Loss of the Grosvenor, Captain Coxon, August 4, 1782. | to their information, only laughed at their knowledge, THE Grosvenor East Indiaman, commanded by Captain Coxon, sailed from Trincomalee, in the island of Ceylon, on the 13th of June, 1782, on her homeward-bound voyage. On the 3rd of August, as well as on the preceding day, the wind blew very hard, and on the 4th, which was Sunday, the ship lay-to under a foresail and mizen-staysail; the captain at that time considering them a hundred leagues from the nearest land. Before daylight, John Hynes, a seaman, with one Lewis, and several others, were aloft striking the fore-topgallantmast. While there, Hynes asked Lewis if he did not think there was land ahead, and where he thought he saw breakers; to which Lewis replying in the affirmative, they all hastened down to inform Mr. Beale, the third-mate, who then had the watch, of so alarming an occurrence. Mr. Beale, however, instead of paying any attention and refused to give the slightest credit to their conjectures; but Lewis immediately ran into the cabin and informed the captain, who instantly came out, and ordered the ship to be wore. The helm was accordingly put hard-a-weather, the mizen-staysail hauled down, the fore-topsail and jib let go, and the after-yards squared, by which means the ship's head was brought nearly round; but, unfortunately, before this could be accomplished her keel struck. Every soul on board instantly rushed upon deck, the ship all the time beating very violently. Horror and apprehension were now painted in every one's features, though the captain endeavoured to dispel the alarm which was necessarily created, and to pacify the passengers, on the assurance that he was not without hope of being able to save them all, and earnestly entreated that all of them would be composed. The pumps were sounded, but no water was found in the hold, as the ship's stern was lying high on the rocks, | ous expedient, while others, incapable of accomplishing and the fore part being considerably lower, it had all run it, dropped, and were drowned; and these amounted to forward. About ten minutes after the ship struck the fifteen men. wind changed, and blew off shore, which made them fearfully apprehensive of being driven out to sea, and there by deprived of their only chance of safety. The gunner was ordered to fire signals of distress, but on his attempting to get into the powder-room, he found it full of water; the captain therefore ordered the mainmast first to be cut away, and then the foremast; from this, however, they derived no beneficial effect, and as the ship was lying within three hundred yards of the shore, it proved next to an impossibility to save her. It is impossible to describe the distraction of those on board at this awful crisis; every countenance exhibited the workings of despair, and the greatest anarchy and confusion prevailed. Those who were most composed were employed in devising some means to gain the shore, and set about framing a raft of such masts, yards, and spars as could be got together, by which expedient there was a prospect of conveying the women, children, and sick persons, safely to land. In the mean time a Lascar and two Italians attempted to swim ashore with the deep sea-line, when one of the latter perished in the attempt, though the others succeeded. By means of the small line a much larger one was conveyed on shore, and by the aid of this one, a hawser. In drawing the hawser ashore, the two men were assisted by a great number of the natives, who had now crowded to the water's edge. The masts were soon drove in by the surf and current, and whenever within reach were stripped of their hoops by the natives. After the hawser was got out, it was fastened round the rocks by one end while the other was made fast to the capstan on board, by which it was hauled tight. Most of the people in the wreck had been employed in constructing a raft, which by this time was finished, and a nine-inch hawser being fastened round it, they launched it overboard and veered it away towards the stern of the ship, that the women and children might the more easily embark from the quarter-gallery. Four men got upon it in order to assist them, but although the hawser was new, the violence of the surf immediately snapped it in two, and the raft driving on shore upset, by which three of the men were drowned. The ship now separated just before the mainmast, and the bow veering round, came athwart the stern. The wind at the same time providentially shifted to its old quarter, and blew directly towards the land, a circumstance that contributed greatly towards saving the persons who then remained on board, and who all got on the poop as being nearest the shore. The wind then, in conjunction with the surges, lifting them in the part upon which they stood, rent it asunder, fore and aft, the deck splitting in two. In this distressing moment, they crowded on the starboard quarter, which soon floated into shoal water, while the other parts continued to break off those heavy seas that would otherwise have washed them away. Thus every one on board, even the women and children, got safe ashore, the only exception being the cook's-mate, who was intoxicated, and could not be prevailed upon to leave the ship. By the time the whole were landed, the day was drawing to a close, and night was fast approaching. Fortunately the natives, who retired with the setting sun, had left the embers of their fire, which afforded the English the means of lighting three others with the wood collected from the wreck. They also got some hogs and poultry that had been driven ashore, and made a comparatively comfortable repast. A party of them wandering along the shore in search of articles, found a cask of beef, one of flour, and a leaguer of arrack, which were delivered to the captain, who served out a proper allowlowance to each person. Two of the sails had also been driven ashore, with which he ordered