SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES. 59 



' At daylight we recognised the coast and Rat 

 Island, which gave us great spirits ; and though we 

 found ourselves much to the southward of the port, 

 we considered ourselves almost at home. Sophia 

 had gone through the night better than could have 

 been expected, and we continued to pull on with all 

 our strength. About 8 or 9 we saw a ship standing 

 to us from the roads ; they had seen the flames from 

 shore, and sent out vessels to our relief; and here, 

 certainly, came a minister of Providence, in the cha- 

 racter of a minister of the Gospel, for the first person 

 I recognised was one of our missionaries. He gave 

 us a bucket of water, and took the captain on board 

 as a pilot. The wind, however, was adverse, and 

 we could not reach the shore, and took to the ship, 

 where we got some refreshment and shelter from the 

 sun. By this time Sophia was quite exhausted, 

 fainting continually. About two o'clock we landed 

 safe and sound, and no words of mine can do justice 

 to the expressions of feeling sympathy and kindness 

 with which we were hailed by every one. If any 

 proof had been wanting that my administration had 

 been satisfactory here, we had it unequivocally from 

 all ; there was not a dry eye, and as we drove back 

 to our former home, loud was the cry of ' God be 

 praised.' 



" The loss I have to regret beyond all, is my pa- 

 pers and drawings, all my notes and observations, 

 with memoirs and collections, sufficient for a full and 

 ample history, not only of Sumatra, but of Borneo, 



