menced, Le Hector, a French prize of 74 guns, commanded by Capt. Bourchier, not being above half manned, and her mafts, fails, and rigging, in very bad condition, hung fo far a-tern, that fhe loft, on the night of the 22d of Auguft, company with the fleet, and was never after able to recover it.

On the 8th of September a heavy gale came on, in which Le Caton, another prize of 64 guns, fprung a leak, and was obliged to throw out a fignal of diftrefs; in confequence of which, the admiral ordered both her and the Pallas frigate, which was likewife leaky, on the following day to proceed in company to Hallifax.

This was only a light prelude to what was coming on. For on the 16th of September in the afternoon, the fleet and convoy (which were ftill little fhort of 90 fail) being off the Banks of Newfoundland, in lat. 42° 15', long. 48° 55', with the wind at eaft-foutheaft, a violent gale came on, which continued to increafe through the evening and night, until it had exceeded the ftate of the greatest ftorms before known in that quarter. The various fufferings and diftreffes of the hips, through the night, were fufficiently grievous and calamitous; but about three o'clock in the morning the wind, without the smalleft warning, inftantaneously fhifted, and was as fuddenly fucceeded by the moft vio-, lent fquall from the N. N. W. that the oldeft feaman in the fleet had ever experienced; exceeding in degree whatever they had known in the tropical regions, to which fuch fudden fhifts of the wind, and hurricanes, are deemed peculiar ;

but from which those northern latitudes were at all times hitherto fuppofed to be exempted.

From the immediate effect which this fatal fhift and hurricane produced on the admiral's fhip, the Ramillies, which, along with being excellently manned and officered, was otherwife neither bad in kind or condition, fome idea may be formed of the ruin which it spread through the fleet in general. For this purpose we shall give the following fhort extract from the journal of Mr. Nash, the first Lieutenant of the Ramillies, and the officer of the watch at the time that it happened. Having ftated the unaccountable change of the wind to the oppofite fide of the compafs in an inftant, he proceeds thus in profeffional language"The main-fail a-back; all hands "turned up; the main-clue gar"nets manned; the captain and "officers called up; before we "could let go the tack or fheet, "the mainmaft, mizen-maft, fore"topmaft, and fore-yard, carried

66

over the ship's fide, and the

tiller broke, from the strong fea "in the rudder's head; the wa-, "ter in, the well 4 feet 4 inches, "and still gaining on us, all the "chain pumps being choaked; "the greatest part of the crew

66

being turned to hatchways "bailing; Lieutenants Turnbull, "Larcolm, and Silly had charge, " and affifted at this fatiguing "duty; Captain Moriarty and "the other officers employed in "cutting away the wreck, fecur"ing the rudder, and fhipping a

" and still increasing; the fhip labouring in exceeding diftrefs, " and going at random."

To increase the miferies of the night, the hurricane was accompanied with fo furious a rain, that at that inftant when their utmoft exertions were called for, to oppofe fate even for a moment, it was not poffible for the feamen to face the weather. The imagina tion could not conceive any thing more dreadfully grievous, or more diftreffing even to thofe who were in the least danger them felves, than the fcene which the morning light difclofed. Signals of diftrefs in every quarter; the men of war nearly tripped of every thing above deck; destruction, in its most hideous forms, fpread all around; the fea covered with wrecks, and numbers of miferable wretches, of both fexes, ftruggling for life, either lashed or clinging to them; while their piteous efforts to attract attention, and to obtain a relief which was impoffible to be given, rent every heart with grief, and fpread univerfal horror and difmay through all the fpectators.

At ten o'clock in the morning the Ramillies had fix feet water in her hold, and to eafe her, in the courfe of that day, feveral of her guns and other heavy articles were thrown over board. The weather ftill continuing very bad, though not equal in degree to the hurricane, it was only through the great and continual exertions of the officers and crew that he was kept above water until the 21st. On that day at noon fhe had ten feet water in her hold; but fome hours before that extremity, the remaining merchant ships (amounting to about nineteen that were ftill able

to keep in company) being fummoned by fignal, the admiral began to fhift the people on board them; which being finished by four o'clock, when he had 15 feet water in her hold, fhe was fo effectually fet on fire, that Captain Moriarty and the laft boats had quitted her only, a few minutes when she blew up.

