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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — *> signifin "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 g-m tp ' "■ ■?»' " ■*' hh alMliaSiiS£mai.'' '^ "W |) THE ^-^ PRITISH NAVIGATORS ■^ CONTAINING ^ ► ,i APTAIN ELLIS'S VOYAGE '^ I f <^ Northern Fro^^en Ocean. Si ^ i 4J^S ALSO T HIF «^ 1 - VOYAGES PF CAPTAIN WOOD hJ\ ' \^- '^s -■' - AND 5 " ^ *C 1 ill '1 >i ^ <) ♦.?■ » COMMODORE PHIPPS, IK SEARCH OF A NORTH-EAST PASSAGE. c _ o Tp which Vs^prcfi/ed> V,' ' ..* • ' ^ "V c.A?X ACCOUNT OF THl;. LOSS* OF -' r THE SAINT lAWJfiENCE BRICANTlNE, * ■( " Which was wrecked on the Ifland of C9pe Bretorii In the Year 1780, And the miraculous flfcape of Fart of the Crcwt L O N D O N,vV Fruited for John Fielding, No, 23, Pater, noficr-row. * '1 •i»' ^H:":^^S,i^M„ ' ■■^■■^v ,\^'^. i' ^ 1 1 \ * - ■ ( • ,*• 1 * ^ , Vrv ', "^^ \-'t . •« ,,*•"« ■^ { • ' -- '• » "^ /,. • - - i * •■ . . , 1 .., ^'t*- ;?■> ' V ■V?.' n*- > 4 '.'-I (".^ i \. i'*v':< •• • * 6 »-• J*-; • ••• wn I- '1^ P.JI||P^^^WiiiiMi«|iPi^pi|pppf||H| N 3t'A K.. -^ T E N T §. *» . ^iV Account of tie Lofs of the ^t. Liwrence "^ Brigantine, njuhich 'was ^wrecked on the If- iandofQd^Q Breton, in 1780. -. 9 ry Mr. Ellis's Voyage to the Northern • frozen Ocean, ■■> >-♦ SSort Fieiv rf the Navlgcttors ivho failed north* «ward, preuious to Mr. Ellis'/ Expedition 51 Preparations for Mr» Ellis'j Foyage , ,. 53 Sails from the Nore under Con'voy 54 Signals agreed on bet-ween 'the Dobbs and the California v , ,^ ibid. A dreadful Fire hreah out in the, Cahin of the .Dobbs y^. :/ ;.■:•:' w:^;v,' .."'-'^'^ ■■•-' -•*:•- 55 Fall in njjith greai ^antities of low Ice ibid. In great Danger offtbe Ijlands of Rei'olnUon 56 ^ouch at fome other IJl wds - ibid. Bear aivay for Port Nclfon, in Hiidfon's Bay 57 Inhuvianity of the Governor oj that Place ib'd. Make neceffary Preparations for their Winter garters ibid. The Frofi fets in ivith great Se'verity 5$ Defcription of their Winter Drefs 59 Method of catching Rabbits at Hudfon's Bay ibid. Singular Sffeds of the Cold theri , 6 1 Prepare for purfaing their Dtfcoveries - 65 Wfigh Anchor and Jland to the North-ward ibid. > * Reach »; IP C O N T E N T i Reach Gentry liland^ md then Knight's Ifland ^rrir England ' t '; v^6» "'m^*-,. * Capt, Wood's Voyage in Search of | North-eaft Paflae:e. . .,M ■:-v yX^ Speedwell and^xo{^^io\x% fut ir^ Commif" Jion . "■••■"■-■■-'■' "^'-3 l^i^^v ,^ .^ _ '70 S aii from the Nore - - v^ -^ - ibid, f «/^r the Polar Circle - ibid. Stopped hy a Continent of Ice 7 1 y>^^ Speedwell y?r/if J ^« a Ledge of Rocks y antf- fiicks faft ^ ., ibid. Cap. ^ OQ^U pathetic Account of that Dif after-. - • ^ - .,'■ -ibid. ^he Crenxj land on a dejolate Ifland SThe Ship goes to Pieces t* * ^ wi j ^he People take 4 ojfthe IJlattd Ij the Prolperous jfrr/i;^ /« England -I^s-^^v ^6 Conclujions dran^n from the failure ^fhis Voy-- • age ■■'-, ■'" ■'" '"■ ■^_^- 77 ^r. Moxon'/ Opinion of the Probability of ^ ^ North-eajf Pajfage ^ 78 ■ - • . - ^ Commodore Phipps's Voyage in Search of a North-eaft PafTage. 7« ^he Ships tut into excellent Cqnditio^ 8p Th$ CONTENTS. ^e Racehorfc and Q2XZ?Si^ /ail from Sheerne/s 8i Arrive at Bra/Fey Tfland - . - ibid. Mi'.ke Charles's Iflaad, and take the Altitude of Mount ParnaiTus ' -^ \'' ' '\ ^ %% Double Cape Colil 83 In great Danger frtm the Jloating he 84 Arrive ^JT Cloven ClifF " ' 87 Come to an Anchor in the Norways ibid. Then at Smearingburg Harbour/// 5*pitfbergcii , ; ibid, Defcriptton of the fur rounding Country 83 Various and pidurefque Forms of the Seven Ice- burghs _ . ibid.' Smeanngburgh Harbour^r/^ difcovered by the , Dutch ^ ^-v • *-^ ■; s •' ibid* Settlements attempted tf?ere • ' 89 Account of its ^vegetable ProduSlions •' • 90 /// Biri'^s and ^adrupeds *- * . ^I Defer iption of the Sea-horfe " ' , ? 93 Account of the Sa'm'cr Suuord Fijh "^ ^4 Definption of the Whale's Loufe , V; ^95 The Ice found to be n^t Jiationary - 96 Make ajironomical Qhfr'vations on Marble If- land 98 Defcription ^/'Muffin's Ifland ' ^ loo Sifigular Anecdotes of Major B\JLZ ^ ib'd. -^rW'i;^ t '• Account ^Z* ^^^ Lofs of the St. Law- rence Brigantiney which was wrecked on the JJlandofCAifK Breton in 1780. ' nt /i^4 ij»< .*<»'**> MR, Premies, an enfign of the eighty- fourth regiment of foot, on the Seven- teenth of November, 1780, embarked on board the St. Lawrence brigantine, then ly- ing at Quebec, and bound to New- York, be- ing charged with difpatches from Gen. Haldi- mand to Sir Henry Clinton. Having re- ceived failing orders, we weighed anchor, and proceeded on our voyage, in company with afchooner bound to the fame port. Contrary winds retarded our pafTage till the 24th, when the weather proving morcf favourable,, we proceeded down the river St. Lawrence about forty leagues from Quebec i but the wind then veerinj^ about to the N. E. Vol. Vm B Aitl >l we '*'■'-■>■■■ ,, 20 URITISH NAVIGATOR. 1 1 if,. wc were obliged agairt to anrhop, - 'i'hc wa- thcr was now inteniely cold ; aiul ilu* vcfTe!, bt'in^ leaky, made fo much \v»utr «is ri-cjuircd one pump conitantiy ^;oin^. A change of wind Toon enabling u.s to proceed on our voyage, wc made the illand of Anticolli, *vhich lies at the mouth of the river t^t. Law- icnce. Here ue were oblij^cd to beat about for four davs, our veilel at tiie iamc time en- crcafing her leak to fuch a dej^ree, that we were under the neceliltv of nr^T^inn: the oihcr pump, and of keepin<^ them both conllanLly at worlc. ijein^i now In a hi'>her,huuude, the feverlty of the cold encreafcd in proportion, and the ice began to form fo faii about the ft>ip as to alarm us c;:cccdingiy, left \s^ flioui^i i)e en- tirely furroundcd by it ; which however we prevented, by cutting and breaking v.ili. tjuantities from hef fides, 'i'o this- talk, v.'ith that of keeping' her pumps at w,or.k, .the erevv', togc|her witji the paflengers, were fcarcely equal, only nineteen perfons being on board, of Vv'hom fix ,were pailengers, ajid the re- mainder very indiilcrcn: fc;imen. As for the qaptain, from whom, in the prefentcn^er^^cncy, we might have e::pe»5tcd fo.uie deii duly, and the prefcrvation of his fiiips he remained con- tin u;tlly in lii»s, cabin in a Hate of intoxi- cation. .;.;>-M t"*''-u . V.:.' ':."!"• 'k ' '■ 'I'he wind cominj;; round to the^iM.E. on he 29th, we proceeded down the gulf of St L;ivvrciiCc, with two feet water in the hold, ',..'^'. . 'te-i^j-.^ . . - .^-v,»'.Vi* •- BHITIS H NAVIGATOR. II hold. *TI*e wind kept gradually encrcafing till th^ firll of Dtrrcmber, when it blew a j^crfedl gale from the N. l^. and the crew, being almoti overcome with cold and f;itigue, fecini;i^ no proipeCt of gaining; upon the leak, the water havint^ already encreafcd to four feet ill tl\c hold, nor a itoftibility of making any port^ they came to a rcfoliation of work- ing no longer at the pumps. They accord- ingly left oit' working, and declared tbem- tcivcs quite indifferent about th«ir fate, pre- ferring^thc alternative of going to the bottom together with the vcfTcl^ to that of fuU'ering; £uch fevere and incellant labour in fo dcfpc- rate a iituation. However, by the force of pcrfuafion and promifcs, together with the timely dillribution of a pint of wine per man, which Mr. Plenties had fortunately brought on board, they were diverted from this defpc- rate refoliitioa. All this time, the captain remained uncoHcertied in his cabin, without making thelcall exertion. /jv The gale continued encreafing during the fecond and third ot December,' and the ice formed fo thick on the ihip's fuies, as very much to impede her way through the water, which furnilhed us with new labour, that of cutting it off, as faft as it formed^ with faws and a\;3i. The l«nlc. con tinned co gain ground. The (chooner that was in company, far from beinj> able to afford us any aflaftance, was in* £s Ic.iky a condition as ouv own r.jr,:t, ' 12 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. fnow beginning to fall, it was with the ut* mod di^culty we could get fight of each othefj though at no great dillance ; and, in or- der not to part company, we fired a gun ever/ Lalf hour. The fchooner at length made no anfvver to our guns, whence we concluded fhe had foundered, nor were we wrong in our fufpicions ; and every one on board perilhed^ being fixteen in number.-: '" :•■;;?<: <: * The gale confiderahly encreafed the fol- lowing day, and the fea began to run high, with a heavy Ml of fnow, fo as to prevent our feeing twenty yards a-head of -the veiTel- The men being exceffively fatigued, the water had ri/en to its ufual quantity of between four and five feet in the hold. The captain's mate, who was an intelligent young man/ and well acquainted with his profeffion,' judged, from the dillance we had run, that we could not be far from the Magdalen iflands, which lie about midway in the gulf of St. Lawrence. Thefe iflands ajne nothing more than a duller of rocks, fome appearing above, and others hidden under the water,' and have been fatal to many vellels. The mate's conjedure was right, and we foon found ourfelves among them ; but being un- able, on account of the heavy fall of fnow, to iee many yards a^head of the veifel, there appeared little probability that we (hould pafs clear of them all. Not being able to dif- tinguifh any one in time to avoid it,>we were obliged to leave the yefTel to' the dire^ion of Pro- vidence, and fortunately, if not miraculoufly. we f he uu ' each in or- ever/ ide no ed fhe in our rifhed> e fol- high, ►r event veffel. I water ;n four p tain's many fefllon; that gdalett le gulf othing >earing water,* The i foon ng un- ow, to there Id pafs :o dif- e were ofFro^ louilv, we wp*^^^" wmmmm^ !F1"!WJ'. BRITISH N A VI G ATO R. AIUI 1P->1«IW,I HJ^ ran through them all without damage, 7'he anxiety and purturbation of mind that xkit. crew and paiTengers were in, while in the midft of thcfe, rocks, mav be calilv conceived* Now this d|a»ger being over, it turned out a fortunate occurrenoe for us ; for, by this time,- the failor^, being ready to fink under the accumulated dilireiles of cold and fatigue, and dcprclTed by the little hopes they had of iaving the vtKul^ had nearly determined a iecon.d tixaj^ to £juic the pumps, and leave the veilel to l>er fate, when, acquiring fre/h courage ,from the dangers we hrid efcaped, they agreed to continue their efforts., a little longer, . ,..,. About fii/e In the morning of the fifth, a large wave broke on the (liip's quarter, which llove in our dead lights, filled the cabin, and waihed the captain out of his bed, in which he had reraained ever fince the commence- ment of the gale. This accident was aricnded with worfe confequencc^ than we at firll ima- gined ; for we fpon difcovered, frooi the en- creafe of th'j leaks, that the. Hern- poll had been llarted by the impulfe of the fea. Hav-f ingnothiflg in the after-hold, no other re- iburc&was left but that of attempting to ftop the leaks with beef, which we cut into fmall pieces, for that piirpofe; buc this expedient vve foon found ineffe make , t'oouf found as im- ar was me ihe longer^ ion for ; much Ich we ^ing to (Tel was y little A then trouble oft ob- itity of bunted a cer- ehter- . if we till' we >r foibe ;mT5 on der the jnt'htr ?ep the tve Ilibbilretf¥nder greater dread and*- apprehenfion, than^a^iiidft all the dangers we had befdre e?^perienced,' the idea of being cafl upon thefe tremendous rocks being more tcrrifying-than-that of being buried in t^e bolbm bf th'^ dcean, '' ^. «»«a^^* f*#» ^-•^ ! Small i6 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. t! Ill, ^1. Small as oui' expe£lations were of faving our lives, Mr. F unties thought it incumbent on him to talce every precaution to fave the difpatchc's he vvas charged with; and there- fore ordered his fervant to open his trunks, and colic^l all the letters they contained. Thefe Mr. Prenties put into a handkcrclcf, and faliened about his waiit. At the fame tiiiie, his fervant offered him the money he found in his trunks, to the amount of one tinaclred and, eighty guineas, which he defued his fervant to dilpofe of as he thought pro- per, Lhinlcing it, in the prefent emergency, rather an incumbrance than a matter worthy of prefcTvation. . His fervant, however, thought othervvife, and took cars to fecure the caih, vvhiy'h vyas afterwards of more fer- yice to us, than could at that time be poflibly imngined. About three o'clock, the weather cleared up fuddenly, when we difcovered the land at aboufthree leagues'diftance. This fight gave, us no fmall fatisf^dion, taking it- at fir ll to be the ifland of St. John's, from whicl), be- ing inhabited by French and En^liih families-,, we might l\ave;expe<^ted fome afllfl^nce ; but on a ne,£|rer .vieMtr we found, it had not the leail appearance of that ifland. On our drawing nearef. weobfiRrved ;tl>e fea break bigh, , and kav^ -a very difnva^ appearance about fhr^e ipiles from the land. ,As it was neceflary.Jfpr us to pafs through thefe breakers before we. could reach the fhore, wc expe«^ed our fiue would be ilcu^imin^d there j but, ,. ton* BRITISfl NAVICAtOR. »7 : contrary to our expe£Utiotis, there was a xonfiderable depth of water, fo that we went over the reef without touching, though not without (hipping many heavy feas. The land now began to have a dreadful appearance, feeming at the diftance we were off to be high and rocky ; but, on approaching within a mile of It, we had the pleafure of defcrying a fine fandy beach and a bold fhore. As we advanced, the water continued to have a depth beyond our moft fanguine wifh^s, fo as to allow us to come within fifty or fixty yards of the (liore before we ftruck; Now was the time for every man's appre^ henfion to be on the rack, as we might ex- ft^, ^dn touching the (hore, that the lliip would go to pieces. At length (he grounded with a violent concuflion. Oh the firft Uroke the main-maft weftt out of the fteep, and on the fecond the! foremaft ; but neither of them ftll over the Ude, the deal boards in the hold being flowed fo clofe together, that the mails had no room to play below. At the fame time, the rudder was unfhipped with fuch violence as to be near killing one of the failors.' As foon as the (hip had grounded, the fea began to beat over her on every part, each wave lifting her four or five feet nearer the fhore. In a fhort time, the ilern was beat in by the fea; and then, having i^o fiielter in the cabin, we were obliged to go upon deck, and hang by the fhrouds, le^ we Ihould be wafhed overboard. In this uncom- fortable fit nation, we remained till the vefTel I \* was ■w 1 'i; ,( !'! 1^ 5 * I T I « Ht ^j.* V I C A; T O |k.5 v(SLS beat fo high ;l)y the vvavco, tl\ivt w^ could venture to w;*ik 4ipQn deck. VW now per-, ceived that the |]u;p*s keel .wa5 brtjkenj wliich ^e imagined would .occaiioii her to go tq pic,ceii.,;. ThI.s, howcyer, did not )iapnen for, the prcfent, which could be attributed only tq ^he, boards jr^ tJie hold being To intervoven with each other, and frozen, together by .the ice", as to .give a fort of folidity to the * .-.To get QUtrthe boat was now our firft care, which, was not „to, be accompliihed. withou; oifhculty, oi;i..account of jithe qijantity of ice that was in «nd abou,t,it, and the redudion in nunibcr of effedive hands, who had inioxi- cated themfislves with liquor. ' Having with ?huch labour cleared the boat- of ice,, and pi:eparcd her foy launchiiyg, Mr. Prenties ;;tkcd, if. any were willing to embark ,with ij,in* in the boat, and m^KC the attempt to g:'.In .the ihor>c, 'I'he fea rurming fo high^ thatit fccmed fcarcely polTible for th€ boat to live in it a minute, very few, f(?^med vyilling tvO make an experiment l"o full of rifk.; fo that tjj:e bor.L TaQvcd off, containing only the mate, Mr. PrenMes, his feivanr, two feamen, and a youth v^ho W^s pailenger. What gave us the gi.eatcil embarraffment in this undertaking was the farK, which broke over us every niomcn!;* and tiie intenfenefs of the cold, whic;lx f^QZP every drop of water immediately, fo as to cover our clothes with a fhcetofic^- '^"^^* jfhip was .lying about forty yards from the (horc ; but before we got half, way to it, vve 5 V were T^^""^^^n'^ 5^1T1SH NAVIGATOR. It) w^re overtaken hv a wave that almoft filled the boat^ and the next drove us on the dry iMndmc^ oiiffclvcs oncie more on land» the joy of hnviiv^- efcapcd the danger of the ocean, made us for a few moments forget, that we were f arched from them merely to be expofcd to others more inevitable; that we had efcaped one ipecies of death, probably to undergo another more lingering and painful. What contributed to affli(il us, was the dillrcfa of our companions whom wc had left on hoard, whole cries and lamentations wc could hear very dillin<^ly, but could give them no aliiftancc. The night was now approaching, and we had not long remained in this fitua- iion before we found ourfclves getting ftiiF with cold, and the gale continuing as fevere as ever, we were obliged to wade, with ex- treme difliculty, up to our vvaifts in fnovv, to the fhclter of a thick wood about tv/o hun- dred and fifty yards from the beach. This afibrded us fome . relief from the piercinq; north-eait wind, yet we had no fn e to warm our fro'zen limbs. Freezing as we ftood, there was nothing to be done, but to keep the blood in morion by exercife. Mr. Prenties there- fore recommended it to the men to move .ibout, he being better acquainted with the niiture of frolt and cold climates than any of his companions. His advice was ftridly ad- hered, to for about half an liour, when the young paffenger, being overcome with the fevtrity of the weather, threw himfelfdown. ^fj^^^iyi IB ■ ■m.'i <'y ^f:4 --r- .- ■; k , "':'■ t I i. f ! 20 BHITISH NAVIGATQIt. I in order to deep ; for extreme cold aWays occafions a fleepy fenfation that is not eafilj to be refiftcd. Every endeavour was ufed, both perfuarion and force» to roufc him, and make him Hand on his legs ; but all to no purpofe. After walking about for half an hour longer, we went to the place where the youth lay, and finding him quite cold, we believed he was dead ; but he anfwered im- mediately, that he was not yet dead, but ihould be fo very fhon '; and requefted of Mr. Pren- ties, if he furvivcd, to write to his father at New York, and infDrm him of the circum- llances of his fon's misfortune. In about ten minutes, we found he had expired, and, as we fuppofed, without any pain whatever, at leaft without any acute fenfation of it. The rell of the company was not deterred by the fate of the youth from giving way to this drowfy fenfation, and tliree of them lay djwn in fpite of repeated exhortations. Find- ing it impoflible to keep them on their legs, Mr. Pren ties and the mate each broke a branch from the tree, and during the re- mainder of the night, prevented the men from fleeping, by beating them continually with the branches. This was an exercife ufeful to themfeives, at the fame time as it prefer ved the lives of their companions. The day light, which we looked for with anxious expedation, at length appeared, when Mr. Prenties and the mate went down to the beach, to fee if they could difcover an^ traces of the fhip, or our conipanions on board, when. BUI T I S H » A V I G A T O R 21 « when, to their great furprife and fatisfadlion^ they found ihe had not yet gone to pieces, though the wind continued wiih unabated fe- vtrlty. The velTel had by this time beat much nenrer the fliore, fo that the diftance was but very fmall at low water, when a me- thod was thoui^l.t of, by which they were all l:ind'jd fafc, except a carpenter, wJvo was a paffenger, and who had the night before made rather loo free with the bottle, and could not be perfuaded to leave the Ihip. We were happy, however, to get fo many of them on ihorc, every one of whom, a few hours be^ fore, we concluded mull have perilhed. Fortunately for us all, the captain, before he left the ihip, had put in hi^ pocket fome materials for Itriking a light. We there- fore went to work in cuttin? wood with an axe and a faw we h:id brought on fhore with us in the boat. W e then made a tire with all poflible expedition, and were happy for fome time in hovering about it, and warming our benumbed limbs. Confidcring the extreme cold we had endured for fuch a length of time, no luxury could be equal lo that of the ^re ; but this gratification was, like many others, to feveral of our companions, foU lowed by the moil excruciating pain, as foon as their frozen parts began to thaw. The diilrefs that was now painted in the faces of thefe unfortunate men, from the tortures they underwent, was beyond expreflion. One Capt. Green, a paflenger, had fallen afleep on board the \^?is.\, and was frozen to VoL.Vm, C death. 91 - % f?" death. This night we pafled a little better than the laft ; yet, notwithftanding we had a good fire, we found extreme inconveiiiency ffom the total want of covering, as well as from hunger, a new mifery that we had been hitherto unacquainted with. Befides which, the greater part of our number weie in the moft wretched ftate imaginable, from the fores occafioned by the frolt. The next morn- ing, we found means to extricate the car- penter, whofe voice we heard on board the veflel ; but this we accompliihed with much difficulty, he being very weak, and frozen in different parts of his limbs. We ftill re- mained without any kind of provifions, and the want of nourilhment began to reduce our Hrength confiderabiy. The gale continued as boillerous as ever during the fcventh and eighth, and in the night, between the eighth and ninth of De- cember, the (hip, from the extreme violence with which the fea broke againft her, went to pieces from the flern to the main-maft. By this part of her going to pieces, we obtained fome provifions, which were walhed on Ihore. Thefe confifted of pieces of fait beef, fome i frefh meat that hung over the ftern, and a quantity of onions that the captain had on board for fale. This relief was very feafon- able, it being now the fourth day fince we had eaten any kind of provifion whatever. Having no utenfils, we drelTed our meat in the bed manner we could, and madewha^vve thought a moil delicious repafl. The kn{Q -.