Formerly whales were principally taken in the North Seas: the largest were generally found about Spitzbergen, or Greenland, some of them measuring ninety feet in length. At the commencement of the hazardous enterprize of killing whales, before they had been disturbed by man, they were so numerous in the bays and harbours, that when taken the blubber was for the most part boiled into oil upon the contiguous coast. The pure oil and whale bone were only preserved in those days; consequently a ship

The Ship Globe, on board of which vessel occurred the horrid transactions we are about to relate, belonged to the Island of Nantucket; she was owned by Messrs. C. Mitchell, & Co. and other merchants of that place; and commanded on this voyage by Thomas Worth, of Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard. William Beetle, (mate,) John Lumbert, (2d mate,) Nathaniel Fisher, (3d mate,) Gilbert Smith, (boat steerer,) Samuel B. Comstock, do. Stephen Kidder, seaman, Peter C. Kidder, do. Columbus Worth, do. R

Smith, the other boat-steerer, who had been marked as one of the victims, on hearing the noise in the cabin, went aft, apprehending an altercation between the Captain and some of the other officers, little dreaming that innocent blood was flowing in torrents. But what was his astonishment, when he beheld Comstock, brandishing the boarding knife, and heard him exclaim, “I am the bloody man, and will have revenge!” Horror struck, he hurried forward, and asked the crew in the forecastle, what he sh

U. S. Consulate, Valparaiso, 15th June, 1824. Gilbert Smith examined on oath, touching the mutiny and murder on board the whale ship Globe, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the Pacific Ocean. Question. Who were the Captain and mates of the ship Globe? Ans. Thomas Worth, Captain; William Beetle, first mate; John Lumbert, second mate; Nathaniel Fisher, third mate. Q. Where was you born? A. In the town of Edgarton, State of Massachusetts. Q. Did you sail from thence in the ship Globe of Nantucket, 2

On the following day, however, accompanied by natives, we met at the scene of destruction, and truly it was an appalling one to us. The mangled corpses of our companions, rendered more ghastly from the numerous wounds they had received, the provisions, clothing, &c. scattered about the ground, the hideous yells of exultation uttered by the natives, all conspired to render our situation superlatively miserable. We asked, and obtained leave from our masters, to bury the bodies which lay sc

Early in the morning of the day on which Hussey left me, preparations were made for his embarkation with his new master and family. We were allowed a short interview, and after taking an affectionate leave of each other, we parted with heavy hearts. The tender ties which bound me to my companion in misfortune, seemed now about to be forever broken asunder. No features to gaze upon, but those of my savage masters, and no one with whom I could hold converse, my heart seemed bursting with grief at

It was not until the 23d of December, 1825, that the prospects of being relieved from my disagreeable situation began to brighten. Early in the morning of that day, I was awakened by a hooting and yelling of the natives, who said, a vessel had anchored at the head of the Island. They seemed alarmed, and I need not assure the reader, that my feelings were of a contrary nature. Their God was immediately consulted, as to the measures to pursue; but as I was not allowed to be present when he was inv

I will now proceed to give the reader some account of the Islands I visited, and of the manners and customs of the natives, and shall endeavour to be as candid and correct as possible. The Mulgrave Islands are situated between 5 and 6 degrees north latitude, and between 170 and 174 degrees of east longitude. They are about 50 miles in length, and lie in the form of a semi-circle, forming a kind of inland sea or lake; the distance across it being about 20 miles. The land is narrow, and the widest

This chapter, and the concluding remarks of the narrative, will be collated from a Journal kept by Cyrus M. Hussey; and if there appear occasionally some incidents similar to those recorded in the preceding account, it is believed the value and interest of this history will not be diminished by them.—Hussey commences thus: About the last of April, myself and Lay were separated, destined to different Islands, not knowing whether we should ever see each other again. At night we arrived at an Islan

Having a successful fishing voyage, we loaded our canoe, and carried our cargo to the chiefs of Luguonewort . I had the satisfaction of an interview with Lay; but our provisions being soon exhausted, we were obliged to go again in search of fish. At this time there was a severe drought, and breadfruit trees suffered extremely, many of them entirely died. The superstitious natives supposed the drought was sent upon them as a judgment, because myself and Lay were allowed to live. I informed them t

Of Words and Phrases, used by the natives of the Mulgrave Islands, with their definitions and so spelt and divided in syllables as to give the Reader a very clear understanding of the pronunciation. THE END. A table of contents has been added for the convenience of the reader....