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LABRADOR. 
 
 \J 
 
 
 Brief Account of the Vesskls employed in the Service of the Mtl- 
 BioN on the Coast of Labrador, and of' the more romarkahlfi 
 Deliverances from imminent Peril, which they have experienced 
 from the year 1770 to the present time. 
 
 [NoTB. — The following account is taken from Periodical Acconnts, Vol. XXI. 
 Noo. ccxxii and ccxxiii. No alteration is made beyond what is required by tho 
 lapse of time, and the only addition is what is requisite to bring tho history down 
 to the present period.] 
 
 The Divine protection vouchsafed to the ships, which, for a cen- 
 tury, have been the medium of annual communication between tho 
 settlements on the coast of Labrador and the Church at homo, may 
 justly be regarded as one of the most remarkable features in tho 
 history of tho Brethren's Missions. So marvellous has it boon, that 
 it has arrested the attention of candid and observant men of tho 
 world, as well as of children of God in various ranks of society, and 
 of various Christian denominations, — especially of such aa wore ex- 
 perienced in maritime affairs.* AVIiile the former have paid a willitig, 
 and, in some instances, a practical homage to a truth, the natur nd 
 value of which they were able but imperfectly to appreciate,"! i'-o 
 latter have been led to ponder with admiring gratitude the gracious 
 dealings of Jehovah with His servants and messengers, and to 
 acknowledge the striking proof hereby afforded, that " whatsoover 
 th ) Lord pleaseth, that doth He in heaven and in earth, in the sea, 
 and all deep places." (Pa. cxxxv. 6.) 
 
 • Among these may be particularly mentioned the late Admiral Lord Qftnibior, 
 who having, in the earlier part of his naval life, seen much service in the Aniiricttn 
 Seas, and for a time held the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland, WM 
 well acquainted with the peculiar perils incident to the navigation of the North 
 Atlantic. This distinguished and truly Christian officer has more than omse de- 
 clared, in the hearing of the writer, that he considered the prcKervfttioii of tho 
 Labrador ship, dming so long a course of years, as the most remarkable occurrence 
 in maritime history that had come to his Icnowledge. 
 
 t In this light may be regnrdeii the annually recurring fact, that the veiiel em- 
 ployed by the Society is insured by the underwriters at Lloyd's at a premium con- 
 ijid«rably less than llial which i.s charged for vessels bound to other portions of 
 Sritiah North America, including the territories of the Hudson's Bay Coupftuy. 
 
2 liCrouxT or ttir t,autiat)oh sini's. 
 
 A wish Laving been often expressed that a somewhat detailed ac- 
 count should be published relative to the vessels employed in the 
 Bervic«of the Labrador Mission, and the deliverances from imminent 
 danger which they had from time to time experienced, it has been 
 thought that the i)reHent would be a suitable occnsion fV.r the attempt 
 to gratify it.* In preparing the following stutenionts, the Editor 
 has only to regret, that the imperfection of the materials to which he 
 has had access, meluding the documents in the archives of the " So- 
 ciety for the Furtherance of the Gospel," and the narrow limits 
 within which it 18 obviously neeessary that he should confine himself, 
 have not allowed him to render it as complete as he could have de- 
 flired. It will be readily understood that the facts and circumstances 
 ■related are but a selection from those which might be adduced, and 
 which, to a considerable extent, Imve already been recorded in the 
 pages of the Periodical Accounts. To this journal the reader is 
 referred lor particulars of occurrences since the year 1790 
 
 It was at the general Synod of the Brethren's Church, held at 
 Marienborn in the y-ear 1769, that the resolution was definitely taken 
 to attempt the establishment of a Mission on the coast of Labrador 
 Ihe cnrrymgout of this resolution was entrusted principally to the 
 'Bre^thren 8 Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel,'' whose 
 members had already shewed the lively interest which they felt in 
 the conversion of^the Esquimoes, by the assistance they had rendered 
 to Erhardt in 1752, and to Haven and Drachart in 1764 and 1765 
 in their endeavours to plant the standard of the Cross among those 
 rude and barbarous heathen Though these several attempts had 
 been attended with no immediate success, and the first had proved 
 fatal to the leader of the enterprise, the experience acquired bv 
 means of them was, m many respects, of the highest value. It served 
 to place in the clearest light the manifold difficulties and inconve- 
 nience inseparable trom any effort to communicate with Labrador bv 
 way of Newfoundland, and the consequent necessity of providing i 
 vessel for the maintenance of a direct and regular intercourse with that 
 coast, m the event of a mission being established upon it A visit 
 ot a preliminary and exploratory character having been determined 
 on in the early part of the year 1770, it became, therefore, one of the 
 hrst objects ot the Society, to procure such a vessel, and to engage 
 the services of a trustworthy and experienced captain for the cond net 
 of the expedition. After a good deal of inquiry in London and in 
 other ports, a sidhII sloop <>( eighty tons burden, called the Jerseu 
 Facket,\ was purchased and fitted out by tiie Society, or rather by 
 
 • For a very brief notice on this subject, see "Retrosnept of »h« nrimn .«j x> 
 gress of the Brethren's Society for the i^urtherancrof^rGoSel a^d K o^^ 
 4ion8 dunng the past 100 years."- Period. Accts. Vol. xvi pTl-16 ^ 
 
 t It 18 a rather singular circumstance, that the only perfect document in *>,« 
 Archives of the Society, printed or manuscript, which mentions thHTm^ f ♦I- 
 vessel-the first employed in the service of the LaSo^M s"on Ss th^M **"' 
 
ACCOt'KT OF THE tABHADOrt SHIPS. 9 
 
 " tho ship's company,"* and the oommnnd of her given to Captain 
 ^ranois Mugford. Hho in described, in a MS letter of Rr. Reni 
 J^a Irobo to the Directing Board of the Unity, as not only " a tipht 
 and sound Mhip, but also a priiro Hailer. readily obedient to thehofm 
 and out-sailing all tho vesseh in the river on the passiage down to 
 Uravesend." Irom the same letter, it appears, that the brethren, 
 whowero collected with this expedition in one or other capacity 
 were ton in nuinbor, of whom Jens Haven, Lawrence Drachart, and 
 btephea Jensen, were considered the leaders.t Tlie vohscI, after 
 calling at Lymington, Hants, for a supply of sails, and at Exmouth, 
 in Devonshire, for a quantity of fishing tackle, the gift of Mr 8 
 -farmmter, himse lf an honorary member of the Society, proceeded on 
 
 name in the naval annals of his country, and who was tho grandfather of the lata 
 celebrated Lord Byron, and of his cousin, the present estimable bearer of that title 
 18 herewitli subjoined. Its contents, which are in entire harmony with the Order in 
 Couneii granted by his Majesty King George III. in 1769. afford an additional evi- 
 dencc of the praiseworthy intentions of the British Government, in sanctioning and 
 promoting the establishment of the Mission in Labrador. 
 
 "By His Excellency the Hon. John Byron. Governor and Commander-in-Chief 
 in and over the Island of Newfoundland, the Coast of Labrador. &c. :- 
 
 ' Whereas His Majesty was pleased, by an Order of Council, May 3rd. 1769. to 
 encourage the Unitas Fratium, and their Society for the Furtherance of the Go/pel 
 among the Heathen to make a settlement on the northern coast of Labrador for 
 the purposes ..t civihsing and instructing the savages inhabiting that coast, and to 
 permit and allow certain persons, in trust for the Unitas Eratrura and its Society 
 lor the furtherance of the Gospel, to occupy and possess, during His Majesty's 
 pleasure, a certain quantity of land, in such part of Eskimo Bay, on the coast of 
 Labrador, as they should find most suitable to their purpose • 
 
 " And whereas his Majesty did at tho same time order. 'that the Governor or 
 Commander-in-Chiof of Newfoundland, for the time being, do give them all reason- 
 able assistance and support in forming tho said establishment, and in His Maiestv's 
 name to warn all persons from molesting or disturbing the said settlers ; and 
 whereas certain persons, who are members of the sai.l Society for the Furtherance 
 l.;,r,h«n^n1 P^'c'iased the 'Jersey Pachet,' (Francis Mugford. commander), 
 
 burthen 80 tons square stenied. plantation- built, in order to go this year to tho 
 coast o^T Labrador, to converse with the Eskimoes, and try to bring them to a 
 lZ7^^^ '""P"'"' ""V"* '7.H ?V' f"'- ' parts on or near Eskimo Bay as may suit 
 best for the purpose of establishing a -ib.ionof the Unitas Frutrum, and to that 
 end have engaged some Missionaries to go ou board the said ^Jersey Pachtt' iot 
 the li.udable jiurposes aforesaid ; a '-<■<»■ iw 
 
 •'These are therefore to certify, to all person-vnom it may concern, that this 
 establishment is undertaken and formed under His Majestv's express direction and 
 authority whose protection they are under. And all officers, civil and militaiy, and 
 all other His Majesty s subjects within my government, are hereby strictly charged 
 
 f>! ^^^t'^^'if '2-°','?.^"'*'.?'^""®''''"?"''^" <"■ fiindrance to the said Mission, but 
 that they do afford the said Brethren all friendlv assistance for the success of their 
 pious undertaking, calculated for the benefit of mankind in general, and for tha 
 Kingdom of Great Britain in particular. 
 
 „ „ , . ^ „ , " Given under my hand this 2l8t dav of April, 1770. 
 
 "By his Excellency's command, '"J Byron 
 
 " Henky Stacy." 
 
 • This company consisting for the most part of brethren, who were members of 
 the Society for the S uvtherance of the Gosiiel. but acting independently of that body, 
 continued to have the management of the ship and the barter traffic with the Eski- 
 moes ti.. the year 1797, when it was uiBsolvcd, and its functions transferred to the 
 bociety. (bee " Retrospect," pp. 7, 14). 
 
