S*%*S "*'^ •W*^''*'Sit' mrmimmim WpaWBBWWlitllWiSa^V^^^tUiMUt^iStlSfe Boolit Relaling to Salt Water »ooln Renting to Salt Water ALFRED \A/ cSAiKiir K/^^-my^\^r^ , TH E EARLY LIFE AND LATEK EXPERIENCE AKD LABORS ELDER JOSEPH BATES EDITED BY ELDER JAMES WHITE. STEAM PRESS OF THE SEVENTH-DAT ADVENTIST PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 1878. AUTHOR^S PREFACE. /3X I HAVE frequently been solicited by relatives and friends to write a brief history of my past life, but never felt seriously inclined to do so until the year 1858, when I was requested by my friends in the West to furnish a series of articles in relation to my past life, I for a religious paper entitled. The YoxitWs histructor, ci I published at Battle Creek, Mich. In compliance with ^ their wishes, fifty-one numbers were issued and published in said paper, ending in May, 1863. As these numbers are about exhausted, we again com- ply with the request of friends to furnish them, with additional numbers, for publication in book form. JOSEPH BATES. MoNTERBT, Mich., Mat 1, 1868. ^ w 3821 (fl EDITOR^S PREFACE. The body of this work is a reprint of the Auto- biography of Elder Joseph Bates, which received great public favor. A large edition of it has been sold, and the book has been out of print more than a year. The call for it continues. The author was one of those noble and godly men who though " dead yet speaketh." The editor of this work was an intimate and close fellow-laborer with Elder Joseph Bates for more than a quarter of a century. And it is with great pleas- ure that we give his life sketches, with introdiiction and closing remarks, in this volume. .f. W. Battle Ureek, Mich., Aucust 16, 1877. (vi) CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Parentage — Birth — Residence — First Foreign Voyage — Hurl Gate — London Water for Sailors — Mr. Lloyd's Story — Mr. Moore and his Book — Sea .Journal — Overboard — Shark. pp. 17-28 CHAPTER 11. Shipwrecked in the Ice — An attempt to tlirow the Captain Ovei'- board — Deliverance — Arrive in Ireland — Pursuing our Voy- age — Bi'itish Convoy — Part our Cable — Taken by Privateers — Nature of an Oath, and the Box — Ship Condemned — Voyage up the Baltic — Arrive in Ireland — Pressed into the British Service pp. 28-37 CHAPTER III. Attempt to Escape — Flogging — Ship St. Salvadore — Attempt to Swim Away — Rodney 74 — Spanish War Ship — A Levanter — Image Worship — Another Attempt for Freedom — Battle — Storm — Shipwreck — Blockading Squadron — Church Service on Board a King's Ship — Port Mahon — Subterranean Pas- sage — Holy-stone — Wash Days — Threatened Punishment — Storm — New Station pp. 37-50 CHAPTER IV. Impressing American Seamen — Documents of Citizenship — War — Voluntary Surrender as Prisoners of War — Prepara- tion for a Battle — Unjust Treatment — Close Confinement — Relieved — British Fleet Outgeneraled — Prisoners Sent to England — London Newspaper — Successful Movement — Without Bread , pp. 51-62 (vii) VIU CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. Cutting a Hole Through the Ship — Perilous Adventure of a Narragansett Indian — Hole Finished — Eighteen Prisoners Escape — Singular Device to Keep the Number Good — Drown- ing Man — Night Signals for Eelief — Another Hole Cut — Letter from the Escaped Prisoners — U. S. Government Clothe their Prisoners — Prisoners sent to Dartmoor — Cheer- ing News of Peace pp 63-76 CHAPTER VI. Subterranean Passage — A Traitor — Ratification of Peace — American Consul Hung in Effigy — Without Bread for Two Days — Prisoners Demand and Obtain their Bread — Inhuman Massacre of Prisoners — English Soldier Liberated — Court of Inquiry — Arrival of a Cartel — Liberated from Prison — Dis • play of Flags Respecting the Massacre pp. 76-87 CHAPTER VII. Embarkation for the United States — Injustice to Prisoners — Excitement Respecting our Port of Destination — Banks of Newfoundland — Perils of the Ocean — Threatened Mutiny — Islands of Ice — Mutiny on the High Seas — Speak an Ameri- can Ship — Joyful News — Land in Sight — A Prize Taken — Safe Arrival at New London, Ct. — .Sail Again for Boston pp. 88-'.t8 CHAPTER VIII. Arrival Home — Voyage to Europe— Singular Rock in the Ocean — Sudden Commencement of Wintet — Voyage Ended — Another Voyage — Perilous Situation in Chesapeake Bay — Criterion in Distress — Wrecked in a Snow-storm — Visit to Baltimore — On Board the Criterion Again — Cargo Saved — Another Voyage — Hurricane — Voyage Ended — Married — Another Voyage — Captain Reefing Top-sails in his Sleep. pp. 98-113 CONTENTS. ■ IX CHAPTER IX. Allowance of Water — Casting Cargo into the Sea — Allowance of Provisions — Terrible Storm — Gulf Stream — Dead Calm and Rushing Hurricane — The Cook' s Prayer — Silent Agony — Wallowing between the Seas — More Respecting the Gale — Leak Increasing — Supply of Provisions — Council — Bear up for the West Indies — Reported — Safe Arrival in the West Indies pp 113-129 CHAPTER X. A Spoiled Child — Passage Home from the West Indies — False Alarm — Arrival Home — Voyage in the Ship New .Jersey — Breakers off Bermuda — Dangerous Position in a Violent Storm — Turk's Island— Cargo of Rock Salt — Return to Alexandria, D. C. — Voyage to Liverpool— Storm in the Gulf Stream — Singular Phenomenon on the Banks of Newfound- land—Arrival at Liverpool — A Great Change — An Old Ship- mate pp. 129-140 CHAPTER XL Who the Stranger Was — Black List — Salt Shoveling — Peak of Pico — Voyage Ended — Visit my Family — Voyage to South America — Trade- winds — Sea-Fish — Rio Janeiro — Desperate Situation — Montevideo — Returning North — Cutting in a Whale — Resolved Never to Drink Ardent Spirits — Arrival in Alexandria — Preparations for Another Voyage — Visit my Family — Escape from a Stage — Sail for South America — Singular Fish — Arrival at Rio Janeiro — Sail for River La Plata— Dispose of my Cargo at Buenos Ayres — Catholic Host pp. 140-153 CHAPTER XII. Crossing the Pampas of Buenos Ayres — Preparation for the Pacific Ocean — Resolved Never to Drink Wine — xispect of the Starry Heavens — Alarming Position off Cape Horn — Double the Cape— Island of Juan Fernandez —Arrival at X CONTENTS. Callao — A Whale Harpooned in the Harbor — Voyage to Pisco — The Patriot Soldiers — Scenery and Climate of Lima — Earthquakes— Destruction of Callao— Cemetery — Disposal of the Dead pp. 158-163 CHAPTER XIII. Mint — Stamping Coin — Catholic Churches and Feasts — The Sunset Bells — Spanish Inquisition — Voyage toTruxillo — Sell the Chatsworth — Smuggling — Spanish Boats — Silver Con- veyed by Indians — Deliver up the Chatsworth — Passage to Callao — Trouble with the Captain — Wine at a Dinner Party —Smoking 163-173 CHAPTER XIV. Money Matters — Highway Robbers — Searching Ships for Specie — A Lieutenant Shot — Sail for Home — Tobacco — Se- rious Reflections — Pass Cape Horn — Equator — North Star — Violent Gale — A Sudden Change of Wind — Desperate Posi- tion — Joyous Sight of Land — Vineyard Sound — Arrival in Boston — At Home — Another Voyage — Off the Capes of Vir- ginia — Outward Bound pp. 173-185 CHAPTER XV. Conviction of Sin — Funeral at Sea — Covenant with God — A Dream — Arrival at Pernambueo — Landing a North American Lady — Wine at a Dinner Party — Sell my Cargo — Another Voyage — Religious Views — Whaling — Brazilian Flour — Ar- rive at St. Catherine's — AlsoParaiba — Sell my Cargo — Third Voyage — Confidence Rewarded pp. 186-198 CHAPTER XVI. Soul-refreshing Seasons in the Forest — EflBgy of .Judas Iscar- iot — Sail from St. Catherine's — Arrival at Paraiba — Fourth Voyage — Arrival at the Bay of Spirits — Dangerous Position — Rio St. Francisco — Rio Grande — Banks of Sand — A City in Ruins — .Jei'ked Beef — Rio Grande to Paraiba — Kattamaran — Catholic Procession and Burial — Sail for New York — Ar- lival at Home — Family Prayer — Experience... pp. 198-209 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER XVII. Revival of Religion — Baptism — Join the Chiu'cli — Temperance Society — Cold- Water Army — Another Voyage — Rules for the Voyage — Temperance Voyage — Altar of Prayer on Ship- board — Semi-Weekly Paper at Sea — Sunday Worship — Ar- rival in South America — Paraiba — Bahia — Privateer — St. Catherine's pp. 209-219 CHAPTER XVIII. Overhauled by a Buenos Ayres Privateer, or Pirate — Plunder — Passengers Made Prisoners — Search for Money— Crew and Passengers Released — Season of Prayer — Arrival at Rio .Janeiro — Bethel fleeting — Rio Grande — Dangers of the Coast — Fresh Water — Religious Vievi^s — Letter — Vessel Lost — Sail — Arrive at St. Catherine's — Sail for New York — Sin- gular Phenomenon 219-282 CHAPTER XIX. Revival at Sea — Arrive in New York — Bethel Ships and Meet- ings — Friendless Young Men — Arrival in New Bedford — — Temperance Reform — Sea-faring Life Ended 232-237 CHAPTER XX. At Home — Farming — My Promise — Seaman's Friend Society — Missions — American Tract Society — American Coloniza- tion Society — Meeting-IIouse — Religious Revival — Tea and Cotfee — Change of Residence — Progress of the Temper- ance Cause — Progress of the Antislavery Cause — My own Position — Mob in Boston, Mass.— Falling Stars 237-2-50 CHAPTER XXI. Moral Reform — Culture of Silk — Proposed Manual-Labor School — Second Advent of Christ — William Miller's Theory — His Lectures in Boston — First Second- Advent Paper — ' Eld. D. Millard's Letter— Eld. L. D. Fleming's Letters— H. Hawley's Letter— Wm. Miller in Portland 250-258 CHAPTER XXII. First Call for a Second-Advent Conference — Convened in Bos- ton, Mass. — Conference Address Sent Forth to the World — XU CONTENTS. Diving-Bell — Clearing the Ship Channel — Wm. Miller's Lectures in Fairhaven, Mass. — Also in New Bedford — Ad- dress to Ministers — Ministers' Meeting — Antiochus Epiph- anes — Thirty-two Square Rods for Every Person — Second Second-Advent Conference 258-267 CHAPTER XXIII. Fall of the Ottoman Empire — Passing of the Second Woe — Space of Time to Proclaim the First Angel's Message, Rev. 14:6,7 — Conferences — Trials on Leaving the Church — \j Moral-Reform Societies — Boston Conference in 1842 — Prophetic Charts — Campmeeting in Littleton, Mass., in Au- gust, 1842 — Taunton, Mass., in September — Salem, Mass., in October — Power and Work of the First Angel's Message. .' 267-279 CHAPTER XXIV. The Stated Year for the Coming of the Lord — Sell my Place of Residence-^Go with the Message to the Slave States — Meet- ings on Kent Island — Meetings in Centerville, Eastern Shore of Maryland — Judge Hopper — Newspaper Report — Meetings in Chester — Threatened Imprisonment — Among the Slaves — Power of the Lord in the Meeting — Conviction of the People 279-289 CHAPTER XXV. The Three Corners — Crowded Meeting — Singing — Universal- ism — Place for Meetings — Opposition — Dream — Slaves Or- dered to go to the Advent Meeting — Convicted of the Truth — Meetings in Elktown — Return Home from Maryland — Visit to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard — First Disappoint - -— >i ment in the Second-Advent Movement — Waiting for the Vision— Tarrying Time 290-298 CHAPTER XXVI. First Angel's Message — Midnight Cry — Parable of the Ten Virgins — Second Disappointment — Three Angels' Messages — The Sabbath — Progress of the Work — Conclusion — Re- marks by the Editor 298-320 INTRODUCTION Life sketches of great and good men are givon to the world for the benefit of generations that follow them. Human life is more or less an experiment to all who enter upon it. Hence the frequent remark that we need to live one life to learn how to live. This maxim in all its unqualified strength of ex- pression may be a correct statement of the cases of the self-confiding and incautious. But it need not be wholly true of those who have good and wise parents to honor, and who have proper respect for all prudent and good people who have made life a success. To those who take along with them the lamp for their feet, found in the experiences of those who ha.ve fought the good fight, and have finished their course with joy, life is not altogether an experiment. The general outlines of life, to say the least, are patterned by these from those who have by the grace of God made themselves good, and noble, and truly great in choosing and defending the right. Reflecting young men and young women may take on a stock of practical education before they leave parental care and instruction which will be invaluable to them in future life. This they may do to a consid- (xiii) XIV INTRODUCTIOK. erable extent by careful observation. But in reading tlie lives of worthy people, they may in their minds and hearts live good lives in advance, and thus be fortified to reject the evil and to choose the good that lie all along the path of human life. Second to our Lord Jesus Christ, Noah, Job, and Daniel are held up before us by the sacred writers as patterns worthy of imitation. The brief sketches of the faith, patience, firmness, and moral excellence of these and other holy men of God found in the pages of sacred history have been and are still of immense value to all those who would walk worthy of the Christian name. They were men subject to like passions as we are. And were some of them at cer- tain unfortunate periods of life overcome of evil ] Erring men of our time may bless that record also which states how they overcame evil, and fully re- deemed past errors, so that becoming doubly victori- ous they shine Inightest on the sacred page. In his Epistle to the Hebrews, Paul gives a list of heroes of faith. In his eleventh chapter he mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the ])rophets, who throiigh faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, and stopped the months of lions. The apostle calls up this cloud of witnesses to God's faithfulness to his trusting servants as patterns for the Christian church, as may be seen by the use he makes of them in the first vei-se of the cha]>ter which follows : — mTRODUCTION. XV " Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let ns lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Heb. 12 :1. The life of Elder Joseph Bates was crowded with unselfish motives and noble actions. That which makes his early history intensely interesting to his personal friends is the fact that he Itecame a devoted follower of Christ, and a thorough pi'actical reformer, and ripened into glorious manhood a true Christian gentleman, while exposed to the evils of sea-faring life, from the cabin-boy of 1807, to the wealthy re- tiring master of 1828, a period of twenty-one yeai-s. Beauty and fragrance are expected of the rose, planted in the dry and well-cultivated soil, and ten- derly reared under the watchful eye of the lover of the beautiful. But we pass over the expected glory of the rose to admire the living green, the pure white, and the delicate tint of the water-lily whose root reaches way down into the cold filth of the bottom of the obscure lake. And we revere that Power which causes this queen of flowei-.s, uncultivated and obscure, to appropriate to itself all valuable qualities from its chilling surroundings, and to reject the evil. So, to apply the figui-e, we reasonably expect ex- cellence of character in those who are guarded against corrupting influences, and whose surroundings are the most favorable to healthy mental and moral develop- XVI INTRODUCTION. ment. In our liearts, pressing upon our lips, are 1)lessings for all such. But he who, in the absence of all apparent good, and in the perpetual presence of all that is uncultivated and vile, with no visible hand to guard and to guide, becomes pure and wise, and devotes his life to the service of God and the good of humanity, a Christian philanthropist, is a miracle of God's love and power, the wonder of the age. It was during his sea-faring life, while separated from the saving influences of the parental, Christian home, and exposed to the temptations of sailor life, that the writer of the following pages became thor- oughly impi'essed with moral and religious principles, and gathered strength to trample intemperance and all other forms of vice beneath his feet, and rise in the strength of right and of God to the position of a thorough reformer, a devoted Christian, and an ef- ficient minister of the gospel. J. W. LIFE OF BATES CHAPTER I. parentage — birth — residence — first foreign voyage — hurl gate — london water for sailors — mr. Lloyd's story — ^mr. moore and his book — sea jour- nal — overboard — shark. MV honored fathei* and his forefathers were for many years residents in the town of Ware- ham, Plymouth County, State of Massachusetts. My mother was the daughter of Mr. Barnahas Nye, of the town of Sandwich, Barnstable County, both towns but a few hours' ride from the noted landing-place of the Pilgrim Fathers. My father was a volunteer in the Revolutionary War, and continued in the service of his country during its seven years' struggle. When Gen. Lafayette revisited the United States in 1825, among the many who were pressing to shake hands with him at his reception rooms in the city of Boston was my father. As he approached, the General recognized him, and grasped his hand, saying, " How do you do, my old friend, Captain Bates?" "Do you remember him?" was asked. His answer was something like the following : " Certainly ; he was under my iuune- diate command in the American army." After the war, my father married and settled in Rochester, an adjoining town, in Plymouth Coun- Bates. 2 (17) 18 I.IFK OF BATES. iy, where I was born, July 8, 179:^. In the early part of 1793 we moved to New Bedford, some seven miles distant, where my fathei- entered into commercial business. During the war with England, in 1812, the town of New Bedford was divided, and the east- ern part was called Fairhaven. This was ever afterward my place of residence until I moved my family to Michigan, in May, 1858. In my school-boy days my most ardent desire was to become a sailor. I used to think how gratified I should be if I could only get on board a ship that was going on a voyage of discovery round the world. I wanted to see how it looked on the opposite side. Whenever I thought of asking my father's consent to let me go to sea, my courage failed me for fear he would say, No. When I would endeavor to unburden my mind to my mother she would try to dissuade me, and recommend some other occupation, till at last 1 was permitted to go a short trip with my uncle to Boston, etc., to cure me ; but this had the oj)- ])Osite effect. They then complied with my wishes. A new ship called the Fanny, of New Bedford, Elias Terry, commander, was about to sail for Europe, and he agreed with my father to take me on the voyage as cabin boy. In June, 1807, we sailed from New Bedford to take our cargo on board at New York City, for London, England. On our passage to New York City we sailed by the way of Long Island Sound. In this route, several miles from the city, is a very nariow and dangerous ])assage, bounded with rocks on the right, and a rock-bound shore on the left, called " Hurl Gate." What makes it so dan- FIRST FORKKJN A'OYAGE. 19 gerous is the great rush of" water that passes through this narrow channel. As the tide ebbs and flows each way, it rushes with such impet- uosity that few dare venture to sail through against it without a strong, steady wind in their favor. For want of watchfulness and care, many vessels have been whirled from their course by this rushing foam and hurled against the rocks, wrecked and lost in a few moments of time. Sailors call it " Hell Gate." As our gallant ship was bringing us in sight of this dreadful place, the pilot took the helm, and requested the captain to call all hands on deck. He then stationed us in various parts of the ship, for the purpose of managing the sails in case of an emergency, according to his judgment. He then requested us to remain silent while passing this dangerous gatewaj^, that we might the bet- ter understand his orders. In this way, every man and boy at his post, with eyes silently fixed on the pilot, waiting his orders, our good ship winged her way through the hurling foam, and passed on safely to her anchorage before the city. The experienced and thorough knowledge of our pilot, in guiding our gallant ship safely through that dangerous gateway, with the still- ness and breathless attention of her crew, were stamped deeply in my mind. Promptness and exertion in perilous times on the ocean, has, with the blessing of God, saved thousands of souls from a watery grave. Our good ship was dee})ly laden with choice wheat, in bulk, even into her hatchways. It was feared that she would sink under her heavy bur- den. On the eve of our departure, Mr. S. El- 20 LTFF. OF BATES. (Jiidge, then our chief mate, was coining on board the ship in the dark night with a lighted lantern in his hand, when he fell from the plank into the river, between the ship and the wharf, where the tide was running from three to live miles an hour. Mr. Adams threw a coil of rope under the wharf at a venture ; fortunately he caught it, and after some struggle he was hauled up on the ship's deck. When he began to breathe freely, he lamented the loss of the new lantern. Said Mr. A., "Why, you have got it in your hand," If it had been a cannon ball it would most likely liave carried him to the bottom, for drowning persons hold on with a deadly grasp to whatever is in their hands. We had a pleasant run across the Atlantic Ocean. In our passage up the British Channel, between France and England, we discovered a number of kegs floating on the top of the sea. The main- top-sail was laid to mast, and a boat lowered with a crew, which soon returned to the ship deeply laden with gin and brandy. The duties on such articles are so high, from France to England, that smugglers can afford to lose a whole cargo some- times, and yet make their business profitable. Bat if they are caught by their revenue cutters, or war ships, while thus defrauding their govern- ment in her revenue laws, the penalty about ruins them for life. They sling and fasten them with ropes and buoys, so that by diligently hunting for them, they find them again after their pursu- ers ai'e out of sight. On our safe arrival in tlie Luiiduu dock, the I'Jnglish urti<-ers who came to ins]>ect our cargo, on opening the hatches, expressed their surprise to see the clean and dry wheat, up into the hatch- LONDON WATER FOR SAILORS. 21 way, as fresh as when we left New York. When we hauled out of the dock into the river Thames, and commenced filling our water casks for our homeward vo3'age with the I'iver water that was passing us, finding its way to the gi'eat ocean, I thought, how could a person drink such filthj^ water. Streaks of green, yellow, and red muddy water,mixed up with the filth of thousands of ship- ping, and the scum and filth of a great portion of the city of London. After a few days it becomes settled and clear, unless it is stirred up from the bottom of the water casks. Some four years aft- er this, I being then an impressed seaman in the British service attached to the Rodney, 7-i gun ship, in the Mediterranean Sea, as we Avere emp- tying out our old stock of fresh water, we found the ground tier full of the same river water from the Thames, only a little further down from Lon- don, whicl) had been bunged up tight for about two years. On starting the bung and applying our lighted candle, it would blaze up a foot high, like the burning of strong brandy. Before stirring it up from the bottom, some of the clear water was ex- hibited among the officers in glass tumblers, and pronounced to be the purest and best of water, on- ly about two yeai"s from London. I admit that it looked clear and tasted good, but from my formei' knowledge of its origin, I confess I would a little rather quench my thirst from some of the pure springs from the Green Mountains of Vermont, or the granite hills in New Hampshire. Among our passengers to New York was a Mr. Lloyd, chief mate of a Philadelphia ship that was detained in London. He, in a serious manner, related a very singular incident that occurred some few years previous, while he was a sailor •I'l TJFK OK BATES. I'lom L'hiiatlclpliia. He said that lie never liad dared to tell his mother or sisters of it. 1 will try to relate it in his own words. Said he, "I was lodging away from home one night in an- other ])art of the city, when the house was beset by the police. For fear of being identitied with those that were disturbing the peace, I fled from my bed into the street with nothing but my night-dress on, and finally secreted myself in the market-place, while a friend that was with me went back to obtain my clothes. About mid- night a gang of men, passing through the market- place, discovered me, and after a few inquiries as to who I was, they said, ' Drive this fellow on be- fore us.' My pleading was in vain; they con- tinued to keep me before them until we entered the cemetery, about two miles out of the city. We here came to a lai'ge fiat stone with an iron hook in it. They placed a stout rope in the hook, which they brought with them, with which they swayed the stone up. This opened a family vault where a Jewish lady of distinction had been deposited that day. The jewelry upon her ])erson was what they were after. The exciting (juestion now was, who among them would go down into the vault and get the jewels. Said one, 'Here is the felUnv.' I begged and entreated them for the Lord's sake not to require me to commit such a dreadful deed. My entreaties were disregarded ; they crowded me down into the vault, ordering me to go and strip off her jewels. I tried, and then returned to the open place, and stated that her fingers were so swollen that I could not get her rings off. ' Here is a knife,' said one, ' take it and cut her fingers off. I began to pleatl again, but they gave me to un- MR. LLOYDS STORV. Zo derstand that there was no alternative ; 1 must ei- ther do it or stay where I was. Almost dead with fear, I laid hold of her hands and cut her fingers off, and when I came to the open place, they bade me hand them up. As soon as they got hold of them, they dashed down the slab and immedi- ately ran away. " I felt overwhelmed at my hopeless condition, doomed to die a most horrible death, and fearing every moment that the mangled corpse would lay liold of me. I listened to the rumbling sound of these robbers, until all was silent as death. The stone over me, I could not move. After a little I heard a distant rumbling of the ground, which con- tinued to increase until I heard strange voices over the vault. I soon learned that this was another gang, most likely unknown to the first, and they were placing their rope to swing up the same stone slab. I at once decided what to do to save myself. As the slab came up, I leaped out of the vault in my white night-dress, or shirt. Horror-stricken, they all tied back toward the city, running with such speed that it was diflicult for me to keep up behind them, and yet I feared if they should stop, I should be discovered and taken. Before reaching the city, I had drawn uj) some nearer to the two liinder ones, when one of tiiem cried out to his companion, ' Patrick I Fat- rick ! the oklwoinan is clofie to our heels ! ' On- ward they raced through the market and fled away from me, for I stopped here to hide myself. Aiter a while my friend, having obtained my clothes, found me, and I returned home." Before sailing on our voyage, a good-looking man, about twenty years of age, came on board, stating that he had come from Philadelphia, Penn-» 24 I. IFF''. <»l' P.ATES. sylvania, to get a ]ias.sage to London. He stated that he liad no means nor wa}^ to })ay liis passage. He also stated that his only object in going to L. was to obtain a certain book (the title J have for- gotten), which could not be obtained at an}'^ other ])lace. He finally shipped for a gi-een or new hand before the mast. This was rather new araontj sailors, for a man, having no desire to be a sailor, to be willkig to endure the hardships of a seven months' voyage, with no other object but to get one book, and no certainty about that. But on our arjival in London the captain ad- vanced him some money, and befoie night he re- turned from the city i-ejoicing that he had found the book. I have often regretted that our ac- i|uaintance ended with that voyage; for I have often tliought, if his life was s])arcd, he was des- tined to occu]>y some im]iortant ])Osition among men. On I'ecovering from my sea-sickness, I com- menced my sea jouinal, to keep the run of the ship and the daily occurrences of the voyage. This and other journals which 1 aftcM ward endeav- ored to keep, would liave been of uuicli value to me Avlien 1 commenced this work, but they were all used up or desti'oyed, after my last voyage. One circumstance occui"rea]ting from Land's End, lOngland, which 1 Avili heic relate : In the moi-ning (Sunday) a large shaik was fol- lowing us. A large piec^ of meat was i'astened to a rope and thrown over the stern to tempt him to Come up a little nearer, that we might fasten to him with a barbed iron made for such purposes ; but no inducement of ours seemed to affect him. 0VERT5OARI). l^:) He maintained his position, where he could grasp whatever fell from either side of the ship. On such occasions the old stories about sliarks are revived — how they swallow sailors alive, and at other times bite them in two, and swallow them at two mouthfuls. They hear so much about them that they attribute more to theii- sagacity than reall}^ belongs to them. It is said that sharks have followed vessels on the ocean for many days when there were any sicl^ on board, that they might satiate their voracious appetites on the dead bodies cast into the sea. Sailors are gen- erally brave and fearless men ; they dare meet their fellows in almost any contliet, and brave the raging storms of the sea; but the idea of being swallowed alive, or even when dead, by these vora- cious creatures, often causes their stout hearts to tremble. Still they are often credulous and su- perstitious. Toward the evening of the day referred to, when we had ceased our fruitless labors to draw the shark away from his determined position astern of the ship, I ascended to the main-top- gallant mast-head, to ascertain if there was any vessel in sight, or anything to be seen but sky and water. On my way down, ha\nng reached about fifty feet froui the deck, and sixty from the water, I missed Teaching the place which I designed grasping with my hand, and fell back- ward, striking a rope in my fall, which pre- vented my being dashed u])on the deck, but whirled me into the sea. As I came up on the top of the waves, struggling and panting for breath, I saw at a glance that the ship, my only hope, was passing onward beyond my reach. With the incumbrance of my thick, heavy cloth- 2() IJKK OF I'.A'I'KS. ing, J exerted all my strength to loUow. 1 saw that the captain, officers, and crew had rushed toward the ship's stern. The first officer hurled a coil of rope with all his strength, the end of which I caught with my hand. He cried out, " Hold on ! " I did so until they hauled me through the sea to the ship, and set my feet upon the deck. To the question if I was hurt, I answered, "No." Said another, "Where is the shark ?" I began to tremble even as tliey had done, while they were in anxious suspense, fearing he would grasp me every moment. The thought of the shark had never entered my mind while I was in the water. I then crossed over to the other side of the ship, and, behold, he was quietly gliding along his way with us, not far from the side of the vessel, seemingly unconscious of our gaze. And we did not disturb him in any way ; for the sailors and jjassengers were all so glad that the cabin-boy was rescued, not only from a watery grave, but from his ferocious jaws, that they had no disposition to trouble him. He was soon missing, and we saw him no more. But the wonder to all was, how he came to change his position to a place where he could neither see nor hear what was transpiring on the other side or at the stern of the ship. The following item from a public newspaper illustrates the voracity of these creatures : — " DI.SI'KltATF, KNCOUNTER WITH A SHARK. "SouTHor.u, L. 1., September '.i, ISG"), "To the I'MUor of the Herald: A few days since, the sehoonei- Catharine Wilcox, of Lubec, THE SHARK. 