The fate of the Ramillies was, however, to be confidered as happy, when oppofed to that of the other hips of war in company. The Centaur, Captain Inglefield, had already made much water in the night, and was under bare poles, and in every poffible ftate of defence against the worst weather that could be fuppofed to happen, at the inftant that the hurricane came on. But all preparation and defence were fruitless against that irrefiftible fquall; which laid the, fhip at once in fuch a manner upon her beam ends, that the water burst through from the hold between decks, while fhe lay motionlefs, and feemed to be irrecoverably overfet. She was, however, righted, but with the lofs of all her mafts and rudder, and with a fhock of fuch extreme violence, as caused unspeakable mischief and confufion. The guns broke loofe, the fhot was thrown out of the lockers, and the water that came up from the hold swept every thing away between decks, as effectually as the waves and the wreck had from the upper.

he officers, who had run up na ked from their beds when the fhip overfet, had not an article of clothes to put on in the morning, nor had their friends any left to affift them with.

The unfhaken fortitude of the

fhip's company, and their unwea

ried exertions, under every degree of diftrefs, and with fcarcely the poffibility of a hope remaining, while it heightens the merit of the fufferers, only ferves to render their fate the more grievous. By thefe means they kept the fhip above water until the 23d; but the ftruggle was then at an end. In the midst of the wide Atlantic Ocean, without a poffibility of any effectual fuccour, (for the accidental falling in with a fhip, or even a few, could only have afforded a partial and very incompetent relief) at feveral hundred miles distance from the nearest land, they perceived, on that morning, that all their efforts were fruitless; that the ship was filling faft with water, and going gradually down; that her fwimming in any manner could not outlaft the day; while the terrible afpect of the fea fufficiently indicated, that neither boat nor raft could live many hours upon it. That laft fhadow of hope, faint as it was, in which the heart had till then fondly fought for refuge, being thus at once diffipated, the immediate effects, tho' various, were in every inftance highly deplorable. Many brave feamen, who had hitherto perfevered in their fufferings and labour without a murmur or a fear, seeing that all was over, and being fuddenly ftruck with a me. lancholy and tender recollection of their country, and of every thing that was most dear to them, burst out openly into tears, and wept like children. Others, appearing perfectly refigned to their fate, as if difdaining to contend with impoffibility, went to their hammocks, and called to their mellmates to lash them in; a greater number were lashing themfelves to gratings

and fmall rafts; but the putting on of their beft and cleanest cloathing.was an idea generally prevalent. In the mean time, the water in the hold had blown up the orlop decks; the cables floated to the gun-deck; the people left off bailing; and the fhip was left to her fate.

It would have feemed almost ridiculous at that time to imagine, that any memorial of fuch a fituation could poffibly have come to the knowledge of the world. Indeed the efcape of Captain Inglefield, with ten of his people, may be confidered among the moft remarkable deliverances of which we have any record; and affords a most admirable encouragement to mankind, never to fink in their fpirits, or fail in their exertions, under any weight of danger, or hopeleffnefs of condition. Though that gentleman's moft interefting narrative of their wonderful escape and unparalleled fufferings, muft have been feen almoft by every body, yet we cannot refrain from taking notice of a few of the most leading or fingular circumftances.

It appears upon the face of the whole, that although the booms were prepared, rafts made, and the boats put over the fhip's fide, with a fmall guard to each to prevent diforder, yet, that almost all the officers, and a great majority of the crew, (including probably the most experienced feamen) felt fuch a conviction of the impoffibility of faving themselves, in fuch a fea, and under fuch circumstances, that they deemed it more eligible to refign themfelves quietly to their fate, than, for the chance of prolonging a wretched existence for a few hours, to expose themselves to

new miferies, and to difturb and embitter their laft moments by vain and fruitless exertions. That this was the general difpofition, feems clearly established from the following circumftance, that when, at fo late an hour as five o'clock in the evening, Capt. Inglefield (who had yet formed no determination with refpect to himself) went upon deck, the five lieutenants, with all the other officers of fo large a ship, excepting only the mafter, were then below. The five-oared yawl, which was the best boat, had been already ftaved; and upon the Captain's coming up he perceived, that a few of the people had forced their way into the pinnace, that others were preparing to follow, and a greater number looking wiftfully over the hip's fide at what was going forward. This appearance revived the love of life in the Captain, who inftantly beckoning to the master, they both got into the boat; but had the greatest difficulty in getting her clear of the fhip, for befides the violence of the waves, the whole crowd that were then in fight were precipitately endeavouring to follow their example. Mr. Baylis, a young gentleman of only fifteen years of age, throwing him felf headlong into the fea, had the fortune to reach the boat, and was taken in.

