Page 26. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2017


wicked, having hanged several of the natives to the rigging; they wear their beards long. Some reliance, I should think may be laid on their statements, as Mr. M’Leod showed us some Russia coins, combs, several arti- cles of hardware, very diff erent from those furnished by the British Company. Mir. M’Leod caused the natives to assemble last summer, for the purpose of accompanying him in his departure for Hudson’s Bay. The sea is said to be open after July. This gen- tleman’s conduct aff ords a striking example of the eff ects of perseverance. In the short space of eleven months he visited the Polar Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacifi c Oceans, undergoing such hardships and dangers as perhaps, were never experienced by any other individual. – Statesman


14 March Page From the Charleston Courier, February 25 Com. Porter and the Mexican Squadron We learn that the position taken by


the Commodore at Key West, is as much a matter of choice, as it has been supposed to be of necessity. On the 13th


of February


the Commodore put to sea, with his whole squadron, consisting of a frigate of 40 guns, two brigs, one of 18, the other of 20 guns, and a schooner of 5. The enemy’s squadron off the port consisted of two frigates of the fi rst class, and one brig of 20 guns. The Mexican squadron had to beat up against a strong wind and tide, to cross the reef and reach the enemy; and when it succeeded in coming within fi ve miles of the enemy, he set all sail and was soon out of sight, night coming on, and the passage of the reef being diffi cult in the dark, the squadron returned to its former anchorage. Commodore Porter had sent a number


of prisoners to the Havana; but receiving no answer to his polite note to the Governor, he afterwards retained his prisoners, notifying the Naval Commander at the Havana of his disposition to exchange – except of persons who had been engaged in the Slave Trade. Commodore Porter’s Squadron was at


Key West February 21 – already for the sea and action.


The schooner MARY, Capt. L. Fisher,


arrived last evening from New Brunswick, New Jersey, with 354 barrels of corn meal, and some clothing, being a donation from that place for the Greeks. The collections here exceed the amount


expected. It is said they will amount to from thirty to forty thousand dollars. One ship will not be suffi cient to carry the provisions already collected. – New York Mer. Adv.


Advertisements: FOR BOSTON The sloop BRUTUS, I. Clark master,


will sail for Boston on Saturday next, wind and weather permitting. For freight or pas- sage apply to Harden & French, or the master on board.


A WIFE’S DUTY TO HER HUSBAND Thy husband is thy Lord, thy life, thy


keeper, body


Thy head, thy sovereign; commits his


To painful labor, both by sea and land; To watch the night in storms, the day


and cold, While thou liest warm at home, secure


and safe: And claiws no other tribute at thy hands, But love, fair looks, and true obedience; To little gayment for so large a debt. Such duty as the subject owes the


prince, Even such women oweth to her hus-


HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Hancock Gazette - 1827 band:


And when she’s froward, peevish, sour. And not obedient to his honest will, What is she but a foul contending rebel, And graceless traitor to her loving


Lord? Shaks.


21 March The brig MARTHA, which arrived at , from New York, was


Portland, on the 12th


ordered into quarantine, it being discovered that she had a man on board sick with the smallpox.


FROM EUROPE


The Boston packet ship AMETHYST, Capt. Crooker, arrived at Boston 12th


inst.


in 37 days from Liverpool, and brought a Liverpool paper of the 2nd


of February (one


day the latest) with which we have been favored by Mr. Topliff .


28 March


GROUND SWELL IN THE POLAR REGIONS


The ice in the polar regions, accommo-


dates itself to the surface by bending, but when several yards in thickness, it refuses to yield beyond a certain extent, and is broken in pieces with dreadful explosions. The best account that we know of the appearances presented on such occasions is given by a party of Moravian Missionaries, who were engaged in a coasting expedition on the ice along the northern shore of Labrador, with sledges drawn by dogs. They narrowly escaped destruction from one of these oc- currences, and were near enough to witness all its grandeur. We extract it from the re- cent interesting compilation of the Rev. Dr. Brown, on the history of the Propagation of Christianity. The missionaries met a sledge with


Esquimaux turning in from the sea, who threw out some hints that it might be as well for them to return; after some time, their own Esquimax hinted that there was a ground swell under the ice: it was then scarcely perceptible, except on lying down and applying the ear close to the ice, when a hollow disagreeable grating noise was heard ascending from the abyss. As the motion of the sea under the ice had grown more per- ceptible, they became alarmed, and began to think it prudent to keep close to the shore; the ice also had fi ssures in many places, some of which formed chasms of one or two feet, but as these are not uncommon even in its best state, and the dogs easily leap over them, they are frightful only to strangers; as the wind rose to a storm, the swell had now increased so much that its eff ects on the ice were extraordinary and really alarming. The sledges, instead of gliding smooth- ly along on an even surface, sometimes ran with violence after the dogs, and sometimes seemed with diffi culty to ascend a rising hill; noises, too, were now distantly heard in many directions like the report of cannon from the bursting of the ice at a distance; alarmed at this frightful phenomena, our travelers drove with all haste towards the shore, and as they approached it, the prospect before them was tremendous; the ice having burst loose from the rocks, was tossed to and fro, and broken in thousand pieces against the precipices, with a dreadful noise; which added to the raging of the sea, the roaring of the wind, and the driving of the snow, so completely overpowered them as almost to deprive them of the use of both their eyes and ears. To make land now was the only source


that remained; but it was with the utmost diffi culty that the frightened dogs could be driven forward, and as the whole body of the ice frequently sunk below the summits


of the rocks and then rose above them, the only time for landing was at the moment it gained the level of the coast, a circumstance which rendered the attempt extremely nice and hazardous. Both sledges, however, succeeded in gaining the shore, and were drawn up on the beach, though not without great diffi culty; scarcely had they reached it, when the part of the ice from which they had just escaped, burst asunder, and the water rushing from beneath, instantly precipitated it into the ocean. In a moment, as if by a signal, the whole mass of ice for several miles along the coast, and extending as far as the eye could reach, began to break and to be overwhelmed with waves; the spectacle, was awfully grand, the immense fi elds of ice rising out of the ocean clashing against one another, and then plunging into the deep with a violence which no language can describe, and a noise like ten thousand canyons, was a sight which must have struck the most un-refl ecting mind with solemn awe. The brethren were overwhelmed with amazement at their miraculous escape, and even the pagan Esquimaux expressed grati- tude to God for their deliverance.


