Patagonia Bookshelf
Contacts between ships and natives groups, as reported in the English-language press
CITY OF EDINBURGH [1810]
| Article title | Passages in the Life of a Nonogenarian | Ship | Ship, sailing ship, Scotland? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 27 December 1873 | Date of event | 1810 |
| More info. | Describes incidents with Maoris, visits to Chile and Peru at time of Independence | Location | Desolation Island, Tierra del Fuego |
| Article | Transcript | Informant | Alexander Berry, captain |
Abstract: While transporting a load of timber from New Zealand to the Cape of Good Hope, the author's ship got into difficulties on the Western approach to Cape Horn. Fortunately, calm weather allowed time to seek a sheltered anchorage and perform makeshift repairs. During this period, several native canoes appeared and goods were exchanged. The natives used pyrites to strike fire. When the time came to depart, the ship became caught in a bed of seaweed: the natives returned and used their teeth to assist in freeing it.
Assessment: These memoirs describe events which occurred 60 years prior to publication. Nonetheless, they are clear and credible, and may have been written earlier in his life: the obituary published at his death in 1873 made clear that his mind was not impaired. The behaviour of the natives (probably Kaweskar) was both accommodating and helpful, with no mention of aggression. Their greeting call of "Pickeray" has been reported by other writers (Fitzroy, Bougainville - spellings include Picheray, Pecheray, Pecherais). One may speculate whether such peaceable behaviour would have been the norm at such an early date.