113 



appear which report leads us not to expecfl. 

 Among the more hopelefs is the Stanley, with 

 fome hundreds of troops on board. Of this 

 Ihipnot the flighted intelligence can be learned, 

 from any one yet returned. She is fuppofed 

 to have gone to the bottom, and all hands to 

 have perifhed ! V/hat a fad and melancholy 

 change! By how flender a thread are the 

 hopes of man fofpended ! This great fleet 

 which had coll: fo much time, and toil in. 

 its equipment ; and which, under the faireft 

 profpeds, fo lately fwelled her fails to feek 

 the broad ocean, is already defeated, dif- 

 abled, and brought to ruin ! Vv^hat an exam- 

 ple ! What a flriking proof of the weaknefs 

 of human forefight ; and the uncertainty of 

 all our wifeft calculations ! 



The damage done to the veflfels, Imme- 

 diately around us, and the perilous flate of our 

 own fhip, although lying at anchor, had caufed 

 a too faithful reprefentation of the evils which 

 might have befallen us, had we been on our 

 paflage to Ireland ; and rendered us happy in 

 not having, previoufly, gone to fea. Signals 

 of diftrefs were heard on all quarters. Pieces 



YOL. I. I 



