[pattersonI supplementary NOTES ON SABLE ISLAND 13S 



The statement, iu order to show the importance of a relief establish- 

 ment, gives an account of the more important wrecks that had recently- 

 occurred. Of one of these the crew being detained on the island all 

 winter, the captain employed part of his time in exploring the island, and 

 reported as follows : that it was his custom immediately after a storm to 

 examine the part of the island most aliected by it. In doing this he has 

 counted upwards of forty wrecks, which had been uncovered, not one of 

 which was visible at its commencement. The hulls of some of these 

 vessels were apparently whole and lying in all situations, but the gi-eater 

 number exhibited only parts of wrecks. In a few days a storm would 

 spring up from an oj^posite quarter, cover these wrecks and uncover as 

 many more. By following the practice of exploring the island after a 

 storm, he found that thei-e was no part of it free from wrecks, but that 

 it was perfectly surrounded with them. If this be not an exaggeration, 

 we may well regard the loss of life and property on this island in the past 

 as simply appalling. The author of the statement might well say " When 

 it is considered that the island is thirty miles in length, and that though 

 its breadth apj)eai"s small on the ma^), yet that the sands that surround it 

 take up vessels in some parts more than twelve miles distant, the mind 

 must be struck with horror in contemplating the lives which must have 

 been lost out of those wrecks, whose remains are still so visible, and still 

 more so when to this number of visible wrecks is added the multitude of 

 vessels which have gone to pieces, and the remains been carried out to 

 sea." 



lY. 



Loss OF Duke op Kent's Equipage. 



"We have among thete papers the official account of the loss of the 

 vessel containing the equipage of the Duke of Kent. Haliburton, both 

 in his History and in " Wise saws and Modern Instances," gives the name 

 of the vessel as the '• Princess Amelia," represents it as taking place in 1802, 

 more than two 3'ears after the Duke had finally left the province, and as 

 attended with the loss of 200 lives. By the statement we have already 

 quoted her name is given as we had already done as the " Francis." ' She 

 was a snow of about 280 tons burden, the master's name Letson. She 

 sailed from Portsmouth on the 25th of October, 1799. in company with the 

 " America " mast ship, under convoy of II.M. ship " Bonetta." A succession 

 of gales followed their departure, during which the '-America " dismasted, 

 got back to Portsmouth, and the " Bonetta" with difficulty reached Lisbon. 

 No tidings of the " Francis " being received f )r a length of time, in May 

 following H.M. cutter '-Trepassey " being about to proceed to Newfound- 



1 In one place she is called the " Frances." From the preference given at that 

 time to female names for vessels, we would be deposed to believe it correct. 



