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 AUTHENTIC NARRATIVES 
 
 OF THE MOST 
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 FIRES, FAMINES, CALAMITIES, PROVIDENTIAL 
 
 DELIVERANCES, AND LAMENTABLE 
 
 DISASTERS ON THE SEAS, 
 
 IN MOST PARTS OF 
 
 THE WORLD. 
 
 By R. THOMAS, A. M. 
 
 " 
 
 Embellished with numerous plates from original designs* 
 
 HARTFORD: 
 PUBLISHED BY EZRA STRONG. 
 
 1837 

 
 Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1835, by EZKA STROM*, 
 in the Clerl's office of the State of Connecticut. 
 
 BOSTON! 
 
 WBRBOTTPB0 BY SHEPAR3, OLIVER AMD CO 
 Ko. 3, Wilier rau
 
 Stock 
 Annex 
 
 * 5 
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS! 
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 
 On the Coast of Caffraria, August 4, 1782. 
 
 IN the melancholy catalogue of human woes, few 
 things appear more eminently "disastrous than the gene- 
 ral fate of the Grosvenor's crew. Shipwreck is always, 
 even in its mildest form, a calamity which fills the mind 
 with horror ; but, what is instant death, compared to the 
 situation of those who had hunger, thirst, and naked- 
 ness to contend with ; who only escaped the fury of th^ 
 waves to enter into conflicts with the savages ol 
 rest, or the greater savages of the human race ; ^^ o were 
 cut off from'all civilized society, and felt ftie" prolonga- 
 tion of life to be only the lengthened pa i ns o f death? 
 
 The Grosvenor sailed from^frinicomale, June 13th, 
 1782, on her homewarji bound voyage, and met with no 
 memorable occurrence till the 4th of August, the fatal 
 day on which she went on shore. 
 
 During the two preceding days it had blown very 
 hard, the sky was overcast, so that they were unable to 
 take an observation; and it is likewise probable, that 
 from their vicinity to the shore, they had been carried 
 out of their course by currents. The combination of 
 these circumstances may account for the error in their 
 reckoning, which occasioned the loss of the ship. It ap- 
 pears that captain Coxson had declared, a few hours 
 before the disaster took place, that he computed the ship 
 to be at least one hundred leagues from the nearest land, 
 and this opinion lulled them into a false security. 
 
 2031324 {
 
 6 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 John Hynes, one of the survivors, being aloft with 
 Some others, in the night-watch, saw breakers ahead, 
 and asked his companions if they did not think land 
 was near. In this opinion they all coincided, and has- 
 tened to- ^inform the third mate, who was the officer 
 of the watch. The infatuated young man only laugh- 
 ed at their apprehensions ; upon which one of them 
 ran to the cabin to acquaint the captain, who instantly 
 ordered to wear ship. But before this could be accom- 
 plished, her keel struck with great force ; in an instant 
 every person on board hastened on the deck, and appre- 
 hension and horror were impressed on every counte- 
 nance. 
 
 The captain endeavored to dispel the fears of the pas- 
 sengers, and begged them to be composed. The pumps 
 were sounded, but no water found in the hold, as the 
 ship's stern lay high on the rocks. In a few minutes the 
 wind blew off the shore, which filled them with appre- 
 hensions lest they should be driven out to sea, and thus 
 lose the only chance they had of escaping. The powder 
 room was by this time full of water, the masts were cut 
 y, without any effect, and the ship being driven 
 withii? a ca hle' s length of the shore, all hopes of saving 
 her vanibi 1 ?^: 
 
 This dismal pi~Spect produced distraction and despair, 
 and it is impossible to describe the scene that ensued. 
 Those who were most cofsposed set about forming a 
 raft, hoping by means of it to convey the women, the 
 children, and the sick, to land. Meanwhile thiee men 
 attempted to swim to the shore with the deep-sea line ; 
 one perished in the attempt, but the other two succeeded. 
 By these a hawser was, at length, carried to the shore 
 and fastened round the rocks, in which operation they 
 were assisted by great numbers of the natives, who had 
 come down to the water's edge to witness the uncom- 
 mon sight. 
 
 The raft being by this time completed, was launched 
 
 overboard, and four men got upon it to assist the ladies ; 
 
 but they had scarcely taken their station before the haw- 
 
 ' ser, which was fastened around it, snapped in two, by
 
 LOSS OF THE:GROSTENOR INDIAMAN. 7 
 
 1 
 
 which accident it was upset, and three of the men drown- 
 ed. Tn this dilemma, every one began to think of the 
 best rm "-ns of saving himself. The yawl and jolly-boat 
 bad already been dashed to pieces by the violence of the 
 SUrf; so that the only means of preservationgftiow left 
 was by the hawser made fast to the rocks, hand over 
 hand. Several got safe on shore in this manner, while 
 otfiers, to the number of fifteen, perished in the difficult 
 attempt. 
 
 The ship soon separated just before the main-mast. 
 The wind, at the same time, providentially shifted to 
 the old quarter, and blew directly to the land ; a circum- 
 stance which contributed greatly to the preservation of 
 those on board, who all got on the poop, as being near- 
 est to the shore. The wind and surges now impelling 
 them, that part of the wreck on which the people were 
 rent asunder fore and aft, the deck splitting in two. In 
 this distress they crowded upon the starboard quarter, 
 which soon floated into shoal water, the other parts of 
 the wreck breaking on those heavy seas which would 
 otherwise have ingulphed or dashed them to pieces. 
 Through this fortunate incident, all on board, even the 
 ladies and children, got safe on shore, except uie cook's 
 mate, a black, who, being drunk, could not be prevailed 
 upon to leave the wreck. 
 
 Before this arduous business was well effected nigh 
 came on, and the natives having retired, several fir a 
 were lighted with fuel from the wreck, and the wh ; 
 company supped on such provisions as they picked Lip 
 on the shore. Two tents were formed of sails that iad 
 drifted to the shore, and in these the ladies were I tt to 
 repose, while the men wandered about in search o; such 
 articles as might be of service. 
 
 On the morning of the 5th, the natives returned, and, 
 without ceremony, carried off whatever suited their 
 fancy. This conduct excited a thousand apprehensions, 
 particularly in the minds of the females, for their personal 
 safety ; but observing that the savages contented them- 
 se-lves with plunder, their fears were somewhat allayed. 
 
 The next day was employed in collecting together all
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the articles that might be useful in their journey to the 
 Cape, to which they imprudently resolved to direct their 
 course; a resolution which involved them in compli- 
 cated misery, and which can be justified by no wise prin- 
 ciple. From the wreck they might easily have built a 
 vessel capable of containing them all, and by coasting 
 along, they might have reached the nearest of the Dutch 
 settlements with half the danger or risk to which they 
 were then exposing themselves. Distress, however, 
 sometimes deprives men of all presence of mind ; so the 
 crew of the Grosvenor, having just escaped the dangers 
 of the sea, appear to have considered land as the most 
 desirable alternative, without reflecting on the almost 
 insuperable obstacles that lay in their way. 
 
 On examining their stores, they found themselves in 
 possession of two casks of flour and a tub of pork, that had 
 been washed on the beach, and some arrack, which the 
 captain prudently ordered to be staved, lest the natives 
 should get at it, and by intoxication increase their natu- 
 ral ferocity. 
 
 Captain Coxson now called together the survivors, and 
 naviftg divided the provisions among them, asked if they 
 consented to his continuing in the command, to which 
 they unanimously agreed. He then informed them, that 
 from the best calculation he could make, he was in 
 hopes of being able to reach some of the Dutch settle- 
 ments in fifteen or sixteen days. In this calculation the 
 captain was probably not much mistaken. Subsequent 
 observations prove that the Grosvenor must have been 
 wrecked between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth 
 degrees of south latitude ; and as the Dutch colonies ex- 
 tend beyond the thirty-first degree, they might have 
 accomplished the journey within the time specified, had 
 not rivers intervened and retarded their progress. 
 
 Every thing being arranged, they set out on their 
 journey on the seventh, leaving behind only an old East- 
 india soldier, who, being lame, preferred trusting him- 
 self to the natives till some more favorable opportunity 
 of getting away should present itself; adding, that he 
 might as well die with them as end his life on the way 
 with pain and hunger.
 
 . LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 
 
 As they moved forward they were followed by some 
 of the natives, while others remained at the wreck. 
 Those who accompanied them plundered them, from time 
 :o time, of whatever they liked, and sometimes threw 
 stones at them. After proceeding a few miles they were 
 net by a party of about thirty of the natives, whose hair 
 tvas fastened up in a comical form, and their faces paint- 
 ed red. Among these was a man who spoke Dutch, 
 who, it afterwards appeared, was a runaway slave from 
 the Cape, on account of some crimes, and was named 
 Trout. When this man came up to the English he in- 
 quired who they were, and whither they were going. 
 Finding by their answers that they had been cast away, 
 he informed them, that their intended journey to the 
 Cape would be attended with unspeakable difficulties 
 from the natives, the wild beasts, and the nature of the 
 country through which they would have to pass. 
 
 Though this did not contribute to raise their spirits they 
 ried to engage him as a guide, but no arguments could 
 prevail upon him to comply with their wishes. Find- 
 ing all their solicitations fruitless, they pursued their 
 journey for four or five days, during which they were 
 constantly surrounded by the natives, who took from 
 them whatever they pleased, but invariably retired on 
 the approach of night. 
 
 As they proceeded they saw many villages, which 
 they carefully avoided, that they might be less exposed 
 to the insults of the natives. At length they came to a 
 deep gully, where they were met by three Caffres, armed 
 with lances, which they held several times to the cap- 
 tain's throat. Irritated beyond all patience by their con- 
 el net, he wrenched one of the lances from their hands 
 and broke it. Of this the natives seemed to take no no- 
 tice, and went away ; but the next day, on coming to a 
 large village, they there found the three men, with three 
 or four hundred of their countrymen, all armed with 
 lances and targets. As the English advanced they were 
 stopped by these people, who began to pilfer and insult 
 tl-iem, and at last fell upon and beat them. 
 
 Conceiving that it was the intention of the natives to
 
 10 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 kill them, they formed a resolution to defend themselves 
 to the last extremity. Accordingly, placing the women, 
 the children, and the sick at some distance, the remain- 
 der, to the number of eighty or ninety, engaged their op- 
 ponents in a kind of running fight for upwards of two 
 hours, when our countrymen, gaining an eminence, where 
 they could not be surrounded, a kind of parley took place. 
 Jn this unfortunate encounter many were wounded on 
 both sides, but none killed. After a pacification had 
 taken place, the English cut the buttons from their 
 coats, and presented them to the natives, upon which 
 they went away and returned no more. 
 
 The following night they were terrified with the noise 
 of wild beasts, so that the men were obliged to keep 
 watch to prevent their too near approach. -What a 
 dreadful situation, especially for females of delicate ha- 
 bits, and so lately possessing all the luxuries that eastern 
 refinement could afford ! 
 
 When morning arrived they were again joined by 
 [Trout, who had been on board the wreck, and had load- 
 2d himself with various articles of iron and copper, which 
 was carrying to his habitation. He cautioned them 
 Against maKmg any resistance in future, for as they were 
 
 >t furnished with any weapons of defence, opposition 
 ^ould only tend to irritate the natives and increase ob- 
 structions. With this advice he left them. 
 
 Having made some progress during the day, they 
 agreed to pass the night near a deep gully, but were so 
 disturbed b"y the howh'ngs of wild beasts that they could 
 get but little sleep. Though a large fire was kept up to 
 intimidate these unwelcome visitors, they came so near 
 as to occasion a general alarm. 
 
 The next day, as they were advancing, a party of na- 
 tives came down upon them, and plundered them, among 
 other things, of their tinder-box, flint, and steel, which 
 proved an irreparable loss. They were now obliged to 
 carry with them a firebrand by turns, the natives fol- 
 lowing them until it was almost dark. At length they 
 came to a small river, where they determined to stop 
 during the night. Before the natives retired they be-
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 11 
 
 came more insolent than ever, robbing the gentlemen of 
 their watches, and the ladies of the diamonds which they 
 had secreted in their hair. Opposition was in vain ; the 
 attempt to resist these outrages being productive of fresh 
 insults, and even blows. 
 
 The following day they crossed the river. Here their 
 provisions being nearly expended, and the delay and fa- 
 tigue occasioned by travelling with the women and chil- 
 dren being very great, the sailors began to murmur, and 
 each seemed resolved to shift for himself. Accordingly 
 the captain, with Mr. Logic, the first mate, and his wife, 
 the third mate, colonel James and lady, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hosea, Mr. Newman, a passenger, the purser, the sur- 
 geon, and five of the children, agreed to keep together, 
 and travel as before ; many of the sailors were also pre- 
 vailed upon to attend them, by the liberal promises of 
 the passengers. 
 
 On the other hand, Mr. Shaw, the second mate, Mr. 
 Trotter, the fourth. Mr. Harris, the fifth, captain Talbot, 
 Messr? Williams and Taylor, M. D'Espinette, several 
 other gentlemen, and their servants, together with a num- 
 ber of the seamen, in all forty-three persons, among 
 whom was Hynes, from whom much information was 
 afterwards obtained, resolv^i to hasten forward. A 
 young gentleman of the name of Law, seven or eight 
 years of age, crying after one of the passengers, they 
 = agreed to take him with them, and to carry him by turns 
 " when tired. 
 
 This separation was equally fatal, cruel, and impolitic ; 
 however, the second mate's party having been stopped 
 by a river, they oiice more joined with great satisfaction^ 
 and travelled in company the whole of that day and part 
 of the next. . 
 
 They now arrived at a large village, where they found 
 Trout, who introduced his wife and child to them, and 
 begged a piece of pork. He informed them that this 
 Wii.s his residence, and repeated his former declaration, 
 that the natives would not suffer him to depart, even if 
 lie were inclined to return to his own country. He, 
 however, communicated various articles of information
 
 12 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 relative to their journey, for which they made due ac- 
 knowledgments ; but it is to be lamented that he could 
 not be induced to extend his services, or rather that his 
 crimes and character rendered him dangerous to be 
 trusted, and fearful of trusting himself among Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 ' During their conversation with Trout, the natives 
 surrounded them in numbers, and continued to follow 
 them till dusk. The two companies passed the night 
 together, but that distress, which ought to have been 
 the bond of unity, was unfortunately perverted into an 
 occasion for disaffection and complaint. 
 
 Their provisions running very short, a party went 
 down to the sea-side to seek for shell-fish on the rocks, 
 and found a considerable quantity of oysters, muscles, 
 and limpets. These were divided among the women, 
 the children, and the sick ; for the tide happening to come 
 in before they had collected a sufficient stock, some of 
 the wretched troop were obliged to put up with a very 
 scanty allowance. After a repast which rather excited 
 than gratified their appetites, they continued their march, 
 and about noon reached a small village, where an old 
 man approached them, armed with a lance, which he 
 levelled, making at the same time a noise somewhat 
 resembling the report of a musket. From this circum- 
 stance, it is probable, he was acquainted with the use 
 of fire-arms, and apprehended they would kill his cattle, 
 for he immediately drove his herd into the kraall ; an 
 inclosure, where they are always secured upon the ap- 
 pearance of danger, and during the night. The old 
 man took no farther notice of the English, but they were 
 followed by some of the other inhabitants of the village, 
 who behaved exiremely ill. 
 
 The final separation now took place ; they parted to 
 meet no more. In adopting this resolution they appear 
 to have been influenced by motives which had, at least, 
 the specious appearance of reason. They conceived, 
 that by pursuing different routes, and travelling in small 
 parties, they should be less the object of jealousy to the 
 natives, and could the more easily procure subsistence.
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOB INDIAMAN. 13 
 
 To counterbalance these advantages, however, they lost 
 that unity of action, that systematic direction, which a 
 prudent superior can communicate to those under his 
 care ; and by rejecting established authority, they soon 
 split into parties, guided only by caprice, and swayed 
 by temporary views. After all, they did not part with- 
 out evincing those emotions so honorable to human na- 
 ture : their misfortunes had, in some measure, levelled 
 distinctions, and the services of the lowest were regarded 
 as tokens of friendship, not expressions of duty. 
 
 From this period the fate of the captain, and his asso- 
 ciates, is almost wholly unknown. But imagination 
 cannot form a scene of deeper distress than what the 
 delicate and tender sex, and the innocent children, must 
 have experienced. From the accounts of some of the 
 party who survived their distresses, and subsequent in- 
 quiries, it is probable, that the hand of death soon re- 
 leased them from their accumulated ills; though the 
 public mind was long harassed with the belief that a 
 few had been doomed to worse than death among the 
 natives. 
 
 The separation being decided upon, the party which 
 had attached itself to the second mate travelled till it 
 wag quite dark, when, arriving at a convenient spot, they 
 kindled a fire and reposed for the night. 
 
 Next day they proceeded, as they conjectured, thirty 
 miles ; and though they saw great numbers of the na- 
 tives they received from them not the least molestation. 
 Towards the close of the day they reached an extensive 
 wood, and being fearful of entering it, lest they might 
 lose their way, they spent a restless night on its verge, 
 being terribly alarmed by the bowlings of wild beasts. 
 
 They continued their route the following day till noon, 
 without any other food than wild sorrel and such berries 
 as they observed the birds to peck at. None of the na- 
 tives made their appearance. The wanderers, having 
 reached a point of the rocks, found some shell-fish, and 
 after refreshing themselves they advanced till they came 
 to the banks of a large river, where they reposed. 
 
 Next morning, finding the river very broad and deep, 
 2
 
 14 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 "knd several of the company being unable to swim, they 
 resolved to follow its windings, and seek some place 
 where it was fordable. In their way they passed many 
 villages, the inhabitants of which were too much alarm- 
 ed to yield them any assistance. Pursuing the course 
 of the river a considerable way, and not finding it be- 
 come narrower, they determined to construct catamarans, 
 a kind of raft, in order to cross it. This being effected, 
 with such materials as they found on the banks, those 
 who could not swim were placed upon the float, which 
 being impelled by the others, they all crossed it in safety, 
 though the river was computed to be not less than two 
 miles over. 
 
 It was now three days since they had left, the sea, and 
 during that period they had scarcely taken any nou- 
 i ishment but water and a little wild sorrel. They there- 
 fore again directed their course to the shore, where they 
 were fortunate enough to find abundance of shell-fish, 
 which afforded them a very seasonable refreshment. 
 
 After following the trending? of the coast for three or 
 four days, during which the natives suffered them to 
 pass without molestation, penetrating a pathless wood, 
 where, perhaps, no human being ever trod, uncertain 
 which way to proceed, incommoded by the heat, and ex- 
 hausted by the fatigues of their march, they were almost 
 ir-ruly to sink, when they reached the summit of a hill. 
 Here they rested, and had the satisfaction to see a spa- 
 cious plain before them, through which a fine stream 
 meandered. As the wild beasts, however, were accus- 
 toinad, in their nocturnal prowlings, to resort to this place 
 for water, the situation of the travellers was perilous, 
 .-vid subject to continual alarms. 
 
 In the morning one of the party ascended a lofty tree 
 to observe the trendings of the coast, after which they 
 resumed their course, and entered another wood just as 
 the night set in. Having passed it by paths which the 
 wild beasts alone had made, they again reached the sea- 
 coast. Here they made fires, which, after the fatigues 
 ttiey had undergone, was a toilsome business, and threw 
 U- to them the oysters they had collected, to make them
 
 ,*.' LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. \H 
 
 \3r 
 
 open, as they had not a single knife remaining among 
 them. On this spot they reposed, but found no water. 
 
 Next day, the wanderers, in the course of their jour- 
 ney, had the good fortune to discover a dead whale, 
 which sight in their present situation afforded them no 
 little satisfaction. The want of a knife to cut it up pre- 
 vented them from taking full advantage of this acciden- 
 tal supply ; some of them, though in the extremity of 
 hunger, nauseated this food : while others, making a 
 fire on the carcass, dag oat the part thus roasted, with 
 oyster-shells, and made a hearty meal. 
 
 A fine, level country now presented itself, the sight of 
 which caused them to believe that their fatigues were 
 near a termination, and that they had reached the north- 
 ernmost part of the Dutch colonies. Here new dissen- 
 sions arose, some advising that they should penetrate in- 
 land, while others persevered in the original plan of 
 keeping in the vicinity of the sea-coast. 
 
 After many disputes another division of the party took 
 place. Mr. Shaw, the fourth mate, Mr. Harris, then" flit, 
 Messrs. Williams and Taylor, captain Talbot, and sea- 
 men, to the number of twenty-two persons, among whom 
 was Hynes, the reporter, tesolved to proceed inland. The 
 carpenter, the ship's steward, M. D'Espinette, M. Olivier, 
 with about twenty-four seamen, continued to follow the 
 shore. 
 
 The party which took the interior proceeded for three 
 days through a very pleasant country, where they saw 
 a great number of deserted kraals. During this time they 
 had nothing to subsist on but a few oysters, which they 
 carried with them, and some berries and wild sorrel 
 gathered on the way. The effects of hunger soon com- 
 pelled them to return to the coast, where, as usual, they 
 found a supply of shell-fish. As they* were proceeding 
 up a steep hill, soon after their separation, captain Tal- 
 bot complained of great lassitude, and repeatedly sal 
 down to rest himself. The company several times in- 
 dulged him by doing the same ; but perceiving that he 
 was quite exhausted, they went on, leaving him and his 
 faithful servant, Blair, sitting beside each other, and 
 neither of them was heard of any more.
 
 16 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Having reposed near the shore, the next day, about 
 noon, they arrived at a small river, where they found 
 two of the carpenter's party, who, being unable to swim, 
 had been left behind. The joy of these poor creatures, 
 at the sight of their comrades, was excessive. They 
 were preserved since they had been in this place almost 
 by a miracle, for while they were gathering shell-fish 
 on the beach their fire went out, so that it was wonder- 
 ful how they escaped being devoured by the wild beasts. 
 
 They were with difficulty got over the river, and 
 travelling on for four days more the party came to ano- 
 ther river, of such breadth that none of ttyem would at- 
 tempt, to pass it. Having no alternative, they marched 
 along its banks in hopes of finding a practicable passage, 
 and arrived at a village, where the natives showed them 
 the inside of a watch, which some of the carpenter's 
 party had given for a little milk. Mr. Shaw conceiving 
 that such a traffic would not be unacceptable, offered 
 them the inside of his watch for a calf. To these terms 
 they assented, but no sooner had they obtained posses- 
 sion of the price than they withheld the calf, which was 
 immediately driven out of the village. 
 
 They continued their march* along the river for seve- 
 ral days, and passed through several villages without 
 molestation from the inhabitants, till they came to a part 
 where they conceived they should be able to cross. Hav- 
 ing constructed a catamaran, as before, they all passed 
 the river in safety, excepting the two who had been 
 left behind by the carpenter's party, and who were 
 afraid to venture. These unfortunate men were never 
 seen afterwards. 
 
 Having gained the opposite bank, the company now 
 proceeded, in an oblique direction, towards the shore, 
 which they reached about noon on the third day. The 
 next morning, at the ebbing of the tide, they procured 
 some shell-fish, and having refreshed themselves, they 
 pursued their journey. 
 
 In the course of that day's march they fell in with a 
 party of the natives, belonging, as they imagined, to a 
 new nation, by whom they were beaten, and extremely
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 17 
 
 ill treated. To avoid their persecutions they concealed 
 themselves in the woods till the savages had retired, 
 when they assembled again and resumed their march. 
 They had not proceeded far before they perceived th * 
 prints of human feet in the sand, from which they con- 
 cluded that their late companions were before them. 
 In the hope of rejoining them they traced their supposed 
 footsteps for a while, but soon lost them among the rocks 
 and grass. 
 
 After some time they came to another river, not 
 very broad, but of considerable depth, which they 
 passed in safety on a catamaran, as before. Nothing re- 
 markable occurred during the three following days ; but 
 at the expiration of that period they overtook the carpen- 
 ter's party, whose sufferings they found had been even 
 more severe than their own. The carpenter himself had 
 been poisoned by eating some kind of fruit, with the na- 
 ture of which he was unacquainted : M. D'Espinette and 
 M. Olivier, worn out with famine and fatigue, had been 
 left to their fate. The unfortunate little traveller, Law, 
 was still with them, and had hitherto supported every 
 hardship in an astpnishing manner. 
 
 Thus once more united they proceeded together till 
 they came to a sandy beach, where they found a 
 couple of planks with a spike nail in each. This con- 
 vinced them that some European ships had been neai 
 the coast, or that they were in the vicinity of some set- 
 tlement. The nails were prizes of the first consequence ; 
 these, being flattened between two stones, were shaped 
 into something like knives, and, to men in their situation, 
 were considered a most valuable acquisition. 
 
 In a short time they came to another river, on whose 
 banks they accidentally found fresh water, which induc- 
 ed them to rest there for the night. In the morning they 
 crossed the river, and on examining the sea-shore they 
 found another dead whale, which diffused a general joy, 
 till a large party of natives, armed with lances, camp 
 down upon them. These people, however, perceiving 
 the deplorable condition of the travellers, conducted 
 themselves in such a pacific manner as to dispel their 
 2*
 
 18 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 apprehensions. One of them even lent those who were 
 employed upon the whale his lance, by means of which, 
 and their two knives, they cut it into junks, and carried 
 off a considerable quantity, till they could find wood and 
 water to dress it. 
 
 On coming to a river the following day, another of the 
 party drooped, and they were under the cruel necessity 
 of leaving him behind. Having plenty of provisions, they 
 now proceeded four days without intermission, and pro- 
 curing a stick, they set about making a kind of calendar, 
 by cutting a notch for every day ; but, in crossing a river, 
 this register of time was lost, and the care they had taken 
 to compute their melancholy days was of no avail. 
 
 They soon reached a new river, where they halted 
 for the night. The frequent impediments of rivers much 
 retarded their progress. Few of these, however, are of 
 very great magnitude at any distance from the sea ; but 
 as the travellers derived all their subsistence from the 
 watery element, they were obliged to submit to the in- 
 convenience of passing them in general where the tide 
 flowed. This will account for difficulties, from which, 
 had it been practicable, a more inland course would have 
 exempted them. 
 
 As the weather was very unfavorable next morning, 
 some of the company were afraid to cross the river, upon 
 which Hynes, and about ten more, being impatient to 
 proceed, swam across, leaving the rest, among whom 
 was master Law, behind them. Having gained the op- 
 posite shore, they proceeded till they came to a place 
 where they met with shell-fish, wood, and water. Here 
 they halted two days, in expectation of the arrival of the 
 others ; but as it still blew fresh, they concluded that 
 their more timorous companions had not ventured to 
 cross the river ; therefore thinking it in vain to wait any 
 longer, they went forward. 
 
 They had not travelled many hours before they had 
 the good fortune to discover a dead seal on the beach. 
 One of the knives being in possession of this party, they 
 cut up their prey, dressed part of the flesh on the spot, 
 and carried the rest with them.
 
 LOSS OP THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 19 
 
 The next morning the party left behind overtook them. 
 It was now conducted by the ship's steward, and in the 
 interval from the recent separation it appeared that they 
 had suffered extremely from the natives, from hunger, 
 and fatigue, and that five of them were no more. Thus 
 these unfortunate men were rapidly losing some of their 
 body ; yet the reflection of their forlorn condition did not 
 rouse them to the good effects of unanimity, which 
 alone, had it been either a permanent principle, or en- 
 forced by an authority to which they ought to have sub- 
 mitted, might have saved them many distresses, and 
 would have tended to the preservation of numbers. Con- 
 cord is always strength; the contrary, even in the happi- 
 est circumstances, is weakness and ruin. 
 
 Having shared the remainder of the seal among them, 
 and taken some repose, they again proceeded in one 
 body, and after some time ca/ne to a lofty mountain, 
 which it was necessary to cross, or go round the bluff 
 point of a rock on which the surf beat with great vio-< 
 lence. The latter appearing to be much the shortest 
 passage, they chose it, but had reason to repent their 
 determination, as they had a miraculous escape with 
 their lives. Some of them not only lost their provisions, 
 but their firebrands, which they had hitherto carefully 
 carried with them, were extinguished by the waves. 
 
 Dispirited by this essential loss, which was their chief 
 protection from the wild beasts, they felt the misery of 
 their situation with aggravated force, and an additional 
 gloom clouded their future prospects. Marching along 
 in this disconsolate mood, they fell in with some female 
 natives, who immediately fled. When the travellers 
 came up to the spot where these women had been first 
 descried, they had the satisfaction to find that the fire 
 on which they had been dressing muscles was not extin- 
 guished. With joy they lighted their brands, and after 
 a few hours' repose pursued their course. 
 
 Next day they arrived at a village, where the natives 
 offered to barter a young bullock with them. The in- 
 side of a watch, some buttons, and other trifles, were 
 offered and readily accepted in exchange ; the beast bo-
 
 20 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 ing delivered up, was despatched by the lance of one of 
 the natives. The Caffres were pleased to receive back 
 the entrails, and the carcass being divided in the most 
 impartial manner, our people took up their abode for 
 that night near the village, and the next morning passed 
 another river on a catamaran. 
 
 The bullock was the only sustenance they had hitherto 
 received from the natives, by barter or favor, excepting 
 that the women sometimes gave the poor child who ac- 
 companied them some milk. Among the most barba- 
 rous nations, the females, to the honor of their sex, are 
 always found to be comparatively humane, and never 
 was there a more just object of commiseration than mas- 
 ter Law. Hitherto he had got on tolerably well, through 
 the benevolent attention of his companions. He walked 
 when able, and when tired they carried him in turn 
 without a murmur. None ever obtained any food with- 
 out allowing him a share. When the rest were collect- 
 ing shell-fish he was left to watch the fire, and on their 
 refurn he participated in the spoils. 
 
 They now entered a sandy desert, which they were 
 ten days in passing. In this, desolate tract they had 
 many rivers to pass ; and had it not been for the supply 
 of food they carried with them, they must all have pe- 
 rished. However, they had wood in abundance, seldom 
 failed to find water by digging in the sand, and being 
 safe from the apprehensions of the natives, this appears 
 to have been the most pleasant part of their journey. 
 
 Having crossed the desert, they entered the territories 
 of a new nation, by whom they were, sometimes mal- 
 treated, and at others were suffered to pass without mo- 
 lestation. Being now on the borders of the ocean, they 
 fell in with a party of the natives, who, by signs, ad- 
 vised them to go inland ; and complying with their di- 
 rections, they soon arrived at a village, where they found 
 only women and children. The women brought out a 
 little milk, which they gave to master Law. It was 
 contained in a small basket, curiously formed of rushes, 
 and so compact as to hold any kind of liquid. Here 
 they had an opportunity of examining several huts, and
 
 LOSS OF THE GRO6VENOR INDIAMAN. 21 
 
 observed the mode in which the natives churn their but- 
 ter. The milk is put into a leather bag, Avhich is sus- 
 pended in the middle of the tent, and pushed backward 
 and forward by two persons, till the butter arrives at a 
 proper consistence. When thus prepared, they mix it 
 with soot, and anoint themselves with the composition, 
 which proves a defence against the intense heat of the 
 climate, and renders their limbs uncommonly pliant and 
 active. 
 
 While the travellers were resting themselves, the men 
 belonging to the village returned from hunting, each 
 bearing upon the point of his spear a piece of deer's 
 flesh. They formed a ring round the strangers, and 
 seemed to gaze on them with admiration. After having 
 satisfied their curiosity, they produced two bowls of milk, 
 which they appeared willing to barter ; but as our wretch- 
 ed countrymen had nothing to give in exchange, they 
 drank it up themselves. 
 
 Scarcely had they finished their meal, when they all 
 rose up, and in an instant went off into the woods, leav- 
 ing the English under some apprehensions as to the 
 cause of this sudden motion. In a short time, however, 
 they returned with a deer, and though our people ear- 
 nestly entreated to be permitted to partake of the spoil, 
 the natives not only disregarded their solicitations, but 
 likewise insisted on their quitting the kraal. This they 
 were obliged to comply with, and after walking a few 
 miles they lay down to rest. 
 
 For several days they pursued their journey without 
 any remarkable occurrence. They frequently fell in 
 with the natives, who had great numbers of oxen, but 
 they would part with nothing without a return, which 
 was not in the power of the travellers to make. They 
 had, however, the negative satisfaction of not being an- 
 noyed in their progress. They now came to another 
 river, where they saw three or four huts, containing only 
 women and children. The flesh of sea-cows and sea- 
 lions was hanging up to dry, of which the women gave 
 the travellers a part. They slept that night at a small 
 distance from these huts.
 
 22 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Next morning, Hynes and nine others swam across 
 the river, but the rest were too timorous to make the 
 attempt. Those who had crossed the river soon after- 
 wards had the good fortune to observe a seal asleep, just 
 at high- water mark, and having cut off his retreat, they 
 found means to kill him. Having divided the flesh, they 
 travelled four or five days, occasionally falling in with 
 the natives, who, upon the whole, behaved with tolerable 
 forbearance. 
 
 . They now arrived at another river, which they were 
 obliged to cross, and proceeding on their route, the next 
 day found a whale ; and thus being well supplied with 
 provisions they resolved to halt for their companions; 
 but after waiting in vain two days they proceeded with- 
 out them. They afterwards found that their compa- 
 nions had taken a more inland route, and had got be- 
 fore them. Having, therefore, cut up as much of the 
 whale as they could carry, and being much refreshed, 
 they proceeded with alacrity, having now no necessity 
 to loiter in quest of food. 
 
 Thus they travelled for more than a week, and in 
 their way discovered some pieces of rags, which satisfied 
 them that their late associates had got the start of them. 
 They now entered an extensive sandy desert, and find- 
 ing, towards the close of the first day, but little prospect of 
 obtaining either wood or water, they were much disheart- 
 ened. To their joy, however, at the entrance of a deep 
 gully they saw the following words traced on the sand : 
 Turn in here and you will find plenty of wood and water. 
 This cheered them like a revelation from heaven, and on 
 entering the gully they found the notification verified, 
 and the remains of several fires, which" assured them 
 that their late companions had reposed in the same place. 
 
 They proceeded several days, proportionably exhaust- 
 ed with fatigue as they advanced, but without any 
 memorable occurrence. They now came to a bluff point 
 of a rock, which projected so far into the sea as to ob- 
 struct their progress, so that they were obliged to direct 
 their course more inland. To add to their distress, their 
 provisions were again exhausted, when, arriving at a
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 23 
 
 large pond, they luckily found a number of land-crabs, 
 snails, and some sorrel in the vicinity, and on these they 
 made a satisfactory meal. 
 
 As soon as it dawned they resumed their journey, and 
 entering a wood, they observed many of the trees torn 
 up by the roots. While they were lost in amazement at 
 this phenomenon, to their terror and astonishment thirty 
 or forty large elephants started up out of the long grass, 
 with" Avhich the ground was covered. The travellers 
 stood some moments in suspense, whether they would 
 retreat or advance ; but, by taking a circuitous course, 
 they passed these enormous creatures without any 
 injury. The grass in which they lay was not less than 
 eight or nine feet high. This may appear strange to 
 those who are not acquainted with the luxuriant vege- 
 tation of tropical climates, but other travellers, of un- 
 questionable veracity, have made the same remarks on 
 Africa. 
 
 Having reached the sea-shore that night, our travel- 
 lers were miserably disappointed by the state of the 
 tide, which deprived them of their usual supplies of 
 shell-fish. To such extremities were they, in conse- 
 quence, reduced, that some of them, who had 'made 
 shoes of the hide of the bullock obtained in barter from 
 the natives, ringed off the hair, broiled and eat them. 
 This unsavory dish they rendered as palatable as possi- 
 ble by means of some wild celery they found on the spot, 
 and the whole party partook of it. 
 
 At low water they went as usual to the rocjcs to pro- 
 euro shell-fish ; and as they proceeded they often per- 
 ceived evident traces of that division of their party which 
 had got the start of them. In two days' time they fell in 
 with a hunting party of the natives, who offered no mo- 
 lestation to our people as they passed, and for several 
 days they everywhere behaved with the same forbear- 
 ance. 
 
 After passing two rivers, and finding no fresh water 
 near them, they entered a sterile country, where the na- 
 tives appeared to have nothing to subsist on but what 
 they derived from hunting and fishing. What then
 
 24 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 must hare been the situation of our travellers ! They 
 had not a drop of water for several days ; and a few 
 berries which they occasionally picked up were the 
 only alleviation of their burning thirst. However, they 
 soon reached CafFraria, properly so called, which they 
 found to be a fine and populous country. 
 
 During their march through this territory our travel- 
 lers were absolutely starving in the midst of plenty. 
 They saw abundance of cattle, but so tenacious were 
 the natives of their property, that they would not part 
 with any thing gratuitously, and our people had nothing 
 to give in barter. So apprehensive were the ^affres, 
 lest these poo/ vagrants might commit depredations, 
 that they constantly secured their cattle as they ap- 
 proached, and even used violence to keep them at a dis- 
 tance. So true it is that in all countries poverty is con- 
 sidered rather as a crime than a misfortune, and that he 
 who has nothing to bestow is immediately suspected 
 of an intention to take away. 
 
 But the CafFres have been characterized as a humane 
 and inoffensive people. How are we then to reconcile 
 this description with the conduct they displayed to our 
 countrymen ? May not the idea, that they were Dutch- 
 men, solve the difficulty ? Between the Caffres and the 
 Dutch colonists an inveterate enmity subsisted at that 
 period. The Caffres had been treated with unparalleled 
 cruelty and oppression by the white people, with whom 
 they were conversant ; all white people were, therefore, 
 probably regarded as enemies. Among uncivilized na- 
 tions, wherever any intercourse has been established 
 with Europeans, the characters of the latter, in general, 
 have been determined from the conduct of a worthless 
 few. Thus, as on other important occasions, many suf- 
 fer for the vices of individuals. 
 
 Our travellers, everywhere repelled, or regarded with 
 apprehension, at length came to a river, and having 
 crossed it, were met by a party of the natives, one of 
 whom had adorned his hair with a piece of a silver 
 buckle, which was known to have belonged to the slr~' 
 cook. It seems the cook, who set a particular value .
 
 LOSS OP THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 25 
 
 on his buckles, had covered them with bits of cloth, to 
 conceal them from the natives ; but at length hunger 
 had compelled him to break them up, in order to barter 
 them for food : but no sooner was the price deposited 
 than the natives broke their engagement, as had been 
 their general practice, except in one solitary instance, and 
 drove the claimants away. 
 
 Hynes and his party were roughly handled by the na- 
 tives they had fallen in with. To avoid their persecu- 
 tion, they travelled till late at night, and after reposing 
 for a few hours, they recommenced their journey before 
 it was^ight, that they might escape a repetition of their 
 ill treatment. 
 
 Next day, about noon, they reached a spot where there 
 was good water, and a probability of finding an abun- 
 dance of shell-fish ; here, being much fatigued, they de- 
 termined to spend the night. While in this situation 
 they were overtaken by a tremendous storm of thunder 
 and lightning, and the rain poured down in such tor- 
 rents that they were obliged to hold up their canvass 
 frocks over the fire to save it from being extinguished. 
 Next day, at low water, they found shell-fish, as usual, 
 staid some time to dry their clothes, and then resumed 
 their journey. Coming to a large village the inhabitants 
 fell upon them with such fury, that several of them were 
 wounded, in consequence of which, one man died soon 
 afterwards. Hynes received a wound in his leg from a 
 lance, and being knocked down, was left senseless on 
 the spot by his companions, who supposed him to be 
 dead. However, in a few hours, to their great joy, he 
 rejoined his countrymen, who had despaired of ever see- 
 ing him again. 
 
 From this time they lost sight of the habitations of the 
 natives, and entered a sandy desert, where it was with 
 the utmost difficulty they could procure any sustenance. 
 At intervals, indeed, they experienced the usual bounty 
 of the sea, and having collected as many shell-fish as 
 possible, they opened them in the fire, and taking out 
 the animal, left the shells, which greatly diminished the 
 labor of carriage. 
 3
 
 26 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Having passed the desert, they arrived at a large 
 river, which, as they afterwards learned from the Dutch, 
 is called Bosjesman's river. Here they found Thomas 
 Lewis, one of the party which had gone before them, 
 who, having been taken ill, was abandoned to his fate. 
 He informed them that he had travelled inland and seen 
 many huts, at one of which he obtained a little milk, 
 and at another was beaten away. He added, that hav- 
 ing reached the place where he now was, he found him- 
 self too weak to cross the river, and was, therefore, de- 
 termined to return to the nearest kraal, indifferent as to 
 his reception or his life. In vain his companions strove 
 to overcome this determination. They flattered him 
 with the hope of yet being able to reach the Cape, but 
 their encouragement was ineffectual. Both his body 
 and mind were broken down ; he had drained the cup 
 of affliction to the dregs ; despair had laid her iron hand 
 upon him, and sealed him for her own. In spite of all 
 their entreaties he went back to the natives, and once 
 more had the good fortune to receive -assistance, when 
 he could least of all expect it, and in such a shape as 
 proved effectual to his preservation. But we are antici- 
 pating events. 
 
 On exploring the sea-coast, our people, to their great 
 joy, discovered another whale, and having cut the flesh 
 into junks, took with them as much of it as they were 
 able to carry. Again losing sight of the natives and 
 their huts, tney were kept in perpetual alarm by the 
 wild beasts, which were here more numerous than in 
 any part of the country through which they had hitherto 
 passed. 
 
 On the fourth day, after passing the river, they over- 
 took the ship's steward and master Law, who still sur- 
 vived inexpressible hardships. From them they learned 
 that the cooper had been buried the preceding evening 
 in the sand ; but when Hynes and the steward went to 
 take a farewell view of the spot, they found, to their sur- 
 prise and horror, that the body had been carried off by 
 some carnivorous animal, which had evidently dragged 
 it to a considerable distance.
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 27 
 
 Hynes' party presented the steward and child with 
 some of the flesh of the whale, by which they were much 
 refreshed; and for eight or ten days more they all pro- 
 ceeded in company. At length they came to a point of 
 rocks, and as the whale was by this time wholly con- 
 sumed, they went round the edge in search of such sus- 
 tenance as the sea might afford. This took up so much 
 time that they were obliged to sleep on the rock, where 
 they could procure no water but what was very brackish. 
 In the morning the steward and child were both taken 
 ill, and being unable to proceed, the party agreed to halt 
 till the next day. The extreme coldness of the rock on 
 which they had slept produced a sensible effect on them 
 all : the steward and child still continued very ill. Their 
 companions, therefore, agreed to wait another day, when, 
 if no favorable turn took place, they would be under the 
 painful necessity of abandoning them to their fate. But 
 their humanity was not put to this severe test, for in the 
 course of the following night this poor child resigned 
 his breath, and ceased any longer to share their fatigues 
 and sorrows. They had left him, as they supposed, 
 asleep, near the fire round which they had all rested 
 during the night; but when they had made their ar- 
 rangements for breakfast, and wished to call him to 
 participate, they found that his soul had taken its flight 
 to another world. 
 
 Forgetting their own misery they sensibly felt for the 
 loss of this tender youth, and the affliction of the stew- 
 ard in particular was inexpressible. This child had 
 been the object of his fondest care, during a long and 
 perilcfcis journey, and it was with the utmost difficulty 
 that his companions could tear him from the spot. 
 
 They had not proceeded far before one of the party 
 asked for a shell of water, which being given him, he 
 solicited a second, and as soon as he had drunk it, lay 
 down and instantly expired. So much were they ha- 
 bituated to scenes of distress, that, by this time, death 
 had ceased to be regarded as shocking ; it was even con- 
 sidered by them as a consummation rather to be wished 
 for than dreaded. They left the poor man where he drop-
 
 28 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 ped, and had not advanced far, when another complain- 
 ed of extreme weakness, and sat down upon the sand by 
 the sea-side. Him too they left, compelled by severe 
 necessity, in order to seek for wood and water, pro- 
 mising, if they were successful, to return to assist him. 
 
 Having sought in vain for a comfortable resting-place 
 for the night, they were all obliged to repose on the 
 sands. Recollecting the situation of their comrade, one 
 of the party went back to the spot where he had been 
 left, but the unhappy man was not to be found ; and as 
 he had nothing to shelter or protect him, it is more than 
 probable that he was carried off by wUd beasts. 
 
 With the first approach of day they resumed their 
 journey, but their situation was now more deplorable 
 than ever. Having had no water since the middle of 
 the preceding day, they suffered exceedingly from thirst, 
 the glands of their throats and their mouths were much 
 swollen ; and in the extremity of thirst they were in- 
 duced to swallow their own urine. 
 
 This was the crisis of calamity. The misery they 
 now underwent was too shocking to relate. Having 
 existed for two days without food or water, they were 
 reduced to' such an extremity that when any of them 
 could not furnish himself with a draught of urine, he 
 would borrow a shell full of his more fortunate compa- 
 nion till he was able to repay it. The steward, whose 
 benevolence ought to immortalize his memory, now fol- 
 lowed his little favorite to another world. In short, to 
 such a state of wretchedness were they riow reduced, 
 that death was stripped of all its terrors. 
 
 Next morning two more of the party were reduced to 
 a very languid state ; one of them, unable to proceed a 
 step farther, lay down, and his companions, incapable 
 of affording him any assistance, took an affectionate fare- 
 well, and left him to expire. 
 
 Towards evening they reached a deep gully, which 
 they entered, in the hope of meeting with fresh water. 
 Here they found another of the Grosvenor's crew lying 
 dead, with his right hand cut off at the wrist. A cir- 
 cumstance so singular could not fail to attract the notice
 
 LOSS OP THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 29 
 
 of his companions, especially as they recollected that it 
 had been the common asseveration of the deceased, 
 May the devil cut my right arm off if it be not true ! It 
 had a sensible effect upon his comrades for a time, as 
 they superstitiously imagined that Providence had inter- 
 fered, by a miracle, to show its indignation against his 
 profaneness. One of the company, who had lost his own 
 clothes in crossing a river, took the opportunity of sup- 
 plying himself by stripping the dead man, and then they 
 proceeded till night, without any other sustenance than, 
 what their own water afforded them. 
 
 Next day brought no alleviation of their miseries. 
 Necessity impelled them to proceed, though hope scarce- 
 ly darted a ray through the gloom of their prospects. 
 The whole party was, at last, reduced to three persons, 
 Hynes, Evans, and Wormington, and these could hope 
 to survive their companions only a very few days. 
 Their faculties rapidly declined, they could scarcely hear 
 or see, and a vertical sun darted its beams so intensely 
 upon them, that it was with the utmost difficulty they 
 could proceed. 
 
 Their misery, from thirst, now became so intolerable, 
 that Wormington earnestly importuned his companions 
 to determine by lot which of them should die, in order 
 that the others might be preserved by drinking his blood. 
 Hynes, though almost childish, was shocked at the pro- 
 posal; his tears flowed abundantly, and he declared, 
 that as long as he was able to walk he could not think 
 of casting lots ; but that, if he should be obliged to drop, 
 theyjnight then use him as they pleased. Upon this, 
 Wormington, shaking hands with Hynes and Evans, 
 suffered them to proceed without him. 
 
 Every hour now seemed to throw a deeper gloom over 
 their fate ; nature could support, no more. Hynes and 
 Evans, however, made another effort to advance, with- 
 out even indulging a hope of the possibility of relief. 
 They this day saw something before them which had 
 the appearance of large birds, but their surprise may be 
 conceived, when upon a nearer approach they discovered 
 them to be men. Nearly blind and idiots, they did not 
 3*
 
 80 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 at first recollect their newly found companions, but after 
 some time they recognised in them four of the steward's 
 party from which they had been separated. One of 
 them, a boy, named Price, - advanced to meet them, and 
 gave them the pleasing information, that his associates 
 had fresh water in their possession. This inspired them 
 with new life, and reciprocal inquiries were made rela- 
 tive to the fate of their lost companions. The three 
 men whom Hynes and his companion had overtaken 
 were named Berney, Leary, and De Lasso, who hearing 
 that Wormington was left behind, the two latter went in 
 search of him, charging those who remained not to suf- 
 fer Hynes and Evans to drink too freely of the water, 
 as several had expired from the eagerness with which 
 they swallowed that fluid after long abstinence. 
 
 Wormington was recovered by the humanity of those 
 who went in search of him, and a painful detail of suf- 
 ferings succeeded. It appeared that the captain's stew- 
 ard had been buried in the sand of the last desert over 
 which they passed, and that the survivors were reduced 
 to such extremity, that after his interment two of the 
 party were sent back to cut off his flesh for their immedi- 
 ate support ; but while proceeding upon this horrid er- 
 rand, they had the good fortune to discover a young 
 seal, newly driven on shore, and I fresh bleeding, which 
 proved a most seasonable relief. They farther stated, 
 that they had obtained shell-fish in the sand, when none 
 were to be seen upon it, by observing the manner in 
 which the birds scratched for them. Without this dis- 
 covery they must inevitably have perished. 
 
 Hynes and Evans, recounting their adventures to the 
 party they had joined, among other circumstances men- 
 tioned that the ship's steward, whom they had left to 
 expire on the road, had on very decent clothes. This 
 tempted one of them to propose to Evans, who was by 
 this time pretty well recovered, to go back to the spot 
 and strip the body, but the steward could not be found, 
 and they concluded that the wild beasts had anticipated 
 their design. In the evening Evans returned, but with- 
 out his companion, who had been so indolent and ad-
 
 LOSS OP THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 31 
 
 fanced with such a slow pace, that the former was 
 obliged to leave him behind. As he" was never seen 
 afterwards, no doubt can be entertained but that he like- 
 wise fell a victim to the ravenous beasts. These were 
 so numerous as to be seen in troops of twenty or more ; 
 and it was the common and effectual practice of the 
 travellers to shout as loud as possible to drive away those 
 formidable animals. 
 
 Having now arrived at a favorable spot for water and 
 shell-fish, they employed two days in collecting provi- 
 sions for their future march, and in refreshing themselves. 
 Rest and food had an astonishing effect in restoring not 
 only the powers of the body, but of the mind ; and in a 
 short time they thought themselves qualified to encounter 
 new fatigues. 
 
 With extreme difficulty and danger they passed a large 
 river, supposed to be the Sontag, on a catamaran, and 
 having reached the opposite shore, they looked back 
 with terror and amazement on their fortunate escape 
 from being driven out to sea by the rapidity of the 
 stream. Here they likewise found a kind of shell-fish 
 which buries itself in the sand, and which increased 
 their supplies. 
 
 The united party, consisting of six persons, pursued 
 their route over a desert country, where neither hut nor 
 native was to be seen, and in six days reached the 
 Schwartz river, as they afterwards learned, on the banks 
 of which they took up their abode for the night. 
 
 The country, at length, began to assume a fertile and 
 cultivated appearance, and some huts appeared at a dis- 
 tance from the shore. While contemplating with plea- 
 sure this change of prospect, the grass near them took 
 fire, and spread with great rapidity. They all used 
 every effort to extinguish it, lest this involuntary mis- 
 chief should provoke the resentment of the natives, or 
 the blaze call them to the spot. 
 
 Next morning they swam over the river in safety, and 
 soon discovered another dead whale lying on the sea- 
 shore. Thus supplied with food they purposed resting 
 here a few days, if they could have found fresh
 
 32 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 but that necessary article being wanting, they cut up as 
 much of the whale as they could carry, and proceeded 
 on their route. In two hours they came to a thicket, 
 where they met with water, and halted to rest. 
 
 Next morning four of the party went back to the 
 whale for a larger supply, De Lasso and Price being left 
 in charge of the fire. As Price was collecting fuel he 
 perceived at a little distance two men with guns, and 
 being intimidated at the sight, he returned hastily to 
 the fire, whither the welcome intruders pursued him. 
 These men belonged to a Dutch settlement in the neigh- 
 borhood, and were in search of some strayed cattle. One 
 of them, named John Battores, supposed to be a Portu- 
 guese, was able to converse with De Lasso, the Italian, 
 so as to be understood ; a circumstance as fortunate as it 
 was little to be expected. Battores having learned the 
 outline of their melancholy story, accompanied them 
 to the whale, where their companions were employed 
 in cutting away the flesh. Affected at the sight of 
 these miserable objects, he desired them to throw away 
 what they had been collecting, promising them better 
 fare when they reached the habitation to which he be- 
 longed. 
 
 In vain shall we attempt to describe the sensations of 
 the shipwrecked wanderers on receiving this intelligence, 
 and that they were within four hundred miles of the 
 Cape. The joy that instantly filled every bosom pro- 
 duced effects as various as extraordinary : one man 
 laughed, another wept, and the third danced with trans- 
 port. 
 
 On reaching the house of Mynheer Christopher Koos- 
 tooff, to whom Battores was bailiff, ^they were treated 
 with the kindest attention. The master, on being ac- 
 quainted with their distress, immediately ordered bread 
 and milk to be set before them ; but acting rather on 
 principles of humanity than prudence, he furnished them 
 such a quantity that their weak stomachs were over- 
 loaded. After their meal, sacks were spread upon the 
 ground for them to repose on. 
 
 It iiad been so long since they had known any thing
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 33 
 
 of the calculation of time, that they were unacquainted 
 even with the name of the month ; and they were given 
 to understand, that the day of their deliverance was the 
 twenty-ninth of November ; so that one hundred and 
 seventeen days had revolved their melancholy hours 
 since they were shipwrecked ; a period of suffering al- 
 most unparalleled, and during which they had often 
 been miraculously preserved. 
 
 Next morning Mynheer Roostooff killed a sheep for 
 the entertainment of his guests, and another Dutchman, 
 of the name of Quin, came with a cart and six horses 
 to convey them towards the Cape. The boy, Price, be- 
 ing lame, from the hardships he had undergone, was de- 
 tained at Roostooff 's house, who kindly undertook his 
 cure, and promised to send him after the others when 
 he had recovered. The rest of the party proceeded to 
 Q,uin's house, where they were hospitably entertained 
 four days. 
 
 From that time they were forwarded in carts, from 
 one settlement to another, till they arrived at Swellen- 
 dam, about one hundred miles from the Cape. Wher- 
 ever they passed they experienced the humanity of the 
 farmers, and their wants were relieved with a liberal 
 hand. 
 
 At Swellendam they were detained till orders should 
 be received from the governor at the Cape, in regard to 
 their future destiny, Holland and Great Britain being at 
 that time at war. At length two of the party were or- 
 dered to be forwarded to the Cape, in order to be ex- 
 amined, while the rest were to remain at Swellendam. 
 Accordingly Wormington, and Leary proceeded to the 
 Cape, where, after being strictly interrogated, they were 
 sent on board a Dutch man-of-war lying in the bay, with 
 orders that they should be set to work. While in this 
 situation, Wormington having discovered that the boat- 
 swain was engaged in some fraudulent practices, impru- 
 dently threatened to give information, on which the boat- 
 swain, desiring him and his companion to step into a boat, 
 conveyed them on board a Danish East Indiaman, just 
 getting under way, and by this fortunate incident they 
 first reached their native land.
 
 34 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 But to return to the fate of the rest. Though the 
 flames of war were raging between the two nations, 
 the Dutch government, at the Cape, being informed of 
 the particulars of the loss of the Grosvenor, with a hu- 
 manity which does them infinite honor, despatched a 
 large party in quest of the unhappy wanderers. This 
 detachment consisted of one hundred Europeans, and 
 three hundred Hottentots, attended by a great number 
 of wagons, each drawn by eight bullocks. The com- 
 mand was given to captain Muller,. with orders to pro- 
 ceed, if possible, to the wreck, and load with such articles 
 as might be saved, and to endeavor to discover such of 
 the sufferers as were still wandering about the country, 
 or in the hands of the natives. 
 
 De Lasso and Evans accompanied this expedition as 
 guides ; but Hynes, being still very weak, was left at 
 Swellendam. The party was well provided with such 
 articles as were most likely to insure them a favorable 
 reception from the natives, and procure the liberty of 
 the unfortunate persons they might find in their way. 
 They proceeded with spirit and alacrity, till the Caffres, 
 in consequence of their antipathy to the colonists, inter- 
 rupted the expedition. In their progress they found 
 Thomas Lewis, who had been abandoned by his com- 
 panions, as before mentioned, and William Hatterly, who 
 was servant to the second mate, and had continued with 
 that party till he alone survived. Thus the fate of one 
 division was ascertained. 
 
 At other places on the road thay met with seven las- 
 cars, and two black women, one of whom was servant 
 to Mrs. Logie, and the other to Mrs. Hosea. From these 
 women they learned, that soon after Hynes' party had 
 left the captain and the ladies, they also took separate 
 routes ; the latter intending to join the lascars, but what 
 became of them after this separation was unknown. 
 They, indeed, saw the captain's coat on one of the na- 
 tives, but whether he died or was killed could never be 
 discovered. 
 
 After the enmity of the natives prevented the progress 
 of the wagons, some of the party travelled forward fifteen
 
 LOSS OF THE QROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 35 
 
 days on horseback, in the prosecution of their plan, but 
 the Caffres still continuing to harass them, they were 
 obliged to return, after an absence of about three months. 
 
 Captain Muller returned to - Swellendam, with the 
 three Englishmen, the seven lascars, and two black wo- 
 men, the boy, Price, and the two guides, De Lasso and 
 Evans. The people of color were detained at Swellen- 
 dam ; but the English were forwarded to the Cape, where, 
 after being examined by the governor, they were permit- 
 ted to take their passage to Europe in a Danish ship, tho 
 captain of which promised to land them in England, 
 but, excepting Price, who was set on shore at Weymouth, 
 they were all carried to Copenhagen, from whence they 
 at last found their way to England. 
 
 Such was the termination of the adventures of these 
 unfortunate people ; but the inquiry concerning the fate 
 of the captain and his party was- not dropped. Though 
 it is probable that before the first Dutch expedition could 
 have reached them they had all paid the debt of nature; 
 rumors had been spread that several of the English were 
 still in captivity among the natives, and these obtained 
 such general belief, that M. Vailant, whose philanthropy 
 equalled his genius and resolution, made another attempt 
 to discover the reputed captives ; but he could learn no- 
 thing decisive as to their situation or final fate. 
 
 The public mind, however, continued still to be agi- 
 tated, and the interest which all nations took in the fate 
 of the unhappy persons, particularly the women, some 
 of whom it was reported had been seen, induced a second 
 party of Dutch colonists, with the sanction of govern- 
 ment, to make another effort to explore the country, and 
 to reach the wreck. 
 
 These men, amply provided, set out on the twenty- 
 fourth of August, 1793, from Kaffer Keyl's river, to- 
 wards cape Natal, on the coast of which the Grosvenor 
 was supposed to have been wrecked. Of this expedition 
 we have a journal kept by Van Reenen, one of the party, 
 and published by captain Riou. It would not be gene- 
 rally interesting to the reader to give the meagre details 
 of distance travelled, and elephants killed ; of danger
 
 36 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 encountered, and rivers crossed ; we shall therefore con- 
 fine ourselves to such incidents as appear to deserve no- 
 tice, or are connected with the melancholy subject of our 
 narrative. 
 
 After proceeding an immense way, on the third of 
 November they arrived among the Hambonaas, a nation 
 quite different from the Caffres. They have a yellow 
 complexion, and their long, coarse hair is frizzled up in 
 the form of a turban. Some of these people informed our 
 adventurers, that, subject to them, there was a village of 
 bastard Christians, descended from people shipwrecked 
 on the coast, of whom three old women were still alive 
 and married to a Hambonaa chief. This intelligence 
 roused their curiosity, and they were fortunate enough to 
 obtain an interview with the old women in question, 
 who said they were sisters, but having been shipwrecked 
 when children, they could not say to what nation they 
 originally belonged. The Dutch adventurers offered to 
 take them and their children back on their return, at 
 which they seemed much pleased. It appears probable, 
 that the reports which had been spread, in regard to 
 some European women being among the natives, origi- 
 nated from this circumstance, and as the existence of 
 any other white people in this quarter was neither known 
 nor suspected, it was naturally concluded that they must 
 have belonged to the Grosvenor. 
 
 The Dutch afterwards fell in with Trout, whose name 
 has been mentioned in the preceding narrative. He at 
 first engaged to conduct them to the spot where the Gros- 
 venor was wrecked, and informed them that nothing 
 was then to be seen, excepting some cannon, iron, bal- 
 last, and lead : adding, that all the unfortunate crew of 
 that ship had perished, some by the hands of the natives 
 and the rest of hunger. 
 
 Trout, who, it is to be feared, was guilty of much du- 
 plicity from the first, pretended that he was a freeman, 
 and had sailed in an English ship from Malacca ; but 
 finding himself likely to be detected, and probably appre- 
 hensive of being carried back to the Cape, he cautiously 
 avoided the Dutch in the sequel, and left them to find
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDUMAN. 37 
 
 their way to the wreck in the best manner they were 
 able. 
 
 As they were proceeding to the spot, one of the party, 
 named Houltshausen, unfortunately fell into a pit of burnt 
 stakes, by which he was terribly wounded in the palm 
 of one of his hands, which eventually produced a locked 
 jaw, and terminated in his death. These pits are dug 
 by the natives, and being covered over with branches of 
 trees and grass, serve as snares for the elephants, which 
 frequently fall into them, and are thus taken. 
 
 Several of the party, however, proceeded on horse- 
 back to the wreck, and found nothing more than what 
 Trout had described remaining. It was plainly per- 
 ceived that fires had been made in the vicinity, and on 
 a rising ground, between two woods, was a pit, where 
 things had been buried and dug out again. This like- 
 wise tallied with the information of Trout, who told 
 them that all the articles collected from the wreck had 
 been dispersed over the country, and that most of them 
 had been carried to Rio de la Goa, to be sold. That 
 place was represented to be about four days' journey 
 from the scene of the catastrophe. 
 
 The natives in the neighborhood expressed great as- 
 tonishment that the Dutch had been at such infinite 
 pains to come in search of the unfortunate crew, and 
 they all promised, that in case of any similar disaster 
 they would protect such "people as might be thrown upon 
 the coa.<t, if they could be assured of obtaining beads, 
 copper, and iron, for their trouble, which was liberally 
 promised by the Dutch. 
 
 These intrepid adventurers, who were now four hun- 
 dred and thirty-seven leagues distant from the Cape, and 
 two hundred twenty-six beyond any Christian habita- 
 tion, finding that nothing farther was to be discovered 
 relative to the wreck, or the fate of the persons who had 
 reached the shore, determined to return, particularly as 
 Houltshausen's illness increased. 
 
 On their way back they called at the bastard Chris- 
 tian village, and would have taken under their protec- 
 tion the three old women, who seemed desirous of living 
 4
 
 38 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 among Christians, but they wished first to gather in theii 
 crops; adding, when that business was accomplished, 
 their whole race, to the number of four hundred, would 
 be happy to depart from their present settlement. Every 
 indulgence was promised them in case they should be 
 disposed to emigrate to the Cape. On seeing people of 
 the same complexion as themselves they appeared to be 
 exceedingly agitated. 
 
 On their homeward journey the Dutch shot many ele- 
 phants and sea-cows ; but on the first of December they 
 met with a terrible accident, while employed in cutting 
 up the sea-cows killed the preceding day. " As we were 
 thus engaged, (says the journalist,) a large elephant 
 made up to the wagons ; we instantly pursued and at- 
 tacked him, when, having received several shot, by 
 which he twice fell, he crept into a very thick under- 
 wood. Thinking we had killed him, Tjaart Vander 
 Valdt, Lodewyk Prins, and Ignatus Mulder, advanced 
 to the spot, when he rushed out furiously from the 
 thicket, and catching hold of Prins with his trunk, trod 
 him to death, driving one of his tusks through the body, 
 and throwing it up into the air to the height of thirty 
 feet. 
 
 " The others, perceiving that there was no possibility 
 of escaping on horseback, dismounted, and crept into the 
 thicket to hide themselves. The elephant seeing nothing 
 in v,iew; but one of the horses, followed him for some 
 time, and then turning about came back to the. spot 
 where the dead man was left. At this instant our whole 
 party renewed the attack, and after he had received 
 several more wounds, again escaped into the thickest part 
 of the wood. 
 
 " We now supposed ourselves safe, but while we were 
 digging a grave for our unfortunate companion, the ele- 
 phant rushed out again, and drove us all from the place. 
 Tjaart Vander Valdt got another shot at him ; a joint at- 
 tack being commenced, he began to stagger, and falling, 
 the Hottentots despatched him as he lay on the ground." 
 
 The rest of their journey afforded little worth notice. 
 In January, 1791, they reached their respective homes,
 
 LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 39 
 
 after surmounting incredible difficulties, in an expedi- 
 tion to which they were prompted solely by a principle 
 of humanity, and the desire of relieving, if any remained 
 alive, such of our countrymen as might be among the 
 natives. No intelligence of this kind could, however, 
 after the most diligent inquiries, be obtained. They 
 were, indeed, informed that the ship's cook had been 
 alive about two years before the period of their journey, 
 but that he then caugh't the small-pox and died. 
 
 We cannot conclude this mournful narrative better 
 than with the sensible reflections of captain Riou. 
 
 " Had the party (says he) that set out in search of 
 these shipwrecked people, in 1783, prosecuted their jour- 
 ney with the same degree of zeal and resolution that 
 Van Reeuen's party manifested, it is possible they might 
 have discovered and relieved some who have since pe- 
 rished. Yet, as they couJd not have arrived at the 
 place of the wreck in less than six months after the dis- 
 aster happened, there is no great probability for suppos- 
 ing, that after such a length of time had elapsed, any 
 great number of the unfortunate sufferers could be re- 
 maining alive. 
 
 " But what we have most to regret is, that, perhaps, 
 the failure of the endeavors of the unfortunate crew to 
 save their lives was owing to their own misconduct. It 
 is too often the case, that disorder and confusion are the 
 consequences of extreme distress, and that despair, seiz- 
 ing on the unprincipled mind, hurries it on to a subver- 
 sion of all good order and discipline : so that at the mo- 
 ment when the joint efforts of the whole are most neces- 
 sary for the general good, each desponding, thoughtless 
 member acts from the impulse of the moment, in what- 
 ever manner his tumultuous feelings may direct ; and 
 from an erroneous idea of self-interest, or, wonderful as 
 it may appear, from a desire of gratifying a rebellious 
 and turbulent spirit, at a time when it can be done with 
 impunity, is always ready to overturn every plan that 
 may be proposed by his superiors, and the considerate 
 few that happen to be of the party. 
 
 " Such must have been, and such we are indeed told 

 
 40 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 was, the situation of the crew of the Grosvenor subse- 
 quent to their shipwreck. 
 
 " Though it may be said to be very easy to see errors 
 when their consequences are apparent, it will not surely 
 be too much to assert, that when this ship's crew was 
 once safely on shore, with the advantage of such arti- 
 cles as they could procure from the wreck, their situation, 
 however deplorable, could not be considered as hopeless. 
 For had a chosen body of ten or twenty men marched a 
 few days to the northward, they must have fallen in 
 with Rio de la Goa, where it seldom happens that there 
 is not a French or Portuguese slave ship. But allowing 
 captain Coxson was much out of his reckoning, and that 
 he supposed himself much nearer to the Cape than he 
 really was, they might then have existed on the sea- 
 coast, in that climate, sheltered by huts, till ready to set 
 out, and by preserving order and discipline, and con- 
 ducting themselves properly in regard to the natives, 
 they might gradually have proceeded in safety to the 
 territories of the Dutch. 
 
 " Had the crew continued under the orders of their 
 officers, either of those objects might have been accom- 
 plished, by men whose minds were not wholly resigned 
 to despair ; or they might have subsisted on what pro- 
 vision they could pick up from the wreck, together with 
 what they could purchase from the natives, till a "boat 
 could have been constructed and sent to solicit assistance 
 from the Cape. 
 
 " These reflections have been extended by considering 
 the circumstances in which the shipwrecked people were 
 placed ; from all which it may fairly be concluded, that 
 the greater part might have effected a return to their na- 
 tive land, had they been guided by any idea of the ad- 
 vantages of discipline and subordination. 
 
 "It is to be hoped, then, that the fatal consequences 
 attending disorderly conduct on these calamitous occa- 
 sions, will impress on the minds of seamen this incon- 
 trovertible truth, that their only hope of safety must de- 
 pend upon obedience."
 
 LOSS OF THE EAST-INDIAMAN, THE 
 FATTYSALEM, 
 
 THE following narrative of the loss of the Fattysalem 
 is given in a letter from M. de Kearney, a captain in 
 Lally's regiment, who was taken prisoner by the Eng- 
 lish, to the count D'Estaing, lieutenant-general, com- 
 manding the French troops in the East Indies, during 
 the war of 1756. 
 
 Some time after your departure from India, (says M. 
 de Kearney,) I was taken prisoner by the English, at the 
 battle of Vandevachy, a small fort between Madras and 
 Pondicherry. My conquerors treated me with the great- 
 est generosity, and even did all in their power to save 
 my effects. But I lost every thing I had taken with 
 me for the campaign ; the sepoys plundered me without 
 mercy. You are acquainted with that undisciplined mi- 
 litia : they do not comprehend that it is possible to treat 
 as friends ; that is, to spare as much as possible those 
 who have been, and may again be, their enemies. 
 
 I slept one night in the English camp, and colonel 
 Galliot paid me the greatest attention. The next day I 
 obtained permission to go on my parole to Pondicherry, 
 where I remained several months, and made every possi- 
 ble exertion to procure my exchange. When the place 
 was invested by the English, I was summoned, together 
 with the other prisoners of war, to repair to Madras. I 
 accordingly went to that place, where I found almost 
 two thirds of the officers of the king's army, taken on 
 different occasions. I was, therefore, at Madras when, 
 the English, having made themselves masters of Pondi- 
 cherry, resolved to send all the French officers to Eng- 
 land. I was, in consequence, directed to hold myself ii? 
 4*
 
 42 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 readiness for embarking ; lord Pigott, the governor of 
 Madras, kindly permitted me to choose the way by which 
 I wished to be conveyed to England. I chose that of 
 Bengal, on account of the good accommodations which 
 lord Pigott had provided me on board the Hawk, 
 and I shall never forget the favors and civilities he 
 conferred upon me. By this arrangement I hoped to 
 alleviate the hardships and fatigues of my passage to 
 Europe. The apprehensions arising from the prospect 
 of such a long voyage, with upwards of fifty prisoners 
 of war, of all descriptions, confined within a narrow 
 compass, and suffering many inconveniences ; but, above 
 all, the necessity to which, as I was informed, we should 
 be reduced, of living seven or eight months on salt pro- 
 visions, though the company had given orders to the 
 contrary, induced me to take this step, as the safest un- 
 der such circumstances. It was, however, the cause of 
 all my subsequent misfortunes. 
 
 The Hawk, in which I was to be conveyed to Europe, 
 proceeded without me from Madras to Bengal, because 
 I had not yet settled all my affairs. I was, therefore, or- 
 dered to prepare to join her by the first opportunity that 
 should offer, and which could not be far distant in a sea- 
 son when vessels were sailing every week for the gulf. 
 
 The first ship that happened to depar^was the Fatty- 
 salem, which had been built at Bombay, -and had never 
 been employed but in the India seas. She was intended 
 to 'carry great part of the stores taken by the English, 
 and near five hundred troops, which had been thought 
 fit to send to Bengal, because, after the reduction of Pon- 
 dicherry, they were not wanted on that coast. 
 
 In this unfortunate vessel I embarked on the 26th of 
 August, 1761, and the same day set sail. On the 28ih } 
 between ten and eleven in the morning, the captain of 
 the ship, in confidence, told major Gordon, the principal 
 officer of the troops, that there were seven feet water in 
 the hold, that, notwithstanding the exertions of the men, 
 the water continued to gain upon them, and that the 
 ship could not live above two hours longer. 
 
 When the people had been nearly two hours employed
 
 LOSS OP THE FATTYSALEM. 43 
 
 lightening the vessel, by throwing every thing overheard, 
 I kept a watchful eye upon the captain. I saw him 
 speaking to the major, with an air of consternation, de- 
 noting the greatest misfortune. I advanced towards 
 them and asked in a whisper, in English, what was the 
 matter. Major Gordon with a tremulous voice repeated 
 what he had just heard of the captain. Struck with the 
 dreadful intelligence, but not deprived of the power of 
 acting, I instantly formed my resolution. Cutting short 
 all useless words, I only asked the captain if we might 
 not save ourselves by taking possession of the boat 
 which was laden with pigs, and in tow astern of the ves- 
 sel. He replied, with the most dejected and discouraging 
 look, that this expedient would only cause us to survive 
 a few hours those we should leave on board ; and he 
 'did not think this measure practicable among so many 
 soldiers and sailors. This answer convinced me that 
 the pusillanimous captain had no resource. I told him 
 we would undertake the execution of the design, and 
 that for his part he had only to observe two points, not 
 to mention it to others, and to follow when he should 
 see us in the fatal boat. He immediately left us. The 
 major and I being left together, concerted our escape 
 from the vessel, which we executed in less than two 
 minutes. He descended from the deck by a private 
 ladder into the great cabin, to inform the officers of his 
 regiment, who might chance to be there, of our design, 
 for the moments were too precious to go elsewhere to 
 seek them. For my part, I called my servant, a trusty 
 fellow, on whom I could depend. He had been a sol- 
 dier in my company, and had likewise been taken pri- 
 soner ; but I had obtained his liberty of lord Pigott. I 
 told him in few words our intention. I immediately 
 shut the door, that the people might not see us from the 
 forecastle. As the ship, though very large, had no gal- 
 lery, I directed my servant to go out at one of the win- 
 dows of the cabin, and by means of a rope he let himself 
 down into the boat. I had previously furnished him 
 with my sword and a hatchet, ordering him to despatch 
 without mercy all that attempted to get into the boat,
 
 44 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 excepting they came from- the spot where I was stationed 
 to conduct our descent. Every thing was executed in 
 the best manner ; this intelligent servant kept the boat 
 for us till all those whom it was intended to receive had 
 descended, and our little embarkation was effected with 
 such success and expedition that he was not under the 
 necessity of making use of his weapons. As soon as the 
 captain, who through his irresolution had nearly lost the 
 boat, had entered with the rest, the first thing we did 
 was to cut the rope by which she was fastened to the 
 vessel, and to push off, so that in a short time we had 
 got a considerable distance. 
 
 We were now in an open boat, abandoned to the im- 
 pulse of the wind and waves, to the number of twenty- 
 five persons, among whom were two young ladies, the 
 wives of English officers, in Coote's regiment, all badly 
 accommodated, ill-clothed, and mixed promiscuously 
 with the hogs. Our first purpose was to make room, 
 for which purpose we began to throtv the pigs overboard ; 
 but a lucky reflection of one of the company caused us 
 to keep seven, in order that, at all events, we might not 
 be reduced to the horrible necessity of devouring each 
 other, which must have been the case without this 
 wretched resource. Having thus cleared the boat a 
 little, we were obliged to attend to another point equally 
 pressing. Each of us took off his coat or waistcoat, to 
 make a sail to our bark, and even the ladies were each 
 obliged to give one of the petticoats they had on, which 
 were only of muslin. All these things, being joined and 
 tied together, with our handkerchiefs torn into slips, 
 formed a kind of sail, equally weak and awkward. 
 
 While we were thus employed, the unfortunate crew 
 kept making signals that every thing was repaired, with 
 a view to induce us to return. This artifice was em- 
 ployed by our \vretched companions, in the hope of sav- 
 ing themselves in our boat. If we had been so weak as 
 to listen to our captain, who fell into such an evident 
 snare, we should have gone back, and all have perished 
 together. We, however, took care not to go near them, 
 and it was fortunate for us that we did ; for a few minutes
 
 LOSS OF THE FATTYSALEM. 45 
 
 afterwards the ship presented the most distressing spec- 
 tacle. She was no longer under government ; sometimes 
 she drifted away, and at other's she turned round like a 
 whirlwind. Soon afterwards one of the masts went by 
 the board ; another followed, and the third went next 
 The ship was now a sheer-hulk, still floating at the will 
 of the waves ; but which appeared to be kept afloat only 
 by the incessant exertions of the poor wretches, whose 
 piercing cries filled us with horror. A fog came on ; we 
 could no longer distinguish the vessel, and she must in a 
 short time have gone to the bottom. 
 
 It is always by comparison that we are fortunate or 
 miserable. What great reason had we to thank Heaven 
 for having preserved us from the fate to which between 
 five and six hundred persons left on board were doomed. 
 But what was the price of our escape ? For what mise- 
 ries reserved ? And, how melancholy our situation ! 
 In the open sea, in a crazy boat, which a single wave 
 would have sent to the bottom, in the hand of Provi- 
 dence, without compass, or any other rigging than our 
 little sail, which required all our attention. 
 
 We had not a drop of water, nor provisions of any 
 kind. Constantly wet with the waves which entered 
 our boat, and continually employed in baling the water, 
 with which Ave were incessantly inundated; and, not- 
 withstanding this fatiguing labor, were shivering with 
 cold, because we had very few clothes to cover our- 
 selves, and those few were thoroughly soaked. In this 
 state we floated at the mercy of the waves seven days 
 and seven nights. 
 
 Our only nourishment was a spoonful and a half of 
 pig's blood, distributed to each every twenty- four hours ; 
 for, in order to allow two spoonfuls, it was necessary to 
 mix with it a little salt water ; and never was any thing 
 more exactly measured than this scanty pittance. Many 
 of us, whose appetites and stomachs were equally good, 
 eat the flesh of the pigs quite raw, and we killed one 
 each day, so that on the seventh we had nothing left. 
 My principal regale was the liver, or coagulated blood, 
 which I only sucked, and then spit it out. My servant, 
 our butcher, always reserved that part for me.
 
 46 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Soon after twelve o'clock of the seventh night, we 
 thought we heard a noise, that at first appeared very 
 strange, but which we afterwards judged to proceed from 
 the dashing of breakers against the rocks, or against 
 some shore. We floated between fear and joy, and in- 
 patiently waited for daylight. That light, so slow in 
 its approach, at length arrived, and every thing disap- 
 peared. Judge of the revolution produced in our minds 
 and bodies by this vain hope destroyed, as soon as con- 
 ceived. It plunged us into such profound consternation, 
 that we should not have been able to bear up against it, 
 had not the hand of the Almighty speedily afforded 
 relief. 
 
 About seven the same morning, one of the company 
 cried out, " Land, or something like it." We now dis- 
 tinguished in the horizon a speck which our ardent de- 
 sire to meet with land actually caused us to take for 
 such. Nature was once more animated by a ray of 
 hope. We directed our course towards the point which 
 appeared in the horizon, and at nine began to distinguish 
 hills, but saw no land till we were on the beach, because 
 the shore is so extremely low. It is impossible to de- 
 scribe the effect this cheering sight produced upon us. I 
 will, however, endeavor to give you some idea of it. 
 We all immediately experienced a certain impression of 
 joy, vigor of life, with which our souls were penetrated, 
 - as a person is penetrated by the heat, when, after endur- 
 ing excessive cold, he comes to a good fire, whose genial 
 influence reanimates his benumbed powers. We felt a 
 delicious sensation of our feeble existence, and this sensa- 
 tion, diffused through all our faculties, seemed to restore 
 us to new life. It is only those who have been in the 
 same situation that can know the inexpressible enjoy- 
 ment of a moment of which assuredly no other situation 
 in life can afford an idea. 
 
 The question now was how to disembark. Here we 
 were under some embarrassment ; for the surf was very 
 strong, and the desert appearance of the coast, on which 
 we discovered neither house, nor inhabitants, nor chelin- 
 guis, (small boats which are used in the East Indies for
 
 LOSS OF THE FATTYSALEM. 47 
 
 embarking and going on shore,) was a more convincing 
 proof than the assertion of the pusillanimous captain, that 
 no European boat had ever landed there. A consulta- 
 tion was held, in which it was resolved to make the at- 
 tempt to let those save themselves who could. This 
 opinion, supported by those who could swim, and par- 
 ticularly by the captain, who even declared that he was 
 surd of getting on shore safe, was too contrary to hu- 
 manity to be adopted by good sense. It was the same 
 as condemning those who unfortunately were not famil- 
 iar with the water, and in particular the two females 
 and myself, who knew no more how to swim than they, 
 to almost inevitable death, at least, excepting the Al- 
 mighty should work a new miracle in our behalf. I 
 reprobated the measure, and told the captain in a firm 
 tone that it should not be executed as long as I had 
 breath ; that since part of the company were in the same 
 predicament with myself, and my servant, whose life 
 was as dear to me as my own, it was their duty to steer 
 the boat in such a manner, that we might all get to land 
 in safety. I added, holding my sword drawn before 
 him, that he should answer with his life for that of eve- 
 ry individual. 
 
 At these words an English officer, of the name of 
 Scott, a hotheaded man, and almost inclined to the most 
 violent measures, exclaimed, "What! does a single 
 Frenchman, and prisoner of war, here pretend to give 
 law to us, and dare to call us barbarians?" "Sir," said 
 I, calmly, " our common misfortune renders us all equal ; 
 I am free here as well as you, and repeat it at the risk 
 of all the satisfaction that may be demanded of me when 
 on shore, the captain shall answer with his life for the 
 lives of all our companions." 
 
 The captain being intimidated, ordered two lascars, 
 good swimmers, that had escaped with us. to place them- 
 selves beside me, and not to quit me till I was on shore. 
 He then went to the helm, and managed so skilfully, or 
 rather with such good fortune, that we ran aground 
 without any accident. In consequence, however, of a 
 very natural impatience, twelve of our companions, tho
 
 48 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 moment the boat struck, leaped into the water, and even 
 some of those who could swim nearly perished. They 
 were besides separated from us, the boat being thrown 
 by two waves into a river, which we did not perceive 
 till we had entered it. This river was so rapid that our 
 boat was soon driven aground, and we thus had an op- 
 portunity of getting on shore. 
 
 I wish I could describe this moment ; but how shall 1 
 trace it, with all its circumstances, with the simplicity, 
 the energy, the truth of nature 1 We scarcely felt the 
 ground, when each, occupied only with himself and the 
 single sentiment of his own preservation, no longer 
 thought of his companions. Our eyes sought only fresh 
 water, and something to prolong our existence. We per- 
 ceived a small lake, and we instantly ran to its banks, 
 plunging overhead in the water like ducks, to allay a 
 dreadful thirst, a thirst of seven whole days, to which 
 the heat of a burning fever bears no comparison. It 
 would be necessary to have endured, for the same length 
 of time, the devouring fire of thirst, of all human wants 
 the most insupportable, and the most pressing, to form 
 any conception of ours, and our eagerness to appease it. 
 In such a situation, the sufferer would give for a glass 
 of water all the gold and all the diamonds of India ; he 
 would give the world. From this you may judge of our 
 protracted sufferings, our transports on the banks of the 
 lake, and the delight we experienced. Having drank 
 our fill, we began some to eat the grass, arid others the 
 shell-fish, which fortunately happened to be on the spot 
 where we landed, and during forty-eight hours we had 
 no other nourishment. 
 
 We now began to be distressed at our separation into 
 two parties. We endeavored to join each other again, 
 but being prevented by the depth of the torrent that 
 separated us, each company began to march towards the 
 interior of the country, in quest of some habitation. The 
 country belonged to the dominions of the Rajah of Arsa- 
 pour, situated near the mouth of the Ganges. We had 
 not advanced far, when a snare was laid for us by the 
 natives, that they might the more easily get us into their
 
 LOSS OF T&E FATTYSALEM. 49 
 
 power. Two fishermen, by whom we had been dis- 
 covered, were directed to tell us to remain where we 
 were. ' They assured us that the sovereign of the place 
 was informed of our arrival in his dominions, that he 
 was acquainted with our disaster, and our, unfortunate 
 situation, and that, being a prince of a benevolent dispo- 
 sition, he would very soon send us relief of every kind. 
 A few hours afterwards a quantity of rice and hog's lard 
 was actually brought us, with the Ilajah's compliments, 
 and a promise that the following day we should be shel- 
 tered from the inclemency of the air, and particularly 
 the night dews, which was very dangerous in that cli- 
 mate. This promise they punctually performed, for the 
 next day people came to fetch us, but it was for the pur- 
 pose of conducting us to a small island, to be kept as 
 prisoners. Each of the two divisions was conducted by 
 a different route, and'we knew not what had become of 
 the other. There we remained seven weeks, having no 
 other nourishment than black rice, on paying for it, and 
 twice a week detestable salt fish : and to procure even 
 this we were obliged to sell every thing we had about us. 
 We, however, found means to tame two blacks, to whose 
 care we were consigned, and to procure of them some 
 indulgences. One of our ladies, Mrs. Tait, a native of 
 Ireland, who had a good voice, sung them some English 
 songs, to which they listened with great pleasure, though 
 they understood not a word of them. This complai- 
 sance obtained us from time to time some fruits and 
 other refreshments. The water we had to drink was so 
 unwholesome, that out of the two companies thirteen 
 died, and the twelve survivors were all attacked with 
 fevers or dropsies, and were either livid or yellow, and 
 so disfigured, that no one would have taken us for Eu- 
 ropeans. 
 
