^aj 
 
 Si* 
 
 V'*^o"'^> ^^- .0. 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 «- IIIIIM 
 
 ^ m 
 
 IIM 
 
 120 
 
 1.8 
 
 1-4 III11I.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 iV 
 
 \\ 
 
 % 
 
 V 
 
 <c 
 
 
 C> 
 
 
 ^^? 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibiiographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantiy change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 □ 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 Couverture endommagie 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 I I Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured maps/ % 
 
 Cartes g6ographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou nn're) 
 
 I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reiii avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge int6rieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certalnes pages blanches ajout6es 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte. 
 mais, lorsque cela 6tait pos»*bln. ces pages n'ont 
 pas At6 film6es. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires supplAmentaires: 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meiileur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mithode normale de filmage 
 sont indiquds ci-dessous. 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 Coloured pages/ 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou pelliculdes 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages ddcolor^es, tachetdes ou piqudes 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tach6es 
 
 I I Showthrough/ 
 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of print varies/ 
 Quality in6gale de I'lmpression 
 
 includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du materiel suppiimentaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 
 
 Pages wholly or partially ob&sur^d by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont M filmies A nouveau de fapon d 
 obtenir la mellleure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmad at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 14X ItX 22X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \y 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 
 
 
 
 
 16X 
 
 
 
 
 20X 
 
 
 
 
 a4x 
 
 
 
 
 28X 
 
 
 
 
 32X 
 
 k 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 University of British Columbia Library 
 
 L'exemplaire filmi fut reproduit grAce d la 
 gAnirositi de: 
 
 University of British Columbia Library 
 
 The images appearing here are the bjst quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avac le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettetA de rexemplaire filmd, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or ilhistratoc' impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimis sont film6s en commen9ant 
 par le premier plat et an terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'Impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la 
 premiere page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'Impression ou d illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — ^»> (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon la 
 cas: le symbole — »• signifie "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 
 filmis A des taux de reduction dlff6rents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre 
 reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 A partir 
 de Tangle supirieur gauche, de gauche d droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mithode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 '5 
 
 6 
 
RICHARD J CLEVELAND, 
 
vVIGATOR 
 
 BATS tlA? JiSi' PIST 
 
 m Tm ;*^«i!WJiii Mm ijnr?EKB 
 
 i.EVELAND 
 
 »^ 
 
 T 4V|> 
 
 'iUARK 
 
\ 
 
 filCHMiiJ 
 
VOYAGES 
 
 OP 
 
 A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 OF THE DAYS THAT ARE PAST 
 
 COMPILED FROM THE JOURNALS AND LETTERS 
 
 OF THE LATE 
 
 RICHARD J. CLEVELAND 
 
 Jfrr 
 
 ^>.c<-^ 
 
 BY 
 
 H. W. S. CLEVELAND 
 
 NEW YORK 
 HARPER & BROTHERS FRANKLIN SQUARE 
 
 1886 
 
I I 
 
 Copyright, 1886, by HAnrEU & BRoraERS. 
 
 All right* rtttntd. 
 
 /Sb/73 
 G V/ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Those who have got beyond the childish belief 
 that happiness is the end and aim of existence, 
 and is actually attainable in this stage of it — who 
 have learned by the discipline of adversity and 
 disappointment that the grand object of life is the 
 development of character, while happiness is only 
 the occasional, incidental attendant on its pursuit 
 •i— will read the following story with an appreciative 
 interest which only such education can afford. 
 
 H. W. S. C. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. , 
 
 Salem, the Part she Took in the Revolution.— Stephen Cleveland.— 
 Commercial Activity Succeeding the Revolution, and its Effect 
 on the Character of the Community Page 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Early Years.— Cultivation of Commercial Tastes.— First Voyage. — 
 Voyage with Captain Silsbee. — Letters to his Father.— Voyage 
 from Havre to Cape of Good Hope.— Interest Excited by his Ar- 
 rival 13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Voyage from China to the Northwest Coast of America.— Letters 
 from Canton. — Difficulties of the Undertaking. — Hardships of 
 the Voyage.— Mutiny of the Men.— Adventures on the Coast. — 
 Safe Return to Canton. 84 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 From Canton to Calcutta, and thence to the Isle of France.— First 
 Meeting with William Shaler.— From the Isle of Franco to Co- 
 penhagen.— Purchase of the Brig Lelia Byrd, and Preparations 
 for a Voyage Round the World.— The Count de Rouissillon. 57 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Voyage of the Lelia %rd— Adventures in Chili and on the Coast 
 of California. — Thence to the Sandwich Islands and China, and 
 thence in the Alert to Boston 70 
 
w 
 
 vm 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Marriage and Settlement at Lancaster, Massachusetts. — Forced to 
 Resume Navigation. — Voyage of the Aspasia, and its Ruinous 
 Termination Pago 101 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Embargo. — Voyage to Africa.— Goes to England in Search of 
 Business. — Thence, Secretly, to Holland, and Home as Bearer of 
 Despatches. — Voyage to Naples.— Vessel and Cargo Seized and 
 Confiscated.- Life at Naples and Rome 125 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 From Italy to Lisbon and thence to England 143 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Transactions in England and on the Continent.— A Project Prom- 
 ising Great Results Defeated by the Failure of the Russian 
 Campaign 153 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Sails in the Ship Beater from New York for the West Coast of 
 South America. — Seized at Talcahuana. — Plots to Take the 
 Spanish Frigate Veuffama. — Seized with Fever. — Is Sent to 
 Lima in the Brig Canton 167 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Letters to the Viceroy and to Mr. Astor. — Arrival at Lima. — Recep- 
 tion by the Viceroy. — Goes to Valparaiso on a Secret Mission. 
 — The Beaver Restored. — Captain Biddle Supplies a First 
 Officer 184 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Operations on the Coast of Peru. — Proclamation of Blo( '■:■■' ^ :, which 
 he Sets at Defiance with Entire Success.— Satisfaqd ; of the 
 Viceroy. — Sails for Rio Janeiro . , . 199 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Recapitulation of tlie Occurrences of Tlirco Years.— Letter from the 
 Underwriters, and bis Reply.— Home Again.— Disgraceful Con- 
 duct of the National Insurance Company Pago 213 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Failure to Secure the Proceeds of his Adventures. — Pursuit of 
 Arizmendi to Hamburg, and subsequonlly to Madrid. — Mr. 
 Shalcr Appointed Consul at Havana. —My Father Goes with 
 him as Vicc-Consul.— Death of Mr. Slialcr.— Obtains an Ofllco 
 in Boston Custom-IIouse.— Takes up his Residence with me, and 
 
 Dies in my House at the Age of Eighty-seven 226 
 
 A* 
 
VOYAGES 
 
 OF 
 
 A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 OF THE DAYS THA.T ARE PAST. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Salem, the Part she took in the Revolution.— Stephen Cleveland.— 
 Commercial Activity Succeeding the Revolution, and its EfEect 
 on the Character of the Community. 
 
 The names of many of the cities and towns of the 
 old world are associated in the mind witli conceptions 
 of character almost as vivid as tliose which attach to in- 
 dividual persons. 
 
 We think of some as centres of intellectual or artistic 
 cul-ure. Others are invested with an odor of sanctity, 
 or call to mind visions of decayed grandeur, or an un- 
 defined sense of weird and ghostly superstitions. A 
 sort of moral atmosphere seems to hang over them, 
 which imparts its hue to overy object or incident per- 
 taining to them. Such associations are naturally less 
 frequent and less palpable with us, and yet we have 
 many towns which have attained such reputation for 
 1 
 
VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 
 peculiar qualities, resulting from cirenrastances of past 
 history, that we speak of events wliicli transpire within 
 their borders as being characteristic of the place, just as 
 we should of any person whose idiosyncrasies were well 
 known, and we instantly recognize the effect of these 
 peculiar characteristics in the action of individual mem- 
 bers of the community. 
 
 There is, perhaps, no town on this continent whose 
 name carries with it such distinctly marked associations 
 of this kind as Salem, Massachusetts. There is certainly 
 none which sustained a more important part in the early 
 history of the country, and none which has retained so 
 many outward evidences of its former character. 
 
 The stranger who wanders to-day through the quiet 
 streets of Salem, or lingers about her deserted wharves, 
 is impressed with the Sabbath-like stillness which per- 
 vades them, and the vague sense of departed vitality 
 with which they are invested. Old-fashioned homes 
 of spacious size, whose walls in long -past days have 
 echoed the greetings of old-fashioned hospitality, stand 
 apart in the shade of patriarchal elms or lindens, and 
 seem to plead with mute eloquence against the inno- 
 vation of modern improvements. Great warehouses 
 stand, empty and silent, on the vacant wharves which 
 once resounded with the notes of busy commerce. In 
 my younger days a peculiar feature of the streets was 
 the frequent presence at the corners of an old cannon, 
 made to do duty as a corner-post. It had a picturesque 
 effect, and was so suggestive of past history that I can- 
 not but regret the lack of taste which suffered them to 
 be removed. They were most frequently to be seen in 
 
OLD SALEM. 3 
 
 the streets nearest the wharves, which were then lined 
 with ship-chandler's shops, sailors' boarding-houses, slop- 
 shops, etc., and were filled witli the motley crowd of 
 sailors, longshoremen, and the various amphibious bi- 
 peds inherent to such places. All these have long since 
 disappeared, like frogs and tadpoles from a drained 
 marsh, and no sight, sound, or odor remains that is sug- 
 gestive of marine or commercial life. 
 
 Tliere are, however, no signs of the poverty wo aro 
 accustomed to associate with decay. The evidences of 
 wealth and refined culture are obvious, and an aspect 
 of comfort and respectability is seen even in the plain- 
 est dwellings, while the tidy cleanliness which every- 
 wliere prevails affords no suggestion of squalor or want. 
 But the sources of prosperity are not perceptible. The 
 machinery of life is out of sight and hearing, and the 
 man whose interest in life is dependent on the ceaseless 
 activity which is the characteristic of our new and grow- 
 ing towns is apt to turn with a sneer of contempt from 
 a place which seems so dead to everything like active 
 enterprise. 
 
 Yet the present serene and quiet condition of Salem 
 is the final result — the " ripening off," after fermenta- 
 tion — of such elements of activity and enterprise as have 
 never been surpassed, and have exerted so important an 
 influence on the destinies of the country that they should 
 not be forgotten. 
 
 The part which Salem played in the great drama of 
 the revolution was unique, and constituted a vitally 
 important factor in the sum of events which led to the 
 final consummation. 
 
in 
 
 4 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that we entered npon that 
 contest with the first naval power in the world without 
 a single ship of war ; with our commerce ruined, and 
 the ports of Boston and New York in the hands of the 
 enemy, a fate soon after shared by Newport, Philadel- 
 phia, Savannah, and Charleston. Salem paw her oppor- 
 tunity and proved herself equal to its demands. She 
 turned her vessels into men-of-war, armed and manned 
 them, and sent them out to prey on British commerce. 
 During the war upwards of one hundred and fifty ves- 
 sels, carrying more than two thousand guns, were sent 
 out of her port, and more than four hundred and fifty 
 prizes were captured and sent in by them. Tliey cruised 
 in the English and Irish channels and the Bay of Bis- 
 cay; they brought arms and munitions of war from 
 France and the French islands ; they intercepted the 
 transport ships bringing reinforcements and supplies 
 from England to the troops in Boston and New York ; 
 they raised the rate of insurance on British ships to 
 twenty-three per cent., and compelled England to em- 
 ploy her navy in convoying merchantmen, and in re- 
 peated instances achieved success by the most desperate 
 feats of valor. 
 
 A very active part in the promotion of this service 
 was taken by my grandfather, Stephen Cleveland, a 
 sketch of whose career will serve as an appropriate in- 
 troduction to the adventures of his eldest son, my father. 
 
 In the year 1756, when he was but sixteen years old, 
 he was seized by a press-gang in the streets of Boston, 
 and served for several years on board an English frigate. 
 She was first under the command of a very gentlemanly 
 
STEPHEN CLEVELAND, 
 
 oflScer, who was beloved by his crew, ani who after- 
 wards became Sir William Trelawney, Governor of Ja- 
 maica. 
 
 lie was succeeded by a contemptible dandy, who, 
 among other acts which excited the ire of his crew, used 
 to go at night in disguise between decks to overhear 
 their remarks upon himself. On one occasion he was 
 recognized by one of the men by the dim light of a 
 lantern, and, springing from his hammock and calling 
 him by the name of one of his shipmates with whom 
 he pretended to have had a difficulty, he gave him such 
 a thrashing that he kept his bed for a fortnight, and 
 was, of course, ashamed to make known tlie cause of his 
 sudden illness. 
 
 My grandfather's service m the British navy was dur- 
 ing the "old French war," and the ship to which he 
 was attached was for a time one of a squadron watching 
 a French fleet in one of the Channel ports. He was 
 promoted to be captain of the foretop, and afterwards 
 midshipman. After his discharge and return home he 
 entered the merchant service, and became not only an 
 accomplished seaman, but, as I have often heard my fa- 
 ther say, he seemed to have an intuitive skill in naval 
 arcliitecture, and a better knowledge of proportions in 
 the building, sparring, and rigging of ships than any 
 man he ever knew. 
 
 This knowledge was turned to account in a most effi- 
 cient manner in the service of his country in her most 
 trying days. His advice and assistance were in con- 
 stant demand for the construction and fitting-out of the 
 privateers. 
 
il ii 
 
 6 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 The brig Pilgrim was built under his sole direction, 
 and proved one of the fastest as well as most successful 
 of the whole Salem fleet. She captured and sent in 
 more than fifty prizes, and was finally run ashore on 
 Cape Cod to escape captnre by the Chathara, a frigate 
 of sixty guns. 
 
 lie was finally commissioned by the Continental gov- 
 ernment, and sent to Bordeaux in command of the brig 
 Despatch, to procure arms and military stores. 
 
 The date of his commission is August 8, 1776, only 
 thirty-five days after the Declaration of Independence, 
 60 that it must have been one of the earliest naval com- 
 missions issued by the Continental government. It is 
 signed by John Hancock, and was accompanied by a 
 minute letter of instructions from a committee of Con- 
 gress, of which Benjamin Franklin was chairman. He 
 was the first to display the American flag on a govern- 
 ment vessel in a European port, and was much feted 
 and caressed during his stay in Bordeaux. 
 
 A curious illustration of the necessities to which the 
 country was reduced is afforded by the fact that, as we 
 had then neither money nor credit, he carried out a cargo 
 of oil, fish, and potash, and made his purchases with the 
 proceeds. He accomplished his object successfully, af- 
 ter two narrow escapes from capture on his return. 
 
 The spirit of active enterprise engendered by the war 
 found vent, when peace returned, in the opening of new 
 channels of commerce. The merchants of Salem then 
 found themselves in possession of a fleet of vessels which 
 liad been built expressly for privateers, and were much 
 too large for the short voyages to which they had hereto- 
 
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY OF SALEM. *j 
 
 fore been restricted, and tliey entered at once upon the 
 commercial career of which, for a period of forty years, 
 they held the monopoly. The effect of this active rival- 
 ry upon the social character of the town was so marked, 
 and is so pertinent to my present subject, that I feel 
 warranted in quoting the following from a very inter- 
 esting paper prepared by the Rev. George Bachelor: 
 
 "The foreign commerce wliicli sprang up in the last century in 
 Salem was the cause of a wonderful intellectual and moral stimulus, 
 not yet spent. After a century of comparative quiet, the citizens of 
 this little town were suddenly dispersed to every part of the Oriental 
 world, and to every nook of barbarism which had a market and a 
 shore. The borders of the commercial world received sudden en- 
 largement, and the boundaries of the intellectual world underwent 
 a similar expansion. This reward of enterprise might be the dis- 
 covery of an island in which wild pepper enough to load a ship 
 might be had almost for the asking, or of forests where precious 
 gums had no commercial value, or spice islands, unvisited and un- 
 vexed by civilization. Every shipmaster and every mariner return- 
 ing on a richly loaded ship was the owner of valuable knowledge. In 
 those days crews were made up of Salem boys, every one of whom 
 expected to become an East India merchant. When a captain was 
 asked at Manilla how he contrived to find his way in the teeth of a 
 northeast monsoon by mere dead-reckoning, he replied that he had 
 a crew of twelve men, any one of whom could take and work a 
 lunar observation as well, for all practical purposes, as Sir Isaac 
 Newton himself. 
 
 "This crew had in Nathaniel Bowditch an uncommon supercargo. 
 But it would be difficult now to find a crew of common sailors who, 
 even under such a teacher, would willingly master the mysteries of 
 tangents and secants, dip and refraction, sines and cosines. 
 
 "When, in 1816, George Crowninshicld coasted the Mediterranean 
 in the Cleopatra's Barge, a magnificent yacht of one hundred and 
 ninety-seven tons, which excited the wonder even of the Genoese, 
 the black cook, who had once sailed with Bowditch, was found to 
 be as competent to keep a ship's reckoning as any of the officers. 
 
8 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ii 
 
 '* Rival merchants sometimes drove the work of preparation niglit 
 and day, when virgin markets had favors to be won, and ships which 
 set out for unknown ports were watched when they slipped their 
 cables and sailed away by night, and dogged for months on the high 
 seas, in the hope of discovering the secret, well kept by owner and 
 crew. Every man on board was allowed a certain space for his own 
 little venture. People in other pursuits, not excepting the mer- 
 chant's minister, intrusted their savings to the supercargo, and 
 watched eagerly the result of their adventure. This great mental 
 activity, the profuse stores of knowledge brought by every ship's 
 crew and distributed, together with India shawls, blue china, and 
 unheard-of curiosities from every savage shore, gave the community 
 a rare alertness of intellect." 
 
 Saleir ships led the way round the Cape of Good 
 Hope to the Isle of France, India, and China. They 
 were the first to display the American flag and open 
 trade at Ciilcutta, Bombay, Sumatra, Zanzibar, Mada- 
 gascar, Australia, Batavia, Mocha, and St. Petersburg. 
 The adventures of her brave mariners in unknown seas, 
 their encounters with pirates and savage tribes, their hair- 
 breadth escapes, their tales of imprisonment and suffer- 
 ing in the prisons of France, Spain, and South America, 
 would make a story which could not be surpassed in ro- 
 mantic and pathetic interest. Tlie adventures described 
 in the following pages may serve as a sample in proof 
 of the cibove assertion. They afford an illustration of 
 the effect of such experiences in giving a marked char- 
 acter to a community of which the hero is a type. 
 
 His own " Narrative of Yoyages and Commercial En- 
 terprises" was published in Boston in 1842, and went 
 through three editions in this country, and was repub- 
 lished in England. It was reviewed in all the leading 
 periodicals of both countries in terms of the highest 
 
 i ! 
 
 : i 
 
•'CLEVELAND'S NARRATIVE." 
 
 
 
 commendation, not only of the intrinsic interest of the 
 adventures described, bnt of the beauty of the style, 
 ■which was compared with that of Defoe. It has long 
 been out of print, however ; and, although it may bo 
 found in many of the principal libraries of the country, 
 and no one can read it without acknowledging its a'>- 
 sorbing interest, very few of the present generation of 
 readers are aware of its existence. 
 
 It is obvious, however, that a narrative partaking so 
 much of the nature of an autobiography must necessa- 
 rily be devoid of the personal details which are often 
 essential features in such a story when told by another, 
 while the fact that, at the time of its publication, many 
 of those with whom the author had been associated 
 were still living, precluded many allusions to persons 
 and events which would greatly enhance the interest 
 of the story. These obstacles have been removed by 
 the lapse of time. None of his contemporaries are left, 
 and those who knew and loved him in his old age, 
 when they themselves were young, are now far ad- 
 vanced in life. No one is now living who will be af- 
 fected by the mention of names which it would then 
 have been indelicate to make public, and no injury can 
 now accrue from laying bare the secret springs of ac- 
 tions which it was then inexpedient to expose. Above 
 all, the personal character of the chief actor may now, 
 with propriety, be made the object of central interest, 
 and the traits which win the affection may be shown to 
 have formed quite as important an element of its com- 
 position as those which excite only admiration. 
 
 The materials for such illustration are in my posses- 
 1* 
 
10 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 8ion in the form of journals and letters, which often re- 
 veal such a personal connection with the incidents of tho 
 narrative as adds very greatly to their interest. 
 . Abundant material for further elucidation of the sub- 
 ject might bo drawn from tho archives of the Essex 
 Institute, and the wonderful collection of interesting 
 objects in the museum of the Salem East India Marine 
 Society would furnish means of elaborate illustration 
 from every quarter, and especially from the least-known 
 regions, of the globe. 
 
 Having given this account of my father's father, it is 
 fitting tliat I should add that his wife — my grandmother 
 — was Margaret Jeffry, one of a highly respectable 
 famil}'", of whom no representative is left in Salem, 
 though the name is preserved in connection with a 
 court running out of Washington Street, which was 
 part of the garden in the rear of the family residence, 
 on Essex Street, opposite the First Church. A quaint, 
 but beautiful, miniature in my possession justifies the 
 description given of her as a very charming and attrac- 
 tive woman ; and her death, in 1784, at the age of thirt}'- 
 seven, so preyed upon her husband that it seemed to in- 
 capacitate him from further exertion. My father alludes 
 most feelingly to this event in a letter written to me 
 late in life, soon after the publication of his narrative. 
 In reply to some remarks of mine on the trials and dis- 
 appointments therein detailed, he says: 
 
 m 
 
 "These were as dust in the balance compared to the affliction I 
 was early called upon to suffer. I allude to my dear mother's death 
 when I had only reached my tenth year, just the period when I had 
 sufficient reflection to bo sensible of our loss; Just the season when 
 
EARLY AFFLICTION. 
 
 11 
 
 the sensibility is most delicately acute. All the circumstances con- 
 nected with tliis gloomy period are so profoundly engraven on my 
 memory as never to be obliterated. I suppose it was known to her 
 attendants that my mother could not recover, but I was unconscious 
 of it, when, on an evening, between daylight and dark, as my brother 
 William and I were playing at ball in the yard, my aunt Nancy came 
 to the door and said, ' Come in, boys, your mother is dying.' Words 
 are inadequate to convey an idea of the anguish I suffered on this 
 announcement. Scarcely had the excess of grief a little subsided, 
 when it was renewed by the dismal business of the funeral obsequies. 
 Dr. Prince, while praying, was so overcome by his emotions that it 
 was with difficulty he succeeded in finishing the prayer. It was 
 customary in those days for the body to be carried on the sliouhkrs 
 of men, and six or eight pall holders to walk on each side the coffin, 
 the mourners being arranged in the procession in accordance with 
 the degree of alliance to the deceased. Of course, my poor father, 
 who was almost distracted, walked first, and his two eldest sons 
 next. Arrived at the grave, as if these circumstanctis v.'cre not al- 
 ready sufficiently harrowing, it was necessary to wait near it till the 
 coffin was deposited and some gravel thrown upon it. At the mo- 
 ment this gravel rattled upon the coffin my father uttered a groan 
 which, it appears to me, I can hear even now. For many weeks af- 
 ter this sad scene I never slept till I had wet my pillow with my tears. 
 For many months after, a mark on my handkerchief, a patch on ray 
 clothes, the frill of my shirt, anything of the handiwork of my dear 
 mother, would awaken the sense of my loss; and for years after- 
 wards I never heard the bell of the First Church toll without its 
 bringing the sad scene before me. During many weeks after the 
 funeral my father shut himself up, and would see nobody except his 
 children; and this, as was natural, had a tendency to increase my 
 grief." 
 
 The despondency which resulted from the death of 
 his wife was so great that my grandfather never recov- 
 ered from its ejects. His property, as a consequence, 
 became so reduced that the necessity of providing for 
 him was a chief incentive to my father's early efforts to 
 
\i\\ 
 
 12 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NA\IOATOR. 
 
 scciiro an independence. Tlio urgent tones In which — 
 as will be seen — ho entreats his father, in his letters, to 
 make use of his means or credit without reserve or hesi- 
 tation, afford sufficient evidence of his filial affection 
 and his generous nature. 
 
 Note.— The preceding chapter was written some years since, and, 
 of course, before the name of Grover Cleveland had been suggested 
 for the high office to which he has since been elected. As the ele- 
 ments of sterling integrity and unflinching courage which have 
 marked his administration were no less conspicuous in the char- 
 acter of the hero of the following story, the fact will possess inter- 
 est, especially to those who have faith in the law of heredity, that 
 the great-grandfather of the President, the Rev, Aaron Cleveland 
 of Norwich, Conn., was the brother of my grandfather, Stephen 
 Cleveland, of whom I have given the above account. 
 
 Chicago, Dec, 1885. 
 
^mmm. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Early Years.— Cultivation of Commercial Tastes.— First Voyage- 
 Voyage with Captain Silsbee.— Letters to his Father.— Voyage 
 from Havre to Cape of Good Hope —Interest Excited by his Ar- 
 rival. 
 
 My father, Richard Jcffry Cleveland, the eldest child 
 of Stephen and Margaret Jeffry Cleveland, was born in 
 Salem, Dec. 19, 1773. He had three brothers younger 
 than liiniself, two of whom — William and George— 
 were for many years merchant navigators in the East 
 India trade from that port. They afterwards held, in 
 succession, the office of president of the Commercial 
 Insurance Companj-^, and George was also president of 
 the East India Marine Society, a charitable association 
 composed of navigators engaged in that trade. It is 
 simply a just tribute to their memory to say that no 
 men ever stood higher in the estimation of their fellow- 
 citizens, or were regarded with warmer feelings of af- 
 fection by those who knew them best, than these two 
 brothers. At the age of fourteen my father entered the 
 counting-house of Elias Ilasket Derby, where ho re- 
 mained four years, and acquired not only the merely 
 technical elements of mercantile education, but an accu- 
 rate knowledge and love of naval affairs, and a taste for 
 commercial adventure. This last was wisely fostered 
 by Mr. Derby, who allowed liis employees to become in- 
 
14 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCU^NT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 terested in tlio voyages of his ships by sending small 
 adventures on their own account. Even the seamen 
 were each allowed a privilege of eight hundred pounds 
 frei[i;hc, and the officers a proportionally larger amount. 
 The building and despatching of ships to different quar- 
 ters of the globe was so constantly in progress that it 
 afforded the best possible opportunity for studying and 
 comparing their relative qualities, while the interest in 
 their performance and in the results of their voyages 
 was sustained by daily conversation and discussion, in 
 which every participant had a personal stake. Indeed, 
 his love for the sea may be traced to a yet earlier stage, 
 as he has told me that his favorite sport when a boy was 
 sailing about Salem harbor in a lej.y boat, which he 
 liired at sixpence a week. 
 
 When only eighteen he M>^nt on his first voyage, im- 
 pelled thereto by the wish i^J piovide for his father, and 
 the earliest of his letters in my possession, written to 
 liis father from the Capo of Good Hope, April 20, 
 1792, contains these words, which every father will ap- 
 preciate: 
 
 . " I long to hear how your lawsuit is settled, the event of which 
 causes me much anxiety; but, if you should lose it, it must be a con- 
 solation to you that your children are ambitious bpys, who, with 
 such an education as is to be had in tlie public schools of Salem, can 
 soon provide for themselves and their father also ; and I am sure you 
 cannot doubt the pleasure it would give us; but God forbid you 
 should ever be in such circumstances as to want it." 
 
 His earliest voyages were made in the capacity of 
 captain's clerk, under the command of Nathaniel Silsbee, 
 who had been his fellow-clerk in. Mr. Derby's counting- 
 room, and was subsequently, for many years, senator 
 
i 
 
 FIRST VOYAGES. 
 
 16 
 
 small 
 seamen 
 pounds 
 mount, 
 it quar- 
 that it 
 ng and 
 jrest in 
 oyagcs 
 5ion, in 
 'ndeed, 
 • stage, 
 oy was 
 lich he 
 
 ler, and 
 tten to 
 ml 20, 
 vill ap- 
 
 m 
 
 from Massachusetts. Ho was but liKtlc older than my 
 father, and their friendship was of lifelong duration. 
 Of one of these voyages, of nineteen moiitlis' duration, 
 to the Cape of Good Hope and the Isles of France and 
 Bourbon, at a time when the wars of the great powers 
 of Europe rendered navigation precarious, and often de- 
 manded the skill of the diplomatist as well as that of the 
 mariner, he says, at its conclusion, 
 
 "The voyage, thus happily accomplished, may be regarded, when 
 taken in all its bearings, as a very remarkable one ; first, from the 
 extreme youth of all to whom its management had been intrusted — 
 Captain Silsbec was not twenty years old; the chief male, Charles 
 Derby, was but nineteen; and the second mate, who was discharged 
 at the Isle of Franco, and whose place I subsequent!}'' filled, was but 
 twenty-four. Secondly, from the foresight, ingenuity, and adroit- 
 ness manifested in averting and escaping dangers; in perceiving ad- 
 vantages, and turning them to the best account; and, thirdly, from 
 the great, success attending this judicious management, as demon- 
 strated by the fact of returning to the owner four or five times the 
 amount of the original capital. Mr. Derby used to call us his boys, 
 and boast of our achievements ; and well might he do so, for it is not 
 probable that the annals of the world can furnish another example 
 of an enter]ji ise of such magnitude, requiring the exercise of so 
 much judgment and skill, being conducted by so young a man, aided 
 only by still younger advisers, and accomplished with the most en- 
 tire success." 
 
 His letters to his father, in all his early voyages, give 
 ev'denee of such self-confident ambition as is essential 
 1^0 success, and show, at the same time, that he was actu- 
 ated only by generous motives. The following passages, 
 taken from different letters, between the years 1795 and 
 1797, are of this character : 
 
 " If I go only short voyages, you may depend upon as large a re- 
 mittance as I can possibly make, at least once a year, and I hope I 
 
10 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 shall soon have it in my power to supply you bountifully, wliicli is 
 my only ambition. " 
 
 "I enclose bills of exchange for £180 sterling ($900), and I hope 
 you will not hesitate to take up money on my account, for be as- 
 sured, while I possess one dollar, three fourths cf it shall be at your 
 service." 
 
 H 
 
 In 1797, having made one previous voyage in com- 
 , ; inand of the bark Enterprise^ belonging to E. II. 
 r ' Derby, Jr., lie sailed again in the same vessel for Eu- 
 rope, whence, after disposing of his cargo, he was to 
 go to Mocha for a cargo of coffee ; and was anticipat- 
 ing, with sf'tiif action, the prospect of being the first to 
 display the American flag in that port, lie was pro- 
 portionately disappointed when, Foon after his arrival 
 at Havre, he received notice that circumstances ren- 
 dered it necessary to abandon the voyage, and /eturn 
 the property to the owner, with as little delay as pos- 
 sible. Knowing that ' is return home would involve 
 the loss of a good deal of time before he could hope to 
 be again employed — owing to the general stagnation of 
 busmess — he sent the ship home under the charge of 
 the mate, and began, at Havre, the first of the daring 
 enterprises which he subsequently followed np with 
 such marked success. 
 
 The danger they involved was not encountered as an 
 act of bravado. They 1 id always an object which ho 
 deemed worthy of the risk, and that object was success- 
 fully accomplished. 
 
 The following letter contains the first intimation of 
 his intention. At the time it was written he was three 
 months hort of twenty-four years of age : 
 
LETTER TO HIS FATHER. 
 
 17 
 
 
 "Hat RE, September 19, 1797. 
 
 "When I was upon the point of embarking for home, and, in 
 imagination, was shaking hands with my friends, an unexpected 
 offer, upon advantageous terms, of such a vessel 'iS I have been 
 looking out for, determined me to alter my course, and add a few 
 months to the many I have already been absent, concluding that if 
 I came home from hence I must unavoidably (in the present state 
 of affairs) remain at least six or eight months unemployed, which, in 
 addition to the time I have already lost, would be very unpleasant. 
 
 "I, therefore, determined to accept this offer, choosing to risk all 
 in endeavoring to do something rather than spending moderately 
 and living lazily at home. To explain myself then: I have pur- 
 chased a cutter-sloop, of fortythree tons' burden, on a credit of two 
 years. This vessel was built at Dieppe, and fitted out for a priva- 
 teer; was taken by the English, and has been plying between Dover 
 and Calais as a packet-boat. She has elegant accommodations, and 
 sails fast. I shall copper her, put her in ballast, trim with £1000 
 or £1500 sterling, in cargo, and proceed to the Isle of France and 
 Bourbon, where I expect to sell her, as well as the cargo, at a very 
 handsome profit, and have no doubt of being well paid for my 
 twelve months' work, calculating to be with you next August. 
 
 "I have written to Uncle James respecting my account with Mr. 
 Derbjr; have drawn bills in his favor for the balance, and advised 
 him how I wish it disposed of. Should you be in want of cash 
 before my return, do not hesitate to make use of my credit, so far 
 as it will go. I will pay principal and any (the most exorbitant) 
 interest on any money you find it necessary to take up ; and, 
 although I know there is no risk in the bills I forwarded you on 
 Mr. Haven of Portsmouth, N. H,, for $900, except their having 
 miscarried, yet I should feel easier if I knew you had the money. 
 
 " Since I wrote you last I have spent a month in Paris, and am 
 very much pleased with that great capital. I prefer it to London, 
 notwithstanding I have some of that foolish American pa rtiality for 
 everything.tliat is English. 
 
 "I left it ten days before this last surprising revolution, or, rather, 
 tyrannical usurpation of the Jacobinical party. 
 
 "I fear it will be many years before this country will enjoy such 
 internal tranquillity as America is blessed with." 
 
 Hi 
 
 1'^ 
 1 t 
 
 i r I 
 
 I ! if 
 
 m 
 
 nr 
 
 r r *»? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 \m 
 
 It will be seen that he designates his vessel in this 
 letter as a " cutter-sloop of forty-three tons." As the 
 English cutter of that date is a rig that is unknown 
 with us, it is proper to state that its peculiarity con- 
 sisted of a horizontal bowsprit, made to reef by sliding 
 in on the deck. It was in a similar vessel that he 
 subsequently made the voyage from Canton to the 
 northwest coast of America. 
 
 I continue the extracts from his letters, which give 
 the main incidents of his experiences, and serve also to 
 give a vivid conception of his personal character : 
 
 "Havre, Octoft^r 35, 1797. 
 
 "To-morrow I shall leave this for the Isle of France in my cutter, 
 which, I assure you, is very handsome, and, I don't doubt, will sell 
 for a good price. 
 
 "Before I sell her I shall spend probably four or five months 
 freighting about the Isle of Bourbon, waiting a favorable opportu- 
 nity to wind up the voyage. 
 
 "It would have given me pleasure to have returned home and 
 helped Bill or George to a berth on board a ship, but I must first 
 have charge of said ship, which, at the present moment, I suspect 
 is a charge difficult to obtain in America. It would certainly be 
 very imprudent in any merchant at this time to send a ship on a 
 long voyage, and I have no idea there will be any business of con- 
 sequence done in America for five or six months to come; c ""se- 
 quently I am induced to believe that you, as well as Mr. Derby, 
 will approve of this undertaking. 1 have certainly a prospect of 
 doing something handsome, and to have rejected such a liberal 
 credit as was offered me would have been madness. 
 
 "By the above opportunity I wrote to Uncle James, enclosing 
 
 bills on Mr. Derby for the balance of my account ... of which 
 
 I desired him to pay you $200. This small supply, in addition to 
 
 the bill I sent you from London for $900, will doubtless keep you 
 
 Li cash for some months; and when out, if my credit is good for 
 
LETTER TO HIS FATHER. 
 
 19 
 
 anytbing at home, I sball be mortified if you don't make use of it; 
 and, if necessary, this letter may be given as my promissory note to 
 pay any debts you may contract on my account. I can have no 
 greater pleasure than in discharging them. 
 
 " Of the insurance on this voyage, if £300 or £400 can be covered 
 at ten, or even twelve, per cent,, I have no objection to having it 
 done, but have no idea of giving a higher premium, and choose 
 rather to take the risk myself. It should be made on the vessel — 
 the sloop Caroline of Salem — a French bottom, but with papers in 
 complete order, and manned with Americans. We arc bound 
 direct for the Isles of France and Bourbon. Before j'ou make 
 this insurance Captain Rich will inform you of many particulars 
 respecting the vessel which may have a tendency to lessen the 
 premium, and which it is very necessary the underwriters should 
 know. 
 
 " Since I have undertaken this business one of the first houses in 
 this place has offered to fit out a ship purposely for me, and put 
 in a rich cargo, but I had gone so far in the present speculation that 
 it was too late. This may perhaps convince you that my time here 
 has not boen entirely misspent. On the contrary, I think I have 
 formed such acquaintances here as may be of great service to me 
 should I fail of finding employment in America, which, by-the-bye, 
 I only expect will be the case while the state of political affairs is 
 such as to make it dangerous to do anything on a large scale. 
 Such, I think, is the case at present, or I should have returned home 
 from hence in expectation of being again employed by E. H. Derby, 
 Jr., than which nothing could have been more gratifying to me; 
 and, positively, while he will give me two thirds as much as any 
 other merchant, I will sail for no other. 
 
 " When I shall meet my friends in Salem again is very uncertain. 
 The prospect at present is very distant; but I hope it will not be 
 more than twelve or fourteen months. 'Tis a long time to look 
 forward, and I know you wish it were passed as well as myself. 
 
 "I can't help loving home, though I think a young man ought to 
 be at home in any part of the globe; but few persons have so many 
 valuable friends to regret being absent from as I have." 
 
 ' ' P. S. — By a letter from Paris, received this day by Mr, Prince, 
 it appears that the American Commissioners have delivered their 
 
 |! 
 
 I c > 
 
 n 1 I 
 
 
 m 
 
 I iS;. 'S 
 
 

 20 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 l!l 
 
 credentials twelve days ago, but have not yet received any answer 
 from the Directory, which is considered a bad omen. 
 
 "Should a war take place between France and America while I 
 am at the Mauritius, to secure my property I must become an 
 inhabitant, which I have no objection to for a little while, provided 
 I can improve my time advantageously. I shall have no other 
 anxiety than that of not knowing whether you have a necessary 
 supply of cash. 
 
 "October 28th.— A head wind has detained me till to-day. Wo 
 have official accounts of the definitive treaty with the emperor being 
 signed. The defeat of the Dutch fleet you will undoubtedly have 
 heard of before this reaches you." 
 
 The allusion in this letter to the " particulars respect- 
 ing the vessel which may have a tendency to lessen the 
 premium," and wliicli were to be communicated by Cap- 
 tain Kich, demands explanation. 
 
 The fact was that he carried despatches from the Di- 
 rectory to the ruling powers at tlie Isle of France, and 
 was provided with a passport which secured him from 
 molestation by French ships of war or privateers. 
 
 He records the fact in his narrative that this passport 
 proved an eflScient safeguard on one occasion when ho 
 was brought to, after a long chase, by a French priva- 
 teer, by which he was hailed in insulting terms; but a 
 sight of the documents he bore caused a very sudden 
 change of tone, and an immediate abandonment of any 
 attempt at detention. 
 
 The next letter gives an account of his first experi- 
 ence on the voyage : 
 
 "Havre, November 2^, 1797. 
 
 "My last was by the Nymph of New York, whose suddeu de- 
 parture left me only time to tell you I had been shipwrecked, and 
 as I am confident you will wish to hear the particulars, I will now 
 relate them to j'ou. 
 
 \Mi 
 
SHIPWRECK. 
 
 21 
 
 "I left liere on Tuesday at eleven o'clock, -with a very strong 
 N.E. wind, so fresh that when abreast the lighthouse I was obliged 
 to balance-reef the mainsail and set the smallest jib, which, with the 
 foresail, was as much as she would bear. I found it necessary to 
 carry as much sail as possible, as otherwise we could not double 
 Cape Barfleur, as the wind had already come round as far as N.N.E., 
 and, increasing, caused such a sea as (our little vessel being deep 
 loaded) kept her most of the time under water. At eight o'clock in 
 the evening, the wind and sea still increasing, the bowsprit went by 
 the board, and before we could clear the wreck of that, the foresail 
 split half-way up and down the back rope. 
 
 *'My object then was to regain Havre, but my sailors, not being 
 used to the motion of so small a vessel, were all (as well as myself) 
 seasick, which, together with the fatigue we had undergone, ren- 
 dered us imable to use such exertions as we could have done if we 
 had been more used to the vessel. However, we made out to get her 
 head towards Havre, and, in the morning, I found we were much 
 to leeward of it. 
 
 "Without anything for a spare bowsprit, I knew from the leeway 
 we had already made that it would be impossible to keep off shore 
 another night, I had tbdn no other alternative but to try to enter 
 the river Caen, but, whan we reached the entrance, we found the 
 tide was so far out that there was not water enough, and the sea 
 broke at least a mile from shoro. 1 then let go both anchors in 
 about ten fathoms cf waier, in the hope that they might hold her 
 till high water, but the cables soon parted, and, of course, we ran 
 ashore near the village of Oestrahan. The alarm-gun had been fired 
 at the fort, and the country people came quickly to our assistance. 
 We all left the vessel, in expectation that she would soon go to 
 pieces, and were conducted to the fort, where a large, comfortable 
 fire was made, by which to shift and dry ourselves. This was 
 Wednesday, at four o'clock in the afternoon, and was the first 
 time any of us had had a dry thread on since twelve o'clock of the 
 preceding day. I put up at an inn about a mile from where my 
 vessel lay ; but my limbs were so swollen and painful, and my mind 
 so tormented with the thought of having lost so much more than 
 my all, that, as you may suppose, I did not pass a very comfortable 
 night. In the morning I was agreeably surprised to find, not only 
 
 M 
 
 ^'H 
 
 i i > 
 
 1 1 \ 
 
 \\\. 
 
 
 * I ' 
 
 ': 
 
 t 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 1, 
 
22 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 that my vessel had not gone to pieces, but that she was so little 
 injured that by unlading she might be got off, and put in proper 
 condition to go to Havre; which was soon accomplished, leaving 
 part of the cargo with my mate to be freighted over. 
 
 "We are now repaired and ready for sea, with a loss to me of 
 about $500. The principal loss on the cargo is occasioned by the 
 several transportations. My credit, however, has not suffered in 
 the least on this account, for I have not only found enough to re- 
 pair the damages, but shall put in $1000 more, so that my cargo (al- 
 though in a vessel of only forty tons) will amount to $7000. I now 
 only wait for a wind to put to sea again. 
 
 "You may judge from these particulars whether I am to blame 
 or not, and you will undoubtedly say I am, for not returning to 
 Havre the afternoon of the day I left there, but my foolish pride 
 would not suffer it. 
 
 " I must tell you that I never met such real friendship as I have 
 from your old friend James Prince, who not only took me to his 
 house, and begged me not to be discouraged, but immediately came 
 forward with the ready cash to any amount I asked for. I believe 
 him to be an exception to the general rule that we do good from 
 selfish motives. 
 
 "In my last I requested that £700 or £800 might be insured on 
 my vessel if it could be done at twelve per cent, I now repeat it, 
 but would not advise giving a higher premium. After my arrival 
 at the Isle o^ France or Bourbon it is very uncertain which way I 
 shall bend my course. If I meet with a ready sale for my sloop and 
 cargo, and can find a freight to Europe or America for a ship of 
 three or four hundred tons, and can readily purchase such a vessel, 
 I shall do it; but if this cannot be done, I shall either employ my 
 vessel in freighting, or make a trip to the Cape of Good Hope with 
 a load of coffee, sell for dollars, and go to Mocha for another load for 
 the Cape, and thence to the Mauritius, by which time I shall proba- 
 bly have collected such a property as will enable me to undertake 
 something on a large scale. 
 
 " The performance of these operations (if successful) will take up 
 so much time that, long before I can arrive in America, the supplies 
 of money I have sent you must be exhausted, and unless I meet with 
 a very favorable opportunity to make a remittance (which, if I go to 
 
RENEWAL OF THE VOYAGE. 
 
 23 
 
 Mocha, is not probable) you will not count upon it, nor do I think 
 it will be necessary, as you can easily get what funds you need with 
 such security as a policy of insurance of £700 or £800; and here let 
 me repeat what I have so often said, that I can receive no higher 
 gratification than in supplying you, nor, on the contrary, is there 
 anything that would mortify me more than that you should hesitate 
 at making such use of my credit. 
 
 " Of politics you know I never say much, but I cannot help ob- 
 serving that everything between France and America wears a very 
 serious aspect. They treat the Americans with marked contempt 
 and I much fear the issue." 
 
 The confident tone in which Jie speaks in this letter 
 of his future operations shows how little he had been 
 affected by the misfortune which befell him at the out- 
 set. But it will be seen by the next extract that the 
 people on whom he had to depend for making up his 
 crew, in Havre, entertained a very different opinion of 
 the probable result of the voyage. 
 
 His characteristic self-reliance is manifested by his 
 indifference to the fears expressed by those who were 
 less at home on the ocean, as well as by his putting to 
 sea with the incompetent crew of which he gives so lu- 
 dicrous a description. 
 
 The London Literary Examiner of September 24, 
 1842, in an extended review of his "Narrative," says, 
 of the description he there gives of this voyage : 
 
 "Few things in De Foe, Dana, or any other truthteller are more 
 characteristic than Mr. Cleveland's account of his voyage from Havre 
 to the Cape of Good Hope. Surely never before was there such an 
 Indiaman, with such a cargo and such a crew." 
 
 And the review concludes as follows : 
 
 "We have dwelt on the circumstances of his first start because it 
 at once illustrates the courage and daring of the narrator. 
 
 :r[| 
 
 ti-itx 
 
 
24 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 i! -I 
 
 "His capital talent for description— quiet, forcible, and unexag- 
 gerated — ,vould be more quickly recognized if our space admitted of 
 the quotations wc would gladly have given from the detailed inci- 
 dents of the voyage." 
 
 Reading between the lines of the following letter, we 
 may discover a further evidence of character, which was 
 not perceptible to the above writer, and was not revealed 
 in the published account of the voyage. 
 
 It will be seen that the letter is written as he was 
 nearing the Cape of Good Hope, yet he makes no allu- 
 sion to the peril he incurred by stopping there, and the 
 wisdom of such caution was made manifest on his arri- 
 val, by the very strict search and examination of his 
 papers, to which he was immediately subjected. 
 
 His stopping there was a matter of necessity, as the 
 rats had gnawed his water- casks and ho was forced to 
 lay in a new supply. Before his arrival he had care- 
 fully concealed the despatches he bore, and no evidence 
 was discovered that any cause existed for his deten- 
 tion. 
 
 Yet the authorities at the Cape were so well convinced 
 that such a voyage would not have been attempted ex- 
 cept on some secret service of the French government, 
 that they deemed it necessary to prevent its consumma- 
 tion, and as no legitimate charge for condemnation could 
 be found, they bought his vessel of him at a liberal ad- 
 vance on her cost, and she was immediately put in ser- 
 vice under command of a lieutenant of the royal navy. 
 He probably was unused to the management of so small 
 a craft, for he was never heard of after his departure 
 on his first voyage. 
 
11 
 
 ^('.5 
 
 ii 
 
 LESCRirTION OF CREW. 
 
 25 
 
 These facts will serve to throw much light on the fol- 
 lowing letter, begun at sea and finished after his arrival 
 at the Cape : 
 
 "On Board Cutteii 'Caroline': At Sea, March 20, 1798. 
 
 "As we arc now within a few hundred miles of the Cape, Avhcro 
 we must touch for water, I take time by the forelock to have a let- 
 ter ready to send you on arrival, well knowing that I shall after that 
 have no time for writing. 
 
 " Should you happen to see any person from Havre, who was 
 candid enough to give you the general opinion entertained there of 
 the ability of my cutter to weather this passage, you will no doubt 
 be somewhat anxious till you hear from me. They concluded that 
 we should founder in the first gale, from my vessel's being over- 
 loaded, and as these apprehensions were communicated to my men 
 they would run away or feign sickness, and these aggravations, after 
 the disaster I had already met with, required every iota of my small 
 stock of philosophy to support, and it was not till the last hour that 
 I was in Havre (even while the visiting officers were on board) that 
 I finally shipped my crew. 
 
 " Fortuniitcly, they were all so much in debt as not to want any 
 time to spend their advance, but were ready at the instant; and with 
 this motley crew (who, for aught I knew, were robbers or pirates) I 
 put to sea. That you may form some idea of the fatigue and trouble 
 I have had I will attempt to describe them to you. 
 
 "At the head of the list is my mate, a Nantucket lad, whom I per- 
 suaded the captain of a ship to discharge from before the mast, and 
 who knew little or nothing of navigation, but is now capable of con- 
 ducting the vessel in case of accident to me. The first of my fore- 
 mast hands is a great, surly, crabbed, raw-boned, ignorant Prussian, 
 who is so timid aloft that the mate has frequently been obliged to 
 do his duty there. 
 
 "I believe him to be more of a soldier than a sailor, though he 
 has often assured me that he has been boatswain's mate of a Dutch 
 Indiaman, which I do not believe, as he hardly knows how to put 
 two ends of a rope together. He speaks enough English to be toler- 
 ably understood. 
 
 "The next in point of consequence is my cook, a good uatured 
 
 r 
 
20 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCUANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ill 
 
 negro and a tolerable cook, so unused to a vessel that in the smooth- 
 est weather he cannot walk fore and aft without Ijolding on to some- 
 thing with both hands. This fear proceeds from tlie fact that he is 
 so tall and slim that if he should get a cant it might be fatal to him. 
 I did not think America could furnish such a specimen of the negro 
 race (ho is a native of Savannah), nor did I ever sec sucli a perfect 
 simpleton. It is impossible to teach him anything, and notwith- 
 standing the frequency with which we have been obliged to take in 
 and make sail on this long voyage, he can hardly tell the main-hal- 
 iards from the mainstay. lie one day took it into his head to learn 
 the compass, and not being permitted to come on the quarter-deck 
 to learn by the one in the binnacle, he took off the cover of the till 
 of his chest, and with his knife cut out something that looked like a 
 cartWi, cl, and wanted me to let him nail it on the deck to steer by, 
 insisting that he could ' tcer by him better 'n tudder one.' 
 
 "Next is an English boy of seventeen years old, who, from having 
 lately had the small-pox, is feeble and almost blind, a miserable ob- 
 ject, but pity for his misfortunes induces me to make his duty as 
 easy as possible. Finally, I have a little ugly French boy, the very 
 image of a baboon, who, from having served for some time on differ- 
 ent privateers, ha? all the tricks of a veteran man-of-war's man, 
 though only thirteen years old, and by having been in an English 
 prison has learned enough of the lar^juage to bo a proficient in 
 swearing. To hear all these fellova quarrelling (which, from not 
 understanding each other, they are very apt to do) serves to give one 
 a realizing conception of the confusion of tongues at the Tower of 
 Babel. Nobody need envy me my four months' experience with 
 such a set, though they are now far better than when I first took 
 them. 
 
 "Absence has not banished home from my thoughts; indeed, I 
 should be worse than a savage were I to forget such friends as I 
 have, yet such is now my roving disposition that were it not for 
 meeting them, I doubt if I should ever return. My last news of 
 you was by a scrap of paper tucked into one of Mr. Derby's letters 
 by Uncle James, bearing simply the words, ' Your friends are all well. 
 J. J.' Did he know but half the pleasure this scrap of paper gave 
 me while it conveyed such welcome news, he would omit no oppor- 
 tunity of sending a similar line. I keep the letter folded as I re- 
 
^^■^ 
 
 bi 
 
 rOLITICAL CONJECTURES. 
 
 27 
 
 th: 
 
 ccivcd it, ftnd never open it without a revival of tlic sensations I ex- 
 perienced on its receipt. 
 
 "It seems not improbable that we may become involved in war, 
 in whicli case, to secure my property, it may become necessary for 
 me to become a citoyen. The French seem determined that we shall 
 flglit either tliem or the English, and although I am no advocate for 
 the treaty which gives them such oflEence, yet should it be broken to 
 please them, or should an apology be made (as they request) for any 
 part of the president's independent speech, I should be ashamed in 
 any foreign country to acknowledge myself an American. But 
 these are sacrifices America cannot make. In my opinion the hor- 
 rors of the most bloody war should be preferred. 
 
 " You may perhaps laugh at me and call it quixotism, but I be- 
 lieve if we would keep our ships at home, and entirely withhold our 
 supplies, we could be more than a match for these two noisy powers 
 united. I see no reason why we can't live for a time without foreign 
 commerce. 
 
 "France by her amazing conquests, jiaving risen so rapidly to the 
 height of strength and power, will, I expect, afford another example 
 of human instability in as rapid a decline, for, can her citizens, al- 
 ready worn out with the length of the war, see themselves plunged 
 so much deeper in it without uniting with some of those frequent 
 conspiracies to reform the government? I think not, and it appears 
 to me that nothing but such a reform can save us from war. If we 
 go to war with Franco, Spain, without doubt, must come in for a 
 share of it, and what a field would then be presented for conquest, 
 for (supplied in part with ships by the English) we should soon be- 
 come masters of the "West India Islands, Louisiana and Florida could 
 not resist us, and why might we not expect to establish the inde- 
 pendence of South America, thereby opening a commerce which 
 would prove a very lucrative one to our merchants, while it secures 
 us an ally and weakens our enemy? 
 
 "Without doubt you will be surprised at my advancing an opin- 
 ion on any political subject, but it is almost impossible to remain in 
 Europe so long as I have, at the French crisis, without catching a 
 little of the distemper; however, it has not taken such hold of me 
 but that I can attend to other business, as a proof of which, and a 
 fear that my letter is already too long, I will bring it to a close." 
 
 :H! 
 
 ■r: 
 
 111: 
 
28 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 He arrived on the 2l8t of March, 1798, three montlis 
 from the time of leaving Havre, and although it was 
 nearly 10 p.m. when he dropped anchor, he was im- 
 mediately boarded by a man-of-war's boat, and he was 
 taken ashore for an interview with the admiral, Sir 
 Ilngh Christian. 
 
 Of the popular interest excited by the appearance of 
 his vessel he saj's, in his "Narrative:" 
 
 "The arrival of such a vessel from Europe naturally excited the 
 curiosity of the inhabitants of the Cape; and, the next morning being 
 calm, we had numerous visitors ou board, ■vvho could not disguise 
 their astonishment at the size of the vessel, the boyish appearance of 
 the master and mate, the queer and unique characters of the two 
 men and boy who composed the crew, and the length of ihe passage 
 we had accomplislied. Various were the conjectures of the good 
 people of tht Cape as to the real object of our enterprise. While 
 some viewed it m its true light as a commercial speculation, others 
 believed that, under this mask, we were employed by the French 
 government for the conveyance of their despatches, and some even 
 went so far as to declare their belief that we were French spies, and, 
 as such, deserving of immediate arrest and confinement. Indeed, 
 our enterprise formed the principal theme of conversation at the 
 Cape during the week subsequent to cur arrival." 
 
 The following letter gives a brief account of his ex- 
 periences : 
 
 " Cape of Good Hope, March 22, 1798. 
 
 "We arrived here at nine o'clock last evening, after the very long 
 passage of eighty -nine days. Since leaving ihe equator we have had 
 very unfavorable winds, or we should have made a good passage, as 
 my cutter sails exceedingly well, and is as good a sea-boat as I ever 
 was on board of. 
 
 "Our good friends, the English, concluded at once, on my arri- 
 val, that they had a prize. I was conducted on board a man-of-war, 
 and thence ashore to the admiral, at ten o'clock the same evening 
 I arrived. The most particular Inquiries were made, and the next 
 
ARRIVAL AT CAPE OF GOOD nOPE. 
 
 29 
 
 day a strict search was m*ide on board for papers. My waste-book, 
 journal, private letters, and other papers were all laken ashore to the 
 admiral, and all the letters I had for French gentlemen in the Mau- 
 ritius were broken open. Such a strict search I never underwent 
 before, though I believe 1 bore it with a tolerable grace. 
 
 "By Lord Macartney and the admiral (Sir Hugh Christian) I was 
 treated very politely, but the extreme importance of the blustering 
 lieutenants was in the highest degree disgusting. 'Tis a dangerous 
 moment to express myself fully. Prudence dictates a reserve, and 
 I shall obey her till I have the pleasure of meeting you. 
 
 " I have sold my cutter to the admiral for $5000, with permission 
 to carry away $10,000. If my cargo had sold for as handsome 
 advance on the cost as the vessel has I should have made a very 
 handsome voyage, but this is not the case. The cargo will net lit- 
 tle, if any, more than the original cost, and, from intelligence direct 
 from the Mauritius, I am convinced that if I had gone there I should 
 have met with considerable loss. 
 
 "I am exceedingly anxious to hear from home : whether we are 
 now at peace or vrar, how the American navy goes on, from whence 
 the officers are to come, whether we have a military school, and (what 
 more nearly concerns me) v/liether Bill and George are in the navy 
 or army, for I cannot conceive of their remaining neuter. On the 
 contrary, I trust their ambition will lead them to be foremost in 
 danger, considering life as a secondary object when engaged in the 
 cause of justice and honor." 
 
 These two letters appear to me to possess sncli intrin- 
 sic interest, from the evidence of character they afford, 
 that I have thought it best to give them in full, thongh 
 they contain much that is irrelevant to the voyage. If 
 we take into consideration the fact that the writer was 
 then only twenty-four, that the only advantages of edu- 
 cation he had enjoyed were those afforded by the com- 
 mon schools of Salem in tlie last century, and that he 
 liad left school at fourteen to enter a counting-room, 
 from which, at eighteen, he had embarked on his first 
 
m 
 
 80 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 voyage, it must be acknowledged that these letters are 
 remarkable, alike for the intelligent thought and deci- 
 sion they display, and for the simplicity and ease c. 
 their style. And to this I may add that, like all his 
 journals and letters, they are written in a hand which 
 rivals copper-plate in the perfect symmetry of every 
 line and letter. 
 
 Taken in connection with the successful accomplish- 
 ment of the voyage, which so many had declared to be 
 impossible, they furnish a very interesting illustration 
 of the intellectual development which had been stimu- 
 i'ated by the commercial activity of Salem. 
 
