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0ceanica 
 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 Gift of 
 
 Herbert Fisk Johnson '22 
 
Cornell University Llbrery 
 VK1255.T41 D55 
 
 A narrative of the operations for the re 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 030 899 888 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030899888 
 
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NARRATIVE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 OPERATIONS FOR THE RECOVERY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PUBLIC STORES AND TREASURE 
 SUNK IN H.M.S. THETIS, 
 
 AX CAFE FRIO, ON THE COAST OF BRAZIL, ON THE 5th DECEMfiER, isao. 
 
 TO WHICH IS rilEPlXEU 
 
 A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF THAT SHIP. 
 
 By CAPT. THOMAS DICKINSON, R. N. 
 
 At thai time Commanding H, M^ Sloop Lightning t employed in effecting the above Salvage^ 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMAN. 
 
 M.DCCC.XXXVI. 
 
Loudon : MilU and Son, Gongh-sqnare, Fleet^street. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Iiv the following effort to lay before the Public 
 the particulars of a service, which I believe, when 
 all the circumstances under which it was performed 
 are considered, may be allowed to be quite unique, 
 I have laboured und«r much difficulty ; first, in the 
 want of confidence in my ability to execute the task 
 I have undertaken ; and secondly, in the endeavour, 
 while relating the routine of operations, to introduce 
 matter which might be generally entertaining : for I 
 have felt that if I adhered closely to the former, it 
 might be viewed by the general reader as partaking 
 of the unvarying detail of a ship's journal ; and if I 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 should go more at length into a description of inci- 
 dents not forming a part of the actual service, the 
 members of my profession might think that I was 
 wandering somewhat out of the path I had professed 
 to tread in. It has then been my great wish to steer 
 the middle course, by relating a few anecdotes, which 
 I hope will be found amusing, but not introducing 
 them to such an extent as to break the chain of 
 the narrative of the service performed ; while at the 
 same time I have aimed to avoid too minute a detail 
 of the circumstances of the enterprise ; and if, by 
 these means, 1 have succeeded in producing a little 
 book which will be generally interesting, I shall 
 feel highly gratified, though there are at the same 
 time other reasons which have induced the at- 
 tempt. 
 
 The, highly meritorious exertions of those who 
 were employed under me^ rendered it a duty to 
 make them known, and it has therefore always been 
 my determination to publish a statement of them in 
 some shg^pe or other ; but my first intention; was th9.t 
 it should be ?i mere pamphlet, for private circula- 
 tion only, and founded on my public "Narrative sent 
 to the Commander-in-Chief, to be forwarded, by him 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 for the informatida of the Lords Commissioners 
 of the Admiralty ; but certain circumsitancea, to 
 which a protracted litigation gave rise, but to which 
 I shall only thus allude, have given such, a very ex- 
 traordinary feature to a. service which. I always did, 
 and always shall, consider to be of a purely public 
 character, that I consider it absolutely necessary to 
 my own justification, to put the Narrative in a more 
 extended form, that the Public should be fully ac- 
 quainted with the matter. ; 
 
 During the legal proceedings an officer of very 
 high rank and eminent services in the profession 
 remarked to me — " Dickinson, there must be a 
 great deal of merit in your work at Cape Frio, since 
 so many wish to participate in it; you ought to 
 publish." I have followed his advice, and I hope 
 in such a manner as will enable the Members of the 
 Profession and Readers at large who may do me 
 the honour of perusing :my book, to judge to whom 
 that merit is due. 
 
 I have carefully avoided stating any thing for 
 which I have" not some documentary testimony^ 
 My public and private journals, public and private 
 
Vi PREFACfi. 
 
 letters, and private memoranda, contain sufficient 
 matter, if placed in the hands of a person possessed 
 of more graphic tact, force of style and animation 
 of thought, on which to write volumes ; but I have 
 throughout felt my deficiency in those qualifications? . 
 and have consequently been in dread of wading out 
 of my depth ; and am therefore not without appre- 
 hension that my Narrative may be considered as 
 being too much " matter of fact" ; and I have simi- 
 lar fears as to diction, for which I must apologize 
 by stating that as I entered the Navy at the age of 
 nine years, not, as was too much the case in those 
 days, by being placed on the books of a ship and 
 still remaining on shore to receive all the great be- 
 nefits of school instruction, but I went immediately 
 to actual and active service, and was therefore de- 
 prived of the advantage of a liberal education, so 
 necessary in literary attempts. I had a thought of 
 calling in the aid of some person to correct and 
 improve for me, but on further consideration it 
 appeared to me that from the peculiar nature of the 
 subject, in endeavouring to heighten the description 
 he might perhaps destroy in a measure that appear- 
 ance of positive veracity which it has been a point of 
 anxiety to me that it should possess. I therefore 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 send it forth to the world as it is with all its faults, 
 and whatever they may be I must bear all the cen- 
 sure they deserve, for they are my own. 
 
 The remarks on the long course of legal proceed- 
 ings I should have been better pleased to avoid alto- 
 gether, or rather, that the necessity for them had 
 not existed, but that they were necessary I think 
 they themselves sufficiently prove ; and I hope that 
 they may prove useful to those of my brother offi- 
 cers who may hereafter be,placed (if possible) in a 
 similarly anomalous situation. 
 
 It was my desire to give this little work to the 
 world at a much earlier period, and I fear that the 
 interest which was felt in the operations at Cape 
 Frio while the services were carrying on, and 
 during the hearing of the case in the Admiralty 
 Court and before the Judicial Committee of the 
 Privy Council, may not at this distant period be re- 
 exoited, but the delay was occasioned by several 
 points which, subsequeijtly to the great question of 
 award of salvage, had to be decided on, aind the re- 
 sults of which I considered it best to wait for. Even 
 now there is a point which I hope I may consider 
 
VIU PREFACE. 
 
 as being but in abeyance, and that, should those in 
 whose hands it is condescend to read my Narrative, 
 they may thereby be induced to give the subject a 
 more favourable consideration. 
 
 THOMAS DICKINSON. 
 
 London, June, 1836. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Alexander, Robert, Esq. 
 Addams, Jesse, Esq., U. C. L. 
 Addams, R., Esq. 
 Addison, Captain 
 Arnaud, E., Esq. 
 Akerinan, J. Y., Esq., F. A. S. 
 Atkinson, J. T., Esq. 
 Atwall, Mrs. 
 Adamson, Thomas, Esq. 
 
 Beauchamp, Right Honourable the Earl of 
 
 Bruce, George E., Esq. 
 
 Brown, R., Esq. 
 
 Brown, Captain George, Esq., R. N. 
 
 Beams, William, Esq. 
 
 Bicknell, — , Esq. 
 
 Beaumont, Miss 
 
 BuUey, Mrs. 
 
 Baillie, Colonel Alexander 
 
 Browne, Joseph, Esq. 
 
 Brown, Thomas^ Esq. 
 
 Barton, Major-General 
 
LIST OT STJBSCRIBBRS. 
 
 Blaney, Thomas, Esq. 
 
 Burney, Charles, Esq., LL. D. 
 
 Burney, Mrs. 
 
 Buckland, Dr., Prof, of Geology, Oxford 
 
 Billingsley, Samuel, Esq, 
 
 Chandos, The Most Noble the Marquis of, M. P- 
 
 Coventry, The Right Honourable the Earl of 
 
 Coventry, The Honourable John 
 
 Coventry, The Honourable Thomas 
 
 Coventry, The Honourable W. J. 
 
 Cooper, Beale, Esq. 
 
 ■Charlett, Colonel N. 
 
 Chapman, -^, Esq. (2 copies^ 
 
 Coles, John, Esq. 
 
 Cotton, Richard, Esq. 
 
 Church, J., Esq. 
 
 Curry, Commander, R. N. 
 
 •Crane, Samuel, Esq. 
 
 dlifton, John, Esq'. 
 
 Cosgrave, — , Esq. 
 
 Cowan, James, Esq. 
 
 Carter, George, Esq. 
 
 Coates, J., Esq. 
 
 Cuthbert, Thomas, Esq. 
 
 Candler, Lieutenant Wm., R.N. 
 
 Collier, Captain Sir F. A., R. N., K. C. B. 
 
 Casher, Edward, Esq. 
 
 Cruickshanlc, Rooert, Esq. 
 
 Downshire, The Most Noble the Marquis of 
 Downshire, The Most Noble the Marchioness of 
 Deerhurst, The Right Honourable Viscount 
 Dodson, Sir John, D.C.L., King's Advocate. 
 Doyle, Captain Sir B. C, R. N. 
 De Symonds, Samuel L., Esq. 
 Deacon, Charles, Esq. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCfilBEfiS. XI 
 
 Davey, Peter, Esq. 
 
 Davenport, Mrs. 
 
 Dabbs- — , Esq; 
 
 Dabbs, G. H., Esq., R.N. 
 
 Duncan, Archibald, Esq,. 
 
 Daniell, Commander G.-, R. N. 
 
 Deacon, Henry, Esq. 
 
 EUey, — , Esq. 
 Edwards, Captain Henry, R. N. 
 Ellis, Edward, Esq. 
 Edwards, Henry, Esq* 
 Edwards, Henry, jun., Esq. 
 England, N. B., Esq. 
 Ellice, Captain A., R. N. 
 Emanuel, Mr. E. 
 
 Fleming, John, Esq., M. P. 
 Field, John, Esq. 
 Fowke. — , Esq. 
 Foreman, Mrs. 
 Foreman, Miss 
 Forster, Thomas K., Eiq. 
 Friend, William, Esq^ 
 
 Green, Francis, Esq. 
 
 Goldsmid, M. A., Esq. 
 
 Grant, Francis A., Esq. 
 
 Grey, Rev. G. R. 
 
 Gauci, M., Esq. 
 
 Grant, Captain Thomas, H. l.C. S. 
 
 Gould, Nathaniel, Esq. 
 
 Gonne, Charles, Esq. 
 
 Green, Robert, Esq. 
 
 Gitton, Thomas, Attorney-at-Law. 
 
 Gillman, George, Esq. 
 
XU LIST OF SUBSCRIBEKS. 
 
 Hewlett, Rev. John 
 
 Hewlett, Mrs. 
 
 Haggard, — , Esq., D, C. L.-(2 copies) 
 
 Higgins, Colonel Sir Samuel, ,K. C. H. 
 
 Home, Edward, Esq. 
 
 Hayward, James, Esq. 
 
 Harris, Wintour, Esq. 
 
 Hammond, William, Esq. 
 
 Hammond, William H., Esq. 
 
 Howes, Lieutenant George, R. N. 
 
 Henry, Templar, Esq. 
 
 Herbert, John, Esq. 
 
 Hudson, John, Esq. 
 
 Hull, Wm. Darley, Esq. 
 
 Johnson, A., Esq. 
 
 Jones, E., Esq. 
 
 Jones, Captain J., R.N. 
 
 Jervis, W., Esq. ' 
 
 Jenkins, Captain 
 
 James, Edward, Esq. 
 
 Jameson, Daniel, Esq. 
 
 Jerrard, — , Esq. 
 
 Jervoise, Captain W. C, R. N. 
 
 Jones, J. L., Esq., R. N, 
 
 King, Lieutenant Sidney, R.N. 
 Knobel, W.E., Esq. 
 
 Lygon, Hon. Colonel H. B., M.P. 
 Lechmere, Sir Anthony 
 Logan, Captain 
 Lewis, Thomas, Esq. 
 Lancaster, Henry, Esq. 
 Lechmere, The Rev. Berwick 
 Lambert, Edward, Esq. 
 Lehay, Henry, Esq. (5 copies) 
 
LIST OP SUBSCRIBERS. XIU 
 
 Lucas, John L., Esq. 
 
 Lynch, P., Esq. 
 
 Lynch, Mrs. 
 
 Lawrence, Captain John, R. M. 
 
 Maitland, E. Fuller, Esq. 
 Maitland, E. F., Esqi 
 Maitland, T. F., Esq. 
 Morgan, Thomas, Esq. 
 Murphy, — , Esq. . 
 Morris, Lieutenant Eliot, R.N. 
 Montague, Captain M., R.N. 
 Marriott, Major-General 
 Moreland, George, Esq. 
 Moore, Thomas, Esq. 
 M'Taggart, John, Esq., M. P. 
 Mould, John A., Esq., R.N. 
 M'Taggart, Thomas, Esq. 
 M'Cormick, William, Esq. 
 Meade, William, Esq. 
 Mills, George, Esq. 
 Mills, The Rev. J. B. 
 M'Christie, Thomas, Esq., M.D. 
 Macdonald, D., Esq. 
 Middleton, John L., Esq. 
 Middleton, Mrs. 
 Moore, Captain T., R. M. 
 Mingaye, Captain W. J., R. N. 
 
 Neeld, Joseph, Esq., M.P. (2 copies) 
 Newcombe, Captain Francis, R. N., C. B. 
 Nayler, Major 
 Nairne, Captain Alex., H. E. L C. S. 
 
 Oliveira, Benjamin, Esq. 
 Oliver, George, Esq. 
 Oldson, Benjamin, Esq. 
 
XIV LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Oakley, William, Esq. 
 Osborn, Francis, Esq. 
 Owen, T., Esq. 
 Oliver, — , Esq. 
 Oakes, Mrs. 
 
 Packington, J.S., Esq. (2 copies) 
 
 Pritchard, Commander S. P., R.N. 
 
 Pritchard, Commander J. W., R.N. 
 
 Pritchard, R.D., Esq., R.N. 
 
 Pritchard, R.D., jun., Esq., R.N. 
 
 Phillpotts, — , Esq. 
 
 Poynter, Thomas, Esq, 
 
 Pew, Major 
 
 Patrick, Captain J. 
 
 Powell. Captain H.B., R.N. 
 
 Pennington, — , Esq. 
 
 Pearson, T.L., Esq. 
 
 Phillips, J., Esq. (2 copies) 
 
 Purvis, Captain J. B., R. N. 
 
 Pad wick, William, Esq. 
 
 Quarrier, Daniel, Esq., M.D. (4 copies) 
 Quinton, Thomas, Esq. 
 
 Roberts, William H., Esq. 
 Beade, James, Esq. 
 Rawlings, Joseph, Esq. 
 Randall, Mrs. T. (2 copies), 
 
 Simpson, Captain (2 copies) 
 Smart, Commander Robert, R.N. 
 Simpson, Crawford, Esq. 
 Swabey, H.B., Esq. 
 Smallman, John, Esq. ' 
 Shepley, Michael, Esqw 
 Spooner, Richard, Esq. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. XV 
 
 Smith. Miss A. F. 
 Smith, John, Esq. 
 Smith. Henry T., Esq. 
 Smith, Miss L. 
 Sanderson, C, E$q. 
 Smith, T.. Esq.. M.D. 
 Scott, Edward J., Esq. 
 Sharp, Joseph, Esq. 
 Sharps, L.G., Esq. 
 Surridge, J. T., Esq. 
 Synge, Sir Edward, Kt. 
 Shaw. Geo. Augustus. Esq. 
 
 Tyndale. G.B., Esq. (2 copies) 
 
 Tebbs, Charles, Esq. 
 
 Tebbs, Mrs. 
 
 Tebbs, Henry. E^. 
 
 Tipper. Benjamin, Esq. 
 
 Townsend, Henry. Esq. 
 
 Taylor. William. Esq. 
 
 Tobin. Captain Geo., R. N., C. B. 
 
 Vance, George, Esq., M.D. 
 Vigors. N. A.. Esq. 
 Vickers. Mrs. Henry 
 Vickers. Master John 
 Vanhethuysen, R.T.. Esq. 
 Vanhethuysen. Richard, Esq. 
 Vickers. Miss 
 
 Whitmore, Wolrych, Esq. 
 
 Wellesley, Captain The Honourable William, R.N. 
 
 Williams, Colonel Sir Richard, K.C.B. 
 
 Williams. Lady 
 
 Wakley, Thomas. Esq., M. P. (2 copies) 
 
 Weymouth, John, Esq. 
 
 Webber. James, Esq. 
 
■XVI LIST OF SUnSCUIBERS. 
 
 Wildey, Captain 
 
 Wildey, Mrs. 
 
 Wheeler, Henry James, Esq. (2 copies) 
 
 White, Mrs. Kearney 
 
 Wardell, Captain John (2 copies) 
 
 Walker, R., Esq. 
 
 Wheeler, James, Esq. 
 
 Wheeler, John, Esq. 
 
 Westbrook, Lieutenant George, R. N. 
 
 Woodhead, Joseph, Esq. 
 
 Williamson, Mrs. 
 
 Ward, Thomas, Esq. 
 
 Ward, Mrs. 
 
 Wright, F., Esq., M. D. 
 
 Wright, John, Esq.' 
 
 Wilson, Peter J., Esq. 
 
 Wilson, A., Esq. 
 
 Wyndham, Captain G., R. N. 
 
 Young, Thomas, Esq. 
 Yarrell, Joseph, Esq. 
 Yelf, W. H., Esq. 
 
NARRATIVE, 
 
 ETC. 
 
 LOSS OF THE THETIS. 
 
 The circumstances attending the loss of his Majesty's 
 late frigate Thetis^ unquestionably place that melancholy 
 catastrophe among the most remarkable of the recorded in- 
 stances of maritime disasters. And for this reason, as well 
 as from a conviction that to the general reader a concise 
 account of it may prove interesting, I have thrown together 
 the outlines of this event, gathened from the narration of 
 officers of that ship, and from documents which have fallen 
 within my observation. These particulars, imperfect though 
 they necessarily are, in consequence of the suddenness of 
 the accident, and the confusion attendant upon the embar- 
 rassing and almost unparalleled circumstances under which 
 it occurred, are yet amply sufficient to convey a vivid im- 
 pression of the imminent peril of all on board, and of the 
 almost miraculous nature of their ultimate preservation. 
 They will likewise afford an appropriate and almost neces- 
 sary introduction to the narrative of the operations by which 
 
I ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OP 
 
 his Majesty's ship Lightning, then under my command, was 
 successful in retrieving, to a large extent, the heavy pecu- 
 niary loss which those who were interested in the valuable 
 property on board the Thetis at the time, had sustained 
 through this lamentable disaster. 
 
 It is not my intention to offer any opinion on the calamity 
 itself. All the circumstances connected with it have been 
 submitted to the investigation of the most competent tri- 
 bunal, a naval court martial ; and it would be equally pre- 
 sumptuous in me to suppose that I could either strengthen 
 or weaken the force of the decision of that court, by any 
 opinion of mine ; but there is one short remark which I 
 am induced to make, because it may be useful to strangers 
 visiting the neighbourhood of Cape Frio. The currents are 
 always dangerously uncertain, being almost entirely in- 
 fluenced by the winds. In the course of my observations 
 I have known the current run strong to the southward for 
 five consecutive days, then change, and run to the north- 
 ward for two days, and again change and run to the south- 
 ward for three days. This sets all computation at defiance ; 
 and so strong are these currents, that I have been set about 
 forty miles to the southward in twenty- four hours. 
 
 On the morning of the 4th December, 1830, his Majesty's 
 frigate Thetis, of forty-gix guns, and with a complement of 
 about 300 men, sailed from Rio de Janeiro on her voyage to 
 England, having on board gold and silver bars, and other 
 treasure of various descriptions, amounting in value to about 
 810,000 dollars ; the greater part of which she had brought 
 round from the Pacific to Rio, where she received a small 
 additional quantity ; the whole being shipped on account of 
 merchants and others in England. The wind falling light, with 
 occasionally a very thick fog, and a strong tide being against 
 her, she was unable on that day to reach further than Raza 
 Island, which is situated at the outer entrance of the harbour. 
 
