Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-05-20
Starvation Of a party Of Mis-
Si0nariaS.

Starvation OF a party OF Mis-
sionaries.
The London papers contain heart sick
ening account oil the death of party of
Missionaries from hunger. We condense
the particulars:
An English officer, Cart. Gardner, Of the
Royal Navy, who was sent out with six COM
panions by the 'Paragonian Missionary So.
cieiy,' TO The neighberhood- Of Cape Horn,
has been literally starved 10 death-he, and
his companions with him. The party con-
sisted Of Capt. Allen Gardiner. R. ~, super.
iniendenl MIR. Williams, surgeon and cate
chlst; John Erwin, carpenter; John Bad.
cock, John Bryant, and John Pearce, Cor
nish fishermen. They left England in Sep.
tember, 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 Picion Island, Beagle Chan
mel, il was supposed that being provided with
partially decked launches, they would fall
back on Staten Island.
Tile Inflated party landed on Picton Island
towards the conclusion of the year 1885,
From The FIRST they seem 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, Capt. Gardiner be-
gins 10 record in his diary, which has been
preserved to us, that they have provisions
enough to last for two months, but some are
very low They have but flask and half
of powder; their fishing net washed away.
| Thov shoot fnv
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 a cavern hut the tide rolls in, and Capt.
Gardiner, and Mr.. Maidment, the catechst
are obliged 10 swim out for their lives, and
take refuge upon clump of rock, round the
base of which the waves Of The South Ailan-
tic are breaking. Upon this rock the two
poor creatures kneel down in prayer. John
Badcock, Cornish fisherman, dies. By
July A, the party have been seven weeks on
| short allowance their only hope is in the
expected ship from the Falkland Islands !;
but no ship comes. They greedily eat a
penguin, shag, halfdevoured fish washed
upon shore. . -a.. -4,, t .t
| Six mice are spoken of in the journal as
dain.ies. The garden-seeds have been used
for broth, and are all spent. Muscles and
limpets are the next resource-and then
rock-weed is boiled down TO jelly. Erwin,
a carpenter, and Bryant, another Cornish
fisherman, die. Two of the party, Mr.. Will
liams, the surgeon, and Pearce, a third Cor
nlshnan, had gone away from the main
body of The party. for some object or other,
probably for the discovery of food. Their
dead bodies were found 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 had not tasted food or
water for four days. Mr.. Maidment the
catechist, had died few days before. As il
was The 9th of January, 1852, before Captain
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 10 the public judgment.
After many hours of truitless search on the
coast of Piclon Island on the 20ib of Janu.
AIRY, some writing was seen by Capt. Mors-
heads party on a rock across river. The
words were, Go to Spanish Harbor.' On
another rock adjoining was, You will find
MS 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 o
the numerous wigwams in the neighboriood
they read on one Of the poles, "A bottle un
der this pole but they could not find it bu
i was evident, from some fragments of stone
ca Here. On The following morning, Cant
Morshead sailed for Spanish Harbor, wher,
they saw n boat lying OH the beach, and
where they found the bodies of Capt. Card
ner and Mr.. Maidment unburied. On one
of the papers found was written legibIy, bu
without date, If you will walk along the
beach for mile and half, you will find U.
in the other boat, hauled up in the mouth OF
river at the head of the harbor, on The
south side. Delay Motive are starving.'--
Close TO the spot where Capt. Gardiner was
lying was cavern, to which attention
was dIrectedby hand painted on the rock.
with Psalm Xvii. v. 49, under il. Here
were found The papers referred TO, and two
unfinished. were written TO his son and
daughter by Capt. Gardiner. The remains
were buried close to this spot by the ships
company. a.tl. Lat