Hosea Dudley

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everything being neglected untill it gives way and then it is patched up as well as circumstances will permit and is not thought of again untill it again gives way again, and then the Captain curses and swares blames the sailors patches it up again and let it go.

The barometer is said to have been verry low having been as low as 27½, and the sea fearfully high.

Luched ship and hurled NW and gradualy dying away.

[centered] Sunday 25^th

Lat [Latitude] 47° 00" [Inches] Lon [Longitude] 51° 11". Weather clear and fine but cold Wind South steering W.S.W., near our course. Today To day has been a verry exiting [exciting] day with us on account of the number of vessels we have fallen in with, being no less than three, this forenoon, all bound north the first one was some miles to windward when first seen, and after trying in vain to get near enough to speak us stood away again on her course. The next; when first seen was nearly ahead; she passed us within hail; she was an English ship named the Pickwick from Vulpariso, bound for London, she was right before the wind with everything set studding sails and all. She passed us like the wind and went bounding on her course, as though instinct with life, and action, and sencible that every hour brought her nearer to her destined haven; She had hardly passed when when far as the eye could see to windward, might be deserned a bright white speck on the horizon, glittering in the sun, this as she came nearer, we would make out to be a ship, bound north, she changed her course, and bore down toward us, but falling astern when several miles off she bore away again, but contrary to all expectation our Captain manifested a wilingness to be shaken by throwing the Backing the man [main] topsail aback, which was no sooner observed on board the other ship than she again bore down towards us. Then commenced the greatest ex[c]itement on board our ship, in getting ready the letters to send home, and all seemed to take it for granted that she was bound to the United States, and they were not disappointed, for she proved to be the Edward Carey, of Nantuckett, from Calao [Callao], bound for Boston, New York with a cargo of Guano. Captain Coffen, master. She came under our lee boat locked his maintopsail, but was unable to, to send about onboard for a verry good reason, that is, that he had lost it in coming round Cape Horn, and also a part of his cargo being obliged to throw apart throw it overboard in a gale, he stated that he had the hardest roughest time in getting round cape horn that he ever had and of which his ship bore ample testimony, he was 48 days from Calao, In consequence of which a boat was lowered from our ship and

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the mate went onboard the boat immediately returned with Capt Coffen a Anyone would have supposed that we were about to receive a visiter from some other Planet, if they could have seen the exitment and anxiety whith which the pupeyers [Puppy-eyers] exibited in trying to get a glimpse of him as he came about real genuine specimen of a Yankee sailor a spare nervous man full of life and energy open hearted, fearless and free, and a tea totaller withall; a perfect contrast to our morose brandy drinking Captain. He stated that the gold exitement [excitement] at Calao [Callao] was intense, enormous sums being found for a passag [passage], from here to San Francisco, but that he thought "the axe and the hammer would do the best out there." Anyone would have supposed that we were after being loaded, with letters and old Papers and obtaining some few things of which he stood in want, te he left us with many good wishes, and with hearty cheers, from both ships we seperated he to make as he stated "the best of way home" where friends were anxious to receive him. We to encounter the perrils of Cape Horn, and California.

One little circumstance, connected with the foregoing I cannot forbear mentioning, which is the fact that this Captain Coffen was a verry intimate friend of Mr Royalane Timothy S. Bigalow of Lawrence not with to at whose House I stoppt for some time before I started I started on this voyage, and for whom I have a great regard. I was onboard his vessell with Mr Bigalow last May a few days before he started sailed and little did I think at that time that the next time I should bhold [behold] him would be within ten degrees of Cape Horn. The only thing that we I had to regret was that I had no opportunity to speak to him of his friends at Lawrence, of which he would no doubt been glad to hear, after an abscence of 10 months. One thing we learned from him that we could not from our own Captain, the Longitude After he left us the wind died away and at night the breeze was verry light.

[centered] Monday 26^th

Calm and cloudy, all hundr the crew were set at work this morning in taughtening up the standing rigging and in the course of the day they took down the fore and mizen topgallant and royal yards.

It It would be verry difficult, giving an idea of the scenes, that are almost every day enacted on board this ship; scenes that would rival Pandemonium itself, gambling in all its forms, in lotteries, and with profs [?] dice and cards, drunkenness in all its stages, and even the religious sevices services are converted into a berlesque, by seeing men who were sencelessly drunk on Saturday, reading prayers on Sunday, articles change hands without the consent of the owners, and truth and honesty, are at a sad discount, men here seem to give way to supions [suspicions] and inclinations that, on shore were restrained and corrected held

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by friends and the forms of society, young men are forming habits that will probably cling to them through life, causing, their friends to deplore, and themselves to curse the day that they embarked on this voyage round Cape Horn. But tis not thus with all, for there are many good and true men, on board men whose influence will be felt wherever they go, on the side of morality and religion, men who respect the laws, and institutions of our country, and who will, I hope build up society, in the land to which we are bound an as good, and firm, a basis that of our own New England

