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I ' 5 ]■ f, ' . i ' ' )^ a J » J ' ; 4 3 J WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH: AND T. CADELt, LONDON. MDCCGXXII -J •> , '■' '.■''woo 'j« J •; J ■) J hi ill ;r ^ i 81 sS) 9htip$* |v^ ProteuiM Leviathan, Cotton PIi KiogOeor LacfyJuUi .Amelia, ■Bgar, Go rv Ittt, and • • .♦• .» • ' • .* • • • .* • •• • »■ • • I • f • • • • • • • • • t I • • • « • ■ t • • 4* • •> •» •» • •• > • ' . rr w SERVICE OF JOHN NICOL. \ ^^ 9hip$* Namti* V^ Proteus and SurpriM, Leviathan, Gieenlander, Cotton Planter* - • KingGeorgei - - La^ Julian, - Amelia, . . - . 5 Igar, Goliab, Bami- Itei, and AJax, - Whtre. AmerieMi War, Welti Indiei, Sevan Yean, | Oreenland, •• . • Weet Indiei, - - South Seas and China, New South Walei 1 and China, | South Sea, • - . China, .... French War, Egypt, ") Medtttfrnnnui, % Seren Yean, } 1784. I784.ft. 1785418. 1789.91. 1791.92. 1798-4. 1794-1801. , . .f'j;M i<~^^^^ \m ••> •..> o ►*;' T" f"' f" -"l // i f *\ m^- THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF JOHN NICOL. ill • '■I ill I'll b;i!. t> I! ■ .M // '}'* :«<|P> CONTENTS. » # 1 mi *' ' iVI CHAPTER I. A. Author's Birth — Early Propensities — He goes to London — Is apprenticed to a Cooper- Enters the Navy — Smu^Iers — Arrives at Quebec, ----- Page 3 CHAPTER II. Canada — Mode of Fishing — Serpents— Floats ofWood— Author sails to the West Indies- Slavery— Arrives at Newfoundlaod, - 13 CHAPTER III. Action between the Surprise and Jason— Anec- dotes— Miscellaneous Occurrences— Punish- ment for N^lect of Orders— Author paid ofr; - - - - ^ - 27 9 w ;■ i! it- .^ . r'; VI CONTENTS. / / I CHAPTER IV. Jiuthor returns to Scotland — Singular Adven- ture — He returns to London — ^Enters a Greenland Ship— Whale Fishery, Page 38 CHAPTER V. Voyage to Granada — ^Treatment of the Negroes —Dancing and Songs — Long Shorers chiefly Scots and Irishmen — Anecdote of a Welsh- man, - - - - - - 50 CHAPTER VI. Voyage of Discovery — Anecdote — Falkland Islands — Cape Horn — Owhyee — Atooi— < Onehow — ^Manners of the Natives, - 65 CHAPTER VII. Trading Voyages — Conduct of the Natives — Sandwich Islands ^Language— —Nootka Sound— Ships sail for China, - - 84 CHAPTER VIII. China— Manners of the Chinese — Food — Re- ligion—Punishments—Evasion of Duty — St Helena— Author arrives in England, - 96 CHAPTER IX. Author engaged as Steward of a Convict Ship —Anecdotes of Female Convicts — Sails for m m^ CONTENTS. Vll New South Wales— Attaches himself to Sa- rah Whitelam— Singular Punishment— Cross- ing the Line— Miscellaneous Occurrences — Port Jackson — St Helena, - Page 108 CHAPTER X. Author engaged on Board a South Sea Whaler — Miscellaneous Occurrences — Grief at the Conduct of Sarah — Seal-Fishing-— Sea-Lions — Unexpectedly meets a Countryman at Payta — Transactions there, - - 134 CHAPTER XI. Rio Janeiro — Portuguese Seamen — Lisbon- Author arrives in London — Visits Sarah's Parents — Enters a Vessel bound for China- Anecdote, - - - - - 149 CHAPTER XIL Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope — Singular Incident — J ava — ^Wampoa — Chinese Artifi* cers — Music — Returns to England, and is impressed — Leith ^ loads— Mutiny — Storm at Sea, ...... ]62 CHAPTER XIIL Action oflf Cape St Vincent— Blockade of Cadiz — Action at Aboukir Bay---Anecdotes of the Battle — Subsequent Occurrences — Landing . i m iv Vlll CONTENTS. of the British Army in Egypt— Ophthalmia — Returns to England, - - Page 177 "" ' CHAPTER XIV. * ' Author arrives in Edinburgh— Marries and Settles as a Cooper — Forced to leave his Bu- siness fVom Danger of Impressment — Retiris to Cousland — Subsequent Occurrences— Re- turns to Edinburgh from Inability to work at Cousland— Failure of Prospects— Present Situation, ... . . 196 i ' ^/:'# M v. t ,*i ■ ■■•»•. ^ . -^BP*!- , ^;'^ .V'' :-iii THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES .» ^ . OF JOHN NICOL. .> • • ■• f ,::! :. .. ' 1 o the Public it must appear strange, that an unlettered individual, at the advanced age of sixty-seven years, should sit down to give them a narrative of his life. Impe- rious circumstances must plead my excuse. Necessity, even more than the importunity of well-wishers, at length compels me. I shall use my humble endeavour to make it as interesting as is in my power, consistent with truth. My life, for a period of twenty-five years, was a continued succession of change.— ^ Va if 4 i \ \ r mil * i^m fH INTRODUCTION. Twice I circumnavigated the globe ; three times I was in China ; twice in Egypt ; and more than once sailed along the whole land- board of America from Nootka Sound to Cape Horn; twice I doubled it But I will not anticipate the events I am about to narrate. Old as I am, my heart is still unchang- ed ; and were I young and stout as I have been, again would I sail upon discovery : but, weak and stiff, I can only send my prayers with the ti^ht. ship find he^ m^rry hearts. // ^\ CHAPTER I. Authors Birth^-Early Propensities—-'He goes to Londonr—Is apprenticed to a Coopers-Enters the Navy-^Smugglers— Arrives at Quebec. I WAS born in the small village of Currie, about six miles from Edinburgh, in the year 1755. The first wish I ever formed was to wander, and many a search I gave my parents in gratifying my youthful pas- sion. My mother died in child-bed, when I was very young, leaving my father in charge of five children; two died young, and three came to man^s estate. My oldest brother died of his wounds in ih& West 'Indies, a Lieutenant in;th^ Navy^5i my youngf,r bijcv ther went to America, _.a^d. J {lave nevier i;i > t ' 4 CHAPTEB I. heard from him. Those trifling circum- stances I would not mention, were I not conscious that the history of the dispersion of my father's family is the parallel of thou- sands of the families of my father''s rank in Scotland. My father, a cooper to trade, was a man of talent and information, and made it his study to give his children an education suit- ed to their rank in life ; but my unsteady propensities did not allow me to make the most of the schooling I got. I had read Robinson Crusoe many times over, Qnd longed to be at sea. We had been living for some time in Borrowstownness. Every moment I could spare was spent in the boats or about the shore. When I was about fourteen years of age, my father was engaged to go to Lon- don, to take a small charge in a chemical work. E ven riow 'I recollect the transports m^ young mind felt when ray father in- formed me Iw^is'to go to London. I ■ » 1 GO£S TO LONDON. 6 counted the hours and minutes to the mo- ment we sailed on board the Glasgow and Paisley Packet, Captain Thompson master. There were a serjeant and a number of re- cruits, a female passenger, my father, bro- ther, and self, besides the crew. It was in the month of December we sailed, and the weather was very bad. All the passen- gers were sea-sick ; I never was. This was in the year 1769, when the dreadful loss was sustained on the coast of Yorkshire— above thirty sail of merchantmen were wreck- ed. We were taken in the same gale, but rode it out. Next morning we could hard- ly proceed for wreck, and the whole beach was covered. The country people were collecting and driving away the dead bodies in waggons. My father embraced this opportunity to prejudice me against being a sailor; he was a kind but strict parent, and we dared not disobey him. The storm had made no impression upon my mind sufficient to alter ijfe''' i'il v.! '\h ] > iUii >r: » CHAPTER I. // my determination ; my youthful mind could not separate the life o{ a sailor from dan- gers and storms, and I looked upon them as an interesting part of the adventures I panted after. I had been on deck all the time, and was fully occupied in planning the means of escape. I enjoyed the voyage much, was anxious to learn every thing, and was a great favourite with the captain and crew. " ^ One of my father^s masters was translat- ing a French work on Chemistry. I went to the printing-office with the proofs al* most every day. Once, in passing near the Tower, I saw a dead monkey floating in the river. I had not seen above two or three in my life. I thought it of great value. I stripped at once, and swam in for it. An English boy, who wished it likewise, but who either would or could not swim, seized it when I landed, saying, '^ He would fight me for it." We were much of a size ; had there been a greater difference, I was not It APPBENTICEi) to A COOTKE. 7 of a temper to be easily wronged ; no I gave him battle. A crowd gathered, and formed a ring. Stranger ai I was, I got fair play. After a severe contest, I came off victor. The English boy shook hands, and said, '< Scotchman, you have won it*^ I had fought naked as I came out of the water, so I put on my clothes, and carried oif the prize in triumph,— came home, and got a beating from my father, for fighting, and staying my message ; but the monkey^s skin repaid me for all my vexations. I remained in London scarcely twelve months, when my father sent me to Scot- land to learn my trade. I chose the pro- fession of a cooper, to please my father. I was for some time with a friend at the Queensferry, but not agreeing with him, I served out my tedious term of apprentice- ship at Borrowstownness. My heart was never with the business ; while my hands were hooping barrels my mind was at sea^ and my imagination in foreign climes. 8 CHAPTER I. II Soon as my period of bondage expired, ' I bade my friends farewell, and set out to Leith with a merry heart, and after work- ing journeyman a few months, to enable me , to be a proficient in my trade, I entered on board the Rentes Regard, commanded by Lieutenant Ralph Dundas; she was the tender at this time (1776) stationed in Leith Roads. Now I was happy, for I was at sea. To me the order to weigh anchor and sail for the Nore was the sound of joy ; my spirits were up at the near prospect of obtaining the pleasures I had sighed for since the first dawn of reason. To others it was the sound of woe, the order that cut off the last faint hope of escape from a fate they had been impressed into much against their in* clination and interest. I was surprised to see so few, who, like myself, had chosen it for the love of that line of life. Some had been forced into it by their own irre- gular conduct, but the greater number were impressed men. SMUGGLEKS. - Ogilvie*s revenue cutter and the Hazard sloop of war had a short time before sur- prised a smuggling cutter delivering her cargo in St Andrew's Bay. The smuggler fought them both until all her ammunition was spent, and resisted their boarding her until the very last by every means in their power. A good many of the King's men were wounded, and not a few of the smug- glers. When taken possession of, they de- clared the captain had been killed in the action, and thrown overboard. The re- mainder were marched to Edinburgh Castle, and kept there until the evening before we sailed. When they came on board, we were all struck with their stout appearance and desperate looks ; a set of more resolute fel- lows I have never in my life met with. They were all sent down to the press- room ; the volunteers were allowed to walk the decks, and had the freedom of the ship. One night, on our voyage to the Nore, the a2 ml m I ; 10 CHAPTER I. whole ship was alarmed by loud cries of murder from the press-room. An armed force was sent down to know the cause^ and quell the riot. They arrived just in time to rescue, with barely the life, from the hands of these desperadoes, a luckless wretch who had been an informer for a long time in Leith. A good many in the press-room were indebted to him for their present si- tuation; the smugglers had learned from them what he was, and with one accord had fallen upon him, and beat him in a dread- ful manner. When he was brought to the surgeon^s birth there were a number of se- vere cuts upon his person. From his dis- graceful occupation of informer, few on board pitied him. After a few days he got better, and was able to walk, but was no more sent down to the press-room. Upon our arrival at the Nore, a writ of habeas corpus was sent on board for one of the smugglers for a debt ; we all suspected him to have been the captain, and this a SMUGGL£BS. 11 scheme to get him ofF from being kept on board of a man of war. ^ • -• ' I was sent on board the Proteus, 20 gun ship, commanded by Captain Robinson, bound for New York. The greater num- ber of the smugglers were put on board the same vessel ; they were so stout, active, and experienced seamen, that Captain Ro- binson manned his barge with them. ^ We sailed from Portsmouth with ord- nance stores and one hundred men, to man the floating batteries upon Lake Cham- plain. .. - r, . I was appointed cooper, which waft a great relief to my mind, as I messed With the steward in his room* I was thus away from the crew. I had been much annoyedj and rendered very uncomfortable, until now, from the swearing and loose talking of the men in the Tender. I had all my life been used to the strictest conversation, prayers night and morning ; now I was in a sittt. ■ 'in 't\ S2 CHAPTER II. but very weak. Soon after, we took convoy for England, then sailed into Portsmouth harbour, and were docked and repaired. While my weakness lasted, my serious im- pressions remained ; but I must again con- fess, as I became strong in my body, the impressions upon my mind became weak. As soon as the Proteus was repaired, we took convoy for St John\ Newfoundland. On this voyage we had very severe weather; our foremast was carried away, and we ar- rived off St John^s in a shattered state, weary, and spent with fatigue. To add to our misfortunes, we were three weeks lying before the harbour, and could not make it, on account of an island of ice that blocked up its mouth. During these three tedious weeks, we never saw the sun or sky, the fogs were so dense. Had it not been for the incessant blowing of the fishermen's horns, to warn each other, and prevent their being run down, we might as well have been in the middle of the ocean in a winter night. NEflTFOUirPLAND. n The bows of the Proteus could not be seen from her quarter-deck; we received sup. plies and intt lligence from the harbour by the fishermen. At length this tedious fog cleared up, and we entered the harbour. The Proteus, having been an old East India- man, was now quite un6tfor service; and the admiral caused her be made a prison-ship. After this I vfSLS lyholly employed on shore, brewing spruce for the fleet. I had two, and often three, men under me to cut the spruce and fire-wopd for my use. I was 9 man of some consequence even with the inhabitants, as I could make a present of a bottle of essence to them : they made pre- sents of rum to me. I thus lived very hap- py, and o» goQ^ terms with them. J^o^hing surprised me more than the ear^ ly marriage of the Newfoundland females. They have children at twelve years of age. I h^d some dealings with a merchant, and dined two or three times at his house. I inquired at him for his daughter, a pretty '.k'?" 'if''.. ij '' n h, ill '' -V ^U I f 1 1- ■i ! S4 CHAPTER II. ( young woman whom I saw at table the first time. To my astonishment, he told me she was his wife, and the mother of three fine children. In the winter, the cold on the Barrens, as the inhabitants call them, is dreadful. The Barrens are the spaces where there is no wood ; over these we must use our ut- most speed to reach the woods. When once there, we are in comparative comfort ; it is even warm among the trees. The thoughts of the Barrens again to be crossed is the only damp to our present enjoyment, as we are soon in a sweat from the exercise in cutting the wood. When the snow first sets in, it is neces- sary to remain at home until the weather clears up ; then the men put on their snow shoes, and three or four abreast thus make a path to the woods. In the middle of the day the sun hardens the path ; and along these the wood is dragged upon sledges to the town by dogs. A person, not knowing the FISHERMEN. 25 cause, would smile to see us urging on our dogs, ourselves pulling with one hand, and rubbing our ears with the other. I am cer- tain it would be a cure for tardiness of any kind to be forced to cross the Barrens in winter. Numbers of the fishermen, who have gam- bled away their hard won summer's wages, are forced thus to earn their winter's main- tenance. At this time the greater part of the fishers were Irishmen, the wildest characters man can conceive. Gambling and every vice was familiar to them ; their quarrelling and fighting never ceased, and even murders were sometimes perpetrated upon each other. St Patrick's day is a scene of riot and debauchery, unequalled in any town in Ireland. I saw them myself march in line past an unfortunate man who had been killed in one of their feuds, and each man that passed him gave the inanimate body a blow, at the same time calling him by a term of abuse, significant of the party he B » ' I i> ^ '^ ^6 CHAPTER II. M Vs.. »>,> had belonged to. It was unsafe to carry any thing after night-fall. I have been attacked, and forced to fight my way more than once. The respectable inhabitants are thus kept under a sort of bondage to this riotous race. In the summer I was much annoyed by the musquitos, and yellow nippers, a worse fly, for they bite cruelly. They make such a buzzing and noise, at night I could not close an eye without my musquito dose, that is, rum and spruce. -*' • 27 I ; I. CHAPTER III. . Actio7i between the Surprise and Jason— -Anecdotes — Miscellaneous Occurrences — Punishment for Neglect of Orders—Author paid off". : - ! .vll I HAD now been eighteen months on shore, when I was ordered by Admiral Montague on board the Surprise, 28 gun frigate, commanded by Captain Reeves . Her cooper had been killed a few days before, in a severe action with an American vessel. On board the Surprise we had a rougher crew than in the Proteus ; ninety of them were Irishmen, the rest from Scotland and England. We kept cruising about, taking numbers of the American privateers. After a short but severe action, we took the Ja- son of Boston, commanded by the famous Captain Manly, who had been commodore I'' K {' ?>' : I 28 CHAPTER III. in the American service, had been taken prisoner, and broke his parole. When Cap- tain Reeves hailed and ordered him to strike, he returned for answer, " Fire away ! I have as many guns as you." He had heavier metal, but fewer men than the Surprise. He fought us for a long time. I was serving powder as busy as I could, the shot and splinters flying in all directions; when I heard the Irishmen call from one of the guns, (they fought like devils, and the captain was fond of them upon that ac- count,) " Halloo, Bungs, where are you.'"' I looked to their gun, and saw the two horns of my study * across its mouth ; the next mo- ment it was through the Jason's side. The rogues thus disposed of my study, which I had been using just before the action com- menced, and had placed in a secure place, as I thought, out of their reach. " Bungs for ever!" they shouted, when they saw the dreadful hole it made in the Jason's side. •Anvil. H ACTION AT SEA. 29 Bungs was the name they always gave the cooper. When Captain Manly came on board the Surprise, to deliver his sword to Captain Reeves, the half of the rim of his hat was shot off. Our captain returned his sword to him again, saying, " You have had a narrow escape, Manly." — " I wish to God it had been my head," he replied. When we boarded the Jason, we found thirty-one cavalry, who had served under General Burgoyne, acting now as marines on board the Jason. A marine of the name of Kennedy, be- longing to the Surprise, an intelligent lad, and well-behaved, was a great favourite with the surgeon. They used to be con- stantly together reading and acquiring in- formation ; they came from the same place, had been at school together, and were dear friends ; Kennedy's relations were in a re- spectable line of life. I never learned the cause of his filling his present lowly situa- tion. As it fell out, poor Kennedy was 90 CHAPTER III. placed sentinel over the spirit-room of the Jason. He was, as I have said, an easy kind of lad, and had not been long from home. He allowed the men to carry away the spirits; and they were getting fast drunk, when the prize-master perceived it. Ken- nedy was relieved, and sent on board the Surprise, and next morning put in irons on board the Europa, the admiraFs ship, where he was tried by a court-martial, and sen- tenced to be hanged on the fore-yard-arm. His offence, no doubt, was great, for the men would all have been so much the worse of liquor in a short time, that the Ameri- cans could have recovered the Jason with ease. Yet we were all sorry for him, and would have done any thing in our power to redeem him from his present melancholy situation. His friend the surgeon was in- consolablcy and did every thing in his power. He drew up a petition to the ad- miral for pardon, stating his former good behaviour, his youth, and good connec- IEri, ANECDOTES. Bl tions, and every thing he could think of in his favour ; but all would not do. He was taken to the place of execution, the rope round his neck, the match was lit, the cler- gyman at his post ; we were all aloft and upon deck to see him run up to the yard- arm, amidst the smoke of the gun, the sig- nal of death. When every one looked for the command to fire, the admiral was pleas- ed to pardon him. He was sent on board the Surprise, more like a corpse than a liv- ing man ; he could scarce walk, and seem- ed indifferent to every thing on board, as if he knew not whether he was dead or alive. He continued thus for a long time, scarce speaking to any one ; he was free, and did no duty, and was the same on board as a passenger. When the Surprise was in port. Captain Reeves allowed a degree of licence to his men, but was a strict disciplinarian at sea, punishing the smallest fault. As we lay in the harbour after the capture of Captain i I hit H ifi ,M! V ii! I' •{ !' CHAPTER III. Manly, we got some prize-money, and the crew were very merry. I, as cooper, was down in the steward's birth ; it was my duty, as cooper, to serve out the water and provisions at the regular times. All my duty at the time was over, and I was in my birth along with the steward, enjoying our- selves, when a noise and tumult on board roused iis. We were not touched with li- quor ; drunkenness was a vice I never was addicted to. We came upon deck; the crew were all fighting through amongst each other in their drink, English against Irish, the officers mostly on shore, and those on board looking on. I meant to take no share in the quarrel, when an Irish- man came staggering up, crying, « Erin go bragh !'