-. of \i •WTfPi—PTIK^^^ .V "^ BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 2} of hunger being afluaged, we fet to work in colle^ing all the provifions \vc could find fcattcred upon the beach, being apprehen- five, that we Ihould not foon get a fupply from any other quarttr. This done, our next care was to get ourfelvcs under cover, and form Tome kind of flicker from the pier- cing blall. This talk was not an eafy one, fo many of the company being unable to move ; and of the remainder, none but the mate and Mr. Prenties were capable of any adive exer- tion, being all more or lefs bitten by the froll. Our number, at this time, con filled of fourteen. Fortunately, a quantity of deals had floated on fliore from the wreck, of which we carried about two hundred and fifty into the wood, and by ten at night completed a kind of houfe, about twenty feet long and ten wide, in the bell manner times and cir- cumllances would admit of, we having no nails. . > . .^ *^i«>.. We now proceeded to examine the quan- tity of provifions we had collefled, and had the fatisfadion to find, that we had in ilore between two and three hundred pounds of fait beef, and a confiderable ftock of onions. As to bread, wc had none ; for, when the flii went to pieces, the caflcs were Hove, and the bread loll. Frugality and good manage- ment were now higlily neceflliry, to make our little ilock lall as long as poflible, it be- ing quite uncertain when we ihould get more. It was therefore determined, that each man, whether flck or well, Ihould be confined to a . C 2 quarter ■i^^^p^i^ " if i: "I 24 BRITISH KAVIGATO ft., quarter of a pound of beef and four onions per day, as long as the latter (liould lad. This wretched allowance, but jull enough to keep a man from Itarvint^, was the utnioll wc thought it prudent to iillovv ourfclvcs, left we ihould be in an unir..iabited country ; for, as yet, wc were uncertain on what coaft wc were cad away, till, on comparing circum- ftnnccs, w concluded it mufl be on the ifliind of Cape Breton, On the iixth day after wc landed, bein^ the iilh of December, the gale abated, and gave us an opportunity to get on board the wreck, when we went to work on openin*j the hatches; but having only one axe, and the cables being frozen in one folid lump of ice, it took the whole day to accomplifh ir. The next day, the weather being flill mode- rate, we went again on board, and having cleared away the remainder of the cable, wc cut up part of the deck, in order to mrike room to get out two cafks of onions, with a fmall barrel of beef, containing about one hundred and twenty pounds, and three bar- rels of apples, fliipped by a Jew merchant at Quebec. We likcwife found a quarter callc of potatoes, a bottle of oil, which proved very fcrviceable to the men's fores, another faxe, a large iron pot, two camp-kettles, and about twelve pounds of tallow candles. With miich difficulty, we got this great fiipply on Slhpre, and thought ourielves happy in {q va- |laab!e an acq ui lit ion. • '^ '"■-'•'■ *-^'- On VHP. ^T '■ BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 25 On the 13th, we made it our buitnefs to get our provifions Uorcd in a corner of the hut, wher, on opening the apple-caflcs, we found their contents, to our great furprife, converted into bottles of Canadian balfam ; a more valuable commodity, to be furc, than apples, but what we would have gladly ex- changed, in our prefent fituation, for ibme- thing more friendly to the ftomach than the conllitution. This difappointment, as may be fuppofed, extorted a 'few hearty good wifhcs for the Jew ; yet wc afterwards found fome ufc for his Canadian balfam, though fomcwhat different from what he intended it ihould be applied to. ^ We went on board once more, on the 14th, and cut as much of the fails as polTible from the bowfprit, with part of which we covered our hut, and made it tolerably warm and comfortable, notwithilanding the feverity of the weather. By this time, the fores of the men who had been froll- bitten began to mor- tify, and caufcd the toe.s, fingers, and other parts of the limbs aifc6\ed, to drop off, their ?jigui(h being at the fame time almofl into- lerable. The carpenter, who came on fhore after the ochers, had loft the greater part of his feet, and on the 14th, at night, became delirious, in which unhappy Itate he conti* nued, till death releafed him the following day from his miserable exi Hence. We co» vered him wi:h fnow and branches of trees, having neiiher. fpade nor pick-axe to dig a grave for him ; nor would it have been pofr ... C 3 ftble, 1^' a6 BRITISH N A V I C A T 6 R. ! I fibie, if we had been provided with them, the ground being in this climate fo hard fro- zen during the winter as to be almoft inipe^ netrable. Three days after, our fecond mate died ill the fame manner, having been deli- rious for fome hours before he expired. Se- veral, however^ who had been but Hightlv frozen, recovered in a fhort time, with the lofs of a fvw toes and fingers, no one hai^ng entirely efcaped the froll but Mr. Prentie.-. On the 20th another failor died, after having been, ^'ke the others, fome time in a deli- rium, and was buried, or rather covered, in the fame manner. Our number wa-^ now reduced to fourteen perfons, yet we did not think it prudent to encreafe the allownr :e of proviGon?, but fciil kept it at the rate ori- ginr.lly fixed on. Mr. Prenties and the mate frequently went out together, and, from various circumilances had reafon to think there might be Indians near at hand. Twenty days being elaplcd fince our fhipwreck, nnd our provifions bL'Ing very much reduced, Mr. Prenties began to entertain a fufpicion, that there was feme foul play during his and the mate's'abfence at different times from the hut in fcarch of inhabitants. He was therefore determined to find out ihe truth, if p^fTible, by keeping a conftant watch at nio-ht. By this means he 4t length difcovered, that the depredators were no others than the captain ancf two failors, who had con fumed no lefs than fe- Venty pu".nds, befides a (quantity of onions. 'ill p!ii4,|,i.,,,:,..,,..^,.. ,,^..y^,j::.' ^ ; is" »K I T X 5 H N AV I G A T O R. 2J m (o fhort a fpace of time. After this, wd watclied them vvi^h the greateil attention. Several days having paiTed, without any hopes of feeing any Indians or inhabitants in this place, end having provifions only for fix weeks longer, and a few of our men and the captain being recovered, it was propofed to leave our habitation, with as many as could work in the boat, in fearch of inhabitants. This propofal was readily agreed to; but when we came to think how it. was to be put in execution, a new difficulty Itaried icfelf, that of repairing the boat, v»Iiich had been beat in fuch a manner by the fea upon the beach, that every feam was open. We firlt attempted to flop them with dry oakum, but foon found it would not anfvver the intended purpofc ; and having faved no pitch from on board the wreck, we began to defpair of the poffibilfiy of repairing tiiem. Mr. Prenties, at length, thought of making a kind of fuc- cedaneum for pitch of the Canadian balfam, which had been Ihipped for apples, and had been by us brought on Ihore under that de- ception. We accordingly went to work in making the experiment, and boiled a quan- tity of the balfam in an iron kettle we had faved, and frequently taking it off the fire to cool, we foon fSrought it to a proper con- fiitence. A fufHcient quantity of it being prepared, we turned up- the boat, and having cleared her bottom, gave her a coat of the balfam, v^hich effectually Hopped all crevices, for the prelciit. This done, we got a fmall , % w III! A: 28 BRITISH NAVIGATOR^ fall rigged to a mad, which (hipped and un- Ihipped occafionally, i With much difficulty and fatigue, we got our boat in tolerable condition by the firft of January, {o that Ihe could fwim without making much water ; likewife our mail and fail >'igged, in order, when the wind Ihould permit, to afford fome relief to the rowers. It was agreed to take fix in the boat, the captain and his mate, Mr, Prenties and his fervant, and two (iiilors ; of the others, none were fo far recovered, as to be judged equal to the fatigues we might expeft in this expe- dition. Our flioes being a'l nearly worn out, Mr. Prenties employed himfelf, during the whole of the next day, in making a kind of mowkifins, or Indian Ihoes, of canvas. His needle was nothing more than the handle of a pewter-fpoon, which he had faihioned as well as he could for the purpofe, and the fame canvas fupplied him with thread. As foon as he had made twelve pair, which were two for each man of the party, we di- vided the provlfions thi*t remained into four- teen equal parts, which amounted only to a quarter of a pound of beef each day for fix weeks. Thofe that were to flay behind, fhared as much as we who were to go in the boat, notvvithftanding the great fatigue we had every reafon to exped. Every neceffary preliminary being adjuiled, we propofed fet- tlpg off the next day ; but the wind blowing frelh at N. E. we were obliged to remain wbefc w^ were till the fourth, By this time tiie ^-mm^W^^'f'^' ^^-1^'^M:^^ got ft of Kout : and Lould ivers. , the id his none equal cxpe- 1 out, g the Lnd of His landlc ioned d the , As which e di- four- |y to a For fix ;hind, in the [ue we (ceffary jd fet- lowing remain is time tiie BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 2^ the ice, floating in prodigious quantities on the coait, and in fome places collefting, and iblocking up the bays, rendered our" under- taking extremely hazardous ; yet we thought it more advifeable to face any danger, and to encounter any hardfhip, than to remain, with |a certainty of llarving, in our prefent iitu- .tion." On the 4th, however, having made every eparation pofTible, and f ken leave of our ^©rapanions, we fet off on our forlorn expe- dition. The night coming on, and the wind ^ginning to encreafe, we were in fome dan- ^er of being blown out to Tea. We there- fore pa'i. into a bay, and fet to work, in ighting our fire» and cutting our wood for ? night. Having cut fome pine branches, the allell of them ierved us to lie on, and the !rger, in the form of a wigwam, to-fhelter us 'om the inclemency of the weather. As foon [s we were refrefhed, three of us fet off along beach, in order to get to a high point of nd at about two miles diftance, from whence e hoped to make fome ufeful difcoverics. aving gained the top of it, we defcried, to r inexpreffiblc joy, a few houfes about «. le diihant, towards which we diredled our urfe,. having no doubt but that we ihould >w meet wirh fome relief; but on coming to them, we found they were only the re- jairts of fome old fcore-houfes, which had ;cn built there for the curing of cod-jifh, [d to all appearance had been abandoned for LC years, This was a mortifying difap- ' ^ pointment 1 ( ! 1 '^l i III > 1 3 ti w b< hi fr< 30 BRITISH NAVIGATOR- in, and the wind being pointment to us. However, as we walked along the point, we gathered about a quart of cranberries, fome of which we eat, referv- ing the remainder for our companions. Even thefe difcovcries, trifling as they were, gave us hopes of finding fome inhabitants on our proceeding further. The ice fetting very violent, we were detained in this dreary fituation till the nth of January, when the weather becoming moderate, and a fine light breeze blowing along the coaft, we launched our boat with much difficulty, being greatly reduced in (Irength for want of a due degre of nourishment. Having got clear round th point of the land, we hoifled our fail, an put before the wind. About eleven o'cloc at night we got round another point; bu finding no place that we could polTibly Ian on, we were obliged to keep along the coa till two in the morning, with our boat f( leaky, that two men were conftantly em ployed in keeping her clear of water. Th wind encreafmg, and a ftony beach approach ing, on which we fhould not have thought expedient to land even had the wind bee| moderate, we were obliged to ] ut on Hior and immediately got our provifions out of t boat. The beach was of fome height fro the furface of the water, which rendered impofTible for us to haul up our boat. \ were therefore obliged to leuve it to the men of the fea. ^ fo th k* z walked t a quart t, referv- is. Even ere, gave ts on our ind being liis dreary when the fine light I launched ng greatly iue degree round the • fail, an( 'en o*clocl point; bul )lTibly lan( y the coaf ur boat fJ tantly eml Iter. Thj , approach! thought wind bee t on Hiori s out of til leight fro rendered boat. ^^ :o the mer BRITISH KAVICATaH* 3 1 The wind came round to the N. W, on the 13th, and blowing very hard, the fea beat with fuch violence againfl the ihorc, as to drive our boat twenty yards higher than fhe was, and beat fcveral holes in her bottom. Now was the time for us to feel all the mi- feries of our prcfent fituation ; for, being furroundcd by precipices, which prevented us from (hcltering ourfelves in the woods, and having fo little covering, and no firing but what we collcded from for pieces of timber, which floated accidentally upon the Hiore, we could but juft keep ourfelves from a<^lual fr'^jzing. The fame weather conti- nued for eight days, with a prodigious fail of fnow, which added to our otjier inconve- ciencics. On the 2ift the weather became moderate, and the fnow ceafed, having in the courfe of this lad week fallen to the depth of three feet. This change of the weather gave us an opportunity of cooking our provifions, which we had done but once fmce our landing. As- the water the meat was boiled in afforded us alnioll as much nouriftiment as the meat it- felf, our not being able to cook any thing hitherto was a great misfortune to Ub. On examining our boat the next day, we found fhe had received confiderabie damage, the coat of b.^lfam being entirely rubbed off, and feveral holes m:ide in her bottom. The greateft difficulty was how to repair it, having no pitch or baliam left, and bat little oakum, which was of no fervice withoiit the fcrmer. Aftef \ ■^ i ( ' t: 52 BRITISHNAVIGATOR. After trying various methods, we at laft gave] it up as a thing impradicable, and began to turn our thoughts on feme other means of I getting out of thia bleak and barren place, to feaich for an inhabited country.. We there- fore propoicd to abandon our boat, and to traverfe the ice till we could get into the woods, from which we were prevented, in our prcfent fituation, by the infunnountable precipices ; but, could we gain the wood.% how were we to pafs them, as they were fix feet deep in fnow? At lail, we came to a rc- folution of taking what provifions we had upon our backs the next day, and coafting along the ice, till we could difcover fome in- habitants. We computed, that we fliouIJ be able to \v:ilk ubout ten miles a day, even in our prefent weak and reduced condition. This fcheme, however, proved abortive ; for on the morning of the 24.th, when we in-- tended to fet our, the whole llieet of ice,- which the night before looked fo firm, was demolifhed, or driven out to fea. Thus had we neither ice to walk on, nor boat to carry us through the water, nor even a poifibility of moving from this place, where we were em- bayed, and furrounded by infurmountabic precipices. Thus circumltanced, we were again obliged to turn our thoughts towards fome fcheme for repairing our boat, as upon that our only hope depended. We had plenty of oakum to ftop up the holes and Teams, but aothing to fubltitute in the room of pitch. Mr. Prenties at lail thought of a plan, that of « •-' BRITISH NAVIC/. TOR. 33 )f throwing water over the o«Luni, and letting it freeze into a cake of ice. Though :he men in general made light of this under- :dking, and afliiled with much relu6lance, Ithey were foon convinced of its happy confe- quences ; for, in the courfe of the day, every ieam and hole was frozen up in fuch a man- ner, tha" not a drop of water could enter, fo jlong as the froll continued, and at prefent there was little appearance of its breaking. The weather coming moderate, on the 127th of January, with a light breeze diredly ■ >jF the ihore, we got our boat very carefully launched, and fct off very early in the morning from this ill-omened bay. We put aihore about ixo'clock in the evening upon a fmall fandy |beach ; we next cut fonie branches, and hav- ing m-ade a fire, iheltered ourfelves as well as Voilible in the wood. Our tinder beiflg nearly :on fumed, Mr. Prenties, in order to furniih frclh fupply, cut away the back part of his Ihirt, which he had worn ever fince he left Lhe fliip. A fhovver of rain the next day uft- fortunately melted all the ice oiF our boat. ^Ve were therefore prevented from going any further till a return of the froit, and our pro- vifions were now reduced to two pounds and a half of beef for each man. On the 29th the mate, wandering a little iil^ance from the fire, difcovered a partridge i'lei'ched on^ the boug-h of a tree, which Mr. plenties contrived means to enfnare. This. [ve boiled in fome melted fnow, together with little fait- water to give the broth a reliih. Vol. VUU D Having 1, Ill 'IP 8'iHD ' TSTI N A V 1 U A TOR, Having divided it, when drefTed, into equal parts, and call lots for the choice each, we fat down to what we found a del cious meal, the only one, excepting tl quart of cranberries, fuice we had been a upon the iiland. The troll again fctting i] wc took the advantage to Hop the boat's leal as before, and then put to fea. At night \i put into a fandy beach, in the ncighbou hood of a thick wood, which afforded us a t( lerable (hclter. ... The next day, the weather being flill f\ vourable, we launched our boat early in tl morning, in order to get before night as fJ as polTible on our journey; but we had n( proceeded above fix miles, before the wii ihlfting, obliged us to put on Ihore, and hai up our boat. A heavy fall of rain, whic continued the whole day, rendered our fituj tion extremely uncomfortable, and agail melted tne icy calking of our boat. On the iirit of February, the wind cominl round to the N. W. and bringing the frol along with it, we were once more enabled tl repair our boat, and prepare for launching if This done, we immediately embarked, anj purfued our coafting voyage ; but the feverit] of the cold having formed a quantity of ic( it was with extreme labour that we contrivel to get five miles before night, one of 01 party being employed in breaking the ice witl -^i pole, and clearing it from the bow of t\\ hoat, ..;.-. .... ThI * i m m m BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 35 The wind prevented our proceeding any rther till the 3d, when it became favour- le, and, after having run at the rate of out four or five miles an hour, we difco- red an exceeding high land, with fcveral her mountains and 1 irge bays between us ; d we were in hopes, if the wind ihould not creafe too much, that we (hould be able to ach it before night. On comparing cir- umRances, we concluded that the ifland mull e that cf St. Paul, and the high land the orth point of Cape Breton. The prodigious eight of the land led us into an erroneous omputation of its diftance ; for, though we ad fuppofed, that we were within three agues of it when we firft difcovcred the and of St. Paul, we found, before we cached it, that we had run near five leagues, ere we were again in danger of being blown ut to fea. Finding no place at the North ape where we could land during the night, e were obliged to continue rowing till the orning ; when, being overcome v/ith the atigue, we were compelled to attempt a anding, which we accomplifhed with more ?afe than we expe(^ed. . ^ As foon as we were landed, our iirfl care ^vas to haul up our boat, that flie might meet ivith no further damage from the lea. We then got into the woods, which lay clofe to the fliore ; and, as Mr. Prenties had taken the precaution to put our tinder-box in his bofom before we landed, to prefcrve it from the water, we contrived to kindle a fire, a D z refrefh- ■ »i" VH.^,-11 I'm] 1 s. 36 BRITISH NAVIGATOR* refrefhment we had much occafion for, hav- ing got wet in landing, and being in fo weak and reduced a condition, that it was with the greateft difficulty we could keep ourfelves awake for a few minutes when bef()re the fire ; fo that we were under the neccflity of watch- ing in turn, left, all being afleep together, the fire fhould go out, and we lliould be fro- zen to death. By this time, our provlfions were entirely confumed, and not having the moft dillant profpcd of getting any more, we were ready to abandon ourfelves to defpair. Having weighed the neceflity of the cafe, and the mi- fery of perifhing by hunger, we were of opinion, that it would be aJvifeable to fiicri- iice one for the prefervation of the refl ; and that the mofl proper method would be by cafting lots, which Ihonld be the unfortunate vidlim. But this fliocking refc^lution vve agreed to put off to the lall extremity. We could not avoid curfmg our deiiiny, that we fhould be call away on fo barren and niiii'.- rable a country, and in fuch an unlucky time of the year, when we were not only depriv^ed of the relief we might have gotten, at any other feafon, from the natural produdions of the earth ; but now even the animals, inha- bitants of both elements, had retired to their holes and hiding-places, to Ihield themfelves from the intenfc cold, which prevails during the winter in this inhofpitiable climate. All we could colle^^l was about two quarts or hips, or wild rofe-buds, which we found by throw- for, hav- i fo weak with the ourfelves ; the fire ; )f watch- together, d be fro- L" entirely i\ diilant ere ready Having 1 the mi- were of to facri - •eft ; and Ui be by fortunate ation we ,ty. We , that we nd mifii- c.ky time depriv^ed I, at any idions of Is, inha- 1 to their I lemfelves Is during ite. All s oThips, y throw- ing BHITISH NAVIGATOR. 