Memorials of the Sea

ppointment in h

generally be found some special incident, sometimes apparently trifling in itself, or some particular circumstance,

hich he took in early life at farming occupations, whereby he was stimulated to enter upon a seafaring life. The circumstance, or chain of circumstances, we find i

e desires and requirements, and to induce him to retire, whilst in fulness of vigour, from his arduous profession. He was a man of excellent character, and one for whom my Father always retained a sincere regard, and towards whom he was ever ready to show kindly consideration, when his means for subsistence and comfort were less sufficient

r enquired whether there was any one, among the officers of the Henrietta, whom he (Mr. Bean) could recommend for a Master? Mr. Bean, well observant of my Father's persevering energy, seamanlike talent, and general superiority, replied,-"There is Scor

the fishery of the then chief officer, and some of the leading harponeers, he, unfortunately, took upon himself to re-engage these men for the ensuing voyage,-a proceeding which, however prudential, my Father felt to be at once uncourteous and unwise, though a measure which he

ul. Of seven ships which set out from Whitby, (the port from whence the Henrietta sailed,) one, the Marlborough, was lost; four returned "clean,"-that is, without any cargo; and two had but one fish each-one of them very small. Tradition ha

enterprise had afforded to his officers and crew for a position of, at least, leading prosperity. My Father, indeed, whilst often speaking in after-times of this trying, mortifying, and, as to his prospects in life, perilous failure, was known to remark, that such were

the existence of this feeling was manifested in various ways. Among the early indications of a conspiracy which my Father clearly detected, was the positive and wilful inattention of some principal officers to the objects of their enterprise, when he was in bed, with the substitution of idle, if not venomous, converse, for officer-like diligence and watchfulness. For on one occasion, when being on very promising fishing-ground, he had sent a boat "on

or inefficiency was being enacted, and yet "fish" in encouraging numbers were still to be seen. The chief mate, one Matthew Smith, came to my Father to remonstrate with him for keeping the boats so long abroad without something to exhilarate the men,-urging, that spirits, as he said was usual, should be sent to them, or it could not be expected that they could either succeed or persevere. Though more than doubtful of the wisdom of employing stimulants in an adventure requiring the greatest coolness and self-possession, my Father unfortunately yielded, and ordered the steward to supply

ities frequently afforded them of advancing the grand object of the voyag

regard of their remonstrances, and expressed determination to persevere, were at length met by brute force and open violence. One of the men, excited by his companions' clamours, and his own dastardly rage, seized a hand-spike, and aimed a desperate blow, which might have been fatal, on the head of his Captain. But, now roused to the exertion of his heretofore unimagined strength and tact, he,

subordinate of the crew, to a sort of dogged quiescence. But when the ship, having cleared the ice, was still kept on the same course, and when ice and haunts of whales began to be left far astern, anxiety and alarm took place in the breasts of the authors of the mischief, who now, in their turn, felt just cause for dreading the issue of a proceeding which they had thus unexpectedly provoked. Words of unwonted calmness were now dropped by one or other of the officers, in hopes of eliciting some indication that the homeward direction was but a threat. Hints of the loss to the owne

refore, to lose any chance of success, which this demonstration of better feeling might seem to promise, the ship was forthwith hauled to the wind, and, as circumstances of wind and weather allowed, every effort of seamanship was employed for hastening their return to the fishing-ground northward. The sunshine, however, which

the whole scheme of this nefarious conspiracy had been enacted, and the failure of the experiment determined, that it had been matter of promise or arrangement, in the event of the chief officer obtaining the command, that

ich occurred soon after the Henrietta's return to Whitby. One of these was the discovery of a letter, fastened conspicuously on one of the sails

eve over the Moors to Pickering-for the express purpose of complaining of my Father's unfitness for the command. One of their reasons, more curious than manly, was founded on observation of their commander's fearless and adventurous practice, as a navigator,-entirely different from the

conveyed by objections of this kind, was by no means lost. His reflection thereon

failure, when he first met his disappointed and suffering owner. But he, having meanwhile, I believe, spoken on the subject to his former captain (Mr. Bean), replied encouragingly, "It can't be helped: you must try again." The confiding owner, however, could not but be a little surprised when, on the first fitting occasion after the intimation of his re-appointment, my Father, meekly, but firmly, informed him, "that if he again took the

