File #154: "Forbes, Cochran_1831-1832_Journal_Typescript.pdf"

O R IG IN A L COPY OF

JOURNAL OF COCHRAN FORBES,
NEW BEDFORD

TO THE SANDWICH ISLANDS

1 83 1

N.".

VOYAGE ON "A V K R IC K "

-

1832

^ Sept. 3.)

Copy.

A Journal of a Vovag from
New Bedford to the Sandwich Islands,
In the Ship Averick.

Captain Swain.

Saturday morning November the 26th 1831 about sunrise we
were called
America.

to go aboard and bid a final adieu to our beloved

Soon we were all assembled on the wharf with a vast crowd

of spectators and friends.

Rev. Mr. Green, a Secretary of the

Board offered a solemn prayer to Almighty God in our behalf com­
mending us to his kind protection during our perilous voyage over
the stormy waters.

After the service and one more and last part­

ing embrace was exchanged between dear friends, for all appeared
dear to us then tho' our acquaintance was short, we were conveyed
in a small packet to the ship w hic h lay off in the stream.

Many

dear Christian friends followed us even there in the packet wh ic h
had been employed for the purpose.

But here we had to part while

the trembling tear stood in many an eye and the half suppressed
sob almost choked utterance.

Strange as it may seem very few tears

were shed by any of the missionaries while some of our dear Chris­
tian friends seemed almost overwhelmed, as we hoisted sail and the
pilot taking the helm were borne off toward the wide ocean while
the little packet and her precious cargo of a.nxious praying friends
returned to the wharf gazing after us as far as we could distin­
guish their position.

?Je could not doubt they returned to their

closets to beseech their and our heavenly Father to spread over us
the arm of his kind protection.

But soon we were called to pre­

pare our things for the night for nothing as yet was stowed away

f
in the steerage but everything thrown in, in confusion both in steer­
age and cabin and we were busy till near tea. time in getting things
arranged so as to pass the night at all below.

Dark ca^e on, some

victuals were placed on the table, but few made their appearance, for
Most of our company had before this lost their appetites in a. sick
stomach.

P. was in her berth long before night sick enough.

Hav­

ing taken a little refreshment we repaired to our berths only to
experience the impossibility of long retaining it for it was not
long till all were too sick to kee-p anything on our stomachs.

The

Pilot had left us before night and the weather began to grow rough
and the sky cloudy.

Thus we turned in, as the sailors say, to pass

the night feeling that our trust was in him whose a m

is almighty

and "who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh
the clouds his chariot, who walketh upon the wings of the wind."
Thursday December 1st.

Bless the Lord 0 my scul and all

that is within me bless his holy name !
the mercy of God.

Still we are alive thro'

On Saturday night the wind became contrary and

strong so that we were driven N West instead of south east and for
a time the captain feared being driven aground.

Ever since the

weather has been more or less wet and stormy sometimes blowing vio­
lently.

On Tuesday had to lie to nearly all day.

In the afternoon

the gale increased and all sail was taken in while we drifted at the
mercy of the waves dashed about like a cork, the gale increasing.
About 9 at night a sea struck the stern and stove one of the small
boats, deluging the ship and sweeping in at the cabin windows and
down the companionway in torrents; for my part I thought we had

-2-

struck a rock and expected to meet a. watery grave, while those in
the cabin who knew the cause of the shock were not thereby relieved
from alarm as they feared it had split the ship, such quantities of
water poured in.

Yet there was not a word of alarm heard from one

of the passengers except what might have occurred in common conver­
sation.

Our room was in the steerage just opposite the after hatch

down which vast quantities of water poured.

R. and some of the

others were so sick they could scarce lift up their heads.
tain says he never knew a more severe gale*

The Cap­

They once were nigh

giving up all for gone and got their axes &c ready for cutting away
the masts as they expected every minute to see them blown away. The
difficulty was increased by most of the hands being green, for some
of them had never before seen a ship, while the best of them were
drunk.

Next day was very rough and cold all day, the wavea foam­

ing like so many rolling mountains.

Toward night it grew rather

more calm so that we hoisted some sail.

This morning the sea is

still very rough but the wind not very high so that we got up some
more sail for a i-'hile but at 2 oclock the sea began to grow more
rough and now we can carry very little sail.

About 7 this morning

we discovered the appearance of a vessel far ahead but on coming up
with her found nothing but the hull and one mast; all the rest hav­
ing been swept away by the storm.

No man at the helm but she

floated just where the waves might carry her.

Seeing no appearance

of any living being about her we concluded the crew had met a watery
grave as she appeared to be filled with water.
stern was the Corsair of Charleston.
cluded she had been laden with cotton.
and long. 66 ninutes North.
-3-

The name on the

From some appearances we con­
This was in lat. 37 degrees

'Ve could not but think of and adore the mercy that has preserved
us while others were lost in the fathomless ocean*

Even the

hardy sailor who amidst the raging of the elements felt little
restraint on his passions but vented then in blasphemous oaths,
now stood pensive as if weighing the thought "What if that had
been my lot ?"
We have now been out five days and have not yet had one
really calm hour when we could stand or sit comfortably without
seizing by some box - chest - bolt or beam or whatever might
afford some support and holding on just as we could grasp lest
we should measure our length on the deck however unwillingly.

I

could not but admire our little steward (who is a Lascar, pretty
dark, stout and thick set, with a turban on his head and an
apron tucked close around his waist) as he would come dodging
along from the caboose or cook-house*

to the cabin, with a tin

mug in each hand, full of indian meal gruel or something of the
kind.

He would keep his feet and run from the caboose to the

cabin stairs and dodge doarn to his pantry with the greatest grace
while the passengers would be holding on for life by a rope or
something else, waiting for the ship to come to a level again
that they might take a step or two to some other secure position,
before

she pitched on the other side.

Indeed it appears to ue

almost like walking on the roof of a house when the ship tosses
over thus.

Now while I am writing the motion minds of nothing

so much as of a large cradle rocked slowly over as far as it will
go without pitching on the other side.

I could not keep my posi-

g; The caboose is at the fore part of the ship and the cab­
in at the hinder part or stern.
-

4-

tion five minutes if I did not place my knee against the side of
our bed having my back braced against the partition or side of the
room,^

seated on a large box (which together with the bed just

leaves space enough in the room for two to stand and turn around)
with my portfolio on my knee for a writing desk.

We have one

chest a nd one trunk under the bed; two small trunks and a. valiece
at the back.

Thus we live with scarcely vacant room enough in our

parlor (the floor of which by the way is very wet from the water
that comes down the hatch) for two persons to stand on their feet
at the same time.

The floor above is not high enough to allow us

to sit erect in the berth or bed.

Our lamp, for we have no win­

dow nor skylight, nor any light but artificial, we are obliged to
fasten by driving nails around to secure it from sliding off the
box when the ship rolls.
manner.

Our mugs, cups &c are fastened in like

Thus we live for the present.
Friday, Decem. 2nd.

Have had another exceedingly rough

night but still have been preserved by the mercy of God.
lat. 33 degrees and long. 66 minutes north.

Are in

Have just spoke the

ship Manchester from Liverpool bound for N York, but it was too
rough to put out a boat.

There were a number of passengers on

board who appeared to be Germans.

To day have overhauled things

a little after the gale and find many of them in a deplorable con­
dition, boxes and barrels stove, bags of coffee &c wet.

Everything

in the steerage being thrown in without order fared alike, sugar,
tea, coffee, raisins, cranberries, butter, &c.

The Captain is

33
Our state room (for so it is called) is about 6 feet
long and as many wide. Our bed-stead a kind of box fitted up occu­
pying most of the room yet only large enough for one good mattrass.

-5-

quite cheerful and good natured helping the Ladies up and down
stairs while some captains would be cursing and swearing and driv­
ing about like Hectors, seeing things in such a condition.
among other things we have lost all our oil in the gale.

Find
The cer­

tain has a few sperm candles which he will allow us to use while
they last, which cannot be long.
Monday, 5th Decem.

The sea rough and day wet.

day was so rough and wet we could have no publick worship.

Yester­
Today

our state room is all afloat from the water coming down the hatch.
Are in lat, 33 and long. 56.
Wednesday 7th.
have had,
day.

This is the first calm pleasant day we

'tis a delightful evening having had a fine breeze all

The new moon just begins to give a little light while the air

grows bland and fresh.

This evening is the first time we have had

prayers on deck and the Captain with most of his officers attended.
He appears very kindly disposed if it only continues.

Opened to

day a keg of eggs containing about 15 doz. but having been put up
in wet lime more than 3/4 of them were destroyed, some having the
shell entirely consumed and others in places.
as if they had been cooked.
in lime.

They appeared much

It was a great mistake to put them up

The Captain says they should have been put up in salt.

The sea has yet been so rough we have not pretended to sit around
the table, but each one just took a knife, fork and plate and took
a seat any place on a box or trunk or whatever was most convenient,
for the chairs not being lashed made poor seats when the vessel
heaved which frequently happened 3 or 4 times during one meal.

I

have sometimes taken a chair, intending to hold on wi^h one hand
by the table, which of course was made fast, but found myself chair

and all sore than once at the other side of the cabin before thro'
my meal.

On one occasion the whole dish of fried pork was heaved

'

from the table into the lap of Brother Emerson, who was sitting
securely on a trunk eating his dinner.

Any kind of cups or plates

except tin or pewter are of little service here.

The most palat­

able food ve have yet found since our sickness was Indian meal
gruel made quite thin.

Cur siege of sickness is mostly over and

re begin to look and feel a little more like living beings as our
spirits are cheered up by prospects of pleasant weather and oppor­
tunities for improvement both moral and mental.

Our latitude to­

day is 30.25 north,long. 51 west.
Thursday 8th.

All well today and busy overhauling our

things in our rooms and hanging them out to get the air; found none
of oure much damaged tho' some of the Brethren had their clothes
and books wet and almost ruined.
in this respect.

Those in the cabin fared worst

Having some of our butter spoiled we are contriv­

ing to make oil of it.

Have had some fresh bread and pies today

which gives our table a little the air of home.
largest pigs dead this morning.

Found one of our

One died during the rough weather,

when it is probable this one got hurt also.

Several of our fowls

also died during the storm but all the rest now begin to look like
living.

Yesterday and today the appearance of the sea is that of

pale indigo water yet when any is drawn in a bucket it is perfectly
clear.
Friday 9th.

in lat. 27, still steering towards the De

Verd Islands and sluggishly rollong along before a pleasant breeze,
too fair for our purpose.

A breeze somewhat on the side is pre­

ferred, because when it is directly astern one sail prevents the
wind from the one before.

The weather being pleasant we have
-

7-

prayers regularly morning and evening on deck.

Today opened one

of my boxes of books and found them very mouldy and some of them
nearly spoiled, the box having stood too near the hatch and got
wet during the storm.

The lower hold ie the safest place for

articles of any value as they cannot get wet there, but they should
be put up in stout boxes.
Tuesday 15th.

North lat. 24 long. 38.36.

in with the N East trades.

Have fallen

On Sabbath had publick worship on deck.

Brother Spaulding preached to us on the goodness of God and our
obligations to love him.
crew attended.
crew.

