r. They quitted the ship in a most critical time, for in a
little more than an hour after they had left her, she parted
amidships--that part on which they had been standing for the last five
or six hours capsized and was buried in the surf. In sixteen hours
from the time she first struck, the whole vessel had disappeared,
under the action of a raging surf, lashed into fury by the violence of
the gale.

The conduct of the people on shore was most inhuman; not the slightest
assistance was offered; not a single boat from Brixham or Torquay
having put out to their assistance during the whole of this dreadful
night. To add to this disgraceful conduct, the cowardly wretches were
observed, when daylight broke, plundering everything of value as it
floated ashore.

The following is the tribute of praise which Captain Hunter so justly
pays to Captain Martin and the officers and crew of the Impetueux:--

"To Captain Martin, of the Impetueux, whose feelings as a man,
as well as his zeal as an officer, were on this distressing
occasion so conspicuous.--It is the desire of the officers and
crew of the Venerable in this place to express the high sense
they have of the obligations they are under to his personal
exertions, as well as those of the officers and boats' crews
whom he employed in this difficult and dangerous service,--for
it is to their exertions they owe the life they now enjoy."

Captain Hunter also speaks of the conduct of his own ship's company in
the highest terms. Their steadiness throughout was most remarkable,
and to this, in a great measure, may be attributed the preservation of
their own lives.

One solitary instance of neglect of duty occurred; and when we
consider the circumstances in which the men were placed, and the
temptations which never fail to present themselves on such occasions,
the highest praise is not only due to the crew, but also to the
captain and officers, who, by their previous conduct, had gained the
respect and confidence of those under them. It is in such moments of
severe trial that the character of a ship's company is put to the
test; and the good behaviour of the men who remained with their
officers proves that, in order to maintain a proper degree of
discipline, no undue severity need be practised.

To a comparatively recent period, the captain of a man-of-war had the
power of inflicting corporal punishment to an unlimited extent. This
practice has o