 But as no distress is so great as to deprive men of all 
 hope or the power of relieving themselves from it, so 
 our attention was incessantly directed towards the means 
 of escaping from our island. The two lascars who were 
 in our company appeared likely to aid us in the design. 
 With a pencil, which one of the ladies chanced to have
 
 50 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 preserved, we wrote a note to Barasole, where the Eng- 
 lish have a small factory. This we prevailed upon the 
 lascars to take, promising them a considerable sum of 
 money, if we should be released from captivity, and on 
 our arrival at the first European settlement. The las- 
 cars complied with our desire, and notwithstanding the 
 difficulties of the journey, they set off. They were 
 obliged to swim across three or four very large rivers, 
 and always to travel in the night, to prevent being dis- 
 covered by the natives. Having escaped many dangers 
 by their dexterity, or surmounted them by their boldness 
 and perseverance, they at length arrived at Cattack, the 
 residence of a Rajah, or chief of the Mahrattas. On 
 their arrival at that place they were carried before the 
 Rajah, and being interrogated respecting their business 
 there, they gave an account of our shipwreck, the man- 
 ner in which we had escaped, the distresses we had 
 since experienced, and our confinement by the Rajah of 
 Arsapour. They did not forget to add that we had with 
 us two young white women, and that the men were 
 people of consequence. The Mahratta chief then in- 
 quired if the men were proper for soldiers ; likewise asked 
 whether the women were very fair, and handsome enough 
 for his seraglio. The lascars having satisfied him rela- 
 tive to these particulars, the Rajah immediately sent for 
 *he son of the Rajah of Arsapour, who was then his hos- 
 tage, and ordered him to write to his father, to send off 
 to Cattack, immediately on the receipt of his letter, the 
 Europeans, both men and women, whom he had, for two 
 months, kept prisoners in an island. Conformably to the 
 policy of all the petty sovereigns of India, he likewise 
 took care to order that we might be sent by the worst 
 and least frequented roads, to conceal us as much as 
 possible from the sight of the natives. The order for 
 departure having been given separately to the two par- 
 ties, we set off with our guides, and had proceeded some 
 hours when we met. We had been parted two months, 
 and during this interval had received no tidings of each 
 other ; you may therefore conceive how great was our joy 
 on seeing one another again. We mutually learned the
 
 LOSS OF THE FATTYSALEM. 51 
 
 
 
 death of those of our companions which each party had 
 lost ; and skeletons, walking spectres, that could scarcely 
 walk, congratulated each other on being s'till alive. 
 
 The distance to Cattack was fourteen days' journey ; 
 this we travelled on foot, and almost without shoes. 
 Our journeys were very short, because we were all ill, 
 and exhausted with fatigue; besides, our way led al- 
 most continually through marshes, up to our waists hi 
 mud. We had several large rivers to cross, in the pas- 
 sage of which those who could swim assisted the others. 
 The two young English women, who certainly were not 
 formed for such hardships, were in a most deplorable 
 condition, and the sufferings of these poor creatures 
 seemed to aggravate our own distresses. One of them, 
 Mrs. Nelson, died four days before we reached Cattack, 
 but the other, though three months advanced in her 
 pregnancy, was so fortunate as to arrive at that place in 
 safety. 
 
 Although exhausted with fatigue at the end of each 
 day's journey, we were obliged to pass the night under 
 trees, because the people of the country would not per- 
 mit us to set foot in their houses, the exercise of hospi- 
 tality towards Europeans being prohibited by their reli- 
 gion. We, at length, arrived at Cattack, but some seve- 
 ral days before the others. There we learned that the 
 English had a factory in the place, and repaired thitker 
 immediately; but we found only some sepoys in the 
 Company's pay, and not a single European. The se- 
 poys received us with great kindness, and, moved by our 
 situation, they first went to the bazar, or market, to pro- 
 cure us some bread. This we greedily devoured, drink- 
 ing water, which they gave us, and thus made a deli- 
 cious repast. We congratulated one another on finding 
 ourselves under a roof, and sheltered from the inclemen- 
 cy of the air ; we then hvy down and slept. We ex- 
 pected the next day that the Mahratta chief would send 
 some orders relative to us", but he was then on a tour 
 in the country. His minister took no notice of us, and 
 allowed us nothing to subsist upon. The sepoys, there- 
 fore, continued to maintain us in the best manner ihey 
 were able.
 
 52 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 During our journey from the island in which we had 
 been confined to Cattack, the two lascars who had ef- 
 fected our release, and had concealed from the Mahratta 
 chief the commission with which they were intrusted by 
 us, proceeded on their route, and arrived at Barrasole, 
 where they acquainted the English 'with our situation. 
 They then went to Calcutta, and called upon Mr. Van 
 Sittart, the English governor of Bengal. The governor 
 lost no time in sending us relief; but, on account of the 
 distance, we did not receive it till twenty or twenty-five 
 days after our arrival at Cattack. He used all his influ- 
 ence with the Mahrattas to obtain our liberty, but as 
 they were not, at that time, on very good terms with the 
 Company, they refused to grant this favor to merchants. 
 It was, therefore, necessary that colonel Coote, the con- 
 queror of India, should demand our release, which he 
 obtained without difficulty. 
 
 Our company was soon anxious to repair to Barrasole, 
 at the distance of six days' journey. As for me and my 
 faithful servant we did not wait for the general order to 
 depart, but set off before the rest. I had found at Cat- 
 tack an European, a native of Russia, who had been a 
 gunner in M. De Bussy's army, and was now an artillery 
 officer in the service of the Mahrattas. As he under- 
 stood and could speak the French language, I endeavor- 
 ed, without informing him who I was, to learn his senti- 
 ments relative to M. De Bussy. He assured me that it 
 was he who had given the Asiatics the highest idea of 
 the Europeans, that he should regret him all his life, and 
 should never cease to adore him; these were his ex- 
 pressions. On this I told him I was a Frenchman, and 
 prisoner of war to the English ; that I had with me a 
 servant, to whom I was strongly attached, and that I was 
 desirous of leaving Cattack as speedily as possible. He 
 replied that he would procure me permission to leave 
 the place, provided the others should know nothing of 
 the matter till the moment of our departure. I kept the 
 secret, and he actually obtained a kind of permission for 
 me and my servant. I immediately hired two dooleys, 
 a kind of handbarrow carried by men. To pay for
 
 LOSS OF THE FATTYSALEM. 53 
 
 these and to support us on our journey, I sold my stock 
 buckle and sleeve buttons, the only things I had left. I 
 then took leave of my companions, frankly informing 
 them how and by what means I had obtained permission 
 to depart, that they might employ the same method. 
 
 Our journey to Barrasole had nearly proved fatal to 
 us ; being twice attacked by tigers, and had the pain to 
 see a Moor, that had been very serviceable to us several 
 times in our distress, carried off, at the distance of a few 
 paces from us, by one of these cruel animals. The same 
 tiger, after despatching the unfortunate man, came again 
 out of the wood, and gazed on us with a most terrible 
 look, but keeping close together, our firmness, and the 
 noise we made, obliged him to retire. 
 
 On my arrival at Barrasole, I met with some English- 
 men going to embark for Bengal. They proposed to me 
 to accompany them. I had scarcely time to drink a 
 glass, and went on board. 
 
 We were six or seven days in reaching Calcutta, it 
 being so very difficult to ascend the Ganges, and were 
 again near perishing in this short passage, where you 
 meet with rocks upon rocks, and dangers upon dangers. 
 When we had arrived at Goupil, I saw several of the 
 East India Company's ships, and begged the English to 
 let me go on board one of them. They perceived that 
 both myself and my servant were sick, exhausted, and 
 in want of every thing ; therefore, at the expense of two 
 rupees, all the money I had left, I procured a boat to 
 carry me on board the Plassy, commanded by captain 
 Ward. When I had got on board this ship, I imagined 
 my hardships at an end, and every thing was almost 
 forgotten. The first person I spoke to was Mr. White, 
 a captain of the Company's troops. He took my ser- 
 vant and me for two soldiers who had been robbed ; our 
 figure arid dress, equally worthy of pity, announced the 
 most miserable condition. This generous Englishman, 
 addressing himself to me, said, in his own language, 
 " Poor soldier ! you are badly equipped. Who "are you, 
 and whence do you come ?" I replied in English, " You 
 are right, I am a soldier, and my servant there is one 
 5*
 
 54 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 likewise ; we think ourselves very fortunate in being still 
 in existence." I added, that I was one out of twelve 
 who had escaped from the ship Fattysalera, which had 
 been lost, together with the crew, on the coast of Coro- 
 mandel; that I was indebted for my life, in the first 
 place, to my soldier's courage, and in the next to the 
 exertions of my servant, whom he saw overwhelmed 
 with disease, and unable to stand ; and concluded with 
 telling him my name and rank. Mr. White immediately 
 went to his cabin, and brought me a change of clothes 
 from head to foot, of which I certainly stood in great 
 need, for I had for ten weeks worn the same shirt, all in 
 tatters ; my servant only dipped it from time to time in 
 water, to ease me a little. The poor fellow, who was 
 quite naked, was likewise supplied with clothes. Mr. 
 White then presented me with some chocolate and some- 
 thing to eat ; but I was so weak that the smell only of 
 the chocolate had nearly made me faint, and I could not 
 eat any thing. I drank some tea, and that was all I 
 could get down. I received a thousand other civilities 
 from this worthy man, and the captain showed me equal 
 kindness. When I had changed my things and taken 
 my tea, those gentlemen proposed to me to go up the 
 Ganges to Calcutta with them, in a vessel that was just 
 going to set off. I consented, but not without great re- 
 gret, at being obliged to leave behind me in the vessel 
 my faithful companion, who was attacked with a violent 
 fever. However, as there was no other alternative, and 
 as the kindness of those gentlemen, both to him and to 
 me, rendered me easy with regard to his fate, I left him, 
 but not without great reluctance. He died soon after- 
 wards in the English hospital at Calcutta. 
 
 We arrived at that place the next day. I went to the 
 governor, Mr. Van Sittart, who received me with great 
 humanity, and assigned me, as a prisoner of war, one 
 hundred and twenty rupees per month for my subsist- 
 ence. I was in great want, and he did not make me any 
 advance. I had recourse to my benefactor, Mr. White, 
 who lent me three hundred rupees, which I expended in 
 the purchase of linen and clothes. I was two months
 
 LOSS OF THE FATTYSALEM. 55 
 
 without drawing the allowance assigned me by the go- 
 vernor. I was about to receive it, when I suddenly re- 
 ceived an order to embark in the Hawk, which was still 
 on the coast. I was sick, and had no linen made up, 
 nor any thing necessary to set out on so long a voyage. 
 I was, however, pressed to set off. Colonel Coote had 
 the kindness to defer my departure, and the Hawk sailed 
 without me. I therefore had time to equip myself. I 
 flattered myself that Mr. Van Sittart, to whom, in the 
 quality of an officer of the king's etat-major and captain 
 of his forces, I offered the necessary securities, or bills 
 of exchange on the French East India Company, would 
 advance me a sum to pay the debts which my situation 
 had obliged me to contract : but in this hope I found my- 
 self mistaken. I mentioned this subject shortly before 
 my departure to colonel Coote, who sent me three hun- 
 dred rupees. The governor hearing of it, likewise trans- 
 mitted me four hundred. This was all I received from 
 him, and I could not help receiving this scanty relief, 
 that I might leave no debts behind me. 
 
 On the 2d of February, I left Calcutta and returned to 
 Goupil, on the Ganges, where I embarked in the Hol- 
 dernesse, commanded by captain Brooke. I was re- 
 ceived with great kindness by the captain, who had on 
 board thirteen or fourteen other French officers, prison- 
 ers like myself. The ship arrived without accident, and 
 after a month's residence at London I was permitted to 
 return to France.
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES, 
 On the Coast of Caffraria^ the IQth of June, 1796. 
 
 THE account of the fate of the American ship Her- 
 cules, (and of the adventures and sufferings of her crew,) 
 which set out on her voyage from Bengal in the month 
 of December, 1795, involves so much interest, as cannot 
 fail to prove extremely entertaining ; nor can it be better 
 detailed than from the account given by the commander, 
 captain Benjamin Stout ; whose intention it was, to take 
 in a private freight for Hamburgh, but not finding one 
 that would answer his expectations, he chartered his 
 ship to the British East India Company, who were at 
 that time busily employed in shipping rice for England. 
 Intelligence having, reached the settlements in India that 
 a failure of corn throughout the whole of Great Britain 
 was likely to produce a famine, the most active and 
 laudable exertions were made in India to supply the 
 markets at home with rice ; and he received on board 
 umvards of nine thousand bags, with directions to pro- 
 ceed to London with every possible despatch. The crew, 
 most of which having been engaged in India, consisted 
 Americans, Danes, Swedes, Dutch, Portuguese, but 
 chiefly lascars, amounting in the whole, men and boys, 
 to about sixty-four. The necessary arrangements for the 
 voyage being completed, they sailed from Sugar-Roads 
 on the 17th of March, 1796. 
 
 Nothing material occurred during the voyage until the 
 1st of June following, at which time they reached the 
 latitude of about 35 south, and 28, 40' , east longitude. 
 It then began to blow a gale from the westward, which 
 obliged them to lay to under their mizzen stay-sail for six 
 days. During this time the gale continued to blow from
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 57 
 
 the west, but increased progressively until the 7th, when 
 the contentions of the sea and winds presented a scene 
 of horror, of which, perhaps, the annals of marine history 
 give us no example. " Although bred to the sea (says 
 captain Stout) from my earliest life, yet all I had ever 
 seen before, all I had ever heard of or read, gave me no 
 adequate idea of those sublime effects which the violence 
 and raging of the elements produce, and which, at this 
 tremendous hour, seemed to threaten nature itself with 
 dissolution." The ship, raised on mountains of water r 
 was in a moment precipitated into an abyss, where she 
 appeared to wait until the coming sea raised her again 
 into the clouds. The perpetual roaring of the elements 
 echoing through the void, produced such an aAvful sen- 
 sation in the minds of the most experienced of the sea- 
 men, that several of them appeared for some time in a 
 state of stupefaction ; and those less accustomed to the- 
 dangers of the sea added to this scene of misery by their 
 shriekings and exclamations. 
 
 The terrors of the day could only be surpassed by 
 those of the night. When the darkness came on, it is 
 impossible for man to describe, or human imagination to- 
 conceive, a scene of more transcendent and complicated 
 horror. To fill up the measure of their calamities, about 
 the hour of midnight a sudden shift of wind threw the 
 ship infb the trough of the sea, which struck her aft, tore 
 away the rudder, started the stern post from the hauden 
 ends, and shattered the whole of her stern frame. The 
 pumps were immediately sounded, and in the course of 
 a few minutes the water had increased to four feet. A 
 gang was immediately ordered to the pumps, and the re- 
 mainder were employed in getting up rice out of the run 
 of the ship, and heaving it overboard, in order, if possi- 
 ble, to get at the leak. After three or four hundred bags 
 were thrown into the sea, the principal leak was disco- 
 vered, and the water poured in with astonishing rapidity. 
 In order, therefore, to decrease as much as possible the 
 influx of water, sheets, shirts, jackets, bales of muslin, 
 and every thing of the like description were thrust into 
 the aperture. Had not these exertions been attended
 
 58 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 with some success, the ship must certainly have gone 
 down, although the pumps delivered fifty tons of water 
 an hour. 
 
 As the next day advanced, the weather began to mode- 
 rate. The men worked incessantly at the pumps, and 
 every exertion was made to keep the ship afloat. They 
 were at this time about two hundred miles from the east- 
 ern coast of Africa. 
 
 On the 9th, although the violence of the tempest had 
 in a great measure subsided, yet the swell of the sea was 
 tremendous. The longboat was ordered out ; but the 
 captain having reason to suspect that some of the ciew 
 would endeavor to make off with her, he directed the 
 second mate and three seamen to take possession of her ; 
 at the same time giving them arms and express orders to 
 shoot the first man who attempted to board her without 
 his permission. They were also instructed to keep 
 astern, but to stick by the ship until they came to an an- 
 chor. 
 
 The men having taken: their station in the boat, a raft 
 was ordered to be made of all the large spars, which was 
 accordingly done. The whole when lashed together 
 measured about thirty-five feet in length, and fifteen in 
 breadth. At this time the captain apprehended the hip 
 could not make the land, and being convinced, in case 
 of her going down, that all the people could nofrbe re- 
 ceived into the longboat, determined not to neglect any 
 measure that presented even a chance of saving the 
 whole. 
 
 When the second mate was preparing to obey the or- 
 ders he had received, and take command of the long- 
 boat, the carpenter addressed the captain in a respectful 
 manner, and earnestly entreated him to leave the ship. 
 On being reprimanded for not attending to the pumps, 
 the man burst into tears, and declared, that the whole 
 of the stern frame was shook and loosened in such a 
 manner, that he expected every minute she would go 
 down. The miserable appearance of this man, and the 
 affecting tone of voice in which he delivered his appre- 
 hensions, considerably increased the terrors of the crew ;
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 6$ 
 
 whereupon the captain thought it necessary to declare 
 that he would perform -his duty and stick to the ship 
 until he was convinced frotn his own observation that 
 all hope of saving her was at an end. The carpenter 
 repeated his solicitations, when he was ordered to his 
 post, and assured, at the same time, that unless he made 
 every exertion to encourage the people in their duty at 
 the pumps, he should be immediately thrown into the 
 sea. He retired, and exerted himself afterwards with a 
 manly perseverance. 
 
 The captain was immediately addressed oil the de- 
 parture of the carpenter by many of the sailors, and on 
 the same subject. They were so clamorous, and diffused 
 so much in their opinions, that he was nearly going to 
 extremes with some of them. 
 
 These circumstances are mentioned as a caution to 
 future navigators, who are intrusted with a command. 
 They too frequently listen to the opinion of their people 
 in time of danger, who are generally for quitting the ship, 
 and taking to boats, masts, yards and spars formed into 
 rafts, or whatever timbers they can lash together ; in- 
 deed, as the prejudices and sentiments of the common 
 sailors on these occasions are so various, it is not to be 
 supposed that any thing can arise from such a mistaken 
 conduct but confusion and misfortune. 
 
 A crew, such as composed that of the Hercules, which 
 consisted of people of various nations, require indeed 
 from their commander a peculiar attention. It may 
 happen, that by humoring their religious prejudices at a 
 particular moment, an essential service may be obtained ; 
 and the following remarkable anecdote will tend to elu- 
 cidate this opinion. 
 
 At a period when the tempest raged with the utmost 
 violence, the captain directed most of the crew below, 
 particularly the lascaxs, to work the pumps. One of 
 them, however, was perceived coming up the gangway, 
 with a handkerchief in his hand ; and on being question- 
 ed what he was about, he answered in a tone of voice 
 *!iat discovered a perfect confidence in the measure he 
 proposed, that he was going to make an offering to his
 
 60 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 god. " This handkerchief," said h'e, " contains a certain 
 quantity of rice, and all the rupees I am worth ; suffer 
 me to lash it to the mizzen-top, and rely upon it. sir, we 
 shall all be saved." The captain was going to order 
 him back to the pumps, but recollecting that in so doing 
 he might throw both him and his countrymen into a 
 state of despondency, and thereby lose the benefits of 
 their exertions, he acquiesced. The lascar thanked him, 
 and he soon beheld the child of prejudice mount the tot- 
 tering ladder without discovering a single apprehension. 
 He lashed the handkerchief to the mizzen top-mast head, 
 fearless of all danger, and arrived in safety on the dec. 
 Confident now that his god was the captain's friend, he 
 Went below to inform his brethren that he had done his 
 duty ; all the lascars seemed transported with joy, em- 
 braced their virtuous companion, and then labored at the 
 pumps with as much alacrity and perseverance as if they 
 had encountered, before, neither apprehension nor fa- 
 tigue. To their unceasing labors was owing, in a great 
 measure, the preservation of his people. 
 
 The shift of wind which threw the ship into the 
 trough of the sea and tore away the rudder, was fortu- 
 nately a squall of but short duration, not continuing 
 above a quarter of an hour. Had it lasted but a little 
 longer, the ship must have been torn to pieces. The 
 wind came round to its former quarter, and moderated 
 gradually. 
 
 After the longboat had been delivered to the care of 
 the second mate, and the raft completed, the captain held 
 . consultation with the officers, and they were all decid- 
 edly of opinion that it was impossible to save the ship, 
 and that they had no other chance to preserve their lives 
 than to make the land and run her on shore. 
 
 The people, when informed of the issue of this consul- 
 tation, appeared to work with renovated spirits. This 
 disposition was kept up by being assured they would 
 soon be within sight of land, and that by constantly 
 working at the pumps, the ship would be kept afloat 
 until they reached the shore. 
 
 She remained for some time unmanageable, frequently
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 61 
 
 Standing with her head from the land, which all their 
 efforts could not prevent. The captain got a rudder 
 made out of the top-mast, and fixed in the place of the 
 one they had lost ; but it was found of little use without 
 the help of the longboat, which he ordered therefore to 
 be hauled athwart her stern, and this served, although 
 with the greatest difficulty, to get her head towards the 
 shore, the wind being variable from the eastward. A 
 cable could have been got out, that might have answer- 
 ed tolerably well to steer the ship ; but the people could 
 not be spared from the pumps to attend roussing in on 
 the tackles, or guise, as occasion might require. 
 
 On the evening, however, of the 15th, they discovered 
 land at about six leagues' distance. All on board at this 
 moment expressed their joy in shouts and acclamations. 
 The ship still kept nearing the shore, with five feet water 
 in her hold. 
 
 On the 16th, in the morning, being then about two 
 miles from the land, and the wind from the westward, 
 the captain ordered the anchor to be let go, that a last 
 effort might be made to stop the leaks, and, if possible, 
 save the ship. But her stern was shattered in such a 
 manner, that after holding another consultation with his 
 officers, it was finally resolved to run the ship on the 
 coast then opposite to them. Another gale threatened 
 them, and no time was to be lost. 
 
 The captain immediately ordered his second mate, 
 who was in the boat, to come on board, and he then 
 delivered into his custody the ship's register, and all the 
 papers of consequence he had. After providing him and 
 his three men with water and provisions, he ordered him 
 into the boat again, with directions, to" keep in the offmg; 
 arid that after they had run the ship on shore, provided 
 they got safe to land, he would search for some inlet into 
 which he might run with safety. They desired him also 
 to look out for signals which would be occasionally 
 thrown out from the shore to direct his course. The 
 mate faithfully promised to obey his instructions, and 
 then returned to his boat. 
 
 They were now on the coast of Caffraria, within a 
 G
 
 62 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 few leagues where the Infanta river empties itself into 
 the sea. A dreadful crisis approached, and they agreed 
 to meet it with becoming fortitude. The captain there- 
 fore gave directions to set the head sail, to heave the 
 spring well taught, in order to get her head towards the 
 shore, and then to cut the cable and the spring. His 
 orders were obeyed with the greatest promptitude. 
 
 After running until within something less than half a 
 mile of the shore, she struck on a cluster of rocks. The 
 swell at this moment was tremendous; and from the 
 ship's thumping so violently, it was scarcely possible for 
 the men to hold on. In this situation she remained for 
 about three or four minutes, when a sea took her over 
 the rocks, and carried her about a cable's length nearer 
 the shore, where she again struck,, and kept heaving in 
 with a dreadful surf, which every moment made a 
 breach over her. 
 
 The lashings that held the raft having given way, and 
 the spars carried to a considerable distance from the 
 ship, they lost all hope from that quarter. At length 
 one of the crew, who was a black, plunged into the 
 \vaves, and by exertions which seemed more than hu- 
 man, gained and seated himself on the raft. He scarcely 
 remained in that situation for ten minutes, when the 
 whole was turned over and the man completely enve- 
 loped in the sea. In a few moments, however, they 
 perceived him in his former seat. Again he endured a 
 similar misfortune ; and a third succeeded. Still he 
 buifeted the waves, and gained the raft, until at length, 
 after suffering two hours of fatigue, which, until then, 
 the captain could not possibly imagine human nature 
 could survive, he drifted on land. 
 
 The natives, who had kindled several fires, appeared 
 in great numbers on the shore. They were mostly 
 clothed in skins, armed with spears, and accompanied 
 by a vast number of dogs. A party of them seized the 
 man who had landed, and conducted him behind the 
 sand-hills that line the coast, and which hid him entirely 
 from their view. 
 
 Twelve of the crew now launched themselves on dif-
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 63 
 
 ferent spars, and whatever pieces of timber they could 
 find. They braved all difficulties and at last gained the 
 land. No sooner had they reached the beach than the 
 natives came down, seized and conducted them also be- 
 hind the sand-hills. As it was impossible for those who 
 remained on board to discover what they were about, 
 and observing several parties of the natives appear at 
 different times on the shore, but not accompanied by any 
 of the people, they conceived all those who had landed 
 were massacred, and that a similar fate awaited the 
 whole of them. They who had remained on board the 
 ship were obliged to shelter themselves in the forecastle, 
 as the wreck becoming a fixed object, the sea made over 
 her, and there was no other part where they could remain, 
 even for a moment, in a state of security. 
 
 Suspense and apprehension reigned during the whole 
 of the night. Some were of opinion, that to avoid being 
 tortured by the savages, and perhaps thrown into the 
 fires they had perceived on shore, it would be more ad- 
 visable to resign themselves to a watery element, as in 
 that situation they should only endure a few struggles, 
 and then life would be no more. Others entertained 
 different sentiments, and were for making the shore in 
 as compact a body as possible. " We shall then," said 
 they, 1 ' attack the savages with stones, or whatever we 
 can find." This was overruled as a measure impracti- 
 cable ; there was no possibility of six men keeping toge- 
 ther ; but if such a number could, by a miracle, get on 
 shore without being divided* the natives could destroy 
 them in a moment with their spears. The whole of this 
 miserable night was spent in such consultations ; and as 
 the next sun was to light them to their fate, they trem- 
 bled at its approaching the horizon. 
 
 As soon as morning appeared, they looked towards 
 the shore ; but not an individual was to be seen. Dis- 
 traction was now visible in every countenance, and what 
 death to choose the principal consideration. At length, 
 about the hour of nine, the scene changed in a moment. 
 A delirium of ecstasy succeeded, which no pencil can 
 portray, no being can conceive, but those who beheld it.
 
 64 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 All the people who had landed the day before were 
 observed making towards the shore ; and they soon per- 
 ceived them beckoning and inviting them to land. In a 
 few minutes, every spar, grating, and piece of timber 
 that could be procured, were afloat, and completely oc- 
 cupied ; some with two people, others with more, accord- 
 ing to the size. "I immediately (says the captain) 
 stripped off my shirt, put on a short jacket, wrapped a 
 shawl round my waist, in the corner of which I put a 
 gold watch, and keeping my breeches on, seized a spar 
 and launched into the sea. For nearly three quarters of 
 an hour I preserved my hold, and drifted towards the 
 shore. Sometimes I was cast so near as to touch the 
 rocks with my feet, then hurried away to a considerable 
 distance; again I was precipitated forward, and in a 
 moment afterwards carried off by the returning sea. At 
 length a sudden jerk, occasioned by the swell, strained 
 both my arms, and I was compelled to quit the spar. 
 At this instant, although a considerable distance from 
 the beach, a wave that was proceeding rapidly towards 
 the shore bore me along, and in a few moments cast me 
 senseless on the sand. My people who were on shore 
 observed my situation ; they ran down, and snatching 
 me from the danger of the coming waves, bore me to 
 a place of security. I was insensible at this time, but 
 soon revived, as they placed me near a fire, and used 
 every means in their power for my recovery. The first 
 subject of inquiry, when my faculties returned, was, of 
 course, the fate of my unfortunate crew ; and I enjoyed 
 the heart-felt pleasure of beholding them all around me, 
 except them in the longboat, and one man, who perished 
 near the shore. I then addressed myself to the natives; 
 but on this occasion I labored under the difficulty of not 
 being understood. I knew nothing of their language, 
 and for some time I endeavored to explain myself by 
 signs. Fortunately there was a Hottentot present, who 
 had lived with the Dutch farmers, and could speak their 
 language. My third mate was a Dutchman, and these 
 served as interpreters. 
 
 " This difficulty being happily removed, I endeavored
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 65 
 
 by 6very means in my power to secure the friendship of 
 the natives. I thanked them in the name of my whole 
 crew, and on the part of my nation, for the liberal and 
 humane assistance they had afforded us in the hour of 
 our misfortune, and solicited their future kindness and 
 support. 
 
 41 This being, as I conceived, at no great distance from 
 the spot where the Grosvenor was lost in 1782, 1 inquired 
 of the natives whether any of them remembered such a 
 catastrophe. Most of them answered in the affirmative, 
 and, ascending one of the sand-hills, pointed to the place 
 where the Grosvenor suffered. 
 
 " I then desired to know of them whether they had 
 received any certain accounts respecting the fate of cap- 
 tain Coxson, who commanded the Grosvenor, and who 
 was proceeding on his way to the Cape, with several 
 men and women passengers, who were saved from the 
 wreck. They answered, that captain Coxson and his 
 men were slain. One of the chiefs having insisted on 
 taking two of the white ladies to his kraal, the captain 
 and people resisted, and not being armed, were immedi- 
 ately destroyed. The natives, at the same time, gave 
 me to understand, that at the period when the Grosvenor 
 was wrecked, their nation was at war with the colonists ; 
 and as the captain and his crew were whites, they could 
 not tell, provided they had reached the Christian farms, 
 but they would assist the colonies in the war. This 
 affected my situation so directly, that I desired to know 
 on what terms the Caffres and the colonists then stood. 
 ' We are friends,' said they, ' and it will be their fault if 
 we are not always so.' 
 
 " This answer relieved me from a very serious embar- 
 rassment ; but the fate of the two unfortunate ladies gave 
 me so much uneasiness, that I most earnestly requested 
 of them to tell me all they knew of their situation ; whe- 
 ther they. were alive or dead; and if living, in what part 
 of the country they were situated. They replied, and 
 with apparent concern, that one of the ladies had died 
 a short time after her arrival at the kraal ; but they un- 
 derstood the other was living, and had several children 
 6*
 
 66 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 by the chief. ' Where she now is,' said they, ' we know 
 not.' 
 
 " After 1 had received every possible information on 
 this melancholy subject, we employed ourselves princi- 
 pally during the remainder of the" day in assisting the 
 natives to save whatever came on shore from the wreck. 
 When they got a piece of timber, they placed it immedi- 
 ately on the fire, as the readiest method of procuring the 
 iron, which they sought after with the most persevering 
 diligence." 
 
 When night came on, the natives retired, and they left 
 us to sleep under the sand-hills, without covering, and 
 without food. The weather was boisterous, and a strong 
 wind from the westward, and the cold severe : a consul- 
 tation was held in what manner they should dispose of 
 themselves until morning, and they at length resolved 
 that some of them should keep watch during the night, 
 and the rest place themselves near the fire, and, if possi- 
 ble, obtain a little rest. 
 
 The night passed without any of the unfortunate suf- 
 ferers enjoying a moment of repose. Their bodies on 
 one side were heated by the fire, but the cold chilled the 
 other in such a manner as to render the pain hardly 
 supportable. The sand, driven by the winds in prodi- 
 gious quantities, filled their eyes, ears, and mouths, as 
 they lay under the banks, and kept them in perpetual 
 motion. They likewise entertained apprehensions re- 
 specting the natives. 
 
 At length day appeared, and the Caifres returned in 
 great numbers. The chief, knowing they were in want 
 of food, brought a bullock, which they immediately 
 slaughtered by knocking the animal on the head with 
 clubs, and penetrating its sides with their spears. It 
 was skinned almost in a moment, and they cut it up in 
 lumps, which they placed on the fire to singe, rather 
 than to roast, and then devoured their respective shares 
 with the highest satisfaction. The beast, as it was given 
 to the famished crew, it might be supposed would be 
 left for their own disposal ; but the Caffres were hungry, 
 and they knew nothing of European etiquette. It is true
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 67 
 
 they presented the bullock to them as a donation ; but 
 they saw no reason why they should not dispose of the 
 greater part of it. 
 
 On cutting up the animal, it was observed they paid 
 more than ordinary attention to the paunch. Several of 
 the Caffres laid violent hands on it ; and after giving it 
 a shake for the purpose of emptying the contents, they 
 tore the greater part in slits with their teeth, and swal- 
 lowed the' whole as it came warm from the beast. 
 
 Their meal, such as it was. being finished, part of the 
 crew proceeded to the shore, and the longboat was ob- 
 served at a considerable distance. The ship was divid- 
 ing very fast, and the gale increasing; many things 
 were therefore cast on shore, which the Caffres were 
 indefatigable in procuring. A cask, however, was 
 thrown on the beach, which considerably excited the 
 captain's anxiety : it contained sixty gallons of rum, a 
 quantity sufficient to have intoxicated the whole of the 
 natives, although they amounted to at least three hun- 
 dred. The predilection for such liquor is well known, 
 and the consequences of their intoxication were particu- 
 larly dreaded by the captain. The only way left was 
 to steal to the spot where the cask lay, and stave in the 
 head without being perceived by them. This was hap- 
 pily accomplished, and they afterwards stripped the ves- 
 sel of the iron hoops, without discovering what had 
 been done, or what it formerly contained. 
 
 In the general search on the shore, one of the Caffres 
 had picked up the ship's compass. Not knowing what 
 it was, yet pleased with its formation, he delivered it to 
 the chief, who immediately took it to pieces ; and after 
 contemplating the various parts, took the copper ring in 
 which it hung, and suspended it from his neck. He 
 appeared highly pleased with the ornament; and this 
 circumstance induced the captain to present him with 
 one still more glittering, and of course, in his estimation, 
 more valuable : recollecting that he had in his possession 
 a pair of paste knee-buckles, he presented them to the 
 chief, and hung one upon each of his ears. 
 
 The moment this was done, the chief stalked about
 
 68 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 with an air of uncommon dignity. His people seemed 
 to pay him greater reverence than before, and they were 
 employed for some time in gazing at the brilliancy of the 
 ornaments, and contemplating the august deportment of 
 their chief magistrate. 
 
 Towards evening the captain again addressed the 
 chief on the subject of their departure. He requested he 
 would send a guide with them through the deserts to 
 the first Christian settlement, and that nothing should 
 be wanting on his part to recompense his kindness. 
 The Caffre paused for a moment, and then very coolly 
 replied, that he would gratify the captain's wishes ; and 
 being desired to name the time when he would suffer 
 them to depart, he gravely answered, " When I consider 
 that matter you shall be made acquainted with my de- 
 termination." This answer alarmed the unfortunate 
 sufferers. The countenance of the savage appeared to 
 discover some hostile measure that was lurking in his 
 mind ; and yet his former conduct was so liberal and 
 humane, that they had no just ground for suspecting 
 his integrity. The natives, however, were perceived 
 consulting together in parties, and from their gestures 
 nothing favorable could be perceived. When the day 
 was drawing to a close, the crew was left to rest under 
 the sand-hills, as on the former night. 
 
 The fire was recruited with some timber from the 
 wreck, and sentinels placed as before. The wind blow- 
 ing hard from the same quarter, they were again .tor- 
 mented with clouds of sand, and a chilling atmosphere. 
 June being one of the winter months, they had to en- 
 counter the severities of the season. It was impossible 
 to shift their quarters, as they could not procure timber 
 to light new fires, and the Caffres might be displeased at 
 their not remaining in their former situation. The night 
 passed in consultations and gloomy predictions. The 
 captain told his people not to do any thing that might 
 have the least tendency to displease the natives ; to give 
 rJhem every thing they asked for, as the inhabitants of 
 these deserts were only to be dreaded when provoked ; 
 Lut at the same time, if, contrary to their expectation,
 
 r ' LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 69 
 
 they made an attack, or endeavored to detain them after 
 a certain time, then he hoped they would firmly unite, 
 and either force their way or perish in the conflict. 
 
 When the sun made its appearance, they mounted the 
 most elevated of the sand-hills to look out for the long- 
 boat ; but she was not to be discovered in any direction. 
 In a short time they perceived the Caffres advancing. 
 Most of them had assagays in their hands ; others were 
 furnished with clubs ; some were decorated with ostrich 
 feathers, and their chief wore a leopard-skin, -with the 
 captain's knee-buckles suspended as before. They sa- 
 luted the crew in a very friendly manner, and were 
 accompanied by them to the beach. The wind had 
 increased during the night, and several parts of the ship 
 came on shore. One of the people had picked up a 
 handsaw, and as he perceived the Caffres were indefa- 
 tigable in procuring iron, he hid it in the sands. This ' 
 was a valuable acquisition, and became of infinite ser- 
 vice to them in the course of their proceedings. 
 
 Having secured all they could obtain from the wreck, 
 the captain requested the chief to order some of his peo 
 pie to display their skill in the use of the assagays. This 
 is a spear of about four feet six inches in length, made of 
 an elastic wood, and pointed with iron, which the natives 
 contrive to poison so effectually, that if it wounds either 
 man or beast, death is the inevitable consequence. 
 
 The captain's wishes were immediately gratified. 
 The Caffres first placed a block of wood on the ground , 
 and then retired about seventy yards from the spot where 
 it lay. The chief then said they would now behold 
 their manner of fighting when engaged in battle. These 
 compliances, as they seemed to remove former suspicions, 
 gave great satisfaction to the sufferers. A party of about 
 thirty began their manoeuvring. They first ran to a 
 considerable distance ; then fell, as if motionless, on the 
 ground ; in a moment they started up, divided, joined 
 again, and ran in a compact body to the spot from 
 whence they originally set out. After halting for about 
 a minute, they let fly a shower of assagays at the mark, 
 and with a precision that was truly astonishing. 
 
 i
 
 70 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Not a word more passed this day about the departure 
 of the crew. The natives retired as usual on the ap- 
 proach of night. All were employed to gather wood ; 
 and after procuring a sufficient quantity, they stretched 
 themselves on the ground, and in spite of wind, sand, 
 and cold, slept until morning. 
 
 When day appeared, all were again employed in look- 
 ing out for the longboat ; but she was not to be seen, nor 
 did they ever hear of her again. 
 
 The Caffres did not make their appearance this day 
 until the sun had proceeded two hours in its course. As 
 little now was to be procured from the wreck, captain 
 Stout begged the chief to appoint a guide for himself and 
 crew, as he proposed taking his departure on N the next 
 day. " I shall furnish you with two," said the chief. 
 These joyful tidings were delivered with so. much frank- 
 ness, that the captain was relieved at once from all ap- 
 prehension and suspicion. * 
 
 Desirous of having the Hottentot who served as an in- 
 terpreter to accompany them through the desert, the 
 chief was given to understand how much the services of 
 this man would not only contribute to their pleasure, but 
 also to their safety. The honest savage, however, had 
 anticipated their wishes ; he had previously mentioned 
 it to the Hottentot, who had consented to proceed to the 
 first Christian farm. Another of the tribe, who was bet- 
 ter acquainted with the country, had likewise agreed to 
 be of the party; and this information, which was com- 
 municated to the crew, diffused a general joy and satis- 
 faction. 
 
 After assuring the chief and the Caffres in general of 
 our unalterable friendship, and that the guides should 
 be rewarded to the extent of their wishes, " I told him, 
 (says the captain,) we had endured great distress for 
 want of water, and begged to know where we could pro- 
 cure some. ' I will conduct you,' said he, ' to a spring 
 oi" excellent water ; it is not far from this place ; and, if 
 
 SDU think proper, we will proceed directly to the spot.' 
 o sooner was the proposal made than we set out ; the 
 Caffres singing and dancing as they proceeded, and my
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 71 
 
 people, although not without suspicion, in tolerable spi- 
 rits." 
 
 After travelling westward about four miles through a 
 delightful country, they came at last to a wood, in the 
 bosom of which was discovered a hollow. The Caffres 
 descended first, and when they all arrived at the bot- 
 tom, the chief pointed to the brook. They drank of the 
 water and found it delicious. After allaying their thirst, 
 they looked about, and from the dismal appearance of the 
 place, Avere again in a state of apprehension ; being 
 mostly of opinion, that nothing less was intended by the 
 Caffres than to massacre the whole party in this se- 
 questered place ; that they were decoyed here for the 
 purpose ; and that every man should prepare to defend 
 his life. The captain, however, endeavored to quiet 
 their apprehensions, and at last succeeded. 
 
 The Caffres having invited the party to remain on 
 this spot during the night, they began to prepare wood 
 for the fires. All hands went to work, and by the as- 
 sistance of a handsaw, they procured some dry trees and 
 underwood, that afforded a very comfortable fire. One 
 of the Hottentots, who was so rich as to possess a tinder- 
 box, struck a light ; and this accommodation being not 
 only highly useful, but unexpected, gave new spirits to 
 the whole party. 
 
 The natives, as the night came on, did not retire as 
 usual to their kraal. This gave a fresh alarm, which 
 did not appear to be without some cause ; situated as the 
 party then were, they were obliged to abide the event, 
 and therefore prepared for the worst that could happen. 
 The watch was set as formerly ; but the Caffres, hud- 
 dling together, were soon lost in sleep. This place, how- 
 ever dismal in its appearance, afforded a tolerable shelter 
 for the night ; clouds of sand were no longer trouble- 
 some, and the severities of the wind and cold were miti- 
 gated by the friendly shade afforded by the trees. 
 
 " We were roused," says the captain, " by the savages, 
 as the sun appeared, and we departed from this supposed 
 Golgotha in tolerable spirits. We had, however, con- 
 sumed the last pound of our bullock, before we left the
 
 72 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 sand-hills, and our party began to dread an approaching 
 famine. I mentioned the distress of my people to the 
 chief, and he promised to relieve us. We had journeyed 
 but a few miles, when the Caffres told us we must re- 
 main where we were that night. We accordingly set to 
 work to procure firewood, and had scarcely completed 
 this necessary business, when the chief presented us with 
 another bullock. It was soon despatched, skinned, cut 
 into pieces of about four pounds each, and we then pro- 
 ceeded to dress them as provision for our journey. This 
 was a business of so much importance, that most of the 
 day was spent in accomplishing it. 
 
 "The night passed with less apprehension thanjje- 
 fore, and when the morning came, we prepared for our 
 departure. 
 
 " The moment now arrived when the real intentions 
 of the Caffres were to be developed. The natives came 
 about us, and assisted in dividing the provisions. Each 
 man was to carry his own stock, which amounted to 
 about three or four pounds of beef; this, with some bis- 
 cuits, which a few of my people had contrived to pre- 
 serve from the wreck, was to serve us until we reached 
 a Christian settlement. So far from any appearance of 
 hostility, the natives seemed to view our departure with 
 regret. I took the chief by the hand, and thanked him 
 for his great and friendly attentions to me and my un- 
 fortunate crew ; assuring him at the same time, that if I 
 survived the journey, it would ever be my first considera- 
 tion to render him and his people some essential service. 
 He thanked me, and then requested I would tell the 
 colonists our ship was -lost at sea, and so distant from the 
 land that no part of her could possibly reach the shore. 
 He also desired me to place the utmost confidence in my 
 guides, as they would certainly direct me for the best. 
 After my people and the natives had exchanged some 
 mutual civilities, we parted, and gave one another a last 
 and affectionate adieu." 
 
 They did not take their departure on the morning of 
 the 23d until the sun was well up. The guides were in- 
 telligent, and gave them to understand that they must
 
 LOSS OP THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 73 
 
 on no account travel early, as the wild beasts constantly 
 rose with the sun, and then ranged the deserts in quest 
 of their prey. As they were all unarmed, a single lion, 
 leopard, or panther could have destroyed most of them. 
 It became, therefore, highly necessary they should not 
 stir until these animals had satisfied their hunger, and 
 were retired for the day. 
 
 Notwithstanding this cautious and necessary advice, 
 and which was given with a laudable earnestness for 
 their preservation, still the people were so desirous of 
 getting on, that they grew uneasy ; but the guides could 
 not be induced to quit the fires until about nine o'clock, 
 at which time they all proceeded, and in good spirits. 
 
 Not more than three or four of the party were at this 
 moment in possession of shoes. They had many hun- 
 dred miles to travel through unknown countries, to as- 
 cend mountains of stupendous elevation, penetrate woods, 
 traverse deserts, and ford rivers ; and yet they were to 
 combat all these difficulties barefooted, not having saved 
 above four pair of shoes, and even these but in a sad con- 
 dition. 
 
 " As my feet were naked," says the captain, " like 
 most of my people, one of them offered me an old pair 
 of boots which he then wore ; but I refused them. My 
 habiliments were a short jacket, a tablecloth, which I 
 found on the shore, wrapt round my loins ; a shawl over 
 it ; four shirts, which I wore at the same time ; a pair of 
 trousers, and a hat. We bore to the westward on our 
 setting out, for the purpose of obtaining fresh water in 
 the course of our journey. Our guides observed, that 
 near the coast the water was generally brackish ; we 
 therefore struck into the interior, and were not entirely 
 disappointed in our expectations." 
 
 They now travelled through a country beautifully 
 variegated with hills, dales, extensive plains finely 
 watered, but less wooded than the former. The grass 
 appeared of an extraordinary height ; but in the course 
 they pursued, not a human footstep could be traced ; no 
 cattle, nor sign of cultivation, could be observed. They 
 were not interrupted by any beast of prey, although they
 
 74 HEMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS; 
 
 ^distantly perceived their dung. At length, after travel- 
 ling about thirty-five miles, they began to feel the want 
 of wateri 
 
 Having searched for this indispensable aliment, with 
 the utmost anxiety and attention, they were so fortunate 
 as to discover, before sunset, a brook that ran near the 
 corner of a wood ; and here they determined to rest for 
 the night. They began, therefore, to prepare a sufficient 
 quantity of fuel. The wood was chiefly composed of 
 trees that partook in some degree of the nature of thorn : 
 they cut several, and arranged their fires. One of the 
 Caffres struck a light, and the whole^ in a few minutes, 
 was in a blaze. The tinder which he provided was of a 
 particular description ; it consisted of a pitchy substance, 
 extracted from a reed, and so tenacious of fire, that a 
 single spark from the steel caught it in a moment. The 
 weather being cold, they resolved to sleep close to one 
 another; but the guides told them the place they had 
 fixed upon to rest during the night was known to be in- 
 fested with leopards, and that, if they scented the party, 
 nothing could prevent them from destroying some of 
 them. This intelligence induced them to enlarge their 
 fires, and they began to consult upon other measures 
 that were likely to contribute also to their preservation. 
 But such is the powerful influence of Morpheus over the 
 harassed soul, that thejr conversation had scarcely com- 
 menced on this important subject, when they were all 
 relieved from any sense of danger, by gently falling into 
 a sound sleep, in which they remained in perfect securi- 
 ty until moxning. 
 
 No sooner had the sun peeped above the horizon, than 
 they were all roused by the tremendous roaring of lions. 
 Never were men in a situation more truly alarming. 
 Had they discovered them during the night, they must 
 have been torn to pieces when sleeping, as not an indi- 
 vidual could attend the watch, or keep awake even for 
 an hour. They therefore congratulated one another on 
 rinding they had all escaped, and set out about seven in 
 the morning in. company with their guides. They soon 
 arrived at the bank of a small river, which, being per-
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 75 
 
 fectly dry, they crossed without difficulty. Shortly after 
 they came to another, which they likewise passed in a 
 few minutes. They reached at length some islands, from 
 the tops of which they discovered several beautiful vales, 
 clothed with long dry grass, and clusters of trees; in 
 other places, forests of considerable extent, and skirting 
 mountains of different elevations. In the course of the 
 day they were in great distress for want of water, and 
 lost much time in the pursuit of it. Indeed they almost 
 despaired of finding any, as the earth appeared so dry as 
 to exhaust all the brooks they had visited. Luckily, 
 however, about sunset, they discovered a small rivulet 
 that ran near the skirt of a forest ; and, although the 
 water was not good, yet it still relieved them from a 
 dreadful situation. 
 
 Having travelled this day about thirty miles, they de- 
 termined to remain where they were during the night, 
 All hands, therefore, went immediately to work, for the 
 purpose of getting fuel. They had seen no wild ani- 
 mals in the course of the day, but frequently observed 
 the dung of the elephant and the rhinoceros. 
 
 As their situation for this night was as dangerous and 
 deplorable as on the preceding one, they determined to 
 enlarge their fires, as the only means of safety they had 
 left. This was accordingly done, and they. had the 
 pleasure to find, when the day appeared, that not an in- 
 dividual was missing of the whole party. 
 
 They proceeded on their journey shortly after sun- 
 rise ; and, as they were to travel through a wood of con- 
 siderable extent, the guides told them to be upon their 
 guard, as they would certainly be interrupted by wild 
 animals, which resorted to that place in prodigious num- 
 bers. They determined, notwithstanding, to brave all 
 dangers, and accordingly proceeded. They indeed es- 
 caped the lions, the panthers, the rhinoceros, the ele- 
 phant, &c. but, unfortunately, about noon, came up with 
 a horde of Caffres, that were distinguished by their own 
 countrymen as a bad tribe. They spoke at first to some 
 Caffre women, who behaved kindly, and gave them 
 one or two baskets of milk. These baskets are made 
 of twigs, wove so closely together as to hold water,
 
 76 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Having proceeded but a short way, after receiving this 
 instance of female liberality, they were stopped by twelve 
 Caffre men, armed with spears, and clothed in leopard- 
 skins. Their guides, alarmed at the appearance of these 
 savages, flew to the banks of the great Fish river, which 
 at that time was not more than two hundred yards from 
 the place where they stood. They repeatedly called on 
 them to return, but in vain ; they immediately crossed 
 the bed of the river, which was dry, and having reached 
 the opposite shore, ascended an adjoining mountain with 
 the utmost precipitation. The savages brandished their 
 spears, and appeared by their gestures to menace the 
 destruction of the people. They could not understand 
 them, but supposed they demanded from them whatever 
 articles they possessed ; and as these principally consist- 
 ed of the iittle stock of provisions they had left, and their 
 clothes, they determined not to part with either. 
 
 One of the captain's people had a knife, which was 
 slung over his shoulder. A Caffre perceiving it, made 
 a snatch at the handle ; but the owner resisting it, he 
 lost his hold. This so enraged the savage, that he lifted 
 up his assagay with an apparent intention of despatching 
 the object of his resentment. At the moment he stood 
 in this attitude, a more finished picture of horror, or what 
 may be conceived of the infernals, was perhaps never 
 seen before. The savage wore a leopard's skin; his 
 black countenance bedaubed with red ochre; his eyes, 
 inflamed with rage, appeared as if starting from their 
 sockets ; his mouth expanded, and his teeth gnashing 
 and grinning with all the fury of an exasperated demon. 
 He was, however, diverted from his purpose, and drop- 
 ped the assagay. 
 
 The crew 'instantly proceeded to the river, and cross- 
 ed it in pursuit of their guides, who were standing on 
 the summit of the mountain ; when they came up, the 
 guides expressed the utmost satisfaction at their escape. 
 They gave them a terrible description of the people they 
 had just left, and assured them, if the remainder of their 
 horde had not been hunting at the time they got to the 
 Fish river, not a man of them would have survived,
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 77 
 
 They also declared, that they were the most abominable 
 horde throughout the whole of Caffraria. 
 
 Their conversation lasted but a few minutes, when 
 they resolved to descend the mountain, and pursue their 
 journey. Scarcely had they put themselves in motion, 
 when a scene of the most extensive and luxuriant beau- 
 ties burst in a moment on their view. The danger they 
 had just escaped engaged their attention so entirely, 
 when they gained the summit, that they did not im- 
 mediately perceive the world of beauties that now lay 
 spread before them. All stood for some time in a state 
 of rapture and amazement. The country was mostly 
 a level, yet pleasingly diversified with gentle elevations, 
 on the tops of which they could perceive clumps of the 
 mimosa tree, and the sides clothed with shrubs of vari- 
 ous denominations. A thousand rivulets seemed to mean- 
 der through this second Eden; frequently skirting or 
 appearing to encircle a plantation of wood; then sud- 
 denly taking a different direction, glided through a plain 
 of considerable extent, until it came to a gentle declivi- 
 ty ; here it formed a natural cascade, and then, follow- 
 ing its course, proceeded in an endless variety through- 
 out the whole of the country. 
 
 As they stood gazing on this sylvan scene, they per- 
 ceived innumerable herds of animals, particularly of the 
 species of the gazelle, scouring over the plains; some 
 darting through the woods, others feeding, or drinking at 
 the rivulets. As far as the eye travelled in pursuit of 
 new beauties, it was most amply gratified, until at length 
 the whole gradually faded on the view, and became lost 
 on the horizon. They were so wrapt in ecstasy in con- 
 templating this landscape, that they forgot their danger, 
 and remained too long upon the mountain. They at 
 length descended and proceeded on their journey. 
 
 Before the day closed they fixed on a place where 
 they were to remain until the morning. It was near a 
 wood, mostly composed of that kind of thorn already 
 mentioned. Several of these they immediately cut, not 
 only for the purpose of fuel, but to form a barricade of 
 defence against the wild animals during the night. 
 7*
 
 78 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 After completing their fortification, lighting the fires, 
 and supping in the best manner possible, they lay down 
 to rest ; but their sleep was constantly disturbed during 
 the night by a herd of elephants brushing through the 
 wood, passing and returning almost every moment. Had 
 not the fence been erected the preceding evening, they 
 would in all probability have been trampled to death by 
 these monstrous animals. They had the good fortune 
 however to escape ; and, about seven the next morning, 
 proceeded on their journey, in company with the guides. 
 
 They travelled this day through a delightful country. 
 The land, in some places, seemed to be composed of a 
 red and yellow clay, and the valleys appeared covered 
 with a very thick and long grass, but not a sign of agri- 
 culture was to be observed. In the course of the day 
 they perceived a few deserted huts, one of which they 
 entered, but paid severely for their curiosity, as those 
 who ventured in were in a moment entirely covered 
 with fleas. 
 
 Water was found sometimes, but it was brackish, al- 
 though they were at least fifty miles from the sea. They 
 kept at this distance during most of the journey. 
 
 They brought up for the night, after travelling about 
 thirty-five miles, at the skirt of a small forest, and pro- 
 vided fuel, with a temporary defence, as before. The 
 provisions being nearly exhausted, they were obliged to 
 eat sparingly, although most of them were ravenously 
 hungry. 
 
 About seven in the morning they again set out ; but 
 many of the people dropped astern in the course of the 
 day, being almost worn out with fatigue. In this situa- 
 tion it was thought advisable for such of the party as 
 could travel to get forward, and provide a place where 
 wood and water could be had. The captain was of this 
 company ; and that all those who remained behind 
 might find their way, he ordered the CarTre guides to set 
 fire to the long grass, which served during the night as 
 a point of direction. He was likewise in expectation of 
 their coming up before morning, but was sadly disap- 
 pointed. They remained stationary until the sun ap- 
 peared, and then went on.
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 79 
 
 Not one of the people left behind appeared this morn- 
 ing ; but the guides were of opinion they would reach a 
 Christian settlement in the course of the day, where as- 
 sistance would certainly be had. This intelligence gave 
 them new spirits ; and they travelled with unusual alert- 
 ness until they came to a farm-house. Here relief was 
 expected, but none was to be found : the whole place 
 had been deserted for some time; they were obliged, 
 therefore, to sleep again in the air, and leave their 
 absent and miserable companions to all the horrors of 
 the desert. 
 
 This was not a night of sleep, but lamentation. They 
 sat round the fire, and spoke of nothing but their absent 
 messmates, and their unfortunate situation. They were 
 left defenceless, without food, hardly able to stand erect, 
 and in a country where the ferocious animals were most 
 numerous. They were likewise every hour in danger of 
 an attack from the Boshis-men, who swarm in these parts, 
 and destroy the unhappy objects of their vengeance with 
 arrows that are poisoned. The sensibility of the people 
 on this melancholy occasion displayed the genuine cha- 
 racter of a sailor. Men who could brave all the dangers 
 of the tempest, and face death without a trembling 
 nerve, even in the cannon's mouth, could not, however, 
 speak of their distressed and absent brethren without a 
 tear. Their own misfortunes were forgotten, and their 
 only consideration, during the night, was their unhappy 
 messmates, whom they never expected to behold again. 
 
 They remained here for more than an hour after the 
 rising of the sun. Out of sixty, that composed the party 
 when they departed from the beach, thirty-six were so 
 maimed and worn down by fatigue as to be unable to 
 travel : these remained in the desert, if not already de- 
 stroyed, and had no hope of preservation but by the 
 exertions of the party who were able to proceed. The 
 guides were now certain that a Christian habitation was 
 at hand. The last they saw had been destroyed by the 
 CarTres in the war with the colonists : it was therefore 
 determined to proceed to a place where relief could be 
 obtained, with every possible despatch. The people
 
 80 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 proceeded with redoubled energy ; the salvation of their 
 companions was the incentive, and that consideration 
 banished every idea of danger or fatigue. 
 
 They travelled without a single halt for about three 
 hours, when one of the guides, who was advanced, 
 roared out, in a transport of joy, "I see a Hottentot, 
 attending a flock of sheep." It was the voice of a seraph 
 proceeding from a Caffre. They all ran to the place 
 where he stood, and, at a considerable distance, observed 
 a man attending a flock of at least four thousand. They 
 moved in a body towards the shepherd, who seemed at 
 first to be alarmed; but perceiving that they were mostly 
 whites, and unarmed, he stopped until they came up. 
 The captain requested of him to direct them the nearest 
 way to the first settlement, which he did, and at the 
 same time informed us the proprietor was a good man; 
 the distance, he said, was about three miles. The plea- 
 sure diffused through the party, on receiving this infor- 
 mation, it is impossible to describe. The captain em- 
 braced this opportunity, and went on; a general joy 
 succeeded, and who should be foremost was the princi- 
 pal consideration. 
 
 At length ecstatic reflection ! they came within sight 
 of a Christian farm. "Come on, my lads," said the 
 captain, "we are safely moored at last; and our people 
 in the deserts will be soon relieved." Some tottered as 
 they stood, overcome with joy, and could not move; 
 others appeared as in a trance, until at length about ten 
 followed him, and they entered the house of Jan du 
 Pliesies. 
 
 Fortunately, this was a settler of the best order, about 
 sixty years old, bom in Holland, but who had resided in 
 Africa for many years ; humane, generous, and possess- 
 ing a heart that appeared to be the constant mansion of 
 a virtuous sympathy. His cottage was formed of clay, 
 thatched with a kind of reed, and furnished with a few 
 stools, a table, and some kitchen utensils. His family 
 consisted of five or six sons, their wives and children, 
 together with a daughter, making together about twen- 
 ty people. His stock, however, was considerable, not
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 81 
 
 i 
 
 less than twelve thousand sheep, and one thousand 
 oxen. 
 
 After the alarm which their first appearance occa- 
 sioned had subsided, the captain told the story of their 
 melancholy disaster, and implored his assistance for the 
 relief of the unhappy people who were left behind. 
 This good man could not listen to the relation without 
 discovering by his countenance the tenderness of his 
 nature. His face, which was naturally pallid, became 
 at certain intervals of a crimson hue : these emotions 
 appeared as the effervescence of sensibility, and to exhi- 
 bit, in glowing colors, the complexion of virtue. 
 
 As no time, he said, should be lost in preparing for 
 the relief of the unfortunate people, he immediately di- 
 rected two of his sons to harness eight oxen to a wagon, 
 His orders were obeyed with a cheerfulness that evinced 
 an hereditary goodness, and that it had descended, un- 
 impaired, from the sire to his children. They were di- 
 rected to travel all night ; and the guides described the 
 spot so minutely as to avoid all possibility of a mistake. 
 The wagon was soon out of sight, and they all sat down 
 to partake of a sheep, which our liberal host had ordered 
 to be killed for their entertainment 
 
 When the meal was over, the worthy colonist began 
 to interrogate them respecting their journey through 
 Crffraria. He could not possibly conceive, he said, how 
 the Tambochis could be induced to suffer their depar- 
 ture. They were such a horrid race, that nothing was 
 so gratifying to their nature as the shedding of human 
 blood. The Boshis-men, he also observed, were so nu- 
 merous, and so perpetually on the look-out, that he was 
 amazed at their travelling with any degree of security ; 
 but when he considered that they came through a part of 
 Caffraria so infested with carnivorous animals that peo- 
 ple could never travel safely but in parties, and well 
 armed, he declared their being then in his house ap- 
 peared to him a kind of miracle. 
 
 The captain took this opportunity of giving our wor- 
 thy host a proper idea of the Tambochis. His mind had 
 been poisoned by some of his depredating neighbors, and
 
 82 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 never going on such parties himself, he had entertained 
 these prejudices without having an opportunity of know- 
 ing the contrary. He appeared much pleased at the 
 conduct of the Tambochis during our abode in their 
 country, and declared this circumstance alone would 
 relieve him from many hours of uneasiness. 
 j His sequestered mansion was nearly surrounded by 
 trees, on which were hung to dry the skins of lions, ti- 
 gers, panthers, and other destructive animals killed i'n 
 the vicinity of his own habitation. The carcasses of 
 two enormous creatures were observed lying near the 
 door, which had the appearance of being recently de- 
 stroyed. They were two rhinoceroses that the farmer's 
 sons had killed, but the day before, on their own land. 
 This gave rise to a narrative respecting these animals, 
 which the good man related with great circumspection, 
 and which appeared very extraordinary. 
 
 "These creatures," said the farmer, "are more sa- 
 vage, and infinitely more to be dreaded, than any other 
 animal of the deserts. Even the lion, when he perceives 
 a rhinoceros, will fly from him in an instant. I had a 
 proof of this," said he, "about two years ago. As I was 
 traversing my lands in the morning, I perceived a lion 
 entering a thicket, about the distance of half a mile from 
 the place where I stood. In a few minutes after I ob- 
 served a second, then a third, and a fourth came ; they 
 seemed to follow one another at their leisure, and, in less 
 than an hour, I counted nine that entered the same wood. 
 Never having seen so many of the same species together, 
 I was desirous to know the event of their meeting, and I 
 concealed myself for the purpose. After waiting for 
 rather more than an hour in my lurking place, without 
 either seeing any of them or hearing any noise from the 
 quarter where they lay, I began to despair of having my 
 curiosity in the least gratified. At length I perceived a 
 rhinoceros of uncommon magnitude approach the wood. 
 He stood motionless for about five minutes when he ar- 
 rived at a small distance from the thicket, then tossed 
 up his nose, and at last scented the animals that lay con- 
 cealed. In an instant I saw him dart into the wood, and
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHI? HERCULES. 83 
 
 m the space of about five minutes afterwards I observed 
 all the lions scamper away in different directions, and 
 apparently in the greatest consternation. The rhinoceros 
 beat about the wood in pursuit of his enemies for a con- 
 siderable time ; but not finding any, he broke covert at 
 last and appeared on the plain. He then looked around 
 him, enraged at his disappointment, began tearing up the 
 earth, and discovered every sign of madness and despe- 
 ration. I remained quietly in my retreat until the ani- 
 mal disappeared, and then returned to my house." 
 
 The travellers slept this night on sacks, which their 
 host had arranged for their accommodation. At break- 
 fast on the succeeding morning, their benefactor enter- 
 tained them with some very interesting observations 
 respecting the country where he resided. He particular- 
 ly stated the hardships which the colonists endured from 
 the restrictive orders and persecuting conduct of the go- 
 vernment at the Cape. " I have lead ore," said he, " on 
 my own farm, so near the surface that we can scrape it 
 up with our hands, and yet we dare not touch it." If we 
 were known to melt and use a single pound of it, we 
 should all be transported, for life, to Batavia." 
 
 Before they had finished their meal, their benefactor 
 despatched messengers to his neighboring friends, de- 
 siring their assistance to get the crew to the Cape. Se- 
 veral of them came and behaved with the greatest ten- 
 derness and liberality. They went so far as to say, that 
 such as were desirous of remaining in the country till 
 they were perfectly recovered, should be accommodated 
 at their houses ; and as they travelled once in every year 
 to the Cape, they would take the first opportunity of 
 conveying them thither. The captain thanked them for 
 their kindness, but declined accepting their proposal, as 
 his intention was to make the Cape with every possible 
 expedition. 
 
 This conversation was interrupted by a Hottentot ser- 
 vant who ran into the house and declared the " wagon 
 was in sight." All flew to meet it, and the captain had 
 the heart-felt consolation of perceiving twenty-three 
 of his unfortunate people, chiefly lascars, lying down
 
 84 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 in the machine. On their arrival, the two sons of Pliesles 
 said they found them near a wood, perfectly resigned to 
 their fate, having given up all hopes of relief. The pre- 
 ceding thirteen of their companions had separated from 
 them ; but where they had strayed to not one of them 
 could even guess at. These poor fellows, after enduring 
 for a long time the most unexampled miseries, all arrived 
 >in safety at the Cape. 
 
 They were now forty-seven in number, and as they 
 were to proceed in wagons, such as were afflicted with 
 sore feet, or weak, through hunger and fatigue, would 
 not again be separated from their companions. 
 
 Their benevolent host now provided them with a wa- 
 gon and two sets of oxen, each set containing eight. 
 They were occasionally to relieve each other on the 
 way, and two or three Hottentot servants were appointed 
 as drivers, and to take charge of the relaying cattle. 
 One of the farmer's sons, completely armed, was likewise 
 directed to attend them, and the wagon was stored with 
 provisions and water sufficient for them until they should 
 arrive at the next settlement. 
 
 They took their departure from the hospitable mansion 
 of the benevolent Du Pliesies on the morning of the 2d of 
 July. The guard was perpetually on the watch, lest the 
 Boshis-men or the wild animals might dart upon them 
 unperceived. About eight o'clock in the evening, how- 
 ever, they reached the second farm in perfect security. 
 The distance travelled was about thirty-five miles this 
 day, and all the people in good spirits. 
 
 The owner, whose name was Cornelius Englebrock, 
 they found also a benevolent character. His cottage 
 was poor indeed, but all that he could afford he gave 
 with cheerfulness. His neighbor's letter was produced, 
 which he read with great attention, and then said, " My 
 friend is a good man, and I always valued him ; but you 
 wanted no other recommendation to my poor services 
 than your misfortunes." 
 
 They remained here during the night, after partaking 
 of a frugal repast which their host had provided, and 
 which was given with many innocent apologies for its 
 scantiness.
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. , 85 
 
 Before their departure on the ensuing morning, the 
 farmer generously presented them with nine sheep. The 
 poor man lamented that he could not let them have a 
 morsel of bread. "We live, (said he,) the year round 
 chiefly on mutton and game, but seldom enjoy the luxury 
 of a loaf." He insisted, however, on the captain's taking 
 the sheep, which he accepted with many thanks, and 
 they then departed on their journey. 
 
 During the four or five succeeding days, they travelled 
 on from house to house, generally at fifteen or sixteen 
 miles' distance from each other, and were received at all 
 of them with a disinterested hospitality. These occur- 
 rences are related with a scrupulous attention to fidelity, 
 because the colonists, without distinction, have been fre- 
 quently represented as a ferocious banditti, scarcely to 
 be kept within the pale of authority. 
 
 During several days' travelling they could get but little 
 bread, and not much water. The countries were alter- 
 nately hill and dale, and often afforded the most romantic 
 prospects. They frequently perceived vast quantities of 
 wolves, and such droves of that species of deer which 
 the farmers call spring-buck, that one flock alone could 
 not contain less than from twelve to fourteen thousand. 
 Indeed many of the settlers said they had seen double that 
 number at one time, and frequently killed three at a sin- 
 gle shot. Our travellers likewise saw vast quantities of 
 guinea-fowl, which after a shower of rain are easily 
 caught by the farmers' dogs. 
 
 The zebra, or wild ass, is common in these advanced 
 colonies, and many of them were seen. Ostriches were 
 likewise very numerous. They had such plenty of veni- 
 son at the houses where they stopped, that their stock of 
 nine sheep, furnished by honest Englebrock, was dimi- 
 nished but three in the course of six days. 
 
 From the 8th to the 14th of July, their journey was 
 not interrupted by any disagreeable occurrence. The 
 countries through which they passed displayed at every 
 mile a new change of beauties. The mountains were in 
 many places of stupendous height, and the valleys, deco- 
 rated with wood, were astonishingly fertile in vegetable 
 8
 
 86 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 productions. One of the most extensive of these valleys 
 took them no less than three days and a half in passing. 
 It is called by the settlers Long Cluff, and affords, per- 
 haps, as many romantic scenes as can be found in any 
 spot of the same extent on the face of the earth. 
 
 The hills, for seventy or eighty miles, run parallel to 
 each other. The lands between are wonderfully rich, 
 and produce vast quantities of a plant similar in its taste 
 and smell to our thyme. On this fragrant herb are fed 
 immense quantities of sheep and cattle ; they devour it 
 with great eagerness, and it gives the mutton a flavor so 
 like our venison, that an epicure might be deceived in 
 the taste. The valleys are generally level, from four to 
 eight miles in breadth, and in several places intersected 
 with rivulets, on the borders of which are frequently 
 perceived whole groves of the aloe-tree. 
 
 On or about the 14th, they reached the settlement of 
 an old and blind man. He had a large family, and ap- 
 peared to possess a comfortable independence. When he 
 heard the story of the travellers, the good farmer burst into 
 tears, and ordered a glass of brandy to be given to each 
 of the crew. After this unusual and cheering repast, he 
 directed some mutton to be delivered to the people, and ' 
 gave them a pot to dress it in. He then requested the 
 captain to mess with the family, which was complied 
 with, and when supper was ended, this worthy creature 
 said he was so pleased with their escaping the dangers 
 of the seas, and the Caffres, that he would celebrate the 
 meeting with a song. He immediately began and sung 
 with the voice of a Stentor. A general plaudit succeed- 
 ed ; and then the honest benefactor said, " Now, captain, 
 I have a favor to ask of you. Pray, desire all your peo- 
 ple to sing." It was impossible to help laughing at this 
 whimsical request ; but it was thought good-humor, at 
 such a moment, should not be interrupted ; therefore an 
 American sailor was desired to sing one of his best songs. 
 He no sooner began than all the lascars tuned their 
 pipes ; this set agoing the Swedes, Portuguese, and 
 Dutchmen, and all the crew ; each party sung in their 
 different languages, and at the same time. Such a con-
 
 LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULES. 87 
 
 cert was never heard before ; the liberal and merry dd 
 colonist was so entertained with their music, that he had 
 nearly dropped from his chair in a fit of laughter. 
 
 The captain was provided this night with a sheep- 
 skin, on which he rested under the roof of the farmer's 
 cottage ; but there was not room for all, and therefore 
 most of the poor fellows were obliged to sleep in the air. 
 A similar inconvenience had happened so frequently 
 since they reached the colonies, that they determined to 
 separate. 
 
 On the morning of the 17th they separated, and the 
 captain took with him his chief and third mate, together 
 with one or two more, who were solicitous to accompany 
 him. The country, as they advanced, increased in po- 
 pulation ; and the farm-houses were, in several places, 
 not more than two miles' distance from each other. Ma- 
 ny of them Avere beautifully situated, and the lands pro- 
 duced grain, oranges, figs, and lemons in abundance. 
 Their grapes likewise appeared to flourish, and supplied 
 them with wine and brandies, which they vended chiefly 
 at the Cape. Vast herds of deer, and partridges out of 
 all number, were seen, and immense tracts of land co- 
 vered entirely with aloe-trees. 
 
 From the 17th to the 21st, they travelled a mountain- 
 ous country ; but the valleys constantly presented farms 
 and habitations where the industry of the husbandman 
 was amply rewarded. The flocks of sheep were prodi- 
 gious ; but the cattle were not so numerous, nor in such 
 good condition, as those seen in the more advanced 
 colonies. 
 
 On the 22d they arrived at Zwellingdam, and pro- 
 ceeded to the landorse-house. The landorse is the chief 
 man of the place, and his settlement consists of about 
 sixteen or eighteen houses, surrounded by a delightful 
 country, and producing grain, vegetables for culinary 
 purposes, grapes, and fruits of almost every description. 
 
 This gentleman gave them a very hospitable reception, 
 and the next morning furnished the captain with a horse 
 and guide, to conduct him to his brother-in-law's. That 
 nothing might be omitted on his part to secure a favora-
 
 88 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ble reception at the Cape, the captain's worthy host gave 
 them a very kind letter to his friend general Craig, com- 
 mander in chief, acquainting him with the loss of the 
 ship, and the miseries endured by the crew in their 
 travels through the desert. He also requested the gene- 
 ral would do them every kindness in his power, which 
 he would acknowledge as an obligation conferred upon 
 himself. 
 
 They arrived at the settlement of Johannes Brinch, 
 at Stallen Bush, on the third or fourth day, after travel- 
 ling a country highly cultivated, and producing immense 
 forests of the aloe-tree. The farmers live here in afflu- 
 ence, and the crew continued to experience the most 
 liberal and kind attention during the remainder of their 
 journey. 
 
 On their arrival at Stallen Bush, the captain waited on 
 Mr. Brinch, whose reception can never be mentioned but 
 in terms of the most fervent gratitude and esteem. His 
 residence is one of those delightful places which, from its 
 natural situation and fertility, wraps the beholder, the 
 moment he sees it, in a kind of ecstasy. The vines 
 there are reared with great attention, and are highly 
 productive. Grain, vegetation, and fruits, yield abundant 
 crops ; and camphor- trees of very large dimensions thrive 
 also in the settlement. Indeed, the whole settlement 
 seemed to be so precisely what it should be, that any al- 
 teration must be a deformity. The people here dress well, 
 but nearer the English than the Dutch style. They have 
 nothing of that sullen taciturnity belonging to the charac- 
 ter of the Hollander, but are sprightly and good-humored. 
 
 " I remained two days (says the captain) under the 
 roof of this liberal and benevolent gentleman. He 
 pressed me to stay longer ; but I was desirous of reach- 
 ing the Cape, and therefore declined his hospitable invi- 
 tation. In the morning, therefore, he provided me with 
 a horse and guide, and I took my departure from Stallen 
 Bush, on the 30th, in the morning. Our journey was 
 but short, as we arrived the same evening at the Cape 
 of Good Hope ; and although emaciated in my frame 
 yet in tolerable health."
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LITCHFIELD, 
 Of Fifty Guns, on the Coast of Barbary, Nov. 30, 1758. 
 
 THE Litchfield, captain Barton, left Ireland on the 
 llth of November, 1758, in company with several other 
 men-of-war and transports, under the command of com- 
 modore Keppel, intended for the reduction of Goree. 
 The voyage was prosperous till the 29th, when at eight 
 in the evening I took charge of the watch, and the 
 weather turned out very squally, with rain. At nine it 
 was extremely dark, with much lightning, the wind va- 
 rying from S. W. to W. N. W. At half past nine, had a 
 very hard squall. Captain Barton came upon deck and 
 staid till ten ; and then left orders to keep sight of the 
 commodore, and make what sail the weather would per- 
 mit. At eleven saw the commodore bearing south, but 
 the squalls coming on so heavy, we were obliged to hand 
 the main top-sail, and at twelve o'clock were under our 
 Courses. 
 
 November 30th, at one in the morning, I left the deck 
 in charge of the first lieutenant ; the light, which we took 
 to be the commodore's, right ahead, bearing S., wind 
 W. S. W., blowing very hard. At six in the morning I 
 was awaked by a great shock, and a confused noise 
 of the men on deck. I ran up, thinking some ship had 
 run foul of us, for by my own reckoning, and that of 
 every other person in the ship, we were at least thirty- 
 five leagues distant from land ; but, before I could reach 
 the quarter-deck, the ship gave a great stroke upon the 
 ground, and the sea broke over her. Just after this I 
 could perceive the land, rocky, rugged and uneven, about 
 two cables' length from us. The ship lying with her 
 broadside to windward, the masts soon went overboard,
 
 90 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 carrying some men with them. It is impossible for any 
 but a sufferer to feel our distress at this time ; the masts, 
 yards, and sails hanging alongside in a confused heap ; 
 the ship beating violently upon the rocks ; the waves 
 curling up to an incredible height, then dashing down 
 with such force as if they would immediately have split 
 the ship to pieces, which we, indeed, every moment ex- 
 pected. Having a little recovered from our confusion, 
 we saw it necessary to get every thing we could over to 
 the larboard side, to prevent the ship from heeling off, 
 and exposing the deck to the sea. Some of the people 
 were very earnest to get the boats out, contrary to ad- 
 vice ; and, after much entreaty, notwithstanding a most 
 terrible sea, one of the boats was launched, and eight of 
 the best men jumped into her ; but she had scarcely got 
 to the ship's stern when she was hurled to the bottom, 
 and every soul in her perished. The rest of the boats 
 were soon washed to pieces on the deck. We then 
 made a raft with the davit, capstan-bars, and some 
 boards, and waited with resignation for Providence to 
 assist us. The ship soon rilled with water, so that we 
 had no time to get any provisions up ; the quarter-deck 
 and poop were now the only places we could stand upon 
 with security, the waves being mostly spent by the time 
 they reached us, owing to their breaking over the fore 
 part of the ship. 
 
 At four in the afternoon, perceiving the sea to be much 
 abated, one of our people attempted to swim, and gol 
 safe on shore. There were numbers of Moors upon the 
 rocks ready to take hold of any one, and beckoned much 
 for us to come ashore, which, at first, we took for kind- 
 ness ; but they soon undeceived us, for they had not the 
 humanity to assist any that was entirely naked, but 
 would fly to those who had any thing about them, and 
 strip them before they were quite out of the water, 
 wrangling among themselves about the plunder. In the 
 mean time the poor wretches were left to crawl up the 
 rocks if they were able, if not, they perished unregarded. 
 The second lieutenant and myself, with about sixty-five 
 others, got ashore before dark, but were left exposed to
 
 LOSS OF fits MAJESTY'S SHIP LITCHFIELD. 91 
 
 the weather on the cold sand. To preserve ourselves 
 from perishing of cold, we were obliged to go down to 
 the shore, and to bring upr-pieces of the wreck to make a 
 fire. While thus employed, if we happened to pick up 
 a shirt or handkerchief, and did not give it to the Moors 
 at the first demand, the next thing was a dagger pre- 
 sented to our breasts. 
 
 They allowed us a piece of an old sail, which- they 
 did not think worth carrying off: with this we made 
 two tents, and crowded ourselves into them, sitting be- 
 tween one another's legs to preserve warmth, and make 
 room. In this uneasy situation, continually bewailing 
 our misery, and that of our poor shipmates on the wreck, 
 we passed a most tedious night, without so much as a 
 drop of water to refresh ourselves, excepting what we 
 caught through our sail-cloth covering. 
 
 November 30th, at six in the morning, went down 
 with a number of our men upon the rocks, to assist our 
 shipmates in coming ashore, and found the ship had been 
 greatly shattered in the night. It being now low water, 
 many attempted to swim ashore; some arrived, but 
 others perished. The people on board got the raft into 
 the water, and about fifteen men placed themselves upon 
 it. They had no sooner put off from the wreck than it 
 overturned ; most of them recovered again, but scarcely 
 were they on, before it was a second time overturned. 
 Only three or four got hold of it again, and all the rest 
 perished. In the mean time, a good swimmer brought 
 with much difficulty a rope, which I had the good for- 
 tune to catch hold of, just when he was quite spent, and 
 had thoughts of quitting it. Some people coming to my 
 assistance, we pulled a large rope ashore with that, aryl 
 made it fast round a rock. We found this gave great 
 spirits to the poor souls upon the wreck ; for, it being 
 hauled taught from the upper part of the stern, made an 
 easy descent to any who had art enough to walk or slide 
 upon a rope, with a smaller rope fixed above to hold by. 
 This was the means of saving a number of lives, though 
 many were washed off by the impetuous surf, and pe- 
 rished. The flood coming on, raised the surf, and pre-
 
 93 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 vented any more from coming at that time, so that the 
 ropes could be of no further use. We then retired from 
 the rocks ; and hunger prevailing, we set about broiling 
 some of the drowned turkeys, &c. which, with some flour 
 mixed into a paste, and baked upon the coals, constitut- 
 ed our first meal upon this barbarous coast. We found 
 a well of fresh water about half a mile off, which very 
 much, refreshed us. But we had scarcely finished this 
 coarse repast, when the Moors, who were now grown 
 numerous, drove us all down to the rocks to bring up 
 empty iron-bound casks, pieces of the wreck which had 
 the most iron about them, and other articles., 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon we made another 
 meal on the drowned poultry, and finding that this was 
 the best provision we were likely to have, some were 
 ordered to save all they could find, others to raise a 
 larger tent, and the rest sent down to the rocks to look 
 for people coming ashore. The surf greatly increasing 
 with the flood, and breaking upon the fore part of the 
 ship, she was divided into three parts ; the fore part 
 turned keel up, the middle part soon dashed into a thou- 
 sand pieces ; the fore part of the poop likewise fell at this 
 time, and about thirty men with it, eight of whom got 
 ashore with our help, but so bruised that we despaired 
 of their recovery. Nothing but the after part of the 
 poop now remained above water, and a very small part 
 of the other decks, on which our captain, and about one 
 hundred and thirty more, remained, expecting every wave 
 to be their last. Every shock threw some off; few or 
 none of whom came on shore alive. During this dis- 
 tress, the Moors laughed uncommonly, and seemed much 
 diverted when a wave, larger than usual, threatened 
 the destruction of the poor wretches on the wreck. Be- 
 tween four and five o'clock the sea was much decreased 
 with the ebb : the rope being still secure, the people be- 
 gan to venture upon it; some tumbled off and perished, 
 but others reached the shore in safety. 
 
 About five, we beckoned as much as possible for the 
 captain to come upon the rope, as this seemed to be as 
 good an opportunity as any we had seen; and man7
 
 LOSS OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LITCHFIELD. 93 
 
 arrived in safety with our assistance. Some told us 
 that the captain was determined to stay till all the men^ 
 Imd quitted the wreck ; however, we still continued to 
 beckon for him, and before it was dark saw him come 
 upon the rope. He was closely followed by a good able 
 seaman, who did all he could to keep up his spirits and 
 assist him in warping. As he could not swim, and had 
 been so many hours without refreshment, with the surf 
 hurling him violently along, he was unable to resist the 
 force of the waves, had lost his hold of the great rope, 
 and must inevitably have perished, had not a wave 
 thrown him within the reach of our ropes, which he had 
 barely sufficient sense to catch hold of. We pulled him 
 up, and after resting a short time on the rocks, he came 
 to himself, and walked up to the tent, desiring us to con- 
 tinue to assist the rest of the people in coming on shore. 
 The villains, the Moors, would have stripped him, though 
 he had nothing on but a plain waistcoat and breeches, 
 if we had not plucked up a little spirit and opposed them ; 
 upon which they thought proper to desist. The people 
 continued to come ashore, though many perished in the 
 attempt. The Moors, at length, growing tired with 
 waiting for so little plunder, would not suffer us to re- 
 main on the rocks, but drove us all away. I then, with 
 the captain's approbation, went, and by signs made hum- 
 ble supplication to the bashaw, who was in the tent di- 
 viding the valuable plunder. He understood us at last, 
 and gave us permission to go down, at the same time 
 sending some Moors with us. We carried firebrands 
 down to let the poor souls on the wreck see that we were 
 still there in readiness to assist them. About nine at 
 night, finding that no more men would venture upon the 
 rope, as the surf was again greatly increased, we retired 
 to the tent, leaving, by the account of the last man that 
 arrived, between thirty and forty souls upon the wreck. 
 We now thought of stowing every body in the tent, and 
 began by fixing the captain in the middle; then made 
 every man lie down on his side, as we could not afford 
 them each a breadth ; but, after all, many took easier 
 lodgings in empty casks.
 
 94 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 The next morning the weather was moderate and fair. 
 We found the wreck all in pieces on the rocks, and the 
 shore covered with lumber. The people upon the wreck 
 all perished about one in the morning. In the afternoon 
 we called a muster, and found the number of the survi- 
 vors to be two hundred and twenty ; so that one hundred 
 and thirty perished on this melancholy occasion. 
 
 On the 2d of December, the weather still continued 
 moderate. We subsisted entirely on the drowned stock, 
 and a little pork to relish it, and the flour made into 
 cakes ; all of which we issued regularly and sparingly, 
 being ignorant whether the Moors would furnish us with 
 any thing, they being still very troublesome, and even 
 wanting to rob us of the canvass which covered our tent. 
 At two in the afternoon a black servant arrived, sent by 
 Mr. Butler, a Dane, factor to the American Company 
 at Saffy, a town at the distance of about thirty miles, to 
 inquire into our condition and to offer us assistance. 
 The man having brought pens, ink and paper, the cap- 
 tain sent back a letter by him. Finding there was one 
 who offered us help, it greatly refreshed our afflicted 
 hearts. 
 
 In the afternoon of the following day we received a 
 letter from Mr. Butler, with some bread, and a few other 
 necessaries. On the 4th the people were employed in 
 picking up pieces of sails, and whatever else the Moors 
 would permit them. We divided the crew into messes, 
 and served the necessaries we received the preceding 
 day. They had bread, and the flesh of the drowned 
 stock. In the afternoon we received another letter from 
 Mr. Butler, and one at the same time from Mr. Andrews, 
 an Irish gentleman, a merchant at Saffy. The Moors 
 were not so troublesome now as before, most of them 
 going off with what they had got. 
 
 On the 5th the drowned stock was entirely consumed, 
 and at low water the people were employed in collecting 
 muscles. At ten in the morning Mr. Andrews arrived, 
 bringing a French surgeon with medicines and plasters, 
 of which some of the men, who had been dreadfully 
 bruised, stood in great need. The following day we
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S spip LITCHFIELD. 95 
 
 served out one of the blankets of the country to every 
 two men, and pampooses, a kind of slippers, to those 
 who were in most want of them. These supplies were 
 likewise brought us by Mr. Andrews. The people were 
 now obliged to live upon muscles and bread, the Moors, 
 who promised us a supply of cattle, having deceived us, 
 and never returned. 
 
 The people on the 7th were still employed in collect- 
 ing muscles and limpets. The Moors began to be a lit- 
 tle civil to us, for fear the emperor should punish them 
 for their cruel treatment to us. In the afternoon a mes- 
 senger arrived from the emperor at Sallee, with general 
 orders to the people to supply us with provisions. They 
 accordingly brought us some lean bullocks and sheep, 
 which Mr. Andrews purchased for us ; but at this time 
 we had no pots to make broth in, and the cattle were 
 scarcely fit for any thing else. 
 
 In the morning of the 10th we made preparations for 
 marching to Morocco, the emperor having sent orders for 
 that purpose, and camels to carry the lame and the ne- 
 cessaries. At nine, set off with about thirty camels, 
 having got all our liquor with us, divided into hogs- 
 heads, for the convenience of carriage on the camels. At 
 noon, joined the crews of one of the transports, and a 
 bomb-tender, that had been wrecked about three leagues 
 to the northward of us. We were then all mounted 
 upon camels, excepting the captain, who was furnished 
 with a horse. We never stopped till seven in the eve- 
 ning, when they procured us two tents only, which 
 would not contain one third of the men, so that most of 
 them lay exposed to the dew. which was very heavy, 
 and extremely cold. We found our whole number to be 
 three hundred and thirty-eight, including officers, men, 
 boys, and three women and a child, which one of the wo- 
 men brought ashore in her teeth. 
 
