Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1852-07-31

echist Mr., Maidment, catechist John Err
WIN, carpenter; John Braddock, John -Bry-
ant and John Pearce, Cornish fishermen.
They LETT England in September 1850, in the
bark Ocean Queen; it having been promised
that stores should be forwarded to them in
June, via the Falkland Islands, should they
be unable TO maintain their position at Pic
ton Island, Beagle Channel, it was supposed
that being provided with partially decked
launches, they would fall back on Staten Is
land
The Inflated party landed on Picton Island
towards the conclusion of the year 1850
From the first, ttey seemed to have been an
noyed, in some measure, by the natives, and
to have been hunted backwards and forwards
from the little island TO what may be called
the mainland of Terra-del-Fuego. About
the middle of April, 1851, Captain Gardiner
begins to record in his diary, which has been
preserved to us, that ''they have provisions
enough TO last for two months, but some arc
very low. They have but flask and half
ofspowder their fshing-net washed away
They shoot an occasional fox, which serves
them for food; and besides, If they did not
destroy the animal, he would do his best to
steal the remainder of their little stock of
provisions. The scurvy breaks out among
the party. They are driven to take refuge
in cavern : but the tide rolls in, and Capt.
Gardiner and Mr.. Maidment, the catechist,
are obliged to swim out for their lives, and
take refuge on a clump Of rock, round the
base Of which the waves of the South Allan
tic are breaking. Upon this rock, the poor
creatures kneel down in prayer. John Brad
dock, Cornish fisherman, dies By July
A the pa ty have been seven weeks on short
allowance; their only hope is in the expected
ship from the Falkland Islands but no ship
comes. They grecdily eat a penguin, a
shag, hali-devoured fish washed upon
shore. Six mice are spoken Of in the journal
as dainties. The garden seeds have been
used for broth, and are i'll spent. Mussels
and limpets are the next resOurce-and then
rock-weed is boiled wn to jelly. Erwin,
a carpenter, and Bryant, another Cornish
fisherman, die. Two Of the party, MIR. Will
iams, the surgeon, and Pierce, third Cor
nshman, had gone away from the main body
of the party, for some object or other, prob
ably for the discovery Of food. Their dead
bodies were discovered at Cooks River,
some distance off. The presumption is they
must have died about the same time as Capt.
Gardiner himself, who probably expired on ,
the 9th of September. The last entry in his
diary is on the 5th of September, and in this
he mentions that he has not tasted food or
water for four days Mr. Maidment, the cat
echist, had died a few days before.-As it
was the 9th of January, 1852, before Capt
Morshead, to whom orders were sent by the
Admiralty in October, arrived at the Island,
the value Of the precautions which had been
taken for maintaining the expedition can be
left to the public judgment
After many hours Of fruitless search on the
coast of Picton Island on the Goth of Janua-
ry, some writing was seen by Capt Mors--
heads party on rock across the river. The
words were, Go to Spanish Harbor' On
another rock adjoining was, you will find US
in Spanish Harbor." On third piece of
rock, Dig below, which they instantly did,
but found only broken bottle, without any
paper or directions. On searching one Of
they read on one oftheir poles, "A bottle un-
der this pole, but they could not find it; but
it was evident, from some fragments of stores
found on The spot that the mission had rested
here. On the following morning Captain
Morshead sailed for Spanish Harbor, where
they saw boat lying on the beach, and
where they found the bodies Of Capt. Gardi-
ner and Mr.. Maidment unburied. On one of
the papers found was written legibly, but
without date, If you will walk along the
beach for mile and half. you will find US
in the other boat, hauled up in the mouth of
the river at the head of the harbor, on the
south side. Delay not-we are starving
Close to the spot where Capt. Gardiner was
lying was a cavern, to which attention was
directed by hand painted on the rocks with
Psalms xii. v. 53 under it. Here were
found the papers referred to and two unfin-
ished letters written to his son and daughter
by Captain Gardiner. The remains were
buried close TO this spot by the ships compa-
ny.