 The history of the arrangements for the sale of vessel 
 and cargo, and theii- final result, cannot be better told 
 than in the following extract from the published "Nar- 
 rative :" 
 
 " The next day my papers and letters were returned to me by the 
 secrc^-ary of the admiral, and I was surprised by a proposition from 
 him for the purchase of the vest el. I delayed giving an immediate 
 answer, and in the meantime my inquiries led me to believe that my 
 cargo would sell advantageously; but there was nothing but specie 
 that would answer my purpose to take away, and that was prohib- 
 ited. With a provision for the removal of this difficulty, and a good 
 price for my vessel, I was prepared to negotiate with the secretary. 
 Meeting him at the time appointed, and both being what in trade is 
 called off-hand men, we soon closed the bargain by his engaging to 
 pay me, on delivery of the CaroUtu and stores, five thousand Spanish 
 dollars, and to obtain for me permission to export ten thousand. 
 This so far exceeded the cost of the vessel, and was even so much 
 more than I had expected to receive at the Isle of France, that I con- 
 sidered myself well indemnified for all my trouble and anxiety. 
 
 " As the admiral was pressing to have the vessei discharged, it 
 was ray intention to land the cargo next day on my own account; 
 but in the meantime I contracted with the merchant at whose house 
 
UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 81 
 
 I now resided, for the whole of it at a moderate advance on the in- 
 voice, it being agreed that he was to pay the duties, the expense of 
 landing, etc. My spirits were now much elevated with my success, 
 the prospect of soon being rid of the Caroline, and of the care insep- 
 arable from having such a vessel, so circumstanced. 
 
 "But new and alarming difBculties awaited me, of which I had 
 no suspicion, and which were more harassing than the dangers of 
 winds and waves. It appeared that the duties on entries at the cus- 
 tom-house were a percentage on the invoice, and that it was a very 
 common practice with the merchants to make short entries. The 
 purchaser of my cargo was aware that, to stand on equal footing 
 with other merchants, he must do as they did; but he seems not to 
 have reflected that, being known to be more hostile to the English 
 government than any other individual at the Cape, he would bo 
 rigidly watched, and, if detected, would have less indulgence tlian 
 any other. The consequence was a detection of the short entry and 
 a seizure of vessel and cargo. 
 
 "The merchant went immediately, in a supplicating mood, to the 
 collector, in the hope of arranging the affair before it should become 
 generally known, but it was all in vain. 
 
 "The only alternative that seemed now to be left me was to 
 appeal to the highest authority, and I determined to write to Lord 
 Macartney, and prove to him that, by my contract for the sale of the 
 
 irgo, the duties were not to be paid by me, and that, consequently, 
 J should have derived no benefit had the attempt for evading them 
 succeeded; but that, on the other hand, if the vessel and cargo were 
 to be confiscated, I should be the sufferer, as it was doubtful if tho 
 merchant could make good the loss. I hoped he might thus be in- 
 duced to advise a less severe course than the collector intended to 
 pursue. But how to write a suitable letter embarrassed me. I had 
 no friend with whom to advise. I was entirely ignorant of the 
 proper manner of addressing a nobleman, and at the same time was 
 siware of the necessity of conforming to customary rules. In this 
 dilemma I remembered to have seen, in an old magazine on board 
 my vessel, some letters addressed to noblemen. These I sought as 
 models, and they were a useful guide to me. After completing my 
 letter in my best hand, I enclosed it in a neat envelope and showed it 
 to the admiral's secretary, who appeared to be friendly to me. He 
 
 , i 
 
 f! 
 
 i« 
 
 -* n 
 
82 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 approved of it, and advised my taking it myself to his lordship im- 
 mediately, 
 
 "As the schoolboy approaches his master after having played 
 truant, so did I approach Lord Macartney on this occasion. I de- 
 livered my letter to him, and, after hastily reading it, he sternly said 
 that 'he could not interfere in the business; there were the laws, 
 and if they had been infringed the parties concerned must abide the 
 consequences;' but hh ,'"'"' he 'would speak to the collector on 
 the subject.' This last a,. ;n, delivered in rather a milder tone, 
 led me to encourage the hope that the affair would not end so disas- 
 trously as if left entirely to the discretion of the collector. Nor 
 were my hopes unfounded, as the next day the vessel and that part 
 of the cargo yet remaining on board were restored to me; while the 
 portion in the possession of the collector was to be adjudged in the 
 fiscal court, where it was eventually condemned, to the amount of 
 about $2000, which, as a favor to the merchant, I agreed to share 
 with him. The success of my letter was the theme of public con- 
 versation in the town, and was the means of procuring me the ac- 
 quaintance of several individuals of the first respectability. 
 
 "The delay caused by this controversy was unfavorable to the 
 views of the admiral, who began to evince symptoms of impatience, 
 and would probably have taken out the cargo with his own men if 
 we had not set about it with earnestness as soon as the vessel was 
 released from seizure. Having, the day following, completed the 
 unlading, I delivered the vessel to the officer who was authorized to 
 take possession. In two days after she was expedited, with a lieu- 
 tenant of the navy in command and a competent number of men (I 
 believe for India), and in a subsequent voyage I learned that she 
 never had been heard of afterwards. It is probable that the officer 
 in charge, having been accustomed only to large and square-rigged 
 vessels, was not aware of the delicacy of management required by 
 one so small and diflferently rigged, and to this her loss may be at- 
 tributed. 
 
 ' ' The various drawbacks on my cargo, arising from seizure, some 
 damage, and some abatement, reduced the net proceeds to about the 
 original cost. This, with the amount of the vessel, I collected in 
 Spanish dollars, making altogether, after my various disbursements, 
 the sum of $11,000, which I kept in readiness to embark on the first 
 
AT THE CAPE. 
 
 88 
 
 vessel that should enter the bay on her way to India or China. I 
 was obliged, however, to wait several months before any such chance 
 offered. In the meantime my long residence and leisure at the Cape 
 afforded me the opportunity of becoming acquainted with many 
 families, and of visiting many places of interest in the vicinity of 
 Cape Town " 
 
 2i* 
 
 m 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 II ! 
 
 I 4k 
 
 Voyage irom China to the Northwest Coast of America.— Letters 
 from Canton.— Difficulties of the Undertaking. — Hardships of 
 the Voyage. — Mutiny of the Men. — Adventures on the Coast.— 
 Safe Return to Canton. 
 
 ALTiiouan the authorities at the Cape could discover 
 no evidence that he was actually a bearer of despatches 
 from the Directory, the measures they adopted served 
 effectually to prevent their delivery. 
 
 It was more than four months before an opportunity 
 offered to leave the Capo, and so long a time elapsed 
 before he visited the Isle of France that the final de- 
 livery of the despatches to the authorities there served 
 only to prove that he had been faithful to his trust. 
 The following is his last letter before leaving the 
 
 Cape : 
 
 " Cape of Good Hope, August 1, 1798. 
 
 "Were you to judge from the date of ray letter, you would 
 undoubtedly conclude I was thus far on my return from India, and 
 with reason, for no one would suppose it possible to remain in this 
 place four months without meeting an opportunity for Bengal. 
 This, however, has really been my case, whether from a decline of 
 the American commerce, or a dislike of the masters of ships to 
 subject themselves to the scrutiny practised by the officers of the 
 navy, or both, I know not; but, in consequence of it, and a fear 
 that it may be yet a long time before I meet such an opportunity as 
 I wish, I have taken up with the only one that has offered, on board 
 the brig Betsey of Baltimore, and we sail to-morrow morning for 
 Batavia. I could have wished wc were bound to a more pleasant 
 
FROM '^NTOiV TO THE NORTHWEST COAST. 
 
 85 
 
 climate; bu» / patience was quite exhausted, and I preferred 
 risking my uealtli to waiting any longer here. I do not intend 
 coming home before the spring or summer of 1799. Please advise 
 my friend, Mr. James Prince, of my destination." 
 
 In his next letter from Batavia we have tlio first 
 intimation of his contemplation of a voyage to the 
 northwest coast of America, and in the succeeding one, 
 from Canton, the announcement of his decision to at- 
 tempt it. As tliis was one of his most adventurous 
 voyages, involving certain exposure to very great hard- 
 ship, with constant risk of destruction ; and as the 
 danger was incalculably increased by the circumstances 
 attendant upon it, these letters possess especial interest, 
 showing as they do his recognition of the difficulties he 
 had to encounter, by the efforts he made to find other 
 means of profitable investment, and his wish to save his 
 friends from anxiety, by the pains he takes to assure 
 them of his excellent equipment for the voyage. 
 
 The appreciation of its boldness in the minds of com- 
 petent judges is afforded by the incidental testimony of 
 an unprejudiced witness. 
 
 It happened that, on his arrival at Canton, after the 
 successful accomplishment of the voyage, a llnssian 
 exploring expedition, under the command of Admiral 
 Kruzenstern, was lying in port. 
 
 In his subsequently published history of the expe- 
 dition the admiral mentions the fact of my father's 
 arrival at Canton while he was there, and speaks of the 
 voyage as a very extraordinary one. 
 
 He makes the mistake, however, of ascribing its 
 achievement to an Englishman, whic) probably arose 
 
 i 
 
 : ■ 
 
 nl': 
 
 ■il 
 
 K i : 
 
 ff 
 
 U! 
 
 ii 
 
 i J 
 
 n-J 
 
I 
 
 
 86 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 from the fact that the vessel had previously been under 
 English colors, and again assumed them on my father s 
 return, when she was sold to an Englishman. The 
 history of the Russian expedition was reviewed in the 
 North American^ of which Jared Sparks was then 
 editor ; and, in order to correct this mistake, he, being 
 a warm personal friend of my fatlier, procured from 
 him a somewhat detailed account oi the voyage, which 
 may be found in No. 57 of the North American Review 
 (October, 1827). It is introduced with the prefatory 
 remark that — 
 
 "As this voyage was one of an extraordinary character, and 
 evinced a degree of enterprise, perseverance, and decision rarely to 
 be met with, and worthy of imitation, we are happy to have dn op- 
 portunity to lay a short sketch of it before our readers." 
 
 After giving my father's account of its leading inci- 
 dents, the notice concludes with the following com- 
 ment : 
 
 "Thus was accomplished, in about eight months, one of the most 
 arduous, successful, and, all things considered, hazardous voyages 
 of which any account has been given." 
 
 At this date I trust that no apology is necessary for 
 giving the following letters in full : 
 
 "Batavia, /&p^ewS«r 11, 1798. 
 
 ' ' Before my departure from the Cape I left a few lines with Mr. 
 Hubner, to inform you of my detention. It would give me great 
 pleasure if I could now infoiin you of my speedy return from hence. 
 
 " Had I been fortunate enough to meet with a vessel that could 
 take fifty or sixty tons freight to America or Europe, I should have 
 made a very handsome voyage. Coffee can be purchased here at 
 8f cents per lb., American weight, deliverable on board; sugar at 
 
FROM CANTON TO THE NORTHWEST COAST. 
 
 37 
 
 $6.50 per cwt. ; either of which articles would prohably yield a profit 
 of two hundred per cent, clear of all charges. But this prospect I 
 am obliged to leave, or wait in this unhealthy climate at a great 
 expense, without being certain of an opportunity. Of the two evils 
 I have made choice of the former as the smallest, and shall sail 
 to-morrow in the ship Swift, of New York, Captain White, for 
 China. From thence I shall endeavor to freight for the Mauritius, 
 if possible; if not, direct for America; and if neither of these can be 
 done, I shall then probably purchase a small vessel and go to Iho 
 northwest coast for furs; but this last I shall not do unless the 
 prospect is very great, and there is no possibility of getting to 
 America or Europe. 
 
 *' The remittance I made you from Europe will not be near adequate 
 to your wants, and were I not acquainted with the resources you 
 have, I should be very uneasy on your account. I can easily con- 
 ceive of its being disagreeable to you to take up money on my 
 account, but, while you are doing it, you ought to recollect the 
 pleasure I derive from discharging those debts. Were it not for 
 this, money would hardly be worth taking care of. I hope to be 
 with you in May next. " 
 
 " Canton, November 24, 1798. 
 
 "As there will be a direct opportunity to write you in about a 
 month by a Salem and a Boston vessel, I intended to let this vessel 
 go without writing, but recollecting, if I did, you would not expect 
 my being here next year, and would, in consequence, miss the 
 opportunity of sending me letters by the ships that will be leaving 
 America about the time you will receive this, I hastened to remind 
 you of it, and that I shall look out for letters by New York, Boston, 
 or Salem vessels. I am now about two years absent from my 
 friends, and have not received a line from any of them. Remind 
 them of this, and I know they won't fail to write me. 
 
 "I endeavored to freight my property home to America, more 
 with a desire of being again employed by Mr. E. H. Derby, Jr., 
 than profit, or any other consideration; but my efforts were in- 
 effectual without making too great sacrifices, and I had no other 
 alternative than doing as I have done, which is to fit out an expedi- 
 tion to the northwest coast of America for furs. 
 
 " I am two-thirds concerned in a fine cutter, and the same proper- 
 
■ss 
 
 4\ 
 
 88 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 
 «\"' 
 
 tion of cargo. We shall be well manned and anned, and, I doubt 
 not, meet with success. The prospect is considered greater at 
 present than it has been for several years past. If Bill or George 
 have become sailors, and are inclined to enter the fur trade, I 
 doubt not of being able to do something for one of them ; though 
 it would not be prudent to come dependent on meeting me here, 
 because, if I fail of success the first season, I shfdl winter on the 
 coast. I shall write you very particularly by the Boston and Salem 
 vessels." 
 
 "Canton, December 15, 1798. 
 
 •'I have written you two letters from this place, both of which 
 will advise you that I am bound to the northwest coast of America. 
 
 "The only part I wish to repeat is concerning a provision for 
 yourself. Do anything with me or my property rather tlian want. 
 I know you have many warm friends in Salem, and I know how 
 unpleasant it is to ask assistance of them; but, as it is only for the 
 moment, and it is quite out of my power to make you a remittance, 
 I do not see tliat you can do otherwise. 
 
 " I want exceedingly to see you and my valued friends in Salem, 
 but my pride (for it is nothing else) will long deny me that hap- 
 piness." 
 
 " Canton, January 6, 1799, 
 
 "This is the last letter I shall write you this season, as I shall sail 
 to-morrow for the northwest coast of America. We are thirty days 
 earlier than I at flrsc intended, in consequence of hearing of several 
 vessels from America on the same voyage ; and have so enlarged^ur 
 stock as to make it amoujot to $18,600. Should we not be the first 
 vessel on the coast, I am persuaded we shall do as well as those that 
 are. 
 
 "We have every possible advantage. A vessel well calculated for 
 inland navigation, the best articles of trade that can be carried, a 
 linguist who speaks the Indian language as well as his own, and 
 ofHcers experienced in the business. Should we fail of success, with 
 all these advantages, it will be very extraordinary ill-fortune, and 
 such as I don't choose to expect. 
 
 "I wrote you a long letter by the Elizabeth, and desired you to 
 
 •use my credit for any money you may want; and even to sell out a 
 
 part or the whole of my present speculation rather than be distressed. 
 
 
DIFFICULTIES OF THE VOYAGE. 
 
 89 
 
 "Should your other sources fail, I insist that you do anything 
 with me or mine rather than want. Should Bill or George come to 
 China, and my first voyage prove successful, I could give one of 
 them a berth on board my cutter; and when I leave her, which I 
 expect to do after two seasons, will leave the consignments with the 
 one who ch(>08e8 the business. " 
 
 It will be seen in this last letter that he dwells upon 
 the encouraging features of the undertaking, but makes 
 no allusion to the circumstances which would have de- 
 terred most men from attempting it, and of which ho 
 must have been fully aware, even if he had not been 
 warned of them by veteran navigators, who regarded 
 the attempt as the wild scheme of an inexperienced 
 youth of twenty-live. - > ' - 
 
 It is proper that these circumstances should be fully 
 stated, in order that they may be appreciated by those 
 who are ignorant of the technical obstacles he had to en- 
 counter. The first and most important of these was the 
 fact that, until he could weather the northern end of 
 Formosa, his course was directly in the teeth of the 
 northeast monsoon, which at that season blew almost in- 
 cessantly, and often with great violence, and would have 
 rendered the voyage, in a square-rigged vessel, an im- 
 possibility. This difficulty would have been removed 
 could he have waited a month later, as he first intended ; 
 but the news that ships had sailed from Boston for the / 
 same object rendered the necessity of being early upon the ^ 
 coast an essential condition of success. His theory was 
 that, in his small fore-and-aft-rigged vessel — which will 
 run several points nearer the wind than a square rig — 
 be could beat up the coast of China, keeping so near the 
 
 ' I 
 
i A 
 
 
 I 'Ai i 
 i V\ 
 
 40 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ml' 
 
 shore that lio could run in and come to anclior when 
 tlio weather was so tempestuous that he could make no 
 headway against it. But this, of course, exposed liim 
 to such danger of shipwreck as ho would have escaped 
 on the open ocean, with plenty of sea-room ; and this 
 danger was greatly enhanced by the fact that no accu- 
 rate chart of the coast could bo procured, and the near- 
 est approach to it he was able to gej; was a manuscript 
 map, drawn for liim by a navigator who had some fa- 
 miliarity with its features. For the performance of such 
 duties as would be required, it was eminently desirable 
 that his crew should be composed of orderly, reliable, 
 and efficient seamen, and the risk of capture by the Ind- 
 ians, after arriving on the coast of America, made it 
 necessary to carry a much larger crew than the ordinary 
 complement of a vessel of that size. The only men that 
 could be had, however, were of the worst class — the de- 
 serters from other vessels, who were hanging about Can- 
 ton, ready to take up with any means of egress that 
 offered. It is, perhaps, difficult, at this day, for a mar- 
 iner whose experience of ocean life has been gained 
 under the light of modern science, and with the aid of 
 modern appliances and inventions, to appreciate the dif- 
 ficulty, danger, and hardship of such a voyage, or the 
 courage and determined will required for its successful 
 execution. He sailed from Canton on tlie 10th of Janu- 
 ary, 1799, passing Macao at four p.m. on the same day, 
 and keeping a long distance from the shipping, lest some 
 of his men might be reclaimed by the ships from which 
 they had deserted. 
 I do not propose to repeat the details of the voyage, 
 
VOYAGE 
 
 wliicli has been 
 iijil of each 
 also a man user 
 written at sea 
 
 nient of his fatlier, giving a full account of all his ex- 
 periences; and the performance of the voyage itself is 
 scarcely less wonderful than the fact that, under all tha 
 difficulties of the situation, both journal and manuscript 
 are executed in a hand like copper-plate, such as not 
 one man in a thousand could equal ^ di every appliance 
 for skilful penmanship. Yet this was long before the 
 invention of metallic pens, and, to his latest day, my 
 father disdained their use, and adhered to the goose- 
 quill. A few extracts from these manuscripts, written 
 at the time, and without a thought of their ever being 
 made public, will serve to show some of the character- 
 istics which, in reality, formed the groundwork of his 
 success. Thus, in the account of the voyage written 
 for his father's amusement, the opening passage shows 
 clearly how fully he was aware of the difficulties he had 
 to encounter, and how carefully he had considered his 
 means of coping with them : 
 
 ■ ■ I 
 
 
 •M 
 
 " I think you were informed, by one of my last letters from Chi- 
 na, of my determination to sail from thence earlier than I at first 
 intended, in consequence of hearing of several vessels fitting out for 
 a similar voyage from America; and to this I am indebted for the 
 success of my voyage, as I shall show you in course. It was, how- 
 ever, contrary to the advice of my best friends, and the most expe- 
 rienced navigators in those seas, some of whom took considerable 
 pains to dissuade me from it by telling me that, as it was at the 
 height of the northeast monsoon, there would be a continual rapid 
 current against me, and frequent gales of wind ; that I might beat a 
 
 II 
 
42 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 month without gaining any to windward, and should finally return 
 — if at all— with my sails and rigging torn to pieces, to refit. I was, 
 as you will imagine, not pleased with such gloomy prospects, but 
 concluded that, if 1 was to meet ruin, it might as well be by being 
 torn to pieces on the China coast as to arrive on the coast of Amer- 
 ica after the object of my voyage had been secured by other vessels. 
 I was the more encouraged to make the trial as I could not learn 
 that it had ever been attempted at the same season of the year by 
 any European ; therefore my advisers could not be certain of its im- 
 practicability. I knew, also, that they supposed I should keep at — 
 what is generally called — a prudent distance from the shore, and did 
 not conceive that any man would beat up, for the most part, within 
 hail of an extensive, dangerous coast, not only without having any 
 experience along it, but with no other guide than an imperfect fflan- 
 usf^ript chart. 
 
 " The handiness of my vessel and her easy draught of water led 
 me to do this, in the expectation that I should meet with regular 
 tides, and that, when they were against me, I should often be able 
 to anchor, and on this I principally depended for the accomplishment 
 of this arduous task. On the 10th January, 1 799, having all hands 
 on board, in number twenty-one persons, consisting — except two 
 Americans — of English, Irish, Swedes, and French, but principally 
 the first, who were runaways from the men-of-war and Indiamen, 
 and two from a Botany Bay ship, who had made their escape — for 
 >ve wera obliged to take such as we could get— served to complete a 
 list of as accomplished villains as ever disgraced any country. I 
 weighed anchor from Anson's Bay at eight a.m., with a fresh breeze 
 from the northeast, and cloudy, unpleasant weather, passing Macao 
 Roads at four p.m. at a considerable distance, fearing to go within 
 gunshot of the shipping, lest they should bring us to and take our 
 men out, many of whom belonged to these very ships. " 
 
 Three weeks of incessant labor, liard8l)ip, and expos- 
 ure proved that tlio terrors of the voyage liad not been 
 e.xaggeiated. Beating up against the wind whenever a 
 favorable tide or a temporary diminution in its violence 
 enabled them to do so, yet often finding themselves, at 
 
^ 
 
 VOYAGE TO THE NORTHWEST COAST. 
 
 43 
 
 night, abreast, and sometimes leagues to leeward of, the 
 point they Iiad left in the morning; running in to an- 
 chor at night at any harbor they could make, and avail- 
 ing themselves, in doing so, of the information thoy 
 could get from the fishermen or proprietors of the 
 junks, of which they often found large fleets at anchor 
 in the harbors ; several times having hair-breadth escapes 
 from sunken rocks, on which they touched or passed 
 close by in ignorance, and so continually wet throngh 
 that the labor of carrying clothes up into the rigging to 
 dry was unremitting, caused such suffering and depres- 
 sion in the crew a? finally to break out in open mu- 
 tiny. 
 
 A single extract will sf rve as a sample of the experi- 
 ences so often repeated that even the perusal of them 
 in the daily journal becomes depressing from its painful 
 monotony: 
 
 , 
 
 ■4 
 
 "On the morning of the 21st we weighed anchor, and put out in 
 company witli several junks, and till the 24th had no other than a 
 head wind, sometimes blowing very fresh, at others moderate. In 
 the former case, when we could gain nothing by beating, we gener- 
 al!/ found a smooth place in which to anchor, and in the latter were 
 always forced to anchor when the tide made against us. In the 
 morning of the 24th we had a light breeze from southwest, which, 
 soon after increasing, blew a good whole-sail breeze all day, and 
 I was flattering myself it would carry us round the north end of 
 Formosa, when the most difficult part of the passage would have 
 been completed ; but in this I was grievously disappointed, for, at 
 eight P.M., the wind shifted, in a squall, to its old quarter, the north- 
 east, and blew very hard. Till the night of the 26th we continued 
 plying to windward near the shore, when, it being very dark, we 
 could not gain an anchorage, and therefore stood out to sea till seven 
 o'clock the next morning, and then tacked to stand in again. At 
 
44 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 this time it blew a gale of wind; the sea had, consequently, risen 
 very high, and, in carrying our double-reefed sails, our little vessel 
 was mostly under water. At half-past nine, seeing the water break 
 considerably ahead, we supposed it to be caused by a strong current 
 setting to windward, and therefore did not alter our course to avoid 
 it, particularly as we judged we must have passed over it while 
 standing out. However, in passing it this time the vessel struck once, 
 a severe shock, and the next wave carried us over, but filled the 
 deck with sand. We immediately tried the pumps, and had the 
 satisfaction to find the vessel yet tight, and apparently uninjured. 
 After escaping this danger, where, had we stopped, the vessel must 
 inevitably have perished, we ran in to find a harbor, and succeeded 
 by running four leagues to leeward, and at three p.m. anchored in a 
 smooth, sandy bay near a fleet of junks, which, like ourselves, had 
 put in to avoid the storm." 
 
 It had become obvious that a mutinous spirit was 
 working among the men, and on the morning of Janu- 
 ary 30, when the order was given to weigh anchor, tlo 
 boatswain came aft with tlie announcement that they 
 had come to a determination to do no more duty till 
 certain conditions were agreed to, among which were, 
 that they sliould do no unnecessary work, of which tliey 
 were to be the judges ; all hands should never bo kept 
 up, except when they saw proper, and the first officer's 
 conduct must be regulated by a line they would mark 
 out, etc. 
 
 No grosser miscalculation of character was ever made 
 than by these men, in supposing they could accomplish 
 their object by threats or intimidation. 
 
 Immediately on their refusing to do duty locks were 
 put upon the harness-casks, and they were told that, if 
 they would not work, they should not cat. A few of 
 the men remained faithful, and none more so than black 
 
m 
 
 j;'' 
 
 MUTINY OP CREW. 
 
 46 
 
 George, the ungainly negro described in tli^ account of 
 the voyage from Havre. Whatever might be his defi- 
 ciencies, George had no lack of courage, and ho knew 
 how to appreciate kind usage. He had once saved his 
 master's life, when a slave in Georgia, at the cost of a 
 severe gunshot wound from a treacherous Indian, and 
 his freedom was given him as the reward. But his sub- 
 sequent employers had taken advantage of his simplic- 
 ity, and cheated him out of his wages, till he had learned 
 to distrust every one. My father's treatment of him was 
 so unlike his previous experiences that he would not 
 leave him, but remained with him as his servant for 
 several years, and finally died in Boston, and was buried 
 there, with a suitable headstone erecttd by my father 
 in memory of his services. 
 
 With the small force who refuoc<l to join the muti- 
 neers immediate preparations were made to rebist the 
 expected attack from them, as they swore thoy wouk! 
 have provisions. 
 
 Two 4-pound cannon were loaded with grape-shot, 
 and pointed forward from the quarter-deck, and every 
 one in the after part c^ the vessel was armed with a 
 musket and a brace of pistols. It should be remembered 
 that this was in the day of flint-locks, and nearly titty 
 years before revolvers came into use. The men were 
 then told that, if any one of them camo abaft the hatch- 
 way, he would be instantly shot, and, if they attempted to 
 come in a body, or to take provisions from the harness- 
 casks, the decks would be swept by the cannon, at each 
 of which a man was stationed with a lighted match. As 
 the mutineers had no other arms than handspikes and 
 
 
 ^1! 
 
 
 ; I- 
 
 Sfc-" 
 
 '■ 5 
 
 K''' 
 
 
 K 
 
 
 |D-,' 
 
 
 1 
 
 ■1 
 
 
46 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 liatchets, they did not venture an attack, but stood at 
 bay, hurling imprecations at their opponents ; and thus 
 tliey watched each other for the whole day. 
 
 Towards night the proposition was made to set them 
 ashore, which they eagerly agreed to, on the supposition 
 that they could then make their own terms for return- 
 ing, as they knew that the voyage could not be prose- 
 cuted with the small number that remained. My father, 
 on the other hand, was equally confident that their situ- 
 uation on shore would be so uncomfortable that they 
 would be glad to be allowed to return on board on con- 
 dition of doing their duty. And such proved to be the 
 case, as will be seen from the following extract from his 
 own account : 
 
 " As our anchorage was not secure, we, the next morning, weighed 
 and ran into a sandy bay, where the men had been landed. 
 
 "As soon as the sails were hoisted three of the men made their 
 appearance, and — supposing we were going off to leave them — kept 
 waving their jackets and hats for us to send for them. When wo 
 had anchored I sent a boat ashore, but only om^ of them came off in 
 her, and he gave such a lamentable account c i their treatment on 
 shore that I felt confident of bringing the others to terms. The 
 boatswain and one sailor, being the ringleaders of the mutiny, and 
 very dangerous men, I determined not to take on any account. 
 
 " They kept in sight of the vessel all day. In the afternoon, with 
 my glass, I saw the gunner come down to the shore and wave his 
 jacket. I immediately sent the boat for !iim, but the others, seeing 
 this, ran after him and forced him to go back with them One of 
 the ringleaders sent off word that if I would send a writ ion agree- 
 ment to use them well they would all return to their duty My only 
 reply was to hoist the boat on board again, seeing which they moved 
 off to find shelter for the night. 
 
 "It was late in the morning of February 3 before any of them 
 made their appearance. At nine o'clock we hoisted the colors, fired 
 
MUTINY OF CREW. 
 
 47 
 
 a 4-pound cannon, and weighed anchor, when they all came out from 
 behind a rock, where they had doubtless been watching our motions. 
 I then ordered the boat out, and with my second officer and four 
 hands, well armed, went as near the beach as the surf would permit 
 I called them all down to the water's side and told them I was then 
 going away; that I knew there were several of them desirous of re- 
 turning to their duty, but were deterred by the others; that if they 
 would come forward 1 would protect them, and would fire at any 
 one who tried to prevent them. They replied that they were all 
 ready and willing to return to their duty, but the two ringleaders 
 were more ready than the others, and when they were rejected they 
 swore none of the others should go, and presented their knives at 
 the breasts of two of them and threatened to stab them if they at- 
 tempted to do so ; a third seemed indifferent, and a fourth was lying 
 drunk on the beach. Having secured three, and one yesterday, 
 which was four out of the ten, and which, with a little additional 
 precaution, was securing the success of the expedition, 1 did not 
 think proper to put my threat in execution of firing on them. 
 
 "After dinner I sent the second officer with four hands, well 
 armed, to make a last effort, but by this time those whose fate was 
 decided had persuaded the others to share it with them, and hnd 
 carried the drunken man out of reach, declaring that they knew wc 
 dare not go on the coast of America with so feeble a crew, and we 
 should take them all or nona 
 
 "Having now a light breeze from the westward and a favorable 
 current, I concluded to have no further altercation with them, and 
 immediately hoisted in the boat and made sail, leaving on the island 
 of Kemoy (which is about three hundred and fifty miles northeast 
 of Canton) six of my most able men. This was such a reduction of 
 our number as would require unceasing vigilance and extraordinary 
 caution to counteract, as the risk of being attacked by the Indians 
 was, of course, increased in proportion to our diminished power of 
 resistance." 
 
 To save the necessity of future recurrence to this ap- 
 parently unfortunate experience, I may mention here 
 that the six men wlio were left on shore were sub- 
 sequently sent by the Chinese authorities to Canton, 
 
 ^ 
 
 U' 
 
 t,- ■ i. 
 I ,J6 
 
 ill 
 
 uf 
 it'. 
 
 % 
 
 11 
 
 in 
 
 Ml 
 
 r 
 
 it 
 
 ii 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 if 
 
 1 ( 
 
 I' 
 
 I 
 
 
48 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ^^i 
 
 where they told such stories of the dangers and hard- 
 ships the}' had suffered on the voj^age in the cntter that 
 my father's friends considered their predictions fulfilled, 
 and gave him up for lost. On the other hand, the loss 
 of so many hands, which seemed at the time a great 
 misfortune, proved eventually a most providential oc- 
 currence, for they found, on arriving on the coast, that 
 their provisions had been so damaged by the continual 
 storms that, even with their diminished numbers, they 
 were forced to be put on allowance, and if they had had 
 their full complement they would have been obliged to 
 leave the coast before half completing their cargo, in 
 order to escape starvation. The success of the voyage 
 was therefore due to tiiis event, which at the time 
 seemed a great misfortune. 
 
 One week more of the same experience of working 
 up, inch by inch, against continual head-winds, and on 
 February 10 they had the satisfaction of seeing the 
 north end of the island of Formosa, bearing south, and 
 distant ten leagues. 
 
 Thus, after thirty -one da^'s of incessant toil and ex- 
 posure, he had accomplished that portion of tiie voyage 
 which had been represented as impracticable, and which, 
 v;ith a fair wind, could have been made in three or four 
 days. The passage across the North Pacific at that in- 
 clement season, however, was but a continued scene 
 of hardship and suffering. The wind was almost inva- 
 riably so violent that the}' could carry but little sail, 
 and the sea so boisterous that the watch on deck never 
 escaped a complete drenching, and it was not unfre- 
 quently the case that the fire in the caboose was extin- 
 
ARRIVAL ON THE COAST. 
 
 49 
 
 guislied. Before arriving on the coast the precaution 
 was taken of putting up a bulwark or screen made of 
 liides, which were fastened to stanchions, all round the 
 vessel, so that the Indians could not see on board and 
 discover the small number of the crew. Then, when 
 trading with them, only one canoe was allowed to come 
 to the vessel at a time, and that at the stern, over which 
 all communication was held. On the evening of March 
 30 they arrived on the coast, and anchored in a snug 
 harbor in Norfolk Sound, and for the next two months 
 were busily engaged in traflSc with the natives. Only 
 one or two vessels had arrived before them, and of these 
 they had in one respect the advantage, as the small size 
 of the cutter enabled them to navigate the innumerable 
 inlets and bays with which the coast is indented — often 
 in places where a large ship could not venture — and thus 
 secure a great number of skins, singly or in small lots, 
 which would not have reached them had they remained 
 outside. But, on the other hand, the risk of attack from 
 the Indians was proportionally greater, as they more 
 than once met with canoes longer than their own vessel. 
 It was evident on various occasions that an attack 
 upon the vessel was contemplated, and all sorts of de- 
 vices were resorted to by the savages to induce them to 
 relax their vigilance, or throw them off their guard, in 
 order to secure the coveted opportunity for boarding 
 the vessel. But, although the intercourse with them 
 was always kind and conciliatory, no reliance was ever 
 placed upon their professions of friendship, and no op- 
 portunity for the display of their treacherous character 
 was ever afforded, although on one occasion they were 
 3 
 
 :f ■ 
 
 ■ Hi 
 
60 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 placed by accident in so perilons a position tliat nothing 
 but a concurrence of favorable circumstances prevented 
 tlieir utter destruction. This was after having collected 
 a very valuable cargo of furs and nearly expended their 
 articles of barter, and when they were seeking a safe 
 place to replenish their supplies of wood and water. 
 
 " While steering to the westward with this intention, and going at 
 the rate of about two knots, unsuspicious of danger, tlie vessel sud- 
 denly struck a sunken ledge and stopped. Perceiving that she hung 
 abaft the midships, and that there was three and a half fathoms un- 
 der the bows, we immediately ran all the guns forward and carried 
 out an anchor ahead ; but the tide ebbed so rapidly that all our efforts 
 to heave her oflE were ineffectual. "We therefore heeled her on the 
 side, whence she would be less likely to roll over. At low water the 
 position of the vessel was such as to afford little room to hope that 
 she could escape bilging. She hung by about four feet amidships, 
 having slidden forward as the tide fell, and brought up with the end 
 of her bowsprit on the bottom, while her keel formed an angle of 
 forty-five degrees with the water-line, the sternpost being fourteen 
 or fifteen feet above the rock. This position, combined with a rank 
 heel to starboard, made it impossible to stand on deck. We there- 
 fore put a number of loaded muskets into the boat, and prepared to 
 make such resistance in case of attack as could be made by fifteen 
 men crowded into a sixteen-foot boat. Our situation was now one 
 of the most painful anxiety, no less from the prospect of losing our 
 vessel and the rich cargo we had collected with so much toil, than 
 from the apprehension of being discovered in this defenceless state 
 by any one of the hostile tribes by whom we were surrounded. A 
 canoe of the largest class, with thirty warriors well armed, had left 
 us but half an hour before we struck, and were now prevented from 
 seeing us only by having passed round a small island. Should the 
 vessel bilge, there existed scarcely any other chance for the preser- 
 vation of our lives than the precarious one of falling in with some 
 ship before we were discovered by Indians. That she would bilge 
 if the weather varied in any degree from the perfect calm which then 
 prevailed was almost a certainty. More than ten hours were passed 
 
 -MOU 
 
w 
 
 A CRITICAL SITUATION. 
 
 61 
 
 in this agonizing state of suspense, watcliing the horizon to discover 
 if any savages were approaching; the heavens, if there were a cloud 
 tliat might cliance to ruffle the surface of the water; the vessel, 
 whose occasional cracking seemed to warn us of destruction; and 
 when the tide began to flow, impatiently observing its apparently 
 sluggish advance, while I involuntarily consulted ray watch, the 
 hands of which seemed to have forgotten to move. 
 
 "At length the water, as the tide rose, having flowed over the 
 coamings of the hatches, which had been caulked down in anticipa- 
 tion of this event, without any indication of the vessel's lifting, I 
 was deliberating on the propriety of cutting away the mast, when we 
 perceived that she was beginning to rise. She soon after righted so 
 much that we were able to go on board, and at half -past twelve in 
 the night we had the indescribable pleasure of seeing her afloat 
 again without having received any other apparent injury than the 
 loss of a few sheets of copper. 
 
 "To the perfect calm, smooth water, and uncommon strength of 
 our vessel may be attributed our escape from this truly perilous sit- 
 uation. 
 
 "I will not attempt to describe the joy I experienced at this es- 
 cape. You may conceive of it by being reminded that on one side 
 was presented death in its most horrid form, or a still more horrid 
 captivity among the rudest savages; in the other, life, liberty, com- 
 petence, and a sight of my friends again. 
 
 ' ' On the 23d we laid the vessel ashore and cut off the rough cop- 
 per, perceived that the keel was considerably bruised and a piece of 
 the sheathing under the copper broken, but no material injury done. 
 We gave her what repair the time would permit, and hauled off 
 when the tide flowed so as to float her. We continued navigating 
 the Sound till the 29th, when, having collected nineteen hundred 
 skins, besides a good proportion of tails, which is considered a good 
 cargo, I concluded to go to Norfolk Sound again and pick up what 
 we could in the course of forty-eight hours, and thence to the Char- 
 lotte Islands, preparatory to taking our departrre from the coast." 
 
 Tliis plan was cai-ried out, and some three hundred 
 skins added to their store, the supplies of wood and 
 water replenished, and on the 27th 
 
 !,ii 
 
 ;!( ' 
 
63 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 1:1 
 
 ir 
 
 " We put to sea, happy at having so fortunately completed our husi- 
 ness, and doubly so at leaving this inhospitable coast. Indeed, the 
 crimiDal who receives a pardon under the gallows could hardly 
 feel a greater degree of exultation." 
 
 His return passage to China via the Sandwich Islands 
 was chiefly remarkable by the pleasant contrast it af- 
 forded to the hardships and dangers to which they had 
 so long been exposed. He arrived at Wainpoa on the 
 15th of September, and thus describes his meeting with 
 his friends there : 
 
 "Several of the gentlemen who had predicted our destruction 
 from attempting the voyage at the season we did, presumed, when 
 they saw the cutter arrive, that we had failed, which indeed they had 
 anticipated, from the arrival in Canton several months before of the 
 mutineers whom we had left on the coast of China, and the sad 
 stories they had told of hardship, danger, and cruel usage. 
 
 " One of these gentlemen, on meeting me, was actually beginning 
 to express the commiseration he felt for my hard fortune, but per- 
 ceiving nothing like dejection in my countenance he stopped to 
 make inquiries, and was astonished to learn that we had accom- 
 plished the voyage successfully and had a cargo on board that would 
 probably produce $60,000. A piece of information which I re- 
 ceived on my arrival served to show me in glaring colors my own 
 short-sightedness, and almost to make me a convert to the belief 
 that 'whatever is, is right,' 
 
 "I allude to the loss of the ship Ontario. As I had known before 
 arriving at Canton from Batavia that Captain Wheaton was desti- 
 tute of officers, I had hoped through this means to embark myself 
 and property for America free of expense; but only twenty-four 
 hours before my arrival he had engaged a chief mate, regretting ex- 
 ceedingly that he had not known that I was coming. My own dis- 
 appointment was very great, as I knew not which way to turn till 
 the offer of the cutter was presented. Had I arrived a few hours 
 earlier in Canton I should have embarked in the Ontario, lost all my 
 property, probably without insurance, and been left destitute in a 
 foreign land." 
 
SUCCESSFUL TERMINATION. 
 
 68 
 
 Tlie seu-ottei' skins whicli ho had bought of tho Ind- 
 ians at the rate of eight prime skins in excliango for a 
 musket, were sold in Canton for $2G eacli, and thus tho 
 voyage was completed to tho satisfaction of all con- 
 cerned. I cannot better conclude my account of it than 
 by the relation of a pleasant and unexpected recurrence 
 to it in subsequent years. 
 
 Not long after tho publication of my father's voyages 
 in 1842, he was surprised at receiving by mail a copy 
 of tho Peoria, Illinois, Register of July 22, 1842, con- 
 taining the following : 
 
 " Yankee Daring and Enterprise. 
 
 " Under this head we copied a month ago from the Boston Courier 
 a notice of a new volume of voyages, by Captain Cleveland of Boston. 
 
 " The article met the eye of an old friend of Captain Cleveland, who 
 in the fulness of his heart has sent us the following letter, with tho 
 request that we should put it in editorial form. We prefer, how- 
 ever, to publish it just as he sent it. The writer is the respected 
 postmastei at Andover, in Henry County, and his own life has been 
 little less prolific of adventure than that of his salt-water friend. 
 We knew him twenty-five or thirty years ago as the proprietor of 
 the Tontine Coffee-house in New York, then one of the principal 
 hotels of that city. Like Captain Cleveland, he has counted his 
 dollars by the thousand, and is now, at the turn of Fortune's wheel, 
 content to keep a humble post-oflBce in a town of twenty houses, 
 and to live upon the gains of the Andover grist-mill, which he has 
 recently purchased." 
 
 "Andover, July 7, 1843. 
 
 "Mr. Davis, — In your paper of 24th June is a sketch from Cleve- 
 land's Voyages, taken from the Boston Courier. Having myself been 
 something of a traveller, it is pleasing to me to come across a faith- 
 ful narrative, and such I know this to be from my intimate acquaint- 
 ance with the writer. Not having heard before of the work, nor 
 of Captain Cleveland for many years, I was greatly interested in the 
 
64 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 sketch, especially as I was a party to some of the transactions do- 
 scribed. 
 
 "The sketch says: 'With the $11,000 in his pocket at the Capo 
 of Good Hope, as above stated, and $7000 more, added by some 
 associates, Captain Cleveland undertook a voyage from China to the 
 northwest coast.' Now, I was one of the 'associates' who added 
 the $7000, having put in $3000 myself, another friend having ad- 
 vanced the same amount, and the remaining $1000 being furnished 
 by Youqua, a silk merchant of Canton. Captain Cleveland, on his 
 return to Canton, remitted to us, then in the United States, the 
 amount of our investment, which netted us over $12,000. Invest- 
 ing this m his hands, we next heard of him at Copenhagen, in Den- 
 mark, where ho had left with a banker $20,000 subject to our or- 
 der, with profits still in his hands. The latter remained with him 
 as a little capital for further adventure, and was subsequently lost. 
 
 "As to his losses of $200,000, 1 believe they far exceeded that 
 flum, and I have good opportunity of judging. Particulars are un- 
 necessary, but I am unwilling not to add that many years after our 
 concern was considered completely wound up, we met by accident, 
 without the least expectation on my part of receiving any more, at 
 which time, Fortune having jilted us, it was low water with both, 
 
 " He volunteered the remark that he had recently very unexpect- 
 edly received something from the wreck, and handed me the ac- 
 count minutely and proportionally stated, with his accustomed ac- 
 curacy, with two hundred and odd dollars. It was at that time a 
 pleasant windfall to both, uncertain which needed it most. 
 
 " These things, with my personal acquaintance with the writer of 
 these ' Voyages,' who,through all the hardships of his life, never,I be- 
 lieve, drank any kind of drinkable but water — although that must 
 often at sea have been unpalatable — warrant me in assuring the pub- 
 lic that there can bo nothing but unvarnished facts in the narrative; 
 and not such stories as are often told by travellers exhibiting more 
 ruffle than shirt. Although he is now, as he says, in an office in tho 
 Boston Custom-House— a position which in New York has proved 
 so great a trial of integrity— he will be Richard J. Cleveland, and, rich 
 or poor, will be the same man. I am too isolated to have my name 
 add anything to its authority. Yours truly, 
 
 "Eben. Townsend." 
 
MEETING AN OLD FRIEND. 
 
 65 
 
 My father, who liad heard ncUiirtg of his old friend 
 for years, and had supposed hi»n dead, was naturally 
 much gratified at having thus unearthed him. It led to 
 a pleasant correspondence and subsequently to a visit 
 from Mr. Townsend, when my father was living with 
 me in Burlington, New Jersey, when the two veterans 
 "fought their battles o'er again" with great gusto. 
 
 
 i'.:- 
 
I 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Prom Canton to Calcutta, and thence to the Isle of France. — ^First 
 Meeting •with William Shaler.— From the Isle of France to Co- 
 penhagen. — ^Purchase of the Brig Lelia Byrd, and Preparations 
 for ft Voyage liound the World. — The Count de Rouissillon. 
 
 Having disposed of the cutter and arranged with the 
 purchaser to go in her as passenger, with a cargo of teas, 
 etc., to Calcutta, ho writes to his father from Canton, 
 October 19, 1798, as follows : 
 
 "As I cannot freight for America from hence, I have let part of 
 lue i>roperty, s^y |21,000, on responaentia for Bengal, whither I am 
 hound, and have left $36,000 to he received hy a friend here, and 
 remitted to me in Bengal, if it can he done advantageously ; if not, 
 to endeavor to freight it in fine goods from hence to America." 
 
 The voyage to Calcutta was marked by two escapes 
 from ruin, and in one of them from certain loss of life 
 as well as property, such as no human foresight can 
 guard againbi;, and which are denominated as providen- 
 tial or accidental, according to the faith or the want of 
 it of the narrator. 
 
 On the 5tn of November, while at anchor close in 
 shore in the narrow strait before coming to Malacca — 
 
 "We saw a fleet of eleven Malay proas pass by to the eastward, 
 from whose view we supposed ourselves to have beei i screened by 
 the trees and bushes near which we were lying. On perceiving so 
 great a number of largo proas sailing together, we felt convinced 
 they must be pirates, and immediately loaded our guns and pre- 
 
NARROW ESCAPES. 
 
 67 
 
 pared for defence; though conscious that the fearful odds between 
 our crew of ten men, and theirs, which probably exceeded a hundred 
 to each vessel, left us scarce a ray of hope of successful resistance. 
 
 " We watched their progress, therefore, with that intense interest 
 which men may naturally be supposed to feel, whose fortune, liber- 
 ty, and life were dependent on the mere chance of their passing by 
 without seeing us. To our great joy they did so, and when the sails 
 of the last of the fleet were no longer visible from our deck, and wo 
 realized the certainty of our escape, our feelings of relief were in 
 proportion to the danger that had threatened us. 
 
 " On arriving at Malacca, the curiosity of the people was greatly 
 excited to know how we had escnped the fleet of pirates which had 
 been seen from the town, and when informed they offered us Iheir 
 hearty and reiterated congratulations." 
 
 Of their second escape they learned when they took 
 the pilot on board off the mouth of the river, who told 
 them that a large Portuguese ship, then in sight, had 
 been attacked the day before by a French privateer, 
 which she had beaten off. Had they arrived a day 
 sooner, therefore, they would have fallen an easy prey, 
 and being under English colors the property would have 
 been a total loss. 
 
 At Calcutta he was again disappointed in his hope of 
 finding an opportunity to freight his property on ad- 
 vantageous terms to the United States, and after resi- 
 dence there of three months he writes the following let- 
 ter to his father, in which ho informs him of l)ib in- 
 tended departure ; but from prudential motives avoids 
 giving him any intimation of the object he had in view : 
 
 " Calcutta, March, 1800. 
 " Your packet by my friend Mr. Gray came to hand, just as Cap- 
 tain Wheatland was leaving town to join his ship. I think I acknowl- 
 edged the receipt of it, but have no recollection what I wrote you. 
 3* 
 
58 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 "I have written you from this place by the Criterion, Mermaid, 
 Samson, and Perseverance, and given you such an account of the 
 property left in China, as well as of the voyage in general, that if 
 I should take it into my head not to return, you will not be at a loss 
 to know how to settle it, and I hope will receive enough to en- 
 able you to live with ease for the remainder of your life. 
 
 "However, I am under no apprehensions on this head, and doubt 
 not I shall be able to wind up the business to my satisfaction, and 
 return in the course of the year 1801. 
 
 " If I had not gone so far in my present undertaking that it would 
 be making too great a sacrifice to relinquish it, I certainly would do 
 BO, and take passage with Mr. Gray in the Ulysses, as it is not likely 
 I shall again meet with so agreeable an opportunity. I have seen 
 none of my countrymen in my travels possessing a greater combina- 
 tion of good qualities, and I consider his friendship a valuable ac- 
 quisition. 
 
 "I flatter myself I may fall in with Bill and George before I re- 
 turn to America. Accounts of the tremendous gale at the Cape of 
 Good Hope have reached us, and among the most fortunate of t* :; 
 unfortunate vessels that were caught in it I find is the brig Hannah, 
 Captain Wyman. 
 
 "George has in this instance experienced a more disastrous gale, 
 and been witness to a more distressing scene, than perhaps was ever 
 known there; but he has yet more dangers to encounter on our bois- 
 terous winter coast. The reflecting on dangers, however, is gener- 
 ally as unpleasant as the experience of them. 
 
 " As I leave all my books and papers here, I have thought proper, 
 lest any accident should happen to prevent my getting them again, 
 to enclose you copies of all my accounts of the voyage up to the 
 present time. 
 
 "I sent you from hence by the Perseverance, Captain Wheatland, 
 fifty pieces of bandannas in a box marked R. C. This I did fearing 
 lest any accident should prevent your receiving the expected prop- 
 erty left in China. 
 
 "I leave this tomorrow, and intend returning here again in four 
 or five months, when I shall begin to think of turning my face tow- 
 ards home. 
 
 " If I meet with success, and a good opportunity offers at that time 
 
FROM CALCUTTA TO THE ISLE OF FRANCE. 
 
 69 
 
 for freighting the property home as safely as if I accompanied it, don't 
 be surprised, or think your son crazy, should you hear he had gone 
 to Bombay, in order to go overland to the Mediterranean, and thence 
 through Italy and France to England. Such a thing may happen, 
 though appearances are not much in favor of it; yet I think quite 
 as much so as they were of my seeing China when I left Salem. I 
 am exceedingly desirous of seeing my friends in Salem, but there 
 seems to be a strange fatality attending every motion made to this 
 effect. Pleasing myself with the idea that all will turn out for the 
 best, time passes as lightly with me as with most people; and I am 
 persuaded that few people enjoy a greater share of happiness than 
 myself, if you can conceive of there being any happiness in building 
 airy castles and pursuing luem nearly round the globe till Uiey 
 vanish, and then engaging in a fresh pursuit. But enough of airy 
 castles: should I meet with a solid one, I'll take care to have it well 
 fortified in the latest style of engineering science. 
 
 "I have become a burgher of the Danish settlement of Frederica- 
 nagore, so that I am now a Dane, and must do as the Danes do." 
 
 Ho had, in fact, determined upon anotlier expedition 
 in a cockle-shell, the object of which it was necessary to 
 conceal from the authorities of Bengal, who allowed no 
 direct intercourse with the Isle of France. 
 
 lie had received intelligence that the French priva- 
 teera had captured and sent in to that island so many 
 prizes that the inference was obvious that a ship could 
 be bought there on very advantageous terms ; 
 
 "I determined, therefore, to procure a boat of such diminu- 
 tive size as to elude observation, and, at the same time, of so little 
 value that the loss upon a resale would not be serious. Such a 
 one I found at Calcutta, nearly finished, of about twent> 5^0 tons, 
 which I made a bargain for, to be completed immediately; to bo 
 rigged as a pilot-boat, with a mainsail, foresail, and jib; to be 
 coppered to the bends, and delivered at the Danish sclllcmcnt of 
 Serampore." 
 
 The engagement was fulfilled, the vessel put under 
 
60 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 the Danish flag, my father became a Danish citizen, 
 loaded the boat with only sufficient cargo to put her in 
 good trim, and, embarking himself and servant as pas- 
 sengers, dropped quietly down the river and made sail 
 for the Isle of France. 
 
 The discomfort of such a boat on a voyage of forty- 
 five days, under a tropical sun, was, of course, very 
 great, and he acknowledges himself that " the attempt- 
 ing such a passage in such a boat was certainly impru- 
 dent. It was not so much owing to ignorance of the 
 risk as to that impatience which would not permit ordi- 
 nary difficulties to interfere with the pursuit of a favor- 
 ite object." 
 
 I may hero appropriately introduce an extract from 
 a letter of Commodore Biddle to my father, in acknowl- 
 edgment of the receipt of a copy of his " Narrative :" 
 
 "Your voyages from Havre to the Capo of Good Hope, from 
 Canton to the northwest coast, and from Calcutta to the Isle of 
 France, could have been undertaken and performed by none other 
 than a New England man. 
 
 " They reflect credit upon the American name and character." 
 
 His arrival excited even more astonishment than had 
 been displayed at the Cape of Good Hope when ho 
 landed there from a vessel nearly double the size of this 
 one. 
 
 A crowd followed him when he landed and proceeded 
 to report to the governor ; and not suspecting that he un- 
 derstood French, expressed freely their surprise and their 
 conjectures as to his probable object. He now had the 
 opportunity to deliver the despatches with which he 
 had been intrusted by the Directory two years pre- 
 
 11 : 
 
■fp 
 
 WILLIAM SEALER. 
 
 61 
 
 vions, and to explain the canse of tho long delay ; and 
 although they were, of coursej no longer of any value, 
 they served the purpose of a favorable introduction, and 
 secnred for him the courtesies which are always so ac- 
 ceptable in a foreign land. 
 
 The letter which follows, from Copenhagen, written 
 tho year after, gives a better sketch than I could hope 
 to do of his experiences; and the only item on which I 
 wish to offer any remark is the incidental mention of 
 his having made the acquaintance, while at the Isle of 
 France, of William Shaler, which acquaintance was 
 destined to have so important an influence on his sub- 
 sequent life that it merits more than a passing notice. 
 
 Mr. Shaler was a man of rare intellectual power, and 
 of such unflinching courage, determined will, and kingly 
 presence, as seemed to adapt him morally and physically 
 to a leading position among his fellow-men. Of tho 
 qualities I have enumerated he gave evidence during 
 his residence in Algiers, where he held the position of 
 consul-general of the United States for many years, and 
 rendered very important services to his government 
 and countrymen while in that capacity. 
 
 On one occasion, when a certain tribe of Arabs were 
 in rebellion, the Dey issued an order for tho arrest and 
 imprisonment of every member of tho tribe who hap- 
 pened to be in the city. The household servants of the 
 foreign consuls in Algiers were almost exclusively of 
 this tribe, and notice of the requisition for tlicir sur- 
 render was at once sent to all the consulates. 
 
 Some of the consuls made no opposition to tlie decree ; 
 others paid off and discharged their servants, leaving 
 
 \ 0- 
 
 -^1 
 
62 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 them to their fate. The British consul endeavored to 
 protect his premises, but his doors were forced and his 
 servants dragged out and imprisoned. 
 
 Every possible effort was made to induce Mr. Shaler 
 to comply with the demand, but he insisted upon main- 
 taining the dignity of his flag ; and when the emissaries 
 of the dey made their appearance, coolly informed thdin 
 that tliey could only enter his premises over his body. 
 
 Ho carried his point, and not only saved his servants 
 from imprisonment and, possibly, death, but was ever 
 after treated with distinguished respect and considera- 
 tion by the dey. 
 
 During the subsequent attack on the city by the Brit- 
 ish fleet, under Lord Exmouth, the influence he had 
 acquired enabled him to render very valuable diplomatic 
 service in the protection of English and other Christian 
 interests. 
 
 His "Sketches of Algiers," published in Boston, in 
 1826, contains a very interesting account of the country 
 and its social condition under Moorish rule, and ii^so a 
 graphic description of the capture of the city by Lord 
 Exmouth. 
 
 Of all men of distinguished personal appearance 
 whom I have had the good-fortune to meet — not even 
 excepting Daniel Webster — I have never seen one 
 whose aspect seemed to me so impressive, or so truly 
 one of majestic dignity, as Mr. Shaler's, and his stern 
 gray eye had an indescribable expression of firmness 
 and resolution which no man would care to encounter 
 in opposition. 
 
 A gentleman who resided in a New England country- 
 
A LIFE-LONG FRIEND. 
 
 68 
 
 town, which for a time was Mr. Shaler's home, gave 
 me once a humorous account of tlie effect of his appear- 
 ance upon tlio crowd assembled at the village post-office 
 to wait the assortment of the mail. 
 
 "They would fall back," said ho, "and open to the 
 right and left, as if a lion had walked in at the door." 
 
 lie was at heart a man of warm and generous nature, 
 fond of reading and hard study, affable and pleasant 
 with congenial spirits, but impatient with frivolous and 
 commonplace people. The acquaintance which began 
 at the Isle of France ripened into such a feeling of 
 warm attachment and implicit confidence in each other 
 as rarely exists even between those who are connected 
 by ties of blood, and this friendship continued through 
 life. 
 
 The following, from my father's narrative, on the oc- 
 casion of their separating after a long voyage together, 
 bcurs evidence to this fact : 
 
 "The parting here from ray long-tried, much-esteemed, and affec- 
 tionate friend Shaler was not unattended with painful emotions. 
 We had shared abundantly in those dangers, toils, and anxieties no 
 less than in those pleasures and recreations which combine: so 
 forcibly to cement the bonds of friendship. 
 