 /• ^oo^ "]?° Kblbing's "History of ihe Missions in Greenland and Labrador.* 
 (lu 1831, German j. * 
 
 b2 
 
• ACCOUNT or Tnr. labrados snips. 
 
 her voyage to Labrador, where, under the nrotoctin^ care of God, 
 she arrived in safety on the 24th of July. The result of this expe- 
 dition was the establishmertt of the most friendly relations with the 
 Eskimo population, and tho selection, with their full concurrence, of 
 a suitable locality for a missionary settlement. After accomplishing 
 these importiint objects, the whole party returned to England in the 
 autumn of the same year.* 
 
 In the course of the following winter, the final arrangements were 
 made for the establislimont of tho long proposed Miss'on. Tho 
 Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel, having deliberately nnd 
 cheerfully renewed its engagement to caro for the temporal support 
 of the Mission,t a vessel of somewhat larger dimensions, called Th« 
 Amity, was purchased by the ship's company, and, having been fur- 
 nished by the Society with stores of every kind, requisite for the 
 commencement of the intended station, was desputched to the coast 
 of Labrador, under the orders of Captain Mugford. Among the 
 company on board, consisting of fourteen persons, wore the Brn. 
 Haven, Brasen, and Schneider, with their wives, and the veteran 
 
 • As a specimen of tho simple yet stedfust faith of the leaders of this blessed 
 enterprise, and of tho farour manifested towards it by individuals high in office, it 
 may not be altogether irrelevant to giro tho following extract from the letter of Br. 
 Benjamin La Trobe, already referred to, describing the interyiew with T^rd Hills- 
 borough, the Secretary of State for the American Colonies, to which he was ad- 
 mitted on the Ist of May, 1770, with the Brn. Drachart and Ilayen : — 
 
 " Having introduced the Brethren above named, I informed bis Txjrdship that 
 they were desirous of thanking him for his great kindness, and of taking their 
 respectful leave of him, previous to their approaching departure for Labrador. His 
 lordship inquired, whether Drachart could speak English ? * No.' Where he had 
 beer for some time past ? ' In Yorkshire.' And cannot speak English ? Drachart 
 replied, ' that he was too old to learn.' He looked at Drachart with concern, nnd 
 said : ' Dear Sir, then you are certainly too old to go to Labrador, if you are too old 
 10 learn English :' and turning to me, he added: ' Indeed, Sir, you should not send 
 this old gentleman to such a savage people.' I told his Lordship, that it was his 
 own earnest desire to go. He answered : ' I protest, yon are the only true public- 
 spirited people I know ; and may God prosper yon.' Drachart being told what his 
 I^rdshij" had said, pointed upwards and replied : ' There is one above, who can 
 bnng me through, and if He only gives me grace to see one more Eskimo brought 
 to the feet of Jesus with my dear Karpik, I shall esteem all difficulties light.' This 
 was interpreted to his Lordship. He was much pleased and struck, and remarked : 
 'Well, indeed, I know no people like yon' At the same time lie bemoaned the 
 death of poor Karpik, owing to an attack of smallpox, and said; *If you had 
 epoken a word to me, he should have been inoculated.' " 
 
 It is proper to observe, in explanation of the foregoing, that Br. Drachart had 
 had been for twelve years a missionary in Greenland, where the English language 
 was not spoker, and where he consequently had no opportunity of learning it ; but 
 that the knowledge of Greenlandic which he had acquired was of the greatest im- 
 portance to the brethren engaged in the attempt to bring the Gospel to the 
 Eskimoes. To the Eskimo youth Karpik, who had been sent to England in 1769, 
 by Governor Palliser, and placed in the Brethren's School at Fulneek. in York- 
 shire, Drachart had been the instrument of much spiritual good. By the blessing 
 of the Lord on hid faithful instruction, imparted in a language which he could 
 readily understand, this poor heathen was converted to the faith of Christ, and 
 having been baptized by Br. Drachart on his sick-bed, departed happily on the 4th 
 of October in the same year,— being the first fruits of the Eskimo nation. (See 
 " Retrospect," p. 6.)— Ed. 
 
 t See " Betrosnect," Per Accts Vol. XVI. pp. 7, 10. 
 
 
iCCOUNT OF TUE tlDBAUUK SHIPS. 
 
 
 Greenland miaHiunary, Lnwroncs Drachart. HaviL* been solemnlj 
 oomtnonded to the grace and protecting care of God, ia a meeting of 
 the conj^regntion, held on the 5th of May, in the Brethren's Chapel 
 in Ft'ttor-lano, they Hailed from the Thames on the Hth of the name 
 month. After a tedious voyage of Ihirteen weokn, by way of Ht. 
 John's, Newfoundland, thf*y reached tlio place of their destination, 
 JNunengoak or Unity's H.iy, on the 9th of August. Daring the latter 
 portion of the voyage, they encountered many perils, being often 
 obliged by storms to run into bays, between numb'^rloss islands and 
 Bunken rocks, and being surrounded at times by vast .nouutains of ice 
 and icefields, threatening momentary destruction to the vessel. Here 
 they were received with great joy by the Eskimoes, and in a short 
 time proceeded to the settlement of Nain, the oldest missionary sta- 
 tion of the four now existing in Labrador, and ordinarily the resi- 
 dence of the BMperintcndent of the Mission. The Amity returned to 
 London in safety on the 26th of September, 
 
 The details of the expedition to the northward, undertaken iu 
 August, 1774, by the Brn. Brasen, Lehman, Jrlaven, and Lister, for 
 the purpose of fixing on a suitable place for a second settlement, do 
 not fall within the scope of this article. It is well known to the 
 readers of our missionary history, that the small sloop iu which they 
 performed it was totally wrecked on their return near the rocky 
 promontory of Kiglapeit, and that the Brn. Brasen and Lehman lost 
 their lives in the attempt to reach the shore.* The establishment of 
 Okak, in the course of the following yeai (1775), of Hopedale, in 
 the year 1782, near the spot waero Erhardt first landed in 1752, and 
 near which he lost his life, and at Hebron, in tlic» Bay of Kanger- 
 tluksoak, '*• 331, however interesting in themselves, ure events con- 
 nected vatn the history of the Mission rather than with that of the 
 Ships, which is the proper object of this paper. We therefore return 
 to tne Amity, which we left at anchor in the Thames, on her safe ar- 
 rival from hor first visit to Labrador. 
 
 On her second voyage in 1772, she proceeded first to the banks of 
 Newfoundland for the purpose of fishing, the hope being entertained, 
 that, by the profit derived from the fishery, a portion of the very large 
 expense attendant on the new undertaking might be defrayed. Owing 
 to this arrangement, the Amity did uni reach Nain till the end of 
 October, the little missionary colony at thai place having meanwhil'C) 
 nearly given up all hope of her arrival, and consequently of obtaining 
 any additional supply of provisions. They had but two pieces of 
 butcher's meat left, and very little food of any kind. They had there- 
 fore sought and gathered s 11 the black and red berries growing upon 
 the neighbouring hills,t dried them, and laid them carefully by. Thus 
 circumstanced, their distress was turned into the greater joy, when 
 the ship at length appeared in Unity's harbour oa the 28th of Octo^ 
 ber. " Had jou seen the joy that reigned among us," writes one of 
 
 * See " Memoir of Br. Jens Haven,'* ler. Accto. Vol. xvii. p. 458. 
 t The Empetrum nigrum, and the various species of Vaccinium, fonnd in these 
 regions. 
 
 H'- - 
 
6 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE LABUADOR SliiPS. 
 
 I 
 
 tm,wjf ^''^"^'^'''^f-''^'^^'"^^**^^* ^^^ "t-ip^as really arrived 
 oSLles to^Z'/r^'* ''' ^'^^ we had given her up, and had^re.ignecl 
 ourselves to the extremesfc poverty. I cannot sav that a delected 
 spirit prevailed among us ; but we were resolved to submit to what 
 
 h ther'^at^ i T'^'^'h"^"^ "°^ ^'^r''^^' *'^«* H« who^^d sent us 
 Hither, ulio had numbered our very hairs, and without whose ner 
 
 prrru^'"?n wrTi^i '^i''' *^^ ^--^.w^idmrdiSny 
 
 preserve us. In another letter it is remarked, "the shin's stavini 
 
 even to thl K "^A^t?" '''' ''"""""'^ ^^^ «««« *« remain open 
 veTel Lnt fof oiFrTllf *^ ^T' "^ *^' ^S^""^^ the approach of the 
 Tre thankfn] fn^^lf! ^'^ *^^ '"T^ P'''^«« ^* """de us all the 
 
 more thankful for the provision sent us." It was late in December 
 before the ship returned to her moorings in the Thame. * ^"'^"""^'^ 
 Ut the voyages performed by the Amity in the years 1773 to 1776 
 inclusive, nothing of interest appears to be on record In 1777 a 
 sloop of seventy tons, called TAeOood Intent, tookher place in the 
 Bervice of the Society, and retained it till the year 1780 ^ It was on 
 
 •ms tCsf *tVfr' ^T ^'' '''^''^ -y^g«' - th« autumn of 
 1778, that she had the misfortune to be captured by a French nri 
 vateer In this instance, however, as in so manv others the Lord 
 jvas pleased mercifully to interpose for the preventU a fke of serious 
 
 L^bra'd r' Thf ^' "°? '' "^^^"^^ inconvLience to the Ms on n 
 J^abrador. The vessel was re-captured by a British cruiser beforo 
 Bhe could reach a French port; and, though the clpta n and cr/w 
 were carried into Dunkirk, together with the letters anTiournals of 
 the missionaries, the latter were immediately given up tX Setv 
 (for the most part unopened) on the application of its President Br' 
 James Hutton to the French Minister of Marine ; and the Jomer 
 were exchanged m the course of the ensuing spring by means of The 
 •cartel" which was at the time in course of nego^ciaLrt In one 
 important particular, the occurrence just referred to nroved a 
 positive benefit to the Society. It was the occasion of aScon 
 duct being granted to the vessel by the King of France and bv the" 
 American Minister at the Court of Versadlcs, the celetated l)r 
 Benjamin Franklin, empowering her to pass unmolested by fhe 
 
 and 'uSTim! m9^"''''' '" "" ^""^«--« "f '^' Gospel," of February 16th 
 t The In'^^resting documents by which this privilege was conferred an,1 wli,>i, 
 do so much honour to the benevolent feelings of the nart^s hv whn^' fK 
 respectively issued, aro herewith subjoined, ivarrderfved fm^ J ^ '^■""t 
 copies in tlie archives of the Society. ^ ^ *'^°"' manuscript 
 
 "Passpgiit fob an English Vesbel.. By thr King. 
 P.H"°"''iT?"f '';l'"^®'°''^^*=°"«'»'I'0'»isJean Marie de Bourbon Duke of 
 f^SZ'"'^^""""^ of France ; to the Vice-Admirals ; Lie,,teLnt°GeneraKf our 
 B.ral forces, commanders of the fleet, captains in command of our vcs"ds and o 
 
ACCOUNT OP THE LABRADOR 8U1P3, 
 
 ly arrived, 
 d resigned 
 1 dejected 
 it to what- 
 ad sent ua 
 'Ii08e per- 
 mercif'iilly 
 ►'s staying 
 iing is too 
 nain open 
 ach of the 
 us all the 
 December 
 
 J to 1776, 
 n 1777, a 
 ace in the 
 It was on 
 utumn of 
 eneh pri- 
 the Lord 
 )f serious 
 tiasion in 
 er before 
 md crew 
 •urnals of 
 i Society, 
 3ent, Br. 
 e former 
 as of the 
 
 In one 
 Toved a 
 safe-con- 
 i by the 
 ated Dr. 
 
 by the 
 coast of 
 
 coast of 
 
 nary 16th 
 
 nd which 
 hey were 
 muscript 
 
 Duke of 
 lis of our 
 1, uiid to 
 
 
 Between the years 1780 and 1786 inclusive, the Amiiy was again 
 employed in the service of the Labrador Mission ; the command of 
 the vessel being, however, resigned in 1782 by Captain Mugford in 
 favour of Br. James Fraser, who hua acted as mate during several 
 voyages. In April, 1787, the first Harmony was launched at Bursle- 
 don, near Southampton, having been built there under the friendly 
 Buperiutendence of Mr. Thomas Mitchell, one of the deputy surveyors 
 of the Navy, and an honorary member of the Society. She was a 
 brig of 133 ^ons, and proved an excellent ship throughout the whole 
 of her service of fifteen years. 
 
