the wind, but the spring-stay having caught, the fire communicated aft to the mainmast-head. Cut away lanyards of lower rigging (fore and main), when both masts went by the wedges. Ship being still on fire forward, to prevent the flames driving aft (her head coming up), cut away the mizenmast, and got tarpaulins on the spritsail-yard. 3. 30. All efforts to extinguish the fire having failed, cut the boom-lashings, and breaking down the starboard-waist bulwarks, launched the long-boat, which was swamped alongside by a heavy sea. Remaining quarter-boat found stove by the falling of the mizen4° less 10. Private instructions, &c. having been destroyed, these are headed up and hove overboard. Eddystone light bearing N. by E., fire raging. Officers and men doing their duty to the last. All hope gone, and may God help us!" "R. PANGDON." mast. So much for the poor old barkey; but the individual fate of her gallant crew-left only the horrible choice, between the alternatives of being burned or drownedremained, and still remains, a dark and dreadful mystery. Sims and I had to stand a court, and, after that was over, I again returned to London, to seek employment once more afloat. Loss of the Ann, Captain Potter, July 30, 1807. THE brig Ann, of Newcastle, commanded by Robert Potter, was chartered to proceed from Newry, in Ireland, where she was delivering her cargo, to Archangel, in Russia. The navigation to this place, which is situate in the White Sea, is considered, by skilful seamen, to be one of the most difficult and dangerous in the world, and can only be performed with safety in the mild months of summer. The Ann was a good ship, and had been at the above place before, under the command of Captain Potter, who had effected the voyage from London to Archangel, and returned with a full cargo in three months, which was a proof of his consummate skill and perseverance. The Ann sailed from Ireland on July 17, 1807, but the opening prospect was gloomy enough. The season was far advanced, and in a very few days the wind blew violently from the S.E., accompanied with heavy rain, and almost impenetrable fogs, which drove them with irresistible force too far to the northward and westward. After several days of awful uncertainty, they were at length enabled to ascertain by observation that they were in latitude 71o, and 10° west longitude; and when the fog dispersed, to their great dismay, they found themselves surrounded by tremendous mountains of ice. In this extremity they attempted to tack, and, if possible, to avoid the impending danger; but the wind blowing with increased violence, they were unable to effect this. At this instant a large piece of ice struck the stern, and carried a great part of it away; immediately after, another piece struck the larboard bow, and went directly through it; and a third struck the starboard bow, but being larger than the former, the shock threw the ship on her beam-ends, from which she never after rose, The pumps were manned, in order, if possible, to keep her above water till they could reach the island of John Maynes, which lies nearly in this latitude: contrary to their expectation, they were enabled to see this barren part, which rises like a huge mountain out of the sea. At this time the water was above the beams, when the boats were hoisted out; but the ship being entirely filled with water, they were only able to procure a small quan tity of biscuit and a little water, which was already so mixed with salt water that it was loathsome to them, even in their distress. With this small supply, the captain entered the boats, with the whole of his crew, which consisted of thirteen, including boys; they were judiciously arranged, some in the small boat, towing the other as long as the turbulent waves permitted. Their first resolution was, to allow themselves but one glass of water and half a biscuit per day for each person, as their scanty stock would not afford them a larger allowance. On July 30, they quitted this unfortunate vessel, and their only hope was to reach some part of the coast of Norway. For twenty-two days they continued to row and drive in the open boat for nearly nine hundred miles, suffering severely from the intense cold and the raging of the sea. The frost had affected various parts of their bodies, which at length began to mortify; and the situation of these poor men became truly deplorable. While thus threatened by death in its most frightful form, they were discovered by some fishermen belonging to Norway, who, to their inexpressible joy, came to their relief, and towed them into the harbour of Christiansand, apparently in a state of dissolution; their only support having been the scanty allowance above-mentioned, of one glass of water and half a biscuit per day. It was found necessary to amputate the legs of the two apprentices, as they were in a dreadful state of mortification. These shipwrecked men were treated by the natives of Christiansand with the greatest humanity. As soon as their strength was recruited, they were all made prisoners of war, with the exception of the two apprentices, and marched off many miles to Drontheim. While every commendation is due to the nation who succoured them after their