 On the llth continued our journey, attended by a 
 number of Moors on horseback. At six in the evening 
 we came to our resting-place for that night, and were 
 furnished with tents sufficient to cover all our -men. 
 
 At five in the morning of the 12th, we set out as be-
 
 96 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 fore, and, at two in the afternoon, saw the emperor's 
 cavalcade at a distance. At three, a relation of the em- 
 peror's, named Muli Adrix, came to us, and told the 
 captain it was the emperor's orders he should that in- 
 stant write a letter to our governor at Gibraltar, to send 
 to his Britannic majesty to inquire whether he would 
 settle a peace with him or riot. Captain Barton imme- 
 diately sat down upon the grass and wrote a letter, 
 which, being given to Muli Adrix, he went and joined 
 the emperor again. At six in the evening came to our 
 resting-place for the night, and were well furnished with 
 tents, but very little provisions. 
 
 We were, the following day, desired to continue on 
 the same spot, till the men were refreshed, and this re- 
 pose they greatly needed, and we received a better sup- 
 ply of provisions. That morning lieutenant Harrison, 
 commanding the soldiers belonging to lord Forbes' re- 
 giment, died suddenly in the tent. In the evening, while 
 employed with his interment, the inhuman Moors dis- 
 turbed us by throwing stones and mocking us. The 
 next day we found that they had opened the grave and 
 stripped the body. 
 
 On the 16th we continued our journey, came to oui 
 resting-place at four in the afternoon, pitched the tents, 
 and served out the provisions. Here our people were 
 ill-treated by some of the country Moors. As they were 
 taking water from a brook, the Moors would always spit 
 into the vessel before they would suffer them to take it 
 away. Upon this some of us went down to inquire into 
 the affair, but were immediately saluted with a shower 
 of stones. We ran in upon them, beat some of them 
 pretty soundly, put them to flight, and brought away 
 one, who thought to defend himself with a long knife 
 This fellow was severely punished by the officer who 
 had the charge of conducting us. 
 
 The two succeeding days continued our journey, and, 
 at three in the afternoon of the 18th, arrived at the city 
 of Morocco, without having seen a single habitation 
 during the whole journey. Here we were insulted by 
 the rabble, and, at five, were carried before the emperor,
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LITCHFIELD. 97 
 
 surrounded by five or six hundred of his guards. He 
 was on horseback before the gate of his palace, that be- 
 ing the place where he distributes justice to his people. 
 He told captain Barton, by an interpreter, that he was 
 neither at peace. nor war with England, and he would 
 detain us till an ambassador arrived from that country to 
 conclude a permanent treaty. The captain then desired 
 that we might not be treated as slaves. He answered 
 hastily, that we should be taken care of. We were then 
 immediately hurried out of his presence, conveyed to 
 two old ruinous houses, shut up amidst dirt and innu- 
 merable vermin of every description. Mr. Butler being 
 at Morocco on business, came and supplied us with 
 victuals and drink, and procured liberty for the captain 
 to go home with him to his lodgings. He likewise sent 
 some blankets for the officers, and we made shift to 
 pass the night with tolerable comfort, being very much 
 fatigued. 
 
 At nine in the morning of the 21st, the emperor sent 
 orders for the captain and every officer to appear before 
 him. We immediately repaired to his palace ; we re- 
 mained waiting in an outer yard two hours ; in the mean 
 time he diverted himself with seeing a clumsy Dutch 
 boat rowed about in a pond by four of our petty officers. 
 About noon we were called before him, and placed in a 
 line about thirty yards from him. He was sitting in a 
 chair by the side of the pond, accompanied only by two 
 of his chief alcaids. Having viewed us some time, he 
 ordered the captain to come forward, and after asking 
 him a good many questions concerning our navy, and 
 destination of the squadron to which we had belonged, 
 we were also called forward by two and three at a time 
 as we stood according to our rank. He then asked most 
 of us some very insignificant questions, and took some 
 to be Portuguese because they had black hair, and 
 others to be Swedes because their hair was light. He 
 judged none of us to be English excepting the captain, 
 the second lieutenant, the ensign of the soldiers, and my- 
 self. But assuring him we were all English, he cried 
 Bonno, and gave a nod for our departure, to which we 
 9
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 returned a very low bow, and were glad to return to our 
 pld ruined houses again. Our total number amounted to 
 thirty. 
 
 On the 25th, being Christmas day, prayers were read 
 to the people as usual in the church of England. The 
 captain this day received a present of tea and loaves of 
 sugar from one of the queens, whose grandfather had 
 been an English renegado. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 26th we received the disa- 
 greeable intelligence that the emperor would oblige all 
 the English to work, like all the other Christian slaves, 
 excepting the officers who were before him on the 21st. 
 The next day this account was confirmed ; for, at seven 
 in the morning, an alcaid came and ordered all our 
 people to work, excepting the sick. Upon our applica- 
 tion, eight were allowed to stay at home every day to 
 cook for the r^st, and this office was performed by turns 
 throughout the whole company. At four in the after- 
 noon the people returned, some having been employed 
 in carrying wood, some in turning up the ground with 
 hoes, and others in picking weeds in the emperor's gar- 
 den. Their victuals was prepared for them against their 
 return. 
 
 On the 28th, all the people went to work as soon as 
 they could see, and returned at four in the afternoon. 
 Two of the soldiers received one hundred bastinadoes 
 each, for behaving in a disrespectful manner while the 
 emperor was looking at their work. 
 
 On the 30th, captain Barton received a kind message 
 from the emperor, with permission to ride out or take a 
 walk in his garden with his officers. 
 
 From this time the men continued in the same state 
 of slavery till the arrival, in April, of captain Milbank, 
 sent as an ambassador to the emperor. He concluded a 
 treaty for the ransom of the crew of the Litchfield, to- 
 gether with the other English subjects in the emperor's 
 power, and the sum stipulated to be paid for their re- 
 lease was one hundred and seventy thousand dollars. 
 Our people accordingly set out for Sallee, attended by a 
 bashaw and two soldiers on horseback. On the fourth
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LITCHFIELD. 99 
 
 day of their maich they had a skirmish with some of 
 the country Moors. The dispute began in consequence 
 of some of our meti in the rear stopping at a village to 
 buy some milk, for which, after they had drank it, the 
 Moors demanded an exorbitant price. This our men 
 refused to give, on which the Moors had recourse to 
 blows, which our people returned ; and others coming to 
 their assistance, they maintained a smart battle, till the 
 enemy became too numerous. In the mean time some 
 rode off to call the guard, who instantly came up with 
 their drawn scimetars, and dealt round them pretty 
 briskly. During this interval we were not idle, and had 
 the pleasure to see the blood trickling down a good many 
 of their faces. The guards seized the chief man of the 
 village, and carried him before the bashaw, who was our 
 conductor, and who, having heard the cause, dismissed 
 him without farther punishment, in consideration of his 
 having been well drubbed by us. 
 
 On the 22d of April we arrived at Sallee, and pitched 
 our tents*rti an old castle, from whence we soon after- 
 wards embarked tm board the Gibraltar, which landed 
 us at Gibraltar on the 27th of June. From that place 
 the captain and crew were put on board the Marlborough 
 store ship, prepared expressly for their reception, and ar- 
 rived in England in the month of August, 1760.
 
 LOSS OF THE PORTUGUESE VESSEL THE 
 ST. JAMES, 
 
 Off the Coast of Africa, in 1586. 
 
 IN the month of May, 1586, intelligence was received 
 at Goa of the loss of the admiral's ship, the St. James. 
 The account of this disaster stated, that after doubling 
 the cape of Good Hope, the captain, conceiving he had 
 neither rocks nor other dangers to dread, proceeded un- 
 der full sail, without observing his charts, or at least not 
 with the attention he ought. Having a favorable wind, 
 he made much way in a short time, but was driven out 
 of his course towards the rocks called Bassas de India, 
 distant about fifty leagues from the island of Madagas- 
 car, and seventy from the continent. 
 
 Perceiving they were so near these rocks, and in im- 
 minent danger of striking upon them, several of the pas- 
 sengers, who had frequently traversed those seas, were 
 much alarmed. They represented to the captain, that 
 being in the midst of the rocks, it was extremely danger- 
 ous to suffer the ship to run under full sail, particularly 
 during the night, and in a season when tempests were 
 very frequent. The captain, regardless of their prudent 
 remonstrances, exerted his authority, ordered the pilots 
 to follow his commands, adding, that the king's com- 
 mission entitled him to obedience, and that his opinion 
 ought to be taken in preference. However, between 
 eleven and twelve o'clock the same night the vessel was 
 driven towards the rocks, and struck without a possibi- 
 lity of being got off. A confused cry of distress resound- 
 ed, in every direction, from a multitude composed of 
 above five hundred men and thirty women, who, having 
 no other prospect before their eyes but inevitable de- 
 struction, bewailed their fate with the bitterest lamenta-
 
 tOSS OF THE PORTUGUESE VESSEL THE ST. JAMES. 101 
 
 lions. Every effort to save the ship proved ineffectual. 
 The admiral, Fernando Mendoza, the captain, the first 
 pilot, and ten or twelve other persons, instantly threw 
 themselves into the boat, saying they would seek upon 
 the rocks a proper place for collecting the wreck of the 
 ship, with which they might afterwards construct a ves- 
 sel large enough to convey the whole of the crew to the 
 continent. With this view they actually landed on the 
 rock, but being unable to find a spot proper for the exe- 
 cution of their design, they did not think proper to re- 
 turn to the ship, but resolved to steer towards the African 
 coast. Some provisions which had been thrown in haste 
 into the boat were distributed among them ; they then 
 di^^ted their course towards the continent of Africa, 
 where they arrived in safety, after a voyage of seventeen 
 days, and enduring all the horrors of famine and tem- 
 pestuous weather. * 
 
 Those who remained on board, finding that the boat 
 did not return, began to despair of saving their lives. 
 To add to their distress, the vessel parted between the 
 two decks, and the pinnace was much damaged by the 
 repeated shocks she sustained from the fury of the waves. 
 The workmen, though very expert, despaired of being 
 able to repair her, when an Italian, named Cypriano Gri- 
 maldi, leaped into her, accompanied by ninety of the 
 crew, and, assisted by most of those who had followed 
 him, instantly fell to work to put her into a condition 
 to keep the sea. 
 
 Those who could not get on board the pinnace beheld 
 her bearing away from the" wreck with tears and lamen- 
 tations. Several who could swim threw themselves into 
 the sea, in the hope of overtaking her ; and some were 
 on the point of getting on board, when their more fortu- 
 nate comrades, fearing they should be sunk with the 
 weight of all those who endeavored to obtain admittance, 
 pushed them back into the sea, and with their sabres 
 and hatchets cut, without mercy, the hands of such as 
 would not quit their hold. It is impossible to describe 
 the anguish of those who remained on the floating frag- 
 ments of the wreck, and witnessed this barbarous scene. 
 9*
 
 102 REMARKABLE 
 
 Seeing themselves cut off from every resource, their crids 
 and lamentations would have melted the hardest heart. 
 The situation of those in the pinnace was not much bet- 
 ter; their great number, the want of provisions, theii 
 distance from the land, and the bad condition of the cra- 
 zy bark that bore them, contributed to fill them with 
 gloomy presentiments. Some of the most resolute, how- 
 ever, to prevent the anarchy and confusion which would 
 have aggravated their misery, proposed to their compa- 
 nions to submit to the authority of a captain. To this 
 they all agreed, and immediately chose a nobleman of 
 Portuguese extraction, but born in India, to command 
 them, investing him with absolute power. He instajtfly 
 employed his authority, in causing the weakest, \^Brn 
 he merely pointed out with his finger, to be thrown over- 
 board. In the number of these was a carpenter, who 
 had assisted in repairing the pinnace ; the only favor he 
 requested was a little wine, after which he suffered him- 
 self to be thrown into the sea without uttering a word. 
 Another, who was proscribed in the same manner, was 
 saved by an uncommon exertion of fraternal affection. 
 He was already seized and on the point of being sacri- 
 ficed to imperious necessity, when his younger brother 
 demanded a moment's delay. He observed that his 
 brother was skilful in his profession, that his father and 
 mother were very old, and his sisters not yet settled in 
 life : that he could not be of that service to them which 
 his brother might, and, as circumstances required the 
 Sacrifice of one of the two, he begged to die in his stead. 
 His request was complied with, and he was accordingly 
 thrown into the sea. But this courageous youth fol- 
 lowed the bark upwards of six hours, making incessant 
 efforts to get on board, sometimes on one side, and some- 
 times on the other, while those who had thrown him 
 over endeavored to keep him off with their swords. But 
 that which appeared likely to accelerate his end proved 
 his preservation. The young man snatched at a sword, 
 seized it by the blade, and neither the pain, nor the exer- 
 tions made by him who held it, could make him quit his 
 grasp. The others, admiring his resolution, and moved 
 with the proof of fraternal affection which he had dis-
 
 OF THE PORTUGUESE VESSEL THE ST. JAMES. 103 
 
 played, unanimously agreed to permit him to enter the 
 pinnace. At length, after having endured hunger and 
 thirst, and encountered the dangers of several tempests, 
 they landed on the coast of Africa, on the twentieth day 
 after their shipwreck, and there met with their compa- 
 nions who had escaped in the first boat 
 
 The rest of the cre\v and passengers left on the wreck 
 likewise attempted to reach the land. Collecting some 
 loose rafters and planks, they formed a kind of raft, but 
 were overwhelmed by the first sea, and all perished, 
 excepting two who gained the shore. Those who had 
 reached the coast of Africa had not arrived at the end of 
 their sufferings; they had scarcely disembarked when 
 %ie^fell into the hands of the Caffres, a savage and in- 
 human people, who stripped and left them in the most 
 deplorable state. However, mustering up their courage 
 and the little strength they had left, they arrived at the 
 place where the agent of the Portuguese, at Sofala and 
 Mozambique, resided. By him they were received with 
 the utmost humanity, and after reposing a few days, 
 after their fatigues, they reached Mozambique, and re- 
 paired from thence to India. Only sixty survived out 
 of all those who had embarked in the St. James ; all the 
 rest perished, either at sea, of fatigue, or hunger. Thus 
 the imprudence of an individual occasioned the loss of a 
 fine vessel, and the lives of above four hundred and fifty 
 persons. 
 
 Upon the captain's return to Europe, the widows and 
 orphans of the unfortunate sufferers raised such loud 
 complaints against him that he was apprehended and 
 put in prison; but he was soon afterwards released. 
 The former catastrophe was not a sufficient lesson for 
 this self-sufficient and obstinate man. He undertook 
 the command of another vessel in 1588, and had nearly 
 lost her in the same manner, and in the same place. 
 Fortunately, at sunrise he discovered the rocks, towards 
 which he was running with the same imprudence as in 
 his former voyage. But on his return from India to 
 Portugal he was lost, together with the vessel he was 
 on board of; thus meeting with the just punishment of 
 his culpable obstinacy and misconduct.
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR, 
 
 Of Seventy-four Guns, September 23, 1782. 
 
 AFTER the decisive engagement in the West Indies, on 
 the glorious 12th of April, 1782, when the French fleet 
 under count de Wrasse was defeated by admiral Sir 
 George Rodney, weveral of the captured ships, besides 
 many others, were either lost or disabled, on their r^ae- 
 ward-bound passage, with a large convoy. Among those 
 lost was the Centaur, of seventy-four guns, whose com- 
 mander, captain Inglefield, with the master and ten of 
 the crew, experienced a most providential escape from 
 the general fate. 
 
 The captain's narrative affords the best explanation of 
 the manner and means by which this signal deliverance 
 was effected. Those only who are personally involved 
 in such a calamity can describe their sensations with 
 full energy, and furnish, in such detail, those traits of 
 the heart which never fail to interest. 
 The Centaur (says captain Inglefield) left Jamaica in 
 rather a leaky condition, keeping two hand-pumps going, 
 and when it blew fresh, sometimes a spell with a chain- 
 pump was necessary. But I had no apprehension that 
 the ship was not able to encounter a common gale of 
 wind. 
 
 In the evening of the 16th of September, when the 
 fatal gale came on, the ship was prepared for the worst 
 weather usually met in those latitudes, the main-sail 
 was reefed and set, the top-gallant masts struck, and 
 the mizzen-yard lowered down, though at that time it 
 did not blow very strong. Towards midnight it blew a 
 gale of wind, and the ship made so much water that I 
 was obliged to turn all hands up to spell the pumps. 
 The leak still increasing, I had thoughts to try the ship
 
 LOSS OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR. 105 
 
 before the sea. Happy I should have been, perhaps, had 
 I in this been determined. The impropriety of leaving 
 the convoy, except in the last extremity, and the hopes 
 of the weather growing moderate, weighed against the 
 opinion that it was right. 
 
 About two in the morning the wind lulled, and we 
 flattered ourselves the gale was breaking, Soon after 
 we had much thunder and lightning from the south-east, 
 with rain, when it began to blow strong in gusts of wind, 
 which obliged me to haul the main-sail up, the ship be- 
 ing then under bare poles. This was scarcely done, 
 when a gust of wind, exceeding in violence any thing of 
 the kind I had ever seen or had any conception of, laid 
 the ship upon her beam ends. The water forsook the 
 hold and appeared between decks, so as to fill the men's 
 hammocks to leeward : the ship lay motionless, and to 
 all appearance irrecoverably overset. The water in- 
 creasing fast, forced through the cells of the porjts, and 
 scuttled in the ports from the pressure of the ship. I 
 gave immediate directions to cut away the main and 
 mizzen masts, hoping when the ship righted to' wear her. 
 The mizzen-mast went first, upon cutting one or two of 
 the lanyards, without the smallest effect on the ship ; 
 the main-mast followed, upon cutting the lanyard of one 
 shroud ; and I had the disappointment to see the fore- 
 mast and bowsprit follow. The ship upon this immedi- 
 ately righted, but with great violence ; and the motion 
 was so quick, that it was difficult for the people to work 
 the pumps. Three guns broke loose upon the main- 
 deck, and it was some time before they were secured. 
 Several men being maimed in this attempt, every mova- 
 ble was destroyed, either "from the shot thrown loose 
 from the lockers, or the wreck of the deck. The offi- 
 cers, who had left their beds naked when the ship over- 
 set in the morning, had not an article of clothes to put 
 on, nor could their friends supply them. 
 
 The masts had not been over the sides ten minutes 
 before I was informed the tiller had broken short in the 
 rudder-head ; and before the chocks could be placed, the 
 rudder itself was gone. Thus we were as much disas-
 
 106 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 tered as it was possible, lying at the mercy of -4he wind 
 and sea : yet I had one comfort, that the pumps, if any 
 thing, reduced the water in the hold; and as th<$. morn- 
 ing came on (the 17th) the weather grew more mode- 
 rate, the wind having shifted, in the gale, to north- 
 west. 
 
 At daylight I saw two line-of-battle ships to leeward ; 
 one had lost her fore-mast and bowsprit, the other her 
 main-mast. It was the general opinion on board the 
 Centaur, that the former was the Canada, the other the 
 Glorieux. The Ramilies was not in sight, nor more 
 than fifteen sail of merchant ships. 
 
 About seven in the morning I saw another line-of-bat- 
 tle ship ahead of us, which I soon distinguished to be the 
 Ville de Paris, with all her masts standing. I immedi- 
 ately gave orders to make the signal of distress, hoisting 
 the ensign on the stump of the mizzen-mast, union down- 
 wards, and firing one of the forecastle guns. The ensign 
 blew away soon after it was hoisted, and it was the only 
 one we had remaining ; but I had the satisfaction to see 
 the Ville de Paris wear and stand towards us. Several 
 of the merchant ships also approached us, and those that 
 could hailed, and offered their assistance ; but depending 
 upon the king's ship, I only thanked them, desiring, if 
 they joined admiral Graves, to acquaint him of our con- 
 dition. I had not the smallest doubt but the Ville de 
 Paris was coming to us, as she appeared to us not to 
 have suffered in the least by the storm, and having seen 
 her wear, we knew she was under government of her 
 helm; at this time, also, it was so moderate that the 
 merchantmen set their top-sails : but, approaching with- 
 in two miles, she passed us to windward ; this being ob- 
 served by one of the merchant ships, she wore and came 
 under our stern, offering to carry any message to her. I 
 desired the master would acquaint captain Wilkinson 
 that the Centaur had lost her rudder, as well as her 
 masts ; that she made a great deal of water, and that I 
 desired he would remain with her until the weather 
 grew moderate. I saw the merchantman approach af- 
 terwards near enough to speak to the Ville de Paris, but
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUB. 107 
 
 I am afraid that her condition was much worse than it 
 appeared to be, as she continued upon that tack. In the 
 mean time all the quarter-deck guns were thrown over- 
 board, and all but six, which had overset, off the main- 
 deck. The ship, lying in the trough of the sea, labored 
 prodigiously. I got over one of the small anchors, with 
 a boom and several gun carriages, veering out from the 
 head-door by a large hawser, to keep the ship's bow to 
 the ?ea ; but this, with a top-gallant sail upon the stump 
 of the mizzen-mast, had not the desired effect. 
 
 As the evening came on it grew hazy, and blew strong 
 in squalls. We lost sight of the Ville de Paris, but I 
 thought it a certainty that we should see her the next 
 morning. The night was passed in constant labor at 
 the pump. Sometimes the wind lulled, and the water 
 diminished ; when it blew strong again, the sea rising, 
 the water again increased. 
 
 Towards the morning of the 18th I was informed there 
 was seven feet water upon the kelson ; that one of the 
 winches was broken ; that the two spare ones would not 
 fit, and that the hand-pumps were choked. These cir- 
 cumstances were sufficiently alarming ; but upon open- 
 ing the after-hold to get some rum up for the people, we 
 found our condition much more so. 
 
 It will be necessary to mention, that the Centaur's af- 
 ter-hold was inclosed by a bulk-head at the after part of 
 the well; here -all the dry provisions and the ship's rum 
 were stowed upon twenty chaldrons of coal, which un- 
 fortunately had been started on this part of the ship, and 
 by them the pumps were continually choked. The 
 chain-pumps were so much worn as to be of little use ; 
 and the leathers, which, had the well been clear, would 
 have lasted twenty days, or more, were all consumed in 
 eight. At this time it was observed that the water had 
 not a passage to the well, for there was so much that it 
 washed against the orlop-deck. All the rum, twenty-six 
 puncheons, and all the provisions, of which there was 
 sufficient for two months, in casks, were staved, having 
 floated with violence from side to side until there was 
 not a whole cask remaining : even the staves that were
 
 108 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 found upon clearing the hold were most of them broken 
 in two pieces. In the fore-hold we had a prospect of 
 perishing : should the ship swim, we had no water but 
 what remained in the ground tier ; and over this all the 
 wet provisions, and butts filled with salt-water, were 
 floating, and with so much motion that no man could 
 with safety go into the hold. There was nothing left 
 for us to try but bailing with buckets at the fore-hatch- 
 way and fish-room; and twelve large canvas buckets 
 were immediately employed at each. On opening the 
 fish-room we were so fortunate as to discover that two 
 puncheons of rum, which belonged to me, had escaped. 
 They were immediately got up, and served out at times 
 in drams ; and had it not been for this relief, and some 
 lime-juice, the people would have dropped. 
 
 We soon found our account in bailing ; the spare pump 
 had been put down the fore-hatchway, and a pump 
 shifted to the fish-room ; but the motion of the ship had 
 washed the coals so small, that they had reached every 
 part of the ship, and the pumps were soon choked. 
 However, the water by noon had considerably dimi- 
 nished by working the buckets; but there appeared no 
 prospect of saving the ship, if the gale continued. The 
 labor was too great to hold out without water ; yet the 
 people worked without a murmur, and indeed with 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 At this time the weather was more moderate, and a 
 couple of spars were got ready for shears to set up a 
 jury fore-mast ; but as the evening came on, the gale 
 again increased. We had seen nothing this day but 
 the ship that had lost her main-mast, and she appeared 
 to be as much in want of assistance as ourselves, having 
 fired guns of distress ; and before night I was told her 
 fore-mast was gone. 
 
 The Centaur labored so much, that I had scarcely a 
 hope she could swim till morning. However, by great 
 exertion of the chain-pumps and bailing, we held our 
 own, but our sufferings for want of water were very 
 great, and many of the people could not be restrained 
 from drinking salt-water.
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR. 109 
 
 At daylight (the 19th) there was no vessel in sight; 
 and flashes from guns having been seen in the night, we 
 feared the ship that we had seen the preceding day had 
 foundered. Towards ten o'clock in the forenoon the 
 weather grew more moderate, the water diminished in 
 the hold, and the people were encouraged to redouble 
 their efforts to get the water low enough to break a cask 
 of fresh water out of the ground tier ; and some of the 
 most resolute of the seamen were employed in the at- 
 tempt. At noon we succeeded with one cask, which, 
 though little, was a seasonable relief. All the officers, 
 passengers, and boys, who were not of the profession of 
 seamen, had been employed thrumming a sail, which 
 was passed under the ship's bottom, and I thought it 
 had some effect. The shears were raised for the fore- 
 mast ; the weather looked promising, the sea fell, and at 
 night we were able to relieve at the pumps and bailing 
 every two hours. By the morning of the 20th the fore- 
 hold was cleared of the water, and we had the comforta- 
 ble promise of a fine day. It proved so, and I was deter- 
 mined to make use of it with every possible exertion. I 
 divided the ship's company, with the officers- attending 
 them, into parties, to raise the jury fore-mast ; to heave 
 over the lower-deck guns ; to clear the wrecks of the 
 fore and after holds ; to prepare the machine for steering 
 the ship, and to work the pumps. By night the after- 
 hold was as clear as when the ship was launched ; for, 
 to our astenishment, there was not a shovel of coals 
 remaining, twenty chaldrons having been pumped out 
 since the commencement of the gale. What I have 
 called the wreck of the hold, was the bulk-heads of the 
 after hold, fish-room, and spirit-rooms. The standards 
 of the cockpit, an immense quantity of staves and wood, 
 and part of the lining of the ship, were thrown over- 
 board, that if the water should again appear in the hold, 
 we might have no impediment in bailing. All the guns 
 were overboard, the fore-mast secured, and the machine, 
 which was to be similar to that with which the Ipswich 
 was steered, was in great forwardness ; so that I was in 
 hopes, the moderate weather continuing, that I should 
 10
 
 110 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 be able to steer the ship by noon the following day. and 
 at least save the people on some of the Western Islands. 
 Had we had any other ship in company with us. I should 
 have thought it my duty to have quitted the Centaur 
 this day. 
 
 This night the people got some rest by relieving the 
 watches; but in the morning of the 21st we had the 
 mortification to find that the weather again threatened, 
 and by noon it blew a gale. The ship labored greatly, 
 and the water appeared in the fore and after-hold, and 
 increased. The carpenter also informed me that the 
 leathers were nearly consumed ; and likewise that the 
 chains of the pumps, by constant exertion and the fric- 
 tion of the coals, were considered as nearly useless. 
 
 As we had now no other resource but bailing, I gave 
 orders that scuttles should be cut through the decks to 
 introduce more buckets into the hold ; and all the sail- 
 makers 'Were employed, night and day, in making can- 
 vas buckets ; and the orlop-deck having failed in on the 
 larboard side, I ordered the sheet cable to be roused 
 overboard. The wind at this time was at west, and 
 being on the larboard tack, many schemes had been 
 practised to wear the ship, that we might drive into a 
 less boisterous latitude, as well as approach the Western 
 Islands; but. none succeeded: and having a weak car- 
 penter's crew, they were hardly sufficient to attend the 
 pumps ; so that we could not make any progress with 
 the steering machine. Another sail had been thrummed 
 and got over, but we did not find its use ; indeed there 
 was no prospect but in a change of weather. A large 
 leak had been discovered and -stopped in the fore-hold 
 and another in the lady's hole, but the ship appeared so 
 weak from her laboring, that it was clear she could not 
 last long. The after cock-pit had fallen in, the fore 
 cock-pit the same, with all the store rooms down : the 
 stern post was so loose, that as the ship rolled, the water 
 rushed in on either side in great streams, which we 
 could not stop. 
 
 Night came on, with the same dreary prospect as on 
 the preceding, and was passed in continual efforts of
 
 Loss of His MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR. Ill 
 
 abor. Morning came, (the 22d,) without our seeing any 
 thing, or any change of weather, and the day was spent 
 with the same struggles, to keep the ship above water, 
 pumping and bailing at the hatchways and scuttles. 
 Towards night another of the chain pumps was render- 
 ed quite useless, by one of the rollers being displaced at 
 the bottom of the pump, and this was without remedy, 
 there being too much water in the well to get to it : we 
 also had but six leathers remaining, so that the fate of 
 the ship was not far off. Still the labor went on with- 
 out any apparent despair, every officer taking his share 
 of it, and the people were always cheerful and obedient. 
 During the night the water increased : but about seven 
 in the morning of the 23d I was told that an unusual 
 quantity of water appeared, all at once, in the fore-hold, 
 which, upon my going forward to be convinced, I found 
 but too true ; the stowage of the hold ground- tier was 
 all in motion, so that in a short time there was not a 
 whole cask to be seen. We were convinced the ship had 
 sprung a fresh leak. Another sail had been thrumming 
 all night, and I was giving direotions to place it over the 
 bows, when I perceived the ship settling by the head, 
 the lower deck bow-ports being even with the water. 
 
 At this period the carpenter acquainted me the well 
 was staved in, destroyed by the wreck of the hold, and 
 the chain pumps displaced and totally useless. There 
 was nothing left but to redouble our efforts in bailing, 
 but it became difficult to fill the buckets, from the quan- 
 tity of staves, planks, anchor-stock, and yard-arm pieces, 
 which were now washed from the wings, and floating 
 from side to side with the motion of the ship. The peo- 
 ple, till this period, had labored, as if determined to con- 
 quer their difficulties, without a murmur or without a 
 tear ; but now seeing their efforts useless, many of them 
 burst into tears and wept like children. 
 
 I gave orders for the anchors, of which we had two 
 remaining, to be thrown overboard, one of which (the 
 spare anchor) had been most surprisingly hove in upon 
 the forecastle and midships, when the ship had been 
 upon her beam ends, and gone through the deck.
 
 112 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Every time that 1 visited the hatchway I observed the 
 water increased, and at noon washed even with the or- 
 lop-deck : the carpenter assured me the ship could not 
 swim long, and proposed making rafts to float the ship's 
 company, whom it was not in my power to encourage 
 any longer with a prospect of their safety. Some ap- 
 peared perfectly resigned, went to their hammocks and 
 desired their messmates to lash them in ; others were 
 lashing themselves to gratings and small rafts ; but the 
 most predominant idea was that of putting on their best 
 and cleanest clothes. 
 
 The weather, about noon, had been something mode- 
 rate, and as rafts had been mentioned by the carpenter, 
 I thought it right to make the attempt, though I knew 
 our booms could not float half the ship's company in fine 
 weather ; but we were in a situation to catch at a straw. 
 I therefore called the ship's company together, told them 
 my intention, recommending to them to remain regular 
 and obedient to their officers. Preparations were imme- 
 diately made to this purpose ; the booms were cleared ; 
 the boats, of which' we had three, viz. cutter, pinnace, 
 and five-oared yawl, were got over the side ; a bag of 
 bread was ordered to be put in each, and any liquors 
 that could be got at, for the purpose of supplying the 
 rafts. I had intended myself to go in the five-oared 
 yawl, and the coxswain was desired to get any thing 
 from my steward that might be useful. Two men, cap- 
 tains of the tops, of the forecastle, or quartermasters, 
 were placed in each of them, to prevent any person from 
 forcing the boats, or getting into them until an arrange- 
 ment was made. While these preparations were mak- 
 ing, the ship was gradually sinking, the orlop-decks 
 having been blown up by the water in the hold, and the 
 cables floated to the gun-deck. The men had some time 
 quitted their employment of bailing, and the ship was 
 left to her fate. 
 
 In the afternoon the weather again threatened, and 
 blew strongly in squalls ; the sea ran high, and one of 
 the boats (the yawl) was staved alongside and sunk. 
 As the evening approached, the ship appeared little more
 
 toss OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR. 113 
 
 than suspended in water. There was no certainty that 
 she would swim from one minute to another ; and the 
 love of life, which I believe never showed itself later in 
 the approach to death, began now to level all distinctions. 
 It was impossible, indeed, for any man to deceive him- 
 self with a hope of being saved upon a raft in such a sea ; 
 besides that, the ship in sinking, it was probable, would 
 carry every thing down with her in a vortex, to a cer- 
 tain distance. 
 
 It was near five o'clock, when, coming from my cabin, 
 I observed a number of people looking very anxiously 
 over the side ; and looking over myself, I saw that seve- 
 ral men had forced the pinnace, and that more were at- 
 tempting to get in. I had immediate thoughts of securing 
 this boat before she might be sunk by numbers. There 
 appeared not more than a moment for consideration ; to 
 ^emain and perish with the ship's company, to whom I 
 could not be of use any longer, or seize the opportunity, 
 which seemed the only way of escaping, and leave the 
 people, with whom I had been so well satisfied on a va- 
 riety of occasions that I thought I could give my life to 
 preserve them. This, indeed, was a painful conflict, 
 such as, I believe, no man can describe, nor any have a 
 just idea of who has not been in a similar situation. 
 
 The love of life prevailed. I called to Mr. Rainy, the 
 master, the only officer upon deck, desired him to follow 
 me, and immediately descended into the boat at the after 
 part of the chains, but not without great difficulty got 
 the boat clear of the ship, twice the number that the boat 
 would carry pushing to get in, and many jumping into 
 the water. Mr. Baylis, a young gentleman fifteen years 
 of age, leaped from the chains, after the boat had got off, 
 and was taken in. The boat falling astern, became ex- 
 posed to the sea, and we endeavored to pull her bow 
 round to keep her to the break of the sea, and to pass to 
 windward of the ship ; but in the attempt she was near- 
 ly filled, the sea ran too high, and the only probability 
 of living was keeping her before the wind. 
 
 It was then that I became sensible how little, if any, 
 better our condition was than that of those who re- 
 10*
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 mained in the ship ; at best, it appeared to be only a 
 prolongation of a miserable existence. We were, all to- 
 gether, twelve in number, in a leaky boat, with one of 
 the gunwales staved, in nearly the middle of the Western 
 ocean, without a compass, without quadrant, without 
 sail, without great coat or cloak, all very thinly clothed, 
 in a gale of wind, with a great sea running ! It was 
 now five o'clock in the evening, and in half an hour we 
 lost sight of the ship. Before it was dark a blanket was 
 discovered in the boat, This was immediately bent to 
 one of the stretches, and under it, as a sail, we scudded 
 all night, in expectation of being swallowed up by every 
 wave, it being with great difficulty that we could some- 
 times clear the boat of the water before the return of 
 the next great sea ; all of us half drowned, and sitting, 
 except those who bailed, at the bottom of the boat ; and, 
 without having really perished, I am sure no people ever 
 endured more. In the morning the weather grew mode- 
 rate, the wind having shifted to the southward, as we 
 discovered by the sun. Having survived the night, we 
 began to recollect ourselves, and to think of our future 
 preservation. 
 
 When we quitted the ship the wind was at N. W. or 
 N. N. W. Fayal had borne E. S. E. two hundred and 
 fifty or two hundred and sixty leagues. Had the wind 
 continued for five or six days, there was a probability 
 that running before the sea we might have fallen in with 
 some one of the Western Islands. The change of wind 
 was death to these hopes ; for, should it come to -blow, 
 we knew there would be no preserving life but by run- 
 ning before the ^ea, which would carry us again to the 
 northward, where we must soon afterwards perish. 
 
 Upon examining what we had to subsist on, I found a 
 bag of bread, a small ham, a single piece of pork, two 
 quart bottles of water, and a few of .French cordials. 
 The wind continued to the southward for eight or nine 
 days, and providentially never blew so strong but that 
 we could keep the side of the boat to the sea : but we 
 were always most miserably wet and cold. We kept a 
 sort of reckoning, but the sun and stars being somewhat
 
 LOSS OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAU&. 115 
 
 hidden from us, for twenty-four hours, we had no very 
 correct idea of our navigation. We judged, that we had 
 nearly an E. N. E. course since the first night's run, 
 which had carried us to the S. E. and expected to see 
 the island of Corvo. In this, however, we were disap- 
 pointed, and we feared that the southerly wind had 
 driven us far to the northward. Our prayers were now 
 for a northerly wind. Our condition began to he truly 
 miserable, both from hunger and cold : for on the fifth 
 day we had discovered that our bread was nearly all 
 spoiled by salt-water, and it was neceAiry to go on an 
 allowance. One biscuit divided into twelve morsels for 
 breakfast, and the same for dinner ; the neck of a bottle 
 broken off, with the cork in, served for a glass, and this, 
 filled with water, was the allowance for twenty-four 
 hours for each man. This was done without any par- 
 tiality or distinction ; but we must have perished ere 
 this, had we not caught six quarts of rain water ; and 
 this we could not have been blessed with, had we 
 not found in the boat a pair of sheets, which by acci- 
 dent had been put there. These were spread when 
 it rained, and when thoroughly wet, wrung into the 
 kidd, with which we bailed the boat. With this short 
 allowance, which was rather tantalizing in our comfort- 
 less condition, we began to grow very feeble, and our 
 clothes being continually wet, our bodies were, in many 
 places, chafed into sores. 
 
 On the 15th day it fell calm, and soon after a breeze 
 of wind sprung up from the N. N. W. and blew to a 
 gale, so that we ran before the sea at the rate of five or 
 six miles an hour under our blanket, till we judged we 
 were to fhe southward of Fayal, and to the westward 
 sixty leagues : but the wind blowing strong we could not 
 attempt to steer for it. Our wishes were now for the 
 wind to shift to the westward. This was the fifteenth 
 day we had been ifi the boat, and we had only one day's 
 bread, and one bottle of water remaining of a second 
 supply of rain. Our sufferings were now as great as 
 human strength could bear, but we were convinced that 
 good spirits were a better support than great bodily
 
 116 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 strength : for on this day Thomas Matthews, quarter* 
 master, the stoutest man in the boat, perished from hun- 
 ger and cold : on the day before he had complained of 
 want of strength in his throat, as he expressed it, to 
 swallow his morsel, and in the night drank salt-water, 
 grew delirious, and died without a groan. As it became 
 next to a certainty that we should all perish in the same 
 manner in a day or two, it was somewhat comfortable 
 to reflect, that dying of hunger was not so dreadful as 
 our imaginations had represented. Others had com- 
 plained of thegl symptoms in their throats ; some had 
 drank their own urine; and all but myself had drank 
 salt-water. 
 
 As yet despair and gloom had been successfully pro- 
 hibited; and, as the evenings closed in, the men had 
 been encouraged by turns to sing a song, or relate a story, 
 instead of supper ; but this evening I found it impossible 
 to raise either. As the night came on it fell calm, and 
 about midnight a breeze of wind sprang up', we guessed 
 from the westward by the swell, but there not being a 
 star to be seen, we were afraid of running out of our 
 way, and waited impatiently for the rising sun to be 
 our compass. 
 
 As soon as the dawn appeared, We found the wind to 
 be exactly as we had wished, at W. S. W. and imme- 
 diately spread our sail, running before the sea at the 
 rate of four miles an hour. Our last breakfast had been 
 served with the bread and water remaining, when John 
 Gregory, quartermaster, declared with much confidence 
 that he saw land hi the S. E. We had so often seen 
 fog-banks, which had the appearance of land, that I did 
 not trust myself to believe it, and cautioned the people, 
 (who were extravagantly elated,) that they might not 
 feel the eifects of disappointment; till at length one of 
 them broke out into a most immoderate swearing fit of 
 joy, which I could not restrain, and declared he had 
 never seen land in his life if what he now saw was nof 
 land. 
 
 We immediately shaped our course for it, though on 
 my part with very little faith. The wind freshened ; tht
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR. 117 
 
 boat went through the water at the rate of five or six 
 miles an hour, and in two hours' time the land was 
 plainly seen by every man in the boat, but at a very 
 great distance, so that we did not reach it till ten at 
 night. It must have been at least twenty leagues from 
 us when first discovered ; and I cannot help remarking, 
 with much thankfulness, the providential favor shown 
 to us in this instance. 
 
 In every part of the horizon, except where the land 
 was discovered, there was so thick a haze that we could 
 not have seen any thing for more thjm three or four 
 leagues. Fayal, by our reckoning, bo^piL by N. which 
 course we were steering, and in a few hours, had not the 
 sky opened for our preservation, we should have increas- 
 ed our distance from the land, got to the eastward, and 
 of course missed all the island. As we approached the 
 land our belief had strengthened that it was Fayal. The 
 island of Pico, which might have revealed it to us, had 
 the weather been perfectly clear, was at this time capped 
 with clouds, and it was some time before we were quite 
 Satisfied, having traversed for two hours a great part of 
 the island, where the steep and rocky shore refused us a 
 landing. This circumstance was borne with much im- 
 patience, for we had flattered ourselves that we should 
 meet with fresh water at the first part of the land we 
 might approach ; and being disappointed, the thirst of 
 some had increased anxiety almost to a state of madness; 
 so that we were near making the attempt to land in 
 some places where the boat must have been dashed to 
 pieces by the surf. At length we discovered a fishing 
 canoe, which conducted us into the road of Fayal about 
 midnight ; but where the regulation of the port did not 
 permit us to land till examined by the health officers ; 
 however, I did not think much of sleeping this night in 
 the boat, our pilot having brought us some refreshments 
 of bread, wine, and water. In the morning we were 
 visited by Mr. Graham, the English consul, whose hu- 
 mane attention made very ample amends for the formality 
 of the Portuguese. Indeed I can never sufficiently ex- 
 press the sense I have of his kindness and humanity,
 
 118 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 both to myself and people; for, I believe, it was the 
 whole of his employment for several days to contrive the 
 best means of restoring us to health and strength. It is 
 true, I believe there never were more pitiable objects. 
 Some of the stoutest men belonging to the Centaur were 
 obliged to be supported through the streets of Fayal. 
 Mr. Rainy, the master, and myself, were, I think, in bet- 
 ter health than the rest ; but I could not walk without 
 being supported ; and for several days, with the best and 
 most comfortable provisions of diet and lodging, we grew 
 rather worse tbwi better. 
 
 LOSS OF THE SLOOP BETSY, 
 On the Coast of Dutch Guiana, August 5, 1756. 
 
 ON the 1st of August, 1756, says captain Aubin, I set 
 sail for Surinam, from Carlisle bay, in the island of Bar- 
 badoes. My sloop, of about eighty tons burthen, was 
 built entirely of cedar, and freighted by Messrs. Roscoe 
 and Nyles, merchants of Bridgetown. The cargo con- 
 sisted of provisions of every kind, and horses. The 
 Dutch colony being in want of a supply of those animals, 
 passed a law that no English vessel should be permitted 
 to enter there, if horses did not constitute part of her 
 cargo. The Dutch were so rigid in enforcing this con- 
 dition, that if the horses chanced to die on their passage, 
 the master of the vessel was obliged to preserve the ears 
 and hoofs of the animals, and to swear upon entering 
 the port of Surinam, that when he embarked they were 
 alive, and destined for that colony. 
 
 The coasts of Surinam, Berbice, Demarara, Oronoko, 
 and all the adjacent parts, are low lands, and inundated 
 by large riyters, which discharge themselves into the sea. 
 The bottom all along this coast is composed of a kind 
 of mud, or clay, in which the anchors sink to the depth 
 of three or four fathoms, and upon which the keel some- 
 times strikes without stopping the vessel. The sloop
 
 I/OSS OF THE SLOOP BETSY. 119 
 
 being at anchor three leagues and a half from the shore 
 in five fathoms water, the mouth of the Demarara river 
 bearing S. S. W. and it being the rainy season, my crew- 
 drew up water from the sea for their use, which was 
 just as sweet as good river water. The current occa- 
 sioned by the trade winds, and the numerous rivers 
 which fall into the sea, carried us at the rate of four 
 miles an hour towards the west and north-west. 
 
 In the evening of the 4th of August, I was tacking 
 about, between the latitude of ten and twelve degrees 
 north, with a fresh breeze, which obliged me to reef my 
 sails. At midnight, finding that the wind increased in 
 proportion as the moon, then on the wane, rose above 
 the horizon, and that my bark, which was deeply laden, 
 labored excessively, I would not retire to rest till the 
 weather became more moderate. I told my mate, whose 
 name was Williams, to bring me a bottle of beer, and 
 both sitting down, I upon a hen-coop, and Williams up- 
 on the deck, we "began to tell stories to pass the time, 
 according to the custom of mariners of every country. 
 The vessel suddenly turned with her broadside to wind- 
 ward : I called to one of the seamen to put the helm a 
 weather, but he replied it had been so for some time. 
 I directed my mate to see if the cords were not entangled: 
 he informed me that they were not. At this moment the 
 vessel swung round with her head to the sea, and plung- 
 ed ; her head filled in such a manner that she could not 
 rise above the surf, which broke over us to the height 
 of the anchor stocks, and we were presently up to our 
 necks in water ; every thing in the cabin was washed 
 away. Some of the crew, which consisted of nine men, 
 were drowned in their hammocks, without a cry or groan. 
 When the wave had passed, I took the hatchet that was 
 hanging up near the fireplace, to cut away the shrouds 
 to prevent the ship from upsetting, but in vain. She 
 upset, and turned over again, with her masts and sails^ 
 in the water ; the horses rolled one over the other and 
 were drowned, forming altogether a most melancholy 
 spectacle. 
 
 I had but one small boat, about twelve or thirteen feet
 
 120 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 long ; she was fixed, with a cable coiled inside of her, 
 between the pump and the side of the ship. Providen- 
 tially for our preservation there was no occasion to lash 
 her fast ; but we at this time entertained no hope of see- 
 ing her again, as the large cable within her, together with 
 the weight of the horses, and their stalls entangled one 
 among another, prevented her from rising to the surface 
 of the water. 
 
 In this dreadful situation, holding by the shrouds, and 
 stripping off. my clothes, I loeked round me for some 
 plank or empty box to preserve my life as long as it 
 should please 'the Almighty, when I perceived my mate 
 and two seamen hanging by a rope, and imploring God 
 to receive their souls. I told them that the man who 
 was not resigned to die when it pleased the Creator to 
 call him out of the world was not fit to live. I advised 
 them to undress as I had done, and to endeavor to seize 
 the first object that could assist them in preserving their 
 lives. Williams followed my advice, stripped himself 
 quite naked, and betook himself to swimming, looking 
 out for whatever he could find. A moment afterwards 
 he cried out, "Here is the boat, keel uppermost!" I im- 
 mediately swam to him, and found him holding the boat 
 by the keel. We then set to work to turn her, but in 
 vain ; at length, however, Williams, who was the hea- 
 viest and strongest of the two, contrived to set his feet 
 against the gunwale of the boat, laying hold of the keel 
 with his hands, and with a violent effort nearly succeed- 
 ed in overturning her. I being to windward, pushed 
 and lifted her up with my shoulders on the opposite side. 
 At length, with the assistance of the surf, we turned her 
 over, but she was full of water. I got into her, and en- 
 deavored by the means of a rope belonging to the rig- 
 ging to draw her to the mast of the vessel. In the in- 
 tervals between the waves the mast always rose to the 
 height of fifteen or twenty feet above the water. I passed 
 the end of the rope fastened to the boat once round the 
 head of the mast, keeping hold of the end ; each time 
 that the mast rose out of the water, it lifted up both the 
 boat and me ; I then let go the rope, and by this expe-
 
 LOSS OF THE SLOOP BETSY. 121 
 
 dient the boat was three-fourths emptied: but having 
 nothing to enable me to disengage her from the mast and 
 shrouds, they fell down upon me, driving the boat and 
 me again under water. 
 
 After repeated attempts to empty her, in which I was 
 cruelly wounded and bruised, 1 began to haul the boat, 
 filled with water, towards the vessel, by the shrouds; 
 but the bark had sunk by this time to such a depth, that 
 only a small part of her stern was to be seen, upon 
 which my mate and two other seamen were holding fast 
 by a rope. I threw myself into the water, with the rope 
 of the boat in the mouth, and swam towards them to 
 give them the end to lay hold of, hoping, by our united 
 strength, that we should be able to haul the boat over 
 the stern of the vessel ; we exerted our utmost efforts, 
 and at this moment I nearly had my thigh broken by a 
 shock of the boat, being between her and the ship. At 
 length we succeeded in hauling her over the stern, but 
 had the misfortune to break a hole in her bottom in this 
 manoeuvre. As soon as my thigh was a little recovered 
 from the blow, I jumped into her with one of the men, 
 and stopped the leak with a piece of his coarse shirt. It 
 was extremely fortunate for us that this man did not 
 know how to swim; it will soon be seen what benefit 
 we derived from his ignorance ; had it not been for this 
 we must all have perished. Being unable to swim, he 
 had not stripped, and had thus preserved his coarse 
 shirt, a knife that was in his pocket, and an enormous 
 hat, in the Dutch fashion. The boat being fastened to 
 the rigging, was no sooner cleared of the greatest part 
 of the water than a dog of mine came to me, running 
 along the gunwale ; I took him in, thanking Providence 
 for having thus sent provision for a time of necessity. 
 A moment after the dog had entered, the rope broke with 
 a jerk of the vessel, and I found myself drifting away. 
 called my mate and the other man, who swam to me : 
 the former had fortunately found a small spare top-mast, 
 which served us for a rudder. We assisted the two 
 others to get into the boat, and soon lost sight of our ill- 
 fated bark. 
 11
 
 122 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 It was then four o'clock in the morning, as I judged 
 by the dawn of day. which began to appear, so that 
 about two hours had elapsed since we were obliged to 
 abandon her. What prevented her from foundering 
 sooner was my having taken on board about one hun- 
 dred and fifty barrels of biscuit, as many or more casks 
 of flour, and three hundred firkins of butter, all which 
 substances float upon the water, and are soaked through 
 but slowly and by degrees. As soon as we were clear 
 of the wreck, we kept the boat Jefore the wind as well 
 as we could, and when it grew light I perceived several 
 articles that had floated from the vessel. I perceived my 
 box of clothes and linen, which had been carried out of 
 the cabin by the violence of the waves. I felt an emo- 
 tion of joy. The box contained some bottles of orange 
 and lime water, a few pounds of chocolate, sugar, &c. 
 Reaching over the gunwale of our boat we laid hold of 
 the box, and used every effort to open it on the water, 
 for we could not think of getting it into the boat, being 
 of a size and weight sufficient to sink her. In spite of 
 all our endeavors we could not force open the lid; we 
 were obliged to leave it behind, with all the good things 
 it contained, and to increase our distress we had by tliis 
 effort almost filled our boat with water, and had more 
 than once nearly sunk her. 
 
 We, however, had the good fortune to pick up thir- 
 teen onions ; we saw many more, but were unable to 
 reach them. These thirteen onions and my dog, with- 
 out a single drop of fresh water, or any liquor whatever, 
 were all that we had to subsist upon. We were, ac- 
 cording to my computation, above-fifty leagues from land, 
 having neither mast, sails, nor oars, to direct us, nor any 
 kind of articles besides the knife of the sailor who could 
 not swim, his shirt, a piece of which we had already 
 used to stop the leak in our boat, and his wide trousers. 
 We this day cut the remainder of his shirt into strips, 
 which we twisted for rigging, and then fell to work al- 
 tejrnately to loosen the planks with which the boat was 
 lined, cutting, by dint of time and patience, all round the 
 heads of the nails that fastened them. Of these planks
 
 LOSS OF THE SLOOP BETSY. 123 
 
 we made a kind of mast, which we tied to the foremast 
 bench ; a piece of board was substituted for a yard, to 
 which we fastened the two parts of the trousers, which 
 served for sails, and assisted us in keeping the boat be- 
 fore the wind, steering with the top-mast as mentioned 
 before. 
 
 As the pieces of plank which we had detached from 
 the inside of the boat were too short, and were not suf- 
 ficient to go quite round the edge, when the sea ran very 
 high, we were obliged, in order to prevent the WP ves 
 from entering the boat, to lie down several times alflng 
 the gunwale on each side, with our backs to the water, 
 and thus with our bodies to repel the surf, while the 
 other, with the Dutch hat, was incessantly employed in 
 bailing out the water ; besides which the boat continued 
 to make water at the leak, which we were unable en- 
 tirely to stop. 
 
 It was in this melancholy situation, and stark naked, 
 that we kept the boat before the wind as well as we 
 could. The night of the first day after our shipwreck 
 arrived before we had well completed our sail ; it grew 
 dark, and we contrived to keep our boat running before 
 the wind, at the rate of about a league an hour. The 
 second day was more calm ; we each eat an onion, at 
 different times, and began to feel thirst. In the night 
 of the second day the wind became violent and variable, 
 and sometimes blowing from the north, which caused me 
 great uneasiness, being' obliged to steer south, in order 
 to keep the boat before the wind, whereas we could only 
 hope to be saved by proceeding from east to west. 
 
 The third day we began to suffer exceedingly, not only 
 from hunger and thirst, but likewise from the heat of 
 the sun, which scorched us in such a manner, that from 
 the neck to the feet our skin was as red and as full of 
 blisters as if we had been burned by a fire. I then seiz- 
 ed my dog and plunged the knife in his throat. I can- 
 not even now refrain from weeping at the thought of it ; 
 but at the moment I felt not the least compassion for 
 him. We caught his blood in the hat, receiving in our 
 hands and drinking what ran over : we afterwards drank
 
 124 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 in turn out of the hat, and felt ourselves refreshed. The 
 fourth day the wind was extremely violent, and the sea 
 ran very high, so that we were more than once on the 
 point of perishing ; it was on this day in particular that 
 we were obliged to make a rampart of GUI bodies in or- 
 der to repel the waves. About noon a ray of hope dawn- 
 ed upon us, but soon vanished. 
 
 We perceived a sloop, commanded by captain Sou- 
 they, which, like my vessel, belonged to the ibland of 
 Barbadoes, and was bound to Demarara ; we could see 
 the crew walking upon the deck, and shouted to them, 
 but were never- seen nor heard. Being obliged, by the 
 violence of the gale, to keep our boat before the wind, 
 for fear of foundering, we had passed her a great dis- 
 tance before she crossed us ; she steered direct south, and 
 we bearing away to the west. Captain Southey was 
 one of my particular friends. This disappointment so 
 discouraged my two seamen that they refused to endea- 
 vor any longer to save their lives. In spite of all I could 
 say, one of them would do nothing, not even bail out 
 the water which gained upon us ; I had recourse to en- 
 treaties ; fell at his knees, but he remained unmoved. 
 My mate and I, at length, prevailed upon him, by threat- 
 ening to kill him instantly with the top-mast, which we 
 used to steer by, and to kill ourselves afterwards, to put 
 a period to our misery. This menace made some im- 
 pression on him, and he resumed his employment of bail- 
 ing as before. 
 
 On this day I set the others the example of eating a 
 piece of the dog with some onions ; it was with difficulty 
 that I swallowed a few mouthfuls ; but in an hour I felt 
 that this morsel of food had given me vigor. My mate, 
 who was of a much stronger constitution, eat more, 
 which gave me much pleasure ; one of the two men 
 likewise tasted it, but the other, whose name was Com- 
 ings, either would not or could not swallow a morsel. 
 
 The fifth day was more calm, and the sea much 
 smoother. At daybreak we perceived an enormous 
 shark, as large as our boat, which followed us several 
 hours, as a prey that was destined for him. We also
 
 -J* LOSS OF THE SLOOP BETSY. 125 
 
 found in our boat a flying-fish, which had dropped there 
 during the night ; we divided it into four parts, which 
 we chewed to moisten our mouths. It was on this day 
 that, when pressed with hunger and despair, my mate, 
 Williams, had the generosity to exhort us to cut oif a 
 piece of his thigh to refresh ourselves with the blood, 
 and to support life. In the night we had several show- 
 ers, with some wind. We tried to get some rain water 
 by wringing the trousers Avhich served us for a sail, but 
 when we caught it in our mouths it proved to be as salt 
 as that of the sea : the trousers having been so often 
 soaked with sea-water, that they, as well as the hat, 
 were quite impregnated with salt. Thus we had no 
 other resource but to open our mouths and catch the 
 drops of rain upon our tongues, in order to cool them : 
 after the shower was over we again fastened the trou- 
 sers to the mast. 
 
 On the sixth day the two seamen, notwithstanding all 
 my remonstrances, drank sea-water, which purged them 
 so excessively that they fell into a kind of delirium, and 
 were of no more service to Williams and me. Both he 
 and I kept a nail in our mouths, and. often sprinkled our 
 heads with water to cool them. I perceived myself the 
 better for these ablutions, and that my head was more 
 easy. We tried several times to eat of the dog's flesh, 
 with a morsel of onion ; but I thought myself fortunate 
 if I could get down three or four mouthfuls. My mate 
 always eat rather more than I could. 
 
 The seventh day was fine, with a moderate breeze, 
 and the sea perfectly calm. About noon the two men 
 who had drank sea-water grew so weak that they be- 
 gan to talk wildly, like people who are light-headed, not 
 knowing any longer whether they were at sea or on 
 shore. My mate and I were so weak too that we could 
 scarcely stand on our legs, or steer the boat in our turns, 
 or bail the water from the boat, which made a great 
 deal at the leak. 
 
 In the morning of the eighth day, John Comings died, 
 and three hours afterwards George Simpson likewise ex- 
 pired. The same evening, at sunset, we had the inex-
 
 126 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 pressible satisfaction of discovering the high lands on 
 the west point of the island of Tobago. Hope gave us 
 strength. We kept the head of the boat towards the 
 land all night, with a light breeze, and a current which 
 was in our favor. Williams and I were that night in an 
 extraordinary situation, our two comrades lying dead 
 before us, with the land in sight, having very little wind 
 to approach it, and being assisted only by the current, 
 which drove strongly to the westward. In the morning 
 we were not, according to my computation, more than 
 five or six leagues from the land. That happy day was 
 the last of our sufferings at sea. We kept steering the 
 boat the whole day towards the shore, though we were 
 no longer able to stand. In the evening the wind lulled, 
 and it fell calm ; but about two o'clock in the morning 
 the current cast us on the beach of the island of Toba- 
 go, at the foot of a high shore, between little Tobago 
 and Man-of-War bay, which is the easternmost part of 
 the island. The boat soon bilged with the shock ; rny 
 unfortunate companion and I crawled to the shore, leav- 
 ing the bodies of our two comrades in the boat, and the 
 remainder of the dog, which was quite putrid. 
 
 We clambered, as well as we could, on all fours, along 
 the high coast, which rose almost perpendicularly to the 
 height of three or four hundred feet. A great quantity 
 of leaves had dropped down to the place where we were, 
 from the numerous trees over our heads ; these we col- 
 lected, and lay down upon them to wait for daylight. 
 When it began to dawn we sought about for water, and 
 found some in the holes of the rocks, but it was brack- 
 ish, and not fit to drink. We perceived on the rocks 
 around us several kinds of shell-fish, some of which we 
 broke open with a stone, and chewed them to moisten 
 our mouths. 
 
 Between eight and nine o'clock we were perceived by 
 a young Caraib, who was sometimes walking and at 
 others swimming towards the boat. As soon as he had 
 reached it he called his companions with loud shouts, 
 making signs of the greatest compassion. His comrades 
 instantly followed him, and swam towards us, having 
 perceived us almost at the same time.
 
 LOSS OP Tfifi SLOOP BETSY. 127 
 
 The oldest, who was about sixty, approached us, with 
 the two youngest, whom we afterwards found to be his 
 son and son-in-law. At the sight of us the tears flowed 
 from their eyes : I endeavored by words and signs to 
 make them comprehend that we had been nine days at 
 sea, in want of every thing. They understood a few 
 French words, and signified that they would fetch a boat 
 to convey us to their hut. The old man took a hand- 
 kerchief from his head and tied it round mine, and one of 
 the young Caraibs gave "Williams his straw hat; the 
 other swam round the projecting rock and brought us a 
 calabash of fresh water, some cakes of cassava, and a 
 piece of broiled fish, but we could not eat. The two 
 others took the two corpses out of the boat, and laid 
 them upon the rock, after which all three of them hauled 
 the boat out of the water. They then left us, with 
 marks of the utmost compassion, and went to fetch their 
 canoe. 
 
 About noon they returned in their canoe, to the num- 
 ber of six* and brought with them, in an earthen pot, 
 some soup which we thought delicious. We took a lit- 
 tle, but my stomach was so weak that I immediately 
 cast it up again. Williams did not vomit at all. In 
 less than two hours we arrived at Man-of-War bay, 
 where the huts of the Caraibs are situated. They had 
 only one hammock, in which they laid me, and the wo- 
 man made us a very agreeable mess of herbs and broth 
 of quatracas and pigeons. They bathed my Avounds r 
 which were full of worms, with a decoction of tobacco 
 and other plants. Every morning the man lifted me out 
 of the hammock, and carried me in his arms beneath a 
 lemon tree, where he covered me with plantain leaves to 
 screen me from the sun. There they anointed our bo- 
 dies with a kind of oil to cure the blisters raised by the 
 sun. Our compassionate hosts even had the generosity 
 to give each of us a shirt and a pair of trousers, which 
 they had procured from the ships that came from time to 
 time to trade with them-for turtles and tortoise shell. 
 
 After they had .cleansed my wounds of the vermin, 
 they kept me witJf 'my legs suspended m the air, and
 
 128 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 anointed them morning and evening with an oil extract- 
 ed from the tail of a small crab, resembling what the 
 English call the soldier-crab, because its shell is red. 
 They take a certain quantity of these crabs, bruise the 
 ends of their tails, and put them to digest in a large shell 
 upon the fire. It was with this ointment that they 
 healed my wounds, covering them with nothing but 
 plantain leaves. 
 
 Thanks to the nourishing food procured us by the Ca- 
 raibs, and their humane attention, I was able, in about 
 three weeks, to support myself upon crutches, like a 
 person recovering from a severe illness. The natives 
 flocked from all parts of the island to see us, and never 
 ^anid empty handed ; sometimes bringing eggs, and at 
 others fowls, which were given with pleasure, and ac- 
 cepted with gratitude. We even had visiters from the 
 island of Trinidad. I cut my name with a knife upon 
 several boards, and gave them to different Caraibs, to 
 show them to any ships which chance might conduct to 
 the coast. We almost despaired of seeing any arrive, 
 when a sloop from Oronoko, laden with mules and 
 bound to St. Pierre, in the island of Martinique, touched 
 at the sandy point on the west side of Tobago. The 
 Indians showed the crew a plank upon which my name 
 was carved, and acquainted them with our situation. 
 Upon the arrival of this vessel at St. Pierre, those on 
 board related the circumstance. Several merchants of 
 my acquaintance, who traded under Dutch colors, hap- 
 pened to be there : they transmitted the information to 
 my owners, Messrs. Roscoe and Nyles, who instantly 
 despatched a small vessel in quest of us. After living 
 about nine weeks with this benevolent and charitable 
 tribe of savages, I embarked and left them, when my 
 regret was equal to the joy and surprise I had experi- 
 enced at meeting with them. 
 
 When we were ready to depart they furnished us with 
 an abundant supply of bananas, figs, yams, fowls, fish, 
 and fruits ; particularly oranges and lemons. I had no- 
 thing to give them as an acknowledgment of their gene- 
 rous treatment but my boat, which they had repaired,
 
 LOSS OP THE SLOOP BETSY. 129 
 
 and used for occasionally visiting their nests of turtles : 
 being larger than their canoes, it was much more fit for 
 that purpose. Of this I made them a present, and would 
 have given them my blood. My friend, captain Young, 
 assisted me to remunerate my benefactors. He gave me 
 all the rum he had with him, being about seven or eight 
 bottles, which I likewise presented to them. He also 
 gave them several shirts and trousers, some knives, fish- 
 hooks, sail-cloth for the boat, with needles and ropes. 
 
 At length, after two days spent in preparations for our 
 departure, we were obliged to separate. They came 
 down to the beach to the number of about thirty, men, 
 women and children, and all appeared to feel the sincer- 
 est sorrow, especially the old man, who had acted like a 
 father to me. When the vessel left the bay, the tears 
 flowed from our eyes, which still continued fixed upon 
 them. They remained standing in a line upon the shore 
 till they lost sight of us. As we set sail about nine 
 o'clock in the morning, steering north-east, and as Man- 
 of-War bay is situated at the north-east point of the 
 island, we were a long time in sight of each other. I 
 still recollect the moment when they disappeared from 
 my sight, and the profound regret which filled my heart. 
 I feared that I should never again be so happy as I had 
 been among them. I loved them, and will continue to 
 love my dear Caraibs as long as I live ; I would shed 
 my blood for the first of those benevolent savages that 
 might stand in need of my assistance, if chance should 
 ever bring one of them to Europe, or my destiny should 
 again conduct me to their island. 
 
 In three days we arrived at Barbadoes. I continued 
 to have a violent oppression'on my breast, which checked 
 respiration, and was not yet able to go without crutches. 
 We received from the whole island marks of the most 
 tender interest, and the most generous compassion ; the 
 benevolence of the inhabitants was unbounded. The 
 celebrated Dr. Hilery, the author of a treatise on the 
 diseases peculiar to that isla-nd, came to see me, together 
 with Dr. Lilihorn. They prescribed various remedies, 
 but without effect Both Williams and myself were
 
 130 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 unable to speak without the greatest difficulty. Wil- 
 liams remained at Barbadoes, but I, being more affected, 
 and less robust, was advised to return to Europe. In 
 compliance with their advice I went to London, where I 
 was attended by doctors Reeves, Akenside, Schomberg, 
 and the most celebrated physicians of that metropolis, 
 who gave me all the assistance within the power of their 
 art, from which I received scarcely any relief. At 
 length, after I had been about a week in London, Dr. 
 Alexander Russell, on his return from Bath, heard my 
 case mentioned. He came to see me, and with his ac- 
 customed humanity promised to undertake my cure, 
 without any fee ; but he candidly acknowledged that it 
 would be both tedious and expensive. I replied that the 
 generosity of the inhabitants of Barbadoes had rendered 
 me easy on that head, entreating him to prescribe for 
 me, and thanking him for his obliging offers. 
 
 As he had practised for a long time at Aleppo, he 
 had there seen great numbers afflicted with the same 
 malady as myself, produced by long thirst in traversing 
 the deserts of Africa. He ordered me to leave town to 
 enjoy a more wholesome air. I took a lodging at Ho- 
 merton, near Hackney ; there he ordered me to be bathed 
 every morning, confining me to asses' milk as my only 
 food, excepting a few new-laid eggs, together with mo- 
 derate exercise, and a ride on horseback every day. 
 After about a month of this regimen he ordered a goat to 
 be brought every morning to my bedside; about five 
 o'clock I drank a glass of her milk, quite hot, and slept 
 upon it. He then allowed me to take .some light chicken 
 broth, with a morsel of the wing. By means of this 
 diet my malady was in a great degree removed in the 
 space of about five months, and I was in a state to re- 
 sume any occupation I pleased ; but my constitution has 
 ever since been extremely delicate, and my stomach in 
 particular very weak.
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG TYRREL. 
 
 IN addition to the many dreadful shipwrecks already 
 narrated, the following, which is a circumstantial account 
 given by T. Purnell, chief mate of the brig Tyrrel, Ar- 
 thur Cochlan, commander, and the only person among 
 the whole crew who had the good fortune to escape, 
 claims our particular attention. 
 
 On Saturday, June 28th, 1759, they sailed from New 
 York to Sandy Hook, and came to an anchor, waiting 
 for the captain's coming down with a new boat, and 
 some other articles. Accordingly he came on board 
 early the succeeding morning, and the boat was cleared, 
 hoisted in, stowed and lashed. At eight o'clock A. M. 
 they weighed anchor, sailed out of Sandy Hook, and 
 the same day, at noon, took their departure from the 
 highland Neversink, and proceeded on their passage to 
 Antigua. As soon as they made sail, the captain or- 
 dered the boat to be cast loose, in order that she might 
 be painted, with the oars, rudder, and tiller, which job 
 he (the captain) undertook to do himself. 
 
 At four P. M. they found Ihe vessel made a little more 
 water than usual ; but as it did not cause much addi- 
 tional labor at the pump, nothing was thought of it. At 
 eight, the leak did not seem to increase. At twelve, it 
 began to blow hard in squalls, which caused the vessel 
 to lie down very much, whereby it was apprehended 
 she wanted more ballast. Thereupon the captain came 
 on deck, being the starboard watch ; and close-reefed 
 both top-sails. 
 
 At four A. M. the weather moderated let out both 
 reefs. At eight it became still more moderate, and they 
 made more sail, and set the top-gallant sails ; the wea- 
 ther was still thick and hazy. There was no further 
 observation taken at present, except that the vessel made
 
 132 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 more water. The captain was now chiefly employed in 
 painting the boat, oars, rudder, and tiller. 
 
 On Monday, June 30th, at four P. M., the wind was 
 at E. N. E., freshened very much, and blew so very hard 
 as occasioned the brig to lie along in such a manner as 
 caused general alarm. The captain was now earnestly 
 entreated to put for New York, or steer for the capes of 
 Virginia. At eight, took in top-gallant sail, and close 
 reefed both top-sails, still making more weather. After- 
 wards the weather became still more moderate and fair, 
 and they made more sail. 
 
 July 1st, at four A. M., it began to blow in squalls 
 very hard; took in one reef in each top-sail, and conti- 
 nued so until eight A. M., the weather being still thick 
 and hazy. No observation. 
 
 The next day she made still more water, but as every 
 watch pumped it out, this was little regarded. At four 
 P. M. took a second reef in each top-sail, close reefed 
 both, and down top-gallant yard ; the gale still in- 
 creasing. 
 
 At four A. M. the wind got round to north, and there 
 was no likelihood of its abating. At eight, the captain, 
 well satisfied that she was very crank and ought to have 
 had more ballast, agreed to make for Bacon Island road, 
 in North Carolina ; and in the very act of wearing her, a 
 sudden gust of wind laid her down on her beam ends, 
 and she never rose again ! At this time Mr. Purnell 
 was lying in the cabin, with his clothes on, not having 
 pulled them off since they left land. Having been rolled 
 out of his bed, (on his chest,) with great difficulty he 
 reached the round-house door. The first salutation he 
 met with was from the step-ladder that went from the 
 quarter-deck to the poop, which knocked him against 
 the companion ; (a lucky circumstance for those below, 
 as, by laying the ladder against the companion, it served 
 both him and the rest of the people who were in the 
 steerage as a conveyance to windward;) having trans- 
 ported the two after guns forward to bring her more by 
 the head, in order to make her hold a better wind : thus 
 they got through the aftermost gun-port on the quarter-
 
 tOSS OF THE BRIG TYRREL. 133 
 
 deck, and being all on her broadside, every movable 
 rolled to leeward ; and as the vessel overset, so did the 
 boat, and turned bottom upwards. Her lashings being 
 cast loose by order of the captain, and having no other 
 prospect of saving their lives but by the boat, Purnell, 
 with two others, and the cabin boy, who were excellent 
 swimmers, plunged into the water, and with great diffi- 
 culty righted her, when she was brimful, and washing 
 with the water's edge. They then made fast the end of 
 the main-sheet to the ring in her stern-post, and those 
 who were in the fore-chains sent down the end of the 
 boom-tackle, to which they made fast the boat's painter, 
 and by which they lifted her a little out of the water, so 
 that she swam about two or three inches free, but almost 
 full. They then put the cabin boy into her, and gave 
 him a bucket that happened to float by, and he bailed 
 away as quick as he could, and soon after another person 
 got in with another bucket, and in a short time got all 
 the water out of her. They then put two long oars that 
 were stowed in the larboard quarter of the Tyrrel into 
 the boat, and pulled or rowed right to windward ; for, as 
 the wreck drifted, she made a dreadful appearance in 
 the water ; and Mr. Purnell and two of the people put 
 off from the wreck, in search of the oars, rudder and 
 tiller. After a long while they succeeded in picking 
 them all up, one after another. They then returned to 
 their wretched companions, who were all overjoyed to 
 see them, having given them up for lost. 
 
 By this time night drew on very fast. While they 
 were rowing in the boat, some small quantity of white 
 biscuit (Mr. Purnell supposed about half a peck) floated 
 in a small cask out of the round-house ; but before it 
 came to hand, it was so soaked with salt water that it 
 was almost in a fluid state ; and about double the quan- 
 tity of common ship-biscuit likewise floated, which was 
 in like manner soaked. This was all the provisions 
 that they had ; not a drop of fresh water could they get ; 
 neither could the carpenter get at any of the tools to 
 scuttle her sides, for, could this have been accomplished, 
 they might have saved plenty of provisions and water. 
 12
 
 134 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 By this time it was almost dark. Having got one 
 compass, it was determined to quit the wreck, and take 
 their chance in the boat, which was nineteen feet six 
 inches long, and six feet four inches broad : Mr. Purnell 
 supposes it was now about nine o'clock : it was very 
 dark. ,They had run three hundred and sixty miles by 
 their dead reckoning, on a S. E. by E. course. The 
 number in the boat was seventeen in all ; the boat was 
 very deep, and little hopes were entertained of either 
 seeing land or surviving long. The wind got rounil to 
 westward, which was the course they wanted to steer ; 
 but it began to blow and rain so very hard, that f 'they 
 were obliged to keep the boat before the wind and sea 
 in order to preserve her above water. Soorj. after they 
 had put oif from the wreck the boat shipped two heavy 
 seas, one after another, so that they were obliged to keep 
 her before the wind and sea ; for had she shipped another 
 sea, she certainly would have swamped with them. 
 
 By sunrise the next morning, July 3d, they judged 
 that they had been running E. S. E., which was contra- 
 ry to their wishes. The wind dying away, the weather 
 became very moderate. The compass which they had 
 saved proved of no utility, one of the people having trod 
 upon and broken it; it was accordingly thrown over- 
 board. They now proposed to make a sail of frocks and 
 trousers, but they had got neither needles nor sewing- 
 twine : one of the people however had a needle in his 
 knife, and another several fishing lines in his pockets, 
 which were unlaid by some, and others were employed 
 in rippingthe ( frocks and trousers. By sunset they had 
 provided t tolerable lugsail : having split one of the 
 boat's thwjtrts.( which was of yellow deal,) with a very 
 large knife which one of the crew had in his pocket, 
 they made a yard and lashed it together by the strands 
 of the fore-top-gallant halliards, that were thrown into 
 the boat promiscuously. They also made a mast of one 
 of the long oars, and set their sails with sheets and 
 tacks made out of the strands of the top-gallant halliards. 
 Their only guide was the north star. They had a tole- 
 rably good breeze all night ; and the whole of the next
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG TYRREL. 135 
 
 day, July 4th, the weather continued very moderate, and 
 the people were in as good spirits as their dreadful situa- 
 tion would permit. 
 
 July 5th, the wind and weather continued much the 
 same, and they knew, by the north star that they were 
 standing in for land. The next day Mr. Purnell observed 
 some of the men drinking salt water, and seeming rather 
 fatigued. At this time they imagined the wind had got 
 round to the southward, and they steered, as they 
 thought, by the north star, to the north-west quarter; 
 but on the 7th, the wind had got back to the northward 
 and blew very fresh. They got their oars out the great- 
 est part of the night ; and the next day, the wind still 
 dying away, the people labored alternately at the oars, 
 without distinction. About noon the wind sprung up so 
 that they lay on their oars, and, as they thought, steered 
 about N. N. W., and continued so until about eight or 
 nine o'clock in the morning of July 9th, when they all 
 thought they were upon soundings, by the coldness of 
 the water. They were in general in vejry good spirits. 
 The weather continued still thick and hazy, and by the 
 north star they found that they had been steering about 
 north by west. 
 
 July 10. The people had drank so much salt water, 
 that it came from them as clear as it was before they drank 
 it ; and Mr. Purnell perceived that the second mate had 
 lost a considerable share of his strength and spirits ; and 
 also, at noon, that the carpenter was delirious, his mala- 
 dy increasing every hour; about dusk- he had almost 
 overset the boat, by attempting to throw himself over- , 
 board, and otherwise behaving quite violently. As his 
 strength, however, failed him, he became more manage- 
 able, and they got him to lie down in the middle of the 
 boat, among some of the people. Mr. Purnell drank 
 once a little salt water, but could not relish it ; he pre- 
 ferred his own urine, which he drank occasionally as he 
 made it. Soon after sunset the second mate lost his 
 speech. Mr. Purnell desired him to lean his head on 
 him: he died, without a groan or struggle, on the llth 
 of July, being the ninth day they were in the boat. In a
 
 136 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 few minutes after, the carpenter expired, almost in a 
 similar manner. These melancholy scenes rendered the 
 situation of the survivors more dreadful ; it is impossible 
 to describe their feelings. Despair became general ; eve- 
 ry man imagined his own dissolution was near. They 
 all new went to prayers ; some in the Welch language, 
 some in Irish, and others in English ; then, after a little 
 deliberation, they stripped the two dead men and hove 
 them overboard. 
 
 The weather being now very mild, and almost calm, 
 they turned to, cleaned the boat, and resolved to make 
 their sail larger out of the frocks and trousers of the two 
 deceased men. Purnell got the captain to lie down with 
 the rest of the people, the boatswain and one rrian ex- 
 cepted, who assisted him in making the sail larger, which 
 they had completed by six or seven o'clock in the after- 
 noon, having made a shroud out of the boat's painter, 
 which served as a shifting back-stay. Purnell also fixed 
 his red flannel waistcoat at the mast head, as a signal 
 the most likely to be seen. 
 
 Soon after this some of them observed a sloop at a 
 great distance, coming, as they thought, from the land. 
 This roused every man's spirits : they got out their oars, 
 at which they labored alternately, exerting all their re- 
 maining strength to come up with her ; but night oming 
 on, and the sloop getting a fresh breeze of wind, they 
 lost sight of her, which occasioned a general consterna- 
 tion ; however, the appearance of the north star, which 
 they kept on their starboard bow, gave them hopes that 
 they stood in for land. This night one William Wathing 
 died ; he was sixty-four years of age, and had been to 
 sea fifty years : quite worn out with fatigue and hunger, 
 he earnestly prayed, to the last moment, for a drop of 
 water to cool his tongue. Early the next morning Hugh 
 Williams also died, and in the course of the day, another 
 of the crew ; entirely exhausted, they both expired with- 
 out a groan. 
 
 Early in the morning of July 13th, it began to blow 
 very fresh, and increased so much that they were obliged 
 to furl their sail, and keep their boat before the wind and
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG TYRREL. 137 
 
 sea, which drove them off soundings. In the evening 
 their gunner died. The weather now becoming mode- 
 rate, and the wind in the south-west quarter, they made 
 sail, not one of them being able to row or pull an oar at 
 any rate ; they ran all this night with a fine breeze. 
 
 The next morning, July 14th, two more of the crew 
 died, and in the evening they also lost the same number. 
 They found they were on soundings again, and conclud- 
 ed the wind had got round to the north-west quarter. 
 They stood in for the land all this night, and early on 
 July 15th, two others died : the deceased were thrown 
 overboard as soon as their breath had departed. The 
 weather was now thick and hazy, and they were still 
 certain that they were on soundings. 
 
 The cabin boy was seldom required to do any thing, 
 and as his intellects at this time were very good, and his 
 understanding clear, it was the opinion of Mr. Purnell 
 that he would survive them all, but he prudently kept 
 his thoughts to himself. The captain seemed likewise 
 tolerably well, and to have kept up his spirits. On ac- 
 count of the haziness of the weather, they could not so 
 well know how they steered in the day-time, as at night ; 
 for, whenever the north star appeared, they endeavored 
 to keep it on their starboard bow, by which means they 
 were certain of making the land some time or other. In 
 the evening two more of the crew died ; also, before sun- 
 rise, one Thomas Philpot, an old, experienced seaman, 
 and very strong ; he departed rather convulsed : having 
 latterly lost the power of articulation, his meaning could 
 not be comprehended. He was a native of Belfast, Ire- 
 land, and had no family. The survivors found it very 
 difficult to heave his body overboard, as he was a very 
 corpulent man. 
 
 About six or seven the next morning, July 16th, they 
 stood in for land, according to the best of their judg- 
 ment ; the weather still thick and hazy. Purnell now 
 prevailed upon the captain and boatswain of the boat to 
 lie down in the fore part of the boat, to bring her- more 
 by the head, in order to make her hold a better wind. 
 In the evening the cabin boy, who lately appeared so 
 12*
 
 138 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 well, breathed his last, leaving behind the captain, the 
 boatswain, and Mr. Purnell. 
 
 The next morning, July 17th, Purnell asked his two 
 companions if they thought they could eat any of the 
 boy's flesh ; and having expressed an inclination to try, 
 and the boy being quite cold, he cut the inside of his 
 thigh, a little above his knee, and gave a piece to the 
 captain and boatswain, reserving a small piece for him- 
 self; but so weak were their stomachs that none of them 
 could swallow a morsel of it ; the body was therefore 
 thrown overboard. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 18th, Mr. Purnell found 
 both of his companions dead and cold ! Thus destitute, 
 he began to think of his own dissolution ; though feeble, 
 his understanding was still clear, and his spirits as good 
 as his forlorn situation would possibly admit. By the 
 color and coldness of the water, he knew he was not far 
 from land, and still maintained hopes of making it. 
 The weather continued very foggy. He lay to all this 
 night, which was very dark, with the boat's head to the 
 northward. 
 
 In the morning of the 19th it began to rain ; it cleared 
 up in the afternoon, and the wind died away ; still Pur- 
 nell was convinced he was on soundings. 
 
 On the 20th, in the afternoon, he thought he saw land, 
 and stood in for it ; but night coming on, and it being 
 now very dark, he lay to, fearing he might get on some 
 rocks or shoals. 
 
 July 21st, the weather was very fine all the morning, 
 but in the afternoon it became thick and hazy. Pur- 
 nell' s spirits still remained good, but his strength was 
 almost exhausted : he still drank his own water occa- 
 sionally. 
 
 On the 22d, he saw some barnacles on the boat's rud- 
 der, very similar to the spawn of an oyster, which filled 
 him with great hopes of being near to land. He un- 
 shipped the rudder, and scraping them oif with his 
 knife, found they were of a salt fishy substance, and 
 eat them ; he was now so weak, and the boat having a 
 great motion, that he found it a difficult task to ship the 
 rudder.
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG TVRREL. 139 
 
 At sunrise, July 23d, he became so sure that he saw 
 land, that his spirits were considerably raised. In the 
 middle of this day he got up, leaned his back against the 
 mast, and received succor from the sun, having previ- 
 ously contrived to steer the boat in this position. The 
 next day he saw, at a very great distance, some kind of 
 a sail, which he judged was coming from the land, which 
 he soon lost sight of. In the middle of the day he got 
 up, and received warmth from the sun as before. He 
 stood on all night for the land. 
 
 Very early in the morning of the 25th, after drinking 
 his morning draught, to his inexpressible joy, he saw, 
 while the sun was rising, a sail, and when the sun was 
 up, found she was a two-mast vessel. He was, however, 
 considerably perplexed, not knowing what to do, as she 
 was a great distance astern and to the leeward. In or- 
 der to watch her motion better, he tacked about. Soon 
 after this he perceived she was standing on her starboard 
 tack, which was the same he had been standing on for 
 many hours. He saw she approached him very fast, 
 and he lay to, for some time, till he believed she was 
 within two miles of the boat, but still to leeward ; there- 
 fore he thought it best to steer larger, when he found she 
 was a topsail schooner, nearing him very fast. He con- 
 tinued to edge down towards her, until he had brought 
 her about two points under his lee-bow, having it in his 
 po\rer to spring hisjuff, or bear away. By this time she 
 was within half a Aile, and he saw some of the people 
 standing forward on her deck, and waving for him to 
 come under their lee-bow. At the distance of about 
 two hundred yards, they hove the schooner up in the 
 wind, and kept her so until Purnell got alongside, when 
 they threw him a rope, still keeping the schooner in the 
 wind. They now interrogated him very closely ; by the 
 manner the boat and oars were painted, they imagined 
 she belonged to a man-of-war, and that they had run 
 away with her from some of his majesty's ships at Hali- 
 fax, consequently that they would be liable to some pu- 
 nishment if they took him up : they-also thought, as the 
 captain and boatswain were lying dead in the boat, they
 
 140 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 might expose themselves to some contagious disorder. 
 Thus they kept Purnell in suspense for some time. They 
 told him they had made the land that morning from the 
 mast-head, and that they were running along shore for 
 Marblehead, to which place they belonged, and where 
 they expected to be the next morning. At last they told 
 him he might come on board; which, as he said, he 
 could not do without assistance ; when the captain ordered 
 two of his men to help him. They conducted him aft 
 on the quarter-deck, where they left him resting against 
 the companion. They were now for casting the boat 
 adrift, when Purnell told them she was not above a 
 month old, built at New York, and if they would hoist 
 her in, it would pay them well for their trouble. To 
 this they agreed, and having thrown the two corpses 
 overboard, and taken out the clothes that were left by 
 the deceased, they hoisted her in and made sail. 
 
 Being now on board, Purnell asked for a little water : 
 captain Castleman (for that was his name) ordered one 
 of his sons (having two on board) to fetch him some ; 
 when he came with the water, his father looked to see 
 how much he was bringing him, and thinking it too 
 much, threw a part of it away, and desired him to give 
 the remainder, which he drank, being the first fresh wa- 
 ter he had tasted for twenty-three days. As he leaned 
 all this time against the companion, he became very cold, 
 and begged to go below : the captain ordered two men to 
 h^lp him down to the cabin, where they left him sitting 
 on the cabin deck, leaning upon the lockers, all hands 
 being now engaged in hoisting in and securing the boat. 
 This done, all hands went down to breakfast, except the 
 man at the helm. They made some soup for Purnell, 
 which he thought very good, but at that time could eat 
 but very little, and in consequence of his late draughts, 
 he had broke out in many parts of his body, so that he 
 was in great pain whenever he stirred. They made a 
 bed for him out of an old sail, and behaved very atten- 
 tive. While they were at breakfast a squall of wind 
 came on, which called them all upon deck ; during their 
 absence, Purnell took up a stone bottle, and without
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG TYRREL. 141 
 
 imelling or tasting it, but thinking it was rum, took a 
 learty draught of it, and found it to be sweet oil ; hav- 
 ng placed it where he found it, he lay down. 
 
