THE ANTARCTIC SEAL FISHERIES. 461 



half a dollar per moy and $12 anchorage. The salt ponds are about 2 miles from the landing and the salt brought 

 down on jackasses. 



A ship from Nantucket arrived, Captain Fosdick, bound round Cape Horn on a whaling voyage. He had ex- 

 perienced rough weather and had come in to refit, having stove his try-works. 



SEALING AT THE FALKLAND ISLANDS AND PATAGONIA. 



Crossed the equator on the 18th of January. On the 22d of February reached the Falkland Islands, eighty-five 

 days from New York. On this day at 6 a. m. made the land bearing east 8 leagues distance, being the Guard and 

 Steeple Jason Islands ; got out our boats and all but nine of the crew went ashore and returned in the afternoon in 

 high spirits. Mr. Griswold, our first officer, said the seal appeared very plenty and no crew there. We almost felt 

 sure of our voyage. They soon packed up and were again on shore and wo bore away with the ship for the harbor 

 and anchored at dark at the mouth of it. Wo saw a brig in sight in aTnrrirer harbor about 4 miles from us. This we 

 did not like. Next morning we warped into the harbor. The captain of the brig came on board. It proved to be 

 an English brig, Captain Morse, after a cargo of hair seal and oil from the sea-elephant. As he did not interfere with 

 onr voyage we were glad to see him. We soon got our shallop frame landed and went to work setting it up. This 

 frame was brought from the United States. 



On the 3d of March Mr. Griswold came in from the Jason Islands with a boat's crew, and, much to our disappoint- 

 ment, says there are very few seals. We drove on -with our shallop as fast as possible, as she was much wanted to 

 search the islands. 



I have commenced my attack on the seal. It is uncommon to see them in this harbor, but one day I saw a hair- 

 seal swimming near where we were at work on the shallop. As we had frequent opportunities to kill wild hogs we 

 kept a loaded musket handy. I took it up and put the ball just through the back part of the head of the seal. He 

 was so badly wounded that he could not well get under water, but floundered about at a great rate. I jumped into 

 the yawl and attacked him with my oar. Captain Greene laughed at me and told me to haul him into the boat. As 

 he was a stout fellow I did not much like it, but reflecting that it would not do to come so far for seals and then be 

 afraid of them, I watched my chance, and getting hold of one of his hind flippers, I very suddenly jerked him into 

 the boat. He now floundered worse than before. I punched him with the end of the oar, but for some time I did not 

 know which would keep possession of the boat, and I believe if no one had seen me I would have quit and swum 

 ashore ; but at last I conquered the rascal. This pleased Captain Greene very much. 



Captain Morse, in the brig that had been here with us, left on the 17th of March for Big West Harbor, where he 

 met Capt. David Bunker, in a bark from Hudson, N. Y., and Captain Williams, in a brig from New York. The cap- 

 tains of both these vessels visited us. Both were after elephant oil and hair and fur seal skins. Captain Bunker had 

 been in these islands four months and had taken only 150 barrels elephant oil and six hundred hair-seal skins. Cap- 

 tain Williams had been here eight months and had on board seven thousand fur and twelve thousand hair skins. 

 They are to proceed to the coast of Patagonia and after that to New York. 



March 26 we launched our shallop, having set her up and finished her in thirty-three days. She measures about 

 30 tons. The 29th Captain Greene sailed in the shallop for Jason Islands, leaving only the captain, carpenter, doctor, 

 and myself on the ship. 



On the 24th of April we nearly lost the shallop, which would have been a very serious loss. A strong breeze hove 

 a heavy sea into Steeple Jason Cove. The shallop broke off the palms of both anchors and went on shore. The men 

 got her off and at a great Lazard got to sea, where they found they could not keep her free of water long enough to 

 make this harbor. They therefore run her into Grand Jason, where they were just able to get her into 2 fathoms of 

 water before she sunk. They afterwards got her up and by nailing canvas over where she had bilged they were able 

 by hard pumping and bailing to get her into this harbor, where wo got her on shore and repaired her. 



May 21 Captain Greene, having been down to Port Egmont in the shallop, returned with four hogs and forty 

 geese which they had killed down there. They found lying there Capt. David [or Paul] Bunker in a ship from 

 Hudson. She arrived the 8th of January, and her tender a North Eiver sloop of 50 tons, in charge of his brother, 

 Capt. Prince Bunker arrived on the 20th, after a passage of one hundred and sixty or one hundred and seventy days. 

 They had but 50 barrels of oil and two thousand fur and hair skins. 



On the 7th of July there was thin ice in a bucket of water on deck for the first time. 



July 26 the shallop again arrived in distress, having been driven on shore in a gale at the Grand Jason. She got 

 about half full of water. We got her ashore and repaired her by mending her keel, putting in a strake or two and a 

 number of graving pieces in her bottom, and giving her a new rudder and stern-post. After we had repaired her, in 

 heaving her off we broke her best anchor in three pieces and after getting her into the water found she leaked rather 

 bad. We hove her out again and partially stopped the leak, but she has never since been as tight as before she got 

 ashore. 



On August 22 Captain Bunker came up from Port Egmont with his sloop tender and agreed with Captain Greene 

 that they make up a crew and go on to the coast of Patagonia in the sloop and search for seal. Accordingly, on the 

 26th, Captains Greene and Bunker, with twenty-four men sailed in the sloop Betsey with the understanding that if 

 we heard nothing from them in six weeks, I was to send our shallop over and look for them as they may have got 

 their vessel on shore. After being absent about thirty-three days they returned in a passage of twelve days, having 

 left a sealing crow at Cape Mattass, with a whale-boat to shift along 'the coast if necessary. 



On their first arrival on the coast they found a few Spaniards, sealing on an island near the month of Port Desire 

 River, who told them there would be no difficulty in getting permission from the cinniiiiiiidant at Port Desire to seal. 



