THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 



men, three being Spaniards. Thus we are more short-hand- 

 ed than ever, and lower in the scale of civilization. 



We had brought the ship to a presentable shape, when 

 Captain Kennedy, of the Peacock, arid Commodore Ballard, 

 of the North Carolina, honored us with a visit. The former 

 gentleman had never before been on board a whale-ship, and, 

 meaning no disrespect, I will say that he was in a degree 

 verdant. It must have been "off-duty day" with them, for 

 they took a leisurely survey fore and aft. The commodore 

 was pleased to observe that the whale-ship was the best 

 school for seamen that the world had known. I asked my- 

 self if it was not true that if our midshipmen took primary 

 lessons on board such ships, and graduated as boat-steerers 

 before being transferred to the men-of-war, they would be 

 more effective in storm or battle. One or two grand rows 

 with fighting whales would make the boarding of a frigate's 

 deck seem a holiday pastime. 



The Peacock has been to Oahu, where she took out of the 

 fort all the American and English seamen confined there, 

 three of our old crew among the rest. They are now on 

 board that vessel. The consul was not on hand, as I under- 

 stand he habitually has business on the north-west coast 

 whenever our men-of-war visit his post. 



Of course, our opportunities are extremely limited to learn 

 any thing about the social or political condition of the people 

 we are visiting ; but enough reaches us to satisfy us of the 

 wretchedness of the country, arising from the struggles of 

 military chieftains for the control of affairs. The present 

 ruler, Santa Cruz, we are told, instituted war with Chili to 

 give employment to the soldiery, and to remove the military 

 element from mischievous idleness, holding that a war was 

 less expensive and hurtful than peace. Revolution is the 

 order of the day, and pronunciamentos the common litera- 

 ture of the country. Oppression and extortion prevail, and 



