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/•'or so/Ni- lime pas/, my c/n'Ii/rcji ami fri cuds li,i:-c 
 urj^cd nic to (O)jimi! lo papor some rtcolUdiiois of mv 
 life, more especially llial part of il relalii:<^ lo my 
 various sea royaors around llie loorld. 
 
 ^ll llie advanced ai^e i^f eij^lily years, / realize ihat 
 my mojiory is failii/ii me in a ^rcal measure ; a I llie 
 same lime, I find llial I can recall the scenes of my 
 early yon III and manhood, and many even Is oj' " lono- 
 a<^o ' are much more vivid lo-day than those oj' later 
 dale. 
 
 As' this is intended only for rKiKXDi.v critics, it 
 needs no apolo<^y for any ivanl of literary merit ; and 
 if, in the Ion y^- J it lure, il ivill aljord any pleasure lo 
 my children, il ivill more than repay the lime 
 7jhich has been devilled lo it by their loviiii^ father. 
 
 CHARLES BREWER. 
 
 Jamaica Plain, 18 S 4. 
 
 ' * /■• f i 
 
-\ 
 
 ■, i 
 
 ;7.-, 
 
 
 \'<\ < II \Ri Is l;ui K\ I U. 
 
 a 
 
RI'LMIXISCIiNCKS. 
 
 I 
 
 Si 
 
 M\ an< L>t<>i- w.is Daniel I'rcwcr. Ilr left London 
 for l\o\l)m\' ( .Ma>-.) in i^\t2. accompanied by liis 
 wife and (lauL;htcr ; Ijul the forinei" did not li\-e to 
 reaeh ;\ineri( a. Sarah Urewet", the dan^htei", mar- 
 ried |o1mi May, 2d, son oi' jolin May, 1st, ol Kox- 
 biir\' ; and Sarah was the lh>t recorded name of our 
 an(est(^;> in the M.i\ famil\- in New l{nL!,land, 
 
 Mv father was ^^)ses Urewer. M)- mother was 
 Al)i'J.ail May. They were married iji i 7()S. at Kox- 
 burw My f.ither was a drv-<'oods dealer on Corn- 
 hill, in r>o>t('n. until iSi^. lie died June 17, i>Si3. 
 After his deatl). mv mother earriefl on the Inisiness 
 for several years. She then retired, and j)assed the 
 remainder of her life at the old homestead, <it Jamaica 
 Plain, her nati\-e plate. She died on /Xpril 24, 1S49, 
 a"xd sevent\-nine and a ludt xears. .She was the 
 mother of ti\ e t hildren, — o.ne son and lour tlaugh- 
 ters. 1 .mi the- emiv remaining member ot the tamily 
 (1SS4). 
 
 I was born in lio^ton, on Cornhill, on Mart:h 27, 
 J1S04. At a \ery earl\ a_L;e I had a slron<^ desire to 
 
Kr.MiN'isciNcr.s. 
 
 1)1' n sailor, hut, hrinu; an onlv son, my niotlu-r 
 stronj^ly nhicctrd. and sent nu- to a \\onian\ .school 
 at KaM Sudhui-y. I rcmaimd tluMo two siinmRM's. 
 DurinL; the way fnllowinL; I att'.'ndcd the Ha>t Siid- 
 lun'v At ,i(lcMii\'. ] had a con^.panioi^ friun rni>ton 
 who atti'n(K'd tin- >aimj Mhottj. and \vc hoarded to- 
 L;rthrr with a farmrr and his wife who took i;ood 
 care ol" ns. The farnuT was \rr\ hind, and would 
 often allow Us to usL' tlic "<ihl horse" when he was 
 ahseiil fi'oni home. The horse was a verv (juiet 
 one, hut somewhat in wars. 
 
 ( )ne day, while the old farmer had L;onc to Hoston, 
 we thought we wnuhl impi-oxe llie opportunity and 
 ha\e a ride, w.- i^dt the " old hor>e " out. and, 
 
 without eifhe ..idle or hridle. we mounted him. I 
 ill Imnt and my companion l)ehind. It was rather 
 hard work at fust {^, ^,1 jiim into a trot, hut after 
 awhile we L;'ot him st.uled into a full run. As we 
 had no switch, we hr^an slai)pint; hini with our 
 hands on each side. As that did n't have much 
 efl'.'ct, we ^-ave him one extr.i-hard slap, when he 
 started oil suddenl)' with L;reat speed, and we hoth 
 slippefl off hrhind. As I tell, the horse's iron >hoe 
 struck me dire'ctl)' on ihr side ot' mv face, cutting;' it 
 ojien nearly up to my e\elids, and hreakini; mv jaw- 
 hoiie. I was lett senNfli'>s on the ground, and alone, 
 a.-^ my comjjanion was hi^htened and ran otT to •••et 
 some assist. nice. J laid (»n the ground as if dead 
 
 I 
 
KF.MlNlSfF.NCF.S. 
 
 5 
 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 for n linn-, but assistance came at last, and I was 
 cairird Iinnie. A dnctor \\m.-> >ciit for, hut. a.s he 
 livL'd sonic inilrs away, it was two liours l)ffoir he 
 reached thr hou>e. My clieek and jawbone were 
 l)ad!\ man'^U (1 ; llie suri;c-on trinmu-d off the small 
 ])k\v> and .-.cwed up thr deep cut in my face. The 
 old farmer madr up hi> mind that I could nol live, 
 and he >cnl a ni.-,>(.'nL;er immediately to IJoston for 
 mv mothrr to conu- to Sudbury. Wh.m the doi tor 
 luard that, he at oncv sent another messenL;er, for- 
 biddim; mv mother to l;<> to Sudbury, as he feared 
 it mi'j,ht Set me er\in;4 and break the stitehes i»pen 
 in m\' face-. 1 wa- obli^-ed to >it uprii^ht in a chair 
 for two or three \\eek>, and there were man\' months 
 before the face was entirely healed. I had every 
 kind attention I (^(Mild wi>h from the old farmer and 
 his wite, and from other friends in our neii^hbor- 
 
 h(V)d. 
 
 After leaving Sudbury I attended a jirivate school 
 in lioston for several months; but I was always wish- 
 in'4 for a sta voya-e. One day I asked niy mother 
 to let me ;4«> privateering. — boys of my age were 
 shipped duiing the war as powder-monkeys, th.eir 
 dulie> being to earrv powder fri)m the magazines to 
 the upi)cr detks when required. — but 1 could not 
 ovt mv mother".-^ (on.-ent, >(• I said no more about it 
 
 at that time. 
 
 During the latter ) .u t "f the war (^1814), the 
 
KIMI\I->( I-\(T.S, 
 
 I'liliMi Iri^atcs were at one tinio cruiMni; in I^).st()n 
 l>.i\. .nul it was ('.\|H(.Ii(1 thrv would iiitcr tlu' 
 liarlxir, I In- tt!Tial)ilant> were tliL-n workinj^ viTV 
 .iiti\(Iy to rini>li olT I'ort Stron<; ( \(ul<l!("> I>lan(l). 
 Till' I)iiil<iiin ..| th.. .idr- of the fort rcciuiivd a>.>ist- 
 iincc. a!tlioii-Ii it \\a> iumi'Iv fnii-Iu-tl. 
 . I lu' pliMir-x Ii,„,I |„.\-^ urrr (.lYcivd a^ xoluntcri-.s 
 tc woils. 'rhi\ tiirntdoui tVoin tin- >cli()ols aljoiit 
 thrre biiiuliv.l ;it a tinir. and uc-iv manlu-d down 
 State Stict't ill iank> and niiiitary onk r. w iih tlie 
 AiiKiican lla;;- ilyin- and drunis bcalini;. Wo 
 inardird t,, I.,,,)- Wharf, where wt- embarked on 
 board sloo|)> and x hoomrs. and were landed at 
 I'ort Strop,-, on Noddles I.datul (nowLa>t 15oston), 
 where we worked two day>. 'Ihe boy>' work was 
 HK^Mly earryiii- .sods and pins and pickaxes. 
 
 Alter workin-- two day>. we were taken to Dor. 
 cluster Il.i-hts, where we worked one day, and 
 were tlun diMviisse.!. \\\. niarched back to Hoston 
 ill tlie >anie military orck r ; and the boys enjoyed 
 the laboi-, for the fun attached to it. 
 
 After remaining- some weeks at home, mv mother 
 sent me to the Wohiin Academy. a> I was so 
 y'.im- she did not eare to have me attend school 
 in JJo.lon. I ua,. the youn-e.st sch.>lar in the acad- 
 emy, but I (udy remaiiird there one year. The 
 youn-er boys were not treated as well a.> the older 
 "M'lars, there bein- a great dilYerence in the quality 
 
 
 sc 
 
 
Kr\|IM-( I NCI'S. 7 
 
 of the iinn\. Mv niollu r had iiki(I«' ihm- i «iin]»I.iints 
 without anv n<»tict' h.i\iii;^ hicii taken ot them, .mi I 
 decided t«» It.wr. 
 
 One nioniini; I _l;()1 iij) vciy early, and. without 
 mv m<itlM*r'> kuDwlcdm', ran awav iVnni the >eh()t»l 
 Ix'tore da\li''ht. and endeavored to tlnd \u\ \va\' to 
 I5<»>t<»n. I n.ul not Ixin ioiii^ on the lo.id heloie I 
 diMTOven-d that I had lo>t ni\' way, and I -at d<'\\n 
 lijKiii a ^toue w.ill .iiid heij^aii toe i"y. .Simui a l;!;!!!!- 
 man caine alon^^ and asked n,e what wa> my trouble. 
 I told hi!ii I wantrd to l;i'1 to Uo^ton and did not 
 k:.' V tlie road, lie said he w.i- J4*'i'i.^,' ^" C haiie>- 
 town, and would >how nie the way. I told the Ljen- 
 tl'.man I knew the way home from Charle>town, 
 and would follow him, whi( h I did. alth(»u;4h I 
 was vcrv lired, as he walked so fast ; Ijut 1 I'mally 
 reached home at one o'clock in the afternoon, and 
 mv mother was very .^lad to see me. 
 
 After reniainin^!.; a short time at home, I attended 
 a private school in Inoton for a tew month>. when 
 mv mc'ther con(duded f ^^-'nd me to the Rew Mr. 
 Kichard>on's school, at 1 [inL;ham. 1 remaineil there 
 over a rear, and was \ery nuith i)lea>ed in e\ery 
 way. There was a limilecl number ol sehoKu>. — 
 about fifteen boardini; scholars and live out^iders. 
 The livinL; was i;ood throuj^hout. As a geneial 
 thinir. we liad a fine set of scholars; .uiioni; others 
 were Samuel G. Howe, James Davis, Jo.-iah T. 
 
8 
 
 Ki Mi.\i>(i.\t i-:s. 
 
 Marshall, (icoi-'i. Iktirv. ami William llari'v (llncc 
 brutlu'is), ami lulwaid X. 1 Inwr. Ijiotlur of Saimirl 
 ( i. Iloui- ('and who \va> aitn ward^ iliowiud al mm), 
 all mI wlioiii uiic r.d^toii hcvs. ImiiIi (air trai'luT 
 and hi> wilf wtic al\\a\> vor\- kind and pleasant 
 with iIr- siholars, and I kl't tlu- scliooj afUr a war 
 and a hall wril ph a>rd. 
 
 1 was then '..unti-en yrar> old wIkii anan-cincnts 
 W'-Tc nuuK' hy my iiiMthiT tor u\c to inter the >tore 
 ul Mi^>iN. C'noim i^ Thv lias Sialic; hut, as .the 
 position was tlu-n filh-d hy a ymnii;- man uiio had 
 thrn; monlh> Inii;^.'!- to si-rvt- l.c-lorc' his lime e\- 
 jiiird, I had an ('ppMrtunily for three months' more 
 sehoolin^. 
 
 I enteri'd the pii\ale >. h.ool of* the then ( elel^rated 
 teacher. Mr. W'al-h, author of " Walsh's Arithmetic," 
 whii-h wa> hi-hly prized in iho>e tlays. A I the end 
 ol" m\- term, 1 entered the siore of Messrs. Cie<.rne «.\: 
 'I homa^ Searle as an apprentice. After a service 
 ot thri'c yeai>. 1 conLluded to continue in the store 
 until I was t\\ent\-one year.s old, as I should then 
 be my own mi>ier, and could 'j^n to sea as a sailor, 
 — for I >till liad the same de>ire for a >ea life. 
 
 ( )ne day, mv mother, without my knowled<;e, calkd 
 on several ol her old friends to consult with them 
 a[)out 111) L^oing- to sea. Amon<^- those whose adxice 
 she sou-lit were Capt. John l^ratt, Capt. Holland, 
 and Ca[)t. Benjamin Rich, three old retired iiier- 
 
Kr.MiNisrF.scrs. 
 
 a 
 
 ■ ^ 
 
 ( linnN. 'i-K li nf whom li.wl !)• in r\ siilor in lii- yniitli. 
 and nftcrw.ir.U !m(1 Ihtii .■n;4.i_^r(l in -hipping hii^i- 
 iic^s linm IiM««lMn Imi" in.inv yiMT-. '1 htir .»<1\ ici- to 
 my niutlu r was. ih ii. il I \va- -<• an\i<MH tn Ix'comc 
 a sfiinian \vli«ii I wa^ tvvi'nly-(»n( . >Ii«' liad Ix-ttcf 
 l^ivu liiT ( (in>-rnl for nif l<» i^owIkii I w a> x-vcntci'ii, 
 ,,, iliii p. ilii;.- ' I iui!.',ht hnuii)'- an (itVicir l)y the 
 liiiic I ua> iwcntN-onr. 'llvir aflvicc proved i^ootl, 
 for I was >.-iond otVK rr oi tli^ -liip " I'aia-^on "' wlun 
 I was /ai///v-of/,\ and first oltiiL-r of tlic >:inic ship 
 when I was /:r< ///v-/:^'(). 
 
