Star.
London, England, 1822-09-21 00:00:00

NArAL INTELLIGENCP.

The gatenrcAvATAM, of 40 guns, Captain WAttate, was towed'
cn Monday fr ns Chatham to Sheerness, by the Comet steani-
boat : the bannio AAAAA m was ordered to be at Spithead on
Thursday.
One of his Majesty*s ships at Plymouth, is about to be par-
tially caulked with wool, instead of oakum, by way of experirhent.
Captain Bowtes, IL N. Comptroller-General of the Coast
ce.ard of England, is now travelling through Devon, Dorset, and
Pants, making an inspection of the stations in these counties.
FALMourn, SEPT. 19.—Wind E.—Arrived the Whim, SMALL,
r7oni Montserrat, sailed the Ist August, for London ; Nancy,
SvAcer, from Gallipoli, in seventy days, for orders t and his Ma-
esty's ship Laxity Tarr, from Gibraltar: sailed the 6th instant.
PLYMOUTH, SUT. 19.—Wind E.—Off the port, the Mirables,
Berns:tromp, from St. Vincent's, in forty-eight days : spoke the
Vmetican ship Amphion, of entefrom New York, bound to Rio
e is Plata, in distress, having been struck by lightning four days
floret her mizen-mast was gone, one seaman In the cabin lost
bis life, and another was much hurt; and the vessel, although
much shattered, made but little water. Also off the port, tne
i,
Palladium, PArraason, from St. Vincent's; and Valencia, Kiss- ,
lux from Demerara. Arrived the Prince of Saxe-Coburg, from
London to Madeira • BoldenOLortres, from Honduras; Amity,
BLOOIIPIIILD, for Leghorn; and Regard, FIXG, for Cadiz.
Mat., Sam 20.—Wind N.E.—Came down from the River,
the Hero, FAtt.LArr, for Calais.
Coat, Sam 16.—Arrived the Ocean transport, from London,
to take troops for Gibraltar.
Gill:AlMa, A tic. 27.—Captain 110 WGHTON, of the brig George,
arrived yesterday from Valparaiso, states that he met with very
thick fogs off Cape Spartel, on Saturday afternoon ; and during
the night, towards morning, he heard many guns fired in the
direction of the land, as from vessels in distress. On the weather
clearieg up at about nine a. as. he saw on shore, to the southward
of the Cape, a line of battle siljp and two brigs, the latter with
French colour.; one of them Ippeared to bare gut off, but the
other was rolling very much; they bad boats about them, as if
c.:rrying out anchors. There seems to be no doubt that these
st..tsiels helong to the French squadron mentioned on 21st Lost.
Tat-Lox, Jnt.v 31.—The squadron • under the command of
IL•ar-Admiral 11.3saLm, sailed at five o'clock this morning. It
cinsists of the Clome, on beard of which the Admiral has
...fisted his Rag; the Guerritr and Thetis frigates; Echo cor-
e- :re, and hlomus schooner. This division will be reinforced by
t:, . Jean Bart, and Sybille brig, from Brest. Its destination is
net known, but believed to cru.xe on the coast of Spain • and it
:• ::id :hat all the King's vessels in the Levant have orders to
7 :•tiorze this squadron.
Ces-rust-llousa, San. 20...—Ships Entered Inwards:—The
Kin; ':r the Netherlands, and Elsina, from Rotterdam ; Sir
W ..,,am Curtis, arum Sr. Petersburgh ; St. Johannes, from Dam-
ni • ; Sarah, end Paint:: Royal, from Archangel; -Industry, and
Net-, tune, from the Greenland fishery; Britannia,and Salads,
Ira rat I Lin!,t.rsh ; l‘lerit, from Quebec ; and ord Melville,
from Cai is. Entered Outwards :—The Rolla, for Malta, Neb-
tt.is, ',, .1 ~.,..i.:.: ; liar.- ty, and Rebecca, for Trinidad; Deux
re.rtirs, ;or ....arseillts; Cornelius, for the Cape of Good Hope;
Wish., and Neptenr, for Ostend ; and Ann, for Constantinople.
CL:ar d tottwards:—The Robert Edwards, for New York;
Ilarritt. fur 6,:e.0a ; Widan, anti King of the Netherlands, for
Pat terdam ; Lonoon, for Hambuigh; Robert, for Venice; and
Talbot, and Lord Melville, fur Calais.
•

