fwim till morning, and our fufferings for want of water were very great; many of the people could not be reftrained from drinking falt-water At day-light, the 19th, there was no veffel in fight; and flashes from guns having been seen in the night, we feared the ship we had feen the preceding day had foundered. Towards ten o'clock, the weather grew more moderate, the water diminished in the hold, and the people were encouraged to redouble their efforts to get the water low enough to break a cafk of fresh water out of the ground tier and fome of the most refolute of the seamen were employed in the attempt. At noon we fucceeded with one cask, which, though little, was a feasonable relief. On the 20th, the fore-hold was cleared of the water, and we had a fine day. But on the 21ft, we had the mortification to find, that the weather again threatened, and by noon blew a ftorm. The ship laboured greatly, and the water appeared in the fore and after-hold and encreased. The Carpenter alfo informed me, that the leathers were nearly confumed; and likewife that the chains of the pumps, by conftant exertion, and the friction of the coals, were nearly rendered useless. As we had no other refource but bailing, I gave orders that fcuttles fhould be cut through the decks, to introduce more buckets into the hold; and all the fail makers were employed night and day in making canvas buckets. A large leak had been discovered, and ftopt, in the fore-hold, and another in the Lady's-hole, but the fhip appeared fo weak from her labouring, that it was clear the could not last long. The ftern-poft was fo loose, that as the ship rolled, the water rufhed in on either fide in great ftreams, which we could not ftop. Night came on with the fame dreary profpect as on the preceding, and was paffed in continual effort and labour.-Morning came, the 22d, without our feeing any thing, or any change of weather, and the day was spent with the fame ftruggles to keep the fhip above water, pumping and bailing at the hatchways and fcuttles. Towards night another of the chain-pumps was rendered quite ufelefs: we also had but fix leathers remaining, so that the fate of the fhip was not far off. Still the labour went on without any apparent defpair, every officer taking his share of it, and the people were always chearful and obedient. During the night, the water encreased; about seven in the morning, the 23d, I perceived the fhip fettling by the head, the lower deck bow-ports being even with the water. The Carpenter acquainted me the well was ftove in, and the chain pumps totally ufelefs. The people, who, to this period, had laboured as determined to conquer their difficulties without a murmur, or without a tear, feeing their efforts ufelefs, many of them burst into tears, and wept like children, Some appeared perfectly refigned, went to their hammocks, and defired their meffmates to lafh them in; others were lashing themselves to grateings and small rafts; but the the most predominant idea was, that of putting on their best and cleaneft clothes. The fhip was gradually finking, the orlop decks having been blown up by the water in the hold, and the cables floated to the gun-deck. The men had for fome time quitted their employment of bailing, and the ship was left to her fate. In the afternoon the weather again threatened, and in fqualls blew ftrong; the fea ran high, and one of the boats, ftove along. fide and funk. As the evening approached, the ship appeared little more than fufpended in the water. There was no certainty that fhe would fwim from one minute to another: and the love of life, which I believe never fhewed itself later in the approach to death, began now to level all diftinctions. It was impoffible indeed for any man to deceive himself with a hope of being faved upon a raft in fuch a fea; befides, that the fhip in finking, it was probable, would carry every thing down with her in a vortex, to a certain distance. It was near five o'clock, when coming from my cabin I obfer. ved a number of people looking very anxiously over the fide; and looking myself, I faw that feveral men had forced the pinnace, and that more were attempting to get in. I had immediate thoughts of fecuring this boat before the might be funk by numbers. There appeared not more than a moment for confideration: to remain and perifh with the fhip's company, whom I could not be any longer of use to, or feize the opportunity which feemed the only way of efcaping, and leave the people who I had been fo well fa tisfied with on a variety of occafions, that I thought I could give my life to preferve them.