 • ***«•«* 
 
 "The many instances that had come within our observation of 
 intimate friends becoming alienated, from differing in opinion on 
 the merest trifles, had suggested to us the propriety of pondering 
 well on our ability to sustain harmoniously the alliance we contem- 
 plated in affairs of greater importance. Nothing short of our mu- 
 tual experience of each other's temper and disposition could justify 
 the presumption implied of the power to maintain the harmony re- 
 quired in a voyage of ordinary character between two persons 
 equally interested in the property, equally competent to take charge 
 
64 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 of the nautical and mercantile part of the business, and on a perfect 
 footing of equality in everything relating to the management of the 
 ship, as well as that of the cargo. But in an enterprise involving so 
 much difficulty and danger, so much to- perplex and irritate, with 
 80 little success to cheer the spirits and promote equanimity of 
 temper, that we should be able to accomplish it without a rupture is 
 surprising; how much more so, then, that we never had an angry 
 dispute, and parted with feelings of affecticn increased by the very 
 difficulties and embarrassments we had encountered together." 
 
 This account of Mr. Sluiler has filled a greater space 
 
 than I had anticipated. The following is my father's 
 
 letter, in which, as I have said, ho is first mentioned. 
 
 It will bo seen by the explanation given in it that 
 
 be bad previously been restrained from writing by 
 
 the same prudential motives which affected him at 
 
 Calcutta. 
 
 "Copenhagen, Ju)ie 22, 1801. 
 
 "I am now, as you will perceive, at the Danish capital, from 
 whence (in conformity with my usual custom) I propose to give you 
 a sketcli of my proceedings since I last wrote you from the capital 
 of the British empire in India. 
 
 "I think, on my leaving India, you had no positive informa- 
 tion as to my destination by any of ray letters from there; and I am 
 persuaded you will see the necessity which existed for the great- 
 est circumspection in my operations, for had my Icttei-s been inter- 
 cepted by a ship of either of the belligerent powers, and myself af- 
 terwards fallen into their hands, the consequences would probably 
 have been an end of the voyage. That you might not, however, 
 remain entirely in the dark respecting them, I communicated my 
 plan to Mr.Winthrop Gray, who promised to disclose it to you ; but, 
 alasl he lived not to perform this promise. I was grieved on hear- 
 ing of the sad accident that befell him, and though my acquaintance 
 with him was not of long standing, it was sufficiently so to give 
 birth to a real friendship for him. I sincerely wish that many who 
 make much more profession of rigid morals were as incapable as he 
 was of a mean or dishonest action. 
 
w 
 
 LETTER FROM COPENHAGEN. 
 
 65 
 
 "My object in going to the Isle of France -was to purchase prize 
 goods or ships, with which to return to India. From u Itnowledgo 
 of the great success of the privateers, and information (which I hud 
 reason to suppose was correct) that no Danes had gone from Tran- 
 quebar to malic purchases, I had but little doubt that I should bo 
 able to wind up my voyage at Calcutta in three or four months 
 from the time of my departure, and with a handsome profit ; and, 
 should I j>08siblp be disappointed in this, that the American trade 
 with France and her colonics would soon be open, and I should 
 readily find an opportunity of freighting my property to America. 
 In both these calculations I was mistaken, for, on my arrival, I 
 found that the sales were finished, and the privateers on the point 
 of sailing on another cruise, so that nothing could be expected from 
 them for several months. I therefore decided or\ the second plan, 
 in daily expectation of the arrival of Americans, for I was now as- 
 sured by an arrival from France that all differences between the two 
 republics were amicably adjusted. I therefore went down to Bour- 
 bon in expectation of purchasing my coffee lower and more readily 
 than at Mauritius. But the inhabitants had heard of the arrival of 
 the American from Fmnce^ which, in conjunction with my arrival 
 there, led them to suppose that their produce would soon rise in 
 value, and therefore (as in general they are not in want) they would 
 not sell at any price. After remaining a fortnight without doing 
 anything I returned to Mauritius, where, in longing expectation of 
 the arrival of Americans, and at times doubting whether they would 
 come,finding it impossible to fit out a vessel for America before we 
 knew that the intercourse was open, and feeling extreme repugnance 
 at the thought of returning to India without doing anything, I wait- 
 ed day after day and month after month with as much impatience 
 as any prisoner ever experienced in the Bastile. To have remained 
 in such a state of inactivity in a more pleasant country would not 
 have been agreeable, but here everything concurred to cause the 
 time to wear so heavily away that the ten months I was detained 
 appear as long as all the rest of the time I have been from home. 
 You will naturally suppose that the annoyance some of their priva- 
 teers have met with from our armed merchantmen has much irri- 
 tAted, and in many instances influenced, them in the condemning 
 of unarmed vessels which have been sent in. 
 
 ■ ! I 
 
 ? :ti 
 
 '\:k 
 
66 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 "Americans arc rcproaclicd with ingratitude towards France and 
 partiality for the Englisli, and myself among the few who were 
 there; for, although I entered as n Dane, it was soon discovered that 
 I was an American. Nor did I try to conceal it, but, on the contra- 
 ry, condemned the measures of the French government towards 
 America wherever I heard them discussed, and sometimes (though 
 rarely) found an honest Frenchman who was of my opinion, but he 
 was a planter, and the planters in general have not a much more 
 exalted opinion of the integrity of the merchants than I have. To 
 brand any set of men with the epithet of rogue is rather harsh, but, 
 upon my word, I do not think it can be more justly applied to the 
 inhabitants of Botany Bay than to the merchants Mauritius; nor 
 was our countryman, Captain Ingraham (who puuiished a list of 
 these gentry in a Boston paper), much out of the way as it respects 
 truth, but a good deal in point of prudence ; for this paper, branding 
 a number of them with the epithet of rogue, villain, etc., had like to 
 have caused serious trouble to the few Americans who were there. 
 On the day this paper was produced on 'Change the only American 
 who happened to be present was S. Minot, and he was so grossly in- 
 sulted by one of these censured citoyens (a Mr. Seveune) that a duel 
 was the consequence; but, although they fought at only five paces, 
 no other mischief arose than the Frenchman's receiving a ball in the 
 arm, which laid him by for a few weeks. Whether he is more or 
 less a rogue since than before this aifair I will not pretend to decide, 
 but leave it to those who may be so unfortunate as to have any trans- 
 actions with him, and return to my own aiTaii's. 
 
 " In December I purchased and expedited a ship for Calcutta for 
 account of Mr. White, of Boston, who was largely concerned in my 
 speculation, and was waiting my return there ; and early in January 
 I contracted (in conjunction with a Mr, Shaler, of Connecticut) with 
 a Danish captain to freight on board his ship seven thousand bags 
 of coffee, on condition that he should deliver us six thousand bags 
 in Copenhagen. We were not to pay any primage or average, and 
 were to have passage for ourselves and servants gratis, except pay- 
 ing a proportion of cabin stores. 
 
 "These were certainly very advantageous terms, and such as only 
 his peculiar situation induced him to accept, as he liad purchased a 
 large ship at a moderate price, had not half property enough to load 
 
LETTER FROM COPENHAGEN. 
 
 67 
 
 lier, and could not procure frel«?lit from any other quarter. In ad- 
 dition to tlie freight being low, it was one of the finest ships tliat I 
 have ever sailed on— an East India Company's ship of nine hundred 
 tons' burden, on her first voyage, and although, when captured, she 
 carried between decks twenty 18 pounders, and six O-pounders on 
 the (iuartcr-deck, ntul had on board, in sailors and soldiers, three 
 Imndrcd and fifty men, she was taken by boarding by the celebrated 
 Surcouffe in the Coufiance privateer of twenty guns and one hun- 
 dred and fifty men. Nor was she taken by surprise, but rather 
 from the Englishman's too great confidence in his own strength and 
 contempt for that of his enemy. Such a bold and successful at- 
 tempt has not perhaps its equal in the pages of history. Surcouffo 
 relatos with humor the story of an English major-general who was 
 a passenger on board, and who, after the ship had surrendered, 
 came up from below (where he had stowed himself with the lady 
 passengers during the action) and presented his sword to him; but 
 Surcouffe, instead of receiving it, told him he might keep it, as ho 
 was sure it was in harmless hands; nor did he think it worth while 
 to keep him a prisoner, but let him go with the other passengers. 
 
 " But what h.18 this to do with my affairs, of which 1 sat down to 
 give you a detail, before which, however, I must observe that, 
 among many instances of the depravity, or, rather, weakness, of this 
 government, in suffering the privateers to send in, and their courts 
 to condemn, neutrals on the ftiost frivolous pretences, the> have in 
 no instance been guilty of a more glaring piece of villainy than in 
 the condemnation of the brig Traveller, of Boston, and her cargo of 
 $110,(X)0 specie, belonging to Mr. Joseph Lee, Jr., and the Messrs. 
 Williams, of Boston. 
 
 "We left tlio Mauritius on the 21st of March, and, after one of 
 the pleasantest and quickest passages I ever experienced, arrived at 
 Christiansand, Norway, on the 11th instant— only eighty-two days. 
 We came along in the most perfect serenity, having heard nothing 
 of any disturbance between the English and Danes, and were pursu- 
 ing our course for Copenhagen when we spoke a Danish coasting 
 vessel a few miles from the entrance to Christiansand, and were 
 surprised with the intelligence that war had been declared, and that 
 ■we could not proceed farther towards Elsinorc without being in- 
 tercepted by an English cruiser. As we conceived that some time 
 
 i . 
 
es 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 must elapse before these differences could be adjusted, and, conse- 
 quently, that the ship must necessarily remain where she was, Mr. 
 Shalcr and I remained but two days and then took passage for Ny- 
 bourg, a pretty town on the island of Fycn, where we arrived the 
 third day after leaving Norway, From here we crossed to Corseur, 
 on the western part of Zealand, where wo slept, and next morning 
 took post-horses for Copenhagen, where wo arrived at night, having 
 travelled through a most delightful country, level, and everywhere 
 in the highest state of cultivation. You will easily conceive how 
 gratifying to the sight such a country must bo to one who has been 
 for 80 long a time cither in a country of barbarians, where the ico 
 remains all the year round, or in the torrid zone, where vegetation 
 is almost entirely burned up, and where it is imprudent to go out of 
 the house at noonday. 
 
 " If I had understood the language I should almost have fancied 
 myself in my native country ; but we met with but one person who 
 could speak French, and none that could speak English, on the 
 road, so that we were forced to talk by signs, except to the man who 
 spoke French. Ho was a well-dressed old gentleman of upward of 
 seventy, who made up for all deficiencies in chat. His curiosity was 
 as much excited by my honest negro servant as was that of any of 
 the peasants of the country, and he even asked how long ho had 
 been caught and tamed, and was much surprised to Icam that bo 
 was a native of America and had never been wild. My first pursuit 
 on arriving here was to inquire for a Salem vessel, and I soon had 
 the pleasure of seeing William Orne, Jr., from whom I learned that 
 all my friends were alive and well but a few days ago; and this, you 
 will conceive, was a great relief to me, for, though I sought for 
 news, I dreaded to hear what it might be. 
 
 '• It may yet be fifteen or twenty days before the arrival of our 
 ship at this place, so that it is very uncertain when I shall be ablo 
 to close my business here ; but, as I have for the concern property 
 worth here about $60,000 net, and am myself the largest proprietor, 
 and as this property is now safe, I think you cannot want for money 
 even if the China adventure did not yield so much as I calculated 
 on when I wrote you from Calcutta. I iiope, however, it gave 
 you a supply, besides paying my debts; but, whether it did or 
 not, or whether it arrived safe or was lost, money you «. ast have. 
 
AT COPENHAGEN. 
 
 69 
 
 and na soon as I can conveniently make you a remittance I shall 
 do so. 
 
 "I have given you a long, faithful, and perhaps tedious narrative 
 of my proceedings llius far. Of my next movements you will bo 
 regularly advised, but do not impute it to any want of oifcction if 
 they should not be towards home." 
 
 The next letter from Copcnlingcn, a few days later, 
 gives no definite account of his plans, and thencefor- 
 ward my record of his movements must be made up 
 from his "Journal," as no more letters liave been pre- 
 served, and probably none were written, as the oppor- 
 tunities for transmission from the ports he next visited 
 must have been extremely rare. 
 
 " Copenhagen, July 5, 1801. 
 
 " Since writing you of my arrival here, to wear off the time while 
 waiting for our ship, I have made a pleasant journey on this island, 
 in company with two American gentlemen. Our first visit was to 
 Boschild, about twenty English miles from hence. In the cathedral 
 of this place are buried all the deceased kings, queens, etc., of Den- 
 mark, as far back as seven hundred years. 
 
 "From thence we wcut to Fredericsburg, a very ancient and su- 
 perb palace, where we saw many fine pieces of sculpture, paintings, 
 etc. Thence to the cannonfoundery at Fredericswork, belonging 
 to a prince of Hesse. After being shown every part of the foun- 
 dery and the powder-works, we proceeded to Fiedenvert, where there 
 is a beautiful palace, built by the late Juliana Maria, mother to the 
 present king, into every apartment of which we were shown, and, 
 consequently, saw all the fine furniture and paintings. From thence 
 "wc went to Elsinore, where one of our party left us, and crossed 
 over to Sweden, on his way to Russia, and the other returned with 
 me to Copenhagen, after an absence of four days, much improved, 
 as you will imagine. For my own part, I have become so great a 
 connoisseur in pictures that — as you will perceive — I have been able 
 to recollect the names of the towns and palaces in which they are to 
 be seen. I often think, on my various excursions, of the booby muk- 
 
70 
 
 VOYAGFS OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ing the lofir of Europe, ns described in the Spectator. Pray don't 
 be disappointed if I should be able to give you no better account of 
 the manners, customs, government, laws, public edifices, and rare 
 curiosities which I have seen. 
 
 "The morning after my return from this excursion I was agree- 
 ably surprised at meeting my old friend. Captain Silabee. The time 
 elapsed since I have seen him seems to have made very little altera- 
 tion in his appearance, and ho lieems the sumo good fellow with 
 whom I made my first voyages. I do not think Fortune could have 
 bestowed her favors on a more deserving object. lie urges me much 
 \o return to America, and offers me a passage in his ship. This I 
 would gladly accept, but I have long had a plan in view, which I 
 um very anxioui to carry into execution, and which will depend 
 entirely upon the arrival of our ship f:nm Norway. If she should 
 not arrive within the present month, I shall return to America im- 
 mediately on settling my affairs here. If she tthould arrive within 
 the month, it is probabi'^ I shuU make another trip around the world, 
 of which you shall be advised. 
 
 "I regret, and am surprised, that you should have been ud 
 easy ut not hearing from me fron? tI:o Mauritius. The difficulty, as 
 well as danger, of forwarding letters while on such a siK'culative 
 luiventurc, where the property was entirely masked, ought to have 
 occurred to you, and your knowledge of ray extreme caution and 
 dislike of running into danger would, I thought, have authorized 
 nte to have undertaken more hazardous expeditious without alarm- 
 ing you. " 
 
 The plan to whicli ho alludes was ono which he and 
 Mr. Shaler had discussed together on their passage from 
 the Isle of France, of a trading voyage to the west coast 
 of South America, and probably round the world, and 
 had so far agreed upon that its execution was dependent 
 solely upon their meeting with a suitable vessel for their 
 purpose. 
 
 The cargo of coffee they had brought from the Isle of 
 France was sold at a handsome prolit, and he received, 
 
PURCHASE OF BRIG ♦'LELIA BYRD." 
 
 11 
 
 also, very satisfactory accounts of tlio proceeds of that 
 portion of liis property jh had been shipped to Amer- 
 ica, so that he not only felt free from anxiety on his 
 own account, but had the satisfaction of knowing that 
 he had fully provided for h'.. father's wants, and had 
 ministered bountifully to the comfort of other relatives 
 to whom ho was bound by ties of gratitude and affec- 
 tion. 
 
 Finding it impossible to procure a suitable vessel at 
 Copenhagen, they went to Hamburg, where they ac- 
 complished their object by the purchase of the brig 
 Zelia f^yrdy of Portsmouth, Va., a stanch, fast-sailing 
 vessel A one hundred and seventy-five tons, with good 
 capacity for carrying, and very comfortable accommo- 
 dations. 
 
 While Mr. Shaler went to Bordeaux to attend to 
 some business of his own my father remained in Ham- 
 burg to supervise the copi)efing and repairing of tlie 
 vessel, which was accomplished, and the cargo shipped, 
 by the time of his return, at the end of September. As 
 their partnership was, in all respects, one of perfect 
 equality, the nominal position of captain — which it was 
 necessary, for form's sake, that one of them should as- 
 sume — was decided in favor of Mr. Shaler by tossing a 
 copper, and my father, therefore, appeared on the ship's 
 papers as supercargo. 
 
 Before they were ready for sea, however, the objects 
 which had formed the chief incentive to the prosecution 
 of the voyago were defeated by the sudden and unex- 
 pected termination of the war between France and Kng- 
 land by the Treaty of Amiens. The commerce of Spain 
 
72 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCnANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 with her colonics would now be renewed, and, by the 
 regular introduction of the manufactures of Europe, the 
 hitherto exorbitant prices on which they had counted as 
 a compensation for their efforts would bo at once re- 
 duced. It was obvious, therefore, that a voyage to Chili 
 and Peru could now be made only under the njost dis- 
 couraging auspices, as the same cause which operated 
 to enable the inhabitants to supply themselves with 
 manufactures would also greatly increase the difficulty 
 and danger which foreigners must encounter in endeav- 
 oring to elude the proverbial jealousy of Spain of out- 
 side intrusion on her colonial commerce. The business, 
 liowever, had advanced so far that a resale of the vessel 
 and cargo could not be effected except at great loss, and 
 they could not reconcile themselves to the abandonment 
 of the voyage. 
 
 Meantime, during their residence in Hamburg, they 
 had become acquainted with the Count de Ilouissillon, 
 a young Polish nobleman, who had fought for the lib- 
 erty of his country as an aide-de-camp of Kosciusko, and, 
 being one of the proscribed, was living in Hamburg on 
 very slender means, and without occupation. lie was 
 the descendant of an ancient noble family. He pos- 
 sessed a powerful intellect, and gave evidence that groat 
 care liad been exercised in its cultivation. His acquire- 
 ments in nmthematics, in astronomy, music, and draw- 
 ing were very respectable, and there was scarcely a 
 European language with which he was not familiar. 
 For these attainments ho was not less indebted to his 
 fine natural powers than to an untiring industry, which 
 was so habitual that he seemed to grudge a monicnt's 
 
-w Wf1 
 
 THE COUNT DE ROUISSILLON. 
 
 t$ 
 
 tiino tlmt was passed without adding eomcthing to his 
 stock of knowledge. 
 
 Perceiving tlio very great addition to their own en- 
 joyment whicli would be derived from the companion- 
 ship of so agreeable a young man — for tliey were all 
 under thirty — they invited him to accompany them, 
 simply as a travelling companion. Uo had never been 
 at sea, and the prospect of a rambling voyage round the 
 world to a man like him, who had been reared in the 
 interior of a continent, offered such attractions that he 
 accepted the invitation without hesitation ai.d with 
 warm expressions of gratification and delight. 
 
 Looking back over the lapse of eighty years, and re- 
 calling the circumstances of the period and the character 
 and position of the young men by whom this enterprise 
 was undertaken, the history of the voyage on which 
 they were now embarking seems more like the concep- 
 tion of a poet's imagination than the simple narrative 
 of a commercial enterprise. 
 
 It is difficult, at this day, when we not only have full 
 and minute descriptions of evory port and country, but 
 can hold instnnt intercourse witli the most remote re- 
 gions of the globe, to realize the sense of mysterious 
 uncertainty with which those portions were then re- 
 garded which were out of the frequented channels of 
 commerce, and especially those that were guarded by 
 such jealous watchfulness of foreign flags as was then 
 considered an essential element of national polity. The 
 starting forth upon a trading voyage of such a character 
 as this had, therefore, all the charm of uncertainty which 
 comprises the chief attraction of a tale of adventure, and 
 
 
wmmummw, 
 
 74 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 the personal character of the cliief actors was in keeping 
 with that of the enterprise, which would neither liavo 
 been conceived nor attempted by men of everyday mould. 
 
 My father's course, from the time of his starting out 
 from Havre, four years previous, had been marked by 
 such sagacity in the conception and such energy and 
 fearlessness in the execution of the enterprises he had 
 undertaken as indicate a rare combination of mental 
 and physical attainments. Their exercise had secured 
 the object at which they aimed, and had relieved him 
 from the painful anxiety ho had felt, and which his let- 
 ters so often expressed, lest his father should bo in 
 want. 
 
 He had provided for him, and gained for himself a 
 fortune which would have been ample for the gratifica- 
 tion of his simple tastes had he abandoned the further 
 prosecution of such exciting adventure as he had here- 
 tofore pursued. But a life of quiet case and luxury 
 was inconsistent with tlie demands of such a spirit as 
 his, and the union of his own fortune with that of ono 
 so fully in sympathy with him us his friend S'aaler 
 served, doubtless, to stimulate both of them to tho 
 achievement of enterprises of greater pith and moment 
 than either would have attempted alone. 
 
 The fact of their ^ 'nning the friendsliip of so accom- 
 plished a man as tho Count do liouissillon, the mutual 
 appreciation of the value of the intellectual enjoyment 
 of each other's society which was manifested by tho in- 
 vitation and its acceptance, and tho subsequent relations 
 of harmony and eonlidencc which were maintained be- 
 tween the three throughout the extended period of try- 
 
CFiRACTER OF VOYAGE. 
 
 m 
 
 ing experiences to which they were subjected, afford ev- 
 idences of such characteristics in each as can bnt excite 
 surprise and admiration, and servo to lift tlio wliole en- 
 terprise above the domain of a mere trading voyage, 
 and impart to it a halo of attractive interest which may 
 be justly termed poetic. 
 
A 
 
 A 
 
 \}'^ ^< 
 
 I ^~> 
 
 
 M^.r 
 
 ^ 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 1808, 1804. 
 
 Voyage of the Lelia Byrd. — Adventures in Chili nud on tlic Coast 
 of Cttlifornift.— Thence to the Sandwich Islands and China, and 
 thence in the Alert to Boston. 
 
 TiiiB voyage of the Ldla Byrd occupied the ensuing 
 two and a lialf years. If any letters were received from 
 liirn during its prosecntion they have not been pre- 
 served, and tlio probability is that no opportunity was 
 offered liim for communicating with liis friends. Ilis 
 own account of it, as given in his narrative, is so com- 
 plete, and comprises details of such interest, that if I 
 were to attempt its repetition I should transfer the whole 
 of it to these pages. But I prefer to touch only upon 
 the leading incidents as given in his daily journal, and 
 preserve the consecutive order of events in the history 
 of his life. 
 
 While yet in the river Elbe, and lying at anchor at 
 GlUckstadt, they had a very narrow escape from de- 
 struction by a storm which caused very great damage 
 to the shipping. One cable parted, and the pilot who 
 was on board was very urgent to cut away the masts 
 to prevent being driven on the pier heads ; but to this 
 they would not consent, and were finally held by the 
 bower anchor's catching in the one they had lost, and es- 
 caped with the loss of the stern bout torn from the davits. 
 
^if 
 
 FROM CUXHAVEN TO RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 11 
 
 They sailed from Cuxliaven on tho 8th of November, 
 1801, in company with a dozen sliips and brigs, and 
 soon had an opportunity of discovering tho superiority 
 of their vessel, as at tho end of four hours only two of 
 tho fleet were visible astern from their decks. 
 
 Touching at tho Canary Islands for fresh provisions, 
 they continued their course across tho Atlantic, and ar- 
 rived at Kio Janeiro, January 2, 1802 : 
 
 "Next morning wc were visited with much formality by the mu- 
 nicipal autliorities, accompanied by an interpreter, to ascertain tbo 
 condition of our vcHsel, and know our wants, ic. order lliat, from tlieir 
 report to superior authority, it might be decided liow long wc should 
 bo permitted to remain in port. 
 
 " Aware of the jealousy of the government towards all foreigners, 
 and their practice of rigidly enforcing the law for the exclusion of 
 any other flag than their own except in casch of emergency, we pre- 
 sumed the time gnmted us would bo very limited, and were, there- 
 fore, very well satisfied on being informed that the viceroy permitted 
 us to roMaiu eight days. This was a»nplo time to fill our water- 
 casks, to procure a supply of stock, vegetables, and fruit, and to 
 ascertain if it were possible to dispose of our cargo to any of tho 
 traders who were here from the river Platte." 
 
 Tiiey were allowed to go on shore only when accom- 
 panied by a soldier: but us there was no limit fixed to 
 their rambles, tliey visit. 1 all tho moRt attractive point*, 
 Kid spent one c ^eninff at t 'se tl* litre, where tho patience 
 of the audience w.^ ed jj Xaq delay of tho viceroy, 
 as the curtain < ul not riw till his arrival. When ho 
 at lengtli appeared tho whole audience rose to greet 
 hiiny and performances began with a five-act comedy 
 and concluded with a ballet. 
 
 The most interesting incident which occurred during 
 
IS 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOa 
 
 their stay, however, was a visit paid by Mr. Rouissillon 
 and my father to tlie Convent of the Benedictines. See- 
 ing one of tlie monks, as they were looking at the out- 
 side of the building, Rouissillon addressed him in Italian, 
 and finding he could thus communicate with him asked 
 permission to examine the interior, which was courte- 
 ously granted, and they were escorted to a gorgeously 
 furnished chapel, and thence to the dining-room and 
 other apartmenta. They at length asked to see the li- 
 brary, which seemed to excite surprise as being an un- 
 usual request; but they were taken without hesitation 
 to a pleasant room, the windows of which overlooked 
 the bay, where they found a collection of ten or twelve 
 thousand volumes, mostly in French, Italian, and Latin, 
 which they examined with interest. The monk who ac- 
 companied them was much astonished with the eager- 
 ness of their examination, and with Jiouissillon's famil- 
 iarity with many of the works, and remarked upon it to 
 one of the brethren as a mortifying contrast to the ig- 
 norance and indifference of their own countrymen. 
 
 Finding no opportunity to dispose of their cargo, they 
 took their departure on the 10th of January, came in 
 sight cf Cape Horn on the Tth of February, and for a 
 week after were contending with the boisterous and 
 tempestuous weather usual in that region, and arrived 
 at Valparaiso on the 24th of February. 
 
 " On entering the Bay of Valparaiso we were boarded by a naval 
 officer from a gtmrdacosta, who desired us not to cast anchor till the 
 captain had presented himself to the governor and obtained permis- 
 sion. ConBequently, while Mr. Shaler accompanied this officer to 
 the governor, wc lay off and on in the bay. More than an hour 
 
AT VALPARAISO. 
 
 79 
 
 elapsed before his return with pci-mission to anchor, and to remain 
 till a reply could be received from the captaingeneml at Santiago 
 to our request for leave to supply our wants, for which a despatch 
 was to be forwarded immediately. 
 
 "Wo were surprised to find no less than four American vessels 
 lying here, and no less mortified than surprised, and in some dr^co 
 alarmed for our own safety, to find them all under arrest on t affer- 
 ent pretexts. 
 
 "Yet while wc violated no law and required no other than tlio 
 privileges secured to us by treaty wo could not believe that wo should 
 be molested. 
 
 "On the third day after the messenger had been despatched to 
 the captain general a reply was received from him, the purport of 
 which was. that our passage had been so good that we could not bo 
 in want of provisions, if we had laid in such a supply as wo ought 
 to have done before leaving Europe. 
 
 "But if it were otherwise, and our wants were as urgent as wo 
 represented, the mode by which wc proposed paying for them, by a 
 bill on Paris, was inadmissible ; and, therefore, that it was his excel- 
 lency's order that wc should leave the port at the expiration of 
 twenty-four hours after receiving this notice. 
 
 "On remonstrating with the governor and representing to him 
 the inhumanity of driving us to sea wlnlo in possession of so small 
 n supply of the necessaries of life, ho very reluctantly consented to 
 our remaining over another post, and even promised to make a more 
 favorable report on the urgency of our necessities than he had done. 
 But as the order to leave was reiterated, we doubted his having per- 
 formed his promise, and, Uicrefore, determined to write directly to 
 the captain-general. 
 
 "In conformity with this decision Mr. Shaler addressed a letter 
 in Spanish to the captain-general, expressing his surprise at the or- 
 der for our departure without affording us the supplies which wero 
 indispensable, and for which provision had been made by treaty, 
 and ' presuming that his excellency's intentions had been miscon- 
 ceived by the governor, he had ventured to disobey the order, and 
 remain in port till the reception of his excellency's reply.' 
 
 "A prompt and very polite answer was received, granting us per- 
 mission to supply ourselves with everything wo desired; and, what 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 I 
 
80 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 vraa very extraordinary, giving us further pcrmiasion, which had not 
 been atikcd, of selling so mnch of tlu; cargo as would bo sufHcicDt to 
 pay for the supplies. After which lie desired we would leave the 
 port inamcdiatcly, and added that if we entered any other port wo 
 should bo treated as contrabandists." 
 
 The above is quoted from tlio published narrative. 
 I give the account of subsequent events as described 
 in his journal, written at the time : 
 
 "This Indulgence on the part of his excellency relieved us from 
 our embarrassments; and on Saturday, 27th of March, having our 
 provisions all engaged and part on board, wo sent ashore in the 
 morning twenty-eight pieces of platillas to pay for them, and tliey 
 were immediately sold by the governor at $18 apiece and the money 
 deposited with the commandant. Our intention was to take off the 
 rest of our provisions in the afternoon, settle our accounts the next 
 day, and then proceed to sea. But the same afternoon began the 
 affair of the ship Ilazard of Providence, Captain Rowan, as follows: 
 
 "The governor had demanded that Captain Rowan should deliver 
 up five hundred muskets, which it appeared were on board the ship, 
 and which, as thi^y were laden in Holland and bound to the north- 
 west coast of America, ho supposed did not come under Art. 10 of 
 the treaty, and, therefore, determined not to comply with the de- 
 mand. Of this determination tlie aide-de-cauip of Ihc governor was 
 informed several days before in my presence. 
 
 "It is evident that the governor expected opposition, as ho ap- 
 proached the ship in a launch with about twenty soldiers, and see- 
 ing that Captain Rowan was prepared to make resistance ho lay by 
 at a little distance, and hailed to know if ho might como alongside 
 with safety; to which Captain Rowan replied that ho should be hap- 
 py to be honored with his company, but that ho would not permit 
 tho soldiers to come on board. The governor then went on board 
 and demanded the arms, which Captain Rowan refused, at the same 
 time hoisting his colors and observing that they were his protection 
 and were not to be insulted. 
 
 "This firmness no doubt aBtonishcd the governor, and he soon 
 wont ashore, apparently much mortified, as he immediately ordered 
 
p 
 
 DIFHCULTY WITH TUE GOVERNOR. 
 
 61 
 
 every American morchnnt thrn on shore to bo shut up in the costlo; 
 hoisU'il the colors at the fort, und ordered ii largo nicrcliant ship then 
 in the road (which mounted eighteen heavy cannon between tlecks) 
 to Iioist the pennant, bring her broadside to bear on the Hazard (by 
 getting A spring on his cable), and order him to surrender on pain 
 of being sunk. To these threats (.'aptain Itowan replied that they 
 might flro if they pleased, and nailed his colors to the must, and, as 
 the governor did not choose to put his threats into execution, things 
 remained in ttatu quo. 
 
 " Bhalcr, Kouissillon, and myself being on shore, were arrentcd utid 
 sent to the castle, and were thus prevt Mted from putting to sea as 
 wo had intended. In the evening we vrote to the governor request- 
 ing to bo provided with something to eat and willi beds. Our K t- 
 ter was returned unopened, and it was not till twelve o'clock the 
 nc.\ 'lay, and after passing a most uncomfortable night, annoyed by 
 innum<'nible fleas, that any attention was paid to us. "We were then 
 informed by a verbal message from his excellency that we were at 
 lil>erty to go on board our ship. Wo were unwilling to r.ccept this 
 liberty until an apWog should bo made for the olTcnco, and we 
 finally agrce^l that Shalei, eing th< master of the vessel, should re- 
 main in prison. We acconlingly scut him a bed ind provisions, 
 and then asked permission of the j. ivi-i lor to send an express to the 
 captain-general, which he refused, asking at the same time why wo 
 did not go to sea; to \n ich we replied that w< wonted satisfaction 
 for being unjustly imprisoned and ill-treated, ami that our captain 
 did not intend to leave the prison till he was informed vfhy ho was 
 put in. On Monday I was passing the government house, v hen the 
 governor called me and asked if I was not second in conimand, and 
 on my replyinn- \u the affirmative, he ordered me to go on board and 
 go to sea. 'ered that I could not go without my captain. IIo 
 
 then told mr ':• ould seize the brig; to which I replied that we were 
 already prise ' which he denied. I then again asked permission 
 to send a courier to the capital and was again refused. Although 
 the ostensible reason of our refusing to go to sea was to obtain sat- 
 isfaction for the outrage to which we had been subjected, the real 
 cause of our delay was the hope that we might be of service to 
 Rowan. 
 
 ' In the evening the governor's courier returned from the capital, 
 
 4* 
 
 
 <«■ 
 
^3 
 
 ^, 
 
 %.. 
 
 ^%. 
 
 >>7^> 
 
 <>. 
 
 %vt-^^^ 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 f 
 
 © 
 
 © 
 
 ® 
 
 © 
 
 © 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 • 5 ""'^^ 
 
 Jim 
 
 2.5 
 
 1.4 
 
 M 
 1.6 
 
 %- 
 
 V] 
 
 o^ 
 
 <» 
 
 % 
 
 *# 
 
 ^y 
 
 
 / 
 
 ^4 
 
 '^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 -..« 
 
 \ 
 
 «- 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 'Cb^ 
 
 
 '^ 
 
 '^ 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 rt> 
 

 «^ 
 
 &?. 
 
 i 
 
 ! 
 
82 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 bringing a letter from the captain-general to Captain Rowan, desir- 
 ing liim to deliver up the arms making part of his cargo, and make 
 a second declaration respecting their lading. This order, from the 
 commander-in-chief, was complied with without hesitation, first by 
 delivering the arms, and, second, by referring the governor to his 
 first declaration; at the same time sending (by the supercargo) the 
 certificate, signed by the controller of customs at Amsterdam, of 
 their being laden there. Captain Rowan had now no idea of mak- 
 ing further resistance, but intended pursuing the business legally; 
 nor did he consider the governor's advice to him to come on shore 
 in the light of an order. 
 
 . "Rouissillon was with the governor till past seven o'clock Wed- 
 nesday evening, and was surprised to hear him say that if Captain 
 R. did not come on shore voluntarily he intended to use force to 
 compel him. 
 
 "Rouissillon replied that force would be unnecessary, as Captain 
 Rowan thought no longer of making any resistance; and when he 
 came off we went together on board the Hazard, and, on informing 
 Rowan of the governor's intention, he said at olice he would go on 
 shore in the morning, as it was too late to go on shore that night. 
 But precisely at eight o'clock next morning (which was two hours 
 before Americans were permitted to go on shore) a band of upwards 
 of two hundred armed brigands, composed of the crews of Spanish 
 vessels, boarded the Hazard, and took her, from an unarmed crew 
 of twenty-three men, who supposed themselves in safety. 
 
 "And this was done by order of the governor, who stood on 
 shore opposite the vessel, and was a witness to the horrid scene of 
 assassination and rapine that follcwed. Captain Rowan's life was 
 saved by the humanity of the captain of a Spanish brig, who got 
 into the cabin in advance of the rabble — as he had not time to save 
 himself, as the other officers had done, by retreating to the lazaretto. 
 The plunder which ensued for the remainder of the day, and the 
 following night, was such as to lighten the ship nearly a foot. Nor 
 were the officers of rank backward in taking part in the pillage; and 
 the custom-house guards, far from preventing, were as eager as the 
 rest in the work of robbery. 
 
 " With indignation I went immediately after to the governor, to 
 again demand permission to send an express to Santiago, when he 
 
 
'5' 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE WI'^H THE CAPTAIN-GENERAL. 83 
 
 menacingly demanded if we wanted to be served in the same 
 manner; and, also, why we did not go to sea. To the first part 
 of his demand I replied that he might do as he pleased ^ and, to 
 the second, that we would not go before communicating with the 
 captain-general. Finding his thieats of no avail, he at length re- 
 luctantly yielded to our request; and our letter demanding justice 
 from the captain-general was ready by two p. m., at which time 
 (having engaged a man to go, for the consideration of eleven dol- 
 lars), we applied at the post-house for horses, and were informed 
 that the king did not permit foreigners to send expresses. Enraged 
 at this refusal, I went again to the governor, who appeared sur- 
 prised at it, and immediately gave the man orders to go; and I gave 
 him the letter in the governor's presence. 
 
 " This business being finished, the governor observed that he was 
 very sorry for what had happened, and would endeavor to purchase 
 the clothes belonging to the oflScers of the Hazard who had been 
 plundered. Before leaving him I requested, if he decided to seize 
 the brig, that he would send only an officer and two or three men, 
 as we should make no resistance, and there were many valuable 
 books and instruments on board which might possibly be useful to 
 them." 
 
 "On Tuesday, April Cth, an answer was received from the cap- 
 tain-general, who (after making known his unjust suspicions relative! 
 to the object of our voyage, and affirming that we had no right to 
 navigate in these seas), wound up by assuring us that, after hearing 
 the governor's report, we should have the most complete satisfaction. 
 In consequence of this assurance I went, the next morning, to the 
 governor to let him know that Mr. Shaler intended going on board 
 his vessel, but to this he objected till he heard again from head- 
 quarters. An answer was sent to his excellency's letter on the 
 8th by regular post, refuting his various charges against us; and 
 on the 13th Captain Shaler left the castle, by request of the governor. 
 
 " The morning following, as soon as we landed, wo were informed 
 by an officer that it was the governor's order that we should prepare 
 for sea as soon as possible. Our expenses having been considerably 
 increased by our unexpected detention, I applied to the goveruor 
 for leave to sell a few more pieces of linen to repay them; but this 
 ho said he could not grant; and, at the same time, asked me why 
 
 J 
 
 ■ ^u 
 
 . hi 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 ■ ' ,\\ 
 
 n » i M 
 
 <; % 
 
84 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I ii 
 
 the captain did not come to see him, observing that, after having 
 quarrelled, it was proper to be friends again ; that he was sensible 
 that in talking the part of Rowan we had done no more than our 
 duty, and that he was desirous that a reconciliation should take 
 place. On being informed of this, Shaler and Rouissillon imme- 
 diately went to call upon him, and it appeared as if he could not 
 sufficiently express his joy at being again friends. He gave us 
 permission to dispose of six more pieces of platillas to pay our 
 additfonal expenses; and, on Monday, 19th, being ready for sea, he 
 told us we were at liberty to go when we pleased, but he should tako 
 it as a particular favor if we would wait twenty-four hours after the 
 sailing of a large ship, then on the point of departure for Lima, and 
 which, it seems, some malicious person had suggested that it was 
 our intention to capture. To this we assented; but, before the 
 expiration of the time, a new cause of trouble had arisen. 
 
 " An Irish sailor, who had deserted from us, had declared that we 
 had seventeen barrels on board which were very heavy, and which 
 he supposed to be filled with dollars; and that we had made consid- 
 erable sales at Rio Janeiro, and had received payment in gold, 
 which was then on board. On Thursday morning, 22d, the gov- 
 ernor sent for Captain Shaler, requesting him to bring his papers; 
 and finding, on examination, that there was no Spanish passport, 
 asked the reason. Shaler replied that it was not requisite, and 
 requested him, if he had any intention of making further trouble, 
 to make known his complaints that we might take the necessaiy 
 steps to remove the cause. He assured Captain S. that he did not 
 intend troubling him any further, repeated the request that we 
 would wait till the ship had sailed for Lima, and wrote our clear- 
 ance on the back of our sea-letter, which, with the other papers, he 
 returned to Captain Shaler. Friday morning Captain Parga, who 
 commanded two privateers then in port, made a signal, and, at the 
 same time, we observed them loading several cannon on the side 
 that bore upon us; and soon after, as we were sitting down to 
 breakfast, a lieutenant of the Britannia came on board, and desired 
 Captain Shaler and his supercargo to go on board that vessel with 
 their papers. A request of this singular nature from the captain of 
 a private armed chip, while we were within the jurisdiction of the 
 Governor of Valparaiso, and while two king's ships were lying 
 
FURTHER DIFHCULTIES. 
 
 85 
 
 there, was treated with the contempt it merited. We returned for 
 answer that when we had breakfasted we would go ashore and see 
 the governor. But, seeing them immediately manning and arming 
 their boats to board us, and being desirous of avoiding such another 
 honid scene as we had witnessed on board the Ilasard, Captain 
 Shaler very prudently went on board in our boat, and, shortly after, 
 sent for me. Captain Parga then went with Shaler on board the 
 brig; sent our sailors on board the privateer, where they were put in 
 irons, and immediately began the search for the kegs of specie, 
 which they found precisely in the place described by the deserter, 
 when they desisted from further search ; and, on opening the kegs, 
 discovered that they contained quicksilver, which Captain Parga 
 acknowledged we had a perfect right to carry, and said he should 
 report to the governor (by whose orders he had acted), and had no 
 doubt our men would be at once restored, and permission given us 
 to sail. In the evening Captain Shaler was sent for, and taken on 
 board the Britannia, where he was questioned by Captain Parga 
 (who showed him the order of the governor, by which he was act- 
 ing) relative to the owners of the brig, the object of the voyage, etc. 
 lie requested that part of the papers might be left with him, and 
 again observed that our men would be sent on board in the morning, 
 and we should have permission to sail. Of this, however, we felt 
 so much doubt that Captain Shaler went next morning to demand 
 categorically whether they meant to stop us or not; and the answer 
 was not only positive that they did mean to detain us, but was given 
 with such vulgar and abusive language as might naturally be ex- 
 pected from the captain of a Spanish privateer. Shortly after he 
 sent his men on board, and took up on deck ten kegs of the quick- 
 silver, in doing which they burst two, on6 of which was wholly, and 
 the other partly, lost. 
 
 "We immediately despatched another courier to Santiago, com- 
 plaining to the captain-general of this new act of injustice, and 
 asking permission to come to the capital to settle the business. A 
 reply was received on the 28th, wherein his excellency observed 
 that our business could be soon finished at Valparaiso by answering 
 satisfactorily the following questions, viz. : 
 
 "Why was the quicksilver hidden? To whom does it belong? 
 and. What port is it destined for? _ 
 
 4 
 
 
 ■I 
 
 .fJ 
 
86 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 "In reply to these questions Mr. Shaler deposed before tJ.o gov- 
 ernor and a notary, first, that it was not hidden ; second, that it 
 belonged to the owners of the cargo; and, third, that its destination 
 was — as the vessel's had been reported to be — round the world; and 
 to this deposition Shaler solemnly made oath on a volume of Shake- 
 speare, presented for the purpose by the governor, a fitting climax to 
 this solemn farce. 
 
 "On Thursday, 29th, Captain Rowan was released from confine- 
 ment, and requested by the governor to go on board and take charge 
 of his ship again; but this he refused to do till he was indemnified 
 for the losses he had sustained. He was, consequently, confined 
 again in the castle, but his officers and men, who had likewise re- 
 fused, were forced to go by soldiers sent by the governor. 
 
 "On Saturday evening. May 1st, this illustrious representative of 
 the Spanish crown, whose name is Don Antonio Francisco Garcia 
 Carrasco, was relieved from further performance of duty by the 
 arrival, from Santiago, of the true proprietary of the government, 
 with his family, whose return had been hastened by the confusion 
 and mischief which had been wrought in Valparaiso by the igno- 
 rance and stupidity of the governor pro tern. 
 
 "On Monday we visited him, and were received with such dis- 
 tinguished marks of good- will as made us regret his previous ab- 
 sence, particularly as he assured us that had he been present we 
 should have found no difficulty in obtaining permission to go to the 
 capital. 
 
 "On Tuesday orders came from the captain-general for the quick- 
 silver to be restored to us, and that we should proceed to sea without 
 delay; and, as we did not think it prudent to risk further loss by 
 entering into a process for damages, we wrote to his excellency that 
 we should apply to our own government for indemnification for the 
 detention and loss to which we had been subjected. The day fol- 
 lowing we received an application for the purchase of the quick- 
 silver from the commandant of the custom-house guards, who 
 proposed to bring the money himself and take it away in a clan- 
 destine manner, but as we supposed that the whole scheme was a 
 snare laid to take us in, we would have nothing to do with it. 
 Thursday morning we unmoored and hauled outside the shipping, 
 and in the afternoon took on shore five pieces of linen, with the 
 

 GALLIPAGOS ISLANDS AND SAN BLAS. 
 
 87 
 
 produce of which we paid our various additional expenses; and, at 
 four P.M., Laving taken leave of our acquaintances, came on board, 
 and immediately put to sea, happy in being at last clear of a port 
 where, for two and a half months, we had experienced nothing but 
 crosses and disappointments." 
 
 The notoriety they had attained by these protracted 
 quarrels with an ignorant, conceited, and pusillanimous 
 official, rendered it injudicious to attempt to enter any 
 other port of Chili or Peru, and they accordingly deter- 
 mined to steer for the coast of Mexico, stopping on the 
 way for recreation, rest, and refreshment at the Galli- 
 pagos Islands, where they arrived and ancliored on the 
 30th of May, and spent a delightful week in the enjoy- 
 ment of such freedom of action in the midst of the wild 
 scenes of natural beauty as they could the better appre- 
 ciate from the contrast to their recent experiences. Fish 
 and turtle were so abundant that they not only feasted 
 upon them during their stay, but laid up good store for 
 future nse. They took long rambles on shore, and saw 
 immense numbers of guanos of various sizes and colors, 
 but were not tempted to try them as food, though they 
 are said to be very delicate. They traversed various 
 parts of Albemarle Island, and camped out one night 
 in search of water, but found none. 
 
 On the 8tli of June they sailed for San Bias, and in a 
 few days sighted the coast near Acapulco, and from that 
 time kept the land in sight every day till they arrived 
 at San Bias, on the 11th of July. 
 
 Here again they were destined to suffer from the 
 petty jealousy of Spanish officials, of which they had 
 quite as absurd an exhibition as at Yalparaiso, though 
 
 fii 
 
 \h 
 
 ti 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 t 
 
 Ill 
 
 ts pi 
 
BS 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOB. 
 
 very different in its cliaraeter. They found only two 
 or three subordinates at San Bias, as all the chief digni- 
 taries were at Tipec, a town some twenty leagues in the 
 interior, to which they were accustomed to retreat dur- 
 ing the summer from the proverbially unhealthy climate 
 of San Bias. They were mcjt with every demonstration 
 of friendship, and a courier was at once despatched to 
 Tipec with notice of their arrival and a request for a 
 passport to Tipec for Rouissillon that ho might explain 
 their objects and wishes. Immediately on receipt of this 
 notice the commissary came down to San Bias and con- 
 firmed the cordial reception they had met from the sub- 
 ordinates by acceding at once to their requests. He 
 engaged to supply everything that was wanted; and 
 learning that they had on board some boxes of tin-plate, 
 which was very much wanted, agreed to take them at a 
 very great advance on the cost. 
 
 Rouissillon accompanied him on his return to Tipec, 
 and a few days after wrote them from there that the 
 governor, whom he represented as a vain, passionate 
 man, liad taken offence at the commissary's having pre- 
 sumed to make any arrangement with them before con- 
 sulting him ; had refused to confirm the agreement, and 
 decided that whatever supplies they purchased must be 
 paid for by a draft on the American minister at Madrid. 
 Here, then, were these two great men by the ears at 
 once, and the community took part in the quarrel, the 
 native population adhering to the comniissar}^ while the 
 old Spaniards upheld the governor. The former, whose 
 appointment emanated from the same source as that of 
 the latter, and whose line of duty was distinct and iude- 
 
SAIL FOR THE THREE MARIAS. 
 
 89 
 
 pendent, was exceedingly piqued and mortified at the 
 position in which he was placed, and was determined 
 not to submit to it. The governor, who could not brook 
 opposition to his will, was incapable of concealing liis 
 wrath. The quarrel becam 3 the absorbing topic of the 
 village of Tipec, and nev<jr before was there such a 
 tempest in a teapot. 
 
 A week passed, however, before the parties who Iiad 
 been the innocent cause of all this disturbance were 
 subjected to any inconvenience in consequence of it, 
 and meantime they had profited by the favor with which 
 their application had first been received to secure such 
 supplies as they required, and also to procure a new 
 topmast to replace one they had lost in a squall. But 
 the governor's rancor was so excited that lie sent a per- 
 emptory order, without even making any reference to 
 the manner of payment for the supplies, that they should 
 immediately leave the port, with a threat of being forced 
 to do so by the gunboats in case of disobedience. 
 
 Rouissillon meantime had been arranging for a jour- 
 ney to Mexico, which city he was very desirous of vis- 
 iting, and where he was encouraged to believe he could 
 get permission from the viceroy to dispose of the whole 
 or part of the cargo. On receiving orders to depart, 
 therefore, they sent word to Rouissillon that they would 
 go to the Three Marias Islands, lying about sixty miles 
 west of San Bias, and there waitlfill they got word from 
 him relative to the success of his mission, which he was 
 to send them by boat from San Bias. 
 
 They accordingly obeyed the governor's order with- 
 out waiting for its enforcement, and next morning au- 
 
 '^ 
 
00 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 chored in a beautiful sandy bay, where they were shel- 
 tered from the southeast winds, wliich prevail at this 
 season and are often violent. Here again they enjoyed 
 the pleasure of uncontrolled action, and improved the 
 opportunity for overhauling the rigging, repairing and 
 brushing up the vessel, and laying in good store of fuel. 
 They also indulged in making excursions on shore for 
 rest and recreation, and allowed the crew to do the 
 same, one half at a time. 
 
 But week after week rolled by till nearly three 
 months had elapsed without news of Rouissillon, and at 
 length they determined to take tlio risk of returning to 
 San Bias to learn, if possible, what had been his fate. 
 Approaching the port with caution, on the afternoon of 
 the 14:th of October, they lay by all night in sight of the 
 town, and next morning saw a canoe approaching, pad- 
 dled by Indians, who soon delivered to them the long- 
 expected letter from Rouissillon, the contents of which 
 were of a surprising and very encouraging nature. It 
 was dated at Guadalaxara, where he had been treated 
 with great kindness and hospitality by many of the 
 most respectable inhabitants, and had received a very 
 polite letter from the viceroy, with a passport for Mex- 
 ico, and a permission to sell at San Bias a sufficient por- 
 tion of the cargo to pay for the supplies they needed. 
 He also hoped to obtain permission to sell the whole 
 cargo, and to return t«»San Bias in a week or two. 
 
 The viceroy, moreover, in consequence of the repre- 
 sentations of Rouissillon and of many of the most re- 
 spectable inhabitants of Tipec, had reprimanded the 
 governor for his rude and uncivil treatment of them, 
 
 a 
 
■TT 
 
 ROUISSILLON DEPARTS FOR MEXICO. 
 
 01 
 
 and tlio mortification he experienced at being thus out- 
 generalled by the commissary, acting on a previously 
 debilitated constitution, had brought on a fever, of 
 which he died. 
 
 They immediately sent a reply to the letter, and al- 
 though they could now enter the port of San Bias with- 
 out apprehension, yet, as they would have had to submit 
 to the encumbrance of a guard stationed on board the 
 vessel, they preferred returning to the islands. After 
 passing another week there, they came again to San 
 Bias, and were received with such civility as plainly in- 
 dicated the change which had taken place at headquar- 
 ters. 
 
 The news from Rouissillon was not as encouraging as . 
 his first letter had led them to expect. A second letter, 
 however, contained the gratifying intelligence that, by 
 a judicious application of a small douceur^ ho had ob- 
 tained a permit to dispose of goods to the amount of 
 $10,000. He returned to San Bias on the 10th of De- 
 cember, having spent two weeks, on the way from Mex- 
 ico, negotiating with purchasers. 
 
 The goods were landed and sales began at once, but 
 the demand was slow, and it was finally arranged that a 
 portion should be left with Rouissillon to be taken by 
 him to Mexico, from whence he would make his way to 
 the United States, and account to them the following 
 year on meeting them there. 
 
 Their departure from San Bias was delayed by the 
 arrival from California of a quantity of sea-otter skins, 
 which they succeeded in purchasing, and at length put 
 to sea, leaving Kouissillon with goods to the amount of 
 
 H! 
 
 lit 
 
 
 ill: 
 
 m 
 
 \- 
 
 1 '! 
 
 
r 
 
 02 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 about $3000 prime cost, wliicli jt was supposed would 
 bring at least three times that amount in Mexico. 
 
 The mutual feelings of attachment which had grown 
 up between them in the course of their varied experi- 
 ences made the parting a painful one on both sides, and 
 they looked forward with anticipations of pleasure to 
 the time of their meeting in the United States, of which 
 Rouissillon declared his intention of becoming a citizen. 
 But that anticipation was never realized. On their ar- 
 rival in the United States the following year they heard 
 of his death in Mexico, not long after his arrival there, 
 and the means of communication with that country 
 were then so uncertain tl at they never were able to as- 
 certain the particulars or to get any account of the prop- 
 erty in his charge. 
 
 Having received information of a quantity of soa- 
 otter skins at San Diego, California, tliey next steered 
 for that port, being very desirous to secure an article of 
 merchandise which is always in demand in China. Their 
 previous experience of the characteristics of Spanish of- 
 ficials had prepared them to expect a display of fuss 
 and feathers, with a substratum of avaricious duplicity 
 and cowardice. But all previous exhibitions of these 
 traits were surpassed by that of Don Manuel Rodriguez, 
 the commandant of San Diego. 
 
 They arrived ? that port and anchored about a milo 
 inside the battery which guarded the entrance on the 
 17th of March, 1803. The next morning the comman- 
 dant made his appearance on the shore with an escort of 
 twelve dragoons, and, hailing the brig, requested that a 
 boat might be sent for him. This being done he crowd- 
 
 i 
 
AT SAN DIEGO. 
 
 03 
 
 ed his whole retiiuio into the boat, and on reaching tlie 
 brig waited till they had climbed over the side and ar- 
 ranged themselves in two rows, with swords drawn and 
 hats in hand, when he followed, and passed between 
 them to the cabin. After the usual inquiries he desired 
 the officer in command of the escort to make a memo- 
 randum of the articles they required ; counted the men, 
 and, finding only fifteen, expressed astonishmciit at tneir 
 undertaking so long and dangerous a voyage with so 
 few hands, and gavo them permission to go on shore 
 near where they lay, but forbade their visiting the town, 
 which was about three miles distant. He then took 
 leave, with the same ceremony as on arrival, but left 
 five of his escort on board to see, as he said, that no 
 contraband trade was carried on. 
 
 In the afternoon they made an excursion on shore, 
 and, having walked down to the battery without meet- 
 ing any one to oppose their entrance, they availed them- 
 selves of the opportunity to make a cursory examination 
 of its strength, and found it to consist of eight brass 
 9-poiind guns, well-mounted and in good order, with 
 a plentiful supply of ball. 
 
 Returning on board before sunset, they made ac- 
 quaintance with the sergeant of the guard, who proved 
 to be an intelligent young fellow, who told them that, 
 only a few days previous, the ship Alexander^ of Bos- 
 ton, had been there ; that her captain (Brown) had suc- 
 ceeded in purchasing several hundred sea-otter skins 
 from different individuals ; that the commandant, with- 
 out making any previous demand for their delivery, had 
 then boarded the vessel with an armed force, and car- 
 
 
94 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ried oS. all the skins they could iind ; and these skins 
 were still in the possession of the commandant. They 
 made an unsuccessful effort to purchase them, but were 
 offered quite a number of skins by other parties. 
 
 Tlie subsequent proceedings are described at length 
 in the published " Narrative." The following account 
 of them is from the manuscript journal : 
 
 </^ "On the 2l8t of March the commaDdant paid us another visit, and 
 \ y^ we then paid him for our supplies, and, as we intended going to sea 
 
 / in the morning, he, on parting, wished us a successful voyage. In 
 the evening we sent the small boat ashore and purchased twenty- 
 five skins of the soldiers, which we brought on board between eight 
 and nine p.m. Having agreed for another lot, which were to be 
 brought down to the shore abreast the vessel, we sent the long-boat 
 for them, with the first oflScer and two men. They did not return; 
 and next morning, seeing the boat hauled up and our men, appar- 
 ently guarded by soldiers, 1 went ashore with four hands, armed 
 with pistols, and brought them off, together with the long-boat. 
 They told us they were taken by the commandant in person, who 
 had, no doubt, sent the man who offered us the skins, and then lay 
 in wait to seize the men, who had been bound and lying on the 
 ground all night. Immediately on coming on board we disarmed 
 the guard— a sergeant and four men — hoisted in our boats, and got 
 under way, having a fair wind to go out, though light. Before wo 
 got within gun-shot of the fort they fired a shot ahead of us. We 
 had previously loaded all our guns, and brought them all on the 
 v-~ starboard side. As the tide was running in strong, we were not 
 abreast the fort — which we passed within musket-shot— till half an 
 hour after receiving their first shot, all which time they were play- 
 ing away upon us; but as soon as we were abreast the fort we 
 opened upon them, and in tea minutes silenced their battery and 
 drove everybody out of it. They fired only two guns after we be- 
 gan, and only six of their shot counted, one of which went through 
 between wind and water; the others cut the rigging and sails. As 
 soon as we were cle.ir we landed the guard, who had been iu great 
 tribulation lest we should carry them off." 
 
ARRIVAL AT ST. QUINTINS. 
 
 05 
 
 I have previously mentioned that they had inspected 
 the battery, and found it to contain eight 9-pound guns. 
 Their own armament was six 3-pounders, one of which 
 was unserviceable. 
 
 Mr. Richard H. Dana, in reviewing ray father's book 
 in the North American^ quotes at length his account of 
 this affair, and adds : 
 
 "We take this opportunity to assure the author that, after the 
 lapse of more than thirty years, the story was yet current in San 
 Diego and the neighboring ports and missions." 
 
