be left
no protection for the convoy.--At length, however, after great
difficulty, he consented to their disposing of the fore-castle and
aftermost quarter-deck guns, together with some of the shot, and other
articles of very great weight. The ensuing night was employed in
bailing and endeavoring to make the pumps useful, for the ballast by
getting into the well, had choked and rendered them useless, and the
chains had broken every time they were repaired. The water had risen
to seven feet in the hold. The wind from the westward drove a vast sea
before it, and the ship being old, strained most violently.

On the morning of the 18th nothing could be seen of the Canada, she
having pushed on at her greatest speed for England. The frame of the
Ramillies having opened during the night, the admiral was prevailed
upon, by the renewed and pressing remonstrances of the officers,
although with great reluctance, to let six of the forwardmost and four
of the aftermost guns of the main-deck to be thrown overboard,
together with the remainder of those on the quarter-deck; and the ship
still continuing to open very much, he ordered tarred canvas and hides
to be nailed fore and aft from under the sills of the ports on the
main-deck under the fifth plank above, or within the water-ways, and
the crew, without orders did the same on the lower deck. Her
increasing complaints requiring still more to be done, the admiral
directed all the guns on the upper deck, the shot, both on that and
the lower deck, and various heavy stores to be thrown overboard; a
leakage in the light room of the grand magazine having almost filled
the ship forward, and there being eight feet water in the magazine,
every gentleman was compelled to take his turn at the whips, or in
handing the buckets. The ship was besides frapped from the fore-mast
to the main-mast.

Notwithstanding their utmost efforts the water still gained on them
the succeeding night, the wind blowing very hard, with extremely heavy
squalls, a part of the orlop deck fell into the hold; the ship herself
seemed to work excessively, and to settle forward.

On the morning of the 19th, under these very alarming circumstances,
the admiral commanded both the bower anchors to be cut away, all the
junk to be flung overboard, one sheet and one bower cable to be
reduced to junk and served the same way, together with every remaining
ponderous store that could be got at, and all the powder in the grand
mag