37 ng up the liiow, and fearching in difFcrcnt parts of the banks. Having in fome degree allayed the keen fcnfe of hunger with this forry food, and the wind having become fomewhat more mo- derate, we got into our boat, and pulhed off, the day being already drawing towards a concluiion. Our progrefs, however, was foon impeded by the quantity of ice that floated on the water, which obliged us to put afhore on another part of the fame beach. In landing, Mr. Prenties had the misfortune to let the tinder-box fall from his bofom into the water, by which means we were unable to kindle a fire ; and being exceedingly wet, as was ge- nerally the cafe when we landed, we were in this place in a molt uncomfortable fituatlon, and fufFered much from the cold. We there- fore thought it bell to get into our boat as fall as polTible, and return to the fpot from whence we came, in hopes of finding fome fire dill remaining. On our arrival at the place, which was accompanied with great difficulty, we had the fatisfa6lion to find that the fire was not totally extinguifhied. Had that been the cafe, we mufl have perifhed in the courfe of the night. The fire being repaired, Mr. Prenties cut up another part of his lliirt to make mere tinder ; and, as the former acci- dent had like to have proved fo fatal to us, he was refolved to be more careful of it for tfre future;' • - ♦-* « i^' •' li^ ■ ^ J About ten o'clock in the morning of the 8th of P'ebruary we left this place, and pro- ceeded ■^i -i:^' D3 r^J7 •:».?■-• 3B BRITISH NAVIGATOR. cceded on our voyage; and on landing, in the evening, we had ihe misfortune to loic twoof| our oars, which were waOied overboard by the furf. The following day's rowing was a hard bufincis, confidcring our weak condition ; for having been a length of time without taking any kind of nourilhnient, we were fo much reduced in llrcngih, tliat, when we got on fhorc, we could fcarcc walk for fifty yards together. - ., On the iith, the weather being unfavour- able, we were obliged to remain the whole day on Ihore ; and during that time we were fortunate enough to find a few rofe-buds, which at prcfent we efteemed a great delicacy. We thought ourfelves extremely unlucky in not having found, in the courfe of our wan- derings, lo much as the body of any dead animals. • -^ - * . * ^^ . ;^ . ,.- The wind became more moderate on the 12th, and we proceeded once more on our voyage. Next day the weather got milder, with a fall of rain ; fo that it was with diffi- culty we could get our boat to fwim, the ice thawing gradually at the bottom. This obliged us to put on fhore long before night ; and when we had landed and made a fire, we found no other immediate want but that of provifions, having confumed all the hips or roft-buds we had gathered at our lai^ landing- place. Being now driven to the lall extre- mity, we were obliged to facrifice the pro- fped of travelling any further to the imme- diate prefervation of our lives. About a do- ' '. 'f ! zcn ' ^WWffF BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 30 «en tallow cancl^ci icniainel, the reft \vc had hitherto employed in flopping the leaks of our hoat, as fail as fiie fprung one in any parti- cular place. Of thcfc we divided a fmall part among us, which gave us fome relief for the prefent. The two following days, we coaUcd for a few miles, fearching for a place where we could meet wirli fome hips; but our (earch proved ineileclu.il. 'I'his was the only kind of food \vc could now expedt ; and had we difcovefcd any place that abounded with them, it was our intention to draw up the boat there, and remain till they were con- fumed. On the 17th we made another divifion of a part of the tallow-candles that yet remained • and the following day, wc proceeded about five miles, when we landed on a fine flat country. We were now fo much debilitated, that we knew it would he impofTible for us to go much further. We therefore determined to perifli on this place, unlefs any unexpeded accident fliould bring us relief. Having cut fome fmall branches of pine to Hq upon, to- gether with fome larger to ferve for a ihelter we made our fire. We then all went in fearch of hips, and had the good fortune to find about a pint of them, which, boiled up with a couple of tallow-candles, afforded us a tolerable meaL The whole of the day of the 19th was em- ployed in fearch of hips, but it was not at- tended with any fuccefb. Our tallow-candlea were therefore the only refourccs we had left '. .^ ^ and I 40 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. and by ihis time they were reduced to two. We found ouifelves fo much weakened the following day. that we could nake no further ufe of our .:xe, and we weie under the ne- ceflity of creeping about m our turus, to ga- ther for our f re the rorten branches of trees that lay fcatttred upon the ground. As we had not a proper quaiitity af fuel, the fire that we kept up was but jull fufficient to preferve us from freezing. Having now no more than two taliow-candles remaining, and having no hopes of procuring any more hips, we thought we might derive r>me degree of nourifhment from the Ivclp-weed, of which there was a quantity 1; ng on the fliore. We accordingly coUecteu a little of it, and wiih melted fnow boiled it a few hours in a kettle ; hut, at the conclufion, we found it but little tenderer than at firll. We then melted one of our tallow- candles in the liquor, and having fupped it up, and eat fome of the weed, our appetite became fomcvvhat fiitiated ; but we were all, foon afterwards, feized with violent vomitings. ■-" On the 22d v.e made ufe of fome more kelp-wred and our laft tallow-candle. Hav- ing f. r tnree days trlled no other food than tlie k*]p- weed, we began to fweii to an alarm- in ed^'^^rce ; and, in a few days afterwards. X\ "weilin ff encreiif;.^d to fuch a deq-ree all over our bodies, that, notwithflanding the I'rtile (kih we had upon our bones, we could lin.l our mpcrs t\v inches oeep in the % in tiic imprefiioii ot which remained vifible for ^bove an hwur afttr. We pailcd a few days more I rat to I di dii inj bri wMwmmm mn BRiTtSH NAVIGATOR. 4t [more in this mirerable mannner, at the expi- ration of which we were fo much fwollen, as 'to be almoll deprived of our fight, and fo re- duced in ^Irengch, that it was with the utmoft difficulty we could keep our fire in by crawl- ing about in turn, and breaking the roUen branches that lay fcattcred on the fnow. The time was now arrived, when it became highly expedient for one to fall a facrllice for the prefervation of the rcil: ; but {o:\\s were averfe to fach a meafure, and, even wretched as their fituation wa«, fearful of the lot falling on themfelves. Hovvever, though they ob- jedled to the propofal of calling lots which ihould be the vidlim, yet all concurred in the neceflity of fome one being facrifioed for the prefervation of the reft. The only queltion v.'as how it Ihould be determined ; when, by a kind of reafonino; more ao^reeable to the didlates of felf-love than of juitice, it was agreed on, that, as the captain w;^*s now fo • xceedingly reduced, as to be the firil who would fink under our prefent complicated miiery: as he had been the perfon, to whom v/e confidered ourielves in lome incafure in- debted for all our iuisfv)rtunes ; and further, as he had, everfince Dur Ihipvvreck, been the molt felfifli, and the moil remifs in his exer- tions towards the general good, he was un- doubtedly the ifiril perfon who ought to be fa- crihced. Add to this, aft^^r our Ihipwre.-k, Mr. Prenties had difcovr-red, by fbme papers that had been wadied on fhore, vthat, though the captain's pretended dellination was to . , New i I 42 BRITIJ^Il NAVIGATOR. ! I| 1 \ Jl* New York, yet his real one was to the Weft Indies, if he could poffibly efFcft it. Thus would he have bafHed Gc?n. Haldimand's in- tentions, ill fending Mr. Prenties with dif- patches that might be of t]ie firft qonfequcnce to this country. The determination now made was kept fecret from the captain ; and it would have been impOlTible for us to live many days without putting it into execution, had we not happily met with relief from a quarter whence we little expelled it. On the i8th of February, as we were all lying about our fire, we thought that we heard the found of human voices in the woods, and foon after discovered two Indians, with guns in their hands, who did not feem yec to have perceived us. This fight gave us frefh llrength and fpirits, and, getting up, we ad- vanced towards them with the greatell eager- nefs imaginable. As foon as we were per- ceived by the Indians, they flarted back, and f^emcd hxed for a few moments to the ground with furprife and horror. This indeed was not to be wondered at, when it is confidered, that, befides the amazement they mull na- turally have f?lt on fuddenly meeting white men in this uninhabited part of the iiland, our appearance itfslf was enough to alarm the moft intrepid ; our clothes being almofl en- tirely burnt oiF, fo that we were bare in fc- veral parts of our bodies, our limbs fvvoUen to a prodigious bulk, our eyes from the fame caufe alnioll invifible, and our hair in a con- fufed and difhevelled Hate about our heads • . • ' and rT"" BRITISH NAVIGATOR 43 n and fhoulders, particularly of thofe who wore it long, we not having been able to comb it fince our fhipwreck. As we advanced to- wards the Indians, fome of us wept, while others laughed with joy. Being a little re- covered from their furprife, they did not ihow much inclination to accoft us, till Mr. Pren- ties got up to one of them, and took him by the hand, when he ihook it fome time very heartily, which is the ufual mode of faluta- tion among the Indians, and began at length to Ihew marks of compalTion at our diHreffed appearance. The Indians then walked with us to our fire^ and, fitting down by it together, one of them, who could fpeak a little broken French, uefired we would inform him whence we came, and the particulars of the accident that brought us there. Mi;. Prenties accordingly gave him as concife an account as poffible of the difafters and fatigues we Jiad undergone ; and during the relation he feemed to be very much aifedled at our fufferings. Mr. Pren- ties, having finifhed his narration, aflced the Indian if he could furniih us with any kind of rrot^iiions, to which he anfwered in the afHr idve. Obferving that we had very little £re, n fuddenly itarted up, and took our axe in his hand; when looking at it, and laughing heartily, we fuppofed at the badnefs of it, he threw it down again, and taking liis tomahawk from his fide, wh^ch is a fmall hatchet that the Indians always carry about t) ':„n, he w^nt, and in a fliort time cut a m4 u P I. -1 i It 'fhl^J^^fc^ ^t f&e. rtThis donci heTtoofi icp iSi%^^\iti; andV without faying a wordy wen tBhrt j^fFWit'h his cbmpanion, •.•»'>i»i: B)a< Three hours having elapfed fince the de- j^i^UVe of the Indians, during which interval 'iifme of our party were not without anxiety left they fhould never return, we percel/edRhe tfiem coming round the point, at a fmall dif-mot tf^nce, in a bark canoe. Being arrived andRn 'landed upon the beach, they took out of theirBire - ciihoe fanie /niokfd venifon, and a bladder oflpp leal oil, which they brought up to our iire-fciil j»face/ Slaving put fome oi the meat into thcBrai kettlei'l^. boiled it in melted fnow, andBle gave each c. us a very fmall quantity of it, »f.»ai toffether with feme oil. We verv well knewftiai their nafon for being fo fparing of their meat ; Ba for eating a quantity of grofs food in our pre- fent fhtte might be attended with the moJl fatal confequences. It gave us no little plea- fure to fee the Indians fo careful of us. This light repaft being ended, the Indians defired thfee of us to embark in their canoe, that being all (lie could carry at a time, and pro- ceed from thif place to their hut, which lay five miles farther by water, and about a mile from the fnore, in the middle of woods. We were received at the fe'a-fide by three other Indians, and about twelve or fourteen women and children, who had been there waiting our arrival. Having landed from the e^anoe, we were conduced by thefe laft to their ha- bitadoa in the wood, whick- confifted of three ouj he ,■3''*- ?.a\ hey un T r hey lav van brti vrec lien ilhe 'ave ■ V. 1^ BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 45 uts or wigwams, there being that number f families among them. In the mean time, he fame two Indians who brought us, went ack in their canoeo for the three remaining en of our party. On arriving at the hut, we were treated Ith the greatell humanity by thefe people r hey gave us fome broth to fup, but would ot fuiFerus to eat meat, nor any kindof fub* mtial food whatever. Mr. Prenties was de* ired, at the requeft of an old woman, wh3 ppeared to be niillrefs or mother of the fa^ [lily prefent, to give them an account of our ranfadlions iiiice the uay of our fhipwreck* ie accordingly gave a more particular account ban 'iC had done before in French to the In- iiari already mentioned, and he explained it i\ his own lanp-ua{i:e to the Indians. In the ourfe of his relation, we could perceive, that he old woman \vas exceeding;/ affeded at tain parts of it, which gave us great fatis* aflion, as we from thence derived hopes that hey would continue to treat us with the fame lumanity. The Indians did every thing in their power o reduce the Avelling of our limbs, which hey accomplilhed after much diificulty.. -laving provided for our own immediate ^vants, our thoughts recurred to thofe un-. ortunate men whom we had left by the vreck ; and we vveie under much anxiety for hem, left by this time they might have pe- iihed with hunger. From the ciefcription we rave the Indians of the fituation of the river. Vol. VUL E and n I f % HP 4» 11"^ • RTT. rs ir ■PPM K A Vr G A T on. ^nd of a fmall ifland that lay nearly oppo^f^^ they faid, that they knew the place perfedly well ; that it was above one hundred miles dil- tant^through very difficult paths, over rivers and mountains ; and that, if they undertook the journey, they mud expedl fomc- compenfation for their trouble. This indeed was but rea- fonable ; for it could not be expcded, that the Indians (hould leave their hunting, by -^ which alone they fubfiilcd their wives and fa- , aiilies, to undergo a fatigue of that kind through pure benevolence ; and as to their account of the dillance, we could eafily give .^credit to it, as we knew we had corae above one liundred and fifty miles by water. Mr. Prenties informed them, that he liad fome money, and that, if it would be any obje£> ■ ^ to them, he would pay "^^em for their trou- ble, They fecmed m ca plcafed when they .' found we had money, and deiired to look at .J it. Mr. Prenties^ then taken the pur fe. from ' his fcrvant, Ihewed them the hundred and tighty guineas it contained; and obferving an -, cagernefs'in their countenances at the fight of •^ the coin, v/hich we little expedled among In- ^v-.^ians, and that the women in particular -^ iVfeemcd to have a flrong' fancy to it, he pre ■^■4. fen ted them with a guinea each ; for which .^^\. they cxpreiied their fatiifaclion by laughing, t . . the only method among them cf difplaying .',,'. «very fentiment of ^hat nature, as they^ fel- ,-,^'rdcm fpeak much, but where Uierc is an abfo ^^ , *iute occalion for it T^-- ^.i t JntL perfedly miles di/-| ivers and took the penfation but rea-. ted, thati ting, by; and fa- lat kind to theirl afiiy give Tie above! -r. Mr. -ad Tome try obje6>| ^'n trou- hen they look ad irfa fromf Sred and 'i'ving ani ' iight of] long Jn articulari he pfe- P •v\]iichl ughingf fp laying! hc); fel. in abfo-l BRITISH NAVI.GATt^R^ 47 Mr. Prenties, thar> made an agreement v/lth the Indians, that they fliould let ofF the next day, which was the 2d of March, and that they lliould receive twenty-five guineas at their departure, and the fame fiim on their return. This being adjuiled, they imme- diately began making the neccfTary prepara- tions, and three of tliem, having received the fum of money^ agreed for^ went off the nexX morning. ^ - Oar fituation among thefe people., as foon .a3 they found we had money, was not near fo comfortable as before ; for they then be- came as mercenary as they had before beea -charitable, and exadled above ten times the value for every little neceffary with v*'hich they fupplied us. Befides which, we were under fome apprehenfion left they ihould be exciicd^ by this extraordinary pallion for money, to plunder us, and leavxj us in the fiine dcilitute condition in which they found us. The only circumftance on which we founded our hope of better treatment from them was their reli- gion ; for they were Chriilian.s, and rij^id ca- tholics, having been converted by the French before we got poffeiTion of the ifl.md. The Indians., a-fcer being abfeat near a fort- xiight, arrived with three men, who were the only furvivors of the eight we had left behind at the hut. They were in a very miferable and reduced condition, and upon en<][uiry we found, that, after we left them, having con- Allied all the beef, they lived for fome days E a ot % iMi i ! • -" "'' -./r-o. ?T.7 ^V I c A To R - ' fn the /HiJn of fi,^ ^^ r , '^ic -, '«ft -nrire, not Si?;''-''' ""^'"^^ ^« had inaice a partition of." 1?.:^"°"'' -hiJe to three of^ tJiem died of h „ '' • "^ ""'' '""'"e^. •'•^ ihe others ^ere „ "i"^"'','" ^ ^-^^^ dny*, - -f"^' ting on theTeVofZ'^'f T'^'^y ^^ li^y were relieved by LtJ'''^ "'="' ^i'' the remaining five wa^ A. ^"''""^- One of ■ «! to eat fuch a quantlfv f ° ''•^''' ^ffiftance. ' ^njaginable, and another fo„^''r"^ ^&""'" ««ns. Thus was ou^ n, k °^ '^^ ^n''''-''"* ."aJIycon/iftedof ^;°e' n ''r"' ^'''^'^ °"£i- . «>nc. Indeed, it is "r ''"'""'' '^'^''ced^o »any perfons couJd f„r"^K "'r'^"' ''°^ '"o months, go through f?,.K ^P^^^ °'" three «Jgue. , '^"'^^ '^°^'l' hunger, and fa. the'T:dfiL7";rh1ch Sr '"^V"'^''^ ^--5 fomewhat re-eLhhh / ^ ?"' '"^^''^s bein^ "'oney very mu^et Suc'ed'he '''; ^^^""«' «>e„t with the Jnd an To ;o„du«t-'"'S'-^^- Ijfax, for which he aVr^^7 . ^'"^ '° «a- «nd all nece/Taries a ' i -^i''' P-'ovi/ions, . on their way. It\ll Z7 '"''^^^d P'ace Mr. Prenties^and hirferv^nr%'^''u''^/"' ">«' young g4tIeJSf^;;S£r^- ** . ^ on r' V .i\ ^ vvc had ^'^hile to >n fumed, -^v dayi, eility of pen, tiii One of ' J'aven* fiance, • he ex- sgonies cciden- ndians origi- ced to lovv fo three diA id fa. a mon^ being ties's ^ree- Ha. -five ons, ►lace that on f a on « H I T I S H N AVI oti board the vcfTel, and was one of the three furvivors at the hut. The Indians were to condud the remainder of our party to a fex^ tlement on Spanidi River, where they were to remain till the fpring, when an oppor- tunity might offer for th-em to get to Halifaxs by Tea. • * VVc accordingly fetofTon the day appointed^ and, after fullaining a moft fatiguing and dangerous journey, fometimes by land, and fometiines by water, we arrived at Halifax on the 8th of May. Here the Indians re- mained a few dayf, when, having received the balance due to them, they took their de- parture for the ifland. Mr. Prenties waa obliged to continue Jiere two months, till aa opportunity offered of a paflage, in the Royal Oak, to New York, where he delivered his difpatches, in a very ragged condition^ to Sir Henry Clinton. - * The reft of our fellow- faiferers in the ihip- wreck foon after arrived at Halifax in a fhal- lop from Spanifli River. The captain, con- fcious of the reception he Ihould meet with, did not think proper to go to his owner at New York, to give an a<:count of the lofs of his vefTel ; but took his paflage in a fhip from Halifax to London, and now fcrves as z pilot on the Thames. The mate was, on ac-» count of his good condu6l during the whole of the tranfadlions, appointed, by a gentleman in Halifax", to the command of a ibip bound to the Well ladies. As to Mr, f^renties, on >,■ Jo/Tes, they i„ ^ grwt "l '^^ '^^/Tenngs and »he latter, after thf m th f ",'" '"a'l« Sood ni:r:>-<> •^ i ? » .» n H ;, . Pme' ' ^ I ^B < '■;■'■ raff * ^^w^ .' -*>■!; ''v'Ki V 1 ■B, f '"ai^-.'^^^-nc. ' • t' h .>h;.4-;r:',. \ ■>. ' >J ' ■ ■ .1 . ■ i M • r " - ' ' '^ ■ ^ '■ , ■■ ' ,-. - ' ■■ • ' ' ^" :; '^ , -.^ri^^r/ ;?il.tfb;>v{r.,f^nati 310-0 >d^DPj^ '.d; b-^vv'^?-^ H^^i: % '.■ >- . ■ ' ill ^'^i * ' ' / ■"W- Mr. ELLIS'S VOYAGE T O T H E Northern Frozen Ocean. THE knowledge of the frozen feas about the North Pole, was owing to a projcdl for the dlfcovery of a north- well paflage to China. So early as the year 1576 this noble defign was conceived, it has often been re- vived, it is not yet completed, but has never been wholly defpaireu of by thofe, whofe knowledge and fpirit make them competent judges and lovers of fuch undertakings. Forbifher only difcovered the main of New Britain, or Terra de Labrador, and thofe ilraits to which he has given his name. In 1585, John David failed from Dartmouth, and viewed that and the more northerly coafls; but he feems never to have entered the bay. Hudfon made three voyages on the fame ad- venture, the firft in 1607, the fecond in 1608, andjiis third and laft in t6io. This bold and j udicious navigator entered the ilraits that led / -:ly-' 52 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. into this new Mediterranean, coaftcd a gii»nt part of it, and penetrated to 8odeg. 23 min, into ihe heart cf tlie frozen zone. His ardour for th. difcovery not being abated by the drf-j Acuities he llruggled with in this empire of winter and world of froll and fnow, lie llaycd here until the enfuing fpring, and preparcd, in the beginning of 161 1, to purfue his dif- coveries ; but his crew, who ruHcred equal hardfhips without the fame fpirit K^ fupport them, mutinied, feized upon him and fevea of thole who were moll faithful to hi^n, and committed the^r to the fury of the Teas in an open boat. Hudfon and his companions' were cither fwal lowed up by the waves, or, gaining the inhofpitable coalt they water, were deftroyed by the favages ; but his calamitous ^fate cannot fo much difcourage an undaunted mind from fuch undertaiiings as the immor- tality of his name, which he has fecurcd by having given it to (o great a fea, .will be a fpur to others to expet^ an equal honour.. From the firll voyage of Frobifher to that of Capt. Ellis, containing an interval of one hundred and ten years, notwith Handing fo many difappointments, the rational hopes of this grand difcovery grew greater by every at- tempt, and fcemed to fpring out of our very failures. The greater fwell of the tides in the inner part of the bay than n€ar the Itraits, an appearance {o unknown in any other inland feas, and the encreafe of this fwell with weflerly winds, feemed, without any other au-guments, to evince the certain exiilence of "' ' =\.r' - . • ihoah > , •> BRITISH NAVIGATOR. ^ jfj "<■ 1 •. ,'• ^r: v ; ',')\ .'