Hosea Dudley

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Before entering the straits we passed three large bluffs or mountains which are called the three Brothers. But I would much rather have seen some of the Sisters, who I think would not have appeared half cold and forbidding.

As we entered the straights [straits] which we did about 5 o'clock PM the mountains at Staten land could just be distinguished far to the S.E. rising dark gloomy, and terrible their summits covered with snow and enveloped in clouds, seeming the fit abode of winds and storms. Today is one of the finest days immaginable, far finer than I supposed Cape Horn could boast of. the sky sun rose in a sky perfectly cloudless, with a fine bracing wind from the N.W. but mild as our own New England Autumn All along the air windward our be se[ver]al can be seen the snow capt [capped] mountains and islands of Tierra Del Fuego near which we are running.

Lat [Latitude] 55° [degrees] 33" [inches]

[on right side] Friday, Apr 13^th

Lat [Latitude] 56° 04' [feet] five miles south of Cape Horn, at noon to day and about 40 miles, to the east, With a strong gale blowing from the westward, which commenced verry suddenly just at night yesterday. It came on with a tremendous squall And as it came rolling uppon us, preceded by a huge black cloud that filled the whole western sky with its torn and angry front, I beheld, a scene the most grand, sublime, and beautiful, not unmingled, with the terrible, of which that I could be immagined far to the North through some loop hole in the fall of blackness the sun which was near setting, threw a flood of light on a cluster of hills and snow capt mountains, as far as the eye could reach in the distance, which being mellowed by the distance, and still rendered distinct by the dark background, formed one of the grandest views I ever witnessed. It required but a small effort of the immagination to convert those hills and mountains into the towers and domes of some ancient ruined city, inhabited by some huge race of men that had long since become extinct

Saturday Apr 14^th Saturday [Night?]

the gale that commenced last night from the South West, still continues, and we are drifting rapidly to the east under close reefed topsails, towards Sunday night the gale abated, saw two sails in right one a barque, the other a brig

Sunday 15^th Lat [Latitude] 57° 19" Lon [Longitude] 66° 59"

Monday 16^th Lat [Latitude] 57° 11" Lon [Longitude] 66° 59"

Tuesday 17^th Lat [Latitude] 56° 12"

Wednesday 18^th not taken

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[on right side] Thursday, April 19^th 1849

Lat [Latitude] = Lon [Longitude] 75° [degrees] 10" [inches]. Fell in with a whaler to day, homeward bound, she came down uppon us, before a strong westerly wind with all sail set studding sails and all, as she pass[ed] under our quarter, she hailed us, and our captain told him that if he would send a boat on board he would let him have some papers, a proposition that was verry readily accepted, by men, who had not, perhaps heard from home for three years. She was hove to under our lee, about half a mile distant, and lowered her boat, although there was the sea was rough and it required great care to to keep so small a boat as a whale boat from being swampt [swamped], but she was filled with men that had not, practiced for years at the game, without becoming perfect masters, in the business They stated the mate and carpenter, with some of the men come onboard, they stated that that they had been out 32 months, and had but 18000 1800 barrels of oil, mostly whale that five months before they left the Sandwitch Islands and that the gold fever there was intense, that the inhabitants had nearly all deserted the islands and that they had a man on board that came from there with thirty thousand dollars worth of gold dust, the last of which we put down as a sailors yarn.

Friday 20^th Lat. [Latitude] 57° 27" Lon. [Longitude] about 76

Saturday 21^st Lat. [Latitude] 57° 59" { C Carole}

Sunday 22^d No service to day

Monday 23^d Lat [Latitude] not taken {Caroline}

Tuesday 24^th Lat. [Latitude] 56° 53" Lon. [Longitude] 81° 23"

Wednesday 25^th Lat. [Latitude] 54° 59"

Thursday 26^th Lat. [Latitude] 59° 17"

Friday 27^th Lat. [Latitude] 53° 45" 54° 47" Monday

Saturday 28^th Lat. [Latitude] 52° 21" 52° 45"

Sunday 29^th Lat. [Latitude] not taken not taken 52° 21 {Mollu}

Monday 30^th Lat. [Latitude] not taken

Tuesday May 1^st Lat [Latitude] 48° 30 up to this time our progress since passing the straights [straits] has been verry slow and toilsome having to contend with head winds and rough weather, although not as cold as I had supposed we should have found it, not having seen it cold enough to congeal water, we had to contend for a long time with West and N.W. wids [winds] untill about one week ago having got, well to the west we began to shape our course towards the North and now as the weather begins to be fine and the sea smoother, we begin to congratulate ourselves, on having at last got to doubled that terrible Cape Horn, which to pass once will form an era in a mans life that he will never forget.

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[on right side] Wednesday May 2

Lat. [Latitude] 46° 45" since yesterday we have had fine run, with the wind directly aft yest it came round night before last from the North into the East, and yesterday morning early all hands were called to reef topsails, a call that we had expected to hear for some time, as, some of the passengers had been on deck and reported that we were going through the water at an astonishing rate, they having loged her logged her eleven and a half knots, and st as the wind had increased much, she must have gone at 13 or more, when the call was given all below were roused, as there was a company of reefers, formed of by the passengers, consisting of about 30 men, so that the ship was maned equal to a man of war and had been so since were wit in the neighbourhood of the Falklands and had the hot regular water below they sprang on deck at the call and attempted to reef the main topsail, but before they could suceed, the wind which had hauled into the South directly astern, and was blowing a gale, split the sail from yard to yard, and before it could be furled it was blown to rags some of it being caught on the fore studding sail booms, but before night they had another sail bent on and we were scudding before ofthe at the gale, at the rate of ten knots, and laughing at what would have been a serous [serious] matter, if the wind had ben a head instead of astern

[on right side] Wednesday Thursday May 3^d

Lat [Latitude] 46° 15" .Weather fine and wind fair steering N.N.W.

