item number |
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| 26. | Manuscript - Barker & Hunt. TWO LETTERS FROM BARKER & HUNT IN NY. TO WM POTTER IN SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MASS., REGARDING WHALE BONE. 1864. Two 4to sheets with printed letterhead. In November and December 1864, Barker & Hunt write Wm. Potter informing him of the progress of a shipment of bone. These sound a bit like “the check is in the mail” letters. First they say they’re waiting on the arrival of the California steamer. Then they say the bill of lading for the Cape Horn Pigeon has informed them that the shipment went via the Panama Railroad to the brig Bogota, and that they are still awaiting its arrival. “We will advise you as soon as possible of its condition, the state of the market &c. Bone is quiet just at the present time owing to the fall off in gold & the fact that buyers are waiting so see the new Arctic.” Sounds as if they’d like to wait a little longer. Two letters, excellent condition. $200 |
| 27. | Manuscript - Brig George Washington. LEGAL DOCUMENT PERTAINING TO BRIG GEORGE WASHINGTON AND SHIP EAGLE, NEW YORK, 1800. Folio. 2 1/2 pp. manuscript. The L. Forman Company, in debt to John Jukel, both of New York, pledges the brig George Washington, bound for Trinidad, and the ship Eagle, “also the cargo of the said Brig which is now on board of her, or which may be on board on her return to the City of New York... and also all and every Policy of Assurance (and) the profits of the cargo of the good Ship Eagle from New York aforesaid to Saint Sebastian.” Handsome document. $150 |
| 28. | Manuscript - Brig Rising States. COLLECTION OF 19 DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE WRECK AND SALVAGE OF THE BRIG RISING STATES, 1821. Documents include a letter of instruction to Captain Charles F. Chase, Master of the Rising States, (curiously, the insurance policy is made out to a Stephen B. Chase) the ship’s charter party, an abstract of the voyage, the ship’s insurance policy, copy of a survey, letters of agreement pertaining to salvage efforts to be performed by the schooner Marigallanto, various statements and letters to and from Captain and crew and the insurance company, and a beautifully printed and accomplished Instrument of Protest, notarized in the state of New York, with text translated from Spanish. The vessel was lost on the shoals of Guyana during a gale on April 21, 1821. When it was realized the brig was a loss, some of her cargo was transferred to the schooner Monserrat. She was hauled offshore and taken to Angostu, Venezuela, with the remainder of her cargo. An excellent series of papers regarding a previously undocumented American shipwreck. See Illustration $1750 |
| 29. | Manuscript - C. L. Dennington. AFFIDAVIT OF CLEMENT DENNINGTON, 1840. Folio, 3 pp. manuscript. This is a statement by ship’s carpenter Dennington regarding the damage suffered during a storm by his ship the St. John while crossing from Liverpool to New York in 1840. The vessel put into the Azores and was condemned there. Dennington supports Captain Hitchcock’s opinion that the vessel should have been repaired prior to departure from Liverpool. Much detail on the storm and on the structural damage. Such a statement would have been necessary for filing a formal protest. With later documents pertaining to the ship, including one from the National Archives dated 1975. Good shipwreck material. $250 |
| 30. | Manuscript - Capt. Wm K. Waggoner. LETTER FROM CAPT. WAGGONER, MASTER OF CLIPPER SHIP THERESE, TO HIS SISTER MARY. JULY, 1861. 4to. 1 1/2 pages closely written manuscript. In his letter Waggoner writes from Glasgow as “Commander of the Clipper Ship Therese... I have got a splendid ship and every thing to my satisfaction I expect to go to China from Glasgow.” It’s been two years, he says, since he’s seen his wife Rebecca, but “it is not my fault I have sent for her 3 or 4 times.” He says her friend persuaded her not to, but “I blame her for listening to their foolish stories I knew my business best - and now I am rewarded I am my own master I have arrived at the height of my profession.” That may be, but he still sounds guilty to me. “PS. My ship is 1000 tons.” And a little insecure about it all. Interesting! $125 |
| 31. | Manuscript - Charter Party. “CHARTER PARTY OF AGREEMENT” BRIG PROTECTION OF NEW YORK, 1823. Folio, 2 1/2 pp manuscript. The Brig Protection, owned by Fish & Grinnell of New York, Z. M. Allen Master, is chartered to take a mixed cargo, on behalf of merchant Felix Pettico of New York, to Nantes, France, returning from La Rochelle with brandy for New York. The document then goes on to spell out in great detail how this is to be accomplished, and contingencies that might arise. Charter parties are almost always interesting because they provide a close-up look at how business was - or was expected to be - transacted. This document is even more interesting in that the Protection had just returned from a two year whaling voyage to Brazil. A good example of smart merchants getting the most out of their ships. $300 |