 Al\w n((i\in.Li; tlir ad\iir of tlu- thrcr old ^-a- 
 raptains. nw ni.>lh' i- * on->cntrd. altlioii^b i\lu' tantly. 
 t(. ha\f nif look foi- a \'oya^L^<'. wliirii 1 did. Several 
 of mv n;otl\n"> lady fii.ivU. on Irarnini; that I was 
 rcalU' '•oiiiL; to sea as a ( oinmon sailoi. fnilfa\(>i"ed, 
 l)y all ihr niran- in thcii- |)owri-. to prevent it. I lu-y 
 told my niother thai she " wonld ni'Ver sei- me a^aiu 
 alive." My moth.T replird, "He that doeth all 
 lhin'_;< \\«'ll will have the same luavenly i)rotection 
 iip( m the ori.-an a^ np( 'ii tin- lanch 
 
 I had alwavs had a di-likr for the eonntin_L:,-rooiii. 
 luit the ]>riiM ipal icison lor m\ de-^irc- to l;o to >ea 
 was thai I mi:^ht have an oj iportunity to vi-it all 
 parts of the world. whi>h I ( oald not do otherwise. 
 llaNini;- now ni\ niolh'i"'' ( oi^>riil. I looked ahoiit 
 tlir wharves tor a vessel, and I also a]»i>licd totriends, 
 t(. help mr. hinaliv. thron-h tiie a-sistanie ol Mr. 
 
lO 
 
 KIMINMFCFNCKS. 
 
 II 
 
 c'tirv 
 
 I 
 
 cc 
 
 I ol^aiiud :i \)vv[h as a ''rcrn liaiul on 
 
 board the hri'"' "■ Palnu'r,"' bound to Calcutta. Mv 
 
 waLics 
 
 were A 
 
 fm] 
 
 with 
 
 iiai 
 
 >//(n:< a n'ontli. aud. perfectly' >ati; 
 
 (•oninicneKl iiu Ma liic. an( 
 
 m:in\- 
 
 aniitlie 
 
 'j:\cl' 
 
 n hand, knew notliiii! 
 
 ul 
 
 he 
 
 b.ardshij) in stcr • t^ ir me 
 
 lie 
 
 Pal 
 
 nier 
 
 was o\\ 
 
 IN 
 
 Ir. I leru\- 
 
 I 
 
 <'c w i> sunerea^''( 
 
 ned bv the Lee fannlv 
 
 ); Mr. Robert C 
 
 Maeka\', captain's clerk. The bri;^' was connnanded 
 by Capt. Hall. 
 
 1 here was one other bovl)cside 
 
 s nivsc 
 
 If. 
 
 whose 
 
 name was La^jham. At 'iUo reciuest of our [)arents, 
 we were put under the charL;e of Mr. Henry Lee. 
 The sailors used to ha\-e an allowance of a L;ki>>s of 
 Liro''" ex'erv dav. just before dinner, and an extra 
 glass for Saturday niL',ht, with which to toast sweet- 
 liearts and wi\e.> ; we two boys receiyed from Mr. 
 Lee, in lieu of the ''roLT, a bottle of ijood molasses 
 
 eyery week*. 
 
 W 
 
 iKMi ''"('Uvj; on ( 
 
 leek 
 
 m my m 
 
 iddle wafch at 
 
 nii 
 
 :ht, I 
 
 most alwa\s earried my bottle of molasses 
 
 an( 
 
 shii* biscuit to eat durinij- the wa 
 
 tch. I 
 
 always 
 
 krpt my l)ottle of molasses under the lower berth, 
 
 Ulil wou 
 
 Id oft 
 
 eii use some when the watch was o\er 
 
 Ul 
 
 le t 
 
 lark 
 
 ni-'ht durm''- m »■ watch on ( 
 
 leek, I took 
 
 some of the mo]as>es directU- from the Ijottle b\ tijj- 
 pinu; it and swaliowinL; a little at a time; but some- 
 thing seemed to [)reyent it from tlowiuL; freely. i 
 
i;i:miniscknci:s. 
 
 1 1 
 
 sliook it several tiivics hd'ovv it would run, wlicn to 
 nn- surpri"^'- out (aim: a ^/r<^/ ii/oiisr. willi but little 
 hair u;)oii hiivi ; lu' wa> anytliin,-- but an a,u;rccaljlc 
 s'-^lit to look upon. I iniUKdi itcly i)Ut tin; mouse 
 b:M k into llu' liotOc with tlic rcMVuiiuin-- n;okiSM'-, 
 and c'ork.'!l bini uj) ti-ht, so that \v un^ht tloah and 
 llu n threw it ovcrboaid. No doubl it was piekc'd 
 up by -onie pa--.in,-- Ix-at (lew duriiv^ a cahn, who (.'X- 
 pcetcd to find leLtrrs for loxcd ones ai hoiiK'. and 
 wdio were |)r.)bably di-apiM)inled eiiou-h to see only 
 the remains of a .'/,<?^/ ///e/zw. It was a loni;' time 
 betore I eould relish any molasses after that expe- 
 rience. 1 h id had quite enoUL;h of that ([ualily, and 
 coneluded for the future 1 would take it pior and 
 unadnlliratid. or i;o without. 
 
 We left Boston with a L;o()d crew, with one excep- 
 tion, and that was a Scotchman, who ^ave us a -ood 
 deal of trouble. The hr.-t day out from Tx-.^ton tiie 
 Seotclmian ordered me to brini;- up the food from the 
 furecastle; bein-' a -reen hand, this was my duty to 
 p. 1 form, and I was perlectly aware of it. As 1 wa> 
 o-uin- ur) the ladder with a '• kid " or - tub'" in my 
 hands from the forecastle, he -ave me, as I stood 
 upon the step, a hea\y blow in my back and a kick, 
 and told me to - hurry up." This act was so sudden 
 and unexpe'-ted that I jumped from the two lower 
 steps of the ladder down into the forecastle and 
 clinched him ar^umd his neck. Just thcii four of the 
 
12 
 
 KMMINl.-CKNCIS. 
 
 crew canu' to inv assistance, but not before I had i>ot 
 one or two j^ood blows at him. I Ic was a very lar'>e 
 a,n(l poworful fi'llow, and would no doubt have hurt 
 me seriously had it m-t have been tor the timely 
 as>ist.uue of the three Boston boys. 
 
 Our forecastle was below the deck (forward ), which 
 is a verv old cu>tom. There has been a ureat im- 
 j)rovement for the comfort of .»ailors since those 
 days. All ioreca-lles are now built on the upper 
 deck. in>tead ot below, thereby Lrivini:; more li-dit 
 and Iresher air. 
 
 It is, or was. an old regulation, that when the first 
 evenino- watch went below they should be allowed 
 till " one bell. " or half-hour, in wh.ich to " spin yarns " 
 or talk, then all nui.->t go to sleejj. We Ijovs o'ener- 
 ally improved the op})ortuniry ; but that did not 
 always suit the Scotchman. 
 
 One of the men had been telling a story which 
 had been ix'peated over and u\-er again i)crhaps 
 fifty times; tlie Scotchman did ne»t like it, and would 
 often go on deck to get out of the way; but he iiad 
 made himself so disagreeable tliat the sailors would 
 oftc'-, repeat it on i)urpose to annoy him. On our 
 arrival at Calcutta, he took the th>t opjjortunity to 
 run away, leaving some con>iderable amount of 
 wages due him. We were all very glad when he 
 left us. 
 
 When off ]\Iadaga.-,car, our brig was struck by 
 
 
 i 
 
KI'MINISCENCES. 
 
 u 
 
 li"lil!iin''-. which caused the c()i)i)cr aroiuul the inaiu- 
 mast, and al^() near the mainlop, and near the 
 ))Mnii)>, t<» imh and run down upon the punip.^ and 
 nia>N hke niolas^i s. Tlie suli)hur<>u> odor war. very 
 strong- and :.ulToc atini;- in the cal)Iii .nid main hold. 
 Wc fcaa-ed at In >t there mi-lit he lire in the hoKh 
 so we l)roke out aiound the ma>ts. '1 here was 
 a box >towed a'L;ain>t the maimnast, and, althonL;h 
 the hox and ^ome of the car_L;o v ere mu«ii (h>c-oh»re(h 
 there was n(> ;.;reat (himai;e ch)ne. On opi'iunu, tin- 
 box it was fi)und to contain hooks for the American 
 Mission at Calcutta. 
 
 When the lightnini;- struck our vessel I was lean- 
 ing, ai^ainst an iron riolt attached to one of the spai's, 
 and I was struck down upon the deck senseless, 
 where I lay struL;_L;IinL;- until some of the crew rai>ed 
 me, up, and the shock passed oik Se\eral of the 
 crew were close by me when the vessel was struck, 
 but I wa,-^ the onlv one who iclt the shock. 
 
 There was a slight wind durin;^- tiie day, and 
 squally. When off the island of Madagascar ships 
 are very often liable to experience heavy gales and 
 stormv weather. The climate of the iskuul i^ gener- 
 ally [ileasant in the north, but somewhat cool in the 
 south during the winter months. 
 
 We arrived safely at Calcutta, and anchored at 
 first in the river, an.d afterwards near the banks of 
 the river, and I then had m\' first view of a foreign 
 
 4 
 
14 
 
 KFsMINISfl.NCKS. 
 
 country. It was \cr}' liol in (/alciilta, and while dis- 
 i*liari;in!^- cargo 1 was >ti-ickcn down widi a sunstroke. 
 
 They inu"nedialel\- carried nie l)e]ow, and sent for 
 a doetor, who L;ave nie some medicine, and I was 
 all riL;ht aL;aiii iii a couple of da\>>. Mr. liemv Lee 
 and Mr. Mackay took up theii- re>idence on shore. 
 We laid at the nioorinL;s lue nionth.s, and atter- 
 \vard> two months at anehin^ in the rix'er, makini^ 
 our >tay at Calcutta se\en month>. 'I'lieie was con- 
 siderable sickness amoni;' the crew durini;- that time, 
 but no deaths. I was in rather poor health for five 
 niontli-s Irom attacks ot" d3-entery, but was ne\er 
 unable to do some duty. 
 
 During the seven months we were at Calcutta, 
 Mr. Lee loaded several Nesstl.^ for Loiuion and the 
 United .States, after which he loaded tlie " Palmer " 
 with a icturned cargo of luvlia good^ for Boston. 
 Our voyage to Calcutta and baek was about sixteen 
 months. 
 
 The " Pcdmer " was a new xe.^sel, arKl was Ijuill in 
 Medhucl in iSjcr and ]M-o\-ed to l)e a fine vessel in 
 every re^jK'Ct. There were five of the Lee familv 
 interested as ownei-s. She wa,> named the " Palmer" 
 out ot" compliment to John Palmer, an l']nglish mer- 
 cliant in Calcutta. 
 
 I have no doubt niv friends thou''ht that this 
 voyage of sixteen months would satisfy me, and 
 that I would be glad to stay at home; but they were 
 
 ^ 
 
KI.MIN'ISC r.XCI'S, 
 
 IS 
 
 
 1 
 
 ciuitL- iiii>tak<n. After spcndini;- a couple of months 
 at Jamaica Plain, \i>ilin^- my mother and >i>tei>. I 
 \va^ ([uite ready for sea aL;ain ; >o, when die " Palmer 
 was readv for another voya;;e. 1 a,u,:uM >hi[)pe(l on 
 hoard ol her, and telt (piite proud when 1 learned 
 that m\' waives were to he raised from //:v to ei^iit 
 dollars a month., My friend l.apham al-o shipi)ed 
 oti board th,e " Pnlmer "" for his sec<^nd V()yai;x\ which 
 made it \cv\ jileasant (or me, as we were sueh ;j;ood 
 frienfls, and durini;- our loni; voyaL;e of sixteen 
 months we had heen \-ery hajtpy toi^ether. 
 
 'J"hi> second vovai^e in the " Palmer" wa- cjuite a 
 short one, lastiri^- only five months, as we oidy went 
 to Li\er[)ool and from there returm;d to l)o^ton. 
 The fust officer o\ th.e " I'ahr.er " was frc^m Cai)e 
 Cod, and he proved to he a very disngrecablc man 
 in many wa\s. 1 le -.howetl a marked difference \n 
 his treatment toward ytanvj,' Lapham and m_\sclf. 
 I soon beL;an to notite that he gave me all the 
 dirtv and disagreeable novk to do. arul would send 
 me aU'ft in l)ad and squally weather. Lapham, on 
 llu- contrary, was \-er\' kindl}' treated, the ea.>ie.>t 
 am.l ck'anest jobs being al\\a)s gi\en him ; arid I 
 noticed that he was never sent aloft if I wa^ round. 
 1 could not for some time undei'staud \\ii\- tiieie 
 should be so much tliffermce'. and ik.at I sliould 
 ha\e such hard usage, as 1 had alway> tr'"ed to per- 
 form mv duty, and had ne\er had a complaint made 
 
i6 
 
 KIMIMSCF.NCF,!?. 
 
 l.)y citlnv Mr. I, (.■(•. C'npt. II. ill. or an\' of tlu' passon- 
 li;cTs ; hilt after a \\\u\c I Icarnv'd tlu' rca>()n, which 
 \\a> that tlu'ir was a /tfi/v in tliv case. It >cfms 
 that the fir^t olTiccr had hccn cnL:,aL;r(l t<> I.aphani's 
 x/.vAv h)i" the la>t two wars; so I support.- it was 
 f|iiitc' natural thai hr >hoiil;l make it pleasant for 
 tiu' hrotlii)'. Ihit I think he mi^lu haw (lonu that 
 \\ith(Uit making;" it so iincomfortahiL' for nic. 
 