^ and made a blow at me. My Scottish blood rose in a moment at this provocation, and I was as throng as the rest. How it ended I hardly recollect. I got a blow that stupefied me, and all was quiet when I came to myself, the liquor MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES. 33 having evaporated from the others, and the passion from me. Soon after this we hailed an American privateer, commanded by a Captain Revel, and she struck. He was a different charac- ter from the gallant Manly. The weather was so foul, and the sea ran so high, we could not send our boat on board, neither could theirs come on board of us. Cap- tain Reeves ordered her under our quar- ter. As he sailed alongside, the weather still very stormy, and night coming on, we were hailed by voices calling to us, scarcely to be distinguished in the rattling of our rig- gingand the howling of the blast. At length we made out with difficulty, that the Ame- rican captain was going to make some pri- soners he had walk overboard. Captain Reeves, in great anger, ordered the priva- teer to pl&ce a light on her maintop, in- stead of which he placed one on a float, and cast it adrift. The voices again hailed, and let us know what had been done. Captain B 2 I n <♦ I \ ' CHAPTER III. Reeves called to the American that he would sink her in a moment, if he did not do a» desired, and como close under our lee. To- vards morning ihe weather moderated, and we brought Revel and his prisoners on board the Surprise. He was a coarse, ill-looking fellow ; his treatment of the prisoners made his own treatment the worse : while Manly dined every day at the captain's table, Re- vel messed by himself, or where he chose with the prisoners. • We took convoy for Lisbon ; thence to England, where we brought Manly and Revel, to be detained during the war in Mill Prison. Revel made his escape from the Serjeant of marines on his way to the prison, for which the Serjeant was tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to be hanged, but was afterwards pardoned. It was no- thing uncommon for us to take the same men prisoners once or twice in the same season. .... .....* We again took convoy for St John's. In PUNISHMENT FOR STEAM N(i. 35 the fleet was a vessel called the Ark, com- manded by Captain Noah. She was an arm- ed transport. This we called Noah's Ark. In our voyage out, an American privateer, equal in weight of metal, but having forty- five men, the Ark only sixteen, bore dow^ upon her. The gallant Noah, in his Ark, gave battle, we looking on ; and, after a shai'v rjntest, took the American, and brought her alongside, her captain lying dead upon her deck. Captain lleevcs, with conseK.t of the crew, gave the prize to Noah, who carried her in triumph to Halifax, and sold her. ' . f ; « One of our men was whipped through the fleet for stealing some dollars from a mer- chant ship he was assisting to bring into port. It was a dreadful sight ; the unfortu- nate sufferer tied down on the boat, and rowed from ship to ship, getting an equal number of lashes at the side of each vessel from a fresh man. The poor wretch, to deaden his sufferings, had drunk a whole Dr in ■ ^ ^1 ) i , 1 :1 , 1 . t i' f^i \ ■•':';iV '■■ if' \i ■■ ! ) l' \ 'I t i m I \ I I'll ' 36 CHAPTER III. bottle of rum a little before the time of punishment. When he had only two por- tions to get of his punishment, the captain of the ship perceived he was tipsy, and im- mediately ordered the rest of the punish- ment to be delayed until he was sober. He was rowed back to the Surprise, his back swelled like a pillow, black and blue ; some sheets of thick blue paper were steep- ed in vinegar and laid to his back. Before he seemed insensible, now his shrieks rent the air. When better he was sent to the ship, where his tortures were stopped, and again renewed. During the remainder of the war our duty was the same, taking convoy and cap. turing American privateers. We came to England with convoy, and were docked; then had a cruise in the Channel, where we took the Duke de Chartres, 18 gun ship, and were ourselves chased into Monts Bay, on the coast of Cornwall, by a French six- ty-four. We ran close in shore, and were 11 M. ;, 1"V »^r^i AUTHOR PAID OFF. 37 covered by the old fort, which, I believe, had not fired a ball before since the time of Oliver Cromwell ; but it did its duty nobly, all night the Frenchman keeping up his fire, the fort and Surprise returning it. When day dawned he sheered off, and we only suffered a little in our rig;^lng. The only blood that was shed on our fide was an old fogie of the fort, who was shot by his own gun. Quite weary of the monotonous convoy duty, and having seen all I could see, I of- ten sighed for the verdant banks of the Forth. At length my wishes were gratifi- ed, by the return of peace. The Surprise was paid off in the month of March 1783. When Captain Reeves came ashore, he completely loaded the long-boat with flags he had taken from the enemy. When one of the officers inquired what he would do with them, he said, laughing, '' I will hang one upon every tree in my father's garden." .. : . ., \'.' ■i :| y V V 38 ii V rii CHAPTER IV. Author arrives in Scotland— Singular Adventure-^ He returns to London-— Enters a Greenland Ship — Whale Fishery. I NO sooner had the money that was due me in my hat, than I set oft* for London direct, and, after a few days of enjoyment, put my bedding and chest on board a ves- sel bound for Leith : every halfpenny I had saved was in it but nine guineas, which I kept upon my person to provide for squalls. The trader fell down the river, but there being no wind, and the tide fail- ing, the captain told us we might sleep in London, only to be sure to be on board be- fore eight o'clock in the morning. I em- braced the opportunity, and lost my passage. RETURNS TO SCOTLAND. 3a As all my savings were in my chest, and a number of passengers on board whom I did not like, I immediately took the diligence to Newcastle. There were no mails running direct for Edinburgh every day, as now ; it was the month of March, yet there was a great deal of snow on the ground; the weather was severe, but not so cold as at St John's. When the diligence set off there were four passengers, two ladies, an- other sailor, and myself. Our lady com- panions, for the first few stages, were proud and distant, scarcely taking any no- tice of us. I was restrained by their man- ner; my companion was quite at home, chatting to them, unmindful of their mono- syllabic answers. He had a good voice, and sung snatches of sea songs, and was unceasing in his endeavours to please. By degrees their reserve wore off, and the con- versation became general. I nov/ learned they were sisters, who had been on a visit to a relation in London, and were now re- m ■ :m ..I -i'l- :v ! i!:i ■Ji- i m yi'J I: f 40 CHAPTER IV. I! turning to their father, who was a wealthy farmer. Before it grew dark we were all as intimate as if we had sailed for years in the same ship. The oldest, who appeared to he about twenty, attached herself to me, and listened to my accounts of the different places I had been in with great interest. The youngest was as much interested by my volatile companion. I felt a something uncommon arise in my breast as we sat side by side ; I could think of nothing but my pretty companion ; my attentions were not disagreeable to her, and I began to think of settling, and how happy I might be with such a wife. After a number of efforts, I summoned resolution to take her hand in mine; I pressed it gently, she drew it faintly back. I sigh- ed ; she laid her hand upon my arm, and, in a whisper, inquired if I was unwell. I was upon the point of telling her what I felt, and my wishes, when the diligence stopped at the inn. I wished we had been ' f « SINGULAR ADVENTURE. M sailing in the middle of the Atlantic, for a covered cart drove up, and a stout hearty old man welcomed them by their names, bestowing a hearty kiss upon each. I felt quite disappointed. He was their father. My pretty Mary did not seem to be so re- joiced at her father's kind salutation as might have been expected. My companion, who was an Englishman, told me he would proceed no farther, but 4 -^iAvour to win the hand of his pretty £ f : -iier. I told him my present situation, that my chest and all I had was on board the Leith trader, and no direction upon it ; on this account I was forced to proceed as fast as possible, or I would have remained and shared his fortunes with all my heart* I took leave of them with a heavy heart, re- solving to return. I could perceive Mary turn pale as I bade her farewell, while her sister looked joy itself when Williams told them he was to proceed no farther. Be- fore the coach set off, I made him promise Pr w '' < I 42 CHAPTER IV. : I! to write me an account of his success, and that I would return as soon as I had secur- ed my chest and seen my father. He pro- mised to do this faithfully. I whispered Mary a promise to see her soon, and press- ed her hand as we parted ; she returned the pressure. I did not feel without hope. When the farmer drove off, Williams ac- companying them, I only wished myself in his place. When the coach reached Newcastle, I soon procured another conveyance to Edin- burgh, and was at Leith before the vessel. When she arrived, I went on board, and fouiid all safe. I then went to Borrowstown- ness, but found my father had been dead for some time. This was a great disappoint- ment and grief to me. I wished I had been at home to have received his last blessing and advice, but there was no help. He died full of years ; and that I may be as well prepared when I shall be called hence, is my earnest wish. After visiting his grave, RETURNS TO LONDON. 43 and spending a few days with my friends, I became uneasy at not hearing from Wil- liams. I waited for three weeks; then, losing all patience, I set off myself to see how the land lay. I took leave of home once more, with a good deal of money in ray pocket, as I had been almost a miser at home, keeping all for the marriage, should I succeed. The spring was now advancing apace, when I took my passage in a Newcastle trader, and arrived safe at the inn where I had last parted from Mary. It was night when I arrived, and being weary, soon went to bed. I was up betimes in the morning ; when I met Williams, he was looking very dull. I shook hands, and asked '' what cheer ?"" He shook his head, and said, " Why, Jack, we are on the wrong tack, and I fear will never make port. I had no good news to send, so it was of no use to write. I was at the farmer's last night ; he swears, if ever I come near his house i hi W ; f :5 ' t ; . 1 V i'V m CHAPTER IV. again, he will have me before the Justice as an idle vagrant. My fair jilt is not much concerned, and I can scarce get a sight of her ; she seems to shun me.*" I felt a chill- ness come over me at this information, and asked him what he meant to do. " Why, set sail this day ; go to my mother, give her what I can spare, and then to sea again. My store is getting low here. But what do you intend to do. Jack p''— ." Truth, Williams, I scarce know. I will make one trip to the farm; and if Mary is not as kind as I hope to find her, I will be oiF toor." Soon after breakfast I set off for the far- mer''s, with an anxious heart. On my arri« val I met Mary in the yard. She seemed fluttered at sight of me ; but, summoning up courage as I approached, she made a dis- tant bow, and coldly asked me how I did. I now saw there was no hope, and had not recovered myself, when her father came out, and in a rough manner demanded what DISAPPOINTMENT IN LOVE. 45 I wanted, and who I was. This in a mo- ment brought me to myself; and, raising my head, which had been bent towards the ground, I looked at him. Mary shrunk from my gaze * b he old man came close up to me, and again demanded w^iat I wanted. " It is of no consequence," I an- swered ; then looking at Mary, " I believe I am an unwelcome visitor — it is what I did not expect-^so I will not obtrude my- self upon you any longer." I then walked off as indifferent, to appearance, as I could make myself; but was tempted to look over my shoulder more than once. I saw Mary in tears, and her father in earnest conver- sation with her. I made up my mind to remain at the inn the rest of that day and all night, in hopes of receiving an appointment to meet Mary. I was loath to think I was indifferent to her ; and the feeling of being slighted is so bitter, I could have quarrelled with myself and all the world. I sat with Williams at i'':V If ?1 46 CHAPTER IV. I«:l::| M the window all day ; no message came ; iit the morning we bade adieu to the fair jilts with heavy hear*^« — WiUiams for his mo- ther's, and I for London. After working a few weeks in London at my own business, my wandering propensi- ties came as strong upon me as ever, and I resolved to embrace the first opportunity to gratify it, no matter whither, only let me wander. I had been manv times on the different wharfs looking for a vessel ; but the seamen were so plenty, there was great difficulty in tting a birth. I met by accident Captain Bond, who hailed me, and inquired if I wished a birth. He had been captain of a transport in the American war. I had favoured him at St John's. I answered him, " It was what I was looking after.'* — " Then, if you will come and be cooper of the Leviathan Green- land ship, I am captain, you may go to Squire Mellish, and say I recommend you for cooper." I thanked him for his good SAILS FOR GREENLAKD. 4n will, went and was engaged, and on board at work next day. We sailed in a short time for the coast of Greenland, and touched at Lerwick, where we took on board what men we want- ed. In the first of the season we were very unsuccessful, having very stormy weather. I at one time thought our doom was fixed ; it blew a dreadful gale, and we were for ten days completely fast in the ice. As far as we could see all was ice, and the ship was so pressed by it, every one thought we must either be crushed to pieces, or forced out upon the top of the ice, there ever to remain. At length the wind changed, and the weather moderated ; and where nothing could be seen but ice, in a short time af- ter, all, as far as the eye could reach, was open sea. What were our feelings at this change it were vain to attempt a description of; it was a reprieve from death. The horrors of our situation were far worse than any storm I ever was in. In a storm upon I l*i' \ 48 CHAPTER IV. a lea-shore, there, even in all its horrors, there is exertion to keep the mind up, and a hope to weather it. Locked up in ice, all exertion is usele^d ; the power you have to contend with is far too tremendous and unyielding; it, like a powerful magician, binds ym in its icy circle, and there you must behold, in all its horrors, your ap- proaching fate, without the power of exer- tion, while the crashing of the ice, and the less loud but more alarming cracking of the vessel, serve all to increase the horrors of this dreadful sea-mare. . < When the weather moderated, we were very successful, and filled our ship with four fish. I did not like the whale-fishing ; there is no sight for the eye of the inquisi- tive after the first glance ; and no variety to charm the mind. Desolation reigns around ; nothing but snow, or bare rocks and ice. The cold is so intense, and the weather often so thick, I felt so cheerless, that I resolved to bid adieu to the coast of Greenland for ever. »;,!• RETUEN8 HOME. 49 and seek to gratify my curiosity in more genial climes. We arrived safe in the river, and proceed- ed up to our situation ; but, how strange are the freaks of fate ! In the very port of London, as we were hurrying to our sta- tion, the tide was ebbing fast, when the ship missed stays, and yawed round, came right upon ihe Isle of Dogs, broke her back, and filled with water. There was none of us hurt, and we lost nothing, as she was insured. I was one of those placed u[>on her, to es- timate the loss sustained amongst the casks, and was kept constantly on board for a long time. I \l • h 50 '.: ,i '< ' li: i i CHAPTER V. Voyage to Granada— Treatment of the Negroes—- Dancing and Songs— Long-Shorers chiejly Scots and Irishmen — Anecdote of a Welshman. My next voyage was on board the Cotton Planter, commanded by Captain Young, bound for the island of Granada. I was very happy under Captain Young ; he had been long in the Mediterranean trade, where he had lost his health, and every year made a voyage to the West Indies, to avoid the English winters. We sailed in the month of October, and arrived safe at St George's, Granada. I wrought a great deal on shore, and had a number of blacks under me. They are a thoughtless, merry race ; in vain their cruel NEGROES. « situation and sufFerings act upon their buoy- ant minds. They have snatches of joy, that their pale and sickly oppressors never know. It may appear strange, yet it is only in the West India islands that the pictures of Ar- cadia are in a faint manner realized once in the week. When their cruel situation al- lows their natural propensities to imiold themselves on the evenings of Saturday and Sabbath, no sound of woe is to be heard in this land of oppression — the sound of the fienji * and rattle, intermixed with song, alone is heard. I have seen them dancing and singing of an evening, and their backs sore from the lash of their cruel task-mas- ters. I have lain upon deck of an evening, faint and exhausted from the heat of the * The Benji is made of an old firkin, with one end out, covered with shark skin, and beat upon with two pieces of wood. The rattles are made of a calabash shell, and a few small pebbles in it, fixed on a wooden handle ; these they shake to the time of Uie Benji. 1 i H m t I. ")'A 'U .^i 1 1-4 m. 52 CHAPTEE V. day, to enjoy the cool breeze of evening ; and their wild music and song, the shout of mirth and dancing, resounded along the beach and from the valleys. There the negroes bounded in all the spirit of health and happiness ; while their oppressors could hardly drag their effeminate bodies along, from dissipation, or the enervating effects of the climate. These meetings are made up and agreed upon often long before they arrive. The poor and despised slaves will club their scanty earning for the refreshments, and to pay Benji men. Many of them will come miles to be present. The females dress in all their finery for the occasion, and the males are decked with any fragments of dress they can obtain. Many of them are powdered. They all ape the manners of their masters as much as is in their power. It is amusing to see them meet each other, they have so many congees, set phrases, and kind inquiries, in which Mama mt N£6R0£S. 53 is the person most kindly inquired after. They are as formal as dancing-masters, and make up to each other in civilities for the contempt heaped upon them by the whites. The food allowed by their masters is very poor. Half a sak herring, split down the middle, to each, (they call it the one-eyed fish upon this account,) horse beans, and Indian corn, constitute their fare. The Indian corn they must grind for themselves on Saturday, after their day's task is done, which in general is to bring one burden of wood to the estate. From Saturday until Monday morning they have to rest themselves, and cultivate their patch of garden ground. Those who live near sea-ports prefer going to the moun- tains, and gathering cocoa-nuts, plantains, and other fruit, which they sell. The slaves all bring any little fruit or vegetables they have to spare to market. The sales by the whites, as well as blacks, are all made on the Sabbath day. The • ' » ^1 : ■^}i 54 CHAPTER V. hi I, jailor of St George's is vendue-master by right of office, and none dare lift a hammer to sell without his permission. Captain Young did not keep his crew upon allowance ; we had " cut and come again" always. 