The First American Sealers in the Antarctic, 1812-1819 • • 1

Home , Benjamin Morrell, Bransfield Strait, Dunbar Islands, Hell Gates, Trinity Island

The First American Sealers

in the - , ^ / Antarctic

1812 - 1819

and

The First Voyage of

The Brig Hersilia,

of Stonington, Conn.,

1819 - 1820

Prepared by:

_ 3 0231 00289 Preface

By a special arrangement, Mr. Thomas A„ Stevens, of Deep River, Conn., was engaged to prepare this report on "The first American sealers in the

Antaractic, 1812-1819.. .st He has been interested in the early American

sealers for many years, (since 1935) an<3- had- served, 19*4-7-19^9; as managing director of the Marine Historical Association at Mystic, Conn. This report thus becomes chronologically the first in the current series of somewhat more than twenty-five studies of expeditions and operations in the Antarc- tic regions conducted by Americans, from the days of the first American

sealers down to the present time.

There is some unavoidable covering of the same ground as in two reports prepared by Lieutenant Richard D. Kane; (l) a special report entitled

"The earliest American sealers in the Antarctic"; and (2) a report in the

original scheduled series entitled "The voyage of the Hersilia, 1819-20".

Copies of both reports were made available to Mr. Stevens, Mr. Stevens' contribution relating to the Hersilia lies in its supplementing Lieutenant

Kane's report on that voyage, in his presentation of evidence in support

of his own statement:

The significance of this voyage of the Hersilia lies in the fact that not only was this the first United States vessel to arrive at the South Shetlands, but it was also the first vessel of any nation to coast along the southern shores of the South Shet- lands and enter Bransfield Strait from the south a full two weeks before Capt. Bransfield penetrated from the north the strait which now bears his name.

A few of Mr. Stevens' quotations from early newspapers and other publications have been replaced by citations to identical passages in •V .. .1. •.,:.. v Lieutenant Kane's report first cited above.

Lieutenant Kane conferred with Mr. Stevens in Deep River, Conn., in

December 1953 and again in March 195^ •

May ll)., 195V S. ¥. Boggs I„ SOURCES

Bibliography

1. Annales Maritimes et Coloniales, Deuxieme Partie, Paris, 1821.

2. Barnard, Charles H„: A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Captain Charles H. Barnard, in, A Voyage Pound the World, during the years, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815 & 1816...., printed for the author toy J. Lindon, New York, 1829.

3. Blunt, Edmund: Blunt's Coast Pilot, various editions, G. W. Blunt, New York.

Burney, James: History of the Voyages and Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, James Burney, London, 1803-1816.

5. Byers, James: Manuscript letters from James Byers to Brigadier General Daniel Parker dated August 25 and September 1820, National Archives of the United States, Records of the Depart- ment of State, Miscellaneous Letters August-October 1820.

6. Clark, Howard A.: "The Antarctic Fur-Seal and Sea Elephant Industry", The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, Section V, Vol. 2, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1887. pp. bOO-k-67,

7- Cook, James: A Voyage towards the South Pole and Round the World, third edition, printed for W, Strahan and T. Cadell, London, 1779. 8. Fanning, Edmund: Voyages Round the World, Collins and Hannay, New York, 1833.

9. Fanning, Edmund and William A., Papers of: American Geographical Society, New York.

10. Gaceta de Buenos Aires (1810-1821), Vol. 6, Anos 1820 a 1821, No. 162, March 1, 1820, Buenos Aires, 1915.

11. Hall, Basil: Extracts from a Journal, written on the Coasts of Chili, Peru, and Mexico in the years 1820, 1821, 1822 by Captain Basil Hall, A. Constable & Co., Edinburgh, 1824.

12. Manuscript logbooks at Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass. and at Mystic and New Haven, Conn.

13. Mill, Hugh Robert: The Siege of the South Pole, Alston Rivers, Ltd., London, 1905

1*+. Morrell, Benjamin: A Narrative of Four Voyages, J. & J. Harper, New York, 1832. 15. Moulton, Williams A Concise Extract, from the Sea Journal of William Moulton, written on Board the Onico, in a voyage from the port of New London in Connecticut to Staten Land in the South Sea.,., in the years 1799-180^, printed for the author at Utica, l8o4.

16. Newspapers of Baltimore, New York, and New England of the early nine- teenth century, especially the years 1819-1822.

17. Palmer, Nathaniel B. and Alexander S., Papers ofj Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington. Also from descendents of N. B. and A. S. Palmer„

18. Starbuck, Alexander: ,History of the American Whale Fishery from its Earliest Inception to the year 1876, Alexander Starbuck, Waltham, Mass., I878.

19. Stevens, Thomas A.? Miscellaneous manuscript material, notes, etc.

20. United States Custom House records: ports of Boston, New Bedford, and Salem, Mass.5 New Haven and New London, Conn.j and New York City. (Records of arrivals, clearances, crew lists, registers, sea letters, etc.) CONTENTS

Page

Preface . . . . i

I. Sources ...... ii

Part I. The First American Sealers in the Antarctic, 1812-1819 • • 1

A. Early American Sealers ...... 1

B. Announced Discovery of "New South Britain" (South Shetlands) ...... ^

C. References to American Sealers in the Antarctic prior to 1820 ...... 10

D. Later Statements Regarding Possible Visits to the South Shetlands Prior to 1819 ......

E. Chronological Record of any known sealing voyages from the United States beginning with the year 18.12 17

Part II. Voyage of the Brig Hersilia of Stonington, Conn., 1819-1820 ...... 30

A. Significance of the first Hersilia voyage . 30

B. Background of the Hersilia's voyage, 1819-1820 .... 31

C. Documentation for the voyage ...... 33

D. Personnel of the Brig Hersilia „ 3^

E. Plan of the Voyage ...... 35

F. The Log Book of the Hersilia ......

G. The Voyage of the Hersilia ......

Appendices ...... 56

A. Extract from Boston Daily Advertiser, Sept. 27, 1820 . 56

B. E. Fanning letter from New England Palladium & Commercial Advertiser} Boston, Dec. 5, 1820 .... 57

C. Extracts from letters by James Byers ...... 60 PART I THE FIRST AMERICAN SEALERS IN THE ANTARCTIC, 1812-1819

A. Early American Sealers

Actual knowledge that land existed south of Cape Horn first came to public notice in the United States in the year 1820. Prior to that date any reference to the possibility that uncharted lands might be found in high southern latitudes was not readily available to the merchant mariner.

Several ancient charts of the area did show the possible existence of an

icy land in the vicinity of sixty-four degrees south latitude. The comparatively recent publication of Burney's Voyages (History of the Voyages and Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, James Burney, London

1803-1816) brought to current notice the fact that this possible land had been placed on the old charts as the result of a voyage supposedly made to the area in 1599 by Dirck Gherritz in the Dutch ship Blijde

Bootschap (Good or Blythe, Tidings). The narrative of this voyage to-

gether with those of other early south sea voyages certainly hinted the possibility of land unknown, yet the reports and observations of the

celebrated Captain James Cook (A Voyage towards the South Pole and Round

the World, third.ed., London 1779) of the British Navy precluded any further immediate search under British government sponsorship for land

in that area.

Captain Cook did not discover the continent which he believed existed and which he so diligently searched for in Antaractic waters, yet his reports made public soon after his return to England were the

inspiration that led to the development of a new type of discoverer,

the merchant explorer. His reports that "Seals existed in abundance at

South Georgia and other places" soon prompted whaling ship operators to ventures in combined whaling and sealing voyages. By 1795 American sealing vessels were operating in large numbers in the Falkland Islands, South

Georgia, and all around the South American coast. Round the world voyages were becoming an accomplished fact from New York, New Haven, Nantucket,

Salem and other ports engaged in the sealing business.

Returns show that many of these round-the-world voyages in the sealing trade produced a tremendous profit to those who made the venture. An area found by a sealing vessel which was inhabited by an abundance of fur seals was the equivalent of discovering a gold mine of the highest grade, for the tremendous slaughter of these animals to obtain their fur pelts soon exhausted the supply in locations where many vessels were operating.

Thus, from almost the beginning of this industry in the south seas, secrecy of operation, became the principal stock in trade of the American sealer.

In many instances the captain and mate of a vessel were the only ones on board who were aware of the vessel's destination or geographical location. In some cases the crew was pledged to secrecy, for in the case of the sealing explorer, the vessel was manned by carefully chosen seamen who would share in the returns to an extent unknown to the ordinary seaman.

This manner of operation produced a type of explorer-mariner un- paralleled in maritime history. Those who became the highest skilled in

the industry at its peak, operated fleets of vessels with each vessel

of the fleet chosen for a particular purpose. Rendezvous and mail ex-

change locations were established in remote places of the world in order

that vessels under the control of the same managing owner could obtain

and exchange vital information pertaining to the discovery of any new

sealing grounds in any part of the world. Small craft of less than fifty tons burthen ventured into waters feared by naval commanders of the world's greatest maritime nations. The managing owners of these fleets of sealing vessels not only kept constant watch of the marine columns in the newspapers of the dayj they studied the ancient voyages and charts available to them and directed their vessel commanders to search for the existence of doubtful or unknown islands. They sought government assistance in searching for and charting new islands, and when this was not forthcoming they sent out privately financed exploring expeditions.

The American sealer was engaged strictly in a search for profit.

The discovery of new lands was incidental to the obtaining of a cargo of seal skins there. His reports, log-book and manuscript charts were for his owners' eyes only. These early American sealing masters were part of a young nation which as yet did not have its name established around the world as a major maritime power. The Sailing Directions and Charts he used, to get to Cape Horn, were of British origin.

Contrasted with the American method of operating for profit alone was the attitude of every commander of a British vessel whether or not he was a naval, merchant or sealing captain. One and all were steeped in a tradition where seal-skins and the profit incident thereto were secondary to a new discovery arid the consequent reporting of new sailing routes.

The first American Sailing Directories (particularly Blunt's Coast Pilot, various editions) from choice or necessity copied their British contemporaries for many years, and as a result we find comparatively little first hand information from American sources published where it should be.

Unfortunately for the history of geography the American sealers' method of operation persisted for many years. Log-books and manuscript charts that served their purpose for a short period of time were never recognized by the sealers as of any lasting importance. As time passes an occasional log-book or document comes to light from someone's attic where it may have been stored as an old scrap book pasted full of clip- pings. Only with the discovery of such original documents will it be possible to write a new authentic chapter in Antarctic geographical history.

B. Announced Discovery of "New South Britain" (South Shetlands)

The first announcement to the public in any form that land had been sighted far south of Cape Horn was made in Valparaiso, Chile, in the month of March, 1819, by Captain William Smith of the British brigantine

Williams of Blythe, upon his arrival there from Buenos Ayres. Captain

Smith reported upon his arrival that on the 19th of February, 1819, he saw land or ice in latitude 62° 40® S. and near longitude 62° W., then bearing S. E. by S„ about two leagues. Captain Smith was convinced that he had seen land but hi3 listeners were skeptical and did not believe that he had. He therefore resolved that a future voyage would be made to verify his convictions.

A second announcement of this possible discovery was made by Captain

Smith at Buenos Ayres after his return to that port from Valparaiso. On his return voyage he had again pressed far south for another possible sighting of the land he thought he had seen in February, but encountering bad weather and ice he continued on his voyage, more convinced than ever that he had made an important discovery. In Buenos Ayres, Capt.

Smith was particularly careful, to withhold the details of his suspected discoveries from any Americans present. From subsequent events it is evident that the secret was not- too well kept, the Americans there obtaining sufficient information for them to know that there was a very good possibility of finding land in the vicinity of 6l° to 62° south latitude, south of

Cape Horn.

The third announcement regarding the discovery of the new land was made by Captain Smith on November 24th, 1819, at Valparaiso, the date of his arrival there after a sixty day passage from Montevideo. This time

Captain Smith proudly announced that on the 15th of October, 1819, he had sighted land off Cape Horn in latitude 6l° 55' (sic) souths that he had landed on this land on the 17th, hoisted the British flag and named the land New South Britain. He then coasted along the land for some two hundred miles west south westerly and then took his departure for Valparaiso from a headland which he named Smith's Cape. This report by Captain Smith was the first to reach the news columns of the world and it is evident that the true latitudes and longitudes found by Captain Smith were not given out for public information. These were reserved for a more formal report made to Captain Shirreff, the British naval commander then present in Valparaiso.