27 Maine, George McFadden, master, being bound from New York to Eastport and Lubec, fell in, when opposite this place, with what is termed a ' dead calm.' The opportunity seeming propi- tious, the captain and a young man named Peter Johnson, who was formerly a member of the First Maine Heavy Artillery, and who was wounded in the neck at Spottsylvania, Virginia, determined to enjoy a salt-water bath. "Jumping into the water, it was not many min- utes when, as young Johnson says, he saw some- thing ' all white,' and in an instant he was car- ried under the surface to a depth of twenty feet. He now discovered that he was in the jaws of one of those voracious man-eater sharks. Strug- gflinor with all his strength, Johnson managed to break away and reach the surface again ; but the shark was soon after him, and continued to bite him in various parts of the body, when the young man bethought him of the sailor trick of putting his fingers in the shark's eyes, which he did, and, to his no small gratification, soon saw the fren- zied monster fleeing from him, Johnson now swam to the vessel, and, being taken on board, was found to have been fearfully torn about the abdomen — its lower . section entirely off — both thighs and shoulder being terribly lacerated. There being no wind to get anywhere, the crew took him in the yawl and rowed him eight miles to the village of Greenport, where his wounds were sewed up and dressed by Drs. Kendall, Bryant, and Skinner, and the young man made as comfortable under the circumstances as possi- ble. He is growing worse hourly, and there is not much chance for his recovery. " The Sound is now full of these rapacious 28 LIFE OF RATES. monsters, and if some of our New York sportsmen are fond of game worthy of their steel, this is the month to attack them. They are caught and landed with ])erfect safety by our villagers al- most every day.' CHAPTEK TT. SHIPWRECKED IN THE ICE — AN ATTEMPT TO THROW THE (;APTA1N OVERBOARD DELIVERANCE — ARRIVE IN IRE- LAND — PURSUING OUR VOYAUE — BRITISH CONVOY PART OUR CABLE — TAKEN BY PRIVATEERS — NATURE OF AN OATH, AND THE BOX — SHIP CONDEMNED — VOYACE UP THE BALTIC — ARRIVE IN IRELAND — PRESSED INTO THE I'.KITISH SERA'ICE. Procjeeding on another voyage from New York to Archangel, in Russia, about the middle of May, in the afternoon, we discovered a number of islands of ice, many of them appearing like large cities. This was an unmistakable sign that we were nearing the banks of New Foundland, about one thousand miles on the mariners track from Boston to Liverpool. These large masses, or islands of ice, are driven by wind and current from the ice-bound regions of the North, and strike the bottom more than three hundred feet from the surface of the sea, and in some seasons tliey are from two to three months dissolving and tumbling to pieces, which lightens them of their ])rodigious burdens, and they are driven onward over this deep water into the fathomless part of the ocean, and are soon dissolved in warm sea water. WRECKED TN THE ICE. 29 A strong westerly gale was wafting us rapidly in our onward course, and as the night set in we were past this cluster. The fog then became so dense that it was impossible to see ten feet be- fore us. About this time, while one W. Palmer was steering the ship, he overheard the chief mate expostulating with the captain, desiring him to round the ship to, and lay by until morn- ing light. The captain decided that we were past all the ice, and said the shi|> must continue to run, and have a good lookout ahead. Mid- night came, and we were relieved from our post by the captain's watch, to retire below for four hours. In about an hour from this we were aroused by the dreadful cry from the helmsman, "An islaml of ice!'' The next moment came the dreadful crash ! When I came to my senses from the blow I received from being tossed from one side of the forecastle to the other, I found myself clinched by Palmer. The rest of the watch had made their escape on deck, and shut down the scuttle. After several unsuccessful at- tempts to find the ladder to reach the scuttle, we gave up in despair. We placed our arms around each other's necks, and gave up to die. Amid the creaking and rending of the ship with her grappled foe, we could once in a while hear the screams and cries of some of our wretched com- panions on the deck above us begging God for mercy, which only augmented our desperate feelings. Thoughts came rushing like the light, that seemed to choke, and for a few moments l»lock up all way to uttei-ance. < )h, the dreadful thought! — here to yield up niy account and die, and sink with the wrecked ship to the bottom of the ocean, so far from home 30 1.1 1'E (IF KATES. and friends, without the least preparation, oi" hope of Heaven and eternal life, only to be numbered with the damned, and forever banished from the presence of the Lord. It seemed that something must give way to vent my feelings of unutterable anguish. In this aofonizinjif moment the scuttle was thrown open, with a cry, " Is there any one be- low ? " In a moment we were both on deck. I stood for a moment surveying our position, the ship's bow partly under a shelf of ice, everything gone but her stem, all her scpiare sails filled with the wind, and a heavy sea rushing her on- ward in closer connection with her unyielding antagonist. Without some immediate change, it was evident that our destiny and hers would be sealed in a few moments. With some difficulty I made my way to the ipiarter-deck, where the captain and second mate were on their knees begging God for mercy. Tlic chief mate, with as many as could rally around him, were making fruitless efforts to hoist the long boat, which could not have been kept from dash in fj ao-ainst the ice for two minutes. Amid the crash of matter and cry of others, my atten- tion was arrested by the captain's crying out, " What are 3'^ou going to do with me. Palmer ? " Said P., " I am going to heave you overboard ! " " For God's sake let me alone," he said ; " for we shall all be in eternity in less than five min- utes!" Said P., with a dreadful oath, "I don't care for that, you have been the cause of all tliis 1 It will be some satisfaction to me to see you go first!" I laid fast hold of him and entreated him to let go of the captain and go with me to try the WRECKED IN THE ICE. 31 pump. He readily yielded to my request, and to our utter astonishment the pump snckcd ! This unexpected good news arrested the atten- tion of the chief mate, who immediately turned fi-om his fruitless labor, and after a moment's survey of the ship's crashing position, cried out with a stentorian shout, "Let go the top-gallant and the top- sail halyards ! let go the tacks and sheets ! haul up the courses ! clew down and clew up the top-sails 1 " Perhaps orders were never obeyed in a more prompt and instantaneous man- ner. The wind thrown out of the sails relieved the ship immediately, and like a lever sliding from under a rock, she broke away from her dis- astrous position, and settled down upon an even keel broadside to the ice. We now saw that our strongly-built and gal- lant ship was a perfect wreck forward of her foremast, and that mast, to all appearances, about to go too; but what we most feared was, the shif)'s yards and mast coming in contact with the ice, in which case the heavy sea on her other side would rusli over her deck, and sink us in a few moments. While anxiou.sly waiting for this, we saw that the sea which passed by our stern bounded against the western side of the ice, and rushed back impetuously against the ship, and thus prevented her coming in contact with the ice, and also moved her onward toward the south- ern extremity of the island, which was so high that we failed to see the top of it from the mast- head. In this state of suspense we were unable to de- vise any way for our escape, other tlian that which God in his providence was manifesting to us as above described, Praise ]iis holy name ! "His ways .^2 LfFF, OF BATES. air. past tiiuliug out." About four o'clock in the morning, while all hands were intensely engaged in clearing away the wreck, a shout was raised, " N'onder is the eastern horizon, and it's da;/- I'yjJit ! " This was indication enough that we were just passing from the western side, beyond the southern extremity of the ice, where the ship's course could be changed by human skill. " Hard up your helm," cried the captain, " and keep the ship before the wind ! Secure the fore- mast ! clear away the wreck !" Suffice it to say that fourteen days brought us safely into the river vShannon, in Ireland, where we refitted for our Russian voyage. "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters ; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep Their soul is melted because of trouble, . . then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. . . . Oh ! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Ps. 107. Dear friends, whatever be your calling here, " Seek ye /i/'.s^ the kingdom of God, and his righteousness " (Matt, (i : 33), and get your feet planted on board the gospel shijt. The Owner of this majestic, homeward-bound vessel, shows the utmost care for every mariner on board, even to the numbering of the hairs of his head. He not only pays the highest wages, but has prom- ised every one who faithfully performs his duty an exceeding great reward. That all the perils of this voyage ma}- be passed in safety, he has commanded his holy ernes (Heb. I : 14j to attend and watch over tbi^ precious company, who fail PART OUR CARLE. oo not to see through all the mists and fogs, and give warning of all the dangers in the pathway. Moreover, he has invested his dear Son with all power, and given him for a commandei- and skill- ful pilot, to convey this good ship and her com- pany into her destined haven. Then he will clothe them with immortality, and give them the earth made new for an everlasting inher- itance, and make them kings and priests unto God, to "reign on the earth." After repairing damages in Ireland, we sailed again on our Russian voyage, and in a few days we fell in with and joined an English convoy of two or three hundred sail of merchant vessels, bound into the Baltic Sea, convoyed by British ships of war, to protect them from their enemies'. On reaching a difficult place called the " Mooner Passage," a violent gale overtook us, which, in spite of our efforts, was driving us on a dismal, shelterless shore. With the increasing fury of the gale and darkness of the night, our condition became more and more alarming, until finally our commodore hoisted the " lighted lantern," a sig- nal for all the fleet to anchor without delay. The long-wished-for morning at length came, which revealed to us our alarming position. All that were provided with cables were contending with the boisterous seas driven against us by the furious gale. It seemed almost a miracle to us that our cables and anchors still held. While watching one after another as they parted their cables and were drifting toward the rocks to be dashed in pieces, our own cable broke ! With all haste we crowded what sail we dared on the ship, and she being a fast sailer, we found by the next day that we had gained some distance in the off- 34 r,lFK OF BATES. ing. llci'c a council was called, vvliidi tlccnied that we .should make sail from the convoy and take a lone chance through the sound by the coast of Denmark. Not many hours from this, while we were con- gi'atulating ourselves respecting our narrow es- cape from shipwreck, and for l)eing out of reach of the commodore's guns, two suspicious-looking vessels were endeavoring to cut us off from the shore. Their cannon balls soon began to fall around us, and it became advisable for us to round to and let them come aboard. They proved to be two ])anish privateers, who captured and took us to Copenhagen, where ship and cargo were finally condemned, in accordance with Bo- na])arte's decrees, because of our intercourse with the English. In the course of a few weeks we were all called to the court-house to give testimony re- specting our voyage. Previous to this, our su- percaigo and part owner had promised us a handsome reward if we would testify that our voyage was direct from New York to Copenha- gen, and that we had no intercourse with the English. To this proposition we were not all agreed. We were finally examined separately, my turn coming first. 1 suppose they fiist called me into court because 1 was the only youth among the sailors. One of the three judges asked me in English if I understood the nature of an oath. After answering in the afiirmative, he bade me look at a box near by (about 15 inches long, and 8 high), and said, " That box contains a machine to cut ott" the two fore-fingers and thumb of every one who swears falsely here. Now," said he, " liold up your two RIUP CONDEMNED. on lorc-lin^elH iUi'l thniii}? on your ritffit hand." In this manner i waa .sworn to tell the trritli, and regardless of any consideration, I testified to the facts concerning our voyage. Afterward, when we were permitted to go aboard, it was clear enough that the " little box" had l)roiight out the truthful testimony from all ; viz., that we had been wrecked by running against an island of ice fourteen days from New York ; refitted in Ireland, after which we joined the British convoy, and were ca])tured by the privateers. After this, some of our crew, as they were return- ing from a walk where they had been viewing the prison, said that some of the prisoners thrust their hands through the gratings, to show them that they had lost the two fore-fingers and thumb of their right hand. They were a crew of Dutch- men, who were likewise taken, and had sworn falsely. We now felt thankful for another nar- row escape by telling the truth. "We want the truth on every point, We want it, too, to practice by." With the condemnation of our ship and cargo and the loss of our wages, in company with a strange people who had stripped us of all but our clothing, ended our Russian voyage. But before winter set in, I obtained a berth on board a ])an- ish brig, bound to Pillau, in Prussia, where we ar- rived after a both tedious and perilous passage, our vessel leaking so badly that it was with dif- culty we kept her from sinking until we reached the wharf. In this extremit}'^ 1 obtained a berth on an American brig from Russia, T)0und to Bel- fast, J reland. SG LIFE OF RATES. Our voyage from Prussia to Ireland was re- plete with trials and suffering. It was a winter passage down the Baltic Sea, and through the winding passages of the Highlands of Scotland, under a cruel, drunken, parsimonious captain, who denied us enough of the most common food allowed to sailors. And when, through his neg- lect to furnish such, we were in a famishing con- dition and almost exhausted with pumping to keep us from sinking, he would swear and threaten us with severer usage if we failed to comply with his wishes. Finally, after putting in to an island and obtaining a fresh supply of provisions, we sailed again for Belfast, in Ireland, Avhere the voyage ended. From thence two of us crossed the Irish Channel to Liverpool, to seek a voyage to America. A few days after our arrival, a "press-gang" (an officer and twelve men) entered our boarding- house in the evening and asked to what country we belonged. We produced our American pro- tections, which proved us to be citizens of the United States. Protections and arguments would not satisfy them. They seized and dragged us to the " rendezvous," a place of close confinement. In the morning we were examined before a naval lieutenant, and ordered to join the British navy. To prevent our escape, four stout men seized us, and the lieutenant, with his drawn sword, going before, we were conducted through the middle of one of the principal streets of Liverpool like con- demned criminals ordered to the gallows. When we reached the river side, a boat well manned with men was in readiness, and conveyed us on board the Princess, of the royal na\'y. After a rigid scrutiny, we were confined in the prison ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE. 37 room on the loAver deck, with about .sixt}^ oth- ers who d aimed to be Americans, impressed in like manner as ourselves. This eventful epoch occurred April 27, 1810. OHAPTER III. ATTEMl'T TO ESCAPE — FLOGGING — SHIP ST. SALVADORE — ATTEMPT TO SWIM AWAY — ^RODNEY 74 — SPANISH WAll SHIP — A LEVANTER — IMAGE WORSHIP — ANOTHER AT- TEMPT FOR FREEDOM BATTLE STORM— SHIPWRECK BLOCKADING SQUADRON — CHURCH SERVICE ON BOARD A king's SHIP — PORT MAHON — SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE — HOLY-STONE — WASH DAYS — THREATENED PUNISHMENT — STORM— NEW STATION. On board of this ship one feeling seemed to pervade the minds of all who claimed to be Amer- icans, viz., that we were unlawfully seized with- out any provocation on our part, hence, any way by which we could regain our liberty would be justifiable. In a few days the greater portion of the officers and crew took one of their number on shore to be buried. It was then suggested by some that this was a favorable time foi- us to break the iron bars and bolts in the port-hole, and make our escape by swimming in the strong current that was rushing by us. In breaking the bars we succeeded beyond our expectation, and when all ready to cast ourselves overboard, one after another, the boats came alongf-side with the ofii- cers, and oui- o})en place was discovered. For this, they began by taking one after another and whipping them on their naked backs in a most 88 LIFE OF BATES, inliuman manner. This dreadful work was in progress for several hours, and ceased about nine o'clock at night, the officers intending to finish next day. But they did not have time to carry out their cruel work ; for orders were given to transship us all on board a frigate near by, that was weighing her anchors to put to sea. In a few days we came to Plymouth, where we were re-examined, and all such as were pro- nounced in good condition for service in the Brit- ish navy were transferred to one of their largest- sized stationary ships, called the " Saint Salva- dore Del Mondo." On this monstrous floating castle were fifteen hundred persons in the same condition as myself Here, in conversation with a young man from Massachusetts, we agreed to try to make our es- cape if we perished in the attempt. We prepared us a rope, and closely watched the soldiers and sailors on guard till they were being relieved from their posts at midnight. We then raised the " hanging port " about eighteen inches, and put the " tackle fall " into the liands of a friend in the secret, to lower it down when we were beyond the reach of the nmsket balls. Our rope and blanket, about thirty feet long, reached the wa- ter. Forbes, my companion, whispered, " Will you follow ?" I replied, " Yes. " By the time he reached the water, I was sli])ping down after him, when the alarm ran through the shij). " A man overboard." Our friend dropjied the " port " for fear of being detected, which left me exposed to the fire of the sentinels. But I was soon in the water, and swam to a hiding-place under the "accommodation ladder" by the time the boats were manned with lanterns to hunt us out. A'lTEMPT 'I'O SWIM AWAY. 39 We watched for an opportunity to take an oppo- site direction from our pursuers, who were re- peatedly hailed from the ship to know if they had found any one. We had about three miles to swim with our clothes on, except our jackets and shoes ; these I had fastened on the back of my neck to screen me from a chance shot from the ship. An officer with men and lanterns de- scended the accommodation ladder, and sliding his hand over the " slat " he touched my hand, and immediately shouted, " Here is one of them ! Gome out of that, you sir ! Here is another ! Come out, you sir ! " We swam round to them, and were drawn upon the stage. " Who are you ? " demanded the officer. " An American." " How dare you undertake to swim away from the ship ? Did you not know that you were lia- ble to be shot ? " I answered that I was not a subject of King George, and had done this to gain my liberty. " Bring them up here ! " was the order from the ship. After another examination we were put into close confinement with a number of criminals awaiting their punishment. After some thirty hours of close confinement, I was separated from my friend, and hurried away with about one hundred and fifty sailors (all strangers to me), to join His Majesty's ship, ■' Rodney," of 7-t guns, whose crew numbered about seven hundred men. As soon as we had ]>assed our muster on the quarter-deck of the Rodney, all were permitted to go below and get their dinners but Bates. Commander Bol- ton handed the first lieutenant a paper, on reading which he looked at me and muttered, " Scoundrel." All the boats' crews, amounting to more than one Inmdred men, were iramedi- 40 LIFE OF BATES. ately assembled on the quarter-deck. Said Oapt. Bolton, " Do you see that fellow ?" " Ves, sir." " If you ever allow him to get into one of your boats, I will flog every one of the boats' crew." "Do you understand me?" "Yes, sir, yes, sir," was the reply. " Then go down to your dinners ; and you may, too, sir." 1 now began to learn something of the nature of my punishment for attempting in a quiet and peaceable manner to quit His Majesty's service, in the commanding officer's view this seemed to amount to an unpardonable crime, and one nevei' to 1)6 foi'gotten. In a few hours the Rodney, undei' a cloud of sail, was leaving old Plymouth in the distance, steering for the French coast to make war with the Frenchmen. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick ;" thus my hope of freedom ffom this oppressive state seemed to wane from my view like the land we were leaving in the distance. As our final destination was to join the British squadron in the Gulf of Lyons, in the Meditciia- nean Sea, we made a stop at Cadiz, in Spain. Here the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte wei'e bombarding the city and Bntish and Span- ish ships of war in the harbor. These comprised a part of the Spanish fleet that finally escaped from the battle of Trafalgar, under Lord Nelson, in LSOo, and were now to be refitted by their ally, the English, and sail for Port Mahon in the Medi- terranean. Unex])ectedly, I was one of fifty se- lected to refit and man one of them, the "Apollo." A few days after passing the Straits of Gibraltar, we encountered a most violent gale of wind called a "levanter," common in those seas, which caused our shi)) to laboi- so excessively that it was witli NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. 41 the utmost exertion at the pumps that we kept her from sinking. We were finally favored to return back to Gibraltar and refit. A number of Spanish officers with their fami- lies still belonged to the ship. It was wonderful and strange to us to see how tenaciously these people hung around their images, surrounded with burning wax candles, as though they could save them in this perilous hour, when nothing short of our continual labor at the pumps prevented the ship from sinking with us all. After refitting at Gibraltar, we sailed again, and arrived safely at the island of Mahon. Here T made another attempt to regain my liberty with two others, by inducing a native to take us to land in his market boat. After some two days and nights of fruitless labor to escape from the island by boats or otherwise, or from those who were well paid for apprehending deserters, we deemed it best to venture back. Our voluntary return to the ship was finally accepted as evi- dence that we did not design to desert from the service of King George III. Thus we escaped from being publicly whipped. Our crew was now taken back to Gibraltar to join the Rodney, our own ship, which had just ar- rived in charge of another Spanish line-of-battle ship for Port Mahon, having a crew of fifty of the Rodney's men. In company with our Spanish consort, we sailed some eighty miles on our way to Malaga, where we discovered the combined ar- mies of the English and Spanish in close engage- ment with the French army on the sealioard. Our ship was soon moored broadside to the shore. As the orders for furling the sails were not promptly obeyed, by reason of the Frenchmen's 42 T.IFK OF IJATKS. shot Irum the fort, all hands were ordered aloft, and there remained exposed to the enemy's shot until the sails were furled. This was done out of anger. While in this condition, a single well- directed shot might have killed a score, but for- tunately none were shot till all had reached the deck. Our thirty-two pound balls made dread- ful havoc for a little while in the enemy's ranks. Nevertheless, they soon managed to bring their enemies between us, and thereby check our firing. Then, with a furious onset they drove them to their fortress ; and many seeing our boats near the shore rushed into the sea, and were either shot by the French or drowned, exce]jt what the boats floated to our ship. This work commenced about '1 P. M., and closed with the setting sun. After disposing of the dead, and washing their blood from the decks, we sailed away with our Spanish consort for Port Mahon. Just before reaching there, another levanter came on so sud- denly that it was with much difficulty that we could manage our newly built ship. Our Span- ish consort, unprepared for such a violent gale, was dashed to pieces on the island of Sardinia, and nearly every one of the crew perished. After the gale we joined the British fleet, con- sisting of about thirty line-of-battle ships, carry- ing from eighty to one hundred and thirty guns ajiiece, besides frigates and sloops of war. Our work was to blockade a much larger fleet of French men-of-war, mostly in the harlior of Tou- lon. With these we occasionally had skirmishes, or running fights. The French squadron was not prepared, neither disposed, to meet the En- glish fleet in battle. To impi-ove our mental faculties, when we had CHURCH SERVICE. 43 a few leisure moments from ship duty and naval tactics, we were furnished with a liljrary of two choice Ijooks for every ten men. We had seventy of these li1)raries in all. The first book was an abridgement of the life of Lord Nelson, calculated to inspire the mind to deeds of valor, and to teach the most summary way of disposing of an unyield- ing enemy. This, one of the ten men could read, when he had leisure, during the last six days of each week. The second was a small Church-of- England prayer-book, for special use al»out one hour on the first day of the week. CHURCH SERVICE ON BOARD A KlNC's SHIP. As a general thing, a chaplain was allowed for every large ship. When the weather was pleas- ant, the quarter-deck was fitted with awnings, flags, benches, osed to grant. I was retpiiied to do the duty of an able seaman the last part of my service, and was told that I was so rated, where I was stationed on the maintop. While a prisoner of war in 1813, the navy agent paid me £14, 2s. Od., or $62.71. This, including my coarse, cheap wearing apparel (for a mild climate), served out from what the of- ficers call the sailors " slop chest," was all the com- pensation England allowed me for my services for some two years and a half; after which they held me a prisoner of war two and a half years longer, treating and regarding me In the same manner, without any mitigation or favor, as those of our countrymen who were taken in privateers or in battle. But if England feels disposed at this late hour of my sojourn here to do me justice, it will be very acceptable. Our berths on board the cartel were much crowded together, and were prepared for both sleeping and eating, with a narrow pass- way, just wide enough to admit of our passing up on deck, and down, rank and hie. The next morning we weighed our anchor and passed out of the harbor under a cloud of sail, with a fair wind. Very soon we took our de])arture from old England, and were glad enough to find ourselves on the wide ocean steering westward. Nothing worthy of note occurred on board until we reached the eastern edge of the celebrated banks of New- foundland, except the little sea larks which came BANKS OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 91 fluttering in our wake, seemingly overjoyed to find another ship and her company on the ocean, from which they could obtain their daily allow- ance of food. How they rest in the night, if they do at all, is the marvel ! Sailors call them " Mother (Jarey's chickens," perhaps in honor of a good old lady by that name, for her kind care and sympathy for poor sailors. When a few days out, we learned from the captain that J\lr. Beasley, our consul at London, had chartered this ship to land us at City Point (a long distance up the James E.iver, Va.), and load with tobacco for London. We considered this a cruel and unwarrantable act of Mr. B.'s, for only about six of our number would be ac- commodated, while the rest would have to travel hundreds of miles to reach their homes in New York and New England, if they could beg their way. We expostulated with the captain, but he declared he would not deviate from his charter to land us at any other place. The prisoners declared on the other hand, that his ship should never carry us to City Point ; wherevipon ar- rangements were soon made among us in a pri- vate manner, in case of a revolution in our float- ing castle, who the captain and officers should be. As we approached the eastern edge of the banks of Newfoundland, about two-thirds of the distance across the Atlantic Ocean, I found we were in the place where I was shipwrecked by the ice several years before, as related in a pre- vious chapter. As this perilous place became the topic of conversation, we learned that a number among us had experienced like difficulties in passing over these banks in the spring season of the year. Capt. Carr said he had made fifteen 92 LTFE OF BATES. voyages to Newfoundland and never had seen any ice, and he did not believe there was any in our way. In the afternoon we saw a large patch of sheet-ice. We asked the captain what he called that. He acknowledged that it was ice. As the night set in the wind increased to a gale from the east. (^apt. Can-, unmindful of all that had been said to him respecting the danger of ice in our track, still kept the sliip scudding before the gale under a close-reefed main-top-sail and foresails, determined to have his own way rather than lay by until morning, as suggested by some of the prisoners. Some thirty of us, un- willing to trust to the captain's judgment, took our position on the bow and bowsprit of the ship to look out for ice. At midnight the shi]:) was driving furiously before the gale and storm, evi- dently without any hope of our having time to avoid ice if we should see it, and in danger of being dashed in pieces without a moment's warn- ing. We also felt a marked change in the air. In this dilemma we decided to take the ship from the captain and heave her to. We fountl him at the quarter-deck conning * the ship. We briefly stated our dangerous position, and told him that about three hundred souls were at the mercy of his will ; and now, if he did not round his ship to, im wotdd do it for him. Seeing our determi- nation to act in this matter immediately, he cried out to his crew, "Round in the larboard main l)race ! Put the helm a-starboard !" This laid the main-top-sail to the mast, and let the ship come by the wind. * Conning: In seamen's language, guiding or directing a ves- sel by orders to the steersman. MUTINY ON THE HIGH SEAS. 93 This . being done, tlie onward progress of the ship was stayed until the dawn of the morning, which showed us how narrowly we had escaped with our lives. Large islands of ice lay right in our track, and if we had continued to run before the gale we should have been in the midst of them, in imminent danger of being dashed in pieces. The willfulness of Capt. Carr was now evident to all, and the course we pursued in re- quiring him to heave the ship to was also justi- fiable. And after the ship was again turned on her onward course, and passing these huge islands of ice, we were all stin-ed to watch until we had passed the banks and were again safe in the fathomless ocean. These bodies of ice had the appearance of large cities in the distance, and iiad it not been for our forethought, would in all probability have been the cause of our immedi- ate destruction. Moi-eover, a large majority of us were satisfied that this was the best time to take the ship from the captain and proceed to New York or Boston, from whence we could more readily reach our homes ; for we had decided and declared, as be- fore stated to Capt. Carr, that his ship should never take us to City Point, Va., where his char- ter party required him to land us. Having passed beyond all danger from ice, the most difii- cult point for us to decide was, which of the two ports we should steer for, if we took the ship. Suddenly and unexpectedly, one of our company placed himself amid-ship upon the main hatch- way, and with a stentorian voice cried out, " All you that are for New York go on the starboard side of the ship, and all that are for Boston go on the larboard side ! " Sides were immediately 04 LIFE OK BATES. taken, when it was flcclared ttiat the greatest luimlior were on tlie starboard side; lience the ship was bound for New York. < 'apt. Carr stood in our midst, near by the man at the wheel, gaz- ing at this unlooked-for and strange movement, when suddenly one of our number took the wheel from the helmsman. ( 'a|>t. Oarr de- manded that he should leave it immediately, and ordered his man to take the helm again. A number of us also urged our friend to take the helm, assuring him that we would pro- tect him. At this ('apt. ( '. became very much enraged, saying what he would do with us if he had a crew able to cope with us. But he saw tliat resistance was vain ; we had taken posses- sion of the helm, the ship therefore would no longer be steered by his direction. Seeing what was done, he called us a " rabble," " roughally," etc., for taking his shi]> from him on the high seas, and wished to know what we were going to do with her, and who was to be the captain. Capt. Conner, of Philadelphia, was lifted up by those who stood near him, and placed with his feet on the head of the capstan (a cylinder four feet high, with levers to weigh the anchors, etc.). " There is our captain !" cried the multitude. Said ('apt. Carr, "Are you going to take charge of my ship, ('apt. (Conner?" "No-, sir," was the reply. " Yes, you shall ! " was the unanimous cry. " I do n't want anything to do with her," said Capt. Conner. " You shall," was the loud cry, " or we will throw you overboard ! " " You hear what they say, Capt. CaiT. What shall I do?" "Take her, take her, Capt. Conner," said the English commander. This being settled, Capt. Carr began to call us hard name« again. SPEAK AN AMEHTCAN MHII>. 