nd Adventure, and co

on. His first act was to discharge the whole of his old and self-assumed accomplished or experienced officers, and to replace them with younger and more tractable me

iveness the character with whom he had to deal. The circumstance was this:-On the fitting out of the ship in the spring of 1792, my Father, on going on board one morning for his usual superintendence of the work, observed a stranger,-o

rom their safe custody in a compartment of the cabin, viz. the ship's register, certain bonds claimed by the Customs and Excise, and other documents required to be held by the ship's commander,-he proceeded immediately on shore to Mr. Piper's apartments, at once presenting them, and in so doing, resigning his command into the hands of the astonished owner. His astonishment was hardly lessened when, on being asked the reason of this strange conduct, my Father

and confide in the application of untried talents. Discipline was easily preserved, and active, confiding, and cordial obedience succeeded to the former disaffection. The commanding talent of the director of the adventure thus obtained its proper scope, and resulted in an almost unprecedented measure of success.[D] No less than eighteen whales were captured, yielding 112 tuns of oil, on this, to my Father, very momentous voyage; for, whilst a second fail

s, with their comparative Rel

proceeds of superior management. Merely accidental circumstances may yield, for an occasion or two, or for several occasions, felicitous results; but where adventures involving mind and talent f

of successful voyages amongst the whole fleet of Greenland whalers. The least successful voyage was liberally remunerating to the owner-the most successful, unprecedentedly so. The

ptain Banks, of the Jenny, of Whitby, who was esteemed a talented and successful fisherman, that he brought home sixty-five whales in ten years, or six and a half per year

of twenty-five whales; and in his last year, the proceeds in oil were greater

ermitted, I trust, in the son, to dwell still further on these comparisons, whereby the enterprises re

e realized by the northern whale-fishers in general, will afford t

e immediately preceding my Father's commencement,-from 1769 to 1778, for instance,-the average produce of the Dutch Greenland whale-fishery, per ship, a year, (ninety ships, on an average being employed,) was about three and a half "fish." In the ten years beginning with 1779, (sixty sail being regularly sent out,) the average was about three and three-quarters. And in the ten years, from 1785 to 1794, passing within the period

ew is of more importance to us,-though the materials for obta

(Arctic Regions, ii. p. 112,) 505 cargoes were obtained in the two y

ge success per ship was only two and four-fifths whales. The general average for Scotland seems, indeed, at this period to have been low; but, soon after the commencement of the present century, the enterprise and perseverance of our northern sailors

of 1786, 1787, and 1788, when twenty ships sailed from this port yearly for Greenland. The catch per ship, for each of these years, was about thre

of the whale fishery of that port. The records referred to are comprised in an elaborate and carefully kept manuscript, kindly entrusted to me for the present object, belonging to Mr. James S

d whale-fishery, and obtained, altogether, an amount of produce of 9377 tuns of oil, averaging 35·25 tuns a voyage for each ship. In the six years before my Father's commencement,-1786 to 1791,-158 ships (gross amount) obtained 4975 tuns of oil, o

within the limited periods specified) of the British whalers generally. It was also four times as great as the usual average of the Whitby whalers; in l

exceeded, by 151 tuns of oil, that of the most successful of the Hull ships of the time, amongst more than fifteen annual competitors; and was larger even than the amount attained by the six united cargoes of the most successful ship out of the whole of the whalers from the port, taken year by y

cord as the most successful fisherman of his port, and one of the first of his day. Captain Angus Sadler, whose remarkable successes we hereafter notice, did not commence until 1796. And Captain John Marshall, who afterwards became so celeb

n Taylor, of the Fanny, brought home 400 tuns of oil within those six years, and Captain Wilson, of the Caroline, 318; but my Father's catch, as above stated, yielded no less an amount than 729 tuns! And whe

uits of their personal ventures in other ships bore no reasonable proportion. The modes in which this baneful feeling towards my Father was evinced, were as various as they were sometimes annoying. At first, the extraordinary results were ascribed to "luck;" and, subsequently, when more than luck was too obvious to be denied, the waning phantom of superstition was resorted to in order to escape the commendation of a frank acknowledgment of superior merit. Some persons there were of an order of

meed of praise in the department which trenches on self-interest, or self-consequence, we find many disposed to bestow an utterly extravagant measure of adulation, where it may be popular to do so, on individuals and enterprises distinctly separate and remote from interferences with themselves. But let a man be "ploughing in the same field" of enterprise, or intelligent research; let the admired results of the labour of one but stand out on the sculptured tablet of fame in bold relief of the mere groundwork surface

of relative or interested association, the majority of a town's population became participators in the mortifying competition,-the measure in which the ungenerous feelings might possibly have their existence and impulses, may be we

of more dignified minds amongst parties who were personally interested in whale-fishing concerns, the

of a very tempting nature came unsolicited upon him, for transferring his guidance and energies t

volve her either in the trial of leaving Whitby, or in the great inconvenience of a much more considerable period of severance than the mere Greenland voyage required, of the f