 They still ran along shore with the land in sight, and 
 ,vere in great hopes of getting into port that night, but 
 he wind dying away, they did not get in till nine o'clock 
 he next night. All this time Purnell remained like a 
 jhild; some one or other was always with him, to give 
 lim whatever he wished to eat or drink. 
 
 As soon as they came to anchor, captain Castleman 
 went on shore, and returned on board the next morning, 
 with the owner, John Pickett, Esq. Soon after, they got 
 Purnell into a boat and carried him on shore ; but he 
 was still so very feeble, that he was obliged to be sup- 
 ported by two men. Mr. Pickett took a very genteel 
 lodging for him, and hired a nurse to attend him ; he 
 was immediately put to bed, and afterwards provided 
 with a change of clothes. In the course of the day he 
 was visited by every doctor in the town, who all gave 
 him hopes of recovering ; but told him it would be some 
 time; for the stronger the constitution, (said they,) the 
 longer it takes to recover its lost strength. Though 
 treated with the utmost tenderness and humanity, it was 
 three weeks before he was able to come down stairs. He 
 stayed in Marblehead two months, during which he 
 lived very comfortably, and gradually recovered his 
 strength. The brig's boat and oars were sold for ninety- 
 five dollars, which paid all his expenses, and procured 
 him a passSige to Boston. The nails of his fingers and 
 toes withered away almost to nothing, and did not begin 
 to grow for many months after.
 
 * 
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN 
 THE PRINCE, BY FIRE. 
 
 By one of the Lieutenants of that Ship. 
 
 THE French East India Company's ship, The Prince, 
 commanded by M. Morin, and bound to Pondicherry, 
 weighed anchor on the 19th of February, 1752, from the 
 harbor of L' Orient. She had scarcely passed the island 
 of St. Michael, when the wind shifting, it was found 
 impossible to double the Turk bank. The utmost 
 efforts, arid the greatest precautions, could not prevent 
 her from striking on the bank, in such a manner that 
 the mouths of the guns were immersed in the water. 
 We announced our misfortune by signals of distress, 
 when M. de Godeheu, the commander of the port of 
 L' Orient, came on board to animate the crew by his pre- 
 sence and his orders. All the chests, and other articles, 
 of the greatest value, were removed safely into smaller 
 vessels to lighten the ship ; the whole night was occu- 
 pied with the most laborious exertions. At length the 
 tide, in the morning, relieved us from our dangerous 
 situation, and enabled us to reach the road of Port Lou- 
 is : we owed the preservation of the ship entirely to the 
 prudent directions of M. de Godeheu, and the measures 
 adopted in consequence. The ship had sprung several 
 leaks, but fortunately our pumps kept the water under : 
 half the cargo was taken out of the vessel, and in about 
 a week we returned to L'Orient, where she was entirely 
 unloaded. She was then careened and caulked afresh. 
 These precautions seemed to promise a successful voy- 
 age, and the misfortune we had already experienced 
 showed the strength of the vessel, which fire alone ap 
 peared capable of destroying. 
 
 On the 10th of June, 1752, a favorable wind carried
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 143 
 
 us out of the port, but after a fortunate navigation we 
 met with a disaster of which the strongest expressions 
 can convey but a faint idea. In this narrative I shall 
 confine myself to a brief detail, as it is impossible to re- 
 collect all the circumstances. 
 
 The 26th of July, 1752, being in the latitude of eig! 
 degrees thirty minutes south, and in longitude five d 
 grees west, the wind being S. W. just at the moment of 
 taking the observation of the meridian, I had repaired to 
 the quarter, where I was going to command, when a 
 man informed me that a smoke was seen to issue from 
 the pannel of the greater hatchway. 
 
 Upon this information the first lieutenant, who kept 
 the keys of the hold, opened all the hatchways, to dis- 
 cover the cause of an accident, the slightest suspicion of 
 which frequently causes the most intrepid to tremble. 
 The captain, who was at dinner in the great cabki, went 
 upon deck and gave orders for extinguishing the fire. 
 I had already directed several sails to be thrown over- 
 board, and the hatchways to be covered with them, 
 hoping, by these means, to prevent the air from pene- 
 trating into the hold. I had even proposed, for the 
 greater security, to let in the water between decks, to the 
 height of a foot ; but the air, which had already obtain- 
 ed a free passage through the opening of the hatchways, 
 produced a very thick smoke, that issued forth in 
 abundance, and the fire continued gradually to gain 
 ground. 
 
 The captain ordered sixty or eighty of the soldiers 
 under arms to restrain the crew, and prevent the con- 
 fusion likely to ensue in such a critical moment. These 
 precautions were seconded by M. de la Touche, with 
 his usual fortitude and prudence. That hero deserved 
 a better opportunity of signalizing himself, and had des- 
 tined his soldiers for other operations more useful to his 
 country. 
 
 All hands were now employed in getting water ; not 
 only the buckets, but likewise all the pumps were kept 
 at work, and pipes were carried from them into the 
 hold ; even the water in the jars was emptied out. The
 
 144 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS* 
 
 rapidity of the fire, however, baffled our efforts and aug- 
 mented the general consternation. 
 
 The captain had already ordered the yawl to he 
 hoisted overboard, merely because it was in the way ; 
 four men, among whom was the boatswain, took posses- 
 sion of it. They had no oars, but called out for some, 
 "hen three sailors jumped overboard and carried them 
 t they stood so much in need of. These fortunate 
 fugitives were required to return ; they cried out that 
 they had no rudder, and desired a rope to be thrown 
 them; perceiving that the progress of the flames left 
 them no other resource, they endeavored to remove to a 
 distance from the ship, which passed them in conse- 
 quence of a breeze that sprang up. 
 
 All hands were still busy on board ; the impossibility 
 of escaping seemed to increase the courage of the men. 
 The master boldly ventured down into the hold, but the 
 heat obliged him to return; he would have .been burned 
 if a great quantity of water had not been thrown over 
 him. Immediately afterwards, the flames were seen to 
 issue with impetuosity from the great pannel. The cap- 
 tain ordered the boats overboard, but fear had exhausted 
 the strength of the most intrepid. The jolly-boat was 
 fastened at a certain height, and preparations were made 
 for hoisting her over ; but, to complete our misfortunes, 
 the fire, which increased every moment, ascended the 
 main-mast with such violence and rapidity as to burn the 
 tackle ; the boat pitching upon the starboard guns, fell 
 bottom upwards, and we lost all hopes of raising her 
 again. 
 
 We now perceived that we had nothing to hope from 
 human aid, but only from the mercy of the Almighty. 
 Dejection filled every mind ; the consternation became 
 general ; nothing but sighs and groans were heard ; even 
 the animals we had on board uttered the most dreadful 
 cries. Every one began to raise his heart and hands 
 towards heaven ; and in the certainty of a speedy death 
 each was occupied only with the melancholy alternative 
 between the two elements ready to devour us. 
 
 The chaplain, who was on the quarter-deck, gave the
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 145 
 
 general absolution, and went into the gallery to impart 
 the same to the unhappy wretches who had already 
 committed themselves to the mercy of the \vuves. What 
 a horrid spectacle ! Each was occupied only in throw- 
 ing overboard whatever promised a momentary preser- 
 vation ; coops, yards, spars, every thing that came to 
 hand was seized in despair and disposed of in the same 
 manner. The confusion was extreme ; some seemed to 
 anticipate death by jumping into the sea, others, by 
 swimming, gained the fragments of the vessel; while 
 the shrouds, the yards, and ropes, along the side of the 
 ship were covered with the crew who were suspended 
 from them, as if hesitating between two extremes, equally 
 imminent and equally terrible. 
 
 Uncertain for what fate Providence intended me, I 
 saw a father snatch his son from the flames, embrace 
 him, throw him into the sea then following himself, they 
 perished in each other's embrace. 1 had ordered the 
 helm to be turned to starboard ; the vesse.1 heeled, and 
 this manoeuvre preserved us for some time on that side, 
 while the fire raged on the larboard side from stem to 
 stern. 
 
 Till this moment, I had been so engaged that my 
 thoughts were directed only to the preservation of the 
 ship ; now, however, the horrors of a twofold death pre- 
 sented themselves ; but through the Kindness of heaven, 
 my fortitude never forsook me. I looked round and 
 found myself alone upon the deck. I went into the 
 round-house, where I met M. de la Touche, who regard- 
 ed death with the same heroism that procured him suc- 
 cess in India. " Farewell, my brother and my friend," 
 said he, embracing me " Why, where are you going)" 
 replied I. " I am going, (said he,) to comfort my friend 
 Morin." He spoke of the captain, who was overwhelm- 
 ed with grief at the melancholy fate of his female cou- 
 sins, who were passengers on board his ship, and whom 
 he had persuaded to trust themselves to sea in hen-coops, 
 after having hastily stripped off their clothes, while some 
 of the sailors, swimming with one hand,- endeavored to 
 support them with the other. 
 13
 
 146 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 The yards and masts were covered with men strug- 
 gling with the waves around the vessel ; many of them 
 perished every moment by the balls discharged by the 
 guns in consequence of the flames ; a third species of 
 death, that augmented the horrors by which we were 
 surrounded. With a heart oppressed with anguish, I 
 turned my eyes away from the sea. A moment after- 
 wards I entered the starboard gallery, and saw the flames 
 rushing with a horrid noise through the windows of the 
 great cabin and the round-house. The fire approached, 
 and was ready to consume me ; my presence was then 
 entirely useless for the preservation of the vessel, or the 
 relief of my fellow sufferers. 
 
 In this dreadful situation I thought it my duty to pro- 
 long my life a few hours, in order to devote them to my 
 God. I stripped off my clothes with the intention of 
 rolling down a yard, one end of which touched the wa- 
 ter ; but it was so covered with unfortunate wretches, 
 whom the fear of drowning kept in that situation, that 
 I tumbled ovier them and fell into the sea, recommending 
 myself to the mercy of Providence. A stout soldier who 
 was drowning caught hold of me in this extremity ; I 
 employed every exertion to disengage myself from him, 
 but without effect. I suffered myself to sink under the 
 water, but he did not quit his hold ; I plunged a second 
 time, and he still held me firmly in his grasp ; he was in- 
 capable of reflecting that my death would rather hasten 
 his own than be of service to him. At length, after 
 struggling a considerable time, his strength was exhaust- 
 ed in consequence of the quantity of water he had swal- 
 lowed, and perceiving that I was sinking the third time, 
 and fearing lest I should drag him to the bottom along 
 with me, he loosed his hold. That he might not catch 
 me again 1 dived, and rose a considerable distance from 
 the spot. 
 
 This first adventure rendered me more cautious in fu- 
 ture ; I even shunned the dead bodies, which were so 
 numerous, that, to make a free passage, I was obliged 
 to push them aside with one hand, while I kept myself 
 above water with the other. I imagined that each of
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 147 
 
 them was a man who would assuredly seize and involve 
 me in his own destruction. My strength began to fail, 
 and I was convinced of the necessity of resting, when I 
 met a piece of the flag staff. To secure it I put my arm 
 through the noose of the rope, and swam as well as I 
 was able ; I perceived a yard floating before me, when 
 1 approached and seized it by the end. At the other ex- 
 tremity I saw a young man, scarcely able to support 
 himself, and speedily relinquished this feeble assistance 
 that announced a certain death. The sprit-sail yard 
 next appeared in sight ; it was covered with people, and 
 I durst not take a place upon it without asking permis- 
 sion, which my unfortunate companions cheerfully grant- 
 ed. Some were quite naked, and others in their shirts ; 
 they expressed their pity at my situation, and their mis- 
 fortune put my sensibility to the severest test. 
 
 M. Morin and M. de la Touche, both so worthy of a 
 better fate, never quitted the vessel, and were doubtless 
 buried in its ruins. Whichever way I turned my 
 eyes, the most dismal sights presented themselves. The 
 main-mast, burnt away at the bottom, fell overboard, 
 killing some, and affording to others a precarious resource. 
 This mast I observed covered with people, and abandon- 
 ed to the impulse of the waves ; at the same moment 
 I perceived two sSftors upon a hen-coop with some 
 planks, and cried out to them, " My lads, bring the planks, 
 and swim to me." They approached me, accompanied 
 by several others; and each taking a plank, which we 
 used as oars, we paddled along upon the yard, and join- 
 ed those who had taken possession of the main-mast. 
 
 ' So many changes of situation presented only new 
 spectacles of horror. I fortunately here met with our 
 chaplain, who gave me absolution. We were in num- 
 ber about eighty persons, who were incessantly threat- 
 ened with destruction by the balls from the ship's guns. 
 I saw likewise on the mast two young ladies, by whose 
 piety I was much edified ; there were six females on 
 board, and the other four were, in all probability, already 
 drowned or burned. Our chaplain, in this dreadful situ- 
 ation, melted the most obdurate hearts by his discourse
 
 '148 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 and the example he gave of patience and resignation. 
 Seeing him slip from the mast and fall into the sea, as I 
 was behind him, I lifted him up again. " Let me go, 
 (said he,) I am full of water, and it is only a prolonga- 
 tion of my sufferings." "No, my friend, (said I,) we 
 will die together when my strength forsakes me." In 
 his pious company I awaited death with perfect resigna- 
 tion. I remained in this situation three hours, and saw 
 one of the ladies fall off the mast with fatigue, and pe- 
 rish ; she was too far distant for me to give her any as- 
 sistance. 
 
 When I least expected it, I perceived the yawl close 
 to us ; it was then five o'clock, P. M. I cried out to the 
 men in her that I was their lieutenant, and begged per- 
 mission to share our misfortune with them. They gave 
 me leave to come on board, upon condition that I would 
 swim to them. It was their interest to have a'conductor, 
 in order to discover land ; and for this reason my compa- 
 ny was too necessary for them to refuse my request. 
 The condition they imposed upon me was perfectly rea- 
 sonable ; they acted prudently not to approach, as the 
 others would have been equally anxious to enter their 
 little bark ; and we should all have been buried together 
 in a watery grave. Mustering, therefore, all my strength, 
 I was so fortunate as to reach the boat. Soon afterwards 
 I observed the pilot and master, whom I had left on the 
 main-mast, follow my example ; they swam to the yawl, 
 and we took them in. This little bark was the means 
 of saving the ten persons who alone escaped, out of 
 nearly three hundred. 
 
 The flames still continued to consume our ship, from 
 which we were not more than half a league distant ; our 
 too great proximity might prove pernicious, and we, 
 therefore, proceeded a little to windward. Not long af- 
 ter, the fire communicated to the powder-room, and 
 it is impossible to describe the noise with which our 
 vessel blew up. A thick cloud intercepted the light 
 of the sun ; amidst this horrible darkness we could per- 
 ceive nothing but large pieces of flaming wood projected 
 into the air, and whose fall threatened to dash to pieces
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 149 
 
 numbers of unhappy wretches still struggling with the 
 agonies of death. We, ourselves, were not quite out of 
 danger ; it was not impossible but that one of the flam- 
 ing fragments might reach us, and precipitate our frail 
 vessel to the bottom. The Almighty, however, preserv- 
 ed us from that misfortune; but what a spectacle now 
 presented itself ! The vessel had disappeared ; its frag- 
 ments covered the sea to a great distance, and floated 
 in all directions with our unfortunate companions, whose 
 despair and whose lives, had been terminated together 
 by their fall. We saw some completely suffocated, 
 others mangled, half burned, and still preserving suffi- 
 cient life to be sensible of the accumulated horrors of 
 their fate. 
 
 Through the mercy of heaven, I retained my forti- 
 tude, and proposed to make towards theYragments of the 
 wreck to seek provisions, and to pick up any other arti- 
 cles we might want. We were totally unprovided, and 
 were in danger of perishing with famine ; a death more 
 tedious and more painful than that of our companions. 
 We found several barrels, in which we hoped to find 
 a resource against this pressing necessity, but discovered 
 to our mortification that it was part of the powder which 
 had been thrown overboard during the conflagration. 
 
 Night approached ; but we providentially found a cask 
 of brandy, about fifteen pounds of salt pork, a piece of 
 scarlet cloth, twenty yards of linen, a dozen of pipe staves, 
 and a few ropes. It grew dark, and we could not wait till 
 daylight in our present situation, without exposing 
 ourselves a hundred times to destruction among the 
 fragments of the wreck, from which we had not yet 
 been able to disengage ourselves. We therefore rowed 
 away from them as speedily as possible, in order to at- 
 tend to the equipment of our new vessel. Every one 
 fell to work with the utmost assiduity ; we employed 
 every thing, and took off the inner sheathing of our boat 
 for the sake of the planks and nails; we drew from the 
 linen what thread we wanted ; fortunately one of the 
 sailors had two needles ; our scarlet cloth served us for 
 a sail, an oar for a mast, and a plank for a rudder, 
 13*
 
 150 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Notwithstanding the darkness, our equipment was in a 
 short time as complete as circumstances would permit. 
 The only difficulty that remained was, how to direct our 
 course; we had neither charts nor instruments, and were 
 nearly two hundred leagues from land. We resigned 
 ourselves to the mercy of the Almighty, whose assistance 
 we implored in fervent prayers. 
 
 At length we raised our sail, and a favorable wind 
 removed us forever from the floating corpses of our un- 
 fortunate companions. In this manner we proceeded 
 eight days and eight nights, without perceiving land, 
 exposed stark nake(Tto the burning rays of the sun by 
 day, and to intense cold by night. The sixth day, a 
 shower of rain inspired us with the hope of some relief 
 from the thirst by which we were tormented : we en- 
 deavored to catch the little water that fell in our mouths 
 and hands. We sucked our sail, but having been be- 
 fore soaked in sea-water, it communicated the bitter taste 
 of the latter to the rain which it received. If, however, 
 the rain had been more violent, it might have abated the 
 wind that impelled us, and a calm would have been at- 
 tended with inevitable destruction. 
 
 That we might steer our course with the greater cer- 
 tainty, we consulted, every day, the rising and setting of 
 the sun and moon ; and the stars showed us what wind 
 we ought to take. . A very small piece of salt pork fur- 
 nished us one meal in the twenty-four hours : and from 
 even this we were obliged to desist on the fourth day, on 
 account of the irritation of the blood which it occasion- 
 ed. Our only beverage was a glass of brandy, from 
 time to time ; but that liquor burned our stomachs with- 
 out allaying our thirst. We saw abundance of flying- 
 fish, but the impossibility of catching them rendered our 
 misery still more acute ; we were, therefore, obliged to 
 be contented with our provisions. The uncertainty with 
 respect to our fate, the want of food, and the agitation of 
 the sea, combined to deprive us of rest, and almost 
 plunged us into despair. Nature seemed to have aban- 
 doned her functions ; a feeble ray of hope alone cheered
 
 LOSS OP THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 151 
 
 our minds and prevented us from envying the*-fate of our 
 deceased companions. 
 
 I passed the eighth night at the helm: I remained at 
 my post more than ten hours, frequently desiring to be 
 relieved, till at length I sank down with fatigue. My 
 miserable comrades were equally exhausted, and des- 
 pair began to take possession of our souls. At last, when 
 just perishing with fatigue, misery, hunger, and thirst, 
 we discovered land, by the first rays of the sun, on 
 Wednesday, the 3d of August, 1752. Only those who 
 have experienced similar misfortunes can form an ade- 
 quate conception of the change Which this discovery 
 produced in our minds. Our strength returned, and we 
 took precautions not to be carried away by the currents. 
 At two P. M. we reached the coast of Brazil, and enter- 
 ed the bay of Tresson, in latitude six degrees. 
 
 Our first care, upon setting foot on shore, was to thank 
 the Almighty for his favors ; we threw ourselves upon 
 the ground, and, in the transports of our joy, rolled our- 
 selves in the sand. Our appearance was truly frightful, 
 our figures preserved nothing human that did not more 
 forcibly announce our misfortunes. Some were perfectly 
 naked, others had nothing but shirts that were rotten 
 and torn to rags, and 1 had fastened round my waist a 
 piece of scarlet cloth, in order to appear at the head of 
 my companions. We had not yet, however, arrived at 
 the end of all our hardships ; although rescued from the 
 greatest of our dangers, that of an uncertain navigation, 
 we were still tormented by hunger and thirst, and in 
 cruel suspense, whether we should find this coast inha- 
 bited by men susceptible of sentiments of compassion. 
 
 We were deliberating which way we should direct 
 our course, when about fifty Portuguese, most of whom 
 were armed, advanced towards us, and inquired the rea- 
 son of our landing. The recital of our misfortunes was 
 a sufficient answer, at once announced our wants, and 
 strongly claimed the sacred rights of hospitality. Their 
 treasures were not the object of our desire, the neces- 
 saries of life were all that we wanted. Touched by our 
 misfortunes, they blessed the power that had preserved
 
 152 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 us, and hastened to conduct us to, their habitations. Up- 
 on the way we came to a river, into which all my com- 
 panions ran to throw' themselves, in order to allay their 
 thirst ; they rolled in the water with extreme delight ; 
 and bathing was in the sequel one of the remedies of 
 which we made the most frequent use, and which, at 
 the same time, contributed most to the restoration of our 
 health. 
 
 The principal person of the place came and conducted 
 us to his house, about half a league distant from the 
 place of our landing. Our charitable host gave us linen 
 shirts and trousers, and boiled .some fish, the water of 
 which served us for broth, and seemed delicious. After 
 this frugal repast, though sleep was equally necessary, 
 yet we prepared to render solemn thanks to the Al- 
 mighty. Hearing that, at the distance of half a league, 
 there was a church dedicated to St. Michael, we repaired 
 thither, singing praises to the Lord, while we presented 
 the homage of our gratitude to Him to whom we were 
 so evidently indebted for our preservation. The badness 
 of the road had fatigued us so much that we were oblig- 
 ed to rest in the village ; our ^misfortunes, together with 
 such an edifying spectacle, drew all the inhabitants 
 around us, and every one hastened to fetch us refresh- 
 ments. After resting a short time, we returned to our 
 kind host, who, at night, furnished us with another re- 
 past of fresh fish. As we wanted more invigorating 
 food, we purchased an ox, which we had in exchange 
 for twenty-five quarts of brandy. 
 
 We had to go to Paraibo, a journey of fifteen leagues, 
 barefoot, and without any hope of meeting with good 
 provisions on the way ; we therefore took the precaution 
 of smoke-drying our meat, and added to it a provision of 
 flour. After resting three days, we departed under an 
 escort of three soldiers. We proceeded seven leagues 
 the first day, and passed the night at the house of a man, 
 who received us kindly. The next evening, a sergeant, 
 accompanied by twenty-nine soldiers, came to meet us 
 for the purpose of conducting and presenting us to the 
 commandant of the fortress ; that worthy officer received
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIAMAN THE PRINCE. 153 
 
 us graciously, gave us an entertainment, and a boat to 
 go to Paraibo. It was midnight when we arrived at that 
 town ; a Portuguese captain was waiting to present us 
 to the governor, who gave us a gracious reception, and 
 furnished us with all the comforts of life. We there 
 reposed for three days, but being desirous of reaching 
 Fernambuc to take advantage of a Portuguese fleet that 
 was expected to sail every day, in order to return to 
 Europe, the governor ordered a corporal to conduct us 
 thither. My feet were so lacerated that I could scarcely 
 stand, and a horse was therefore provided for me. 
 
 At length after a journey of four days, we entered the 
 town of Fernambuc. My first business was to go, with 
 my people, to present myself to the general, Joseph de 
 Correa, who condescended to give me an audience ; after 
 which Don Francisco Miguel, a captain of a king's 
 ship, took us in his boat to procure us the advantage of 
 saluting the admiral of the fleet, Don Juan d'Acosta de 
 Porito. During the fifty days that we remained at Fer- 
 nambuc that gentleman never ceased to load me with 
 new favors and civilities. His generosity extended to 
 all my companions in misfortune, to some of whom he 
 even gave appointments in the vessels of his fleet. 
 
 On the fifth of October we set sail, and arrived with- 
 out any accident, at Lisbon, on the 17th of December. 
 On the second of January, our consul, M. du Vernay, 
 procured me a passage in a vessel bound to Morlaix. 
 The master and myself went on board together, the rest 
 of my companions being distributed among other ships. 
 I arrived at Morlaix on the 2d of February. My fatigues 
 obliged me to take a few days rest in that place, from 
 whence I repaired on the 10th to 1'Orient, overwhelmed 
 with poverty, having lost all that I possessed in the 
 world, after a service of twenty-eight years, and with 
 my health greatly impaired by the hardships I had 
 endured.
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHOENIX, 
 
 Off the Island of Cuba, in the year 1780. 
 
 THE Phoenix, of forty-four guns, captain Sir Hyde 
 Parker, was lost in a hurricane, off Cuba, in the year 
 1780. The same hurricane destroyed the Thunderer, 
 seventy-four; Stirling Castle, sixty-four; La Blanche, 
 forty-two; Laurel, twenty-eight; Andromeda, twenty- 
 eight ; Deal Castle, twenty-four ; Scarborough, twenty ; 
 Beaver's Prize, sixteen ; Barbadoes, fourteen; Cameleon, 
 fourteen ; Endeavor, fourteen ; and Victor, ten guns. 
 Lieutenant Archer was first lieutenant of the Phoenix at 
 the time she was lost. His narrative in a letter to his 
 mother contains a most correct and animated account 
 of one of the most awful events in the service. It is so 
 simple and natural as to make the reader feel himself on 
 board the Phoenix. Every circumstance is detailed with 
 feeling, and powerful appeals are continually made to 
 the heart. It must likewise afford considerable pleasure 
 to observe the devout spirit of a seaman frequently burst- 
 ing forth, and imparting sublimity to the relation. 
 
 At sea, June 30, 1780. 
 MY DEAREST MADAM, 
 
 I am now going to give you an account of our last 
 cruise in the Phoenix ; and must premise, that should 
 "any one see it beside yourself, they must put this con- 
 struction on it that it was originally intended for the 
 eyes of a mother, and a mother only, as, upon that sup- 
 position, my feelings may be tolerated. You will also 
 meet with a number of sea terms, which, if you don't un- 
 derstand, why, I cannot help you, as I am unable to 
 give a sea description in any other words.
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHCENIX. 155 
 
 To begin then: On the 2d of August, 1780, we 
 weighed and sailed for Port Royal, bound fromPensacola, 
 having two store-ships under convoy, and to see safe in ; 
 then cruise off the Havannah, and in the gulf of Mexi- 
 co, for six weeks. In a few days we made the two 
 sandy islands, that look as if they had just risen out of 
 the sea, or fallen from the sky ; inhabited nevertheless, 
 by upwards of three hundred English, who get their 
 bread by catching turtles and parrots, and raising vege- 
 tables, which they exchange with ships that pass, for 
 clothing and a few of the luxuries of life, as rum, &c. 
 
 About the 12th we arrived at Pensacola, without any 
 thing remarkable happening, except our catching a vast 
 quantity of fish, sharks, dolphins, and bonettos. On the 
 13th sailed singly, and on the 14th had a very heavy 
 gale of wind at north, right off the land, so that we soon 
 left the sweet place, Pensacola, a distance astern. We 
 then looked into the Havannah, saw a number of ships 
 there, and knowing that some of them were bound round 
 the bay, we cruised in the track : a fortnight, however, 
 passed, and not a single ship hove in sight to cheer our 
 spirits. We then took a turn or two round the gulf, but 
 not near enough to be seen from the shore. Vera Cruz 
 we expected would have made us happy, but the same 
 luck still continued; day followed day, and no sail. 
 The dollar bag began to grqw a little bulky, for every 
 one had lost two or three times, and no one had won : 
 (this was a small gambling party entered into by Sir 
 Hyde and ourselves ; every one put a dollar into a bag, 
 and fixed on a day when we should see a sail, but no 
 two persons were to name the Same day, and whoever 
 guessed right first was to have the bag.) 
 
 Being now tired of our situation, and glad the cruise 
 was almost out, for we found the navigation very dan- 
 gerous, owing to unaccountable currents ; so shaped our 
 course for cape Antonio. The next day the man at 
 the mast-head, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, 
 called out: " A sail upon the weather bow! Ha! Ha! 
 Mr. Spaniard, I think we have you at last. Turn out
 
 156 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 all hands ! make sail. All hands ! give chase !" There 
 was scarcely any occasion for this order, for the sound 
 of a sail being in sight flew like wildfire through the 
 ship, and every sail was set, in an instant, almost before 
 the orders were given. A lieutenant at the mast-head, 
 with a spy glass, " What is she ?" "A large ship stud- 
 ding athwart right before the wind. P-o-r-t ! Keep her 
 away ! set the studding sails ready !" Up comes the 
 little doctor, rubbing his hands ; " Ha ! Ha ! I have won 
 the bag." " The devil take you and the bag ; look, 
 what 's ahead will fill all our bags." Mast-head again ; 
 " Two more sail on the larboard beam !" " Archer, go 
 up and see what you can make of them." " Upon deck 
 there ; I see a whole fleet of .twenty sail coming right 
 before the wind." "Confound the luck of it; this is 
 some convoy or other, but we must try if we can pick 
 some of them out." " Haul down the studding sails ! 
 Luff ! bring her to the wind ! Let us see what we can 
 make of them." 
 
 About five we .got pretty near them, and found them 
 to be twenty-six sail of Spanish merchantmen, under 
 convoy of three line-of-battle ships, one of which chased 
 us ; but when she found we were playing with her (for 
 the old Phosnix had heels) she left chase, and joined the 
 convoy ; which they drew up into a lump, and placed 
 themselves at the outside; but we still kept smelling 
 about till after dark. O, for the Hector, the Albion, and 
 a frigate, and we should take the whole fleet and con- 
 voy, worth some millions ! About eight o'clock per- 
 ceived three sail at some distance from the fleet ; dashed 
 in between them and gave chase, and were happy to 
 find they steered from the fleet. About twelve, came up 
 with a large ship of twenty-six guns. " Archer, every 
 man to his quarters ! run the lower deck guns out, and 
 light the ship up : show this fellow our force ; it may 
 prevent his firing into us and killing a= man or two." 
 No sooner said than done. " Hoa, the ship ahoy ! lower 
 your sails, and bring to instantly, or I '11 sink you." 
 Clatter, clatter, went the blocks, and away flew all their
 
 LOSS OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHCENIX. 157 
 
 sails in proper confusion. " What ship is that?" " The 
 Polly." " Whence came you !" " From Jamaica." 
 " Where are you bound?" " To New York." " What 
 ship is that ?" " The Phosnix." Huzza, three times by 
 the whole ship's company. An old grum fellow of a 
 sailor standing close by me : " O, d -n your three cheers, 
 we took you to be something else." Upon examination 
 we found it to be as he reported, and that they had fall- 
 en "in with the Spanish fleet that morning, and were 
 Chased the whole day, and that nothing saved them but 
 our stepping in between ; for the Spaniards took us for 
 three consorts, and the Polly took the Phoenix for a 
 Spanish frigate, till we hailed them. The other vessels 
 in company were likewise bound to New York. Thus 
 was I, from being worth thousands in idea, reduced to 
 the old four shillings six-pence again ; for the little doc- 
 tor made the most prize money of us all that day, by 
 winning the bag, which contained between thirty and 
 forty dollars ; but this is nothing to what we sailors 
 sometimes undergo. 
 
 After parting company, we steered S. S. E. to go round 
 Antonio, and so to Jamaica, (our cruise being out,) with 
 our fingers in our mouths, and all of us as green as you 
 please. It happened to be my middle watch, and about 
 three o'clock, when the man upon the forecastle bawls 
 out "Breakers ahead, and land upon the lee bow;" I 
 looked out, and it was so, sure enough. "Ready about, 
 put the helm down ! Helm a lee !" Sir Hyde hearing 
 me put the ship about, jumped upon deck. "Archer, 
 what 's the matter 1 You are putting the ship about 
 without my orders!" Sir, 'tis time to go about; the 
 ship is almost ashore, there is the land. " Good God, 
 so it is ! Will the ship stay?" Yes, sir, I believe she 
 will, if we don't make any confusion ; she is all aback 
 forward now? "Well, (says he,) work the ship, I 
 will not speak*, single word." The ship stayed very 
 well. Then heave the lead ! see what water we have ! 
 ' Three fathom." Keep the ship away, W. N. W. 
 " By the mark three." " This won't do, Archer." No, 
 sir, we had better haul more to the northward ; we came 
 14
 
 158 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 S. S. E. and had better steer N. N. W. "Steady-, 'and 
 a quarter three." This may do, we deepen a little. 
 " By the deep four." Very well, my lad, heave quick. 
 "Five fathom." That's a fine fellow! another cast 
 nimbly. " Quarter less eight." That will do, come, 
 we shall get clear bye and bye. " Mark under water 
 five." What's that? " Only five fathom, sir." Turn 
 all hands up, bring the ship to an anchor, boy. Are the 
 anchors clear? " In a moment, sir, All clear." What 
 water have you in the chains now ? " Eight, half nine." 
 Keep fast the anchors till I call you. "Aye, aye, sir, all 
 fast." "I have no ground with this line." How many 
 fathoms have you out 1 pass along the deep sea-line ! 
 "Aye, aye, sir,." Heave away, watch! watch! bear 
 away, veer away. "No ground, sir, with a hundred 
 fathom." That 's clever, come, Madame Phoenix, there 
 is another squeak in you yet all down but the watch ; 
 secure the anchors again ; heave the main-top-sail to the 
 mast ; luff, and bring her to the wind ! 
 
 I told you, Madam, you should have a little sea-jar- 
 gon : if you can understand half of what is already said, 
 I wonder at it, though it is nothing to what is to come 
 yet, when the old hurricane begins. As soon as the ship 
 was a little to rights, and all quiet again, Sir Hyde came 
 to me in the most friendly manner, the tears almost 
 starting from his eyes " Archer, we ought all to be 
 much obliged to you for N the safety of the ship, and per- 
 haps of ourselves. I am particularly so ; nothing but 
 that instantaneous presence of mind and calmness saved 
 her ; another ship's length and we should have been 
 fast on shore ; had you been ; the least diffident, or made 
 the least confusion, so as to make the ship baulk in her 
 stays, she must have been inevitably lost." Sir, you 
 are very good, but I have done nothing that I suppose 
 any body else would not have done, in the same situa- 
 tion. I did not turn all the hands up, knowing the 
 watch able to work the strip ; besides, had it spread im- 
 mediately about the ship that she was almost ashore, it 
 might have created a confusion that was better avoided. 
 "Well," says he, " 'tis well indeed."
 
 toss OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP- PHCENIX. 159 
 
 At daylight we found that the current had set us be- 
 tween the Colladora rocks and cape Antonio, and that 
 we could not have got out any other way than we did ; 
 there was a chance, but Providence is the best pilot. 
 We had sunset that day twenty leagues to the S. E. of 
 our reckoning by the current. 
 
 After getting clear of this scrape, we thought ourselves 
 fortunate, and made sail for Jamaica, but misfortune 
 seemed to follow misfortune. The next night, my 
 watch upon deck too, we were overtaken by a squall, 
 like a hurricane while it lasted ; for though I saw it com- 
 ing, and prepared for it, yet, when it took the ship, it 
 roared, and laid her down so, that I thought she would 
 never get up again. However, by keeping her away, 
 and clueing up every thing, she righted. The remainder 
 of the night we had very heavy squalls, and in the morn- 
 ing found the main-mast sprung half the way through : 
 one hundred and twenty-three leagues to the leeward of 
 Jamaica, the hurricane months coming on, the head of 
 the main-mast almost off, and at a short allowance ; well, 
 we must make the best of it. The main-mast was well 
 fished, but we were obliged to be very tender of carrying 
 the sail. 
 
 No thing -remarkable happened for ten days afterwards, 
 when we chased a Yankee man-of-war for six hours, 
 but could not get near enough to her before it was dark, 
 to keep sight of her ; so that we lost her because unable 
 to carry any sail on the main-mast. In about twelve 
 days more made the island of Jamaica, having weather- 
 ed all the squalls, and put into Montego bay for water * 
 so that we had a strong party for kicking up a dust on 
 shore, having found three men-of-war lying there. 
 Dancing, &c. &c., till two o'clock every morning ; little 
 thinking what was to happen in four days' time : for out 
 of the four men-of-war that were there, not one was in 
 being at the endnof that time, and not a soul alive but 
 those left of our crew. Many of the houses where we 
 had been so merry, were so completely destroyed, that 
 scarcely a vestige remained to mark where they stood.
 
 160 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Thy works are wonderful, O God ! praised be thy holy 
 name! 
 
 September the 30th, weighed ; bound for Port Royal, 
 round the eastward of the island; the Barbadoes and 
 Victor had sailed the day before, and the Scarborough 
 was to sail the next. Moderate weather until October 
 the 2d. Spoke the Barbadoes off Port Antonio in the 
 evening. At eleven at night it began to snuffle, with a 
 monstrous heavy bill from the eastward. Close reefed 
 the top-sails. Sir Hyde sent for me: "What sort of 
 weather have we, Archer !" It blows a little, and has a 
 very ugly look ; if in any other quarter but this, 1 should 
 say we were going to have a gale of wind. " Aye, it 
 looks so very often here when there is no wind at all ; 
 however, don't hoist the top-sails till it clears a little, 
 there is no trusting any country." At twelve I was re- 
 lieved ; the weather had the same rough look : however, 
 they made sail upon her, but had a very dirty night. 
 At eight in the morning I came up again, found it blow- 
 ing hard from the E. N. E. with close reefed top-sails 
 upon the ship, and heavy squalls at times. Sir Hyde 
 came upon deck : " Well, Archer, what do you think of 
 it?" O, sir, 'tis only a touch of the times, we shall have 
 an observation at twelve o'clock ; the clouds are begin- 
 ning to break ; it will clear up at noon, or else blow very 
 hard afterwards. "I wish it would clear up, but I 
 doubt it much. I was once in a hurricane in the East 
 Indies, and the beginning of it had much the same ap- 
 pearance as this. So take in the top-sails, we have 
 plenty of sea-room." 
 
 At twelve, the gale still increasing, wore ship, to keep 
 as near mid-channel, between Jamaica and Cuba, as 
 possible ; at one the gale increasing still ; at two harder ! 
 Reefed the courses, and furled them; brought to under 
 a foul mizzen stay-sail, head to the northward. In the 
 evening no sign of the weather taking off, but every ap- 
 pearance of the storm increasing, prepared for a proper 
 gale of wind ; secured all the sails with spare gaskets ; 
 good rolling tackles upon the yards ; squared the booms ; 
 saw the boats all made fast ; new lashed the guns ;
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHI? PHOENIX. 161 
 
 double breeched the lower deckers ; saw that the carpen- 
 ter&had the tarpaulins and battens all ready for the hatch- 
 ways ; got the top-gallant-mast down upon the deck ; 
 jib-boom and sprit-sail-yard fore ana aft ; in fact, did 
 every thing we could think of to make a snug ship. 
 
 The poor devils of birds now began to find the uproar 
 in the elements, for numbers, both of sea and land kinds, 
 came on board of us. I took notice of some, which hap- 
 pening to be to leeward, turned to windward, like a ship, 
 tack and tack ; for they could not fly against it. When 
 they came over the ship they dashed themselves down 
 upon the deck, without attempting to stir till picked up, 
 and when let go again, they would not leave the ship, 
 but endeavored to hide themselves from the wind. 
 
 At eight o'clock a hurricane ; the sea roaring, but the 
 wind still steady to, a point; did not ship a spoonful of 
 water. However, got the hatchways all secured, ex- 
 pecting what would be the consequence, should the wind 
 shift; placed the carpenters by the main-mast, with 
 broad axes, knowing, from experience, that at the mo- 
 ment you may want to cut it away to save the ship, an 
 axe may not be found. Went to supper : bread, cheese, 
 and porter. The purser frightened out of his wits about 
 his bread bags ; the two marine . officers as white as 
 sheets, not understanding the ship's working so much, 
 and the noise of the lower deck guns ; which, by this 
 time, made a pretty screeching to the people not used 
 to it ; it seemed as if the whole ship's side was going at 
 each roll. Wooden, our carpenter, was all this time 
 smoking his pipe and laughing at the doctor; the .se- 
 cond lieutenant upon deck, and the third in his ham- 
 mock. 
 
 At ten o'clock I thought to get a little sleep ; came to 
 look into my cot; it was full of water; for every seam, 
 by the straining of the ship, had begun to leak. Stretch- 
 ed myself, therefore, upon deck, between two chests, and 
 left orders to be called, should the least thing happen. 
 At twelve a midshipman came to me : " Mr. Archer, we 
 are just going to wear ship, sir!" O, very well, I'll be 
 up directly; what sort of weather have you got? "It 
 14*
 
 162 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 blows a hurricane." Went upon deck, found Sir Hyde 
 there. " It blows damn'd hard, Archer." It does in- 
 deed, sir. " I don't know that I ever remember its blow- 
 ing so hard before ; but the ship makes a very good wea- 
 ther of it upon this tack as she bows the sea ; but we 
 must wear her, as the wind has shifted to the S. E. and; 
 we "are drawing right upon Cuba; so do you go for- 
 ward, and have some hands stand by; loose the lee 
 yard-arm of the fore-sail, and when she is right before 
 the wind, whip the clue garnet close up, and roll up the 
 sail." Sir ! there is no canvas can stand against this a 
 moment ; if we attempt to loose him, he will fly into 
 ribands in an instant, and we may lose three or 
 four of our people ; she '11 wear by manning the fore 
 shrouds. " O, I don't think she will." I'll answer for 
 it, sir ; I have seen it tried several times on the coast of 
 America with success. "Well, try it; if she does not 
 wear, we can only loose the fore-sail afterwards." This 
 was a great condescension from such a man as Sir Hyde. 
 However, by sending about two hundred people into the 
 fore-rigging, after a hard struggle, she wore ; found she 
 did not make so good weather on this tack as on the 
 other; for as the sea began to run across, she had not 
 time to rise from one sea, before another dashed against 
 her. Began to think we should lose our masts, as the 
 ship lay very much along, by the pressure of the wind 
 constantly upon the yards and masts alone : for the poor 
 mizzen-stay-sail had gone in shreds long before, and the 
 sails began to fly from the yards through the gaskets 
 into coach whips. My God ! to think that the wind 
 could have such force. 
 
 Sir Hyde now sent me to see what was the matter 
 between decks, as there was a good deal of noise. As 
 soon as I was below, one of the Marine officers calls 
 out: " Good God ! Mr. Archer, we are sinking, the wa- 
 ter is up to the bottom of my cot." Pooh, pooh ! as long 
 as it is not over your mouth, you are well off; what the 
 devil do you make this noise for 7 I found there was 
 some water between decks, but nothing to be alarmed 
 at: scuttled the deck, and it ran into the well; found
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHCENIX. 163 
 
 she made a good deal of water through the sides and 
 decks; turned the watch below to the pumps, though 
 only two feet of water in the well ; but expected to be 
 kept constantly at work now, as the ship labored much, 
 with scarcely a part of her above water but the quarter- 
 deck, and that but seldom. " Come, pump away, my 
 boys. Carpenters, get the weather chain-pump rigged.' r 
 " All ready, sir. Then man it, and keep both pumps 
 going." 
 
 At two o'clock the chain pump was choked ; set the 
 carpenters at work to clear it ; the two head pumps at 
 work upon deck : the ship gained upon us while our 
 chain-pumps were idle ; in a quarter of an hour they 
 were at work again, and we began to gain upon her. 
 While T was standing at the pumps, cheering the people, 
 the carpenter's mate came running to me with a faoe as 
 long as my arm : " O, sir ! the ship has sprung a leak in 
 the gunner's room." Go, then, and tell the carpenter to 
 come to me, but do not speak a word to any one else. 
 Mr. Goodinoh, I am told there is a leak in the gunner's 
 room ; go and see what is the matter, but do not alarm 
 any body, and come and make your report privately to 
 me. In a short time he returned ; " Sir, there is nothing 
 there, it is only the water washing up between the tim- 
 bers, that this booby has taken for a leak." O, very 
 well ; go upon deck and see if you can keep any of the 
 water from washing down below. Sir, I have had four 
 people constantly keeping the . hatchways secure, but 
 there is such a weight. of water upon the deck that no- 
 body can stand it when the ship rolls. The gunner 
 soon afterwards came to me, saying, " Mr. Archer, I 
 should be glad if you would step this way into the 
 magazine for a moment." I thought some damned thing 
 was the matter, and ran directly. . Well, what is the 
 matter here ? He answered, " The ground tier of powder 
 is spoiled, and I want to show you that it is not out of 
 carelessness in me in stowing it, for no powder in the 
 world could be better stowed. Now, sir, what am I to 
 do ? If you do not speak to Sir Hyde, he will be angry 
 with me." I could not forbear smiling to see how easy
 
 ' 164 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 he took the danger of the ship, and said to him, let us 
 shake off this gale of wind first, and talk of the damaged 
 powder afterwards. 
 
 At four, we had gained upon the ship a little, and I 
 went upon deck, it being my watch. The second lieu- 
 tenant relieved me at the pumps. Who can attempt to 
 describe the appearance of things upon deck 1 If I was 
 to write forever, I could not give you an idea of it a to- 
 tal darkness all above; the sea on fire, running as it 
 were in Alps, or Peaks of Teneriffe ; (mountains are too 
 common an idea;) the wind roaring louder than thunder, 
 (absolutely no flight of imagination,) the whole made 
 more terrible, if possible, by a very uncommon kind of 
 blue lightning ; the poor ship was very much pressed, 
 yet doing what she could, shaking her sides, and groan- 
 ing at every stroke. Sir Hyde upon deck, lashed to 
 windward ! I soon lashed myself alongside of him, and 
 told him the situation of things below, saying the ship 
 did not make more water than might be expected in 
 such weather, and that I was only afraid of a gun break- 
 ing loose. " I am not in the least afraid of that ; I have 
 commanded her six years, and have had many a gale of 
 wind in her; so that her iron work, which always gives 
 way first, is pretty well tried. Hold fast ! that was an 
 ugly sea ; we must lower the yards, I believe, Archer ; 
 the ship is much pressed." If we attempt it, sir, we 
 shall .Jose them, for a man aloft can do nothing; besides, 
 their being down would ease the ship very little ; the 
 main-mast is 'a sprung mast ; I wish it was overboard 
 without carrying any. thing else along with it; but that 
 i can soon be done, the gale cannot last forever ; 'it will soon 
 be daylight now. Found by the master's watcJFthat it 
 was five o'clock, though but a little after four by ours : ' 
 glad it was so near daylight, and looked for it with 
 much anxiety. Cuba, thou art much in our way! 
 Another ugly sea; sent, a midshipman to bring nexvs 
 from the pumps ; the ship was gaining on them very 
 much, for they had broken one of their chains, but it 
 was almost mended again. News from the pump again. 
 " She still gains ! a heavy lee !" Back water from the
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHCENIX. 165 
 
 leeward, half way up the quarter deck ; filled one of the 
 cutters upon the booms, and tore her alL to pieces ; the 
 ship lying almost on her beam-ends, and not attempting 
 to right again. Word from below that the ship still 
 gained on them, as they could not stand to the pumps, 
 she lay so mueh along. I said to Sir Hyde : This is 
 no time, sir, to think of saving, the masts ; shall we cut 
 the main-mast away? " Aye ! as fast as you can." I 
 accordingly went into the weather chains with a pole 
 ax, to cut away the lanyards ; the boatswain went to lee- 
 ward, and the carpenters stood by the mast. We were- 
 all ready, and a very violent sea broke right on board of 
 us, carried every thing upon deck away, rilled the ship 
 with water, the main and mizzen-masts went, the ship 
 righted, but was in the last struggle of sinking under us. 
 As soon as we could shake our heads above water r 
 Sir Hyde exclaimed, " We are gone, a$ last, Archer ! 
 foundered at sea !" Yes, sir, farewell, and the Lord 
 haye mercy upon us ! I then turned about to look at 
 the ship ; and thought she was struggling to get rid of 
 some of the water ; but all in vain, she was almost full 
 below. " Almighty God ! I thank thee, that now I am 
 leaving this world, which I have always considered as 
 only a passage to a better, 1 die with a full hope of thy 
 mercies through th& merits of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our 
 Savior !" 
 
 I then felt sorry that I could swim, as by that means 
 [ might be a quarter of an hour longer dying than a man 
 who could not, and it is impossible to divest ourselves 
 of a wish to preserve life. At the end of these reflections 
 I thought I heard the ship thump and grinding under 
 our feet ; it was so. Sir, the ship is ashore ! " What 
 do you say?" The ship is ashore, and we may save 
 ourselves yet ! By this time the quarter-deck was full 
 of men who had come up from below ; and the Lord 
 have marcy upon us, flying about from all quarters. 
 The ship now made every body sensible that she was 
 ashore, for every stroke threatened a total dissolution 
 of her whole frame ; found she was stern ashore, and 
 the bow broke the sea a good deal, though it was wash-
 
 166 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 ing clean over at every stroke. Sir Hyde cried out : 
 "Keep to the quarter-deck, my lads, when she goes to 
 pieces, it is your best chance !" Providentially got the 
 fore-mast cut away, that she might not pay round broad- 
 side. Lost five men. cutting away the foremast, by the 
 breaking of a sea on board just as the mast went. That 
 was nothing ; every one expected it would be his own 
 fate next ; looked for daybreak with the greatest impa- 
 tience. At last it came; but what a scene did it show 
 us ! The ship upon a bed of rocks, mountains of them on 
 one side, and Cordilleras of water on the other ; our poor 
 ship grinding and crying out at every stroke between 
 them ; going away by piece-meal. However, to show 
 the unaccountable workings of Providence, that which 
 often appears to be the greatest evil, proves to be the 
 greatest good ! That unmerciful sea lifted and beat us 
 up so high am$ng the rocks, that at last the ship scarcely 
 moved. She was very strong, and did not go to pieces 
 at the first thumping, though her decks tumbled in. 
 We found afterwards that she had beat over a ledge of 
 rocks, almost a quarter of a mile in extent beyond us, 
 where if she had struck, every soul of us must have pe- 
 rished. 
 
 I now began to think of getting on shore, so stripped 
 off my coat and shoes for a swim, and looked for a 
 line to carry the end with me. Luckily could not find 
 <?ne, which gave me time for recollection : " This won't 
 do for me, to be the first man out of the ship, and first 
 lieutenant ; we may get to England again, and people 
 may think I paid a great deal of attention to myself, and 
 did not care for any body else. No, that won't do; in- 
 stead of being the first, I'll see every man, sick and well, 
 out of her before me." 
 
 I now thought there was no probability of the ship's 
 soon going to pieces, therefore had not a thought of in- 
 "stant death ; took a look round with a kind of philo- 
 sophic eye, to see how the same situation affected my 
 companions, and was surprised to find the most swag- 
 gering, swearing bullies .in fine weather, now the most 
 pitiful wretches on earth, when death appeared before
 
 Loss OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHCENIX. 167 
 
 them. However, two got safe ; by which means, with 
 a line., we got a hawser on shore, and made fast to the 
 rocks, upon which many ventured and arrived safely. 
 There were some sick and wounded on board, who 
 could not avail themselves of this method ; we there- 
 fore got a spare top-sail-yard from the chains and placed 
 one end ashore and the other on the cabin window, so 
 that most of the sick got ashore this way. 
 
 As I had determined, so I was the last man out of the' 
 ship ; this was about ten o'clock. The gale now began 
 to break. Sir Hyde came to me, and taking me by the 
 hand was so affected that he was scarcely able to speak. 
 " Archer, I am happy beyond expression to see you on 
 the shore ; but look at our poor Phosnix !' I turned 
 about, but could not say a single word, being too full: 
 my mind had been too intensely occupied before ; but 
 every- thing now rushed upon me at once,1so that I could 
 not contain myself, and I indulged for a full quarter of 
 an hour. 
 
 By txvelve it was pretty moderate ; got some nails on 
 shore and made tents ; found great quantities of fish 
 driven up by the sea into holes of the rocks ; knocked 
 Up a fire, and had a most comfortable dinner. In the 
 afternoon made a stage from the cabin windows to the 
 rocks, and got out some provisions and water, lest the 
 ship should go to pieces, in which case we must all have 
 perished of hunger and thirst; for we were upon a deso- 
 late part of the coast, and under a rocky mountain, that 
 could not supply us with a single drop of water. 
 
 Slept comfortably this night, and the next day ; the 
 idea of death vanishing by degrees, the prospect of being 
 prisoners, during the war, at the Havannah, and walk- 
 ing three hundred miles to it through the woods, was 
 rather unpleasant. However, to save life for the present, 
 we employed this day in getting more provisions and 
 water on shore, which was not an easy matter, on ac- 
 count of decks, guns, and rubbish, and ten feet water 
 that lay over- them. In the evening I proposed to Sir 
 Hyde to repair the remains of the only boat left, and to 
 venture in hef to Jamaica myself; and in case I arrived
 
 168 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 safe, to bring vessels to take them all off; a proposal 
 Worthy of consideration. It was hext day agreed to ; 
 therefore, got the cutter on shore, and set the carpenters 
 to work on her ; in two days she was ready, and at four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, I embarked with four volunteers 
 and a fortnight's provision ; hoisted English colors as 
 we put off from shore, and received three cheers from 
 the lads left behind, and set sail with a light heart ; hav- 
 ing not the least doubt, that, with God's assistance, we 
 should come and bring them all off. Had a very squally 
 night, and a very leaky boat, so as to keep two buckets 
 constantly baling. Steered her, myself, the whole night 
 by the stars, and in the morning saw the coast of Jamai- 
 ca, distant twelve leagues. At eight in the evening, ar- 
 rived at Montego bay. 
 
 I must now begin to leave off, particularly aS I have 
 but half an hour to conclude ; else my pretty little short 
 letter will lose its passage, which I should not like, after 
 being ten days, at different times, writing it; beating up 
 with the convoy to the northward, which is a reason 
 that this epistle will never read well; for I never sat 
 down with a proper disposition to go on with it ; but as 
 I knew something of the kind would please you, I was 
 resolved to finish it : yet it will not bear an overhaul ; 
 so do not expose your son's nonsense. 
 
 But to proceed I instantly sent off an express to the 
 Admiral, another to the Porcupine man-of-war, and went 
 myself to Martha Bray to get vessels ; for all their ves- 
 sels here, as well as many of their horses, were gone to 
 Moco. Got three small vessels, and set out back again 
 to Cuba, where I arrived the fourth day after leaving my 
 companions. I thought the ship's crew would have de- 
 voured me on my landing ; they presently whisked me 
 up on their shoulders, and carried me to the tent ; where 
 Sir Hyde was. 
 
 I must omit many little occurrences that happened on 
 shore, for want of time ; but I shall have a number of 
 stories to tell, when I get alongside of you ; and the next 
 time I visit you, I shall not be in such a hurry to quit 
 you as I was the last, for then I hoped flay nest would
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LA TRIBUNE. 169 
 
 have been pretty well feathered : But my tale is for- 
 gotten. 
 
 I found the Porcupine had arrived that day, and the 
 lads had built a boat almost ready for launching, that 
 \vould hold fifty of them, which was intended for another 
 trial, in case I had foundered. Next day, embarked all 
 our people that were left, amounting to two hundred and 
 fifty ; for some had dred of the wounds they received 
 in getting on shore ; others of drinking rurn, and others 
 had straggled into the country. All our vessels were so 
 full of people, that we could not take away the few 
 clothes that were saved from the wreck ; but that was 
 a trifle since we had preserved our lives and liberty. 
 To make short of my story, we all arrived safe at Mon- 
 tego bay, and shortly after at Port Royal, in the Janus, 
 which was sent on purpose for us, and were all honora- 
 bly acquitted for the loss of the ship. I was made ad- 
 miral's aid de camp, and a little time afterwards sent 
 down to St. Juan as a captain of the Resource, to bring 
 what were left of the poor devils to Blue Fields, on the 
 Musquito shore, and then to Jamaica, where they arriv- 
 ed after three months absence, and without a prize, 
 though I looked out hard off Porto Bello and Carthage- 
 na. Found, in my absence, that I had been appointed 
 captain of the Tobago, where I remain his majesty's 
 most true and faithful servant, and my dear mother's 
 most dutiful son. , ARCHER. 
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LA TRIBUNE, 
 
 Off Halifax , (Nova Scotia,) November, 1797, 
 
 LA Tribune was one of the finest frigates in his ma- 
 jesty's navy ; mounted forty-four guns, and had recently 
 been taken from the French by captain Williams, in the 
 Unicorn frigate. She was commanded by captain S. 
 Barker ; on the 22d of September, 1797, sailed from Tor- 
 bay, as convoy to the Quebec and Newfoundland fleets. 
 15
 
 170 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 In latitude forty-nine degrees, fourteen minutes, longi- 
 tude seventeen degrees twenty-two minutes she fell in 
 with and spoke his majesty's ship Experiment, from 
 Halifax; and lost sight of all her convoy on the 10th of 
 October, in latitude seventy-four degrees sixteen minutes, 
 Hongitude thirty-two degrees eleven minutes. 
 
 About eight o'clock in the morning of the following 
 Thursday, they came in sight of the harbor of Halifax, 
 and approached it very fast, with an E. S. E. wind, 
 when captain Barker proposed to the master to lay the 
 ship to, till they could procure a pilot. The master re- 
 plied, that he had beat a forty-four gun ship into the har- 
 bor, that he had frequently been there, and there was no 
 occasion for a pilot, as the wind was favorable. Con- 
 fiding in these assurances, captain Barker went into his 
 cabin, where he was employed in arranging some papers 
 which he intended to take on shore with him. In the 
 mean time, the master, placing great dependence on the 
 judgment of a negro, named John Cosey, who had for- 
 merly belonged to Halifax, took upon himself the pilot- 
 age of the ship. By twelve o'clock, the ship had ap- 
 proached so near Thrum Cap shoals, that the master 
 became alarmed, and sent for Mr. Galvin, master's mate, 
 who was sick below. On his coming upon deck, he 
 heard the man in the chains sing out, "by the mark 
 five !" the black man forward at the same time crying, 
 " steady !" Galvin got on one of the carronades to ob- 
 serve the situation of the ship ; the master ran, in great 
 agitation, to the wheel, and took it from the man who 
 was steering, with the intention of wearing the ship ; 
 but before this could be effected, or Galvin was able to 
 give an opinion, she struck. Captain Barker immedi- 
 ately went on deck and reproached the master with hav- 
 ing lost the ship. Seeing Galvin likewise on deck, he ad- 
 dressed him, and said, " that, knowing he had formerly 
 sailed out of the harbor, he was surprised he could 
 stand by and see the master run the ship on shore;" to 
 which Galvin replied, "that he had not been on deck 
 long enough to give an opinion." 
 
 Signals of distress were instantly made, and answer-
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LA TRIBUNE. 171 
 
 ed by military posts and ships in the harbor, from which, 
 as well as the dock-yard, boats immediatety put off to 
 the relief of the Tribune. The military boats, and one 
 of those from the dock yard, with Mr. Rackum, boat- 
 swain of the Ordinary, reached the ship, but the wind 
 was so much against the others, that, in spite of all their 
 exertions, they were unable to get on board. The ship 
 was immediately lightened, by throwing overboard all 
 her guns, excepting one retained for signals, and every 
 other heavy article, so that about half past eight o'clock 
 in the evening, the ship began to heave, and at nine, got 
 off the shoals. She had lost her rudder about three 
 hours before, and it was now found, on examination, 
 that she had seven feet of water in her hold. The chain- 
 pumps were immediately manned, and such exertions 
 were made, that they seemed to gain on the leaks. 
 By the advice of Mr. Rackum, the captain ordered the 
 best bower anchor to be let go, but this did not bring her 
 up. He then ordered the cable to be cut ; and the jib 
 and fore top-mast stay-sail were hoisted to steer by. 
 During this interval a violent gale, which had come on 
 at S. E., kept increasing, and carrying the ship to the 
 western shore. The small bower anchor was soon af- 
 terwards let go : at which time they found themselves 
 in thirteen fathom water, and the mizzen-mast was then 
 cut away. 
 
 It was now ten o'clock, and as the water gained fast 
 upon them, the crew had but little hope left of saving 
 either the ship or their lives. At this critical period, 
 lieutenant Campbell quitted the ship, and lieutenant 
 North was taken into the boat, out of one of the ports. 
 From the moment at which the former left the vessel, all 
 hopes of safety had vanished ; the ship was sinking fast, 
 the storm was increasing with redoubled violence, and 
 the rocky shore which they were approaching, resound- 
 ing with the tremendous noise of the rolling billows, 
 presented nothing to those who might survive the loss 
 of the ship, but the expectation of a more painful death, 
 by being dashed against precipices, which, even in the 
 calmest day, it is impossible to ascend. Dunlap, ono
 
 172 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 of the survivors, declared, that about half past ten, as 
 nearly as he could conjecture, one of the men who had 
 been below, came to him on the forecastle, and told 
 him it was all over. A few minutes afterwards, the ship 
 took a lurch, like a boat nearly rilled with water and 
 going down; on which Dunlap immediately began to 
 > ascend the fore-shrouds, and at the same moment cast- 
 ing his eyes towards the quarter-deck, he saw captain 
 Barker standing by the gangway, 'and looking into the 
 water, and directly afterwards he heard him call for the 
 jolly-boat. He then saw the lieutenant of marines run- 
 ning towards the taffrel. to -look, as he supposed, for the 
 jolly-boat, which had been previously let down with 
 men in her ; but the ship instantly took a second lurch 
 and sank to the bottom, after which neither the captain 
 nor any of the other officers were again seen. 
 
 The scene, before sufficiently distressing, now became 
 peculiarly awful. More than two hundred and forty 
 men, besides several women and children, wer-e floating 
 on the waves, making the last effort to preserve life. 
 Dunlap, who has been already mentioned, gained the 
 fore-top. Mr. Galvin, the master's mate, with incredible 
 difficulty, got into the main-top. He was below, when 
 the ship sank, directing the men at the chain-pump, but 
 was washed up the hatchway, thrown" into the waist, 
 and from thence into the water, and his feet, as he plung- 
 ed, struck against a rock. On ascending he swam to 
 gain the main-shrouds, when three men suddenly seized 
 hold ohim. He now gave himself up for lost ; but to 
 disengage himself from them he made a dive into the 
 water, which caused them to quit their grasp. On rising 
 again lie swam** to the shrouds, and having reached the 
 main-top, seated himself on an arm chest which was 
 lashed to the mast. 
 
 From the observations of Galvin, in the main-top, and 
 Dunlap, in the fore-top, it appears that nearly one hun- 
 dred persons were hanging for a considerable time, to the 
 shrouds, the tops, and other parts of the wreck. From 
 the length of the night, and the severity of the storm, 
 nature, however, became exhausted, and during the
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LA TRIBUNE. 173 
 
 whole night, they kept dropping off and disappearing. 
 The cries and groans of the unhappy sufferers, from the 
 bruises many of them had received, and their hopes of 
 deliverance beginning to fail, were continued through 
 the night ; but as morning approached, in consequence 
 of the few who then survived, they became extremely 
 feeble. 
 
 About twelve o'clock, the main-mast gave way ; at 
 that time there were, on the main-top and shrouds, about 
 forty persons. By the fall of the mast the whole of 
 these unhappy wretches were again plunged into the 
 water, and ten only regained the top, which rested on 
 the main yard, and the whole remained fast to the ship 
 by some of the rigging. Of the ten, who thus reached 
 the top, four only were alive when morning appeared. 
 Ten were at that time alive on the fore-top, but three 
 were so exhausted, and so helpless^ that they were 
 washed away before any relief arrived ; three others pe- 
 rished, and thu| only four were, at last, left alive on the 
 fore-top. 
 
 The place, where the ship went down, was barely 
 three times her length to the southward, of the entrance 
 into Herring Cove. The inhabitants came down in the 
 night, to the point opposite to which the ship sank, kept 
 up large fires, and were so near as to converse with the 
 people on the wreck. 
 
 'jJie first exertion that was made for their relief was 
 by aboy thirteen years old, from Herring Cove, who 
 ventured off in a small skiff -by himself about eleven 
 o'clock, the next day. This youth, with great labor and 
 extreme risk to himself, boldly approached the wreck, 
 and backed in his little boat so near to v the fore-top, as 
 to take off two of the men, for the boat could not, with 
 safety, hold any more. And here a trait of generous 
 magnanimity was exhibited, which ought not to pass 
 unnoticed. Dunlap and another man, named Monro, 
 had, throughout this disastrous night, preserved their 
 strength and spirits in a greater degree, than their un- 
 fortunate companions, whom they endeavored to cheer 
 and encourage when they found their spirits sinking.
 
 174 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Upon the arrival of the boat, these two might have step 
 ped into it, and thus have terminated their own suffer- 
 ings ; for their two companions, though alive, were un- 
 able to stir ; they lay exhausted on the top, wishing not. 
 to be disturbed, and seemed desirous to perish in that 
 situation. These generous fellows hesitated not a mo- 
 ment to remain, themselves, on the wreck, and to save 
 their unfortunate companions, against their will. They 
 lifted them up, and with the greatest exertion placed 
 them in the little skiff; the manly boy rowed them tri- 
 umphantly to the Cove, and immediately had them con- 
 veyed to a comfortable habitation. After shaming, by 
 his example, older persons, who had larger boats, he 
 again put off with his skiff, but with all his efforts, he 
 could not then approach the wreck. His example, how- 
 ever, was soon followed by four of the crew, who had 
 escaped in the Tribune's jolly-boat, and by some of the 
 boats in the Cove. With their joint exertions, the eight 
 men were preserved, and these, with tjle four who had 
 saved themselves in the jolly-boat, were the whole of the 
 survivors of this fine ship's company. 
 
 A circumstance occurred, in which that cool thought- 
 lessness of dangec, which so often distinguishes the 
 Britis^ tars, was displayed in such a striking manner, 
 that it would be inexcuSfcble to omit it. Daniel Monro, 
 as we have already seen, had gained the fore-top. He 
 suddenly disappeared, and it was concluded hjphad 
 been washed away, like many others. After being ab- 
 sent from the top about two hours, he, to the surprise of 
 Dunlap, who was likewise on the fore-top, raised his 
 head through the lubber-hole. Dunlap inquiring where 
 he had been, he told him he had been cruising for a 
 better birth ; that after swiming about the wreck a ''con- 
 siderable time, he had returned to the fore-shrouds, and 
 crawling in on the cat-harpings, had actually been sleep- 
 ing there more than an hour, and appeared greatly re- 
 freshed.
 
 AN EXTRAORDINARY FAMINE IN THE AME- 
 RICAN SHIP PEGGY, 
 
 On her return from the Azores to New York, in 1765. 
 
 FAMINE frequently leads men to the commission of the 
 most horrible excesses : insensible, on such occasions, to 
 the appeals of nature and reason, man assumes the cha- 
 racter of a beast of prey ; he is deaf to every representa- 
 tion, and coolly meditates the death of his fellow-crea- 
 ture. 
 
 One of these scenes, so afflicting to humanity, was, in 
 the year 1765, exhibited in the brigantine the Peggy, 
 David Harrison, commander, freighted by certain mer- 
 chants of New York, and bound to the Azores. She 
 arrived without accident at Fayal, one of those islands, 
 and having disposed of her cargo, took on board a 
 lading of wine and spirits. On the 24th of October, 
 of the same year, she set sail on her return to New 
 York. 
 
 . On the 29th, the wind, which had till then been favor- 
 ablei^juddenly shifted. Violent storms, which succeeded 
 each other, almost without interruption, during the 
 month, of November, did much damage to the vessel. 
 In spite of all the exertions of the crew, and the experi- 
 ence of the captain, the masts went by the board, and 
 all the sails, excepting one, were torn to rags : and, to 
 add to their distress, several leaks were discovered in 
 the hold. 
 
 At the beginning of December, the wind abated a little, 
 but the vessel was driven out of her course ; and, desti- 
 tute of masts, sails, and rigging, she was perfectly un- 
 manageable, and drifted to and fro, at the mercy of the 
 waves. This, however, was the smallest evil ; another 
 of a much more alarming nature soon manifes-ted itself.
 
 176 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 Upon examining the state of the provisions, they were 
 found to be almost totally exhausted. In this deplora- 
 ble situation, the crew had no hope of relief, but from 
 chance. 
 
 A few days after this unpleasant discovery, two ves- 
 sels were descried early one morning, and a transient 
 ray of hope cheered the unfortunate crew of the Peggy. 
 The sea ran so high as to prevent captain Harrison from 
 approaching the ships, which were soon out of sight. 
 The disappointed seamen, who were in want of every 
 thing, then fell upon the wine and brandy, with which 
 the ship was laden. They allotted to the captain two 
 small jars of water, each containing about a gallon, 
 being the remainder of their stock. Some days elapsed, 
 during which the men, in some measure, appeased the 
 painful cravings of hunger, by incessant intoxication. 
 
 On the fourth day, a ship was observed bearing to- 
 wards them, in full sail : no time was lost in making 
 signals of distress, arid the crew had the inexpressible 
 satisfaction to perceive that they were answered. The 
 sea was sufficiently calm to permit the two vessels to ap- 
 proach each other. The strangers seemed much affect- 
 ed by the account of their sufferings and misfortunes, 
 and promised them a certain quantity of biscuit ; but it 
 was not immediately sent on board, the captain alleging, 
 as an excuse for the delay, that he had just begun a 
 nautical observation, which he was desirous to finish. 
 However unreasonable such a pretext appeared, ^mider 
 the present ' circumstances, the famished crew of the 
 Peggy was obliged to submit. The time mentioned by 
 the captain had nearly expired, when, to their extreme 
 mortification, the latter, regardless of his promise, crowd- 
 ed all his sails and bore away. No language is ade- 
 quate to describe the despair and consternation which 
 then overwhelmed the crew. Enraged, and destitute of 
 hope they fell upon whatever they had spared till then. 
 The only animals that remained on board were a couple 
 of pigeons and a cat, which were devoured in an in- 
 stant. The only favor they showed the captain was, to 
 reserve for him the head of the cat. He afterwards de-
 
 A UAJ.1.NE IN THE AMERICAN SHIP PEGGY. 177 
 
 clared, that however disgusting it would have been on 
 any other occasion, he thought it, at that moment, a treat 
 exquisitely delicious. The unfortunate men then sup- 
 ported their existence by living on oil, candles, and 
 leather, and these were entirely consumed by the 28th 
 of December. 
 
 From that day until the 13th of January, it is impos- 
 sible to tell, in what manner they subsisted. Captain 
 Harrison had been for some time unable to leave his ca- 
 bin, being confined to his bed by a severe fit of the gout. 
 On the last mentioned day, the sailors went to him in a 
 body, with the mate at their head; the latter acted as 
 spokesman, and after an affecting representation of the 
 deplorable state to which they were reduced, declared 
 that it was necessary to sacrifice one, in order to save 
 the rest ; adding, that their resolution was irrevocably 
 fixed, and that they intended to cast lots for the victim. 
 
 The captain, a tender and humane man, could not 
 hear such a barbarous proposition without shuddering 
 he represented to them that they were men, and ought 
 to regard each other as brethren : that by such an as- 
 sassination, -they would forever consign themselves to 
 universal execration, and commanded them, with all his 
 authority, to relinquish the idea of committing such an 
 atrocious crime. The captain was silent; but he had 
 spoken to deaf men. They all with one voice replied, 
 that jl was indifferent to them, whether he approved of 
 their resolution or not ; that they had only acquainted, 
 him with it. out of respect, and because he would rim 
 the same risk as themselves ; adding that, in the general 
 misfortune, all command and distinction were at an end. 
 With these words, they left him, and went upon deck, 
 where the lots were drawn. 
 
 A negro, who was on board and belonged to captain 
 Harrison, was the victim. It is more than probable, that 
 the lot had been consulted only for the sake of form, 
 and that the wretched black was proscribed, the moment 
 the, sailors first formed their resolution. They instantly 
 ificed him. One of the crew tore out his liver and 
 devoured it, without having the patience to dress it by
 
 178 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 broiling, or in any other manner. He was soon after- 
 wards taken ill, and died the following day ii convul- 
 sions, and with all the symptoms of madness. Some ot 
 his comrades proposed to keep his body to live upon, 
 after the negro was consumed ; but this advice was re- 
 jected by the majority, doubtless on account of the ma- 
 lady which had carried him off. He was, therefore, 
 thrown overboard, and consigned to the deep. 
 
 The captain, in the intervals, when he was the least 
 tormented by the gout, was not more exempt from the 
 attacks of hunger, than the rest of the crew, but he re- 
 sisted all the persuasions of his men to partake of their 
 horrid repast. He contented himself with the water 
 which had been assigned to him, mixing with it a small 
 quantity of spirits, and this was the only sustenance he 
 took during the whole period of his distress. 
 
 The body of the negro, equally divided, and eaten 
 with the greatest economy, lasted till the 26th of Janu- 
 ary. On the 29th, the famished crew deliberated upon 
 selecting a second victim. They again came to inform 
 the captain of their intention, and he appeared to give 
 his consent, fearing lest the enraged sailors might have 
 recourse to the lot without him. They left it with him 
 to fix upon any method that he should think proper. 
 The captain, summoning all his strength, wrote upon 
 small pieces of paper, the name of each man who was 
 then on board the brigaritine, folded them up, put them 
 into a hat, and shook them well together. The crew, 
 meanwhile, preserved an awful silence ; each eye was 
 fixed, and each mouth was open, while terror was 
 strongly impressed upon every countenance. With a 
 trembling hand, one of them drew, from the hat, the fatal 
 billet, which he delivered to the captain, who opened it 
 and read aloud the name of DAVID FLATT. The unfortu- 
 nate man, on whom the lot had fallen, appeared perfectly 
 resigned to his fate : " My friends, (said he to his com- 
 panions,) the only favor I request of you, is, not to keep 
 me long in pain ; dispatch me as speedily as you did 
 the negro." Then turning to the man who had per- 
 formed the first execution, he added: " It is you, t
 
 A FAMINE IN THE AMERICAN SHIP PEGGY. 179 
 
 choose to give me the mortal blow." He requested an 
 hour to prepare himself for death, to which his com- 
 rades could only reply with tears. Meanwhile, compas- 
 sion, and the remonstrances of the captain, prevailed 
 over the hunger of the most hard-hearted. They unani- 
 mously resolved to defer the sacrifice till eleven o'clock 
 the following morning. Such a short reprieve afforded 
 very little consolation to FLATT. 
 
 The certainty of dying the next day made such a 
 deep impression upon the mind, that his body, which, 
 for above a month, had withstood the almost total priva- 
 tion of nourishment, sank beneath it. He was seized 
 with a violent fever, and his state was so much aggra- 
 vated by a delirium, with which it was accompanied, 
 that some of the sailors proposed to kill him immedi- 
 ately, in order to terminate his sufferings. The majority, 
 however, adhered to the resolution which had been taken, 
 of waiting till the following morning. 
 
 At ten o'clock in the morning of the 30th of January, 
 a large fire was already made to dress the limbs of the 
 unfortunate victim, when a sail was descried, at a dis- 
 tance. A favorable wind drove her towards the Peggy, 
 and she proved to be the Susan, returning from Virginia, 
 and bound to London. 
 
 The captain could not refrain from tears at the affect- 
 ing account of the sufferings endured by the famished 
 crew. He lost no time in affording them relief, supply- 
 ing them immediately with provisions and rigging, and 
 offered to convoy the Peggy to London. The distance 
 from New York, their proximity to the English coast, 
 together with the miserable state of the brigantine, in- 
 duced the two captains to proceed to England. The 
 voyage was prosperous ; only two men died ; all the 
 others gradually recovered their strength. Flatt him- 
 self was restored to perfect health, after having been so 
 near the gates of death.
 
 THE WRECKED SEAMEN. 
 
 THE annexed thrilling sketch is extracted from the 
 " Life of a Sailor, by a Captain in the British Navy. 1 ' 
 It relates to the exposures of the crew of the Magpie, 
 who had taken to the boat, after their shipwreck on 
 the coast of Cuba. The boat was upset, the storm 
 continues : 
 
 " Even in this moment of peril, the discipline of the 
 navy assumed its command, At the order from the lieu- 
 tenant for the men on the keel to relinquish their position 
 they instantly obeyed, the boa^ was turned over and 
 once more the expedient was triea, but quite in vain ; foi 4 
 no sooner had the two men begun to bale with a cou- 
 ple of hats, and the safety of the crew to appear within 
 the bounds of probability, than one man declared he saw 
 the fin of a shark. No language can convey an idea of 
 the panic which seized the struggling seamen ; a shark 
 is at all times an object of horror to a sailor ; and those 
 who have seen the destructive jaws of this voracious 
 fish* and their immense and almost incredible power, 
 their love of blood, and their bold daring to obtain it, 
 alone can form an idea of the sensations produced in a 
 swimmer by the cry of "a shark! a shark!" Every 
 man now struggled to obtain a moment's safety. Well 
 they knew that one drop of blood would have been 
 scented by the everlasting pilot-fish, the jackalls of the 
 shark ; and that their destruction was inevitable, if one 
 only of these monsters should discover this rich repast, 
 or be led to its food by the little rapid hunter of its prey. 
 All discipline was now unavailing, the boat again turned 
 keel up ; one man only gained his security, to be pushed 
 from it by others, and thus their strength began to fail 
 from long continued exertion. However, as the enemy 
 so much dreaded did not make its appearance, Smith 
 once more urged them to endeavor to save themselves
 
 THE WRECKED SEAMEN. 181 
 
 by the only means left, that of the boat; but as he knew, 
 that he would only increase their alarm by endeavoring 
 to persuade them that sharks did not abound in these 
 parts, he used the wisest plan of desiring those who 
 held on by the gun- wale, to keep splashing in the water 
 with their legs in order to frighten the monsters at which 
 they were so alarmed. Once more had hope begun to 
 dawn: the boat was deaf to her thwarts, and four 
 men were in her, hard at work ; a little forbearance and 
 a little obedience, and they were safe. At this moment, 
 when those in the water urged their messmates in the 
 boat to continue baling with unremitted exertion, a noise 
 was heard close to them, and about fifteen sharks came 
 right in amongst them. The panic was ten times more 
 dreadful than before ; the boat was again upset by the 
 simultaneous endeavo^o escape the danger ; and the 
 twenty-two sailors were again devoted to destruction. 
 At first, the sharks did not seem inclined to seize their 
 prey, but swam in amongst the men, playing in the wa- 
 ter, sometimes leaping about and rubbing against their 
 victims. This was of short duration ; a loud shriek from 
 one of the men announced his sudden pain ; a shark had 
 seized him by the leg, and severed it entirely from the 
 body. No sooner had the blood been tasted than the 
 long dreaded attack took place; another and another 
 shriek proclaimed a loss of limbs ; some were torn from 
 the boat to which they vainly endeavored to cling ; some, 
 it was supposed, sank from fear alone; all were in 
 dreadful peril. Mr. Smith, even now, when of all horri- 
 ble deaths the most horrible seemed to await him, gave 
 his orders with clearness and coolness ; and to the ever- 
 lasting honor of the poor departed crew be it known, 
 they were obeyed; again the boat was righted, and 
 again two .men were in her. Incredible as it may ap- 
 pear, still, however, it is true, that the voice of the officer 
 was heard amidst the danger ; and the survivors, actu- 
 ally as before, clung to the gun-wale, and kept the boat 
 upright. Mr. Smith himself held to the stern, and cheer- 
 ed and applauded his men. The sharks had tasted the 
 blood, and were not to be driven from their feast ; in 
 16
 
 182 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 one short moment, when Mr. Smith ceased splashing, as 
 he looked into the boat to watch the progress, a shark 
 seized both legs, and bit them off just above the knees. 
 Human nature was not strong enough to bear the im- 
 mense pain without a groan ; but Mr. Smith endeavored 
 to conceal the misfortune ; nature, true to herself, resisted 
 the endeavor, and the groan was deep and audible. 
 The crew had long respected their gallant commander ; 
 they knew his worth and his courage: on hearing him 
 express his pain, and seeing him relinquish his hold to 
 sink, two of the men grasped their dying officer, and 
 placed him in the stern sheets. Even now, in "almost in- 
 supportable agony, that gallant fellow forgot his own 
 sufferings, and thought only of rescuing the remaining 
 few from the untimely grave which awaited them ; he 
 told them again of their only hope, deplored their peri- 
 lous state, and concluded with these words: "if any of 
 you survive this fatal night, and return to Jamaica, tell 
 the admiral (Sir Lawrence Halstead) that I was, in 
 search of the pirate when this lamentable occurrence 
 took place, tell him I hope I have always done my duty, 
 and that I " Here the endeavor of some of the .men 
 to get into the boat gave her a heel on one side ; the men 
 who were supporting poor Smith relinquished him for a^ 
 moment, and he rolled overboard and was drowned. 
 His last bubbling cry was soon lost amidst the shrieks 
 of his former companions ; he sank to rise no more. 
 
 At eight o'clock in the evening, the Magpie was up- 
 set; it was calculated by the two survivors, that their 
 companions had all died by nine. The sharks seemed 
 satisfied for the moment, and they, with gallant hearts, 
 resolved to profit by the precious time in order to save 
 themselves; they righted the boat, and one getting over 
 the bows, and the other over the stern, they found them- 
 selves, although nearly exhausted, yet alive, and in com- 
 parative security ; they began the work of baling, and 
 soon lightened the boat sufficiently not to be easily up- 
 set, when both set down to rest. The return of the 
 sharks was a signal for their return to labor. The vora- 
 cious monsters endeavored to upset the boat ; they swam
 
 THE WRECKED SEAMEN. 183 
 
 by its side in seeming anxiety for their prey, but after 
 waiting sometime, they separated : the two rescued sea- 
 men found themselves free from their insatiable ene- 
 mies, and, by the blessing of God, saved. Tired as they 
 were, they continued their labor until the boat was 
 nearly dry, when both lay down to rest, the one forward, 
 and the other aft ; so completely had fear operated on 
 their minds, that they did not dare even to move, dread- 
 ing that an incautious step might have capsized the boat 
 They soon, in spite of the horrors they had witnessed, 
 fell into a sound sleep, and day had dawned before they 
 awoke to horrible reflections, and apparently worse dan- 
 gers. The sun rose clear and unclouded ; the cool calm 
 of the night was followed by the sultry calm of the morn- 
 ing, and heat, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, seemed to set- 
 tle on the unfortunate men, rescued by Providence and 
 their own exertions from the jaws of a honible death. 
 They awoke and looked at each other ; the very gaze of 
 despair was appalling ; far as the eye could reach, no 
 object could be discerned ; the bright haze of the morn- 
 ing added to the strong refraction of light ; one smooth, 
 interminable plain, one endless ocean, one cloudless sky 
 and one burning sun, were all they had to gaze upon. 
 The boat lay like the ark, in a world alone ! They had 
 no oar, no mast, no sail, nothing but the bare planks and 
 themselves, without provisions or water, food or raiment. 
 They lay upon the calm ocean, hopeless, friendless, and 
 miserable. It was a time of intense anxiety, their eyes 
 rested upon each other in silent pity, not unmixed with 
 fear. . Each knew the dreadful alternative to which na- 
 ture would urge them. The cannibal was, already, in 
 their looks, and fearful would have been the first attack, 
 on either side, for they were both brave and stout men, 
 and equal in strength and courage. 
 
 It now being about half past six in the morning, the 
 sun was beginning to prove its burning power, the sea 
 was as smooth as a looking glass, and saving now and 
 then, the slight cat's paw of air, which ruffled the face 
 of the water for a few yards, all was calm and hushed. 
 In vain they strained their eyes, in vain they turned
 
 184 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 from side to side to escape the burning rays of the sun ; 
 they could not sleep, for now anxiety and fear kept both 
 vigilant and on their guard ; they dared not to court 
 sleep, for that might have been the last of mortal repose. 
 Once they nearly quarrelled, but, fortunately, the better 
 feelings of humanity overcame the bitterness of despair. 
 The foremost man had long complained of thirst, and 
 had frequently dipped his hand into the water, and suck- 
 ed the fluid ; this was hastily done, for all the horrors 
 of the night were still before them, and not unfrequently 
 the sharp fin of a shark was seen not very far from the 
 boat. In the midst of the excruciating torments of thirst, 
 heightened by the salt water, and the irritable temper of 
 the bowman, as he stamped his impatient feet against 
 the bottom boards, and tore his hair with unfeeling in- 
 difference, he suddenly stopped the. expression of rage 
 and called out " A sail !" 
 
 Whilst they stood watching in silence the approach 
 of the brig, which slowly made her way through the 
 water, and at the very instant that they were assuring 
 each other that they were seen, and that the vessel was 
 purposely steered on the course she was keeping, to 
 reach them, the whole fabric of hope was destroyed in a 
 second ; the brig kept away about three points, and be- 
 gan to make more sail. Then was it an awful moment ; 
 their countenances saddened as they looked at each 
 other ; for in vain they hailed, in vain they threw their 
 jackets in the air ; it was evident they had never been 
 seen, and that the brig was steering her proper course. 
 
