Cornish Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Cornish Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County) -- Biography; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
This is the last entry in the diary. On the day following Captain Tuckey
died; and on October 6th Lieutenant Hawkey's own name was added to the
fatal list of those who perished in this most disastrous expedition. In
all eighteen died in the short space of less than three months during
which they remained in the river, or within a few days after leaving it.
Fourteen of these were of the party that had set out on the land journey
above Juga; the other four were attacked on board the _Congo_; two had
died on the passage out, and the sergeant of marines in the hospital at
Bahia, making the total of deaths amount to twenty-one.
This great mortality is the more extraordinary, as it appears from
Captain Tuckey's journal that nothing could have been finer than the
climate: the atmosphere was remarkably dry, and scarcely a shower fell
during the whole journey, and the sun for three or four days did not
shine sufficiently to allow of an observation being taken.
It appears from the report of the assistant surgeon that the greater
number were carried off by a violent intermittent fever; some of them
appeared, however, to have had no other ailment than that caused by
extreme exhaustion caused by the land journey. Some of the crew of the
_Congo_ died of the fever who never went above the cataracts; "but
then," as the surgeon observes, "they were permitted to go on shore at
liberty, where the day was passed in running about the country, and
during the night lying in huts or in the open air."
The _Gentleman's Magazine_ for January, 1817, gives a brief summary of
the achievements of the expedition. "They arrived at the mouth of the
Congo about the 3rd July, and leaving the transport, which only
accompanied them an inconsiderable distance, they proceeded in the
sloop, which was purposely built to draw little water, up the river to
the extent of 120 miles, when her progress, and even that of the
boats, was stopped by rapids. Determined still to prosecute the
undertaking, the men landed, and it was not till they had marched 150
miles over a barren, mountainous country, and after experiencing the
greatest privations from want of water, and being entirely exhausted
by fatigue, that they gave up the attempt. Hope stayed them up till
they reached the vessel, but they were so worn out that twenty-five
out of the fifty-five died twenty-four hours after their return,
comprehending all the scientific part of those who started, and only
eight were left on board in a state fit to navigate the vessel."
That there is some inaccuracy in this account will be seen from what
has preceded it.
The authority for the story of this unfortunate expedition is Sir John
Barrow's edition of the narrative of the expedition, with the diary of
Captain Tuckey, published in 1819; and Miss Charlotte Hawkey's
_Neota_, privately printed in 1871.
DR. DANIEL LOMBARD
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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