They were now twelve in number in the boat, and we are to look to their condition for facing the dreadful encounter, to which they were expofed; from whence a queftion will naturally arife, which every perfon will folve for himself, whether their fituation was apparently preferable to that of their numerous friends who continued in the

fhip? They were, at the approach of a dreadful night, in a leaky boat, with one of her gun-wales ftaved, nearly in the middle of the Western Ocean, without compafs, without quadrant, without fail, a heavy gale of wind blowing, and a great fea driving. Their provifion confifted of a bag of bread, a small ham, a fingle piece of pork, and a few French cordials; but of water, that most indifpenfable of all neceffaries, they had only two quart bottles. The weather, along with its other feverities, being extremely cold, it was no fmall aggravation of their immediate diftreffes, that they were all very thinly cloathed, and not fo much as a cloak or great coat amongst them; and in this condition, excepting those who were bailing, they were condemned to fit through the night, in the bottom of the boat, with the water generally up to the middle, as they could fcarcely clear her of the relics of one great fea before the coming on of another; while they ftill expected to be fwallowed by every fucceeding wave.

It happened moft fortunately, that a blanket had been thrown in, and was difcovered before it grew dark, in the bottom of the boat; this they immediately bent to one of the stretchers, and used as a fail, under which they fcudded through the night. Providence feemed difpofed to favour their ftruggles; the weather became moderate on the following day; and what was of ftill greater importance, the wind (any confiderable fhift in which would have been fatal) continued to hang in the north-west quarter; for their only hope was to reach the Portuguese

Weftern

Western Islands, which they eftimated as lying about 260 leagues to the fouth-east of the fhip at the time they quitted her. On the 5th morning, they made the doleful difcovery, that the falt water had fpoiled almoft the whole of their bread. From this time they were reduced to the neceffity of the whole company living upon the miferable pittance of two bifcuits for the twenty-four hours; one being divided and diftributed, without favour or refpect of perfons, in twelve equal portions, at each of their forrowful meals. The want of water was ftill more diftreffing; the neck of a bottle, broken off with the cork in it, being the meafure allotted to the fupport of each individual during the twenty-four hours.

A most fortunate accident, and which could only have originated from perturbation and diforder of mind during the confufion which prevailed in the fhip, afforded the happy means, which could alone have preferved them from perifhing for want of water. A pair of fheets were found in the boat, which fomebody had thrown in without obfervation; and fome rain coming on, they were enabled, by alternately spreading and wringing them, to catch and to fave a few quarts of water. But this fupply, happy as it was, could not prevent their being extremely enfeebled through the want of food; nor was the quantity of water taken fufficient to prevent their being again reduced to the greateft diftrefs for that article. The Captain, rightly judging how deftructive gloom and defpair were to the animal faculties, fuccefsfully endeavoured to divert the atten

tion of the people from their fitu ation and diftreffes, by inducing them, during the heavy and penfive hours of the evenings, to amufe each other, by every one relating a ftory, or finging a fong, in turn; which was, undoubtedly, an admirable expedient in fuch circumstances.

On the 15th day after their departure from the fhip, they had a melancholy inftance, that good fpirits were of much more avail in withstanding difficulty and diftrefs, than great bodily ftrength; for the quarter-mafter, who was by much the ftouteft man in the boat, was the only one who funk under the extremes of cold and hunger. They were on that evening reduced to the laft day's bread, and to one bottle of water; and though they were in continual expectation of feeing land, yet defpondency became fo prevalent, that all Capt. Inglefield's endeavours could not procure a ftory or a fong.

On the 16th day, after diftributing the laft bifcuit and water, they had the unspeakable pleasure of defcrying land; and after fome ftill intervening difficulties, their miferies were on that night brought to a conclufion, by their happy arrival in the harbour of Fayal.

Such was the fate of the Cen

taur! Nor was that of others lefs deplorable; although the circumftances of their diftrefs can never be fo perfectly known. The Ville de Paris (the grand trophy of the war, and long the pride of the French navy) commanded by Captain Wilkinfon, with Le Glorieux (one likewife of the prizes) of 74 guns, Captain Cadogan, were both equally deftined to become victims to the rage of this merciless hurricane.