 The time was slipping away, and if once they got 
 abaft the beam of the brig, every second would lessen 
 the chance of being seen, besides the sea breeze might 
 come down, and then she would be far away, and be- 
 yond all hope in a quarter of an hour. Now was it, that 
 the man who had been so loudly lamenting his fate, 
 seemed suddenly inspired with fresh hope and courage ; 
 he looked attentively at the brig, then at his companion, 
 and said, " By heaven, I '11 do it, or we are lost !" "Do 
 what?" said the shipmate. "Though," said the first 
 man, " it is no trifle to do, after what we have seen and
 
 THE WRECKED SEAMEN. 185 
 
 known ; yet I will try, for if she passes us, what can we 
 do ? I tell you, Jack, I '11 swim to her ; if I get safe to 
 her, you are saved ; if not, why I shall die without add- 
 ing, perhaps murder, to my crimes." "What! jump 
 overboard, and leave me all alone !" replied his compa- 
 nion ; " look, look at that shark, which has followed us 
 all night ; why, it is only waiting for you to get into the 
 water to swallow you, as it did perhaps half of our mess- 
 mates ; no, no, wait, do wait ; perhaps another vessel 
 may come ; besides, I cannot swim half the distance, and 
 I should be afraid to remain behind ; think, Tom, only 
 think of the sharks and of last night." 
 
 He jumped overboard with as much calmness as if he 
 was bathing in security. No sooner had he begun to strike 
 out in the direction he intended, than his companion 
 turned towards the sharks. The first had disappeared, 
 and it was evident they had heard the splash, and would 
 soon follow their prey. It is hard to say, who suffered 
 the most anxiety. The one left in the boat cheered his 
 companion, looked at the brig, and kept waving his 
 jacket, then turned to watch .the sharks ; his horror may 
 be imagined when he saw three of these terrific monsters 
 swim past the boat, exactly in the direction of his com- 
 panion ; he splashed his jacket in the water to scare 
 them away, but they seemed quite aware of the impo- 
 tency of the attack, and lazily pursued their course. 
 The man swam well and strongly. There was no doubt 
 he would pass within hail of the brig, provided the 
 sharks did not interfere, and he, knowing that they 
 would not be long in following him, kept kicking in the 
 water and splashing, as he swam. There is no fish more 
 cowardly, and yet more desperately savage than a shark. 
 I have seen one harpooned twice, with a hook in his 
 jaws, and come again to a fresh bait ; yet will they suffer 
 themselves to be scared by the smallest noise, a^id hard- 
 ly ever take their prey without it is quite still. Gene- 
 rally speaking, any place surrounded by rocks where the 
 surf breaks, although there may be no passage for a 
 ship, will be secure from sharks. It was not until a 
 great distance had been accomplished, that the swimmer 
 16*
 
 186 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 became apprized of his danger, and saw by his side one 
 of the terrific creatures ; still, however, he bravely swam 
 and kicked ; his mind was made up for the worst, and he 
 had little hope of success. In the mean time the breeze 
 had gradually freshened, and the brig passed with 
 greater velocity through the water ; every stitch of can- 
 vas was spread. To the poor swimmer, the sails seemed 
 bursting with the breeze, and as he used his utmost en- 
 deavor to propel himself so as to cut off the vessel, the 
 spray appeared to dash from the bow and the brig to fly 
 through the sea. He was now close enough to hope his 
 voice might be hfaard ; but he hailed and hailed in vain, 
 not a soul was to be seen on deck ; the man who steered, 
 was too intent upon his avocation to listen to the call of 
 mercy. The brig passed, and the swimmer was every 
 second getting further in the distance, every hope was 
 gone, not a ray of that bright divinity remained, the fa- 
 tigue had nearly exhausted him, and the sharks only 
 waited for the first quiet moment to swallow their vic- 
 tim. It was in vain, he thought of returning towards 
 the boat, for he never could have reached her, and his 
 companion* had no means of assisting him. In the act 
 of offering up his last prayer, ere he made up his mind 
 to float and be eaten, he saw a man looking over the 
 quarter of the brig ; he raised both his hands, he jumped 
 himself up in the water, and by the singularity of his 
 motions, fortunately attracted notice. A telescope soon 
 made clear the object; the brig was hove to, a boat sent, 
 and the man saved. The attention of the crew was 
 then awakened to the Magpie's boat; she was soon 
 alongside, and thus, through the bold exertions of as gal- 
 lant a fellow as ever breathed, both were rescued from 
 their perilous situation.
 
 THE LOSS OF THE PEGGY. 
 
 ON the 28th of September, 1785, the Peggy, command- 
 ed by captain Knight, sailed from the harbor of Water- 
 ford, Ireland, for the port of New York, in America. 
 
 Here it is necessary to observe, that the Peggy was a 
 large unwieldy Dutch-built ship, about eight hundred 
 tons burden, and had formerly been in tne Norway and 
 timber trade, for which, indeed, she seemed, from her 
 immense bulk, well calculated. There being no freight 
 in readiness for America, we were under the necessity 
 of taking in ballast: which consisted of coarse gravel 
 and sand, witli about fifty casks of stores, fresh stock, 
 and vegetables, sufficient to last during the voyage 
 having plenty of room, and having been most abun- 
 dantly supplied by the hospitable neighborhood/of which 
 we were about to take our leave. 
 
 We weighed anchor, and with the assistance of a rapid 
 tide and pleasant breeze, soon gained a tolerable offing : 
 we continued under easy sail the remaining part of the 
 day, and towards sunset, lost sight of land. 
 
 September 29th, made the old head of Kingsale ; the 
 weather continued favorable, we shortly came within 
 sight of cape Clear, from whence we took our departure 
 from the coast of Ireland. 
 
 Nothing material occurred for several days, during 
 which time we traversed a vast space of the Western 
 ocean. 
 
 October 12th, the weather now became hazy and 
 squally ; all hands turned up to reef top-sails, and strike 
 top-gallant-yards. Towards night, the squalls were 
 more frequent, indicating an approaching gale; we ac- 
 cordingly clued, reefed top-sails, and struck top-gallant- 
 masts ; and having made all snug aloft, the ship wea- 
 thered the night very steadily. . , 
 
 OH the 13th, the crew were employed in setting up the
 
 188 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 rigging, and occasionally pumping, the ship having 
 made much water, during the night The gale increas- 
 ing as the day advanced, occasioned the vessel to make 
 heavy rolls, by which an accident happened, which was 
 near doing much injury to the captain's cabin.' A pun- 
 cheon of rum, which was lashed on the larboard side of 
 the cabin, broke loose, a sudden jerk having drawn 
 asunder the elects to which it was fastened. By its ve- 
 locity, it stove in the state-rooms, and broke several uten- 
 sils of the cabin furniture. The writer of this, with 
 much difficulty, escaped with whole limbs : but not al- 
 together unhurt, receiving a painful bruise on the right 
 foot : having, however, escaped from the cabin, the peo- 
 ple on deck were given to understand that the rum was 
 broken loose. The word rum soon.^tpactcd the sailors' 
 attention, and this cask being the IfiHp only stock, they 
 were not tardy (as may be supposM) in rendering their 
 assistance to double lash, what they anticipated the 
 delight of frequently splicing the mainbrace therewith, 
 during their voyage. 
 
 On the 14th, the weather became moderate, and the 
 crew were employed in making good the stoxvage of the 
 stores in the hold, which had given way during the 
 night ; shaking reefs out of the top-sails, getting up the 
 top-gallant masts and yards, and rigging out studding- 
 sails. All hands being now called to dinner, a bustle 
 and confused noise took place on deck. The captain 
 (who was below) sent the writer of this, to discover the 
 cause thereof, but before he could explain, a voice was 
 crying out in a most piteous and vociferous tone. The 
 captain and chief mate jumped on deck, and found the 
 crew had got the cook laid on the windlass, and were 
 giving him a most severe cobbing with a flat piece of his 
 own firewood. As soon as the captain had reached for- 
 ward, he was much exasperated with them for their pre- 
 cipitate conduct, in punishing without his knowledge 
 and permission ; and having prohibited such proceedings 
 in future cases, he inquired the cause of their grievance. 
 The cook, it seems, having been serving out fresh water 
 to dress vegetables for all hands, had inadvertently used
 
 THE LOSS OP THE PEGGY. 189 
 
 it for some other purpose, and boiled the greens in a cop- 
 per of salt water, which rendered them so intolerably 
 tough, that they were not fit. for use; consequently the 
 sailors had not their expected garnish, and a general 
 murmur taking place, the above punishment was in- 
 flicted. 
 
 A steady breeze ensued, all sails filled and the ship 
 made way, with a lofty and majestic air : and at every 
 plunge of her bows, which were truly Dutch-built, rose a 
 foam of no small appearance. 
 
 During four days, the weather continued favorable, 
 which flattered the seamen with a speedy sight of land. 
 
 On the 19th, we encountered a very violent gale, with 
 an unusual heavy sea; the ship worked greatly, and 
 took in much water through her seams ; the pumps were 
 kept frequently glJBg- At mid-day, while the crew 
 were at dinner, a^pqkendous sea struck the ship right 
 aft, which stove in we, cabin windows, upset the whole 
 of the dinner, and nearly drowned the captain, mate, and 
 myself, who was at that time holding a dish on the ta- 
 ble, while the captain was busily employed in carving a 
 fine goose, which, much to our discomfiture, was en- 
 tirely drenched by the salt-water. Some of the coops 
 were washed from the quarter-deck, and several of the 
 poultry destroyed. 
 
 In consequence of the vessel's shipping so great a quan- 
 tity of water, the pumps were doubly manned, and soon 
 gained on her. The gale had not in the least abated 
 during the night. The well was plumbed, and there 
 was found to be a sudden and alarming increase of wa- 
 ter. The carpenter was immediately ordered to exa- 
 mine the ship below, in order to find the cause of the 
 vessel's making so much water. His report was, she 
 being a very old vessel, her seams had considerably open- 
 ed by her laboring so much ; therefore, could devise no 
 means, at present, to prevent the evil. He also reported 
 the mizzen-mast to be in great danger. 
 
 The heel of the mizzen-mast being stepped between 
 decks, (a very unusual case, but probably it was placed 
 there in order to make more room for stowage in the
 
 190 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 after-hold,) was likely to work from its step, and thereby 
 might do considerable damage to the ship. 
 
 The captain now held a consultation with the officers, 
 when it was deemed expedient to cut the mast away, 
 without delay : this was accordingly put into execution, 
 the following morning, as soon as the day made its ap- 
 pearance. The necessary preparations having been 
 made, the carpenter began hewing at the mast, and 
 quickly made a deep wound. Some of the crew were 
 stationed ready to cut away the stays and lanyards, 
 whilst the remaining part were anxiously watching the 
 momentary crash which was to ensue ; the word being 
 given to cut away the weather-lanyards, as the ship 
 gave a lee-lurch, the whole of the wreck of the mast 
 plunged, without further injury, into the ocean. 
 
 The weather still threatening a continuance, our prin- 
 cipal employ was at the pumps, which were kept con- 
 tinually going. The sea had now risen to an alarming 
 height, and frequently struck the vessel with great vio- 
 lence. Towards the afternoon, part of the starboard 
 bulwark was carried away by the shock of a heavy sea, 
 which made the ship broach to, and before she could 
 answer her helm again, a sea broke through the fore- 
 chains, and swept away the caboose and all its utensils 
 from the deck : fortunately for the cook, he was assist- 
 ing at the pumps at the time, or he inevitably must 
 have shared the same fate as his galley. 
 
 Notwithstanding the exertions of the crew, the water 
 gained fast, and made its way into the hold, which 
 washed a great quantity of the ballast through the 
 timber-holes into the hull, by which the suckers of the 
 pumps were much damaged, and they thereby frequently 
 choked. By such delays the leaks increased rapidly. 
 We were under the necessity of repeatedly hoisting the 
 pumps on deck, to apply different means which were 
 devised to keep the sand from entering, but all our ef- 
 forts proved ineffectual, and the pumps were deemed of 
 no further utility. There was now no time to be lost ; 
 accordingly it was agreed that the allowance of fresh 
 water should be lessened to a pint a man; the casks
 
 THE LOSS OF THE PEGGY. 191 
 
 were immediately hoisted from the hold, and lashed be- 
 tween decks. As the water was started from two of 
 them, they were sawed in two, and formed into buckets, 
 there being no other casks on board fit for that purpose ; 
 the whips were soon applied, and the hands began bal- 
 ing at the fore and after hatchways, which continued 
 without intermission the whole of the night, each man 
 being suffered to take one hour's rest, in rotation. 
 
 The morning of the 22d, presented to our view a most 
 dreary aspect, a dismal horizon encircling not the 
 least appearance of the gale abating on the contrary, it 
 seemed to come with redoubled vigor the ballast wash- 
 ing from side to side of the ship at each roll, and scarce 
 a prospect of freeing her. Notwithstanding these ca- 
 lamities, the crew did not relax their efforts. The main- 
 hatchway was opened, and fresh buckets went to work ; 
 the captain and mate alternately relieving each other at 
 the helm. The writer's station was to supply the crew 
 with grog, which was plentifully served to them every 
 two hours. By the motion of the ship; the buckets struck 
 against the combings of the hatchways with great vio- 
 lence, and in casting them into the hold to fill, they fre- 
 quently struck on the floating pieces of timber which 
 were generally used as chocks in stowing the hold. By 
 such accidents, the buckets were repeatedly stove, and 
 we were under the necessity of cutting more of the wa- 
 ter casks to supply their place. Starting the fresh water 
 overboard was reluctantly done, particularly as we now 
 felt the loss of the caboose, and were under the necessity 
 of eating the meat raw, which occasioned us to be very 
 thirsty. Night coming on, the crew were not allowed 
 to go below to sleep ; each man, when it came to his 
 turn, stretched himself on the deck. 
 
 October 23. Notwithstanding the great quantity of 
 water baled from the vessel, she gained so considerably, 
 that she had visibly settled much deeper in the water. 
 All hands were now called aft, in order to consult on the 
 best measures. It was now unanimously resolved to 
 make for the island of Bermuda, it being the nearest 
 land. Accordingly we bore away for it, but had not
 
 192 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 sailed many leagues before we found that the great 
 quantity of water in the vessel had impeded her steer- 
 age so much that she could scarcely answer her helm ; 
 and making a very heavy lurch, the ballast shifted, 
 which gave her a great lift to the starboard, and render- 
 ed it very difficult to keep a firm footing on deck. The 
 anchors which were stowed on the larboard bow were 
 ordered to be cut away, and the cables, which were on 
 the orlop deck, to be hove overboard in order to right her ; 
 but all this had a very trifling effect, for the ship was 
 now become quite a log. 
 
 The crew were still employed in bailing ; one of whom, 
 in preventing a bucket from being stove against the 
 combings, let go his hold, and fell down the hatchway ; 
 with great difficulty he escaped being drowned or dash- 
 ed against the ship's sides. Having got into a bucket 
 which was instantly lowered, he was providentially 
 hoisted on deck without any injury. 
 
 During the night, the weather became more moderate, 
 and on the following morning, (October 25,) the gale 
 had entirely subsided, but left a very heavy swell. Two 
 large whales approached close to the ship. They sport- 
 ed around the vessel the whole of the day, and after 
 dusk, disappeared. 
 
 Having now no further use of the helm, it was lashed 
 down, and the captain and mate took their spell at the 
 buckets. My assistance having been also required, a 
 boy of less strength, whose previous business was to at- 
 tend the cook, now took my former station of serving 
 the crew with refreshments. This lad had not long 
 filled his new situation of drawing out rum from the 
 cask, before he was tempted to taste it, which hav- 
 ing repeatedly done, he soon became intoxicated, and 
 was missed on deck for some time. I was sent to look 
 for him. The spigot I perceived out of the cask, and 
 the liquor running about, but the boy I could not see for 
 some time; however looking down the lazeretto, (the 
 trap-door of which was lying open,) I found him fast 
 asleep. He had luckily fallen on some sails which were 
 Stowed there, or he must have perished.
 
 LOSS OF THE PEGGY. 193 
 
 On the 26th and 27th of October, the weather con- 
 tinued quite clear, with light baffling winds. A man 
 was constantly kept aloft to look out for a sail. The 
 rest of the crew were employed at the whips. 
 
 On the 28th, the weather began to lower, and appeared 
 inclined for rain. This gave some uneasiness, being ap- 
 prehensive of a gale. The captain therefore directed the 
 carpenter to overhaul the long-boat, caulk her, and raise 
 a streak, which orders were immediately complied with ; 
 but when he went to his locker for oakum,- he found it 
 plundered of nearly the whole of his stock all hands 
 were therefore set to picking, by which means he was 
 soon supplied. 
 
 It was totally clear on the 29th, with a fresh breeze, 
 but the ship heeled so much that her gunwale at times 
 was under water, and the, crew could scarcely stand on 
 deck. All hands were now ordered to assemble aft, 
 when the captain in a short address, pointed out the 
 most probable manner by which they could be saved. 
 All agreed in opinion with him, and it was resolved that 
 the long-boat should be hoisted out as speedily as possi- 
 ble, and such necessaries as could be conveniently stow- 
 ed, to be placed in her. Determined no longer to labor 
 at the buckets, the vessel, which could not remain above 
 water many hours after we had ceased bailing, was now 
 abandoned to her fate. 
 
 I now began to reflect on the smalt" chance we had of 
 being saved twenty-two people in an open boat up- 
 wards of three hundred miles from the land, in a bois- 
 terous climate, and the whole crew worn out with fa- 
 tigue ! The palms of the crew's hands were already so 
 flayed it could not be expected that they could do much 
 execution with the oars ; while thus reflecting on our 
 perilous situation, one of our oldest seamen, who at this 
 moment was standing near me, turned his head aside to 
 wipe away a tear ; I could not refrain from sympathiz- 
 ing with him, my heart was already full ; the captain 
 perceiving my despondency bade me be of good oheer, 
 and called me a young lubber. 
 
 The boat having been hoisted out, and such neeessa- 
 17
 
 194 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 ries placed in her as were deemed requisite, one of fhe 
 hands was sent aloft to lash the colors downwards to the 
 main-top-mast shrouds ; which having done, he placed 
 himself on the crosstrees, to look around him, and al- 
 most instantly hallooed out, "A sail." It would be 
 impossible to describe the ecstatic emotions of the crew : 
 every man was aloft, in order to be satisfied ; though a 
 minute before, not one of the crew was able to stand 
 upright. 
 
 The sail was on our weather-bow, bearing right down 
 on us with a smart breeze. She soon perceived us, but 
 hauled her wind several times,' in order to examine our 
 ship. As she approached nearer she clearly perceived 
 our calamitous situation, and hastened to our relief. 
 
 She proved to be a Philadelphia schooner, bound to cape 
 Francois, in St. Domingo. The captain took us all on 
 board in the most humane and friendly manner, and af- 
 ter casting our boat adrift, proceeded on his voyage. 
 When we perceived our ship from the vessel on which 
 we were now happily on board, her appearance was 
 truly deplorable. 
 
 The captain of the schooner congratulated us on our 
 fortunate escape, and expressed his surprise that the 
 ship should remain so long on her beam ends, in such a 
 heavy sea, without capsizing. We soon began to dis- 
 tance the wreck, by this time very low in the water, and 
 shortly after lost sight of her. 
 
 The evening began to approach fast, when a man 
 loosing the main-top-sail, descried a sail directly in the 
 same course on our quarter. We made sail for her, and 
 soon came within hail of her. She proved to be a brig 
 from Glasgow, bound to Antigua. It was now deter- 
 mined, between the captains, that half of our- people 
 should remain in the schooner, and the captain, mate, 
 eight of the crew, and myself, should get on board the 
 brig. On our arrival at Antigua we met with much 
 kindness and humanity.
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 
 
 THE Halsewell East Indiaman, of seven hundred and 
 fifty-eight tons burthen, Richard Pierce, Esq. commander, 
 having been taken up by the Directors to make her third 
 voyage to coast and bay, fell down to Gravesend the 
 16th of November, 1785, and there completsd her lad- 
 ing. Having taken the ladies and other passengers on 
 board at the Hope, she sailed through the Downs on 
 Sunday, January the 1st, 1786, and the next morning, 
 being abreast of Dunnose, it fell calm. . 
 
 The ship was one of the finest in the service, and sup- 
 posed to be in the most perfect condition for her voyage ; 
 and the commander a man of distinguished ability and 
 exemplary character. His officers possessed unques- 
 tionable knowledge in their profession ; the crew, com- 
 posed of the best seamen that could be collected, was as 
 numerous as the establishment admits. The vessel like- 
 wise contained a considerable body of soldiers, destined 
 to recruit the forces of the company in Asia. 
 
 The passengers were Miss Eliza Pierce, and Miss 
 Mary Anne Pierce, daughters of the commander; Miss 
 Amy Paul, and Miss Mary Paul, daughters of Mr. Paul, 
 of Somersetshire, and relations of captain Pierce ; Miss 
 Elizabeth Blackburne, daughter of captain B. likewise 
 in the service of the East India company : Miss Mary 
 Haggard, sister to an officer on the Madras establish- 
 ment ; Miss Ann Mansell, a native of Madras, but of 
 European parents, who had received her education in 
 England ; and John George Schutz, Esq. returning to 
 Asia, where he had long resided, to collect a part of his 
 fortune which he had left behind. 
 
 On Monday, the 2d of January, at three P. M. a 
 breeze springing up from the south, they ran in shore to 
 land the pilot. The weather coming on very thick in 
 the evening, and the wind baffling, at nine they were 
 obliged to anchor in eighteen fathoms water. They
 
 196 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 furled their top-sails, but were unable to furl their courses, 
 the snow falling thick and freezing as it fell. 
 
 Tuesday, the 3d, at four o'clock A. M. a violent gale 
 came on from E. N. E. and the ship driving, they were 
 obliged to cut their cables and run out to sea. At noon, 
 they spoke with a brig to Dublin, and having put their 
 pilot on board of her, bore down channel immediately. 
 At eight in the evening, the wind freshening, and coming 
 to the southward, they reefed such sails as were judged 
 necessary. At ten, it blew a violent gale at south, and 
 they were obliged to carry a press of sail to keep the 
 ship off the shore. In this situation, the hause-plugs, 
 which, according to a recent improvement, were put in- 
 side, were washed in, and the hause-bags washed away, 
 in consequence of which they shipped a great quantity 
 of water on the gun-deck. 
 
 Upon sounding the well, .they found that the vessel 
 had sprung a leak, and had five feet of water in her 
 hold ; they clued up the main top-sail, hauled up the 
 main-sail, and immediately attempted to furl both, but 
 failed in the attempt. All the pumps were set to work, 
 on the discovery of the leak. 
 
 Wednesday the 4th, at two A. M. they endeavored to 
 wear the ship, but without success. The mizzen-mast 
 was instantly cut away, and a second attempt made to 
 wear, which succeeded no better than the former. The 
 ship having now seven feet of water in her hold, and the 
 leak gaming fast on the pumps, it was thought expedi- 
 ent for the preservation of the ship, which appeared to 
 be in immediate danger of foundering, to cut away the 
 main-mast. In it* fall, Jonathan Moreton, coxswain, 
 and four men, were carried overboard by the wreck and 
 drowned. By eight o'clock, the wreck was cleared, and 
 the ship got before the wind. In this position she was 
 kept about two hours, during which the pumps reduced 
 the water in the hold two feet. 
 
 At ten in the morning the wind abated considerably, 
 and the ship labored extremely, rolled the fore top-mast 
 over on the larboard side, which, in the fall, tore the fore- 
 sail to pieces. At eleven, the wind came to the west-
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 197 
 
 ward, and the weather clearing up, the Berry-Head was 
 distinguished, at the distance of four or five leagues. 
 Having erected a jury main-mast, and set a top-gallant- 
 sail for a main-sail, they bore up for Portsmouth, and 
 employed the remainder of the day in getting up a jury 
 mizzen-mast. 
 
 On Thursday the 5th, at two in the morning, the wind 
 came to the southward, blew fresh, and the weather 
 was very thick. At noon, Portland was seen, bearing 
 north by east, distant about two or three leagues. At 
 eight at night, it blew a strong gale at south ; the Port- 
 land lights were seen bearing north-west, distant four or 
 five leauges, when they wore ship and got her head to 
 the westward. Finding they lost ground on that tack, 
 they wore her again, and kept stretching to the eastward, 
 in the hope of weathering Peverel Point, in which case 
 they intended to have anchored in Studland bay. At 
 eleven, they saw St. Alban's Head, a mile and a half to 
 the leeward, upon which they took in sail immediately, 
 and let go the small bower anchor, which brought up 
 the ship at a whole cable, and she rode for about an hour, 
 and then drove. They now let go the sheet anchor, and 
 wore away a whole cable ; the ship rode about two hours 
 longer when she drove again. 
 
 In this situation the captain sent for Mr. Henry Meri- 
 ton, the chief officer, and asked his opinion concerning 
 the probability of saving their lives. He replied with 
 equal candor and calmness, that he apprehended there 
 was very little hope, as they were then driving fast on 
 shore, and might expect every moment to strike. It 
 was agreed that the boats could not then be of any use, 
 but it was proposed that the officers should be confiden- 
 tially requested, in case an opportunity presented itself, 
 of making it serviceable, to reserve the long boat for the 
 ladies and themselves, and this precaution was accord- 
 ingly taken. 
 
 About two, in the morning of Friday the 6th, the ship 
 still driving, and approaching the shore very fast, the 
 same officer again went into the cuddy where the cap- 
 tain then was. Captain Pierce expressed extreme anxi- 
 17*
 
 198 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 ety for the preservation of his beloved daughters, and 
 earnestly asked Mr. Meriton, if he could devise any 
 means of saving them. The latter expressed his fears 
 that it would be impossible, adding, that their only 
 chance would be to wait for the morning, upon which 
 the captain lifted up his hands in silent distress. 
 
 At this moment the ship struck with such violence, as 
 to dash the heads of those who were standing in the 
 cuddy against the deck above them, ami the fatal blow 
 was accompanied by a shriek of horror, which burst at 
 the same instant from every quarter of the ship. 
 
 The seamen, many of whom had been remarkably in- 
 attentive and remiss in their duty during a great part of 
 the storm, and had actually skulked into their hammocks, 
 leaving the working of the pump, and the other labors 
 required by their situation, to the officers, roused to a 
 sense of their danger, now poured upon the deck, to 
 which the utmost endeavors of their officers could not 
 keep them while their assistance might have been use- 
 ful. But it was now too late ; the ship continued to 
 beat upon the rocks, and soon bilged, falling with her 
 broadside towards the shore. When the ship struck, 
 several of the men caught hold of the ensign staff, under 
 the apprehension of her going to pieces immediately. 
 
 At this critical juncture, Mr. Meriton offered his un- 
 happy companions the best advice that possibly could 
 be given. He recommended that they should all repair 
 to that side of the ship which lay lowest on the rocks, 
 and take the opportunities that might then present them- 
 selves of escaping singly to the shore. He then return- 
 ed to the round-house, where all the passengers and 
 most of the officers were assembled. The latter were 
 employed in affording consolation to the unfortunate 
 ladies, and with unparalleled magnanimity, suffering 
 their compassion for the amiable companions of their own 
 danger, and the dread of almost inevitable destruction. 
 At this moment what must have been the feelings of a 
 father of such a father as captain Pierce ? 
 
 The ship had struck on the rocks near Seacombe, on 
 the island of Purbeck, between Peverel-point and St.
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 199 
 
 Alban's Head. On this part of the shore the cliff is of 
 immense height, and rises almost perpendicularly. In 
 this particular spot the cliff is excavated at the base, 
 presenting a cavern ten or twelve yards in depth, and 
 equal in breadth to the length of a large ship. The sides 
 of the cavern are so nearly upright as to be extremely 
 difficult of access, and the bottom of it is strewed with 
 sharp and uneven rocks which appear to have been rent 
 from above by some convulsion of nature. It was at 
 the mouth of this cavern that the unfortunate vessel lay 
 stretched almost from side to side, and presented her 
 broadside to the horrid chasm. But, at the time the 
 ship struck it was too dark to discover the extent of their 
 danger, and the extreme horror of their situation. 
 
 The number in the round-house was now increased 
 to nearly fifty, by the admission of three black women 
 and two soldier's wives, with the husband of one of the 
 'atter, though the sailors, who had demanded entrance 
 to get a light, had been opposed and kept out by the 
 officers. Captain Pierce was seated on a chair, or some 
 other movable, 'between his two daughters, whom he 
 pressed alternately to his affectionate bosom. The rest 
 of the melancholy assembly were seated on the deck, 
 which was strewed with musical instruments, and the 
 wreck of furniture, boxes, and packages. 
 
 Here Mr. Meriton, after having lighted several wax 
 candles, and all the glass lanthorns he could find, like- 
 wise took his seat^ intending to wait till daylight, in the 
 hope that it would afford him an opportunity of effecting 
 his own escape, and also rendering assistance to the 
 partners of his danger. Bat, observing that the ladies 
 appeared parched and exhausted, he fetched a basket of 
 oranges from some part of the round-house, with which 
 he prevailed on some of them to refresh themselves. 
 
 On his return he perceived a considerable alteration 
 in the appearance of the ship. The sides were visibly 
 giving way, the deck seemed to heave, and he discovered 
 other evident symptoms that she could not hold together 
 much longer. Attempting to go forward to look out, he 
 instantly perceived that the ship had separated in the
 
 200 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 middle and that the fore-part had changed its position, 
 and lay rather farther out towards the sea. In this 
 emergency he determined to seize the present moment, 
 as the next might have,been charged with his fate, and 
 to follow the example of the crew and the soldiers, who 
 were leaving the ship in numbers, and making their way 
 to a shore, with the horrors of which they were yet un- 
 acquainted. 
 
 To favor their escape an attempt had been made to 
 lay the ensign-staff from the ship's side to the rocks, but 
 without success, for it snapped to pieces before it reached 
 them. By the light of a lanthorn, however, Mr. Meri- 
 ton discovered a spar, which appeared to be laid from 
 the ship's side to the rocks, and upon which he deter- 
 mined to attempt his escape. He accordingly lay down 
 upon it, and thrust himself forward, but soon found that 
 the spar had no communication with the rock. He 
 reached the end and then slipped off, receiving a vio- 
 lent contusion in his fall. Before he could recover his 
 legs, he was washed off by the surge, in which he 
 supported himself by swimming till the returning wave 
 dashed him against the back of the cavern. Here he 
 lay hold of a small projection of the rock, but was so be- 
 numbed- that he was on the point of quitting it, when a 
 seaman, who had already gained a footing, extended his 
 hand and assisted him till he could secure himself on a 
 little shelf of the rock, from which he clambered still 
 higher till he was out of the reach of the surf. 
 
 Mr. Rogers, the third mate, remained with the captain 
 and the ladies nearly twenty minutes after Mr. Meriton 
 had left the ship. The latter had not long quitted the 
 i jund house, before the captain inquired what was be- 
 come of him, and Mr. Rogers replied, that he had gone 
 upon deck to see what could be done. A heavy sea 
 soon afterwards broke over the ship, upon which the 
 ladies expressed great concern at the apprehension of his 
 loss. Mr. Rogers proposed to go and call him, but this 
 they opposed, fearful lest he might share the same fate. 
 
 The sea now broke in at the fore part of the ship, and 
 reached as far as the main-mast. Captain Pierce and
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 201 
 
 Mr. Rogers then went together, with a lamp, to the stern 
 gallery, where, after viewing the rocks, the captain ask- 
 ed Mr. Rogers if he thought there was any possibility 
 of saving the girls. He replied, he feared not ; for they 
 could discover nothing but the black surface of the per- 
 pendicular rock, and not the cavern which afforded shel- 
 ter to those who had escaped. They then returned to 
 the round house, where captain Pierce again seated him- 
 self between his two daughters, struggling to suppress 
 the parental tear which then started into his eye. 
 
 The sea continuing to break in very fast, Mr. Rogers, 
 Mr. Schutz, and Mr. M'Manus, a midshipman, with a 
 view to attempt their escape, made their way to the 
 poop. They had scarcely reached it, when a heavy sea 
 breaking over the wreck, the round house gave way, 
 and they heard the ladies shriek at intervals, as if the 
 water had reached them ; the noise of the sea at other 
 times drowned their voices. 
 
 Mr. Brimer had followed Mr. Rogers to the poop, 
 where, on the coming of the fatal sea, they jointly seiz- 
 ed a hen-coop, and the same wave which whelmed 
 those who remained below in destruction, carried him 
 and his companion to the rock, on which they were 
 dashed with great violence, and miserably bruised. 
 
 On this rock were twenty-seven men ; but it was low 
 water, and being convinced that, upon the flowing of Ihe 
 tide, they must all be washed off, many endeavored to 
 get to the back or sides of the cavern beyond the reach 
 of the returning sea. Excepting Mr. Rogers and Mr. 
 Brimer, scarcely more than six succeeded in this attempt. 
 Of the remainder, some experienced the fate they sought 
 to avoid, others perished in endeavoring to get into the 
 cavern. 
 
 Mr. Rogers and Mr. Brimer, however, having reached 
 the cavern, climbed up the rock, on the narrow shelves 
 of which they fixed themselves. The former got so 
 near to his friend, Mr. Meriton, as to exchange congratu- 
 lations with him ; but between these gentlemen, there 
 were about twenty men, none of whom could stir 
 but at the most imminent hazard of his life. When
 
 202 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 Mr. Rogers reached this station, his strength was so 
 nearly exhausted, that had the struggle continued a few 
 minutes longer he must inevitably have perished. 
 
 They soon found that though many who had reached 
 the rocks below, had perished in attempting to ascend, 
 yet that a considerable number of the crew, seamen, sol- 
 diers, and some of the inferior officers, were in the same 
 situation with themselves. What that situation was, 
 they had still to learn. They had escaped immediate 
 death ; but they were yet to encounter a thousand hard- 
 ships for the precarious chance of escape. Some part of 
 the ship was still discernible, and they cheered them- 
 selves in this dreary situation, with the hope that it 
 would hold together till day break. Amidst their own 
 misfortunes, the sufferings of the females filled their minds 
 with the acutest anguish ; every returning sea increased 
 their apprehensions for the safety of their amiable and 
 helpless companions. 
 
 But, alas ! too soon were these apprehensions realized. 
 A few minutes after Mr. Rogers had gained the rock, 
 a general shriek, in which the voice of female distress 
 .was lamentably distinguishable, announced the dreadful 
 catastrophe ! In a few moments, all was hushed, ex- 
 cepting the warring winds and the dashing waves. The 
 wreck was whelmed in the bosom of the deep, and not 
 an atom of it was ever discovered. Thus perished the 
 Halsewell, arid with her, worth, honor, skill, beauty, 
 and accomplishments ! 
 
 This stroke was a dreadful aggravation of wo to the 
 trembling and scarcely half-saved wretches, who were 
 clinging about the sides of the horrid cavern. They felt 
 for themselves, but they wept for wives, parents, fathers, 
 brothers, sisters, perhaps lovers ! all cut off from their 
 dearest, fondest hopes ! 
 
 Their feelings were not less agonized by the subse- 
 quent events of that ill-fated night. Many who had 
 gained the precarious stations on the rocks, exhausted 
 with fatigue, weakened by bruises, and benumbed with 
 cold, quitted their hold, and falling headlong, either upon 
 the rocks below, or into the surf, perished beneath the
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 203 
 
 feet of their wretched associates, and by their dying 
 groans and loud acclamations, awakened terrific appre- 
 hensions of a similar fate in the survivors. 
 
 At length, after three hours of the keenest misery, the 
 day broke on them, but, far from bringing with it the 
 expected relief, it served only to discover to them all the 
 horrors of their situation. They were convinced, that 
 had the country been alarmed by the guns of distress, 
 which they continued to fire several hours before the 
 ship struck, but, which, from the violence of the storm, 
 were unheard, they could neither be observed by the 
 people above, as they were completely ingulphed in the 
 cavern, and overhung by the cliff; nor was any part of 
 the wreck remaining to indicate their probable place of 
 refuge. Below, no boat could live to search them out, 
 and had it been possible to acquaint those who were 
 willing to assist them, with their exact situation, they 
 were at a loss to conceive how any ropes could be con- 
 veyed into the cavern to facilitate their escape. 
 
 The only method, that afforded any prospect of suc- 
 cess, was to creep along the side to its outer extremity, 
 to turn the corner on a ledge scarcely as broad as a man's 
 hand, and to climb up the almost perpendicular precipi- 
 ces, nearly two hundred feet in height. In this despe- 
 rate attempt, some succeeded, while others, trembling 
 with terror, and exhausted with bodily and mental fa- 
 tigue, lost their precarious footing, and perished. 
 
 The first men who gained the summit of the cliff were 
 the cook, and James Thompson, a quarter-master. By 
 their individual exertions they reached the top, and in- 
 stantly hastened to the nearest house, to make known 
 the situation of their fellow-sufferers. Eastington, the 
 habitation of Mr. Garland, steward, or agent, to the pro- 
 prietors of the Purbeck quarries, was the house at which 
 they first arrived. That gentleman immediately assem- 
 bled the workmen under his direction, and with the most 
 zealous humanity exerted every effort for the preserva- 
 tion of the surviving part of the crew of the unfortunate 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Meriton had, by this time, almost reached the
 
 204 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 edge of the precipice. A soldier, who preceded him, 
 stood upon a small projecting rock, or stone, and upon 
 the same stone Mr. Meriton had fastened his hands, to 
 assist his progress. Just at this moment the quarrymen 
 arrived, and seeing a man so nearly within their reach 
 they dropped a rope, of which he immediately laid hold. 
 By a vigorous effort to avail himself of the advantage, 
 he loosened the stone, which giving way, Mr. Meriton 
 must have been precipitated to the bottom, had not a 
 rope been lowered to him at the instant, which he seized, 
 while in the act of falling, and was safely drawn to the 
 summit. 
 
 The fate of Mr. Brimer was peculiarly severe. He 
 had been married only nine days before the ship sailed, 
 to the daughter of Captain Norman, of the Royal Navy, 
 came on shore, as it has been observed, with Mr. Rogers, 
 and, like him, got up the side of the cavern. Here he 
 remained till the morning, when he crawled out ; a rope 
 was thrown him, but he was either so benumbed with 
 the cold as to fasten it about him improperly, or so agi- 
 tated-as to neglect to fasten it at all. Whatever was the 
 cause, the effect proved fatal ; at the moment of his sup- 
 posed preservation he fell from his stand, and was unfor- 
 tunately dashed to pieces, in sight of those who could 
 only lament the deplorable fate of an amiable man and 
 skilful officer. 
 
 The method of affording help was remarkable, and 
 does honor to the humanity and intrepidity of the quar- 
 rymen. The distance from the top of the rock to the 
 cavern, over which it projected, was at least one hundred 
 feet : ten of these formed a declivity to the edge, and the 
 remainder was perpendicular. On the very brink of this 
 precipice stood two daring fellows, with a rope tied round 
 them, and fastened above to a strong iron bar fixed into 
 the ground. Behind these, in like manner, stood others, 
 two and two. A strong rope, likewise properly secured, 
 passed between them, by which they might hold, and 
 support themselves from falling. Another rope, with a 
 noose ready fixed, was then let down below the cavern, 
 and the wind blowing hard, it was sometimes forced
 
 LOSS OF THE HALSEWELL EAST INDIAMAN. 205 
 
 under the projecting rock, so that the sufferers could 
 reach it \Vithout crawling to the edge. Whoever laid 
 hold of it, put the noose round his waist, and was drawn 
 up with the utmost care and caution by their intrepid 
 deliverers. 
 
 In this attempt, however, many shared the fate of the 
 unfortunate Mr. Brimer. Unable, through cold, pertur- 
 bation of mind, weakness, or the inconvenience of the 
 stations they occupied, to avail themselves of the succor 
 that was offered them, they were precipitated from the 
 stupendous cliff, and either dashed to pieces on the rocks, 
 or falling into the surge, perished in the waves. 
 
 Among these unhappy sufferers, the death of a drum- 
 mer was attended with circumstances of peculiar dis- 
 tress. Being either washed off the rocks by the sea, or 
 falling into the surf, he was carried by the returning 
 waves beyond the breakers. His utmost efforts to regain 
 them were ineffectual, he was drawn further out to sea, 
 and being a remarkably good swimmer, continued to 
 struggle with the waves, in the view of his commiserat- 
 ing companions, till his strength was exhausted, and he 
 sank, to rise no more ! 
 
 It was late in the day when all the survivors were 
 carried to a place of safety, excepting William Trenton, 
 a soldier, who remained on his perilous stand till the 
 morning of Saturday, the 7th, exposed to the united hor- 
 rors of extreme personal danger, and the most acute 
 disquietude of mind. 
 
 The surviving officers, seamen, and soldiers, being 
 assembled at the house of their benevolent deliverer, 
 Mr. Garland, they were mustered, and found to amount 
 to 74, out of more than 240, which was nearly the num- 
 ber of the crew and passengers when she sailed through 
 the Downs. Of the rest, it is supposed that fifty or more 
 sank with the Captain and the ladies in the round house, 
 and that upwards of seventy reached the rocks, but 
 were washed off, or perished in falling from the cliffs. 
 All those who reached the summit survived, excepting 
 two or three, who expired while being drawn up, and 
 a black who died a few hours after he was brought to 
 18
 
 206 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the house. Many, however, were so miserably bruised, 
 that their lives were doubtful, and it was a considerable 
 time before they perfectly recovered their strength. 
 
 The benevolence and generosity of the master of the 
 Crown Inn, at Blanford, deserves the highest praise. 
 When the distressed seamen arrived at that town he 
 sent for them all to his house, and having given them the 
 refreshment of a comfortable dinner, he presented each 
 man with half a crown to help him on his journey. 
 
 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, 
 OF LONDON. 
 
 THE Nottingham Galley, of and from London, of 120 
 tons, ten guns, fourteen men, John Dean, commander, 
 having taken in cordage in England, and butter, cheese, 
 &c. in Ireland, sailed for Boston in New-England, the 
 25th of September, 1710. Meeting with contrary winds 
 and bad weather, it was the beginning of December, when 
 we first made land to the eastward of Piscataqua, and 
 proceeding southward for the bay of Massachusetts, un- 
 der a hard gale of wind at northeast, accompanied with 
 rain, hail and snow ; having no observation for ten or 
 twelve days, we, on the llth, handed all our sails, ex- 
 cepting our fore-sail and maintop sail double reefed, or- 
 dering one hand forward to look out. Between eight and 
 nine o'clock, going forward myself, I saw the breakers 
 ahead, whereupon I called out to put the helm hard to 
 starboard, but before the ship could wear, we struck upon 
 the east end of the rock, called Boon Island, four leagues 
 to the Eastward of Piscataqua. 
 
 The second or third sea heaved the ship alongside of 
 it ; running likewise so very high, and the ship laboring 
 so excessively, that we were not able to stand upon deck ; 
 and though it was not distant above thirty or forty yards, 
 yet the weather was so thick and dark, that we could not 
 see the rock, so that we were justly thrown into con-
 
 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, OF LONDON. 207 
 
 sternation at the melancholy prospect of immeidately 
 perishing in the sea. I presently called all hands down 
 to the cabin, where we continued a few minutes, earnestly 
 supplicating the mercy of heaven; but knowing that 
 prayers, alone, are vain, I ordered all up again to cut 
 the masts by the board, but several were so oppressed by 
 the terrors of conscience that they were incapable of any 
 exertion. We, however went upon deck, cut the wea- 
 thermost shrouds, and the ship heeling toward the rocks, 
 the force of the sea soon broke the masts, so that they 
 fell towards the shore. 
 
 One of the men went out on the howsprit, and return- 
 ing, told me he saw something black ahead, and would 
 venture to go on shore, accompanied with any other per- 
 son: upon which I desired 'some of the best swimmers 
 (my mate and one more) to go with him, and if they 
 gained the rock, to give notice by their calls, and direct 
 us to the most secure place. Recollecting some money 
 and papers that might be of use, also ammunition, bran- 
 dy, &c., I then went down and opened the place in which 
 they were ; but the ship bilging, her decks opened, her 
 hack broke, and her beams gave way, so that the stern 
 sank under water. I therefore hastened forward to es- 
 cape instant death, and having heard nothing of the men 
 who had gone before, concluded that they were lost. 
 Notwithstanding, I was under the necessity of making 
 the same adventure upon the foremast, moving gradu- 
 ally forward betwixt every sea, till at last quitting it, I 
 threw myself with all the strength I had, toward the 
 rock ; hut it being low water, and the rock extremely 
 slippery, I could get no hold, and tore my fingers, hands, 
 and arms, in the most deplorable manner, every sea 
 fetching me off again, so that it was with the utmost 
 peril and difficulty that I got safe on shore at last. The 
 rest of the men ran the same hazards, but through the 
 mercy of Providence we all escaped with our lives. 
 
 After endeavoring to discharge the salt water and 
 creeping a little way up the rock, I heard the voices of 
 the three men above mentioned, and by ten o'clock we 
 all met together, when, with grateful hearts, we returned
 
 208 
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 thanks to Providence for our deliverance from such im- 
 minent danger. We then endeavored to gain shelter to 
 the leeward of the rock, but found it so small and incon- 
 siderable, that it would afford none, (being about one 
 hundred yards long and fifty broad,) and so very craggy 
 that we could not walk to keep ourselves warm, the 
 * weather still continuing extremely cold, with snow and 
 rain. 
 
 As soon as day light appeared I went toward the place 
 where we came on shore, not doubting but that we 
 should meet with provisions enough from the wreck for 
 our support, but found only some pieces of the masts 
 and yards among some old junk and cables heaped to- 
 gether, which the anchors had prevented from being 
 carried away, and kept moving about the rock at some 
 distance. Part of the ship's stores with some pieces of 
 plank and timber, old sails, canvas, &c. drove on shore, 
 but nothing eatable, excepting three small cheeses which 
 we picked up among the rock-weed. 
 
 We used our utmost endeavors to get fire, having a steel 
 and flint with us, and also by a drill, with a very swift 
 motion ; but having nothing which had not been water- 
 soaked, all our attempts proved ineffectual. 
 
 At night we stowed ourselves under our canvas, in the 
 best manner possible, to keep each other warm. The 
 next day the weather clearing a little, and inclining to a 
 frost, I went out, and perceiving the main land, I knew 
 where we were, and encouraged my men with the hope 
 of being discovered by fishing shallops, desiring them to 
 search for and bring up any planks, carpenter's tools, 
 and stores they could find, in order to build a tent and a . 
 boat. The cook then complained that he was almost 
 starved, and his countenance discovering his illness, I 
 ordered him to remain behind with two or three more 
 the frost had seized. About noon the men acquainted 
 me that he was dead ; we therefore laid him in a conve- 
 nient place for the sea to carry him away. None men- 
 tioned eating him, though several, with myself, after- 
 wards acknowledged that they thought of it.
 
 Loss OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, OP LONDON. 209 
 
 After we had been in this situation two or three days, 
 the frost being very severe, and the weather extremely 
 cold, it affected most of our hands and feet to such a 
 degree as to take away the sense of feeling, and render 
 them almost useless ; so benumbing and discoloring them 
 as gave us just reason to apprehend mortification. We 
 pulled off our shoes, and cut off our boots ; but in getting 
 off our stockings, many, whose legs were blistered, pulled 
 off skin and .all, and some, the nails of their toes. We 
 then wrapped up our legs and feet as warmly as we could 
 in oakum and Canvas. 
 
 Now we began to build our tent in a triangular form, 
 each side being about eight feet, covered it with the old 
 Sails and canvas that came on shore, having just room 
 for each to lie down on one side, so that none could 
 turn, unless all turned, which was about every two 
 hours, when notice was given. We also fixed a staff to 
 the top of our tent, upon which, as often as the weather 
 would permit, we hoisted a piece of cloth in the form of 
 a flag, in order to discover ourselves to any vessel that 
 might approach. 
 
 We then commenced the building of our boat with 
 planks and timber belonging to the wreck.' Our only 
 tools were the blade of a cutlass, made into a saw with 
 our knives, a hammer, and a caulking mallet. We found 
 some nails in the clefts of the rock, and obtained others 
 from the sheathing. We laid three planks flat for the 
 bottom, and two up each side, fixed to stanchions and 
 let into the bottom timbers, with two short pieces at each 
 end, and one breadth of new Holland duck round the 
 sides to keep out the spray of the sea. We caulked all 
 we could with oakum drawn from the old junk, and in 
 other places filled up the spaces with long pieces of 
 canvas, all of which we secured in the best manner pos- 
 sible. We found also some sheet lead and pump-leather, 
 which proved of use. We fixed a short mast and square 
 sail, with seven paddles to row, and a longer one to 
 steer with. But our carpenter, whose services were now 
 most wanted, was, on account of illness, scarcely capa- 
 ble of affording us either assistance or advice ; and all 
 18*
 
 210 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECK*. 
 
 the rest, excepting myself and two others, were so be- 
 numbed and feeble as to be unable to move. The wea- 
 ther, too, was so extremely cold, that we could seldom 
 stay out of the tent more than four hours in the day 
 and some days we could do nothing at all. 
 
 When we had been upon the rock about a week, with- 
 out any kind of provisions, excepting the cheese above- 
 mentioned, and* some beef bones, which we eat, aftei 
 beating them to pieces, we saw three boats, about five 
 leagues from us, which, as may easily be imagined, re- 
 joiced us not a little, believing that the period of our 
 deliverance had arrived. I directed all the men to creep 
 out of the tent and halloo together, as loud as their 
 strength would permit. We likewise made all the sig- 
 nals we could, but in vain, for they neither heard nor 
 saw us. We, however, received no small encouragement 
 from the sight of them, as they came from the south- 
 west ; and the wind being at north-east when we were 
 cast away, we had reason to suppose that our distress 
 might have been made known by the wreck driving on 
 shore, and to presume that they had come out in search 
 of us, and would daily do so when the weather should 
 permit. Thus we flattered ourselves with the pleasing 
 but delusive hope of deliverance. 
 
 Just before we had finished our boat, the carpenter's 
 axe was cast upon the rock, by which we were enabled to 
 complete our work, but then we had scarcely strength 
 sufficient to get her into the water. 
 
 About the 21st of December, the boat being finished, 
 the day fine, and the water smoother than I had yet 
 seen it since we came there, we consulted who should 
 attempt to launch her; I offered myself as one to venture 
 in her ; this was agreed to, as I was the strongest, and 
 therefore the fittest to undergo the extremities to which 
 we might possibly be reduced. My mate also offered 
 himself, and desiring to accompany me, 1 was permitted 
 to take him, together with my brother and four more 
 Thus commending our enterprize to Providence, all thai 
 were able came out, and with much difficulty, got our 
 poor patched-up boat to the water-side. The surf run
 
 LOSS OP THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, OP LONDON. 211 
 
 cling very high, we were obliged to wade very deep to 
 launch her, upon which I and another got into her. The 
 swell of the sea heaved her along the shore and overset 
 upon us, whereby we again narrowly escaped drowning. 
 Our poor boat was staved to pieces, our enterprize totally 
 disappointed, and our hopes utterly destroyed. 
 
 What heightened our afflictions, and served to aggra- 
 vate our miserable prospects, and render our deliverance 
 less practicable, we lost, with our boat, both our axe 
 and hammer, which would have been of great use to us 
 if we should afterwards have attempted to construct a 
 raft. Yet we had reason to admire the goodness of God 
 in producing our disappointment for our safety ; for, that 
 afternoon, the wind springing up, it blew so hard, inso- 
 much that, had we been at sea in that imitation of a 
 boat, we must, in all probability, have perished, and 
 those left behind, being unable to help themselves, must 
 doubtless soon have shared a similar fate. 
 
 We were now reduced to the most melancholy and 
 deplorable situation imaginable ; almost every man but 
 myself was weak to an extremity, nearly starved with 
 hunger and perishing with cold ; their hands and feet 
 frozen and mortified ; large and deep ulcers in their legs ; 
 the smell of which was highly offensive to those who 
 could not creep into the air, and nothing to dress them 
 with but a piece of linen that was cast on shore. We 
 had no fire : our small stock of cheese was exhausted, 
 and we had nothing to support our feeble bodies but 
 rock-weed and a few muscles, scarce and difficult to be 
 procured, at most not above two or three for each man 
 a day ; so that our miserable bodies were perishing, and 
 our disconsolate spirits overpowered by the deplorable 
 prospect of starving, without any appearance of relief. 
 To aggravate our situation, if possible, we had reason to 
 apprehend, lest the approaching springtide if accompani- 
 ed with high winds, should entirely overflow us; The 
 horrors of such a situation it is impossible to describe ; 
 the pinching cold and hunger ; extremity of weakness 
 and pain; racking and horrors of conscience in -many ; 
 and the prospect of a certain, painful, and lingering
 
 212 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 death, without even the most remote views of delive- 
 rance ! This is, indeed, the height of misery ; yet such 
 alas ! was our deplorable case : insomuch that the 
 greater part of our company were ready to die of horror 
 and despair. 
 
 For my part, I did my utmost to encourage myself, 
 exhort the rest to trust in God, and patiently await their 
 deliverance. As a slight alleviation of our fate, Provi- 
 dence directed towards our quarters a sea-gull, which 
 my mate struck down and joyfully brought to me. I 
 divided it into equal portions, and though raw, and 
 scarcely affording a mouthful for each, yet we received 
 and eat it thankfully. 
 
 The last method of rescuing ourselves we could possi- 
 bly devise, was to construct a raft capable of carrying 
 two men. This proposal was strongly supported by a 
 Swede, one of our men, a stout, brave fellow, who, since 
 our disaster, had lost the use of both his feet by the 
 frost. He frequently importuned me to attempt our de- 
 liverance in that way, offering himself to accompany 
 me, or, if I refused, to go alone. After deliberate con- 
 sideration we resolved upon a raft, but found great diffi- 
 culty in clearing the fore-yard, of which it was chiefly 
 to be made, from the junk, as our working hands were 
 so few and weak. 
 
 This done, we split the yard, and with the two parts 
 made side-pieces, fixing others, and adding some of the 
 lightest planks we could find, first spiking, and after- 
 wards making them firm. The raft was four feet in 
 breadth. We fixed up a mast, and out of two ham- 
 mocks that were driven on shore we made a sail, with a 
 paddle for each man, and a spare one in case of neces- 
 sity. This difficulty being thus surmounted, the Swede 
 frequently asked me whether I designed to accompany 
 him, giving me to understand, that if I declined, there 
 was another ready to offer himself for the enterprise. 
 
 About this time we saw a sail come out of Piscataqua 
 river, about seven leagues to the westward. We again 
 made all the signals we could, but the wind being north- 
 west, and the ship standing to the eastward, she was
 
 LOSS OP THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY OF LONDON. 213 
 
 presently out of sight, without ever coming near us, 
 which proved an extreme mortification to our hopes. 
 The next day, being moderate, with a small breeze to- 
 ward the shore in the afternoon, and the raft being 
 wholly finished, the two men were very anxious to have 
 it launched ; but this was as strenuously opposed by the 
 mate, because it was so late, being two in the afternoon. 
 They, however, urged the lightness of the nights, begged 
 me to suffer them to proceed, and I at length consented. 
 They both got upon the raft, when the swell, rolling 
 very high, soon overset them, as it did our boat. The 
 Swede not daunted by this accident, swam on shore, but 
 the other being no swimmer, continued some time under 
 water ; as soon as he appeared, I caught hold of and 
 saved him, but he was so discouraged that he was 
 afraid to make a second attempt. I desired the Swede 
 to wait for a more favorable opportunity, but he continued 
 resolute, begged me to go with him, or help him to turn 
 the raft, and he would go alone. 
 
 By this time another man came 4 w n an( l offered to 
 adventure ; when they were upon the raft, I launched 
 them off, they desiring us to go to prayers, and also to 
 watch what became of them. I did so, and by sunset 
 judged them half-way to the mainland and supposed that 
 they might reach the shore by two in the morning. 
 They, however, probably fell in with some breakers, or 
 were overset by the violence of the sea and perished ; for, 
 two days afterwards, the raft was found on shore, and 
 one man dead about a mile from it, with a paddle fas- 
 tened to his wrist ; but the Swede, who was so very for- 
 ward to adventure, was never heard of more. 
 
 We, who were left on the desolate island, ignorant of 
 what had befallen them, waited daily for deliverance. 
 Our expectations were the more raised by a smoke we 
 observed, two days afterwards in the woods, which was 
 the signal appointed to be made if they arrived safely. 
 This continued every day, and we were willing to be- 
 lieve that it was made on our account, though we saw 
 no appearance of any thing toward our relief. We sup- 
 posed that the delay was occasioned because they were
 
 214 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 not able to procure a vessel so soon as, we desired, and 
 this idea served to bear up our spirits and to support us 
 greatly. 
 
 Still our principal want was that of provision, having 
 nothing to eat but rock weed, and a very few muscles ; 
 indeed, when the spring-tide was over, we could scarce- 
 ly get any at all. I went myself as no other person was 
 able, several days at low water, and could find no more 
 than two or three apiece. I was frequently in danger 
 of losing my hands and arms, by putting them so often 
 into the water after the muscles, and when obtained, 
 my stomach refused them, and preferred rock weed. 
 
 Upon our first arrival we saw several seals upon the 
 rocks, and supposing they might harbor there in the 
 night, I walked round at midnight, but could never meet 
 with any thing. We saw likewise, a great number of 
 birds, which perceiving us daily there, would never 
 lodge upon the rock, so that we caught none. 
 
 This disappointment was severe, and tended to aggra- 
 vate our miseries still more; but it was particularly 
 afflicting to a brother I had with me, and another young 
 gentleman, neither of whom had before been at sea, or 
 endured any kind of hardship. They were now reduc- 
 ed to the last extremity, having no assistance but what 
 they received from me. 
 
 Part of a green hide, fastened to a piece of the main- 
 yard, being thrown up by the sea, the men importuned 
 me to bring it to the tent, which being done, we minced 
 it small and swallowed it 
 
 About this time I set the men to open junk, and when 
 the weather would permit I thatched the tent with the 
 rope yarn in the best manner I was able, that it might 
 shelter us the better from the extremities of the wea- 
 ther. This proved of so much service as to turn two or 
 three hours rain, and preserve us from the cold, pinch- 
 ing winds which were always very severe upon us. 
 
 Toward the latter part of December, our carpenter, a 
 fat man, and naturally of a dull, heavy, phlegmatic dis- 
 position, aged about forty-seven, who, from our first 
 coming on shore, had been constantly very ill, and lost
 
 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, OF LONDON. 215 
 
 the use of his feet, complained of excessive pain in his 
 back, and stiffness in his neck. He was likewise almost 
 choked with phlegm, for want of strength to discharge 
 it, and appeared to draw near his end. We prayed over 
 him, and used our utmost endeavors to be serviceable 
 to him in his last moments ; he showed himself sensible, 
 though speechless, and died that night. We suffered the 
 body to remain till morning, when I desired those who 
 were most able, to remove it; creeping out myself to see 
 whether Providence had sent us any thing to satisfy the 
 excessive cravings of our appetites. Returning before 
 noon, and not seeing the dead body without the tent, I 
 inquired why they had not removed it, and received for 
 answer, they were not all of them able ; upon which, 
 fastening a rope to the body, I gave the utmost of my 
 assistance, and with some difficulty we dragged it out 
 of the tent. But fatigue, and the consideration of our 
 misery, so overcame my spirits, that being ready to faint, 
 I crept into the tent, and was no sooner there, than, to 
 add to my trouble, the men began to request my permis- 
 sion to eat the dead body, the better to support their 
 lives. 
 
 This circumstance was, of all the trials I had encoun- 
 tered, the most grievous and shocking : to see myself 
 and company, who came hither laden with provisions 
 but three weeks before, now reduced to such a deplora- 
 ble situation ; two of us having been absolutely starved 
 to death, while, ignorant of the fate of two others, the 
 rest, though still living, were reduced to the last extre- 
 mity, and requiring to eat the dead for their support. 
 
 After mature consideration of the lawfulness or sin- 
 fulness, on the one hand, and absolute necessity on the 
 other, judgment and conscience were obliged to submit 
 to the more prevailing arguments of our craving appe- 
 tites. We, at length, determined to satisfy our hunger, 
 and support our feeble bodies with the carcass of our 
 deceased companion. I first ordered his skin, head, 
 hands, feet, and bowels, to be buried in the sea, and the 
 body to be quartered, for the convenience of drying and 
 carriage, but again received for answer, that none of
 
 216 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 them being able, they intreated I would perform that 
 labor for them. This was a hard task ; but their inces- 
 sant prayers and entreaties at last prevailed over my re- 
 luctance, and by night I had completed the operation. 
 
 I cut part of the flesh into thin slices, and washing it 
 in salt water, brought it to the tent and obliged the men 
 to eat rock-weed with it instead of bread. My mate 
 and two others refused to eat any that night, but the 
 next morning they complied, and earnestly desired to par- 
 take with the rest. 
 
 I found that they all eat with the utmost avidity, so 
 that I was obliged to carry the quarters farther from the 
 tent, out of their reach, lest they should injure them- 
 selves by eating too much, and likewise expend our 
 small stock too soon. 
 
 I also limited each man to an equal portion, that they 
 might not quarrel or have cause to reflect on me or one 
 another. This method I was the more obliged to adopt, 
 because, in a few days, I found their dispositions ^n^ 
 tirely changed, and that affectionate, peaceable temper 
 they had hitherto manifested, totally lost. Their eyes 
 looked wild and staring, their countenances fierce and 
 barbarous. Instead of obeying -my commands, as they 
 had universally and cheerfully done before, I now found 
 even prayers and entreaties vain and fruitless ; nothing 
 was now to be heard but brutal quarrels, with horrid 
 oaths and imprecations, instead of that quiet submissive 
 spirit of prayer and supplication they had before mani- 
 fested. 
 
 This, together with the dismal prospect of future want, 
 obliged me to keep a strict watch over the rest of the 
 body, lest any of them, if able, should get to it, and if 
 that were spent we should be compelled to feed upon 
 the living, which we certainly must have done, had we 
 remained in that situation a few days longer. 
 
 The goodness of God now began to appear, and to 
 make provision for our deliverance, by putting it into 
 the hearts of the good people on the shore, to which our 
 raft was driven, to come out in search of us, which they 
 did on the 2d of January, in the morning.
 
 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, OF LONDON. 217 
 
 Just as I was creeping out of the tent I saw a shallop 
 half way from the shore, standing directly toward us. 
 Our joy and satisfaction, at the prospect of such speedy 
 and unexpected deliverance, no tongue is able to express, 
 nor thought to conceive. 
 
 Our good and welcome friends came to an anchor to 
 the south-west, at the distance of about one hundred 
 yards, the swell preventing them from approaching 
 nearer ; but their anchor coming home obliged them to 
 stand off till about noon, waiting for smoother water 
 upon the flood. Meanwhile our passions were differently 
 agitated ; our expectations of deliverance, and fears of 
 miscarriage, harried our weak and disordered spirits 
 strangely. 
 
 I gave them an account of all our miseries, excepting 
 the want of provisions, which I did not mention, lest the 
 fear of being constrained by the weather to remain with 
 us, might have prevented them from coming on shore. 
 earnestly entreated them to attempt our immediate de- 
 liverance, or at least to furnish us if possible, with fire, 
 which, with the utmost hazard and difficulty they at 
 last accomplished, by sending a small canoe, with one 
 man, who, after great exertion, got on shore. 
 
 After helping him up with his canoe, and seeing no- 
 thing to eat, I asked him if he could give us fire : he 
 answered in the affirmative, but was so affrighted by my 
 thin and meagre appearance that, at first, he could 
 scarcely return me an answer. However, recollecting 
 himself, after several questions asked on both sides, he 
 went with me to the tent, where he was surprised to see 
 so many of us in such a deplorable condition. Our flesh 
 was so wasted, and our looks were so ghastly and fright- 
 ful, that it was really a very dismal spectacle. 
 
 With some difficulty we made a fire, after which, 
 determining to go on board myself with the man, and to 
 send for the rest, one or two at a time, we both got into 
 the canoe ; but the sea immediately drove us against the 
 rock with such violence that we were overset, and being 
 very weak, it was a considerable time before I could re- 
 cover myself, so that I had again a very narrow escape 
 19
 
 218 . REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 from drowning. The good man with great difficulty 
 got on board without me, designing to return the next 
 day with better conveniences, if the weather should 
 permit. 
 
 It was an afflicting sight to observe our friends in the 
 shallop, standing away for the shore without us. But 
 God, who orders every thing for the best, doubtless had 
 designs of preservation in denying us the appearance of 
 present deliverance : for the wind coming about to south- 
 east, it blew so hard that the shallop was lost, and the 
 crew with extreme difficulty, saved their lives. Had 
 we been with them it is more than probable that we 
 should all have perished, not" having strength sufficient 
 to help ourselves. 
 
 When they had reached the shore they immediately 
 sent an express to Portsmouth, in Piscataqua, where the 
 good people made no delay in hastening to our delive- 
 rance as soon as the weather would allow. To our 
 great sorrow, and as a farther trial of our patience, the 
 next day continued very stormy, and though we doubted 
 not but the people on shore knew our condition, and 
 would assist us as soon as possible, yet our flesh being 
 nearly consumed, being without fresh water, and uncer- 
 tain how long the unfavorable weather might continue, 
 our situation was extremely miserable. We, however, 
 received great benefit from our fire, as we could both 
 warm ourselves and broil our meat. 
 
 The next day, the men being very importunate for 
 flesh, I gave them rather more than usual, but not to 
 their satisfaction. They would certainly have eaten up 
 the whole at once, had I not carefully watched them, 
 with the intention of sharing the rest next morning, if 
 the weather continued bad. The wind, however, abated 
 that night, and early next morning a shallop came for 
 us, with my much esteemed friends captain Long and 
 captain Purver, and three other men. who brought a 
 large canoe, and in two hours got us all on board, being 
 obliged to carry almost all of us upon their backs from 
 the tent to the canoe, and fetch us off by two or three at 
 a time.
 
 LOSS OF THE DROITS DE L 5 HOMME. 219 
 
 When we first came on board the shallop, each of us 
 eat a piece of bread, and drank a dram of rum, and most 
 of us were extremely sea-sick : but after we had cleans- 
 ed our stomachs and tasted warm nourishing food, we 
 became so exceeding hungry and ravenous, that had not 
 our friends dieted us, and limited the quantity for two 
 or three days, we should certainly have destroyed our- 
 selves with eating. 
 
 Two days after our coming on shore, my apprentice 
 lost the greater part of one foot ; all the rest recovered 
 their limbs, but not their perfect use ; very few' except- 
 ing myself, escaping without losing the benefit of fingers 
 or toes, though otherwise all were in perfect health. 
 
 LOSS OF THE FRENCH SHIP DROITS DE 
 L'HOMME. 
 
 ON the, 5th of January, 1797, returning home on leave 
 of absence from the West Indies, in the Cumberland 
 letter of marque, for the recovery of my health, saw a 
 large man-of-war off the coast of Ireland, being then 
 within four leagues of the mouth of the river Shannon. 
 She hoisted English colors, and decoyed us within 
 gun-shot, when she substituted the tri-colored flag, and 
 took us. She proved to be les Droits de L'Homme, of 
 74 guns, commanded by the ci devant baron, now citi- 
 zen La Crosse,'and had separated from a fleet of men-of- 
 war, on board of which were twenty thousand troops, 
 intended to invade Ireland. On board of this ship was 
 General Humbert, who afterwards effected a descent in 
 Ireland (in 1799) with nine hundred troops and six hun- 
 dred seamen.* 
 
 On the 7th of January, went into Bantry Bay to see 
 if any of the squadron were still there, and on finding 
 none, the ship proceeded to the southward. Nothing 
 
 * Sir Edward Pellew has since told me that the official account from 
 France, on which he has received head money, amounted to one thousand seven 
 Hundred and fifty souls at the time of the shipwreck.
 
 220 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 extraordinary occurred until the evening of the 13th, 
 when two men-of-war hove in sight, which afterwards 
 proved to be the Indefatigable and Amazon frigates. It 
 is rather remarkable that the captain of the ship should 
 inform me, that the squadron which was going to engage 
 him was Sir Edward Pellew's, and declared, as was 
 afterwards proved by the issue, that " he would not yield 
 to any two English frigates, but would sooner sink his 
 ship with every soul on board." The ship was then 
 cleared for action, and we English prisoners, consisting 
 of three infantry officers, two captains of merchantmen, 
 two women, and forty-eight searnen and soldiers, were 
 conducted down to the cable tier at the foot of the fore- 
 mast. 
 
 The action began with opening the lower deck ports, 
 which, however, were soon shut again, on account of the 
 great sea, which occasioned the water to rush in to such 
 a degree that we felt it running on the cables. I must 
 here observe, that the ship was built on a new construc- 
 tion, considerably longer than men-of-war of her rate, 
 and her lower deck, on which she mounted thirty-two 
 pounders French, equal to forty pounders English, was 
 two feet and a half lower than usual. The situation of 
 the ship, before she struck on the rocks, has been fully 
 represented by Sir Edward Pellew, in his letter of the 
 17th of January, to Mr. Nepean: the awful task is left 
 for me to relate what ensued. 
 
 At about four in the morning, a dreadful convulsion, at 
 the foot of the foremast, roused us from a state of anxie- 
 ty for our fate to the idea that the ship was sinking ! 
 It was the fore-mast that fell over the side ; in about a 
 quarter of an hour an awful mandate from above was 
 re-echoed from all parts of the ship : Pauvres Anglais ! 
 pauvres Anglais ! Montez bien vite, nous sommes tons 
 perdus! " Poor Englishmen ! poor Englishmen! come 
 on deck as fast as you can, we are all lost !" Every one 
 rather flew than climbed. Though scarcely able to 
 move before, from sickness, yet I now felt an energetic 
 strength in all my frame, and soon gained the upper 
 deck, but what a sight ! dead, and wounded, and living,
 
 LOSS Of THE DROITS DE L'HOMME. 221 
 
 intermingled in a state terrible beyond description : not a 
 mast standing, a dreadful loom of the land, and breakers 
 all around us. The Indefatigable, on the starboard quar- 
 ter, appeared standing off, in a most tremendous sea, 
 from the Penmark Rocks, which threatened her with in- 
 stant destruction. To the great humanity of her com- 
 mander, those few persons who survived the shipwreck, 
 are indebted for their lives, for had another broadside 
 been fired, the commanding situation of the Indefatiga- 
 ble must have swept off, at least, a thousand men. 
 On the starboard side was seen the Amazon, within 
 two miles, just struck on shore. Our own fate drew 
 near. The ship struck and immediately sunk ! Shrieks 
 of horror and dismay were heard from all quarters, 
 while the merciless waves tore from the wreck many 
 early victims. Day-light appeared, and we beheld the 
 shore lined with people, who could render us no assist- 
 ance. At low water, rafts were constructed, arid the 
 boats were got in readiness to be hoisted out. The dusk 
 arrived, and an awful night ensued. The dawn of the 
 day brought with it still severer miseries than the first, 
 for the wants of nature could scarcely be endured any 
 longer, having been already near thirty hours without 
 any means of subsistence, and no possibility of procuring 
 them. At low water a small boat was hoisted out, and 
 an English captain and eight sailors succeeded in getting 
 to the shore. Elated at the success of these men, all 
 thought their deliverance at hand, and many launched 
 out on their rafts, but, alas ! death soon ended their 
 hopes. 
 
 Another night renewed our afflictions. The morning 
 of the third, fraught with still greater evils, appeared ; 
 our continual sufferings made us exert the last effort, 
 and we, English prisoners, tried every means to save 
 as many of our fellow-creatures as lay in our power. 
 Larger rafts were constructed, and the largest boat was 
 got over the side. The first consideration was to lay 
 the surviving wounded, the women, and helpless men, 
 in the boat, but the idea of equality so fatally promulga- 
 ted among the French, destroyed all subordination. 
 19*
 
 222 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 and nearly one hundred and twenty having jumped into 
 the boat, in defiance of their officers, they sank her. 
 The most dreadful sea that I ever saw, seemed at that 
 fatal moment to aggravate the calamity ; nothing of the 
 boat was seen for a quarter of an hour, when the bodies 
 floated in all directions ; then appeared, in all their hor- 
 rors, the wreck, the shores, the dying and the drowned ! 
 Indefatigable in acts of humanity, an adjutant-general, 
 Renier, launched himself into the sea, to obtain succor 
 from the shore, and perished in the attempt.. 
 
 Nearly one half of the people had already perished, 
 when the horrors of the fourth night renewed all our 
 miseries. Weak, distracted, and destitute of every thing, 
 we envied the fate of those whose lifeless corpses no 
 longer wanted sustenance. The sense of hunger was 
 already lost, but a parching thirst consumed our vitals. 
 Recourse was had to urine and salt water, which only 
 increased our want ; half a hogshead of vinegar indeed 
 floated up, of which each had half a wine glass : it af- 
 forded a momentary relief, yet soon left us again in the 
 same state of dreadful thirst. Almost at the last gasp, 
 every one was dying with misery, and the ship, now 
 one third shattered away from the stern, scarcely afford- 
 ed a grasp to hold by, to the exhausted and helpless sur- 
 vivors. 
 
 The fourth day brought with it a more serene sky, and 
 the sea seemed to subside, but to behold, from fore to 
 aft, the dying in all directions, was a sight too shocking 
 for the feeling mind to endure. Almost lost to a sense 
 of humanity, we no longer looked with pity on those 
 whom we considered only as the forerunners of our own 
 speedy fate, and a consultation took place, to sacrifice 
 some one to be food for the remainder. The die was 
 going to be cast, when the welcome sight of a man-of- 
 war brig renewed our hopes. A cutter speedily followed, 
 and both anchored at a short distance from the wreck. 
 They then sent their boats to us, and by means of large 
 rafts, about one hundred, out of four hundred, who at- 
 tempted it, were saved by the brig that evening. Three 
 hundred and eighty were left to endure another night's
 
 LOSS OP THE EARL OF ABERGAVENNY. 223 
 
 misery, when; dreadful to relate, above one half were 
 found dead the next morning ! 
 
 I was saved about ten o'clock, on the morning of the 
 18th, with my two brother officers, the Captain of the 
 ship, and General Humbert. They treated us with great 
 humanity on board the cutter, giving us a little weak 
 brandy and water every five or six minutes, and after 
 that, a basin of good soup. I fell on the locker in a 
 kind of trance for nearly thirty hours, and swelled to such 
 a degree as to require medical aid to restore my decayed 
 faculties. Having lost all our baggage, we were taken to 
 Brest almost uaked, where they gave us a rough shift of 
 clothes, and x in consequence of our sufferings, and the 
 help we afforded in saving many lives, a cartel was fitted 
 out by order of the French government to send us home, 
 without ransom or exchange. We arrived at Plymouth 
 on the 7th of March following. 
 
 To that Providence, whose great workings I have 
 experienced in this most awful trial of human afflictions, 
 be ever offered the tribute of my praise and thanksgiving. 
 
 LOSS OF THE EARL OF ABERGAVENNY 
 EAST INDIAMAN. 
 
 THE universal concern occasioned by the loss of the 
 Earl of Abergavenny, has induced us to-. lay before our 
 readers an accurate statement of this melancholy disas- 
 ter, chiefly collected from the accounts which were given 
 at the India-House, by Cornet Burgoyne, of his majesty's 
 eighth regiment of light dragoons, who had the com- 
 mand of the troops on board the above vessel, and by 
 the fourth officer of the ship, (who were among the few 
 who fortunately escaped from the wreck,) and from the 
 best information afterwards received. 
 
 On Friday, February the 1st, the Earl of Abergaven- 
 ny, East-Indiaman, captain Wadsworth, sailed from 
 Portsmouth, in company wkh the royal George, Henry 
 Addington, Wexford, and Bombay Castle, under convoy 
 of his majesty's ship Weymouth, captain Draper.
 
 224 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 The Earl of Abergavenny was engaged in the compa- 
 ny's service for six voyages, and this was the fourth on 
 which she was proceeding. 
 Her company consisted of 
 
 Seamen, &c 160 
 
 Troops, King's and Company's .... 159 
 Passengers at the Captain's table ... 40 
 
 Ditto, at the Third Mate's 11 
 
 Chinese 32 
 
 Total 402 
 
 In going through the Needles, they unfortunately 
 separated from the convoy. The fleet, in consequence, 
 lay to nearly the whole of the next day : but seeing no- 
 thing of the Weymouth, proceeded under moderate sail 
 towards the next port, in hopes of being joined by the 
 convoy. On the 5th, the convoy not appearing, it was 
 deemed expedient to wait her arrival in Portland Roads, 
 particularly as the wind had become rather unfavorable, 
 having shifted several points from the N. E. Captain 
 Clarke of the Wexford, being senior-commander, and 
 consequently commodore, made the signal for those ships 
 that had taken Pilots on board, to run into the Roads. 
 
 The Earl of Abergavenny having at about half past 
 three, P. M. got a pilot on board, bore up for Portland 
 Roads with a steady wind, when on a sudden the wind 
 slackened, and the tide setting in fast, drove her rapidly 
 on the Shambles. The nearer she approached, the less 
 she was under management; and being at last totally 
 ungovernable, was driven furiously on the rocks, off the 
 Bill of Portland, about two miles from the shore. She 
 remained on the rocks nearly an hour, beating in- 
 cessantly with great violence, the shocks being so great, 
 that the officers and men could scarcely keep their foot- 
 ing on the deck. At four P. M. the shocks became less 
 violent, and in about a quarter of an hour she cleared 
 the rocks. The sails were immediately set, with an in- 
 tention to run for the first port, as the ship made much 
 water ; but the leak increased so fast that the ship 
 would not obey the helm. In this situation, it was con-
 
 LOSS OF THE EARL OF ABERGAV^ENNY. 225 
 
 sidered necessary to fire signal guns of distress. Twenty 
 were fired : the danger did not, however, appear to those 
 on board sufficient to render it necessary for the ship's 
 boats to be hoisted out at this moment, as the weather 
 was moderate, and the ship in sight of the fleet and 
 shore. 
 
 The leak increased fast upon the pumps at five, P. M. 
 Soon after striking, the hand pumps started above six 
 inches, and shortly after the water increased from six 
 to eight feet in spite of every exertion at the pumps. All 
 endeavors to keep the water under were found in vain, 
 and night setting in rendered the situation of all on 
 board melancholy in the extreme; the more so, as it 
 was then ascertained that the ship had received consi- 
 derable damage in her bottom, immediately under the 
 pumps. All hands took their turn at the pumps, alter- 
 nately bailing at the fore-hatchway. At eight o'clock 
 their situation became still more dreadful, when it was 
 found impossible to save the ship, which was eventually 
 sinking fast, and settling into the water. Signal guns 
 were again discharged incessantly. The purser, with 
 the third officer, Mr. Wadsworth, and six seamen, were 
 sent on shore, in one of the ship's boats, to give notice 
 to the inhabitants of the distressed state of the ship and 
 crew. At this time a pilot boat came off, and Mr. Evan's 
 with his daughter, Mr. Routledge, Mr. Taylor, a cadet, 
 and Miss Jackson, passengers, embarked for the shore, 
 notwithstanding a dreadful sea, which threatened them 
 with almost instant destruction. 
 
 For a few moments the general attention of the crew 
 was diverted in observing the boats leave the ship ; but 
 these unfortunate people were soon reminded of their 
 own approaching fate, by a heavy swell, which baffled 
 almost every attempt to keep the ship above water. 
 Every one seemed assured of his fate, and notwithstand- 
 ing the unremitting attention of the officers, confusion 
 commenced on board, a.s soon as it was given out that 
 the ship was sinking. At ten, P. M. several sailors in- 
 treated to be allowed more liquor, which being refused, 
 they attacked the spirit-room, but were repulsed by the
 
 226 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 officers, who never once lost sight of their character, or 
 that dignity so necessary to be preserved on such an oc- 
 casion, but continued -to conduct themselves with the 
 utmost fortitude to the last. One of the officers, who 
 was stationed at the door of the spirit-room, with a brace 
 of pistols to guard against surprise in so critical a mo- 
 * ment, at which post he remained even while the ship 
 was sinking, was much importuned by a sailor, while 
 the water poured in on all sides, to grant him some 
 liquor. The man said he was convinced "it would be 
 all one with them in an hour hence." The officer, 
 however, true to his trust in this perilous moment, had 
 courage enough to repulse the man, and bid him go to 
 his duty with his fellow-comrades, observing, " that if it 
 was God's will they should perish, they should die like 
 men." 
 
 At half past ten the water had got. above the orlop- 
 deck, in spite of the endeavors of the officers and crew 
 who behaved in the most cool and exemplary manner. 
 All on board were now anxiously looking out for boats 
 from the shore, many wishing they had taken refuge in 
 those that had already left the ship, as their destruction 
 on board appeared inevitable. The utmost exertions 
 became necessary to keep the ship above water till the 
 boats came oif from the shore. Unfortunately in the 
 general distress and agony of the moment, the ship's 
 boats were not hoisted out, when every soul on board 
 might possibly have been saved. At eleven o'clock, a 
 fatal swell gave the ship a sudden shocR : she gave a 
 surge, and sank almost instantaneously, two miles from 
 Weymouth beach ; with scarcely five minutes warning, 
 she went down by the head in twelve fathom water, 
 after a heavy heel, when she righted and sank with her 
 masts and rigging standing. Many clung to loose spars, 
 and floated about the wreck, but the majority took refuge 
 in the shrouds. The severe shock of the ship going 
 down, made several let go their hold, whilst others, by 
 the velocity of the ship's descent, had not power to climb 
 sufficiently fast to keep above the water. The Halse- 
 well East Indiaman was wrecked within a few miles 
 from this spot.
 
 LOSS OF THE EARL OF ABERGAVENNY. 227 
 
 When the hull of the ship touched the ground, about, 
 one hundred and eighty persons were supposed to be in 
 the tops and rigging : their situation was terrible beyond 
 description : the yards only were above water, and the 
 sea was breaking over them, in the dead of a cold and 
 frosty night. In about half an hour their spirits were 
 revived, by the sound of several boats beating against 
 the waves at a short distance : but, alas ! how vain their 
 hopes, when on hailing the boats, not one of them came 
 to their assistance. The sound of them died away, and 
 they were again left to the mercy of the rude waves. 
 By twelve o'clock their numbers had much decreased : 
 the swell had swept off some, whilst others were, from 
 the piercing cold, unable longer to retain their hold. 
 Every moment they perceived some friend floating 
 around them, for awhile, then sinking into the abyss to 
 rise no more. 
 
 About this time a sloop was discovered ; she had for- 
 tunately heard the signal guns, and came to an anchor 
 close by the ship. The weather was moderate, and 
 those who had survived were now promised a speedy 
 delivery. The sloop's boat was immediately manned, 
 and proceeded to the rigging that remained above water, 
 when every person was taken off. The boat returned 
 three times, taking twenty each return. Nothing could 
 be more correct than the conduct of the crew on this oc- 
 casion : they coolly got into the boat, one by one and 
 those only as they were named by their officers. When 
 it was supposed that every one was brought off, and the 
 boat was about to depart for the last time, a person was 
 observed -in one of the tops : he was hailed but did 
 not answer. Mr. Gilpin, the fourth officer, (whose ex- 
 traordinary exertions on this occasion, as well as through- 
 out the whole of this unfortunate affair, entitled him to 
 the highest commendation,) returned to the wreck, and 
 there found a man in an inanimate state, exhausted 
 from the severe cold. He most humanely brought him 
 down on his back, and took him to the boat ; the man 
 proved to be sergeant Heart of the 22d regiment. Every 
 possible care was taken of him, but to no effect : he died
 
 228 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 about twelve hours after he had landed. The sloop 
 having now, as was supposed, taken on board all the 
 survivors of the ship, returned to Weymouth. She had 
 not however, proceeded far, before it was perceived that 
 Mr. Baggot, the chief officer, was close astern. The 
 sloop immediately lay to for him ; but this noble spirited 
 young man, although certain of securing his own life, 
 disregarded his own safety, on perceiving Mrs. Blair, an 
 unfortunate fellow passenger, floating at some distance 
 from him. He succeeded in coming up with her, and 
 sustained her above water, while he swam towards the 
 sloop ; but just as he was on the point of reaching it, a 
 swell came on, and his strength being totally exhausted, 
 he sank and never rose again. The unfortunate Mrs. 
 Blair sank after him, and this generous youth thus pe- 
 rished in vain. It was nearly two o'clock, before the 
 sloop weighed anchor from the wreck, but the wind be- 
 ing favorable she soon reached the port. On mustering 
 those who had landed, it appeared that only one hundred 
 and fifty-five persons had reached the shore out of four 
 hundred and two who had embarked ! 
 
 The greatest attention was paid to the unfortunate 
 sufferers by the mayor and aldermen as well as the 
 principal inhabitants of Weymouth ; and the purser was 
 immediately dispatched to the India House with the me- 
 lancholy intelligence. t 
 
 At daylight, February the 6th, the top-masts of the 
 ship were seen from Weymouth. During the time the 
 passengers and crew remained in the tops she appeared 
 to have sunk eight feet, and was considerably lower in 
 the morning ; it was therefore conjectured, that she had 
 sunk on a mud-bank. The Greyhound cutter was im- 
 mediately stationed to guard the wreck, and the boats 
 from the Rover succeeded in stripping the masts of the 
 rigging. On the 7th her decks had not been blown up, 
 and she appeared to remain in exactly the same state in 
 which she had sunk. Her sinking so steadily is attri- 
 buted to the great weight of her cargo, her floorings con- 
 sisting chiefly of earthern ware. The cargo of the ship 
 was estimated at two hundred thousand pounds, besides
 
 LOSS OF THE EARL OF ABERGAVENNY. 229 
 
 which she had on board dollars to the amount of two hun- 
 dred and seventy-five thousand ounces, and is supposed 
 to have been one of the richest ships that ever sailed for 
 India. She was of the largest tonnage, and inferior only 
 to the Ganges in the service, being at least fifteen hun- 
 dred tons burthen, and built for the China trade. 
 
