ed.

When daylight broke, a terrible spectacle was presented. The Droits de
l'Homme had drifted towards the land--broadside on--a tremendous surf
beating over her. The position of the Amazon was as precarious,
notwithstanding every effort was made by her officers and crew to work
her off shore, all proved unavailing, and she struck the ground. The
ship's company, with the exception of six men, gained the shore, which
proved to be Audienre Bay, where they were all made prisoners.

The melancholy fate of the Droits de l'Homme is described in James's
_Naval History_. Already 900 souls had perished, when the fourth night
came with renewed horrors,--'weak, distracted, and wanting
everything,' says one of the prisoners, a British officer, in his
narrative, 'we envied the fate of those whose lifeless corpses no
longer needed sustenance. The sense of hunger was already lost, but a
parching thirst consumed our vitals.' ... 'Almost lost to a sense of
humanity, we no longer looked with pity on those who were the speedy
forerunners of our own fate, and a consultation took place, to
sacrifice some one to be food to the remainder. The die was going to
be cast, when the welcome sight of a man-of-war brig renewed our
hopes. A cutter speedily followed, and both anchored at a short
distance from the wreck. They then sent their boats to us, and by
means of large rafts, about 150, out of nearly 400 who attempted it,
were saved by the brig that evening; 380 were left to 'endure another
night's misery,--when, dreadful to relate, about one half were found
dead next morning!'

HERO.

We have next to relate the still more tragical fate of the Hero, of 74
guns. This vessel was lost on the Northern Haaks, under nearly the
same circumstances as the Minotaur in the preceding year, but with
more fatal results, as every soul on board perished.

The following particulars are derived from the accounts taken from the
evidence of Captain Fanshawe, of the Grasshopper, and from the
journals of the day.

The Grasshopper sailed from Wingo Sound on the 18th of December,
1811, in company with the Hero, Egeria, and Prince William, and a
convoy of about 120 merchantmen. The weather, at the time they
commenced their voyage, was stormy and tempestuous. The Egeria and
Prince William parted company on the 20th, and on the 23rd the
Grasshopper was left in company with the Hero, and about eighteen
merchantmen.

At about half-past eleven o'clock, Capt