H. M. FRIGATE THETIS. O 
 
 about five miles from Rio, and has alight-house on it. From 
 hence she took her departm'e at half-past one o'clock on the 
 morning of the 5thj the island then bearing N. W. by W. 
 eight or nine miles distant. The wind being from the 
 south-eastward, they stood out to sea on the larboard tack 
 to get an of&ng ; but at seven o'clock they wore ship and 
 stood on the starboard tack ; and the wind soon after be- 
 coming more favourable, they steered east by north until 
 two o'clock in the afternoon (Cape Frio having, at half-past 
 one, been computed to bear north, distant about forty miles), 
 when the course was altered to east-north-east, on which 
 they ran twenty miles in two hours ; and at four o'clock the 
 ship was considered to be abreast of Cape Frio, twenty-four 
 miles distant ; and the course then given to be steered was 
 north-east by east, with a fair wind, which enabled them to 
 set the fore-topmast studdingsail, and the ship was going at 
 the rate of ten and a half miles an hour, with every expec- 
 tation of a speedy and favourable voyage ; and, doubtless, 
 all hearts dwelling with delight on the prospect of shortly 
 meeting those whom they held most dear, and from whom 
 they had been for several years separated ; a prospect which 
 none can so fully experience or appreciate as those whose 
 station in life, like that of a sailor, severs them, for a long 
 interval, from their home and domestic comforts. But alas ! 
 in this instance, all these pleasing anticipations were soon 
 to be blighted. Continuing in their progress onward at this 
 rftpid rate, without the slightest apprehension of any danger, 
 much less of the dreadful fate that was so shortly to befal 
 them, eight o'clock arrived, at which time a further distance 
 of about forty miles had been accomplished since the hour of 
 four. The watch*, as usual, was relieved, and had gone to 
 their beds; the customary look-out men were placed in 
 
 * Half of the crew. 
 B 2 
 
4 ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF 
 
 stations, and the officer who had assumed the charge of the 
 ship had visited them, and given his directions to keep a good 
 look-out, and such others as from the state of the weather 
 he had considered necessary ; hut scarcely had he performed 
 this duty and reached the quarter-deck, when the look-out 
 man on one cathead* called out " Breakers under the bow ! 
 which was immediately followed by the shout " Rocks above 
 the mast-head!" and in an instant the bowsprit came with 
 a tremendous crash in contact with the lofty perpendicular 
 cliffs of Cape Frio, and was broken off just above the ship's 
 figure-head ; the head yard-arms also pressing against the 
 cliffs ;' and the foremast having lost the counteracting sup- 
 port of the bowsprit, it fell aft against the mainmast, which 
 being carried away by the shock, fell on the mizenmast, and 
 carried it away also ; thus all three masts fell fore-and- aft 
 on board the ship, killing and wounding many of the crew, 
 and, '^at one fell swoop," in the space of a few seconds, the 
 ship was reduced from the grandeur of full sail to a helpless 
 and unmanageable hulk. The falling of the masts occasioned 
 a great deal of wreck ; and as there had not been time to 
 take in the sails, every avenue to the upper deck was so 
 covered by them, that those of the officers and crew who 
 were below were obliged to cut their way through them with 
 knives to get up. 
 
 At the instant the breakers were discovered, Mr. Bing- 
 ham, a midshipman (son of Captain Bingham, who a few 
 weeks before had commanded the Thetis, and had been un- 
 fortunately drowned at one of the ports in the Pacific), ran 
 down to inform the captain of it ; but so sudden was the 
 disaster, that although Captain Burgess rushed past him at 
 the cabin door, the masts fell at the moment he reached the 
 quarter-deck. 
 
 * A strong piece of timber to suspend the anchor to. 
 
H. M. FRIGATE THETIS. 5 
 
 No description can realize the awful state of the ill-fated 
 ship and all on board at this appalling moment j the night 
 was rainy, and so dark that it was impossible to ascertain 
 their position, beyond the fact of their being repeatedly 
 driven with tremendous force against cliffs of a stupendous 
 height above them, and consequently inaccessible, and not 
 offering the slightest chance of escape : the upper deck of 
 the ship, the only part in which exertion could be useful, was 
 completely choked up with masts, sails, and rigging, which 
 presented obstacles that rendered unavailing every attempt at 
 active exertion ; while the ears of all, who were of course 
 using their utmost endeavours for the general safety, were 
 pierced by the cries of the dying and wounded for the assist- 
 ance which the imperious calls of duty forbade them to give. 
 Nothing but inevitable destruction presented itself to all on 
 board ; and their perfectly helpless state rendered all deli- 
 beration useless ; and indeed there was no choice of mea- 
 sures, no point on which to offer an opinion, and they could 
 only await such means as Providence might present. 
 
 It might reasonably be supposed that the concussion 
 
 against the granite coast would have dashed the bows of the 
 
 vessel in, but this was not the case, in consequence of the 
 
 bowsprit and head-yards having, in a great degree, checked 
 
 her velocity ; still the shock could not have been otherwise 
 
 than terrific : notwithstanding which, she still remained 
 
 sound below her water-line. The depth of water being 
 
 great close to the shore, her bottom had not yet touched, 
 
 and remained uninjured ; and on sounding the well, to their 
 
 great surprise and delight it was found that she did not 
 
 leak. 
 
 " That danger past, reflects a feeble joy ; 
 
 « But soon returning fears their hopes destroy." 
 
 Her head having recoiled from the rocks, and turned off 
 shore, an attempt was made to force her out seaward, by 
 
b ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF 
 
 gettiiig out .numerous spars against the cliffs, and by hoist- 
 ing a small sail on the stump of the mainmast, which had 
 broken off at about fourteen feet above the deck j but these 
 efforts proved unavailing ; the small bower anchor was then 
 ordered to be let go, but it Avas so covered by the wreck of the 
 masts that it was found to be impossible to accomplish this, 
 but the best bower was immediately prepared and let go. 
 All these efforts, however, and great indeed they must have 
 been in the existing condition of the ship, were fruitless. 
 From some cause the anchor did not readily reach the 
 bottom, and on her swinging round to it her starboard quar- 
 ter came in contact with the rocks, and every wave that 
 came in caused her to strike against theni most violently, 
 making every timber and beam to yield, and it was with the 
 greatest difficulty that any one could keep his legs. Direc* 
 tions were now given again to sound the well, when it was 
 found that she was leaking very fast, and that the water had 
 forced open the hatches of the spirit-room. The pumps 
 were immediately set to work, but all hope of saving the 
 ship was at an end, and preservation of life became the only 
 object of their efforts. 
 
 At the part of the cliff where she now lay, there was a 
 shelving projecting Tock about twenty feet above the sea, 
 which presented a point at which there was a prospect of 
 landing, and here a part of the crew made the attempt by 
 leaping ; about forty of them succeeded ; but others, less 
 agile, or less strong, failed, and falling between the ship and 
 the rocks, were drowned or crushed to death. She again 
 swung a little further from the shore, and orders were given 
 immediately to slip the cable ; which being done, she was 
 again let loose to the mercy of the winds and waves, in the 
 hope that she might be driven to some other part on which 
 they might effect a landing. In taking measures for saving 
 the crew, the boats were naturally the first means to be 
 
H. M. FRIGATE THETIS. 7 
 
 tried. Unanimous eiForts were now directed to this all-im- 
 portant object J but on examining the cutter, jolly-boat, and 
 gig, which were on the stern and quarters, they were found 
 to be broken to pieces by the falling of the masts. The boats 
 on the booms were then tried, but the' launch and a gig 
 which was in her, were found to be crushed ; and the re- 
 mainder, with the exception of the diugy*, were so jammed, 
 as to be perfectly immoveable. With this accumulation 
 of peril, all human efforts at this period appeared to be in 
 vain I but meanwhile, the ship having been driven along the 
 coast about a third of a mile from where she first struck, a 
 small inlet now appeared to their view, and a gleam of hope 
 burst upon them, for it was supposed to be the entrance be- 
 tween the island and the main to the harbour of Cape Frio ; 
 but in a short period, the discovery of the comscations, 
 caused by the dashing of the surf against the rocks within, 
 showed that it was only a nook in the coast, into which, 
 after striking violently on the point at the outer extremity, 
 and swinging completely round, by the impulse of the in- 
 creasing wind and sea, she drifted at a little before nine 
 o'clock; and here she lay, sui'rounded on three sides by 
 dark, and apparently perfectly inaccessible cliffs. At the 
 inner part of this nook, subsequently denominated "Thetis 
 Cove," and near the cliffs, are some sunken rocks, against 
 which she was propelled, where every succeeding wave 
 raised her to a great height, and refluent let her fall on them 
 with a violent concussion. Every spark of hope was extin- 
 guished, and to all human perception nothing but inevitable 
 death stared them in the face. But Providence ordered it 
 otherwise, and a remedy, almost miraculous, appeared at 
 hand. The party who had landed on the ledge before-men- 
 tioned, in the faint hope of rendering assistance to their for- 
 lorn shipmates, although there was no apparent means of 
 
 * A very small boat. 
 
8 ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF 
 
 doing so, and notwithstanding they had but just escaped 
 from death themselves, like true British sailors, were still 
 ready to risk their lives in the service of others, had, by dint 
 of persevering exertion, scrambled over the craggy preci 
 pices and through the woods, followed the ship as she 
 drifted along the coast, and succeeded in reaching the spot 
 where she now lay, buffeted about by the winds and sea, in 
 the last extremity of distress. On the south-east side of 
 the nook into which she had been driven is a part considera- 
 bly lower than the rest, and to this they contrived to de- 
 scend; and the head of the ship having come in juxta-posi- 
 tion with this spot, those on board were enabled to throw a 
 small rope to their companions on the cliff, by aid of which, 
 at nine o'clock, a hawser was hauled up and made fast to a 
 rock. By this means, in a short time lights were sent on 
 shore, and several of the crew were drawn up the rugged 
 face of the cliff, and there appeared to be a reasonable pros- 
 pect that the remainder would likewise be got safe to land. 
 But the hope of deliverance thus presented was yet doomed 
 to meet with checks and painful suspense. At a quarter 
 past nine the water was up to the main-deck : the ship was 
 now sinking very fast, and, under the influence of the heavy 
 waves that rolled in, was writhing with a vibratory motion, 
 and, as if in a last convulsive effort, gave a tremendous surge 
 and sank ; at the same time displacing the rock to which 
 the hawser had been fastened, and thus at once destroying 
 the communication with the shore, and increasing the dis- 
 tance between it and those on board. At this instant, when 
 there appeared no hope that a soul could be rescued, it was 
 discovered that the ship had reached the bottom; the upper 
 part of the larboard bulwark *, the hammock- nettings .f, the 
 
 * The upper part of the side of the ship. 
 
 f Compartments in which (he hammocks are placed in the day-time; 
 situated on the top of the bulwark. 
 
H. M. FRIGATE THETIS. y 
 
 tafrail*, and the stumps of the masts, remained above the 
 surface of the water, and these served the crew to cling to, 
 though they were frequently enveloped in surf, which threat- 
 ened every instant to tear them from their hold. All pos- 
 sibility of general efforts was at an end, and the period for 
 individual exertion and intrepidity had arrived, which was 
 indeed exhibited most conspicuously. Mr. Geach, the boat- 
 swain, a very powerful man, whose conduct throughout had 
 been most praiseworthy, happily succeeded in reaching the 
 stump of the bowsprit with a small line in his hand, to the 
 end of which he fastened two belaying-pins f, and having 
 contrived to secure himself in his position, by an extraor- 
 dinary effort, but not until after repeated failures, he suc- 
 ceeded in throwing the line to those on the cliff, several of 
 whom had by this time managed to get considerably lower 
 dowTx than on the former occasion ; and, as before, a large 
 rope was thus hauled up, the end of it made fast, and the 
 means of communication and relief were thereby restored. 
 Captain Burgess now placed himself just within Mr. Geach, 
 encouraging the people, and assisting to sling every man 
 singly, so long as there were any that would go, but there 
 were a few that hesitated, preferring to remain on the wreck 
 until daylight. Finding his persuasions unavailing with 
 them, and that his remaining any longer on the wreck could 
 not be of any possible utility, while every one was urging 
 him to save himself, he consented to be dravni up, and im- 
 mediately afterwards those whose obstinacy had very nearly 
 been the cause of their destruction, repented, and were saved 
 by the same means ; the last man being rescued from this 
 most perilous position just as daylight broke and showed 
 them their real situation and their devoted ship beneath 
 
 * The upper part of the stern of the ship. 
 
 t Pieces of woo^ or iron for the purpose of making ropes fast to. 
 
JO ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF 
 
 them. Considering the whole of the circumstances, it is 
 most wonderful that there were but twenty- eight persons 
 lost, among whom was young Bingham. This fine spirited 
 young gentleman had been most active during the whole 
 period of the distressing scene, particularly in getting the 
 small sail on the stump of the mainmast. Nearly the whole 
 of those who were saved had their hands and feet dreadfully 
 lacerated by the rocks, and were otherwise much bruised 
 and injured. 
 
 In this result it is impossible not to see the interposition 
 of Providence ; for this nook, in which the Thetis was lost, 
 is the only spot on the whole line of coast on that side of the 
 island where they could possibly have been saved. 
 
 I have given in the above sketch a mere outline of the 
 circumstances of this very singular and distressing accident, 
 which, if dwelt on in detail, would extend to a greater length 
 than might be considered consistent with my proposed 
 ostensible object, that of giving a narrative of the subse- 
 quent proceedings for retrieving, as far as possible, this 
 heavy loss. 
 
 On the 19th of August, 1830, his Majesty's ship Light- 
 ning, under my command, sailed from Rio de Janeiro, for 
 the purpose of completing her station-time in the Pacific 
 Ocean ; and having in her voyage thither touched at Monte 
 Video and Buenos Ayres, arrived at Valparaiso on the 12th 
 of October ; where was lying his Majesty's ship Tribune, 
 on board of which was deposited a considerable quantity of 
 specie and other treasure, which had been intended to be 
 sent to England in the Thetis j but which, from some cause 
 with which I am not sufiiciently acquainted to state, was 
 not called for by that ship on her voyage homeward. Cap- 
 tain the Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, of his Majesty's ship 
 Seringapatam, the senior officer on that part of the station, 
 arrived a few days after me, and in furtherance of British 
 
H. M. FBIGATE THETIS. 11 
 
 commercial interests at that port, immediately ordered me 
 to receive the treasure from the Tribune, to call at Coquimbo 
 for whatever treasure might be there, and thence proceed 
 with the whole, which amounted to about 45,000 dollars in 
 value, to Rio de Janeiro. In the execution of these orders 
 I proceeded with all possible speed, in the hope that I 
 should reach my destination before the Thetis sailed from 
 thence, that I might tranship the treasure to her, so that it 
 should go to England by the conveyance originally intended; 
 but a series of light and adverse winds for the first ten days 
 after I sailed somewhat retarded my passage, which never- 
 theless was an unusually short one. The Lightning reached 
 to within about fifteen leagues of Rio on the evening of the 
 fifth of December ; but not having for several days before 
 been able to obtain any observations for determining the 
 longitude, and the weather being squally and precarious, 
 and the night very dark, I did not think it prudent to run in 
 to make the land, but brought the ship to the wind under 
 easy sail, stood off and on during the night, and on the fol- 
 lowing day arrived in the port. The Thetis, however, v/as 
 gone, and my endeavours were consequently frustrated^ 
 
 The Thetis had arrived at Rio de Janeiro a considerable 
 period before me, had undergone the usual refit, and re- 
 ceived a small quantity of treasure on board in addition to 
 the large amount brought from the Pacific ; and it is ob- 
 servable, from the foregoing account of her loss, that had 
 the Lightning been fortunate enough to complete her voyage 
 one day sooner, that melancholy event, in all probability, 
 would not have occurred, as the transhipment of the 
 treasure to the Thetis would necessarily have caused some 
 delay. 
 
 Immediately on my arrival at Rio Janeiro I received or- 
 ders from Rear Admiral (now Sir Thomas) Baker to refit 
 for sea; and was proceeding in compliance therewith, in 
 
12 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 prospect of returning to the Pacific, having been sent from 
 thence for the purpose already specified ; but a different 
 employment very unexpectedly presented itself, which it is 
 my purpose to relate in the following 
 
 NARRATIVE. 
 
 On the 10th day of December, 1830, intelligence of the 
 loss of his Majesty's frigate Thetis was communicated to 
 Rear-Admiral Baker, C. B., the Commander-in-Chief of 
 the South American station, then at Rio de Janeiro, in a 
 letter from Captain Samuel Burgess, brought over land by 
 Lieutenant Hamilton, late of that ship. 
 
 My first information on the subject was derived from the 
 telegraphic signal to that effect from the Warspite, the flag 
 ship, to the Admiral on shore, and having been engaged to 
 dine with him on that day, I hastened to his house, where 
 shortly afterwards I met Lieutenant Hamilton, who con- 
 cisely related to me the circumstances. The subject formed, 
 as may readily be imagined, the only topic of interest and 
 discussion during the dinner and the rest of the day. The 
 consternation occasioned by the dreadful catastrophe was 
 not confined to naval persons, but was universally felt at Rio, 
 particularly amongst mercantile people, since from the tenor 
 of the letter and the description given by the officer who 
 brought it, the ship and every thing she contained were con- 
 sidered as totally lost. The event became a matter of general 
 conversation ; but while every one deplored it, I did not hear 
 of any who seemed disposed to venture on an attempt to 
 recover the property, all appearing to consider the case as 
 perfectly hopeless. At this time there was before me the 
 prospect of being actively employed for two years in the 
 Pacific on the customary duty of collecting treasure at the 
 different ports, and at the termination of that period, of re- 
 turning to England as usual with a freight, by which I might 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 13 
 
 realize several thousand pounds ; on the other hand, here was 
 an undertaking, which, if successful, I felt would assuredly- 
 lead to professional reputation and fortune, but which every 
 one whom I addressed on the subject thought must fail. 
 Still, the scarcity of the opportimities of obtaining distinc- 
 tion and credit, by an extraordinary act of duty, which 
 present themselves to ofiBcers in the navy in these " piping 
 times of peace," offered a consideration which prevailed 
 over the more certain pecuniary advantages of freightage j 
 and I determined on making the attempt, if I could get 
 orders from the Commander-in-Chief to that effect. 
 
 In order to know what would be the means necessary for 
 carrying the project, now the object of my ambition, into 
 execution, I made minute inquiry into the circumstances, 
 and endeavoured to learn the form of the coast and depth of 
 water, and to obtain every other information bearing on the 
 subject. The result of these inquiries was, that the enterr 
 prise was practicable, or at least that it was worth the trial, 
 although it was evident that to obtain success, great dangers 
 must be encountered and many difficulties and obstacles 
 overcome ; and that with so few as 135 persons, the com- 
 plement of the Lightning, immense labour and exertion must 
 of course attend it. 
 
 On the day succeeding the arrival of the communication 
 of the loss of the Thetis, the Admiral put to sea with his 
 Majesty's vessels Clio, Algerine, Adelaide (tender), the 
 Warspite's launch, and his own barge ; intending to proceed 
 to Cape Frio to visit the wreck, and afford relief to the dis- 
 tressed crew : but after an ineffectual attempt for three days 
 to beat up against a strong north-east wind, he returned in 
 his barge, and on the following day, the ] 4th, went over 
 land. On reaching the place, he found that the above-named 
 vessels had arrived*: he remained there for ten days, when 
 
 * H.M. frigate Druid also arrived while he was there. 
 
14 NAEEATIVE OF THE 
 
 he " appointed his Majesty's sloop Algerine to guard the 
 wreck, and to save any thing of value which might be driven 
 up ;" and having dispatched the other ships to Rio de 
 Janeiro with the unfortunate surviving officers and crew of 
 the Thetis, he returned over land to that place- 
 On the return of those ships from Cape Frio, I made 
 many inquiries as to whether any plan or contrivance had 
 been suggested, or put in practice, for the recovery of the 
 property; but to all of them received negative answers. 
 This was certainly the very reverse of encouraging ; and I 
 must confess that it became a matter of serious reflection 
 whether the sacrifice was not too great, in exchanging the 
 pecuniary prospects of a trip to the Pacific for an under- 
 taking which every one appeared to consider chimerical. 
 The hull of the Thetis at this time was still entire ; and 
 since with that advantage and the resources of a frigate, two 
 sloops of war, a schooner, and a launch, together with the 
 great numerical force of their crews, and a large proportion 
 of the carpenter's crew of the Warspite, and likewise the 
 Commander-in-Chief to direct them, no attempt was hitherto 
 made beyond guarding the wreck and saving any thing that 
 " floated up," it miglit well be considered temerity in me 
 to venture in the matter. Actuated, however, by the same 
 feelings which had at first prompted me to hazard the at- 
 tempt, and having a natural repugnance to receding after 
 having, during my inquiries, disclosed my views very freely, 
 I was resolved to persevere. 
 
