162 MILFORD HAVEN BAT. 



of the captains and officers of these ships were 

 Americans ; and great inducements are held out by 

 Hobartown owners in the whaling trade, to induce 

 Americans to embark in their employ. 



On the 17th of May, the weather appearing 

 threatening, we signalized the schooner Eliza, and 

 under the pilotage of her captain, who came aboard 

 of us, we kept off for Milford Haven Bay, intending 

 to lay there during the continuance of the gale, and 

 in the meantime to supply ourselves with wood and 

 water, quantities of which can be had ad libitum in 

 its vicinity. After beating about with light winds, 

 and considerable towing with the boats, we contrived 

 to drop our anchor at 8 o'clock in the evening, in 

 sixteen fathoms of water, about a ship's length from 

 the shore. Lines were then run from the stern and 

 secured to the rocks, so that we soon had her snugly 

 moored stem and stern. The schooner Eliza was, 

 latterly, very successful ; having captured two whales, 

 one of which she lost through stress of weather — 

 the other, when tried out, furnished sufficient oil to 

 fill about sixty barrels, and her captain informed 

 me would reimburse the owners for all outlay on the 

 vessel — provisions being very cheap in this part of • 

 the world. Never did I see better meat, or sweeter 

 flour, than the specimens of each this schooner had 

 aboard; both were the produce of ISTew Zealand, and 

 the meat, having been but a short time salted, was 

 much better than ours. As in port anybody is at 

 liberty to board a whaler and get his dinner, we often 

 availed ourselves of the privilege, as did they in 

 boarding us ; the molasses aboard of our ship 

 being the center of attraction to them ; also the 



