246 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



of this group a base of operations for facilitating the escape of the Emperor from St. 

 Helena, the Government determined to withdraw the garrison, and leave the islands once 

 more in the occupation of sea birds and seals. Consecpiently two vessels were de- 

 spatched to bring off the troops and their baggage, viz., the sloop "Julia," Captain Jenkin 

 Jones, and the frigate " Eury dice," Captain Wauchope. 



The " Julia " arrived at the island first, anchored in Falmouth Bay, and commenced 

 receiving stores ; but on the night of October 2nd, 1817, whilst at anchor, a heavy swell 

 set in about midnight from the northward, and drove her on shore, when fifty-five out 

 of her crew of ninety-five perished. The captain, it appears, was on shore, not having 

 gone off to his ship in the evening ; and it is reported that neither he nor any of the 

 troops knew of this sad catastrophe until one or two of the men who were fortunate 

 enough to escape drowning ran up the bank and told them ; which, if true, does not say 

 much for the vigilance of the sentries on the island. The " Julia " had visited the island 

 on a previous occasion in December 1816, and had then anchored rather too close to the 

 shore ; but it must be borne in mind that, until her loss, it was not known that the first 

 warning of a northerly gale is a heavy surf setting in during a calm, and that even when 

 the gale is at its height its force is not much felt at the settlement, owing to the influence 

 of the high perpendicular cliffs immediately to leeward of the anchorage. 



A month after the loss of the " Julia," the " Eurydice " arrived, anchored in Fal- 

 mouth Bay (4th November), and commenced embarking stores and luggage. On the 

 night of the 5th, however, Captain Wauchope, taking warning by the sad fate of the 

 "Julia/' slipped his cable at 10.30 p.m. at the beginning of an easterly wind, and 

 it was fortunate for him he did so, for until the 18th he was unable to return to the bay 

 and complete the embarkation of the troops and their baggage, being engaged for thirteen 

 days in battling against strong breezes, gales, and dirty rainy weather. 



On the 18th, however, the "Eurydice" was enabled to return to the anchorage, and 

 having completed the embarkation by 2 p.m. on the 19th, left the bay just as another 

 northerly wind commenced ; even then it was not found possible to hoist in the boats 

 before making sail, but this was put off until the safety of the ship was secured. 



Captain Wauchope, whose careful and laborious operations in obtaining the tempera- 

 ture of the sea at considerable depths have been rescued from oblivion by Professor 

 Prestwich, F.K.S., 1 made careful observations on the weather. He was the first to point 

 out that, owing to the peculiar formation of the coast, a northerly gale is not felt at 

 the anchorage, but that the swell setting in with resistless violence would certainly cause 

 the loss of any sailing vessel that might be caught at anchor in Falmouth Bay ; and this 

 statement has since been confirmed by the settlers, who say that north and northwest winds 

 are not felt at the settlement, but southwest winds are exceedingly violent and destruc- 

 tive. Captain Wauchope also says in one of his reports, " that in fine weather nothing 



1 Phil. Trans., vol. clxv. p. 595, 1875. 