The first American in Valparaiso to make it his business to get all possible details of this reported discovery wa,s a .Mr. J. Robinson. He immediately wrote a detailed letter to Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, President of the Lyceum of Natural History at New York (now Museum of National History) concerning Captain Smith's reported discovery. The letter was dated Janu- ary 23, 1820 but due to the fact that it was sent by way of England it did not arrive in the United States until late in the summer of 1820. The letter was read before the Lyceum on September 11th, 1820 and was printed in many American newspapers with various comments. Although the newspapers all carry the date of the letter as January 23, 1820, it is evident from the contents of the letter that it was written at least a month before it was dated. The contents of the letter definitely show that it was written in December of 1819 and before the 20th of that month, which was the date the Brig Williams sailed from Valparaiso under charter to the

British Wavy to explore the land reported seen by Captain Smith.

Letter from Mr. J. Robinson at Valparaiso to Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, New York.

Valparaiso Jan. 23, 1820

Sir: I avail myself of the opportunity to write by way of England, to notify you of a recent important discovery of land in the South Sea.

In the month of February, of the current /sic"J year, Captain Smith of the British Merchant Brigantine Williams, on a passage from Buenos Ayres to this port round Cape Horn, in lat 6l ^0 South, discovered land. When he arrived here, he reported what he had seen, but most persons were incredulous. Mortified by this skepticism upon his return passage to Montevideo he sailed to the sailed to the southward to ascertain whether he had been deceived or not; but meeting bad wea,ther and encountering ice, he was obliged to desist and prosecute his voyage yet without abandoning his original intention, or losing his sanguine belief in the existence of land in that neighborhood. In Montevideo, he prepared his vessel rather better than common, and proceeded a second time around the Cape towards Valparaiso and on the 15th of Octobter ' was grati- fied by a second sight of the same land he had seen before. The water was then high colored, .and he sounded in sixty-five fathoms, b black and white sand and shells. The soundings gradually decreased to twenty-five fathoms and less but coa,rser, and of an oozy, green- ish color as he approached the shore.

Captain Smith was obliged to stand off and on, by a heavy_swell until the 17th ultimo, when he landed in latitude 6b 4 3 S. /sic/ and 57 10 W. longitude, by observation and an excellent chronometer. Here he saw many seals, sea-lions, whales, and sea fowls all per- fectly fearless and unacquainted with danger. This land he calls a continent, and gave it the name of New South Britain, upon which he hoisted the British flag.

On the North Coast of this land, there is a chain or line of islands, from two to ten miles distant from the main, to which he gave the name Penquin Islands. Between these islands and the mainland, there is a kind of channel, from two to ten miles wide, with some current and in one place an appearance of breakers, produced probably by a narrow passage and sunken rocks. The passage there is not more than a mile wide, but Captain Smith did not explore it.

Captain Smith coasted to the West and West by South, sometimes inside of the islands, at others between them and the main, to the latitude of 63 53 South, Longitude 6h West. The wind then blow- ing from the Southwest, he took his departure, and steered from the land Northwest by West, when it bore South and West, as far as could be discerned with good glasses; and with every appearance of its ex- tending further. He describes the whole of this land, both the main and the islands, as being very high, even above the clouds, and the summits as having been covered with snow, and with generally a sterile, barren aspect, but with some indications_of vegetation, shrubbery, and wood in the vallies and appertures /sic/ of the hills and mountains, and likewise with rivers and creeks. He stretched along this coast three hundred miles with generally cool, pleasant weather; but did not attempt to reland, not withstanding he saw five bays and sandy beaches.

Captain Smith saw many fish of all colors and sizes, and different denominations. The most remarkable resembled the codfish of Cape Auguilly Bank and the Isle Juan Fernandez. The whales were like those of Hudson Bay and Davis' Straits. Besides these, he saw a species of white whale and black fish.

The sounding, or rather the matter drawn up with the lead at each cast, are preserved. I have seen them, and likewise a draft of the land, by a good hand. Captain Sherriff, the commander of the Andromache, and other British naval forces in these seas, will dis- patch a vessel in a few days to survey this land, and report upon it.

Thinking this discovery may be of interest to you, sir, in as much as it may be the means of throwing a new light upon geography, navigation and theory of the earth, I take the liberty to communicate the information, in the hopes that the facts will be gratifying to the Lyceum, and useful /sic~J to society in general.

Permit me to hint, that it is probable many great discoveries are yet to be made in this hemisphere, and that much has escaped the most curious observers in the Pacific Ocean. Should the government of the United States equip and commission a vessel, with suitable persons for a voyage of discovery to this quarter of the world, I think that the government and nation would be amply rewarded by the acquisition of knowledge in addition to the conscious satisfaction arising from having patronized and promoted laudable intelligence, adventure and enterprise. Perhaps new sources of wealth, happiness, power, and revenue would be disclosed, and science itself be bene- fitted thereby. The land lately discovered lies in the tracks of vessels bound into and out of the Pacific Ocean.

With respect, I have the honor to be, sir, your most humble servant,

J. Robinson.

The New York Evening Post of September 16, 1820 published this letter with the following comment;

"It is said by Mr. Lang that one of our late enterprising merchants, formerly made voyages to the above placej but the discovery of it was kept secret."

The Robinson letter, published in many newspapers in the United

States in September of 1820 was the first detailed American account of the discovery to appear in the newspapers. During the following month several accounts of the discovery, originating in English newspapers, were copied by the American press.

Robinson's letter is important for several reasons. It was not only the first detailed description of the discovery from first hand information to reach the American publicj but it also contained sufficient detail of description to identify the chart later submitted by Capt. William

Smith to the British Admiralty supporting his claim of discovery, as that of the South Shetland group only. It further explains the attitude of the

British in reporting the discovery of a "continent" rather than a group of islands as it was later shown to be. This reference to "continent" discovery persisted in British reports to such an extent that later voyages to the Antarctic mainland were not always regarded in their true perspective. Although, this letter written by Robinson was the first detailed public reporting of the discovery to appear in American publications, it was by no means the first report of the discovery to reach the newspapers of the United States. By the time it was being read by the general public many American sealers were on their way to the "Newly discovered islands."

The first brief report of the discovery appeared in United States newspapers late in March, 1820. This sews came via Buenos Ayres. On

January !lth_, 1820 a mail was received in Buenos Ayres containing a brief statement that a new land had been discovered by Captain Smith of the

Brig Williams. On January 7'th a Mr. Strong sailed from Buenos Ayres for

New York via St. Thomas. Upon his arrival a,t New York he reported the following to the editor of the New York_Mercantile Adver11ser°

"A new land has been discovered off Cape Horn lat. 6l long. 55 by the ship William (sic) on a voyage from Montevideo to Valparaiso. The fact is susceptable of no doubt ™ the same ship was again dispatched there by Ca.pt. Sherriff, of the Andromache frigate, to survey the coast, which the W. /Williams/ explored for 200 miless the Captain landed, found it covered with snow, an abundance of seals and whales no inhabitants.rs

This same report appeared in the April 1, 1820 (Saturday morning) edition of the Independent Chronicle and Boston Patriot. It is noted that most' of the newspapers carried this announcement in their "marine columns" with little or no general news comment, but even the small print of such was big news for sealing operators wide awake to such reports. As will be shown later it was these marine column reports of

"seals in abundance" that prompted vessels from several ports to get under weigh for the new discovery.

It remained for the publication of Mr. Robinson's letter in September to stimulate newspaper headline interest and comment. Following Robinson's letter other accounts pertaining to the voyage of the American sealer Hersilia, together with various accounts copied from British newspapers, were published. All of these references to "the new discovery" prompted much comment as to a possible previous discovery of the same land by earlier American sealing vessels, the captains of which, because of the nature of their operations, had kept their discoveries secret.

Following the various newspaper and periodical comments of possible prior discovery in America, other authors have referred to American sealing voyages to the South Shetlands, as the group discovered by Captain

Smith was renamed, as a certainty. Prior to 1820 no reference has been found in print or manuscript indicating that any American had been sealing at the South Shetlands before Captain Smith's sighting of February,

1819.

Beginning in 1820 and continuing to the present day there are many references to the possibility that such a voyage or voyages did take place.

In order to ascertain or disclaim the possibility of prior American voyages to the South Shetlands or adjacent Antarctic waters the following study is presented. C. References to American Sealers in the Antarctic prior to 1820

(a) The New England Palladium and Commercial Advertiser (Boston) under date of September 15, 1820, with sub-headline "From the New York Columbian";

the New York Evening Post, under date of Sept. 16, 1820; and

the Boston Daily Advertiser;

and others; all printed Mr. J. Robinson's letter dated Jan. 23, 1820 to Dr. Samuel L.

Mitchell at New York /quoted above/. All commented on the possibility of prior American discovery of the islands now known as the South Shetland Islands. The New York Evening Post commented:

"It is said by Mr. Lang that one of our late enterprising merchants, formerly made voyages to the above place, but the discovery was kept secret".

(b) The New England Palladium & Commercial Advertiser (Boston under date of Sept. 19, 1820, commenting on the subject, said:

"The New York Gazette says, that one of our late enterprising merchants of that city, formerly made a voyage to the newly mentioned land near Cape Horn; but the discovery was kept a secret. If this is correct but it does not appear probable the United States may have a claim to the territory, as first visited by one of its citizens. It is said that some vessels fitted out at Buenos Ayres have returned from South Newfoundland with 15,000 seal skins, and others are fitting out".

(c) Niles' Weekly Register (Baltimore) under the date of Sept. 16, 1820 comments on the Robinson letter with the note that it was taken from the New York Columbian:

"By the favor of Dr. Mitchell, we are enabled to lay before our readers the following very interesting letter from J. Robinson, Esq.. The magnitude of the discovery will not fail to arrest the attention of everyone, and the surprise is, that such an extent of ocean and so situated should not before have been known. It is said however, to have been discovered some years since by some American whalers, and the knowledge concealed for mercantile purposes."

(d) Boston Daily Advertiser, Wednesday, Sept'. 27, 1820.

"THE DISCOVERY: A gentleman now in town /Boston/ informs that in the year 1801, while on a voyage in the South Seas, he spoke the ship MarS, Captain Swain of Nantucket, who informed him that he had fallen in with land in the precise situation with that which has lately been discovered by Capt. Smith in the Southern Ocean. He' did not land, and consequently did not discover its value. The first advantage of the discovery seems to have been reaped by the Brig Hersilia of Stonington." /See Appendix A for additional text of this item./

(e) Independent Chronicle and Boston Patriot under the date of Sept. 30, 1820 with a sub head "From the New York Mercantile Advertiser":

"THE DISCOVERY"

"It is a singular fact that the newly discovered land in the Pacific Ocean, south of Cape Horn has been known to Brother Jonathan, at least as long that a voyage to and from the Island has actually been completed out of the port of Stonington, Conn. But less am- bitious about the honor than the profit he was content from the experience of the first voyage to move on quietly in the purchase of ships, which he has done to the extent of seven or eight within a few months all of which ostensibly gone a whaling, but they have been more probably gone a sealing.

"About two years ago, a ship was fitted out of this port /New York7 on shares for 'an island unknown to anyone except the Captain, where seals which have never been disturbed by man were as tame as kittens and more plenty than at any other place upon earth'. This was the language used to induce others to take an interest, the possessor of the secret being rich in knowledge but poor in purse. The ship, however, proceeded, but was unfortunately cast away before she reached her destination.

"When our brethren at Stonington have made as much as they wish by keeping the secret, we hope they will favor the world with some account of their discovery. It is probable that the people of New Haven have been making some guess of the existence of this island, as they too, have been looking out for whale ships."

It will be noted at once that these references to possible prior to discovery of the South Shetlands are all of similar type and with one exception (d) made by contemporary newspaper editors who had .just published for the first time either Robinson's letter or contemporary British accounts just reaching the United States pertaining to Captain Smith's reported discovery.

All of the accounts except (d) present the possibility of an unknown

New York sealing vessel having made a voyage to this land without any basic knowledge other than rumor being presented. The presentation is contradictory in various newspapers in that in one case a possible secret voyage was made. In the next the voyage was commenced but the vessel lost. In another the island was known but the possessor of the knowledge did not have the capital to undertake a voyage. It is obvious that the possessor of such a secret would of necessity have been sometime previously at the islands himself. Presumably no such person ever existed except in the mind of a newspaper editor. The fact remains that no American sealing operator who sent vessels to the South Shetlands in 1820 had any knowledge of those islands prior to the voyages of the Brig Wil- liams and Brig Hersilia in I819.