 The first six voyages performed by the Harmony appear to have been 
 attended with no circumstances deserving particular notice ; but the 
 seventh, in the year 1793, is remarkable, as having been the longest 
 recorded in the annals of the Society This is in part attributable 
 to her detention of above two months ..(, Okak, wiiile an attempt 
 was being made by the people on board to catch whales in the neigh- 
 bourhood of that settlement, but in part also, to the perils of the 
 seas, which she encountered on her passage thence to the Orkneys. 
 The following is the report of the voyage home, contained in the 
 eleventh number of the Periodical Accounts : — 
 
 those of our subjects who are f-igaged in cruising ; to the commanders at our ports, 
 coast-guards, governors of our maritime towns and stations, mayors, consuls, 
 sheriifs, lieutenants of the Admiralty, and to all our other officers and subjects 
 whom it may concern, Greeting ; — 
 
 " Whereas we have permitted Captain Mugford, commander of the English 
 vessel, ' The Good Intent,' about 60 or 66 tons burden, and manned by six snilora, 
 to go from London to the coast of Labrador, and to return from Labrador, with a 
 cargo of provisions, the destination of which is known to us ; We will and com- 
 mand you, to allow said vessel to pass safe and free, going from London to Labrador, 
 and reidrning from Labrador to London, provided she be not laden with any other 
 merchandine but as above mentioned, nor carry any other person but the ship's 
 crew. This present passport is to avail for one voyage only. 
 
 " This is our pleasure. Given at Vsrsailles, 15th of April, 1779. 
 
 " By order of the King, «' Lodis. 
 
 " De Sartine." 
 
 " To all Captains and Commanders of vessels of war, Privateers, Letters of 
 Marque, belonging to the L'nited States of America. 
 
 " Gentlemen. — The religious Society, commonly called the Moravian Brethren, 
 having established a Mission on the coast of Labrador, for the conversion of the 
 savages there to the Christian religion, which has already had good effects in turning 
 them from their ancient practices of surprising, plundering, and murdering such 
 white people, Americans and Europeans, as for the purposes of trade or fishery 
 happened to come on that coast, and persuading them to lead a new life of honest 
 industry, and to treat strangers with humanity and kindness : 
 
 "And it being necessary for the support of this useful Mission, that a small 
 vessel should go there every year, to furnish supplies and necessaries for the Mis- 
 sionaries and their converts, which vessel, for the present year, is a sloop of about 
 70 tons, called ' The Good Intent' whereof is master, Captain Francis Mugford : 
 
 " This is to request you, that, if the said vessel should happen to fell into your 
 hands, you would not suffer her to be plundered, or hindered in her voyage, but 
 on the contrary, would afford her any nssistnnc^ she may stand in need of : fchere.in 
 I am confident your conduct will be approved of by the Congress and your ownerH. 
 Given at Passy, this 1 1th day of April, 1779. 
 
 "Benj. Franklin, 
 " Minister Plenipotentiary, from the United States ct the Court of France." 
 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABBADOE SHIPS. 
 
 "The^amony left Okak on the 22nd of November ^..'fl, +J, 
 boisteous, a„d for Si daf: nd ^iZ 7bleT,„T''?'''''j 
 kmd providence of God, tifey aii'ed .afe fnZf;,i^Tt *" 
 
 " rather too early on the coast tn^fin?! o ^ /' ^^^ """^^ ^'""^^ 
 
 ;: our h„b ., I r„:srrf'.t°e .?f.M,St7 rSftr n^t 
 
 to convoy the Hiurson'l. R^v «? ■ i ^'''^' S'P'^""' Manley, destined 
 
 of 
 
ACCOCNT OP THE LABEADOB SHU'S. 
 
 9 
 
 with the 
 
 and their 
 emarkably 
 
 hard, and 
 ader great 
 rough the 
 )t' Decern - 
 lunt of the 
 d Buffered 
 Br return, 
 osed, that, 
 ust arrive 
 ito any of 
 :ce at that 
 e befallen 
 ;oast, that 
 
 Okak iu 
 it she had 
 season, in 
 fidence in 
 r tbat He 
 )any, now 
 appeared 
 
 tliat He 
 answered 
 rarmouth 
 that Br. 
 sr, by oc- 
 l been on 
 
 Both at 
 
 deal for 
 it length 
 ion. He 
 ill of the 
 ;h. The 
 sntioned, 
 nost the 
 } Society 
 i comfort 
 '. They 
 agere in 
 late Br. 
 [, on the 
 
 ture on 
 '■ of Sep- 
 
 of Oc- 
 iestineoi 
 
 arrived 
 and not 
 
 
 arriving up to the 25th, the Apollo proceeded in quest of her • and 
 alter some days, fell in with a French frigate, cruising for the Hud-' 
 eon 8 Bay ships, which she attacked and compelled to strike. This 
 Ingatebadbeeu discovered by the Harmony, in a moonlicht night 
 some days previous to her arrival at Stromness, a few miles to the 
 south, and it is to be considered as a merciful interposition of God's 
 providence, that she was not perceived by the enemy and captured 
 i)urmgthe Apollo's absence, the third ship arrived; and, on the 
 Jdrd ot November, the whole convoy left Stromness, and reached the 
 ihames in safety. Captain Manley, of the Apollo, honoured the 
 missionanes with a visit, and showed them every kind attention 
 
 At Stromness, they were very cordially received by a gentleman 
 belonging to the Edinburgh Missionary Society, who took every op- 
 portumty ot conversing with them and introducing them to his 
 Iriends. He also presented them with a copy of the numbers of the 
 Missionary Magazine, published by the Kev. Mr. Ewing, by the 
 perusal ot which they were much pleased and edified during the 
 vo)'age home.* ° 
 
 The most striking deliverance of the .-sel from hostile attacks 
 was, however, that which marked the year 1803, and which cannot be 
 better described than in the language of the Periodical Accounts.f 
 Ihelollowmg notice of the voyage was appended, by the editor, to 
 the letters received from the missionaries in Labrador, in the autumn 
 ot that year: — 
 
 '• The ResolutionX left London on the 7th of June, and proceeded 
 
 (as usual m times of war) with the Hudson's Bay convoy to the 
 
 " Orkneys, from whence she made the best of her way to Labrador 
 
 " but was three weeks detained by the ice on the coast, before she 
 
 " could reach Okak. After transacting the usual business at the 
 
 " three settlements. Captain Eraser hastened back to the Orkneys to 
 
 " meet the convoy taking the Hudson's Bay ships home, which durine 
 
 " the whole of the last war, he never failed to effect. But, this year 
 
 " It pleased God to put our faith and patience to some trial- for 
 
 " the convoy arriving in the river without him, and no tidings what- 
 
 " ever reaching us till the 23rd of December, we began to entertain 
 
 «' great apprehensions for the safety of the ship ; more especially as 
 
 " there had been, about the usual time of her arrival at Stromness 
 
 " some very violent storms in the northern seas, which proved the 
 
 " total destruction of many vessels. At length a letter from Captain 
 
 " Iraser, dated at Stromness, December 5th, relieved us from our 
 
 *' fears, and created within us the most lively sense of gratitude to God 
 
 ■" for the merciful preservation granted to him on his passage. He left 
 
 " Hopedale on the 10th of October, and in sixteen days was within 
 
 " about three daya' sail of the Orkneys, when strong easterly gales 
 
 * Pci". Aects. Vol. ii. j>. 138. 
 t Per. Accts. Vol. iii. p. 256. 
 % This vessel, a Spanish prize, had Locn purchased by the Society, on the sale 
 
 of the Ear 
 
 montj 
 
 in 18U2. 
 
10 
 
 ACCOUNT OF TUE LABRADOR SHIP8. 
 
 drove him back and kept him three weeks longer at sea. But the 
 very storms we dreaded, proved, by God's graft mercy the means 
 
 '• cZtZ feffh''"'^ ^"^'"^''.' K'^'t' *«' "^d ^'°^^^d to keep h r 
 company. But the sea ran so hi^h, that it was impossible for the 
 fngate to ge out a boat to board the Eesohlion, Jd con inued so 
 durmg tha night and the following day. The second night p"ovin" 
 extremely dark and boisterous, the captain, setting as muclfsai a^ 
 the ship would carry, ventured to attempt his escape, and n the 
 morning saw no more of the frigate. But two days^ after be had 
 he mortification to meet her again, and to be chaJed and brought 
 
 " ThP S ™'- A^^'"' ^}^ ^""'^ interposed in his and our behaU" 
 
 " Ld ri?r' 7 1^*' *^^*-*'r ^''S^^' ^^"I'i "«<= P"t «ut a boat 
 and during the following night, the captain, crowding all sail 
 escaped again, and saw no more of the enimy. On December 2nd 
 he reached Stromness. During the tremendous storms in this 
 
 " Sary,'l8 Jl- "' '" "'''^' ""'^ ''''''"' '^ ^^^ "^^ ^ ^ ^e Tsth of 
 In the year 1808 the Resolution was exchanged for the Zfec^r • 
 and this vessel before two months had elapsed, gave place 'o?h; 
 ^emma, a much better ship, which performed the voyage to Labrador 
 m the summer of the following year. It may be satblv assertpH tUf 
 no vessel employed by the SocietV, during a p'erld of tt^o L ' ars' 
 has encountered such dangers, been so "roughly handled, or exneri: 
 
 18otr*^v'r.'°^ ^;3liverance so marvelous as this Ht?le brfg of 
 180 tons, which having been purchased, and not built like the four 
 
 eofnZT' 'T'"'^^-!'' t^^Arcti. service, was less fltted to en' 
 counter its peculiar perils. 
 
