Nat the Navigator. A Life of Nathaniel Bowditch. For Young Persons

by Henry I. Bowditch

Captain Prince relates the following anecdotes, which occurred during their residence at Madeira. I shall use Captain Prince’s words.

“I was one day walking with an American shipmaster at Madeira, who, in the course of conversation, asked me who that young man (alluding to Mr. Bowditch) was. I replied, that he was clerk of the ship under my command, and remarked that he was a great calculator. ‘Well,’ said the gentleman, ‘I can set him a sum that he can’t do.’ I answered that I did not believe it. The gentleman then proposed a wager of a dinner to all the American masters in port, that he could set him such a sum. The wager was accepted by me, and we repaired to the hotel, where we found Mr. B. alone. The gentleman was introduced, and the question stated to Mr. Bowditch, with the interrogatory, Can you do it? The reply was, Yes. The great sum which had puzzled the brains of the gentleman and all his friends at home, for a whole winter, was done in a few minutes. I remember the question. It was this: To dig a ditch around an acre of land, how deep and how wide must that ditch be, to raise the acre of land one foot?

KNOWLEDGE OF NAVIGATION.

“One day, Mr. Bowditch and myself received a visit from a Mr. Murray, a Scotchman, who was at that port, having under his charge a valuable cargo of English goods, and who made many inquiries concerning the Americans. He asked particularly what passage we had made against the north-east monsoon, and remarked that it was very surprising that the Americans should come so far, and undertake such difficult voyages, with so little knowledge as they possessed of the science of navigation. In reply to his remark, I told him that I had on board twelve men, all of whom were as well acquainted with working lunar observations for all the practical purposes of navigation, as Sir Isaac Newton would be, should he come on earth. Mr. M. asked how my crew came by that knowledge. I told him, in the same manner that other men came by theirs. He thought it so wonderful, that (as he afterwards told me) he went down to the landing-place, on Sunday, to see my knowing crew come on shore. During all this conversation, Mr. Bowditch remained silent, sitting with his slate pencil in his mouth, and as modest as a maid. Mr. Kean, a broker, who was also present, observed to Murray, ‘Sir, if you knew what I know concerning that ship, you would not talk quite so fast.’ ‘And what do you know?’ asked Murray. ‘I know,’ replied Kean, ‘that there is more knowledge of navigation on board that American ship (the Astræa) than there has been in all the ships that ever came into Manilla Bay.’”

TEACHES THE SAILORS.

Mr. Bowditch, during this and the previous voyage, had been in the habit of teaching navigation to the sailors; so that it is probable that, considering the number of persons then on board who really understood practical navigation, Mr. Kean was not so extravagant in his remark as at first sight he seems to be.

LUNAR RAINBOW.

May 26, as we have already said, he sailed for India. On July 1, the Island of Trinidad was within sight. They did not stop there, but keeping on their course steadily, two days afterwards crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, in the Southern Hemisphere. On the 17th, during the night, it having rained during the day, the young sailor observed, what we rarely see in this part of the world and on land, but which is not uncommon at sea, a beautiful lunar rainbow. It is caused in the same manner as those rainbows which are seen after a summer shower in the daytime, when the sun is just coming out brightly, and the clouds, which cause the bow to be formed, are passing away afar off in the opposite part of the heavens. But the difference between the solar and lunar rainbows is very great. The solar is grander and has more brilliant coloring, while the lunar bow has a more delicate outline and lighter tints.

August 1, the Journal says, “All the latter part of these twenty-four hours, fine breezes and pleasant, smooth sea. Ever since crossing the Cape [of Good Hope], we have seen a great number of albatrosses, but no fish.” These birds are the largest of marine birds. They at times fly and swim (for they are web-footed) to a great distance from land, living upon the fish and other things which may fall in their way. It is said that, as they come gently rising over the waves of the sea, they present a very pleasing sight to the sailor who has been for many months upon the ocean, separated from living things.

PHOSPHORESCENT LIGHT.