95 So) lie that stood near him advised hini to cease and get down into his cabin as soon as })ossible, out of the way of danger. He did so, and order was soon restored. Capt. ( ionner took charge of the ship, and named three officers for mates. A number of us volunteered as sailors to man the ship, and we were divided into three watches, that every advantage might be taken to urge our ship onward for the port of New York under all the sail she could bear. Capt. C'arr and crew had their liberty, and were treated kindly ; but they were not allowed to inter- fere with the sailing of the ship. He declared that if the vessel ever arrived in the States he would have us all arraigned before the United States Court for taking his ship from him on the high seas. The idea of being deprived of our liberty and ar- raigned before our country for trial in this case, on our arrival, troubled us some ; nevertheless, we were resolved to keep charge until we ar- rived. A shi]) was seen bearing down toward us, with American colors flying. We hoisted English col- ors. It was a rare sight to see one of our own country's ships, with the stars and stripes floating at her peak. As she came riding triumphantly within speaking distance by our side, the cry was given, " What ship is that ? " " Where are you from ? " and, " Where bound to ? " Answer : " From the United States, bound to Europe." " What ship is that ? " etc. Answer : " The Mary Ann, of London, a cartel with American prison- ers from Dartmoor, England, bound to the United States." A few more inquiries, and as each ship filled away for its onward voyage, we gave them three loud cheers, so glad were we to see the face 96 LIFE OF BATES. of some one from our native country afloat on the wide ocean. About ten days after the revolution, or time we took the ship, we saw the land looming in the distance before us. As we drew near the (vjast, we learned to our great joy that it was Block Island, R. 1., about forty miles frcnn eake Bay as fast as the ebb-tide and a strong north-west gale could move us. We were all thinly clad in our working-dress, and had but little room to move about to keep ourselves from freezing. We had now been in the boat from about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. At the going down of the sun we looked every way to learn how we should direct our course if the sea should break up the ice that bound us. We judged ourselves from twelve to fifteen miles distant from our vessel, as she was waning from our view. The distant shores to leeward appeared unapproachable on account of ice. The prospect of deliverance before another day seemed hopeless, even if any one of us should survive the cheerless, bitter cold night before us. A few scattered lights to windward on the w^estern shore of Maryland, some seven or eight miles distant, still gave us a ray of hope, though they were at the time unapproachable. About 1) o'clock in the evening the ice began to break away from us, and soon left us in the open sea. We manned our oars and ]iullcd for one of the above-named lights on the windward shore, all of which were extinfjuishcd in a few hours. After about six hours' incessant rowing against the wind and sea, the boat struck the bottom about an eighth of a mile from the shore, so loaded with ice that had l)een made from the wash of the sea, both outside and in, that .she tilled Avith water soon after we left her, and froze up, leaving her gunwale level with the ice. BUFFETING W[TH THE ICE AND WAVES. 105 The second mate waded through the water and ice to the shore to look for a house, while we were preparing to secure the boat. He soon re- turned with the joyful news that there was one not far off, and the family were making a fire for us. It was now 3 o'clock in the morning, and we had been about thirteen hours in the boat, with hardly any cessation from laboring and stirring about to keep from freezing, except the last fifteen or twenty minutes. I now requested all to get out of the boat. The acute pain on getting into the water, which was about three feet deep, was indescribable, while the frost that -^as in us was coming to the surface of our bodies. I called again to get out of the boat, when I saw that " Tom," my best man, was at the side of the boat so fast asleep, or dying with the frost, that I could not wake him. I hauled him out of the boat into the water, keeping his head up until he cried out, '' Where am I ?" and got hold of the boat. One I saw was still in the boat. " Stone !" said I, " why do n't you get out of the boat ? " "I will," said he, " as soon as I get my shoes and stockings off!" He was so bewildered he was not aware that his feet (as well as those of all the rest of us) had been soaking in water and ice all night. We got him out, and all of us started together. By the time we had broken our way through the newly-made ice to tlie shore, we were so V)enumbed that we could not crawl up the cliff I directed the sailors to follow the shore to the first open- ing, and I would come along with Stone as soon as I could get his shoes on. On entering the house, I perceived there was a great fire,and the men were lying with their feet to lOt) LIFE OF BATES. it, writhing in agony fiom their swollen limbs and acute pain. 1 rerjuested them to remove from the tii'e. As in the good providence of God we were now all in a place of safety, and 1 was relieved from my almost overwhelming anxiety and sus- pense, 1 moved to the opposite comer of the room, and sank down with exhaustion. As soon as I was relieved by our kind host and his com- panion, feeling still faint, I got out of the house on the deep snow, where it appeared to me I could hardly survive the excruciating pain which seemed to be racking my whole frame, and espe- cially my head, caused by the frost coming out of my whole body. Thus the Lord delivered and saved me. Thanks to his name. By keeping away from the hot tire until the frost came out of my body, I was the only one who escaped from frozen limbs and protracted sickness. Many years after this I fell in with " Tom," in South America. He told me how much he had suffered, and was still suffering, since that perilous night. Capt. Merica and his companion (for this was the name of our kind friendsj provided us with a warm meal, and very kindly welcomed us to their home and table. After surudse, by the aid of a erlass, we saw that the Criterion was afloat, drifting in the ice down the bay toward us, showing a signal of distress — colors flying half- mast. It was not possible, however, for any hu- man being to approach them while they were in the floating ice. We expected they were in a sinking condition, as she was cut through with the ice before we were separated from her. As the Criterion passed within four miles of the shore where we were, we could see the captain TEDIOUS TRIP TO BALTIMORE. 107 and pilot pacing the deck, watching to .see wliat would be their destiny. We hoisted a signal on the clif}', but they appeared not to notice it. We saw that the Criterion was careened over to star- board, which kejit the holes made by the ice on her larboard side out of the water. Before night the Criterion passed us again, drifting up the bay with the flood tide, and so continued to drift about for two days, until in a violent north-east snow-storm she was driven to her final destina- tion and burying-place. When the storm abated, with the aid of a spy- glass, we saw the Criterion lying on Love Point, on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay, distant about twelve miles. As there was no communi- cation with the suft'erers only by the way of Baltimore, and thence around the head of the bay, across the Susquehanna, I decided to pro- ceed to Baltimore and inform the consignees and shippers of her situation. Capt. Merica said it was about thirty miles distant, and a good part of the way through the woods, and, over bad roads, especially then, as the snow was about one foot deep. Said he, " If you decide to go I will lend you my horse." Said his companion, " I will lend you a dollar for your expenses." After a fatiguing journey fi'om morning until nine in the evening, I reached Baltimore. The consignees furnished me with money to pay our board on shore as long as we were obliged to stay, and orders to merchants in Annapolis for cables and anchors, if we needed them, to get the Criterion afloat again. Some two weeks from the time we were sepa- rated from the Criterion, the weathei- moderated and became more mild, and the drifting ice much 108 T,IKE OF I'.ATKS. broken. (Japt. Merica, with some of his slaves, assisted us to cut our boat out of the ice and re- pair her. With our crew somewhat recovered, and two stout slaves of Capt. M.'s, we run our b.oat on the ice until we broke through into deep water, and climbed into her. Then with our oars and borrowed sail we steei'ed through the broken ice toward the Criterion. As we drew near her, we saw that she was heeled in toward the shore, and a strong current was hurrying us past her, into a dangerous place, unless we could get hold of a rope to hold us. We hailed, but no one answered. I said to the men, " Shout loud enough to be heard !" The two slaves, fear- ing we were in danger of being fastened in the ice, set up such a hideous noise that the cook showed his head at the upper, or weather side, and disappeared immediately. We caught a hanging rope as we were passing her bow, which held us safely. The captain and pilot, in con- sternation, came rushing toward us, as I leaped on the deck of the Criterion to meet them. "Why," said Capt. Cofhn, as we grasped each other's hand, " where did you come from, Mr. Bates?" "From the western shore of Mary- land," I replied. " Why," said he, " I expected all of you were at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay ! I buried you that night you passed out of our sight, not supposing it possible for you to live through the night." The Criterion had ]mrted her cables and lost her anchor in the violent storm that drove her to the shore. Her cargo was yet undamaged. The captain and pilot consented for me to take part of the crew and return to the city of An- napolis, to })rocure cables and anchors. This we CARGO SAVED, 109 accomplished, but were prevented from returning for several days, on account of another driving storm, in which the Criterion bilged and filled with water, and those on board abandoned her in time to save their lives. During the winter, with a gang of hired slaves (our men were on the sick list), we saved nearly all the cargo in a damagfed state. The men that were chosen to survey the Criterion judged there was one hundred and seventy tons of ice on her hull and rigging, caused by the rushing of the sea over her and freezing solid. After stripping her, in the spring, she was sold for twentjj dollars ! I returned to Baltimore and commenced an- other voyage as chief mate of tlie biig Frances F. Johnson, of Baltimore, for South America. Our crew were all black men, the captain's peculiar choice. I often regretted that we two were the only white men on board, for we were sometimes placed in peculiar circumstances, in consequence of being in the minority. With the exception of some dry goods, we disposed of most of our cargo in Maranham and Para. The last-mentioned place lies about one hundred miles up from the mouth of the river Amazon, the mouth of the river being on the equator. Here we took in a return cargo for Baltimore. On our homeward voyage we stopped at the French island of Martinico. After taking our place among the shipping near the shore, and remaining a few days, the captain and myself were unexpectedly ordered on board by the commodore, who reprimanded us because we had failed to comply with a trilling point in his orders, for which he ordered us to leave the place in the morningf. We considered this uui^enerous no LIFE OF BATES. and severe, and without precedent; but we obeyed, and had but scarcely cleared ourselves from the island when a dreadful hurricane com- menced (which is common in the West Indies about the autumnal equinox), causing such de- vastation among the shipping and seamen that in a few hours about one hundred vessels were dashed in pieces at their moorings, and sunk with their crews on board, and some were driven to sea in a helpless condition, leaving but two ves- sels saved in the harbor in the morning ! It was with much difficulty we cleared our- selves from the island during the day, because of the sudden changing of the wind from almost every quarter of the compass. We were pretty well satisfied that a violent storm was at hand, and made what preparations we deemed neces- sary to meet it. We fortunately escaped from the most violent part of it with but little damage, and arrived safely at St. Domingo. A sloop from New York City came in a few days after us, the captain of which stated what I have already re- lated respecting the storm and disaster at Mar- tinico. Said he, " We arrived off the harbor of Martinico at the commencement of the hurricane, and as we were driven at the mercy of the storm, in the darkness of the night, while we were en- deavoring to hold ourselves to the deck around our boat, which was lying bottom upwards, strongly lashed to ring-bolts in the deck, she was taken by the violence of the wind from our midst, and not one of us knew when, or how, or where she had g(me." The miracle with them was that they survived the storm. But still more wonderful, with us, that we, while attend- ing to our lawful business, should in such an un- MARRIAGE. Ill expected and unprecedented manner he driven from the place where none but the omniscient eye of Jehovah could tell of the terrible destruction that in a few hours was to come upon those we left behind. Surely, through his saving mercy and providential care, we were hurried out of that harbor just in time to be left still numbered among the living. ' ' God moves in a mysterious way. His wonders to perform. " Capt. Sylvester here gave me the command of the F. F. Johnson, to proceed to Baltimore with the homeward cargo, while he remained in St. Domingo to dispose of the balance of the outward cargo. At the time of sailing I was sick, and fearing my disease was the yellow fever I had my bed brought upon the quarter-deck, and re- mained exposed to the open day and night air, and soon recovered my health. We arrived safe- ly in Baltimore, the beginning of January, 1818. From thence I returned to my father's, in Fair- haven, Mass., having been absent some two years and a half Feb. 15, 1818, I was united in mar- riage to Miss Prudence M., daughter of Capt. Obed Nye, my present wife. Six weeks subsequent to this, I sailed on an- other voyage, chief mate of the ship Frances, Capt. Hitch, of New Bedford, taking command of the vessel. We proceeded to Baltimore, Md., where we loaded with tobacco for Bremen, in Europe. From thence we proceeded to Goiten- berg, in Sweden, where we loaded again with bar-u'on for New Bedford, Mass. I will here relate an incident which occurred 112 lifp: of bates. on our passage from Bremen to Gottenberg, to show how persons are wrought upon sometimes in their sleep. We were passing what is called " The Scaw," up the C*attegat, not a very safe place in a gale, in company with a large convoy of British merchantmen bound into the Baltic Sea. Ca])t. H., unusual for him, remained on deck until midnight, at which time the larboard watch was called. The night was uncommonly light, pleasant, and clear, with a good, wholesale, flowing breeze — all the convoy sailing onward in regular order. (Ja])t. H. requested me to follow a certain large ship, and be particular to keep about so far astern of her, so that if we saw her in difficulty we ccnild alter our course in time to avoid the same. Before my four hours' watch was out, Captain H. came up to the gangway, saying, " Mr. Bates, what are you about, carrying sail in this way ? Clew down the top-sails and reef them ! Where is that ship ? " " Yonder," said I, "a])Out the distance she was when you went down below ! " 1 saw his eyes were wide open, but still I could not believe he was in bis right mind in addressing me in the peremptory manner he did. Said I, " Capt. Hitch, you are asleep ! " " Asleep ! " said he, " I never was wider awake in my life ! Clew the top-sails down and reef them ! " I felt provoked at this unusual arbitrary treatment without the least cause, and cried out at the toj) of my voice, " Forward there ! Call all hands to reef the top- sails ! " This waked up the captain, who in- quired, "What's the matter?" Said I, "You have been giving orders to reef the top-sails!" " Have I ? 1 did not know it. Stop them from doing so, and 1 will go down again out of the way." ALLOWANCE OF WATER. 113 As Capt. H. was part owner of the ship, with the prospect of making a few thousand dollars with a cargo of iron, he loaded the ship very deep, but did not seem to apprehend any partic- ular danger until we encountered a snow-storm as we entered the North Sea, which determined us to go " north about," and brought us in the vicinity of " Rockal " in a violent storm in the night, which aroused our feelings and caused deep anxiety until we were satisfied we were past all danger from it. CHAPTER IX. ALLOWANCE OF WATER — CASTING CARGO INTO THE .SEA — ALLOWANCE OP PROVISIONS — TERRIBLE STORM — GULF STREAM — DEAD CALM AND RUSHING HURRICANE — THE cook's prayer — SILENT AGONY — WALLOWING BETWEEN THE SEAS — MORE RESPECTING THE GALE— LEAK INCREAS- ING SUPPLY OF PROVISIONS— COUNCIL — BEAR UP FOR THE WEST INDIES — REPORTED — SAFE ARRIVAL IN THE WEST INDIES. Our heavy cargo of iron, and prevailing west- erly gales, caused our ship to labor so incessantly that she began to leak very freely. We got up about twenty tons of iron and secured it on the upper deck. This eased her laboring some, but still the westerly gales prevailed, and we gained westward but slowly. At length Capt. Hitch said, " We must come on an allowance of water ; " and asked how much I thought we could begin with. I answered, " Two quarts per day." " Two quarts of water per day ! " said he, " why, I never drank Bates. 8 114 LIFE OF BATES. two (|uarts of water a osing the ship to the irreg- idar cross-seas that might render her unmanage- able, and wrench licr in piecrs. W<^ Hist steered LEAK INCREASING. 123 north-west before a most violent south-east gale, and in a moment of time our sails were all aback with the gale from the north-west ; then in a few moments followed a dead calm for about fifteen minutes, rendering the ship unmanageable ; and then came a raging hurricane from the west-south- west, veering in four days round by the north to the east, our course being north-east between the seas ; then east and south-east, south and south-west. In this manner, in about four days, we run three-quarters of the way round the com- pass, some hundreds of miles further from home than we were at the hight of the storm. This was the most peculiar and trying storm in all my experience ; neither have I read of the like in its nature and duration. The marvel with us was that our good old ship had weathered this most trying time. Her leak, however, had in- creased to twelve thousand strokes of the pump in twenty-foul" hours. Again, by a unanimous decision, we launched another twenty tons of our iron cargo into the sea. We endeavored to steer for a southern port, but the westerly winds continued to check our progress westward. Winter had now fairly commenced, and our provisions and water were getting so low that we were about to reduce our allowance, while our constant labor at the pumps was also reducing our strength. We saw vessels occasionally, but at too gi-eat a distance to ap- proach them. We made an extra etfort, and sailed for one until night- fall, and then, to induce her to approach us, we rigged a spar over our stem, on which we fastened a barrel with tar, and hied it, to make them believe we were on fii*e, and so come to ouj- relief, but to no ])urpose. 124 LIFE OF BATES. Soon after this, when things began to look more dubious, just at the close of a gale of wind, about midnight, we saw a vessel directly ahead steering toward us. She soon answered our sig- nal by hoisting her " lanthorn," and soon we met within speaking distance. " Where are you from?" " New York," was the reply. "Where are you bound ? " " South America." " Can you spare us some provisions ? " " Yes, as much as you want ; I am loaded with them." " Lay by us and we will send our boat." " Very well." Capt. Hitch's heart began to fail him as we began to clear away our small boat. Said he, " The swell is so high the boat will be swamped, and I dare not have you go, Mr. Bates. To lose some of the crew now would be very discourag- ing, and how could the ship be saved in her leaky, sinking condition?" "But, Capt. Hitch, we are in want of provisions, and can now get a supply." He still declared himself unwilling to command any one to attempt it. Said I, " Al- low me, then, to call for volunteers." He contin- ued iiTesolute. Fearing we should mi-s this op- portunity, I inquired, " Who among you will vol- unteer to go with me in the boat ?" "I will go for one, sir." " I will go," " and 1 will go," said others. "That will do," said I, "three are enough." In a few moments we were almost out of sight of our ship, steering for the signal light. One sea boarded us, and about half hlled the boat. With one hand bailing out the water, and the other two at the oars, we reached the brig. On account of the rough sea we could cany but a few barrels of bread and Hour. I gave the cap- tain a draft on our owners in New Bedford. " Your name is Bates," said he ; " are you related STJPPLT OF PROVISIONS. 125 to Dr. Bates, of Barre, Massachusetts ? " " He is my brother." "Well, I am his near neighbor; T left there a few weeks ago. Do n't you want some more ? " " No, sir. Only if you will fill away and tow us to the windward of our ship we will be much obliged," This done, we reached the ship in safety, and soon had our supply of bread and flour safely landed on deck. Our boat was stowed away, and each vessel filled away on its course. Capt. H. was almost overjoyed at our safe return with a supply of provisions to carry us into port. The westerly winds, how- ever, prevailed, and our ship's bottom had be- come so foul with grass and barnacles that she moved very slowly. We prepared a scraper, with which we were enabled in a calm to scrape some of it off". Bushels of barnacles as large as thimbles, and gi-een grass two feet long, would rise under our stern as we hauled the scraper un- der her bottom, all of which had accumulated during our passage. Again we met with a vessel from the West Indies, which supplied us with three casks of wa- ter; after which a ship from Portland supplied us with potatoes from her cargo. These were very acceptable, not only for a change of diet, but also to check the scurvy, which is common with those seamen who are obliged to subsist on salted provisions. In a few weeks we obtained another short supply, and were animated with the hope of reaching some port on the coast in a few days. But our buoyant hopes would sink again with the increasing westerly gales, and we would wish that we had taken a larger supply of provisions. Thus we continued to toil on, gain- ing sometimes a considerable distance westward. 120 LIFE OF BATES. and llicii III one gale losing almost jis iiiiich dis- tance as we gained in a week befoe. Three times after this we obtained a supply of what could be spared from different vessels we met with, making in all seven different times. And it had become a common saying with us that at the very time we needed i-elief it came. Wicked as we still were, we could but acknowl- edge the hand of a merciful God in it all. Final- ly, we began to despair, contending with the al- most continual wes,terly winds in our disabled condition, and called all hands in " council," to determine whether, in our perilous position, to preserve our lives, we should change the voyage, and run for a port in distress. It was decided unanimously that we bear up for the West Indies. After running about two days south, the wind headed us from that quarter. As the ship was now heading westward, Capt. H. concluded he could reach a southern port in the United States. But the wind changed again, which cut off this prospect. Capt. H. now regretted that he had taken it upon him to deviate from the decision of the council, and wished me to call another, and see if it would be decided for us to bear up again for the West Indies. The whole crew expressed themselves in favor of adhering to our previous decision, to steer for the West Indies ; but what was the use of deciding ? Capt. H. would turn back again as soon as the wind came fair to steer westward. I stated that if he did T should op- pose him, and insist on abiding by the decision we then made in council. It was a unanimous * * When a deviation from a policy of insurance is made in a Tea- sel's voyage, it is required to bs done by the majority or whole REPORTED. 127 . vote to bear np in djfstrcss for the Wosi Indies. Capt. H. was not present. Shortly after we changed our course, we met a schooner from the West Indies, bound to New York. We requested the ca]itain to report the ship Frances, Hitch, one hundred and twenty -two days from Gottenberg, in Sweden, bound to St. Thomas, in the West Indies, in distress. As letters had reached our friends, advising them of our sailing from Gottenberg for New Bedford some four months previous, one-third of the time being sufficient for a common passage, various conjecture's were afloat respecting our destiny. Few, if any, believed that we were numbered among the living. As the New York packet was leaving the wharf for New Bedford and Fairhaven, the schooner arrived and reported us. In about twenty-four hours the New York packet touched at Fairhaven wharf with the report, one day in advance of the mail. My wife, father, mother, and sisters were on a social visit at my sister's near the wharf. Mr. B., my sister's husband, left them a few moments, and was standing on the wharf with other citizens of F., when the lirst item of intelligence from the packet as she touched the wharf was that a schooner had ar- rived in New Y^ork from the West Indies, which had fallen in with the ship Frances, Hitch, in lat. , and long. , one hundred and twenty- two days from Gottenberg, bound to St. Thomas, crew in council, that they do so for the preservation of lives, or vessel and cargo; this transaction being recorded in the daily journal or log-book of said vessel, that the owners may lawfully recover their insurance, if a loss occurs after deviation. The same is required when casting cargo overboard to preserve life. 128 LIFE OF BATES. "in distress." With this unexpected item of news, ^Fr. B. hurned back to the family circle, declaring that the ship Frances was still afloat, bound to the West Indies. In a moment the scene was changed, and the news spread thr< ugh- out the village to gladden other hearts, for there were other husbands and sons on board the long- looked-for missing ship. On the arrival of the mail the next day, the news was confirmed. No piece of intelligence for many years had caused such universal joy in F. The principal owner of the ship and cargo (Wm. Roach, of New Bedford) said it gave him more joy to hear that the crew were all alive than all his interest in the ship and cargo. Owners and friends were exceedingly anxious to hear particulars, how we had been sus- tained such a length of time with only provisions and water for about half said time, also what had caused our delay. We had a successful run and passage to St. Thomas, one of the Virgin Islands in the West Indies, belonging to Denmark. The night pre- ceding our arrival, a schooner came in company with us, bound on the same course. By request of Capt. H., she consented to keep our company dur- ing the night, as hei" captain professed to be well acquainted with that region. The night was de- lightful, with a fair wind. The schooner took in all her sail except her top-sail lowered on the cap. We were under a cloud of sail, lower, top-mast, and top-gallant steering sails, all drawing and filled with the pleasant gale. The captain of the schooner seemed out of all patience with us be- cause we did not sail fast enough to keep up with him. About midnight he sheered up within speaking distance, and cried out, " Shij) ahoy .' " ARRIVAL IN THE AVEST INDIES. 129 "Halloo !" replied Capt. H. " Do you know what I would do with that ship if I commaruied her ? " " No," was the reply. " Well, sir," said he, " if I had charge of that ship I would scuttle her and send her to the bottom with all hands on board ! " Our ship's bottom was so full of grass and barna- cles that she sailed only half her usual speed. We arrived, however, the next day, and thought we felt thankful to God for preserving and sus- taining us through the perilous scenes we had experienced. Even when our ship was safely anchored and our sails all furled, for awhile we could hardly realize that we were safe in the har- bor of St. Thomas. Careening our ship to clean the bottom, it was wonderful to behold the quan- tity of green grass, from two to three feet long, and large barnacles on the bottom. The "sur- vey " decided that the ship could be repaired to proceed to the United States. CHAPTER X. A SrOILEO CHILIJ PASSAGE HOME FROM THE WEST INDIES FALSE AiARM ARRIVAL HOME VOYAGE IN THE SHIP NEW JERSEY — BREAKERS OFF BERMUDA — DANGEROUS POSITION IN A VIOLENT STORM — TURK's ISLAND — CARGO OF ROCK-SALT RETURN TO ALEXANDRIA, D. O.^ — VOYAGE TO LIVERPOOL STORM IN THE GULF STREAM — SINGULAR PHENOMENON ON THE BANKS OF NEWFOUNDLAND — AR- RIVAL AT LIVERPOOL — A GREAT CHANGE — AN OLD SHIP- MATE. While we were refitting in St. Thomas, C -apt. H. was going to visit an acquaintance of his on Sunday, and 1 proposed to spend a few hours on Bates. Cf 130 LIFE OF BATES, shore to see the place. Said he, " George wants to go on shore ; I wish you would take him with you, but don't let him go out of your sight." While I was conversing with an acquaintance, George was missing. When I returned to the boat in company with the mate of the vessel where Capt. H. was visiting, we saw George lying in the boat, drunk ! When we came to the ves- sel where his father was, he was exceedingly ag- gravated, and endeavored in several ways to arouse him from his stupor, and induce him to pull at the oar ; for his father arranged that we three alone would manage the boat, and leave the sailors on board. George was unable to do any- thing but reply very disrespectfully to his father, who also had to ply his oar to the ship. After George had somewhat recovered from his drunken spell, he made his appearance on the quarter-deck, when his father began to reprove, and threaten to chastise him, for disgracing him- self and his father among strangers, as he had done. A few more words passed, and George clinched his father and crowded him some dis- tance toward the stern of the ship before he could check him and get him down with his knee upon him. He then turned to me, saying, " Mr. Bates, what shall I do with this boy ?" I replied, "Whip him, sir ! " Said he, " I will ! " and slapped him a few times with the flat of his hand on his back saying, " There ' take that now ! " etc. George was so vexed and provoked because his father whif)ped him, that he ran down into the cabin to destroy himself. In a few moments the cook came rushing up from thence, saying, " (Jap- tain Hitch ! George says he is going to jump out of the cabin window and drown himself ! " " Let A SPOILED CHILD. 