extremely industrious and econoraical. The women employ themselves, when other domestic avocations do not prevent, in spinning, weaving, and making garments for their hus bands and children. 'The men resort to an artificial mode of sustaining their strength whUe at work without food. They chew the leaves of a plant called coca, which they mix with a Idnd of chalk or white ear^i called maubi. This is very nourishing, and when used freely will Nov.] TOWN AND B.\Y OF SECHURA. 223 enable them to labour two or three days without eatuig or drinking. But if thefr store become exhausted, they soon feel their strength decay, and must procure a fresh supply. The same substance also preserves the teeth and fortifies the stomach. The fishing vessels of these people are very ingeniously constructed, though somewhat rude in the workmanship. From five to eight logs of the cabbage-tree, from thirty to forty-five feet in length, according to the intended capacity of the vessel, are fastened together with ropes made of the bark which is peeled ofl* the logs. The large or butt-ends of these logs are all laid one way, and they form the head of the vessel. About ten or twelve feet farther aft a mast is erected, secured by shrouds and back-stays, on which they set a large square saU. With this simple rigging these rafts wUl sail six or eight miles an hour, on a wind, making Utde or no lee-way, which is prevented by a number of paddles that are thrust down between the logs and serve the pur pose of lee-boards. Abaft the mast about ten feet from the stern is a platform, elevated two or three feet, on which they sit, eat, and sleep. I have seen these catamarans forty or fifty miles frora land. There is but very little trade to this place, though the inland plan tations are very productive. On the coast, between the tovvn and the shore, the land presents a very barren appearance ; but the country through which the river flows produces fruits and vegetables of almost every description that are found in Peru, and these can be had at a low price. The plantations depend for moisture almost entirely on the night dews, which are very copious. Of the cliaracter and manners of the inhabitants of Sechura I might speak in favourable terms. They are friendly, hospitable, industrious, and economical; remarkably quick of apprehension, penetrating, shrewd, and decisive in their judgments. They are also cleanly in their persons, being in the constant habit of bathing every morning before sunrise, either in the river or at the seashore. This is doubt less one cause of the uniform good health they enjoy. In their man ners they are lively, sociable, polite, and liberal. The usual dress of the men is a cotton shirt reacliing to the knees, beneath which they wear a pair of loose trousers reaching to the middle of the calf. The females wear a long cotton gown reaching to the ankles, with a mantle of baize or some lighter cloth over their shoulders. On holydays, festivals, &c., they assume the Spanish dress. Sorae of them are very skUful in the use of medical herbs and plants, with which this part of the coast abounds ; but they are very tenacious of the art, and are careful to keep the secret from Europeans. Although most of them have embraced the Roman Catholic faith, they all retain more or less of their former mythological notions. Earthquakes they believe to be caused by the footsteps of the Almighty when he condescends to walk upon the earth. Under this impression, whenever they hear an unusual or alarming noise they msh out of their huts, jumping about and stamping their feet, at the same time exclauning in a loud voice, " Here am I ! Here ara I !" The bay of Sechura is spacious, safe, and easy of access, and it affords smooth anchorage at all seasons of the year. It is, perhaps, 224 SAILING DIRECTIONS. [1825. the most eUgible place on the westem coast of Somh America for whale-ships to stop at for the purpose of coopering their oil and pro curing refreshments, as the latter can be obtained ia barter, and there is very litde chance or inducement for any of the crew to leave the vessel. Here also they are exempt from port charges, and a ship may safely ride by one anchor all the year round. On the. south-east side of the bay there are extensive saU ponds, of which very litde use is made by the inhabitants except in salting thefr fish. There are no dangers in the way of a ship m entering this bay, either frora the north or the west, 'fhe land at the head of it is very low, and in running for the river the brick church in the to^vn wUl hie seen sooner than the land to the westward of it. Vessels bound hither frora the south must first make Aguja, or Needle Point, which appears like a double land, frora the westward, and always has a heavy sea breaking upon it ; there are also some sunken rocks lying half a mile to the westward of the point. It is therefore necessary to give it a good berth, particularly at night, as then the wind near the land gene rally dies away to a calm, and the swell is always hea-ring in-shore frora the westward. Somidings wUl be found a long way off shore ; and should a ship be becalmed within two mUes of the land, she may anchor in twenty fathoms of water, sandy bottom. ¦WTien a vessel is fifteen mUes north of Point Aguja, she wiU be abreast of Cape Nero, which is the southern point of the bay, lying in lat, 5° 44' south, long, 80° 59' west. Between these two points are many sunken rocks running off shore to the distance of a mile and a quarter. After passing Cape Nero, giving it a berth of two miles, the bay of Sechura opens to the view, where there is clear ground and a good shelter frora the swell of the sea. The navigator may then haul into the bay, east a little northerly, when he wiU experience a decrease of water. As he advances up the bay he must steer east and then east-by-south, when he wUl find the depth of water lessen from sixteen to five, and close in shore to three fathoms, mud and sand bottom. By keeping to the windward of tbe town the soundhigs wiU prove more regular, as the bottom is very uneven abreast of the town and river, where are many sand-spits and shoals, with a westerly swell roUing m over thera. But in the weather part of the bay the water is perfectly smooth and shallows gradually m approaching the shore. Should a ship take the ground here, she could receive uo damage, and might be easily got off at high-water. It is a remarkable fact, and worthy the notice of scientific men, that the whole extent of seacoast on the western side of the American con tinent presents unequivocal marks of volcanic emptions, such as pumice- stone and rocks that have once been in a state of fusion, which I have found at die wash of die shores along the whole range of coast. Tins is the case, also, with respect to the islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, of which I have never visited one of any dimensions that was not evidendy of volcanic origin, or the remains of a volcanic mountain. Each island in the GaUapagos group is of this description, as I am fuUy convinced by a careful inspection. November 21st. — On Monday, the 21st, we got under way, and ran Dec] BAY AND TOWN OF PAYTA, 225 down to Cape Nero, where we coraraenced taking fur-seal. Between this cape and the town of Sechura, the land is nothing but a barren sandy desert, destitute of vegetation and fresh water. This desert or waste of sand, is ninety miles in extent, of difficult and dangerous passage. The rocks on the seashore, between Cape Nero and Point Aguja, are nothing hut one mass of lava produced by volcanoes. December 2d. — We continued hunting seals between these two capes, with tolerably good success, until Friday, the 2d of December, wlien we steered for the Lobos de Payta Islands, which lie about eighteen leagues from Point Aguja, in the direction of north-half-west. These two sraall islands are about a mile and a half from the main land, between whicli and them is a passage in which the least depth of water is ten fathoms. This part of the coast may be easily known by a remarkable saddle-hiU called SUla de Payta, to the northward of which are the harboiu- and village or town of Payta, In rumdng along this poast, a ship may pass within half a mUe of the west side of these islands of Lobos de ^Payta, or half-way be tween them and the main with perfect safety. There is likewise good anchorage on the east side of the islands, in from eight to four fathoms of water, sandy bottom, about a quarter of a raile from the islands, which are merely barren lava rocks produced by some former volcano. December 12th. — On Monday, the I2th, we anchored in the harbour of Payta, on the south-south-west side of the bay, about half a raUe off-shore, in five fatlioras of water, mud and sandy bottom. The west |ioint, that forms this harbour, lies in latitude 5° 1' S., long, 80° S?*" W. In many respects, this is justly esteemed the best port on the coast. In entering it, there are no dangers in the way, giving the shore a quarter of a mUe's berth ; and when once at anchor, we are in a snug harbour, which is perfectly safe, and sheltered from all winds, excepting from north-west to north-north-east, which never blow here but in very light breezes. The town of Payta, or Paita, or St. Michel de Payta, was founded by Don Francisco Pizarro, in the year 1531. It is a mere village as to size, though formerly it was a place of considerable trade. The houses are constructed of split canes and mud, covered with leaves, and are generally two stories high. The only exception to this style of buUding is the residence of the governor, whose habitation is built of stone. This tewn can boast a parish church and chapel, dedicated to our Lady of Mercy, It is surrounded by a sandy barren soil, and depends for water and provisions on the vUlage of Colan, which is twelve mdes north of it on the same bay, and near which flows the river Chera. The Indians of Colan are obliged to send daily to Paita, one or two 6oZ.saM loaded with water, which is distributed in stated proportions among the inhabitants. Previous to the revolution which secured toPera her glorious independ ence, Paita was the general stopping-place of passengers from Mexico, Panama, and Colombia; and frora hence they would proceed by land to Lima, in order to avoid the numerous piratical adventurers who then hovered on the coast, as weU as the head-wmds, currents, &c, which rendered a sea-voyage to Callao tedious, unpleasant, and oftentunes P •226 PORT OF ST. PEDRO. [1825. 'dangerous. By this means, they not only shortened their route to Lima, but often saved much valuable property from the grasp of nauti cal freebooters, and from the effects of nautical disasters. "This is the ohly place where vessels from Acapulco, Sonsonate, Panama, &c. can touch in their passage to CaUao ; and to this place they are often driven back by adverse winds and shifting currents. Consequently, the town of Paita owes its whole support to the harbour, where cargoes of goods sent from Panama are landed, together with those coming from Callao, to the jurisdiction of Piura and Loja. The inhabitants of Paita are principally Spaniards, mulattoes, and mestizoes, who derive a subsistence from the finny treasures of the deep, and from the passengers to and from Callao and Lima. In the -bay of Paita, like that of Sechura, there Ls an ample fishery, in which the Indians of Colan, Sechura, and the small hamlets near the coast, are constantly employed. The whole defence of the town consists of a smaU fort, encircled by a brick wall, and mounted with eight or ten pieces of cannon ; without ditch or outworks of any kind. It has been often taken and pUlaged, particularly by the squadron of Anson, in 1741, when it was plundered and burnt. Under such circumstances as are here merely hinted at, it must be evident to every reader that this is no place for ships to procure refresh ments of any description. Water cannot be had ; wood is procured with great difficulty ; while vegetables and beef are scarce, and com- -niand a high price. All thefr supplies are furnished by the inhabitants of Colan, who cultivate grain and breed cattle, with which they supply Paita and other towns. About six leagues distant,from Paita, in the direction of north-north- Tvest-half-west, is Point Parina, between which and Paita the land is hollowed out into a deep open bay, in w-hich is the village of Colan, and ¦another one called Colave. This bay should be avoided as much as possible, particularly in the night, it being very subject to calms. December 31s<.-^After touching at Point Nero, and also at Lobos 'de Terre, w-e arrived at St, Pedro, on Saturday, the 31st, and anchored in six fathoras of water, sandy bottom, in an open roadstead, about three-quarters of a mUe off-shore. The town of St. Pedro stands on the south bank of a river of the sarae name, about half a mUe inland. Here we filled our water-casks, and took on board a supply of fruit and vegetables. There is no danger in lying at anchor in diis roadstead, as die wind never blows very fresh from the seaboard, and it is generally calm at night. The landing at this place, however, is always bad, and not un attended with danger, if attempted by unskUful or inexperienced hands ; ¦as the boats must be managed with peculiar address and tact, to pre vent their being capsized by the immense billows which are comraonly ¦rolling in to the shore. It is therefore advisable, in all cases, to em- .ploy shore-boats, which are biult expressly for this hazardous service, and are managed by men who have been brought up to the business from their childhood. Of course these natives are as -well acquainted with the nature of the landing, and are as familiar with the character «af ,the surf on tliis part of the coast, as it is possible for men lo be. Jan.] BAY OF FERROL. 227 By them every peril and difficulty is encountered and overcome with the greatest ease, while officers and seamen of the first professional character, who are not familiar with this coast, are liable to be foiled in their attempts to land, and frequendy lose, not only their boats, but diefr Uves. The port of St. Pedro has a bluff point of moderate elevation, to the south of the anchorage, about a mile and a half, which breaks off a part of the sea from the shipping. The town is small, and built much in die same manner as Sechura ; its population does not exceed a thou sand souls, who are a mixture of the Spaniards with the Sana and Truxillo tribes. They pay considerable attention to agriculture, and the inland soil is said to be rich and productive. This place is of very little note, being deficient in tjie necessary and essential convemences of commerce — good roads. 'Phat which leads to the city of Truxillo, it is trae, is kept in order, and deserves praise ; but all the rest are \vretchedly bad. The mode of transporting goods from this place to the mland towns is on the backs of mules, which, for want of roads, travel over cultivated fields, and thus retard the labours of the agriculturist, and ' rain his prospects. By this wretched policy industry is discouraged, and the cultivation of the soU much neglected. There is every facUity for smuggling in this port, and no risk incurred by the parties. January 2d, 1826. — On Monday, the 2d of January, we shaped our course for Ferrol Bay, with the wind from the south-south-east, and fafr weather. On the following day, we examined the island of Mala brigo, which is a high rock, with bold water wit'nin a cable's length from it. There is a good passage between this island and the main, from which it is distant four miles, vyith from twenty to ten fathoms of water. Hair-seals and sea-birds resort to this island in great numbers. January 4th. — On Wednesday, the 4th, we examined the islands of Guanape, which lie in latitude 8° 35' south ; there are a group of small rocky islands, between which and the shore there is a good pas sage of from fifteen to ten fathoms water. Point Guanape lies imrae diately to the east of these islands, off which is a single rock near the shore. There are sorae rocks under water to the north of this point, lyuig nearly two miles off-shore, between this and the river Moche. The coast here must have a good berth. January 7th. — On Saturday, the 7th, we anchored in Ferrol Bay, in four fathoms of water, sandy bottom, about a quarter of a mile from the Santa Islands, to the westward, and one mile from the mainland, to the eastward, completely sheltered from all winds. The entrance to this anchorage is between the two islands which are tbe most south em of the Santa Islands. This passage is about half a mile wide, with ten fathoras of water, and clear of dangers. Within the harbour there is sufficient room for fifty sail of the line to moor in perfect safety, sheltered from all winds, and perfectly smooth. Small vessels of two hundred tons may heave-down here alongside of the rocks of the southern Santa Isl-and. This is one of the finest bays on the coast for catching fish with a seine, and a few hair-seal may be taken in the pupping season. Numerous sea-bfrds resort to P2 228 CINCHONA, OR PERUVIAN BARK. [1826. these islands for the purpose of laying their eggs, and hatchkig their young. This is also a very convenient place for whale-ships to stop, to cooper their oil, overhaul their vessels, and obtain such refreshments as they may require ; for almost any kind can be had here that is coramon to the coast of Peru. These will be supplied in any quantity at the town of Ferrol, which is two miles inward, and near three miles to the north of the anchorage ; they wUl be furnished at short notice, and at a very moderate price. , The town of Ferrol is small, contaming only about seven hundred inhabitants, principally natives, and descendants of Indian tribes whieh inhabit the interior. The present generation, however, appears to be •much crossed by Spanish blood. They are very honest in thefr coraraercial transactions, carefully perforraing whatever they promise. Like all other Indians, however, they are too fimd of ardent spirits. .This place is in latitude 9° 10' S,, long. 78° 22' W. ; The climate is favourable to agi-ieulture. Its usual temperature is warm and moist, which brings into existence innumerable swarms of insects, and animals of a noxious character. The latter frequently get into the houses of the inhabitants, and even penetrate into their beds. In the evening they are molested by such multitudes of mos quitoes, and other insects, that it is difficult to keep a light burning, as they fly into the flame and extinguish it. These troublesome visiters, however, are gready diminished in numbers during the fresh south and south-west winds. I The soil in this part of the eounti-y is rich and productive. Tropi cal fruits of almost every kind are produced in abimdance ; together with wheat, maize, and grain of various kinds. The European fruits -.grow in such great profusion, that the trees are unable to bear the ' weight of their treasures, without the aid of props to support them. Strawberries grow to great perfection, and of remarkably large size. Orange-trees are ever in bloom, and at the same time laden with fruit, in various stages of progi-ession, from incipiency to fuU ripene.ss. Olives and almonds, likewise, grow to great perfection in this \iciBky, WhUe on the subject of trees, it raay not be improper to notice that which produces the celebrated Peruvian or Jesuits' bark, otherwise called cinchona. This is a production peculiar to Peru, and hence its most popular name. It has been termed Jesuits' bark, because it was first introduced into Europe by those missionaries. It is used as a remedy in intermittent fevers, or agues ; and by some persons is pre scribed in other kinds of fevers, — in confluent sraall-pox, in gangrenous sore-throat, and in every species of gangrene. It is given in powder, as an extract, a spirituous tincture and decoction ; but the most effica cious form is that of powder. I The cinchona is a tree which is found only in mountainous tracts, where it grows to the thickness of a man's" body. There are diree kinds of this bark used m medicine, viz. the comnwu or white bark, the yellow bark, and the red bark. The latter is more bitter and more astrusgent than the common or the yellow. All its varieties, however, are highly valuable, and are consequently liable to be adulte rated with various substances. It is therefore necessary, in selecting Jan.] NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 229 this drag, to attend accurately to all of its characters, in order to avoid being imposed upon by the vender. Cinchona has long been known as a medicine in Peru, where the natives are said to have adopted its use from observing animals recur to it. Whatever may have been the origin of its employment, however, its efficacy was not tested by Europeans luitU the year 1640, when the Comitess of Cinchon, the wife of the Spanish viceroy, was cured of the ague by means of it. It therefore derived the name of Cinchona from that lady. As it usually happens on the first appearance of any novel remedy, considerable opposition was made to it by several eminent physicians; but its efficacy soon overcame the groundless clamour -which had been excited. The red bark, when first introduced into English practice, in con sequence of a Spanish vessel, freighted in part with h, being taken in the year 1779, was tried in several of the London hospitals, and was then extolled to the skies ; but its reputation finally gave way to that of the yellow bark, which has since been generally considered as the most efficacious. The Jesuits first carried this bark to Rome, from whence its reputation gradually spread all over Europe. The animals which are most familiar to this part of Peru are such as I have already noticed in my remarks on other sections of the coast. Horses and mules are held in great estimation, particularly the former. The breed was originally brought from Old Spain ; and, instead of de generating, it has become superior to the parent stock. Few Spanish horses can now vie with these animals in beauty of form or graceful ness of carriage ; and they are justly considered as being in no respect inferior to the famous Andalusian breed. Black-cattle also are very abundant on the plains in the interior. "The most remarkable animals, however, in this part of the country are the lama and the vicuna. The former, which is called the Peru vian sheep, in many respects resembles the camel ; as in the shape of the head, the neck, and other parts. But they are cloven-footed, have no hunch on their backs, and are much smaller than the camel. The upper lip of this animal is cleft like that of the hare, through wluch, when enraged, it spits at its enemy, and this saliva is said to be poisonous. In a state of nature it is strong and fleet, and bounds over its native mountains with an agUity that could scarcely be exceeded by the stag. When domesticated, however, and taught to bear burthens, this animal loses much of its fleetness, and soon fads in strength. * The hair, or rather wool, of the lama is generally of a brown colour, though some few are black, and others whhe. The texture of it is both fine and glossy, and it is spun and woven into a beautiful kind of cloth. Their flesh is esteemed excellent food, and they will thrive without trouble or care, being satisfied with the coarsest vegetable food. The Peruvians find it the raost useful of their steeds, as it can go even longer than the carael without water and food. The vicuna is sraaller than the lama, and its wool is much shorter and finer. The most remarkable birds found on this part of the coast are the condors and hummers. The former is generally about the size of an 330 PORT OF CHORILLOS. [1826. albatross, which I have described elsewhere ; it is carnivorous and very voracious; frequently seizing the Iambs as they are feeding. Some, it is said, are much larger than any I have seen. When violently pressed with hunger, this gigantic bfrd has been known to seize upon children ; and the Indians assert that it wUl carry off a deer or calf m its- talons with as much ease as an eagle wiU a lamb, 'fhe hummer is anight bird, and generally lives in the mountainous parts of the country. They are seldom seen, tliough often heard, as the rapidity of their flight produces a humming sound in the air, somewhat like that of a rocket. There is another curious bird at this place, which is called the awakener, about the size of a small fowl. Its plumage is white and black, its neck thick ; head large, erect, and beautifnUy adorned with a tuft of feathers. Its eyes are large, bright, and lively. Ou the fore part of each wing is a spur about an inch in length, which it uses in de fending itself against its enemies. They give an alarm to aU the feathered tribes when there is any appearance of danger, so that every kind of bird within hearing is put on its guard. Hence the name of " awakener." The mountainous regions of this district abound in metallic wealth, such as gold, silver, copper, lead, quicksUver, &c. Besides these» there are emeralds, marcasites, and other precious stones. I have no doubt that if the mines of Peru were wrought with skdl and industry, they could supply sufficient gold and sUver for every nation on earth. January 17th. — ^After examining the coast with our boats thfrty miles north and south of this anchorage, without finding any thing but hair-seals, and having ascertained the latitude and longitude of our anchorage to be as I have stated above, we got under way on Monday, the seventeenth, and commenced plying to the south, with the land- breeze from south-south-east, and the sea-breeze frora south-south west, attended with fair weather, which continued for a week. January 24th. — On Monday, the twenty-fourth, "we arrived at the port of Ciiorillos, and at one, P. M,, anchored in five fathoms of water, sandy bottom ; lathude 12° 8' S., long. 77° 3' W. Chorillos is a pleasant litde fishuig vUlage, on the seacoast, a few- miles south of Lima, and south-east of CaUao. It is a great resort of pleasure parties ftom Lima, who corae hither to enjoy the sports of fishing, sea-bathing, &c. During the long siege and blockade of Cal lao, which only terminated the day before our arrival, the port of Chorillos was used as a dep6t for the commerce of Lima. Every thing, however, was now in a state of bustle and confusion, as an im portant change had just talien place in political aflairs, which I shall notice hereafter. I The vUlage of Chorillos is situated on the southern extremity of die south bay of Lima. This bay is formed on the north-west by Point CaUao, and on the south-east by another projection, which shelters it from the prevaUing winds, while St. Lorenzo and other islands protect it on the west. It is of sufficient capacity to accommodate a great number of ships at the same time. Vessels bound lo Callao from the south should haul outside of all the islands before tliey pass this vUlage ; otherwise it wUlbe found very difficult to get sufficiently west ward to pass to the northward of Lorenzo Island. Jan.] LETTER FROM A TRAVELLER, 23J> ^ CHAPTER Vm. Isthmus of Darien — Letter from a Traveller — Town of Porto Bello — How to pre vent a. wet Jacket — An excellent Dinner, and Wine with an Excellency — Canoe Navigation — Gloomy Prospects — Town and River Chagres — Ascending the River — Crossing the Isthmus — Town of Cruces — The Pizarro Road — Coming; to an Anchor — Emotions excited by a first "View of the Pacific — City of Pannma — Importance of a Passport — Projected Canal across the Isthmus — Ruins of old- Panama — ^.^n Earthqu^e — The Gulf of Panama, The general reader may possibly require some apology for sucb frequent aUusions to the fact of my having critically examined the- western coast of America. The nautical reader will expect none ; as- to him the imraense importance of this fact wUl be its own excuse. To die latter it wUl be sufficient to state that I have personally in spected and pointed out every danger which exists on this whole extent of coast, from the Strait of MageUan to the thirty-eighth degree of north latitude, comprising six thousand mUes, with the exception of the Isth mus of Darien, the west coast of Mexico, and that interesting region now known by the appellation of " Central America." It has also- been seen, by the attentive reader, that raany historical facts and anec dotes connected with the revolutionary struggle of the South Ameri cans have been interwoven with the thread of this homely narrative. My examuiation of the westem coast of Soudi America terminated,. it will be recollected, at the port of Tacamez, fifty-two mdes north of the equator, when the progress of the season rendered it proper to- steer for the Gallipagos Islands, leaving the Gulf of Panama and the Isthmus of Darien unnoticed. Thus the chain of my surveys is defi cient in a very important Unk, which I hope to supply on some future occasion. In the mean tirae I have obtained perraission to lay before the public the following interesting letter, which I received while making preparations for my first voyage in 1822. The writer is John J. Adams, Esq., now one of the editors of die New-York TraveUer, but at that tirae a commercial agent at Panama ; his lively and graphic description of which will certainly not come amiss in this place. ''Panama, May 20, 1822. " Dear Sir, " When you were about to sad on a sealing expedition to tbe Falk land Islands, as first officer of the Wasp, some two years ago, I told you, in jest, that before your return I might perhaps take a leap from the three-legged stool of a counting-room to the quarter-deck of a ship. You expressed some doubts as to the probabUity of such a transition ;. but made me promise, in case I did so, to make you the depositary of ' my travel's history,' by regular extracts from my joumal. ' I have done the deed,' but have kept no journal ; and as your return to New- York was daily looked for when I left that city, I shall partially 332 PORTO BELLO. [1836. redeem my promise by sending you a brief sketch of my ' voyages and travels' to this interesting section of the globe. But if you find it, as I fear you wUl, totally barren of interest, you must rest contented with the assurance that it was well intended. "I saUed from New- York on the twenty-first of March, in the schooner Selina ; not indeed as comraander, but stiU with the privi lege of the quarter-deck, and in poetical language any vessel is a ship, be her rig what it may. The object of my voyage is not important to ' the subject of mystery ;' stiUyour curiosity may be gratified on that score by calling at ' our house' (meaning the counting-room before men tioned). My motives for accepting a commission so seriously inter fering with my interests and feelings, and so repugnant to the wishes of my faraUy, were briefly these : — -J wished to con-vince my friends (who were alarmed for ray welfare, in consequence of my having made a few successful essays as a tragedian), that their fears were ground less, that 1 could still attend to business, and that I had no thoughts of abandoning the commercial pursuits to which, from early youdi, I had been so assiduously devoted. I presume I have convinced them ; but not without a serious sacrifice on my part. Various engagements, the least of which would probably have filled my pockets, were before me soliciting acceptance, when I agreed to embark on this mission. "I shall say nothing of my excessive sea-sickness, our narrow escapes from pirates, the tremendous storms we encountered, and such like hair-breadth escapes ; but bring you to Porto Bello at once, whidi we made on the twentieth day of our passage. It rained very vio lendy just before I landed ; and during the shower I saw a negro in a state of nudity, seated on a rock, with his apology for a garment care fully placed beneath him to screen it from the wet. When the shower was over, and his ebony skin dried in the sun, he then resumed his dry clothes. This I believe is a universal practice here, it being danger ous at this season to wear a damp, much less a saturated garment, to check the perspiration. The first thing that attracted my attention on landing was the squalid filthiness of the place. On the apex of each house or hovel, which have thatched pyramidical roofs, was perched a carrion bird, with wings out-spread, drying in the sun. " I lost no time in paying my respects to the governor, for whom I had divers presents. Not being au fait to the etiquette, I felt a Uttle palpitation lest I should omit sorae cereraonial. With my merchant — the only one I believe in the place — I wended ray way to his excel lency's mansion. It was one of an extensive block of buUihiigs, uni form in their architecture (if architecture it ma}- be called), each with a court in the centre, surrounded by balconies or piazzas. We passed through an open entrance or court, penetrating the building, and abun dantly filthy. On this score a New- York livery-stable is a palace to it, A flight of stairs whicli mop or broom had apparently never vio lated, landed us in a tolerably capacious hall, whence we emerged into a sort of anteroom, without carpet, or any ornament to relieve or heighten the want of order and cleanliness so manifest, A hammock was slung nearly in the centre, in which lay the son of his excellency ; and a lady, in complexion like the queen of spades', received my inter- Jan.] PORTO BELLO. 233 prcted compliments as daughter of the governor. My surprise reached its climax when I was ushered into the adjacent room. " His excellency had completed his toilet, and very frankly came forward to welcome me. I will not attempt to describe his person or his dress, except so far as to say that 1 found myself greeted with a Spanish embrace by an indifferent looking mulatto. He warmly pressed me to dine with hira, in company with a deputation of St. Bias Indians, with whom he was negotiating a treaty. -I declined the honour, my friend having promised rae a delicious turde dinner : which of the New- York alderraen, fond as they are of honour, would not have done the same ? I was excused on the promise that I would wine with him after the repast. " Accordingly, after luxuriating with my friend, with a restored, I may say a voracious appetite — ^I had eaten nothing for the past twenty days, — 1 repaired to his excellency's, and found a pretty numerous party, Indians included, Ubating ' pottle deep.' By the time these -ab origines felt the liquor mantling, the wUy governor and his friends in fused liigh-proof brandy in their Madeira ; and it was not long before one of tliem, a leading chief, left his seat very miceremoniously, and as unceremoniously was conveyed from the room in a state of drunken insensibUity. I much question the policy of the governor in this ma- noeu-vre ; unless, indeed, by thus disposing of the chief, he got rid of one opposed to his views. I would remark of these Indians that they were fine-looking, mnsculai- men, in general appearance much resem bUng the aborigines of our part of the continent, particularly in the gravity of their deportment. " During the discussion of dinner I had determined to depart imme diately for Panama, seeing no prospect of effecting a sale of the cargo at Porto BeUo. My arrangements were briefly made by om- captain, whom I desired to accompany me. I therefore made my adieus to the governor, suite, and family, w-ith as much haste as a due respect to eti quette would permit, receiving from his excellency another fraternal hug at parting, 1 had but Uttle opportunity of indulging the voyageur^s curiosity, for very soon after my escape from 'wassail and rout,' the rain began to descend in torrents ; I saw enough, however, to satisfy me that you lose little here by my deficiency in observation. " Porto Bello, as you and everybody knows, is situated on the north coast of the Isthmus of Darien, now termed the Isthmus of Panama, and by some the Isthmus of Costa Rica. Darien, J^owever, is the good old-fashioned name by which we were accustomed to know it in onr school-boy days ; and the whole is washed by the Gulf of Darien. Porto Bello has a large coraraodious harbour, with good anchorage and shelter for ships ; its entrance is narrow-, and defended by several forts. It is about seventy raUes north of Panama,: and three hundred west of Carthagena. It is situated, as you nautical men say, in lat, 9° 33' north, long, 80° 45' west, and is rapidly faUing off in business and importance. "At 10 o'clock, P. M,, in a fraU canoe, with two negro conductors, we pushed off from alongside the schooner, bound for Chagres. It required gre-at caution in stepping on board our egg-shell conveyance, 234 CANAL NAVIGATION-TOWN OF CHAGRES. [1826. to avoid swamping her, as I believe you caU it. I said nothing ; bnt I felt that we had less than ' a plank between us and destraction.' I have often heard you assert that you never knew what fear was; I thought of you at this moment, and became quite a hero. The moon lent her light, although bedimmed by the mass of ragged clouds sur rounding her silver car, imposing a fleecy veil between the earth and her tropical effulgence. Porto Bello lay in quiet repose, and reaUy presented a picturesque appearance. The town is situated at the base of a very high hill, whose ascent is rarely attempted, the shrubbery being almost impervious, and abounding with venoraous serpents. The only death which had occurred here for some time was occasioned by the fangs of one of these reptiles, which assaUed his victim in the night, in his own domicil. " I had been but a few hours in Porto Bello, yet I felt as if I had sojourned there for weeks ; and I assure you, my dear sir, that I expe rienced no regret at leaving it (temporarily, to be sure), as it lay hi beautiful relief in the moonlight — its few whitewashed buddings finely contrasted with the long sweep of the sombre and towering forest which overhung them. I pass over the night, which was sleepless. Our two negroes plied their paddles unremittedly, unaided by a breath of air to swell the canvass with which we were provided. " The morning dawned, or rather burst upon us, with that suddenness of brilliancy so characteristic of the tropical regions, — I caimot describe my sensations. We were paddling on a sleeping ocean, mUes finm land ; and it seemed as if the slightest breeze would bury us in the merest swell of the sea. No breeze carae ; and, as noon approached, I languished for one, indifferent as to consequences. The oppressive influence of a vertical sun, falling on my unprotected head, was intol erable ; and to add to the unpleasantness of my feelings, our ' noble captam,' in the action of shifting his position in the bottom of the canoe, actually perilled our safety ! so frail, so fragfle was the accom modation which his hair-brained economy had provided. ' Thinks I to myself,' the next time I embark" on an expedition of this kind, I wUl exercise a little more precaution. We arrived at our port of destuia- tion, however, in safety. " If Porto Bello, on a first acquaintance, impressed me so unfavour ably, what shaU I say of Chagres ? On doubUng the high and jutting promontory at the base of which the town is situated, you are, in a very few minutes, at the anchorage opposhe. Impatient to despatch, we arranged immediately for a canoe to ascend the river Chagres ; having boarded a vessel from Jamaica, where the dinner was just ready, — we are not in die habit of declinmg cordial mvitations. I now began to look about me, Wliat a prospect ! A few wretched hovels constructed of reeds, and indiscriminatelv located on a low marshy plain— no wharf— no street — no any tiling, indicative either of commerce or intelligence: no human beings, except negroes, mu lattoes, and mestizoes. I felt extremely gloomy. What was I to ex pect as I proceeded ? "Neariy all the houses are built of cane, and thatched; raost of thera are without any flooring but the bare earth. AU diat I had ever Jan.] RIVER CHAGRES--CROSS THE ISTHMUS, 233 heard of the unhealthiness of these regions seemed as if marked on a map before me. Deprived in a great measure of the sea-breeze, with a sod of such fecundity that the saying is common, ' put a plant invertedly m the earth and it wUl grow ;' with rain in its season burst ing in torrents, a vertical sun almost uistandy succeeding, shedding its scorching rays, and decomposing the vegetation which the rain had prostrated ; poisonous miasmata, deleterious gases, and ten thousand noxious exhalations ; with all these legibly written, as it were, upon the very face of die prospect, how could I prevent the intrusion of mental images connected with pestilence and death ! On the opposite side of the river, amid the plantains, and an impenetrable forest of dwarfish trees, the stately cocoanut towered at intervals, imparting an oriental beauty to the landscape, even as does the lofty palm, which it resembles. I gazed in sorrow, and with melancholy forebodings. The last words our friend Captain H. said to me on parting, were, ' Take care, my boy, that you do not lay your head under one of the cocoa nut-trees.' To die in such a place ! It appeared to me that a Caesar could not have indulged the contemplation without a shudder ! This place is situated in lat. 9° 20' north, long. 80° 30' west. At least so I was informed ; I merely mention it because you charged me to be par ticular with respect to locations. It is the situation of Fort San Lo renzo, Avhich stands on a steep rock on the east side of the river, near the seashore. "AU things being in readiness, we embarked in a canoe, on the waters of the Chagres. This river was formerly called Lagartos, from the number of alligators which infested it. It is navigable for sea-vessels only a short distance ; but for boats down stream it is the channel of commerce between the two oceans. It rises on the ninth paraUel of north latitude, in the mountains near Cruces, between the Bay of Panama on the Pacific side and Point St. Bias on the Atlantic side of the isthmus, which here runs nearly north-east and south-westl From its source the Chagres flows westwardly about sixty miles, then turns to the north for thirty miles, which brmgs it to the point of our embarkation, where it falls into the Caribbean Sea. I was aware that the passage of this river was obstructed by the trunks of tre-es which had faUen into it ; and also by swift cui-rents over the shadows ; and consequently did not anticipate much pleasure in the excursion. " The canoe was managed by four negroes, destitute even of a fig- leaf to cover thera. Our accommodations consisted of a cabin, in which it was impossible to turn round, and which *Vvas formed of hides spread over bended poles, soraewhat after the fashion of our Yankee wagons. We had provided a tolerable stock of provisions, and thus we commenced our voyage towards the Pacific Ocean. The ascent of the Chagres proved as uninteresting as it was tedious. The mon keys chattered at us as we passed them, and the wUd beasts looked as if they wished to eat us. We kept on, however, and after proceeding about fifteen mUes, landed at a small town, located on a bank a number of feet in height, and which presented an appearance of cleanliness not found in Chagres. We passed a number of rapids as we advanced ; and in one instance the canoe capsized, and my entire wardrobe was 23Q THE PIZARRO ROAD. [1826. at once most comfortably saturated with Andean tears. — ^I thought of the negro on the rock at Porto Bello. The evident wretchedness, and the equally apparent happiness of the natives we encountered- pwdon the paradox— I wiU not attempt to describe. Every thing was so per fectly novel that I should ran into inconsistent prolixity. « Cruces, where we finally landed, is about seventy miles from Chagres, and at the head of navigation. It is only about twenty miles from Panama, comprising the whole distance of portage which exists between the two oceans.