The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-27 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF ?iii

lIP MISTRAt

The following are t 3 tracts from a letter received In gdin.
burgh, from a cabin passenger of the brig Australia, in which
the dreadful hardships to which the unfortunate crew and
passengers were exposed, after the destruction of the vessel,
are detailed with but too faithful accuracy. The picture
drawn is most vividly pourtrayed ; and although the chief
incidents in the dreadful story are mentioned, the most har-
rowing details are avoided. The delivery of the great ma-
jority of these on board is truly remarkable ; and few indeed
will peruse the following, without participating in the feeling
of thankfulness to the Almighty for their deliverance, so elo-
quently expressed by the writer. We have not as yet heard
of the receipt of Captain Yule's first letter :
" I shall endeavour to give you an account of this awful
calamity, and the miseries we have endured since ; for pre-
serving me to be able to do so, I trust I shall ever be grate-
ful to Almighty God who heard our cry, and has wonderfully
guided us and brought us to this land.
" The 25th of December being Christmas day, we were
becalmed, and from many associations, that day was spent
very happily. In the morning we killed a shark : and .1 pre-
vailed on the captain to lower the stern boat to get a few
hours shooting at the sea birds, which surrounded the ship
in great numbers, which he was kind enough to allow. We
had an excellent day's sport. I shot four of those large birds
the Albatross, they measured from the tip of one wing to the
tip of the other, ten feet ; we had them dressed, intending to
eat them for our New Year's dinner, hut, alas ! our expec-
tations were miserably frustrated, and instead of the happi-
ness we expected, we were on that day a crew of half-starved
miserable creatures, our New Year's dinner consisting of a
quarter of a biscuit soaked with sea water, about two inches
of raw ham, and a table spoonful of water.

" From the 25th to the 29th we had very rough weather,
the ship rolling tremendously. We had supped at seven
o'clock, and went upon deck after, as was our usual custom.
On going be/ow to the cabin, a smell of smoke was perceptible.
which was thought might proceed from the steward's pantry,
or some of the ladies' berths. We soon found on removing
the goods from the after-cabin and passengers' berths, that
the smoke proceeded from the hold, and was now increasing
rapidly. We now hove the ship to, being off the Cape of
Good Hope, in lat. 35 30, and long. 8, the Cape being 34 30,
and long. 18, so that we were upwards of 500 miles in a direct
line from land, and sailing with every sail set the ship could
carry. The order was now given to throw the cattle over-
board, break in.the bulkhead to endeavour to get at the tire
with water, and to open the main hatches. The confusion
on board was now awful. One of the bulls got loose in en-
deavouring to get him overboard ; the deck was covered with
spars and sails, and the smoke had now increased to such a
degree, that no person could work or remain below for any
time, and was bursting through every crevice of the ship fore
and aft; it was impossible to get off the hatches to get at the
fire with water. We now saw .it-was impossible to save the
ship, and our exertions were therefore directed to get the
boats launched and save our lives from fire ; the sea was
running so high we thought it impossible the boats could live
in it. After much difficulty we succeeded at last in getting
and towed