131 him jump !" said I. He had become sober enough by this time to know better, for he was a great coward. George Hitch was about thirteen years of age at this time, and when free from the influence of strong drink was a generous, good-hearted boy, and with right management would have proved a blessing instead of a reproach and curse, as he did, to his parents and friends. His father, in unburdening his heart to me about him, said, " When he was a child, his mother and I were afraid that he would not be roguish enough to make a smart man, so we indulged him in his childish roguery, and soon he learned to run away from school and associate himself with wicked boys, and the like, which troubled his mother so that she could not have him at home. This is why I have taken him with me." His father was aware that he would drink liq- uor whenever he could get it, and yet he would have the liquor in the decanter placed in the locker where George could get it whenever he pleased in our absence. Sometimes his father would ask the cook what had become of the liq- uor in the decanter. He knew that neither the second mate nor myself had taken it, for neither of us used strong drink ; hence he must have known that George took it. Our merchant in Gottenberg had placed in the hands of Capt. H. a case of very choice cordial as a present to Mrs. H. After our small stores and liquors were used up during our long passage, I saw George with his arms around his father's neck one evening in the cabin. Capt. H. said to me, " What do you think this boy wants ? " "I don't know, sir," 1 replied. "He wants me to 132 LIFE OF I5ATES. open the cordial case of liiy mother's and give him some of it." The indulgent father yielded, and very soon the mother's cordial case was emp- tied. This thirst for liquor, unchecked by his parents, ripened with his manhood, and drove him from all decent society, and finally to a drunkard's grave in the midst of his days. His mother mourned and wept, and died son'ow- ing for her ruined boy. His father lived to be tormented, and threatened with death if he did not give him money to giatify the insatiable thirst that was hastening him to an untimely end, and went down to the grave sorrowing that he had been the father of such a rebellious, un- natural child. Another warning to surviving parents who fail to follow the Bible, in obedi- ence to God's infallible rule. Prov. 22.: 6. On our passage from St. Thomas to New Bed- ford, Mass., we met a very tempestuous storm in the Gulf Stream, off Cape Hatteras. During the midnight watch George came rushing into the cabin, crying, " Father ! father .' the ship is sink- ing ! " The second mate, who had charge of the watch, followed, declaring the ship was going down. As all hands were rushing for the upper deck, I asked Mr. Nye how he knew the ship was sinking. " Because," said he, " she has set- tled two or three feet." We raised the after hatchway to see how much water was in the hold, and found no more than usual. The al- most continual cracking thunder and vivid light- ning in the roaiing storm alarmed and deceived them ; for the whole watch on deck also believed the ship was sinking. In about three weeks from St. Thomas we saw Block Island. Jn tlie morning we were about ANCHOR IN NEW BEDFORD. 133 twenty-Hve luilos froin New Bedford, when the wind came out ahead from the north in a strong gale, threatening to diive us off our soundings. We clinched our cables round the mast and cleared our anchors, detennined to make a des- perate effort, and try the strength of our cables in deep water rather than be blown off the coast. Then with what sail the ship could bear we be- gan to ply her head to windward for a harbor in the Vineyard Sound. The sea and spray rushed upon us and froze on the sails and rigging, so that before we tacked, which was often, we had to break off the ice from our sails, tacks, and sheets, with handspikes. In this way we gained about ten miles to windward during the day, and anchored in Tarpaulin Cove, about fifteen miles from New Bedford. Our signal was seen from the observatory in New Bedford just as we were passing into the cove. When our anchor reached the bottom, the poor, half-frozen crew were so overjoyed that they gave three cheers for a safe harbor. After two days the gale abat- ed, and we made sail and anchored in the har- bor of New Bedford, Feb. 20, 1819, nearly six months from Gottenberg. So far as I have any knowledge of ship-sailing, this was one of the most providential and singular passages from Europe to Amei^ica, in its nature and duration, that is on record. This voyage, including also our passage to the West Indies, could in ordinary weather be per- formed by our ship, when in good sailing trim, in less than sixty days. Our friends were almost as glad to see us as we were to get safely home. The contrast between the almost continual clank- ing of pumps to keep our ship afloat, and the liowl- 134 LIFE OF BATES. ing winter storms with which we had to con- tend, and good cheering firesides, surrounded by wives, children, and friends, was great indeed, and cheered us exceedingly. We thought we were thankful to God for thus preserving our lives. This was the third time I had returned home during ten years. " The Old Frances," as she was called, appar- ently ready to slide into a watery grave, was soon thoroughly repaired and fitted for the whal- ing business, which she successfully pursued in the Pacific and Indian Oceans for many years. Capt. L. C. Tripp and myself are now the only survivors. After a pleasant season of a few months at home with my family, I sailed again for Alexan- dria, D. C, and shipped as chief mate on board the ship New Jersey, of Alexandria, D. C, D. Howland, commander. We proceeded up James River near Richmond, Va., to load for Europe, but went from thei'e to Norfolk, Va., where we finally loaded and sailed for Bermuda. On our arrival at Bermuda, our ship drew so much water that it became necessary for us to anchor in open sea, and wait for a smooth time and fair wind to sail into the harbor. The cap- tain and pilot weitt on shore expecting to return, but were prevented on account of a violent gale and storm which came on soon after they reached the shore, which placed us in a trying and peril- ous situation for nearly two days. We were un- acquainted with the dangerous reefs of rocks with which the north and east sides of the island were bounded, but with the aid of our spy-glass, from the ship's mast-head, I could see, still many miles off in the ofixngr, the furious sea break- DANGEROUS POSITION. 135 ing mast-head high over the reefs of rocks east and north ; and on the west of us the island of Bermuda receiving the whole rake of the beat- ing sea against its rock-bound coast as far as the eye could extend to the south. From my place of observation I saw there was a bare possibility for our lives, if during the gale our ship should be driven from her anchors, or part her cable, to pass out by the south, provided we could show sail enough to weather the breakers on the south end of the island. Our storm-sails were now reefed, and every needful preparation made, if the cables parted, to chop them off at the wind- lass, and crowd on every storm- sail the ship could bear, to clear, if possible, the breakers under our lee. As the gale increased we had veered out almost all our cable, reserving enough to freshen the chafe at the bow, which was very fre- quent. But contrary to all our fearful forebod- ings, and the fears of those on shore who were filled with anxiety for our safety, especially our captain and pilot, our brow-beaten ship was seen at the dawn of the second morning still contending with her unyielding foe, holding to her well-bed- ded anchors by her long, straitened cables, which had been fully tested during the violent storm which had now begun to abate. As the sea went down, the captain and pilot returned, and the ship was got under way and safely anchored in the harbor, and we discharged our cargo. We sailed from Bermuda to Turk's Island for a cargo of salt. In the vicinity of this island is a group of low, sandy islands, where the inhabi- tants make large quantities of salt from the sea water. Passing by near these islands, strangers can see something near the amount of stock they 136 LIFE OF RATES. have on hand, as it is liea])csiiiess, arid when occasion required her to pass out to the shipping, or return back through these dangerous breakings of the sea, another company of Indians standing on the shore, as soon as the boat ap- proached the breakers on her way out, and they discovered the sea rising to break over her, would make a most hideous yell ! The boatmen would instantly head their boat for the breakers, and take a position with their oars to obey the helms- man's orders to keep the boat headed directly to the sea, while she was being violently tossed by the breakers ; and then they would pull for life to clear the sand-bar before another sea came. When the boat was returning, and they heard the watchmen's yell, the helmsman would steer the boat square before the rolling breakers, the oars- men pulling with all their strength. After two or three struggles, the danger was passed. The watchmen on the shore would raise a mighty, joyous shout, joined by the boatmen, announc- ing to all around, " All's well !" The people here, and in other places on the coast, have another kind of boats they call " cab- allos," or horses, on which they ride as people do on horseback. These horses are made of the com- mon tall flags, or rushes, securely lashed together about ten feet long, the large part about two feet in diameter, tapering to two inches at the small end. This end they turned up like the head of a boat to stand prominent out of the water, which cuts through the sea. The large part is to ride on. None but those that were well trained could ride this kind of horses, or keep them right side up but a few moments at a time. The people, especially the Indians, would move 170 LIFE OF BATES. thiongli the water in a manterly manner, even much faster than a common boat, with a double paddle, or the paddle blade fitted at both ends, seated as on horseback. It was interesting to see them paddle alternately on each side for the breakers, and when about to pass them, lie down on their horses while the breakers washed over them, and then paddle clear before the next one came. I was told that this kind of horses was of great impoi-tance on some parts of the coast, where the breakers would not admit a ship's boat to approach. Communications and dispatches were there made through the medium of these caballos, or Spanish horses. The Indians that were to convey the plata- pena to us had to pass through this dangerous place in the dark night, while their watchmen on the shore were waiting in suspense and deep anxiety their safe return. When we set the watch at night, I requested my brother, the chief mate, to be on deck until midnight, and if he saw any one floating on the water, appi'oaching us, to call me up. About midnight he called me, say- ing, " There are two men along-side, sitting in the water!" We lowered down empty water-buck- ets, and a lighted lantern, when the Indians un- fastened the bags of silver that were securely hung with lines underneath their caballos, and placed them in the buckets for us to haul up on deck. When it was all safely aboard they seemed very much pleased at the accomplish- ment of the job. It appeared to me at that sea- son of the night about an impossibihty for them to pass through those dangerous breakers. We gave them some refreshment as they sat on their water-horses, for they dared not leave them, but TROUBLE WITH THE OAPTAIN. 171 soon moved away as fast as popsible to relieve their waiting comi-ades on the shore, and to re- ceive the compensation that their employer had promised them. As their employer had declared, every particle was delivered to me as per invoice. I now delivered up the C'hatsworth to the pur- chaser, took leave of my officers and crew, my brother succeeding me in the command of the C, the second officer succeeding him as chief mate, to remain in the employ of the new own- ers to trade in the Pacific Ocean. I then took passage to Lima on board a Peruvian schooner. I was aware that I was risking much in the hands of this stranger and his crew, who might think that the large amount of money placed in their hands was of more value to them than my life ; but I had no other means of conveyance to Lima. I endeavored to manifest no fear, nor lack of confidence in him as a gentleman, but watched him very closely, and endeavored to keep the run of his vessel, and the course steered. We anchored in Callao Bay, after a passage of seven' days. Here he refused to deliver me the seven thousand dollars in silver, which I had placed in his care until our arrival in Callao, alleging that the government of Peru did not al- low him to deliver it to me. This he well under- stood when I placed it in his care to deliver to me on our arrival at Callao. He also knew that if he reported any specie on board belonging to a foreigner, no matter how honestly he came by it, the government would seize it for their own use. As the matter stood he would neither let me have it nor let the government know there was any silver on board his vessel. He then im- mediately cleared for another country, weighed 172 LIFE OF BATES. his anchor and proceeded to sea. I soon learned of his dishonest and wicked intentions. I was, at that time, on board of a ISIew Bedford whale- ship, and saw him under way. Capt. H. manned his whale-boat, and we soon overtook him. He still refused to deliver me the silvei', until he saw that resistance was vain. He then very reluct- antly allowed me to receive it, and continued on his voyage. We transferred the silver to the United States ship Franklin, 74, Commodore Stewart commanding, on deposit until we were ready for sea, as other Americans had to do for safe keeping. Mr. Swinegar, our Peruvian merchant, gave a large dinner-party to the captains and supercar- goes of the American vessels, and a number of the officers of the American squadron, Feb. 22, in honor of Gen. Washington's bu^th-day. As I was the only person at the table that had decided not to drink wine or strong drink because of its in- toxicating qualities, Mr. S. stated to some of his friends with him at the table that he would influ- ence me to drink wine with him. He fillecl his glass and challenged me to drink a glass of wine with him. I responded b}^ filling my glass with water ! He refused to drink unless I tilled mine with wine. I said, " Mr. Swinegar, I cannot do so, for I have fully decided never to drink wine." By this time the company were all looking at us. Mr. S. still waited for me to fill my glass with wine. Several urged me to comply with his re- quest. One of the lieutenants of the squadron, some distance down the table, said, " Bates, surely you will not object to taking a glass of wine with Mr. Swinegar." I replied that I could not do it. I felt embaiTassed and sorry that such a cheerful MONEY MATTERS. 173 company should be so intent on my drinking a glass of wine as almost to forget the good dinner that was before them. Mr. S., seeing that I would not be prevailed on to drink wine, pressed me no further. At that time my deep convictions with respect to smoking cigars enabled me to decide also that from that evening I would never smoke another cigar, or smoke tobacco in any way. This vic- tory raised my feelings and elevated my mind above the fog of tobacco-smoke, which had to a considerable extent beclouded my mind, and freed me from an idol which I had learned to worship among sailors. CHAPTER XIV. MONEY MATTERS HIGHWAY ROBBERS SEARUHINd SHIPS FOR SPEOIE^A LIEUTENANT SHOT — SAIL FOR HOME — TO- BACCO — SERIOUS REFLECTIONS — PASS CAPE HORN — EQUA- TOR — NORTH STAR — VIOLENT GALE — A SUDDEN CHANGE OF WIND — DESPERATE POSITION — JOYOUS SIGHT OF LAND — VINEYARD SOUND — ARRIVAL IN BOSTON — AT HOME — ANOTHER VOYAGE — OFF THE CAPES OF VIRGINIA — OUT- WARD BOUND. As we received specie in payment for our car- goes of goods, and this, as well as gold and silver, was prohibited by the government from exporta- tion, we were necessarily subjected to many in- conveniences and losses in securing leturns for our owners. Many of the captains trading in the Pacific were also supercargos. Being obliged to transact our business at two custom-houses, Callao 174 LIFE OF BATES. and Lima, six miles apart, it became necessary to have our own horses to pass between the two places. When returning to Callao, we generally loaded our persons with as much specie in dollars and doubloons as it was deemed prudent to risk, in the bottoms of our boots, and in our waist-belts, buckled around us under our dress. We did this because we were liable to be robbed on the way, and also because we were subjected to an exam- ination by custom-house officers before embark- ing to our ships in the harbor. We generally distributed portions of it among our boat's crew until we got on board our vessels, and then de- posited it for safe keeping on board one of our war-ships, paying the commander one per cent, for deposit. Our government officers in this way received and protected our property because it was ours. Two of my boat's crew were examined one day as I was about to embark, and ordered to the cus- tom-house. I followed them. They had some two hundred dollars on their persons. The two officers who stopped the men, after counting the sum, wished to know how much I would give them if they would let the sailors pass without reporting the matter to the custom-house. " One doubloon," said I. " No ;" said they, " we will di- vide with you." I replied, " If you will not ac- cept my otfer, go and make your report and let the government take it all, if they will." They attempted to show me that my proceedings had been unlawful, and that I would have trouble. I gave them to understand that I should only have to lose my money, V>ut they something mure, for otfcring to divide with me and appro- priate the divided part to themselves. They VESSEL SEARCHED FOR SrECIE. 175 concluded finally to return me all the money, ex- cept the doubloon I offered them. These men never troubled me when I was embarking after that. One day a small party of men were pass- ing down with money, when a party of armed men on horseback rushed out upon them and de- manded their money, and required them to strip off their clothing to be sure of getting all they had. After securing all, they fled to the mount- ains. The ship Friendship, of Salem, Mass., was re- ported as having eleven thousand dollars on board, after having sold her cargo in Lima. The govern- ment sent a company of soldiers with officers of the custom-house to take possession of her. They made diligent search, but found none ; still they kept charge of the ship for many days, and caused much trouble. The money was there, stowed away so snugly between the " carlings " overhead in the cabin, where the ceiling was finished and painted, that one would not have suspected money could be there. After the government gave up the ship to the supercargo again, he took out the money and transported it to the United States ship Franklin, 74. Soon after this, a Boston ship was taken possession of in the harbor, in the night, and it was several months before the cap- tain, who pursued her, recovered and brought her back. In conversation one day with one of the Peru- vian officers, who was boasting of the independ- ence of Peru, and its freedom from the Spanish government, he was asked what his view of free- dom was. " Why," said he, " if you have a good horse and I want him, if I am stronger than you, I'll take the horse ! " It rather seemed that otii- 176 liff: of bates. ers, when they wanted our money and ships, were of the same opinion. While we were here, a lieutenant in the Peru- vian patriot aimy absconded and joined their enemy. He was taken, tried, and condemned to be shot without the walls of the city of Lima. This was a manner of taking life which I had never witnessed. To gratify my curiosity I passed on with the vast multitude of citizens, and took my position on the top of the city wall, very near the place where the condemned luan was seated, who was attended by a Catholic priest. A cap was soon drawn over his eyes. In front of him, military officers were drilling and marshaling their troops, until about the appointed hour for him to be shot, when they were all arranged in columns, the front ranks about twenty yards from the condemned. At the word of command some six men advanced from the ranks within a few yards of the poor man, and levelled their mus- kets at his head. Again at the word of command they fired. His head dropped on his shoulder, seemingly as quick as if it had been severed by a cleaver. He seemed to die without a struggle. The st[uadron army then wheeled away with the deafening sound of martial music. The dead man was carried away to his long home. The excite- ment of the morning was passed. 1 soon found myself almost solitary amid the vast concourse of citizens returning slowly to their places of abode, resolving in my mind that I never would volun- tarily go to see another man shot. I had now been in the Pacific Ocean about fourteen months, and was closing my business and ]»reparing to return to the United States. The ship C'andace, Capt. h\ Burtody, was about HOMEWARD BOUND. 177 to sail for Boston, Mass., in which ship I engaged my passage. Capt. B. and myself mutually agreed, when the Candace weighed her anchor, that we would from that hour cease chewing tobacco. About the last week of November, 1823, all hands were called to weigh anchor. None but those who experience these feelings can tell the thrill that tills every soul, from the captain to the cabin-boy, when the order is given to " weigh anchor for home." New life, with energy and strength, seems to act- uate all on board. The hardy sailors clinch their hand-spikes, the windlass begins to roll and bring the watery cable on deck. The gallant ship, seemingly participating with her joyous crew, advances step by step to her anchor, until the officer cries out, " Hold ! the cable is a-peak ! " The top-sails are now loosed, sheeted home, and hoisted to the mast-head, and the yards are braced to cant the ship's head out of the harbor. The windlass is now manned again. The ship is soon up with her anchor. A few more turns of the windlass, and the anchor breaks its hold, and the gallant ship is free. The anchor is up and swung to the cat-head, and the ship's sails fill with the freshening gale. The sailors cry, " We are homeward bound." The feelings of the sail- ors still left in the harbor are something like these : " That ship has weighed her anchor, and is standing out of the harbor, bound for home. Success to them. I wish we were going, too." No matter how many seas there are to pass, or how many storms to meet, or how far from home, the joyous feeling still vibrates in every heart — "Home, home, sweet home. Our anchor's weighed for home ! " Batoa. 12 J 78 LIFE OF BATES, Our good ship now lay by with hnr main top- nail to the mast, until the boat came along-side from the commod(^vp. with our specie and silver, which (^apt. B. and myself had gained by trading. When this was all safe on board, all sail was made on the ship. It was now night, and we were passing our last landmark (St. Lorenzo), and putting out for a long voyage of eight thousand and live hundred miles. The steward reported supper ready. " Here goes my tobacco, Bates," said Capt. B., taking it from his mouth and cast- ing it overboard. "And here goes mine, too," said I, and that was the last that has ever polluted my lips. But Capt. B. failed to overcome, and labored hard with me to keep him company. I was now free from all distilled spirits, wine, and tobacco. Step by step I had gained this victory — nature never required either. I never used the articles, except to keep company with my associates. How many millions have been ru- ined bj^ such debasing and ruinous habits. How much more like a human being I felt when I had gained the mastery in these things and overcome them all, I was also making gi'eat efforts to conquer another crying sin, which I had learned of wicked sailors. That was the habit of using profane language. My father had been a pray- ing man from the time I had any knowledge of him. My mother embraced religion when I was about twelve years old. I never dared, even after I was married, to speak iiTeverently of God in the presence of my father. As he had endeav- ored to train me in the way I should go, I knew the way, but the checkered scenes of the pre- vious sixteen years of my life had thrown me from the track, which I was endeavoring now to DOUBLING CAPE HORN, 179 regain. On our voyage from Cape Horn into the Pacific, r tried hard to break myself of the eviJ habit of swearing, and said to my brother that he must not swear, nor allow the sailors to do so, for I should not permit it. As I had plenty of leisure now, I read much of my time, and very often, especially on Sundays, many chapters in the Bible. By so doing I concluded that I was Tnaking myself a tolerably good Christian. Our good ship continued to gain onward, and on reaching Cape Horn, we encountered a driv- ing storm ; but the wind was fair to go eastward, so that in forty -eight hours we were safely round the Horn, in the South Atlantic Ocean, steering northward for home. As we approached the equator, some of the well-known stars in the northern hemisphere began to make their appear- ance — particularly the " Pointers," that always direct the wandering mariner to the north star. As our good C!andace still continued to urge her way from the Southern Ocean to the equator, the " Pointers " indicated that the north star was at the northern horizon. The night was clear and the watch on deck were all awaiting the appearance of the north star. At length it was seen just breaking from the mist of the northern horizon, apparently four or five feet above the surface of the ocean. The first sight of this well-known star to the mariners ascending from the Southern Ocean is often more cheering to their hearts than twenty-four hours of fair wind. If we had no way to ascertain our latitude by nautical instruments, we should know by the foregoing appearance of this star, that we were at least one hundred and twenty miles north of the equator. As our good Queen Can- 180 LIFE OF BATES. dace advanced in her onward course into the Northern Ocean, staggering under the freshening gale from the north-east trades, our hearts were cheered night after night on seeing the very same star rising still higher and higher in the northern heavens — an unmistakable sign that we were rapidly advancing northward, nearer, and still nearer home. I have heard it stated of the Portugese sailors, that when their ships were returning on their homeward voyages from Houth America to Portu- gal, as soon as they saw the north star above the northern horizon, it was the time and place where they settled with, and paid off their ship's crew up to that date. We had now passed to the windward of the West India Islands, away from the influence of the north-east trade-winds, and were drawing into the dreaded Gulf Stream on the southern coast of North America, scudding onward before a rapidly increasing south-east gale, appearing very much like the one of 1818 which I had ex- perienced on board the ship Frances, before re- ferred to. Capt. B. and myself brought to re- membrance our former experience in such trying times, and the dangerous position ships are placed in at meeting an instantaneous change of wind in such driving storms, often rendering them unmanageable, especially in and about this stream. The Candace was in good ballast trim, and perhaps as well pre|)ared to contend with such a storm as almost any other ship. She was now scudding before the terrific gale under a reefed foresail, and main top-sail. As the dark night set in, the elements seemed in fearful commotion. DESPERATE POSITION. 181 The important work with officers and helmsmen now was to keep the ship dead, or directly be- fore the mountainous seas. As Capt. B. had sta- tioned himself on the quarter-deck, to give all necessary orders respecting the management of the ship during the violence of the storm, and my confidence being unshaken in his nautical skill, I concluded to go below and rest if I could, and like other passengers, be out of the way. The rain was falling fast, and about midnight I heard a fearful cry, "The ship's aback!" an- other cry to the helmsman, and another for all hands on deck ! I rushed to the cabin gangway, where I saw that what we had most dreaded had come, viz., the raging gale from the south-east had ceased all of a sudden, and was now raging from the opposite quarter. As soon as I got on deck I saw that the storm-sails were pressing against the mast, and the ship's head was paying around westward against the awful mountainous seas, which seemed almost to rush over us from the south, and thi-eaten our immediate destruction. Capt. B., and all the ship's company that could be seen, were hauling with all their strength on the starboard main- braces. Seeing the imminent danger we were in, without stopping to think that I was only a passenger, I cried out at the top of my voice, "Let go the starboard main- braces, and come over on this side of the ship, and haul in the larboard main-braces ! " Capt. B. had supposed that the ship would obey her helm, and pay her head off to the eastward. When my shouting arrested his attention, he saw that the ship's head was moving the opposite way. They then let go the starboard braces and crowded over and hauled in the larboard braces. 182 LIFE OF BATES. The sails filled, and the ship was once more under good headway, though in a most dangerous position from the awful sea on her lee-beam. Be- fore her sails filled she had lost her headway, and but just escaped being overwhelmed with a rushing sea, which gave her the appearance of going down stern foremost. How she escaped being engulfed with this sea was beyond our wisdom to discern. After order was restored, I apologized to the captain for assuming to take the command of his ship, and was cheerfully and freely forgiven. With the passing of the gale we crossed the Gulf, and sounded in deep water on the ooast. We now realized that it was mid-winter. At length the joyful cry was raised, "Land, ho!" It proved to be Block Island, R. I. Joyful sight, indeed, to see our own native land, within forty miles of home, looming in the distance. Yes ; to see any land after watching sky and water for three long months, was a great relief But here comes a pilot boat. " Where are you from ? " " Pacific Ocean." " Where are you bound ? " " To Boston." " Will you take a pilot through the Vineyard Sound ? It's always the safest way in the winter season." "Yes, come along-side." In a few minutes more the pilot had full charge of the ship, bearing down for the Vineyard Sound. The pilot-boat then steers out to sea to meet another homeward-bound ship. The next thing is, " What's the news in the States, pilot ?" " What's the news from Europe ?" " What's the state of the world?" "Who's to be our next president?" etc., etc. Hardly waiting for an answer, "Have you any newspapers?" "Yes; but they ai'e not the last." "No matter, they ANCHOR IN VINEYARD SOUND. 188 will be new to us ; it's a long time since we have heard anything from the land of the living," At night we cast our anchor in Holmes' Hole, a spacious harbor in the Vineyard for ships wind- bound for Boston. A number of boats were soon along- side. From the many baskets of various kinds of pies, fried cakes, apples, etc., etc., that these people presented on our decks, we were led to suppose that the good people on shore divined that we were very hungry for their good things. Indeed, we feasted for a little while. Their boats were also well stocked with large baskets of yarn stockings, mittens, etc. A supply of these was likewise very acceptable at this cold season. On leaving the ship in the evening, there was quite a stir among the boatmen to find their baskets. One man was looking round in the cabin pass- age, inquiring of his neighbor John if he had seen anything of his " knitting work." What, thought I, do men knit stockings here ? Do they carry their knitting work about with them ? I soon learned that it was his basket of stockings which he called his knitting work. The wind favored us, and we were soon passing around Cape Cod into Massachusetts Bay, and the next day anchored off the city of Boston, somewhere about the 20th of February, 1824, after a passage of three months from Callao Bay. Our voyage was a very profitable one, but un- fortunately one of the two owners failed during the voyage, which cost much time and expense before a settlement was accomplished. Fifty -five miles by stage, and I was once more at home. A little blue-eyed girl of sixteen months, whom I had never seen, was here wait- ing with her mother to greet me, and welcome 184 LIFE OF BATES. me once more to our comfortable and joyous fire- side. As I had been absent from home over two years, I designed to enjoy the society of my fam- ily and friends for a little season. After a few months, however, I engaged myself to go another voyage to South America, or anywhere I could find business profitable. A new brig was now launched, rigged, and fitted to our liking, named the Empress, of New Bedford. Part of an as- sorted cargo was received on board in New Bed- ford. From thence we sailed about the loth of August, 1824, for Richmond, Va., to finish our lading with flour for Rio Janeiro and a market.' After finishing our lading in Richmond, we passed down James River and anchored in Hampton Roads, to procure our armament in Nor- folk. Finding no cannon mounted, we proceeded on our voyage without one. It is not as necessary now for merchantmen to carry guns as it was then, on account of piratical vessels. September 5, we discharged our pilot oflf Cape Henry light-house, and shaped our course east southerly, to meet the north-east trades. From the time I resolved to drink no more wine (in 1822), I had occasionally drank beer and cider. But now on weighing anchor fi-om Hamp- ton Roads I decided from henceforth to drink neither ale, porter, beer, nor cider of any de- scription. My prospect for making a profitable and successful voyage was now more flattering than my last, for I now owned a part of the Em- press and her cargo, and had the confidence of my partners to sell and purchase cargoes as often as it would prove to our advantage, and use my judgment about going to what part of the world I pleased. But with all these many advantages "THE HOUR OF DEATH." 