* It is distinguished by no features that wUl warrant a description. The mules were immediately ordered, and after two or three John Gilpui capers, to the delight of tlie assembled town, which was unaccustomed to be witched by such ' noble horsemanship,' anglice, muleship, I gamed the Panama Road. Once entered, there was no diverging, and, as I had nothing to do but to let the mule pick liis way, I displayed great mastery in my management. " I was on the road made by Pizarro, when the unoffending Incas were to be made his victims. What will not ambition and the lust of gold accomplish ! It is now in a state of great dilapidation, owing to the heavy rains, which, rushing in torrents from the mountains, have, iu the lapse of years, piled up the pavement, and formed defiles which are almost impassable except by a mule or a negro. In the neighbour hood of sorae of the savannas, however, abundant evidence exists to show that it was a work of great labour and finish, worthy of the per severance and enterprise of that rapacious chief. " We were conducted, I can hardly say accompanied, by a guide, who bore a wallet containing our refreshments. The journey was more than half-completed — (we could not average more than three mdes an hour) — and I had seen our guide but once. Poor Sancho Panza never felt a more serious yearning of the bowels than I now expe rienced ; nor was he accompanied by a more indifferent, pldegmatic, anti-sensual Quixote than my friend the captain. He attempted to comfort and encourage me, by stating that we should not see the guide again until we reached our place of destination. I was famished, and thirsty, and despairing, and thinking of the cold fow-ls 1 had seen eaten upon the stage, and the hot ones 1 had helped demoUsh at Niblo's, when we broke upon quite an extensive savanna. "Judge of my delight on beholding our darkey qniedy seated beside a limping, gurgling, purling (I was so enraptured that I could lavish every aqueous epithet upon it) brook. Our meal was not ci la fcur- chette, though our carving was suramarv'. Of a nicely roasted chicken I merely took a leg and a wing in my digits ; the captain ditto. Then came the tug of war. A moment, and it was decided ; neither party was vanquished, but all eagerly revelled in the spoUs. Never before could I fully comprehend the term luxury ; bui as the last libation of claret closed the marooning repast, I felt that it must have been the nectar of Jove. * Weleorn flrom Uic EncyclopiKdIa Amorirana, thm it has been ascertained that " liich-«-aler- markin thePaciflc is about Ihineon feet higher than in the Atlantic; but that at half-tide the level of the Facillc is the same with that of the Atlantic, and at low tide is several fret lower. These circumstances induced the Colombian governmeni to conceive the plan of s canal ttom I'anaraa to Puerto Velo, on thc Atlantic side, whicli has a large and secure harbour, and is distant 43 tniloa N.N.W. ftT>m Patiatiia. A i-ailroad bnwcen the two cities is alnvid) in pnigress Jan,] ISTHMUS OF DARIEN— VIEW OF THE PACIFIC, 237 " Pursuing our journey my attention was called by the captain to an enormous serpent which was crossing our path, a few rods ahead of us. His length must have been from twelve to fifteen feet. The feel ings he excited were those of a raan on a precipice, infatuated to plunge into the abyss. I could scarcely retain my seat on the mule. A sen sation new and collapsed pervaded me. It was but for a moraent, and then St, George himself would perhaps have been less apprehensive, - " I caimot offer any thing worth your perusal relating to the topog raphy, &c. of the isthmus. Here and there was a clearing, with a cane or log edifice, and some few acres cleared around it. But for miles you could hardly trace a mark of civilization. An occasional cross on the roadside indicated that a Christian murder had been per petrated there ; the sight of which, maugi-e the natural associations it called forth, was in a degree refreshing. The serpent, the leopard, and the monkey abound here ; and how the negroes who traverse the isth mus so innocuously, manage it, I cannot divine. I was informed that they would ti-ansport a barrel of flour the whole distance on their back ; and I thought it ' a traveller's story,' particularly when I was passing some of the defiles, which it appeared to me, the sure foot of a raule alone could thread. But we overtook one with three five-gallon demi johns of liquor strapped on his back, picking his way as unconcernedly and vigorously as if he bore no burthen. My skepticism vanished. " The road has never undergone repair, although each traveller and package transported pays a good round tax for its improvement. One thing perfectly astonished me : — in the centre of a savanna, where the road branches, ' we came to an anchor,' — m other words, there lay, firmly imbedded, an anchor fit for a line-of-battle ship ! How it came there was to me inexplicable. I learned, however, that one of the Pa cific squadron had lost her anchor, and that this was transported thus far to her relief, when the frame of the car which supported it gave way, killing some dozen or fifteen men in the crush. All subsequent attempts to remove, it proved ineffectual. " Young and enthusiastic as I am, never did my bosom experience a more bounding emotion than when, on turning an angle of the road, Panama, with its spires and turrets, its extensive savannas, and thc broad sweep of the mighty Pacific, met my gaze. 'Panama!' I ex claimed, ' thou hast redeemed the isthmus !' What could be more grateful to the novitiate traveller than the view of an apparently popu lous and well-regulated city, after traversing the dreary and dangerous wUd of the isthmus, and encountering the caiioe-difiicuhies of the mo notonous Chagi-es. The veteran traveUer must needs have partici pated in the feelings which possessed me. With what pleased alacrity, in which indeed ray raule participated, did I thread the extended sa vanna ! With what a glow did I contemplate those spires, perspee- tively beaming in the last rays of a tropical and dazzling sun ! — And, ah ! with what feelings of awe — of reverence — nay, of sublimity, did I look upon the waters, and felt that they presented in their expanse a ' bomne from which no traveller might return.' " Iran argument at tins day were necessary to establish the Christian faiith, let the skeptic who needs it travel. Let him visit foreign climes ; ^33 PANAMA CITY. [1826. let him go where hospitality is proverbial ; let him w-ander where Arca dian beauties rivet hira, and where good faith is invariably extended to the wayfaring ; — and then let him pause, and ask this question : — 'Did aught in my wanderings ever inspire me with so much confidence of security as a simple vUlage spfre, rising in the dim distance of the lonely, and perhaps otherwise cheerful landscape V The answer is anticipated. No ! " What raust have been the sensations of those intrepid and enter prising raen, when from the mountains of the isthmus they for the first time beheld the waters of the immense Pacific ! Fancy and imagination are feltered — in vain would they portray them. It would immortalize any painter who could convey even a gliraraering of the expression of ihe subdued features of him who for the first time gazed upon it, after being wrapt in wonder from exploring a vast and newly discovered continent. We can cast our eyes to the firmament when the bright stars are coquettishly -winking ; we can behold the rising and setting glory of the great luminary, amid its gorgeous and unrivalled drapery ; we can contemplate the orb of night in its chas tened loveliness — and feel our nothingness, and humbly bow ourselves, as the creation in its imraensity bursts upon our bewildered imagina tion. But powerful as are these emotions, they shrink into compar ative insignificance compared to the feelings of him vtho for the first time gazes upon the waters of this immense ocean. To the former objects we have been accustomed from infancy, and it is only in mo ments of occasional abstraction and meditation that their sublimity affects us. But the ocean ever enkindles the feeling. In its apparent boundless extent, there is, if I ra-ay so express it, a palpabUity, a tan gibility, which takes the senses captive. " My first movement, after dismounting from my unruly and tmly obstinate mule, was to seek the quay. In twenty-four days after leav ing Dover-street wharf, in the city of New-York, I was laving in the Pacific ; and- am, for aught I know to the contrary, the first New- Yorker that ever made so short a cut to reach it, I leave vou to con- cejve of my feelings, and imaginings, and romancing, ' and all that sort of thing.' I have some recollection of a vivid description you gave me of the sensations you experienced on finding yourself for the first time afloat on the vast ocean, after playing the Crusoe, and running away frora your paternal home ; of your anticipations of discovering new worlds at the south pole ; of your first smelling gunpowder at the siege of Cadiz ; 'Of boln? taken by tho insolent Ibe, And sold to slavery ; of your redefflptioa thence. And porlance in your tra'vcl'a history.' I say, recollecting all this, I do not hesitate to let you have a peep at die romantic workings of my own youthful imagination, as you know liow to appreciate such kind of feelings. " Panama is a walled city, and its parapet presents a front formi dable in the extreme. The ordnance here mounted exceeds incaliber any thing I have ever seen ; and, ere the intensely darling berflfeofdie morning sun burst forth, a stroll around its barricade is interesting to the mind, and invigorating to the body. I have frequendy paused la Jan.] PROJECTED CANAL, 239 my early rambles, and fancied, as I gazed on the threshold , of some protrading tower, that I saw the insatiate Pizarro brandishing his sword, while the whole train of Kotzebue's and Sheridan's creation passed before me like the fevered visions of Macbeth. My rhetoric cannot charm you, for I write under peculiar excitement. " I am now in the guard-house. Oh ! for a Latin quotation ! I have no book to glean one from. I am here a prisoner, for faUing to show, or rather to obtain, a passport. Life has a charm it never before pos sessed, for I was never before sensible of holding it by so precarious a tenure. Immured in a prison, with a constitution peculiarly liable to the prevailing fever ! To die far from home — ^in a strange place — among strangers, I had alniost said among savages ! — to tread the gloomy path alone — unsupported, uncheered by the soothing accents of friendship and affection ! I would quote Shakspeare, but wiU not trespass. I have actually written my own requiem. How did you feel in Dartmoor prison? I pause not for a reply. " Once more I am free, and may pursue my business, I am quartered with the somewhat celebrated Colonel Kirkland, projector of the canal to unite the two oceans. He is a very intelligent man, but does not appear (as I apprehend) to entertain correct views I'elative to the ar rangement of the project. He discards, in toto, the idea of a canal across this section of the isthmus. His location is easterly^ — com mencing at the Atrato, on the Caribbean, or Atlantic side, and con necting it with St. Juan, which empties into the Pacific. This would be aU very well, if ship navigation were admissible : but even steam- lioats would find it difficult. Humboldt says ihat at extraordinary seasons both rivers have been conjoined, and thus the Atlantic and the Pacific have been oft united. What shall I say, who am totally igno rant of this matter, excepting that I cannot imagine a ship-channel across the isthmus impracticable ? Far better were it to clear the ob structions of San Juan Costa Rica, and through the picturesque lakes of Grenada and Leon find our way to the lordly Pacific, If there be not a ship-channel, St, Juan and Grenada wUl ultimately command a preference — an unavoidable preference. "Much speculation has been afloat as to the relative height of the two seas. For my part, I can offer nothing scientifically, as you well know. I can and wUl, however, modesdy suggest that the regular trade-winds cause a heaping of the waters in the Carilbean archipelago, from which emanates the Gulf Stream torrent. The reaction from the Bay of Mexico and the quiet of the peninsula of Yucatan compared with the sweep around Cape Antonio and the dangerous Cordilleras ; the powerful eddy in-shore from the point of Yucatan to St, Martha— an eddy so strong that our fleet litde bark with difficulty stemmed it — all combine to satisfy me that the water there is constantly beyond its level. If it be so, a canal cut sufficiendy deep would probably be prodilctiye of the most astonishing consequences. The Bahamas it would hot be necessary to cross in our voyaging : indeed it would probably be unpraid^Ke ; for if the water in the Caribbean be higher 240 PANAiMA— AN EARTHQUAKE. [1826. than that of the Pacific, it would naturally take its course to that ocean, wearing for hself a channel diat might effectually divide die continent, and render a passage to the Indies as faode, as safe, more pleasant, and nearly as brief, as almost any other foreign voyage. " I think a canal might be dug paraUel to the river, and near its banks as far as Cruces, and thence continued on the Pizarro Road. The mountains back of Panaraa, the lowest of the chain of the Andes, would not, 1 think, offer a formidable barrier — die road at present half-circles the base of one of them, and the canal might follow its track. Kirkland does not agree with me in my views, although he offers nothing decidedly in confutation. He has appUed to Congress for a charter, with exclusive privileges for one hundred years ; they object to the tirae, and he is now awaiting an answer from Bolivar, who by the last accounts had triumphandy entered Pasto. Peru's independence is now considered secure. " I did not mean thus to attenuate. It raust be my garrality ; for on reviewing the preceduig, 1 find I have offered merdy an adumbration of that which I conceived, and doubdess correctly. It could have been fully embraced in half the space. It may reach you, however, at a period when it wUl not be unacceptable ; for at this moment the dullest correspondent that ever taxed rae would be welcome in a closrfy- written treble post-foUo sheet. Yesterday I accompanied a party to visit the ruins of the former town. We embarked in the boat of an English schooner, but although we were on the waters of the Pacific, the surf was too unraly to permit our landing. The town was de stroyed by an earthquake, and the appearance of the rains gave indi cation of fearful violence. "The mosquitoes here are very annoying; I have not yet pro cured a net, and find it almost impossible to sleep. Last night, or rather this morning, 1 was fairly wearied into slumber, imo which I had just sunk when the captain alarmed me. ' Did you not hear it V — ' Hear what V said I, vexed at the interruption of an enjoyment obtauied through so much difficulty ; ' the car raiding o'er the stony street?' — * No, the earthquake.' — I had heard and felt nothing. He said there had been two very severe shocks, and the tlurd would likely prove more so. 1 arose and went into the large hall where Kirkland and all in sleeping costume were assembled. What a group for a painter ! " The boldest held his bre-ath for a while. Sorae time elapsed, the shock was not repeated, and we dispersed. Just as I h-ad adjusted myself for Somnus, I experienced a slight easy undulation of my couch, which I cap compare only to the gende rockuig of a cradle by a mother, in whieft lay her infant invalid. It was the last shock of the leveller whose niysterious visitings quail the stoutest heart, " I learned this morning that the large square was completely filled by the panic-struck inhabitants when the shock w^as ielt. They scarcely ever think about their liability to such visitations, but when they come are filled with dread. And how can it be odierwise? When die 'sound and firm-set eai-th' totters beneath us, we gaze upon the lofty towers of our vain creation, no^ the pride with which we surveyed them is turned into a fearful, hqajtiblft apprehension, that Jan.] CITY AND BAY OF PANAMA. 241 even at the moment their unsightly ruins may hide the mangled re mams of our humanity. In the most fearful storm at sea, with the fraUest bark, and on a lee iron-bound shore, hope will hover, and ex ertion in a degree divert the raind, however despairing ; but when the earthquake sends forth its premonitions, hope departs. The only guardian which remains is quiet, humble resignation ; and in what beautiful relief she appears amid the appalling extravagance of fear and despafr ! " Last Sunday I took a walk with Kirkland to spend an hour at a little vUla about half a mile from the gates of the city. We were en countered by a sudden shower, and seeldng refuge, were ushered into a cock-pit : aU was life and bustle. A padre, who assisted at mass, arrayed in his sacerdotal garb, .with a fowl under his arm, manifested the deepest interest. I never witnessed any thing of the kind before, and assuredly did. not rejoice at the necessity by which I was thus enUghtened. " The vUla of which I spoke is not only beautifully but romantically situated. It is offered to me very low, and I think of purchasmg it, and despatch the vessel home, in order to avaU of the immense ad vantages which at present offer in this unknown and interesting region. The site of the viUa or cottage is beautiful, being on the brow of a gendy sloping hUl, which abruptly terminates at the base of a moun tain. The house is buUt with care, and replete with convenience. The grounds are terraced to thefr termination, forming a series of aqueducts or reservoirs, which serve to irrigate a sod unsurpassed in fertiUty. On the left an arra of the bay penetrates — but I think gulf the most appropriate term — ^for this arm of which I speak is in itself a bay of imposing magnitude, and of more than imposing magnificence; for when surveying it, I was transported home. " I was gazing on our own magnificent bay — ay, there they lay, Staten Island in protective majesty. Governor's Island in picturesque prommency, with EUis's and Bedlow's imbedded at due distance, only reposmg in more quiet beauty. The simUitude is fully equal to that which you raay have noticed on entering the harbour of* Charleston. The Astley and Cooper rivers and the fort on the litde sandy island, together with the appearance of the quay, are perfectly typical of New- York ; much more so, however, does tliis arm of the bay resemble it. I need not tell you with what interest I looked, while the fireside (although I was dear the equator), by the talisman of imagination, greeted my vision, surrounded by objects never so dear to affection, and certainly never before so highly appreciated. If I purchase this place, I fear my correspondence will be strongly tinctured with the senti mental, if not become mawkish. " There is much more that has struck me in a desultory way which I would fain communicate ; but, fortunately for you, neither time nor room admit. " The population of Panama is variously estimated. Embracing the suburbs, which are populous, it is stated to be from 10 to 30,000 ; I think the trath wiU be found to Ue between. The churches are large and handsomely ornamented. The cathedral can comfortably accom- Q 242 CITY AND BAY OF PANAMA [1824. modate in its area any three of our churches which could be selected. " The streets are paved, and are remarkably cleanly. It is a pleasure to promenade thera in the cool of the day, particularly as your well- bred native invariably extends to the stranger on passing the most courteous and withal graceful salutation. I am true breed, awkward, and diflident, but anxious to observe and conform to etiquette. I know not what would be the behaviour, or rather how it would be viewed, of some of our countryraen when offering or receiving the light of a segar frora a courdy don or equally polite signor. In the action of tendering and receiving a segar, simple, even vulgar, as some may consider it, they add a charm to grace itself " You must of course know the latitude and longitude of the place, but as it wUl take only a line I wUl give it : 8° 58' north latitude, longitude 79° 37' west. " I would give you an idea of the pearl-fishery here, but must defer it. It is being extensively carried on, and is likely to become a source of wealth. I am informed that the pearls obtained here surpass m form and brilliancy the oriental. " The tide rises and falls some twenty feet, and the appearance of the bay at high aud low water varies so much as entfrely to change its aspect. Flats which extend several miles into the gulf are alter nately covered and bare at high and low water. Vessels cannot ap proach the quay in consequence, and the cargoes are discharged at high water in flat-bottomed lighters. The roadstead is exposed to violent north winds, but the anchorage is safe. The commerce is not what it was, but it raust ultimately be great. The whole coast of CaUfornia and St. Bias, abounding in hides, cochineal, and indigo, the cost of which is extremely Jow, presents a fine market for our cottons, affording a profit beyond any thing in my coraraercial experience. Jamaica has been vastly benefited; its contiguity and its colonial facul ties give it important advantages. The English have fuUy avaUed themselves of the opportunities for advantageous commerce which have occurred along the whole line of this almost boundless coast. We however are likely to participate, and largely. An imraense fortune to your humble servant is within reach, if favoured with health. " 1 will address you again ere I leave, and without requesting any extension of courtesy to this imperfect epistle, I am most truly yours, " John J. Adams." Jan.] SURRENDER OF CALLAO. 243^ CHAPTER IX. Sarrendet of tbe Castles of CaUao, by General Rodil, to the Patriots— Dreadfuf Effects of the Siege — General QuintaniUa surrenders the Island of Chiloe — Visit the Ruins of Pachamcamac, a magnificent Temple of the Sun — Homeward- bound — Strait of Magellan — Two Excursions into the Interior — Entertained by a Tribe of Patagonians — Their Stature and Hospitality — Human Skeletons of a gigantic Size — Touch at the Falkland Islands — A fruitless Search for Island Grande — Arrive at New-York. JnsT as we were entering the roadstead of ChorUlos, on the 24di of January, 1826, CaUao and its castles, which had been so l6ng and BO desperately defended by the gallant RodU, were surrendered to the- patriots by capitulation. The Spanish flag had given place to that of the Peravian republic ; the gates were thrown open, salutes were fired^ and every thing betokened triumph and rejoicing on the part of the patriots. Not so with the skeleton of a garrison which marched out as prisoners of war, although the terms of capitulation which their gaUant commander obtained for them were highly favourable. Only three hundred shadows of men remained of three thousand who occu pied the fortress a short time previous to the commencement of the blockade. They were conquered by famine alone, and displayed through the whole siege a Spartan-like heroism worthy of a better cause. I have already stated that the independence of Upper and Lower Peru had been accomplished by the decisive victory of Ayacucho, the result of a desperate battle which was fought on the 9th of December, 1824. General Rodd, who coraraanded the casdes of Callao, it will be recollected, refused to surrender according to the articles of capitu lation, but obstinately defended thera for upwards of a year. Being well supplied with stores and araraunition, he rejected every proposal for surrender, and the place continued to be closely invested by sea and land, and was declared by proclaraation to be in a state of rigorous blockade when I entered it in the Tartar, as mentioned in Chapter III. ! In the mean time all the foreign shipping on the coast sustained much inconvenience for the want of the fine bay of Callao ; being obliged., during the continuance of the siege to discharge thar cargoes in the. open roadstead of ChoriUos, a few miles farther south. Offers of mediation, therefore, were made by the officers of the British squadron on the station, but to no purpose. RodU still persisted in maintaining. the castles without any possible benefit to his country. The Peruvians were therefore obliged still to keep up a large force before CaUao, at an immense expense, assisted by a ChUian and Colombian squadron. At length, after sustaining a rigorous siege for raore than a year, and being reduced to absolute faraine, Rodil was compelled to capitulate to the Colombian forces, commanded by General Salon, who had been assisting the Peravians in drivmg the troops of Old Spain from the country. At the time of surrender Callao was literally in a state of Q2 344 SURRENDER OF CALLAO. [1826. ruin, presenting the most horrid spectacle I ever beheld. A great pm of the town was levelled to the ground, and every house left standing was more or less injured. Unburied dead bodies of those who perished by faraine or by gun-shots were found in the houses, and lay scattered about the streets. Among the persons of note who perished here were the Marquis of Torre Tagle and nearly all the members of his numerous famUy. He had abandoned the repubUcan cause, and took refuge in CaUao. WhUe president of Peru the government had presented to him a medal valued at thirty thousand dollars ; and this he had offered to Rodil, during the siege, for a half-barrel of beef and a small quantity of rice ! The sufferings of the besieged can scarcely be conceived. The horses and mules which they were compeUed to kiU to prevent thefr dymg of starvation were sold to the inhabitants at the enormous price of seventeen dollars a pound. A single fowl has sold for eighty doUars, and ship-biscuit at eight dollars a piece. At the time of the surrender there was not a dog or a cat to be found in the place ; aU had been eaten by the inhabitants, with as many rats as they could catch. At the commencement of the siege there were fifteen hundred troops in the castles, and four thousand five hundred inhabitants in the town. At the surrender there were but three hundred troops and five hundred inhabitants. Thus out of six thousand souls there were but eight hundred left ! This event was the extinction of the power of Old Spain on the continent of America, The flag of Ferdinand now no longer floated over one solitary spot between the Sabine River and Cape Hom. The island of ChUoe, as I afterward learned, had surrendered ten days pre-vious, after having been obstmately defended by the gaUant General QuintanUla, whose friendly and hospitable attentions rendered my visit to San Carlos so agreeable, in the month of November, 1824, as men tioned in Chapter II. An expedition under the command of Don Sunon Freire, supreme director of ChUi, succeeded iu this enterprise after a skirmish in which they lost sixteen kUled and seventy-eight wounded. When first summoned to surrender, the Spanish general made the fol lowing characteristic reply : " Government of Chiloe. " I know of no reason that ought to oblige me to faU in that duty which I owe to my king, the array, and inhabitants of tins prorince, who desire, as I do, an opportunity of showing, for the third time, to the army of Chili, that its attempts to subjugate us are vain, and there fore your excellency may spare menaces which you are in no condition to fulfil. " God preserve your excellency many years. "Antonio db QtriNTAinLLA. "Head-quarters de San Carlos de Chiloe, Jan. 11, 1826." A few days, however, convinced this faithful servant of Ferdinand that it would be a useless waste of lives and property to hold out against such a disparity of force : he therefore acceded to terms of Feb.] RUINS OF A TEMPLE OF THE SUN. 245 capitulation, and delivered to the patriots the batteries, cannon, arms, &c. Thus was the finishing stroke given to the fabric of South American independence, reared at the expense of so much suffering, blood, and treasure. May the people prove worthy of the blessing which their valour has achieved. Great rejoicings took place in Lima on the day that CaUao surren dered. I visited the city on the following day, and saw the royal troops, " the hardy gleanings of many a hapless fight," as they raarclied through the town. They were certainly the raost miserable, emaciated- looking men that my eyes had ever beheld. Thefr appearance drew many tears of sympathy from the bright eyes of the fair republican ladies of Lima. I caUed on Mr. Whitmore, of Providence, R. I., who wa« at that time a commission merchant in Lima, who made me acquainted with the foregoing particulars. I have lately understood that this worthy man has returned to the United States with an ample fortune. I can only say that he richly deserves it, and may he live to enjoy every blessing that honour, virtue, and wealth can bestow. My friend Mr. Whitmore told me several anecdotes respecting the irregularities of the ecclesiastics in Lima and other cities of Pera, which tended to confirm a previous impression I had entertained not very favourable to some individuals of that order,* February 1st. — On Wednesday, the 1st day of February, we found ourselves in readiness to put once more to sea ; and accordingly, at six, P, M., we got under way, and steered for the Pachamcamac Islands, which lie in latitude 12° 24' S,, between one mile and a half and two miles off-shore. These are several small islands or rocks, ranging in a line, and extending about two railes and a half nearly north-west and south-east. They are separated from each other by narrow channels, which have from fifteen to five fathoms of water ; whde close to them on the north there is a depth of thirty-five fathoras. Opposite these islands is the small village of Lurin, and a litde beyond it the beautiful and luxuriant valley of Pachamcaraac, celebrated for its pleasantness and fertUity, and still raore for a magnificent temple of the sun, buUt by the incas to the honour of their deity, the ruins of which are still standing. The Temple of Pachamcamac, which is the name of the Peruvian god, was the most costly and magnificent religious edifice in the whole country. It contained a golden image, representing, according to their * On Ihe 17th of February, 1833, a Peruvian gazette, caUed the " Mercurio Peruanio," published the following ordonnanee of the government, which will show the manner in which the supreme authorities deal with refractory priests in the city of Lima. It is also curious as an illustration of the state of society in Peru. " February 17(A.— The following ordonnanee was issued from the government office on the 10th instant, to M. L. Vidaurre, the ecclesiastical governor of the district : — " ' Senor— The government bas been scandalized at finding that the members of the religious brotherhood are abroad at all hours of the night, and that a considerable nuthber even sleep out of their cloisters, and constantly betake themselves to gaming and otlier improper houses. The gov ernment feels that those disorders, which they know to be merely tbe acts of individuals, will still give rise to very iiijurious impressions against those sacred institutions which have been established by men illustrious for their virtues and learning ; and it has accordingly resolved to suggest lo you s regulation which shall forbid any person in a religious habit to sleep outside tbe cloisters, on any pretence whatever, or to be seen in the streets after seven o'clock in the evening, otherwise tliey shall he conducted back to their convents by the police.' " 246 HOMEWARD-BOUND-MAGELL.\N'S STRAIT. 1836. notions, the Creator of the universe, surrounded by a dazzling glory, like the rays of the sun. This idol was held in such great veneration that no human eye except the priests' was suffered to behold it. Even the kings dared not look upon it, but entered the temple with their backs towards the altar, and came out again without darmg to turn about. Pizarro derived great riches from the Temple of Pachamcaraac, to the amount of nine hundred thousand ducats, although four hundred Indians had taken away as much as tliey could carry, and the Spanish soldiers had pillaged it before he came. The rains which stUl remain give a splendid idea of its original magnificence ; and from their appear- "ance I should infer that the temple had once been joined to the palace of an inca, and also to a kind of fortress, connected together so as to form one building full half a league in circumference. February 6th. — After examining all the islands on this part of the tjoast, I announced to my faithful crew that we should now steer for home, by the way of Magellan's Strait and the Falkland Islands. This information lighted up a smile of cheerfulness on every countenance. This was on Monday, the 6th of February ; the weather was pleasant, und the wind blew frora south-south-east. We shaped our course to the south and west, and continued steering in that direction, with fine fcreezes frora south-south-east, for twelve days, when we found our selves in latitude 31° 4' S., long. 87° 8' W, ; when we took calms, and light variable winds, whicli lasted for two days : after which we took strong breezes from south-south-east to west, with occasional foul ¦weather and squalls ; and these attended us untd we arrived at the •western entrance of the Strait of MageUan, which was on Saturday, March the 4th, 1826. March 5th. — On the followmg day, at 7, P. M., we came to an- •chor in a sraall bay, about five mUes to the north-east of Cape Froward, in four fathoms of water, clay bottom, about a quarter of a mUe off shore. At this place we lay several days, fiUing our water-casks, taking on board a supply of wood, making a newforeyardand sendmg it aloft, and attending to other necessary matters. In the mean time, I embraced this opportunity of makmg another excursion into the interior, for the purpose of explormg that part of the countiy, and satisfying myself further as to Us natural productions, I was accompanied on this occasion by the sarae inteUigent and worthy young men who attended me in ray former excursion, as mentioned in the previous voyage, viz, Messrs, Charies and WUliara Cox and John Simons. We proceeded in a north-west course, as nearly as the une qual face of the country would permit, and penetrated far mto the inte rior, along the base of the Southern Andes, I regret that I cannot give the particulars of this excursion hi detail, as ray rainutes were unfortunately lost. Let it suffice, therefore, diat we were absent four days, during which period we discovered several animal and vegetable productions which had escaped our observation ¦on the former occasion. We •xamined several species of timber, the names and quahties of which were unknown to us, but which exhibited a colour, texture, and grain admirably adapted to eleoant cabinet-work. March.] EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR. 347 We also encountered great numbers of guanacoes, but they were very shy. Our attention, however, was principally engrossed by minerals, whh which, I am convinced, these unexplored regions abound. I saw the most unequivocal indications of copper, lead, and iron, of which I brought home several specimens that were examined by some of our most scientific men, who pronounced them to be equal to any they had ever beheld. When we were about forty miles inland, in a north-west direction, we came to a perpendicular cliff, about one hundred feet in height, from which a mass of earth and rock had been detached to the height of about seventy-five feet, leaving a stratura of oyster-shells, cemented into a solid body, and corapletely petrified. With considerable difficulty, and sorae small hazard, I procured a small portion of this petrified mass, which I brought away with me, being only half a shell, and weighing fofur pounds and two ounces. This cliff was at least four thousand feet above the level of the sea. March 9th. — On our return to the Tartar we found her completely ready for sea, so dUigently had the crew laboured during our absence, under the direction and supermtendence of that worthy officer Mr. John Nichols, of Salem (Massachusetts), who now commands a ship in the East India trade, as he has done for several years past. I took this young man from before the mast, and made an officer of him, because his intelligence, fidelity, and uniform good conduct had convinced me that such a step would render him stUl more useful, and place him in a sphere more suitable to his talents. I was not deceived in my judg ment, and he carae horae first officer of the Tartar. He then went to Salem to see his friends, and there he found a " friend indeed" in Na thaniel SUsby, Esq., of that place, who has been for many years a senator for the state of Massachusetts. This enlightened statesman and noble philanthropist immediately gave my friend Nichols the com mand of a ship, with the laudable view of aiding his elevation in die world, and extending his sphere of usefulness. I would attempt to ex press my feelings on this subject, as regards Mr. SUsby, and many other worthies Uke him, with whom it has been my good fortune to become acquainted in the voyage of life ; but I fear that my unprac tised pen would instinctively run into a strain of adulation that is always offensive to modest merit. I therefore shall " let expressive sUence speak their praise." I March 10th. — On Friday, the 10th of March, we got under way at one, P, M., and sailed to the north-east, with a fresh breeze from west- north-west, and clear weather. At nine, P. M,, we anchored in front of the River St. Bartholomew, in three fathoms of water, two cables' length from the western shore. Here I again left the vessel in charge of my first officer, and with my former three companions made an ex cursion into the interior of Patagonia, as we all had a longing desire to have an interview with the natives before we left the strait, having heard and read so much of this gigantic race, as described by Magal- lianes, Byron, and others. Like raost of ray contemporaries, I have treated these accounts in a style of light burlesque or grave skepticism : not that I ever doubted 248 STATURE OF THE PATAGONIANS. [1826. that these navigators raight have seen men of six and a half, or even seven feet in height ; for many skeletons of Indians have been found in the western states of North America of a stiU greater length : but I wish to discountenance aU exaggerated accounts of foreign parts, which have a tendency to deter investigation and commercial enterprise. Hawkins, for instance, gravely cautions navigators to beware of the -natives on the coast of Magellan : — " They are cmel and treacherous," says he ; " and of so lofty a stature that several voyagers have caUed them giants." Such gratuitous and unnecessary cautions have been the principal cause that this interesting region has never yet been explored. From all I have seen, heard, and read on the subject, I have no doubt that the Patagonians were once (as sorae of them are now), the taUest race of men in the world. They were seen by Magalhanes and others a long time ago, and there seems to be a natural tendency in all ani mated nature to degenerate in size. Other countries have at a former period contained inhabitants of as gigantic a size as that imputed to the Patagonians three centuries ago ; but their descendants are now de generated by luxury, refinement, and intermarriages with others of a small stature. The Patagonians, separated from the rest of mankind, have not degenerated by luxury or refinement ; but there is no doubt that they have from oppression. From whatever stock they may have descended, they were doubtless once existing under more favourable circumstances than at present. They have been driven from the southern banks of the La Plata, and the pampas of eternal verdure, where they once grazed their flocks and herds, to the extreme southern verge of the continent, where they preferred to starve in free dom and independence, rather than become slaves to thefr remorseless and unprincipled invaders. They are now but the scattered fragments of a colossal fabric — the ruins of a pastoral nation. Though their minds have scorned to bend, it is not surprising if their bodies have degenerated in stature. One thing is certain, as I can assert it from my own observation and actual inspection,— there is just as strong testimony in favour of a former gigantic race in Patagonia as there is in favour of the former existence in our own country of a race of animals now known by the appellation of mararaoth. We have the bones, and even entire skele tons of this huge creature in our museums ; and I have seen m the interior of Patagonia the bones and entire skeletons of men who, when living, must have measured more than seven feet ra height. The tombs or sepulchres in which I found them -were covered with large heaps of stones, probably to prevent their being raolested by wild beasts. The position of these was uniformly the same, with the head to the east ; and I sincerely regret that after thus violating the sanctity of their final resting-place, I had not silenced skepticism by takmg pos session of one of these gigantic skeletons, mid brmging it to the United States. Such an acquisition to a museum would be a very suitable accompaniment to the mammoth, and such a one shall be exhibued if I ever visit Patagonia again. On the present occasion we proceeded into the country, on a west- March.] LEAVE MAGELLAN'S STRAIT. 