22^ TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



the surrender of Charleston in 1782, within two days 

 no less than 16 vessels, bearing refugies and their 

 effects, went to pieces here and many persons lost 

 their lives. In coming in and going out the ' seas ' 

 are put to use, 3-4 waves commonly lifting the vessel 

 over the shallowest spots otherwise impassable. But 

 for this, keen attention, great skill, and good fortune 

 must all be united. The wave which is to raise the 

 ship must strike it full, and no other must come against 

 it, athwart for instance, at the same time, else the ship 

 is driven from the narrow channel on to a bank, and 

 soon knocked to pieces or laid over. A great quantity 

 of dismal remains of vessels protrude on all sides from 

 the sand and the water. Shortly before our arrival a 

 pilot who had served this bar for 20 years, went out 

 in stormy weather to meet a ship at the risk of his 

 life. The avaricious ship-master refused to promise 

 the pilot his customary fee ; who therefore returned 

 over the bar in his boat, which was capsized by the 

 seas and the worthy man went down with 4 negroes. 

 The skipper was hardly more fortunate ; he stranded 

 on the bar, lost his ship, and barely got off with his 

 life. The Spaniards when they settled Augustin had 

 a regulation that as often as a ship approached the 

 Bar, to run in, a bell was rung ; at this signal some of 

 the inhabitants must put off to the ship in boats, so as 

 to offer all possible assistance in case of mishap on the 

 Bar. 



It was Spanish wariness to fix the capital of a 

 colony behind a sand-bank which cannot be crossed 

 except at great peril. Inside the bar there is at once 

 good anchorage. There had been lying here for five 

 weeks a brigantine bound for Nova Scotia, the vessel 



