ST. HELENA 255 



mill-pond, was on this day a sea of troubled waters. During Monday 

 night the rollers for which St. Helena has ever been celebrated, 

 the cause of which is altogether unaccounted for, began gradually 

 to rise, and on Tuesday had increased to an awful height, like so 

 many rolling mountains, one after the other driving everything 

 before them. The English schooner Cornelia, condemned at this 

 port a short time since, and purchased by Mr. Cole, was the first 

 vessel driven on shore, being, no doubt, not so securely moored as 

 other vessels, although in any other weather equally safe. If the 

 person in charge of this vessel had been left five minutes longer on 

 board it would have been out of human power to save his life, as 

 the vessel some distance from the shore was buried in the tremendous 

 seas and ultimately came in on the beach. In a few moments she 

 was a mass of splinters. Immediately after the Cornelia disappeared, 

 the Brazilian brig Descobrador, 127 tons, brought here by Lieut. 

 Meynell, and condemned on January 15 as a slaver (prize to H.M.S. 

 sloop Star}, lifted her anchors and was driven with force on to the 

 beach between the drawbridge and upper crane ; the shipkeeper, 

 Robert Seale, his wife and two others were on board at the time 

 she touched. Sea after sea broke over the vessel and she fell broad- 

 side on the shore. The larboard shrouds ultimately gave way, and 

 the lives of the poor creatures on board were in imminent danger, 

 not only by the vessel separating but by the falling of the masts. 

 At this time two people from on board swam on shore, leaving Seale 

 and his wife holding on the rail on the leeward of the ship, appealing 

 to the numbers on shore, within hearing of them, for assistance. 

 The Town Major endeavoured to convey a rope by means of a rocket, 

 but it failed. Mr. Chatfield, master's assistant of H.M. sloop 

 Flying Fish, attempted to swim off with a spar attached to a rope, 

 and after arriving alongside roller after roller broke over him ; these 

 buried him for a time and finally threw him on to the beach in an 

 exhausted state. A whale-boat belonging to the Rose was launched, 

 but she was no sooner in the water than she was dashed to pieces. 

 At this period an American seaman, named Roach, who has been 

 on the island some time as a boatman, nobly plunged into the sea 

 and swam to the vessel, which he reached in gallant style. Taking 

 with him a rope, the end of which was secured on shore, he gained 

 the deck and hauled on board from shore a sufficiency of rope ; then 

 after attaching the end which he brought to the side of the vessel, 

 he tied a rope round Mrs. Seale and plunged into the water (leaving 

 sufficient rope on board to enable Seale the means of escape). They 

 were dragged on shore by the spectators, amongst whom were Dr. 

 Tweedale, of H.M. sloop Prometheus, and Lieut. Grant, R.A. They 

 both plunged into the water to assist Roach as he approached, for 

 rollers were knocking him over and over. Mrs. Seale was almost 

 senseless, but soon rallied under medical aid. Seale, when he saw 

 his wife safe, tied the rope he had round himself, and was drawn on 

 shore without sustaining any injury. All this was done quickly, 

 for from the time the Descobrador touched the rocks to the period 

 of the people all being out of her could not have been more than 