249 by-north course, for about twenty-five mUes, travelling over an undu lating soil, well covered with grass and small shrubbery, but almost entirely destitute of trees. At the distance just mentioned, we came to a thick and heavy-timbered forest, which we found it necessary to approach with extreme caution, as it was evidendy tenanted by wild beasts, some of which we were aware, by certain unequivocal indica tions, were not of the most lamb-like propensities. The tracks of lions and tigers were easUy distinguished ; and we saw a great nuraber of foxes, deer, hares, guanacoes, nutrias, horses, and a few black-cattle. Ostriches were numerous, and every tree afforded lodgment to various kinds of birds, of exquisite plumage, some of which were pouring forth strains of the sweetest sylvan melody. Lead and copper ore we found in considerable quantities lying upon the surface of the earth, having been broken off from the projecting cliffs which overhung the beautiful valleys through which we passed. Petrified oyster-sheUs also presented themselves in the sides of several precipitous rocks, at a considerable distance above their base. But the most interesting incident of our excursion was an interview with the natives, who treated us in the most friendly and hospitable manner, although it was with extreme difficulty that we could make thera understand our meaning on any subject. As usual, they were all on horseback, men, women, and children, at the time we fell in with them, with large droves of guanacoes under their care ; but they soon dismounted, and made preparations for a repast, of which they invited us to partake. One of their number, who appeared very expert in the double office of butcher and cook, kUled a fine fat guanaco, and after dressing it in suitable manner, roasted it by a large fire which -was kin dled for the purpose. We all ate heartily of it, and pronounced it equal to the finest mutton we had ever tasted. The wool of these ani mals is equal to the best merino. These men were tall, and well proportioned. Several whom we measured stood six feet two inches, and six feet three inches ; one only was six feet four inches, and he was the tallest we saw. Their horse manship is equal to that of the ChUoteze, the Mamelukes, or any equestrians I have ever seen. A company of them in a New- York circus would soon secure the manager a fortune. Both sexes ride alike, and their dress is nearly the same, such as I have already de scribed in another place. On intimating our intention of departing, they poUtely furnished each of us a horse, and escorted us near to the vessel ; they then suddenly left us, as if under apprahensions of meet ing with a hostUe tribe, 'Phey were all armed with spears, bows and arrows, and the lasso. March 13th. — We arrived on board the Tartar on Monday, and at 9, P. M., we got under way, and steered for the eastern mouth of the strait, with a fi-esh breeze from west-south-west, and clear weather. On the following morning, at 7 o'clock, we passed Cape Virgin, and at 9, A. M., we took our departure therefrom, the cape bearing west-by- south, distant seven leagues. March 15th. — On Wednesday we arrived at the Falkland Islands ; and at 8, P. M., anchored in HaUett's Harbour, m four fathoms of 250 SEARCH FOR ISLE GRANDE— ST. PAUL'S ROCKS. [1826. water, clay bottom. On the following day, after taking on board one hundred and eighty-four geese, which had been shot by the crew, we got under way at 9, P. M., and once more shaped our course for " the land of the free and the home of the brave." With a fresh breeze from south-south-west, attended with light snow- squalls, we now shaped our course for the island of La Grande, said to have been seen by La Roche, in the year 1675. La Perouse, by order of the French government, afterward sought for this island with out success, as did also Vancouver and Colnett, by command of the British government. lia Roche places this island m lat. 43° 10' south, long. 31° 15' west, and describes it as having a good harbour on its eastern side ; as being very pleasant, abounding with wood and water, and having an abundance of fish around its shores. He tells us that it is moderately elevated, being about two thousand feet above the level of the sea, and about forty miles in circuraference. Although La Roche lay at anchor in the harbour on the east end of the island for six days, he saw no inhabitants. Although doubtful of its existence, I felt sufficiently in terested in the subject to spend a few days in search of this island. March 21st. — On Tuesday we were in lat. 44° 55' south, long. 35° 43' west. We now raade a due east course until our longitude was 30° 1 1' west ; when we stood to the north, lo latitude 44° 2' south ; and then to the west, in the last paraUel, imtU our longitude was 36° 7' west. This was on Saturday, the 25th. March 25th. — We now stood to the north, with a fine breeze from south-south-west, and fair weather, until we -were iulat. 43° 10' soudi, when we again stood to the east, keeping very nearly in the last- mentioned parallel, by the assistance of meridian altitudes of the planets, and double altitudes of the sun. March 27th. — We continued makmg a due east course uniU Mond-ay, when we were in lat. 43° 7' south, long. 28° 52' west. After running over all this ground, keeping two men at the mast-head aU the time, with fine clear weather, and a steady breeze from south-south-east to south-south-west, without nieeting with any indications of land, we came to the conclusion that La Roche's island of Grande was either a nonentity, or that it must have sunk since its discovery ; for if it had StUl been in existence, and within fifty miles of tbe location assigned to it, we raust have seen it. We therefore resolved to waste no more time in die fruitless search ; but bore up and steered to the north, with a strong breeze from south-west, and pleasant weather. April 2d. — On Sunday we took the south-east trade-w-inds, m lat. 27° 30' south, long. 28° 40' west, and pursued our course to the nordi. April 12th — On Wednesday, at 2, A. M., we crossed the equator in longitude 29° 0' west, and at 8, A. M., we passed withm about one- fourth of a raile of Penedo de San Pedro, or St. Paul's Rocks ; which are in lat. 0° 55' 30" north, long. 29° 16' west. These islands, as they are soraetiraes called, are nothmg more than a cluster of craggy rocks, about a quarter of a mile from north to south, and nearly the same from east to west. They are five in number, but only two of them are of much magnitude. They are entfrely destitute of vegeia- May.] ARRIVAL AT NEW-YORK, 351 tion, and present an aspect of the most dreary description, the sea roaring and surging against them on every side. The two largest are nearly connected with each other, thus forming a kind of harbour, or place of shelter, for a boat, on the north-west side, where it is some times practicable to land, if a few boobies and their eggs be consid ered a sufficient inducement ; and these can only be found in the month of November. Two small rocks lie ofi' to the south-south-west of the large ones, and another small one lies off to the north-east, all above water. The large rocks are about one hundred feet above the level of the sea, and may be seen at the distance of ten or twelve mdes, when they wUl appear, from nearly all points of the compass, like three sails. There are no dangers around them, more than one cable's length distance, that do not show themselves above water ; and fish may be caught here in abundance ; the fishermen may be caught likewise, if they are not on the look-out for the enormous sharks, which are very numerous among these rocks. The course of the current here is north-west-by-west, frora one to one and a half miles an hour, which is very apt to throw the navigator out of his reckoning, unless he be very particular in his astronomical observations. April 13th. — We now continued our course towards the United States ; and on Thursday lost the south-east trades in lat. 4° 15' north. For the two following days we had light variable winds, attended with heavy falls of rain. April I6th. — On Sunday we took the north-east trade-winds, in lat. 7° 45' north, long. 33° 27' west, which blew strong from north-north east to north-east-by-east, attended with pleasant weather, which con tinued for the remainder of the month. April 30th. — On Sraiday the north-east trade-winds left us in lat. 29° 30' north, long. 64° 20' west, and on the following day we took the wind from south-south-west, with fair weather, which lasted about twenty-four hours ; after which we had Ught variable winds and occa sional foul weather for the remainder of the voyage. May 8th. — On Monday we "arrived at the port of New- York, with a cargo of rising six thousand fur-seal skins ; and I had the satisfac tion of finding all my friends and relations in good health. Thus ends this journal of a voyage of twenty-one months and eighteen days ; during which I had suffered more botUly fatigue, and encountered more formidable dangers, than I had experienced in either of my former voyages. i Though many warm hearts bounded with joy to gi-eet my safe return, the reception I met with from my owners was, to my utter astonish ment, cold and repulsive. I had congratulated myself on having made such a voyage as would give satisfaction to all parties ; but to my ex treme mortification, soon discovered that my pleasing anticipations were not to be realized. The Tartar did not return laden with sUver and gold, and therefore all my tods and dangers, privations and hard ships, were counted as nothing. Is the pleasure of a safe retum to the bosom of my home always to be thus imbittered by some appalUng dis- 252 MORE DISAPPOINTMENTS. [1826. appointment ! Let me rather forget all my misfortunes in the deep caverns of the Antarctic Ocean. I could pursue this subject much further, but would not wilUngly obtrude my private griefs upon the patient reader, whom I now invite to accompany me on my third voyage, which did not take place until June, 1828, when I visited the coast of Africa. In the mean time, however, I made several trips to Europe, THIRD VOYAGE. TO THE SOUTH AND WEST COAST OF AFRICA. CHAPTER L The Schooner Antarctic, built expressly for this Voyage — Sails from New- York — ^Reflections on leaving Land — A vertical Sun — ^Arrive at the Cape Verd Islands — General Description of the Group — Island of St. Antonio, with its natural Productions — St. Lucia — St. Vincent — St. Nicholas — ^Natural Produc tions — Indolence and Slavery — ^A Peep at tbe Interior — Condition of the Slaves — The Influence of Music — Abundance of Fish — Island of Sal — Dreary Aspect of the Country — ^Arrive at the Island of Bonavista. From the high destiny which awaited the justly famed schooner Antarctic, in being the first visitant to a thickly peopled country, never before seen or heard of by civiUzed man, it may be inferred that her keel was laid under the auspices of some benign planet, whose in fluences are favourable to the progress of geographical science. What ever may be the reward or the fate of him who guided this gallant little vessel through the perilous and pathless regions of unexplored seas to a new world of coundess riches, nothmg shall deprive the beautiful Antarctic of her due share of honour and fame. Her fine-modeUed huU and keel of genuine American oak were the first that ever dis turbed the crystal waters and silver sands of this new-discovered archi pelago ; and her name shall be remembered with respect and gratitude by every future mariner who gathers up a cargo of the treasures which lie scattered, in boundless profusion, around the shores of these highly favoured islands-: treasures which are now unvalued by the natives, and unknown to the rest of mankind. ^ But under whatever auspices her keel might have been laid, the schooner Antarctic was buUt under my own dfrections and superintend ence, by Christian Bergh, Esq., of this city ; a first-rate ship-builder, a highly respected citizen, and a most worthy man. She was as fine a vessel of her class as ever floated on salt water, being only one hun dred and seventy-two tons burthen ; of an admirable model, and most completely rigged. The Antarctic was ovnied by Messrs. Christian Bergh & Co., Charles L. Livingston, and Captain WiUiam Skiddy ; and first rested on the bosom of her appropriate element on Saturday, the 31st day of May, 1828. 264 SAIL FROM NEW-YORK, p82a. They called her the Antarctic in compliment to myself, I being the only American shipmaster who had ever passed within that circle ; and also with reference to the future probability of her penetrating still farther towards the south pole. In fact, she was purposely adapted, in size, model, strength, speed, and equipment, for hazardous adventure and voyages of discovery. In twenty-two days from the time she was launched, the Antarctic was corapletely finished and ready for sea, being mostjiberally and bountifuUy supplied with every thing necessary for a voyage to the southem and western coast of Africa, to procure a cargo of the delicate furs, and such odier articles of luxury as those unexplored regions can furnish in unlimited profiision. 1 assumed the command of the Antarctic on the 24th of June, 1828. June 25th. — On Wednesday, the 25th of June, I went on board, at one, P. M,, where I found the pilot lying off and on. We im mediately proceeded down the bay, with a Ught breeze from south- south-west, and fair weather. At six, P. M,, we discharged the pilot, and at eight we took our departure from Sandy Hook Ught, bearing north-west, distant five leagues, wind as before. I thus commenced another voyage to distant regions, with a fine new substantial vessel, and a strong healthy crew of twenty-three active men, in whose faces the love of enterprise and the hope of bettering their circumstances had kindled the most animating smiles of cheerfiilness. We were em barked on what was then expected to be a two-years' voyage on the coast of Africa, in the South Seas, and in the South Pacific Ocean. But however animated and cheerful men maj' appear on such occa sions, could we look into the secret recesses of thefr bosoms, we should there find some acute feelings of the most touching chai-acter. As their native land recedes from view, and becoraes finaUy lost in the distant horizon, a feeling of desolation steals over the heart, which even the most active duties wUl not iraraediately dissipate. Country, famUy, friends, are all far behind ; while the thick veil which conceals the future is impervious to every thing but the rays of hope. In all human probability there are some individuals in every outward-bound ship's company who have gazed upon their native land for the last time ; and the heart of each instinctively asks, " Lord, is it I?" But were we even permitted to look so far into the future as to obtain satisfactory assurance of our own safe return, another question would immediately foUow of an interest equally intense : What ties of affection wUl be severed by deadi during our absence ? " For sailors, though they have their jokea, Still feel and think like oUicr folks." Many of my present crew were fine, active, noble-spfrited young men, of respectable famUies and connexions m the city of New-York They duly felt and appreciated the tender ties of affection and kindred They had parents, brothers, sisters, and some of them attachments of a StUl more interesting character ; and when I caught their eager coun tenances turned to the fast-receding heights of Neversmk, I respected the sentiment too much to throw any unnecessary check across its July-] STEER FOR THE CAPE VERD ISLANDS, " 266 current. I felt that there was a chord in my own bosom that vibrated in unison with theirs. Among my new recruits was a very interesting young man, named WUUam Ogden, whose age was a few months short of one-and-twenty. He shipped only the day before we saUed, and under circumstances, as I afterward learned, somewhat peculiar. He was a son of the late Benjarain Ogden, surgeon-dentist, and brother of the present Doctor Benjamin Ogden of the city of New- York. His amiable qualities soon gained and secured him the good-will of every man on board ; and I became imperceptibly so strongly attached to him that he seemed to me lUie a brother. But as I shall frequently have occasion to speak of hira in the course of this voyage, I shall now leave hira for the present, and attend to the tracing of our course from Sandy Hook light house to the Cape Verd Islands. We stretched far to the east, along the parallels of 37° and 36° north latitude, with variable winds and changeable weather, for more than a week, without the occurrence of any thing worthy of record. Our object was to make the Cape Verd Islands by the raost direct course the winds and weather would admit of, asvve were there to procure salt and other necessaries for the voyage. July 4th. — On Friday, the 4th of July, we were in latitude 36^ 0' north, long, 47° 30' west. This being tlie anniversary of our national independence, wo celebrated it in the usual nautical style, by displaying our stars and stripes, firing a federal salute, and makrag a few terape- rate libations to the goddess of Liberty. On the following day I com pleted the thirty-third year of my age. i July 16th. — On Wednesday, the 16th, we took the nordi-east trade-winds iu latitude 28° 30' N., long, 31° 0' W., which continued from north-east to east, attended with fair weather, for several days. We crossed the tropic of Cancer on the 18th, in long. 29° 0' W. July 20th. — On Sunday, the 20th, being in latitude 20° N., the sun was vertical at twelve, M,, the dediiiation and our latitude dif fering but two railes. At this tirae, in taking an observation, the sun nearly swept the horizon at all points of the compass, and no perpen dicular object produced a shadow. The thermometer at this time stood at 89°, and the temperature of the water was 80°. i It has been justly observed that " a vertical sun is as much a miracle to an extra-tropical inhabitant, as snow and ice to an inter-tropical one." It is certainly a wonderful sight, and yet it has become so famUiar to marmers that they seldom notice it at all, and scarcely ever in their journals. To be surrounded by solar beams, descending perpendicu larly upon your head — to tfe enveloped in a shroud of sunshine, clothed in a mantle of light, without a shadow or a visible sun untd you change your position — is a phenomenon of much sublimity to a phUosophic observer. "Your form no darkling shadow throws ! Upon the Teasel's dock." July 22i On Tuesday, the 22d, at one, P. M., we passed close along the north side of the islapd of St. Antomo, the most 256 CAPE VERDS, [1828. northern and western of the Cape Verd Islands. The centre of this island is in latitude 17° 4' N., long. 25° 23' W. ; and m clear weather it may be seen from a ship's deck at the distance of twenty- five leagues. This is not often the case, however, as hazy and cloudy weather generally prevails among these islands. Although the general appellation of " Cape Verd Islands" is fa mUiar to readers of all classes, I find that there are great numbers of people who are totally ignorant of their history, and even of their loca tion. For the information of such, I shall drop a few words before I proceed any further with my journal. The broadest part of that vast section of the globe called Africa extends from Cape Guardafui, on the east, to Cape Verd on the west, a dis tance of nearly four thousand six hundred miles ! Cape Verd points due west into the Atlantic Ocean, in latitude 14° 44' N., about one hundred and forty-five miles north-west of the mouth of the river Gam bia, and is of course the most westerly land of Africa. Cape Verd projects frora that part of Africa caUed Senegambia, renowned for Us inexhaustible fertUity of sod, as weU as for the ferocious perversity of the natives. Whether this cape has derived its name from its natural verdure, or, as some pretend, from a green marine vegetable that abounds in those waters, I cannot presume to determine ; at aU events, it has given its name to a group of islands lying about one himdred leagues westward of the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, between the fourteenth and eighteenth degrees of north latitude. These islands were first discovered by the Portuguese, in the year 1446. They are said to have been known to the ancients under the name of Gorgades ; but not visited by the modems tUl they were dis covered, in the year just mentioned, by Anthony Noel, a Genoese in the service of Portugal, and received their general name from their situation opposite Cape Verd. They are ten in number, besides islets and rocks, lying nearly in a semicircle. Their names are St. Antonio, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Branco, Raza, St. Nicholas, Sal, Bonavista, Mayo, St. Jago, Fuego, and Brava. Of aU these, St. Jago is die prmcipal. These islands are generally mountamous ; sorae of them are barren and uninhabUed ; others are very productive. Notwithstanding the droughts to which they are subject, their natural produce m cotton, indigo, fruits, salt, goat-skins, and turde oU, might give them a consider able value under a more ititelUgent government. Their actual popula tion is estimated at forty-two thousand souls. Tlie afr is hot and in salubrious, rain being very rare ; but a north-east breeze comraonly rises before four o'clock, P. M. The marine vegetable before alluded to, from which some say diese islands derive thefr name, is called by the Portuguese mar de sargasso, or sea-lentils ; it resembles watercresses in appearance, and produces a berry somewhat like the gooseberry. In some places it is so abundant as to impede the progress of vessels in their course. To the north of these islands, according to the best authorities, " the waters of the ocean disappear under a thick bed of seaweed, which, lUie a floating meadow, extends as far as the twenty-fifth parallel, and occupies a space of sixty July,] CAPE VERDS— ST, ANTONIO, 257 thousand square leagues ; frora which ships disengage themselves with difficulty. Other mafeses of seaweed are also seen in parts of the sea more to the north-west, between the tropic of Cancer and the Azores." Columbus, in his first voyage, passed through this marine meadow, to the no smaU alarm of his tiraid corapanions. As these islands lie several hundred mUes west from the continent, they are not subject to such intense heat as is experienced on the coast of Senegambia in the same latitude, which is caused by the east trade- winds arriving on this coast after having swept over the burning surface of Africa in all its breadth, of raore than four thousand miles. In thus passing over the sultry continent, the air acquires a great capacity for imbibing moisture ; and consequendy in continuing its progress west ward over the ocean to the Verd Islands, it becomes, in the dry season, saturated to the highest point, so that the least diminution of tempera ture causes it V6 deposite abundant vapour. Not only the highest peak of St. Antonio, -which has an elevation of more than seven thousand feet, but also the whole central ridge of hills on all the islands, down to two thousand feet, are generaUy enveloped in clouds, from ten o'clock in the morning until late in the evening. This humidity clothes the hiUs with thick pasture grass, giving to the country a feature en tirely unlooked for in so low a latitude. St. Antonio, being the most northern and western of the Cape Verd Islands, is often adopted as the point frora which ships take their departure when bound to different parts of the East Indies. Indeed, before the late improvements in nautical science, the perfection of chro nometers, and the use of lunar observations, it vvas highly necessary to make this or some other island of the group, in order to correct the ship's reckoning. At present, however, the making of land for this purpose is not considered essential, where the master has good instru ments on board, and understands the use of them, StUl St. Antonio raay be passed in sight, the island being to the eastward of the ship, without any apprehensions of delay frora calras or Ught winds, if the vessel does not come within twenty miles of the land. Ships bound from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, or by that route to the East Indies, generaUy take their departure frora one of the Cape Verd Islands, and then steer south-west, stretching over towards the coast of BrazU so as to cross the equator between the meridians of 28° and 30° west longitude. This apparently round-about course is adopted to avoid the tedious calms and adverse currents which con tinuaUy prevaU on the coast of GiJinea. For south»of the Cape de Verd Islands, " even along the meridians of these very islands, that part of the ocean must be traversed, so fatal to navigators, where long calms detain the ships under a sky charged with electric clouds, pouring down by turns torrents of rain and fire. This sea of thunder, bemg a focus of mortal diseases, is. avoided as much as possible both in ap proaching the coast of Africa and in seeking those of America,"* Though this western course involves the greatest distance, it always » Malte Bran. R 258 ST, ANTONIO— ST. VINCENT'S, [1828, , proves to be the shortest in thc end, as they who adopt it never lack westerly winds to waft them to the Cape of Good Hope. Tlie island of St. Antonio is about twenty-two mdes in length and - twelve wide, stretching frora north-east to south-west, and abounding with high mount-dins, whose tops are constandy covered with snow, and are generally hid in the clouds : sorae say they are equal in eleva tion to the Peak of Teneriffe. In approaching this island there are no dangers to be avoided ; the water is bold aU around it, and it may be circumnavigated with perfect safety a cable's length from the shore. There are several good anchoring places on the south and west sides of this island, where wood and water may be had with despatch. The town and custom-house, however, are on its northem extremity just within a narrow point of land that extends off to the north-west, and affords smooth landing for boats all the year roraid. Here may be procured, in great abundance, black-cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultry, by givuig one day's notice, together with vegetables and fruits of the finest growth and flavour, in any quantity, and at very moderate prices. The population of this island is estimated at about five hundred per sons, chiefiy negroes, under the protection of the Portuguese. The soil is good, well watered, and produces the indigo-plant, the dragon- tree, orange and leraon-trees ; palras, melons, bacovas, pomegranates, and the sugar-cane. The potato and the melon are particularly ex cellent, and much sought after by mariners. Topazes are found in abundance in one of the mountains, and Frizier assures us that there are mines of gold and silver in the island. From the mountains descend streams of excellent water, which render the land very fmitful. Sixteen miles south-east of the island just described is that of St. Vincent's, separated from it by a clear and navigable channel. It is ¦jibout thirteen miles in length from east to west, and eight in breadth, being about thirty in circumference. The land is generaUy elevated, except towards the' north-west, where it is low and sandy. On this side of the island, loaking towards St. Antonio, is a fine capacious bay, or road, called Porto Grande, with a rock in its centre i-ising from the water like a tower. This bay, which is about five mUes broad at its mouth, stretches far inland, where it is surrounded by high moun tains on every side, sheltering it from all winds, and rendering it one -of the safest harbours in aU the Cape Verd Islands, But it is not the most easy of access, in consequence of the impetuous -winds which frequently blow off tlie mountains along the coast, so as to endanger ships before they can secure a berdi widiin this peaceful haven. There •are several other bays on the south, south-west, and west sides of the island, where good anchorage may be obtained ; and these are gene rally selected by die Portuguese for landing thefr hides. Good fresh water may bo procured on this island by digging a litde depth into the sod of the vaUey, but the hills are totally destitute of it. Its bays abound with exceUent fish, and refreshments of various kinds may be procured with but Uttle difiiculty. Here also vessels may be suppUed with fuel of a good quality. Ten mdes east-by-south of St. Vhicent's is the island of St. Lucia, July.] ST. LUCL\— ST. NICHOLAS. 259 not more than eight miles in length from north-west to south-east, and about three in width. On the east side is a harbour, defended -by two small islands, which affords good shelter and anchorage, and on the south-west side are the ruins of a vUlage and a well of fresh water. Tlie land is considerably elevated, and quite barren. There are some rocky islets lying off its north-west end, but no dangers that extend ' more than one mile from the shore. Seventeen miles east-by-south from St. Lucia is the island of St. Nicholas, which is the most pleasant of the whole group. It is of frregular shape, with several concave sides and promontories projecting to almost every point of the compass. Its extreme length from east to west is about twenty-seven mUes, and its mean breadth for two-thirds of that distance, counting frora its eastem point, does not exceed five miles ; but here its southern side suddenly projects to the south, making the distance from its extreme north to hs extreme south point not less than fifteen mdes. This island, with its three neighbours just described, together with two islets called Branco and Raza, constitute a cluster by them selves in the north-west, while the others in the east, south-east, and south, form the segment of a circle, of which St. Nicholas is the centre. Branco and Raza are small barren islets; destitute of water and inhabitants. They are situated between St. Lucia and St, Nicholas, and there is no danger in sailing around or between them, half a mile from the shore. The island of St, Nicholas, from its peculiar shape, affords good and safe anchorage in several places. On the south-west concave side ef its western projection is Tarrafal Bay, and on the south-east con cave side of the same is St. George's Bay, On the southern side of its eastern extension is Fresh-water Bay. There is also another bay on its north-western extreraity called North-west Bay. The best and safest anchorage, however, is on the south-west and south-east sides of the island, in frora ten to five fathoras tjf water, sand and coral bot tom. Here refreshments raay be had in abundance, and generally at a moderate price, but not on as favourable terras as tliey can be obtained at St. Antonio. It is difiicult to procure water near the shore, but if a ship is in distress, it can be brought to the beach by the inhabitants on jackasses. We touched at the soutb-e-ast side of this island, where I landed, and after communicating with the proper authorities, I visited the interior and made some cursory observations on the physical knd moral con dition of the country ; the result of which was, that this island, were it in the possession of more industrious people, better governed, and prop erly cultivated by cheerful, active, and healthy freemen, instead of wretched, desponding, oppressed slaves, would become highly pro ductive of such staple articles as are adapted to its sod and climate, and a lucrative commerce would soon be the consequence. But as it is at present, and as it is long likely to be, the objects of industry are limited by the absolute wants of the islanders, producing just sufficient for their own consumption, and no more. The poor slaves are pining for freedom, and seize every opportimity R2 260 ST. NICHOLAS. [1828. of escaping on board the shipping which are continually stopping at the island. To guard against this loss of property, the strictest pre cautions are adopted by the planters, who do not allow the inhabitants the use of boats of any description, which arrangement gives to the island the appearance of a deserted spot in the ocean. As there is scarcely any thing exported from this island excepting goat-skins and archilla-weed, its sources of revenue are, of course, extremely limited. What litde money does enter is received either from ship-masters for refreshments, or frora Portugal in payment for the archiUa-weed, Or to defray the current expenses of the establishment. The latter itein, however, cannot amount to a very considerable sura, if all are paid in proportion to the governor's salary, which he assured me was only four hundred dollars a year. > In this island nature has not been niggardly of her favours. With proper cultivation its soU will produce, in great abundance, cotton, indigo, sugar, coffee, tamarinds, cocoanuts, bananas, plantains, cassavi, maize, pine-apples, figs, lemons, oranges, papaw, custard-apples, gnava, grapes, dates, &c. 'fhe sugar-cane is equal to that of the West Indies, and I have tasted and examined the sugar which they manufacmre for their own use, and found it excellent. The indigo plant thrives per fecdy well, and makes die of the first-rate quality, with whieh they die their cotton, and weave it into shawls for the women. I have drunk their coffee, sweetened with their own sugar, and found it to be equal to that of St. Domingo. They barely raise enough for home consump tion ; but with comraon skill and industry, the now uncultivated vaUeys might be covered widi cotton shrubs and coffee-trees. I saw many large tamarind-trees growing out of the fissures and crevices of almost naked rocks ; and frequently beheld the cocoanut, banana, plantain, and papaw-tree, growing on the edge of springs and in almost barren ground, where there was not three inches of soil. Nourished principally by water, they only want a foothold to support them, and they are certain to fiourish. Most of these springs that I passed were surrounded by females, nearly as naked as was the fafr Musidora when seen by her Damon, as " to the flood she rnsh'd." There is little or nothing like cuhivation seen anywhere, excepting in the glens or ravines which are watered by rUls from the mountains. In the upper and wider parts of the valleys I raet with plantations of Indian corn, cassavi, sugar-cane, and pine-apples. Cotton and indigo were also planted in sorae spots, but being neglected, 'a few plants only were to be seen, which run wUd. On the sides of brooks and springs grow luxuriantiy the fig, lemon, orange, papaw, custard-apple, guava, prickly-pear, and a few grape vines, besides the date, which grows in abundance in the sandy places. Here cocoanut-trees bear ripe fmit at the elevation of three hundred feet above the surface of the sea. On some spots of the elevated grassv hUls, roots and vege tables are cultivated with great success. I was also informed that wheat succeeded very weU when sown in die dry plains in the rainy season, as does rice in the lowest and wettest grounds. But as these islands are supplied with com from America in return for salt and mules, die indolent inhabitants pay but Utde attention to its cultivation. fJuly.] ST. NICHOLAS. 261 During my interior excursion I strolled into the very heart of the country, where I saw the wretched negroes watchuig the plantations Iof thefr unfeeling oppressors, and tending a few cows and sTieep. jThey received me with a civUity bordering on servUity,and in return I bought some fruit and vegetables of them, with part of their poultry and all the eggs they had to dispose of. Thefr huts are of very simple construction, and stUl more simply furnished. The females of the household have a recess for their use, enclosed with the branches of the date-tree. Their bedsteads are constructed by driving four up right stakes into die clay floor, to which are attached transverse sticks for the bottom, the whole covered with a mat or blanket. A large wooden box also serves the double purpose of a table and couch. The rest of the fumitiu-e consists of a wooden mortar to pound thefr Indian com, a clay pot to boil it in, some gourds for holding milk and water, and a few wooden spoons. This is a complete mventory of their domestic utensUs. Every domicd, however, can boast of at least two musical instru ments, a fact that would be quoted as a strong symptom of luxury in the family of a New-England farmer. Music, it seems, can alleviate even the pangs caused by the gaUing fetters of slavery. The discordant clanking of their chains can be occasionally lost in the animating roll of the " doubling dmra," accompanied by the lively tones of the guitar. Each of these instruments is found in the hut of every slave. The former is made of a hollow log, covered with a kind of parchment of their own make ; and the latter is a rude sort of lyre with only three strings. But mde as these instruments are, they possess the magical power of charming the sable hearer into a total forgetfulness of his degradation and his sorrows. In dancing to their animating sounds he forgets that he is a slave, and is happier far than the heartless op pressor who lives in idleness by the sweat of the negro's face. Itis thus that " Heaven tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," and pours consolation into the bitterest cup of human misery. From the little opportunity 1 had of making observations and uiqui- ries, I should mfer that the island df St. Nicholas is not over-abundandy supplied with birds, either as to species or numbers. We saw several large birds of prey, one of which was a fishing eagle comraon to all these islands ; another was ash-coloured, of a large size, seen only on shore ; and a third, which I shot on shore, nearly resembled the spar row-hawk. The small birds, of which I shot speamens, were the following : a fine kingfisher, a common quaU, a sparrow nearly resem bling the American, a bird simUar to the EngUsh lark, and a small singing-bird of unknown species. 1 also saw guinea-fowl, but they were too wild to be shot. The waters in the bays on every side of this island abound with fish, vv'hieh raay be caught whh seines in almost " miraculous draughts." I saw nine species of fish that are common at this island, viz. black- fish, gray mullet, skipjacks, bonatoes, porgy, the young white shark, a kind of rock cod, and a fish that is not common in this country, of a large size, between the drum-fish and the streaked bass. Although the inhabitants are the most rigid Catholics, they seem to make fish a very '202 CAPE VERDS— SAL. [1828- smaU portion of their general food. We caught an immense number; and, according to custom, received a broad hint to send the governor a mess,' which we did, with many apologies for our ignor-ance of the etiquette proper on such occasions. . , . July 23rf.— We left St. Nicholas on Wednesday evening, the 23d of July, at seven, P. M., with a fine breeze from north-by-east, and on the following morning, at four o'clock, were close in with the island of Sal, and anchored in Mordefra Bay, in six fathoms water, sandy bot tom. This in mv opinion is the best harbour among the whole group of the Cape Verd Islands. The anchorage is m lat. 16° 42' north, long. 22° 54' west. The island of Sal, which lies about twenty leagues eastward of St. Nicholas, derives its name from its great number of salt-ponds, and the vast quantity of salt that is manufactured from their waters, which are continuallv replenished from the rising of the sea. Tliis water, when properly exposed to the sun, crystaUizes into a beautiflil salt, which is the staple commodity of the island. If the manufacture were properly attended to, this single island would be sufiicient to supply all the United States for a century to come. This island is a litde more than forty mdes in circumference, and lies about three hundred mdes from the coast of Africa. It is of an oblong shape, extending north and south, something less than twenty mUes in length, and perhaps eight or ten in breadth. It forms die north-east point of the semicircular range before mentioned, and be longs to the governor of Bonavista, a wealthy Portuguese, named Don Martinez, who has been at vast expense in cutting a road through the mountain, from the salt-pans on the east side of the island, to the bay or harbour of Mordeira on the west side, where ships may lie in per fect safety, and take on board their cargoes of salt, which is of the best quality produced among these islands. The island is high and bold ; rising in two peaks, which in clear weather may be seen from a ship's deck at the distance of fifteen leagues. The easternmost peak is the highest, and the land between them being low, they appear lUce two separate islands when seen at a distance frora the north or south. On approaching it nearer we find that die irregularity of its shores produces raany promontories, pomts, bays, &c., among which are the foUow-ing : North Pomt, which ex presses its appropriate location ; Martinez Point, a few mdes south east of the former ; fifteen miles farther south is East Point ; the south-eastern extremity of the island is caUed Wreck Point, near which the Erne was wrecked in 1819; a few miles farther west is South Point ; farther north, on the western side, is Turtle Point ; then comes Mordeira Bay, where we lay at anchor ; north of this is a promontory called the Lion's Head, off which lies Bird Island ; still farther north is Palmira Point and Bay ; on the north-west is Manuel Point ; and Horn Point projects about half-way between the latter and North Point, " the place of beginning." July 24th. — At 6 o'clock in the morning, I started on an excursion over the mount-ain, in search of the agent to whom aU applications must be made for purchasing salt. As respects business, however, my July.] CAPE VERDS— SAL— BONAVISTA. 