The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-31 00:00:00

INTERESTING

SHIPWRECK

NARRATIVE

We have been favoured by an eminent mercantile firm with
a copy of the following letter from one of their correspon-
dents. The writer's sufferings will be read with much in-
terest; but the statement in which he represents the British
consul at the Havana as refusing to his shipwrecked country-
men the assistance they had a right to expect from him is one
which demands inquiry. _ _

" Mansion House, Havana de Cuba.
" In my last letter I informed you that I had taken my
passage by the American ship John Taylor, bound to New
Orleans. Accordingly we set sail from Liverpool on the sth
of September, and got clear of the Channel about the Bth,
after which we had fair sailing till we cleared the Azores,
which was about the 20th. It then fell calm until the 30th,
during which time we made nothing ou our course; but beat
up a few degrees to the south, and got into the ' trade,' which
carried us on rapidly to Antigua, which we made and cleared
to the south on Monday, 18th October. We made the Grand
Cayman on Sunday, the 17th, where we lay to about two
hours to take in fresh provisions ; after which we continued
our course with a fair breeze till 12 o'clock a.m., of the Bth,
when (by observation) we were 37 miles south of Cape
Antonio. About this time it 'commenced blowing hard,
which caused the captain to order in the topgallants and
double reef the topsails. The gale continued increasing until
about four o'clock, when the jib went to rags ; the reefed
foresail, in the act of taking in, followed its example. We
were now • riding under a close-reefed maiutopsail, with the
wind increasing to a hurricane, and the ship evidently carried
by the current. Though so near land, the thick state of the
weather prevented our discerning any object 50 yards from
the ship, whilst night was fast approaching, with the most
dreadful lightning right over our heads that I ever beheld;
the obscurity increased to almost material darkness,' for
at each instant, compared with the vivid flashes, we could
scarcely conceive it to be the mere absence of light. About
half-past eight p.m. our maintopsail reef flew into a
thousand atoms ; the maintop gallant mast was blown away
as a rotten branch is carried from an aged tree by the March
winds of the north, the tiller ropes snapped, and our ship
drifted at the mercy of the tempest. At nine p.m. she
struck, our fore and mainmasts went iby the board, and our
beautiful ship lay a groaning wreck. The sea swept fast
over her, which caused the captain to order a portion of the
bulwarks to be cut away in order to clear the main deck.
which was at times knee-deep in water ; nothing further
could be done.
" The steerage and second cabin passengers had rushed
(many of them naked) to the chief cabin, and clung about
us in their agony, for_in all human calculation few were the
moments of our existence. In the moment of anguish and
tribulation the weak borrow strength from those who from
natqraer habit can look with a serene countenance on
the auger that unmans themselves, and thus did the pre-
sence-of two or three persons inured to hard scenes and dan-
ger impart an inexplicable confidence to most of the
others. Those by whom I was most annoyed were three
or four methodists, who, instead of comforting others, knelt
down in the midst of the rest, and roared out at the top
of their voices— Do spare us this once,' and such like rant.
I was almost obliged to swear at them to make them a little
silent, for I was afraid they would drive the poor females
into fits. A gentleman connected with a commercial house
in Liverpool, who was passenger in the first cabin, lent a
hand as long as the deck could be kept, and in the moment
of most imminent danger was one of the coolest men I ever
saw, doing all that a man could do to console the unhappy
without seeming to devote one thought to himself.
" What an eternity-like night! It seemed to most of us
as though the earth bad forgotten to revolve, and that morn
was destined never to dawn again. Nothing could be dis-
cerned beyond the ship's side but the white waves that were
beating around and over her ; and though it was well known
that we were on a bed of coral rocks, yet we could not tell
how far we might be from the main land. 'Morning broke at
last amid loud exclamations of thanksgiving from the weak,
and even th : strong did not forget to breathe the silent
prayer of heartfelt gratitude to the Supreme Author of
light. I should have observed, that soon after 12 o'clock
the tempest, in some degree abated, and some hope was en-
tertained that she might ride it out till the morning ; the
well was sounded, and it was found that she had made but
little water ; all took a turn at the pumps, and she was
soon laid dry. At four the hurricane had abated con-
siderably, the pumps were again manned, and in five
minutes she was dry ; we therefore no longer doubted that
she would ride it out in safety. As soon as it was day, the
longboat was got out, and the passengers were landed with
some difficulty ; for though we found the ship within
100 yards from the land, lying in a sandy bottom, sur-
rounded by coral rock, yet the sea continued to run high.
At length a rope was made fast to a tree on the shore, and so
it was managed to ferry the longboat across, the captain's
gig having been stove in on the first attempt to land. One
poor young fellow, a native of Sheffield, who has an uncle
and aunt abroad, in exerting himself to aid in landing the
women and children, was carried out by a wave and drowned.