■ t fuch a pafTagc as \vc have Co long fought for ,. without fuccefs. - , . . There is fomcthlng fo agreeably entertain- . ing, and at the fame time there are fo many objcfls worthy the attention of the curious reader, in the expedition of Mr. Kllis to th« North Seas, that wc fliall be particular iu our account of it. * Two (hips were purchafcd by a committee appointed to manage the preparations for this , important voyage. One of thefe was an hun* . dred and eighty tons burthen, called the Dobbs galley ; and the other, of one hundred and forty tons, called the Californiit. Thefe veffcls were perfectly well repaired and ftrengthened, and in all refpcds fitted as well as could be defjrcd, for the voyage i.iey were intended to make. They had alfo put on board a fufficient quantity of provilions, mi^ litary and naval llorcs, with fach goods as were fit for prcfents to the inhabitants of the countries that might be difcovcred, and as good in their rcfpedlive kinds as ir was pof- lible tQ procure. Mr. Ellis was appointed to go tliis voyage in quality of agent for the committee, with- out being obliged to do any duty, or fubjedl to any command, but what were impofcd upon him by ti.e inilrudlionsof the committee. His principal inflrudions were, that he fliould make exaft draughts of all the new-difcovered countries, the bearings and diftances of head- lands ; that he (hould mark the rocks and ihoais on the coall, and aifilt in the material ^ , . , buii« / jwsa .BRITISH NAVXCArOJt. 54 bufmcfs of deterrniaing the feveral clrcum- Aances attending tides ; as alio to examine the faltneffi of the wacer, to obferve the variation of the compafs, to take notice of the different natures of the foil, and to colledl, to the iit- jmoll of his povvt. i , nie<:als, minerals^ and all kinds of natural curiofities, ,. . , The ihips, beiug thus prepared for this ex- pedition, fell down from Gravefend to the Hope on the 20th of May, 1746, and Liy there four days ; but^ in the mean time, the •veflels in the fervice of the Hudfon' Bay com- pany, and his majelly*s (hip ^he Loo, of f >rty guns, intended for the convoy, were filled for the Nore, where they foon followed them.. On the 31ft the commodore made a ilgnal i0 ivcigh, which was accordingly do«e by the whole fleet. On the 1 8th of June, thefe tv/o veiTels \c^ company with the Hudfon's Bay (liips, H'hich were the lafl: they faw for chat year. I'he Dobbs and the Calitornia being now left by vthemfelves, fignals were propofed and agreed on, for the better keeping company, which proved, in the courfe of the voyage, very ufefui in that refped. •' -'^"^ Nothing particular occ^arred, but thecom- -mon circumHances of the wind and weather, till the 2 ill at; r.lght, when a terrible fire broke out in the great cabin of the Dobbs, ; • and quickly made its progress to the powder- v^^'foom, which was diredlly underneath it, and Swhere there was no lefs than thirty or forty *^i)ar^els of j;ovvder, beiides candles, fpiritS| ; . juiUcheSp j^x 1 R I T I S H K A V I fi A T O R 55 8 tnatclies, and all manner of combuflibles. It is inipoffible to exprefs the confufion and con* fternation this accident occafioned. The dangerous place the fire was in, gave every one on board the greateft reafon to expert every moment wo«jld be their Jait. On th s occafion w^re heard aii the variety of fea eloquence, cries, prayers, curfes, and fcolding, mingled together ; yet this did not prevent proper mealures being taken to fave the ihip and the lives of the crew. Water in great abundance was paffed along and ^properly applied, and all other me- thods ufed by th' "e, who, in fpite of thefc dii.lurbances, ftill preferved their reafon. As to the crew in genera', their apprehenfions" fuggcHed to them a variety of expedients, which, without weighing or confidering, they one moment endeavoured to execute, and the ij^xt abandoned through diftraftion and dc- ipair. At length, however, the fire was hap* pily cxtlnguifned, and with it their dreadful " fears and apprehenfions. On the 27th they fell In with great qtian* tities of low ice, in latitud'j 58 dcg. 32 min. to the eaflward of Cape Farewell in Green- land, which obliged them to ftand to the louthward. F'jr fome time after this, they fiiiled through abundance of drift wood ; but from whence this wood came is Hill a matter of great uncertainty. On the 5th of July, they began to fall ia with thofe mountains of ic?, which are always met with near Hudfo.i^s Straits. Thii 1|iount.ainous ice is of a prgdigiotw iizc; and V 6 Mr» I . I h ! I 1 ♦ s S6 mm BRITISH Wfimmmmm. N A V I G A T 0-Tl. ' Mr. Ellis confirmed, what other navlgatort •had before aflerted, that fome of it is five or iix hundred yards thick. On the 8th they made the iilands of Refclution, at the diftance , of about half a mile. It was- owing to the fogglncfs of the weather that they did not fee them fooner, and it was happy for them that it clearei as it did ; for had thofe fogs con- tinued but a little longer, probably they would have gone on fhore, and their vefTels been broken to pieces on the rocks. Even as it was, they cleared but with great difficulty ; for the wind falling, and the fea rumbling in on the fhore, they were forced to have re- courfe to the Ihips oars, and by the help of thefe, and the boats towing a-head, they ■ made flaft to deliver themielves from this' flauger. In their palTage from thence to the Upper Savage IfTands, they met with little ice to obltrucl them. At thefc iilands, there came on board them three lai-ge and, twenty- fix fmall canoes full of Efquimaux Indians, with whom they exchanged faws, hatchets, gimblets, &c. for whale-bone and feal-ftcins. .On the 17th, the ice being vjry thick about them, they made fall co a very large piece of it, with feveral ice anchors and ropes. Here the crews of both vc/Tcls filled ihcir empty cafks with freih water, out of ponds which are commonly found upon the ice, without the trouble of breaking the ice, and melting it ia coppers. On the loth of Augull, after having touched at fume fevv iilands, as the weather / K f . ] begaa 1 • ' v— BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 57 rr began to fet in fevere, tney ;ence ihcv could '"^ ufe, before the Ihios were fecured in the creek* * Thli being efTcded, tliey turned their thoughts *"* on ttje methods neceffary for their own prefer-. ' vation, It^lnf^ ceitain, that the fcverity„ of*? ■ Vol. \ ill. F th« . M ^■'■' ,,. :♦. .f-->. ,.> .iJ, i ;: H; 1 ' igH W, <* i 1 ^ 58 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. - the cold would render it impolTible for thciBt to live on board their fliips. Some of the peo- ple were employed in cutting ii re- wood, and others in building log tents. 'ilxcSc were made of trees hewn and cut, about fixtecn feet long, raifed clofe together, their ends lying one againfl another at the top, but extending ut the bottom, in the form of the roof of a coim- try-houfe. The vacancies between thefe logs were Huffed with mofs, and that beiui^ plaiflered' over with clay, made a warm hut. The door was low and fmall, a fire-place iH the middle, and a hole over it to let out the fmoak. Other huts_^ of a tafl:^ fomevyhat more elegant, and in a more pleafiiut fituation, were eredled for the oHicers. On the 5 th of O6lober, they had much ic*. ict the creek, and by the 8th it was fad fro- zen. Until the coth tlicy had fnow, froil?, and moderate weather alternately, and on the 51ft, Hayes's R.iver wa.^ frozen quite hard : fo that now they had feme experience of what was to be expeurrt, or their contents above half congeakd. The watery parts of thefe having time to thaw and mix with the fpirituour^ the whole, when they came to drink it, proved wtry good, and fome even fancied it better than if it had never been frozen. ' From this long account of the feverity of their winters, it will be natural for any rea- dt^r to conclude, that the country is the mod uncomfortable in the world, and its inhabi- tants the moft unhappy ; but, in fad, they are very much the reverfe. Jf the weather be cold, they have abundance of beaver fhirts to clothe them, and many other conveni- tncies, which put them at lealt on a level with thofe who live m a milder climate. ♦'But what in this refpeft will appear much more extraordinary, (fays Mr. Ellis) I dare aii' rt, that people from Europi, who have lived here many years, prefer it to all other places; and when they lea^e it, and come lionie with the fhips, they grow tired, in a few months, of a more moderate climate, and \vi(h with impatience for the proper fea- fon, that irav give them an opportunity of rev'iiting thcie frozen regions." The whole jnoarh of January wore the fettled face of ^^inierj for, though the wea- , ^ ther ; f ti ■' 64 - BR 1 T 1 S H NAVIGATOR. ther was fometimcs dark icA tcmpelluous, with vaiV drifcs of Ihow, and at oth'T times pretty dear, yet ihc froll was coiiilant and latenfe..^ . .>:^;... ':s .•• ■.: ,, In the month of March, they had r^)eci- mens of every kind of weather. Sometimes it was not only tempera^;, but ifi fon;e degree warm, and at others cold again a.s everj but for the moll part moderate and pleafint.^ By this time alfo the plains were covered, and the rivers filled with wat«', fo that they now began to think of putting men and oliiccrs on board' their fliips, in order to prepare for pur- ■fuing their difcoveries. April opened in fuch a manner as freed them from the terrors they had been under for the fafety of their Ihips, Ihould a fudden thaw have enfued. On the 13th of this month ^hey buried one of their men, who had been a grent drinker of drams, fo that the fcurvy, which had raged among them, though with little fatality, would not fpare him. The ground was fo hard frozen, that it was, ge- nerally fpeaking, three or four days 'work to fink a grave ; but when the corpfe were onco laid in it, they would remain fafe and uncor- rupt, unlefs fornix great alteration fliould hap* pen in the climate, to the end of the world. On the 1 8th the weather began to mend, and the wind coming about to the fouth, they had a gentle fhovver of rain : a thing they had not fecn for fix months before, and therefore the more welcome. Ths fowii> too, after an ' . ■.; ' - abfence d / BRITISH NAVIGATOR- ifc fence of fevcn months, began to vifu them. They had likcwife a great flight of fmall birds, moil of which were of a dark ynd unplcaling colour; but the fweet- ne{s cxi their notes fufficieutly compeufared whatever was amifs in their plumage, ^nd made their company equally harmonious and agreeable. • About the 6th of May, the warm weather returned again, and the creek, where the fliips lay, was quite clear of ice, that wore away imjperccptibiy, though the river continued to be llill hard frozen, which drove the fi(h into the creek, where they caught plenty of thera with their nets. On the ifth the ice in the channehs of Haye{i*s River gave way, and floated down gently with the dream. The failors were all this time cf^nflantly employed in naking the fhips fit to go down the river ; and accoruingly, on the 29th, by the help of a \^ry high tide, occafioned by a n^rth-wcft wind, they warped to the very mouth of iha creek^ and lay there until the 2d of June. Oa the 9ih of June, their Ihips got down the river as faj- as the fadto. y, where they took in tlicjr naval (lores, proviiions, &c. in order to pin to iea, and proiecute the difcovery on which they were fent. On the 24th, having a fair wind, they weighed anchor, and paiTing t\\t ihoals, ftood to the northward on the dii« covcry. The next day, they failed through , intich broken ice, till they got to the north- ward of Cape ChurchiU> where they had a ;*.';. clear it. 66 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. clear fca, and proceeded without difficulty, till the lall dny of the month, when they made Ccntry Jlland, in 6i dcg, 40 min. north la- titude. ^ : '. ,u'j :,;i^i.,. !m; . .-^ \<4 -*- ' The EfkimauY, who inhabit the fea-coafti to the northward of the company's fettle* ments, appeared from time to time in fmall bodies of forty or fifty together, upon the eminences of the iflands of that fliorc, (hout- ing, and making fignuls for them to ap- proach ; but they proceeded on their courie without minding them, until they arrived at Knight's Illand, in 62 dcg. 2 min. north La- titude. On the 5th of June, they Hood over to the fouth fide of Sir BibyVs Illand, in hopes that they fliould hive been able to enter the open- ing ; but the ice driving out and in, in very large pieces, they were obliged to defill. They then Itood to the northward as far as 62 dcg, 12 min. On tlie 8th thev failed with an in- tention to coaft to the northward ; but ia repaying tlie ihoals, the tide fwept t,hem upon a ridge of fhoals, where their vciTcl was very near being ilove to pieces. However, by the friendly aHirtance of the Indians, it wa* got off without fuifcring any injury. It muil here be obferved, tha_t this veifel was neither the Dobbs nor the Ciilifornia, but a fmall one they had built while at Hudfon's Bay, for th« purpofe ofcoalling;. . . ♦- . ■ .> - On the 9th of July, they arrived at Sea- tloxk Ifland, which is very propeJ*ly named^ tijcr« tl t ■> * ii„:M:: at ,•! BRITISH NAVIGATOR.. Gj tliere being «! prodi^IoiTs refort of thofc crea- tures at that place; and the time in which our adventurers were there being the fcafon of propagation, th(?y were fXceilivcly furious, roaring in a terribk^ manfler, many of them flouncing about the beach, and much greater j T\ umbers in the fca that walbes its coalt. Having fpcnt fomc time in coalling in thi»^ little vcllcl, they rcfoivcd to ru'turn again to *i the fliips, which they joined on the 13th of 'j'! July, and then proccdeed on dil'coveries in v concert. As a mere journal of voyages, without fome enlivening circumdances, though ufeful in the higlicfl degree to mariners, affords very little amufement or inlbudion to readers who never traverfc tlic boundlefs ocean, we we (hall draw this account to a fpeedy conclufion, by obferving, that Wager Strait, which lies in the latitude of 65 di^v;, ^3 min. appears to be the higheil latitude Mr. Ellis gained. Being Hopped here by tiie ice, in the beginning of September, tliey re- folved to fail for Enpland, and arrived (a(q in Yarmouth roads on the 14th of Oftober, after an abfencc of one year, four months, and feventeen days. Thus the great dcfign of finding a north -well paflage failed ; but with no di/credit, either to thofe who planned the expedition, or to thofe who were cntrufced . with the execution of it. Such great defigns, even in their failure, bellow a futiicient reward '^%^ for whatever may have been expended upon them. ^ Having I • I; I * «8 ^tm BRITISH N A V I C A T O &• Having given a particular account of Hud- Con^s Bay, ^nd the Britifh Eikiinaux, in tht fjurtb volume of the Polite Traveller, we beg leave to refer our readers to that volume for fati&fadion in- thofc intevdling parti- coJa^. , Cv\ ,,,iJX >,-; fJi . yr. /■.-■,, {j. .j- f,'(^ . K ^..11, -,. i r iji ■ f I ' N • - « ■ ♦ J' ' ■•q.i , t . -r T. »• . . (I ■ ■ • • » M — • ' • •• - * I' V • 1 f 4 „,■■.. ■V.\;S..^ -K, V^ -•^ i- .V i' v • » f /ffaptaln ! I >' .U .■.■^.\mV. ; ' » ^♦'i^ w*1 •: '. '• .< :v ^. ^ ,' 4 «■ »■ ■ Z^. ■•:'.' .7". ^i- i. 1 / . 'A- i1.Jj"l» - ^ 69 } ^ ' j.,: V -> c > Vil- Captain Wo'o'd*s Voyage IN SEARCH OF A NORTH-EAST PASSAGE. IN the Interval between the voyages of Fro- bifher and that of Capt. Ellis, (fee p. 52) the following voyage was performed by Capt. » Wood. This able and enterpriliDg navigator, being himf-^lf an excellent mathematician and geographer, and reading in the Philofo- phical Tranfadtions a paper, by which the exigence of a north-eail pafTage to the eaftern or Indian ocean was plaufibly aflerted, and this exailly coinciding with his own notions of the conftrudion oi the globe, he was in- duced, by thefe and other reafons, to apply to King Charles the Second for a cornmiifion to prciecute the difcovery ; the accompliih- inent whereof, it was faid, would aid to th« glory of his majcfty^s reign, and immeniely to the wealth and profperity of his kingdoms* Many about the court of that needy prince, hoping to Ihare in the profits of the voyage, were ea*-nell in prevailing with the king to for- %vard the dei^gn, who being himiclf fond of Vol. Vlil« G novelty. vl ii' ~ BRI'TrSH NAVIGATOR. novelty, orcfered the Speedwell frigate to be fitted out at his own charge, manned, vidualled, and provided with every nece/Iary; Avhile the duke, his brother, and feven other courtiers^ joined in the purchafe of a pink of one hundred tons, to accompany her, which they likewife manned and viclualled, and furniOied with merchandizes, fuch as were thought marketable on the coalls of Tartary or Japan, which places it was fuppofed, after their paflage through the North Sea, they would mod prob.ibly fall in with. Every thing being now in readinefs, and the fliips being commiflioned, Capt. Wood being appointed to dire<^ the expedition on board the Speedwell, and Capt. Hawes to bear him company on boad the Profperous, on the 28th of May, 1676, they failed from the Buoy of the Nore, with the wind at fouth- weft; and on the 4th of June call anchor off Lerwick, in Brafl'ey-Sound, where they cou- .tinued Lk days, to recruit their flores and take in water. On the loth they weighed anchor, and continued their voyage. On the 15th rhey entered the Polar circle, where the fun .at that feafon of the year never fets. At noou the Speedwell broke her main-top-fail yard in- the flings, which was the firft difafter that had happened ; but this, however, was eafily repaired. The weather now began to grow hazy, a circumftance that frequently hap- pens in the polar regions, darkening the air with the«bfcurit^ of ni^ht, which readers the navi* v'jW:''. t^\ " t-.'A ' » *, •-«■;■■ 'f ( « 4. jate to lanneJ, leWcirv ; n other pink of which I, and 3 were ['artary ipofed, ;h i)ca, fs, and Wood tion on wes to 3US, on 1 from fouth- hor off jy coii- d take nchor, KtK he fun noon yard ^r that eafily grow hap- he air irs the navi* ^BRITISH NAVIGATOR. 