 I.apham's parents were \'ery nire and respectable 
 ]K()ple, lixinL; in Cluirle^towai. When i.aphani and 
 mvseli parted, 1)V eac h L^oinij; on difterent N'ova^'es, 
 the owners ot the " rainier " otlered me a i)osition 
 as second ollicer, hut 1 ch'd not feel nu'selt' compe- 
 tent, and I al>o thought nn^ell too vuuiil; for >o 
 re>p(Misible a posiiicai. so 1 declined. La{)ham 
 shipped on board a \'es.sel bound to Calcutta. Tlic 
 .^hip loaded at Calcutta for the United .States, but 
 ne\-cr reac h.ed home, as she took fn-e in the nn'ddle 
 of the Atlantic (^cean and burned up entirely. The 
 captain, with his wife and family and part of the 
 crew, went toward .South America (haxiiiL;- taken 
 to their boat-, in mid-ocean), while the i"ir>t ot'hcer, 
 with the balance of the c ivw, went towards .South 
 v\irica. l)C)th boats airi\ed safeh' at the end of 
 their unfortunate \'ova'''es, and all would hax'e been 
 \wll if the oihcer had followed the ca;>tain to .Scaith 
 .America, but. on laiulinLj, at South Africa, .several of 
 the crew took die .African lexer and died. iMv dear 
 
 '?« 
 
 s* 
 
KEMINISCENCKS. 
 
 17 
 
 " 5 
 
 friend and shipni.itc, Lapliani, was amon^^ tlic num- 
 ber, lie was a ^Jiwdi \ns^ to hi> parents anrl to all 
 who knew him, and I .^hall always cheri-h his nieni- 
 urv, althouL-h it is now s/.v/v-ZZ/rcr years sinee we 
 shipped toL;-ethei- on boanl the " I'ahner." 
 
 The officiT of the >hip which was bm-ned was the 
 same one who h.ul treated me >o badly on board the 
 " ralmer." 
 
 I arrix'ed home from the I.uist Indies in L;;ood 
 lie;ilth, and felt th;it I was well repaid with what I 
 liad gained in experience. After remaining- on 
 shore for a few weeks, I Ix'gan to be restless again 
 for the sea, and so looked around for another ship. 
 
 I Jiad always liad a tlesire to vl^it the northwest 
 coast of Ameri( a and the Sandwich Islands. I iiad 
 been partieiil uly interested in the latter place since 
 reading " Cook's X'oyages " when a boy. 
 
 1 learned that the ship " Paragon " was going to 
 tlie Sandwich Inlands and to China, so I niatle appli- 
 cation at once, and was shipped on board as an ordi- 
 nary seaman at eight d-ollars a morith. The owner 
 ot" the ship was Mr. josiah Mar.shall, of Boston, and 
 she w^as commanded by Cai)t. Wuliam Cole. We left 
 Boston e.p. h\'b. 23. 1823, for Honolulu. Oahu. We 
 had two ])assengers, Thomas Crocker, l'!scj., L nited 
 vStates consul for the Hawaiian Islands, and Robert 
 Pdwell, consul's clerk. Our Uv>\ officer was John 
 Bowman, and our second was Jolm Dominis, who 
 
i 
 
 is 
 
 KI.MIMSCF.XCKS. 
 
 acted in tlic (l(iiil)lc' ca|incity as sail-makc-r and second 
 officiT. W'c had a fair jiasNai^e around Cajx- Horn. 
 !'(■[( ire \vc Kft P)(»l('n, it liad Ix'cn directed hy the 
 ownrr of the sliip lliat we should stop at the i>land 
 1)1 Jnaii l'\ rnandr/ ( l\t»l)insnn Crusoe's i>land) and 
 fill all the ea>k> with fi\>h watt-r. as we only took 
 with u> from Iloston a supplv tor a hundred days. 
 There being no good harbors otT the inland, tlie ship 
 had to la\' otT and on lor a dav or two, in order to 
 iict tlu' water off fmin the >hore. The boat was 
 sent on .shore under the direction of Mr. Doniinis, 
 with a crew of se\cn men, of which I was one. We 
 made one trip to thic shore, and towed the casks of 
 water to the sides of the ship, where they were 
 hoisted on l)oard, A second boat was then sent off, 
 and this time our two passengers accompanied us. 
 They thought they would like to try their hands 
 at shooting a wild bullock and fishing, so, at their 
 request, we left them on the i>land while we re- 
 lurried to the ship with a second ratt ot' water casks. 
 When aliout tour or five iidles I'rom the shore, it 
 came on to blow a gale, and we shipped a sea whicli 
 almost capsi/ed the boat (it was a whale c>r surf 
 boat), and it was hlied with water almost up to the 
 thwarts. We were at an ec[ual distance from die 
 shore and the shi|), — alnnit live miles from each, — 
 and were in a dangerous condition t"or a while. I 
 lost my oar during the mcuc ; and we had to bail out 
 
 r5 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 4, 
 
 
 
 -* 
 
 -3% 
 
 1^ 
 
in.MiNisrr.N'CES. 
 
 19 
 
 the boat with our hats, boots, and >hocs. iMiially. 
 after >oim' hours of puHiuL;-. we L^ot alonL;>icle of the 
 shij), l>\ whieh linic the wiiul had deerea^nl to a 
 moderate -ale. The eaptain thnuL;ht. as thr ship 
 was so far fpnn the >h<-av, it would not be prudent 
 to <j^i) tor the two j)a>>LnL;ers until the next day. 
 
 During- the ni-lu tlu- ;-;-ale increased, and we were 
 (iriltrd ol'f a loni; 'distance, and it w a^ eleven days 
 before we were able to reL^.un i'ur position. In 
 the mean time the two passeui^ers had an t)i)portu- 
 nitv to realize somewlKit the feehni^s of Robinson 
 Crusoe and his man I^'riday. As >oon as practi- 
 cable we went to their re>cue. As we neared the 
 .shore, we saw them running down the liill as 
 speecUly as possible; and as soon as they jumped 
 into the boat, they commenced with ravenous ai)pe- 
 tites to devour some raw salt beef and ship-bread, 
 l)emt; a portion of some provisions which we were 
 takin-- on sliore for some Spaniards (five in num- 
 ber) who had been left there by a scaling party the 
 year previous, luit who had failed to call lor them 
 according to contract. 
 
 We learned from the passengers that it had rained 
 hard every day and night during the ten days of 
 their enforced detention on the island, consequently 
 they had no oi^ijortunity for hunting or fishing. 
 They took up their residence with the five Span- 
 iards, — who were themselves short of pro\ isions, — 
 
20 
 
 RKMINMSCFNCES. 
 
 in a niis(.ial)K- hut, (.onMHiiitinly wtTc unable to en- 
 tiTlain tluir uiuxpri ♦ -1 i;iic>t> very luxuriously. 
 /\s soon .as \\(.' w j tlu- >hii). our passi-nt^cis 
 inuncdiatrU' (li\(,>Uit themselves of iheir ( lothinir 
 and Ioml; beards, which were infe.-sted with vctniin, 
 which was the only ;•(//;/<• they <»btainecl. 
 
 DuriuL;- the lu>t lu'-ht of the jj^ale, tlu' ship ob- 
 taitied ail the water whiih wa> needed for the \<»va!j;e 
 to llonolulu, aiul with .dl our pro\ i>ions on board, 
 we took leave of the inland of Juan I*\rnande/., 
 and altc r a Ioul;- and tedious vova<"C of one hundred 
 and ei^L;hty-one days we arrived >afely at Monolulu. 
 The trade-winds were verv liijht until alter we 
 crossed the equator, after which we had a fresh 
 breeze until we reached the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 We made Hawaii (t!ie i>Iand) over one hundred 
 niiles off, when we saw the toij <,f Mauna-Kea covered 
 with snow; the luM\i;ht c-f Mauna-Kea i> 13.950 feet, 
 and that of Uakakalaon Maui 10.217 ^^^^- After re- 
 mainini; in tlie harbor of H(jnolulu for some weeks, 
 the '• Paragon " made a crui>e around the i>lands for 
 the purpose of obtaining .sandal-wc-od ; but we were 
 not successful. The .^urf set on >hore verv heaxilv. 
 so that the ship was o])liged to slip her anchor and 
 chain and return to Honolulu. Sometimes the surf 
 on the north side of Oalui will break in seventeen 
 fathoms of water, and the vessels are obliged to put 
 to sea. 
 
 
 _.t5 
 
RF.MIN'ISCF.NCF.S. 
 
 21 
 
 
 \Vc carried out en llu- • Tara^^on " the hamos for 
 two M.-h(»<>ncr.. whi< li were built .uul l.umchecl fV..m 
 Marini% %x1>arf at Hmiu.IuIu. One <.!" iIkiu ua. 
 nanx-d the '* Wabhiii-tou." \olunti-.Ms \ure re- 
 quired as a crew In iriii--- ah.-ut in n.ik h ..f >aiulal- 
 \M^>.l Tlie schooner " WaslHn;^t..n '" was chartered 
 lur that purpi>>c. and I was one of live volunteer.-.. 
 
 On our hr^t nij^ht uL in the Oalui Channel, we 
 had two men knocked cverboard by the main b.u.ni ; 
 one wa- a white man and the ether a Kanaka. 
 The white man was ilrowned. but the Kanaka ^uc- 
 cecded in gettini; on boanl a-ain. We were un^uc- 
 ces-shd in (»btainin«r sandal-wood, on account of the 
 hcavv surf, and were obli-ed to return to Honolulu 
 arouLd the souti west side oi the inland. Sub>e- 
 qucntly we made several trips in searJi of >andal- 
 vood around the i>lands, stoj-i^in-; at IVail River 
 and other j^laces. Auer that the ship made a trip 
 Vy Waimea, and there lost her anehor. consecjuently 
 \vc were obliged In return to Honolulu. The an- 
 chor was never recovered. The - Tara-on "' laid in 
 the harbi.r of Hono-lulu live months altogether, re- 
 reiving sandal-wood from small vessels; while the 
 '• Wad^ini-ton '" was recei\ing cargo for the " Para- 
 gon." which came m very slowly. 
 
 While we were at Honolulu, news was received of 
 liic death of Queen Kapiolani, wife of King Kame- 
 hair.cha U.; she died at Laliaina on the island of 
 
1 
 
 23 
 
 Kl MINISCr.NCI.S. 
 
 Miuii. At the rcqucNl of llu' kini;. the " I\umi;()ii " 
 was chartrrccl lor the I'uiu ral. I lu-ie was a iKct ol 
 twelve ve>sels, larj^e and small, and .ill lilled with 
 j)asseiiy;ers. 'I'lu' kiiii;. with all hi> (mVici-i^, t()L;"ether 
 with all the Imeii^ii e(>n>uls, was on hoard the 
 " l'ani!4(»n." ( )n the arri\.il of ihe llet t at L.ihaiiia, 
 niinute-''uns were fired, arul it was continued all the 
 dav. 'I here wi ri' nearly I 2,oco natives ai the land- 
 \\y^ .it I.ahaina to witne>s the funer.d ; and they ex- 
 pressed their deep i;rief, and sympathy for the kin<jj, 
 by a loud wailini; and wrini^inL; ot hands. The next 
 day tlu' lleet returned to Honolulu. Kamehameha 
 was the second king, and Ka[)iolani was his favorite 
 wife. 
 
 'ihe " Paraiion " now bein*'; readv for sea, wc left 
 Honolulu for China with a full car* 'O of saiidal-wood. 
 We arrived satelv at Whampoe, where we had to 
 sta\' about two and a half months, waitinir for a 
 cari;() of teas. While 1\ in;^' in the river, the captain 
 liad the ship's ri^^ini; stripped entirelv off, and that, 
 with other repairs, tooU uj) the time of sitme of her 
 la) days. Alter much delay, the ship was fmally 
 loaded and lelt Canton for Boston, where she arrived 
 safely and discharged her cari^o in good condition ; 
 antl that ended n^y experience at >ea as a green hand. 
 
 After remaining at home for a few weeks, the 
 " Paragon " was chartered for a >.eet)nd voyage, and 
 1 was })ronioted to the pcvsition of second officer. 
 
 ,W 
 
KIMINrsCKNCF.S. 
 
 23 
 
 1 
 
 (.1 
 
 Ih 
 
 cV 
 
 10 
 
 ;i, 
 
 I. 
 
 f 
 
 \V*<' well' to '^n fir^l to Chailotoii, S. ( "., thriicc 
 to I ,iv( r|)ool, aiu! n turn w ith a c ai;L;;o of cot ion. 'I' he 
 ( liartur ua*' a \(i"v « iiiioiis one, the ouik rs L;i\iii;^ 
 llif captain the n^c of the \c>sfl />'<v on condition 
 tlial h'; WMN to luwiy co|)|>(r the wssi-l at his own 
 c\|)cns(r, a^nd pay all c.\|)cnscs of the* crew, pro\is- 
 ions. etc., of th<' voyage, and to deliver the vessel in 
 as L;(»<'d order in <verv wa\' a-^ sju' was w lien he took 
 her tioni lio-ton, - ■ the ( aptain to ha\(' all the 
 freight money. riie >hi|) lost money, hut tin- cap- 
 tain made a very L;ood thini^' out of the hari; lin. 
 
