1 Ir viti’In i ill« fl |S .fe'jll s i i }S si ¡«pi?* '.77SMay. fevere prohibition, and the appointment of the guard of foldiers, were not o f fuch ufe to the company as they were imagined to b e ; as, not to mention other things, even fo heavy a commodity as .iron was ftolen away from the wreck-*, which, after the ftorm had abated, and the fea, that had rifen confiderably, had retired again, as good as lay upon dry land. Under the pretence of preventing the people belonging to the ihip from being plundered, they were diredtly put under a guard upon the fpot from that time till the evening ; and that without their having taken any refreihment, although they were wet and hungry, and wearied out with the labour of the preceding night. For feveral days after this they were feen wandering up and down the ftreets, begging clothes and vidtuals. One of thefe, indeed, is reported to have met with peculiarly rough treatment. This was a failor, who, in order the better to fwim for his life, went off from the wreck almoft naked, and having got fafe on Ihore with his cheft, opened it, in order to take out a waiftcoat to cover his nakednefs; he was, however, not only hindered in fo doing by a young chit of an officer, hut was obliged to put up with a few ftrokes o f a cane into the bargain; being told at the fame time, that he was liable to be hanged without delay on one o f the newly-eredted gibbets; as, diredtly contrary to the exprefs prohibition of government, he had prefumed to meddle with goods faved from the wreck. The failor excufed himfelf with faying, that it was, impoffible for him not to be ignorant of the prohibition, and that he could clearly prove himfelf to be the right owner of the cheft by the key of it (which, in the the failor’s faffiion, Was fattened to his belt,) as well as by *773- a pfalm-book, wherein his name was written, and which lay in that fame cheft. Notwithftanding all this, it was with great difficulty that he faved his neck from the gallows. He was forced, however, naked and wet as he was, to wait in the fields till the evening, with no other covering than the iky. Shivering with cold, he at length, ■ through repeated entreaties, got permiffion to look after his cheft, and take what he wanted out o f it, but now found it broke open and plundered. T o conclude, when they had taken him to the town, and there left him near the gates naked and bare, as above defcribed, he had, however, the good' fortune to meet with- a tender-hearted citizen, who immediately, without the ieaft hefitation, gave him the coat off his own back, and took him to his own houfe. This anecdote o f the failor I had from one fingle per- fon only; but though that perion’S character for veracity was unimpeached, yet, for the honour o f our fpe- cies, I' could heartily wiih, that my informer might be found to have over-charged his colours in The black painting he has made of this tranfadtion ! On the contrary, rather may the lame eompaffionate law in favour of thofe who ■ have the misfortune to fuffer fhipwreek, take place in Europe and its colonies as it does in China t on the coaft of which kingdom, all fueh. as are unfortunate enough to be ftranded, whether natives or ftrangers. from the moft diftant country, find not only perfedt fecurity for their peribns and effedts, but are likewife maintained and found* in every thing till they get to their own- home, whither they
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