The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-29 00:00:00

THE PATAGONIAN MISSION.

"Her Majesty's ship Portland, at Valparaiso,
February 21, 1852.
"Sir,—Enclosed is Captain Morshead's report of the
death by starvation of Commander A. Gardiner and the
whole of the party sent out • by the Patagonian Mission-
ary Society in September, 1850, to Pictou Island, the
southern extremity of AmeriCa.
• " Their Lordships will deeply deplore the fate of these
devoted missionaries; but this lesson of experience will
have its Eff,:ct. The earnest application of sanguine
minds for the prop9galion of Christianity must, in a
climate like Cape Horn, first consider the locality where
existence can be insured. I have desired Captain Mor-
shead to carefully pack the remnants that he has col-
lected, and they will be forwarded to the Admiralty by
the Daphne. Such as can be transmitted by the mail
are sent herewith. "I have, &c.,
" FAIRFAX MORESBY, Rear-Admiral
and Commander-in-Chief.
" The Secretary of the Admiralty."
" Her Majesty's ship Dido, at sea, lat. 55.58 S.,
long. 66.0 W., Jan. 22, 1852, Cape Horn
West 30 miles.

"Sir,—ln compliance with orders from the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated October 25,
1851, directing me to ascertain the fate of Captain Gar-
diner and his missionary party in Tierra del Fuego, on
my way to the Pacific, it is my melancholy duty to re-
port, for their Lordships' information, that the whole
party have perished by starvation.
"Having received information from the Rev. G. P.
Despard, of Redland, Bristol, honorary secretary to the
Patagonian Missionary Society, I learnt that the party,
consisting of Captain Allen Gardiner, R.N., superin-
tendent; Mr. Williams, surgeon and catechist; Mr.
Maidment, catechise; John Erwin, carpenter; John
Badeock, John Bryant, and John Pearce, Cornish fisher-
men, left England in September, 1850, in the barque
Ocean Queen; also learnt that stores bad been forwarded
to them in Juno last vid the Falkland Islands; and
should the party be unable to maintain their position at
Picton bland, Beagle Channel, being provided with par-
tially-decked launches, that they would fall back on Sta-
ten Island. having called at the Falkland Islands, and
embarked these stores, consisting of 30 casks, cases, &c.,
I sailed thence on the Gth of January, 1852, and stood
along the north coast of Staten Island With large ensigns
flying at the mastheads to attract attention, and fired shot-
ted guns into the mouths of St. John's Harbour, Cook's
Harbour, and New Year's Harbour, and, observing
a flagstaff erected with a flag on it in Near Year's
Island, I came to anchor under it at eight o'clock on
Sunday evening, the 11th of January. The next morn-
ing, January the 12th, I sent Lieutenant Gausson in the
cutter to ascertain the cause, and went myself at the
same time into New Year's Harbour, and found a ship's
longboat lying hauled up on the beach, with Aladin
Apcnrade' on her stern. She was fitted with oars cut
from trees on the spot. By a tally left on the beach, I
found the schooner J. E. Davidson, of New York, W.
11. Smyly master, had called here on the 16th of October,
1851, on her way to Picton Island to relieve the mis-
sionaries. I returned to the ship at the same time as
Lieutenant Gaussen, who reported that pieces of wreck
were on the island, but, excepting the flag which he
brought on board, there were no indications of how or
where any vessel could have been lost. It blew a per-
fect hurricane that night off the land; and, being unable
to heave the ship up to her anchor, I fully expected to
be blown off with the loss of anchor and cable; but the
ship held on with 90 fathoms of chain in 22 fathoms of
water.
"I sailed the next day, but could not attempt the
Straits of Le faire, us it still blew fresh from the south-
ward. Having passed Cape St. John, I stood along the
south coast of Staten Island, and got a good view of
Port Vancouver, the only harbour on the south side of
Staten Island, and, seeing no signs of the party being
there, I made direct for Picton Island till the 17th, when,
the weather proving very thick and hazy, with squally
baffling winds, I was compelled to bear up, and stood
along the east and south coast of New Island, getting a
good view of Richmond-roads. I endeavoured to beat
up to Picton Island through Goree-roads, and got well
up, so as to open the Beagle Channel, when, the wind
failing and a current setting to the southward, I bore up
and anchored in Goree-roads for the night.
" The next day, Jan. 18, it blew a heavy gale from the
southward, but the ship rode well with two anchors ahead
and 100 fathoms of chain.
" Jan. 19—The wind having moderated in the night
and shifted to the northward, I weighed at four in the
morning, and beat up through Goree-roads and stood
along the south-west coast of Picton Island, and, passing
Cape Merle, beat up the north-last coast of the island.
The wind again falling light, it As late before we could
tow the ship to her berth in a cove formed by an inlet on
the coast, called by Captain Gardinsr Banner Cove,' and
the scene of his early troubles.
" The following day, January 20, was devoted to
scouring the coast and the adjacent islet, and, after many
hours of fruitless search, without a sign of the party,
and when on the point of giving them up, some writing
was seen on a rock across a river, which we instantly
made for, and found written—' Go to Spaniard Har-
bour.' On another rock adjoining we read—' You will