DAVIS' STRAITS WHALE FISHERY.
ABSTRACT OF THE JOUR NA L OF THE SHIP BRUNSWICK,
MIMEO AT HELL ON THE 12111 1N5T..111.014 THE Milne MI en

TAM'S, AS rili.7 BY THE SURGEON Or THE SAW seer.
The Brunswick's :hip company was mustered on the Stb of
Narch, sai:ed on 7:h, and was anchored at SUOIMIESS the 13th.
We get under v:eigh the following morning, and beat out of Hog
Mouth, with the wind blowipg fresh from the W.N.W. On
f:te 7'h of April we were tr ecalztird off Cape Farewell. At
-eon or the 12th, we were is lat. by meridian observation, 60.
ee. N. and 52. 45. N. by dead reckoning ; a stream of ice, and
I.:Vt ral icebergs were seen from deck. On :he 19th, we were as
high up the St rait- as Wylufyord(Holstenburg),where we were de-
teti.ed (w..iting the breaking up of the ice to the northward) till
the reorning of the 26th, when we experienced fresh breezes
froze 1.1 N.H. Two Esquimau: (whom the Governor very
kitelly allowed to accompany us) acted as pilots, the length of
SOL.tO Bay Island, where they left us, leaving a favourable int-
pre §-inn on our minds of their accurate knowledge of the coast.
On the 2d May all hands were employed towing and warping
the ship through ice, leading from Dog to Whale Islands, anti
the island of Dairy). Several white whales were seen, but none
ef the black species. On the 3d, 4th, and 6th several black whales
were seen, but we were not so fortunate as to harpoon any one of
teen:. Ou the Bth spoke the Cambrian of hull, then clean. The
:we ships attempted to enter South-east bay,hoping to fall in with
:he fish, but after standing some time in that direction the pas-
sage was discoverrd to be cloaked up with ice; the ships then
Lard and stood off to the westward. On the 9th the gull species
became unconunoady numerous—the Larus Risa, l'Ariticus,
and the Glaucns. It was, I think, the prevailing opinion among
the Masters of the different ships now with us That the ice to the
southward was much lighter than that which they bad seen in
farmer years; owing to this circumstance, it was expected that
the hairier of ice which extended from the north end of Drisco
to the westward, would form little or no impediment to the pro-
gress of the ships northward this year ; accordingly we ran to
the northward along Drisco, with the Albion and Cambrian in
company, to ascertain the fact ; but to our great mortification on
the morning of the 11th, the barrier was seen as compact and
gelid as in former years. We again put about in order to beat to
the southward. On the 12th we were again at the south end of
Drisco, the Albion and Cambrian attempted to force a passage
into South-East Bay, but were completely frustrated by the
compactness of the sea. At ouon on thelStb, the ice seemed to
be in motion and apparently drifting in a solid body to the south-
ward, we took advantage of mooring to an iceberg, in order to
alluw the flaws to drift past us. At one F.M. the Cambrian har-
pooned a whale, which took into the pack, and shortly liti rAvards
came up alongside of us, when our boats and the Albioa's assisted
to kill her. We got through this blockade on the 21st, after sus-
ta:aing some heavy blows in boring through the pack (ice). It fell
calm at noon, all hands were therefore called to man the boats, and
commence towing northward. At two a. at. on the morning of
the 22d, we passed Four Island Point, and in the evening were
In the open of the Bay, our latitude at noon ;0.45. On the 24th
we seemed to be in the head-quarters of the whales, and were
fortunate enough to capture two, the length of whalebone mea-
suring nine feet four inches in the first one, and nine feet 10 inches
in the other. We then moored to an iceberg for the purpose of
flinching, We kept plying about in this latitude till the 29th,
when we succeeded in harpooning another whale, but in the cap-
ture of this one I have to lament the death of a brave seaman,
whom she struck with the fork of her tail. Three other men were
hurt at the same time, but they recovered. On the 6th June, a
dead fish was seen by one of the louse harpooners front the mast-
head, we succeeded in securing her as a prize ; the bone mea=
sered Ili feet ; this was the last whale we saw during the season.
Early in the morning of the 10th we were up with that barrier
of ice which lies off Faeroe Islands, and were under the neces,
shy of lyaig-to to await its opening, but a few hours soon re-:
leased us and the ships that were in company with us from the
anxiety w.hieLt the blockade occasioned. On the 11th we got
feta the water, and about two A. et. on the morning of the 18th,
the lowering as; of the western horizon indicated an approacb-
tug gale ; at three our conjectures were verified by the presence
of one of the heaviest gales ever remembered by die oldest
seaman in Davis Straits. On the 23d, we were abreast of
Puck Islands, Sugar-loaf Hill bearing south; here another
:blockade was found. We made fast to the flaws for the
Iserpose of waiting its opening. The flaws separated a little
zn the 25th, whea we entered the channel of water caused
•thereby, but did not move more than two miles N. We again
armored to theflaw, the Active, Hero, Eon Accord, Lady Forbes,
'William, Cato, and ethers in company. Early on the following
morning the flaws again opened, and we got through into a good
deal of water. In rot/owing our example, the Lady Forbes got
jr.irmeri between the points of the flaw, and in every short time
was a complete meek, the men having scarcely time to save
their clothes before the flaws crushed through her. The Cato'
likewise got materially damaged. The intrepidity and skit of
OW Captain were here eminently displayed. Leaving the land
Slaw, where upwards of twenty sail were in -dock, be penetrated
tt migh the ice, undaunted by the dreadtul collisieui of the dash-
log flaws and icebergs, which carry allbefore them. On the 16th
a very heavy press came on the ship ; the ice was running at the
rate of three miles an hour, and large fragments were daahed
against, and curled up the side of the ship. At this time the
rudder was unshipped, the b itches thrown aff, and nothing but
suia before us. The breeze Irons N.N. W. was aucceecied by a
1 pk:tect hurricane from S.W. Such a hurricane, especially from
:bet quarver, %Amid dot fail to make a great havock arwwg the
SAWS to tie southward, where the greatest part of the ships were