-This indeed was a painful conflict, and which I believe no man can describe, nor any man have a just idea of, who has not been in a fimilar fituation. The love of life prevailed-I called to Mr. Rainy, the Mafter, the only officer upon deck, defired him to follow me, and immediately defcended into the boat, at the after-part of the chains, but not without great difficulty got the boat clear from the fhip, twice the number that the boat would carry pushing to get in, and many jumping into the water. Mr. Baylis, a young gentleman fifteen years of age, leaped from the chains after the boat had got off, and was taken in. The boat falling aftern, became expofed to the fea, and we endeavoured to pull her bow round to keep her to the break of the fea, and to pafs to windward of the fhip; but in the attempt she was nearly filled; the fea ran too high, and the only probability of living was keeping her before the wind. It was then that I became fenfible how little, if any thing, better our condition was than that of those who remained in the fhip; at beft, it appeared to be only a prolongation of a miferable exiftence. We were altogether twelve in number, in a leaky boat, with one of the gun-whales ftove, in nearly the middle of the Western Ocean, without compafs, without quadrant, without fail, without great coat or cloak; all very thinly cloathed, cloathed, in a gale of wind, with a great fea running! It was now five o'clock in the evening, and in half an hour we loft fight of the fhip. Before it was dark, a blanket was discovered in the boat. This was immediately bent to one of the stretchers, and under it as a fail we fcudded all night in expectation of being fwallowed up by every wave, it being with great difficulty that we could fometimes clear the boat of the water before the return of the next great fea; all of us half drowned, and fitting, except thofe who bailed at the bottom of the boat and without having really perished I am fure no people ever endured more. Upon examining what we had to fubfift on, I found a bag of bread, a small ham, a fingle piece of pork, two quart bottles of water, and a few French cordials. The wind continued to the Southward for eight or nine days, and providentially never blew fo ftrong but that we could keep the fide of the boat to the fea. but we were always moft miferably wet and cold. Our condition began to be truly miferable, both from hunger and cold, for on the fifth day we had discovered that our bread was nearly all spoil ed by falt water, and it was neceffary to go to an allowance. Ons bifcuit, divided into 12 morfels, for breakfast, and the fame for dinner; the neck of a bottle broke off, with the cork in, ferved for a glass, and this filled with water was the allowance for 24 hours for each man. This was done without any fort of parti ality or diftinction: but we must have perifhed ere this, had we not caught fix quarts of rain water; and this we could not have been bleffed with, had we not found in the boat a pair of fheets, which by accident had been put there. These were fpread when it rained, and when thoroughly wet, wrung into the kidd with which we bailed the boat. With this fhort allowance, we began. to grow very feeble, and our clothes being continually wet, our bodies were in many places chafed into fores. On the 18th day it fell calm, and foon after a breeze of wind fprang up from the N. N. W. and blew to a gale, fo that we run before the fea at the rate of five or fix miles an hour under our blanket, till we judged we were to the Southward of Fayall and to the Weftward 60 leagues; but blowing ftrong, we could not attempt to fteer for it. Our wishes were now for the wind to fhift to the Weftward. This was the 15th day we had been in the boat, and we had only one day's bread, and one bottle of water. remaining of a fecond fupply of rain. Our fufferings were now as great as human ftrength could bear, but we were convinced that good fpirits were a better fupport than great bodily ftrength; for on this day Thomas Matthews, Quarter-Mafter, the flouteft man. in the boat, perished from hunger and cold: on the day before he had complained of want of ftrength in his throat, as he expreffed it, to fwallow his morfel, and, in the night drank falt-water, grew delirious, and died without a groan. As it became next to certainty that we fhould all perish in the fame manner in a day VOL. XIX. Dec. 1796. or two, it was fomewhat comfortable to reflect, that dying of hun ger was not fo dreadful as our imaginations had reprefented. Others had complained of the fymptoms in their throats; fome had drank their own urine; and all, but myself, had drank falt water. On the 16th, as foon is the dawn appeared, we found the wind to be exactly as we had wifhed, at W. S. W. and immediately fpread our fail, running before the fea at the rate of four miles an hour. Our laft breakfast had been ferved with the bread and water remaining, when John Gregory, Quarter-mafter, declared with much confidence that he faw the land in the S. E. We had seen fog-banks fo often, 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 difappointment; 