| 32. | Manuscript - Daniel E. Dodge. TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, SIGNED, FROM DANIEL E. DODGE, BARK MARIQUETA, TO HIS PARENTS. JAN. 1865. 4to sheets. 5 pp. manuscript. Approx. 1000 words. Two excellent letters written from Aux Cays, St. Domingo, and aboard ship some time later. “You will be glad to hear from your wandering boy.” He outlines his itinerary - Falmouth, Antwerp, Cadiz, Buenos Ayres, New York or Boston, “probible be home Oct or Nov... I get $35 a month and am in hopes to get a little more carpentering.” He rattles on in this manner and we learn he is 36 years old, and has been saving all his life. Then, “...I hope he is not drafted. I am a foreigner now I never thought I should have any other flag but such is the fate of War... I have no protection from the American Government.” In the second letter, written about a month later, the Mariqueta has been sold and he writes from the ship Cambria. His wife has died back home and, getting little sympathy on board ship, he pours out his grief to his mother. “The Capt came to my room and asked me if I was drunk afterwards he said he was not to blame for my wife dying... I fear I done rong in not coming home when the Mariqueta was sold.” He fantasizes getting home by next Christmas and doing carpentry on his father’s farm, referring to such fond hopes as his Air Castles. “I build many but oh how they tumble down.” An uncommonly moving and personal series. A few tears, but legible. $500 |
| 33. | Manuscript - David Roberts. TWO LETTERS REGARDING DAVID ROBERTS, SHIP CARPENTER, NY., 1816 2 pp. manuscript. The first, dated May 3, attests that Roberts is a “first rate Ship Carpenter.” The second, 6 days later, is a contract in which John Murray & Sons engage Roberts to travel from New York to Detroit “and from thence to a place of destination to be designated... for the purpose of building and superintending the building of a vessel.” Roberts was to be paid $3.50 per day plus travel, room and board. Signed by Roberts and Murray. $200 |
| 34. | Manuscript - Devonshire. ABSTRACT JOURNAL OF EAST INDIAMEN DEVONSHIRE, DUKE OF ALBANY, AND MORSE. 1764-5, 1766-7, 1770-72. Small 4to. 70 pp. manuscript entries. The Devonshire was commanded by Andrew Quicke. She sailed from England to Madeira, Madagascar, Madras and St. Helena. There is a list of her crew and their stations, as well as notes indicating fates of crew members - “Departed this life Dec 21, 1764 at sea,” “press’d on board...” “left at Bengall,” etc. Out of a crew of 105 men, 6 died. The 16 passengers are also listed. The abstract log gives date, position and miles sailed, and also includes terse comments regarding ships sighted, fatalities on board other than crew (mostly soldiers), landfalls and ports. They sailed from the Downs Feb. 20, 1764, and arrived in Madras Roads Aug. 4. The return trip with 10 passengers commenced Dec. 12, and saw them home June 15th, 1765. A similar level of detail is recorded for each of the other two ships and their voyages. Although these are “abstracts” they contain a great deal of information, most of which suggests that the typical Indies voyage of the mid-18th century was long, arduous and dangerous. Bound in heavy paper wraps. Text clear and clean. See Illustration $850 |
| 35. | Manuscript - Doane. DIARY OF LOUISA A. DOANE ON TWO VOYAGES - NY TO MARSEILLES AND RETURN, AND NY TO CHINCHAS ISLANDS AND RETURN, 1852. 120 pp. Approximately 20,000 words. Louisa Doane was the daughter of Captain Edmund N. Doane, and she traveled with her mother and the Captain aboard the 636 ton merchant ship Commonwealth on these two voyages in 1852. (See Cutler, “Queens” p. 411.) The first passage to Marseilles took a long 52 days, and we share in Louisa’s delight at finally being installed in an “American hotel... kept by a widow lady.” After a full account of her month ashore, she sails to Gibraltar, then home. In the second voyage, the ship was chartered to Howland & Aspinwall and sent to Acapulco with a cargo of coal, then on to the Chinchas for guano. Louisa reports on the fever at Acapulco, discipline problems with the crew, the arrival of a San Francisco-bound steamer plagued with dysentery and the unloading of her dead. She gives considerable detail about the voyage, the guano fleet (the Commonwealth served for a short time as a prison ship), and the loading process, and continues her diary until the ship is just north of the line, homeward bound. Her writing voice is fresh and innocent, a mix of young girl’s concerns - kittens, piano practice (!) and clothes - and surprisingly sharp eyed observations about crew members, life at sea and exotic places and events. Never published, but certainly publishable. Bound in straight grained leather journal. Writing clean and legible. See Illustration $5000 |
