The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-25 00:00:00

CALCUTTA, MAY 30.

LOSS OF THE SHIP CHARLES MILLS, FROM CAL-
CUTTA TO THE ISLE OF FRANCE.
The following narrative of the loss of the ship
Charles Mills, which is drawn up from a state-
ment of one of the survivors, will be read with
deep interest :

" The ship left the pilot on the 11th instant, and had a
pleasant passage until the 14th, when she experienced a very
heavy gale from South East, with a tremendously heavy sea,
the ship labouring and straining ,very much, and making a
great quantity of water; the pumps constantly going till the
16th, without gaining on the leak—and on the 17th the ship
was in a sinking state. Every exertion was now made to save

the lives of the crew—the anchors were cut away, the boats
cleared, &c, but not hoisted out, from the tremendous sea run-
ning at this time. From the heavy seas constantly running
over the ship, it was utterly impossible to open the hatches, to
lighten her by throwing overboard any portion of the cargo.—
The best boat was washed away by the violence of the sea.
No language can describe the horror and misery with which the
unfortunate crew passed the night of the 17th.
" About five o'clock, Monday morning, on opening a small

hatchway, it was perceived that the ship was full of water, and
in the act of foundering. Terror and dismay were painted on
every countenance; the boats were flown to as a lost resource
the long-boat was broken to pieces, in attempting to hoist her
out, by the ship rolling her broadside in. A small jolly-boat,
bort, which hung over the stern, was immediately cleared, into
which was put a female and child, with four or five men ; but
while in the act of lowering her she filled and capsized, and the
woman, child, and two seamen were drowned.

" A small boat, old and crazy, in which no one felt the lease
inclination to trust his life, was now the only one left. At lasi
the second officer and a sepoy went into the boat, when the cap.

tarn and some other person cut the tackles ; the whole of the
gunwale of the boat was stove in before it could clear the guar_
ter of the ship, as she was running gunwales under. The boat
was soon drifted astern, when a few pumpkins, which were
hanging on the stern, were cut away, and fortunately picked up
by the second officer, who succeeded in saving the gunner, two
sookannies, and a little boy. At this time the boat, being at
some distance from the ship, and there not being the least pos-
sible chance of saving either vessel or cargo, the captain jumped
overboard and swam towards the boat, the persons on board
which succeeded in picking him up.
" A few minutes before eight, on the 20th, the ship foun-
dered, with 66 unfortunate beings standing on her poop ; and
in about 4 minutes afterwards, every person and every thing on
board had disappeared ! In a small and crazy boat, 4 or 500
miles from the nearest land, with a tremendous sea running,
and nothing but a few pumpkins to subsist on, did these seven
survivors, without a compass, put the boat before the wind and
sea, and stood N. until the 25th, when being near the shore,
off the Black Pagoda, to their unspeakable joy, they disco-1
vered a sail, and about half-past eleven they succeeded in get-
ting alongside the French brig Sorthe. They were in such a
weak and reduced state, that probably another day in the boat
would have occasioned the death of them all."

The above ship was commanded by Captain Wise. She went
down in lat. 15. N., long. 881. ; the first officer was among
those who perished.