Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-30

n A0St rev IN the AOutnoFn Seas.
In these smooth days of steam and rail
to the uttermost corners of the earth Rob-
inson CTusoelike adventure does not
seem to be very easy of sttainment even
to q man who may have a fancy for ex-
perience- Nevertheless, some few desert
Islands till remain to us, and the Auek-
land Islands, about 400 miles to the south
of New Zealand, are among the number.
We had recently a visit froma mariner
named Musgrove, whose published diary
of his nearly twenty months stay on one
of these islands is almost as interesting as
Daniel Defoe, besides being, as the children
say. sal true
Early in January of last year, Musgrove,
commanding q small sealing vessel called
the Grafton, out Of the port of Sydney,
was driven in q gale of wind on to one Of
these islands, and his ship became a wreck.
With difficulty he and his crew contrived
to reach the shore in q boat. The severity
Of the weather-gales of wind being the
rule rather than the exception in that bois-
ferrous latitude-prsvented them from get
ting many things from the vessel, and the
only tools they had were a hammer, an
axe, an sdze, and gimlet, with which
they contrived to mako, after long and
p~ersevering labor, a thing they called a
house, with a fireplace and chimney to it.
For provisions they were dependent
on seals, widgeons, muscles, and q
sort of saechsrins root found on the
island, which served for bread and
potatoes, and which, after some time, they
learned to brew into some stuff, which, al
though not beer, the captain saws was bet
ter than cold water. g First catch your
seal" was constantly the cardinal prin-
oiple of this island cookery. The seals
were in prodigidus numbers, and captain
Ausgrove's diary is interesting in its mo-
tees of these curious creatures. "They
go roaring in the woods" he a alike
wild cattle. Indeed, we expect they will
come and storm the tent some night"
Speaking Of another part of the island, he
says:-"At this place we saw hundreds OF
seals; both the shore and the water were
literally swarmed with them. In one in
stance we saw a black seal and a tiger seal
fighting. They were at It when we first
saw them. We watched them about half
sn-hour, and left them still hard at it;
they fight as ferociously as dogs, and do
not make the least noise, and with their
large tusks they tear each other almost to
pieces" In other portions of the diary
are entries which show that from the ex-
eessiVely pugnaeious character of the old
seals, especially of the bulls (which show
ed fight even when Assailed with clubs by
several Of the srew t~ogether), the young
calves were generally deemed the safer
game, and were knocked on the head ao-
cordingly. After some months of this
wretched struggle against starvation, some
Of the mon grew insubordinate. On Sun
day, the It'll of February, Musgrovs's log
has a misanthrophic tinge about it. He
says:-"Up to the present time tho men
have worked well and conducted them
selves in a very obedient and respectful
manner towards me, but ! find that there
Is somewhat Of a spirit of obstinacy and
Independence creeping in among them.
1t is true l no longer hold any command
over them but l share everything that
has been saved fram the wreck in COM
mon with them, and l have worked as
hard as any of them in trying to make
them comfortable, and / think gratitude
ought to prompt them to still continue
willing and obedient; but you might as
well look for the grace of God in u High
Landmarks log-bOok as gratitude in a
sailor. This Is q well-known fact"
By a subsequent entry ofthe LIST of May,
he shows how he had successfully dealt
with this dissteeted spirit: II have
adopted q measure for keeping the men in
order and subsection, which / find to
work admirably, and it also acts beneA-
oially on my own mind. This is teaching
school in the evening and reading prayers,
and reading and expopnding the Scrip
tures on Sunday to the best of my poor
ability. We have done this for some time
now, and, | am happy to say, with much
greater success than l at hrst expected.
They are all getting particularly fond of
reading snd hearing the Bible read.
Some Of them cannot read vet, but thew
are learning very fast; and / have not
hsssasaserassns.1esa speken for long
49, noo-LaHa1u - ~ sNaSlohi
IN a...;" 1ssui' WIN = osnencial 10
"t
AIotnet Lno'ul InIs ea-eaPtaln
ny SHOWS u a ms n SUIT
.Sa. Hlsent Paayef y heaven Is
Saai.L -. pe psiseu 70 retain my
t"JaiI 1sAs'H '"Vuen ths distressing
49,,
anu 30 % tue dlSry Proceeos-s little
o]Hty LS01SeI as must ulsfies are
eecuPyIne nea[iy TWO page OF the Age
neTsPAPsi, WIN the oalIy WARFARE on the
MIL an aecount 81 inc MURDER ora
III PnlegIA.lci Hver,PreseAt' immova-
D ~ 'est sney reu p9yaI Iom; the
PAsIss VI saies aha SioW-aies. ana
80 " tne sufferers,
AZ teaS' sOine Vi mem uetefmlneo on
aSsenptIhg an Escape rom tne Island
n nIGaL V Iy SraIt was me Ilttie dlhgy IN
TTIN tney HaS SseAPeu IIom tne wreck.
,o H eoo SInI og n 1Shu was view Iea-
ANY, sSO ultes On. traverse s9en a
$500 y oSeAIs N suen 1oat,
S1pla tss AneT was little
9tnel tnEn torm 1L sulclue +; out grown
ossPeia'e' rs ueternIned on the
a'emP a o wei Peflsn qu1ekly al sea
as slowly III Seore, ne SAID rruoense or
SonSi9eratIoh ZOE otnsrs need not restrain
hlm, i9r us "le n mother IN sydney
nus' I9ns ING nave given MIN up ior
los'' nc a us men raised the sldes
sne 'Sat ana otherWlse made
her utter toF . sea-Way, and, When
reauy' question arose VINO snouId accom-
pany the SSp'S1n, oome 1at;y refused,
Two sInse1'eu. ihsy secureq large store
. y = osnet loV0 III the Ooat as she
.OI.u AllyI RU' lorsn 70 sea, ana arrived
~ inVerGAIGln' u New Zealand, on the
Pei ~ HnVte HH1'l'e, as ProOaDiy