Bone in feet.Oil in tuns.Bone in feet.Oil in tuns.11½77238933½91144101354½111665½1220“The blubber of a sucker,” Mr. Scoresby observes, “when very young, frequently containslittle or no oil, but only a kind of milky fluid; in which case, when the animal is deprived of life, the body sinks to the bottom, as also does the blubber when separated from it; while the body and blubber of larger individuals always swim. Though the preceding statement be exceedingly near the truth, yet exceptions occur; for I have known a whale of 2½ feet bone produce 10 tuns of oil, and one of 12 feet bone estimated at only 9 tuns; but such instances are much rarer than to see one of 2½ feet bone produce 4 or five tuns of oil.”TheBalæna mysticetus, according to Marten and other North Sea voyagers, feeds chiefly upon a species ofvermes, calledClio limacina, or Sea May Fly,[24]which are found in surprising numbers throughout the Arctic seas. According to Fabricius, the principal food of the whale consists of two different species of sea insects;[25]while Linnæus maintains that they live chiefly on theMedusa capillata, or sea blubber. This last substance, commonly called by Greenlandmenwhale’s meat, resembles frog-spawn, and is frequently seen floating on the surface of the Northern seas.Mr. Scoresby says, “that he has good reason tobelieve that the whale feeds chiefly, if not altogether, on thesquillæor shrimp tribe; for, on examining the stomach of one of large size, nothing else was found in it; they were about half an inch long, semi-transparent, and of a pale red colour.—I also found a great quantity in the mouth of another, having been apparently vomited by it. When the whale feeds, it swims with considerable velocity under water, with its mouth wide open; the water enters by the fore part, but is poured out again at the sides, and the food is entangled and sifted as it were by the whalebone, which does not allow any thing to escape.”Their time of parturition is in April, and though they are said to bring forth two young ones at a time,[26]yet I never saw more than one along with such as we killed. Fabricius says, that, for the most part, they bring forth but one.[27]The female is frequently taken when endeavouring to save her young one, which is generally killed first by way of stratagem. She then strives to take it away under her fins; but, in the midst of these efforts, being overtaken by the boats, she falls a victim to her maternal affection.The female, during pregnancy, which is aboutnine or ten months, is very fat; and the cub, when excluded, is black, and about ten feet long. It continues at the breast for a year. To suckle her young, the mother throws herself upon one side on the surface of the water; she is frequently seen carrying it on her back, and when she has occasion to go to the bottom, takes it with her under one of her fins.Whalebone was formerly an article of great value in commerce, and at one time sold for £600 per ton. It is not now, however, worth a twentieth part of that sum, and is not an object of any attention to the whale fishers. We may remark, that, by an old feudal law, thetailof all whales belonged to the Queen,[28]as a perquisite to furnish her Majesty’s wardrobe with whalebone. A strong proof of the ignorance that had at that time prevailed respecting this animal.The flesh of the whale is variously prepared by the Greenlanders, and is used either when newly catched, or when sub-putrid. The skin, tail, and fins, they eat raw; the blubber is used either as food, or in lamps; they dress the intestines like those of the seal. The tendons serve them as thread for nets. The bones serve as timber forroofing their houses, and other domestic purposes; and fishing-rods of the best quality are made from the whalebone.[29]The common whale, notwithstanding its magnitude, swims with surprising agility, and generally against the wind. The flat position of its tail enables it to ascend suddenly to the surface of the water to breathe, which it is frequently obliged to do. Whales are very harmless and timid; but, when attacked, frequently strike the boats a dangerous blow with their tails, in which their greatest strength lies. About midsummer, when they begin to couple, they are very wild, and difficult to catch, unless harpooned during copulation,[30]or when found sleeping on the water.Their fidelity to each other is said to be very great. Anderson tells us, that having struck one of two whales, a male and female, that were in company, the wounded fish made a long and terrible resistance; it struck down a boat with three men in it, with a single blow of the tail, by which all went to the bottom: The other fish attended its companion, and lent it every assistance, till, at last, the fish thatwas struck, sunk under the number of its wounds; while its faithful associate, disdaining to survive the loss, stretched itself upon the dead fish, and shared its fate.The ancients were not unacquainted with theBalæna mysticetus, though they do not seem to have had any knowledge of its uses. Their acquaintance with the spermaceti whale, found in the Indian ocean, was somewhat more accurate. It is interesting to observe, in the account of Nearchus’s Voyage, as given by Arrian,[31]the terror of the sailors when they first perceived the blowing of these animals. As soon as this ancient navigator had successfully conducted his fleet past a single whale, he received an applause equal to what he could have expected had he vanquished an enemy’s fleet.Whenever a whale is seen from the ship, one or more boats are sent in pursuit; and if they get close to it, the harpooner strikes it with his harpoon; but should the boat not get near enough for this purpose, he heaves the harpoon at the whale with great skill. As soon as the animal finds itself wounded, it descends, dragging the line fastened to the harpoon after it with such velocity, that one of the crew is constantlyobliged to pour water on the stem of the boat, to prevent its taking fire by the intense friction of the line. A hatchet is always at hand to cut the line, should it chance to get entangled. A large whale will sometimes run out the lines of two boats.[32]As soon as a whale isstruck, they hoist a flag, orjack, in the boat, which being seen by the ship, the crew all run about the decks crying “A fall, A fall;” as much as to say, “He’s fast, He’s fast.” Immediately all hands, except a few to take care of the ship, get into the boats with great expedition, and repair to the place where they expect the whale will rise to breathe. When it appears, they strike it again, and so on till there are sometimes three or four harpoons fast. When the whale becomes fatigued, and is severely wounded, it throws up water mixed with blood, and immediately the whole boats surround the groaning monster, and dispatch it with their spears. At this moment, the sea, to a considerable distance, looks as if tinged with vermilion. In dying, the noise occasioned by the whale’s lashing the water with its tail and fins, is heard to a very great distance.As soon as a whale is killed, it is towed by the boats to the ship, and being made fast by tacklesplaced at the nose and tail, is immediately stripped of its blubber. This process is by Greenland sailors termedflinching, and is very speedily performed. The harpooners and their assistants cut the blubber into long stripes, which are hoisted into the ship, cut into smaller pieces, and thrown into the hold, from whence they are again brought upon deck to be pared and barrelled up. Inflinching, the whale is turned round by a tackle made fast to the fins.The process of paring and