 7fi?nA^'"'^'l'^r^'"^''^"J.^'^''^^«"'^«'^ ^'^^ t'^e Thames on the 
 mlrliT'X^\7l ""^^'^ t° le'^ve Yarmouth Eoads till nearly a 
 month after that date, owing to some circumstnnce connected with 
 the convoy. Her passage across the Atlantic was unusuaHy biter 
 
 sTw^i 1 T 't ^'^ i ^^P*^'"^^'- 1^^«^« «^« arrived a Sope a"; 
 SIX weeks later than in the year preceding. In this very delav the 
 providential care of God was however plainly manifested t em was 
 not only an unusual quantity, but also a long continuance of drlft- 
 ice upon the coast. Even had she reached it earlier she could not 
 have attempted without the greatest ri«k,to foi^o a passage thltrh 
 It. On h.r subsequent voyage from Nain to Okak. the wlather was 
 Bevere :n the extreme, and the mercy of God in her preserva on was 
 thankful y acknowledged by all on board. The cold was so ntense 
 though It was only September, that the running riggmg could not 
 work through the blocks, and the sails once set, ^coukf no^t W been 
 furled, had It been needful. Indeed, the sails themselves were ren 
 dered so stiff by the frost as to be quite unmanageable. But it 
 Si'tW ? H ^''^ *' grant wind and leather so favourabirthat 
 nothmg further was required than to steer the vessel. On reaching 
 Okak on the 29th of September, the sailors x^Pr« obliged t- ^^~\?? 
 and strike off the ,ce, before they could fuVl the "sails. ^ Another cfc 
 cumstance atteuding this tedious and perilous voyage is deserving of 
 inotice, viz. that her late arrival at Okak afforded time for the return 
 
ACCOUNT OF TUE LABRADOR SHIPS. 
 
 11 
 
 But the 
 the means 
 i^ember he 
 ) keep her 
 3le for the 
 itinucd so 
 tit proving 
 ich sail as 
 nd iu the 
 T, he had 
 d brought 
 ur behalf. 
 ut a boat, 
 ? all sail, 
 mber 2nd 
 I in this 
 le 15th of 
 
 Hector ; 
 ce to the 
 Labrador 
 rted, that 
 )re years, 
 f experi- 
 ie brig of 
 the four 
 ed to eu- 
 
 3 on the 
 nearly a 
 ted with 
 boister- 
 opedale, 
 lay, the 
 bere was 
 3f drift- 
 Juld not 
 through 
 her was 
 ion was 
 intense, 
 uld not 
 ve been 
 3re ren- 
 But it 
 le, that 
 caching 
 jo aloft, 
 ler cir- 
 'ving of 
 return 
 
 of theBrn. Kohlmeisteracd Knioch to that settlement, from their 
 adventurous voyage to Ungava-bay, and for the consequent trausmis- 
 Bion to London of their interesting journals.* 
 
 The year 1816, as is well known, was marked by a calamity 
 similar to that which boftd the Mission to Labrador, in 1853, thouc^h 
 hiippily affecting only one out of the three stations then existing vfz 
 Hopedale, the most southern. What cause of thankfulness to our 
 gracious God is afforded by the fact, that the failures referred to are 
 the only ones on record during a period of one hundred vears. 
 
 The report of the voyage of 1816, contained in the Periodical Ac- 
 counts,t 18 prefaced with the remark, that the elements seemed to 
 have undergone some revolution in Labrador as in Europe, durin^' 
 the summer of that year. On reaching the drift ice on the 16th of 
 July, Capt Eraser found it to extend to a distance of full 200 miles 
 from the coast, and after attempting in vain to find a passage through 
 It, first to Hopedale, then to Nain, and lastly to Okak,° he found 
 hintiself by degrees completely enclosed by the ice. For six days and 
 nights the vessel was in the most imminent danger of being crushed 
 to pieces ; nor was it without great and continuous exertions that 
 she was at length brought to the outer edge. This conflict with the 
 frozen element lasted forty-nine days, at the close of which the Jemima 
 reached Okak in safety, to the astonishment of the Eskimoes as well 
 as of the missionaries. The very next day, August 30th, the whole 
 coast, as far as the eye could discover, was entirely choked up by 
 the ice, which presented such obstacles to the navigation, that Capt 
 Jraser \ya3 twice driven back by it, on his passage from Okak to 
 Jfain. On the 3rd of October he attempted f proceed to Hopedale- 
 but, though the weather was fine, he had himself but little expecta' 
 tion of reaching that settlement. This feeling of his, which he men- • 
 tioned to the missionaries at Nain, did not however prevent Br. and 
 Sr. Kmoch and the Bru. Christensen and Korner, from going on 
 board the ship, in pursuance of the appointment to Hopedale which 
 they had received. On the very evening of their departure from 
 JNain, It began to blow exceedingly hard, with an immense fall of 
 snow and very thick weather. Being unable to see a ship's length 
 and being withm half a mile of a dangerous reef, the captain was 
 obliged to carry some sail to clear it, which he did but just accom- 
 plish The gale subsequently increasing, and the wind being right 
 on shore, he could not venture to carry sail any longer, and was 
 obliged to lay the ship to, although the sea broke continually over it 
 Alter contending for two successive days with the furious elements 
 he was at length compelled, on the 5th of October, to abandon the 
 attempt to reach Hopedale, and bear away for England. On the 
 homevvard passage a gale resembling a hurricane was encountered on 
 the 8th, 9tli, and 10th of October, which in the night, between the 
 two latter days, was so violent, that the captain expected the ship 
 
 * Per. Accts. Vol. v. p. 135. See also " Journal of a VovaRC from Okak 
 on the coast of Labrador to Ungava Bay." by ihe Brn. B. Kohlmeister and Georga 
 Kmoch, inissionarios of the Church of the United Brethren, p. 33. London 1814 
 
 t 1 cr. Accts. Vol. VI. p. 270. ' ' 
 
i 
 
 12 
 
 ACCOUNT OP TUE LABBADOE SUll'S. 
 
 would have foundered. At one time she was struck by a sea tliat 
 twisted her in such a manner, tliat the very seams on her larboard 
 pide opened, and the water gushed into the cabin and the mate's 
 berth, as froni a pump. The Lord was, however, pleased to protect 
 both ship and company from serious injury, and to bring them in 
 safety to the Thames, on the 28th of October, 
 
 Alter spending the winter in England, Br. and Sr. Kmoch re- 
 turned to Labrador the following year, accompanied by the Brn. Komer 
 and Beck. They were, however, destined to encounter perils on their 
 passage out, exceeding in number and in magnitude even those which 
 had rendered the voyage of 1816 so memorable. As a lively and 
 correct account of the dangers, which are more or loss attendant on 
 Arctic navigation, even in latitudes much lower than those which 
 have recently witnessed the achievements and endurances of our 
 gallant countrymen, and as a record of the wonderful help and pro- 
 tection vouchsafed by the Lord to His feeble servants, the following 
 extracts from the Journal of Br. Kmoch cannot fail to be acceptable 
 to our readers.* Graphic in themselves, and oxliibiting considerable 
 power of observation and description, they afford a pleasing insight 
 into the character of the writer, who, as the patriarch of the Labrador 
 Mission, at the age of more than fourscore years, entered the hea- 
 venly rest. 
 
 After describing the voyage of the Jemima to Stromness, whence 
 she sailed on the 14th of June, and the favourable passage across the 
 Atlantic, up to the close of the month, Br. Kmoch proceeds : - 
 " Between the 4th and 5th of July, we heard and saw many ice- 
 birds. This bird is about the size of a starling, black, with white 
 and yellow spots, and is met with about 200 English miles from the 
 Labrador coast. When the sailors hear it, they know that they 
 " are not far from the ice. It flies about a ship chiefly in the night 
 *' ^^i u ^°°^^ ^y ^t^ singular voice, which resembles a loud laugh. ' 
 " 7th. The morning was cold and rainy. In all directions, drift- 
 ice was to be seen. In the afternoon it cleared up a little, and we 
 " entered an opening in the ice, looking like a bay. The continual 
 ' rustling and roaring of the ice reminded us of the noise made by the 
 " carnages m the streets of London, when one is standing in the 
 "^ golden gallery of St. Paul's cathedral. The mountains and large 
 " flakes of ice take all manner of singular forms, some resemblin" 
 " castles, others churches, waggons, and even creatures of various 
 '' descriptions. As we or they changed positions, the same objects 
 • acquired a quite different appearance ; and wnat had before ap- 
 " peared like a church, looked like a huge floating monster. Sitting 
 I* on deck, and contemplating these wonderful works of God, I almost 
 " lost myself in endeavouring to solve the question,—' for what pur- 
 " pose these exhibitions are made, when so few can behold them, as 
 " ?®^ '^^ ^°°^ vanish, by returning to their former fluid and unde- 
 ♦' fined state.' But surely everything is done with design, though 
 " short-sighted man cannot comprehend it. Having in vain exerted 
 
 II 
 (I 
 « 
 
 K 
 (( 
 « 
 
 <( 
 14 
 |( 
 
 « 
 « 
 <( 
 (( 
 <( 
 
 <( 
 (( 
 « 
 <( 
 « 
 
 • Ter. Accounts, Vol. vi. p. 307. 
 
 It 
 
 H 
 ([ 
 << 
 (< 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABUAnoit SUITS. 
 
 13 
 
 y a sea that 
 er larboard 
 the mate's 
 to protect 
 ig them ia 
 
 Kmoch re- 
 Jrn. Komer 
 •ils on their 
 -hoHO which 
 I lively and 
 tendant on 
 liose which 
 L'cs of our 
 p and pro- 
 3 followiiJg 
 acceptable 
 lusiderable 
 ng insight 
 ) Labrador 
 1 the hea- 
 
 ss, whence 
 acroas the 
 h:- 
 
 many ice- 
 vith white 
 ) from the 
 that they 
 the night, 
 id laugh. 
 ons, drift- 
 e, and we 
 continual 
 de by the 
 Ig in the 
 md large 
 Jsembling 
 i' various 
 e objects 
 efore ap- 
 Sitting 
 I almost 
 i^hat pur- 
 thein, as 
 nd unde- 
 , though 
 I exerted 
 
 " ourselves to penetrate through ♦^^he ice, we returned at night into 
 " the open sea. 
 
 " 14th. Land was discovered a-head. It was the coast of Labrador 
 '^' sixty or eighty miles south of Hopedale. We were dose to the 
 '' ice, and as a small opening presented itself, the captain ventured 
 I' to push in, hoping, if he could penetrate, to find open water between 
 " the ice and the coast. For some time we got nearer to the land 
 " but were obliged at night to fasten the ship with two grapnels to a 
 " large field. This was elevated between five and six feet above the 
 " water's edge, and between fifty and sixty feet in thickness below it. 
 " It might be 300 feet in diameter, flat at the top, and as smooth aa 
 ''^ a meadow covered with snow. The wind has but little power over 
 "such huge masses, and they move very slowly with the current. 
 II There are small streams and pools of fresh water found in all those 
 " large pieces. Our situation now defended us against the p-naller 
 " flakes, which rushed by and were turned ofl" by the large fiela, with- 
 " out reaching the ship. We were all well pleased with our' place 
 "of refuge, and lay here three whole days, with the brightest wea- 
 " ther, and as safe as in the most commodious haven ; but I cannot 
 " say that I felt easy, though I hid my anxiety from the party. I 
 " feared that a gale of wind might overtake us in this situation and 
 " carry fields larger than that in which we lay, when the most dread- 
 "ful conaequences might ensue; and the sequel proved that I was 
 " not much mistaken. 
 
