The Sun.
London, England, 1814-02-03 00:00:00

NAVAL NEWS,

DEAL, Majesty's shipsWAr-
tior and Bombay for Portsmouth, and the Belloila
for Chathath. Arrived his Majesty's slOop Rapid
with a convoy from the Westward, among them
was the Countess of_Harcourt East Indiaman, and
remain in the Downs, with his Majesty's ships.
Monmouth, Diomede, Rinaldo, Bermuda, Archer,
Thracian, Espeigle, and two Russian ships of the
line; Glamorgan and John and Mary victuallers;
and a fleet of transpcirts with troops for Holland,
detained by contrary winds. Came down from
the River the Merlin, WERKs, for Jamaica; and
several other vessels.-,-Wind'

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 2.—Arrived his Majesty's
Erebus from the Eastward, and the John, JACK,
from Cork, with provisions. The convoy as be-
fore.—Wind N.W.

HARWICH, FE8..2.-Nothing arrived from the
opposite coast.—Wind N.W.

INTERESTING NARRATIVE

OF THE
LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP D.EDALUS.

On the Ist of July 1813, made Point de Galle
in the Island-of Ceylon, and at sr.m. on that
day, being abreast Dondra Head, shaped a course
(E. by N.) for the night, the India ships under-
mentioned in company.
During the night Captain AlAxwrm, had fre-
quent recourse to the log-board, as well as the.,
Chart and Instructions by which the shin was na-
vigated, and Mr. WcnsTlia, the Master, did not
quit -the deck until half-past five on the morning
of the 2d, when it appearing by the course and
distance run during the night, that the fleet were
well to the eastward of the Basses, he suggested
to the Captain to haul up to N.N. E. which was
accordingly done.
At seven, a haze, which .had prevailed during
the morning cleared up, when the land was dis-
covered bearing north, distant ten tit eleven miles
—altered the course two points to starboard. The
breeze had varied little since the evening before;
we were now going five knots with smooth
water.

At five minutes before eight, a noise was heard
resembling that occasioned by letting go an an-
chor in deep water, every one rushed bn deck,
when to their great surprise they found the ship
had grounded. No indication of shallow water
had been or was then perceptible,' except from
the circumstance Of her grounding. The ship
continued rubbing the bottom for two or three
minutes, there being nearly the same water over
the shoal wlfich she drew, viz. 18 feet. When
her way was stopped, she was - found to hang by
the stern : the quarter boats .were lowered down
to sound, and dl the sail taken off the ship to

prevent st aining. .
From the moment the danger was first discover-
ed, the necessary signals were made to warn the
convoy, who had been steering the same course
all the morning in dose order.
The afterguns:on the mainrdeck were got for-
ward, )v-hich was but the work of a moment ; the
next instant every countenance conveyed the de,;
lightful tidings of the ship being again afloat, but
our joy was of short duration, and at the moment
we were exulting isn our delivery from a serious
misfortune, we-were commencing -what had nearly
proved a fatal one:
The first. obstacle that now presented itself,
was the tiller not traversing, but this was in sonic
degree obviated by our discovering the•true posi-
tion of the ship, the breakers oh the Little Basses,
which the glarz of the -sun prevented our seeing
before, appearing now about three miles outside
of us ; this, and a commanding breeze, enabled
us to steer with the sails. As a proof that the
breakers on esie Little Basses could not be seen
owing to the cause above 'stated, one of the con-
voy (the Atlas) in avoiding the dangers that the
Daedalus was in, struck on that shoal, but being
a very strong ship sustained no injury.
• - -

The next report was, that the after-cockpit was
nearly full of water, with a quantity of 'bread
floatingon.it ; the cause was immediately tracei
to the bread-room, where the water rushed in with
so much rapidity as to force the bread in a mass
through the Steward's. room into the cockpit.
The pumps, were immediately manned, but the
water did not increase in the well for several mi-
nutes, owing to tile bread having choked up the
crevices in the after-hold. Parties were =ploy-
ed to removethe bread ; a signal for the carpen-
ters of the convoy was instantly obeyed. The
bread being removed, the leaks were found to be
Of a very serious, nature, part of the stern-post
.was broken off, leaving a breach through
,which
the water rushed with irrisistible force:

The rudder, Which only hung by one gudgeon,
was unshipped, as- by its action on the remaining
part of the stern-post, it tended to loosen her
more abaft, and consequently increase the leak.
Thrummed sails were prepared, but without suc-:
cess; as was feared from the situation of the leaks.
Buckets were employed wherever there was room.
to hale.

