The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-08 00:00:00

A SQUALL ON THE AFRICAN COAST.

We were progressing fairly in our work, when an en-
the shape of the elements began to appear. It was a beau
starlightlnight, the moon shone brilliantly, the wind was ge
and the sea as smooth as a duck-pond: about ten o'cl.
small black speck in the east soon extended itself into an $
thunder-cloud; it seemed an instant only, and the whole ho
was darkened—" The sky was changed; and such a chap
The brightness of the night had passed away like a dreamt,
a tornado was about to supply its place. We knew not the!
of the foe; but the cheering cry of—" Bear a hand, lads, b
the squall comes !" indicated too certainly the presages d
officer's mind. It fell to my lot to be ordered to land the po
in the yawl, laving as few hands only as were absolutely r
site for the labour required. My orders were to place it i
empty house which the crew of the brig had inhabited; and
ing that the darkening cloud increased apace, and was ra
approaching, I was anxious to get clear of my charge, or at
rate, to reach the shore before the squall burst. We had
hundred yards to go, and scarcely had we "shoved off"
the forked lightning began to show itself in quick and
flashes, while the loud roar of the thunder increased in for
it neared the ship. We had a tarpaulin in the boat to cove
powder-barrels; but this was no security against the lightn
The boat appeared not to move. No sooner did I look
eager eye to the shore, than an anxious glance was cast at
coming enemy; then would I double bank an oar, and pull
tug with all my strength, whilst I cheered my little crew t
additional exertion. We landed the very moment the st
burst. Heavens! no yoetical imagination could convey the '
tied and varied feelings of that moment! To secure the '
was our first endeavour, which we effected by placing her fi
on the beach, and taking the painter to a neighbouring
The trees groaned as the whirlwind whistled through the 1
branches; and the rain fell, or rather came from the clouds,
the force of water ejected from a fire engine. The long co
nut bent like a bow its branchless trunk, surging about its 1
head in the storm; and the lightning, which flashed around
n horribly quick succession, only showed us the wreck of
which surrounded us, leaving us in tenfold darkness. The s
which we saw through the momentary flame of fire, appea
mass of ropes; the yards were hanging in different directin
the fierce wind swung her about with the ease that a cradl
moved; and the flash, which showed her broadside on, would
succeeded in the moment by another which showed her bon
the shore. The instant lull, before the loud wind and ho,
roaring of the elements resumed their fury, only bore upon
wings the confusion on board the ship and the brig;- and
succeeding flash exhibited its own power, as it rent the raaint
mast from top to bottom : a prolonged existence of a mome
light showed us the fishes of the mainmast rent from their i'
fastenings. The tithe elapsed 'sinhe the commencement of
squall was about ten minutes, when a calm, as tranquil a
infant's sleep, succeeded the storm. .The.sky assumed its fo
serenity, the moon and stars again shone, and few could i
gine, who had not witnessed a hurricane, the desolation
ruin of an African tornado. We imagined our miseries at
end, and cheerfully resumed our labours. Delusive hope!
soon, too soon, we found the evil bad but commenced, and
iFortune, already unkind, only smiled for the moment, to
her frown more severely felt. In the mean time we availed
selves of tile calm. The negroes still worked at the pump,
our nautical term of " Spell oh !" gave way to some cie
word in the black vocabulary. A party of hands were emplo
to thrumb a sail—a process by which canvas is converted 00
mat; and this was intended to be hauled under the ship's bott
to stop the leak, or at any rate to be so far sucked up into ,
holes as to block up in some degree the unwelcome apertunj
The quarter-deck guns were transferred to the brig; the s°`
was made a little more snug aloft, and the launch despatch
,e
with ten men and a lieutenant to Sierra Leone, to desire 1,
attendance of any man-of-war there, and to urge them to use
possible despatch in coming to our assistance. The powder lc'
safely landed, and we returned to the ship as wet and as tired
rain and labour could make us. Every man in the ship I%
turned to some use; the servants were taken from the lieutena°
and midshipmen, and all on board put their shoulders to $J
wheel in good earnest.
_ _