The Captain, officers and most of the

Had also a Bible class in the afternoon among the

Several of our company are sick tonight again from the rock­

ing of the vessel.
Saturday 17th.

Lat 16, long. 34.

Rough sea, all this

week with head winds so that we have made but little progress but
have drifted considerably to the south.
making a call at the Verd Islands.

The Captain had designed

The strong North East winds

have driven us too far south so that it is impracticable to call
altho' we are out of oil.
days.

Sister Lyman has been quite ill for some

Her complaint first was,intermittent, then bilious, now it

is inflamation of the bowels.

The Lord has been good to us, and

may we profit by his chastisements.

A

few nights ago passed a

ship some distance to the south but could not come near enough to
speak.

Have seen a number of flying fish the last few days but

nothing to afford us any oil.
Thursday 22.
sea sick.

Rough weather all this week.

R. has been quite unwell.

better, able to be on deck.

Several are

Yesterday and today she is

So rough has been the weather and our

company so sick that we have as yet made little effort for the
-

8-

benefit of the crew except the Bible class on sabbath afternoons.
Indeed there is little opportunity at any other time,

we have our

little prayer meeting among ourselves on Wednesday and Saturday
evenings which I trust we find beneficial to our souls and may the
Lord make us blessings to one another and to the crew.

Discovered

a brig this morning off to the south west probably 5 or 6 miles off.
We are now in lat. 6 degrees north.

The thermometer stands at 80

in our room, yet we have not found the weather unpleasantly warm
on deck where there is generally a cool breeze.
4 o'clock.

Have juet taken a porpoise.

A large shoal

came playing under the bows of the vessel, when the mate taking a
harpoon which had been prepared for taking whale, took hie station
on the martin-gale as it is called;

a large chain under the bow­

sprit and jib boom, and darted his harpoon down.
succeeded in striking one near the heart.

The third time he

In less than a minute

the water was dyed with blood, when all hands seizing the rope
attached to the harpoon drew their victim on deck, when one of the
sailors taking a knife soon had the skin off which much resembled
that of an eel.

The best part of the flesh was cut out for a roast

and the rest thrown overboard.

He was about 5 or 6 feet long and

probably the size of a man round the thickest part; his head and
snout very much resembled that of a mole or pig.
Saturday 24th.

9 o'clock.

'Tis a lovely morning and we

are now in what the Captain calls the swamps.

A cloudy haizy

atmosphere with occasional showers and little wind.

Have just dis­

covered ahead of us a shoal of whales by their spouting.

By this

the sailors can discover them 3 or 4 miles off; at present they are

-

9-

about 2 miles off.

The officers and crew are all life and bustle

preparing their boats and dresses for an attack.

The eea. is delight­

fully calm with only an occasional little breeze to ripple the sur­
face.

Our company are all in good health and spirits except Sister

Lyman who is not able to leave her bed.
Evening.

Before noon the boats having put off came in

contact with the whales probably 40 or 50 in number.
in full sight from the deck.

They were then

Soon we could discover the bloody

water flying when the whales spouted and dying the water for some
distance around.

The whales which before had been scattered miles

distant soon collected together to give battle to the boats, which
they did violently for some minutes and then dispersed again some
of them being wounded and one or two deadly wounded, yet it was
probably an hour before those died in which the whalemen had fas­
tened their harpoons and all the time dashing about thro' the water
dragging the boats after them at an amazing velocity.

Before night

two whales were brought alongside, the results of a hard day's labor
for the poor boatmen.

The sharks soon gathered around in numbers

and one coming near where the captain stood on the side of the ves­
sel i?ith a long handled spade in his hand, he struck him back of the
head which wounded him and giving him another wound he was hauled on
deck being about 5 feet long and having a head much the shape of a
catfishes, his skin was rough almost like sand paper, two rows of
teeth in the upper jaw and only one beneath.
sharp.

They were exceedingly

Are today in lat. 5 degrees north.
Monday morning 28th.

Yesterday the crew and officers

were all busy in preparing the blubber for boiling and before night
got their chaldrons heated.

In the morning we had our worship be­

-

10-

low and to ourselves in the evening on deck.

The sabbath is never

regarded by whalemen where the captain is not pious.

Of course we

did not expect else on this occasion yet we are all treated with
great respect but what is this lahen God and his law are disregarded.
I trust we had rather see respect shown to our savious than to our­
selves.

To day again the sea is perfectly calm while the thermometer

stands at 82 in our sleeping rooms,
Tuesday Deeem. 27th.

South lat. 2 degrees, 40 minutes.

17e are getting along about one or two miles per hour. The sun ex­
tremely hot and atmosphere close.

A multitude of small dolphin

about the size of a shad are around the ship.

The Captain suggested

to our company to throw out a hook and line baited with a piece of
white rag and keep it in motion along the surface which gave it the
appearance of a flyfish on the water, which being done they darted
after it with great avidity and if the first one missed it another
immediately made the attempt and seizing found his mistake only when
it was too late.

In this way we soon caught enough for a fry and

found them very excellent tho' not so pleasant as shad.

About 11

o'clock Brother Emerson, the Captain, Brother Armstrong and myself
went out in a small boat and took a bathe and found the water very
refreshing.

A shark came up while Brother E. was yet in the water

but did no injury and the Captain taking his spear killed him.

He

was about the size of the first one he killed.
Yesterday saw at a distance, tho' very distinctly a water
spt. and another to day and this evening have had a heavy gale with
heavy thunder and very vivid lightning.

We make it a rule to meet

for improvement in sacred music every evening on which there is not
meeting for prayer and thus spend a few minutes.
-

11-

January 2nd 1832.

Monday evening.

Another year has

flown, and with its sins of omission and commission is forever gone
till the last day shall review the whole.

Thanks be to God we are

still all alive and in good spirits tho' Sister Lyman lies law and
requires some one to fan her all the time day and night, the heat
in the state rooms being very oppressive.
Tuesday 3rd.

South lat. 3.5

took the south east trades.

4th,

Have a fine breeze having

Moat of our company are More

or less seasick today from the rocking of the vessel.

We find lemon

syrup very-(next word is omitted)- as the water is not good.

Our

cakes which were brought from home are growing a little musty.

Large

quantities of birds have appeared round the ship darting after the
flyfish which sometimes rise in flocks to avoid other fish, partic­
ularly the abecore and dolphin but only Meet death by seeking to
avoid it for when they leave the water the birds take them and when
they fall in they are caught by their companions but enemies of the
deep.

On Saturday night the 31st we crossed the Equator - the

winds varying and the sun excessively hot in that region.
Friday 6th.

To day in lat 10 south, carried along briskly

by a fine sough east breeze.

Having discovered

the foremast to be

defective and the Captain and officers examined it, they think it
not fit to v e n t u r e around the cape and have determined to run into
port at Rio Janeiro till they can fit up.
Monday 9th.

In south lat. 14.34

Early this morning the

cry sail h o from the mast head warned us of the approach of a brig
which on being spoken with proved to be a Portugeeee vessel from
whom we could learn nothing as we could not understand them.

-12-

Wednesday Morning, 9 o'clock.

Have just passed a Fortunes

fishing Loat a very homely looking concern.

They told ns the land

was about 18 leagues off.
Friday morng.

9 O'clock,

south lat. 21. west long. 40

Have been becalmed since 5 yesterday, are looking out for Cape Frio.
One of our small boats put off towards a small fishing boat about 5
miles to the southeast of us to see if they could 3earn anything of
them.
Friday 20th.

We arrived in port last sabbath.

The place

is quite healthy at present, but miserable for morals, as very lit­
tle religious influence is felt or exerted, mere form and rigid
superstition or ima^e worship constitutes their religion.

The poor

slaves are treated like bruits, kept in perfect ignorance ?and doomed
to perpetual bondage, not suffered to wear any shoes nor any covering
for the head and rarely seen with any other covering on than a spec­
ies: of short pantaloons Bade of hemp or some other stout material
while the power of the sun would blister my skin.
Have become acquainted with some of the United States sea
Captains whom we find very kind and polite especially Capt. Briggs
of New Bedford.

Received a very kind invitation a few days ago from

a Hr. Ker, a pious Scotch merchant who lives out in the country, to
spend a while at his country seat with him.

He at the same tiite

sent off his steward with a large hired boat manned with four negro
slaves as all the boats at Rio are.

Most of the Brethren were on

shore, however Sisters Lyons and Armstrong, R. and I went along and
spent the afternoon and night with him and some of his pious friends
very agreeably indeed.

His wife is yet in Scotland.

**

1 3 *.

His very soul

seemed delighted to meet ^ith us and to entertain us.

I thought I

could discover much of the ancient simplicity and piety of the Apos­
tles days.

It was so unexpected to meet with such a man in Rio that

I confess I could hardly for a few minutes at firat persuade myself
of the reality of the invitation coming to perfect strangers from a
distant country only a few days in port.
Monday 23rd,

Yesterday morning held meeting on beard the

Tuscaloosa, Captain Chaise of Baltimore.

This was the first Sabbath

the Bethel flag had been hoisted on this vessel and a large number
of seamen and officers attended ae they knew the Missionaries were
to be there and that one of them was to preach.

Such a thing as 19

Missionaries in company had never before been known in Rio conse­
quently we excited no little curiosity.

In the evening one of the

Brethren preached in town in a private house and the rest of us
attended at Mr. Ker's country seat where a number of seamen also
attended.

There are more English live up in the neighborhood of Mr.

Ker's, along the beach called Botofogo - in English- set fire to,
and along the beach Praya Vermel ion, or red beach, than in the city.
Sister Lyman is much better having had the advantage of country air
and good water at Mr. Ker's for most of the time yet she was so low
when she left the ship as to render it doubtful whether she could
stand the ride, but was not two days at Mr*. Ker's till she began to
grow better.

Captn. Harding of Baltimore brought his boat and

very kindly took a load of us to the other side of the bay opposite
the town.

The face of the country is very rough and hilly and in

the vallies and some distance up the sides of the hills were large
orange-coffe-and spice groves.

-14-

The coffe grew in abundance on poor

Ptcny soi3 fay up the kil3e.
turned red.

The berries were green tut when ripe

Pine apples also grew on the top of the hills where

grass itself would not grow from appearances.
very much like a cabbage.

The pine apples grew

Oranges were not ripe enough to gather

but we got as many limes as we wanted, bananas in abundance but none
of our company cared for them.
February 2nd.
anchor to put to sea.

This morning the men are busy raising the
The chains have become entangled so that it

requires more than 40 men to raise them.

There are a number here

from other vessels assisting yet the work goes on very slowly.
had expected to get to sea 3 days ago but are here yet.

Y/e

Have been

here 18 days yet the Lord has been kind to us in preserving us from
so many sources of disease as foreigners from a temperate climate
coming here are exposed to.

We are all in tolerable health.

Have

met with great kindness, since our arrival from both those few pious
friends with whom the Lord brought us acquainted here and a number
of polite sea Captains especially Capts. Briggs, Harding, Chaise, Hol­
brook, Phillips, Anley &c while a few of another class kept aloof and
ridiculed us and our undertaking.

