THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS.

Southland Times, Issue 1263, 10 June 1870, Page 3

THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS.

(From the Saturday Review.) '-' The schooner Grafton, with a crew of five men, was cast away on the Auckland Islands in the beginning of 1864, and their escape was effected after nineteen month's detention by crossing in a small boat the three hundred miles of a stormy sea which separate the Aucklands from New Zealand. In 1866, there appeared an unpretending little book chiefly composed of the journal kept by . papt, Musgrave. We have now a French narrative of the same adventure, which, iinlike its English predecessor, appears in all the splendour of type and engraving characteristic of the best Parisian publishers. The relation between the two books has been rather a puzzle to us ; and though we have given to the comparison ss much trouble as the question seemed to be worth, we do not feel confident that we have obtained a satisfactory explanation. We doubted for a time whether the Naufrages, as the' French book is called, was to be taken for an authentic account, or merely as a new imitation of "Bohinson Crusoe," to whose author Captain Musgrave would hold the same relation as Alexander Selkirk to Defoe. On the one hand, it is certain that M. Baynal is a real person who acted an important part in the adventures of Captain Musgrave's crew. From a piece justificative appended to this .volume, it seems that he presented to the public library at Melbourne the narrative published from Captain Musgrave's journals, and various articles made by him at the Auckland Islands. Moreover, he. is described 1 by Captain Musgrave in terms corresponding tolerably to those of the French account... These facts, however, are not quite sufficient to . prove that M. Eaynal actually wrote the book before us, or that, if he did write it, it deserves its descriptive title of a recit awfhentique. How it strikes us as rather strange at first sight that the style of the narrative is" very. ; different from that which we should expectfrom an ordinary sailor, who. had, moreover, as we learn from M. Baynal's own account, spent many previous years ia the Australian diggings. Captain Musgrave wrote like a. man unaccustomed to literary work, and Ms story was all the more touching from! - the obvious simplicity of the author. There -was an air of reality about it like j that which gives its charm~i;o Defoe's great novel.. M. Eaynal, though with merits of his own, is -entirely without this peculiarity,. He writes as neatly 1 and fluently, and with as many picturesque touches, as if he bad been a reporter sent out to describe the Auckland - - Islands for a leading newspaper. We> feel a' certain shock to our confidence, as though we had expected to be introduced to a rugged sailor with tar-stained, clothes and a quid in his mouth, and had met in his place a polished gentleman in the latest style of Parisian fashion. This indeed may be partly explained by the fact that M. Baynal was, as he tells us, originally brought up for the Bar, and was only driven to a Me of adventure by family misfortunes. The book • should rather be compared with Dana's ." Two I— Xearg-Before the Mast", than- with the performances of untaught seamen. Tet we are still-haunted by a certain sense of the fictitious ; the book smells, as it were, of the nautical romance, and a closer examination does not dispel the impression. A strict comparison between one or two points in the two- narratives will explain this more clearly, and will illustrate either the disadvantage of too much literary refinement or the nature of the process by which a rough sailor's diary may be worked up for the market. Thefirst pointwhichstruckus was acurioas parallel between the chapters in which M. Baynal and Captain Musgrave gave their impression of sea-lions. As these ftm>n}ife were the main source of food for the castaway mariners, it is natural that . they should nay particular attention to their peculiarities. It is, however, singular that they should have hit upon just I the same remarks, and given them in nearly the same order, except that M. ' Baynal's account is more elegantly expressed and better arranged. We cannot go into details, bnt anybody who should, take the trouble to read' the two, would find it hard to believe that one was not based on the other. We proceeded therefore to compare some of the adventures, with a rather odd result. In the " Naufrages" — which, as we have said, is elaborately illustrated — there, is one very startling picture, which ,w[e took at first sight to be a representation of two sailors taking refuge on a small rock, in danger of submersion by a rising tide already up to their waists. On referring to the text, it appears that this rock is the summit of a mountain, and that what we had taken for water is meant fcr a rising mist. M. Eaynal, and a certain Aliek Maclaren (who, in spite jof his name, is called a Norwegian) had for the first time climbed a. certain rocky summit, and the. mist had risen so quickly that before they perceived it they j were enveloped. They were afraid to I move, being in one of those notorious places where a single false step might lead to destruction ; and they remained an hour, till they were nearly frozen to j death, when a sudden change of the wind 1 released them. There is something about this story which will sound rather suspicious to mountaineers, though it is certainly not incredible. Beferring, bowever, to Captain Musgrave's narrative, we find- that he accompanied M. Eaynal on his first climb. A mist arose, and, ' eaya Captain Musgrave, "we were very j .glad '.that .; we had, not got:, .to the C,'.tcg>,V and made our way; back again ! as soon as possible. It would be exceedingly "» ; dangerous to be caught on the top ;of these mountains in - one .of those thick . lv fogs ;, for sometime^ you cannot see two yards before you, so that you would be iobJigedj» stop until it cleared away, and in so doing you might perish with wet and cold." If these narratives refer to : the same incident, as it seems that they

