James S. Meres, Illustrator and Navigator of the H.M.S. Pegasus, 1786
Getting to Know James S. Meres
Jame’s S. Meres will always be remembered well for the contribution he made in 1786 to small communities in Newfoundland such as Placentia. His dedication led to illustrations that offer an unrivalled glimpse of the period.
Several years ago, archaeologist Steve Mills gave a talk at the St. Luke’s Cultural Heritage Centre, on the “18th Century Sketches by James S. Meres.” The talk provided insight into the valuable and unique work of Meres, an unquestionably skilled artist whose life aboard the Pegasus was shrouded in mystery.
The Voyage Begins
Image of Prince William Henry, later King William IV (Source: Scanned image by Martin Archer Shee, Wikipedia).
No doubt leading a typical life in Britain, J.S. Meres was chosen particularly by Prince William Henry. The Prince was to lead an expedition to visit many of Britain’s holdings in the New World. Meres served as illustrator, navigator and schoolmaster aboard the ship H.M.S. Pegasus.
In addition, Meres was responsible for the log book which recorded information regarding the ship—the weather, direction of the wind, sighting of other vessels and so on. Regardless, Meres will be best remembered for the 61 watercolour and pen-and-ink views and maps he created of the numerous coasts and harbours the H.M.S. Pegasus visited.
Drawing by J.S. Meres of H.M.S. Pegasus in the harbour of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. (Source: Wikipedia).
Difficulties On Board
At times, the sailors could be somewhat unruly, especially when inebriated or ‘three sheets to the wind,’ a term referring to someone who is very drunk and originating in the maritime world. In accordance with being aboard a ship, they were duly punished. Meres recorded these incidents in an excerpt from the logbook below. He wrote how Seamen and Marines were sent on shore to their suppress a riot, noting the particulars: “Punished John Cash, John Willey and Thomas William seamen with 12 lashes each for Insolence and Contempt to their officer.”
An excerpt from the H.M.S.. Logbook, Library and Archives Canada. H.M.S. Pegasus Log Book, Reel 4848, 100814, MG 23 J7.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
As part of his recordings in the logbook, Meres would at times include an image that he had drawn, thus assisting the reader to imagine actually being there. At other times, he would simply paste the image into the logbook. He took seriously the wish to transport the reader of the logbook to the place.
His drawings were meticulous, some being a birds eye view of the shoreline which was remarkably accurate. At other times, he would depict a detailed image of the town. The image below shows the fort that had been built atop Castle Hill. This can be seen on the upper far left (on close inspection, the flag flown is the that of England, St. George’s Cross).
Enclosed in the circle is the likely dwelling house of Richard Welsh with a ship fittingly situated alongside. These images provide viewers with an unrivalled glimpse of outports such as Placentia in 1786.
Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, A View of the Town and Harbour of Placentia from the Hill aback of the Town, Logbook of H.M.S. Pegasus,(R5434-0-0-E).
Meres also captured images of the neighbouring region, such as Red Island. This was one of the islands of Placentia Bay where many communities had developed from the 1600s to the 19002. It was resettled in middle part of the twentieth century.
Image of Red Island (Source: Library and Archives of Canada, Reference: RS434, ID: 2833967.
Unfortunate Ending of J.S. Meres’ Story
The H.M.S. Pegasus left Placentia and then, after spending some time in St. John’s travelled to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for J.S. Meres at this point. Twice, he attempted to kill Prince William Henry.
Apparently, his fellow crew members had already been noting his strange behaviour. Meres was then shipped home to Britain and what happened to him afterwards is unknown. It’s a mystery and we can only guess, as to what had occurred.
Sadly, there has always been a link between painters and mental illness. However, unlike other artists who clearly suffered from a mental illness, this connection was clear in their pieces of art. Although, for Meres, there is nothing in his work to suggest anything was wrong.
Nonetheless, is it possible Meres suffered from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or a delusional disorder. Apparently, his fellow crew members noted his behaviour was odd at the outset of the voyage. This would also point to a mental illness, one that may have eventually grown out of control.
Whatever the truth, it is very unfortunate. As Steve Mills noted in his talk, if Meres had remained on board the H.M.S. Pegasus, there is little doubt he could have brought to life many more communities and shores that have been central in countless lives. We are left to enjoy the images he was able to share with the world.