FKEFACE. 



xxiii 



lire io the magazine and blow up the crew to eternity 

 {words which might have been picked up by the captaia 

 in conversation with such a person,) we could not per- 

 ceive the slightest indication that any one on board the 

 Essex had any better notion or knowledge of a God, or of 

 any thing connected with religion, than the inhabitants of 

 Terra del Fuego. But our surprise was gratuitous, and 

 originated merely in ignorance of the American language, 

 in which the word chaplain does not mean what it does in 

 English, but a sort of Jack-of-all-trades. In fact this worthy 

 character, whom we injuriously suspected of enjoying a 

 sinecure, appeared, on examination, to be one of the most 

 efficient men on board. His name occurs in three places, 

 in the first of which he acts as prize-master, in the second 

 -as superintendent of the boiling of blubber, and in the third 

 as a kind of deputy surgeon's mate." 



The author has extracted this passage principally 

 with a view to giving a specimen of the fine vein 

 of humour running through the whole perform- 

 ance, and of the facility with w hich an exemplary 

 regard to religion may be coupled with the grossest 

 ribaldry. With regard to the character of Mr. 

 Adams, little need be said. Those who are ac- 

 quainted with his pure morals, his amiable manners^ 

 his great scientific attainments, and his indefatiga- 

 ble activity in the discharge of every duty confided 

 to him, need not be told, that as chaplain of the 

 Essex, he never disgraced his station. That he 

 acted on one occasion as prize-master, was owing 

 to the circumstance of every officer of the ship that 

 could possibly be spared, having been sent out of 

 her to take care of the different prizes. Indeed, the 

 number of prizes, and the multiplicity of duties 

 consequent to the situation of Captain Porter's 

 ships, rendered it indispensable that every person 

 should be employed. If the Reviewer had paid 

 due attention to Mr. Adams, he would have found 



