Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-10-01
From the New.York Courier

Odlutdd] ldNL WAS dltlOunLCO tuC " al et this port of the schooner Antartic, under tn, command of Captain Morrell, after an absence of two years, with a statement Shat while trading on the South Pacific he had lost nine teen of his crew in an encounter with the ma lives of newly discovered island.
 The circumstances attending the voyage o this vessel are of too remarkable a character to be dismissed with passing notice.
 The Antarctic sailed from New York in Sept, 1929, on voyage to the South Seas, for the purpose of collecting cargo of fur seal skins. In October following she touched at the Cape de Verd Islands, and obtained the salt necessary for the preservation of the skins expected to be taken; from thence she shap- ed her course to New Zealand, but, being disappointed in procuring skins there, the captain determined on altering his voyage, and sailed for Manila. Whilst proceeding thither, he fell in with group of islands, which, not being on the chart, he named Westerfield's Group. They are small, and a reefot rocks runs from one island to the other. On the day following he discovered lana a. gam, and found 1t to consist of another group ot islands, extending abo'' seventy-seven miles eorth anl s3llh; these being neither mentioned ;.s @l.~.s, ne UaIeu them Berght Group. Here he had some inter- course with the natives, but it was impossi- ble for him to obtain any information from them as to the inducement to trade wha h their island afforded, and he therefore cortin- uel his course. On the 25th he agair saw lard, long low island, which appeared to be loaded with cocoa nuts, without, however, the least trace of inhabitants; this island he called Livingston Island. On the 9th of March he arrived at Manila, and there made | c. tI. [. to the Fejee Islands, in search of cargo of Beach F Mar, Tortoise shell, 8Ic.
 In the prosecution of the voyage he sailed from Manila on the 18th April. Passing Iva's Island and Walace's Island, he, on the 9th May, made six low islands called Las Matieas, where the natives came off to trade with him; but finding they possessed nothing worthy of his notice, his stay with them was short They indicated to him that further north he would find large quantity of the article of which he was in search-Beach le Mar In shaping his course in that direction, he passed a group of islands, called by the natives Fama Tam, another group denomi- mated pn the chart, Young Williams group, and the Island of Mondeverdesant.
 CaPain Morrell appeared to have had but little Intercourse with the natives of those places, merely enough to obtain from them cocoa nuts and bread fruit, and ascertained that tfey possessed nothing more. He de- scrlbeS the men as being remarkably robust and tall; some times by theiS conduct leading him to apprehend that they had hostile inten- tlons; atothers perfectly peaceable, and hav- ing no war weapons about them.
 On the 22d May an accident occurred to which we should have attached no mpor- tance, but which has been carefully noted down among the remarkable events of the voyage. GA little bird, as black as ink, J came on board the schooner, and could not be induced to leave her. Some of the men, with the credulity common to seamen, thinking il was bird of ill omen, wanted to kill it; but the captain, pleased with its perfect tame ness, determined on preserving its life. Or the following day the islands, to which the name of Massacre Islands was afterwards | given, were discovered, and the little bird i'm medately flew to the land. Numerous, nc doubt, have since been the regrets on board that the little bird was allowed to escape; fol to it have many of their subsequent misfor- tunes been strangely enough attributed. | On the 23d May then, the schooner was ir sight of six islands, all small, with reef o rocks running from one to the other, through which there was here and there small chan nel, about 100 yards in width. The islands appeared very fruitful, and several large ca noes were seen inside the reef, and plenty o Beach le Mar, of excellent quality, being found there, the captain determined on en- deavoring to procure cargo of that con- modity at this place. After anchoring, and making other necessary preparations, part oi the crew were sent on shore on the 26th, for the purpose of clearing away the trees and bushes, and building house, where the Beach lc Mar, when taken, might be cured, and rendered fit for transportation.
 It is perhaps necessary that we should state here, that Beach le Mar is fish, of which the Chinese are particularly fond, and foi which they pay high price.
 The natives had come off to the schooner ir several large canoes, bringing with them CO coa nuts and shells. They were negroes O large stature, and some of them appeared tc possess considerable accuteness. No white man had ever been seen by them before; they thought the crew of the Antarctic were paint ed white and endeavored by rubbing to bring their skins to the complexion of their own | Their ideas were all confined to the little group of islands on which they lived; they had however some imperfect notions of ano- ther group at some distance from them, anc from these they presumed the schooner now came.
 We abstain from noticing the surprise they exhibited on first seeing their visters; tho conduct of savages in similar circumstance is probably always alike, and there are few of us who have not at some time or other dwelt with deep interest on the details of tho first meetings between civilized and uncivil ized man.
 The boats crew had gotten the forge shore, and set it up; the natives stole some O the armorer's tools, which induced the cap tain to send another boat with men we'll arm ed; they compelled restoration of the thing stolen; but the natives now appeared hostile they drew their bows, and stood ready to dis