Incident-the Rescue o

nchor, incidentally, in the river Tees, on one of her most successful voyages, homeward bound, when I was myself on board. Though I was but a child, I remember the time well. The novelty of my position in being taken on shipboard by my Father, when, a few days before, he had been on shore at Whitby, and the interesting circumstance, to me, of the capture of a smal

in an upper sphere in society, by my Father's habitual facility and accuracy in the use of the pocket telescope, and by t

hes, had been stowed on the top. The draught of water of the ship, thus unusually loaded, was found on their arrival in Whitby Roads, which was just after the spring-tides had passed off, to be too great for the flow in the harbour. Whilst waiting the advance of the succeeding spring-tides, therefore, the ship was taken northward to the

an and a lady, driving pleasantly up and down. The day was fine, and the recreation of driving on a smooth and extended surface of sand, so singularly firm that the wheels did not penetr

betwixt it and the shore. Previous to this time of tide the party had been driving nearer the fields; but tempted by the fine smooth expanse of surface of the outer sand, and encouraged by its admirable firmness on trial,

red a boat to be got ready to push off at a moment's notice, should the absorbing inattention of the strangers continue. At length he saw that they had become aware of their position, and were driving their vehicle into the narrow channel into which the tide had recently flowed. With palpitating anxiety he perceived that the water was deeper than they had imagin

l as for your lives, or they will be lost!" Bravely and humanely did the sailors perform their cheerfully undertaken task: every nerve was strained to give speed to the boat, whil

the sand became softened, and that they began to sink; but, with a well-tutored judgment, he marked also, to his heart's great joy, that the boat would be in time. It approached them as they were gradually sinking, when the lady threw herself forward in the water to anticipate the rescue, and both

lty, they got disengaged from its entanglement with the vehicle, which, fortunately, had still energy enough left to enable them to swim it to the shore. The gig was then sought after, secured, and floated to the same

fortune. The wife of the one, I understood, and the husband of the other, were also spending the morning together mutually recipr

ed, was the reward of a guinea to be divided amongst the whole boat's crew. The high-minded philanthropist feels sufficient reward in the satisfaction of being privileged to be the instrument of yielding distinguished benefits to his fellow-creatures; but every right-minded person loves to see some fitting evidence of a grateful apprehension of benefits conferred. As to the paltry offering to the sailors, I remember my Father being grieved and vexe

-The Green

eriod embraced by the present chapter may here be introduced,

antage of the Government "bounty," must carry a surgeon; and, on the other part, to gratify the officers in the captain's cabin by the improvement of the common culinary operations of the ship's cook, by the hands of the doctor or second-mate acting as cabin-steward and pastry-cook. To my Fa

ion as its duties were then ordered, my Father sent to inquire whether he would like a situation, the emoluments of which might far exceed his usual earnings from a multifarious profession. The "doctor," (as we shall hereafter call him,) forthwith proceeded to Whitby, and, on being particularly questione

ideration, as to the difficulties of such an ordeal, and the probabilities of failure or success, he expressed his willingness to submit to an examination. Whatever his anxieties might have been, in prospect of th

had accompanied his candidate officer to the place of meeting, sent him, under guidance of a waiter, to a private room, where Dr. R-- was waiting for him, wishing him

ious mixture of expression of subdued happiness and self-sufficient gratulation, "it's all over-I've passed." "Passed!" ejaculated my Father, "how is that possible? Doctor R-- had no time to examine you." The doubt was settled by the hand

said to him, Doctor R., the long and the short of the business is this-if I can do no good, I'll do no harm." "Then," after a moment's pause and consideration, with some little expression of c

collections, by my Father, who seemed, in an unusual degree, to have exercis

he sailors of the mess to get over. One morning, early, my Father happened to pass by the place where the doctor was industriously preparing the paste for the oven. To his surprise he observed, and uttered an exclamation expressive of the surprise, that the hands of the manipulator of the elements of bread were not only unwashed, but most remote from the ordinary colour

ple-hearted, good-natured doctor. For this he made the fitting arrangements, and then, calling up the doctor, pointed him out a dark-looking object, apparently a seal, lying at some little distance from the ship, and asked him if he would like to go and try to shoot it? The proposition was too pleasant to the doctor's wishes to be rejected, and preparations wer

t supposing his own gun might suit the doctor best, being a finer and lighter piece

