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C ohez’.9
A SHORT AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF FORTY-TWO PERSONS WHO PERISHED
BY SHIPWRECK NEAR SPITZBERGEN, IN THE YEAR 1646.
[From Cuurcnixt’s Collection, Vol. II. p. 361.]
JOHN CORNELIUS, of Muniken, being ordered to Spitzbergen to catch whales,
fet fail from the Texel, ina galliot, the fixth of May 1646, and arrived the third
of June following near Spitzbergen, with an intention to anchor in the bay, but was by
the vaft floats of ice-fhoals forced to keep out at fea. After having in vain cruized up
and down among the ice-fhoals, they got into the bay ; but perceiving two whales far-
ther at fea, they fent out their floop in purfuit of the whales.
While they were rowing up and down to watch the motions of thefe creatures, they
difcovered at a diftance a great ice-fhoal, with fomething white upon it, which at firft
fight they imagined to be bears (they being generally white here); but one Eliert John-
fon, (who was in the floop to manage the harpcock or iron wherewith they ftrike the
whale) judging by the motion that it was fomething elfe, perfuaded them to row that
way ; which being done accordingly, they not long after perceived the fame to be a
piece of a rope belonging to the fails of a fhip, which was held up by a manasa fignal
of their utmoft diftrefs; fo they rowed up to it with all the oars they had, and on com-
ing near them found (to their great furprife) four living men, and one dead one (all
Englifhmen), upon the ice-fhoal, who upon their bended knees exprefled their joy and
thankfulnefs for fo unexpected a deliverance from the jaws of death. They were taken
into the floop, and carried into the bay on board the fhip.
They had cut a great hole, in the nature of a fubterraneous cave, into the ice, and
round the entrance thereof had placed the pieces of ice that were cut out of the con-
cavity, to defend themfelves againft the violence of the winds and waves. In this hole
they had {pent fourteen days (it being fo long fince they had loft their fhip).
At firft there were in all forty-two of them, and they had faved fome victuals and
tools with their floop. The commander perceiving after a little while that it was im-
poflible for them to hold out long upon the ice-fhoal, refolved to go afhore in the floop,
with feventeen of his men, if he could, and to fend them word afterwards how matters
ftood there, ‘This was done accordingly ; but it blowing very hard, and they having
not heard the leaft tidings of them fince, they were afraid that they were drowned before
they reached the fhore.
There were then twenty-four left upon the ice-fhoal ; but the want of provifions in-
creafing daily among them, and they being reduced to a ftarving condition, and ex-
pecting nothing but prefent death, refolved to divide themfelves, and to get upon feveral
other ice-fhoals, in hopes by fome chance or other to come near to the fhore; but whe-
ther fome of them got afhore, or whether they were taken up by fome fhip or other, or
whether they were {wallowed up by the mercilefs waves, they were not able to tell.
Certain it is that we found four of them (the miferable remnants of forty-two) fitting
tog: ther upon this ice-fhoal, overwhelmed with affliction, without any hopes of being faved,
from the laft extremity they were reduced to by fre{ft and hunger, before we came in full
fight of them with our floop, having had nothing to feed upon for fome time but a leather
belt (belonging to one of them), which they divided and eat, fhare and fhare alike, till
all was confumed.
After they were brought to our fhip, our furgeon took all imaginable care for their
recovery, notwithftanding which three of them died in a few days after ; fo that of forty-
two wherewith their fhip was manned, no more than one efcaped with life, who arriving
in September 1646, in the galliot the Delft, upon the Meufe, from thence returned to
his native country in England.
VOL, I. 32 dA VOYAGE
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