1 often took a piece of lean beef and a few biscuits with me when I went to the plantation, as a present to the blacks. This the poor creatures would di- vide among themselves to a single fibre. As I had always been kind to them, they invited me and a few other seamen to one of their entertainments. I went with plea- sure, to observe their ways more minutely. Upon my arrival I could hardly keep my gravity at their appearance, yet I esteemed them in my heart. There was one black who acted as master of the ceremonies, but the Benji man appeared greater than any other individual. They all, before they commenced to dance, made their obeisance to him ; the same at the conclusion. The master of ceremonies had an old cocked hat, AMUS£M£NTS. and no courtier could have used it with more zeal. Many of the females had cast silk gowns, which had belonged to their mistresses, and their heads powdered, but they were tawdry figures ; though no lady or gentleman could have been more vain of their appearance, or put on more airs. The kind creatures had, upon our account, subscribed for three bit IVIaubi. * When they dance they accompany the Benji with the voice : their songs were many of them extempore, and made on our ship or our- selves. My small gifts were not forgot. Their choruses are in common ; their songs are of the simplest kind, as, . I lost my shoe in an old canoe^ Johnio ! come Winum so ; I lost my boot in a pilot boat^ Johnio ! come Winum so. * Maubi is a drink like ginger-beer they drink among themselves, but as they knew sailors liked stouter drink; they bought rum. The price was one shilling and sixpence the gallon. A bit is equal to sixpence. Rum they call three bit maubi. .' 'V II: ^'l , M • , \ t ;i ! ii;- tl /; -. V. E 56 CHAPTER V. Others are satirical, as, — ' My Massa a bar! man. My Missis cry honey, Is this the d — n niger. You buy wi my money. Ting a ring ting, ting a ring ting, tarro. Missis cry niger man Do no work, but eattee; She boil three eggs in pan. And gi the broth to me. Ting a ring ting, ting a ring ting, tarro. With such songs as these they accom- pany the Benji. I do not recollect to have ever heard them sing a plaintive song, be- wailing their cruel fate. This made me wonder much, as I expected they would have had many bewailing their destiny. But joy seems on these occasions their on- ly aim. The dance went on with spirit. I would have joined with pleasure, but it was beyond my strength, after my day's work and the heat of the climate. We parted in good lime, without the least appearance oi AMUSEMENTS. 57 intoxication. I never in my life was hap- pier, had more attention paid to me, or was more satisfied with an entertainment. They have one rhyme they use at work, and adjust their motions to it. They never vary it that I heard. Work away, body, bo. Work aa, jollaa. In this manner they beguile the irksome- ness of labour, but the capricious driver of- ten interrupts their innocent harmony with the crack of his cart whip. No stranger can witness the cruelty unmoved. George Innes and I were proceeding through the plantation to inform the master ; the double Moses * was on the beach for sugar ; a black driver was flogging a woman big with child ; her cries rent the air, the other *' The Double Moses is a large boat for taking on board the sugar casks ; there are two, the single and double moses. The single holds only one hogshead, the double more. C2 n /' ' It m m i I ■ I! it, ! ii ( , ij M ' 58 CHAPTER V. 'I ■I! 'f;-- fc slaves declaring by their looks that sympa- thy they dared not utter. George ran to him, and gave him a good beating, and swore he would double the gift if he laid another lash upon her. He had not dared when we returned. There were two or three slaves upon the estate, who, having once run away, had iron collars round their necks, with long hooks that projected from them to catch the bushes, should they run away again ; these they wore night and day. There was a black slave, a cooper, with a wooden leg, who had run away more than once ; he was now chained to the block at which he wrought. They are mUch given to talking and story-telling; the Scripture characters of the Old Testament are quite familiar to them : they talk with astonishment of Samp- son, Goliah, David, &c. I have seen them hold up their hands in astonishment at the strength of the white Buccaras. I have ANECDOTES. 59 laughedat their personifications. Hurricane, they cannot conceive what it is. There are planters of the name of Kane on the island. Hurricane, they will say, " He a strong white Buccara, he come from London.*" There was a black upon the estate, who had been on the island of St Kitf s, when Rodney defeated the French fleet. He had seen the action, and was never tired speaking of it, nor his auditors of listen- ing. He always concluded with this remark, « The French 'tand 'tiff; but the English ''tand far 'tiffer. De all de same as game cock, de die on de 'pot." They are apt to steal, but are so very credulous, they are easily detected. Captain Young gave a black butcher, of the name of Coffee, a hog to kill. When the captain went to see it, Coffee said, — " This very fine hog, Massa, but I never see a hog like him in all my life, he have no liver, no light." Captain Ymtng. " That is strange. Coffee ; let me see in the book." I'll (■«} . '. 'I ', h 1 y ■ *' '■'} ■ 60 CHAPTER V. I 1 He took a memorandum-book out of his pocket, turned over a few leaves, and look- ed very earnest. ;^ " I see Coffee go to hell bottom, — ^hog have liver and lights.'*^ Coffee shook like an aspen leaf, and said, — " O Massa, Coffee no go to hell bottom, — hog have liver and lights." He restored them, and, trembling, awaited his punish- ment. Captain Young only laughed, and made him a present of them. . -'.1 one time went with Captain Young to a planter^s, where he was to dine, that I might accompany him back to the ship in the evening, as he was weakly. Upon our ar- rival I was handed over to a black, who was butler and house steward. He had been in England, and, as he said, seen London and King George. He was by this become a greater man than by his si- tuation among the other slaves, and was as vain in showing the little he knew as if be had been bred at college ; and was perpe- U .s„ ANECDOTE. 61 tually astonishing the other slaves, whom he looked down upon, with the depth of his knowledge, and his accounts of London and King George. No professor could have de- livered his opinions and observations with more pomp and dogmatism. One of the blacks inquired at me what kind of people the Welsh were. To enjoy the sport, as one of the crew, William Jones, a Welsh- man, was in company with me at the time, I referred him to the black oracle, who, af- ter considering a moment or two, replied, with a smile of satisfaction upon his sooty features, " The English have ships, the Irish have ships, and the Scotch have ships, but Welshman have no ships— they are like the negro man, they live in the bush." The Welshman started to his feet, and would have knocked him down, had I not pre- vented. He poured out a volley of oaths upon him ; he heard him with indifference, and his assertion was not the least shaken in the opinion of his hearers by the Welsh- ' A i! «. V: (i ^ mi \ ':W % f^i IV 62 CHAPTER V, I'll ill? I raan^s violence-— It, like many others of equal truth, was quoted and received as gospel. It was long a byword in the ship, " Welsh- man live in the bush like negro man/' Our cook having left the vessel, we were forced to take a long-shorer in his place. They are a set of idle dissipated seamen, who will not work or take a birth. They loiter along the harbours, and get drunk by any means, no matter however base ; home they have none. The weather is so warm, they lie out all night, and are content with little victuals. They are in general covered with rags and filth, the victims of idleness and disease. It is nothing uncommon to see their feet and ankles a mass of sores ; their feet eaten by the jiggers, until they re- semble fowls' feet, having no flesh on them. Their minds chilled and totally sunk, death soon closes their career.' The next morning after the new cook came on board, he lay so long, the captain's kettle was not boiled, nor the fire kindled. Paddy wi hii imi L0KG-8H0REnff. 63 was quite indifferent when the cabin-boy told him Captain Young must have the kettle immediately. He replied, ** Let him send his blasters and blowers here then/' Blas- ters and blowers was sent about his business immediately, and he cared not u fig. I must confess the long-shorers arc mostly composed of Irish and Scots; the very blacks despise them. They could make a good living by carrying water, as they could get a bit a burden. Many blacks get leave from the overseers to do this, giving them a bit a day, and earn as much as buy their freedom. An overseer may often have a dozen blacks thus employed, and his mas- ter not a bit the wiser, and the money his own gain. We brought to England, as passenger from the island, a planter, who was very rich, and had a number of slaves. He had been a common seaman on board of a man- of-war, had deserted, and lived on shore concealed until his ship sailed. He after- I •: ', if 1 1 i 64 CHAPTER V. wards married a free black woman, who kept a punch-house, who died, and left him above three thousand pounds. With this he had bought a plantation and slaves, and was making money fast. He brought as much fresh provisions and preserves on board as would have served ten men out and out, and was very kind to the men, in giving them liquor and fresh provisions. Vol nt H\ 65 . j.»t:v/ Uf^'f' •; .V ."'" -^^ 'rhc'ii 1^ CHAPTER VI. Voyage of Discoverif'^Anecdoie— Falkland Islands —Cape Horn'—Owhtfee—Atooi-^OnehoW'^Man' ners of the Natives. Upon our arrival in London, I learned that my old officer, Lieutenant Portlock, now captain, was going out in the King George, as commander, in company with the Queen Charlotte, Captain Dixon, upon a voyage of discovery and trade round the world. This was the very cruise I had long wished for ; at once I made myself clean, and waited upon Captain Portlock. He was happy to see me, as I was an ex- cellent brewer of spruce-beer, and the very man he wished, but knew not where to have sent for me. I was at once engaged, on A m^ ■ 1 I if' :t wii; !> 1 :--»; P' •::| ^W.'^MtMaLOCHW-noowwaw.'ar IT' W 66 CHAPTER VI. the most liberal terms, as cooper, and went away rejoicing in my good fortune. We had a charter from the South Sea Com- pany, :md one from the India House, as it was to be a trading voyage for furs, as well as discovery. This was in the year 1785. With a joyful heart I entered on this voyage ; but, through an unforeseen acci- dent. I had more to do than I engaged for. Our steward went on shore for a few neces- sary articles just before we sailed. He was a foolish lad, got tipsy^ and the money sold him ; having spent it, he was ashamed to come on board again. The wind was fair, and I engaged to fill his place rather than delay the voyage one day, so eager was I upon it. The firist land we made was Santa Crux, in the island of Teneriffe, where we staid ten days, getting fruit and provisions ; then made the island of St Jago, it belongs to the Portuguese, where we watered and took in fresh provisions. While here we caught VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. a number of fish called bass, very like sal- mon, which we eat fresh. The island is badly cultivated, but abounds in cattle. We exchanged old clothes for sheep, or any thing the men wanted. The Portu- guese here are great rogues. I bought two fat sheep from one of them. The bargain was made, and I was going to lead away my purchase, when he gave a whistle, and my sheep scampered off to the fields. The fellow laughed at my surprise. I had a great mind to ^ve him a beating for his trick, and take my clothes from him ; but we had strict orders not to quarrel with the people upon any account. At length he made a sign that I might have them again by giving a few more articles. I had no alternative but lose what I had given, or submit to his rogifery. I gave a sign I would ; he gave another whistle, and the sheep returned to his side. I secured them before I gave the second price. With all their roguery, they are very careless of j II , but too! every inch of the hoops ; they were more valuable than gold to us, for trading with the natives. When off Cape Horn, we perceived an liit A r A Kti.U m'l . 1 . ii iiifi 70 CHAPTER VI. object floating at a small distance from the ship. Not one of us could make out what it was. All our boats being fast, two men went down into the water and swam to it, and made it fast in the slings. When it came on board it was a cask, but so over- grown with weeds and barnacles, the bung- hole could not be discovered. I was set to work to cut into it. To our agreeable surprise, it was full of excellent Port wine. All the crew got a little of it, and Captain Portlock gave us brandy in place of the rest We next made Staten's Land ; the wea- ther was fine, but very cold. We stood away for latitude 23*^, where we cruised about for some time in quest of islands laid down in our charts. We could find none, but turtle in great abundance. They were a welcome supply, but we soon tired of them, coolv them, as we could, in every va- riety. Not finding the islands, we bore away for the Sandwich Islands. The first n ( OWHYEE. 71 land we made was Owhyee, the island where Captain Cook was killed. The King George and Queen Charlotte were the first ships which had touched there since that melancholy event. The natives came on board in crowds, and were happy to see us; they recognized Portlock and others, who had been on the island be- fr»re, along with Cook. Our decks were soon crowded with hogs, bread-fruit, yams, and potatoes. Our deck soon resembled shambles; our butcher htd fourteen assist- ants. I was as busy and fatigued as I could be cutting iron hoops into lengths of eight and nine inches, which the carpenter gTound sharp. These were our most valu- able commodity in the eyes of the natives. I was statione J down in the hold of the ves- sel md the ladders were removed to pre- vent the natives from coming down to the treasury. The King of Owhyee locked to my occupation with a wistful eye; he thought me the happiest man on board, to I !' rii ■■! t i' .1 •;■ ( ' f. / 72 CHAPTER VI. I 1 ,J'^ t ■ -a' iM: •I i be among such vast heaps of treasure. Captain Portlock called to me to place the ladder, and allow the king to come down, and give him a good long piece. When the king descended he held up his hands, and looked astonishment personified . When I gave him the piece of hoop of twenty inches long, he retired a little from below the hatch into the shade, undid his girdle, bent the iron to his body, and, adjusting his belt in the greatest haste, concealed it. I suppose he thought I had stole it. I could not but laugh to see the king con- cealing what he took to be stolen goods. We were much in want of oil for our lamps. The sharks abounding, we baited a hook with a piece of salt pork, and caught the larges; I ever saw in any sea ; it was a female, nineteen feet long ; it took all hands to hoist her on board ; her weight made the vessel heel. When she was cut up wt look forty-eight young ones out of her belly, eighteen mches long; we saw 1 OWHYEE. 73 them go into her mouth after she was hooked. The hook was fixed to a chain attached to our main-brace, or we never would have kept her. It was evening when she snapped the bait ; we hauled the head just above the surface, the swell washing over it. We let her remain thus all night, and she was quite dead in the morning. There were in her stomach four hogs, four full grown turtle, besides the young ones. Her liver, the only part we wanted, filled a tierce. Almost every man on board took a na- tive woman for a wife while the vessel re- mained, the men thinking it an honour, or for their gain, as they got many presents of iron, beads, or buttons. The women came on board at night, and went on shore in the morning. In the evening they would call for their husbands by name. They often brought their friends to see their husbands, who were well pleased, as they were never allowed to go away empty. The fattest K: ll ^^^^ii ■i n CHAPTER VI. 11 I I V ■ woman I ever saw in my life our gunner chose for a wife. We were forced to hoist her on board ; her thighs were as thick as my waist ; no hammock in the ship would hold her ; many jokes were cracked upon the pair. They are the worst people to pronounce the English of any I ever was among. Captain Portlock they called Potipoti. The nearest approach they could make to my name was Nittie ; yet they would make the greatest efforts, and look so angry at themselves, and vexed at their vain efforts. We had a merry facetious fellow on board, called Dickson. He sung pretty well. He squinted, and the natives mif> micked him. Abenoue, King of Atooi, could cock his eye like Dickoon better than any of his subjects. Abenoue called him Billicany, from his often singing Rule Bri- tannia. Abenoue learned the air, and the words as near as he could pronounce them. It was an amusing thing to hear the king ATOOI. 75 and Dickson sing. Abenoue loved him better than any man in the ship, and al- ways embraced him every time they met on shore, or in the ship, and began to sing " Tule Billicany, Billicany tule," &c. We had the chief on board who killed Captain Cook for more than three weeks. He was in bad health, and had a smelling- bottle, with a few drops in it, which he used to smell at ; we filled it for him. There were a good many bayonets in possession of the natives, which they had obtained at the murder of Cook. We left Owhyee, and stood down to Atooi, where we watered, and had a feast from Abenoue the King. We took our al- lowance of brandy on shore, and spent a most delightful afternoon, the natives doing all in their power to amuse us; the girls danced, the men made a sham fight, throw- ing their spears; the women standing be- hind, handed the spears to the men, the same as in battle, thus keeping up a conti- I. '■'' ■ *j v ■ ■I- ;• i 1 If %/ Hi] i II m l! 'I l'' i 76 CHAPTER VI. nued shower of spears. No words can con- vey an adequate idea of their dexterity and agility. They thought we wore bad with the rheumatism, our movements were so slow, compared with their own. The wo- men would sometimes lay us down, and chafe and rub us, making moan, and saying, " O Rume ! O Rume !'' They wrestled, but the stoutest man in our ship could not stand a single throw with the least chance of success. We next stood for Onehow, of which Abenoue was king as well as Atooi, to get yams. This island grows them in abun- dance, and scarce any thing else. They liave no wood upon the island, but exchange their yams for it to build their canoes. While lying here, it came to blow a dread- ful gale ; we were forced to cut our cables, and stand out to sea, and leave sixteen men and boys. It was three weeks before we could return. When we arrived, we found them well and hearty ; these kind people had lodged them two and two in their houses. \ ONE HOW 77 gave them plenty of victuaU, and lil)crty to ramble over the whole iHlund. The only man who was in the least alarmed forhissafe- ty was an old boatswain ; he wan in continual fear. The innocent natives could not meet to divert themselves, or even a few talk toge- ther, but the old sinner would shake with horror, and called to his shipmat " Now, they arc going to murder us ; th! oor last night/* He was a pcrfe(;t annoyance to the others; he scarce ever left the beach, but to go to some height to look out for the ships, and after looking till he was almost blind, he would seek out the other men to make his lamentations, and annoy them with his fears of the loss of the ships, or their being deserted by them. At length we returned, and took them on board, making presents to the king, and his kind people for their unlimited hospitality. We now took an af- fectionate leave of these kind islanders. As the summer now advanced apace, we fttood over to Cook's lliver, where we ar» 9' . ! ii ' f'.L,.i 411 I "li. ->. ^o.^^ -^- „0 ^.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y /. fc ^6 1.0 I.I ■^ 1^ 112.2 *r I'D 2jO 1.8 1125 III 1.4 11.6 m n ^^/ J> \> / Op /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 78 CHAPTER VI. i I. '•| \,i' i,' ■ I'' 1,1 ' rived in 1786, eleven months after we left England. Upon our arrival, a number of Russians came on board of us, and made the captain a present of salmon ; who, in re- turn, gave them salt, an article they stood much in need of. One of our men, who spoke the Russian tongue, told them we were upon a voyage of discovery ; we did not wish them to know we were trading in furs. We parted from them with mutual civilities. At the entrance of Cook^s River is an immense volcanic mountain, which was in action at the time, and continued burning all the time we lay there, pouring down its side a torrent of lava, as broad as the Thames. At night the sight was grand, but fearful. The natives here had their spears headed with copper ; but having no one on board who could speak their Ian- guage, we had no means of learning where they obtained the copper. While we lay here, it was the heat of summer, yet the ice i PRINCE WILLIAM S SOUND. 79 d never melted, and the snow was lying very deep on the heights ; what a contrast from the delightful islands we had so lately left. Our long-boat, decked and schooner-rig- ged, proceeded up the river in hopes of find- ing an outlet, or inland sea. After proceed- ing with great difficulty and perseverance, until all hopes of success vanished, they re- turned. We then bore to the southward, to Prince William^s Sound, to pursue our trade with the Indians. They are quite dif- ferent from the Sandwich islanders in ap- pearance and habits ; they are not cruel, but great thieves. I was employed on shore brewing spruce all day, and slept on board at night. One night the Indians, after starting the beer, carried off all the casks ; they were iron- hooped. All our search was vain, no traces of them were to be discovered. To quar- rel with the Indians would have defeated the object of our voyage. At length they were discovered by accident in the most U 80 CHAPTER VI. . 1 ! 