The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-13 00:00:00

DREADFUL SUFFERINGS AT SEA.

On the evening of the 2nd of July last the bark
Melanie anchored in the Madras roads, having on board
12 men and the chid and second mate of the bark Sir
Charles Napier, of Sunderland, which foundered at sea off
Acbeen on the 2nd of June. The Sir Charles Napier
was at the time bound for England from Rangoon with a
cargo of rice; she sprang • leak and was abandoned by
her captain and crew. She left Rangoon on the 17th
of May on her homeward voyage. In latitude 4N. and
long. 93 W. it was found that she was making water at
the rate of 18 inches per hour, and it became necessary
for all hands to work at the pumps, but all the exertions
of the crew were of no aced. Night and day for eve
days they toiled without taking a moment's rest to save
the ship, but the leak gained on them every hour, and
on the 2nd of June the water in the bold was found to
be six feet deep. As the men were by this time no
longer able to work, they were forced to take to the
boats and leave the ship to her fate. The three boats
were lowered, but before the captain finally abandoned
her he tried to bring the ship as near Acheen as possible,
and succeeded in taking her within 60 miles of the coast.
The provisions were all stowed away in the jolly boat,
in which were the captain, his wife, and three men.
The three heats got away together, and the gig and
pinnace ran in for shelter off a village under Admen
Head. They had neither provisions nor water, and
were seen by the villagers, who hailed them to come on
shore, but the men in the boat, seeing they were armed
with long knives, and as their looks and gestures did not
promise a kind reception, refused to land. While the
men in the boats were debating what course they should
plume two armed price were put off and streak out in
tr. direction of the boats. The pesos were large and
heavily armed, and in each there were upwards of 50
or 60 men all with muskets and blunderbusses. As the
shipwrecked men saw that there was no chance for them
they rowed their utmost, followed by the precis. As
the price plied about 40 oars each, the chase would soon
have been decided if darkness bed not some to the aid of
the ship's boats. The Pinnace dropped gra* to, and was
passed by the pram unnotioed, w Use gig, which kept
ahead of its antagonists, got some distance in advent*
and was enabled to anchor out of the reach of immediate
danger. The men haying neither feed nor water the
night was paned in the greatest sufferings, and day had
scarcely dawned when the crew cif the gig discovered the
pram almost on their bows. They mail en-
doavoured to escape, sad, diming their original inten-
tion, rowed towards the land. The pirate, then 'red
into the gig, but nom were struck, although a ball paled
the carpenter's back. As the only mares was now to
surrender, the gig did on, since snaps was imporible.
The pirates boarded the gig, broke the few cheat which
were in her, and took all that was in them. They gave
their prisoners rice, and said they would send the men
to Arleen if they • —lived not to report what had hap-
.. - to

petted , and the sailors haring done so they were taken a.
Acheen overland to the residence of the Itsjah, where
crew
of tein
wereTue:chne.eceredutofeifiy hadtoted iini
their chief mate
ble
ate andortathe.
The pinnace. it appeared, had been more fortunate than
the As the clodmate knew the week be made
direct for Acheen, where they were enabled to land and
report themselves to the Rajah, who understood a little
English, treated them kindly, fed them, and then took
them to the King, who was also very kind to them.
They afterwards discovered the jolly boat, bat there
were no Europeans in her, but only two Madras men,
who informed them that Captain Balsillie and his party
were safe on board the Melanie lower down the sort
The whole party soon met, but the trials UndE by
the captain, kis wife, and the crew of the y beet
were even more severe than those which they t
had suffered. It appeared that, having been separated
from the others, the captain reached the island of Polo
Brass, and had scarcely got his boat beached on souse
coral reefs when hundreds of the villagers come to the
shore and asked him to land. As it was the only
coarse open to him, with the aristance of the ishuniese
the whole party got on shore. Having landed them safely
they led them toe hut, and brought them rise, bat alter
this act of hospitality their friendly intentions, if
they ever had any, seem to have vanished, for they
positively refused to do anything more. The Is
people were then allowed to rest a few hours.
they awoke the natives refused to do anything without
payment, and the sailors' clothes &Waned their par-
ticular attention. A shirt was given for clew
with which a breakfast was knocked up for the lady,
and some other necessaries were purchased in a similar
manner. This doubtful behaviour of the natives, how-
ever, did not last long. One of them took a fancy to
the rings Mrs. Bahillie wore, and drew his knife wen
her hand, which was understood to mean that he wank
cut her hand off if they were not given up quietly, and
they were therefore given up. The remainder of the
day wee spent in a dreadful state of anxiety.
Towards evening they attacked the jolly boar,
and carried almost everything away. The cap-
tain and his party were at the mercy of about 100
armed savages, whose attitude was not of the most.
friendly nature, when to their great relief two Euro-
peans were Seen approaching them by land, fighting
their way through the natives, who were evidently not
disposed to allow them to join the shipwrecked party.
They turned out to be Captain Barton, of the Melanie.
and Mr. Thompson, his chief mate. These two brave
keen had heard at Aoheen that there were Europeans in
distress at Polo Brass, sad, guided by the Malay front
whom they got the information, they took their swords
and set out to the moue, and they ultimately had the
happiness of conveying Balaillie end his party to the
Melanie. AU the sufferer' were in good spirits, boa
neither the captain nor his wife ever saw land span.
for on the Plod of Jane Meg Italsillis was delivered of
a girl., who did not live many boars, sad the sleek
which she had unstained being too mesh fer ber
and she began to sink. On the Irelk Ctela
himself succumbed to the dreefilhil enifiediejrbed
undergone, and on Thursday, the 30ak '(lone. In•••
only a few miles from Madras, lire. BM& MSC ama
wee ooniagned to the deep.