A PARTY OF MISSIONARIES STARVED TO DEATH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 89, 18 September 1852, Page 4

A PARTY OF MISSIONARIES STARVED TO DEATH.

We have to narrate one of the most appallingstories that has ever appeared in a public journal. An English officer, Captain Gardiner, of the Royal Navy, who was sent out with six companions by the " Patagonian Missionary Society" to the neighbourhood of Cape Horn, has been literally starved to death—he, arid his companions with him. The party consisted of Captain Allen Gardiner, R.N., superintendent; Mr. Williams, surgeon and catechist ; Mr Maidment, catechist; John Irwin, carpenter; and John Badcock, John Bryant, & Pearce, Cornish fishermen. They left England in September, 1850, in the Ocean Queen ,• it having been promised that stores should be forwarded to them in June vi& the Falkland Islands; should they be unable to maintain their position at Picton Island, Beagle Channel, it was supposed that being provided with partially decked launches, they would fall back on Staten Island.

The ill-fated party landed on Picton Island towards the conclusion of the year 1850. From the first they seem to have been annoyed in some measure by the natives, and to have been hunted backwards and forwards from the little island to what may be called the mainland of Terra-del-Fuego. About the middle of April, 1851, Captain Gardiner begins to record in his diary, which, has been preserved to us, that " they have provisions enough to last for two months, but some are very low." They have but a flask and a-half of powder; their fishingnet is washed away. They shoot an occasional fox, which serves them for food ; and, besides, if they did not destroy the animal, he would do his best to steal the remainder of their little stock of provisions. The scurvy breaks out among the party. They are driven to take refuge in a cavern ; but the tide rolls in, and Captain Gardiner and Mr. Maidment are obliged to swim out for their lives, and take refuge upon a clump of rock, round the base of which the waves of the South. Atlantic are breaking. Upon this rock the two poor creatures kneel down in prayer. John Badcock dies. By the 4th July the party have been seven weeks, on short allowance; their only hope is in the expected ship from the Falkland Islands ; but no ship comes. They greedily eat a penguin, a shag, a half-devoured fish washed upon the shore. Six mice are spoken of in the journal as dainties. The garden seeds have been used for broth, and are all spent. Mussels.and limpets are the next resource—and then rockweed is boiled down to a jelly. Irwin aud Bryant, die. Two of the party, Mr. Williams and Pearce had gone away from the main body of the party, for some object or other, probably for the discovery of food. Their dead bodies were discovered at Cook's Kiver, some distance off. The presumption is they must have died about the same time as Captain Gardiner himself, who probably expired on the 6th of September. The last entry in his diary is on the sth of.September, and in this he mentions that he had not tasted food or water for four days. Mr. Maidment had died a few days before. As it was the 6th of January, 1852, before Captain Morshead, to whom orders were sent,by the Admiralty in October, arrived at the Island, the value of the precautions which had been taken for maintaining the expedition can be left to the public, judgment.

After many hours of fruitless search on the coast of Picton Island on the 20th of January, some writing was seen by Captain Morshead's party on a rock across the river. The words were, "Go to Spaniard Harbour." On a third piece of rock, "Dig below," which they instantly did, but found only a broken bottle, without any paper or directions. On searching one of the numerous wigwams in the neigh" bourhood they read on one of their poles, " A bottle under this pole," but they could not find it; but it was evident, from some fragments of stores found on the spot, that the mission had rested here. On the following morning Capt. Morshead sailed for Spanish" Harbour, where they saw a boat lyin<r on the beach, and where they found the bodies of Capt. Gardiner and Mr. Jtfaidment unburied. On one of the papers found was written legibly, but without date, '• If you will walk along'the beach fuy a mile and a half, you will find us in the other boat, hauled up in the mouth of a river at the head of the harbour, on the south side. Delay not, we are starving." Close to the spot where Captain Gardiner was lying was a cavern, to which

attention was directed by a hand painted on the rock with "Psalm lxii. v. 5 to 8," under it. Here were found the papers referred to, and two unfinished letters were written to his son and daughter by Capt. Gardiner. The remains were buried close to this spot by the ship's com-