barrelling up the blubber, is termedmaking off, and is performed at leisure times when the crew are not engaged in the pursuit of live whales. The blubber being brought upon deck, the fleshy parts are pared off, and it is then placed, piece by piece, on a block, having three iron spikes in the top to keep it steady; here it is skinned by a harpooner, and is then ready forchopping. This operation is performed by the boat-steerers, who cut the blubber into pieces of about one foot long, and three inches square at the ends. When it ischoppedthey push it off the bench into thespeck trough, placed by the side of the hatchway, having what is called alull bagattached to a hole in the bottom for the purpose of letting down thechoppedblubber to a tub in the hold. The blubber is afterwards put, piece by piece,into the bung-hole of the casks, which are all fixed for that purpose previous to the vessel’s leaving home.TheBalæna mysticetus, notwithstanding its immense size, is exposed to the multiplied assaults of various enemies inhabiting its own element. Of these, the most dangerous is said to be thePhyseter microps, or Black-headed Spermaceti Whale. The voracity of this species is very great. Its ordinary food is the seal; but if it does not find a sufficient quantity of them for its prey, it attacks the common whale, and even the shark, and tears them to pieces. The Sea Unicorn, orMonodon monoceros, is another of the whale’s enemies; and it is said that they never meet without engaging in combat. Its immense tusk, or horn, generally gives it a superiority over the whale. Marten gives an account of a combat between the Saw-Fish,Squalus pristis, and the Iceland whale, to which he was an eye witness. It was extremely dangerous to approach the field of battle, and his observations were therefore made at a distance. The water was greatly agitated, and rose to an immense height, accompanied with a noise that stunned the ears of the hearers. A fog coming on prevented Marten from ascertaining the result of this direful combat; but he was informedby the sailors that the whale was generally vanquished; and that they kept aloof till such time as the saw-fish, eating the tongue, relinquished the carcass, which they made their prey.A species of crab, vulgarly called the whale-louse, theOniscus cetiof Fabricius, if not the most dangerous, is perhaps the most troublesome of the whale’s enemies. We scarcely took any whales but had one or two of these vermin fastened to them. TheOniscus cetiis about the size of a small crab, and is covered with remarkably hard scales. Head similar to that of thePediculus humanus, with four horns, two of which serve as feelers; the other two are hard, curved, and serve as clinchers to fix the animal to the whale. Underneath its chest, theOniscushas two carvers, like scythes, with which it collects its food; and behind these are four feet, that serve it for oars. It has six other clinchers behind, which rivet it so closely to the whale, that it cannot be disengaged but by cutting out the entire piece to which it is joined. TheOniscusis jointed in the back like the tail of a lobster, and the tail covers it like a shield when feeding. It fixes itself upon the tenderest part of the whale’s body, between the fins, on the sheath, or on the lips, and in this position tears pieces out of the whale like a rapacious vulture.Dr. Colquhoun gives the following statement of the value of the whale-bone and whale-oil imported into Great Britain in the following years:1805£663,5356608,2067521,2408544,5679500,71510566,96724th, Latitude at midnight, by observation, 81° 12´ 42´´. Longitude, as near as our incorrect instruments would permit ascertaining, 12° 42´ E. Sea pretty clear of ice, with a considerable swell.25th and 26th, Continued cruising near the ice in search of whales, and were fortunate enough to capture three, two of which were size fish.28th, Latitude, by observation, 81° 50´. Sea almost quite clear of ice, with a great swell; weather serene. Had our object been the making of discoveries, there was notapparentlyany thing to have prevented us from going a good way farther to the north; at least we did not perceive any large fields of ice in that direction; though it is more than probable we should have very soon fallen in with them. We were a little farther north than Captain Phipps, who ran a great risk of being locked up entirely by the ice. He was,in fact, ice-bound from 31st July to 10th August, and during that time the packed ice rose as high as the main-yard. The want of ice in that place, where we then were, was perhaps owing to the effects of some late gale clearing it away. The great swell in the sea appeared to indicate this to have been the case.In my second voyage to this country, in 1807, we could not penetrate higher than 78° 30´. A ridge of ice totally prevented our farther progress.May 29th and 30th, Course nearly E. S. E. towards the Seven Islands. We had on the 30th a considerable quantity of bay ice, and made but little progress. Occasional showers of snow. Saw only one whale.31st, Tacked to the W. S. W. Ice increasing. Saw several whales. Lay to for fishing. Got a very large whale, which measured sixty-four feet in length.During theflinchingof the whales, there were generally a considerable number of sharks in the vicinity of the vessel. They were principally of that variety termedSqualus pristis, or Saw-Fish. At this time, one more voracious than the rest, approached close to the side of the whale’s carcass, and seized a large piece of blubber, which was ready to be hoisted on board. Before he couldmake his escape, however, he was struck by a harpoon, and his flight being thus obstructed, he was attacked with spears: a tackle was immediately fastened to his jaws, and being hoisted on deck, his belly was ripped open, and the blubber recovered. The carpenter, too, stripped a considerable quantity of skin from his tail. Notwithstanding this rude treatment, he was no sooner let down than he swam away with great agility.TheSqualus pristis, or Saw-Fish is often found upwards of fifteen feet long; with sword-shaped bony snout, nearly one-third the length of the fish, and denticulated on both sides: mouth placed beneath the anterior part of the head; jaws furnished with several rows of teeth; habit rather slender; body convex above, and somewhat flattened beneath; skin rough; colour greyish brown above, paler beneath.June 1st, Continued in the same situation, being almost icebound. Sent out the boats after a whale, which made its escape below the ice after being struck; the lines of course were lost. The harpoons are marked with the names of the ship and captain, and if a whale that has been killed by one ship be found by another, she is obliged to deliver up a certain portion of the blubber to the former.From June 1st to June 7th, the weather was, upon the whole pretty good, though the squalls were very frequent, accompanied by dense showers of snow. The rigging, by this time, had assumed a very strange appearance, at least what would be deemed as such by a more southern sailor. The ropes were frequently increased to double their usual size by the incrustations of ice, which had to be beat off by handspikes to allow them to pass through the blocks. The decks were every now and then besprinkled with saw-dust and sand, to counteract the slippiness arising from the combined effects of frost and grease. The cabin-floor, too, was covered with saw-dust, and the crew kept some of it in their pockets to clean their hands. In this space of time we catched five fish of different magnitudes.During the time we were in those high