1 i] Ifi I I. unlikely placet in the following manner : One of our boats had been on a trading excursion detained so long, we became alarmed for its safety. Captain Portlock sent some of our men armed to the top of a high hill, to look out for the boat. To the surprise of the men> they found the staves aiid ends of the barrels, and some large stones they had used in breaking them to pieces. How great must their labour have been in rolling up the barrels, and then in dashing them to pieces ; yet I have no doubt they thought themselves richly rewarded in obtaining the iron hoops. The men brought back a stave or two with the ship's name branded on them, to evidence the truth of their discovery. We then moved the brewing place to the other side of the island, within sight of the ship. I was much annoyed by the natives for some time while working; they would handle the hoops, and every now and then a piece would vanish. There was only a quarter^ MANNERS OF THE NATIVES. 81 -master and boy with me. While the na- tives swarmed around, I felt rather uncom- fortable. They became more and more bold. The captain seeing from the deck my disagreeable situation, hailed me to set Neptune, our great Newfoundland dog, up- on them, saying he would fear them more than fifty men. I obeyed with alacrity, and hounded Neptune, who enjoyed the sport as much as I, to see the great fellows run, screaming like girls, in all directions. I was soon left to pursue my labour unmo- lested; and whenever they grew trouble- some, Neptune, without orders, put them to the running and screaming. When one approached, if Neptune was near, he would stretch out his arms, and cry, " Lally, Nep- tune;"' that is friend in their language. The Indians here could pronounce every word we spoke almost as Avell as ourselves. This appeared the more strange, after hear- ing the vain efforts of our friends the Sand- wich islanders. D 2 h rt I If \ i ■ I I ■■ i i ihi 82 CHAPTER VI. One Sabbath-day, all the ship's company, except the captain, two boys, and the cook, were on shore amusing themselves. Dur- ing our absence an immense number of the natives came alongside, and took complete possession of the vessel, and helped them- selves to whatever took their fancy. The captain, boys, and cook, barricadoed them- selves in the cabin, and loaded all the muskets and pistols within their reach. Their situation was one of great danger. The surgeon and myself were the first that arrived upon the beach ; the captain hailed us from the cabin window, and let us know his disagreeable situation, telling us to force the Indians to put us on board. We hav- ing our muskets, they complied at once. Thus, by adding strength to the captain, we gained new assurance ; and the others doing as we did, were put all on board as they came to the beach. The Indians of- fered no violence to the ship ; and when the crew were nearly all on board, they be- * MANNERS OF THE NATIVES. 83 gaii to leave the vessel, shipping off their booty. Captain Portlock ordered us to take no notice of the transaction in way of hurting the Indians, but to purchase back the articles they had taken away that were of use to us; but they had only taken what pieces of iron they found loose about the ship. After having hid the things they had stolen, they began to trade as if nothing had happened, and we bought back what few bolts they had taken. They had plun- dered the smith's tent in the same manner, although they looked upon him as a greater man than the captain. He was a smart young fellow, and kept the Indians in great awe and wonder. They thought the coals were made into powder. I have seen them steal small pieces, and bruise them, then come back. When he saw this, he would spit upon the anvil while working the hot iron, and give A blow upon it; they would run away in fear and astonishment when they heard the crack. ■ *i ;. J-.: .ie;:; I'll 84 M ! J m :;: '.iK CHAPTER VII. Trading Voyages — Conduct of the Natives — Sand' wich Islands — Language — Nootka Sovnd--~Ships sail for China. One or other of our boais, often both, i were absent for some time upon trading voyages. In one of these trips our boat was nearly cut off, and would, in all pro- bability, had it not been for the presence of mind of an American, one of the crew, Joseph Laurence. I never was more alarm- ed for my safety in the whole voyage. We were rowing through a lagoon, to get a near cut to the ship ; the tide was ebbing fast, the boat took the ground, and before we could do any thing to get her off, the whole bay was dry. The natives surround- Sli TRADING VOYAGES. ed the boat iu great numbers, and looked very mischievous. We knew not what to do. In this dilemma, Laurence, who knew their ways, took a small keg of molasses, and went to the beach ; at the same time lie sat down by it, and began to sing and lick, inviting them to follow his example. They licked, and listened to him for a good while, and even joined him in singing ; but the molasses wore done, and they were weary of his songs. We looked about in great anx- iety, and discovered a small height that commanded the boat. To this we ran, but dared not to fire, even while they were plun- dering the boat ; they could have killed us all with spears and stones, had we even shot one hundred of them, and wasted all our ammunition. We stood like bears at the stake, expecting them every moricnt to commence the attack, resolved to sell our lives as dear as we could. At length the wished return of tide came, and we got to the boat^ and she floated soon after. Then :' ' / 86 CHAPTER VII. 1 in \¥ \ T V \A f! ! •s I If!- we cared not one penny for them. We began to trade, and bought back the arti- cles they had stolen. Even our compass we were forced to buy back. We set sail for the King George, resolved to be more cir- cumspect in future, and happy we had es- caped so well. The party who had taken possession of the vessel on the Sabbath* day, the next time they came back, had their faces black- ed, and their heads powdered with the down of birds. They had done this as a dis- guise, which showed they had a conscious- ness of right and wrong. Thinking we knew them not, as we took no notice of them, they were as merry and funny as any of the rest. While the boats were absent on a trading voyage the canoe was sent to haul the seine for salmon. There were fourteen men and boys in it. About half-way between the vessel and the shore she filled with water; those who could swim made for the beach, 11 ACCIDENT. the boys, and those who could not, clung to the canoe. Captain Portlock saw from the deck the danger they were in, and re- quested the boatswain, who was an excel- lent swimmer, to go to their assistance ; he refused. The sailmaker and myself leapt into the water. I had a line fixed round my waist, as I swam first, which he supported at a short distance behind, to ease its weight. When I came up to the canoe, they were nearly spent. I fixed the line to the canoe, and we made a signal to the ship, when those on board drew her to the vessel, John Butler and I attending to assist and en- courage them. There was a son of Sir John Dick''s, and a son of Captain Gore^s, among the boys. Captain Portlock never could bear the boatswain afterwards. Be- fore this he was a great favourite. While in Prince William's Sound, the boat went on an excursion to Snug Corner Cove, at the top of the Sound. She disco- vered the Nootka, Captain Mairs, in a most !?;• : 't'i V ■\ w Ml I 88 CHAPTER VII. \' distressing situation from the scurvy. There were only the captain and two men free from disease. Two and twenty Lascars had died through the course of the winter ; they had caused their own distress, by their inordi- nate use of spirits on Christmas eve. They could not bury their own dead ; they were only dragged a short distance from the ship, and left upon the ice. They had muskets fixed upon the capstan, and man- ropes that went down to the cabin, that when any of the natives attempted to come on board, they might fire them off to scare them. They had a large Newfoundland dog, whose name was Towser, who alone kept the ship clear of the Indians. He lay day and night upon the ice before the cabin window, and would not allow the In- dians to go into the ship. When the na- tives came to barter, they would cry " Lal- ly Towser," and make him a present of a skin, before they began to trade with Cap- tain Mairs, who lowered from the window DREADFUL GALE. 89 his barter, and in the same way received their furs. The Beaver, the Nootka's con- sort, had been cut off in the beginning of the winter, and none of her people were ever heard of. We gave him every assist- ance in our power in spruce and molasses, and two of our crew to assist in working the vessel, Dickson and George Willis, who stopped at Canton until we arrived ; then wishing him well, took our leave of him. Captain Portlock could have made a fair prize of him, as he had no charter, and was trading in our limits ; but he was satisfied with his bond not to trade on our coast ; but the bond was forfeit as soon as we sailed, and he was in China before us. We now stood for Nootka Sound, but encountered a dreadful gale, and were blown off the coast, and suffered much in our sails and rigging, which caused us to stand for the Sandwich Islands to reHt, which gave us great joy. The American coast is a hostile region, compared with the f; '' '! •' i if. Hi ■ IH ^M :i| , •if . M 90 V CHAPTER VII. I I Sandwich Islands. The American Indians are very jealous ? and if any of our men were found with their women, using the least fireedom, they would take his life if it was in their power ; but their women are far from being objects of desire, they are so much disfigured by slitting their lips, and placing large pieces of wood in them, shaped like a saucer. I have seen them place berries upon it, and shake them into their mouth, as a horse would corn out of a mouth-bag, or lick them in with their tongue. The men have a bone eight inches long, polished, and stuck through the gristle of their nose ; we called it their sprit-sail-yard. We had suffered a good deal of hardship on this coast, and bade it adieu with joy. Soon as we arrived at Owhyee, our old acquaintance flocked on board to welcome us, each with a present. Then such a touch- ing of noses, and shaking of hands took place — <* Honi, honi," that is, touch nose, and " How are you ?"" were the only words RETUEN TO OWHYEE. 91 to be heard. Our deck was one continued scene of joy. I was now picking up the language pretty fast, and could buy and sell in it, and knew a great number of words that were very useful to me. There is a great likeness in many of their words to the Latin :— Sandwich Islands. Terra, Nuna, Sola^ Oma^ Leo, English, Earth. Moon. Sun. Man. Dog. Noue is their word for large, Maccou for a fish-hook. When they saw our anchors, they held up their hands and said, *^ Noue Maccou.^^ During our wintering this se- cond time, almost the same scenes were re- acted. Having refitted, and taken in provi- sions, we again set sail for Cook'*s River, Prince William's, and Nootka Sound, to obtain more fur skins. We were pretty ''J . !■ r ;^ I: I li «. ,' ;■■:> he. '...'■' ■ ber of cass, a small brass coin, the captain taking from the number what he thought too mucb^ the pilot adding when he thought it too little. He was to pilot the King George to the Island of Macao. From thence we sailed up the Bocca Tigris to Wampoa, where we sold our cargo of skins. We were engaged to take home a cargo of tea for the East India Company. ■,« ";.- i'-.'l 96 1 1 h !. CHAPTER VIII. China — Manners of the Chinese — Food— 'Religion'^ Punishments— Evasion of Duty — St Helena— -Au- thor arrives in England. I WAS as happy as any person ever was to see any thing. I scarcely believed I was so fortunate as really to be in China. As we sailed up the river, I would cast my eyes from side to side ; the thoughts and ideas I had pictured to my mind of it were not lessened in brilliancy, rather increased ; the immense number of buildings that ex- tended as far as the eye could reach ; their fantastic shapes, and gaudy colours ; their trees and flowers so like their paintings, and the myriads of floating vessels ; and, above all, the fanciful dresses, and gaudy colours m CHINA. 97 of their clothes, all serve to fix the mind of a stranger upon his first arrival. But, up- on a nearer acquidntance, he is shocked at the quantity of individual misery that forces itself upon his notice, and gradually undoes the grand ideas he had formed of this strange people. Soon as we cast anchor, the vessel was surrounded with sampans ; every one had some request to make. Tartar girls re- quested our clothes to wash, harbers to shave the crews, others with fowls to sell ; indeed, every necessary we could want. The first we made bargain with was a bar- ber. Tommy Linn. He agreed to shave the crew, for the six months we were to be there, for half a dollar from each man, and he would shave every morning, if we chose, on board the ship, coming off in his sam- pan. The Tartar girls washed our clothes for the broken meat, or what rice we left at mess. They came every day in their sam- pans, and took away the men^s shirts, bring- E #- ''' ' 98 CHAPTEE VIII- ' 1 ing them back the next, and never mixed the clothes. They all spoke less or more English, and would jaw with the crew as fast as any women of their rank in England. They had a cage-like box fixed to the stern of their sampan, in which was a pig, who fed and fattened there at his ease. Our ears were dinned with the cry of the beg- gars in their sampans, " Kamscha me Lillo rice." I have seen the mandarins plunder these objects of compassion, when they had been successful in their appeals to the feel- ings of the seamen. I was surprised at the minute subdivision of their money. Their cass is a small piece of base coin, with a square hole in it, three of which are a kan- darin; sixty cass one mace; one mace equal to sevenpence English money. The cass is of no use out of the country ; and when a seaman changes a dollar, he re- ceives no other coin from the wily Chinese. I was on shore for a good while at Wam- poa, making candle for our voyage home. thi st ni^ vei dej th( FOOD. 99 I had a number of Chinese under me. My greatest difficulty was to prevent them from stealing the wax. They are greater and more dexterous thieves than the Indians ; a bambooing for theft, I really believe, con- fers no disgrace upon them. They will al- low no stranger to enter the city of Can- ton. I was different times at the gate, but all my ingenuity could not enable me to cross the bar, although I was eight days in the suburbs. The Tartars are not even al- lowed to sleep on shore ; they live in junks and other craft upon the river. If em- ployed on shore, they must be away by sunset, but may land again at sunrise in the morning. The Chinese, I really believe, eat any thing there is life in. Neptune was con- stantly on shore with me at the tent ; every night he caught less or more rats. He ne- ver eat them, but laid them down, when dead, at the tent door. In the morning the Chinese gave vegetables for them, and !*^: "! '»':] {,': I :. 'HA ^ 100 CHAPTER VIII. if were as well pleased as I was at the ex- change. After the candles were made, I removed to Banks Hall to repair the cooper work, and screen sand and dry it, to pack the tea-boxes for our voyage home. One day, a boy was meddling rather freely with the articles belonging to me. Neptune bit him. I was extremely sorry for it, and, af- ter beating him, dressed the boy^s hurt, which was not severe. I gave the boy a . few cass, who went away quite pleased. In a short time after I saw him coming back, and his father leading him. I looked for squalls, but the father only asked a few hairs out from under Neptune''s fore leg, close to the body; he would take, them from no other part, and stuck them all over the wound. He went away content. I had often heard, when a person had been tipsy the evening before, people tell him to take a hair of the dog that bit him, but never saw it in the literal sense before. GRATITUDE. 101 A short time before we sailed, all the crew got two months' pay advance for pri- vate trade, and purchased what articles they chose. The dollars are all stamped by the captain, as the Chinese are such cheats, they will dexterously return you a bad dollar, and assert, if not marked, it was the one you gave. With all their roguery, they are not un- grateful. One day two Chinese boys were playing in our boat ; one of them fell over- board. The current was strong, and the boy was carried down with rapidity. I leapt into the river, and saved him with great difficulty, as the current bore us both along until my strength was almost spent. By an effort I got into the smooth water, and soon had the pleasure of delivering him to his father, who stood upon the beach wringing his hands. I wished to go on board, but the Chinese would have me to his house, where I was most kindly receiv- ed, and got my dinner in great style. I I ! >£. ,U*,:i 102 CHAPTER VIII. ;■! like their manner of setting out the table at dinner. All that is to be eaten is placed upon the table at once, and all the liquors at the same time. You have all before you, and you may make your choice. I dined in different houses, and the same fa- shion was used in them all. The Chinese never thought he could show me kind- ness enough. We buried our chief-mate, Mr Macleod, whose funeral I attended, upon French Island. Almost every junk has a mandarin on board, who keeps order, and collects the revenue, and tyrannises over the poor Chi- nese; they pay money for the liberty of doing any thing to obtain a living. Tommy Linn paid seventy dollars for leave to prac- tise as barber and surgeon upon the river ; they cure every disease by herbs. When any sailor or officer was so imprudent as visit Loblob Creek, and received the re- ward of their folly, our surgeons could not cure them, yet the Chinese barber did so MANN'liilS OF THE X4TIVES. 103 with ease. Every new moon, all the men in China must have their heads shaved ; if tliey do not, the mandarin makes them suf- fer for it. They havi the longest nails to their fingers I ever saw ; many of their nails are half as long as the rest of the linger, they take so much care of them, and keep them so white and clean : they, I really be- lieve, would almost as soon have their throats cut as their nails. A Chinese will hold, by their means, more dollars in one hand than an Englishman will hold in both of his. Shaking hands will never be the fashion in China. When the day is wet or thick, which rarely happens, the Chinese will say, " Joss too much angry ;*" then the paper sacrifices begin ; the whole river is in a smoke ; every junk, down to the small sampan, must burn, under the direction of the mandarin, a certain quantity of paper to please " Joss" their god ; the rich must burn fine gilt pa- per, the poor coarser paper. The manda» If n '! S ,.'■ ' ^!' ;i f t, 104 CHAPTER VIII. rin is the sole judge of the quantity and quality ; from him there is no appeal. He himself burns no paper ; a small piece of touch-wood serves his turn. There he will stand in a conspicuous place, and look as stedfast upon it as a statue, until it is all burnt out. • They are the most oppressed people I ever was amongst. They must want even a wife, if they are not rich enough to pay the tax imposed by the mandarin. They are summary in their justice. Wherever the theft is committed, there the mandarin causes the culprit to be laid upon his back, and beat upon the belly with a bamboo the number of times he thinks adequate to the offence. If the offence is great, they are sent to the Ladrone Islands, their place of banishment for thieves. There they live by piloting vessels and fishing, but are not al- lowed to come up farther than Macao. They are cowardly and cruel. Six half- drunk sailors would clear a whole village ; III TOMMY LINN. 105 but when they catch one of them drunk, and by himself, then they bamboo him in the cruellest manner. Tommy Linn the barber was the agent we employed. He brought us any article we wanted from the city ; and, like his brethren in Europe, was a walking newspaper. His first word every morning was, " Hey, yaw, what fashion.''" and we used the same phrase to him. One morning he came, and the first thing he said was, " Hey, yaw^ whatfashion? Soldier man^s ship come to Lingcome bar.*" We, after a few hours, heard that a man-of- war frigate had arrived at the month of the river ; they are allowed to come no higher up. Tommy had seen the red coats of the marines. They are much alarmed at the appearance of a man-of-war ship, and they often say, " Englishman too much cruel,— too much fight."" There were some Eng- lish seamen flogged for mutiny while we lay in the river. The Chinese wept like children for the men, saying, " Hey, yaw, E 2 M II 106 CHAPTER VIII. Englishman too much cruel,- — too mucfi flog,— too much fiog.'''' Having completed our cargo, we fejl down the river. As we came near to the chop- house, where the chop-marks are examined, the men having many articles on board in their private trade that had not paid duty, which the Chinese would have seized, we fell upon the old stratagem. When their boat put off two of us fell a fighting, and we made the whole deck a scene of riot. These timorous Chinese custom-house-offi- cers did not offer to come on board, but called out, " Hey, yaw, what fashion ? Too much baubry, too much baubry," and put back to the chop-house. By this manoeuvre, we paid not one farthing of duty for our skins, which we sold in China ; the officers dared not come on board. We landed them as soon as possible, and when once in the factory, all was safe. We set sail for St Helena, where we made a present to the governor of a num- ARRIVES AT ST HELENA. 