distress, it is but justice to add that, immediately after the receipt of this intelligence, the owners of the Ann used every exertion to remit pecuniary aid to the unhappy sufferers. Loss of H. M. S. Invincible. THE Invincible, having on board Admiral Totty, and commanded by Captain Rennie, set sail from Yarmouth on the 16th of March, 1801, to join the Baltic fleet, under the command of Sir Hyde Parker; and between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, struck on a sandbank. In this situation she continued to beat with the greatest violence for nearly three hours, when the mizenmast went by the board, and the mainmast was immediately cut away. The signals of distress were heard and answered by a cutter, which immediately bore down to Yarmouth to give intelligence of the distress of the ship, so that the crew hoped, with the assistance that might arrive, to be able to save the ship as well as their own lives. Having, however, unfortunately lost her rudder, the ship became unmanageable, and was driven back again upon the bank. All now gave themselves up for lost. At this awful juncture a fishing-smack approached the wreck, on which two boats belonging to the Invincible were ordered out. On board one of these, the admiral, the purser, four midshipmen, three of the admiral's servants, and six or eight seamen, reached the fishing-smack in safety, as did also the other boat, full of people. Both of them immediately returned to the ship; but on again approaching the smack, one was forced away, and every person on board would inevitably have perished, had not a collier, which happened to be passing by at this critical moment, picked them all up. This vessel afterwards afforded every assistance that humanity dictated, or that she was capable of giving, and was the means of saving the lives of many of the crew. All the other boats that were attempted to be got overboard were immediately lost. ber of unhappy sufferers attempted to get on board the already over-laden launch, but as no more could be permitted to enter, without the certain destruction of the whole, they were struck away with the oars, and in a few seconds were wholly engulphed in the pitiless waves. After the ship had sunk, Captain Rennie attempted to swim to the launch, and after severe exertions got within reach of the oars, when, exhausted with fatigue, and unable to make any farther effort, he calmly resigned himself to his fate; lifting up his hands, as if to implore the blessing of Heaven, and immediately afterwards placing them upon his face, he went down directly, without a struggle. Thus perished a brave and meritorious officer, whose eminent virtues in life insured him the esteem of all who knew him, and whose professional fame, had he survived, bade fair to render him an ornament to his country. All the other commissioned officers of the ship, except Lieutenants Tucker and Quash, together with all the officers of marines, and most of their men, likewise went to the bottom. About seventy or eighty of the crew were saved by means of the launch, the whole of whom had assembled upon the forecastle; but all those who remained on the poop were lost. The total number of human beings who thus found a watery grave was upwards of four hundred, among whom were several passengers on their way to join other ships belonging to the North Sea fleet. Two seamen a few days afterwards arrived at the Admiralty, who had survived the rest of the unfortunate crew that went down in the Invincible, by adhering, for two days and nights, to a part of the quarter-gallery which broke away, and whence they were providentially taken up by the brig Briton, of Sunderland. They had no other sustenance till they were released from their perilous situation, but what they derived from a small quantity of tobacco which one of them fortunately had lost his hearing, and was much bruised. The fishing-smack, with the admiral on board, being unable to afford the least assistance to the ship, remained at anchor during the whole of the night of the 16th. On the approach of day, the master of the vessel ex-in his jacket-pocket. One of them, named Daniel Brian, pressed an unwillingness to go near the wreck; but admiral Totty, in direct opposition to him, caused the cable to be cut, and proceeded to the ship. Melancholy, however, to relate, while he was doing every thing of which human exertion is capable, to assist the unhappy people on board, the wreck once more got into deep water, and gradually sunk, to the infinite distress of the admiral and the other spectators, who were nearly frantic with grief at this tremendous scene of human misery and destruction. While the ship was thus rapidly going down, the launch was hove out; as many of the crew as she could possibly hold jumped on board, and had only time to clear the poop, when the vessel, with four hundred souls, entirely disappeared, and went to the bottom. A num The unfortunate Captain Rennie was an amiable man and an excellent officer. He had been promoted by his own merit alone. At the Helder he distinguished himself when a lieutenant, in consequence of which he was spoken of by Admiral Mitchell in his public dispatches with merited praise, and was made post-captain. Since