At 12 o'clock the distressing truth of the leak
gaining was too evident, the water being at that
time up to the &lop deck. Nothing reinainedbut

tit 'WIWI (tit ship; ivlll6li toad ddit6 ty tidotiAtig
the guns, shcit, atid thifig else that ebuld
got at overboard; the Cf4ptfiin having resblved nn
running to Ttiricot*laleeif the ship could be kept
afloat ; 'his example in§i;ired bvery tatik With a
-degree of zeal amounting
whiCh might be justly fpedaS Mitch success as is
attainable by hutriatt t*ertions.
The duty of the aßeers was now confined to
observing; an equal diStiibution of the fatiguing
'Work of putt-ping Or baling, ,which was kept up
with So- much ' spirit since 8 o'clock, that the
scuppers hall not -vent foT the wawa: thrown on
the main deck.,

At.sloelock evtty hope of saving the ship hav-
ing vanished, acid the boats of the convoy being
in waiting, the sick men, with the boys -and
idlers,, were -sent away with their cloaths -and
hammocks. As the boats returned, the Test of the
ship's company were sent on board the different
Indiamen, being called from the pumps by
sions. To use,Captain MAXWELL'S words at ; the
Cnutt,Martial, which was held at Madras, on the
I th of Angust----" All this was done with- as
littfe confusion as• occurs in 'removing men from
one ship to another at any of-the ports in Eng•
land."

At 15 mitintes before 6 the' Officers represented
to Captain MAXWELL, that it would be dangerous
to remain any longeron board; at this time the
lower deck bad given Way at the larboard 'side,
and the water poured in through the main deck
ports when,the ship had the least motion. 'Hay.
ing ascertained that nobody remained below, he,
witb.reluctance -quitted a ship to which his,e.on-
duct had attached every individual that served in
her. Scarcely were the boats out of the influence
of the surge, when the Ddaltts falling on her
larboard side, spewed Captain MAXWELL how
much he was indebted.to the friendly solicitude of
hi's companions, in misfortune,- She :eniained
abmit a minute in that situation, when righting
with her quarter-deck- bulwark above water, she
sunk with all those fond hopes which Heaven in-
spires to reconcile men in the service of their
country to the privations incident to distant
climates:

It would be equally futile and unnecessary to
make" any- comment on the conduct or feelings of
Captain MAXWELL, his Officers, .or ship's com-
pany on this trying occasion, the sole object of
the Narrator being to spew those interested in
their character, by an unvarnished recital, that
" every man did hisduty." ,
Note.—The ships in company were the Rose,
Bridgewater, Essex, Marquis of Wellington, and
Atlas. The Barin'g, and Metcalfe parted company,
in thick weather, on the•2Bth'of.June, and were
found at anchor at Madras on the :Irrival of the
abqye ships on the 7th of .Ely. The Plince,
Amelia parted company on theist of-July, to pro •
ceed to ItOung.
sqi.',4"lr!;l4dL
"' t.;'slo4ojyrcu , PAPERS.

N 6:—This afternoon a coiirier
arrived heitePiltsPatched from Prince Lichtenstein,
who is before Besancon, to his Highness Prince
Schwartienberg, bringing the, intelligence that
Marshal Ney, after having thrown 10,000 men
into Msancon:, retired with his corps. behind that
fortress.csides the corp of Piine'c ; 1
cn-
stein, which is already upon Besancon, the whole
of the reserve is moving before the same place,
under the command of the. General of Artillery,
Count Weissenwolif. The troolis bivouac rOltild
the town, which will be immediately besieged on
the arrival- of the heavy artillery : the general.
opinion is, that a battle will -take place in that
neighbourhood in a few days..