"MINNESOTA" AND OTHER UNFORTUNATES 257 



at 2 P M. saw two whales Loward three boats at 3 returned 

 onboard without getting fast while the boats was off Capt 

 Peabody gave orders to make more sail and keep the ship near 

 the boats and after wee got onboard he asked mee how many- 

 whales I saw at tea time he was in bed and did not get up to 

 eat at 6.30 P. M. saw two whales the weather to thick to 

 lower while looking at the whales thair being no one in the cab- 

 bin but the Capt. wee heard the report of a gun and a musket 

 ball came up thru the deck wee immediately went down below 

 and found Captain Peabody lying on deck in his room with his 

 face blown off from his chin to his eyes boath upper and lower 

 jaws intirely off hee breathed a few moments and was gone. 



Middle part moar moderate at 1.30 A. M. saw Ice more to 

 west at 8.30 A. M. Committed the remains of Capt. Peabody 

 to the deep and A solemn sight it was ordered Last of this day 

 light S. S. W. winds weather some thick ship head S. E. 



Lat by Obs. W.. 26 W 

 Long by Chro. 179.. 12. E. 



I am not a student of mental diseases and I am quite aware 

 that the material is perhaps not at present available to enable 

 me to discuss with confidence the relative proportion of unbal- 

 anced minds on shore and at sea, and in the whale ''fishery'' as 

 compared with the whole body of seafaring men. But the old 

 log books and other manuscript records of life at sea contain 

 a vast amount of information that any serious student of 

 abnormal psychology will find markedly interesting; and it is 

 my own conviction, reached after reading hundreds of log books 

 and sea journals, that the old whaling vessels had more than 

 their arithmetical proportion of madmen. 



