gave orders to stand towards it in order to renew, by collecting lumps
of ice, the supply of water, the stock of fresh water having run very
low in consequence of the quantity consumed by the cattle.

The Public Advertiser of April 30, 1790, describes what now happened. As
the ship approached the island, the boats were hoisted out and manned,
and several lumps collected. During this time the ship lay to, and on
the ice being brought on board she attempted to stand away. Very little
apprehension was at this time entertained of her safety, although the
enormous bulk of the island occasioned an unfavourable current, and in
some measure gave a partial direction to the wind. On a sudden, the
base of the island, which projected under water considerably beyond the
limits of the visible parts, struck the bow of the ship; she instantly
swung round, and her head cleared, but her stern, coming on the shoal,
struck repeatedly, and the sea being very heavy, her rudder broke
away, and all her works abaft were shivered. The ship in this situation
became, in a degree, embayed under the terrific bulk of ice, for its
height was twice that of the mainmast of a ship of the line, and the
prominent head of the berg was every moment expected to break away and
overwhelm the ship. At length, after every practicable exertion, she was
got off the shoal, and the ice floated past her. It was soon perceived
that the _Guardian_ had six feet of water in her hold, and it was
increasing very fast The hands were set to the pumps, others to find
out the leaks, and they occasionally relieved each other. Thus they
continued labouring unceasingly on the 24th, although on the 23rd not
one of them had had the least rest The ship was at one period so much
relieved that she had only two feet of water in the hold; but at this
time, when their distress wore the best aspect, the water "increased in
a moment to ten feet." Then the ship was discovered to be strained in
all her works, and the sea running high, every endeavour to check the
progress of a particular leak proved ineffectual. To lighten the ship,
the cows, horses, sheep, and all the other live stock for the colony
were, with their fodder, committed to the deep to perish.

John Williams, boatswain of the _Guardian_, wrote to his parents in
London, and told them about the disaster, and although we have no doubt
he was handier with the marline-spike than with his pen, some of his
badly spelled letter reads we