Louis. The French governor had promised them clothes
and provisions, but sent none; and during five months, they owed their
existence to strangers--to the British.
SINGULAR LOSS OF THE SHIP ESSEX, SUNK BY A WHALE.
The ship Essex, Captain George Pollard, sailed from Nantucket, on the
12th of August, 1819, on a whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Her crew
consisted of twenty-one men, fourteen of whom were whites, mostly
belonging to Nantucket, the remainder were blacks. On the 20th of
November, 1820, in latitude 0 deg. 40' S. longitude 119 deg. W. a school of
whales was discovered, and in pursuing them the mate's boat was stove,
which obliged him to return to the ship, when they commenced repairing
the damage. The captain and second mate were left with their boats
pursuing the whales. During this interval the mate discovered a large
spermaceti whale, near the ship, but, not suspecting the approach of any
danger, it gave them no alarm, until they saw the whale coming with full
speed towards them. In a moment they were astonished by a tremendous
crash.
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