18 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



(including^ four officers) have 

 been saved. The regunent was 

 coming from France, and had 

 shared in the glories of Waterloo, 

 lirave men, companions in arms, 

 and dear friends, stood on the 

 deck — each looked to the other — 

 each expected his own fate, and 

 hoped for his friend's safety — 

 wave after wave thundei'ed. Maj. 

 Douglas, Captains, Lieutenants, 

 whose names I have not yet 

 learned, were swept away, never 

 to meet their friends and social 

 home ! — never to humble another 

 time the vain spirit of France ! 

 Women embraced their husbands, 

 bade tliem farewell, and died 

 calmly — their heroism softened 

 the pangs of men who saw — 

 whose hearts bled, and could not 

 relieve them ! Children took leave 

 of theu' parents, and, rising above 

 the weakness of theii- age, wept 

 not. The Quarter-master's lady 

 behaved with great firmness — re- 

 mained with her children in the 

 cabin-— said to an Officer, " It is 

 the will of Heaven," and was 

 seen no more. The wife of a 

 private said, " Will you die with 

 me and your child ? But you may 

 escape, and this may be of use," 

 giving him her pocket with a sum 

 of money ; she even took out her 

 ear-rings, and put tiiem in it. 

 Herself and child were lost ! The 

 survivor, more wretched than 

 they, lives to tell the tale, as tears 

 maik his manly face. The Cap- 

 tain of the transport was saved ; 

 the mate fell from the mast eaily 

 in the day, and was nearly killed, 

 and quite disabled. This pioba- 

 bly occasioned tlie deplorable loss, 

 as he was well acquainted with 

 the coast. Lieutenant Allen, a 

 young officer of the navy, and of 

 great merit; (couiing to Ireland,"* 



directed the ship for some time 

 with boldness and skill ; he too 

 was swept away. Above 350 per- 

 sons have perished. A great 

 quantity of valuable tilings is lost, 

 and the vessel shattered into a 

 thousand fragments, strews two 

 or three miles of the coast. 



Lieutenants Maopherson, Hart- 

 ford, and Cowper, and Ensign 

 Seward, survive of the Officers, 

 all much bruised and ill, but 

 Mr. Cowper most severely ; he 

 now lies extremely ill at Tramore. 

 The night of the calamity, a cot- 

 tager and his wife, near the fiital 

 spot, showed e\ery tenderness to 

 the miseralde victims. But for 

 their humble and loifely dwelling, 

 so many had not now lived to tell 

 this tale ! They g7ne thoir only 

 bed to two wounded and be- 

 numbed Ofiicers, and lodged and 

 comforted all the privates that 

 were too ill to move duiing the 

 night. Dead bodies are now 

 hourly throwing in. 



LOSS OF THE LOKD MELVILLE 

 TRANSrORT AND BOADICEA 

 BRIG. 



- Kinsale, Feb. 1, 1815. 



My Lord, — I have the honour 

 of availing myself of the earliest 

 oppoitunity that has been allowed 

 me since the disaster of our un- 

 foi tunatc ship, the Lord Melville, 

 to report to )'our Lordship the 

 arrival of his Mcojesty's troops that 

 were embarked on board of her 

 under my command, accounting 

 for the casualties that occinred by 

 the wreck, and a brief statement 

 of the misfortime. Upon making 

 the land, about 11 o'clock a. m. 

 on the 31bt ult. (halving lain to 

 the previous night) it blowing 

 nearly a gale of wind, a heavy sea 

 running-, and the atmosphere so 



thick 