two tents to be made for the ladies to repose in during the ensuing night. On the morning of the fifth the natives, who were woolly-headed and quite black, came down, and directly began carrying off whatever articles struck their fancy. This conduct excited in them a thousand apprehensions for the personal safety of the people, particularly in the women; but they were allayed by observing that the natives contented themselves with plundering. The following day was employed in collecting everything that might be useful to them during a journey which they intended to make to the Cape of Good Hope; but the captain very prudently ordered two casks of Before the masts were cut away, the yawl and jolly-spirits to be staved, to prevent the chance of the natives boat were hoisted out; but no sooner were they over the ship's side, than they were dashed to pieces. becoming dangerous by being intoxicated. He then called the survivors of the shipwreck together, and havAll hands now began to do the best they could for ing shared the provisions among them, he represented, themselves. Some of them had recource to the hawser that as on board he had been their commanding officer, fastened ashore, and attempted to get along it hand over he hoped they would still suffer him to continue his comhand. Despair gave strength and resolution, and seve-mand; to which they unanimously answered, "By all ral seamen gained the land by this difficult and hazard-means." He then proceeded to inform, that from the best calculations he could make, he trusted they would be able to reach some of the Dutch settlements in the course of fifteen or sixteen days. On the 7th of August they set off on their journey, Mr. Logie, the chief-mate, who had been ill for some time, being carried by two men in a hammock slung on a pole, in which laborious occupation all the men cheerfully took their turns. The whole company then moved forward, and were followed by some of the natives, while others remained near the wreck. They found a beaten path from village to village, and were followed for about three miles by the Caffres, who, from time time, took whatever they chose from them, and sometimes threw stones at them. They soon afterwards met with a party of about thirty, with red painted faces, and among them a Dutchman, named Trout, who, having committed murders among his countrymen, had fled hither for concealment, On coming up to the Englishmen, he inquired who they were and whither they were going; and on being told, he informed them that their proposed journey would be attended with unspeakable difficulties; that they had many nations to go through, and many deserts to pass, exclusive of the dangers which they would certainly experience from meeting numbers of wild beasts. They were much depressed with this information, and offered any sum of money the Dutchman would require, if he would conduct them to the Cape; but this he would not consent to, on the ground that he dreaded putting himself in the power of the Dutch; and also, as he had a wife and children the natives, they would not consent to let him go, even if he were so inclined. among Finding their solicitations were in vain, they pursued their journey in the same manner for four or five days. In the daytime they were constantly surrounded by the natives, who took from them whatever they chose, but as soon as the sun went down they invariably retired. As they advanced they saw many villages, but kept as far from them as possible, to avoid the rudeness of the inhabitants. At length they came to a deep gulley, where they met three natives, who held their lances several times to the captain's throat, till irritated at the insult, he wrenched one of them out of the hand of the savage, and, breaking it, kept the barb. The natives then went away, seeming to take no further notice of it; but coming on the next day to a very large village, they found three or four hundred of the savages collected, all armed with lances and targets, made of the hide of the elephant. They commenced an aggression upon the English by pilfering and insulting them, and then began to beat them. Concluding that they were marked for destruction, they immediately prepared to act on the defensive, and, accordingly, having placed the women, children, and sick, at some distance, under the protection of about a dozen of them, the remainder, which consisted of eighty or ninety, engaged their opponents for nearly two hours and a half, when, having got possession of a rising ground, where they could not be surrounded, a kind of compromise took place. Towards dusk they lighted a fire, and at night they reposed in the open air. During the night they were so terrified by the noise of wild beasts, that the men were obliged to keep watch in turn to prevent them approaching too near. On the following morning they were again joined by the Dutchman, who said he had been on board the wreck and got a load of iron, pewter, lead, and copper from it, which he was now carrying to his kraal or village. He was quite alone, and, after a short conversation, took up his load of plunder and marched off. After passing the night, disturbed as before by the howlings of beasts of prey, the party advanced at daybreak: about noon the natives came as usual to plunder them, and among other things, took away their tinderbox, flint, and steel, which was to them an irreparable loss, and obliged each of them to travel with a fire brand in his hand. On the following day they discovered that the provisions that they had brought with them were nearly expended, and the fatigues of travelling with the women and children being very great, the sailors began to murmur. Accordingly, Captain Coxon, the first-mate, and his wife, with some of the passengers, and five of the children, agreed to keep together and travel on slowly as before. Many of the seamen induced by the great promises of Colonel James and others, were prevailed on to stay behind with them, in