Wng. degroyhig afl bereft chats.. Aeeordhisit. bei
the following morning we sew three ships wrecked (Eau, Va-
liant, Invincible). On the litb, after much difficulty, we got
the ship off the flaw (where she lay embedded with masses of
ice many hundred tens weight) and tacked, warped,-and towed
to the nerthirard.
On the Seth, we were lying in a stock, with the William and
Old Middleton. There again we were near being crushed by a
large iceberg. All the seamen's chests, beds, &c. of the three
ships were taken out, and left on the Haws, we expecting to see
the ships crushed every instant. At midnight we saw the crew
belonging to the Calypso liunching, over the flaw, their boats to
the Beet more to the southward. The Calypso was lost on the
27th. On the 30th, we quitted oat dock, and warped the
ship more towards the land—the William and Middleton fol-
lowing our example. August 2d. The idea of the ice clearing
away to the northward, and leaving a passage for the ship in that
direction, in order to prosecute the fishery, was now completely
given up. Nothing but a solid field of ice could be seen, as
far as the eye could reach to the northward, on which the easterly
winds had little or no effect in drifting it off from the land. Dui
nights were corning on, bay ice was making rapidly, and cement-
, ing the louse flaws together; in fact, is was morally impossible
-fur any ship to gain a passage this year to Prince Regents Bay,
although Captain Ross has given it as his opinion that a passage
may be found every year; experience is, therefore, at variance
with his opinion. We bore up to the southward, and were ac-
companied by the William and Middleton. It came on thick in
the evening, and we were necessitated again to saw a dock in the
flaw, for the preservation of the ship. We there learnt the loss
of the British Queen, and at noon, on the Sth, saw the Hero
wrecked. Here we lay till the 14th of August, when, after an
amazing deal of labour, we forced our way through all danger,
towing, &c. till the evening of the 15th, when we got into the
Open sea, leaving 16 vessels beset to the northward. I have no
hesitation in saying, if a passage is found this year to the west
land, it must be more southerly than has yet been attempted.—
In our passage down the Straits twice were we led into the ice,
In the hopes of discovering it, and both times failed. The lati-
tudes which we atiimpted were 73 first, and 71 the second time.
We bore up for England on the 27th of August, were off Cape
Farewell on the Ist of September, ran through Hoy Sound
(Orkner,) on the Bth, and finally arrived in the Humber, with
four fish, 130 butts, after a passage of thirteen days, unexampled
for its celerity.