>79^ for which we had kept fuch an anxious, though hitherto unfuccefsful,
\_____1 look out, under convoy of His Majefty’s fhip Sceptre, commanded by
Captain Effington. About five in the afternoon a’ boat, from the General
Goddard Eaft-Indiaman, came on board, and'confirmed us in the
opinion we had at firft formed, and which every hour fince had ferved to
ftrengthen, that the fleet before us was a convoy confifting of twenty-four
fail of Indiamen, under the protection of the Sceptre. Upon receiving
this information, I ordered a boat to be hoiffed out, and I waited upon
Captain Effington, by whom I was received with that unaffefted hearty
welcome,'- and unreferved fincerity, which are known by every one who
has the happinefs of his friendfhip, to be the true type of his valuable
character. "
After putting myfelf under Captain Elfington’s orders, and receiving
fuch inftructions as were deemed to be neceffary by him, for the regulation
of His Majefty’s floop under my command, now attached to the
fleet which he was convoying to England; I repaired on board the
Difcovery, and by fpreading an additional quantity of canvas, we foon
had the pleafure of joining company with the Sceptre.
Thé fatisfaflion I experienced, in the, proteftion we had derived by
overtaking and uniting our little force with fo powerful a fleet, was greatly
increafed by my now underftanding from Captain Effington, that he was
of Opinion the agreeable tidings communicated to me at Sti Helena, by
Mr. Bowen, of a French decree having palled the national affembly, in
favor of the Difcovery and Chatham, was premature; and that, in the
event of our having unfortunately met with an enemy of fuperior force,
to whom of neceffity we muff have yielded, we fhould have had little
chance of efcaping the horrors of a French prifon, in addition to the
cruel mortification of lofing to our country much of the information
which had been collected during the.voyage. This reflection had the
effe£t of reconciling my mind to the flow progrefs which I was now well
aware would neceffarily be attendant on the conclufive part Of our
paffage to England. Having been fo fortunate hitherto, as to have loft
only one man out o f both vejjels in confequcence o f difecfe, and as few by accidents
as I could reafonably have expected, when I duly confidered the-
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length of our abferice from home;' and the nature of the fervice On
which-we had been-fo long employed; I do confefs that, under the 1---- '1----'
peculiar circumftances-.of- our defencelefs fituation, I fhould have regarded
it as ja very painful talk to have been compelled to the neceffity
o f .expofing, my .excellent officers and valuable crew, who were
now, - comparatively fpeaking, : almoft within reach, of the welcome
embraces of their neareft and, «deareft affeCtions, to a conflict with an
enemy, whofe fuperiority in point of force we had not originally been
fitted but-to meet,, nor-.were ,we but in a very humble way prepared to
refill, and from whom, in .point of failing, when I adverted to the Mattered
condition of our malts and rigging, I entertained no hope of our
being able to efcape. I was, therefore, reconciled to the delays unavoidable
in efforts of this nature, though-they became greatly augmented by
the deplorable condition of many of Captain Effington’s- Dutch prizes,
feme of which, I underflood, had been with great difficulty prevented
from foundering.
Although our progrefs was neceffarily much retarded, yet our time
palled pleafantly away, by having at length regained the power of devoting
it, on all fuitable occafions, to the comforts of a friendly intercourfe
with ourfurrounding countrymen, from the pleafures of whofe fociety
we had -been fo long eftranged.
Nothing very ■ material occurred until the ift of feptember; when,
after- contending with a frefh gale from the north and north-weftern
quarters, which had commenced the preceding day, and had been at- Tutfday 1.
tended with fome heavy fqualls of wind and rain; about nine o’clock in
the forenoon, in about the latitude of 46° 12' north, longitude 29° 32'
weft, one of the Dutch prizes made a fignal of diftrefs : we immediately
hove to, and I fent the cutter to her afiiftance, but file was found to be
almoft a wreck, and in fuch a deplorably bad condition that it was im-
poffible to fave her, and fhe was therefore abandoned, by order of Captain
Effington,' and fet on fire about fix o’clock in the, evening. After
performing this fervice our cutter returned, to the fhip, and in the aft of
hoifting her on board fhe was by accident ftove intirely to pieces.
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