Lat [Latitude] 44° 30" raining Thursday Friday 4th

Lat [Latitude] 44° 30" Friday Saturday 5

Lat [Latitude] 43° 9" Weather fine, wind Westerly steering North there are a great many speculations afloat among the passengers, as to whether we shall go in to to Valparaso but as the captain is verry reserved on the subject nothing if [is] known for a certainty.

[on right side] Monday 7^th Thursdy 7

Lat [Latitude] 41° 10°

[on right side] Tuesday 8^th

Lat [Latitude] 38° 10° we have had a glorious run for the last 24 hours having made 180 miles of lattitude and 70 miles of Longitude

[on right side] Wednesday 9^th

Lat [Latitude] 35° 31" weather fine wind westerly steering NNW To day and yesterday being the anniversary of the first battle of fought by General Taylor in the Mexican war, it was celebrated on board in as good style as circumstances would permit. We listened to an address from Lieut Crowningshield, and a good on [one] it was

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After which we had toasts and snow without number and songs from the glee Club in the evening we were entertained by our dramatic club, with comic recitations, songs dialogues and declimations, In which they were assisted by a Scotch Man by the name of Murray from Andover, Mass. who had at one time been connected with a private theatre in Ireland an exelent [?delemiator?] of irish [caracter?] and of good information on almost any subject and of infinite wit and humor, so the day passed [at?] very pleeasantly

[right side] Thursday 10^th

Lat [Latitude] 33° 5'1"

To day question of going into Valparaso seems to be decided, as at 8 o'clock the course of the vessell was altered from W, E to N, E and at 12oclock to N E by E, being as the Captain stated about 90 miles from land

[right side] Saturday 12^th

For the last two or three days we have made but little head way as the weather has been nearly calm for us of the time and extremely pleasant, last night I saw a most magnificient sunset from mast head at night the water assumes that beautiful appearan- firey appearance that is often spoke of.

Land. I can see land to day but far to the east This morning we had nothing put on the lashes to sweeten our coffee with as to molases the say is all out this caused a tremendous hubbub and they soon thought fit to give us sugar, but the captain was terrible [?wrathey?] and raved and swore that [strikethrough] if any though-[end strikethrough] we thought that he cared a d-rn [darn] for any man on board, we were d---ly mistaken But he can't scare 150 like yankees.

Night before last we were kept awake all night by 3 or 4 of the passengers who took in into their heads to have a grand blow out as we were going into port, and they did blow it out with a vengance drinking carorousing till morning one of them Mr Murray before spoken of, a fellow of infinite wit and humor, made his way into the cabin for the purpose of rousing one of the passengers there to partake in their hilarity, and making some noise the second mate whose watch it was attempted to get him out where appon he he turned and struck him once or twice in the face which raised his "Ebenezer," and being a large man nearly double the heft of Murray, he caught hm and threw him up into the rigging as easy as one would a child, where he choked him till his toung stuck out In the morning when Murray

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became sober he regretted that it happened, and said as much to the mate but he did not seem disposed to overlook it, but I heard no more of it

[right side] Monday May 14^th

This day will probably long be remembered by all on board. The [?Pharsalier?], as we [cross out] this day [end strikethrough] fore the first time for 107 days, had the privalage of again treading uppon Terra Firma. At 3o'clock P.M. cast anchor in Valparaiso.

I did not go on shore until the next day, when I found that I could walk quite comfortably although I supposed before that after being tumbled about so long it would be difficult to take a natural gait. But I found I was no more of a sailor in * We found great numbers of men here from the United States who were bound for California I should think that there were upwards of 1000 [?] vessels full of Passengers were constantly arriving and departing

The number of inhabitants in Valparaiso are estimated from 15 to 40 thousand owing to the nature of the ground on which the city is built and the manner of building tis impossible to form any estimate of the number from transitory observation. The country around Valparaiso is very hilly mountainous and [cross out] barren [end strikethrough] bare exept down iin the deep valleys between the hills, where there are vinyards in everlasting bloom, where grapes figs apples pears peaches oranges lemons and various other fruits abound where for one one rial about [12? 19?] 1/2 cts one can enter and eat his fill.

The inhabitants were verry peaceable and orderly, much more so than our own people were, and withall verry hospitable espacially the women.

There was an United States Sloop, [insertion] The Pall [end insertion] of war lying in the harbor, wanting to carry our minister home who had got into some difficulty by marrying a Chilian lady contary to their church laws which are Catholic

There was also a British Frigate, the Asia laying there and numberless other vessels of all nations We stopped there just one week took in water and fresh provisions walked run and rode ourselves almost to death, to make up for lost time, and then on Monday the 21 at 2 PM we set saill and our old ship turned her head towards California and up to this time.

[right side] Saturday 26th

we have had a fine sun with the wind aft studding sails all set so that today we are about 22º South of the line

*that respect than when I started