largest it was inferred, that his resi- there was no appearance of any reef dence there must have exceeded two or breaker ; but as the water subyears: he appears to have forgotten 'sided, the shoal began to shew itself the lapse of time.

with a number of small black rocks. The ship had been striking very hari, ;

and began to sue forward. At three Loss of the Sydney.

A. M. there were six feet water in

the hold, and increasing rapidly; at [From the Asiatic Mirror.).

five o'clock the ship was setting aft,

her top-sides parting from the floorIn one of our late papers, we no

dieads. ticed the loss of the ship Sydney. The Upon consultation with my offi. particulars of the event, and of the cers, it was the unanimous opinion, subsequent preservation of the great that the ship was irrecoverably gone, est part of the ship's company, are

and that no exertions could avail for conimunicated in the following letter her safety.. We therefore employed from captain Forrest to the editor of all hands in getting the boats ready The Mirror :

to receive the crew, one hundred and

eight in number. Eight bags of rice, “ Calcutta, Oct. 14, 1806. six casks of water, and a small

quatSir,

tity of salled beef and pork, were “ The Sydney left Port Jackson on put in the long boat, as provisions the 12th of April, 1806, bound to for the whole. We were prevented Bengal. Intending to proceed thro' taking a large stock, as from the Danspier's Straits, her course was di. number of people, the three boats rected as nearly as possible in the were barely sufficient to receive the track of captain Hogan, of the Corn- whole with safely. wallis, which, as laid down in the “ We remainect with the Sydney charts, appears a clear safe passage. till five P. M. on the 21st of May, On the 20th of May, at one A. M. when there were three feet water on in lat. 3. 20. S. long. 146. 50. E. the orlop-deck; we now thought we ran upon a most dangerous rock it full time to leave the ship to her or shoal; and as this reef is not no- fate, and to seek our safety in the ticed in any map or chart, it appears

boats. Accordingly I embarked in that we were its unfortunate disco- the long-boat, with Mr. Trounce,

second officer, and seventy-four Las“ On Sunday, over the taffrail, we cars ; Mr. Robson, first officer, and found twenty-tive fathoms water; Stalkart, third, with sixteen Lascars, over the larboard gangway, six fa- were in the cutter; and the jollya. thoms; on the starboard side only boat was allotted to fifteen Dutch nine feet; and over the bows, twelve Malays and one Sepoy. feet. One of the boats was imme- Being desirous to ascertain the diately got out, with a bower an- position of the reef, by making the chor; but, on sounding ten fathoms Adiniralty Islands, shaped our course distance from the ship, found no accordingly, steering N. by E. balf ground at sixty fathoms.

E.-During the night it blew fresh, “ It must have been high water and the long-boat making much was when we struck; for, at that time ter, we were obliged to lighten ber,

by

verers.

2.766. vertinant 1 seat deal cepting their oplons, which was of a talants, iti wa 23 of water. ligtet copper, they had the furn zad The Tee ua ke out in cm features of the stres of Europe: **&as, de ana mering the jolly- they were entirely naked. We saw --- 2.ow. wrong, at day-liglit

, a number of women, who were well* 21:28 ile mutex sed considerably formed, with muid pleasing features. del ter, • tranzo Mr. Robson to “ We were recerred on the beach ane be us in tow. The wind by about twenty or thirty of the 22serenes sabe morning advanced, tives, n bo imediately supplied each 2014 2 lerry full ruing, at 10 A.M. of us with a cocoa-aut" We then "te arsimt sunk, abile in low by succeeded in making them under. Die ta, and all on board, to the stand that we wanted water, upon mumne of sixteen, unfortunately pe. which they made signs for us to acsiet. It was lamentable to witness company them towards the interior tie izte of these unhappy men, and of the island :—we did so; but after die spore so, as it was not in our walking about a mile, they conducted power to render them the smallest us into a thick jungle; and as their estance.

number was quickly increasing, I - At noon on the 22d we saw the judged it imprudent to proceed furAdmiralty Islands, bearing N. N. E. ther, and returned to the beach, Crtant three or four leagues; and as where I was alarmed to find the 12we brad run about fifty-eight miles in tives had assembled to the pumber the boats, upon a N. by E. half E. of one hundred and fifty, or upwards, course, the situation of the shoal on armed with spears, eight or ten feet which the Sydney struck was accu- long. One of them, an old man, rately ascertained, and will be found of venerable appearance, and who as above laid down.