 \\ hill \\i' arrived ofY Charleston bar, tb.c .ship 
 <;i'ounded ; hut ue soon ohtalued help from the .shore. 
 We loaded with cotton, and hauled ottinto the river 
 ready for sea; hut thf luxt da\' it was di>co\Trecl 
 th.it the ship was leaking some, and, after remainint^ 
 in the ri\er a couple ofdavs, we found the leak was 
 inirea^ini;', and the crew refust'd to go in the .ship ; 
 however, after some pir.suasion, the captain \)W- 
 \ailr(l on tlirm, jMoiiiisjiiM that it" she leaked hadlyhe 
 would put hat k into some port. 
 
 We then lelt Charleston in comj)any with three or 
 four other shijj.s hound t(t IJverpool. We had fair 
 wi'.irls antl good weather for a few days and the K-ak 
 increased hut \erv little, hut when we were ten davs 
 out it gained upon u.s .■^() rapifllv that tin* crew had 
 to keep puuiping l)oth day and night, and not only 
 the crew, but the olllcers were (thliged to assist. 
 
I 
 
 -'4 
 
 HF.MINISCENCES, 
 
 WIuM-i in the Irisli Channi'l we hail a very severe 
 gale, which brought us on a lee shore under close 
 reefs and in a dangerous position. We had dritted 
 \er\- near the shore (within a niile), when the gale 
 abated ver}' suddenly, then a heav\- rain sfjuall from 
 liie shore and vi^rv strong winds on the Welch coast. 
 
 We had drifted, at one time, very near the rocks 
 off Baltinu)i\; Harbor, and we were on the eve of run- 
 ning the w'ssel on shore to save our lives, but we 
 fortunately escaped. It seemed afterwards almost 
 miraculous. When we were close into the rocky 
 sliore, it Ix'cauK^ sudderdy calm, then a gale sprung 
 u}) from the Irish C(K\>t, and drove one of the three 
 ships that were in com])any with us on the Welch 
 coast, where she was entirely wrecked and about all 
 the crew were drowned. 
 
 Of the four shi})s which left Charleston in com- 
 pany only two arrived safely at Liverpool. One 
 shi}) put hack when in a])()Ut the middle of the 
 /\ll:\ntic ( )cean and returned to tlie United States. 
 We left Charleston in December and aiTived at Liv- 
 er[)ool in January, it was a very hard winter. 
 
 When we were near the Irish coast, the mainsail 
 got adrift anil all hands were sent alot't to secure it. 
 I was among the numl)er, and as I was on the 
 weather vard-ai'm, and the ship beiiv-' vcrv crank, I 
 lost my hold of the sail aiul fell l)arkward>, striking 
 my head on the mi/zen-st.i) (\\hich reallv sa\ed my 
 
 
 
i 
 
 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 25 
 
 1 
 
 life), and came down on to the deck into the lee scup- 
 ])ers upon my left side, where I lay senseless for 
 some time. The ship was so craiik that there was 
 more than a foot of water in the scuppers. It was 
 a very dark ni^lu, and the captain, who was on the 
 weath(.'r side of the deck, knew nothini^- of my fall 
 uiTitil sofne of the men aloft cried out that I had 
 fallen o\-erboard. As soon as the men came down 
 from aloft, the captain called for a lantern, and it 
 was tlun discovered that I had fallen on board. I 
 was taken up and carried into the cabin, and upon 
 examination the next morniuL; it was found that 
 there were no bones broken, but my left leg was 
 badly bruised, and afterward it withered to that 
 extent that the leer was tive inches smaller around 
 ' than usual, and it crippled me for life. My fall was 
 about fifty-five feet from the main-yard, about forty 
 feet to the mi/./en-stay, and thence fifteen feet to the 
 lee scuppers. 
 
 The sliip harl a, full load of cotton in bales not 
 onlv in the hold but in the cabin and on deck, 
 which was the cause of her being so crank. Two 
 tiers of cotton had been under water most of the 
 time. We put the ship in dock, where she was 
 calked and coppered and })ut in good order. We 
 had a very rough passage home, arriving in the 
 month of March, 1S23. 
 
 Notwithstanding the various hardsiiij)s and acci- 
 
h ! 
 
 26 
 
 KK.MIMSCiXCES, 
 
 I ! 
 
 dents I had nut with, .1 continued to enjoy a sea 
 life, and wlien the " ParaL:jon " \va> atrain cliartcrcd 
 for a \oyane arouiul Cai)e H<»rn to the Sandwich 
 Ishtnds, I was all readv and eaLfer to iro a^ain. Mr. 
 Doniinis ar.d nuself uxre enp;ac;ed for the voyage 
 as first and second officers. \Vc went on board and 
 had been at work a few days getting ready for sea, 
 wlicn, to our sur|)rise. we were told that tlie voyage 
 was chaniied, and that instead of joiner to the Sand- 
 wich Islands we were to load with a caYijo of ice for 
 the West Indies. Thi.^ was in the month of Jul)', 
 and, aside from its being an unhealthy season, 
 neither Mr. Dominis nor mvself wi>hed to ixo to the 
 West Indies. We told Mr. Marshall (the owner) 
 that when we agreed to go it was with the under- 
 standing that we were to make the vovaf^-e to the 
 Sandwich Islands, and consequently we should re- 
 sign our positions, which we did. Mr. Marshall was 
 very anijrv, and said he would never emj^lov us 
 again. We had been three years in his employ, 
 and he had nc\er had cause for complaint. 
 
 Mr. Marshall and Mr. j. C.Jones, of IJoston, frited 
 out a brill- owned by them>elves for the Sandwich 
 Islands. Mr. Jones was aciing captain, and, although 
 Mr. Marshall liad said he would not employ either 
 Mr. Dominis or myself again, the former was en- 
 j>"a!jetl as saiHii'' master. Mr. Dominis uriied Mr. 
 Marshall verv hard to take nie a.-? second cjflicer, but 
 
 
KliMINISCKNCKS. 
 
 27 
 
 he persistently refused. I was very sorry to lose the 
 opi")()rtunity of goini; again with my old frii'nd and 
 shipmate; however, I did not have long to regret it, 
 for th.e verv next dav I niet an old friend of mine 
 (Capt. liabeock), who had also been in the employ 
 of I\lr. Marshall for many years. Capt. Ikihc-oek 
 
 liad made man.y voyages 
 
 to tl 
 
 le northwest coas 
 
 t of 
 
 America, but had then kit ( f f going to sea on 
 account of his age. He was in INlr. Ah-ir^hall's 
 office on the day when the conversation took 
 place relative to my going in the brig as second 
 officer, and he felt that I had not been treated fairly. 
 I told him how sorry I was to lose my berth on so 
 good a ship, and he replied, " Why don't you go 
 with Capt. Thomas Meek, of Marblehead ? He is 
 
 iroino- in the brii 
 
 Chinchilla,' to Honolulu. 
 
 was 
 
 not acquainted with Capt. Meek, but Capt. Babcock 
 offered to introduce me; so the next morning he 
 
 called at my mother s house wi 
 
 ith a 1 
 
 lorse and chaise, 
 
 and we started for Ih-ookline, where Ca[)t. Ikiljcock 
 lived, but on the way we met Capt. Meek, and they 
 had some conversatiini relatixe to my ability as a 
 seaman. The recommendation of Capt. Babcock 
 proved satisfactory, for, on the following day, Cai)t. 
 Meek called at my mother's house and notified me 
 
 that 1 was appointed first officer of the brig "Chi 
 chilla." I was very much gratified at my promotio 
 
 n, 
 
 1 realized that the old adage, " a patient waiter is 
 
 anc 
 
 no loser, 
 
 had been verified in my case. 
 
28 
 
 KKMINISCKNCES. 
 
 ■ 
 
 . I 
 
 The " Chincliilla" was loading in Now York, and 
 Capt. McL'k wished nic to go on at once anrl take 
 
 chariie. a.s he was desirous of -'oing to his home at 
 Marblehead for a few days. After nxeiving instruc- 
 tions about loading the vessel and getting read\' for 
 sea, I went imniediateiy to New York. 
 
 After spending a few da\s with hi.^ fanul}-, Capt. 
 Meek arrived in New York, and on the 25t]i of De- 
 cember we set sail for the Sandwich Islands, 1 little 
 tliought then of the dee}) intere>t 1 should ha\e in 
 those islands in the future. 
 
 The " Chinchilla"" was one of the fastest vessels 
 of her class, and was owned by the Messrs. I)e Wolf, 
 of Rhode I.-land. Altl"H)Ugh she was deeply loaded, 
 we had a i/ood run olT the coast of sexen hundred 
 and fifty n"iiles in the first three days. On the third 
 day out. we made che unpleasant discovery that the 
 steward had brought on board witli iiim the small- 
 pox. \Vc immediately built him a house on deck by 
 using the ship's two boats and an old heavy canvas 
 coverinif, and made him as ci^mfortable as we could 
 
 under the cireumstiuiccs. 
 
 A 
 
 s no one vcjlunteere 
 
 d 
 
 to a>r>i>t me, I attended to him myself alone for 
 twenty day>, when he died of confluent small-pox of 
 the worst kind. After he died, the cook helped me 
 to launch the corpse overboard ; and that was the 
 only assistance I had. I sew-ed him uj) in can\as 
 myself; he took the disease from bu}ing second- 
 
KF.MINrSCENCES. 
 
 29 
 
 hand clothing in New York. I had been vaccinated 
 wlien a child, and had seen a oood deal of the dis- 
 ease in \arious parts of the world. \\\- had to 
 cleanse the two boats by fillini;- them with water 
 several times, then scrubbintv, and smokinir them 
 and giving them two coats of paint. Our captain 
 was very cautious lest he might carry the disease to 
 the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 Although We had ruugh weather, and were twjnty- 
 five'days off Cape Horn, we arrived safely at H(ino- 
 lulu after a passage of one hundred and iifty days; 
 while the missionary packet, which left New >' rk 
 fourteen days before we did, was nine nn)nths reach- 
 ing the Sandwich Islands. She was only forty tons' 
 register, while the ''Chinchilla" was one hundred 
 and thirty tons. The missionary packet was obliged 
 to go to the F'alklaiid Islands to recruit, and that 
 delayed her somewhat. We sold a part of our cargo 
 at Honolulu, and filled up with salt and an a>sortetl 
 cargo, and sailed for Sitka on the northwest coast, 
 where we sold all our caro;o to the u'overnor of the 
 Russian settlement, receiving as i)ayment furs, seal, 
 beaver, and sea-otter skins, and then returned to 
 Ht)nolulu. We then cruised around the islands 
 during a part of the winter, collecting sandal-wood, 
 with which, and our cargo of seal-skins, we sailed for 
 China and there sold it. In China we {)urchased a 
 cariio suitable for Honolulu and Sitka, selling a 
 
30 
 
 KF-MINISCENCKS. 
 
 part to the Russian govtM-nnicnt and tlic l)alance to 
 merchants in Sitka. We reeeixt-tl payment, for vari- 
 ou.s kiiul.^ (»t fiM's, >ueli as sea-otters, bea\'ei>, etc., by 
 draft on St. IVterslnn-iL;'. 
 
 We made three voyages in the ' Cliiiudnlhi " 
 during tlie x'ears 1S26, iSjy, and 1828, to China, 
 IlonoUiUi, and Sitka, I'emaining aljout two niontlis 
 in eacli of the liarliors, tratling with tiie natives and 
 inhabitants i>f Kamsehatka and rau]ow>ky. 
 
 I had now been three year.-, with C'.ipt. Meek 
 as his hrst officer, and it was with much reirret that 
 I told him I was anxious to make a visit home to 
 see my d(.'ar nn(jther once more, as she was getting 
 okl and feeble, but if my life was spared, I hoped 
 to return airain to Honolulu. 
 
 Cajjt. Me.'k liad always treated me with the kind- 
 ness of a father, and when I told hini I must go 
 liome he aj^peared very^sad to have me leave him. 
 I had but little means with which to j)ay wv pas- 
 sage home in a whale ship. Capt. Meek went, 
 without my knowledge, and obtained for me a free 
 cabin i)a>>age to New Ik'dford ; and he also fur- 
 nished me with a good outfit ol j)rivate stores at his 
 own expense. It was a sad parting for both of us 
 when the shi}J sailed. 
 
 A tew years after I left him, Capt. iMeek was 
 taken sick at Honolulu, and he concluded to return 
 to his home at Marblehead. Vov two or three years 
 
REMINFSCF.N'CES. 
 
 31 
 
 Mr. James Hunncwc]] and myself supplied him with 
 some of the necessaries C)( life. One day we went 
 to his liome to make him a \'isit. When we arriv'ed 
 at the house, liis wife told us that her hu>hand had 
 been stricken with palsy that very morning, and that 
 it would be no satisfaction to us to see him, as he 
 would not recognize us and could not s])eak ; so we 
 were' obi iL;-ed to return to H()>ton without having- 
 seen him. The next day I was called to New York 
 on business, and waj5 absent one week, and on my 
 return I learned that my dear old captain was dead 
 and buried. Capt. Meek had four brothers, all of 
 whom were living when I was in the " Ciiinchilla "' ; 
 they were all ship-masters of good standing among 
 merchants, and some of them had made several 
 voyages to the northwest coast, trading among the 
 Indians. While I was with Capt. Meek, he told me 
 a story, which I think worth relating. 
 
 In the year 18 16 he was in command of a ship 
 which had been trading upon the northwest coast, 
 and while on the way to China he called at Behr- 
 ing's Jiiy. He found there upon the island a Rus- 
 sian officer with a bodv of 
 
 men who were catching 
 seal for the Russian government. 'l'he\- had about 
 ninety thousand seal-skins stored upon the island. 
 The Russian oificer made an offer to Capt. Meek, 
 that if he would take him with his seal-skins on board 
 his shij) and make a quick run down to China that 
 
I! 
 