 About eighty officers and seamen were saved, eleven 
 passengers, fifteen Chinese, five out of thirty-two cadets 
 and forty-five recruits. The captain was drowned. He 
 was nephew to captain Wads worth, who formerly com- 
 manded the Earl of Abergavenny, and was considered 
 one of the first navigators in the service. He was on 
 his third voyage as captain, and, painful to relate, pe- 
 rished with his ship, disdaining to survive the loss of so 
 valuable a charge : his conduct throughout the distress- 
 ing scene, has been spoken of in terms of the highest 
 praise. It is an extraordinary fact that he felt such an 
 unaccountable depression of spirits, that he could not be 
 persuaded to go through the usual ceremony of taking 
 leave of the court of directors on the day appointed ; and 
 it was not till the Wednesday following, which was spe- 
 cially fixed for that purpose, that he yielded to the wishes 
 of his friends, and reluctantly attended the court ! He 
 was a man of remarkably mild . manners ; his conduct 
 was, in every instance, so well tempered, that he was 
 known among his shipmates, by the title of " the Phi- 
 losopher." As soon as the ship was going down, Mr. 
 Baggot, the chief officer, went on the quarter deck, and 
 told him, "that all exertions were now in vain; the 
 ship was rapidly sinking." Captain Wadsworth, who, 
 no doubt, expected it, steadfastly looked him in the 
 face, and, at last, with every appearance of a heart-bro- 
 ken man, faintly answered: "Let her go ! God's will be 
 done." These were the last words he uttered; from that 
 instant he was motionless. In a few moments the ship 
 sank, and many who were climbing the shrouds endea- 
 vored to save him, but without success. In this endea- 
 vor Mr. Gilpin was foremost, and made several unsuc- 
 cessful attempts, at the evident risk of his own life. 
 20
 
 LOSS OF THE CATHARINE, VENUS AND 
 
 PIEDMONT TRANSPORTS; AND THREE 
 
 MERCHANT SHIPS. 
 
 The miseries of war are in themselves great and ter- 
 rible, but the consequences which arise indirectly from it, 
 though seldom known and little adverted to, are no less 
 deplorable. The destruction of the sword sometimes 
 bears only an inconsiderable proportion to the havoc of 
 disease, and, in the pestilential climates of the western 
 colonies, entire regiments, reared in succession, have as 
 often fallen victims to their baneful influence. 
 
 To .prosecute the war with alacrity, it had been judged 
 expedient to transport a strong body of troops on foreign 
 service, but their departure was delayed by repeated ad- 
 versities, and at length the catastrophe which is about to 
 be related ensued. 
 
 On the 15th of November, 1795, the fleet, under con- 
 voy of Admiral Christian's squadron, sailed from St. 
 Helen's. A more beautiful sight than it exhibited can- 
 not be conceived ; and those who had nothing to lament 
 in leaving their native country, enjoyed the spectacle 
 as the most magnificent produced by the art of man, and 
 as that which the natives of this island contemplate with 
 mingled pride and pleasure. 
 
 Next day, the wind continued favorable, carried the 
 fleet down the channel ; and as the Catharine transport 
 came within sight of the isle of Perbeck, Lieutenant 
 Jenner, an officer on board, pointed out to another per- 
 son, the rocks where the Halsewell and so many unfor- 
 tunate individuals had perished. He and Cornet Burns, 
 had been unable to reach Southampton until the Catha- 
 rine had sailed therefore they hired a boy to overtake 
 her; and on embarking at St. Helen's, the former ex-
 
 LOSS OF THREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 231 
 
 pressed his satisfaction, in a letter to his mother, that he 
 had been so fortunate as to do so. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 17th, the fleet was off Portland, stand- 
 ing to the westward ; but the wind shifting and blowing 
 a strong gale at south-south-west, the admiral, dubious 
 whether they could clear the channel, made a signal for 
 putting into Torbay, which some of the transports were 
 then in sight of. However, they could not make the 
 bay; the gale increased, and a thick fog came on; there- 
 fore the admiral thought it expedient to alter his design, 
 and about five in the afternoon made a signal for stand- 
 ing out to sea. Of the circumstances 'relative to the 
 Catharine, a more detailed account has been preserved 
 than respecting the other vessels of the fleet ; and they 
 are preserved by a female, with whose name we are un- 
 acquainted, in these words. 
 
 " The evening of the 17th was boisterous and threat- 
 ening; the master said he was apprehensive that we 
 should have bad weather ; and when I was desired to 
 go on deck and look at the appearance of the sky, I ob- 
 served that it was troubled and red, with great heavy 
 clouds flying in all directions, r%id with a sort of dull 
 mist surrounding the moon. On repeating this to the 
 other passengers, two of whom had been at sea before, 
 they said we should certainly have a stormy night, and 
 indeed it proved so very tempestuous, that no rest was 
 to be obtained. Nobody, however, seemed to think that 
 there was any danger, though the fog was so thick that 
 the master could see nothing by which to direct his 
 course ; but he thought that he had sufficient sea-room. 
 'The fatigue I had suffered from the tossing of the 
 ship, and the violence with which she continued to roll, 
 had kept me in bed. It was about ten o'clock in the morn- 
 ing of the 18th, when the mate looked down into the 
 cabin and cried, ' save yourselves if you can.' 
 
 'The consternation and terror of that moment cannot 
 be described ; I had on a loose dressing gown, and wrap- 
 ping it round me I went up, not quite on deck, but to the 
 top of the stairs, from whence I saw the sea break moun- 
 tain high against the shore. The passengers and soldiers
 
 232 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 seemed thunder-struck by the sense of immediate and 
 inevitable danger, and the seamen, too conscious of the 
 hopelessness of any exertion, stood in speechless agony, 
 certain of meeting in a few moments that destruction 
 which now menaced them. 
 
 'While I thus surveyed the scene around me in a kind 
 of dread which no words can figure, Mr. Bums, an offi- 
 cer of dragoons, who had come up in his shirt, called to 
 Mr. Jenner and Mr. Stains for his cloak ; nobody, how- 
 ever, could attend to any thing in such a moment but 
 self preservation. 
 
 'Mr. Jenner, Mr. Stains and Mr. Dodd the surgeon, now 
 passed me, their countenances sufficiently expressing 
 their sense of the situation in which we all were. Mr. 
 Burns spoke cheerfully to me ; he bade me take good 
 courage, and Mr. Jenner observed, there was a good 
 shore near, and all would do well. 
 
 'These gentlemen then went to the side of the ship, 
 with the intention, I believe, of seeing whether it was 
 possible to get on shore. The master of the vessel alone 
 remained near the companion ; when suddenly a tre- 
 mendous wave broke over the ship, and struck me with 
 such violence, that I was stunned for a moment, and, 
 before being able to recover myself, the ship struck with 
 a force so great as to throw me from the stairs into the 
 cabin, the master being thrown down near me. At the 
 same instant, the cabin, with a dreadful crash, broke 
 in upon us, and planks and beams threatened to bury us 
 in ruins. The master, however, soon recovered himself, 
 he left me to go again upon deck, and I saw him no more. 
 A sense of my condition lent me strength to disengage 
 myself from the boards and fragments by which I was 
 surrounded, and I once more got upon the stairs. I hardly 
 know hew. But what a scene did I behold ! The masts 
 were all lying across the shattered remains of the deck, 
 and no living creature appeared on it; all was gone, 
 though I knew not then that they were gone forever. I 
 looked forward to the shore, but there I could see nothing 
 except the dreadful surf that broke against it, while be- 
 hind the ship, immense black waves rose like tremendous
 
 LOSS OF THREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 233 
 
 ruins. I knew that they must overwhelm her, and 
 thought that there could he no escape for me. 
 
 Believing, then, that death was immediate and una- 
 voidable, my idea was to regain my bed in the cabin, 
 and- there, resigning myself to the will of God, await 
 the approaching moment. However, I could not reach 
 it, and for awhile was insensible ; then the violent strik- 
 ing and breaking up of the wreck again roused me to re- 
 collection ; I found myself near the cabin windows, and 
 the water was rising around me. It rapidly increased, 
 and the horrors of drowning we're present to my view ; 
 yet do I remember seeing the furniture of the cabin float 
 about. I sat almost enclosed by pieces of the wreck, and 
 the water now reached my breast. 
 
 The bruises' I had received made every exertion ex- 
 tremely difficult, and my loose gown was so entangled 
 among the beams and fragments of the ship, that I could 
 not disengage it. Still the desire of life, the hope of be- 
 ing welcomed on shore, whither I thought my friends 
 had escaped, and the remembrance of my child, all united 
 in inspiring me with courage to attempt saving myself. 
 I again tried to loosen my gown, but found it impossible, 
 and the wreck continued to strike so violently, and the 
 ruins to close so much more around me, that I now ex- 
 pected to be crushed to death. As the ship drifted higher 
 on the stones, the water rather lessened as the waves went 
 hack, but on their return, continued to cover me, and I 
 once or twice lost my breath, and for a moment, my re- 
 collection. When I had power to think, the principle of 
 self preservation still urged me to exertion. 
 
 The cabin now broke more and more, and through a 
 large breach I saw the shore very near. Amidst the tu- 
 mult of the raging waves I had a glimpse of the people, 
 who were gathering up what the sea drove towards them ; 
 but I thought they could not see me, and from them I 
 despaired of assistance. Therefore I determined to make 
 one effort to preserve my life. I disengaged my arms 
 from the dressing gown, and, finding myself able to move, 
 I quitted the wreck, and felt myself on the ground. I 
 attempted to run, but was too feeble to save myself from 
 20*
 
 234 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 a raging wave, which overtook and overwhelmed me. 
 Then I believed myself gone ; yet, half suffocated as I 
 was, I struggled very much, and I remember that I 
 thought I was very long dying. The waves left me ; I 
 breathed again, and made another attempt to get higher 
 upon the bank, but, quite exhausted, I fell down and my 
 senses forsook me. 
 
 By this time I was observed by some of the people on the 
 bank, and two men came to my assistance. They lifted 
 me up ; I once more recovered some faint recollection ; 
 and, as they bore me along, I was sensible that one of 
 them said the sea would overtake us ; that he must let 
 me go and take care of his own. life. I only remember 
 clinging to the other and imploring him not to abandon 
 me to the merciless waves. But Thave a very confused 
 idea of what passed, till I saw the boat, into which I was 
 to be put to cross the Fleet water; I had then just 
 strength to say, for God's sake do not take me to sea again. 
 
 I believe the apprehension of it, added to uiy other suf- 
 ferings, tended to deprive me of all further sensibility, for 
 I have not the least recollection of any thing afterwards 
 until roused by the remedies applied to restore me in a 
 farmhouse whither I was carried. There I heard a num- 
 ber of women around me, who asked a great number of 
 questions Avhich I was unable to answer. I remember 
 hearing one say I was a French woman; another say 
 that I was a negro, and indeed I was so bruised, and in 
 such a disfigured condition, that the conjectures of these 
 people are not surprising. 
 
 'When recovering some degree of confused recollection, 
 and able to speak, 1 begged that they would allow me to 
 go to bed. This, however. I did not ask with any ex- 
 pectation of life, for I was now in such a state of suffer- 
 ing, that my only wish was to be allowed to lie down 
 and die in peace. 
 
 'Nothing could exceed the humanity of Mr. Abbot, the 
 inhabitant of Fleet- farm-house, nor the compassionate 
 attention of his sister, Miss Abbot, who not only afforded 
 me immediate assistance, but continued for some days 
 to attend me with such kindness and humanity, that I
 
 LOSS OP THREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 23 
 
 shall always remember it with the sincerest gratitude." 
 The unfortunate sufferer who gives the preceding ac- 
 count, was tended with great humanity by Mr. Bryer, 
 while a wound in her foot, and the dangerous bruises she 
 had received, prevented her from quitting the shelter she 
 first found under the roof of Mr. Abbot, at Fleet. As 
 soon as she was in a condition to be removed to Wey- 
 mouth. Mr. Bryer, a surgeon there, received her into his 
 own house, where Mrs. Bryer assisted in administering 
 to her recovery such benevolent offices of consolation as 
 . her deplorable situation admitted. Meantime the gentle- 
 men of the south battalion of the Gloucester Militia, who 
 had done every thing possible towards the preservation 
 of those who were the victims of the tempest, now liber- 
 ally contributed to alleviate the pecuniary distresses of 
 the survivors. None seemed to have so forcible a claim 
 on their pity as this forlorn and helpless stranger ; and 
 she alone, of forty souls, except a single ship-boy, sur- 
 vived the wreck of the Catharine. There perished, 
 twelve seamen, two soldiers' wives, twenty-two dragoons 
 and four officers, Lieutenant Stains, Mr. Dodd of the 
 hospital-staff, Lieutenant Jenner, the representative of an 
 ancient and respectable family in Gloucestershire, aged 
 thirty-one, and Cornet Burns, the son of an American 
 loyalist of considerable property who was deprived of 
 every thing for his adherence to the British government. 
 Having no dependence but on the promises of govern- 
 ment to indemnify those who had suffered on that account 
 he, after years of distress and difficulty, obtained a cor- 
 netcy in the 26th regiment of dragoons, then going to the 
 West Indies, and was thus lost in his twenty-fourth year. 
 This officer had intended embarking in another trans- 
 port, and actually sent his horse on board, when finding 
 the Catharine more commodious, he gave her the prefer- 
 ence, while the other put back to Spithead in safety. 
 The mangled remains of Lieutenant Jenner were two 
 days afterwards found on the beach and interred with 
 military honors. 
 
 But the Catharine was not the only vessel which suf- 
 fered in the tempest. Those, who on shore had listened 
 to it raging on the preceding evening, could not avoid
 
 236 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 feeling the most lively alarm for the consequences ; 
 and early in the morning on the 18th of November, seve- 
 ral pilots and other persons assembled on the promontory 
 called the Look-out at Weymouth. Thence they too 
 evidently discovered the distress and danger of many of 
 the transports. 
 
 Soon after, a lieutenant of the navy, residing at Wey- 
 mouth, applied to the major of a militia regiment, for a 
 guard to be sent to the Chisell Bank, as a large ship, 
 supposed to be a frigate, was on shore. This was im- 
 mediately granted, and the major himself marched along 
 with a captain's guard. 
 
 The violence of the wind was so great, that the party 
 could with difficulty reach the place of their destination. 
 Th^re they found a large merchantman, the J^olus, la- 
 den with timber for government, on shore. Lieutenant 
 Mason of the navy, and his brother, a midshipman, pe- 
 rished in her, and a number of men who would probably 
 have been saved had they understood the signals from 
 shore. The men of Portland, who crowded down to the 
 scene of desolation, meant to express, by throwing small 
 pebbles at them, that they should remain on board, (to 
 make them hear was impossible,) because they foresaw 
 the ship would dl^e high on the bank. Should that be 
 the case, they rni^t soon leave her without hazard ; and 
 accordingly those who continued on board were saved, 
 though many of them were dreadfully bruised. 
 
 Not far from the same place, the Golden Grove, ano- 
 ther merchantman, was stranded, and in her Dr. Stevens 
 and Mr. Burrows of St. Kits, were lost. 
 
 Lieutenant colonel Ross, who was also there, escaped 
 on shore. These two vessels had struck against a part 
 of the Passage-house, almost on the same spot where a 
 French frigate, the Zenobia, had gone to pieces in 1763. 
 
 But the scene of distress was infinitely greater about 
 four miles to the westward, where, as already related, 
 the Catharine was wrecked. Along with her, nearly op- 
 posite to the villages of Fleet and Chickerell, the Pied- 
 mont and Venus, two transports, and soon after, the 
 Thomas, a merchantman, shared the same fate.
 
 LOSS OF THREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 237 
 
 One hundred and thirty-eight soldiers of the 63d regi- 
 ttient, under the command of captain Barcroft, were on 
 board the Piedmont ; also lieutenant Ash, and Mr. Kelly, 
 surgeon of the same regiment. Of all these, only ser- 
 geant Richardson, eleven privates, and four seamen, 
 survived the catastrophe ; all the rest perished. 
 
 Captain Barcroft's life had been passed in the service. 
 While yet a very young man, he served in America dur- 
 ing the war between England and her colonies ; and be- 
 ing then taken prisoner, was severely treated. On com- 
 mencement of the war which has so many years deso- 
 lated Europe, he raised a company in his native country, 
 and served with it on the Continent during the campaign 
 of 1794. Under a heavy fire of the enemy, he was one 
 of the last men who retreated with it along a single 
 plank, knee-deep in water, from the seige of Nimeguen. 
 In a few months after the disastrous retreat on the Con- 
 tinent, in the winter 1794, he was ordered to the West 
 Indies, and, in the .outset of his voyage, perished in the 
 tempest. 
 
 Of the few who reached the shore from the Piedmont, 
 there was scarce one who was not dreadfully bruised, 
 and some had their limbs broken. An unfortunate vete- 
 ran of the 63d, though his leg was shockingly fractured, 
 had sufficient resolution to creep for shelter under a fish- 
 ing boat which lay inverted on the further side of the 
 bank. There his groans were unheard until a young 
 gentleman, Mr. Smith, a passenger in the Thomas, 
 who had himself been wrecked, and was now wan- 
 dering along the shore, discovered him. In this ship, 
 the Thomas, bound to Oporto, the master, Mr. Brown, 
 his son, and all the crew, except the mate, three seamen, 
 and Mr. Smith, were lost. The last was on his way to 
 Lisbon ; but his preservation was chiefly in consequence 
 of his remaining on board after all the, rest had left the 
 ship, or were washed away by the waves. She had 
 then drifted high on the bank, when he leaped out of 
 her and reached the ground. 
 
 Though weak and encumbered by rns wet clothes, he 
 gained the opposite side of the bank, but on gazing on
 
 238 
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the dreary beach around him, he considered himself cast 
 away on an uninhabited coast. At length he observed 
 a fishing boat, and approaching it, heard the groans of 
 the unfortunate old soldier, whom he attempted to re- 
 lieve. But alone he found himself unable to fulfil his 
 intention, and it was a considerable time before he ob- 
 served any means of assistance near. At last, perceiv- 
 ing a man at some distance, he hastened to him, eagerly 
 inquiring whether a surgeon could be procured for a 
 poor creature with a broken limb, who lay under the 
 boat. Probably the man showed little alacrity, for Mr. 
 Smith .found it necessary to purchase his good offices by 
 a gift of half a guinea, which he imagined would induce 
 him to seek what was so much required. But the man 
 pocketing the half-guinea with the greatest composure, 
 said he was a king's officer, and must see what bales of 
 goods were driven on shore; then telling Mr. Smith 
 there was a ferry about four miles off, by which he 
 might get to Weymouth. The youth was thus disap- 
 pointed of his humane design, and the soldier died in 
 that deplorable condition before any other aid attained 
 him. 
 
 In the Thomas, the vessel to which Mr. Smith belong- 
 ed, he witnessed scenes not less distressing. Mr. Brown 
 the master of the vessel, was carried away by an im- 
 mense wave just as he was stripping off his clothes to 
 endeavor to save himself. His son exclaiming, "Oh 
 my father ! my poor father!" instantly followed. The 
 bodies of both were afterwards found and interred at 
 Wyke. 
 
 Of ninety-six persons on board the Venus, only Mr. 
 John Barley of the hospital staff, sergeant-major Hearne, 
 twelve soldiers, four seamen and a boy were saved. Mr. 
 Darley escaped by throwing himself from the wreck at a 
 moment when it drifted high on the stones ; he reached 
 them without broken limbs, but, overtaken by the furious 
 sea, he was carried back, not so far, however, that he 
 was incapable of regaining the ground. Notwithstand- 
 ing the weight of his clothes and his exhausted state, he 
 got to the top of the bank, but there the power of farther
 
 LOSS OF THREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 239 
 
 exertion failed, and he fell. While lying in this situa- 
 tion, trying to recover breath and strength, a great many 
 people from the neighboring villages passed him ; they 
 had crossed the Fleet-water in the hopes of sharing the 
 plunder of the vessels which the lower inhabitants of 
 the coast are too much accustomed to consider their 
 right. 
 
 Mr. Darley seems to have been so far from meeting 
 with assistance from those who were plundering the 
 dead, without thinking of the living, that although he 
 saw many boats passing and repassing the Fleet-water, 
 he found great difficulty in procuring a passage for him- 
 self and two or three fellow-sufferers who had now joined 
 him. But having passed it he soon met with Mr. Bryer, 
 to whose active humanity all the sufferers were emi- 
 nently indebted. 
 
 Before the fall extent of this dreadful calamity was 
 known at Weymouth, the officers of the South Glouces- 
 ter Militia, with equal humanity, were devising how 
 they might best succor the survivors, and perform the 
 last duties to the remains of those who had perished. 
 On the morning of the 19th of November, one of them, 
 accompanied by Mr. Bryer of Weymouth, rode to the 
 villages where those who had escaped from the various 
 wrecks had found a temporary shelter. In a house at 
 Chickerell, they found sergeant Richardson and eleven 
 privates of the 63d regiment ; two of the latter had frac- 
 tured limbs, and almost all the rest either wounds or 
 bruises. In other houses the sufferers had been received, 
 and were as comfortably accommodated as circumstances 
 would admit. 
 
 The gentlemen then crossed the Fleet-water to the 
 beach, and there, whatever idea was previously formed 
 of it, the horror of the scene infinitely surpassed expec- 
 tation ; no celebrated field of carnage ever presented, in 
 proportion to its size, a more awful sight than the Chisell 
 Bank now exhibited. For abput two miles it was strew- 
 ed with the dead bodies of men and animals, with pieces 
 of wreck and piles of plundered ^oods, which groups of 
 people were carrying away, regardless of the sight of
 
 240 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 drowned bodies that filled the new spectators with sor- 
 row and amazement. 
 
 On the mangled remains of the unfortunate victims, 
 death appeared in all its hideous forms. Either the sea 
 or the people who had first gone down to the shore, had 
 stripped the bodies of the clothes which the sufferers had 
 wore at the fatal moment. The remnants of the military 
 stock, the wristbands, or collar of a shirt, or a piece of 
 blue pantaloons, were all the fragments left behind. 
 
 The only means of distinguishing the officers was the 
 different appearance of their hands from those of men ac- 
 customed to hard labor ; but some were known by the 
 description given of them by their friends or by persons 
 who were in the vessels along with them. The remains 
 of captain Barcroft were recognised by the honorable scars 
 he had received in the service of his country ; and his 
 friends and relatives, as well as those of several others 
 had the satisfaction of learning that their bodies were 
 rescued from the sea, and interred with military honors. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 20th of November, ja. lieu- 
 tenant of the militia regiment who had been appointed 
 to superintend the melancholy office of interment, re- 
 paired to the scene of destruction. But from the neces- 
 sary preliminaries of obtaining the authority of a magis- 
 trate to remove the bodies, not more than twenty-five 
 were buried that day. The bodies of captain Barcroft, 
 lieutenant Sutherland, Cornet Graydon, lieutenant Ker 
 and two women, were then selected to be put into coffins. 
 Next day, those of lieutenant Jenner and Cornet Burns, 
 being found, were distinguished in the like manner. 
 
 The whole number of dead found on the beach, 
 amounted to two hundred and thirty-four ; so that the 
 duty of interment was so heavy and fatiguing, that it 
 was not until the twenty-third that all the soldiers and 
 sailors were deposited. Of these there were two hun- 
 dred and eight, and they were committed to the earth as 
 decently as circumstances would admit, in graves dug 
 on the Fleet side of the beach, beyond the reach of the 
 sea, where a pile of stones was raised on each, to mark 
 where they lay. Twelve coffins were sent to receive
 
 LOSS OP ?HREE MERCHANT SHIPS. 241 
 
 the bodies of the women, but nine only being found, the 
 supernumerary ones were appointed to receive the re- 
 mains of the officers. 
 
 Two wagons were next sent to the Fleet-water to re- 
 ceive the coffins, in which the shrouded bodies of seven- 
 teen officers and nine women had been placed, and on 
 the 24th were carried to the church-yard at Wyke, pre- 
 ceded by a captain, subaltern and fifty men of the Glou- 
 cester Militia, and attended by the young gentleman be- 
 fore mentioned, Mr. Smith, as chief mourner. The offi- 
 cers were interred in a large grave, north of the church- 
 tower, with military honors, and lieutenant Ker in a 
 grave on the other side of the tower. The remains of _. 
 the nine women, which had been deposited in the 
 during the ceremony, were next committed to the e? 
 Two monuments have been erected in corrm^y j n 
 tion of the unfortunate sufferers, the first bf_5 oa t 
 following inscription : P Lascars 
 
 "To the memory of Captain Ambrose Wi scars wer e 
 croft, Lieutenant Harry Ash, and Mr. Kelly, s to fifteen 
 the 63d regiment of Light Infantry ; of Lieuten. 
 phen Jenner, of the 6th West-India regiment; Lieuw ree f 
 Stains of the 2d West India regiment; and two hundi^ s ' 
 and fifteen soldiers and seamen and nine women, wh^ 
 perished by shipwreck on Portland Beach, opposite the 
 villages of Langton, Fleet, and Chickerell, on Wednes- 
 day the 18th day of November, 1795." 
 On the second monument is inscribed, 
 " Sacred to the memory of Major John Charles Ker, 
 Military Commandant of Hospitals in the Leeward 
 Islands, and to that of his son, Lieutenant James Ker, 
 of the 40th regiment of foot, who both departed this life 
 on the 18th of November, 1795, the first aged forty and 
 the latter fourteen years." 
 
 The fate of both was truly deplorable, and is a me- 
 . lancholy example of the uncertainty of human affairs. 
 
 They were embarked in the Venus transport, and left 
 Portsmouth the 16th of November, with a fleet full of 
 troops, destined to the West Indies, under the command 
 of General Sir Ralph Abercrombie. 
 21
 
 242 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 A storm having arisen on the 17th which lasted till 
 the next day, many of the ships were lost, and the Venus 
 wrecked on Portland Beach. 
 
 The major's body could not be found, although it is 
 possible it may have been among the many others which 
 were driven ashore and buried in this church-yard. 
 
 His son's corpse was recognised and lies interred under 
 this stone, which was raised by his brother, John Wil- 
 liam Ker, Esq. 
 
 .WRECK OF THE BRITISH SHIP SIDNEY. 
 
 Wx 
 
 ofca n a reef of rocks in the South Sea. 
 he had iv 
 
 friends ai ne 7 \ Q & P rt Jackson, on the coast of New Hoi- 
 had the s: e l^th of April, 1806, bound to Bengal. In- 
 rescued frproceed through Dampier's Straits, her course 
 ed as nearly as possible in the track of Captain 
 t f tne Cornwallis, which, as laid down in the 
 to -'ts, appeared a safe and easy passage. But, on the 
 pch of May, at one, A. M., we ran upon a most danger- 
 as rock, or shoal, in 3 20 south latitude, and 146 50 east 
 longitude, and as this reef is not noticed in any map or 
 chart, it appears that we were its unfortunate discov- 
 erers. 
 
 On Sunday, 25 fathoms of water were found over 
 the taffrail, and six fathoms over the larboard gang- 
 way ; only nine feet on the starboard side, and 12 feet 
 over the bows. One of the boats was immediately got 
 out with a bower-anchor ; but on sounding, at the dis- 
 tance of ten fathoms from the ship, no ground could be 
 found with sixty fathoms of line. 
 
 When she struck it must have been high water, for at 
 that time there was no appearance of any reef or breaker ; 
 but as the water subsided, the shoal began to show itself, 
 with a number of small black rocks. The ship had 
 been striking very hard, and began to yield forward. 
 At three, A. M. there were six feet water in the hold,
 
 WRECK OF THE BRITISH SHIP SIDNEY. 243 
 
 and increasing rapidly ; at five, the vessel was settling 
 aft, and her top-sides parting from the floor-heads. 
 
 Upon consultation with my officers, it was our unani- 
 mous opinion that the ship was gone beyond recovery, 
 and that no exertions could avail for her safety. We 
 therefore employed all hands in getting the boats ready 
 to receive the crew, who were 108 in number. Eight 
 bags of rice, six casks of water, and a small quantity of 
 salted beef and pork, were put into the long-boat as pro- 
 visions for the whole; the number of the people prevented 
 us from taking a larger stock, as the three boats were 
 barely sufficient to receive us all with safety. 
 
 We remained with the Sidney until five, P. M. on the 
 twenty-first of May, when there were three feet of water 
 on the orlop-deck ; therefore we now thought it full time 
 to leave the ship to her fate, and seek our safety in the 
 boats. Accordingly, I embarked in the long-boat with 
 Mr. Trounce, second officer, and seventy-four Lascars ; 
 Mr. Robson and Mr. Halkart, with sixteen Lascars, were 
 in the cutter, and the jolly-boat was allotted to fifteen 
 Dutch Malays, and one Sepoy. 
 
 Being desirous to ascertain the position of the reef, 
 which could be done by making the Admiralty Islands, 
 our course was shaped thither, steering north by east 
 and half east. During the night, it blew fresh, and the 
 long-boat having made much water, we were obliged to 
 lighten her, by throwing a great deal of lumber, and two 
 casks of water, overboard. The three boats kept close 
 in company, the long-boat having the jolly-boat in tow. 
 
 Finding, at day-light, that the cutter sailed considera- 
 bly better, I directed Mr. Robson that the jolly-boat 
 might be taken ir\ tow by her. But the wind increasing 
 as the morning advanced, and a heavy swell rising, the 
 jolly-boat, while in tow by the cutter, sank at ten o'- 
 clock, and all on board, to the number of sixteen, perish- 
 ed, It was lamentable to witness the fate of these un- 
 happy men, and the more so, as it was not in our power 
 to render them the smallest assistance. 
 
 The Admiralty Islands were seen at noon of the 22d, 
 bearing N. N. E. three or four leagues distant, and as we
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 had run about fifty-eight miles in the boats, upon a N by 
 E. course, the situation of the shoal where the 
 kidney struck was accurately ascertained, and will be 
 tound as above laid down. 
 
 From the Admiralty Islands, we continued standing to 
 the westward, and on the 25th, made a small island, on 
 which, from its appearance, I was induced to land in 
 quest of a supply of water. Therefore Mr. Robson my- "' 
 self; and twenty of our best hands, armed with heavy 
 clubs, brought from New Caledonia, (our fire-arms beine 
 rendered useless from exposure to the rain) landed 
 through a high surf, to the utmost astonishment of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 As far as might be judged, they had never before seen 
 people of pur complexion. The men were tall and well 
 made, wearing their hair plaited and raised above the 
 head ; they had no resemblance to Malays or Caffres 
 and excepting their color, which was of a light copper 
 they had the form and features of Europeans They 
 were entirely naked. We also saw a number of women 
 who were well formed, and had mild and pleasing fea- 
 tures. 
 
 We were received on the beach by about twenty na- 
 tives, who immediately supplied each of us with a cocoa- 
 nut. We succeeded in making them understand that 
 we wanted water, on which they made signs for us to 
 accompany them to the interior of the island ; on com- 
 pliance, after walking about a mile, they conducted us 
 mto a thick jungle, and, as their number was quickly 
 increasing, I judged it imprudent to proceed further - 
 1 bus returning to the beach, I was alarmed to find that 
 one hundred and fifty, or more, of the natives had assem- 
 bled, armed with spears eight or ten feet long. One of 
 them, an old man of venerable appearance, and who 
 seemed to be their chief, approached and threw his 
 spear at my feet, expressive, as I understood, of his wish 
 that we should part with our clubs in like manner. Per- 
 ceiving, at this time, that a crowd of women had got hold '-i 
 of the stern-fast of the cutter, and were endeavoring to 
 haul her on shore from the grapnel, we hastily tried to
 
 WRECK OF THE BRITISH SHIP SIDNEY. 245 
 
 gain the boat. The natives followed us closely; some of 
 them pointed their spears at us as we retreated, and 
 some were thrown, though happily without effect ; and 
 to us they seemed to be very inexpert in the management 
 of their weapons. On my getting into the water, three 
 or four of the natives followed me, threatening to throw 
 their spears, and when I was within reach of the boat, 
 one of them made a thrust, which was prevented from 
 taking effect by Mr. Robson, who warded off the wea- 
 pon. When we had got into the boat, and were putting 
 off, they threw, at least, two hundred spears, noife of 
 which struck, excepting one, which gave a severe wound 
 to my cook, entering immediately above the jaw, and 
 passing through his mouth. 
 
 Having escaped this perilous adventure we pursued 
 j>ur course, and got as far as Dampier's Straits, in as fa- 
 ^orable circumstances as ouT situation could well admit. 
 But the Lascars, now being within reach of land, became 
 impatient to be put on shore. It was in vain that I ex- 
 horted them to persevere ; they would not listen to argu- 
 ment, and expressed their wish rather to meet with im- 
 mediate death on shore, than to be starved to death in 
 the boats. Yielding to their importunity, I at length de- 
 termined to land them on the northwest extremity of the 
 island of Ceram, from whence they might travel to Am- 
 bqyna'in two or three days. Being off that part of the 
 isi&nd on the ninth of June, Mr. Robson volunteered to 
 land a portion of the people in the cutter, to return to the 
 long-boat, and the cutter to be then given up to such 
 further portion of the crew as chose to join the party 
 fi rsj. landed. Accordingly he went ashore with the cut- 
 ter, but to my great mortification, after waiting two days, 
 there was no appearance of his return or of the cutter. 
 
 We concluded that the people had been detained either 
 by the Dutch or the natives. Yet as the remaining part 
 of the Lascars were desirous to be landed, we stood-in 
 with the long-boat, and put them on shore near the point 
 where we supposed the cutter to have landed her people. 
 
 Our number in the long-boat were now reduced to se- 
 venteen, consisting of Mr. Trounce, Mr. Halkart, my- 
 21*
 
 246 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 self and fourteen Lascars and others. Our stock of pro 
 vision was two bags of rice and one gang cask ef water, 
 with which we conceived we might hold out until reach- 
 ing Bencoolen, whither we determined to make the best 
 of our way. The allowance to each man we fixed as 
 one tea-cupful of rice and a pint of water daily, but we 
 soon found it necessary to make a considerable reduc- 
 tion. 
 
 Proceeding through the straits of Bantam, we met in ouf 
 course several Malay prows, none of which took notice 
 of us excepting one, which gave chase for a day, and 
 would have come up with us had we not got off under 
 cover of a very dark night. Continuing onwards, we 
 passed through the strait of Saypay, where we caught a 
 large shark. Our spirits were much elated by this valu- 
 able prize, which we lost no time in getting on board; 
 and having kindled a fire in the bottom of the boat, it 
 was roasted with all expedition. Such was the keen- 
 ness of our appetite, that although the shark must have 
 weighed one hundred and fifty or one hundred and sixty 
 pounds, not a vestige of it remained at the close of the 
 day. But we were afflicted on the following day with 
 the most violent complaint of the stomach and bowels, 
 which reduced us exceedingly, and left us languid and 
 spiritless, insomuch that we now despaired of safety. 
 
 On the second of July, I lost an old and faithful ser- 
 vant, who died from want of sustenance : and on the 
 fourth, we made Java head ; at the same time catching 
 two large boobies, which afforded all hands a most pre- 
 cious and refreshing meal. At midnight of the ninth, 
 we came to off Pulo Penang, on the west coast of Suma- 
 tra; but at daylight, when endeavoring to weigh our 
 anchor and run close in shore, we were so much ex- 
 hausted that our united strength proved insufficient to 
 get it up. 
 
 On a signal of distress being made, a sanpan with two 
 Malays came off, and as I was the only person in the 
 long- boat who had sufficient strength to move, I accom- 
 panied them on shore. However, I found myself so 
 weak on landing that I fell to the ground, and it was
 
 W RECK OF THE BRITISH SHIP SIDNEY. 247 
 
 necessary to carry me to an adjacent house. Such re- 
 freshments as could be procured were immediately sent 
 off to the long-boat, and we recruited so rapidly, that in 
 two days we found ourselves in a condition to proceed 
 on our voyage. Having weighed anchor on the 12th of 
 July, we set sail, and on the 19th, arrived off the island 
 of Bencoolen, 
 
 Here I met with an old friend, captain Chauvet of the 
 Perseverance, whose kindness and humanity I shall ever 
 remember and gratefully acknowledge. On the day 
 subsequent to my arrival, I waited on Mr. Parr the resi- 
 dent, from whom I received every attention. 
 
 Leaving Bencoolen on the 17th of August, in the Per- 
 severance, I arrived at Penanp, on the 27th, where I was 
 agreeably surprised to meet my late chief-mate, Mr. Rob- 
 son, who, along with the Lascars, had landed at Ceram. 
 They reached Amboyna in safety, where they were re- 
 ceived by the Dutch governor, Mr. Cranstoun, with a 
 humanity and benevolence that reflect honor on his cha- 
 racter. He supplied them with whatever their wants 
 required. Mr. Robson was accommodated at his own 
 table, and, on leaving Amboyna, he furnished him money 
 for himself and his people, for the amount of which he 
 refused to take any receipt or acknowledgment. He also 
 gave Mr. Robson letters to the governor-general of Ba- 
 tavia, recommending him to his kind offices. Such 
 honorable conduct from the governor of a foreign country, 
 and with which we were at war, cannot be too widely 
 promulgated. From Amboyna, Mr. Robson embarked 
 in the Pallas, a Dutch frigate, for Batavia, which on the 
 passage thither was captured by his majesty's ships 
 Greyhound and Harriet, and brought to Prince of Wales' 
 island. 
 
 From Penang I sailed to Bengal with the Paruna, 
 captain Denison, and arrived safely in Calcutta in the 
 beginning of May, 1806. 

 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES IN THE ATLANTIC 
 OCEAN. 
 
 ADMIRAL (afterwards Lord) Graves having requested 
 leave to return to England in 1782, was appointed by 
 lord Rodney to command the convoy sent home with the 
 numerous fleet of merchantmen from the West Indies in 
 the month of July. He accordingly hoisted his flag on 
 board the Ramillies, of seventy-four guns, and sailed on 
 the 25th from Blue Fields, having under his orders the 
 Canada and Centaur of seventy-four guns each, the Pallas 
 frigate of thirty-six guns, and the following French 
 ships, taken by lord Rodney and Sir Samuel Hood, out 
 of the armament commanded by the count de Grasse, 
 viz. the Ville de Paris, of one hundred and ten guns ; the 
 Glorieux and Hector, of seventy-four gnus each; the 
 Ardent, Caton, and Jason, of six guns each. Those 
 which were originally British ships had been in so many 
 actions, and so long absent from England, as to have 
 become extremely out of condition, while that of the 
 prizes was still more deplorable, and the following au- 
 thentic account of the various disasters which attended 
 this distressed convoy will be found equally melancholy 
 and interesting. 
 
 Soon after the fleet had sailed, the officers of the Ar- 
 dent united in signing such a representation of her mise- 
 rable plight as induced admiral Graves to order her back 
 to Port Royal ; and the Jason, by not putting to sea with 
 the convoy, from want of water, never joined him at all. 
 The rest proceeded, and after those vessels that were 
 bound for New York had separated, the whole convoy 
 was reduced to ninety-two or three sail. 
 
 On the 8th of September the Caton springing a leak, 
 made such alarming complaints, that the admiral direct- 
 ed her and the Pallas, also became leaky, to bear away 
 immediately, and keep company together, making for
 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES. 249 
 
 Halifax, which then bore N. N. W. and was but eighty- 
 seven leagues distant. 
 
 The afternoon of the 16th of September showing indi- 
 cations of a gale arid foul weather from the south-east 
 quarter, every preparation was made on board the flag- 
 ship for such an event, not only on account of her own 
 safety, but also as an example to the rest of the fleet. 
 The admiral collected the ships about six o'clock, and 
 brought to under his mainsail on the larboard tack, hav- 
 ing all his other sails furled, and his top-gallant yards 
 and masts lowered down. 
 
 The wind soon increasing, blew strong from the E. S. 
 E. with a very heavy sea, and about three o'clock in the 
 morning of the 17th flew suddenly round to the contrary 
 point, blowing most tremendously, and accompanied 
 with rain, thunder, and lightning; the Ramillies was 
 taken by the lee, her main-sail thrown back, her main- 
 mast went by the board, and mizzen-mast half way "up ; 
 the fore-top mast fell over the starboard bow, the fore- 
 yard broke in the slings, the tiller snapped in two, and 
 the rudder was nearly torn off. Thus was this capital 
 ship, from being in perfect order, reduced, within a few 
 minutes, to a mere wreck, by the fury of the blast and 
 the violence of the sea, which acted in opposition to each 
 other. The ship was pooped, the cabin, where the ad- 
 miral lay, was flooded, his cot-bed jerked down by the 
 violence of the shock and the ship's instantaneous revul- 
 sion, so that he was obliged to pull on his boots half leg 
 deep in water, without any stockings, to huddle on his 
 wet clothes, and repair upon deck. On his first coming 
 thither, he ordered two of the lieutenants to examine in- 
 to the state of the affairs below, and to keep a sufficient 
 number of people at the pumps, while he himself and the 
 captain kept the deck, to encourage the men to clear 
 away the wreck, which, by its constant swinging back- 
 wards and forwards by every wave against the body of 
 the ship, had beaten off much of the copper from the 
 starboard side, and exposed the seams so much to the 
 sea that the decayed oakum washed out, and the whole 
 frame became at once exceedingly porous and leaky.
 
 250 
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 At dawn of day they perceived a large ship lying un- 
 der their lee, upon her side, water-logged, her hands 
 attempting to wear her by first cutting away the miz- 
 zen-mast, and then her main-mast; hoisting her en- 
 sign, with the union downwards in order to draw the at- 
 tention of the fleet ; but to no purpose, for no succor 
 couljd be given, and she very soon went down head fore- 
 most, the fly of her ensign being the last thing visible. 
 This was the Button, formerly an East Indiaman, and 
 then a store-ship, commanded by a lieutenant of the 
 navy, who in his agitation, leaped from her de.ck into 
 the sea ; but, as might be expected, was very soon over- 
 whelmed by its billows. Twelve or thirteen of the crew 
 contrived, however, to slide off one of the boats, and 
 running with the wind, first endeavored to reach a large 
 ship before them, which, not being able to fetch, and 
 afraid of filling if they attempted to haul up for the pur- 
 pose, they made up for another ship more to the leeward, 
 who fortunately descrying them, threw a number of 
 ropes, by the help of which these desperate fellows 
 scrambled up her sides, and fortunately saved their 
 lives. Oiit of ninety four or five sail, seen the day be- 
 fore, scarcely twenty could now be counted ; of the ships 
 of war, there were discerned the Canada, half hull down 
 upon the lee-quarter, having her main-top-mast and 
 mizzen-mast gone, the main-top damaged, the main- 
 yard aloft, and the main-sail furled; the Centaur was 
 far to windward, without masts, bowsprit, or rudder ; 
 and the Glorieux without foremast, bowsprit, or main- 
 top-mast. Of these the two latter perished with all their 
 crews, excepting the captain of the Centaur, and a few 
 of his people, who contrived to slip off her stern into one 
 of the boats unnoticed, and thus escaped the fate of the 
 rest of the crew. 
 
 The Ville de Paris appeared to have received no in- 
 jury, and was commanded by a most experienced sea- 
 man, who had made twenty-four voyages to and from 
 the West Indies, and had, therefore, been pitched upon 
 to lead the ship through the gulf; nevertheless she was 
 afterwards buried in the ocean with all on board he.
 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES. 251 
 
 consisting of above eight hundred people. Of the con- 
 voy, besides the Button, before mentioned, and the Bri- 
 tish Queen, seven others were discovered without masts 
 or bowsprits ; eighteen lost masts, and several others had 
 foundered. 
 
 In the course of this day the Canada crossed upon and 
 passed the Ramillies ; some of the trade attempted to 
 follow the Canada, but she ran at such a rate that they 
 soon found it to be in vain, and then returned towards 
 the flag-ship ; the Ramillies had at this time six feet 
 water in her hold, and the pumps would not free her, 
 the water having worked out the oakum, and her beams 
 amid-ship being almost drawn from their clamps. 
 
 The admiral, therefore, gave orders for all the buckets 
 to be manned, and every officer to help towards freeing 
 the ship ; the mizzen-top-sail was set upon the fore-mast, 
 the main-top-gallant-sail on the stump of the mizzen- 
 mast, and the tiller shipped. In this condition, by bear- 
 ing away, she scudded on at so good a rate that she held 
 pace with some of ths merchantmen. 
 
 The day having been spent in bailing and pumping, 
 without materially gaining on the water, the captain, in 
 the name of the officers, represented to the admiral the 
 necessity of parting with the guns for the relief of the 
 ship, but he objected, that there would then be left no 
 protection for the convoy. At length, however, after 
 great difficulty, he consented to their disposing of the 
 fore-castle and after-most quarter-deck guns, together 
 with some of the shot, and other articles of very great 
 weight. The ensuing night was employed in bailing 
 and endeavoring to make the pumps useful, for the bal- 
 last, by getting into the well, had choked and rendered 
 them useless, and the chains had broken every time they 
 were repaired. The water had risen to seven feet in 
 the hold. The wind from the westward drove a vast 
 sea before it, and the ship being old, strained most vio- 
 lently. 
 
 On the morning of the 18th, nothing could be seen of 
 the Canada, she having pushed on at her greatest speed 
 for England. The frame of the Ramillies having opened
 
 252 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 during the night, the admiral was prevailed upon, by 
 the renewed and pressing remonstrances of the officers, 
 although with great reluctance, to let six of the forward- 
 most and four of the aftermost guns of the main-deck to 
 be thrown overboard, together with the remainder of 
 those on the quarter-deck ; and the ship still continuing 
 to open very much, he ordered tarred canvas and hides 
 to be nailed fore and aft from under the sills of the ports 
 on the main-deck under the fifth plank above, or within 
 the water-ways, and the crew, without orders, did the 
 same on the lower deck. Her increasing complaints re- 
 quiring still more to be done, the admiral directed all the 
 guns on the upper deck, the shot, both on that and the 
 lower deck, and various heavy stores to be thrown over- 
 board; a leakage in the light room of the grand maga- 
 zine having almost rilled the ship forward, and there 
 being eight feet water in the magazine, every gentleman 
 was compelled to take his turn at the whips, or in hand- 
 ing the buckets. The ship was besides frapped from the 
 fore-mast to the mainmast. 
 
 Notwithstanding their utmost efforts the water still 
 gained on them; the succeeding night, the wind blowing 
 very hard, with extremely heavy squalls, a part of the 
 orlop-deck fell into the hold ; the ship herself seemed to 
 work excessively, and to settle forward. 
 
 On the morning of the 19th, under these very alarm- 
 ing circumstances, the admiral commanded both the 
 bower-anchors to be cut away, all the junk to be flung 
 overboard, one sheet and one bower cable to be reduced 
 to junk and served the same way, together with every 
 remaining ponderous store that could be got at, and all 
 the powder in the grand magazine (it being damaged ;) 
 the cutter and pinnace to be broken up and tossed over- 
 board, the skidds having already worked off the side ; 
 every soul on board was now employed in bailing. One 
 of the pumps was got up, but to no purpose, for the shot- 
 lockers being broken down, some of the shot, as well as 
 the ballast, had fallen into the well ; and as the wea- 
 ther moderated a little, every thing was made ready to 
 heave the lower deck guns into the sea, the admiral be-
 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES. 253 
 
 ing anxious to leave nothing undone for the relief of the 
 ship. 
 
 When evening approached, there being twenty mer- 
 chant ships in sight, the officers united in beseeching 
 him to go into one of them, but this he positively refused 
 to do, deeming it, as he declared, unpardonable in a 
 commander-in-chief to desert his garrison in distress ; 
 that his living a few years longer was of very little con- 
 sequence, but that, by leaving his ship at such a time, 
 he should discourage and slacken the exertions of the 
 people, by setting a very bad example. The wind lull- 
 ing somewhat during the night ; all hands bailed the wa- 
 ter, which, at this time, was six feet fore and aft. 
 
 On the morning of the 20th, the admiral ordered the 
 the spare and stream anchors to be cut away, and with- 
 in the course of the day all the lower deck guns to be 
 Grown overboard. When evening came, the spirits of 
 the people in general, and even of the most courageous, 
 began to fail, and they openly expressed the utmost des- 
 pair, together with the most earnest desire of quitting 
 the ship, lest they should founder in her. The admiral 
 hereupon advanced and told them, that he and their 
 officers had an equal regard for their own lives, and that 
 the officers had no intention of deserting either them or 
 the ship ; that, for his part, he was determined to try one 
 night more in her; he, therefore, hoped and entreated 
 ' they would do so too, for there was still room to imagine, 
 that one fair day, with a moderate sea, rright enable 
 them, by united exertions, to clear and secure the well 
 against the encroaching ballast which washed into it ; 
 that if this could be done, they might be able to restore 
 the chains to the pumps, and us\i them ; and that then 
 hands enough might be spared to raise jury-masts, with 
 which they might carry the ship to Ireland ; that her 
 appearance alone, while she could swim, would be suffi- 
 cient to protect the remaining part of her convoy ; above 
 all, that as every thing that could be thought of had now 
 been done for her relief, it would be but reasonable to wait 
 the effect. He concluded with assuring them, that he 
 would make the signal directly for the trade to lie by 
 22
 
 254 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 them during the night, which he doubted not they woul 
 comply with. 
 
 This temperate speech had the desired effect; the 
 firmness and confidence with which he spoke, and theii 
 reliance on his seamanship and judgment, as well as his 
 constant presence and attention to every accident, had a 
 wonderful effect upon them ; they became pacified, and 
 returned to their duty and their labors. Since the first 
 disaster, the admiral had, in fact, scarcely ever quitted 
 the deck ; this they had all observed, together with his 
 diligence in personally inspecting every circumstance of 
 distress. Knowing his skill and experience, they placed 
 great confidence in them; and he instantly made, ac- 
 cording to his promise, a signal for all the merchantmen. 
 At this period, it must be confessed, there was great 
 reason for alarm, and but little for hope ; for all the an- 
 chors and guns, excepting one, together with every other 
 matter of weight, had been thrown overboard, and yet 
 the ship did not seem ai all relieved. The strength of 
 the people was, likewise, so nearly exhausted, having 
 had no sleep since the first fatal stroke, that one half of 
 the crew were ordered to bail and the other to repose ; 
 so that, although the wind was much abated, the water 
 still gained upon them, in spite of all their efforts, and 
 the ship rolled and worked most prodigiously in a most 
 unquiet sea. 
 
 At three in the morning of the 21st, being the fourth 
 night, the well being quite broken in, the casks, ballast 
 and remaining shot rushed together and destroyed the 
 cylinders of the pumps ; the frame and carcass of the 
 ship began to give way in every part, and the whole 
 crew exclaimed that it was impossible to keep her any 
 longer above water. 
 
 In this extremity, the admiral resolved within himself 
 not to lose a moment in removing the people whenever 
 daylight should arrive, but told the captain not to com- 
 municate any more of his design than that he intended 
 to remove the sick and lame at day-break ; and for this 
 purpose he should call on board all the boats of the mer- 
 chantmen. He, nevertheless, gave private orders to the
 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES. 255* 
 
 captain, while this was doing, to have all the bread 
 brought upon the quarter-deck, with a quantity of beef, 
 pork, and flour, to settle the best distribution of the peo- 
 ple according to the number of the trade-ships that should 
 obey their signal, and to allow an officer to each division 
 of them ; to have the remaining boats launched, -and as 
 soon as the sick were disposed of, to begin to remove the 
 whole of the crew, with the utmost despatch, but with- 
 out risking too many in a boat. 
 
 Accordingly at dawn, the 'signal was made for the 
 boats of the merchantmen, but nobody suspected what 
 was to follow, until the bread was entirely removed and 
 the sick gone. About six o'clock, the rest of the crew 
 were permitted to go off, and between nine and ten, there 
 being nothing further to direct and regulate, the admiral 
 himself, after shaking hands with every officer, and leav- 
 ing his barge for their better accommodation and trans- 
 port, quitted forever the Ramillies, which had then nine 
 feet of water in her hold. He went into a small leaky 
 boat, loaded with bread, out of which both him and 
 the surgeon who accompanied him were obliged to bail 
 water all the way. He was in his boots, with his sur- 
 tout over his uniform, and his countenance as calm and as 
 composed as ever. He had, at going on , desired a cloak, 
 a cask of flour and a cask of water, but could get only 
 the flour, and he left behind all his stock, wines, furniture, 
 books and charts, which had cost him upwards of one 
 thousand pounds, being unwilling to employ even a single 
 servant in saving or packing up what belonged to him- 
 self alone, in a time of such general calamity, as to ap- 
 pear better in that respect than any of the crew. 
 
 The admiral rowed for the Belle, Captain Forster, be- 
 ing the first of the trade that had borne up to the Ramil- 
 lies the preceding night in her imminent distress, and by 
 his anxious humanity set such an example to his brother 
 traders as had a powerful influence upon them an influ- 
 ence which was generally followed by sixteen others. 
 
 By three o'clock, most of the crew were taken out. at 
 which time the Ramillies had thirteen feet of water in 
 her hold, and was evidently foundering in every part ; at
 
 256 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 half past four the captain, and first and third lieutenants, 
 left her, with every soul excepting the fourth lieutenant, 
 who staid behind only to execute the admiral's orders for 
 setting fire to her wreck when finally deserted. The 
 carcass burned rapidly, and the flames quickly reaching 
 the powder which was filled in the after-magazine,' and 
 had been lodged very high ; in thirty -five minutes the 
 decks and upper works blew up with a horrid explosion 
 and cloud of smoke, while the lower part of the hull was 
 precipitated to the bottom of the ocean. 
 
 All this time the admiral, in the Belle, stood for the 
 wreck to see his last orders executed, as well as to suc- 
 cor any boats that might be too full of men, the swell 
 of the sea being prodigious, although the weather had 
 been moderate ever since noon of the foregoing day. 
 There were, however, at intervals, some squalls, with 
 threats of the weather soon becoming violent. It was 
 not long before they were realized, for within two 
 hours after the last of the crew were put on board their 
 respective ships, the wind rose to a great height, and so 
 continued, with intermission, for six or seven successive 
 days, so that no boat could, during thaMime, have lived 
 in the water. On such a small interval depended the 
 salvation of more than six hundred lives ! Indeed, dur- 
 ing the four days immediately preceding this catastrophe, 
 it blew such a strong gale, and such a heavy sea followed 
 the Ramillies, that it was always necessary to keep her 
 with the wind upon her quarter, with seldom more than 
 the sprit-sail hoisted upon her foremast, and at times 
 with no sail at all, in which state she would run at the 
 rate of six miles an hour. Whenever the main-top-gal- 
 lant-sail was set on the stump of the mizzen-mast she 
 commonly griped so much, as to render the steerage 
 very difficult, and yet this had been carried, whenever it 
 could be, in order to keep pace with the merchantmen, the 
 slowest of which went nearly as fast under their bare 
 poles. 
 
 Even in running thus, the Ramillies rolled prodigiously, 
 and as she grew lighter every day her motion became 
 the more uneasy, so that the men could scarcely stand to
 
 LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES. 257 
 
 their work or keep their legs without something to lay hold 
 by, There was no such thing as real repose for them when 
 sitting or lying down upon deck, nor steadiness enough 
 to eat or drink with any security ; no meat could be 
 dressed, nor did any man or officer go into bed. Until 
 the afternoon of the 20th, there was no venturing to bring 
 her to, even for a boat to come on board; but notwith- 
 standing this desperate condition, when some were hour- 
 ly dropping through fatigue and want of sleep, and the 
 decks were covered with water, the whole of the crew 
 behaved with the utmost obedience, attention and sobri- 
 ety, and omitted no possible exertion for the preserva- 
 tion of the ship. 
 
 Upon their separation taking place, the officers," who 
 were distributed with portions of the crew among the 
 Jamaica-men, had orders respectively to deliver them to 
 the first man-of-war or tender they should meet with ? 
 and to acquaint the Secretary of the Admiralty, by the 
 earliest opportunity, of their proceedings. A pendant 
 was hoisted on board the Belle, by way of distinction, 
 that she might, if possible, lead the rest. Some of the 
 trade kept with her, and others made the best of their 
 way, apprehensive lest they should soon fall short of 
 provisions, as they had so many more to feed. 
 
 The Silver-Eel transport, which had sailed from Blue- 
 fields with the invalids of Sir George Rodney's fleet, and 
 was under the command of a lieutenant of the navy, 
 had been ordered to keep near the Ramillies. That ship 
 was accordingly at hand on the 21st of September, the day 
 of her destruction, and in consequence of several deaths 
 on the passage had room enough for the reception of all who 
 were now ailing or maimed, and was therefore charged 
 with them, being properly fitted for their accommodation. 
 
 The Silver-Eel parted from the admiral in latitude 42 
 48 N. and longitude 45 19 W. after seeing the Ramillies 
 demolished, and being ordered to make for the first port, 
 ran into Falmouth the 6th of October, on the afternoon 
 of which day, one of the trade-ships, with a midship- 
 man and sixteen of the crew of the Ramillies, reached 
 Plymouth sound. Another of the same convoy, having 
 22*
 
 258 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 on board another part of the crew, with the captain and 
 first lieutenant, anchored in the same place before day- 
 light the next morning. The Canada, however, having 
 exerted her utmost speed, had, prior to' all these, on the 
 4th of the same month, got to Portsmouth, where she 
 spread the news of the dispersion of this miserable fleet, 
 which being conveyed to France, her privateers immedi- 
 ately put to sea in hopes of making prizes of them. Some 
 of the Jamaica-men, with part of the crew of the Ramil- 
 lies, fell into their hands ; two of theWest Indiamen were 
 captured in sight of the Belle, but she herself with the 
 admiral and thirty-three of his crewTarrived safe, though 
 singly, on the 10th of October, in Cork harbor, where 
 was the Myrmidon frigate. The Admiral immediately 
 hoisted hit flag on board the latter, and sailing with the 
 first fair wind, arrived, on the 17th, in Plymouth Sound, 
 apparently in good health, but with a settled oppression 
 upon his breast, from having been so long and so dread- 
 fully exposed upon the deck of the Ramillies in the hor- 
 rid night when she was first overtaken by the storm ; 
 nor could he remove that complaint for upwards of six 
 montjis. He brought away with him nothing but a few 
 of his^private papers, the rest of his effects having shared 
 the same fate as the ship. 
 
 It was calculated that by the destruction of the fleet, 
 upwards of twenty one thousand and five hundred persons 
 perished. The loss of property has been estimated by 
 the British Government to be upwards of 20,000,000. 
 The gale, which continued for six days, was the most 
 tremendous one on record 
 
 PRESERVATION OF NINE MEN, 
 
 IN A SMALL BOAT, SURROUNDED BY ISLANDS OF ICE. 
 
 WE sailed from Plymouth under convoy of H. B. Ma- 
 jesty's ship St. Alban's, and two other ships of war, to-
 
 PRESERVATION OP NINE MEN. 259 
 
 gether with a fleet of merchantmen bound to the Medi- 
 terranean, having a fresh gale at north-east. 
 
 The wind, still continuing, we kept company with the 
 fleet until reaching 120 leagues to the westward ; then 
 judging ourselves clear of privateers, we proceeded on 
 our voyage. But before gaining 300 leagues, on the 17th 
 of March, we came up with an English-built ship of 
 about 200 tons, carrying twelve guns, and sailing under 
 a jury main-mast. On our approach she hoisted Eng- 
 lish colors ; and, on being hailed, told us she belonged to 
 London, and was now bound from Virginia homewards, 
 which seemed pronable, as many tame fowl were on 
 board ; and a red bird flew from her to us. 
 
 Our captain seeing the vessel disabled, desired her to 
 bring to ; saying, if any thing was wanted o%board, we 
 should hoist out our boat and carry it thither; but this 
 was obstinately refused ; the captain declared, that our 
 boat should not approach, and unless we kept further off, 
 he would fire into us. This induced suspicion on our 
 part, wherefore we ran up with the vessel, and command- 
 ed her to bring to. On this she fired, and engaged us 
 from eleven in the morning until six in the evening ; then, 
 being much damaged, she struck, and called to us to save 
 the lives of the crew. But this request came too late, 
 for the wind increasing, raised a great sea, which forced 
 our ship under a reefed mam-sail, whence we could not 
 hoist out our boat, without endangering our own lives. 
 However, by means of a light which she carried, we kept 
 close to her, intending to hoist the boat out when it be- 
 came practicable. But towards midnight her light be- 
 came very low ; and by a loud cry, which was heard 
 about one o'clock, w r e judged that she foundered. 
 
 When the vessel struck she told us that she had four- 
 teen Frenchmen on board, whence we conjectured her to 
 be an English Virginia-man taken by the French ; and 
 that she had lost her main-mast in the engagement. We 
 followed her chasing and fighting, about thirty leagues; 
 and when she struck we were in 45 50 north latitude. 
 
 Our booty being thus lost, we made the best of our 
 way to Newfoundland, being bound thither on a fishing
 
 260 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS- 
 
 voyage. One trouble, however, seldom comes alone, and 
 so it happened to us ; for on the 26th of March, we saw 
 some shattered ice, at four in the afternoon, which was 
 supposed to be the harbor ice now broken up. We were 
 now in 46 50 north latitude, and conceived ourselves fifty 
 leagues, though it afterwards proved seventy, from the 
 land. The wind being at east, the top-sails were handed ; 
 and we stood northward, under our courses, hoping to 
 get clear of the ice before night. But finding rather 
 more than less, we tacked to the Southward, which was 
 found unproductive of any change. Therefore, for fur- 
 ther security, the fore-sail was furled^nd the ship brought 
 to under the mainsail, as night approached, and as there 
 was a dead wind, so that we could lie off on either tack ; 
 we trusted if we should fall in with the greater ice, to meet 
 with the less shocks. 
 
 About eight or nine o'clock, we discovered a field of 
 ice, of which we ran foul, notwithstanding our exertions 
 to keep clear of it ; and although we hung cables, coils 
 of rope, hoops and such things, over the ship to defend 
 her, she struck so hard, that at eleven she bilged, whence 
 we had much difficulty to keep her afloat till day-light, 
 by two pumps going, and bailing at three hatch-ways. 
 
 At the approach of day, OUT men were much fatigued, 
 the water increased, and against noon the hold was half 
 full. No one knew what to advise another, and all be- 
 gan to despair of their lives : we continued pumping, 
 though to little purpose, and concluded, that if now were 
 our appointed time, we must submit patiently to it. 
 
 But amidst this disaster, it pleased God to put it into / 
 the thoughts of some us, that several might be preserved 
 in the boat, upon which the captain was entreated to 
 hoist her out, and commit a few of us there. 
 
 The captain answered, that, although God could work 
 wonders, it was improbable that so small a boat should 
 preserve us; that it was but living a few days longer in 
 misery ; and, seeing God had cast this calamity to his lot, 
 h'^ was resolved to take his chance, and die with his men. 
 
 Nevertheless, being much importuned, he ordered the 
 boat out, and William Saunders and five others in her;
 
 PRESERVATION OF NINE MEN. 261 
 
 and, that the men might not suspect their design it was 
 given out that the boat should go ahead to tow the ship 
 clear of the ice. How likely that was the reader may 
 judge, there being but one oar, all the rest were broken 
 by defending the ship from the ice. However, the pur- 
 pose advanced. 
 
 The boat being out, and finding no effect produced in 
 towing the ship, fell a-stern, intending to take in the cap- 
 tain and as many as it could safely carry, while some 
 were preparing necessaries for a miserable voyage. A 
 compass, and other things ready, were conveyed into it. 
 
 The captain, doctor and several others, having got out 
 at the cabin windows and galleries, I, amongst the rest, 
 endeavored to escape at the gallery, intending likewise, 
 if possible, to get into the boat ; but being discovered by 
 the men, they took small arms, and kept off the boat, 
 resolving, as they could not preserve all, that the whole 
 should perish together. 
 
 This design being frustrated, every one, except myself 
 and William Langmead, got into the ship again ; but we 
 were so low that we could not recover ourselves. No 
 person coming to relieve us, we were at length forced to 
 let go our hold, and trust to the mercy of those ,m the 
 boat, who seeing us swimming towards them, hove out a 
 rope and took us in. 
 
 We were now eight in number in the boat ; and, wilHng 
 to save our captain, lay hovering about the ship till night ; 
 but the men persisting in their resolution, fired at the 
 boat and kept her off. We began to seek shelter as 
 night approached; and, having gone among the shat- 
 tered ice, made our boat fast to a small lump, and drove 
 with it ; and as we came foul of great ice, we removed 
 and made fast to another piece, and so continued during 
 the remainder of the night. Looking around in the 
 morning, the ship was seen about three leagues to the 
 eastward in the same position as we had left her, where- 
 on a consultation was held, whether or not we should 
 return and make another attempt to save the captain, 
 and as many more as possible. This proposal, however, 
 was negatived, every one alleging that the men would
 
 262 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. ' 
 
 either fire on us, or inconsiderately crowd into the boat 
 and sink her ; therefore it was resolved to make the best 
 of our way to the shore. But I, considering how little it 
 would tend to my honor to save my life, and see my 
 captain perish, endeavored to persude them that the ship 
 still swam buoyant, that I hoped the leak was stopped, 
 , and that we might proceed on our voyage ; but this was 
 unavailing. When I saw myself unable to prevail thus, 
 I desired them to row up and set me on that part of the 
 ice next the ship, whence I should walk to her, and die 
 with my commander. 
 
 This being unanimously agreed to, we rowed up to the 
 ice ; but when we reached it, I was loth to get out. 
 However, on calling the captain to us, Mr. John Maddick 
 came first, and after him the doctor and some others, 
 which the captain perceiving, came also. 
 
 The captain having left the ship, the multitude crowd- 
 ed so eagerly after him that we had like to have spoiled 
 all ; but by chance the boat was got off, and twenty-one 
 people in her and hanging to her sides. Some were 
 forced to slip ; .others perished on the ice, not being able 
 to return to the ship, where the rest were lost. 
 
 On the 25th of March, we took a miserable farewell 
 of our distressed brethren, the heart of every one being 
 so overloaded with his own misery as to have little room 
 to pity another. Next, on considering what course to 
 follow, we resolved to make for the shore. 
 
 Our only provision was a small barrel of flour, and a 
 five gallon rundlet of brandy, which had been thrown 
 overboard, and was taken up by us. We also took up 
 an old chest, which stood us in good stead, for having 
 but one oar, and our ship's handspikes, and a hatchet 
 being by chance in the boat, we could split the chest, 
 and nail it to the handspikes, which were our oars. 
 Nails we had only by drawing them from different parts 
 of the boat ; and the rest of the chest was used to kindle 
 a fire. It also happened that our main tarpauling, which 
 had been newly tarred, was put into the boat. Of it we 
 made a main-sail ; and of an old piece of canvas, that 
 had been a sail to a yawl, we made a fore-sail. In this
 
 PRESERVATION OF NINE MEN. 263 
 
 condition we turned towards the shore, and observing 
 the surrounding ice lie north and south, we steered north, 
 and in the morning were clear of it. 
 
 Having now got into the ocean, and the wind being 
 still easterly, we hoisted our sail, and steered W. N. W. 
 about fourteen leagues, when we fell in with another 
 field of ice. " Attempting to sail through it, we were en- 
 closed by many great islands, which drove so fast toge- 
 ther, that we were forced to haul up our boat on the ie, 
 otherwise we should have perished. 
 
 Here we lay eleven days without once seeing the sea. 
 As the ice was thick, we caught as many seals as we 
 chose, for they were in great abundance. Our fire- 
 hearth was made of the skin, and the fat melted so 
 easily, that we could boil the lean with it. 
 
 But by lying so long in this cold region, the men be- 
 gan to complain of their feet ; and our boat being too 
 small to afford room for all, there was always a hideous 
 cry among us of hurting each other, though for this there 
 was no remedy. We kept watch six and six, both for 
 the convenience of room, and to guard against the ice 
 breaking under our boat, which often happened, and 
 then it was necessary to launch, or carry her to a place 
 which we thought strong enough to bear her weight. 
 
 In eleven days we saw the sea, and, with great diffi- 
 culty, got out the boat. We sailed about ten or twelve 
 leagues N. N. W. as before, when we were again en- 
 closed ; and this was repeated five several times. The last 
 ice, however, was worse than any before, and although 
 it was so thick that we could not force the boat through 
 it, yet it was not so solid as to bear the weight of a man ; 
 therefore, notwithstanding we daily saw enough seals, 
 we could take none of them. 
 
 It fortunately happened, that when we parted from 
 the hard ice, we had seven seals in store, and one that 
 we took dead, which was consumed without consulting 
 how it had died. 
 
 We were next reduced to short allowance, having only 
 one among us to serve two days, which, with about 
 three ounces of flour, mixed with water, and boiled in
 
 264 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the fat of the seal, was all our provision. At length we 
 were obliged to share both feet and skin, each of us al- 
 lowing a little fat to make a fire. But being constrained 
 to eat the whole, skin and bone also, scarcely boiled, in- 
 jured our stomachs so much, that some of our number 
 died, and I myself suffered severely. 
 
 On getting clear of the loose ice, if the w^nd was so 
 adverse as to prevent our rowing, we made fast the boat 
 to an island of ice until better weather. Although this 
 sheltered us, we were often in gteat danger, from the 
 islands driving foul of us, so that it was wonderful we 
 escaped. 
 
 We drank the ice mixed with brandy ; and our pro- 
 visions, with good management, lasted until OUT coming 
 ashore, for it pleased God to save some of us by taking 
 others to himself. Our companions began to die two or 
 three in a day, until we were at last reduced to nine. 
 
 The feet of several who died were bit in such a man- 
 ner by the frost, that, on stripping them, which was 
 done to give the clothes to the survivors, their toes came 
 away with the stockings. The last who died was the 
 boatswain, who lived until the day before we saw land. 
 
 Our compass was broken by the last field of ice through 
 which we passed, and soon after we lost our water- 
 bucket, which was used for bailing. Our course was 
 directed by the sun in the day-time, and the stars by 
 night. 
 
 Though many other accidents befel us, it pleased the 
 Lord to bring us safe to land, after passing twenty-eight 
 days in the boat. 
 
 On the 24th of April, we arrived at Baccalew. and 
 thence repaired to the bay of Verds, in Newfoundland, 
 where we found three men providing for a fishing voy- 
 age, who carried us to their house, and gave us such 
 things as they had. But they being indifferently stored, 
 and unable to maintain us, we determined to go to St. 
 John's, notwithstanding some of us were so much frost- 
 bit, as to be obliged to be carried to the boat Before 
 getting to cape St. Francis, however, the wind veered to 
 the southwest, which compelled us to row all night. In
 
 LOSS OP THE .ENEAS TRANSPORT. 265 
 
 the morning we reached Portugal Cove, where to our 
 unspeakable joy, some men were found preparing for the 
 summer's fishing. They showed us so much compas- 
 sion as to launch a boat, and tow us over to Belleisle, 
 and there we were courteously received. All were so 
 weak that we were carried ashore on men's shoulders ; 
 and we were besides so disfigured with hunger, cold, 
 and the oil of seals, that people could hardly recognise 
 us as men, except for the shape. At Belleisle we re- 
 mained ten days, when, being somewhat recruited, we 
 went to St. John's. Thus, in all this extremity, God 
 miraculously preserved nine out of ninety-six that were 
 in the ship. 
 
 LOSS OF THE JSNEAS TRANSPORT. 
 
 THE J3neas transport sailed with three hundred and 
 forty-seven souls on board, including a party of men be- 
 longing to the 100th regiment of foot, as also some offi- 
 cers, together with several women and children. About 
 four in the morning of the 23d of October, 1805, the ves- 
 sel struck violently on a rock, and received such damage 
 that her total wreck soon became evident to all on board. 
 For the first few minutes after this alarming occurrence, 
 the women and children clung to their husbands and fa- 
 thers ; but in a short time, a prodigious wave swept not 
 less than two hundred and fifty of those miserable peo- 
 ple into the ocean. The rock whereon the vessel had 
 struck, speedily forced its way through the decks, and 
 then it appears, from her parting, thirty-five of the sur- 
 vivors were driven on a small island before eight in the 
 morning, about a quarter of a mile distant, but when 
 she had entirely gone to pieces. 
 
 The narrative of these events was collected from one 
 of the survivors, a soldier of the 100th regiment, who 
 could give no correct account of how he and the others 
 got ashore, but he supposed they were floated in by part 
 of the wreck.- He remembered to have observed one of 
 23
 
 266 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the boys endeavoring to save major Bertram, whose arm 
 was broken by some timber, and he was on the point of 
 sinking ; he held him up as long as his strength per- 
 mitted ; but to save his own life, was forced to let go 
 his hold, and the major perished. 
 
 The thirty-five men who gained the shore, consisted 
 of part of the regiment, two of whom were officers, lieu- 
 tenant Dawson and ensign Faulkner, and seven sailors. 
 Immediately on landing, the wind unfortunately chang- 
 ed, so that not an article of any kind was saved from 
 the wreck. Mr. Faulkner was aware of the real situa- 
 tion they had reached, judging the main-land, which 
 they saw about a mile distant, to be Newfoundland, and 
 that they were about three hundred miles distant from 
 the town of St. John's. 
 
 After passing one night on the little island, they con- 
 structed a raft, by means of which, thirty of them arriv- 
 ed on the main-land. Previous to this, however, four 
 survivors of the shipwreck had died, among whom was 
 the poor fellow who had endeavored to save major Ber- 
 tram. Another, who had both his legs broken, was miss- 
 ing, as he had crawled away from his comrades, that he 
 might die in quiet. But, eight days afterwards, he was 
 found alive, though in a shocking state, as his feet were 
 frozen off. Yet he survived all this, and reached Que- 
 bec at a future period. Most of the party set out, leav- 
 ing three behind them, who were unable to walk from 
 bruises, and directed their course towards the rising 
 sun; but when the first day had elapsed, lieutenant 
 Dawson became incapable of keeping up with the re- 
 mainder ; and two soldiers staid to attend him. These 
 three toiled onwards without any food, except the ber- 
 ries which they found ; and lieutenant Dawson was 
 then unable to stand, unless supported. On reaching the 
 banks of a river, one of the soldiers attempted to carry 
 him across on his back ; but having waded up to the 
 neck, he was obliged to return, and lay him down on 
 the bank. There Mr. Dawson entreated his faithful at- 
 tendants to make the best of their way, and leave him to 
 his fate ; and at the same time, affectionately squeezing
 
 LOSS OF THE JENEAS TRANSPORT. 267 
 
 their hands, he entreated them to inform his father of 
 his melancholy end. Here the soldier, who was one of 
 them, and who related these affecting incidents, burst 
 into a flood of tears before he could proceed. " We staid 
 with him," said he, " until we did not know whether 
 he was alive or dead." 
 
 The two survivors continued wandering in a weak 
 and feeble state for twelve days longer, making twenty- 
 six in all from the period of their shipwreck, and sub- 
 sisting on what they could find on a barren and inhos- 
 pitable land. But after the first four or five days, they 
 suffered no hunger, for, as they themselves said, their 
 misfortunes were so great as to banish its influence, and 
 to deprive them of the sense of feeling. The snow be- 
 sides was so deep during the last two days, as to pre- 
 vent them from getting the berries as usuaL 
 
 At last they were found by a man belonging to a hunt- 
 ing party, who, little suspecting to see human beings in 
 that desolate region, took them, at a distance, for deer, 
 and had concealed himself behind a fallen tree, with his 
 gun pointed towards one of them, when his dog, leaping 
 towards them, began to bark, and showed his error. 
 When they related their shipwreck, and the sufferings 
 they had endured, tears stole down the cheeks of the 
 huntsman, and, taking the moccasins from his feet, gave 
 them to the poor miserable creatures. He invited them 
 to his hunting-cabin, saying it was only a mile off, though 
 the real distance was at least twelve miles ; but, by de- 
 grees, he enticed them to proceed, and at length they 
 gained it. On approaching the hut, four or five men. 
 came out with long, bloody knives in their hands, when 
 the narrator, turning to his comrade, exclaimed, " After 
 all we have escaped, are we brought here to be butcher- 
 ed and ate up ?" But they soon discovered tbair mistake, 
 for the men had been cutting up some deer, the fruit of 
 their chase , and the appearance of the unfortunate sol- 
 diers quickly excited sentiments of pity in their breast, 
 they produced a bottle of rum wherewith they were re- 
 freshed. 
 
 Every possible comfort was ministered by the hunters
 
 268 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 to the unfortunate wanderers, and, from the accounts 
 and description given to them, they set out in quest of 
 the others. They luckily succeeded in finding the man 
 who remained the first day on the island, and also the 
 other two who were unable to leave the shore. 
 
 Those two men who had accompanied lieutenant 
 Dawson, appeared to have made but little progress dur- 
 ing twenty-six days of travelling, for they were disco- 
 vered in a place not very remote from whence they set 
 out. Thus, involved among the woods, they must have 
 returned over the same ground that they had passed. 
 
 Those whom the huntsman first met endeavored to 
 make them understand where they might find the re- 
 mains of lieutenant Dawson, and ensign Faulkner, and 
 his party, but they could speak too vaguely of where 
 they had themselves been, to give any pointed directions 
 on the subject. But two of the latter were found by a 
 man on another hunting excursion, about ninety miles 
 distant, apparently lifeless ; though on being carried to 
 an adjacent settlement they recovered. Of the whole 
 thirty-five who survived the wreck of the transport, ac- 
 counts could be heard only of these five. 
 
 Ensign Faulkner was a strong, active, enterprising 
 man. and fully capable of adopting whatever means 
 could be devised for preservation. Both he and lieuten- 
 ant Dawson, who was scarce more -than seventeen years 
 of age, were of the greatest promise. While the trans- 
 port lay about three miles from Portsmouth, they are 
 said to have swum to the ship, when the former climbed 
 up her side, but the latter was nearly exhausted. 
 
 A brig from Port, which touched at Newfoundland, 
 carried five of the survivors from thence to Quebec ; and 
 when they arrived there in the barrack-square, a most 
 affecting scene ensued. Men and women eagerly flock- 
 ed around them, with anxious inquiries for some friend 
 or brother who was on board the ill-fated vessel. But 
 all they could answer was, " If you do not see him here, 
 be assured he has perished ; for, of three hundred and 
 forty-seven souls, we five Irish lads and two sailors 
 are all that remain alive." The tears and exclamations 
 following these words can scarce be described.
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR, 
 On a rock in the Archipelago. 
 
 A MISUNDERSTANDING having originated between the 
 court of Great Britain and the Ottoman Porte, a power- 
 ful squadron was ordered to proceed to Constantinople, 
 for the purpose of enforcing compliance with rational 
 propositions. The object, however, proved abortive; 
 and the expedition terminated in a way which did not 
 enhance the reputation of these islands in the eyes of the 
 Turks. 
 
 Sir Thomas Louis, commander of the squadron sent to 
 Dardanelles, having charged captain Palmer with des- 
 patches of the utmost importance for England, the Nauti- 
 lus got under weigh at daylight on the third of January, 
 1807. A fresh breeze from north-east carried her rapidly 
 out of the Hellespont, passing the celebrated castles in 
 the Dardanelles, which severely galled the British. 
 Soon afterwards she passed the island of Tenedos, off 
 the north end of which, two vessels of war were seen at 
 anchor ; they hoisted Turkish colors, and in return the 
 Nautilus showed those of Britain. In the course of this 
 day, many of the other islands abounding in the Greek 
 Archipelago carne in sight, and in the evening, the ship 
 approached the island of Negropont, lying in 38 30 north 
 latitude, and 24 8 east longitude ; but now the naviga- 
 tion became more intricate, from the increasing number 
 of islands, and from the narrow entrance between Ne- 
 gropont and the island of Andros. 
 
 The wind still continued to blow fresh, and as night 
 was approaching, with the appearance of being dark 
 and squally, the pilot, who was a Greek, wished to lie 
 to ifntil morning, which was done accordingly ; and at 
 daylight the vessel again proceeded. His course was 
 shaped for the island Falconera, in a track which has 
 23*
 
 270 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 been so elegantly described by Falconer, in a poem as 
 far surpassing the uncouth productions of modern times, 
 as the Ionian temples surpassed those flimsy structures 
 contributed to render the fame of the originals eternal. 
 This island, and that of And Milo, were made in the 
 evening, the latter distant fourteen or sixteen miles from 
 the more extensive island of Milo, which could not then 
 be seen, from the thickness and haziness of the weather. 
 
 The pilot never having been beyond the present posi- 
 tion of the Nautilus, and declaring his ignorance of the 
 further bearings, now relinquished his charge, which 
 was resumed by the captain. All possible attention was 
 paid to the navigation ; and captain Palmer, after seeing 
 Falconera so plainly, and anxious to fulfil his mission 
 with the greatest expedition, resolved to stand on during 
 the night. He was confident of clearing the Archipelago 
 by morning, and himself pricked the course from the 
 chart which was to be steered by the vessel. This he 
 pointed out to his coxswain, George Smith, of whose 
 ability he entertained a high opinion. Then he ordered 
 his bed to be prepared, not having had his clothes off for 
 the three preceding nights, and having scarce had any 
 sleep from the time of leaving the Dardanelles. 
 
 A night of extreme darkness followed, with vivid 
 lightning constantly flashing in the horizon ; but this 
 circumstance served to inspire the captain with a greater 
 degree of confidence ; for being enabled by it to see so 
 much farther at intervals, he thought, that should the 
 ship approach any land, the danger would be discovered 
 in sufficient time to be avoided. 
 
 The wind continued still increasing ; and though the 
 ship carried but little sail, she went at the rate of nine' 
 miles an hour, being assisted by a lofty following sea, 
 which with the brightness of the lightning, made the 
 night particularly awful. At half past two in the morn- 
 ing, high land was distinguished, which those who saw 
 it supposed to be the island of Cerigotto, and thence 
 thought all safe, and that every danger had been left be- 
 hind. The ship's course was altered to pass the island, 
 and she continued on her course until half past four, at
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR. 271 
 
 the changing of the watch, when the man on the look- 
 out exclaimed, "breakers ahead !" and immediately the 
 vessel struck with a most tremendous crash. Such was 
 the violence of the shock, that people were thrown from 
 their beds, and, on coming upon deck, were obliged to 
 cling to the cordage. All was now confusion and 
 alarm ; the crew hurried on deck, which they had scarce 
 time to do when the ladders below gave way, and in- 
 deed left many persons struggling in the water, which 
 already rushed into the under part of the ship. The 
 captain it appeared had not gone to bed, and immedi- 
 ately came on deck when the Nautilus struck ; there 
 having examined her situation, he immediately went 
 round, accompanied by his second lieutenant, Mr. Nes- 
 bit. and endeavored to quiet the apprehensions of the 
 people. He then returned to his cabin, and burnt his 
 papers and private signals. Meantime every sea lifted 
 up the ship, and then dashed her with irresistible force 
 on the rocks ; and in a short time, the crew were obliged 
 to resort to the rigging, where they remained an hour, 
 exposed to the surges incessantly breaking over them. 
 There they broke out into the most lamentable exclama- 
 tions, for their parents, children, and kindred, and the 
 distresses they themselves endured. The weather was 
 so dark and hazy, that the rocks coald be seen only at a 
 very small distance, and in two minutes afterwards the 
 ship had struck. 
 
 At this time the lightning had ceased, but the dark- 
 ness of the night was such, that the people could not 
 see the length of the ship from them ; their only hope 
 rested in the falling of the main-mast, which they trust- 
 ed would reach a small rock, which was discovered 
 very near them. Accordingly, about half an hour be- 
 fore daybreak, the main-mast gave way, providentially 
 falling towards the rock, and by means of it they were 
 enabled to gain the land. 
 
 The struggles and confusion to which this incident 
 gave birth, can better be conceived than described ; some 
 of the crew were drowned, one man had his arm br6ke, 
 and many were cruelly lacerated ; but captain Palmer
 
 272 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 refused to quit his station, while any individual remain- 
 ed on board ; and not until the whole of his people had 
 gained the rock, did he endeavor to save himself. At 
 that time, in consequence of remaining by the wreck, he 
 had received considerable personal injury, and must in- 
 fallibly have perished, had not some of the seamen ven- 
 tured through a tremendous sea to his assistance. The 
 boats were staved in pieces ; several of the people en- 
 deavored to haul in the jolly-boat, which they were in- 
 capable of accomplishing. 
 
 The hull of the vessel being interposed, sheltered the 
 shipwrecked crew a long time from the beating of the 
 surf; but as she broke up, their situation became more 
 perilous every moment, and they soon found that they 
 should be obliged to abandon the small portion of the 
 rock, which they had reached, and wade to another, ap- 
 parently somewhat larger. The first lieutenant, by 
 watching the breaking of the seas, had got safely thither, 
 and it was resolved by the rest to follow his example. 
 Scarce was this resolution formed, and attempted to be 
 put into execution, when the people encountered an im- 
 mense quantity of loose spars, which were immediately 
 washed into the channel which they had to pass ; but 
 necessity would admit of no alternative. Many in cross- 
 ing between the two rocks were severely wounded; and 
 they suffered more in this undertaking than in gaining 
 the first rock from the ship. The loss of their shoes was 
 now felt in particular, for the sharp rocks tore their feet 
 in a dreadful manner, and the legs of some were covered 
 with blood. 
 
 Daylight beginning to a'ppear, disclosed the horrors by 
 which those unfortunate men were surrounded. The 
 sea was covered with the wreck of their ill fated ship; 
 many of their unhappy comrades were seen floating 
 away on spars and timbers ; and the dead and dying 
 were mingled together without a possibility of the sur- 
 vivors affording assistance to any that might still be res- 
 cued. Two short hours had been productive of all 
 this misery, the ship destroyed and her crew reduced 
 to a situation of despair. Their wild arid affrighted
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAB. 273 
 
 looks indicated the sensations by which they were agi- 
 tated ; but on being recalled to a sense of their real con- 
 dition, they saw that they had nothing left but resigna- 
 tion to the will of Heaven. 
 
 The shipwrecked mariners now discovered that they 
 were cast away on a coral-rock almost level with the 
 water, about three or four hundred yards long, and two 
 hundred broad. They were at least twelve miles from 
 the nearest islands, which were afterwards found to be 
 those of Cerigotto and Pera, on the north end of Candia, 
 about thirty miles distant. At this time it was reported 
 that a small boat, wilh several men, had escaped ; and 
 although the fact was true, the uncertainty of her fate 
 induced those on the rock to confide in being relieved by 
 any vessel accidentally passing in sight of a signal of dis- 
 tress they had hoisted on a long pole; the neighboring 
 inlands being too distant. 
 
