emain by the ship,
as long as there was any chance of saving the lives of some of the
survivors, attest his devotion to his duty to the very last.

The French officer, Captain Bouchier Riviere, who made a survey of the
Sorelle after the wreck, and who deliberately considered all the
circumstances, imputes no blame to the officers of the Avenger, but
generously accounts for the misfortune by referring to the dangers of
the spot, the force of the currents, the wildness of the weather, and
the darkness of the night. 'The first shock,' says he, 'must have been
dreadful.'

It would have been humiliating and afflicting, had this record of the
Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy, in which there is so much to admire,
been closed with the details of a calamity in any way disgraceful to
the service. Truth has required that the words '_dismay_' and
'_panic_' should be used in the foregoing relation; but the terrible
suddenness of the event, the instantaneous shock which broke up the
Avenger in a moment, without the preparatory warning of 'breakers
ahead,' or the previous notice of rocks or shoals in sight, will more
than account for the helplessness to which the crew were reduced.
They had not time to brace up their shattered nerves. The noble
bearing of the two lieutenants, Rooke and Marryat, cool as they were,
and in full command of their energies in the midst of crashing timbers
and perishing men, places the character of the British seaman in its
title light, and winds up our narrative with two more examples of
naval heroism.

FOOTNOTES:

[19] The party in the boat consisted of Lieutenant Rooke; Mr. Betts,
second master; Mr. Ayling, master's assistant; Mr. Larcom, gunner; Dr.
Steel, the surgeon; Wm. Hills, captain's steward: John Owen, stoker;
and the boy Morley.

LIST OF THE SHIPWRECKS OF THE ROYAL NAVY,
BETWEEN 1793 AND 1850.

------------+--------------+----+--------------+---+------+----------------
| | | Commanding |No.|Number|
Name of | Date. |Guns| Officer's |of | of | Where lost.
Ship. | | | Name. |men| lost.|
------------+--------------+----+--------------+---+------+----------------
Advice, | June 1, 1793| 4 |Edward Tyrell | 30| None |Bokell Key,
Cutter | | | | | |Honduras.
Amphitrite | Jan. 20, 1794| 24 |Anthony Hunt |160| None |On a sunken
| | |