He was got out almost directly, and every exertion made to
restore animation, but in vain. On the 20th (the day after),
a few of us volunteered to go in search of inhabitants and
the authorities, in order to obtain the necessary succours.
Luckily just before we started, a mountaineer from a consi-
derable distance made his appearance, who served us for a
guide, and so we set out well armed, for I expected nothing
less than wreckers, robbers, or pirates. The spot where we
were wrecked is called Lapunta del Olandes, on the south
side of Cape St. Antonio, so we proceeded along the sea-
coast towards Cape Corrientes. It was about eleven o'clock
when we set out, and we had not proceeded far when we found
it impossible to go on ; the heat was intense, and, increased
by the reflection from the sea, rocks, and sand, soon became
insupportable ; for my own part I felt suffocated, and groaned
with the difficulty of respiration. Our pulses were at 120.
We now crept under some palm bushes, and lay until we felt
relieved, when we continued our march until dark. Not
being able to proceed we supped upon those birds we shot on
our way, with some cheese and biscuit we bad carried from
the ship, and then stretched ourselves upon some palm leaves
and slept till break of day, when we again put ourselves en
route. As we ware walking along the beach we observed a
number of fishes playing on the surface of the sea. I singled
out one and fired; the ball passed through the spine just be-
low the head ; the fish floundered for a short time, when I
jumped in and caught him by the gills. I fond it to be a fine
red fish, something like the besago of Biscay, weighing about
12lbs. In about an hour we reached the first backwoods-
man's cot, called the Mashora.' Here we were received
with a most hearty welcome by two whites and two blacks.;
ono of the latter spoke Eng11:311. Our fish was cooked;
they gave us plaintßins roasted upon the embers, coffee
made of maize sweetened with honey, and an abundance
of limes, of which we drank the juice. Again we start-
ed, continuing our course through trackless woods, our
guide cutting his way with a long hanger which he wore.
For a long distance we had nothing under foot but coral-
rock as sharp as needles ; then commenced the lagoons, for
we were jest at the end of the rainy season, and of the most
dreadful hurricane that has been known for 40 years. In
some parts trees, plantations, houses, end every thing else
have been blown down, and the country, in some parts, laid
30 feet under water. We were one day, for two hours at a
time, up to our middles in water, and for three days we
were at least six hours out of the twelve in water, and the
rest on coral rocks, or amongst roots and brambles. On the
second day, at night, we reached a cottage called the Aula,'
where we were well received by a numerous family of young
and old, of all colours but milk-white, and were most gene-
rously treated, and like the first we met with, would not hear
of being paid for anything. On the third day, having shot
about a dozen pigeons on our way, we reached an estate
called the Arreta,' where we were quite feasted, over-
whelmed with kindness, and our pigeons cooked for us to
carry away with us the next morning. On this, the fourth
day of our absence from the wreck, we reached the first
authority—' Don Francisco Lugo Hacienda de Lo Re-
mote.' We were exhausted by the fatigue we had under-
gone ; my legs were covered with wounds, and swollen -to
nearly the thickness of my thighs, whilst those of my com-
panions were little better. In all my marches I never
-mitered anything half so dreadful as the country we had
come through ; certainly, although you well know I can
endure much, all the gold in Cuba would not induce me to
make another such march. Don Francisco Lugo is an
excellent man ; he treated us with parental kindness, lent
us three ounces' of gold to proceed with (for our English
money would not pass), and furnished us with horses and a
guide to proceed to the village (Pueblo) of Guarres, where
we were met by Dr. Don Jose Escovedo, a physician of the
place, who invited us to his house, gave me dressing for my
legs, and offered us money and everything else we needed.
The following morning we proceeded to Pinal del Rio.'
Here we found the lieutenant-governor, Don Jose Callaba,
who immediately brought us to his house, treating us with
the utmost kindness. He further took upon himself to re-
turn the three ounces' we had borrowed from Don F. Lugo,
paid our guides four and a half ' ounces,' obliging us to take
two more to continue our journey, for which he lent us his
own horses, to take us to ' Colonia,' where we saw the steamer
Serena, commanded by Captain Don Antonia Espinosa, who
received, among other things, a splendid sword from her
Majesty Queen Victoria, for saving the lives of some British
subjects. This gentleman received us with open arms, and
told us that if the steamer were his own he would proceed to
the wreck forthwith, but as he was not the owner he could
not do it on his own responsibility ; he gave me a letter to
one of the owners, soliciting leave to go to the wreck. We
reached here (Calla de la Ovra) by the railway from San
Felipe, and immediately proceeded to the American consul's,
whom, as it was Sunday, we did not find in the way. As the
case was urgent, for we had been 11 days on our way, and
had left 205 fellow-creatures on a desert coast without any
visible means of subsistence, and my mind was very uneasy,
I resolved not to sleep till I had got the affair in a right
channel.