185 to get riches, I felt sad and homesick, I had provided myself with a number of what I called interesting books, \.o read in my leisure hours. My wife thought there were more novels and ro- mances than were necessary. In packing my trunk of books, she placed a pocket New Testa- ment, unknown to me, on the top of them. On opening this trunk to find some books to interest me, I took up the New Testament, and found in the opening page the following interesting piece of poetry, by Mrs. Hemans, placed there to arrest my attention : — t "Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, And stars to set — but all, , Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death ! ^ ' ' Day is for mortal care, Eve for glad meetings round the joyous hearth. Night, for the dreams of sleep, the voice of prayer, But all for thee, thou mightiest of the earth. "Youth and the opening rose May look like things too glorious for decay. And smile at thee — but thou art not of those That wait the ripened bloom to seize their prey. "We know when moons shall wane. When summer birds from far shall cross the sea. When autumn's hue shall tinge the golden grain. But who shall teach us when to look for thee % "Is it when spring's first gale Comes forth to whisper where the violets lie \ Is it when roses in our path grow pale ? They have one season — all are ours to die ! "Thou art where billows foam, Thou art where music melts upon the air ; Thou art around us in our peaceful home, And the world calls us forth — and thou art there." 186 LIFE OF BATES. CHAPTER XV CONVICTION OK SIN — FUNKRAL AT SBA — COVENANT WITH GOD — A DREAM — ARRIVAL AT PERNAMBUCO — LANDING A NORTH AMERICAN LADY — WINE AT A DINNER PARTY — SELL MY CARGO — ANOTHER VOY^-VGE — RELIGIOUS VIEWS — WHALING BRAZILIAN FLOUR — ARRIVE AT ST. CATHER- INE'S— ALSO PARAIBA — SELL MY CARGO — THIRD VOYAGE — CONFIDENCE REWARDED. The lines mentioned in the last chapter did arrest my attention. I read them again and again. My interest for reading novels and romances ceased from that hour. Among the many books, I selected " Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Re- ligion in the Soul." This and the Bible now in- terested me more than all other books. Christopher Jl^hristopherson^ of Norway, one of my crew, was taken down sick soon after our departure from Cape Henry. Nothing in our medic ine chest availed to j'elieve him. His case appeared more and more~doubtful. The first verse of " The Hour of Death," particularly the fourth line, was almost continually in my mind : — " Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death ! " I T longed to be a Christian ; but the pride of my heart and the vain allurements of the wicked world still held me with a mighty graspj I suf- fered intensely in my mind before I decided to pray. It seemed as though I had delayed this work too long. I was also afraid tliab my officeife and men would learn that I was under conviction. Furthermore, I had no secret place to pray. When 1 looked back on some of the incidents CONVICTION OF SIN. 187 in my past life, how God had interposed his arm to save me, when death was staring me in the face again and again, and how soon I had forgot- ten all his mercies, I felt that I must yield. Fi- nally I decided to try the strength of prayer, and confess all my sins. I opened the "run scuttle " under the dining table, where I prepared a place so that I might be out of the sight of my officers, if they should have occasion to enter the cabin during my prayer season. The first time I bowed the knee here in prayer, it seemed to me that the hair on my head was standing out straight, for presuming to open my mouth in prayer to the great and holy God. But I determined to persevere until I found pardon and peace for my troubled mindly I had no Christian friend at hand to tell me how, or how long, I must be convicted before conversion. But I remembered when I was a lad, during the great reformation of 1807, in New Bedford and Fairhaven, of hear- ing the converts, when relating their experience, say that they had been sorrowing for sin two and tliree weeks, when the Lord spoke peace to their minds. It seemed to me that my case would be something similar. I A fortnight passed, and no light beamed on my mind. One week more, and still my mind was like the troubled sea. About this time I was walking the deck in the night, and was strongly tempted to jump overboard and put an end to myself. I thought this was a temptation of the devil, and immediately left the deck, and did not allow myself to go out of my cabin again until the morning^ Christopher was very sick, and failing. It oc- cun-ed to me that if he should die, I should be 188 LIFE OF BATES. doubly earnest about my salvation. I now re- moved him into the cabin, and placed him in a berth next my own, where I could give him more attention, and charged the officers as they waited upon him dui'ing their night watch to call me if they saw any change in him. I awoke in the morning soon after daylight. My first thought was, How is Christopher ? 1 reached over his berth and placed my hand on his forehead; it felt cold. He was dead. 1 called the officer of the morning watch, " Why, Mr. Haffards ! " said I, " Christopher is dead ! ' Why did you fail io call me ? " Said Mr. H., "I was down to him about half an hour ago, and gave him his med- icine, and saw no alteration then." /Poor C. was now laid out on the quarter-deck, and finally sewed up in a hammock with a heavy bag of sand at his feet. After we had settled on the time to bury him, I was most seriously troubled in relation to my duty. I felt that 1 was a sin- ner in the sight of God, and dare not attempt to pray in public. / And yet I could not consent to plunge the poor fellow into the ocean without some religious ceremony over him. While I was resolving in my mind what I should do, the steward asked me if I would not like to have a Church of England Prayer Book. " Yes," said I, " have you got one ? " " Yes, sir." " Bring it to me, will you ? " It was just the book I wanted, for when I was in the British service I had heard the ship's clerk read prayers out of such a book when our sailors were buried. But this was the fii'st burial at sea that occun-ed under my command. I opened the book and found a suitable prayei- for the occasion. A plank was prepared, with FUNERAL AT SEA. 189 one end over the side of the vessel, on which his body was laid, with his feet toward the sea, so that by raising the other end of the plank, the body would slide into the ocean feet foremost. All but the helmsman stood around poor Chris- topher, to take their final leave of him, and com- mit his body to the deep as soon as the order should be given. /The idea of attempting to per- form religious service over the dead while in an unconverted state troubled me much. I had re- quested the chief mate to call me when he had made the preparation, and retired below. When the officer reported all ready, I came up trem- bling, with the book open in my hand. The crew respectfully uncovered their heads. As I began to read, my voice faltered, and I was so unmanned I found it difficult to read distinctly. I felt, indeed, that I was a sinner before God. When I finished the last sentence, I waved my hand to tip the plank, and turned for the cabin. As I passed down the gangway, I heard poor Christopher plunge into the sea. I passed down into my praying place and vented my feelings in prayer for the forgiveness of all my sins, and those of the poor fellow who was sinking lower and lower beneath the rolling waveSj_y This was the 30th of September, twenty-six days from the capes of Virginia. From thence I felt a sinking into the will of God, resolving henceforward to renounce the unfruitful works of the enemy, and seek carefully for eternal life. I believe now that all my sins were forgiven about that time. Then I also made the following covenant with God, which I found in " Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul " : — 190 LIFE OF BATES. "A SOLEMN COVENANT \VH H (^OT). " Eternal and ever-blessed God : I desire to present myself before thee with the deepest hu- miliation and abasement of soul. Sensible how unworthy such a sinful worm is to a})pear before the Holy Majesty of Heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ... I come therefore ac- knowledging myself to have been a great offender. Smiting on my breast and saying with the hum- ble publican, ' God be merciful to me a sinner,' . . . this day do 1 with the utmost solemnity surrender myself to thee. I renounce all former lords that have had dominion over me, and I con- secrate to thee all that I am, and all that I have. . . . Use me, Lord, I beseech thee, as an in- strument of thy service ; number me among thy peculiar people. Let me be washed in the blood of thy dear Son, to whom, with thee, O Father, be everlasting praises ascribed by all the millions who are thus saved by thee. Amen." Done on board the brig Empress, of New Bedford, at sea, Oct. 4, 1824, in latitude 90" 50' north, and lon- gitude 34^ 50' west, bonnd to Brazil. Jos. Bates, Jr. I wi sh that I could_always_have the resigna- tion~to~the wilToT God that I felt the morning that i signed this covenant. Yet I coidd not be- lieve thieiir nor tbr manylmonths alter this, that I had any other feelings than a deep conviction of sin. I am satisfied that I have not always re- garded this covenant in the solemn light in which I now understand it. But I am very glad I made it, and that God has still spared my life to REMARKABLE DREAM. 191 allow irie yet to do all that I therein covenanted to do. After signing the afore-mentioned covenant, 1 had a reinarkahle dream respecting some commu- nications from the post-office. One appeared to be a written roll of paper, the other a long letter commencing with spaces as follows :— EXAMINE ! FJiAMINE ! EXAMINE ! EXPERIENCE ! EXPERIENCE ! EXPERIENCE ! YOURSELF ! YOURSELF ! YOURSELF ! Then followed a long letter commencing with religious instruction, clasely written, of which I read a few lines, when I awoke. I then wrote it on paper and filed it with other papers, but it is now missing. There was much more which 1 have forgotten, but I believe the dream, thus p e- culiarly set forth on paper, was to convince me that my sins "were forgiven! But Ilailed 1(7 see it then, because i had conceived that God would manifest himself in such a manner that I should never doubt my conversion afterward. I had not then learned the simplicity of God's gracious work on the sinner s heart. It would have been a great relief to me if I could have been released from the heavy respon- sibilities of my trading voyage, considering how my mind was then exercised. But our voyage continued, and we arrived at Pernambuco, Oct. 30. There we found the state of commerce was very far from prosperous in relation to our voyage. But we were now in the best market for selling ; we therefore disposed of our cargo. I was much 192 LIFE OF BATES. disappointed also in not finding one professor of religion to converse with among the many thou- sands of people here, but I was fully resolved to persevere for a fall and free salvation. Pernambuco, in Brazil, is situated on the bor- der of the sea. On approaching it from the ocean, it has a commanding and beautiful ap- pearance. But the shipping have to anchor in the open sea some distance from the land, and on account of the heavy surf on the shore it is diffi- cult getting safe to land, Capt. Barret, from Nantucket, Mass., arrived at this port soon after us. Concluding to sell here also, he sent his boat off to bring his wife on shore. As the boat with Mrs. B. was drawing in with the shore, quite a number of us assembled near the landing-place with Capt. B. to receive her. A number of black slaves were also wait- ing, whose business it was to wade out to the boats and shoulder freight and passengers, and, if possible, bear them safely through the breakers to the landing. The fare through the breakers for a passenger, without stumbling, was " one rial," or twelve and a half cents. It was soon decided who should have the honor of bringing the American lady through the breakers. Capt. B, requested his wife to seat herself upon the shoulder of the black man that was now in wait- ing for her. This was a mode of traveling that Mrs. B. was entirely unacc^uainted with ; besides, it was with her very doubtful whether the man could pass the breakers without being over- whelmed in the surf. Therefore she hesitated, and was silent. Capt. B. and his friends urged, declaring there was no other mode of conveyance. Finally she seated herself upon his shoulder and WINE-DRINKING. 193 giasped him by the head with both hands, when he steadily and manfully bore her in safety to the arms of her husband in our midst, while his comrades raised a joyous shout in commendation of the sturdy and manful manner in which he had peiformed the act of landing the North Amer- ican lady. Here, also, as in other places, I was assailed by my associates for refusing to di'ink wine or in- toxicating drinks with them, especially wine at the dinner table, which was very common in South America. I will here give one instance : A large company of us were dining with the American consul, Mr. Bennet. His lady at the head of the table filled her glass, and said, " Capt. Bates, shall I have the pleasure of a glass of wine with you '. " I responded, and filled my glass with water. Mrs. B. declined, unless I would fill my glass with wine. She was aware from our previous acquaintance that I did not drink wine, but she felt disposed to induce me to disre- gard my former resolutions. As our waiting po- sition attracted the attention of the company, one of them said, " Why, Mr. Bates, do you re- fuse to drink Mrs. Bennet's health in a glass of wine ? " I replied that I did not drink wine on any occasion, and begged Mrs. B. to accept my offer. She readily condescended, and drank my health in the glass of wine, and I hers in a glass of water. The topic of conversation now turned on wine-drinking, and my course in relation to it. Some concluded that a glass of wine would not injure any one. True, but the person who drank one glass would be likely to drink another, and another, until there was no hope of reform. Said one, " I wish I could do as Capt. Bates does ; Bates. 13 194 LIFE OF BATES. I should be much better off." Another supposed that I was a reformed drunkard. Surely there was no harm in drinking moderately. I endeav- ored to convince them that the better way to do up the business was 7iot to use it at all. On an- other occasion a captain said to me, " You are like old Mr. , of Nantucket ; he would n't drink sweetened water ! " After a stay of six weeks, having disposed of the greater part of our cargo in Pernambuco, we sailed on another voyage to St. Catherine's, in lat. 27° 30' south. Care, and a press of business, I perceived had in some measure deprived me of the spiritual enjoyment I possessed on my arrival at Pernambuco. I had more leisure just now to search the Scriptures, and read other books on the subject of religion. I here commenced d, di- ary of my views and feelings, which was a great help to me. This I forwarded to my wife as often as I wrote to her. These sheets were bound up in a roll and laid by, and have not been read for about thirty-five years. I have supposed that this was one of the rolls of paper which I saw in the peculiar dream I had relative to my experience on my outward passage. I thought what a great privilege it would be to have just one professed Christian to compare my views and feelings with on this all-absorbing theme, or to be in a prayer-meeting for an hour or so that I mio-ht vent the feelings that were pent up within me. We arrived at St. Catherine's about the 1st of January, 1825, where we purchased a cargo of provisions for the northern coast of Brazil. This island is separated from the main land by a nar- row ship channel. St. Catherine's is the only " MANDI-OKER." 195 commercial seaport for hundreds of miJes on the coast. Its northern promontory is a high mount- ain, where watchmen, with their flag-staff plant- ed, were watching for whales in the offing. When the signal was given that whales were in sight, the boats from the fishery, some ten or twelve miles distant, would row out for them, and if they were fortunate enough to harpoon and kill any, they would tow them to their try works, and manufacture them into oil. Fifty years ago this business was very flourishing there, but the whales visit them so seldom since that time that their business has about ceased. When I left Pernambuco, the province was in a state of revolution, and much in want of " fa- rina." It was expected that the Brazilian gov- ernment would allow foreign vessels to trade in this article on their coast, if the demand continued to increase as it had done for a few months past. In anticipation of this, I proceeded to St. Cathe- rine's and loaded for Pernambuco. As many of my readers may be unacquainted with this article of food, I would state that it is first cultivated very much like the Carolina sweet potato, and resembles it, only being much longer. It matures in from nine to eight- een months, if not destroyed by frost, and is called " mandi-oker." The people manufacture it into flour in their sheds or shanties as fol- lows : A cow harnessed at the end of a shaft, traveling in a circle, moved a wheel banded with copper, having holes pierced through it like a grater. A man with his tub of scraped mandi- oker pressed it end foremost against the whirling grater, which ground it to pomace, piece after piece. This pomace was then placed in a ma- 196 LIFE OF BATES. chine like a cheese-press, and all the juice pressed out. Then the pomace was thrown into large, shallow iron pans over a heated furnace, where in about twenty minutes, two or three bushels were dried. When taken out this was put up for the market, and, I was told, would keep three years. This they call " farina," or Brazilian flour. The general way of preparing it for the table was merely to scald it with hot soup in plates, and pass it round for bread. The poorer classes afid slaves gather it up with the ends of their lingers, and throw it into their mouths by the half-ounce, and wash it down with water. At this time much of it is imported into the United States and retailed at the stores. On my arrival at Pemambuco, farina was in good demand, but the government would not al- low me to enter because it was unlawful for for- eign vessels to trade coast- wise. In a few days a message came overland from a president of one of the northern provinces, inviting me to come to the port of Paraiba and dispose of my cargo. Here I sold my whole cargo at an ad- vanced price, the government purchasing a large share of it for their troops. As the drought con- tinued, and my vessel was a fast sailer, the pres- ident granted me permission to import another cargo forthwith, and gave me a letter of intro- duction to the president of St. Catherine's to help me onward. On my arrival at St. Cathe- rine's, the merchants, learning about the demand for breadstuffs in the north, endeavored to pre- vent me from buying until they were ready to dispatch vessels of their own. After a few weeks' detention in this way, 1 employed an in- terpreter and proceeded in our boat some dis- TRADING IN SOUTH AMERICA. 197 tance up the coast. Leaving our boat to return and come for us the next day, we went up into the mountains to purchase farina from the farm- ers. On some farms we found it by the room- full, bedroom or sitting-room, just as they had places to stow it from the rain, for use and for sale. Some of their rooms were packed full and crowded with this article. The merchants in St. Catherine's, hearing of our success in purchasing produce of the farm- ers, and towing it to our vessels in boats, tried hard to prejudice them against us. But our sil- ver " patacks " of forty, eighty, and one hundred- and-twenty-cent pieces, with which we paid them for their farina at the highest market price, were far superior to their barter traffic and prof- fered advice. The fii'st night I spent on the mountain was a trying, sleepless one. I had two heavy bags of silver, and night had overtaken us at a house where we had made a purchase, to be delivered in the morning. I said to the man, through my interpreter, " Here are two bags of silver we have with us to buy farina; I want you to keep them safe for us until the morning." " Oh, yes !" he replied, and stowed them away in a case. At bedtime I was shown into a little, dark room by myself I raised no objections, knowing that I should fare no better, after the confidence I had reposed in him in placing my money in his hands. After praying, I lay down, not to sleep, but to think of my unsafe position, and lis- ten to the conversation of the stranger and my interpreter, which continued until a late hour, but a few words of which I could understand. My information respecting the treacherous chai"- 198 LIFE OF BATES. acter of this people proved to be without founda- tion, respecting tliis stranger at least, for when the morning came and we were prepared to pay him for his farina, he manifested strong feel- ings of gratitude for the confidence we had placed in him. This opened our way to trade with his neighbors. CHAPTEE XVI. SOUL-REFBESHING SEASONS IN THE FOREST — EFFIGY OF .TUDAS ISCARIOT — SAIL FROM ST. OATHAEINE'S— ARRIVAL AT PARAIBA^FOURTH VOYAGE— ARRIVAL AT THE BAY OF SPIRITS — DANGEROUS POSITION — RIO ST. FRANCISCO — RIO GRANDE — BANKS OF SAND — A CITY IN RUINS— .JERKED BEEF — RIO GRANDE TO PARAIBA — KATTAMARAN — CATHO- LIC PROCESSION AND BURIAL — SAIL FOR NE"W YORK- ARRIVAL AT HOME — FAMILY PRAYER — EXPERIENCE. In my intercourse with this people, who were all Catholics, I found no one to converse with on the subject of religion. I often thought what a privilege it would be to meet with one Christian, and how delighted I should be to spend an hour in an assembly of praying Chris- tians, or hear another's voice in prayer besides my own. I felt such a strong desire for some place of retirement to free my soul and give ut- terance to my pent-up feelings, that it seemed to me if I could get into tlie dense forest I should, in a measure, be relieved. A way soon opened before me. With my Bible for my companion, I passed out of the city and followed the sea- shore, until I found an opening into the thick SOUL-REFRESHING SEASONS, 199 forest, into which I entered. Here I enjoyed freedom in prayer beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It was indeed a heavenly place in Christ Jesus. When my business would permit, I used to spend the afternoon away some- where in these forests ; and sometimes, for fear of reptiles, I used to ascend a large tree, and fix myself securely in the branches, where I enjoyed most precious seasons in reading the Scriptures, singing, praying, and praising the Lord. His precious truth seemed the joy of my soul, and yet, strange as it may seem, I did not then be- lieve my sins were forgiven ; but I rejoiced that I was still under conviction. When the time came that I could go again, I felt that I had made much dependence on being there, and I do not remember of ever returning without a spe- cial blessing. Oh ! how dark it would seem, on returning back among the hum and crowd of the people, after such precious seasons. The Catholics in Brazil observe their numerous feasts, and what they call " holy days." While lying in the harbor of St. Catherine's, at one of their annual holy days, it was our privilege to witness their indignation against their mortal enemy, Judas Iscariot, for betraying his Master. Early in the morning the Catholic vessels " cock- billed their yards," pointing them end upward to the heavens, and at a given signal at noon, their yards were all squared again, and at the outer end of the yard-arm of the commodore (for the day), Judas, the traitor, was hung in effigy. After waiting a suitable time for him to die, they let him fall from the yard-arm into the sea. Then they beat him awhile with clubs, and hav- ing swung him up to the yard-arm again by the 200 LIFE OF BATEa neck, once more dropped him into the sea. Thus they continued, hanging, drowning, and beating the traitor, until their indignant feelings were gratified. He was then towed on shore by the neck, not to be buried, but given into the hands of boys, who dragged him about the public square and streets, beating him with their clubs and stones until he was all used up. We here cleai'ed and sailed with another cargo, and on our arrival in Paraiba we learned that the famine still prevailed. The authorities, learning that we were handing out some of our provisions to feed the starving poor, opened their prison- doors to allow theii' prisoners to come also and beg from us. Being unauthorized by my own- ers to give away their property in this way, I felt reluctant to do it ; but I esteemed it a priv- ilege on my own account, for awhile, to feed these poor, starving, and almost naked, creatures, who lingered about our landing-place as though it was their only hope from starvation. I did not count them, but I think there were some- times more than fifty receiving farina at a time. The way they ate it out of their calabashes, as they received it from our boat's crew, was evi- dence of their starving state. A poor man from the interior came with a miserable, worn-out-looking horse, to buy a few bushels of farina for his family. He said he had come seventy leagues, or more than two hundred miles. He represented the people and their cat- tle as dying by starvation as he came along. 1 think he said there had been no rain for more than two years. By the time we had disposed of our cargo, the president granted me liberty to import another, and gave me a lettei- of introduc- THE BAY OF SPIRITS. 201 tion, with a pressing request to the president of the province to allow us to purchase a cargo of provisions for Paraiba. About this time Capts. J. & G. Broughton, of Marblehead, Mass., arrived in Paraiba. These were the first professed Chris- tians that I had known since leaving the United States. With Capt. G. Broughton I enjoyed sweet intercourse during the few days of our acquaint- ance. It was truly a refreshing season. From the time I made a covenant with God, I had been in the habit of spending all my time before break- fast in prayer, reading the Bible, and meditation. This I have since learned to be the best way to commence the day. August, 1825, we sailed from Paraiba on om- fourth voyage. We cleared for Espiritu Santo, or " Bay of Spirits, '" in lat. 20° south. On our arri- val there we encountered some difficulty in find- ing our way to the anchoring place without a pilot. I did not learn the reason why this place was called the Bay of Spirits, but I think it was the most romantic, wild-looking place I had ever seen. The wind came whistling through the crevices and dark -looking places in the rag- ged mountains in such sudden gusts that I was fearful our anchor would break its hold before our sails could be furled. Afterward, in passing sev- eral miles in our boat to the town and residence of the president, the same wild scenery present- ed itself. We presented our letter of introduction and special request to the president, but he de- clined granting our request to purchase a cargo, saying it was "contrary to law." I was told that he was shipping farina, and was very glad to learn that Paraiba was the best market. We sailed from thence south for Rio St. Fran- 202 LIFE OF BA.TES. cisco. As we were running parallel with the land, at sunset, we rould but just discern the land from the mast-head. We then shaped our course so as to be gaining an offing during the night. About 8 P. M. we observed the water had be- come very white ; at this time we were rushing onward rapidly under a heavy press of sail. We cast our deep sea lead from the bow, and to our astonishment, we had but five fathoms of water, or thirty feet. We immediately hauled on a wind and steered square off the land, with all the sail the brig could bear, for about three hours, before we found deep water. During this time we were held in most fearful suspense, fearing our vessel would strike the bottom and dash in pieces when she settled down between the short, rushing: seas. From our calculations in the morn- ing, we found that we were twenty miles from the land, in lat. 21° 30' south, when we first dis- covered white water at 8 p. m. Our book of directions and chart were both silent respecting this dangerous place. We felt very thankful to the Lord for delivering us from this unlooked- for and dangerous position. At Rio St. Francisco there were so many ves- sels loading we were unable to complete our car- go, but proceeded from thence to Rio Grande, some five hundred miles further south. Here, instead of lofty, ragged mountains, were noth- ing but low sand-hills, drifted about by every strong wind, like those on the coast of Barbary, or the snow-drifts in North America. The sea also drives it about under water in every direction. I was pointed to the light-house standing on a dry sand bank, and was told that that prom- inence now was where the ship channel former- A CITY IN RUINS. 203 ly was. Instead of pilots going on board of ves- sels hound in, as 1 had always known, we saw a large open hoat approaching, with pilots and men in her, one man bearing a flag-staff, and others with long sounding poles, requiring us to keep a suitable distance behind them. As they pulled on, feeling for the deepest water, the waving of the flag-staff to steer to the right and left, or to stop, was to be immediately obeyed, until they reached the light-house, where the pilots step on board the ship and direct her to her anchoring place. The city of Rio Grande lies several miles up the river from the light-house. A few years pre- vious to my being there, a violent gale drifted the sand into their city and literally filled their houses with it, some to the first, and others to the second-story windows, so that the inhabitants had to flee, and build again, some more than a mile distant, where they were then living. It was useless to shovel the sand out of their houses, unless they could remove it off some distance, the expense of which would more than build them new houses ; thus the old ones were left desolate. The sand was so fine that it found its way into their houses with all their doors and windows shut. This I witnessed more than once while I was there. Subsequently, I remember reading an account given by an English traveler, who, on reaching the tongue or shore of the Egyptian sea, pen- ciled in his note-book how easy it would be for God to fulfill the prophecy of Isa. 11:15. I sup- pose he saw very clearly that a mighty wind toward the sea would soon drift the sand banks across it, something similar to the manner of 204 LIFE OF BATES. drifting sand as above described in Rio Grande. We made up our cargo at the city of Rio Grande with hides and jerked beef. After skin- ning their cattle, the people strip the flesh from the bones in two pieces, and pickle them in vats some as tanners do their hides. After the salt brine saturates them, they hang them out and dry them on poles, and then roll them up in bun- dles for the market. In the same manner also they cure their pork, because meat will not keep if salted in barrels in their climate. Back from the sea-shore, beyond the sand hills, the country formerly abounded with cattle. After a passage of thirty days from Rio Grande, we arrived at Paraiba. Here, as usual, we took our pilot from a " kattamaran," a kind of craft used in these parts, instead of boats. It sim- ply consists of from four to eight twenty-feet logs lashed together, with a mast on which to hoist the sail. Sometimes we have seen these boats on the ocean almost out of sight of land. At a short distance their appearance is like that of a man sitting on the water beside an upright pole. These logs are of very porous, light wood, and soon fill with water and sink till the upper side is level with the surface. When they return to the shore they are hauled up to drain and dry, before they are used again. One of our seamen whom we left here with the small-pox, died soon after we sailed from Paraiba. I left him in care of tlie British con- sul, who also kindly assisted me in the transac- tion of my business with the custom-house. His chief clerk, a Brazilian, lost a little child about two years of age, which was to be buried the evening after I an-ived. The consul was among CATHOLIC BURIAL. 