Our men worked hard and in silence; but the blacks s,
some of their outlandish songs, as they laboured at the punli
and kept the winches at a rapid rotatory movement. This sin!
ing soon gave way to fatigue; and from their surly looks ail
sulky dispositions we argued no very flattering degree of oht
dience, it they were at all oppressed by labour. -Every thin
was going on favourably : the different requisite works wet
progressing towards a termination, and we anticipated solo
hours' sleep, notwithstanding our misfortune.
At one o'Clock in the morning, another black cloud showed it
head above the horizon, and soon spread its sable wings over tffl
whole sky. We knew what was coming, fast enough: the othe
bower arid sheet anchor were let go, the ropes all properly 131
layed, for nothing can impede work more than wet ropes etel
naily dabbing in one's face. The main-topmast, or rather it
wreck, had been struck, and the fishes of the mainmast removed
the quarter-deck guns had been hoisted into the brig, and it
had done prodigies in the way of labour. The instant the sqii
was observed, the brig was cast ofi; towed some small distant
and well secured, as far as anchors could secure her; and it
were soon prepared for the coming squall. It came howling a$
whistling in all the fury of the former one, accompanied by t.,.11
rain, thunder, and the "lightning; the wind moaned through V'
rigging, coming from all quarters at once, and heeling the sbi
first on one side, then the other, like boys on a see-saw. Tb
blacks, who seem rather partial to a squall on shore, began t'
manifest considerable uneasiness when they heard the unusa
roar of strange sounds; and it was with some difficulty and gen
tie violence that they were made to continue their work. The
toiled sullenly and silently, until a flash of lightning struck tk
ship, and ran along the decks. The fatal flash left three me
dead at the pumps; the blacks hid their faces in their, hand'
and threw themselves on the deck, roaring and howling as di
mally as the wind, creating a confusion quite beyond description
A report that the lightning had gone through the ship Belo'
occasioned an instant search: the monotonous sound of th
water, as it bubbled through the leak forward, was audibl
enough; but we could not trace any further damage, or discove
any other mischief. During this interval the leak gained up°
us, for the blacks disregarded all threats of punishment or
promises of reward: the removal of the dead operated like
charm; it is quite "out of sight, out of mind" in Africa; so the
iri
blacks forgot the danger in the removal of their friends, and
went to work again. Our men were kept at work, as-many a/
possible, on the sail, and the rest were sent to their hammock,
to steal a few hours' sleep, for we had plenty to do, without inter
mission, for at least a week. The squall passed over us, and leP
us the same calm and beautiful night which had preceded i 0
coming. Day dawned, and what a sight presented itself! No
longer the dashing Arethusa, in all the trim neatness of a well'
ordered ship ! No longer the tall mast and the squared yard'
the tight rope, and the man-of-war's appearance. She was al
much altered in one night, as the face of a beauty after an attack
of small-pox. A wreck—a palpable wreck; the crew jaded and
fatigued; the blacks nearly exhausted; the rigging more like 5
Russian frigate's under repair, than the boasted neatness of an
English man-of-war; around us a scene of desolation and de'
struction, without a prospect of further assistance; and with an
African sun rising, to scorch us into sickness and fever. Froni
the shore, the ship's appearance was by no means flattering'
The mainmast was standing; but here and there were piedg
rent by the lightning: the long fish in front of the mast wag
lying in the booms, with its end on the quarter-deck. It was $
sight to humiliate any pride such, as Nelson felt when his fleet
was dispersed in a gale. One night had reduced us from the
most powerful adversT-y the French had on that coast, to the
level of the most insigificant cruiser. Alas ! our suffering
were but begun, for hitherto the rain had kept us cool; hilt heat
and thirst, and sickness and fever, were yet to follow up the di d
aster; and there is no calamity like a hot sun and a parch&
throat whenfatigue and indisposition are to be endured. It wag
useless prognosticating misfortunes •' it was the business of men
and officers to remedy what had befallen us. The sail was eau'
pleted and placed under the bottom, and it afforded no stow".
gratification to find it answered its purpose effectually: it so fat
relieved he men, that the hand-pumps kept her free, and we go',
rid of a great part of our black assistance: had they not been on
board, the Arethusa would have sunk.—From the Life of a Saila'

Mr. STANLEY has removed from his residence in Whitehall'
yard to the spacious mansion in Carlton-gardens, lately occw
pied by the Count de Salis. The house heretofore tenanted 11
the right honourable gentleman at Whitehak was not se'
civilly capacious for his establishment.—Courier.
THE REVENUE.-We understand that the probable deficiency
of the Quarter's Revenue, as compared with the correspondet
one of the last year, will be about £250,000. The deficiency !'
principally in the excise, owing to a large amount of cane
duty which was received in the quarter ending sth Jan. 1831;
and not in the present corresponding quarter. The eustoo
very materially improved, probably. £200,000 on the, quarter.
Many of the taxes are deficient owing to an arrear of colle,
tion; which of course will add to the amount of a subSequelie
one. In the stamps there is a trifling deficiency, butice
reason to believe that the receipt on the year, as compared wig
the year ending sth Jan. 1832, may possibly show an,iinprovtar
ment of £400,000. The prospects for the future are
,upon trj
whole flattering, and it must be remembered that as the increar,
of last quarter was about £700,000, it was expected that sorg''
I counterbalancing deficiency would occur in the present one.