 32 
 
 KKMIMSCF.NCKS, 
 
 he would L!,I\L' him (Capt. Muck) one lialf the seal- 
 skins. That miL;ht ha\e Ix-eu a teni|)tin;^ otter to 
 some, l.)ut Capt. Meek did not hesitate a moment 
 in his ri'plv to the proposition, and said. " ( )1(1 Meek 
 is a />()f>r man, hut ho will die //(>//i's/." 
 
 N(»thiiiL;' more was heai'd trom the Russian, and 
 Ca()t! Meek sailed for China. He had (piite a num- 
 her of furs on board his own shi[), which he had ob- 
 tained from Alaska and the northwest coast. 
 
 War with Kn;j,iand (1816) was not then known 
 in the Kast Indies, but Capt. Meek found it out. 
 He was chased by an l{ni;li-<h frit;ate int*^ the port 
 of Canton. He escaped by runnini;- between two 
 islands which were verv shallow, and the friiiate dare 
 not follow him, conscfiuentlv he irot safe into Can- 
 ton River. 
 
 After leavinq; the " Chinchilla " in Honolulu, I went 
 home to Boston, where I remained with my mother 
 for several months. I was convinced that tlie lonirer 
 I went to sea the more I enjoyed a sailor's life, so, in 
 October, 1829. I shipped on board the brig " Ivan- 
 hoe," owned by Bryant <K' Sturt^es, of Boston. 1 he 
 " Ivanhoe" was bound to Cliina direct. Capt. .Snow 
 was comniander, Mr, Rufus I'erkins, supercargo, and 
 I was first officer. In those days there were no 
 stevedores, and I was oljjiged to be in the shi})'s 
 hold all the time, attendinii; to the stowin"; of cariro. 
 
 Mr. Win. Sturges was on the wharf as we were 
 
ri:miniscenci:s. 
 
 33 
 
 about to sail, and said t 
 
 o mc, 
 
 I 1 
 
 lopc you 
 
 will 
 
 no! 
 
 lca\L' Iho .shi]) durin-;- the voya< 
 iK'VcT left a ship in a foreign port." O 
 cxperled to he about ei<'hteen months. \\ 
 
 ;e." I replied, " f 
 
 uv vovaiie was 
 
 e arrucc 
 
 1 
 
 out safelv, and dischan-ed 
 
 t)ur carLiC) m Lrooc 
 
 1 ord 
 
 er 
 
 at Whampoa. We then left Canton for Manilla, 
 took in a eargo of rice and returned to 
 
 \\1 
 
 lere we 
 
 Cantcn. At Whampoa we took on board a full 
 cargo, and returned to Honolulu, where, after an- 
 choring a few days, we {proceeded to Mazatlan and 
 up the Gulf of Mexico on a trading- vova<'-e. 
 cargo was mostly sold on the coast of Mexico. 
 
 Oui 
 
 iM-om Mazatlan we ret 
 
 urned to Honolulu and 
 
 back to China once more. We left there with a vei 
 valuable cargo, which was all dischar"-ed in 
 
 y 
 
 od 
 
 order. It was valued at S2oS,ooo. W 
 Canton with a third caroo for Honolul 
 
 e a^ain left 
 
 u and Mexico. 
 We sold a portion of our cargo at Honolulu, where 
 W'c remained two or three weeks. Our ship was 
 anchored in the harbor, and about ready for sea, 
 when one Sunday afternoon cur captain came on 
 board after dinner and ordered the second officer 
 to take some empty water casks on shore and have 
 
 them filled with water for the vessel. I 
 
 verv 
 
 iwlitely 
 
 hinted to the captain tliat it was against the laws of 
 the Hawaiian government to carry on any work or 
 labor on Sunday; that the natives were not even 
 allowed to smoke or cook any meals on Sunday I 
 
34 
 
 KI.MlMbtliNLl S. 
 
 i '! 
 
 advised tlu' cajilain to |)()slj)oinj our work until the 
 ni.'xt day; but the captain did not pay any attention 
 iu niv ad\'iee, so the .set oiul otTieerand the nun went 
 on shore and heL;Mn filHu!;- tlicir casks. — they bein;^ 
 iirnorant of the k)ws. 'I'Ik' second otTu er returned 
 to the ship, and reported that the crew liad been 
 arrested and were conhned In the fort. Tlie cai)tain 
 flew in a L;real passion, and ordered me to ha\e our 
 four guns loaded with <;rai)eshot. and have them 
 j)laced all on one side of the ship toward the fort, 
 rcniarkinii that " he would blow the town down." I 
 said to him that I feared he would get liimself into 
 trouble, as v.ell as the crew. At that lie turned sud- 
 denly around and struck me a iieavy blow. I did 
 not strike him back, but I clinched him and gav ; 
 liim a good shaking, backing him up again.st tlic 
 ship's railing, where 1 held him until he said, " Let 
 me go, Mr, Brewer." I took my hands off from him, 
 and said, '' do, and ne\er again lay your hands on 
 me." He ordered me to my state-room, and as I was 
 o'oinLi' down the cabin staii^s he attcmi)ted to kick 
 me on the head. I then >ai(l to him, •• I never will 
 sail with }c)U again," and in the afternoon I went on 
 shore to see iMr. Perkins, our supercargo. I told 
 him I would never sail with such a !"nan again, that 
 he had never treated either the second officer or me 
 with civility during the whole voyage. .Mr. Perkins 
 said he did not blame me for leaving him, and only 
 
 
Rr.Mi\iscnNci:s. 
 
 35 
 
 wished he could get rid of the captain, as he was 
 very disagreeable to him. 
 
 Mr. iV-rkins and the owners of the " Ivanhoe " had 
 alway.s treated me well during tin- two and a half 
 years I had been in that vessel. I went back in the 
 aftcrn<^on and jjacked up all my clothing and effects, 
 and went to the hotel, where 1 took up mv roidenee 
 for a while. 
 
 Our supercargo had taken on board the " Ivan- 
 lioe " some Ix3xes of })lants. Among t)thers was a 
 night-bhjoming cereus, which, ai)parently, hud died, 
 and Mr. I'erkins told me to throw it overboard, 
 which he -uppo^ed I had done; but, thinking 1 ^aw 
 some signs of lite in it, I placed it in the after-hold, 
 and nursed it with great care, and in about three 
 weeks it revived and proved to be a very liandsome 
 flower. When we arrived at IIon(jhilu it was taken 
 on shore, and was a great curio.sity to the inhabitants. 
 One evening the supercargo had a large com- 
 pany of ladies -and gentlemen to see it. The flower 
 was in full bloom. That was 1S31. When I was at 
 Honolulu in 1879, 1 found the plant no longer a 
 curiosity, for the walls in many parts of tlie town 
 were covered with it. 
 
 One evening, at the hotel, I sat at (he supper- 
 table with several gentlemen with whom I ua> ac- 
 quainted, among whom was Mr. \Vm. French, one 
 of the fir>t mercliants in Honolulu. Mr. French 
 
' I 
 
 36 
 
 HKMINrSCFSCFS. 
 
 i|i 
 
 asked nil' if I would lake con.maiul of tlic schooiuT 
 "Victoria" for a tradiiiij; vovai;o on the roast of 
 California and Mexico. I >aid, " Ves," and ai'eepted 
 liis (^Ter at once. Idie M'hooner was wry small ; 
 she was huill at Kaiatea (one of the South Sea 
 Islands) of taniano-wood. 
 
 I went trading for furs of various kinils. sea-otter, 
 seal-skins, hides, etc., on the upper c-oa.sl of yMaska 
 and California. Alter a short lime we hatl the 
 schooner loaded with the above cariro, and touched 
 on our way at San I''rancisco and Monterey, and 
 thence to Honolulu, where we arrived safely with 
 our cariro in irood order. 
 
 While in Monterey I learned from Mr. Spencc 
 (t)ur af;ent) that there was a lot of old broken brass 
 guns belon^ini; to the governor of Monterey which 
 were for sale. These guns had been destroyed l)y 
 Mexican privateers previous to Southern California 
 being free. I offered to buy the broken guns, and, 
 taking Mr. Spencc wiih me as interpreter to the 
 ji^ONcrnor's house, a bargain was there made in his 
 })resence on my account. I engaged a teamster to 
 drag the guns down to my \'es^el. 
 
 The next morning another ship hove in sight, and 
 lier captain, hearing of the sale of the guns, went im- 
 nu'dialely to the governc^r and offered him nearly 
 double the rate for which he ha(l agreed to sell them 
 to me, antl, although I had made a lair ant. honest 
 
 . 
 

 KKMIMSCKNCKS. 
 
 37 
 
 ])ur('h.'isc f)f tlu." hiokrii |l(iiiis, wlu'ii tlic L^ovcrnor 
 found In- could i^ct a hill,}- olTi r, he amuillfd my 
 barj^aiii and sold tlu-ni to the oi her captain, whose 
 name I will not mention. 
 
 The " X'ictoria" was my first nal (ommand of a 
 vessel. I had sailed several vessels as temporary 
 captain, in short trips only, while makin;^ search lur 
 sandal-wootl around the islands. 
 
 I was very !L;lad to leave the " Ivanhoe" for tlie 
 " Victoria," and, althou'j-h she was vcrv small, I re- 
 alized that I was my own master, and I was sailing; 
 for pleasant owners, conse((uently was very hap])\'. 
 IMr. iM-ench also owned the schooner " Unit v." and 
 alter my return in the " V^ictnria "' he offered me the 
 command of her. We were to tio on a tradim> and 
 sealing voyage to Ma/atlan and elsewhere. 
 
 After leaving Honolulu we touched at Santa I]ar- 
 bara, and took on board enough water to last a vear. 
 We then })roceeded to tlie inland of (iuadalupe, on 
 the coast ol Mexico, and landed water for a sealinti 
 iraiiiiwho had been leit there. There was no water 
 on the island, and it was uninhabited. The sealing 
 oang was to remain one vear i^Vi the ishind, accord- 
 ing to contract with the owners, and they would 
 then return to llonolulu b\- some \es>el that would 
 be sent for them. The sealing gang waited some 
 months over the year, but the contractors failed to 
 send for them, and, there being no water (»n the 
 
w 
 
 38 
 
 KF.MIXISCEXCES, 
 
 Inland, their situation was bccomiiiLij anytliiiig l)ut 
 })leasant, wlicri an EnL;iisli brii;' hove in sight. The 
 Engli^li captain bouglit all the skins of the sealers, 
 and took the men oif with thcni to some port in 
 South America, and they were never heard from 
 again. 
 
 We left Guadalu[)e for tlie Gulf of California, 
 and d<)wn the Mexican coast, trading, and then sailed 
 for Monolulu direct, 
 
 March [J, 1S33, we arrived at Honolulu from 
 Cape St. Lucas, where we had taken on board as 
 cargo some hides and horses. On May 22, 1833, I 
 again took command of the " Unity," and left Mon- 
 olulu on a vovasjc to Okhotsk, in Siberia, and 
 arrived there on the 20th of July, after a long and 
 tedious passage of fifty-eight days. It was the 
 hardest and roughest voyage I ever made. She was 
 a good sea-boat, out only of sixty tons' register. 
 
 June 15, we were obliged to send down our top- 
 sail-yard and topmast, and carried away our bob- 
 stays, which left our foremasts in a bad j)osition, as 
 there was a hea\y sea running, which struck the 
 bowsprit and carried away jibboom and martingale ; 
 secured the foremast by tackles. 
 
 When j-unning down the Sea of Okhotsk at five 
 o'clock in the morning, a whale broke water close 
 under our keel, and scraped his back against the keel 
 of the vcN^el, shakin*'' her as if she were <'oinL!, over 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 39 
 
 a ridge of rocks. The whale came up under the 
 bows and went off. The mate went forward witli 
 his j)istol to slioot, but I forbade tlie shooting, for 
 one blow of his llukes would have sunk us in a 
 moment. On July S, 1833, lat. 49" ?cV N., and Ion. 
 203" 21^ W., we were entirely .surrounded by whales 
 from every quarter; they were almost as thick as 
 a forest of trees. 
 
 On the next day we saw the land. We had en- 
 tered the Sea of Okhot.^k and saw the larue hill of 
 Onckatan. On entering the Sea of Okhotsk we 
 had strong currents and tide rips; saw several seals 
 and very large wliales. 
 
 July 19, at 4 I'. M., we saw a very large boat com- 
 ing out of the river; and at 6 r. m. thev ^■ot alono-- 
 side of us with the pilot ; at 11 a. m. we anchored 
 abreast of the town of Okhotsk. \Vc saluted the 
 fort, which salute was immcditely answered. I went 
 on shore with our supercargo and called on the 
 governor, who recei\ed us very pleasantly. Our 
 schooner was the second American vessel that had 
 ever entered the Sea of Okhotsk. We informed 
 the governor of our business and the nature of our 
 cargo. There was no one in Okhotsk who under- 
 stood the English language, but I could manage to 
 make myself understood in Russian, havino- oained 
 some knowledge of it during my various voyages to 
 Sitka in the years 1826, 1827, and 1S2S. The gov- 
 
Hi 
 
 40 
 
 KLMIMSCENCHS. 
 
 ernor's wife was the only one who could speak 
 French, and I could understand a little of that 
 when we were tradini;- with our cari;"o. I also had 
 my iMvnch dictionary on b(jard, and that was of 
 some assistance. The ''overnor came on board 
 with sex'cral of hi> officers, arid on his different 
 visits made larg^e purchases from our carg(j. 
 
