42 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



[May. 



c")unt the hackney-coachman gave 

 of him was, he hired him in 

 Bridge-street, Westminster, near 

 the house No. 2, but whether he 

 came out of that house or not he 

 couhl not tell. No difference was 

 observed as to his usual mode of 

 conducting himself, up to two 

 o'clock yesterday, nor was the 

 cause of the rash act ascertained. 



'24. The first survey was made 

 this morning, by means of the 

 diving bell, of the wreck of the 

 Royal George, which sunk at 

 Spithead aljout 35 years since. She 

 lies nearly east and west, with her 

 head to the westward, and with a 

 trifling inclination on her larboard 

 bilge. The whole of her decks 

 have fallen in, and the starboard 

 broadside upon them ; there is, in 

 fact, no ap])earance whatever of 

 her original formation, her re- 

 mains appearing as a pile of 

 ruinous timber-work. The sur- 

 fiice of her timbers is decayed, 

 but the heart of them is sound. 

 Not the least vestige of her guns, 

 anchors, spars, or ma.sts, was dis- 

 covered, and the whole of her 

 head and rail-work has gone to 

 pie?es; the guns nnist have fallen 

 into the hull, among the wreck. 

 There is no bank or great accu- 

 mulation of mud aroxmd her ; 

 the hollows in her hull contain a 

 quantity of fine black muscose 

 mud, the natural sediment of the 

 tides. It would not be difficult 

 either to saw her in pieces or 

 blow her up ; but she cannot be 

 weighed in a body, from her di- 

 lapitlUed unconnected state. The 

 bell, on being let down, touched 

 on her larboard broadside, passed 

 round her bows, and was brought 

 up from her starboard broadside. 



lioin lite Cci/lon Gazette, — It is 



with much concern we commu- 

 nicate to the public a very shock- 

 ing event which happened on, 

 the evening of the 11th, near 

 Colombo : — 



A party of seven young gentle- 

 men had been walking among the 

 trees, near the sea, about two 

 miles south of the foit ; between 

 five and six o'clock they sat down 

 on the shore, without any pre- 

 vious intention of bathing, when 

 Mr. May, of the ordnance civil 

 department, went into the water, 

 and was followed by several 

 others. Mr.jNIay was an excellent 

 swimmer, and plunging into the 

 nearest surf, he did not rise till 

 he was some way beyond it. .'Vf- 

 ter playing about a short time, 

 he struck out info deeper water, 

 when Lieutenant Gray, who was 

 within the surf, and aware of the 

 danger from sharks, called out to 

 him not to go any farther. At 

 that moment the swell of the surf 

 hid him from Mr. Gray ; but 

 some of the J^arty, who were 

 stanchng higher on the shore, saw 

 him on a sudden struggle and 

 sink. He rose again directly, and 

 cried out, " A shark, a shark ; no 

 joke, no joke, upon my honour, I 

 am bit!" But he did not seem to be 

 much hin-t, for he swam with 

 great strength towards tlie shore. 

 Lieutenant Gray rushed forward 

 to his assistance, ami just as they 

 were near meeting, the shark 

 seized him again, but h« was not 

 pulled under water, and only 

 cried out — " I am bit, I am bit. " 

 Mr. Gray then got bold of him, 

 and at that moment he saw the 

 shark make a third attack. They 

 were now very near ihe shore, 

 and Mr. Gray, with the assistance 

 of another young man, succeeded 



in 



