244 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



remained until the 28th November of the same year, when they were relieved by 

 Captain Josiah Cloete of the 21st Regiment of Dragoons, and some troops from the Cape 

 of Good Hope. Captain Cloete then succeeded Lieutenant Rich, as Commandant, 

 and remained until the settlement was finally abandoned by the British Government 

 in November 1817. During his four months' stay on shore Lieutenant Rich kept a 

 journal, from which the following interesting particulars have been extracted : — 



The " Falmouth " remained five days in the vicinity of the group, landing stores, pro- 

 visions, and other necessaries for the men on shore ; and during her stay Captain Festing, 

 with a laudable anxiety to explore Tristan Island, started in a gig to pull round it, and 

 the master of the ship sounded out the anchorage, which he named Falmouth Bay, a 

 name which it has since retained, although the original name appears to have been Recep- 

 tion Bay. Captain Festing was unfortunate in his weather, for at 2 p.m. on the day he 

 started, the wind and sea had become strong enough to necessitate his return to his ship, 

 and they increased so rapidly as to threaten the total loss of the boat. After struggling 

 against these adverse circumstances for some hours, Captain Festing perceived that the 

 only chance of safety for his exhausted crew was .to endeavour to land, and in this he 

 succeeded at 10 p.m., but not without his boat being capsized, and stove against the rocks, 

 and his crew receiving a considerable number of bruises before they extricated themselves 

 from the surf. Captain Festing and his boat's crew remained in a very unpleasant position 

 on the rocks for two days, living on Penguins, before they could be rescued, for the 

 sea and wind were sufficient to force the " Falmouth " to slip from her anchors to avoid 

 being driven on shore. Fortunately he had means of making a fire with flint and steel, 

 and plenty of Tussock Grass around him to burn, so that they were able to cook their food. 



After the " Falmouth " left the group, Lieutenant Rich employed his men in regu- 

 lar working parties, in cutting wood and building huts, in catching fish, in killing and 

 boiling down Sea Elephants for oil, and curing their skins to make caps and moccasins, 

 and in preparing a large piece of ground for the reception of vegetables and cereals. 



The fishing parties were always successful ; they fished with hook and line from a 

 boat at anchor. The party cutting wood and building the huts met with some diffi- 

 culties owing to the smallness of the trees, there being only one species of tree on the 

 islands (Phylica nitida), the wood of which is weak and small. After the first hut was 

 built and the stores removed into it, they found that continuous rain for a day made their 

 thatch of Tussock Grass so heavy that it bent the uprights on which the roof rested, 

 consequently they had to begin their work over again, and build smaller huts, which they 

 floored with staves of casks and other materials. 



The agricultural party cleared a large patch of ground, and planted some wheat, 

 potatoes, and a large quantity of cabbages, in addition to the ground already under 

 cultivation by Thomas Currie, who had grown a considerable number of potatoes, 

 cabbages, and carrots, which had a most healthy appearance. 