latitudes, our compasses, five in number, varied widely from each other; but this is known to happen to all compasses, according as they are placed in different parts of the ship. That which was kept in the cabin varied the least. This may perhaps tend to confirm the opinion of some navigators, who have maintained that the polarity of the needle is injured by intense cold. The notion of the variation decreasing as the distance from the Pole diminishes, does not appear to have any foundation. According to Captain Phipps,In Lat. 78° 22´ N.Long. 9° 8´ E.Mean var. was 14° 55´79 5010 220 380 3015 411 56On referring to the Appendix, it will be seen that the variation, as observed in the Sybyll, in lat. 78° 11´, long. 6° 55´ E. amounted to 19° 6´. And by the same excellent observations, combined with those of Captain Flinders, it is proved that the variation depends more on theship’s coursethan on any thing else. It is much to be regretted that Captain Phipps did not mention the course his ship was under when he made his observations on the variation. As they stand at present, they want the most essential element.8th, Latitude, by observation, 79° 42´. Sea nearly clear of ice. Course W. S. W. ½ S. At seven P. M. we discovered Hackluyt’s Headland, bearing E. N. E. distant four or five leagues. The weather was hazy, and we had but an indistinct view of this black precipitous promontory. Saw several whales, but got none.June 9th, Intense frost. Observed the freezing of salt water. Shot two seals, one of which only we brought on board.16th, Stood in nearer the shore to the south of Hackluyt’s Headland. Several of the sea-unicorns were here observed at no great distance from the ship. I noticed two which passed close under our stern, that had double horns of a considerable size. The unicorns make a great noise in blowing, and, when at a distance, are often mistaken for whales. We fired several shots at them, and mortally wounded a small one, which we brought on board. It measured 9½ feet in length, and its horn was four feet one inch.TheMonodon monoceros,Narwhal, or Unicorn Fish, has been found twenty-two feet long, and twelve round. Head nearly one-fourth the length of the body, round, small, and terminates in an obtuse rounded snout. Mouth small; no teeth, but a large wreathed tusk or horn. Sometimes two[33], and often ten feet long, proceeds from its upper jaw, diverging to one side, and tapering gradually towards the tip. Eyes and ears very small; one respiratory orifice in the back part of the head; back broad, convex, and tapering towards the tail, which is horizontally placed, and is divided intotwo obtuse oval lobes. Body of an ovoidal shape; no dorsal fins, but a high ridge or projection extends from the blow-hole to the origin of the tail, and gradually diminishes in height as it approaches the tail; two pectoral fins; colour generally cinereous, dappled with numerous multiform black spots; belly a shining white, and soft as velvet to the touch.Naturalists differ greatly as to the food of the unicorn. Perhaps it differs with the parts of the ocean it inhabits. Small fishes,MolluscaandActinea, are their more general food.The Narwhal swims with great swiftness, and, like the other cetacea, cannot remain long under the water without respiring. When frightened, or attacked, they huddle together in such numbers that they force their long horns into the body of each other, and thereby become an easy prey to their pursuers.This animal, though seemingly harmless, is, as already mentioned, a dangerous enemy of the common whale; and has been known to dart its horn into the side of a ship[34]. The vessel must have sunk had not the horn been broken off by the violence of the stroke.The oil produced by theMonodon monoceros, though scanty, is, in point of quality, superior to any other cetaceous oil.The horn of the Narwhal was long the object of a kind of superstitious respect. It was said to be efficacious in the cure of several distempers; and was prized as being of the very highest value. The Margraves of Bareuth possessed one which cost them 600,000 rix dollars; and the kings of Denmark have a most magnificent throne formed of these horns, which is esteemed more valuable than if composed of gold. Captain Scoresby (of the Resolution,) has a very fine bed made of the same materials. It is reckoned a great curiosity, and is extremely handsome. The horn is of a finer texture, and takes a better polish than that of the elephant.11th, Got two fish. Several sail of Greenlandmen in company.12th, Strong easterly breeze. Ran a considerable way to the westward.13th and 14th, Gale increased, and we ran a considerable way farther to the westward. Cold very intense.June 15th, Latitude, by observation, 78° 13´. Made fast to a large iceberg.16th, Got a size fish. While we were made fast to this iceberg, some of the crew had put a piece of blubber to the fire, and, allured by the smell, a very large bear came and put his nose over the gunwale. One of the harpooners shot him; but a squall coming on, we did not bring the carcass on board.From the 16th to the 21st, we caught four whales, of various sizes. The weather was now getting hazy, as it generally does at this season of the year, and the whales were become more difficult to catch.22d, Spoke the Catharina Elizabeth, of Hanover, Captain Schultz, after being a considerable time separated from the rest of the Greenland ships. From her we learned that a French frigate, and some smaller vessels, were in the North. This intelligence determined us not to lessen our distance from Spitzbergen, but to shape our course to England by the Feroe Isles. This determination, however, had nearly sent us to a French port, for the Guerriere was taken of the Feroe Isles on the 19th July, two days after we passed them.From the 22d to the 29th, the day on which we set sail for England, we took six whales,making in all twenty-four, of which fourteen were size fish.On the 26th, an accident happened which was like to have deprived us of one of our boatsteerers; but, fortunately, was not finally attended by any evil consequence. He was thrown out of the boat by the stroke of a whale’s tail, but kept himself on the top of the water by his oar. The crew were in such disorder, that before they got him into the boat, he was almost senseless with cold, and still worse before they could row him to the ship. He was brought down to the cabin, stripped, and laid on a blanket before the fire. His hair was like so many icicles, and the body exhibited a very cadaverous appearance. No pulsation was to be found in any part, and I held a mirror before his mouth without producing the least evidence of respiration. I immediately ordered the soles of his feet to be rubbed with strong brine; his temples were chaffed with strong volatile spirits, and the same were applied to his nose. Hot flannels, moistened with camphorated spirits of wine, were applied to the spine, and over the breast, and renewed every quarter of an hour. Stimulating powders were put to his nose, but without any apparent effect; he never showedthe least symptoms of animation; nor could the body be brought to any degree of warmth, notwithstanding being rubbed with hot coarse cloths. As the last resource, I ordered one of the men to blow into the patient’s mouth, as strongly as he could, holding his nostrils at the same time lest any of the air should escape. When I found, by the rising of the chest, that the lungs were properly inflated, I ordered him to quit blowing, and with my hand pressed down the chest and belly, so as to expel the air. This imitation of natural respiration was