263 journey was fruitless, as the raan had gone to Bonavista, an island farther south. But I did not regret the ride, as it afibrded rae an op portunity of becoming better acquainted with the interior of this barren country, and die following is the result of my observations : — Towards the seashore the island presents the most forbidding aspect, every feature bearing the impress of hopeless sterUit)'. Here some mighty convulsion of nature has piled matter upon matter, in what may be termed a " regular confusion." The two prominent forms are generally those of platforms, or table-lands, which arc perpendicu lar as a wall on one side, and level with the neighbouring land on the other ; with series of perfecdy conical hillocks, diminishing in size by regular gradations. Over the interior of the island are scattered, vast frregular masses, forming shapeless mountains, and long serrated or in dented outlines. The whole of the elevated grounds vv'hieh I passed over are covered with loose blocks of stone, basalt, lava, and otlier volcanic productions ; and the beds of the numerous torrents, which were now entirely dry, exhibited a covering of black basaltic sand. I have there fore no doubt that this island, like all the rest on the westem coast'of^ Africa, is of a submarine volcanic origin, and mostly of the basaltic" formation. The only animals I saw were a few goats, asses, and ponies. The only vegetation which this island produces consists of about a dozen kinds of shrabs, and a few melancholy date-trees, useful only for thefr long branches, as their fruit never comes to perfection. The mimosa, or sensitive-plant is also found here, scattered thinly about in certain places, apparently " out of its element." The few vegetables that I raet with were completely burnt up for the want of moisture ; as, with the exception of a spring in the centre of the island, not a drop of fresh water cheered ray eye or cooled my lips, during this sterd and fmidess excursion. - I was glad to retum to the Antarctic, and get under way for Bonavista, which we did at 1, P.M., with a fine breeze from north-east, and fair weather. At half-past 4, P. M., we came to anchor in English Road, or Bona- -rista harbour, in three fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom. This anchorage is in latitude 16° 10' north, long. 22° 53' west. 264 CAPE VERDS— BONAVISTA [1828. CHAPTER II. Island of Bonavista — Town and Harbour — Interview with the Governor — The Art of Begging illustrated — View of the Islimd — Natural Productions — Sail ing Directions — The Leton Roclts — Island of Mayo — St. Jago, or Santiago^ Port Praya — Breakfast with the Captain-general — A walk with the Ladies — A Peep at the Country — View the Fortifications — Military Establishment — A Dinner-party — Bay and Anchorage — Volcano of Fogo, or Fuego — Island of Brava — Imaginary Dangers. In approaching the island of Bonavista, or Buena-vista, it presents a beautiful appearance to the eye of the tasteful and scientific voyageur ; and to this circumstance it owes its imposing appeUation, It lies about nine leagues south of Sal, and a little more than seventy west from the "'coast of Africa. Its form is an irregular pentangular figure, with a diameter of about twenty miles. The surface of this island is low to wards the sea, but the interior is considerably elevated and hiUy, par ticularly towards its north-east extremity, where there is a lofty emi nence, which, from its conical and trancated shape, appears to have once been a volcano. Towards the south-west there is another hifl still raore elevated, to the westward of which the land is quite high. The island is known at a distance by several white banks on its north side, where the shore is bold, and where a rapid river discharges itself into the sea. The harbour in which we anchored is on the west side of the island, and is formed by a small island which shelters the northern extremity of the English Road or bay. The anchorage is between this smdl island and the mainland of Bonavista, a little south of die town or village. In going in to the anchorage w-e doubled close round the south point of Small Island, within about two cables' length from die shore, leaving a single rock to the south of the vessel, at the distance of about two hundred fathoms. There is only eight feet of water on this rock at low tide, and the sea breaks on it in rough weather. There is a flag-staff on Sraall Island, which we brought to bear north-north west, and were then within the sunken rock before mentioned. Here we had the choice of anchorage in frora seven to four fathoms of water ; but as it is best to be as near the east side of the island and the town as possible, we anchored in three fadioms, as before stated. Vessels should never attempt to pass on the north side of Small Island, as there is a sand-spit runs from it to the main island, iu a due east direction. The town, which has a sandy foundation, consists of two rows of hovels, constructed of stone and mud. These are thatched with branches of the date-tree and a long coarse grass, and are chiefly in habited by negroes, who have little about them that indicates comfort or economy. This description, however, does not -include eight or ten July.] BONAVISTA, 265 houses, of a better sort, belonging to the governor and his subordinate oiScers. Those are plastered and whitewashed, and present a decent cheerful appearance. There is also an edifice of a barn-like appear ance, without spire or ornament, which they call a church. The only indications of domestic trade are two or three mean-looking shops, containing an " unassorted assortment" of miscellaneous articles, among which I observed various kinds of American cotton goods, and English earthenware, together with hats, shoes, &c. of Portuguese fabric. It was 5, P. M., when I went on shore, and a negro sentinel con ducted me to die governor's residence. 1 found his excellency at din ner with a famUy cfrcle, consisting of his wife, two daughters, several fat monks, and two or three officers. The honour of my visit was totaUy unexpected, as appeared by the ladies (brunettes of the half- caste) being in their dishabilles, and making a precipitate retreat from my presence. Whether each fair one's " tunic" was of " the finest lawn," 1 had no opportunity of ascertaining ; but I did ascertain that their lovely limbs were unrestrained by any thing but chemise and pet ticoat ; those are temptations, however, which seamen must learn to encounter with cool indifference, or they would be in hot water too often. I made some commonplace apology for my abrupt intrusion, as the ladies retreated in evident confusion ; but they soon returned, richly attfred, and performed the rites of hospitality with an ease, grace, and dignitj- of deportment that quite charmed me. His exceUency, who is no other than the wealthy Portuguese alluded to in the last chapter, Don Martinez, proprietor of the island of Sal and a considerable part of Bonavista, speaks very good English, and was very solicitous to render my situation agreeable. On learning my business, he requested that I would aUow him the pleasure of procur ing the salt for me, at the same time taldng no Uttle pains to convince me that he was influenced by no interested motives in thus tendering his services. To these asseverations I of course made the requisite responses, and ordered one thousand bushels of salt. This order the governor handed over to the captain of the port, who wears the naval imiform of Portugal, and is one of the most insinuating and persever ing beggars I ever met with. As a specimen of the manner in which he pursues his vocation take the foUowing ; for 1 understand he never varies in the process : Knowing the weak side of Jonathan, he comraences his attack by a fuU volley of encomiuras on the American nation, and especially on the liberality of her citizens, and most particularly on the gentlemanly deportment and noble' generosity of her ship-masters. Before the be sieged can have time to recover frora the shock of this sudden and un expected assault, the archery of black laughing eyes are brought to the charge, and pour a shower of poisoned darts into the very heart of the fortress. In plain English, his wife desired him to ask the generous captain if he ca\Ad..sell her daughters some butter, as they were ex tremely fond of American butter, and preferred it to that of every other nation. To be surev he had rebuked his better half for making such a proposition, as American officers would be highly offended at the bare 266 CAPE VERDS. [1828. idea of selling any thing to a lady, they being m the habh of making them presents or compliments. If the citadel does not yet surrender, preparations are made to carry- it by storm, and for this purpose a reinforcement of infantry assaU it with sraall-arras on several sides at once. His daughter Louisa is very partial to American cider; IsabeUa prefers porter; whde Maria, the youngest, a bewitching Utde gipsy of sixteen, would give any thing in the world for sorae American cheese and fmit ; but their mother thought that no other part of the world produced such excellent flour as the United States. If the garrison slid hold out, such flattering terms of accoraraodation are proposed as generaUy throw them off their guard ; like the following : " WUl you have the goodness to walk up to the house with me, captain, and see my daughters ? they perform divinely on the guitar, and will be proud to arause you this evening by playing and singing." This ruse de guerre generally succeeds. The confiding garrison are drawn into an ambush, and compelled to surrender at discretion. Alas ! that beauty should bait the hooks of avarice and cupidity. The holiest sentiment of our nature is thus made a vassal to the meanest. In this place it may be properto remark, that all the gentlemen here have obtained a sufficient Itnowledge of the English language to hold a sprightly conversation ; and, indeed, there is scarcely a person of any respectability in the whole town who does not speak enough of this language for the purposes of bartering and begging. After taking my leave of the govemor and his famUy, I took a stroU through the town or vUlage, which is buUt on a sandy plain at the east side of the bay. I soon learned that no refreshments could be had at this place, nor does the island ever furnish any except they are first brought from the other islands in sraall drogers, for which they charge a high price. It is likewise difidcult to obtain fresh water here, ex cepting in small quantities, and that of a brackish flavour. No fuel suitable for nautical use can be had here at any price. Goats' flesh, milk, turde, and fish are the principal food of the inhabitants, but they have none to spare. The productions of Bonavista are salt, indigo, and cotton : die first is produced in great abundance on the north-west and eastern parts of the island in natural pans or ponds, where it crystaUizes'in the sun. These receptacles for sea-water are in the low valleys near the sea shore, and in the whole process nature receives very little aid from the hand of art. This salt, however, is not equal in quantity or quality to that which is produced on the island of Sal, a cargo of which wiU cost about six cents a bushel on board, while here at Bonavista it costs about six and a quarter cents ; and in taking a small quantity, it comes sorae what higher. The inhabitants convey it to the vessel by means of asses, which travel in troops of fifteen each, every troop being under the charge of a negro. The indigo, which grows widiout being cultivated, is gadiered by the inhabitants ; they have not the art of separating the die, and of making what is called the blue-stone in the southern section of the United States, but they satisfy themselves with bruising thc green July.] BONAVISTA. 267 leaves in a wooden mortar. They next make it into a kind of paste, of which they form round balls that are dried for use. This is not the process of preparing this beautiful die-stuff in our country. Here, thc leaves of the plant are laid in vats fidl of water, and left to ferment. The litjuor is then drawn off into anodier vat, and after having been well stirred up, it is drawn off, and what remains at the bottom is ex posed to the afr untU it is thoroughly dry, when it is fit for use. Though the cotton-tree grows naturally on the island of Bonavista, yet its culture is greatly neglected by the natives : they never think of collecting it tiU some vessel arrives to purchase it. But were it prop erly attended to, I believe they could every year furnish a cargo for a , large ship ; and I have been told that in some years, when it has failed in the other islands, it has been produced iu great abundance in Bonavista. But this island will never be distinguished for agricultural fecundity. The soil for the most part is sandy, barren, and uncultivated ; and though enjoymg the genial influence of a tropical sun, it must feel the more effective influence of industry and enterprise before it becomes productive. The sweat which falls from the brow of slavery scalds and blights the verdure which the dew-drops of heaven have brought into existence. The surface of the island is very uneven, comprising alternate hills and valleys ; and at the sea-board it has low points running into the sea. The southern and eastern part of this Lsland, in particular, is very low, and the shore is lined with reefs of coral, sorae of which lie three miles from the island to the eastward ; and oftentimes in the night, when the weather is hazy, a ship raight be on the reef before the land can be seen, on account of its being so very low on that side of the island. In 1831 my Vvorthy friend Captain Weatherby, of Liv erpool, lost a fine ship on the reef which lies off the east end of this island. He had his two daughters with him at the tirae. Her cargo was worth two hundred thousand dollars, destined for the Isle of France ; but it was all lost. Ships bound to the south, and passing to the eastward of Bonavista; in the night, shoidd never approach the island nearer than twenty inUes, as the currents, which set about west, frequently run, after a fresh trade, at the rate of two miles an hour. In the month of July I have known the current to set in a west direction, between the Isle of Mayo and Bonavista, at the rate of two and a half miles an hour. I would therefore advise ship-masters, in all cases, to pass to the west ward of the islands of Sal, Bonavista, Mayo, and the Leton Rocks, of which I shall speak presendy. A dangerous reef likewise lies off the western extremity of Bona vista, about three miles from the shore, covered by four feet of water. The sea breaks very heavy on the shoal part of this reef in rugged weather. There is a good passage, however, between the reef and the island, whh six fathoms of water, over a white coral bottom, which has a frightful appearance to such navigators as are not acquainted with coral reefs. Large ships, however, should always pass outside of the reef, giving the breakers a berth of two hundred fathoms, when 268 CAPE VERDS. [1828. they will have ten fathoms of water, and a clear passage to the anchor age of Bonavista, giving the reef that lies off the beach at Old Town a berth of one cable's length. The Cape Verd Islands, with respect to cUmate and vegetation, are more like lands of the temperate than those of the tropical zones, al though they are situated in the latter nearly in the middle of the north ern equinoctial belt. In the African country of Senegambia, which lies opposite, in the same latitude, the rains and the hottest seasons arrive together, and continue during the months of May, June, and July : but among these islands the rains do not set in untU the middle of August, and continue, with few intermissions, until January. When we arrived at Bonavista the dry season had commenced about six months ; and, as I have already stated, the hot winds from Africa, in crossing the water to the islands, become so highly charged with humidity that the least diminution of temperature causes an abimdance of vapours to be deposited on the islands. It is this moisture that reduces the mean temperature at Bonavista so much below that on the African coast. The thermometer on board the Antarctic, at twelve, M., stood at 74°, and in Bonavista town it stood cit 89°, on account of the wind blowing fresh from east-north-east. At Goree, a small island of Africa, near Cape Verd, subject to the French, the thermometer ranges between 88° and 100° from May till November; whUe at Senegal it is at 113°, and sometimes 131°. During the whole year, the smi at midday is insupportable. Slup-masters should be careful while lying at Bonavista to prevent their crews going on shore or sleeping on deck in the raonths of May, June, and July, as they are very liable to take the fever that is common among these islands at this season of the year. Officei-s also should make it a point of duty to see that thefr men avoid getting wet, as far as practicable, either from fresh or salt water, as such exposures are very apt to bring on tlie fever and ague. July 26th. — Having taken in our salt and arranged ray business with Don Martinez, without forgetting my friend the captain, together with his pretty wife and daughters, the word was given, " AU hands, un moor !" This was on Saturday, the 26th, at nine o'clock, A. M., when we got under way with a fine breeze from north-north-east, and pleas ant weather. We passed between the reef before mentioned and the west point of the island, with not less than six fathoms of water, and steered for the east point of St. Jago Island, with the intention of sight ing the Leton Rocks. July 27th. — At half-past twelve, P. M., on Sunday, we passed within a cable's length of that dangerous reef, on the western side of it, in ten fathoms of water, coral bottom. This reef is of an oblong shape, ex tending from north-north-east to somh-south-west, about one hmidred and fifty fathoms in length and nearly half that in breadth. On the shoalest part of this reef the water is not more than five or six feet -in depth, and it is very dangerous to approach in die night or in a thick atmosphere, as the sea does not break upon it except in rough weather. When we passed it, there was scarcely a roller ou the shoalest part, although we had a fine breeze from nordi-north-east. But die coral July.] LETON ROCKS— ST. JAGO. 269 bottom on the reef can be seen half a mile from the mast-head in clear weather, if it be not in the direction of the sun. The true situation of this reef is in latitude 15° 49' N., long. 23° 15' W. ; variation per azimuth 17° 35' westerly ; and the current, five mUes to the south of the rocks, \vas setting west-by-south, at the rate of eighteen mdes in twenty-four hours. On passing these rocks at an other time, 1 have found the current setting equally as strong in an east-north-east dfrection. It is therefore not surprising that the most skilful and cautious navigators are sometimes deceived by these rapid and incalculable changes of the current ; or that Captain Swanton, late commander of the honourable East India Company's ship Lady Bur gess, should run his vessel upon these rocks, which happened on the 19th of April, in the year 1806, at two o'clock, A. M., at which season of the year the currents are settuig here, from eighteen to twenty-four miles, east-north-east. It has been stated that there is another reef, lying to the northward of the Leton Rocks about five mdes ; but as I passed over the very spot in which it is said to be without seeing any appearance of shoal water, I am positive that there is no other danger near Bonavista and St. Jago than the reef of the Leton Rocks, which is sufficient of itself to keep every cautious mariner on his guard in passing it, as the force and direction of the currents are not to be depended on among these islands. From Leton Rocks we steered south-by-west half-west, until near the island of Mayo, when we ran for the east end of St. Jago. Ships should not approach the north end of the island of Mayo in the iiiglit, unless they are certain of thefr situation, as there is a very dangerous coral reef lying north-north-east from the northern extreraity of tbe island, about three miles off-shore. In passing this reef in 1829, 1 saw the wreck of an English brig upon it. There is no other danger around this island more than three hundred fathoms off-shore. The land is pretty high at the centre, uneven, and full of hills. It has good an chorage on the south-west side, in what is called English Roads, in from five to ten fathoms of water, in front of the town. The shore to the eastward of the town of Mayo is steep, bluff, and rocky ; but to the westward a low white sandy beach extends to what is called Salt-pan's Point, from which a spit of sand and coral stretches to the westward about two hundred fathoms. At a smaU distance far ther off-shore there is a depth of fifty fathoms. Ships should not an chor in more than ten fathoms in front of the town of Mayo, as the bank mns off very steep from fifteen fathoms. The north point of this island lies in latitude 15° 21' N., long. 23° 9' W. At eight, P. M., we carae to an anchor in Port Praya, island of St. Jago, in four fathoms of water, sandy bottora. This island lies about seventy mUes south-west-by-south from Bonavista, and ninety south- south-east from St. Nicholas. Its shape or figure on the charts re sembles that of an oyster, lying nearly in the position of north-west and south-east, forty miles in length and about twenty in breadth. Port Praya, on Us south-eastern end, is in latitude 14° 55' N., long. 23° 3L' W. Variation per azimuth 16° 48' westerly. 270 CAPE VERDS. [1828. St. Jago, or Santiago, Is the largest, the best cultivated, and the most fertUe of the Cape Verd Islands. It abounds, however, w^ith highj barren mountains, which may be seen in clear w-eather at a consider-' able distance. The south-east extremity of this island is a very long low point, and presents that appearance in approaching it from the north or south. Three or four mdes to the westward of this point is a bay, with a brown sandy beach ; and at the head of this bay are two or three houses and a grove of date-trees. This bay must not be mis taken for that of Port Praya, as its eastern point is surrounded by rocks extending two hundred fathoins into the sea, which does not always break upon it. We passed this bay, and kept along the coast to the westward towards Port Praya, within one mUe of the shore, in eight or ten fath oras of water, until the battery and flag-staff were plainly distinguished on the west point of the harbour, off which the sea always breaks at some distance. We then rounded the eastem point, within two cables' length, in from six to eight fathoms of water, — ^in doing which, the custom-house opened to view on the beach, and a grove of date-trees in the valley. Immediately afterward the town and fort presented themselves on the hill at the head of the bay. The eastem shore, whitih should be kept close on board, is high bluff land, which has the appearance of being parched and barren. We stood in for the town, and chose our anchorage as before stated. July 28th. — On the following morning, which was Monday, the 28di, I went on shore to wait on the captain-general of the island, whose residence is at Port Praya, although Ribeira Grande, a town seven or eight miles farther west, is the capital of St. Jago. On entering the gateway of the town I was received by a negro, who conducted me to the palace of his excellency, — for such it might be called, when com pared with the miserable hovels in its vicinity. Its external was white washed, which gave it a tolerably decent appearance. After being formally announced by a ragged sentinel, I was led up a ladder, into a large apartment, rough and unfinished. The raf ters antih floor were just as the materials came from the sawpit, with out paint, or other decoration, exceptmg some rude prints of fhe Virgin Mary, a few saints, &c. Here I found the general at break fast, with half a dozen monks wrapped in frieze, with figures and countenances that indicated any thing but abstinence and penance. The general's lady was also present, together with three odier Portu guese females of no ordinary personal attractions. They all spoke tolerably good Spanish, and in that language I was able to converse wiih them. As the Antarctic was die first American which had touched here for some time, they had a thousand questions to ask respecting die United States, and tbe manners, customs, &c. of the people, especi ally the dress and amusemcnu of the American ladies. Having gratified them in all these important particulars, and partaken of a cup of coffee with the ladies, agreeably to the custom of the place, I took a turn whh them in die garden, which was more tastefully arranged than any diipg of the kind I had seen in any other island of the group. July.] PORT PR.\YA. 271 We returned from our walk just in time for me to attend the market, where I intended to purchase the necessary fruit and vegetables. I -therefore took leave of my new friends, who w-ould not suffer me to depart until I had promised to dine with them, and repaired lo the market ; which proved to be quite destitute of such articles as I wanted. At the suggestion of one of the islanders, however, I made out a list of the productions I wished to purchase, and he engaged to have them all ready at the landing by sundown. Having now sorae tirae on ray hands before dinner, I thought I could not better dispose of it than in surveying the town, and the ad jacent country, in order to acquire a more accurate idea of their trade, productions, &c. The inhabitants of Praya are mosdy negroes, " bond and free," amounting to about three thousand, of whom four hundred are " mili tia on duty, or soldiers, as they are called. There are not raore than forty whites in the town ; and all the officers, except half a dozen, are mulattoes — even their chaplain is black. The population of the whole island I understood to be about twelve thousand, generally black, or of a mixed colour, a few of the better rank excepted. The face of the country is irregular and mountainous ; in sorne places quite steril, but in general highly fertUe and productive. ^. Cotton is the p^-incip^l production of St. Jago ; but maize, sugari coffee, and the vine are cultivated with considerable success. Among its fruits are oranges, citrons, lemons, limes, tamarinds, pomegranates, pine-apples, cocoanuts, custard-apples, quinces, grapes, plantains, musk and water-melons, guavas, papaws, bananas, pumpkins, and other tropical fruits. There are also sorae cedar-trees, with a pine which produces tar. The aniraals are beeves, horses, asses, mules, deer, goats, hogs, civet cats, and a species of monkeys, with a black face and long tail. Of the feathered tribes, there are domestic fowls, ducks, guinea-hens, paroquets, parrots, pigeons, turtle-doves, crab- catchers, curlews ; and, in fact, birds of almost every description, some of which are very valuable for their plumage. But notwithstanding the abimdance which is, or might be, raised on this island, there is no commerce, and the price of refreshments for ships which stop here for supplies is far too high to be termed reason able. For a bullock they charge frora thirty to thirty-five dollars ; for long-haired African sheep, four dollars apiece ; railcli goats, tlfree dollars; hogs of a middling- size, five dollars; turkeys, one ¦dollar and a half; fowls, four dollars a dozen. Fruit and vegetables, however, of all kinds, ra-ay be bought of the slaves at a moderate price. The cistem which supplies the shipping with water is at the bottom of the hill on which the casde is erected, and about a quarter of a raile frora the beach. The water, however, is not of die best quality, being soraewhat brackish to the taste, particularly in dry seasons, at which times there is often a scarcity of provisions and all the necessaries of life. Indeed, I was credibly informed that these periods of famine are sometimes so severe that great numbers of the -poor wretched ntgro slaves perish for want. The governor derives his chief profit from the sales of cattle to the ships which touch here, 272 , CAPE VERDS. [1828. in addition to a salary from the crown of two hundred doUars per month. As I was crossing the parade-ground, on ray way to visit the forti fications, I again encountered my fair friends, the ladies with whom I had breakfasted, and with whom I had promised to dine. On learning my purpose, they politely offered to accompany me, a proposition which I eagerly accepted. We accordingly left the promenade to gether, and proceeded to what is here denominated a fort, but which would become almost any other appellation equally weU. Behind the ruins of a pa^ape^wall, which once faced the bay, are planted sixteen old iron cannon of different calibers. Besides this post, sev eral high platform points that surround the bay are also defended in a similar manner, each of which is guarded by a negro family. There are no regular troops, neither European nor native, a few Portngnese officers excepted ; so that the defence of these works must depend upon the militia, one of whom is seen standing as sentinel, at die distance of every dozen yards, throu^out the town. These wretched men exactly correspond with the fortifications, both m dress and accoutrements. They are of all possible complexions that a paimer's imagination can conceive, and if paraded according to shades, would ^l^mish a practical Ulustration of the foUowing paradoxical couplet : " Falsehood and truth, opposed like black and wtait^ By unperceived gradatJDns may anite.-" With respect to their arms, scarcely one musket in ten can boast the convenient appendage of a lock, or at least one that wUl give fire; and about half their gun-barrels are actually lashed to their stocks hy cords, thongs of leather, or wire ! And as regards personal appearance, Falstaff's forces were a troop of dandies to them." ,.i-- " .t:,^'' - When vessels are about to sail, the governor requires them to notify him of the time, in order that- he may raake signals for the different batteries to let them pass. I could scarcely refrain frora smiling when his excellency informed rae that this was a necessary ceremony, and at the same time gravely assuring me that on my hoisting a flag at the fore, he would immediately give orders by signal for the batte ries not to detam my vessel, I applauded the arrangement, and ex pressed my acluiowledgments for his politeness ; although I was sat isfied that with the crew of the Antarctic, I might land and spike eveiy gun in the place, and then go to sea at our leisure. The bay of Port Praya, however, possesses the greatest capabilities of being strongly fortified against nautical assailants ; and by a simple waU, erected in those places where the sides of the table-hill are not perpendicular, the town raight be secured from a coup de main. In the centre of the governor's citadel (the fortifications we were now examining) is the grave of a brave English officer. Captain Eve- leigh ; the spot beino; distinguished by a patch of pavement pf round pebbles. This highly meritorious naval officer commanded his Bri tannic majesty's ship Acteon, rated as a sloop-of-war, and was slain in action with a French frigate. April,] PORT PRAYA. 2T3 From the town we descended by a zigzag path, to a valley on the left, which my fair cicerones called the v al de Trinidad, over whjch are scattered sorae clusters of date-trees, sorae mimosas, and other spontaneous vegetation. But the raost successful atterapts at cultiva tion are in the vicinity of the wells which supply the town and ship ping with water. In the upper part of this valley is a negro hut, which is surrounded by a miserable plantation of cotton shrubs. Water alone is wanting to render the soil of this valley fruitful ; and a sufficient quantity for the purpose of irrigation might be obtamed by digging to a moderate depth. But even this triffing exertion is too great an-undertakuig to be attempted by the present generation of in habitants, who raust give place to a very different race of people before this or any other species of improvement can be -effected. Though the mimosa grows to a large size, even in the most arid spots of the island, the inhabitants have never thought of planting them in the towns, where they would not only be ornamental, but extremely useful in moderating the excessive heat caused by the action of the sun oh the ferruginous sands. Our pedestrian excursion extended about two mdes from town, to the upper-part of the valley, where the governor's country-house is situated. The youngest of my fair companions informed nae that diis was her father's property, and that it was to be her marriage doWdR' I looked at the blushing maiden, and then at the premises. At the foot of the precipice, near the house, is a very beautiful garden, con taining oranges, lemons, plantains, bananas, pine-apples, cocoanut- trees, and many other kmds of exceUent fruit, and a variety of vege tables. The interior of the island, I was informed, is much more fertile than those parts which are near the seashore ; the valleys being well watered by Utde springs, some of which form smaU brooks and rills. Near the centre of the island, some of the valleys are covered with plantations of fruits and vegetables, ^jpnd the hills are well clothed with grass, affording pasture for numerous herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. We retumed to the governor's house about four o'clock, when we found that dinner was waiting for us, and in a few minutes we were all seated at the table. The party was large, comprising seven ladies, -which imparted a polish and refinement to the conversation which. seldora exist in a corapany where they are not present. After dinner the ladies entertained us with several songs, accompanied by the piano-forte and guitar; and about seven o'clock I took my leave, highly deUghted with tlie recreations of the day, and the hospitality of my kind entertainers. On reaching the beach, I found tliat the refreshments I had ordered were all in readiness, and we lost no tune in having them can veyed on board. The beautiful bay of Port Praya is formed by two points which bear from each other about east and west, distant one mile and three- quarters, with water of a very equal depth. A small black island, with a flat top, is situated on the west side of the bay, and is called the Isle of Quails. From the south end of this island runs a rocky S 374 CAPE VERDS. [1828. point, extendmg about a cable's length, in a south-ivest direction. There are also some rocks, which put off the west point of the bay, to the distance of about one hundred fathoms, and in saiUng from this port in the night, it requires some care to avoid them, particularly when the wind is light and well to the eastward. With respect to the anchorage, it may be proper to observe, that large ships should lay well out, and not more than two hundred fathoms frora the ea.?t shore, in order to ensure their weathering the west point of the bay, in going to sea at nigfrt, should the wind be light, and far to the eastward. The wind generally hangs in that quarter during the months of November, December, and January ; i though it occasionally veers to die northward. The best situation for ships to lie in is with the flag-staff in the fort at the town bearmg north-west ; Point Tarn arcs, or the west extremity of the bay, soutli west ; and the eastern point, east-south-east, off the landing-place one mile, and ofl" the east sliore two cables' length. At this place the winds are generally from the north-east quarter, and frequently the weather is cloudy with squalls. It seldom rains in the dry season, but a heavy haze mostly prevails. When the w.eather is settled, there are often regular land and sea-breezes in the bay of Port Praya- 'jr|ie 'igea-breeze sets in near noon, and ends about five in the after noon ; after which tirae the north-east wind sets in towards evening, and continues during the night, and often until nine o'clock in the morning. There is always some surf on the beach at the head of the. bay j therefore, in taking fresh water, boats should lay at thefr grapnels^ and raft the casks on shore, and alongside of the ship, taking care that they are perfectly tight and well bunged. When the surf is high, there is a good landing-place on a rocky point at ihe south-east side of the head of the harbour, where a pathway will be seen leading to the town. It is also necessary to be cautious in carrying saU in boats in the bay, as the puffs of wind f^pn the highlands are very sudden and dangerous. As soon as the refreshments were safely stowed on board, I hoisted the requisite signal on the fore, and got under way at nine, P. M., while the governor's pass-signal was as prompdy displayed from the citadel. We steered to the south-west, with a fine breeze from north- cast, and fair weather. At ten, P. M,, we saw the burmng volcano of Fogo, or Fuego, an island lying about durty miles west-south-west of iSt, Jago. \ This island is nearly circular, being about five leagues from east to ¦west, and four leages from north to south. On its eastem part is a high volcanic mountain, which is continually burning, at times ejecting flames and liquid sulphur. This island is very thudy inhabited ; but it produces fruit, vegetables, catde, sheep, and goats. Ships may obtain refreshments here from the town of Luz, which is buUt at the head of a tolerable good harbour, on the west side of die island. Nine leagues to the westward of Fuego is the small but fertUe island of Brava, wluch is about four leagues in circumference, and of moderate elevation. It is said to be the most fmitftd of all the Cape Aug.] IMAGINARY DANGERS. 275 Verd Islands. Porto Furno is on the east side of the island, and is a good harbour for vessels under two hundred tons. It has a narrow entrance, and if large ships visit this port, -they wUl be obliged to warp out, which may be done with great ease in the morning. But I should recommend Port Furneo that lies on die south side of the island, or Porto Fajen-dago, on the west side for ships to touch at for refreshments, wood, water, &c. as those places are both good har bours, and the best for obtaining fruit, vegetables, beef, pork, goaLs, wood, and water of any in the whole group. Ships bound to this island, need apprehend no danger in approaching it on either side, more than one cable's length from the shore. . The inhabitants are industrious and obliging, and the ladies are sprightly, intelligent, ahd modest ; and are particularly partial to Americans. w^ Before closing this chapter, and taking leave of the Cape Verd Islands, I think it proper to remark that some charts are marlied with reefs that do not actually exist. It is my firm conviction that in passing between these islands and the African coast, nothing need be feared from the Porgas shoal, whicli is said to be about mid-channel. I ara aware that caution is the parent of security, and that it is best to err on the safe side of the question. But I have exarained the log-books of many ships which have passed aver the spot whicli this shoal was supposed to occupy, and have becorae convinced that it does not exist. The Bonetta shoal and rocks have also been reported as dangers carefully to be avoided by ships passing between Africa and the Cape- Verds. They are said to lie forty-two leagues east-by-north from the north end of Bonavista; with shoal water on thera, three mdes in- length north-east and south-west, and about half that breadth. This reef may also be put down as not existing, for I have crossed the sit- - nation a.ssigned to it, and have examined the log-books of more thaix twenty ships who have vainly endeavoured to sight it. There is lUcewise said to be a reef^ rocks lying ten leagues to the north-east of Bonavista, of about the^ength of two cables, and of a breadtfi of half that distance, nearly even with the surface of the water. . As most of the ships running for the islands of ^al or Bonavista first- make them bearing from west to south-west, it is strange that the ree£T just mentioned has never been seen by any of them ; and the fact that it has not- fumished just reasons to doubt its existence. We were now prepared to pursue our voyage to its ultimate point of destination. More than thirty days had elapsejd since we left the port of New- York, in whicli time we had crossed the wide Atlantic, and sighted every island and rock in the Cape Verd group, and landed on the most of them. The reader must think it high tirae that I said something concerning the merits of my vessel, in this her first essay on the element of her adoption. 1 will do so before 1 proceed any further ; and the only reason which induced me to defer it until the present moment was to give the Antarctic a fair trial before I recorded my testimony of her character. It is this: — A better sea-boat never floated upon blue water, smooth or rough, than the schooner Antarctic. She has equalled my wishes, and trans cended my expectations. I shaU strive hard to render her name im- S2 276 ISLAND OF SAXENBURGH. [1828, mortal ; and if I am ever fortunate enough to re-enter the cfrcle from which she derives her name, it shall go hard with me but the flying- jib-boom of my vessel will point stUl nearer to the south pole than northern pine has ever yet done. But more of this hereafter. We continued steering to the south, with fine breezes from the north east, untU Thursday, the 31st of July, at which time we lost the north east trades, in lat, 9° 50' north, long. 20° 14' west ; variation per azi muth 16° IJ.' westerly; the current setting west-south-west, thirteen mdes in twenty-four hours. From the last-mentioned date to the 6th of August we had the winds from south-west to south-south-east, attended with much rain ; we then took the south-east trade-wind frora so)ij^-south-east, and fair weather, in lat. 1° 25' north, long. 21° 47' west'; 'variation per aziniuth, at 10, A. M,, 14° 45' westerly : cur rent setting to the north-west-by-west, fourteen mUes in twenty-four hours. August 7th. — On the following day, which was Thursday, we crossed the equator, in long. 22° 54' west, with a fine breeze from south-east to east-south-east, and fafr weather. We were now just about half-way between the coast of Africa and that of Brazfl ; Sierra Leone bearing north-east, and Pernambuco south-west. It may here be proper to observe, that ships bound round the Cape of Good Hope should always pass ten or fifteen leagues to the westward of the Cape Verd Islands, if they need no refreshments ; and endeavour to leave the north-east trades in between twenty-two and twenty-three degrees of west longitude. They should also endeavour to cross the equator in the same longitude at aU seasons of the year ; by attending lo which they wUl mvariably shorten their passage, and have the weather more regular. August 18th. — After crossing the equator we continued standing lo the southward, with a fine breeze from south-east to east-south-east, and fair weather, untd Monday^hen we lost the south-east trade-wmd in lat. 28° 14' south, long. 29^^ west. Onthe following day we took a light breeze from west-south-west. On Wednesday, the 20th, we were in lat. 30° 37' south ; and at 1, P. M., our lat. was 30° 40' south, long. 28° 41' west, with the wind from west-south-west, and fair weather. I now determined to sight the island of Saxenburgh, if such an island really existed within any reasonable distance of the spot ui which it is said to be situated. The location which has been assigned to it is about half-way between the eastern coast of South America and the Cape of Good Hope, in lat. 30° 43' south, and long. 19° 30' west We made a due east course, keeping two men at the mast-head, day and night, until we were in long. 17° 2 1' west, widiout seeing any indi cations of land whatever. During the time of our making this run of eleven degrees, we were not three miles from the parallel of 30° 40', excepting about eight hours ; when on Saturday, the 23d of August, we were roused by the cheering cry from the mast-head of « Land, ho ! land, ho ! about six points off the starboard bow." We now had the wind from west-by-soudi, which permitted us to haid up for it ; but after running in that dfrection about four hours, at Aug.] ISLAND OF SAXENBURGH. 