The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-08 00:00:00

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persons were treated. He thought that the bodies
and the property ought to have been left as they
were until the inquest. Mr. Reeve is the son-in-
law of the lord of the manor.

John Oake, of Brancaster, carpenter, stated
that on Sunday morning, the Ist of September, he
scuttled the vessel (bored holes in her to admit the
water to escape out of her, as she was then lying
on the dry shore.) He saw Reeve early in the
morning, who appeared very anxious to get on board.
He subsequently saw him on board.
John Large, of Brancaster mariner, stated that
on Saturday afternoon, the 31st of August, about
five o'clock, he saw a vessel in distress in Brancas-
ter-bay. She had no sails set. She was sloop-
rigged. He subsequently ascertained that she was
the Earl of Wentyss. When he first observed her
she was drifting towards the shore. About five
o'clock she brought up her anchor, and appeared in
the same position until eleven o'clock. She was
then distant about half a mile. She struck the
ground about this time, and slipped her cable and
came on shore. She struck the ground about two
hundred or three hundred yards from the spot where
he was standing. He was afterwards employed to
get her anchors, and found that one of them was
broken at the crown. He did not know whether
the best bower anchor was broken. If the best
bower anchor had not been broken, she had water
enough to ride in. He was certain that those an-
chors would have held her; but he knew that she
had not water enough to ride in at the time she
slipped her cables, because he sounded her. In his opi-
nion, had Capt. Nesbit slipped his cables at the top of
high water, the vessel would have come up without
striking the high water mark, and when the ebb
made, the passengers might have landed safely, and
the vessel been left high and dry. It was high-
water at seven o'clock that evening, and broad day-
light. He heard one of the crew say that their
mistake was, that they thought the tide would flow
until ten o'clock, the same as it did in Yarmouth
Roads. As evidence of his opinion, he said that
the Vine, of Newcastle, came on shore safe half a
mile further to the eastward, and all the crew were
saved. About half-past two o'clock on Sunday
morning he was still on the beach, and there could
be no doubt but the passengers might have come
safely on shore by the boat. The vessel was on
shore on the scurves; in some places there is six
feet of water, in others not more than two or three.
Between the place where she lay, and the shore,
there is no scurve or hole of six feet of water. If
the Captain had a boat on board, it was his duty to
have sent the passengers on shore. If there was no
boat, and had he been the Captain, having observed
the storm through which the vessel had passed, he
would have advised the passengers to have walked
on shore, but he would himself have first tried it.
At that time there was not a foot swell of the sea
towards the shore. He saw the boat on board at
the time he was speaking of.
Cross-examined by Mr. HaitE—The reason lie
did not attempt to walk to the vessel to show the
captain that he could land his passengers was, that
he went to the assistance of the Vine brig, and when
he returned the water had risen. When he did
make an attempt to go on board, from the state of
the weather, the tide began to flow half an hour
sooner than was expected. What prevented him
and others going on board was, that they expected
the boat to come on shore. He did not know that
there were any passengers on board. At 2 o'clock
the weather was fair; the squalls had blown over.
He thought the vessel was a stranger to the coast,
but he supposed her to be laden. For the want of
a boat they could not give information to the captain
and crew. He was not aware that there was any
boat at Brancaster, which was two miles distant;
and if there was, it could not come by water, but
would be brought by a waggon. During the period
he alluded to for coming on shore there was not
time to bring a boat from Brancaster. He was in
hopes that the crew would have used their own
boat. The captain could not have mistaken the
scurves for rocks, for he could not see them ;
if he could have seen them, he might have
come safe on shore from where he lay. He
was on board the vessel before she was aban-
doned by the captain and crew. He looked at the
skylights and hatches. There was no appearance
of a nail or canvass round any of the skylights.
The main hatch, where the goods were, was se-
curely battened down, and was not removed until
after he was on board. He was the third man on
board the vessel. He saw the body of a lady
brought up through the skylight. The body had a
riticule hanging on the right arm. The reticule
dropped from the arm of the lady into the water,
and fell through the skylight. He had the body in
his arms. He stood over the skylight and drew
the bodies up, and delivered them to others who
stood near him to be placed on the deck. He fished
up the reticule which dropped from the arm of the
lady. It was not fastened to the body when he got
it up. Mr. Reeve said to him, "Give me that
bag." He reached out his hand, and Reeve took
it; he saw him open it and go aft. He saw a man
of the name of Sisson go into the cabin. He saw
the sails; they were summer sails, half-worn sails.
There was a very good jib lying on deck.
He saw the trysail, it was very old canvass ;
he was sure that it would shake to pieces in hoist-
ing; and some of the crew told him that they set a
jib for a trysail; the foresail was a good one but
split a little. At the time when the passengers
might have come on shore, the preventive service
and himself were on shore with lights for their
guidance; they were kept up from 10 o'clock to
8 o'clock in the morning. To get the bodies out
of the cabin, he was suspended by the heels
through the skylights; the water in the cabin at
that time was two feet from the ceiling of the
deck. When suspended he could see the bodies as
they lay in the cabin ; eight of them were huddled
together in one berth in the starboard quarter.
Their faces at that time were partly above water,
but the sea must have gone over them when the
vessel was rolling. The body of the stout young
lady was lying in the after berth. When he was
getting the bedies out the tide had ebbed fire or
six feet ; the vessel was lying almost dry, the
water escaping from seams in her sides.
Charles Large stated that about 6 or 7 o'clock
on Saturday evening, the 31st of August, he saw a
vessel at anchor off the scurves at Brancaster-
beach. About two o'clock on the morning of
Sunday, he saw the same vessel on the top of
the scurves; she was then 200 yards from the
shore. As the water receded they got nigher to
her. He was with those that carried lights, which
was to entice them to come on shore. About 10
or 11 o'clock on the Saturday night he saw a
brig on shore. He went on board of her, and
all hands were saved. About 5 or 6 o'clock on
Sunday morning he observed the smack he first
spoke of. At 8 o'clock he observed a rush of
passengers to the rigging arid fore part of the
vessel. He went on board and found it to be the
Earl of Weinyss ; there might be eight or nine
persons before him. He assisted the passengers
who survived to get on shore. He then stood by
and saw the bodies of those that were drowned
brought up from the cabin, through the skylight.
He saw the body of a stout lady upon the deck.
He saw Mr. Newman Reeve take a riband from
the body of that lady ; the riband was fastened
to a light-coloured chain, and it would not come
away. He (Reeve) then put his hand under the
lower part of her dress, between her gown and
petticoat, and pulled the chain downwards; there
was fastened to the chain a dark-coloured bag.
When he drew his hand from her dress he saw
the bag in it. He stepped a pace or so on one
thenside,
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drop in it, from her ear; he was after taking
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was either red or bleeding, and he turned away his
head. He then saw John Large fishing about
through the skylight in the cabin. He saw him