FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   >>  
un-boat's gig, manned by Lascars, whilst pulling along the reef, was pursued by five canoes. The brig-of-war's cutter went to her assistance, when the canoes pulled back to the reef and made off. The 50th detachment strengthened their camp-guard and posted extra sentinels. _Friday, 3rd._--The transport Agnes Lee arrived from Moulmein. The invalid soldiers, women, and children, and heavy baggage were embarked in the course of the day. At night the natives came round the camp in great numbers; there were fires in every direction. A picquet was sent out to drive them back; the picquet fired at a party moving in rear of the tents, who fled, and extinguished their fires in a most extraordinary manner, the whole, except a few scattered embers, disappearing almost as if by magic. The brig of war despatched two boats to pull along shore in front of the camp, and afterwards fired two shots and a shell amongst a large body of natives gathered round a fire a short distance to the left of the Briton. They took themselves off and did not appear again that night. _Saturday, 4th._--The remainder of the detachment of the 50th embarked in the Agnes Lee. At night the natives again assembling in and around the camp, the marines of the Pilot were landed to protect the wrecks. Several shots were fired during the night. _Sunday, 5th._--The last detachment of the wrecked troops, after a sojourn of 55 days, sailed this day for Calcutta in the Agnes Lee, and bid adieu to this inhospitable island, in words very different from those of the poet, who sang "Isle of beauty, fare thee well." The voyage was most prosperous, the several ships having arrived at their destination within a few days of each other. The only place of note they passed on the voyage being Barren Island; they had a full view of its volcano, which is a cone thrown up from a valley. It was then in partial action, and was ejecting volumes of smoke as they passed it. _Monday, 13th._--Latitude, by observation, 20 deg. 59" north. A comet has been seen for the last ten or twelve nights, in the south-west, about equal to a star of the second magnitude, with a tail of about 8 or 10 degrees. The detachments of the 10th and 50th regiments, on arriving at Calcutta, proceeded on to Chinsmah by steam, and the detachment of the 80th landed at Calcutta, and took up their quarters in Fort William. CONCLUSION. Thus terminated one of the most remarkable shipwrecks
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   >>  



Top keywords:

detachment

 

natives

 

Calcutta

 
passed
 
embarked
 

picquet

 
voyage
 

canoes

 

landed

 

arrived


Barren
 

Island

 

beauty

 

volcano

 

prosperous

 
thrown
 

destination

 

island

 

inhospitable

 
detachments

degrees

 
regiments
 

arriving

 

magnitude

 

proceeded

 

Chinsmah

 

terminated

 
remarkable
 

shipwrecks

 

CONCLUSION


William

 

quarters

 

Monday

 

Latitude

 

volumes

 

ejecting

 

partial

 

action

 

observation

 

twelve


nights

 

valley

 

numbers

 

baggage

 

invalid

 

soldiers

 
children
 

direction

 

extinguished

 

moving