appearance to many
others, she was believed to outrival them in her powers of sailing.
The "Royal George" had seen very active service, and there had been
some thought of putting her out of commission, and the officers of the
Admiralty decided upon keeping her in dock for the winter, but during
the August of 1782 she underwent repairs, with a view to sending her
out once more. Accordingly, on Thursday morning, the 29th of the same
month, the ship moored slowly out of harbour, bearing a freight of
eight hundred men, with wives, mothers, sisters, and sweethearts,
besides those who had been permitted to remain on board for a part of
the day. It was a pleasant scene on deck, and the happiness and gaiety
of the company seemed in harmony with the beauty of the morning. The
mid-day meal was made ready and begun, when a quick movement was felt,
and a flood of salt water came pouring through a port-hole that had
been most carelessly left unclosed. A stiff breeze caught her
broadside, and the "Royal George" turned slowly over and sank. As soon
as the disaster was perceived, an officer ran to the ship's captain to
inform him that it was capsizing. Kempenfelt, the admiral, was at his
desk below deck; his coxswain, notwithstanding the danger, attempted to
reach him, but unsuccessfully, for the waters had already engulphed
him. His loss was deplored in all the land; he was generally esteemed,
and his great abilities were acknowledged by the State. And now the
dauntless sea-warrior, who had met and repulsed many a foe, and had
looked upon death in a variety of forms, found his own end, not in the
force of the enemy's bullet, nor in the violence of the storm, but in a
calm sea, on a bright August morning. A reward of one hundred pounds
was offered for the body, but it was never recovered. An old journal,
which appeared a few days after, in this way concludes the announcement
of it--"Thus perished one of the most brave and amiable characters that
ever filled either a private or public situation."

A few minutes after the "Royal George" sank, only her topmasts were
visible. The greater part of the (one thousand two hundred) people,
and chiefly the women and children, were in the cabins, and therefore
immediately perished; but of over two hundred on deck, the majority
were rescued. The efforts put forth to save the drowning were marked
by another calamity. A victualling sloop, which had gone with other
vessels to the rescue,