that time he had been waiting for a ship, had just been appointed to the command of the Invincible, and was, for the first time putting to sea in her, launching, as he thought, into good fortune. The Invincible was an old ship, having been built in the year 1766. A ship bearing the same name was lost almost in the same manner, about forty years before this disaster. Loss of the Amphitrite, Captain Hunter, August 31st, | extremely strong; but no pilot-boat went out to her, 1833. THE Amphitrite convict ship, commanded by Captain Hunter, sailed from Woolwich on Sunday, August 25, 1833, on her voyage to New South Wales, having on board one hundred and eight female convicts and twelve children, under the care of Mr. Forrester the surgeon, and a crew of sixteen persons. The captain was part owner of the vessel. When the ship arrived off Dungeness, the gale of the 29th began; and on the morning of Friday, the 30th, the captain hove the ship to, the gale being too heavy to sail. On Saturday, at noon, the vessel was about three miles to the eastward of Boulogne harbour, when they made land; and the captain set the topsail and mainforesail, in the hopes of keeping her off shore. From three o'clock she was in sight off Boulogne, and certainly the sea was most heavy, and the wind and no life-boats or other assistance were despatched. She was observed from three o'clock till about half-past four in the afternoon, when she came round into Boulogne harbour, and struck on the sands. By four o'clock it was known that it was a British ship; but some said it was a brig, others said it was a merchant-vessel, though all said it was English. It appeared from the statements of three men who were saved out of the crew-all the rest having perished that the captain ordered the anchor to be let go, in hopes of swinging round with the tide. In a few minutes after the vessel had gone aground, multitudes rushed to the beach, and a brave French sailor, named Pierre Henin, who had previously received the thanks of the Humane Society of London, addressed himself to the captain of the port, and said that he was resolved to go alone, and to reach the vessel, in order to tell the captain that he had not a moment to lose, but P must, as it was low water, send all his crew and passengers on shore. As soon as she had struck, a pilot-boat, commanded by François Heuret, who had on many occasions shown much courage and talent, was despatched, and by a little after five came under her bows. The captain refused to avail himself of the assistance of Heuret and his brave companions, and when a portion of the crew proposed going on shore, the captain prevented them. Two of the men saved state that they knew the boat was under the bows, but that the rest were below making up their bundles. The crew could then have got on shore, and all the unfortunate women and children. When the French boat had gone, the surgeon sent for Owen, one of the crew, and ordered him to get out the long-boat. This was about half-past five. The surgeon discussed the matter with his wife and with the captain. They were afraid of allowing the prisoners to go on shore. The wife of the surgeon is said to have proposed to leave the convicts there, and to go on shore without them. In consequence of this discussion, no long-boat was sent out. Three of the convict women told Owen that they heard the surgeon persuade the captain not to accept the assistance of the French boat, on account of the prisoners who were on board. To return to the narrative of events. The female convicts who were battened down under the hatches, on the vessel running aground, broke away the half-deck hatch, and, frantic, rushed on deck. Of course they entreated the captain and surgeon to let them go on shore in the long-boat, but they were not listened to, as the captain and surgeon did not feel authorised to liberate prisoners committed to their care. About seven o'clock the flood-tide began. The crew, seeing that there were no hopes, clung to the rigging. The poor one hundred and eight women and twelve children remained on deck, uttering the most piteous cries. The vessel was about three quarters of a mile English from shore, and no more. Owen, one of the three men saved, thinks that the women remained on deck in this state about an hour and a half. Owen and four others were on the spars, and he thinks they remained there three quarters of an hour; but, seeing no hope of being saved, he took to swimming, and was brought in a state of insensibility to the hotel. Towsey, another of the men saved, was on a plank with the captain. Towsey asked who he was. He said, "I am the captain," but the next moment he was gone. Rice, the third man, floated ashore on a ladder. He was aft when the other men took to the raft. When the French pilot-boat rowed away, after being rejected by the captain, he (Rice) saw a man waving his hat on the beach, and re them to come on shore. The captain turned away, and made no answer. At the moment the women all disappeared, the ship broke in two. Let us now return to Pierre Henin. The French pilot-boat had been refused by the surgeon and captain -the long-boat had not been put out, through a discus-marked to the captain that a