must, Captain Musgrave's diary, -written a few days afterwards, must have been very defective, or M. Raynal: must have given us a fine example of an art sometimes delicately described as "embroidering." The hint upon, which the French story is founded seems to be contained in the last hypothetical clause of Captain Musgrave'a account. Another comparison is also rather curious. Captain Musgrave tells us that, after a short stay, the discipline of the men showed some symptoms of a dangerous relaxation. As** he" j>a-, thetically remarks, " you might as well look for the grace of God in a Highlander's log-book as gratitude in a sailor ; this is a well-known fact." However!, he very wisely adopted a plan, the success of which is gratefully recorded. He set up a kind of evening scfiool, taught frnfe ing to those who had notr acquired th*pt, and also regularly read prayers aiwexpounded the Bible. We no w turn fo M. Baynal, and discover a very different and much more florid account of the mode in which, as he expresses it, the " moral bide of life" received due attention. M. Eaynal, it seems, had been struck bj the dangers of discord and the temptation to awkward outbursts of ill-ten per. He reflected profoundly during" part of one night upon these topics, and next morning had his plan ready. It was to choose, not a superior, but a cKefdefamiUe, " tempering the legaland Indisputable authority of a magistrate by the affectionate condescension of a father, Or rather of an elder brother! Accordingly, he 'drew ' Tip a reghment, , which:; wasr; inscribed on jthe blank" pages of Captain Musgrave's bible, and defined accurately the position and duties of- the head of the family. Hejwas -to maintain order and union^to^getriri^ by sage advice of every topic of discussion that might degenerate into dispute | to settle all quarrels, banishing from 'the community in case of need any refractory person, to distribute tasks,- and in grave matters to make summary decisions." These rules, we are told, were accepted with the additional provision that -the community might, in case of abuse of power, appoint a new head. Captain Musgrave was unanimously elected. Now, undoubtedly, this constitution was | far more worthy of a philosophical Frenchman, and was altogether a more dramatic arrangement than poor- -Captain* Musgrave's simple notion of enforcing discipline, and reading the Bible 1 to (his. men. But we have our opinion aa to: which course of conduct would be most probable in the captain of a merchant schooner. In this, however,: we find one example of a difference which pervades the two stories. Captain Musgrave speaks in high terms of fhe energy and. akill; of ; M. : -Baynal, who acted as carpenter, blacksmith, shipwright, and frequently; aB cook, but then he always speaks as- a superior may speak of a subordinate, and attributes the origination of all important schemes to himself. M. Baynal, on the other hand, alwaysspeaks with the highest respect of Captain Musgrave's heroism, and many good qualities, but he gives jus distinctly to understand that he himself, j M.. Eaynal, was the life and soul of the j party. He possessed the cultivated in- j telligence to which, though his position was nominally subordinate, his companions naturally deferred. He speaks^ proudly of the ascendancy which ;he; gained over them, and the confidence he had won — a confidence, he adds, " due to the success which since the shipwreck had almost always attended? my enterprises." It was ihe who originally proposed to build a ship in which they might escape to Australia ; it was he who, when the task threatened to be above their powers, suggested thie alternative of fitting up the small boat sufficiently to make the passage to NW Zealand. He ha<^ reflected profoundly again upon these subjects, and after well considering them, made the moving orations which induced his companions to accept them unanimously. From Captain Musgrave we have an entirely different account. He, according to his own statement, designed the ship, and when the attempt failed, it was his " tacit project and unalterable resolution to attempt a passage in the boat. 14 He had, he tells us, given to this project his " serious and deliberate consideration for three months," and it was he who communicated the plan to the men. We can easily understand that each of two people might sincerely believe himself to be the originator of the plan finally adopted; but we fear that the lucid eloquence by which .M. Eaynal reconciled tis companions to the designs which he had excogitated must be reckoned rather amongst the speeches which ought to have been made than amongst those which have been actually spoken. We need not go into further details, nor show how oddly various hints given by Captain Musgrave expand and blossom under M. Eaynal' a hands. They remind us of the Piper and Arthur, la Clough's "Bothie":— , ■ Coloring he, dilating, 'magniloquent, glorying j in -picture, . •_•'•. i He to matter of feet still softening, paringabating, . ' ; - ' -„.,.'- -_.'■'.*;■■,] i He to the great migWrhave-bejarL '., upsqaribg, sublime, and ideal, '."_•' " , j He to the merest it-was restricting, diminishing, dwarfing. j And we cannot but feel that, if M. Eaynal has written the prettier book, Captain Musgrave is more capable jof securing our confidence. We do not for a moment doubt M. Baynal's veritable existence as a creature of flesh and blood, as well as the hero of a romance. J£ he had not possessed an objective reality, he could not have presented to the public library at Melbourne; a pair of blacksmith's bellows made of .sealskin, or a needle formed of an < albatross bone. Moreover, we know, iroin Captain Musgrave's authority as well ; as frqm his own, that the safety of the castaways was owing in a great measure to his ingenuity and, cleverness. But we take it that the book was probably composed on the same system as the pictures. . They giyelively representations of

scenes which it is obvious that the artist I has "never visited, and were compiled more or leas at random from r descriptionor fancy.' 1 In the saWs kM. Baynal has probably supplied the raw material [ which has been dexterously worked, up by some literary artist, who has put the whole into proper shape, giving not unnaturally, . rather, . more than _ ;due prominence to his hero, and making liberal use of hints supplied from Captain Musgrave's diary. Taking the book upon this footing, it is lively and amuking •enough^ and we.-have pnly-,two( remarks: to add. ' The first' is/ tha^it r suffers fatherin an artistic point of view from a jtoo poetical treatment of facts, for the aij;ua-. tion would probably have been brought out more/forcibly by;* strictly realistic description. The second is, that it is rather hard upon Captain Musgrave; to have hip adventures thus transmuted, \ for , the benefit of his subordinate; though/ perhaps thiadoeslfaot'tattch-niatter, aa M. Baynai describes Captain Musgravd -as now living in a highly indefinite disi irict somewhere near^ the source of the Missour ** ——————— !