 During the absence of the Commander-in-Chief, I con- 
 stantly employed myself in inquiring for any persons likely 
 to assist me, searching for implements, and obtaining all 
 the information within my reach, and devised several instru- 
 ments of minor importance which appeared likely to be 
 useful. On his return from Cape Frio, I showed these to 
 him, of the whole of which he approved ; and they remained 
 at his house for general inspection. They were devised un- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FKIO. 15 
 
 der the impression that the hull of the Thetis was still 
 entire, which at that period was the case, and had it 
 remained so until the commencement of our operations, they 
 might have proved very beneficial, for at that time my 
 notion was to cut down into her hold, but as she shortly 
 afterwards went to pieces, they consequently were never 
 used. My sole object in mentioning them at all, is to show 
 that my attention was thus early directed to the mechanical 
 preparation for the undertaking. I considered a diving-bell 
 and apparatus for working it to be indispensable, and had 
 no doubt but one could readily be obtained at Rio. I sought 
 throughout the public establishments, the city, and the con- 
 tiguous parts, but was surprised to find that neither this nor 
 any other description of instrument likely to be useful could 
 be procured ; and I therefore perceived that much assistance 
 must not be expected from those quarters, and that as to 
 machijaery I must depend almost entirely on my own re- 
 sources for invention, and on such assistance as I could 
 obtain for its construction. This disappointment I reported 
 to the Adimiral, from whom I learned that Mr. Aston, the 
 Charge d' Affaires, knew of a diving-bell. This for the 
 moment was encouraging ; but on waiting on that gen- 
 tleman, I found that he had been misinformed; and, 
 therefore, concluding it to be impossible to succeed with- 
 out one, and as there were not the necessary facilities 
 for casting one in the usual way, I consulted every person 
 who was likely to be able to assist me with an opinion as 
 to getting one made ; but failing in these means, I was 
 obliged to make an attempt to construct one with such as 
 were within my reach. The difficulty of this at first ap- 
 peared insuperable, but after much anxious consideration, it 
 occurred to me that it was possible to make such an instru- 
 ment of iron water-tanks*, strengthened with bars of iron, 
 
 • Iron vessels in which the stodk of water is kept. 
 
16 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 &c. ; and I accordingly mentioned this plan to the Admiral, 
 and requested to be supplied with two two-ton tanks, which 
 he immediately ordered to be furnished from the Warspite, 
 and also authorized me to purchase the iron bars for the 
 bell, and an air-pump. 
 
 In the course of my inquiries I heard of a working 
 engineer named Moore, who had been for some years in 
 the employment of the Brazilian Government j and as at 
 this time, not having seen the situation of the wreck, I had 
 an impression that there would be a great deal of work of a 
 purely mechanical nature to perform, I considered that he 
 might be useful to me in executing it, and therefore sent for 
 him, and told him that I was going to Cape Frio to attempt 
 the recovery of the property sunk there, and that if he would 
 go with me on speculation I would take him, with the clear 
 understanding that his reward should depend on the degree 
 of success of the undertaking. To this, after some consi- 
 deration, he agreed. I immediately engaged him, and from 
 that moment he considered himself in my employ. I then 
 gave him my idea of a diving-bell, and desired him, with 
 the assistance of Mr. Jones, the carpenter of the Lightning, 
 to make a model according to my description, which was 
 speedily done, and I immediately put the bell under con- 
 struction at the island of Villegagnon, situated at a short 
 distance from and in front of the Admiral's house. 
 
 Not wishing to go to the expense of sending Moore over 
 land to Cape Frio, and not being able to take him passenger 
 in the Lightning without permission, I took him at this 
 period to the Admiral for the purpose of obtaining it, where 
 it was decided that he should go with me in the ship. 
 
 The apparatus next of importance to the diving-bell to be 
 obtained was an air-pump ; which, although I could not 
 find one ready made, there was not much difficulty in get- 
 ting made, beyond that of the excessively tedious manner in 
 which work is performed at Rio. With the assistance of 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 17 
 
 Mr. Jones and Moore, a mechanist was procured, and I di- 
 rected him to construct one, but he required daily visiting to 
 ensure its completion by the time that the other work should 
 be ready, which occupied more of my time than I could well 
 spare from the other preparations. In the mean while my 
 thoughts were turned to the formation of air-hoses, without 
 which the diving-bell and air-pump would be useless, in 
 fact, all that had been done, as it were labour lost. In vain 
 I sought throughout the arsenal and city ; it was impossible 
 to obtain them ready-made : there were hoses to be had in 
 abundance, but not one that would retain even water when 
 subjected to the action of a force-pump. Being unable to 
 find a workman in Rio de Janeiro who would undertake to 
 make an air-tight hose, there appeared for a time to be a 
 stop to my preparation ; but recollecting that there was 
 Truscott's pump on board the Lightning, I attempted to 
 reader the hoses belonging to it fit for the purpose, and to 
 my great delight succeeded, by first beating them hard with 
 a broad-faced hammer to render the texture as close as pos- 
 sible, then giving them a good coat of Stockholm tar, after- 
 wards parcelling* them well with new canvass saturated 
 with the same material, and finally carefully servingt them 
 with three-yarn spun-yarn J made of new yarns and well 
 twisted. They were used throughout the whole of the ope- 
 rations up to the termination, and answered admirably well, 
 only requiring occasional repair. 
 
 Having thus surmounted without assistance the two most 
 formidable difficulties that had yet presented themselves, I 
 entertained a hope that my own resources would prove 
 equally available on future occasions ; and hence my confi- 
 
 * Narrow strips of canvass bound round a thing in the way we put a 
 common bandage on. 
 f Wound tightly round. 
 J Several rope-yains twisted together. 
 
 c 
 
18 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 dence in ultimate success increased, in the event of the stores 
 and treasure still remaining where the ship was lost. My 
 officers and crew likewise now began to feel a great interest 
 in all that was doing ; and their conduct and expressions 
 afforded me a happy presage that their future exerti9ns 
 would fulfil my most sanguine expectations. 
 
 General preparations were now going on with energy and 
 rapidity ; but while the exertions of those engaged in them 
 were highly gratifying and encouraging, I could not but feel 
 that the same encouragement was not afforded by some from 
 whom I had most reason to expect both it and assistance ; 
 for although I had now been for six weeks engaged in the 
 work, drudging on in the double capacity of carpenter and 
 blacksmith, I had not a single voluntary offer by them of 
 any article that might be useful to me. Nor was the kind- 
 ness of my friends very encouraging ; for they almost uni- 
 versally endeavoured to dissuade me from giving up the 
 prospect that I have already alluded to, and venturing on an 
 enterprise which every one considered hopeless ; to all of 
 which remonstrances my only reply was, that my mind was 
 made up, and that I should not withdraw from it. 
 
 January, 1831. — ^The diving-bell was completed on the 
 22nd of January, 1831, and was constructed in the follow- 
 ing manner : One side of a two-ton tank (four feet square) 
 was taken out, another was divided into halves, from one of 
 which halves the side was also taken out, and it was then 
 rivetted to the bottom of the former, thus forming a cubical 
 vessel six feet in height by four feet in breadth each way, 
 and open at the bottom ; round the upper square or head, bars 
 of iron two inches broad and a quarter of an inch thick 
 were rivetted, and others were placed down each side of the 
 corners from the head to the lower edge, which was also 
 strengthened in the same way as the head. In the inside, 
 at the upper corners, were diagonal bars to afford additional 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 19 
 
 support against the external pressure when the bell was sus- 
 pended. Slings made of the Lightning's top-chain* with 
 shackles were attached at each corner of the head, and the 
 other extremities were united at the point of suspension by 
 a chain-cable shackle. For the purpose of weighting the bell, 
 three loops of bar-iron were placed on each side of the lower 
 half, through which a sufficient quantity of chain- cable was 
 rove, with the addition of four large pigs of ballast, one fixed 
 in each corner, in the inside, to sink it. At eighteen inches 
 from the lower edge, in the inside, were two bars of iron, to 
 answer the double purpose of strengthening the bell and 
 supporting two seats for the men to sit on while descending 
 or ascending, and across the centre of the bottom, at the 
 extreme lower edge, was a flat bar of iron to rest their feet 
 on, which was removable at pleasure, to be put out of the 
 way when the bell was at the bottom, so as not to obstruct 
 their work. On the upper part in the inside were numerous 
 hooks for the purpose of suspending the various implements 
 for boring rocks, digging, &c. It was lighted by six patent 
 illuminators, two on the top and one on each side ; and these 
 rendered it so light that a person might see to read at the 
 depth of many fathoms. When weighted it weighed about 
 four tons, but it was afterwards made considerably lighter. 
 
 The apparatus to be connected with the bell being also 
 completed, it was taken off to the Warspite for trial, and a 
 ivatch of that ship's crew, superintended at first by the com- 
 mander, and latterly by one of the junior lieutenants, was 
 appointed to attend the working of it from the catheadf of 
 that ship. It was lowered on trial, but not being sufficiently 
 ballasted, it was taken ashore again to be rectified, and on 
 
 • A chain to sling the lower yards with. 
 
 t A strong piece of tiinber on each bow of the ship to suspend the 
 anchor to:' 
 
 c2 
 
20 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 the following day was again sent down in seven and a half 
 fathoms water, with four men in it, and was found to succeed 
 perfectly well. All my people who were present were desi- 
 rous of descending in it ; and not to check the warm feel- 
 ings that were manifested, I permitted some of them to do 
 so. A number of boats from the shore had come off filled 
 with persons to witness the experiments, and they greeted 
 the successful issue of it with three cheers, at which com- 
 pliment I could not but feel much gratified ; but while these 
 kindly testified their good feeling, there were others who by 
 their absence evinced their apathy, though they fully com- 
 pensated for it when the dollars began to come up ; there 
 was then no want of energy in their endeavours to establish 
 a claim to the benefit to be derived from the recovery of 
 them. I must here notice the fortunate circumstance of 
 having accidentally learned that the Warspite was furnished 
 with that excellent invention, Fisher's watering apparatus, 
 which I immediately applied for, and was supplied with by 
 the direction of the Commander-in-Chief. This was a great 
 acquisition, for a trifling alteration in the force-pump ren- 
 dered it a powerful air-pump, and some of the hoses 
 answered the purpose of air-hoses, and were used as such. 
 Had they been new, they would all have been well adapted 
 for that purpose ; but unfortunately the greater part of them, 
 from want of attention, or through some other cause not 
 known to me, were rotten, and several accidents occurred 
 from their bursting, though happily attended with no loss of 
 life ; but it will readily be imagined that this was sufl&cient 
 to keep me in constant dread whenever they were in use. 
 As I do not suppose that Captain Fisher ever contemplated 
 the application of his invention to such a purpose, I am 
 happy in having this opportunity of offering my humbly tri- 
 bute of commendation to his valuable apparatus. It is re- 
 markable that notwithstanding my increasing inquiries for 
 
OPKBATIO>S AT CAPE FRIO. 21 
 
 any thing of this description, no one ever suggested that it 
 was on board the Warspite, and it was only, as it were, by 
 chance that I heard of it, at the last moment before my 
 departure. 
 
 Being now furnished with the necessary mechanical im- 
 plements, my mind was relieved from the great weight of 
 anxiety which I had felt until they were obtained ; and being, 
 at my request, supplied, by order of the Commander-in- 
 Chief, with a Brazilian launch, an anchor, sundry hawsers 
 and rope, and a net which he had caused to be made to be 
 placed outside the wreck, and also two men, George Dewar 
 and John Littlejohns, who had been removed from his 
 Majesty's sloop Clio for the occasion, and who had been 
 used to working in a diving-bell (the former of whom was a 
 very valuable man), and also William Stebbing, a mechanist, 
 from the Warspite, who subsequently proved very useful, 
 I reported everything ready, and received my sailing orders 
 on the 23rd of January, 1831 : they were of a very general 
 nature*, which was a matter of much gratification to me, as 
 I was in consequence left at liberty to pursue such measures 
 as a view of the place and other circumstances might suggest 
 as the best to be adopted. This gave me the more confidence 
 in the ultimate success of the adventure, as it is obvious that 
 any attempt, by a person at a distance of seventy miles from 
 the scene of operations, to point out a specific mode of 
 proceeding, would not only have proved futile, but must 
 have fettered my exertions by rendering it necessary to com- 
 municate with the Admiral upon every new idea, before it 
 could be put in practice. 
 
 Full of that ardour which the magnitude of the under- 
 taking and the prospect of professional reputation,'acting on a 
 disposition on all occasions sanguine, would naturally excite ; 
 
 * Vide Appendix No. I. 
 
22 NAKRATIVE OF THK 
 
 relying on every body about me, and conscious that this 
 reliance was reciprocal on their part, I sailed on the 24th 
 for Cape Frio with the Brazilian launch in tow, and La 
 Seine, French frigate, in company, going to visit the place 
 as a matter of curiosity. We had to contend against a 
 strong north-easterly wind, which retarded our passage 
 much, as tlie launch towed so badly that we could not carry 
 a press of sail : I therefore, on the 28th, stood close in shore, 
 and cast her off with the First Lieutenant H. P. L. Delafons 
 and a good crew in her to work up to the Cape. 
 
 We arrived in the harbour of Cape Frio on the 30th. 
 Here I found his Majesty's sloop Algerine, Commander 
 Martin ; Adelaide, schooner (tender), Lieut. G. Hathorn ; 
 and the Warspite's launch, her crew, and some of the car- 
 penter's crew, with the boatswain and carpenter, in charge 
 of Mr. Wood, the master of that ship ; and there were lying 
 scattered on the beach at the island various fragments of 
 the masts and other spars of the Thetis, which had been 
 brought in by the boats. 
 
 The island of Cape Frio is about three miles long and one 
 in breadth, is the south-eastern extremity of Brazil, and 
 separated from the main land by a narrow strait or gut about 
 400 feet broad, having very deep water in it, and through 
 which, the land on each side being very high, the wind con- 
 stantly rushes in heavy gusts, and a rapid current runs. 
 This island is entirely mountainous^and nearly covered with 
 an almost impenetrable forest, and the whole coast on the 
 sea side of it is formed by precipitous cliffs, washed by very 
 deep water close to the shore ; and on the harbour side, with 
 the exception of a sandy bay, is very steep and rugged. 
 
 From Thetis Cove across to this bay is the narrowest part 
 of the island, being about a quarter of a mile broad j and as 
 the beach presented the most convenient point for landing 
 and embarking, I determined on occupying a situation near 
 

 Cap^Frio Zffngi. 9. eSofSto 30 
 
 Ca-peT!rLO 
 
 ■Scalt afthie . Wle 
 
 a., G:>fV WK irAzi:A ITie&J' j'SrtccA, i# h-oj- dx^m^^be^ 
 
 o/' Covasb & mvc.4-0 o/'l^- {>eivl(inSLeei,dx>nb^ 
 ihaRocks <£■ Jlsep h^^ £ came eiown. art, Si* naek^ 
 e.. w%zc» heiing fCorSO ^k&: h^K S the Ww^ft 
 pajrtofthe. Cl^fi a, rope iva^ got ^om-T^xWrec^ 
 
 A. ^ tv^e-r-e. 7^u,I>€rruck.msLs rcgg€^.oaXr-cwtlevxff^2J8 
 na^fted. TheiCs Cove. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 23 
 
 to it. The island was entirely uninhabited, but there were 
 a few deserted fishermen's huts in a dilapidated state in a 
 small bay on the harbour side. 
 
 Immediately on my arrival, I proceeded, accompanied by 
 Commander Martin and Mr. Charles Pope, the master of 
 the Lightning, to inspect the coast and ascertain the situa- 
 tion of the wreck, which until that time I had no reason to 
 doubt would be still visible ; but I was much disappointed 
 on discovering that not a vestige of her was to be seen, and 
 that she had either washed out into deep water, or was en- 
 tirely broken up. I therefore was obliged to have recourse 
 to the uncertain means of sounding with a hand-lead* about 
 the place pointed out as that where she had first sunk. By 
 this method I thought that 1 could feel in various parts 
 something like rigging, wreck, &c., in the depth of from six 
 and a half to eleven fathoms water ; but of course this 
 mode could not be depended on ; and it was necessary imme- 
 diately to devise some means of ascertaining whether any 
 part of the ship still remained there. 
 
 The situation in which the Thetis was lost is a sort of cove 
 or inlet, formed by three sides of a parallelogram on the 
 north-west, north-east, and south-east sides, and conse- 
 quently exposed to the whole force of the South Atlantic 
 Ocean on the south-west. It extends about 100 fathoms 
 inwards from the sea, and is about ninety fathoms broad ; 
 the depth of water in it varying from three and a half to 
 twenty-four fathoms, the bottom being strewed with huge 
 irregular rocks, so that within a very limited space there 
 is a difference of several fathoms in the depth of water. 
 The part in which the Thetis sunk is towards the eastern 
 corner, with her head over towards the south-eastern side. 
 
 * A leaden plummet at the end of a line for the purpose of finding the 
 depth of water. 
 
24 NARRATIVE OP THK 
 
 and her stern inclining to the north-eastern side. The 
 coast is formed of rugged and almost perpendicular cliffs, 
 varying from 80 to 194 feet in height, a peak rising at each 
 point and another in nearly the centre of the north-eastern 
 side. On viewing this terrific place, with the knowledge 
 that at the time of the shipwreck the wind was from the 
 southward, I was Struck with astonishment, and it appeared 
 quite a mystery that so great a number of lives could have 
 been saved ; and indeed it will never cease to be so, for that 
 part at which the crew landed is so difiicult of accesis, that 
 (even in fine weather), after being placed by a boat on a 
 rock at the basej it required considerable strength" and 
 agility, with the assistance of a man-rope, to climb the 
 precipitous face of the cliff j and I am certain that in the 
 hour of extreme peril, when excess of exertion was called 
 forth, there must have been a most extraordinary display of 
 it by a few for the benefit of the whole. 
 
 Having obtained all the information that a cursory survey 
 afloat could furnish, I returned to the harbour, and landed 
 at the island for the purpose of viewing the scene of future 
 operations from the hills above. When in the cove I was 
 strongly impressed with prospective danger throughout the 
 progress of the work, but on looking down from the heights 
 on the situation in which we were about to be employed, 
 while so great a number of lives would depend on my ma- 
 nagement in the measures I might pursue, the weight of 
 responsibility came on me with increased force, and, indeed, 
 it was a matter of consideration with me whether the charges 
 of presumption made against me by some persons were not 
 correct ; for reflecting that the Commander-in-Chief had 
 already been here with a frigate, two sloops of war, a 
 schooner, and all their resources, and with all the surviving 
 crew of the Thetis, for upwards of a week during the time 
 that the wreck, remained entire and visible, and that although 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 25 
 
 nearly two months had elapsed, no plan had yet been devised 
 or attempt made to recover the property, my attempt to 
 accomplish this task with little more means than could be 
 supplied by a sloop of war, and after the entire desti'uction 
 and disappearance of the sunken ship, was certainly made a 
 subject of considerable doubt. This was a matter for deep 
 reflection ; relying, however, with proper confidence on the 
 zeal and support of my officers and crew, who were ready 
 to submit with cheerfulness to the perils and difficulties 
 which it was now clear we must inevitably encounter, and 
 which would be necessary for the accomplishment of the 
 work before us, I encouraged myself and them with the 
 thought that the merit would be in proportion to the diffi- 
 culties surmounted ; and recollecting what my late patron. 
 Lord CoUingwood, once said to me when I was a very young 
 lieutenant, that " one of the best means to ensure success 
 in any undertaking is to have a rational confidence that you 
 will succeed," all other feelings gave place to a determina- 
 tion to persevere. 
 
