evaporate in execration and blafphemy. While they were continually heating wine in the steerage, the Captain fubfifted upon the dirty water at the bottom of the cafk, half a pint of which, with a few drops of Turlington's Balfam, was his whole fubfiftence for four and twenty hours. In this condition he waited for death, the approach of which, he fays, he could have contemplated without much emotion, if it had not been for the difficulties in which he should have left his wife and children. He ftill flattered himself, at intervals, with some random hope that another vessel might come within fight of them, and take them on board; but the time allotted for the experiment was apparently short, as well because they had nothing to eat, as because the ship was very leaky, and the men were too feeble, and, indeed, too drunk to keep the water under, by working the pumps. They fuffered another aggravation of their calamity, which will fcarcely occur to any reader; as they had devoured every eatable on board, they had neither candle nor oil; and it being the depth of winter, when they had not perfect day-light eight hours in the four and twenty, they paffed the other fixteen in total darkness, except the glimmering light of their fire. Still however, by the help of their only fail, they made a little way; but on the 28th of December another ftorm overtook them, which blew this only fail into rags, and carried them all overboard. The veffel now lay quite like a wreck in the water, and was wholly at the mercy of the winds and waves. How they fubfifted from this time to the 13th of January, fixteen days, does not appear. Their bifcuit had been long exhaufted; the last bit of meat which they tafted was their cat, on the 26th of December; all their candle-fat and oil was devoured before the 28th; and they could procure no barnacles from the fhip's fide; yet, on the 15th of January, they were all alive; and the mate, at the head of the people, came in the evening to the Captain in his cabin, balf drunk, indeed, but with fufficient fenfibility to exprefs the horror of their purpofe in their countenances. They faid they could hold out no longer; that their tobacco was exhaufted; that they had eaten up all the leather belonging to the pump, and even the buttons from their jackets; and that now they had no means of preventing their perishing together, but cafting lots which of them thould perith for the fuftenance of the reft; they therefore hoped he would concur in the measure, and defired he would favour them with his determination immediately. The Captain perceiving they were in liquor, endeavoured to foothe them from their purpose as well as he could; defired they would endeavour to get some sleep, and faid, that if Providence did not interpofe in their favour, he would confult farther on the fubject the next morning. This mild attempt to divert them from their defign, only rendered them outrageous; and they fwore, with execrations of peculiar horror, that what was to be done must be done immediately; that it was indifferent to them whether he acquiefced or diffented; and that though they had paid him the compliment of acquainting him with their refolution, they would compel him to take his chance with the reft; for a general misfortune, they said, put an end to personal distinc tion. The Captain not being in a condition to resist, told them that they must do as they pleased, but that he would, on no account, give orders for the death of the perfon on whom the lot might fall, nor partake of fo horrid a repaft. Upon this they left him abruptly, and went into the steerage; but, in a few mi nutes, came back, and told him that they had taken a chance for their lives, and that the lot had fallen on the Negroe, who was part of the cargo. The little time taken to caft the lot, and the private manner of conducting the decifion, gave the Captain ftrong fufpicions that they had not dealt fairly by the vice tim. The poor fellow, however, knowing what had been determined against him, and feeing one of the crew loading a piftol to dispatch him, ran to the Cap tain, begging that he would endeavour to fave his life. But the Captain could only regret his want of power to protect him; and he faw him the next moment dragged into the fteerage, where he was almost immediately fhot through the head. Having made a large fire, they began to cut him almoft as foon as he was dead, intending to try his entrails for fupper; but but one of the foremost men, whose name was James Campbell, being ravenously impatient for food, tore the liver out of the body, and devoured it raw, notwithftanding the fire at his hand, where it might have been dreffed in a few mi nutes. They continued bufy the principal part of the night with their feaft, and did not retire till two in the morning. About eight o'clock the next day, the mate went to the Captain, to afk his orders about pickling the body. This, the Captain fays, he confidered as an inftance of great brutality; and was fo much fhocked at it, that he took up a piftol, and fwore in his turn, that he would fend his mate after the Negroe, if he did not retire. It is to be