seemed to be their chief, approached, “ From the Admiralty Islands we and threw his spear at my feet, excontinued standing to the westward; pressive, as I understood, that we and on the 25th made a small island: should part with our clubs in like we stood towards it, and from its ap- manner. Perceiving at this time a pearance I was induced to land, in the crowd of women to have got hold hope of obtaining a supply of water. of the sternfast of the cutter, and enMr. Robson, myself, and twenty of deavouring to haul her on shore from the best of our hands, armed with the grapnel with which we bad comeheavy clubs, brought from New Ca- to, we hastily endeavoured to gain ledonia, our fire-arms being rendered the boat; the natives followed us useless from exposure to heavy rains, closely, some of them pointed their approached in the cutter, and landed, spears at us, as we retreated to the through a heavy surf, to the utmost boat, and some were thrown, though astonishment of the inhabitants, who, happily without effect; and to us as far as we could judge from ap- they appeared to be very inexpert in pearance, had certainly never before the management of their weapons. seen people of our complexion. The On my.getting into the water, three men were tall and well made, wear- or four of the natives followed me, ing their hair plaited and raised above threatening to throw their spears; and the head--they had no appearance when I was in reach of the boat, one of Malays, nor Caffrees; and, ex- of them made a thrust, which was

prevented

prevented taking effect by the inter- posed the cutter to have landed her ference of Mr. Robson, who warded people. off the weapon. When we had got into « Our number in the long-boat the boat, and were putting off, they was now reduced to seventeen, viz. threw at least two hundred spears, myself, Mr. Trounce, Mr. Stalkart, none of which took effect, excepting fourteen Lascars and others. Our one, which gave a severe wound stock of provisions consisted of two to my cook, entering immediately bags of rice, and one gang cask of above the jaw, and passing through water; with this stock we conceived the mouth.

we might hold out till we reached “ Having thus escaped from this Bencoolen, for which port we deterperilous adventure, we pursued our mined to make the best of our way, course, and got as far as Dampier's We fixed the allowance of provision Straits, as favourably as our situation to each man, at one tea-cup full of could well admit. Being now within rice, and a pint of water per diem; reach of land, the Lascars became but we soon found it necessary to impatient to be put on shore. It was make a considerable deduction in in vain that I endeavoured to per- this allowance. suade them to persevere; they would “ We proceeded on through the not listen to argument, and expressed Streights of Bantam, meeting, in our their wish, rather to meet with im- course, several Malay prows, none of mediate death on shore, than to be which took notice of us, excepting starved to death in the boats. Yield- one, which gave chace for a day, and ing to their importunity, I at length would have come up with us, had determined to land them on the we not got off under cover of a very N.W. extremity of the island of Ce- dark night. Continuing our course, ram, from whence they might travel passed through the Streight of Sayto Amboyna in two or three days. pay, where we caught a large shark. On the 9th of June, being off that Qur spirits were much elated by this part of the island, Mr. Robson vo- valuable prize, which we lost no time lunteered to land a part of the peo- in getting on board, and, having ple in the cutter, to return to the kindled a fire in the bottom of the long-boat, and the cutter to be then boat, he was roasted with all expedigiven to such farther part of the tion; and such was the keenness and crew as chose to join the party first extent of our appetite, that, although landed. Mr. Robson accordingly the shark must have weighed 150 or went in shore with the cutter; but, 160lbs. not a vestige of it remained to my great mortification, after wait- at the close of the day. We suffered ing two days, there was no appear- most severely from our indulgence; ance of his return or the cutter. on the following day we were all

“ We concluded that the people afflicted with the most violent comhad been detained either by the plaint of the stomach and bowels, Dutch or the natives; yet as the re- which reduced us exceedingly, and maining part of the Lascars were left us spiritless and languid, insodesirous to be landed, we stood in much that we now seriously despaired with the long-boat, and put them on of our safety. shore near the point where we sup- “On the 2d of July, I lost an old

and

1

and faithful servant, who died from benevolence that reflect honoor on want of sustenance. On the 4th, we his character. The governor supmade Java Head ; and at the same plied them with whatever their wants time caught two large boobies, which required; he accomniodated Mr. afforded all bands a most precious Robson at his own table, and, on bis and refreshing meal. On the 9th, at leaving Amboyna, furnished him with midnight, canje-to off Pulo Penang, money for himself and his people, on the west coast of Sumatra. At refusing to take any acknowledgment day-light we endeavoured to weigh or receipt for the amount. He also our anchor, and to run close in shore; gave Mr. Robson letters to the go.but we were so much exhausted that vernor-general of Batavia, reconour united strength was insufficient to mending him to his kind offices. get up the anchor. We made a sig. Such honourable couduct from the nal of distress, on which a sandpan, governor of a foreign country, and with two Malays, came off. As I with wbich we are at war, cannot be was the only person in the long-boat, too widely promulgated. who had sufficient strength to move, “ From Ainboyna, Mr. Robson I went on shore with the Malays. embarked in the Dutch frigate, PalOn landing, I found myself so weak, las, for Batavia; and on the passage that I fell upon the ground, and was thither, fell in with and was captured obliged to be carried to an adjoining by his majesty's ships Greyhound and house. Such refreshments as the Harier, and brought to Prince of place afforded were immediately sent Wales's Island. off to the long-boat; and we recruited “ From Penang, I went to Bengal, so quickly, that in two days we found with the Varuna, captain Dennison, ourselves in a condition to proceed and arrived safely in Calcutta a few on our voyage. On the 12th of July days ago. we weighed, and on the 19th an

