The Sun.
London, England, 1804-12-19 00:00:00

TUE VINE RAKE.

The following is a summary of the principal
Evidence that appeared on the Court Martial
held at Plymouth, on Monday, December to,
on Captain J. thINTRII, and the Officers and
Crew of His Majesty's Ship Venerable, for the loss
'of that Ship, in Torbay,
_on the night of the 24th
of November last, and in consequence of which they
'were all most honourably acquit ted,
,except a private
,Marine, who, for improper behaviour After the Ship
struck, was sentenced to receive two hundred lashes
horn ship to ship round the Fleet : •

•
On Saturday afternoon, about half past three
o'clock, the wind being westerly, attended with
heavy rain, suddenly shifted to' the N. it:, attended
also with the saute kind of weather, and likewise
,foggy. On observing the Pill, de Paris hetht in her
Lotneh, our buars were hoisted in, find evety• neces,
nary refutation mjitte fur sailing, At half fast four

;r

11

IP

lc,

;w

teveryions . shipThe to
i pe
n spew light,:
ahnt
0,
to the southward. The signal was then made fot
to
h was on
ot ew
their
hletda
the ship under three top-sails, fore-sail, gib, and
stay-sails, and brought to for the purpose of weigh..
ing and fishing the anchor ; in hooking the cat, one
of the men fell overboard ; in lowering the boat '
from the starboard quarter to save the man one of
the falls was suddenly let go, in consequence of
which the boat was swamped, and Mr. asls, Mid.'
shipman, was drowned; it was also believed that.
two men shared the same fate : the boat on the Jar.
board quarter was now lowered, and saved the man
who first fell overboard. During this time the Vene--
sable having drifted considerably towards Brixham,
the boats were hoisted in, and sail made on her ;
finding we could not weather the Berry Head, the
ship was tacked with her head to the northward, af.
ter making several short trips, at times bearing away,
and at others liufliog up, for the different ships
working out of the Bay. It was now near eight
o'clock;the night extremely dark, the wind variable,
and the weather foggy, we were not able to discern
the land, in consequence of which our chief depen-
dance was upon our soundings : on the men in the
chains calling by the deep eight, the helM was put,
a.lee ; the wind at this time shifted 'nearly foul
points to the eastward, notwithstanding which the
ship came. round, and when . we braced idiOgt
head yards, the men at the head called, bY,ifte nu*
seven. It was now nearly Riadint the ship,
did not gather head-way. quickly, the jib ananisln".
top-mast stay-sails were hoisted.. At this time the
ship struck the ground, and 'almost immediately altet
fell round upon her keel, and with Considerable
force again struck upon the reef of rocks known by
the name of PaingtortsLedge. The signal of ills:
tress was now made, .and continued to be repeated
while we had a gun above water, or a false fire left.
An attempt was made 'to furl the sails without circa,
the ship striking so forcibly as, to pievent the peo
pie going aloft. 'The boats 'were, hoisted out for
the purpose of orrying out the stream anchor.--
The ship at this time beginning to make water, the
chain pumps were set to work, and before the stream
anchor could possibly be got into the launch, the
starboard side.was reported to be bulged : this might
be, to the best of my tee:Mallon, about one hour
after she struck the ground. The weather' ,at this
time clearing up a little, we were able to judge of
our unfortunate situation. To our great mortifica.,
tiun there appeared no hope' of saving the ship, and
very little of saving the lives of the crew. The
masts were now ordered to be cut away,.. and in a
few minutes they fell over the offside: first the mizens
then the main, and, lastly; the foremast. The crew
were then ordered to get into the. boats as.fait as,
they arrived to our assistance; which they were abte
to do by going over the stern, and by three o'cloct
in the morning were all safely out of the 'ship, PE-
A siatie few mew
cept the Captain and Officers, an- until
who were determined nut to quit the yea".
the Captains utn
return of the impetueux's boats, the Officers did. About five o'clock.
her, and were safely
cers, and remaining few left
Sway after
conveyed on
had stood, board the /orpertieux.
are separated,
day-light the chip was perceived to I _
on. tne.
and tIIC pat eisn which (far the. ast tour bouts) owe
main and mizen
These, to the bait of my
chains, had disappeared.of His •
recolledion, are the particulars of the uss
It is now with
namely, .the starboard
Majesty's ship the Venerable.
condo of the peo.
a few re narks upon the inhuman co oiewca
pie at Brixham, ant round the Bay, wn
of our lives;
•save
not the least disposition to any Captain
and lam firmly convinced (as well as the L;f:ip
the deepest sorrow I have to make
and all the Officers), that had it not been r
Athe
R.
great and spirited exertions of Capt. T. B.
of the
rite, and the Officers and Men of the Boats
Impetueui, assisted by some boats o
save It i
not one of our lives would have been saved
.oila
most true, one boat from came towards us,
but I fear not with the best of intentions,as on being
hailed, she instantly hauled away
from us. It Is
the
also well
known, that the people on the teach,
employed
where the wreck lay, were'
plundert ng
what kw of our things floated on shore. Indeed,
we, the Officers, are of opinion, that we should
have met more humane treatment had the Ship been
lost on any Enemy's coast ; and sure
we are,that An.r
of His Mojesty's-Ships Whicb the inevitable Peri $
of service may plac.. it i a similar situation, will ex.
periencc the same treatment. Too much. cannot be
said of the prompt and fearless assistance afforded
.us
by the
.mpetueux and her boats, to which "4
Officers and Crew of the Venerable art certainly in.
debted for their lives. Among the meritorious tot'
vices of that spirited and most able Officer, Cape.
T. B. MARTIN, may be noticed, the singular rinen
most honourable circumstance of its having fa
to his lot to save the lives of four Ship's compant"
in distress, those of the Magnificent, Naiad, comps
sable,- and another, whose name data not inlawal4
ately occur to me.

DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZE-MONEY.
To the Officers and Company of His Majesty's Ship,M,e•
dusa, for the Capture of the French National PrlVAtef bs:
perance, the Bth December,' 1803, on Wednesday neat, s'
No. 2 Norfolk street, Strand I or during three years.
'rothe tnUers and Company of His Majesty's Ship
for the Captnre of the Pearl, the z4th oeinber, doot 00
turd4y next, at Mr. Stanger's orrice, Clement's Inn;
of
every day at the same place for three years.

A new Sloop of War, to be Called the Ca/.,..ti0,
and to carry t 8 guns, will be launched from Messrs.
DucMAN's Dock next week.
Ye..terday A Court of Illireetors waa held at the
Eat India House.
By Letters from Bencnolen, dated in Auguit
last, we learn that (he Wainter Cattfr, Copt. g.:14.
Bbrqp, had. sailed from thence lor-Chins.
Dispatches were yesterday received from Admit's!,
GAILDNEk, at Cork, stating,' &hot ()Wing to the
`boiterons weather which has prevailed, neatly the
:whole of the West Indio
,Cnhvoy, had returned to
Port, about eleven Ships excepted.
The )'rterkm and Gielderland, each of 6# guns,
are ordered to he fitted for the reception of,those
that may arrive (rum the Mediterranean to perform
quarantine ; they are.tu stasiune4 in Stlinclgair
Creek, .