Nr. Ker and one of his intimate

friends another Scotch merchant with a Hr. Thornton have been very kind
to us not only while on shore but have sent us a number of valuable
presents as pickles - sugar - porter &c.

We feel in parting from

them that we leave beloved Christian friends, whose kindness was not
the cold civility of worldly policy, nor the promptings of a desire
for display nor praise; but the unaffected kindness of Christian
principle the spirit of the Gospel, friends to whom we have become
warmly attached, but leave a place where the heart sickens at every
recollection of the shocking wretchedness and degredation both moral

-15-

and civil in which the greater part of the inhabitants are sunk.
Out of a population of about 180,000 or 200,000 there are 100,000
slaves! and ten thousand prisoners!!
Friday 3rd.

This morning both our anchors were weighed

by daylight but as we got under eail and stood out of the harbor
a. customhouse officer came aboard opposite fort Lage and forbid our
proceeding because the passengers had not obtained passports from
governmt.

Le should not have thought strange had we formally left

the ship to reside on shore during o^r stay in harbor but we did not.
This hindrance is a great disappointment to us all, for we could be
fairly at sea in less than an hour.
Saturday 4th.

Captain Swain yesterday went immediately on

shore and with much difficulty obtained passports; for their policy
is to detain vessels as long as possible on expense.

They charged

him about 28 millreas for our papers! at the rate of 59 cts. for a
millrea.

He said 'twas probable he could not have gotten off till

Monday had not an American man of war arrived just while he was wait­
ing for the papers.

This morning we got under way again and before

noon safely passed by the light hou.se before a line breeze making our
way south under full sail.

Before night most of the ladies began to

lean over the side of the vessel or tumble into their berths from the
rocking of the vessel.

Indeed all of us have lost our appetites, but,

we have great cause of thankfulness to God for his abundant mercy
toward us.

We cannot see what providence it is that has detained us

nearly a month longer from the poor heathen to whom we carry the glad
tidings of everlasting life.

But God who does everything in wisdom,

knows best what is right and no him we must commit the whole.

Last

evening the Captain flogged both the cabin boys for getting drunk and
for the use of ill language during our stay in port.
-16-

The one who

waits at our table has been very impudent and negligent during the
captains absence on shore.
Wednesday 8th.

Have very pleasant weather.

Find most of

our things beginning to Mould and spot from the dampness of the sea
air.

It is very difficult to preserve anything at sea.

things are quite musty.

Most of our

Ve procured a number of oranges at Rio but

find them already beginning to rot.
Tuesday 14th.

For several days have had a fine breeze.

Are now in lat. 38 degrees ana long. 44 degrees south.

About mid­

night last night a gale arose and still continues so that we have
been obliged to lie by with our sails furled most of the day, being
tossed by a very heavy sea.
about the ship today.

A number of sea fowl have been hovering

At the suggestion of the Captain Brother

Spaulding threw out a hook baited with a piece of meat and buoyed
up by a small piece of board.

Soon it was picked up by a large Alba­

tross which being hauled in was found to measure 9 feet from the tip
of one wing to that of another.^
a duck.

His feet were webbed like those of

His bill about 6 or 8 inches long somewhat resembling that

of a duck.

He could neither walk nor stand on deck and appeared

quite a stranger to the use of his legs on terra firma.

To night

again we are under full sail but move very slow for the wind has fal­
len but left the sea extremely rough.

R. has been very sick to day

again.
Wednesday 15th.

About midnight again last night the

'A'ind rose and blew violently and obliged us again to furl sail and

3js Those who have never been at sea know nothing of the
tedium and how every even trifling incident is seized to breake the
monotony. Things trifling on land, are to us, shut out from variety,
even full of interest.
-17-

lie by and yet there is no abatement of the storm but while I am
writing the wind howls dismally thro' the rigging, as thro' a forest
at home when stript of its foliage by the bleake storms of winter.
The men with their peajackets buttoned close are standing around in
different places holding on by ropes or pins matching the course of
the storm or waiting the word of command; while the raging ocean
seems as if she would swallow up our little vessel, as ever and anon
a swelling wave dashes over her side, drenching all within its reach.
Still

she rides safe, the' tossed to and fro like a cork by the con­

flicting billows, first forward headlong then on her side with a
tremendous roll that brings with violence to that side every trunk,
box, barrel &c that is not lashed fast.

But amid all the fury of

elements we are preserved by the merciful providence of hits who has
numbered every hair of our heads and who has we trust sent us to
preach his gospel to the perishing heathen,
Sunday 19th.

To day in lat 41.30 it is exceedingly rough

and cold and has been ever since Wednesday altho' we have been able
to carry a little sail and slowly labour along amid vast opposing
billows.

To day have had hail and enow.

We had just commenced our

worship on the quarter deck, when a powerful sea. broke over us com­
pletely drenching some who were most in its way among whom was R.
This was immediately followed by a violent squall of hail, rain and
snow, which compelled us to transfer our worship to the cabin.

An

American whaleman has been in sight for aome days and to day we got
near enough to hoist the ship's signals, but could not find her sig­
nal in the book, tho' she knew us.
Tuesday 21st.

Still preserved by a kind providence and

permitted to sake some headway to day can carry some sail.

-18-

The wind

has fallen.

Yesterday we had a terrifying gale of wind.

I never knew the wind to blow so furiously.

I think

It really seeiaed to me

while standing on deck as if some of our Masts or spare must yield
to the sweeping blast while our restless bark rolled froM side to
side like one in agony and not able to lie still under the tortur­
ing of writhing pain.

Yet no material injury was experienced.

One

of the iron bands put on the mast at Rio gave way but was discovered
before any loss was sustained.

Are to day in lat. only 42 being

beaten back by the storm.
Friday eve March 2nd.

To day in lat 52 and long, about 64

or 5, have had pleasant weather for a week past.

But yesterday

about 5 P. M. a gale arose which increased till some tirae in the
night.

So rough was it and the vessel so dashed over on her side,

that we who slept on the windward side, got very little sleep fear­
ing to loose our hold by which we kept ourselves in the berth lest
the next heave should pitch us out.

At one time we came near being

thrown out when everything that was not secured:

my books, papers,

1 mug and one box both filled with sugar were all thrown out and to
the other side of the cabin and about 2 pounds of sugar lost as it
was scattered all over the wet floor, but the rest being in a hard
lump which Mrs. Day had presented to R. was saved.
sugar was the greatest damage however we sustained.

The loss of the
On Wednesday

we spoke the vessel seen on the 19th and found her to be the Friend ­
ship of Fairhaven
the Pacific.

Capt. Hercht. who has been out 72 days bound for

The atmosphere is exceedingly chilly,to day it has

hailed and snowed at intervals all day and we find it impossible to
keep fire as the wind blows nearly all the smoke back again down the
pipe, altho' every expedient, even to moving the stove has been tried
to cure the defect.

So we were obliged to drown the fire as we pre-19-

ferred the cold to suffocation.

By wrapping ourselves in our cloaks

and lying in our berths we can keep ourselves comfortable for heat.
Tuesday 6th.

On sabbath morning we discovered land,

thinking at first it was Staten land but soon perceived Staten Island
to be on the lee bow or south east of us, when we knew ourselves to
be just off the north east point of Terra Del Fuego.

But the wind

was too strong from the south west to pass through the channel, which
would have saved us about 2 days sail.
eastward to get round Staten Land.

So we tacked ship and stood

In the morning had a fine breeze

but before noon were becalmed about midway of the Island on the north
side and could make no head way for 24 hours, with the Island full in
sight.

It appears to be little else than a mass of naked rocks with­

out inhabitant except as the traders resort to its shores for seal.
This morning we are on the south side where the rocky mountains ap­
pear white as if covered with snow.

We had a snow squall last night

which fell near half an inch deep on deck and another again this morn­
ing.

The atmosphere is cold yet our fire in the stove which to day

burns well renders the cabin quite comfortable.

The poor helmsman

has an unpleasant station of it for there he must stand rain or shine,
heat or cold, without exercise sufficient to keep him warm especially
must his feet suffer as the deck is mostly wet.
winds yesterday and to day —

We have had contraiy

Held our monthly concert last evening

and trust our hearts were warmed by this opportunity in this southern
extremity of the world, of joining at the same mercy seat, our pray­
ers with those of God's dear children in our own happy land, lor the
extension of his own kingdom and salvation of the heathen for the out­
pouring of the holy spirit on the efforts of his children to evangel­
ize the heathen.

0 that our hearts may more and more warmly glow

with that love that brought the blessed Jesus from Heaven to die for
-20-

his enemies.

That we night not count our lives dear unto us if we

may but glorify Christ and save some poor souls for whom he has died.
Saturday evening, 10th.
light winds.

For three or four days have had

Yesterday and this morning entirely becalmed and altho'

in lat 56 and long. 65 the sea was as placid as ever I saw it within
the tropics. We are now what seamen call off the cape or rounding
the cape when violent storms are generally experienced and always
expected.

During a violent storm a few days ago, the main spring oi

the Captain's chronometer was broken by some means which is much
against us, for he cannot trust to lunar observations in these high
latitudes.

Of course having no chronometer better than watches we

cannot ascertain our precise longitude altho' the log is used but
it is little better than guess work.

Had it not been thus he would

have ventured between Hermit Island and Terra Bel Fuego.

But as it

is he thinks it safest to go round altho' the wind is fair.
Monday 12th of "arch.

To day are becalmed.

The Friend­

ship Captn. Mercht. again came in sight and about 10 o'clock sent
off a boat to visit us and get some oil for they are out having yet
taken no whale.

It is really reviving in these lonely southern seas

to meet with company from our own land, in circumstances so pleasant
too where we may visit eacn other.

The men caught porpoise early

this morning a part of which was fixed for breakfast and tea and was
very pleasant.
the equater.
poise.

The meat is more agreeable than what we caught nearer
The Captain says they are a difft. species of the por­

They are of a different color, being beautifully streaked

with white round the body while the others were of the color of an
eel.

For some days past our water has been so bad we can scarce

-21-

use it at all even in tea or coffee.
chockolate.

It does not taste so bad in

Hitherto the unpleasant taste has been entirely removed

by passing it thro' the dripstone but nothing purifies this.

We are

now in lat 57.30 and long, about 68 as near as we can tell, expect­
ing soon to bid adieu to these southern seas.

Ue only wait a good

stiff breeze to waft us to the North west and soon we shall again
encounter the scorching rays of a tropical sun, if the Lord permit.
He has dealt in great mercy with ue here as we have had exceedingly
pleasant weather ever since we came south of latitude 50, now about
ton days.
Saturday 17th.

Lat. 53 and longitude 82

pleasant weather tho' some wet and rather cool.
company with the Friendship.

Still we have

We are still in

Our sick are slowly recovering. Sisters

Spaulding and Emerson however are still very low having had an obsti­
nate attack of bilious.

Dr. Chapin, our Physician is very atten­

tive and successful administering his medicines and advice with great
prudence and success.

Really it,was a great mercy that God gave us

a Physician and just the l^an we have who so far has merited our
greatest confidence and affection.
kind and respectful towards us.

The mates are becoming much more

The first mate is quite an altered

man as regards his treatment of us.