So far as can be ascertained from contemporary newspapers, sailing records, or any other known data, the only New York sealing promoters engaged in the sealing business prior to 1820 either .jointly or independently were: James Byers, Edmund Fanning, William A. Fanning, Charles H. Barnard together with their various partners in sealing enterprises. As this study progresses it will become evident that these men and their partners as well as sealing operators from other American ports had no knowledge of a visi- tation to the South Shetlands by any vessel prior to either the British brig Williams or the American brig Hersilia.

In regard to the Boston report (d) wherein it was reported "that a gentleman now in town" had informed the editor that the Captain of the

ship Mars, Captain Swain of Nantucket, had fallen in with land in the precise situation with that which had lately been discovered by Captain Smith in the Southern Ocean, the following can be said:

Captain Edmund Fanning of Stonington in a letter dated November 20,

1820 writes:

"And the writer of the article I think is as wide from the fact in what he asserts respecting the ship Mars, Capt. Uriah Swain, having seen those islands in 1801, as I was at that time in company with Capt. S. for some weeks after he had doubled Cape Horn in the Mars, and was in the same harbor with him and daily visited him, yet never heard him mention any discovery, on the contrary, the Mars, had the astonishing short passage of 21 days from Cape St. Johns, Staten Land, round the Cape to Isle St. Maria on the coast of Chili. This Capt. Swain observed to me, and also that he had a very fine passage, and carried his studding sails most of the time."

In addition to Captain Fanning"s letter (which will be referred to

in full later on) the movements of the ship Mars can be traced in "A Con-

cise Extract, from the Sea Journal of William Moulton, written on Board of: the Onico, in a voyage from the port of Sew London in Connecticut to

Staten Land in the South Sea; etc., in the years 1799-1804, Printed at

Utica, for the Author, 180^.'*

These two sources discount any possible sighting by Captain Swain, who. was too good a sealing master not to have followed up any such sighting of land for finding seals„

B. Later Statements Regarding Possible Visits to the South Shetlands Prior to 1819

After the return of the first sealers from the South Shetlands during the 1820-1821 season we again find reports being published indicating a discovery prior to that of Captain Smith in the Brig Williams in 1819°

The following examples are cited:

(a) Wiles Weekly Register (Baltimore) August 11, 1820 p. 38^ "If there is any merit in the simple fact of accidental discovery, we have no doubt that it belongs to our 'Yankee brethren'; for "Yankee Harbor' is quite a famous place, and long since we are told in the public newspapers that there was a spot where 'seals were as tame as kittens'. It cannot be doubted that the discovery was made before October, 1819, and we hope that some of our country- men, now diverted of keeping their discovery a secret for their own advantage, will tell us when they first knew of this land." It is obvious that this type of report was inspired by those of similar; content printed the previous year. Modern writers on this subject still suffer from the game lack of knowledge that prevailed in

1820. It has been shown to be a fact that news travelled around the world rather fast in 1820 and the sealers quickly took advantage of the fact that it did.

Statements similar to that in the Mies Register reached across the Atlantic for we find the following in:

(b) Annales Maritimes et Coloniales, 1821, deuxieme partie, p. 103^ "I have before me several reports proving that the United States' Vessels have been calling at southern New.Shetland, which British claim to have discovered last year, for the past ten years, or even longer, and that they take on cargo there similar to the cargo they obtain from the Crozet Islands (seal skins), using such cargo to maintain their trade with China".

It is unknown, of course, just what "reports" the author of this article had before him, but it is evident that they must, have been of the type as cited from the various press sources in .the United States. The author was certainly lacking first hand information regarding the seal=

ing trade as the voyages to the South Shetlands were in no case continued

to China as had been the case in prior years of the sealing business from

other locations. South Shetland cargoes were brought directly to the

United States in American vessels and to England in British vessels en-

gaged in the business.

The following year

"It is now well known that some of these hardy people /referring to Nantucket seamen/*" had visited what is now regarded by the English as newly discovered land, and now called New South Iceland, as early as l800 but the great profit which they made by catching seals, sea-elephants, sea-bears, etc. caused them to keep their voyages a secret. In the year just stated, nine vessels arrived with 151,000 fur-seal skins, giving it out that they had been obtained on the N.W„ Coast."

It is evident that this article is referring back again to the voyage

of the ship Mars of Nantucket in 1801 which was sealing all of that year

off the South American coast. We have already shown that such a voyage may never have occurred. The reference to nine vessels which the writer

infers- might have been at the South Shetlands makes it quite evident that

the author of the article was unfamiliar with the activities of the fur-

sealers on the islands of St. Maria and Juan Fernandez off the South

American coast in the 1800 period. These types of reports persisted for nearly a century. Heretofore they had naturally been more or less found outside of any British publication, but as late as 1905 comment regarding the subject is made by an eminent British authority.

(d) The Siege of the South Pole, Hugh E. Mill, London, 1905, p. 92.

"According to a communication which was made by Captain J. Horsburgh, Hydrographer to the East India Company, to Professor Heinrich Berghaus, the distinguished author of the "Physical Atlas*," American sealers had been at work in the South Shetlands since 1812, and had kept their field of operations a profound secret in order to exclude competitors."

In making this statement Dr. Mill did not quote the "communication" referred to in full. There is indication that Captain Horsburgh was using the various reports of secret American voyages which first appeared in the newspapers of 1820, some of which persisted in one form or another for years. This is verified by the fact that in his very next sentence

Dr. Mill goes on to say:

"The shadowy forms of Capt. Swain, of Nantucket, and his crew of phantom yankees may be imagined breaking in upon the 'rookeries 1 of those mist wreathed island beaches slaying, skinning and boiling out the blubber of unknown and now perhaps extinct species of seals".

From this it appears that the "communication" referred to by Dr. Mill made some reference to Capt. Swain's supposed sighting of land in 1801.

It has been shown for the earlier years that the Capt. Swain report had no foundation on fact.

A study of all such communications which the present writer has found in public prints appears to indicate wishful thinking on the part of the writer, or, in later cases, the use of statements not founded on facts now verifiable. In most cases the statements disprove themselves and certainly no one ever showed up with the 'proof' that Niles Register hoped for. After 1820 there was no need of anyone keeping such information a secret, nevertheless, it never was forthcoming. Captain Edmund Fanning quickly took exception to the anonymous report of a sighting by Captain Swain, but later did give him credit for a discovery in 1800 (an entirely different island- Swain's Island Lat. 59°

30 S. 100° W., which was probably Dougherty Island). All of this, which persisted through the years, never had any verification by Capt. Swain himself.

Although this study indicates in fact that no sighting did take place by Americans prior to 1819 as indicated by public reports, a further study will be presented of all known or suspected sealing voyages from 1812 to 1819 made by Americans.

E. Chronological Record of any known sealing voyages from the United States beginning with the year 1812

Having discussed the reported possible sightings of the South Shet- lands by American sealers prior to the voyage of Capt. Smith in the Brig

Williams in 1819 the following is presented pertaining to all known voyages made primarily for seals or whales and seals and elephant oil beginning with the year 1812. The following sources have been examined in detail:

(1) Marine columns of American Newspapers, 1812-1820.

(2) "The Antarctic Fur-Seal and Sea Elephant Industry"

By Howard A. Clark pp. ^00-467. In section V, Vol. 2 of The Fish-

eries and Fishery Industries of the United States. Washington,

1887. Gov't Printing Office.

(3) History of the American Whale Fishery from its earliest inception

to the year 1876. Alexander Starbuck, Waltham, Mass., 1878.

(4) U.S. Custom House Records. Ports of Salem, New Bedford, Boston,

New London, New Haven, New York, Records of clearances, arrivals,

registers, sea letters, crew lists, etc. (5) A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Captain Charles H.

Barnard, in, A voyage Round the World, during the years, 1812, 1813,

1814, 1815 & 1816, etc. New York, 1829.

(6) Voyages Round the World; With selected sketches of Voyages to the

South Seas, etc. By Edmund Fanning, N.Y., 1833.

(7) A Narrative of Four Voyages to the South Sea, etc.

By Capt. Benjamin Morrell, Jun., New York, 1832.

(8) Manuscript Log-books in the following institutions:

(a) Old Dartmouth Historical Society, New Bedford.

(b) Nantucket Historical Society, Nantucket.

(d) New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven.

(9) Manuscript Records in the American Geographical Society, New York.

Fanning Papers.

(10) Manuscript Records owned by the descendants of Capt. Nathaniel B.

Palmer of Stonington.

(11) Records and notes in the possession of T. A. Stevens.

Captain Charles E. Barnard of Hudson, New York was a sealer who

operated out of New York for many years prior to the reported sighting of

the South Shetlands in 1819 by Captain Smith. As he is one of the few

sealing shipmasters who might possibly have been concerned with any prior

knowledge of "sealing grounds that were kept secret" this study will com-

mence with his 1812 voyage, the only one on record for that year.

1812 Nanina, Brig, of N.Y. Capt. Charles H. Barnard of

Hudson, N.Y., Master. Capt. Barnard sailed from Sandy Hook April 12, 1812 for the Falkland

Islands. With him were several other sealing shipmasters out of employment. His father, Capt. Valentine Barnard, Capt. Edmund Fanning (of Wan- tucket Wot to be confused with Capt. Edmund Fanning of New York and

Stonington), Capt. Barzalli Pease and a Capt. Hunter. While at the Falk- lands his vessel was forcibly and un.justly taken from him by British sub- jects whom he found shipwrecked on the islands. Capt. Barnard was left marooned on the islands by the British and it was four years before he finally reached home. As Capt. Barnard learned of "Smith's Discovery" while at Pernambuco in 1820 (for which see later) and Capt. Fanning learned of "Smith's discovery" at Valparaiso in February, l82Q'(for which see later) it is evident that those on this voyage knew nothing of any secret sealing grounds south of Cape Horn.

Captain Barnard's narrative does contain one important reference to the South Shetland Islands, but there is nothing to indicate that this reference had anything to do with any voyage to the South Shetlands prior to his voyage there in 1820-1821 in the Brig Charity of Baltimore (for further reference see later). On page 207 of his narrative Captain Barn- ard has this to say:

"I trust it will not be deemed irrevelant, since I am leaving Massafuero, (in l8l6) the last place of my solitude, to refer to the account which James Weddel, master in the Royal Navy, gave of my history, which he heard from my own lips; but which in some parts, owing to forgetfullnes, or misunderstanding, he misrepresented. This gentleman was my particular friend, and meeting with him in the Falklands, I furnished him with some sketches for his chart of the South Shetland Islands, and several other places which he has not mentioned in his narrative. With regard to myself, he stated in his 'Voyage towards the South Pole, performed in the years 1822-24, etc. —'."

Although unrelated to early voyages under discussion this statement by Captain Barnard does furnish more proof that American sealers in the South Shetlands in the first season (1820 1821) did make manuscript charts that were freely used by British chart makers with all credit to themselves.

1813-1^. Wo record has been found indicating that any American vessels cleared on sealing voyages during these war years.

1815 Belvidere, Brig, of Wantucket. Capt. Reuben Baxter.

Operated on the coast of Patagonia. Sailed from Nantucket May 18,

1815 and returned March 1, l8l6. Cargo 840 bbls. elephant oil. As there was no return of skins it seems obvious that Captain Baxter of the Belvidere knew nothing of the South Shetlands.

1815 General Scott, Ship, of Hudson, N.Y. Capt. Robert Jenkins.

Sailed in 1815 for Pacific whaling and sealing. Made a poor voyage because of inexperience. Returned August 16, 1817 with only ^50 bbls. spterm oil. No return of skins whatsoever as would have been the case had the vessel been at the South Shetlands.

1815 Lydia, Ship , of Nantucket. Captain Joseph McCleave.

Sailed from Nantucket May 15, 1815 for the Patagonia coast, whaling and sealing. Returned March 10, l8l6 with 1012 bbls. of elephant oil.

No return of seal skins.

1815 Maria, Schooner, of Wantucket. Capt. Worth.

Sailed from Wantucket in 1815 for coast of Patagonia. Returned

April 2, 1816 with 700 bbls. of elephant oil. Wo return of seal skins.