 The weather had been extremely cold, and the day 
 preceding the shipwreck, ice had lain on the deck ; now, 
 to resist its inclemency, a fire was made, by means of a 
 knife and a flint preserved in the pocket of one of the 
 sailors ; and with much difficulty, some damp powder, 
 from a small barrel washed on shore, was kindled. A 
 kind of tent was next made, with pieces of old canvass, 
 boards, and such things as could be got about the wreck, 
 and the people were thus enabled to dry the few clothes 
 they had saved. But they passed a long and comfort- 
 less night, though partly consoled with the hope of their 
 fire being descried in the dark, and taken for a signal of 
 distress. Nor was this hope altogether disappointed. 
 
 When the ship first struck, a small whale-boat was 
 hanging over the quarter, into which, an officer, George 
 Smith, the coxswain, and nine men, immediately got, 
 and lowering themselves into the water, happily escap- 
 ed. After rowing three or four leagues against a very 
 high sea, and the wind blowing hard, they reached the 
 small island of Pera. This proved to be scarce a mile 
 in circuit, and containing nothing but a few sheep and 
 goats, belonging to the inhabitants of Cerigo, who come 
 in thp summer months to carry away their young.
 
 274 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 They could find no fresh water, except a small residue 
 from rain in the hole of a rock, and that was barely suf- 
 ficient though most sparingly used. During the night, 
 having observed the fire above-mentioned, the party be- 
 gan to conjecture that some of their shipmates mkht 
 have been saved, for until then, they had deemed their 
 destruction inevitable. The coxswain, impressed with 
 this opinion, proposed again hazarding themselves in the 
 boat for their relief, and, although some feeble objections 
 were offered against it, he continued resolute to his pur- 
 pose, and persuaded four others to accompany him. 
 
 About nine in the morning of Tuesday, the second 
 day of the shipwreck, the approach in the little whale- 
 boat was descried by those on the rock ; all uttered an 
 exclamation of joy, and in return, the surprise of the cox- 
 swain and his crew to find so many of their shipmates 
 still surviving is not to be described. But the surf ran 
 so high as to endanger the safety of the boat, and seve- 
 ral of the people imprudently endeavored to get into 
 it. The coxswain tried to persuade captain Palmer to 
 come to him, but he steadily refused, saying, "No, 
 Smith, save your unfortunate shipmates, never mind 
 me." After some little consultation, he desired him to 
 take the Greek pilot on board, and make the best of his 
 way to Cerigotto, where the pilot said there were some 
 families of fishermen, who doubtless would relieve their 
 necessities. 
 
 But it appeared as if Heaven had ordained the des- 
 truction of this unfortunate crew, for, soon after the boat 
 departed, the wind began to increase, and dark clouds 
 gathering around, excited among those remaining be- 
 hind, all their apprehensions for a frightful storm. In 
 about two hours it commenced with the greatest fury ; 
 the waves rose considerably, and soon destroyed the 
 fire. They nearly covered the rock, and compelled the 
 men to fly to the highest part for refuge, which was the 
 only one that could afford any shelter. There, nearly 
 ninety people passed a night of the greatest horror ; and 
 the only means of preventing themselves from being 
 swept away by the surf, which every moment broke
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR. 275 
 
 over them, was by a small rope fastened round the sum- 
 mit of the rock, and with difficulty holding on by each 
 other. 
 
 The fatigues which the people had previously under- 
 gone, added to what they now endured, proved too over- 
 powering to many of their number ; several became de- 
 lirious ; their strength was exhausted, and they could 
 hold on no longer. Their afflictions were still further 
 aggravated by an apprehension that the wind, veering 
 more to the north, would raise the sea to their present 
 situation, in which case a single wave would have 
 swept them all into oblivion. 
 
 The hardships which the crew had already suffered 
 were sufficient to terminate existence, and many had 
 met with deplorable accidents. One in particular, while 
 crossing the channel between the rocks at an unsuita- 
 ble time, was dashed against them so as to be nearly 
 scalped, and exhibited a dreadful spectacle to his crm- 
 panions. He lingered out the night, and next morning, 
 expired. The more fortunate survivors were but ill pre- 
 pared to meet the terrible effects of famine ; their 
 strength enfeebled, their bodies unsheltered, and aban- 
 doned by hope. Nor were they less alarmed for the fate 
 of their boat. The storm came on before she could have 
 reached the intended island, and on her safety, their own 
 depended. But the scene which daylight presented was 
 still more deplorable. The survivors beheld the corpses 
 of their departed shipmates, and some still in the ago- 
 nies of death. They were themselves altogether ex- 
 hausted, from the sea's all night breaking over them, and 
 the inclemency of the weather, which was such, that 
 many, among whom was the carpenter, perished from 
 excessive cold. 
 
 But this unfortunate crew had now to suffer a morti- 
 fication, and to witness an instance of inhumanity, which 
 leaves an eternal stain of infamy on those who merit 
 the reproach. Soon after day broke, they observed a 
 vessel with all sail set, coming down before the wind, 
 steering directly for the rock. They made every possi- 
 ble signal of distress which their feeble condition ad-
 
 276 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 mitted, nor without effect, for they were at last seen by 
 the vessel, which bore to and hoisted out her boat. The 
 joy which this occasioned may be easily conceived, for 
 nothing short of immediate relief was anticipated ; and 
 they hastily made preparations for rafts to carry them 
 through the surf, confident that the boat was pcavided 
 with whatever might administer to their necessities. 
 Approaching still nearer, she came within pistol-shot, 
 full of men dressed in the European fashion, who after 
 having gazed at them a few minutes, the person who 
 steered, waved his hat to them and then rowed off to his 
 ship. The pain of the shipwrecked people at this bar- 
 barous proceeding was acute, and heightened even more, 
 by beholding the stranger vessel employed the whole 
 day in taking up the floating remains of that less fortu- 
 nate one which had so lately borne them. 
 
 Perhaps the abandoned wretches guilty of so unfeeling 
 an act may one day be disclosed, and it would surely 
 excite little compassion to learn that they suffered 
 that retribution which such inhuman conduct me- 
 rits. That people dressed in the habit of Englishmen, 
 though belonging to a different nation, could take ad- 
 vantage of misery instead of relieving it, will scarce 
 seem creditable at the present day, were not some in- 
 stances of a similar nature related elsewhere than in 
 these volumes. 
 
 After this cruel disappointment, and bestowing an 
 anathema which the barbarity of the strangers deserved, 
 the thoughts of the people were, during the remainder of 
 the day, directed towards the return of the boat ; and 
 being disappointed there also, their dread that she had 
 been lost was only further confirmed. They began to 
 yield to despondency, and had the gloomy prospect of 
 certain death before them. Thirst then became intolera- 
 ble ; and in spite of being warned against it by instances 
 of the terrific effects ensuing, some in desperation re- 
 sorted to salt water. Their companions had soon the 
 grief of learning what they would experience by follow- 
 ing their example ; in a few hours, raging madness fol- 
 lowed, and nature could struggle no longer.
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR. 277 
 
 Another awful night was to be passed, yet the wea- 
 ther being considerably more moderate, the sufferers en- 
 tertained hopes that it would be less disastrous than the 
 one preceding ; and to preserve themselves from the 
 cold, they crowded close together and covered themselves 
 with their few remaining rags. But the ravings of their 
 comrades who had drank salt water, were truly horrible ; 
 all endeavors to quiet them, were ineffectual, and the 
 power of sleep lost its influence. In the middle of the 
 night they were unexpectedly hailed by the crew of the 
 whale-boat; but the only object of the people on the 
 rock was water ; they cried out to their shipmates for it, 
 though in vain. Earthern vessels only could have been 
 procured, and these would not bear being conveyed 
 through the surf. The coxswain then said they should 
 be taken off the rock by a fishing-vessel in the morning, 
 and with this assurance they were forced to be content. 
 It was some consolation to know that the boat was safe, 
 and that relief had so far been obtained. 
 
 All the people anxiously expected morning, and, for 
 the first time since being on the rock, the sun cheered 
 them with its rays. Still the fourth morning came and 
 no tidings either of the boat or vessel. The anxiety of 
 the people increased, for inevitable death from famine, 
 was staring them in the face. What were they to do 
 for self-preservation ? The misery and hunger which 
 they endured, were extreme ; they were not ignorant of 
 the means whereby other unfortunate mariners in the 
 like situation had protracted life, yet they viewed them 
 with disgust. Still when they had no alternative, they 
 considered their urgent necessities and found them af- 
 fording some excuse. Offering prayers to Heaven for 
 forgiveness of the sinful act, they selected a young man 
 who had died the preceding night, and ventured to ap- 
 pease their hunger with human flesh. , 
 
 Whether the people were relieved is uncertain ; for to- 
 wards evening, death had made hasty strides among 
 them, and many brave men drooped under their hard- 
 ships. Among these were the captain and first lieuten- 
 ant, two meritorious officers ; and the sullen silence now 
 24
 
 278 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 preserved by the survivors, showed the state of their in- 
 ternal 'feelings. Captain Palmer was in the twenty-sixth 
 year of his age ; amidst his endeavors to comfort those 
 Under his command, his companions in misfortune, his 
 personal injuries were borne with patience and resigna- 
 tion, and no murmurs escaped his lips ; his virtuous life 
 was prematurely closed by the overwhelming severities 
 of the lamentable catastrophe he had shared. 
 
 During the course of another tedious night, many 
 suggested the possibility of constructing a raft which 
 might carry the survivors to Cerigotto ; and the wind 
 being favorable, might enable them to reach that island. 
 At all events, attempting this seemed preferable to re- 
 maining on the rock to expire of hunger and thirst. Ac- 
 cordingly, at daylight they prepared to put their plan in 
 execution. A number of the larger spars were lashed 
 together, and sanguine hopes of success entertained. 
 At length the moment of launching the raft arrived, but 
 it^was only to distress the people with new disappoint- 
 ments, for a few moments sufficed for the destruction of 
 a work on which the strongest of the party had been oc- 
 cupied hours. Several from this unexpected failure be- 
 came still more desperate, and five resolved to trust 
 themselves on a few small spars slightly lashed together, 
 and on which they had scarce roorri to stand. Bidding 
 their companions adieu, they launched out into the sea, 
 where they were speedily carried away by unknown 
 currents, and vanished forever from sight. 
 
 Towards the same afternoon, the people were again 
 rejoiced by the sight of the whale-boat, and the cox- 
 swain told them that he had experienced great difficulty 
 in prevailing on the Greek fishermen of Cerigotto to ven- 
 ture in their boats, ,from dread of the weather. Netther 
 would they permit him to take them unaccompanied by 
 themselves ; he regretted what his comrades had endur- 
 ed, and his grief at not being able yet to relieve them, 
 but encouraged them with hopes, if the weather remain- 
 ed fine, that next day the boats might come. While the 
 coxswain spoke this, twelve or fourteen men imprudently 
 plunged from the rock into the sea, and very nearly
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR. 279 
 
 *. 
 
 reached the boat. Two ; indeed, got so far as to be tak- 
 en in; one was drowned, and the rest providentially re- 
 covered their former station. Those who thus escaped 
 could not but be envied by their companions, while they 
 reproached the indiscretion of the others, who, had they 
 reached the boat, would without all doubt have sunk 
 her, and thus unwittingly consigned the whole to irre- 
 mediable destruction. 
 
 The people were wholly occupied in reflections on the 
 passing incidents ; but their weakness increased as the 
 day elapsed ; one of the survivors described himself as 
 feeling the approach of annihilation, that his sight failed, 
 and his senses became confused ; that his strength was 
 exhausted, and his eyes turned towards the setting sun, 
 under the conviction that he should never see it rise 
 again. Yet on the morning he survived, and he was 
 surprised that Providence willed it should still be so, as 
 several strong men had fallen in the course of the night. 
 While the remainder were contemplating their forlorn 
 condition, and judging this the last day of their lives, 
 the approach of the boats was unexpectedly announced. 
 From the lowest ebb of despair, they were now elated 
 with the most extravagant joy ; and copious draughts 
 of water, quickly landed, refreshed their languid bodies. 
 Never before did they know the blessings which the 
 single possession of water could afford ; it tasted more 
 delicious than the finest wines. 
 
 Anxious preparations were made for immediate de- 
 parture from a place, which had been fatal to so many 
 unhappy sufferers. Of one hundred and twenty-two 
 persons on board the Nautilus when she struck, fifty- . 
 eight had perished. Eighteen were drowned, it was 
 supposed, at the moment of the catastrophe, and one in 
 attempting to reach the boat ; five were lost on the small 
 raft, and thirty-four died of famine. About fifty now 
 embarked in our fishing vessels, and landed the same 
 evening at the island of Cerigotto, making altogether 
 sixty-four individuals, including those who escaped in 
 the whale-boat. Six days had been passed on the rock, 
 nor had the people, during that time, received any as*
 
 280 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 sistance, excepting from the human flesh of which they 
 had participated 
 
 The survivors landed at a small creek in the island 
 of Cerigotto, after which they had to go to a considerable 
 distance before reaching the dwellings of their friends. 
 Their first care was to send for the master's mate, who 
 had escaped to the island of Pori, and had been left be- 
 hind when the whale-boat came down to the rock. He 
 and his companions had exhausted all the fresh water, 
 but lived on the sheep and goats, which they caught 
 among the rocks, and had drank their blood. There 
 they had remained in a state of great uncertainty con- 
 cerning the fate of those who had left them in the boat. 
 
 Though the Greeks could not aid the seamen in the 
 care of their wounds, they treated them with great care 
 and hospitality ; but medical assistance being important, 
 from the pain the sufferers endured, and having nothing 
 to bind up their wounds but shirts which they tore into 
 bandages, they were eager to reach Cerigo. The island 
 of Cerigotto, where they had landed, was a dependency 
 on the other, about fifteen miles long, ten broad, and of 
 a barren and unproductive soil, with little cultivation. 
 Twelve or fourteen families of Greek fishermen dwelt up- 
 on it, as the pilot had said, who were in a state of ex- 
 treme poverty. Their houses, or rather huts, consisting 
 of cne or two rooms on the same floor, were, in general, 
 built against the side of a rock ; the walls composed of 
 clay and straw, and the roof supported by a tree in the 
 centre of the dwelling. Their food was a coarse kind 
 of bread, formed of boiled pease and flour, which was 
 made into a kind of paste for the strangers, with once or 
 twice a bit of kid ; and that was all which they could 
 expect 'from their deliverers. But they made a liquor 
 from corn, which having an agreeable flavor, and being 
 a strong spirit, was drank with avidity by the sailors. 
 
 Cerigo was about twenty-five miles distant, and there, 
 it was also said, an English consul resided. Eleven 
 days elapsed, however, before the crew could leave Ceri- 
 gotto, from the difficulty of persuading the Greeks to 
 adventure to sea, in their frail barks, during tempestuous
 
 LOSS OF THE NAUTILUS SLOOP OF WAR. 281 
 
 weather. The wind at last proving fair, with a smooth 
 sea, they bade a grateful adieu to the families of their 
 deliverers, who were tenderly affected by their distresses, 
 and shed tears of regret when they departed. In six or 
 eight hours, they reached Cerigo, where they were re- 
 ceived with open arms. Immediately on arrival, they 
 were met by the English vice-consul, Signer Manuel 
 Caluci, a native of the island, who devoted his house, 
 bed, credit, and whole attention to their service ; and the 
 survivors unite in declaring their inability to express the 
 obligations under which he laid them. The governor, 
 commandant, bishop, and principal people, all showed 
 equal hospitality, care, and friendship, and exerted 
 themselves to render the time agreeable ; insomuch that 
 it was with no little regret that these shipwrecked mari- 
 ners thought of forsaking the island. 
 
 After the people had remained three weeks at Cerigo, 
 they learnt that a Russian ship of-war lay at anchor 
 off the Morea, about twelve leagues distant, being driven 
 in by bad weather, and immediately sent letters to her 
 commanding officer, narrating their misfortunes, and so- 
 liciting a passage to Corfu. The master of the- Nautilus 
 determined to make the most of the opportunity, took a 
 boat to reach the Russian vessel ; but he was at first so 
 unfortunate as to be blown on the rocks in a heavy gale 
 of wind, where he nearly perished, and the boat was 
 staved in pieces. However, he luckily got to the ship, 
 and after some difficulty, succeeded in procuring the de- 
 sired passage for himself and his companions to Corfu. 
 Her commander, to accommodate them, came down to 
 Cerigo, and anchored at a small port called St. Nicholas, 
 at the eastern extremity of the island. The English em- 
 barked on the 5th, but, owing to contrary winds, did not 
 sail until the 15th of February, when they bade farewell 
 to their friends. They next touched at Zante, another 
 small island, abounding in currants and olives ; the oil 
 from the latter of which constitutes the chief riches of 
 the people. After remaining there four days, they sailed 
 for Corfu, where they arrived on the 2d of March, 1807, 
 nearly two months after the date of their shipwreck. 
 24* 

 
 LOSS OF HIS B. MAJESTY'S SHIP AMPHION. 
 
 THE Amphion frigate, Captain Israel Fellow, after hav- 
 ing cruised some time in the North Seas, had at length 
 receiv.ed an' order to join the squadron of frigates com- 
 manded by Sir Edward Fellow. She was on her passage, 
 when a hard gale of wind occasioning some injury to 
 the fore-mast, obliged her to put back into Plymouth, 
 off which place she then was. She accordingly came 
 into the Sound, anchored there on the 19th, and went up 
 into harbor the next morning. 
 
 On the 22d, at about half past four P. M., a violent 
 shock, as of an earthquake, was felt at Stone-house, and 
 extended as far off as the Royal hospital and the town of 
 Plymouth. The sky towards the Dock appeared red, 
 like the effect of a fire ; for near a quarter of an hour, the 
 cause of this appearance could not be ascertained, though 
 the streets were crowded with people running different 
 ways in the utmost consternation. 
 
 When the alarm and confusion had somewhat sub- 
 sided, it first began to be known that the shock had been 
 occasioned by the explosion of the Amphion. Several 
 bodies and mangled remains were picked up by the boats 
 in Harmoaze ; and their alacrity on this occasion was par- 
 ticularly remarked and highly commended. The few 
 who remained alive of the crew were conveyed, in a 
 mangled state, to the Royal Hospital. As the frigate was 
 originally manned from Plymouth, the friends and rela- 
 tions of her unfortunate ship's company mostly lived in 
 the neighborhood. It is dreadful to relate what a scene 
 took place arms, legs and lifeless trunks, mangled and 
 disfigured by gunpowder, were collected and deposited 
 at the hospital, having been brought in sacks to be own- 
 ed. Bodies still living, some with the loss of limbs, 
 others having expired as they were being conveyed thith- 
 er; men. women and children, whose sons, husbands, 
 and fathers were among the unhappy number, flocking
 
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP AMPIIION. 283 
 
 round the gates, entreating admittance. During the first 
 evening nothing was ascertained concerning the cause of 
 this event, though numerous reports were instantly cir- 
 culated. The few survivors, who, by the following day, 
 had, in some degree, regained the use of their senses, 
 could not give the least account. One man who was 
 hrought alive to the Royal Hospital, died before night, 
 another before the following morning; the boatswain and 
 one of the sailors appeared likely, with great care, to do 
 well. Three or four men who were at work in the tops, 
 were blown up with them, arid falling into the water, 
 were picked up with very little hurt. These, with the 
 two before mentioned, and one of the sailors, wives, were 
 supposed to be the only survivors, besides tlie captain and 
 two of the lieutenants. 
 
 The following particulars were, however, collected 
 from the examination of several persons before Sir 
 Richard King, the port-admiral, and the information pro- 
 cured from those, who saw the explosion from the Dock. 
 The first person known to have observed any thing 
 was a young midshipman in the Cambridge guard-ship, 
 lying not far distant from the place where the Amphion 
 blew up ; who having a great desire to observe every 
 thing relative to a profession into which he had just en- 
 tered. was looking through a glass at the frigate, as she 
 lay along side of the sheer-hulk, and was taking in her 
 bowsprit. She was lashed to the hulk ; and the Yar- 
 mouth, an old receiving ship, was lying on the oppo- 
 site side, quite close to her, and both within a few yards 
 of the Dock-yard jetty. The midshipman said, that the 
 Amphion suddenly appeared to rise altogether upright 
 from the surface of the water, until he nearly saw the 
 keel ; the explosion then succeeded ; the masts seemed to 
 be forced up into the air, and the hull instantly to sink. 
 All this passed in the space of two minutes. 
 
 The man who stood at the Dock-yard stairs, said, that 
 the first he heard of it was a kind of hissing noise, and 
 then followed the explosion, when he beheld the masts 
 blown up into the air. It was very strongly reported 
 that several 'windows were broken in the Dock by the
 
 294 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 explosion, and that in the Dock-yard, much mischief was 
 done by the Amphion's guns going off when she blew up ; 
 but though the shock was felt as far off as Plymouth, 
 and at Stone-house, enough to shake the windows, yet 
 it is a wonderful and miraculous fact, that surrounded 
 as she was in the harbor, with ships close along-side of 
 the jetty, and lashed to another vessel, no damage was 
 done to any thing but herself. It is dreadful to reflect, 
 that owing to their intention of putting to sea the next 
 day, there were nearly one hundred men, women and 
 children, more than her complement on board, taking 
 leave of their friends, besides the company who were at 
 two dinners given in the ship, one of which was by the 
 captain. 
 
 Captain Israel Pellow, and captain William Swaffield, 
 of his Majesty's ship Overyssel, who was at dinner with 
 him and the first lieutenant, were drinking their wine ; 
 when the first explosion threw them off their seats, and 
 struck them against the carlings of the upper deck, so as 
 to stun them. Captain Pellow, however, had sufficient 
 presence of mind to fly to the cabin- windows, and see- 
 ing the two hawsers, one slack in the bit and the other 
 taut, threw himself with an amazing leap, which he af- 
 terwards said, nothing but his sense of danger could 
 have enabled him to take, upon the latter, and by that 
 means saved himself from the general destruction, 
 though his face had been badly cut against the carlings, 
 when he was thrown from his seat. The first lieutenant 
 saved himself in the same manner, by jumping out of 
 the window, and by being also a remarkably good swim- 
 mer; but captain Swaffield, being, as it was supposed, 
 more stunned, did not escape. His body was found on 
 the twenty-second of October, with his skull fractured, 
 appearing to have been crushed between the sides of the 
 vessels. 
 
 The sentinel at the cabin door happened to be looking 
 at his watch ; how he escaped no one can tell, not even 
 himself. He was, however, brought on shore, and but 
 little hurt ; the first thing he felt was, that his watch was 
 dashed out of his hands, after which he was no longer
 
 LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY S SHIP AMPHION. 285 
 
 sensible of what happened to him. The boatswain was 
 standing on the cat-head; the bowsprit had been stepped 
 for three hours ; the gammoning and every thing on ; and 
 he was directing the men in rigging out the jib-boom, 
 when suddenly he felt himself driven upwards and fell 
 into the sea. He then perceived that he was entangled 
 in the rigging, and had some trouble to get clear; when 
 toeing taken up by a boat belonging to one of the men of 
 war, they found that his arm was broken. One of the 
 surviving seamen declared to an officer of rank, that he 
 was preserved in the following truly astonishing manner: 
 He was below at the time the Amphion blew up, and 
 went to the bottom of the ship : he recollected that he had 
 a knife in his pocket, and taking it out, cut his way 
 through the companion of the gun-room, which was al- 
 ready shattered with the explosion ; then letting himself 
 up to the surface of the water, he swam unhurt to the 
 shore. He showed his knife to the officer, and declared 
 he had been under water full five minutes. 
 
 It was likewise said, that one of the sailor's wives had 
 a young child in her arms ; the fright of the shock made 
 her take such fast hold of it, that though the upper part 
 of her body alone remained, the child was found alive, 
 locked fast in her arms, and likely to do well. 
 
 Mr. Spry, an auctioneer who had long lived in great 
 respectability at Dock, with his son and god-son, had 
 gone on board to visit a friend, and were all lost. 
 
 About half an hour before the frigate blew up, one of 
 her lieutenants, and lieutenant -Campbell of the marines, 
 and some of the men got into the boat at the dock-yard 
 stairs, and went off to the ship. Lieutenant Campbell 
 had some business to transact at the Marine barracks in 
 the morning, and continuing there some time, was en- 
 gaged by the officers to stay to dinner and spend the 
 evening with them. Some persons, however, who had, 
 in the interval, come from the Amphion, informed lieu- 
 tenant Campbell there were some letters on board for him. 
 As they were some which he was extremely anxious to 
 receive, he left the barracks abotit half an hour before 
 dinner to fetch them, intending to return immediately ;
 
 286 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 but while he was on board, the ship blew up. He was a 
 young man universally respected and lamented by the 
 corps, as well as by all who knew him. One of the lieu- 
 tenants who lost his life was the only support of an aged 
 mother and sister, who, at his death, had neither friend 
 nor relation left to comfort and protect them. The num- 
 ber of people who were afterwards daily seen at Dock, in 
 deep mourning for their lost relatives, was truly melan- 
 choly. 
 
 Captain Fellow was taken up by the boats and carried 
 to the Commissioner Fanshaw's house, in ths dock-yard, 
 very weak with the exertions he had made,and so shocked 
 with the distressing cause of them, that he at first appeared 
 scarcely to know where he was, or to be sensible of his 
 situation. In the course of a day or two, when he was 
 a little recovered, he was removed to the house of a 
 friend, Dr. Hawker of Plymouth. 
 
 Sir Richard King had given a public dinner in honor 
 of the coronation. Captain Charles Rowley, of the Unite 
 frigate, calling in the morning, was engaged to stay, and 
 excused himself from dining, as he had previously in- 
 tended, on board the Amphion. 
 
 Captain Darby of the Bellerophon, was also to have 
 dined with captain Fellow, and had come round in his 
 boat from Cawsand Bay ; but having to transact some 
 business concerning the ship with Sir Richard King, it de- 
 tained him half an hour longer at Stone-house than he 
 expected. He had just gone down to the beach, and was 
 stepping into the boat to proceed up to Harmoaze when 
 he heard the fatal explosion; Captain Swaffield was to 
 have sailed the next day, so that the difference of twenty 
 four hours would have saved that much lamented and 
 truly valuable officer. His brother, Mr. J. Swaffield, of 
 the Pay-Office, being asked to the same dinner, had set 
 off with him from Stone-house, but before he had reached 
 the Dock, a person came after him upon business, which 
 obliged him to return, and thus saved him from sharing 
 his brother's untimely fate. 
 
 Many conjectures were formed concerning the cause 
 of this catastrophe. Some conceived it to be owing to
 
 Loss OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP AMPHION. 287 
 
 neglect, as the men were employed in drawing the guns, 
 and contrary to rule, had not extinguished all the fires, 
 though the dinners were over. This, however, the first 
 lieutenant declared to be impossible, as they could not 
 be drawing the guns, the key of the magazine hanging, 
 to his certain knowledge, in his cabin, at the time. Some 
 of the men likewise declared that the guns were drawn 
 in the Sound, before they came to Harmoaze. It was also 
 insinuated, that it was done intentionally, as several of 
 the bodies were afterwards found without clothes, as if 
 they had prepared to jump overboard before the ship 
 could have time to blow up. As no mutiny had ever ap- 
 peared in the ship, it seems unlikely that such a desperate 
 plot should have been formed, without any one who sur- 
 vived, having the least knowledge of it. It is, besides, a 
 w;ll-known fact, that in almost every case of shipwreck, 
 where there is a chance of plunder, there are wretches so 
 destitute of the common feelings of humanity as to hover 
 round the scene of horror, in hopes, by stripping the 
 bodies of the dead, and seizing whatever they can lay 
 their hands on, to benefit themselves. 
 
 It was the fore-magazine which took fire ; had it been 
 the after one, much more damage must have ensued. 
 The moment the explosion was heard, Sir Richard arose 
 from dinner, and went in his boat on board the hulk, 
 where the sight he beheld was dreadful ; the deck covered 
 vith blood, mangled limbs and entrails blackened with 
 gunpowder, the shreds of the Amphion's pendant and 
 rigging hanging about her, and pieces of her shattered 
 timbers strewed all around. Some people at dinner in the 
 Yarmouth, though at a very small distance, declared that 
 the report they heard did not appear to be louder than 
 the firing of a cannon from the Cambridge, which they 
 imagined it to be, and had never risen from dinner, till 
 the confusion upon deck led them to think that some ac- 
 cident had happened. 
 
 At low water, the next day, about a foot and a half of 
 one of the masts appeared above water ; and for several 
 days, the dock-yard men were employed in collecting the 
 shattered masts and yards, and dragging out what
 
 288 HEMARKABLE 
 
 could procure from the wreck. On the twenty-ninth, 
 part of the fore-chains was hauled, shattered and splin- 
 tered, also the head and cut-water. 
 
 On the 3rd of October, an attempt was made to raise 
 the Amphion, between the two frigates, the Castor and 
 Iphigenia, which were accordingly moored on each side 
 o- her; but nothing could be got up, excepting a fev/ 
 pieces of the ship, one or two of her guns, some of the 
 men's chests, chairs, and part of the furniture of the 
 cabin. Some bodies floated out from between decks, 
 and among the rest a midshipman's. These, and all 
 that could be found, were towed round by boats through 
 Stone-house bridge, up to the Royal Hospital stairs, lo be 
 interred in the burying-ground. The sight for many 
 weeks was truly dreadful ; the change of tide washing 
 out the putrid bodies, which were towed round by the 
 boats when they would scarcely hold together. 
 
 Bodies continued to be found so late as the 30th of 
 November, when the Amphion having been dragged 
 round to another part^of the dock-yard jetty, to be broken 
 up, the body of a woman was washed out from between 
 decks. A sack was also dragged up, containing gun- 
 powder, covered over at the top with biscuit, and this 
 in seme measure confirmed an idea which had before 
 gained ground, that the gunner had been stealing powder 
 to sell, and had concealed what he could get out by .de- 
 grees, in the above manner; and that, thinking himself 
 safe on a day when every one was entertaining his 
 friends, he had carelessly been among the gunpowder 
 without taking the necessary precautions. As he was 
 said to have been seen at Dock very much in liquor in 
 the morning, it seems probable that this might have been 
 the cause of a calamity as sudden as it was dreadful. 
 
 LOSS OF THE HELEN McGREGOR. 
 
 THE following is a description, by a passenger, of one 
 of the most fatal steam-boat disasters that has ever oc- 
 ""rred "on the western waters.
 
 LOSS OP THE STEAM-BOAT HELEN M C GREGO, 289 
 
 " On the morning of the 24th of February. 1830, the 
 Helen M'Gregor stopped at Memphis, on the Mississippi 
 river, to deliver freight, and land a number of passengers, 
 who resided in that section of Tennessee. The time 
 occupied in so doing could not have exceeded three 
 quarters of an hour. When the boat landed, I went 
 ashore to see a gentleman with whom I had some busi- 
 ness. I found him on the beach, and after a short con- 
 versation, I returned to the boat. I recollect looking at my 
 watch as I passed the gang-way. It was half past eight 
 o'clock. A great number of persons were standing on 
 what is called the boiler-deck, being that part of the up- 
 per deck situated immediately over the boilers. It was 
 crowded to excess, and presented one dense mass of hu- 
 man bodies. In a few minutes we sat down to breakfast 
 in the cabin. The table, although extending the whole 
 length of the cabin, was completely filled, there being 
 upwards of sixty cabin passengers, among whom were 
 several ladies and children. The number of passengers 
 on board, deck and cabin united, was between four and 
 five hundred. I had almost finished my breakfast, when 
 the pilot rang his bell for the engineer to put the machi- 
 nery in motion. The boat having just shoved off, I was 
 in the act of raising my cup to my lips, the tingling of the 
 pilot bell yet on my ear, when I heard an explosion, re- 
 sembling the discharge of a small piece of artillery the 
 report was perhaps louder than usual in such cases, for an 
 exclamation was half uttered by me that the gun was well 
 loaded, when the rushing sound of steam, and the rat- 
 tling of glass in some of the cabin windows, checked my 
 speech and told too well what had occurred. I almost 
 involuntarily bent my head and body down to the floor 
 a vague idea seemed to shoot across my mind that 
 more than one boiler might burst, and that by assuming 
 this posture, the destroying matter would pass over with- 
 out touching me. 
 
 The general cry of " a boiler has burst" resounded from 
 one end of the table to the other ; and, as if by a simul- 
 taneous movement, all started on their feet. Then com- 
 menced a general race to the ladies' cabin, which lay more 
 25
 
 290 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 towards the stern qf the boat. All regard to order of 
 deference to sex seemed to be lost in the struggle for 
 which should be first and farthest removed from the 
 dreaded boilers. The danger had already passed away ! 
 I remained standing by the chair on which I had been 
 previously sitting. Only one person or two staid in the 
 cabin with me. As yet no more than half a minute had 
 elapsed since the explosion ; but, in that brief space how 
 had the scene changed ! In that " drop of time" what 
 confusion, distress and dismay ! An instant before, and 
 all were in the quiet repose of security another, and 
 they were overwhelmed with alarm and consternation. 
 It is but justice to say that in this scene of terror, the 
 ladies exhibited a degree of firmness worthy of all praise. 
 No screaming, no fainting; their fears, when uttered, 
 were for their husbands and children, not for themselves. 
 I advanced from my position to one of the cabin-doors, 
 for the purpose of inquiring who were injured, when just 
 as I reached it, a man entered at the opposite one, both his 
 hands covering his face, and exclaiming " Oh God, Oh 
 God ! I am lost ! I am ruined !" He immediately began 
 to tear off his clothes. When stripped, he presented a 
 most shocking and afflicting spectacle ; his face was en- 
 tirely black his body without a particle of skin. Hs 
 had been flayed alive. He gave me his name, and place 
 of ab6de then sank in a state of exhaustion and agony 
 on the floor. I assisted in placing him on a mattrass 
 taken from one of the berths, and covered him with 
 blankets. He complained of heat and cold as at once 
 oppressing him. He bore his torments with manly for- 
 titude, yet a convulsive shriek would occasionally burst 
 from him. His wife, his children, were his constant 
 theme ; it was hard to die without seeing them " it was 
 hard to go without bidding them one farewell !" Oil and 
 cotton were applied to his wounds ; but he soon became 
 insensible to earthly misery. Before I had done attend- 
 ing to him, the whole floor of the cabin was covered with 
 unfortunate sufferers. Some bore up under the horrors 
 of their situation with a degree of resolution amounting 
 to heroism. Others were wholly overcome by the sense
 
 LOSS OF THE STEAM-BOAT HELEN M { GREQOR. 291 
 
 of pain, the suddenness of the disaster, and the near ap- 
 proach of death, which even to them was evident 
 whose pangs they already felt. Some implored us, as an 
 act of humanity, to complete the work of destruction, 
 and free them from present suffering. One entreated the 
 presence of a clergyman to pray by him, declaring he 
 was not fit to die. I inquired ; none could be had. On 
 every side were to be heard groans and mingled excla- 
 mations of grief and despair. 
 
 To add to the confusion, persons were every moment 
 running about to learn the fate of their friends and rela- 
 tives, fathers, sons, brothers ; for, in this scene of un- 
 mixed calamity, it was impossible to say who were 
 saved, or who had perished. The countenances of many 
 were so much disfigured as to be past recognition. My 
 attention, after some time, was particularly drawn to- 
 wards a poor fellow who lay unnoticed on the floor, 
 without uttering a single word of complaint. He was at 
 a little distance removed from the rest. He was not 
 much scalded, but one of his thighs was broken, and a 
 principal artery had been severed, from which the blood 
 was gushing rapidly. He betrayed no displeasure at 
 the apparent neglect with which he was treated he was 
 perfectly calm. I spoke to him; he said " he was very 
 weak ; but felt himself going it would soon be over." 
 A gentleman ran for one of the physicians ; he came, 
 and declared that if expedition were used, he might be 
 preserved by amputating the limb ; but that, to effect this, 
 it would be necessary to remove him from the boat. Un- 
 fortunately, the boat was not sufficiently near to run a 
 plank ashore. We were obliged to wait until it coaH be 
 close-hauled. I stood by him calling for help; we 
 placed him on a mattrass, and bore him to the guards; 
 there we were detained some time, from the cause I have 
 mentioned. Never did any thing appear to me so slow 
 as the movement of those engaged in hauling the boat. 
 I knew and he knew, that delay was death that life 
 was fast ebbing. I could not take my gaze from his 
 face, there all was coolness and resignation. No word 
 or gesture indicative of impatience escaped him. He
 
 292 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 perceived by my loud, and perhaps angry tone of voice, 
 how much I was excited by what I thought the barba- 
 rous slowness of those around ; he begged me not to take 
 so much trouble ; that they were doing their best. At 
 length we got him on shore. It was too late ; he was 
 too much exhausted, and died immediately after the 
 amputation. 
 
 So soon as I was relieved from attending on those in 
 the cabin, E went to examine that part of the boat where 
 the boiler had burst. It was a complete wreck a pic- 
 ture of destruction. It bore ample testimony of the tre- 
 mendous force of that power which the ingenuity of man 
 has brought to his aid. The steam had given every 
 thing a whitish hue the boilers were displaced the 
 deck had fallen down the machinery was broken and 
 disordered. Bricks, dirt, and rubbish, were scattered 
 about. Close by the bowsprit was a large rent through 
 which, I was told, the boiler after exploding, had passed 
 out, carrying one or two men in its mouth. Several 
 dead bodies were lying around; their fate had been an 
 enviable one compared with that of others ; they could 
 scarcely have been conscious of a pang ere they had 
 ceased to be. On the starboard wheel-house lay a hu- 
 man body, in which life was not yet extinct, though ap- 
 parently, there was no sensibility remaining. The body 
 must have been thrown from the boiler deck, a distance 
 of thirty feet. The whole of the forehead had been 
 blown away; the brains were still beating. Tufts of 
 hair, shreds of clothing, and splotches of blood might be 
 seen in every direction. A piece of skin was picked up 
 by a gentleman on board, which appeared to have been 
 peeled off by the force of the steam ; it extended from 
 the middle of the arm down to the tips of the fingers, 
 the nails adhering to it. So dreadful had been the force 
 that not a particle of the flesh adhered to it ; the most 
 skilful operator could scarcely have effected such a re- 
 sult. Several died from inhaling the steam or gas, 
 whose skin was almost uninjured. 
 
 The number of lives lost will, in all probability, never 
 be distinctly known. Many were seen flung into the
 
 LOSS OF THE STEAM-BOAT HELEN M'GREGOR. 
 
 river, most of whom sank to rise no more. Could the 
 survivors have been kept together until the list of pas- 
 sengers was called, the precise loss would have been as- 
 certained ; that, however, though it had been attempted, 
 would, under the circumstances, have been next to im- 
 possible. 
 
 Judging from the crowd which I saw on the boiler- 
 deck immediately before the explosion, and the state- 
 ment which I received as to the number of those who 
 succeeded in swimming out, after they were cast into the 
 river, I am inclined to believe that between fifty and 
 sixty must have perished. 
 
 The cabin passengers escaped, owing to the peculiar 
 construction of the boat. Just behind the boilers were 
 several large iron posts, supporting, I think, the boiler 
 deck ; across each post was a large circular plate of iron 
 of between one and two inches in thickness. One of 
 those posts was placed exactly opposite the head of the 
 boiler which burst, being the second one on the starboard 
 side. Against this plate, the head struck, and penetrated 
 to the depth of an inch, then broke and flew off at an 
 angle, entering a cotton-bale to the depth of a foot. 
 The boiler-head was in point blank range with the, 
 breakfast-table in the cabin, and had it not been obstruct- 
 ed by the iron post must have made a clear sweep of 
 those who were seated at the table. 
 
 To render any satisfactory account of the cause which 
 produced the explosion, can hardly be expected from one 
 who possesses no scientific or practical knowledge on the 
 subject, and who previously thereto was paying no 
 attention to the management of the boat. The captain 
 appeared to be very active and diligent in attending to 
 his duty. He was on the boiler-deck when the explo- 
 sion occurred; was materially injured by that event, 
 and must have been ignorant of the mismanagement, if 
 any there was. 
 
 From the engineer alone, could the true explanation 
 
 be afforded ; and, if indeed it was really attributable to 
 
 negligence, it can scarcely be supposed he will lay thp 
 
 blame on himself. If I might venture a suggestion in 
 
 25*
 
 294 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 relation thereto, I would assign the following causes : 
 That the water in the starboard boilers had become low, 
 in consequence of that side of the boat resting upon the 
 ground during our stay at Memphis ; that, though the 
 fires were kept up some time before we shoved off, 
 the head which burst had been cracked for a considera- 
 ble time ; that the boiler was extremely heated, and the 
 water thrown in when the boat was again in motion, 
 was at once converted into steam, and the flues not be- 
 ing sufficiently large to carry it off as quickly as it was 
 generated, nor the boiler-head of a strength capable of 
 resisting its action, the explosion was a natural result." 
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP BEVERLY. 
 
 THE ship Beverly, captain Moore, bound to Valparai- 
 so, was burnt at sea, on the 13th November, 1826. She 
 was upwards of seven hundred tons burthen, owned by 
 Israel Thorndike, of Boston, and the value of the ship 
 and cargo was estimated at one hundred and eighteen 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 On the 13th of November, latitude 6, 26, longitude 27, 
 2, at half past three, P. M., the ship was discovered to 
 be on fire in the fore peak, and every exertion was made 
 to extinguish it, for three hours, but without success. 
 From the inflammable nature of the cargo, (which con- 
 sisted of tar, rosin, pitch, turpentine, linseed-oil, spirits 
 and cabinet furniture,) the fire spread with alarming ra- 
 pidity. They succeeded in getting out the boats, into 
 which the officers and crew were divided, and in a few 
 minutes left her, having previously taken in a quantity 
 of provisions. They lay-by to the windward, until 
 about ten o'clock, when the ship had burnt to the wa- 
 ter's edge, and then shaped their course for the coast of 
 Brazil. Finding their progress retarded by waiting for 
 each other, they mutually agreed to separate, on the 
 third day after leaving the ship. There were nine in the 
 pinnace, fifteen in the longrboat, and six in the whale-
 
 LOSS OF THE FRANCES MARY. 295 
 
 boat, making a total of thirty persons cast adiift on the 
 open ocean. 
 
 On the 3d of December, the pinnace landed at Faraibo, 
 three weeks after abandoning the ship. Captain Moore 
 stated that while he was in the boat, he had fine weather, 
 and with the aid of a sail, averaged over ninety miles a 
 day, using the oars but once during the passage. He 
 computed the distance run by the boat at nearly sixteen 
 hundred miles. The fire originated through the care- 
 lessness of the cook, who went below with a lantern, 
 and it is supposed took the candle out. The flames 
 spread so rapidly, that he had his clothes and skin burnt, 
 before he could be extricated, and finally died of his 
 wounds in the boat. 
 
 One of the boys, who arrived with captain Moore in 
 the pinnace, after having escaped the perils of " fire and 
 flood," was so unfortunate as to have one of his legs bit 
 off by a shark, while bathing, soon after he landed. 
 
 LOSS OF THE FRANCES MARY. 
 
 THE Frances Mary was a new ship, of about four 
 hundred tons burthen, commanded by captain Kendall, 
 and bound from New Brunswick to Liverpool, laden 
 with timber. We publish the following particulars of 
 this dreadful disaster as related by captain Kendall. 
 
 Sailed from St. Johns, N. B., January 18, 1826. Feb- 
 ruary 1, strong gales from the W. N. W. ; carried 
 away the main-topmast and mizzen-mast head ; hove 
 to, got boat's sails in the main rigging, to keep the 
 ship to the wind. At 11, P. M., shipped a heavy sea, 
 which washed away the caboose, jolly-boat, and disa- 
 bled five men. February 2d, cleared away the wreck 
 and made sail before the wind ; strong, breezes. Febru- 
 ary 5, 11, A. M., strong gales, with a heavy sea ; clewed 
 up the sails and hove to, head to the southward ; ship- 
 ped a sea, which carried away the long-boat, companion, 
 tiller, the best bower-chain, unshipped the rudder, and 
 21*
 
 298 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 washed a man overboard, who was afterwards saved. 
 At 10. P. M. another heavy sea struck us, which stove 
 in our stern. Cut away our foremast and both bower 
 anchors, to keep the ship to the wind. Employed in 
 getting what provision we could, by knocking out the 
 bow-port ; saved fifty pounds of bread and five pounds 
 of cheese, which we stowed in the maintop. Got the 
 master's wife and female passenger up, whilst we were 
 clearing away below, lightening the ship ; most of the 
 people slept in the top. At daylight, found Patrick Con- 
 ney hanging by his legs to the cat-harpins, dead from fa- 
 tigue ; committed his body to the deep. 
 
 Feburary 6, a* 8, A. M., saw a strange sail standing 
 towards us; made signals of distress, stranger spoke 
 us, and remained in company twenty-four hours, but 
 gave us no assistance ; the American making an excuse 
 that the sea was running too high. Made a tent of spare 
 canvass 'on the forecastle put the people on an allow- 
 ance of a quarter of a biscuit a day. February 8, saw a 
 brig to leeward strong gales. February 9, 10, A. M., 
 observed the same vessel to windward made the signal 
 of distress ; stranger bore up and showed American co- 
 lors. February 10, she spoke us, asking how long we 
 had been in that situation, and what we intended to do, 
 if we intended leaving the ship ? Answered yes. He 
 then asked if we had any rigging? Answered yes. 
 Night coming on, and blowing hard, saw no more of the 
 stranger. Suffered from hunger and thirst. 
 
 On the llth, saw a large ship to the northward did 
 not speak her ; wore head to the northward. At this 
 time all our provisions were out; suffered much from 
 hunger, having received no nourishment for nine days. 
 February 12, departed this life, James Clark, seaman ; 
 read prayers, and committed his body to the deep. We 
 were at this time on a half gill of water a day, and suf- 
 fered much from hunger. During the whole period of 
 being on the wreck we were wet from top to toe. Feb- 
 ruary 22, John Wilson, seaman, died at 10, A. M. ; pre- 
 served the body of the deceased, cut him up in quarters, 
 washed them overboard, and hung them up on pins.
 
 LOSS OF THE FRANCES MARY. 297 
 
 February 23^ J. Moore died, and was thrown overboard, 
 having eaten part of him, such as the liver and heart. 
 From this date to Saturday, 5th of March, the following 
 number perished from hunger, viz. Henry Davis, a 
 Welsh boy, Alex. Kelley, seaman, John Jones, appren- 
 tice boy, nephew of the owner, James Frier, cook, Da- 
 niel Jones, seaman, John Hutchinson, seaman, and John 
 Jones, a boy threw the last named overboard, his blood 
 being bitter. 
 
 James Frier was working his passage home, under a 
 promise of marriage to Ann Saunders, the female passen- 
 ger who attended on the master's wife, and who, when 
 she heard of Frier's death, shrieked a loud yell, then 
 snatching a cup from Clerk, the mate, cut her late in- 
 tended husband's throat and drank his blood ! insisting 
 that she had the greatest right to it. A scuffle ensued, 
 but the heroine got the better of her adversary, and then 
 allowed him to drink one cup to her two. 
 
 February 26, on or about this day an English brig 
 hove in sight ; hoisted the ensign downward ; stranger 
 hauled his wind towards us, and hauled his foresail up 
 when abreast of us ; kept his course about one mile dis- 
 tant set his foresail, and we soon lost sight of him 
 fresh breeze with a little rain the sea quite smooth, but 
 he went off, having shown English colors. Had he at 
 this time taken us off the wreck, much of the subsequent 
 dreadful sufferings would have been spared us. 
 
 March 7. His B. M. ship Blonde came in sight, and 
 to our relief, in latitude 44, 43, north, longitude 31, 57, 
 west. Words are quite inadequate to express our feel- 
 ings, as well as those which Lord Byron and our deli- 
 verers most evidently possessed, when they had come to 
 rescue six of their fellow-creatures, two of them females, 
 from a most awful, lingering, but certain death. It came 
 on to blow during the night a fresh gale, which would 
 no doubt have swept us all overboard. Lieutenant 
 Gambier came in the ship's cutter to bring us from the 
 wreck. He observed to us, "You have yet, I perceive, 
 fresh meat." To which we were compelled to reply, 
 " No, sir, it is part of a man, one of our unfortunate
 
 298 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 crew, it was our intention to put ourselves on an al- 
 lowance even of this food, this evening, had not you 
 come to our relief." The master's wife, who under went 
 all the most horrid sufferings which the human under- 
 standing can imagine, bore them much better than could 
 possibly have been expected. She is now, although 
 '.much emaciated, a respectable, good-looking woman, 
 f about twenty-five years of age, and the mother of a boy 
 seven years old. But what must have been the extre- 
 mity of want to which she was driven, when she ate 
 the brains of one of the apprentices, saying it was the 
 most delicious thing she ever tasted ; and it is still more 
 melancholy to relate, that the person, whose brains she 
 was thus forced by hunger to eat, had been three times 
 wrecked before, but was providentially picked up by a 
 vessel, after being twenty-two days on the wreck, wa- 
 ter-logged : but in the present instance, he perished, 
 (having survived similar sufferings for a space of twenty- 
 nine days,) and then became food for his remaining ship- 
 mates ! 
 
 Ann Saunders, the other female, had more strength in 
 her calamity than most of the men. She performed the 
 duty of cutting up and cleaning the dead bodies, keep- 
 ing two knives for the purpose in her monkey jacket ; arid 
 when the breath was announced to have flown, she 
 would sharpen her knives, bleed the deceased in the 
 neck, drink his blood, and cut him up as usual. From 
 want of water, those who perished drank their own 
 urine and salt water. They became foolish, and crawJ- 
 ed upon their hands round the deck when they could, 
 and died, generally, raving mad ! 
 
 After floating about the ocean for some months, this 
 ill-fated vessel was fallen in with by an English ship, 
 and carried into Jamaica, where she was refitted, and 
 again sent to sea. The putrid remains of human bodies, 
 which had been the only food of the unfortunate sur- 
 vivors, was found on board the vessel.
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP ALBION. 
 
 THE following account of this melancholy shipwreck 
 was given by Henry Cammyer, first mate of the vessel. 
 
 We sailed from New York on the first of April, 1822, 
 in the ship Albion, of four hundred and forty-seven tons, 
 with a crew, including officers, of twenty-five in num- 
 ber, besides twenty- three cabin, and six steearge pas- 
 sengers ; making in the whole fifty-four persons, only 
 nine of whom now live to relate the melancholy tale. 
 For the first twenty days, we continued our voyage with 
 moderate and favorable weather ; and at about half past 
 one o'clock, in the afternoon of Sunday the 21st, we made 
 the land. The Fastnet rock bore by compass, E. N. E., 
 distant about three leagues. At two, made cape Clear, 
 bearing east and by north, distance about two leagues. 
 Thick and foggy, blowing fresh, and heavy squalls from 
 the southward. Ship heading up E. S. E., carrying all 
 prudent sail, to crowd the ship off the land. The gale 
 increasing, shortened sail occasionally. At four o'clock, 
 then under double reefed topsails, foresail, and mainsail, 
 carried away the foreyard, and split the foretopsail. 
 Got the pieces of the yard down, and prepared to get 
 another yard up. Gale increasing, about half past four, 
 took in the mainsail and mizzen-topsail, and set the main- 
 trysail. Night coming on, cleared the decks for work- 
 ing ship. At half past eight, gale still increasing, with 
 a high sea. Shipped a heavy sea, which threw the ship 
 on her beam-ends, and carried away the mainmast by 
 the deck, the head of the mizzen-mast, and fore-topmast, 
 and swept the decks clear of every thing, including boats, 
 caboose house, bulwarks, and compasses, and stove in 
 all the hatches, state rooms, and bulwarks in the cabin, 
 which was nearly filled with water. At the same mo- 
 ment, six of the crew and one cabin passenger, Mr. A. 
 B. Convers, of Troy, N. Y., were swept overboard.
 
 300 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 The ship being unmanageable, and the sea making a 
 complete breach over her. we were obliged to lash our- 
 selves to the pumps, and being in total darkness, with- 
 out correct compasses, could not tell how the ship's head 
 lay. The axes being swept away, had no means of 
 clearing the wreck. About one o'clock, made the light 
 of the Old Head of Kinsale, but could not ascertain how 
 it bore ; and at two, found the ship embayed. The cap- 
 tain, anticipating our melancholy fate, called all the 
 passengers up, who had not before been on deck. Many 
 of them had received considerable injury when the sea 
 first struck her, and were scarcely able to come on deck ; 
 others had been incessantly assisting at the pumps ; and 
 it is an interesting fact, that Miss Powell, an amiable 
 young lady, who was on board, was desirous to be al- 
 lowed to take her turn. One gentlemaji, who had been 
 extremely ill during the passage, Mr. William Everhart, 
 of Chester, Penn., was too feeble to crawl to the deck 
 without assistance, but strange tp say, he was the only 
 cabin passenger who was saved. 
 
 Our situation at that moment, is indescribable, and I 
 can scarcely dwell upon, much less attempt to detail, its 
 horrors. About three o'clock, the ship struck on a reef, 
 her upper works beat in over the rocks, and in about 
 half an hour after coming in over the first reef, she part- 
 ed midships, and her quarter-deck drifted in on the top 
 of the inside ledge, immediately under the cliffs. Up to 
 the period of her parting, nearly twenty persons were 
 clinging to the wreck, among whom were two females, 
 Mrs. Pye, and Miss Powell. Captain Williams had, 
 with several others, been swept away soon after she 
 struck ; a circumstance which may be attributed to the 
 very extraordinary exertions which he used, to the last 
 moment, for the preservation of the lives of the unfortu- 
 nate passengers and crew. 
 
 A short time before she parted, myself and six of the 
 crew got away from the vessel. After gaining a rock in 
 a very exhausted state, I was washed off, but, by the as- 
 sistance of Providence, was enabled, before the return i 
 of the sea, to regain it ; and before I could attemptKo ;
 
 LOSS (5F THE SHIP ALBION. 301 
 
 climb the cliff, which was nearly perpendicular, I was 
 obliged to lie down, to regain a little strength, after the 
 severe bruises and contusions I had received on the body 
 and feet. One of the passengers, colonel Augustine J. 
 Prevost, reached the rock with me alive, but was, toge- 
 ther with one of the stewards, washed off and drowned. 
 
 Some of the passengers were suifocated on deck and 
 in the fore rigging, and some must have been destroyed 
 by an anchor which was loose on the forecastle before 
 the ship parted. It is scarcely possible to describe the 
 devastation which followed. The entire cargo, consist- 
 ing of cotton, rice, turpentine, and beeswax, together 
 with a quantity of silver and gold, to a large amount, 
 was in all directions beaten to pieces by the severity of 
 the sea, without a possibility of saving it. 
 
 Very soon after we got upon the cliffs, my poor ship- 
 mates and myself found our way to a peasant's cottage. 
 Early in the morning, Mr. James B. Gibbens, of Ballin- 
 spittle, came to me from the wreck, where he had been 
 since five o'clock, endeavoring to save some of the lives-. 
 He most humanely sent Mr. Everhart, Mr. Raymond, 
 the boy, and myself, to his house, about a mile from the 
 spot, where we experienced the kindest and most hos- 
 pitable attention. The remaining survivors were taken 
 borne by Mr. Parcel!, steward of Thomas Rochfort, Esq. 
 of Garretstown, where every attention was paid to them. 
 Coffins were provided by Mr. Purccll, according to the 
 orders of Mr. Rochfort, and the bodies that were found, 
 were interred at Templetrine churchyard, about four 
 miles from Kinsale and one from the fatal spot. The 
 Rev. Mr. Evanson kindly officiated on the occasion. 
 On Tuesday, I went to Kinsale to note a protest, and 
 then first met Mr. Mark, the consul for the United States, 
 who happened to be at Kinsale at that time on other 
 business. He came over and gave directions for cloth- 
 ing the sufferers, who were destitute of every thing. 
 
 Unremitting exertions were used daily for the recovery 
 of the goods and specie, but without success, as none of 
 the cargo, and but a small part of the materials of the 
 26
 
 302 REMARKABLE SHrFWKECKS. 
 
 vessel, were saved, together with property in specie to 
 the amount of about five thousand pounds. 
 
 The following is a correct list of the crew and passen- 
 gers. 
 
 Crew. John Williams, captain, drowned; Henry 
 Cammyer, first mate, saved; Edward Smith, second 
 mate, drowned ; William Hyate, boatswain, saved ; Al- 
 exander Adams, carpenter, Harman Nelson, Harrnan 
 Richardson, Henry Whittrell, William Trisserly, James 
 Wiley, Robert McLellan, and Thomas Goodman, 
 drowned ; John Simson, John Richards, Francis Bloom, 
 and Ebenezer Warner, saved ; Samuel Wilson and Wil- 
 liam Snow, boys, drowned ; William Dockwood, drown- 
 ed, body found and interred; Hierom Raymond, saved; 
 Lloyd Potter, Samuel Penny, stewards, and Francis 
 Isaac, boy, blacks, all drowned ; Thomas Hill and Adam 
 Johnson, cooks, blacks, both drowned, bodies found and 
 interred. 
 
 Cabin Passengers. W. Everhart, Esq., of Chester, 
 Penn., saved; lieutenant-colonel Augustine J. Prevost, 
 major William Gough, of the 68th regiment ; Rev. G. 
 R. G. Hill, last from Jamaica; Nelson Ross, of Troy, 
 N. Y. ; William H. D wight, of Boston ; Mr.*Beynon, of 
 London; professor Fisher, of New-Haven college; Mr. 
 William Proctor, of New York; Mr. and Mrs. Hyde 
 Clark, Mrs. Pye and Miss Powell, of Canada, daughter 
 of Judge Powell, all drowned, found and interred ; Mr. 
 A. B. Convers, of Troy, N. Y., and madame Gardiner 
 and son, of Paris, drowned ; (rnadame G.'s body was 
 found and interred :) five French gentlemen, names un- 
 known, (except Mr. Victor Millicent,) drowned, found 
 and interred. 
 
 Steerage Passengers. Stephen Chase, of Canada, 
 saved ; Mrs. Mary Brereton, and Mary Hunt, drowned, 
 found and interred ; Mr. Harrison, carpenter, Mr. Bald- 
 win, cotton spinner, from Yorkshire, England, and Dr. 
 Carver, a veterinary surgeon, drowned. 
 
 Four bodies were also found and interred that could 
 not be recognised. 
 
 The following account of the wreck of the Albion was
 
 tOSS OF THE SHIP ALBION. 303 
 
 communicated to the editor of the Tillage Record, of 
 Chester, Pennsylvania, by William Everhart, Esq., after 
 his return to the United States. Mr. Everhart, it will be 
 recollected, was the only cabin passenger who was sav- 
 ed, out of twenty- three persons. As his statement affords 
 some additional particulars of the disaster that may be 
 interesting, we publish it entire. 
 
 Mr. Everhart says, that up to the 21st of April, the 
 voyage had been prosperous and pleasant for the season, 
 though he had himself suffered much from sea-sickness, 
 and was almost constantly confined to his room. The 
 storm of the day, it was supposed, was over ; they were 
 near to the coast, and all hands flattered themselves that 
 in a short time, they should reach their destined harbor ; 
 but, about nine o'clock in the evening, a heavy sea struck 
 the ship, swept several seamen from the deck, carried 
 away her masts, and stove in her hatchways, so that 
 every wave which passed over her, ran into the hold 
 without any thing to stop it, the railings were carried 
 away, and the wheel which aided them to steer. In 
 short, that fatal wave left the Albion a wreck. She was 
 then about twenty miles from the shore, and captain 
 Williams steadily and coolly gave his orders ; he cheer- 
 ed the passengers and grew with the hope that the wind 
 would shift, and before morning blow off shore. The 
 sea was very rough, and the vessel unmanageable ; and 
 the passengers were obliged to be tied to the pumps, that 
 they might work them. All who could do no good on 
 deck, retired below, but the water was knee deep in the 
 cabin, and the furniture floating about, rendered the 
 situation dangerous and dreadful. 
 
 All night long, the wind blew a gale, directly on shore, 
 towards which the Albion was drifting, at the rate of 
 about three miles an hour. The complete hopelessness 
 of their situation was known to few except captain Wil- 
 liams. The coast was familiar to him ; and he must 
 have seen in despair and horror, throughout the night, 
 the certainty of their fate. At length, the ocean, dashing 
 and roaring upon the precipice of rocks, told them that 
 their hour was come* Captain Williams summoned all
 
 304 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 on deck, and briefly told them that the ship must soon 
 strike ; it was impossible to preserve her. Mr. Everhart 
 says, that he was the last that left the cabin. Professor 
 Fisher was behind, but he is confident that he never 
 came on deck, but perished below. Some, particularly 
 the females, expressed their terror in wild shrieks. Ma- 
 jor Gough, of the British army, remarked, that " death, 
 come as he would, was an unwelcome messenger, but 
 that they must meet him like men." Very little wa? 
 said by the others ; the men waited the expected shock 
 in silence. General Lefevre Desnouetts, during the 
 voyage, had evidently wished to remain without particu- 
 lar observation; and to prevent his being known, be- 
 sides taking passage under a feigned name, had suffered 
 his beard to grow during the whole voyage. He had 
 the misfortune, before the ship struck, to be much bruis- 
 ed, and one of his arms was broken, which disabled 
 him from exertion if it could have been availing. It is 
 not possible to conceive the horrors of their situation. 
 
 The deadly and relentless blast impelling them to de- 
 struction ; the ship a wreck ; the raging of the billows 
 against the precipice, on which they were driving, send- 
 ing back from the caverns and the rocks, the hoarse and 
 melancholy warnings of death, dark, cold, and wet ! In 
 such a situation the stoutest heart must have quaked in 
 utter despair. When there is a ray of hope, there may 
 be a corresponding buoyance of spirit. When there is 
 any thing to be done, the active man may drown the 
 sense of danger while actively exerting himself; but 
 here there was nothing to do but to die ! Just at the 
 gray of dawn the Albion struck. 
 
 The perpendicular precipice of rocks is nearly two 
 hundred feet in height ; the sea beating for ages against 
 it has worn large caverns in its base, into which the 
 waves rushed violently, sending back a deep and hollow 
 sound, then, running out in various directions, formed 
 whirlpools of great violence. For a perch or two from 
 the precipice, rocks rise out of the water, broad at bot- 
 tom and sharp at top ; on one of these, the Albion first 
 struck, the next wave threw her fu rther on the rock, the
 
 tOSS OF THE SHIP ALBION. 305 
 
 third further still, until, nearly balanced, she swung 
 round, and her stern was driven against another, near in 
 shore. In this situation, every wave making a complete 
 breach over her, many were drowned on deck. A wo- 
 man, Mr. Everhart could not distinguish who, fell near 
 him and cried for help. He left his hold and raised her 
 up, another wave came, but she was too far exhausted 
 to sustain herself, and sank on the deck. Fifteen or 
 sixteen corpses, at one time, Mr. Everhart thought, lay 
 near the bows of the ship. 
 
 Perceiving now that the stern was higher out of water, 
 and the sea had less power in its sweep over it, Mr. 
 Everhart went aft. He now perceived that the bottom 
 had been broken out of the ship. The heavy articles 
 must have sunk, and the cotton and lighter articles were 
 floating around, dashed by every wave against the rocks. 
 Presently the ship broke in two, and all those who re- 
 mained near the bow were lost. Several from the stem 
 of the ship had got on the side of the precipice, and were 
 hanging by the crags as well as they could. Al though 
 weakened by previous sickness and present suffering, 
 Mr. Everhart made an effort and got upon the rock and 
 stood upon one foot, the only hold that he could obtain. 
 He saw several a round him, and among the rest, colonel 
 Prevost, who observed, on seeing him take his station, 
 " here is another poor fellow." But the waves, rolling 
 heavily against them, and often dashing the spray fifty> 
 feet above their heads, gradually swept those who had 
 taken refuge one by one away ; and one poor fellow los- 
 ing his hold, grasped the leg of Mr. Everhart, and nearly 
 pulled him from his place. Weak and sick as he was, 
 Mr. Everhart stoc^d several hours on one foot on a little 
 crag, the billows dashing over him, and he benumbed 
 with cold. 
 
 As soon as it was light, and the tide ebbed so as to 
 render it possible, the people descended the rocks as far 
 as they could," and dropped him a rope, which he fasten- 
 ed around his bod y, and was drawn out to a place of 
 safety. Of twent- /-three cabin passengers, he alone es- 
 caped ! Mr. Ever hart mentions numerous instances of 
 26*
 
 306 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the kindness shewn by the people to tho survivors. A 
 sailor was drawn ashore naked, and one of the peasants, 
 although a cold rain was falling, took the shirt from his 
 own back, and put it on that of the sufferer. Mr. Ever- 
 hart himself was taken to the hospitable mansion' of Mr. 
 James B. Gibbens, where he lay for several weeks ex- 
 ceedingly ill, receiving the kindest attention. " They 
 could not have treated me more tenderly," said Mr. 
 Everhart, " if 1 had been a brother." 
 
 The attentions paid the survivors, were in the style 
 of true Irish hospitality. Such disinterested kindness 
 exalts the human character, and is calculated to have 
 not a limited effect, but will prove of national advantage. 
 
 This terrible wreck and loss of lives, and on the part 
 of Mr. Everhart, such a miraculous preservation, excited 
 the public sensibility throughout Euro pe and America. 
 When he landed at Liverpool, it was d ifficult for him to 
 get along the streets, the people crowded around in such 
 numbers to see the 'only passenger sav ed from the wreck 
 of the Albion. 
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP LOGAI\ T BY FIRE. 
 
 ^ ship Logan, captain Bunke r, was struck by 
 lightning and consumed, on her passage from Savannah 
 to Liverpool, on the 19th December, 1832. The follow- 
 ing account of this dreadful acciden t was furnished by 
 the captain. 
 
 The Logan left Tybee on the 16t"h December, with a 
 fair wind from south, which continue *1 blowing a heavy 
 gale from westward until the 19th, on which day, at 
 forty-five minutes past one o'clock, P.. M., she was struck 
 by lightning, which descended the str jboard pump ; from 
 thence it passed up the after-hatch w ay and went off. It 
 was immediately observed that the s hip was on fire, and 
 the crew commenced breaking out c otton from the main 
 hatchway, for the purpose of extir .guishing it. In the 
 course of half an hour, got into the i lower hold, and on
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP LOGAN BY FIRE. 307 
 
 the starboard side of the pump-well, found the cotton on 
 fire. They commenced throwing on water and heaving 
 the cotton overboard, first cutting the bales in pieces. 
 After working in this way for some time, and heaving 
 overboard eight or ten bales, it was found that the fire 
 was raging between decks on the larboard side ; they 
 then left the lower hold, arid commenced breaking out 
 between decks, and in a short time broke out twenty or 
 thirty bales ; but the smoke became so suffocating as to 
 oblige the hands to leave the hold and close the hatches* 
 
 It was now night, and the ship was under close reefed 
 topsails ; after all the hatches were closed up, the upper 
 decks began to grow hot : with the determination, there- 
 fore, to save the ship and cargo if possible, holes were 
 cut around the pumps and capstan, and water poured 
 down, which was continued all night. At daylight, 
 found that all the upper deck, from the mainmast to the 
 after-hatch, was on fire, and in some places the deck had 
 burnt through. The main hatches were taken off, and 
 about one hour was spent in heaving down water, when 
 the smoke became so dense that the men- could stand it 
 no longer. The hatches were then closed for the last 
 time, and they continued throwing water through the 
 holes that were cut, the fire still gaining so fast that no 
 hope was left of saving the ship. 
 
 The long-boat was now ordered out, and 60 gallons of 
 water and what provision could be obtained, put on 
 board, when the officers and crew, 16 in number, em- 
 barked in her, (being in lat. 33 N. long. 66 W.) having 
 saved nothing but a chronometer and quadrant, and what 
 clothes they stood in. The nearest land was- the island 
 of Bermuda, which bore about S. E., 100 miles distant, 
 which they endeavored to reach, but the wind blowing 
 heavy from W. S. W., could not fetch it, but drifted to the 
 eastward of it, when they fortunately fell in with the 
 Grand Turk, and were rescued from a watery grave, after 
 having been in the boat five days, most of which time it 
 was blowing a gale. Captain Madigan kindly took them 
 on board, and treated them with every attention which 
 their distressed situation required.
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP MARGARET, 
 
 OF Salem, wrecked at sea on the 21st of May, 1810. 
 The following account was published by captain Fair- 
 field, after his arrival at Marblehead. 
 
 We sailed from Naples, homeward bound, on the 10th 
 of April, with a crew, including officers, of fifteen in 
 number, together with thirty-one passengers, making 
 forty-six in all, men and boys. We passed through the 
 Gut of Gibraltar the 22d of April ; nothing of moment 
 occurred until Sunday, 20th May, 'when in latitude 40, 
 north, longitude 39, 30, west, having strong breezes of 
 wind at S. E. and E. S. E. and rainy weather ; at 10 
 A. M. took in royals, top-gallant studding-sails, fore and 
 mizzen top-gallant-sails, jibs, stay-sails, and main-sail ; 
 at meridian, wind and weather continued as before-men- 
 tioned ; at one P. M., on the 21st, the foretopmast studding 
 sail halyards parted; the studding-sail fell overboard, fill- 
 ed with water, and carried away the studding-sail boom ; 
 we took in lower studding-sail spanker, and mizzen top- 
 sail, by which time it became squally, and we immedi- 
 ately clewed down fore and main top-sail, and let fly the 
 sheets the wind shifted in an instant from E. S. E. to 
 S. W., and although the helm was hard to weather, we 
 could not get the ship before the wind, but was instantly 
 hove on her beam ends. Every person on board the 
 ship being at this time on deck, reached either the bot- 
 tom or side of the ship, and held on. We secured an 
 axe, and immediately cut away the weather lanyard of 
 the shrouds, masts, and long-boat, which being done 
 the ship righted, being full of water, her hatches off, 
 chests, water-casks, &c., drifting amongst the wreck; 
 the guns, anchors, caboose, and every article on deck, 
 we hove overboard to lighten the ship, and endeavored 
 to clear the wreck of spars, rigging, &c., which lay bea't- 
 ing against her to windward; bufeour efforts were in 
 vain, the starboard lanyards of . th<P|hrouds being^eep 
 
 \
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP MARGARET. 
 
 under water, and fast to. the 'ship, and the sea making a 
 continual breach over her : during this time the long- 
 boat lay beating among the wreck of spars, &c., bottom 
 up, the pinnace being wrecked entirely to pieces except 
 her keel, and about three streaks of the boards of her 
 bottom lay in the same situation as the long-boat, and 
 the stern boat lying at a small distance from the ship ; 
 full of water, with her gunwales torn off, butts started, 
 and stern about half stove in. It was with the utmost 
 difficulty that we bailed her out, and kept her so far free 
 as to enable us to get a rope fast to the long-boat, by 
 which we hauled her alongside the ship, turned her 
 over and found her to be badly stove, her gunwales and 
 stem broken entirely off, her wood-ends and garboard 
 streak open, and large holes in her bottom, so that we 
 found it impossible to bail her out, and we were under 
 the necessity of upsetting her again in the sea, with the- 
 nope of being able to stop a part of the holes in her bot- 
 tom, which we in part effected by driving the butts to- 
 gether and by putting canvass, &c., into the largest holes, 
 in her bottom; after which we turned her over again, 
 and by continual bailing with every bucket, &c., which 
 we could procure, we were enabled to keep her from 
 sinking, still keeping under the lee of the ship. By this 
 time it was about 7 P. M. ; when the boat being hauled 
 near to the ship for the purpose of getthig canvass and 
 oakum to stop the leak, as many men as could reach the 
 long-boat jumped into her, and finding the boat would 
 be again sunk if we remained so near the ship, we were 
 obliged to veer the boat to, leeward of the ship at the dis- 
 tance of fifteen or twenty fathoms, bein^ twelve in num- 
 ber in the boat. We had not been in this situation but a 
 short time, before one man jumped from the ship into the 
 sea and made for the boat ; we took him in, but finding 
 that all on board were determined to pursue the same 
 plan, we were obliged to veer the boat further off. We 
 stated to those on board the ship our situation, which 
 was also evident to them^as it required all our exertions 
 to keep the boat from sinking. During the night, we lay 
 with a rope fast rom the ship to the boat, and under
 
 310 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 her lee, when the people on board the ship being exceed- 
 ingly anxious to get into the boat, (which had they ef- 
 fected we should all have been inevitably lost,) kept haul- 
 ing the boat towards them ; we then bent on another 
 rope, and veered out as they hauled ; but finding they 
 were determined to sink the boat by getting into her, we 
 were obliged (after stating repeatedly to them our situ- 
 ation) to tell them, that provided they persisted in getting 
 into the boat, we should be obliged, though very reluc- 
 tantly, to cut the rope and leave them ; after which they 
 desisted from hauling the boat towards the ship. At 
 this time, we were thirteen in number in the long-boat, 
 and two men in the stern-boat lying under the lee of the 
 ship, continually bailing to keep her from sinking, which 
 augmented our number to more than could with any de- 
 gree of safety attempt to leave the ship, in the long-boat, 
 in the shattered condition she was then in. 
 
 Monday morning, moderate breezes and sea tolera- 
 bly smooth ; at which time the people on the wreck were 
 about half of them on the taffrel rail, and the remainder 
 on the bowsprit and windlass, every other part of her 
 being under water continually. They kept entreating 
 us to take them into the boat ; we then told them our 
 determination was to continue by the ship while she 
 kept together, and that the boat was not in a situation to 
 leave them, unless they attempted to come into her ; but 
 if any of them once made the attempt, we should be un- 
 der that necessity, notwithstanding our wretched situ- 
 ation, having no compass, quadrant, or any instrument 
 whatever by which we could direct our course, nor a 
 single drop of fresh water in the boat, and two men con- 
 tinually bailing ; all of which circumstances were known 
 to them. 
 
 About this time, casks of brandy and sundry other 
 articles of the cargo were drifting from the wreck ; 
 amongst which we picked up the mizzen top-gallant 
 sail, two spars, five oars, one cask of oil, one drowned 
 pig, and one goat, one bag of bread, and they hove us a 
 gallon keg of brandy from the ship; we then fixed a sail 
 for the boat from the mizzen top-gallant sail. It being
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP MARGARET. 311 
 
 now about 11, A. M. the people on the wreck were again 
 determined to get into the boat, and began by jumping 
 into the sea. Seeing their intention, we veered the boat 
 further from the ship and they again returned to her, 
 after which We repeated to them our determination to 
 continue by them so long as the ship held together, but 
 if any other person attempted to come into the boat, we 
 should that instant leave them, notwithstanding our des- 
 perate situation. At this time they had secured on the 
 wreck, two quadrants, two compasses, one hogshead of 
 water, bread, flour, and a plenty of provisions, as they 
 frequently informed us ; but they would not spare us 
 any of these articles unless we consented to come along- 
 side the ship with the boat, which had we done, we 
 should have been sunk in an instant, as they were pre- 
 pared to jump, having oars, chests, &c., ready for the 
 purpose on the taffrel rail. Notwithstanding they knew 
 our determination and the impossibility of our taking 
 them into the boat, they still persisted in trying to get 
 into her, and one of them jumped into the sea and made 
 for the small boat, which lay veered to the leeward of the 
 ship, which he reached ; but finding we would not take 
 him into the long-boat, he returned to the ship with the 
 small boat. As they were now all determined to pursue 
 the same plan, we were under the painful necessity of 
 cutting the rope by which we were fast to the ship, and 
 row and sail from them for the preservation of our lives, 
 in the hope of falling in with some vessel to relieve us, 
 which was almost the only hope we had left, being about 
 four hundred miles distant from the nearest land, and in 
 the desperate situation before stated. At this time, it 
 was about meridian, with moderate wind from the south- 
 ward and westward ; we made our course as nearly east 
 as possible, for the island of Corvo or Flores, and the 
 last we saw of the ship she was lying in the same situ- 
 ation as when we parted from her. ' We continued our 
 course to the eastward, having the winds variable from 
 S. S. E. to N. W., and two men constantly bailing ; 
 steering in the night by the stars, when to be seen, and 
 in dark cloudy weather by the heaving of the sea, and in
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the daytime, by judging from the bearing of the sun, 
 when to be seen, and when not, by the best of our judg- 
 ment. For four days we continued in this situation 
 without seeing any vessel ; but on Saturday, 26th of 
 May, at one P. M., to our great joy we espied a sail, 
 which proved to be the brig Poacher, of Boston, captain 
 James Dunn, from Alicant, who took us on board and 
 treated us with every attention and civility. 
 
 As nothing was afterwards heard of the vessel, all that 
 remained on the wreck, (thirty-one in number,) un- 
 doubtedly perished. 
 
 BURNING OF THE KENT. 
 
 THE Kent, captain Henry Cobb, a fine new ship of 
 one thousand three hundred and fifty tons, bound to 
 Bengal and China, left the Downs on the 19th of Febru- 
 ary, with twenty officers, three hundred and forty-four 
 soldiers, forty-three women, and sixty-six children, be- 
 longing to the thirty-first regiment ; with twenty private 
 passengers, and a crew (including officers) of one hun- 
 dred and forty-eight men, on board. 
 
 On the night of Monday, the 28th of February, 1827, 
 when the Kent was in latitude 47 degrees 30 minutes, 
 longitude 10 degrees, a violent gale blew from the west, 
 and gradually increased during the following morning. 
 The rolling of the vessel became tremendous about mid- 
 night, so^ that the best fastened articles of furniture in 
 the principal cabins were dashed about with violence, 
 and the main-chains were thrown at every lurch under 
 water. 
 
 It was a little before this period, that one of the offi- 
 cers of the ship, with the well-meant intention of ascer- 
 taining that all was fast below, descended with two of 
 the sailors into the hold, where they carried with them, 
 for safety, a light in the patent lantern ; and seeing that 
 the lamp burned dimly, the officer took the precaution to 
 hand it up the orlop-deck to be trimmed. Having after-
 
 BURNING OF THE KENT. 313 
 
 Wards discovered one of the spirit casks fo be adrift, he 
 sent the sailors for some billets of wood to secure it; but 
 the ship in 'their absence having made a heavy lurch, 
 the officer unfortunately dropped the light ; and letting 
 go his hold of the cask in his eagerness to recover the 
 lantern, it suddenly stove, and the spirits communicating 
 with the lamp, the whole place was instantly in a blaze. 
 
 It so happened that the author went into the cuddy 
 to observe the state of the barometer, when he received 
 from captain Spence, the captain of the day, the alarm- 
 ing information that the ship was on fire in the after 
 hold. 
 
 As long as the devouring element appeared to be con- 
 fined to the spot where the fire originated, and which 
 We were assured was surrounded on all sides by water 
 casks, we ventured to cherish hopes that it might be 
 subdued ; but, no sooner was the light blue vapor that at 
 first arose succeeded by volumes of thick dingy smoke, 
 which speedily ascended through all the four hatchways, 
 rolling over every part of the ship, than all farther con- 
 pealment became impossible, and almost all hope of pre- 
 serving the vessel was abandoned. " The flames have 
 reached the cable tier," was exclaimed by some indi- 
 viduals, and the strong pitchy smell that pervaded the 
 deck confirmed the truth of the exclamation. 
 
 In these awful circumstances, captain Cobb, with an 
 ability and decision of character that seemed to increase 
 with the imminence of the danger, resorted to the only 
 alternative now left him, of ordering the lower deck to 
 be scuttled, the combing of the hatches to be cut, and 
 the lower ports to be op^ed, for the free admission of 
 the waves. 
 
 These instructions were speedily executed by the unit- 
 ed efforts of the troops and seamen : but not before some 
 of the sick soldiers, one woman, and several children, 
 unable to gain the upper deck, had perished. On de- 
 scending to the gun-deck with colonel Fearon, captain 
 Bray, and one or two other officers of the 3lst regiment, 
 to assist in opening the ports, I met, staggering towards 
 the hatchway, in an exhausted and nearly senseless 
 27
 
 314 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 state, one of the mates, who informed us that he had 
 just stumbled over th'e dead bodies of some individuals 
 who must have died from suffocation, to which it was 
 evident that he himself had almost fallen a victim. So 
 dense and oppressive was the smoke, that it was with 
 the utmost difficulty we could remain long enough be- 
 low to fulfil captain Cobb's wishes; which were no 
 sooner accomplished than the sea rushed in with extra- 
 ordinary force, carrying away in its resistless progress 
 to the hold, the largest chests, bulk-heads, &c. 
 
 On the one hand stood death by fire, on the other, 
 death by water : the dilemma was dreadful. Preferring 
 always the more remote alternative, the unfortunate 
 crew were at one moment attempting to check the fire 
 by means of water ; and when the water became the 
 most threatening enemy, their efforts were turned to the 
 exclusion of the waves, and- the fire was permitted to 
 rage with all its fury. 
 
 The scene of horror that now presented itself, baffles 
 all description. The upper deck was covered with be- 
 tween six and seven hundred human beings, many, of 
 whom, from previous sea-sickness, were forced on the 
 first alarm to flee from below in a state of absolute na- 
 kedness, and were now running about in quest of hus- 
 bands, children or parents. 
 
 While some were standing in silent resignation, or in 
 stupid insensibility to their impending fate, others were 
 yielding themselves up to the most frantic despair. 
 Some on their knees were earnestly imploring," with 
 significant gesticulations and in noisy supplications, the 
 mercy of Him, whose arm, tl|ey exclaimed, was at length 
 outstretched to smite them ; others were to be seen has- 
 tily crossing themselves, and performing the various ex- 
 ternal acts required by their peculiar persuasion, while 
 a number of the older and 'more stout-hearted sailors 
 suddenly took their seats directly over the magazine, 
 hoping, as they stated, that by means of the explosion, 
 which they every instant expected, a speedier termina- 
 tion might thereby be put to their sufferings. 
 
 Captain Cobb, with great forethought, ordered the
 
 BURNING OF THE KENT. 315 
 
 deck to be scuttled forward, with a view to draw the 
 fire in that direction, knowing that between it and the 
 magazine were several tiers of water casks ; while he 
 hoped that the wet sails, &c., thrown into the after-hold, 
 would prevent it from communicating with the spirit- 
 room abaft. 
 
 Several of the soldiers' wives and children, who had 
 fled for temporary shelter into the after-cabins on the 
 upper deck, were engaged in praying and in reading the 
 scriptures with the ladies, some of whom were enabled, 
 with wonderful self-possession, to offer to others those 
 spiritual consolations, which a firm and intelligent trust 
 in the Redeemer of the world appeared at this awful 
 hour to impart to their own breasts. 
 
 All hope had departed ! the employment of the diffe- 
 rent individuals indicated utter despair of rescue one 
 was removing a lock of hair from his writing desk to 
 his bosom others were awaiting their fate in stupor 
 some with manly fortitude others bewailing it with 
 loud and bitter lamentation and part were occupied in 
 prayer and mutual encouragement. 
 
 It was at this appalling instant, when "all hope that 
 we should be saved was taken away," that it occurred 
 to Mr. Thompson, the fourth mate, to send a man to the 
 foretop, rather with the ardent wish than the expecta- 
 tion, that some friendly sail might be discovered on the 
 face of the waters. The sailor t on mounting, threw his 
 eyes round the horizon for a moment a moment of un- 
 utterable suspense and waving his hat, exclaimed, " A 
 sail on the lee-bow !" The joyful announcement was 
 received with deep-felt thanksgiving, and with three 
 cheers upon deck. Our flags of distress were instantly 
 hoisted, and our minute guns fired : and we endeavored 
 to bear down under our three topsails and foresail upon 
 the stranger, which afterwards proved to be the Cam- 
 bria, a small brig of two hundred tons burden, captain 
 Cook, bound to Vera Cruz, having on board twenty or 
 thirty Cornish miners, and other agents of the Anglo- 
 Mexican company. 
 
 While captain Cobb, colonel Fearon, and major Mac-
 
 316 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 gregor of the 31st regiment, were consulting together, as 
 the brig was approaching us, on the necessary prepa- 
 rations for getting out the boats, &c., one of the officers 
 asked major Macgregor in what order it was intended 
 the officers should move off? to which the other replied, 
 " Of course, the funeral order ;" which injunction was 
 instantly confirmed by colonel Fearon, who said, " Most 
 undoubtedly the juniors first but see that any man is 
 cut down who presumes to enter the boats before the 
 means of escape are presented to the women and chil- 
 dren." 
 
 Arrangements having been considerately made T)y 
 captain Cobb for placing in the first boat, previous to 
 letting it down, all the ladies, and as many of the sol- 
 diers' wives as it could safely contain, they hurriedly 
 wrapt themselves up in whatever article of clothing 
 could be most conveniently found ; and I think about 
 two, or half past two o'clock, a most mournful procession 
 advanced from the after cabins to the starboard cud- 
 dy-port, outside of which the cutter was suspended. 
 Scarcely a word was heard not a scream was uttered 
 even the infants ceased to cry, as if conscious of the un- 
 spoken and unspeakable anguish that was at this in- 
 stant rending the hearts of the parting parents nor was 
 the silence of voices in any way broken, except in one 
 or two cases, when the ladies plaintively entreated to be 
 left behind with their husbands. But on being assured 
 that every moment's delay might occasion the sacrifice 
 of human life, they successively suffered themselves to 
 be torn from the tender embrace, and with a fortitude 
 which never fails to characterize and adorn their sex on 
 occasions of overwhelming trial, were placed, without a 
 murmur, in the boat, which was immediately lowered 
 into a sea so tempestuous, as to leave us only " to hope 
 against hope" that it should live in it for a single moment. 
 Twice the cry was heard from those on the chains that 
 the boat was swamping. But He who enabled the apos- 
 le Peter to walk on the face of the deep, and was gra- 
 ciously attending to the silent but earnest aspirations of 
 those on board, had decreed its safety.
 