He acknowledges his prejudices

against the missionaries, and that he came on board with the deter­
mination of living at sword's point with the missionaries, but that
he has altered his Mind since he became acquainted with us.

He says

he is much disappointed in tne missionaries, for he expected to find
us a proud, selfish, haughty company, who would be- an endless trouble,
and require constant waiting on in every trifle.

Indeed he did

appear to us, du&ing the former part of the voyage as if Satan him-

-22-

self had possession of him, his very looks and actions Manifested
hatred to us and religion if he had never said one word, while I
believe he universally received kind and forbearing treatment in
return*

But he has now become quite friendly and will listen to

religious conversation.

0 that God may change his heart yet, not­

withstanding we had thought his case the most hopeless of any------7/e now find our mistake in coming off without bringing with us any
dried fruits for sauce, as apples, peaches, quinces, cherries, cur­
rants, grapes &c.
Researches,
r

Have just finished reading Ellis Polynesian

found it very interesting,

Tuesday March 20th

lat. 50 & long. 84

Last evening

the sea raged furiously, dashing the ship about at a terrifying rate
Sometimes striking the prow and sweeping over in torrents, at others
surging against the stern till everything quivered again, while she
would plunge forward with a surge that would almost certainly drive
us from our feet if standing unless we held a firm grasp of some
supporting pin or rope.

Again a tremendous sea would breake over

the side in torrents and dash down the hatches and companionway in
Quantities.

Yet amidst all the Lord has kept underneath us his

everlasting arms of mercy and this morning again we have quite a
fair ^ind and moderate sea.

Our sick are still slowly recovering

and all things wear a more favorable aspect, only we are out of
potatoes.

Potatoes have been almost a staple with us, especially

the sick, who could relish a roast potatoe when their stomachs
rejected almost every other kind of food the ship could furnish.
But the potatoes oeing thrown together, heated during the warm
weather and being damp many of them rotted which at that time
caused a dreadful smell, from which R. and I suffered no little
as our state room

was next to the potatoe bin!

There is fre-

quently greate grumbling about the water lest the passengers should
use too much, especially if the Ladies use each, a pint per day for
washing their faces.

On this account most of the Ladies and all

the men wash in salt water, for we feel it important to avoid, for
conscience sake, every just cause of complaint especially if water
should run short, that it May not be said "The missionaries wasted
the w a ter".

As there are those ^ho stand ready to represent in

darkest colours every appearance of incorrectness in our conduct.
I Mean not among the higher officers, but the lower, for I never
yet heard one word from the Captain against the missionaries, and
these complaints about the water come not from him but from others,
whose prejudices against orthodox Christians and missionaries were
formed before ever they saw us, as most of the men on board are
either universallists or something worse.

A large quantity of sea

bread was put on board for our provision, which is become so hard
and dry as scarcely to be eaten unless cooked in toast or pudding
which for so large a company is troublesome to prepare therefore we
rarely have it.

On several occasions the Ladies have volunteered

and made us some light bread which seemed quite a dainty after
hard dry and almost tasteless sea biscuit.

This has touched the

pride of our little french Steward who has since shown his skill
by making us occasionally some of the same kind, which are very
good tho' rather sad.

R. finds a toast cracker in a little cider

and water almost the only thing she can take for her stomach has of
late become so weak as to reject baked beans, bean soup, baked pork
&c as they are here prepared, altho' very fond of them at first,
but so many baked beans I never saw in all my life as 1 have seen
brought on the table since we embarked.

It is a standing dish at'

sea, pork and beans and beana and porkr--

Our barrel of indian

meal '?as thrown across the steerage, by the rocking of the vessel,'
on sabbath evening, and nearly half of it spilled as by some weens
it had been left unlashed, but little of it was lost as Brother
Soaulding and myself gathered up the most of it again and replaced
the barrel.

Our dried apples which were shipped for us are some­

where stowed away that we cannot come at them and frequently our
sugar, tea, butter, lard chockolate &c are so burried by rigging
J.c thrown into tiie same apartment that we have no little trouble
in getting at them.

In this way many of the provisions put up by

the Board and other friends have done us little good 'tis more than
probable we shall never get our dried apples till we arrive at the
Islands, but if they are not then snolied they will be a valuable
article and so they would now for pies and sauce &c
continue to live as we can without them.

bat we have to

The cabin boy has broken* -

all the saltcellars so that some of the brethren who had learned
the use of the lathe at Andover have been under the necessity of
turning wooden saltcellars.

Our teaspoons have dwindled down to

3 or 4 for the whole 20, so our cups and plates are growing scarce,
1 hope we shall not yet have to manufacture wooden plates and cups
and saucers as we have done with sugar bowls and saltcellars.

The

ship furnishes the table with all wares, which at first were good,
and we had an abundance of good provisions shipped by our friends
from Boston and New Bedford, but at sea there is poor conveniences
for preparing anything to eat so that we can enjoy but little except
plain and vdry simple living.

Neither do we feel disposed to mur­

mur, when the hand of divine providence afflicts.

Perhaps these

little trials are only forerunners of greater trials in after life,

-25*

and designed to prepare us for greater self-denials.
cannot learn this lesson too soon,

Sure it is we

Self-denial is an unpleasant,

but very important, and to a missionary a necessary lesson.

Lay on

man what burthens you please, chafe his neck with the iron collar,
or his back with sack cloth, emaciate his frame with painful pilgramages or tiresome pennaace, he will submit to it all, yes even
to a yoke too grievous to be borne, as the conduct of the poor hea­
then and our own consciences testify, but do not require him to deny
self, to mortify the flesh with its lusts and affections, to re­
strain pride - self applause- self indulgence, or soon the burthen
is complained of.

So strange, so inconsistent, so wretchedly de­

ceitful is the heart of man.
Thursday, March 22nd.

To day in lat. 48 long. 82.

We

no?-' consider ourselves fai&B.y round the Cape, and find it more
stormy here than when off the cape in lat. 56
weather is commonly experienced.

where the worst of

Yesterday we carried no sail till

noon it was so stormy, and to day the atmosphere is thick and hazy
yet we have'a fine and fair breeze.

R. is quite well to day and has

spent most of it in reading Dr. Payson's Memoirs.

The Captain says

he has been around the Cape eleven times and he does not remember
ever having so speedy and pleasant a time.

The present is deemed

a remarkable passage by all.
Saturday evening, 24th.

To day in latitude 42, fast mak­

ing our way northward before a fine breeze.

For the last 24 hours

have run about 10 miles per hour, altho' the sea has rolled violently.
How striking the figure "The wicked are like the troubled sea that
cannot rest."

This afternoon the sea is so rough, we have shipped

several seas which left us swimming in the cabin and steerage as the
doers and hatches were open the day not being cold.
-26-

We now begin

to feel like approaching those lands of darkness whither we are
bo*and ^nd whither we trust the Lord has sent us as well by his
Spirit as by his providence.

To day have been occupied in greek

and reading the life of Martyn.

0 that I may imbibe something of

his self denying and indefatigable spirit.
Thursday, 29th.
land hot

About 9 o'clock this morning the cry

was heard from the mast head and about 10 we could dis­

tinctly see from deck

a dark spot rising like a cloud far ahead of

us which fast increased in size.
Juan Fernandez or Massa Fuero.

It is yet uncertain whether it be
We had intended passing to the

west, but lor two days the wind blowing strong from the west has
driven us to the east.

Now being so near the Captain has determined

to stop and get some refreshments.

We all feel a great curiosity to

place our feet on the far famed land of Alexander Selkirk or Robinson
Crusoe.

The weather has again become pleasant, so that we can hold

our morning and evening exercises on deck.
Friday, 30th.

Yesterday soon after dinner the Captain

discovered we were approaching Massa Fuero and not Juan, so they
braced the yards and soon stood northeast, but the sky growing cloudy
and the atmosphere hazy we were obliged to lie to all night lest we
should meet with some accident.

This morning again by sunrise we

spoke the Friendship who is also headed for Juan.

By 12 o'clock

Juan was plainly in view over our lee bow.
April 2nd 1832.

Monday morning.

On Friday night came

near the Island and were becalmed some 10 miles off.

Early on Sat­

urday morning a boat with the Capt., Dr. Chapin and Brother Spaulding
went ashore and returned about 10 when all the brethren went, the
Ladies generally being too unwell to go.

-27-

We landed just at noon

and were conducted to the mansion of the governor or chief man of
the

Island.

We were conducted up one flight of stairs (much re­

sembling such as I have seen in barns conducting from the ground to
the next floor) and there found him with his officers, waiters &c.
and our Captain just about to be seated around the table.

BAing

introduced to him as American Padres we were treated with the utmost
respect and kindness.

He would not be satisfied till we had tasted

a little wine and water and eaten some dinner with him.
was good but the wine miserable.

The water

The dinner was simple such as

suited the climate consisting of bread not very good, cheese, ao^e
dried ham brought from America, fried eggs and lettioe.

He pro­

fessed to understand latin but we found on attempting to converse
with him that he did not understand it.

After dinner he conducted

us out to see hie capital, which is called St. John the Baptist in
English and consists of about 25 houses chiefly built of bamboo
daubed with mud and a thatch roof.

The royal -palace was a kind of

wooden building 2 stories high, thatch roof and plaistered with mud
un
outside while the inside was/plaistered - no gladd in his windows,
and the boards of the floor unplained.

On the whole the building

was not half so good as moat American farmers have for their cattle.
The Governor's residence, around which all the others are built in
regular order, is the only building 2 stories high that I saw on the
Island.

The caves stand a short distance above the town on the side

of a steep hill, at the foot of which stands the famous St. John the
Baptist.

There are 13 in all dug in the side of the hill, one row

above the other, 4 in the lower and 9 in the upper.

Most of them

extend into the side of the hill about 100 feet horizontally and are
probably 20 feet high dug in the form of an arch at the top.

He

conducted us into some that were finished, one was appropriated for
-20

a chapel and was neatly furnished, another was a carpenter shop.
What specimens we saw of the workmanship were miserable.

The Governor

who directed his interpreter to inform us that he was King of the
Island is a man apparently about 50, sprightly and facetious, very
active and discovers the tack of a man of business about the middle
size, well built and possesst of about as much dignity as real business
men commonly are.

I observed on entering one of the caves he struck

a poor little dog belonging to those who appeared to occupy it, and
which so far forgot itself as to bark at his majesty, a most tremendous
wrap with his cane, which he carried in his hand, which left the poor
little thing complaining the greater part of the time we remained.

I

could not help observing this specimen of his absolute monarchy, while
the little girl gathered into her arms and hugged close to her bosom
this rebel in his majesty's dominion.
(The following paragraph was inserted as a footnote)

They all

profess to be Roman Catholics and have a number of padres or priests.
One man from whom I bought some peaches, when I pointed to his beads
and crucifix around his neck, raised it gently and kissed it.

There

is probably a Bible not on the whole Island from all we could learn.
We left a few tracts with them.

The padre said they were good but

did not seem anxious to have them nor to converse.

They have no schooll

The town was built regularly and the streets ran at right angles,
to each house appeared to be a garden or small piece of ground which
was cultivated for potatoes, different kinds of vines, onions, radishes
which were very fine, beans, peaches, quinces, etc.