277 tbe rate of eight mUes an hour, our tantalizing land took a sudden start, and rose about ten degrees above the horizon. Convinced that we could never come up to it in the ordinary course of navigation, vve now tacked and stood to the northward. We had likewise seen land the day before, at 4, P. M., exacdy in our wake, which appeared to be about twenty railes distant. August 24th. — On Sunday we found ourselves in lat. 30° 41' south, long. 15° 57' west, and feeling satisfied that any further search for Sax enburgh Island would be a useless waste of tirae, we shaped our course for the south African coasts our first point of destination beirig Saldanha Bay, a little south of the parallel on which we were now running to the east. We crossed the meridian of Greenwich on the 28di, in lathude 30° 55' S. ^• Tlie island of Saxenburgh is said to have been first seen by J. LinBT deman, a Dutch navigator, who sailed from Monikendam, in 1670. Oh the 23d of August, of that year, he discovered an island, as he sup posed, bearing north-east-by-north, distant about six leagues. He de scribed it very particularly, and accompanied his description with a view taken at sundown of the same day. He represents it as having a remarkable narrow peak, Kke a column, rising near the centre of the island, and he named his new discovery Saxenburgh, in honour of a German town of that name in the circle of Westphdia, twenty miles north-west of Hanover. Captam GaUoway, in the American ship Fanny, bound to Canton, in 1804, supposed that he saw this island at ten leagues' distance, and statiss that it was in sight four hours from the mast-head, without changing its appearance, which exhibited a peaked hill in the centre, and a bluff at the west end, situated in the latitude of 30° 43', but two degrees farther east than laid down in the chart. This Ulusory island was again supposed to have been seen by Cap tain J, 0. Head, in the ship True Briton, on a voyage to Calcutta, the 9th of March, 1816. The log-book"of this ship states, that "At 8, A. M,, fresh breezes from north-by-west, and dark cloudy weather, saw what we supposed to be an island, bearing east-south-east, distant six leagues, forming a high pinnacle at the southern end, and gradually de creasing in height to the north end. At 10, A. M., squally we-ather, the land havmg stUl the same appearance as the clouds cleared off at intervals. At noon our latitude by observation 30° 42' south, long. 21° 40' west, by mean of three chronometers ; the centre of the island bearing east-by-north-half-north per compass, twentyrfour mUes. At 2, A. M., cloudy weather with rain, lost sight of the land, which we concluded was the island of Saxenburgh, laid down by Captain Hors burgh as doubtful." Captain James Horsburgh, F.R.S. who has had twenty-one years' experience as shipmaster in the India trade, says that he has, at two dif ferent times, endeavoured to gain sight of this' doubtful island, by cross ing the longitude of 19° west, at one time a few raUes to the southward of its latitude ; and atanother tirae a Uttle raore northerly than the lati tude assigned to it, without seeing any indications of land. From my o-wn observations, and those of the many celebrated Eng- 378 , CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. [1828. lish navigators who have endeavoured to sight this island of Saxen burgh, I am of opinion that such an island does not exist. Clouds, ex acdy like land in appearance, wUl sometimes remain stationary at the horizon in this part of the ocean, for a great length of tirae, and are easily mistaken for disfant islands. The natural conclusion is, that those gentlemen who have reported to have seen the island of Saxen burgh must have been deceived by one of those stationary clouds which are common in this parallel. Sept. 4th, — We continued our easterly course, with strong winds from west-north-west to south-south-east, and occasional foul weather, until we made the African coast, in lat. 33° 18' south, and on this morning, which was Thursday, at 6, A. M., we anchored in Saldanha -Bay, in four fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom, entfrely land locked, and sheltered from all winds. CHAPTER III. The Cape of Good Hope — A Brief History anil Description of the Colony — Sal- danlia Bay — ^St. Helen's Bay — Berg or Mountain River — ^The Vale of Draken- stein — Oliphant or Elephant River — Koussie River — Cape Vokas — Vofcanic Productions — Projected Speculation — The Gariep or Orange River — ^Angias Juntas Bay — ^Whale Bay— *-Possession Island^Elizabeth Bay — ^A Peep at the Interior — Angra Pequena, or Santa Cruz — Ichaboe Island — Mercury Island — Intercourse with the Natives — Bird Island — Sandwich Harbour — Walwich Bay. The southern extremity of Africa, since it became the seat of a European colony, has formed an interesting subject for the investiga tion of travellers. It has been visited, and explored, and described, by many of the most inquisitive and scientific geographers of the age ; tind yet, with the exception of Cape Town and its vicinitj-, this country appears to be very imperfectly known. Very little additional informa tion, however, can be expected from an humble individual like me, " who am not meet to be called" a geographer, and who raerely resortl to foreign regions in the "beaten way" of business, — having an eye more to the interests of my employers than to the phjsical aspect or moi-al condition of the countries I visit. I shall, therefore, merely remind the reader of such prominent historical facts as will enable him to accom pany me along the coast, from die Cape to the twenty-second^degree of south latitude, without being compelled to exclaim, in die language of Jerry Hawthorn, " I'm at fault — can't follow." The southern promontory of Africa, commonly called the Cape of Good Hope, is a peninsula, nearly ten leagues in length, composed of a vast mass of mountains and rocky land, between the latitudes of 33° 53° and 34° 22' S. It was discovered by Baitholomew Diaz, an emi nent Portuguese navigator, in 1487, who named it Cabo Tormentoso, or die Stormy Cape, on account of the boisterous weather, the shat tered state of his ships, and the mutinous disposition of his crew, — all of which ddficulties combined, compelled him to return to Portugal Sept.] CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 279 without doubling the cape he had discovered. The king his master, however, gave it the name of " Good Hope," as he had now good rea son to hope that around this newly-discovered point of Africa lay the long-wished-for passage to India. This hope was realized by the more successful Vasco de Gama, who ten years afterw-ard doubled the cape, and passed to the coast of Malabar. After several unsuccessful attempts by the Portuguese to plant a colony here, the Dutch finally succeeded, in 1650, under the direction of Van Riebeck, who, having concluded a treaty with the natives, toolj^ possession of the cape peninsula, and laid the foundation of the present town, by erecting a fiirt of wood and earth, and sorae odier necess^jy buddings, which he called Kier de Kou, — a defence against all^ It was in the genuine Dutch style, like the fortress which they ere^ed for the defence of their American colony Fort Amsterdam, now'thecity of New- York. ' Van Riebeck soon discovered the passion which the poor, weak, but peaceful and inoffensive Hottentots had conceived for spirituous liquors, first introduced among them by Christian navigators ; and being a gen tleman of sorae sagacity, he thought it good policy to turn their frailty to his own advantage. Thus, by giving these simple people a few casks of brandy, a litde tobacco, iron, and some paltiy trinkets, he obtained from tliem a part of their country, and many of their flocks and herds. The price of an ox was then a piece of an iron hoop, and the purchase of a whole district only cost a cask of brandy. A hundred male members constituted the first colony of the cape : these were afterward joined by an equal number of females from the houses 'of industry in Holland, and also by a number of French refu gees, who were compelled to leave their native country in 1685, on account of religious persecution. The population, from that period, rapidly increased ; the wUd beasts were extirpated, or driven to the interior, and the Dutch continued to extend their encroachments^over the richest districts of the country for more than a century. In 1795, durmg the French revolution, the English took possession of diis colony, and retained it seven years ; but delivered it up to the Batavian republic by the treaty of Amiens in 1802. In 1806 it was again taken by the British, und^r whose dominion it still remains. This extensive colony is bounded on the west and south by the ocean, on the north by the River Koussie and the country of the Bosjesman Hottentots, and on the east by the Great Fish River and the country of a savage race called the Caffres, who have given the colonists raore trouble than all other obstacles combined. The settlement comprises an area of more than one hundred and twenty-eight thousand square mUes, the greater part of which is covered with naked mountains, be tween the sloping decUvities of which are extensive plains, destitute of running water, called Karroos." These plains, however, are not wholly deserts, as has been represented by inaccurate travellers ; but are at certain seasons of the year clothed with verdure, and covered with flowers of beautifid tints and delightful fragrance. The north end of the promontory forms Table Bay, on the south shore of which stands Cape Town, al the foot of Table Mountaui, the 280 SALDANHA BAY, [1828. latter presenting a bold and almost perpendicular front, rising three thousand five hundred and eighty feet above the level of the bay. On the west is the Lion's Mountain, so called from its bearing sorae resem blance to the shape of that.animal ; and on the east is the Devil's Berg, The majestic appearance of these heights, particularly that of Table Mountain, excites the admiration of every voyager who enters the bay. The town stands on a sloping hill, at the south-west comer of the bay, and is a regular, neatly-built place, and well supplied with water by a plentiful stream which issues from the Table Mountain. It contains about twelve hundred dwelling-houses, which are inhabited by a popu lation of eighteen thousand five hundred persons, ten thousand of whom are. blacks; , rt^he principal rivers on the west coast of this colony are the Ele phant and the Berg or Mountain River : the former runs in a northMy direction along the foot of the westem chain of mountains, and falls into the Atlantic in latitude 31° 30' S. : the Berg or Mountain River has its source in the mountains which enclose the Vale of Drakensteiii, and discharges itsdf into St. Helen's Bay. The principal bays on this coast are Table Bay,-False Bay, St. Helen's Bay, and Saldanha Bay, where we now lay at ^mchor. The entrance to this fine commodious harbour, t\'hich is through a ridge of granite hills, is not quite three miles broad. Its north point is in latitude 33° 3' S., long. 17°49'E., a Utde more than seventy-five mUes north of the southern extreraity of the cape. This bay is about fifteen mdes in length, in the direction of north and south, and affords at all seasons very excellent shelter and anchorage. Its northem arm is called Hoeijes Bay, on the north side of which there is good anchor age for ships of any size. There is also deep water on the west side of it, close to a granite pier formed by nature, where ships may Ue in perfect safety in all seasons of the year ; and if necessary they may heave-down alongside of this pier without any risk. The only disad vantage in the northern arm of the bay is the scarcity of fresh water, which might be easily remedied by digging a few wells of moderate depth, frora which fresh water could be obtained in any quantity, and of an exceUent quality. The southem arra of Saldanha Bay, of v^ich I shall speak presendy, furnishes good fresh water from a spring, which, if cleared and enlarged, would supply a fleet with this necessary article in a very short time. In entering this -well-protected bay, attention should be paid to the following circumstances and localities : — On the nortii side of the en trance is a sraall island, called MaUagassen ; and on the south side is another, in a bend of the land, near the shore, called Jutten. Two mUes eastward of the first-mentioned island is a, third, caUed Maseus. Each of these islands has a reef, which puts off from its shore about a cable's length. As all three of them are low, and can be seen but a short distance, accuracy in the vessel's latitude is very requisite. The entrance is nearly three miles broad, and clear of dangers one cable's length from either of the islands first mentioned, between which it is necessary to pass. But the third island, Maseus, mav be passed on either side at the distance of forty fathoms, though the widest Sept.] SALDANHA BAY— ST. HELEN'S B.\Y. 281 passage, and the best for strangers, is on the south of it. We car ried in from fifteen to ten fathoms of water, and chose our anchorage jn four. Ships going into this bay with the intention of anchoring in its south ern arm must keep the south shore close on board ; and after passing the inner point of the bay, haul round immediately to the south, ahd anchor in front of Riot Bay, in five or six fathoras of water, about half a mile from the shore, on the west side of the harbour. Here vessels may lie in perfect safety, sheltered from all winds ; and if in want of fresh water, the casks may be rafted up the lagoon, on the flood-tide, and filled on the^east side from the spring before raentioned, which is about half a mUe below the guard-house, or flag-staff". When the casks are filled, they can be rafted down to the ship in a^hort time by taking advantage of the ebb-tide. Firewood, however, is very scarce on the banks of the bay, but it can be purchased at a low rate of the neigh bouring farmers, who will bring it to the sh^. At the entrance of the lagoon on the south side of Saldanha Bay are two small islands ; whhin which, about two miles on the west side, is the East India Company's post ; and about one mile farther up, on the east side, is the president's quartere. Here there is generally a justice of the peace and a small corapany of regular troops. Between this place and Cape Town there is a regular intercourse, and a raail, which arrives at each place twice a week. Refreshments of various kinds may likewise be purchased of the farmers, who cultivate the soil on the east side of the bay, — rearing cattle, horses, sheep, and hogs for the market at Cape Town. Fruits and vegetables may be had in abundance at a very moderate price, and at a short notice. A plenty of excellent fish m-ay be caught in almost any part of the bay, either with a seine or a hook and line. In fact, this is an excellent place for ships that require repairs, repose, or refreshments. In running for Saldanha Bay in the night, or in thick weather, care shoidd be taken not to fall in with the land to the north of Baven's Point, which is the north point of the bay ; as there are many sunken rocks between this and St. Helen's Bay, sorae of which run frora three to five miles to the westward, with bold water between thera, September 10th. — After taking on board a sufficient quantity of fresh water, of an excellent quality, with a fine stock of refreshments of all kinds, we got under way on Wednesday, the 10th of September, and steered to the north, with a fine breeze from south-souA-east, and fair weather, with the intention of examining the west coast of Africa, as fer as the tropic of Capricorn. On the following morning, at five, A. M., we were close in with St, Martin's Point, which Ues in latitude 32° 42' S,, long. 17° 45' E. ; variation per azimuth at nine, A. M., 27° 4' W. High water on full -and change days at half-past two ; rise, seven feet. St. Martin's Point projects from the coast in a north-west direction, forming the west side of St. Helen's Bay, the northern point of which is Cape Deseada. The distance between these two points is nine leagues, and the bay is four leagues deep, running into the east and south-east, with regular soundings, from twenty to four fathoms, as 283 BERG RIVER. [1828. you approach the head of the bay, or south shore. Here a ship wiU find good and safe anchorage half a mUe from the beach, in six fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom, sheltered from aU winds exceptmg from north to north-west. These winds, however, never come home to the bottom of iliis bay with sufficient force to injure a ship at any season of the year. In die summer raonths, when the southerly winds pre vail, the water is entirely sraooth in any part of the southern side of the b-ay. The best anchorage is about a mile from the southern shore, immediately^n front of a house that stands near the beach, about half way up the 'bay, in five or six fathoms of water, clay bottom. From die west point of the bay, along the south shore, to the head of the bay, extends a chain of rocks, running nearly half a mUe from the land ; outside of which there are no other dangers until you ap proach the head of the bay, where there is a sand-bank, lying in front of the Berg or Mountain River, about two mUes off-shore, with only three feet of water on il al low tide. Ships in want of fresh water I would recommend to anchor near tins bar, and send the casks into the river on the flood tide, to ascend the stream as far as the flood will carry them, which is -about five miles. Here let them remain until nearly die last of the ebb, when the bungs may be knocked out, and the casks filled with very litde trouble. This water wiU prove to be of a most excellent quahty, and wUl keep sweet as long as any that was ever taken to sea. 'Phe next ebb-tide wUl take the fidl casks down to the ship just by keeping the boat ahead, and the whole pro cess wiU be rather a pleasant recreation than an arduous duty. Of course care must be taken that the casks are perfecdy clean, tight, and well bunged, to prevent tlie entrance of salt water. I have filled fifty casks at thjs river at two difl'erent times, and al though I had large crews, they w^ere always healthy whUe using the water from the Berg River. "There is a spring near the house before mentioned, on the south side of the bay, where twenty or diirty casks may be filled at any tirae ; but the water is not good, as 1 found diat about twenty-five of my crew were attacked with diarrhoea after drink ing of the water for twenty-four hours. But while I had the Berg River water on board, which was nearly eight months, there was not a sick man among a crew of thirty-five men, although for six months of the time the weather was very w-arm. The farraers that reside on die banks of Berg River are princip^y Dutch, and very industrious. They pay their attention to raising grain, and rearing cattle, horses, and sheep for the Cape To-\vn market. They also produce some wine of a good quality, and a smaU quantity of bi-andy. Beef and mutton are very cheap here ; as are also nearly all kinds of fruits that are common to tropical cUmates, as weU as a great variety of vegetables. I have purchased fine fat buUocks diat would weigh eight hundred, for four doUars each ; sheep for one dollar; and as fine oranges and lemons as I ever saw, for half a doUar a hun dred ; and every thing else in proportion. Wood also may be had on the banks of Berg River, but not of large size. The Dutch farmers generally employ the Hottentots to work on their farms, and say Sept.] DRAKENSTEIN VALLEY— NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 283 that they are very trusty and inoffensive, but not very fond of hard work. The wines that are made on the banks of Berg River are principally made iu an extensive valley about fifty miles from die river's mouth, called the Vale of Drakenstein. This valley is a remarkably fertile tract of land, enjoys a most delightful climate, is well inhabited, and its soil is capable of every species of agriculture. Two-thirds of the wine which is brought to Cape Town is supplied by the vineyards of Drakenstein alone. Great quantities of choice fruits are also raised here, and every month of the year the table may be supplied with various kinds, accompanied with six or eight different sorts of wines. The celebrated Constantia wine is made on two farms, close under the mountains, about half-way between False Bay and Table Bay. / One of tiiese farms produces the white, and the other the red Con- / stantia. Some of the wines that are made in the valley of Draken stein are frequently sold to strangers for Constantia. But I should suppose that any one might easUy detect the fraud. The Constantia wme is of an exquisite quality, which is scarcely susceptible of im provement; but the other varieties, which come under the general appellations of Cape wine and Cape Madeira, have an earthy taste, a dduted flavour of Muscadel, and in most instances an undisguised taste of brandy. In the light sandy grounds cotton succeeds well ; coffee and sugar- cane might both be cultivated with success, if properly attended to ; and indigo grows wUd on the banks of the river. Hemp and flax are raised here, the latter producing two crops a year. The tea-plant has been a long tirae in the colon}', having been brought from Cliina ; but it is now totaUy neglected. Wheat, barley, and oats are successfully cultivated ; but rice does not grow here. The wUd beasts coramon to this country are gradually retiring be fore the encroachments of raan. The lordly lion retreats sullenly and indignantly before the iraage and likeness of his Maker, and is only seen at respectful distances. The deserts, however, even in the vicinity of the cape, resound with the howling of wolves and the bel lowing of hyenas. The jackal of the cape and the tiger-cat are also common. The beautiful white-faced antelope, or springer, is so common near Fish River, that herds of raore than two thousand may sometimes be seen together. Gazelles, with their " exquisitely soft and expressive eyes," are nuraerous. Zebras are becoming very rare in the colony. "The elephants have also forsaken the disft-icts inhabited by Europeans. The two-horned rhinoceros shows itself still less ; the ostrich is found in the deserts of the interior, and sometimes comes in troops to lay waste the fields of com. One ef the most beautiful aniraals of this country is the gnoo, the head of which bears sorae resemblance to the African buffalo. He has an erect mane on the neck, and another under the neck, descend ing frora the breast between the fore-legs. His shoulders and body are somewhat like those parts of the horse, while he has the elegant Umbs of the antelope. Besides the animals already mentioned, there are found here the wolf, panther, elk, buffalo, leopard, rhinoceros 284 SURVEY OF THE COAST. [1828. wUd dogs, baboons, hogs, hares, ant-bears, or ground-hogs, porcupines, hedgehogs, and a variety of monkeys. Among the feathered tribes are eagles, vultures, kites, pelicans, flamingoes, spoonbUls, cranes, ibises, wUd geese and ducks, teals, snipes, quaUs, bustards, and par tridges. Turtie-doves of many sorts, thrashes, humming-bfrds, and an immense variety of other sraall birds, of the most exquisitely beau tiful plumage, are found in the woods ; but I heard none ctf them sing. It is a common saying, however, that " in South Africa flowers have no smell, birds no song, rivers no fish." But there is no mle without an exception ; as fish are found in some of the rivers, and some of these beautiful birds may have delightful notes. There are ostriches of two kinds that frequent the sandy plains of Karroo, in considerable numbers, and their eggs are less strong in taste than those of ducks or geese. The females are very sociable in their domestic concerns and family affairs. It is not unusual to find thirty-six eggs in a single nest, the joint stock of three females, who incubate together, attended by the fathers of the brood. Along the coast are various kinds of sea-fish, such as perches, stone-breams, rock- fish, mackerel, soles, and skate ; and abundance of muscles and oysters. A variety of serpents and other reptUes are found in the forests, to gether with scorpions and insects of various kinds. The sea-cow and the alUgator are found in the Berg River. From St, Martin's Point we steered to the north-east, until we were abreast of Cape Deseada, which is a low sandy beach in front of bluff sand-hills, about two hundred fathoms back. Frora hence our course was north-north-west, for about five leagues, when we were in front of Lambert's Cove, in which small vessels may lie in perfect. safety, in three fathoms of water. The entrance is from the north, and it runs_ in to the south-south-east about half a mUe. Several Dutch farmers reside in the vicinity of this hai-bour, and the adjacent plains are covered with black-catde. From Lambert's Cove we steered north-north-west, a Uttle westerly, untU we were abreast of Cape Dunkin, in lat. 31° 55' S., long. 18° 6' E. This cape is the south point of a small bay of the same name, within which ships raay find partial anchorage, in from ten to sue fathoras of water, sandy bottom. From thence we continued steering to the northward for the distance of four leagues, w-hen we were close in with Elephant River, the entrance of which is in lat. 31° 37' S., long. 17° 59' E, This river is not navigable for vessels, nor even "boats, unless the sea is very smooth, as there is a bar stretching across its entrance, wjth only two feet of water on it ; and as the westerly swell is constantly heaving in on diis coast, there are g-enerally heavy. breakers on the bar. But within this bar there is plenty of water for a large ship, for the distance of tw-o miles up the river, in front of a small vUlage, where there are several Dutch farraers residing. This river enters frora the south, running in north-north-west about two railes ; and then it turns to the east and east-south-east, carrying bold water for a long distance inland. If there could be a passage cut dirough die bar at the mouth of this river, it would be the finest liarbour on the west coast of Africa. The inhabitants are principally Sept.] SURVEY OF THE COAST. 285 engaged in rearing catde, only cultivating sufficient grain for their own consumption. Fish may be caught in great abundance in the mouth of this river, within the bar. There are no dangers between Elephant River and St, Helen's Bay that lie more than two hundred fathoms from thc shore. The soiuidings are regular. Ten raUes from the land you will have forty fathoms of water, and it gradually becomes more shallow as you approach, until you are within one mile of the beach, when you wUl find ten fathoms of water, sandy bottom, with a few broken shells. The land between Elephant River and St, Helen's Bay deserves a few descriptive remarks. Bluff sand-hills, moderately elevated, are seen from one hundred to three himdred yards back from the beach. About half a mde from the latter the sandy ground begins to terminate, and the soil to commence. Another half-mUe farther inland brings us to good soil, where the plains are as fine for grazing as any in the world. Between the beach and the sand-hills just mentioned there is a fine road, running a great part of the distance between the two places. The whole coast along here exhibits unequivocal evidences of its once having been agitated by volcanic eriiptions ; such as lava, in irregular masses, with different strata distinctly defined. Pumice- stones also are scattered over the country for many mUes inland, forming irregular hUls, &c., interspersed whh lava, basalt, and other volcanic productions. In pulling along this shore -with my boats, I had ample opportunities of examining these relics, and making these observations. September 13th. — We continued exploring the coast in this manner, keeping the boats close in-shore in search of fur-seal on every mile of tbe coast, untd Saturday, the 13th of September, when we fell in with a small island, in lat. 31° 32' S,, long, 17° 56' E,, about half a niUe from the shore. Here, for the first time, our search was suc cessful. A sraall reef runs off from the west end of this island, to the distance of about a hundred fathoms. From this island we followed the shore to the north-westward, passing Pouit Grazing, in lat. 31° 20' S,, and four places which are said to be rivers, viz. Zwarte Darn River, in lat. 30° 45', not open ; Greene River, in lat. 30° 33', not open ; Zwarte Lintjie River, 30° 21', not open ; and Koussie River, in lat. 29° 54' S., long. 16° 57' E. ; the latter was open, and may be passed in boats only at full sea. It is closed at times, however, in the dry season, by the shifting of the sand-hUls in windy weather. This may weU be called ^alt River, as the salt water runs up it about fifteen miles, ten mUes of which is very " shaUow. This is the northem boundary of the cape colony. Many of the rivers which intersect this extensive coloiiy are merely periodical torrents, which continue to flow during the rainy season, but which, during the sumraer, leave their deep-sunk beds almost com pletely dry; and the rivulets which are supplied by the mountain springs have scarcely escaped from their lofty sources, before they are either absorbed by the thirsty earth, or evaporated by the heated afr. Even the permanent rivers, sorae of which contain sufficient water for the navigation of small craft, for several mUes up the country, 286 CAPE VOLTAS. [I828> are aU, except the Knysna, rendered inaccessible by a bar of sand or a reef of rocks across the mouth. The land bordering on the seacoast in this latitude is very sandy, and only fit for grazing fields ; and for manyjnUes into the interior it seems to be destitute of arable soil. Many kinds of skins, however, may be procured here, including those of the leopard, fox, bullock, &c., together with^ ostrich-feathers, and valuable minerals from the head of Koussie River. Vast numbers of horned catde are raised m the interior. Frora the mouth of this river the coast tends north-north-west, a litde westerly, twenty-eight leagues, to Cape Voltas in latitude 28? 24' S., long. 16° 28' E, ; variation per azimuth 25° 55' westerly. There is a bank of soundings that puts off to the west of this cape, about thirty miles, at whicli dis'iance there is forty fathoms of water ; the depth becoming gradually and regularly reduced as we approach the shore. This bank extends southerly along the coast, quite to the Cape of Good Hope, varying frora thfrty to fifty mUes off-shore ; and from Point St, Martin's to the last-named cape there are many dangers, lying frora two to five railes off-shore. But north of St. Martin's to Cape Voltas, there are no dangers more than a quarter of a mUe from the land. The Socos Islands, laid down on the charts as lying in latitude 29° 35' S., long. 16° 34' E., said to be about twenty miles from the land, are not to be found. They have been represented as four in number, with several small islands between them and the continent. But I can assert positively that no such islands exist : neither is there any island of any description lying between St. Helen's Bay and Cape Vohas, more than half a mUe from the main. Cape Voltas is also very erroneously laid down, in latitude 29° 20' S., and long. 16° 31' E., with a deep bay running in on die north side of the cape, twenty-five miles, in an east-south-east direction, with deep water all over the bay. Now, the true and correct situation of Cape Voltas is in. latitude 28° 27' 30" S., long. 16° 17' E. The cape is a high bluff point, projecting into the sea, and there are several rocks lying about half a mile to the west of it, beyond which there are no dangers. About one mile north of the cape there is a small bay, not more than two mUes in length, and one and a half in width ; within whicli die anchorage is not safe, as the gi-ound is foul, and heavy rollers are continually heaving in from the westward, at all seasons of the year. Ships, however, which are in want of firewood, may lie off and on, and obtain any quantity from the head of die bay, where they will find a thousand cords piled np on the beach, which corae down the Orange or Gariep River, the entrance to w-hich is about two leagues to the north of Cape Voltas. 'nie land around the cape, and to tiie soudi as far as Koussie River, is high on the seaboard, running back into elevated mountains. The hill-sides are covered with very good grass for grazing catde, but the summits of these eminences are one mass of volcanic productions. I know not how far north of Table Bay Mr. Barrow travelled, without discovering " a volcanic product ;" but I am positive diat such relics Sept.] CAPE VOLTAS. 287 might have been found in great abundance as far south as Elephant River. Mr. Barrow says, " There is neither a volcano nor a vol canic product in the southern extremity of Africa, at least in any of those parts where I have been ; nor any substances that seera to have undergone the action of fire, except masses of iron-stone, found gene rally among the boggy earth, in the neighbourhood of some of the hot springs, and which appear like the scoria of furnaces. Pieces of pumice-stone," he continues, " have been picked^ up on the shore of Robben Island (or Seal Island, in the mouth of Table Bay), and on the coast near Algoa Bay, which must have been wafted thitiier by the waves, as the whole basis of this island is a hard and compact blue schistus, with veins of quartz running through il ; and, of the eastem coast, iron-stone and granite." If these remarks were intended to apply to the vicinity of Cape Town, or even as far north as St. Helen's Bay, a distance of more than a hundred mUes from Table Bay, I have nothing to offer in oppo sition. But north of that, I must contend for volcanic remains. It is said that there is no fresh water to be had on this coast, nordi of Cape Voltas. But this is an error; as any quantity can be had in Voltas Bay, in the rainy season, without the trouble of searching for it under ground. But by digging, fresh water may be had at all seasons of the year, at a short distance from the head of the bay, where the landing is very safe and convenient, sheltered by two sraall islands lying close to the beach, inside of which the water is perfectly smooth. "This is also a fine place to procure bullocks' hides, fo.x-skins, leopard- skins, ostrich feathers, and many other valuable articles. For the lucrative business of "jerkhig beef," there is not a raore eligible situation on the whole surface of the globe ; as any number of bullocks, in the finest order, raay be purchased at fifty cents each, delivered on the beach ; and for ten raonths in the year there is little or no rain. By penetrating the interior forty or fifty miles from the coast, which may be done with perfect safety, and without the slightest personal risk, thousands of fine fat cattle may be purchased for as many toys, and the bargain consummated under the guns of your vessel. The natives are honest and inoffensive ; being in a state of nature, and having never studied the arts of deceitful villany which are practised 80 successfiUly by the children of civilization. Should any citizen feel disposed to fil out a vessel for the coast of Africa, to procure a cargo of hides and other valuable articles, I will cheerfully communicate every neeessaiy information on the subject ; a subject which I have deeply investigated, and can speak of from practical knowledge. Such a voyage could not fail of being highly profitable to the owners and every one concerned. Had 1 not subse- quendy made more valuable discoveries in the Pacific, and were I not bound by every tie of humanity, as well as justice and honour, to restore my two captives to their native country, to which they are very anxious to retum, I would myself be the first to penetrate the interior of Africa ; with full confidence that in twelve months after I arrived on the coast, I could purchase, and have driven to the seajcoast, 288 ORANGE RIVER. [1828. more than fifty thousand bullocks, besides the other valuable articles common to that section of the country. This important discovery I laid before my owners, on my return to New- York from this present voyage ; but they thought me enthusiastic, the project chimerical, and refused to listen to it. 1 did not urge the subject, as I had a desire to seek for discoveries in another quarter ; which, as the sequel will show, proved to be a losing speculation for all concerned ; to me in particular, as I not only lost my property, but also my friends — a very natural consequence. Had I been permitted to return to Africa, the Antarctic would by this time have become as faraous " As Jason's A.rgo, which conveyed to Greece Thc wealthy purchase of the golden fleece ,-' nor should I have been fated to sustain an unequal combat with the giants of prejudice and the hydras of malice and jealousy. September 18th. — ^After taking on board a sufficient quantity of wood in four hours, we left Cape Voltas, on Thursday, the 18th, and steered to the north, with a fine breeze from the south, and fafr weather. At 3, P. M., we reached the entrance of Gariep or Orange River, between which and Voltas Bay, on the seacoast, the land is very low, sandy, barren, and desolate. It retains this appearance for some distance from the shore ; but after running back six or eight mUes, it beguis to swell into hUls, and stiU farther back it rises into lofty mountains, which stand each side of the river,- on the banks of which are a few Hottentot vUlages. The wealth of the inhabitants consists of herds of catde and floclis of sheep. Orange River, though quite extensive in its course, is, in the latter part of the dry season, nearly closed at its entrance, and the water continues shallow four or five mUes westward of the river's moudi. On this shoal the sea breaks every full and change of the moon, as there is a heavy sweU setting in frora the west at that tirae. There are raany valuable minerals and precious stones found in and about this river, and I have found a few grains of gold-dust at the river's mouth. Copper and lead ore have been found here, and I have no doubt that there are raany valuable mines in this part of the country. Not withstanding the steril aspect of the seaboard, twenty-five miles up the river the soil is good, and the country well wooded. A few railes farther east are extensive plains, on which I have seen more than three thousand head of cattle, equal to any in the world. Here the soil is rich, and would produce any thing that might be put into the ground. Some of the forests are of very handsome growth, and the different varieties of plants are very numerous. I have bought bullocks here for one pound of powder each, and ostrich feathers at a propor tionably low price. Persons wishing to have comraunication with this river must land at Voltas Bay, and walk to the banks of Orange, as diere is no landing at or near its mouth, any season of the year, wi account of the con- tinuajk heavy surf that is always roUing in upon this coast from die westward. This river rises far in the interior, and may be said Sept.] ORANGE RIVER— ELIZABETH BAY. 289 to commence at Campbell's Dorp, six hundred mUes directly east from its mouth; being formed there by the confluence of another, called Yellow River, which rises among mountains nearly four hi^iidred mUeg to the north-east pf CampheU's Dorp, and eight hundred from the mouth of the Orange. Two or three other rivers also add their waters to me Orange. Taking our leave of Orange River, we continued examining the coasf to the north-north-west along a straight shore, clear of dangers, until we came to what is called Angras Jimtas Bay, said to hs^ve an island at its entrance, and a bay or lagoon within the island, running six leagues north and south, completely sheltered from aU winds. This I know is not tfre case, as I have examined every rod of this coast with my boats, in broad dayUght, close to the outer edge Of the surf on the -he.gfih* At the place called Angras Juntas there is a.^all bend in the land, running in to the eastward about a mile, the^%iddi of its mouth being a mile and a half. Here ships may find tolerable shelter, with southerly winds, and it is likewise a convenient place to have communication with the Hottentots, sorae of whom reside about five mdes to the north-east of this bay. 