WRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 341 



caution is necessary. In 1820 the Blendenhall, Captain 

 Greio-, struck the steep shingly beach on the south side of 

 the largest island before land was discovered ; the crew 

 and passengers got ashore with difficulty, and the ship 

 almost immediately went to pieces. Some bales of light 

 goods, of which clothes were made for those who had es- 

 caped without them, and a patent iron buoy, which was 

 cut in two and converted into a cooking utensil, were the 

 only things saved. The party subsisted several weeks on 

 penguinslind on the fish caught from the projecting rocks. 

 A curious trait of Jack's improvident character occurred 

 while they were on the island : — A sailor had been missing 

 some days, and while his comrades were roaming about 

 in search of him, they came to a rum-cask standing on 

 end. A halt was instantly called ; and, having duly ascer- 

 tained its marks and number, they resolved to taste the 

 contents. Proceeding to make a tap, they found it to be 

 empty ; and on removing it discovered their missing com- 

 panion fast asleep. When roused he explained to them, 

 that, strolling about two days before, he had hit upon the 

 cask, and indulged in potations so liberally and so long 

 that he felt himself getting uncomfortably chill, and thought 

 the best thing he could do was to knock the end out of the 

 cask, and capsize it over him as a shelter from the cold 

 night-air and heavy rain. The crew, after being some 

 time on the island, constructed (with the help of the sur- 

 geon's case of instruments !) a small boat, which enabled 

 them to reach a neighbouring island whence they had ob- 

 served smoke ascending. There they found several Ameri- 

 can seamen, left by a whaler to kill seals ; and the vessel, 

 calling some days after, conveyed them to the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



A ship not bound to the Cape, after passing the meridian 

 of Greenwich in lat. 35° south, from December to April 

 should keep between 37° and 39° in running down her 

 easting ; for the winds will be found as favourable in this 

 parallel as in a higher latitude. On this point, however, 

 there is much dilTerence of opinion ; and general rules are 

 often set aside when a spurt of fair wind tempts one to point 

 the ship's head towards her port. Ships bound to the Cape 

 ou<:ht to increase the latitude to 35° or 352° as they draw to 

 the eastward, to avoid the risk of being blown tothenorth- 



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