CHRONICLE. 



77 



ed in the secretary' of state's 

 office. 



(Signed) 

 Feliciaho Antonio Chiclana, 

 Bernardino de Revadavia, 

 Nicolas Herrera, Secretary." 



« Buenos Ayres, May 15, 1812. 



18. Loss of the Irlam. — On Sun- 

 day morning last, the weather 

 being thick and hazy, the ship 

 Irlam (letter of marque), from 

 Barbadoes to Liverpool, laden with 

 sugar and cotton, and having on 

 board part of the skeleton of the 

 16th regiment of foot, commanded 

 by captain Hall, consisting of 10 

 officers, and 62 rank and file, and 

 32 women and children, struck on 

 Tuscar rock; the unhappy sufferers 

 had but just time to get into the 

 boats, some half-dressed, others 

 almost naked, when she filled with 

 water, and in a short time went to 

 pieces. The only means bj' whicli 

 the passengers and crew could 

 save their lives was to seek refuge 

 on the rock, which was almost in- 

 accessible at that side, the summit 

 being not less than 30 feet from 

 the surface of the water. This 

 they were enabled to accomplish 

 with the assistance of a number of 

 men, (providentially there for the 

 purpose of laying the foundation 

 of a light-house), who effected the 

 task by drawing the men up from 

 the boats, one by one, with a 

 rope fastened round the waist, and 

 placing the children in a bag made 

 fast to the end of the rope. At 

 this time a brig hove in sight, and 

 lay-to ; when seven of the officers, 

 the ladies, the master, and a num- 

 ber of the sailors and soldiers, were 

 conveyed on board, by the frequent 

 returning of the boat. During 

 this, it began to blow with in- 

 creased violence, and the vessel 



was compelled to get under weigh, 

 leaving on the rock three officers, 

 16 privates, one woman, the mate, 

 and 12 seamen, who, after remain- 

 ing there for two days and nights, 

 were on Monday evening brought 

 to Wexford. The officers lost 

 property to a considerable amount. 

 One gentleman had plate on board 

 worth 300/. The mate lost a box 

 containing 200 guineas, the fruit of 

 many years toil ( Wexford Jour.) 



20. This afternoon a violent 

 hail-storm was experienced at 

 Stratton-park, Hants, the seat of 

 sir Thomas Baring, which was 

 attended with thunder and light- 

 ning; the hail-stones were unu- 

 sually large, many of them being 

 three inches in circumference, 

 and in a few minutes no less than 

 1,050 squares of glass were broken 

 in the hot-house and cucumber 

 and melon frames : all the fruit 

 and plants being laid waste. Many 

 panes in the windows of the man- 

 sion were also broken. 



21. A tempest of thunder, light- 

 ning, and rain, was felt through an 

 extensive district, eastward from 

 Bedford, as far as Wisbech and 

 some parts of Norfolk. Two 

 horses were killed by the lightning 

 near Wisbech; and at Witchara 

 (in the Isle) a barn full of wheat 

 and a bean-stack were set fire to 

 and consumed. The same day, 

 about noon, a tremendous storm 

 of rain, accompanied with thunder 

 and lightning, came on at Shepton 

 Mallet, Somersetshire, and conti- 

 nued falling in torrents for about 

 an hour. In about a quarter of 

 an honr afterwards, either from 

 the water running from the hills, 

 or, as it is conjectured, from the 

 bursting of a thunder cloud or 

 water-spout upon a hill a little to 



the 



