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The following is a narrative of the loss of his Majesty's hired tender, Mar-
garet, Lieutenant John Pollexfen, Commander, who was sent by Vice-Admiral
Kingsmill with important dispatches for the squadron under the command of
Captain Home, of the Caesar, conveyed in a letter received by the Admiral,
from a Gentleman residing near Dunsanaghy, acquainting him with this me-
lancholy event:
'I feel much concern at being obliged to give you the melancholy infor-
mation of the loss of the Margaret tender, with all her crew (25 in number) on
this coast, in the late violent storm. On Saturday night last, in a dreadful gale
of wind at N. W. about nine o'clock, a gun was heard, supposed to be from a
vessel in distress, and soon after a brig was driven upon a tidge that runs out
from the main land to the Island of Ennisboffin, and almost instantly went to
pieces, as I believe this place is one of the most dangerous for a vessel to touch
upon in any weather. The wreck was so complete, that when I got to the
shore the next morning, the stern of the vessel was lying a considerable distance
from the wreck of the ship, and the whole altogether broke into different parts.
From a piece of paper taken up along the shore, only can it be known what the
vessel was. One paper mentions the Margaret tender, John Pollexfen, Lieut.
and Commander ; Colin Ross, Master and Commander ; it seems to be a return
of the men on board.
'"The bodies of nine men and one woman have been driven on shore, and
buried here ; scarce any thing from the wreck has been saved."
Newcastle, Dec. 1. On Sunday the 18th ult. the Britannia, Capt. Caleb Wat-
son, of this port (belonging to Mr. Petrie), sailed from Shields, laden with lead,
bacon, butter, bale goods, etc. for London, having 11 or 12 passengers on board.
On the Monday the wind shifted to East, briging on a heavy sea, which
continued till the Friday, during which time the vessel beat about, and was
driven to the Northward, on the Staples, near the Fern Islands, opposite Balm-
brough Castle, where she was totally wrecked, and all on board, both crew and
passengers, 21 in number, unfortunately perished. Part of the vessel, with 50
firkins of butter, a carpenter's, and a medicine-chest, have since come ashore.
The body of a child, we hear, has also been found near Balmbrough. - Amongst
the unfortunate sufferers on this melancholy occasion, were Mr. Thomas Heron,
cabinet-maker (son of the late Major Heron of this town), his wife, and two
children; John Cook, soap boiler, and his wife (daughter of Mrs. Foreman, in
the Close) both which families were on a visit here ; Thomas Scott, shipwright,
of this town, who has left a wife and three young children; and Andrew Fer-
guson, a private in the Perthshire Fencible Cavalry, at present stationed here:
the names of the other passengers are yet unknown. Amongst those who be-
longed to the vessel, was Mr. John Watson, the Mate, brother to the Captain.
Seldom did any circumstance create more heartfelt sorrow than this calamity
has done, most of the unhappy sufferers having relatives and friends here, whose
grief may easily be conceived, but cannot be described.
Extract of a Letter from a Passenger on board the Britannia Packet, to the Editor of
the Cork Herald.
"We sailed from Cove last Monday morning with a very fine breeze from
the N. W. and, from the appearances of the- weather, had not the least doubt
but what we should arrive at Bristol the day following; but, on the night of
the 20th, the wind had shifted to the Eastward, which increased to a very heavy
gale. We had nearly 10 men on hoard. 4 horses, and but 40 gallons of water
for the whole, and no appearance of a change of weather. We this day served
out half a pint a man, which considerably diminished the stock, the hordes being
excluded. On the Thursday following the same allowance was given, which
nearly expended the whole. (On that night, from the heat of the hold (the
hatches being obliged to be kept on, to prevent the vessel from filling}, the
smell of the skins with which the packet was loaded, and the want of water,
the horses became so wild as to do a vast deal of mischief to the poor wretches
who were confined in this close place with them ; they broke their halters and
got loose. The men now proceeded to knock them down ; which they effected,
hut not before several of them were very much hurt. The cries of the men,
women, and children, for water, were now dreadful : as it rained at times, every
drop was spunged up ; blankets, sheets, etc. were hung up to procure water,
which were afterwards wrung in a pot : the eagerness with which the drops
were taken from the rigging was not to be conceived. When rain failed us,
their clothes were wetted with salt water, and put on their backs, which, as long
as they remained on deck, made their situation bearable ; but the instant they
went below their former cravings took place - many of them became frantic ;
others, particularly the women, were attended with fainting, one of whom died
on Friday morning. The gale now began to moderate, and with our shattered
sails we made to the Northward, in hopes of making the land about Dunmanus
Bay : how great was our surprise when the land we made proved to be the
Skillegs and Durzey Island ! We now saw how providentially all our lives had
been saved; for, had the gale lasted another day, we should have been driven so
entirely off the coast as to render us unable to fetch the land. On Saturday
night two children died, and on Sunday morning we anchored in Crookhaven,
from which place I write this. This morning we landed the troops, many of
whom were carried up in the arms of the peasants almost lifeless, and many of
whom can never recover. I hope the sufferings of the passengers of the Bri-
tannia will be a warning in future to Masters of Packets, and prevent them from
sailing without a supply of water, at least, for a week. We sail to-morrow
morning for Bristol. Capt. Harding, who has the command of the troops,
intends, when they are sufficiently recovered, to march them to Cork, unwilling
to risk the probability of a similar situation.
On Friday the 7th inst. the above ship came in with a direct: contrary wind,
having under her convoy eight vessels from Lisbon, that arrived at the same
time, the rest of the fleet having parted two days before for Ireland and the
northern ports. In the evening, the wind increasing to a gale, her cable parted,
and all attempts to secure the ship failing, she drifted on a ledge of rocks,
called Southern Wells, near the Island of Sampson, from eighteen to twenty-
four feet under water, all the convoy riding in safety then and since notwith-
standing the wind had risen to a perfect tempest. Most fortunately not a life
was lost, save Quarter master Richard King, who dropped overboard in the
act of sounding- The inhabitants of the island exerted themselves to the utmost
of their ability in cutters and open boats, and by Tuesday evening every person
was taken out and safely landed, the tick and wounded first, whereof many
were from the battle of the Nile, the most worthy Captain, and most to be
commiserated, remaining to the very last. The following night the ship fell
on her starboard beam ends; and so violent was the persevering gale, that no
crafts could attempt to approach the ship, and at present little prospcet offers
of any stores, property, or even the officers' baggage being saved, or hereafter
recovered, to any extent. The ship is said to luve been distressed, in order to
supply other vessels of his Majesty's fleet, and also to have been in a bad state
befote, and worse since she left Lisbon, 'lhe main-mast and bowsprit are al-
ready gone over the side Passengers, Captain Peyton, of the Defence, at the
battle of the Nile, with Captain Draper, and two officers from other ships;
also a Mr. Harcourt and servants, with the remains of the late Admiral Shuld-
ham, intended to have been deposited under British turf.
The evening of this accident came into a bad anchorage a French prize brig
privateer, apparently of 14 guns; in the night she drove out to sea, with a
pilot on board ; for some time was supposed to have foundered, but at length,
arrived safe at Plymouth.