 I devoted the remainder of the day to selecting situations 
 for erecting tents and depositing the stores. The 31st of the 
 month was occupied in landing small sails, studding-sail 
 booms*, and other materials, for forming temporary resi- 
 dences, and store-houses, and in shifting and mooring the 
 Lightning close in shore in perfect safety ; for it was quite 
 apfiarent that, occasionally at least, all hands would be 
 required at the island, as it will hereafter be seen was the 
 case. It was also necessary to have the ship in a state of 
 readiness for any other service to which on emergency she 
 might be called, so that although engaged in this particular 
 work she might still be eligible as an ordinary vessel of the 
 squadron. The sails therefore were unbentf, the running 
 
 • Long poles run out from the ends of the yards, 
 t Taken from the yards. 
 
26 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 riggingt unrove, and the- yards and topmasts struck ; the 
 greatest caution being observed in tallying and placing every 
 thing in the most handy manner possible, and all the neces- 
 sary tackle-fallsf were stretched along, &c. Under these 
 arrangements I always considered that the Lightning could 
 be underweigh in four hours whenever hastily wanted. 
 
 I had now to consider in what manner our work was to 
 be accomplished, and felt that it was not easy to determine 
 on it. During my preparations at Rio, I had daily conver- 
 sations with the Commander-in-Chief as to the means likely 
 to be available in this undertaking, and amongst other 
 hypotheses started was that of a suspension cable from the 
 north-west to the south-east sides of the cove, with a cable- 
 guy§ attached to an anchor laid out seaward ; but on a sur- 
 vey of the place, I found it to be so different in reality from 
 what had been in my imagination, that all hypothetical pro- 
 positions immediately fell to the ground, as it became clear 
 to me that the work I had undertaken was entirely practical, 
 and could be accomplished only by adapting diversified 
 means to local circumstances as they might occur, for the 
 piu-pose of obviating and repairing those casualties to which, 
 from the exposed and very peculiar situation of our opera- 
 tions, we were liable ; and I foresaw a chain of obstacles in 
 the enterprise before us which threatened to continue up to 
 its termination. Hence it was most satisfactory to me that 
 the orders I had received did not point out any specific plan 
 to be pursued ; for as it was already apparent that success 
 in the service must depend entirely on foresight, personal 
 activity and promptitude in deciding and acting, it was 
 obviously impossible for any person not immediately on the 
 spot to give such advice or direction as could prove practically 
 
 f Ropes which are used for the management of the sails. 
 
 t That part of a tackle on which the people pull. 
 
 § A rope used for pulling aside any article which is suspended. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 27 
 
 serviceable, since every thing must depend on local and 
 transient circumstances arising from change of wind or wea- 
 ther, or other temporary causes. 
 
 On examining the cliffs to ascertain how far it might be 
 practicable to suspend a cable across, I immediately saw 
 that from the nature of the positions in which the ends must 
 be secured, from the great length requisite (one hundred 
 and twenty fathoms at least), the small means we had for 
 accomplishing such an undertaking, the great length of time 
 it would require (perhaps six or eight months), if possible to 
 do it at all, from the effect of the sea on the cable-guy, and 
 consequently on the cable, which must inevitably cause a 
 very great oscillation of the diving-bell when suspended to it, 
 as well as from the great expense it would involve, I could 
 not undertake it excepting in a case of extreme necessity : 
 I was therefore induced to relinquish that plan ; and the 
 idea of erecting a derrick* having struck me on my first 
 visit to the cove, I determined to adopt it if the materials 
 for making one could be found ; but in this I anticipated 
 great difi&culty, for on penetrating into the woods, it was 
 found that all the trees of any considerable magnitude grew 
 high up the hills, and would require great labour and time 
 to get them down ; and even if obtained, the great weight 
 of the wood, which on examination was all found to be as 
 heavy as oak, and being green was consequently liable to 
 shrink, presented such objections to making a derrick of 
 these materials, that with my scanty means and anxiety to 
 get to work as soon as possible, I could not venture on the 
 attempt. I then thought of making it of the Lightning's 
 mizen-mast and main top-mast, but these were found to be 
 too short. A resource, however, remained ; for on consult- 
 ing with Mr. Batt, the carpenter of the Warspite, and Mr. 
 
 * A sort of crane. 
 
28 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 Daniel Jones, the carpenter of the Lightning, they both 
 gave their opinion that a derrick suificiently strong might 
 be made of the fragments of spars saved from the wreck. 
 On this therefore I decided at once, and on the 3rd of Feb- 
 ruary set a party to work on it under the immediate super- 
 intendence of the former officer, while another party under 
 the latter was employed in making bollards* and other fast- 
 enings, and crabsf to be placed on and about the heights 
 above the cove for securing and working it ; while a part of 
 the crew, under Moore the engineer, were employed in cut- 
 ting roads through the woods to the summits and down the 
 faces of the cliffs, in levelling the peak of the north-east 
 cliff for a platform, for the main purchases J, one over the 
 northern corner, and another over the eastern corner for 
 guy-topping-lifts§, and various others in different parts for 
 working the guys and other gear, and in fixing bolts in 
 numerous parts of the cliffs for miscellaneous fastenings. 
 On this day also the preventer net already alluded to was 
 laid down, although there was no prospect of its ever being 
 of the smallest utility : it was composed of one-and-a-half 
 inch and two-and-a-half inch rope, with meshes of from 
 four to six inches, not knotted but seized with raw rope- 
 yarns ; the head-rope was a six-inch hawser, and the Alge- 
 rine's chain cable extended along the foot of it. The Thetis 
 when she sunk was about sixteen hundred tons weight, and 
 after deducting in round numbers two-thirds for diminution 
 of gravity under water, we should still have a weight of five 
 hundred tons to be resisted by this net had she remained 
 entire, a pressure which it could no more have resisted than 
 
 • Strong pieces of timber placed vertically in the ground to fasten 
 ropes to. 
 t Portable machines used as capstans. 
 t A series of large pulleys. The principal are here meant. 
 § Ropes used for raising or lowering, as well as the purpose of guys. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 29 
 
 a gossamer web could that of an elephant, in arresting her 
 progress outward ; but as she had been rent to pieces by the 
 effects of the sea, it is clear that the same force which could 
 produce the destruction of the ship could drive any one 
 timber of her against the net with an impetus that must 
 inevitably tear it to pieces. The head-rope was broken on 
 the first day a heavy swell set into the cove ; it was speedily 
 repaired, but the net was very soon forced from its position 
 and torn to rags. 
 
 The distance between the ship and the place of the opera- 
 tions being upwards of two miles, and a dangerous bar* in- 
 tervening, to save time, and avoid the danger of passing to 
 and fro, it was necessary that all the crew that could be 
 spared, consistently with the safety of the ship, should live 
 on shore : therefore, a sufficient number of tents for their 
 reception being now completed, three fourths of them, and a 
 proportionate number of officers, with a large quantity of 
 provisions, were landed, and we were soon completely domi- 
 ciliated at the island ; the regulations being that a quarter 
 watch t should be relieved every fortnight, and the same 
 system of discipline kept up on shore as if on board the ship. 
 But in making arrangements for our subsistence, one of the 
 great necessaries of life, water, was likely very soon to fail 
 us, since the only source of supply discovered at the island 
 at this period was one shallow stagnant pool, not more than 
 a foot deep in any part, and the water that was obtained 
 therefrom was of the colour of weak coffee, which it will 
 readily be imagined was not very wholesome ; during the 
 mealtimes of the people, therefore, I personally undertook 
 the task of searching for a spring or stream, but without 
 
 * A bank or shoal under water, generally at the mouth of a river or 
 harbour. 
 ■f One-fourth of the crew. 
 
30 
 
 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 success ; nor, on inquiry, could I learn from the fishermen 
 or other persons who had frequented the island, that either 
 one or the other was ever known there. However, in the 
 course of my search, small quantities of water were found 
 in the gullies between the hills : but it is remarkable, that 
 however high the situation, it invariably had a saline taste, 
 the cause of which I subsequently endeavoured to trace, but 
 could not succeed in discovering any that was satisfactory to 
 me. On the subject of water, I applied to several of the 
 principal inhabitants of the neighbouring village of Praya de 
 Anjo on the main, but the only answer I received was, that 
 there was but one little hole on the beach from whence the 
 supply was obtained for the whole population, and that the 
 quantity it produced was so small, that if I took any from 
 it it would distress them very much ; I therefore declined 
 the attempt, concluding that if a spring, or rather a soak, 
 which this was, existed in one spot, another might be found 
 contiguous to it when time and circumstances would admit 
 of making a trial. 
 
 My great anxiety to keep the ship ready for any service 
 induced me to resolve not to trench on her water-tanks ex- 
 cept in case of great necessity. Thus circumstanced, 1 took 
 the earliest opportunity of clearing the first discovered pool 
 of a great quantity of decayed vegetable matter and rubbish, 
 and deepening one part of it, so as to allow the water to de- 
 posit its sediment, and thus to obtain a supply more clear 
 and pure. 
 
 Up to the period of my arrival the only work doing was 
 that of creeping in the cove from six a. m. until two p. m., 
 whenever the weather would admit, by the Warspite's 
 launch, and bringing in whatever might be so obtained, or 
 float up. For the present I employed the Brazilian launch 
 in the same way, and thus considerable quantities of the 
 ship's equipment were recovered. Nearly all that the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE BRIO. 31 
 
 launches obtained were in a very damaged state ; the cables 
 were cut into short pieces ; chain-plates* and hammock- 
 stanchions t were twisted ; water-tanks crushed flat ; and 
 bolts and other iron-work so bent into various shapes that 
 it was scarcely possible to recognise what they had been, 
 but all demonstrating that the hull was entirely demolished ; 
 and this, as she had disappeared, I considered a favourable 
 circumstance, for it afforded a fair ground for hope, that as 
 the ship had not drifted out entire, the treasure might be 
 deposited, with other heavy articles, at the part of the bot- 
 tom where she sunk. 
 
 Being strongly impressed with the necessity of making 
 the most of our time, I gave written general orders that 
 " the hands should be turned up at half-past four, breakfast 
 at five, dinner at twelve, and work to cease at sun-set;" 
 myself and the officers to take our meals at the same time as 
 the ship's company ; but I afterwards altered the periods of 
 turning the hands up and breakfast to an hour earlier. From 
 the nature of the work, however, it rarely occurred that we 
 could act up to the orders, as regarded refreshment, and we 
 were obliged to catch our meals whenever and wherever we 
 could. 
 
 Immediately on determining on the derrick, and the plan 
 of rigging it, I consulted with Mr. Wood, the master of the 
 Warspite ; Mr. Pope, the master of the Lightning; and Mr. 
 Chatfield, the boatswain of the Warspite, as to what rope 
 would be required for it ; for the expense was a matter of 
 serious import while success was so very doubtful; and when 
 we had fixed on the quantity and size, I wrote to the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief for such supply of rigging for it as was 
 necessary beyond what the Lightning could afford, and sent 
 
 • Iron links to which the rigging is attached. 
 
 t Certain frames of iron which form the hammock -nettings. 
 
32 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 the Adelaide for it, with which she returned on the 13th, and 
 bringing a letter from the Admiral, giving his "cordial 
 sanction to the plan," and expressing his opinion " that it 
 was likely to succeed in recovering the stores and treasure 
 should they be still in the cove." 
 
 The launches had continued creeping, and on the 9th 
 brought the rudder in, the whole of the pintles* being 
 broken off, and it was placed on the beach. The recovery 
 of this afforded a further and more positive proof that the 
 ship was broken up. On the 12th they recovered numerous 
 other articles, and amongst them the stream chain cable 
 and a slipping shackle, both of which, as well as many other 
 articles, were very useful to us. But this, although we were 
 doing a great deal of work of the kind, was making but little 
 progress towards the great object in view, and did not at all 
 accord with the ardour which pervaded us all ; and as, by 
 information derived from the fishermen, we learned that 
 at this season of the year the north-east winds, which blow 
 directly off the land, and consequently least disturb the sea, 
 prevailed more than at any other, I was anxious not to lose 
 the benefit of these winds if it were possible to secure it ; 
 and as a considerable time must elapse before the derrick 
 could be brought into operation, I determined on the expe- 
 riment of working a diving-bell|from a boat ; and therefore, 
 on the 16th, set to work to construct a small one out of a 
 one-ton tank, and the remains of a two-ton tank, which had 
 been cut to make the large bell ; it was very similar to the 
 large one already described. While it was in progress the 
 Warspite's launch was hauled up on the beach and prepared 
 for working it. She was fitted with a davitf stepped on the 
 keel, supported by a spurj, on each side resting on the tran- 
 
 * Metal pins, by which the rudder is hung in its place, 
 f A piece of timber used as a crane. J A shore. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRJO. 33 
 
 som* : it projected over the stern at a sufficient angle to 
 admit of the bell, when suspended above the water, hanging 
 clear of the boat, and was of a height to allow of a small 
 boat passing under the bell for the men to get in and out. 
 To relieve the stern in a measure from the great weight 
 of the bell, a short, strong mast was stepped in the usual 
 place, and steeving forward ; from its head to the head of 
 the davit was a spanf, which set up with two thimbles J and 
 a lanyard§, and the whole was supported by a strong stay || 
 from the mast-head to the stem of the boat, and two shrouds 
 on a side, leading forward. The bell-purchase was the 
 Lightning's jeer-blocks**, and six parts of four-inch rope 
 led completely round the boat through four leading blocks, 
 one on each bowft and quarterJJ, and thus admitted of 
 thirty men to work at it, independently of those who attended 
 the air-pump, hoses, and signal-line. There was also a pre- 
 venter runner §§ and tackle fitted to heave up the bell in the 
 event of the purchase giving way. I prepared a sketch of 
 the boat as she was thus fitted, and sent it to the Admiral by 
 Moore, to whom I gave a week's leave of absence to attend 
 to his affairs at Rio. 
 
 We were now suffering veiy much from sand and rain al- 
 ternately ; the former, being composed of the most minute 
 particles, wa,s blown up in clouds from the beach and the 
 
 * A timber placed across the stern of the boat or ship to strengthen it. 
 
 f A rope placed between two points to afford support from one to the 
 other. 
 
 J A sort of iron ring. 
 
 § A piece of rope serving to connect two articles. 
 
 II A strong rope. 
 
 ** The blocks through which the ropes which support the lower yards 
 are rove. 
 
 ff The rounding part of a ship's side, forward. 
 
 IX That part of a ship's side tovyards the stern. 
 
 §§ A strong rope used, to increase the mechanicahpowers of a tackle. 
 
 D 
 
34 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 contiguous hillocks above, which formed the whole line of 
 coast of the hay, forced its way through every crevice of our 
 slightly-constructed habitations, and mingled itself with both 
 victuals and drink ; and in fact with every thing, at once 
 blinding the eyes and filling the ears ; while the rain de- 
 scended in torrents too heavy for the pervious canvass to 
 resist, and we were consequently wet in our beds every night 
 in which it fell, a circumstance particularly distressing after 
 a long and hard day's work under an almost vertical sun, 
 rendered still more intolerable to those employed on shore, 
 by the reflection of the rays from the snow-white sand ; 
 and it was quite distressing to witness the effect produced by 
 this cause on the eyes of some of those who were most ex- 
 posed to it. It became in consequence absolutely necessary 
 to build dwellings more effectually wind and water-proof ; 
 and therefore as large a party as could be spared from the 
 other works was employed in constructing them, the ma- 
 terials being composed of such wood and grass as the island 
 produces j but the latter was of so bad a description that our 
 huts required constant repair; and notwithstanding great 
 labour and attention were bestowed on them, we were never 
 able to make them sufficiently weather-proof to resist the 
 wind and rain; conseqviently, colds and rheumatism were 
 very frequent amongst us, which induced me to apply to the 
 Gommander-in-Ghief for an assistant surgeon ; for not hav- 
 ing one in the Lightning, it was impossible, with the ship at 
 so great a distance, that the surgeon alone could attend to 
 the sick on board and at the island too ; and it was now ob- 
 vious that casualties were very likely to occur, and probable 
 that the cases of sickness would be numerous. Against those 
 ills, however, we had one palliative ; I had taken the pre^ 
 caution, as soon as the pool before-mentioned was empty, to 
 deepen it considerably by digging the mud out ; and as the 
 rains filled it, although I3i«y distressed us in one way, they 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPS FRIO. 35 
 
 compensated us in some degree, for a short time, by afford- 
 ing us a supply of tolerable water in this reservoir ; and this 
 always proved most acceptable, for it prevented a further 
 reduction of the stock on board the ship, and relieved my 
 mind in a great measure on the subject of the health of the 
 people. We had had one sudden and rather severe case of 
 cholera, and others of less moment, from which I did not en- 
 tirely escape personally, and which I was apprehensive was 
 caused by the use of stagnant water. We were, however, at 
 present tolerably healthy. 
 
 Our encampment and the adjacent parts of the island 
 now presented a bustling, and, I flattered myself, a rather 
 interesting scene. There were parties of carpenters building 
 the derrick, making, carrying to the selected situations, and 
 placing the securities for supporting and working it. Rig- 
 gers were preparing the clothing* for it, sawyers cutting 
 wood for various purposes, rope-makers making lashing and 
 seizing stuff from the pieces of cable crept up from the bot- 
 tom, and two sets of blacksmiths at their forgesf ; those of 
 the Warspite making hoops, bolts, and nails, from various 
 articles of iron-work which had been crept up ; and those 
 of the Lightning reducing the large diving-bell and con- 
 structing the small one ; five gangs of excavators levelling 
 platforms on the heights above the cove, cutting roads to 
 lead to them, and fixing bolts in numerous parts of the faces 
 of the cliffs i some were employed in felling trees and cut- 
 ting grass for, while others were building and thatching, the 
 huts; water-carriers were passing to and from the pool with 
 breakers of water, and the Brazilian launch was still em- 
 ployed creeping whenever the weather would permit j the 
 
 * The fixed part of the rigging. 
 
 f Captain Thibault, of La Seine, had been kind enough to lend me the 
 forge of his ship, which was very useful for small worlc. 
 
 D 2 
 
36 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 pflScers were attending to the different parties assigned to 
 them for their immediate guidance. To the whole of this I 
 gave my personal superintendence from morning till dark ; 
 and the early part of the night I devoted to writing reports, 
 journals, and memoranda, and in making arrangements for 
 the ensuing day ; which, altogether, will he readily admitted 
 gave me occupation of no ordinary magnitude ; but at this 
 period I possessed a degree of bodily activity which but few 
 enjoy, and therefore bore the fatigue very well. 
 
 A report at this time spread amongst the people that 
 there were tigers and alligators on the island, and although 
 I doubted the fact, I was induced to give an order that not 
 less than six persons together should penetrate into the 
 woods. There was very little necessity, however, for this 
 precaution, since constant employment was alone a sufi&cient 
 preventive for the wanderings of any of us for pleasure. 
 
 Our carpenters' and blacksmiths' work was now very 
 heavy, and I was apprehensive that fatigue and disease might 
 probably deprive us of some of the artificers ; I therefore 
 chose some of the most apt of my ship's crew as apprentices, 
 and selected for particular duties those amongst them whose 
 abilities in each could be most serviceable ; and this arrange- 
 ment turned out to be most beneficial, for the severely great 
 (Extent of sickness which we subsequently endured, supplied 
 a most distressing proof of the correctness of my anticipa- 
 tions j and the apprentices so chosen afforded a good illus- 
 tration of what proficiency may be made in a short time by 
 ardent application ; having at the end of a year become 
 really good workmen for ordinary work. By the end of the 
 pionth sickness, arising from exposure and exertion, began 
 to prevail to an extent which caused me serious forebodings 
 as to the future : there occurred amongst the officers and 
 crew several cases of diarrhoea, and many were suffering 
 from rheuoiatism. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 37 
 
 March. — ^The launch and small diving-bell being com- 
 pleted on the 2nd of March^ they underwent a first trial in 
 the harbour, to ascertain if any alteration was necessary. 
 The bell was lowered at the depth of four and a half fathoms, 
 with two persons in it ; they remained down upwards of half 
 an hour, during which time the launch was removed from 
 one place to another, and the bell-men could readily have ob- 
 tained any article within their reach. It is generally the case 
 in first experiments that some defects are discovered ; on this 
 occasion, however, I had the satisfaction of finding that all 
 that was required was a trifling improvement in the launch's 
 davit, the leading of the purchase-fall, and in weighting the 
 bell ; these were completed in two days, and the whole did 
 great credit to Mr. Jones, the carpenter, in whose particular 
 department, under my own inspection, I had placed the fit- 
 ting and constructing of them. 
 
