eternal world.

"Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell,
Then shrieked the timid, and stood still the brave."

Those who retained any degree of sensibility endeavored to catch at
whatever was floating within their reach, with the vain hope of
prolonging their lives though it was certain that life could only
lengthen their sufferings. Many grasped with frantic despair, at the
slightest object they could find, but were either too weak to retain
their hold, or were forced to relinquish their grasp by the raging of
the surge. The rudder was seized by eight of the sinking creatures at
the same time, and some of them, were ultimately preserved. The number
of those who clung to the portion of the wreck which remained upon the
bank gradually grew thinner and thinner, as they sunk under their
fatigues, or were hurled into the deep by the remorseless waves. At
length, about an hour and a half from the time when she struck, the
remnant of the Rothsay Castle disappeared from the bosom of the ocean,
and the remainder of her passengers and crew were precipitated into
the foaming abyss.

SHIPWRECK OF THE FRENCH SHIP DROITS DE L'HOMME.

On the 5th of January, 1797, returning home on leave of absence from
the West Indies, in the Cumberland letter of marque, for the recovery
of my health, saw a large man of war off the coast of Ireland, being
then within four leagues of the mouth of the river Shannon. She
hoisted English colours, and decoyed us within gun-shot, when she
substituted the tri-coloured flag, and took us. She proved to be les
Droits de L'Homme, of 74 guns, commanded by the ci-devant baron, now
citizen La Crosse, and had separated from a fleet of men of war, on
board of which were twenty thousand troops, intended to invade
Ireland. On board of this ship was General Humbert, who afterwards
effected a descent into Ireland (in 1799) with nine hundred troops and
six hundred seamen.

On the 7th of January went into Bantry Bay to see if any of the
squadron was still there, and on finding none, the ship proceeded to
the southward. Nothing extraordinary occurred until the evening of the
13th, when two men of war hove in sight, which afterwards proved to be
the Indefatigable and Amazon frigates. It is rather remarkable that
the captain of the ship should inform me, that the squadron which was
going to engage him was Sir Edward Pellow's, and declared, as was
afterwards proved by the issue, "that he would not y