 "On the 17th, the wind came round to the south, and wo con- 
 " ceived fresh hopes of the way being rendered open for us. 
 
 " 18th. The weather was clear, and the wind in our favour • we 
 " therefore took up our grapnel, got clear of our floating haven, 'and 
 I again endeavoured to penetrate through some small openings. 
 •* Both we and tlie ship's company were peculiarly impressed with 
 "gratitude for the protection and rest we had enjoyed, and the 
 " warmth of a summer's sun felt very comfortable among these 
 " masses of ice. The clearness of the atmosphere to-day caused them 
 " to appear singularly picturesque. It seemed as if we were sur- 
 " rounded by immense white walls and towers. In the afternoon 
 " we had penetrated to the open water, between the ice and the land' 
 " but we durst not venture nearer, as the sea is here full of sunken 
 " rocks, and the captain knew of no harbour on this part of the coast. 
 " Having found another large piece of ice convenient for the purpose 
 II we fastened the ship to it. In the evening, a thick fog overspread 
 " us from the north-east, and we were again quite surrounded by ice 
 " which, however, was soon after dispersed by a strong north-west 
 " wind. 
 
 "In the night, between the 19th and 20th, we were driven ba-k 
 " by a strong current to nearly the same situation we had left on the 
 " 17th, only somewhat nearer the coast. On the 20th, the momin« 
 " was fine, and we vainly endeavoured to get clear, but towards even° 
 " ing the sky lowered, and it grew very dark. The air also Mt sq 
 " oppressive, that we all went to bed, aiid every one of us was troubled 
 I' with uneasy dreams. At midnight we heard a great noise on deck. 
 ' VVe hastened thither to know the cause, and found the ship driving 
 
 1 
 
 'V- 
 \ 
 
14 
 
 ACCOUXX OF THE LABRAUOU SHIPS. 
 
 " me nf t. f,?ff f "' '7""^^"- «" «'hicl» we expected every mo- 
 
 " ntmLt Unfit tTT'n ^^'' '"-'rf '"''''^ tlnnu^ehc. foZ 
 
 '' veTo tve Th« .; f;^ ^^ ' "'ere ful providence a]o„e that we 
 
 were saved. Ihe night wn.s <'xcee.lin<r y eohl with rain nnrl f},« 
 
 mercy ot the ce, till one in the mornin;,', when we succeedp.1 in 
 ta«tPrung the ship again to a Inrge fidd. But all this was only the 
 
 " r th^t ^"''"^''' '^'r^'' ■ ^-'iverance from danger Ts s .'S^y! 
 ing that ,t raises one's spirits above the common level. Wo n ad e 
 
 "o'docKh^T'^?'' "l^ ^^^'^^f-'^^^n into our cabins. At one 
 o clock the cook, in his usual boisterous way, aroused us bv an 
 nouncing dinner, and putting a large piece o pork and a ^Z 
 
 " but tSl^P'"" '^'' *'^^'' "^^^.'*''^ ''^ ^^'•'^"k witlfa good appetit? 
 
 " awnk« "l^»ce every one seemingly buried in thought, or only half 
 
 awake. Shortly alter, the wind changed to nortii-east and nnrfT 
 
 XT"^ ^7^^"'."^' *"^ i* '"^"^'i int?afurious s orm Top-ml ts' 
 « ere lowered, and everything done to ease the ship. We now saw 
 an immense ice-mountaiu at a distance, towards wbi h ^e were 
 I driving, without the power of turning Lide. BeCen !ix and 
 seven, we were again roused by a great outcry on deck We ran 
 up, and saw our ship, with the 'field to which/we were fast ^th 
 
 nSitand'Jhefi'll'^Pw"^ '''"^i'^ ^'''"S ^^"«h«^ toatoin* b ! 
 tween it and the field. However, by veering out as much cabin na 
 
 r ''f ^ f"" '^'^ sot to such a distance, thft the iZtain passed 
 through between us and the field. We 'all cried ferven ly^o he 
 
 " but touclS'th' '^''P ? '^'' ""'"' PT^°"« «'^"«*^°"' f«r if Ve had 
 but touched the mountani we must have been instantly destroyed 
 One of our cables was broken, and we lost a graonel • the ZnJL 
 sustained some damage. But we were now^elto the m ?«? of 
 he storm and current, both of which were violent; and exposed 
 likewise to the large fields of ice, which floated all around u.beW 
 
 dTdf'!? '^ 'riV''' ^^ '^^'^'''''- The following Sit waf 
 dreadfully dark, the heavens covered with the blackest cloudf S 
 
 " «Ynl.r"« 7r^{ '^? "°'^'"S *"^ *^^« '^«^^i"g «f the ice as it moved 
 " teSe ;f %«'^«"°g «^d dashing against each other, were truly 
 
 " to the «h,-n^ a'' '''^' "^^t ^^ .''^ ^''Se ^'^'^' suspended by ropes 
 to the ship 8 sides, to secure her in some measure from the ice • but 
 
 Repeated attempts were now made to make the ship again fast to 
 some large field ; and the second mate, a clever youSgSin full of 
 
 "SVif '""'"^''\^"""g^™«^lf ««^«^^1 t^:«^e« off, a °d upon 
 "but in v.?' "PP'-"^^'^^^ us endeavouring to fix a grapnel to them" 
 
 «'Th« Kfn7 -'/"i r ^"'"^ ^f * ^°°*'^«'' 8''«P°el on this occasion 
 The storm indeed dispersed the ice, and made openings in severa 
 paces; but our situation was thereby rendered only st^l ^oTe 
 alarming for when the ship got into open water, her moLn beSme 
 
 « Zrp?^'^^? *^" i!"^?' °*" '^' ^''^•^' ""'I consequent!; the blows 
 
 •' hr^Sd tnf 1 • °' ''^ ^^'''"S^' *^« «'''°'"' *°^"d« ^hich we were 
 hurucd, nothing appeared more probable, than that the violence of 
 
ACCOU.NT OF TIIJJ I.ABIUUOU SHIPS. 15 
 
 ;; fiva or .en m;„.to., „„r„re ;„of ,a^tr;rc T''""'*''',"""'-' 
 
 mained exposed to tim win, I fU„ ""^^-'k- , ami tlio longer hIio vv. 
 
 "«harp ed,4 and sp ts o^ h " "Tot'T''"' "^ ^'" "'" "«'"""^ ^''" 
 " them. After every stroke we tno'd f 1 . ^'"^' '^"J l'"^^''' '" '^^'»«» 
 ;: had sprung a leakf b^t" 'Se^il d t ^^LTlP^lJ" t' "'^"T^ ^^" 
 served u. in a nmuuer almost miracuJ 1 T )^ A"' "'"^ '"''•■ 
 " we offered up fervent praverrto m 1 '" "^'"' "^'tuation, 
 "and besough Him timt ?t f/w.r^ u '7''° ^^""*^' '« "^-'^ *<> "ivo 
 
 " six in the morning, when we were dr v.n •*? "' '•*"^*''^"' *'J' »!><>"<= 
 " from the coast, wjcould hrni! tv 'it^ ''P^^ ^'^^^r, not fur 
 " the ice ; all seemed as rdream\v«;'''' '^'' '''}''^ ^^' ''l^" of 
 " sail, with a view to Sear up aLainst th^J' TS'^*'' '"'7 «<""<> 
 " leaky, and we were obligS t? keen tJ' ^^^'^^ hadtocomo 
 ; about ten minutes rest a? a t°me ^Both Jh"^ m^°"'^' '''''^ «"'/ 
 " thereby so much exhausted flZ'^l. *^^ '^'^'^'"^ ^"d we wtw 
 
 " immediately fell asleep ' ^'°''"" '^'^^ «°« ^'^t down, lie 
 
 "fei&^AlTmi^^^^^^^^^^ *--d« evening it 
 
 " when we founS ourse" es near 1' h "h ' '^7'r''' ^«"° '"«P^''««d! 
 " current was fast carryirS us Wp ^ "'''''' ^-""'''''^^ ^^icl, thc» 
 ;; suffering shipwreck 2on| the Jks It'bv Go^" ^'"^^^ '^1"««'' '^ 
 " management of our captain HnPn^^^' a- ^.^ ^ ^^''^7. the good 
 " and after "unset, the feCns were frtV" ''T'i^ '^''' '^ '^o^i 
 : northern light illuminedXlS?: d ^we"^^^^^^ "^^"'«-»* 
 floatmg pieces of ice, its brightness e.ahW?? I "^T '^'"«"«? 
 " retired to rest, but, after midnS "^ ^'^ '^^"'^ them, f 
 
 ;; noise made by the ic^ t Lrtt'^lrth^rssel'V'" ^.^««^'"« 
 I was on deck, and found that we were wfn„ '"^ "V •"«*'"^*» 
 
 " quantity of floating ice, out of whioh if ^ °"'* ''^^ through a 
 " water. 'Ihe wind al o urned in n ,rf "'"'''' ^f "S^'" '»*« «Peu 
 ;; iorward towards the Hopedi shor/ T'' '"'^ """^^'^ "« »^'ftly 
 again in full expectatiofof oon reacbi^JZ °"^ 7 ^''"^ ^" 
 and ready to forget all former ZuWes°Butala^„ °-' "°^"«®' 
 'same spot, from which we had been drive* IS T"'"^ ^} ^^^ 
 our way anew blocked up with a vS nnnl?>^ i^-''^^^^' ^" ^o"»d 
 also drove us irresistibly towards 1 ^ W« ^' °^ ''^- .^''« ^^^^ 
 " dilemma. If we went betJZ, f? • i j 7^"^^ "o«^ in a great 
 ;; sunken rocks, w'e ^e^* i^' d7ng°er o? Skit ZIT ^'^ 'fV' '^^^' 
 being instantly lost; again if we ve "!^ P- ? °°? °^*^«'"' and 
 " doubtful whether the' «hTn would bear "^ '"*" *^" ^«« '* was 
 " she had received. At'lenoth tL If. ^' '""'"^ """^h 8i.„.k8 as 
 "on, as, in case of ty S ' .^^^^^^^^^ determined 
 
 " escaping to shore." ^ ^' *''"' '"'Sht be soive possibility of 
 
10 
 
 ACCOUNT Of THE rAnnvDon surps. 
 
