Patagonia Bookshelf
Contacts between ships and natives groups, as reported in the English-language press
PIONEER + SPEEDWELL [1851]
| Article title | A party of missionaries starved to death | Ship | Ship, launches, |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Lyttelton Times (NZ), 18 September 1852 | Date of event | 1851 |
| More info. | Location | Spaniard Harbour, Tierra del Fuego | |
| Article | Transcript | Informant | Captain Morshead, H.M.S. Dido |
Abstract: A party of missionaries, led by Captain Allen Gardiner, landed on an island near the Beagle Channel. Finding themselves harrasssed by the Yamana natives, the group moved location, eventually losing the use of their launches. Dependent on a resupply vessel which never came, all died of starvation; their remains (and diaries) were later found by a British Navy vessel which was sent to search for them.
Assessment: As the Navy captain observed in his report, the planning of this mission was seriously flawed. The principle of the Lord will provide could not be expected to operate in such an isolated situation. A spirit of fatalism seems to have pervaded Gardiner's behaviour: not perhaps a wish for martyrdom, but at least a comfort in the prospect of death in the course of duty (cf. Falkland Governor's later remarks about missionaries; also Gardiner's behaviour at Gregory Bay (March 8th, 1845, first paragraph).