There are about

105 convicts on the Island sent into exile from the continent principal), y
from Chili, most of these were on the mountains catching wild goats when
we were there, 160 farmers or freemen who are settled there and occupy
-29-

the houses, about 40 soldiers, most of the soldiers have wives.
whole number of inhabitants is estimated at about 360.
convicts are two or three padres or priests.

The

Among the

There was only one

store in the place, furnished much like most cake shops at home, a
few groceries, a few dry goods of the coarser sort and abundance of
fine large onions strung along the rafters.

Onions appeared plenty

and the largest I ever saw, yet they made me pay 1 rial or 12% cents
for two.

All the land that appeared to be cultivated was just around

the city.

Farther back the face of the country is very mountainous,

between these mountains are small valleys, or rather ravines, which
are exceedingly fertile, in which abundance of herbs and radishes
grow spontaneously, also peaches, quinces, etc., although we did not
see many quinces on the trees but
laid claim.

abundance of peaches to whom no one

We got some quinces and peaches by paying for them and

gathered some herbs as rue balm, spear-mint, etc. for ourselves.

Host

of the timber we saw was small and abundance of wild goats live in the
mountains.

We saw a number of sheep, jack asses, mules, fowls, dogs,

etc., some cows and bullocks, we got a few bottles of milk, all they
had.

The Friendship had come to the same time with us and they and

Capt. Swain wished to purchase some potatoes of the Governor [for he
has monopolised all the trade) but he made them pay four dollars per
sack, each sack containing about 1^ bushels!

He would not let the sack

go then and yet was greatly alarmed when he found the Captain would
empty them into the bottom of the boat.

The cause of the alarm we

soon discovered, as when the potatoes came to sight they were generally
not larger than a hen's egg and some of them not so large as a good
chestnut.

It was a great piece of villiany according to our notions

of justice.
-30-

I was informed that this monarch was a rich merchant of Chili
from whom the government borrowed a large sum of money during the
late war and found itself afterwards not able to refund it but ceded
to him this Island with Massa Fuero for a certain time, paying him
also a certain sum for taking care of the prisoners.

If the products

of the Island in this time do not remunerate him he is to have the full
undisputed possession.

It certainly might with a little care and labor

be rendered a valuable country.

His name is Joseph Larrien with a Don

to it which we could not understand.
The Captain got also some fowls for which he had to pay 50 cents
apiece, some peaches at the same price with the potatoes, some beans,
etc. and towards night we all returned to the ship, satisfied to leave
his majesty in the full possession of his splendid dominion while we
cheerfully drank our tea and hoisted sail and took our departure for
the wide ocean, sick of such a specimen of Royalty and which is prob­
ably not an unfair one of it in its best form.

Brother Spaulding was

quite unwell yesterday after his tramp over the hills and vallies of
Juan.
The appearance of the Island on approaching it is grand and
striking, affording a lovely prospect for a skilful pencil.

Its

lofty projecting mountains rising in magnificent grandeur, sometimes
from 4 to 5,000 feet almost in a perpendicular form, next the sea,
where we lay.

The side bears strong marks of volcanic origin as the

rock for hundreds of feet up much resembles, in places, large chunks
of melted lava.
the whole Island.

There can be little doubt of the volcanic origin of
Little did I think when in my boyish hours I perused,

with so much interest, the far famed story of Robinson Crusoe, or the
interesting lines of Pope on Alexander Selkirk, "I am monarch of all

I survey, my right there is none to dispute" etc., that ever I should
gaze on the same enchanted shores and tread the same soil o'er hill
and dale while the perspiration burst from every pore.

We are now

once more where nought but sea and sky bounds vision still wheree'er
we turn.

On Saturday parted with the Friendship at Juan as she bore

away to the east while we before a light breeze stood a little east
of north and today find ourselves in Lat. 2 degrees north of the
Island or in 31 south Lat.
Thursday April 5th.

Today is lat. south 28 and long. 80.

All is now in full preparation for taking whales and a man is constant­
ly kept at the masthead on the lookout.

While at dinner we were not

a little surprised to hear land hoi again from him, as we did not
think ourselves so far northeast as St. Felix, but on going on deck
we could distinctly see it far ahead and before night three distinct
points were clearly seen.

We were passing off to the southwest.

The

Captain says 'tis St. Felix.
Tuesday 10th.

We are now in lat. 18.10 and long, about 90.

Our sick are still recovering altho Sisters Spaulding, Chapin and
Bmmerson are not yet able to leave their berths except for a few
minutes.

They have indeed suffered much, Mrs. Emmerson is quite a

skeleton.

All hands on board seem much more kindly disposed towards

us than at first.

0 may God change their hearts and their will then

feel right towards all his children.

Soon we shall be separated from

these immortal souls and they forever shut out of the sphere of our
influence and all Christian influence, as no one on board but ourselves
pretends to be a Christian.
sentiments.

Most of them have adopted universallist

I think would any one seriously consider its influence

on them he would doubt whether it were a doctrine of the Bible, if he
-32-

believed the tendency and design of the Bible to be the reformation of
men's lives as well as salvation of their souls.

But God can easily

yet make even them monuments of his grace as he did a Newton and thus
make them itinerant missionaries in every port they may enter.

0 that

his grace may be manifested for his own glory!
Wednesday April 18th.

In lat. 5 south and long. 104 fast

making head towards the land of our destination before a fine breeze.
Have scarcely had to alter a sail the last 6 days.

A few days ago the

steerage was cleared of lumber and cleaned out for the first time
since we entered it at New Bedford when we were obliged to climb over
boxes, barrels, bags, coils of ropes, etc. to find the way to our
room.

Sometimes, at first, when the hatches were on, the only way I

could tell where my room was, when I had gone out for something perhaps
water or a little indian meal gruel for R., was by the light of the
lamp thru the door or space between the boards.

But we in the steer­

age changed rooms when approaching the cape with those in the cabin
and find it more comfortable tho very inconvenient for want of room, as
four families occupy a room about 25 feet by 20.
families are small.

'Tis well for us our

The alteration in the steerage will be a great

advantage to the sick there for a free circulation of air, which be­
fore was greatly hindered by the lumber there.

This morning again soon

after breakfast Sail hoi sounded from aloft and soon we discovered two
whale ships ahead of us curising for whales, one of them Lima from
Nantucket, Capt. Winslow, we approached and spoke and as Capt. Swain
had letters for them the Captn came aboard.

We learned from him that

the New England which carried out the missionaries in the fall of 1830
safely landed them at the Islands, altho no tidings had been heard of
them when we embarked.

Learned also that several shipmasters and
-33-

officers have lately died in the Pacific, as thought from drink.
drink, drink!

Thou hast drunk up the life of thousands.

Q

Captn

Jinslow has been out 9 months, says he was 70 days passing round the
cape and experienced awful storms while we passed around in about IB
or 15 days.
All hands have been busy for some days in tarring the
rigging-painting and varnishing the mast-spars and other portions
of the ship, till all again looks as neat as if we had just left
port and indeed more so than when we left.
In about 20 days the Captain expects to land us on the
benighted shores of Oahu. But what may await us there we know not,
whether imprisonment, bonds and death, or a cheerful welcome from
souls anxious to hear and prepared to receive the gospel of peace.
But our duty is not to inquire about the smoothness of the way or
pleasantness of the task, only what the Lord would have us do.

Yet

the heart is so deceitful I find we rarely take a fair impartial view
of duty.

Is there any Christian living who has no concern in missions?

Let each one for himself honestly settle in his own heart what his
concern is.

Is it his duty to go to the heathen?

Jona fly from the work.

Let him not like

Is it his duty to stay at home?

If it is,

is he thereby freed from all further concern about the extension of
Christ's kingdom?

Let him ask this question on his knees at a throne

of grace and follow duty.

But 0 how unfit of myself for the sdemn,

self-denying task on which I have entered,

Eow deceived are they who

are apt to suppose that the mere name or circumstances of a missionary
conveys or necessarily implies sanctity.
deceitful heart I always had.

I find I have the same

I never before so clearly saw the moral

difficulty of a missionary's work.
-34-

How completely he must be master

of the heavenly art of being all things to all men, of saying not
my will but thine be done, of being willing to be counted and treated
as the offscourings of all things for Christ's sake.

He, above all

men, must learn to look not on his own things but on those of another.
This is much harder to attain than we are ready to imagine till put
to the task.

But the grace of God is sufficient and never fails.

"I can do all things", says Paul "thru Christ who strengthens me."
Either then, 0 my SouH ever resort andlhence thy strength and comfort
draw.
Thursday 19th.

This day was set apart as a day of fasting

and prayer in view of our approaching labours among the heathen and
for God's blessing on our labours among these seamen.
been a profitable day to our Souls.
of the objections
whom

I trust it has

Have today been listening to some

of the first mate against some missionaries with

he came in contact.

0 Lord grant me wisdom to draw instruction

ever from thy enemies,
April 23rd.

Are now in the swampy, squally weather and

variable winds, lat. south 1 degree and long. 110.

Yesterday after­

noon I took my Bible in Brother Alexander's place and went forward to
read to the sailors, and found one seated on the deck with a slate
drawing a ship, another, who is a kind of bravado infidel, was sewing
at a pair of trousers, another stretched out asleep near by, etc., while
others were below stairs.

I addressed myself kindly to the infidel

without any reference at all to his breaking the Sabbath, when he im­
mediately began to apologise for working on that day, saying it was
all the time poor sailors have to do their own work, etc.

I said I

would then read while he sewed and taking a seat by him began to read
and explain the parable of the prodigal son.
-35-

We had not proceeded

far when the sleeping man awoke and drew near and several others
drawing around also paid strict attention, while the man with his
slate and ship at my other side made but little progress in his draw­
ing altho he appeared all the time to be busy.

One thing is undeni­

able, the Bible is more read and studied among the seamen than for­
merly and we cannot help hoping the Lord may yet lead some of them to
a knowledge of the truth,
Saturday, April 28th.

Still in the variable winds.

Yester

day had a very heavy rain, the heaviest I remember since we left Rio,
yet there was but little wind.

We caught all we could in pails, tubs

casks, etc. and today some of the Brethren are busy washing as a
female cannot well wash here.

Now in lat. 5 north and long. 122.

Monday 30th. Lat. 7 and long. 122. Today have tried my
the
hand at/wash tub as yesterday abundance of rain water was caught.
Friday Hay 4th.
east trades.

Yesterday in lat. 9 fell in with the north

The change was very manifest from 1 o'clock as we have

ever since gone at about 8 miles per hour.
round the ship for some days past.

Several dolphin have been

One was caught.

beautiful little fish, from 2 to 4 feet long.

They are a

The water being re­

markably placid before the trades commenced we could plainly see them
from the side of the ship, playing in the water and occasionally
darting after the poor little flyfish which would skim along the sur­
face to avoid their pursuers, but so soon as they would alight were
caught.

Brother Hitchcock opened a box on Wednesday in which he had

put up two cheeses but found them spoiled with mites and very dry and
mouldy.

