The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-10 00:00:00

ROMANCE OF THE SEA.

In the Birkenhead Dock there is now lying as pretty
a little craft as ever hoisted a sail, the brigantine Union,
Captain James Mucklejohn. Connected with this little
"plougher of the deep" is a small romance which will
doubtless be interesting not only to the nautical, but to
the general reader. The Union is a model craft, and her
commander is ditto a seaman. The peculiarity of the
case is this, that the vessel was built, is commanded, and
crewed all by one family ; and, moreover sea service has
been rendered by the wife of the master and the mother
of the crew. Captain James Mucklejohn is a native of
Leith, a hardy Scot. Having in his youth to encounter
obstacles which ever beset those who aspire to make their
way in the world, he resolved to fight with them like a
man, and with that determination of action for which
his country is so distinguishable he set himself to work
to follow out to success one given course of life. Like
all sensible men, the first want he found to the accom-
plishment of the object he had determined upon was a
wi'e, a good one, and he happened to be fortunate in his
choice. He engaged and consummated with a bonny lass
from Inverness. His domestic position now being settled,
he emigrated with her to Prince Edward's island about
26 years ago. A virtuous marriage is generally followed
by beneficial results. Natural contingencies resulted in
this case ; the family grew up all sons, and no one family
every appeared to live more happily, not even that in
Noah's ark,`,the beasts of course excepted. They settled
down in the colony of Prince Edward's Island as far-
mers, and were prospering. As early aspirations in
love lead to disquietude, so does early occupation often-
times to discontent in position. The father had
been brought up as a shipwright, and the sons had
been originally taught the same trade. Notwith-
standing the beauties of the broad fields and the charms
of rural life, a ship to them was more attractive than a
farm. "They took counsel together," and determined
upon entering into the shipbuilding trade. Prince Ed-
ward's Island swarms with trees. Their axes went to
work, and they hewed them down. A determined course
of proceeding had now been come to. In process of time
they constructed some vessels entirely with their own
hands, except the smith's work, and brought them for
sale to Liverpool. These vessels were sold by Messrs.
Wilson and Brown, of this port ; the first one, the Isabel,
of 130 tons, in 1852 ; in 1853, the Bee, of 97 tons ; and,
in 1854, the Success, of 230 tons; and, in addition to
the occupation of farming and the art of shipbuild-
ing, the family acquired the art of seamanship
and navigation. Genius, however, is always
restless, always endeavouring, and ever accomplishing.
This family of unison had long had a desire to try their
fortunes at the antipodes as farmers, or, perhaps, the
temptations of the goldfields of Australia or New Zia-
land offered more inducement to the creation of wealth
They therefore came to the determination of leaving
Prince Edward's Island. How was this to be accom-
plished in a compact I After a family consultation, the
father urged that the only way was to build a ship ; the
sons agreed with him, and they set to work, and built,
entirely with their own hands, the brigantine Union,
and fitted her out expressly to convey them to New
Zealand. They launched her at Prince Edward's Island
on the 22d of May, 1856, and sailed on the 24th of the
next month with a cargo of timber for Belfast, where
she arrived in 23 days the Union being manned
' exclusively (save that Mrs. Mucklejohn invariably
sails with the lot)lby one family, Captain Mucklejohn,
and his sons James, John, Alexander, William, Robert,
and Lemuel. The second son, Septimus, " had mar-
' ried a wife," and therefore "could not come," or rather
" go." In Belfast they "copperod their good and
trusty ship," and otherwise fitted her for a long
voyage (matters which could not well be done on
the island), and then left in ballast for Cardiff, where
they took in coals for Alicant in Spain, arriving there
in 18 days. They next proceeded south, taking a car- ,
go of wine to Rio Janeiro, making the run in 50 days ; '
thence to Montevideo, with salt taken from the cargo
of an American ship, in 14 days. By these means—that
is, by a trading voyage, they were gradually approaching
their destination, and making the speculation lucra-
tive. But here, from , some unexplained cause—
probably the temptation of a good freight—the course
was altered, and Captain Mucklejohn was induced to
take in a cargo of bones and bone ash at Pysondu for
this port, leaving the River Plate on the 31st of March.
When out a short time they encountered a terrific gale,
" the little ship trembled, but never shrank '." she bat-
tled with the waves " as would a mother for her child,"
and, being nearly overwhelmed, was providentially saved
by a sudden change of wind. The adventurers and their
own built craft arrived here on the 17th of June, and are
now fitting out once more for the antipodes. After leav-
ing the Cape she may probably call at the Mauritius,
thence to Australia or New Zealand. Such is the history
of a ship built, manned, and navigated by a single family.
—Liverpool Daily Post.