It appears that the Belvidere, Lydia, and Maria were operating in company for elephant oil on the Patagonian Coast.

1815 Volunteer, Ship, of Wew York. Capt. Edmund Fanning.

Sailed from Wew York June 5* 1815 on a sealing voyage. The voyage is chronicled by Captain Fanning in his "Voyages Round the World, etc." Captain Fanning obtained his cargo of sealskins at the Falkland Islands,

Massafuero, Gallipagos, St. Marys' and again at the Falklands. Arrived at New York April 13., 1817 with a full cargo of sealskins. It is evident that Captain Fanning knew nothing of the South Shetlands at this period nor did his principal owner, James Byers of New York. Both of these men later made statements attesting to such fact.

The crew list of the Volunteer produces much of interest pertaining to the early sealers who became pioneers in Antarctic exploration a few years later. Captain Fanning's first mate was Benjamin Pendleton of

Stonington, who in 1820 was possibly one of the first to explore the mainland of Antarctica, perhaps going as far as 66 degrees south latitude where he entered a strait which now bears his name - while in command of the First Stonington Fleet in the South Shetlands in the 1820-21 season. He was age 27 when signed on as an officer of the Volunteer. The next member of the Volunteer's crew was James P. (endleton) Sheffield, age 22, the second mate. Under the guidance of Captain Fanning he worked his way up to become master of the new brig Hersilia in 1819 and as such was the first in all probability to make the first sighting of what is now known to be the mainland of Antarctica. The third mate of the Volunteer was Daniel W. Clark of Hartford, age 19, who later as the first mate to

Captain James P. Sheffield on the Hersilia's 1820-21 voyage was to have his name preserved in history as reporting the fact that members of the fleet he belonged to had been to 66 degrees south (along the Antarctic mainland). Another member of the crew was William A. Fanning, who was the purser and the only son of the Captain. Later, Captain William A.

Fanning was to become supercargo of the Hersilia under Captain Sheffield and the following year (l82Q) become the agent of the First Stonington Fleet in the South Shetlands. The sealing master on the Volunteer was

Captain Edmund Fanning of Nantucket (a relation to the Captain of the

Volunteer of the same name). He was age 30 and had been with Capt.

Barnard on the Nanina in 1812. Later on he commanded sealing vessels for James Byers of New York and was shipwrecked on the South American coast in 1819 while in command of the Spartan of New York. It took him nearly a year to make his way in small boats to Valparaiso where he arrived in February of 1820 to learn from Mr. J. Robinson of Captain

Smith's "discovery". Still another member of the Volunteer's crew on this voyage was Robert Johnson of New York, age 23, who was to become commander of the New York fleet in the South Shetlands in 1820-21 and who also went to 66 degrees south in January of 1821 while at the South

Shetlands. Abraham Blauvelt, another crew member from New York, age 22 was still another to find his way in the 1820 season to the South Shet- lands as master of a New York sealer. Young Benjamin Cutler of Stonington, age 15, was also to make his mark as a veteran Antarctic sealer. Among others in the Volunteer's crew to become a veteran in the sealing business was William Atkins, age 16.

It is evident from the makeup of the owners, master and crew of the

Volunteer in 1815 together with the knowledge available of the vessel's movements and events that followed that the majority of those who became principals in the first exploitation of the sealing business in far southern

(Antarctic) waters had no knowledge that a land existed to the south of

Cape Horn where "seals were as tame as kittens." As a matter of fact, the crew list of the Volunteer, containing, as it does, the names of the majority of the principal sealing shipmasters who later were the first to arrive at the South Shetlands in 1820 and establish themselves in virgin sealing grounds leaves little doubt that no American vessel had, prior to the Hersilia's voyage of l8l9»20, ever anticipated any such discovery.

1815 Zephr, Ship, of New Haven. Capt-. Caleb Brintnall.

The ship Zephr of New Haven under the command of Capt. Caleb Brintnall of that- port, was one of the last New Haven vessels to sail for the Pacific in search of new sealing grounds. Capt. Brintnall made more voyages to the Pacific than any other New Haven-ship-master of his day and he was a veteran in the sealing business. The Zephr sailed from New Haven on

October 25, 1815 bound for the Falklands where Capt. Brintnall fitted for the voyage round Cape Horn. From the Falklands Capt. Brintnall visited all of the localities, where in earlier years he had found seals in abundance. Finding no seals in quantity he resolved on searching the

Pacific to the North Pole if necessary before returning home. Near ship- wreck caused him to put into the Sandwich Islands and after refitting he found that he had been out nearly eighteen months without having earned a dollar for his owners. In order to recoup his losses Capt. Brintnall made an agreement with the King of the islands wherein he chartered the

Zephr for a year with the King travelling about the islands as the Ad- miral on board. After losing out on this charter because the King did not pay as agreed Capt. Brintnall proceeded to Canton and thence home to

America where he arrived in l8l8 after a losing three year voyage. Capt.

Brintnall had served as Captain Edmund Fanning1s first mate on his sealing voyage around the world on the brig Betsey in 1797-1799• Following this he commanded the New Haven ships Oneida and Triumph in the sealing trade. It seems very evident that Captain Brintnall or his New Haven and Providence owners knew nothing of any secret sealing land south of

Cape Horn. l8l6 Antoinette, Ship, of Nantucket. Capt. Folger.

The only reference that can be found regarding this vessel is in

Starbuck's History of the American Whale Fishery:-

"Sailed for Patagonia 1815 or l8l6. Reported at Rio Janeiro May 6, l8l6 with 9000 skins and full of oil."

As this is the only reference found pertaining to this vessel it would appear that the vessel was lost, for no further record has been located.

It is evident from this report that the Antoinette had been at good sealing

grounds in the vicinity of Cape Horn, but the fact that she was "full of

oil" rather precludes the fact that she had been at any islands where

"seals were in abundance and tame as kittens", for had this been the case

it is doubtful if the oil cargo would have been bothered with. On the

other hand the brief record found of this vessel presents a remote posi-

sibility of secret knowledge of unknown sealing grounds. However, being

Nantucketeers, they would have been back to the Shetlands if they had been

aware of such.

1816 Indus, Brig, of Nantucket. Capt. Obed Joy.

Sailed for Patagonia May 10, l8l6. Returned to Nantucket July 1,

1817 with 1^90 bbls. of elephant oil. No return of sealskins.

1817 William Thatcher, Ship, of New Bedford. Capt. Wm. Tucker.

Sailed for Patagonia in May, 1817. Returned Feb. 7, l8l8 full of

sea elephant oil. No return of sealskins.

1817 Mary, Brig, of New Bedford. Capt. Paul Hqwla,nd.

Sailed for Patagonia in May, I817. Returned Feb. 17, l8l8 with

1300 bbls. sea elephant oil. No return of sealskins.

1817 Sea Fox, Ship, Capt. Edmund Fanning of New York.

This was the last voyage made by the veteran sealing master, Captain

Edmund Fanning of New York and Stonington. This ship and her tender, the Brig Jane Maria were under the management of James Byers 8c Co., of

Wew York. Capt. Fanning sailed from Wew York on Sept. 1817 for the

Falkland Islands where he obtained a cargo of Sea elephant oil and seal= skins. He arrived home in the spring of l8l8 after a voyage of only seven months and twenty-three days. Captain Fanning's first officer was

Capt. Donald McKay of Wew York who later spent two months in 1820 searching for the South Shetlands while on the Aurora of Wew York, also owned by James Byers & Co. It is evident from the later statements and ex- periences of these men that at this time they knew of no land south of

Cape Horn where "seals abounded".

1817 Jane Maria, Brig, of Wew York. Capt. Benjamin Pendleton.

Sailed from Wew York as tender to the ship Sea Fox in September of

1817. This was Capt. Pendleton's first command as master of a sealing vessel. His first mate was James P. Sheffield of Stonington (also the home of Capt. Pendleton) who took command of the Jane Maria the following year (l8l8). It is evident that these men, who were to become pioneers in the South Shetlands, knew nothing of them at this time.

1818 Gleaner, Brig, of Wew Bedford. Capt. David Leslie.

Sailed from Wew Bedford in May l8l8 for Patagonia. Returned

January 10, 1819 with 1030 bbls. sea elephant oil. As Capt. Leslie sailed in Wovember of 1820 for the South Shetlands and arrived too late to take many skins it is evident that he had no knowledge of any land south of Cape Horn in l8l8.

I8l8 Governor Hawkins, Ship, of Philadelphia. Capt. T. Coffin.

This ship sailed from Philadelphia in l8l8. Captain Coffin died on the voyage and the ship returned in 1819 with ^1000 sealskins and 350 bbls. sea elephant oil. Wo indication of South Shetland knowledge. I8l8 Spartan, Schooner of New York. Capt. Edmund Fanning (of Nantucket).

Sailed from New York in July, 1.8l8 under the agency of James Byers.

Shipwrecked while sealing on the South American coast in February of 1819.

After a miraculous small boat voyage lasting nearly a year Capt. Fanning finally reached Valparaiso on Feb. 21, 1820. There he learned of Smith's discovery which he communicated to James Byers in New York as soon as possible.

1818 Jane Maria, brig, of New York. Capt. James P. Sheffield.

This vessel, as previously noted, operated in the sealing business by James Byers of New York. This voyage was the first command of Capt.

James P. Sheffield of Stonington, Conn. Sailed from New York in July,

1818 and returned in the spring of 1819. Capt. Sheffield sealed around" the Falklands and Cape Horn. There is no evidence that Capt. Sheffield learned anything on this voyage pertaining to unknown lands south of

Cape Horn yet the fact remains that on his return he left the employment of James Byers of New York to take command of the new Brig Hersilia of

Stonington. Coincident with Capt. Sheffield's leaving the employ of

James Byers, William A. Fanning, son of Capt. Edmund Fanning of Stonington and a junior partner in the James Byers' sealing concern severed all con- nection with Byers to go out with Capt. Sheffield as supercargo on his first voyage in the Hersilia. The interesting part of this is that

William A. Fanning was also managing owner of the new Hersilia and making a voyage in person with the Captain.

• 1818 Frederick, Brig, of Stonington. Capt. Benjamin Pendleton.

This was Stonington's first vessel in the sealing business and also the first vessel in the Fanning fleet. The managing owner was young

William A. Fanning, son of Capt. Edmund Fanning. Captain Pendleton sailed from Stonington on October 10, l8l8 and returned November 13, 1819 with a cargo of 28,000 sealskins which he had obtained at St. Mary's and Galipagos

Islands off the South American coast. This cargo was sold at auction in

Stonington, November 1819 for $21,378.03. As previously stated Capt.

Pendleton (on his next voyage) was one of the pioneers in the South

Shetlands.

1819 Gleaner, Brig, of New Bedford, Capt. David Leslie.

Capt. Leslie made another voyage this year sailing for the Patagonia

Coast in May, 1819. He returned March 19, 1820 with a cargo of sea elephant oil and sugar. As previously shown he was a late arrival at the

South Shetlands in the 1820=21 season.

1819 Jane Maria, Brig, of New York. Capt. Robert Johnson.

This voyage of the Jane Maria was also under the management of James

Byers. This was the first command of Capt. Robert Johnson who had previously served under Captains Edmund Fanning and James P. Sheffield. Capt.

Johnson sailed from New York in July of l8l8 to the Falklands, sealing there and in the vicinity of Cape.Horn. It is impossible to trace his movements in any detail but he was reported in Salem on June 30, 1820 as having been at the Falklands sealing ninety-four days previous to that date. It is evident from, letters written by James Byers of New York, his owner, (which will be quoted in full later on) that Captain Johnson received his first knowledge of the South Shetlands from said Byers who sent out other vessels in 1820 for the South Shetlands. This is verified by the fact that Captain Johnson and his New York fleet were late arrivals at the South Shetlands in the 1820-21 season.

1819 Henry, Schooner, of New York- Capt. B.I, Brunow.

Very little data regarding the movements of this vessel can be found other than the fact that it was a tender to the Brig Jane Maria, Capt.