 I remember, also, that, not long after the transfer of 
 California to the United States, my father received a let- 
 ter from Commodore Biddle, in the course of which he 
 referred to the "Battle of San Diego" as giving him a 
 claim to the governorship of the newly acquired terri- 
 tory, since it was won many years in advance of tlie 
 achievements of Fremont and other heroes of the Mex- 
 ican war. 
 
 Proceeding southward, they next anchored in the 
 Bay of St. Quintins, where they found Captain Brown, 
 of tlie ship Alexander^ who gave them such an Jiccount 
 of the barbarous treatment he had met with at San Bias 
 as served to confirm their conviction of the wisdom of 
 their own policy. 
 
 A few days after their arrival, and after the depart- 
 ure of Captain Brown for the Northwest Coast, they re- 
 ceived a visit from a jolly company of padres of different 
 miss'ons, accompanied by the commandant of San Yin- 
 cente, a mission about sixty miles north of St. Quintins. 
 The news of the affair at San Diego had preceded their 
 
 

 96 
 
 VOYAGES OF A. MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I' 
 i 
 
 arrival, but, far from exciting prejudice, it seemed only 
 to make them indignant with the commandant, and 
 their wish to make amends for his treacherous and cow- 
 ardly behavior, and to express their grateful sense of 
 the magnanimity of the Americans in their treatment 
 of the guard was manifested not alone by words, but 
 by efforts, in which they seemed to vie with each other 
 in hospitable attentions and attempts to provide for ev- 
 ery want. They encamped upon the shore, and were so 
 urgent to prolong the enjoyment they seemed to derive 
 from the companionship of intelligent men that they 
 persuaded their visitors to remain another week after 
 they were fully ready for sea. 
 
 The next and last place they visited on the California 
 coast was San Borgia, where they met with Padre Ma- 
 riano Apolonario, a man whose purity, excellence, and 
 benevolence of character were such as to lift him above 
 all considerations of sect, and entitle him to rank with 
 such Christians as F^ndlon. My father's account of his 
 visit here, as given in his journal, is as follows: 
 
 " Padre Mariano had been some days expecting us, and, as ho 
 could not live on board ship on account of the motion, we pitched 
 a tent for him on shore opposite the vessel. We had intended re- 
 maining only two or three days, on account of being short of water, 
 but he removed the difficulty by having it brought on mules a dis- 
 tance of six or seven miles; and when, at the end of a week, we 
 were preparing to put to sea, the good man insisted upon our re- 
 maining another week, offering to furnish provisions, water, and 
 everything that the mission afforded; nor could we resist his solici- 
 tations, being convinced by the great pains he took to make our stay 
 agreeable that he was much pleased with our company. In addi- 
 tion to various little presents of wine, dried fruits, etc., he gave us 
 a stallion, and marc with foal, which we had previously tried in vain 
 
FIRST HORSES IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 97 
 
 to purchase, to take to the Sandwich Islands. These were an acqui- 
 sition we had almost despaired of obtaining. We took them on 
 board on the 20th, and, having prest^ited him with various articles 
 of which he stood in need, we took leave of the good padre, who 
 promised to say a mass for our preservation and happiness ; and, if 
 any man's prayers reach Heaven, I doubt not his do, for he was as 
 devout as he was hospitable and liberal; and, indeed, such disin- 
 terested friendship as we experienced from him I have rarely, if ever, 
 met with." 
 
 Touching at Cape St. Lucas, wliere tliey purchased 
 "another pretty mare with foal" — for which they paid 
 in goods which cost in Europe one and a half dollars — 
 they took their departure on the 30th May, and arrived 
 at Karakaroa Bay, Sandwich Islands, on the 21st of June. 
 
 They found it was the season of a periodical taboo, 
 during which no canoes were allowed to stir ; but the 
 next day John Young came on board, and told them 
 that the king was at Mowee. 
 
 Young was very desirous of having one of the horses, 
 and, thinking that the probability of their increase would 
 be better secured by leaving them in different places, 
 they next day moved to Tooagah Bay, near Young's 
 residence, and landed the mare, of which he took charge. 
 This was the first horse ever seen in Owyhee, and nat- 
 urally excited great astonishment among the natives. 
 
 From here they went to Mowee, and were frst 
 boarded by Isaac Davis, who, with John Young, com- 
 prised, at that time, the European population of the isl- 
 ands. 
 
 Soon after a large double canoe came off, from which 
 a powerfully-built, athletic man, nearly naked, came on 
 board, and was introduced by Davis as Tamaahmaah, 
 
 5 
 
 ^s 
 
 t ^i 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
98 
 
 VOIAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 the great king. His reception of them was not eucli as 
 they had anticipated, nor could they account for his ap- 
 parent coolness and lack of interest, except on the sup- 
 position that it was mere affectation. He took only a 
 careless l«)k at the horses, and returned to the shore 
 without expressing any curiosity about them. His sub- 
 jects, however, were not restrained by any such desire 
 to appear unconcerned. The news of the arrival of the 
 wonderful animals spread rapidly, the decks were crowd- 
 ed with visitors, and next day, when they were landed, 
 a great multitude had assembled, evidently with no def- 
 inite conception of any use that could be made of them. 
 As might be expected from people who had never seen 
 a larger animal than a pig, they were at first afraid to 
 approach them, and their amazement reached its climax 
 when eue of the sailors mounted the back of one of 
 them, and galloped up and down upon the beach. They 
 were greatly alarmed, at first, for the safety of the rider, 
 but when they saw how completely he controlled the 
 animal, and how submissively and quietly the latter ex- 
 erted his powers in obedience to his will, they seemed 
 to have a dawning conception of the value of such a 
 possession, and rent the air with shouts of admiration. 
 
 The king, however, could not be betrayed into any 
 expression of wonder or surprise, and, although he ex- 
 pressed his thanks when told they were intended as a 
 present to himself, he only remarked that he could not 
 perceive that their ability to carry a man quickly from 
 one place to another would be a sufficient compensation 
 for the great amount of food they would necessarily re- 
 quire. 
 
RETURN TO BOSTON VIA CANTON. 
 
 99 
 
 ,This want of appreciation of tho value of the present, 
 "which they had taken so much pains to procure, was 
 naturally a disappointment to the donors, who could 
 only hope that time and experience would serve to con- 
 vince the stolid chieftain that an important element in 
 the work of civilization was comprised in their possible 
 services. 
 
 From the Sandwich Islands they took their course for 
 China, and arrived at Wampoa on the 29th of August, 
 1803, and on going up to Canton found letters from 
 home, by which ray father received the first intelligence 
 that his father had died at Salem on the 8th October, 
 1801 — nearly two years previous. 
 
 At Canton, after disposing of the sea-otter skins at a 
 handsome profit, they decided to separate. Mr. Shaler 
 took charge of the Lelia Byrd, and returned to the 
 California coast with a cargo which they had had an op- 
 portunity to purchase on ver}" favorable terms, and my 
 father took passage for Boston on the ship Alert, Cap- 
 tain Ebbets, with a valuable investment of silks as 
 freight. They left Canton on the 4th of January, 1804, 
 stopped a few days at the Cape of Good Hope, and on 
 the 13th of May arrived at Boston, where (in the conclud- 
 ing words of his journal), " for the first time in seven 
 and a half long years I meet with friends." 
 
 During this period he had twice circumnavigated the 
 globe ; had performed three of the most daring and 
 venturesome voyages on record, and brought them to a 
 successful issue, not less by his skill and knowledge of 
 practical navigation than by the sagacity and judicious 
 management of tho property of which he had charge, 
 
 I : 
 
 
 i 
 
 i\ 
 
 •'r 
 
 ' 
 
 r\ 
 
100 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 belonging to himself- and others. He had started out 
 for himself from Havre, at the age of twenty-three, with 
 a capital of $2000, and now at thirty returned from his 
 wanderings with a fortune of $70,000, thirty-five times 
 the original capital in seven years, and all wrought out 
 in legitimate lines of commercial enterprise by genuine 
 hard work of both head and hands. 
 
 Let it not be forgotten that within the easy memory 
 of many yet living the number whose fortunes exceeded 
 $50,000 was suflSciently rare to entitle them to rank as 
 men of wealth, and the possessor of $100,000 was re- 
 garded as having attained a much higher position on 
 Fortune's wheel than that we now give to the owner 
 of a million. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1804-1807. 
 
 Marriage and Settlement at Lancaster, Massachusetts. — Forced to 
 Resume Navigation.— Voyage of the Aspasia^ and its Ruinous 
 Termination. 
 
 Believing himself to be now possessed of ample 
 means for the support of a family without further ne- 
 cessity of effort to increase his fortune, he was mar- 
 ried, on the 12th of October, 1804, to his cousin, Dorcas 
 Cleveland Hiller, second child of Joseph and Margaret 
 (Cleveland) Hiller. Her father was a highly respected 
 citizen of Salem, and was the first collector of the ports 
 of Salem and Beverly, appointed by President Washing- 
 ton. Her mother was the sister of my father's father. 
 
 In company with his brother William, ho soon after 
 purchased a very pleasant estate in Lancaster, Massa- 
 chusetts, and devoted himself to the rational enjoyment 
 of such tastes as he now felt himself at liberty to in- 
 dulge. These were simple and unostentatious. He had 
 always a great love of reading, and he had, in the course 
 of his travels, secured such a collection of books as to 
 constitute a library which, for that day, was no less re- 
 markable for the number of volumes it contained than 
 for the good taste indicated in their selection. 
 
 It would be natural to suppose that one who since 
 coming upon the stage of active life had been so con- 
 
 ' 
 
 'I 
 
 M 
 
 fe K . . * 
 
 I fii .- 
 il'' 
 
 I r 
 
 i ■ ii! 
 
102 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 f 
 
 fitantly engaged in such exciting scenes of adventure 
 would soon tire of the monotony and tameness of such 
 a life as that of a New England country-town at that 
 period. 
 
 The history of his life at Lancaster, however, proved 
 that his enjoyment of life was in nowise dependent upon 
 such stimulants, and that the resources afforded by his 
 own tastes and acquirements, the interests of domestic 
 and social life, and the opportunities for usefulness in 
 the promotion of objects of benevolence and improve- 
 ment which constantly presented themselves, and in 
 which he had the ^^nll sym.pathy and aid of my mother, 
 were all-sufficient for his happiness, and he regarded it 
 as the greatest misfortune when he was compelled again 
 to go to sea. 
 
 Had Mr. Shaler been as fortunate in the management 
 of the joint property of which he had taken charge as 
 be and my father had been while acting together, the 
 necessity might not have arisen for attempting a resto- 
 ration of their fortunes. But not only was his second 
 voyage in the Lelia Byrd a very unfortunate one in it- 
 self, but was almost entirely unsuccessful in one of its 
 important objects ; the collection of debts due from va- 
 rious missions who had bought goods of them on credit. 
 Out of twenty priests who had been thus accommodated, 
 only four proved by their actions that honesty was any 
 part of their religion. 
 
 The death of Rouissillon, in Mexico, extinguished all 
 hope of returns from the property in his care, and these 
 combined with other losses so reduced the amount of 
 their possessions as to incite them to new efforts for 
 
PURCHASE OF THE "ASPASIA;' 
 
 103 
 
 their retrieval. Fortunately there was no loss whatever 
 of the contidenee they felt in each other, and no hesita- 
 tion in again uniting in the accomplishment of new en- 
 terprises. 
 
 The war succeeding the short peace of Amienfl had 
 again closed the ports of the Spanish colonies to their 
 own ships, and they could only receive their supplies of 
 European manufactures under cover of a foreign flag. 
 
 Another voyage to Chili and Peru, therefore, seemed 
 to offer a prospect of profit proportional to the risk, and 
 by combining their resources they fitted out an expedi- 
 tion for those countries, of which my father was to take 
 charge. 
 
 In June, 1806, they bought in New York a Baltimore 
 clipper schooner called the Aspasia, of one hundred and 
 seventy tons, and loaded her with such a cargo as expe- 
 rience had taught them was suited to the wants of the 
 people to whom it was to be offered. Vessel and cargo 
 were owned equally by Mr. Shaler and my father, and 
 absorbed nearly the whole fortune of each, only a por- 
 tion of which was covered by insurance at a high pre- 
 mium. 
 
 I have no journal of this voyage, and rely for ray ac- 
 count of it on his published narrative, and still more on 
 his letters to my mother, from which I shall make liberal 
 quotations. 
 
 The earliest allusion to the subject which I find un- 
 der his own hand is in a letter to my mother at Lancas- 
 ter, dated Boston, 17th of June, 1806, in which he says : 
 
 "I found letters here from Shaler announcing the purchase of a 
 vessel, and urging jne to come on to New York as speedily as possi- 
 
 1 
 
 
 i > 
 
104 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ble. I have, therefore, finislied ail ..ly arrangements here, embarked 
 my baggage ou a vessel for New York which sails to-day, and intend 
 setting off myself on Thursday morning." 
 
 The experiences of his journey to New York, as inci- 
 dentally mentioned in one or two subsequent letters, 
 will serve to give to modern readers a realizing sense 
 of what they have gained (and, possibly, a conceptioa of 
 some things they have lost) by the introduction of steam- 
 boats and railroads. He writes from Providence on the 
 20th of June: 
 
 *' While waiting for the packet for New York I am tempted to 
 scribble a line to you. We shall leave here in about two hours, and 
 I hope to be in New York by Monday or Tuesday. I fell in hero 
 with James and T. H. Perkins, the former of whom I had never met 
 before. He inquired particularly for you, expressed much regret 
 at not having seen you in Boston, and they both promised to visit 
 you at Lancaster." 
 
 Next day he writes from New Haven : 
 
 " You will wonder how I came to be here, as I yesterday informed 
 you I was waiting for the packet in Providence. At that time my 
 passage was engaged in the packet ; but while I was waiting for the 
 porter to take my trunk on board, the mail stage called to know if 
 there were any passengers, and I could not resist the impulse of tak- 
 ing the first opportunity that offered, so stepped in, and here I am. 
 This is fortunate, for the wind is blowing strong from the west, and 
 the packet, therefore, must remain at Newport till it shifts. By rid- 
 ing another night I could have reached New York to-morrow morn- 
 ing, but I was fatigued and preferred spending a day or two here. 
 On Monday I shall take the stage again, and be ia New York the 
 next morning. 
 
 "... While writing I learn that the wind has changed, and that 
 an excellent packet sails this evening for New York, so farewell 
 stage. I have little doubt of arriving there to-morrow. 
 
 " Would to Heaven that something might occur that should make 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE. 
 
 105 
 
 it proper and prudent to give up the voyage; but it would be as wiso 
 to wish for fortune at once." 
 
 From New York he writes on the 25th of June : 
 
 "I found Mr. Slialcr had purchased an excellent vessel for our 
 business, the schooner Aspasia, of one hundred and seventy tons' 
 burden. From her size and construction she will be a very uncom- 
 fortable and swift-sailing vessel ; but, provided the voyage turns out 
 OS well as we have reason to expect, and enables me thenceforth to 
 remain with you, no inconvenience or fatigue will bo regarded. I 
 think I shall be ready for sea in about three weeks." 
 
 In a later letter, on the 8th of July, he says, in reply 
 to her expressed apprehensions that his vessel was an un- 
 safe one : 
 
 •'Though not comfortable, I consider her as safe a vessel as any 
 whatever. She has the reputation of being an excellent sea-boat, 
 and as wo shall only bo in ballast trim, she cannot be very un- 
 comfortable. 
 
 "I am apprehensive of no rivals except from Boston; and if there 
 are none fitted out this autumn I feel confident of being able to 
 complete my voyage satisfactorily, so as to be with you again by 
 August or September, 1807; and I assure you that so far from 
 extending it, in order to make it better, I shall be ready to make 
 any reasonable sacrifice in order to return within that period. As, 
 however, it is a speculative kind of voyage, and one where you 
 cannot expect to hear from me, let me beg you to indulge no un- 
 necessary anxiety, as a thousand unforeseen events may occur to 
 thwart my plans and keep me absent from all I hold most dear. 
 
 "1 intend writing to Prince to make insurance on the full amount 
 I shall have in this voyage, if it can be done at twenty-five per cent, 
 against all risks, as I feel that, in case of its failure, it will be diffi- 
 cult to bring my mind to undertake another; and am more con- 
 vinced than ever that it is acting more the part of wisdom to retire 
 with means for a moderate and decent support with those without 
 whom life is not worth having, rather than be absent drudging after 
 affluence and luxury, even if that absence should secure it, of which 
 there are always doubts. 
 5* 
 
 oi. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 '■■U 
 
 -At i 
 
106 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 "With even a very limited share of fortune, therefore, you may 
 safely calculate on this being our last separation." 
 
 In a Biibsequent letter he gives her the following 
 sketch of his proposed voyage : 
 
 "The Aitpasia and cargo will cost $40,000, of which I hold an 
 interest of $17,500, Mr. Shaler an equal amount, and a friend of 
 ours in Philadelphia the remaining $5000. My intention now is to 
 proceed directly to the Falkland Islands, unless I should find myself 
 short of fruit and vegetables, in which case I shall stop at the Cape 
 de Verde Islands. 
 
 "At the Falkland Islands wo shall probably spend a week in 
 filling up our water, getting a supply of live-stock, and putting our 
 vessel in a fit state to encounter the rough weather that must always 
 be expected in doubling Cape Horn. The first place I shaU stop at 
 af*er doubling the cape will be the Island of Chiloe, where it is 
 probable I may dispose of part of my cargo ; and from thence pro- 
 ceed northerly along the coast, touching at Aranco, Coquimbo, 
 Pisco, Payta, and a hundred other little ports, till I have completed 
 the sale of my cargo; and with only a tolerable share of success I 
 can hardly fail of doing it, and, consequently, of being with you 
 again in twelve months. Another object I have in view, which 
 may lengthen the voyage, is the purchase of copper. 
 
 "This article has been very abundant and cheap on the coast, and 
 if it continues to be so, I shall probably secure a large quantity of 
 it; and as my vessel will not carry above one hundred tons of such 
 an article, it is not unlikely I may take several loads and deposit 
 them on some desert island in the neighborhood, and then proceed to 
 China and charter a ship to send after it. This would lengthen the 
 voyage to eighteen months, but the advantage derived from it will 
 be such that I am sure you will approve of it. Such are the out- 
 lines of my plans, which must be varied according to circumstances 
 and the information I receive. I trust I need not assure you that 
 my voyage will not be extended unless something so brilliant should 
 present itself that it w^ould be weakness to let it pass. Mr. Prince 
 informs me that he can make insurance against all risks for twenty- 
 five per cent., and I have desired him to do it on my account for 
 
DISASTER AT SEA. 
 
 107 
 
 115,000, provided it extends to every risk that can be thought of. 
 Shaler malccs no insurance, as he thinks it worth as much to insure 
 getting it in case of loss as to make tlie Urst insurance; but I feel 
 that, on your account, it would be wrong in me to omit this pre- 
 caution." 
 
 " Rio Janeiro, November 10, 180 9. 
 
 "When I wrote you last, as the pilot was leaving me in New 
 York, I little expected my next would bo from this place, and still 
 less that dire necessity would be the cause ; but so it is. Be not 
 alarmed, however; our misfortunes are indeed trifling to what they 
 might have been, and I consider the greatcat to be tlia^ it will add 
 to the contemplated time of oi:r separation. 
 
 "Nothing of consequence occurred during the first month of our 
 voyage. We had an uncommonly calm time, and, therefore, made 
 but indifferent progress till the 10th September, when wo took the 
 trade wind, and from its violence next day almost wished for thn 
 calms we had previously been lamenting as a calamity. 
 
 "We were at this time in latitude 20" north, longitude ^f west, 
 and were under double-reefed sails, with a considerable eea running, 
 when, at two a.m., I was roused by the dismal cry of 'All hands, 
 clear the wreck.' This was discordant music to me, who had all at 
 risk, and, in case of its loss, should be doomed to almost perpetual 
 banishment from those he holds most dear. On going on deck I 
 found the foremast gone by the board, and hanging by the stay, 
 which was fast at the mainmast head; the mainmast, tottering with 
 this additional weight, at each roll appeared as if it must go also. 
 But one sailor, more active than the others, went up, at the risk of 
 his life, and cut away this stay, when the mast immediately fell 
 alongside, taking with it the bowsprit, which broke just without the 
 stem. At this time the main boom got loose, and in the endeavor 
 to secure it one man was dangerously wounded. 
 
 "As it was dangerous having the spars alongside the Vessel while 
 we had so much sea, we got them to windward of her as soon as 
 possible, but kept fast to them, in order to get them on board the 
 following day. This we effected, notwithstanding a very high sea, 
 and the consequent laboring of the vessel, which was increased pro- 
 digiously from the weight being so much lessened above the centre 
 of gravity. The rolling was such that for some time we were in 
 
 I <i 
 
 Jl 
 
 '1- 
 
 1 H 
 
 f ' 
 
 
 ';! 
 
 
 m 
 
108 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NA"VIGATOR, 
 
 I 
 
 expectation of seeing our mainmast go also. In the frequent ne- 
 cessity tills disaster made for sending men to the masthead, one of 
 them, when nearly up to the crosstrees, lost his hold and fell ; but, 
 the mainsail being only partly hoisted, made a bag, and he fell di- 
 rectly into it, otherwise he • ould have been dashed to pieces. 
 
 "After clearing the wiv^ck we rigged a jury-mast, and began to 
 make considerable way. Being again under sail, the next thing to 
 be considered was the best plan to pursue; and after weighing the 
 advantages and disadvantages, the prospects of success, and the 
 probable expense of repairing, of each one that presented itself to 
 my mind, I came to the determination to endeavor to get to Rio 
 Janeiro, where, if wo were not permitted to sell our cargo, we could 
 easily repair our- damages and proceed on the original plan. But it 
 was by no means a trifling undertaking to attempt to get here in our 
 crippled condition, and its success was very doubtful, since (pre- 
 suming upon our good sailing) I had not g >ne nearly so far to the 
 eastward as vessels are accustomed to do that cross the equator, and 
 feared, therefore, that it would be impossible for us to double Cv- 
 St. Roque. Failing in this, 1 intended to go to Para (a Portuguese 
 settlement nearly on the equator), and there endeavo; to sell our 
 cargo; and, if not permitted, to proceed to Trinidad \>id there get 
 information of the part of the Spanish coast where we should bo 
 most likely to succeed in not making a losiTig voyage (for this is the 
 object we now had in view), and complete the unfortunate business 
 by roturning to America as expeditiously as possible. 
 
 "Mj mind being made up on this business, and having givvn di- 
 rections in accordance with my decision, I had now leisure to t-eflect 
 upon my situation, and, contrastin"^ it with what it was but twenty- 
 four hours before, I was more forcibly impressed than I have ever 
 been with the uncertainty of everything connected with navigation. 
 
 "Could I now have transported myself to our home, even with 
 the humiliating condition of living on a miserable $500 a year, most 
 readily would I — But, stop a little, Mr. C. 
 
 "To live on such an annuity is entirely out of the question, and I 
 still hold that it is better to perish in the honest endeavor to secure a 
 decent independence, and be enabled to help one's friends, than +0 veg- 
 etate on such a pittance, and wear away life in discontented idleness. 
 
 "Without meeting with any other serious calamity we crossed 
 
I 
 
 LETTERS FROM RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 109 
 
 the equator on the 6th of October, and arrived Lero on the 24th of 
 the san^e mouth. Here I found, as I expected, a very cordial wel- 
 come from all those who expected to be benefltcd by my misfortunes. 
 
 "This was evident, even on the part of the government linguist, 
 who tried to make me believe I could only employ such mechanics as 
 he named — with a view, no doubt, to charging double and dividing 
 the plunder— whereat, my wrath being kindled, I made application 
 to higher autho^it3^ and found I might employ whom I pleased. 
 
 " I then found I could have my work done for less than half what 
 I was first told it would cost, yet it will require nearly or quite $2000 
 to pay for repairs. 
 
 "Both necessity and choice compel me to rig the Aspasia as a brig, 
 as masts are not to be procured here for a schooner ; and, if they 
 were, I would not take them, as nothing can be so unwieldy, unsafe, 
 and uncomfortable as so largo a vessel rigged as a schooner. 
 
 " The oflacers who examined my vessel have allowed me forty-five 
 days for repairs, which will doubtless be more than is necessary. 
 
 " I wish my adventures had been of a more pleasing nature, but 
 they might have been much more serious ; and to have crossed such 
 an immense space of ocean in safety, in the wretched predicament 
 we weie in, is sufficient cause for grateful emotion." 
 
 "Rio Janeiro, November 15, 1806. 
 "Do not be apprehensive that I allow the accident I have met 
 with to weigh upou ray mind. It will probably lead to my making 
 an arrangement here which will prolong my absence, and this I con- 
 sider the greatest misfortune, for I find more and more that this sep- 
 aration i 3 a kind of suspension of existence, and, so far from acting 
 on my clJ principle of succeed or perish, I feel that to return to 
 you, even with a total loss of property, is very desirable, and will 
 afford grent room for rejoicing; how much more, then, with suffi- 
 cient to enable me to say 'We meet to part no more.' It is this 
 hope which gives me courage to prosecute my plans, and while en- 
 livened by it and in possession of such health as I constantly enjoy, 
 I assure you I feel as much like subverting a government or throw- 
 ing the Andes into the sea as ever I did in my life. I had been flat- 
 tering myself on the passage here that I migbt possibly manage to 
 finish the voyage here, and return immediately to America; and this, 
 
no 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 probably, I should have been able to do, were not all commerce sus- 
 pended between this and the River Plate in consequence of the Eng- 
 lish being there; and this has caused such a stagnation here as has 
 not been l^nown during the war. The English took Buenos Ayres, 
 a city of twenty-five or thirty thousand inhabitants, with a force of 
 only fifteen hundred men. The English general (Beresford) suffered 
 himself to be lulled into the belief of security by the assurances of 
 the bishop that the Spaniards were friendly ;o them, while, with the 
 treachery of a Spaniard and the cunning of a priest, he was secretly 
 plotting their destruction. When all was ready the English were 
 suddenly attacked by an immense rabble, and were forced to capit- 
 ulate. It is reported, however, that the Spaniards broke the capit- 
 ulation, and were guilty of cruelties that would disgrace the savages 
 of North America. 
 
 "I expect to be ready to leave in about three weeks, but whether 
 in the Aspasia, on the original plan, is very doubtful, as I contem- 
 plate making an ap'^.^^j'^^Gnt for a Portuguese ship, which has a 
 royal license for Lima. If I succeed I shall either dispose of the 
 Aspasia or send her to Havre with a load of jeiked beef. Such a 
 plan must necessarily lengthen my absence, as to load a ship of 
 three hundred and sixty tons at Lima, and return here, will take till 
 next June or July, so that it will be late in the autumn before I shall 
 be in Lisbon. While affairs in Europe are so uncertain it wijl be 
 only consistent with common pruc* nee to touch here on my way 
 back, otherwise I should proceed directly from Lima to Lisbon, 
 which would save much time and expense. Could I be certain of 
 adopting this plan, and as certain of arriving safely in Lisbon, I 
 should certainly propose your meeting me there, and spending the 
 following winter with me in Italy, but it is too uncertain for you to 
 run the risk and Ixjar the fatigue of such a voyage with a possibility 
 of disappointment. If I conclude this arrangement I shall go much 
 more at my ease than in the Aspasia, besides running less risk of 
 seizure; but what most influences me is the greater chance of profit; 
 for, having a large ship, I expect to m.::ie more on the return than 
 on the outward cargo. 
 
 "22d. — Had the bearer of this sailed a week ago, as he expected, 
 you would doubtless, on reception of my letter, have made up your 
 mind to an additional year's separation, as I had then serious thoughts 
 
LETTERS FROM RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 Ill 
 
 of going to Lima and Lisbon ; but I liax'e now the pleasure of inform- 
 ing you that I yesterday made an arrangement which, barring acci- 
 dents, will enable me to be with you in May or June next. I need 
 not assure you how extremely pleasing this is to me, especially as the 
 prospect is as good as anything I could calculate on in my original 
 plan. 
 
 "I have sold the cargo of the Aspasia at its cost, and am to receive 
 the amount of it in jerked beef at about $3 per cwt., to be delivered 
 at the Island of St. Catherine's. It will amount to nine or ten thou- 
 sand quintals; and, as the Aspasia will hardly carry two thousand, 
 I have contracted for the Portuguese ship before mentioned, a^d wo 
 shall be ready to leave for St. Catherine's in fifteen or twenty days. 
 t think we shall not be detained more than a month in loading, so 
 that we may expect to sail for Havana by the 30th of January, 1807. 
 
 "My first mate, Mr. Rodgers, will take charge of the Aspasia, and 
 I will go in the ship, the captain and officers of which are to be un- 
 der my orders. 
 
 "To proceed directly to Havana from a Spanish port would, 
 doubtless, be the height of imprudence, but from a port of a nation 
 at peace with Great Britain I conceive to be as safe as from the 
 United States, especially at this time, when there can be no suspi- 
 cion of my being from the River Plate. 
 
 "If the suspension of all commerce with that river operates 
 against me in the sale of my outward cargo, it must act correspond- 
 ingly in my favor in the sale of the beef at Havana, as the sup- 
 ply which they have been in the habit of receiving is now entirely 
 cut off. 
 
 "My fortune once hung entirely on coffee, and it turned out a 
 ragged one. It now hangs entirely on beef, and we shall soon know 
 its fate. In any event, I shall have the satisfaction of knowing that 
 each day brings me nearer to you, at the same time that I am pur- 
 suing a plan that promises more profit, with less risk, than cruising 
 on the coasts of Chili and Peru." 
 
 " Rio Janeiko, JDecember 4, 1806. 
 "It is but few days since I sent you, by the Criterion, Captain 
 Chase, a long detail of our adventures, and of my future intentions. 
 I still consider my plan far more eliiiible than the orlcrinal one. I 
 
112 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 have been enabled to despatch the Aspasia much sooner than I ex- 
 pected, by giving something more for -the beef, which I considered 
 more advantageous than keeping her here two months. I wish it 
 were in my power to get away as soon, for I consider every day's ab- 
 sence from home as so much time completely lost; but two months 
 will soon be gone, and then each day I shall be making advances 
 towards that delightful retreat from whence nothing but cold pov- 
 erty or the prospect of it shall again separate me. But who, alasl 
 has more reason to dread th's? With what a series of misfortunes 
 have I not been assailed for the past three years, and with what con- 
 fidence can I now expect to escape the pirates in the West Indies? 
 I expect to meet with British ships of war, but do not fear them, 
 OS my business is regular, and such as will bear the nicest scrutiny 
 by those who act uprightly; but should I meet with any of those 
 privateers the consequences may be serious, as they respect the 
 property of no one. I will not, however, dwell on the dark side of 
 the picture, and the pleasing thought of meeting you in June will 
 enable me to bear even a greater misfortune, though this would be 
 complete ruin, and make it necessary for me to plough the ocean yet 
 for many years. 
 
 "I fear you may find the winter dull in the country, though the 
 resources you have in your piano, books, etc., are so much greater 
 than are usual, yet a little of the noise of the town at this dreary 
 season is by no means unpleasant." 
 
 A aliort letter from Rio Janeiro, written three weeks 
 later, contains tlie following : 
 
 " I shall leave here to-morrow for St. Catherine's, and with pros- 
 pects extremely flattering, as we know that no beef has been shipped 
 from the River Plate these four months past, and, except what is 
 now laden on board American ships, there will probably be no more 
 at all, as the English are going with sufficient force to take it, and 
 it is not likely they will permit Americans to have any share in the 
 commerce. Notwithstanding everything concurs to lead me to sup- 
 pose that I shall terminate my voyage advantageously, yet so per- 
 verse is my fortune of late that I count on nothing with confidence. 
 A few months, however, will determine whether I am to enjoy the 
 
ST. CATHERINE'S. 
 
 118 
 
 happiness of a home with you of" continue to be an exile for 
 years." 
 
 It may be mentioned here, for the benefit of those 
 readers who are not familiar with the Havana trade, 
 that -jerked beef from South America constituted one 
 of the chief articles of import for the consumption, 
 mostly, of the slave population. 
 
 Owing to its perishable nature, it was never allowed 
 to be landed in bulk, but was sold by the quintal from 
 the ship in which it arrived. This method, of course, 
 involved a long detention of the vessel in Havana. 
 
 " St. Cathehine's, February 6, 1807. 
 
 "I expected before this to have been on my way to Havana, but 
 have been disappointed in the reception of our cargo. One half of 
 it, however, is now here, and the remainder will be very soon, so 
 that, making every allowance, I do not think we shall be detained 
 later than the Ist of March, and I may yet be with you before the 
 end of June. 
 
 "This town contains about four thousand inhabitants, mostly 
 Creoles, and there are about one thousand regular troops here. The 
 government is military and perfectly despotic, but only think of 
 investing an illiterate man, who has risen from the ranks, with such 
 power I Such is the present governor. He, however, keeps most 
 excellent order. One of our sailors happened to meet him in the 
 street, and, not knowing him, neglected to take off his hat, for which 
 offence he was immediately arrested and put in the stocks for an 
 hour. ... 
 
 "There are some beautiful walks in the environs of the town, 
 where I sometimes ramble alone for hours, thinking of home and of 
 those who are dear to me, till I become so impatient that I could al- 
 most sacrifice everything if I could be there by so doing. I often 
 wish you could partake of the fine melons, peaches, pineapples, etc., 
 which we are daily consuming. 
 
 "But four or five months will soon wear off, and then— I was go- 
 hig to say — I shall be at home; but I foresee difficulties and dangers 
 
 
 
 -f ij 
 
114 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 II ! 
 
 now to which I have hitherto been unaccustomed. A privateer may 
 take me, or I may be shipwrecked, and then ' farewell to all my 
 greatness.' Yet I cannot help thinking that all will turn out right, 
 especially when I reflect how often I have been conducted right 
 even in spite of myself. You know how much my heart was set 
 upon a voyage to the River Plate with you for my companion, and 
 how reluctant I was to abandon it; yet, had I undertaken that voy- 
 age in the large ship, as I contemplated, ruin would have been the 
 inevitable consequence, as all the ships that sailed about that time 
 from America have been so long embargoed by the English being 
 there that those which had received their cargoes of beef have had 
 it ail spoiled; and those which had not sold their outward cargo 
 have been lying there at great expense, and will finally be obliged 
 to carry them away again." 
 
 Of his experiences subsequent to this letter I quote 
 the account from his published " Narrative," with the 
 addition of an occasional introduction of a letter written 
 at the time. 
 
 "Having decided on the plan I was now prosecuting, I had writ- 
 ten by two opportunities from Rio Janeiro to my friends in Boston, 
 requesting to have insurance effected if possible. But these were 
 precarious times for neutrals, when the two great belligerents agreed 
 in nothing else than plundering them, and I was aware of the un- 
 certainty whether insurance could be effected at any rate. 
 
 "On the presumption, however, that such neutral commerce as 
 did not, even in a remote degree, prejudice the interests of the bel- 
 ligerents would be unmolested, I felt that I had little else than the 
 sea-risk to guard against, and was therefore free from anxiety on the 
 subject of insurance. 
 
 "Having accomplished our lading, after waiting for the last part 
 of our cargo till my patience was nearly exhausted, we finally 
 weighed anchor and sailed for Havana in the Telemaco on the 15th 
 of February, 1807. 
 
 "A few degrees south of the equator we fell in with a British 
 frigate, by which we were subjected to a rigid scrutiny, the result of 
 which was a conviction of the neutrality of the property, the legal- 
 
MEETS WITH LORD COCHRANE'S FLEET. 
 
 115 
 
 ity of the voyage, and, consequently, that no motive existed for de- 
 tention. By the captain and ofBcers of this ship I was treated witli 
 great civility, and on parting they wished mo a pleasant voyage to 
 Havana. A similar investigation, with a like result, by a British 
 sloop-of-war, from which we were boarded a few days afterwards, 
 encouraged the belief tbat I had nothing to apprehend from British 
 vessels of war. 
 
 "With these impressions I perceived no other obstacle to my 
 reaching Havana than the sea-risk, and, with the certainty of reap- 
 ing an immense profit on my adventure, my imagination often dwelt 
 on the joy of a happy return to my family with a fortune which 
 would supersede the necessity of leaving it again. But these pleas- 
 ing anticipations were soon destined to pass in^ the regions of airy 
 castles. 
 
 "Early or a fine morning, when about a hundred and fifty miles 
 to windwa d of the island of Martinique, we descried a number of 
 vessels to w ostward, which proved to be a fleet of English vessels of 
 war. Being nearest the BamiUies, of seventy-four guns, we were 
 boarded from that ship, and on learning that the fleet was com- 
 manded by Admiral Cochrane my heart sank within me. 
 
 " All my confidence resulting from the ordeal to which we had 
 recently been subjected, combined with my entire conviction of the 
 innocence and legality of the voyage, were iusuflScient to banish the 
 apprehension that we shoald be sent in for adjudication. 
 
 "The boarding-officer from the RamilUes was a young man of 
 good appearance, but totally deficient in every attribute of the gen- 
 tleman except the garb. His behavior to the captain of the Telemaco 
 and to myself while on board our own ship was marked by all that 
 insolence, arrogance, and impudence which are the acknowledged 
 peculiarities of a coward when conscious of being free from dan- 
 ger. As the captain of the Telemaco did not speak English, I ac- 
 companied this brutal officer on board the BamiUies with the ship's 
 papers. My reception by the venerable and respectable commander 
 of the ship formed a perfect contrast with that of the boarding-offi- 
 cer. He was evidently one of the old school, urbane and gentle- 
 manly, with manners and deportment as much at variance with those 
 of his subalterns as were the courtiers of the time of the Louis'd 
 with the sam culottes of our day. After a thorough examination 
 
 if 
 
116 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 of our papers, in which he was assisted by two of his officers, no 
 cause was found for our detention, and the papers were consequently 
 returned to me by the commander, who wished me a good voyage 
 and sent me again on board my vessel. . . . We had scarcely filled 
 away our sails, however, when the admiral having approached us, 
 and the information having been conveyed to him by signal whence 
 we came and whither bound, without deigning to see us or our pa- 
 pers, he ordered our ship to be taken possession of and conducted to 
 Tortola. Accordingly a boat from the Cerberus brought the requi- 
 site number of men to take possession, and took our ship's company, 
 including myself, on board that frigate." 
 
 This informaUlDn lie conveys to my mother in the 
 following letter : 
 
 " ToBTOLA, April 24, 1807. 
 
 "It is with grief, my dear wife, that I am under the necessity of 
 informing you of my having been sent into tliis place for adjudica- 
 tion. I emphasize on ' this place ' because I believe, of all the de- 
 testable nests of pirates that ever the world was cursed with, this is 
 the worst. 
 
 " We arrived yesterday, and I shall know in a day or two whether 
 we shall be dismissed, or whether the affair is to be decided by a 
 court of vice-admiralty. lu the former case I shall be off immedi- 
 ately; in the latter,! am told, it will take twenty or twenty -five 
 days to determine, at .vhich period, from the perishable nature of 
 the cargo, I have my doubts whether, in case it is cleared, I had 
 better receive or abandon it. In case of condemnation I shall ap- 
 peal, and have no doubt of the decree being reversed. I know not 
 whether any insurance has been effected for me; but, admitting it 
 has been, I know the difficulty of recovering from those gentlemen. 
 
 "At any rate, I foresee many years of toil and trouble, and, what 
 is infinitely worse, separation from you and all I hold dear in life, 
 compared with which any other misfortune is light. 
 
 " 25*/*.— I find the rascals intend to proceed against me. I shall en- 
 deavor to compromise if possible; if not, as my cargo is composed 
 of a perishable article, they will proceed to business immediately, 
 and the affair will soon be determined." 
 
LETTERS FROM TORTOLA. 
 
 117 
 
 " ToRTOLA, Jfay 1, 1807. 
 
 " While vraiting the motions of the indolent and unfeeling law- 
 yers and agents, who, from being inured to scenes of distress, and 
 not unfrequently seeing our unfortunate countrymen dying in de- 
 spair, are perfectly callous to every feeling of humanity, and conse- 
 quently deaf to my entreaties for completing the business and short- 
 ening my period of torture as much as possible, I sit down to beguile 
 a moment and suspend unpleasant reflection by writing to you. . . . 
 Though I may bo condemned in this detestable sink of iniquity, the 
 decree will certainly be reversed in England, where, for the honor 
 of the nation, they must discountenance such wicked and unparal- 
 leled decisions as are frequently made here. Indeed, Tortola is so 
 notorious that, although, in coming here after being taken, we passed 
 by Antigua, where there is a superior court and a judge of respecta- 
 bility. Admiral Cochrane chose to send us here, well knowing that 
 he could rely upon the decision being in his favor. 
 
 "But while I reflect upon all the suffering which may ensue from 
 this misfortune; that it must involve a protracted and uncertain sep- 
 aration from you; that, if no insurance has been effected, I am utter- 
 ly ruined; that, having undertaken this part of the voyage without 
 the concurrence of Shaler he will be an innocent sufferer from my 
 misfortune, and that my drafts from Rio Janeiro will be falling due 
 in America just when the news of this seizure reaches there, my 
 sympathies for an unfortunate English captain who lately left hero 
 exceed even the anguish caused by my own experience, and I am 
 tempted to tell you the story that you may see to what lengths Ad- 
 miral Cochrane will go to acquire only a paltry sum, and may judge 
 by this what enormities such a monster would be guilty of were a 
 greater temptation offered. 
 
 "When Jerome Bonaparte made a sweep in the West Indies last 
 summer he took a ship at Montserrat which belonged to this cap- 
 tain, and which was his all. The ship was taken to St. Martin's, 
 where the captain, expecting to get her very cheap, went and bought 
 her, and, to raise funds for payment, drew bills on Tortola, where 
 he expected to have a freight for his ship to Europe and to pay his 
 drafts by his freight-money; but the poor fellow, on his way from 
 St. Martin's to Tortola, fell in with the brave Cochrane, who seized 
 his ship and sent her in here, where, to the astonishment even of the 
 
 .1^: 
 
 
 Hi 
 ■ !( 
 
 If 
 
 ii 
 ! 
 
 H 
 'il 
 
 i 
 
 ^'i 
 
118 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I :/ 
 
 rogues of thia island, she was condemned. Tlie poor, unfortunate 
 captain, vrbo has a family in England, not being able to pay his 
 debts, was thrown into prison, where he lay for several months, and 
 the ship, with another owner, sailed a few days since for Europe. 
 Could any misfortune be more aggravating and distressing than this, 
 to bo distressed and driven to dct-pair by a servant of the govern- 
 ment he contributed to support, and from whom he ought to have 
 had protection. I think I never heard of any injustice to be com- 
 pared with it; but, indeed, the character of the British naval officer 
 is astonishingly degenerated. In any former war they would have 
 despised the system of plunder and piracy they are now pursuing. 
 For the several days I had the misfortune to be on board their ships 
 the conversation of the officers consisted entirely of what they hoped 
 to share from different prizes, so that I felt more as if I were with a 
 band of robbers than with the officers of a great government, bent 
 upon maintaining its dignity." 
 
 " St. Thomas, May 3, 1807. 
 "It seems as if all of those with whom I am under the necessity 
 of having anything to do were doomed to partake of my misfort- 
 unes. In order to vary the scene, and hoping to gather some intel- 
 ligence of the AspaMa, I left Tortola the day before yesterday for 
 this place. The distance is only about four hours' sail, but, as we 
 left Tortola late in the afternoon, and had only a light breeze, wo 
 were under the necessity of being out in the night. About ono 
 o'clock I was awakened by a jar of the vessel, and at first presumed 
 we were alongside some vessel in port, but a second shock, attended 
 with a roar of the sea, undeceived me, and, on going on deck, I 
 found we were on a dangerous reef of rocks. The vessel immedi- 
 ately bilged, and the cabin filled with water. I had not time to get 
 my little trunk up before everything in it was completely wet; and, 
 while going ashore in the boat, we had a heavy rain, which wet me 
 through, and in this situation had to remain on the shore till day- 
 light; yet I thought not of my own situation. To see the distress of 
 the captain, who owned the vessel, which was the fruits of many 
 years' hard labor, and that of the owner of the cargo and his family, 
 who assembled shortly after our landing, and who had now lost 
 their little all, and were reduced to beggary, was distressing in the 
 extreme. They groaned, wrung their hands, tore their hair, stamped 
 
EFFORTS TO RECOVER HIS SHIP. 
 
 119 
 
 on the ground, and, indeed, seemed distracted. But, enough; shall 
 I never have anj'thing but scenes of distress to relate to you? I fear 
 not, and wonder for what I am yet reserved. 
 
 " I can learn nothing of the Aapaaia. If she has not arrived safo 
 it may be beat that I do not know it, for I have enough to bear al- 
 ready." 
 
 "TORTOLA, May 22, 1807. 
 
 "I have not been disappointed in my expectations. My vessel 
 and cargo are condemned, and for reasons the most frivolous, which 
 I have not now time to give you, for, after having engaged my pas- 
 sage in a fast-sailing vessel for New York, and while comforting 
 myself with the prospect of being soon by your side, the agent of 
 the captors came forward, and offered mo my ship and cargo for 
 less than a third the original cost, and, as an additional inducement, 
 was ready to engage that I should not again be molested by British 
 cruisers. Can you conceive of more barefaced villainy? Yet, in 
 order that I may leave nothing undone to save any portion of the 
 unfortunate concern, I am going again to St. Thomas, to endeavor 
 to raise the money by selling a part of the cargo, deliverable in Ha- 
 vana, or by other means, so that I can realize thirty-five or forty 
 thousand dollars, which will be better than having recourse to tho 
 Lords of Appeal in London and wailing one or two years for their 
 decision. 
 
 "Nothing but a sense of duty should add a single day to the ab- 
 sence which, has already been so tedious." 
 
 ;.! 
 
 i ■' II 
 
 
 " St. TnoMAB, May 24, 1809. 
 
 "The enlivening idea of shortly meeting you dissipates the gloom 
 that would otherwise take possession of me, and is a consolation in 
 my disappointment here in procuring funds for the ransom of my 
 ship and cargo. I cannot raise the sum on any terms that will an- 
 swer, and think now only of settling my a£airs and returning to you 
 as soon as possible. 
 
 "I do not know that it is not for the best that I cannot compass 
 my object; because, if I did, I must necessarily give up the appeal, 
 and lose the insurance, which, I think, must have been made; but 
 it was proper I should leave nothing undone that was in my power 
 to save the property. To-morrow I shall go again to Tortola. I 
 
 I- 
 
120 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 hope and trust for the last time, as every object that meets my view 
 there Is disgusting in the extreme. If I had time I would give you 
 a sketch of it, but I must leave it till we meet. Would that I could 
 sleep or remain insensible till that time. 
 
 "June 6.— I am now on the point of embarking for home, after 
 being completely stripped of the fruits of many years' hard toil. I 
 say completely, though it may uot bo literally so, because there is 
 hardly a doubt but some insurance is made for me ; and, if so, I do 
 not see any way the underwriters can escape paying, though I doubt 
 not they will try hard for it. But whatever subterfuges or cunning 
 they may make use of for this purpose will have no tendency to 
 lower my opinion of my fellow-mortals. After the villainy I have 
 seen practised at Tortola, by men whose power and riches not only 
 give them a cur' ncy among the most respectable, but make their 
 society even com ted, 1 blush for the baseness of mankind, and al- 
 most lament that I am one of the same species. 
 
 *' I see by the papers that William has returned, and, while I re- 
 joice that he is safe and well, I cannot help fearing he has not sue* 
 ceeded according to his expectations, or he would not have returned 
 so soon, as his ship was well fitted for a much longer absence; but 
 it is, doubtless, all for the best You will, perhaps, wonder at thia 
 observation from me at the moment when I am suffering such accu- 
 raulated misfortunes; but continued resources present themselves, 
 and, if I am not under the necessity of hanging o!i ray friends, all 
 will soon be right again. If I have the delight ( f finding you and 
 the boy well I shall soon forget my sorrows, and two or three months 
 at home will repay an age of care." 
 
 His summing-up of the events of this outrage, aa 
 given in his published " Narrative," is so graphic and 
 pathetic that I give it in full : 
 
 "Having settled my accounts and secured my appeal papers, I 
 left Tortola on the 25th of May, mor^ than a month from the date 
 of my arrival. During that month scarce a day had passed in which 
 I was not subjected to some angry altercation, some unnecessary 
 provocation, some feverish excitement from my opponents, or somo 
 trouble and anxiety from complaints and uneasiness of the officers 
 
A SUMMARY OF TRIALS. 
 
 121 
 
 and crew of our ship; and this under the scorching influence of a 
 vertical suu. But I had the happiness to escape the fever, which 
 this combination of causes was calculated to produce, and to retain 
 my health. As I left the harbor, on my way to St. Thomas, I passed 
 near the I'eUmaco, which lay there by virtue of the right of the strong 
 over the weak. The distinction between this act of piracy and those 
 of a like character by the ancient buccaneers must be perceived to 
 consist alone in the circumstance that the former is sanctioned by 
 kindred banditti, termed a vice -admiralty court, and the latter 
 were too magnanimous to practise such hypocrisy. The annals of 
 the times, however, were fertile in the details of such atrocious inva- 
 sions of the rights of neutrals, the one party justifying its thefts by 
 those of the other. 
 
 "To have practised the self-denial incident to leaving ray family 
 for so long a time; to have succeeded in reaching Rio Janeiro after 
 being dismasted and suffering all the toils and anxieties of a voyage 
 of forty-three days in that cnppled condition; to have surmounted 
 the numerous obstacles and risks aitenc'aM i, on the peculiarity of the 
 transactions in port; to have accomplished the business of lading 
 and despatching the vessels, in defiance of great obstacles, and to 
 perceive the fortune almost within my grasp which would secure 
 me ease and independence for the remainder of my life— and then, 
 by the irresistible means of brute force, to sec the whole swept off, 
 and myself and family thereby reduced in a moment from affluence 
 to poverty, must be admitted to be a calamity of no ordinary magni- 
 tude. It required, indeed, the exercise of great fortitude and pa- 
 tience, and naturally led to the perception of the truth that we ex. 
 perience a greater amount of misery from the evil passions of our 
 fellow-men than from hurricanes, lightning, earthquakes, and the 
 warring elements combined. Fortunately I possessed an elasticity 
 of mind which adapted itself to circumstances. I was accustomed 
 to contend with difficulties, and disciplined by a long course of loss- 
 es and disappointments, and, when suffering under them, I habitu- 
 ally looked round for the means to remedy them. I was soon ena- 
 bled, therefore, to throw off much of the weight of this misfortune. 
 Some mitigation of its effect was produced by the hope that insur- 
 ance on the property might have been effected, and that the A&pasia 
 might have accomplished her voyage successfully." 
 
 6 
 
 N 
 
 .; I 
 
 
123 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOil. 
 
 Just before arriving in New York he begins a letter, 
 on the 29th of June, 1807, in whicli occurs the follow- 
 ing passage : 
 
 " Although my misfortunes are of f\ very serious nature, yet you 
 need not fear you will see me with a long face and a clouded brow ; 
 for, whether ruined or not, tUe prospect of meeting you and the dear 
 boy is enough to dissipate every gloomy idea; and if I find you both 
 well, and can possibly stem the torrent without hanging on my 
 friends, I will bid defiance to adversity. Indeed, I am astonished 
 at the facility with which the mind can adapt itself to circumstances; 
 and although, before experiencing them, I was doubtful whether 
 such accumulated misfortune would not be sufficient to drive reason 
 from her throne, I now find that, so far from it, I cat as well, sleep 
 as well, fee] as well, and can set about remedying the evil with as 
 much spirit as I ever could in my life. I am a little apprehensive, 
 however, that those who become acquainted with the extent of my 
 misfortunes will say— if not openly, at least secretly — ' That man 
 must be guilty of murder or some dreadful crime to be so particu- 
 larly marked for chastisement. ' Bat these will be only the supersti- 
 tious, and we will convince them that perseverance and enterprisQ 
 will overcome the greatest obstacles." 
 
 The news which met him on arrival was enough to 
 test severely his determination not to be cast down by 
 adversity, and his first letter after landing, on the 4th of 
 July, shows plainly how heavily it weighed upon his 
 spirits. The account he gives of it in his " Narrative," 
 however, cannot be condensed or iniproved. 
 
 Learning that his cousin, Stephen Iligginson, was in 
 town, he lost no time in seeking him. 
 
 "Bu. it was hastening only to be the earlier acquainted with dis- 
 asters even greater than I had imagined. On naeeting him, I per- 
 ceived a s})adow cast ovev that benevolent countenance, which had 
 hitherto always beamed with smiles and joy when meeting me after 
 an absence, which argued but too clearly that my worst anticipa- 
 
TOTAL LOSS OF ALL HIS PROPERTY. 
 
 128 
 
 tions were about being confirmed. He told me that, in conseqaenco 
 of some new orders in council about the time my letters were re- 
 ceived, desiring insurance to be made, the offices became so alarmed 
 that it could not be effected at a le3s premium than thirty-three and 
 a third per cent., which my friends would not consent to give; hence 
 no insurance had been made on the property, and the loss was for 
 account of Mr. Shaler and myself. 
 
 "Nor was this all; he was grieved to say that the Aspasia and 
 cargo were also a total loss. The melancholy detail was that she 
 had arrived safe at K?vana and sold the cargo at |15 per quintal, 
 and with the proceeds— about $60,000— had laden with coffee and 
 sugar for New York; that when off Caps Hatteras a gale was en- 
 countered, in which she was thrown on her beam-ends and half filled 
 with water, which rained the cargo. The master, Rogers, was 
 swept away and lost, and she finally reached Norfolk in a most dis- 
 tressed state, where the amount of all that was saved was little more 
 than enough to paj' the wages of the men. To crown the whole, 
 the agent in New York had not been informed of the shipment from 
 Havana, and consequently no insurance had been effected. I could 
 not imagine any addition to these misfortunes because I had nothing 
 more at risk, yet I perceived that there was something to be yet un- 
 folded. To this overwhelming detail was yet to be added another 
 item, which would fill my cup to overfiowing — the failure of a 
 friend and relation on ^vhose paper I was an endorser, and had be- 
 come responsible for $0000. The aggregate of these losses, estimat- 
 ing the value of the Telemacd's cargo at the rate at which the Aspa- 
 sia's was sold, and the ship at what was paid for her, and independent 
 of all profit on an investment of the funds at Havana for New York, 
 would amount to $150,000. All doubts relative to the entire pros- 
 tration of my fortune were now dissolved, all hope of there being 
 some remnant left was annihilated, and the world was to be begun 
 anew under the pressure of increased responsibilities. But the re- 
 flection that no part of the property was on credit, that I had not 
 involved others in my losses, was eminently consolatory. And the 
 pleasing contemplation of Cieeting my family again after this first 
 and long absence from them, and before having experienced any- 
 thing of the inconvenience and embarrassment resulting from such 
 misfortunes, combined to check their naturally depressing effect on 
 my spirits. 
 
 Is 
 
 *1 
 
 I 
 
 L'*'i 
 
124 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 " Those who have found sufficient interest in the preceding pages 
 to be induced to follow me in my subsequent enterprises will find 
 abundant evidence that my forebodings were fully realized in the 
 repeated, long, and painful sepamtions from those whom it was no 
 less my duty than it would have been my happiness to watch over 
 and protect. Compelled to navigate for the support of my family, 
 and deprived in consequence of superintending the education of my 
 children, worn with anxiety, and sick at heart with hope deferred, 
 it will be seen that I was for many years an exile from all that ren- 
 dered life dear and desirable; and this as a consequence of the rob- 
 bery of my hard-earned fortune by Admiral Cochrane. If his en- 
 joyment of this property, so wickedly obtained, bears any proportion 
 to the years of suffering caused the proprietor by its loss, it affords 
 the strongest presumptive evidence of a perversion of mind which 
 must ^leet its correction hereafter." 
 
a'. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1808, 1809. 
 
 The Embargo.— Voyage to Africa.— Goes to England in Search of 
 Business.— Thence, Secretly, to Holland, and Home as Bearer of 
 Despatches.— Voyage to Naples. — Vessel and Cargo Seized and 
 Confiscated. — Life at Naples and Rome. 
 
 The year 1808 was marked in commercial annals by 
 the embargo, which was rendered necessary by the spo- 
 liations of the English, and which necessarily put a stop 
 to all nautical enterprises from this country. Merchants 
 who had ships abroad of course hastened to get them 
 home before the enforcement of the decree, and my fa- 
 ther was employed by the owners of a Salem vessel to 
 g<"' in search of her to the coast of Africa and bring Iier 
 ''i D without delay. The latest accounts of the vessel 
 WLie that, after having collected a rich cargo, the cap- 
 tain had died, and the mate was finishing the work of 
 disposing of what remained of the outward cargo. The 
 errand was successfully accomplished, and after its com- 
 pletion he took passage, via Halifax, for England, in 
 order to place himself in the current of business and be 
 ready to avail himself of any opportunity that might 
 Oiier a prospect of lucrative returns. 
 
 Owing to adverse winds they arrived at Halifax too 
 late for the Falmouth packet, and waited a fortnight 
 for an opportunity to embark ; then sailed in a brig 
 
 =i 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 1 
 
 it 
 
 ftff 
 
 Hi 
 
 ■■■:>]'. 
 ii'i 
 \\ ■ 
 
 
tf-r 
 
 126 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 bound for Locliraine, on the Clyde, where he arrived on 
 the 4th of October. 
 
 From thence he travelled to London by post, "mak- 
 ing the journey in four days, with a degree of comfort, 
 ease, and celerity such as, probably, could not be expe- 
 rienced at the time in any other country in the world." 
 