'till at length one of them broke out in a moft immoderate fit of joy, which I could not restrain, and declared he had never feen land in his life if what he now faw was not it. We immediately fhaped our courfe for it, though on my part with very little faith. The wind freshened; the boat went thro' the water at the rate of five or fix miles an hour; and in two hours time the land was plainly feen by every man in the boat, but at a very great distance; fo that we did not reach it before ten at night. It must have been at least fixty miles from us when firft difcovered! and I cannot help remarking, with much thankfulness, on the providential favour fhewn to us in this inftance. In every part of the horizon, except where the land was dif covered, there was fo thick a haze that we could not have seen any thing for more than three or four leagues. Fayall by our reckoning bore E. by N. which course we were fleering, and in a few hours, had not the fky opened for our prefervation, we fhould have encreased our distance from the land, got to the eastward, and of courfe miffed all the Ilands. As we approached the land, our belief had ftrengthened that it was Fayall. The ifland 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 fome time before we were quite fatisfied, having traversed for two hours a great part of the ifland, where the steep and rocky fhore refused us a landing. This circumftance was borne with much impatience, for we had flattered ourselves that we should meet with fresh water at the first part of the land we might approach; and being difappointed, the thirft of fome had encreafed anxiety almost to a degree of madnefs; fo that we were near making the attempt to land in fome places where the boat muft have been dafhed to pieces by the furf. At length we difcovered a fishing canoe, which conducted us into the road of Fayall about midnight; but where the regulation of the port did not permit us to land 'till examined by the health-officers: however I did not think much of fleeping this night in the boat, our pilot having brought In the brought us fome refreshments of bread, wine and water. morning we were vifited by Mr. Graham, the English Conful, whofe humane attention made very ample amends for the formality of the Portuguefe. Indeed I can never fufficiently exprefs the fenfe I have of his kindness and humanity, both to myself and people; for I believe it was the whole of his employment for feveral days contriving the best means of reftoring us to health and ftrength. It is true, I believe, there never were more pitiable objects. Some of the ftouteft men belonging to the Centaur were obliged to be fupported through the streets of Fayall. Mr. Rainy, the Mafter, and myfelf, were, I think, in better health than the reft; but I could not walk without being fupported; and for feveral days, with the best and most comfortable provisions of diet and lodging, we grew rather worse than better. Fayall, 13th October, 1782. J. N. INGLEFIELD. The preceding account is taken from Capt. Inglefield's Narrative, printed for Murray. 8vo. 40 pages. 15. The Experience of Mrs. GERTRUDE CLARKSON *, fecond daughter of the Rev. Mr. David Clarkson. Written by herself. Y education has been very ftrict. MY an and example of my parents had fo early an influence, that it is hard to tell which was my firft awakening. Ever fince I can remember any thing of myself, I have had frequent convictions of the danger of fin and an unregenerate ftate, attended with fears of the punishment due to it; therefore was defirous of an intereft in Christ, by whom I might be pardoned and faved from the wrath of God. This made me very fearful of omitting duties, or committing known fins; and though thefe convictions wore off, yet they often returned, and rendered me uneafy, unless I was praying or learning fcriptures, or fomething which I thought good. In these exercises I was well fatisfied, though it was my happiness to be under the most careful inspection and judicious helps for the informing of my judgment. Before I apprehended what it was to rely upon an all-fufficient SAVIOUR for falvation and strength, I remember my notion of things was this, That I was to hear, and pray, and keep the fabbath, and avoid what I knew to be fin, and then I thought God was obliged to fave me; That I did what I could, and fo all that he required. And I further conceived, that if at any time I omitted fecret prayer, or any other duty, yet if I repented, it was sufficient and on this confideration I have often ventured upon the commiffion of fin, with a refolve to repent the next day; and then, having confeffed the tranfgreffion, my confcience has been eafy, and I was well fatisfied. Indeed fin at that time was no * She was fifter to the pious Mrs. Combe, whose Chriftian Experience is re lated in the Arminian Magazine, pa. 531. 4 L 2 burthenfome |