107 ber of empty bottles ; he, in return, gave us a present of potatoes, a valuable gift to us. While here, I and a number of the crew were nearly poisoned by eating albi- cores and bonettos. We split and hung them in the rigging to dry ; the moon''s rays have the effect of making them poisonous. My face turned red, and swelled ; but the others were far worse ; their heads were swelled twice their ordinary size, but we all recover- ed. In a few days we set sail for England, where I arrived without any remarkable oc- currence, after an absence of three years, having in that time circumnavigated the globe. We came into the river in the month of September 1788. r t- 1.1 1 51 ■!■ \^ ■ I I' i n A :f 108 11 I i CHAPTER IX. Author engaged as Steward of a Convict Ship— An- ecdotes of Female Convicts — Sails for New South Wales — Attaches himself to Sarah Whitelam— Singular Punishment^Crossing the Line— Mis- cellaneous Occurrences-^Port Jackson^St He- lena. I NOW returned to Scotland with a sensa- tion of joy only to be felt by those who have been absent for some time. Every remembrance was rendered more dear, every scene was increased in beauty. A piece of oaten cake tasted far sweeter in my mouth than the luxuries of eastern climes. I was for a time reconciled to remain, — the love of country overcame my wandering habits. I had some thought of settling for life, as I had saved a good deal of my pay. In the CONVICT SHIP. 109 middle of these musings, and before I had made up my mind, a letter I received from Captain Portlock upset all my future plans, and rekindled my wandering propensities with as great vigour as ever. The letter requested me to come to Lon- don without delay, as there were two ships lying in the river bound for New South Wales, the Guardian, and Lady Julian, in either of which I might have a birth. The Guardian was loaded with stores and neces- saries for the settlement. There was a vine- dresser, and a person to superintend the cul- tivation of hemp on board. She sailed long before us. The Lady Julian was to take out female convicts. I would have chosen the Guardian, only she was a man-of-war ; and, as I meant to settle in Scotland upon our return, I could not have left her when I chose. My only object was to see the country, not to re- main at sea ; I, therefore, chose the Lady Julian, as she was a transport, although I 3: ':■•' V is • I'll (i t iii> ' I iH 110 CHAPTER IX, did not, by any means, like her cargo, yet to see the country I was resolved to submit to a great deal. I was appointed steward of the Lady Ju- lian, commanded by Captain Aitken, who was an excellent humane man, and did all in his power to make the convicts as com- fortable as their circumstances would al- low. The government agent, an old lieu- tenant, had been discharged a little before I arrived, for cruelty to the convicts. He had even begun to flog them in the river. Government, the moment they learned the fact, appointed another in his place. We lay six months in the river before we sailed ; during which time, all the jails in England were emptied to complete the car- go of the Lady Julian. When we sailed, there were on board 245 female convicts. There were not a great many very bad characters; the greater number were for petty crimes, and a great proportion for on- ly being disorderly, that is, street-walkers ; \ !;!i ANECDOTES. Ill ♦ i the colony at the time being in great want of women. One, a Scottish girl, broke her heart, and died in the river ; she was buried at Dart- ford. Four were pardoned on account of liis Majesty's recovery. The poor young Scottish girl I have never yet got out of my mind ; she was young and beautiful, even in the convict dress, but pale as death, and her eyes red with weeping. She never spoke to any of the other women, or came on deck. She was constantly seen sitting in the same corner from morning to night ; even the time of meals roused her not. My heart bled for her, — she was a countrywo- man in misfortune. I offered her consola- tion, but her hopes and heart had sunk. When I spoke she heeded me not, or only answered with sighs and tears ; if I spoke of Scotland she woiJd wring her hands and sob, until I thought her heart would burst. I endeavoured to get her sad story from her lips, but she was silent as the grave to m. 112 CHAPTER IX. ! Ntii 11 ■■; ii which she hastened. I lent her my Bible to comfort her, but she read it not; she « laid it on her lap after kissing it, and only bedewed it with her tears. At length she sunk into the grave of no disease but a broken heart. After her death we had on- ly two Scottish women on board, one of them a Shetlander. I went every day to the town to buy fresh provisions and other necessaries for them. As their friends were allowed to come on board to see them, they brought money, and numbers had it of their own, particularly a MrsBarnsley, a noted sharper and shop-lifter. She herself told me her family, for one hundred years back, had been swindlers and highwaytiien. She had a brother a highwayman, who often came to see her, as well dressed and genteel in his appearance as any gentleman. She peti- tioned the government agent and captain to be allowed to wear her own clothes in the river, and not the convict dress. This 11 i ANECDOTES. 113 could on no account be allowed ; but they told her she might wear what she chosf when once they were at sea. The agent, Lieutenant Edgar, had been with Captain Cook, was a kind humane man, and very good to them. He had it in his power to throw all their clothes overboard when he gave them the convict dress ; but he gave them to me to stow in the after hold, say- ing, " They would be of use to the poor creatures when they arrived at Fort Jack- w son. Those from the country came all on board in irons ; and I was ptud half-a-crown a head by the country jailors, in many cases, for striking them off upon my anvil, as they were not locked but rivetted. There was a Mrs Davis, a noted swindler, who had ob- tained great quantities of goods under false names, and other equally base means* We had one Mary Williams, transported for receiving stolen goods. She and other eight had been a long time in Newgate, : " i ■| idlh. 114 CIIAPTEtt IX. ii' I-: IV, j i I-! I ! where Lord George Gordon had support- ed them. I went once a week to him, and got their allowance from his own hand all the time we lay in the river. One day I had the painful task to inform the father and mother of one of the convicts, that their daughter, Sarah Dorset, was on board; they were decent-looking people, and had come to London to inquire after her. When I met them they were at New- gate; the jailor referred them to ma. With tears in her eyes, the mother implored me to tell her, if such a one was on board. I told them there was one of that name ; the father''s heart seemed too full to allow him to speak, but the mother, with streaming eyes, blessed God that they had found their poor lost child, undone as she was. I call- ed a coach, drove to the river, and had them put on board. The father, with a trembling step, mounted the ship's side; but we were forced to lift the mother on board- I took them down to my birth. ANECDOTES. m and went for Sarah Dorset ; when I brought her, tlie father said, in a choking voice, " My lost cliild !'*' and turned his back, covering his face with his hands ; the mother sobbing, threw her hands around her. Poor Sarah fainted and fell at their feet. I knew not what to do; at length she recovered, and in the most heart-rend- ing accents implored their pardon. She was young and pretty, and had not been two years from her father's house at this present time ; so short had been her course of folly and sin. She had not been protect- ed by the villain that ruined her above six weeks ; then she was forced by want upon the streets, and taken up as a disorderly girl ; then sent on board to be transported. This was her short but eventful history. One of our men, William Power, went out to the colony, when her time was expired, brought her home, and married her. I witnessed many very moving scenes, and many of the most hardened indiffer^ m > (.' ii 116 CHAPTER IX. I I ■I ence. Numbers of them would not take their liberty as a boon ; they were thankful for their present situation, so low had vice reduced them. Many of these, from the country jails, had been allowed to leave it to assist in getting in the harvest, and voluntarily returned. When I inquir- ed their reason, they answered, ** How much more preferable is our present situation to what it has been since we commenced our vicious habits ? We have good victuals and a warm bed. We are not ill treated, or at the mercy of every drunken ruffian, as we were before. When we rose in the morning, we knew not where we would lay our heads in the evening, or if we would break our fast in the course of the day. Banishment is a blessing to us. Have we not been ba- nished for a long time, and yet in our na- tive land, the most dreadful of all situa- tions ? We dared not go to our relations, whom we had disgraced. Other people would shut their doors in our faces. We AN£CDOTES. 117 were as if a plague were upon us, hated and shunned." Others did all in their power to make their escape. These were such as had loft their associates in rapine on shore, and were hardened to every feeling but the abandoned enjoyments of their compa- nions. Four of these made their escape on the evening before we left England, through the assistance of their confederates on shore. They gave the man on watch gin to drink, as he sat on the quarter-deck, the others singing and making fun. These four slip- ped over her bows into a boat provided for their escape. I never heard if they were retaken. We sailed without them. Mrs Nelly Eerwin, a female of daring habits, banished for life for forging sea- men^s powers of attorney, and personating their relations, when on our passage down the river, wrote to London for cash to some of her friends. She got a letter, informing her it was wsdting for her at Dartmouth. We were in Colson Bay when she got this \:m ',' 4 i in a, ill .,;i;! -.>ii ij'^ 118 CHAPTER IX. letter. With great address she persuaded the agent that there was an express for him and money belon^ng to her lying at Dart- mouth. A man was sent, who brought on board NelPs money, but no express for the agent. When she got it she laughed in his face, and told him he was in her debt for a lesson. He was very angry, as the captain often told him Kerwin was too many for him. We had on board a girl pretty well be- haved, who was called, by her acquaint- ance, a daughter of Pitt's. She herself never contradicted it. She bore a most striking likeness to him in every feature, and could scarce be known from him as to looks. We left her at Port Jackson. Some of our convicts I have heard even to boast of the crimes and murders com- mitted by them and their accomplices ; but the far greater number were harmless un- fortunate creatures, the victims of the bas- est seduction. "W^th their histories, as ANECDOTES. 119 told by themselves, I shall not trouble the reader. When we were fairly out at sea, every man on board took a wife from among the convicts, they nothing loath. The girl with whom I lived, for I was as bad in this point as the others, was named Sarah White- lam. She was a native of Lincoln, a girl of a modest reserved turn, as kind and true a creature as ever lived. I courted her for a week and upwards, and would have mar- ried her upon the spot, had there been a clergyman on board. She had been banish- ed for a mantle she had borrowed from an acquaintance. Her friend prosecuted her for stealing it, and she was transported for seven years. I had fixed my fancy upon her from the moment I knocked the rivet out of her irons upon my anvil, and as firmly resolved to bring her back to Eng- land, when her time was out, my lawful wife, as ever I did intend any thing in my life. She bore xiifi a son in our voyage I Ki ,y Fl |.' T' Is ( \ :f ''M ill *^ 120 CHAPTEE IX. out. What is become of her, whether she is dead or alive, I know not. That I do not is no fault of mine, as my narrative will show. But to proceed. We soon found that we had a troublesome cargo, yet not dangerous or very mischievous, as I may say more noise than danger. When any of them, such as Nance Ferrel, who was ever making disturbance, became very troublesome, we confined them down in the hold, and put on the hatch. This, we were soon convinced, had no effect, as they became in turns outrageous, on purpose to be confined. Our agent and the captain wondered at the change in their behaviour. I, as steward, found it out by accident. As I was overhauling the stores in the hold, I came upon a hogshead of bottled porter, with a hole in the side of it, and, in place of full, there were nothing but empty bottles in it. Another was begun, and more than a box of candles had been carried off. I immediately told the captain, who now i'- ;ther she hat I do itive will •n found yet not may say ? Ferrel, became down in ^his, we as they pose to captain aviour. nt. As hold, I porter, 1 place bottles e than ►fF. I • now I '. ^ SINGDLAE PUNISHMENT. 121 found out the cause of f Jin i . • , ^ nation, and desir! I I "''"^°'^'- wer. Led to T ""'""^'^^- ^^ ^ torced to change the manner of pu, -hm^them. I was desired by the agen I^ieutenant Edgar, who was an old We -t of Cook's, to take a flour C^^^^^^ -t a hole in the top for their head a". oneoneach side for their arms S -"ed a wooden jacket. 7L J^ " Nance Ferrel asuLl "'"^ f h. K- ' '^^'"^ ^° the door of he cabm and began to abuse the agen andcaptam. They desired her to go atl between decks ar^A u . ^ ^ worse in T t '^'"''- ^""^ ^-^e worse .n her abuse, wishing to be confined and sent to the hold- but m k ' cation .1. • I ' "'' *° ''«'• wortifi. cation, the jacket was produced, and two n>e„b„ ht her upon deck, and putVr ShelaughedandcaperedaboutJaJhae' and made light of it. One of h» -eslightedapipe,andgi:,tZ walked about stn.tting and smoking the to. J^-o.a„d mating the others laugf at tt ^°" 'sure she made; she walked a m.. F i\ '^ ft ' -J .H% t 12^ CHAPTER IX. r !i nuet, her head moving from side to side like a turtle. The agent was resolved she should be heartily tired, and feel in all its force the disagreeableness of her present si- tuation. She could only walk or stand, to sit or lie down was out of her power. She began to get weary, and begged to be re- leased. The agent would not, until she ask- ed his pardon, and promised amendment in future. This she did in humble terms be- fore evening, but, in a few days, was as bad as ever ; there was no taming her by gentle means. We were forced to tie her up like a man, and give her one dozen with the cat-o^-nine-tails, and assure her of a clawing every offence ; this alone reduced her to any kind of order. How great was the contrast between her and Mary Rose. Mary was a timid modest girl, who never joined in the ribaldry of the rest, neither did ghe take up with any man upon the voyage. She was a wealthy farmer^s daughter, who had been seduced MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES. 123 side she ilits itsi- i, to She le re- ;ask- entin IS be- \ IS bad gentle p like ;h the awing to any len her lodest iry of Ih any ealthy duced tinder promise of marriage by an officer, and had eloped with him from her father's house. They were living together in Lin- coln, when the officer was forced to go abroad and leave her. He, before he went, boarded her with their landlady, an infa- mous character, who, to obtain the board she had received in advance, without main- taining the unfortunate girl, swore she had robbed her of several articles. Poor Mary was condemned by her perjury, and senten- ced to be transported. She had disgraced her friends, and dared not apply to them in her distress ; she had set the opinions of the world atdefiance by her elopement, and there was no one in it who appeared to befriend her, while, in all its bitterness, she drank the cup of her own mixing . After the departure of the Lady Julian, her relations had dis- covered the fate of their lost and ruined Mary. By their exertions the whole scene of the landlady's villany was exposed, and she stood in the pillory at Lincoln for her .ill 1 1 r.'l II 124 CHAPTER IX. peijury. Upon our arrival, we found a pardon lying at Fort Jackson, and a chest of excellent clothes sent by the magistrates for her use in the voyage home. She lodg- ed all the time I was there in the governor's house, and every day I took her allowance to her. She was to sail in the first ship for London direct, the Lady Julian being bound for China. During the tedious voy- age out, I took her under my protection. Sarah and she were acquaint before they saw*each other in misfortune. Marv wash- ed the clothe.?, and did any little thing for Sarah when she was confined, which she was long before we reached Port Jackson. The first place we stopped at was Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, for water. As we used a great quantity, the agent, at the captain's request, had laid in tea and sugar in place of beef or pork allowed by Government. We boiled a large kettle of water, that served the whole convicts and crew, every night and morning. We allow- MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES. 1^ ed them water for washing their clothes, any quantity they chose while in port. Many times they would use four and five boat- loads in one day. We did not restrain the people on shore from coming on board through the day. The captains and seamen, who were in port at the time, paid us many visits. Mrs Barnsley bought a cask of wine, and got it on board with the agent's leave. She was very kind to her fellow convicts, who were poor. They were all anxious to serve her. She was as a queen among them. We had a number of Jewesses on board ; one, Sarah Sabolah, had a crucifix, and the others soon got them, and passed themselves for Roman Catholics ; by which means they got many presents from the people on shore, and laid up a large stock for sea. We next stood for St Jago, accompanied by two slave ships from Santa Cruz to St Jago, who sailed thus far out of their course for the sake of the ladies. They came on * I !■' \i'.i 1 '. -' I i i 1 i Mv lu; ,!' ' t: i In illlli 126 CHAPTER IX. board every day when the weather would permit. At length they stood for the coast to pick up their cargo of human misery. We watered again, and made all clear for a new start. Our Jewesses played off the same farce with their crucifixes, and with equal success. We then stood for Rio Janeiro, wherewe lay eight weeks taking in coffee and sugar, our old stock being now reduced very low. I was employed on shore repairing flour casks to receive it. The Jewesses made here a good harvest, and the ladies had a constant run of visitors. .1 had received fifty suits of child-bed linen for their use ; they were a present from the ladies of Eng- land. I here served out twenty suits. Mrs Barnsley acted as midwife, and was to prac- tise at Port Jackson ; but there was no clergyman on board. When in port, the ladies fitted up a kind of tent for them- selves. In crossing the line, we had the best sport I ever witnessed upon the same occasion. CHOSSIKG THE LINE. 127 We had caught a porpoise the day before the ceremony, which we skinned to make a dress for Neptune with the tail stuffed. When he came on deck, he looked the best representation of a merman I ever saw, painted, with a large swab upon his head for a wig. Not a man in the ship could have known him. One of the con- victs fainted, she was so much alarmed at his appearance, and had a miscarriage af- ter. Neptune made the boys confess their amours to him, and I was really astonished at the number. I will not describe the ce- remony to fatigue the reader, as it has been often described by others. From Rio Ja- neiro we sailed for the Cape of Good Hope, where we took on board seventy- three ewes and a ram for the settlement. We were detained a long time here, as we found that the Guardian had struck upon an island of ice, and was so severely injured, that she was deserted by most of her crew, who were never heard of afterwards. The cap- I! I ! ( 1 t .■■ I: I 3:1 ft n8 CHAPTEE IX. I tain and those who remained with him in the ship were only saved by being towed into the Cape by an American vessel. What detainer us was the packing of flour and other necessaries for the colony, as we knew it must be in great want ; the Guar- dian being loaded with supplies for it. At Length we sailed for Port Jackson. We made one of the convicts shepherdess, who was so fortunate in her charge of the flock as not to lose one. While we lay at the Cape we had a narrow escape from destruction by fire. The carpenter allowed the pitch-pot to boil over upon the deck, and the flames rose in an alarming manner. The shrieks of the women were dreadful, and the con- fusion they made running about drove every one stupid. I ran to my birth, seized a pair of blankets to keep it down until the others drowned it with water. Captain Aitken made me a handsome pre- sent for my exertions. The captain had a quantity of linen on PORT JACKSON. 