Johnson, and was in his fleet when he arrived at the South Shetlands in

1820. Probably sailed with him in 1819.

1819 Warrington, Ship, of Salem. Capt, Benjamin Upton.

Sailed from Salem in 1819 on a sealing voyage. Operated in the

Falklands and arrived home at Salem June 28, 1820, 9^ days from the Falk- lands with 33*000 gallons sea elephant oil, 966 salted sea lion skins and hair seal skins, 1300 dried fur seal skins and 1029 hog skins. Re- ported the ship General Knox of Salem as being at the Falklands with uncertain cargo. Also the Jane Maria of New York. It is possible that

Captain Upton heard of the "new discovery" while in the Falklands, but it is more probable that his Salem owners, had heard the news from

Stonington where two of them were part owners in the Frederick. Soon after his arrival home at Salem the Warrington was broken up as unsea- worthy. Capt. Upton immediately took command of the brig Nancy of Salem, operated by the same owners, and prepared her for a voyage to the newly discovered South Shetlands.

1819 General Knox, Ship, of Salem, Capt. William B. Orne.

Sailed from Salem in 1819 on a sealing voyage to the Falkland

Islands. Was out two years, arriving home at Salem on June 1821 with

^000 skins and 600 bbls of oil taken at the Falklands. Capt. Orne appears to be the only commander of a sealing vessel operating in the

Falklands in the 1820 period who did not make the voyage to the newly reported South Shetlands. With the exception of the Hersilia of Stonington, Conn.the foregoing study completes the listing of all United States vessels known to have been engaged in the sealing business around the Cape Horn area during the period I8l2-l8l9« Contrasted with these sealing and elephant oil voyages from the United States during the years 1812 to 1819 we find that in the year 1820 twenty-four known United States vessels (not counting shallops, etc.) sailed for and arrived at the South Shetlands during the 1820-31 season. Not one of these vessels sailed because of any prior knowledge of the islands before the return to the United States of the Brig Hersilia

(May 21, 1820) or the receipt of reports originating with Capt. Smith of the British Brig Williams.

Fourteen of these United States vessels arrived at the South Shet- lands as a result of information obtained directly or indirectly from the

Hersilia's voyage. From a study of the data available it is obvious that the other ten vessels weresailing on information received from public press sources. It is further evident that no American sealer who went to the South Shetlands in 1820, other than the members of the crew on the

Hersilia's first voyage had ever been there before.

Thus having apparently eliminated the possibility of any other

American vessel being there, our study may be summarized in the fact that the American brig Hersilia, which sailed from the United States in July of 1819, was the first known American vessel to visit the South Shetland

Islands„

Part II

Voyage of the Brig Hersilia of Stonington, Conn., 1819-1820

A. Significance of the first Hersilia voyage

Of all the sealing voyages in the I8l2«l8l9 period, that of the brig

Hersilia of Stonington stands out above all others. Under the command of

Captain James P. Sheffield of Stonington this vessel left Stonington har= bor on or about July 22, 1819 and returned safely home on May 21, 1820 with a cargo of approximately 9>000 fur seal skins, the first ever taken by Americans at the South Shetland Islands„

The significance of this voyage of the Hersilia lies in the fact that not only was this the first United States vessel to arrive at the

South Shetlands, but it was also the first vessel of any nation to coast along the southern shores of the South Shetlands and enter Bransfield

Strait from the south a full two weeks before Capt. Bransfield penetrated from the north, the strait which now bears his name. Captain Sheffield and the crew of the Hersilia were in positions, either on board the Her- silia in Bransfield Strait, or on high elevations in the South Shetlands where "they discovered more land to the eastward." There is every probability that some of this land sighted was a part of the mainland of the continent of Antarctica, There seems to be little doubt that they sighted

Trinity Island some two weeks in advance of Captain Bransfield in the Brig

Williams.

No claims have ever been made that this was the first sighting of the mainland of Antarctica, yet it is evident that sufficient land was seen to prompt the owners of the Hersilia to carefully plan a visit to the land seen on their next voyage to the South Shetlands and that the man chosen to command this planned voyage "over the land" had been an officer on the Hersilia when the first sightings were made.

NOTE ON MAPS. No maps have "been prepared for the present report.

However, the colored hectographed map entitled "The Hersilia in the South

Shetlands, 1819-20" prepared by Lieutenant Richard D. Kane, which is on page 6 of his report entitled "The Voyage of the Hersilia, 1819-20" will be found helpful. Also in following the track which Mir. Stevens dis- cusses in the following pages, and in locating the geographical features mentioned, the USAF World Aeronautical Chart No. 1737 (scale 1:1,000,000) will be found very useful.

B. Background for the Hersilia's voyage, 1819-1820

Captain Edmund Fanning, merchant mariner and veteran in the sealing business made his last voyage to the south seas in the ship Sea Fox of

New York in the 1817-1818 season. This last voyage under the agency of

James Byers 8s Co„ of New York, with whom Captain Fanning had been asso- ciated in the sealing business for a number of years. The junior member of the sealing partnership headed by James Byers was William A. Fanning, son of Captain Edmund Fanning,.

After closing out the concern incident with the voyage of the ship

Sea Fox of New York in the spring of l8.l8, Captain Edmund Fanning re- tired from active life on the sea to his home town of Stonington, Conn.

His father's retirement apparently prompted son William A. Fanning to undertake his first venture as the head of a sealing venture for we find that the ownership of the brig Jane Maria and Schooner Spartan, sealing vessels formerly controlled by James Byers & Co. were dispatched in l8l8 under the sole ownership of James Byers as an individual. Coincident with division in the New York firm, William A. Fanning visited New Haven where he purchased the Brig Frederick, which he took around to Stonington, where the brig was fitted for a sealing voyage. His principal associate in this venture was Captain Benjamin Pendleton of Stonington who had been his father's first mate on the Volunteer (1815-1817) and had commanded the brig Jane Maria (1817-1818) as tender to the ship Sea Fox, also commander by Capt. Edmund Fanning during the same period.

Thus when Stonington's first sealing vessel was registered at the

Wew London Custom House on September 30, 1818 her managing owner was recorded as William A. Fanning of Wew York, merchant, together with Captain

Benjamin Pendleton as master and part owner. Letters from William A.

Fanning to his father, of later date, definitely indicate such close ties existing between father and son that any venture such as this had much parental guidance and assistance. The success of William A. Fanning's first venture in the sealing business has been recorded under the voyage of the brig Frederick (1818-I819).

This brings us to William A. Fanning's venture in the brig Hersilia.

Definite evidence exists that his father, Capt. Edmund Fanning, was convinced new sealing grounds would be discovered if the mythical Aurora Is- lands could be found, the evidence exists that Capt. Fanning believed an unknown land existed south of Cape Horn where seals might be found.

Various authors have questioned Capt. Fanning's statements regarding these beliefs which he published in his book, yet there is evidence to substantiate Capt. Fanning's later recording of these beliefs.

Immediate circumstantial evidence is present in the fact that William

A. Fanning (still of Wew York) contracted in the fall of 1818 with

Christopher Leeds, master ship builder of Stonington, to build a fine new brig of 131 tons register for the sealing business. The supervision of building was under the direction of his father, then at Stonington, and it is further evident that the brig was planned for sealing operations under the command of Captain James Pendleton Sheffield of Stonington, then out on a sealing voyage in the- brig Jane Maria of New York for James

Byers.

Contemporary evidence that the brig's first voyage was to be concerned with a search for the Aurora Islands, as recorded by Capt. Edmund

Fanning (in Voyages Round the World,...) is shown by the fact that during the time between Captain Sheffield's return to Hew York in the Jane Maria

(spring of l8l8) and July 20, 1819 William A. Fanning had closed all of his business at New York and decided to go as super-cargo on the brig's first voyage with Capt. Sheffield. It is further evident that before leaving on the voyage of the Hersilia, William A. Fanning had placed all of his home business in the hands of his father, Capt. Edmund Fanning, who made various transactions and vessel purchases in his son William's name during the latter's absence.

C. Documentation for the voyage.

Ihe new brig Hersilia was formerly registered at the United States custom house at New London, Conn, (which at that time had jurisdiction over the Port of Stonington) on Tuesday, July 20, 1819 by her new captain,

James P. Sheffield of Stonington, who was accompanied on his trip from

Stonington to New London by the vessel's managing owner, William A.

Fanning, who executed the bond for the vessel. Owners of record were:

William A. Fanning of New York, merchant, together with James P. Sheffield, mariner, of Stonington, Ephraim Williams, Elisha Faxon, Elisha Faxon, Jr.,

Samuel F. Dennison, Henry Smith and Jedediah Randall, all of the County of New London. Captain Sheffield was, of course, listed as master of the vessel. In addition td the brig's register which showed the Hersilia to-be of 130-87/95 tons register, length 68 feet, breadth 22 feet 8 inches and depth 10 feet 1 inch, that she had a woman figurehead and was a square sterned vessel, all other papers necessary for a voyage to the south seas were executed at the custom house on the same day. Captain Sheffield received his Sea-Letter and Clearance papers, all dated as of July 20, 1820.

In addition he executed his bond which was signed by William A. Fanning and filed his original crew list, not quite complete as he still had to obtain two more crew members to complete his complement.

D. Personnel of the Brig Hersilia

The original crew list of the brig Hersilia filed at the New London custom house on July 20, 1819 by Captain Sheffield contained only seventeen names, but from a "Return of Seamen" filed by Capt. Sheffield on the brig's return together with a crew list made at Buenos Ayres on March 20,

1820 during the return voyage of the Hersilia it is possible to complete a list of members of the brig who were on this first voyage. The following served on the Hersilia, during the ,1.819-1820 voyage to the South

Shetlands:

Name Station B„ Place Res. Time Served

1. William A. Fanning Supercargo N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 d.

2. James P. Sheffield Master Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 d.

3. Elos Benson First Mate Sweden Ston. lOmo. 3 d. b. Nathaniel B. Palmer Second Mate Ston. Ston. 10 mo

5- Levi Amsbury Sailmaker Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 d.

6. Jeremiah Morell Carpenter Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 d.

7. Benjamin Young Boatswain Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 d. Name Station _EL Place JRes. Time Served

8. Asa Lee Sealing Master Ston. lOmo.

9- C. E. Coles Bosun's Mate N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a.

10. C. H. Perry Mariner N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a. ll. William Miller Boy Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 a.

12. Joseph C. Dewey Mariner Ston. Ston. lOmo. 3 a.

13. Henry Tincker Mariner Conn. Ston. lOmo. 3 a. ib. Abraham Gardner Mariner N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a.

15. John Nash Mariner N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a.

16. Henry Hise Steward N.Y. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a.

17. John Bates Cook N. Hav. N.Y. lOmo. 3 a.

18. Hartford Butler Mariner N. Hamp . N. Hamp 5mo. 15 a.

19. Thomas Walsh Mariner A foreigner 6 mo,,1 8 a.

20. Lockwood Blacksmith Buenos Ayre. s to Ston.

From the above list it is noted that the Hersilia's crew numbered nineteen men when she left Stonington. Two of the crew left the vessel during the voyage and one was signed on at Buenos Ayes for a voyage home to Stonington. When Capt. Sheffield filed his original crew list at Hew

London on July 20, 1819 it did not include the name of N. B. Palmer as

second mate. Asa Lee, Sealing master, and N. B. Plamer, second mate, were

signed as crew members after the 20th of July. Possibly the fact that

Juliet Palmer, younger sister of Nat Palmer, was later married to William

A. Fanning had some bearing on young Nat Palmer being chosen as second mate without prior sealing experience just before sailing. E. Plan of the Voyage

The original crew list of the Hersilia as filed at the custom house by Capt. Sheffield, stated: "bound for the South Seas and Pacific ocean".

This was the usually stated destination on crew lists for sealing voyages around Cape Horn. Captain Edmund Fanning in his book, Voyages Round the

World,... 1833* stated that he was convinced land could be found in the region south of Cape Horn because in a previous season he had been at

South Georgia and had seen "fleets of ice-islands" coming from west southwest, from which he concluded that land was to be found, somewhere between the latitudes of 60° and 65° south, and between 50° and 60° west.

In addition to his own experience in the South Georgia area Capt. Fanning had come into possession of "the corrected survey of the Spanish Corvette,

Atrevida's position of the Aurora Islands, also of the manuscript of Capt.