| 36. | Manuscript - Elisha Loring. AGENT’S LETTER REGARDING OUTSTANDING BILLS ON SHIP LION. BOSTON, 1833. 1 page manuscript. Loring writes to William Earle in Providence, presumably a majority owner of the vessel, attempting to collect a debt incurred by the Lion “for Wm. Crosby esq. late U.S. Consul Talcahuano... The order... was received a long time since and it is of a prior date to others... I think he is fully entitled to the amt. due.” If payment is made, Loring says he will not go after “the owner & agents of the Ship Lion or those who were such at the settlement of the voyage.” Interestingly, Starbuck and Lund note a ship of this name sailing from Providence, but not until 1841. See Illustration $150 |
| 37. | Manuscript - Ellison. SHIPWRECK “JOURNAL WHILE ABSENT IN THE BRAZILS IN 1828.” 46 pp. manuscript. About 15,000 words. This is a manuscript journal kept by James Ellison, twenty-two years of age, during a merchant voyage from Boston to Brazil in the 115 ton schooner Madeira Packet, Edward Allen, Master. Ellison probably served as supercargo. The account runs from April 9 through September 3, 1828. On May 25 the vessel was wrecked on the Brazilian coast near the Rio Grande river. Ellison describes the voyage, the shipwreck (which he blames on the use of a faulty chronometer), the salvage and sale of what could be saved of the schooner’s cargo (flour, wax, soap, and lard, as well as rum and salt beef for their own consumption), his subsequent travels and impressions of the people and the country, and the hospitality (or lack of it) that they met. On July 19, after a month of adventures in a remote Brazilian province, Ellison found passage home aboard the American brig Olinda. He arrived in America September 3 “after an absence of nearly five months, during which time I’ve had an opportunity of seeing what the Manners & Customs of the Brazilians are & as this is the first time, I earnestly wish & hope that it may be the Last.” This is a rich and compelling narrative. Ellison was obviously of a literary bent, possibly because his father had been a playwright whose most notable production was “The American Captive,” in 1812. It is also a rare account. Brazil only began trading with America in 1822, and writings by American travelers from this period (except for Brackenridge’s narrative) are nonexistent. Bound in stiff wraps covered by an old issue of “Prices Current.” Text clean and legible. Unpublished. Accompanied by a full transcription. See Illustration $7500 |
| 38. | Manuscript - Embargo Act of 1807. TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, SIGNED, FROM JAMES SULLIVAN, GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1808 2 pp. manuscript. In the first letter the Selectmen of Newburyport state that they are having corn and flour imported from Virginia “for the use of the inhabitants of this part of the Commonwealth.” Signed by the four Selectmen. Beneath it, Sullivan adds his endorsement for the “Collectors in Virginia” - “The above Gentlemen who subscribed the above certificate are Selectmen of Newbury Port. I have no doubt of the truth of their above declaration.” He writes and signs it in his own hand. The second document is addressed to “the Collector of Baltimore” and it accomplishes much the same for flour bound for Boston. “This town with more than 60,000 people of other towns in this state depend for bread upon importations from the middle & Southern States.” In Sullivan’s hand. Two remarkable documents attesting to the difficulties raised by the Embargo Act. They are accompanied by a typescript of the second letter, and by two articles from the Salem Evening News of 1913 - “(Od)ious Embargo Act of Century Ago Recalled by Mr. Harris’ Old Document” and, “Special Permits for Food Stuffs.” The articles cite “Mobs, Riots and Convulsions” and note that “Governor’s Certification” was required for interstate transportation of food. The articles cite these two documents. Fascinating and rare. $1250 |