regretted that he did not make the fame effort to fave the poor fellow's life, that he did to prevent pickling his body. The best thing he could have done when he was dead, was, to give such orders as might make the food, that was fo dearly obtained, go as far as poffible, that it might be longer before they were again urged by the fame horrid neceffity to commit another murder, and pickling the body feems to be the best thing that could have been done with that view. As the Captain, however, would not give his advice, the crew took care of their provifions without it, and having all confulted together, they cut the body into fmall pieces, and pickled it, after throwing the head and fingers overboard, by common confent. How the Captain subsisted all this time, from the 25th of December to the 17th of January, does not appear; but as it is certain that total abitinence would have killed him in much less time, we must fuppofe the dirty water and drops kept him alive. On the third day after the death of the Negroe, Campbell, the midshipman, who had devoured his liver raw, died raving mad. This the crew imputed to his impatient voracity; and as their hunger was now kept under, and they had still fome food in store, they were more under the government of reason, and more impreffed by the apprehenfion of danger yet nearer than that of perifhing for want of food: Dreading, therefore, the confequence of eating Campbell's body, they, with whatever reluctance, threw it overboard. On the next day, the 17th of January, as they were preparing their dinner, by frying or boiling fome of the body, they faid of the Captain, “ D-n him, though he would not confent to our having any meat, let us give him fome;" and imme diately one of them came into the cabbin, and offered him a steak. This offer he rejected with refentment and menaces which certainly it did not deferve; for they offered him nothing, but what they thought neceffity juftified the acceptance of, as the only condition of life: If he had rejected the offer with grief and abhorrence, the paffion would have fuited the occafion. The food he fays, he held in horror, but he honeftly confeffes that fickness had then taken away his defire to eat, and that therefore there was not much merit in his abftinence. As the negroe's carcafe was husbanded with fevere oeconomy, it lafted the crew, now consisting of fix persons, from the 13th to the 26th of January; when they were again reduced to total abftinence except their wine; this they endured till the 29th, and then the mate came again to the captain, at the head of the people, and told him that the negroe's body having been totally confumed fome days, and no fhip having appeared, it was now become neceffary that they should caft lots a fecond time. It was better to die feparately, they faid, than all at once, as fome might poffibly furvive by the expedient they propofed, till a fhip might take them up. The captain endeavoured again to reason them out of their purpose, but without fuccefs, and therefore, confidering that if they managed the lot without him, as they had done before, he might not have fair play, he confented to manage it himself; he therefore called them all into his cabbin where he was in bed, and having with great difficulty raised himself up, he caused the lots to be drawn in the fame manner that the lottery tickets are drawn at Guildhall. The lot fell upon one David Flat a foremaft man. The shock of the decision was fo great, that the whole company remained motionlefs and filent for a confiderable time, and probably would have done fo much longer if the victim himself, who appeared perfectly refigned, had not expreffed himself to this effect. "My dear friends, meffmates, and fellow fufferers, all I have to beg of you, is to dispatch me as as foon as you did the negroe, and to Yet ftill as the dreadful moment approached their compunction encreased, and friendship and humanity at length became ftronger than hunger and death. They determined that Flat fhould live at leaft till eleven o'clock the next morning, hoping, as they faid, that the divine goodness would in the mean time open fome other fource of relief; at the fame time they begged the captain to read prayers, a talk which with the utmost effort of his collected ftrength, he was juft able to perform. As foon as prayers were over, he lay down ready to faint, and the company went immediately to their unfortunate friend Flat. The captain could hear them talk to him with great earnestnefs and affection, expreffing their hope that God would interpofe for his prefervation, and affuring him, that though they never yet could catch, or even fee a fifh, yet they would put out all their hooks again to try if any relief could be procured. Poor Flat, however, could derive little comfort from the concern they expreffed, and it is not improbable that their expreffions of friendship and affection encreafed the agitation of his mind: Such, however, it was as he could not fuftain, for before midnight he grew almoft totally deaf, and by four o'clock in the morning was raving mad. His meffmates who difcovered the alteration, debated