Memorials of the Sea Part 9

Another practice, which he prevalently pursued when at sea, in addition to the religious exercises already noted, was that of devotional reading when in bed. I refer to this particularly, not only because it was a practice that I had constant opportunities of observing, but because of the admirable contrivance (applicable, I think, to the condition of many invalids,) adopted for rendering this exercise and recreation convenient and agreeable without the labour of holding the book, or the prevalent exposure of the hands to the cold and often freezing temperature of his "state-room."

The contrivance consisted in an open deal frame, about eighteen inches by twelve inside, like a light flat picture-frame when empty, which, in my Father's case, was fixed by hinges to the bulkhead forming the inner side of his bed, so as to be turned up, flat against the side, when not in use.

Being hung on an oblique plane, it became, when let down for reading, parallel to the position of the reader with his head, face upward, lying on a pillow. The distance from the face was adjusted to his own reading focus; but could easily be altered by different loops on the string or wire, by which the end opposite to that affixed by hinges was supported from the planking of the deck, or ceiling, overhead.

The book designed to be used was laid, with the open pages downward, upon the interior of the frame, where it was supported by three parallel wires, the side wires receiving the margins of the book, and the centre wire the middle. These wires for the adjustment of distance were made to slide, by loops at their ends, upon two other strong wires attached longitudinally to the interior of the frame, so that the wires could be readily adapted for a book of any size, from a large quarto down to the smallest volume.

The condition of my Father's mind, in reference to this all-important subject, I find particularly indicated in two of his letters, fortunately preserved, which were written to me at the period embraced by the present chapter, whilst, as a youth, I was attending the scientific lectures of the University of Edinburgh.[L] I select, with slight verbal correction, two or three pa.s.sages:-

"It is a great pleasure to us to learn that you know the value of time which you have so nicely divided to suit the lectures, etc.; but, at the same time, beg leave to say, that we think you have made a mistake when you say, 'I intend, if all's well, to go to Mr. Wood's on Sunday, as, on that day, I have no lectures to attend.' My dear son, I know it is too much the custom to visit and take our pleasure on the Sabbath-day, which ought to be strictly observed, as the wise Author of all things has appointed. He has appointed one day in seven to Himself, that we may rejoice therein and serve Him, as he has commanded us in the Holy Scriptures, desiring us therein to search for wisdom, (as Solomon sought, and was blessed with riches and honour,) which your Bible, and _Sunday Lectures_, and your own prayers offered up to G.o.d, will procure for you, and He will yield His peace which pa.s.seth all understanding. We are very poorly off indeed if there be no better things in store for us than those of this world, which, compared to spiritual things, are all vanity and vexation of spirit."

After a very gratifying notice of my "steady conduct," followed by some judicious paternal counsel and warnings, the section of the letter now quoted thus concludes:-"Hearken to the advice of a Father, and walk in the _laws_ of the _Lord_, which you will find the greatest comfort this life can afford."

The other letter, after a high commendation of diligence in the acquisition of knowledge, and the citing, for one's example, the names and enterprises of many of the most distinguished scholars and philosophers of antiquity, proceeds as follows:-"But after a man may (like these distinguished examples) have studied all arts and sciences, until he be as great a proficient as Crichton, yet, _without religion_, he will, at the latter end of his life, have, with Sir John Mason, to exclaim,-_Seriousness is the greatest wisdom, Temperance the best physician, and a Good Conscience the best estate._ Therefore, my son, with all thy getting, get wisdom and understanding, and never be ashamed to carry a pocket Bible about with you, wherein you may find comfort in every state of life, and, at the same time, you will feel a thirst for every useful science, which, I flatter myself, you will not relax in pursuit of."

In conclusion of this sketch of my Father's views and habits, religiously considered, I may just notice, that, although his principles sometimes failed under special temptations, as in the case of Sabbath-day fishing, yet the feeling of reverence for the day appointed for rest and devotion, was seldom without some manifestation. If whales were pursued when incidentally seen on the sacred day, they were not sought for, nor were boats sent out on watch, as on other days, nor was ordinary work ordered or permitted to be done. During his latter voyages, however, his practice became more decided in this respect; for the fishery itself, pressing as, in a worldly view, its claims might seem, was suspended during the Sabbath; and the day was generally given to the appointed objects of the gracious and beneficent inst.i.tution.