 TneutH for thr.e a.ld.tu.nal weeks, tho Jemima was brought Lcely 
 into Hopedale Iiarbour on tlio Oth of August ^ 
 
 ih!l]yZlZT\'''''T''''' **'^ fll'lowing rotnarkH are appended by 
 
 •« nnoS ' r • "^'^ ^i''^ ^''"''' P'^"*' ^''^-^ '»^^« "let « iti. an unusual 
 quant, y of ,ce on the coast of Labrador, yet, in no year, since tho 
 
 ^^ begmning of the Mission, has it appeared so dreadiilly on the in- 
 c..ase. The colour likewise of this year's ico was different from 
 
 " ot t' Try '''"' ""^ * '", '''' °*' *''« ■■««-"i«"°tains and thiekne s 
 ot t,ne fields immense, with sand-stones imbedded in them. As a 
 
 '• EVr,' '^ -l^ •''""' '^ Qreenhmd. which for centuries ha. been 
 " t on loAT.r /'^f; .'^PP"'-«"tly immoveable, has, by some revolu- 
 " alluded to •' ""^ ^'"^ ^"^'^ *''""''*^ ^'"' ^''^ K'^'^* ^"""tity 
 
 In the year 1818 another vessel, a brig of 176 tons, was built for 
 the service of the Mission in Labrador, to which the name of " tZ 
 
 it:T-^ T' ^^''^ S"'°- ®^^ P^'^^^^^ ^" ^"""'^"t sli^P. and con. 
 vearf TJ, fi^ employment of the Society for a period of thirteen 
 year The first voyage in 1819. proved difficult aSd hazardous, and 
 
 a1 . ''''Vu^'^ ^^''^' ^^"^ ^^'^t^^'^ fi'-^t ^i«it«d. till the 20th of 
 August. Ihe missionaries wrote : " The coast was everywhere 
 choked up with ice, and the wind, blowing continually fromThrsea 
 
 ?or tfrv^ ' "^'"^''^^ '"i^^V'y ^"^y '^"d ^'^1'^*' it seemed impossible 
 for the ship to approach the coast. Yet the Lord of heaven and 
 earth commanded and provided a passage for her through every 
 any damage/'''' ^^^^P^omhle joy°to see her arrive^withou^ 
 
 inSt^f^'v •^^^"'^r'T^^.^ f'^" *^« celebration of the fifty years' 
 jubilee of Nam the first missionary settle, at formed in Labrador 
 was rendered additionally so by the'visit of the Clinker sLp-of'war' 
 commanded by Cant. W. Martin. This officer, having been com-' 
 mssioned by Sir cLrles Ha.uilton. Governor of Newf^uSud'?; 
 make a survey of the coast, and aflbrd the missionaries of the 
 S,/3l?' "^- "P,°V*^rr ?««i^tance which their circumstances 
 niight call for arrived at Okak in the middle of August, and thence 
 proceeded to Nam, which he reached on the 21st of the same month 
 and where he gave a feast, consisting of boiled peas and biscuit, to 
 the bskimo congregation, as an after celebration of the iubilee The 
 entertainment was opened by the singing of the hymn, " Now," let us 
 praise the Lord.' and concluded with '^Praise God for ever" •and 
 was conducted throughout with great decorum -several short but 
 appropriate addresses being delivered before its close. The Olinker 
 was meanwhile decorated u ith fifty flags of different nations. From 
 
 «iloS>H L^r^^^ '^^ ^.t^ *^'^. ^''''^' ^^ ^«i"g accompanied and 
 Klrl f^ ? ifamo«;/, the navigation being in the highest degreee 
 intricate and dangerous. This unlooked-for visit alorded Ireat 
 
 Sce^''y„'rCk,'No':S."' "^""""'^ ''''""''• ^"^^^ ' ''''' ''"' '""" «^«P'^^ »<> ". 
 
ACCOTFNT OF THK LAnBAUOH BUIl'8. 
 
 17 
 
 pleasure to the missionarios and their Eskimo flocks. The do- 
 ineunour of Cant. Martin, in his intercourno with boUi, whh such 
 aa bccuine a Christian officer ; and nothing occurred to disturb the 
 peacclul and orderly course of tho several coiigrc-ations. The report 
 which ho made to the Governor on his returu, was highly favourablo 
 to the character of the Mission, and of all engaged in it, and may 
 therefore bo considered to have done a real service to the cause * 
 
 1 he voyages of the Harmony in 1820 and 1829 wore rendered 
 very ddhcult and dangerous by tho quantity of ico which besot tho 
 coast ot Labrador; in the former year, to a distance of nearly 400 
 miles from the land. _ In 1820, Capt. Iraser ventured, in passing 
 from Ilopedalo to Nam, to try a new channel between the i Jands 
 and the coast ; and, though tho attempt was a somov hat hazardous 
 one It succeedei cmnplctely, through the bleeding of God, on the 
 skdl and care of the E.fcimo pilots. The passage outsido tho islands 
 would probably have occupied several weeks, owing to the acoumu- 
 lation ot ice on their eastern shores. It had been intended, that tho 
 ship should proceed as far as the Bay of Kangertluksoak (where 
 Hebron is now situated), but the lateness of her arrival at Okak 
 frustrated this design.f 
 
 In 1830, the liarmomj was accompanied by tho Oliver, a vessel 
 chartered by the Society for the purpose of assisting in tho transport 
 of stores to the bay ot kangertluksoak, where it had been deter- 
 mined to establish a fourth settlement. The vovage proved a suc- 
 cessful one, both ships . ntering tho bay,and delivering their cargoes 
 without accident, though the access was by no means easy, and tho 
 navigation previously unknown. Her hift voyage in 1831, with tiio 
 Kenus for her consort, was attended with somewhat greater hazard 
 
 vessel ^^^"^^ ^*" ^°^' "^'^^ "° ^''""""^ '"J"''y ^'^ ^^^'^^^ 
 
 It being considered necessary, in prospect of the establishment of 
 
 /?ulV- ''*'''"' *" J?'**''"'^'' " ''"P ""^ ^'^'•ff^'' tlimensions for the uso 
 of the Mission another Harmony, the third of the name was built 
 at larraouth dunng tho autumn and winter of 1831 and 1832 at an 
 expense of about £3500. Br. Taylor superintended the bulldinc 
 as in tiie case ol her predecessor. She was a bri^r, or raMier a srow 
 ot about 230 tons burden, and proved herself well adapted to the 
 performance of the service to which she was destined Her first 
 voyage performed in the year 1832,: a year remarkable as being 
 the centenary ot the Brethren's Missions, was marked by conflicts 
 
 t Per. Accts. Vol. xi. p. 164. 
 
 t 1" the " Retrospect "ol the Origin and ProTcss of fhfl Rnoiof^ r-- *u -c- 
 
18 
 
 with tho I'co. 
 
 ACCOUffr OF THE LAIIBAiJOn Hftll'S, 
 
 111 
 
 ore "ontiimoMs nnd moro ;iln 
 
 nnint,' tlmu hud l)con 
 
 tho 1.3lh, about noon ; w icn ilio lo.^ i.irflnllvrni/ • """ "•^'^'c till 
 
 tact with the ber^, it veered round, and dra-Kcd us aftc h hn?, 
 
 " mH of Hm-o f;lr!^ *i i f ^ matant, and, during tho creator 
 
 •'Ksti^ovXe Ev^h"'' 'r"*'""^' *^'^^ ou"rrop£were 
 " ih, ■;-™ f ; ^'^" * '^ ^'"'^^' ^0P«s ^vcre coated with ice to 
 
 " n -, r «ni ' "' ^^^V"''''^^ ; «o that we were oblige every 
 " ^". e . " :^"t Si^rthat Thf"^''' '^ tlie mast-headrto strik^ 
 "bio... ^...esSd^: *'!^i/T:^-!Sh!^ F- through the 
 
 uncU-r j.re 
 
 .f,ail in „,;■"""'?''■''?/"," "fereatcxortion, and 
 
 " «,.n. .,.er. a„d „u Ihc sttl.lrri.ed at H;"eSrSy.'^ 
 
 Per. Accts. Vol. xii. p. 047. 
 
ACCOUNT OP TUIi LABHADOB SUIPS. 
 
 n 
 
 I hud i)oon 
 ol a Jottcp 
 :^ril.Mn>,' tlio 
 twanl pns- 
 tieulura ot' 
 
 Tliatno«) 
 y liiizy, wi! 
 Ic, niid tlio 
 
 ; l)u(, llio 
 
 VVo Hllp- 
 
 ity-fivo OP 
 
 IK tllO i\){r 
 
 )l)j('et two 
 is ill such 
 
 1 a Imcket 
 I Htato till 
 
 [ nf,'roiind 
 'oction to 
 
 it U'l 8I1C- 
 
 ir utmost 
 CO of six 
 n Iciii^tJi. 
 I ice-field 
 I uud tlio 
 rly twice 
 no ; and 
 •f eaviiifj 
 aa better 
 tions wo 
 least cx- 
 ; mercy ! 
 3 in con- 
 wiJlioiiL 
 er ?i"tn'^ 
 
 vo been 
 tl to the 
 greater 
 03 were 
 h ice to 
 d every 
 strike 
 igh the 
 on, and 
 ing the 
 
 It may hero bo observed, that. 
 
 th 
 
 ■te, ombrocing a perioJ 
 m ...0.0 inan sixty yea.8, tl.o ship bad alway. proceeded to Li.irador 
 by way ol htromncHH. though, in returning homo, shv Imd gencrnlly 
 taken her paH«ago thro.ii,h the Chan.ie!. The reanons for tho lu-rth- 
 ward oiurso haying boon so long proforrod, were viirioua. In the 
 i '.'1'"'^' ?.'' -''0>titu(le of tho Orkneys very nearly oorreHponds 
 wuhthn ,A northern Labrador, tho portion of tho Atlantic to be 
 tra\oiHed vvas Homowhat H.naiior by this than by the southern pas- 
 Wi.-.> e«peo.all;. in tho altornato years, when Okak had to bo first 
 visitea. Again, tbo danger from hostile cruizers was Iosh imminent 
 by taking this course, a convoy being ordinarily provided for tho Hud- 
 Fon H Iky and Davis' Straits ships. This wns a consideration of some 
 importance in time of war,and led to its being generally preferred, also 
 on the passago home up t(. tho year 1815 ; and lastly, it has so hap- 
 pened, that nearly all the HUcceHsive commanders of the vessel have been 
 natives ot the Orkney Islands, and the greater number of the crew 
 likewise. It was natural, thoroforo, that they should prefor a course 
 wli.cil brought them, at least twice a year, into personal contact 
 wiUi such ot their relatives and friends, as were still residing in those 
 islands, not to mention that tho nnmial visit of the ship tondc-d to 
 exeito and keep alive a very warm interest in tho Labrador Mission 
 in the mmds ot not a few of tho Christian people of StromnesM and 
 i.eigbbouring islands, and to call forth their active and sympathising 
 oenevolonto.* ' ° 
 
 On the establishment of a fourth Missionary settlement on the 
 coast ot Labrador, an alteration took j)lace in the Society's practice 
 m this particular. It being found necessary to send the ship to 
 flopedale brst, as the most southern, and consequently, under ordi- 
 nary circumstances, the most accessible of tho four stations, the 
 Channel passage was for some time preferred in going out as well as 
 in returning. The voyage of the Jlannontj in 1832, was the first 
 in which this course was taken. 
 
