h obliged us to lie to. In
the beginning of this storm our ship sprung a leak, and let in so much
water that all our people, officers included, were employed continually
in working the pumps, and the next day we had the vexation to see the
Gloucester with her topmast once more by the board, and whilst we were
viewing her with great concern for this new distress we saw her
main-topmast, which had hitherto served as a jury mainmast, share the
same fate. This completed our misfortunes and rendered them without
resource, for we knew the Gloucester's crew were so few and feeble that
without our assistance they could not be relieved, and our sick were now
so far increased, and those that remained in health so continually
fatigued with the additional duty of our pumps, that it was impossible
for us to lend them any aid. Indeed, we were not as yet fully apprised of
the deplorable situation of the Gloucester's crew, for when the storm
abated (which during its continuance prevented all communication with
them) the Gloucester bore up under our stern, and Captain Mitchel
informed the Commodore that besides the loss of his masts, which was all
that had appeared to us, the ship had then no less than seven feet of
water in her hold, although his officers and men had been kept constantly
at the pump for the last twenty-four hours, and that her crew was greatly
reduced, for there remained alive on board her no more than seventy-seven
men, eighteen boys, and two prisoners, officers included, and that of
this whole number only sixteen men and eleven boys were capable of
keeping the deck, and several of these very infirm.

THUS PERISHED H.M.S. GLOUCESTER.

It plainly appeared that there was no possibility of preserving the
Gloucester any longer, as her leaks were irreparable, and the united
hands on board both ships capable of working would not be able to free
her, even if our own ship should not employ any part of them. The only
step to be taken was the saving the lives of the few that remained on
board the Gloucester, and getting out of her as much as was possible
before she was destroyed; and therefore the Commodore immediately sent an
order to Captain Mitchel, as the weather was now calm and favourable, to
send his people on board the Centurion as expeditiously as he could and
to take out such stores as he could get at whilst the ship could be kept
above water. And as our leak required less attention whilst the present
easy weather co