exertions he had made, presented me with a neat little basket containing
some papers which he seemed very anxious I should examine. I took them
up, rather to please him, than with any expectation of being able to
understand them, but to my surprise and great interest, found carefully
rolled up in several envelopes, two pieces of lead pencil, part of the
leaf of a Norie's Navigation Tables, and some scraps of paper, on which,
written in pencil, was a rough journal of the proceedings of the men who
left the ill-fated Charles Eaton (soon after she was wrecked in Torres
Strait) in one of her cutters, in which they reached this island, and
after remaining for thirteen months got to Amboyna in a trading proa, and
thence to Batavia, where they gave the following account of their
misfortunes to the Resident, Mr. D.W. Pietermaat.

WRECK OF THE CHARLES EATON.

The Charles Eaton sailed from Sydney on the 26th July, 1834, and on the
15th of August, about 10 o'clock in the forenoon, during a fresh full
sail breeze, the vessel struck on a reef called the Detached Reef,
situated at the entrance of Torres Strait.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE CREW.

During the preceding night the Captain, as a measure of prudence, had
ordered the first reef to be taken in the topsails, in order not to enter
the passage before daylight.

The ship struck on the reef so violently, that both keel and rudder were
instantly knocked off and carried away, and the Captain declared the
vessel to be totally lost; at the same time giving orders to get the
boats ready and furnished with provisions, in order to endeavour to reach
the island of Timor.

At the time the vessel was wrecked, she had four boats, the longboat, two
cutters, and a dinghy or small jolly boat. In the largest cutter, W.
Grindall, Laurent Constantine, and George Pigot, left the wreck, and
Richard Quin, and James Wright, joined them the next morning by swimming
across a bar or reef at the risk of their lives.

The other boats were knocked to pieces and lost, by the vessel falling
over on her side, and they were unable to save any more of the passengers
or crew, as it was impossible to pull the boat up against the strong
current; and none of them would venture amidst the heavy breakers to
reach the boat by swimming. They were unable to state what became of the
Captain, passengers, and rest of the crew; but at the time Richard Quin
and James Wright left the wreck, all the passengers and crew were aliv