pany. The poor Captain's diary, in which he records day by day the slow progress of his agony, brings the scene very vividly before us. The entries of the last few days we transcribe literally : —« Sept. 3. Wishing if possible to spare him (Mr. Maidment) the trouble of attending on me, and for the mutual comfort of all, I purposed, if practicable, to go to the river and take up my quarters in the boat. This was attempted on Saturday last; feeling that without crutches I could not possibly effect it, Mr. Maidment most kindly cut me a pair (two forked sticks), but it was with no slight exertion and fatigue, in his weak state. We set out together, but soon found that I had not strength to proceed, and was obliged to return before reaching the brook on our own beach. Mr. Maidment was so exhausted yesterday that he did not rise from his bed until noon, and I have not seen him since, consequently I tasted nothing yesterday. I cannot leave the place where I am, and know not whether he is in the body, or enjoying the presence of the gracious God whom he has served so faithfully. lam writing this at ten o'clock in the forenoon. Blessed be my Heavenly Father for the many mercies I enjoy—a comfortable bed, no pain, or even cravings of hunger; though excessively weak, scarcely able to turn in my bed, at least it is a very great exertion; but I am by His abounding grace Icept in perfect peace, refreshed with a sense of my Saviour's love, and an assurance that all is wisely and mercifully appointed, and pray that I may receive the full blessing which it is doubtless designed to bestow. My care is all cast upon God and I am only waiting His time and His good pleasure to dispose of me as He shall seem fit. Whether I live or die may it be in Him ; I commend my body and my soul to His keeping, and earnestly pray that He will take my dear wife and children under the shadow of His wings, comfort, guard, strengthen, iand sanctify them wholly, that we may together in a brighter and eternal world praise and adore His goodness and grace in redeeming us with His precious blood, and plucking us as brands from the burning, to bestow upon us the adoption of children, and make us inheritors of His heavenly kingdom.—Amen.. Thursday, September 4.—There is now no room to doubt that my dear fellow-labourer has ceased from his earthly toils, and joined the company of the redeemed in the presence of the Lord, whom he served so faithfully ; under these circumstances, it was a merciful Providence that he left the boat, as I could not have removed the body. He left a little peppermint-water which he had mixed, and it has been a great comfort to me, but there was no other to drink ; fearing I might suffer from thirst, I prayed that the Lord would strengthen me to procure some. He graciously answered my petition, and yesterday I was enabled to get out, and scoop up a sufficient supply from some that trickled clown at the stern of the boat by means of one of my Tndiarubber over shoes. What combined mercies am I receiving a t the hands of my Heavenly Father; blessed be His holy name !—Friday, Sept. 5. Great and marvellous are the loving kindnesses of my gracious God unto me. He has preserved me hitherto, and for four days, although without any feelings of hunger or thirst." These last remarks are not written so plainly as the previous day's. Another paper, dated September 6, is addressed to Mr. Williams, and written in pencil, the whole being very indistinct, and some parts quite obliterated, but nearly as follows:—"My dear Mr. Williams, — The Lord has seen fit to call home another of our little company. Our'dear departed brother left the boat on Tuesday afternoon, and has not since returned. Doubtless he is in the presence of his Redeemer, whom lie served faithfully. Yet a little while, and though . • i the Almighty to sing the praises .... throne* I neither hunger nor thirst though days without food .... Maidment's kindness to me .... heaven, Your affectionate brother in . . Allen F. Gardiner. Sept. 6, 1851." Captain Movshead remarks at the close of his report:—"l will offer no opinion on the missionary labour of Captain Gardiner and the

party, beyond it being marked by an earnestness and devotion to the cause; but, as a brother officer, I beg to record my admiration of his conduct in the moment of peril and danger, and his resources entitled him to high professional credit. At one time I find him surrounded by hostile natives, and dreading an attack, yet'forbearing to fire, and the savages, awed and subdued by the solemnity of his party, kneeling- down in prayer. At another, having failed to heave off his"boat when on the rocks, he digs a channel under her, and diverts a fresh water stream into it; and I find him making an anchor by filling an old bcead cask with stones, heading 'it up, and securing wooden crosses over the heads with chain. There could not be a doubt as to the ultimate success of a mission here, if liberally supported ; but I venture to express a hope that no society will hazard another without intrusting their supplies to practical men acquainted with commercial affairs, who would have seen at a glance the hopeless improbability of any ship not chartered for the occasion sailing out of her way, breaking her articles, and forfeiting her insurance for the freightage of a few stores from the Falkland Islands."