Dirck Gherritz's discovery of land south of Cape Horn, in the Dutch ship

Good News (Blijde Bootschap) in the year 1599"-

Statements have been made by authors on this subject mentioning the fact that as Captain Fanning was writing his book in 1832-33 at a more advanced age, he had injected a new version relating to the Hersilia's voyage, Nevertheless in the finding of a letter written in Stonington on

Nov. 20, 1820 by Captain Fanning not long after the return of the Hersilia

and while the first Stonington fleet (.1820-21) was out we find his 1833 writings on this matter verified in fact. In this letter (quoted in full

in Appendix B) several important facts relating to the Hersilia's voyage

are disclosed which completely verify the "Instructions given to the Mas-

ter and Supercargo of the Hersilia relative to their voyage". Before re-

cording these instructions as stated by Capt. Fanning in his book (1833)

the following facts are presented pertaining to the Hersilia's voyage as

having been verified from documentary sources other than Fanning's book. 1. The Hersilia visited the Aurora Islands. These were no doubt

Shag Rocks, but due to errors prevailing in longitude the Captain believed he had found the Auroras.

2. Captain Sheffield had seen a manuscript chart or survey on

Gherritz* New Iceland. It was before Capt. Fanning as he wrote a letter regarding it in November of 1820.

3. Names given to locations in the South Shetlands by Stonington mariners could only have come from such a chart as was in the possession of Capt. Fanning. Stonington mariners always, from the first voyage of the Hersilia, z-eferred to the South Shetlands as New South Iceland, as recorded by Capt. Fanning.

Strait Despair, on the Southwest coast of it, referred to in

Captain Fanning's 1820 letter, is a name also found in the first American

Sailing Directory to publish directions for reaching New South Iceland.

(Blunt's Coast Pilot, 1821 ed.)

5. Blunt's Coast Pilot, 1821 edition, seems to provide further cor- roborating data:

(a) That the sailing track data therein contained was furnished

by one of the Stonington mariners.

(b) That this data was from members of the first Stonington

fleet, who had obtained it from the Hersilia's first voyage. Having

verified these facts, the following instructions relative to the

Hersilia's voyage (page if-29, Fanning's Voyages, 1833 ed.) can be

relied upon as being accurately stated by Captain Fanning:

"The master and supercargo of the Hersilia, both possessing

nautical talents, and both .able lunarians, were therefore directed

in their instructions, to touch first at the Falkland Islands, there to fill up their water and refresh the crew, thence to proceed in

search of the Aurora Islands, and should seals be there found, to

procure their cargo, if not, to return westward to Staten Land, and

after wooding and watering, to stand to the southward, keeping as

nearly in the latitude (sic) of Cape Horn as the winds would admit,

until they arrived in the latitude of about 63* south, then to bear

up and steer east, when it was confident expected they would meet

with land; but after all, should they be still unfortunate in the

search, and find no seals, then to enter the Pacific, or return

to the Falklands, or islands about Cape Horn, and endeavor to pro-

cure a cargo."

In addition to these "instructions" recorded by Captain Fanning another letter written on September Irth, 1820 by James Byers of New York

(See Letter in full in Appendix C) gives more light on the plan of the

Hersilia's voyage. Quoting from Byers' letter:

"He was out on a sealing voyage (referring to Capt. Sheffield) but to guard against a bad voyage in not finding seal he had on board about half a cargo calculated for the Spanish market. In consequence of this he could carry but a small quantity of salt and therefore able to cure but about 9000 skins".

Byers' letter contains another important passage having a bearing

on just how the Hersilia did find the South Shetlands: "The Stonington vessel reached the new islands in Dec. last. (1819) The Capt. had heard a report of the new islands and went to look for them". This statement

In Byers' letter (obtained from his partner who had gone to Stonington to

talk personally with Capt. Sheffield—see previously quoted Byers' letter,

quoted in full in Appendix C)--shows that Capt. Sheffield did not find the

South Shetlands as a result of the data contained in Capt. Fanning's in-

structions. However, it is evident that Captain Fannings' "expectations of meeting with land" were verified by Captain Sheffield and were un- doubted of major help to Captain Sheffield in looking for the "new islands he had heard a report of."

This statement of Byers (in his letter) is the most conclusive evidence seen to date by this writer, that the Hersilia found the South Shet- lands by means of a contact with the so called Espirito Santo of Buenos

Ayres at the Falkland Islands. Byers' letter does contain two alleged facts which are questionable. First that the Hersilia reached the "new islands in December last". There is sufficient evidence to show (as will be shown) that the Hersilia reached the South Shetlands in January of

1820 and was in the Falklands in December. It appears to this writer that the "Wew Isalnds" reached in December of 1819 was Wew Island in the

Falklands, rendezvous of the sealers, and not the new islands, to become known as the South Shetlands.

This is the only logical conclusion that dovetails with all the facts at hand, some of which have been questioned. Some authors have questioned the story that "Wat" Palmer, then second mate of the Hersilia, learned of the South Shetlands, by a meeting with the mate of the so called Espirito Santo in the Falklands. Those who have questioned the

Palmer story (which probably has been dressed up in the retelling) have overlooked the fact that it was verified by Captain Thomas Davison who had been a crew member of the Express in 1820 - a member of the first

Stonington fleet. Byers' letter only adds evidence to the known facts, one other important fact being that no known vessel at the time other than the Espirito Santo could have had knowledge of the "discovery".

From this discussion of the plan of the voyage certain facts are evident: 1. That the voyage was to find a cargo of seals, and if necessary to search for new land to get them,

2. Failing in this the voyage would be paid for by a partial cargo of other merchandise.

3. That when the brig left Stonington no definite knowledge was at hand where seals abounded in any great numbers or there would have been sufficient salt on board to cure a large number of sealskins.

F. The Log Book of the Hersilia

It is most unfortunate that the log-book of the Hersilia's first voyage has never been found. There is contemporary evidence that it was destroyed while the Hersilia was out on her second voyage, for it is very likely that Captain Sheffield would have taken it with him. The following endorsement appears on the Hersilia's bond, the original being among the papers of the New London Custom House:

"I, James P. Sheffield, of Stonington, in the State of Connecticut, a citizen of the United States by birth, and late master of the brig Hersilia of Stonington, do solemnly and sincerely swear, that on the 13th day of May, 1821, being at anchor at the Island of St. Mary's on the coast of Chile - the said brig with her Register and all her papers was forcibly taken from me by a Spanish Armed force acting under the orders of General Veicente Benavides, an officer of the King of Spain as he informed me and I verily believe .

I further swear that myself and crew were detained as prisoners until the second day of September, 1821, on the night of which I made my escape with part of my crew, leaving the said vessel and all my papers with the said General Benavides.

So help me God.

(Signed) James P. Sheffield

Sworn to and suscribed at the Customs House District of New London this 27th day of Feb., 1822."

Later documented records such as: Captain Sheffield's Narrative (New England Palladium & Commercial Register, Boston March. 26, 1822); Ex- tracts from a Journal, written on the Coasts of Chili, Peru, and Mexico in the years, 1820, 1821, 1822 by Captain Basil Hall, Edinburgh, lQ2k, and the Log of the Alabama Packet, original at Mystic, Ct„, all show that the Hersilia and the Town of Arauco, where the Hersilia was taken, were burned. Thus it becomes evident that unless private documents or journals can be located from Stonington descendants of Capt. Sheffield or others, there is little chance of locating much more first hand data on this important voyage of the Hersilia.

G. The Voyage of the Hersilia

It is possible, however, to retrace the voyage of the Hersilia in considerable detail from documents now available. Letters written by contemporaries, custom house records, Fanning's Voyages, together with newspaper reports and other pertinent data from dependable sources all present important verifying facts. Some of these facts appear to be contradictory on first study, yet careful analysis discloses the fact that with one or two exceptions all heretofore questionable facts do have their place in the completed story insofar as it is possible to complete the story to date.

The brig Hersilia, of Stonington, under the command of Captain

James P. Sheffield, sailed from the Port of Stonington on or about Thurs- day, July 22, 1819. The exact day is uncertain. On Tuesday, July 20th,

1819 Captain Sheffield and his Supercargo, William A. Fanning, were at

Wew London, registering, bonding, clearing and filing crew lists at the custom house. As the second mate's name, Nathaniel B. Palmer, does not appear on the original crew list and a "Return of Seamen" filed in 1820 shows that he served three days less than the rest of the majority of

- hi - the crew it is evident that the brig did not leave before the 22nd of

July. The 23rd being Friday it is doubtful if she sailed on that day.

As the brig arrived back at Stonington on May 21st, 1820 and filed her returns on May 23rd and the majority of the crew served ten months and three days, the logical date found that the brig sailed is July 22, allowing a day or two either way being immaterial in the vessel's overall movements.

From Fanning's Voyages, as verified by his letter of Nov. 20, 1820 at Stonington, together with Byers' letter we ascertain that the Hersilia first touched at the Falkland Islands, and from there went to look for the Aurora Islands. From thence to Staten Island. From Staten Island the brig took departure on a course due south, allowing for variable winds, making a landfall on Mt. Pisga Island. Passing Mt. Pisga Island, then named by Capt. Sheffield and William A. Fanning, (now Smith Island) the brig then sailed in a northeasterly direction for a group of islands that had been seen to the eastward, "which they called Fanning's Islands".

As Capt. Fanning records: "They sailed into a passage between the first two". He does not name the first of the two islands but does name the second as "Ragged Island", (now called Rugged Island) Thus it Is evident that Captain Sheffield's bearing was on Castle Rock, a prominent headland that lies due east of Snow Island, the only other island that could possibly be the first island. It Is further evident that the Hersi- lia entered Hell Gates (Morton Strait) which Capt. Sheffield called Strait

Despair, as verified by Farming's letter of Nov. 20, 1820 and Blunt's

Coast Pilot of 1821. Fanning does not state how far Capt. Sheffield sailed after entering "Strait Despair". He simply states that: "After sailing into the passage between the first two (Snow and Rugged Islands) they came to a harbor at the starboard island which was then named Ragged

Island". The significance of this statement has been overlooked by all historians. To approach Ragged Island as a Starboard Island Captain

Sheffield of necessity, was approaching it from an easterly direction.

This means only one thing. Before Captain Sheffield anchored the Hersi- lia in "Hersilia Cove", he had coasted the southern shores of Friesland

Island, so-called by the Stonington mariners (Livingston Island).

Fortunately evidence has recently been discovered "from the actual log-book of the Hersilia" to the show where the Hersilia did go. Under the date of August 25, 1820 James Byers of Wew York, a prominent sealing operator of the port, for whom Captain Sheffield had previously commanded sealing vessels, wrote a letter to Brigadier General Daniel Parker, Ad-

jutant and Inspector General of the United States Army (W. A. of U.S.,

Records of the Dept. of State, Misc. Letters, Aug.-Oct., 1820) wherein he stated that he had received a letter from Capt. Sheffield advising him of his voyage in the Hersilia, from which he had just returned. "In

order to obtain correct information", wrote Byers to General Parker, "I authorized Walter Wexsen, a respectable merch^ and also a partner in my

sealing enterprises to go to Stonington and have an interview with Capt.

S. (Sheffield). Mr. Wexsen Obtained (from Capt. S.) the following particulars- from his log book" The letter continues: "The great new

island or continent is in Lat 6l 10 S. Long. 57 15 W." Then the

letter records the most important part: "Coasted about 5°-miles Saw

no end South Wt. Returned to what he thought the Sth W13 end and came to

anchor between a number of islands a short distance from the mainland - ".

Thus we learn "from the logbook" of the Hersilia that after entering the strait (Strait Despair, Hell Gates, Morton Strait) between the first two

islands, one of which was named "Ragged Island," Capt. Sheffield coasted about 50 miles. The only shore he could coast along there was the southern shore of Friesland Island (Livingston Island) and "about 50 miles" would take him out into Bransfield Strait to a minimum position of approximately latitude 62° 50' S., longitude 6o° 05' W. He was then southwest of Livingston Island at safe coasting distance when he recorded

"that he saw no end South W "» If he "saw no end south west", he obviously saw some land to the southwest. As his position was roughly northeast of Deception Island, he could readily see that Island, Such a coasting exploration would obviously not be made in bad weather. If

Bransfield saw the outlines of land to the south and southwest as shown

on his chart from a more easterly position than Captain Sheffield's "in

stormy and foggy weather" it is elementary that Capt. Sheffield's look-

outs at the mastheads could at

b, minimum bgs Q/S much, (it is not re-

corded that Capt. Sheffield had such lookouts, but such was the basic practice of all sealers and whalers, and any exploring navigator in his right mind would not think of doing otherwise.)