129 on board, and dunng the voyage had kept above twenty of the convicts making shirts to sell at Port Jackson. He got them made cheap, and sold them to great advantage upon our arrival, as the people of the co- lony were in want of every necessary. At length, almost to our sorrow, we made the land upon the 3d of June 1790, just one year all but one day from our leaving the river. We landed all our convicts safe. My charge, as stev/ard, did not expire for six weeks after our arrival, as the captain, by agreement, was bound to victual them during that time. It is a fine country, and every thing thrives well in it. A serjeant of marines supplied the Lady Julian with potatoes and garden stuffs for half-a-crown a day. There were thirty-six people on board, and we had as much as we could use. There were only two natives in the town at the time, a boy and a girl. These had been brought in by a party of the settlers, having been left by their parents. f2 •A n M '' :i it I i^il ,r- - 1 ; 130 CHAPTER IX, I saw but little of the colony, as my time was fully occupied in my duties as steward, and any moments I could spare I gave them to Sarah. The days flew on eagles' wings, for we dreaded the hour of separation, which at length arrived. It was not without the aid of the military we were brought on board. I offered to lose my wages, but we were short of hands, one man having been left sick at Rio Janeiro, and we had lost our carpen- ter, who fell overboard. The captain could not spare a man, and requested the aid of the governor. I thus was forced to leave Sarah, but we exchanged faith; she pro- mised to remain true, and I promised to re- turn when her time expired, and bring her back to England. I wished to have stolen her away, but this was impossible, the con- victs were so strictly guarded by the ma- rines. There were no soldiers in the colo- ny at this time. With a heavy heart I bade adieu to Port Jackson, resolved to re- SWEET TEA. 131 turn as soon as I reached England. We would have remained some time longer, but Captain Aitkenwas very unwell, and the mate was anxious to complete the voyage. They have an herb in the colony they call Sweet Tea. It is infused and drank like the China tea. I liked it much; it requires no sugar, and is both a bitter and a sweet. There was an old female convict, her hair quite grey with age, her face shri- velled, who was suckling a child she had born in the colony. Every one went to see her, and I among the rest. It was a strange sight, her hair was quite white. Her fecun- dity was ascribed to the sweet tea. I brought away with me two bags of it, as presents to my friends ; but two of our men became very ill of the scurvy, and I allowed them the use of it, which soon cured them, but reduced my store. When we came to China I showed it to my Chinese friends, and they bought it with avidity, and im- portuned me for it, and a quantity of the I :■ \ 11 I" •^s u. \ ni Hi ill t ■ ! i \ • \m CHAPTER IX. seed I had likewise preserved. I let them have the seed, and only brought a small quantity of the herb to England. Upon our arrival at Wampoa I renewed my acquaintance with my Chinese friends, and was as happy as I could be, with the thoughts of Sarah's situation upon my mind ; but this was the dullest voyage I ever made. I changed my birth in the ship, but all would not do; every thing brought her endearing manners to my re- collection. To leave her a convict was a great aggravation to my grief. Had I left her by choice for a voyage, I could have thought of her with pleasing regret, and anxious hope of seeing her soon. But to leave her exposed to temptation, in the very worst company the world could produce, was too much to think of with composure. I left with her my Bible, the companion of all my voyages, with our names written in it. She used to read it often, when I never thought of it. ' So much did these thoughts AUTHOR PAID OFF. 133 prey upon my mind, I almost resolved to lose my wages, by leaving the Lady Julian at Rio or the Cape. But to be so far from home, without one penny in my pocket to pay her passage to England, would have been madness, as I could not bear the idea of bidding for ever farewell to Scotland, the place where my wanderings were always intended to cease. I made up my mind to come to England in the Lady Julian, and get a birth out the first opportunity, and by that time her term of transportation would be expired. We touched at St He- lena on our way to England. When we arrived I was paid off, and immediately made every inquiry for a ship for New Holland ; but there was none, nor any like- ly to be soon. ,n Pl i'\ m 134 i! .' CHAPTER X. Author engaged on Board a South Sea Whaler — Miscellaneous Occurrences— Grief at the Conduct of Sarah — Seal'Fishing — Sea Lions — Unexpect- edly meets a Countryman at Payta — Transactions there. There was a vessel called the Amelia, Captain Shiels, fitting out as a South Sea Whaler. She belonged to Squire Ender- borough, PauPs Wharf, London. I got myself engaged as cooper of her. The whole crew were on shares. I, as cooper, had a larger share than a seaman; but this was not my present aim, neither did I thirik of gain. I had all my money secur- ed about my person, sewed into my clothes, ready for a start, and with it to pay the SHIP STRANDED. 135 passage of Sarah and my son to England. My intention was, when we arrived at Rio Janeiro, on our return home, to fall sick, and endeavour to obtain my share from the captain, and allow the vessel to sail without me, or to claim it when I reached England. From Rio I could easily get a ship to the Cape ; from the Cape to New South Wales I had the only chance of a vessel. I would have remained until the Amelia reached the Cape ; but she might not even anchor there. These were my views in entering on board the Amelia. In two months after my leaving the La- dy Julian I was again at sea in hopes of reaching Port Jackson by some means or other. In our first offset, we were stranded upon the Red Sand, near the Nore. While we lay in distress, the Deal men came out, and wished to make a wreck of us by cutting away our masts. I, with alacrity, aided the captain, and stood guard with a brace of pistols, and threaten- I? ; i . 1 11 :^l 1 f> .:r I ill ' IH; I 136 CHAPTER X. ed to blow out the brains of the first man of them that offered to set his foot upon our deck. Theweather fortunately was moderate. We, having no long-boat, carried out our anchor between two boats into deep water ; and, as the tide flowed, we got her off. To my great disappointment we were forced to put back into dock to have her examined, by removing the copper sheathing. All the crew left her except myself, as the en- gagement was broken by our return to dock, and the men would not continue in her, as they thought no good would come of the voyage ; her stranding was an omen of her bad luck. There was no ship in the river for New South Wales ; and the Indiamen would not sail until about the month of March ; the Amelia would still be the first vessel. I had no inducement, therefore, to leave her. We were soon again ready for sea, and set sail with an entire new crew. The first land we made was the Island of Bona Vista, 11 MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES. 137 which belongs to the Portuguese, where we took in live stock, and salt to salt down our seal skins ; then stood for St Jago, and took in more live stock ; from thence to the Falk- land Islands for geese and swine. We next made Staten-land, and passed the Straits of Magellan, and Straits le Mair, but did not go through either of them. We doubled the Cape, then stood down to our fishing ground, which was between latitude 18^ and the Line. We had nothing to do but commence, as we had been busy all the voy- age, preparing and fitting our tackle. Our boilers were fitted up before we left Eng- land, as in the South Seas the spermaceti is all boiled upon the deck. The boiler is built up with fire brick, and a space left be- tween the lower tier and the deck about nine inches high, quite water tight. When once the fire is kindled, which is never af- ter allowed to go out until the ship is fully fished, the space between the bricks and the deck is kept full of water. There are two i I. . I 1 1 ■i * ' i; I ■■ n 1*1 I PI 138 CHAPTER X. ' t plug-holes ; one on each side ; so that, when the water heats, and would melt the pitch, upon whatever tack the ship may be, the plug is drawn from the under side, and the space immediately filled with cold water from the higher side. Great attention is requir- ed to watch the boilers. We do not require to carry out fuel to boil our oil, as the refuse of the oil is used ever after the first fire is kindled. The ashes of the fire is bet- ter than any soap. Let our clothes be ever so black and greasy, as they must be from our employment, one shovel-full of ashes, in a tub of water, will make them as clean as when we bought them. During the fishing we lived wholly upon turtle, and were heartily tired of them. We were very fortunate in our fishing. We caught one whale, from which we ob- tained one hundred and twenty-five pounds weight of ambergrease, the largest quantity ever brought to England by one ship. Up- on the fishing ground we found the Venus^ GRIEF FOB SARAH. 139 Captain Coffin ; she had taken out convicts to Port Jackson, and there was a convict on board at the time. He had concealed himself in her until she was at sea, and, by this means, ^ ie his escape from the colo^ ny. Kv usee 3 hide himseL Cum me; but the other men assuring him I would not inform, he had the courage to speak to me at length, and inquired if ever I had been at Port Jackson. I told him I had in the Lady Julian. He answered, he had seen me there. My heart beat high with anxiety. I feared, yet wished, to hear of Sa- rah Whitelam. At length I inquired. How shall I express my grief when informed she had left the colony for Bombay. Thus were my worst fears realised. Unconstant woman ! Why doubt my faith ? Yet dear, and never to be forgotten, I resolved to follow her to India. I could not speak to him ; so broke off the conversation for the present, and left him in greater desponden- cy than I left Port Jackson. My grief was .11 i ||l I V ■:] ii'^i : 11 140 CHAPTER X. -A not then mixed with doubts of her constan- cy ; she had only three years to serve when I left her, and these were "ot yet expired. Hew she got awuy he could not inform me. Every time we met I renewed my inquiries. He was so uniform in his replies, and assured me of its truth so solemnly, I was forced to believe the unpleasant truth. I inquired for my son John ; but he could give me no infor- mation to be relied on. He believed she had taken him with her ; but, as the child- ren are taken from the convicts, and main- tained at "K^hool by the government, he knew not «. r son from the others, and did not see her go away. I now had no induce- ment to go to Port Jackson ; and for a few days scarce cared what became of me. My love for her revived stronger at this time than any other since I left her. I even gave her praise for leaving it. She did so to be out of bad company, my mind would whisper ; and I resolved to get to Bombay as soon as possible, and endeavour to find her out. 1 SEAL-FISHING. 141 As my usual buoyancy of spirits returned, I pursued my labours with all the ardour of a seaman. After taking a sufficient quan- tity of spermaceti, we stood as far down as latitude 3o to the Island of Lopes, where we killed thirty thousand seals. We had a busy time chasing and killing them. When we had a sufficient number, we be- gan to kill sea-lions, to get their skins for the ship's use. One of their skins was a suf- ficient load for two men. We used to stand in a gap of the rocks in the morning, and knock them down with our clubs as they approached the sea ; then stab them with our long knives. George Parker our mate made a blow at one, and missed him ; he made a snap at George, and sent his tusk right through his arm, a little above the wrist ; and walked away at his leisure with him into the sea, Parker roaring like a bull from the pain and terror. Robert Wyld, perceiving hib danger, rushed into the water to rescue 11 ■I, , 1. ' ' Vi ''i ■,i ^< « H ' f ■ i. W- Pi ' (I •i i! Uli i:m m i 142 CHAPTER X. hun, arid was up to the arm-pits before he succeeded in dispatching the unwieldy monster. He then dragged them both on shore ; where, with difficulty^ the tusk was drawn from between the bones, it was so firmly jammed. Wp soon after sailed three degrees to the north of the line, to the river Tambo, where we anchored, and the captain ascend- ed the river nine miles in his boat, to which i I belonged, to the town of Tambo. We had an American Indian for a pUot. He appeared to worship the alligators, as he kept constantly bowing and muttering to them, and a busy time he had of it, as they were very numerous. The governor of the town and people were very kind and civil to us. We remained all night at the go- vemor^s house, feasting like kings. Cap- tain Shiels made him a present of some por- ter and a cheese, and a few other things, ilff which he would have given us as many . bullocks as we chose. We only took one. MEETS A COUNTRYMAN. 143 which was as much as we could use fresh, there being only sixteen hands in the ship. We watered in the river, then crossed the line to the city of Payta, where we anchored in a beautiful bay, quite land-locked, and as smooth as a mill-pond. We scarcely had made all tight, when a boat came alongside, and inquired if there was a Scotchman on board. The captain allowed me to go, as I was the only one in the ship. I was conducted to a baker^s shop in the town, and into an elegant room, where a sickly-looking person, but elegant- ly dressed, rose and met me, shaked hands, and said, " How*s a* wi' you ?" My ears tingled, and my heart leapt for joy, to hear the accents of my native tongue so un- expectedly. I looked hard at him, but had never seen him before. I thanked him, and we sat down together, and began a long conversation. We talked of Old Scotland, and the talk was all on my side for a long while, he had so many questions to put, i I 1 .! ( ; ( H- m \1. 144 CHAPTER X. :i; m VI h and he seemed to devour every word I spoke, while joy beamed in his sickly fea- tures. At length I got his own history. He was a native of Inverness, and had been bred to the sea, and, coming to the West Indies, had engaged in the contraband trade carried on along the Spanish Main, had been taken prisoner, and carried to Monte Video ; from thence to Lima, where he had been long in prison, and suffered many hardships ; but being a Roman Ca- tholic, he was not sent to the mines. He had found means to obtain his liberty, and afterwards win the love of a rich Spanish lady, who procured him his pardon, and afterwards married him. He was now very rich, and had a ship of his own, besides im- mense property ; but having fallen sick at Payta, he had ordered his vessel to proceed on her voyage, and send his servants to carry him overland to Lima. He was ex- pecting them every day. He treated me nobly, and made me a handsome present )'rd I y fea- istory. Ibeen West aband Main, ied to where iiffered , in Ca- i. He ;y, and panish n, and w very les im- sick at roceed mts to V&8 ex- ed me )resent AMUSEMENTS. 145 ■^ when he went away, which he did while we lay aft Payta. I was astonished at the number of servants and horses that came for him. His saddle would have bought fifty horses ; the stirrups were solid gold, and every part was loaded with it; the maker seemed to have studied more to lay on gold than taste in the ornaments. He made the most enticing offers to induce mo to go with him, but Sarah was dearer to me than all the riches in the world. The governor and people of Payta v. en so kind to us, we passed our time very agreeably; all their houses were open to us. They forced presents of fruit upon us, and gave us as much accadent as we chose to drink. The governor treated us with a Spanish play. These entertainments are through the day. Dur« ay the per- formance we were served with wine, sweat- meats, and fruits ; but not understanding the language, we paid more attention to the refreshments than the play. The governor G ■; li: 146 CHAPTER X. F1 ill I '■/: I. was one of the kindest gentlemen I ever saw. He told us he loved the English for their humanity ; he had been in the town when Lord Anson plundered it. Ever since they do not keep their saints and plate in the church, but in the town-house, which is no stronger than the church. You may see them carrying it back and forward every day. The governor was very anxious to learn \ English. I could buy and sell in Spanish ; upon this account he took great notice of me. I had a Spanish and English Dictionary on board ; I gave it him, and he made me a handsome present, he was so much pleased with it, and he made rapid progress in his study. He was the first that told me of the King of France's death. He said, drawing his hand across his neck, '^ The people have cut the neck of de Roi de Francaise." I understood what he meant, but did not believe the information. I wore in general, when ashore, a black PAYTA. 147 black jacket, with black horn buttons. A priest I used often to meet at the govemor^s, took a fancy to the buttons, and offered me any price for them. I soon cut off my buttons, and gave them to him. I had breeches and vest with the same buttons ; off went they, every one. A Jew would have count- ed it a good bargain. Amidst all their kindness they are very superstitious. I must have lain in the streets, all night, one evening I missed the boat, had not a Portuguese, who was with me, told them I was an Irishman. " O bon Irelandois ! O bon Christian!" they cried, and made me welcome, gave me the best in the house, happy to entert&in so good a Christian as an Irishman. While every thing was going on to our wish, and our ambergrease selling well, we were forced to leave Payta in great haste. One of our men, getting himself tipsy, told the people openly we were selling amber- grease, and had still a great quantity to ^4 m \ ^ 148 CHAPTER X. W^ i ■ 1,1 m \ ' VW ||n sell. The governor immediately sent for the captain, and informed him of his dan- ger ; he himself was not against the sale ; but should word reach Lima, they would order a frigate to Payta and make a prize of us. We were too much afraid of this to tarry longer than get in what supplies we stood in need of; for which the governor would accept of no payment. I went with other twa to take leave of the governor. \ & we proceeded along, we saw two ladies swinging in a net, and a female servant keeping it in motion. We stood looking at them a few minutes before they perceiv- ed us. As soon as they did, they desired the servant to cease, came down, and bade us come into the house, where they treated us with fruit and wine, and would scarce allow us to go away so soon as we wanted. The ladies here have a pale and sickly look. All their movements are languid ; even the men are far from being active. Every one moves as if he wished some one to carry him. 149 CHAPTER XI. Rio Janeiro— Portuguese Seamen — Lisbon — Author arrives in London — Visits Sarah's Parents-— En^ ters a Vessel bound for China — Anecdote, ^'1 When we sailed we had two booms over our stem, and a net made fast to them fUt- ed with pumpkins, melons, and other vege- tables, the gift of these kind Spaniards. We stood direct for Rio Janeiro, where Captain Shiels intended to remain for some time, as he had completed his cargo so s&o!i. He would have lost the bounty, had he arrived before the time specified in the act of Parliament. There were a great num- ber of Portuguese vessels lying at Rio Ja- neiro at this time. No accounts had been received from Lisbon for six months, and it ^.i I m i m oil 150 CHAPTEE XI. was believed the French had taken Portu- gal. I counted every day we remained as so much of my time lost, and wearied very much. At length a ship arrived from Lisbon, and all the Portuguese prepared to sail. The governor's linguist came on board the Amelia, and requested, as a per- sonal favour, that Captain Shiels would al- low four of his men to go on board the Commodore, to assist in the voyage home, as it. would be a winter'^s passage. I imme- ^ately volunteered. I hoped by this means to reach England sooner, and obtain more money for Sarah, as I would receive a full share of the Amelia in England the same as if I had continued in her. Had I known the delays, the fatigue, and vexations I was to endure from these execrable superstitious Portuguese sailors, I never would have left the Amelia for any reward the Commo- dore could have given me ; and he was very kind to us. He knew our value, and his whole reliance was upon us. We were to PORTUGUESE SEAMEN. 151 me, as i imme- very id his Te to work the ship, and fight the ship, should an enemy lay us alongside. He had been forty years trading between Lisbon and Rio Janeiro, and in all that time, never had made a winter's voyage. The Portugueseare the worst sailors in the world in rough or cold weather, and we had plenty of both ; but, worse than all, we had a black fellow of a priest on board, to whom the crew paid more attention than to the captain. He was for ever ringing his bell for mass, and sprinkling holy water upon the men. When- ever it blew harder than ordinary, they were sure to run to the quarter-deck to the black priest. We were almost foundered at one time by this unseaman-like conduct. The whole crew ran to the quarter-deck, kneeling down, resigned to their fate, the priest sprinkling holy water most profusely upon them, while we four Englishmen were left to steer the vessel, and hand the sails. It required two of the foiir to steer, so that there were only two to hand !f t -ii ^t t 152 CHAPTER XI. ' 1 i I the sails. The consequence was, she broacb> ed to. William Mercer and I ran and cut the fore-geers, and allowed the yard to swing ; at the same time, the captain, mate, and boatswain, hauled in the fore brace, and she righted in a moment. Had her com- mons not been very high, she must have filled while she lay upon her beam-ends. The sea was all over her deck round the hatch, but so soon as she righted, and we were going to make sail, the Portuguese left their priest, and lent us a hand. We were wrought almost to death ; and never could have made out the voyage, had we not been well fed, and the captain given us plenty of liquor. The black priest rung his bell at his stated time, whatever we were doing; and the Portuguese would run to their births for their crosses. Often the main tack was left half hauled aboard at the sound of his bell, and the vessel left ta drift to leeward until prayers were over. As two men could do nothing to the sail A; PORtUCUESE SEAMEN. 