 I was also highly gratified in ascertaining that the bell, 
 which had been originally intended only for one person, 
 would answer very well for two, which proved of immense 
 advantage. 
 
 At this time a colonel of engineers, named Guasque, a 
 Spaniard, in the Brazilian service, arrived with seven caboclos 
 (Indian divers), sent by the Admiral j from the extraordi- ; 
 nary professions of this gentleman great results might have 
 been expected, and I therefore readily afforded him and his 
 party all the facilities in my power ; the armourers were 
 employed in making various implements for them, and 
 amongst others small grapnels, to be carried in the hands of 
 the divers, so that on occasion they might hook on to a rock, ■ 
 or otherwise at the bottom, to hold themselves in any par- 
 ticular position. Oil was also provided, to be taken in the 
 mouth and discharged when requisite, to clear the water (as 
 they said) and assist the vision, or, as it appeared, to be 
 swallowed, as. circumstances or appetite might demand. 
 
38 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 For some days past there had been so much swell in the 
 cove as entirely to prevent our working there ; but in the 
 afternoon of the 4th it had sufficiently subsided to admit of 
 our going out with the launch and small bell for trial. And 
 now I had arrived at the great point which must determine 
 on the future prospect of success in the undertaking. There 
 was evidently great danger in this first attempt, which was 
 to decide whether it was possible for a diving-bell to be 
 worked at all from an open, and by no means a large boat 
 for the purpose in so exposed a situation, and on such a 
 frightful coast ; for although the immediate surface of the 
 sea, when the wind blew oiF the shore, was perfectly smooth, 
 still there was continually that swell which always exists, 
 to a greater or less degree, in the open ocean 5 while this 
 attempt was likewise to decide, if possible^ whether, sub- 
 sequently, any commensurate benefit could be obtained. 
 
 We had hitherto succeeded in all our attempts, and I did 
 not fail to avail myself of this success to impress the officers 
 and people with confidence in me ; and this I was happy in 
 knowing they entertained to the fullest extent : indeed, I 
 had overheard many expressions amongst them to that effect, 
 so that consequently there was not the slightest hesitation or 
 apprehension discoverable in any one of them ; and it was a 
 great happiness to me to find that they were such men as 
 seemed particularly fitted to the arduous task I had under- 
 taken. 
 
 I had, by cross-bearings, marked the spot pointed out to 
 me by those who had seen the wreck when entire as that 
 wherein she sunk, the depth of water being six and a half 
 fathoms. There the launch was placed and secured by 
 warps * made fast to the bolts which had been previously 
 fixed in the lower parts of the clifffe, four points on each 
 
 * A rope used for hauling the ship or boat from one place to another. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 39 
 
 bow ; others at corresponding angles on each quarter, and 
 abreastfast from the starboard beam to the foot of the north- 
 east cliffj so that she might be removed in any direction at 
 pleasure. 
 
 The boat's crew consisted of thirty men, exchisive of a 
 commis^sioned officer, a midshipman, the boatswaiuj and the 
 man appointed to attend^ the bell-signals, which were to be 
 communicated by pulling a line which extended from the 
 bell to the boat, or by writing on small pieces of board, with 
 which the belL-men were provided' for that purpose, to be 
 sent floating up whenever occasion required. 
 
 The Utile code of signals we adopted was as foUbwa r one 
 puU, for more air; two pullsi hold-fa,9t; three, hoist-up j 
 fourj lower J' four> haul the boat to starboard ; six, to port ; 
 seven, ahead ; eight, astern ; and a quick shaking of the 
 line, attention : but it was considterably extended until by 
 prc-arrangement we coultf hold a dialogue, and I subse- 
 quently discovered that by a private code established on this 
 foundation between the bell-men, those in the bell were in- 
 formed of almost every thing that was going on above ; they 
 knew whether I was in the cove or not j they could ask a 
 question^ or hold any other kind of short communication ; 
 they were informed of the state and appearance of the wea- 
 ther, and any opinion, 1 might have expressed' thereon as to 
 ceasing^ frtMn work, &c. &c. In addition to this, there was as 
 small line from the bell to the surface, for the purpose of 
 hauling up or down any article that might be necessary. 
 
 In the use of these signals there were two points espe- 
 cially necessary to be attended to ; first, the keeping of the 
 boat's head exactly in one direction; and second, the keeping 
 of the bell-purchase clear of turns } for it is obvious that if 
 there was a quarter of a turn in it, the signal which would 
 be intended by the bell-men to haul-ahead would, when 
 acted on, take them in a direction which they considered to be 
 
40 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 Starboai-d or port, and if half a turn was in it, they would be 
 removed in the very opposite direction from that which they 
 intended. 
 
 I attended in my gig* close to the launch, whence I might 
 watch the air-hoses and progress of the bell. Lieutenant 
 Hathorn, of the Adelaide, expressed a wish to descend on 
 this occasion, and after strongly urging attention and silence, 
 I directed him and one of the men to get into the bell, and 
 every thing was now prepared. 
 
 I must acknowledge that at this moment I was much 
 excited by alternations of hope and fear as to success, for at 
 this period I had strong reason to apprehend that odium 
 awaited me in the event of a failure. It was, then, under the 
 influence of such feelings that I gave orders for the bell to 
 be lowered ; the launch at this time was surging six or eight 
 feet, from the effect of the swell, which caused me the most 
 painful anxiety for the safety of the bell-men. At the depth 
 of three fathoms, the signal to hold fast was made, and im- 
 mediately after that, for more air, which being supplied by a 
 quicker action of the pump, the bell was lowered to within 
 a short space of the bottom ; notice being given to the bell- 
 men, the boat was then gradually removed from place to 
 place, crosswise, to enable them to search for the wreck ; 
 this was continued for about two hours, when the swell hav- 
 ing so much increased as to render the risk of life excessive, 
 I gave directions to raise the bell, and returned to the har- 
 bour. During the operation I was kept in constant dread 
 from the vibratoiy motion of the boat and bell, which were 
 frequently in opposite directions, and consequently the more 
 alarming, lest the latter should be. upset by being driven 
 against the projecting rocks at the bottom. The trial, how- 
 ever, was most gratifying, for the bell was found to be per- 
 
 * A light long boat. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPB FRIO. 41 
 
 fectly adapted to the work, and the bell-men were satisfied 
 with it, though nothing was discovered beyond various bolts 
 and pieces of rope. 
 
 On the 7th we made another attempt, and some of the 
 implements required by the Colonel for his divers being com- 
 pleted, I gave one of them an opportunity of showing his 
 aquatic powers by placing him with Richard Heans the car- 
 penter's mate, in the bell, in order that while the latter was 
 searching from within it, he might emerge from it, by which 
 means a large space could be examined in a short time : his 
 efforts were, however, very futile indeed. Heans could not 
 persuade him to quit the bell but once, as he by far preferred 
 remaining in company. Dewar was therefore appointed in 
 his place. 
 
 The swell was now rapidly increasing, and its influence 
 on both the boat and the bell was so great as to affect the 
 air-hoses. 
 
 The water, considering its disturbed state, happened to be 
 particularly clear, which afforded me an indistinct sight of 
 the bell although in the depth of eight fathoms, and I had 
 with almost breathless anxiety been watching it for a long 
 time, when suddenly a small line of air-bubbles rose from 
 about the middle of the hose. I instantly gave the word 
 prepare, when every man in the boat, with earnestness de- 
 picted in his countenance, stood with the purchase-fall in 
 both hands, and at the same moment I made the signal to 
 call the attention of the men in the bell ; but the supply of 
 air being kept up by an increased action of the air-pump, 
 they were enabled to continue the search, and did not evince 
 any desire to come up. The agitation of the sea became 
 greater every minute, and there was a rise and fall of eight 
 or ten feet against the cliffs ; the danger had become most 
 extreme, and! was on the eve of directing the bell to be 
 raised when the order was hastened by the appearance of 
 
42 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 an immense column of air rising from it. It had been driven 
 violently against the rocks, by which cause it was thrown on 
 its side and filled with water. The next moment I disco- 
 vered the two men emerge from the bell and swim up. 
 Heans at first had his foot entangled in the signal-line, but 
 quickly released it, and notwithstanding this detention, being 
 particularly buoyant, he rose Very rapidly, and was the first 
 to reach the surface and was taken into the pinnace ; Dewar 
 being some seconds longer, I was apprehensive was mucTihurt. 
 The gig had been removed while he was rising, which ena- 
 bled me to seize him by his dress the instant he reached 
 the water's-edge. The bell was up, and there was a pause, 
 a profound silence, save the roaring of the surf against the 
 rocks, until it was broken by Heans calling to his partner 
 " Never mind mate, we haven't done with it yet ; all right." 
 Poor I>ewar was too much exhausted to reply. Of course 
 this accident put an end to our work in the cove for this day, 
 but I felt it necessary before quitting it to address a few 
 words to the people, which I did to this effect, "That it 
 must not be supposed that such a work as we were engaged 
 in coidd be carried on without accident ; that what had now 
 happened afforded us a fair earnest of what we might expect 
 throughout our operations ; it therefore was incumbent on 
 every one of us to act in his situation with attention,, prompti- 
 tude^ and alaei'ity, so as to avert casualties as much as pos- 
 sible, and to counteract them when they might occur." 
 This was well received by all hands, and if for a minute 
 there had been a little feeling of doubt, it quickly subsided, 
 and the minds of all were so made up to persevere, that when 
 we reached the harbour at two in the afternoon, there was 
 not a man who appeared at all disconcerted. 
 
 On this occasion I found that I had no reason to regret 
 the not having been able to obtain a cast-iron bell, and had 
 abundant subsequent proof that if I had been provided with 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 43 
 
 one, it would hare been broken against the rocks, and most 
 likely some lives would have been lost in consequence ; for 
 even those of my own construction, made entirely of 
 wrought-iron, were repeatedly split and turned up for seve- 
 ral inches from the lower edge^ 
 
 On the 8th, although I was sure the swell was too heavy 
 to admit of our working in the cove, the Colonel urged me 
 to let him have a boat exclusively for his divers ; and I ac- 
 cordingly supplied him with the pinnace, but he found it 
 impossible to make even an attempt, and speedily returned. 
 
 The 10th was more faTourable than either of the preced- 
 ing days, and there was a prospect of a long day's work. 
 We were out with all boats, accompanied by the Colonel 
 and his caboclos, shortly after daylight ; and as they were 
 now furnished with every thing they required, and as the 
 Colonel had never ceased to extol their abilities, and to assert 
 that remaining under water for several minutes was but an 
 amusement to them, I determined to put them to the test ; 
 and this intention I expressed to him, and proposed that 
 while the bell was sent down with Heans and another man, 
 his party should ^' amuse" themselves by diving from my 
 gig or the rocks with their grapnels &c,, and make them 
 fast to whatever they might discover. To this he consented, 
 but urged that I should not be precipitate with them, as 
 they were a peculiar sort of people, and required to be hu- 
 moured and encouraged; I therefore offered them a reward 
 often milreis*.,to which ten more were added by Lieutenant 
 Hathorn, if they would remain under water two minutes. 
 They then complained that while my people were protected 
 from the sharks by the bell, they, when diving, would be 
 exposed to them. After a good deal more of this description 
 of parley, I found that I could make no progress with them. 
 
 * Equal at that time to about 30s. 
 
44 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 and therefore for the time gave it up. I must acknowledge, 
 however, that sharks were so numerous as to present a for- 
 midable objection to remaining long under water without 
 some kind of protection : we frequently saw five or six at a 
 time in the cove, but none very large, nor are they of the 
 voracious nature of those in the West Indies, but appear to 
 live principally on the small fish which abound in these 
 seas ; still the presence of a shark is always dreaded j and 
 on one occasion subsequently, we were led to form a more 
 unfavourable opinion of them. One of my people was 
 washing his clothes in the surf on the beach, and standing 
 about up to his knees in water, when he suddenly observed a 
 shark close to him ; he instantly ran to my gig, which was 
 near at hand, and got a turtle peg * from her, and returning 
 to the shark, which continued slowly passing along just 
 without the line of surf, drove it into him ; but on hauling on 
 the line attached to it, it broke out, and he swam away to a 
 considerable distance, but soon returned to the charge, and 
 was again struck with the peg. By this time several of the 
 crew had come to the spot, and while the shark was plung- 
 ing in the surf, they approached him near enough to get a 
 rope fast to his tail, and by that means dragged him on 
 shore. He measured eight feet in length. This was the 
 only instance evinced of an inclination to attack any one, 
 notwithstanding the men frequently bathed. ' 
 
 The bell had been down with the same men in it for seve- 
 ral hours, during which time the launch was removed, first 
 across the cove, to near the north-west clifi^, then outwards 
 and across towards the south-east cliff, inwards towards the 
 north-east cliff, again towards the north-west cliff, and lat- 
 terly diagonally over the square so formed. 
 
 On being raised to the surface, the men reported to have 
 
 * A barbed spear used for catching turtle. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 45 
 
 discovered a chain-cable and part of a hempen one, and a 
 very large indefinable mass of rope, canvass, wood, bolts, 
 and a great many other articles which Heans thought likely 
 to be part of the body of the Thetis. Here was the first 
 gleam of encouragement ; for little doubt remained as to the 
 wreck having been broken up at or near the ground we had 
 examined. It was therefore absolutely necessary to obtain 
 not only an accurate knowledge of the situation of the vari- 
 ous parts of the wreck, but also an acquaintance with the 
 general formation of the bottom, consequently I determined 
 to continue this mode of searching until these points were 
 ascertained. 
 
 When the bell was again ready for lowering, the Colonel 
 urged me to allow two of the caboclos to have it to them- 
 selves to descend in, to which, as wishing to give them 
 every chance, I consented ; and in order that they might 
 have something specific to do, desired them to make a 
 large rope fast to the cable which had proviously been found. 
 This they failed in doing effectually, for the moment we 
 brought a strain on it, it became disengaged, and the labour 
 was lost. We continued searching until one o'clock in the 
 afternoon, when the swell became so heavy that we could 
 proceed no longer : I therefore buoyed the principal articles 
 we had discovered, and returned to the harbour ; aU hands 
 being delighted with the success of the day, and the perfect 
 adaptation of the bell to the work. 
 
 The Colonel, who lived with me, again took occasion in 
 the course of the evening, to extol with great earnestness 
 the merits of his divers ; and insisted on their being able to 
 remain under water for a quarter of an hour at a time. 
 
 "Those are the very fellows for me. Colonel," said I, 
 " because that is the longest period I can afford for dinner, 
 so while we take our meal we may leave them at the bottom 
 to amicse themselves, and relieve them after we have dined. 
 
46 NARRATIVE OF THK 
 
 and thus no time will be lost." The Colonel's risible muscles 
 were not at all excited by my joke — I gave him clearly to 
 understand, however, that I considered that up to the present 
 time great labour and attention had been wasted on them, 
 and as it was probable that on the next day we might be 
 able to work in the Cove, I expected that he would insist on 
 their doing something that I should consider conclusive ; in 
 answer to which he made great promises, but which, as will 
 be seen, ended in veiy small performances. 
 
 The excavators had now made considerable progress with 
 the platforms and roads, and a great quantity of wood hav- 
 ing been procured, the crabs, bollards, and other descrip- 
 tions of securities for the derrick, which were in a forward 
 state^ were put, as soon as finished, into their places ; the 
 Lightning's spare bower and stream- anchors were landed ; 
 which, as well as the store-anchor I had brought from Rio, 
 having been got up the cliffs by great exertion, were subse- 
 quently buried in the main or north-east cliff, for the gear to 
 be a/btached to for the support of the derrick. 
 
 The Brazilian launch continued creeping daily, and reco- 
 vered numerous articles of iron-work and other stores and 
 equipment, a great part of which was most acceptable to us 5 
 for the very small supply of extra stores I had received, when 
 compared with the magnitude of the undertaking, which was 
 still in a state of great uncertainty, rendered the most rigidly 
 economical application of them necessary. The 13th was 
 a very favourable day, and we were in the Cove with all 
 the boats, the warps laid out, and eveiy other arrangement 
 made for a thorough day's work, and the bell ready for 
 lowering at day-light. Dewar and Heans having sufiiciently 
 recoViered from their accident went down, and after a search, 
 conducted by removing the bell launch in a similar manner 
 to that before described, they came up and reported to have 
 found a piece of the ship's side, which from the paim,t was 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. A^ 
 
 known to have been a part of the captain's cabin and quarter- 
 deck bulwark, and had five cannonades and two long guns 
 attached to it; it was lying considerably outside, of any other 
 fragments of wreck that we had hitherto discovered, being in 
 eleven fathoms water. 
 
 Between this and the heap before mentioned was the 
 capstan*. During the time the people were thus employed, 
 I continually urged the Clolonel to send his divers down, and 
 he as strenuously pressed them to comply, but my somewhat 
 angry ailments, though accompanied by offers of liberal 
 rewarda,'and his entreaties, were alike unavailing, they would 
 not stir from the boat, and I ceased to say anything more to 
 them until dinner time arrived, when I again proposed 
 to the Colonel, that as I should allow myself and people a 
 quarter of an hour for refreshment, he might send the 
 caboclos to amuse themselves at the bottom during the time, 
 and I backed the proposition by an offer of a greater reward, 
 as high as five pounds ; this was STibsequently increased 
 by I(ieutenant Hathorn, to ten pounds for every minute 
 after the first minute that they should remain down, but it 
 was all in vain, and I told the Colonel plainly that although 
 I would not prevent any exertion they might be disposed to 
 make, I should not request anything further of them. The 
 fact was, that from the first attempt, I was convinced they 
 never could be of any use, and if they had'been engaged by 
 myself, 1 should speedily have discharged them, but as they 
 were sent by the Commander-in-Chief, I felt a delicjacy on 
 the point, and therefore patiently gave them eveiy assistance 
 in my power, although heartily tired of them* 
 
 Our exertions by means of the bell were continued 
 
 * A inacliine for heaving the anchor up, and other heavy work ; its me- 
 chanical power is gained by the application of a lever to a strong wooden 
 roller fixed vertically in the deck. . ' ' 
 
48 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 throughout the remainder of the day, and the result was very 
 satisfactory, for we found about twenty-five feet of the 
 keel, with about two feet of the starboard and five feet 
 of the larboard floor-timbers* attached to it, which on 
 examination was considered to be the part immediately be- 
 fore the mainmast, it was nearly covered with iron ballast, 
 in a very disordered state. At about sixty feet from this 
 was a part of the stei-n-postf with a transom fast to it ; 
 and an anchor and numerous other articles were likewise 
 discovered, from the positions of all which I was induced to 
 think that the confused heap or mass we found on the lOth, 
 was the part of the ship somewhere about the spirit-roomj, 
 in which the treasure had been stowed; and I therefore 
 determined on a thorough examination of it on the first op- 
 portunity. The fact of the total destruction of the ship was 
 now placed beyond doubt. 
 
 I will here mention a rather ludicrous circumstance which 
 occurred in the afternoon. The bell was in the act of 
 being lowered, and my attention being directed to it, was 
 for the moment diverted from other points ; at which in- 
 stant one of the caboclos slid over the side of the boat, un- 
 observed by me, and disappeared. In a few seconds the 
 signal was made to hoist up, and fearing there was some- 
 thing the matter, I hastily gave the order to do so. As the 
 bell approached the surface, something of a brownish hue 
 was observed hanging to its bottom, and on being raised 
 above the water, this object turned out to be the caboclp, 
 who had essayed to join company with the bell-men ; but 
 as they mistook him for an evil spirit uncalled for " from the 
 vasty deep," they gave him proof with their feet that there 
 
 * The timbers attached to the keel. 
 
 f A long straight piece of timber which stands vertically on the keel, and 
 terminates the ship behind. 
 
 I A compartment in which the ship's stock of spirits is kept. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 49 
 
 was no admittance for him, and he was therefore obliged to 
 content himself with hanging on by the foot-bar with his 
 head only above the water. 
 