7I jiavigation of thefe feas extremely difagrceable and dangerous. They continued their courfe northward from this time till the, 22d of June, when they fell in with the ice in latitude 75 deg. 59 min. without any thing material occurring. On that day at noon, they obferved a con- tinent of ice llretching to an imperceptibla diitance, in a diredion from eail-fouth-eail", and wefl-north-wcft. They bore away along the ice till the 28th, when they found it join to the land of Nova Zcmbla. The next day, they flood away to the fouth, to get clear of the ice, but unfortunately found themfelves embayed in it. At eleven at night, the Prof- peroas bore down upon the Sp'^edwell, cry- ing out, ** ice upon the wenther-bow." 7 he Speedwell now clapt the helm hard a-weather, and veered out the main-fail to ware the fhip ; but, before flie could be brought-to on the other tack, (he ftruck on a ledge of rocks, and lluck fall. They fired guns of diflrcfs, but were not heard; and the fog was fo thick, that land could not be difcovered, though clofe to the flern of their fliip. No relief was now to be expelled, but from Providence and their own endeavours. In fuch a fitun- tion, no defcription can equal the relation of the captain himfelf, who, in the language of the times, gave the following full and pa* thetic account of it. ''Here (fays he) we lay beating upon the rock m a moil frightful manner, for the fpace of three or four hours, ufing all poflible G 2 me^ns •j I I i; I I'll 72 IJl XT I SH KAVIGATOR. means to favc the fhip, but in vain; for It blew ib hard, that it was wholly out of our power to carry out an anchor capable to do us any iV'-vice. At length, we faw land clofe unJcr our flern, to the gre it amazement of us all, which before we could not fee for the f jggy weather. So I recommenacd t'le men to get out the boats before our mailb came by the board, which was done. 1 feut the boatfwain towards the Ihorc in the pinnace, to fee if there were any pollibility oF landi ig, which I feared, becaufj the iea ran fo hi^h. In half an hour he returned with this anf^er, that it was impoiiible^to lind a iiian, as the fnow being in higfi cLlF , the ihore was inac- ceffible. This was bad tidings ; fothat it was bigh time to think on the fafety of our fuuls, and we went aitogCwher to prayers, to be fee ch God to liavc mercy on us, for now nothing but Inevitable ruin appeared before our eyes. After pr.iyers, the wcatner cleared up a little, and looking over the ilern, I fiw a frnall beach diicctly with the ilern of the Ihip, where 1 thought tliere might be fome chance of getting on fhore J therefore fent off the pinnace .1 fecond time, vich lome men in her , to be firil lanaed ; but ihc aared not vencure to attemu the be:5ch. I then ordered out the long- boa I wich twenty men to land, who attempted it, und got fafe on Hiore. Thofe in th • pinna e feeing that, followed, and landed their men like wife, and both vefTels returned ti) tne ihip withiiut any accident. . Xhe men ou fliore deiired foiue iire-arnis and ' ' ' ' ; ■ " ' anunu- BRITISH NAVIGATOR. -^| ammunition, for there were many bears in fight. I therefore ordered two barrels of powder, feme fmall arms, f)me provifion^, with my own papers and money, to be put on ■ board the pinnace; but as Ihe 'put off from the fhip*s fide, a fea overfet her, fo that all was lofi, with the life of one man, and fe- veral others taken up for dead. The pinnace Hkewife was- daflicd to pieces, to our great forrow, as by that difafter, our means of ef- caping from this difmal country, in cafe the Profperous defcrted us, was cut' off. The long-boat being onboard, and the fea running high, the boatfwain and fome others would compel tne and the lieutenant to leave the Ihip, fayino; it was impCiTible for her to live long in that lea, and that they had rather be drowned than I ; but defifing me, when I got on ihore, if it were pofTible^ to fend the boat again for them. Before we got half way to the Ihore, the fhip overfet ; fo making all poflible halle to land the men we had on board, I went off to the fhip again, to fave thofe poor men who had been fo kind to me before. With great hazard, I J^ot to the quarter of the fliip, and they came down the ladder into the boat ; only one man was left behind, who had befr.re been cafl away in the pinnace, and was iup- pofed to be dead. So I returned to tlie flicre, though very wet and cold. We then hauled up the boat, and went up the land about a flight fhot, where our men were making a fire, and a tent with canvafs and oars, which we had favcd for that purpofc, in which we G 3 aii Pi 74 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. . J m£U all lay that night wet and weary. The next morning, the man we left on board having recovered, got upon the miz'^*n-mail, and prayed to be taken on (bore ; buL it blew fo bard, and the Tea ran fo high, that, thougk he was a very pretty Tailor, none would ven- ture to bring him off. *' The weather continuing blowing with ex- treme fogs, and with froil and fnow, and all the ill-compadled weather that could be ima* gined put together, we built more tents to pre- ferve ourfelve> ; and the fhip breaking in pieces, came all on Ihore to the iame place whj?rc we landed, which ferved us for fhelter and firing. Be/ides, there came to us fome hogflicads of flour, and brandy in good itore, which was no little com fort in our great extremity. We now lay between hope and defpair, praying for fair weather, that Capt. Hawes might find us, which it was impolTible for him ever to do while the weather continued foggy ; but fear- ing at the fame time that he might be cad away as well as we. ** But fuppofing we were never to fee him again, I was refolved to try the utmoft to fave as many as I could in the long-boat. In or- der thereunto, we raifed her two feet, and laid a deck upon her to keep out the fea as much as poiTible; and with this boat, and thirty men, for llie would carry no more, I intended to row and fail to RufTia; but the crew, not being fatisficd who fhould be the men, began to be very unruly in their mind aad behaviour, every one having as much reafon IS no now fair us, do ear- cail or- land as land :, I the the jiTid |ucU ilun BRITISH NAVIOATOR. fc<^ reafon to fave himfclf as another; fome hold- ing confultation lo Have the boat, and all to run the like fortune. Here, however, brandy was our beil friend ; for it k^pt the men aU ways foxed, fo that in all their defigns I could prevent them. Some were in the mind to go by land, but that 1 knew was impoifible to any man ; neither had we proviilons, nor ammunition to defend us from the wild bcafts. So that, the pafTage by land being imprac- ticable, and no paflage by fea to be attempted till forty men were dcflroyed, I will leave it to the conlideration of any, whether we were not in 'a moll: deplorable condition, without the interpofition of Divine Providence. ** The weather continued ftill very bad, with fogs, fnow, rain, and frol^, till the ninth day of oui being on ihorCi which was the 8th of July, when in the morning it cleared up, and to our great joy, one of our people cried out, * a fail,' which proved to be Capt. Hawes. So we fet fire to our town, that he might fee where we were, which he pre- fcatly difcovered ; fo came up, and feat his boat to us. Before I went off, 1 wrote a brief rela- tion of the intention of the vovafjc, with the accident that had befallen us, and put it into a glafs bottle, which I left In the fortiiicatioa I had then built. So by twelve o^clo^k we all got f.ife on board, but left all on iliore that vve had faveJ from 'he (hip ; for we much feared it would prove fog^y :igai-n, and that we Ihoiiid be driven once more on ih's mife- rable country ; a country, for the nioit pnrt, ' covered \ I ^8, -tf^trisn f^AvidA'fbU' '^ covered perpetually with fnovv; and whit is bare beini; like bor;s, on whofe farfacc gro.vs H kind of mofp, beaiintf a blue and yellow flower, the whole produ!! of the earth in this deiblatc region. Undijr the furface, about two ft.'et deep, we came to a firm body of ice, tL thing never heard ofbefure ; and againil tha ice-c]ilts, which are as high as either of the f<>r;:lands in Kent, the Tea has wafhed under- neath, and the arch overhanging, moil fear- ful to behold, furports mountains of fnr-w, which, I believe, hath lain there ever fi.ice the creation.'' ' ' * "- - Thefe are the v/ords in wich Capt. Wood cllow 1 this about if ice, )f the mder- ; fcar- fnr.w, ' fiace V/cod adds, on the , that One which r na- than eareil at the d and led on their ;y ar- |y re- on been irs ia ;e by the BRITISH NAVICATOR. Jj. the north or north-eaft had no exigence. They were the more confirmed in this error (ior an error it is) by the reafons afligned by Capt. Wood, for changing his opinion in this matter ; for, before he went on the dif- covery, he was fully perfuadcd himfclf, and Ijkcwifc perfuadcd many others, thut nochinij was more certain. When, however, he firil faw the ice, he imagined it was only that which joined to Greenland, and thnt no folid body of ice extended farther from land than twenty leagues. In this perfuafion he altered his courfc, and coadcJ along in the direclion in which the ice lay, expedling, at every cape or head-land of ice, after running a certain diftancc, to find an opening into the Polar ocean ; after running two or three glafles ta the northward in one bay, he found himfelf entangled in another, and thus it continued till his (liip was wrecked. By this expcrim nt, he found the opinion of Barents confuted, name- ly, that " by fleering the middle courfe be* tween Spitfoergen and NovaZembla, an open Tea might be attained, in which a (hip might fafely fail as far as the Pole." From his own experience he therefore pronounced, that all the Dutch relations of any man having been under the pole were forgeries, he verily be- lieving, that if there be no land to the north- ward of 80 degrees, the fea is there frozen, and always continues fo. He grounded his opinions upon this remark, that if the body of ice, which he faw, were to be conveyed ten degrees more to the fouthward, it would "Tf 1 Vf> h 58 BftlTlSH NAVICATOn;* would require many centuries of years to di/lblve it. ■ • ' ' *■ However, to ihis pofirlve aflertion may be Oppofed the teftimony of many credible per- sons, fome of whom have themfelves {jailed beyond the ?oth dc|;rec of north latitude ; and ©thers, upon evidence, whofe veracity there is no reafbnab!e cauic to bring in qucflion> Among the latter, the tellimony of Mr. Jo- leph Moxon, a member of the Royal Society of London, muft have coniiJerable vveighf. In a paper, which this gentleman caufed to "be printed in the Philc.ophical Tranfadlicns, is this remarkable relation. . • *' Being about twei. y years ago in Amfler- dam, I went into a public houle to drink a cup of beer for my thirfl ; and fitting by "the fi re, among feveral people, there happened a feaman to come in, who feeing a friend of his there, who he knew went the Greenland •voyage, wondered to fee him, bccaufe it was not yet time for the Greenland fleet to come home, and allied him, what accident had brought him home fo foon. His friend, who was the fleerfman, anfwcred, that the fhips went not Qut to fifh, but only to take in the lading of the fieet, to bring it to an early inarket. Bat, faid he, before the fleet had caught f.fh enough to lade us, we, by order of the Greenland company, failed unto the north pole, and came back again. Where- upon, fays Mr. Moxon, 1. entered into dif- courJ.: with him, and fecmed to quellicn the truth of what he faid ; but he did affure me ^^1 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. to lllpS the :ar!v had rdcr the ere- dif. the me it 79 it was true, and that the (hip was thea in Amllerdam, and many of the icamen belong- ing to her ready to jullify the truth of it» He moreover toKl me, Hiat they had filled two degrees beyond the pole. 1 afkcd him, if they found no hind or iilands about tha , pole ? Me anfwered, no ; there was a free and open fca. I afked him, if they did not meet with a great deal of ice ? He told me, no ; they fdw no ice about the pole. I afked him, what weather they had there ? He told me, iine warm weatiicr, fuch as was at i^miler- dam in the fummcr time, and as hot. I fhoiild have afkcd him more qucftions, but that he was engaged in difcourfe with his friend, and I could not in modefty interrupt them longer. But I believe the ftcerfmaii, fpoke truth ; for he feemed a plain, honell, and unafteifled pcrfon, and one who couij have np defign upon me." Add to this, that the Dutch, who were employed in 1670, in endeavouring to find a north-eail paHage, advanced within a fevy degrees of that open fea, which is now com* monly navigated by the Ruffians, and which .would infallibly have brought them to th^ coafls gf China and Japan, had they per* fvvered in the courfethey were purfuing. TH? I ■' i [ «o 3 ■ :~ >f, / .,, \ \ > J (.' .i- ' 'X, '' ;(r a. • V I > ■ T U £ lion. Com. Phipps's Vo^-agc .. I IN lEARCH OF A •a NORTH-EAST PASSAGE. THE medns talccrt tor render this voyage fuccefsful, were in every refped propor- tioned to the importance of the intended dif- covery, and thcveirds that were made choifc iii of were tlie propercil that could be dcvifed. Bomb-ketches aie in the iiril inftance lloutly built; and not being ovrr-hirge^ are befl adapted for navigritirg fi^ias that are known » to abound with ihoals and covered rocks, Thefe vefiels, befides their natural ilrength, were fheathed with planks of fcafoned oak three inches thick^ to fortify them again ft the; (hocks and prcflure of the ice, which in their progrefs they mull inf:iliibly encounter. They were befides furniOied with a double fet of ice-poles, anchors, cables, fails, and rig-, j^ing, to provide againil the terrible cfiects of rhc ieverc and. te^tjpcftuoui weather, which 5RITISH l^AVIOATOR, 9t age £. oyagc ropor- dif. :hoicc vifed. outly be it nown ocks, Ingth, oak fainft :h in inter* ids or 'hicli frcquently happens in high latituJcs, even in the middle of the moll t'.mpcratc r»af m. Nor was lefs attention paid to provide jvcry thing for the comfortable fuhiiilenceof the men, and the prefcrva' ion of their lives. ThuscqrppoJ. and provided, the command of the Racj-horie was given to the Hon. Conllantlne Phi rps, as commodore, and that of the L'.ircafe to Capt. Shifhnii;ton Lutwych ; the iirft mouniijig eight fix-poun^cs and fourteen ivvivcis, bjrt^eix three hunJre^l and fifty to'ib ; .he laiter four fix-poundors and fuurtecn fw'ivels, burtht'il three hundred tons. • * . '• ^ - All things being now in readinpfs, on the 4th of June, 1773, they took their departure from Sheeincf., and c«;ntinued their voyage, without any material occurrence happeninf** till the 15th, when the corn mod >re made the fignal to lie-to. They were then off oraflc/ Ifland, and purchafed fume fi(h of the Shci- land boats. During the courfe of this month, ^s they got into cold latitudes, th/^ warai cloathing was delivered out to both officers and private men, and on the 2Cth, they entered the polar circle. The weather now began to fet in le- vere, the nights were cold, and tiie days cloudy. They had reached the 70th degr-^e of latitudi?, in a courfe nearly norrh ; and from their leaving Shetland to this time, the/ had fecn ni)thin^ remarkable ; nor had an/ • accident befallen either of the Ihips wortli mentioning, except that of now and then fnapping a rope, or breaking a yard, which -Vol. Vili, a y^rS p " BRITISH N A Vt 6 A f 6 ft/ «l 2 22(1 , and :able, more r lati- n ex* bein? itude came lit- to, icern- ice of lorth- Mar- f who a deer oured ^ewifc from V hales lolnig , that thiJ norn- e next noun- allus. , to y feet ilance fbme- e foot ming, have have fometimcs a very fiery appearance, ^nd the ice and fnow on their fides refcmbling' trees and fhrubs, glitter with a brilliancy that exceeds the fplendoar of the brighteit gems. When this happens, a violent flonit generally fucceeds. The next day theyfpoke with a Hollander, who foretold, that a det^ree or two farther north was the iitmotl evtent of their progrefs this feafon. Having doub'cd Cape Cold, they anchored in fifteen fathoms of water, about three iriles from the land, and fcnt the boats on fhore for w\*:cr, which they found in abundance, pouring down in little itreams from the rocks. On the 4th their latitude was 79 deg. 34. min. north, and their longitude from London 8 deg. 10 min. eait. The next day, there being a thick f^g^ the Race-horie fired guns as fjgnals to keep company, which were anfwered by the Car- cafe. A dreadful cracii:ling was heard at a diftance, which proved to be the dafliiag and grinding of'tha lofe pieces of ice again H: each ' other, which is heird at many leagues dif- tance. On the 6th i*: was very 'fo^gy, th^ breezes ilii^ht, and iilands of ice bcTan to appear. At three in the afternoon, the com- modore hauled up from a large body of packed ice; and the fog thickening, both Ihips kept firing volhes of fnnall arms, to pr^'vent their ^ loOng company. The next day, they found the mfelves befec among the loofe ice, which , . encreafing continually, gave them incredible trouble. It was with difficulty tiiey could keep any cour'e, for the drifts of ice came fo H z thi^k, ^" y BRITISH NAVIGATOR. I ih". ■I •11 H thick, as to whirl the fhip about, as if in a whirlpool. The next clay, the fhips conti- nued entari^;led in the ice, and the Care fe, being driven to lejward, hoiiled out her long- boat to tow up with the commodure ; but the ice cloiing very fall, it was impolilbie for the boat to iive. Orders were then given to tack and Hand to the fouthward ; but the ihips not being uble to make head againll the accumu- lation of ice that gathered round them per- petually, they were under a necefllty of apply- ing to their iCe-anchors and poles, in order to varp throi.gh it. In the evening, the ice be- ginning to open, they again hoiTled out their ta..ts, and with dithcuiiy towed the Ihips ro'.Hid a cape of ice prcjecting from the main bociv, and at lall got cle^r. In exiricating then. i 1 es ircm tni:^ oapgeous htuation, the Kace-hori'i had hn- be *^ bower an^h;;r fnapC in the fn ink, cloie to rh'- llock, and tiie C^itcaie loll her iiarboard bumLiii and hedd- raii?^. ii frf-quently happens, that (hips bcfet in the ice in tlie mannci above rtL. ed, pvnih by bemg d.ifhed to lie.e :ig lull Oae loiia fields of iv'f', or cru-hed by the broken pieces crowd- ing u 'On • ne anv^th'^r, :ind riU.g lo fuxl above the : ip, as to exceed th^^ hcigiu of her ii^ies, and L;-ien th re is no ellaplag. They were toid by fome experienced iCcUiien, that the ice rife i OiU'f tie iea as h;gh lon.eiiinea as mount ns; .mdthat, fevcrai of thefe moiin- ta ns, by ilicking together and coalefcing, foiin thofe ijiand^ of ice that are frei^ i^nily fi^cn r th he th JJd to an( tio] ice ch; it 1 the; to will hou that zen foun era*t] oftei that rifyi that agai] tatio hard Oi and the 1 joine pierc (juan re. t m ^ by •iCids vvd- 1)0 vc es. tKe ) as tin- tmg. :iii fc cn BRITISH NAvriGATOR. feen in the lower latitude;, driving up and tiOwn -the fea as the wind and tides dfrccl them. The greatell danger to b^ appre- hended is, however, from the loofc ice ; for the whalers often nioor iheir fhipi to the Co^ Jid fields of iccy which at certain fe a Tons Teem to r^lt upon the earth, and appear fixed to it, and there find the bell fifhinq^. In fuch litua- tions it often happens, that little or no loofe ice is to be feen ; yet prefcntly, upon a change of wind, or the blowing of a ilorm, it fhall pour in upon^them fo fuddenly, that they fometimes perifh in it. It is not poiilble to account for the ailonifnlng quautity that will gather in this manner in lefs than .in hour's time. Though it feems to be agreed, that many of the largrft fields of ice are fro- zen to the depth of the fea in which they are found, and that they are bclded on the folid earth, yet it is equally certain, that tney are often rent afunder by the rriging billows; and that in breaking, they produce the mofl ter-' rifying noife in nature. It is even aiT^rted, that the clafhlng of the pieces of loofe ice againd each other, on any extraordinary agi- tation of the waves, is attended with a roar- ing fo loud, that a man who is near it can hardly he;.r the found of his own voice. On the 9th thoy hav/1 cd up co the welhvard, and loll fight of each other; iuid about nine the next morning they came in fight, and joined company. Tiie weather being now iercine cold, the people had an additional H\ 'g y |'. 1 he commodore, therefore, at feven in the ( vcDing, hau'ed clofe t) the wind; an;) rhe ^^arcafe, a? f-on as f})e could c:-Jtri- c:.ce hcrleif, iollowrd lis example. 1 he .we,.t;^er ccntmuino; f ; £• ', v/ith rain and fnow,' th'* faJors vveie ^ iiiOil worn out with tnr. !■ Of .aid ^v^iPdino- ; ard alrhonLh liiev u'ed "-the uinii^il pjecrur.-ion in working tiirougli tite • nurr-v. s, yet ujey could not always avoid : ilrik: H^ a ainll the nioiintdins th u everv Off- ..." ;W')tTe iurio'inuea them. During t-ii> night's w. ' k, h- ) ll'v red a hundixd dixK i euc couries, to f-^l' nv rhe channel-. JJav n^ .G-keu out of rhe ice, on the i irh itliey l.a.eJ a] n^ t*ie main bo^4y, whicn ap- •'pcand pfifev.'y fol d unA c.r.,j.:ti, without lary pff pe or i ht. I'h s mmenfe mafi> of it SAtchLlcd ncnh-^ali, oS fur nb they c<^uld \fc.t i'r m rhe malt-bead; a<;d, no doubt, ; rnig^it be a u nrinua* ( n ot that ice, in which • tfiey w'-re en;,ja.^cd a few days bef re. 1 he fca was novv oi rahly dear, for ih, and ijiily a few detached ifiands. ■ i :>i ■' ''■%'■ BRITISH NAVIGATOr. ' • 'i^and?. In the morning they faw the land, and they tacked, Cloven ClifF bearing fix miles to the f)uth-routh-ealt. At this tim?, they were in the latitude of 79 dcg. 56 min. north. The next day they faw feveral Hng« liOi and Dutch Grcenlanders at anchor in the Norways, this being their rrndezvous to the northward, and they ne\er chooie to p'o eed further. Here they found the current felting fo faft to the eaitward, that they were forced to come to an rnchor to keep from drifting on the ice ; the fweli from the weliward be- ing fo great, that, had that hapj ened, it would undoul'tedly have llaved the fliips. At five in the mojnini^, a breeze fpringing up, they weighed and made fail. Their laiiii'de at this time was 80 deg. 2 min. north. On the 13th, a wind fpringing np from the eaitward, they came to an i^n^^* ' in Smear- inoburgh Harbour, in Spit.'?^.^ 2n. Here tkey remained five or fix days tu t -ke in frelli water, during wh.ch time our |ournalill: was employed in furveying the c'runiry, which, to a ftranger, had a very awful and romantic appearance. 1 lie country is itony, and, as far as can be feen, full of mountains, preci- pices, and rock*^. Between thrfe are hilh of ice generated, as it Ihould feem» by the tor- rents that flow from the mel'ing of the fnow on the fides of thofe towering elevations, v/hich, being once congealed, are continually encreafed by the fnov/ in winter, and the rain in fummcr, which often freezes as foon as it falls* 83 BRITISH N A V I C A T »♦ fails. By looking on thefe hills, a ftranger may fancy a thou land different fliapes of trees, cailles, chujxiies, ruins, fliips, whales, mon- ilcrs, and ail the various forms that fill the univerfc. Of thefe ice-hills thire are (even, which inore particularly attr^.^l the notice of a flranger than the reft. Thcfe are known by tlie name of the Seven Iccbur^s, and are thought to be tlie higheft of the kind in that country. When the air is clear, and the fun Ihincs full up in thefe mountiiins, the profpe<^^ is inconceivably brilliant. They fometimcs put on the bright glow of the evening r«ys of the fetting fun, v.'hcn reflected upon glafs at its going down ; fometimes they appear of a bright blue, like fapphire, and fometimes like the vaiiable colours of a prifm, exceeding in luftre the richell gerns in the world, dif- pofed in flmpes wonderful to behold, all glit- tering with a luilrc that dazzles the eye, and ii\h the air with an aitonifliing brightnefs. Snmcaringburgli Harbour, where they land- ed, was firlt difcovercd by the Dutch, who here erected fheds and conveniencies for boiU imx the oil from the fat of the whales, inllead of barrelling it up to be boiled at home. Here alfo, allured by the hope of gain, they b;nlc a village, p.wd endeavoured to fix a co- lony ; but the firft feitlcrs all pcrifned in the enluing winter. 'J'he remains of the village may be traced to this day ; and their iloves, kettles, trough:, ovens, and other imple- ments, remained in the lliape of folid ice long ^Aer the utcniils thcmfeivc* were decayed. Our Oil id. 