find us in Spaniard Harbour.' On a third piece of rock
we read—' Dig below,' which we instantly did, but
found only a broken bottle, without any paper or direc-
tions. On searching one of the numerous wigwams in
the neighbourhood, we read on one of their poles, A
bottle under this pole,' but we could not find it, although
we sent for shovels and crowbars, and dug deep and
carefully for it; but it was evident from some fragments
of stores found on the spot, that the mission had rested
here.
"Accordingly the next morning, January 21, I sailed
early for Spanish Harbour, and entered it on the same
evening at seven o'clock. Our notice was first attracted
by a boat lying on the beach about one mile and a half
inside of Cape Kinnaird; it was blowing very fresh from
the south, and the ship rode uneasily at her anchor. I
instantly sent Lieutenant Pigott and Mr. Roberts, the
master, to reconnoitre and return immediately, as I was
anxious to get the ship to sea again in safety for the
night; they returned shortly, bringing some books and
papers, having discovered the bodies of Capt. Gardiner
and Mr. Maidment unburied.
"From the papers found Mr. Maidment was dead on
the 4th of September, and Captain Gardiner could not
possibly have survived the 6th of September, 1851. On
one of the papers found was written legibly, but with-
out a date, If you will walk along the beach for a
mile and a half you will find us in the other boat, hauled
up in the mouth of a river at the head of the harbour,
on the south side. Delay not, we are starving.' At this
sad intelligence it was impossible to leave that night,
although the weather looked very threatening; neither
the aneroid barometer nor symperzometer bang very
unfavourable, I held on for the night.
"I landed early the next morning (Jan. 22), and
visited the spot where Captain Gardiner and his com-
rade were lying, and then went to the head of the har-
bour with Lieutenant Gaussen, Mr. Roberts, and Mr.
Evan Evans, the surgeon. We found there the wreck
of a boat, with part of a gear and stores, with quanti-
ties of clothing, with the remains of two bodies, which I
conclude to be Mr. Williams (surgeon) and John
Pearce (Cornish fishermen), as the papers clearly show
the deaths and burial of all the rest of the mission
party.
" Tho two boats were thus about a mile and a half
apart. Near the ono whore Captain Gardiner was lying
was a large cavern, called by him Pioneer Cavern,
where they kept their stores and occasionally slept, and
in that cavern Mr. Maidment's body was found.
" Among Captain Gardiner's papers, which I will no-
tice presently, I extract the following:—' Mr. Maidment
was, so exhausted yesterday that he did not rise from
his bed till noon, and I have not seen him since.' Again,
on the 4th of September, alluding to Mr. Maidment, be
writes—' It was a merciful Providence he left the boat,
as I could not have removed the body.' Captain Gar-
diner's body was lying beside the boat, which apparently
ho had left, and, being too weak to climb into it again,
had died by the side of it. We were directed to the ca-
vern by a hand painted on the rocks, with Psalm lxii.
v. 58,' under it.
" Their remains were collected together and buried
close to this spot, and the funeral service read by Lieu-
tenant Underwood; s small inscription was placed on
the rock, near his own tent; the colours of the boats and
ships struck half- mast, and three volleys of musketry,
were the only tribute of respect I could pahave
lofty-minded man and his devoted companions, whoy
perished in the cause of the Gospel for the want o ti 1
supplies, and before noon the Dido was proceeding safely
on her voyage.
"In looking over the papers found in the cavern, I
am enabled to trace out the wanderings and
y
to the time of their
sufferings which besot the party up m
private an of the
unhappy end. Some of the papers are on
eonr affairs,ielgious
unconnected with their position, and some
subjects, but I quote only from those which bear upon
their fate.
the
De-
" Having arrived at Piston Island on
camber, oofn Dthe-
e
cember, 1850, they landed and pitched
rk
he consequence
6th. bat were compelled to re-emb
te
hi re boatse e could
an
of the annoyance of the natives, unnatmiletdh
be got ready. Their boats we
Speedwell; and they finally
If ibsrheeimbarked, and slept in
sailed the next day,
them on December 18. h
and their troubles seem tolhl ave. oponamenced.
e Both boats immediately got under weigh for the
;fast of Tierra del Fuego,
opposite shore, on the south-coast
loomfield-harbour, as the
to a place they have nam
natives annoyed them; but before clearing the an-
eedwell got on. the rocks,ears lost her. anchor,
chorage the Sp
and injured her rudder ;it app to have been
blowing fresh, as both boats swamped their dingies, and
lost them. The Pioneer reached Bloomfield-harbour,
but returned again the next day, and joined the
e
Sp, dwell. Both boats then weighed for Bloomfield-
ha- ribour, but on this occasion the Pioneer grounded,
and the Speedwell having been out all night, o
re-
• y ined her the next morning. On January G I find both
boats in Lennox-harbour, where they had gone to beach
thorn and stop their leaks, but
was thrown by a squall into a nest of rocks, and she
was not afloat again till the 17th of January. They left
Lennox-harbour on the 20th of January for Bloomfield-
harbour the natives there
to refit their
bore boats, but,
for Spanish-harbour, which
in great force, they up
they reached on the 24th of January.