fully looking in the direction of the land; but so perfectly was he satisfied with the correctness of his time-pieces, that he never mentioned sounding. A little before three o'clock, he pointed out to me the ship's place on a chart, which was then upwards of 60 miles from the land, and when he left the deck at three, directed me to steer N. E. at the same time observing, that on that course, we could not make more than six miles of casting before day-light, and that if we were nearer the land than he supposed, it was impossible to avoid seeing it before any accident could happen. He had not been off the deck more than seven or eight minutes, when the ship struck, going between six and seven knots; the shock was scarcely perceptible, except to the man at the helm; no breakers of surf were heard; and, notwithstanding the clearness of the horizon, the land was not discernible. Thus circumstanced, it being then New Moon, with the concurrence of high-water, were events particularly unfortunate. The jolly boat and yawl were immediately got out, and not 100 yards a-stern, found five fathom water; the sails were immediately thrown aback, and every endeavour was, at this momentous period, used to get the ship off, but without success. The kedge anchor, with a nine inch hawser, were then carried out into five fathom, by which we strove to heave her off, without effect. The sails were next handed, top-gallant yards and masts struck, the long-boat got out, the booms rafted along side, and the upper deck entirely cleared. Daylight discovered to us our situation; we found the ship was on a reef of rocks, about six miles from the land; within the outer reef, and nearly half way to the shore, was another, which at high-water was covered, That on which the ship struck, extended as far to the northward as we could see, and to the southward nearly the length of St. Augustine's Bay. As the water ebbed, the ship thumped violently, and began to leak; the recruits were set to the pumps, where they continued as long as they could be of service. By eight o'clock the rudder was beat off, the sheathing came up along-side, and there were only eight feet water under the bows; but as she then lay quiet, we entertained hopes of being able to get her off with the next high tide. After breakfast, I was ordered on the gun deck, to get the guns over-board, which were taken one at a time, by the long boat, and dropt at some distance from the ship, that she might not strike on them, when she should again be elevated by the tide; at the same time a party was employed upon the deck, in heaving up the rudder, and securing it along side. I had got about the half of the guns away, when the sea breeze setting in fresh, occasioned such a surf, that the boats could not continue along side: We, however, kept lightening the ship, by heaving over-board such heavy articles as would float; and at three o'clock in the afternoon, when it was highwater, made every endeavour to heave the ship off, but they were fruitless; and probably it was fortunate for us that our attempts were frustrated, as by this time, the leak had gained so much on the pumps, that had we succeeded, we should have found it impossible to keep the ship afloat, and consequently she must have foundered in deep water. Finding the ship irrecoverably lost, the next object, of most interesting attention, became the safety of the lives of the crew and passengers; and that an end so important might be as well accomplished, as surrounding difficulties would permit, every nerve was strained to keep the ship together as long as possible; the masts were cut away, by which the ship was much eased; what spars remained from the effects of a heavy surf

were inboard, for the purpose of constructing rafts; a quantity of beef, bread, liquors, with other articles of a similar nature, some barrels of gunpowder, and muskets; in fine, whatever was judged most necessary, was put into the long boat; and that no lives might be lost, through the unhappy infatuation of intoxication, to which sailors are prone in such awful scenes as were now before us, every cask of spirits that could be got at was stove. At sun-set, the yawl, with the second Mate and Purser, was sent on shore to seek a convenient place for us to land at; and the other boats, with people to watch them, were moored astern of the ship, at such a distance as was judged sufficiently clear of the surf of the night. Captain Dundas observed the latitude at noon, and found the place, where the ship was, to be about 63 miles north St. Augustine's Bay. In the course of the evening, he assembled the people together, and addressed them in a short speech, acquainting them of the situation of the ship, the route they were to take after getting on shore, the great probability of meeting a ship at St. Augustine's Bay, but above all, insisting on the absolute necessity of paying the strictest attention and obedience to the commands of their officers; at the same time assuring them of his assistance and advice; and intimating to them, that it was not less his duty, than his determination, to abide by the ship, until he was convinced that a possibility existed of every one getting on shore: this manly and exhilarating address failed not in producing an adequate effect in the minds of those to whom it was directed; it was returned with three cheers, and their united affirmations of their desire to acquiesce at all times with his and his officers' commands. About midnight, a general alarm was excited by the cries of people in distress; and upon repairing on deck, we had the mortification to see our three boats dashed to pieces, by the violence of the surf, the wind having encreased during the night, which occasioned it to break much further out than was expected; and it was not without anguish and horror, that we beheld the poor fellows who were in the boats, endeavouring to reach the ship, while the violence of the surf seemed to preclude all possibility of it: with the utmost exertions of those on board, we only could save three out of ten; many in the instant of grasping a rope, were drove far out of sight, and met inevitable death. Thus were we deprived of the only probable means of getting on shore, whilst at the same time, the ship beat so heavy on the rocks, that it was doubtful with many, whether she could hold together till morning. At day-light, on the 21st, we immediately set about making rafts of what spars and planks we had, and payed the cables overboard, to get at some that were on the orlop deck; we also cut the beams of the poop, shoard the deck up, and got it ready for a raft. About 9, A. M. the yawl with the utmost difficulty rowed off, through an immense surf, and soon afterwards came within hail, but was desired to keep at a distance, as she could not safely come along-side; they said the beach was every where alike, a surf covering it as far as they had seen, the boat afterwards went on shore, and we saw no more of her for several days. In the forenoon, three or four rafts left the ship with near 80 people, who we saw got safe on shore. The unhappy fate of the boats rendered the situations of those that remained on board extremely precarious; and producing the strong and irresistible feeling of self-preservation in every breast, made Captain Dundas waver from his original declaration to the men: he therefore at this critical moment, expressed his wish to accompany the ladies on shore,