The Captain says they should have been prepared by running

melted tallow, or suet which is better, over them and then closely
packed, or put in a tub first and then suet run in till the tub was
-36-

full and this tut placed inside of one larger having coarse salt
in it which would keep the cheese from melting while the suet would
preserve it from mites.
Wednesday 9th.

L^t. 16 north, long. 136.

On Monday night

held our monthly concert as usual, which was the more interesting to
us as it is the last we shall hold till we arrive at the scene of our
labours.

Our sick are all now quite recovered and we feel in reviewing

our passage that we have great cause of thankfulness to God for the
great mercy he has shown to us.
to us from the first.

Our Captain has been remarkably kind

We have had a safe and pleasant passage and I

trust we all feel more like living and dying for Christ now than
ever, altho the seamen cannot understand how we can be so cheerful in
the prospect of being forever shut out from civilized society and the
smiles of our dear friends whom we have left.

The Captain acknow­

ledges he was astonished during one of the heaviest gales to hear the
missionaries singing and find them cheerful; when he expected to find
us pale with terror and came down from deck on purpose to divert our
minds and keep us cheerful!

So little conception have the world of

the support and consolation of those whose trust is in him, who rideth
on the storm and who maketh the wrath of man to praise him.
Wednesday 16th.

Have been busy packing for a day or two in

preparation for landing,today about 9 o'clock were cheered by the
discovery of the hills of Eaui at a distance to the southwest, then in
an hour or two appeared Molokai just west of Maui. Molokai is about
40 miles long and after we rounded the northeast end of it we had to
pass down to the other, when the mountains of Oahu, for which we were
steering, came in sight.

It now drew towards night and before we

could get to anchorage grew dark.

So about 8 o'clock we hove to and

fulling most of the sails lay by snug and here we expect to toss till
daylight shall again permit us to go forward.
Thursday 17th.

This morning again we were early under way

and passing round Diamond hill, a prominent hill on the southeast of
Oahu bay, came to anchor about 9 o'clock in the outer bay as 'tis
called some 2 miles from the shore and just without the coral reef.
In a few minutes the natives with their little canoes, much like pig
troughs dug out of a log of wood only done with some taste, came along­
side bringing eggs, bottles of milk, etc. for sale, some of them were
quite naked with only a piece of cloth tied round the waist, others had
a large piece thrown over the shoulders and tied in a knot before,
others were dressed as we were.
I expected to see.

All appeared, much more modest than

Soon they learned we were on board and the mission­

aries came off with a pious sea captain, Captn Brayton, lately converted.
It was a joyful meeting to us and to them.

We then went

ashore amidst crowds of chattering natives in their little canoes.
When we came to the wharf, it was crowded with natives in a variety
of dress with joyful looks as they eagerly gazed at the new comers, or
new mikonaries as they called us.

Sisters Spaulding, Chapin, Lyman,

etc. were too feeble to walk up, so a small dearbourn was brought and
crowded with natives fairly quarrelling who should help draw the sick
mikonaries.

After they were got ready the shafts were seized by as

many as could get hold and others pushing behind took it along with
the greatest ease, while a multitude crowded the sides of the way and
followed behind till we arrived at Mr. Chamberlain's where we got rid
of them.

These poor souls have ever from infancy been so accustomed

to total indolence and to a want of variety in passing time away that
every novel occurrence is seized with avidity.

Their great attention

and respect towards the missionaries does not arise so much from regard

to religion or holiness as from their love of novelty and want of
something to do.
this people.

Indeed idleness appears to be the great curse of

They will sit and gaze one in the face so long as they

can see his face.

This afternoon they would gather round the house

and lean on the walls and posts looking in, etc. more like a farmer's
dairy in the evening than anything I could compare them to.
souls, what a state of degredation have they been sunk to.

Poor
They

appear to have no knowledge at all of the value of time and but
little of its passing, and the missionaries have but poor means for
teaching them anything of the kind.
town.

There is no public clock in the

And they will not work any more than will just support them

from day to day, which they can do in about 2 hours out of 24.

For

they wear no clothes generally but a piece of loose cloth like a small
sheet thrown over the shoulders and tied in a knot before.

Their chief

article of food is poi, a kind of mush made by pounding the taro (a
large root) and leaving it to ferment; all which is easily done.

The

taro can be cultivated with little labor, so that their victuals and
clothes cost them little labor and the rest of the time is spent in
lounging about or in scenes of wickedness.

Those who attend schools

and the members of the church do not spend their time saidly but are
engaged with their books.
Saturday 19th.
King and chiefs.

Yesterday at 10 paid our formal visit to the

We were accompanied by the rest of the missionaries,

Captn Swain and Captn Brayton.

We were introduced to him at the door

of a long saloon neatly furnished with native mats and a row of chairs
on each side of the door forming a long entry or hall at the head of
which the King took his seat facing the door while we were seated on
the chairs about 30 or 40 in number.

Mr. Bingham (the oldest of the

missionaries and one of the first who came out) explained to the King
our object and papers,after which he expressed his gratitude and
thanks, giving us full permission to come and reside among them.

He

is about 19 years of age and has not yet the full power till his step­
mother, Kaahumana dies.
is called King.

She is now sovereign of the Islands.

Yet he

We then went to Kaahumana's, the King accompanying

us, and found her quite unwell, but received us with every expression
of joy and gratitude, giving us her love and giving thanks to God for
sending us hither while tears of joy flowed abundantly from her eyes.
It did our very souls good to see this heavenly old chief transformed by
the power of God thru the means of the gospel from a tiger to a lamb.
We are told she formerly was remarkably haughty and cruel, but is now
ardently pious and zealous for the glory of God.

The poor natives who

are members of the church frequently call to see the mikonari hou
they call us, ie. new missionaries.

as

Whenever we meet them they stop

us to give us their Aroha or salutation and shake hands, much delighted
to see us.
Monday 21st.

Yesterday morning nr. Bingham preached in the

native language to about 3000 hearers.

Altho I could understand very

little he said, yet I felt I was in the house of God when I saw the
solemn and respectful attention paid by the greater part.

The attention

generally was as good as is ever seen in American churches where so
many are crowded together.
bring a chair.

There are no seats except as any one may

Most of the natives prefer squatting down on their legs

on the floor which is mats spread on the bare ground.

When seated in

this position little except the head and sometimes the shoulders can
be seen which gives the whole a picturesque appearance like one mass
of heads as they sit crowded close together.
-40-

After the native service we had English preaching at
11.

past

At 2 a flourishing sabbath school, at 4 native preaching again, at

8 in the evening English preaching again when a respectable number of
foreigners, seamen and others attended.

There are also day schools at

which a large number attend for instruction.
conducted as schools in America are.

But these schools are not

The teachers meet their classes

and hear them recite but do not remain all day as ?tis hard for these
natives to apply their minds long at a time, having been accustomed
from their infancy to idleness and dissipation of mind.

Although the

improvement of the people since the missionaries came is very manifest
in many respects, yet ipuch of their former ignorance and indolence
prevails.

They grow but slowly in improvement, or rather they were so

excessively degraded below bruits that their great improvement is
hardly seen by any but those who visited them formerly before the
missionaries came.

To us who came from a land of improvements laden

with Heaven's richest blessings, they appear still to be in heathen
darkness and are when compared with Americans.

Here is yet a field for

missionaries for 20 years to come.
Wednesday 23.

Are just beginning to learn a little native.

Er. Goodrich, with whom we stop, has prayers always in native at night,
when also he reads a portion of scripture in native.

The cockroaches

and fleas are a great nuisance at night and more so as we have to sleep
on the floor, our bedsteads not being yet got ashore.
slept very little for them.

Last night R.

Today I found a lizard on my writing desk.

Yesterday went with Captn Brayton to visit a young sailor who lost
his right leg by a whale 5 months ago and is now confined to his bed
with it.

He appears disposed to seriousness.

his lost condition and speedily fly to Christ.
-41-

0 Lord grant he may see
0 make him a Christian.

We are not without hopes that some good may be done and some good
impressions left from Captn Brayton's conversation with him, who
lately became an ardently pious man.
Kay 30th.

We feel very comfortable in our new situation

and find Kr. and Mrs. Goodrich very kind.
yesterday and today.

R. has been quite unwell

Yesterday a number of natives called to tell

their thoughts, as they term it, when they are exercised in mind and
wish to converse with the missionaries.

On which occasion they do

not hesitate to come 10 or 12 miles andthat too, frequently, when they
are little concerned, but can make a pretext for visiting and talking
with the missionaries, of which they are very fond.

They are all

anxious to join the church the first thing so that it is much more
difficult to keep them back than tqmultiply professors.

The illness

of the pious old Queen has so increased that her life is almost despair
ed of.

Dr. Judd spent the whole of last night with her.

Last evening

we had a specimen of the native wailing at the death of a friend.

It

sounded dismal indeed.
June 8th.

The beloved Queen Kaahumana is no more with us.

About light on the morning of the 5th her happy spirit took its flight
after a few days struggling in its clay tenement.
she died, she said she had but one mind.
willing to die to be with him.

Shortly before

She loved Christ and was

The young King, poor fellow, seemed

almost overcome with grief as he kneeled near her head watching every
change and attending to every want, weeping profusely.
leave her while life remained.

He would not

Before her departure she gave them all

her charge to be kind to the missionaries and follow in the good way
and to not neglect the word of God.

Her bitterest enemies (if indeed

she had any) cannot deny the excellency of her Christian character and

that she has walked truly worthy of her high calling.

All feel that in

her this people have lost their best earthly friend for she was truly
a mother to them.

She would, in person, go from place to place ex­

horting her people to attend to instruction and especially to the
Bible, encouraging the people of God to follow on in the good way.
Thus by her faithful and judicious instructions, strengthening the
hands of the missionary, while her own life was a comment on her doc­
trines that none could read and not admire.

But her Y*ork is done.

She

rests from her labours and forever will be with many others, a glorious
monument of the blessedness of that people whose God is the Lord, in
evidence that it was not in vain a few missionaries made their way to
the Sandwich Isles in 1820, bringing that word of life which was the
one consolation of

her dying hour.

On the same morning of her departure the corpse was brought
from her country seat (where she died) accompanied by a vast multitude
lamenting their loss in pitiful tones, while the solemnity of death
seemed to characterise everything, even their slow solemn march.

The

King on horseback, bathed in tears, preceeding the corpse and the
other chiefs next, the people following close behind, wailing till
the whole atmosphere was filled with sounds of woe.

I could not for­

bear dropping the tear of sympathy that instinctively burst from my
eye as I stood gazing on the passing mixed, but universally sad and
solemn multitude who formed this procession, which brought vividly to
my mind the wailing of the Jews at the death of any distinguished
personage when all the people lifted up their voice and wept.

Such an

occasion as this in former days would have presented a scene of every­
thing unlawful, vile and abominable, for then all laws were null,
neither property nor person were secure.

But no disorder was seen

and no impropriety of conduct was witnessed that I know of, all
was decorum and almost as much regularity as on such an occasion in
America, if we except the noise of their wailing.

So much for the

Bible, tho the bringing of it here is ridiculed, by some who would be
wise above what is written.

Yesterday afternoon the corpse was

decently intered in a Christian manner.
solemn procession to the church.