whether it would not be an act of humanity to difpatch him immediately, but the first refolution of fparing him till eleven prevailed. July, 1766. a. About eight in the morning, as the captain was ruminating in his cabbin on the fate of this unhappy wretch who had but three hours to live, two of his people came hastily down with uncommon ardour in ̧ their looks, and feizing both his hands, fixed their eyes upon him without faying fyllable. The captain, who recollected, that they had thrown Campbell's body, overboard, notwithstanding their neceffi ties, for fear of catching his madnels, now apprehended that fearing to cat Flat for the fame reafon, they were come to facrifice him in his ftead; he therefore difengaged himself by a ludden effort, and fnatching up a piftol, ftood upon his defence. The poor men gueffing mistake, made fhift to tell him, that their behaviour was merely the effect of furprize and joy, that they had difcovered a fail, and that the fight had fo overcome them, they were unable to fpeak. They faid, that the fail appeared to he a large veffel, that it was to the leeward, and itood for them in as fair a direction as could be wifhed. The reft of the crew came down immediately afterwards, and confirmed the report of a fail, but faid that the feemed to bear away from them upon a contrary course. The account of a veffel's being in fight of fignals on whatever course the steered,. ftruck the captain with fuch exceffive and tumultuous joy, that he was very near expiring under it. As foon as he could fpeak, he directed his people to make every poffible fignal of diftrefs; the fhip itself indeed was a fignal of the moft ftriking kind, but he was apprehensive the people at a diftance might conclude there was nothing alive on board, and fo ftand away without coming near it. His orders were obeyed with the utmost alacrity, and as he lay in his cabbin, he had the inexpreffible happinefs of hearing them jumping upon deck, crying out, "the nighs us! the nighs us! the is ftanding this way!" The approach of the fhip being more and more manifeft every moment, their hope naturally encreafed, but in the midst of this joy, they remembered their unfortu-. nate fhipmate Flat, and regretted that he could not be made fenfible of his approaching deliverance. Their paffions, however,, were fill characteristic, and they propofed a can of joy to be taken immediately. This the captain with great Ggg prudence oppofed, and at length, though with fome difficulty, convinced them that their deliverance in a great measure depended upon the regularity of that moment's behaviour. of the Life and All but the mate therefore gave up the can, which would have made them all very drunk before the vessel could come up with them, and he difappeared to take the can of joy by himself. After continuing to obferve the progress of the veffel for fome hours, with all the tumult and agitation of mind that fuch a fufpenfe could no had the m rail to produce, they tall ortification to find the gale to y die away, fo that the veffel was becalmed at two miles distance; they did not however, fuffer long by this accident, for in a few minutes they faw the boat put out from the ship's ftern and row towards them full manned, and with vigorous difpatch. As they had been twice before confident of deliverance, and difappointed, and as they still confidered themselves tottering on the verge of eternity, the conflict between their hopes and fears during the approach of the boat, may eafily be conceived by a reader of imagination. At length however, the came along fide, but the appearance of the crew was fo ghaftly, that the men refted upon their oars, and with looks of inconceivable aftonishment, afked what they were. Being at length fatisfied, they came on board, and begged the people to use the utmost expedition in quitting their wreck, left they fhould be overtaken by a gale of wind that would prevent their getting back fhip. greatest tenderness and humanity, promiThe captain received them with the fed to lie by the wreck till the next morning, that he might if poffible fave some of ever, blowing very hard before night, he Captain Harrison's cloaths; the wind hoy.was obliged to quit her, and ine probably with her cargo went to the bottom before morning. and though fhe was herself in a fhattered The Sufannah proceeded on her voyage, condition, and fo fhort of provifions, as to be obliged to reduce her people to short allowance, fhe reached the Land's End about the fecond of March; from the Land's End the proceeded to the Downs, and Captain Harrison a day or two afterwards proceeded to London by land. negro, and one Warner a feaman died du- Some Account of the Life and Actions of tions. R. ROBERT ck to their being unable to ftir, they Mchard CR CLIVE, fon of Ri lifted him out of his cabbin, and let him down into the boat by ropes, and his people followed him, with poor Flat ftill raving, and they were just putting off, when one of them obferved that the mate was wanting; he was immediately called to, and the can of joy had juft left him power to crawl to the gunnel with a look of idiot aftonishment, having, to