The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-19 00:00:00

Royal Hotel, Boulogne, Sept. 11, 1833.
SIR,—In obedience to the commands of my Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, I have made the
most minute investigation relative to the melancholy
wreck of the Amphitrite, and, as various injurious
misstatements have gone forth, I deem it right to
inform their Lordships of my judgment in the case,
without waiting the result of the inquiry I am mak-
ing into the conduct of his Majesty's Consul, and
which will probably take some days.
From the numerous vessels passing up and down
Channel it ought to be expected that occasional
disasters should occur, and that, too, without mis-
conduct being imputable. The present instance of
the Amphitrite I consider to have been one of this
description. The gale was most violent and unex-
pected at this season of the year, with a very heavy
sea, and the wind veering round from the south-
west to the north-west placed the ship on the lee
shore. The ship behaved very well, was well found,
had a chronometer on board, and made little or no
water. The conduct of the master, more par-
ticularly when danger was discovered, was sea-
manlike, judicious, and decisive, and he was per-
fectly cool and collected throughout. When he saw
that it was impossible to avoid the land he told the
mate that they must look out for the best berth, and
and run her up as high as possible. The helm was
put up, the after-sail taken in, and theyards squared
for that purpose as the ship grounded; after which
the anchor was let go, and the chain cable shoved
out, with the view of lightening the ship forward;
and subsequently the shackle was taken out, and
the cable slipped, that the, vessel might drive up as
the tide rose, the maintopsails being kept up to
assist her. Neither the master, the surgeon, or the
crew, had any fears for their safety, or apprehended
their inevitable fate on the rise of the tide, for the
pilots declare that no vessel, whatever her size or
strength, could possibly have been saved, and they
made no signals. The greater part of the crew went
below in the evening, some to supper, and others to
their hammocks, and were there till the sea broke
over them about nine o'clock, believing, as the
ship made no water after striking heavily on first
grounding, that she would float up, and be left high
and dry after high water. No steps were taken to
save the crew by getting on shore, although they had
the means for doing so within themselves by
their own boats, and also it was proffered to them
in two instances by some gallant French pilots and
fisherman ; and it is evident there was a fair and
reasonable hope that all hands might have been
saved by either of these means from the time the
ship struck at half-past four till nearly seven in the
evening; for this sad, this most deplorable error
in judgement they have paid the extreme penalty;
it is through this fatal error the lives of the crew
and the poor wretched passengers have been sacra-
ficed ; for there is no reason to believe, from the
evidence of the three surviving seamen (all very in-
telligent men for their situations), that either the
master or surgeon feared or thought about the es-
cape of the poor convicts. It was at one time
ordered by the surgeon to get the long boat out to
land the convicts, but, most unhappily, this was pre.
vented by the interference of his (the surgeon's)
wife. This occurrence was not known to the mas-
ter. The conduct of the pilots, Huret and Ter-
taide, with their boat's crew of eight volunteers,
mostly masters of boats, and Henin, who swam off
to the ship, was beyond all praise, and they are
highly deserving the favourable consideration of his
Majesty's Government. It was not known on shore
or suspected that the ship had passengers on board
till their bodies had been washed up.

I am, &c.,

(Signed) H. D. CHADS,Captain,Royal Navy.

I give an extract respecting the fatal interference
of the surgeon's wife. John Owen, the boatswain,
was the only witness that knew any thing of this
occurrence.

EXTRACT FROM JOHN OWEN'S DEPOSITION, TAKEN

SEPT. 10.

" The surgeon called us aft, and ordered us to
hoist the boat out, his wife standing by him. She
said that she would not go in the boat with the con-
victs. The surgeon then said neither the boat nor
any person should go on shore that night."