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there would be no preserving life, but by running before the sea, 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 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 disappointed, 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 be 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 necessary to go 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 sort of partiality 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 accident 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 comfortless condition, we began to grow very feeble, and our clothes being continually wet, our bodies were, in many places, chafed in

to sores.

On the 13th 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 the southward of Fayal, and to the westward 60 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 in 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 strength; for on this day Thomas Matthews, quarter-master, the stoutest man in the boat, perished from hunger 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 complained of these 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 prohibited; 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 a 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 immediately 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, quarter-master, declared with much confidence, that he saw land in 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 effects 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 not land.

We immediately shaped our course for it, though on my part with very little faith. The wind freshened; the boat went through the water at the rate of five or six miles an hour, and in two hour's 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 shewn 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 than three or four leagues. Fayal, by our reckoning, bore E by N. which course we were steering, and in a few hours, had not the sky opened for our preservation, we should have increased 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 sometime 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 impatience, for we had flattered ourselves that we should meet with fresh water at the first part of the island we might approach; and being disappointed, the thirst of some had increased anxiety almost to a degree 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: howe. ver, 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 humane attention made very ample amends for the formality of the Portuguese. Indeed I can never sufficiently express the sense I have of his kindness and humanity, 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 better health than the rest; but 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 than better.

FAYAL, Oct. 13, 1782.

J. N. INGLEFIELD.

LOSS BY FIRE OF THE FRENCH EAST-INDIA

COMPANY'S VESSEL THE PRINCE,

Bound from L'Orient to Pondicherry, July 26th, 1752. By M. D. La Fond, 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 an chor 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, and 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 Godehue, the commander of the port of L'Orient, came on board to animate the crew by his presence 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 occupied 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 Louis: we owed the preservation of the ship entirely to the prudent directions of M. de Godehue, 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 voyage, and the misfortune we had already experienced shewed the strength of the vessel, which fire alone appeared capable of destroying. On the 10th of June, 1752, a favorable wind carried 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 recollect all the circumstances.

The 26th of July, 1752, being in the latitude of 8 deg. 30 min. South, and in longitude 5 deg. West, the wind being SW. 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 discover 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 cabin, went upon deck and gave orders for extinguishing the fire. I had already directed several sails to be thrown overboard, and the hatchways to be covered with them, hoping, by these means, to prevent the air from penetrating 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 obtained 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 confusion 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 destined his soldiers for other operations more useful to his country.

All hands were now employed in getting water; not only the buckets, but likewise 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 rapidity of the fire, however, baffled our efforts and augmented the general consternation.

The captain had already ordered the yawl to be hoisted overboard, merely because it was in the way; four men, among whom was the boatswain, took possession of it. They had no oars, but called out for some, when three sailors jumped overboard and carried them what 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 consequence of a breeze that sprung 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 burnt if a great quantity of water had not been thrown over him. Immediately afterwards the flames were seen to issue with impetuosity

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