FOOTNOTES:

[H] The proportion of profit, it may be noted, did not equal that of the relative produce obtained from the two fisheries, in consequence of the additional expenses of the Davis' Strait voyage, in respect of the time absent, and of the higher premium required for insurance.

[I] Given in substance in the "Account of the Arctic Regions," vol. ii.

page 360.

[J] It will here be proper to notice, that in the foregoing description of this adventurous capture, we have taken occasion (in the way of ill.u.s.tration generally) to fill up the picture, in regard to some particulars of well known and prevalent experience, beyond the extent of the leading facts and outlines, or memorial records, specially before us.

[K] This plan was first communicated to the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, and published in the second volume of its Memoirs. It was subsequently set forth in a revised form, in the "Account of the Arctic Regions," published in the year 1819.

[L] From attendance on the instructive lectures and demonstrations of several of the most eminent men of science and learning of the day, during a considerable portion of two sessions, I feel it a matter of grateful duty here, by the way, to say, that I obtained a larger measure of general information and scientific knowledge than, within like period, perhaps, any other existing instrumentality could have yielded.

CHAPTER V.

FURTHER ENTERPRISES: GENERAL RESULTS.

SECTION I.-_The Greenock Whale-fishing Company._

In the summer of 1810, whilst I was on a recreative tour in Scotland, and visiting at the house of a merchant in Greenock, my adventures and experience in the northern whale-fishery became a frequent topic of conversation. This was the means of eliciting, in respect to several gentlemen with whom I had intercourse, a strong disposition to embark in this, to them, _new_ department of commercial enterprise. My Father, at this very time, being on the point of retiring from the command of the Resolution, was informed of the circ.u.mstance, which speedily led to his forming a new and satisfactory connection with some of the first men, in character and position, in that enterprising port.

The a.s.sociates, originally, were, I believe, George Robertson and William Forsyth (of the house of Messrs. Robertson, Forsyth, and Co.), and David Hyde, Esquires, who, with my Father, each holding equal, or one-fourth shares, const.i.tuted the new firm of "The Greenock Whale-fishing Company."

Of this a.s.sociation, my Father was appointed the managing partner, with authority to purchase and fit out one or not exceeding two ships, for the Greenland fishery, in which he was to have the select or princ.i.p.al command.

Under this arrangement my Father proceeded to London, and purchased two ships, only one of which, however, the _John_, was ultimately appropriated to this Arctic adventure.

The John was a Batavia-built _teak_ ship, 316 tons burden. To ships built of this species of timber, almost indestructible in respect of ordinary decay, my Father was very partial; and, in purchasing the John, though she proved more expensive than was expected (having cost 12,700_l._ to sea), he was not, as to this peculiar and important quality of her timber, disappointed. She proved a fine ship, an admirable "sea-boat," and, except as to capacity, which was rather too small, fully answered his expectations.

No time was lost in entering upon this new and responsible enterprise. The John sailed, on her first voyage, in 1811, the season next succeeding my Father's last command of the Resolution; and the result, as to its successfulness, well satisfied the sanguine hopes of the parties a.s.sociated in the risk. The cargo obtained was sixteen stout whales, which yielded a produce of 200 tuns of oil.

With this commencement, the residue of the adventure of this concern amply corresponded. During the four voyages to which the co-partnery extended, 103 whales were captured, and a produce of 837 tuns of oil, averaging 209 tuns a season, brought into port. In the last voyage of the series, that of 1814, thirty-four whales, yielding 249 tuns of oil, were taken; being, as to quant.i.ty, the best of all my Father's adventures. The cargo of the preceding year, however, was, on account of the very high price of oil, the most remunerative. The gross receipts of that year, on account of a cargo of 190 tuns of oil, and about ten tons of whalebone, amounted to the extraordinary sum of about 11,000_l._!

