CHRONICLE. 



only four of the convey were in 

 sight, and they were shortly lost 

 sight of in the heavy squall of 

 snow and sleet. At half past three 

 the hands were turned up, the ship 

 being in broken water : we found 

 we were on a sand bank, the pilots 

 imaginins: it to be Smith's Knoll. 

 The captain instantly ordered the 

 brig to be steered S. SE. thinking 

 to get out to sea ; but she conti- 

 nued striking so hard for a length 

 of tinoe, that we had almost given 

 her up for lost, when suddenly, 

 and very fortunately, we fell into 

 three fathoms water, upon which 

 the captain caused an anchor to be 

 let go, when we perceived the 

 Hero again (as we then thouoht) 

 also at an anchor, though she fired 

 several guns, and burnt blue lights : 

 but, alas ! when the day broke, 

 we had the mortification of wit- 

 nessing a most horrible scene, — 

 the Hero was totally dismasted, and 

 on her larboard beam-ends, with 

 her head to the N. E. about a mile 

 from us, upon the Haeck's Sand, 

 as we then found we were inside of 

 it, off the Texel Island : the ship's 

 company were all crowded together 

 on the poop and forecastle. As 

 soon as day-light had well appear- 

 ed, she hoisted a flag of truce and 

 fired a gun, which we repeated, 

 and very shortly after saw a lugger, 

 two brigs, and several small vessels, 

 plying out of the Texel to our 

 assistance; but owing to the flood- 

 tide having made, and the wind 

 blowing a perfect gale at N. NW. 

 the lugger was only able to come 

 within two or three miles of us by 

 two o'clock in the afternoon. In 

 the mean time we hoisted out our 

 boats, and made an attempt to get 

 near the Hero, but the surf was so 

 high, that it was all ineffectual, 



and we were under the cruel ne- 

 cessity of seeing so many of our 

 brave countrymen perishing, with- 

 out being able to render them any 

 assistance. The Grasshopper at 

 the same time was constantly strik- 

 ing very hard, though every thing 

 had been thrown overboard to 

 lighten her, except the guns, upon 

 which it was feared she would have 

 bilged. The master was then sent 

 to sound in everj' direction, for a 

 passage to make our escape bj-^, 

 (though I have since found out 

 that an escape was totally impos- 

 sible) ; but quarter less three, and 

 two fathoms and a half, were the 

 only soundings he could meet with. 

 The captain, therefore, with the 

 opinion of the officers, agreed, that 

 we had no chance of saving our- 

 selves, but by surrendering to the 

 enemy, who were at this time, as 

 I have before mentioned, coming 

 to our assistance, and that of the 

 Hero, from whose wreck, 1 am 

 sorry to say, not one soul has been 

 saved. I observed, likewise, about 

 five miles to the northward of us, 

 a vessel on shore, with her fore- 

 mast standing, and another some 

 distance from her, both of which 

 I took to be the transports that 

 were under our convoy. The 

 comraading officer here has since 

 informed us, that the telegraph 

 has reported that eight or ten ves- 

 sels were wrecked upon the coast 

 to the northward, on the 23rd 

 instant, and had shared the fate of 

 the poor Hero. A transport, called 

 the Archimedes, beat over the 

 Haecks as well as ourselves, with 

 the loss of her rudder ; but has since 

 been wrecked, though the crew are 

 saved, and now prisoners of war, 

 as well as we. At close of day, 

 finding the weather threatening ^^ 

 B2 