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whose forlorn condition he might have had it in his power in some degree to alleviate, but from this intention he suffered himself to be diverted, and was persuaded to remain on board till it was too late, as will be seen by the sequel of this narrative. The sea breeze this day was much stronger than before, consequently the surf became much heavier. In the evening it increased so violently as to part the hawser which held the ship's stern to; about sun-set she drove broadside on, upon the rocks, the sea making a breach entirely over her. At seven she parted at the chistree, when every body crowded off, on the quarter-deck and poop; at this juncture I saw Captain Dundas for the last time on the poop with the ladies: Mr. Chambers, though repeatedly urged to attempt to save his life, remained inactive, declaring that he was sensible all his efforts would be in vain, and with a perfect resignation to his fate, requested every one to watch over his own safety. Amidst a scene, perhaps, as pregnant with misery, with distraction, and with horror, asany that ever occurred in the eventful history of mariners, the ship soon after breaking up, I, accompanied with the fourth and fifth mates, left the wreck, on a small raft we had constructed for the purpose, and were rapidly wafted from our ill-fated ship, beyond the reach of the piercing cries of misery, which issuing from near two hundred people, involved in the most complicated affliction, may be imagined, but cannot with any justice be painted by me, whose feelings shrink from the remembrance of such distress, and whose pen is inadequate to such a task. After driving all night in the supposition that we should soon get on shore, we were miserably deceived on the approach of day-light, when we could see no land; however, knowing how it lay, we laboured hard, and about three o'clock on the 22d, got on shore.

Proceeding to the southward, we found the poop had driven on shore with sixty people in it, among whom were five of the ladies, and several gentlemen, who, particularly the former, were, from the variety of distress they had undergone, objects of commiscration and pity; they could not give any account of the Captain; but I have since learned from the carpenter, that after the poop went away, the starboard side of the wreck floated broadside up, and Captain Dundas was washed through the quarter gallery, and seen no more. The rest of the people got on shore, some on small pieces of the wreck, which drifted nearer in shore, others in canoes, with which the natives came off to plunder the remains of the ship, but it was not till Sunday the 26th, that the last of them landed. Many things drove on the beach, but whatever was of any value, the natives secured, threatening every one who attempted to oppose them, with death, and whenever they met with any opportunity, they plundered and stripped our people. This disposition of the natives, with the loss of our boats, rendered it utterly impossible to save any part of the treasure or cargo. In a few days, the whole of the survivors arrived at Tulliar, the residence of the King of Baba, to whom every praise and credit is due, for his kind and humane treatment to us, from our first arrival till the melancholy and reduced number of the Winterton's crew were taken off the island. Captain Dundas, Mr. Chambers, three young ladies, with seamen and soldiers, to the amount of 48, were drowned. For some days we remained in a state of the most anxious suspense, for the fate of the yawl, as it was on her safety alone we could found the most distant hope of relief, as the season was so far advanced as to prelude the probability of any vessel touching at the bay, till the next