The Plough Boy Journals

The Journals and Associated Documents

The Plough Boy Anthology

19th Century American Whaling

Bonin Islands

Pitcairn's Island

Dictionaries & Glossaries

Ashley's Glossary of
Whaling Terms

Dana's Dictionary of
Sea Terms

      BONIN ISLANDS. These islands are about midway between the Ladrones and the coast of Japan — say lat. 27 N. lon. 143 E. — Plentiful supplies of yams, potatoes, corn, hogs, good water, and wood — together with fine green turtle, weighing from 400 to 600 pounds each; may here be procured. The ship Howard, during her recent voyage, cruised several weeks in the vicinity, between the 25th April and 8th June last, and obtained considerable oil, though the weather was unfavourable most of the time. Great numbers of whales were seen during this period. The H. took on board 40 bbls yams, and do do potatoes — also, from the South Island, 38 large turtle. There are at the North Islands, on the western side, some thirty inhabitanta, consisting of five industrioue white men, and 20 to 25 men and women from the Sandwich Isles. Those settled there in 1828, and have cleared about a 1000 acres of land — the soil of excellent quality — though in the months of April and May their plantations suffer much from the heavy rains. At the date above mentioned, they had on hand about a 1000 bbls yams, and as many bushels of good corn, ready for disposal to such vessels as might call for recruits, and at prices similar to those at the Sandwich Islands.

      This island (the North Island) affords one of the best harbors in that ocean. Supplies may be obtained by lying off and on; but near the shores of each island there are strong currents setting in varions directions. A ship can stand into the south island, send her boats on shore, and in two hours they can return, each bringing five turtle, being as many as a boat can float with. For the preventian of scurvy, a fresh stock of vegetables, of almost every kind, and an abundance of the finest melons, may be obtained in the months of June and July — beint a convenient time for the ships in that region as the whaling season on the coast of Japan frows later every year.

      Capt. Worth, from whom we derive the above details, is of opinion that an error exists in the location of these islands as laid down on most charts. From his own observations, carefully and repeatedly taken, he judges them to be at least 30 miles South and 70 miles East, of their places on the charts. On comparing his observations with those of several other shipmasters, who were there at or about the same time, he came to the same result.

TRANSCRIPTION NOTES

Some tables have been reformatted for clarity in HTML presentation.

authorname, dates

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION