CHRONICLE. 



425 



Hart-court, (partner with Mr. Mil- 

 dred, whose son met a birnilar fate, 

 Sqjtember 21,) and captain Clarke, 

 pf the royal navy, set off this day 

 from London for Graveseiid, in 

 Mr. Hoare's sailing-boat. Off Wool- 

 wich, at noon, or a little after, the 

 boat got aground, when captain 

 Clarke, attended by Mr. Peters, 

 went into a small boat, v/ith a rope, 

 in order to haul the sailing boat 

 afloat. This they accomplished, and 

 had returned so near to tiieir com- 

 panions, that Mr. Peters, with too 

 niuch eagerness and impatience, 

 stood up to fling the rope on board; 

 in the act of doing which, he lost 

 bis balance, and upset the boat. — 

 The current was very strong, and 

 the sailing-boat refusing to come 

 round, Mr. Hoare could lend them 

 no assistance. Mr. Peters, unable 

 to swim, was repeatedly supported 

 by his gallant friend, capt. Llaike, 

 who, with his well-known humanity, 

 paid too little attention to himself. 

 Alter repeated and inaftectual ef- 

 forts to save Mr. Peters, captain 

 Clarke's strength became exhausted, 

 and he was seen gradually to sink. 

 At that awful moment a boat put off 

 to their assistance, and saw part of 

 the body of capt. Clarke still float- 

 ing ; but, before they could reach 

 the spot, he sunk, with his friend, 

 to the bottom. 'Iheir bodies, after 

 remaining four hours in the water. 

 Were found, and conveyed to the 

 house of Mr. Peters's father, in 

 Park-street, Grosvenor-square. — 

 Captain Clarke was well known and 

 nnivcrsally n-spectod in the service. 

 Puring the Egyptian expedition, he 

 commanded the IJraakel, of sixty- 

 four guns, and afterwards |)rotected 

 pur factory at Smyrna. During the 

 above expedition, his humanity 

 £aii»ed hjiu the esteem of general sir 



Ralph Abercromble, when at a con- 

 siderable expence, and w hilst him- 

 self and most of the officers of the 

 Braakel were severely indisposed, 

 capt. Clarke was the means of sav- 

 ing the lives of 350 of our w ounded 

 soldiers, who were brought off the 

 plains of Egypt, and had been sent 

 away by many of the other ships. — 

 This gallant officer gave them up his 

 own cabin, and fed and ni.'rsed the 

 maimed with his own hands. He 

 then went to the commander in 

 chief, lord Keith, and procured 

 ^rgeons sufficient to attend them. 

 The death of such an officer will be 

 long and severely felt. At an carlj 

 hour on the 6th, their remains were 

 interred in a vault in St. Andrew's 

 church, Holborn. 



Sd. A curious circumstance oc- 

 curred this day : — A young womaa 

 applied to the parish-officer of Lam- 

 beth, for some money for the main- 

 tenance of her child. Some dela}' 

 taking place, the impatient female 

 left the house, and finding an ele- 

 gant chaise and horse at the door, 

 mounted the vehicle, and drove to 

 Union-hall, where she demanded an 

 order. The officers, astonished at 

 her equipage and the demand, de- 

 sired her to return. She observed, 

 it was of no use ; that the parish- 

 pfficer would not give her her due, 

 and therefore she had taken his car- 

 riage, to compel him. At length 

 she was prevailed upon to return 

 with an order which she got for the 

 payment of the money. Upon her 

 return, she was met by Mr. Ast^ey, 

 junr. of the Amphitheatre, (to 

 whom the chaise actually belonged) 

 who immediately turned licr out; 

 observing, that she had ovcr-actcd 

 her part, and requested that she 

 might never more attempt to per- 

 form upon his stage. 



4th. 