 The number of Frenci • ,*.3 which had been brought 
 into Plymouth, and the c isequent abundance and 
 cheapness of French wines, suggested the advantage of 
 taking a cargo of them to the Isle of France ; and, while 
 in doubt as to the means of accomplishing it, he met 
 accidentally with a friend just arrived in a fine ship for 
 which he liad no fixed destination. Entering into ar- 
 rangements with him, they purchased a quantity of 
 wine, and had nearly completed the preparations for 
 taking it on board when they were forced to abandon it 
 by the enactment of some new regulations which pre- 
 vented their obtaining the requisite clearance, without 
 which insurance could not be effected. During this 
 period he writes as follows: . , , . 
 
 "Lo'NBO^, December Id, 1S08. 
 "While waiting for the decision of the commissioners of excise 
 relative to our business,! have filled up the time as much as possible 
 in visiting the various objects most worthy the stranger's attention, 
 particularly those I did not see when I was formerly here, such as 
 the British Museum, several private exhibitions of wonderful mech- 
 anism; Greenwich, the Magdalen, and Foundling hospitals; and 
 Mr. West's collection of paintings. I was introduced to Mr. West, 
 a good-looking man between fifty and sixty, whose placid counte- 
 nance indicates a mind that has not been agitated by the passions 
 with which mankind are generally afflicted from jarring interests 
 and the necessary intercourse with each other. I soon discovered 
 that ho had a correct way of thinking on politics, and therefore 
 
LETTER FROM LONDON. 
 
 127 
 
 had a long conversation with him on the subject. As, from his pro- 
 fession and studies, he must be totally unprejudiced, and must nec- 
 essarily view the subject on the grand scale, unbiassed by any of 
 those mean considerations which lead the generality of mankind to 
 subscribe to one opinion in preference to another, you will naturally 
 suppose I was delighted to perceive how we harmonized. Notwith- 
 standing he admits the troubles of Europe to have been great for 
 these several years past, he thinks them as nothing compared to 
 what they will be, and he considers the embargo in America as the 
 wisest measure the government could have adopted, and the only 
 preventive to her participating in the calamities with which Eu- 
 rope is aflBicted. Ruin to some and great inconvenience to all the 
 commercial interests must doubtless result from it, but he was clear- 
 ly of opinion that it was the least of two evils, the only wise measure 
 that could have been adopted, and ought to be persisted in. 
 
 "Indeed, my dear, after the rejection ])y this government of the 
 proposals made by Mr. Pinckney, which you will learn by the Hope, 
 it is my opinion that those who are desirous of having the embargo 
 raised know not the interests of their country, or, knowing them 
 and continuing in the desire, are not worthy the name of Americans. 
 But those, I believe, will be few. After the election is decided, I 
 have no doubt the Federals will agree to the wisdom of the measures. 
 
 "But enough of politics. Shaler left here for Holland about a 
 month before my arrival. I regretted exceedingly not having fallen 
 in with him, because I wished him to have been interested in my 
 present expedition, though, if it should prove unsuccessful, I should 
 regret much that he was engaged in it, so that I have less anxiety. 
 I have not yet heard from him, although I have written him two or 
 three times. He thinks Df returning to America in the spring, and 
 I hope he will make you a visit at Lancaster. 
 
 "I have given George sketches of several expeditions, with the 
 view that, if affairs continue as they are, he may take advantage of 
 them by coming to this country and placing himself in fortune's 
 way. William will doubtless remain at home, if not till my return, 
 at least till he knows the issue of my voyage ; for, if we obtain the 
 clearance I expect to have, I flatter myseif I shall make enough to 
 secure us both against the necessity of ever leaving our dear wives 
 again." ; . . ■ ; ' - 
 
 I 
 
 
 [ 
 
128 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 
 The disappointment of being forced to abandon this 
 voyage was great, as he had formed sanguine liopes of 
 very lucrative results; but its force was in some degree 
 mitigated by an advance in the price of wines which 
 secured a very considerable profit on a resale of those 
 they had purchased. 
 
 While on his way to Plymouth to attend to this busi 
 iiess he was attacked with pleurisy at Exeter, and had 
 a very narrow escape from death, which would proba- 
 bly have resulted, but for the attentions of his friends 
 in London, in sending an experienced nurse, to whose 
 care he always felt himself indebted for his life. The 
 effect of this was so serious that his recovery was de- 
 layed, and he was urged by his physician to seek a 
 milder climate till his health was fully restored. 
 
 From the window of his sick-room in Exeter, before 
 he was well enough to be removed to Loudon, he saw 
 the remnant of the army just landed at Plymouth from 
 Corunna, after the memorable retreat under Sir John 
 Moore, wlio was killed on the eve of its embarkation, 
 and I have often heard him speak with much feeling 
 of the utterly wretched and woebegone appearance they 
 presented as they passed through the town. 
 
 His letters from London, during the whole period of 
 his prolonged detention, betray continually his affec- 
 tionate nature and his longings for home, and at the 
 same time the activity of his mind in studying and de- 
 vising means for retrieving his fortune, to the end that 
 he might secure the gratification he so coveted. The 
 following extract from a single letter may serve as a 
 sample of the tone which pervades them all ; 
 
PROJECTED VOYAGES. 
 
 129 
 
 " London, ^pni 29, 1809. 
 
 *' Another opp« tuaity for America enables me to assure you that 
 
 I am now quite strong, and even in better flesh than before my ill* 
 
 ness. 
 
 * ' * » • « * * 
 
 " On the receipt of a letter of this late date, you will wonder if I 
 never intend leaving London, and what charms I find to keep mo 
 here. Indeed, my dear, if no other enjoyment was found than I 
 have experienced here, few strangers would visit it to wear off their 
 ennui. It is to be presumed, however, that those who oome here 
 for that purpose have minds more at ease than that of your husband. 
 
 " Neither would I be understood to imply that I have not partaken 
 of many of the recreations this great city affords; but wliile admir- 
 ing the wonderful powers of a Siddons or a Kemble in tragedy, the 
 fine music and dancing at the opera, the perfect deception of somo 
 of the panoramas, etc., the enjoyment has always been dampened 
 by the reflection on my pecuniary embarrassments, and the conse- 
 quence which follows as its shadow — the necessity of absence from 
 home and the domestic enjoyments — compared with which every- 
 thing this gay city can offer is as 'dust in the balance.* While 
 speaking of theatres, I believe I have not told you that the two 
 great ones of London, Covent Garden and Drury Lane, have been 
 destroyed by fire, the former about a month before my arrival, the 
 latter while I was at Exeter, and, as a consequence, a great many in- 
 dustrious people have been thrown out of employment, and a great 
 many idle ones disappointed of their accustomed amusement. 
 
 " I had flattered myself with the hope that by this opportunity I 
 should have been able to inform you what plan I intended pursuing, 
 but am sorry to say I am as yet unable to do so. I have several ob- 
 jects in view; but such are the changes in the disposition of the 
 governments of the two great belligerents towards America, such 
 orders and counter-orders, decrees and revocations, that the plan de- 
 termined on to-day must be abandoned to-morrow. I am thinking 
 of charteriug a vessel for the Baltic, there to lade with Russian manu- 
 factures for America. This speculation on a large capital would 
 give a very handsome return, but on so small an amount as I can 
 control it would be but a bare living. A voyage to the Isle of 
 France is almost the only one not affected by the raising of the em- 
 6* 
 
 '^ 
 
 I 
 
 •f 
 
 
 Mi 
 
 . J 
 
 I'M 
 
 ^1 lis 
 
 •i S if! 
 
 U 1 
 
 rt'P 
 
 'i- 
 
 H hi 
 
130 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 bargo, which can be prosecuted with much chance of success. This, 
 to be undertaken from hence in a swift sailing-vessel with such a 
 cargo as could be easily procured, would give an immense profit, 
 but as the island is declared iu a state of blockade, it can only be 
 undertaken in a vessel that can be depended on for lier superior 
 sailing, and such are not always to be met with. If I go to Russia 
 and meet with no accidents, I shall be with you in August or Sep- 
 tember. If I pursue the other plan, it will probably absorb another 
 year; but I need not assure you how earnestly I wish the time of 
 our separation passed; how much I long t^ jee you and all the 
 cheerful circle at home. It is, indeed, cruel and mortifying to be 
 obliged to wander from such a home, after making such exertions 
 and sacrifices as I have made; yet, even among the small circle of 
 Americans no w here, I can look round and see several (perhaps 
 more deserving than myself) who have greater cause to complain 
 of Fortv ".,. It is doubtless best to endeavor to persuade ourselves 
 that it is all right; but it is no easy task." 
 
 Before lie recovered his strength snfficiently to at- 
 tempt the execution of any of these pkns, a new one 
 presented itself which seemed sufficiently promising to 
 warrant the necessary risk attending it. This was the 
 taking of a cargo from Holland to the United States. 
 The diflSculty was in getting from England to Holland 
 at the time when all the Continental powers had been 
 compelled by Napoleon to unite in cutting off all inter- 
 course with Great Britain. 
 
 It was impossible openly to evade such restriction, 
 and the risk was, of course, very great in attempting it 
 secretly, but perhaps for that very reason all the more 
 tempting to one of such adventurous disposition. 
 
 With his usual caution he refrained from mention- 
 ing iu his letters anything that could afford a clew to 
 his real design, but merely tells his wife that lie was 
 about undertaking a journey for which he required only 
 
SECRET LANDING IN UOLLAND. 
 
 131. 
 
 what baggage he could carry in his hand^ and had theie- 
 fore shipped his trunks on a vessel bound for Boston, 
 and hoped, ere long, to follow them in person. He then, 
 in company with a friend who had been associated with 
 him in the purchase and sale of the wine, embarked on 
 board a fishing-smack the master of which had agreed 
 to land them on the coast of Holland. Approaching 
 the shore on a still night, and after listening for a time 
 to make sure they were unobserved, they were landed 
 between eleven and twelve o'clock among the sand 
 dunes of the coast near The Brielle. The skipper had 
 given them careful instructions as to their course, and 
 they made their way towards t!ie town till they could 
 hear the clocks striking, and then waited for daylight in 
 a hollow of the hills of sand. 
 
 At dawn they were aroused by a trampling which 
 they were apprehensive might be tlio patrol, but which 
 proved to be only a herd of cows driven by a boy who 
 was greatly alarmed at seeing them, but was speedily 
 pacified, and directed them to an inn, where they were 
 cordially welcomed by the host and hostess, who had 
 no sympathy with the rigorous exclusion of strangers. 
 After a good breakfast and careful instructions from 
 the landlord, they went with a crowd of passengers on 
 board a canal-boat, and proceeded without molestation 
 to Amsterdam. 
 
 Tliey found at once that their expectation of largo 
 profits on the exports of Holland to the United States 
 would be realized if they could succeed in despatching 
 a cargo before the 1st of July, when the English govern- 
 ment had given notice that a blockade would commence. 
 
 
 t 
 
 ,i 
 
 \i 
 
 I 
 1 
 
M \ 
 
 132 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 With tlie aid of an influential mercantile house this was 
 accomplished. A ship was chartered, loaded, and de- 
 spatched to New York before the blockade began. She 
 arrived safely, and the results of the voyage were quite 
 equal to their anticipations. He had intended taking 
 passage for homo in this ship, but meeting in Amster- 
 dam with his old friend Shaler, he was induced to re- 
 main in order to unite with him in the execution of a 
 plan which promised an immense result, but which they 
 were forced to abandon in consequence of the combined 
 obstacles of the invasion of the Scheldt by a formidable 
 force under Lord Chatham, and a general embargo in 
 Holland. 
 
 This seemed to cut off the possibility even of egress 
 from the country except by land ; but fortunately the 
 American minister to France. General Armstrong, was 
 then on a visit to Holland, and being desirous of send- 
 ing despatches to his government, obtained the release 
 of the ship JHoniesicma, of Baltimore, from tlie embargo, 
 and my father took passage in her for that port as 
 bearer of despatches. The ship being in ballast, no 
 cause existed for detention by British cruisers ; but they 
 had proceeded but little way from port before they 
 were boarded from a frigate with the inquiry why they 
 were released from the embargo. 
 
 On being informed that it was by special permission, 
 at the request of the American minister, who wished 
 to send despatches to the United States of which my 
 father was the bearer, the officer desired him to ac- 
 company the captain of the Montezuma on board the 
 frigate, taking with him the despatches. This was de- 
 
RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 133 
 
 clined, as was also the request to send the dcspatclies 
 on board by the captain. The boarding officer then 
 threatened to use compulsion. By this time the frigate 
 had drawn near and was hailed by the boarding officer, 
 who informed his superior that there was a bearer of 
 despatches to the United States government on board 
 who refused to leave the ship or give up the despatches 
 except on compulsion. 
 
 " Then let him stay and bo damned," was the reply, 
 and the ship's papers being found to be in order, they 
 were permitted to proceed on their course. 
 " They arrived in Baltimore on the 3d of November, 
 after a long and stormy passage, and my father having 
 Buffered greatly from a bilious fever, contracted by too 
 early an exposure to the damp atmosphere of Holland 
 after his severe illness at Exeter, was too feeble to go 
 to Washington, and accordingly delivered the despatches 
 to the collector of the port to be forwarded. 
 
 After waiting a day or two in Baltimore to recruit, 
 he proceeded by easy stages to his home in Lancaster, 
 Massachusetts, where he arrived on the 12th of Novem- 
 ber in a weak and emaciated condition. 
 
 One month later, on the 3d of December, 1 809, he again 
 left his home on a new excursion to Europe, induced by 
 the first intelligence of a departure from the rigid ex- 
 clusion of foreign commerce, which had so long been 
 maintained. The port of Naples was opened to neutral 
 commerce with such appearance of good faith that in- 
 surance on adventures there could be effected at reason- 
 able rates. 
 
 He immediately went to Boston and purchased tlie 
 
 VI 
 
 ;■» 
 
 ( 
 
 i ? f . 
 
 M 
 
134 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 schooner Maria, of one hundred and seventy tons, and 
 took on board a valuable cargo for account of mer- 
 chants in Boston, on condition of receiving half profits 
 in lieu of freight. 
 
 Ho arrived safely at Naples, and was subjected to a 
 very long quarantine ; the tedium of which was relieved 
 by the information that no article of his cargo would 
 produce less than one hundred per cent, profit, and this 
 notwithstanding the fact that before the term of quar- 
 antine had expired upward of thirty vessels arrived 
 from the United States, aUnrcd by the flattering pros- 
 pect presented by the opening of a port which had so 
 long been closed. 3 
 
 • But by a refinement of baseness and cruelty to which 
 it would be hard to find a parallel in the history of the 
 civilized world, the game being thus enticed within the 
 power of Napoleon, the net was sprung, and every ves- 
 sel was seized and confiscated. Without even the for- 
 mality of a trial the cargoes were taken out and sold, 
 together with the vessels, in the most hurried manner 
 and for prompt payment. 
 
 My father's reflections upon the moral aspect of this 
 robbery as compared with that he had previously suf- 
 fered at the hands of Lord Cochrane are such as would 
 occur to any upright mind in comparing the act of the 
 highwayman who demands your money at the muzzle 
 of a pistol with that of the swindler who robs you un- 
 der the form of law. 
 
 In the first case there is no prostitution of common- 
 sense and common honesty in seeking for a cause of 
 condemnation whicli is already determined on. In the 
 
NAPLES AND ROME. 
 
 135 
 
 second there is a hypocritical pretence of seeking jus- 
 tice by the formality of a trial, where in reality the case 
 is prejudged. 
 
 In this abominable transaction there is no doubt the 
 great mover was Napoleon, whoso mandate Murat had 
 not the moral courage to disobey, preferring the dis- 
 honor and infamy of such treachery to the momentary 
 displeasure of the emperor. There were a great num- 
 ber of people at Naples who were desirous of provid- 
 ing themselves with many articles of tlie various car- 
 goes, but w^ere deterred by conscientious scruples from 
 purchasing at the government sales, being convinced 
 that the "receiver is as bad as the thief." 
 
 Being thus involuntarily relieved of business, and 
 finding no immediate opportunity of returning to the 
 United States, he improved the opportunity for visiting 
 and inspecting the numerous interesting localities and 
 objects in the vicinity of Naples, and then went to 
 Rome, where he passed several weeks. All these scenes 
 are now so familiar to thousands of our country men 
 and women that it is diflScult to realize the fact that, 
 even within the memory of many who are still living, 
 the man who i ad actually visited and examined them 
 was regarded vrith wonder and interest. In all my boy- 
 ish days I reraeiriber that the portfolios of plates of 
 Naples,Yesuviu8, Pompeii, and Home which he brought 
 home with him were a source of untiring interest to 
 visitors at our pleasant Lancaster home, and many pleas- 
 ant associations of my early days were touched when 
 they finally perished in the great fire of Chicago. Of 
 liis experiences while visiting these places he gives a 
 
 «i 
 
 f«, 
 
 t i 
 
 
11 
 
 rBBHKnI 
 
 ! ! 
 
 136 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 detailed description in a closely written manuscript of 
 more than fifty pages of letter-sheet, prepared for my 
 motlier's gratification, in so pleasant and graphic a style 
 that it might well take its place among the best ac- 
 counts that have been given of tljo now familiar scenes. 
 It is rare that even a single expression betrays the fact 
 that his mind was oppressed with the sense of his disap- 
 pointment, while it evinces throughout a keen appre- 
 ciation of the poetic associations which hallowed every 
 object. 
 
 It would be idle, however, at this day, to quote his 
 descriptions, and I shall give only an occasional extract 
 which may serve to illustrate his own character. 
 
 The following is from his earliest account of Naples : 
 
 " The jihore from the foot of Vesuvius, where is situated the town 
 of Portici, qwi^o to the city of Naples, presents a continued line of 
 villas, palaces, and houses, and Naples rising in amphitheatre, till in 
 one direction it terminates in the magnificent castle of St. Elmo, and 
 in another that of the palace of Cabo di Monti, is impressive of 
 riches, grandeur, and strength. 
 
 "A Varther acquaintance, however, with Naples will considerably 
 lessen such impressions; but such acquaintance cannot be made by 
 those who come by sea, till they have done penance in the perform- 
 ance of a ted-'ous quarantine. Ours, in consequence of having cot- 
 ton goods on board, exceeded forty days. After a passage across the 
 Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, to be confined so long on board 
 our vessel after arrival would be tedious even with bright prospects 
 in view, but when instead of the 3e we had no other than total loss 
 of property, and possibly imprisonment, they were gloomy indeed. 
 Could I have foreseen the issue I should certainly ha\u attempted 
 to make my escape, and have no doubt I could have effected it with 
 less risk than we ran in the Lelia Byrd in passing tLb fort at San 
 Diego; but while I had the opportunity (which was for ten days 
 after my arrival), our affairs had not assumed bo decisive and seri- 
 
NAPLES. 
 
 137 
 
 0U8 an aspect, and I was afterwards deteired from making tlie at- 
 tempt by the reflection that in case of failure (should American 
 property be restored), I should forfeit both property and insurance. 
 A few days after being released from quarantine I took rooms oppo- 
 site the beautiful public walk called Villa Real. This walk is con- 
 siderably longer and broader than the Mall in Boston. The trees 
 are yet small ; but there are many flowering shrubs, and the whole 
 place is kept extremely clean and in good order. 
 
 "As you know I am no inconsiderable pedestrian, you will natu- 
 rally suppose I have spent much time here; indeed, many is the 
 hour that I have traced and retraced my solitary steps on this walk, 
 and thought of home and its enjoyments, of my distance from it, 
 and the possibility that a war might lengthen the time of my sepa- 
 ration from those nearest my heart for an indefinite period." 
 
 I give but a single extract from one of many descrip- 
 tions of excursions in the neighborhood of Naples : 
 
 ''^ 
 
 .-■ ■ 
 
 "We had a fatiguing march to gain the summit of the promon- 
 tory (of lllsenum), but were repaid by a most delightful view. The 
 day was pleasant (22d April), and the atmosphere very clear, so that 
 we could see the town of Gaeta and the little island of Ponza, the 
 Apennines covered with snow. These were the most distant objects. 
 Nearer, we had a view of Vesuvius, the Castle of St. Elmo, Pozzuoli, 
 Solfatara, Monte Nuovo, the Lake of Fusaro, the islands of Ischia, 
 Procida, and Capri, and the Bay of Naples. The prospect from this 
 hill has been spoken of in extravagant terms by r 11 those travellers 
 who have taken the pains to ascend it. It is certainly beautiful ; but 
 that from the dome of the State House in Boston in the month of 
 June, in my opinion, surpasses it. 
 
 " There is not so much of the grand and terrific to admire, it is 
 true ; but instead of a country which has the appearance of a stormy 
 ocean, and where the valleys only are cultivated, cure, in every di- 
 rection, presents a picture of the most luxuriant fertility; instead of 
 the silence and gloom which reigns in the bay and ports, ours is ac- 
 tivity and uueerfulness; in fine, instead of old age and decrepitude, 
 ours is youth, vigor, and gayety. That such an opinion would be 
 considered that of a stupid and prejudiced blockhead by those whoso 
 
I I 
 
 ii i 
 
 I ii I 
 
 188 
 
 VOYAGE? OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 minds are impressed by the beauty of the Elysian Fields and its 
 neighborhood from the accounts given by Virgil in the ^neid I am 
 perfectly aware, but as they will probably remain uninformed of 
 my having held such heretical opinions I shall give myself no un- 
 easiness about it. The cape and promontory of Miscnum takes its 
 name from one Misenus, a companion of ^ncas, who died and was 
 ouried here, as the poet thus relates: 
 
 " ' The good ^neas ordered on the shore 
 A stately tomb, whose top a trumpet bore, 
 A soldier's falchion, and a seaman's oar. 
 Thus was his friend interred, and doubtless fame 
 Still to the lofty cape consigns his name.' 
 
 "It was along this coast — Misenum, Baia, etc. — that the Homaa 
 grandees had their villas. Here, from the salubrity of the climate, 
 the hot baths, and probably also from that attraction so conspicuous 
 at Ballstown, to see and he seen, crowds of strangers as well as the neigh- 
 boring inhabitants used to resort. It is the residence which Clodius 
 reproached Cicero for occupying, as being little calculated for a 
 philosopher, and where Propertius forbid his daughter Cynthia's go- 
 ing, as being dangerous for the innocence of young persons. Riiins 
 and ashes are all that remain of former magnificence and splendor." 
 
 From Naples he went with two companions to Rome, 
 making the journey in a carriage drawn by mules, and 
 spending three days on the road. 
 
 His descriptions of the wonders of that city are 
 marked by the same graphic and simple character which 
 distinguish his writings. He concludes as follows : 
 
 " Though a residence of a few weeks in such a city as Rome is 
 enough to give some travellers (even though unacquainted with the 
 language) a perfect knowledge of the character, disposition, man- 
 ners, amusements, etc., of the inhabitants, I confess to you I am not 
 one of the number, for even if my penetration were as great, my 
 naturally reserved habits would be a preventive, and you will, 
 therefore, be satisfied with my mentioning a few peculiarities in 
 their customs which came immediately within my observation. 
 
ROME. 
 
 139 
 
 
 " We took no other introductory letter than one to a rich banker 
 (the Duke of Torlonia), at -whose house we were, of courci, invited 
 to dine. At table everything was conducted much as in other parts 
 of the civilized world; but judge of our surprise at the meanness of 
 the master who could suffer his servant to come to our lodgings a 
 few days after to inform us that he had the honor of waiting on us 
 at dinner the other day ! in other words, that the master drew upon 
 a dinner he gave to strangers for the purpose of paying his servant's 
 wages. What a disgusting custom ! But it is even practised at the 
 governor's, where we were invited to a ball, and a day or two after 
 the servants called for their fee! 
 
 "The beaux and belles of Rome have their Corso as well as those 
 of Naples, where they ride every evening, and, returning, stop for 
 half an hour at the Plaza del Popolo, to see and be seen. Such is 
 the all-commanding power of custom or fashion, here as elsewhere, 
 that, notwithstanding the numerous beautiful gardens in the vicinity 
 of Rome where they might either ride or walk free from annoyance, 
 they prefer driving to and fro on the crowded Coiso, where tlioy 
 sometimes risk suffocation from the clouds of 'IurI. A peculiarity 
 in the funerals, both at Naples and Rome, I ^ observed in no 
 other part of the world ; I mean that of dressing the corpse in tho 
 best apparel and carrying it through tlie streets on a bier exposed to 
 the view of every one. It is a disgusting custom. 
 
 "Foreigners have always found the beggars of Italy very trouble- 
 some, though less so at Rome than at Naples. The late revolution 
 in the fortunes of the cardinals and higher orders of the clergy has 
 thrown upon the world a crowd of their domestics and dependants, 
 and we were frequently asked chc ity in the most pressing manner 
 by well-dressed people of both sexes, whose exterior and address 
 evinced that they had seen better days. 
 
 "No one acquainted with the history of Rome who sees it at 
 the present day can help reflecting on tho vicissitude of all earthly 
 things. A city whose population was once counted by millions, 
 now possessing only about one hundred thousand and rapidly de- 
 clining; whose former inhabitants, commanded by warlike emperors 
 and generals, were irresistible in the field, and gave laws to the world; 
 whose present, governed by a pope, priests, and monks, are finally 
 the slaves of one of their former provinces. The present rulers, 
 
 I 
 
 11' 
 
 i!i3 
 
1 
 
 mmm. 
 
 140 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 however, are troubled by no such reflections as these. They appear 
 to act as we have reason to suppose that former conquerors have 
 done. They appropriate the spoils to their own use, and though 
 they do not sell the inhabitants of conquered countries, yet they aro 
 scarcely less slaves than if they did. 
 
 "Could a Gurtius or a Horatius Codes be found among modern 
 Romans? Could that man be found among them who, like Marcus 
 Scaevola, when made prisoner would thrust his hand into the fire, 
 and burn it oflf in presence of the conqueror to convince him that a 
 Roman could not be frightened by threats? I think we may safely 
 say such characters no longer exist in Rome. A Ravaillac might 
 possibly be met with, but no Brutus. The stimulus which once ex- 
 cited to heroic deeds has long since given way to the effeminacy of 
 a monkish government, which has led to beggary and ruin." 
 
 On returning to Naples from Eome he found that 
 Captain Fairfield, of tlie ship Margaret, of Salem, had 
 succeeded in making an arrangement with the govern- 
 ment by which he was permitted to return to the Unit- 
 ed States, carrying as passengers the crews of the ves- 
 sels which had been seized, and he was congratulating 
 himself on the opportunity thus afforded him of return- 
 ing home. His disappointment was correspondingly 
 great at being obliged to abandon tlie hope, as Captain 
 Fairfield declined to take as freight a valuable invest- 
 ment of Italian manufactures of which my father had 
 agreed to take charge. In this, as in repeated other in- 
 stances, the event proved that what he had bewailed as 
 a misfortune was in fact an escape from a fearful com- 
 bination of horrors. The Margaret was upset at sea. 
 A part of those on board escaped in a boat and were 
 saved after great suffering ; part perished miserabiy on 
 the wreck, and a few were rescued from it in a dying 
 condition. 
 
A PRIEST'S WEAKNESS. 
 
 141 
 
 In connection with this subject the following extract 
 from the last letter of ray father to my mother before 
 leaving Naples is interesting. He had been expressing 
 the disappointment he felt at not being able to take 
 passage in tlie Margaret^ but finds consolation in the 
 fact that the effect of it had been less disastrous than 
 in a case which had just come to his knowledge : 
 
 " This is that of Dr. Cancanning, who, appointed by the pope a 
 bishop of the Catholic Church in America, had been trying in vain 
 for a year to procure a passage, till the opportunity offered by the 
 Margaret. He had come from Eome with all his movables, engaged 
 his passage, and paid his portion of the expense of stores, when he 
 received a notification from the prefect of police t'lat he would not 
 be permitted to depart in an American vessel. The disappointment 
 was so great and had such an effect upon him that he survived it 
 but three days. He was a healthy, good-looking man of about sixty, 
 of Irish descent. I became acouainted with him at Rome, where he 
 had long resided, and from whence the present cndition of things 
 led him often to express his joy at the prospect of removal. 
 
 "I suspect the calm, pacific, tranquil life of a priest, even with 
 all the help they may derive from Heaven, is not so well calculated 
 to train the mind to contend with disappointment and the vicissi- 
 tudes of fortune as the rough and troubled life of the soldier or the 
 sailor, who is inured to them. Poor human nature! To be assail- 
 able by fortune at the age of sixty! To die from the very fear of 
 dying! How melancholy, how degrading the reflection! My dear 
 boys must early become accustomed to hardships. They have a 
 prospect of living in turbulent times, when the civil must be sub- 
 servient to military authority, when the only right that is acknowl- 
 edged will be that of power, and consequently they must by the im- 
 provement of their talents and early acquaintance with danger be- 
 come masters, or by the neglect of them and a retired life submit to 
 be slaves. I have ordered a copy of the ' Travels of Count Beniow- 
 ski ' and of Plutarch. These ought to be their study till they have 
 them by heart, and if afterwards they should die at sixty of disap- 
 pointment I'll disown them. " 
 
 
 
m 
 
 .,1). . 
 
 iii 
 
 \\m 
 
 i 
 
 mm 
 
 mw 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1810. 
 From Italy to Lisbon and thence to England. 
 
 Having failed to get passage Iiome in the Margaret^ 
 he next wrote to London for a British license to lade a 
 vessel for England. This arrived in due season, and be- 
 ing provided with the credit to enable him to use it to 
 advantage, ho purchased the brig Nancy Ann (one of 
 the condemned vessels), and loaded her with a cargo of 
 wine, raw silk, licorice, rags, etc., for London. 
 
 No objection was made to his departure, and the pas- 
 sage down the Mediterranean was a very pleasant one. 
 On approaching the Strait of Gibraltar he was chased 
 for more than half a day by an English brig-of-war, and 
 paid no attention to the occasional discharge of a gun 
 till she approached nearly within cannon-shot, when he 
 rounded to, and a boat was immediately sent to take 
 him and his papers on board for examination. On see- 
 ing the documents by which he was screened from Eng- 
 lish aggression, which emanated from the same author- 
 ity as his own commission, the commander was furious 
 with rage at having been unnecessarily led so far out of 
 his way. But after expending a deal of profanity, and 
 threatening to send him in to Gibraltar, he finally calmed 
 down, and perceiving that he could inflict no punish- 
 
CONCEALED FREIGHT. 
 
 U3 
 
 ment that would not be likely to recoil upon himself, 
 he reluctantly consented to suffer him to pursue his 
 couree. 
 
 This was the only detention he met with, and his es- 
 cape from search in this case enabled him to carry out 
 successfully a part of his plan which did not appear on 
 the manifest. 
 
 I have mentioned that Captain Fairfield's reason for 
 refusing to take my father as passenger on the Mar- 
 garet was, because he desired to take with him as freight 
 a quantity of Italian manufactures of which he had 
 charge, which would have affected the sale of those 
 which Captain Fairfield himself was carrying. 
 
 This was an invoice of sewing-silks which my father 
 had purchased for account of Messrs. John Tappan, 
 Stephen Higginson, and himself, and which he now had 
 on board his vessel concealed under the rags, licorice, 
 etc., which comprised his cargo for London. As his 
 English license allowed no manufactured goods, its dis- 
 covery would have led to the seizure of the vessel, and 
 as the same result would have ensued had the goods 
 been taken to England, his intention was to put into 
 Lisbon and transship the silks from thence to the Unit- 
 ed Statea ; and this he successfully accomplished. The 
 fiUk reached America in safety and sold for about $150,- 
 000, and my father made about $20,000 by the opera- 
 tion. 
 
 On entering the Tagus and coming to anchor near 
 the Belera Castle, he found he had arrived at a critical 
 moment. The French army under Massena was advanc- 
 ing with a confidence inspired by the acknowledged 
 
 
 \m 
 

 144 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 talents and invariable success of that great soldier, and 
 the combined English and Portuguese forces awaited 
 the attack with no less trust in the skill ^nd intrepidity 
 of Sir Arthur Wellesley, whose lines of defence at Torres 
 Vedras were deemed impregnable. The inhabitants of 
 Lisbon were, of course, in the painful condition of anx- 
 iety incident to the uncertain state of affairs, and were 
 preparing for the possible necessity of putting their 
 valuables on board the English ships of war, and, that 
 no means of escape might be lost, an embargo was laid 
 on all vessels in port. 
 
 Affairs remained in this critical state for about ten 
 days, which was also the period of quarantine to which 
 my father was subjected. At the end of that time it 
 was announced that Massena had decided not to risk an 
 attack and had begun his retreat. The embargo was 
 immediately raised, and the anxious inhabitants of Lis- 
 bon once more breathed freely. My father effected the 
 transshipment of the silk, and disposed of the wine 
 which had formed part of his cargo to the commissary 
 of the army, on very advantageous terms. The tone of 
 his letters at once reveals the relief he experienced at 
 the dawning of better prospects, and at the same time 
 the consciousness of the uncertainties of life as evinced 
 by the loss of the Margaret^ the news of which reached 
 him here. His first letter to my mother begins as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " Lisbon, September 9, 1810. 
 
 " Having escaped the pirates of all nations (for government ships 
 of the present day deserve no better name), and arrived safely at 
 this point of my voyage, you will naturally conceive that my mind 
 is relieved from a great weight of anxiety, as the trifling premium 
 
LETTER FROM LISBON. 
 
 145 
 
 lind 
 lum 
 
 that will bo paid on the property from hence to America, and the 
 great profit it will undoubtedly command, will justify insuring 
 roundly on the profits, bo that beggary and starvation which have 
 so long been staring me in the face have, I think, made a retrograde 
 movement. But poor Fairfield^ when on his way home with a good 
 cargo, doubtless considered his prospects equally flattering. "What 
 a dreadful reverse 1 and with what circumstances of superlative 
 misery was not the loss of the Margaret attended. Of some of my 
 acquaintance who were on her I know nothing, of others dying on 
 the wreck, and others escaping with the bare remains of life, per- 
 haps to linger a burden to themselves and all around them. The 
 melancholy recital is constantly haunting me, and not the less from 
 the reflection that the chance was equal that I had added to the 
 number of the miserable. As I considered the opportunity a very 
 excellent one, X had written you a very long letter, which, together 
 with those for Stephen Higginson, I confided to the care of Mr. 
 Louis Barney of Baltimore, an excellent young man, of whose fate I 
 have as yet seen no account. 
 
 " So much time will be absorbed by the necessary delays here and 
 after my arrival in England that it will be impossible for me to ar- 
 rive in America till after winter sets in, and rather than contend 
 with the discomfort and danger of coming on the coast at that sea- 
 son, I have written to Stephen proposing to wear away the winter 
 by undertaking another expedition to Naples, and doubt not he will 
 readily agree to it, of which I shall be advised on arrival in London. 
 I need not say how anxiously I shall expect letters also from you. 
 To know that you are well, to have your congratulations on my 
 success, to know all that concerns the health and happiness of my 
 dear boys, and all the dear circle at home, is more interesting than a 
 world of fortune. 
 
 "Before you receive this I suppose America will have an addi- 
 tion to the men of distinction who have sought her shores, unless 
 some greedy man-of-war should have detained him for purposes of 
 robbery. I mean Lucien Bonaparte, wI»o was to have sailed from 
 Civita Vecchia a few days before I left Naples in the saip Hercules, 
 of Salem. His collection of statuary and paintings is doubtless su- 
 perior to anything of the kind in America. I hope, therefore, he 
 may arrive in safo*^y/' 
 
 7 
 
 M 
 
 !| ' '1° 
 
 \lr. 
 
;-!i'ir 
 
 i ii 
 
 146 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 A few days later lie writes again as follows : 
 
 "Lisbon, September 13, 1810. 
 
 " 1 wrote you a few days since by the Albert, Captain Smith. . , . 
 
 " I have proposed to Stephen to make another voyage this winter 
 up the Mediterranean; but how far the new measures the emperor 
 is taking will affect the plan I cannot determine before arriving in 
 London. I learn that he has actually written a love-letter to our 
 minister at Paris, promising restitution for confiscated property, re- 
 voking his Berlin and Milan decrees, admitting a free commerce 
 even in colonial produce, and declaring that the prosperity and hap- 
 piness of the United States is an object he has at heart, or words to 
 that effect. All this is no doubt as sincere as were his professions 
 of being a good Mussulman when in Egypt, and the motives no 
 doubt the same— to gull us; and, in my opinion, there is as little doubt 
 that we shall swallow the bait, and when the point is gained for 
 which he is so condescending, instead of paying for what he has 
 stolen, he will be much more likely to steal more. This effort of 
 his, however, is a fair confession that in his war of commerce he is 
 worsted, and he can no more do without the great source of revenue 
 it affords than other nations can. This may possibly clip off some 
 of the profits on the goods which I have with so much difficulty and 
 risk brought away from Naples; but in such precarious times noth- 
 ing can be counted on with certainty, and we must take the world 
 as it goes." 
 
 The following letter affords a good example of tlio 
 sagaciouff care and watchfulness with which he observed 
 the signs of the times, and based his enterprises on his 
 prognostications of their results. 
 
 The goods he alludes to are the silks he brought from 
 Naples and had just despatched for America. The 
 cartel Francis^ of which he subsequently speaks, was 
 the vessel by which he had sent the extended manu- 
 script description of the vicinities of Kome and Naples, 
 from which I have heretofore given extracts: 
 
LETTER FROM LISBON. 
 
 HI 
 
 ras 
 m- 
 
 les, 
 
 "Lisbon, October 5, 1810. 
 
 '•The uncertiuaty of being able to procure aDOtbcr cargo from 
 Italy, the very small quantity of Italian manufactures that can pos- 
 sibly find their way to the United States in addition to those I have 
 sent, the little dependence that can be placed on the revocation of 
 Bonaparte's decrees, and the certainty that if they are repealed with 
 conditions inimical to the commerce of Great Britain that orders of 
 council will still remain in force, and consequently our commerce 
 with France will continue as limited as their ability to enforce those 
 orders can make it, are inducements sufficient to lead mo to advise 
 William to purchase largely at the sale of the silks which I have sent 
 from here by the Belle Isle. I presume they will be sold at auction, 
 and if the sewing-silk should go at six to six and a half dollars per 
 pound, I would recommend his purchasing to the full amount of 
 what would be my proportion. By sending it to the Brazils, Span- 
 ish America, or even to Baltimore or Philadelphia, he could not fail 
 of doing well. None has gone or can go this winter to the south- 
 ward, and I know the markets of Philadelphia and Baltimore have 
 been more bare of this article than that of Boston. At this place I 
 believe I could have procured seven dollars per pound for the whole 
 quantity together, which is a proof that it comes to them excessively 
 high from England. 
 
 •' I learn by the papers that the cartel-ship Franda had arrived at 
 Salem. By hei you will have received a line from me, from the 
 length of which you will conclude that I had abundance of leisure 
 while at Naples. I hope it will afford you some amusement, and I 
 know it will be gratifying to you to perceive that it served to beguile 
 many a dull hour with me. 
 
 "I hear from Henry Higginson in London that he has received 
 £4800 for our share of the Floremo's cargo, and that she was ex- 
 pected there with a freight. I don't know whether this is doing well 
 or not, as I have no recollection of the cost of the cargo, but I am 
 satisfied it is better fortune than most of our countrymen met with 
 who sailed about the same time. To be concerned in two expedi- 
 tions that succeed must certainly be construed into a change of 
 fortune, and almost Ijads me to flatter myself with seeing the time 
 when I shall be free from anxiety on account of pecuniary affairs, 
 and can join my dear boys in their play on the lawn, or, as evening 
 
 ■ i.f: 
 
 t t 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 i. i 
 
 
 r 
 
 nm 
 
/pi 
 
 148 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 approaches, listen to the sweet strains of ' Henry's Cottage Maid/ 
 or 'Fair Fidelia,' as touclied by the skilful band of their dear 
 mother. Alasl when are these enjoyments to be realized? Certain- 
 ly not without the possession of competency. As certainly %oith. 
 
 "When, therefore, the happiness of three is dependent on my 
 exertions, no privation, no fatigue, no watching, no rational risks 
 should deter me from pursuing that lino which appears to lead most 
 directly to the desired object. But how often in our efforts to ap- 
 proach do we recede from it!" 
 
 On the 8tli of l^ovember lie writes : 
 
 "The embargo is partially raised, and I am one of several who 
 have had permission to depart, for some days, but I now wait for 
 convoy, which will be ready in a day or two. Henry Higginson par- 
 ticularly recommended my coming with a convoy, as the French 
 privateers are very numerous, and insurance can be effected three 
 per cent, less with convoy than without. 
 
 "The panic which was caused in Lisbon by the rapid retreat of 
 the British army has long since subsided. They made a stand at the 
 last lines, and the French have not dared to attack them. They 
 have continued looking at each other for three weeks past, with 
 scarcely any alteration in their relative positions. Scarce a day has 
 passed that some miserably maimed soldiers have not been brought 
 in from the army. Their appearance is indeed distressing, and 
 forms a painful contrast with the fresh troops who are daily sent 
 out. The order (perhaps necessary) of the British general for all the 
 farmers to destroy their houses, and all the produce which they were 
 unable to put out of the enemy's reach, has reduced vast numbers 
 to indigence who have been well off, and, arriving at Lisbon when 
 no provision had been made for them, their situation is most dis- 
 tressing." 
 
 His voyage to Plymouth, England, from Lisbon was 
 made in company with a dozen sail of vessels under 
 convoy of a frigate. 
 
 In a long letter to my mother from that port, dated 
 December 25th, 1810, he indulges in a series of reflec- 
 
 i 
 
ANTIQUARUN REFLECTIONS. 
 
 149 
 
 tions which, under the circnmstanoes, are not only in- 
 trinsically interesting, but afford curious evidence of 
 his peculiar characteristics, lie is replying to letters 
 received from here soon after his arrival : 
 
 " I am glad to Icam you received and were so well pleased witli 
 the long details of my rambles in Italy. . . , 
 
 "Of my former rambles you are in possession of no inconsider- 
 able detail, but the extent of country over which my destiny has led 
 mo since parting from you in January last has certainly been moro 
 interesting than, perhaps, all the others combined. Previous to this 
 my mind seems hardly to have been able to grasp or realize the idea 
 of Ihe prodigious number of years which have elapsed even since 
 the construction of some of those edifices which yet bear witness 
 to it, and still less to the more remote periods of history. But in 
 It. ij you are as irresistibly led back seventeen hundred )'ears to the 
 destruction of Pompeii, or two thousand years to the days when 
 Rome was in her glory, as you are in America to the voyage of Co- 
 lumbus or the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. 
 
 "This familiarity, even with objects of no greater antiquity, ap- 
 pears to approximate so nearly to the Mosaic account of the time of 
 the creation that you find it difficult to believe that the world can 
 be so young; but when you are presented with specimens of art, 
 some of which can be traced upwards of three thousand years, and 
 others lost in remote antiquity, which are, nevertheless, the wonder 
 and admiration of the present age, such as the Egyptian obelisks 
 and pyramids, it requires a different education from mine, more im- 
 plicit faith in the generally received authority, and perhaps you will 
 say a more correct way of thinking, to bo perfectly satisfied with it. 
 
 "Having observed mankind in their most abject state of barbar- 
 ism docB not afford (even to an experienced observer) sufficient data 
 to form an idea of the time necessary for them to be advanced to 
 that degree of civilization which is indicated by the production of 
 such labors; but setting aside the Egyptian account of the antiquity 
 of their origin (which they carry back twenty thousand years); the 
 period appears too limited between their being in a state of bar- 
 barism, even as immediately after the Mosaic account of the creation 
 as possible, and their producing, when they did, such gigantic works. 
 
 
 it 
 
 ■'- j 
 
 j. 
 
 I 
 
 . if-. - 
 
WM 
 
 150 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 Ili 
 
 i 
 
 i; 
 
 iiiii 
 
 "The diflference between the Hebrew and the Greek texts of 
 1370 yeara in the period between the Creation and the birth of 
 Christ does not tend to enlighten the doubtful and inquiring mind, 
 and will satisfy only those who will not doubt. A singular circum- 
 stance menticned In Recupera's history of Mount Etna has a par- 
 ticular relation to this subject. Ho says that in digging a pit of 
 great depth at Jaci (near Etna) seven distinct strata of lava were 
 pierced through, the surfaces of which were parallel, and most of 
 them covered with a thilck bed of earth. Now the eruption which 
 formed the lowest of these strata, if wo may be allowed to reason 
 from analogy, must have flowed from the mountain at least four- 
 teen thousand years ago, for it is said to require two thousand years 
 to form even a scanty soil on the surface of the lava. 
 
 "Bm". of what consequence is it to us whether the world is six, 
 ten, or twenty thousand years old? W'i have only to act well our 
 parts in it, and, conscious of doing this with an easy and cheerful 
 miad, leave the event to that Almighty Power who 
 
 '"Though changed through all, is yet in all the same, 
 Great in the earth, as in the ethereal frame. 
 Warms In the sun, refreshes in the breeze. 
 Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees. 
 Lives through all life; extends through all extent; 
 Spreads undivided; operates unspent. 
 To him no hi^j, no low, no great, no small. 
 He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all.' 
 
 "There is, however, something in the appearance of the vener- 
 able relics of antiqiiity with which Italy abounds which not only 
 leads to a conviction of many historical facts, but must also neces- 
 sarily compel the most volatile to reflect on the vicissitude of all 
 human affairs. 
 
 "Is it not amazing, then, that we find the present rulers of tho 
 earth, men of lil)eral education, pursuing the same path as their 
 predecessors? As proud, arrogant, and unjust, on obtaining an ad- 
 vantage over their weaker neighbors as were their prede lessors, and 
 as ready to ascribe their success to their superior wisdom and tal- 
 ents. Tho miserable end of Pompey the Great, of Ceesar, of An- 
 tony, and of nine tenths of the mighty heroes of Rome, in whose 
 
PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 161 
 
 exploits the world has been as much interested and absorbed as it 
 now is with those of Bonaparte, Massena, Nelson, Wellington, etc., 
 must appear to the actors themselves as fabulous or distant as death 
 does to a thoughtless boy— at such a prodigious distance that noth- 
 ing need be apprehended from it. 
 
 "That the Emperor of France should not be deterred from any 
 act of injustice by such reflections is not surprising. His profession 
 is that of a warrior. By war alone and the calamities it produces 
 could he ever have reached the summit at which he has arrived, nor 
 is it probable he could maintain his position but by pursuing the 
 same system. But that an old-established government like that of 
 Great Britain should follow such an example, a government that 
 is ever boasting of its justice, humanity, etc., is indeed wonderful. 
 When Thcmistocles declared to the assembly of Athens that he 
 knew a method of giving them the sovereignty of Greece, but that 
 it must bo kept secret, he was desired to make it known to Aristides 
 only, and abide by his decision. He accordingly told him that his 
 project was to burn the whole fleet of the confederates. Aristides 
 then informed the assembly that nothing could be more advanta- 
 geous than the proposal of Thcmistocles, nor could anything bo 
 more unjust. Whereupon they at once abandoned the thought of 
 it. But we find, in this civilized age, tlie pretensions to justice and 
 honor of the enlightened government of England are not so well 
 founded as those of the ancients, nor better than those of the great 
 modern usurper, for besides the minor acts of injustice and villainy 
 to which their cupidity is daily inciting them, they have shown that 
 merely to obtain possession of a few old hulks of ships, and those 
 belonging to a people as much in friendship with them as were the 
 confederates wiih the people of Athens, the destruction of a flour- 
 ishii'g city, the death of thousands, and all the long and dreadful 
 train of miseries resulting from the ravages of fire and sword when 
 used as the destroying engines of a merciless conqueror, have been 
 DO impediment. On the «vhole, I am induced to believe that man- 
 kind are much the same at the present day that they were two thou- 
 sand years ago, equally unjust, ambitious, and arrogant; perhaps 
 more humane, though, recurring to the Spanish In America, the Eng- 
 lish and Dutch in India, and the French during the revolution, even 
 this may be doubted." 
 
ill:! 
 
 152 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 To many readers of the present day these will doubt- 
 less seem bnt commonplace reflections. Those who can 
 recall the state of public feeling and the tone of current 
 literature of fifty years ago — before the era of modern 
 scientific investigation, and before the study of history 
 had been rendered fascinating by such writers as Macau- 
 lay, Prescott, and Motley — will recognize the fact that 
 even then these expressions would have been thought 
 bold and startling. 
 
 When we reflect that they were uttered twenty years 
 earlier than that, by a man whoso only early education 
 had been that of the common schools of New England, 
 and are simply the outflow of his own thoughts in a fa- 
 miliar letter to his wife, written in the midst of the per- 
 plexing cares of business, they cannot be regarded as 
 other than remarkable. 
 
? i 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1811-1816. 
 
 Transactions in England and on the Continent. — A Project Prom- 
 ising Great Besuits Defeated by the Failure of the Russian 
 Campaign. 
 
 The enormous difference in prices, even of articles of 
 ordinary necessity, between England and the Continent, 
 resulting from the forced and unnatural conditions which 
 had been imposed upon them, offered favorable oppor- 
 tunities to neutrals, which my father, in company with 
 many other Americans, made very active efforts to im- 
 prove. 
 
 The proposed return to Naples was abandoned, and 
 for the next two years ho was in London and the north 
 of Europe, engaged in commerce, the management of 
 which often required the exercise of great skill and 
 boldness, and of course involved corresponding risks. 
 
 His letters during this period are continued at fre- 
 quent intervals, but from the great uncertainty which 
 attended their transmission, were always very guarded 
 in their expression relative to the operations in which 
 ho was engaged. 
 
 The following extract, from his first long letter after 
 arriving in London, furnishes the keynote of the general 
 tone which pervades them — a tone of anxiety resulting 
 from the painful uncertainty attending the efforts ho 
 was making to attain the means of returning to those in 
 
154 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 whose affection his hope of happiness was centred, yet 
 of determined resolution to accomplish the object, if 
 perseverance and energy conld do it. 
 
 "LoniDON, February 6,1811. 
 
 " r wrote you a very hasty scrawl by an opportunity for Boston 
 on the day of my arrival here, lest a knowledge of our unprecedent- 
 ed delays should have caused you anxiety. 
 
 " It is hardly possible to conceive such a series of untoward circum- 
 stances as I have met with since leaving Lisbon ; nor bttve my phys- 
 ical sufferings been inconsiderable, as you will perceive when I tell 
 you that for six weeks of this uncommonly severe winter I have 
 been quarantined on board my vessel and not allowed to have a fire. 
 But that is past, and I will not tremble you with a recital of my dis- 
 comfort, since I escaped being sick, which might have been expected 
 as a consequence of such privations, and is a convincing proof that 
 my constitution is restored to its pristine strength. 
 
 "During my confinement at Plymouth I wrote you several very 
 long letters, and we have just learned that one of the vessels (by which 
 I sent a large packet) has experienced a warm proof of the love Bony 
 bears to Americans, as, with her cargo, she was burned at sea by the 
 Invincible Napoleon, French privateer. 
 
 " Among the many extraordinary things which we daily see tak- 
 ing place in these extraordinary times Mr. Madison's proclamation 
 of November 2 is certainly not the least singular. 
 
 " An English editor terms it 'a pretty specimen of republican sa- 
 gacity,' and indeed I think it is ; for what proof has he of Bony's sin- 
 cerity or good faith, that could justify such a measure? The event, 
 no doubt, will show an error that will involve many in ruin. 
 
 " As it regards myself, if the silks I sent from Italy have not been 
 sold, I have no doubt they will be more valuable than ever, as there 
 is no prospect of a commercial intercourse with France. The Amer- 
 ican property which arrived there after November 1 has all been se- 
 questered, and is held up in terrorem with a view to bring them into 
 his measures. Of the property so villainously seized previous to 
 that time not a farthing will ever be restored. 
 
 "The prodigious loss on the exchange between Naples and this 
 place, the risks attending shipments from there, together with the un- 
 
NEW PLANS AND PROJECTS. 
 
 165 
 
 certainty of finding a vessel there, have induced me to give up the 
 plan of another voyage there, and I am now undetermined what 
 course to pursue. I would not lose a moment in returning to my 
 dear wife and boys did I not consider it a duty due them to leave no 
 enterprise untried that promises in any degree the accomplishment 
 of their and my wishes. I shall therefore wait a few weeks to see 
 what can be done, and if nothing offers shall embark for home, and 
 bless my stars that you decided not to attempt to meet me at Naples 
 as I proposed. 
 
 "Forbes* left here yesterday for France, but with no very brill- 
 iant prospects. Curson has met with great difficulties and inter- 
 ruptions, and the success of his voyage is doubtful. 
 
 "In times like these there is no readier road to ruin than bciug 
 concerned in shipping, and I am sorry that William is extending his 
 interests therein. 
 
 "You will perceive I am growing cautious, and I have no doubt 
 you will perceive why : because a contrary conduct has been in a 
 degree the cause of an absence from those most dear to me, for which 
 no fortune can compensate." 
 
 It is affecting to read the details he gives in the long 
 series of letters following the above of the different 
 plans and efforts at their execution which occupied him, 
 and through the whole of which his chief source of re- 
 lief and comfort seems to have been in thus commun- 
 ing with the one on whose sympathy he relied. 
 
 An attempt to carry a cargo of wine to Copenhagen 
 was attended with circumstances curiously illustrative 
 of the lesson which had so often been repeated in his 
 experience, of a seeming misfortune proving to be a 
 providential preservation. The vessel containing it had 
 arrived in England from Naples, consigned to his cousin, 
 Henry Higginson, who was then established in London. 
 
 ■ 1^ 
 
 * John M. Forbes, afterwards minister to Denmark. 
 
m^ 
 
 150 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 j iiiP« 
 
 The plan had previously been arranged tliat my father 
 should immediately embark in her as passenger and take 
 the wine to Copenhagen, where a very large profit would 
 have been realized. The vessel was wrecked by going 
 aehore on Jutland in the night, but fortunately at high 
 tide, so that all the cargo was saved. This necessarily 
 consumed two thirds of the profits, but they nevertheless 
 realized about £1000 profit, whereas if he had kept on 
 his course he would have fallen directly into the hands 
 of a French privateer then lying off Elsinore. 
 
 This business being finished, he writes from Copenha- 
 gen, on the 18th of September, 1811, acknowledging let- 
 ters from home containing news of losses which his brother 
 had met with, which he was apprehensive would involve 
 the necessity of parting with the beautiful home in Lan- 
 caster to which he was so fondly attached. This was 
 evidently a heavy addition to the weight of care with 
 which he was already burdened, and his expressions give 
 painful evidence of the suffering it caused him that my 
 mother should be thus oppressed. 
 
 Yet he rallies his own spirits, and tries to encourage 
 her with hopes of a brighter future. 
 
 " Do not indulge,** he says, " in gloomy anticipations. All will yet 
 bo well, and in the course of twelve or eighteen months I will aston- 
 ish you with a fortune that shall suffice for the gratiflcatioa of thd 
 wishes of all who are dear to me. Late as it now is, I am now bound 
 to Russia, having chartered part of a ship, and engaged in a voyage 
 which is to terminate here. I have obtained a credit of £3000 ster- 
 ling, and have a fair prospect of clearing from sixty to seventy-five 
 per cent. It is possible, of course, that I may be defeated by being 
 caught in the ice, by shipwreck, or by French privateers. Against 
 the Danes I am guarded by a license. If I succeed I hope to be 
 in London in November, from whence I contemplate a voyage to 
 
THE EDUCATION OP HIS CHILDREN. 
 
 167 
 
 to 
 
 Naples for wine, for Lisbon, New Orleans, or this country, and bavo 
 written to Paris for a license. Thus you perceive I am undertaking 
 new adventures and projecting others still more extensive, before 
 even this last miserable one is brought to a close. This perhaps will 
 allay your feais relative to my health, for if my constitution had not 
 regained its full vigor I could not have withstood the excessive fa- 
 tigue and anxiety I have lately experienced, and while my health 
 continues firm rest assured my spirits will never be subdued. You 
 remind me of my promise that nothing within my power to control 
 should induce me to prolong my absence beyond the present autumn. 
 Harry will tell you that I wrote him from Plymouth that I would 
 undertake no voyage which would prevent my returning to my fam- 
 ily by the month of August ; but I presumed at that time that I pos- 
 sessed at least $10,000, and therefore that there was no necessity of 
 making a reserve for such a disappointment as I have since met 
 with. But I know that no apology is necessary, and that you no 
 more doubt my impatience to return than I do yours to have mo. 
 Keep up your spirits and bear in mind that the greatest stimulant 
 I possess to enable me to bear up against such accumulated misfor- 
 tune as has fallen to my share is the reflection that my efforts are 
 appreciated by so competent a judge as my beloved wife." 
 
 In one of his letters at this period lie makes the first 
 allusion to a subject the importance of which, in his es- 
 timation, is sufficiently indicated by the fact of his urg- 
 ing it so strongly at a time of such doubt and anxiety 
 relative to his affairs. 
 
 My mother, it seems, was considering the propriety of 
 disposing of the Lancaster estate and taking up her resi- 
 dence in more economical quarters, to which he assents 
 with the assurance of his entire confidence in her judg- 
 ment ; but offering only the following suggestion : 
 
 "I will only observe that in the choice of your future residence 
 a good school for the boys is an object of primary importance, and, 
 in my opinion, should influence your opinion even more than a good 
 physician. The man who is capublc and willing to perform the im- 
 
 ^Ci 
 
wm^l^ 
 
 168 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 portant duties of a schoolmaster, can bo expected to do it only "with 
 the encouragement of a handsome salary, and with a limited number 
 of scholars, and if his associates were those of the first respectability 
 in the town where he resides it would not escape the notice of his 
 pupils, and would be properly appreciated by them. You can have 
 but one objection to such a school, that of the expense, which must 
 not influence you, as I had rather remain an exile forever than that 
 the boys should not only have a good, but a finished education. Im- 
 pressed as I am with the great, the incalculable importance of a 
 good education, I beg of you, in making your selection, not to be in- 
 fluenced by the expense, for the man capable of taking the impor- 
 tant trust of a teacher can only be expected to discharge his duty 
 properly if handsomely paid, and the number of scholars limited." 
 