 Littlejohns, and Williams a quartermaster, were the bell- 
 men, the former of whom declared " he thought it was the 
 devil;" and the latter said " he thought so too, or else one 
 of them big sharks they saw t'other day;" and in good sooth 
 he might have been taken for either one or the other, for he 
 was of a colour about midway between the two. This was 
 the last attempt of the divers, and it afforded a good deal of 
 amusement to the people during the whole of the day. 
 
 In the evening I told the Colonel that I was supporting 
 his party at a considerable expense without having any ade- 
 quate return for it ; he immediately took the hint, and after 
 consulting with them decided on quitting the following 
 morning. I accordingly started them off at an early hour, 
 and thus got rid of an encumbrance with which I had suf- 
 fered myself to be pestered for eleven days ; their efforts 
 throughout were utterly contemptible, and not worth my 
 stock of salad oil, which they entirely consumed, and I felt 
 regret that so much labour and attention as had been be- 
 stowed upon them should have been so completely thrown 
 away. 
 
 From the 13th the cove continued in a very agitated 
 state for four days, and we failed in our attempts to work ; 
 various small pieces of wreck floated up, which caused me 
 some apprehension lest that which I considered to be the 
 spirit-room should be washed away, but favourable wea- 
 ther on the 18th set my mind at ease on that point by 
 enabling me to re-examine this part, when various indica- 
 tions confirmed my former opinion, and I resolved to go to 
 the proof on the morrow, by commencing to take it up ; 
 with this view it was carefully buoyed, and the rest of the 
 day was occupied in searching and buoying the other arti- 
 
50 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 cles we had observed with buoys both at the bottom and on 
 the surface, denoting each by numbers, those at the bottom 
 being, of a very bright colour, that they might be the more 
 readily seen from the bell. 
 
 During the search several guns and large quantities of 
 ballast and shot were seen. By the evening of the 18th 
 we had thoroughly examined a space of about 300 feet 
 square, and I felt satisfied there could not be any part of the 
 wreck of considerable magnitude in the cove, the position of 
 which we were not acquainted with. I therefore drew a 
 rough sketch of it, and sent it to the Admiral. We had 
 strengthened the pinnace, and fitted her with a very strong 
 davit; and having supplied her and the Brazilian launch 
 with runners and tackles, and other necessary gear adapted 
 to the work we had in prospect, on the morning of the 
 19th, although the weather was rather threatening, yet as 
 the sea was smooth, we seriously attacked, with a resolu- 
 tion to demolish, that part of the wreck which we had 
 strong reason to hope could but for a very short time longer 
 conceal the treasure. 
 
 The launch being of the greatest burthen and strongest, 
 was of course employed in removing the largest and heaviest 
 articles, and those most difi&cult to extricate ; and the pin- 
 nace was used for the smallest, and those most easily taken 
 up, and by frequent reliefs of the bell-men they were enabled 
 to work very hard; by these means we made a rapid reduc- 
 tion of the heap, and iu doing so uncovered part of the chain 
 cables ; but at eleven a. m., our progress was arrested by 
 the south-west swell setting in so suddenly and heavy, that 
 the danger became excessive, and we were obliged, though 
 very reluctantly, to desist. 
 
 When I first arrived and determined on the plan to be 
 pursued, I carefully measured the distance from the face of 
 the north-east cliff to the spot where Messrs. Batt and 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 51 
 
 Chatfield said the ship had sunk, and found the distance to 
 be one hundred and twenty feet to her outer side; the 
 derrick was, therefore, constructing of that length, and was 
 now in a tolerably forward state ; but our recent discoveries 
 having induced me to ascertain the distance from the cliff 
 to the place where I had reason to hope the treasure was 
 deposited, I had the mortification to find that it was one 
 hundred and fifty feet from the nearest point. I would not 
 allow this disappointment to present an obstacle, and directly 
 ordered the spar to be lengthened to one hundred and fifty- 
 eight feet ; fortunately we had just wood enough to do so, 
 but it expended every foot we could possibly find that was 
 fit for the purpose, and instead of stepping it at about forty 
 feet up the cliff out of danger from the sea according to nay 
 original intention, I was obliged to fix on the most project- 
 ing part, which was the extreme corner of a flat rock form- 
 ing the base of the cliff, and near the water's edge. 
 
 The state of the sea and the weather continued so very 
 unfavourable for five days after this time, that it was impos- 
 sible even to attempt to work the bell, but there was no 
 want of occupation; our whole enei*gies were directed to 
 other employments equally necessary, not only for the fur- 
 therance of the undertaking, but for the preservation of the 
 health of us all; which latter object began to cause me 
 some anxiety, since the number of cases of sickness had so 
 greatly increased, that a separate hut expressly for their re- 
 ception became necessary, and one was accordingly built, 
 which we denominated the hospital. This effect of our ex- 
 ertions and constant exposure occasioned me considerable 
 alarm, lest disease and casualties should render us too weak 
 for our work, in which case it might prove difficult to aug- 
 ment our numbers. During the absence of fine weather, or 
 rather of such as would admit of our working in the cove, 
 numerous parties were dispersed in various directions, and 
 
 e2 
 
62 NARRATIVE OE' THE 
 
 employed in different kinds of work, such as felling trees, 
 and getting them down from the hills ; cutting grass, and 
 repairing the huts with it; building the hospital, haul- 
 ing the Thetis's rudder higher up the beach, landing the 
 Lightning's capstan, and getting it with the bower anchor * 
 and the Thetis's stream cable f on the main cliff, &c. In 
 fact, the whole neighbourhood of our domicile presented a 
 lively scene of exhilarating, and to me most interesting 
 bustle ; and it was very gratifying to observe that both offi- 
 cers and men joined heart and hand in every act. 
 
 We now had some heavy rains, which replenished the 
 pool from which we drew our supply of water, and I took an 
 opportunity of going to Praya de Anjo with a party of men, 
 and after digging in numerous places, at length succeeded 
 in finding water ; and as the natives were now much better 
 off in this respect than formerly, I induced them to spare us 
 a little from the hole from which they were supplied, so 
 that altogether we obtained a sufficient quantity for the 
 daily use of the ship, and occasionally, for those at the 
 island ; and from this time we had always a tolerable though 
 irregular supply, but never could succeed in rendering the 
 pool clear ; there were obvious marks that animals of some 
 kind disturbed it during the night, and prevented its becom- 
 ing wholesome ; however, on the whole, having succeeded 
 thus far, my next object was to obtain some fresh provi- 
 sions, for which purpose I sent Mr. Smith the purser into 
 the country ; at first he met with many difficulties, but ul- 
 timately succeeded in making arrangements for a partial 
 supply of bullocks, sheep, and vegetables, and as the fisher- 
 men brought us fish occasionally, and we sometimes caught 
 
 * One of the largest anchors of the ship. 
 
 f The cable belonging to the stream anchor, which is the anchor next 
 less in size to the bower. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 53 
 
 a few ourselves, the people had frequently a fresh meal. 
 These supplies were of great assistance in enahling me to 
 keep the Lightning in a state ready for any service at a very 
 short notice. 
 
 An amusing occurrence took place about this time. We 
 were drawing the sean*, and had enclosed a large quantity 
 of fish, when, as the net approached the beach,' a tolerably 
 large turtle was discovered in it, making great efforts to get 
 through ; which being observed by Mr. Chatfield, who was 
 standing in the bow of the boat, and perhaps already in 
 imagination enjoying a basin of soup, he became alarmed 
 lest the turtle should escape ; and on the impulse of the 
 moment, forgetting that he could not swim, he plunged into 
 the water to seize it,- and in the next instant was struggling 
 to save himself, thus adding to our draught the " oddest 
 fish " of all. He was speedily taken into the boat, where he 
 continued to puff and blow for a time, but without having 
 received any injury, and afforded a good deal of merriment 
 to all the spectators. 
 
 The situation of the various fragments of wreck being now 
 well ascertained, I declined for the present making further 
 search in that wayj but on the 25th again explored the 
 heap, and took up from it some pieces of a messenger f, and 
 large quantities of rope, canvass, wood, copper-bolts, dead- 
 eyes J, iron, lead, and a variety of other things, by which 
 operation it was so much reduced, that on making fast the 
 runners of the launch and pinnace to several of the under- 
 most articles, and heaving on both windlasses at once, we 
 succeeded in turning over and pulling it completely to 
 
 * A large net. 
 
 f A large rope, which being lashed on to the cable, and passed several 
 times round the capstan, the anchor is hove up by it. 
 
 I A round flattish wooden bloclc, with three holes in, to receive a rop? 
 called a lanyard, by which the rigging is made fast. 
 
54 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 pieces; but this eflfort terminated for the present in disap- 
 pointment ; for instead of finding underneath, as we had 
 anticipated, a part of the bottom of the ship, nothing but 
 large rocks was presented to our view. The launch was 
 therefore employed as before for the rest of the day in ex- 
 ploring the surface of the bottom, and we found some guns, 
 ballast, and shot, but no other part of the keel or timbers. 
 This tended to impress me the more strongly with the con- 
 viction that extraordinary efforts would be necessary to ac- 
 complish the object of finding this part of the wreck. Al- 
 ternations of hope and doubt were evident in all counte- 
 nances, according as the result of any particular attempt 
 presented a prospect of success or failure ; but in no in- 
 stance could I discover the slightest relaxation of their de- 
 sire to use every effort to obtain a successful issue. I was 
 now satisfied that it was in vain to expect to find the trea- 
 sure attached to, or resting on, any part of the wreck ; and 
 having to such an extent explored the surface of the bottom, 
 made it a matter of serious consideration to me whether it 
 had not gone out seaward with that part of the ship on which 
 it was stowed ; and it seemed that our endeavours should now 
 be directed to the recovery of such articles as we had disco- 
 vered. In order, however, that on the first opportunity a 
 more minute examination might be made between the rocks, 
 I had the necessary implements made for digging among 
 them ; and to give further encouragement to the bell-men, I 
 offered a reward of 50 milreis for the discovery of the trea- 
 sure, and subsequently 30 for the first bar of silver. 
 
 For the purpose of conducting such stores as we might 
 recover to a place of deposit, I had intended to rig two short 
 derricks on the face of the main cliff to raise them from the 
 boats instead of rowing with them into the harbour ; but on 
 cutting the zig-zag paths down, for the purpose of levelling 
 a platform at the point where each dei-rick was intended to 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 55 
 
 be fixed, I found that the expenditure of labour and time 
 would be too great> and therefore had rope-ladders made 
 merely for the purpose of ascending and descending at those 
 parts where we could not cut a path, and thus completed a 
 line of communication between the cove and the summit of 
 the cliff. 
 
 On the 27th we were thrown into considerable alarm. 
 When we left off work on the evening of the 25th, the swell 
 had begun to set in ; it continued to increase till it reached 
 to such a height that the cove was in a state of awful com- 
 motion ; and when I considered the abrupt declivity of the 
 bottom, I feared that all the wreck might be washed out 
 seaward. The tides had hitherto been tolerably regular as 
 to their rise and fall, and even strong winds had not made 
 any material difference in them. This day commenced with 
 light variable winds, and heavy thunder, lightning, and rain; 
 there was a terrific sea in the cove and all along the outside 
 coast; but it remained smooth in the harbour, and there 
 was not the least apparent reason for apprehension until 
 nearly noon. As it was Sunday, we had mustered the ship's 
 company, by divisions, according to routine, and performed 
 divine service ; and I was glad of the prospect of giving the 
 people a day's rest, but an hour determined that it was not 
 to be so. The tide rose with great rapidity, and caused 
 such devastation on the beach that the exertions of all hands 
 were necessary for the preservation of every thing which 
 was on it. The first object of our care was the derrick, 
 which, with great alacrity, was parbuckled* higher up, and 
 secured by fastenings from the bank above. 
 
 While we were thus employed the Brazilian launch broke 
 from her moorings, was driven broad side on to the beach. 
 
 * Rolled along by means of ropes passed round, having one end made 
 fast, while the others are pulled on. 
 
56 NARRATiVE OF THE 
 
 forced close up to the bank, and with great«difl5culty saved 
 from being wrecked. We next gave our attention to the 
 removal of things of less consequence, most of which were 
 ultimately saved ; but several articles of useful iron-work 
 were irrecoverably sunk in the sand ; the sawpits were de- 
 stroyed ; the Thetis's rudder buried entirely out of our sight, 
 and was afterwards dug out at a considerable distance from 
 the place in which it had been lying, and the whole ap- 
 pearance of the beach was entirely changed. 
 
 A dead body likewise was discovered in the surf and taken 
 up ; it proved to be that of the late captain's clerk, of the 
 Thetis, who was drowned at the time of the wreck, and had 
 been buried in the beach ; and it was remarkable, that not- 
 withstanding upwards of three months had elapsed since the 
 time of its interment, decomposition had not taken place in 
 the slightest degree. It was re- interred ; the funeral service 
 being performed on the occasion. 
 
 In prospect of the completion of the derrick, which it was 
 computed would, with its gear, weigh about forty tons, I ap- 
 plied to the Commander-in-Chief for the assistance of about 
 100 men expressly for the purpose of erecting it, who were 
 to return immediately that this was accomplished. It will 
 readily be imagined that a party of good sailors of the full 
 number requested were necessary for such a work, wherein 
 an accident in one part would, in all probability, be fatal to 
 the whole. I was consequently much disappointed on the 
 arrival of the Adelaide, on the 30tb, to find that she had 
 brought but 74 persons ; amongst whom were 25 ordinary 
 seamen, 6 landsmen, and 8 boys. However, as I had no 
 remedy, I made the best of them that I could. They exerted 
 themselves to the full extent of their abilities. 
 
 The Adelaide brought also the rigging I had demanded 
 for the derrick, and the day was employed in getting it on 
 shore, and placing it in the store. The incessant south-west 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 5/ 
 
 swell setting into the cove, rendered the working of the bell 
 at all times more or less perilous ; but practice had inured 
 the men to it, and given them judgment to direct their ex- 
 ertions 5 so that although there was no remedy for the vio- 
 lent concussions against the rocks, yet there was less danger 
 of broken legs or arms, or other injuries to them ; and I had 
 the satisfaction of seeing them go to their work just as they 
 would to any ordinary duty that might be required. Still 
 the exertion of working hard in so small a space, and in io 
 great a depth of water, was distressingly fatiguing, which 
 induced me to determine, in order to render it less so, that 
 all the petty officers of the ship should become bell-men, 
 and accordingly I appointed them in turn to that duty. 
 
 The 31st was a remarkably fine and bright day, and we 
 were in the cove by day light. The sea was less disturbed 
 than on any preceding day since we commenced our work ; 
 and so clear, that rocks at the bottom could be seen at the 
 depth of seven fathoms, and every thing seemed auspicious 
 for rigidly exploring the interstices between them ; and if 
 not successful in that way, the bell-men were prepared for 
 digging with the implements with which they were provided. 
 It had from the outset been my study to keep up the interest 
 which all the people felt in the undertaking, by occasionally 
 using a few encouraging words bearing on the reward and 
 merit which would accrue in the event of success. On this 
 morning it was somewhat remarkable that I had a strong 
 impression, or rather presentiment, that the system of work 
 I had concerted would succeed. So forcible was this feel- 
 ing, that I rose at three o'clock and commenced writing a 
 long dispatch to the Commander-in-Chief, and at half past 
 five left it unfinished, in the hope that I might have to in- 
 sert a report of the anticipated good fortune. On reaching 
 the cove, when every thing was prepared, I gave very mi- 
 nute directions to the bell-men, and added, " Now my lads 
 
58 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 be alive 5 let every man be attentive in his station, for I 
 mean to find the dollars to-day." This produced a universal 
 smile of satisfaction, though, perhaps, in some instances par- 
 taking a little of the incredulous ; and "good luck to you," 
 vi^as addressed to the bell-men by all the boats' crews, some 
 of whom remarked that I had never disappointed them yet. 
 My arrangement for the day was to commence near the 
 north-east cliff, in five fathoms water ; next, to move out 
 seaward to ten fathoms, and then diagonally to cross the whole 
 of the ground on which we had seen any wreck. But so 
 strongly was I impressed with the conviction that the situa- 
 tion in which the heap of materials had lain was the most 
 probable spot, that I could not abstain from searching there 
 first ; and was the more induced to do so, as I judged that 
 the heavy sea on the 27th might have cleared away a great 
 deal of rubbish. This proved to be the case to some extent, 
 for on examination of the bottom, it was found that a great 
 part of the remains of the heap which we had turned over 
 on the 25th had disappeared and left the rocks partially 
 clear. This induced me to alter my plan, and to direct the 
 bell-men to keep very close to the bottom, while the move- 
 ments of the launch were confined to about ten fathoms each 
 way, occasionally stopping and lowering the bell on the 
 bottom,, to enable the men to look into the crevices, and 
 turn over the smaller rocks. This method had been pursued 
 with great earnestness for some hours, when the signal of 
 attention was made from the bell, and immediately afterwards 
 a tally-board floated up with the cheering words written 
 on it, " Be careful in lowering the bell to a foot, for we are 
 now over some dollars." These directions being complied 
 with, they remained on the bottom for a considerable time, 
 the depth of water being about seven fathoms, when they 
 came up with their caps full of dollars and some gold. They 
 were received with three as hearty cheers from all of us in 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 59 
 
 the cove as ever were given, the effect of which was increased 
 by the reverberation from the surrounding cliffs ; and they 
 were as enthusiastically returned by those who were on the 
 heights above, some of the natives who happened to be there 
 joinii^ in the shout. 
 
 The treasure was so strewed about and mixed with pul- 
 verized granite, splinters of wood, and the various materials 
 and contents of the ship, that it was impossible to form an 
 idea as to the extent or quantity of it ; still our efforts were 
 at last crowned with success. We had persevered through 
 discouraging difi&culties and obstacles of no ordinary nature, 
 and bad found means to surmount them often ccmtrary to all 
 expectation ; but further and great exertions must still be 
 used ere we could reach the point which we were ambitious 
 to attain ; namely, the recoveiy of all the property that could 
 by any means be rescued. A part at least of the treasure 
 was now found, and the next consideration was to devise the 
 best and most expeditious mode of taking it up, and to pre- 
 vent its being washed away by the action of the sea during 
 the operation. 
 
 By sounding with a hand-lead, I found that the declivity 
 of the bottom at this part was at an angle of about twenty- 
 three degrees with the horison ; and from this circumstance, 
 it was to be presumed that on every occasion of a heavy 
 swell setting in (which experience had shovra always dis- 
 turbed every thing moveable at the bottom), it would settle 
 further out into deep water. 
 
 My orders to the bell-men were therefore as follows : — 
 They were first to go to the outermost dollar, or other arti- 
 cle of treasure they could discover, and to place a pig of bal- 
 last, with a bright tally-board fast to it, against, and on the 
 inner side of, the nearest fixed rock they could find ; from 
 this they were then to proceed in taking up all that lay imme- 
 diately on the surface, but not to remove anything else until 
 
60 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 all that was visible was obtained ; this being done, they were 
 to return to the place first commenced at, and passing over 
 the same ground, remove the small rocks and other arricles, 
 one by one, and progressively take up whatever might, by 
 such removal, be discovered, but not on any account to dig 
 without express orders from me. In furtherance of this, 
 the pinnace was employed in weighing and carrying into 
 deep water the small rocks as fast as they were slung by the 
 bell-men. Pursuing this mode, by half past eleven we had 
 recovered about 3000 dollars ; and I went on shore for a few 
 minutes, finished my dispatch to the Admiral, and having 
 sent the Adelaide with it, returned to my post in the cove ; 
 and we continued our labour until dark, when, having well 
 buoyed the place, we, with great reluctance, desisted. But 
 the ardour of the ofl&cers and people was raised to the highest 
 pitch, good fortune had given such a spur to their zeal as 
 inspired them with a perfect contempt of danger ; and this 
 was manifested by the utmost alacrity and cheerfulness with 
 which every proposal I made, and every order I gave, was 
 received and executed. 
 
