56 
SARYTSCHEW S TRAVELS. 
Iii the mean time, the final equipment of the Deforce Name- 
reuie being completed, it set sail from the city to the mouth of 
the river, where, on the 8th of September, we witnessed the 
beginning and end of its navigation. As we were on the point of 
. carrying her out of the river, the wind, which had filled our sails 
with a favourable gale, suddenly dropped, and was succeeded by 
an extraordinary swell of the sea, which drove a-head of us, and 
occasioned a horrible reeling of the vessel. It scarcely moved 
forwards, and was with difficulty kept off a sand-bank, against 
which it was perpetually forced by the towering billows. To¬ 
wards eleven o’clock, the beating of the waves increased, and 
the shallops, with which the vessel was towed on, being thrown 
into disorder, were thus rendered disserviceable. The next in¬ 
stant the ship lay on its beam ends, fast in a sand-bank. It was 
now enveloped in a furious vortex of billows, that dashed with 
indescribable vehemence and velocity from side to side, and car¬ 
ried away all its masts. In this distress it was impossible to af¬ 
ford any assistance. The inhabitants of the town, who had 
flocked to the shore, were obliged to stand as idle spectators, 
raging of the waves equally prevented any one from rowing 
up to the vessel, as it did the crew from getting on land. The 
one now beheld the dreadful spectacle with heartfelt compas¬ 
sion, and the other awaited their inevitable fate in despair. 
With every wave that followed in rapid succession, the ship was 
heaved backward or forward with such violence, as to shake the 
men from the cable on which they hung. Some were even 
hurled into the 'water, while others were threatened w ith being 
dashed to pieces by the broken masts. In this dreadful and pi¬ 
tiable condition they w ere obliged to spend four hours, until the 
return of the ebb, w hich appeased the fury of the w aters. We 
immediately cleared the ship of the cargo and provisions, and 
made every endeavour to drag it to the shore, but were twice 
prevented by the tide setting in more impetuously than before. 
Finding therefore, on examination, that the vessel was too much 
damaged to admit of repair, Mr. Billings, and the officers, 
unanimously resolved on having it burnt, in order, at any rate, 
to preserve the iron. On the evening of the 9th, therefore, we 
had the mortification of seeing our vessel, the Dobroe Naine- 
renie, which had cost us so much pains, anxiety, and money, 
consumed by the flames. 
The agitation of the water continued for three days, particu- 
arly at the mouth of the river, where the surge beat with such 
yehemence against the breakers, as to prevent our getting on 
land, i now expected that a high wind would have succeeded 
from the quarter where the sea had been so tumultuous : but, 
on the contrary, it continued a perfect calm for eight days, fron? 