'Phere is a small rock that stands to the south-west of the south- point about two mUes, with deep water all around it. At the entrance of this bay there is fburteen fathoms of water, which gradually lessens to five fathoms, about half a mile from the bottom of the bay, sandy bottom. But the best anchorage is under the south shore, one-fourth of a mile from the point to the south-west, in six fathoms, sandy ground. This place is situated in latitude 27° 47' S., long. 15° 50' E. September SOtL-^We continued steering to the north and west, critically examining every raile cffthe coast, untd Saturday, the 20th, when we arrived at Whale Bay, which is in latitude 27° 23' S. This bay is unsafe for ships to anchor in, on account of the shoal water in every part of it ; but they may anchor outside of two small islands which front the bay, lying half a mUe from the shore, on which may be taken a few fur-seal, in the proper season. The landing on the sQuth side of the bay is good, and an eligible place for trading with the Hottentots, who inhabit a smaU vUlage which stands in a pleasant valley, ten mUes inland. They frequently stray down to this bay in search of shellfish, and will dispose of buUocks, sheep, and ostrich feathers on very favourable terms. I can recommend these men for trasty guides for any person that may wish to take an excursipn into the interior. The coast along here is nothing but one sandy desert, with the exception of a few rocky hills composed of volcanic substances. From diis place we followed the coast to Elizabeth Bay, which is - fronted by Possession Island, The centre of the island is in latitude 26° 57' S., long. 15° 8' E. Between thjs place and Cape Voltas there are many small islets and reefs, lying half a mUe from the shore ; but there are no dangers at double that distance from the land ; and ships, if becalmed, may anchor five mUes from the coast, in from fifteen to twenty fathoms, sandy bottom. These soundings extend alpg the whole range of coast. T 290 ELIZABETH BAY— POSSESSION ISLAND. [1828. Possession Island is three mUes in length, and near one mile in width ; 'forming, on the east side, a concave curvature, in which ships wiU find good anchorage in from seven to four fathoras, sandy bottom, and sraboth water. The landing is also good in front of the anchorage, near the centre of the island, half a mUe from the beach. At this place, in the months of August, September, and October, any quantity of pen guins' eggs may be coUected ; and fish of an excellent quality may be caught in great abundance about the shores. On the surface of this island I saw the effects of a pestUence or plague, which had visited the amphibious inhabitants of the ocean with as much malignancy as the Asiatic cholera has the bipeds of the land. The whole island was literally covered with the carcasses of fur-seal, with .their skins still on them. They appeared to have been dead about five years, and it was evident that they had all met thefr fate about'the same period. I should judge, from the immense multitude of bones and carcasses, that not less than half a million had perished here at once, and that they had aU fallen victims to some mysterious disease or plague. There a;re a few sunkenrockslyingoff the south point of theisland, about three-quarters of a mile, on which the sea generally breaks. There is also a reef .running off the north-east end of the island, about three xnUes, on which the breakers are frequently very heavy. These reefs both incline to the eastward, which promotes the smoothness of the water in the harbour. Between the island and the continent, or rather between the extreme points of the reefs and the mainland, the channel is three miles wide, with from fifteen to ten fathoms of w-ater, sandy bottom, and free from dangers. Ships intending to anchor at this island while the sonth winds are fresh should approach the anchorage frora the south, and leave it by the opposite passage. A Hottentot vUlage, of limited dimensions and population, is situated about twenty-five miles east-by-south frora the bottom of Elizabeth 'Bay ; and another, somewhat larger, wUl be found on an east-by-north course, fifteen raUes farther inland, containing about seven himdred in- liabitants. Between this village and the seacoast is a dreary sandy waste, destitute of water, soU, and vegetation : with the exception of a small valley, in which there are several fine springs, where catde that are driven frora the interior may renew their stock of fresh water, ¦Forty miles on an east-by-south course from the landing, on the south part of the bay, are several sraall viUages, inhabited by a very civil in- offensive race of Hottentots, who raise a considerable number of cattle ^nd sheep. But seventy-five miles farther inland the catde and sheep are almost innumerable, and may be purchased at a very low rate ; say twenty-five cents per buUock, and five cents for sheep ; besides the skins of other animals, ostrich feathers, and ivory. At that distance the land is very fertUe, and would produce any thing put into the soil. But the farther you advance into the interior, beyond one hundred and twenty mUes, the larger and more numerous are the herds of tjatd^which raay be purchased for a still lower price, to be delivered and paid for on the seacoast. There is no more danger in fravellmg Sept.] ANGRA PEQUENA, 291 into die interior of this part of Africa than there is in travelUng from New- York to Boston ; providing the travelling party take -no arms with them, and no more wearing-apparel than is absolutely necessary. On all my excursioiis into the interior of this country I was careful to go unarmed, and dressed in nothing but a pair of duck trousers and a duck frock. Thus presenting nothing to excite their cupidity, I was mvariably treated by the natives with the greatest kindness and hospi tality, as they would freely share with me their last morsel of food. I should not hesitate, therefore, to travel across the continent of Africa, if suitable encouragement were offered, as I am confident that the en terprise would be attended with no personal hazard so far as the natives are concerned. Sept. 24th. — Seventeen mUes to the northward of Possession Island is Angra Pequena Bay, where we arrived on Wednesday, the 24th. The westernmost point on the south side of this bay is in lat. 26° 39' south, long. 1 5° T 30 " east. This is a high bluff point, rendered* con spicuous by a marble cross erected on the summit in 1486, by Bartholo mew Diaz, a Portuguese navigator. This monuraent of his success ful enterprise along the coast of Africa is stUl standing, after having braved the storms and heats of three centuries and a half. About four miles eastward of this cross is Angra Point, which has a small rocky reef, lying north-by-east, half a mUe from the shore, betweea which and the point there are five fathoras of water. But I should always advise strangers to pass to ihe north of this reef, giving it a berth of half a raile. After passing the reef you will open a lagoon rurming in to the southward, between four and five miles, the entrance to which is one mile and a half wide j a clear passage, with seven fathoms in the middle of it, becoming gradually more shallow as you. approach the head of the lagoon or either shore. After^ advancing about three mUes np this lagoon, you will find four fathoms of water, muddy bottom, and here is the best anchorage mider the western shore, about a quarter of a mile from the beach. Two mUes east-by-north from Angra Point, and due east of the reef just mentioned, are two small islands, about one mile from the main land, lying parallel with the coast, which runs here nearly north and south. Neither of these islands exceeds a mUe in length ; but the southern one shelters good anchorage in five fathoms of water, clay bottom. The best situation to anchor in on the east side of the south island is near its centre, about two cables' length frora ilfe shore ; leav ing a single rock, that lies level with the surface of the water, and nearly mid-channel, about half a mile to the north of the passage. This harbour raay be entered and left with perfect safety, either from the north or south end of the island; but I can recommend the south ern passage as being the most easy, and entirely clear from dangers twenty fathoms from either shore. The anchorage under the northerh island is unsafe, there being several sunken rocks between it and the mainland, which do not always show theraselves. These two islands have once been the resort of immense numbers of fur-seal, which were doubtless destroyed by the same plague \yhich made such devastation among them on Possession Island, as their re- T2 392 ANGRA PEQUENA, [i828. mains exhibited the same appearance in both cases. Shags and pen guins had now taken entire possession of these two islands, in such numbers that ships might procure any quantily of their eggs in the months of September, October, and November ; and have thera entirely fresh, by clearing out the old from the nests, and gathering the new every morning. These islands present the appearance of volcanic productions of an ancient date, as do also some of the mountains in die interior of the mainland. Navigators who visit this coast for the purpose of opening a trade with the natives of the interior should make Angra Pequena their principal rendezvous to the south. By traveUing, forty mUes due east from the sea, they wUl come to fresh water, and will meet with Hot tentots who are very friendly, and may be tmsted. This excursion, however, thus far, is not pleasant, bemg over a barren sandy desert ; but eyery mile you proceed farther the prospect brightens, the soU be comes rich and fertUe, and the country abounds with aU the produc tions of the climate. The inhabitants soon become numerous, and the grassy plains are covered with immense herds of fiine cattle. The forests remote from the vUlages are the hunting grounds of the natives, where they kUl or lake various kinds of wUd beasts for their valuable skins ; such as leopards, lions, zebras, gray foxes, &c., together with bfrds of a beautiful plumage. Here are antelopes, she^, and ostriches in abundance ; elephants, jackals, ant-bears, porcupines, hedgehogs, baboons, apes, monkeys, &c. The CQuntry to the north-east of Angra Pequena abounds with ores and minerals, which, together with ivorj-, ostrich feathers, and other valuable articles, can be had low. The bay of Angra Pequena affords an imraense quantity of excellent fish, of many different kinds, which may be caught either with a hook and line or a sgine. ' Navigators have reported, and it is so marked on maps and charts, that this region of the western coast of Africa is entfrely desti tute of freshwater; and that none is to be found between the sixteenth and thirty-first degrees of south latitude. This idea is founded iu error ; for I have found raany places, while traveUmg along near die seashore on this coast, where fresh water raay be had in any quantity by digging very shaUow weUs. To the nordi of Angra Pequena, about ten miles, there are many fine springs of exceUent fresh water, about one mile from the seacoast, where any quantity of the pure limpid element can be obtained for a dozen ships at a tirae. The naiads of these fountains are female Hottentots, who, lUie die damsels of Pa- dan-aram, are drawing water for their flocks. They, as weU as the other sex, are very friendly, and will furnish a stranger widi refreah- ments, and die most trusty guides, if he wishes to peneti-ate die interior. i have experienced their fidelity in many extensive excursions j and therefore speak from practical knowledge. - Ten or twelve famiUes are generally near each of those springs. I can also refute another erroneous statement respecting this coast. It is said ^lere is a dangerous shoal lying between diree and four leagues to the west of Angra Pequena, in laU 20° 35' S. But I can assert, widi the greatest degree of confidence, that there is but one shoal on any pajt Oct.] CHABOE ISLAND. 293 of this coast, south of Spencer's Bay, that lies more than four miles frora the mainland ; and this one lies north-north-west from Angr* Pequena, or Santa Cruz, about fifteen miles. October 2d. — On Thursday we got under way, and steered to the «outh, to examine a few rocks which lie about one raUe off-shore from the mainland, and nearly half-way between Possession Island and Angra Pequena, or Santa Cmz. These rocks are small, but evidently of volcanic origin, and have fine anchorage between them and the mainland, in five fathoms of water, sandy bottom, sheltered from ali winds. But their greatest attraction in onr estunation was their dense population of fur-seal, with which they were literally covered. We of course secured a few of these animals, or rather a few of their valuable jackets. In going into the anchorage just raentioned, you pass the north point of the ledge, leaving the rocks on your right- hand half a cable's length distant, and then haul immediately roimd to the south, and anchor abreast of the middle of the ledge, about mid- channel. October 6th. — From this anchorage we steered once more to the north, and passing Angra Pequena we arrived at Ichaboe Island on Monday, the 6th of October. This island, which is about one mUe in cfrcumference, lies eight leagues to the north and west of Angra Pe quena, and not more than a mile and a half from the shore. On the east side of this island ships may anchor in perfect safety, in five fathoms of water, sand and clay bottom, about two cables' length from its shore. The safety and convenience of this anchorage are owing to the foUowing circumstances : — A point of land from the continent ex tends three or four miles into the sea, to the south of the island ; and from the extremity of this point a reef puts off in a north-west direc tion, until it nearly meets a reef that projects from die west side of the island. Another reef puts off from the north-east point o^the island; consequently a bay is forraed, in which a ship raight lie all the year round, jn perfect safety and smooth water. But in coming to this an chorage care should always be taken to pass round the north end of the island, giving its north-east point a berth of half a mile, which will avoid all dangers. In working mto this harbour the shore on the main may be approached within two cables' length. I This is a fine place for making captive the great leviathan of the ocean, the right whale, great numbers of which strike on this part of the coast about the middle of June. They are in the habit of playing about the reefs of the island, and that which runs from* the continental point before mentioned ; and as the south wind generally prevails, there is no difficulty in getting the dead whale alongside Of the ship. Scale- fish maybe caught at the anchorage with hook and line; or at die bottom of the bay with a seine," in great quantities. An abundance of crawfish may also be caught with a hoop-net, all around the island, within fifty fathoms of the shore. Eggs ateomay be obtained here in great quantities, in the months of October and November this island is literally covered with jackass- penguins and gannets, whitih convene here for the purposes of laying and incubation. The nests of thc gannets are formed like those of 294 ICHABOE ISLAND— MERCURY ISLAND. [1828. the albatross, but are not so much elevated ; whUe the jackass-pen guins lay their eggs in holes in the ground, from twelve to thfrty inches in depth, which they guard with the strictest vigUance. I have seen them stand at the entrance of these holes and protect their eggs or young ones with the most resolute perseverance, until they were re moved by superior physical strength. They frequently lay three or four eggs, but the gannet seldom lays more than two. This island is formed of volcanic materials, and its shores are re sorted to by multitudes of fur-seal ; we took about one thousand of theirVskins in a few days. The surface of this island is covered with birds' manure to the depth of twenty-five feet. The south-east part of the bay, on the mainland, directly opposite the island, is the finest place on this part of the coast for jerking beef, it being only four mUes from a Hottentot village and the springs of fresh water before mentioned, which wUl supply any number of cattle. Here also I traveUed into the interior to a considerable distance, and found that the farther I advanced to the north-east, the more numerous were the herds of cattle and flocks of sheep ; whUe the skins of leopards, gray foxes, &c. could be obtained with the utmost facility ; together with ivory, ostrich feathers, and other valuable products of the country. October 20th. — Having taken as many fur-seal skins as was prac ticable, we weighed anchor on Monday, the 20th, and steered to the north, carefully examining the coast for fur-seal. I had now ftiUy made up my mind that a series of voyages to this coast for jerking beef, and trading for other articles with the natives, would prove a most brilliant enterprise, and make fortunes for all concerned. So fully was I impressed with this idea, that I determined to propose it to my employers immediately on my return, not doubting for a mo ment that they would view it in the same favourable light. In the last particular I found myself mistaken, as I have afready mentioned. But it really appears astonishing to me that some men of capital do not see the golden opportunity at a single glance, and seize on it widi avidity. An investment of thirty thousand dollars only, if properly managed, would in two years produce a profit of from ten to fifteen hundred per cent. ! October 22d. — On Wednesday, the 22d of October, we anchored on the east side of Mercury*Island, in four fathoms of water, about .two cables' length from the island, which is situated in latitude 25° 42' S., long. 14° 58' E. It is one mile in circumference, of an oblong shape, lying north and south, and is three-quarters of a mUe north frora the south-west point of Spencer's Bay, and one mUe and a half west from the north-east point of the same bay. Both passages are easy, and free from dangers ; and the best anchorage is on the east side of the island, about one hundred and fifty fathoms from its shores, in five fathoms of water, sand and clay bottom. I would not advise ships to anchor to the south side of the bay, as a heavy westerly swell heaves into it, on the full and change of the moon ; but let them anchor close under the island, and diey wdl lie perfecdy safe, ra smooth water. The south point of Spencer's Bay presents several high peaked Nov.] SPENCER'S BAY, 295 rocks, nearly six hundred feet perpendicular, at the water's edge. Whales frequent this bay in considerable numbers, in the months of July and August. Seal of the fur kind also frequent the shores of Mercury Island, while its summit is thickly inhabited by penguins and gannets, during their laying and incubation season. The shores and surface of the island present many specimens of volcanic pro ductions, as do also those of the continent in this vicinity, extending some distance into the country. There is a Hottentot village about forty miles on an east-by-soulH course from the head of the bay, containing about two hundred and fifty inhabitants, and situated in a fertile valley, watered by several springs of excellent fresh water. There are also four refreshing springs between the village and the bay. The interior of the country abounds in cattle, sheep, deer, bucks, wolves, gray foxes, elephants, and ostriches, in greater numbers than it does farther south ; which may be had for any price you please to give,^in the way of barter ; for money would be of no raore use to them than an equal weight of sand -would be to us. Offer them such articles as tlieir circumstances. requfre, and they will trade in the most liberal and honest manner. I am aware that most people have imbibed the mistaken idea that these natives are treacherous, and cruel, and bloodthirsty, and every thing that is bad. It is no such thing. ,1 make the assertion on per sonal experience and practical knowledge. There is no more danger in travelling two or three hundred miles in the interior of this country for the purpose of purchasing cargoes, than there is in travelling among our own Indians in the state of New- York ; provided you take no temptations with you, and no other arms than a musket. Whatever you purchase of the natives is sold in good faith, to be paid for according to contract on the deUvery of the articles at the beach, and not before. Under this arrangement, they could not de fraud you, were they so disposed ; and were there no other safeguard for your person, the prospect of this payment -would be amply suffi cient. But their natural dispositions are friendly and humane ; and if you treat them with kuidness, they will repay your favours more than ten to one. When they deUver the cattle and other articles at the beach, give them the articles in return for which they stipulated, and they are satisfied ; but I would recomraend a little extension of cour tesy on these occasions, by presenting their chiefs a few tasteful trifles which may attract their attention. Whatever you bestow in this way, wUl not be thrown away, but returned to you sevenfold in some other shape, or on some other occasion. While on this subject, with a special reference to the purchase of cattle and the jerking of beef, it may be well to mention that there are many salt-springs in the valleys at the head of Spencer's Bay, where salt might be manufactured in immense quantities, if properly attended to. But perhaps it would be full as cheap to bring the article from the Cape Verd Islands, to jerk your beef and cure your hides ; which is necessary to prevent the invasion of bugs and other insects. November 6th. — ^After taking about a thousand fur-seal skins from 296 BIRD ISLAND— ALLIGATOR ROCKS. [1828. Mercury Island, and examining the interior of the country at a great distance inland, we got under way, on Thursday, the 6th of Novem ber, and steered to the north, for Bird Island, where we arrived on the foUowing day. This little island, which is not more than the fourth of a mUe m circumference, is in latitude 24° 38' S., long. 14° 22' E., and about three leagues from the mainland. A reef pf rocks runs off from it, in a south-west direction, about five mUes, on which the sea breaks at times very heavily. A vast number of right whales frequent this reef in the months of July and August; and a ship may lie at an chor on the north side of the island, in ten fathoins of water, all the whaling season, iu perfect safety, if she has chain cables. This island is resorted to by seal, gannets, and penguins ; and we took here the skins of fourteen hundred fur-seal at one time, although the landing was very bad. The passage between the island and the con tinent is about nine mUes in width, free from hidden dangers, with a depth of water from wenty to ten fathoms, near the maiidaniL The AUigator Rocks, as laid down on the chart, I could not find, after two days spent in the search. I therefore conclude that there is no such reef, but that Bfrd Island has been seen iu a haze, and mistaken for a danger which does not actuaUy exist. The extreme haziness of the weather peculiar to this coast might very easdy have deceived Captain Wood, of his Britannic majesty's slup Garland, when he thought he had discovered a reef here, in 1798; for I have frequendy been running along this coast, not raore than one league from the land, when the sand-hills which Une diis part of the coast have appeared to be five or six leagues frora the vesseL I have HP doubt that Bird Island is the effect of some mighty con vulsion of nature, which has piled together in an frregular form loose blocks of stone, basalt, lava, and other volcanic productions. The waters around its shores, however, abound with many kinds of excel lent scale-fish, whicli may be caught with hook and line in great quantities. A few turtle, also, may be found on a small sandy beaefa ou the east side of the island. November 15th. — This was William Ogden's birth-day, and the termination of his minority. There was a melancholy interest that hung about this young man, not often noticed among the rough sons of Neptune. Though foremost iu the (Uscharge of active and hazardous duties, he seemed to shrink within hiraself the moment there was no further demand for his exertions. When raided on his abstraction, he would by a sudden effort rouse himself to clieerfulness, and even gayety ; but a cloud would soon come over the sunshine of his countenance. Those who attributed these changes of weather to some affafr of the heart were not a thousand leagues off diefr reck oning, as I afterwai-d ascertained. November 16th. — On Sunday, the 16tli of November, we left Bhd Island, and continued our examination of the coast to the northward, with a gende .breeze from south-by-west, and fair weadier : aud, November i8th. — On Tuesday, the J 8th, we arrived at the mouth of what is called Sandwich Harbour, said to have three fathoms of Nov.] SANDWICH HARBOUR— WALWICH BAY, 297 water in its channel of entrance. Although we found only eleven feet at high-water in this channel, I have no doubt that there was a time, some years back, when its depth was fuU three fathoms, and that it has been fUled up by drifts of sand, the movements of which along this coast forcibly reminded me of the snow-drifts of my native country ; every fresh southerly wind forming new sand- hiUs, exactly as new snow-banks are formed at home, by a fine, clear cold north-wester. This lagoon runs into the southward, about two leagues, with seven, fi?e, three, and two fathoms, nearly all over it. It is formed on the east by a high white bluff sand-hUl ; and on the west by a low sandy peninsula nearly level with the sea ; with shoal water on the seaboard side for more than a mile to seaward. The entrance of thc lagoon is very narrow, being not more than a quarter of a mUe wide, and formed by two low sandy points, situated in latitude 23° 35' S,, long. 14° 28' E. Variation per azimuth in 18^, 23° 15' westerly. Perhaps there is not a finer place on the whme coast than this for taking fish with seines. Many different kinds of fish resort to this lagoon ; one of which bears a strong resemblance to our " streaked bass ;" and is as fat and delicate-fiavoured fish as our salmon. There are many other sorts, equally good, but of a smaller size. Many cargoes of fish might be taken from this lagoon in a short time ; and they would sell for a good price at St. Helena, Cape of Good Hope, Isle of France, or the Isle of Bourbon. Green turtle also visit the sandy beaches for the usual purposes. November 22d. — We left Ponta dos llhoes, or Sandwich Harbour, on Thursday, the 20th, and steered to the northward, examining the coast in seareh of fur-seal ; and on Saturday, the 22d, we arrived at Walwich Bay, the west point of which is very low, and lies in lati tude 22° 53' S., long. 14° .24' E. The entrance to the bay is Pne league broad, running to the south two leagues ; one league and a half of which is navigable, and the depth of water in going in is from twelve fathoms to three, mud and clay bottom near the head of the bay. The east side of this bay is formed by moderately elevated sand- hUls, near the seashore, and the west side is formed by a very low sandy peninsula, not more than fifteen feet above the level of the sea at any place, 'fhe isthmus is very narrow, it being not more than twenty rods from the head of the bay to the seashore^. The penin- sul-d, however, is from one to three mUes in width. In entering this bay, it is necessary to give the west point a good berth, of nearly half a mile, on account of a sand-bank that rmis off from it, in a north- north-east dfrection about a quarter of a mUe, on whieh there is only- six feet of water at low tide. After doubling this point, in advancing up the bay, it is proper to give the western shore a berth of one-fourth of a mile ; taking care not to approach to it any nearer, as the water becomes shallow very suddenly, from five fathoms to two, and even to four feet, at low water. This is a mud bank, which stretches all along the westem and sonthem shore of this bay ; but the eastern shore is bold one cahte's length from the beach, nearly to the head of the bay. 298 WALWICH BAY. [1828. TTiis bay and its vicinity, in the months of August aiid Septembw, are visited by great numbers of right whales, which resort thitherfor the purpose of bringing forth their young. Fish also, of various kinds, and in great abundance, may, be caught here with a seine; but it is difficult to haul the seine on shore in any part of the bay excepting the eastern shore, on accoimt*'of the mud flats. Ships visiting this b-ay for the purpose of taking whales, in the months before named, should anchor about half a mde within the bay, under the western shore, in five fathoms of water, muddy bottom. In this situation they will be enabled to see whales from the mast head, outside of the bay beyond the peninsula; and at the same tirae lie in safety, as northerly winds never blow here more than a royal breeze, and that for a few hours only. They wiU also gaitr much time, and save much labour, in getting the whales along side the ship ; as the wind blows nearly aU the time from the south ; and often, in the afternoon, a single-reef breeze. But it is generaUy calm at night, and iWne fore-part of the day. The water is entfrely smooth all over the bay, and consequently it is a safe as weU as a spacious harbour at any season of the year. The interior of the country to the eastward of this bay presents a dreary range of desert sandy mountains and vaUeys, entfrely destitute of soil, or vegetation of any Icind, for tw-enty or twenty-five nules inland, -with the exception of a few valleys that lie to the east-south-east and south-east of the head of the bay, in which are a few Hottentot viUages, with small herds of cattle and sheep, that feed on such coarse grass and shrubbery as they can pick up. About three railes from the south-east part of the bay, on a soudi- east-by-east course, is a small vUlage, where fresh water may be had from many springs in the valley. This water possesses a pecuhar flavour, not unlike sassafras tea, but it is not in the least brackish^ The vUlage contains about two hundred and fifty inhabitants, who oftea visit the bay foj- the purpose of fishing. I have frequently had them on board the vessel, and have purchased from them cattle and sheep) which were in fine order. I uniformly found them to be a very friendly, harmless, inoffensive people, but very indolent and filthy, and some what given to thieving. Their tents or wigwams resemble those I have seen near the Strait of Magellan, and are sufficiently capacious to accommodate two or three persons. A nuraber of poles are stuck in the ground, in a cfr- cular forra, the tops of which are fastened together in a pomt by a leather thong. Over the sumrait of this conic frame is direwn a bul lock's hide, to which others are attached, untd the simple habitation is corapletely protected from the weather. Their clothing is made bf the skins of the gray fox, the deer, the leopard, &c., sewed together widi the sinews of the animals, in die form of a blanket, which they throw over the shoulders, with the hair-side next to diefr bodies, being tied around the neck, and hanging down to the feet. Both sexes dress in the same manner, the female being distinguished only by the profu sion of her ornaments : these consist of shells, bones, and minerals of different kinds, and are worn about the neck and wrists; but the men have nothing of the kind. Nov,] HOTTENTOT EPICURES. 290 Though the sole wealth of this people consists of cattle and sheep, they derive much of their sustenance from the ocean. Their imple ments for fishing and hunting are the spear and the bow ; the former is made of a heavy hard wood, and is generaUy about sixteen feet in I length : this wood resembles our yeUow ebony, but the grain is not ' quite so fine. Their bows are made of the sarae kind of wood, and measure about five feet in length, being two inches wide in the centre. The arrows are of reed, about tliree feet long, and pointed with hard wood and flint. Both sexes arc very expert with these weapons. I have frequently seen them shoot gulls on the wing at fifty yards' dis tance ; and they seldom fail of placing the arrow in the body of the bfrd. They are equally expert with the spear in catching fish,— fre quendy striking one of seven to ten pounds' weight at the distance of twenty-five to thirty yards. Their fishing excursions generally detain thera from home three or four days : they sah all the fish which they take over and above what they consume on th^pot, which they al ways eat raw, and the smaU ones are devoured^thout even divesting them of their entrails. They procure their salt from the springs at the head of the bay. In appeasing the cravings of hunger these people are, in fact, hor ribly disgusting to a civUized person, — ^being actuaUy fonder of the entraUs of cattle and sheep than of any other part. On my killing some of these animals on the beach for the use of our crew, the na tives devoured the entrails raw, before they were cold. I offered them some of the beef, but they refused it, and gave me to understand th-at the entraUs were the best part of the creature in thefr estimation. In eating eggs, their fastidious deUcacy is even more conspicuous ; for they -wUl not touch one untU incubation is nearly perfected, protesting that fresh eggs are not fit for food. At their villages I observed that they roasted their beef, as they did also the flesh of wUd beasts. The entrails, however, were seldom cooked, as the luxurious epicures pre ferred them warm from the animal. When they have been successful in taking a great number of oceanic bfrds, which is often the case in the laying,season, they bury them in the sand, with their entrails in them, until they becorae quite green. This takes all the fishy taste from thera, ahd they become very tender. They then take out the entraUs, skin the birds, and dry their bodies in the sun, which wUl so effectually cure thera in forty-eight hours, that they may be laid away for twelve months without receivhig any injury. Indeed, such is the purity of the air on this part of the coast, that I have had a quarter of fresh beef, weighing two hundred weight, hang ing in the rigging until it became perfecdy dry, without becoming tainted in the slightest degree, even next to the bone. What stronger evidence need be adduced to prove the excellence of this location for jerking beef? The atmosphere is pure, warm, and dry ; and for ten months of the year there is scarcely a drop of rain. Very little falls during the other two months. 300 EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR. [1828. CHAPTER IV. Excursion into the Interior — Description of the Natives — ^Face of the Country- Natural Productions — Sudden and transitory Vegetation — Droves of Elephants — ^Return to the Vessel — Sail from Walwich Bay — Arrive at Mercury Island— A most afflicting Disaster, in the Loss of Ogden — Tribute to his Memory — Ar rive at Point St. Helen — Wreck of the English Brig Columbine — An Offer to save her Cargo rejected — Arrive at Table Bay — Description of the Place — Sail ing Directions — Phenomenon of • the TaMecloth — Sail from Table Bay, and again steer to the North. As the season wajnot yet sufficiemly advaoiced for the seals to come up in their usual numbers on the islands and rocks to the south of our present position, or between Walwich Bay and the Cape of Good Hope, I determined to improve the interim by making a deep excursion mto the interior of the country, in order to acquire aU the information that could be obtained respecting the feasibility of my favourite project. In pursuance of this object, I proceeded from the head of the bay, in the direction of east-south-east, to the distance of nearly one hundred and fifty miles ; occasionally falling in with several different tribes of the natives, who all treated me with marked kindness and hospitaHty, evincing a wiUingness to share with me every thing they had. Some of their principal men volunteered to accompany me as guides and companions from one vUlage to another,' and furnished rae with a tame buUock to ride on, after the fashion of the country. This animal was changed for a fresh one every fifteen or twenty mUes. From the many deserted villages which we passed, it would appear that these people shift their ground ; and when the pasturage becomes exhausted in one valley, conduct their flocks and herds to another, by which means their catde and sheep are kept in such exceUent order for the market. Fifty miles from the seashore, the land becomes very rich, and the grazing fields or plains are covered with hea-vy grass, of a fine soft fibre, I think I speak within bounds m saying, that some of these valleys contain from five to ten thousand head of catde, aU perfectly tame, " sleek and well favoured," besides three tiraes that number of sheep. And there are hundreds of valleys between the four teenth and twenty-fourth degrees of south latitude containing immense wealth in other things, as well as herds of cattle, most of which may be purchased at a very low price, and paid for in the manufactures of our own country. The face of the country here is much diversified, and abounds with limestone, without petrifactions ; clay, slate, sandstone, quartz-rock, granite, &c. In the hills are vast bodies of limestone, lying in hori zontal strata upon granite and slate. In the valleys, and on the sum mits of some of the hills, not more than fifty iniles from the seashore, are extensive beds of coral, die most elevated of which is at least seven Nov,] CORAL ON LAND. 301 or eight thousand feet above the level pf the sea. On some of these summits the coral is entirely in its original state, standing exactly as it does in the coral beds which are seen beneatli the surface of the sea, I found this subraarine production to be friable in various de grees ; the extremities of sorae of the branches, being from tliree to four feet above the sand, were easUy reduced to powder ; while those that were in the valleys, or near the surface of the sand, required some force to break them from the rocks in which they appeared to be rooted. I have frequently seen coral on land, a mUe or two from the sea shore, but never so far frora the ocean, or at so great an elevation, as in the present instance, nor in the same state of perfection. The qiies- tio.n naturally arises, how carae it here, unless this part of the conti nent once formed part of the ocean's bed 1 If so, at what period of time did it emerge from the watery element 1 Can philosophy answer these questions ? .:^ Perhaps every reader is not aware that coral is an animal production. It was formerly supposed to be of a vegetable nature, but is novv found to be composed of what raen of science terra a " congeries of aniraals, endued with the faculty of moving spontaneously." Coral is, in fact, a mass of minute animals adhering together in the forra of vegetable branches ; taking root like plants, and growing up in steras. They are different from plants, however, inasmuch as they are furnished with sensation and spontaneous motion ; and they differ from other aniraals in being destitute of blood-vessels, vertebrse, spinal marrow, and con necting muscles and limbs for locomotion. They are distinguished by the form of their branches, and are found in the ocean adhering to stones, bones, shells, &c. The islands in die South Sea are mosdy coral rocks covered with earth. The coral animals begin their labours on the summits of submarine mountains, and work up to the surface. The immense numbers of this class of zoophytes raust exceed the furthest stretch of huraan imagination. Chains of coral reefs may be traced frora the Sandwich Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, to the coast of Sumatra, a distance of nearly six thousand mUes, with a depth and width correspondingly vast. "This is one of the numerous subjects which a reflecting mind cannot contemplate without being lost and swal lowed up in a vortex of wonder and astonishment ! " How wonderful are Thy works ! In wisdom Thou hast made thera all !" In this excursion I found copper, lead, and iron ores ; ^and from un equivocal indications I have no doubt that gold and silver ore raay be found in this part of the country ; together with precious stones, spices, and valuable drugs. I also collected several large grains of gold-dust from broken quartz-rock, and among the gravel and sand produced by its fragments, frora which I infer that considerable quantities of that precious article might be obtained through the assistance of the natives. ¦ I regretted very much that on this occasion I was not accompanied by some scientific gentleman, well versed in mineralogy, botany, &c. Those gentlemen, for instance, who sailed/rora New- York in the fol lowing year (1829), on board the brigs Seraph and Anawan, of that port, would have found an araple field for their scientUic researches in 302 EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR. [182g. In "r^eturning from the interior towards the seacoast, I paid some attention to the nature and character of the sod, which in many instances I found to be a loam of sandy clay, often from ten to fourteen inches in depth, mixed with particles of ochre, — a sort of earth consisting of alumina and red oxide of iron. Such a soU, hardened by an Africaa climate to the consistency of sun-baked bricks, would seem to promise but a sorry vegetation. But the germs of vegetable life are concealed and preserved under the surface of this almost impenetrable crust during those months in which the rains and dew-s of heaven are with held from this region of the earth. In the month of June, when the rains begin to fall, and soften this hard layer of loam, the fibres of the torpid plants receive the grateful moisture, and the resuscitated germs push aside the now yielding clay, and shoot forth in a thousand tender forms of vegetable Ufe and beauty. In a few days the whole steril waste is clothed in a soft and delicate robe of green, which soon becomes enamelled with blossoms of every hue, and of the most delightful fragrance. MUlions of these delicate flowers ornament the iiiUs and spangle the vaUeys, while the whole atmosphere is perfumed -with paradisiacal odours. " The desert now blossoms as the rose," and " the parched heath becomes a garden of flowers." The Hottentots now descend from the mountains, and ad vance into the plains nearer the seacoast, where they find an abundance of sustenance for their flocks and herds. Antelopes, ostriches, and other animals also descend into the vaUeys, which greatly increases the beauty of the scene. But, alas ! when nature thus suddenly plays the prodigal, she soon exhausts her raeans, and becomes a niggard again. This beautiful scene is soon stripped of its glorj'. In the month of September or October the flowers fade, and the leaves faU lo the earth ; and the incipient germs of future fertUity, the property of anodier year, are safely locked up in their prison of clay, from whence they wiU be again called forth by the benign hifluence of a periodical rain. At this dry season, when the grass is withered, fhe succulent plants alone furnish food for the herds and flocks, both wdd and tame. The streams and rimlets soon dry up, but the springs m die valleys never cease to flow ; and they supply the different kinds of animals Mith sii/Ticient water to allay their thirst. But when vegetable life refuses lo act in the vallevs, they retum to the mountains, with ap parent reluctance ; and sonie of them wUl remain in the vaUeys a long time, feeding upon succulent plants, which afford diem both food and drink. In crossing the sandy deserts, which extend from die seacoast about forty miles inland, and about eight liundred mUes north-west and south east, «-e find that tJiis parched and arid plain is intersected, in various .i,'n?.'"i.