pursued for a short time, till, putting my hand on his left breast, I found his heart give some feeble beats: soon after, the pulse at the wrist was found to beat. In a short time he opened his eyes, and looked round in wild amaze; then shut them again. As soon as he was able to swallow, I gave him a gentle cordial, which was repeated every five minutes, till he was a great deal recovered. The Captain was so kind as to order him to be put into his own bed, with two of the men, one on each side, to bring him the sooner to a natural heat. Plenty of clothes being put over them, he soon fell into a profound sleep and gentle perspiration, and so remained for two or three hours, when he awoke quite well and refreshed, but had rather a wild look. On givinghim a glass of brandy, he arose and went to his own berth as before. All the time I was on board, the poor fellow expressed the greatest gratitude to me, and thankfulness to God, for thus being providentially rescued from the grasp of death. It is almost needless to remark, that in this inclement region, swimming is of little or no use to any person who may chance to fall overboard, as his muscular motion is almost instantaneously obstructed by the intensity of the cold.Colds and coughs are the disorders most prevalent among sailors in this country. Sometimes the scurvy breaks out amongst them, but I never saw any symptoms of it. Fractures, dislocations, sprains, bruises, cuts, and frost-biting, give the surgeons a good deal of trouble. A certain complaint, either contracted in England, or the Orkney or Shetland Isles, is very common.The Resolution did not lose a single man in either of the voyages I made to this country. By the blessing of Providence, they were again all safely restored to their native land.30th, Latitude 76° 37´; Longitude, as near as we could calculate, 1° West. Steered due south. The men were employed in cleaning the ship, drying the lines, &c.From July 1st to July 5th, course southerly. Weather fine, but hazy. Ice diminishing, and the sun getting gradually nearer the horizon. Saw several whales; they were now become extremely furious, and made considerably more noise in blowing.Voyagers are, in these high latitudes, often surprised and delighted by the appearance of mock suns and moons, but I was not so fortunate as to perceive any. The frozen particles floating in the atmosphere are supposed to be the cause of these phenomena.From the 5th to the 7th, wind at N. E. Course S. S. W. Lat. 71° 10´. Greenland ships, from their clumsy make, when heavily loaded, sail with but very little expedition.July 8th, Strong breeze from E. N. E. Course S. S. W. ½ W. Ice totally gone. Sun almost coincident with the horizon.From the 8th to the 17th, excellent weather. Course generally S. S. E. ½ E. On the 17th, we fell in with the westernmost of the Feroe Isles. Our dead reckoning was considerably to the east.The Feroe Isles lie 70 leagues N. W. from Unst, in Shetland, and extend to 62° 30.´Seventeen of these islands are habitable. They are rugged, mountainous, and rocky; the intervening currents deep and rapid; the sea around them turbulent, and at times so much agitated by whirlwinds, that vast quantities of water are forced up into the air, and the fishes contained therein frequently deposited on the tops of the highest mountains. These are equally resistless on land, tearing up trees, stones, and animals, and carrying them to very distant places. Whirlpools, too, are numerous in these seas, and extremely dangerous; that near the island of Suderoe is the most noted. It is occasioned by a crater, sixty-one fathoms deep in the centre, and from fifty to fifty-five on the sides. The water forms four fierce circumgyrations. The point they begin at is on the side of a large bason, where commences a range of rocks running spirally, and terminating at the verge of the crater. This range is extremely rugged, and covered with water from the depth of twelve to eight fathoms only. It forms four equidistant wreaths, with a channel from thirty-five to twenty fathoms in depth between each. On the outside, beyond that depth, the sea suddenly sinks to eighty and ninety. On the south border of the bason, is a lofty rock, calledSumboe Munk, noted for the number of birds which frequent it.On one side, the water is only three or four fathoms deep, on the other, fifteen. The danger at most times, especially in storms, is very great. Ships are irresistibly drawn in: the rudder loses its power, and the waves beat as high as the masts, so that an escape is almost miraculous; yet at the reflux, and in very still weather, the inhabitants will venture in boats for the sake of fishing.Arct. Zool.2d edit. vol. i. p. 56.On arriving at these southerly latitudes, the appearance of the moon and stars was, to use the language of Captain Phipps, almost as extraordinary a phenomena as the sun at midnight, when we first got within the Arctic circle.On the 20th, lay becalmed off Fair Isle, a barren spot, about three miles long, situated midway between the Shetland and Orkney Isles, and inhabited by about 170 persons. The shores are high and rugged; greatest depth of the water near it twenty-six fathoms. The tide here runs with great velocity, and forms at the east end a considerable eddy. Some ships belonging to the famous Spanish Armada were lost on this isle.When lying off Fair Isle, we sent the men we had got from Shetland ashore in the row-boats.22d, Passed North Ronaldshaw light in the Orkneys. The wind being but little, and at S.E.we were drifted by the tide down the Murray Firth, orTuum Æstuariumof the Romans, as far as Spey Bay. Tacked and stood in for Kinnaird’s Head, theTaizalum Promontorium, which, with the north-eastern extremity of Caithness, forms this capacious bay.July 23d, Off Fraserburgh, to which we sent letters by a fishing boat. Tacked and stood in for Peterhead, the most eastern part of Scotland, and famous for its medicinal waters; it is situated about thirty miles north of Aberdeen.25th, Fell in with a cutter off Saint Abb’s Head, which we at first took for a French privateer: to our satisfaction, however, she proved to be the Try-All of London, a privateer of 14 guns, and 70 or 80 men.26th, Came in sight of Whitby. It blowing very hard, we could not anchor in the roads. Sailed farther to the south; then tacked and hoisted a flag for a pilot. In the evening a pilot came off in his cobble; but it blew so remarkably hard, that he could not get any person to come along with him but an intrepidlame tailor. They came on board, but being heavy laden, and the tides low, we could not get into Whitby. We therefore determined to run for Hull; but, calling at Scarborough, we got a brig to come to Whitby roads in order to lighten us.July 27th, Fourteen of our men being afraid of the press, took two boats, and ran into Robbin Hood’s Bay. Anchored this evening in Whitby Roads.28th and 29th, The brig lightened us about 100 tons, and the evening of the latter day we got withinside the bridge, and were mustered by the custom-house officers, as is usual on those occasions.31st, Paid off.In concluding the account of this voyage, it would be unpardonable in me to neglect mentioning the kindness and attention with which I was always treated by Captain Scoresby, and his son the mate. Captain Scoresby is well known to the world at large, for his vigorous, enterprizing character, as well as for consummate skill in nautical matters. As Captain of the ship, his conduct was most exemplary. He was attentive to all the duties of religion, and preserved a proper decorum, and strict discipline, without harshness, among the crew.