 At the time the above was written his oldest son 
 was only in his seventh year, and, of course, had hardly 
 emerged from the nursery. The suggestion of the value 
 to the pupils of a good social position for the master is 
 full of meaning, and is eminently worthy of considera-' 
 tion at this day, when it is so frequently the case that 
 refined social habits are not taken into account in se- 
 lecting a teacher, and parents feel under no obligation 
 even to make the acquaintance of those to whom they 
 intrust the education of their children. 
 
 The principal of a large public school once said to me, 
 with an evident feeling of bitterness, " If I had the 
 care of five hundred sheep or calves, the owners would 
 show more interest in my management of them than 
 the parents of these five hundred children." 
 
 The departure for Russia was delayed for ten days by 
 an easterly storm, and subsequently by head winds, so 
 that he did not deem it prudent to go to St. Peterebui-g 
 as he first intended, but stopped at Riga, and returned 
 in one month to Copenhagen, having added something 
 
JOURNAL OF A DAY. 
 
 159 
 
 to his means, though not so largely as ho would have 
 done, had he been able to carry out his original plan. 
 
 Ho remained in Copenhagen engaged in shipments of 
 wheat to England, from which, as ho says in one of his 
 letters, he realized an amount of profit which would have 
 justified his returning to America, but meantime both 
 his brothers had met with serious losses, and as they al- 
 ways regarded their interests as mutual, he continued to 
 avail himself of the opportunities which offered for ac- 
 quiring means to aid and relieve them. 
 
 As usual, besides sending a long letter by every op- 
 portunity, he writes a very long and detailed account of 
 his experiences with descriptions, discussions, and reflec- 
 tions, as if trying, in his absence from home, to supply 
 by such means the domestic pleasures he so coveted. A 
 single extract will suffice to show how his time and 
 mind were occupied. 
 
 "My disrelish for the ordinary resources of most of my country- 
 men— drinking and cards— and the habit to which I have long ad- 
 hered of acting with entire independence in the disposal of my time, 
 by not sacrificing it to others, has made it so exclusively my own 
 that a knowledge of the routine of one day will give you a general 
 idea of each. I rise at eight, breakfast immediately, and read or 
 write till one; then walk four or five miles till half -past two, when 
 I meet a party of four at the hotel to dine; after dinner, sit and chat 
 for an hour or two, take a short walk, return to my lodgings and 
 take tea at seven, read till eleven, aud then go to bed. My only de- 
 viation from these regular habits has been when I have occasionally 
 met a congenial soul who could overcome his natural indolence suf- 
 ficiently to accompany me on one of my long rambles, or would 
 leave the gay circle to pass a social evening with me in my room. 
 And here, as elsewhere, I now and then attend the public places of 
 amusement, which are tolerably good, and far better than could bo 
 expected for the very moderate expense. Indeed, I have visited no 
 
 ,'U 
 
160 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 country where the admission to places of public amusement was so 
 cheap. At an excellent weekly concert to which I am a subscriber, 
 I pay about three shillings sterling per month. In England, for a 
 concert no better, the admission for a single evening is half a guinea. 
 Admission to the theatre is proportionally moderate, but as I know 
 nothing of the language, I visit it only when there is a ballot, or an 
 opera with good music. 
 
 "I have also been to a masquerade and a public ball; but partly 
 owing to myself, and partly to the indi£ferenco of those with whom 
 I have commercial intercourse, I have made no acquaintance with 
 private society, and since my residence here have had no other din- 
 ner than such as I paid for. Shaler would scarcely be al>^ to credit 
 that, in the four months I have resided here, I have not b^ n the in- 
 side of a gentleman's house. In the few months which he and I 
 spent here, in 1801, we experienced uncommon civility; in fact, wo 
 had never met with such hospitality. The gentlemen with whom 
 we transacted our business frequently called on us, gave parties for 
 us, and took pains to introduce us to the most respectable clubs and 
 reading-rooms, but the times have dreadfully changed, and, alas ! 
 my circumstances have dreadfully c)ianged also. When I made my 
 first visit here in company with my friend Shaler, it was with no 
 inconsiderable eclat. 
 
 "Two young men who were passengers and freighters of a noble 
 ship of one thousand tons from the East Indies, with a capital of 
 seven thousand bags of coffee, accompanied by three black servants, 
 and taking the best lodgings in the city, attracted the notice of tlie 
 natives, and led us foolishly to fancy that the attentions we received 
 were due to our personal merit, unmixed with considerations of tho 
 property we represented. Knowing, as you do, the extent of my 
 misfortunes, you will not imagine that I have waited till this time 
 to be cured of such vanity, or that the difference of my reception 
 DOW and at that time has had the least effect upon my spirits. On 
 the contrary, having no disposition to mix much with the world, it 
 has afforded me matter of amusement and speculation. A commer- 
 cial house may expect to derive advantage from the civilities and at- 
 tcniicu wiiich they pay the rich man, and the latter will almost in- 
 variably attribute such attentions to his superior merit; but what 
 can induce the generality of mankind to bow so meanly at the shrino 
 
pniLosopnicAL reflections. 
 
 161 
 
 of riches, even if the possessor is a villain or a fool, I cannot con- 
 ceive; yet that it is so all the world over I am perfectly satisflod. 
 If the rich were usually generous in proportion to their riches it 
 would be accounted for, but the contrary is almost invariably the 
 case. Riches then must possess an inherent, inexpressible some- 
 thing which dazzles and attracts the mob without benefiting them, 
 and the poet says : 
 
 " ' Gold too oft, witli magic art, 
 Subdues each nobler impulse of the heart. 
 This crowns the prosperous villain with applause 
 To wljom in vain sad Merit pleads hp- cause. 
 This strews with roses life's perplexing road. 
 And leads the way to Pleasure's blest abode. 
 "With slaughtered victims fills the weeping plain, 
 And smooths i.! "^ furrows of the treacherous main.' 
 
 " With such sentiments— with a perfect conviction of the insuflS- 
 ciency of riches to procure happiness, and with wants far more 
 limited than those of the geneiality of mankind — the sacrifices I have 
 made may appear, to an indifferent observer, extraordinary and in- 
 consistent, but those who know me will not attribute them to a 
 criminal thirst of gain, or a weak ambition to be considered rich. 
 
 " The greater sacrifices I am now making, in thus becoming a vol- 
 untary exile from all that makes life desirable, being the effect of 
 dire necessity, needs nothing said in extenuation. Exile and want 
 of wealth arc relative evils; thirst, hunger, and nakedness, positive; 
 and while wc evince a proper resignation to the former, we will 
 bless our stars if in times so pregnant with calamities we are per- 
 mitted to escape the latter." 
 
 Copenhagen continued to be Lis headquarters during 
 the succeeding year of 1812, and in the summer of that 
 year news was received of the dechiration of war be- 
 tween the United States and Great Britain. 
 
 A final effort to retrieve his fortunes was defeated 
 after all apparent obstacles had been overcome, by an 
 event which marked an era in the history of Europe, in 
 
162 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 which the ruin of individual fortunes was of as littlo 
 moment as the destruction of a etraw in the vortex of 
 Niagara. 
 
 By the aid of influential men in oflBce, and after great 
 difficulty and delay, he succeeded in obtaining from 
 Paris a license for the introduction of a cargo from 
 Copenhagen into Hamburg via Kiel. The next step 
 was comparatively easy — to obtain from the Danish 
 government a license to introduce a cargo from Eng- 
 land into Copenhagen. Severe restrictions were in both 
 cases exacted as to the character of the articles compos- 
 ing the cargo, but these were complied with, the ad- 
 venture arrived safely at Copenhagen in June, and could 
 have been sold at once for a very large profit, but the 
 prospect at Hamburgh was bo much greater as to jus- 
 tify a disregard of the old maxim of '^ the bird in the 
 Land." 
 
 While engaged in the transshipment of the cargo into 
 Danish coasters, to be taken to Kiel, some malicious or 
 envious person made complaint to the government that 
 a gentleman who was associated with him in the busi- 
 ness was an English subject, and that the property ho 
 represented was English. This led to a seizure and a 
 legal investigation, the result of which was the restora- 
 tion of the property, with acknowledgment that it had 
 been unjustifiably detained. The law's delay, however, 
 had protracted the detention to such a late date, and the 
 winter set in with such severity at a much earlier date 
 than usual, that before the coasters could be despatched 
 they were fast in the ice and so remained for the winter. 
 
 The being forced to wait in idleness till spring war of 
 
RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 100 
 
 conrso, a disappointment, but there existed no cause to 
 apprehend any depreciation of the vahie of the property, 
 for up to tliat time the possibility of faihiro of any of 
 the great projects of Napoleon was not taken into ac- 
 count as a factor in a commercial enterprise. But even 
 his power was unavailing against the elements. The 
 destruction of his army in the Russian campaign of that 
 terrible winter was the death-blow of the Continental 
 system. The spring of 1813 opened with the emanci- 
 pation of Europe from the tyranny which had so long 
 oppressed it ; the ordinary channels of commerce were 
 opened ; the markets were flooded ; prices became nom- 
 inal, and it was only after long delay and at ccusiderable 
 sacrifice that the business was closed, and my father pre- 
 pared to return to the United States, as there no longer 
 existed an object for remaining abroad. 
 
 Official announcement had been made that Americans 
 landing in England from the Continent would be de- 
 tained as prisoners of war. He therefore proceeded via 
 Brussels and Paris to Bordeaux, and embarked for New 
 York, where he landed on the 1st of January, 1814, and 
 as he says in his narrative — 
 
 " It will have been seen that in the four years which had elapsed 
 since my departure from Boston in the schooner Maria for Naples 
 no efforts had been spared, no deficiency of perseverance evinced, 
 and no opportunity allowed to pass unembraced which presented 
 the prospect of bettering my fortune. 
 
 " I was once again landed on my native shore in good health and 
 with an empty purse, but buoyed above the immediate pressure of 
 disappointment by the pleasing anticipation of at least a short re- 
 pose in the bosom of my family." 
 
 No opportunity was offered for renewing his ocean 
 
 /■ f 
 

 ei!:!!ii 
 
 104 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 labor till after the treaty of Ghent and the declaration 
 of peace, except that of privateering, in which it is very 
 evident from his letters that he was desirous to engage, 
 and doubtless refrained in deference to my mother's 
 wishes. 
 
 In July, 1816, he sailed from Salem in the employ of 
 some of his friends thera in the fihip Exeter^ for Teneriffe 
 and Batr.via. This voyage occupied nearly a year, and 
 was not devoid of interesting incident, of which he gives 
 an account in his narrative, but of which I shall here no- 
 tice only certain references in his letters to matters hav- 
 ing no connection with the direct object of the voyage. 
 
 Arriving at Teneriffe on the 26th of August, he was 
 subjected to a quarantin'^ of eight days in an open road- 
 stCiwu, where ho anchored in fifty-five fathoms, and the 
 rolling of the ship was wc«6e than when at sea under 
 sail. 
 
 By the English papers sent off to him by his consignee 
 ho here received the first intelligence of the battle of 
 Waterloo, of which he says, in a letter to my mother of 
 August 28th : 
 
 "The English papers sent mo by Mr. Little afforded such nn over- 
 whelming flood of astonishing and extraordinary news as almost 
 bewildered me, and required the recalling to my mind the great 
 events that had astonished the world for two years past to persuade 
 myself that I was not dreaming. The gre."t emperor and king— he 
 ^'ho has shaken Europe to its foundations, and made almost every 
 sovereign in it bend the knee to him, V\ reduced, in the short space 
 of three years, from this tremendous, and to short-siglUod mortals 
 secure elevation, to the dreadfully humiliating dcgradaticii of flying 
 for life and surrendering himself to the captain of a lirilish ship of 
 war ! \V'hat wonderful vicissitudes has not this man witnessed I Is 
 it not astonishing that ho should not have preferred death ? 
 
 'H!|8: 
 
A CLASSICAL SCHOOL AT LANCASTER 
 
 105 
 
 "That innnkind continue to Bympathlzo in his full is, I tliink, 
 evinced by the generosity whir'- • display in making a proper 
 provision for him in so very sa ....iouh a climate us tlmt of Ht. 
 Helena. Here I should doubt if even with the assistance of his 
 friend, the D—l, ho would ever have it in his power to disturb the 
 world again. It is not improbable that ov ny return I may call and 
 SCO him." 
 
 His next letter, written at sea, Jannarj IC, 1816, con- 
 tciins tlio first allusion to a gentleman whose acquaint- 
 ance he had made during the preceding year while at 
 homo in Lancaster, and whose warm friendship ho re- 
 tained till the end of in's life. 
 
 I have hc'Ttoforo given an extract from one of ]\\b 
 letters expn .sing his wish that his sons should have the 
 best possible advantages of education. This had been a 
 prominent object in his mind during the time ho was at 
 home, and in order to secure it ho had proposed the es- 
 tablishment in Lancaster of a school of a superior order 
 to those which were then commou in the country, and 
 offered to defray whatever additional expenfo might be 
 necessary to secure the services of a classical teacher. 
 In return for this the town authorized him to select the 
 teaclier, and ho at once applied to President Kirkland, 
 of Harvard College, who was his personal friend, and 
 through his aid secured the servirjes of Jared Sparks, 
 then a young man just starting in a career which is now 
 recorded in the pnges of literary history. I shall have 
 more to say on this subject when speaking of my fa- 
 ther's life in Lancaster. I have mentioned it here only 
 in explanation of the following paragraph, which con- 
 tains further evidence of the injportanco he attached to 
 the subject of education, and his determination that no 
 
106 
 
 VOVAjG£S of a HERCUANT NAVIGATO&. 
 
 Il'i 1^ 
 
 i 
 
 efi'ort on his part should bo wanting to provide for his 
 sons tlio best means that the country afforded : 
 
 " I am not without apprehension that Mr. Sparks may not be will- 
 ing to remain longer than the first year, especially for a salary which 
 ho seemed to feel some reluctance in accepting. Whatever part of 
 this salary I may have to pay (and this depends on the number of 
 scholars) I had much rather pay it, and oven add a hundred dollars 
 to the annual amount of it, than that ho should leave. The perni- 
 cious effects to the pupils of a frequent change of masters I am so 
 well aware of that I should bo willing to make considerable sacritlces 
 to avoid it. The advantages to the boys of being educated at home, 
 compared with that of sending them away at so tender an age, is so 
 obvious and striking that I :vould make great efforts and sacrifices 
 of my own convenience to secure it. I hope, therefore, that means 
 will be found to induce Mr. Sparks to remain at least three years. I 
 feci so much the importance of laying a good foundation for educa- 
 tion, and that the means of enabling my boys to do it is as dependent 
 on mo as the supcretructurc will afterwards bo on themselves, that I 
 am not less anxious to accomplish tho one than to impress on their 
 minds a conviction of the truth of tho other." 
 
 Tho voyage to Batavia and back was completed in 
 Angust, 181G, and ho then remained at homo for nearly 
 a year, at tho end of which time, being then in his forty- 
 fourtli year, he entered npon wliat may, in some respects, 
 be considered as his most remaikablo voyage; not in- 
 deed on account of the dangers of the seas, but of tho 
 unjust and outrageous treatment to which he was sub- 
 jected at the hands of liis fellow-men, and tlic courage, 
 skill, and adroit management with which ho finally ex- 
 tricated himself and achieved a triumphant cuccess. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 1817. 
 
 Sails in tlio Ship Iknvcr from New Yorlc fof tlio West Coast of 
 Soutli America. — Seized at Talcnlumna. — Plots to Talco the Span- 
 isli Frigate F«nfl'a/«a.— -Seized willi Fever.— Is Sent to Lima in 
 tlic Brig Canton. 
 
 No opportunity offered for the prosecution of any 
 such enterprising voyages as seemed especially atfrac- 
 tivo to my father till 1817, when the news was received 
 of a revolution in Chili and that the people had enian- 
 cipated themselves from the government of Spain. 
 
 Ti.iis event, by freeing the commerce of that country 
 from tlie paralyzing restrictions to which it had hitherto 
 been subjected, seemed to offer flattering prospects to 
 those mercliants who should be first to avail themselved 
 of the opportunity. 
 
 My father's knowledge of the wants and resources 
 of the country gave him advantages which few of his 
 countrymen then possessed for undertaking a voyage 
 thither. This knowicdgo he at once proceeded to turn 
 to account by submittir.g a plan of a voyage to John 
 Jacob Astor, whoso sagacious mind was not slow to per- 
 ceive tho very great advantages it offered, though ho 
 fully appreciated tho attendant risks. 
 
 His favorite ship, tho Beaver (tho same mentioned in 
 Irving's "Astoria^'), had just been repaired at an ex- 
 
168 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 pcnsG nearly equal to that of building her anew, and 
 was then in fine condition for sneh a voyage as was pro- 
 posed. The cargo, consisting principally of European 
 manufactures to the amount of $140,000, and the ship 
 and stores, valued at $50,000 more, formed an aggregate 
 such as no other individual in the United States would 
 (or, perhaps, at that time could) have risked on such a 
 voyage. 
 
 Mr. Aster's wisdom and liberality in leaving the whole 
 management to my father's discretion was the best evi- 
 dence of the confidence reposed in him, and the only 
 exception in which my father's wishes were overruled 
 was a chief cause of the subsequent misfortunes which 
 befell them. This was the shipment of a large quantity 
 of arms and ammunition, which my father considered 
 would excite suspicion, and, perhaps, be made the pro- 
 text for confiscation. 
 
 A single paragraph of my father's narrative betrays, 
 in a few simple words, the depth of feeling he experi- 
 enced and the crowd of reflections which pressed upon 
 him at starting upon this new advcmture, so full of 
 causes, both of hope and apprehension, for the future ; 
 calling up such reminiscences of the past, such tender 
 thought of all lie was leaving, and such anxious fears of 
 the possibilities involved in the years of separation 
 which must necessarily ensue. My mother had accom- 
 panied him to New York and remained witli him till 
 liis departure, having mo, then in my third year, in her 
 company. He took leave of her, and sailed on July 1, 
 1817, on a fine day, with a fresh westerly breeze. 
 
 " Before tbo dny closed (i trial ivlth otlicr vessels bouud to the cast- 
 
VOYAGE OF TUS "BEAVER" 
 
 160 
 
 ward satisfied mc that tho ship sailed well and steered easily. Tho 
 Wittch being set, as usual, at eight o'clock, and tho course given to bo 
 steered during the night, I paced tho deck till midnight, pleased with 
 the quiet which had so suddenly succeeded tho bustle of getting 
 away, and gave to tho mind ample scope to dwell on scenes past, 
 present, and to come. 
 
 "There are few who have not experienced tho pain of bidding 
 farewell to beloved relatives, even though tho time of separation is 
 limited to a few weeks, and thence may be ablo to form some idea 
 of their feeling of desolateness and homesickness whose destiny 
 compels them to part for years, perhaps forever. Nor could tho 
 flattering confidence manifested by my employers— in the superb ship 
 under my command, tho valuable cargo consigned to me, the entiro 
 and unrestricted control of both, and tho reasonable prospect of a 
 happy result— tend to diminish tho sadness which a recurrence to homo 
 always produced. Time, however, and tho imi>erious duties of my 
 station, gradually lessened tho poignancy of those feelings, and hopo 
 —ever buoyant hope— cheered tho drooping spirits, by pointing to a 
 period, however distant, of a happy consummation of my wishes." 
 
 The voyage was tinrnarked by any event of special 
 interest. In tho hope of getting some intelligence of 
 tho state of affairs in Chili which might be of service to 
 liim, he endeavored to touch on tho coast of l^i-azil, and 
 arrived off Maldonado on tho 8th of September ; buttlio 
 Tveathc was very thick and stormy, and seeing no pros- 
 pect of clearing up, after laying to for several hours, 
 ho abandoned the attempt and proceeded on his course. 
 
 lie ncxi attempted to reach the Falkland Islands, in 
 order to replenis'i his wood and water, so as to avoid the 
 actual necessity of pnttin** into a Chilian port if he found 
 it advisable to avoid doing s«>. Before orriviog in their 
 latitude, however, a succession of violent gales carried 
 them so far to the eastward that the time » lired to 
 
 reach theip would have been unprofitably spetiL, and ho 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 
 if'; 
 
110 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 accordingly held liis course for Cape Horn, which ho 
 passed at 9 a.m. on the 27th of September, with a smooth 
 sea and a favorable breeze, to which all the light sails 
 were sot. 
 
 On the 15th of October, 1817, ho arrived at the Island 
 of Mocha, and, in the hope of getting information of 
 the political sitnation in Chili, lay off and on for several 
 hours and sent a boat ashore, which returned after hav- 
 ing found no traco of inhabitants and no animals except 
 wild horses. 
 
 As a supply of wood and water was now a matter of 
 necessity, he determined to stop at Talcahuana, presum- 
 ing that as the riglit to enter any port for such supplies 
 "vaa guaranteed by treaty, ho would have no cause to 
 apprehend ill-treatment, whichever party might bo in 
 possession. Under these impressions ho arrived next 
 morning off tho port, and while laying becalmed was 
 boarded by an officer, who told him that tho patriots 
 had possession of the place, that ho was a patriot 
 officer, that the royal flag was kept flying on the two 
 ships of war as a decoy, that the American brig Can- 
 ton was in port and was to sail for Salem in two or 
 three days, etc., all of which was false except that the 
 American brig was the Canton. 
 
 The calm continuing, ho wlas forced to let go an anch- 
 or, and soon after his vessel was boarded by another and 
 apparently a superior officer, who wore tho royal uniform, 
 and demanded the ship's papers. IIo confirmed tho 
 statements of the previous visitor, but suspicion was 
 awakened as to their truth, and, if false, the motive must 
 forebode mituhicf. It was necessary to decide at onco 
 
ARRIVAL AT TALCAUUANA. 
 
 171 
 
 what coiu*8o to adopt. The dead cahn which prevailed 
 rendered flight impossible, and, if a breeze came, the at- 
 tempt to escape would be a sufficient cause for pursuit 
 and capture by the frigate lying in plain sight, and which 
 might rr.tionally be supposed to bo the faster sailer. 
 While the calm continued, the only mode by which he 
 could bo attacked would be by boats, which he might 
 beat oif; but the attempt to do so, like the effort to 
 escape, would, in case of failure, serve as a justifiable plea 
 for confiscation. It was, moreover, obvious that if these 
 ships of war were part of the royal navy, the royalists 
 must still possess the ascendency at rca, and consequent- 
 ly that the port of Valparaiso would be blockaded, so that 
 the attempt to enter there after having forced his way 
 from here, with a royal officer on board to tell the story, 
 would result in certain disaster. On the olher hand, 
 however vexatious and annoying the conduct of the 
 government m*glit be, from the feeling of resentment 
 excited by the suspicion that he intended to traffic with 
 their enemies, it ought not to provoke him to acts which 
 would endanger the property, especially as there v/as the 
 most undeniable evidence of such necessity as lifid been 
 expressly provided for by treaty. The least of two evils, 
 therefore, seemed to be to place himself in their power 
 with the confidence of rght mspired by 1 oncF' intei tions. 
 
 Accordingly, when a bif' • ca le i jxt morning, he 
 entered the port and cui ; > anchor between the two 
 ships of war. A guard was immediately placed on board, 
 and no one was allowed to leave the ship. 
 
 Tho following letter gives an account of what fol- 
 lowed : 
 
 i: 
 
172 
 
 V0TA6ES OF A MERCHANT NAVIQATOa 
 
 "On Board tiib 'Beaver': Talcaiiuana, Nbtember 22, 1817. 
 
 "Adversity continues to assail mo witli the most unrelenting so 
 verity. You may remember tbo aversion I had that any part of my 
 cargo should be composed of arms and ammunition. You will not 
 doubt that, having them, I took all the precautions in my power that 
 the case required, but these were of no avail, and I have been led on 
 by my untoward destiny till I have fallen into the hands of a set 
 of unprincipled beings who, with some of the forms of law and a 
 mockery of justice, are proceeding to the condemnation of my val- 
 uable ship and cargo, and to the consequent consummation of my 
 ruin. ... 
 
 " As our wood and water were completely exhausted,! determined 
 to enter the first port I could in Chill, presuming that, let it be in 
 possession of either party, they could not fail to allow us to supply 
 our wants and depart peaceably. But in these reasonable expecta- 
 tions I have been sadl}*^ disappointed. There was not a port on the 
 whole coast of Chili or Peru where my arrival would have excited 
 such suspicion as here, nor one where the temptation offered by so 
 rich a ship was so unlikely to be withstood. This port was on the cast- 
 em side, in possession of the republicans; on the western (which is 
 a peninsula), by the royalists, who, having a frigate and a sloop-of-war 
 here, possessed the uncontrolled dominion of the waters. The roy- 
 alists, besieged or confined to a little point of land where they had 
 consumed all their provisions, were dependent on the precarious 
 supply which their command of the waters enabled them to pro- 
 cum clandestinely from the republican shore. 
 
 " After being so long at sea to arrive at a port where no refresh- 
 ments could 1)0 procured was of itself sufficiently unfortunate, but 
 tinH is one of the least of the evils I have suffered. 
 
 The gencml-in-chief , believing that my design was to supply his 
 enemies, and particularly^ that my arms and ammunition were in- 
 tended for this purpose, has treated me with a degree of rigor cor- 
 respondent to this belief. Upon arrival in port my ship was imme- 
 diately filled wiia an armed banditti, so ragged, so full of vermin, so 
 thievish and so uncontrollable that a residence in a den of abandoned 
 robbers could aot have been more uncomfortable. These, after re- 
 maining forty-eight hours and stealing everything that came in their 
 way, wore relieved by a captain and his company from the garrison, 
 
 la^pl 
 
THE SHIP SEIZED. 
 
 173 
 
 ^ho have behaved with more propriety, and who now continue on 
 duty on board. 
 
 "To add to the safety of these troops, not less than tlie security 
 of the ship, the sails were unbent and talccn away, and twenty of my 
 men were distributed into other Bhips, myself and officers confined 
 to the ship, and not allowed to speak with any of our countrymen 
 belonging to the Canion. This vessel, belonging to Mr. Peabody, 
 of Salem, had been here two months, and but for the specie she 
 had on board the place would undoubtedly have been surrendered 
 to the republicans, as the troops were on the eve of revolt for their 
 pay, and the appropriation of this money was all that prevented it. 
 I will not attempt to describe to you the anguish of my mind for 
 the first few days after the discovery of the efforts that my captors 
 were making to form some plea to justify a robbery already decided 
 on. This was so evident that, combined with the privations and 
 multiplied aggravations to which I was compelled to submit, exist- 
 teuce became so insupportable that I had determined to blow up the 
 ship, and waited only for an opponunity, when, like Sampson, my 
 exit should be accompanied by that of my enemies. 
 
 " While waiting for this a ray of hope presented itself, which, 
 brightening by reflection, presented to my mind a plausible plan of 
 causing to recoil on my enemies that ruin which they were prepar- 
 ing for me; but to execute this with success a combination of favor- 
 able circumstances was required, for which I am now anxiously 
 waiting. Its failure in certain death ; but as this is the only chance 
 of saving the property, I am determined on putting it in execution. 
 Having come to this decision I write this to leave with Mr. ColDn 
 for you, but from the very great uncertainty of its ever reaching you 
 it is unadvi sable to say all I wish. 
 
 "If I fail in attaining my object, the world will pronounce the 
 attempt rash and foolhardy. If I succeed, my conduct will bo as 
 decidedly condemned by one portion of my fellow men as it will be 
 approved by the other; but the opinion of the world is to me a mat- 
 ter of indiflEerence. You will find excuses for me — though you can 
 have no conception of the passion which stimulates rac to deeds of 
 desperation — not less in the unbounded love I bear you and the dear 
 children (a protracted separation from whom I cannot reconcile to 
 my mind), than in the repeated and accumulated misfortunes by 
 which I have been assailed. 
 
 jj^ 
 
174 
 
 VOTAOES OF A MEROHAMT NAYIOATOa 
 
 !■::' 
 
 "If it is destined that I should never again have tlic delight of 
 incctiug you, which God avert, my greatest solicitude is on account 
 of tlie want of means to give them such an education as I have 
 always designed." 
 
 Ho thon calmly gives her a full Btateineiit of the ro- 
 eources which will be loft to her, with advico as to tho 
 best means of turning them to account, and concludes 
 as follows : 
 
 "My resolution is fixed, and my fate will be decided in a few 
 days. Tliat tho Great Omnipotent Ruler of tho Universe may avert 
 tho danger that hangs over me, and restore me once again to my 
 beloved wife, cliildren, and friends, is the ardent prayer of your most 
 affectionate, devoted, and, perhaps from this act, undeserving hus- 
 band." 
 
 In a lettur to Mr. Astor, of tho same date as tho abovo 
 (of which I havo a copy in his letter-book), ho alludes 
 in a very guarded manner to tho above project, and 
 gives directions in regard to provision for his family in 
 case of accident to himself. I quote from his published 
 narrative tho account ho gives of tho project : 
 
 "Tho prospect of dragging on for an indefinite period the wretch- 
 ed existence I had endured since arriving at fliis port was insupport- 
 able. Mortified at tho humiliating position in which I was placed ; 
 goaded by the long train of evils which would inevitably result to 
 mo from the loss of this property, and driven to desperation by my 
 inability to perceive any prospect of a termination to such misery, I 
 viewed destruction in an elTort to free myself as an evil of less mag- 
 nitude, and therefore determined, if I could induce my men to join 
 me, to put in execution a plan which I had long meditated, and 
 which, like all revolutionary movements, would be deemed praise- 
 worthy or lawless as the result should prove successful or otherwise. 
 
 " While laying between the Spanish vessels of war, where our ship 
 was first anchored, I had a good opportunity of noticing the absence 
 of proper and ordinary discipline. During more than a month I 
 
 I'l!!!!! 
 
PLAN FOR RECOVERY OP THE SHIP. 
 
 175 
 
 p»oed tlie Bfartr'H deck every Dight— often till the middle watch 
 had nearly worn away— and observed that more than half the time 
 the M'ntries were so dcfleient in vigllanco aa to l)o hailed several 
 times before unswering. Perceiving the advantage that might result 
 if I could substitute my answer for that of the sentry on board our 
 ship, I often took the trumpet and found my ' Alerto' to bo as cur- 
 rent as that of the SpauiHh sentry. 
 
 " I noticed also that a great number of men were sent away in the 
 launches every night to guard some weak points ot the eastern ex- 
 tremity of the town. With a view of ascertaining the feasibility of 
 rendering nugatory our guard of twenty soldioi I tried the experi- 
 ment of giving them a can of grog mixed with a littlo laudanum, 
 which put them all into so profound a sleep for several hours as to 
 give us entire control of the ship— a circumstanco which was con- 
 cealed frouk lioir superiors by my ' Alerto' passing for that of the 
 proper sentry. 
 
 "With these preliminary experiences and my general knowledge 
 of the slovenly manner in which the duties of ofilccrs an<l men were 
 performed on board Spanish 8h< ^ of war, it appeared to mo tliAt if 
 a favorable opportunity presentci and my men were resolute, wo 
 might take the < onimodorc'.s ship b> a coupde-inain. 
 
 " It must he obvious that tlie carrying-oul »u cessfully the plan I 
 had formed must depend upon obtaining possesion of the fastest 
 sailing ship, which I had ascerta iicd to be the Vengan-t. Onco in 
 possession of this ship, it would not require more than two or ilirco 
 hours before we should have brougUt her to anchor in the bay of SL 
 Vincent's, which is only about two miles to windward of Talca- 
 huana. About a mi!o east of tliis bay tlio patriot army was 'en- 
 camped, the comman<^'U' of which could not fail to perreivo tbe 
 advantage which fi<rtunv! had thus thrown in his way, and would 
 lose no time in a'umlijLhv? the number of men requisite for the per- 
 formance of the varic: ' => ''': uties on board. These could b<i embarked, 
 and a return to Talcahuana effected in twelve hours from the time 
 of having left there, though it is probable a few additional hours 
 might bo required to adjust the mode of proceeding. 
 
 "A vigorous and simultaneous attack by this frit,'ate on one side 
 and by the patriot army on the other would cause tlie surrender of 
 tlic town and shipping in a very short time. I should then have 
 
 II an. 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 '- IIIIM 
 
 |50 
 
 IIIIM 
 IIM 
 |M 
 1.8 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 4^ 
 
 \ 
 
 A 
 
 ^^ 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 % 
 
 v 
 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 V 
 
 
 6^ 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
&$> 
 
 
 :%' .«j- 
 
lie 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 gained possession of the Beaver with llie principal part of her cargo 
 yet on board. But this constituted only a small part of my plan. 
 The main object, then, was to revolutionize the kingdom of Peru; 
 and to effect this purpose the way seemed to be clear, and not very 
 difficult if I could induce the Chilian general to furnish me with the 
 requisite jumber of men, which, as they were no longer wanted at 
 Talcahuana, it was presumable he would do. 
 
 " With the Venganza thus manned, and before the possibility of 
 any account of these transactions reaching the blockading squadron 
 off Valparaiso, I would proceed thither with Spanish colors flying, 
 sheer alongside the commodore's ship, the Esmeralda, before those 
 on board had any suspicion of danger, and take her, probably with- 
 out losing a man. The smaller vessels composing the blockading 
 force would then surrender without resistance. 
 
 " When I had thus been the means of placing in the power of the 
 Chilian government the whole naval force of Peru, my personal ser- 
 vices would be no longer necessary. 
 
 " Thus amid the pressure of misfortune were my spirits buoyed 
 up with the prospect of a change in my affairs, posssibly a brilliant 
 one, conducting to fame, fortune, the chastisement of my perse- 
 cutors, and, more gratifying than all, to the restoration to my em- 
 ployers of their property, with abundant advantage. 
 
 " The desperate measure, the execution of which now occupied 
 my sleeping as well as waking hours, in which the lives of myself 
 and associates, as well as those of iuaosent Spanish seamen, would 
 be jeopardized or sacrificed, I was aware would be viewed by some 
 as high-handed, lawless, and piratical; by others as a just retaliation 
 for the injuries I had suffered ; and by a greater number as favoring 
 the efforts of an oppressed people for the overthrow of a despotic 
 government, and the establishment of a liberal one in its stead, and, 
 therefore, highly commendable. 
 
 "But to perceive or feel the full force of the motives by which I 
 was actuated, it is proper to refer to some scenes in my narrative al- 
 ready detailed, such as the fruit of many years of my hard earnings 
 being swept off, and myself and family reduced to poverty, by the 
 robbery of Admiral Cochrane, sanctioned by a wicked judge of vice- 
 admiralty without a justifiable cause and in violation of the law of 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR ACTION. 
 
 177 
 
 nations; next, the treacherous, mean, and cowardly manner in -which, 
 by order of Napoleon, my vessel and cargo were stolen from mo by 
 Murat; and now without having violated any law, or deviated in 
 any degree from the tenor of the existing treaty, being again stripped 
 of my property, reduced to penury, and goaded with the prospect 
 of the long train of evils which were inevitable. Let such repeated 
 and deeply distressing wrongs be brought home to the breast of any 
 onQ, and if they be not considered sufficient to justify the measure 
 on which I had determined, they will do much towards extenuat- 
 ing it." 
 
 Having very cautiously communicated the subject of 
 his thoughts to two of the most trustworthy of his men, 
 and encouraged them by citing instances in which a few 
 determined men had overcome a greatly superior num- 
 ber simply by taking them by surprise, he found them 
 ready and willing to sustain him if he would take the 
 lead. He then told them to sound their companions as 
 opportunity offered, impressing upon them the necessity 
 of great caution. The result was as he had anticipated. 
 The men were all greatly exasperated by the treatment 
 they had received, and the loss of their wages, and were 
 ready and earnest to engage in any scheme which of- 
 fered a chance of emancipation. It only remained, 
 therefore, to make the proper arrangements and deter- 
 mine upon the time to strike the blow. 
 
 The mates of the brig Canton were both kept on 
 board the frigate, and it was, of course, a matter of im- 
 portance that they should be enlisted in tlic enterprise. 
 For this purpose my father made a visit to the commo- 
 dore, "with whom he had become familiarly acquainted, 
 and, after conversing with him for some time, took his 
 leave, and then stopped to have a chat with his country- 
 8^ 
 
 i; ' 
 
 I ( 
 
 1 1 
 
 i'\ 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 i : 
 
 I ; 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 
178 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 men on tlio deck. No one else was present but the two 
 sentries, neither of whom understood a word of English. 
 They had already heard from some of the men a rumor 
 of what was going on, and admitted the feasibility of 
 the scheme if the men could be depended on, and readi- 
 ly agreed to take part in it. 
 
 It had been observed that on Sundays, in addition' to 
 the men sent off on duty, others were allowed to go 
 ashore for amusement, and on Sunday afternoon most 
 of the oflScers also were seeking recreation away from 
 the ship. It was agreed, therefore, that Sunday after- 
 noon should be the time of attack. On Saturday after- 
 noon they met by agreement in a secluded place and 
 found they numbered fifteen, besides the two on board 
 the frigate. After designating the men to go in the 
 different boats, and giving directions as to the kind of 
 arms to be carried and how they could best be concealed, 
 my father gave them their final directions as minutely 
 as possible. Those in the CanimCa boat were ordered 
 to be sailing about near the frigate, and when they saw 
 the Beaver's boat go to the starboard side of the ship, 
 they were to go alongside on the larboard. The boats' 
 crews, mounting simultaneously on opposite sides of the 
 ship, were instantly to clear the deck of the Spaniards; 
 and at the same time those who were designated for the 
 purpose were to cast loose the fore-topsail and cut the 
 cable. The wind at that season was so invariably from 
 the south, and blowing so fresh, that the possibility of 
 its failing them was not even thought of, though it was 
 obvious that it was absolutely essential to their suc- 
 cess. 
 
THE WIND FAILS TO COME. 
 
 179 
 
 Before parting my father addressed them a few words 
 of e icouragement, based upon a full knowledge which 
 lie presumed they possessed of the hazardous nature of 
 the undertaking. He bade them remember that, once 
 embarked in it, there could be no retreat ; that victory 
 or death was the only alternative; that although the 
 chances of a glorious result and escape from the misery 
 they were suffering were very favorable if they were 
 true to each other, and behaved with spirit and determi- 
 nation, yet the least flinching by any one at the criticnl 
 moment might be the ruin of all. If, therefore, any 
 one of them felt unequal to facing the danger, he wished 
 him to avow it and withdraw while there was yet time. 
 All being resolute, they dispersed and returned to the 
 ship in different parties. 
 
 Early Sunday forenoon my father made a call upon 
 the commodore, and, after spendiug half an hour with 
 him, and promising to return in the afternoon with a 
 book he wished to borrow, he spent some time on deck 
 with the two mates, and satisfied himself by the obser- 
 vations he made that if his men were true he need have 
 little anxiety for the result. 
 
 But when he left the frigate, after eleven o'clock, the 
 south wind had not yet begun to blow. A dead calm 
 prevailed. This was very unusual, and, of course, ex- 
 cited great anxiety. Hour after hour passed by but no 
 breeze came. But it might spring up suddenly before 
 dark, and in that hope the soothing draught was admin- 
 istered to the soldiers on board the Meaver, which soon 
 had its effect, and left the crew at liberty to arm them- 
 selves and make all their preparations at leisure. It was 
 
 I f 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 if 
 
 
 i'i 
 
 I ' 
 
 t , 
 
 1.1 
 
 ( »}fi j 
 
180 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I- ' ' 
 
 tm:. 
 
 
 in vain. Day sank into night without a breath from the 
 south, and another week of suspense awaited thera. 
 
 Moral as well as physical causes had doubtless been 
 operating to produce disease, wliich for some days had 
 been making its approach. On tlie day after the in- 
 tended attack upon the frigate my father was delirious 
 with fever, and on his recovery wrote to my mother as 
 follows : 
 
 "Wben on the point of putting my plan into execution I was 
 suddenly and severely seized witli typhus fever, which came near 
 terminating my existence. For nearly a week I was unconscious 
 of all passing occurrences, and when I recovered the opportunity 
 was gone, and no alternative was left me but submission to my fate. 
 During my illness my ship and cargo were condemned, and I am 
 now waiting the establishment of the court of appeal at St. Jago. 
 But before this can take place they have got to perform the task of 
 conquering the country. 
 
 "For this purpose about five thousand men marched from here a 
 fortnight since, with a confidence of success founded on their con- 
 tempt for the enemy, and which may prove their ruin, as the pa- 
 triots possess double their number, and are ready to meet them. If 
 the latter are successful they will soon be here again, when we shall, 
 in consequence, be sent to Lima, where the business will soon be 
 settled. Not less prompt will be its termination if the royalists are 
 decidedly successful, but what we have most to dread is a protracted 
 warfare, as in this case the only apparent limit to our detention is 
 the expenditure of the proceeds of the shij^ and cargo. They have 
 already issued a decree for taking out of the ship goods to the amount 
 of $100,000. Their necessities have compelled them to take this 
 property, and I am much more apprehensive that they will not pos- 
 sess the ability to return it, than of the decision of the court of ap- 
 peal. As there is no legitimate cause for the condemnation of the 
 property, there is no doubt it must eventually be restored; but my 
 brilliant prospects are ruined, and instead of indulging the pleasing 
 idoA of passing the evening of life in ease and quiet, I am trying to 
 reconcile myself to continued toil and privation, and to bless my 
 
DEFECT OF THE ROYAL ARMY. 
 
 181 
 
 stars if, by such exertions and sacrifices, I am able to defray the ex- 
 pense of educating my boys. 
 
 *' March 30.— The army which marched from here two months 
 ago is said to have gained a brilliant victory over the patriot forces 
 of double their number, and the belief in the truth of this report is 
 so general that they are in daily expectation of hearing of the capt- 
 ure of the capital, St. Jago. There are so many letters to this effect 
 that I cculd not fail to give credit to them if experience had not 
 taught me their habitual disregard of truth. Hence I have doubts 
 and fears which time only can remove. 
 
 "May 0. — When I wrote you last the royal troops were said to 
 have gained a great and decisive victory, and it was supposed that 
 there would be no obstacle to their entering the capital. 
 
 "All the members of the civil department of the government were 
 preparing to set off for St. Jago, and I intended to accompany or 
 soon follow them for the purpose of prosecuting the appeal in the 
 tribunal that would be immediately established there, in which I had 
 the most flattering expectations of a restoration of the property. 
 
 "While all were on the tiptoe of expectation of hearing of the en- 
 try of the royal army into the capital and the consequent subjuga- 
 tion of the countrj^ who should make his appearance but the com- 
 mander-in-chief, General Ossorio, weighing at least one third less 
 than when he set out, worn down with fatigue and fear, and accom- 
 panied by half a dozen meagre soldiers — altfiost the only remnant of 
 the once formidable royal army. They were completely defeated 
 on the 5th ultimo near St. Jago, and th? second in command, Gen- 
 eral Ordonez, the man who had been the cause of my ruin, was made 
 prisoner. The scene that immediately succeeded the arrival of the 
 general was one of dismay and confusion. Horses, mules, carts, 
 wagons, and everything of the kind were put in requisition to trans- 
 port goods from Concepcion to this place. The road for two days 
 was crowded, and those who could not procure conveyances were 
 travelling on foot, some of the women carrying infants, others their 
 poultry, and driving the family hog; and such a universal panic 
 seized them that if only five hundred of the patriots had appeared 
 this place would have made no opposition. Talcahuana became im- 
 mediately even more crowded than during the siege; every shed and 
 outhouse, however miserable, was filled. The ships were prepared 
 
 
 
 
 i .{.■ 
 
182 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 for taking off the families and garrison, and everybody was occupied 
 in getting their effects on board. After a week had passed, and no 
 enemy appeared, they began to recover their senses, and even to 
 think they might defend the place. 
 
 " The prospect of a speedy termination of my business was anni- 
 hilated by this defeat. It was asserted that the Americans were 
 friendly to the patriots, and that letters had been found from Cap- 
 tain Biddle, of the United States ship Oatano, to the patriot chief, 
 expressing sympathy with their cause, so that we were looked upon 
 as enemies. We are now, therefore, in a most irksome state of sus- 
 pense. 
 
 " While one party is desirous of defending the place, in the be- 
 lief that its possession is important to the reconquest of the country, 
 the other is desirous of losing no time in embarking themselves and 
 their effects for Lima, and this from the well-founded reason of the 
 total inability of the royal party to raise a force suflScient to offer 
 even a chance of subjugating the country. If the first plan pre- 
 vails, it is impossible to conjecture when I shall be able to leave 
 here. If the second, and we proceed to Lima, a decision will soon 
 take place; and if my property is restored I shall probably proceed 
 to China, or perhaps direct to America. If not I shall take the 
 first ship that sails either for Spain or the United States. You 
 perceive, therefore, that I am entirely at a loss to know when or 
 where I am bound. 
 
 " The idea of being obliged to absent myself again and again from 
 my beloved family is productive of gloomy feelings in spite of every 
 effort to ward them off. It required the realization of all my hopes 
 in regard to this voyage to reconcile me to the absence from homo 
 which it involved ; and yet, miserable man I you have a prospect 
 of reaping only disgrace and ruin. 
 
 "Affairs, however, may yet take a turn, and prospects may 
 brighten. The Beaver is not yet sold, and only about half the car- 
 go. These may be restored to me by the tribunal of appeal, or one 
 of our frigates may arrive here and compel a restoration of the 
 whole with damages. The aggravation is so outrageous that I do 
 not see how our government can fail to take cognizance of it, and, 
 though it may be some time before the property is realized, yet I am 
 confident it will be eventually. 
 
THE "CANTON" ORDERED TO LIMA. 
 
 183 
 
 "May 7.— This morning the general sent for Mr. Coffin, of the 
 Canton, and myself, and told us he was desirous of doing justice 
 without further delay, and for this purpose had ordered the Canton 
 to be got ready to proceed to Lima, where all our papers would also 
 be sent, and where the tribunal of appeals would decide on the le- 
 gality of the proceedings towards us here. Here, then, is a ray of 
 hope for the restoration of the property, and, at any rate, a prospect 
 of relief from this distracting state of suspense. If the property is 
 restored, as one half the cargo is yet unsold, as the ship will remain 
 at Talcahuana till the decision, and as it may be difficult to get from 
 the government the amount already expended, it may yet be some 
 time before I can leave this part of the world; but if I succeed in 
 recovering the property all will end well." 
 
 The Canton was equipped for sea and departed for 
 Lima as rapidly as possible, and the relief even of a 
 change of scene, after seven months of continued priva- 
 tions, mortification, anxiety, and disgust was inexpressi- 
 bly refreshing and encouraging. 
 
 or 
 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 1818. 
 
 Letters to the Viceroy and to Mr. Astor. — Arrival at Lima. — ^Recep- 
 tion by the Viceroy. — Goes to Valparaiso on a Secret Mission. — 
 The Beaver Restored.— Captain Biddle Supplies a First Officer. 
 
 Although the authorities at Talcahuana pretended 
 that the order to go to Lima was a voluntary act on 
 their part, adopted as a measure of justice, it was in re- 
 ality the result of an order from the Viceroy of Peru, 
 elicited in response to the following letter from my fa- 
 ther, which he had sent hy the commander of a ship of 
 war. This letter, and the one which follows it to Mr. 
 Astor, from Lima, I deem of such importance, from 
 their intrinsic interest, and as illustrations of character, 
 that I give them at length. 
 
 "To his Excellency Don Joaquin de la Pezuela, Cavalier of the 
 Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, Lieutcn- 
 ant-General of the Annies, Viceroy, Governor, and Captain-Gen- 
 eral of Peru, etc.: 
 
 " Srap 'Beaver,' Talcahuana, Januai-y 28, 1818. 
 "Most excellent Sm, — While the kingdom of Chili remains in 
 so unsettled a state as to possess uo other than a military govern- 
 ment; while, by drawing its resources from that of Peru, the evi- 
 dence of its dependence on and subjection to that government is appar- 
 ent, and, moreover, while the Viceroy of Peru is commander of the 
 royal navy in these seaa, by a part of whicli my ship was first taken 
 possession of, I cannot suppose that your excellency, on being made 
 acquainted with the conduct of the men in power here towards us, 
 
LETTER TO THE VICEROY. 
 
 160 
 
 will fail to take cognizance of it, or will view with indifference the 
 citizens of a power in amity with Spain, not only denied the com- 
 mon rights of hospitality, but treated — through the machinations of 
 two or three malicious, interested, and ignorant men in oihce — with 
 a degree of rigor which would hardly be justifiable if our respective 
 nations were actually at war with each other. 
 
 " A consciousness of the integrity and legitimacy of my views, of 
 the distress by which I was compelled to enter the port, of my right 
 to do so, secured to me by treaty, and of my having violated no law 
 of this country are causes which relievo me from any feeling of ap- 
 prehension of the event of the most rigid scrutiny in a tribunal 
 composed of honest, intelligent, and honorable men, and I have 
 therefore repeatedly urged the propriety of being sent to Lima, and 
 have appealed to the decision of the tribunal there. But the men 
 who have been so ready to condemn my valuable ship and cargo 
 have other views, widely different from the dispensation of justice or 
 the benefiting of the state ; and consequently have not only refused 
 this, but, as if fearful that an order for this purpose might come 
 from Lima, or by some other means the property escape their 
 grasp, have issued a decree for taking out of the ship the amount of 
 $100,000, and acted upon it with a degree of precipitancy which 
 gives additional evidence of such apprehension. 
 
 "With a view apparently to save appearances, and as an apology 
 for a trial, some formalities have been observed, but such only as, in 
 any country where honesty is esteemed a virtue, would stamp its 
 conductors with merited infamy. 
 
 "The answers to the interrogatories were attempted to be inter- 
 preted, and the ship's papers translated, by two common sailors, 
 men without education, and who know not any one rule of grammar 
 even in their native language. 
 
 "At a period when my life was despaired of from a severe attack 
 of fever, as if to add insult and cruelty to violence and injustice, an 
 officer was sent to me with the papers relating to the proofs, in or- 
 der that I might make my defence. My total incapacity to give the 
 least attention to this was not less evident than I believe it to have 
 been gratifying to my persecutors, who, without hesitancy, named a 
 Mr. Antigas to defend my cause — a man whom I had then never 
 even seen, and the little acquaintance I have had with him since has 
 
 It 
 
 i : 
 
 
<m 
 
 186 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 noi inspired me with mucli respect for his talents or energy; but i 
 doubt not he is such a person as suited the views of the prosecuting 
 party. His acqual'.tance with the law I understand to bo very su- 
 perficial, and, moreover, that, not having a diploma, whatever efforts 
 he might make in our behalf would have had no validity. Under 
 such circumstances the issue of the trial (if such proceedings can 
 merit the name) has been such as did not require a gift of prophecy 
 to foretell. My ship and cargo have been declared a prize. 
 
 " Contrary to the accustomed usages of all nations, and as if con- 
 scious of the unfairness of the proceedings, 1 have been denied the 
 perusal of any papers relating to the process, and am yet ignorant 
 of the reasons (if they have found any) for the condemnation. If, 
 however, they are not more legitimate and well-grounded than those 
 exhibited in the decree for taking out a part of the cargo, if thero 
 js equal evidence of such glaring injustice and prostitution of forma 
 iii'tho former as in the latter, the most depraved tribunal would bo 
 ashamed not to reverse the decree of condemnation. Of the decree 
 to which I allude I enclose your excellency a copy, not only as a 
 curiosity, but as a specimen of the manner in which important con- 
 cerns are conducted here, and will waive any comments other than 
 such as are excited byiho inconsistency and contemptible hypocrisy 
 of exhibiting a show of fairness in naming the commissioners to ap- 
 praise the goods, and at the same time warning them against apprais- 
 ing them too high. The consequence has been such as was naturally 
 to be expected and was intended. The commissioners, held in awe by 
 the tenor of the decree (if not influenced by interested motives) have 
 selected the best and most valuable part of my cargo, and in many 
 instances have appraised goods at less than their first cost, and in all 
 were insensible of their enhanced value by the expense of insurance 
 and freight. 
 
 " The prospects of my voyage, even in the event of a speedy re- 
 versal of the decree, are utterly ruined, and the amount of injury I 
 have suffered will probabl}*^ remain to be discussed and settled by the 
 governments of Spain and the United States. 
 
 "Nearly four months have already elapsed since my arrival in 
 this port, and it is said to be the intention of the prosecutors that 
 my detention shall be continued till the re-esta'Ni ^ meut of the royal 
 government in St. Jago. But I cannot help ii>' ..■ring myself that 
 
LETTER TO MR. ASTOR. 
 
 18T 
 
 your excellency, reflecting on the precariousncfs of the event of 
 war, will detcrraino to despatch a conditional order for our proceed- 
 ing to Lima, in the event of the rcconquest of ih'.z kingdom not hc- 
 ing accomplished within a limited time. 
 
 " In this rational hope, which seems to afford the only prospect of 
 terminating the wretched state of suspense and persecution, I suh- 
 scribo myself, with the most profound respect, etc., etc. 
 
 "R. J. Cleveland." 
 
 '■ Lima, July 25, 181S. 
 
 " JoiiN Jacob Astoh, Esq.,— At a period when it is obvious that 
 the most important consequences may result from a speedy com- 
 munication between this government and Talcahuana, they are sel- 
 dom able to accomplish it in a more limited time than three months. 
 The order for my proceeding to Lima was communicated to mo 
 on the 7th of May, immediately after its arrival, and, I have since 
 learned, was the effect produced by my letter to the viceroy of the 
 28th of January. He ordered the Beaver to be sent hero at the same 
 time, but General Ossorio, being apprehensive that ho might be 
 obliged to evacuate the place, detained her for the purpose of assist- 
 ing in bringing away the garrison and inhabitants. This order has 
 been reiterated by a ship wliich was despatched by this government 
 and sailed on the 28d of June, and which ship is destined to supply 
 the place of the Beaver. 
 
 " I arrived here on the 28th of May with the ship's papers and all 
 the documents relative to the process, and lost no time in waiting 
 upon the viceroy in company with Mr. CofBn, the supercargo of the 
 Ca7iton. 
 
 "Our interview was short. The viceroy accused the Americans 
 and English of promoting and encouraging the rebellion by furnish- 
 ing arms and ammunition, of contravening the laws by introducing 
 merchandise into the country, and carrying away the specie, without 
 paying a duty on the export or import, and generally of seriously 
 injuring the commerce and prosperity of the country. But, never- 
 theless (he added), we might rely on his protection while here, and 
 that justice should be administered to us. Without waiting for a 
 reply he abruptly left us. 
 
 " Some weeks elapsed before it could be decided whether the cause 
 
 )\ 
 
 I" 
 ii 
 
 l! 
 
 i \' ■ 
 
m 
 
 Wi 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 s'aould be tried by the royal hacienda, or by the marine, but Tvas 
 linally determined for the latter. In the meantime the papers had 
 undergone a scrutiny by the general as well as the assessor (or at- 
 torney) of the marine. The former assured us, as his private opin- 
 ion, that there was no cause for condemnation, and that the vessels 
 and property must be restored to their original owners. The latter 
 has expressed the same opinion to an acquaintance of mine, who 
 communicated it to me. On the 28th ult. the Ontario returned from 
 Valparaiso, and brought as passenger a Mr. Robinson, vested with 
 powers from Mr, Provost to prosecute the suit of the Beaver and 
 Canton, and provided with some collateral evidence in favor of the 
 former. On his being presented and making known the object of 
 his visit, the viceroy assured him that the business was in proper 
 train and should be accomplished as soon as possible, that the con- 
 duct of the government of Talcahuana with regard to those vessels 
 was very reprehensible, and that he had annulled all their proceed- 
 ings. I am induced to believe, therefore, that there is little doubt of 
 a favorable result here, and an immediate restoration of the vessels. 
 But as it respects the property already expended, the poverty of this 
 government is such that its immediate restoration is out of the ques- 
 tion. Indeed, Mr. Provost was so satisfied of this that in his instruc- 
 tions to Mr. Robinson he recommended him (on reversal of the sen- 
 tence) to get an acknowledgment of the debt, but not to urge its 
 payment. However politic this advice may be, I shall not be gov- 
 erned by it, but, on the contrary, will leave no means unattempled 
 which offer the least prospect of attaining this desirable end. The 
 mission of Messrs. Provost and Robinson may have had a beneficial 
 influence on our affairs, inasmucn as it evinces a watchfulness and de- 
 termination on the part of our government to protect the commerce 
 of its citizens; but I am fully convinced that, with this government, 
 one such vessel as the Ontario is of more utility than a host of ne- 
 gotiators, nor do I believe that the united powers of a Demosthenes 
 and a Cicero, with truth and justice on their side, would be in any 
 degree so efl3cacious as the silent eloquence of one of our formidable 
 frigates. 
 
 "I had scarcely accomplished delivering the cargo of the Beaver 
 at Talcahuana, when the news of the destruction of the royal army 
 threw everything into confusion and suspended the settlement of the 
 
 z^ 
 
LETTER TO MR. ASTOR. 
 
 189 
 
 business ■with the commissioners. They had at this time appraised 
 to the amount of about $188,000, and the goods remaining unap- 
 praised I suppose to be worth $30,000 more. 
 
 " When General Ossorio ordered them to pay into the treasury the 
 amount of sales they had made, and to have the goods which re- 
 mained on hand transported from Concepcion ilcahuana, it was 
 discovered that nearly one half of the cargo was yet unsold. It is 
 not improbable that the general will appropriate as much of this as 
 he can convert into cash, and the remainder will come here in the 
 Beaver. If he should not have been able to eflfect a sale of these 
 goods, and they are sent here, I hope to recover and realize an amount 
 from them which will enable me to employ the ship advantageous- 
 ly. My views now are on reversal of the sentence of Talcahuana, 
 to get possession of the ship and as much of the property as I can 
 without delay. The aggregate amount of principal and damages 
 will be about $300,000, of which I may get from the cargo remain- 
 ing on hand $100,000, leaving $200,000 due from the government, 
 
 "As there is no probability of their possessing the means of pay- 
 ing this directly, I shall propose to them to grant me some privileges 
 for the introduction of cargoes, the duties on which to go towards 
 cancelling the debt. At the present time a handsome voyage might 
 be made to Valparaiso and back, but it is probable that before I am 
 put in possession of my ship advantage will be taken of it by others 
 and the business rendered not worth pursuing. In this case I shall 
 try to get a license for the introduction of a cargo from China, on the 
 presumption that here and at Canton I may be able to get from five 
 to seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars shipped on a propor- 
 tion of the profits, which profits, combined with the duties on so 
 large an amount, would furnish a capital to invest in China for the 
 United States equal to the original exportations; but as this voyage 
 would meet with powerful opposition from the Philippine Co., its 
 being granted is very problematical. In the event of failure in this, 
 there can be no opposition to a cargo from the United States, and as 
 there exists no prospect of recovering the debt except by an opera- 
 tion of this kind, not a moment should be lost in putting it in ex- 
 ecutiou. I should, therefore, proceed immediately to Guayaquil, 
 load my ship with cocoa, and sail direct for New York. 
 