'ho »iU :ad ne. .cy :o- he es, le- BRITISH NAVIGATOR. g^ Our voyagers were told, that the Rnflians had * aticmpted the fame thing in 1772, and that, in the attempt, ten out of fifteen perilhed dur-^ ing the winter, v -ij !i" fvci .1,^1, ,, r; it is not Cdfy for a flranger to fix on which firll to adnriire, where every furroiinding ohje^l- is new. The rocks, before a ilorni, exhibit a fiery appearance, and the fun looks paJc upon them, the fnow giving the air a bright* refie^lijn. The fumniits are almoil always involved in clouds, fo that it is butjivilpol- fible to fee the tops of them. Some of thefe^ rocks are but one ftotic from bottom to top, appearing like an old decayed ruin. Others confill of huge mafles veined differently, like mjrble^ wich red, white, and yclow; and- probably, were they to be fawed and poJiried, would equal, if not excel, the fincll L'l^yp^^^ian. marble we now fo much admire. Pei h;ips, the dill: mce and danger of carrying large- blocks of Itone, may be the reaKm that no- trials have been made to manufaduie them. On the (butherly and wefterly fides of thefe rocks grow all the plants, herbs, and mc^lles, ' peci^diar to this country ; but on tl^e northerly and eailerly hdes, the wind ftrikeb fo cold v,'hen it blows from thofe quarters, that it pe- rilhcs every kind of vegetable. ^ Till the middle of May, the vvh(;Jr! coun'ry 13 locked up in ice ; about tiie middle of July,-'' the plants are in flower; : r.d about the latter' end 0/ the fame month, or beg.nning r)r Augull, they have perfeded their feed. The earth owes its fertility, in a ;rreai meafure. :V. 1; ,: to T ^ I 50 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. — to the dung of birds, who build and breed their youn^ here in the fummcr, and in the winter repair to more favourable climates. The plants xthat arc moll common in Spitf- bergen arc fcurvy-grafs and crov^'s-foot. There arc befides fmali houfeleek, a plant with aloe leaves, an herb 1 ke (lone-crop, fome fn^all fnakc-weed, mnufe-ear, and a herb peculiar to the country, which they call the rock-plant. There are other plants and herbs, but thefe are the chief. The principal flower Teems to be the white poppy ; but as for rofes, pinks, or carnations, they mud not be looked for in this cold and defolatc region. Innumercible liflures and clefts are fcen In the rocks and precipices, which afford conve- nient hirbour for birds to lay their eggs, and breed their young in fafety. Moll of thefe birds are v/ater-fowl, and feek their food in the fea. Some indeed are birds of prey, and purfue and kill others for their own fufle- nance; but thefe are rare. The water- fo\%'Is eat llrong and filhy, and their fat is not to be endured. They are fo numerous about the rocks, as fometimes to darken the air when they rife in flocks, and they fcream fo horri- bly, that the rocks ring with their noife. There are a few fmall birds like our fnipes, and a kind of fnow bird, but different from that found about Hudfon's Bav. The fren- tlemen fliot forne of the water-fowl, but they were llrong and ill- tailed. The ice-bird is a very beautiful little creature, but very rare, lie is in lizc and Ihape like a turtle-dove ; ' . but I th( ili^iifiii V the wiien lorri- loife. lipes, from gen- they i is a rare, iove ; bul BRITISH. NAVIGATOR. QI but his plumage, when the fun flnncs upoa him, is of a bright yellow, like the eoldea ring in the peacock*s tail, and almoil Jaz/Jcs the eye of the beholder. , .r\ The quadrupeds of this forlorn country arc white bears, decrs, and foxes. How thcfc creatures can fubfiil in winter, when the who e" earth is covered wiih fnow, and the fea locked up In ice, is hardly to be conceived. It has been faid, indeed, that when the ocean is all frozen over, and no fuftenance to be procured in this country, they travel fouthcrl/ to the warmer climates, where food proper for theiu abounds in the immenfe forefts of the nortliern continent; but wiioever confiders the valt diftancc between Spilfbergen and the neareit parts of the northern continent, will be ai much at a lofs to account for the fubliltence of thefe creatures in tlieir journey,, {lible. Thefe creatures, SLi they difier in notlung but their colour and fize from thofe commonly fhewn in England, need no defcri^jtion. 'rhft/ox25 diHer littlt!? ia (hape from thofe we a^ j^cquainted with, but in colour there is no* fimilitnde, thdr heads being black, and their bodies white. As they are beails of prey, if they do not pro. vide in fummer for the long recefs of winter, it were, one would think, almcft impoirible for them to furvive ; yet they are feen in plenty^, though by their fubtlcty and fwift- nefs, they c:.re not eafily to be catched. The Dutch Teamen report, that when tliey are hungry, they will feign themfelvcb dead, and, when the ravenous birds come to feed ,upon them, they rife and make them their prey. But the moil wonderful thing of all is, how the deer can furvive an eight months famine. Like ouj-s, they feed upon nothing that can be perceived, but the vegetables which the earth fpontaneoufly produces; and yet, for eight months in the year, the earth produces neither plant, herb, ihrub, nor blade of any kind of grafs whatever. They are, beiides^, but .thinly cioAtlied for fo fevere a ^- .,•- - ... ♦ climate : lu ■ ^ ■ . -v jno .? » 1 BRITISH NAVICAT0R. 95 climate; and what feems (Hll worfo, there is not a biilh to be fecn to (hehcr ihem, wichin the dilUnce that any man has yet difrovered.. The means of their fubfillenc^ ;nuft therefofe remain among the fecrcts of nature, never to be difclofed, as no human being can live here, fo as to truce the winter refidence of tlicfc creatures, '^ ^ * ' -r-:- '> .* ... » iii^ . The founds and bays of Spitfbergen abound with amphibious creatures, which feem belt adapted to endui* the climate. Thefe arc the feals, or f«"^-dogs, and morfes, or fea^ horfes, of whi the whalers avail themfelvcs when difappointed in completing their lading with the tat of whales. The feal is fuf- ficieptly known ; but the fca-horfe, as it i' a creature peculiar to high latitudes, is there* fore more rare. Jt is not eafy to fay how it ( \me by that name, as there is no more like- nefs between the fea and land-horfe, than there is between a'Wi> \Ie and an elephant. The fea- ii )rfe has a lar round head, Lrger than that ot i bull, but {ha> cd more like that of a pug-dog without ears, than any other animal we are . acquainted wirh. He lapers all the way down • to the tail, '.ke the fiCh we call a lamp,' ■ and his fize is t .}ual to that of the largeil nx.'.- His tufks clofe over his under-jaw^ like ^hofe of a very old bear, and in lengtii from one -,.* foot to two or more, in proportion to the fize*. and a.g;i ci the animal that breeds them. His ^ flcin Is i. :'; "ker than that of a bull, and cOr-' ' Vf^red with fhort moufe-coioured hair, which is fleeker and thicker, jufl as he happens to Vol/VIII. I be m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V // // / "^' '/ ^ ML/. 1.0 I.I 1^ E3.2 2.5 us 1^ 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► vQ <^ n y: '<^i e3 ^>' V /A PhotDgrapiiic Sciences Corporation m iV 4^ <> ^ V CV 6^ #,/^ <^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^■^ C?.r A 3V >*■. 94" BRITISH NAriCAfOR* he in or out of feafon when he is caught. HU paws, before and behind, arc like thoih a£ n luole, and fervc him for oars wJicn he fwlmi^ and for legs to crawl when he goes ^apon tJie ice or on fliore. He is a iierce animal ; but being unwieldy when on land, or on the ice, he is ealily overcome. Thefe animals otre zU ways found in herds, fometimes of many luindreds together, and if one be attacked, the reft make a common caufe, and jftand by one another till the laft gaf4*, L£ they be at- tacked in the water, th'^y will fight dcfpf- rately, and vvill even attempt the boats of tlicir purfuers, if any of them be woonded^ and not mortally. Some of them have beed known to make holes in the bottom cf the boat with their tulks, in defence of their young. Their eyes are large, and they have two holes in the upper part of the neck, out of which they cjcti the water, as the v%'haljes are feen to do« .> . . *j The fi(h that fvvarm in the feas of Spitfber* gen appear co be defig ned by Frovidenc? ra- ther for tne fuftenance of one another, thaa >fof the food of man. The mackarel, of > which there are no great plenty, feem not only to be the nioft wholefome, and tlie moii ^palatable, but alfo the moft beautiful. The/ ""^sem to be a diil'crenc fpecias to thofe caugiit 'Upon our coaih. The upper pan of the back IS of a vivid blue 5 the other part, as low as • the belly, is of a gem-like grct^n on an azure ground. Underneath the belly,, the colour - U Si tranfparcnt white, and the fuis Ihine like ^\ .. .. . foliihed »RlTlSft NAVfCATOR. fj |5o!i(hed irlver. All thtf colours glow, whca alive in the (ea, with iuch i ichnefs, that fancy can hardly form to itf^lf any thing in na-ture more beaatiful. * Almoft all the other iiih on chis coaft are of a very indifferent flavour, be- ing of an oily nature. The faw or fwt>rd-/i(li is remarkable, not f>nly for ihe oddity of its fiiape, but alfo for it* enmity to the whale. l\his fi(h takes its name from a broad flat bone, in length from twa to four feet, which proj,ed\s from his nofe, and tapers lo a point. On each fide, it has teeth like a comb, at the diilancc of a finger' J ijressdth afonden He is furnifhed with a A%uh\^ row of fins, and is of an ailoniiliing Hrengthr in tke water. His length is from ten to twenty feet ; he feems to be formed fift war, and wir is his profeffion. The con- fcdl between him and the whale is dreadful, 3"et he never gives over till he come off vic- tor Jous, or his fword be broken. So harmlefs is the whaie^ that it is ne^'-cr Irnown to fighr but in its own defence ; yet> when he is exafpe rated, he rages dreadfully, Tliongh from his magnitude iie m^y be called the fovereiga of the feas, yet, like other fjvereign*^ he is liable to be ve^cd and Jiurt by the meanell reptiles. The whale's Jottfeis a tormenting little animal. Jts fcales ;we as hard as thofe of our prawns, its head is like a loufe's head, with four horns ; two of which ferve as feelers, and the other two are hard and curved, and ferve as clenchers to fix Lim to the whale. Under: eath his chell \% Jfcw3 two carvers, like fcythes, y/ith which he a' •AS :,J, 96 BRITISH NAVIGATOR* colle(n:s his food, and behind thefe are four feet that ferve him for oars. He has alfo fix other ilenchcrs behind, with which he can rivet himfelf fo clofely to his prey, that he can no otherwife be difengaged, bat by cutting out the whole piece to which he is joined. He is jointed on the back like the tail < f a lobller, and his tail covers him like a Ihield vhile he is feeding. He fixes him- felf on the tenderelt part of the whale's body, between the fins, on his fheath, aild on his lips, and, like a vulture, eats pieces out of his flcfhi In Spitfbergen they found' no fprings of frefh water ; but in the vallies, between the mountains, are many little rills caufed by the rain and melting of the fnow in fummer, and from thefe rills the fliips are fupplied. la calm weather they remarked, that the iea abi ut the illand appeared uncbmmonly ftill and fmooth, and that it was not fuddenly moved at the hrft approach of blowing wea- ther ; but that when the ftorm continued, the waves Iwelled gradually, and rofe to an in-» credible height. Thefe fwelling waves fuc- ceifively follow one another, and roll along bef )re the wind, foaming and raging in a frightful manner ; yet they are thought left danger'" us than thofe that break fhort, and are lefs motintainous. They alfo obferved, that the ice that reded on the ground was not Itationary, but that it changed place; and they likewife learned, that in fome feafont there was no ice, vvhcreas this feafon they were \ ^T. la 11;^ »1C1TISH MAVICATOR 97 in danger of being embayed^ There doe* not, bovvever, from thence appear the lead rcafon to conclude, that any prac^'licable paf- fageto the Indian ocean can ever be found ia tliis direction ; for were it certain, that iha feas were always open under the pok^yet great bulwarks of ice evidently furround it, foine* times at a lefs, and foinetimes at a greater dif- tance. Befides, were it poilible, that chance 0iDald dired fume fortunate adventurer to" an opening at one time, it would be more than a minion to one, if the fame opening were palTable to the next who fhould atumpt it. The air of Spitfbergen is never free from iijcles. If you look through the fun-beams traniverfely as ycu lit in the lliade, or where jou fee the rays confined in a body, inilea4 Q-f dark motes as are leen here, you fee my- riad?>of (hining particles that fparkle like dia- monds ; and when the fun ihines hot, as it fbmetimei does, fo as to melt the tar in the feams of fhips when they lie fheltered frc«n tlie wind, thefe fhining atoms feem to melt away, and defcend like dew. It is feldom ihzx the air continues clear for many days to- gether in this climate ; but, when that hap. j>ens, the whalers are generally fuccefsful. There is no difference between night and day in the appearance of the atmofphere about Spitfbergen, one being as light as the other ; only, when the fun is to the northward, you may look at it with the naked eye, as at the moon^ without dazzling. The fogs here come o» fo fuddenly, that from bright fun-r 1 3 ftiaa \ I o8 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. {hine you are prelently involved In fuch ob* icuiity, that you can hardly fee even the length of the (hip. ' ' "-• •■ ':»;. jf.- "« 'Ihcfe were the cbfervations made by our journalift, while all belonging to the fhips "were differently engaged in one employment or other : fome in taking in water, fome in fJhing, fome in hunting, fome in handing the fails and fpreading them out to dry, fome in fcrubbing the fhips, and fome in viewing the country. The commanders, officers, and adronomers, bufied themfelvcs in making cb- fervations, being furnilhed with an apparatus that is faid to have coft at leaft one thoufand five hundred pounds. They landed their in- flruments on a fmall ifland in Vogle Sound, and had feveral opportunities during their ftay of ufing them to advantage. Having erefled two tents, the captains from the filhery fre- quently vifited the obfervers, and exprefled their admiration, not only at the perfedion of tile inilruments, but likewifc at the dexterity with which they were ufed. The ifland, on, which thcfe experiments were made, they Called Marble Ifland, from the rock by which it is formed. The ice began to fet in apace, though the weather was hot ^ and the gentle- men having finiftied their obfervations, and "the (hips having taken in water, they prepared fpr their departure. ' "' ' ,"^ On the 19th of July, the commodore made the fignul to weigh. At two in the afternoon the fliips were under fail, and a? foon as they had mudQ tlie oUing, flood to the eaUward. V . At BRITISH NAVIGATOR, three they tacked and fleered 9!> -mm ivec they tacKca ana steered northward, and before four were entangled among the loofe ice, through which they failed, direqling- their couife along the main body of ice. The next day they continued the famecourfe, but could difcover no opening, though they fearched every creek, and left no bay or turn- .ing unexamined. On the 2 lit, the feverity of the weather encrcafing, an additional quantity of brandy was ferved to the people, and every comfort* able refre{hinent afforded them that they thcmfelves could with or' require. On the 25th they had gentle breezes, with cloudy weather, and wevc engaged among fome pieces of ice, feparated from the main body, which kept them continually tacking and luffing. At length, they entered among mountains and illands of ice, which came upon them fo faft, that it was with the ut- niofl dificulty that they could proceed, the Carcafe having fever al times llruck againil them with fuch violence, as to raife her head /bur fcQt out of the water. They now ima- gined, from the extent and folidity of thefe jilands, that the late ftrong gale.s had caufed a feparation fix/m the main body; the com-. tJiodore therefore changed his courfe. The next day, at {evtn in the morning, they came In fight of Red-hill, a fmall mount, which commands an open plain, known by the name of Deersfieid, by reafon of its fertile appearance, it being the only foot on which' they faw no drifts of Inow. To the caftward I * 'I 100 BRITISH WAVIOATOIt* lies Muif^u's Illand, where they founcled, and found forty fathom water on rocky ground. Here Capt. Lutwych fent out the long-boat, with orders to found alone; the Ihore, and to examine the ioil. This illand is about a mils long, very low, ajid looks like a black fpeck. I'hough the foil is moftly fand and loofe Itones, and hardly fo much as a green weed upon it, yet it is remarkable for a number of birds that reibrt to it in fummer to lay their eggs, and breed their young ; and thefe not of one kind only, but of many different fortj. 1 he eggs were fo numerous, and lay fo thick upon the ground, that the men who landed trampled on them every (lep they took. The company that landed confifted of ten of the crew, with a valiant oflicer at their head. WJule they were examining the ifland, after having founded the fhores, they obferv- ed two white bears making towards them, one upon the ice, the other in the water. Major Buz, foi that was the officer's travel- ling title, like. FalilaiF, was always the boldefl: man over a cup of fack, and minded killing a bear no more than killing a gnat ; but fee- ing the bears approach very fall, efpecially that which came in the water, he ordered his jnen to fire while yet the enemy was at a diflance, as he did not think it prudent to hazard the liyes of his little company in clofe fight. All pointed their mufkets, and fome of the party obeyed orders ; but the greater part, judging it fafer to depend upon a re- jefved ^re^ vvi^ei> thcjr had feemingly dif- -^.v.. charged } BRITISH KAVIGATOR roi ic cleared tbtilr pieces, pretended to rctwat. *lhc m^ijor, who mcalured a full fathom in the belly, endeavoured to waddle after his companions ; bat being f on out of breaili, and feeing the bear that came in the water had juft reached the fliore, he thought of nothing but falling the firll jacriiice. His hair already flood an end, and looking be- hind him, he favv the bear at no great dif- tance, with his nofe in tb.e air fnufiing the fcent. He had all the rcafon in the world to helievc that it. was him he fcented, and he had fcarcc breath enough left to call to his ■nit:n to halt. In this critical iituation he un- fortunately dropt his gun, and in Hooping to recover it, he ilumblcd againlt a goofe-neft, feli ixjttalh upon his belly into it, and almolt iinothcred the dam upon her eggs* The oki faving is, *' misfortunes feldom come alonc.'^ Before he could well rife, the enraged gander came flying to the aiiiftance of his half- fmothered. confort, and making a dart at the eye of the aiTaiiaut, very nearly mifled his mark, but difcharged* his fury plump upon ' iis nofe. The danger now being prelliiig, and the battle ferious^ the bear near, and the gander ready for a fecond attack, the men, who had not fled far, thought it high time to return to the relief of their leader. Over- joyed to fee them about him, but frighted at the bear jufl behind him, he hadforgotten the gander that was over his head, againfl 'which one of the men having levelled his •jpiece, fire 1, and he fell dead at the major's m 1- IC-i BRITISH NAVICATOR. •I i feet. Now animated by the death of one enemy, he recovered his gun, and f.iced about to aillll in the attack of the fecond. By this time, the bear was not more than ten yardi from him, and beginning to growl, when ihc major was inllantly feized with a laxative cf inplaint. He dropped his accoutrements and fell back, that he might not be in tho way of the party, to impede the engagement. In the hurry he was in,' for in a man of fucli valour we niuil not f)iy the fright, he was unable to unbutton his breeches ; the confe- quences of which may be more eafily con- ceived than decently exprefied. The crew in ^n inftant had brought down the bear, and .,11 ow it was time for iheir leader to do fomc- thing great. Having recovered his arms, and ieeing the poor beafl i^ruggling on the ground, and giowling out his laii, like a ram in a piiifoid, making a fhort race backwards, in order to redouble his force, he came with nine long flridci forwards, and with the flrength and iiercenefs of an enraged buil, thrull his lance full four feet deep in the dying bear's belly, *^ And now, (faid the major, cocking his hat) have not 1 done for the bear brave- lyV " But, captain, (friid the failors, who are always in a good humour on thefe occa- fions) you have but half done your work ; you have another bear to kill yet." The major, whofe fituation began to be tix)ubiefome, and content with the honour he had already ac- quired, >' IVly lads, (faid he) as I have been the (ie^tl) of one bear, fu;-e fix of you mq/ kill i ^ \ tRlTlSH WAVICATOr 103 kill the other." So ordering four of them to row him on boar J, he left the remaining fix to kill the other bear. ^ ' '' *'' During this liule excurfion, they killed two bears and a fea-horfe. The fea-horfe made a defperatc defence, being attacked in the water; and had there been but one boat engaged in the combat, he certainly would have come off vidorioufly. The crew of the Race-horfe, having learnt that there were bears and fea-horles on this little foot, were willing to fhare in the fport of hunting them, as well as in the pleafuic of tailing th^r flefh. They accordingly landed in their boats, and came in good time to afiill in purfuing the conqueit. It happened, however, that their ammunition being almo-ll fpent, one great bear came up to revenge the death of his fel- lows, and advanced To furioufly, growling and barking, that he put the whole company to flight; and fome of them, it is faid, had no great reafon to laugh at the major. On the 27th, the air being perfedly ferene, and the weather moderate, the fifli feemed to enjoy the temperature, and to exprcfs it by their fporting. The whales were feen fpout- ing their fountains towards the fkies, and the fin-fifli following their example, the whole profpe»5l being more pleafing and pidurefque than any they had yet beheld in this remote region. The very ice in which they were befet looked beautiful, and put forth a thou- fand glittering forms ; and the tops of the »ountains, which they could fee like fpark- ling. tl '4 IC4 BRITISH NAVIGATOt. ling gems at a vaft diftance, had the appear.