THE

CHINESE REPOSITORY.

VOL. XI.-DECEMBER, 1842.-No. 12.

ART. I. Narrative of the destruction of the H. C. steamer Madagascar, given by her commander J. M. Dicey, in a letter to his excellency rear-admiral sir William Parker, K. C. B. [Before introducing this narrative, we must detain the reader with a few explanations. The spot at which the party landed, was in the district of Huilai, in the department of Chauchau, a few miles westward from Namah (or Nán-ngáu). Just below the district of Cháuyáng, southward towards the sea, a narrow inlet opens and the water sets back, forming a long bay, on the western bank of which is a military station,

a fortress, called Tsinghui só, or the fortress of Tsinghái. It was a few miles southeast from this fortress, where the party landed, and proceeded to Hwuilai; from thence, they were carried through the districts

陸豐 Lufung and 海豐 Haifung, to 惠州府 Horuichau fin, in a

course a little north of west, and a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. Hwuichau stands on the southern bank of a large river; and is distant, nearly due east, say one hundred miles from Canton;-the river unites with the Chú kiáng just below Whampoa; and is, we presume from the reports we have heard of it, navigable for small ships quite up to Hwuichau, and perhaps still higher.

The conduct of the Chinese government was, in this affair we think, very reprehensible. Sir Henry Pottinger had been pleasd to spare the authorities of Canton, on condition that they remained neutral. Under these circumstances, therefore, the party, thrown upon the coast of the province, ought to have been immediately restored. The governor could not but have known they were English. The demand for their release made by the American merchant and consul, was urged solely on the ground of their being shipwrecked foreigners; and it was urged that, as such, they ought, in accordance with a provision of the Chinese laws, to be immediately restored. How the hong-merchants represented the case to the governor, and how his excellency reported it to his imperial majesty, we have never been able to ascertain. In one point captain Dicey is in error, and it is right that the error should be corrected. We know the American vice-consul was not induced 80

VOL. XI. NO. XI.

to act as he did by any "strong influence" of a third party; that influence, unfortunately at the moment, was operating in the opposite direction, and what was done was occasioned only by a sense of duty and humanity to the persons in captivity. The reasons for withholding the communication, till the present time, are obvious.]

SIR,-Being released from the hands of the Chinese, it now devolves on me to lay respectfully before your excellency a full and correct account of the loss of the late H. C. armed steamer Madagascar, while under my command, and of the sufferings and privations of myself and party while in captivity; also of the measures adopted for restoring me and my companions in captivity to liberty and our country, which have been crowned with success.

I arrived at Hongkong on Monday, 13th September, 1841, and having received orders from captain Nias, c. B., H. M. ship Herald, senior officer, that I was to join your excellency immediately, then on the east coast of China, I commenced taking in coals, watering, and receiving provisions. Having completed these duties, and received the dispatches for your excellency and the post-office packets, I finally left Hongkong on the morning of the 17th in prosecution of my voyage. I experienced calms and light easterly winds the whole of the 17th; on the 18th the wind increased to a strong breeze, and on the 19th it blew hard from the eastward, with a very high sea-so much so, that at almost every plunge, our jib-boom and bowsprit were under water; the topmasts were housed, with the yards all on deck, and the steamer made as snug as possible for progressing against adverse weather.

On the 19th Sep. at noon, we were in lat. 32° 50′ N., long. 117° E. Clouds with increasing wind and the weather very unsettled, and a high sea running. At 6 P. M. sighted the Lamock islands, bearing N. by W. about fifteen miles, and shaped our course for the Brothers. At 9 P. M., the after accommodations were filled with smoke, and as the vessel had been repeatedly on fire in the former voyage in the coal boxes, and smoke was seen escaping from the starboard after coal box scuttle on deck, I thought the coals in the boxes were on fire. I turned all hands up, and commenced passing them on deck, but at 10 P. M. was satisfied that the coals in the boxes were not on fire though very much heated; at 10.30 P. M. the smoke was too dense to remain below in the after part of the ship. I therefore closed all the hatches abaft, and covered them with awnings and curtains to smother it as much as possible, leaving only a part of the main hatch open. This was nearly over the place where I supposed the fire to be, viz. the bulkhead abaft the boiler, and a

constant stream of water was thrown on the after part of the bulkhead and upon the coals in the after hold, by means of engine pumps and hose.

At 11 P. M., I ordered Mr. Oliver, the chief officer, who took with him Mr. Sharpe, the third officer, Mr. Burbank, the gunner, Mr. Wilson, 2d engineer, and a gang of hands, to clear away the coals from the fore part of the bulkhead, and to rip open the coal box plates, which was effected by midnight, although the heat below from the boiler (steam being up) as well as the fire was almost intolerable. The plates of the coal boxes being fitted over, and covering the top of the boilers, by opening them, we got immediately at the fire, and discovered that the lower part of the bulkhead was to all appearance consumed, and the coals in the after hold on fire. A plentiful supply of water was kept up abaft as well as before the bulkhead, and being satisfied that the coals in the after hold were on fire, I ordered the cocks in the engine room to be opened and five feet of water to be let in; the steamer was also put before the wind to smother it as much as possible, and prevent its spreading aft to the magazine.