 "You will perceive, sir, that I am anxious to adopt that plan 
 
 ■| I 
 
 (- i 
 
 U . 
 
 - 
 
 I i 
 
 i 
 
 
 't 
 
 H* 
 
190 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 which presents a prospect of the- most speedy accomplishment, not 
 alone from a conviction that despatch is the life of business, but hav- 
 ing in view that a political change here may annihilate the advan- 
 tage of our exclusive privilege; for notwithstanding I perceive no 
 immediate prospect of such change, yet there is no misfortune which 
 may occur which I ought not to take into consideration. 
 
 "After all the flattering inferences I have drawn from the conduct 
 and observation of the ruling men of this country (I mean Lima) re- 
 lating to us, it must not be forgotten that dissimulation, deceit, ly- 
 ing, and theft, with the combination of vices incident to excessive 
 ignorance, bigotry, and superstition, are, with few exceptions, not 
 less the characteristics of the higher than of the lower classes of 
 society, and that if any evidence of the observance of the rule of 
 justice is shown us, it will proceed alone from the apprehension of 
 the mischief that may result from a contrary course. 
 
 "I have now, sir, given you a general idea of the state of your 
 affairs under my charge, and have been willing to incur the risk of 
 being considered tedious, rather than that of being deficient in con- 
 veying to you all the information of which I am desirous you !:;uuuld 
 be possessed, and while I acknowledge that my mind continues to 
 be unceasingly agitated with alternate hope and fear, I nevertheless 
 flatter myself that my next will be more decisive and satisfactory. 
 
 "August 1. — Since writing the preceding Mr. Provost has 
 touched here (in the Blossom, English sloop-of-war) on his way to 
 Columbia River for a purpose which you arc doubtless better ac- 
 quainted with than I am. Previous to his arrival I had determined 
 to go to Valparaiso with the view of making arrangements with the 
 government there for those advantages which the peculiar situa- 
 tion of ray ship leads me to believe will be exclusively mine. His 
 opinion coincided with mine in the propriety of this step, particu- 
 larly as my presence here would not accelerate the decision of our 
 process, and also as, in case of any accident to myself, Mr. Eobinson 
 was here to attend to the business and fill my place. I shall sail to- 
 morrow in the Englisll frigate Andrornaclie, Captain Sheriffe, who 
 has politely offered rue a passage. 
 
 "The public exigencies are such here that, for several days past, 
 the question of opening the port to foreigners has been agitated with 
 a degree of warmth corresponding to its importance, and the jarring 
 
A SECRET MISSION. 
 
 191 
 
 interests such a measure must necessarily create. It lias been averted 
 for the moment by the holders of goods contracting to loan the gov- 
 ernment the amount of which they are in immediate want, but, as 
 this mode of supply will doubtless be discovered to be precarious, it 
 is highly probable that before the expiration of six months they 
 will be compelled to admit foreign ships. In this event it is proba- 
 ble that a competition, similar to that which has been exhibited in 
 Chill, will take place here, and with similar effect. One or two 
 good voyages may be made and many bad ones; indeed, the supply of 
 manufactures which will be immediately thrown in here from Chili 
 will be such as to make a speculation from the United States ex- 
 tremely hazardous. 
 
 " It is possible that before the order for the Beaver^s coming hero 
 can be executed at Talcahuana, that place may have surrendered to 
 the republicans, in which case I may find the ship at Valparaiso, 
 ready to be delivered to me in conformity with the promise made by 
 that government to Mr, Provost. If the place should not have fallen 
 the ship will soon be here, and there is every reason to believe she 
 will be restored to me, together with as much of the cargo as shall 
 then remain unsold. 
 
 "The bearer of this (Mr. Reynard) is as well informed of tho 
 probable result of my affairs here as I am myself, and I, therefore, 
 refer you to him for such information as may have escaped me on 
 this subject, and likewise for such on another subject as prudence 
 forbids my descanting upon at the present juncture." 
 
 The allusion at the conclusion of this letter has refer- 
 ence to a delicate errand involving no inconsiderahle 
 personal risk. His ostensible object in going to Valpa- 
 raiso was to make a shipment of wheat to Lima, on which 
 he perceived an opportunity for large profits, tho neces- 
 sary capital for which was furnished by a rich mercan- 
 tile hor»so in Lima. But in addition to this he had an 
 ulterior object which afforded the best possible evidence 
 of the confidence reposed in him by the viceroy. He 
 was, in fact, sent by him on a secret mission, and tho 
 
 
192 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 license to ship wheat to Lima was given him, not only 
 as a compensation, bnt as a blind to cover the real object 
 of his visit to Valparaiso. The patriot government of 
 Chili was negotiating for the purchase of a sixty-four- 
 gnn ship belonging to the East India Company, and then 
 lying in that port ; but at the last accounts they had 
 been unable to comply with the terms demanded. In 
 order, if possible, to prevent the consummation of the 
 bargain, my father was authorized by the viceroy to 
 endeavor to make a secret purchase of her for account 
 of the Spanish government. Ho took passage in the 
 British frigate Andromache^ provided with the necessary 
 authority for making the negotiation, but found on ar- 
 riving at Valparaiso that the Chilians had already con- 
 summated the purchase and were in possession of the 
 sliip. 
 
 Some considerable time elapsed before he could se- 
 cure a vessel to take a return cargo to Lima, and various 
 causes delayed her departure, so that it was late in Octo- 
 ber before he arrived there. 
 
 The following letter to Mr. Astor, from Valparaiso, 
 shows how fully his mind was occupied with devising 
 means to retrieve the misfortunes he had encountered. 
 It will be seen by the explanation given in this letter 
 that he had been restrained from writing by the same 
 prudential reasons which affected him at Calcutta. 
 
 " Valpakaibo, September 1, 1818. 
 
 " John Jacob Astor, Esq.,— At the date of my last I was on the 
 
 point of leaving Lima for this place on a mission which had for its 
 
 object the restoration of your ship and cargo. Whether a partial 
 
 accomplishment of it will tend to this effect time only can deter- 
 
CAPTAIN BIDDLE AT CALLAO. 
 
 193 
 
 mine. I had, however, such assurances of her restoration that I 
 shall feel justified in being at the expense of taking with mc to Lima 
 two mates, if I can engage here such as will suit me. . . . 
 
 " I shall leave this in about three weeks for Lima, where I hope 
 to ilr.d the cause decided favorably and the Beaver arrived and at 
 my 'lisposal. In this case, if the government do not pay me, I shall 
 endeavor to get permission for the introduction of a large cargo from 
 China, the duties on which to be appropriated to this purpose ; or, 
 failing in this, I may possibly obtain sufficient to lade the ship with 
 cocoa for your account for Europe or the United States; or I may be 
 able to employ her advantageously for a few months between Lima 
 and this port. In the adoption of either of these or any other plan 
 I shall be influenced only by the desire of doing that which shall 
 afford the fairest prospect of promoting your interest. Amid the 
 perplexities and misfortunes which attend me I derive consolation 
 from the reflection that I have afforded the royal government not 
 even the shadow of cause for condemning the property; that it 
 must therefore be restored; and that if the period of its recovery 
 should yet be distant, it will, nevertheless, turn out more advan- 
 tageously to you than to have arrived ^fe at this port. 
 
 ' ' The Packet, of Boston, is now here, having disposed of only about 
 half her cargo, and at little or no advance on its cost, and generally 
 the speculations here will eventuate unprofitably." 
 
 h 
 
 
 On arriving at Callao he found that Captain Biddle, 
 of the United States ship Ontario, had been earnestly 
 urging the release of the Beaver, by representing to 
 the viceroy that her seizure was regarded by the 
 United States government as a very serious cause of 
 complaint. Of these efforts on the part of Captain 
 BiddJe my father says, in his narrative : 
 
 "These representations doubtless had an effect in hastening the 
 business, but the restoration of the ship and what remained of her 
 cargo were acts entirely independent of these efforts, and are of a 
 description which prudential reasons prevent being made public." 
 
 
194 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 m. 
 
 This has reference to the secret mission on which he 
 had been employed, and which it would have been dis- 
 courteous to have published while the viceroy, Don 
 Joaquin de la Pezuela, was still living. 
 
 The character of the viceroy seemed indeed to form 
 a striking contrast with that of most of the Spanish 
 oflBcials whom he had encountered. He appreciated the 
 frankness and honesty as well as the energy and busi- 
 ness capacity of my father's character, and not only gave 
 liim marked proofs of his confidence at that time, but, 
 years afterwards, when he accidentally met him at Ma- 
 drid, ho manifested his friendly remembrance by the 
 kindest acts of hospitality. 
 
 His first letter from Lima after his return, dated 
 November 30, 1818, announces the reversal of the de- 
 cree of Talcahuana and the restoration of the ship. 
 
 "Thus, my dear wife, after having been deprived of my com- 
 mand of the Beaver for thirteen months, I am again reinstated. 
 But what a contrast between the ship I left and the one restored 
 to me ! It will require an outlay of at least five thousand dol- 
 lars to put the ship in as good a state as when I left her, and if 
 the labor were to be performed by the common seamen picked up 
 here it would be an excessively tedious job; but fortunately Cap- 
 tain Sheriffe, of the English frigate Andromache, is equally disposed 
 with Captain Biddle to render me every assistance, and as ' many 
 hands make light work,' I shall soon have my ship put in good order 
 again by men from these vessels of war. Although this govern- 
 ment is not able to return me the amount of the cargo, the decision 
 is highly important to all concerned, inasmuch as it must exonerate 
 me from or nsure, and will afford us a just claim for the most ample 
 damages. 
 
 *' The satisfaction naturally arising from this event is nearly coun- 
 terbalanced by the reflection that it must retard rather than accele- 
 rate my return. The government has no means of cancelling their 
 
DAWNING HOPE. 
 
 100 
 
 debt to me except that of a privilege for the introduction of a cargo 
 here, the duties on which to be appropriated to this purpose. Hence 
 the necessity of an operation -which must add another year to my 
 already long absence; but imperious duty demands this sacrifice, 
 and in making it I become reconciled, from the prospect it affords of 
 doing away with the necessity for any future separation. God grant 
 that no untoward event may occur to blast this prospect, to annihi- 
 late this cheering hope, which has tended to buoy mo up amidst 
 the multiplicity of ills by which I have been threatened to be en- 
 gulfed. . . . 
 
 *' I meet with general congratulations on the restoration of my 
 ship by those who suppose it to be a great piece of good fortune; 
 but unless some privilege is granted us it is directly the reverse, in- 
 asmuch as my emolument was to be derived from the cargo, without 
 which the ship is only an embarrassment, unless accompanied by 
 some special license. 
 
 " A petition for a voyage to China and back here, with a proposal 
 that the duties thereon shall be appropriated to the payment of our 
 claims, is now before the government; but as the viceroy is timid, 
 and we have the whole weight of the Philippine Company against 
 us, I do not flatter myself with success. Failing in this, there seems 
 to be no other alternative than applying to the court of Spain— the 
 fountain - head of prevarication, evasion, and dissimulation — and 
 where the chance of success is in an exact ratio with their appre- 
 hension of consequences. In this event I shall endeavor to lade my 
 ship with cocoa and proceed to Gibraltar, where I may probably 
 arrive in June, and be with you in the autumn of 1819. 
 
 " How does my heart leap with joy at the idea of being again at 
 home! How does my imagination trace the expressive countenance 
 of each individual of the dear circle 1 How naturally and recip- 
 rocally will the observations of the ravages of time and care be 
 called forth 1 And how earnestly will my dear boys desire a relation 
 of the adventures of their poor, old, careworn father." 
 
 I cannot repeat the many interesting details which 
 my father gives in his narrative of his experiences after 
 the restoration of the ship in endeavoring to retrieve his 
 own fortunes, and also to make good the losses which 
 
 ! : 
 
196 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 had fallen upon the underwriters, to whom the ship had 
 been long since abandoned. But in order that their 
 action on his return should appear in its true light it 
 is proper to give a general outline of what he accom- 
 plished. 
 
 A leading merchant of Lima, presuming that he would 
 adopt tho usual shorthand course of selling the ship at 
 auction for the benefit of the underwriters, proposed to 
 him to buy her in for joint account, and employ her in 
 freighting on the coast — his famishing the capital being 
 considered an equivalent to my father's services in com- 
 manding the ship, and the profits to be shared equally. 
 This course would have been legally justifiable, and in 
 accordance with common custom, and there was no 
 doubt would lead directly to fortune. But the proposal 
 was at once declined, and solely from the sense of moral 
 obligation to those who had suffered loss of property 
 which was undei his care, and the feeling that if the 
 ship could be advantageously employed it should be for 
 their account. 
 
 The first great diflSculty was to find seamen. The 
 original crew of the Beaver was long since dispersed, 
 and many of them had entered the Chilian service. 
 Captain Biddle, who had exhibited a very warm and 
 friendly interest throughout his connection with the af- 
 fair, rendered finally a most important service by grant- 
 ing permission to one of his midshipmen to take the po- 
 sition of first mate. This was Mr. Alexander B. Pink- 
 ham, a most active, efficient, and intelligent officer. His 
 services proved of very great value on more than one 
 trying occasion, and he remained to the day of his death 
 
LETTER FROM LIEUT. PINKHAM. 
 
 19V 
 
 BO warm and true a friend of my father's that I am 
 tempted to pay a tribute to his memory by quoting a 
 portion of a letter which my father received from him, 
 in acknowledgment of a copy of his published narra- 
 tive, more than twenty years after these occurrences. 
 
 The tone in which ho alludes to them is no less hon- 
 orable to himself, in the evidence of character it affords, 
 than complimentary to the one he addresses : 
 
 Portsmouth, Va., May 29, 1842. 
 •* R. J. Cleveland, Esq. : 
 
 *'My Dear Sir,— The author of "Gil Bias" shrewdly reflected 
 that his book would be read by two classes of persons, whom he in- 
 geniously described in the prefatory talc of the two students. 
 
 " I think I may make three classes of your readers. The young 
 commercial adventurer will find it a useful monitor from which ho 
 will learn how much may be done by pursuing an honorable course 
 with industry and perseverance. To those whom age or infirmity 
 have compelled to retire from the more stirring scenes of life it will 
 be highly entertaining, while the fireside traveller will envy you the 
 happiness of having visited so many different countries, and will 
 judge from the easy and smooth manner in which you have detailed 
 your adventures that their achievement must have been less difiScult 
 than you pretend, like the reverend doctors who thought it strange 
 that the achievement of Columbus should be thought so great a 
 matter. 
 
 "It is amusing to me to revert to what my impressions were of 
 you the first time I saw you. To have supposed you had ever met 
 with any adventures, either by sea or land, would have been farthest 
 from my thoughts. That you might have led a life of industry and 
 application to business was probable enough, and that you were 
 familiar with accounts and business forms. I was not undeceived 
 for several months, but when the time came for active exertions, our 
 first movement (upon the attack of the Chilian fleet), and subsequent- 
 ly on our voyage to Pisco, and during our short stay there, showed 
 me that I had mistaken my man. 
 
 " The year that I served in the Beaver was full of the most pleas- 
 
198 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ing excitement. The pecuniary prospects of the voyages, the gen- 
 tlemanly treatment I received from you, the elegant and comfort- 
 able ship, the handsome style in which we lived, the liberal provision 
 you made for everything as far as elegancies, comforts, and conven- 
 iences were procurable; your excellent discipline with regard to of- 
 ficers and men, accompanied with the most magnanimous generosity 
 to all, your resolution and firmness under danger, whether from with- 
 out or from internal commotion, inspired such an attachment for 
 you as I have never felt for any other commander." 
 
m- 
 rt- 
 on 
 m- 
 of- 
 
 ity 
 
 th- 
 for 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 1819, 1820. 
 
 Operations on the Coast of Peru.— Proclamation of Blockade, "which 
 he Sets at Defiance with Entire Success.— Satisfaction of tlio 
 Viceroy. — Sails for Rio Janeiro. 
 
 At length, by permission of tlio viceroy, a crew was 
 made up of captives who had been taken from Chilian 
 ships and imprisoned at Callao. These prisoners were 
 of all nations, but principally English and Americans. 
 No sooner did they learn that my father had an order 
 for the release of fifteen of their number than the anx- 
 iety of every one to be included among the fortunate 
 ones was so great as to make the task of selection very 
 painful, and, at the risk of not getting the best men, 
 he finally deputed the duty to the jailor. On the 28th of 
 February an exciting occurrence took place in the har- 
 bor, which afforded evidence of the danger he incurred, 
 from the shipment of such a crew. 
 
 The viceroy had selected this day for his annual visit 
 to the fleet and line of defence. As is often the case at 
 that season, a dense fog prevailed, and while the viceroy 
 was making the circuit of the bay on board the brig 
 Maijpo, the mist lifted for a few moments and revealed 
 the presence of two Chilian ships of war, which had 
 quietly made their way in, and were within half cannon- 
 shot of the castle, and in close proximity to the Maipo, 
 
200 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCII \ TT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 wlioGO rotroat was near beino; cut off. A lively cannon- 
 ado was at onco opened by both parties, and a few min- 
 utes later, when the fog again closed down, it became 
 evident that they were firing at random, as several shot 
 passed between the masts of the Beaver^ and were strik- 
 ing the water both insido and out of where she lay. 
 Fearing that the ship might sustain injury, the cables 
 were slipped and all sail made to get out of the way. 
 A few minutes later they found themselves close along- 
 side another Chilian ship of sixty-four guns, and as 
 friend could not be distinguished from foe in the dense 
 fog, they came near having a whole broadside poured 
 into them. Every man was at his station with lighted 
 matches, and only waiting the order to fire, when the 
 mistake was discovered. While speaking her, five of 
 his men jumped overboard and were picked up by a 
 boat from the ship of war. 
 
 No result of any importance was achieved by this at- 
 tack. After exchanging shots for half an hour, the 
 Chilian ships withdrew without capturing a single Span- 
 ish vessel, and came to anchor near the island of San 
 Lorenzo. The Beaver returned to her anchorage, but 
 the men manifested a mutinous spirit and showed so 
 plainly their wish to desert to their countrymen that it 
 became evident that vigorous measures of prevention 
 must be adopted. The boats w^ere, therefore, securely 
 fastened, the officers armed themselves, and the men 
 were told that instant death would be the portion of 
 any one who attempted to desert. 
 
 Meantime the commander of the Chilian navy, Lord 
 Cochrane (a nephew of Sir Hugh Cochrane, who sent 
 
^jtm. 
 
 
 DEFIES TBE BLOOCADE. 
 
 201 
 
 my father into Tortola) had issued a proclamation of 
 blockade of the whole coast of Peru from its southern 
 extremity to Guayaquil. The utter incompetency of 
 the Cliilian navy to enforce a legal blockade of even an 
 eighth part of this great extent of coast rendered it ob- 
 vious that the proclamation was only intended as an 
 apology for the robbery of neutrals. As the govern- 
 ment of the United States had declared and maintained 
 its disregard of the paper blockades of England and 
 France, there was no reason to doubt that the same 
 principle would apply to this case, and my father deter- 
 mined to set it. at defiance, trusting to being sustained 
 by his government, and feeling confident also that Chili 
 w^ould be very cautious of committiiig any outrage at 
 the risk of offending her best friend. This decision was 
 in opposition to that of all the other neutral agents, and 
 the Beaver was the only one of the twelve neutral ves- 
 sels then lying in the port of Callao whose destination 
 was not defeated and prospects ruined by this proclama- 
 tion. 
 
 I quote the following from my father's published ac- 
 count : 
 
 ' i (1 
 
 "Being all prepared to sail on the 8tli of March, I went on board 
 the O'Higgins frigate to demand my men who had deserted, but 
 with no expectation that they would be restoreu. 
 
 "When I made known the object of my visit to the captain, an 
 Englishman named Foster, he not only peremptorily refused to give 
 them up, but insolently expressed his regret that more of them had 
 not deserted. 
 
 "As I was leaving his ship he tauntingly held up the proclama- 
 tion of blockade, and bid me beware of the consequences. I re- 
 plied that I was as well acquainted with my business as he was with 
 9* 
 
 
 n- • 
 
202 
 
 VOYAGES OP A JiERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 his, and, therefore, the caution, or threat, was unnecessary and mis- 
 placed. 
 
 " I next went on board the Lautaro to see Captain Guise, with 
 whom I l)ecame acquainted at Valparaiso. The friendly and polite 
 reception I met with from this gentleman formed a striking con- 
 trast to that of Captain Foster, and presented a remarkable instance 
 of the different conduct under the same circumstances of officers 
 of the same grade, one of whom had been reared and educatea in 
 polished society, and the other among the low and vulgar. 
 
 " Ca;^*ain Guise expressed regret that their present want of men 
 was such that no influence he could use with Lord Cochrane would 
 be of any avail. 
 
 " In speaking of the proclamation of blockade, I did not fail to 
 express my opinion that the United States would support me in not 
 consideriDg thoac ports blockaded before which there was no naval 
 force, and that I had determined to act in conformity with that 
 opinion, which he seemed to consJd * a correct one. 
 
 "On returning to the Beaver without the men, I perceived a gen- 
 eral manifestation of c?nlike among the crew to go to sea with so 
 many short of our com bment; but there was no possibility of pro- 
 curing others, and delay would be more likely to change the aspect 
 of affairs for the worse than the better. I therefore called all hands 
 aft; represented to them the easy and short voyage we had to per- 
 form; that the numbers now on board were an ample complement 
 for any voyage on this coast; that I had engaged an extra number 
 originally in order to make the greater despatch in lading the ship, 
 but that, nevertheless, if they would go to work cheerfully, I would 
 engage to divide among them the wages of the five men who had 
 deserted, until I could ship others in their stead. This had the de- 
 sired effect. They went with alacrity to the windlass, hove up t'o 
 anchor, made sail, and ut 4 p.m. I was once again on the broad ocean 
 in uncontrolled command of the Beaver. 
 
 "More than two years had elapsed since the seizure of the ship 
 at Talcahuana, and during that time I had experienced nothing but 
 a continued series of vexations, altercations, and the most prolonged 
 and aggravating state cf suspense. The freedom from thraldom, 
 therefore, which I now expciienceu, was at first difficult to believe, 
 and many days passed before I possessed an entire consciousness of 
 having regained the power of independent action." 
 
T 
 
 MUTINY. 
 
 203 
 
 On the fourth day they arrived at Pisco, where the 
 governor, after examining the viceroy's licensCj gave 
 him an hospitable reception. Here they were to take on 
 board a quantity of brandy, which was a slow and diffi- 
 cult undertaking, as it was contained in jars of twenty 
 gallons and was sent off in launches and had to be hoist- 
 ed over the ship's sides in an open roadstead at the in.- 
 minent risk of breaking, from the rolling of the ship. 
 The knowledge possessed by the crew of the unusual 
 value of every man, owing to their feeble number, and 
 the impossibility of supplying the loss should any one 
 desert, led them to presume upon attempting a measure 
 which would have subverted all discipline and endan- 
 gered the safety of ship and cargo. This was the 
 bringing on board a jar of brandy to be held in their 
 own possession. My father was on shore at the time, 
 but Mr. Pinkham, seeing the man with it, very judicious- 
 ly tried to persuade him to give it up, promising it 
 should be dealt out to them in proper rations. This 
 they would not submit to, and swore they would do as 
 they pleased with their own liquor. Perceiving remon- 
 strance to be in vain, Mr. Pinkham very properly 
 knocked the jar out of the fellow's hands, wliich broke 
 it and spilled all the brandy. 
 
 "The Tnost abusive language then followed and the mutiny be- 
 came general. In the evening I received a note by one of the shore 
 boats, detailing these transactions and the continued insubordination 
 of the crew. It was too late to go on board that evening, and I had 
 consequently time to resolve in my mind the most prudent and 
 judicious mode of proceeding. I was offered a file of soldiers, to 
 take as many of the me", on shore as I chose and have them whipped; 
 but though this could easily be done, it would only tend to increase 
 
 
 il 
 
wamm 
 
 ' 
 
 204 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 the difficulty when we should be beyond the reach of such aid. It 
 wa8 obvious that, to secure any further services from these men, they 
 must be 8ul)dued by the efforts of myself and officers alone, and cost 
 what it might, I determined to try the issue, and convince them that 
 there could be but one master to the Beaver. Accordingly, on going 
 on board and finding my officers ready to second me (all work on 
 board continuini^f to be suspended), we determined that seizing up 
 the ringleader to the shrouds and giving him a good whipping be- 
 fore the whole crew would be the readiest and best way of settling 
 the difficulty. But if the men made the resistance that was appre- 
 hended, the attempt might be attended with serious consequences. 
 
 "Having loaded our pistols and prepared the requisite seizings, I 
 called the ringleader, by name, to come aft, which he readily obeyed, 
 no doubt with the expectation of being supported by his comrades. I 
 asked him how he had dared to speak to the officer of the ship in the 
 insolent nianner he had done ? He replied that the officer had broken 
 his jar of brandy, and he'd be damned if he or any one else should 
 do any more work until it was made up to him. I then turned to 
 the mates and told them to seize him up to the rigging, whereupon 
 the crew, who had been watching us from the forecastle, began mov, 
 ing aft in a body. I, therefore, immediately took a pistol in each 
 hand, and meeting them half-way, leisurely laid a rope across the 
 deck, rnd threatened with instant death any man who should dare 
 to crosj it. This had the desired effect. No one had the lemerity 
 to try me. The fellow was whipped till he begged for mercy and 
 promised never to behave amiss again; and, indeed, he was ever af- 
 ter an orderly, good man. With my pistols still in hand, 1 then 
 went forward and peremptorily ordered the men to their duty on 
 pain of like punishment to any one who refused. I allowed them 
 no time for consultation, but calling them by name, ordered them 
 immediately on various parts of ship's duty. Not one of them 
 saw fit even to hesitate, and they were ever after as orderly a crew 
 OS I coul'" desire. 
 
 " Having now passed a week at Pisco, and taken on board six hun- 
 dred jars of brandy and wine, we sailed for Quanchaca, and thus 
 demonstrated that this part of the coast was noi in a state of block- 
 ade in the true and legitimate acceptance of that term." 
 
' 
 
 RETURN TO CALLAO. 
 
 205 
 
 At Guanolmca the question was put at final rest by 
 an actual meeting with a Chilian brig of war, which sent 
 a boat on board with a request that the captain of the 
 Beaver would come on board with his papers. 
 
 After half an hour's conversation with Captain Spry 
 (with whom lie had become acquainted at Valparaiso), 
 my father convinced him that it would be very unwise 
 to molest him. He, therefore, endorsed his register, 
 and sent him back to his ship with friendly wishes. 
 From Guanchaca he proceeded to Malabrigo and thence 
 to Pacasmayo, finding the merchants at every port anx- 
 ious to avail themselves of the opportunity to freight 
 goods to Callao. On the 19th of May, having taken on 
 board a cargo exceeding thirteen thousand quintals, 
 which brought the ship's chainwales almost even with 
 the water, he sailed for Callao. Being anxious to learn 
 the state of affairs before venturing too near, he looked 
 in at Guacho, and, seeing an English brig lying there, 
 sent a boat to obtain information, which returned with 
 intelligence that the Chilian squadron had left the bay 
 nearly a month previous, and there was no impediment 
 to entering. 
 
 The arrival at Callao of so largo a cargo of wheat and 
 rice was an auspicious event for the people of Lima. 
 Precisely three months had elapsed since his departure, 
 and, by the successful accomplishment of the voyage, the 
 fact was demonstrated that there was no cause to appre- 
 hend that the supply of breadstuffs would be cut off by 
 a Chilian blockade. The earnings of the ship during 
 this period exceeded $20,000, payable immediately on 
 landing the cargo. The viceroy appeared now, for the 
 
206 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I 
 
 first time, to appreciate the great advantage derivable 
 from neutral commerce. He gave my father a most 
 cordial and flattering reception, complimented him upon 
 the bojdness manifested in disregarding Lord Cochrane's 
 proclamation of blockade, and declared his readiness to 
 give him a license to go to any part of the coast he 
 pleased. 
 
 After so many years of adversity the turning-point 
 seemed at last to have been reached, and surely if ever 
 success was vsron by bull-dog tenaoity of purpose and un- 
 flinching courage, both moral and physical, it was so in 
 his case. 
 
 It is deliciously refreshing to read a letter from him 
 •which forms such a contrast to the gloomy tone which 
 had so long pervaded his correspondence as the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 *=• "Lima, J'wi^ 22, 1819. 
 
 "At length, my dear wife, I have the delight of conveying to you 
 the cheering intelligence that my affairs are prospering even beyond 
 my expectations. The ebb, which has been setting so many years 
 and so strong against me, seemed to have descended to its lowest 
 point about this time last year, since which there has been a gradual 
 flood, till my arrival from my voyage coastwise, when the number 
 of favorable events which have been crowded into a small space 
 leads me to be apprehensive that fortune really intends to yield to 
 him who has courted her so long. 
 
 "Of the number of neutral vessels lying here at the time Lord 
 Cochrane's proclamation was issued, mine is the only one which has 
 dared bid defiance to it in pursuing the plan I had marked out be- 
 fore it was issued. I have accomplished it successfully, and by the 
 great rise in the price of wheat shall realize an advantage for myself 
 of about $10,000. 
 
 "I had no expectation that my adventure to Valparaiso would 
 yield more than sufficient to pay my debts there; but, by very di- 
 rect information. I have scarce a doubt it has yielded a profit of 
 
AT LENGTH FORTUKE SMILES. 
 
 207 
 
 $8000 or $10,000. I had $5000 specie' on board the Macedonian, 
 bound for China, at the time that all the money destined for that 
 vessel was seized by Lord Cochrane. I expected mine had gone in 
 the general sweep, but find that the evidence given of it being mine 
 was so satisfactory that they declined taking it. 
 
 " These items, added to other operations of minor magnitude, give 
 me a property of about $40,000, acquired since my first arrival in 
 Lima. Add to this the most flattering reception from the viceroy, 
 and assurance that he would grant me permission to go to any part 
 of the coast I pleased— a permission which, from the little competi- 
 tion, must soon enable me to lade the ship with the produce of the 
 country, and which, taken to Europe or the United States, will bo 
 equal to replacing the original capital, with the addition of premium 
 and interest. I know not with whom I shall have to account for 
 the voyage on my arrival, as Mr. Astor has abandoned to the under- 
 writers; but, even if I should again be unfortunate, if they possess 
 any generous feelings they cannot fail to acknowledge that there 
 has been no want of perseverance and industry on my part. While 
 I was on my passage from Pacasmayo to this port the frigate Mace- 
 donian had been here, and proceeded down the coast in search of 
 me. We missed each other, and this I regret exceedingly, not so 
 much from the expectation of any advantage her presence here 
 would have produced, as from having failed in receiving those let- 
 ters from home which the notoriety of her destination, not less than 
 the port from whence she sailed, induces the belief were on board. 
 
 "During my various peregrinations I have never at any time 
 been so long without hearing from you. I am glad this is not the 
 case with you, as the frequent opportunities by which I have writ- 
 ten must present you a letter every two or three months. 
 
 "With a view of realizing some property without delay, not less 
 than the hope of affording you the means of gratifying every wish 
 to be compassed by money, I have made arrangements for a large 
 sum at Valparaiso, in addition to the profits on my adventure there, 
 amounting together to between $30,000 and $40,000. This property 
 I have ordered remitted either to Stephen Williams, of London, or 
 to Samuel G. Perkins & Co., of Boston, whichever can be done 
 most advantageously, to be held subject to the control of William 
 or George Cleveland. I now write George on the subject ; and, af- 
 
208 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR 
 
 ter he has paid sums to the amount of about $18,000, 1 desired him 
 to place the remainder at your disposal. You will therefore, my 
 dear wife, probably have the control of about $25,000. With the 
 whole of this money, believe me, you can do nothing that can dis- 
 please me. If W., or G., or M., or H,, or S. want it, give it, or any 
 portion of it, to them if you think proper. If you choose to spend 
 it in the embellishment of the estate, do so. Indeed, my dear, if you 
 should throw it away, only let me know the doing so has afforded 
 you pleasure, and I will approve of the act. I have no other wish 
 ■ than to express to you in intelligible terms that property is only val- 
 uable to me in proportion as it contributes to your happiness. 
 
 "I shall sail again to-morrow for Pisco, there to lade with brandy 
 for the port I was at last, and touching here on my way down, then 
 to return with a cargo of wheat and rice. I hope to perform this 
 voyage in less than three months, and with a profit of $40,000 for 
 the ship and $10,000 for myself. 
 
 "I hope to meet you before the expiration of the year 1820, but 
 whether I shall return by way of China or from hence to Europe 
 and the United States, is a matter of great uncertainty. 
 
 ' ' I could almost immediately return with a decent competency, 
 and with a prospect of giving satisfaction to the owners of the ship; 
 but at the present moment everything concurs to give me almost the 
 monopoly of the trade of this coast — to present so brilliant a pros- 
 pect that not to take advantage of it, to give over the chase when 
 fortune is so near within my grasp, would be an evidence of imbe- 
 cility so glaring, a want of enterprise so inconsistent with my char- 
 acter, that I am confident, although the object should be alone that 
 of meeting you, you could not fail to experience mortification 
 from it. 
 
 " I am now on the point of sailing, and, from the careless manner 
 in which this letter is written, you will perceive I am hurried. In- 
 deed, to perform the duties of master and supercargo of such a ship 
 as the Beaver, without even a clerk, requires great industry on a 
 common voyage, but much more when the property is turned so 
 often. My various speculations on my private account have given 
 mo so much more property than I can employ in my privilege in 
 the ship that for some time I have had a considerable sum lying by. 
 If I had had any intelligent, trusty young man with me I could have 
 
t ! ; ■ 
 
 A COASTING VOYAGE. 
 
 200 
 
 put him in the way of makiiig his fortune and adding greatly to 
 mine. 
 
 "I fully intended to have -written to the denr boys, hut, having 
 neglected to do it till there is no longer time, I will prepare a letter 
 for them, and lilcewisc complete for you the narrative of the mar-r 
 vellous adventures of R. J. C, already begun, and send them both 
 oy the first good opportunity. 
 
 "Of the political state of this country, it differs very little from 
 what it was at this time last year. The republicans have the as- 
 cendency at sea, but., as their opponents have laid by all their ship- 
 ping, there is no chance of making prizes; consequently the main- 
 tenance of their ships must come from themselves, and their resources 
 are not competent to it for any length of time. How the business 
 will end time only can determine, but the method taken by the Eng- 
 lish commanders of the Chilian ships to make converts to republi- 
 canism, that of first stripping them of their property, seems to have 
 produced a contrary effect. A want of activity, a want of enter- 
 prise, a sluggishness in forming plans and an eternity in executing 
 them, prove that these people are the legitimate descendants of those 
 of whom, more than two centuries past, the other Europeans used 
 to say, • Let death come from Spain,' implying thereby that it would 
 be so long in coming that nothing need be apprehended from it. 
 
 "Adieu, my dear wife. May death neither come from Spain nor 
 any other quarter tlii we have had one more embrace. My love to 
 the bcya and all the family. 
 
 "Yours, as ever, most affectionately, Richard." 
 
 His next operation was to charter the ship for a 
 four-months' voyage on the coast, at $10,000 per montli. 
 This voyage — to Hiiaseo and Pacasmayo, and thence to 
 Valparaiso and back to Callao — was successfully per- 
 formed, although he was brought to on the way to Yal- 
 paraiso by a Chilian 64-gun ship, bearing the flag of 
 Admiral Blanco, who, on being satisfied that the ship 
 had been chartered and laden on English account, al- 
 lowed him to go on without molestation. 
 
 ill 
 
 ill 
 
III! 
 
 
 210 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 
 Tlie following letter from Valparaiso evinces that he 
 appreciated the importance of taking the tide in his af- 
 fairs at the flood, and was making the most of his op- 
 portunities : 
 
 •' Valparaiso, January 19, 1820. 
 
 "I shall sail from here to-morrow for Gallao with a full cargo of 
 wheat for account of the charterer of the ship. After unlading my 
 ship and settling my affairs it is most probable I shall proceed to 
 Guayaquil, and lade the ship with cocoa for Europe or the United 
 States, and determine which at Kio Janeiro, where I shall stop on 
 my way. While fortune seems propitious I am giving her such an 
 opportunity of evincing her favors as appears to astonish the na- 
 tives. In addition to attending to the duties of my own ship I have 
 purchased the ship Ocean, of three hundred and sixty-five tons, and 
 despatched her with a cargo of wheat for Callao; one half of the 
 fine ship Zephyr, of three hundred and sixty tons, and have char- 
 tered the Swedish ship Droitingen, of five hundred tons, all loaded 
 with wheat for my private account. My expectation of emolument 
 is not so much from profit on the wheat as from the advantageous 
 employment of the ships; and should the demand for them at Lima 
 be equal to what it was when I left there, I shall realize a handsome 
 fortune. Indeed, if I were as sanguine as I was in my younger days, 
 I should say it was certain; but, alas! I have been too severely 
 taught the uncertainty of everything mundane not to be prepared 
 for disappointment. . . . 
 
 "The Chilian navy is now entirely commanded and officered by 
 English adventurers, men of desperate fortunes, who, tmder the 
 mask of giving freedom to this country, are in pursuit of their own 
 fortunes, and regardless of means of their attainment. If it were 
 not that we have a frigate in this neighborhood, no American vessel 
 could navigate here with safety." 
 
 On his return to Callao, having successfully accom- 
 plished the object for which the ship was chartered, ho 
 found he had the control of so large an amount of 
 property for account of the owners of the Beaver^ be- 
 sides the handsome fortune he had accumulated for 
 
•if ' 
 ii 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR RETURNING HOME. 
 
 211 
 
 himself, that he felt justilied in making immediate prep- 
 arations for returning home. Indeed, the condition of 
 the ship indicated but too clearly that she would, ere 
 long, be incapable of making the passage. He therefore 
 contracted for a cargo of cocoa, to be taken on board at 
 Guayaquil, and busied himself with settling his affairs 
 and making arrangements for the employment of the 
 other ships in his service. 
 
 On the 12th of March he sailed for Guayaquil, and 
 on the 10th of April writes to his wife from that place 
 as follows : 
 
 " Guayaquil, Api-il 10, 1820. 
 
 " I came to this place with the expectation of lading with cocoa 
 for the United States, for which purpose I had contracted with a 
 merchant of Lima, to he delivered to me here, hut am disappointed. 
 A sudden and unexpected demand has put it out of the power of 
 the agent here to fulfil the contract, and with ahout two thirds of 
 a cargo I am on the point of returning to Callao, in hopes of making 
 up the remainder there. If I succeed I may be with you as soon as 
 you receive this; but whether I am or not, I ought to make you ac- 
 quainted with the state of my affairs. 
 
 " The ship Drottingen, by which I send this na Europe, is loaded 
 with cocoa, entirely on my account— a cargo which cost upwards of 
 $80,000 — of which I risk only one half, the other half being on re- 
 spondentia. Her supercargo, Mr. Coit, will forward this to you from 
 Europe. 
 
 "I am proprietor of one half the fine ship Zephyr, of Providence, 
 for which I gave $15,000. This ship is now engaged in a profitable 
 freighting business on the coast of Peru. The proceeds of these 
 freights will be deposited in safe hands in Lima, so that there will 
 be nothing but the ship at risk till the closing of the voyage via 
 China, Europe, or the United States. 
 
 "I am likewise owner of one half the ship Ocean, of three hun- 
 dred and sixty-five tons, which cost me $7500. This ship had a 
 freight of $16,000, engaged from hence to Callao, but the governor 
 
 S |1 
 
212 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 liero has thought proper to thi*ow obstacles in the way of her pro- 
 ceeding, and she must therefore remain hero till I can get an order 
 from the viceroy for her release. She will bo advantageously em- 
 ployed in freighting on this coast, and is commanded by my former 
 mate, Mr. Pinkham. 
 
 "I have likewise an interest of $15,000 in the voyage of the brig 
 Macedonian, Captain E. Smith, to China and back to Callao. As 
 this cargo will be introduced into Lima on very favorable terms, tho 
 prospect is very flattering. Bh is expected back in three or four 
 months. In the Beaver I shall have on boaitl for my own account 
 about eight tons of cocoa and eight or ten thousand dollars in specie. 
 
 " Thus, my dear wife, you will perceive that if I have done well 
 for my owners I have not done less for myself, and if I arrive safe 
 it may fairly be presumed there will be no necessity for navigating 
 more. May the joyful day of our meeting soon arrive, when there 
 will be no alloy of anticipated separation." 
 
 Eeturning to Callao, it was found necessary to dis- 
 charge part of the cargo, in order to recalk the ship 
 before proceeding to sea. This being accomplished, 
 and tho ship ready for sea, he sailed for Eio Janeiro 
 on the evening of March 11, 1820. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 18^0. 
 
 Recapitulation of the Occurrences of Three Years. — Letter from the 
 Underwriters, and His Reply.— Home Again. — Disgraceful Con- 
 ' duct of the National Insurance Company. 
 
 Three years had now elapsed since his departnr- from 
 New York, and in all that time he had received no tid- 
 ings from his family. A packet of letters had been sent 
 to him by the frigate Macedonian^ but the chaplain who 
 liad it in charge had died on the passage, the package 
 was not left at any port where he might have found it, 
 and as the frigate failed to fall in with him the letters 
 only reached him several months after his return home. 
 
 A recapitulation of the leading events in his experi- 
 ence since the seizure of his ship may here be appropri- 
 ately introduced. 
 
 After all the property intrusted to his charge had 
 been taken from him and ho had suffered all the an- 
 guish incident to such a situation, aggravated by the 
 efforts of his captors to make his situation so uncom- 
 fortable as to force him to abandon the attempt to re- 
 cover it, he had finally succeeded by persistent effort in 
 recovering the ship and a remnant of the cargo. Within 
 a twelvemonth of the time of her restoration he had 
 employed her so advantageously as to have paid all the 
 expenses of repairing, revictualling, and remanning her, 
 
su 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 and had shipped on board of her a cargo of cocoa for 
 New York, nearly or quite equal in value to the original 
 capital, besides specie more than enough to defray all the 
 expenses of the ship up to the time of her arrival in 
 New York ; and, in addition, a clear and legitimate claim 
 on the Spanish government for the original amount of 
 cargo and damages. All thfb for the sole account of the 
 owners of the Beaver. 
 
 For himself — having before the restoration of the 
 ship begun a speculation at Valparaiso which laid the 
 foundation of further operations — he had succeeded in 
 acquiring such a property as the most successful accom- 
 plishment of his original plans would not have produced. 
 
 To have thus turned defeat and disaster into victory, 
 and the achievement of a greater success than was origi- 
 nally anticipated for the voyage, was surely a suflBcient 
 cause for self-gratulation and the anticipation of a most 
 gratifying reception from the owners, whoso interests 
 he had thus cai-cifully guarded. 
 
 It was, therefore, with no small degree of surprise 
 when, on the point of sailing, that he received from 
 the underwriters a peremjptory order to return immedi- 
 ately home with the ship. They acknowledged at the 
 same time the receipt of his letter of August previous, 
 informing them that the ship was earning $10,000 per 
 month, and as she would hardly be worth that sum her- 
 self in New York, the inference was unavoidable that 
 they felt doubtful of his honesty. The revulsion of 
 feeling excited by this implication is manifested in the 
 following letter, which he wrote in reply, and sent up 
 by the pilot-boat on arriving in New York, before going 
 on shore himself. 
 
LETTER TO THE UNDERWRITERS. 
 
 215 
 
 "LmA, Junes, 1820. 
 "To Tim OvvNERS OF THE Siiip 'Beaveu': 
 
 " Oentlemen,— When on the point of leaving this for New York 1 
 received {via Panama) your letter of January 20, ultimo, in which 
 ia implied apprehensions relative to your property under my charge 
 which surprise and mortify mo. Your anxiety to bring this ' long- 
 pending concern to a close,' however great, cannot surpass mine. 
 Indeed, gentlemen, if the whole amount of property I have acquired 
 for you was to be the recompense of an additional month's absence 
 from my family, to that which I have considered limited by duty, I 
 should hold such fortune too dearly purchased by such sacrifice. 
 
 " From the information I possessed of the little value of ships in 
 New York 1 did not suppose the Beaver would sell for more than 
 enough to defray the expense of delivering her there, and concluded 
 that if 1 would consent to risk the loss of my time in the business of 
 freighting, the owners of the Beaver could not fail to consent to risk 
 a shin which circumstances rendered of so little value. 
 
 " The pcremptn y order conveyed in your letter above-named is 
 not less evidence of erroneous judgment on my part than of excess- 
 ive alarm for the safety of the property on yours. My various let- 
 ters by the China and JDrottingen, from Guayaquil, and by the l)/ne, 
 from this place, each enclosing a bill of lading of the cargo shipped 
 on board the Beaver for your account, and bound for New York, 
 will afford you convincing evidence of my having anticipated your 
 wishes, or rather m'ders, for closing this long -pending concern. 
 They will likewise show you that, in the spttce of twelve months 
 from my first sailing from Callao, I had created a capital sufficient 
 to lade the Beaver with a cargo whose value in Europe will exceed 
 $100,000, besides defraying all the expenses of the ship for the time. 
 In not having accomplished this before your patience was exhausted 
 I hope forgiveness, and expect it not less from the consciousness of 
 having acted with a view to your approbation than of my belief of 
 your acceding to the axiom that ' to err, is human : to forgive, di- 
 vine.' 
 
 " I have on board for your account 840,456 pounds of cocoa, be- 
 sides which there will be a balance in your favor of five or six thou- 
 sand dollars, which I shall bring in specie. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, gentlemen, with all the respect due from 
 
■n 
 
 ■H 
 
 ■■ii 
 
 216 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 one who is subject to orders to those from whom such orders ema- 
 nate, Your most obedient," etc. 
 
 To appreciate fully the force of the sting which had 
 elicited such a response as the above it is necessary to 
 bear in mind the fact that the voyage from the outset 
 was 0£ his own planning, and its management had been 
 of necessity left to his own discretion. After the com- 
 plete destruction of all the hopes, anticipations, and in- 
 tentions which had originally been formed or indulged 
 in regard to its results bj' the seizure of the ship 
 at Talcahuana, it was still less than before in the 
 power of the owners to give him any directions or even 
 advice. 
 
 His subsequent management could not have been con- 
 ducted with greater zeal, pertinacity, or courage, had ho 
 been the only one interested in the retrieval of the prop- 
 perty, and to the persistent urging of his demand upon 
 the authorities at Talcahuana and Lima the final rever- 
 sal of the decree and restoration of the property was 
 dne. The ability and independence he had exhibited 
 throughout the whole course of the affair afforded the 
 best possible evidence of the wisdom originally exhibited 
 in intrusting it to him, and were such as could not have 
 been reasonably expected, and certainly would rarely 
 have been found, in one who was nierelj^ acting under or- 
 ders. It is difficult, therefore, to conceive ^ more pain- 
 ful position, to a sensitive mart, than that in which he 
 was placed by receipt of such an order at the moment 
 when his heart was glowing with the anticipation of 
 the well-earned approbation of thoee for whose interests 
 he had labored so hard and suffered so much. It must 
 
 11 ; 
 
LETTER TO MR. ASTOR. 
 
 217 
 
 be borne in mind that the officers of the Nation- 
 al Insurance Company, to whom the ship had been 
 abandoned, were strangers to my father, haying no 
 other than a pecuniary interest in the result of tl 
 enterprise. 
 
 To Mr. Astor lie wrote a very long letter, accom^ 
 panied with a clear and exact account of all his trans- 
 actions, in which he says : 
 
 "I cannot believe that you have at any time entertained a doubt 
 of my ever being actuated in this business by other than the mosv 
 honorable motives, but 1 am aware that in a voyage involved in so 
 much intricacy as "Iiis, so much at variance with the original in- 
 structions, and so peculiarly marked by vicissitude of bad and good 
 fortune some elucidation would necessarily be required and, there- 
 fore, lest accident baould prevent a verbal explanation, I have 
 thought proper (not less for my own satisfaction than for yours) to 
 make the following statement " 
 
 TJiis statement is a summary of all that he had accom- 
 plished and a rendition of the award of the tribunal of 
 r.ppeal establishing the claim on the government of 
 Spain for the "full amount of damage arising from loss 
 of property, loss of time, and loss arising from the de- 
 struction of one of the most fluttering enterprises ever 
 undertaken from the United States. 
 
 "As our claim for these losses amounts to $408,766, as its cor- 
 rectness is indisputable, and, therefore, must be paid; as I shall be 
 not less instrumental in the recovery of the property by the circum- 
 stance of placing my opponents in the wrong, tlian in its augumonta- 
 tion by placing it where its value was so much enhanced, there cnn 
 exist no doubt of my being entitled to the same commission on the 
 amount recovered that I should have received if I had prosecuted 
 the voyaigc without interruption." 
 
 10 
 
218 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAYIGATOR. 
 
 The following letter to my motlier requires no ex- 
 planation : 
 
 "Ship 'Beaveb' (The Highlands of JSIeversink in sight), 
 
 " October,^, 1820. 
 
 '* My Dear Wife, — To-morrow I shall probably be in New York, 
 
 once more in the land of freedom, and I hope to bid farewell — a 
 
 long farewell — to the toils of the ocean. In conformity with my 
 
 custom and with that method and consistency of which I I'now you 
 
 to be an advocate, I prepare a letter to go to the poRt >fi\ vjth the 
 
 ship's letters, that not a moment may be lost in advi^ ;;^- jou of my 
 
 arrival. 
 
 * « « • «• • 
 
 "Our passage round Cape Horn was attended with nothing ex- 
 traordinary or terrific. The absence of the sun rendered it extreme- 
 ly gloomy, and as we happened to be there just at the change of the 
 mcon the nights were very dark and tedious. We used to breakfast 
 by candle-light at half-past eight, and to see the sun set at half-past 
 three. 
 
 ""We, however, made a very tolerable passage for a loaded ship, 
 arriving at the beautiful port of Rio Janeiro on the 14th of August, 
 More than three years had now elapsed since leaving home, and ('aw- 
 ing that er.tendcd period I had not received a line from my f .i' v 
 or from any one who could give mc any account of them. My . ? : 
 step, therefore, was to call on the American houses to see if they hi/'. 
 not letters for me, but, alas! I found none from my family, nor was 
 there one among the masters or consignees who could give me any 
 account of them. You will, therefore, naturally imagine, my dear, 
 that my mind was filled with the most gloomy forebodings, and that 
 I accounted for not receiving letters by the repugnance arising from 
 conveying disastrous intelligence. 
 
 "With such discouraging impressions, I was busily e\; , red in 
 preparing to bend my course to that country where I cc? 'iiad a 
 home — the existence of which now seemed extremely doubtial — 
 when, two day':^ before my departure, the Fanny arrived from New 
 York and brought me a lettei from my dear wife, one from Lucy, 
 and one from George, all dated so recent]/ as June — only about 
 seventy days before. As the fond mother with distracted anxiety 
 
w 
 
 LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 
 
 219 
 
 :cd in 
 
 '\ad a 
 
 m New 
 Lucy, 
 y about 
 anxiety 
 
 watches for the restoration of suspended animation in a beloved child, 
 and is incapable of expressing her joy on the appearance of return- 
 ing life, so was the transition in the mind of your husband, from the 
 most deep-toned anxiety to ease, joy, and tranquillity of mind, not 
 less intense or less capable of being expressed. 
 
 "I shall meet you more satisfied with myself than I have ever been 
 before. I doubt whether my voyage has any parallel in the annals 
 of navigation. It presents not the brilliancy of victory, but it is a re- 
 treat which ought to be equally creditable to the ability of the com- 
 mander. Yet I ftm not without apprehensions that the owners will con- 
 sider my charges indicative of my setting too high a value upon my 
 services, and may see fit to dispute them. It is likewise doubtful if they 
 are not jealous of what I have done for myself and may wish to share 
 in it, fn which case they will discover that the man who has so per- 
 severingly and successfully defended their property, will not allow 
 any infringement on ?m own. I must necessarily be detained two or 
 three days in New York before I can set out for home, and it is very 
 doubtful whether the owners will be disposed to grant me any indul- 
 gence, but may insist on my remaining until the ship is unloaded. 
 In this case I shall not shrink from the dictates of imperious duty. 
 The fact is, I have written them two very sharp letters on the sub- 
 ject of the terms in which they conveyed to me the orders for my 
 return, and it is uncertain how they will receive them. 
 
 "I intend to despatch immediately one or two ships for Lima, 
 either from New York, Providence, or Boston. Perhaps William 
 would like to take charge of an expedition to that quarter of the 
 world, I suggest it, that he may have time to think of it. If there 
 was a certainty that all the property I have afloat would be returned 
 in safety there would be enough for both of us, but the embarrass- 
 ments we have witnessed should teach us that we ought not to al- 
 low a favrorable opportunity to pass till we possess something more 
 stable and permanent. 
 
 "I am now in imagination at Lancaster with my wife, my chil- 
 dren, brothers, sisters, and friends, and, while seated at the parlor 
 window, alternately glancing at the group within and the beautiful 
 autumnal scenery without, what associations, what recolleciions will 
 not be roused by hearing from your piano the notes of ' Ella Rosen- 
 
■■I 
 
 220 
 
 VOYAGES OP A. MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 berg,' 'Henry's Cottage Maid,' 'The Flowers of the Forest,' etc.? 
 Alasl my dear wife, can those who know care, danger, and toil only 
 by name, and whom fortune has always nursed in the lap of ease, 
 form any idea of the luxurious enjoyments w^hich are crowded into 
 short spaces on such occasions? 
 
 "But enough of paper conversations. This, I hope, closes our 
 ei ; ; ' correspondence, inasmuch as I flatter myself with not be- 
 ing ii^ separated from you." 
 
 The fef lings of doubt and anxiety with regard to the 
 recepwon he would meet, in making his first call upon 
 the gentlemen at the insurance office, were speedily dis- 
 pelled and in the most agreeable manner. On being in- 
 troduced to the president, Fred. De Peyster, Esq., he rose 
 to meet him with both hands extended, and his counte- 
 nance beaming with the kindest expressions, as if anxious 
 only to do away with all apprehension of want of sym- 
 pathy or failure to recognize the value of his services. 
 
 With a voice full of emotion he acknowledged the 
 receipt of his letter, and expressed his full appreciation 
 and respect for the feelings it betrayed. Ho thanked 
 him for what he had done for the company, and, al- 
 though not authorized to speak definitely of pecuniary 
 remuneration, assured him it would be awarded to him. 
 The sincerity with which my father assured him, in re- 
 ply, of the gratification afforded liim by this friendly re- 
 ception will not be doubted, and the sense of relief he 
 experienced was soon greatly enhanced by the congratu- 
 lations he received from leading members of the mer- 
 cantile community — strangers as well as friends — who 
 complimented him upon the success he had achieved. 
 Several of the stockholders of the insurance company ex- 
 pressed their sense of the obligation they were under to 
 
 ' 
 
 'J 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 f 
 
OBJECTIONS TO HIS CHARGES. 
 
 221 
 
 him, and an old and highly respected merchant,^ who 
 had retired from business with an ample fortune, said 
 to him, after the exchange of customary salutations, 
 " You have done well for the oflSce. You have raispd 
 the value of its stock ten per cent. They cannot give 
 yon less than $10,000." 
 
 His mind being relieved by such abundant evidence 
 of appreciation of his services, he took advantage of the 
 time while the ship was unloading to spend a week with 
 his family in Lancaster, Mass. 
 
 On his return he learned that objection w'as made to 
 his charge of ten per cent, on the net proceeds of 
 freights, which he considered to be no more than a just 
 proportion for the extra services rendered ; since, inde- 
 pendently of obtaining the restoration of the ship in the 
 manner related, he had procured the freights and .ne- 
 gotiated all the business without the aid of a broker. 
 And when sometimes compelled to employ an agent to 
 collect the amount rather than detain the ship, the 
 commission paid for such services was not charged to 
 account of the owners. Besides, had the graduation of 
 his emoluments been made with any reference to what 
 they would have been but for the seizure, they would 
 have much exceeded the ten per cent, charge. 
 
 These points were urged upon the gentlemen inter- 
 ested, but were of no avail. Mr. Astor being in Eu- 
 rope, his agent, had he been disposed to act liberally, 
 would hardly have dared to be less exacting than the 
 underwFiters, and hence recourse was had to arbitration, 
 the result of which was a deduction of two and a half 
 per cent, on his charge. 
 
 ♦ Benjamin Bailey, Esq. 
 
222 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 With this decision he felt that he had abundant cause 
 for dissatisfaction. But trusting to the repeated (though 
 unofficial) assurances of President De Peyster, of pecun- 
 iary remuneration, he refrained from manifesting it, and, 
 having submitted to the decision of the arbitrators, ho 
 left the city for his home, not doubting that the prom- 
 ised remuneration would be awarded him. 
 
 A month passed, however, without a line from the 
 office of the National Insurance Company, and so a sec- 
 ond month, when he could no longer doubt that no fur- 
 ther action on tlieir part was intended. Indignant at 
 such treatment, and mortified at being thus duped, he 
 determined, at least, to give expression to the feelings 
 excited by their conduct. 
 