* ance of io miny filver Hars illuminating a nuw firmament ; but this flattering profpc<^k did not continue long. By an accurate obferva- tion, they were now in 80 dcg. «i7 min. north latitude, and in 21 deg. 10 mm. call longi- tude from London, this being the highelt la- titude they reached. They now directed iheir courfe towards the fcven iflands, which were then in fight. The next day, they had fre(h eaderly breezes, which, from moderate weather the preceedrhg day, chmigcd to piercing cold. At midnight, the weft end of VVeygatc Straits . bore fouth by eail, fo that they were now in the very fpot where Barents h;id fuppofed an opening; would be found into the polar feac ; yet fo far from it, they could difcover nothing from the mall-head but a continued con- . tinent of folid ice, except the iilands already ; mentioned. On this ice, however, there ^ were many bears, fome of which c:uae fo near ■ the fhipo^as to be lliot dead with fmall arms. Thefe bears arc very good eating, efpecially . where no better is to be purchaled, and the whalers account them as good as b^ef. In many parts of their body, they are muilwet. proof, and unlefs ihey are hit on the operi\ cheft, or on the flank, a blow with a muf^et ball will hardly make them turn their backi. . Some of the bears killed in riiefe countries weighed from fcven to eight hundred weight. , On the 29th, failing among innumerable . ifland of ice, they found the main body too 4 ... , folid com the pi ail and land fait and BRITISH NAVICATOIt,, lo; Id tl folic! for thefhips to make the Icafl impreiTioai.! upon it; and finding no opening, the com*,^^ moJoic rcfolved to lend a party, under the - command of the fiill lieutenant, to examine , the land, which at a dillancc appeared like a , . plain, diverfified with hills and mountains, . and exhibited, in tlicir fituation, a tolerable landlcapc. On trying the water, it was lef^ • fait than any fca-water they had ever taligd 5 and they found likewife, that the ice was ^. no other than a body of congealed fre/h water. ^ ,,, , ..^ On the 30th, th^ weather being clear, they ran clcfc to the main body of the ice, and the fun continuing to fliine, made them al- Rioft forget the climate they were failing in ; but it was not long before they had reafon for (everQ recollection. In coalling along, they obferved many openings, and were in hopes, from their diilant appearance, that a paflage might be found between them; but upon trial it was found, as the Dutch fifhermen had foretold, that thofe appearances were de- ceitful. On the 31(1, at midnight, the eaUernmoll,. land lay in fight ; but they could not make it out to be an iflar'!. They rather judged it.,, to be a continent j but found it impoffible to determine that queftion with certainty^ as it lay beyond their reach. At nine in the morn- ing;, the Carcafe hoilled out her cutter, and filled her empty water-ca{I::s with water from the ice. On this ice lie great quantities of ilhow, and as foon as a pit was dug, it iilled lis, Vot. vm K wiih m 106 BRITiSH NAVlGATOtli With fome foft clear water, not inferior td that of many land fprings. This day a bear came over the ice to vifit them, the firft they had ken fmce they left Muffin's Ifland. "They faluted him with a volley of fmallarms, and he returned the compliment by turning his back upon them. The firft of Auguft proved a day of trial* Lying-to among clofe ice, with the loofe ice driving fall: to Ihore, the commodore was de- firous of furveying the wefternmoft of the fe- ven iflands, which appeared the higheft, in order to judge, from the profpe6l on the hills, of the poiTibilify of proceeding further on the difcovery. With this view they carried out their ice-anchors, and made both fhips fall ta the main body, which is a pradHce vel-y com- mon with the fifhing fhips that annually fre- quent thoie feas. Of this reconnotring party were the captains, the lieutenants, one of the mathematicians, the pilots, and fome chofen failors feleded from both ihips. They fetout about two in the morning, and fometimes failing, and fometimes drawing their boata over the ice, they with difficulty reached the ihore, where the firll objects they favv were a herd of deer, fo very tame, that they feemed as curious to gaze at the Rrangers, as the ilrangers were pleafed to fee them ; for they came live or fix toeether {o near, they might have been killed with the thrull of a bayonet. This is a proof, that animals are not naturally afraid of man, till, by the fate of their aHociates, they are tawght the dan- ami wii bei ha] Thl of thi abi gal th< ver| doi bii of BRITISH NAVIGATOR, 107 ger of approaching them ; a proof too, that animals are not deilitute of refledlion, other* wife how fhould they conclude, that what hat befallen their fellow animals will certainly happen to them, if they run the like rifque? The gentlemen, however, fuffered only one of theTe fearlefs innocents to be fired at, and that was done by a failor when they were abfent on obfervation. On this ifland they gathered fcurvy-grafs, and in many places they could perceive the fides of the hill cor vered with verdure, on which thcfe deer un- doubtedly fed. After having afcended the higheil: hill on the fea-coaft, and taken a view of the country and the ocean all ro'ind, the gentlemen defcended, and about five in the afternoon embarked again on their return to the fhip, at which they arrived fafs about ten^ after an abfence of twenty hours. They were greatly difappointed by the hazinefs of the weather on the tops of the mountains, which confined the proi'ped, and prevented their taking an obfervation with the inilruments they had carried with them with that ini» tention. Their fituation now began to be ferious, rnd it was difcovercd too late, that by grap- pling to the ice, as pradlifed by the Green- land men, they had endangered the lofs of the fhips, the loofe ice clofing lb fall about them, that they found it a^ folutely impof. /ible to get them difengaged; and there was t)efides great reafon to fear, that one or both pieces. Great minda 1 'iti' 'i !!IH ii.,; ■:i iii'. i^ ? ¥% I iiii «>\ B R ITI s H ■m I- r. *ji 'NAVIGATOR. ■ are ever moft diaingaithed hv .1, • ; en the mod alarmlioS n^ ^J^^'r expedient. -dore fet ali hands to ivorif I r ' ^^^ ^«™mo- foM ice, large enoa°[^''"'^'^°'^'" 'he W'ss performed, the fliT^ ' "''"^'^ ">'''' '"'■'•vice the dan^mmodore wa^ a kind-hearted gemman, and would never take a man's life away for a flip on the ice. Be* fides, faid they, it was a great jump for a fat man, and commodore, they were fure, had rather lofe all the plate in the great cabin - tfian lofe cookie. Comforted a Utile by this Ipeech, the cook proceeded ; but let his mates go on firll with what remained, to carry ' the tidings of what had befallen the reft. When the commodore had heard the ilory, he judged how it was with them all. '* But where is the cook?'* faid he to the mates, ** He's crying behind, an pleafe your ho- nour.*' In the mean time the cook came up. *' Cook, (faid the commodore) bring mc your dinner : I will dine to day with my- comrades/' " My dinner 1 ay, a pound of the flefh next my heart;» if your honour likes .it." The readinefs of the reply fhewed the " fmcerity of the cook's good -will, and pleafed the commodore better than a fcaft upon turtle. - He difmiiTed him with a fniile, and partook with the officers of what was left, and they made up their dinners with a mefs from the common men. Thi^ conduct raifed the com- Biodore much iii the opinion of his people. VVord British navigator. leho' to ht )0- led 3 119 Word was broHght, juft as they were be- ginning to renew their labour, that the whole body of ice had changed its fituarion^ and was moving to the weltward ; that the ftiips were both afloat, and that the ice was parting. The joy which this news difTufed through the two companies of haulers is ealier to be conceived than exprefTed. They ioi- itantly fhook oiF their harnefs, ran to afiill in working the fhips, and once more to refume their proper employments. When they ar- rived at the (hips Capt. Lutwych, who was no lefs beloved by his men than the commo- dore, had by his example and judicious direc- tions done wonders. Both (hips were not only afloat, with their fails fet, but adualljr cut pnd warped through the ice near half a mile. This ray of hope, however, was footi darkened ; the body of ice fuddenly aflumed its former direction to the eaftward, and clofed upon them a^ain as fail as ever. While the ibips remained in the ice-dock, they were lafhed together for their greater fecurity ; but now being launched and afloat, the ice prefl*ed upon them with fnch weight, that it was every moment cxpedicd the haufer that held them together would break. Orders were therefore given, that the (hips fiaould be re- leafed by ilackcning the hawfer. ^ -nu. . . .. • The drift continued eaftward till two ig the morning, and all that time the fliips were in danger of being crufhed by the clofing of the channel in which they rode^ They had cow drifted two miles to the eaftward, tt hz men were I20 BRITISH NAVIGATOR, were worn out with fatigue in defending the iliips with their ice-poles from being ingulfed^ and now nothing but fcencs of horror and per- <^.itlon appeared before their eyes. But the Omnipotent, in the very moment, when every hcpc of deliverance from their own united en- deavours had relinquifhed them, interpofed an their favour, and caufed the winds to blow, and the ice lo part in an aftonifhing manner, rending and cracking with a tremendous noife, furpafTing that of the loudelt thunder. At this yc^y initant, the whole continent of ice,' which before was extended be)ond the reach of fight from the highefl mountains, .moved together in various diredlions, fplittin«r and dividing into vafl bodies, and formin<;r hills and plains of various directions. ^ill hearts v/ere now ag. in revived, and the pro- fpcft of being once more rjlcafed from the frozen chains cf the north, inspired the men with frefh vigour. E\eiy officer "nd every Idler on board now hiboured for life. The fails were all fpread, that the fhip might have the full adv^antage of the breeze to force them through the channels that were already opened, and, to help thexii, like wedges, to rend the clifts that were but juil opening. .During tiie time the greater part of the crews were employed in warping the fliips with* ice-anchors, axes, faws, and poles, a party from both fhips were difpatched to launch the boats, which was no eafy talk to accomplifh. The ice, though fplit in many thoufand pieces, was yet frozen like an iiland ' ' > round roi ha col be th th ye nM • RITISH NAVICATOR.* Hi roond the launches ; and though it was of no great extent, yet ♦'he boats were of a weight hardly to be moved by the fmall force that could be fpared to launch them. They were, befirdes, by the driving of tne ice, at more than five miles diftance from the fhips, and at this time no channel of communication was yet opened. Providence, however, was ma- nifeil even on this occafion ; for the iflands on which /the launches flood parted while the men were hauling them, and by that lucky circumftance they were launched with great facility, without the lofs of a man, though the ice cracked, as it were, under their feet. The people on board had not been able to force their way with the fhips much more than a mile, when the party in the launches joined them ; and now, leveral bears, excited by what curiofity or inflind is not eafy to de« termine, came pofling over the ice to be fpec- tators of their departure ; and advanced fo near the fliips that they might have been ea- fily maflered, had not the men been engaged in bufmefs of a more ferious nature. i The ice feemed to open as faft as it had be- fore clofed, when the wind blew weilerly, and from the north : a Urongprefumptive proof of land to the eafiward, which flopping the cur* rent of loofe ice in driving from the north and wefl, clofe? it in courfe, and renders it com- pad. On the contrary, when the wind blows i/if the land, and the current fets to the fea, the loofe ice being no longer oppofed^ dif* perfcs it(elf again in the ocean, where it again L 3 . ' floats. I !'; P, Mi I I;. !l!i ;ii" . ill! ill / 1i 122 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. fv^: floats, till the fame caufe produces the (Iim^ cfi'edl, Jf ihert-fore the land, which our voy- agers faw on the 5orh, and wlilch they could not determine with certainty to be an ifland^, fliould, upon f.)nie future occallon, be dilco- vercd to be a couiinent, then the clofing of the looie ice ib fud den ly about the feven if- lands, and its crowcing one piece upon ano- ther to a great height, v.'hen violently agi- tated by tempefb from the north or weft, will be accounted for fully and naturally. ..,,, About two in the morning of :he loth, the fog being thick, and the weather calm, and the men very much fatigued, they were or- dered 10 their quarters, to refrelh themfelves with flecp. It was likrwife very cold, and much rain fell; ahd as the wind was variable, .^ they could make but little progrefs. The ice, jl.in the mcrning early, feemed rather to clofe ...upon them than to divide ; and being appre- v,..rlienfive for their boats, they attempted to hoill their launches en board ; but that be-* longing to the Carcaie, being either too un- ■ wieldy, or the men too much fatigued to ef- , ,,fe(5l it, they flung her to the fhjp*s fide* > About eight the breeze fprung up frefli frorri ^ the north-eafl, when it was exceedingly cold ; ■ but it opened the ice to the welhvard. They then made ajl the fail they could, driving ^, with the loofjnmg ice, and parting it where- ever it was moveable with their whole force. ' Towards noon, they lofl fight of the {Qven if- lands, and in a very little time after, Spitf- . bergen BRITISH NAVIGATOR. i?3 [imq •uld lancf, lilco- oF in if- lano- agi, will bergen W3s feen from the mafl head, which gave them inexpreflible joy*,;^. ...' ,^ , , . • : ,: , '■ ,/] he next day, the men, who had Been inuch difpirited with hard labour, C( Id, arid >vatching, having now a profpeft of* fpeedy deliverance, and feeirip; th& ice no longer ad- here in immoveable bodies, bcgim, jifter a little refrcihment, to relume their u/ual cheer- falnei's. They had not, till the feovKi clofing 'of the ice, after the attempt to dig a pafiage through it had pro\ed ineilectuai, and the hauling the launches had been tried with little better iucccfij, difcovercd the leall: defpon- dency; but whea they had exerted their ut- moll efforts, and Providence, whi^h at firfl feemed to fecond their endeavours, appeared to have forfaken them ; when the. r pilots had 'filled their minds with the terrors of their fi- tuation, and their officers had given the fhips and their moil valuable efFc(fls over for loll, the men then began to refledl on the h.irdlhipg they were likely to fufi'er, 'and to be im/refTed "with the fenfe of their common danger. Their apprelieniions, hovcver, were but temporary, and the moment they were rcleaf-^d from their icy prifon^ and were within fight of a clear fea, their forrovv was changed to mirth, and . the:'r~melanch(j!y to rejoicing. FelHvity and jollity took place of abllinence and gloomy apprehenfions, and before " they arrived at Spitfbergen, ewery countenance wai bright- || cned with gleams of fatisfadlion. " ^ '-i 7'hey had now time to admire the ice that liad parted from the main body ; and as it no. longe f i" 124 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. longer obftruded their courfc, the various (hapes in which tiie broken fragments appeared were indeed very curious and amufing. One rc- ni^• '' ■ As foon as they arrived at Smearingburg • Harbour, the day proving fpe, the commo- * dore ordered a tent to be raifed on the lower point to the fonth-wefl, where there was .'^ '- level plain for the fpace of two miles, ant}- where 'all the mathematical apparatus were -* ^gain taken on fhorc for a fecond trial. The ■^* ovens were alfo taken on fliore, and a confi-' - derable quantity of good fpft bread was baked ^v for the refrelhment of the men. Hacluit's ' Headland is an ifland on the norih-vveft point ; of Spitfbergen, about fifteen miles in circum- • Terence, en which is found plenty of fcurvy- .^ grafs ; and in the vallies, iome of which ex- tend from two to three miles, there is plenty of other grafs in fummer, on which the deer are fuppofed to fQt y •^- The people weie now fully em-ployed in overhauling the rigging, tarring the fhip's ' fides, taking in water, paying and fecuring the'mafts, and in preparing the fliips for puK fujng their voyage upon difcovery, or, if that It' 'I J- I 126 BRITISH NAVIGATOR^ was. found impradlicable, for returning to England. Vail pieces of broken ice, fuppofed to have iallen from the icebergs, came floating into harbour on the 17th. When thefe pieces, which are undermined by the continual agita- tion of the Tea in ftormy weather, lofe their fupport, they tumble with a crack that fur- paffes the loudelt thunder ; but they were told, that no other thunder was ever heard in that latitude. ' - u > '' ^.'' ' ' : , :. It m ly not be amifs here to obferve, that the ai^Uvity and enterprifing fpirlt of the Ruf- fians begin to manifell themfclves every where ; and it is not improbable, but that the mari- time powers may one day or other have caufc to repent their emulation in contributing eo aggrandife the naval power of that rifing peo- ple. The dominions of the Ruffian empire are fituated to command the trade of the uni- verfe : they have e\*e£ted a yard for building ftips at Kamtfjchatflca, to improve their difco-^ veries from that quarter, and to open a trade from thence to China. They have attempted to fettle colonies, as our voyagers were told, on the fouthernmoil diilrids of Spitfbergen ; and that thofe of the new fettlers, who fur- vived the firll winter, were preparing to en* counter the rigour of the climate in a fecond. This could only be done by way of experi- ment, to try if a fettlement were pradlicable, and criminals only were devoted to jnake that experiment. -?. Out uvr_ BRITISH KAVlGATOR. 127 ta Our journalifts made fevcral excurfions to fhe adjoining illands, during the fix days they anchored here, to mak^ obfervations, take in water, refrefh the men, and refit. Here the birds appeared in altoniihirig numbers, it be- ing the feafon for bringing forth their young, and teaching them, to fly and to dive. Of all the birds that breed in thefe iflands, the bur« gcrmalteris the largeft and the moft ravenous* He is fo called by the Dutch from his iize and authority, as he holds all the other birds in fubjedion. His bill is long and crooked, rather like that of the dork than that of the hawk, and is of a yellow colour. He has a red ring about his eyes, is web-footed, but has only three claws on each foot. His wings are of a beautiful pearl colour, edged with white ; his back a filver grey, his body white as fnow, and his tail of the fame colour^ which he fpreads like a fan when he flies. He builds his neft very high in the rocks, in- acceifible either to bears or foxes. He prey a upon all the other birds, and eats the carrion of fifli or fiefh, or whatever comes in his way. His cry is horrible, and when he fcreams, the mallemuch, a bird as large as a duck, ii fo much intimidated, that he will fmk down, and fufTer him to devour him without oppo- fition. Our journalilts found it very dan- gerous to purfue his way over the hills and precipices in this rugged country. The clefts on the mountains are, like thofe in the ice, frequently impaflable ; but they are abun- dantly more hazardous, bein^^ fom^etimes con- * ^ cealed. i.' * '• - Mi'«iq^ji!iii!ii izn BRITISH NAVIGATOR. Ill'' ' cealed under the fnow^ fo that a traveller is engulfed before he be aware. Many have been entombed in thefe clefts, and .perilTied in the hearing of their companions, without a pofilbility of relief. To a cbntemplative mind, however, even the -deformities of nature are hot unpleafing, the wifdom of the Creator being nianifeftly difplayed in the minuteil part of his creation. . The fhips unmoored on the 19th, and the next day cleared the harbour. On the 2 2d they found themfclves in 80 dog. 14 min. north latitude, and in 5 deg. 44 min. eaft longitude. On the nth of September, be- ing then in 57 deg. 44. min. north, at ten at night, the wind all at once veered to. the fouthward, and a llrong gale with a great fea came on, when the Ihips parted, and ne- ver more came in ilght till they met oiF Har- wich, on the Engliih coalt. When the gale came on, the commodore^s lights not appear- ing, the Carcafe fired a fix pounder ; but the fire not being returned by the Racehorfe, it was co'icluded, that the commodore was at too gre;at a diflance to hear the fignal. At four in the morning, the gale encreafing, the Ciircafa made every preparation to withftand the threatening Horm. On the 12th, at iriidni|i;ht, the hurricane was fo violent, that the fea made a free pafuige over the fhip. All the provifions and calks that were laOied on the deck were waflled overboard. Two pumps were continually kept going; and at Ipur in the morning, they fliipped fuch heavy 1 feas^ A ft h tRITISH NAVIGATOR. ■^ Tig the tin. eaft be- 1 at the reat ^ne. cir- ale ar- the it at At the nd at hat All on 'wo at |avy ydSg ^ fcas, as waflied over-board all the fpars and bombs that had been, with all poflible care, fccurcd on the deck. We had now no fight of the commodore, and we were under great apprehenfions for his fafcty, as his veilel la- boured much more than tfie C:ircafe. At this time, one of the mates, the carpenter, and a foremaft man, were walhed over-board. The florm, however, at lafl abated, though the weatlier was at intervals foggy, rainy, and fqually. We fhall pafi over the account given of this voyage, from the prefent time till the 26th, when the Carcafe arrived at Harwich, and, to their great joy and furprife, found the Racehopfe at anchor there. Capt. Lut- wyche then waited on the commodore, from whom he learnt, that in the florm they had