 Appreciating this on their part, and convinced that such 
 a set of fine fellows would attempt the performance of any 
 thing that man dare undertake, it was impossible that I 
 should not experience corresponding feelings, and I deter- 
 mined on evincing them by venturing out of the ordinary 
 track in an experiment entirely novel ; that of working a 
 diving-bell in the open sea by torch-light. What I have 
 already recited renders the great danger with which we were 
 constantly surrounded during the progress of the work so 
 apparent, that perhaps I may be thought to have exceeded 
 the bounds of prudence on this occasion in exposing the 
 lives of so many persons ; but it must be recollected that 
 the enterprise was novel and unique in its nature, and that 
 this was only following up a series of perilous experiments 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAFE FRIO. 61 
 
 which had all proved successful, none of which would ever 
 haye been attempted had I been guided by a cool calculation 
 of what might be prudent in the general acceptation of the 
 term. On reaching our encampment, I directed that while 
 we who had been in the cove were taking some refreshment, 
 others should prepare a number of large torches, and get the 
 boats ready for resuming work. We were in the cove again 
 by nine o'clock, and matters were arranged in the following 
 order. The bell-launch was placed over the spot we had 
 previously been working in, and secured with the usual 
 warps, having two torches over the stern, and one on each 
 quarter ; the Brazilian launch was placed at about three 
 fathoms off on her starboard quarter, with four torches over 
 her side. The pinnace was similarly situated on the other 
 quarter, also with four torches, and the cutter right astern, 
 with two torches, thus forming a square, and this arrange- 
 ment of the torches produced a very strong light. 
 
 The great caution I had used in buoying was now turned 
 to good account, for as we could not use any cross bear- 
 ings, the buoys enabled us to place the bell-boat to a nicety, 
 and the bell was on the first attempt lowered exactly on the 
 spot we had left at dark. There was a lighted wax-candle 
 taken down in the bell, but it consumed the air so fast that 
 it was necessary to extinguish it as soon as the bell-men got 
 a fair sight of the place they were about to work in. 
 
 To depict the scene now presented, is a task beyond my 
 powers of description. Thetis Cove on this occasion would 
 have supplied a fine subject for the artist. The strong glare 
 cast from the torches on every projection of the stupendous 
 cliflfs, rendered the deep shade of their indentations and fis- 
 sures more conspicuous — their darkness more visible ; and 
 notwithstanding there was a flickering brightness thrown upon 
 some parts, a solemn gloom pervaded the whole, which was 
 much heightened by contrast with the brilliant whiteness of 
 
62 - NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 the foam on tke rocks beneath. The rushing of the roarkng 
 sea into the deep chasms,, produced a succession of reports 
 like those of cannon, which were multiplied by echoes from' 
 the surrounding clifife ; and the assembled boats, containing 
 ^oups of persons employed in their various occupations, 
 kept in constant motion by the influence of the swell, com- 
 pleted a scene which, when viewed from the heights above, 
 might suggest the idea of looking into Pandemonium. This 
 experiment succeeded to admiration^ and- we continued taking 
 up treasure imtil two o'clock in the morning of the 1st of 
 April, when we were glad to retire ; having obtained in the 
 whole by this attempt, 6326 dollars, 36 pounds 10 ounces of 
 Plata pina, 5 pounds 4 ounces of old silver, 243 pounds 8 
 ounces of silver in bars, and 4 pounds 8 ounces of gold^ 
 After a little rest we were again at our employment by half- 
 past five, and proceeded very prosperously for some hours, 
 but were then obliged to desist, and had a very narrow escape 
 from imminent peril, arising from a sudden shift of wind, 
 one of those causes which subsequently frequently occurred, 
 and were at all times attended with great^danger. It had 
 blown moderately from the north-east during the^morning, 
 with every appearance of its continuing so, and we Avere 
 proceeding with the most encouraging success, having re- 
 moved a number of rocks of various magnitudes, some of 
 them weighing many hundred weight, and had taken up 
 upwards of 4000 dollars in value, but at eleven o'clock our 
 progress was arrested by the wind suddenly setting in from 
 the westward, and in a very short time a dangerous sea got 
 up, occasioned in a great measure by the recoil] from^the 
 perpendicular cliffs, which, as already stated, form the whole 
 coast on the sea side of the island, and our situation became 
 very critical. We were obliged hastily to leave the cove, and 
 notwithstanding the most prompt measures were taken, and 
 the utmost exertion used at the oars, the launch being towed 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FBIO. 63 
 
 by all the boats including my own gig, fqr thr§e hours we, 
 made scarcely any progress,, and she shipped water so fast 
 as to keep many of the men constantly baling ; but fortu- 
 nately the current changed in our favour, and at the expira- 
 tion of the fourth hour we happily reached the harbour; 
 which if we had not done most of us must inevitably have 
 perished. During the month of March the cases of rheuma- 
 tism increased in number, as did also those of cholera, and 
 ulcers became more numerous and painful. 
 
 Apkil. — A new responsibility at this period devolved on 
 me, namely, that of protecting the treasure from plunder. 
 The circumstances under which it was obtained, as well as 
 the unavoidable exposure of it, furnished temptations of no 
 ordinary nature. My anxiety was not only that it should, 
 not be purloined, but that there should not even be room for 
 suspicion of its being so ; I therefore determined that every 
 thing relating to it should be done in the most public and 
 exposed manner that circumstances would admit of, and at 
 the same time that there should be such a police as would 
 render robbery impossible. To tb's end I made the follow- 
 ing arrangements. The bell-meti's dresses were simply a 
 frock and trousers made of blanket, and these were taken 
 off in the boat immediately on their coming from the bell, 
 and thoroughly examined by an officer. I had buckets made 
 of very thick canvass doubled, with a rope grummet* at the 
 top and bottom, and strengthened at the sides by platting 
 made of rope of the same size as the grummets. In these 
 buckets the treasure was sent up from the bell, just in the 
 state in which it was taken from the bottom, a great part hav- 
 ing been pressed by the rocks into a concrete mass with the 
 pulverized granite and other substances. On being hauled 
 into the pinnace, it was turned into a trough prepared for 
 
 * A hoop or ring made of rope. 
 
64 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 the purpose with holes in the bottom ; in this the lumps 
 were broken, and a great quantity of water thrown on it to 
 wash the filth away. The large pieces of Plata pina, old silver 
 and gold, were first removed ; the dollars were then picked 
 out, and underwent a cleaning by being rubbed hard against 
 each other between the hands ; they were then carefully 
 counted and put into canvass bags. The rubbish then under- 
 went a more rigid scrutiny, for some of the pieces of gold 
 were so small, and a great quantity of the Plata pina was so 
 smashed into minute particles, some of them smaller than a 
 pea, that without the most careful examination a considera- 
 ble value might have been lost. The bars of silver and other 
 large pieces of treasure were cleaned by scraping and scrub- 
 bing. This first course was performed by the young gen- 
 tlemen of the boats, assisted by one or more of the crew, ac- 
 cording to the quantity, and under the immediate observa- 
 tion of myself or the officer of the bell-launch. I then took 
 it in my gig, and carried it to the encampment, where I had 
 a large table or rather platform fixed close to my hut for the 
 purpose of the final cleansing and packing. It was now 
 placed under the guard of the officer of the watch aud a sen- 
 tinel, and in the immediate charge and superintendence of 
 Mr. R. T. Reep, my clerk. Here it was subjected to a more 
 thorough cleansing, being ultimately washed in fresh water, 
 then dried in the sun, or on sheets of copper placed over a 
 fire under cover in wet weather ; the dollars and other coins 
 being again counted, and the other kinds of treasure weighed 
 and registered under my own superintendence, and that of the 
 first lieutenant, master, and purser, whenever practicable; it 
 was then put into bags containing 500 dollars each, and finally 
 into boxes containing six bags each, marked, numbered, and 
 sealed with my own seal, and then deposited in my hut until 
 a favourable opportunity of subsequently placing it on board 
 the Lightning for safely until called for by such vessels as 
 
OPEBATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. G5 
 
 might be ordered to convey it to England ; and as I had a 
 great objection to its going out of my possession excepting 
 direct to the Bank of England, to be there deposited until 
 the rightful owners were ascertained, I wrote to the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief to allow them to call at Cape Frio for it, 
 with which request he complied. The bell was searched 
 every evening by an officer. 
 
 The derrick being extended to so great a length had con- 
 sumed an immense quantity of iron ; the whole of the hoops 
 of the pieces of the Thetis's masts were already used, and I 
 was obliged to have recourse to chain-plates, hammock- 
 stancheons, and other large articles of iron, to make more ; 
 but notwithstanding the blacksmith, John Leary, was an 
 excellent workman, and exercised a good deal of ingenuity, 
 the forge was not of sufficient power for the work, and the 
 hoops frequently broke in driving on, a misfortune which 
 could be remedied only by making them with hinges and 
 forelocks, which was done ; and by such means we managed 
 to make a sufficient number. 
 
 Another report of several tigers Iiaving been seen during 
 the night on the beach in our neighbourhood reached me, 
 and I determined on proving its truth or falsehood by ocular 
 demonstration, and therefore gave directions tliat whenever 
 one was seen I should immediately be informed of it ; I 
 also desired that some muskets should every evening be 
 loaded with ball, and previously to going to bed charged my 
 fowling-piece with two pistol-balls in each barrel. On the 
 night after this preparation, the sentry called to me that 
 "There were five tigers on the beach." " Rather a formida- 
 ble enemy to encounter," said I. But the number was 
 quite enough to satisfy me that the animals were not of the 
 kind they were supposed to be. I took my gun, and with 
 the midshipman of the watch, the corporal of marines, and 
 sentry, each armed with a jnusket, sallied down towards the 
 
 F 
 
66 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 beach, when there proved to be a group of the number 
 stated. The derrick foi-med an excellent screen for us, and 
 by creeping along a little above it, we were enabled to get 
 within about fifty yards of the objects of our attack, expect- 
 ing to "bag" at least a brace of them; but they were too 
 wary to allow us to approach nearer. Finding they heard us, 
 I discharged my gun into the midst of them, and they 
 simultaneously rushed into the sea and disappeared. They 
 were sea-pigs (capivara), of which we subsequently saw 
 a considerable number, killed several, and found their flesh 
 excellent food, but with this exploit terminated our tiger- 
 hunting at Cape Frio. On subsequent inquiry, I found that 
 it was not by any means an unusual occurrence for tigers to 
 swim over from the main-land in quest of the very animals 
 which in this, instance had been mistaken for thesm, and of 
 which they are very fond ; and, therefore, considering that 
 there was no particular obstacle to their approaching and 
 making free with one or two of us should their appetite dis- 
 pose them for a more delicate naorsel, I repeated the order 
 that the people should not stray into the woods excepting 
 in parties. 
 
 During the succeeding three days after the 1st of April, 
 the swell was too great to admit of working the bell, and 
 the people were employed on the cliifs in securing several 
 lengths of the Thetis's cha,in stream cable to the different 
 fastenings. to attach the derrick gear to ; the party of exca- 
 vators., was increased, some hands were employed in making 
 torches, others, in cutting wood for capstan and crab bars, 
 and sinkiiig bolts at various points. Carpenters were em- 
 ployed in making money-boxes, and on the 4th, Moore the 
 engineer with his party blasted a hole in the rock to form 
 a step for the derrick. 
 
 The 5th was a very favourajble day : by sunset we had 
 recovered a large quantity of treasure, and there still re- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPK FRIO. 67 
 
 mained much' more within reach. Determined to persevere, 
 we lighted the torches,, and' made the other preparations for 
 continuing to work through the night, hut shortly afterwards 
 the sky suddenly hecame overcast, and thunder, lightnings 
 and rain, following in quick succes-sion, disappointed our 
 hopes and drove us to the harbour. 
 
 Qn the following morning we made another trial, though 
 there was a great deal of swell, a«d the launch surged vio- 
 lently ; stillj though at great risk, we persevered for two 
 hours in our endeavours to land the bell, but they were fruit- 
 less ; we fbund it impossible, and consequently returned to 
 the harbour. But on the 7th the sea was sufficiently quiet 
 to admit of our placing it between the rocks, which being at 
 length accomplished, we got at the treasure that had been 
 left on the evening of the 5th. At dark the torches were 
 ag9.in lighted, andr the work continued until nine o'clock, 
 when we concluded: a very productive though exceedingly 
 dangerous day's work. 
 
 The unsettled state of the weather and the sea (as be- 
 fore mentioned) had for the several intervening days pre- 
 cluded the possibility of working the bell, which enabled 
 me to direct my whole force and attention to the derrick, 
 th& hooping of which was completed on the 6th, and we then 
 commenced vroolfling* it and getting all the clothing on, 
 which for a considerable time had employed a gang of rig- 
 gers, and was now completed under the immediate superin- 
 tendence of Mr. Chatfield. 
 
 On levelling the cliffs for the platforms, the excavators 
 discovered amongst the decomposed granite a great quantity 
 of mica of a bright yellow colour, which they supposed to be 
 gold, and brought many specimens of it to me under the idea 
 that they had found a far more profitable mine above than 
 
 * Tlie act of winding a piece of rope round a mast or other spar. 
 
 f2 
 
68 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 below the sea. I endeavoured to undeceive them in this re- 
 spect, but they looked very incredulous, nor could I for a long 
 time remove the impression from their minds ; their scepticism 
 was rather amusing, for whenever I visited them I was sure 
 to find a heap of it placed in a corner for my inspection, and 
 on every occasion they had some new reason for assuring me 
 that it must he the precious metal. We had by this time 
 taken off thirteen feet of the peak of the north-east cliff, and 
 thereby made a platform of eighty feet by sixty ; on this was 
 placed the Lightning's capstan and four crabs formed of the 
 heels of the Thetis's topmasts, the Lightning's bower and 
 stream anchors, and the store anchor, to which was shackled 
 the chain splicing- tails and several lengths of the Thetis's 
 chain stream cable which we had recovered, extending 
 several fathoms over the cliff to attach the standing parts* 
 of the topping-lifts and guy-topping-lifts to, and preserve 
 them from chafing against the rocks. There were also eight 
 large bollards placed in proper situations for other securities. 
 Four other platforms, each large enough for working a crab, 
 were made at appropriate parts for iising the guys and 
 guy- topping-lifts. The roads and paths that had been cut, 
 extending from our encampment to those platforms, and 
 from the one to the other of them, together amounted to the 
 length of nearly a mile and a half. The zig-zag path dovra 
 the cliff was finished, and at those parts of the main cliff 
 which were inaccessible in that manner, rope-ladders were 
 substituted, and thus a communication was formed with the 
 cove at the point where the derrick was to be stepped. 
 
 All this being done, the large hawsersf were rove 
 through the blocks, their purchases lashed to them, and 
 
 * Those parts which are made fast. 
 
 t Large ropes generally made like cables. 
 
 X All the parts of a tackle rendered slack or extended. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 69 
 
 partially overhauled! over the cliffs. The getting the before- 
 mentioned heavy articles up was most distressingly labori- 
 ous, for they M^ere obliged to be carried a great part of the 
 distance where the surface was covered with a loose deep 
 sandj and to this cause may be mainly attrilmted a com- 
 plaint of the heart which subsequently attacked several of 
 the people. 
 
 Amongst the things crept up was a pa,rt of the bows of 
 the wreck, including the hawse pieces*, which were of great 
 value to us, and were turned to good account by being fitted 
 with rollers,- and fixed as a breast-work on the brink of the 
 mainf platform for the gear to traverse over ; this plan not 
 only prevented chafing, but likewise saved a great deal of 
 labour. Mr. Jones succeeded in accomplishing this in a 
 most effective manner. 
 
 The 8th of this month was another good day with the 
 bell. On the preceding day we had taken up all the trea- 
 sure which lay on the immediate surface, or could be found 
 by removal of the small rocks within the space in which it 
 had first been discovered. We now had recourse to digging, 
 and pursuing the plan I at first adopted, commenced at the 
 lowest part ; so that in the event of any that might be above 
 being disturbed, it should fall into the hole thus made, and 
 be arrested in its progress sea-ward ; the advantage of this 
 plan is obvious, and it was frequently exemplified during the 
 continuance of the service. In the course of the day the 
 bell-men dug through a mass of decayed and putrid provi- 
 sions,* which they at first considered were the bodies of those 
 who were lost in the wreck ; the stench arising from it was 
 so insufferable that they were obliged to come up. In con- 
 
 » That part of the bow with holes in it for the cables to pass through, 
 t The principal is here meant. 
 
70 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 sequence of this I immediately shortened the period for 
 their remaining down until this place was cleared, but two 
 of them became very ill, and indeed many ^f them suffered 
 from the same -cause. 
 
 The derrick, which was now composed of twenty-two 
 pieces united by a gre^t number of dowels and befits, thirty- 
 four hoops, and numerous wooldings of four-inch i-qpe, was 
 finished on the evening of the 7th and the clothing fitted on, 
 and I now had arrived at a point which requii'ed much fore- 
 sight and pre-arrangement, namely, the preparation for 
 erecting itj and it was necessary to weigh with coolness and 
 circumspection the mode by which this was to he done. 
 
 A party of about sixty of our best hands were employed 
 in g-etting the Lightning's chain and hempen stream cables 
 and large hawsers passed over and round the faces of the 
 cliffs, and the purchases were sufficiently overhauled to jadmit 
 of their reaching the derrick, and the falls brought to the cap- 
 stan and crabs, ready for heaving it up. All who are well ac- 
 quainted with the character iand manners of sailors know 
 that it is no easy matter to I'id them of their habitual heed- 
 lessness ; I endeavoured to impress 4hei!n individually and 
 collectively with the necessity of caution in not holding 
 by, or treading on, any thing williout first asoeriaaning that 
 it was secure ; the almost universal answer I got was 
 " Never fear. Sir ;" which, from the fearless and careless 
 manner in which it was expressed, was by no means calcu- 
 lated to remove my apprehensions for their safety. It is for 
 those only who have been placed in a responsible situationa 
 where the error of one order, or want of judgment in direct- 
 ing any thing to be done, might be fatal to many lives, to 
 judge of the state of anxiety and excitement which this day's 
 superintendence caused me. The task we had now in hand 
 was one of immense danger. The parties working over the 
 
OPJIRATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 71 
 
 cliffs were some of them slung in bights* of ropes, some 
 supported by man-ropes, some assisting each other by 
 joining hands, and others holding by the uncertain tenure 
 of a tuft of grass or a twig, while loose fragments of rock, 
 being disturbed by the gear and the men who were working 
 on the upper part, were precipitated amidst those below, 
 endangering their being dashed to pieces every moment, 
 while the sharp crags latcerated the hands and feet, and ren- 
 dered the moving out of the way extremely difficult ; cir- 
 cumstances which keipt me i* a state of rapid arid constant 
 transition from one cliff to another, in otder not only to di- 
 rect the whole, but also to point out danger and to admonish 
 the heedless. However, by great attention on the part of 
 the officers, and^ by promptitude in rendering immediate 
 assistance when required, this very arduous part of our work 
 was performed, which I sincerely believe could not have 
 been accomplished by any men in the world but British 
 seamen ; the only accidents which occurred being some cuts 
 in the hands and feet by scrambling about the rocks, and a 
 few bruises from the falling stories. 
 
 While this was doing, preparations were also made for 
 lauriehing the derrick^ and I took Mr. Jones and Moore With 
 me and minutely and finally examined all the securities. 
 
 All the gear being prepared^ in the evening I art:an^ied 
 the distribution of my officers with their particular parties at 
 the capstan, crabs, purtehastes, &c. The smallness of the 
 number of hands sent from the War spite rendered it neces- 
 sary that I should have every working man from the Light- 
 ning; and on this occasion she was left with only a few 
 convalescents to take care of her, and even the young gentle- 
 men were obliged to give their aid at the capstan. On 
 the morning of the 9th the derrick was launched without a 
 
 * The double part. 
 