Bone in feet.Oil in tuns.Bone in feet.Oil in tuns.11½77238933½91144101354½111665½1220
“The blubber of a sucker,” Mr. Scoresby observes, “when very young, frequently containslittle or no oil, but only a kind of milky fluid; in which case, when the animal is deprived of life, the body sinks to the bottom, as also does the blubber when separated from it; while the body and blubber of larger individuals always swim. Though the preceding statement be exceedingly near the truth, yet exceptions occur; for I have known a whale of 2½ feet bone produce 10 tuns of oil, and one of 12 feet bone estimated at only 9 tuns; but such instances are much rarer than to see one of 2½ feet bone produce 4 or five tuns of oil.”
TheBalæna mysticetus, according to Marten and other North Sea voyagers, feeds chiefly upon a species ofvermes, calledClio limacina, or Sea May Fly,[24]which are found in surprising numbers throughout the Arctic seas. According to Fabricius, the principal food of the whale consists of two different species of sea insects;[25]while Linnæus maintains that they live chiefly on theMedusa capillata, or sea blubber. This last substance, commonly called by Greenlandmenwhale’s meat, resembles frog-spawn, and is frequently seen floating on the surface of the Northern seas.
Mr. Scoresby says, “that he has good reason tobelieve that the whale feeds chiefly, if not altogether, on thesquillæor shrimp tribe; for, on examining the stomach of one of large size, nothing else was found in it; they were about half an inch long, semi-transparent, and of a pale red colour.—I also found a great quantity in the mouth of another, having been apparently vomited by it. When the whale feeds, it swims with considerable velocity under water, with its mouth wide open; the water enters by the fore part, but is poured out again at the sides, and the food is entangled and sifted as it were by the whalebone, which does not allow any thing to escape.”
Their time of parturition is in April, and though they are said to bring forth two young ones at a time,[26]yet I never saw more than one along with such as we killed. Fabricius says, that, for the most part, they bring forth but one.[27]The female is frequently taken when endeavouring to save her young one, which is generally killed first by way of stratagem. She then strives to take it away under her fins; but, in the midst of these efforts, being overtaken by the boats, she falls a victim to her maternal affection.
The female, during pregnancy, which is aboutnine or ten months, is very fat; and the cub, when excluded, is black, and about ten feet long. It continues at the breast for a year. To suckle her young, the mother throws herself upon one side on the surface of the water; she is frequently seen carrying it on her back, and when she has occasion to go to the bottom, takes it with her under one of her fins.
Whalebone was formerly an article of great value in commerce, and at one time sold for £600 per ton. It is not now, however, worth a twentieth part of that sum, and is not an object of any attention to the whale fishers. We may remark, that, by an old feudal law, thetailof all whales belonged to the Queen,[28]as a perquisite to furnish her Majesty’s wardrobe with whalebone. A strong proof of the ignorance that had at that time prevailed respecting this animal.
The flesh of the whale is variously prepared by the Greenlanders, and is used either when newly catched, or when sub-putrid. The skin, tail, and fins, they eat raw; the blubber is used either as food, or in lamps; they dress the intestines like those of the seal. The tendons serve them as thread for nets. The bones serve as timber forroofing their houses, and other domestic purposes; and fishing-rods of the best quality are made from the whalebone.[29]
The common whale, notwithstanding its magnitude, swims with surprising agility, and generally against the wind. The flat position of its tail enables it to ascend suddenly to the surface of the water to breathe, which it is frequently obliged to do. Whales are very harmless and timid; but, when attacked, frequently strike the boats a dangerous blow with their tails, in which their greatest strength lies. About midsummer, when they begin to couple, they are very wild, and difficult to catch, unless harpooned during copulation,[30]or when found sleeping on the water.
Their fidelity to each other is said to be very great. Anderson tells us, that having struck one of two whales, a male and female, that were in company, the wounded fish made a long and terrible resistance; it struck down a boat with three men in it, with a single blow of the tail, by which all went to the bottom: The other fish attended its companion, and lent it every assistance, till, at last, the fish thatwas struck, sunk under the number of its wounds; while its faithful associate, disdaining to survive the loss, stretched itself upon the dead fish, and shared its fate.
The ancients were not unacquainted with theBalæna mysticetus, though they do not seem to have had any knowledge of its uses. Their acquaintance with the spermaceti whale, found in the Indian ocean, was somewhat more accurate. It is interesting to observe, in the account of Nearchus’s Voyage, as given by Arrian,[31]the terror of the sailors when they first perceived the blowing of these animals. As soon as this ancient navigator had successfully conducted his fleet past a single whale, he received an applause equal to what he could have expected had he vanquished an enemy’s fleet.
Whenever a whale is seen from the ship, one or more boats are sent in pursuit; and if they get close to it, the harpooner strikes it with his harpoon; but should the boat not get near enough for this purpose, he heaves the harpoon at the whale with great skill. As soon as the animal finds itself wounded, it descends, dragging the line fastened to the harpoon after it with such velocity, that one of the crew is constantlyobliged to pour water on the stem of the boat, to prevent its taking fire by the intense friction of the line. A hatchet is always at hand to cut the line, should it chance to get entangled. A large whale will sometimes run out the lines of two boats.[32]As soon as a whale isstruck, they hoist a flag, orjack, in the boat, which being seen by the ship, the crew all run about the decks crying “A fall, A fall;” as much as to say, “He’s fast, He’s fast.” Immediately all hands, except a few to take care of the ship, get into the boats with great expedition, and repair to the place where they expect the whale will rise to breathe. When it appears, they strike it again, and so on till there are sometimes three or four harpoons fast. When the whale becomes fatigued, and is severely wounded, it throws up water mixed with blood, and immediately the whole boats surround the groaning monster, and dispatch it with their spears. At this moment, the sea, to a considerable distance, looks as if tinged with vermilion. In dying, the noise occasioned by the whale’s lashing the water with its tail and fins, is heard to a very great distance.
As soon as a whale is killed, it is towed by the boats to the ship, and being made fast by tacklesplaced at the nose and tail, is immediately stripped of its blubber. This process is by Greenland sailors termedflinching, and is very speedily performed. The harpooners and their assistants cut the blubber into long stripes, which are hoisted into the ship, cut into smaller pieces, and thrown into the hold, from whence they are again brought upon deck to be pared and barrelled up. Inflinching, the whale is turned round by a tackle made fast to the fins.