 The other American vessel that had anchored off 
 Okhotsk was named the " Dabol." She w:is there in 
 1 816. W'e had on board the "Unity" two very 
 troublesome sailors, who had come with us from 
 Honolulu ; one of theni had threatened to take my 
 life the first chance he got, and I was obliged to put 
 him in irons a fewday^ before we arrived at Okhotsk, 
 I ap[)lied to the governor, and asked him if he would 
 confine the man on shore until I was ready for sea. 
 He said, "Yes"; but that I mu.-^t take him on board 
 aiiain when I left. 1 offered the (governor seventy- 
 five gold dollars if he would keep the man until I 
 was away, but he declined ; but would keep him in 
 iron.s until I arrived at Kamschatka. 
 
 We were often invited to dine with the governor 
 at Okhotsk. He provided a very comfortable room 
 for our supercargo until we were ready for sea. He 
 had been sick durin'j^ the most of the voyage. We 
 were about five weeks in Okhotsk, and then made 
 ready for Kamschatka. We called on the governor 
 to bid him good by. He insisted upon my drinking 
 
 I 
 
 f 
 
REMIXISCENCES. 
 
 41 
 
 a large tumbler of champao-ne ; both the -overnor 
 and liis officers also drank with nie. J then went 
 on board tlie schooner and sainted the port with 
 seven guns, which was immediately returned. At i 
 o'clock we were towed over the bar, and at 2 o'clock 
 the pilot left us, and we stood away out of the Sea of 
 Okhotsk on ou_r way to Kamschatka. 
 
 During the night, in the Sea of Okhotsk, the water 
 had a singular appearance, being the color of milk, 
 as far as the eye could reach. The night was 
 unusually dark overhead, but so light on deck that 
 we could read a newspaper easily/ The substance 
 which causes this peculiar color is called /;/-//, which 
 is the food of the riglit wliale. The next day we 
 were surrounded with whales as far as could be seen 
 in every direction. The largest whale I ever heard 
 of was taken in the Sea of Okhotsk, and yielded 
 three hundred and six barrels of oil. 
 
 We passed out of the Sea of Okhotsk on Aug. 23, 
 and went around Cape Lapatka and entered the bay 
 and harbor of St. Peter's and St. Paul's, -- Petro- 
 paulowsky. We passed the lighihouse on the bluff, 
 head at 3 i'. m., and at 10 v. m. took a pilot. Being 
 at the entrance of the inner Iv.irlwr, we cleared up 
 the decks and gave a salute of seven guns, which was 
 returned. We then went on shore to call uj)on the 
 governor, who treated us very cordially, and invited 
 us to dine with him on the next Sabbath. We 
 
1:! 
 
 ' 
 
 42 
 
 Rr.MIXISCENCr.S. 
 
 hired a house on shore and o'pened our salesroom, 
 usincij tlic same liouse at ni^hl for our sleeping- 
 r()nn-i>. We were f<M-tunate eiK^UL^li to fuid two 
 jiersons bedsides tlie u;(nernor \\]i() Cduld speak I'^nt;- 
 hsh. ()n(-- was named Gardner. They were Ijotli 
 Ai:ieriean>, a:id had li\-e(l amoni;' the Russians at 
 Kair^eliatka since 1816. h'acli of tliem had a hirge 
 faniily, all born at St. Peter's and St. Paul's, other- 
 wise called Petropa ilowsky. One of the Ameri- 
 cans was born in New York and the other in Poston. 
 I called on the governor of Kan.sehatka and re- 
 ported to him that I had a man on board who had 
 threatened mv life, and that the governor of Okhotsk 
 kept him in irons while we were there, but that he 
 obliged me to take hini again when we were ready 
 for sea. When I informed the governor that he 
 had tlireatened my life while in port at St. Peter's 
 and St Paul's, he said that, being a Russian ix)rt, 
 the punishment would be the salt mines _/"r>r ///r. I 
 felt that that was a very severe penalty, and I told 
 the ''"overnor I did not wish him to send him 
 there. He then said the man must have a fair trial 
 by jury: that the lieutenant-governor must act as 
 judge, and the government officers to be selected by 
 the lieutenant-governor, as jurxmen and witnesses. 
 The trial came off, and 1 lost the case. I told the 
 oovernor that I thouu:ht it hardlv fair, as the wit- 
 nesses were all strangers to me, and not one of my 
 
KKMINISCENCF.S. 
 
 4.^ 
 
 
 crew was present to oivc evidence on my side. 
 Wlien the oovernor learned this, he was very an^ry 
 with the lieutenant-governor, and he ordered another 
 trial at once, and summoned some of my ercw as 
 witnesses. This time it resulted in my favor. The 
 man was kejn in confmenieni all the time we were 
 in Fetro-aulowsky; but the i^overnor said he would 
 rc.f\ise him as soon as we left, and would kcej) the 
 man at work until he could get away to soine other 
 country, with whieh arrangement the man seemed 
 satisfied. (I lieard some years afterwards that the 
 man had turned up in California, and was //7?<Y/«f///<'- 
 '}ucdiciiu\) We remained two months in Petropaul- 
 owsky, during which time I sold all our car-'o, and 
 salted down about seventy barrels of salmon. When 
 ready for sea, we took leave of the governor with 
 a salute of seven guns, and then sailed for Honolulu. 
 My next voyage was in the brig „ I^eeket," of 
 which I was master, and iMr. Henry A. 1-ierce, 
 supercargo. The " J^ecket " was built in Salem, 
 Mass. She was chartered from the Hawaiian <>o\'- 
 ernment for a voyage to Kamschatka and China and 
 back to Honolulu. 'We arrived at Lintin, China, 
 and discharged a cargo of sandal-wood and pearl 
 shell, and then loaded again at Canton, and sailed 
 for Kamschatka, where we sold our cargo to the 
 Russian governor and the merchants of Petropaul- 
 owsky. When we arrived near the Kurile Islands, 
 
44 
 
 RKMIXISCENCES. 
 
 i 
 
 ■I 
 
 I was lying in my bertli one afternoon reading, when 
 I was startled by a tremendous thump under the 
 centre of the vessel which almost threw me out of 
 my berth. Si)ringi'.-ig to my feet, 1 went to the cabin 
 windows, w'here 1 had a gt od view of a large whale, 
 which had, in pas.sing, struck us a blow, but without 
 causing anv damaLre. 
 
 I passed the Kurile Islands again in 1^35, in the 
 ship " Rasselas," of Boston, on our passage from 
 China to Kamschatka, but saw verv few whales, 
 being too far east of the islands. On this passage 
 I discovered a cluster of dangerous rocks, which 
 were not laid down on any chart at that time. They 
 were in lat. 31" 54^ N., Ion. 140" 20^ E. The 
 weather being clear and .ea smooth, I went to the 
 masthead while jjassing abreast within a Uiile of 
 them. These rocks were low, and could not be 
 seen far in thick weather. They were about ten 
 or fifteen feet in height, forming nearly a circle, and 
 about two cables' length in diameter, and with much 
 broken water around them. 
 
 I think I was the first jicrson who gave informa- 
 tion to the American whaling captains at Honolulu 
 of the exisLence of the great abundance of whales in 
 the Sea of Okhotsk, which |)roved so profitable to 
 them and their owners for several years after. 
 
 But this is a long digression. The governor was 
 very kind to Mr. Pierce and myself, and we often 
 
HF.MINISCr.NCES. 
 
 45 
 
 dined with Iiini. (Jne day after dinner, he asked us 
 to t;o with hini to see a sahnoii. 1 1(. I^rl us to the 
 kitclien, .where we saw a very hirge sahnon on the 
 t.il)Ie; he- then asked us to ^i,ruess its wei-lit. .\ftcr 
 mspcetin.L;- it a few niinuteN, we thought it might 
 weigh ^ho\xt Ji/ly pounds; tlie steward 'then weighed 
 it in our i^resence, when, to our .surprise, it brought 
 the scales down to sciciily f^.noids. ^rhe governor 
 gave me the salmon, and I carried it to Honolulu 
 in good order and gave it to the king; he also pre- 
 sented me with a young kar, which I afterward 
 carried to J^oston, but which proved so unruly and 
 troublesome that I sold him for five dollars. ' The 
 purchaser got ui) a shooting match, at twentv-five 
 cents a shot, drawing for chances; but the i)erson 
 who drew the first chance made a fatal shot and 
 killed the bear. 
 
 The " liecket " being now ready for sea, we took 
 leave of the governor with the usual salute of seven 
 guns, and sailed for the Sandwich Islands. Soon 
 after my arrival there, Messrs Pierce & Grimes pur- 
 chased the ship " Rasselas " (formerly of Boston) 
 and gave me the command. She was fitted out for 
 a A'oyage to China and elsewhere. We sailed from 
 Honolulu on V^^^. 26, 1834, and arrived at Canton, 
 Jan. 29, 1835. We anchored at Lintin, and, taking 
 on board a portion of our cargo, went to Macao, 
 where we received the balance. She was formerly 
 
46 
 
 KUMlNlSCI.NCliS. 
 
 one of tlic Liverix)ol p.ickcts, and, I think, was built 
 at Midford. W'c went to i\anisrhatka, antl. after 
 rcmainiuL; there two months, and (H>jM»>inL;- of 
 nearly all our carL^o, we stood out for Ibv of 
 Alaska, and aftei- a passai^e of thiit\-one days froni 
 St. Petl'r's and St. Paul's we arrived safelv at Ilono- 
 lulu, wlure we disehan>ed our cartio. 1 afterwards 
 made a trip of six weeks arouiul the islands, obtain- 
 ing a cargo of sandal-wood, cattle, etc., and then left 
 the ship. 
 
 After remaining a short time in Honolulu, I was 
 offered the command of the whale-ship " Barthol- 
 omew Gosnold," which offer i declined. The United 
 States consul wished me to take command and navi- 
 gate her to New Bedford, but I refused. The \oy- 
 age of the whale-.^hip had been broken up in conse- 
 quence of the captain, first officer, and some of the 
 crew having been killed by the savages of the South 
 Sea Islands. 
 
 iMr. Pierce had been [absent from home twelve 
 years, and was anxious to go back and visit his . 
 family. He made me an offer to join him as a 
 partner in business, which offer I accepted, and in 
 one month from that time, Mr. Pierce left Honolulu 
 for Boston, where he reuuiined a year or more, re- 
 turning by the way of Mexico and South America. 
 A short time after the departure of Mr. Pierce, I 
 received information that the brig " Griflin " (of 
 
 
KI'MrNISCKNCF-S. 
 
 47 
 
 
 wliich our firm was part nwnvv) was wrecked by a 
 'uinirano o\'\ iMa/atlati. She was '^omnianch d by 
 Capt. Win. C. Little, wlio was also part owner; 
 tliere were also wrecked at the same time several 
 other vessels, — one brij; and seven sniall vessels. 
 
 As soon as I heard ot" the lo>> of the "(irillin," I 
 chartered the brit;- " Lama." and iinmediatily sailed 
 for Ma/atlan, lea\in_L;- only our clerk in the office at 
 Honolulu. We arrived at ALi/atlan safely, and 
 receivcfl on board about ninety thousand dollars in 
 sju'cie. l)eloni',iiig to several parties in Honolulu and 
 some agents in China. The specie was readv to <'o 
 on Ijoard the brig the day jirevious to her loss. We 
 .arrived back safely, ha\ing been absent from Hono- 
 lulu fifty-one days. The money w rs shipped at 
 once to Mr. James \\ Sturges. at Ca .tor.. 
 
 Alter the " CJriffin " l>rok'.' from her anciiors, she 
 laid o\ei on her l)road >ide and drifted u]) against the 
 rocks, with the sexeral masts breaking as they struck. 
 Capt. Little was the last one to Kave the bri»r, and 
 while he was endeavoring to get on to the rocks, he 
 was thrown otY fron-. the bowsprit, and. striking on 
 his head, w.is drowned. The- ne.xt day, iiw hundred 
 dollars reward was offered for his bodv, bi't it nex'er 
 was found. The brig "' Mary" was anchored in the 
 harlior, near the "Griflin," but broke from her 
 anchor, and the vessel drilted off to sea, where she 
 soon sunk. The sea went down ne.xt morning, and 
 
48 
 
 KKMINISCl-.NCKS. 
 
 tlu' wtuIIkt cleared so-.iic\vhat, ])iit tlicrc were no 
 siL^ns of an\' one lloatini;'; hut on the fdlowiiv^ day 
 it was (juiu- clear, and se\cral of the itihaliitants 
 \\(.'nt up on the hill to set' if anvthiuL;^ could Ijc dis- 
 co\L'i\(l of the wreik. .After a while, witli tlie aid of 
 a nowLM-ful ''lass, thev saw soinethintj: lloatini^ at 
 (juite a distance from the shore. A boat's crew was 
 ininiediately desj)atched, and as they drew near, they 
 saw it was a j)iece of timber with soniethini;' at- 
 tached to it, and on a nearer approach, they discov- 
 ered it to Ijc a man lyiuL;' across the timber iiakciL 
 It ])roved to be Capt. lohnson of the briii; " Mary," 
 who had been on the timber for twenty-four hours. 
 He had lain upon his stomach so lon«4 that the llesh 
 was worn away to the I'il) bones, and but for the 
 timely assistance lie could not have survived much 
 lonoer. He was taken c>n shore and was well cared 
 for by the inhabitants, who expressed much joy at 
 his miraculous escape. \w a few weeks he recov- 
 ered sufficiently to proceed to China as a passenger. 
 A few months later, I met him at Macao. He 
 seemed (juite lame, but otherwise was as well as 
 usual. I learned that he afterwards obtained com- 
 mand of a shi}) in China. There were about five or 
 six small vessels at anchor in the inner harbor at the 
 time of the cvclone and all of them sank at tlieir 
 anchorage, but there were no lives lo>t. 1 he crews 
 of the two brigs got on shore. Capt. Little was the 
 onlv one drowned. 
 
KKMINMSCFN'CKS. 
 
