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A Yorkshire Almanac Comprising 365 Historical Extracts, Red-letter Days and Customs, and Astronomical and Meteorological Data

13 August 1788: Emigrating from Grenada to England, the parrots of William Butterworth of Leeds survive a Caribbean hurricane

William Butterworth. 1823. Three Years Adventures, of a Minor. Leeds: Edward Baines. The 15-year-old son of a Leeds engraver (not Schroeder!) runs away on the slaver Hudibras, crosses the Middle Passage with slaves, and has extraordinary experiences with other trading ships in the Caribbean and on the United States’ Atlantic seaboard, mixing with enslaved and free blacks, sailors and soldiers of various nations, alligators and Indians. A brilliant story, brilliantly told, bur rarely mentioned, for reasons hard to fathom. Get it:

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Excerpt

On the 10th of August, 1788, we got under way; under a light breeze, frequently veering about the whole of the first three days: on the fourth, a stiff gale sprang up, increasing about meridian. Four o’clock p.m. placed me at the helm: the topgallant-sails were taken in. At five, Captain Smith came to me, expressing satisfaction at the wind, which had increased rapidly, and was still increasing; but not much sea. We went at a great rate, the ship maintaining as steady a motion as if in a calm. Under the circumstances in which we were then placed, the topsails ought to have been close reefed, but Capt. Smith being informed that the foretopmast was sprung just above the cap, injudiciously determined to try it, frequently saying the foretopmast as well as the maintopmast bent like whalebone whips. But, precisely at six p.m. he was convinced of his folly; the foretopmast breaking off short, about two feet above the cap. Its end going right through the foresail, all the other head sails became useless in a moment. Happily, no one received the least injury, though this masterpiece of folly might have cost the lives of many, and proved the forerunner of very unpleasant circumstances. My two hours being expired, I was removed from the helm, not relieved, for I was sent to a much more laborious and unpleasant job. For some time the vessel proved unmanageable. One of the heaviest showers of rain I had ever been exposed to began to fall, or rather to pour down. The main and mizen topsails were handed, and the ship began to right again. Our next task was to get on board the upper part of the foretopmast, topgallantmast-yard and rigging, which were towing in the water. The undertaking was an unpleasant one, and caused many of our hands to skulk; deserting their posts, and shamming a sickness, they went down below, affording Capt. Smith a fine specimen of their usefulness in the hour of danger, and convincing him, at the same time, how grossly he had been imposed on, by their shipping as seamen – an imposition, of which he never lost sight during the passage.

Nearly the whole of the night was taken up in getting the wreck etc. into the ship: the sea was running high, and the vessel shipt a very considerable quantity of water. The moon was up, but was much obscured by clouds, and the dense body of rain that continued to fall; the wind blew a hurricane. The remaining topmasts were struck: the mainsail handed, and the vessel laid to, under her reef mizen, the whole of the succeeding day and night. The unpardonable obstinacy of our captain was the cause of all our present toil and unpleasantness. Never was a vessel more uneasy in the water, every sea breaking right over her. Many bags of cotton were washed overboard. The boat, in which were several monkeys and parrots, was staved, and its whole contents, by one overwhelming wave, swept clear away. My two parrots escaped; being along with one of the captain’s, on the quarter-deck. In the following afternoon, the wind abated, the rain fell more gently, and the whole face of visible nature assumed a brighter appearance. We now bent a fresh foresail, after which the ship was put under close reefed courses.

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Comment

Comment

The ship is the Africa, but I don’t know which one.

Image https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433008209144&view=1up&seq=11&skin=2021

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Original

On the 10th of August, 1788, we got under way; under a light breeze, frequently veering about the whole of the first three days: on the fourth, a stiff gale sprang up, increasing about meridian. Four o’clock p.m. placed me at the helm: the topgallant-sails were taken in. At five, Captain Smith came to me, expressing satisfaction at the wind, which had increased rapidly, and was still increasing; but not much sea. We went at a great rate, the ship maintaining as steady a motion as if in a calm. Under the circumstances in which we were then placed, the topsails ought to have been close reefed, but Capt. Smith being informed that the foretopmast was sprung just above the cap, injudiciously determined to try it, frequently saying the foretopmast as well as the maintopmast bent like whalebone whips. But, precisely at six p.m. he was convinced of his folly; the foretopmast breaking off short, about two feet above the cap. Its end going right through the foresail, all the other head sails became useless in a moment. Happily, no one received the least injury, though this masterpiece of folly might have cost the lives of many, and proved the forerunner of very unpleasant circumstances. My two hours being expired, I was removed from the helm, not relieved, for I was sent to a much more laborious and unpleasant job. For some time the vessel proved unmanageable. One of the heaviest showers of rain I had ever been exposed to began to fall, or rather to pour down. The main and mizen topsails were handed, and the ship began to right again. Our next task was to get on board the upper part of the foretopmast, topgallantmast-yard and rigging, which were towing in the water. The undertaking was an unpleasant one, and caused many of our hands to skulk; deserting their posts, and shamming a sickness, they went down below, affording Capt. Smith a fine specimen of their usefulness in the hour of danger, and convincing him, at the same time, how grossly he had been imposed on, by their shipping as seamen – an imposition, of which he never lost sight during the passage.

Nearly the whole of the night was taken up in getting the wreck etc. into the ship: the sea was running high, and the vessel shipt a very considerable quantity of water. The moon was up, but was much obscured by clouds, and the dense body of rain that continued to fall; the wind blew a hurricane. The remaining topmasts were struck: the mainsail handed, and the vessel laid to, under her reef mizen, the whole of the succeeding day and night. The unpardonable obstinacy of our captain was the cause of all our present toil and unpleasantness. Never was a vessel more uneasy in the water, every sea breaking right over her. Many bags of cotton were washed overboard. The boat, in which were several monkeys and parrots, was staved, and its whole contents, by one overwhelming wave, swept clear away. My two parrots escaped; being along with one of the captain’s, on the quarter-deck. In the following afternoon, the wind abated, the rain fell more gently, and the whole face of visible nature assumed a brighter appearance. We now bent a fresh foresail, after which the ship was put under close reefed courses.

566 words.

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