The process of paring and barrelling up the blubber, is termedmaking off, and is performed at leisure times when the crew are not engaged in the pursuit of live whales. The blubber being brought upon deck, the fleshy parts are pared off, and it is then placed, piece by piece, on a block, having three iron spikes in the top to keep it steady; here it is skinned by a harpooner, and is then ready forchopping. This operation is performed by the boat-steerers, who cut the blubber into pieces of about one foot long, and three inches square at the ends. When it ischoppedthey push it off the bench into thespeck trough, placed by the side of the hatchway, having what is called alull bagattached to a hole in the bottom for the purpose of letting down thechoppedblubber to a tub in the hold. The blubber is afterwards put, piece by piece,into the bung-hole of the casks, which are all fixed for that purpose previous to the vessel’s leaving home.
TheBalæna mysticetus, notwithstanding its immense size, is exposed to the multiplied assaults of various enemies inhabiting its own element. Of these, the most dangerous is said to be thePhyseter microps, or Black-headed Spermaceti Whale. The voracity of this species is very great. Its ordinary food is the seal; but if it does not find a sufficient quantity of them for its prey, it attacks the common whale, and even the shark, and tears them to pieces. The Sea Unicorn, orMonodon monoceros, is another of the whale’s enemies; and it is said that they never meet without engaging in combat. Its immense tusk, or horn, generally gives it a superiority over the whale. Marten gives an account of a combat between the Saw-Fish,Squalus pristis, and the Iceland whale, to which he was an eye witness. It was extremely dangerous to approach the field of battle, and his observations were therefore made at a distance. The water was greatly agitated, and rose to an immense height, accompanied with a noise that stunned the ears of the hearers. A fog coming on prevented Marten from ascertaining the result of this direful combat; but he was informedby the sailors that the whale was generally vanquished; and that they kept aloof till such time as the saw-fish, eating the tongue, relinquished the carcass, which they made their prey.
A species of crab, vulgarly called the whale-louse, theOniscus cetiof Fabricius, if not the most dangerous, is perhaps the most troublesome of the whale’s enemies. We scarcely took any whales but had one or two of these vermin fastened to them. TheOniscus cetiis about the size of a small crab, and is covered with remarkably hard scales. Head similar to that of thePediculus humanus, with four horns, two of which serve as feelers; the other two are hard, curved, and serve as clinchers to fix the animal to the whale. Underneath its chest, theOniscushas two carvers, like scythes, with which it collects its food; and behind these are four feet, that serve it for oars. It has six other clinchers behind, which rivet it so closely to the whale, that it cannot be disengaged but by cutting out the entire piece to which it is joined. TheOniscusis jointed in the back like the tail of a lobster, and the tail covers it like a shield when feeding. It fixes itself upon the tenderest part of the whale’s body, between the fins, on the sheath, or on the lips, and in this position tears pieces out of the whale like a rapacious vulture.
Dr. Colquhoun gives the following statement of the value of the whale-bone and whale-oil imported into Great Britain in the following years:
1805£663,5356608,2067521,2408544,5679500,71510566,967
24th, Latitude at midnight, by observation, 81° 12´ 42´´. Longitude, as near as our incorrect instruments would permit ascertaining, 12° 42´ E. Sea pretty clear of ice, with a considerable swell.
25th and 26th, Continued cruising near the ice in search of whales, and were fortunate enough to capture three, two of which were size fish.
28th, Latitude, by observation, 81° 50´. Sea almost quite clear of ice, with a great swell; weather serene. Had our object been the making of discoveries, there was notapparentlyany thing to have prevented us from going a good way farther to the north; at least we did not perceive any large fields of ice in that direction; though it is more than probable we should have very soon fallen in with them. We were a little farther north than Captain Phipps, who ran a great risk of being locked up entirely by the ice. He was,in fact, ice-bound from 31st July to 10th August, and during that time the packed ice rose as high as the main-yard. The want of ice in that place, where we then were, was perhaps owing to the effects of some late gale clearing it away. The great swell in the sea appeared to indicate this to have been the case.
In my second voyage to this country, in 1807, we could not penetrate higher than 78° 30´. A ridge of ice totally prevented our farther progress.
May 29th and 30th, Course nearly E. S. E. towards the Seven Islands. We had on the 30th a considerable quantity of bay ice, and made but little progress. Occasional showers of snow. Saw only one whale.
31st, Tacked to the W. S. W. Ice increasing. Saw several whales. Lay to for fishing. Got a very large whale, which measured sixty-four feet in length.
During theflinchingof the whales, there were generally a considerable number of sharks in the vicinity of the vessel. They were principally of that variety termedSqualus pristis, or Saw-Fish. At this time, one more voracious than the rest, approached close to the side of the whale’s carcass, and seized a large piece of blubber, which was ready to be hoisted on board. Before he couldmake his escape, however, he was struck by a harpoon, and his flight being thus obstructed, he was attacked with spears: a tackle was immediately fastened to his jaws, and being hoisted on deck, his belly was ripped open, and the blubber recovered. The carpenter, too, stripped a considerable quantity of skin from his tail. Notwithstanding this rude treatment, he was no sooner let down than he swam away with great agility.
TheSqualus pristis, or Saw-Fish is often found upwards of fifteen feet long; with sword-shaped bony snout, nearly one-third the length of the fish, and denticulated on both sides: mouth placed beneath the anterior part of the head; jaws furnished with several rows of teeth; habit rather slender; body convex above, and somewhat flattened beneath; skin rough; colour greyish brown above, paler beneath.
June 1st, Continued in the same situation, being almost icebound. Sent out the boats after a whale, which made its escape below the ice after being struck; the lines of course were lost. The harpoons are marked with the names of the ship and captain, and if a whale that has been killed by one ship be found by another, she is obliged to deliver up a certain portion of the blubber to the former.
From June 1st to June 7th, the weather was, upon the whole pretty good, though the squalls were very frequent, accompanied by dense showers of snow. The rigging, by this time, had assumed a very strange appearance, at least what would be deemed as such by a more southern sailor. The ropes were frequently increased to double their usual size by the incrustations of ice, which had to be beat off by handspikes to allow them to pass through the blocks. The decks were every now and then besprinkled with saw-dust and sand, to counteract the slippiness arising from the combined effects of frost and grease. The cabin-floor, too, was covered with saw-dust, and the crew kept some of it in their pockets to clean their hands. In this space of time we catched five fish of different magnitudes.
During the time we were in those high latitudes, our compasses, five in number, varied widely from each other; but this is known to happen to all compasses, according as they are placed in different parts of the ship. That which was kept in the cabin varied the least. This may perhaps tend to confirm the opinion of some navigators, who have maintained that the polarity of the needle is injured by intense cold. The notion of the variation decreasing as the distance from the Pole diminishes, does not appear to have any foundation. According to Captain Phipps,
In Lat. 78° 22´ N.Long. 9° 8´ E.Mean var. was 14° 55´79 5010 220 380 3015 411 56
On referring to the Appendix, it will be seen that the variation, as observed in the Sybyll, in lat. 78° 11´, long. 6° 55´ E. amounted to 19° 6´. And by the same excellent observations, combined with those of Captain Flinders, it is proved that the variation depends more on theship’s coursethan on any thing else. It is much to be regretted that Captain Phipps did not mention the course his ship was under when he made his observations on the variation. As they stand at present, they want the most essential element.
8th, Latitude, by observation, 79° 42´. Sea nearly clear of ice. Course W. S. W. ½ S. At seven P. M. we discovered Hackluyt’s Headland, bearing E. N. E. distant four or five leagues. The weather was hazy, and we had but an indistinct view of this black precipitous promontory. Saw several whales, but got none.
June 9th, Intense frost. Observed the freezing of salt water. Shot two seals, one of which only we brought on board.
16th, Stood in nearer the shore to the south of Hackluyt’s Headland. Several of the sea-unicorns were here observed at no great distance from the ship. I noticed two which passed close under our stern, that had double horns of a considerable size. The unicorns make a great noise in blowing, and, when at a distance, are often mistaken for whales. We fired several shots at them, and mortally wounded a small one, which we brought on board. It measured 9½ feet in length, and its horn was four feet one inch.
TheMonodon monoceros,Narwhal, or Unicorn Fish, has been found twenty-two feet long, and twelve round. Head nearly one-fourth the length of the body, round, small, and terminates in an obtuse rounded snout. Mouth small; no teeth, but a large wreathed tusk or horn. Sometimes two[33], and often ten feet long, proceeds from its upper jaw, diverging to one side, and tapering gradually towards the tip. Eyes and ears very small; one respiratory orifice in the back part of the head; back broad, convex, and tapering towards the tail, which is horizontally placed, and is divided intotwo obtuse oval lobes. Body of an ovoidal shape; no dorsal fins, but a high ridge or projection extends from the blow-hole to the origin of the tail, and gradually diminishes in height as it approaches the tail; two pectoral fins; colour generally cinereous, dappled with numerous multiform black spots; belly a shining white, and soft as velvet to the touch.
Naturalists differ greatly as to the food of the unicorn. Perhaps it differs with the parts of the ocean it inhabits. Small fishes,MolluscaandActinea, are their more general food.
The Narwhal swims with great swiftness, and, like the other cetacea, cannot remain long under the water without respiring. When frightened, or attacked, they huddle together in such numbers that they force their long horns into the body of each other, and thereby become an easy prey to their pursuers.
This animal, though seemingly harmless, is, as already mentioned, a dangerous enemy of the common whale; and has been known to dart its horn into the side of a ship[34]. The vessel must have sunk had not the horn been broken off by the violence of the stroke.
The oil produced by theMonodon monoceros, though scanty, is, in point of quality, superior to any other cetaceous oil.
The horn of the Narwhal was long the object of a kind of superstitious respect. It was said to be efficacious in the cure of several distempers; and was prized as being of the very highest value. The Margraves of Bareuth possessed one which cost them 600,000 rix dollars; and the kings of Denmark have a most magnificent throne formed of these horns, which is esteemed more valuable than if composed of gold. Captain Scoresby (of the Resolution,) has a very fine bed made of the same materials. It is reckoned a great curiosity, and is extremely handsome. The horn is of a finer texture, and takes a better polish than that of the elephant.
11th, Got two fish. Several sail of Greenlandmen in company.
12th, Strong easterly breeze. Ran a considerable way to the westward.
13th and 14th, Gale increased, and we ran a considerable way farther to the westward. Cold very intense.
June 15th, Latitude, by observation, 78° 13´. Made fast to a large iceberg.
16th, Got a size fish. While we were made fast to this iceberg, some of the crew had put a piece of blubber to the fire, and, allured by the smell, a very large bear came and put his nose over the gunwale. One of the harpooners shot him; but a squall coming on, we did not bring the carcass on board.
From the 16th to the 21st, we caught four whales, of various sizes. The weather was now getting hazy, as it generally does at this season of the year, and the whales were become more difficult to catch.
22d, Spoke the Catharina Elizabeth, of Hanover, Captain Schultz, after being a considerable time separated from the rest of the Greenland ships. From her we learned that a French frigate, and some smaller vessels, were in the North. This intelligence determined us not to lessen our distance from Spitzbergen, but to shape our course to England by the Feroe Isles. This determination, however, had nearly sent us to a French port, for the Guerriere was taken of the Feroe Isles on the 19th July, two days after we passed them.
From the 22d to the 29th, the day on which we set sail for England, we took six whales,making in all twenty-four, of which fourteen were size fish.
On the 26th, an accident happened which was like to have deprived us of one of our boatsteerers; but, fortunately, was not finally attended by any evil consequence. He was thrown out of the boat by the stroke of a whale’s tail, but kept himself on the top of the water by his oar. The crew were in such disorder, that before they got him into the boat, he was almost senseless with cold, and still worse before they could row him to the ship. He was brought down to the cabin, stripped, and laid on a blanket before the fire. His hair was like so many icicles, and the body exhibited a very cadaverous appearance. No pulsation was to be found in any part, and I held a mirror before his mouth without producing the least evidence of respiration. I immediately ordered the soles of his feet to be rubbed with strong brine; his temples were chaffed with strong volatile spirits, and the same were applied to his nose. Hot flannels, moistened with camphorated spirits of wine, were applied to the spine, and over the breast, and renewed every quarter of an hour. Stimulating powders were put to his nose, but without any apparent effect; he never showedthe least symptoms of animation; nor could the body be brought to any degree of warmth, notwithstanding being rubbed with hot coarse cloths. As the last resource, I ordered one of the men to blow into the patient’s mouth, as strongly as he could, holding his nostrils at the same time lest any of the air should escape. When I found, by the rising of the chest, that the lungs were properly inflated, I ordered him to quit blowing, and with my hand pressed down the chest and belly, so as to expel the air. This imitation of natural respiration was pursued for a short time, till, putting my hand on his left breast, I found his heart give some feeble beats: soon after, the pulse at the wrist was found to beat. In a short time he opened his eyes, and looked round in wild amaze; then shut them again. As soon as he was able to swallow, I gave him a gentle cordial, which was repeated every five minutes, till he was a great deal recovered. The Captain was so kind as to order him to be put into his own bed, with two of the men, one on each side, to bring him the sooner to a natural heat. Plenty of clothes being put over them, he soon fell into a profound sleep and gentle perspiration, and so remained for two or three hours, when he awoke quite well and refreshed, but had rather a wild look. On givinghim a glass of brandy, he arose and went to his own berth as before. All the time I was on board, the poor fellow expressed the greatest gratitude to me, and thankfulness to God, for thus being providentially rescued from the grasp of death. It is almost needless to remark, that in this inclement region, swimming is of little or no use to any person who may chance to fall overboard, as his muscular motion is almost instantaneously obstructed by the intensity of the cold.