155 when the wind was fresh, after prayers they would return, and begin bawling and haul- ing, calling upon their saints, as if they would come to assist. We were thus almost driven to distraction by them; and could scarce keep off our hands from boxing their ears. Many a hearty curse they and their saints got. Then they would run to the captain or priest, and make complaint that the Eng- lishmen had cursed Saint Antonio, or some other of their saints. I often wondered the captain did not confine the priest to his cabin in foul weather, as he was sure to be busiest then. When they complained, the captain took our part, and overawed the Portuguese, or I really believe they would have thrown us overboard. They often looked at us as if they could have eat us without salt, and told told us to our face, we were " Star pork ;'' that is all the same as swine, — that we knew nothing of God or the Saints. I showed them my Bible, and the names of the Saints. They were g2 I MS ^^ ,i w 154 ( I CHAPTER XI. quite surprised. Had I made another voy- age, I would have made converts of many of them. I was bald-headed, and they called me an English Padre. Often the bell rang while we were at dinner. They inquired why I would not go to mass. " I mess with the Coussinero," I replied. They began to think I had the best religion. They seemed to think the foul weather was all upon our account, and the virgin and saints sent it because they employed here« tics on board. We had a supercargo on board as passen- ger, who had made his fortune in the slave trade, and was returning home to Portugal. He took unwell, and died. At his funeral there were the following manoeuvres gone through : Every one had a candle in his hand ; and all stood in a double line upon the deck ; there were even lanthorns hung over the ship^s side to light him to the bot- tom. The body was carried along the double line, the priest chaunting» and every u l^ TAGUS. 155 t one touched him before he was thrown over- board. The captain requested us to do as the others did. Says Will Mercer, " Cap- tain, I will throw him overboard for you, if you please." At length, after a tedious voyage of three months, I got out of this vile crew. When we reached the Tagus, the Portuguese be- gan to quarrel and knock us about. We stood our ground the best way we could, un- til the captain got five of them sent on shore under a guard of soldiers. We remained at the captain's house until we got our wa- ges. The owners gave us a doubloon a piece, over and above our agreement, for saving the ship, as the captain did us every justice to the owners at the time, saying, " If the English were as careful of their souls as they are of their bodies, they would be the best people in the world." I had many conversations with the captain con- cerning the ignorance of the Portuguese people in general, and asked why the priest I I h % i II m 111 1 i V w 156 CHAPTER Xr. did not inform them better. He said, " Were we to inform them, they would soon turn the priest about his business, and rise against the government. They must only get knowledge by little and little." We assisted at a religious ceremony be- fore we came away, at the special request of oui* kind friend, the captain. The fore-sail that was set when she broached to was given . , as an offering to the church, as the black 1 priest told them it was through it they were saved. A.lthough the worst sailor in the ship knew it was the sail that would have sunk us, they dared not contradict the priest. The whole ship's crew carried it through the streets of Lisbon upon hand- kerchiefs to the church, where it was placed upon the altar with much mummery. We came away and left them ; but the owners of the vessel bought back the sail again, after the priests had blessed it to their minds, as the church had more use for money than fore-sails. \\ LISBON. 157 William Mercer and I entered on board a brig bound for London, which was to sail in a few days ; during which time we rambled about through the filthy streets of Lisbon. The higher orders of the Portu- guese are very kind and civ il. I was too late one evening to get on board the brig ; a Portuguese merchant noticed my perplexi- ty, for it is no pleasing thing to have a lodg- ing to seek in Lisbon at a latish hour. Without my requesting him, he took me to his own house; gave me an excellent supper and bed. Had I been a gentleman of his acquaintance, he could not have been kinder, or paid me more attention. He ordered his servant to call me at any hour in the morning I chose. As war was now looked for, we were afraid for the press. The Portuguese captain, at our request, got each of us a protection from the British Consul at Lisbon. With a joyful heart I set sail for London to look out for an Indiaman, that I might get to I ' :*■ 1!^ I I i 158 CHAPTER XI. Bombay, and inquire for Sarah ; for she was still the idol of all my affections. At this time I was all anxiety to reach England. I often hoped she had reached her father^s house, and there was pining at my ab- sence. I used for days to flatter myself with these dreams. When we arrived at Gravesend a man- of-war's boat came on board to press any Englishmen there might be on board. Wil- \ liam and I did not choose to trust to our protections, now that we were in the river. So we stowed ourselves away among some bags of cotton, where we were almost smo- thered, but could hear every word that was said. The captain told the lieutenant he had no more hands than he saw, and they were all Portuguese. The lieutenant was not very particular, and left the brig with- out making much search. When the boat left the vessel we crept from our hiding hole, and not long after a custom-house-of- ficer came on board. When we cast an- } any Wil- \ AUTHOR ARRIVES IN LONDON. 159 chor, as I had a suit of long clothes in my chest, that I had provided should I have been so fortunate as have found Sarah at Port Jackson, to dash away with her a bit on shore, I put them on immediately, and gave the custom-house-ofHcer half-a^ guinea for the loan of his cocked hat and powdered wig; the long gilt-headed cane was included in the bargain. I got a wa- terman to put me on shore. I am confi- dent my own father, had he been alive, could not have known me with my cane in my hand, cocked hat, and bushy wig. I inquired at the waterman the way to the inn, where the coach set out from for Lon- don ; I at the same time knew as well as him. I passed for a passenger. At the inn I called for a pint of wine, pens and ink, and was busy writing any nonsense that came in my head until the coach set off. All these precautions were necessary. Had the waterman suspected me to be a sailor, he would have informed the press- \i Si*" nii I < .1;' h' I J. (I ■! ■'Si' i 160 CHAPTEE XI. gang in one minute. The waiters at the inn would have done the same. By these precautions I arrived safe in London, but did not go down to Wapping until next day, where I took up my old lodg- ings, still m my disguise. My landlord went on board, and brought on shore my bedding and chest. I left them under his charge while I went to Lincoln to Sarah's parents, where I made every inquiry, but they knew not so much of her as I did my- self. The ?9-st information they had ob- tained was from tht' letter 1 had put in the post-office for them before I sailed in the Amelia. I immediately returned to Lon- don, where, to my disappointment, I found there was not a birth to be got in any of the Indiamen who were for Bombay direct. They were all full. I then, as my next best, went to be engaged as cooper on board the Nottingham for China direct, depending on Providence if we were ever to meet again. To find some way to effect my purpose, my ANECDOTE. 161 landlord took me to be impressed. He got the six guineas allowed the bringer, which he returned to me. He was from Inver- ness, as honest a man as ever lived. I had always boarded in his house when in Lon- don. A curious scene happened at my en- try. There were a few more impressed on the same day, one an old tar. When asked by Captain Rogers, in his examination, how they hauled the main tack aboard ? he replied, " I can't tell, your honour, but I can show." He clapped his foot into Captain Rogers* pocket, at the same instant leaped in his shoulders, tore his coat to the skirts, saying, " Thus we haul it aboard."" Cap- tain Barefoot of the Nottingham, and the other captains, laughed heartily, as well as Rogers, who said rather peevishly, " You might have shown, without tearing my coat.'' — " How could I, your honour .'*" was the reply. • ill 11 1 1 162 CHAPTER XII. Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope — Singular Inci- dent-'Java—' Wampoa-— Chinese Artificers^-Mii- sic — Returns to England, and is impressed — Leitk Jioads-^Mutiny — Storm at Sea. I THUS again set off as cooper of the Nottingham in 1793. Nothing worthy of notice happened. As I have gone over the same voyage before, I will not detain the reader; but one circumstance that I wit- nessed off the Cape of Good Hope I cannot avoid mentioning, as a dreadful example of what man will dare, and the perils he will encounter, to free himself from a situation he dislikes. A man-of-war had been wash- ing her gratings, when the India fleet hove in sight. They are washed by being lower- I SINGULAR INCIDENT. 163 ir Inci- l—Leith of the rthy of ver the ain the I wit- cannot nple of he will ituation n wash- let hove y lower- ed overboard, and allowed to float astern. Four or five men had slipped down upon them, cut them adrift, and were thus volun- tarily committed to the vast Atlantic, with- out a bit of biscuit, or a drop of water, or any means of guiding the gratings they were floating upon, in the hope cf being picked up by some vessel. They held out their arms to us, and supplicated, in the wildest manner, to be taken on board. The captain would not. The Nottingham was a fast sailing ship, and the first in the fleet. He said, " I will not; some of the stern ships will pick them up." While he spoke, these unfortunate and desponding fellow- creatures lessened to our vit^*^, while their cries rung in our ears. I hope ome of the stern ships picked them up. .law things I have seen are more strongly ^ impresse 3 up- on my memory, than the despairing looks and frantic gestures of these victims in quest of liberty. Next morning the frigate tliey had left came alongside of us, and inquired il J ' ( m Ik 164 CHAPTER XII. if we had seen them. The captain gave an indirect answer to their inquiries, as well he might. When we arrived at Java, and an- chored at Batavia, I made every inquiry for a country ship, and would have left the Nottingham in a moment had there been one. All my money was concealed upon my person for a start. I thought of falling sick, and remaining until a country ship came; but I might really have become what I feigned in this European's grave, as I must have remained in the hospital. Had I walk- ed about the city in health, the Dutch would soon have kidnapped me. I was thus once more baffled. Indeed, I must confess, I did not feel the same anguish now I had endured before. It was now four years since I had left her in the colony, and her leaving it so soon, without waiting for me, shov»^d she cared less about me than I cared for her. Not to write to her parents, I had often thought very neglectful of her. I made up my mind not to leave the Not- ^^-^■^-.LL. . WAMPOA. 165 ive an reW he nd an- iquiry eft the J been upon faUing y ship what I I must [ walk- would LIS once ifess, I I had years nd her for me, I cared i, I had er. I le Not- tingham at such risks, but to return in her to England and settle, as I had now some cash, and had seen all I could see, and just make one more call at her friends in Lin- coln, in my way to Scotland, and be ruled by the information I there obtained. We sailed for Wampoa, \/here I was kind- ly received by my Chinese friends. I now paid more attention, and saw things with- out the glare of novelty, and have no cause to alter any thing I said before. I had al- ways, while at home, thought them the best tradesmen, and most ingenious of people. I am inclined to think they have been overrated in regard to their abilities. Some things tii.^y do very neat ; but, con- sidering the things they have to do them with, it is no wonder; I mean their var- nishes and colours, native productions. Let the following facts, that I can vouch for, speak for themselves : In my own line, they are unable to make any article with two ends, such as barrels. They have on- i lii \> SI I !7r ■i;ij ,1, 1 i j, ' t I ^ \. 166 CHAPTER XII tub ly reached the length oi dool, that is pin with bamboos, the joints of the staves as well as the bottom. When a cask that comes from Europe is to be broached, they cannot even bore and place the crane in it. A foreign cooper must go on shore and do it. Many a half dollar I have got for this service myself from the Chinese merchants. I do not believe they can make a nail with a head. Many thou- sand of their nails I have had through my hands, and never saw one with a head upon it, such as we have in England. Their nails are either sprigs, or simply bent like r. crow's toe. Thev are the worst smiths of any people ; and can do nothing with a bar of iron if thick. I and the other coopers always kept the cut- tings of our hoops, which they bought with avidity ; but larger pieces they would scarce take from us \ vessel, the Argyll, while we were there in the King George, had lost her rudder, in the voyage out, and could not K, ! l)SfcM.i«Svfc CANTON. 167 ; they joints tVhen to be place ust go dollar »m the e they thou- gh my head gland, jimply re the :an do I and e cut- t with ' scarce hile we ost her lid not sail without a new one. There was not a smith in Canton who could forge the iron- work. The captain of the ship applied to the armourer of the King George, who took it in hand, and in three weeks gained one hundred dollars by the job. They appear to me to be excellent copiers, but not inventors. One of our officers sat for a painter to draw his picture, and told the Chinese not to make him ugly. " How can make other than is r*" was the reply. He had no idea of altering a single feature to add to the looks of the ob- ject he was painting. All was a slavish copy of what was before his eyes. If you want any thing made out of the common, they must have one of the same as a pat- tern, or they will not take it in hand. And what is a further proof of their want of in- vention is, when you see one house, you have seen every house of the same rank, or any other articles of their manufacture, you have seen all. There is scarcely any variety, and you need give yourself no trouble look- iiiCi^^ :?**i :^^>'^: 168 CHAPTER XII. i 111 ■' I Ji 'i iill lj 1 i 'lull \' ! ■ ' 1 ii ing for others if the price pleases. There is no change of fashion ; the oldest articles you can fall in with are the same make and fashion as the newest ; and a traveller who visited the country two hundred years ago could know no difference but in the men. They would be new, — the old having died, the present race, I may say, wearing their dress, and inhabiting their houses, without the least change in the general appearance. The only instrument of music I saw was a bagpipe, Hke the small Lowland pipe, on which they play well. Their gongs cannot be called a musical instrument. When John Tuck, the deputy-emperor, appears, (he is called so by the seamen on account of his hav- ing a gallows on board the grand boat, which is as large as a 74 gun ship, and crowded with attendants,) his band consists only of bag- pipes. Their gongs are only used that I heard to make Tchin, Tchin, to Joss, in bad wea- ther, and at their paper sacrifices ; and every vessel, down to the smallest sampan, has a \ . DUTCH FOLLY. 169 There articles ke and er who ars ago e men. g died, g their without jarance. w was a ►ipe, on ,nnot be ;n John 3, (he is his hav- t, which ed with of bag- ; I heard ad wea- ld every 1, has a Joss on board. The deputy-emperor comes once every year to view the fleet, and pay his respects to the commodore. It is the grandest sight upon the river. Not so much as a sampan is allowed to move. He makes a present to every ship in the fleet of bullocks, wine, schamsee, and flour. The officers start the schamsee overboard. It is a pernicious liquor distilled from rice. The flour is so coarse, it is given to the hogs. They measure every ship, and can tell to a quarter chest how much she will hold. The first American sloop that came, .she having only one mast, the Chinamen said,.»" Hey, yaw, what fashion ? How can measure ship with one mast ?''"' they having been accustomed to measure ships with more masts than one. They measure be- tween the masts the breadth and depth of the ship. I went up the river to the Dutch Folly ; a fort lying waste, opposite Canton, in the middle of the river. The Dutch pretend- H I ii'i ;■ 170 CHAFTEH XII. ( I Ij il ed they wished to build an hospital for their sick, and got leave to do so , hni their design was discovered by the bursting of a large barrel full of shot ; and the Chinese put a stop to their undertaking, which now lies waste. The Chinese sell all their fish, frogs, rats, and hogs, alive, and all by weight. Their frogs are bred and fed by them, and are the largest I ever saw. When we bought our sea-stock, the hogs came on board in the baskets in which they were weighed. The Chinese women are seldom seen in the streets ; they walk very ill, and their gowns sweep the ground. Their hair is very prettily done up in the form of a crown on the top of their heads, and fastened with a large gold or silver pin. The Tartar women are to be met at every step. The cargo being complete, we fell down the river, using our old precaution to keep off the Chinese chop-officers, and they re- tired with the same exclamation, *•' Hey, PRESS-GANG. 171 r their design large I put a 3W lies ;s, rats, Their lid are bought sard in ;hed. seen in d their hair is crown ed with Tartar 1 down to keep hey re- *« Hey, yaw, what fashion?— too much baubry — too much baubry." Nothing uncommon happened until we reached the Downs. I had allowed my beard to grow long, and myself to be very dirty, to be as unlikely as possible, when the man-of- war boats came on board nress tlie crew. As we expected, they cami w as in thehold, sorting among the water casks, and escaped. They took every hand that would answer. I rejoiced in my escape, but my joy was of short duration. One of the men they had taken had a sore leg, the boat brought him back, and I had the bad luck to be taken, and he was left. Thus were all my schemes blown into the air. I found myself in a si- tuation I could not leave, a bondage that had been imposed upon me against my will, and no hopes of relief until- the end of the war — not that I disliked it, but I had now become weary of wandering for a time, and longed to see Scotland again. My heart always pointed to my native land. Re- ^>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) t ^ ^/ ^ «??^ A -*- -.V 4j <- ^° *.% fA 1.0 I.I ■a m 12.2 I- ^ 1.8 — 6" 11.25 ill 1.4 111.6 ^ "^V 7 ^ .\^' \,^^ O^M V y '^■ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 i \ S ^ ■^ i 172 CHAPTKR XII. monstrance and complaint were equally vam. I therefore made up my mind to it, and was as happy as a man in blasted prospects can be. I was taken on board the Vene- rable, Admiral Duncan. She was the flag- ship, and commanded by Captain Hope, now Admiral Hope, The Venerable's boats had made a clean ship of the Nottingham. She was forced to be brought up the river by ticket-porters and old Greenwich men. Next morning sixty of us, who had belong- ed to the Nottingham, were turned over to the Edgar, 74, Captain Sir Charles Henry Knowles. This was on the 11th June 1794. I was stationed in the gunner's crew. We went upon a cruise to the coast of Norway ; then touched at Shetland for fresh provisions. Afterwards we sailed for Leith Roads. I now felt all the inconve- niencies of my confinement. I was at home in sight of the place where I wished all my wanderings to cease. Captain Barefoot, of MUTINY. 