6 



A DIARY OF THE 



and again make sail for our destination, Talcu- 

 huana Bay, the anchorage of Concep9ion. The 

 weather at this time was still hazy, the wind 

 moderate, the water smooth, and stars appearing 

 occasionally overhead, with an expected moon 

 at midnight, promising us a quiet fine night : but 

 the Almighty had ordered it otherwise, and a 

 most awful and perilous shipwreck awaited us. 



At about 9 4^5' p.m., the look-out men having 

 been visited but a few minutes before, breakers 

 were seen at the same moment by them and the 

 officer of the watch, who also remarked a new 

 and peculiar motion in the movement of the 

 ship. The helm was instantly put down, and 

 the watch hurried to their stations to tack the 

 ship ; the captain, calling for the hands to be 

 turned up as he fiew upon deck, and as the ship 

 had answered the helm though rising to a very 

 high sea, and was coming round, hauled the 

 after-yards. Orders were given to stand by the 

 anchors j but almost immediately afterwards the 

 order to keep fast the anchors," and haul the 

 bead-yards. In accomplishing this latter oper- 

 ation a high surf struck the bows ; the ship, lifting 

 to the heavy swell, got sternway, and struck with 

 a dreadful crash, her keel taking the rocks about 