205 the chief mourners in the procession. He in- vited me to walk next to him. As I had never witnessed a ceremony of this kind, I readily ac- cepted his invitation. I now had the privilege of learning from him many things relative to the procession, etc., which I desired to know. At about 8 o'clock P. m., two lines of people were formed to march each side of the street. Wax candles, about three inches in circumference and four feet long, were now lighted, and given into the hands of each man in the procession. The corpse, which was richly dressed, and adorned with fresh flowers, was placed in a little basket with four handles, four little boys carrying it. It looked like a sweet little child asleep. The procession, with the priest ahead of the child in the middle of the street, and two long lines of men with lighted candles on each side, was rather an imposing sight in the dark night. The walk was about one mile and a half, to an ancient- looking stone church in the vipper town. As we passed into the church I saw one of the flagging stones of the floor raised up, and a small pile of bones and dirt beside it. The consul told me the little child was to be put in there. The child was set down by the altar. The priest occupied but a few moments in speaking, then took up a long-handled cup or ball, perforated with holes like a grater, through which, as he uttered a few words, he sprinkled the child with what they call holy water, some of which, whether by accident or otherwise, feel on us who stood at the head of the procession. After this part of the ceremony, all but the child returned in order with the procession. Mr. Harden, the consul, on returning, told me how the child would be 20(S LIFE OF BATES, disposed of. Two black slaves would strip it of all its clothing, cover it with quick-lime to eat off its flesh, then pound it down in that hole with the other bones and dust, until the stone would lie in its place again. They would have its clothing for theii" labor. Thus, in this dilapidated charnel-house, and place for divine worship, they disposed of their dead. I was told that Paraiba was one of the oldest towns in South America, being of nearly three hundred years' standing. • After disposing of our cargo here, we invested our funds in hides and skins, and sailed for New York. After a pleasant and prosperous passage of some thirty days, with the exception of cold, freezing storms on our coast, we arrived at the quarantine ground several miles below the city of New York about the last of March, 18:^6. As we had no sickness on board, I was allowed the privilege on Sunday of taking my crew with me to hear service at the Dutch Reformed church. This was the first religious assembly I had met with since I covenanted to serve God, and I en- joyed it much. It seemed good to be there. In a few days we were relieved from quarantine, and I was made glad in meeting my companion and sister in New York. My brother F. took my place on board the Empress for another South American voyage, and I left for Fairhaven, to enjoy for a season the society of my family and fiiends, after an absence of some twenty months. One of my old acquaintances came in to bid me welcome home again, and very kindly inquired how long it was since T entertained a hope, or teas converted. I replied that 1 never had ijeen con- verted. She was a good Christian, and seemed very much disappointed at my reply. My wife FAMILY PRAYER. 207 had before this endeavored to encourage me to believe that God for Christ's sake had forgiven me. I begged her not to deceive me in such an important matter as this. She said that she did not wish to do so, but was satisfied from my let- ters and diary during my absence that if she was ever converted I was. I replied that it seemed to me that I should be fully convinced of my conversion before I could rejoice in it. I had fully resolved, on my return home, that I would erect the family altar. Satan tried hard to hold me back in various ways, but I resolved to commence as soon as we had breakfast. At this point, one of my former associates, who was very much opposed to experimental religion, called in to see me. At first, I felt some misgiv- ings, but conscience and duty prevailed. I opened the Bible and read a chapter, and knelt with my family and commended ourselves and friend to the Lord. He looked very sober and soon withdrew. After this victory I do not remem- ber of ever experiencing any such hinderance again. If I had yielded here, I am satisfied that I should have had more to overcome if I at- tempted to pray iu like manner again. I now had the privilege of religious meetings and Christian friends, and also a weekly prayer- meeting at my own house. Eld. H., a Congrega- tional minister, and particular friend of my par- ents, invited me to attend an interesting revival of religion then in progress in Taunton, some twenty miles distant. * After I had related to him my past experience, as we were drawing near to T., I requested Eld. H. not to call on me to speak in meeting, for I had no experience in that part of the work. In the evening I at- 208 LIFE OF BATES, tended what was called an " inquiry meeting " of the converts, and those under conviction for sin. The pastoi- of the Congregational Church, and Eld. H., commenced by inquiring into the state of their minds, and asking the converts to state what the Lord had done for them. As this was the first meeting of the kind in my experi- ence, I listened with an unusual degree of inter- est and attention, to learn how all these persons had been converted in so short a time. The sim- ple story of what the Lord had done for them when they felt convicted of sin, and were weighed down with a load of guilt and shame, and how they went to the Lord with all their burden and confessed their wrongs, and the vari- ous ways in which they found relief, some in se- cret prayer, some in the meeting, and others at home, how God spake peace to their troubled souls, also the various states of their feelings when their burdens left thean, all seemed plain to me. There was such a similarity in this to my experience that I said to myself, This is the operation of the Spirit of God on the heart through Jesus Christ. After listening awhile to these simple testimo- nies, it appeared to me that I understood the same language, and I began to reason, and ask myself. Is this conversion from sin ? Is this really it ? Then I have experienced the same. " My heart was hot within me," Oh, how I wished Eld. H. would then ask me to speak, that I might tell what the Lord had done for me. For somethincr like eicjhteen months I had been unwilling to believe that the Lord had forgiven me my sins, because I had been looking for some evidence, or manifestation of his power (I did PEACE TBROtJGH FAITH. 209 not know how or in what manner) which would convince me heyond a douht. My limited views of conversion, and my strong desire not to be de- ceived in this important matter, caused me to overlook the simple manner in which God gra- ciously condescends to pardon the guilty, pleading sinner. After meeting, my tongue was loosed to praise God for what he had done for me so many months before. From this time, all doubts and darkness respecting my conversion and acceptance with God passed away like the morning dew ; and peace, like a river, for weeks and months occupied my heart and mind. I could now give a reason of the hope within me, and say with the apostle, " We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." " Old things are passed away ; behold, all things are become new." 1 John 3 : 14 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 17. CHAPTER XVIL REVIVAL or" KELIGION— BAPTISM — JOIN THE CHUUCH — TEM- PERANCE SOCIETY — COLD WATER ARMY — ANOTHER VOY- AGE — RULES FOR THE VOYAGE — TEMPERANCE VOYAGE — ALTAR OP PRAYER ON SHIPBOARD — SEMI-WEEKLY' PAPER AT SEA — SUNDAY WORSHIP — ARRIVAL IN SOUTH AMERICA — PARAIBA — BAHIA — PRIVATEER — ST. CATHERINE'S. During the spring of the year 1827 we were blessed with a revival of religion at Fairhaven, especially in the Christian Church. At this sea- son my mind was more or less exercised in regard to uniting with some denomination of Christians. Bates 14 210 LIFE OF RATES. My companion had been a member of the Chris- tian Church several years previous to our mar- riage. By attending with her, after our marriage, when I was at home, I had htecome acquainted somewhat with their views of the Bible. They took the Scriptures for their only rule of faith and practice, renouncing all < -reeds. My parents were members of long standing in the Congregational Church, with all of their con- verted children thus far, and anxiously hoped that we would also unite with them. But they embraced some i)oints in their faith which I could not understand. I will name two only : their mode of baptism, and the doctrine of the tiinity. My father, who had been a deacon of long stand- ing with them, labored to convince me that they were right in points of doctine. I informed him that my mind was troubled in relation to bap- tism. Said he, "I had you baptized when an in- fant." 1 answered that that might all l)e accord- ing to his faith ; but the Bible taught that we must first believe, and then be baptized (Mark 16:16; 1 Pet, 3: 21), but I was not capable of believing when J was an infant. Respecting the trinity, I concluded that it was an impossibility for me to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, was also the Almighty Cod, the Father, one and the same being. I said to my father, " If you can convince me that we are one in this sense, that you are my father, and I your son; and also that 1 am your father, and you my son, then I can believe in the trinity." Our trial in this matter led me to make my duty a special subject of prayer, particularly in relation to baptism ; after which, m opening the Bible, my eyes rested on the twenty- seventh TEMPERANCE SOCIETY. 211 psalm. When I had finished the last verse, I iSaid, " Lord, I will ! If T wait on thee according to thy word, I must be immersed — buried with Christ in baptism." Col. 2:12, God strength- ened my heart and set me free from that moment^ and my duty was perfectly clear. His promise was sweet and powerfvil. In a few days I was immersed and joined the Christian Church. The same day, while we were changing our clothes, I solicited Eld. M., who baptized me, to assist me in raising a temperance society. As my mind was now free with respect to this last duty, I was forcibly impressed with the import- ance of uniting my energies with others, to check, if possible, the increasing ravages of intemper- ance. Since I had ceased to use intoxicating drinks, I was constrained to look upon it as one ' of the most important steps that I had ever taken. Hence, I ardently desired the same bless- ing for those around me. Eld. M. was the first person whom I asked to aid me in this enter- prise ; failing with him, I moved out alone, and presented my paper for subscribers. Eld. G., the Congregational minister, his two deacons, and a few of the principal men of the place, cheerfully and readily subscribed their names, twelve or thirteen in number, and forthwith a meeting was called, and the " Fairhaven Temperance Society " was organized. The majority of our little number had been sea-captains, and had seen much of the debasing influence exerted by ardent spirits among its us- ers, abroad and at home. They seemed the more ready, therefore, to give their names and influ- ence to check this monster vice. Eld. G. ex- claimed, " Why, Capt. Bates, this is just what 212 LIFE OF BATES, I havp hfiRTi wanting to see ' " The tD^etrng was organized by choosing Capt. Stephen Merihew president, and Mr. Charles Drew secretary. Pending the discussion in adopting the constitu- tion, it was voted that we pledge ourselves to abstain from the use of ardent s|)irits as a bev- erage. Having no precedent betore us, it was voted that rum, gin, brandy, and whisky were ardent spirits. Wine, beer, and cider were so freely used as a beverage that the majority of our members Were then unwilling to have them in the list. Some doubts arose with the minority whether we should be able to sustain the spirit of our constitution without abstaining from all intoxicating beverages. One of our members, who had always been noted for doing much for his visiting Iriends, said, " ^Ir. President, what shall 1 do when my friends come to visit me from Boston ? " " Do as I do, Capt. S.," said an- other ; " I have not offered my friends any liquor to drink in my house these ten years." " Oh, you are mistaken," said the president, "it is twenty 1 " This doubtless was said because the man had ceased to follow the fashion of treating his friends with liquor before others were ready to join with him. Inquiry was then made whether there were any temperance societies then known. A state- ment was made that certain individuals in Bos- ton had recently agreed together that instead of purchasing their liquor in small quantities at the stores, they would get it by the keg, and drink it in their own houses. This association was called the " Keg Society." If any temperance societies had ever been organized previous to the one at Fairhaven, we were unacquainted SUCCESS OF THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE, 213 with the fact. A short time after our organiza- tion, one of our number was reported to have vi- olated his pledge. This he denied. "But you were intoxicated," said we. He declared that he had not drank anything but cider, and that was allowed. (We were told that his wife said she would a great deal rather he would drink brandy, for when he got drunk on cider he was as ugly again.) During the trial of this member, he continued to declare that he had not violated the letter of the constitution. But it was evident to the society that he had violated the intent and spirit of it, which he was unwilling to admit, nor would he even promise to reform. He was there- fore expelled. The society here saw the necessity of amend- ing the constitution by striking out the words, "ardent spirits," and inserting in their place, "all intoxicating drinks," or something else that would sustain and aid the cause. From this a reform was introduced, which finally resulted in the disuse of all intoxicating drinks, except for medicinal purposes. This reform gave us the name of " Teetotalers." r I Before this, our temperance society had become exceedingly popular. Our meeting-houses in their turn were crowded with all classes to hear lectures on the subject ; and converts, both male and female, by scores cheerfully pledged them- selves to the temperance constitution. Many of the citizens of New Bedford who came to hear also united with us. From thence a soci- ety was organized in their town and other ones also. Arrangements were soon made, and a Bris- tol County Temperance Society was organized, and the Massachusetts State Temperance Soci- 214 LIFE OF BATES. ety soon followed. Temperance papers, tracts, and lecturers multiplied throughout the land, and opposition began to rage like the rolling sea, causing the tide of temperance to ebb awhile. Then came the "Cold Water Ai-my," of little chil- dren from four years and onward, commingling their simple little songs in praise of water — pure, cold water — no beverage like unmingled, cold water. Their simple, stirring appeals, es- pecially when assembled in their society meet- ings, seemed to give a new impetus to the cause, and re-arouse their parents to the work of total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks. As I examined my papers the other day, I saw the book containing the names of nearly three hun- dred children who had belonged to our Cold Water Army at Fairhaven. In the midst of our temperance labors, my brother F. arrived from South America in the Empress. She was soon loaded again with an assorted cai'go under my command, and cleared for South America. We sailed from New Bed- ford on the morning of Aug. 9, 1827. I found it much more trying to part with my family and friends this time than ever before. Our pilot now left us with a strong breeze wafting us out once more into the boisterous ocean for a long voyage. As usual, our anchors were now stowed away, and everything was se- cured in case we should be overtaken by a storm. As the night set in, on taking our departure from Gay Head Light, distant about fifteen miles, all hands were called aft on the quarter-deck. All but one were strangers to me, as they had come from Boston the day before. 1 read our names and agreement to perform this voyage, from the RULES FOR THE VOYAGE. 215 shipping papers, and requested their attention while I stated the rules and regulations which I wished to be observed during our voyage. I spoke to them of the importance of cultivat- ing kind feelings toward each other while we were alone on the ocean, during our contem- plated voyage. I stated that I had frequently seen bitter feelings and continued hatred arise on shipboard by not calling the men by their proper names. Said I, " Here is the name of William Jones; now let it be remembered while we are performing this voyage that we all call his name William. Here is John Robinson ; call him John. Here is James Stubbs; call him James. We shall not allow any Bills, or Jacks, or Jims, to be called here." In like manner I read all their names, with those of the first and second mates, and requested them always to ad- dress one another in a respectful manner, and to call themselves by their proper names ; and if the officers addressed them otherwise, I wished it I'eported to me. Another rule was, that I should allow no swearing during the voyage. Said William Dunn, " I have always had that privilege, sir." " Well," said I, " you cannot have it here," and quoted the third commandment, and was endeav- oring to show how wicked it was to swear, when he said, " I can't help it, sir ! " I replied, " Then 1 will help you to help it." He began to reason about it, and said, " When 1 am called up in the night to leef tojisails in bad weather, and things don't go right, I swear before I think of it." Said 1 to him, " If you do so here, I will tell you what I will do with you ; I will call you down and send you below, and let your shipmates do 216 LIFE OF BATES. your duty for you." Dunn saw that such a course would disgrace him, and he said, " I will try, sir." Another rule was, that we should allow no washing nor mending clothes on Sundays. I said to the crew, " I have, a good assortment of books and papers which you may have access to every Sunday. I shall also endeavor to instruct you, that we may keep that day holy unto the Lord. You shall have every Saturday afternoon to wash and mend your clothes, both at sea and in harbor, and I shall expect you to appear every Sunday morning with clean clothes. When we arrive in port you may have the same Saturday afternoon in your turn to go on shore and see the place, and get what you wish, if you return on iDoard at night sober; for we shall observe the Sabbath on board in port, and not gi-ant any libei-ty on shoi'e Sunday." At this, Dunn remarked again, "That's the sailor's privilege, and I have always had the liberty of going on shore Sundays, and " " I know that very well," said I, interrupting him, " but I cannot give you that liberty," and en- deavored to show the crew how wrong it was to violate God's holy day, and how much better they would enjoy themselves in i-eading and improving their minds than in joining all the wickedness that sailors were in the habit of in foreign ports on that day. " Another thing I want to tell you is, that we have no liquor, or intoxicating drinks, on board." " I am glad of that ! " said John R. Perhaps this was the first voyage he had ever sailed with- out it. Said I, " We have one junk-bottle of brandy, and one also of gin, in the medicine SEMI- WEEKLY PAPER. 217 chest ; this I shall administer to you like the other medicine when I think you need it. This is all the liquor we have on board, and all that I intend shall be on board this vessel during our voyage; and I here strictly forbid any of you bringing anything of the kind on board when you have liberty to go on shore in foreign ports. And I would that I could persuade you never to drink it when on shore. When you are called to do duty during your watch below, we shall expect you to come up readily and cheerfully, and you shall retire again as soon as the work is performed, and also have your forenoon watch below. If you adhere to these rules, and behave yourselves like men, you shall be kindly treated, and our voyage will prove a pleasant one." I then knelt down and commended ourselves to the great God, whose tender mercies are over all the works of his hands, to protect and guide us on our way over the ocean to our destined port. The next morninof, all but the man at the helm were invited into the cabin to join with us in our morning prayer. We told them that this would be our practice morning and evening, and we should be pleased to have them all with us, that we might pray with and for them. Also, to further encourage the crew to read and inform their minds, we proposed to issue a paper twice a week, namely, Tuesday and Friday mornings, during the voyage. Before sailing, I had prepared a stock of books, with the latest newspapers, also the last volume of an interesting religious weekly paper, published in Boston, called Zion's Herald. We began our issue with the first num- ber of the volume, requiring the return of the last number before issuing the next ; this we 218 LIFE OF BATES. placed under the volume, to be given out again at the end of six months. The novel idea of a semi-weekly paper at sea interested the crew very much, and when the first number came forth again, and they began to reread the volume, 1 heard nothing said with regard to ever having seen it before. Their in- terest in the paper continued throughout the en- tire voyage. During their forenoon watch below, I used frequently to walk forward, unobserved, and listen to hear some one of them reading aloud from their morning paper, and their remai'ks thereon. On Sundays, when the weather was suitable, we had religious worship on the quarter-deck, otherwise in the cabin, when we generally read some good, selected sermon, and from the Bible. When in port we could not have their whole at- tention on Sunday, as when at sea. It sometimes seemed hard for them to be deprived of the priv- ilege of going ashore with other ship companies that were passing us for that purpose. But we enjoyed peace and quietness, while they were ri- oting in folly and drunkenness. After a few weeks it was truly gratifying to see them select- ing their books from our little library on Sunday morning, and reading them, and also their Bibles, to inform their minds — it was so different from their former course on shipboard. They also ap- peared cheerful and willing to obey when called upon, and so continued. After a passage of forty- seven days, we arrived in safety at Paraiba, on the east coast of South America. From thence we continued our voyage to Bahia, or St. Salvador, where we arrived the 5th of October. Finding no sale for our cargo, we cleared for St. Catherine's. OVERHAULED BY A PRIVATEER. 219 The night before our arrival at Bahia, we were fired upon and detained by a Buenos Ayres pri- vateer. The captain pretended to believe that I was loaded with muskets and powder for his en- emy, the Brazilians. After satisfying himself to the contrary, he released us. CHAPTER XVIII. OVERHAULED BY A BUENOS AYRES PRIVATEER, OR PIRATE — PLUNDER — PASSENGERS MADE PRISONERS — SE.IRC'H EOR MONEY — CREAV AND PASSENGERS RELEASED — .SEASON OF PRAYER— ARRIVAL AT RIO JANEIRO — BETHEL MEETING — RIO GRANDE — DANGERS OF THE COAST — FRESH WATER — RELIGIOUS VIEWS — LETTER — VESSEL LOST — SAIL — AR- RIVE AT ST. Catherine's — sail for new york— singu- lar PHENOMENON. On arriving at St. Catherine's, we landed, sold O ... our cargo, and loaded again with rice and farina, and sailed for Rio Janeiro. Several days after we left St. Catherine's, a strange sail was discov- ered at a distance on our weather-quarter, bearing toward us early in the morning. She soon began firing guns, but we paid little attention to her, and were standing on our course under a very light breeze. The Sugar Loaf and other high mountains at the entrance of the harbor of Rio Janeiro were now looming in the distance, some eighty miles ahead of us. We saw that the strange sail was gaining on us very fast, and by the aid of the spy-glass discovered that she was sweep- ing with long oars and firing occasionally. We hoisted the stars and stripes, and soon discovered 220 LIFE OF BATES. that she was a brig with the Buenos Ayres flag at her peak. We had eight gentleman passengers on board, six of them Brazilian merchants, going to Rio Janeiro to increase their stock of goods. They were exceedingly agitated on learning that their enemy was approaching. I said to them, " If you think it best I will crowd on all sail, and if the breezes fi-eshen up soon we can outsail them, but if not they will sweep down upon us, and in case they overtake us you will fare hard. I have no fear of them myself, while under the American flag. But if we heave to for them, they will cease their firing and treat you more kindly. I will do either of which you shall choose among yourselves." They soon decided that we might better heave to and let them come up with us. We did so, and calmly awaited the approach of the enemy. In the course of an hour they rounded to, broadside to us, and cried out, "Brig ahoy! Hal- loo ! Lower your boat down, sir, and come aboard here immediately ! " " Yes, sir." They cried again, " Do you bear a hand about it, sir, and bring your papers with you ! " " Yes, sir." t directed the second mate to take charge of the boat, to keep her from being stove while along- side the privateer. On reaching the deck I was met by two ruffianly-looking men with their brace of pistols, and the captain, standing in the cabin gangway, who said, " Why did n't you heave to, sir, when I fired at you ? I have a good mind to blow j^-our brains out here ! " fol- lowed up with a volley of blasphemous impreca- tions. I replied, " I am in your hands, sir ; you can do as you please," and then added, " I hove my vessel to as soon as I ascertained who you PLUNDER. 221 were ; ' and pointing to our flying colors, I re- marked, "That is the American flag, and T hope you will respect it." Then came another volley of oaths with a threat that he would sink my vessel, and he cried out, " Go away aft, there, sir, on the quarter-deck ' " Here he took my papers. When 1 got aft I saw that my whole crew were with me. 1 said, " Mr, Bowne, why did you not stay in the boat?" "Why, sir, they ordered us all on deck after you, and put in a crew of theii own ; yonder they go on board the Empress." The privateer master then inquired, "Captain, what's your cargo ? " " Rice and farina," was the reply. " \ ou have got ammunition for the enemy under your farina." " No, sir ; I have no such thing in my cargo. You have my invoice and bills of ladmg." He said he knew I was aiding the Brazilians, and that he would carry roe down to Montevideo as a prize. Said I, " If you do, 1 shall find friends there." " Why," said he, " have you ever been there ? " " Yes," I re- plied. Said he, " I will burn your vessel up, and sink her to the bottom ; " and he hailed his ofii- cer and ordered him to take ofi" the hatchways and sound her with rods to the bottom of the hold. Their crew now came along-side with our boat to discharge their plunder. Said I, " Cap- tain, are you going to plunder my vessel ? " " Yes," he answered, " I promised these men plunder if they would pull with the sweeps and overtake you." My remonstrating only made him curse and swear about what he would do to us. My papers and letters were then spread out on the quarter-deck. I asked him what he want- ed with my private papers and letters. He an- 22'I LIFE OF BATES. swered thai he wanted to find out my corre- spondence with his enemy, the Brazilians. Said I, " Yon have my wife's letters there from the United States." Said he, " You may have them, and your private property." The boat was un- loading her plunder again, and I said, "Your men have just passed in my spy-glass ; will you let me have it ? " " No," .said he, " I promised them plunder if they would overtake you, and I can- not stop them." While examining the invoice he suddenly asked, " Where is your money ? " I replied, "You have my papers with the invoice of my cargo ; if you find any account of money, take it." He then ordered his officers to make thorough search for it on board. Not finding any, they told the steward they would hang him if he did not tell where the captain's money was. He de- clared that he had no knowledge of any. Our money was in .silver coin; no one knew where it was but myself I had stowed it away in bags where 1 had but little fear of pirates finding it. This captain was P^nglish, with a mixed, savage- looking crew, apparently ready for any kind of murderous work. Two or three times he had his vessel steered so near ours that 1 feared they would get foul of each other and he wrecked, or go down, and because 1 spoke by way of caution, he poured his abusive epithets on me unrestrained. After an hour or so his excitement began to sub- side, when he invited me to go down into the cab- in with him and take a criass of grog. "Thank you, sir," said 1, " 1 don't drink any." Well, he did, and down he went for a few moments to swallow another deadly dram, i said to the Brazilian merchants just before PASSENGERS MADE PRISONERS. 228 he came up with us, " Say nothing to me about your money ; secure it the best way you can. I. shall undoubtedly be questioned about it, and if I know nothing of it I can say so." They gave their gold watches to the sailors, who kept them upon their persons out of sight. 1 was after- ward told that they threw a quantity of their gold doubloons into the cook's " coppers," where the beef and pork were boiling in salt water for our dinner. These merchants were well stocked with summer dresses and linen, which these greedy fellows laid hold of, stripping them all off except their shirts and pantaloons. After a while the insatiate crew that were ran- sacking our vessel for money, feeling the gnaw- ings of hunger, seized upon the beef and pork that were cooking in the boilers. It seemed that a merciful Providence checked them from discovering the golden treasure at the bottom of the coppers; for if they had discovered it, they would have suspected there was more of the same in other places, and most probably some of us would have been hanged or shot before the search ended. During this abusive detention of seven or eight hours, or from eleven in the forenoon until sun- down, my boat's crew and self were crowded in- to a standing position away aft on the quarter- deck, with nothing to eat. Late in the afternoon the Brazilian merchants were brought on board the privateer as prisoners of war, and ordered to stand forward of the gangway on the lee- side, or, as sailors term it, " in the lee scuppers." Poor fellows, they looked most pitiful. Their pros- pects seemed most dark and dubious. 1 had heard of their saying, or talking among them- 224 LIFE OF BATES. selves, soon after we sailed from St. Catherine's, because of our praying with them and our sailors morning and evening, that there would be no danger, but they would have a safe passage to Rio Janeiro. Their faith was now being tested. There they stood, with their eyes fastened on the captain of the privateer and our little company. A little before sundown the captain ordered all his men on board from the Empress. As our boat returned with them, he said to me, " You may now take your papers and boat and go on board your vessel." " Thank you, sir," I replied. " Will you let the passengers go with me ? " "No!" said he, "they are my prisoners." "I know that, sii-; but I shall be greatly obliged to you if you will let me have them." He said he wished me to understand that he knew his own business. 