Commerce of the United States. – The


Secretary of the Treasury has just submitted to Congress, the annual statement of the Commerce and Navigation of the United States, to the 1st


of October last. The amount


of imports for the year preceding that date was $84,974,477. The amount of imports the preceding year, was $96,347,075. The amount of exports in the year of September last, were


ending the 30th


$77,595,322 of which $52,055,710 were of domestic, and 24,539,612 of foreign produce. The amount of exports in the preceding year, was $99,535,388 of which $66,944,745 were domestic produce, and $32,590,643 of foreign.


The U. S. sloop of war NATCHEZ was launched at Gosport, VA, on the 8th


inst. DIED In this town, suddenly, Capt. Zebedee


Eells, aged 30. In Castine, Josiah Hook, Esq. Collector of the Customs or the Port of Penobscot.


4 April MISCELLANY From the National Intelligencer


Extracting of an interesting Letter from the South Sea


U. S. Sloop of War PEACOCK Passaeta, Oteaheiti, August 18, 1826 “By my several letters from Lima


and Guayaquil, you were informed of our contemplated cruise among the South Sea Islands, for the protection of our extensive whale fi shery in this remote corner of the globe. Accordingly, on the 27th


sailed from Guayaquil, and on the 30th


of June, we took


our departure from St. Elora, (an island at the entrance of the bay) and on the 4th


of July an-


chored in Essex Bay, Charles’ Island, one of the Gallapagos’, and so correctly described by Commodore Porter, in his journal, that nothing is left for the anxious voyager who follows him. Novelty, and a desire to get a stock of tortoises, prompted us to anchor at this Island, both of which objects being fully accomplished in four days (having taken upwards of 300 terrapins on board) on the 8th


, we put to sea, shaping a course for the


Washington Groupe (or Marquesas Islands) situated in 140 degrees West longitude, and about 9 degrees of South latitude; and, on the 22nd


, anchored in Massachusetts Bay, Mad-


ison Island, having performed the passage in less than 15 days, during which time the ship actually ran over three thousand two


hundred miles, averaging more than 200 miles per day, in a low South latitude, and under circumstances not the most favorable for her best sailing. At Massachusetts Bay we remained eight days, during which time the ship was visited by almost the whole population of that part of the island. Their surprise and admiration appeared insatiable; nor was it until long after the ship was under- way, that the King, and many of his subjects, took their fi nal leave of the PEACOCK. There were numerous applications among the young men to accompany us to America, two of whom we now have on board, and may, probably, gratify you with a sight of them.


“Massachusetts Bay, you will remem-


ber, is the port Commodore Porter occupied with the ESSEX, and her prizes, during the late war, his transactions thereat comprising several chapters of his very interesting and useful Journal. It is, therefore, natural to suppose, that every American naval offi cer must be highly gratifi ed in reviewing a scene rendered conspicuous in history, by the unwearied gallantry and consummate skill of a brother offi cer. The ramparts of Fort Madison are still visible, and the wall that encompassed Porter’s camp remains, though in a dilapidated state; but the name of Porter will live in the recollection of the Nooaheevian, as long as memory serves them. It was, indeed, a most gratifying triumph, to hear these uncivilized people expressing their grateful acknowledgments for Porter’s kindness towards them, and the many inquiries made for him, all wishing to know why he did not go back and if he does not intend to visit them again. But of Nooaheevah, I have neither time nor space to say more at present; therefore, will change the scene. “On the 1st


instant, we left Nooaheevah,


and steering a little out of the track of the circumnavigators, in the hope of making some new discoveries, on the morning of the fourth day out, unexpectedly made an island, which not being on any of our charts, we supposed to be a discovery. The natives, however, appeared on the beach, and invited us to land. We sent a boat to communicate with them, and found them perfectly friend- ly, and disposed to traffi c their pearls and shells for cotton manufactures; but, as we are not traders, we left them in possession of their riches. This island is called by the inhabitants Mowo, and had been before visited by an American or English ship. “On the morning of the 7th


, the high


island, Oteaheiti, was visible from the deck, and, in the afternoon, we took a pilot off Point Venus, and the next day anchored in Matavia Bay, a place celebrated in the voy- ages of Wallace, Cook, &c. &c. Matavia is now one of the regular missionary stations of Tahiti, of which there are nine at present on this island. Soon after anchoring, the Rev. Mr. Willson, who has charge of the Matavia district, accompanied by two of the principal chiefs, came on board to welcome our arrival, which they hailed as a new era, the PEACOCK being the only American man-of-war ever here. The two successive days, we were visited by the several digni- taries of the district, among whom was the Chief Justice, whose name is Parvor. He is a man remarkable for his size and stature, weighing not less than three hundred weight. As far as I can judge, his intellect is not out of proportion. He is well-educated – is very fond of talking, or rather argument, at which he is very acute, and quite an orator. His information is general: he has a perfect knowledge of the principles of the English and American governments, frequently dis- cusses their respective merits, and greatly prefers that of the United States to all others.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32