°"*' ''?' '1'° ''"''^"' ^^^ of a number of smaU streams; which, by ^h^^T^' """^ "P* '=«"''« «¦'>«''>¦ "-aced and clearly distinguished y tiie dark green mimosas wjiich grow along thefr banks, and which Dec] SAIL FROM WALWICH BAY, 303 form the only instances or symptoms of vegetable life throughout the whole dreary waste. This is indeed a retirement fit for the diffident, unobtrusive sensitive-plant. The natives of this part of the country are not like those to the south of this place, nor those to the north of the fourteenth degree of south latitude, who eraploy the principal part of their tirae in hunt ing the elephant, the antelope, and other peaceful animals, from the spoils of which they enrich themselves. But these natives never molest the elephant, nor any other animal, except for the purpose of providing themselves with necessary food and clothing. The con sequence is, that, hunted from their native forests, at the north and south, the persecuted animals retreat to this unfrequented region for protection, and here they live in security, rapidly increasing in num bers. The quiet and peaceable elephant is here the monarch of the forest, and his race has become very numerous in the interior. From my Hottentot gtiides 1 learned that they roam in vast herds through the densely-wooded tracts of the country, disputing the right of sovereignty even with the African Uon. Matchless in size and strength, yet tranquil, peaceful, and majestic, they march in herds or troops, headed by the most ancient of their number, who acts as king, chief, or leader, to the party. They lead a social, almost a moral life ; mo lesting neither man nor beast, unless first assailed by them. Droves of elephants have frequently passed within one hundred yards of our party, without deigning to notice us with any more atten tion than we should in passing so many ants on the road. In all coUisions with these sagacious animals, man is always the first aggressor, to which act he is incited by cupidity alone. Their ivory tusks form the most valuable article of trade that Africa can boast, gold dust excepted. It is generally supposed, from the pro digious strength of the elephant, his almost impenetrable hide, his rapid though clumsy movements, that he is a most desperate and perUous object of attack. But those Africans who make it a business to take them succeed without much difficulty, by forming .pits and snares of various descriptions, into which they are treacherously in veigled. December 13th. — Having finished my excursion, and returned in safety to Ihe vessel at Walwich Bay, exarained the salt springs, and procured a supply of beef and rautton frora the natives, we again found ourselves in readiness for sea, as it was now time to retrace our steps, and look for seals to the south. The reader will reraember that from Saldanha Bay to our present anchorage, a distance of more than ten degrees of latitude, we had critically examined every mUe of the coast; our boats being, at no time, more than one or two cables' length from the breakers, and aU by daylight. I can therefore say, with confidence, that there are no other dangers along this part of the coast than what I have pointed out and described ; and every navigator who follows these directions will be sure to keep his ship afloat. It wUl not be necessary, dierefore, in passing over the same ground, to recapitulate the facts already stated. December \5th. — On Monday, the 15th, we once more put to sea. 304 MERCURY ISLAND. ' [1828. and steered a southerly course for Mercury Island, touc'hmg at Bfrd Island on the way, from which we took a few fur-seal skins. We continued plying to the southward, with the wind from south-south west during the day, and south-south-east during the night, untU we arrived at Mercury Island, on Monday, the 22d. Here we commenced taking seal, and although the landing was very bad, I adhered to my usual custom of leading the gang ; a custom which every ship-master should adopt who is engaged in this business, as it never fads to pro mote the interest of all parties. In scaling the rocks and precipices of an unsheltered shore, to attack a large body of these ferocious amphibia, some hazard is necessarUy incurred, and sorae courage consequently required ; and I have always found a vast difference in the result, whether I sent my men ahead with the words " Go on, men ! Go on !" or led the van myself, with the more animating exclamation of " Come on, my lads ! Come on I" The latter language seems to kindle the fire of enthusiasm in every bosom ; to inspire them with new courage, and to endue them with redoubled vigour. They msh forward reckless of danger, placing the fullest confidence in the experience and cool intrepidity of thefr enter prising leader. December 24th. — On Wednesday, the 24th, I landed with a party of twenty-three picked men, with the intention of taking a large bodyof fur-seal, which were assembled on the -West side of the island. The sea was tolerably smooth, and the men in fine spfrits, with the pros pect before them of surprising and destroying an unsuspecting army, which would yield thera such valuable spoils. Our schooner lay at anchor on the east side of the island, in four fathoras of water, about two cables' length from the shore. \Miile manning the boats and puUing for die shore, the men were made ac quainted with my intended plan of attack, and received their orders accordingly. I have already intimated that there is no spot on any side of this litde island where a landing can be effected with ease and facility. But to minds resolved no difiiculties appear too formidable to be surmounted. As our boat left the vessel's side, several of the men were guessing, and proposing trifling bets, on the probable number of seal which were to yield us their jackets on this occasion ; at the same time dropping some jocose reraarks on the coiifiision which our unexpected appear ance would cause among the amphibious members of the defenceless community whose social arrangements aud domestic enjoyments we -B^ere about to annihilate. "Poor fellows !" exclaimed young Ogden, arousing from a brief fit of musing abstraction ; " what ties of afi'ection are soon to be severed for ever ! — whole families nearly cut to pieces, and the survivors plunged in misery ! Those that escape wUl find to-morrow a melan choly Christinas." " Ours will be the more merry for our success," replied his friend Oscar Studivan. " Besides, it will teach these gentry a useful lesson on exfravagance ui dress. If they wore hafr instead of fur, as some Dec] FATAL DISASTER. ,. 305 of dieir humbler neighbours do, we should never molest them." Ogden made no reply, but seemed absorbed in some other subject. " To-morrow wUl be a merry day among the genuine Knicker bockers of New- York," resumed the last speaker. " How runs j'our favourite quotation about the Christmas holydays 1" Ogden replied, " Whatever pains assailed, or griefs oppress'd, CluT^tmas and New-year always s^w me blest." They were proceeding with some further remarks to die same effect, when I interposed with a caution of silence, and orders to stand ready for landing, when no man was to speak above a whisper. This ar rangement is always necessary, as the seal are ever on the alert, and on hearing the least noise, are apt to fly to the ocean for safety. It was now about eight o'clock in the morning. The tide was low, and the sea tolerably smooth ; so that we effected a landing without much difficulty. Having secured the boats, we all silently crept along the north shore of the island, which is only, a mile in circunrference, and in a few minutes came in sight of our intended victims, who were lying well up on the summUs of the steep rocks. 1 led the way, idosely foUowed by my six confidential companions, viz. Messrs. lewis, Johnson, Terry, Ogden, Studivan, and Valentine Lewis. The seal soon scented the approach of an enemy, as we plainly perceived by thefr suddenly manifesting symptoms of alarm. No time was now to be lost ; but an instantaneous rush was necessary, in order to com mence the attack before they could recover from their confusion. " Come dh, my lads !" I exclaimed, in a cheerful but half-suppressed voice ; " come on, and let every blow tell." The rush of my Utde party was simultaneous ; every nerve and muscle was exerted, and we had reached the opposite side of the rookery, kUling several seal in our way, when we found that the other party, under the command ¦of Mr. Burton, had been stopped in " mid-course" about the centre of the rookery, by the imraense number of seal that began to pour down the steep roclis and precipices, Uke an irresistible torrent, bearing down thefr assaUants, and taking several of the men neariy into the ocean along with them. On seeing thefr danger, however, we " flew to the rescue," and soon relieved them by turning the tide of war in another direction. Several hundred fur-seal were left lifeless on the shore and rocks. , As the rollers now began to set in with a considerable degree of violence, I ordered the men to commence skinning those which lay nearest to the water's edge first. They applied themselves to the task with alacrity ; but had hardly secured the jackets of more than fifty seal, when a wave of enornaous size came rolling in tp the shpre, with such velocity as to take off and ingulf in its bosom Messrs. West, Burton, and Ogden. Ten or twelve others, with myself, very narrowly escaped the same disaster. " Man the boat !" I exclaimed, and the order was echoed by a dozen voices at once ; and the alacrity of obedience was such, that the men descended a rocky cliff of about two hundred feet in height, apparently 306 DEATH OF YOUNG OGDEN. [1828. without a step. In a moment they were in the boat, and near the stmggling trio who were contending for existence against the mthlesg biUows. They first puUed for Mr. West ; but as he found no great inconvenience from swimming, he ordered them to assist Ogden and Burton, who, he said, were nearly exhausted, which proved to be the case : for before the boat could reach Mr, Burton, who was just on the point of going down, they saw poor Ogden sink to rise no more. After taking Mr. Burton into the boat, they pulled around for some time over the place where Mr. Ogden was last seen, but all to no pur pose. That graceful, manly frame was destined to find a resting- place in some coral cavern of the ocean, whUe his amiable and aspiring spirit soared to the realms of everlasting bliss. Thus perished, in the bloom of his earthly existence, a young raan who, had he lived, would doubtless have proved an honour, not only to his family, but to his country, and human nature ; a young man whose highly cultivated and accomplished mind was endowed with every .manly grace, whose heart was the seat of every manly vfrtue; the hope of a widowed mother — the idol of amiable and affectionate sisters — the pride of brothers who contemplated with proud satisfaction the budding promises of his future usefulness. I knew him well. His integrity was inflexible, and for strict veracity I have never met with his parallel ; for he looked upon an untruth, even of the most trifling nature, as an offence against honour and virtue, which no circumstance could extenuate. He was temperate in all things — moderate on aU occasions, except in his eagerness to encounter danger. He never shrank from his duty, on the most trying occasions, except that of "being required to listen to the language of well-merited praise. In short, he was the exemplary son of a pious mother ; and that includes the highest and brightest encomium of which human language is sus ceptible. Alas ! for those who loved him ! Theirs is the lOss — his an eternal gain. As a trifling tribute of affection and respect to the memory of one so universaUy beloved, the colours of die Antarctic were immediately displayed at half-mast, and minute guns were fired over his watery' grave. A raanly tear glistened in every eye, and the gloora of mourn ing sat upon every brow. Nothing was omitted on this occasion that nautical usage or mUitary etiquette has consecrated to such melan choly purposes, Mr. Burton suffered rauch from the bruises which he received from the rocks against which the roUer threw him ; and this I presume was also the case with ihe unfortunate Ogden, for I knew him to be an ex pert swimmer. December 2oth. — I now determined on leaving Mercury Island im mediately, for I could no longer endure the melancholy scene ; we there fore got under way on Thursday, the 25th, — the day on which we had promised ourselves a merry Christmas, but which had risen upon us as a day of mourning, — and steered to the south and west, with the wind from south-by-east, and fair weather. The morrow did indeed prove to be " a melancholy Christmas," as Ogden unconsciously predicted. Every returning anniversary wUl remuid his friends of their irreparable loss. April.] BRIG COLUMBINE— TABLE BAY. 307 We continued plying to the southward, taking advantage of the land- breezes by night and the sea-breezes by day, stretching along the coast, and carefully examining every rock and island on which fur-seals were lUvely to be found, for more than three months, when we found our selves once more in the thirty-second degree of south latitude. April 19th, 1829.-:-On Sunday, the 19th of April, we arrived at Point St. Helena, where we found the English brig Columbine, Captain Stew art, in a situation that precluded the hope of the vessel's ultimate safety. She was on shore, and her valuable cargo in imminent danger of being totaUy lost. Captain S. had sailed from England, bound for Van Die- man's Land, by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. Lieut. Mitchell of the royal navy was on board as passenger. Him I took on board the Antarctic, and proceeded to Table Bay with all possible expedi tion, to obtain permission to save the brig's cargo, and become entitled to the salvage, which would have amounted to at least twenty-five thousand doUars. My proposition was rejected on account of the Antarctic being American bottom ; though Lieutenant Mitchell and Messrs. Nisbot and Dixon, three as worthy men as any country can boast of, exerted all their influence with the government in my favour. Several other highly respectable merchants also interceded for me ; but Sir Lowery Cole refused to accede to the proposition. The only reason assigned for this refusal was, that he had enemies, and the moraent that he varied fron* the strict letter of the British laws, he should be censured for taking such a responsibUity on his own shoulders. The consequence was, that property was lost to the amount of about seventy-five thousand dollars' value, the whole of which I raight have saved, if I could have obtained permission from the government, the Antarctic being the onl' kind are readily obtained. Bullocks, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, fruU, and vegetables may be had in any quantities, and at very moderate prices. You raay also, at almost any time of the year, find a ready market here for a quantity of domestic goods, at a liberal price ; and purchase in exchange' hides of difl'erent kinds, ivoiy, ostrich feathers, and gold-dust. The bay affords excellent fishing with a seine, and very fine sport with a hook and line. This bay is sometimes called Cow's Bay {Bahia das Vacas), on account of the vast number of sea-cows which used to frequent it in former times. The chief value of these animals is their ivory tusks, which, being harder than those of the elephant, and not so liable to turn yellow, are much more esteemed by dentists. Their hides are also valuable for harness leather, and die skins of the young ones make veiy handsome coverings for trunks. The laud iu the bottom of the bay is double, high, ragged, and prin cipally barren near the shore ; but the valley iraraediately back of the town is rich in soil, and exceedingly lertUe, yielding an abundance of fruit of different kinds, and of an excellent quality. A great quantity of ijorn and beans is raised near the Bay of Cows, and the inliabitants vear cattle of the best kind in great numbers. They also gather a kind of odoriferous wood called kakmigo, which is held iu high esti mation. Mines of copper are said to exist in the -vicinity of the bay, and the mountains are supposed to contain silver. The mountainous districts swarm with wUd beasts of various kinds. Most travellers agree in pronouncing the climate of Benguela ex tremely insalubrious to strangers ; but this, in ray opinion, is gready owing to their not paying proper attention to diet and regimen. The late visitation of the cliolera has taught the w-orld a useful lesson on this subject ; and we now know by experience dial die great secret of preserving healtii is " moderation in all things ;" temperance in eating, •clothing, and exercise, as well as in drinking; abstinence from ex- icesses of all kinds. By acting on diis principle, every climate wiU be found comparatively salubrious, and its atmosphere may be inhaled with impunity. Far be it frora me to invade the province of the medical faculty ; but it is my deliberate opinion, founded on careful observation, and confirmed by experience, that more diseases are caused by bad water than by bad afr ; and I would advise all stran gers who visit this particular part of the African coast, to be very •cautious of drinking the water, unless it be procured at a considerable June,] BENGUELA— DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST, 323 distance from the shore, A neglect of this caution is generally fol- low-ed by a severe and dangerous diarrhoea or flux, especially with those who eat freely of fruit, and make too liberal use of ardent spirits at the same time. But by taking their water from the inland moun tain springs, and avoiding exposure to noonday suns and nocturnal damps, with sufficient employment to keep up a gentle perspiration, they wUl experience Uttle inconvenience from the climate of Ben guela. The wild aniraals that inhabit the interior are often seen in the forests that border this part of the coast ; such as elephants, leopards, zebras, lions, foxes, hyenas, antelopes of many kinds, buffaloes, bul locks, sheep, goats, wUd hogs, and a great variety of monkeys and other sraall animals. I have often seen the elephant, buffalo, and bul lock near the beach of the seashore, between this place and Great Fish Bay. In die interior districts the variety of beasts, birds, ser pents, and other reptiles, insects, and plants is truly wonderful, I had almost said infinite, and well worth the attention of naturaUsts. Some phUosophers maintain that for every passion, propensity, disposition, desire, afi'ection, or thought of the human mind, there is in outward nature a corresponding animal, vegetable, and mineral, good or bad ; and that all things which exist in external nature are intended as out ward manifestations of mental or moral attributes. If this be indeed the case, Africa must comprise a strange mixture of good and evil, truth and error, in the minds of her sable population, where heaven and hell must be commingled in chaotic confusion. But I must leave this subject to the learned ; my province being to point out nautical dangers, and teach others how to shun them. There are many fine anchoring places between Benguela and Port Alexander, of which I wUl mention the most conspicuous. Point Salinas, which lies in latitude 12° 53' S., long. 12° 51' E., is dis tinguished by salt-ponds, which are near the seashore. Tlus point runs about fourmUes into the sea, with a reef running from it oft-shore about one mile. Between this and Point St. Francisco the shores are bold, having no dangers more than half amUe off-shore,' until you corae up with the Friars, which are three rocks, standmg about two mUes off-shore, a litde to the north of the last-mentioned point, between which and the Friars there is good anchorage. But off-shore frora this point there is an extensive reef, running into the sea, with hidden dangers, on which the sea does not always break. In doubUng this 'point, ships should give it a berth of two mUes. The river St. Nicholas has a reef on the south of its entrance, which is in latitude 14° 20' S., with not more than ten feet of water on it, at a mile and a half off-shore. Five leagues farther south is a small bay, called by some Village Bay, in which there is good anchorage, in from ten to four fathoms of water, about one mUe in a northerly direction from the south point of the bay, in sandy bottom. At this place I have seen elephants and other animals, besides numbers of the natives. StiU farther south, in lathude 15° 12', is Litde Fish Bay, the entrance of which is two leagues broad, formed by Cape Euspa on the north X2 324 VISIT TO A SLAVE BRIG. nggg. and Browne's Point on the soudi. Here the water is deep • but as we advance into the bay, it suddenly becomes more shallow, untd it is re duced to twemy fathoms ; it then lessens gradually to six or eight fathoms. ^ Half a mile from the head of this bay, on its south shore, is a ieeu valley, which is covered with a forest of large timber, in the openings of which vegetation appeared very luxuriant At the mouth of a small river which empties into the head of this bay, we saw elephants, and freely communicated with the natives, who were very anxious to open a trade with us, by exchanging cattle, sheep, hogs, and vegetables, for cutlery of any kind, beads, and old clothes, particulariy red flannel shirts. The next conspicuous land to the sonth is Cape Negro, before men tioned, ra latitude 15» 41' S., long. 11° 57' E., on which is erected the celebrated alabaster pdlar, with the arms of Portugal; and eight miles south-west-by-south from this cape is the entrance to the port of Alex ander, already described. In gpcakmg of the Bay of Cows, at Benguela, I ought to have added that a sand-bank puts off from the nordi point of the bay to die distance of one mile, which it is necessary to avoid, as diere is always a swell rolling in upon it, widi a considerable degree of violence. The south and west sides of the bay are entirely clear of dangers two cables' length from the shore. CHAPTER VL -Visit to a Slave Brig— Cruelty and Suffering— Slares flogged to Death— Strength of conjugal Affection in an African— An affecting Scene— Beard the Tirers in their Den— Cowardice of Guilt— How to abolish the Slave-trade Entrlisb Colonyof Sierra Leone— United States' Colony of Liberia — Sail from Benguela Homeward-bound — Island of Ascension — The Fourth of July, and a vertical Sun — Arrive at New- York — Kind Reception by the Owners, and a still kinder one by somebody else. I HAVE already informed the reader, that when I entered the Bay of Benguela there were no less than four slave dealers from Brazil, wait ing to complete thefr cargoes. One of these receptacles of Iiuuihu misery lay at anchor within fifty fathoras of the Antarctic ; and I was so distressingly annoyed by the shrieks and groans of its hapless in mates, the wretched victims of unfeeling avarice, that I resolved to visit the vessel, and raake an offer of such medical aid as might have a tendency to alleviate the anguish of the sufferers. With this determina tion I ordered a boat to be manned, and boarded the brig wiiliuut ceremony. j I was received by the officers on deck with a certaiu degree of courtesy, not uniningled with surprise; which, when I made known the object of my visit, assumed an expression of derision or contempt Ffrmly adheruig to my original purpose, liowever, I insisted upon J^ne,] HORRID BARBARITY, 325 seeing and, if necessary, admmistering to those suflerers whose audible complaints had so powerfully excited my sympathy. The captain gave orders that my demand should be complied with ; and, gracious Heaven ! what a horrible spectacle was presented to my view ! If the reader has ever been on board of a Hudson River market- sloop, loaded with calves and sheep for the city slaughter-houses, he may form some faint idea of this BrazUian slave brig. A range of pens, or bins, occupied each side of the main-deck, from the cat-head to the main-chains, in which were confined such a nuraber of the slaves as were permitted to come upon deck at one time. In a line with the main hatchway, on each side, was erected a bulkhead, or partition, separating the men from the women ; while a narrow passage remained open to the gangway, abaft the stemmost pen, or between that and the quarter-deck. The slaves, perfecdy naked, were stowed in rows, fore and aft, in a sitting or crouching posture ; and raost of the raen had thefr faces be tween their knees, either indulging in a raoody sUence, or mournfully chanting, in a low voice, some plaintive song of their native vUlages, The feelings of the females were of course more clamorously ex pressed, in spite of aU their tyrants' exertions to keep ihem quiet. In passing along the deck between these two ranges of despairing human beings, I encoimtered such mute iraploring glances, such appealing looks of misery, such piteous supplicating expressions of countenance, such torrents of tears, that looked like pearls on ebony, as corapletely and totally unraanned rae. My own tears fell like rain, and the poor negroes gazed on the strange phenomenon of a white man's sympathy with wonder, doubt, and admiration. Even the feraales had not been aUowed a rag to cover their nakedness. After having taken a cursory view of the whole heart-sickening scene, my attention was attracted to the after range of pens onthe star board side, which contained about one-half the females then on deck. Here, as on the opposite side of the deck, the two sexes were separated by a partition or bidkhead eight feet in height ; near which were two women evidendy writhing in the agonies of death. Partly from the officers, and partiy from their fellow-sufferers, I gathered die shameful facts that these two dying wretches had been reduced to their present shuation by repeated applications of the lash, as a punishment for thefr pheous cries and heart-rending waUings. This worse than savage trutality had elicited those shrieks and groans whjch first arrested my attention on board the Antarctic, They were wives and mothers ; their infants had been torn frora their breasts and thrown upon the ground, either to perish with hunger among the grass, or to becpme the prey of beasts, or the victims of venomous reptUes — or, possibly, to be preserved and nourished by strangers. In the phrensied paroxysms of maternal anguish, they had called for their infants — for their hus bands — for their parents — for their brothers, sisters, and friends ; and for this natural involuntary ebuUition of feeling, their bodies had been cmelly lacerated with stripes, until nature sank exhausted, no more to revive. Their breasts were distended with the undrawn nutriment for the lack of which their helpless babes perhaps were perishing it 326 AFFECTING SCENE. [1829; was oozing in streams from thefr nipples, mingled with their own blood. On learning these facts, indignation enabled me to suppress those softer feelings which were before nearly choking me ; while the hard ened barbarians around me wore sardonic smiles upon their faces. The captains of two vessels were present, and several officers. For the moment, I impiously wished to be armed with the lightnings of heaven, to punish the guilty, and terminate the sufferings of thefr victims on the spot. As this was not practicable, however, I gave vent to my feeUngs in a torrent of invective, pouring upon them volleys of vitupera tion. I cannot recollect what I said ; but for some tirae I gave them broadside after broadside, without receiving a single shot in return. They received ray fire in sUent astonishraent suffering me to rake them. fore and aft, until my magazine became exhausted, and 1 paused for lack of ammunition. In the mean time, the two especial objects of my compassion were released from their sufferings by death ; and just as the visiting captaiit had commenced sorae observation in excuse or palUation of thefr con duct, our attention was arrested by another object One of the male captives, a well-made, good-looking man, of about twenty-five years of age, had contrived, all manacled as he was, to scale the bulkhead, from the top of which, being unable to use his arms, he feU into the females' apartment, where his head stmck a ring-bolt with such force as to fracture his scuU. It was the husband of the yqungest of the two women who had just breathed thefr last For a few moments he lay sense less from the effects of the blow ; but soon came fo himself sufficiendy to understand what was said to him. In the next moraent he recog nised the dead body of his wife, which he franticly strove to clasp in his manacled arms ; and, with a yell of despafr, endeavoured to awaken her with his caresses from the sleep of death, whUe the wound in his head was pouring forth a ton-ent of blood on the inanimate object of his piteous lamentations. The captain of the brig now spoke, and ordered one of the officers to tear the poor fellow frora the corpse of his wife, and to stow him on the other side of the deck. He raised his mute-imploring eye to me, Jn which I read a speedy termination of his miseries, and an ardent desire to expire on the bosom of his wife. The officer advanced to seize hira ; but this was too much for me to witness. I sprang before the dying man, drew my dirk, and ordered die officer to desist on the peril of instant deadi. " Hold !" I exclaimed, " you shall not molest him. Back ! back ! on your life ! No man shall touch him, uidess he cut his way dirough my body. You have butchered the wife of his bosom ; he is now dying from the eflects of your savage barbarity ; and they shall not be separated, until his spirit is reunited to hers, in that blessed world where fiends of hell like you can never come. Back ! or your blood shall mingle with the negi-oe's !" The officer recoiled a few paces, while thc others stood gazing al me and each other in mute amazement I stood fixed in my purpose^ however ; and not one of the conscience-struck, guUt-appalled, cowardly June.] SLAVE TRADE. 327 wretches, nor the whole combined, could muster up sufficient courage to oppose my single arm. The dying captive's struggle was short. In a few minutes more he breathed his last, on the cold manimate lips of her he loved more than he feared death. I then returned my dirk into its sheath, and again addressed the embarrassed officers : " Step forward, inhuman monstei-s ! and contemplate the effects of your savage barbarity — your triple murder. Look ihere ! on die re mains of those three poor victims of 3-our avarice and cruelty ! Think too of their hapless infants ; which, if not happily already gone to meet their parents in a better world, are fated never to enjoy a parent's tender ness in this. How will you answer for crimes like these before the God of justice ? I do not marvel at your cowardice, for it is the in separable concomitant of guUt like yours. - 1 do not wonder that you turn pale at my just rebuke, and tremble there like culprits at the gang way. But how much more wiU you tremble when you are arraigned before the bar of Divine Justice, and hear that voice which brought the universe into existence pronomice the awful sentence — ' Inasmuch aa ye have not shown niercy to one of the least of these, ye have not done it unto me.' " With these words I advanced to the gangway, and was about to de part, when the captain of the brig expressed a hope that I -would not leave them in anger, but that I would walk below, and join them in a glass of wine. I promptly declined the proffered courtesy, assuring him that it gave me very unpleasant feelings to breathe the same air with men engaged in this abominable traffic ; but were I to drink with them, I should feel guUty of an act of wanton impiety that had stained the untarnished lustre of the flag I saUed under. They retorted, with a most provoking assurance, that great numbers of American vessels were at that moraent engaged in the same traffic ; vessels which they knew were owned by citizens of the United States, commanded by American captains, and manned by American and English seamen. I made no reply, but stepped into my boat, and was soon on board the Antarctic, with food for reflection sufficient to last me during the passage from Africa to America. Nor was this the only revolting scene I was dooraed to witness, connected with this infaraous system of piracy, whUe I was detained at Benguela. Being on shore on Fri day, the 5th of June, I saw about fifty of these unhappy beings hand- cuifed in pairs, and drove into town like so raany yoke of cattle, by soldiers on horseback. As the poor wretches p^sed me, I could see the traces of tears on almost every cheek, and from some eyes they were strearaing in torrents. They had been driven so far, and with so Utde raercy, that many of them were quite lame, their foot-prints being marked with blood ! But stUI, if any of thera faltered or lagged a little behind the rest, their inhuman drivers would start them up again by several severe cuts of the lash on their naked bodies, with as much unconcern as if they were driving so many bullocks to market. How is this horrible traffic to be finally and totally abolished ? This is a question of vital importance to the cause of humanity. The Umted States, in conjunction with England and France, have effected 328 SIERRA LEONE COLONY, [1829. much ; but much raore yet reraains to be done. The root, the source, the foundation of the evil is in the ignorance and superstition of the poor negroes themselves. Could they become only partially civUized, and sufficiently enlightened to see the beauty of the plainest moral precepts of our religion, they would no longer feel themselves obligated to obey the unjust mandates of a ruthless despot, who levies war on his neighbours, not for any real or iraaginary injury received, but for the sole purpose of raising a revenue by the sale of his captives. This state of things can only be brought about by the labours of mis sionaries, patiendy pursued for a series of years. However severe the edicts which nations may pass against the slave-trade, they wUl never deter from engaging in it a certain class of reckless adventurers which are found in every country ; whose motto is " Neck or nothing." They are willing to run the risk of dying the death of pfrates, in consideration of the immense emolument which attends a successful issue of the perUous enterprise. Like every species of smuggled goods, slaves wdl always fiiiid a ready market, and a price proportionably high to the hazard of introdncing them ; and so long as a door remains open for disposing of huraan beings, the progress of reforra in this particular wUl be very slow. It is coraparatively of but little, use to lock up tbe mouths of the Senegal, the Garabia, tile Zaire, the Coanza, and the Cameroon's, or any other river of Africa, whde the whole extent of coast remains open, and raay be landed on at different seasons of the year. Nothing but a total unqualified prohibition of this soul-debasing traffic by every power in both hemispheres, particularly by those of South America, can afford any rational hope of its final aboUtion. And even then, there is too much reason to fear that men-stealers wUl stUl exist, and that planters will be found of natures sufficiemly diaboUcal lo reward thera for their labours of barbarity. England and the United States have set the world some glorious examples on this important subject. The colony of the former at Sierra Leone, and that of the latter at Liberia, on the west coast of Africa, are both in a flourishing condition ; and thefr projectors and founders merit the prayers and blessings of phUanthropists in every sec tion of the globe. Sierra Leone lies between the seventh and tenth degrees of north latitude, and derived its name frora mountains abound ing with lions. This is the nearest point of the African coast to the most western point of South America, on the BrazUian coast, die dis tance from Pernambuco to Sierra Leone being only about five hmidred leagues. The English setdement of Sierra Leone was formed in die year 1787, for the express purpose of labouring to civiUze the Africans. In 1825, four years previous to my visiting Benguela, it contained eighteen thousand inhabitants ; of whom about twelve thousand consist of Ub- erated Africans, who for the most part occupy the parishes in the mountains, where they inhabit villages, surrounded by tracts of culti vated ground, and containing schools for both sexes. In this quarter the EngUsh have made the greatest exertions to limit, if not to abolish, the trade in slaves ; but, in thc language of M. Malte Bmn," " phUan- June,] COLONS OF LIBERIA. 329 thropy, and penal statutes, and vigUance have been found but feeble bai-riers, when opposed to the cupidity of unprincipled traders," The British cmisers have been very active and successful in cap turing many of the slave-ships which stUl swarm upon the African coast, as appears by the great number of liberated slaves which are every year added to the colony. The landing of these cargoes, ac cording to the writer just quoted, is often a very affecting scene. The poor creatures delivered frora the hold of a slave-ship, faint and eraa- ciated by harsh treatraent and disease, when received with kindness and sympathy by the inhabitants, among whom perhaps they recognise a brother, a sister, or countryman, whom they had supposed long since dead, but whom they are astonished to see clothed and clean, are over whelmed with feelings which they find it difficult to express. On their arrival, those of a proper age are married, and sent to the adjacent vU lages. A house and lot is appointed to each family ; they are supported one year by government, at the expiration of which they are obliged to provide for themselves. The captured chUdren are also sent to vil lages, where they are kept at school till married, which is always at an early age. At the head of each village is a missionary, who acts in the double capacity of minister and schoolmaster. The exertions of the African Institution, aided by the missionaries of the Church of England, have effected a remarkable improvement in the morals of the inhabitants, who are generally contented and industrious. They have opened several avenues of profitable trade with the natives of the in terior, and their external commerce is rapidlj' increasing. But I regret to add, that the climate of Sierra Leone is extremely deleterious to the health of Europeans, No less than seven governors have died since 1824, and only, three soldiers survive out of a whole regiment. The United States' colony of Liberia, which, being of a more recent date, is yet in its infancy, is situated about two hundred and fifty mUes south-east of Sierra Leone, at Cape Montserado, or Mesurado. Its history is briefly as follows : — " In December, 1821, the American Colonization Society effected the purchase of a tract of territory at Cape Mesurado, on wliich a set tlement was made soon afterward. The colony at first was disturbed by the native blacks, who, in November, 1822, made two attacks upon it in large bodies, but were repulsed with great loss. Since that period the colony has received continual accessions from the United States, and rapidly improving. Additional purchases have been made in the vicinity, particularly on St. Paul's River, north of the MIsurado, and Stockton Creek, which opens an inland communication between the two rivers. " The first and principal setdement is at Monrovia (so named in honour of President Monroe), on Cape Mesurado, which is fortified, with a government-house and stores, churches and schools. Farming settlements are forraed at CaldweU, on St. Paul's River, and on Stock ton Creek, Several trading factories are established along the coast, over which the society have a qualified jurisdiction for one hundred and fifty mUes from Cape Mount to Trade-town, This jurisdiction secures to thera the trade of the country, and precludes all Europeans 330 COLONY OF LIBERIA. [182&.' frora any possession within these limits. It also enables them to put a stop to die slave-trade."* The population of the colony is rapidly in creasing, and probably now amounts to above fifteen hundred. The country abounds in cattle, goats, swine, and fowls, and in most of the fruits and productions of other tropical cUmates. Cape Mesurado is an elevated promontory, almost perpendicular oi> the north side, but with a gradual declivity towards the sea on the south. The natives in the vicinity of this place have been noted as very superior to those farther eastward ; being quiet, tractable, and hospitable, and honourable in their dealings. The negroes on the banlis of the river Mesurado, it has been said, speak a cormpt dialect of Portuguese, and acknowledge theraselves vassals to Portugal ; but are not, as some have supposed, Europeans changed to negroes by the power of the climate. Ivory is the staple commodity of exchange or barter. Teeth under the weight of twenty-two pounds are termed scrivelloes, and may be had comparatively cheap. ^ " It is highly probable," says Mr. Niles, " that we raay buUd up a powerful people on the western coast of that benighted quarter of the world, who shaU extend their settiements into the interior, as we our selves have done [on this continent], and command the native tribes as we do ; and thereby spread light and knowledge, civihzation and re ligion, even along the yet unknown shores of the mysterious Niger, and totally break up at least the external trade in slaves ; but without much, if any, sensible effect to decrease our own coloured population. How ever, it wdl be a great thing to have a spot provided to which our free blacks may proceed, with an assurance that their industry wiU be crowned witli prosperity and peace, and where thefr children wUl have a country and a home ; nor will it be less interesting because of the opportunity which it may continually offer to liberal and humane per sons, who would gladly emancipate their slaves, if convinced that thefr condition would be benefited. We always approved of this project, for it is indeed a humane one, though we questioned its efficiency to accom plish the grand first purpose proposed." In concluding an animated description of tins flourishuig colony, the Encyclopaedia Americana uses the following languao-e : — " Thus far the efforts of the American Colonization Society have been attended with great if not unexarapled success. The men of colour who have migrated to Liberia have felt the influences of enterprise and freedom ; and are improved alike in their condition and character. Those who were slaves have becorae masters ; those who were once dependent have become independent ; once the objects of charity, they are now benefactors ; and the very individuals who, a few years ao-o, felt their spirits depressed in our land, and incapable of high efforts and great achievements, now stand forth, conscious of their digraty and power, sharing in all the privileges and honours of a respected, a free, and a Christian people." , A weekly newspaper, called die " Liberia Herald," is now printed at Monrovia, the capital of the colony, and appears to be very weU con- * M. Malic Brun's System or Ocojnphy. June.] ISLAND OF ASCENSION. 