of Lord North’s Island. 217 
doubt. The published narrative contains the same particulars which 
I had heard them relate in conversation; and, though I had fre- 
quent opportunities of interrogating each of them separately, I never 
found any material discrepancies in their statements ; which, I may 
add, agreed also with the published narrative. 
The two individuals in question were seamen on board of an 
American whale-ship, called The Mentor, belonging to the port of 
New Bedford, in Massachusetts. This ship, with her company of 
twenty-two persons, under the command of Captain Edward C, 
Barnard, sailed from the United States in the month of July, 1831, 
for the Indian Ocean, on a whaling voyage. While cruising there, 
and just after passing the Molucca Islands, they experienced very 
severe weather; which, continuing for several days, prevented their 
taking any observation that would enable them to determine their 
latitude and longitude; and, during the night of the 21st of May, 
1832, when they were not apprehending any danger, the ship 
suddenly struck with great violence upon what they afterwards 
found was a coral reef, extending to the northward and eastward 
of the Pelew Islands. In the midst of the confusion and horrors 
of the moment, one of the ship’s boats was lowered down, and 
ten of the crew threw themselves into it, believing it to be safer 
than to remain in the ship. But the boat and men were imme- 
diately swallowed up in the waves, and nothing was ever seen of 
them again except some shattered fragments of the boat, which 
were observed the next morning lying on the rocks, at a distance 
from the ship. Another boat was shortly afterwards let down from 
the ship, but was immediately dashed to pieces; the captain and 
some of the crew, who were in her, were all in imminent hazard 
of their lives, and one actually perished. It was then decided to 
remain on the wreck till daylight ; which they effected, though with 