S OCCU

Died overboard

, I at the stern, into which we threw a few bags of biscuits, half
a cask of water, some hams, a few cheeses, and a small jar of
brandy. I was now almost exhausted working upon deck,
and ran down below to get a drink. I had scarely finished,
and on looking through the crevice we had broke out at the
bulk-head in the after-cabin, I perceived the whole hold was
like a furnace, and that the sooner we got into the boats the
better. I ran to my berth, seized the only thing I cared much
about, the Bible I got from Anne the day I left Scotland and
her dear self; previous to this I threw in my portmanteau and
hat-box into the long-boat ; the rest of the passengers could
save nothing. The darkness was dispelled by the flames now
bursting from the forehatches, which increased our exertions
to get all our three boats launched ; at last this was accom-
plished in the midst of flames, and we all got safe into the
boats ; we had scarcely got the boats cut from the ship, when
the mainmast fell overboard with a tremendous crash, the
ship and rigging being all in one volume.of flame, and light-
ing the whole heavens and the surrounding atmosphere for
miles round. It was now one o'clock : and thus, in a few
short hours, were we launched upon the wide ocean, without
mast or sail. Fortunately we had a compass ; and the sea,
although running heavy, yet the wind was favourable ; and
the boats, being all towed together, were allowed to drift be-
fore the wind until the morning light appeared, when we
succeeded in erecting two blankets for sails, with two oars
for masts, having cut away our third boat, and divided the
crew into two—nineteen being in the long boat and nine in
the small. We now steered in an easterly direction, endea-
vouring to make the Cape of Good Hope. For eight days
and nine nights were we driven about on the mighty deep.
To describe to you or to give to you an idea of the miseries
we endured would be impossible. During the whole time
not a dry rag was upon one of us. We had no seats even to
sit upon, but lay like a parcel of pigs in the bottom of the
boat, which, being used on board the ship as a house for the
cattle, was in a moat filthy state with dung; and the waves,
breaking in over the boat, washed the filth into our clothes,
and the few blankets we had preserved. Day and night we
were constantly obliged to be bailing out the water, which we
did with one of Gillon's soup canisters, it being the only
vessel we had, which alternately served for this purpose and
for mixing up our allowance of water three times a-day, with
a quarter of a biscuit, and occasionally about half an ounce of
raw ham or cheese. Thus, half-starved with hunger, thirst,
and cold, on the morning of Wednesday, the 6th day of
January, we came in sight of land in a most miserable con-
dition ; three of the men were lying in the bottom of the
boat insensible, one deranged, and one dead from cold and
the effects of drinking the sea-water : had our miseries been
prolonged longer, I am sure few of us could have survived
other twenty four hours. I despaired of ever seeing you
again in this world, and wished, if I was to perish, that
death might not be tardy in its execution ; but morning,
noon, and night, our earnest prayers were sent up to God,
who has wonderfully delivered us and brought us into a land
of plenty. On Wednesday morning, then, our spirits were
raised by seeing the laud. Oars were put to the boats, and
we pulled for it as hard as our strength would permit, and
landed on a barren coast, about two hundred miles to the.
north of the Cape of Good Hope, and about ten to the north
of Oliphant River. Here, after hauling up our boats, we
rested during the heat of the meridian sun, which was ex-
cessive ; and in the evening erected a tent and kindled a fire.
We here dug a grave for the poor boy who died, whose name
was John Chisholm, from Inverkeithing, a steerage passen-
ger ; he has a brother and two sisters with us. We had next
day the same melancholy office to perform to the lad who
went mad ; his name is George Peat, likewise a steerage
passenger, from Perth. This day we got all our blankets
and clothes dried; and having our tent erected, we lighted a
fire, and having divided our crew into four watches, we
went to sleep. The next day we endeavoured to explore
the country, and find some fresh water; but we could see
nothing as far as the eye could reach but bush growing
upon hot sand ; in short, all barren, and no trace of being
inhabited. We therefore determined to get everything in
order to prepare to march next morning as tar as we could
along the sea coast in search of a river, the mouths of seve-
ral being marked in the chart, and the captain was certain
we could not be far from one. Accordingly, by day break,
each with his burden of clothes, shoes, bread, or water, we
commenced our weary journey over burning sands and under
a scorching sun. It would have been of no availsuppose we
had saved anything from the ship, as we were obliged to throw
everything away except:the clothes on our backs. The few
things I saved in my portmanteau I divided amongst part of
the crew who had lost their own clothes. The portmanteau
and hat box were completely destroyed by salt water. My
splendid wardrobe now consists of one pair of torn trousers,
one coat, one vest, one pairs of shoes and socks, one shirt,
and one hat. With walking and resting alternately, we ac-
complished to walk about seven miles, and rested, wearied,
hungry, and fainting from thirst; this was on Friday. On
Saturday morning, having slept in the bush, we again re-
sumed our march, and about eight o'clock our drooping spi-
rits were aroused by the sight of a river, and going further
up in quest of fresh water, discovered a fisherman's hut, and
saw people walking about. Our despair was now turned to
joy, and sincerely did we humble ourselves before our hea-
venly father and poured out our thanksgivings for leading us
to our much longed-for haven ; and hoisting our colours,
which, fortunately, we preserved, we were glad to see a boat
with three men put off, and, on coming to land, one of them
proved to be an Englishman, who happened to be on a visit
to the Dutch fisherman's house, and who acted as interpreter
between us and Mynheer Low, the boor's name. We told
them of our heavy calamity and miserable situation, and in a
few hours after we were enjoying ourselves over a haunch of
venison and rice, and, what in our eyes, was as precious as a
glass of spring water. We were assured we were now among
Christian people, and that we would want for nothing. We
have indeed found it so. I could not have believed there
was such kindness and hospitality in the world as these
Dutch people have shown to us ever since we have been
here ; the kindness we have experienced from these people is
incredible. One storekeeper and farmer, on our arrival,
sent us a present of six sheep, two bags of rice, coffee, tea,
sugar, meal, brandy, and raisins ; others sent us bread, fruit,
&c. We remained at Oliphant's River until Monday last.
in order that the governor of the colony might make arrange-
ments to transport us to Cape Town. We are now travel-
ling through the country, at government's expense, in three
waggons drawn by fourteen oxen each. I have written you
from here for the purpose of sending it forward to Cape
Town by the waggons.'