33 ducted. A pretty brisk commerce is also carried on there ; and i 1828 they exported seventy thousand dollars' worth of produce. Tl climate is salubrious, and with a few exceptions, the colonists have ur forndy enjoyed good healdi. June 8th. — Our water-casks having been replenished from mountai streams, and safely stowed on board, and the schooner being no amply supplied with fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, and refreshments t every kind, besides a quantity of live-stock, we found ourselves iu read ness to set sail for home, "sweet home," many months sooner tha we had anticipated. But the voyage had been prosperous beyond oi expectations, and any further stay on die African coast would have bee a useless waste of time and money. We therefore got under wa)' c Monday, the 8th of June, and at 4, P. M., we left the anchorage i Benguela, which is in lat 12° 34' south, and long. 13^17' east ; varii tion per azimuth, 2 1° 30' westerly. We started with a fine breeze froi south-west, and fair weather. At 11, P. M., we took the wind fro i south-by-west, and at 10 the next morning we had it frora south-soutl cast We crossed the meridian of Greenwich on Friday, the 12th. June 15/A.— We continued on our course to the west with south-eai winds until Monday, the 15ih ; when, at 11, A. M,, we were close i with the island of Ascension, in lat 7° 55' south, long, 14° 23' wesi about six hundred mUes north-west of the celebrated island of S Helena, and twice that distance east of Pemambuco, in BrazU. The island of Ascension was formerly described as " a barren ui inhabited island in the South Atlantic Ocean, without soil or vegetation, and as " an impracticable heap of volcanic ashes." This descriptio was once correct ; but industry, skUl, and perseverance have now rei dered a more favourable one appropriate. The island is in fact a sha tered volcano, the pulverized materials of which are rapidly becomin converted into a rich and fertUe soil. It formerly belonged to the Po: tuguese, who discovered it in 1501 ; but in 1816, some English fan ilies from the island of St Helena setded here, and it was taken poi session of by the British govemment as a mUitary station ; and sixt transport ships provided the garrison of two hundred men with supplie from the Cape of Good Hope. A fort was erected, roads constructet gardens planted, houses built, &c. This island is of triangular shape, about twenty miles in circumfei ence ; being eight miles from north to south, and five miles and a hal from east to west. It may be seen from the mast-head in clear weath« at the distance of ten leagues. On approacliing it from die east, : the distance of six or eight leagues, its appearance is uneven and ruj ged, being an assemblage of hills, with a mountain overlooking thei from the south. This is called Green Mountain, and is about eigl hundred yards in height The best anchorage at this island is in Tu; tie Cove, in eight or ten fathoms of water, with the flag-staff on Crosi Hill bearing south-east-half-east ; Rat Corner, south-south-west ; dii tance from the nearest shore about one mUe. A heavy surf often ii termpts the landing for several days together. The whole island is of volcanic origin, and the surface is now parti covered with a reddish soil, whUe in sorae places tiicre is a yellow earl 333 ISLAND OF ASCENSION. [1829. reserabling ochre. A fiie black earth covers the bottoms of the vaUeys, which are now in a fine state of cultivation by the little military colony before alluded to. The island is composed of several conic hills, from two hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty yards in height. Green Mountain has a double top, rising in two peaks, like the Grecian Par. nassus. In almost every part of the island, as Mr. Purdy justly ob serves, are found prodigious quantities of rocks fidl of holes like a honeycomb ; together with calcined ;stones, very light, and pumice- stones. " The rocks, lying upon each other in a very irregular way, and mostly on the declivity of hUls, leave great chasms between them ; and as they have very little solidity, an observer runs some risk who ventures without caution . upon them," " About the middle of the island, and between the hills, there are several little plains, which are divided into small spaces, so remarkably distributed that you would take them for so raany pieces of land cleared of stones, and separated frora each other by long walls." , According to the stateraent of the officers of the English brig Slaney, who visited this island in February, 1827, Ascension was then (under the government of Lieutenant-colonel NichoUs) in a most flourishing state of progressive improvement as to its resources, both natural and artificial. " Roads are constructing frora the several springs (sixteen in nuraber) to convey water to the garrison; and hopes were entertained of .being able to supply a squadron with that essential article in the course of a year, by means of fron pipes from the principal spring to a reservoir near the beach. Pasturage for cat- tie is making its appearance. Sheep, turkeys, guinea-fowls, and live stock of every description thrive well. Fruit, such as pmes, Indian gooseberries, and plantains have been successfidly cultivated. Pota toes, onions, carrots, pease, French beans, and almost every esculent vegetable have been produced upon the island; and thus, from a desert cinder, nature has been courted successfully to yield most of her use ful vegetable productions. Only two deaths from sickness have occurred at Ascension during the last two years [1825 and 1826] ; and when we consider that gales of wind are imknown to have visited the anchorage there, the value of the island as a rendezvous and a dep6t for stores and provisions, for a squadron of observation, des tined to cmise either on the African or BrazUian coast hereafter, will obviously repay the liberal attention that has been bestowed upon it." A short tirae after the visit of the brig Slaney, die WiUiam Harris, a transport, landed at the island a cargo of live-stock — horses, hares, rabbits, pheasants, poultry, partridges, &c., seeds of vegetables, agri cultural implements, and a supply of necessaries for the garrison, who all enjoyed very exceUent health. In return, she took a large quantity of fine turde, with which the island abounds ; and, according to Cap tain Lesley, it " furnishes the finest in creation," being " not only fat and large, but in the highest perfection for eating, 'fheir weight, in general, is frora one to seven hundred pounds. They are, of all I ever tasted, the fattest and finest ; all others I ever saw before bear no com- Jidy] ARRIVE AT NEW-YORK. 333 parison with them." This description, I should suppose, would make any alderman's mouth water. From the island of Ascension we shaped our course west-north-west, with a strong breeze from the south-east, and fair weather. We crossed the equator on Sunday, the 21st of June, in long. 30° 47' W., and on Tuesday, die 23d, we lost the south-east trade-winds, in lat 5° 42' N., long. 32° 14' W. From this day to the 26th we had light variable winds, and heavy falls of rain. On the last-raentioned date, at four, P, M., we took the north-east trade- winds, in lat. 10° 4' N,, long, 32° 51' W. We now had a fine breeze from east-north-east to north- north-east, and fair weather for ten days. July 4th. — On Saturday we celebrated the anniversary of our' na tional independence in an appropriate manner, by displaying the stars and stripes, and firing a national salute at sunrise, noon, and sunset. This ceremony was rendered die more interesting by its being beneath a vertical sun, at twelve, M,, — " a sun of glory, that threw no | shadow on the scene," At this moment the sun's declination and our latitude only differed one minute and thirty seconds. Temperature of the air 95°, of the water 83°. Heaven grant that the sun of our national glpry and prosperity, which is rapidly ascenduig to the zenith, may there remain vertical, until tirae shall be no more. July 7th. — On Tuesday, the 7th, we lost the north-east trade-winds, in lat. 31° 0'^ N., long, 63° 8' W, We now continued steering to the north and west, with variable winds and occasional foul weather, for nearly another week, when the cheering cry from the mast-head of "Land, ho] land, ho! over the larboard bow," announced the appear ance of Mount Mitchell, or the highlands of Navesink, and many anx ious bosoras throbbed quick in response to the welcorae cry. In a short tirae after we were boarded by a pilot. July 14th. — On Tuesday, at four, P. M., we arrived at the quaran tine ground, Staten Island ; and at five, P, M., I landed at Whitehall, where I took a coach, and in a short tirae I had by the hand my wor thy old -friend Christian Bergh, Esq., who greeted me with a cordial " welcome horae," affectionately inquiring after the health of rayself and crew. But not a question would he ask, not a word would he hear, respecting the success of our voyage, or on business of any de scription, until I had erabraced my family, who, he informed me, were in good health. This instance of kindness and delicacy, so differ ent from the general conduct of " mercenary man," touched me sen sibly. While I was conversing with the old gentleman, we were joined by his son, Edwin Bergh, " a son every way worthy of such a sire," His greeting was equally cordial, eqnaUy delicate with that of his excel lent father ; neither of them would touch upon business until I had discharged duties of a more tender character. On taking my leave of these worthy men, 1 was met by their copartners in business, Jacob Westerfield and Robert Carnley, Esqrs,, whose reception, to my in creased surprise, was exactly siraUar to that of the Berghs, The pleasure of seeing me returned in safety, they said, was a theme suffi cient for the remainder of that day ; to-morrow would be tirae enough 934 INQUIRY FOR OGDEN. [1829. for business. They inquired after the health of the crew, and dropped several manly tears for the fate of young Ogden, one of them exclaun ing, " Ah ! who shall tell his widowed mother this ! His sisters too — 'twill break their hearts to hear the dreadful news," I now took my leave, and in a few minute8,more held a dear form in my arras which had been rendered senseless by the sudden joy urising from my unexpected appearance. But such revulsions of na ture are seldom fatal. " But recollection whispered yet t joy 'Twos hers to give, aiid from the trance slie starts, ruts in liis arms their little infant boy. Love's precious pledge, that closer binds their bearta." CHAPTER VII. A Sister's Inquiry for her Brother — An Evasive Answer — The Fatal Truth dis closed — A Monrninw Family — Pious Resignation — A Funeral Sermon — ^Dis charge the Cargo — visit Stonington — Preparations for another Voyage in the Antarctic — Domestic Affairs — A Wife resolved to accompany her Uusband — A'^ain Expostulations — Arguments pro and con — The Embarlration — ^The Pilot - dismissed. Thus far all had been pleasure and congr^ulation. Several friends had dropped in to wish us joy, and welcome my return. Among the rest a beautiful young lady, who had formed an intimacy with my wife during my absence, made her appearance. Owing to the agita tion and confusion ever attendant on such joyful occasions, the usual etiquette of a formal introduction was forgotten or neglected, and my fair visiter opened the conversation without ceremony, her eyes spar kling with vivacity and pleasure as she spoke. " Oh, Mrs. Morrell, I congratulate you with all my heart. Captain, I am so glad that you have returned. I hear that your beautiful new vessel the Antarctic is at quarantine. I suppose she w-Ul be detained some time. How soon do you diink she will be up ? — Or wUl your men be allowed to come to the city to see their friends ? You must let my brother WiUiara corae up, if it is only for one night, or else we shall all go down to see him, and board you by force of arms. Your Antarctic, with all her guns, cannot oppose a female press-gang, who have so strong a claim on one of your crew. We must have WU liara." " William ! What WUUam !" I inquired, as a very unpleasant sus picion dashed across my mind. " We have several fine fellows of that narae. Which of them do you claim, miss ?" " AVhy my brother, to be sure, William Ogden, the last man you shipped, the very day before you saUed ; he gave us die slip at a few liours' notice, for which I mean to give him a round scoldmg, after I July.] A MOURNING FAMILY. 333 have kissed hira, and am certain that he is quite well. And L have got good news for him, too." The reader will easily perceive that I now found myself placed in a veiy awkward, iu a very painftil situation. To dash at once from the lips of this amiable gfrl a cup overflowing with hope, joy, and affection, I could not for the wealth of worlds ; the worth of the An tarctic, and all her valuable cargo, would not have bribed me. I stole an appealing glance at my wife, for counsel and assistance ; but in stantly read, in an answering glance, that I must depend on my own resources. I therefore resolved to gain time by evasion, and so made the followmg reply : " WUUam Ogden ! There is no raan of that name on board of the Antarctic." Shenowlooked very much alarmed. "But as you allude to his giving you the slip, and shipping in a sudden, unexpected m-an- ner, it is highly probable that he may have entered under an assumed name. It is often done by romantic young men, you know, especially if there be ' a lady in the case.' " " An assumed name !" repeated the affectionate sister. " Why should he do so -? And yet it is possible. Indeed, it must be so ; for I know, we aU know, that he sailed in the Antarctic ; and the very night before he saUed a strange band of music came under his window, and played the beautiful afr of 'Home, sweet home,' in the sweetest style,, he told us, that ever he heard it performed in his life. But he knew not who the musicians were, nor could he imagine the cause of their paying him the compliraent of so .pleasing a serenade. They repeated it several times, he said, and the effect on his mind was such as almost induced him to relinquish his wild resolution of going to sea." " Well, Miss Ogden," I replied, with as much firmness ^s I could assume, "if your brother be on board the Ant-arctic, under whatever name he may have shipped, you shall see him to-morrow, or at least hear sorae reasons for his non-attendance. You shall not be kept iir suspense an hour after I return to the vessel." With this assurance she appeared satisfied, and after thanking me, departed with a heart as light as gossamer, or the down of a thistle. I now consulted with my wife and one or two friends, on the best mode of breaking the distressing intelligence to the now happy family. One of my friends, much better qualified for such a mournful office dian myself, volunteered his services on the occasion. I did not at tempt to express my gratitude to him ; but I felt it : and if he should chance to cast his eye upon this page, let him be assured that I thank him still, for saving my feeUngs on that occasion, I would not shrink from any duty, under ordinary circumstances ; but the reader must bear in mmd that I had yet scarcely embraced my family, after a long absence. My friend performed his assumed duty, and acquitted himself on this occasion, as he does on every other, in the best possible manner. The shock was great ; but every member of that highly respectable and very amiable famUy had been taught by affectionate and pious parents to be resigned to the will of Providence. The thrice-bereaved and widowed mother came to see me on the following day, and thanked 336 FUNERAL SERMON. [1829, me for I hardly remember what ; but she thought I had been kind to her poor boy, as she called him. She assured me that she had prayed for and obtained a feeling of humble resignation to this afflicting dispen sation ; and that she could breathe sincerely from the heart the ejacu lation bf " Thy wUl be done," On the following Sabbath a funeral sermon was preached by the Rev, Mr. Schaeffer, which was attended by the crew of the Antarctic, on whose weather-beaten visages glistened many a manly tear. This amiable young man was born in the city of New-York, on the 15th of November, 1807. He was educated in his native city, under the charge of the late Joseph Nelson, LL.D., and received the first honours of that distinguished school. At the age of sixteen, shortly after the death of his father, he entered upon a mercantUe profession ; and in the spring previous to our sailing for Africa, he commenced the dry goods business, and his success was every way equal to his own anticipations, or the wishes of his friends. He suddenly determined to go to sea — so suddenly, that he only made up his mind the day be fore the Antarctic saUed. He informed his friends that his resolution was irrevocably fixed, without assigning any reasons, except his desire to explore the south polar regions. During our outward passage, and untU the period of his death, he wrote home by every opportimity. I am not at liberty to enter into particulars, except to add, that two fond, faithful, virtuous hearts had been sundered by unnatural influence. I am at liberty to add, that I have seldom met with his equal for integ rity, uprightness, and every manly virtue which adorns the human character ; that he was an affectionate son, and a kind brother ; and that he never caused his family a tear, until he embarked on this (to them) unfortunate voyage. His death has occasioned a chasm in their domestic circle which can never be filled. Independent of the melancholy circumstances just detaUed, every thing conspired to render my return a happy one. All my relations, friends, and acquaintances were in good health, and expressed great joy on seeing me. One of my sisters had happUy married during my absence, to Mr, Sheldrin Tomlinson, of Connecticut, a very wor thy man. This was my sister Abby, who after her nuptials received a very handsome marriage-portion frora the hand of Mrs. Burrows, the wife of Silas E, Burrows, Esq., the generous benefactor of our faraUy, after the awful calkraity which deprived us of a mother. The reader will recollect that he and his amiable wife took my motherless sisters under their protection, and treated them with unex ampled tenderness and benevolence. I know their retiring, unassuming character, and dare not hazard the expression of all I feel on this subject July 15th. — On Wednesday, the 15th of July, I had the pleasure of seeing my worthy and much esteemed friend Charles L, Livings ton, Esq,, who received me in the most cordial and affectionate man ner. He is one of the worthiest men of which the state of New- York can boast ; but his character is so well known, and so highly appreciated by the public, that it needs not the feeble eulogium of my pen. This gentleman, with all the others concerned in the schooner July.] VISIT TO STONINGTON— DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 337 Antarctic, expressed great satisfaction at the successful result of our voyage, and were pleased to speak to me in terms of high approba tion ; which was, of eourse, very grateful to ray feeUngs. The plea sure of knowing that we have faithfully discharged our duty is much heightened by the approbation of our employers. 1 now laid before them my favourite plan of jerking beef on the coast of Africa, but they all declined entering into the speculation. During diis week we finished discharging the cargo of the Antarc tic, at the quarantine ; and in a few days afterward, that elegant vessel was once more moored at the wharf in front of the sliip-yard where she was buUt, with the rigging taken from her mast-heads. Here I took ray leave of her for a short time, for the purpose of pay ing a visit to my father, sister, and other friends in Connecticut This excursion to Stonington yielded me much enjoyment. Every one was weU and happy, and the place improving and in creasing m wealth and iraportance. I was extremely glad to learn that the spirit of patriotism and enterprise which has ever distin guished the inhabitants of this place, had received some encourage ment from government, in appropriating funds for erecting a lighthouse and constructing a breakwater ; and that the state legislature had granted them a charter for a bank. I united with them in celebrating the anniversary of the meraorable bombardment of that place, which is stricdy observed, not only by " the sterner sex," but also by the females of every age, from the blooming girl to the silvery headed matron. After attending to this patriotic festival, and spendmg a few very happy days with my father and sister, I took my leave of Stonington, and returned to New- York ; where I found that 'my friend CaptainWilliam Skiddy, commander and part owner of the Havre packet Francis the First, had arrived during my absence. This gendeman was one of the owners of the Antarctic ; and, as a ship-master and a gentleman, sustains an elevated rank in the estimation of the community. On calling to see my venerable friend Bergh, he informed me that it was the unanimous wish of the owners that I would again take charge of the Antarctic, and proceed on a voyage to the South Seas and Pacific Ocean. Tliis request I was ready to ffbmply with ; and entered into the scheme with so much alacrity, that by the latter end of July, the schooner was in readiness to receive her stores and pro visions, with every other necessary article ; and by the 1st of Sep tember, we once more found ourselves'ready ftir sea ; the_ Antarctic lying in the East River, abreast of Catharine market. 1 In the mean time, my wife had informed me, that during my late absence she had made up her mind to accompany me on my next voyage, be it to whatever section of the globe it might, even to the icy regions of the antarctic circle. So much had she suffered from anxiety of mmd on my account, during the last twelve months, that she assured me she could not survive another such separation. " Only take me with you, Benjamin," was her constant reply to all my expostulations against the measure, " and I wiU pledge myself to lighten your cares, instead of adding to thefr weight. I am wilUng to Y 338 FRUITLESS EXPOSTULATIONS. [1829. endure any privation — ^let my fare be that of the meanest creature on board, and I shall be happy, if I can see you in health and safety. Should misfortune be your lot, I would console you ; and I would a thousand times rather share a watery grave with you, than to survive alone, deprived of my only friend and protector against the wrongs and insults of an unfeeling world," I then represented to her, in strong colours, the force of objections from another quarter. It was to be admuted that my owners and employers were the best and most benevolent of men. But, as a general principle, merchants would never willingly consent for a ship master in their eraploy to be accompanied, on a long voyage, by Ms "wife. Some would object to it on the mean avaricious apprehensions of the lady's food abstracting some fifty dollars from the net profits ci the voyage ; others were fearful that the husband would neglect his nautical duties, by attending more to the comforts of his wife than to the interests of his owners. To all these, and a thousand argu- inents of equal cogency, she had ready and plausible replies. " As regards the cost of food," she replied, " your owners shall not suffer a cent Water costs nothing, bread we can buy ourselves ; I want no better fare, if I can only be with you, if I can only see you once in twenty-four hours, and luiow that you are not sick ; or if sick, that I can have the privilege of nursing you, and administering to your wants. And how Uttle must they know you, Benjamin,''who could for a moment suspect that you could neglect 5'our duty on my account. The Antarctic would be doubly safe with me on. board ; for your care and watchfulness over her safety would be tenfold increased for my sake. You would know that your wife and the vessel must swim or sink together." I wUl not fatigue the reader with all the argument's urged and refuted on both sides; but wUl merely state that my principsd objec tion, next to anxiety for her comfort and safety, was the fear of slanderous tongues, which raight injure ray professional character as a ship-master, by representing me as sludyuig my own comfort and pleasure, instead of the pecuniary advantages of those who intrusted me wuh the vessel, I knew that I had enemies who woidd seize upon the slightest pretext to lessen me in the estimation of merchants, as a man of business. To this she replied, that whUe conscious of ¦doing my duty to God and man, the shafts of envy could never harm me. I then appealed to female timidity, and endeavoured to alarm her terrors by picturing the dangers of the sea in the most friohtful colours. I represented the chance of being shipwrecked on an island of savages, who would massacre the survivors with perhaps the exception of herself, reserved for a still more horrid fate ; the hazard of foun dering at sea, in a gale of wind, and the crew compelled to save them selves in an open boat, in the midst of the ocean ; together with many other dangers of m Uke nature. In this opposition to the fondest wish of her heart, I was ably sup ported by her parents, brothers, sisters, and friends ; also by my uncles Captains Thomas and Denasen Wood, with their wives and daughters, jny sisters, and many respectable friends and acquaintances, who all Sej^t.] A PASSENGER— THE EMBARKATION, 339 nnited hi endeavouring to dissuade my wife from her resolution of ac companying me on this long and perUous voyage. They renewed the subject morning, noon, and night, but all to no purpose. She was StUl determined to go widi me, wherever I went, unless I perempto rily and absolutely forbade her ; the consequence of wldch she said would be, that she shoidd never more see me, feeling it impossible to survive until I retiu-ned. For the week before I gave my final consent, she could nehher sleep nor eat ; but bathed her pillow with tears at night, and drooped all day Uke a fading lily. I now became alarmed for her health ; it evidently appearing that my further opposition to her wishes Vvould be fatal to her happiness, if not to her life. I therefore told her, only two days before we saUed, that I would yield to her wishes, if she would agree to the restrictions that had been pointed out : viz. that she must expect no attentions from me when duty called rae on deck ; that she must never blame me, if things were not agreeable or plear sant, at all times, during the voyage ; and that she must not expect that there would be any extra living on board the Antarctic on her account. She threw herself on my bosom, and for some moments could only thank me with her tears. At length she feebly articu lated, " You shall see, Benjamin — ^you shall see." From this moraent her health began to improve ; whUe her paUid, death-lUie countenance changed into the picture of happiness, and soon exhibited the bloom of the rose. All her former cheerfulness and vivacity retumed ; and when 1 chanced to be present when she was busily engaged in making her preparations for the voyage, she would often repeat the exclamation, " Oh, Benjamin, how happy you have made me !" The various scenes of final leave-taking 1 shall leave to the reader's imagination ; for I fear that I have already trespassed too much on his patience with matters that merely concern rayself — subjects sel dora mterwoven with the coarse fabric of a seaman's journal. But though " Columbia's tars have hearts of oak," they sometimes soften in the warm rays of affection. It was on Wednesday, the second day of September, 1829, at eleven, A. M., that I handed my wife on to the deck of the Antarctic, which was just getting under way, with the pUot on board. We were attended by several of our friends, who proposed accompanying us to Sandy Hook, and returning in the pilot-boat : viz. my worthy friend Mr. Edwin Bergh, and his father-in-law Mr. Qeer, Captain Mitchell, Mr. Bogert, Mr. Keeler, and Mr. John Wood, the son of my uncle Captain Thomas Wood. At one, P. M,, we passed the Battery, with a moderate breeze from the south-west, and fair weather. At five, P. M., my friends all took their leave, and after wishing us a prosperous vpyage and a- safe retum, they went on board the pilot-boat 'Ihoraas H. Sraith, of New- York. Before they squared away for the city, however, they greeted us with three hearty cheers ;,. which were duly honoured by our noble tars, with six loud and animating responses. It may not be improper in this place to remark, that the Antarctic, Y2 340 THE ANTARCTIC SAILS. [1829. on this occasion, though amply and liberally suppUed with every thing necessary for a long -voyage, hid no ardent spirits on board; as I was determined to test the question of the practicabiUty of such a measure. I am happy in having this opportunity of bearing pubUc testunony to the fact, that the experiment was m every respect successful ; so that from my representation of the result, several other ship-masters have adopted the same plan, with the like happy effects. I am so perfectly satisfied of the advantages arising frota this system, not only to the health, morals, and pecuniary interest of the crew, but also to the master and owners, by a more faithful discharge of duty, that I shaU strictly adhere to it in all my future voyages. Its advantage to the seamen is obvious ; as instead of thefr usual allowance of grog, they receive an equivalent in cash, which, at the termination of a two years' voyage, must amount to a handsome sum. Two or three years' abstinence wUl cure this disease of a vitiated appetite in almost any person, even if he be a veteran in the ranks of intemperance ; and I sincerely beUeve that those ship-masters who iave adopted my plan of comrauting with thefr crew for ardent spirits are doing more for the cause of temperance than any other set of men. May heaven prosper the endeavours of every one engaged in this glorious cause ; for he, or she, that is instmmental in arrestmg one solftary human being in the downward course of intemperance, and reinstatmg him in the path of sobriety and vfrtue, may be emphatically termed the benefactor of mankmd. ' FOURTH VOYAGE. TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH PACIFIC, INDIAN OCEAN, &c. CHAPTER L Departure of the Antarctic — Good Qualities of the Schooner — The Captain's Wife on board — Beauties of a dying Dolphin — Sudden Death of Francis Pat terson — ^Arrive at Bonavista — ^Arrive at Porto Praya — Steer for the Soutli — Tho Crew assailed by Fever — ^The Lady suffering under the same Disease — Dis tressing Situation of the Antarctic — Death of Mr. Geery — Death of Mr. Spin ney — The Project darkens — ^A Wife's dying Request to her Husband — ^A Dawn of Hope — The Sick begin to recover — ^Arrive at Tristan d'Acunha, and procure Refreshments, As the objects of this voyage wUl be fully developed in the course of the narrative, it will not be necessary to detain the reader by any premature comments on the subject. If he have patience to peruse the foUowing pages, he wiU be master of the whole secret. He will also leara in the sequel, that though the enterprise proved a total faUure, so fer as respects the pecuniary interests of the parties concerned, more especially my own, the cause of science has been essentially promoted by new discoveries of a most interesting description, both in a com mercial and moral pouit of view. But this is not all ; he wUl become convinced, that through the means of these discoveries I could, with only a moderate share of patronage, either from the United States gov ernment, or a private company of enterprising capitalists, open a new avenue of trade, more lucrative than any which our country has ever yet. enjoyed ; and further, that it would be in my power, and mine alone, to secure its monopoly for any term I pleased. But I wUl not antici pate ; having merely intimated thus much as an additional inducement for the reader to accompany me through the following pages. No vessel, perhaps, could be better adapted to meet successfully the contingencies of such a voyage than the schooner Antarctic, of which I had just resumed the command ; this being only her second essay since she was first launched from the ship-yard of her experienced and accora- pUshed builder. Christian Bergh, Esq., in 1828. In ray forraer voyage on the African coast, I had tried this vessel effectuaUy, in every position and situation, to my entire satisfaction. She was very sharp-built, of one 342 DEPARTURE— DEATH OF PATTERSON. [1829, hundred and seventy-two tons, constmcted of the best , materials, and finished in a superior manner, witii which her rigging and equipments corresponded, I feel no hesitation in addhig, diat a finer vessel of her class never plouglied the ocean, I think she would outsail any vessel belonging to the port of New- York, on a wmd, in rough weather, or m turning lo windward. At her earnest and unceasing solicitation I was- accompanied by my -wife, on diis long, perilous, and in many respects disastrous voyage, havmg previously coraraUted our litde boy to ihe protecting care of his affectionate grand-parents. We embarked on Wednesday, the 2d day of September, 1829, at 1 1, A, M., and took our departure frora Sandy Hook Ught at about 7 o'clock, the sarae evenuig — ^the light bearing west- north-west, distant three leagues. We steered to the somh-east, with a moderate breeze from south-west, and fair weather, running past every thing standing in the same dfrection. Sept. 4th. — On Friday, the 4th, we were in lat. 38° 57' north, long. 66° 44' west ; and continued our passage to the eastward, with con trary winds a great part of the time, for more than three weeks. Our first point of destination was Bonavista, one of the Cape Verd Islands, where we were to touch for salt, Sept. 28th. — On Friday, the 28lh, we took die north-east trade- winds, in lat 32° 17' north, long, 26° 11' west, wind from north-east- by-north, and fair weather. We continued on our passage with a fine breeze, occasionally seeing sperm-whales, porpoises, dolphins, skip jacks, sharks, and pilot-fish. We caught several porpoises and skip jacks, aud one large shark; thus giving the lady an opportunity of con templating these tenants of the mighty deep, when drawn from thefr native element. The shark was of formidable dimensions, measuring fourteen feet in length. But the spectacle in which she evinced tlie most thrilling interest was that of a dying dolphin, when writhing in the last agonies, while his scales reflected aU the richest tints of the rainbow. Though faraUiar with Falconer's beautiful description, she ^ thought the reality even more beautiful than that accomplished seaman's poetry. " What radiant cliaiigos strike Uic astonished sight ! What glowing hues of mingled shade and light ! Not equal beauties gild the lucid west, With parthlg beams all o-cr profusely dress'd. Not lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn, When orient dews impearl the enamelled lawn, Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow, That now with gold imperial seem to glow ; Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view, And eniuIatcUle soil coK'stial hue; Now beam a flaming crimson to the eye ; Aud now assume the purple-s deeper "die." Sept. SOlh. — On Wednesday, the 30lh, one of our oldest and most experienced seamen was seized with an apoplectic fit, and expired at 3, P. M., aged sixty-five years. His name was Francis Patterson, an Englishman by birth ; a veteran tar, who had foUow-ed the seas for fifty-five years, and had been in many of the naval engagements of Great Britain, He was as taut and as honourable a seaman as ever put two cuds of a rope together ; a fine specimen of British tars of Oct] CAPE VERDS— DREADFUL SICKNESS, 343 the Dibdin school. At his own dying request, he was buried according to the customs of the British navy ; and his loss was sincerely felt and lamented by every soul on board. Oct. 5th. — We arrived at Bonavista on Monday, the 5th day of Oc tober ; and at 6, A, M., carae to anchor in English Roads, in three fathoras of water, sandy bpltoni, mixed with coral. This island is one of the Cape Verds, for a description of which the reader is referred to the first and second chapters of my Third Voyage. At 7, A. M., I went on shore to see my old friend Don Martinez, who informed rae that we could not have any salt until Wednesday, the 7th, when we cora raenced taking on board eleven hmidred bushels. Oct. 9lh. — On Friday, the 9di, at 7, P, M,, we got under way, and steered for St, Jago, where we arrived on the 10th, and came to anchor at Porto Praya, at 6, A. M,, in four fathoms of water, sandy bottom. I immediately called on Mr. MerriU, the United States' consul, whom I found to be sick, having been confined to his room for about three months, with intermittent fever and ague, a disease which was then pre vaUing at Bonavista, though not many cases had occurred in Porto Praya. Though not able to attend to the duties of his ofiice, this gen tleman rendered me every assistance in his power ; as did also Mr. Gardner, an American merchant, who is the son-in-law of Don Marti nez. This gentleman is always very active in assisting Americans who touch at this port for refreshments, and will never accept any com pensation for his trouble. Oct. 1 1th, — Having replenished our water-casks, and taken on board a large supply of live-stock, fruit, and vegetables, we once more got; underway, on Sunday, tbe llth of October, at 7, P.M., and steered to the south, with a light breeze from north-east-by-east, and fair weather. Oct. 12th. — On Monday, the 12th, we lost the north-east trade- winds, in lat. 10° 40' north, long. 22° 30' west. For several days fol lowing onr progress was retarded by successive or continued calms, with very light variable airs, attended with heavy falls of rain. Oct. 25th. — This weather continued until we crossed the equator, which was on Saturday, the 24th, in long. 22° 45' west ; and on the following day we took tlie south-east trade-winds, from south-east-by- south, and fafr weather. On the same day eight of the crew were taken sick with the intermittent fever ; and on tbe 26th the ofiicei-s and my wife were taken down with the same disease, Oct. 28th. — On Wednesday, the 28th, eleven men and my wife were all lying, as I thought, at the point of death. My situation was now tmly deplorable and appaUrag ; on board of a vessel, in the mid dle of the ocean, expecting every rocment to see the rest of the crew reduced to the sarae helpless condition with iheir comrades, and the gallant little Antarctic left to the mercy of the winds and waves, with out a hand to guide the helm or to tend the braces, and keep the sads trimmed to the breeze. The prospect was gloomy in the extreme- And then the patient suffermg angel in the cabin, far removed from the reach of a mother's or a sister's sympathy, and all those delicate ofiices of affection which a female hand is best fitted to perform. 344 SICKNESS INCREASES, [1829. Had she not been on board I should certainly have oorne up for the first port under our lee, as I momentarily expected that every man >vo-uld be taken down with the same fever. But I reflected that some slanderous tongues might attribute such a deviation from my regular course solely to the fact of my wife's being on board. That idea I could not tamely endure ; especially if any untoward accident should be the result of such a measure. Thus was I beset with difiiculties on every side ; difficulties which those heroes of the drawing-room who w-ould be the raost liberal in their censures could not appreciate. " No ! perish all first !" I muttered with bitterness, as I gloomily paced the deck at midnight. " I wiU never subject myself to the un feeling sarcasms of those carpet-knights, on whose delicate frames the winds of heaven are not permitted to blow too roughly. Let them loll on their parlour sofas, or sport on the downy beds of luxury : I will pursue the direct path of duty, and leave tbe result to an all-wise and overraling Providence. His word can stay the pestilence, if such be his gracious purpose. If not, we are in his hands, and let his holy will be done." The soothing influence of this last reflection calmed my agitations, and encouraged me to persevere in my arduous duties. I momentarily expected to be taken down myself; if not with the fever, by fatigue and watchfulness, in nursing the sick and navigating the vessel, being constandy in motion, and scarcely able to snatch a moment's repose or a mouthful of necessary nourishment The sea men who were stUl able to perform thefr duty on deck were unwiUing to attend to their dying shipmates, believing the disease to be conta gious ; which was not the case, or I should certainly have taken it myself, as I was day -and night adinmistermg to the wants of the suf ferers, and nursing by tums the ofiicers and my languishing but uncom plaining wife. I am certain that I did not average more than two hours' sleep out of the twenty-four ; and even this sleep was not rest, for the anxiety of my^mind rendered it any thing but refreshing. Oct. 30th.— On Friday, die SOth, Mr. Scott, my thfrd officer, ap peared to be dymg, as the blood had setded under his toe-naUs, and his legs had become cold above his knees. I therefore took him on deck, and commenced bathrag his lirabs with warm vinegar, and mbbin