1 was at liberty to go on board when I pleased, but I should not have his pris- oners. My men had gone into the boat and were waiting for me. These poor fellows did not understand English, but it was clearly manifest from their agonizing, agitated looks that they knew their fate was be- ing settled. Everything to them seemed to hang on a few moments. I appealed to his English and humane feelings respecting their treatment of prisoners not found in arms against them, and said to him, " These men have behaved like gen- tlemen on board of my vessel ; they paid me fifty dollars each for their passage before 1 left St. Catherine's ; they were quietly prosecuting their individual business. In point of worldly inter- est I shall gain nothing, as I am ah-eady paid ; but I want to fulfill my engagement with them, and laud them safe in ilio Jaueiru. They have AERIVAL AT RIO JANEIRO, 225 never injured you, and they will be in your way here. Now, captain, why will you not let me have thorn ? " " Take them," said he in a sub- dued tone. " Thank you, sir, for your kindness." The way these men passed over that vessel's side into our boat, when we pointed them to her, was pretty clear proof that they understood all we had been saying concerning them. The captain then endeavored to apologize some for his unkind treatment to me. I bade him good- by, and we were once more all on board the Empress at the setting of the sun. Here we found things in great confusion ; our long boat unstowed, hatches all thrown off, leav- ing the cargo exposed to the first sea that should come on our decks. Passengers and crew worked diligently to put the Empress in sailing trim, and as night closed upon us we were out of reach of the privateer's guns, under a good whole- sale breeze, and the passengers were congratu- lating each other on their safe deliverance from a cruel death. When order was restored, we as- sembled as usual in the cabin to thank the Lord for his daily mercies, and especially for his mani- fest interference in delivering us from the power of that reckless crew of pirates on the high seas. Thanks to his holy name ! The sailors delivered the passengers their watches, and whatever else they had given them for safe-keeping. Their doubloons were also safe in the coppers. The enemy got none of their money ; but they en- tered their trunks, and left them in rather a sad plight to meet their friends. The afternoon of the next day we anchored in the harbor of Rio Janeiro. When the report of the matter reached the city, Bates. IS 226 LIFE OF BATES. the government dispatched a frigate in pursuit of the privateer, but they did not find her. On Sunday the bethel flag was seen flying on board an English brig in the harbor. With my boat's crew, we joined them. There were not many present, and the dull, formal manner in which the meeting was managed seemed to strip it of all spiritual interest. After the meeting closed, the officers of the difl'erent ships in at- tendance were invited into the cabin, where a table was spread with various kinds of liquors, to which we were invited to help ourselves. I declined partaking of this part of the exercise, and returned to my vessel much disappointed at losing the blessing I had anticipated. Before leaving the harbor, however, some friends met with us on board the Empress, and we had an interesting prayer-meeting, with the blessing of Heaven. As the custom-house authorities declined gi'anting me liberty to sell my cargo in Rio Ja- neiro, we cleared and sailed again for St. Cathe- rine's. On our arrival there, the president of the province, having just received a communication from the province of Rio Grande for two cargoes of farina for the troops in the South, granted me the first privilege, and gave me a letter to the authorities of Rio Grande. Thus prepared, we sailed again, and arrived at the bar of Rio Grande on the last day of the year 1827. Mari- ners approaching this coast cannot be too cau- tious, as the sand banks, both above and under the sea, are constantly changing their position. As we were ap})roaching the coast at the close of the day, the water " shoaled " so fast that we anchored in the open sea, and lay there until FRESH WATER. 227 morning, when we ascertained that we were some thirty miles from the coast. The sand banks on the shore are from five to about twenty-five feet high, and make it extremely difiicult sometimes to see the light-house before being in danger of striking the sand bars. The wrecks of vessels, as they were passing through the process of be- ing buried in the sand by the surging of the heavy surf, lying strewed along the shore a few miles from the entrance of the harbor, are sufii- cient evidence to the observer that it requires the best attention and skill of navigators in ap- proaching this place, to get in without damage. It is singular how fresh water is obtained for the shipping in the harbor. The water casks are towed to the shore, and the sailors dig little holes in the sand, about twenty or thirty feet from the ocean's edge. In about two or three min- utes these holes fill up with pure, fresh water, which is easily scooped into the casks. The wa- ter thus obtained is often not more than two feet above the level of the salt sea- water. In pleas- ant weather, the women are frequently seen among the sand hills near the salt water, digging holes in the sand for fresh, soft water, sufiiciently large to wash their fine white clothes in. When spread on the sand, with a clear sunshine, they dry them in about an hour. When dry, with one shake the sand falls i'rom them, and their clothes are not soiled, because the sand is free from dust. While in this port we held meetings on board our vessel every Sunday ; Ijut none of our neigh- bors, who were anchored near by and around us, came to unite with us, as they preferred to spend their leisure hours on shore. Their men re- 228 LIFR OF BATES. turned in the evening, generally in a turbulent and riotous condition. Our temperance and re- ligious principles on shipboard were new, and, of course, objectionable to all around us ; but still they were constrained to admit that we enjoyed peace and quiet on board our vessel that they in general were strangers to, especially on Sunday nights. The supercargo of a Philadelphia brig, which was anchored near by us, used frequently to ridicule my religious views and swear about them in a violent manner when I happened to meet him. He took occasion to do this especially in company where we transacted our business. Sometimes he would cool down and commend me for my forbearance, and promise that he would not swear when I was present. But his promises were always soon foi'gotten. When his vessel was getting under way to leave for home, I wrote him a letter, entreating him to tui'n from his wicked course and serve the Lord, and spoke of the consequences that might follow if he still continued in the course he was pursuing, and gave it to him to read when he had more leisure. He proceeded on his voy- age, and was approaching near his destined port, when one day, while the officers and crew were down at dinner, suddenly and unexpectedly a squall struck his vessel and capsized her. The crew just escaped with their lives. They were picked up by another vessel, and the supercargo arrived in New York. He there fell in company with an old acquaintance of mine, to whom he related the circumstance of his becoming ac- quainted with nie in Kio Grande, and referring to the religious instruction I gave him in the letter before referred to, he cursed and railed against A FIVE HUNDRED-DOLLAR ERROR. 229 me for being the cause of his misfortune and present suffering. This judgment, which God suffered to overtake him in such a sudden and irrevocable manner, made him feel, undoubtedly, that it was for the blasphemous course which he had pursued and was still indulging in. In seek- ing for some way to ease his troubled conscience and justify self, he doubtless found some relief in charging it all to me. After some detention we sold our cargo to the government, and invested the most of our funds in dry hides, and cleared for St. Catherine's. After sailing some eight miles from our anchor- age, to the light-house at the entrance of the har- bor, we were compelled to anchor for the night, and wait for daylight and a fair wind to pass safely over the sand bars. On receiving my account current from Mr. Carroll, the Brazilian merchant whom I employed to transact my foreign business, I ran it over without discovering any error. But still it seemed to me that I had received more cash in balance than was my due. But many other things then necessarily occupied my mind (as is usual on weighing anchor to proceed on a voyage), until we were obliged to anchor near the light- house. I then discovered that the merchant had balanced the account wrong, in my favor. This, of course, was no fault of mine ; but he had paid me over my due five hundred dollars in gold doubloons. Only one way was now open for me to communicate with him, and that was by send- ing my boat. Our unsafe position near the sand bars and breakers seemed to demand that not only our boat, but also our crew, should be at hand, in case our anchors should fail to hold us 230 LIFE OF BATES. during the night. But the money was not mine, and I felt that 1 should not be blessed of the Lord if 1 attempted to proceed on my voyage without an exertion on my part to pay it over. My vessel might never be heard from again, nei- ther Mr. C.'s money ; then, of course, the fault would be charged to me. I therefore dispatched my boat with the following letter : — " Mr. Carroll, Dear Sir : Since I parted with you, I have been wondering how I came by so much money. Once I overhauled the accounts and concluded they were right. This evening, being more collected and free from care, and not satisfied, I have again spread them before me and made a memorandum of sales and purchases, which led me to discover the error — five hundred dollars and thirty-four cents. I have been devis- ing the best way to get this money safe to you ; as it is now late, and a prospect of a fair wind early in the morning, I have concluded to send my boat. To double the diligence of my men, I have prom- ised them 900 ' reis ' each. 1 do not know of any other way that would be safe. "Joseph Bates. "Brig Empress, at the bar off Rio Grande, March 8, 1828." By the blessing of God our boat returned in safety, with the thanks of the merchant, in time for us to put to sea early in the morning, with a fair wind. We were prospered with a safe voy- age to St. Catherine's, where we finished our lad- ing with hides and cofiee, and cleared for New York. The Brazilian government was in such an unsettled state, owing to the war with Buenos SINGULAR PHENOMENON. 231 Ayres, that their business was very much de- pressed. Our passage home was pleasant and prosper- ous. We were cheered once more with the well- known north star as we advanced a little way north of the equator, out of the South Atlantic Ocean. After passing the north-eastern extrem- ity of South America, as we steered away north- west, we soon came under the quickening influ- ence of the north-east and east trade-winds, which wafted us onward toward our home and friends, sometimes at the rate of two hundred miles in twenty-four hours. Sailors reckon their days as astronomers do, from noon to noon. Ev- ery night, on the appearance of the north star, her ascension in the northern hemisphere was very perceptible, and also encouraging, proving our onward course northward. As we were proceeding on our way toward the windward of the West India Islands, on coming on deck one morning, I observed that the sails looked red. I hailed one of our seamen, who was aloft, and told him to rub his hand on the top-gaUant sail, and tell me what was there. He answered, " It is sand ! " I requested him to brush ofl* some in his hand, and come down with it. He brought down what he could shut up in his hand of flue red and gray sand. As soon as the sails became dry, by the shining of the sun, it all dropped oti', and our sails were as white as they were the day before. On a thorough exam- ination of my charts and book of directions, I ascertained that the nearest land eastward of us, from whence the wind was continually blowing, was the coast of Africa, some fifteen hundred Tniles distant ! The Atlantic Ocean lay before 232 IJFK OF P.ATKS. and behind us. Stretching along under our lee, many hundreds of miles west of us, lay the north- ern coast of South America. It was therefore clear that the quantity of sand on our sails, which was held there by reason of their being quite wet, came not from the west, the north, nor the south, but from the flying clouds passing over the Desert of Sahara, where we are told by trav- elers that the sand has frequently been seen whirling upward in heavy columns to the clouds by whirlwinds. The same is referred to by the prophet Isaiah, chapter 22 : 1. According to the rate clouds are said to fly be- fore a strong gale, these passed over us in about forty-eight hours after leaving the coast of Africa, and sifted out their loads of sand some fifteen hundred miles across the North Atlantic Ocean, and most likely also over the northern coast of South America and into the Pacific. CHAPTER XIX. REVIVAL AT SEA — AKRIVE rN NEW YORK — BETHEL SHIPS AND MEETINGS — FRIENDLESS YOUNG MEN — ARRIVAL IN NEW BEDFORD — TEMPERANCE REFORM — SEA-FARING LIFE ENDED. During our homeward-bound passage, our crew seemed more thoughtful and attentive to the re- ligious instructions we were endeavoring to im- part to them. It was evident that the Spirit of the Lord was at work in our midst. One James S. gave good evidence of a thorough conversion to God, and was very happy during our voyage RETHEL MEETINGS. 233 home. Religion seemed to be his whole theme. One night in his watch on deck, while relating to, me his experience, he said, " Do n't you re- member the first night out on our voyage from home, when you had all hands called aft on the quarter-deck, and gave them rules for the voy- age ? " " Yes," I replied. " Well, sir, I was then at the helm, and when you finished, and knelt down on the quaiter-deck and prayed with us, if at that time you had taken up a handspike and knocked me down at the helm, I should not have felt worse ; for I had never seen such a thing be- fore." Thomas B. also professed conversion at that time. Our passage home was pleasant, with the ex- ception of a heavy gale which troubled us some, but the good Lord delivered us from its over- whelming influence, and we soon after arrived safely in the harbor of New York City. The first news from home was that my honored fa- ther had died some six weeks before my arrival. This was a trying providence for which I was not prepared. He had lived nearly seventy-nine years, and I had always found him in his place at the head of the family after my long voyages, and it seemed to me that I had not one serious thought but that I should see him there again if I lived to return home. While in the city I had the pleasure of attend- ing an evening bethel prayer-meeting on board a ship lying at the wharf. I enjoyed it very much. Such meetings were then in their infancy, but since that time it is common enough to see the bethel flag on Sunday morning on board the ships for meeting, on both the east and north sides of the river, for the benefit of sailors and 234 LIFE OF BATES. young men that are often wandeiing about the city without home or friends. Many, doubtless, have been saved from ruin by the efforts of those engaged in these benevolent institutions, while other homeless ones, who have not had such in- duences to restrain them, have been driven to deeds of desperation, or yielded to feelings of de- spair. The trying experience of my early days made me familiar with such scenes. On one of my previous voyages, I had prevailed on a young man to accompany me to his home in Massachusetts. And while I was in the city this time, as 1 was passing through the park, among many others whom I saw was a young man seated in the shade, looking very melancholy, quite sim- ilar to the one just mentioned, and not far from the same place. I seated myself beside him, and asked him why he appeared so melancholy. At first he hesitated, but soon began to inform me that he was in a destitute state, having nothing to do, and nowhere to go. He said his brother had employed him in his apothecary store in the city, but he had recently failed and broken up, and left the city, and that now he was without home and friends. I asked him where his parents lived. He replied, " In Massachusetts. My fa- ther is a Congregationalist preacher, near Bos- ton." I invited him to go on board my vessel, be one of my crew, and I would land him within sixty miles of his home. He readily accepted my offer, and on our arrival in New Bedford, Mass., his father came for him, and expressed much gratitude to me for his safe return and the privilege of again meeting with his son. On our arrival in New York, my crew, with one exception, chose to remain on board and dis- TEMPERANCE REFORM. 235 charge the cargo, and not have their discharge as was customary on arriving from a foreign port. They preferred, also, to continue in their stations until we arrived in New Bedford, where the Empress was to proceed, to fit out for another voyage. After discharging our cargo, we sailed and arrived in New Bedford about the 20th of June, 1828 — twenty-one years from the time I sailed from thence on my first European voyage, in the capacity of cabin boy. Some of my men inquired when I was going on another voyage, and expressed a wish to wait for me, and also their satisfaction with the last as being their best voyage. It was some satisfaction to me to know that seamen were susceptible of moral reform on the ocean (as proved in this in- stance) as well as on the land ; and I believe that such reforms can generally be accomplished where the ofiicers are ready and willing to enter into it. It has been argued by too many that sailors continue to addict themselves to so many bad habits that it is about useless to attempt their reform. I think it will be safe to say that the habitual use of intoxicating drink is the most debasing and formidable of all their habits. But if governments, ship-owners, and captains, had not always provided it for them on board their war and trading ships, as a beverage, tens of thousands of intelligent and most enterprising young men would have been saved, and would have been as great a blessing to their friends, their country, and the church, as farmers, doctors, law- yers, and other tradesmen and professional men have been. Having had some knowledge of these things, I had resolved in the fear of God to attempt a re- 236 LIFE OF BATKS. form, though temperance societiea were then in their infancy, and temperance ships unknown. And when I made the announcement at the com- mencement of our last voyage that there was no intoxicating drink on board, only what pertained to the medicine chest, and one man shouted that he was " glad of it," this lone voice on the ocean in behalf of this work of reform from a stranger, manifesting his joy because there was no liquor on board to tempt him, was cheering to me, and a strong evidence of the power of human influ- ence. I believe that he was also deeply affected, and I cannot now recollect that he used it in any way while under my command, nor any of the others, except Wm. Dunn, whom I had to reprove once or twice during the voyage for drinking while he was on duty on shore. Then what had been considered so necessary an article to stimulate the sailor in the perform- ance of his duty proved not only unnecessary, but the withholding of it was shown to be a great blessing in our case. Some time after this voyage, I was in company with a ship-owner of New Bedford, who was personally interested in fitting out his own ships, and storing them with provisions, liquors, and all the necessaries for long voyages. We had been agitating the importance of reform in strong drink, when he observed, " I understand, Capt. Bates, that you performed your last voyage with- out the use of ardent spirits." " Yes, sir," I re- plied. Said he, " Yours is the first temperance vessel I have ever heard of." My brother F. now took command of the Em- press, and sailed again for South America, being fitted out to perform the voyage on the })rinciples AT HOME. 237 of temperance, as on her former voyage. During my last voyage I had reflected much on the en- joyments of social life with my family and friends, of which I had deprived myself for so many years ; and I desired to be more exclusively engaged in bettering my condition, and those with whom I should be called to associate, on the subject of religion and moral reform. CHAPTER XX. AT HOME — FARMING — MY PBOMISE — SEAMAN's FRIEND SO- CIETY — MISSIONS — AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY — AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY — MEETING-HOUSE — RELIGIOUS REVIVAL — TEA AND COFFEE — CHANGE OF RESIDENCE — PROGRESS OF THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE — PROGRESS OF THE ANTISLAVERY CAUSE — MY OWN POSITION — MOB IN BOS- TON, MASS. — FALLING STARS. Chapter nineteen closed with the account of my last voyage, leaving me in the enjoyment of the blessings of social life on the land, with my family and friends. My sea-faring life was now finished. I once more esteemed it a great priv- ilege to unite with my brethren in the Christian Church. I also gladly re-engaged in the temper- ance reform with my former associates, who had been progressing in the work during my absence. My father in his last will requested that I should unite with my mother in the settlement of his estate. Before the year came round, my mother was also removed by death. I now turned my attention to farming, and commmenced improving a small farm which my father had be- 238 LIFE OF BATES. queathed to me. Through the aid of an agricult- ural weekly, called the New England Farmer, for a theory, and with some of my ready cash, I soon made some perceptible alterations on the farm, but with little or no income. My companion had often said that she wished I had some way to sustain my family by living at home. I promised her that when I had gained a competency by following the sea, then I would relinquish the business and stay on shore. When asked what I considered a competency, I an- swered, "Ten thousand dollars." After tasting the sweets of the Christian's hope, I found it much easier, with all the opening prospects be- fore me, to say where I would stop in this bus- iness, if the Lord prospered me. I now enjoyed the privilege of reading some of the periodicals of the times, especially those on religion and morals. The sailor's wants were now beginning to be agitated through a periodical called the Sailor's Magazine. A few friends of the cause came together, and we organized the " Fairhaven Seaman's Friend Society." A little pamphlet called " The Missionaiy Herald," ad- vocating the cause of foreign missions, also en- listed my feelings, and engaged my attention to some extent. My intercourse with what the " Herald " called the heathen, enabled me to see more clearly their moral and religious wants. I also became much interested in the work of the American Tract Society, which was organized in Boston, Mass., in the year 1814, and was em- bracing all the evangelical denominations in the I Inited States. I read with pleasure, and helped to circulate many of their tracts on religious sub- jects and temperance reform ; but my interest COLONIZATION SOCIETY. 239 began to wane when they manifested a determin- ation not to publish any tracts in favor of the down-trodden and oppressed slave in their own land, when they were solicited by antislavery men so to do. It became manifest that their professed unbounded benevolence embraced the whole human race, of all colors and complex- ions, except those who were suffering under their task-masters, and perishing for lack of religious knowledge within the sound of their voices, in their own churches, and by their firesides. Such inconsistency rests heavily on the managers of the society. About this time I began also to read the African Repository, the organ of the "American Colonization Society," organized in the city of Washington, D. C, 1817. The character and tendency of this society was after this fully set forth by Wm. Jay, of New York, in 1835. He says,-" Of the seventeen vice-presidents, only five were selected from the free States, while the twelve managers were, it is believed, without one exception, slave-holders. The first two articles of the constitution are the only ones relating to the society. They are as follows : — " 'Art. I. This society shall be called the Amer- ican Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United States. " 'Art. II. The object to which its attention is to be exclusively directed, is to promote and ex- ecute a plan for colonizing (with their consent) the free people of color residing in our country, in Africa, or such other place as Congress shall deem most expedient. And the society shall act to effect this object in co-operation with 240 LIFE OF BATES. the general government, and such of the States as may adopt regulations on the subject.' " The subject was new to me, having had but little knowledge of it while following the sea. For awhile it appeared that the movers in this work were honest in their declarations respecting the fi'ee people of color, and the abolition of slavery in the Union. But when antislavery societies began, and were being organized, from 1831 to 1834, it became evident that the mem- bers of these colonization societies were the worst enemies of the free people of color, and clearly manifest that they labored to perpetuate slavery in the slave-holding States, and man- ifested the most bitter opposition to antislavery men and measures. Up to 1832, the Christian Church in Fairhaven, with which I had united, had occupied a rented hall ; and they now began to feel the need of having a house of worship of their own in a more convenient place. Four of the brethren united and built one, which was called the Washing- ton-Street Christian meeting-house. Soon after it was finished and dedicated, we commenced a series of religious meetings, in which the Lord graciously answered our prayers, and poured out his Spirit upon us, and many souls were converted. The other churches became zealously affected, and the work of God spread throughout the village. For many weeks in succession the church -bells were ringing, morn- ing, afternoon, and evening, for preaching and social meetings. It was thought by those who spoke of it that the whole population of the un- converted were under the deep movings of God's Holy Spuit. TEA AND COFFEE. 241 Our village had been blessed with several re- vivals before, but I was from home, except during two, the last of which I have just mentioned. The first one was in the year 1807, when the people were immersed in the love and pleasures of the world, and the pride of life. The work was wonderful to them, and altogether unexpected. Although we had a stated ministry and regular preaching, it was ascertained that there were but two family altars in the place, viz., at Mr. J.'s and at my father's. I remember that I felt deeply interested in that work, and loved to at- tend their prayer-meetings, and I have often thought that the Lord at that time forgave my sins, but I, like too many other youth, neg- lected to tell my feelings to my parents, or any one, feeling that religion was for older ones than myself; and before the revival wholly subsided, my mind was occupied in preparing for my first European voyage. From the year 1824, when I made my covenant with God, I had lived up to the principles of total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks, but had continued the use of tea and coffee, without much conviction about their poisonous and stim- ulating efiPects, for about seven years longer. With my small stock of knowledge on the subject, 1 was unwilling to be fairly convicted that these stimulants had any eft'ect on me, until on a social visit with my wife at one of our neighbor's, where tea was served us somewhat stronger than our usual habit of drinking. It had such an efi'ect on my whole system that I could not rest nor sleep until after midnight. I then became ful- ly satisfied (and have never seen cause to change my belief since) that it was the tea I drank 242 LIFE OF RATES. which so affected me. From thence I became convicted of its intoxicating qualities, and dis- carded the use of it. Soon after this, on the same principle, I dis- carded the use of coffee, so that now [1806] it is about thirty years since I have allowed myself knowingly to taste of either. If the read- er should ask how much I have gained in this matter, I answer that my health is better, my mind is clearer, and my conscience in this re- spect is void of offense. Sylvester Graham, in his " Lectures on the Science of Human Life," says : " There is no truth in science more fully ascertained than that both tea and coffee are among the most iiowerftd poison.'^ of the vegeta- ble kingdom." Tea is spoken of in the Transylvania Journal of Medicine as an anodyne, in some cases as truly so as opium. The Encyclopedia Americana says : " The effects of tea on the human system are those of a very mild narcotic, and, like those of an}' other narcotic, when taken in small quantities, exhilarating." Dr. Combe, in his valuable work on digestion and dietetics, observes that " when made very strong, or taken in large quantities, es- pecially late in the evening, they [tea and coffee] not only ruin the stomach, but very seriously derange the health of the biain and nervous sys- tem." I sold my place of residence in the year 1831, and was occupied much of the time in 1832 in locating my dwelling-house and outbuildings on my little farm, and was also associated with three of my Christian friends in building the Washing- ton-Street meeting-house. In 1831 it was stated that three thousand temperance societies were ANTISLAVERY SOCIETIES. 243 organized in the United States, with three hun- dred thousand membei^s. (See " Haskell's Chron- ological View of the World," p. 247.) Thus in four years — or from 1827 — temperance societies had progressed from our small beginning in Fair- haven. Many ships were also adopting the tem- ]>erance reform. About the close of 1831, and commencement of 1832, antislavery societies began to be organ- ized again in the United States, advocating immediate emancipation. As the work pro- gressed, antislavery advocates w'ere maltreated and mobbed in many places where they attempted to organize or hold meetings to plead for the poor, oppressed slaves in our land. Colonization soci- eties and their advocates were foremost in this shameful work, as any one may learn by reading William Jay's " Inquiry into their Character and Tendency." All their declarations of benevolence for the free people of color, and ardent desire to benefit the poor, oppressed slaves, and finally save our country from the curse of slavery, van- ished like the morning cloud and early dew when reading of their disgraceful acts of violence in the city of New York and other places, to shut ou.t the pleadings of humanity for the down-trod- den and oppressed slave. The New York Com- mercial Advertiser and Courier and. Enquirer were then among the best friends of coloniza- tion and slaveholding. I then began to feel the importance of taking a decided stand on the side of the oppressed. My labor in the cause of temperance had caused a pretty thorough sifting of my friends, and 1 felt that I had no more that I wished to part with ; but duty was clear that I could not be a consist- 244 LIFE OF HATES. ent Christian if I stood on the side of the oppress- or, for God was not there. Neither could I claim his promises if I stood on neutral ground. Hence, my only alternative was to plead for the slave, and thus I decided. In our religious meetings we talked and prayed, remembering " them that are in bonds, as bound with them." Heb. 13. Some were offended, and some feared disunion. Notwithstanding the conflicting views and feelings in our midst, there were some in the churches who held to the prin- ciples of antislavery. And as the woi-k advanced during the years 1832 to 1835, in which there was much contention from all quarters of the Union about this matter, a call was made for a meeting, in which about forty citizens of Fair- haven came together and organized the Fair- haven Antislavery Society, auxiliary to the New England Antislavery Society. This drew down the wrath of a certain class of our neighbors, who also called opposition meetings, in which they passed resolutions denouncing us in very se- vere terms ; not for the princijiles which we had adopted in our constitution did they do this, for the}^ were not contrary to the constitution of the United States; but because we had united to- gether to plead for the abolition of American slavery, which they declared unconstitutional and very unpo])ular. Threats were often made that . our meetings would be broken up, etc., but for- tunately we were left to go onward. One of our members, on going to Charleston, South Carolina, was arraigned before the author- ities of the city, charged with being a member of the Fairhaven Antislavery Society. To save him- self from being dealt with in their way, as he WM. LLOYD GARRISON. 