In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

167 editors’ epilogue This day commences with Light breeses from the W. SW And clear pleasant weather. Ship heading NW Middle And Latter part. Wind from the SW. Steering different Courses with the westward. Lat 32 ~ 17 Long 114 ~ 41. —Catalpa Log, Thursday, April 20, [1876] Crew member Frank Perry recalled many years later that until the Georgette threatened the Catalpa there had been an air of mystery among the crew about the whaler’s true intentions. Anthony had kept them in the dark so that in the event of their capture, crew members could truthfully state they knew nothing of the mission’s purpose. It was only after the crisis had passed that they learned that this had been a humanitarian effort from the start. Now the Catalpa was free and the ship’s complement had increased by ten (six prisoners, four rescuers) for a total of thirty-three. The initial reaction of the newcomers to their environment was favorable. Perry observed , “The liberated prisoners, to a man wept with joy as they hailed the Captain of the bark as a redeemer.”239 Except for second mate Antone Farnham’s240 death on May 8 of heart disease, the months of sailing were uneventful. Unknown, of course, to the Catalpa was that on May 22, British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli rejected a parliamentary petition to pardon the military Fenians, including those that had, still unknown to the British, just escaped from Fremantle. In the House of Commons floor debate that day, Disraeli ironically said that “these convicts in Western Australia are, in fact, at this moment enjoying . . . comparatively little restraint.”241 Whales were raised for the first 239. Frank Farrell, “Frank Perry Only Survivor of Catalpa,” New Bedford Times, August 30, 1924, 20; Roche, 162. 240. Farnham’s given name is spelled differently in various records. 241. Seán McConville, Irish Political Prisoners, 1848–1922 (London: Routledge, 2003), 212; Hansard’s, 1604. Editors’Epilogue 168 time on July 20 and boats were lowered, but to no avail.242 A week later, the prisoners demanded that they be put into a U.S. port. Was this ultimatum unreasonable or could the voyage have continued? Devoy’s instructions to Breslin and Anthony had been to put in at Fernandina , discharge the prisoners, and resume whaling.243 In his report to the Clan, Breslin stated that he decided against going to Fernandina, but offered no reason why.244 The prisoners believed he wanted to experience a whale kill, though no one could recall his ever having said that.245 When they “mutinied,” the ship was at the Tropic of Cancer, just west of the MidAtlantic Ridge,246 and it was a change in course that triggered their demands . According to Pease, Anthony convinced Breslin of the wisdom of staying out: Now is just the season for whaling on the Western grounds. We are well enough fitted , excepting that we lack small stores, and we have plenty of money to buy from other vessels. I know the whaling grounds, and by hauling up to the northward we are almost certain to pick up a few hundred barrels of oil, and the voyage can be made as successful financially as it has been in other respects.247 It may well have made more sense to stay out than to waste time and resources putting into Fernandina and going out again. But the prisoners had been on board this small bark for over three months. It had taken less time to be transported from England to Fremantle eight years earlier aboard the Hougoumont, and at least on that voyage, as Harrington pointed out, they had wine daily. But on the Catalpa, they experienced some very rough weather, the boredom and tedium of sailing, and dreadful food, on top of which Darragh told of rations being cut halfway through the voyage .248 Historian Elmo Hohman’s description leaves no doubt on this issue: “One of the greatest evils of whaling life was the food.”249 On the other hand, they had endured poor food for many years. The prisoners told Frank Perry of the inadequate food at the prison.250 One of their 242. Catalpa Log, May 8, July 20, 1876. 243. See chapter 6, “Senator Conover’s Services.” 244. See chapter 9, “Discontent of the Rescued Men.” 245. No doubt all aboard knew that John Boyle O’Reilly joined several hunts launched from the whaler Gazelle following his rescue. On one, he was tossed out of...

Share