268 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



On the 28tli, in the morning, the wind shifted suddenly to south and S.S.W., 

 and we changed our course to west and W.N.W. At midnight such a violent 

 north-west gale got up with such a rough sea and heavy showers that our fore- 

 sail was blown to ribbons, not a thread of it remaining. We lowered the main- 

 top-sail, but were unable to furl it. The ship began to roll tremendously, in 

 consequence of which the guns which were with the ballast shifted to port with 

 the barrels and cables, and three seas struck us in the waist, so that we thought 

 all was up with us. We got up a studding-sail on the fore-tackle, commending 

 ourselves to God and His Blessed Mother. With this the ship began to get fairly 

 under control ; and so we remained for what was left of the night until the 

 morning. 



From the morning of the 29th, the wind began going down ; and we sailed 

 south till morning, when we set an old foresail which we got into order. At 

 night the light wind slackened somewhat, and we sailed till morning south-east 

 a quarter east. 



All day we worked at righting the ship. The 30th, too, we employed our- 

 selves in righting the ship. We got up the top-mast and made things ship-shape. 

 It was calm up to nightfall, when the wind sprang round to the north-west ; 

 there was a gale all that night. Till morning we sailed south, without setting 

 the main-top-sail, as it looked like bad weather, and, owing to the sickly state 

 of the crew, [there would have been trouble] in case it had been necessary to take 

 in sail. 



While the tragedies above described were being enacted in the Blasket 

 Sound, it is interesting to know what was going on on shore; and the Irish 

 State Papers give us this information. 



Mr. James Trant, the Government agent in the Dingle District, reports 

 from Dunquin, to Sir Edward Denny in Tralee, of the great ships he saw 

 riding at anchor between " the Ferriter's Great Island and the shore." He 

 no doubt commanded the soldiers that tried to prevent Eecalde from 

 obtaining water ; but he does not report what seems to be a fact, that Eecalde 

 took the water in spite of him. The crew of the first boat which Eecalde 

 sent ashore were taken prisoners to Dingle ; and their evidence, which 

 occupies many pages in the State Papers, describes the sad state in which the 

 crews of the ships were. In Eecalde's ship alone, 20 men were killed in the 

 fighting, but 200 had died of disease; and at that time men were dying 

 every day. 



It may be noted in Aramburu's narration that the Santa Maria de la Bosa 

 went down with all hands. This was not exactly true, for Mr. Trant's 

 men captured one survivor, by name Antonia de Monana, who came ashore 

 on some wreckage ; he also was taken to Dingle. He said he was the pilot's 