order to carry what little provision was left, and the blankets; while the second, fourth, and fifth mates, Captain Talbot, and his coxswain, four of the passengers, and their servants, and the remainder of the seamen, being about forty-three in all, went on before. This separation did not take place without great regret, as they had little hopes of meeting again; but on the next day, those who had left the captain's party, having waited all night by the side of a river for the ebb tide, were overtaken, and the whole company once more united, when they all crossed the river, and, after travelling together the whole of that day and part of the next, they arrived at a large village, where they found Trout, the Dutchman, who showed them his wife and children, and begged a piece of pork. He gave them some directions relative to their journey, told them the names of the places they were to pass, and the rivers they had to cross, and they having thanked him departed. They spent the night in company, and in the morning | to high water mark. The sight of such a supply of proa party of them went down to the sea-side, where they | visions afforded them great pleasure, but not being posfound a number of oysters, muscles, and limpets, which they divided among the women, children, and sick. Advancing until about four o'clock, they once more agreed to separate, which they did, and, as the sequel proved, never to meet again. The second mate's party, which comprised the most active men of the whole, travelled until quite dark, when they made a fire at a convenient place for wood and water, and reposed for the night. The following day they travelled about thirty miles, subsisting chiefly on wild sorrel, and such berries as they observed the birds to peck at; they also obtained some shell-fish from the rocks, and then gaining the banks of a river which was very wide and deep, they ended their journey for that day. On the next morning the surge of the river deterred them from crossing it, particularly as several of the party could not swim. They were consequently obliged to follow its windings up the country, when they passed many small villages, in which, however, they could get no relief from the inhabitants, until they came to a narrower part, where they lashed together all the dry wood they could collect, with woodbines and their handkerchiefs, and thus formed a kind of catamaran or raft, on which those who could not swim being placed, they all got over in safety, although the river was not less than two miles broad. They then returned towards the seaside, where, fortunately, they procured a plentiful supply of shell-fish. On the fourth day after this they reached a high mountain covered with wood on the inland side, which they were obliged to take, on account of the rocks, which made the shore impassable. The march was extremely fatiguing as they had to beat through untrodden paths, and were frequently obliged to climb trees in order to explore their way, so that night approached before they had gained the summit of the mountain. There the wood terminated, and they entered upon a spacious plain with a fine stream of water running through it, where they passed the night. At the return of day they found that they had another wood to pass, before again reaching the sea-side, which they did before night; but were so exhausted from the excessive fatigue they had undergone, that they contented themselves with making one fire instead of three, which were really necessary for so many; and thus they used to open their oysters and muscles, as they had been plundered by the natives of their knives, and everything else but their clothes. About noon the next day, they found a dead whale upon the beach, which had been washed up by the tide sessed of an instrument that would cut it up, they were for some time at a loss how they should avail themselves of their good fortune. They, however, made a fire upon it and dug out the grilled parts with an oyster shell, and on this they subsisted several days. A fine level country inland, persuaded them that they had reached the northernmost of the Dutch settlements, and without the bounds of the Caffres. Some of the party thought it would be most advisable to strike inland, while others were of opinion that it would be safer still to keep the sea-side. After many arguments upon it, they at length agreed to divide. The fourth and fifth mates, Messrs. Williams and Taylor, Captain Talbot, his coxswain, and twenty-two seamen, resolved to proceed inland, while the carpenter, ship's-steward, and cooper, Mr. D'Espenette, M. Oliver, their servant, and about twenty-four seamen kept along the sea shore. The inland party advanced during three days and nights through a fine pleasant country, in which they saw many deserted villages; but all this time they had no subsistence, except a few oysters brought from the coast, and berries, and wild sorrel, gathered on the way. They therefore judged it prudent to regain the shore, where, the tide being out, they got shell-fish to allay their hunger. Soon after their separation from the others, Captain Talbot several times sat himself down to rest, and the whole company did the same, but the captain repeated this so often, through weariness, that the rest went on and left him. Not so, however, his faithful coxswain, who, seeing his master in that condition, was observed to go back and sit by him; but neither of the two have ever been seen or heard of since. At a small river where they stopped the following noon, they found two of the carpenter's party, who, unable to swim, had been left behind. After crossing this river, they in four days came to another, so large that none of the party thought it prudent to attempt passing it. On marching along its banks they came to a village, where they saw the inside of a watch, which some of the carpenter's party had exchanged for a little milk. They proceeded up the river for several days, and passed