 49 
 
 Mr. Pierce returned from his visit to Roston, and. 
 as I harl then been absent from home m"x y.\irs, I 
 thought I wculd like to go and visit mv mother. 
 We had, purchased the brig " Lama," and I de- 
 cided to go to Boston in her, taking the command 
 myself. We took on board a cargo n( hides and 
 goat.>kins. and sailed on j^n. 14, 1840. arriving 
 safely in Boston on .May 20. 
 
 The copper had been on our \-essel for ten years, 
 and after discharging our cargo at India WIr-.;, ir 
 was found to be in a good state of preservation, hav- 
 ing only a very few patches on it. Several mer- 
 chants came down to the wharf to examine the 
 -copper, and were surprised to {\nd it in so good a 
 condition. Our vessel had been for some'' years 
 trading on the northwest coast, where coj^per wears 
 better and much longer than on the southern coasts. 
 Before the " Lama " left Boston she was calked 
 and coppered, and madc^ ready for sea. My first offi. 
 cer, Mr. Owen Jones, was promoted to the position 
 of captain, and having taken on board a cargo 
 adapted to the South Sea and Sandwich Islands, 
 Capt. Jones sailed for Tahiti and llonululu. 
 
 I remaine 1 iit home several nu)nths with mv 
 mother, and in the mean time was niprried to Miss 
 Martha Turner, daughter of Rev. Ldward Turner, 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
 Messrs. B. I. Farnham l^- Co!, Mr. Junes Munne- 
 
II 
 
 III! 
 
 i 
 
 50 
 
 KF.MIN'ISCr.NCTS. 
 
 Wfll, and our firin hoin^lu llu* >lii|) " William Clray," 
 atvl I took llu' cdinmand ot lur. riit'>.hi|) wasjoadrd 
 for X'alparaiso and I'ahiti, and (»n tlu' 14th of Mai-cli 
 wc sailed foi- X'alparaiso. with niv wife, my aunt, 
 Mrs. Moon.', and Mr. W'aid for passengers. Wr had 
 a fair passai.;c around Cape I lorn, and arrived at 
 X'alparaiso on Sei)t. 2S, — ha\ini;" heen one liundred 
 and thirteen days from I'oston. — sold a |)ortion of 
 our rar<>;o, and then sailed for Tahiti, wlu're we ex- 
 ])ected to dispose of the remaiiuler, hut did not suc- 
 ceed. On our arrival there we found the small-pox 
 rao-ini; badh-, eonseciuently we rtMTiained only two 
 or three days without otTerinir any car<>o for sale. 
 
 At X'alparaiso we had take-n on hoard two Catli- 
 olic i^riests as passengers. XX'lien we anchored at 
 'I'ahiti they were very anxious to go on shore, but as 
 none of the crew or passengers were allowed to go 
 from the vessel, I refused them jKTmission. Hut 
 the i)riests bcLi'jfed very hard to be allowed to o;o and 
 meet the Catholic bi>hop, promising t(^ go direcilv to 
 his house and n.'turn in the boat to the ship, with- 
 out going elsewhere ; so 1 somewhat reluctantly 
 consented, but, having some misgivings, 1 watched 
 them throu''h my telescope and saw them walkini^ 
 al.)out the city, contrary to their ])romise. I imme- 
 diately ordered the first oflicer to get an empty 
 hogshead and stand it ujjon its head on deck, with 
 one head out. A nettimj" was made to hold cloth- 
 
 I 
 
i<i;minisckn{ji:s. 
 
 51 
 
 in-;-. like ;i h.-iM-. A kctllt' was thcMi placed over tlie 
 ho.'^slu'iid roiitaiiiiiiL;- several odorous iimlters, mu h 
 as Milpliiir, tan, leather, matches, dc. As >m,,m as 
 the priests caim- mi hoard, I refpieslid them to 
 chani;e all tluir i lothiiii;- so as to have them hvelv 
 smoked. The clothin-- was placed in the mttin!;- 
 over the kittle, and then the otlur head placrd iip,,n 
 the cask. They remained there several hours. The 
 priests made no objection, as they were fearful we 
 might be quarantined at Honolulu. The fust otficer 
 had added the friction matches withe. ut my knowl- 
 edge, and the priests carried the odor about with 
 them for several months after their arrival at Hono- 
 lulu, and it was reported that even after they reached 
 another island "the scent of the matches hung round 
 them still." 
 
 We left Tahiti on Sej^t. iS, and on arrival at 
 Honolulu, most of our crew and ])assengers were 
 vaccinated on board of a United States friL;ate 
 which was then in the harbo.. It the jiilot liad 
 informed me outside; the bar of the existence of the 
 small-pox, I should not have entered the harbor; 
 but I knew nothing of it until we had anchored. 
 
 When 1 asked the pilot why he did not inform me 
 of the existenet; of the disease, he replied, "}'ou did 
 )iot ask im-y We left Tahiti, Sept. 18, 1841. 
 
 When I was received as a partner in business with 
 Mr. Henry A. Pierce, I continued the firm name of 
 
52 
 
 RKMINISCICNCES. 
 
 !^^ 
 
 \l 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 Pierce tS: Brewer until Mr. Pierce retired, in 1843. 
 I tlien continued the business as C. Brewer & Co., 
 with my nei^hew C. Brewer, 2d, until the year 1S45, 
 when I liave niv business over to Messrs. Marshall 
 (S: Johnson, who had been in business in Honolulu 
 for ,the past few years. Mr. Pierce afterward re- 
 turned to the United States overland on horseback 
 by way of Valparaiso, Santiago, Mendoza, and 
 Buenos Ay res to Boston. 
 
 In 18.(5, ^ ^*-'^^ Honolulu, with my wife and family, 
 for the United States v/a China, with Capt. Lovell 
 as commander, in the ship " Montreal." Besides my 
 wife and. children, we had as passengers, my aunt, 
 Mrs. Moore, my cousin, Mr. Wni. Avis, and Mr. 
 Langdeu Wiiiiams. While on the passage to 
 China, we experienced a very heavy tyi:)h(X)n. It 
 went entirely around the compass in twelve hours. 
 We laid to during the typhoon, as it was evident 
 the shi}) was hd^oring hard, and having very little 
 cargo on board, was very crank. We got everything 
 ready to cut away the mizzen and iiiain masts. We 
 scud under bare poles. The sliip ran four hours 
 handsomely, when a tremendous gust of wind struck 
 her (it more resembled a solid body than wind), 
 and she broached to with her lee scuppers about a 
 foot under water. She remained in this state about 
 twenty minutes, when, just upon thei)oint of cutting 
 away the masts, she fell off and righted, and after- 
 ward scud many miles without further accident. 
 
KI:^^IN1SCE^'CKS, 
 
 53 
 
 
 There were many wrecks near the ishinds on the 
 coast of China, and several ot' theni foundered. 
 The most singuhir part of it was tluil the shi]) *' Le- 
 land " (American), whicli left Honolulu on the 
 same day an.d hour we did, arri\ed at Honi!- Kon<'- 
 only two hours before us, she having experienced 
 nothing worse than a double-reefed topsail breeze, 
 with a heavy sea running, and every indication of 
 another typhoon. 
 
 We remained in China l)ut a short time, and then 
 took passage for home on board the ship "John 
 Quincy Adams," bound to New York direct. I was 
 very glad to recognize in the commander my old 
 friend and shipmate, Capt. Nichols. We had been 
 nearly three years together on board the " Ivanhoe," 
 as first and second officers, and I was \'ery glad to 
 know that we were to be under his care during the 
 voyage home. Capt. Nichols was a thorough sea- 
 man, and very kind to his passengers, officers, and 
 crew. We had a very [)leasant j)assage, and arrived 
 safely at our home in Jamaica Plain in about one 
 hundred and ten days. 
 
 I afterwards heard with sorrow that our oood 
 friend, Capt. Nichols, died on his next voyage to 
 China. 
 
 I felt now that my sea life was o\'er, and I should 
 settle down to tlie enjoyment of my home and fam- 
 ily ; but I had only been at home one year before I 
 

 i ■ 
 
 III 
 
 54 
 
 KEMINISCKNCES. 
 
 found it necessary io return to Monolulu in order 
 to close my l)usiness witli my successors. Our firm 
 was interested in tlic shij) " SanKj.set," wliich was 
 about to sail for Honolulu, S(j I decided to take 
 passaL;e in her. The car^o was con>ii;iied to my- 
 scK for sale. She was commanded by Capt. Hollis, 
 We sailed from Hoston on Oct. 23, 1847, with a 
 goodly number of twelve passengers, among whom 
 were some missionaries, — Mr. and Mr>. Atkinson, 
 ]\lr. and Mrs. Kinney, and Mr. IJwight. The 
 former were to proceed to Portland, Oregon, while 
 the rest were to remain at Honcjlulu. IJefore leav- 
 inir Boston, religious services were held on board in 
 the presence of a large number of friends and rela- 
 tives, and the sad farewells which were then spoken 
 proved indeed -ix/ds/ farewell to many. While death 
 claimed some, duty has retained the others; so 
 that, among our little family who spent so many 
 pleasant days together on board the " Samoset," only 
 a small number ever rcturiu-d to Boston. 
 
 We made the passage to i ionolulu in one hundred 
 and thirty-two days. On the day of oui^ arrival 
 there, we (oluuI the residents of Monolulu in a i:reat 
 state of excitement, in conseciuence of the arrival of 
 a boat from Christmas Island, ^ivincr information 
 of the wreck of a sliip which had >ailed from Hon- 
 olulu some three months previous. Among the 
 passengers were Lieut. Stevens, with his wife and 
 
KFMINISCFXCF.S. 
 
 55 
 
 child, Miss Johnson, and the h'ttlc dauolitcr of Hon. 
 Mr. Ten Eyck, then United States conimissioner at 
 Honolulu, and Mr. Christy, bmther of Mrs Stevens. 
 
 Fortunately the steam frigate " Sarcelle," belong, 
 ing'to the French government, was then in })()rt, 
 and through the courtesy of her commander, her 
 services were immediately tendered to Mr. Ten Eyck, 
 who at once proceeded to Christmas Island to the 
 rescue of the passengers. In a few weeks they were 
 all returned to Honolulu in safetv, and gave some 
 interesting as well as amusing accounts of (heir trials 
 during the three months they remained on llie 
 island. 
 
 They found the island uninhabited and no water, 
 which added greatly to their trials, as .they were 
 compelled to use the strictest economy with the 
 small supply they saved from the wreck. The surf 
 was very heavy, and there was no inducement for 
 ships to stop there. Their situation was becomino- 
 perilous when Mr. Christy, with three or four of the 
 crew, decided to start off on an exploring expe- 
 dition around the island. They were absent three 
 or ioui- (lavs, aiul were Ix'CominL'- discouraued o\'er 
 the result of their tramp, when, to their joy, they 
 disco\-ered another wreck, on board of which were 
 some pi()\is)ons and good water. This wr(_'ck was 
 directly opposite that part of the island from where 
 they had started, and, fuuling it impossible to trans- 
 
56 
 
 KKMIMSCF.N'CF.S. 
 
 t'.y 
 
 ! I 
 
 port tlic water so great a distance, they retraced 
 their steps to report of their discovery. After a con- 
 SLiltaion with theca[)taiii and passengers, they decided 
 that, as the water could not be brouLcht to ///i'm, thev 
 must go for tlie luatcr ; so, after packing uj) what few 
 necessary articles they could carry, they commenced 
 their weary tramp across the island. It was neces- 
 sarilv very slow, and occupied several days. The 
 children were obliged to be carried a great j^art of 
 the wav, and oftentimes the men would make an 
 arm-chair of their arms and so carry Mrs. Stevens 
 and Mi>s Johnson, .\lth0ui2h their condition was 
 somewliat impro\-ed by the transfer, they were quite 
 in despair as to the probability of being rescued. 
 Finally, it was decided to make some attempt to reach 
 Honolulu by means of a boat. They found on the 
 wreck material enough for the construction of one, 
 and, without chart or con"ipass, the first officer and 
 three or four volunteers from the crew started on 
 their perilous \oyage , and the result, as related 
 ab>)ve, proved successful. After the excitement had 
 somewhat subsided, and the shipwrecked passengers 
 became rested, the residents of Honolulu got up a 
 testimonial in the shajJC of a ball for the oflicers of 
 the " Sarcelle,'" which })roved to be a very enjoyable 
 occasion. 
 
 I remained at Honolulu ei-'ht months, sellinsj the 
 cargo of the " Samoset " and settling up my own 
 
REMIMSCKNCF.S. 
 
 57 
 
 affairs. That was before the days of Pacific Rail- 
 road, and 1 was obliged to wait 'for a good oppor- 
 tiinity for a passage round Cape Horn. 
 
 .Learning that the ship " Tsar^ Capt. Kennedv, 
 was on her way out, and would return directly to 
 Boston, I decided to go home in her. The " Tsar " 
 was detained at Honolulu some six weeks for repairs. 
 We had a very j^leasant ixassagc h.ome, stopping 
 at Tahiti (Society Islands) two days. Besides mv- 
 self were four other passengers, — Miss Johnson 
 Miss Pratt, little Hatty Ten Eyck, and Mr. Smith; 
 the latter having been on the spot when the first dis^ 
 covery of California gold was made. 
 ^ The " Tsar "brought the first gold-dust from San 
 Francisco to Boston, causing great excitement on 
 her arrival. As soon as it became known, there 
 were crowds of people on the wharf, merely to look 
 at the outside of the ship that had brouoht the dust. 
 We arrived in Boston on March 26, 1S49, and 
 from that time my sea life may be said to have 
 ended. I continued my business alone for about one 
 year, and then joined with Mr. James Hunnewell and 
 Mr. Henry A. Pierce in tht.^ Sandwic 1 Islands and 
 East India trade, as well as general freighting in 
 various parts of the world. Our i)artnership con. 
 sisted only in our ships, and we were one third" 
 owners each of our several vessels. When IMessrs. 
 Pierce and Hunnewell gave up their interests, I con- 
 
 
58 
 
 KKMIN'ISCl'.NCKS. 
 
 tinued tlic business under tlie name of Charles 
 Brewer & Co., wliieli firm still continues to date 
 (1884) in the same business as the past, still contin- 
 uing our shii)i)ing interests. 1 have now retired 
 from active business, and am resitling upon a i)or- 
 tioia of what was once my great-grand-tather's farm 
 at Jamaica Plain. 
 