245 afterward declared, he renounced his abolition- ism. But opposition was more clearly mani- fest in the North, where societies were continu- ally organizinof, than in the South. William Lloyd Garrison, editor of an anti- slavery paper called The Liberator, published in Boston, Mass., was heralded in many of the periodicals of that time (1835) as a most notori- ous abolitionist. Rewards, some as high, I think, as fifty thousand dollars, were offered for his head ! The citizens of Boston, in and about Washington Street and vicinity, where the antislavery meet- ings were held, became most furiously excited, and assembled on a certain afternoon around the building which they learned he occupied, and pursued him to a carpenter's shop, where he had fled from them, and brought him forth to the assembled multitude in the street, and placed a rope around his neck, to put an end to his life. Some of his friends, who were watching their movements, seeing his imminent danger, rushed around him, assuming in the confusion to engage with them, by laying hold of the rope so as to keep it from tightening around his neck, while some of the mob held the other end of the rope, and all rushed furiously, with hallooing and shouting, along the street, leaving the great body of the assembled multitude of "gentlemen ofproiJ- erty and standing" listening with breathless anxiety to learn what was being done with their victim. Meantime the mob and Mr. Garrison's friends had continued running on unrestrained, until they found themselves at the portals of Leverett- Street jail. Once there, by some meas- ures of his friends, the jail was opened, and Mr, Garrison, to the astonishment of his wicked per- 24C LIFE OF BATES. secutors, was placed out of their reach ; nor would the jailer bring him forth without orders from the law-abiding officers. As soon as the storm abated, Mr. G. was honorably i-eleased, and re- sumed his position, again pleading for the aboli- tion of American slavery. The proslavery papers of Boston, in attempting to remove the stain and disgrace of this uncivilized work from the cap- ital of the pilgrims, and a portion of its citizens, labored hard to prevent its being recorded as the work of a mob, and they declared that the people assembled on that occasion were "gentlemen of property and standing." Previous to the foregoing occurrence, and while the subjects of antislavery and proslavery were agitating the Union, a wonderful phenomenon occurred in the heavens, which caused consterna- tion and dismay among the people, namely, the stars falling from heaven ! Many watchmen in the cities, and sailors in their night-watches on the ocean, together with those that were up, and their friends whom they called up to witness the exhi- bition of the falling stars, were now relating what they had witnessed, as were also the newspapers of the times. I will here give a few extracts. First from the New York Journal of Commerce, November 15, 1833 : Henry Dana Ward, in closing up his account of this thrilling scene (which has been so often republished), says : — " We asked the watchman how long this had been. He said, ' About four o'clock it was the thickest.' We gazed until the rising sun put out the lesser falling stars with the lesser fixed stars, and until the morning star stood alone in the east, to introduce the bright orb of day. And here take THE FALLING STARS. 247 the remark of one of my friends in mercantile life, who is as well informed in polite learning as most intelligent merchants of our city who have not made science their study. Sitting down to breakfast we spoke of the scene, and he said, ' I kept my eyes fixed on the morning star. I thought while that stood firm we were safe ; but I feared every moment that it would go and all would go with it.' The reader will see that this remark proceeded from an almost irresistible im- pression of an intelligent eye-witness, that the firmament had given way, that the whole host of stars had broken up, yet hope clung to the morn- ing star, which never shone more glorious." In a subsequent statement, he adds : — •'The dawn was a full hour, that morning, earlier than usual, and the whole eastern sky was transparent like molten glass, so as I never wit- nessed before nor since. An open arch of brilliant light arose from the east, above which arch stood the morning star, inexpressibly glorious for its brilliance and firmness on the face of the dark, transparent, and bursting firmament." From the Baltimore Patriot : — "Being up this morning (November 13, 1833), I witnessed one of the most grand and alarming spectacles which ever beamed upon the eye of man. The light in my room was so great that I could see the hour of the morning by my watch which hung over my mantel, and supposing there was a fire near at hand, probably on my own premises, I sprung to the window, and behold, the stars, or some other bodies presenting a fiery appearance, were descending in torrents as rapid 248 LIFE OF RATES. and as numerous as I ever saw flakes of snow or drops of rain in the midst of a storm." From the Christian Advocate and Journal, December 13, 1833 :— "The meteoric phenomenon which occurred on the morning of the 13 th of November last, was of so extraordinary and interesting a char- acter as to be entitled to more than a passing notice. The lively and graphic descriptions which have appeared in various public journals, do not exceed the reality. No language, indeed, can come up to the splendor of that magnificent dis- play. I hesitate not to say that no one who did not witness it can form an adequate conception of its glory. It seemed as if the whole starry heavens had congregated at one point, near the zenith, and were simultaneously shooting forth, with the velocity of lightning, to every part of the horizon ; and yet they were not exhausted — thousands swiftly followed in the tracks of thou- sands, as if d'eated for the occasion, and illumi- nated the firmament with lines of irradiating light." The Commercifd Observer, of Nov. 25, 1833, copied from the Old Countryman, reads as fol- lows : — " We pronounce the raining of fire which we saw on Wednesday morning last, an awful type, a sure forerunner, a merciful sign, of that great day which the inhabitants of the earth will wit- ness when the sixth seal will be opened. The time is just at hand, desoibcd, not only in the New Testament, but in the Old. A more correct picture of a fig-tree casting its leaves (or green COMMENTS OF THE PRESS. 249 figs), when blown by a mighty wind, it is not possible to behold." Extracts from the Peoples Magazine, Boston, Jan., 1834, on the falling stars of Nov. 13, 1833 :— " The Rockingham (Va.) Register " calls it a " rain of fire " — " thousands of stars being seen at once." Some said, " It began with a considerable noise." The Lancaster (Pa.) Examiner says : — "The air was filled with innumerable meteors or stars. . . . Hundreds of thousands of brilliant bodies might be seen falling at every moment, .... sloping their descent toward the earth, at an angle of about forty- five degrees, resembling flashes of fire." The Salem Register speaks of their being seen " in Mocha, on the Red Sea." The Journal of Commerce informs us that " three hundred miles this side of Liverpool, the phenomenon was as splendid as here," and that in St. Lawrence County, " there was a snow-storm during the phenomenon, in which the falling stars appeared like lightning ;".... that in German- town, Pa., "they seemed like showers of great hail." The captain of a New Bedford whale ship, one of my acquaintances, says, "While lying at anchor that night on the coast of California, in the Pacific Ocean, I saw the stars falling all around me." Prof. Olmstead, of Yale College, says : — " The extent of the shower of 1833 was such as to cover no inconsiderable part of the earth's surface, from the middle of the Atlantic on the 250 TJFE OF BATES. east to the Pacific on the west; and from the northern coast of South America to undefined regions among the British Possessions on the north, the exhibition was visible, and everywhere presented nearly the same appearance. Those who were so fortunate as to witness the exhibi- tion of shooting stars on the morning of Nov. 13, 1S3.3, probably saw the greatest display of celes- tial foreivorhs that has ever been seen since the creation of the xvorld." CHAPTER XXI. MORAL "REFORM — CULTURE OF SILK — PROPOSED MANUAL LABOR SCHOOL — SECOND ADVEXT OF CHRIST — WILLIAM miller's THEORY — HIS LECTURES IN BOSTON — FIRST SECOND-ADVENT PAPER — ELD. D. MILLARD's LETTER — ELD. L. D. Fleming's letters — h. hawley's letter — WM. MILLER IN PORTLAND. In connection with these portentous signs in the heavens, moral reform was working its way like leaven throughout the United States. To all appearance, some unseen agency was assist- ing those who were struggling in the up-hill work of opposing the masses, while they were solicit- ing and enlisting the energies and sympathies of men, women, and children, to help stay the tide of intemperance and slavery, which, to all human appearance, if not stayed, would demoralize and debase us below the moral standard of all the civilized nations of the earth, before the then ris- ing generation should pass from the stage of action. What appeared the most inexplicable in mov- STLK-CULTURE. 251 ing forward this work, was to see ministers whose Christian characters were before unsullied in the community, pleading in favor of slavery, uphold- ing rum-drinking and rum-selling, and keeping a large majority of their churches and congrega- tions under their influence. Others were mute, waiting to see how their friends would decide. Some there were, however, who took a noble stand in the work of reform. Moral-reform societies were multiplied in vari- ous places, as were also peace societies, having for their object the abolition of war. They pro- posed to settle all disputes or difficulties of im- portance, by reference to a Congress of Nations. After finishing the buildings on my farm, be- fore mentioned, I commenced the work of raising mulberry- trees, to obtain their foliage to feed the silk- worm, designing to enter into the culture of silk. I had erected a school-house on my place, in which I designed to have a manual-labor school for youth. I calculated to employ them a certain portion of the time to gather the inul- berry foliage, and attend to the feeding of the silk- worms, and, as the work advanced, other branches of the business also, such as reeling and preparing the silk for market. By an examina- tion of able writers on the subject, I was satisfied that silk could be produced to advantage in New England as well as in Europe. While my trees were maturing, we raised and fed the silk-worm two or three seasons on a small scale, which sat- isfied me that by attention and care the business could be made profitable. Many that commenced the business about the time I did, entered into the speculation and excitement about raising the Chinese multicaulis-tree for sale, which en- 252 LIFE OF BATES. riched some, disappointed many, and caused a failure, because silk-culture could not be made a money-making business in its infancy. I was endeavoring to raise my trees first, before enter- ing upon the business, and had many trees which had begun to bear fruit, and my third orchard in a thriving condition, designing, if I lived, to at- tend to that business only. In the fall of 1839, while engaged in my or- chard, one Eld. R., an acquaintance of mine, and a preacher in the Christian connection, called upon me and inquired if I would like to go to New Bedford, about two miles distant, that evening, and hear him preach on the second coming of Christ. I asked Eld. R. if he thought he could show or prove anything about the Saviour's com- ing. He answered that he thought he could. He stated that the North Christian meeting-house in New Bedford was offered him, in which to give a course of five lectures on that subject. I prom- ised to go with him, but I was very much sur- prised to learn that any one could show anything about the fime of the Saviour's second coming. A little previous to this, while spending an evening in a social company of friends. Eld. H. stated that he had heard tliat there was a Mr. Miller preaching in the State of New York that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming about the year 184.3. T believe this was the tiist time I had ever heaid the subject mentioned. It appeared so impossible that I attempted to raise an objec- tion, but was told that he brought a gi-eat deal of Scripture to prove it. But when I heard Eld. R. present the Scripture testimony on the sub- ject in his first lecture, I was deeply interested, as was also my companion. After meeting, we WM. miller's lectures. 253 rode some distance toward home, absorbed in this important subject, when I broke the silence by saying, " That is the truth ! " My companion replied, "Oh, you are so sanguine always!" I argued that Eld. R. had made it very clear to my mind, but we would hear further. The meetings continued with crowded congregations and in- creasing interest to the close, and I felt that my mind was much enlightened on this important subject. I now obtained Wm. Miller's book of nineteen lectures, which I read with deep interest, espe- cially his argument on the prophetic periods of Daniel's vision, which heretofore, when I read the Bible in course, appeared to me so intricate, and led me to wonder what importance there could be attached to those days connected with his pictorial prophecy of chapters 7 and 8. But I now began to learn that those daj's were so man}'' years, and those years were now to close about 1843, at which period of time, according to Mr. Miller's view of the prophecies, Christ would personally appear the second time. With my limited views of the subject of the second advent, I saw that if Mr. Miller was cor- rect respecting the soon-coming of the Saviour, then the most important point in his theory was to learn where to commence Daniel's prophetic periods, and trace them to their termination. The first issue in pamphlet form by Mr. Miller is dated 1832. Some say his first lecture on the second coming of Christ was delivered in August, ^ 833. His first lectures in Boston, Mass., in the Chardon-Street and Marlborough chapels, were in the winter of 1840. This opened the way for Eld. Joshua V. Hinies, of Boston, to issue, as 254 LIFE OF BATES. editor, the first periodical published on the second advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, called the Signs of the Times, in Boston, Mass., March, 1840. As Eld. J. V. Himes was as destitute of means as any other minister who at that time boldly preached and advocated the necessity of moral reform, and was expressing an anxious desire to get up a paper on the subject of the second ad- vent, an aged sea-captain from the State of Maine, being present, handed him a silver doUai*. " With this one dollar," said Eld. Himes, " we commenced to publish the Signs of the Times." To give some idea of the effect of Mr. Miller's preaching on the second coming of Christ, in New England, I will here give some extracts from letters published in the Sirjns of the Times, April 15, 1840. The first is from the pen of Eld. D. Millard, Portsmouth, N. H. He writes : — " On the 2od of January, Bro. Miller came into town and commenced a course of lectures in the chapel on the second coming of Christ. During the nine days he remained, crowds flocked to hear him. Before he concluded his lectures a large number of anxious souls came forward for prayers. Our meetings continued every da}'' and evening for a length of time after he left. Such an intense state of feeling as now pervaded our congregation we never witnessed before in any place. Not unfrequently from sixty to eighty would come forward for prayers in the evening. Such an awful spirit of solemnity seemed to settle down on the place that hard must have been the sinner's heart that could withstand it. All was order and solemnity. Generally, as soon as souls were delivered they were ready to proclaim it. EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. Z^yrt and exhort their friends in the most moving lan- guage to come to the fountain of life. Our meet- ings thus continued on evenings for six weeks. For weeks together the ringing of bells for daily meetings rendered our town like a continual Sab- bath. Indeed, such a season of revival was never before witnessed in Portsmouth by the oldest in- habitants. It would be difficult at present to ascertain the number of conversions in town. It is variously estimated at from 500 to 700. Never, while I linger on the shores of mortality, do I expect to enjoy more of Heaven than we have in some of our late meetings, and on baptizing occasions. At the water-side thousands would gather to witness this solemn institution, and many would return from the place weeping." Another letter is from Eld. L. D. Fleming, of Portsmouth, N. H. He says : — " Things here are moving powerfully. Last evening about two hundred came forward for prayers, and the interest seems constantly in- creasing. The whole city seems to be agitated. Bi'o. Miller's lectures have not the least effect to affright ; they are far from it. The great alarm is among those that did not come near. But those who candidly heard are far from excite- ment and alg,rm. The interest awakened by the lectures is of the most deliberate kind, and though it is the greatest revival I ever saw, yet there is the least passionate excitement. It seems to take the greatest hold on the male part of the community. What produces the effect is this : Bro. Miller simply takes the sword of the Spirit, unsheathed and naked, and lays its sharp edge on the naked heart, and it cuts, that's all, Be- 256 l.IFE OF BATES. fore the edge of this mighty weapon, infidelity falls and Universalism withers." April 6 he writes again : — " The fire is being kindled through the whole city and all the adjacent country. A number of rumsellers have turned their shops into meeting rooms, and those places that were once devoted to intemperance and revelry are now devoted to prayer and praise. Infidels, Deists, XJniversal- ists, and the most abandoned profligates, have been converted. Prayer-meetings have been es- tablished in every part of the city by the differ- ent denominations, or by individuals, and at al- most every hour. I was conducted to a room over one of the banks, where I found from thirty to forty men of different denominations engaged with one accord in prayer at eleven o'clock in the daytime ! In short, it would be almost im- possible to give an adequate idea of the interest now felt in this city. One of the principal booksellers informed me that he had sold more Bibles in one month, since Bro. Miller came here, than he had in any four months previous." H. Hawley, writing from Groton, Mass., to Eld. Himes, April 10, 1840, said :— " During an interview I had with you a few days since, you requested me to give a statement of the results, so far as I had witnessed them, of Mr. Miller's lectures in this vicinity. Before complying with your request, I beg leave to say that I am not a believer in the theory of Mr. Miller, But I am decidedly in favor of the dis- cussion of the subject. I believe that Mr. Miller 'b Icrtui-es are so fraught witli gospel truth that, whatever may be his error in regard to the time MILLER IN PORTLAND. 257 of our Lord's appearing, he will do great good. 1 rejoice that there is a subject being discussed in the community so happily adapted to wake up the public mind to the great things of re- ligion, and to check the growing woridlmess and sensuality of the present age. Mr. Miller has lectured m this and other adjoining towns with marked success, by precious revivals of religion in all of these places. 1 am bold to declare that i see nothing in the theory at all calculated to make men immoral ; but I do believe it will have the opposite effect. Facts speak too plainly on this subject not to be credited," The Maine Wesley an Journal of May, 1840, says : — " Mr. MiDer has been in Portland lecturing to crowded houses in Casco-Street church on his favorite theme, the end of the world. As faith- ful chroniclers of passing events, it will be ex- pected of us that we say something of the man and his peculiar views. "Mr. Miller is about sixty years of age; a plain farmer, from Hampton, in the State of New York. He is a member of the Baptist Church in that place, from which he brings satisfactory tes- timonials of good standing and license to improve publicly. He has, we understand, numerous testimonials from clergymen of different denom- inations favorable to his general character. We should think him a man of but common-school education, evidently possessing strong powers of mind, which, for about fourteen years, have been almost exclusively bent on the investigation of Scripture prophecy. The last eight years of his life have been devoted to lecturing on this favor- 2')H LIFE OF BATES. ite subject. Mr. Miller's theory is, that in 1843 Christ will make his personal aj»]>eajance on earth. In a very ingenious manner he brings all the mystic numbers in the Sciiptui-e prophecy to bear upon the important epoch of 1848. First, he makes the 2800 day« (or years) of Dan. 8 : 14, to commence at the same time as the seventj- weeks (or 490 years), which latter period termi- nated in the cutting ofi' of the Messiah, a. d. 33. The former period, then, extends 1810 years Ioniser, or tOl 1843, when the end will come. " Mr. Miller is a great stickler for literal inter- pT'etation, never admitting the figurative unless absolutely required to make correct sense, or meet the event which is intended to be pointed out. He doubtless believes, most unwaveringly, all he teaches to others. His lectures are" inter- spersed with powerful admonitions to the wicked, and he handles Universalism with gloves of steel." CHAPTER XXII. FIRST CALL FOR A SECOKD-ADVENT CONrEREN«'E — CON- VENED IN BOSTON, MASS. — CONFERENCE ADDRKSS SEN I FORTH TO THE WORLD— DIVING-BELL — CLEARING Till: SHIi- CHANNEL WM. MILLER's LECTURES IN KAIRHA\ ENy^ MASS. ALSO IN NEW BEDFORD ADDRESS TO MINIS- TERS — ministers' MEETING — ANTIOCHCS EPII'HANE.S — THIRTY-TWO SQUARE RODS FOR EVERY PERSON — SKt'OND SECOND-ADVENT CON FERENCE. The >S'i(/7/6' of the Times, of Boston, Mass., Sept. 1 ami 15, 1840, published a call for a Gen- eral Conference on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying : — FIRST CONFERENCE. 259. " Tlie undersigned, believers in the second coming and kingdom of the Messiah at hand, <;ordially unite in the call for a General Confer- ence of our brethren of the United States, and elsewhere, who are also looking for the advent near, to meet at Boston, Mass., Wednesday, Oc- tober 14, 1840, at 10 o'clock, A. m., to continue two days, or as long as may then be found best. The object of the Conference will not be to form a new organization in the faith of Christ, nor to assail others of our brethren who ditier with us in regard to the period and manner of the ad- vent, but to discuss the whole subject faithfully and fairly, in the exercise of that spirit of Christ, in which it will be safe to meet him immediately at the Judgment-seat. " William Miller, David Millard, Henry Dana Ward, L. D. Fleming, Henry Jones, Joseph Bates, Henry Plumer, Ohas. i\ Stevens, John Truar, P. R. Russell, JosiAH LiTCH, Isaiah Seavy, Joshua P. Atwood, Timothy Cole, Daniel Merrill, J. V. Himes. " In accordance with the call, the General Con- ference convened in Chardon- Street chapel, Bos- ton, Mass., October 14, 1840, and continued two days with increasing interest; at the close of which the communion of the Lord's supper was administered to about two hundred communi- cants of difierent denominations. Many of them were from remote distances. From this Conference, an address of 150 pages, in pamphlet form, was circulated in the United States and foreign lands. Eld, Joshua V. Himes 260 LIFE OF BATES. entered into this work apparently with all tlie zeal ol Joshua of old, in his preaching and edito- rial work, m circulating ail the light which could be elicited from every quarter on the subject of the second advent ot the Saviour. Previous to the Conterence I had engaged my- self as one of the proprietors of the New Bedford Bridge, to superintend its repairs, and at the same time keep it passable for carriages and footmen; hence there was some doubt about my getting to the meeting. At that time we were engaged with a vessel and diving-bell, in remov- ing tlie stones that by some means had got into the channel of the draw-bridge, and were an obstruction to the heavy-Jaden ships passing through at low tides. As some of my readers may wish to under- stand something respecting the operation of picking up rocks and stones from the bottom of the ocean, twenty -five or thirty feet under wa- ter, 1 will try to explain it. A schooner, or two-masted vessel, is hauled up and secured by ropes close to the draw- bridge. There is a tackle between her mast-heads, the lower part of which is hooked into an iron eye- strap, which is fastened to the top of a diving- bell, standing on the schooner's deck. The bell itself was in the form of a sugar-loaf, or cone, about nine feet high, and six feet in diameter at the bottom. It was provided with a seat inside for two persons, and when sunk to the bottom of the sea, the water would rise up about three feet in the open bottom.* The * Sink a tea-cup or bowl, bottom side up, in a pail of water, and you will have a very fair illustration of a diving-bell. THE DIVING-BELL. 261 space inside, above water, contained our allow- ance of air. For two persons it would last about an hour and a half; then it became necessary to be hoisted up to the surface for a supply of fresh air. To communicate with our companions on deck, three telegraphic lines, or cords, were in working^ order, the lower ends being hitched up inside of the bell. A few small j^lass blocks were set into the upper part of the bell, which lis^hted up our apartment while under water, about equal to the light above, at sunset. I went down with the diver a few times, for the purpose of ascertainingr more correctly how the work could be accomplished. The bell was provided with guys to chano-e its position when at the bottom, and a kind of basket to put the stones in. It was then hoisted from the deck, and we crawled underneath and up into the seats about four feet from the bottom. When the bell reached the water, by lowering the tackle, and began to shut all the air out except what was contained where we were, it produced a shuddering sensation, and a singular cracking noise in our heads, more especially in the ears, causing an involuntary working of the fingers there to let more air in, and relieve us of the painful sensation, which continued to some ex- tent while under water. After the bell reached the bottom, we could telegraph to be moved any way within a small circle. When the diver loaded the basket with rocks and stones, by means of his iron instru- ments, it was made known to those on deck by pulling one of the cords, and then it was hoisted up and emptied. Ey means of a rope attached to the lower end of the basket, the diver would 262 LIFE OF BATES. pull it back again, and thus he might continue his risky work until admonished for life to pull the telegraphic cord, and be hoisted up for a fresh supply of God's free air. While at the bottom of the sea, we could learn very quickly when the tide turned to flow in, or ebb out, by its motion over the shells and stones, which we could see as plainly as in a little brook of water. No matter how deep the water, its ebbing and flowing moves the whole body alike from top to bottom. Where the tide ebbs and flows, the vast bodies of river and harbor wa- ters are in constant rushing motion, from the top to the bottom. But this is only while the change of tide is taking place. And twice every twenty-four hours a new body of rushing waters is rolled into the harbors from the mother ocean, adding fresh sources of healthy action to the fish that swim, and the stationary shell-fish, and those buried beneath the sand at low- water mark. By persevering in our new business, in pick- ing up rocks and stones from the bottom of the sea, the ship channel was cleared in time for me to leave with my companion, and be present at the opening of the first Second-Advent Confer- ence in the world, much to our gratification and pleasure. In March, 1841, Bro. Miller commenced a course of lectures in the Washington-Street meeting-house, in Fairhaven, Mass, I thought if he could be obtained to lecture on the second coming of Christ, to ray friends anci Wefct^c. The Two Laws 16 2 i£iebcn ©ri'inbc. Seven Reasons for Sunda\- Keeping Examined 16 2 iDcr Sabbat!) bc6 i^crni. Elihu on the Sab- bath 16 2 5Dl)nc (viit[c()iUbigiliig. Without Excuse 8 i 5lBeld)Cii 5ag feicrft iTii ? Which Day do you Keep ? and Wh\- ? 8 i ©ctrcdjtiir.gcii iiber bic Unftciblidircit. Appeal on Imniortalit)' 8 i foreign Publications. ^9 DANISH. Advent Tidende, a Danisli-Norwegian monthly, devoted to practical religion, and treating upon the Prophecies, the Second Advent of Christ, the Mil- lennium, Judgment, etc. Price, $i.oo a ye Pages. Price. ®Dbenbe*!Dagg §Ibbent Sibllctbef. Seventh- day Adventist Library. Vol. I. con- tains Life and Death, Sabbath Day, Second Advent, Scripture Refer- ences, Forty Questions on Immor- tality 336 I 00 ©ibclffe iSalnier 03 ?obfange. Bible Songs and Hymns 340 i 00 ^|irofetieii8 Slanb, 3io. 1. Spirit of Prophecy, No. I. A translation of the first fourteen chapters of the English work by this name 144 25 !De i^cUigeS §lrb. The Saints' Inheritance. 112 20 !^ib og Uforfroenfeligl)eb. Life and Immortality. 112 20 5)e Ugiibeligefi Straf. The Punishment of the Wicked 64 15 !Det 9?t)e 3;cftanienteg eabbat. The New Tes- tament Sabbath 64 15 "©fter IDcben." After Death: a Review,... 32 10 5liifti anbet ,f ommc. Second Advent 32 4 ^rifti gibelfer. Sufferings of Christ 32 4 ©e to JroiUT. The Two Thrones 32 4 "(^ftcr DisDcii." After Death : a Review. ..32 4 ^ciibiSningcr til ;Sfrift£n Scripture Refer- ences 16 s 30 Catalogue. Phcjc:. Price. ^eiieiio vEjabDar. i'he babbath of the Lord, i6 2 !Den rige SJiauD 09 2a^ani8. The Rich Man and Lazarus 16 2 ■iltt oplufeS 00, bitre met) .^riftiiS. Departing and Being with Christ 16 2 X;ct tufiiiD.iarige ^)ligc. The Millennium ... . 16 2 35cggc Sibcr af £abbat8[porg8niaalet. Both Sides of the Sabbath Question ; a Review 16 2 (Dommeii. The Judgment; Daniel's Way- marks to the Holy City 16 2 ^elligboinmcii. The Sanctuary 16 2 ®ub§ iStiar. God's Answers to Man's Ex- cuses for not Keeping the Sabbath... 4 ^ (ft bigtigt Spcrgcunaal. Which Day do you Keep ? and Why ? 4 ^ Det l)imin£lffe SJieCe The Heavenly Meeting. 4 ^ Aorbubcii ®riinb. Forbidden Ground 4 ^ Sn fort ^remftiUiiig af bet profetiffe Drb. Bird's Eye View of the Field of Prophecy, 5 SWEDISH. Svensk Advent Hdrolu is a Swedish monthly of 24 pages, devoted to practical -religion, the explan- ation of the prophecies, the proclamation of the sec- ond coming of Christ, etc. It sets forth the Bible truths pertaining to this generation and time. It also contains a health department and a home and school department. Subscription: $1.00 year. Pages. Price. ?lnbeliga ©anger. Spiritual Songs, a neat lit- tle pamphlet containing ZZ selected songs Cloth. 64 30 Same in paper covers, 20 Foreign Pubticatloyis. ol Pages. Price. 3)e tbS Ironerna. The Two Thrones 32 4 ^rifti 5lnt)ra Sliifpiufi. The Second Advent.. 32 4 De 5)5l)e8 3:iUftant». The State of the Dead. 32 4 .^dnCiSiiiiigar till efriftcn. Scripture Refer- ences 24 3 ^bein fbrdnbrabc Sabbaten ■:' Who Changed the Sabbath ? 24 3 iDomen. The Judgment 16 2 .S^errenS Sabbat The Sabbath of the Lord. 16 2 "Sju ®runbcr" for (SoiibagcnS .'odigbaUaiiDc. An Examination of Seven Reasons for Sunday-Keeping 16 2 ^rifti gibanben. The Sufferings of Christ. . . 16 2 !l)et 3:ufenariga gtltet The Millennium 16 2 §Ut Sfiljag l)dban od) wava ndr .^rifltift De- parting and Being with Christ 16 2 ^elgebomen. The Sanctuary 16 2 2)e DgiibaftigeS ^'inbal^rt. The End of the Wicked 16 2 «abbatcii od) Soiibagen. The Sabbath and Sunday 8 S5uborbeii§ ^guUfomligbct. Perfection of the Ten Commandments. ... 8 Sjunbe^bagg ^IbbcntiftcniaC) ©runbpriiiciper Fundamental Principles of Seventh- day Adventists 8 Janfar for be Uppriftige. Thoughts for the Candid , 8 Upprop ofber Ob5bligt)Cteii. Appeal on Im- mortality... 8 ^ort gramfldQning af sprofctionin. Bird's Eye View of the Field of Prophecy PERIODICALS. The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald.— An eight-page weekly. This is. a religious family paper, de- voled to an earnest and thorough investigation of all Bible questions. It is an exponent of the solemn truths that per- tain to the present time, some of which are set forth by no periodicals in the land except those issued by S. D. Advent- ist.s. Terms, $2.00 per year. The Youth's Instructor.— This is the title of an eight page, illustrated, monthly sheet for youth and children. It inculcates the highest morality, and seeks to interest the minds of tlie young in religious things. We confidently offer it as the best paper for youth and children now published. Terms, 50 cts. a year, in advance. The Health Reformer.— a live monthly journal de- voted to physical, mental, and moral improvement. It teaches the true philosophy of life, the only rational method of treat- ing disease, and the best means of preserving health. Prac- tical instructions are given from month to month relative to water, air, light, food, sleep, rest, recreation, etc. Terms, $1.00 a year, in advance. The Signs of the Times.— a large, eight-page weekly, same size as the Review, issued at Oakland, California. This is designed to be a pioneer paper, setting forth in a clear and pointed manner the reasons of our faith and hope. Terms, $2.00 a year. The Advent Tidende.— This is a monthly issued in the Danish language, advocating the same truths taught by the Revierv. $I. A.M ft ^ JAN 2 8 sisBraHRasiimsa ONIVEPSITT rtf CMirO) L 006 346 353 3 AA 000 835 215 5