“ A. FORREST." chored off Rat Island, at Bencoolen.

“ Here I met with an old friend, captain Chauvet, of the Perseverance, Sufferings from Savages. whose kindness and humanity I shall

Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman in ever remember, and gratefully, ac

Augusta, to his friend in Virginia, dated knowledge. On the day following

July 20, 1807. my arrival, I waited on the resident, Mr. Parr, from whom I received

Dear sir, every kindness and attention.

On the night of the 3d of February “ I left Bencoolen on the 17th of last, arrived in this place, in a deAugust, in the Perseverance, for plorable condition, Mrs. Mary JorPenang, where I arrived on the 27th, dan, who, with her husband and six and where I was most agreeably sur- children, were in January last carried prised to meet with my late chief away captives by the lodians. Mrs. mate, Mr. Robson, who, with the Jordan has furnished me with the lascars landed on Ceram, and had following melancholy account of tile safely reached Amboyna, where tbey massacre of her husband and, chilwere received by Mr. Cranstoun, the dren, and of her own sufferings while Dutch governor, with a humanity and with the savages :

« On

“On the night of the 2d of Ja- themselves for the night. My poor nuary, 1807, we were suddenly children complained much of their awakened from slumber, by the hic feet being swollen, but I was not deous yells of savages, who before we permitted to give them any relief, could put ourselves in a situation to nor was their falher allowed to disoppose them, succeeded in forcing course with them.

As night apthe doors of the house. They were proached, we took each other by the to the number of forty or fifty, hand, expecting never again to witfrightfully painted, and armed with ness the rising of the sun. Contrary tomahawks and scalping knives. My to our expectations, however, we had husband met them at the door, and a tolerable night's rest, and on the in their own tongue asked them what succeeding day, though naked, and they wanted ?- The scalps of your half starved, travelled with inuch family!" was their answer. My hus- more ease than on the preceding one. band entreated to have compassion The Indians occasionally allowed us on me and his innocent chikiren, but a little raw food, sufficient only to his entreaties availed nothing; we keep us alive. We this day travelled, were dragged naked out of the house, according to the reckoning of the and tied severely with cords. By Indians, nearly forty miles, and were, order of one who appeared to be the about sun-set, joined by the remainchief, about twenty of the Indians ing savages who were left behind; took charge of us, who were ordered they were loaded with the spoils of to conduct us with all possible dis- my husband's property: among other patch to their settlement (about 200 articles, they found a keg of spirits, miles distant), while the remainder of which they had drank plentifully were left to pillage and fire the house. as they became intoxicated, they We coinmenced our journey about exercised the more cruelty towards midnight, travelling through an un- us; they beat my poor children cultivated wilderness, at the rate of so unmercifully that they were unanear seven miles an hour. If either ble to stand on their feet the next of us, through fatigue, slackened our morning; the Indians altributed their pace, were most inhumanly inability to wilfulness, and again rebeaten, and threatened with instant newed their acts of barbarity, beatdeath.

iuy them with c!ubs, cutting and “After a tedious travel of more gashing them with knives, and scorchthan forty miles, the savages halted ing their naked bodies with brands in a swamp-here, 'for the first time of fire. Finding that their hellish from the time of our departure, we plans had no other effect than to were permitted to lie down; the In- `render the poor unhappy sufferers dians kindled a fire, on which they less able to travel, they came to the broiled some bear's flesh, of which resolution to butcher them on the they allowed us but a small portion. spot.

“ After they had refreshed them- " Six holes were dug in the earth, selves and extinguished their fire, we of about five feet in depth, around were again compelled to pursue our each of which some dried branches journey; we travelled until sun-set, of trees were placed. My husband wh the Indians again halted, and at this moment, filled with horror at began to prepare à covering for what he supposed was about to take

place,

we