Being first carried in

The foreigners resident here pro­

ceeding, Messrs. Bingham and Andrews next, the American and British
Consuls next, then the corpse, the chiefs, the missionaries, the
common people with a file of armed soldiers on each side.

Outside of

this was a vast multitude of natives collected, yet perfectly orderly.
The foreigners had made arrangements among themselves for having
music and desired the King to have a volley of musketry fired, but
the King forbade it as the missionaries disapproved of it and she was
a member of the church.

Yet their deep laid plan was with difficulty

disconcerted as they had their fiddles, fifes, clarionets, etc. all
raked together and actually were about striking up on the moving of the
procession till orders from the Sing and Gov. Adams stopped it.

It

seemed as if their determination was to dissipate all the solemnity
of the occasion, especially from the mind of the young Zing over whom
their influence had been pernicious before her death.

Who was thought

to be the chief mover of this base project, it is not expedient to say,
but "tis plain it was not those destitute of influence.

The Lord

overthrew all the machinations of Satan and his emissaries, and the
procession moved solemnly along to the churGh undisturbed by ought,
except as the heavy tones of the solemn tolling bell fell upon our
ears, and the firing of minute guns from the fort warned us that the
flight of time was bringing us too to the house appointed for all
^ A large bell was temporally erected for the purpose.
This order was
advised by the missionaries themselves,as the King consulted them.
-44-

living while we followed to the house of God, the cold corpse of one
of his dear departed saints.

The coffin was placed in front of the

pulpit while Mr. Bingham preached a very solemn and impressive dis­
course in native and then made a short address in English, in which
he beautifully summed up in a few words the excellency of her Christian
character and contrasted it with her condition before the gospel came,
when she was an acknowledged tyrant.

This contrast placed the value

of the gospel in such a light that it would seem no one could help
seeing it.
service.

Everything was impressive and solemn during the whole
(if we except the conduct of one who is a disgrace to the

name of an American tho his name stands not on the list of the lowest
at home.)

After church we returned in solemn procession to the cemetery

(a small stone building for burying the Kings and Queens) where the
corpse was deposited after another prayer, by Hr. Bingham was offered
instead of a volley of musketry as the foreigners desired.

After this

the vast crowd dispersed with as much order and quietness as a similar
crowd in America would have done.

Everything was remarkably still and

quiet during all the evening while the young King with his sister spent
the evening with Messrs. Bishop and Thurston, instead of resorting to
the haunts of dissipation to rid himself of solemn impressions.
!,

June ICth.

Our general meeting having begun a day or two

before the death of the Queen, is now nearly at a close.

The subject

of a mission to the Harquesa Islands, according to the desire of the
American Board, was discussed, especially as Hr. Tinker,Alexander and
Armstrong had offered themselves to the Board with reference to that
mission.

It was found we were not in possession of sufficient infor­

mation respecting the real state of those islands; especially as the
missionaries of the London M.S. at the Society Islands had formerly
-45-

an intention of planting a mission there.

It was therefore determined

to send a deputation to visit the Islands and confer with the English
missionaries at the Society Is.

The deputation consists of Messrs.

Whitney, one of the first missionaries, Alexander and Tinker, on whose
return a mission (if thought advisable) consisting of Messrs. Alexander,
Tinker and Armstrong with Dr. Chapin and their families will immediate­
ly proceed to the Islands.
June 81st.

Yesterday the stations to be occupied by the

present reinforcement were determined by the meeting.

Three new

stations are to be taken, one at Waiarua on Oahu and about 2? miles
west of Honolulu, to be taken by brother Emmerson; one on Horokai.
No station has ever yet been formed on this Island as it is small and
separated from Lahaina station on Maui only by a channel 8 or 10 miles
wide which they cross in their canoes to go to meeting.
Hitchcock takes this station.

Brother

Hr. Green, who has been temporarily

placed at Hilo on Hawaii goes to Maui to take a new station at Wailuku.
Brother Spaulding goes to Lahaina with Mr. Richards.

Lyman goes to

Hilo on Hawaii, Lyons to Waimea on Hawaii, Armstrong remains at Oahu
till the return of the Deputation.

We are placed at Kaawaloa on Hawaii,

the far famed spot where the ill fated Capt. Kook lost his life in
1779.

It is said to be a pleasant situation.

Now we only wait an

opportunity to get to the field of our labors as it is distant some 4
or 5 days from Oahu by sail and vessels do not go every week.

0 that

we may have the spirit of our work and go not depending on our own
abilities but on the arm and grace of our God who alone can make us
useful.
July 3rd.

Tomorrow a brig is expected to sail for Hawaii in

which we shall probably take a passage tho not going directly to
-46-

Kaawaloa.

We are busy today packing things up and preparing for de­

parture if the Lord will on the morrow.

We are all well and in good

spirits.
July 9th.

On the evening of Wednesday last we, with the

\ ^

other missionaries for Hawaii (Messrs. Bishop and Thurston, Baldwin
and Lyons and their families) sailed from Honolulu, Oahu, and arrived
at Kailua on Hawaii and about 15 miles south of Kaawaloa, on Sabbath
about noon after a tedious voyage which caused the crazy old vessel
to roll and tumble about at a distressing rate, which, together with
the multitude of natives on deck (for the deck was literally covered
with them/ and the vessel below filled) rendered the passage very un­
pleasant.

While the air below was so hot and confined we preferred

for comfort's sake, sleeping on deck.

So we spread our mattresses there

and slept in the night air amid all the confusion of chattering natives
and boisterous seamen, as well as being exposed to a drenching in salt
water should a sea break over, but happily we got nothing worse than
a few light sprinkles.

Yet the night was the most comfortable part,

for in the daytime the heat was almoet intolerable.

We kept some of

it off by holding our umbrellas over our heads and sometimes contriv­
ing with difficulty to spread a kind of awning part of the day.

We

could find no relief by going below as the air there was hot and con­
fined.

3. was very sick most of the time.

Our good water ran short

too before Sabbath and she could not stomach stinking water that cattle
^They were crowded all round our bed as near as they could get, even
laying their heads on the foot of the mattress. We dreaded their con­
tiguity as we knew that few were free from lice, and found afterwards
that our fears were not groundless as many had found their way to my
person. R. did not get any as she was not so much exposed.
^Among all the seamen and officers there was not one white man and none
of them knew as much as they ought to govern a vessel, which made much
needless hallowing for all seemed to be officers.
During the whole
-passage I could not find out who was captain!
-47-

at home would scarcely drink.

I made her a little indian meal gruel

(Indian meal "boiled in a little water) (as fortunately our indian meal
was acceptable) which she quite relished and which became a favorite
dish very soon among all, so that I had my hands full of cooking as
the ladles were all too sick to do anything except sit and hold their
umbrellas over them and part of the time R. was much too sick for that,
for she suffered more than any one else.

Indeed we felt joyful when

first our eyes discovered the shores of Hawaii, which was with the
dawning of light of Sab. morn.
and went ashore.
dinner.

About noon we came to anchor at Kailua

When Mrs. Bishop prepared us an excellent dish for

For we had run short of food (except indian meal gruel) as

well as water before we got ashore.
After dinner R. lay down, as neither of us got much sleep
the previous night, and I with the other Brethren went to church, but
felt too drowsy to enjoy the meeting even if I had understood it,
probably my drowsiness was increased by not understanding what was
Said.

But last night our sleep was refreshing and undisturbed by the

tossing of the vessel and noise of natives.

This morning we all feel

quite recruited as seasickness never lasts longer than while the vessel
rocks or while on board.

Thanks to our kind Cod for all his goodness

and mercy and that we are once more on shore, safe from the dangers of
the deep.

This morning, before the sun peeped over the mountains, our
Mr. Ruggles
kind friends and future associate/arrived in a double canoe, bringing
some grapes which grew at Kaawaloa and which were delightful indeed,
even like the clusters of Caleb and Joshua Num.XIII, 23.

He desired

Mrs. F. and myself to return with him but we preferred staying to see
all our things brought ashore, as the natives could not read English
and would have left several things had I not gone aboard and attended
to them.

-48-

Wednesday 12th.

As the chief woman of Kaawaloa sent her

double canoe up for us and our things, R. and I together with Brother
Lyons and his wife who accompanied us to see the place, set sail from
Kailua before day in the canoe on yesterday morning, as the sea is much
smoother from midnight till 8 or 9 o'clock of the morning than in the
after part of the day.

We had a pleasant sail though R. on one occasion

suffered her alarms needlessly to arise, when a shoal of porpoises came
near us playing and darting up some feet out of the water and at length
came directly under the canoe.

They are entirely innocent yet I con­

fess their appearance is not very inviting when they plunge their huge
dark bodies out of the water and give such a slap with their flukes
that the ocean fairly wrings again.

They are from 6 to 8 feet long

and proportionately thick, about the color of an eel.

We safely landed

about 8 o'clock near the spot where Kook fell by the hands of the
natives whom he had incensed to acts of barbarous revenge; and found
Mr. Ruggles there waiting for us with some pleasant refreshments which
Mrs. R. had prepared and sent down by him; for they live up a steep
mountain 2 miles from the seaside where they could distinctly see our
canoe long before we landed, as there is a beautiful view of the ocean
from his house.

The chiefs have had a road made up winding round the

hill, yet 'tis very steep.

The chief woman sent down her horse and cart

for the ladies, so after refreshing ourselves and looking around at
the hill, R. on horseback (as she preferred that) and Mrs. Lyons in a
little hand-cart drawn and pushed by some dozen natives, not slaves but
voluntary servants for the time.
draw a card up.
forward.

The hill is too steep for a horse to

Mr. Ruggles, Mr. Lyons and I on foot.

Thus we set

When we had ascended about ^ o f the way we came to a rani

*The church is up there and the chiefs and most of the people have
moved up tho formerly they lived down at the sea side as they wished to
visit the shins which came in.
-49-

as they call it, a temporary shed erected for a resting place which
we found very desirable indeed.
on the way up,

There are

3 of these stopping places

About 11 o'clock we arrived at Maupehu, where Mr. R.

lives, whose residence is a delightful spot, surrounded with flourish­
ing grape vines just now laden with rich ripe fruit, fig trees, coffee
trees, various kinds of melons and flowers.

M r . R. having a great

taste for gardening has, by spending his leisure hours for exercise,
etc. in cultivating his garden, made his little residence a delightful
spot.

Sere the climate is much cooler than down at the sea and as

it rains frequently vegetation is abundant and luxuriant.

Thus in the

kind providence of God are we (for the present) located in this heathen
land where nature smiles all around and everything pleasant (except
the want of enlightened society which is quite made up by the good
company and kind offices of Hr. and Mrs. Ruggles) contributes to dis­
sipate the otherwise unwelcome reflection that we are far from beloved
friends with whom we once took sweet counsel and went together to the
house of God.

Yet amid all the pleasantness of the situation we would

remember that God has not placed us here for self gratification but to
glorify his name among these poor souls by whom we are surrounded.
*Je hope soon to be able to talk with them and point them to that blessed
Jesus whose blood alone can cleanse them from their sins.
July 24th.

Are now comfortably situated in a little house

15 feet by 25 in Mr. Ruggles' yard.