 BURNING OF THE KENT. 31 
 
 After one or two unsuccessful attempts to place the 
 little frail bark fairly upon the surface of the water, the 
 command was at length given to unhook ; the tackle at 
 the stern was in consequence immediately cleared ; but 
 the ropes at the bow having got foul, the sailor there 
 found it impossible to obey the order. In vain was the 
 axe applied to the entangled tackle. The moment was 
 inconceivably "ntical ; as the boat, which necessarily 
 followed the nfc.aon of the ship, was gradually rising out 
 of the wjater, and must, 'in another instant, have been 
 hanging perpendicularly by the bow, and its helpless 
 passengers launched into the deep, had not a most provi- 
 dential wave suddenly struck and lifted up the stern, so 
 as to enable the seaman to disengage the tackle ; and 
 the boat being dexterously cleared from the ship, was 
 seen after a little while battling with the billows ; now 
 raised, in its progress to the brig, like a speck on their 
 summit, and then disappearing for several seconds, as 
 if engulphed "in the horrid vale" between them. 
 
 Two or three soldiers, to relieve their wives of a part 
 of their families, sprang into the water with their chil- 
 dren, and perished in their endea-vors to save them. 
 One young lady, who had resolutely refused to quit her 
 father, whose sense of duty kept him at his post, was 
 near falling a sacrifice to her filial devotion, not having 
 been picked up by those in the boats, until she. had sunk 
 five or six times. Another individual, who was reduced 
 to the frightful alternative of losing his wife, or his chil- 
 dren, hastily decided in favor of his duty to the former. 
 His wife was accordingly saved, but his four children, 
 alas ! were left to perish. A fine fellow, a soldier, who 
 had neither wife nor child of his own, but who evinced 
 the greatest solicitude for the safety of those of others, 
 insisted on having three children lashed to him, with 
 whom he plunged into the water ; not being able to 
 reach the boat, he Avas drawn again into the ship with 
 his charge, but not before two of the children had ex- 
 pired. One man fell down the hatchway into the flames, 
 and another had his back" so completely broken as to 
 have been observed quite doubled falling overboard.
 
 318 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 The numerous spectacles of individual loss and suffering 
 were not confined to the entrance upon the perilous voy- 
 age between the two ships. One man, who fell between 
 the boat and brig, had his head literally crushed fine 
 and some others were lost in their attempts to ascend 
 the sides of the Cambria. 
 
 When the greater part of the men had been disposed 
 of, the gradual removal of the officers commenced, and 
 was marked by a discipline the most rigid, and an intre- 
 pidity the most exemplary : none appearing to ,be influ- 
 enced by a vain and ostentatious bravery, which in cases 
 of extreme peril, affords rather a presumptive proof of 
 secret timidity than of fortitude ; nor any betraying un- 
 manly or unsoldier-like impatience to quit the ship; but 
 with the becoming deportment of men neither paralyzed 
 by, nor profanely insensible to, the accumulating dan- 
 gers that encompassed them, they progressively departed 
 in the different boats with their soldiers; they who 
 happened to proceed first, leaving behind them an exam- 
 ple of coolness that could not be unprofitable to those 
 who followed. 
 
 Every individual was desired to tie a rope round his 
 waist. While the people were busily occupied in adopt- 
 ing this recommendation, I was surprised, I had almost 
 said amused, by the singular delicacy of one of the Irish 
 recruits, who in searching for a rope in one of the cabins, 
 called out to me that he could find none except the cor- 
 dage belonging to an officer's cot. and wished to know 
 whether there would be any harm in his appropriating 
 it to his own use. 
 
 Again : As an agreeable proof too, of the subordina- 
 tion and good feeling that governed the poor soldiers 
 in the midst of their sufferings, I ought to state that to- 
 ward the evening, when the melancholy group who 
 were passively seated on the poop, exhausted by previous 
 fatigue, anxiety and fasting, were beginning to experi- 
 ence the pain of intolerable thirst, a box of oranges was 
 accidentally discovered by some of the men, who with 
 a degree of mingled consideration, respect, and affection, 
 that could hardly have been expected at such a moment,
 
 BURNING OF THE KENT. 819 
 
 refused to partake of the grateful beverage, until they 
 had afforded a share of it to their officers. 
 
 The spanker-boom of so large a ship as the Kent, 
 which projects, I should think, sixteen or eighteen feet 
 over the stern, rests on ordinary occasions about nineteen 
 or twenty feet above the water ; but in the position in 
 which we were placed, from the great height of the sea, 
 and consequent pitching of the ship, it was frequently 
 lifted to a height of not less than thirty or forty feet from 
 the surface. 
 
 To reach the rope, therefore, that hung from its ex- 
 tremity, was an operation that seemed to require the aid 
 of as much dexterity of hand as steadiness of head. 
 For it was not only the nervousness of creeping along 
 the boom itself, or the extreme difficulty of afterwards 
 seizing on and sliding down by the rope, that we had to 
 dread, and that occasioned the loss of some valuable 
 lives, by deterring the men from adopting this mode of 
 escape : but as the boat, which one moment was proba- 
 bly under the boom, might be carried the next, by the 
 force of the waves, fifteen or twenty yards from it, the 
 unhappy individual, whose best calculations were thus 
 defeated, was generally left swinging for some time in 
 mid-air, if he was not repeatedly plunged several feet 
 under water, or dashed with dangerous violence against 
 the sides of the returning boat or, what not unfrequent- 
 ly happened, was forced to let go his hold of the rope 
 altogether. As there seemed, however, no alternative, 
 I did not hesitate, notwithstanding my comparative in- 
 experience and awkwardness in such a situation, to 
 throw my leg across the perilous stick ; and with a heart 
 extremely grateful that such means of deliverance, dan- 
 gerous as they appeared, were still extended to me ; and 
 more grateful still that 1 had been enabled, in common 
 with others, to discharge my honest duty to my sove- 
 reign and to my fellow-soldiers ; I proceeded, #ter confi- 
 dently committing my spirit, the great object of my soli- 
 citude, into the keeping of Him who had formed and re- 
 deemed it, to creep slowly forward, feeling at every step 
 the increased difficulty of my situation. On getting
 
 220 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 nearly to the end of the boom, the young officer whom 
 I followed and myself were met with a squall of wind 
 and rain, so violent as to make us fain to embrace close- 
 ly the slippery stick, without attempting for some mi- 
 nutes to make any progress, and to excite our apprehen- 
 sion that we must relinquish all hope of reaching' the 
 rope. But our fears were disappointed, and after resting 
 for awhile at the boom-end, while my companion was 
 descending to the boat, which he did not find until he 
 had been plunged once or twice over head in the water, 
 I prepared to follow ; and instead of lowering myself, as 
 many had imprudently done, at the moment when the 
 boat was inclining towards us and consequently being 
 unable to descend the whole distance before it again re- 
 ceded I calculated that while the boat was retiring, I 
 ought to commence my descent, which would probably 
 be completed by the time the returning wave brought it 
 underneath ; by which means I was, I believe, almost 
 the only officer or soldier who reached the boat without 
 being either severely bruised or immersed in the water. 
 But my friend colonel Fearon had not been so fortunate ; 
 for after swimming for some time, and being repeatedly 
 struck against the side of the boat, and at one time 
 drawn completely under it, he was at last so utterly ex- 
 hausted, that he must instantly have let go his hold of 
 the rope and perished, had not one in the boat seized 
 him by the hair of the head and dragged him into it, 
 almost senseless and alarmingly bruised. 
 
 Captain Cobb, in his immovable resolution to be the 
 last, if possible, to quit his ship, and in his generous 
 anxiety for the preservation of every life entrusted to his 
 charge, refused to seek the boat, until he again endea- 
 vored to urge onward the few still around him, who 
 seemed struck dumb and powerless with dismay. But 
 finding all his entreaties fruitless; and hearing the guns, 
 whose tackle was burst asunder by the advancing 
 flames, successively exploding in the hold, into which 
 they had fallen -this gallant officer, after having nobly 
 pursued, for the preservation of others, a course of exer- 
 tion that has been rarely equalled either in its duration
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP BOSTON. 321 
 
 or difficulty, at last felt it right to provide for his own 
 safety, by laying hold on the topping-lift, or i-opo that 
 connects 'the driver-boom with the mizzen-top, and there- 
 by getting over the heads of the infatuated men who oc- 
 cupied the boom, unable to go either backward or for- 
 ward, and ultimately dropping himself into the water. 
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP BOSTON. 
 
 AN unusual degree of sensation was excited in Boston, 
 on the first of June, by the melancholy tidings of the 
 loss of the packet ship Boston. This strong and elegant 
 ship one of the finest packets that belonged to this 
 country was struck by lightning in the Gulf stream, 
 six days out from Charleston, and burnt to the water's 
 edge. We present the details below, as furnished by 
 captain Mackay. 
 
 " On Tuesday, the 25th of May, lat. 39, 31, long. 63, 
 46, commenced with fresh breeze and squally weather 
 at 2 P. M., heavy rain which continued until about sun- 
 set at 8 P. M., forked lightning in the south-west, and 
 dark and heavy clouds rising from the westward at 9, 
 the wind hauled to the westward at 10 P. M., a heavy 
 cloud began to rise in the south-west at half past 10, 
 sharp lightning, clewed up the topgallant sails, and haul- 
 ed the mainsail up at 11, heavy thunder and sharp 
 lightning ; the second flash struck the ship, burst the 
 main-royal from the gaskets and burnt it; knocked 
 down the steward and Isaac Hopkins, a sailor^Jid filled 
 the ship full of electric fluid. We examined me ship 
 immediately, to ascertain if the masts were injured, or 
 the lightning had passed through the deck ; but the mast 
 appeared uninjured, a bright complaisance resting on 
 each royal-mast head. We single reefed the main-top 
 sail, and were about to hand the mainsail, when we 
 ascertained that the ship was on fire. We immediately 
 cleared the main and after hatchways, to get at the fire, 
 heaving the cotton overboard and cutting holes in the
 
 329 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 deck, plying water in every direction but all in vain ; 
 the cotton in the main-hold was on fire, fore and aft, on 
 both sides, burning like tinder. Our only alternative 
 was to clear away the boats and get them out, part of 
 the crew and passengers at work keeping the fire down 
 as much as possible by drawing and heaving water, the 
 scuppers being stopped up ; we stove water casks ovei 
 holes cut in the deck and in the main-hatchway, start- 
 ing the water, but all to no good purpose, for before we 
 could get the long-boat over the ship's side, the fire had 
 burst through the deck and out the larboard side of the 
 ship. The flames raged with such violence and con- 
 sumed the vessel so quick, that nothing could be saved 
 from the wreck. We got about forty gallons of water, 
 and provisions sufficient, on a short allowance, to keep 
 the passengers and crew alive for three weeks almost 
 every thing else was burnt up in the ship, even the 
 money, watches, and clothes all destroyed. At 3, A. M., 
 the main and mizzen-masts were burnt off below deck, 
 and the masts fell into the water ; at half past 3, the pas- 
 sengers and crew were all in the boats ; the flames had 
 then reached the forecastle, and the ship was one com- 
 plete flame of fire, fore and aft. The passengers had 
 exerted themselves to the utmost to assist us. The offi- 
 cers had with unwearied exertion, coolness and persever- 
 ing activity done all that men could do. The ship's 
 crew worked like horses and behaved like men; but 
 all would not do. About three hours time had changed 
 one of the best ships that ever swam to a complete vol- 
 cano, and cast twenty-three persons adrift on the open 
 ocean. 
 
 " The cabin passengers were admiral Sir Isaac Coffin 
 and servant, Dr. William Boag, and his sister Miss An- 
 sella Boag, Mr. Neil McNeil, and Mr. Samuel S. Osgood. 
 It was then raining, and every person was drenched 
 through with water; in this situation the constitution 
 of Miss Boag, the only lady-passenger, soon gave way. 
 This amiable young lady's firmness of conduct at the 
 first alarm of fire, and during the whole scene, is worthy 
 of the highest praise. To the divine will of her God
 
 LOSS OF THE WHALE SHIP ESSEX. 323 
 
 she submitted without a murmur, and at 11 o'clock on 
 Wednesday, she died in the arms of her brother, in the 
 boat, thanking him in the most affectionate manner for 
 his kindness, giving her blessing to us. all. On the fol- 
 lowing day, she was buried with the church service, our 
 situation not admitting of the corpse being kept longer 
 in the boat. We remained in the boats near the fire of 
 the wreck, two days, and at three o'clock P. M. on 
 Thursday, were taken on board the brig Idas, of Liver- 
 pool, N. S. from Demarara, bound to Halifax, captain 
 Joseph Barnaby, who with his officers and crew treated 
 us with every kindness and attention. We remained 
 on board the brig two days, when, Sunday morning, 
 May 30th, falling in with the brig Camilla, captain Ro- 
 bert B. Edes, he was good enough to offer us a passage 
 to Boston, and received us on board his vessel." 
 
 Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, after landing from the brig 
 Camilla, authorized his agent to present captain Mackay 
 with a check for five hundred dollars ; and subsequently 
 sent him an elegant gold watch, to replace one which he 
 had lost by the destruction of the ship. 
 
 LOSS OF THE WHALE SHIP ESSEX. 
 
 THIS vessel sailed from Nantucket on a whaling voy- 
 age, commanded by captain Pollard. On the 13th of 
 November, 1820, they were among the whales, and the 
 three boats were lowered .down. They succeeded in 
 capturing a young whale, but the mate's boat got stove, 
 and returned to the ship to be repaired. Shortly after, a 
 whale of the largest class, probably the dam of the one 
 they had just taken, struck the ship, knocked part of the 
 false keel off, just abreast of the main channels. 
 
 The animal then remained for some time alongside, 
 endeavoring to clasp the ship within her jaws, but 
 could not accomplish it. She then turned, went round 
 the stern, and came up on the other side; and went 
 away ahead about a quarter of a mile. Then suddenly
 
 324 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS^ 
 
 turning, she came at the ship with tremendous velocity, 
 head on. The vessel was going at the rate of five knots, 
 but such Avas the force with which she struck the ship, 
 which was under the cat-head, that the vessel had stern- 
 way, at the rate of three or four knots. The conse- 
 quence was, that the sea rushed into the cabin windows, 
 every man on deck was knocked down, and, worse than 
 all, the bows were completely stove in. In a few mi- 
 nutes, the vessel rilled and went on her beam ends. 
 
 At this unhappy juncture, the captain and second 
 mate were both fast to a whale ; but on beholding the 
 awful catastrophe that had taken place, immediately cut 
 from the fish and made for the ship. As soon as the 
 captain got on board, he gave orders for cutting away 
 the masts, which was accordingly done, and the vessel 
 righted; the upper deck was then scuttled, and some 
 water and bread were procured for the two boats, in 
 which they were compelled to remain, as all thoughts of 
 saving the ship were given up. In expectation of falling 
 in with some vessel, they remained by the wreck, mak- 
 ing sails, &c., but were finally compelled to abandon it, 
 and stood away to the southward, in hopes of getting 
 the variable winds, and experiencing fine weather; but 
 the wind being constantly from the east and south-east, 
 they made much lee-way and were prevented from 
 keeping to the southward. They continued beating 
 about in this way for thirty days, when they made afi 
 island, which they took for Ducie's island, at which 
 place the boats remained one week ; but the island 
 affording hardly any nourishment, and in fact, exhibit- 
 ing nothing but sterility, they resolved on venturing 
 for the coast; leaving behind them three men who pre- 
 ferred remaining there, rather than to venture across the 
 ocean in an open boat. 
 
 After a series of disasters, a part of the crew finally 
 reached Valparaiso. Captain Dowries, of the U. S. fri- 
 gate Macedonian, on becoming acquainted with the par- 
 ticulars, resolved to rescue the three unfortunate men. 
 who were left behind on the island. Accordingly he 
 fitted out a schooner, at an expense of a thousand dollars,
 
 LOSS OF THE WHALE SHIP ESSEX. 325 
 
 and sent her in search for them. She was out, however, 
 but one month, and returned dismasted. The ship Sur- 
 rey, captain Raine, lying at Valparaiso, was on the eve 
 of sailing for New Holland, and as Ducie's island was 
 not far from her track, captain Downes offered her com- 
 mander three hundred dollars, to call there and take off 
 the men. 
 
 On Thursday, the 5th of April, captain Raine, consi- 
 dering himself within a short distance of Ducie's island, 
 which is laid down in Norie's epitome to be in lat. 24 
 degrees 40 minutes S. and long. 124 deg. 17 minutes W., 
 kept a good look out. About 2, P. M., land was per- 
 ceived, which turned out to be an island in lat. 24 deg. 
 26 minutes. As the vessel neared the land, they dis- 
 charged a gun, and shortly after, the three poor men 
 were seen to issue from the woods. The boats were 
 piesently lowered, captain Raine taking one himself. 
 On approaching the shore, it was found not only danger- 
 ous, but utterly impracticable to land ; of which circum- 
 stance they were informed, in weak and tremulous 
 voices, by the almost starved and nearly worn out crea- 
 tures themselves, who could scarcely, from the misera- 
 ble plight they were in, articulate a syllable. One poor 
 fellow summoned up courage enough to plunge into the 
 waves, and with great difficulty reached the boat:- he 
 said, one of the others only could swim. 
 
 After warily backing the boat as near the rocks as 
 possible, amidst a heavy surf, the other two men suc- 
 ceeded in getting on board, much bruised and lacerated 
 by the repeated falls ; which object was no sooner effect- 
 ed, when each devoutly expressed his gratitude to that 
 benign Being who had so wonderfully preserved them 
 from sharing in the destruction to which most of their 
 unhappy shipmates had fallen victims. They had been 
 on the island four months, living on wild berries, resem- 
 bling a cherry, sometimes killing a sea-gull by throwing 
 stones, and no fresh water but when it rained, which 
 was very seldom. On the island they discovered the 
 name of the ship Elisabeth, of London, carved on a tree, 
 and a cave, with eight human skeletons, lying together. 
 28
 
 LOSS OF THE ISABELLA, OFF HASTINGS, 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 THE details below were furnished by one of the pas- 
 sengers, in a letter to a friend, dated 
 
 EASTBOURNE, March 15, 1S33. 
 
 This wreck is still visible ; she was a fine ship of 340 
 tons, and offers an awful evidence of the power of nature 
 over the noblest works of art. My heart still sickens 
 with dismay at the recollection of the dreadful trials I 
 have passed through. I have not before had health and 
 strength enough to give you an outline of the particu- 
 lars, and, even now, I tremble as they pass in review be- 
 fore me. 
 
 All our valuable furniture, plate, books, manuscripts, 
 outfit and necessaries had been put on board the Isabel- 
 la in the docks, when she dropped down to Gravesead, 
 where I joined her on the evening of Saturday the 16th 
 of February, with my wife and three children, a girl 
 of eighteen months, and two boys of four and six years. 
 We were opposed by contrary winds, and put our pilot 
 on shore on Monday evening. On Tuesday, the .wind 
 freshened into a gale; and the dreadful enervating sick- 
 ness usually attending these scenes, dispossessed my 
 wife and myself of all energy and strength. The wind 
 was now directly against us, and every hour increasing 
 its fearful power ; but our captain, full of intrepidity 
 and confidence, determined to proceed, although he left 
 behind a fleet of perhaps an hundred sail. *As night 
 closed, the tempest raged yet more fearfully. Our gal- 
 lant ship was but as a feather on the wave's surface, 
 and all was fearfully dark as any night in the black 
 catalogue of tempests ; the wind right ahead ; there was 
 equal peril now in advancing or receding; the captain, 
 however, gave his orders with as much precision as if he 
 were exhibiting in a state pageant. The loud voice of
 
 LOSS OF THE ISABELLA. 827 
 
 the speaking-trumpet was the only sound that could bo 
 heard amid the wild roar of contending elements. Be- 
 tween three and four o'clock, our captain entered the 
 cabin : he spoke little. I saw the distressed workings of 
 his mind, and one or two questions constituted all the 
 interruptions I offered. He took brandy and water, threw 
 off his saturated dress, and having sat a little in dry 
 clothes, retired. 
 
 From this time, the ship seemed to me to labor and 
 strain more than before, and the hurricane to drive and 
 lay down the ship lower on her side ; but as the captain 
 was taking rest, I had fancied more security, and had 
 lain myself on the floor of the cabin in the hope of get- 
 ting also some repose. I had been lying down I suppose 
 thirty minutes, when I thought I heard or felt the keel of 
 the ship drag. I had been, to this time, sick to death. I 
 was exhausted and listless, almost lifeless, when the 
 dreadful suspicion and announcement of "shore," alarm- 
 ed me; I was ill no more. I jumped up, and was rush- 
 ing through the cabin to mention my fears, when the ship 
 beat twice on a rock, and I heard the cry of " The ship 
 has struck !" I called the captain. The dreadful shock 
 and loud cries of alarm, combined to summon all on deck, 
 excepting the ladies and the poor children, who had been 
 roused, at last, by the general crash, and these I would 
 not allow to leave their berths lest they might interrupt 
 the exertions making above. Here, indeed, was redou- 
 bled energy. The rudder was unshipped when we first 
 struck, and was abandoned. Now was the loud cry for 
 the speaking-trumpet now for the axes, which for a 
 time could not be found. I asked if there were no guns 
 to fire signals of distress ? No guns. No rockets to let 
 off to acquaint the coast-guard with our condition 1 No 
 rockets. It was manifest our captain had been, as Napo- 
 leon said of Massena, a spoiled child of fortune ! Always 
 happy and successful in his adventures, his voyages de- 
 servedly fortunate, had superseded all contemplation of 
 disaster. Every effort was now made, by manoeuvring 
 the sails, to force the ship once more to sea. and made in 
 vain we were constrained to wait until daylight ena-
 
 329 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 bled us to appreciate our real situation, and procure for 
 us, from the shore, the necessary assistance. 
 
 It is difficult to judge of distance on w%ter, but I believe 
 we lay nearly half a mile from the beach. Every suc- 
 ceeding wave raised the ship several feet, and subsiding, 
 we beat with tremendous violence on the rock. An im- 
 mense quantity of bricks had been shipped in lieu of bal- 
 last; between these and the rock, the ship's bottom might 
 represent the metal works between the anvil and the 
 hammer, and strange it would have been had it not se- 
 verely suffered. Every wave was a fearful mountain, 
 while the hurricane momentarily threatened to shiver 
 us into atoms. Such a storm has not been* felt on these 
 shores during the last fifty years. As the un governed 
 state of the rudder was now breaking up all within its 
 range, the binnacles were removed below for security, 
 and the rudder lashed to the boom; but the cords were 
 soon rent asunder like threads. After lying in this situa- 
 tion nearly two hours, sometimes fancying we saw boats 
 approaching to our assistance, sometimes that we saw 
 lights as signals, the dawn at length assured us we were 
 descried from the shore, where we saw a general activity 
 corresponding to the peril of our unhappy condition. Not 
 a boat could, hpwever, venture to put out through the 
 frightful surf, and I own I felt little hopes of relief while 
 the elements continued their frightful ravages. The 
 shore was now lined with spectators, but their sympathy 
 could avail us nothing. While this was our condition 
 without, within the ship all was devastation. At each 
 new concussion something was strained and gave way. 
 Bedsteads, lamps, tables and trunks were hurled from 
 s*ide to side with frightful noise, which made the females 
 believe, in spite of our assurances, the ship was breaking 
 up. But now beamed suddenly forth in our extremity, 
 the dawn of our deliverance. We had watched a team 
 laboring along the beach conveying to windward a boat. 
 It was launched, and, in the same moment, manned. It 
 was the God-like life-boat, equipped with the most intre- 
 pid crew that ever deserved their country's gratitude. In 
 half an hour of unequalled struggles they were alongside, 
 and boarded us ; and now, indeed, I saw countenances
 
 LOSS OP THE ISABELLA. 829 
 
 where the glad gleam of joy endeavored to penetrate 
 through a mass of suffering and despair ; but we had 
 scarcely interchanged congratulations, when I was told 
 the boat had left the ship. I could not believe it. I ran 
 aloft and found it true. I felt I had now a duty to per- 
 form to my family, and I asked the captain, if the boat 
 were dismissed, what could be his plan ? I represented 
 that as our rudder was useless, he could have no com- 
 mand of the ship if she floated with the coming flood ; 
 and if her bottom was pierced, of which there could be 
 no doubt, we must expect that if she dipped into deep 
 water, she would fill and go down, and all would inevi- 
 tably perish that it would be impossible, in her present 
 crippled stale, to work her into any port, and I submit- 
 ted, therefore, that our safety should be consulted' above 
 all things. Our captain firmly answered, our safety was 
 his principal duty and first care ; that I might rely on his 
 word, that he would not hazard our lives ; and that if the 
 ship was not in a condition to leave the shore, he would 
 not attempt it. I own I returned to my family with a 
 heavy heart to announce the fearful experiment. 
 
 The flood-tide was rolling in, and the trumpet of our 
 vigilant captain was again in full activity. After many 
 mighty workings, an awful blast drove us over the reef, 
 and hurried us to sea. Hope beamed again, but it was 
 found that the ship had made five feet of water in ten 
 minutes. The signal of distress was hoisted, and every 
 possible effort made to put the ship's head to the shore, 
 but without the assistance of her rudder, she was wholly 
 unmanageable, and very soon became water-logged. I 
 now caught the captain's eye; he motioned me, and gave 
 the dreadful intelligence that the ship was sinking, and 
 I must prepare my wife and children for any event ! I 
 asked how long it might be before she would go down 1 
 He said, " Some time yet." Without making any com- 
 munication, I conveyed my family on deck, and watched 
 the progress of the ship visibly made in sinking. Efforts 
 were again made to put the ship about, but they were 
 fruitless. 
 
 Happily for our safety, the life-boat, better acquainted 
 28*
 
 330 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 with the distressing features of disaster, had kept hover- 
 ing around. I had grieved at its dismissal, but now sud- 
 denly heard it hailing the captain to 4 let go the remaining 
 anchor. After dragging a little, it held on, and threw 
 her stern round; but the ship was water-logged, and 
 made little progress. She was now so low that every 
 wave rolled in one side and discharged itself on the other. 
 We had thrown out a line to the boat, but it had quickly 
 snapped^ and we threw others, in the hope of keeping 
 them at a short distance. As it appeared we must in a 
 few seconds go down, I was preparing cords for the safe- 
 ty of my family, when a squall, a hundred times more 
 frightful than any that had yet assailed us, gave hopes, 
 and the crew cried out, " Now now the masts must go." 
 But still they stood, to our great danger and annoyance. 
 The ship had, however, felt the impulse received from 
 the last blast, and been impelled forward ; and now a 
 shock succeeded which gave the glad, auspicious tidings 
 of shore. The men clasped their hands, and looked to- 
 wards Heaven with emotions of gratitude. The last 
 nearly overwhelming gale had lifted us forward, and 
 proved our deliverance ; and now the exertions of the 
 Crew of the boat were increased tenfold, and they were 
 quickly under our stern. Our intrepid captain, lashing 
 himself for security, jumped over the ship's side, and. 
 though overwhelmed by every wave, called aloud for the 
 children first. I had taken them below, lest the fall of 
 the masts should injure them. I flew down, and in an 
 instant my eldest son was in the arms of the captain. 
 The life-boat was now riding on the brink of the wave, 
 and now was lost in the abyss ; but as she was descend- 
 ing my son was caught as the captain loosed his arm, by 
 a dozen eager arms raised for his safety. The second 
 boy met with more facility, and the infant was thrown 
 and caught, when the whole crew, with generous sym- 
 pathy, cried out, " Now the mother." The mother was 
 soon with her children, and seemed to us protected by 
 these our worldly saviors from destruction. The other 
 females were then handed down, with a youth' of fourteen, 
 and I next followed, in agonizing anxiety to share with
 
 LOSS OF THE STEAM-BOAT ROTHSAY CASTLE. 331 
 
 those I felt dearer to me than life, the yet remaining 
 perils. 
 
 Lifted sometimes mountains high, sometimes hidden 
 from all view in the depths into which we descended, we 
 at last reached the shore. The people upon the beach 
 rushed into the surf to receive us, and braved its perils 
 for our security. The boat was soon lighted, and a cart 
 stood ready to convey us to an adjoining house, where dry 
 clothing was soon exchanged for garments long saturated 
 with brine. The captain and crew were left on the 
 wreck with one passenger, and two hours elapsed before 
 the boat could succeed in extricating these from the dan- 
 gers assailing them. For a considerable period, the sea 
 had been covered with floating packages, carried by the 
 storm and tide many miles along the beach, but at night- 
 fall, began the active work of plunder, and that which 
 had resisted other violence was soon conveyed away from 
 observation. 
 
 LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE STEAMER. 
 
 THE Rothsay Castle was a steam-packet which for- 
 merly traded on the Clyde. She belonged to the line of 
 steamers which sailed from Liverpool to Beaumaris and 
 Bangor, and was furnished with one engine only. She 
 was commanded by Lieut. Atkinson. At ten o'clock, on 
 the of August, 1831, the vessel was appointed to sail 
 from the usual place, George's Pierhead, but a casual
 
 332 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 delay took place in starting, and it was eleven o'clock 
 before she had got every thing in readiness. Whilst 
 taking passengers on board, a carriage arrived at the 
 Pierhead for embarkation. It belonged to M. W. Foster, 
 Esq. of Regent's Park, London, who, with his wife and 
 servant, were conveyed in it to the packet, and took their 
 passage at the same time. They were all subsequently 
 drowned, a little dog which accompanied them being the 
 only survivor of this unfortunate group. When the 
 steamer left the Pierhead, her deck was thronged with 
 passengers. The captain, crew, musicians, &c. amount- 
 ed to fifteen, in addition to whom, it was supposed by per- 
 sons who saw the vessel sail, that one hundred and ten 
 or one hundred and twenty souls were on board. The 
 majority of the passengers consisted of holiday and fa- 
 mily parties, chiefly from country places ; and in one of 
 these companies, who came on a journey of pleasure from 
 Bury, the hand of death committed a merciless devasta- 
 tion. It consisted of twenty-six persons ; in the morning, 
 * joyous with health and hilarity, they set out upon the 
 waves, and when the shades of that evening approached, 
 every soul but two saw his last of suns go down. 
 
 The weather was not particularly boisterous at the 
 time she sailed. A severe storm, however, had raged in 
 the morning, and must have agitated the water on the 
 Banks more than usual. The wind, too, blew strongly 
 from the north-west, and the vessel had to contend with 
 the tide, which began to now soon after she passed the 
 rock. When the steamer arrived off the floating-light, 
 which is stationed about fifteen mifes from Liverpool, 
 the roughness of the sea alarmed many of the passengers. 
 One of the survivors stated, that Mr. Tarry, of Bury, 
 who, with his family, consisting of himself, his wife, their 
 five children and servant, was on board, being, in com- 
 mon with others, greatly alarmed for his own safety'and 
 the safety of those dear to him, went down to the cabin, 
 where the captain was at dinner, and requested him to 
 put back. His reply was, " I think there is a great deal 
 of fear on board, and very little danger. If we were to 
 turn back with passengers, it would never do we should
 
 LOSS OF THE STEAM-BOAT ROTHSAY CASTLE. 333 
 
 have no profit." To another gentleman who urged him 
 to put back, he is reported to have said very angrily, 
 "I'm not one of those that turn back." He remained 
 in the cabin two whole hours, and peremptorily refused 
 to comply with the repeated requests made to him by 
 the more timid of his passengers, to return to Liverpool ; 
 observing that if they knew him, they would not make 
 the request. Before dinner, his behavior had been unex- 
 ceptionable ; but after he had dined, a very striking dif- 
 ference was observed in his conduct. He became vio- 
 lent in his manner, and abusive in his language to the 
 men. When anxiously questioned by the passengers, as 
 to the progress the vessel was making, and the time at 
 which she was likely to reach her destination, he return- 
 ed trifling, and frequently very contradictory answers. 
 During the early part of the voyage, he had spoken con- 
 fidently of being able to reach Beaumaris by seven o'- 
 clock ; but the evening wore away, night came on, and 
 the vessel was still a considerable distance from the ter- 
 mination of her voyage. It was near twelve o'clock, 
 when they arrived at the mouth of the Menai strait, 
 which is about five miles from Beaumaris. The tide, 
 which had been running out of the strait, and which had, 
 consequently, for some time previous retarded the steam- 
 er's progress towards her destination, was just on the 
 turn. The vessel, according to the statement of two of 
 the seamen and one ol the firemen saved, had got round 
 the buoy on the north end of the Dutchman's bank, and 
 had proceeded up the river as far as the tower on Puffin 
 island ; when suddenly the steam got so low that the 
 engine would not keep her on her proper course. When 
 asked why there was not steam on, the fireman said, 
 that a deal of water had^been finding its way into the 
 vessel all day, and that sometime before she got into the 
 strait, the bilge-pumps were choked. The water in the 
 hold then overflowed the coals ; so that, in renewing the 
 fires, a deal of water went in with the coals, and made it 
 impossible to keep the steam up. It was the duty of the 
 fireman to give notice of this occurrence ; but he seems 
 not to have mentioned it to the captain. The vessel,
 
 334 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 which had evidently come fair into the channel, though 
 there was no light on the coast to guide her, now drift- 
 ed with the ebb-tide and north-west wind, towards the 
 Dutchman's bank, on the north point of which she 
 struck, her bows sticking fast in the sand. Lieut. Atkin- 
 son immediately ordered the man at the helm to put the 
 helm a-starboard. The man refused to do so ; but put 
 it to port. The mate perceiving this, ran aft, took the 
 helm from the man, and put it to starboard again. In 
 the meantime, the captain and some of the passengers 
 got the jib up. No doubt he did this intending to wear 
 her round and bring her head to the northward ; but, in 
 the opinion of nautical men, it could not make the least 
 difference which way her head was turned, as she was 
 on a lee shore, and there was no steam to work her off. 
 The captain also ordered the passengers first to run aft, 
 in the hope, by removing the pressure from the vessel's 
 stem, to make her float : this failing to produce the de- 
 sired effect, he then ordered them to run forward. All 
 the exertions of the captain, the crew and passengers 
 united, were unavailing. The ill-fated vessel stuck still 
 faster in the sands, and all gave themselves up for lost. 
 The terror of the passengers became excessive. Several 
 of them urged the captain to hoist lights, and make 
 other signals of distress ; but he positively refused to do 
 so, assuring the passengers that there was no danger, 
 and telling them several times, that the packet was afloat 
 and doing well, and on her way ; when the passengers 
 knew perfectly well that she was sticking fast in the 
 sand, and her cabins rapidly filling with water. Doubt- 
 less the unfortunate man was perfectly aware of the im- 
 minence of the danger ; but we may charitably suppose 
 that he held such language for the purpose of preventing 
 alarm which might be fatal. The alarm-bell was now 
 rung with so much violence that the clapper broke, and 
 some of the passengers continued to strike it for some 
 time with a stone. The bell was heard, it is said, at 
 Beaumaris, but, as there was no light hoisted on the 
 mast of the steamer, (a fatal neglect !) those who heard 
 the signal were, of course, ignorant whence it proceeded.
 
 LOSS OF THE STEAM-BOAT ROTHSAY CASTLE. 335 
 
 | 
 
 The weather, at this awful moment, was boisterous, but 
 perfectly clear. The moon, though slightly overcast, 
 threw considerable light on the surrounding objects. But 
 a strong breeze blew from the north-west, the tide began 
 to set in with great strength, and a heavy sea beat over 
 the bank on which the steam-packet was now firmly and 
 immovably fixed. 
 
 We cannot describe the scene which followed. Cer- 
 tain death seemed now to present itself to all on board, 
 and the most affecting scenes were exhibited. The fe- 
 males, in particular, uttered the most piercing shrieks ; 
 some locked themselves in each other's arms, while 
 others, losing all self-command, tore off their caps and 
 bonnets, in the wildness of despair. A Liverpool pilot, 
 who happened to be in the packet, now raised his voice 
 and exclaimed, "It is all over we are all lost !" At 
 these words there was a universal despairing shriek. 
 The women and children collected in a knot together, 
 and kept embracing each other, keeping up, all the time, 
 the most dismal lamentations. When tired with crying, 
 they lay against each other, with their heads reclined, 
 like inanimate bodies. The steward of the vessel and 
 his wife, who was on board, lashed themselves to the 
 mast, determined to spend their last moments in each 
 other's arms. Several husbands and wives also met 
 their fate locked in each other's arms ; whilst parents 
 clung to their beloved children, several mothers, it is 
 said, having perished with their dear little ones firmly 
 clasped in their arms. A party of the passengers, about 
 fifteen or twenty, lowered the boat and crowded into it. 
 It was impossible for any open boat to live in such a sea, 
 even though not overloaded, and she immediately 
 swamped and went to the bottom, with all who had 
 made this last hopeless effort for self-presfervation. 
 
 For some time the vessel, though now irrecoverably 
 lost, continued to resist the action of the waves, and the 
 despairing souls on board still struggled with their doom. 
 But hope had .forever fled ; the packet was beaten and 
 tossed about by the tumultuous waters with a violence 
 which threatened to dash her into fragments at every
 
 336 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 shock, and the sea now made a continual breach over 
 her. The decks were repeatedly swept by the boiling 
 ocean, and each billow snatched its victims to a watery 
 grave. The unfortunate captain and his mate were 
 among the first that perished. About thirty or forty 
 passengers were standing upon the poop clinging to each 
 other in hopeless agony, and occasionally uttering the 
 most piteous ejaculations. Whilst trembling thus upon 
 the brink of destruction, and expecting every moment to 
 share the fate which had already overtaken so many of 
 their companions in misery, the poop was discovered to 
 give way ; another wave rolled on with impetuous fury, 
 and the hinder part of the luckless vessel, with all who 
 sought safety in its frail support, was burst away from 
 its shattered counterpart, and about forty wretched be- 
 ings harried through the foaming flood into an eternal 
 world. 
 
 ' Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell, 
 Then shrieked the timid and stood still the brave. ' 
 
 Those who retained any degree of sensibility endea- 
 vored to catch at whatever was floating within their reach, 
 with the vain hope of prolonging their lives, though it 
 was certain that life could only lengthen their sufferings. 
 Many grasped, with frantic despair, at the slightest ob- 
 ject they could find, but were either too weak to retain 
 their hold, or were forced to relinquish their grasp by the 
 raging of the surge. The rudder was seized by eight of 
 the sinking creatures at the same time, and some of them 
 were ultimately preserved. The number of those who 
 clung to the portion of the wreck which remained upon 
 the bank, gradually grew thinner and thinner, as they 
 sunk under their fatigues, or were hurled into the deep 
 by the remorseless waves. At length, about an hour 
 and a half from the time when she struck, the remnant 
 of the Rothsay Castle disappeared from the bosom of the 
 ocean, and the remainder of her passengers and crew 
 were precipitated into the foaming abyss.
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG SALLY. 
 
 AUGUST 8, 1767, while in latitude 25, having a strong 
 gale of wind, the brig Sally was laid-to under her main- 
 stay-sail till ten o'clock the next morning, when she was 
 hove on her beam-en ds ? and in less than five minutes turn- 
 ed keel upwards, so that they had only time to cut away 
 the lanyards of her main-mast. There were on board, 
 Anthony Tabry, master; Humphrey Mars, mate; Jo- 
 seph Sherver, Samuel Bess, John Burna, mariners, who 
 were drowned ; six other mariners, viz. Peter Toy, Da- 
 niel Cultan, John Davis, Alexander Landerry, Peter 
 Mayes, and William Hammon, having got hold of the 
 top-mast, which floated alongside, tied it to the stern, and 
 supported themselves by it, till about five o'clock in the 
 evening, when the cabin boy swam to the hull and threw 
 them a rope, by which they got on the bottom of the ves- 
 sel, where they were still in a dismal plight; the first 
 want that invaded them was drink, this drove away all 
 thought of meat. The main-mast, with all the rigging, 
 the lanyards having been cut away, came up, alongside, 
 from which they got the wreath, (a square hoop which 
 binds the head of the mast,) with which, and a bolt of 
 a foot long, they went to work on her bottom ; in the 
 mean time keeping their mouths moist, as well as they 
 could, by chewing the stuff of her bottom, she not hav- 
 ing any barnacles, being lately cleaned, and some lead 
 which was on her bow, and drinking their own water; 
 in four days time Peter Toy died, raving for drink, 
 whose body they threw off the vessel the next day. In 
 this manner did they work for six days, without meat, 
 drink, or sleep, nor darimg to lie down for fear of falling 
 off the vessel ; the sixth day they got a hole in the brig, 
 where they found a barrel of bottled beer ; this they 
 drank very greedily ; they soon got another parcel, when 
 one of them put the others on an allowance. The 
 eleventh day of their being on the wreck, they got a bar- 
 29
 
 338 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 rel of pork, which they were obliged to eat raw. As to 
 
 sleep, as soon as they got a hole through the vessel's 
 
 bottom, they pulled out a great number of staves and 
 
 shingles, and made a platform in the same place, but so 
 
 small was it, that when they wanted to turn, they were 
 
 obliged to wait till the sea hoisted the vessel, and when 
 
 she fell again with the sea, they were almost froze to 
 
 death. Thus did these poor miserable fellows live for 
 
 thirteen or fourteen days ; after they got the pork, they 
 
 made a kind of net with a hoop, some shingles, and 
 
 ropes, which they got from the mast ; this they let into 
 
 the sea, with some pork, and caught a few small fish, 
 
 which, with two or three mice they caught on board the 
 
 brig, afforded them several most delicious repasts, raw 
 
 as they were ; this lasted but a few days, as they could 
 
 not catch any more ; when they were obliged to return 
 
 to their pork, which was become quite putrid by the 
 
 salt water getting to it. To their great joy, on the 1st 
 
 of September, in latitude 26, 15, longitude 70, 10, at 
 
 four o'clock in the afternoon, they could just perceive a 
 
 vessel to windward of them, which seemed to stand some 
 
 time for them, but soon put about and stood from them; 
 
 it was then they despaired, as that morning they had 
 
 drank the last bottle of their beer, and that one was all 
 
 they had ; for that day they worked hard to get at the 
 
 casks of water in the hold, but they were so far from 
 
 them, that they could not have got at them in a long 
 
 time. About sun half an hour high, the vessel stood for 
 
 them, and came so near that they perceived a piece of 
 
 canvass, that they on the wreck supported on a piece of 
 
 board, bore down for it, and about seven or eight o'clock 
 
 took them on board; she was the brig Norwich, captain 
 
 Robert Noyes. Thus were they relieved when death 
 
 stared them in the face, by a captain who used them 
 
 very kindly, gave them food and clothes, as their own 
 
 were rotted off their backs, washed their sores, and gave 
 
 them plasters, as they were almost raw from head to 
 
 foot with the heat of the sun and salt water, which, in 
 
 many places had eaten holes in their flesh.
 
 SUFFERINGS OF EPHRAIM HOW. 
 
 ON the 25th of August, 1676. Mr. Ephraim How, of 
 New-Haven, in New- England, with his two eldest sons ; 
 one Mr. Augur; Caleb Jones, son to Mr. William Jones^ 
 one of the magistrates of New- Haven ; and a boy ; six 
 persons in all, set sail from New-Haven for Boston, in 
 a small ketch, of about seventeen tons. 
 
 Having despatched his business there, he sailed for 
 New-Haven on the 10th of September, but was forced 
 back to Boston by contrary winds. Here Mr. How was 
 seized with a violent flux, which continued nearly a 
 month ; many being at that time sick, and some dying 
 of the same. 
 
 Being in some degree restored to health, he again sail- 
 ed from Boston, October 10. They went with a fair 
 wind as far as cape Cod ; but on a sudden, the weather 
 became very tempestuous, so that they could not pass 
 the cape, but were driven off to sea, where they were 
 in great danger, experiencing terrible storms, with out- 
 rageous wind and seas. 
 
 His eldest son fell sick and died about the 21st; soon 
 after, his other son was taken ill and died also. This 
 was a bitter cup to the poor father, for these youths were 
 the only assistants in working the vessel. Soon after 
 Caleb Jones died, so that half the company were now 
 no more. 
 
 Mr. How continued irk a very sickly and weak state, 
 yet was necessitated to stand at the helm twenty-four 
 and thirty-six hours together. During this time, the sea 
 was so boisterous as frequently to break over the vessel, so . 
 that if he had not been lashed fast he must have been 
 washed overboard. In this extremity, he was at a loss 
 in his own thoughts, whether he should persist in endea- 
 voring to make for the New-England shore, or bear 
 away for the southern islands. Upon his proposing the 
 question to Mr. Augur, they determined, according to 
 the custom of some in those times, to decide this difficult
 
 340 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 case by casting lots. They did so, and it fell upon New- 
 England. 
 
 Nearly about the 7th of November, they lost their rud- 
 der, so that now their only dependence was upon Provi- 
 dence. In this deplorable state they drove up and down 
 for a fortnight longer. During the last six weeks, the 
 poor infirm Mr. How was hardly ever dry, nor had he 
 the benefit of warm food above thrice or thereabouts ! 
 
 At length, about the 21st of November, early in the 
 morning the vessel was driven on the tailings of a ledge 
 of rocks, where the sea broke violently. Looking out, 
 they saw a dismal, rocky island to the leeward, upon 
 which, if Providence had not by the breakers given them 
 timely warning, they had been dashed to pieces. They 
 immediately let go an anchor, and got out the boat, and 
 the sea became calm. The boat proving leaky, and they 
 being in great terror, they took but little out of the ketch, 
 but got on shore as they could. 
 
 Here they could discover neither man nor beast. It 
 was a small, rocky, desolate island, near cape Sable, the 
 southern extremity of Nova Scotia. They now appeared 
 to be in great danger of being starved to death, but the 
 storm returning, beat so violently upon the vessel, as it 
 still lay at anchor, that it was stove to piece?, and seve- 
 ral things floated to the shore. , 
 
 The following articles were all they had towards their 
 future support : a cask of gunpowder, which received 
 no damage from the water ; a barrel of wine ; half a bar- 
 rel of molasses ; several useful articles towards building 
 a tent : all the above drifted from the wreck : besides 
 which they had fire-arms and shot ; a pot for boiling ; 
 and most probably other things not mentioned in the 
 narrative. 
 
 Their tent was soon erected, for the cold was now get- 
 ting severe, but new and great distresses attended them, 
 for though they had arms and ammunition, there were 
 seldom any fowls to be seen, except crows, ravens, and 
 seagulls. These were so few, that they could seldom 
 shoot more than one at a time. Many times half a fowl, 
 with the liquor it was boiled in, served for a meal for all
 
 LOSS OF THE TRANSPORT HARPOONER. 341 
 
 three. Once they lived five days without any suste- 
 nance, but did not feel themselves pinched with hunger 
 as at other times ; which they esteemed a special favor 
 of Heaven unto them. 
 
 When they had lived in this miserable condition twelve 
 weeks, Mr. How's dear friend and companion, Mr. Au- 
 gur, died, about the middle of February, 1677 ; so that 
 he had none left to converse with but the lad, who like- 
 wise departed on the 2d of April. 
 
 Mr. How was now the sole inhabitant of this desolate 
 spot, during April, May, and June, and saw fishing ves- 
 sels every now and then, sailing by ; some of which 
 came even nearer to the island than that which at last 
 took him off. He used all the means in his power to 
 make them acquainted with his distress ; but they either 
 did not see him, or were afraid to approach close to the 
 island, lest some of those Indians should be quartered 
 there, who were at that time in hostility against the 
 English, viz., the North-east Indians, who held out after 
 the death of the famous Philip, king of the Wompa- 
 noags. 
 
 At length a vessel belonging to Salem, in New- Eng- 
 land, providentially passed by, and seeing this poor fel- 
 low, they sent their boat on shore, and took him away. 
 He had been on the island more than seven months, and 
 above a quarter of a year by himself. On the 18th of 
 July, he arrived at Salem, and at last returned to his 
 family at New-Haven. They for a twelvemonth had 
 supposed him dead ; by which it appears he did not get 
 home till the end of August, or perhaps later. 
 
 LOSS OF THE TRANSPORT HARPOONER. 
 
 THE hired transport Harpooner was lost, near New- 
 foundland, in November, 1818 ; she had on board three 
 hundred and eighty-five men, women and children, in- 
 cluding the ship's company. The passengers consisted 
 of detachments of several regiments, with their families, 
 29*
 
 342 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 who were on their way to Quebec. On Saturday even- 
 ing, November 10th, a few minutes after nine o'clock, the 
 second mate on watch called oujt, " the ship J s aground;" 
 at which she slightly struck on the outermost rock of St. 
 Shotts, in the island of Newfoundland. She beat over, 
 and proceeding a short distance, she struck again, and 
 filled ; encircled among rocks, the wind blowing strong, 
 the night dark, and a very heavy sea rolling, she soon fell 
 over on her larboard beam end ; and, to heighten the 
 terror and alarm, a lighted candle communicated fire to 
 some spirits in the master's cabin, which, in the confu- 
 sion, was with difficulty extinguished. 
 
 The ship still driving over the rocks, her masts were 
 cut away, by which some men were carried overboard. 
 The vessel drifted over, near the high rocks, towards the 
 main. In this situation, every one became terrified : the 
 suddenness of the sea rushing in, carried away the berths 
 and stanchions between decks, when men, women and 
 children were drowned, and many were killed by the 
 force with which they were driven against the loose bag- 
 gage, casks, and staves, which floated below. All that 
 possibly could, got upon deck, but from the crowd and 
 confusion that prevailed, the orders of the officers and 
 masters to the soldiers and seamen were unavailing; 
 death stared every one in the face ; the ship striking on 
 the rocks, as though she would instantly upset. The 
 shrieking and pressing of the people to the starboard 
 side was so violent, that several- were much hurt. 
 About eleven o'clock, the boats on the deck were washed 
 overboard by a heavy sea : but even from the com- 
 mencement of the disaster, the hopes of any individual 
 being saved were but very small. 
 
 From this time, until four o'clock the next morning, 
 all on the wre'ck were anxiously praying for the light to 
 break upon them. The boat from the stern was in the 
 meanwhile lowered down, when the first mate and four 
 seamen, at the risk of their lives, pushed off to the shore. 
 They with difficulty effected a landing upon the main 
 land, behind a high rock, nearest to where the stern of 
 the vessel had been driven. The log-line was thrown
 
 LOSS OF THE TRANSPORT HARPOOffEK. 343 
 
 from the wreck, with a hope that they might lay hold 
 of it ; but darkness, and the tremendous surf that beat, 
 rendered it impracticable. During this awful time of 
 suspense, the possibility of sending a line to them by a 
 dog occurred to the master ; the animal was brought aft, 
 and thrown into the sea with a line tied round his mid- 
 dle, and with it he swam towards the rock upon which 
 the mate and seamen were standing. It is impossible to 
 describe the sensations which were excited at seeing this 
 faithful dog struggling with the waves ; and on reach- 
 ing the summit of the rock repeatedly dashed back again 
 by the surf into the sea ; until at length, by unceasing 
 exertions, he effected a landing. One end of the line be- 
 ing on board, a stronger rope was hauled and fastened 
 to the rock. 
 
 At about six o'clock in the morning of the llth, the 
 first persttn was landed by this means ; and afterwards, 
 by an improvement in rigging the rope, and placing each 
 individual in slings, they were with greater facility ex- 
 tricated from the wreck ; but during this passage, it was 
 with the utmost difficulty that the unfortunate sufferers 
 eould maintain their hold, as the sea beat over them, and 
 some were dragged to the shore in a state of insensibility. 
 Lieutenant Wilson was lost, being unable to hold on the 
 rope with his hands ; he was twice struck by the sea, 
 fell backwards out of the slings, and after swimming for 
 a considerable time amongst the floating wreck, by which 
 he was struck on the head, he perished. Many who 
 threw themselves overboard, trusting for th'eir safety to 
 swimming, were lost ; they were dashed to pieces by the 
 surf on the rocks, or by the floating pieces of the wreck. 
 
 The rope, at length, by constant working, and by 
 swinging across the sharp rock, was cut in two: and 
 there being no means of replacing it, the spectacle be- 
 came more than ever terrific ; the sea beating over the 
 wreck with great violence, washed numbers overboard ; 
 and at last the wreck, breaking up at the stern from 
 midships and forecastle, precipitated all that remained 
 into one common destruction. 
 
 The parting of the ship was noticed by those on shore
 
 344 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 and signified with the most dreadful cry of "Go for- 
 ward !" It is difficult to paint the horror of the scene ; 
 children clinging to their parents for help ; parents them- 
 selves struggling with death, and stretching out their 
 feeble arms to save their children, dying within their 
 grasp. 
 
 The total number of persons lost was two . hundred 
 and eight, and one hundred and seventy-seven were 
 saved. 
 
 Lieutenant Mylrea, of the 4th Veteran Battalion, one 
 of the oldest subalterns in the service, and then upwards 
 of seventy years of age, was the last person who quitted 
 the wreck ; when he had seen every other person either 
 safe, or beyond the power of assistance, he threw him- 
 self on to a rock, from which he was afterwards rescued. 
 
 Among the severest sufferers, was the daughter of sur- 
 geon Armstrong, who lost on this fatal night her father, 
 mother, brother, and two sisters. 
 
 The rock which the survivors were landed upon, was 
 about one hundred feet above the water, surrounded at 
 the flowing of the tide. On the top of this rock they 
 were obliged to remain during the whole of the night, 
 without shelter, food, or nourishment, exposed to wind 
 and rain, and many without shoes. The only comfort 
 that presented itself was a fire, which was made from 
 pieces of the wreck that had been washed ashore. 
 
 At daylight on the morning of the 12th, at low water, 
 their removal to the opposite land was effected, some be- 
 ing let down by a rope, others slipping down a ladder to 
 the bottom. After they crossed over, they directed their 
 course to a house or fisherman's shed, distant a mile and 
 a half from the wreck, where they remained until the 
 next day ; the proprietor of this miserable shed not hav- 
 ing the means of supplying relief to so considerable a 
 number as took refuge, a party went over land to Tre- 
 passy, about fourteen miles distant, through a marshy 
 country, not inhabited by any human creature. This 
 party arrived at Trepassy, and reported the event to 
 Messrs. Jackson, Burke, Sims, and the Rev. Mr. Brown, 
 who immediately took measures for alleviating the dis-
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG POLLY. 345 
 
 tressed, by despatching men with provisions and spirits, 
 and to assist in bringing all those forward to Trepassy 
 who could walk. 
 
 On the 13th, in the evening, the major part of the sur- 
 vivors (assisted by the inhabitants, who, during the 
 journey carried' the weak and feeble upon their backs) 
 arrived at Trepassy, where they were billeted, by order 
 of the magistrate, proportionably upon each house. 
 
 There still remained at St. Shotts, the wife of a ser- 
 geant of the Veteran Battalion ; with a child, of which, 
 she was delivered on the top of the rocks shortly after 
 she was saved. A private, whose leg was broken, and 
 a woman severely bruised by the wreck, were also neces- 
 sarily left there. 
 
 '* Immediately after the arrival at Trepassy, measures- 
 were adopted for the comfort and refreshment of the de- 
 tachments, and boats were provided for their removal to. 
 St. John's, where they ultimately arrived in safety. 
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG POLLY. 
 
 THE Brig Polly, of one hundred and thirty tons bur- 
 then, sailed from Boston, with a cargo of lumber and 
 provisions, on a voyage to Santa Croix, on the 12th of 
 December, 1811, under the command of Capt. W. L* 
 Cazneau with a mate, four seamen and a cook ; Mr. I. 
 S. Hunt, and a negro girl of nine years of age, passen- 
 gers. Nothing material happened until the loth, when 
 they had cleared cape Cod, the shoal of Georges, and 
 nearly, as they supposed, crossed the gulf stream, when 
 there came on a violent gale from the sontliTeast, in 
 which the brig labored very hard, which produced a leak 
 that so gained on the pumps as to sound nearly six feet, 
 when about midnight she was upset, and Mr. Hunt 
 washed overboard ! Not having any reason to hope for 
 her righting, by much exertion the weather-lanyards 
 were cut away, the deck load having been before thrown 
 over, and the lashings all gone ; in about half an hoar
 
 346 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 the mainmast went by the board, and soon after, the fore- 
 mast, when she righted, though full of water, a dreadful 
 sea making a fair breach over her from stem to stern. 
 In this situation the night wore away, and daylight 
 found all alive except the passengers, and upon close 
 search, the little girl was found clinging to the skylight, 
 and so saved from drowning in the cabin. The glass 
 and grating of the skylight having gone away, while on 
 her beam ends, the little girl was drawn through the 
 openings, but so much chilled that she survived but a 
 few hours. In this situation they remained, without 
 fire, as near as the captain can recollect, twelve days, 
 when the cook, an Indian from Canton, near Boston, 
 suggested the operation of rubbing two sticks together, 
 which succeeded. Very fortunately, the caboose did 
 not go overboard with the deck load : this was got to 
 windward, a fire kindled, and some provisions cooked, 
 which was the first they had tasted, except raw pork, for 
 the whole time. They now got up a barrel of pork, part 
 of a barrel of beef, and one half barrel of beef. A small 
 pig had been saved alive, which they now dressed, not 
 having any thing to feed it with. But at this time no 
 apprehension was entertained of suffering for meat, there 
 being several barrels stowed in the run, and upwards of 
 one hundred under deck. With this impression, the 
 people used the provisions very imprudently, till they dis- 
 covered that the stern-post was gone, and the gale conti- 
 nuing for a long time, the barrels had stove, and their 
 contents were all lost forever. 
 
 There happened to be a cask of water lashed on the 
 quarter-deck, which was saved, containing about thirty 
 gallons ; all the rest was lost. This lasted about eighteen 
 days, when the crew were reduced to the necessity of 
 catching what rain they could, and having no more. At 
 the end of forty days, the meat was all gone, and absolute 
 famine stared them in the face. The first victim to this 
 destroyer was Mr. Paddock, the mate, whose exquisite 
 distress seemed to redouble the sufferings of his compa- 
 nions. He was a man of a robust constitution, who had 
 spent his life in the Bank fishing, had suffered many
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG POLLY. 347 
 
 hardships and appeared the most capable of standing 
 the shocks of misfortune of any of the crew. In the 
 meridian of life, being about thirty-five years old, it was 
 reasonable to suppose that, instead of the first, he would 
 have been the last to have fallen a sacrifice to cold and 
 hunger : but Heaven ordered it otherwise he became 
 deliriou's, and death relieved him from his sufferings the 
 fiftieth day of his shipwreck. During all this time, the 
 storms continued, and would often overwhelm them so 
 as to keep them always drenched with sea- water, having 
 nothing to screen them, except a temporary kind of ca- 
 bin which they built up of boards between the windlass 
 aud nighthead on the larboard side of the forecastle. 
 The next who sunk under this horrid press of disasters 
 was Howes, a young man of about thirty, who likewise 
 was a fisherman by profession, and tall, spare, and as 
 smart and active a seaman as any aboard. He likewise 
 died delirious and in dreadful distress, six days after 
 Paddock, being the fifty-sixth day of the wreck. It was 
 soon perceived that this- must evidently be the fate of all 
 the survivors in a short time, if something was not done 
 to procure water. About this time, good luck, or more 
 probably, kind Providence, enabled them to fish up the 
 tea-kettle, and one of the captain's pistols ; and necessity, 
 the mother of invention, suggested the plan of distilla- 
 tion. Accordingly, a piece of board was very nicely 
 fitted to the mouth of the boiler, a small hole made in it, 
 and the tea-kettle, bottom-upwards, fixed to the upper 
 side of the board, the pistol-barrel was fixed to the nose 
 of the kettle and kept cool by the constant application 
 of cold water. This completely succeeded, and the sur- 
 vivors, without a doubt, owe their preservation to this 
 simple experiment. But all that could be obtained by 
 this very imperfect distillation, was a scanty allowance 
 of water for five men ; yet it would sustain life and that 
 was all. The impression that there was meat enough 
 under the deck, induced them to use every exertion to 
 obtain it ; but by getting up pieces of bone, entirely bare 
 of meat and in a putrid state, they found that nothing 
 was left for them but to rely on Heaven for food, and bo
 
 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 contented with whatever came to hand, till relief should 
 come. Their only sustenance now, was barnacles ga- 
 thered from the sides of the vessel which were eaten raw 
 that the distilling might not be interrupted, which would 
 give them no more than four wine glasses of water each 
 per day. The next food which they obtained was a large 
 shark caught by means of a running bow-line. This 
 was a very great relief and lasted some time. Two ad- 
 vantages arose from this signal interposition of kind Pro- 
 vidence ; for while they lived tipon their shark, the bar- 
 nacles were growing larger and more nutritive. They 
 likewise found many small crabs among the sea- weed 
 which often floated around the wreck, which were very 
 pleasant food. But from the necessity of chewing them 
 raw and sucking out the nourishment, they brought on an 
 obstinate costiveness, which became extremely painful 
 and probably much exasperated by the want of water. 
 On the 15th of March, according to their computation, 
 poor Moho, the cook, expired, evidently from want of 
 water, though with much less distress than the others 
 and in the full exercise of his reason : he very devoutly 
 prayed and appeared perfectly resigned to the will of the 
 God who afflicted him. Their constant study was di- 
 rected to the improvement of their still, which was made 
 much better by the addition of the other pistol barrel, 
 which was found by fishing with the grain they made 
 fcy fixing nails into a piece of a stave. With this barrel 
 they so far perfected the still as to obtain eight junk bot- 
 bottles full of water in twenty-four hours. But from the 
 death of Moho to the death of Johnson, which happened 
 about the middle of April, they seemed to be denied 
 every kind of food. The barnacles were all gone, and 
 no friendly gale wafted to their side the sea-weed from 
 which they could obtain crabs or insects. It seemed as 
 if all hope was gone forever, and they had nothing be- 
 fore them but death, or the horrid alternative of eating 
 the flesh of their dead companion. One expedient was 
 left, that was to try to decoy a shark, if happily there 
 might be one about the wreck, by part of the corpse 
 of their shipmate ! This succeeded, and they caught
 
 LOSS OF THE BRIG POLLY. 349 
 
 a large shark, and from that time had many fish 
 till their happy deliverance. Very fortunately, a cask 
 of nails which was on deck, lodged in the lea-scuppers 
 while on their beam ends : with these they were enabled 
 to fasten the shingles on their cabin, which by constant 
 improvement, had become much more commodious, and 
 when reduced to two only, they had a better supply of 
 water. 
 
 They had now drifted above two thousand miles, and 
 were in latitude 28 North, and longitude 13 West, when 
 to their unspeakable joy they saw three ships bearing 
 down upon them. The ships came as near as was con- 
 venient, and then hailed, which captain Cazneau an- 
 swered with all the force of his lungs. The ship which 
 hailed, proved to be the Fame, of Hull, captain Feather- 
 stone, bound from Rio Janeiro home. It so happened 
 that the three captains had dined together that day and 
 were all on board the Fame. Humanity immediately 
 sent a boat, which put an end to the dreadful thraldom 
 of captain Cazneau and Samuel Badger, the only sur- 
 viving persons who were received by these humane 
 Englishmen with exalted sensibility. Thus was ended 
 the most shocking catastrophe which our naval history 
 has recorded for many years, after a series of distresses 
 from December 15th to the 20th of June, a period of one 
 hundred and ninety-one days ! Every attention was 
 paid to the sufferers that generosity warmed with pity 
 and fellow-feeling could dictate, on board the Fame. 
 They were cherished, comforted, fed, clothed and nursed 
 until the 9th of July, when they fell in with captain 
 Perkins, of the brig Dromo, in the chops of the channel 
 of England, who generously took them on board and 
 carefully perfected the work of goodness begun by the 
 generous Englishmen, and safely landed them in Kenne- 
 bunk. 
 
 It is natural to inquire how they could float such a 
 vast distance upon the most frequented part of the At- 
 lantic and not be discovered all this time 1 They were 
 passed by more than a dozen sail, one of which came so 
 nigh them that they could distinctly see the people on 
 30
 
 350 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 deck and on the rigging looking at them : but to the in- 
 expressible disappointment of the starving and freezing 
 men, they stifled the dictates of compassion, hoisted sail, 
 and cruelly abandoned them to their fate. 
 
 THE LOSS OP HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP, QUEEN 
 CHARLOTTE. 
 
 THE queen Charlotte was, perhaps, one of the finest 
 ships in the British navy. She was launched in 1790, 
 and her first cruise was with the fleet fitted out against 
 Spain, in consequence of the dispute respecting Nootka 
 sound. Lord Howe, who was the commander and 
 chief of the fleet, was then on board of her ; and she also 
 bore his lordships flag on the first of June. After which 
 she was sent to the Mediterranean, and was the flag-ship 
 of the commander-in-chief on that station. In March, 
 1800, she was despatched by that nobleman to reconnoi- 
 tre the island of Cabrera, about thirty leagues from Leg- 
 horn, then in the possession of the French, and which 
 it was his lordship's intention to attack. On the morn- 
 ing of the 17th, the ship was discovered to be on fire, at 
 the distance of three or four leagues from Leghorn. 
 Every assistance was promptly forwarded from the 
 shore, but a number of boats, it appears, were deterred 
 from approaching the wreck, in consequence of the guns, 
 which were shotted, and which, when heated by the 
 fire, discharged their contents in every direction. 
 
 The only consolation that presents itself under the 
 pressure of so calamitous a disaster is, that it was not 
 the effect either of treachery or wilful neglect, as will 
 appear by the following official statement of the carpen- 
 ter : 
 
 " Mr. John Braid, carpenter of the queen Charlotte, 
 reports, that twenty minutes after 6 o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, as he was dressing himself he heard throughout the 
 ship a general cry of "fire." 0n which he immediately
 
 LOSS OF THE SHIP QUEEN CHARLOTTE. 361 
 
 ran up the after-ladder to get upon deck, and found the 
 whole half-deck, the front bulk-head of the admiral's 
 cabin, the main-mast's coat, and boat's covering on the 
 booms, all in flames ; which, from every report and pro- 
 bability, he apprehends was occasioned by some hay, 
 which was lying under the half-deck, having been set 
 on fire by a match in a tub, which was usually kept 
 there for signal guns. The main-sail at this time was 
 set, and almost entirely caught fire ; the people not being 
 able to come to the clue garnets on account of the 
 flames. 
 
 " fie immediately went to the forecastle, and found 
 lieutenant Dundas and the boatswain encouraging the 
 people to get water to extinguish the fire. He applied 
 to Mr. Dundas, seeing no other officer in the forepart of 
 the ship (and being unable to see any on the quarter- 
 deck, from the flames and smoke between them) to give 
 him assistance to drown the lower-decks, and secure the 
 hatches, to prevent the fire falling down. Lieutenant 
 Dundas accordingly went down himself, with as many 
 people as he could prevail upon to follow him : and the 
 lower-deck ports were opened, the scuppers plugged, the 
 main and fore-hatches secured, the cocks turned, and 
 water drawn in at the ports, and the pumps kept going 
 by the people who came down, as long as they could 
 stand at them. 
 
 " He thinks that by these exertions the lower-deck 
 was kept free from fire, and the magazines preserved for 
 a long time from danger; nor did lieutenant Dundas, or 
 he, quit this station, but remained there with all the 
 people who could be prevailed upon to stay, till several 
 of the middle-deck guns came through that deck. 
 
 " About nine o'clock, lieutenant Dundas and he, find- 
 ing it impossible to remain any longer below, went out 
 at the fore-most lower deck port, and got upon the fore- 
 castle ; on which he apprehends there were then about 
 one hundred and fifty of the people drawing water, and 
 throwing it as far aft as possible upon the fire. 
 
 " He continued about an hour on the fore-castle ; and 
 finding all efforts to extinguish the flames unavailing, he
 
 352 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS, 
 
 jumped from the jib-boom, and swam to an American 
 boat approaching the ship, by which he was picked up 
 and put into a Tartan, then in the charge of lieutenant 
 Stewart, who had come off to the assistance of the ship. 
 (Signed) "JOHN BRAID." 
 
 Leghorn, March 18, 1800. 
 
 Captain Todd remained upon deck, with his first 
 lieutenant, to the last moment, giving orders for saving 
 the crew, without thinking of his own safety. Before he 
 fell a sacrifice to the flames, he had time and courage t& 
 write down the particulars of this melancholy event, for 
 the information of lord Keith, of which he gave copies to 
 different sailors, entreating them, that whoever should 
 escape might deliver it to the admiral. 
 
 Thus fell victims to perhaps a too severe duty, the 
 captain and his first lieutenant, at a time when they still 
 had it in their power to save themselves ; but self-pre- 
 servation is never a matter of consideration in the ex- 
 alted mind of a British naval ofiicer, when the safety of 
 his crew is at stake. 
 
 Lord Keith and some of the officers were providen- 
 tially on shore at Leghorn, when the dreadful accident 
 occurred. Twenty commissioned and warrant officers, 
 two servants and one hundred and forty-two seamen, 
 are the whole of the crew that escaped desrtuction out 
 of nearly nine hundred souls on board, that for nearly 
 four hours exerted every nerve to avoid that dreadful 
 termination which too surely awaited them. 
 
 LOSS OF THE AMPHITRITE CONVICT SHIP. 
 
 THE following particulars of the loss of this vessel are 
 copied from a letter dated Bouiogne-sur-mer, September 
 1, 1833. 
 
 The shocking event which is announced by the title to 
 this letter, has, I assure you, filled the town with dis- 
 may, and must lead to a most narrow and rigid investi- 
 gation. I cannot attempt to describe the afflictions not
 
 LOSS .OF THE AMPHITRITE CONVICT SHIP. 353 
 
 only of the English, but the French, at this most dis- 
 tressing event, and I only express the general opinion 
 when I say that the British public demands that an in- 
 quiry be instituted into the conduct of all parties con- 
 cerned in this deplorable affair. 
 
 The Amphitrite convict ship sailed for New South 
 Wales from Woolwich on the 25th of August. Captain 
 Hunter was the commander ; Mr. Forrester the surgeon; 
 and there were one hundred and eight female convicts, 
 twelve children, and a crew of sixteen persons. The 
 captain was part owner of the vessel. When the ship 
 arrived off Dungeness, the gale of the 29th began. On 
 Friday morning the captain hove the ship to, the gale 
 being too heavy to sail. The vessel was about three 
 miles to the east from Boulogne harbor on Saturday at 
 noon, when they made land. The captain set the top- 
 sail and main-foresail in hopes of keeping her off shore. 
 
 From three o'clock she was in sight of Boulogne, and 
 certainly the sea was most heavy and the wind extremely 
 strong ; but no pilot boat went out to her, and no life- 
 boats or other assistance were dispatched. I observed 
 her from three o'clock till about half past four in the 
 afternoon, when she came round into Boulogne harbor 
 and struck on the sands. By four o'clock it was known 
 that it was a British ship, but some said it was a brig; 
 others said it was a merchant vessel, though all said it 
 was English. 
 
 It appears from the statement of three men who have 
 been saved out of the crew all the rest having perish- 
 ed that the captain ordered the anchor to be let go, in 
 hopes of swinging round with the tide. 
 
 In a few minutes after the vessel had gone aground, 
 multitudes rushed to the beach, and a brave French sai- 
 lor, named Pierre Henin. who has already received the 
 thanks of the Humane society, of London, addressed 
 himself to the captain of the port, and said that he was 
 resolved to go alone, and to reach the vessel, in order to 
 tell the captain that he had not a moment to lose, but 
 must, as it was low water, send all his crew and pas- 
 sengers on shore. 
 30*
 
 t 
 
 354 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS-. 
 
 You will recollect that up to the time of her running 
 aground no measure was adopted, and the captain was 
 not warned from shore of her danger. 
 
 As soon as she had struck, however, a pilot-boat, com- 
 manded by Francois Heuret, who has on many occa- 
 sions shown much courage and talent, was dispatched, 
 and by a little after five came under her bows. The 
 captain of the vessel refused to avail himself of the as- 
 sistance of Heuret and his brave companions, and when 
 a portion of the crew proposed going on shore the captain 
 prevented them. Two of the men saved, state that they 
 knew the boat was under the bows, but that the rest 
 were below making up their bundles. The crew could 
 then have got on shore and all the unfortunate women 
 and children. 
 
 When the French boat had gone, the surgeon sent for 
 Owen, one of the crew, and ordered him to get out the 
 long-boat. This was about half past five. The surgeon 
 discussed the matter with his wife and with the captain. 
 They were afraid of allowing the prisoners to go on 
 shore. The wife of the surgeon is said to have propos- 
 ed to leave the convicts there, and to go on shore with- 
 out them. 
 
 In consequence of the discussion, no long-boat was 
 sent out. Three of the convict women told Owen, that 
 they heard the surgeon persuaded the captain not to ac- 
 cept the assistance of the French boat, on account of the 
 prisoners who were on board. 
 
 Let us now return to Pierre Henin. The French 
 pilot-boat had been refused by the surgeon and captain 
 the long-boat had been put out, through a discussion 
 as to saving the convicts and it was now nearly six 
 o'clock. At that time Henin went to the beach, stripped 
 himself, took a line, swam naked for about three quar- 
 ters of an hour or an hour, and arrived at the vessel at a 
 little after seven. On reaching the right side of tb^ ves- 
 sel, he hailed the crew, and said, "Give me a Jjiie to 
 conduct you on land, or you are lost, as the s 
 ing in." He spoke English plain enough to 
 He touched the vessel and told them to speak to th&.-e'ap- 
 
 ->
 
 - 
 
 LOSS OF THE AMPHITRITE CONVICT SHIP. 355 
 
 tain. They threw (that is, some of the crew, but not 
 the surgeon or captain) two lines, one from the stern and 
 one from the bow. The one from the stern he could not 
 seize the one from the bow he did. He ^then went to- 
 wards the shore, but the rope was stopped. This was, 
 it is believed, the act of the surgeon and captain. He 
 (Henin) then swam back, and told them to give him 
 more rope to get on shore. The captain and surgeon 
 would not. They then tried to haul him in, but his 
 strength failed and he got on shore. 
 
 You perceive, then, that up to this moment also the 
 same obstacle existed in the minds of the captain and 
 surgeon. They did not dare, without authority, to land 
 the convicts, and rather than leave them on board, or 
 land them without such authority, they perished with 
 them. 
 
 The female convicts, who were battened down under 
 the hatches, on the vessel's running aground, broke 
 away the half deck hatch, and frantic, rushed' on deck. 
 Of course they entreated the captain and surgeon to let 
 them go on shore in the long-boat, but they were not 
 listened to, as the captain and surgeon did not feel au- 
 thorized to liberate prisoners committed to their care. 
 
 At seven o'clock the flood tide began. The crew see- 
 ing that there were no hopes, clung to the rigging. The 
 poor one hundred and eight women and twelve children re- 
 mainedon deck, uttering the most piteous cries. The ves- 
 sel was about three quarters of a mile English from the 
 shore, and no more. Owen, one of the three men saved, 
 thinks that the women remained on deck in this state 
 about an hour and a half. Owen and four others- were 
 on the spars, and thinks they remained there three quar- 
 ters of an hour, but, seeing no hope of being&ared, he 
 took to swimming, and was brought in a state of insensi- 
 bility to the hotel. To^wsey^ another of the men saved, 
 was on a plank with the captain. Towsey asked who 
 he was? He said "I am the .captain," but the next 
 momerft he was gone. Rice, the third man, floated 
 ashore on a ladder. He was in the aft when the other 
 men took to the raft. When the French pilot-boat row-
 
 mm 
 
 OKA REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 .^*/v * _, 
 
 ed away, after being rejected by the captain, he (Rice) 
 saw a man waving his hat on the beach, and remarked 
 to the captain that a gentleman was waving to them to 
 come on shore. The captain turned away and made no 
 answer. At that moment the women all disappeared, 
 the ship broke in two. 
 
 These are the facts of this awful case. The French 
 Marine Humane society immediately placed hundreds 
 of men on the beach ; and the office, or lodging, being 
 close to the shore, as soon as the corpses were picked up 
 they were brought to the rooms, where I assisted many 
 of my countrymen in endeavoring to restore them to 
 life. Our efforts were fruitless, except in the cases of the 
 three men, Owen, Rice, and Towsey. I never saw so 
 many fine and beautiful bodies in my life. Some of the 
 women were the most perfectly made ; and French and 
 English wept together at such a horrible loss of life in 
 sight of ay, and even close to, the port and town. 
 Body after body has been brought in. More than sixty 
 have been found ; they will be buried to-morrow. But 
 alas! after all our efforts, only three lives have been sav- 
 ed out of one hundred and thirty-six. 
 
 LOSS OF THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 
 
 THE ship Lady of the Lake, sailed from Belfast, on 
 the 8th of April 1833, bound to Quebec, with two hun- 
 dred and thirty passengers. The following particulars 
 were furnished by captain Grant. 
 
 On the llth May, in latitude 46. 50, north, and longi- 
 tude 47. 10, west, at five A. M., steering per compass 
 W. S. W. with a strong wind at N. N. E. we fell in with 
 several pieces of ice; at eight, A. M. the ice getting 
 closer, I judged it prudent to haul the ship out to the 
 eastward under easy sail to avoid it ; while endeavoring 
 to pass between two large pieces, a tongue under water 
 in the lee ice struck our starboard bow and stove it en- 
 tirely in. We immediately wore the ship round, expect-
 
 .- ,- 
 
 LOSS OF THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 357 
 
 ing to get the leak out of the water, but did not succeed; 
 the ship now filling fast, the mate, with seven or eight 
 of the crew, got into the stern-boat after getting bread, 
 beef, compass, &c. &c. we pulled away to the north- 
 west the scene that then took place is beyond descrip- 
 tion ; after getting the long-boat out, the passengers 
 crowded into her with such mad desperation, that she 
 was twice upset alongside, drowning about eighty of 
 them. I now attempted to save my own life and suc- 
 ceeded in getting the boat clear of the ship half full of 
 water, with thirty-three souls in her, without oars, sails, 
 or a mouthful of provisions. The last time I saw the 
 brig, (the ice coming between her and us) she was sunk 
 up to the tops, and about thirty of the passengers in the 
 main-top-mast rigging. We then tried to pull after the 
 other boat, with the bottom boards and thufts, but got 
 beset with the ice. We now expected a worse fate than 
 those who were in the vessel, viz. to perish with cold 
 and hunger. The next morning the wind changed to 
 the westward and we got clear of most of the ice. We 
 then pulled to the eastward, in the faint hope of some 
 vessel picking us up, and at noon saw a brig lying-to 
 under her two top-sails at four got on board of her, and 
 found the crew just leaving her, the brig in the same 
 state as our ow;i, sinking. We, however, got some pro- 
 visions out of her, and there being a boat lying on her 
 decks, I got part of the passengers out of our own boat 
 into it. In the course of the night it came on to blow 
 from the south-west and the other boat foundered. All 
 that now remained alive, to the best of my belief or 
 knowledge, out of a crew and passengers of two hundred 
 and eighty, is myself, one seamen, two boys, nine male 
 passengers and two female, fifteen in all. At noon on 
 the 14th, we fell in with the master and mate of the brig 
 Harvest Home, of Newcastle, the vessel we had pre- 
 viously been on board of; and on the evening of the 
 same day both got on board of a loaded brig bound to 
 St. Johns, Newfoundland, after we had been seventy- 
 five hours in an open boat, half-dressed, wet, and frost 
 bitten; next morning, I; with the remainder of the crew
 
 358 REMARKABLE SHIPWRECKS. 
 
 and passengers, left the brig and was kindly received on 
 board the ship Amazon, of Hull, bound to Quebec, where 
 we arrived in safety. 
 
 LOSS OF THE BRITISH BRIG JESSE. 
 
 THE following are the particulars respecting the wreck 
 of the British ship or brig Jesse, captain Gilmour, under 
 very distressing circumstances : 
 
 The Jesse, timber laden, left St. John's, Newfound- 
 land, on the 14th of May, 1835, for Belfast, and on the 
 17th, encountered a heavy gale, which strained the ves- 
 sel, and occasioned her to make a great deal of water. 
 No danger was apprehended till the 25th of May, when 
 a tremendous gale sprang up from the North and East, 
 and the ship was hove to under close reefed rnaintopsail 
 and storm trysail all hands pumping, but the water still 
 gained on her and she shipped some heavy seas. 
 
 On Sunday, 24th of May, although all hands were at 
 the pumps, the leaks still increased ; at half past eleven, 
 A. M., had reached the cabin floor. A few buckets of 
 bread were got out of the cabin, also a barrel of bread 
 and a cask of water, all of which were hoisted into the 
 maintop. The captain ordered the long-boat to be clear- 
 ed. On Monday, the vessel began to break up rapidly, 
 and the cargo to float out ; about nine, P. M., the foremast 
 fell through the bottom, until brought up by the lower 
 yard resting on the rail. About half an hour afterwards, 
 the mainmast got out of the step, and shortly after, was 
 carried away a few feet above the deck ; by this accident, 
 the provisions secured in the foretop were lost. 
 
 The captain and crew, fifteen in number, with six 
 steerage passengers, then embarked in the long-boat, 
 with about five gallons of water, a few pieces of salt 
 beef, and a little bread so saturated with salt water, that 
 it TMS^S of the consistency of pap ; a dog was also taken 
 int r '>e boat, which, in the sequel, they killed, and th
 
 LOSS OF THE BRITISH BRIO JESSE. 659 
 
 flesh devoured, after drinking his blood, which afforded 
 them great relief 
 
 The compass was unfortunately broken in putting it 
 into the boat, so that they had nothing to steer by, but 
 the stars and the sun. This occurred in lat. 41 30 N. 
 long. 25 20 W. cape Rae being about four hundred and 
 fifty miles distant. From the time of leaving the ship, 
 until the Saturday following, May 30, the boat was kept 
 before the wind, a heavy sea running all the time, which 
 threatened to swamp the long-boat. 
 
 On this day, James Savage, seaman, became insane 
 and jumped overboard, all efforts to save him were una- 
 vailing. Shortly after, James Robinson, seaman, expired, 
 and on the next day, William Robinson, the cook, also 
 died. On Monday, Mrs. McCartney, passenger, and her 
 two infant children, expired, exhausted with their'suffer- 
 ings ; on Tuesday, Samuel Nugent, a passenger, James 
 Scott, apprentice, and William Savage, apprentice, died. 
 
 On Wednesday, at three, P. M., saw a sail to the E. 
 N. E. which proved the Ythan, of New-Castle, captain 
 W. Davidson, who received the survivors, twelve in 
 number, on board. Hugh Macanelly, seaman, died 
 shortly after, and on Thursday, 4th of June, John Mullin, 
 seaman. On the Wednesday following, 10th of June, 
 Charles Stevens, Robert Jones, J. McKnabb, were put 
 on board the Wansbeck, captain Young. The remain- 
 der have since arrived ; two have been sent to the hospi- 
 tal, and the others are still in a weak state, from their 
 sufferings. The whole of those who died, drank salt 
 water to excess, and became insane before death ensued. 
 
 The following is a list of the survivors : Capt. Gil- 
 mour, W. Kelley, first mate, Hugh Smith, second do., 
 John McKnabb, carpenter, Charles Stevens, R. Jones, 
 Alexander Stuart, seaman, and Andrew Close, appren- 
 tice ; Samuel McCartney, husband and father of the fe- 
 male and children who died in the boat, and Margaret 
 Crouch passengers. McCartney has since been taken to 
 the marine hospital, in a very exhausted state, a have 
 two of the crew.
 
 
 I N D E 
 
 m 
 
 PaW 
 
 Losa of the Grosvenor Indiaman, g 
 
 Loss of the Fatty salem, . . . . . . . . . . 41 
 
 Loss of the Ship Hercules, ...... 56 
 
 Loss of the Ship Litchfield, . . S9 
 
 Loss of the Portuguese vessel St James, ....... 100 
 
 Loss of the Ship Centaur .-. , 104 
 
 Loss of the Sloop Betsy ; 118 
 
 Loss of the Brig Tyrell, 131 
 
 Loss of the Prince, by fire, 142 
 
 Loss of he Phoenix, 1 54 
 
 Loss of the La Tribune, 169 
 
 Famine in the American Ship Peggy, 175 
 
 The wrecked Seamen, 180 
 
 Loss of the Peggy, isr 
 
 Loss of the Hiflsewell East Indiaomn, 1 95 
 
 Loss of the Nottingham Galley, of London, 208 
 
 Loss of the Ship Droits de L'Homme, 219 
 
 Loss of the Earl of Abefgavenny.'East Indiaman, 223 
 
 Loss of the Gathaftipe, Venus, j|jg| Piedmont Transports : and three 
 
 Merchant Ships, 230 
 
 Wreck of the British Ship Sidney; . . 242 
 
 Loss of the Ramillies, . . . I . . . &. f 245 
 
 Preservation of Nine Men, ; .'. . . . *. 258 
 
 Loss of the JEnea^ Transport* . . , &&. 2G5 
 
 Loss ft lie Nautilus Sloop of^!Mr.^MH| 269 
 
 Loss of the Ship Amphioi 2S2 
 
 Loss of the Helen M'Gregor, . ^^Hp . 2^3 
 
 Loss of the Ship Beverly, . . , . 7**?^ ' .294 
 
 Loss of the Ship Albion, .299 
 
 Loss of the Ship Logan, by fire, 306 
 
 Loss of the Ship Margaret, 308 
 
 Burning of the Kent, 312 
 
 Loss of the Ship Boston, 321 
 
 Loss of the Whale Ship Essex, ,323 
 
 Loss of the Isabella, 326 
 
 Loss of the'Rothsay Castle Steamer, 331 
 
 Loss of the Brig Salljfr . . . . ,.337 
 
 Sufferings of'Ephraim Howe, if... ,- 339 
 
 Loss of the Transport Harpooner, 311 
 
 Loss of the Brig Polly, 345 
 
 Lossof the Queen Charlotte, .*,> 349 
 
 Loss of the Amphitrite Convict Ship, 352 
 
 \oss of the Lady of the Lake, 356 
 
 Loss of the British Brig Jesse, 368
 

 
 IJ 5 m i a 
 
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