The entire successes of this _fourth_ command of my Father's, as thus exhibited, not merely equalled, it is seen, but actually exceeded any one of his former enterprises. Though his cargoes, however, were nearly double the general average of the fishery, there were now compet.i.tors, in this field of enterprise, who, _within this limited and particular period_, equalled or even outrun him in the race. The only accurate comparison which I am here enabled to make, is with respect to the successes of the Hull fishermen. And here I find two,-Captain Joseph Sadler, of the Gilder, and Captain Harrison, of the Walker,-whose enterprises during these four years were highly productive; having yielded, as to the former, something more than the John's cargoes, and as to the latter, just about the same amount.

But in both these cases, it may be noticed, that the tonnage of the ships was advantageously larger than that of the John.

Before proceeding with an account of the concluding enterprises of the subject of these memorials, we have an incident to notice, which, however trifling in itself, may, it is hoped, interest the reader, because of its characteristic nature and somewhat amusing result.

SECTION II.-_"c.u.m au greim a gheibhthu."_

The capacity for receiving knowledge, and the capability of applying the knowledge possessed, are characteristics of very different qualities of mind. The latter of these qualities is, _per se_, incomparably the most important and valuable. For one man, with comparatively moderate attainments, but having a facility in applying the knowledge he has acquired, will be a far more useful member of society, and is capable of becoming a more distinguished character, than another of vastly superior acquirements in learning, who does not possess the faculty of application.

Thus one, like the skilful mechanician, may be able out of small variety of materials to construct apparatus of indefinite extent of usefulness, or, like the expert and talented smith, may be able to construct out of one material every species of instrument (to use a sailor's phraseology), "from a needle to an anchor," whilst another, though possessing almost unlimited stores of materials, may have little capacity for bringing them out and applying them to purposes of usefulness. The former case is that of one who is of himself a practical artist in knowledge; the latter, of one who requires others to bring out and apply the knowledge which he has been careful to store up.

My Father, in a truly eminent degree, possessed the first of these characteristics of mind. Whatever knowledge he might gain he was apt in applying, and so applying, by the powers of a vigorous intelligence, as to make the result strikingly original.

The incident which I here record, was, indeed, of itself, rather curious and amusing, than important or specially useful. But in it we find developed an order of mind which, if it possess but one fact of a particular species, will, if occasion should ever require, or admit of its being done, turn that one fact to account.

Whilst resident for considerable intervals of time in Scotland, during his engagement with the Greenock Whale-fishing Company, my Father had been thrown into intercourse with some of the Gaelic speaking population of the district. Some of their phrases had struck him as being curious and forcible, especially in relation to the economics of worldly policy. Among these, one phrase in particular had been fixed in his memory-"c.u.m au greim a gheibhthu;" which, being interpreted in Scottish idiom, he understood to imply, "Haud," or "Keep the grip you have got."

The occasion on which this phrase, somewhat felicitously, was brought into use, was the following:-Returning from one of his voyages to the Greenland seas, whilst sailing from the port of Greenock, they had stretched, under a prevalence of south-westerly gales, to leeward of the northern sh.o.r.e of the island of Mull, forming part of the county of Argyle.

The wind not availing for convenient progress on the destined course, they took shelter in Tobermory, near the head of the Sound of Mull. This port, as a site for commercial enterprise, was brought into consideration (undue consideration as the trial has proved) by the "Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of the Fisheries," a little more than half a century ago. The place naturally attracting my Father's attention, he went on sh.o.r.e with little delay. He proceeded to the inn first of all, and indicated his wish to the landlord to have dinner provided for him before he returned to his ship. The interval he naturally employed in examining the place and the neighbouring scenery.

During the time whilst he remained at the inn, and was in communication with its inmates, he observed,-when ordering his dinner, and when being waited on as he was eating, as also, subsequently, when he asked the cost of the entertainment he had received,-no language was spoken betwixt the landlord and his wife (who mutually contributed to his requirements) but the Gaelic. And on two or three occasions, especially on a discussion, as he fancied, of the important matter of the reckoning, there seemed to be a considerable difference of opinion betwixt the parties as _to the amount_ to be charged. Nevertheless whilst by the significant action, and whispering tone, he gathered, or supposed he gathered, so much of the purport of the discussion, not one word of what was said, as they had justly inferred, could he strictly or certainly interpret.

But a trifling incident, by which his acquaintance with the maxim above spoken of was elicited, gave a new and somewhat astounding annunciation to his Gaelic-speaking hosts.