173 equally it, and )rospects le Vene- tbe flag- ti Hope, le's boats tingham. the river ich men. d belong- d over to es Henry me 1794. coast of and for sailed for inconve- s at borne id all my refoot, of the Nottingham, had wrote to Sir C. H. Knowles in my behalf, and he was very kind to me. I asked leave to go on shore to see my friends, which he consented to ; but Lieutenant CoUis would not allow me, saying, "It was not safe to allow a pressed man to go on shore at his native place/^ Had I been allowed, I did not intend to leave the Edgar. I would not have run away for any money, upon my kind cap- tain's account. My uncle came on board, and saw me before we sailed ; and I was visited by my other friends, which made me quite happy. While yve lay in Leith Roads, a mutiny broke out in the De- fiance, 74; the cause was, their captain gave them five-water grog ; now the common thing is three-waters. The weather was cold ; the spirit thus reduced was, as the mutineers called it, as thin as muslin, and quite unfit to keep out the cold. No sea- man could endure this in cold climates. Had they been in hot latitudes, they would it I 174 CHAPTER XII. have been happy to get it thus, for the sake of the water ; but then they would not have got it. The Edgar was ordered alongside the Defiance, to engage her, if necessary, to bring her to order. We were saved.this dreadful alternative by their returning to duty. She was manned principally by fish- ermen, stout resolute dogs. When bearing down upon her, my heart felt so sad and heavy, not that I feared death or wounds, but to fight my brother, as it were. I do not believe the Edgar's crew would have manned the guns. They thought the De- fiance men were in the right ; and had they engaged us heartily, as we would have done a French 74, we could have done no good, only blown each other out of the water, for the ships were of equal force ; and if there was any odds, the Defiance had it in point of crew» Had I received my discharge, and one hundred guineas, I could not have felt my heart lighter than I did, when we returned to our anchorage ; and the gloom DREADFUL GALE. 175 he sake lot have on pessary, ^ecUthis ning to by fish- bearing ad and rounds, . I do Id have the De- ad they ve done o good, Iter, for if there n point charge, ot have hen we ! gloom immediately vanished from every face in the ship. We shortly after sailed on a cruise in the North Seas, and encountered a dreadful gale on the 17th October. I never was in such danger in all my life. The Edgar was only newly put in commission, and her rigging was new, and not properly season- ed. We in a few hours carried away our bowsprit and fore-mast in this dreadful night ; then our mizen and main-top-mast. With great difficulty we cut them clear. Soon after our mtun-mast loosened in the step, and we every moment expected it to go through her bottom. Then no exertion could have saved us from destruction. The carpenter, by good fortune, got it secured. We lost all our anchors and cables in our attempts to bring her to, save one. At length it moderated a little, when we rigged jury masts, and made for the Humber, where we brought to with our only re- maining anchor, when the Inflexible, Cap- IP ill- \i w 176 I I CHAPTEK XII. tain Savage, hove in sight, and took us in tow. When in this situation, the coasters,^ as they passed, called to the Inflexible, " What prize have you got in tow ?" A fresh gale sprung up, and the Inflexible was forced to cast us off. The weather moderated again, and we proceeded up the Swain the best way we could into Black- stakes, Chatham. My birth, during the storm, as one of the gunner's crew, was in charge of the powder on deck we used in firing our guns of distress. The ship roll- ed so much, we were often upon our beam- ends, and rolled a number of our guns over- board. We were forced to start all our beer and water to lighten the ship, but we rode it out, contrary to our expectation, and were shortly after turned over, captain and all, to the Goliah, 74 guns, and sailed to join Sir John Jervis in the blockade of Toulon. We boarded a Spanish ship, and found on board thirty Austrian prisoners. They every man entered with us as marines* \\ 177 CHAPTER XIII. Action off* Cape St Vincent — Blockade of Cadiz-— Action at Aboukir Bay — Anecdotes of the Battle —Subsequent Occurrences— Landing of the Bri- tish Army in Egypt — Ophtfialmia — Return to England. We next sailed for St Forensa Bay, in the island of Corsica, to water, but found the French in possession of the watering- place, and could get none. I belonged to the launch, and had charge of the powder and match. I was constantly on shore, when any service was to be done in destroy- ing stores, spiking guns, blowing up bat- teries, and enjoyed it much. We carried off all the brass guns, and those metal ones that were near the edge of the rocks H 2 . I ■■• 1 178 CHAPTER XIII. .'■■ri :<,i • ! we threw into the sea. This was excellent sport to us, but we were forced to leave it, and sail to Gibraltar for water and provi- sions, but could obtain no supplies, and sailed for Lisbon, where we got plenty, having been on short allowance for some time before. While we lay at Lisbon we got private in- telligence overland that the Spanish fleet was at sea. We with all dispatch set sail in pursuit of them. We were so fortunate as come in sight of them by break of day, on the 14)th of February, off Cape St Vin- cent. ' They consisted of twenty-five sail, mostly three-deckers. We were only eighteen; but we were English, and we gave them their Valentines in style. Soon as we came in sight, a bustle commenced, not to be conceived or described. To do it justice, while every man was as busy as he could be, the greatest order prevailed. A serious cast was to be perceived on every face; but not a shade of doubt or fear. cellent ave it, provi- 3, and plenty, : some /ate in- »h fleet set sail rtunate of day, St Vin- ve sail, e only md we Soon [lenced, ^o do it y as he ed. A 1 every ir fear. ACTION OFF CAPE ST VINCENT. 179 We rejoiced in a general action ; not that we loved fighting ; but we all wished to be free to return to our homes, and follow our own pursuits. We knew there was no other way of obtaining this than by defeating the enemy. ** The hotter war the sooner peace,'* was a spying with us. When every thing was cleared, the ports open, the matches lighted, and guns run out, then wegavethem three such cheers as are only to be heard in a British man-4)f-war. This intimidates the enemy more than a broadside, as they have often declared to me. It shows them all is right ; and the men in the true spirit baying to be at them. During the action, my situation was not one of danger, but most wounding to my feelings, and trying to my patience. I y/a^ stationed in the after magazine, serving powder from the screen, and could see nothing ; but I could feel every shot that struck the Goliah; and the cries and groans of the wounded were most distressing, as there was only the ^*<^- fif^-^* ^-... --^- m 180 CHAPTER Xlir. 1 1 thickness of the blankets of the screen be* tween me and them. Busy as I was, the time hung upon me with a dreary weight. Not a soul spoke to me but the master-at- arms, as he went his rounds to inquire if all was safe. No sick person ever longed more for his physician than I for the voice of the master-at-arms. The surgeonVmate, at the commencement of the action, spoke a little ; but his hands were soon too full of his own affairs. Those who were carrying run like wild creatures, and scarce opened their lips. I would far rather have been on the decks, amid the bustle, for there the time flew on eagle's wings. The Goliah was sore beset ; for some time she had two three-deckers upon her. The men stood to their guns as cool as if they had been exer. cising. The Admiral ordered the Britan- nia to our assistance. Iron-sides, with her forty-twos, soon made them sheer off. * To- * The Britannia is a first-rate^ carrying 110 guns. -,-.Jt.. , -. V.' I t sen be- as, the veight. 5ter-aU [uire if longed e voice s-mate, spoke a full of arrying opened leen on ere the Goliah lad two stood to !n exer- Britan- ^ith her '.* To- <" ' JO guns. ACTION OFF CAPE ST VINCENT. 181 wards the close of the action, the men were very weary. One lad put his head out of the port-hole, saying, "D — n them, are they not going to strike yet ?" For us to strike was out of the question. At length the roar of the guns ceased, and I came on deck to see the effects of a great sea engagement ; but such a scene of blood and desolation I want words to ex- press. I had been in a great number of actions with single ships in the Proteus and Surprise, during the seven years I was in them. This was my first action in a fleet, and I had only a small share in it. We had destroyed a great number, and secured four three-deckers. One, they had the impiety to call the Holy Ghost, we wished much to get ; but they towed her off. The fleet was in such a shattered situation, we lay She was the only ship that carried 42 pounders on her lower deck, and 32 on her middle deckt She was the strongest built ship in the navy ; the sailors upon this account called her " Iron-Sides." 'Ml i 1 I 182 CHAPTER XIIX. ;-:/1 twenty-four hours in sight of them, repairing our riggbg. It is after the action the dis- agreeable part commences; the crews are wrought to the utmost of their strength ; for days they have no remission of their toil ; repairing the rigging, and other parts injured in the action ; their spirits are broke by fa- tigue : they have no leisure to talk of the bat- tle ; and, when the usual round of duty re- turns, we do not choose to revert to a disagree- able subject. Who can speak of what he did, where all did their utmost? One of my mess- mates had the heel of his shoe shot off ; the skin was not broke, yet his leg swelled and became black. He was lame for a long time. On our return to Lisbon we lost one of the fleet, the Bombay Castle. She was strand- ed, and completely lost. All her crew were saved. We were in great danger in the Goliah; Captain Sir C. H. Knowles was tried for not lending assistance, when he needed it himself. The court-martial ho- nourably acquitted him. CoUis, our first 11 BLOCKADE OF CADIZ. 183 lieutenant^ told us not to cheer when he came on board ; but we loved our captain too well to be restrained. We had agreed upon a signal with the coxswain, if he was, as he ought to be, honourably acquitted. The signal was given, and in vain CoUis forbade. We manned the yards, and gave three hearty chrers. Not a man on board but would have bled for Sir C. H. Knowles. To our regret we lost him to our ship at this very time. He was as good a captain as I ever sailed with. He was made admi- ral, and went home in the Britannia. Captain Foley took command of the Go- liah, and we joined the blockade of Cadiz, where we remained, sending our boat to assist at the bombardments, and covering them until Admiral Nelson came out again, and picked out thirteen seventy-fours from the fleet; the Goliah was one. She was the fastest sailing ship in the fleet. We did not stay to water ; but got a supply from the ships that were to remain, and ^ \( '1 1 184 CHAPTER XIII. V>i ;:i'it. away we set under a press of sail, not know- ing where. We came to an anchor in the Straits of Messina. There was an American man-of-war at anchor; Captain Foley or- dered him to unmoor, that the Goliah might get her station, as it was a good one, near the shore ; but Jonathan would not budge, but made answer, " I will let you to know I belong to the United States of America, and will not give way to any nation under the sun, but in a good cause." So we came to an anchor where we could. We remain- ed here but a short time, when we got in- telligence that the French fleet were up the Straits. We then made sail for Egypt, but missed them, and came back to Syracuse, and watered in twenty-four hours. I was up all night filling water. The day after we left Syracuse we fell in with a French brig, who had just left the fleet. Admiral Nelson took her in tow, and she conducted us to where they lay at anchor in Aboukir Bay. ACTION AT ABOUKIU BAY. 185 lot know- or in the American i'oley or- ah might one, near )t budge, o know I America, ion under we came e remain- e got in- re up the Typt, but Syracuse, I was ay after 1 French Admiral mducted ^boukir We had our anchors out at our stern port with a spring upon them, and the ca- ble carried along the ship'*s side, so that the anchors were at our bows, as if there was no change in the arrangement. This was to prevent the ships from swinging round, as every ship was to be brought to by her stern. We ran in between the French fleet and the shore, to prevent any communi- cation between the enemy and the shore. Soon as they were in sight, a signal was made from the Admiral's ship for every vessel, as she came up, to make the best of her way, firing upon the French ships as she passed, and " every man to take his bird,"" as we joking called it. The Goliah led the van. There was a French frigate right in our way. Captain Foley cried, " Sink that brute, what does he there .''" In a moment she went to the bottom, and her crew were seen running into her rigging. The sun was just setting as we went into the bay, and a red and fiery sun it was. I would, if I i n Pi • 1; H ■; ,1 * ■ i '^iiii i ;i: li;r 186 CHAPTER XIII. had I had my choice, been on the deck ; there I would have seen what was passing, and the time would not have hung so heavy; but every man does his duty with spirit, whether his station be in the slaughter- house or the magazine. * I saw as little of this action as I did of the one on the 14th February off Cape St Vincent. My station was in the powder ma- gazine with the gunner. As we entered the bay, we stripped to our trowsers, opened our ports, cleared, and every ship we passed gave them a broad-side and three cheers. Any information we got was from the bovs and women who carried the powder. The women behaved as well as the men, and got a present for their brav- ery from the Grand Signior* When the French Admiral^s ship blew up, the Goliah * The seamen call the lower deck, near the main- mast, the slaughter-house, as it is a mid-ships, and the enemy aim their fire principally at the body of the ship. ACTION AT ABOUKIR BAY. 187 le deck ; passing, heavy; Lh spirit, iaughter- I did of Cape St wder ma- ttered the I, opened ship we md three was from rried the IS well as eir brav- Vhen the le Goliah r the main- ships, and le body of got such a shake, we thought the after-part of her had blown up until the boys told us wliat it was. They brought us every now and then the cheering news of another French ship having struck, and we answered the cheers on deck with heart-felt joy. In the heat of the action, a shot came right in^ to the magazine, but did no harm, as the carpenters plugged it up, and stopped the water that was rushing in. I was much in- debted to the gunner's wife, who gave her husband and me a drink of wine every now and then, which lessened our fatigue much. There were some of the women wounded, and one woman belonging to Leith died of her wounds, and was buried on a small island in the bay. One woman bore a son in the heat of the action ; she belonged to Edinburgh. When we ceased firing, I went on deck to view the state of the fleets, and an awful sight it was. The whole bay was covered with dead bodies, mangled, wounded, and scorched, not a bit of clothes !. )| 1 . ^: i ' *• ■ * . FAILURE OF PROSPECTS. 207. They, like myself, do all t' «^ir work with their own hands. :-,. ' I never had any children by my cousin during the seventeen years we lived toge- ther. Margaret, during all that time, ne- ver gave me a bad word, or made any strife by her temper; but all have their faults. I will not complain ; but more money going out than I by my industry could bring in, has now reduced me to want in my old age. At her death, which happened four years ago, I was forced to sell all my property, except a small room, in which I live, and a cellar where I do any little work I am so fortunate as obtain. This I did to pay the expences of her funeral, and a number of debts that had been contracted unknown to me. As my poverty will not allow me to pay for a seat in a church, I go in the evenings to the Little Church; but my house is in the Tolbooth parish. Doctor Davidson visits me in his ministe- rial capacity. These, I may say, are the only 208 CHAPTER XIV. glimpses of sunshine that ever visit my humble dwelling. Mr Mackenzie, my elder, is very attentive in giving me tickets of ad- mission to the sermons that are preached in the school-house in the Castle-Hill. In one of Doctor Davidson'*s visits, he made me a present of a few shillings; it was a great gift from God. I had not one penny at the time in the house. In the month of August, last year, a cousin of my own made me a present of as much money as carried me to London. I sailed in the Hawk, London smack. I was only a steerage passenger; but fared as well aj the cabin passengers. I was held constantly in tow by the passengers. My spirits were up. I was at sea again. I had not trode a deck for twenty years before. I had always a crowd round me, listening to my accounts of the former voyages that I had made. Every one was more kind to me than another. I was very happy. Upon my arrival in London I waited visit my my elder, ets of ad- preached aill. In he made it was a ne penny ; year, a sent of as ndon. I . I was fared as was held ;rs. My I. I had s before, tening to es that I ! kind to »py. I waited PRESENT SITUATION. upon my old captain, Portlock ; but Fam tune was now completely against me. Ht had been dead six weeks before my arrival. I left the house; my spirits sunk with grief for his dsath, and my own disappoint- ment, as my chief dependance was upon his aid. I then went to Somerset House for the certificate of my service; seven years in the Proteus, and Surprise, in the Ameri- can War, and seven in the Edgar, Goliah, Ramilies, and Ajax, in the French War. I was ordered to go to the Admiralty Of- fice first, and then come back to Somerset House. When I applied at the Admiralty Office, a clerk told me I had been too long i)£ applying. I tlien trcnt cIottii to llic Gu- vernor of Greenwich Hospital. I was not acquainted with him ; but I knew the Go- vernor of Greenwich would be a distressed seaman^s friend. His servant told me he was in Scotland. I then waited upon Cap- tain Gore, whose son's life I had saved, but he was not at home. It was of no use % 'it r'l' ' 111 •■ !' 1 J I i n !l B 210 CHAPTER XIV. to remain in London, as my money wore done apace* I took my paHsagc back to Edinburgh in the Favourite, London nwack, and arrived just four weeks from my first setting out on this voyage of disappoint- ment. What cf.n I do? I must just take what Fortune has still in store for me. At one time, after I came home, I little thought I should ever require to apply for a pension ; and, therefore, made no applica> tion until I really stood in need of it. ' I eke out my subsistence in the best manner I can. Coffee made from the rasp- ings of bread, (which I obtain from the ba- kers,) twice a day, is my chief diet. A few pulaluca, or any thing T can obtain with a few pence, constitute my dinner. My only luxury is tobacco, which I have used these forty-five years. To beg I never will sub- mit. Could I have obtained a small pen- sion for my past services, I should then have reached my utmost earthly wish, and the approach of utter helplessness would not VKESENT SITUATION. 211 ley wore back to n Hirack, my first 4appoint- |UMt take me. 3, I little iply for a ) applica- fit. ^ the best the rasp- m the ba- ;. A few in With a My only sed these will sub- nail pen- hen have and the ould not haunt me as it at present does in my soli- tary home. Should I be forced to sell it, all I would obtain could not keep me, and pay for lodgings for one year ; then I must go to the poor's-house, which God in his mercy forbid. I can look to my death-bed with resignation; but to the poor's-house I cannot look with composure. I have been a wanderer, and the child of chance, all my days ; and now only look for the time when I shall enter my last ship, and be anchored with a green turf up- on my breast ; and I care not how soon the command is given. t !■,: ! . :■ . 1 . !■ !% POSTSCRIPT BY THE EDITOR. di Early in the spring of the year 1822, John Nicol, the Narrator of the preceding Adventures, was point- ed out to me as a most interesting character, and one who had seen more of the world than most persons in Edinburgh, perhaps in Britain. He was walking feebly along, with an old apron tied round his waist, in which he carried a few very small pieces of coal he had picked up in his wander- ings through the streets. From the history I had got of his adventures, I felt grieved to see the poor old man. 214 POSTSCRIPT. '! '! I requested him to call at my shop ; he came in the evening. After a little conversation with him, I was astonish- ed at the information he possessed, and the spirit that awoke in the old Tar. I had no interest by which to serve him myself. Money I had not to give. As the only means of being of permanent use to him, and, perhaps, of obtaining tie fusion he is by service entitled to, I thought of taking down a Narrative of his Life, from his own mouth. This I have done, as nearly as I could, in his own words. Even in the midst 'of all his present wants, he is a contented cheerful old man, of sober habits, and bears an excellent charactier from those people who have employed hini in his trade as a Cooper. I have con- versed with one of his shipmates, who was with him in the Edgar, Goliah, ■<.(■/ ■ POSTSCRIPT « 215 jliop ; he • a little istonish- 3sed, and 3ld Tar. 3rve him :ive. As rmanent btaining titled to, arrative h. This Id, in his lst:of all antented habits, tier from d hini in Lve con- tes, who Goliah, and Ramilies, who informs me, he was as sober and steady a man as ever sailed. I have never met with one possessed of a more tenacious memory, or who gave a more distinct account of any occurrence he had witnessed, of which any gentleman may satisfy him- self, as John will wait upon him with pleasure, upon application to the Pub- lisher. J. H. Edinburgh, 12tk November 1822. THE END. Printed by George Ramsay and Co. Edinburgh, 1822. ' ■ 1 1,;, i. it 1 ji- BOOKS ^ PRINTED FOR WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH; AND T. CADELL, STRAND, LONDON. Beautifully Printed in post 8vo. Price 10s. 6d. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF SCOTTISH LIFE; A SELECTION FROM THE PAPERS OF THE LATE ARTHUR AUSTIN. Handsomely printed in 3 vols, pest 8vo. Price L.1, lis. 6d. PEN OWEN. <' Why so ! — This gallant will command the sun." In one vol. post 8vo. Price 10s. 6d. 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