he master reported
the previous evening that he had seen land, and everyone imagined he
would lay to during the night, the weather being tempestuous. He had
left New York with an old suit of sails and had not above twelve men
and boys to work his ship. While they were engaged in rigging and
setting up a new main topsail, to replace one that had gone to pieces
early in the night, the ship struck. Soon after the long boat was
smashed by the fall of the mainmast. The cutter had already been
launched. The captain now gave orders to launch the jolly boat and, to
the surprise of everybody, having repeatedly proclaimed that he would
be one of the last to leave the ship, he jumped into her as she went
over the side, rowed to the cutter, got into her, and inhumanly pushed
off for the shore. The empty Jolly boat was turned adrift in full view
of the unhappy people on board, the master turning a deaf ear to the
solicitations of Captain Kennedy, who begged him to pull in toward the
stern, in order to discuss some means of saving the lives of his
passengers.

Another account of this tragedy has been preserved in the letter of
Lieut. Michael Laffan, of Colonel Hewlett's battalion, to his
brother:--

St. Johns, Oct. 11, 1783.

Dear Brother.--Yesterday evening I had the good Fortune to arrive
at this Place. On the 25th of September, about 4 o'clock in the
morning, the "Martha" struck against a rock off the Tusket river
near the Bay of Fundy, and was in the course of a few Hours
wrecked in a Thousand Pieces. I had the good Fortune to get upon a
Piece of the Wreck with three more officers, viz., Lieut. Henley,
Lieut. Sterling, Dr. Stafford and two soldiers (all of the
Maryland Loyalists) and floated on it two Days and two nights up
to near our Waists in Water, during which time Lieut. Sterling and
one of the Soldiers died. On the third Day we drifted to an island
where we lived without Fire, Water, Victuals or Clothing, except
the Remnants of what we had on, about one Quart of Water per man
(which we sipped from the cavities in the Rocks) and a few
Rasberries and snails. On the seventh Day we were espied and taken
up by a Frenchman, that was out a fowling, who took us to his
House and treated us with every kindness. We staid with him six
Days and then proceeded to a Place called Cape Pursue, where we
met with Captain Kennedy and about fifty of both Regiments, who
were saved at Sea by some fish