Some little time before his departure, being in want of some carbonate of soda, which he occasionally took for a not unfrequent annoyance of acidity at the stomach, a messenger, a little son of the landlord, was sent to the apothecary, to procure what was required, he being furnished with sixpence as payment for the same. On his return with the article it happened that the parents of the boy, who had just finished one of their Gaelic discussions, were both in the room, and were observant of his delivering the carbonate, and, along with it, twopence, the amount of the change.

This, my Father declined receiving; but the boy, not thoroughly a.s.sured of the intention, turned to his parents for directions how to act, who, partic.i.p.ating in his perplexity about retaining it, motioned him to return the pence again. On his second essay to do this, he was met by the most expressive and intelligible injunction,-"c.u.m au greim a gheibhthu,"-an injunction which the lad received with not less surprise than satisfaction.

Whilst my Father, with his characteristic self-possession and coolness, practised this little device, he was greatly amused in marking the wonderful effects of his Gaelic maxim upon the minds and feelings of his hosts. The mere utterance of a few words in a language supposed to be unknown to their guest, might have sufficed, under any circ.u.mstances, to have occasioned some surprise; but the so felicitous an application of a national phrase in the peculiar circ.u.mstances of the case, seemed absolutely to overwhelm them with consternation. For they naturally inferred that their guest must be familiar with a language which he had thus idiomatically employed, and therefore that he must have understood the discussions, designed to be _most private_, which had been held in his hearing. From that moment there was an obvious change of manner and conduct towards their guest by his hosts; not that they were less respectful, but more cautiously reserved; and it seemed not a little curious, after so much of the native tongue had been heard, that not another word of Gaelic was ever uttered by any of the household in my Father's hearing so long as he remained among them.

SECTION III.-_Subsequent and concluding Enterprises._

On the retirement of my Father from the Greenock Whale-fishing Company, the command of the John, with the advantages and perquisites enjoyed by her original commander, was transferred to his son-in-law, Captain Thomas Jackson. Having previously, during a period of three years, held a command in the transport service, besides having been a.s.sociated with my Father in his voyages of 1813 and 1814, Mr. Jackson took up this somewhat novel service with that spirit, talent, and enterprise, which, in their action and results, were alike commendatory and successful.

My Father, meanwhile, whose spirit of enterprise, if not wearied, had become somewhat less constraining in furtherance of fresh undertakings, was content, for the first time during a period of above thirty years service, to remain for a season (that of the year 1815) unemployed. But, ill at ease in a condition of entire idleness, he undertook, for a couple of voyages, to sail out of Whitby (without engagement of property in the adventure) in charge of the _Mars_, a new ship of 343 tons, belonging to his old and steady friends, Messrs. Fishburn and Brodrick. The cargoes, in this instance obtained, did not correspond with those which had hitherto claimed for him an unrivalled superiority. They were still characterised, when compared with the results of the fishery in general, as superior; but superior only to an extent of one-fourth or one-fifth beyond the common average.

Another year of retirement from the sea-service, as a commander, succeeded his engagement in the command of the Mars; but the time was not spent, as before, without any professional object; my Father, in the autumn of 1817, having purchased, solely on his own account, another teak-built ship, the _Fame_, of 370 tons burden, originally brought into England as a prize from the French.

The fitting out of the Fame was deferred until a period very inconveniently late, under the idea, perhaps, of her being employed by the Government for Arctic researches,-just at this time proposed to be renewed; and this idea he might well be supposed to entertain, because of the knowledge of the fact,-that it was in consequence of information communicated by myself to the President of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, that the attention of the Council of the Royal Society and the Government had been directed to the long dormant enterprise, and that that distinguished patron of science, with whom we both had frequent intercourse, was very desirous that I should be employed (having requested me to be sent for to London with this view) in the proposed adventure.[M]

Our expectations herein, however, I need hardly add, were altogether disappointed, and, so far as _expense_, at least, was concerned, much to the national disadvantage, as we could have accomplished one of those enterprises (the Polar research of 1818) at one-tenth of the cost of the appointed expedition, and, at all events, with as much effectiveness; for, on that unfortunate occasion, _less_ could not have been accomplished.