| 39. | Manuscript - Frederick Delius. TWO LETTERS FROM FREDERICK DELIUS TO ISAAC HICKS, NEW YORK, 1801. 6 pp. manuscript. Hicks was a Quaker merchant in New York and Frederick Delius, the writer of these letters, was his agent in Europe. In the first letter, written from London on January 29 1801, he says he intends to return to Bremen soon and, “devote my attentions entirely to business.” He then goes into detail about the effects of the war on commerce - “Since the Northern coalition has been thrown off in this country - orders for the capture of all ... Swedish and Danish vessels have been issued and immense numbers have been taken in consequence... the Hanse towns will be left unmolested.” etc. The second letter, from Bremen on May 20th, advises of changing conditions. “Our importation of West India and American provisions have been comparatively very small, still the prices of these articles have not risen as was generally expected owing to the uncertainty of political events.” Much info on effects of War on commerce. Both with integral address and seal, $250 |
| 40. | Manuscript - George Barnes. JOURNAL KEPT BY GEORGE BARNES ABOARD HMS TERRIBLE, OFF SEVASTOPOL BETWEEN JULY 17TH AND DECEMBER 6TH, 1854. 12mo. 2 vols. 202 pp manuscript entries. About 15,000 words. HMS Terrible was a wooden paddle frigate of 3189 tons, mounting 19 guns. George Barnes received his appointment aboard her on July 17, 1854. By the 26th they were at Sevastopol, being shelled, “This is the first time I have been under fire and although we are within range of one fort only, the novelty is not an agreeable one.” It would only get worse. By August 11 “the Cholera which has shown itself in many ships ... is increasing.” He speaks of the French being decimated by the disease, and of there being “but one Surgeon” to care for the cholera victims in “the 40 large English transports.” He says the disease is attributed to “an extraordinarily oppressive wind.” This depressing account is relieved when the Terrible runs aground chasing a fishing boat. It seems for a moment the Russians will descend upon them, but they get free in the nick of time. Toward the end of August Barnes goes ashore and paints a detailed and panoramic word-picture of the bustle and confusion as the English fleet offload men and supplies. He spends the beginning of September transporting troops, and waxes patriotic at the thought of “near 30,00 English hearts bent on one undertaking, and I’ll warrant are determined to overcome it, it we be however a tough fight, but having justice on our side... I calculate on being in Sevastopol by 16th October.” By the middle of the month he reckons 50,000 allies are ashore with their supplies. It rains, and he speaks of the advantage the French had in Algeria of providing their men with “portable tents which are carried by them on their knapsacks... while our poor fellows had got nothing but their blankets & wet clothes to cover them.” As the Terrible steams about, Barnes’s offshore viewpoint allows him to see the massing troop formations. He describes his vantage point thus: “I was fortunate in being able to borrow a glass from our First Lieutenant and stationed myself on our port paddle box. I waited with a beating heart to see the battle begin.” There follows a close 8 description of the Battle of Alma, followed by “the heart rendering, horrible scene” he encounters when walking the battlefield next day, with the wounded all around him. Then 18 pages on the bombardment of Sevastopol, and a description of Balaclava, “one of the most romantic places I have ever been in, the passage is very narrow and intricate” and very close to land. Then, on the 25th of October he speaks of a successful penetration by the Russians - “some say 18,000, attacked a position held by the Turks on the heights... but the cowardly Turks picking up their camp kettles immediately retreated... some of our Calvary seeing from a distance an attack, advanced to the assistance of the Turks. The 13th Light Dragoons were first there, but not till after the hill was in the hands of the Russians, they cut down the men at their guns but were received by a body of infantry which almost annihilated them by their fire, the Scotch Greys following at their heels made a charge right through the enemy but their numbers were so great that out gallant fellows were obliged to retreat. Our loss is said to be 280, and that of the 13th only 3 officers and 27 men returned to their camp.” This of course, is a contemporary account of the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade. Barnes’s narrative continues this manner, at this incredible level of detail - including an eyewitness account of the Battle of Inkerman - for a total of 200 pages. The uneven nature of the penmanship makes it clear that his journal was written at the time of the events it records, and is not a copy or a transcript. A truly remarkable account. See Illustration $9500 |