"We drove to the house of the British consul, who, after
many verbal civilities, when I put the question home as to
how we were to proceed in order to relieve the wreck, kindly
told me that As a man he commiserated their unhappy con-
dition, but as a consul he could have nothing at all to do with
them, as they were deserting their country and flag'! After
the treatment we had met with here, I was in despair ; but
at last thought of the American vice-consul there. To our
great pleasure we met the American consul himself, who told
us that as a consul he could only serve the American crew
and cargo, but that he would take upon himself to succour
all, and carry the passengers to their destination. He has
also set on foot a subscription to pay our expenses, &c. This
morning the Captain General Valdez, our old opponent in
Catalonia, sent for the American consul (Mr. Irish), and
told him that he should give him 300 dollars from his own
pocket towards the subscription. I trust this may be appre-
ciated, and contrasted with the apathy of our own consul.
The American ship Clarion is chartered to go to the wreck,
and I am now on board, ready to sail in five minutes."

JONATHANISMS.

Dr. B. informs us that he has a patient so dreadfully irri-
table on the subject of water, that he wo' n't wear his watch
because there is a spring in it. _

From the Brownsville Pa. Galaxv—verbatim et literatum.
—[Advertisement.]—" Whereas Fanny Marton, alias Kerr,
has without cause left my habitation, and is floating on the
ocean of tyrannical extravagance, prone to prodigality, taking
a wild goose chase, and kindling her pipe with the coal of
curiosity, to abscond and abolish such insiduous, clandestine,
noxious, pernicious, diabolical and notorious deportment, I
therefore caution all persons from harbouring or trusting her
on my account, as I will pay no debts of her contracting
from this date, unless compelled by Iaw.—JAMES KERR."
RATHER CurrxNG.—At the ladies' celebration at Barre,
Massachusets, there were nine hundred of the fairest por-
tions of creation present. Among the toasts were—" Old
bachelors ! may they lie alone in a bed of nettles, sit alone on
a wooden stool, eat alone on a wooden trencher, and be their
own kitchen maids 1"

LAST CASE.—A bill sticker pasted a board, and stuck him-
self on instead of the bill. He didn't discover his mistake
until the rain washed him off. _

A Yankee paper says—" Our glass went clear forty degrees
below nothing; and would have gone much lower, but it
wasn't long enough." Another paper says, "We have no
thermometer in this town, so it gets, as cold as it pleases."
QUEER STORY.—The " Planters Banner "—in the editor
of which paper we have entire confidence, as he has pro-
mised us, per mail, a barrel of sugar, and other delicacies—
relates the following. How the alligator fed in the time we
are unable to guess :—" A gentleman of Lafayette parish,
some time since, harpooned a large alligator in the Teche,
which had committed depredation on his plantation, and was
cruel enough to nail up his jaws i lie drove large spike nails
.through his jaws, and clinched them so that there was no
possibility of his opening his mouth. He was then set at
liberty, and eighteen months afterwards he was shot, with
his jaws still closed, and the nails rusted. He was identified
as the same alligator by the mark of the.. harpoon and the
n manner in which the jaws were nailed ! e are assured it
is a positive fact."—Brother Jonathan—New York Paper.