many villages unmolested by the inhabitants; and at length crossed on a catamaran at a place where it was a mile and a half broad, only two of them, who were terrified at the breadth of it, being left behind. On the third day, after travelling in a diagonal direction, they once more reached the shore, where they slept, and the next day got some shell-fish, but no fresh water. They now fell in with a number of the savages, by whom they were extremely ill used, and received many blows, as they were unable to make any resistance. In three days they overtook the party from whom they had separated, and found that the carpenter had been poisoned by some kind of fruit which he had eaten from hunger; and that Messrs. D'Espinette and Oliver, with their servant, being totally exhausted, had been left behind: but that Master Law, a little boy not more than seven or eight years of age, who had formed one of their number, had borne the fatigues of the journey in a most miraculous manner, The parties, thus again united, had not travelled far before they found two planks on a sandy bank, in each of which was a spike nail. Overjoyed at such an unlookedfor requisition, they immediately set fire to the planks, and getting out the nails flattened them between two stones, into something like knives; and a little farther on they found water, by accidentaly turning up the sand at the side of a river, where they rested for the night. After crossing the river on the following morning, they were agreeably surprised with the sight of another dead whale on the shore. A number of natives, armed with lances, immediately came down upon them; however, when they saw their deplorable condition, and that they were unable to make any resistance, they behaved very gently; and one of them even lent his lance to assist in cutting up the whale, junks of which they put into bags, and carried them until they found wood and water to dress them. Since the carpenter's death, the command of the party devolved upon the steward, and to his care was intrusted the charge of the child, whose tender years were inadequate to combat the perils of such a journey. He strove to alleviate his sufferings, he heard his complainings with pity, and fed him when he could obtain wherewithal to do it. In attempting to shorten the way by rounding a bluff rock which projected considerably into the sea, the united party were nearly swept away by the violence of the surf breaking against it. Their escape was almost miraculous; four or five of them lost their portion of the seal, and all their firebrands were extinguished. Though greatly dispirited by this latter misfortune, they proceeded, until coming in sight of some females, who immediately ran off, they found the remains of a fire, where they joyfully relighted their brands and then rested a few hours. On the following day they arrived at a village, where they obtained a young bullock in exchange for the inside of a watch and some buttons. They killed it with one of the native's lances, and then distributed it by cutting the whole into pieces; and one of the party standing with his back to the others, named the person who should have the piece that was held up. This was the only instance of their being able to get any sustenance from the natives, except now and then that the women gave a little milk to the boy. - A sandy desert next occupied them ten days in passing, where they subsisted on the provisions they carried with them, and procured water by digging for it in the sand. Afterwards they passed for five or six days through a tribe called Tambookees, when they experi One of the people was taken ill at a river, the following day, and from hard necessity his companions were obliged to leave him behind. Their journey was prosecuted for about four days with great expedition, from not being retarded by seeking provisions. The rivers on the coast, however, frequently obstructed their pro-enced various treatment. gress, and at length they came to one where they resolved to remain for the night; and finding a quantity of large berries, ate them to allay their thirst. In the morning, as it blew fresh and the weather was cold, some of the company were unwilling to cross; but John Hynes, a seaman, and about ten others, impatient to get forward, swam over, and journeyed on until they found a place with wood, water, and shell-fish. Here they halted two days, expecting that the others, among whom was the little boy, would come up; and then concluding that they had not ventured on account of the blowing weather, they proceeded. Fortunately a dead seal was discovered on the beach, and one of the knives being in the possession of this party, they cut it up with the aid of some sharp shells, and dressing a portion on the spot, carried the remainder with them. The party that had been left behind came up after two days separation, and with them the remainder of the seal was shared. On the borders of the sea, a party of natives advised them to go inland; they did so, and, after advancing about three miles, came to a village, where there were only women and children. Here a little milk was obtained for the boy, and they rested from their fatigues. In the interval the men of the village returned from hunting, each bearing a part of a deer on the point of his lance. Forty of them, at least, surrounded the English, gazing on them with admiration. The natives, after partaking of a hasty meal, started up, and in an instant ran off to the woods, where they disappeared; but they were not long before they returned with a deer, which they had killed; and though the travellers earnestly solicited a part of it, they refused, and insisted on their quitting the village. After reposing four or five miles from the village, they advanced at sunrise. For several days they saw many cattle, but had no means of obtaining any. On the banks of a river were three or four huts containing only women and children, and they, apparently more |