all appearance, forgot every thing that had happened. Having with fome difficulty got the poor drunken creature on board, they rowed away, and in about an hour, reached the fhip. She was the Sufannah of London in the Virginia trade, commanded by captain Thomas Evers, and was returning from Virginia to London. ton, in the county of Salop, Efq; and nearly related to Sir Edward Clive one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, was educated at Dr. Stirling's fchool, at Hempfted in Hertfordshire, where, it is faid, his ruling paffion began to difplay itfelf by his learning the manual exercise, of a ferjeant who was recruiting in the town. fchool, he was fent, towards the clofe of On his leaving India company's fervice, to Madrafs : the war of 1741, as a writer in the EaftBut being much fonder of the camp than the compting-house, and war being at commerce, it was not long before our that time more cultivated in India than young merchant had a favourable op portunity of exchanging his pen for a pair pair of colours. At the fiege of Pondicherry, by Admiral Bofcawen, in 1748, Mr. Clive being then an enlign in the company's troops, fuft diftinguished himfelf; and on Sept. 1, when the French were repulfed in a fally, with a confiderable lofs, Capt. Brown, who defended the fecond trench, being mortally wounded, his poft was afterwards gallantly fuftained by Ensign Clive. In 1749, Admiral Boscawen affifted the company in obtaining a fettlement from the K. of Tanjore, at Devi Cottah, and that fort being attacked by a strong body of troops under the command of Major Lawrence, was carried by ftorm. The character given of our hero, by that excellent officer, from whom Mr. Clive always acknowledged that he learnt the art of war, well deferves to be inferted here. Mr. Clive is a man of undaunted refolution, of a cool temper, and a prefence of mind which never leaves him in the greatest danger. Born a foldier; for without a military education of any fort, or much converfing with any of the profeffion, from his judgment and good fenfe, he led an army like an experienced officer and brave foldier, with a prudence that warranted fuccefs. This young man's early genius (continues the Major) furprised and engaged my attention as well before, as at the fiege of Devi Cottab, where he behaved, in courage and judgment, much beyond what could be expected from his years; and his fuccefs afterwards confirmed what I faid to many people concerning him." After this, Mr. Clive re-affumed, for fome time, his mercantile capacity. pedition Mr. Clive acted as commiffary of the army. In 1751, Mahomed Allee Cawn being joined by the English, was defeated by Chunda Saib, near Volconda; a panic having feized the English battalion, from which their officers (particularly Capt. Dalton and Mr. Clive, now Lieu tenant) endeavoured in vain to recover them. In July, Chunda Saib having driven his competitor entirely out of the Carnatic, Lieut. Clive was fent from St. David's with a detachment and a convoy of ftores to relieve Ver dachellum, the only fort that acknow ledged the Nabob, and which was then invested by a neighbouring Polygar, or Lord. His troops the Lieutenant easily defeated, and entered Verdachellum without any lofs. But as he was returning to Fort St. David's, attended by twelve * Seapoys and fonte fervants, he was furrounded by the Polygar's troops, which killed seven of the Seapoys, and Mr. Clive faved himself by the swiftness of his horfe, from a party of cavalry, who pursued him several miles. The French being still fuperior to the English before Trichinopoly, where they in a manner invefted Mahomed Allee Cawn, the prefidency fent thither a nother re-inforcement of 100 Europeans and 50 Seapoys under Mr. Clive, who had the commiffion of captain. The French endeavoured in vain to intercept him, being defeated in a skirmish; but fill, though the English battalion was augmented to 600, the French had 900, and Chunda Saib's troops were ten times the number of the Nabob's, whose trea fures alfo were exhaufted, and his reve nues daily cut off or exacted by the enemy. In 1750, the French having the year before taken the city of Arcot, and in vaded the kingdom of Tanjore, as auxiliaries to Chunda Saib, the ufurping Capt. Clive, at his return to St. Das Nabob of Arcot; the English under Ma. vid's, proposed to attack Arcot, as the jor Lawrence, took the field, in fup only means to draw Chunda Saib off from port of Mahomed Allee Cawn the right Trichinopoly. He offered to lead the ful Nabob, and at Vilanure joined the expedition, and it was immediately unViceroy Nazirzing, whofe army confifted dertaken. Major Lawrence fays, This of 300,000 fighting men, 800 pieces of expedition was attended with uncommon cannon, and 1300 elephants. March fuccefs, which fome people were pleased 24, the armies engaged, and victory de- to term fortunate and lucky; but, in clared for the Viceroy and the English, my opinion, from the knowledge I had the French retreating to Pondicherry, of the gentleman, he deferved, and with the lofs of 11 cannon. In this ex NOTE. * Between Fort St. David's and Tran quebar. NOTE. |