NEWS FROM HOME. 97 



Massasoit, of Mattapoisett, and from her got several 

 terrapins which she procured in Madagascar. These 

 creatures had lived in her lower hold for twelve 

 months, we kept them three more ; still, when we 

 killed them we found them quite fat, and had a 

 delicious meal off them. From this ship we also 

 received a quantity of Madagascar beans, which were 

 most excellent — surpassing, in richness and flavor, 

 the best of our beans at home. They are about the 

 size of the Lima bean, the skin being covered with 

 black spots. 



On the 23d of May w^e spoke the barque Ann, of 

 Sag Harbor, and from her received papers five and a 

 half months old ; they were treasures to us, and 

 were read with intense interest, advertisements and 

 all coming in for a share of attention ; these papers 

 were full of anticipated troubles with England, and, 

 of course, this prospect of a war was the favorite 

 topic. Like all Americans, we felt the superiority 

 of the universal Yankee nation, and had no fears as 

 to the result in case of a w^ar with John Bull ; and, 

 from the general tenor of the conversation, I should 

 infer that, in case of emergency, the whalemen 

 W'Ould be found amongst the most strenuous sup- 

 porters of both army and navy. Another light also 

 was cast on the subject by some one hoping that we 

 should be ordered home ; and as a war would raise 

 the price of oil, and induce an earlier return home, 

 both topics of intense interest to us, it cannot be 

 wondered that we w6re so much engrossed by them. 



As I before said, we shipped two new men in the 

 Vasse ; one of these was, according to his own 

 account, a renowned pugilist, and had fought and 

 9 G 



