362 Eighth Memoir on the [No. 137. 



half-past 1 o'clock p. m., it rained so heavily, that not a single ship 

 could be seen, the wind was always from the same direction, and 

 blew by squalls very strongly. The Barometer was always falling. 

 At 4 o'clock p. m. a most violent hurricane had set in, the flagstaff 

 and the trees which were in the streets of the town were broken and 

 torn up by the whirlwind. At 20 minutes past 5 p. m., the wind from 

 the N. W. to W. N. W. ceased on a sudden, and after a moment 

 of calm, the hurricane began with a new violence from the S. W. to 

 the South. 



When the wind came round to the S. E. it began to abate, it was 

 then 9 o'clock p. m., and during the night the wind became very 

 moderate. 



On the morning of the 25th, the weather became pretty fair and 

 the sea was not high ; the Brig Cervantes was recognized anchored 

 six miles to the N. E. of Pondicherry, having only her lower masts 

 standing ; the Captain went immediately on board, and when he return- 

 ed, he told me that his Chief Officer gave him the following report : 

 The Corsair in dragging her anchor ran foul of the Antoinette, and 

 carried away her bowsprit, and a little while after both of her top. 

 masts went. Afterwards when both ships had separated, the Antoinette 

 ran foul of the Corsair. Both ships seemed much to injure each 

 other, for the sea was very high. 



Of the five ships above named, two only came back into the roads, 

 the Cervantes, and the Mirabeau which appeared on the morning of 

 the 26th, having lost her main-mast, which the Chief Mate has been 

 forced to cut away in order to lighten the ship, which was on her 

 beam ends. 



Having learnt that pieces of wreck had come ashore at about 12 

 miles to the North of Pondicherry, I informed the Captains of the 

 five ships of it. Captain Prudhomme having gone to the place where 

 these wrecks were lying, recognized amongst them several pieces be- 

 longing to the Antoinette. 



These numerous wrecks which confirm the report made by the 

 Chief Mate and crew of the Cervantes, leave no doubt of the loss of 

 the Antoinette, which had -on board the Chief Mate and a crew of 

 24 men ; as well as her cargo, which was almost complete. The lower 

 part of the mizen-mast of the Corsair having come ashore, we must 