Our situation is pleasant indeed

and nothing spared on the part of Mr. and Mrs. R. to render it so.
Our house is small and thatched with the leaves of a tree peculiar
to this country, the floor is of small stones leveled over then covered
with mats, two windows towards the sunrising and a door towards sunsetting.

The chief difficulty is the annoyance of cockroaches and
-50-

rats.

We have had few dry days since our arrival and when the rain

is heavy it comes thru in places.

We have not yet commenced keeping

house as these houses have no fire places.

We eat at Mr. 3,'s table

and as the missionaries are all one family here, having common stock,
it makes not much difference.

There are no salaries given but flour,

meat,etc. etc. are sent out by the Board and divided off to the
missionaries by Mr. Chamberlain.

Our division of indian meal this

time came to half a pillowcase full for the year.

Good kiln dried

indian meal is quite a luxury and scarce here, tho we have plenty of
potatoes as the natives cultivate them.
Last Sab. was our communion at this place, when a number
united with the church and we had the pleasure of uniting with our
Brethren of the deputation for the last time before their departure for
the south seas.

Having left Oahu on the 18th and touched at Kailua

they ran into Kaawaloa to make some repairs and procure some refresh­
ments, as potatoes, cabbage, pigs, fowls, etc., which having been done
they left us again on the 23rd with many prayers for the blessing of
God to rest on their labors.
July 28th.

The excessive dryness of the weather during the

spring and forepart of summer has hindered the growth of the potatoes
and taro which are the staples of this people, so that now there are
fears entertained of scarcity of food.

The taro will not do any good

without rain and they prefer planting it in beds where the water lies
some inches deep till the taro is ripe, but this is not practicable
here where the water never stands in pools.

Last night Mr. R. with

x'

the chief woman of this place, Kapiolani, started on a tour round the
Island to visit the schools and talk to the people in destitute parts.
It is quite an undertaking to sail round the Island 250 miles in a
x*

Pronounced Eapeolane i.e. the prisoner of Heaven.
-51-

canoe.

August 14th.

How time glides away!

4 weeks of precious

time have gone since first I sat foot on Hawaii..

"So teach us 0 Lord

to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom".
have I learned.

How little have I done!

How little

This evening as I took a walk

I stopped with the old man who formerly was the high priest of this
Island and the leader of the people in idolatry.

But is now an humble

follower of Christ and remarkable for his humility,

tho at first his

bitterness against the gospel was astonishing and the pride of his
heart undisguised, while he maintained his own goodness and fitness for
joining the church.

The missionaries told him he was deceived and kept

him back till at length he was brought to see and acknowledge his
mistake and the wicked deceitfulness of his own heart, since when he
has ever lived the humble consistent Christian.

He ever despised the

religion of the ^ible till he saw the fall of idolatry and all his
hopes in the turning of the chiefs.

Then from secular motives he too

wished to join, but his dark imperfect notions and utter ignorance of
his own heart were too manifest.

He told me how they formerly were

dark hearted naaupo and worshipped false gods of wood and stone, owls,
grasshoppers, etc. while they sacrificed to them bananas, pigs and even
men and women!

He sighed over it saying they then had no books but

they now had light and knew that the God of heaven was the only true
God.

Poor souls, they are so eager for instruction and so willing to

listen to any one that my heart bleeds for them while I can say very
little to them for I make but poor out yet at talking.

A few of them

daily come to the house with their slates and I shew them how to work
some questions in arithmetic.

They are very patient with all my

blunders in talking even when they cannot understand and never laugh
-52-

at the most ridiculous mistakes.

Mrs. R. has a school in the evening

when she teaches them a little geography, mental arithmetic, scripture,
history, etc.

They are exceedingly good natured.

possible to make them angry.

"Tis almost im­

This trait adds to their kindness, for

which they have ever been remarked.

They shew their affection to us by-

little presents of fruit as bananas and a kind of apple rather taste­
less but juicy with only one large seed in the heart, of a red colour,
some are white, little difference in the taste and shaped like a pear,
melons,rock or prickly pears,etc.
August 20th.

Learned today that the U. States frigate

Potomac, a 44 gun ship, has been at Oahu for several days, Com. Downs
and Chaplain Rev. Wm. Grier of Penn.

To the great honor of the Com­

mander his conduct towards the mission is very different from that of
Captn I'ercival and some others, who on coming here now find themselves
greatly disappointed that the influence of the Bible has been such as
to prohibit the base conduct formerly allowed when ships were in port.
My number of scholars I find increase as fast as I wish them.

I have

got so I can talk a little and have removed my school to the meeting
house as our school house is not yet built.
August 30th.

Yesterday Hr. R. and Eapiolani returned from

their tour, having been around the Island and found things in quite a
promising state.

My school has increased to about 40 and I begin to

talk a little so that they can understand me, tho probably I make
miserable work of it as Mrs. R. frequently laughs at me and corrects
my blunders, such as using the word for seaegg for the word if, etc.
Such blunders of using wrong words are common as many of their words
are spelled alike and have only a slight variation of the accent.

On

one occasion one of the missionaries mistaking the word intending to

say Satan would be forever miserable, said the Devil had a long tail!
But the people knew it was only the blundering of one who meant better
and was desirous to talk to them.
September 10th.

We still reside in our little ti leaf house,

but for some days past the mosquitoes have been ravenous, as is always
the case during the rainy weather.
want of good water.

Our chief difficulty, however, is

The whole Island being formed by volcanic erup­

tion, this part in particular is a bed of lava from the top of the
mountain down to the sea with here and there a little spot of earth
formed by the decomposition of the lava.

This formation of the soil

renders the ground exceedingly porous and the rain soaks in as fast as
it falls so that we have no springs and of course no running streams
within 50 miles.

Some 60 miles below us there is a cold spring formed

about 9 years ago when a stream of lava, probably half a mile wide,
running into the sea formed a point out like a projecting rock in which
a small distance back from the sea arose this very cold and somewhat
brackish spring.

We catch what water we can when it rains, but have

to send some miles to the mountain for drinking and cooking water.

When

it rains the water lies in the concave rocks or beds of lava in the
mountains, where they dip it up and bring it in calabashes, which we
have to keep constantly stopped to exclude the roaches or in less than
an hour they would be in and drown themselves, which completely spoils
the water for the taste.

On this account calabashes are preferable to

pails, especially as they grow as large as pails here, but frequently
they make the water taste bad and smell offensive, but to this we
must submit for Christ's sake as we came here not to seek our own
pleasure, but to do the will of him who, as we trust, sent us.
Mr. R. since his return says he stopped one night at a place
-54-

where water is so scarce that they use the juice of watermelons tor
drink, mixing their poi and washing!

Watermelons he says are abundant

among them and the largest he ever saw.

Yet the people are literally

as filthy as pigs, their excuse is want of water.

Yet they prefer

living there as they can raise plenty of food and dirty living is no
objection to their own stomachs, how squeamish soever visitors may be.
September 8th.

More than ever have we great cause for thank­

fulness to God for the good health and many comfortable blessings he
bestows on us.
to overflow?

Why does he cause our cup, even in this heathen land,
Are not we undeserving of the least notice or favour?

0 that we may have grace to consecrate all to Christ.

"Teach us 0

Lord so to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
Much wisdom is needed in teaching this people who have never been
accustomed to think and are just like so many children.

Tho they all

have got the first principles of Christianity, still many of them
are far from being whet we could wish.

Deception and falsehood was

their most prominent characteristic formerly.

In some of them we can

place the utmost confidence, yet cases sometimes happen where 2 or more
church members are living in iniquity known to others who possessing
the confidence of the missionaries, combine to keep the whole matter
in the dark lest their friends should be disgraced by excommunication.
?ome 2. or 3 weeks ago a man at Lahaina who was making great pretensions
to seriousness and had actually so far imposed as to get into the high
school, while he was very kind in assisting Brothers Spaulding and
Hitchcock about their trunks and boxes contrived to steal a quantity
of their clothes, etc. to the amount of several dollars, hut was dis­
covered pretty soon as he did not leave the place.

Lying and stealing

have become disgraceful now and we hope thru the influence of the

gospel it will soon he entirely banished.

They are wonderful Pharisees

and will sit for half an hour telling how good they are and what good
works they do.

I do not mean the church members for such persons are

not admitted, tho they are very desirous to become members.

I never

before saw so full an examplification of the saying that all men are
by nature Armenians.

This is literally a fact as respects this people.

I have been told that when conference meetings in which the people
were allowed to tell their thoughts,as they call their experience,
were first opened, those who had no thought to tell and wishing to
join the meeting, actually came to the missionaries with all simplicity
of heart, bringing a fowl or something to buy a thought to tell at
meeting! and even now when they know better they will secretly get
some friend to make up a story which they will come and tell with all
the grace and air of sincerity imaginable, even perhaps while living in
the daily commission of gross iniquity too.
September 17th.

Have not a little reason to apprehend some

change in government unfavorable to the progress of the gospel among
this people since the death of the good old Queen, who was the stay of
the nation in all that was good.

Have heard that Captn Downes in his

intercourse with the King and chefs discountenanced their making the
word of God their standard in framing laws; and thought they ought not
to suppress grog-shops, gambling and lewdness which Kaahumana had done
by law.

But now she is gone 'tis more than probable that many of her

salutary laws will be disannulled.

If so nothing but divine inter­

position can preserve this fickle and but very partially enlightened
people from turning as a body to their old practises if not to idolatry
itself.

0 what a disgrace to a Christian land that those who visit

these heathen shores from thence exert no better than a most debasing
-56-

influence!

Satan has changed his manner of attack.

Now he comes

caressing the missionaries, as Joab did Amasa, while his most deadly
thrusts are aimed at the vitals of their cause.

0 send men here if

you please who will murder us but not the cause of God, of truth, of
virtue, of honor.

When will vain deluded man learn that in a very

little time "God will bring every work into judgment with every secret
thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil".

May the Lord enable

us to put our dependence entirely in him.
September 21st.

Our little grass or ti leaf house leaks no

little as we now have much rain.

Our house is about 15 feet by 25, made

by sticking poles in the ground 10 feet long and tying a kind of rafters
on them which are also fastened at the top by cords made of the fibers
of the cocoanut husk.

All their fastening of imporance is done with

these cords which last long without decaying, no pins nor nails are
used for fastening, everything is tied.
where we have school for the present.

Our church stands on a hill
A few days ago when sitting in

the door at school I saw a whale spouting in the ocean, for we have a
full view of the ocean to the west.

Our church will hold about S000

people, no seats only mats spread on the ground which is native style.
Have been busy today preparing to send some letters and other things to
America.

I have tasted the bread fruit which is just beginning to

ripen, but do not think it comparable to a good irish potato, yet some
of the missionaries have become very fond of it.
These wet days are against our schools as the poor natives
are afraid of wetting their tapas for one wetting will ruin them and
perhaps one dress is all they possess.

Rather than have a good tapa

wet they frequently wrap it up, place under their arm and run home
naked!

Begin to talk a little and hope soon to be able to do some-57-

thing more effectually for the good of these perishing hundreds around
us.

May the blessing of God rest on our labours and on all our dear

Friends in our beloved native land till we meet at last in Heaven.
C. Forbes.

-58-