ACCOUNT OF A TWO YEARS' WHALING VOYAGE.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 3, 16 November 1863, Page 3

ACCOUNT OF A TWO YEARS' WHALING VOYAGE.

! LATEST FROM THE WEST COAST. ■w: _____ The whaling brig Grecian, 200 tons, Capt. M'Grath, arrived at Bluff Harbor, after a two years' cruise, on Wednesday, 11th inst., having only seen whales four times during that period, and consequently bringing a very email amount of oil. -. Capt. M'Grath 1-eports having left Hobart Town on the 17th December, 1861, and made Jervis Bay, where the bowsprit was carried away, on the 25th, and ran for Botany Bay to repair, where he arrived on' the 29th, and left again on the 11th January, 1862. Ctuised between there and New Zealand till the 28th, when he sighted the Three Kings, on the north-west coagt. On the 29th, anchored under Cavalier's Island, repaired damage, and sailed again on the_ Ist February. Sighted Cape Runaway, Bay of Plenty, on the 7th, and rose whales the same day for the first time, but did not succeed in killing any. On "the 21st February spoke the American ship Tamerlaine, of New Bedford, with 1600 barrels of oils on board, having been four years- out. She was bound to the Chatham *| Islands to refit, and then homewards. On the ' 23rd, sighted Chatham Islands, and spoka the )_ barque Mai lan, with 1400 barrels- of oil on t board, having been three year's and a .half t I out? and on the 27th spoke the ship Pacific,ag of Hobart Town, which vessel was eleven re months out, and had got 40 tons of oil. t jj Next day six -whalers were in sight. On the <j] 18th March spoke the American ship Daniel a 1 Wood; fifteen months out, with 700 barrels ir .|of oil on board. On tiie llih April picked cti! ll P a b° a *> tne property of Mr Hunt, of ;e J Pitt's Island, with three hands" in her. g t TShe had been carried out to sea, -and e j; I the crew must inevitably have perished ■if they had not been picked up by the brig. , n Jon the 21st April, the crew >ebelled,_and six ati3°f them were put iniFons. On 3rd May, jspoke the Daniel Wood, bound to Pitt's Do |lsland. thence, to New Zealand, with the on Jcrew of the American ship Empire, which l,j~3had been wrecked at Port Hut ; the Daniel j IWood also reported the loss of the "schooner j >s JKd wards, from Otago. The Grecian expe- ' j v Jrienced a terrific gale off the Chatham's on agt j|the 29th May, which luckily lasted only four lhcurs. On the 9th June, all foremast hands 1(15) refused work, and were put in irons for *|]24 hours, when they agreed to turn-to. On b t^the *28th June, sighted French Rock, N.E. n tUfrom New Zealand, and on the 30th, Curtis' [island, where the eruption of a large volcano id dwaa taking place, although it was generally <n tlbelieved that the volcanoes on this Island m ojnere not active. On the 4th July, sighted id.flSunday Island, and on the 7-th, spoke the ) tMAmerican ship Sopliia Thornton, 2 years out, r e thivith 1000 barrels of oil. On the 11th, the t, h >rig bein^ eight months out, whales were latte lighted for the second -time, but none were grej ailed. On the 16th, sighted Tongataboo ougl Friendly Islands.) On the 29th, sighted ' wei Brismade Island, and next day spoke the the American ship three years and one mo! nonth out, with 1 800 barrels of oil. On the nroullnd August, sighted the Fijis, and next beinpy spoke the American ship Rainbow, two t wgtears and nine months out, with 700 barre's in thbf oil. 'On '6th -A-ti^ist, "rose whales, arid ing tiulled one. "Sighted whales again on the 15th, )ke and killed three, saying two. On the 19th WhjKept., left Fijis, and on the 6th Oct., in j 3ible at. 25.4O>south, long. 1 74.36 east, "passed over i r th he spot where the island of Vasque is laid rrong lown on the chait, but which was nowhere )übli isible. In its place was fonnd what .resernlo ha led a strong tide rip, anfl an "unrnistakeable j If h liirlpool, and the water when drawn over ; I toll be side, was almost boiling. Same day, again pa; poke theßaiabow, which hati gotl©o barrels tingsv oil since last seen. On the 11th, sighted. Ltractwinday Island; on the sth November, the i thakatham Islands (for the second time.,), and liajyau^he 18tb, brought up under Pitt's Island, . with the Emily Darling, William ho, hfifford, and Stepharid ■: on the 13th, Dee y thahled another whale (a humpback.) Left id, hoe Chatham's on December 24th, and on the jasanlid January, 1863, sighted Cape Pall&ssier. jlaceqa the -4th carried away the jib-boom in a structavy gale. On the stl',"bi ought up in W. Iconsilpgton for provisions, where detained >cc oil the sth February, in. consequence of the er rejew running away. On the" 10th, sighted 2ve hae -Chatham islands for the third time ; saw ;iculaj\vba}e the same day, but" as it was blowing Boardjo -faard-at the time we were unable to kill, nothearuised about -the" Chatham Islands till the 0 thath March wjthout obtaining any oil; on lat helh April, "Siglrted East CJape, N.Z., and on is ownje 16th, struck a whale, but unfortunatelj' NowAt her. On the -3rd May,, sighted Curtis , con-land, and Sunday Island on the sth, On tat byk 19th May,, sighted Savage Island, i, theentioned in Cook's voyages. On the 20th nan tottant the time for which the crew had ,rd didtpped having expired, -they demanded to ;ht tol landed, which was done, but the natives 1 such) the island would not allow them to io, letjnain, so they were taken on board again, efc thai sail was made for the Navigators'. On t him* 25th sighted Kutunlla, anfl siext day lity oflded eight of the crew. Made -sail on the fact ofih, and sighted Keppel Island on 'the 30th, lie En-B Brinsmade Island on the 31st. " Mafle the i theiijis agafin on the 6th June, and remaned . got itlre five days at anchor. Sailed thence on am hej nfh June, and cruised about amongst ; /back! lslands till the 28th September, during; r ed nofcoH. hundreds of humpback whales . r thera^e-seen, *but no sperm. Did not, however, : pay foilceed m securiag any. On the Ist October • sideredhted Norfolk Island, and spoke the Rainbow : idence, jthe tMrd time, they 'having obtained very |c oil for the last eighteen months. Spoke i litttef th& Addiscm, w"ho >ad taken only one in theffle, -and was two years out ; and the if thefline Gibbs. After procuring provisions, made, Jed on 12 th October, and sighted Cascade 3d thept, West 'Coast of New; Zealand -on the takingf- Next day brought^np-in Jackson's Bay :. Notpgh stress of weather. Found there the d havefer N-ugget, which left snv«capg4ll" in the pth of May last to exp ore the West 'red tol st * : Sl>e was hauled up high and dry on autho J^each. The party had found gold, but er 4ther ih payable quantities or not Captain ißrath could not ascertain, as they seemed \ unwilling to give any information. They ict tuatlg getting the cutter repaired, for the purZ e lof returning to Inyercargill. Got a bag ued tn.oj our f rom the captain of the Nugget, and ides, on£j iOn t]je 2 3r a ; and on the 26th October ttobe c p po t William, Sewart's Island, where nmg of Heie the crew refused to, go nncipal furflier /witJi the ship, their time having ' red, so Captain M'Grath was obliged to of the discharges to nine hands, and work down grating, le Bluff with only four Maories, himself, utes of first officer, ■ -