The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-12-04
THE MAYFLOwEG'S FATE.
She Did Not Go Down on Masuiipaiam, as
Sir Edward Arnold said.

II is pain and grief to me to expose a
picturesque and sentimental error-for
there are, indeed, many things we know TO be
false, in which il is for our spiritual good TO
believe-yet am moved 10 correct the mis-
take regarding the Muyfower into which
Sir Edward Arnold has fallen in the fine
peroration of the second of the two lee
lures delivered by him before the Univer-
sity of Harvard, and reported in this morn
ings Daily Telegraph says a correspondent
Of that paper, and this partly because the
error, while interesting, is Of no great hu
manizing virtue, and partly because am
in large measure responsible for il.
Sir Edwin, addressing his distinguished
audience, says "Do you know that the
Mayiiower, which brought your ancestors
hither, went down in Indian waters of
MasulipatamT The suggestion false in
this Interrogation originated in the follow
ing manner:
In 1878 | reported on the supplementary
miscellaneous "old record" of the India
office and as whenever put IN my thumb !
pulled out plum, instead Of contenting
myself with a cut-and-dried official descrip-
llbU vi tntil lOI lllt Dltft DuIlbat Ol ClHtbl-
tication. put all the pluns | found into
my report, which. ON account of its general
interest, was published by her mnjesty's
printers for general circulation. Among
one Of the biggest of these plums, AZ then
thought. was the following extract from
the ID. r. damaged papers, bundle";
MAY &, 1SJ9.-Account of goods laden al
Gambroon ON the Mayilower, bound for
Metchlipatan u. e. Masulipatan)." On the
extract / ask: Gould this have been the
same ship IA the company's india May
howerT' On the report going out 10 India,
IL was there discovered that company's
ship of the name of Mayflower had, about
the same date, foundered in "the Bay" a..
g., of Bengall. and on the supposition,
based merely ON my question. numerous
newspaper articles appeared connecting the
foundered Mayfiower with the immortal
ship of the Pilgrim Fathers.
Again, the late Mr.. Henry Stevens of Yer
mont, of the publishing house of Henry
Stevens A Son, London. an enthusiastically
patriotic American-or United Socialist,
should not rather write itg-became deep
ly interested IN my extract and question
about the company's Mayllower. and being
convinced that she WIS the shme Mayiiower
as that Of the Pilgrim Fathers, determined
topublish every document IN the India Office
naming the Hacro-sHnct vessel. This rcEolu-
tion led 81 the publishing AZ commence
ment the first volume of the court minutes
of the East India Company, extending over
the years 1879 10 1908, simply because a ship
called Mayflower il constantly referred 10
IN il. BY the time that the volume WAS
ready for publication had begun to have
serious misgiyings OF the identity Of any Of
the Mayhowers, belonging to the company
with the Mayfiower and in the introduc-
tion ~ Mr.. Stevens's volume relegnttd
my reference 10 the subject TO foot
note. Soon after its issue | WAS satisfied
that there WAS no connection between them.
and in reviewing "The Dawn of British
Trade 70 the East Indes"-as Mr. Stevens
named his book-in the Atheneufn for Oct
ID, 1887. / remarked. "Mr. Stevens was
lured into his patriotic undertaking by the
romantic fancy that the Mayilower mem
toned in this volume M one OF the ships
inspected for the company's first voyage
% India was the veritable MayfiOwer that
carried the Pilgrim Fnthers 10 America"
Mhyi0wer was common name for ship
in those days. and the one examined for the
company in 1850, and the other possessed
by the company in 1863, which il believed
10 have subsequently, foundered in the Bay
Of Bengal. must both have been larger ships
than the little craft Of the Pilgrim Fathers.
The Mayfower of 1900 must, moreover,
have ceased 10 exist in 1920, and that OF 1870
long before 1859. Only ships built of Indian
teak could have kept the sea from 1000 10
1853, like those used by the Phenicians at
Tylos, which Theophrastus tells us had
continued sailing for 300 years.