[centered] Friday 30^th

Lat [Latitude] about 48° 30" Lon [Longitude] 57" 45 For the last three days we have made but verry little head way the wind being most of the time, nearly dead ahead, varying from west South to west, and blowing so that most of the time we have been under close reefed top sails, our situation is all things considered anything but pleasant the victually arrangements are miserable indeed; last week we had they had another barrell of sour molasses brought up and Tap't [Tapped]; but it lasted but a short time, for one dark night the spill, was taken out, and it soon spread itself over the deck, which caused our old Neptune, our second mat [mate], whose watch it was; to swear terribly; but a few buckets of water soon sent it out through the lee scuppers, as poison for fishes. The stewards get drunk and quarrell and the mates have has been found by the Captain, drunk, and asleep on his watch. Still with all this se hope notwithstanding notwithstanding all this we hope, when that leaves us we shall begin to grow desperate

This morning the sun rose clear wind beautiful. as it I never saw it look so large as when it first rose as it from the sea a thin haze obscured its brightness, so that the eye could rest uppon it without pain. We have the promise of a very fine day, the wind blowing from the west; steering south by west.

They took a lunar observati this afternoon, and found the longitude to be 48° 45"

[centered] Saturday 31^st

Lat [Latitude] 50° 14 Lon [Longitude] about 60 about noon the wind commenced blowing verry strong from the west, sky clear and bright, we are supposed to be near the Falklands and the large quantities of kelp and rock weed that are cas constantly floating past us conferms the supposition

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Lat [Latitude] 50° 44"

[on right side] Sunday the 1^st

Found out the day of the month without an Almanack, by going on deck and straining my eyes out to see some thing up aloft, that was not there to be seen

This morning about 4 o'clock a tremendous squall struck us verry suddenly, a regular screamer, which terminated in another S.W. gale, a regular Punisher the wind blowing stronger than I have seen it before but towards night it abated, and became comparitively calm

[on right side] Monday 2^nd

During the night the wind changed into the N.W. and before noon it had increased into a gale, at one oclock they tuck'd ship, and headed her N.E. for fear of getting too near the Falklands, which we have been trying to get to the west of, this number of days, in accordance with the advice of Captain Coffens

[on right side] Tuesday 3^rd

About 4 o'clock this morning they, they again tucked Ship and stood S.W. by W. but we make but little headway as there is a heavy swell running.

About 5 o'clock P.M., made land over the lee bow twenty, or thirty miles distant, bearing, about south This evening the wind again, hauled into the South, West, so they Tuck't and stood to the westward

[on right side] Wednesday 4^th

Cold and rough with squalls of sleet and rain. If salt water will preserve, whatever, is, saturated with it, I feel perfectly secure, for, I got soused from head to foot today in a t sea that broke over the bulwarks, while I was on deck. The prospect of our getting round the Cape Horn, seems, to be farther distant now than when we first started from Boston.

[on right side] Monday Apr. 9^th

Yesterday we were in Lat [Latitude] 51° 30" and about 20 miles dist west of the Falklands which The rugged coast of which was plain to be seen, as it rose up perpendicular from the sea, rugged rocky, and bare, against which the storms of ages have beat with unremitting violence, and as they beat against the steep face of the cliff or howl around its torn and gagged [jagged?] summit, while the ocean, thunders at its base, It It warns the marriner not to approach to near its lonely shoreand desolat shore

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We have been standing off and on for a week trying to get to the west of these islands, with the wind blowing continually from the westward, today yesterday we had strong hopes of passing them, but towards night the wind headed us off, by hauling into the South, so that just at night they more ship and stood, toward the North W

This morning, the weather was verry fine and mild with a verry light breeze from the S.W. which soon came round into the N.W. which enabling us to lay our course towards Cape Horn, which lays about S.S.E. from us.

[on right side] Tuesday 10^th

Lat [Latitude] 52° 34" yesterday we had a fine run, going at the rate of from 8 to 10 knots, untill 08 o'clock when the wind hauled into the S.W. and increased into so much that they took in sail.

This morning we found ourselves nearly becalmed but heading towards the NW, but the wind soon came round again into the N.W. to and at 8 o'clock they tack't [tacked] ship and head again towards Cape Horn, and had a good run all day, during which we saw, a large number of whales, spouting but a number of miles to leeward, throwing the water in every direction

[on right ide] Thursday 12 ^th

Last night we passed through the straights straits of Le Maire which seperates Staten Land from Terra del Fuego, against a current of from five to 7 seven knots.

We have had a glorious run these two or three days, the wind blowing strong from the N.W., yesterday at 8 o'clock we made land over the weather bow laying S.W. about 25 miles distant which we continued to near, untill we could, plainly distinguish the coast for miles which appeared rugged and verry mountainous, the mountains peaks of which were covered with snow appeared to be cove thickly covered with woods, untill as we approached the straits, they appeared were nearly destitute of vegitation, the ground being covered mostly with a kind of moss

I passed the most agreeable day yesterday that I have experienced since starting from Boston. The day being extremely fine, we had an unintrupted view of the coast down which we run for sixty fifty or sixty miles, which at some points presented most sublime views, but all looked, lonely and desolate, the only sign of of human life being a smoke which we saw rising from a fire that seemed burning in the moss near the point of land, on the west side of the straits, how it came there I knowst not, as there was no living thing to be seen near it, so that with us, this may well pass for "the land of Fire"