The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-01-17

anu ItE DJWs TDuul Ike an egg, aiter the t44
models, and she rolled badly in a storm. 80 that
it was a pretty hard initiation for lauismen. on
u first voyage. 10 the deith-like sea-sicknesS which
usually attends u two hours watch 1T the mast
head in rough weather The masts viii sway
forty and fifty feet each way. and tLe masthead
Will even now produce vomiting with me.
We lay off and on 1T Juan Fernandez but q
few hours. There was a CHILEAN bark there from
VALPARAISO, with prisoners sent by the ruling fac
ton, on account Of some political disturbances
which 20 frequently agitate the people Of that
country Prom here We went 10 the llaud Of
Chloe. and thence TO the desert Of Atacama.
(called by whalemen Humpback Lay.) being the
coast Of Bolivia between Chill and Peru. There
l. no fresh water within thirty or forty miles. and
the small company of soldiers stationed near the
entrance To- the bay, are supplied from that dis
lance. There l. a hill here where guano i got.
and the bay i filed with birds and small fish.
whilst there are plenty Of muscles ashore. The
weather j. warm. the water of the bay smooth,
and immense focks Of birds repose on it, surface
or are constantly diving for the fish. whilst hump
backed whales, with their calves, come in from
the sea in the morning and 20 out in the afternoon.
The bOatsteereT darted at and missed one, and the
captain, telling him that he would never miss but
one more whale for him, hove up anchor, and
started for the Sandwich Islands.
On the Ia=sage we took one sperm whale Of 50
barrels, and about thirty barrels black fish oil,
and, then crossing the line took Il stiff trade 10
Hilo, Owyhee. The celebrated volcano Mauna
LOa was then in full blast, and the sight from the
shipping in the harbOr, twenty miles distant.
Was, ia the night time, grand and imposing. The
whole heavens. above and around, were covered
with red and black clouds, and the river Of lava
could De distinctly seen running down the noun
tains some fifteen or twenty miles. through for
ess, filling up deep valleys, and making its way
To the sea. The missionary there, Rev. Mr..
GOan, wrote a graphic description of this volcano,
which was printed in the Friend. When we got
to Hilo, tired and sea-sick as | was, seven and q
half months out, IL seemed the most beautiful
place / ever was in. We pulled the boats for
water up a small river. its low, level sides cover
ed with flower bushes, and the pretty urahiHeS,
with black eyes, and hair hanging down their
necks, swimming and sporting in the water,
catching hold Of the water-casks, and jumping of
again, whilst the cOcOanut trees tbickly growing
around, with huts interspersed among them.
made it appear to me, wearicd and dispirited Us |
was, as the most enchanting and delightful spot
on earth. The land and mountains swung 10 and
fro IN my disOrdered mind for weeks. and 50 ut
terly PROSTATE was | in body and mind. that it
seemed impossible to proceed north Immediately.
unless "a an invalid. or be of any service until
after rest and recruiting ashore.
/ consequently stopped here five or SIX weeks,
and was 80 far restored, that | shipped on the
Erie of Fairhayen, Captain BlackmOre. and urO-
ceeded north. The passage To the OchOtsk on
the Siberian coast IL some $500 miles from Homo
lulu, and il is generally rough and stormy in the
spring and fall. We experienced "A severe snow
storm off the Kurile Islands before entering the
OchOtsk, in which | froze my fingers in the night
time, whilst furling sail. We got into the
OchOtsk the 9th of May. and took our first whale
the 18th, and by the lst of September had taken
$500 barrels. The weather was generally very
cold and bad, with much snow and fog in the
forepart of the season, and cold rain the latter.
We took nineteen large whales and 500 barrels
in a single week, and were at times So drove,
both day and night, that we got but four or FIVE
hours sleep out of twenty-fOur, lowering down
tor whales, cutting in, trying out, slowing down,
and chasing whales with the ship. We had two
glasses of liquor apiece for each whale. | drank
but for the first two whales, and it not agreeing
with Inc, discontinued it. We had seventeen
Portuguese foremost hands, besides two Portu-
guese officers, and three bOatstcerers. and they
made good whalemen. The ships of both the
Arctic and Ochotsk, over two hundred in number,
averaged the season 800 barrels each. though
the average for the last seven years has been about
900 barrels each. The Arctic has run out of
whales two or three times, it being a small place,
only clear of ice from the icy barrier in - deg.
to Bhering Straits go deg. lat, and sniIs would
leave off going there for two or three years, and
then quite a number of whales be taken but not
50 the Ochotsk, some 700 miles long and nearly
circular, or about 1000 miles around, with
numerous bays, and gulphs, and islands, where
ships find il difficult and dangerous oftentimes 10
approach near the shore, and where the whales
flee from pursuit. | have seen them within a
ACN ANtt u tANt SitbAts Clphbihe 1IlbI- iIt IGdh
ers, where it is d difficult TO distinguish the spout
from the white water around.
The OchOtsk and japan seas have supplied
ships with an immense quantity of oil, which
seemed almost exhaustless-the OchUtsk princi-
pally bOwhead oil, and the japan with right
whale. There is but little difference in these
whales or the price of the oil. the bOwhead being
4 shorter, thicker, clumsier whale. delighting in
the ice, and principally found north Of 80 deg.
and the right whale from 40 deg. north up 10 60
Il - 81 -- -.
or three cents less Il gallon, but this is more than
made up by the greater quantity of bone a 100
barrel bO-head usually having 800 lbs. of bone.
whilst the right whale has but 600 or 200 lbs.
This whale bone is very valuable, having been rs
high as 81 % per b., and when pounded be
comes hair, out of which i made the glazed sofas,
lounges. settees and chairs, 80 fashionable and
durable, and in such general use in this country.
This bone comes in thin slabs, the largest from
twelve to eighteen feet long, and about a foot
wide at the butt, where it fastens 10 the white
gum ON the upper Jaw bone; the slabs within
on eight of an inch of each other and the inside
edge, the whole length having hair like i horses
manC four OF FIVE inches long hanging down.
which catches the small insects called brit. on
which it feeds. This brit Is sometimes Of a gray
ish color like ashes in the water, and at others of
a reddish east. and Is sometimes found hundreds
of miles IN extent. y whale feeding. or scoop
ing, - il Is called. with his mouth wide open.
and swimming at ordinary speed, has rs much
water pass through his mouth. it is estimated as
flows down the Hudson river O. To give you a
little idea of the upper part Of the head. where
the whalebOne sets in, | give a rude and imper-
feet sketch. Underneath Is the tongue. throat
and under jaw, the tongue usually making from
FIVE 10 ten barrels of oil. We picked M a dead
bOwhead three years ago. which had , .36Olhs. of
bone. worth a. 600, besides 100 barrels Of oil.
The large; slabs weighed II lhS.. and ne was
sent from Honolulu to the Emperor Of Russia.
The head Of the sperm whale Is entirely differ
ent. the upper part being = solid square mass in
front. eight OF ten feet high. extending back fit
teen OF twenty feet. the front being composed Of
what i called .'whit horse" a hard substance
without oil. and apparently without sensation.
which en- harily b. cut with q .harn srlde. and