| 41. | Manuscript - Gibbs & Channing. “INSURANCE WANTED BY GIBBS & CHANNING” Single sheet of manuscript entries. This is a wonderful piece of paper, requesting insurance for the Snow Hope on a voyage from Newport to the Coast of Africa and back; for the ship Mary and her cargo to Hamburg and back; and for the whaleship Union on a whaling voyage to Brazil and back. Gibbs & Channing was a large shipping company based in Newport. The Hope was almost certainly a slaver (see Fairburn p. 207) and it is interesting that she would be insured “at and during the trade of said Snow on the Coast of Africa.” The only whaleship Union captained by Jonathan Barney, as specified here, sailed in 1795, thus effectively dating the document (though Lund and Starbuck have her sailing from Nantucket rather then New Bedford as stated here). Clean and fresh See Illustration $125 |
| 42. | Manuscript - Henry Champlin. THREE WHALING LETTERS FROM HENRY CHAMPLIN, MASTER OF THE BARK FLORENCE, FROM GUAM, AT SEA AND LAHAINA, TO HIS WIFE IN RHODE ISLAND. 1857. 11 pp. manuscript. About 2000 words. The first letter is dated April 16, and was sent from Guam. He tells of the tragic death of a mate drowned in the surf on Goat Island, “there was tears,” and of other whaling matters. The next is dated August 14. Not being sure his Guam letter arrived, Champlin recapitulates the Goat Island incident, adding some details and more whaling news - “we found we had lost one man by the name of Darling. He must swam in the night to some vessel who come up on Japan... We got 40 bbls.... August, the 17th we had seen whales 8 times since we got any, but we had hard luck if we get fast to them... I shall go to Mohee in November.” In his final letter, Champlin writes on November 14 from Lahaina. “I am disappointed not having a letter from you... I hope you have not all forsaken me.” He outlines his plans for the coming season - to “go down on the line and into Guam” and talks at length about provisions, the business of whaling, and friends and relatives engaged in that trade. Then, “Tis hard for me. I have not been well the last year and my constitution has altered.” Indeed, Starbuck notes, “Captain Champlin died in Japan Sea 1858.” This could well have been his last letter. An informative and moving series. (With typed transcripts.) $1750 |
| 43. | Manuscript - Henry G. Cotton. AGENT’S ACCOUNTING FOR HENRY G. COTTON, SHIP GEORGE AND ALBERT, HAVRE, 1831. Oblong folio. 1 page manuscript. After the Revolutionary War decimated their whaling fleet, some Nantucket whalemen emigrated to France to pursue their trade, while maintaining commercial ties back in Nantucket. The George and Albert made only one trip from America, in 1821. If this is the same vessel, she was home-ported in France by 1831, probably as a remnant of that post-Revolutionary fleet. This ledger sheet is dated at Havre, but is written in English. “Capt. Peters,” named in one of the line items, was not an American whaling master. Documentary records of the American whaling colony in France are scarce. This is an interesting document. $400 |
| 44. | Manuscript - Henry Grinnell. AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM HENRY GRINNELL TO HIS BROTHER MOSES. 1824. 3 pp. About 350 words. Henry, in New York, writes Moses, in New Bedford, concerning commercial matters - the fates of their various ships and prices and supplies of commodities such as whalebone and sperm candles. The Grinnells were an important New Bedford family. In his later years Henry funded De Haven’s Franklin search expedition. He married Sarah Minturn (mentioned in this letter, along with his brother’s impending marriage) and eventually the firm of Grinnell, Minturn & Co. became dominant in the shipping business. Henry has a lengthy entry in the DAB, which refers to his “high standard of commercial morality.” Apparently, this did not apply to his personal morality. He closes his letter with this PS - “As Capt. Perry is about leaving I send this by him - the Box Opium you will find (onboard) his sloop Cust & Box 50 cents charged to you--” Maybe a wedding present? Excellent content. $250 |
| 45. | Manuscript - Instrument of Protest. PROTEST OF DAMAGE TO BRIG ATTORNEY, SOMERSET, MASS. DAVID CUMMINGS, MASTER, 1818. WITH ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS Folio, 3 1/2 pp. manuscript, plus 11 other documents, various sizes. A detailed account of the wreck of the brig Attorney on Absecon Beach, NJ, while enroute from Turks Island to Fall River, Mass., with a cargo of salt. She went aground in a gale on December 6, and “the inhabitants came & commenced striping her of her sails & rigging the Salt being lost in the bilge water.” Other documents include salvage expenses, sale at auction of salvaged material, insurance documents, and the final tally stating that the ship and cargo were valued at $3000, insured at $2000, and paid out $1894.66 after expenses. An excellent account of a shipwreck, of business practices in dealing with it, and of the activities of wreckers. The lot $500 See Illustration |
