e of the Royal George; in going down, the main-yard of the Royal
George caught the boom of the Lark, and they sank together, but this
made the position of the Royal George much more upright in the water
than it would otherwise have been. There she lay at the bottom of the
sea, just as you have seen small vessels when left by the tide on a
bank. Cowper, when he heard the sad tale, thus wrote

"Her timbers yet are sound,
And she may float again,
Full charged with England's thunder,
And plough the distant main.

"But Kempenfelt is gone,
His victories are o'er,
And he, and his eight hundred
Shall plough the wave no more."

Admiral Kempenfelt was writing in his cabin when the ship sank; his
first captain tried to inform him of their situation, but the heeling of
the ship so jammed the cabin doors that he could not open them: thus the
admiral perished with the rest. It seems Cowper thought the Royal George
might be recovered; other people were of the same opinion.

[Illustration: BLOWING UP OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.]

In September of the year in which the vessel sank, a gentleman, named
Tracey, living in the neighborhood, by means of diving-machines,
ascertained the position and state of the ship, and made proposals to
government to adopt means of raising her and getting her again afloat.
After a great many vexatious delays and interruptions on the part of
those who were to have supplied him with assistance, he succeeded in
getting up the Lark sloop. His efforts to raise the Royal George were so
far successful, that at every time of high tide she was lifted from her
bed; and on the 9th of October she was hove at least thirty or forty
feet to westward; but the days were getting short, the boisterous winds
of winter were setting in, the lighters to which Tracey's apparatus was
attached were too old and rotten to bear the strain, and he was forced
to abandon the attempt.

The sunken ship remained, a constant impediment to other vessels wishing
to cast anchor near the spot, for nearly fifty years, when Colonel
Pasley, by means of gunpowder, completely demolished the wreck: the
loose pieces of timber floated to the surface; heavier pieces--the
ship's guns, cables, anchors, the fire-hearth, cooking utensils, and
many smaller articles were recovered by the divers. These men went down
in Indian-rubber dresses, which were air and water-tight; they were
furnished with helmets, in each side of which were glas