In addition to these facts Capt. Fanning has recorded in his book

(Voyages Round the World, etc,) "From elevated positions they had dis-

covered more land to the eastward". Such "elevated positions", could be

either the mast heads of the Hersilia, or high positions on land. There

is no question, from subsequent events, that the Captain and supercargo

of the Hersilia were fully aware of the existence of "more land to the

eastward", and that they prepared to make a survey of it on their next

voyage to the area and that such an exploratory voyage was made by

Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer in the little sloop Hero, who was then present as second mate of the Hersilia. It is further evident that when

Captain Palmer set out on his voyage in Nov. of 1820 in the Hero and set his course for "the north head of Deception Island" he knew where he was going from his previous voyage in the Hersilia. Then it is also evident that when he entered in the logbook of the Hero; "Stood over for the land, Course S by E \ E" that he also knew of this land from the Hersilia's voyage. The log-book of the Hero further shows that Deception Island (but not its harbors) was known by Palmer from the Hersilia's voyage.

As the crew of the Hersilia coasted along the southern shores of

Friesland Island (Livingston Island) they saw untold thousands of furseal on the south beaches. Such a bonanza was not the inspiration for any further extended exploration. Several points stand out in retracing the position of the Hersilia in these Antarctic waters in January of 1820.

1. Land was seen to the eastward.

2. The Hersilia was in a position where points on the main-

land of Antarctica could be seen on a clear day.

3. Land to the eastward could only be some part of Palmer

Peninsula, in all probability, Mt. Durville, elevation 3050 ft.

Deception Island was seen but not explored.

5. Trinity Island was seen and this sighting was the inspi-

ration for planning a subsequent voyage to the general area.

To continue with the Hersilia's voyage. The Hersilia remained at

Hersilia Cove (or Port Sheffield-- Blunt's Coast Pilot of l82l)--for at least 15 days during which time approximately 9000 furseal skins were taken in the vicinity.-all the vessel could stov.with the salt available to preserve the skins. From Capt. Fanning's letter of Nov. 20, 1820 we learn more important facts pertaining to the voyage. These are: First, that the Hersilia, while at the South Shetlands, contacted another vessel; second, that it was not the British Brig Williams, and third, that prior to contacting this other vessel, the supercargo of the Hersilia, did not know that such a vessel as the Brig Williams existed.

As only one other vessel is known to have been in the South Shetlands at this time, namely the so-called Espirito Santo of Buenos Ayres, this must have been the vessel contacted. It is evident from Fanning's letter that another vessel was contacted there and at that meeting the supercargo of the Hersilia learned of the Brig Williams which unknown to him was then surveying the northern end of the South Shetland group.

The Hersilia left her anchorage in Hersilia Cove, Ragged Island in the South Shetlands, about the first of February, 1820. Having coasted, upon his arrival in the South Shetlands, the southern shores of Friesland

Island (Livingston Island), there is every possibility that Captain

Sheffield, when taking departure from the Islands coasted along the en- tire northwest coast of the group before heading for Staten Island, as it was his logical route home. Byers" letter states that his partner Wexsen, had obtained from Capt. Sheffield's logbook, the fact that "the great new

island or continent is in Lat. 61 10 S., Long, 57 15

This position is northeast of King George Island, in Loper Channel, and a natural departure point, after coasting northeastward along the

South Shetland group. Undoubtedly Captain Sheffield coasted along these northwestern shores on his voyage north until he lost sight of land there.

This, being the northermost point from which land was seen would be the natural point of reference that would be given by Capt. Sheffield for the

position of the South Shetlands. Thus we find in so far as positions are

concerned, that Fanning, Byers, and the reports of Smith's and Bransfield's voyages are prefectly consistent with each other, allowing for errors of this period.

The Hersilia, after leaving the South Shetland group, arrived at

Staten Island, from which Capt. Sheffield sailed on February fth, 1820.

Buenos Ayres reports of Feb. 27th, 1820 record this (Gaceta de Buenos

Aires (1810-1821 , Vol 6) and the arrival of the Hersilia on February

27th, 1820 at that port. The Hersilia was reported as being consigned to Lynch, Zimmerman & Co., of Buenos Ayres, with a cargo of seal skins, oil and empty barrels. On March 20, 1820 Captain Sheffield cleared for

Stonington at Buenos Ayres, having filed a new crew list on that date with Juan Zimmerman, Vice Consul of the United Spates at Buenos Ayres.

He sailed for Stonington on March 27th or 28th, arriving at Stonington

55 days later.

Although there is every evidence that the Hersilia had proceeded, on her outward bound voyage to the Falklands as previously related,

Byers' letter to General Parker states that half a cargo was carried by the Hersilia, destined for the Spanish market, in order to avoid failure of the voyage if ho seals were located. The shipping report at Buenos

Ayres of February 27, 1820 reports no cargo other than that connected with the sealing voyage. This indicates that if such cargo was carried outward by the Hersilia (there are no papers in the New London Custom

House to indicate such) as the Byers letter states, it must have been discharged prior to the voyage to the South Shetlands. This presents the interesting possibility, if Byers was correct in this matter, that the Hersilia put into Buenos Ayres with said cargo before proceeding for the Auroras. It does seem very peculiar that Capt. Sheffield proceeded from Staten Island to Buenos Ayres with a seal skin cargo before proceeding home to the United States with such valuable information regarding

the new sealing grounds in his possesion. Later vessels did not call at

Buenos Ayres on their homeward bound voyages. Juan Zimmerman, Vice Consul

of the United States was a member of the firm of Lynch, Zimmerman & Co. to whom the Hersilia's cargo was consigned. If Byers1 letter is correct in

regard to this half cargo, then it Is possible that the Hersilia had put

into Buenos Ayres on her outward voyage and that Capt. Sheffield had ob-

tained some knowledge from Zimmerman regarding this new land discovered by Capt. Smith in the Brig Williams. Fanning!s letter rather disproves

this, stating that the Williams had not been heard of so it seems more

probable (which coincides with the Palmer tradition) that the Hersilia worked with the so-called Espirito Santo at "Rugged Island in obtaining a

cargo of.seals skins as was the custom of the period and in order to

properly divide this cargo of seal skins it was necessary for Capt. Shef-

field to proceed to Buenos Ayres. There is also the possibility that

changes in crew members necessitated making Buenos Ayres a port of call

rather than to proceed directly home. Either at Buenos Ayres or at some

prior location Captain Sheffield took on one new crew member, designated

only as Lockwood, in the position of armorer or blacksmith. Previous to

this he had discharged or lost two crew members •=« which will be discussed

in relation to dates connected with the voyage.

From Buenos Ayres Capt. Sheffield proceeded on his voyage homeward,

arriving at Stonington on Sunday, May 21, 1820. His papers concerning

the voyage were filed and dated as of May 23, 1820 (Tuesday) at the New

London Custom House. His arrival at Stonington was reported in the Con-

necticut Gazette, Hew London, both Wednesday May 2Hh and Wednesday, May

31st, 1820. The cargo of 8,868 fur seals skins was later sold at auction at Stonington for $22,146.^9.

Although the following will be treated in a separate paper (but not in the current series), it seems pertinent to mention here the most elusive point in the whole story of Stonington's vessels in the South Shetlands, following this first voyage of the Hersilia. All historians writing on this subject have missed this completely, as they seem to prefer to call it a mystery.

The Hersilia arrived home at Stonington on Sunday, May 21st 1820.

The day before this, Saturday, May 20, 1820, Captain Thomas Dunbar, of

Westerly, R. I., master of the Free Gift of Stonington had been at the

New London custom house and executed all necessary papers for a voyage to

"the south seas and Pacific". These papers included the obtaining of his

Sea-letter, filing crew list (missing) and necessary clearance papers.

The following day being Sunday he was at home so that when the Hersi- lia arrived on that day his little schooner was still in Stonington harbor.

The sailing date of the Free Gift is uncertain, but by a stroke of fate or luck, the master of the Free Gift, which was to join Capt. Benjamin

Pendleton's brig, the Frederick, as tender, had not sailed. Captain

Pendleton had sailed on May l^i-th, but before sailing had arranged with

Capt. Dunbar to rendezvous with him at the Falklands. Thus, on Monday,

May 22, 1820 William A. Fanning, supercargo of the Hersilia, just arrived from the South Shetlands, gave Captain Dunbar the necessary instructions to be relayed to Captain Pendleton of the brig Frederick, relative to the voyage of the first Stonington Fleet to the South Shetlands. During the two months that followed the sailing of the Free Gift, bearing vital information to Capt. Pendleton, William A. Fanning, with the assistance of his father, Capt. Edmund Fanning organized the balance of the fleet. Al- though, Byers reports in his letter that Capt. Sheffield wrote him that he would be willing to go out again in command of the Hersilia, of which he was a part owner. The Hersilia was accompanied by the Schooner Express,

Capt. Ephraim Williams of Stonington, master, together with the Sloop

Hero, Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer of Stonington, master. On board the

Express was also William, A. Fanning, Agent of the first Stonington fleet of sealers bound to the South Shetlands, Thus each vessel of this second unit of the fleet had on board in commanding position, men who had already been to the South Shetlands in the Hersilia.

Several authors have confused the issue as to how and why the members of the First Stonington fleet were in complete domination of the sealing grounds on the southern shores of the South Shetlands when vessels from other ports arrived. The answer is simple. William A. Fanning and his father planned it that way, aided by the fortunate circumstance that the Free Gift, tender to the Frederick, had not sailed when the

Hersilia arrived home. Their planning was in effect of even more importance in the choice of vessels for the fleet, but that is another story.

In discussing the voyage of the Hersilia in 1819-1820 to this point only certain dates have been mentioned. There are others of major importance . It has been shown that the Hersilia sailed from Stonington, on or about July 22, 1819. We know that she was (l) at the Falkland Islands,

(2) possibly at Buenos Ayres on the voyage out, (3) found the Auroras

(Shag Rocks), (4) took departure from Staten Island for the South Shet- lands (name then unknown).

Without endeavoring to account for dates in the fall of 1819 it is evident that Captain Sheffield was in the Falkland Islands area around October and that he made a search for the Auroras in that month or Novem- ber, possibly December, Exact dates at this period are not of importance, the first date we can determine with some degree of accuracy is determined by: (a) the original Crew list of the Hersilia (b) the Buenos Ayres crew list of the Hersilia (c) Return of Seamen filed on the brig's return at the New London Custom house. From, these documents we learn that one Hart- ford Butler, a seaman, from New Hampshire was an original crew member. We further learn that he was not a crew member when the brig left Buenos Ayres for Stonington. From the "Return" we find that he served 5 months and 15 days only. Thus on approximately Jan. 5th, 1820 or five and one half months after clearance at Stonington this crew member was discharged, de- serted or had died. There is no reference found anywhere as to his death.

It is therefore a probability that the Hersilia was on that date at some point where a seaman could leave the vessel. Following this we learn from the same sources that one Thomas Walsh, an Irishman, but resident of New

London was also an original crew member. He left the Hersilia 6 months and 18 days after clearance at New London. It appears that he left the

Hersilia at Staten Island, just prior to departure on Feb. 7th for Buenos

Ayres. If so, in all probability he must have joined the so-called

Espirito Santo. We have no means of knowing where Butler left the Hersi- lia, but there are indications that such took place at the Falklands.

It is evident that the important part of the Hersilia*s voyage took place in January of 1820. From the Buenos Ayres report we establish the fact that the Hersilia left Staten Island on February fth, 1820 for Buenos

Ayres„ As it is a good four days sail from the South Shetlands to Staten

Island it is evident that Captain Sheffield sailed for home from the South

Shetlands about the first of February, 1820. This Is the only noticeable difference of dates to be found in Fanning's Voyages where dates are very elusive. In 1833 Fanning recorded in his Voyages that the first landfall the Hersilia made was on Mt. Pisga Island, and that "although in the month of February it was covered with snow". Although this "February" is dif- ficult to account for it may be attributed to the fact that Fanning did not deem the month to be of much importance here. It appears to this writer that he was making more of a point of snow being on the island than of the exact time of year,, He was writing about this particular event from information received from his son and Captain Sheffield some thirteen years earlier„ At the time he wrote in 1832-33 his only son,

William A. Fanning, and Captain Sheffield had been dead for some years..

