THE SURVIVORS OF THE MEDUSA,

A French frigate. "A large fire was kindled and each one was occupied in dressing his meal."-p. 332.

ged with new dispatches, I again embarked at Havre de Grace, on the 6th of May, 1787, and had the good fortune to arrive at the island of St. Louis, without any accident.

EXTRAORDINARY FAMINE IN THE AMERICAN 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 character of a beast of prey; he is deaf to every representation, and coolly meditates the death of his fellow-creature.

One of these scenes, so afflicting to humanity, was, in the year 1765, exhibited in the brigantine the Peggy, David Har. rison, commander, freighted by certain merchants of NewYork, 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 retura to New-York.

On the 29th, the wind, which had till then been favorable, suddenly 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 experience of the captain, the masts went by the board, and all the sails excepting one, were tore 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, destitute of masts, sails, and rigging, she was perfectly unmanageable, and drifted to and fro at the mercy of the waves. This, however, was the smallest evil; another of a much more alarm. ing naturd soon manifested itself. Upon examining the state of the provisions, they were found to be almost totally exhausted. In this deplorable situation the crew had no hope of relief but from chance.

A few days after this unpleasant discovery, two vessels

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 intoxi

cation.

On the fourth day, a ship was observed bearing toward them in full sail; no time was lost in making signals of distress, and the crew had the inexpressible satisfaction to perceive that they were answered. The sea was sufficiently calm to permit the two vessels to approach each other. The strangers seemed much affected by the account of their sufferings and misfortunes, and promised them a certain quantity of biscust; but it was not immediately sent on board, the captain alledging, as an excuse for the delay, that he had just be. gun a nautical observation, which he was desirous to finish. However unreasonable such a pretext appeared, under the present circumstances, the famished crew of the Peggy were obliged to submit. The time mentioned by the captain had nearly expired, when, to their extreme mortification, the lat. ter, regardless of his promise, crowded all his sails and bore away. No language is adequate 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 shewed the captain was to reserve for him the head of the cat. He afterward declared, that however disgusting it would have been on any other oc. casion, he thought it at that moment a treat exquisitely deli. cious. The unfortunate men then supported 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 impossible to tell in what manner they subsisted. Captain Harrison had been for some time unable to leave his cabin, 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 af

fecting 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 assassination, they would for ever 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 it 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 run 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 sacrificed him. One of the crew tore out his liver and devoured it, without having the patience to dress it, by broiling, or in any other manner. He was soon afterward taken ill, and died the following day in convulsions, and with all the symptoms of madness. Some of his comrades proposed to keep his body to live upon, after the negro was consumed; but this advice was rejected by the majority, doubtless on account of the malady 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 resisted 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 January. On the