. Having attained the requisite position, my Father, in an audible whisper, cried, "Now, doctor, now's your time!" The doctor having anxiously taken his aim, and satisfactorily covered the creature with his gun, fired, when, instead of a seal, up started one of the seamen, uttering a terrific shout of "Murder! murder! I'm a murdered man!" My Father joined in the exclamation of horr

a joke, was soon proved to be exaggerated and unreal, by the supposed wounded seaman throwing as

nging of guns, my Father had secured the well-charged one of the doctor's, and replaced it

however, there was little risk. The position of the author of the joke in respect to that of its subject, on the one part, and the good-natured simplicity of character of the subject on the other, afforded, together, a sufficient security against any essential mischief. Perhaps, too, where an entire ship's company were in much depression of mind, by reason of the alarming and tedious besetment under which they were suffering, a beneficial and redeeming effect was, on the who

g of a Bear-Inter

the Greenland sea. It not unfrequently occurs of the length of seven or eight feet, and four or five feet high, weighing as much as a small ox. Specimens whose skin measured twelve to thirteen feet in length, have been described by voyagers. The "paw of the bear," of which there is Scriptural

he ordinary scenes of conflict and adventure. My Father's experience, whilst affording many examples of the former result, had a

ed part of the deck, but in a place near to which my Father had incidentally to pass. Whilst thus passing, inconsiderate about any risk of assault, the animal very unexpectedly made a spring at him, but fortunately, checke

uked by striking it over the snout with the fingers, closely compacted, of one of his hands. At each blow, attempts were vainly made to catch and tear the audacious instrument by which Bruin was thus being chastised. But after very many repetitions of the now keenly-felt strokes of the hand on this tender place of the head, and after as many failures, on the part of the chastised creature, in his endeavours to retaliate, the bear began

submission, or a turning away of the head. Ultimately the animal was made acquainted with our accustomed modes of expressing approbation, by being patted on the neck or side of the head; and, then, as often as it rebelled, the us

ard my Father's command over it was uniform and supreme. Nor was the kindness with which he treated the captive lost upon it; for it yielded, as occasions permitte

the blubber was landed, in order to its being reduced into marketable oil. Its arrival became

son of the almost perpetual teazing to which he had been subjected from his numerous visitors-at large, within a mile or so of the town, and in a wood intersected by a much-frequented footpath, proved the occasion of great and general

, where he provided himself with a short piece of rope, and then climbed the cliff into the wood in search of the stray animal. Guidance was sufficie

nding in the focus. Fortunately no blood had yet been shed; no wounds or bruises yet given. It was the important moment of mutual reconnoissance. It might have been a

contemplated fight; when, to their utter amazement, and to the no small alarm of many, he proceeded without hesitation forward. Speaking to the bear, in his usual manner, as he approached, and walking straight up to

nimal is worthy of record, being, if som

re is little doubt, have been sold advantageously for being itinerated as a show about the country; but my Father imagine

mbarked in a coaster. On its arrival in the Thames, it was received in a manner bef

, happening to be in London, determined on taking a look at his old acquaintance, Bruin. Proceeding to the Tower, he paid the usual entrance-fee,

s animals in the collection;" but it was disregarded. My Father only paused, whilst, by his familiar and accustomed salutation,-"Poor Bruin! poor fellow!"-he gained the attention of the animal, when, catching its eye, and perceiving he was recognised, he went quietly up, thrust his arm through the cage, and, whilst he patted the neck and head of the evidently delighted creature, received a spe

the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the face of the earth." But the appointment, which was simple and natural when all was innocency, was afterwards renewed, we find, under a new influence, that of fear, specially induced on the general constitution of the animal creation. For among the blessings graciously assured by the Almi

TNO

ls sailing from the port of Hull, but only in four instances during the preceding tw