Thus the principals in the first voyage of the Hersilia were not available for consultation as to exact facts and data. Had these men lived more of this voyage of the Hersilia might have been written from first-hand knowledge. Fanning did make mistakes of fact in his narrative of these events in 1833. For example he placed Yankee Harbor in Deception Island, showing that he was not making good use of log books when he wrote his book.

In a letter to General Parker dated August 25th, 1820 James Byers wrote: "On one of these islands he (Capt. Sheffield) took 9,000 fur Seal

(sic) in 15 days". Thus we learn that at least fifteen days were spent by the Hersilia in the South Shetlands, sealing. A minimum of two more days must be allowed for arrival and departure coasting. This minimum total of at least seventeen days at the South Shetlands would hardly have permitted

Capt. Sheffield to have arrived at Staten Island on February 7th, if as Capt.

Fanning wrote Mt. Pisgah was sighted in the month of February for the first

time. Fanning himself helps clarify the matter and verify Byers' letter in his own letter of Nov. 20, 1820. This letter was in reply to a statement made in the public press that the Hersilia obtained her cargo of seal skins in the short time of ten days. On this point Fanning's letter says:

"The short time stated (twelve days) in which the Hersilia procured her cargo, is an erroneous as the rest of the communication". Thus Fanning himself has recorded the fact that it took much more than twelve days to obtain the Hersilia's cargo at the South Shetlands.

Thus allowing about 17 days at the South Shetlands and about four days to get to Staten Island from the South Shetlands and about two days minimum at Staten Island we find that if the Hersilia sailed from the latter place on February 7th, that this back dating places the arrival of the Hersilia at the South Shetlands about January 15, 1820. If as previously noted one Hartford Butler, a crew member left the brig at the Falk land Islands on or about January 5th, that date allows .just about the right amount of time to reach the South Shetlands from the Falklands.

While the exact day of the month cannot be accounted for, the signifi cance of this timing is in the fact that the Hersilia arrived at the

South Shetlands on or about the middle of January, 1820 and before taking seal for 15 days, coasted the southern shores of the South Shetland group

(Livingston Island) and entered the southern part of Bransfield Strait a full two weeks in time before Captain Bransfield in the British brig

Williams commenced his voyage into the strait that now bears his name.

British claims to the first sighting of the supposed mainland of the Ant- arctic continent bear the date of January 30, 1820 on this exploratory voyage of the brig Williams. On that date the Williams reached a point in foggy weather at no great distance from where Capt. Sheffield had been in the brig Hersilia some two weeks previous. On the date that Captain

Bransfield was making his "first sighting" Captain Sheffield and the crew of the Hersilia were about ready to leave the South Shetlands for home.

From the mastsheads of the Hers ilia;, or high land in the South Shet- land s^ members of the Hersilia's crew had reported that "Wew Land had been discovered to the eastward".

The evidence presented that members of the crew of the Hersilia anticipated Bransfield's crew of the Williams by some two weeks has a good a basis of fact as the secondary account used to substantiate the British claims. There is nothing present in either case to prove just who made the first sighting of what is now known to be a part of the actual mainland. There is every probability present to show that it was possible for members of the Hersilia's crew to have done so at least two weeks ahead of members of the British vessel. The movements of the Brig

Williams in the same waters are based on second-hand accounts, and any sightings made from that vessel have no greater weight it is believed, than the case presented above for the Hersilia.

It remained until the fall of the same year, 1820, for on of the

Hersilia's crew, namely, 2nd mate N„ B. Palmer to make a voyage over to and coast along the mainland of the Antarctic continent.. Then he was master of the little sloop Hero and his logbook entries of that voyage, the first known record of a voyage "to the land" indicate that he knew quite well where he was headed when he set out on that voyage.

The order of sighting land to the eastward from the South Shetlands was in all probability as follows:

Jan. 15-25, 1.820 Crew of Hersilia.

Jan. 30 Feb. 1, 1820 Crew of Williams.

Nov. 1-11, 1820 Crew of Frederick and Free Gift

Nov. 17th, 1820 Capt. N. B. Palmer in the sloop Hero coasted this land. There seems to be little question that the first land sighted by any of the above was Trinity Island, lying off the Antarctic mainland. APPENDICES

Boston Daily Advertiser. Wednesday, September 27, 1820

"THE DISCOVERY:-- A gentleman now in town informs that in the year 1801, while on a voyage in the South Seas, he spoke the ship Mars, Captain

Swain of Nantucket, who informed him that he had fallen in with land in the precise situation with that which has been lately discovered by Cap- tain Smith in the Southern Ocean. He did not land, and consequently did not discover its value. The first advantage of the discovery seems to have been reaped by the brig Hersilia, of Stonington.

"This brig having spoken the brigantine William, Capt. Smith, and having received from him information of the discovery, and of the seals, sea lions, etc., that abounded there, proceeded immediately to the spot.

"In the space of twelve days the crew caught 8,000 seals, of large size and excellent quality. It is said that the supercargo of the brig, wishing to turn the discovery to his personal advantage, enjoined secrecy on his officers and crew in relation to it. The secret however leaked out, and several vessels were immediately fitted out to reap the rich harvest. We are informed that seven or eight vessels have embarked in this trade from the port of Stonington, with the prospect of making very profitable voyages."

New England Palladium and Commercial Advertiser, Boston. Tuesday, December 5? 1820

(From the New York Commercial Advertiser)

Messrs. Editors:- I observed in your paper of the 30th September an er-

roneous paragraph (taken from the Boston Daily Advertiser) respecting the brig Hersilia, and her super-cargo Mr. William A. Fanning, of this port.

Where the writer got the information that he communicated to the

Boston editor, I know not but thus much I know to be fact, that the

Hersilia did not speak with the English brig William while on her voyage,

nor did heresuper-cargo during his voyage, previous to his being at those

new islands (as they are called) know that there was such a vessel in ex-

istence as the English brig William, Capt. Smith.

And the writer of the article I think is as wide from the fact in what he asserts respecting the ship Mars_, Capt. Uriah Swain, having seen

those islands in 1801, as I was at that time in company with Capt. S. for

some weeks after he had doubled Cape Horn with the Mars, and was in the

same harbour with him and daily visited him, yet never heard him mention

any discovery, on the contrary, the Mars_ had the astonishing short pas-

sage of 21 days from Cape St. Johns, Staten Land, round the Cape to Isle

St. Maria on the coast of Chili. This Capt. Swain observed to me, and

also that he had a very fine passage, and carried his studding sails the most part of the time„

The short time stated in which the Hersilia procured her cargo, is

as erroneous as the rest of the communication. The fact is, I do not con-

sider this land as a new discovery. It was first seen by a Dutch Captain

in the latter part of the 15th century, and Frazier saw it in 1712, and called It South. Iceland. This came to my knowledge in the year 1799> an(l

I now have before me a manuscript chart of this New South Iceland as we call it of an extent of between 11 and 12 degrees of longitude and of between 5 an(i 6 degrees of latitude. Strait Despair, the mouth of which is on the South-western coast of it, is a piece of the most dangerous navigation that seamen ever traversed, from the stupendous height, and large and dismal appearance of the coast, and water too deep for anchorage. It is also filled with single spiral rocks and sunken reefs of the most dangerous kind, and there is no kelp or sea weed On the coast to mark out those dangerous reefs to the mariner. Whoever visits this land, will not want for gales, ice or snow.

The Hersilia procured her cargo of skins at'Fanning's Islands', a cluster of islands to the N. W. from this coast. From the knowledge which I possess respecting New South Iceland I have no doubt that Cook's

Southern Thule and this land belong to one and the same continent, and that the Island of South Georgia lies off the mouth of a very large bay, into which you cannot sail far I think without being obstructed by the solid and fast ice.

It is thought that part of Sir Francis Drake's squadron, after passing Straight Magellan, was driven by a violent gale far south, and anchored among these islands but I think it unfair to attempt to rob the

Dutch Captain of the merit of the discovery.

The Hersilia visited the Aurora Islands they are three peaked mountains, lying In a triangular position from each other -short reef runs out S. W. from the southernmost island) the latitude of them as laid down in Patten's chart is sufficiently correct but they are about

4 degrees to the Eastward from their situation on this chart. In nearly a direct line between the Aurora Islands and the Northeast Cape of New

South Iceland, lies Shag Rock Reef, a most extensive and dangerous reef of rocks, some of which are above water and the size of a ship's hull, in about S„

With much esteem and respect, I am, gentlemen,

yours etc. E. Fanning

Stonington Port, Nov. 20, 1820

Extracts from letters written by James Byers of Wew York. (Byers, James:

Manuscript letters from James Byers to Brigadier General Daniel Parker,

Adjutant and Inspector General of the United States Army, dated August

25th and September 1820, National Archives of the United States,

Records of the Department of State, Miscellaneous Letters, August-October

1820.

August 25, 1820 letter:

"Hie first information I ever received respecting the new discovery was from a Capt. Sheffield who arrived at Stonington last spring from the new islands. As soon as he reached this country he wrote me a letter in- forming me of his success & offering to ~ out again in my employ. He had formerly been in my service and I knew him to be worthy of all confi- dence. In order to obtain correct information, I authorised Mr. Walter Wexsen, a respectable Merch^-and also a partner in my Sealing enterprises to go to Stonington and have an interview with Capt. 8. Mr. Wexsen obtained the following particulars from his Log Book.

"The great new Island or Continent is in Lat. 6l:10 S*1, Long. 57 15 W^. Coasted about 5° miles, saw no end South W"^. Returned to what he thought the S^ W^ end & came to anchor between a number of islands, a short distance from the Mainland.

"He found pretty good Anchorage in 15 ^fathoms Water. On one of these Islands he took 9,000 fur Seal (sic) in 15 days. He had no more • salt or could killed any number. He says he saw at one View 300,000 Seal. He thinks the country is uninhabited & Restitute of wood.. Water plenty & good. The Land runs about Wo. East & S^ West. In additional (sic) to the above I have .learned from other sources of the existence of -F these Islands, and all nearly agree in L & Long. Capt. Fanning late of the Spartan mentions the subject in the Letter enclosed." It is con- sidered by everyone that the fact is fully established & it would afford great satisfaction to every American if our Government was the first to survey and name the new islands."

September b, 1820 letter:

"My dear Sir: I have just received yours of favr or 31st ult. The Stonington vessel reached the new Islands in Dec1" last. The Capt. had heard a report of new islands and went to look for them. He was out on a sealing voyage, but to guard against a bad voyage in not finding seal he had on board about half a cargo calculated for the Spanish Market, In consequence of this he could carry but a small quantity of salt and therefore able to cure but about 9000 skins. He stated on his return that at the place he lay he could have loaded 10 vessels like his. Other accounts fully establish the fact of seal being in immense quantities. Our vessels are ordered to reach the new Islands by the first of October. We are so well prepared with good vessels, Iron cables, etc., etc., that we feel quite confident we can hold on in safety. The fur taking in cold weather is much preferable to that caut (sic) in the Warm season.

"If the British Gov"13 send any armed Vessels they will not I think, like to approach the high latitudes till about Decr. We Yankees you know do not fear Cold Weather. There is not the least doubt in my mind that but the British will attempt to Drive our vessels from the islands. Hot by open hostility but by blustering & threats. The vessels from this quarter all went out armed (for their own safety) against pirates & robbers of any other description and will make a bold defense against Johny Bull any difficulty however of this nature, would very much injure the voyage and would be prevented by the presence of an American Ship of War. If Gov'*' send a vessel it will be best to put on board the frame of a shallop to be rebuilt at the Islands. A vessel of thirty of forty tons can be set up here and so far furnished as to be taken down and rebuilt in ten days. I have now a small schooner at the Falkland Islands (built there) and cal- culate to have 'her at the new Islands. A small vessel will be absolutely necessary in making a survey. It will also be useful to have a person on board as a pilot. I mean a person acquainted with the Falkland Islands Staten Land etc. At the Falkland Islands any quantity of beef & pork can be obtained, also Flood Wood Water ? For this purpose good workmen ' good Dogs are necessary. Our people generally half support themselves while at the Islands.

"A vessel to leave here in all this month in time (torn)... The passage is generally made In 90 days. I will most cheerfully furnish all the information in my power. As I have for some years been engaged in Sealing & Oil voyages I must of course be pretty well acquanited with the proper outfits for such voyages.

I am Sir, With Respect Your 0bt Servant.

James Byers"