all their boats waflied bverboard, and, in order to cafe the fliip, they had been obliged to throw over-board all their guns but two. Both Hiips frilled from hence on the 27th, and on the 30.11 came to an anchor at Deptford. Thus ended a voyage, which feems to have determined the quelHon fo much agitated concerning the navigation to the north pole, and prove4 what Capt. .Wood had before slC- fcrted, that no paflage would ever be found pru^licablc in that diredion. From the quan- tities ofice, which that navigator met with ia 76 degrees of north latitude, he indeed con- cluded erroneoufly, that the 80th degree would bound the paflage towards the pole; and that from thence the polar region was either a continued continent of folid ice, or that land filled up the intermediate fpace. It Vol. Vill. M lias ii ■ - I 130 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. has been found, however, that thofe Teas are navigable as tar as between the eighty-firft and eighty- fecond degrees of latitude ; and it may poifibly happen, that in feme future years they may be found navigable a degree or two further; but it may with certainty b« concluded, that the purpofes of commerce Can never be anfwered by a courfc under tiie pole. ;. It is an indifputable fa«5t, that the north fea communicates wich the eajlern Tea, and that the paflage to China and Japan may be performed with diihculty by a north-eail: couife, by watching the opportunity, when a few days in the year the north Iba may be open ;. but who would tliink. of expofing a* fliip's company to the hazard of being frozt "^ to death in a tedious, uncertain, and dan- gerous paflage, when a fafe, certain, and more fpecdy paHage lies open before them at all times ? When we confidcr the difcoveries made by Behring to the eail of Japan, and the conti-». nent he there met with, there feems reafon to believe, that the land feen by Commodore Phipps, to the eaftward of the feven iflands, inight be a continuation of that continent. In lliat cafe, it is not improbable, that either that continent may join to the wcilern part of Am en )Wi or that it may extend fouthward, and foWi a part of that continent fo much (ought after in the foathern hemifphere. A fmail' premium of two or three thoufand pounds ice ured by parliament, to be paid to thQ "* tf « i. :h ' B R>1 T I SH. N A V I C A T OK. %^t . . . .' - .;«.; !:',v,iMi •. ' ,j r. '•■ r/;it;. Ac owner or owners oFany Greenland filhin^* fliip, that (liould be fortunate enough to dit- cover fuch a continent to the cailward or northward of ihe feven i Hands, might pof- libly have a better effect, than many cxpeniivc expeditions fitted out folcly for the purpofe of fuch diTcoveries, This, by a trading nation, would furely be well bellowed, were it only to improve the fcience of geography. It it indeed true, that the reward fecured by par- liament for the diicovery of a north-well paf- fagc has not yv.t been attended with that fuc- Ci^^i with which the promoters of the bill had flattered theiLfelves and the public. ,.,, ' Though the Mudion's Bay company were bound by tlvcir charter to further and promote the difcovery, yet they were generally fuf- peded, from iatereiled motives, to oppofe and difcourage every attempt to accomplifh if. Capt. Middkton, who vva$ fent, in 1740, in a king's fiiip upon that fervice, returning uiihout fucccfs, was publicly charged with havin;^ received a bribe of five thoufand pounds to defeat the undertaking, and by his reports to difcourage any further attcjippts in pu'rfuitof ir. This charge was ttrongly fupported, and generally credited. Mr, Dobbs, by whofe iiiterell Capt. Middleton had been employed, had the adJrefs to pre-, vail with tlie then ininillrv, to prelude any future fchenie of privaie corruption, by pro- moting the public reward af^eryv aids voted by parliament. ' ^ '* "^"' ' " ""- ' M t On v> i 132 TJRITISH NAVIGATOR. • On the whole, there is great reafon to ronr dude, from what has been luid in /.his volume of a north-eaft paflagc, is Jikcwife truu of a paHage by the norrh-vvcil ; that it mcll cer- tainly exills, but\vill never be found pradi cable for mercantile purpofes, Notvvith* Handing the mrwy unfucceAful attempts that have been made, the return of the blellings of peace have again revived the fpirit of difco- verv ; and at this inflant a fubfcription is fiid to be going forward among fome men of large fortune, for raifing a fum of fjxtecn thoufand pounds, to fit up a Ihip for a voyage of fcience Jto the South iieas and round the worlds Some of the principal of the literati are en- gaged, in order that obfervaiions and experi- ijicnts may be made in every branch of hu- man knowledge. It is to include an attempt to reach the north pole. A party by land, for the fake of obfcrva'ions, are to crof:i the >vhoIe continent of North America, to meet the fliip at Port Sir Francis Drake, to the north of California. Sir Jofeph Canks and Dr. Hcberden are in the fubfcriptjon, and Dr. Prieftley is to m EaST-InDIAMAN. ,». ;,v>«^ F the crew of this flilp, only four have ^_ yet returned to Kngland, to give the melanctic^iy account of her lofs, and the ftitl more melancholy fate of the paflengcrs, of- ficers, and people. 1 hefe four men, Robert Trid*, Thomas Lewis, John Warmington, and Barney Larcy, arrived at theEnft-Tndia Houfe in the month of [tily lall, and have furnilLed the public with the following me- lancholy truths. -^ '^ The Grofvenor failed from Trincomale on the 13th of June, 1782, and faw no land after leaving Ceylon, till the unfortunate fourth of Auguft. The mall was faulty before they left Trincomale, and they met with a hard gale of wind after leaving that port. The wind having frethened, and blowing hard in fqualls, one of the feamen was fent aloft to get down the foretop-gallant yard, when he thought he faw the land, and came down to report it ; but he was fent up again, as they would not believe hini. ,., -'. _.,., ., After the watch was relieved, at* four m the afternoon, thib feaman, having been de- M 3 ' tained m ill >* _ M 134 BRITISH NAVIGATOR^ tained in getting down the top-gallant-yaj-d, and coming from aloft about half paft four, he p'ainiy faw )and from the deck; but the third mate, wlio had relieved the ferond, the chief mate being iick, would not believe it, faying it was only the reiiecllon of the (ky, and would not put the fliip*s head ofi'too fea. On this the nuarter- matter went and acquaint- ed the c;ipta;n, who came out, and wore fhip immediaicly ; but in wearing fhe (Iruck, and jhcy hrui juil time only to call all hands once. The wind vey foon ftiifted, and came off* fliore, when they holfled up the fore-topfaij, and endeavoured to back off; but they only ^vvifled the Ihip's head off fhcre, and her ilern \jpon the rocks. The water gainfd upon. ]chem very faft, and the fhip was foon full, when they cut away the mails. The inain^ niaft went pr^^fently, and drove on fhore, j.when the Caffrees clambered upon it to get ^he iron and copper. The foremall was fome time before it went, aitxl they could not clear Jtofthe Oiip's fide, as ihe remained with her Jiead ofF (hore, till ihe went to pieces, the fea {breaking without her. " ' ■.. ;^:-^ .3'hey hoiiled out the yawl ; but (he was ftove immediately. They then made a raft; but the feven-inch hawfer, by which it was made fiill, foon broke, and the raft dr^jve on ihore with four m^n on it ; three of whom were drowned, but the other got f;ife to ;'and. As foon as the fhip was loit, two Lafcars fvvam afhore with a lead. line, and made ?, Jiaufer fiiii to a lar^s rock on the ihore. They • ./ then the ?, ' 'f. "I" BRITISH K A V I G A T It. »55 tlicn hove the haufer tort, and many of the fiilors got on Ihore by that means ; but the quarter mailer, and eight Teamen, were drowned, owing to the haufer flackening,^^" • 'All the crew, excepting fifteen, reachcii the fhorc ; but Robert Price, a boy, one of the four who reached England, was forced off the haufer, and his head daihed again ft the rock by a violent fca. I'hc cut he re- ceived, ofv/hich the mark liill remains, was fc bad, that he was not able to nelp himfeJf ; ami he would have been drowned, had not another feaman taken hohl of his liair, and pulled him out of. the fea, while others af- iiilcd to draw him up by the arms, .- About noon the next day, the fhip parted by the fore-chains, and Ibon after by the main-chains, at which inilant almoil an hun- dred ptrfons -were on board. As the fliip lay down very much, they got the ladies, who were pallengers, out at the llnrboard-quarter gallery, the people ftand'ng on the ftarboard iide cf the iliip. When ilie p;.rted, the fide funk down with them into the fea with thern all upon ir, and floated into fhallow water^ Here the failors helped the ladies and chil- dren on ihore, the body cf the wreck break- ing off the fv/ell. Capt. Talbot, of the navy, who was a paiTenger, and fome others, cam^ afhorc on the fore part of the fhip,; '^ j.i::./' ' They made a tent cf ihe mizen toprlail for t^e ladies, &c. on the flattifh pirt of the rock, where they found plenty cf frefh water g«'ihing out from feveral crevices ^f^ m Tie M ;(!t*I »"ii'7" ' m' 'ipp 136 ftHlTlIH NAVIGATOR. ' The (hip was loll juft to the northward of a rocky point, where was a higii {urf. A little to the northward was a landy bite, where was a creek> into which many things drove, particularly a cafk of wine, and one of their Tows, which was killed againit the rock. Plenty of timber from the wreck, as well as bombs and fails, were cail on {hore, fufiicient to have built and Htted fome veilels, nor vvere the proper tools want- ing. Plenty of beef and pork came on fhore ; but they took provifion only for about eight or nine days, that being as much as they could carry. Of thefe, and of what cloaths they could pick up, the lhip*s ileward made a oroper dillribution. ... . •/ - >:-"'- ,'£* It was on Sunday morning the (hip was loft, and on Wednefday morning they fet out to travel to the Cape, the captain fayii>g, that they would get there in fixteen or feventecn days at faitheft, but he hoped in ten days. All their arms were five or fix cutlafTes. Plenty of fire-arms were indeed caft on fhore, but they had neither powder nor ihot. While they remained by the wreck, the natives of- fered no violence, but Hole what they liked, jind ran away* , , , . When tiiey fet out, the chief mate was Car- ried, he being fick ; the fecond mate led the van,. Capt, Coxon in the rear, and the ladies in the <:cnter. As foon as they marched, the natives threw ftones, and hove their lances at them ; but what mifchief they did, is not mentipuedt They travelled along the tops of I cliffs. .vU' la:,..^. ■.,&' j. .11 v 411 •■piw^^wn BRITISH NAVIGATOR. I37 tlifFs, never far from the coafl, and gene- rally in fight of ihc fea. v-' *^^ ■ About three or four days after leaving the wreck, the captain, going up a very high liill, took a lance from one of the natives. There was no village then in fight ; but he foon brought out many more narJve?; armed with lances and targets. The captain put the ladies, and thofe who were unable to do any thing upon a rifing ground with the baggage, and then attacked the natives and routed them. They marched on, and met fome other natives, from whom they got fome fweet po- tatoes for buttons. After travelling fome way, it began to rain a little, on which they made a fire of grafs and tufts, there being no bufhes near* <.,j .■- j . . *;v;;.. v- .-*:•; ;■" ucv. After refting a little, they went on, and took up their lodging for the night under fome bufhes at the top of a hill, with a run- ning ftreara of frefli water in the hollow be- neath. -'■ ■ '^^ ■*-' The dodlor was now taken ill, and would Bot move ; fo that they were obliged to leave h'lm to the mercy of the barbarous natives, v^ho plundered thefe unhappy travellers on fvcry occafion, and pelted them with Itones. At night they came to a lak-water river, and gathered wood to make a fire, but they could not firike a light. One of the Lafcars, how- ever, ieeing a light on the other fide of the ri- ver, fvvam over, and lighted a Hick at a Caf- #ree hut^ where he faw no people j, but fwam back ^ ■ t. 138 BRITISH n AYl G At OtL. back over the river, and lighted a fire. Aw they had now no water. Col. James advifed them to dig in the fand, which they did, and Jot water. In the morning, the ladies waded over the river breaft high, fupported by the failors, who carried over the children. This was about a week after leaving the wreck. Aftck crolTing the river, the Laicars left them firft, and then fome of the people fet out, ilraggling^ leaving the captain and ladies behind. The captain was not fick, but quiie*dilhearrened when they parted, though their provifions were not i v'^'* expended. Thefe four jneA could give no count of the captain nor la- dies after they parted, which wns- about terl days after the wreck. They fny, that the riatives never olTered to carry away any of the ladies, nof offered them any injury, except taking their rings, or fuch like. I'here re- jnained with the captain, v^hcn thefe people left him, twenty-five per ions, officers and pri-^ vate men, twelve palfcngers, of which three were ladies, and five children, three milTcs and two mailers, befides feven black ferviints. ' The fame day that they parted from the captain and ladles, they again came up with the Lafcars in a fmall wood, A pai ty of thent went inland, and were three days out of fight cf the fea, and four days without meeting with any inhabitants, though they faw forae old huts, and many wild beafls, elephants, tyg?»i, &c. but being diflreiTed for provi- sions, they returned to the coail, where thejr • '. . . . H ^^mtm^. ' BRITISH NAVIOATOR. IJJ fed on ihell-fiih, and fared pretty well, when they came up with a dead whale, of which they faw three or four. They did mn eat of the firil or fecond, having no knife, but inacje a il^ift afterwards to cut it with a fpikenalJ, till Warmirigton found a knife in a buat up- fet on the fhore. In about three weeks or a month after part- ing with the captain and ladies, they came into a fandy country ; but by thib time they were feparated into fniall parties^ which daily decre?^ed by deaths, brought on by fatigue and fa;xiine. We mull;, therefore, now' coniine ourfelvea to the account given by Larey of his party. After coming into the fandy country, they faw no natives. This country confiLls of fan4- hills, which were fo loofe that they could nat go over ihem, and could only travel at low water, where the Tea ebbed, and made it hard. They found rocks fcattered on the fhoic in inany places, and one rocky part to the fea, which they could only pafs at low vyater^i ivt which time they luckily came to it. At this rocky place they faw feme pieces of wood with nails in it. and afterwards a Dutch boat call on the fliore. A hitle before they tame to Great Vifch river, which was in fig'ht from a rifmg ground, tliey palTcd a little gul- ley, where they were called to by Paddy Buriie, Mr. Lillburnc, Thomas Lewis> and Squi]£.>^ who had reached that place ; but the carjienter »aj de^d, and.h&d becJii, there buried. i^ ^V^ .s^' J : o ■ f «< Tiila ■ i.f-. A . >. :.Kvt: ■^^fw 140 BRITISH NAVIGATOR. This river Is very broad at high water, and like a fea, but very narrow when the tide ii out ; and DeLarfo was almoft drowned by the eddy tide in fwimining acrofs. The others pafTed in catamarans made of rattan wood and ilumps of trees, which were brought down by the river, and thrown upon the fhore. Thefe they tied with their handkerchiefs, and the roots that grew on the fand twilled together. When they got on the other fide of the river, they found a porpoife left among the rocks. De Larfo caught hold of its tail, when it fplafhed him all over ; but he at lafl iiruck it with a little knife and killed it. They continued their journey, having flopped at a frelh-water creek, till they came to a pond where they found more frefh water, and there flopped again. , They afterwards <:ame to a great bay ir le fandy country, when £ve of the party OL.y remained together, and one of them here died. They buried him, faid prayers over him, and then lliook hands, fwearing they would never feparate again till they reached a chriilian country. At this bay they were overtaken by Haynes and Evans, who told them, that Warming* ton was left behind almofl dead; on which De Larfo went back and fetched him. By this time they had found fand-crecpers, which are a kind of cockles that hide themfelves un- der the fand : fo that they had plenty of pro- vifions when joined by Haynes and Evans. The armourer went back with Evans to look for Mr. Liliburne, and others^ but never re« ^ turaed. lUW.il I III I ii^i.n^inilB^ ilRlTlSU NAVIGATOR. 141 e o* turned, lofing his own life to favc his com^ rades. However, Evans returned thj i'ame night. v. After leaving Sondage river, they came to a creek called Kaga, and then to Svvar- kops river, which is fait water ; and from the tops of the, hills they could fee the illands in the bay of that river, While Larey was alone on a fand'hill gathering Hottentot figs. Do Larfo having laid down to deep under a bufli near him, he faw a man, whom he at firft took for one of his companions ; hut on feeing a gun on his (houlder, he immediately ran to him as fall as he could, which was not very fail, his legs being fwelled. He then fell 4own at his feet for joy, and called to De i^arfo, who fpoke Portuguefe. Their com- panions were below at a whale by the fea-fide^ as they intended to flop there three days ; but when they were called, this man, named John Potofe, carried them to the houfe of Chriftian Ferpos, with whom he feemed to be ^partner. - '^ : . They all remained there three ^^ys^ and three days ^ more at another houfe in the neighbourhood, when ibmc were fent to Landr jofs, and fome to the Cape. Thirty or forty waggons and horfes, with tents, and about an hundred people, were then feiii otfin qucil pf the people who were faved ; but they re- turned in about a month without being able to reach the wreck, or meet with any of the jpeople. They had no tokens of the iadies nor captain, except that they faw in a Caf- Vol. V|II, N im fT^?^ I - M>WY^,.j|inii/ii^iai. in J4t B R I T X-S H NAVtiCATOH. frce-haufe a great coat, which they thought was the captain's ; but in their journey they faw feveral dead bodies. • n^iihr- ----- - Of all the people who efcaped from the %/ eck, we as yet know but of eight who got *. the Cape of Good Hope, the four who ar- rived in England, three who are gone to Den- mark, and one who remained at the Cape« The mod gloomy imagination cannot aggra- vate the miferies that mirft have been felt by thefc unhappy people immediately after the v/reck. Behind them was the ocean, from ivhich they had juH: efcaped, and the (here flrewed with the dead bodies of the more for- tunate companions of theii* difallerous voy- age ; before them was a journey of upwards of five hundred miles, without arms or fufH- cient provilions, expofed to the rays of an African fun, through inhofpitable and un- tracklefs deferts, untrodden, except by the iierce barbarian, or the prowling favage. While the melancholy fate of the Grofvenor cannot fail to raife the tei^der feelings of every humane bofom, the following account of a Portugueze veflcl, which was wrecked, many years fince, on the fame inhofpitable coaft, will call fonh the fi^hof pity and humanity. The poetical Dpn Enianuel de Souza was feveral years govi^rnor of Diu in India, where he amaiTed immenfe wealth. On his rctujri to his nadve country, the Hiip, in which were Jiis lady, all his riches, and live huadred men, his failors and domeiUcs, was dafhed to pieces on the xofks of the Cape of Good * '• v'''. Hope. ' kn.: ught they BRITISH NAVIGATOR* I43 Hope, before any European fettlement was made there. Don Emanuel, his lady, and his three children, with four hundred cf ihe ;Crew> efcaped, having faved only a few arms and provifions. As they marched through the rude uncultivated defert8, forac died of fa- mine, fomc of thirft, and many of f ;tjguc ; others, who wandered from the main body in fearch of vvaf^r, were murdered by the fa- vages, or dellroyed by the wild beafts. The horror of this miferabie fituation was mod dreadfully aggravated to Donna Leonora, when ihc found her huiband began to difcovcr Itarts of infanity. At length, xhey arrived at a vil- , lage inhabited by the CafFrees, or Ethiopian banditti. They were at firll courteoufly re- ceived, and Souza, partly llupified with grief, at the defifc of the barbarians, yielded up to jthem the arms of his company. No fooner was this done, than the favages ftrippr^d the whole company naked, and lefi: them d'*ili- tute to the mercy of the defert. The wretch- ednefs of the delicate and txpofed Leonora was encreafed by tiie hrajj^^i infuhs of the ne- groes; an4 her hufband, unable to relieve^ beheld her miferies. After having travelled about three hundred and twenty leagues, he^ legs fwellcd, her feet breeding at evrv ilep, and her llrcng:h exhaiiiied, fhe funll 4o\vn, and vvitii the (and covered herk If to the^eck, to conceal her nakedneJs^ In ihis dreadful li- tuation, flie faw two of her cliiKiren expire, and her own death foon followed. Pier huf* band,' who had been long ^nanaoured of hci- beauty jj 144 iHITtSH >rAVI#ATOE. Veauty, received her laft breath in a dJdfaftejJ embrace. He 'immediately fnatched up hi« third child in his arms, and uttering the mofl; lamejitabl^ (?ries, he ran into the thickell of the wood, where the wild beafts were foon )ieard to growl over their prey. Qf the whole |bur hundred who efcaped the wave?, only twcncy-ibc arrived at another Ethiopian vil- lage?, whofe inhabitants y^ere more civilized, ^nd traded with the merchants of the Red Scr]. From hence they found a pafTage to Europe, where they related the ui;happy fat^ ©f^^^ir ^in^anio|is. .> Ir "j?«S«K,- ^T^^4i*j^'*" yi wUrf^i-ILWfe... *i'^»mr^^'=''-''i%^^ *d up hiii ^ the mofi; hickeil of •vcre foon the wholJB ive^, only )pian vil- civilized, the Red )affagc to appy fato ^ ^ "^^n