Revised Jun 19 2021
Buffett's account of himself continued; wrecked on the coast of Massachusetts, New England—shipped as mate in American ship bound from London to Canton, (1821)—ship sold in Manila—visits Oahu and California—remains upon Pitcairn's Island as a school Teacher—moral and religious condition of the inhabitants—John Adams' death.
Some years after this on a voyage from Jamaica to St. Johns, New Brunswick in the brig Weasel, Capt. McNevin, I was shipwrecked on Scituate beach near Boston, U. S. America.
After being at sea 62 days, our provisions expended, and no light for our binnacle subsisting chiefly on frozen oranges, and with scarcely any sails, and after many times providentially escaping a leeshore, on the night of the 22d February we ran ashore in a snow storm. The master (who had a lame leg,) seldom came on deck, and the mate knowing but little of navigation, we had long been driven about the coast.
At the time the Brig struck there was no one on deck, a young man who had been on deck several hours, came below to get some one to relieve him.
Feeling her strike, we all proceeded to the quarter deck, where we saw the master, who had just made his appearance on deck when we told him the vessel was on shore, he replied "ah! this is what I expected!"
After remaining a short time on deck he said "let us go below and make ourselves comfortable as we can." The Captain, mate and myself went down into the cabin, the other four into the forecastle. The sea was at this time breaking over the vessel, and as the surf beat us up on the beach the Capt. would exclaim "ah! she is going fast through the water yet." The water poured fast through the hole of the stovepipe in the quarter deck, which the Capt. told me to stop with a piece of canvas—he told me also to look for something to put some rum in. Having no light, I felt about and found a teapot! He gave me the key of his trunk and desired me to fill the pot with rum. After we had drank thereof, the night being very cold and chilly, we soon got sleepy, turned in and went to sleep. I knew no more till daylight, when I awoke, and calling to mind our situation got up and looked out of the cabin windows, and saw that we were high and dry on shore.
Providentially for us at the time the Brig struck, the tide had just began to ebb which caused her to lie so easy as the sea receded. Had we struck at low water, or gone ashore on another part of the beach, there would probably have been none of us to tell our tale.
I awoke the Captain and the mate, and shortly after a man came down and hailed us telling us we had better come on shore as soon as possible "for" (says he) "if you stop till the tide rises and the vessel lists (leans) off shore it will be a chance if any of you are saved."
The Capt. wished the man to come on board but he would not. The Capt. and mate said they would stop on board—the rest of us landed and accompanied the man to his house and were kindly treated, and furnished with the best he could provide, which we stood much in need of, having been subsisting for some time on oranges with snow water for our drink.
Having refreshed ourselves we returned to the wreck. When we left her, we came on shore almost dry shod, but on our return we found the tide had risen, and was breaking over the vessel which had listed off shore. The mate had got on shore, and the Captain alone remained on board.
By this time numbers of fishermen and others had arrived, and were calling to the Captain to make himself fast with the lead line (one end of which had washed on shore) and cast himself into the sea.
He was so benumbed with the cold that for a long time he could not, at last he succeeded, and threw himself over board and was hauled on shore, put into an ox car and carried to Marshfield.
The rum soon began to come out of the ship's bottom. As soon as the fishermen had secured one cask they stove in the head and dipped in their fishing boots to keep their feet from being frost bitten—not forgetting to take some inwardly.
Out of nineteen puncheons eight or nine were saved, and the brig became a total wreck.
We were treated very kindly by the inhabitants of Scituate particularly by Capt. N. Turner at whose house most of us resided during our stay there.
[This wreck was reported in The Acadian Recorder,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 7, 1818:
"Ship news...
St. John, N.B. - Feb. 24 the brig Weasel, M'Nevin
60 days from Jamaica for St. John, N.B.
went on shore on Scituate Beach near Boston
in the gale of the 3d inst. and has gone to pieces.
She had a cargo of 21 puncheons of Rum - 9 only of it saved."]
In 1821 I sailed from London as mate of an American ship bound to Canton. From Canton we went to Manila on entering the Bay of which, we experienced a Typhoon, and lost our mizzen, and fore-topmasts. The ship being sold in Manila I procured a passage on board the ship "Lady Blackwood" bound to Chili. About three weeks out of Manila we came near getting on a lee shore. Having let go our anchors and the ship still driving on shore, we cut away our masts, and thus saved the ship. After the gale abated we rigged jury masts and proceeded to the Island of Rema, one of the spice Islands where we got spars for masts and rigging, and from thence went to Ternate and refitted. From the latter place we sailed for and touched at Oahu (one of the Hawaiian Islands,) thence to California where I remained on shore some months and then joined the whaleship "Cyrus" of London, John Hall, Master. Having procured 1700 barrels of sperm oil, we touched at Oahu, which we left in October 1823 bound to London, in our passage we touched at Pitcairn's Island for refreshments. The inhabitants being in want of some person to teach them to read and write, the Captain asked me if I should like to remain there. I told him I should, and was discharged and went on shore.
At this time there were about 50 inhabitants. Of this number seven came in the "Bounty" namely John Adams and six Tahitian women, one of those being but an infant when she left Tahiti.
At the time of our arrival about 14 ships English and American had visited the island. When our boat landed the natives appeared very glad to see us, we ascended the hill, and were conducted to the village where we saw John Adams. He was a man about 5 feet 6 inches high, stout made and very corpulent, he was dressed in a shirt and trowsers. The native's dresses were made from the bark of a tree called "auti" (the paper Mulberry) the men wearing a cloth called maro, the women a petticoat of the same, and a cloth tied loosely over their shoulders.
