LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 165 
LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE FRENCH EAST-INDIA 
COMPANY'S VESSEL, THE PRINCE, 
Bound from V Orient to Pondic lurry, July 26th, 1752. By 
M. D. Ld Fond, one of the Lieutenants of that Ship. 
The French East-India Company's ship, The Prince, com- 
manded by M. Morin, and bound to Pondicherry, weighed 
anchor on the 19th of February, 1752, from the harbor of 
L' Orient. She had scarcely passed the island of St. Michael 
when, the wind shifting, ijt was found impossible to double the 
Turk bank. The utmost efforts and the greatest precautions 
could not prevent her from striking on the bank in such a, 
manner that the mouths of the guns were immersed in the 
water. We announced our misfortune by signals of distress, 
when M. de Godehue, the commander of the port of L' Orient, 
came on board to animate the crew by his presence and his 
orders. All the chests and other articles of the greatest value 
were removed safely into smaller vessels to lighten the ship ; 
the whole night was occupied with the most laborious exer- 
tions. At length the tide in the morning relieved us from our 
dangerous situation, and enaMed us to reach the road of Port 
Louis. We owed the preservation of the ship entirely to the 
prudent directions of M. de Godehue and the measures adopt- 
ed in consequence. The ship had sprung several leaks, but 
fortunately our pumps kept the water under ; half the cargo 
was taken out of the vessel, and in about a week we returned 
to L' Orient, where she was entirely unloaded. She was then 
careened and caulked afresh. These precautions seemed to 
promise a successful voyage, and the misfortune we had al- 
ready experienced showed the strength of the vessel, which 
fire alone appeared capable of destroying. 
On the 10th of June, 1752, a favorable wind carried us out 
of the port, but after a fortunate navigation we met with a dis- 
aster of which the strongest expressions can convey but a 
faint idea. In this narrative I shall confine myself to a brief 
detail, as it is impossible to recollect all the circumstances. 
The 26th of July, 1752, being in the latitude of 8 deg. 30 
min. south, and in longitude 5 deg. west, the wind being S. 
W. just at the moment of taking the observation of the me- 
ridian, I had repaired to the quarter where I was going to 
command, when a man informed me that a smoke Avas seen 
ff, Uc.xM^ from thf! nannpl of the Greater hatchwav. 
