Captain's Wife by Abby Jane Morrell
A remarkable memoir of sailing before the age of steam vessels, 1829-1831.
Excellently written, extremely informative and filled with thoughtful insightful philosophy. I loved the author’s remarkable observations and her extraordinary ability to paint pictures with her words. A worthwhile read.
Excerpts:
How wondrous are laws of nature, that the tree and plant should drink up the poisonous part of the air in the night, and breathe it out a balmy restorative in the morning!
The East India Company, whatever politicians may say about “monopoly” and “exclusive privileges”, has done more to make safe the navigation of eastern waters than all the world besides. Governments are not generally disposed to do much for the general interest, and our own has hardly made a chart for the navigator. I was mortified that in every country we visited, we sailed by charts of other nations, even leaving New York by an English chart. Nor had we any books on board written by our countrymen, giving particulars of these areas, although I understand one or two volumes have lately been issued upon this subject, but I have not seen them, and we had nothing of the kind when we sailed. It was to English books only we had recourse!
This was the era of naivety as to the earth's seemingly endless bounty:
The whale fisheries in all parts of the world, although they furnish no small part of man’s food yet there is no diminution of the stock. These great fish are no doubt diminished, but it is not in the power of man to destroy their race which, according to the best accounts, produce ten thousand, and even a million yearly, while millions of the cod are caught annually off the northern shores of America, without a diminution having ever been perceptible.
Our great mathematician, Dr. Bowditch (although considered greater in Europe than in America), performed many long voyages from the United States to India, and always having with him good officers, had leisure to go through those long and difficult calculations which have since laid the foundation of his fame. Every person at sea is constantly reminded of him, as his Navigator is on every officer’s table.
As eternity is beyond time, so are these subjects beyond those that lie in our pathway through life.
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