 Accordingly, under date of Lancaster, December 22, 
 1820, he addressed a letter to the president of the Na- 
 tional Insurance Company, in which he referred to his 
 communication of the 6th of Octobe; previous, enumerat- 
 ing the unusual services he had rendered the companyiin 
 the recovery and successful employment of the Beaver^ 
 and further remarked that, if he had condescended to 
 make invidious comparisons, he could have proved that 
 what they considered to be an extra commission bore 
 no proportion to the extra earnings of the Beaver over 
 every other vessel then on the Peruvian coast, and this 
 less from a concurrence of favorable circumstances than 
 from his superior management. 
 
 He reminded him of his promise of remuneration, and 
 of its being repeated at a subsequent interview ; which 
 promise he was now forced to believe was made with 
 the express design of throwing him off his guard, in or- 
 
MEANNESS OF THE UNDERWRITERS. 
 
 223 
 
 der the better to deceive liim ; and that the success at- 
 tending it had been doubtless gratifying to all who 
 shared the two and a half per cent, thus saved to the 
 company. The letter closed with the remark that, 
 
 "Had I conducted your business with as little regard to the ob- 
 servance of the rule of ' doing unto others as we would that they 
 should dj unto us' as has been observed in this instance towards 
 me, the result of the Beaver's voyage would have been very differ- 
 ent from what it is." 
 
 To this letter he never received a reply. 
 ,It is only proper to add the following extract from 
 my father's narrative : 
 
 "It would be doing injustice to the venerable and respectable 
 president of the company not to acknowledge that, although of ne- 
 cessity he was the person to be officially addressed, I believe him to 
 have been incapable of a mean or dishonorable act, and that when 
 he made the promise alluded to he sincerely believed the directors 
 would confirm it, as he knew they ought. Two of the directors ex- 
 pressed to me their disapproval of the curtailment of my commis- 
 sion, and a third said to me that he felt shame at being one of un 
 association capable of such dishonorable conduct. But there was 
 one individual among the directors whose great wealth gave him a 
 preponderating- influence in the affairs of the office. The greater 
 deference paid to his opinions was very perceptible, and it is prob- 
 able that the president, taking it for granted that a handsome com- 
 pensation could not honorably be withheld, had the temerity to as- 
 sure me of it before consulting with him, and thus caused the de- 
 feat of his intention." 
 
 More than sixty years have passed since the occur- 
 rence of the above transactions, and all the parties to it 
 have long since departed from their earthly labors. 
 
 At this distance of time there can be no impropriety 
 in giving the names of the individuals referred to. 
 
224 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 Tho influential director by whom the president was 
 overruled was the Honorable Philip Hone, and the one 
 ■who expressed his sense of shame at the action of the 
 company was Gardner Howland, Esq. 
 
 As an interesting episode, and as exhibiting a phase 
 of my fatlier's character of which there is no hint in liis 
 narrative, I may here appropriately introduce an extract 
 from one of his : jtters to my mother, written from New 
 York under date of December 21, 1821, just one year 
 after the time of the occurrences just narrated. 
 
 Mr. Astor had then returned from Europe, and my 
 father's business was with him, but, as will be seen, he 
 postponed the interview in order to attend the ordina- 
 tion of the first Unitarian minister in New York, an 
 event the importance of which (whether for good or 
 evil) in the minds of the religious world at that day 
 few now living can recall, and no one can estimate by 
 any criterion now in existence. 
 
 
 'I 
 
 
 " New York, December 21, 1821. 
 " I wrote you a hasty line on the morning of my arrival here, and 
 then mentioned to you that it was the day on which Mr. "Ware was 
 to be ordained, but doubted whether I should attend. As the day 
 was rainy, however, I concluded the house would not be crowded ; 
 there was no immediate necessity of seeing Mr. Astor, and the or- 
 dination of the first Unitarian minister in New York might prove 
 an epoch in the history of the Church, the retrospect of which (when 
 error and bigotry shall be abolished by the light of reason and truth, 
 of which this may be considered the dawn) will be viewed with great 
 satisfaction and complacency, particularly by those who have main- 
 tained it in spite of popular clamor. These considerations deter- 
 mined me to attend the ordination, where I was exceedingly grati- 
 fied in witnessing the most solemn, sublime, and affecting services, 
 such as were strikingly calculated to contrast the nothingness and 
 
Tv' 
 
 ORDINATION OP MR. WARE. 
 
 225 
 
 imbecility of earthly pursuits with those profoundly grand and sub- 
 lime ones which have God and Eternity for their object. The house, 
 though small, was not more than two thirds filled. This was partly 
 owing to the weather, but probably more to the apprehension of be- 
 ing contaminated. Alasl they are ignorant of what they have lost. 
 The services were opened by an anthem on a well-toned organ, ac- 
 companied by a select choir, which was very good. The introduc- 
 tory prayer by Mr. Taylor was succeeded by a hymn from the so- 
 ciety's collection. The sermon by Dr. Ware, from Acts xxviii. 22, 
 was everything that would be expected from that distinguished 
 scholar, evincing a depth of erudition, a profundity of thought, an 
 independence of mind, and a consciousness of being guided alone by 
 truth and reason, that carried persuasion and conviction along with 
 it. Having progressed nearly through his sermon, he then addressed 
 his son (the candidate) in a style so solemn and pathetic as exceed- 
 ingly to affect the audience, and closed with recommending him to his 
 people. The ordaining prayer by Dr. Hams was very well, followed 
 by a hymn said to have been composed by Mr. Pierpoint. The charge 
 by Dr. Bancroft was very good, but its excellence was diminished by 
 bad delivery. The right hand of fellowship by the brother of the 
 candidate was excellent, and not less affecting than the address from 
 the father; indeed, the speaker himself was so far overcome that he 
 proceeded with difficulty, and the audience sympathized with him. 
 A concluding prayer by Mr. Pierpoint, and a hymn to the tune of 
 'Old Hundred' (in which I heartily joined) closed the interestinc^ 
 services. This event has, as yet, been noticed by no other paper in 
 the city than the Evening Post." 
 
 10* 
 
CHAPTER Xiy. 
 
 1821-1860. 
 
 Failure to Secure the Proceeds of his Adventures.— Pursuit of 
 Arizmendi to Hamburg and subsequently to Madrid. — Mr. 
 Shaler Appointed Consul at Havana.— My Father Goes with 
 him as Vice-Consul. —Death of Mr. Shaler.— Obtains an Oflaco 
 in Boston Custom-House. — Takes up his Residence with me, 
 and Dies in my House at the Age of Eighty-seven. 
 
 • 
 
 The voyage just narrated, in the Beaver^ was the last 
 of a series of voyages to most parts of the habitable 
 globe, during a period of twenty-four years, in various 
 kinds of craft, from the boat of twenty-five tons to the 
 Indiainan of a thousand tons, and, as will have been 
 seen, on the most laborious and hazardous enterprises. 
 
 A remarkable fact, which is well worthy of notice, is 
 that during that long period, some portion of which 
 was passed in the most sickly climates of the globe, my 
 father never lost but three men of liis crew — two by 
 fever, after leaving Batavia, and one by a fall from the 
 masthead. Although he was repeatedly at sea for five 
 months on a single passage, he was never under the ne- 
 cessity of putting his men on allowance of provisions or 
 water; and to this circumstance, combined with guard- 
 ing them from unnecessary fatigue and exposure, he 
 was probably indebted for the happiness of escaping, 
 not only that terrible scourge to seamen on long voy- 
 ages, the scurvy, but almost all other kinds of sickness. 
 
ABADIA & ARIZMENDI. 
 
 22^ 
 
 Some of his experiences subsequent to the voyage in 
 the Beaver 2i.YQ so connected with it that the story would 
 be incomplete if they were omitted, and I therefore give 
 his own account of tiiem in the following extract from 
 his published narrative : 
 
 "In less than a year after my return to New York in tlio Beater 
 I was destined again to see swept off the greater part of my hard 
 earnings. A most unfortunate enterprise to Gibraltar;* incompe- 
 tent, selfish, and careless agents; and, more than either, a most 
 Bhameful abuse of the confidence I had placed in the commercial 
 house at Lima, with which I had been so long doing business 
 (Abadia & Arizmendi), were the causes of these misfortunes. 
 
 " Soon after these reverses became known to my friends in Boston 
 I met my highly esteemed friend, George Cabot, who, in his happy 
 manner, remarked to me : ' You have cut a great deal of hay, but 
 you have got it in very badly.' 
 
 "Alas ! I felt most sensibly that it was too true. 
 
 " The information of the revolution in Peru, of the consequent 
 confusion in the commerce of Lima, of the breaking-up of the house 
 of Abadia & Arizmendi, and of the escape of the latter with a largo 
 amount in silver in an American brig for Manilla, was received hero 
 not many months after my arrival. 
 
 "During the vice-regal government no stranger of respectability 
 ever visited Lima without enjoying the hospitality of Don Pedro 
 Abadia. He was eminently hospitable, urbane, and friendly; but 
 although of superior education and extensive intercourse with man- 
 kind, he was bigoted and priest-ridden. His talents and education 
 and the extraneous circumstances of his being agent at Lima of tho 
 Philippine Company, and of his brother's being one of the cabinet 
 of King Ferdinand, all combined to give him an influence with tho 
 viceroy and cabildo unsurpassed by any other individual in tho 
 kingdom. This influence was often exerted for my advantage, or 
 rather for that of the owners of the Beaver, which advantage was 
 reciprocal, as it enabled me to throw into the hands of his house 
 
 * This refers to the voyage of the ship Drottingen, which he had 
 despatched for Gibraltar from Guayaquil. 
 
228 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 many Vftluab ! consignments. It was Abadla who gave to the house 
 the character of respectability it possessed, and this was such as to 
 inspire a degree of confidence which secured to it almost exclusively 
 the foreign business of the place. 
 
 "Don Jose de Arizmendi was the active man of the house— a man 
 who possessed the capacity of accomplishing much and varied busi- 
 ness with a degree of despatch and skill very rarely seen amomj his 
 countrymen. While present with him he would conduct the busi- 
 ness with which he was charged on fair, honorable, and liberal 
 principles. By this semblance of honesty I was deceived, and was 
 induced to confide in the house to an extent which I discovered, 
 when too late, was entirely unmerited, and which was attended with 
 ruinous consequences. 
 
 " It was late in my transactions with the house b< I learned 
 the peculiarity of the connection of the partners. Abulia s relation 
 to the Philippine Company did not admit of his engaging in a pri- 
 vate mercantile house; hence, while a sharer in its advantages, he 
 was exempt from its responsibilities; and hence all the accounts 
 and business documents were signed exclusively by Arizmendi. Had 
 these facts been 'tnown, as they should have been, it would have 
 tended greatly to diminish the general confidence in the house. 
 
 "Late in the summer of 1823 mention was made in one of the Bos- 
 ton papers of the arrival of Seilor Arizmendi at Hamburg, in the 
 lioscoe, of Salem, freighted with a rich cargo for his account from 
 Manilla. As I had no doubt that this was my quondam friend, I 
 flattered myself that by starting immediately I might reach Ham- 
 burg before he left. Accordingly, in forty-eight hours aftjer receiv- 
 ing the information I was on my way to New York ; and in thirty 
 days more I arrived at Hamburg via Liverpool, London, Harwich, 
 and Cuxhaven. But I had the mortification to find that my labor 
 was in vain. 
 
 " Arizmendi had landed at Teneriffe, and the cargo of the JRoseoe, 
 yet unsold, was so well covered in the name of a Seiior Zavaleta, a 
 former clerk of Arizmendi, who swore the property belonged exclu- 
 sively to himself, that it could not be touched. 
 
 "After passing four days at Hamburg, a.ud.with the aid of one of 
 tjie most intelligent merchants of that city, being unable to effect 
 ftpything, I set out on mj return by the sanae route I had come. 
 
LETTER TO ABADIA. 
 
 229 
 
 Fortunately I nrrlvcd at Liverpool just as the packet I came in was 
 hauling out of dock on her return, and, embarking, I arrived at New 
 York on the seventy-third day after leaving there. 
 
 " The following year (1824) I learned that Sefior Abadia had ar- 
 rived at St. Thomas, and immediately wrote him on the subject of 
 my claim upon his house. The following copy of my letter will best 
 explain the whole matter: 
 
 "L\-scA8TKH,M\sB., September 21,1824. 
 "Don Pedro Abadia: 
 
 "Dear Sir, — By a letter from our mutual friend, Mr, C , I leam 
 
 that after many perils and some pecuniary embarrassment you have 
 arrived safe at St. Thomas. On this event permit me to oiler yon 
 my most hearty congrn* lations. It was reported last year that you 
 had arrived at Porto Kico, and knowing that you possessed a coffee 
 plantation there I thwight this very probable, and directed several 
 'letters to you there, some one of which you may have received. 
 These letters were written with the hope of inducing you to use 
 gome effort or point out some means by which the confidence I 
 placed in the honor and integrity of your house should not be pro- 
 ductive of my ruin. Among various other items, you must be aware 
 that a, sum of $15,000, charged me in account, as shipped for mc on 
 board the Macedonian, Rnd for which I hold duplicate acknowledg- 
 ments of Arizmendi, was never shipped. I will not attempt to de- 
 scribe ray astonishment, when, after a great lapse of time, I received 
 letters from Captain Smith informing me that I had been deceived, 
 and that no property had been shipped with him, either for my ac- 
 count or that of your house. Independent of other sums, this 
 amount, with five years' interest, will make an aggregate of upwards 
 of $20,000, as one item now due me from your house. Consider, 
 my dear sir, that this is the fruit of very hard labor in the most toil- 
 some profession, and that on the possession or loss of it is dependent 
 a life of ease and comfort with my family, or protracted absence, 
 care, and toil for the rest of my life. 
 
 " You informed Mr. C that Arizmendi saved about $300,000. 
 
 I heard two years since of his arrival at Manilla with a large prop- 
 erty; that last year he had there chartered the brig Roscoe, and with 
 this properly had arrived at Hamburg. In forty-eight hours after 
 receiving this information I was on my way to Liverpool, where I 
 
ma 
 
 2»0 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 arrived early in October, and proceeded immediately to London, 
 and caused inquiries to be made of the Spanish houses there if they 
 knew anything of Aiizmendi. They referred me to the London 
 Times, of October 7 (only two days before my arrival), in which 
 appeared the advertiserjient which I send to Mr. C , to be for- 
 warded to you. This advertisement was sufficient to account for 
 Arizmendi s not venturing up channel to accompany his property to 
 Hamburg. I therefore proceeded to Hamburg, where I found an 
 amount of sixty or seventy thousand dollars of the cargo of the 
 Hoaeoe in possession of a Mr. Zavaleta, in whose name it had been 
 shipped at Manilla, who had accompanied it, and who solemnly 
 swore it belonged to him. Arizmendi had been landed at Teneriffe. 
 I had then, and have now, no doubt that this property belonged to 
 Arizmendi; but, unfortunately, I could produce no proof of it, and 
 therefore my efforts were of no avail. I wrote to a house at Tene- 
 riffe, and received for answer that Arizmendi remained there only 
 two or three days, and then embarked for the Continent. This is the 
 last I have heard of his movenr.ents. He told Zavaleta he bhould 
 assume some other name. In this case I do not see how you can dis- 
 cover where he is or how he can learn that you are at St. Thomas. 
 
 "I presume from the tenor of your letter to Mr. C that you 
 
 have no amount of property with you, and that not less on your 
 own account than from a desire which I believe you to possess to 
 do justice to your creditors, you will leave no effort untried to dis- 
 cover the retreat of Arizmendi, and to get that property from him, 
 which, while withheld from the creditors of the house, will, how- 
 ever undeserved, be considered not less dishonorable to the name 
 and character of Abadia than to that of Arizmendi. If there should 
 be any such chance for the recovery of the property as A*ould jus- 
 tify the expense of my meeting you at St. Thomas and there taking 
 your directions and power to settle with Arizmendi in Europe, I 
 would not hesitate to embark on such an expedition; indeed, I 
 would even proceed to Lir.:ja, if you had any property remaining 
 there which there was a fair chance of recovering." 
 
 . " Whethei' this letter was 6ver received by Abadia I have not been 
 informed. Scarcely two months after writing it I received informa- 
 tion which could be depended on that Arizmendi was at his pater- 
 
PURSUIT OF ARIZMENDL 
 
 281 
 
 nal residence at Zarauz, in Guipuscoa. I had no hesitation , there- 
 fore, in embarking- in December, at New Yorlc, in a brig boucd for 
 Bordeaux. Arriving there in January, 1825, 1 proceeded na Ba- 
 yonne Passage and Yrun to St. Sebastian. From thence a messenger 
 was sent to Zarauz, who soon returned with information that Ariz- 
 mendi was at Madrid, and with the name of the street wliere ho 
 resided. Taking the diligence, I had the good-fortune to reach Ma- 
 drid without being robbed. 
 
 " The next day I succeeded, not without much difficulty, in find- 
 ing the person of whom I had so long been in pursuit, and was 
 actually once more in his presence. Had an apparition appeared to 
 him he could not have exhibited greater evidence of astonishment 
 and dismay; nor was it until the expiration of some minutes that be 
 was able to converse rationally. Unfortunately it required but little 
 conversation to ascertain that ray efforts w^ould prove to be unavail- 
 ing and that I could recover notliing. He had succeeded in obtain- 
 ing what in Spanish law is termed a ' morotoria,' which is a security 
 against molestation of person or property by creditors for a certain 
 peiiod. His was for four years. He begged me not to press my 
 demand, declared that he had the control of no property, and the 
 wretchedly mean, dirty, and obscure lodgings he occupied would 
 have sufficed to confirm the truth of such assertion if made by any 
 but a very cunning man. But I had no faith in it, and therefore did 
 not desist from the pursuit until satisfied by repeated conversations 
 with him, and the best advice I could procure during a residence of 
 a fortnight in Madrid, that there existed not a hope of obtaining 
 anything. As some alleviation to my disappointment, so far as it 
 tended to keep up hope, Arizmendi gave me a power of attorney for 
 the recovery of a large amount of property alleged to be due him 
 from sundry merchants in the United States. From a cursory ex- 
 amination of these claims I was led to believe that a considerable sum 
 might be recovered, and I therefore flattered myself that there existed 
 some chance of indemnification for my trouble and perseverance. 
 
 " Burying my disappointment in the oblivion which screened such 
 A multitude of its predecessors, 1 passed the time very agreeably in 
 Madrid in visiting the numerous objects of interest with wliich that 
 city abounds. 
 
 " The ci-devant Viceroy of Peru, Don Joaquin de la Pczuela, hear- 
 
 W 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
232 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 ing of my being in the city, sent a messenger to mo with an invita- 
 tion to his house, where he received me with the cordiality of an old 
 friend. He inquired how my various mercantile operations had re- 
 sulted, and evinced an interest in my affairs which was as pleasing 
 as it was unexpected. His inquiries for Captain Biddle and his ex- 
 pressions of friendship for him were made with an earnestness of 
 manner which left no doubt of the esteem and regard he cherished 
 for that distinguished officer. To the hospii»lIty of our worthy 
 minister, Mr. Nelson, and to that of the family of Mr. Rich, I was in- 
 debted for some of the most agreeable social hours I passed at Madrid. 
 
 "Taking leave of my kind friends in Madrid, I returned to Bor- 
 deaux, and learning, ou arriving there, that no opportunity for tho 
 United States would offer for some weeks, I took the diligence for 
 Paris, where, after passing u week, I proceeded to Havre, and took 
 passage in the Edward Quemel for New York, and arrived there in 
 April. 1835. . 
 
 " The agency for the collection of another's debts is an unaccept- 
 able service, and especially so when they arc of a description suscep- 
 tible of controversy; but in this instance there existed more than the 
 usual inducement, for I hoped thus to cancel the debt due me. Up- 
 wards of $100,000 were claimed of a Boston merchant,* the justice 
 of which he denied, and refused to pay any part of it. A demand 
 on a merchant of Baltimore for a much less amount was equally 
 unsuccessful. The only debt acknowledged by the signature of the 
 debtor was that of an old and intimate friend,f who could ill spare 
 the money, and from whom it was very painful to me to exact it; 
 but forbearance would have been a dereliction of duty, and would 
 have been no otherwise serviceable to him than to defer the time of 
 payment. Accordingly I recovered from him an amount about 
 equal to one fourth of that due me from Arizmendi. 
 
 "When convinced that nothing more could be recovered under 
 the power of attorney, I wrote to Arizmendi under his assumed name 
 of Don Fausto Corral, as agreed on, to this effect, assuring him of 
 my conviction that he would never obtain anything through the in- 
 termediation of an agent, and that the only course which presented 
 any prospect of success was to come to this country and prosecute 
 
 * JohnEUery. 
 
 f Samuel Curson. 
 
i 
 
 ARIZMENDI IN BOSTON. 
 
 288 
 
 the business in person. This, however, I did not believe he "would 
 do on account of the large demands against his house which were 
 held here. 
 
 " Nearly two years elapsed after writing this letter, during which 
 I heard nothing from or of him, when, suddenly and without any pre- 
 vious intimation to any one, he made his appearance in Boston, accom- 
 panied by a nephew, who, like himself, spoke no other than the Span- 
 ish language. They were in very obscure and ordinary lodgings, 
 kept by a foreigner, which circumstance, combined with the fact that 
 they brought no letters, was evidence of their wish for concealment. 
 
 " I now felt a security and consequent exultation in the recovery 
 of ray property which I had not before experienced; indeed, I per- 
 ceived no way in which it could be eluded. But man's shortsight- 
 edness is proverbial, and scarce a day passes that it is not made self- 
 evident. .As Arizmendi was indebted $10,000 to myself and Mr. 
 Carrington, of Providence, jointly, for short freight on a ship be- 
 longing to us equally, I did not imagine that any mischief could 
 arise from my notifying hira of Arizmeudi's arrival, though the rcr 
 suit clearly proved t the information had better been delayed. 
 With ill-jnclged impciu ' c sent tho papers proving the debt to 
 
 a lawjer in Boston, with directio s to institute a suit, notifying me 
 at the same time of his having done '^o. Percei ing at once the mis- 
 chief that would result from precipitate action, i went to the lawyer 
 and persuaded him to wait a week, with tho view f pcivin^'^ Ariz- 
 mendi time to ascertain the prospect of his recovering the property 
 of which he was in pursuit. This engagciiicnt was not adhered to; 
 the writ ^ls issued, and, for want of bail, he was imprisoned, thus 
 depriving him of the power of making the c< ctions on which 
 mainly depended the chance of our obtainii . payment. It was 
 literally destroying the bird that was destined to lay the golden egg. 
 
 " This error being manifest, one of the partners of the Providence 
 house came on, and, in the hope of retrieving it, we united in an act 
 which only made matters worse, that of releasing him on his prom- 
 ise of making a settlement, for it soon became evident that his only 
 object was to secure his liberty, and that he had no intention of ful- 
 filling his engagement. On being satisfied of this a new suit was 
 instituted ; but before the writ could be served on him he managed 
 to escape, by the aid of a Boston merchant, who enabled him to 
 
 n 
 
 I 
 

 234 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 elude the vigilance of the officer charged with his arrest, concealed 
 him until a vessel for St. Thomas was ready to sail, and then caused 
 him to be conveyed on board. 
 
 " In judging of actions we often err, and are guilty of injustice to 
 the individual whose motives we undertake to scan, but in this case 
 there can be no mistake. As there existed no personal animosity 
 towards me on the part of this merchant, he could only have been 
 actuated by motives of sordid interest. Arizmendi's principal ob- 
 ject in coming to Boston was to collect a debt of upwards of $100,000, 
 alleged to be due him from this man. 
 
 " On the presumption that it was desirable for him to escape the 
 payment of this debt, or even to avert a troublesome course of liti- 
 gation, nothing could possibly have been more opportune than the 
 coincidence of circumstances which enabled him to become the con- 
 fidant, adviser, and benefactor of Arizmendi; ostensibly to screen 
 him'from the rigors of a prison, but really to rid himself of the ne- 
 cessity of raying his debt; for, once away, he knew there was a 
 moral certainty he would not return to prosecute the claim in per- 
 son, and it was evident it could not be done by an agent except at 
 the risk of the property's being trusteed. But every single act of a 
 man's life, when seen from the right point of view, is found to be in 
 harmony with his whole character. 
 
 "It was now evident that I must relinquish all hope of ever re- 
 covering any portion f this debt, a debt so considerable that its loss 
 was productive of lifelong inconvenience; a debt for the recovery of 
 which I hud made two voyages to Europe, had induced my debtor 
 to come to this country, and, wheu apparently on the point of secur- 
 ing payment, been compelled, by the blundering mismanagement of 
 one man and rascality of another, to see the opportunity defeated." 
 
 It seemed, indeed, a cruel and inglorious termination 
 of the series of enterprises o ably planned and energet- 
 ically prosecuted to be tlins deprived of their legitimate 
 results, and the burden was the more grievous as he no 
 longer possessed the youthful vigor and elasticity, which 
 looks only to the future, forgetful of past disappoint- 
 ments. 
 
1 
 
 VICE-CONSUL AT HAVANA. 
 
 235 
 
 > Is 
 
 Hi 
 
 His habits had always been simple, and no man could 
 be more averse to any ostentatious display of wealth 
 than he. But he was generous by nature, and could 
 not restrict himself in any expenditure demanded for 
 -the comfort of his family, the education of his children, 
 the claims of friendship, or the exercise of a generous 
 hospitality. He had sought money as a means to these 
 ends, and their indulgence had become too strongly 
 confirmed by habit to be abandoned at the age of fifty. 
 But he felt the imprudence, at that age, of exposing him- 
 self and the remnants of foutune he had secured to fur- 
 ther risks of such nature as might be justifiable with a 
 younger man. 
 
 He had kept up an uninterrupted correspondence 
 with his old friend Shaler during Jiis long residence at 
 Algiers as consul-gen 'jral of the United States, and kept 
 alive the warm friendship begun in their early man- 
 hood. In 1828 Mr. Shaler received the appointment of 
 consul at Havana, and immediately invited my father to 
 accompany him as vice-consul, sharing equally the emol- 
 uments of the office. These were at that time depend- 
 ent on fees from American shipping, and although our 
 commerce with that port was then so large that the of- 
 fice was worth from $7000 to $10,000 a year, and, next 
 to Liverpool, the most valud!ble in the gift of the presi- 
 dent, yet, until Mr. Shaler's appointment, the United 
 States had only been represented by a commercial agent. 
 
 At this time, also, Mr. Shaler purchased of my father 
 the estate at Lancaster which had been his home ever 
 since his marriage in 1804, and placed his widowed sis- 
 ter, Mrs. Stilwell, with her family, in charge of it, while 
 
 I 
 
^86 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 I < < 
 
 he went with my father and mother to Havana and (be- 
 ing a bachelor) resided with them there until the melan- 
 choly occurrence of his death from cholera in 1833. 
 The disease raged fearfully there at the time, and up- 
 wards of eight hundred deaths occurred on the day that 
 Mr. Shaler died. Ho was first attacked at five p.m., and 
 died next day at seven a.m. The dead were carried off 
 in carts and no funeral rites allowed, and it was only by 
 an energetic appeal to the captain-general that my fath- 
 er got a permit to enclose the remains of his old friend 
 in a coflSn and accompany i^ as a solitary mourner to the 
 foreigners' burying-ground at Chorero, five miles west 
 of the city, on the sea-shore, where he saw it interred, 
 and subsequently placed over the spot a massive stone 
 monument bearing a suitable inscription. 
 
 The American merchants in Havana immediately 
 united in a unanimous petition that my father should be 
 appointed to the consulate, the essential duties of which 
 he had performed for five years in so satisfactory a man- 
 ner as to elicit a voluntary and highly complimentary ex- 
 pression of satisfaction from the Treasury Department at 
 Washington. Memorials of similar purport were also 
 sent to Washington by the merchants of New York, 
 Boston, Salem, and Portland who were engaged in the 
 Havana trade. Danidl Webster and his fellow-senator, 
 Nathaniel Silsbee (my father's old friend), exerted them- 
 selves actively in his behalf. But the doctrine that 
 "to the victors belong the spoils "had then just been, 
 for the first time, promulgated by Secretary Marcy, 
 And my father was one of the earliest to suffer by its 
 execution. The memory of his vigorous denunciation 
 
PROFITS AND LOSSES. 
 
 237 
 
 of the principle, as subversive of all honest administra- 
 tion, gives me a lively sense of the satisfaction he would 
 have felt could he have foreseen that it would receive 
 its death-blow at the hands of his kinsman, the present 
 President of the United States. 
 
 Though my father was never an active politician, he 
 was always a stanch whig, and that fact was sufficient 
 cause for removal. The place was given to Mr. Nicho- 
 las P. Trist, a young Virginia lawyer who had been the 
 private secretary of President Jackson. He was a gen- 
 tlemanly and very intelligent man, but entirely inexperi- 
 enced in commercial and maritime affairs, and had ac- 
 cepted the office in the full expectation that my father 
 would be glad to remain* and wield the laboring oar. 
 Tiiis, however, he positively declined, though offered the 
 same terms on which he had been associated with Mr. 
 Shaler, and he returned to the United States as soon as 
 Mr. Trist had assumed the duties of the office. 
 
 In the final chapter of his published narrative my 
 father gives a resume of the profits and losses of his 
 various adventures, and concludes as follows : 
 
 , 
 j 
 
 "On making an estimate of my losses for the twenty years be- 
 tween 1805 and 1835, 1 find their aggregate amount to exceed $200,000, 
 although I never possessed at any one time a sum exceeding |80,000. 
 Under such losses I have been supported by the consoling reflection 
 that they have been exclusively my own, and that it is not in the 
 power of any individual to say, with truth, that 1 have ever injured 
 him to the amount of a dollar. With a small annual sura from the 
 Neapolitan indemnity I have been able to support myself till this 
 was on the point of ceasing, by the cancelling of that debt, when I 
 was so fortunate as to obtain an office in the Boston Custora-House, 
 the duties of which I hope to perform faithfully and in peace during 
 
238 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 the few remaining years, or months, or days "which may be allotted 
 me on earth." 
 
 He continned to hold tliis office for some years, bnt 
 was deposed by a new administration, and, in 1845, 
 removed with my mother to my home in Burlington, 
 N. J., and continued to reside with me till the end of his 
 life. My mother died in Burlington in 1860. In 1854, 
 my father removed with me to Massachusetts, and died 
 in my house in Danvers, November 23, 1860, at the age 
 of eighty-seven. 
 
 From the many obituary notices of my father which 
 appeared in Boston, Salem, New York, and elsewhere, 
 I select the following, from the pen of Hon. George S. 
 Hillard, as comprising the fullest and most discrimina- 
 ting statement of the peculiar combination of elements 
 which formed his character. It appeared in the Boston 
 Courier of December 8, 1860 : 
 
 "THE LATE RICHARD J. CLEVELAND. 
 
 "In announcing, a few days since, the death of this venerable and 
 excellent man, we promised to pay some more extended tribute to 
 his worth than we then did, and this promise we now propose to 
 redeem. 
 
 "He was bom in Salem, December 19, 1778, and had thus nearly 
 reached the great age of eighty-seven years when he died, having 
 long survived most of his contemporaries, and moving among their 
 children and grandchildren as one of the few survivors of a former 
 generation. 
 
 "He was trained in the counting-houue of the late E. H. Derby, 
 Esq., and, as was the case with so many energetic spirits at that time, 
 he combined the duties and the knowledge of the merchant and tho 
 navigator. 
 
 " His first voyage was in 1793, in company with the late Nathaniel 
 Silsbee, who commanded the brig. Mr. Silsbee was not twenty years 
 
OBITUARY NOTICE. 
 
 99^ 
 
 of age; his chief mate was about as old, and Mr. Cleveland, who was 
 captain's clerk, was only nineteen. 
 
 "The beginning, however, of that series of enterprises which 
 formed the main work of his life, and in which he showed such re- 
 markable qualities of mind and character, was in 1797, when, finding 
 himself at Havre, and left at liberty by the unexpected abandonment 
 of a voyage by the owner of a ship he had the charge of, he bought 
 a little cutter of only thirty-eight tons, and sailed for the Isle of 
 France with a crew of two men and a boy. From that time till 
 1804 ho was navigating, at first alone, and afterwards in company 
 with the late William Shaler, in all parts of the world, and achiev- 
 ing triumphantly feats which experienced navigators regarded as 
 impossibilities. 
 
 "From 1804 to 1820 he was more or less engaged in enterprises 
 ■which were marked with the characteristics of almost unequalled 
 boldness, combined with a power of execution which enabled him 
 to carry them to a successful issue. The incidents of these qvent- 
 f ul years were detailed by him in a work, published in 1842, entitled 
 'A Narrative of Voyages and Commercial Enterprises,' which 
 passed through two editions in America and was republished in 
 England. This work is written in a style of attractive simplicity, 
 and no one can read it without admiration of the noble and gener* 
 ous qualities which the unpretending narrative unconsciously re- 
 veals. 
 
 " He was a man of traits of character not of»«n found in combina- 
 tion. He bad great boldness, resolution, and energy; inflexible 
 courage and indomitable perseverance, but he was no less remarka- 
 ble for refinement of feeling, purity of soul, and delicacy of percep- 
 tion. A more perfect gentleman, alike in essence and manner, was 
 never seen. His domestic affections were very strong; he had a 
 genuine enjoyment of nature, and a love of reading which was a 
 constant pleasure and resource alike in the busy and the unemployed 
 moments of his life. 
 
 "During his crowded years of activity and enterprise he made 
 and lost Touch property, and more than once deemed himself, and 
 had a right to deem himself, a rich man ; but the end of it was that 
 he found himself in his old age a poor man. This was not owing, as 
 might be surmised, to any reckless and extravagant habits induced 
 
240 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 by the ease with which independence had been won, for he was a man 
 of very simple tastes and with no expensive wants. But he was ex- 
 tremely generous, and this trait led him to aid, with profuse liberali- 
 ty, all who had any claims upon his affection. And while in the 
 planning 9t commercial enterprises he showed rare inventive quali- 
 ties, and in the execution of them wonderful energy and persever- 
 ance, he was somewhat deficient in those humbler qualities which 
 enable men to keep and manage what they have earned; and no one 
 need be told that the accumulation of wealth depends quite as much 
 upon the latter class of gifts as the former. But this reverse of 
 fortune served to bring out more and more the beauty of Captain 
 Cleveland's character and give him new claims to the affection and 
 esteem of his friends. It was gently, patiently, and heroically borne ; 
 never a word of complaint was heard from his lips, never a bitter 
 arraignment of the ways of Providence, never an envious fling at 
 the prosperity of others. And the wise, kind, cheerful old man was 
 Imppy to the end. His last years were passed in the family of his 
 youngest son, soothed and gladdened by the most affectionate care. 
 His decay was gradual, and he was released at last without suf- 
 fering. 
 
 *' Captain Cleveland, among other traits, was remarkable for his 
 strict temperance, although he grew up at a time when the usages of 
 society made abstinence from intoxicating drinks a harder duty than 
 now. During his whole life he never drank a glass of wine, or of 
 any alcoholic liquor, or of porter, ale, or beer, and never used tobacco 
 in any form. He ascribed his uniform good health to these temper- 
 ate habits; but, with his usual simplicity of manner, he never took 
 any moral airs upon himself on this account, but was accustomed to 
 say, when he alluded to the subject at all, which was rarely, that 
 the reason he did not drink wine was because ho did not like the 
 taste of it." 
 
 As I was but a little child at the time my father had 
 concluded the last of his voyages, my early recollections 
 of him have no connection with such characteristics as 
 arc naturally associated with the conception of a daring 
 adventurer. He never encouraged in liis children the 
 
niS DOMESTIC LIFE. 
 
 241 
 
 ambition to emulate his own achievements, and, indeed, 
 they were so rarely alluded to by him in conversation 
 that the details given in his narrative were for the most 
 part as new to me, at the time of its publication, as to 
 the world at large. I remember him only as the coun- 
 try gentleman, living at case in the beautiful homo at 
 Lancaster which was my birthplace, and so absorbed in 
 the duties and interests of the daily life around him 
 that no stranger would have suspected that the most 
 active portion of his life had been spent in navigating 
 the ocean. He had an ardent love of nature, and a 
 keen perception of her attractive features, whether in 
 their grandest or their most simple forms. He was such 
 ft lover of flowers that it was his constant custom, dur- 
 ing their season, to carry a pink or some other fragrant 
 blossom in his mouth, and he would preserve a single 
 one for a whole day, laying it beside his plate at meals 
 and resuming it afterwards. He was an appreciative 
 reader of the best literature of the day, and was in the 
 constant habit of reading aloud to my mother, and dis- 
 cussing with her the subjects which excited his interest. 
 
 He exercised a generous hospitality, not in the form 
 of ostentatious banquets or large assemblies, but by mak- 
 ing his home attractive to his wide circle of friends, so that 
 it was rare that some one or more of them was not his 
 guest, and always unceremoniously, as one of the family. 
 
 His neighbors and fellow-townsmen were on terms of 
 friendly social intercourse with him, and he was always 
 active in promoting the best interests of the town, 
 where his memory is still held in respect. 
 
 The natural beauty of that lovely valley is still un- 
 11 
 
242 
 
 VOYAGES OP A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 changed. The Nashua winds its course througli the 
 rich meadows as of old ; tlio grand old elms, for which 
 its valley is famous, still wave their gracefully droop- 
 ing arms ; the rounded forms of Wachuset and Wata- 
 toc, and the more distant and picturesque outline of the 
 Grand Monadnoc are still pencilled against the evening 
 sky ; the seasons come and go in all their changing 
 beauty as of yore ; but no one remains upon the stage 
 who retains oven a recollection of the actors whose 
 presence gave life to the scene in the da} of which I 
 speak. 
 
 I have elsewhere mentioned that my father's anxiety 
 to secure for his children better advantages of educa- 
 tion than were afforded by the country schools of the 
 day led to the establishment at Lancaster of a classical 
 school, the selection of the teachers of which was in- 
 trusted to him, and the first of whom was Jared Sparks, 
 the subsequent historian and President of Harvard Col- 
 lege. The second was George B. Emerson, whose sub- 
 sequent record as a teacher and as President of the Mas- 
 sachusetts Board of Education has secured for him a po- 
 sition of the highest order in the annals of education, 
 and the third was the late Solomon P. Miles, afterwards 
 principal of the English High School in Boston, who 
 but for his premature death would doubtless have at- 
 tained corresponding honors. Each of these eminent 
 men began his career on leaving college by taking charge 
 of the school established at Lancaster, and each of them 
 has repeatedly and enthusiastically expressed to me his 
 sense of the value to him, at that critical period of his 
 life, of the homelike influence, the warm personal friend- 
 
 1^ 
 
REMINISCENCES OP LANCASTER. 
 
 243 
 
 ship, tlio genial Bocial atmospliero, and tho ready sym- 
 pathy and coursil, with which his memory of my fatlior 
 and motliiBr was associated. 
 
 The existence of a school of such high character at- 
 tracted to the town a nnmber of families desirous of 
 availing themselves of its advantagoe, and resulted in 
 tho attainment of such a standard of social and intel- 
 lectual culture as few country towns at that day could 
 boast. 
 
 In Marvin's History of Lancaster, published in 1879, 
 Miss Elizabeth Peabody communicates some very in- 
 teresting reminiscences of those days. She was then a 
 young lady, warmly interested in the cause of education, 
 to which her life has since been devoted, and was living 
 in Lancaster, where her father was, for a time, settled as 
 a physician. 
 
 She alludes as follows to my father and mother : 
 
 " Captain Cleveland had retired on his fortune, gained in a buo- 
 cessful mercantile career begun at Salem. He was a noble, original, 
 heroic character, who, inspired by a love that was eventually crowned 
 by a most happy marriage, worked with the enthusiasm and self- 
 devotion of a knight of the days of chivalry to win a fortune for 
 his bride elect, and with a kindred high sense of honor. In the 
 course of his career ho met and united in a bond of friendship, as 
 exceptional as his love, with Mr. Shalcr, who subsequently bought 
 his residence. At his house there was every evening an assemblage 
 of those who were interested in education, a subject in which Mrs. 
 Cleveland was deeply absorbed, having herself educated her thrco 
 boys, with the help in the last years of Messrs. Sparks, Emerson, and 
 Miles, to all of whom her hospitable mansion was a home, and she 
 their most respected and beloved counsellor. She had studied Rous- 
 seau and Pestalozzi without losing her own originality. The even- 
 ings at her house were the greatest inspiration to all these educators. 
 
244 
 
 VOYAGES OF A MERCHANT NAVIGATOR. 
 
 There I met Colburn, and learned from his own lips his idea of mak- 
 ing cliildrcn discover and malce for themselves the rules of arith- 
 metic. ... 
 
 "But it "was not merely new methods of intellectual education 
 that were discussed at these symposia nt Mrs. Cleveland's, but the 
 necessity and method of building up character on the Christian and 
 heroic ideal of inspiring children with the i)ower to educate them- 
 selves. 
 
 " When I think of those years of my life at Lancaster, it seems ar- 
 rayed in all the glory of the ideal. The enthusiasm for study among 
 the young people; the enthusiasm of educating in the teachers; tho 
 extraordinary beauty of nature ; the classic music which Mrs. Cleve- 
 land always played to her huoband, who enjoyed it so much that 
 she never allowed a visitor to interrupt it; Mr. Cleveland's unworld- 
 ly nubility of character— all blend to make it an oasis in the desert 
 of this 'work-day world.' Life has never seemed to me tame or 
 uninteresting; but this period is glorified in my memory, not mere- 
 ly by the subjective enthusiasm of my own youthful reason, but by 
 the objective reality of so many rare individualities congregated to- 
 gether." 
 
 My own recollections of those golden days of my 
 childhood and of the happy home in which they were 
 passed is so vivid, and the contrast is so great between 
 the pure and wholesome social atmosphere which then 
 snrronnded me, and the heated and tainted air which 
 is 60 widely prevalent to-day, that I find it hard to be- 
 lieve that this v^an bo the same world in which I then 
 lived. 
 
 I alone am left of those who were nearest and deurcst 
 to him, and the home ho so loved is no longer in ex- 
 istence. His trials auf'l disappointments, his courage 
 and perseverance, his snccesses and failures, are only 
 " Beraembered as a tale that's told." 
 
 As the last survivor of his family, I offer this tribute 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 245 
 
 of respect to his memory, in the faith that the record 
 of such a life is worthy of preservation, and the hope 
 that the footsteps he lias left upon the sands of time 
 may serve to give new heart to ** Some forlorn and ship- 
 wrecked brother." 
 
 TIIE END. 
 
VALUABLE AND miERESTING WOMS 
 
 FOB 
 
 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES, 
 
 PcDtiSHED BT HARPER & BROTHERS, Nkw Tork. 
 
 ' For a full List of Booka auitable for LibrarUa publiaked by IlAmpxB & 
 Bboturbs, Bee Uahfkb'b CATALOone, which may be had gratuiUnuly on 
 applieatioti to the publithere peraonally, or by Utter endoeing Ten Cent* 
 in postage etampt. 
 
 ' Haspkb & Bboturiw will Mtid their pul)lieatiim» by mail, poetage pre- 
 paid, on receipt of tite price. 
 
 MACAULAY'S iiNGLAND. The History of England from the 
 Accession of Jumes II. By Thomas Babington Macaulat. 
 New Edition, from New Electrotype Plates. 5 vols., in a Box, 
 8vo, Ciotli, with Paper Labels, Uncut Edges, and Gilt Tops, 
 $10 00; Sheep, $12 CO; Half Calf, $21 25. Sold only in Sets. 
 Cheap Edition, 6 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $2 CO. 
 
 MACAULAY'S MISCELLANEOUS WORKS. The Miscellane- 
 CDS Works of Lord Macaulay. From New Electrotype Plates. 
 C vols., in A Box, 8vo, Cloth, with Paper Lat>els, Uncot Edges, 
 and Gilt Tops, $10 00; Sheep, $12 CO; Half Calf, $21 25. Sold 
 only in Sets. 
 
 HUME'S ENGLAND. Histoty of England, from the Invasion of 
 Julius CflBsar to the Abdication of James II., 1G88. By David 
 Hume. New and Elegant Library Edition, from New Electrotype 
 Plates. C vols., in n Box, 8ro, Cloth, with Paper Labels, Uncut 
 Edges, and Gilt Tops, $12 00; Sheep, $15 00; Half Calf, $25 50. 
 Sold only in Sets. Pq)ular Edition, 6 vols., in a Box, 1 2mo, Cloth, 
 $8 00. 
 
 GIBBON'S ROME. The History of the Decline and Fall of the 
 Roman Empire. By Edward Gibbon. With Notes by Denn 
 MiLUAN, M. GnizoT, and Dr. W;:.' iam Smith. New Edition, 
 from New Electrotype Plates. C vols., 8vo, Cloth, with Paper 
 Lalwls, Uncut Edges, and Gilt Tops, $12 00; Sheep, $15 00; 
 Half Calf, $25 50. Sold only in Sets. Popular Edition, C volt„ 
 in a Box, 12mo, Cloth, $3 00. 
 
2 
 
 ValtsahU Work* for Public and Piivate JAbrarieik 
 
 HILDRETU'S UNITED STATES. Ilistoiy of the United States. 
 First Series : From the Discovery of tlie Continent to the Or* 
 ganization of the Government under the Federal Constitution. 
 Skcokd Skribs : From the Adoption of the Federal Constitution 
 to the End of the Sixteenth Congress. By Hichard IIilpretu. 
 Popular Edition, 6 vols., in a Box, 8vo, Cloth, with Paper Labels, 
 Uncut Edges, and Gilt Tops, $12 00; Sheep, $15 00; Half Calf, 
 $26 60. Sold only ia Sets. 
 
 MOTLEY'S DUTCH REPUBLIC. The Rise of the Dutch Re- 
 public. A History. By John Lothrop Motley, LL.D., D.C.L. 
 With a Poitrait of William of Orange. Cheap Edition, 8 vols., 
 in a Box, 8vo, Cloth, with Pa|)er Liibels, Uncut Etlgcs, and Gilt 
 Tops, $G 00; Sheep, $7 60; Half Culf, $12 76. Sold only in 
 Sets. Original Library Edition, 3 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $10 60. 
 
 MOTLEY'S UNITED NETHERLANDS. History of the United 
 Netherlands : From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve 
 Years' UVuce— 1584-1 GOO. With a full View of the English- 
 Dutch Strugi^le against Spain, and of the Origin and Destraction 
 of the Spauish Armada. By John Lothrop Motlet, LL.D., 
 D.C.L. Portraits. Cheap Edition, 4 vols., in a Box, 8vo, Cloth* 
 with PafHsr Labels, Uncut Edges, and Gilt Tops, $8 GO ; Sheep, 
 $10 00 ; Half Culf, $1 7 00. Sold only in Sets. Original Library 
 Edition, 4 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $14 00. 
 
 MOTLEY'S JOHN OF BARNEVELD. The Life and Death of 
 John of Bnnieveld, Advocate of Holland, With a View of the 
 Primary Causes end Movements of the "Thirty Years' War." 
 By John LothropMotlry, LLD., D.C.L. Illustrated. Cheap 
 Edition, 2 vols., in a Box, 8vo, Cloth, with Paper Lal)cl8, Uncut 
 Edges, and Gilt Tops $4 00; Sheep, $6 00; Half Calf, $8 60. 
 Sold only in Sots. Original Library Edition, 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, 
 $7 00. 
 
 GEDD1-:S'S JOHN DE WITF. History of tlie Administration 
 of John De Witt, Grand Pensionary of Holtand. By Jambs 
 Geus)es. Vol. I.— 1C23-IG&4. With a Portrait. 8vo, Cloth. 
 $2 60. 
 
 HUDSON'S HISTORY OF JOURNALISM. Journalism in the 
 United States, from 1G90 to 1872. By Fredurio Hudson. Svo, 
 Cloth, $6 00; Half Calf, $7 26. 
 
 
Valuable Work$ for Public and PrivaU Librariet. 
 
 8 
 
 GOLDSMITH'S WORKS. The Works of Oliver Goldsmith. 
 Edited by Pktur Conminoham, F.S.A. From New KlectrO' 
 type Plates. 4 vols., 8vo, Cloth, Paper Labels, Uncut Edges, 
 mid Gilt Tops, $8 00; Sheep, $10 00; Half Calf, $17 00. Uni- 
 form with the New Library Editions of Macaulay, Hume, Gib- 
 bon, Motley, and Hildreth. 
 
 MULLER'S POLITICAL HISTORY OF RECENT TIMES 
 (18ie-1876). With Special Reference to Germany. By Will- 
 lAM MCllkr. Translated, with an Appendix covering the Pe- 
 riod from 1876 to 1881, by the Rev. Joim P. Pkteks, Ph.D. 
 ]2mo. Cloth, $3 00. 
 
 SYMONDS'S SKETCHES AND STUDIES IN SOUTHERN 
 EUROPE. By John Addinqton Stmonds. 2 vols., Post 8vo, 
 Cloth, $4 00. 
 
 SYMONDS'S GREEK POETS. Studies of the Greek Poets. By 
 John Addikotom Stmonds. 2 vols., Square 16mo, Cloth, 
 $3 60. 
 
 TREVELYAN'S LIFE OF MACAULAY. The Life and Letters 
 of Lord Macaulay. By his Nephew, G. Otto Treveltan, M.P. 
 With Portrait on Steel. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, Uncut Edges and 
 Gilt Tops, $5 00; Sheep, $6 00; Half Calf, $9 50. Pnpulur 
 Edition, 2 vols, in one, I2mo, Cloih, $1 75. 
 
 TREVELYAN'S LIFE OF FOX. The Early History of Charles 
 James Fox. By George Otto Treveltan. 8vo, Cloth, Un- 
 cut Edges and Gilt Tops, $2 50. 
 
 PARTON'S CARICATURE. Caricature and Other Comic Art, 
 in All Times and Many Lands. By James Parton. 203 Illus- 
 trations. 8vo, Cloth, Uncut Edges and Gilt Tops, |5 00 ; Half 
 Calf, $7 25. V 
 
 MAHAFFY'S GREEK LITERATURE. A History of Classical 
 Greek Literature. By J. P. MAHArrr. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, 
 $1 00. 
 
 SIMCOX'S LATIN LITERATURE. A History of Latin Lit- 
 erature, from Ennius to Boethius. By Georqb Augustus Sim* 
 cox, M. A. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $4 00. 
 
4 Valuabh Work» for PtMie and JPrivate lAbrarUt, 
 
 LOSSING'S .CYCLOPiGDIA OF UNITED STATES HISTORY. 
 From the Aboriginal Period to 1876. By B. J. Lobsino, LL.D. 
 Illustrated by 2 Steel Portraits and over 1000 Engravings. 2 vols., 
 Royal 8vo, Cloth, $10 00. {Sold by Subscription only.) 
 
 LOSSING'S FIELD-BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION. Pictorial 
 Field-Book of the Revolution ; or, Illustrations by Pen and Pencil 
 of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the 
 War fur Independence. By Bunson J. I>>88ino. 2 vols., Svo. 
 Cloth, $U 00; Sheep or Roan, $15 00; Half Calf, $18 00. 
 
 LOSSING'S FIELD-BOOK OF THE WAR OF 1812. Pictorial 
 Field-Book of the War of 1812; or, Illustrations by Pen and 
 Pencil of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions 
 of the lust War for American Independence. By Benson J. 
 LossiNO. With several hundred Engravings. 1088 pages, 8vo, 
 Cloth, $7 00 ; Sheep, $8 60 ; Half Calf, $10 00. 
 
 DU CHAILLU'S LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN. Summer 
 and Winter Journeys in Sweden, Norway, and Lapland, and North- 
 em Finland. By Paul B. Do; Ciiaillu. Illustrated. 2 vols., 
 8vc, Cloth, $7 50; Half Calf, $12 00. 
 
 DU CHAILLU'S EQUATORIAL AFRICA. Explorations and 
 Adventures in Equatorial Africa; with Accounts of the Manners 
 and Customs of the People, and of the Chase of the Gorilla, Leo« 
 pard. Elephant, Hippopotamus, and other Animals. By P. B. 
 D J Chaillu. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00 ; Half Calf, $7 2.5. 
 
 DU CHAILLU'S ASHANGO LAND. A Journey to Ashango 
 Land, and Fuither Penetration into Equatorial Africa. By P. B. 
 Du CuAiLLU. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00 ; Half Calf, $7 25. 
 
 DEXTER'S CONGREGATIONALISM. The Congregationalism 
 of the Last Three Hundred Years, as Seen in its Literature : with 
 Special Reference to certain Recondite, Neglected, or Disputed 
 Passages. With a Bibliographical Appendix. By II. M. Dexter. 
 Largo 8vo, Cloth, $6 00. 
 
 STANLEY'S THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. Through 
 the Dark Continent ; or. The Sources of the Nile, Around the 
 Great Lakes of Equatorial Africa, and Down the Livingstone 
 River to the Atlantic Ocean. 149 Illustrations and 10 Maps. By 
 H. M. Stanley. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $10 00; Half Morocco, 
 $15 00. 
 
VaiucAU Worh for Public and Private Libraries. 
 
 BARTLETTS FROM EGYPT TO PALESTINE. Through 
 Sinai, the Wilderness, and the South Country. Observations of 
 a Journey made with Special Reference to the History of the Is- 
 raelites. By S. C. Babtlbtt, D.D. Maps and Illustration& 
 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. 
 
 FORSTER'S LIFE OF DEAN SWIFT. The Early Life of 
 Jonathan Swift (1667-1711). By John Forster. With Por- 
 trait. 8vo, Cloth, Uncut Edges and Gilt Tops, $2 50. 
 
 GREEN'S ENGLISH PEOPLE. History of the Englwh People. 
 By John Richard Grukn, M.A. With Maps. 4 vols., Byo, 
 Cloth, $10 00; Sheep, $1200; Half Calf, $19 00. 
 
 GREEN'S MAKING OF ENGLAND. The Making of England. 
 By J. R. GuBEN. With Majjs. 8vo, Cloth, $2 6o. 
 
 GREEN'S CONQUEST OF ENGLAND. The Conquest of Eng- 
 land. By J. R. Green. With Maps. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. 
 
 SHORT'S NORTH AMERICANS OF ANTIQUITY. Tho 
 North Americans of Antiquity. Their Origin, Migrations, and 
 Type of Civilization Considered. By John T. Short. Illus- 
 trated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. 
 
 SQUIER'S PERU. Peru: Incidents of Travel rnd Exploration 
 in the Land of the Incas. By E. Georog Squier, M. A., F.S.A., 
 late U. S. Commissioner to Peru. With Illustrations. 8vo, 
 Cloth, $5 00. 
 
 BENJAMIN'S ART IN EUROPE. Contemporary Art in Europe. 
 By S. G. W. Benjamin. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50; Half 
 Calf, $5 75. 
 
 BENJAMIN'S ART IN AMERICA. Art in America. By S. 
 G. W. Benjamin. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00; Half Calf, 
 $6 25. 
 
 REBER'S history of ANCIENT ART. History of Ancient 
 Art. By Dr. Franz von Reder. liovised by tho Author. 
 Translated and Augmented by Joseph Thacher Clarke. With 
 310 Illustrations and a Glossaty of Technical Terms. 8vo, Cloth, 
 $3 60. 
 
 GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE. 12 vols., 12mo, Cloth, 
 $18 00; Sheep, $22 80; Half Calf, $39 00. 
 
8 
 
 Valuable Works for Public and Private Librariea. 
 
 ADAMS'S MANUAL OF HISTORICAL LITERATURE. A 
 Manual of ULstorical Literntuie. Comprising Drief Descriptions 
 of the Most Important Histories in English, French, nnd Ger- 
 man. By Trofessor C. K. Adams. 8vo, Cloth, $2 £0. 
 
 KINGLAKE'S CRIMEAN WAR. The Invasion of the Crimea: 
 its Origin, and an Account of its Progress down to the Death 
 of Lord Raglan. By Alexander Wiluam Kinglakh. With 
 Maps and Plans. Four Volumes now ready. ]2mo, Cloth, $2 00 
 per vol. 
 
 MAURY'S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OP THE SEA. The 
 Physical Geography of the Sen, and its Meteorology. By M. F. 
 Mauut, LL.D. 8vo, Cloth, $4 GO. 
 
 IIALLAM'S LITERATURE. Introduction to the Literature of 
 Europe during the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Cent- 
 uries. By Henbt IIallam. 2 vols., 8vo, Clotl), $4 GO; Sheep, 
 $5 00. 
 
 HALLAM'S MIDDLE AGES. View of the State of Europe dur- 
 ing the Middle Ages. By II. IIallam. 8vo, Cloth, $2 00; 
 Sheep, $2 50. 
 
 HALLAM'S CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 The Constitutional History of England, from the Accession of 
 Henry VII. to the Death of George II. By Hehst Hallam. 
 8vo, Cloth, $2 00; Sheep, $2 60. 
 
 NEWCOMB'S ASTRONOMY. Popular Astronomy. By Simon 
 Newcomb, LL.D. With 112 Engravings, and 5 Maps of the 
 Stars. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50; School Edition, 12mo, Cloth, ^1 80. 
 
 VAN-LENNEP'S BIBLE LANDS, Bible Lands: their Modern 
 Custom and Manners Illustrative of Scripture. By Henbt J. 
 Van-Lennep, D.D. 850 Engravings and 2 Colored Maps. 8vo, 
 Cloth, $5 00 ; Sheep, $6 00 ; Half Morocco, $8 00. 
 
 PRIME'S POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Pottery and Porce- 
 lain of All Times and Nations. With Tables of Factory and 
 Artists' Marks, for the Use of Collectors. By William C. 
 Fbimk, LL.D. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, Uncut Edges and Gilt 
 Tops, 17 00; Half Calf, fO 25. (In a Box.) 
 

 c/Arvt'--*-^ 
 
 CXv.^ --'v-" 
 
 ; 
 
 -^-"V^rv^J^r^-^ 
 
 ( 
 
 9*^-