Colds and coughs are the disorders most prevalent among sailors in this country. Sometimes the scurvy breaks out amongst them, but I never saw any symptoms of it. Fractures, dislocations, sprains, bruises, cuts, and frost-biting, give the surgeons a good deal of trouble. A certain complaint, either contracted in England, or the Orkney or Shetland Isles, is very common.
The Resolution did not lose a single man in either of the voyages I made to this country. By the blessing of Providence, they were again all safely restored to their native land.
30th, Latitude 76° 37´; Longitude, as near as we could calculate, 1° West. Steered due south. The men were employed in cleaning the ship, drying the lines, &c.
From July 1st to July 5th, course southerly. Weather fine, but hazy. Ice diminishing, and the sun getting gradually nearer the horizon. Saw several whales; they were now become extremely furious, and made considerably more noise in blowing.
Voyagers are, in these high latitudes, often surprised and delighted by the appearance of mock suns and moons, but I was not so fortunate as to perceive any. The frozen particles floating in the atmosphere are supposed to be the cause of these phenomena.
From the 5th to the 7th, wind at N. E. Course S. S. W. Lat. 71° 10´. Greenland ships, from their clumsy make, when heavily loaded, sail with but very little expedition.
July 8th, Strong breeze from E. N. E. Course S. S. W. ½ W. Ice totally gone. Sun almost coincident with the horizon.
From the 8th to the 17th, excellent weather. Course generally S. S. E. ½ E. On the 17th, we fell in with the westernmost of the Feroe Isles. Our dead reckoning was considerably to the east.
The Feroe Isles lie 70 leagues N. W. from Unst, in Shetland, and extend to 62° 30.´
Seventeen of these islands are habitable. They are rugged, mountainous, and rocky; the intervening currents deep and rapid; the sea around them turbulent, and at times so much agitated by whirlwinds, that vast quantities of water are forced up into the air, and the fishes contained therein frequently deposited on the tops of the highest mountains. These are equally resistless on land, tearing up trees, stones, and animals, and carrying them to very distant places. Whirlpools, too, are numerous in these seas, and extremely dangerous; that near the island of Suderoe is the most noted. It is occasioned by a crater, sixty-one fathoms deep in the centre, and from fifty to fifty-five on the sides. The water forms four fierce circumgyrations. The point they begin at is on the side of a large bason, where commences a range of rocks running spirally, and terminating at the verge of the crater. This range is extremely rugged, and covered with water from the depth of twelve to eight fathoms only. It forms four equidistant wreaths, with a channel from thirty-five to twenty fathoms in depth between each. On the outside, beyond that depth, the sea suddenly sinks to eighty and ninety. On the south border of the bason, is a lofty rock, calledSumboe Munk, noted for the number of birds which frequent it.On one side, the water is only three or four fathoms deep, on the other, fifteen. The danger at most times, especially in storms, is very great. Ships are irresistibly drawn in: the rudder loses its power, and the waves beat as high as the masts, so that an escape is almost miraculous; yet at the reflux, and in very still weather, the inhabitants will venture in boats for the sake of fishing.Arct. Zool.2d edit. vol. i. p. 56.
On arriving at these southerly latitudes, the appearance of the moon and stars was, to use the language of Captain Phipps, almost as extraordinary a phenomena as the sun at midnight, when we first got within the Arctic circle.
On the 20th, lay becalmed off Fair Isle, a barren spot, about three miles long, situated midway between the Shetland and Orkney Isles, and inhabited by about 170 persons. The shores are high and rugged; greatest depth of the water near it twenty-six fathoms. The tide here runs with great velocity, and forms at the east end a considerable eddy. Some ships belonging to the famous Spanish Armada were lost on this isle.
When lying off Fair Isle, we sent the men we had got from Shetland ashore in the row-boats.
22d, Passed North Ronaldshaw light in the Orkneys. The wind being but little, and at S.E.we were drifted by the tide down the Murray Firth, orTuum Æstuariumof the Romans, as far as Spey Bay. Tacked and stood in for Kinnaird’s Head, theTaizalum Promontorium, which, with the north-eastern extremity of Caithness, forms this capacious bay.
July 23d, Off Fraserburgh, to which we sent letters by a fishing boat. Tacked and stood in for Peterhead, the most eastern part of Scotland, and famous for its medicinal waters; it is situated about thirty miles north of Aberdeen.
25th, Fell in with a cutter off Saint Abb’s Head, which we at first took for a French privateer: to our satisfaction, however, she proved to be the Try-All of London, a privateer of 14 guns, and 70 or 80 men.
26th, Came in sight of Whitby. It blowing very hard, we could not anchor in the roads. Sailed farther to the south; then tacked and hoisted a flag for a pilot. In the evening a pilot came off in his cobble; but it blew so remarkably hard, that he could not get any person to come along with him but an intrepidlame tailor. They came on board, but being heavy laden, and the tides low, we could not get into Whitby. We therefore determined to run for Hull; but, calling at Scarborough, we got a brig to come to Whitby roads in order to lighten us.
July 27th, Fourteen of our men being afraid of the press, took two boats, and ran into Robbin Hood’s Bay. Anchored this evening in Whitby Roads.
28th and 29th, The brig lightened us about 100 tons, and the evening of the latter day we got withinside the bridge, and were mustered by the custom-house officers, as is usual on those occasions.
31st, Paid off.
In concluding the account of this voyage, it would be unpardonable in me to neglect mentioning the kindness and attention with which I was always treated by Captain Scoresby, and his son the mate. Captain Scoresby is well known to the world at large, for his vigorous, enterprizing character, as well as for consummate skill in nautical matters. As Captain of the ship, his conduct was most exemplary. He was attentive to all the duties of religion, and preserved a proper decorum, and strict discipline, without harshness, among the crew.