 My homestead consists of about ten acres, upon 
 which I built my present dwelling in 1051 ; and now, 
 at the age of eighty years, I can look back and real- 
 ize that the desires and ambitions of my youth have 
 been fully gratified; for it has certainly been my 
 good fortune to visit almost every part of the globe. 
 
 JNIy life at the Sandwich. Islands during a period 
 of nearly twenty-six years was a very pleasant one, 
 and I shall abvavs remember with irratitude the kind- 
 ness I received from the many friends in Honolulu, 
 and especially from his majesty King Kamehameha 
 III., who, from his boyhood to his death, was always 
 my firm friend. 
 
 I i'^ 
 
 YOSEMITE. 
 
 During the year 1S79, I made a visit to Honolulu 
 in company with my daughter and her friend, I^Ii.ss 
 Rogers. On our return, we went into the Yosemite 
 Valley, where I again had a narrow escape for my 
 life. I here copy the account of the accident, which 
 was published at the time. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 59 
 
 
 " A stn-e line of passencrcrs in the Yoseniite 
 Valley had a most narrow escape from destruction. 
 •' The party occupyin^i; the stage consisted of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Culbertson and daunhter, of New Albany, 
 Ind.,' Mrs. Thomas E. Garvin, of Kvansville, Ind., 
 Mr. Jones and his two sisters, Mr. Smith, of San 
 Francisco, Capt. Charles I3rewer and daughter, and 
 Miss Rogers, of Jamaica Plain, — eleven in all. 
 
 " They left Priest's Hotel, situated at the top of 
 the hill, leading to the Chinese camp, at 8.30 p. m. 
 The moon was shining with unusual briliiane\', 
 and all anticipated a delightful view of the coun- 
 try beneath them. The horses (five in number), 
 on account of the sudden and short turn in the road, 
 are hitched three abreast. 
 
 "Shortly after leaving the hotel, the traces of the 
 front horse of the leaders became detach.ed, which 
 caused him to run away, and take the others with 
 him. 
 
 "F'or nearly a mile down the road, with a yawning 
 abyss below them, were the party carried by the run- 
 away team. They all knew what had happened, but 
 not a word was spoken. 
 
 " When nearly a mile froin th,e ^tarling point, and 
 at the first turn in the road, the front wheel came in 
 contact with a rock bluff, and was in-;tantly shat- 
 tered, — and most fortunately so. Had it been the 
 other wheel, the whole i^arty would liave been dashed 
 
il! 
 
 60 
 
 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 ili: 
 
 
 •i-' 
 
 
 
 
 s.! 
 
 
 {■ 
 
 i 
 
 i ' 
 !■■ 
 
 over the precii)i*ce, with scarcely a cliance that a 
 single niember would ha\e been left to tell the tale. 
 
 *' The horses tore loose fioni the statre, carrvini^ the 
 front axle and attendant whrclwith tluni, and ran 
 i.ntil thev exhausted themselves. So severelv were 
 they injured that one of tluni had to be sh.ot ; while 
 the others will probal)l\' be uniU for service. 
 
 " Of course, when the sta<>"e struck the bluff, the 
 passengers were all thrown forward, and several of 
 them out ujion the ground, Mr. Jones and jNIr. 
 Culbertson beino- both thrown from the driving" seat 
 to the Lrround, with the latter fallimr with his whole 
 weight upon the body of the former. 
 
 " Mrs. Culbertson was thrown to the oround, and 
 Mrs. Garvin out toward the precipice; but her 
 clothing catching on to the wheel of the stage pre- 
 vented her from further danger. 
 
 " All wer'" considerably injured, except Capt. 
 Brewer, Mr. Smith, and Miss Rogers, who were only 
 slightly injured. Miss Brewer was stunned, and 
 laid u]Jon the ground senseless for a long while, by 
 a severe bruise upon the side of her head. 
 
 " The entire party was taken back to the hotel, 
 Avhere they were obliged to remain tor three days 
 before beinfi" able to move on their iournev. 1 heir 
 escai)e was one of tlu)se incidents that sometimes 
 occur in the lives of people, that are hard to be 
 accounted for. 
 
REMINISCnXCES. 
 
 61 
 
 "Anywhere during the perilous ride we mii^ht 
 liave been thrown over the preeipice, whose tree- 
 tops were just discernible, while the roots of others 
 exposed by the niciking of the road were visible on 
 the bluff opi)osite. 
 
 "Mr. Jones had one arm and one thigh broken, 
 and the other thigh was dislocated. 
 
 " The i)roi)rietors of the hotel were obliged to pay 
 Mr. Jones about $3,500 damages. It was some six 
 months before he could be removed from the valley 
 to his home in San Francisco. 
 
 "Mr. Jones was taken the next morning to the 
 Chinese camp by the surgeon in a light carriage. 
 The mother of Mr. Jones, who resides in San Fran- 
 cisco, w^ent immediately up to Chinese camp with 
 another surgeon. One surgeon remained with Mr. 
 Jones until he was able to be carried to his home. 
 He was upon crutches nearly a year, and is now 
 more or less a cripple." 
 
 I'ROBABLE FATE OF CAI'T. DOMINIS. 
 
 During the summer of i86r, Rev. Mr. Damon 
 visited the Micronesian Islands in the niissionary 
 ship " Morning Star." 
 
 In writing to the .laWr/istn he Ljave some facts 
 which had come to his knowledge in communication 
 with the natives of Kbon (one of the Marshall 
 
62 
 
 HKMINISCr.NCF.S, 
 
 Islands), and he sui;i;ostcd that it iniL^ht throw some 
 H<j;ht on tlic f.itc of Capt. Doniinis and his fellow- 
 
 pas 
 
 SLMlti'CrS. 
 
 Tl 
 
 10 
 
 bn<' 
 
 W 
 
 m. 
 
 Neil 
 
 son, 
 
 Capt. We.ston, k-ft 
 
 Honolulu for China in Au_L;'ust, 1S46, havini; as 
 ])as>}e niters CajU. Dominic (father of J. (). iJoniinis) 
 and Mr, Hrown, e\-United States commissioner, and 
 his son. The hri >• wa>. ne\er heard from after leav- 
 
 iul; the jiort ot I lonohilu. 
 
 Here is the intei'estinLr story as tiiven bv Mr. 
 Damon : — 
 
 " About fifteen or sixteen years aL;o, there came to 
 the island of Hbor,, in the f^ill of the year, a large 
 boat ( not a whale-boat) having in it six men. 'Three 
 of these,' to emj)loy the language of my informant, 
 'were chief men,' very handsome and richly dressed. 
 They were not like common sailors; they had very 
 much property in their boat, — .-ails, provisions, 
 compass, clothing, etc. 
 
 " They wanted water. They touched on one of 
 the Windward Islands and [procured cocoanuts. My 
 informant thus described the ' chief men ': ' One tali 
 and handsomely dressed white man, with a red 
 handkerchief around his neck.' He led the jxarty 
 when they landed. 
 
 "Was not this our old friend and neighbor, Ca])t. 
 Dominis.'* 
 
 "The next man was 'large and portly, well 
 dressed, and tall.' Was not this Capt. Weston .'' 
 
1vi:miniscencks. 
 
 63 
 
 
 "'The other was sliort and rather thick-set, hut 
 well dressed/ Was not this e.\-Cominissi(jner 
 Hrown ? 
 
 "The remaining; three made no especial impres- 
 sion on my informants. 
 
 " When the party land«'d, they made siL;-ns for tlie 
 'big chief of Ebon. ' Tlierc was a L;nat cnnvd of 
 people upon tlie shore.' The spot where they 
 landed was at the entrance oi the lat^oon on the 
 southwest side of the island. Some of the chiefs 
 were for killing them immediately, but one of them 
 resolutely opposed the design. The contest was 
 sharp among the chiefs as to what should be dune. 
 The friendly native beckoned to them to follow 
 him; but he was finally overpowered, and the mad 
 project was formed for putting the whole party to 
 death, which was done by stoning. Then followed 
 the scene of plundering and throwing the bodies 
 into the sea. 
 
 " Such briefly is a summary of the facts which I 
 have gathered, and, I'rom a careful consideration of 
 these statements and others of a corroborating: na- 
 ture, I am irresistibly led to the conclusion that the 
 murdered persons belonged to the bark ' W'm. 
 Neilson.* 
 
 " I think the vessel must have struck upon some 
 sunken reef or low island, and been wrecked, while 
 the crew and passengers, all or in part, escaped." 
 
^Ll 
 
 ^-Bi 
 
 
 T 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ! 
 
 1 
 
 f 
 
 
 I 
 
 64 
 
 RKMINISCF.NCES, 
 
 Up to thisdato, iSSj{,f iiothiivj^ was ever heard of 
 the vessel or crew. 
 
 I have now L^ratilied my children and friends by 
 giviii!^ them, as well as 1 can from memory, a brief 
 account of some events of my lonL;" life. I can truly 
 say that 1 have enjoyed my life on earth ; and, w ilh 
 'gratitude to Ilim "who has supplied my wants of 
 body aiUl soul, shielded me from dangers, sustained 
 mo in distress, and carried me thus far, a wonder to 
 many, may I find a happy admittance to that world 
 where existence is not measured by years, or im- 
 provement retarded by age ! " 
 
AI'PKNDIX. 
 
 "ArmoR and Supporter of life, who art the same from 
 evcrlastin- to everlastinnr, in whose duration there is no 
 succession,- one day being with Thee as a thousand years, 
 and a thousand years as one day, — I come to Ti.ec, the 
 Rock of A-es. the Rehi-e of every feneration, desirin'- to 
 thank rhce for tiie many favors I have received at Thy 
 hand. Thou hast maintained my frail existence throu-h 
 many years, and crowned its successive periods with Thy 
 mercy. I-:\cn my sorrows and trials have showed a leather's 
 discipline for my j^ood. Thou hast supplied mv wants of 
 body and soul, shielded me from dan-ers, sustah.ed me in 
 distress, and carried me thus far, a wonder to manv. How 
 much do I (,we Theefortheli-htand consolation an ' hopen 
 of the gospel! Praised be Thy name, that I have no 
 dread of ccasin- to e.xist, because Christ has rem(A-ed the 
 burden of our fears and opened the door of immortal life. 
 
 " 1 feel myself connnected with Thee by a tie which can 
 never be br(,ken, and claim an interest in every moment of 
 theeverlastin- future. To Thee, who hast continued my 
 life thus far, I look for its continuance in another world. 
 ^ "Merciful God! I am fdled with sorrow at the recollec- 
 tion of ne-lected duty. Record not a-ainst me the indis- 
 cretions of my youth, and show Thy compassion to my 
 present sins. I would have a Ciodly sorrow for whatever I 
 have thought or said or done amiss in the long course of 
 
66 
 
 APPENOIX. 
 
 my pilgrimage. The time which I have lost do Thou help 
 me to redeem, and the good works I have begun, do Thou 
 assist me to complete. If I have injured any, enable me 
 to discern it, that I may make due reparation, and be at 
 peace with all men before I go hence. 
 
 " Preserve me from every sin to which I m iv be e\|-)osed. 
 Oh, save me fi'om a selfish, censoiaous, im|)atient, and irrita- 
 ble temper. Make me thankful to those who contribute to 
 my comfort, and may I rejoice in the hap[)iness of all 
 around me, and with a friendly spirit instruct and ailmonish 
 the rising generation. Thus may I bring forth fruit in my 
 old age. 
 
 " Lord of my life, my strength, now is ofttimes labor and 
 sorrow, and I shall soon go down to the grave. These ad- 
 monitions of increasing ag,i and approaching death are 
 wisely attached to n:v condition, and 1 would duly he^xl the 
 needful warnings. 
 
 " I desire to submit the events of my being to Thy man- 
 agement without one murmuring word or one discontented 
 thought. This is my first and earnest prayer, that as the 
 outward man fails the inward man may be. renewed day by 
 dav. Let my hoary head be found in the way of righteous- 
 ness. Though my sight is dim to the world, let the eyes 
 of mv mind be opened to see Thy salvation ; though my 
 ears are tUill of hearing, let them hear the glad tidings of 
 the gospel ; though I cannot taste as formerly what I eat 
 and what I drink, let me taste the goodness of the Lonl, 
 and hunger and thirst after righteousness ; though my 
 limbs arc weak and my strength is but feebleness, yet do 
 Thou hiake me strong in the Lord, to walk in Thy ways, 
 thai: my feet may lay hold oa eternal life. O l-'ather, amid 
 
 V ' 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 67 
 
 the infirmities of a--c. may Thy comforts delight my soul, 
 and. finishing my course with joy, let my last days be my 
 best days. I rest on Thee. Cast me not off in my old 
 age ; forsake me not when my strength fails, but be Thou 
 the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. 
 
 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all Plis bene- 
 fits. While I live I will praise Thee, and sing i)raises to 
 Thy name while I have my being; and, looking ftn-ward 
 with joyful hope to eternal life, which is Thy gift, may I 
 find a happy admittance to that world where existence is 
 not measured by years or improvement retarded by age." 
 
 "A.MI-X."