Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-06-11

had no light except from the ship. Our distance
from Bencoolen, we estimated to be about nifty
miles, in a south west direction. There beng
no landing place to the southwark OF bencoolen,
our only chance was to regain that port. Inc
~cap.ain then undertook to lead, and we to follow;
in a N. n. f. course; as well as we could; no
chance no possibility being left, that we could
sgain approach the Ship; for she was now one
snlendid flame, fore and aft. and aloft; her masts
and sails in a blaze, and rocking to and fro,
threatning to fall in an instant. There goes her
mizen mast; pull away my boys; there goes the
eunpowder. Thank God! thank God!
You may Judge of our situation without any
further particulars. The alarm was gwen at a.
bout twenty minutes past eight, and u in less than
ten minutes she was in flames. There was not
a soul on board at half past s, and in less than
ten minutes afterwards she was one grand mass OF
fire.
My only apprehensions was the want of boats
to hold the people, as there was no time to have
got out the long boat, or to make a raft. All we
had to rely upon were two small quarter boats,
which fortunately were lowered without accident,
and these two small open boats; Without drop
of water Or grain Of food, or rag of covering, eX-
cept what we happened at the moment to have
on our backs, we embarked on the ocean, thank
full to God for his mercies. Poor Sophia, having
been taken out of her bed, had nothing on but
her wrapper: neither shoes nor stockings. The
children lust as taken out of bed, whence one had
been snatched after the flames had attacked it
In short; there was no time for any one to think
of more than two things. Can the ship be saved?
No. Let us save ourselves then. All else
was swallowed up ina grand ruin.
To make the best of our misfortune, we avail
ed ourselves of the light from the ship to steer a
tolerably good course towards the shore. She
| continued to burn till about midnight, when the
s~altpetre, which she had on board took fire. and
sent up one of the most splendid and brilliant
flames that ever was seen, illuminating the hori-
zon in every direction, to an extent OF not less
than fifty miles, and casting that kind OF blue
light over us, which Is C ali others most horrible.
She burnt and continued in flames in this style
for about an hour or two, when we lost sight OF
the object in clouds of smoke.
Neither Nilsson nor Mr.. Bell, our medical
friend, who had accompanied us had saved their
coats: but the tail of mine with d pocket hand
kerchief, served to keep Sophiah's feet warm,
and we made breeches for the children with our
neckcloths. Rain now came on, but fortunate
ly it was not of long continuance, and we got
drv again. The night became serene and star
light. We were now certain OF our course, and
the nicu Dtlld'Ct uldiliuilf. bSf ioNNu y
sanity and with good heart and spirit; and new
er did mortals look more anxiously for day light
and for land than we did. Not that our suffer
inss or grounds of complaint were any thing to
what has often befallcn others. but from Sophia's
delicate health. as well as my own. and the
stormy nature of the coast, | felt perfectly con-
WINGED that we were unable to undergo starvation
and exposure to the sun and weather many days
and aware of the rapidity of the currents, |
feared we might fall to the southwark ofthe port.
At day light we recognized the coast a d Rat
Island, which gave us great spirits; and though
| we found ourselves much to the southwark OF the
port, we considered ourselves almost at home
! Sophia had gone through the night better than
could have been expected, and we continued IT,
pull with all our strength. About eight or nine
we saw a ship standing to us from the Roads.
They had seen the flames on shore and sent out
vessels to our relief. and here certainly came a
minister of Providence in the character of a min
lister of the Gospel. for the first person | recog-
nized was one of the missionaries. They gave
us a bucket of water, and we took the captain on
board as a pilot. The wind, however, was ayerse,
and we could not reach the shore, aud took the
ship, where we got some re~freshment and shelter
from the sun. BY this time Sophia was quite
exhausted faiatihg continually. About two O.
clock we landed sale ana SOUNDS: ana no WOrus
of nine can do Justice to the expressions of feel
ings sympathy and kindness by which We were
hailed by every one. If any proof had been want
Ing, that my administration had been satisfacto-
rs. here, we had it unequivocally from all
There was not a dry eye; and as we drove back
TO our former home loud was the CRY of '.Godbe
praised"
But enough, and \ will only add, that we are
now greatly recovered. in good spirits, and busy
at work, getting ready made clothes for present
use. We went to bed at three in the afternoon.
and I did not wake till six this morning. So
phia had nearly as sound a sleep, and with
the exception of a bruise and a littlepain in the
bones from fatigue we have nothing to complain of.
The loss | have to regret beyond all is my pa
pers and drawings; all my notes and observations
with memoirs and collections, sufficient for a full
and ample history not only of Sumatra. but of
Borneo, and almost every other island of noe
in these seas-my intended account of the esta-
biishment ofSingapore; the history of my own ad.
ministration; Eastern GRAMMAR dictionaries, and
vocabul aries-and last, not least, a grand map of
Sumarra on which | had been employed since my
arrival bere and which for the last six months. |