more violent, it might have abated the wind that impelled us, and a calm would have been attended with inevitable destruction.

That we might steer our course with greater certainty, we consulted every day, the rising and setting of the sun and moon; and the stars shewed us what wind we ought to take. A very small piece of salt pork furnished us one meal in the twenty-four hours and from this even we were obliged to desist on the fourth day, on account of the irritation of blood, which it occasioned. Our only beverage was a glass of brandy, from time to time; but that liquor burned our stomachs without 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 abandoned her functions; a feeble ray of hope alone cheered 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 sunk down with fatigue. My miserable comrades were equally exhausted, and despair 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 adequate 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 entered the bay of Tresson, in latitude 6 deg.

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 ourselves 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 I 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 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 inhabited 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 toward us, and inquired the reason 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 necessities of life were all that we wanted. Touched by our misfortunes, they blessed the pow er that had preserved us, and hastened to conduct us to their habitations. Upon the way we came to a river, into which all my companions 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 trowsers, and boiled some fish, the water of which served us for broth, and secmed delicious. After this frugal repast, though sleep was equally necessary, yet we prepared to render solemn thanks to the Almighty. 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, where 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 obliged 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 refreshments. After resting a short time we returned to our kind host, who, at night, furnished us with another repast 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 Paraiba, a journey of fifteen leagues, barefooted, and without any hope of meeting with good provis ions on the way; we therefore took the precaution of smoke drying our meat, and adding 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 commander of the fortress; that worthy of ficer received us graciously, gave us an entertainment, and a boat to go to Paraiba. 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 furrished 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 us 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 Fernambuc 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 5th of October we set sail, and arrived, without any accident, at Lisbon, on the 17th of December. On the 2d 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 the 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 L'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.

* Pernambuco.

LOSS BY FIRE OF THE HIBERNIA,

The fol

Bound for Van Dieman's Land, with passengers. lowing is from a letter of Mr. James Easby, millwright, Richmond, Yorkshire, one of the passengers.

ON the 5th of February, about eleven o'clock, A. M. an alarm of fire was given, which was ascertained to be but too true. The second mate, who acted as steward, had gone into the state room, and while in the act of drawing a bucket of rum, let a lighted candle fall into the spirits; and instead of giving the alarm, endeavored to extinguish the flames by throwing about the store room the blazing spirits, which dreadfully burnt his legs and arms, and set fire to a quantity of tar, pitch, spirits, straw, &c. As soon as an alarm was given, the deck was scuttled, and water poured in-every exertion was used to arrest the all-devouring element, but to no purpose; in less than two hours all hopes of saving either ship or cargo were abandoned, as between decks and lower holds were full of smoke, and the flames were breaking through between the decks. The captain now ordered the boats to be launched, which was done. Giving me some books, charts, &c. he ordered me to get into the long boat and take care of the few provisions which were saved from the sailor's forecastle and cabin. Oh! what a scene of horror now took place! Some were seen dressed up in their best clothes as if going to a ball; others were profaning God's name with the most awful execrations; while some were on their knees supplicating his mercy.

"Now shrieked the timid,

And stood still the brave."

There were two hundred and thirty-two souls on board, and the boats would not hold more than a third of that number; they were filled in a moment, and dropt a stern. As the ship was still going, we drifted away, picking up a few who swam from the ship, or floated on pieces of timber. The whole of the sails and masts of the noble Hibernia were now in flames, and in a few minutes fell into the sea. And now a most dread. ful sceee presented itself; all endeavoring to get upon the masts, with the expectation of being picked up by the boats, that being the only sad alternative, the flames or a watery grave. Those who got upon the rafts had neither water nor provisions; and if not picked up would linger out a painful

existence, and at last be starved to death, there being little chance of any ship coming that way. We were now fifty degrees south latitude, and twenty degrees west longitude, in the south east trade winds, having a fair wind for Pernambuco, on the Brazilian coast. We all met; that is, the boats and determined to make, if possible, Pernambuco, though at a distance of twelve hundred miles, and having very little provisions and no water. It was most heart-rending to see so many in distress, and unable to relieve them, the boats being quite filled, and the long boat in a leaky state, required eight men to bail the water to keep her afloat. We rigged out a jury-mast, and with the aid of a top-gallant sail were enabled to make a good head way. The Hibernia was not more than one mile from us to windward-many poor creatures clinging to the bowsprit to keep them from the flames as long as possible, waving their hats for us to go and receive them. The doctor and four sisters were clinging to a rope at the stern of the ship. We would fain have taken them in, but the captain told us it would be at the expense of our own lives; so we abandoned all hope of saving them. By the help of an old bed-tick, we lengthened our sail, and in a little time lost sight of the Hibernia, and all our property, and all our hopes. Next morning the chief mate in the pinnace left us, and we saw him no more, he having on board seventeen souls. We had given him charts, compass and sextant to navigate with. We had nothing to eat from breakfast until the next day at twelve o'clock, and then only two table spoonsful of brandy, and two ounces of preserved beef night and morning for seven days. On the night of the 6th, a man died from fatigue and hunger. On the captain taking his observations at twelve o'clock, he informed us that we were four hundred and ninety miles from Pernambuco, with a light breeze. We had no water the whole time, and gave up all hopes of ever again setting feet on land. On this day we killed one of the three small pigs which we had on board-eating it raw, and supping the blood with as much eagerness as if it had been wine. Hunger is fine sauce, but our hunger was nothing to our thirst. Had I been possessed of a thousand worlds, I would willingly have given them for a draught of water. Many of them drank sea water, though warned against it several of them became delirious. There were fifty-two souls on board besides eleven in the captain's gig, which we had in tow.

At twenty minutes past three o'clock, the man at the helm, to the joy of all, cried out, "A sail a-head." We stood