gentleman was waving to sion as to saving the convicts-and it was now nearly six o'clock. At that time Henin went to the beach, stripped himself, took a line, swam naked for about three quarters of an hour or an hour, and arrived at the vessel These are the facts of this awful case, The French at about a little after seven. On touching the right side Marine Humane Society immediately placed hundreds of of the vessel, he hailed the crew, and said, Give me a men on the beach; and the office, or lodge, being close line to conduct you on shore, or you are lost, as the sea to the shore, as soon as the corpses were picked up they is coming in." He spoke English plain enough to be un- were brought to the rooms, where many assisted in derstood. He touched the vessel, and told them to speak endeavouring to restore them to life. Their efforts, to the captain. They threw (that is, some of the crew, however, were fruitless, except in the cases of the three but not the captain or surgeon) two lines, one from the men, Owen, Rice, and Towsey. Never were seen so stern and the other from the bow. The one from the many fine and beautiful bodies. Some of the women stern he could not seize the one from the bow he did. were the most perfectly made; and French and English He then went towards the shore, but the rope was wept together at such a horrible loss of life in sight of stopped. This was, it is believed, the act of the surgeon-ay, and even close to the port and town. Body after and captain. He (Henin) then swam back, and told body was brought into the town, more than sixty havthem to give him more rope to get on shore. The captain ing been found, and were buried on the Monday followand surgeon would not. They then tried to haul him ing. But, alas! after all their efforts, only three lives in, but his strength failed, and he got on shore. were saved out of one hundred and thirty-six. It will be perceived, then, that up to this moment, the same obstacle existed in the minds of the captain and of the surgeon. They did not dare, without authority, to land the convicts, and rather than leave them on board, or land them without such authority, they perished with them. Though young and gay they sailed from port, A last farewell to the parting ship, The Ocean Fiend. "And my thoughts were of human things, as I hung Spectres, and monsters, and shapes of fear. Ar a coffee-house in London, I became acquainted with some one. danger, as the spectre found, who so obstinately persisted in taking up his quarters with us." Tomkins gave a significant hod in reply; and my friend, having spoken a few words aside to the old sailor, slipped some money into his hand, and we left him. On our return, my friend informed me, that Tomkins had served many years under him; that he was steady and faithful, and that he owed to him his life. This account gave me a desire to hear more of his history, and I requested my friend to gratify me. "Yes," said my companion, with a thoughtful look, "it is, indeed, a wonderful story, of which I have never yet spoken ; but to you, my young friend, I will confide what has never yet crossed my lips. "About twenty-five years since, I served as lieutenant on board the Minerva. Our ship had gone as a convoy to some merchant-vessels, bound to Canton, and it was our intention to return the same way, as soon as they had taken in their lading. The season was far advancing, and we were prepared to encounter many dangers. The captain of the Minerva was of a stern and determined character, and so obstinate that he would listen to no one's advice. Avarice was his ruling passion; and from this vice the crew suffered great privations, as he never laid in stores sufficient for the voyage; but trusted to receiving a supply from the merchant-vessels, should it be required, without reflecting, that if we were to be separated from them, our situation would indeed be dreadful. As we lay at anchor at Java, I thought it my duty to warn the captain of what might take place; but he replied, that it was no business of mine, and not to meddle in matters that did not concern me; and that, unless I wished to bring punishment upon myself, I would instantly desist from my impertinent interference. Upon this I was silent; and although we had the fruitful coast of Java before our eyes, yet no one dared approach the island. At length we put to sea, and sailed between Sumatra and Malacca, through the dangerous straits. Here it was that our captain showed his skill and courage. With the greatest ability he piloted us through the numerous rocks and sand-banks by which we were encircled, and the merchant-vessels followed in our course. We safely passed the dangerous sound; but we had hardly reached the open sea, when a dreadful storm arose, which raged during the whole of the night. Our vessel, though good and strongly built, yet sustained some damage, though fortunately not of much consequence. But you may imagine our horror, when daylight broke, on finding that the ships under convoy had all disappeared. Not a sail was to be seen. For the first time, the captain seemed anxious and discomposed. All on board were aware that the cutter had only provisions for a few days. The evil which I had anticipated |