At about 11 A.M. they all assembled at the house of McCoy (where Adams always resided during the visit of a ship) where they all stood and sung the 95th Psalm "Sing to the Lord, Jehovah's name" or it may be aid, to have been chanted, it being a tune they said John Adams taught them. (All kneeling) Adams said a form of prayer, and concluded by singing the 51st Psalm, old version. After dinner they met at the house of Edward Young, where some of the ship's crew danced.
Adams not being used of late years to be encumbered with clothes, took off shirt and trowsers, and had a step also.
At about sun setting they all assembled on a grass plat beside the house, and had singing and prayers as in the morning. Adams had taught them to consider Wednesdays and Fridays as fast days, which they generally strictly observed, eating nothing till evening.
But at the time of my arrival, they were not so strict in its observation, as Capt. F. Arthur in the Russel, whaler of Nantucket had almost convinced them, that there was no harm in eating on those days.
Two young men having a desire to see England, our Capt. agreed to take them and they were prepared to go, but owing to the grief of their parents, and coming on bad weather, they did not go.
I soon commenced school keeping, the children attended regularly and some of the young men also to learn to write, &c.
On Wednesday evening most of the people attended to hear me read a sermon or a religious book, and on the Sabbath, Adams performed divine service, morning and afternoon.
As much has been written concerning the religious character of the people, but by those persons who were but a short time among the people, and were not able to judge correctly of their character, I will give a plain statement of facts and should they come before the public they an judge for themselves. For my own part a residence of twenty-one years has convinced me, that human nature is the same throughout the world.
It may be necessary first to state the circumstances which caused me to remain on the Island. I was going home with a good voyage, and good prospects before me when we touched at the Island. But as I have before stated, I had escaped many dangers, and those dangers were the means of causing me to think of a future state, or, if I should express my desires at that time to become religious. In this state of mind I came to Pitcairn's Island. I had read some years before in Delano's voyage, an account of the Island, and a later account by Capt. Arthur; and I now thought it the most eligible place in the world, a place free from temptation, and with no hindrance to prevent a man becoming a christian. I thought that all on shore were such. I found that each family had morning and evening prayer, and read the scriptures, and were a moral people. It is generally thought that Mr. Adams brought them up in this manner from childhood, but it was many years after the Massacre before he taught any to read, and McCoy's son has told me, that they could not believe for some time that Adams understood what he read, but they thought (to use his own words) "he spoke out of his own head."
After Adams taught some of them, they taught others, and when I arrived all but two or three of the first generation could read. I believe sincerely that Mr. Adams tried to guide them aright, but it was attended with much formality. When out fishing in their canoes he had taught them to kneel at the stated time of prayer, and go through their devotions; as the canoes were small and had no outriggers, this was rather difficult to perform. They observed many things in the Levitical law, such as abstaining from unclean birds, &c.
Adams also very properly taught them before going a fishing or any dangerous enterprise, to pray to the Lord for his protection, and what he taught them, I believe he performed himself. He informed me that once he and several of the Tahitian women went for fish on the south side of the Island, and that while on shore the surf became large, and broke their canoe. To ascend the precipice they could not, and their only alternative was to commit themselves by prayer to their Maker, and swim to a rock some distance from the land, and again swim to another part, and at length they reached the shore safely. If any were very ill, Adams always came to pray for them, and the natives now say, that in time of drought, when he prayed for rain, (which he generally did) rain was soon sent them. But they say of a late Teacher, Mr. Hill, that when he prayed for rain, if it before looked cloudy, it would then clear away. Mr Adams had no concern with their secular affairs, that is. no control over them. Sometimes little disputes would arise between them when trafficking for fowl, but if Mr. Adams had a dispute with any he would follow the precept, "Let not the sun go down on thy wrath," and before night would make friends.
When I arrived each family had a box containing books. In looking over them I found "Alliens alarm to the unconverted" and a few of "Burder's Sermons" brought by some whale ship; also a volume of "Doddrige' Sermons on Regeneration" the last appeared to have been much used, I am inclined to think by Young, as some years before his death he was a great reader of his Bible and used to relate the contents to his wife who is still living, and can now recollect many of the historical parts.
One of the mutineers, Isaac Martin, used to devote much of his time in hearing Young read.
But to proceed—after perusing these books, I found something more was necessary, beside reading and prayer to become a christian, and although secluded as it were, from the world, I found that the heart of man was the same, and needed a change, which change I could not perceive had taken place in me, although I led a moral life, and wished to devote myself to the service of God.
After reading the Liturgy of the Church of England on the Sabbath, Adams would ask me to read a sermon or some religious book. I generally read one of the "Village sermons" and to impress it upon their memory read it twice. One of those sermons was from the 6th Chapter of John "Labor not for the meat that perisheth, &c." Another "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out;" ad I trust it was the means under which some were brought to see the way of salvation by a crucified Redeemer—I believe that some did come unto him, and did eat of that bread which endureth unto everlasting life. Of this number some died at Tahiti. For some time these things appeared dark to Mr. Adams. He being once on a sick bed I asked him if he felt prepared for death; he replied he did not know what further preparations to make. I discoursed to him of salvation by faith in Jesus. He replied, that he thought that people would neglect to do good if taught to believe in Jesus alone for salvation. But I believe he afterwards thought different, as I have seen him when reading of the sufferings of the Redeemer shed tears, and although in his last illness I had not an opportunity of conversing with him on the subject, he being often delirious, yet I trust he is now enjoying a crown of glory.