| 46. | Manuscript - Instrument of Protest. PROTEST OF DAMAGE TO SCHOONER HIRMA OF SOMERSET, MASS., N.B. SIMMONS, MASTER, 1819. Folio. 3 pp. manuscript. The 127 ton Hiram was bound from St. Croix to Wilmington, NC. She was damaged over a period of several days in a severe storm, all of which is described in great detail in this document of about 1200 words. The protest was prepared in Wilmington and sworn before K. Thurber. It bears his seal, as well as signatures of the captain and the marks of some crew members. This is accompanied by a one page “Estimate Expense of Repairs on Schooner Hiram at Wilmington Ja. 1819.” An interesting lot. $350 |
| 47. | Manuscript - James Gray. WHALING LETTER. WHALING MASTER JAMES GRAY, HOLMES HOLE, TO WM. HATHAWAY, (NEW BEDFORD). 1853. 1 page manuscript. Gray expects “to be in New Bedford next Monday on my way to Newport after our new Schooner... I shall want about 3850 dollars and... shal feel very much obliged if you will have it ready for me.” Gray’s mention of “our” schooner suggests he was acting as something more than Hathaway’s agent. According to Lund Gray was Master of four whaleships between 1840 and 1856. $150 |
| 48. | Manuscript - John Deaves. LETTER FROM JOHN DEAVES, DUBLIN, TO ISAAC HICKS, NEW YORK, 1801. 2 pp. manuscript. Deaves writes, “The Venus has discharged her cargo in very bad order, owing to Capt. Taber’s taking 21 tons pine plank on deck for his own benefit at. 66 bags of the hops were so damaged that they were sold for account of the underwriters; this has been an unpleasant business & likely to prove still moreso.” He goes on to enumerate more losses they may face in the future, owing to the Captain’s deviation from the Charter. He closes with a list of prices current for 13 commodities, many of which were presumably being shipped by the Venus. Good commercial content. $125 |
| 49. | Manuscript - John E. Luce WHALING LETTER. JOHN E. LUCE TO CAPTAIN HATHAWAY. HOBARTSTOWN. NOV. 25, 1871. Small sheet. 1 3/4 pp. manuscript. Luce informs Hathaway of the catch so far and of their intended cruising itinerary, also of life aboard ship and his relationship with the Captain. “Got a very abuseive Man for a Master & should have left long a go.” However, they were having a successful trip Luce was probably impelled to stay on by the prospects of gain. “all keeps me here is my Property.” a first mate. He got command of a whaleship out of New Bedford in 1877. Good content, excellent condition. $250 |
| 50. | Manuscript - John Williams. WHALING LETTER FROM JOHN WILLIAMS, SHIP BENJAMIN RUSH, HONOLULU, TO HIS PARENTS IN WARREN, RI. 1834. 9 1/2 pp. manuscript. About 3000 words. Williams describes the voyage in great detail - their departure from Warren in 1833, a stop at the Western Islands, labor troubles over Captain Coffin’s stingy distribution of provisions, rounding the Horn, frostbite, more labor troubles, whaling off the Galapagos Islands (where they finally landed their first two small whales), to the Marquesas (where they had considerable trouble with the natives), his debilitating illness and the Captain’s attempts to treat it, his consultation with a doctor on an English whaler, the ship’s continued lack of success in whaling, the illness and recovery of the ship’s Boy, his experiences with laudanum, the Captain’s continued mistreatment of the crew - all related in great detail. “I suppose I might write 2 or 3 more sheets but it is of no use I have wrote enough for you to get my opinion of things...” He then goes on to write those 2 more sheets anyway. They landed at Wahoo (Oahu) where he thought he was going to receive medical treatment. Instead, he was simply left ashore with other sick men, while the Benjamin Rush departed. He lists the ships and men at Honolulu, seeking possible escape, to no avail. “I think Captain will be here in the fall bound home and if I live and am no worse than I am now you may expect me home... the Doctors don’t seem to help me by their medicine but keep me about so and as poor as a snake for I don’t think I have not been weighed since I left home but I dont think that I will weigh 75 lbs.” Illnesses of various kinds were a big part of whaling, but one hardly ever reads about them, especially from common seamen. An extraordinary document, amounting to a short memoir, and undoubtedly Williams’ last letter. $2000 |