At this time it was blowing very fresh, with dark gloomy weather and a high sea running. At 2.30 A. M. of the 20th, I indulged the hope that we had got it under, and as I could keep up a constant supply of water by buckets, ordered the steam to be blown off, and the fires to be drawn to cool the ship as much as possible in the vicinity of the flame. In this hope I was disappointed, for at 3 A. M., I discovered the fire had taken hold of the ship's side, and cabin deck, and was spreading aft on the starboard side; we could distinctly hear the crackling of the wood and the rapid progress the fire was making aft. At about 3.30 A. M., the ship became enveloped in thick clouds of smoke, and we could scarcely stand upon the deck, at the after part of the vessel, the smoke being so very painful to the eyes. Although a constant supply of water was kept playing upon the fire, and every possible exertion made on the part of all hands, still our efforts were in vain, as the vessel became heated all over, and the flames gained so much ground, that we could see the fire through the bull's eyes in the scuttles on the outside of the ship, while the pitch boiled out of the seams on deck. The smoke being so thick that it was impossible to remain below even in the engine room, I covered all down, and about 4 A. M. came to the determination of taking to the boats. I mustered all hands on the quarter-deck to make my arrangements; there were 99 souls in all on board, who were appor

tioned as follows; to the first cutter 42, to the second cutter 30, to the third cutter 20, and to the gig 7.

The gig, with the complement allotted to her, shoved off by my orders in charge of Mr. Sharpe, third officer, who had with him one European soldier, one European sailor, and four Lascars, with orders to remain near by the vessel; for the sea was running so high that I was fearful if she remained alongside, she would be dashed to pieces by its violence. On his leaving, the vessel fell off, the boat got under the bows, and was never seen after.

The 3d cutter was in charge of Mr. Bowman 2d officer, but being an old boat, and having struck under the counter of the ship, shè separated in two pieces. Mr. Bowman was picked up by the men in the 2d cutter, then lying astern of the steamer; but all the other hands perished. The first and second cutters were to have shoved off together, but the sea was running so very high, and the ship rolling so heavily, that they came in contact with the ship's side and each other several times, and were much injured. The first cutter being on the lee quarter, I got into her, having some time previously ordered capt. Grattan, H. M. 18th R. I., two European soldiers, two Chinese carpenters, and the remaining Lascars to get in, leaving Mr. Oliver, chief officer, (whom I had previously informed I would lay off upon our oars a few yards from the ship to make room for the second cutter to get in the same position on the lee quarter, where the first cutter then was that thus he might embark himself and the remainder of the crew with greater facility,) and a few others that were to go in the second cutter. But in the darkness of the night, and the ship being so enveloped in smoke that we could with difficulty see, by some unaccountable mistake, a portion of the Lascars intended for my boat went on board the second cutter, and then cut her adrift. Learning this to be the case from Mr. Oliver who hailed me, I pulled up under the stern, and Mr. Oliver, chief officer, Mr. Maxtin, surgeon, Mr. Burbank, gunner, two engineers and others, lowered themselves from the lee quarter into the boat. But Mr. Mispelaar, the purser, must I fear have fallen overboard in endeavoring to get in.

We had 42 in all in the first cutter, whose dimensions were 24 feet long by 6 beam: This accounts for so large a proportion of Europeans being with me; and among them the chief mate, who was allotted in charge of second cutter; and Mr. Bowman, who, as I before stated, was picked up from the third cutter, remained in charge of the second. After quitting the ship, it was my intention to have carried into effect my first arrangements and trans

ferred Mr. Oliver and the others to the second cutter, and received an equal portion of Lascars from her into the first cutter. But from the high cross sea that was running, this was found impracticable; for had the two boats come in collision, it would have been inevitable destruction to both. Preparing the boats and embarking occupied from 4 till 5 o'clock of the morning of the 20th of September, when I finally quitted the unfortunate Madagascar.

Ten minutes after, the vessel was in flames from the funnel to the after part of the skylight in the quarter deck, and the main mast gone and hanging over the side. The weather at this time was threatening and unsettled, with a strong northeast gale and high sea. Being so near the equinox, I thought it most advisable to steer for the land in hopes of falling in with a fishing boat, as I had passed several the day before; but in this I was disappointed, the unfavorable aspect of the weather probably preventing their remaining out at sea. At 10 minutes to 10 A. M., the steamer blew up with a loud report, and we saw the immense column of smoke from the explosion, being I suppose about twelve miles from her at the time. It had been my wish to have remained close by, and have seen the last of this ill fated vessel, but the state of the sea and weather would not admit of doing so without almost certain destruction to all those in the two boats.

The second cutter was in company with me for several hours when I suddenly lost sight of her; the sea at this time (about noon) was very high, and I came to the conclusion that she must have swamped; for in my own boat, although I had packed the men around the gunwale of the boat as close as they could possibly sit together, as being the best means available of keeping out the water, still several seas broke in, and it was with the greatest difficulty she was kept free. At one time, having shipped a heavy sea, the boat apparently became water-logged; so that we scarcely ventured to hope that we should succeed in freeing her. We could show no other sail than a blanket, and with great difficulty kept the boat from being overwhelmed by the heavy cross sea that was running.

We reached the land near Breaker Point about 10 o'clock P. M. During the night we had several narrow escapes, from being stranded on the reef and scattered rocks off the Point. At one time the rocks were not more than six or eight feet from the boat, with a high rolling sea dashing against them, while the dark and gloomy night, the unsettled weather, and all of us drenched to the skin from spray and tops of the seas combing over us, added to the horrors of our