[PATTERSON] SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ON SABLE ISLAND 137 



get it oflf the men declared they buried it with her, A number of articles 

 were saved, which were carried to Barrington." 



Q'he report also gives the names of the passengers : " Dr. and Mrs. 

 Copeland, two children and a maid servant ; Captain Holland, 44th 

 Regiment ; Captain Sterling, 7th Eegiment ; Lieut. Mercer, Eoyal Artil- 

 lery ; Lieut. Sutton, 7th Eegijnent ; Lieut. Eoebuck, 7th Eegiment ; 

 A''olunteer Appinshaw, 7th Eegiment ; Sergeant Moore, Privates Thomas 

 King, Abbott, 16th Lt. Dragoons ; Judd, coachman to the Duke of Kent, 

 and four other servants of his." These with the crew numbering nineteen, 

 are counted as forty lost in the vessel altogether. But they really 

 number only thirty-eight. This is very difterent from Ilaliburton's story 

 of 200 perishing and of Lieut. Towens on his visit nearly three years later 

 having such an awful task in burying the dead, for which was required 

 a grave as large as a cellar, very definite dimensions trul3\ 



It seems evident that Mr. ITaliburton confounded this visit of Lieut. 

 Scambler and the visit of Lieut. Towens. We have in this the original of 

 the story of Mrs. Copeland's ring. It is certain that her body came ashore 

 with the ring on her finger, which was so swollen that it could not be 

 taken otf. The story of the tinders that they buried it with her is quite 

 incredible. But tradition goes farther. It tells that she was cast upon 

 the shore not dead but only in a state of insensibility, and that when the 

 wretch began cutting off her finger to get the ring she rose to confront 

 him. What really transpired is known only to God, but there were those 

 who believed that the robber had added murder to his other crimes. At 

 all events we have not the least doubt of that part of the tradition, that 

 the ring was traced to Nova Scotia and recovered. And the story was 

 widespread that the man suffered all the anguish and terrors of a guilty 

 conscience. As Mr. Haliburton says, nothing would induce him to go 

 out of doors after night. By others it was alleged that the spectre of his 

 victim was always present with him, with her mutilated finger pointing 

 to him, and that though he returned to Nova Scotia and gave up the 

 ring, he could not get clear of the vision. The case was one fitted to 

 excite the superstitions of the fishermen. So that we need not be surprised 

 to learn, that in the weird shapes, which the mists and vapours assume 

 amid the gray sandhills, they believed they saw the shade of the pale lady 

 in her long white robe, her hair floating to the wind, and her hand 

 stretched out as in the act of reclaiming her rint»-. 



