BENNETT (Frederick Debell).
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage
THE BEST BOOK ON THE SOUTH SEA FISHERY
Increasingly rare. “There she spouts! - There she Blow-o-os - Where away - two points on the lee bow, sir a school of whales. Bring up the glass boy. Aye aye sir. How far off do you see them? About four miles sir. Back the main yard; brail up the trysail. There she blow-o-s! - There again! Flukes! (An expectant pause ensues, and all are intent to discover the next rising) - There she breaches!.. get you boats ready for lowering… lower away! I see a large whale amongst them that wants a passage to London.”
According to Melville this is the best book on the south sea whale fishery. The author a surgeon, has an excellent descriptive style and he includes a very interesting and extensive description of the Sandwich Islands, where he stopped three times visiting Honolulu, Diamond Head, Pauoa, Manoa and Kalihi. The descriptions include notes on native customs and dress, tattooing and burial rites. He has devoted about half of the second volume to the natural history of the Pacific and also relates his 1834 visit to Pitcairn Island and “he gives an account of the islanders and details concerning the mutiny of the Bounty” (Hill).
Ferguson, 2936; Forbes, 1192; Hill, 113.