 According to the testimony of the captain, the weather, that year 
 was more severe, and the hardships experienced by himself and his* 
 cre-v greater, than he had ever before known, in the twenty-eight 
 voyages he had iiiudo in the service of the Society.f 
 
 The year following., the ship was exposed to imminent danger, 
 from a violent storm which she encountered while lying off Hebron 
 J^or some hours, the captain, who with two boys happened to be the 
 only persons on board, the remaining hands being variously occupied 
 on shore, expected almost every moinont, that the ship would part 
 
 • Among the .!q"»' K-.l t, iauls cf the Society in the Orkneys, two deserve tn 
 be cspeoally .-cn-n. bcn.l The .„„.. the Kev, Ah-. Clousto,,. the parish n'nLster 
 of Stro.nness a truly faithful servant of Christ, whose attention ' is Moraviaa 
 Brethren, ami mtcrest m the Mission in F ahra.Ior, continued un. ired till his 
 deecase. 1 he other, Mr. David Itamsav. of Kirwall. a tradesman „f moderate 
 means, but ot a large heart and liberal hand, whose attachment to his own ,,ar- 
 .!('n!.ir rnmtnn!!!tv, that of the C'uii-rc-ationaiists, wa,, iar ouiweiglited i)y tlie ua- 
 feigned love which he bore to all L'hrisfs disciples of whatever name. 
 
 t I'cr. Accl3. Vol. .\ii. p. 454. 
 
 i 
 
20 
 
 ACCOtA-T OF TUE LAUnADOR SHIPS. 
 
 " which, ho^\S"r BuWi?ne ou d S^hf '"'?'' ''f ^^^V ^ «P^^^^^'^« 
 "n.ost lively senXr of ih.,n- ^^, ^^^^^'^Pl'-^ted without the 
 
 " the time beyond treilach of tLS>o^lTl'^\''^'-^^^^^^^^ ''^' ^' 
 "mg of the ice ■^frlV^taL^^ ,^ ""'™* limitation, the strik- 
 
 " only by the constiT t ,,1 If f ^ x- " ^^^^*3^- ^^ ^^as, in fact. 
 
 " vessel and the aS,l. L irib'S th. 'T^^'*^ '^'''*^-^^'^ ^''« 
 " with tlie Divine hcln to n™fjt' • ^-^ '"'^"''' ^^''^ «"«b]ed, 
 
 " irreparable injury irW.thSXnnT"''"^ f "^^^ "^^ P^^^'H^^ 
 
 "days «ub«equint^^ i txiot fe od 'i"h^^^^ l^'"'' -^'"^ '^^''^ 
 " pletelv entrenched in I o W Tf ^ T ' i" '''''''' remained com- 
 
 " providentid, the many obstn.lp. tl ' /°/o"«"ler, as peculiarjy 
 •' progress, ha;ing"e^^^,^;'^?„t:^^ '".1 '^'^''^'^^ ^PP««^J '>'« 
 ;' obliged 'to eon^end'i^i ,r -^n^. one^^^^^^^^^ '''' ''^^'■p^^-^ 
 
 '•channels between IlonrdaloShpS, ■ "arrow and rocky 
 
 crew of the SunerJ Canfnh il "^ ^i ''' f''S "'"'^ survivors of the 
 diff, which lybeenlln-oS 1^1" '^°""^^^«'" Mirau.ichi to Car- 
 on 'the 28th of September td I'i.^n'" "'''''' ''"^''"^ ^ ^"^'«"« f^^^'^'' 
 of these poor marinei-s inc'Lw ^'?'"'' " ^'^^^^ "^''^'^k. Eight 
 to England.! '' '^^'^^"'^'"2 ^^^ captain, were brought in safety 
 
 to enter the bay ot\opedL V ^tt^^.X^rLTtte 
 
 
 "fS 'SBfi;r '^^^'^'""" """"• ' -'"^ 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE LABnADOU SUIPS. 21 
 
 times on a sunken rock, ^^'h^ch, however. sl,e eventually cleared with 
 out sustammg any material clan,nge. A similar accident befclh r 
 m 1840, on leaving the same harbour, though, in this instance the 
 
 trZf^ 7" T ''''} ""'Y''^' *'^^ ^'-^P*'-^'" «»d nmt'e thought thenSl^s 
 perfectly familiar. As she was going at the rate of six miles an hour 
 
 surnr «o t''ll' '"T '7' ""° ^""^ ^^'S^*' ^^ ^"^^ ^^^^^^ of thankful 
 surprise to all on board, that no leak appeared to have been sorun^ 
 nor any serious injury done to the hull of the vessel * ^ ^' 
 
 ihe year 1841, the centenary of the Society for the Furtherance of 
 the Gospel, was marked by a state of the weather on the coast of J I 
 brador, not very dissimilar to that which rendered the yeari853 so 
 
 sitin^Honorf rF r:r''' ^^ *^« ^*°'-'- -^ich prSed,tom 
 Msiting Hopedale hrst, the captain steered for Okak which he w.^ 
 enabled to reach on the 18th of August. Thence he proceeded sue 
 cess.vely to Hebron and Nain, where he delivered a nortion of T." 
 
 tability of reaching that settlement, owing to the lateness of Sa 
 season^and the continued prevalence of adverse w ds After a trvW 
 and d.fljcult passage the Ilannonv reached Hopedale on the UYhS 
 September, and, whdc l.ying in the harbour of that settlement rodl 
 
 her mn '•'"' ^''fr'' 'f''^' "* ""^ ^™<^ tlireatened to tearher frl 
 her moorings and drive her upon the rocks. Her return to Hor eW 
 down was on the 23rd of October. Horsely- 
 
 iJtl ^'*'''*'' ^S,f5,;™« "gain a year of icebergs and ice-fields, by which 
 the progress ot the ship was greatly impeded, both on her apCac 
 
 C.n ni^^ .ri "^i^"' ^''''S'' ^''"'" «"« ^t'-^tion to the other^^ Tha 
 Capta.n Su herland was compelled by the quantity of ice which he 
 encountered on leaving Hopedale for Naii, and. W the nreva lin^ 
 deuse togs, to put back to the former settlement he^ ad aftervvarS 
 reason to consider a very providential circumstance, as it would h"ve 
 been scarcely possible for the ship to have weathered the sto™ which 
 slotly after ensued, m a channel encumbered with ice and aCS 
 
 He rro^th: Sh ofl".''^ ^^'^17''"^ '""'^ '^^ departure froif 
 rieoron, oithe Sth of September, the weather was so severe that 
 the snow lay 18 inches deep on her decks, and the iLuntarns en 
 circhng the bay raised their wlnte summits high above the surouud 
 nig vapours. The sea outside the bay, was studded with SeSs 
 some of them of the largest dimensions! icebergs, 
 
 In 1849, the Uurmony was favoured to be the means of restorncr 
 
 barque Gralmn Captain Frond, who, after enduring extreme hard 
 Bhips and sufterings, had found their way to Okak, frln the entrance 
 of Hudson s Straits, where the vessel had been wrecked bv comW 
 
 rtr te'ioor' 'T "' ^^^^ ^^f circumstances aMi^rS 
 rescue ot the poor sufferers were such as to do great credit to t},^ 
 humane and generous feelings of the Christian Esldmoes w L were 
 t lie aW Tf.*' -^ f ''*"^e it, and to afford a striking tes imony fo 
 
 ^;^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ 
 
 » Tcr. Aids. Vol, xv, pp. 208, 3(I6. 
 
 jl 
 
22 
 
 ACCOUNT 01' THE LABRADOK SHIPS, 
 
 M 
 
 injury wSf Ivut 1 ^^""""''f ''^' '''R''*'" preserved from tlio serious 
 J..J y,x Inch might liH\-e been the result of her violent collision with 
 
 fen ; n^t? ' f^'^:^'"' '-'"^^•''"g the bay of Ilopedale. In Sep- 
 
 ni'th vn^ f7''°,^^'"''' ''"^ ^^™' protection was not less 
 inanik'stl.> voiK'liHafed o.i lier approach to Hebron. 
 
 lnlHu3, the voyage of the llarmomj was marked by a very serious 
 
 n d d,.st,x.s,snig failure The vessel sailed on the 10th ot jJue S 
 
 on her v.p.ige down the Channel and aerosB ti)e Atlantic was mS 
 
 rnpeced by contrary winds, so that she did not enter Hopedale Bay 
 
 S fnrtf. "^ A"SUst. On the 3rd of the following Ln 1, s1?o 
 
 T *«V^ ""''*''' ' ^'"*^' '^'tl.in twenty-four hours fmm oi.itti n^ 
 
 I opecWc, she was assailed by a violent storm irom tl^.^N a d 
 
 A.XW and driven nearly 400 miles out to sea. An attem nt o 
 
 roach Okak was frustrated by a second violent stornt am mp nicd 
 
 by a heavy lal of snow. At length, the ship having si ta i S se , « 
 
 Jijuryfrom the violence of the weather/and seven iTtL'ce w 
 
 being disab ed by sickness, the captain was reluctantly comHled to 
 
 HnLir'"^..^"'!?"^'^''^"'^' ^""^^ '^''''^'^' "«rthern statfonsXvilited 
 J.nf^^'V TT^"??"'"" ^^"^''« ^^^ "" the stations had, as usual been 
 landed at Ilopedale, whence those destined for the other statons 
 were forwarded by post-kayaks, while of the most neeZl artHes ot' 
 
 wTZtV'""? V-ffieient stock on hand to a^trabsolut 
 want 111 the mission-families at the northern stations. 
 
 llie voyage of 1858, especially the homeward passage, was marked 
 by circumstances of a peculiarly trying clmracter. l^he o^W' ?d 
 passage was rendered longer than usual by the large number of ice 
 ibergs^ and, subsequent y on the coast, by Jalms and dense fogs Yet 
 *he //«ma«y could .ail from Hebron on her homeward voyage on tlL 
 ft A. ti '^ * 'Sr- ^r ^^'^ "^ ^^^ '^'^y^'" «t»tes the repoft Sued 
 ff Gn>lir' '""n'^'^'V^'^' favourable; but when to tho so h 
 .orCai« i^rewcl in Greenland, she encountered a heavy gale from 
 
 an Uctober there followed a succession of violent storms with short 
 
 ntervalsot calm, quite sufficient to retard the progress of a vesse 
 
 . <e the iZ-.r„^„^,_firmly built, and well fitted to bear the shock o 
 
 the waves and the crash of the ice, but bearing up indifl'erentlv 
 
 against a head-wind. On the ISth of October, slie L". never uS 
 
 ess, almost w.tlnn soundirgs, when another easterly gale prun^ up 
 
 vhich drove her back, the sea breaking over the dJck, and^arr'yh J 
 
 a^v ay tlu3 stern boat. Between the 18th of October and the 22nd S' 
 
 ISovember, the ship was driven into the Atlantic three IZt^^^ 
 
 I^vTaT '"'T '''■■^''"", ^■'■"'" -^^^ ^° ^20 xX. lat., and from 9^ to 
 t \V. long., often exposed to iiiuniiient peril from the fury of the 
 waves. After making Dursey Island, north of Bantry l^ayfon the 
 a.t.menti„ued day, she came in sight of the Lizard oxi tho Ibth, and 
 
 2i d of ii'l " ^r"™'t^ ™". "'' Cl.annel,-passing Dungeness on tho 
 2 1 ol December, and reaching Horsely.lown on "the morning of the 
 o "1,0 1 ,?' 'T^"'^'-' V>'"Se of ten weeks, from port to por?, is one 
 of thelon.<.ost,wn.vl..l,.,.i,e annals of the Society. To customary 
 
 the longest recorded in ll 
 
 * Pcnodical Accounts, Vol. xxiii., p. 47. 
 
ACCOUNT OF THE Lviiii.vuon snips. 23 
 
 trial, wcro added thoso arising from a pnrti.l failure of provision. 
 thelnTi;'\^^ '"'•' *''"/ ""<! article oV food ruunin.irrtXS 
 
 l,pllfr 'f . "".y ''^'i'.»cce«sary of Jifo, and preserving tbeni in 
 
 !iSS"'' "^';^:^^? ^^'^ ^'^^ '-"^ «^''-- re^ii;;^"t:: 
 
 In the following yPa/Si;oi/«mo»y brought home the survivors 
 of the crew ot the /f//^}; a vessel in the employ of the Hud on's 
 Bay Co,npany, which was wrecke.l in September o that or 
 ll^pj ly tor the,n, tlu^se nu-n, after enduring terrible suffer nl^ibU 
 •"to the hands ol Clmsfiaa Eskimoes, by whom their immodi .t 
 wants were supplied, and they were eonducJed in saf y to O " if '"'' 
 
 As time advanced, it was found that the Harmony, after her lon^^ 
 
 uio wear dnd tear of coutnuied arctic navigation. At the s.i.„o 
 time, a somewhat larger vessel, having the advantage of modern i, 
 in^veraents m construction, appeared desirable in marn- res e> ' 
 f1,i ?a.T'*^'r dehberation, it was resolved to have a new Jes^e? On 
 tie 24th of April, 1861, she was launched from the yard of the builder^ 
 Messrs. Fellows and Sons, at Yarmouth, in the presenL of spvnrnl 
 members of the Committee and many Christian fSs W. wf 
 Esq., the Vice-President of the London Association, gaveto the sld n 
 the same time-honoured name, which had been bo'rnobv three of 
 her predecessors. « Shortly afterwards, a considerable number of 
 Christian friends assembled on the deck, to dedicate the iX ve'se 
 to the service of the Lord. A^arious ministers of reli-non took naH 
 
 Soc otv lT'""f ^ ''°'*^? '^ *^^« «^^^'«'^' '-^'^d the SecSa^yofTl e 
 hoc ety delivered an address containing an account of the various 
 ships employed by the Society since the commencement of Z 
 n ission m Labrador, directing attention to the gracious protccthm 
 altorded to them through so long a series of yelrsraiS LmmeT 
 7^Srl:^^^ the prayerful rememLnce ofthXnl 
 
 with any serious results. On leaving the river.^ile sS with^ 
 considerab e force on a sand-bank ; but, on the r s n " of tl e tide 
 was got off without injury. ° ® "'^®'' 
 
 The voyages since performed by the vessel, though marked bv a 
 continuance of the protection so long graciously vouchsafed dnLf 
 present any striking feature worthy orspecial Intbn ' ' ""^ 
 
 l^or the sake of the numerous friends of the Labrador mission 
 who have never seen the ship, a few descriptive particikrs mat be 
 Lore given. The Harmonu (the fourth of tfie Society's rpsSiich 
 
 f 
 
 * rerioUical Accounts, vol. sxiv, p. 49. 
 
i, 
 
 24 
 
 ACCOUxNl' OP TKE LABn.lDOIl SlllPg. 
 
 have borne that name), 
 
 of about 250 
 
 adclitioii! 
 
 lamoj 
 ^ raised 
 gained for the cabins. The hitter, though small, are 'neat" anT com- 
 uioaious, and the sleepin^-places are comfortable. Though furnished 
 with every addihonal protection required in case of contact with the 
 ice, the outlmo of the ship is cle-ant, while the materials and stvlo 
 ot construction are good. The figure-head represents an an«el with 
 a trumpet, with tho appropriate words of Scripture on an or.ia- 
 mental scroll : " Glory to God. Peace on Earth." On tho stern aro 
 carved representations of various arctic animals, together witli tho 
 Society's monogram, S. F. G. All these simple though charactor- 
 istic decorations are m white and gold. For many years the 
 Labrador ship had a berth in the river, but owing to some ne^v 
 liarbour-regulations, she now lies in the West India Dock Her 
 usual crew consists of twelve hands, besides the captain 
 
 In reference to those on whom the important duties of command- 
 era of these vessels have devolved, the following remarks are still ap- 
 proriate :* Tne Society cannot forbear a grateful acknowledguieit 
 ot the goodness of God, m providing a succession of faithful ex- 
 penenced and able seamen to take the superior and er;)ordinate 
 charge of the vessels in whose safety their missionary brethren and 
 dear Christian tnends, as well as themselves, are so deeply inter- 
 ested. In Captains Mugford, James Fraser, Thomas Frasir, (no re- 
 lation to his predecessor,) William Taylor, James Sutherland, and 
 John White, a degree of confidence has been placed, which 
 could only have been inspired by the belief that they considered 
 themselves the servants ot the cause rather than of the Societv — 
 that they acknowledged their entire and continued dependence on 
 that Lord whom winds and waves obey, and that they were disposed 
 at all times and especially m seasons of difiiculty and peril, to seek 
 His counsel, he p. and blessing.- To these remarks it may be added 
 that Captain White, whose acquaintance with all the landmarks on' 
 the Labrador coast was particularly valuable, retired from the service 
 m 1802, in consequence of advancing age and the failure of his 
 bodily powers. He, however, manifested his abiding interest in the 
 cause he had so long served, by successfully navigating on her vovajre 
 to Labrador m 1866, the Met a, a small vessel whichSad beenS! 
 chased for service on the coast. He was succeeded in command of 
 the //omony by Captani Linldater, who fills his important post in 
 such a manner as to enjoy in the highestdegrec the esteem arid con- 
 hdence of his employers. To him may without doubt be applied in 
 Its fullest sense the language used with reference to his predecessor 
 sixteen years ago: ^ c-<-<v.ocsbui 
 
 "The worthy captain of the mrwzow.;/ will, it is hoped, be more 
 
 than ever prepared to admit, in practice as well as theory, that it is 
 
 under God that ' he is master for the present vova J' and tint 
 
 It IS ' by the grace of God that he is bound to the coast of LWado?' 
 
 ■ 
 
 • Per Acds. Vol. XXI. p. 132. 
 
V" 
 
 ACCOUNT OF TJIE HBRAUOB SHIPS. 
 
 25 
 
 the friends of the Mission on that coast, and of the Society to whom 
 he IS more immediately responsible, will not fail to support him by 
 their fervent prayers, and to uuite in the utterance of the heartfelt 
 wish—' And so God send the good ship to her desired port in 
 safety.' "* 
 
 Much aspirations will arise on behalf of the missionary vessel and 
 those who navigate her, on her conclusion of a century of voyages. 
 And surely, humble yet confident hopes for the future are abund- 
 antly justified by the experience of the past. Time indeed brings 
 changes to all that is sublunary, and it cannot be expected that the 
 mission in Labrador, and the arrangements found necessary for its 
 welfare, and even its continued prosperous existence, will form an 
 exception to the general rule. But there is One who changes not. 
 He surely will not forsake the work of His own hands, but will, in 
 His love and wisdom, perfect that which concerneth the dwellers in 
 drearj' Labrador. Nor need the hope be expressed with less confi. 
 deuce, that all who are concerned with the carrying on and the 
 nanagemeiit of the Labrador mission, whether here or beyond the 
 ocean, may continue to be favoured with the pardoning grace, the 
 loving kindness, and the tender mercy, which have so abundantly 
 been experienced through the century now drawing to its close. 
 
 The following stanzas, by the skilful hand of the greatest master 
 of Eaghsh sacred song whom this generation has known, the late Br. 
 Jas. iMoncgomery, will, it is hoped, be considered to form no inap- 
 propriate sequel to the foregoing narrative. They form part ot a 
 beautiful hymn, composed in 18.11, for the centenary of the Society 
 for the Furtherance of the Gospel, of which the writer was an es- 
 teemed aad faithful member .— 
 
 To-day, one world-neglected race, 
 
 We fervently commend 
 To Thee, and to thy word of grace ; 
 
 Lord, visit and befriend 
 A people scatter'd, peel'd, and rude, 
 By land and ocean-solitude 
 Cut off from every kinder shore. 
 
 In dreary Labrador, 
 
 Thither, while to and fro she steers. 
 
 Still guide our annual bark, 
 By night and day, through hopes a.,d fears, 
 
 While 1 jnely as the Ark, 
 Along her single track, she braves 
 Gulphs, whirlpools, ice-fields, winds, and waves, 
 To waft glad tidings to the shore 
 
 Of loiiijing Labrador. 
 
 How welcome to the watcher's eye. 
 
 From morn til! even fix'd, 
 The first faint speck that shews her nigh, 
 
 Where surge and sky are mix'd I 
 Till, looming large, and larger yet, 
 With bounding prow, and sails full set, 
 She speeds to anchor on the shore 
 
 0{joi(/'ul Labrador, 
 
 See the ancient form of" bills of lading," which the present age has allowed 
 into dituse. 
 
 fall into ditutie. 
 
 to 
 
26 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE lABRADOB SHIPS. 
 
 Then, hearts witl, hearts, and souls with souLs, 
 In thnlhnf,' transport meet, ' 
 
 1 hough broad and dark the Atlantic rolls 
 
 iietween their parted feet : 
 ior letters thus, with boundless ranm', 
 ihoughts, feelings, vmyera can interchange 
 And once a year, join Britain's shore 
 i.0 kindred Labrador. 
 
 Then, at the Vessel's glad return, 
 
 i he absent meet again ; 
 At home, our hearts within us bum, 
 
 1 trace the cunning pen. 
 Whose strokes, like rays from star to star, 
 -Hring happy messages from far, 
 And once a year, to JJritain's shore 
 Jom Chriitian Labrador.