72 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 casualty, and while the boats were towing it to the eove, all 
 the gear was got ready to be attached to it the moment it 
 arrived at the proper position according to the plan I had 
 given. It had to be towed for a distance of about a mile, 
 subject to the influence of a strong current running west- 
 ward through the gut, at once exposing us to the two-fold 
 danger of being driven to sea or against the rocks, either of 
 which would have occasioned us great difficulty if it had not 
 entirely frustrated our future hopes of benefit from the use 
 of this machine. In apprehension of accident from one or 
 the other of these causes, 1 had taken the precaution of 
 placing bolts at several points of the rocks, so that in case 
 of necessity a warp, with which the boats were amply pro- 
 vided, might be made fast. However, it reached the cove 
 without accident, and as in this laborious work every thing 
 depended on promptitude of action, I had all the gear fitted 
 to go with toggles*, which so much facilitated the rigging, 
 that in one hour and a half after its arrival every thing was 
 in its place, and the Lightning's chain stream cable being 
 made fast to the heel of the derrick which was placed di- 
 rectly under its step, ready for heaving up into it, and the 
 guys being hove taut to keep it in that position, I left the 
 further management in the cove to Mr. Chatfield, and placed 
 myself on the main cliif ; for all the securities being untried, 
 I felt that they would require my earnest personal watchful- 
 ness in case of the failure of any one of them, as a suspen- 
 sion of work would immediately be necessary. 
 
 Every thing being thus prepared, I gave the order to heave 
 round, and every one was on the alert ; but we had scarcely 
 brought any considerable strain on the gear, when a report 
 came to me that the heel of the derrick was displaced and 
 
 * Large wooden pins, which being fixed transversely in one bight or strop 
 attaches it to another. 
 
OPERATIONS A.T CAPE FRIO. 73 
 
 driven into a chasm at the foot of the cliff, an accident 
 which for this time put an end to further attempts to get it 
 up. The day was far advanced, and therefore as no time 
 was to be lost, I had no alternative but immediately to cast 
 every thing off, and return with the derrick to the harbour if 
 possible ; but this had become exceedingly doubtful, for the 
 wind was much increased since the morning, and was blow- 
 ing in heavy gusts, and the current consequently was pro- 
 portionably more rapid. We repeatedly succeeded in towing 
 it into the gut, and were as often driven back ; till at length 
 finding it impossible, notwithstanding the most strenuous 
 efforts to get it through in this way, we were under the 
 necessity of making it fast to the rocks until a small anchor 
 and some grapnels were laid out, by which means it was 
 ultimately warped into the harbour, and by half-past eleven 
 at night moored off the beach near the Adelaide, and the 
 party which had come from the ship in the morning then 
 returned on board after a very fatiguing and dangerous day's 
 work. Undismayed by this failure, by seven o'clock on the 
 following morning we were again in the cove with the der- 
 rick. Our energies were raised to the highest pitch, and 
 we soon had all the gear toggled to it, and the heel quickly 
 hove up and placed in its step. 
 
 On this occasion I left the watching of the securities to 
 Mr. Jones and Moore, and determined to direct every thing 
 in the cove myself from my boat. Never was ardent exer- 
 tion or attentive obedience more requisite or conspicuous 
 than in this case. The enormous weight of the derrick, the 
 great height of the purchases above it presenting a serious 
 obstacle to communication, the number of these purchases, 
 and the great distance they were apart from each other, ren- 
 dering an union of the parties on any emergency impossible, 
 were circumstances which much contributed to the difficulty 
 
74 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 of thista&k; despite of^U which, at the close of the day, I 
 had the satisfaction of seeing this huge Spar in the place as- 
 signed for it, and 'the head of it hoVe ten feet ahove the 
 water, no material accident having happened to any one. Oh 
 the 11th we were again at our purchases, and the head was 
 raised to the angle I had intended, being about fifty feet from 
 the surface of the sea, and pl^bing the part we wei^e reco- 
 vering treasure from. About the middle of the day thfe 'Wind 
 set in from the south-west, and the sea rapidly increased.; 
 fcut, iortunately, by half paSt one p. iw. evei-y thitag was inade 
 fast. 
 
 During the operation of erecting the derrick it evinced 
 great pliability, the consequence of being composed of so 
 many pieces, which obliged me to get numerous additional 
 guys on ; and having thus secured it, we returned to our 
 encampment, all of us being excessively fatigued by three 
 ^consecutive days of the tnost harassing exertion, and on the 
 two former not having had any refreshttient betw'eeil th'e 
 hour of half past ftfur in the mo'rning and late at night. On 
 looking down from the precipice on this enoi'mous machine, 
 with all its immense but necessary quantity of rigging, it 
 became a matter of astonishment to myself, and I believe it 
 was to every one else who saw it, that, vt^th the small means 
 we had, we cotiM have succeeded in placing it in such a 
 situation. 
 
 It was impossible to expect that this work could be ac- 
 complished without the occurrence of serious casualties, but 
 I have reason to exult when I state that none of any conse- 
 quence happened ; a result which could only be attributable 
 to the great and unceasing attention of the officeirs, displayed 
 in the energetic promptitude with which they put my order^s 
 into execution, and to the ready persevering exertions of th'e 
 people, which seemed to augment in proportion to the mag- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. ']b 
 
 njtude and danger of the work to be performed ; and I felt 
 that from such a disposition no other than aiavourable (issue 
 could xesult. 
 
 It has -been my lot tto witness many circumstances in which 
 great solicitude has been evinced, hiitjnever one wherein (sach 
 geneial anxiety:aiid such an unity of feeling were manifesbed 
 as on this occasion. And, indeed, it was nio»t neoeissary, foir 
 if anyone thing had given way, )it must have been fatal to the 
 wbole,— a general crash must hasre ensued. This derrick, of 
 greater magnitude I believe by i^alr than any other ever con- 
 structed, was suspended by six to^piiig'Mfts, mamely, the 
 Lightning's chain and }ienxp«n stoeam cables ; one nine-and- 
 a-half-inch and one eight-inch hawser, each double ; one 
 five->and-haif-inch hawser, double; one of four-iinch, four 
 paPtSj which was also intensded fco- the secondary puipose 'Of 
 a purchase for raising the guns and other weighty articles j 
 and two guy-t©pping-lifts,/an:e of ^ine^^EQid-a'-half, the other of 
 eight-inch, dauible. The lower guys were all of five-and-half 
 and five-in<;h hawsers j and from being led to about eighty 
 feet up the xdififs, all had a lifting iteajdenciy. Hiere were tw« 
 pairs of belly shrouds* fitted with double runners and 
 tackles midway between the inner topping-lifts and the 
 step; and there were four tackles, besides lashings, at the 
 heel to keep it in its place. The whole of the strops t were 
 made of spunyarn, wanped. There was also a runn6r fitted 
 for renumng r«cks, and weighing the anchturs, guns, and 
 chain-cables. The bell-purchase was the Warspifce's jeer- 
 blocks, with six parts of five-and-half'inch rope. 
 
 On the i2th I dispatched the Adelaide to Rio with the 
 men lent to assist in erecting the derrick, they having been 
 
 * Short shrouds, placed about midway between the customary rigging o< 
 a mast and the deck of the ship, 
 t A circular wreath of rape. 
 
7Q NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 with me twelve days. I now set the riggers to work in pre- 
 paring the purchase, guys, and other gear, for suspending 
 and working the large diving-bell from the derrick, and em- 
 ployed the carpenters in making a stage of sixteen feet 
 square, to hang from the derrick-head, having hatches on 
 hinges in the centre, so that the bell might be lowered through 
 it, and which, when the bell was up, were shut down, so as 
 to facilitate the getting in or out of it, and also for receiving 
 whatever might be sent or brought up from the bottom. 
 The stage was large enough to contain also sixteen persons, 
 for the purpose of overhauling the bell-purchase, working 
 the air-pump, attending the guys, bell-signals, &c. While 
 these were in hand the small bell was actively worked in the 
 same manner as before, in taking up ballast, shot, bolts, and 
 various other articles ; in removing rocks and rubbish, and 
 recovering treasure from amongst them. On the 13th we 
 made another successful attempt by torch-light, but the 
 number of hands being so reduced by the return of the party 
 to Rio, there were not suflB.cient remaining to work by 
 watches*, and therefore the fatigue, as well as peril, became 
 so excessive, that from this time prudence dictated that I 
 should not persevere in this mode any longer, and I there- 
 fore limited our working hours to daylight. The bell-men 
 had become so habituated to the pressure of the air in the 
 bell that they could remain down a much greater length of 
 time than at first ; on some occasions, when not in very deep 
 water, for the space of four hours and a half; and I was 
 glad to benefit by this advantage in reducing the size of the 
 large bell, by taking off a foot length from the bottom of it, 
 and thereby rendering it considerably lighter. 
 
 The north-easterly winds blew much stronger at this pe- 
 riod than previously, and rushed through the gut in such 
 
 * Half of the crew at a time, alternately. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. TJ 
 
 heavy gusts, that we repeatedly had great difficulty in getting 
 the bell-launch into the harbour ; and on the IQth, after many 
 hours' warping and rowing, we failed in our attempts to do 
 so, having carried away several warps and broken a number 
 of oars ; we therefore had no alternative but to moor her in 
 the cove for the night, with a small crew in her, and leaving 
 the Dingy as a tender to communicate with the main cliff. 
 The officer of the watch was ordered to take his post on the 
 main platform, and men were stationed at different points to 
 give information in the event of any change in the state of 
 the sea or weather, the vicissitudes of which were quite suf- 
 ficient to dispel sleep from my eyes so long as my men and 
 boats were in so perilous a situation; and many a restless 
 night I subsequently had from the same cause. On these 
 occasions my order to the sentry was to call me should any 
 heavy clouds appear, or the wind fall light. On this day I 
 received orders from the Commander-in-Chief to discharge 
 the whole of the officers and artificers of the Warspite, and 
 on the second day after sent them to their ship by the 
 Adelaide. 
 
 Having cleared away all the small rocks from the space in 
 which we were working, and taken up the treasure to be ob- 
 tained both in this way and by digging, on the 21 st the sea in 
 the cove being unusually still, we commenced the removal of 
 those rocks of the greatest magnitude that could be weighed 
 by the Brazilian launch, and in the course of the day we thus 
 displaced three, the smallest of which, by rough admeasure- 
 ment, was estimated to weigh about three tons. The method 
 adopted for removing the rocks was very simple ; it was by 
 means of a lewis*, of a somewhat different description from 
 that in general use among masons, being composed of two 
 pieces only, an inverted wedge and a wedge, each having 
 
 An iron implement used in masonry for lifting large stones. 
 
78 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 one side rounded and the other a plane surface, anda ring 
 being in- the upper paa-tof each : the former was placed in 
 the hole made in* the rock and fixed there by the latter ; by 
 means of a purchase and pendant* attached to the former, 
 the rock was lifted' by itr, and the boat was then hauled 
 into deeper water by a warp ; which being done, a strain 
 was brought on the wedge by heaving on its single pendant ; 
 the purchaser was then silackened, and the weight being con- 
 sequently brought on the wedge, by a blow with a heavy 
 hammer, it came out, the lewis was released, and the rock 
 fell. AsiThad no means for the present of lifting those 
 which were too heavy for the launch, they were merely 
 turned over by purchases from the most appropriate parts of 
 the cliffs. When we had removed these obstructions, we 
 dug down to the depth of five or six feet, at about which 
 distance we came to the natural solid granite bottom, and 
 removed large quantities of treasure during our progress. 
 
 The 23rd was a beautiful day, and we were out with the 
 boats. by daylight ; but' scarcely had we attempted to lower 
 the bell, when, notwithstanding the wind was fresh from the 
 north-eastward, the swell suddenly became so heavy that it 
 was impossible to work, and it took us five hours hard row- 
 ing to get into the harbour. 
 
 The treasure which we had now sorted and cleared 
 amounted to 33,000 dollars, which was on this day deposited 
 on board the Lightning. In the evening the -wind was so 
 strong through the gutthatwe were again obliged tb leave the 
 bell-launchin the cove, but on the next day we- got her in. 
 
 On the 28th, the wind being from the south-westward, the 
 sea in the cove was- very heavy, the waves - beating to the 
 height -of sixty or seventy feet up the clifli; which I consi- 
 dered to aff'ord a good test that the stability of the derrick, 
 
 * The thick piece of rope to which the tackle was attached. 
 
OPERATIO.NS AT CAPEy FRIO. 79 
 
 about which I had felfc very anxious, was sufftcient to resist a 
 great force of sea ; and it also gave me an opportunity of 
 discovering the weakest p9,rts, and consequently of' applying 
 additional support to them : it was gratifying to us all to 
 find that it bore the assault so well. 
 
 On the SOth the A4elaide brought tAventy-four persons 
 fi-ora the Warspite, amongst ^hom were fifteen boys, lands^ 
 men, and ordinary seamen; they were in charge of an act- 
 ing lieutenant and: two passed mates ; makingj with the 
 launch's crew, forty-seven pei"sons,,who remained with us 
 fifteen days. 
 
 In addition to our sufferings, from the wind and rain, pe- 
 netrating our slightly-constructed; huts, we were now at- 
 tacked by myriads of j tormentors in the shajje of ants, mus- 
 quitoes, fleas, and, though last not leastj.but worst of all, 
 jiggers (chjjcrfis^, to such an extent, that one might have 
 thought; we bad invaded the Ujaited, kingdom of insects, 
 and that;the whole community had risen en masse to expel 
 US from their- territory. The ants were so numerous that it 
 was impossible to protect our. food.from them; one particu- 
 lar kind, of a minute size, attacked every thing, that was eat-, 
 able. Some were of an immense size, of which I have one 
 now in my possession five-eighths of an inch long; butthese 
 were not mischievous. The serenade of the musquito is 
 tpo well known to need description here ; but very few have 
 experienced his sanguinary nocturnal embraces to the ex- 
 tent that we did, many of s the people frequently having bad 
 their eyes completely closed, by the effects of the sting of 
 this insect. The fleas were in numbers infinitely beyond 
 the power of any method that we could adopt for their de- 
 struction, for they were inhabitants of the sand ; at night 
 swarms of them assailed us in our beds ; while, by day, they 
 were equally- numerous in our clothes; and it afforded 
 amusenient sometimes to pull up the 1^: of our trousers and 
 
80 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 see them take flight like a flock of sparrows from a corn- 
 stack ; while there might he a hundred congregated inside 
 the stocking, and if you turned it down to eject a rascal that 
 was more trouhlesome than the rest, his ninety and nine 
 companions resisted the " right of search," by bouncing in 
 your face. Every one who has been much in a tropical cli- 
 mate knows what a jigger is, but here they were a hundred- 
 fold more numerous than I ever knew them elsewhere ; and 
 all who have not been in those countries in which they are 
 found may congratulate themselves on their non-acquaint- 
 ance with these little insidious devils, the thought of which, 
 even now, excites the sympathy of my toes and fingers ; 
 they penetrated the skin in almost all parts of the body, but 
 more particularly the feet, forming a round ball, of which 
 they were the nucleus, and causing sores, which, being irri- 
 tated by the sand, became most painful and troublesome 
 ulcers, and produced lameness to half of our number at a 
 time ; in a few instances they were extracted even from the 
 face, and the very pigs and fowls did not escape them. Our 
 encampment was also infested with a large kind of black 
 rat, partaking somewhat of the nature of the opossum, hav- 
 ing a purse for its young, and also the property of clinging 
 by its tail, that which is generally called ring-tail. They 
 had become so familiar, that even in the open day it was 
 dangerous to leave any food unprotected 5 and scarcely a 
 night passed without a reduction in my stock of poultry, 
 which I occasionally purchased in large quantities for the 
 use of the sick and for my own table, if I could be said to 
 keep one, and which roosted about in the contiguous bushes. 
 This made our plagues nearly equal in number to those of 
 Egypt, and in some respects not very dissimilar in kind ; 
 ours being sand, rain, fleas, musquitoes, jiggers, ants, and 
 rats ; to which, subsequently, was added a very disgusting 
 one, — snakes, which became so numerous that the thatching 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 81 
 
 and almost every other part of our habitations was infested 
 with them ; they were frequently found in the people's ham- 
 mocks and clothes, and several were caught on board the 
 ship, doubtless having been carried therein the bedding when 
 the reliefs of the quarter watches took place, or in empty 
 casks, or such like. On one occasion one of those reptiles, 
 of frightful magnitude, paid us a visit: my clerk's assistant 
 was writing in the hut denominated the office, when he heard 
 a rustling in the overhanging bushes, and something near 
 the side of his face attracted his attention. On looking 
 round, to his astonishment and terror, he discovered that a 
 huge snake, pending from the bushes, had extended its 
 head to a distance of several feet through the hole which an- 
 swered the purpose of a window, and with glittering eyes, 
 was harmlessly looking about, as if on a tour of inspection. 
 He was not a man to be scared by trifles ; but this was 
 enough to shake the strongest nerves, and I should think 
 that there are but few who would not have done as he did. 
 He roared out and " alarmed the camp," but there were very 
 few persons in it, for the bell was at work ui the cove at the 
 time. Muskets, cutlasses, sticks, and every other weapon 
 that was at hand, were in great requisition ; a general at- 
 tack commenced, every one who was near joined in pursuit, 
 and the monster soon found it high time to be off. He, 
 however, notwithstanding so serious an assault on him, did 
 not receive much injuryj having escaped with but one blow 
 from a cutlass. I received numerous reports as to the di- 
 mensions of this extraordinary snake ; my steward, who 
 was a man of about five feet two inches in height, and 
 weighing about fourteen stone, insisted on it that it was as 
 big round as his thigh ; and the sentry said it was as big 
 as the Lightning's bower cable j and as to the length, the 
 statements varied between twenty and thirty feet; and I 
 
82 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 have no reason to doubt the latter, for at Rio I was after- 
 wards offered the skin of one which measured twenty-seven 
 feet long and twenty-two inches broad. On another occa- 
 sion, Mr. Sutton, the boatswain, went into the store, in which 
 there was no window, to get a piece of rope ; from going out 
 of the glare of the sun and off the bright sand, the place ap- 
 peared quite dark ; he laid hold of what he considered to be 
 the article he wanted, and pulled lustily at it, and was not 
 undeceived until he had fairly dragged it out into the light, 
 when he was horror-struck at discovering it to be a large 
 snake, which, as may readily be imagined, he very soon gave 
 permission to retire into the woods. He described it to be 
 as big round as his leg, and full three fathoms long. At 
 another time, the first lieutenant, master, and purser, were 
 sitting at the table in their hut, discussing their wine, when 
 a large snake introduced itself to their notice, by forcing its 
 way through the thatching ; they allowed it to descend nearly 
 as low as the table, and then attacked it with sticks ; but not 
 liking so warm a reception, it made a precipitate retreat intq 
 the woods, before they could get outside to continue, the as- 
 sault. Indeed, they were so numerous, that hundreds of them 
 were killed during our sojourn on the island; and I have 
 repeatedly, on coming in from the cove, found five or six 
 which had been caught by the people in the course of the 
 day, and put into a cask for my inspection. I had the skin 
 of a very beautifully marked one, eleven feet long, which I 
 killed, but the ants destroyed it. Centipedes, scorpions, and 
 tarantulas, were also very numerous, and frequently found 
 amongst our clothes. Indeed, altogether, it might have been 
 imagined that the blood of the Titans had been shed at the 
 island of Cape Frio. 
 
 During the month I had to regret a considerable increase 
 in the number of sick ; cases of diarrhoea became frequent. 
 
OPKKATiONS At CAPE FRIO. 83 
 
 Owing to the unavoidable exposul-e of thfe peoplfe to thfe sun ; 
 aiid the cases of ulcers, occasioned by the jiggeri^j continued 
 numerous and troublesome. 
 
 May.— Oil thfe 1st of May we met with an accident, iri 
 fendeavouriiig to put an extra gUy on the head of the derrick; 
 Some of the men, in atteiiipting to get to a particulair part of 
 the cliff j ventured within reach of the surf, which being heavy 
 at the titae, one Of them ■vj^as struck off, and by falling be- 
 tweea the rocks, was much bruised ; but by the ready assist- 
 ance of those near him WEis rescufed^ and his life savfedj al- 
 though he was in a very dangerous state. 
 
 From the 23rd of Api-il the swell and wind were very un- 
 certain ; and though We made repeated attempts, we could 
 not work the bell. At times the suiface of the sea was very 
 feliiOoth, and, to appearance^ there was no obstacle to landing 
 the bell at the bottom and pfOeeedihg as usual ; but when it 
 was lowered to near the bottom, the underset was so strong 
 that it vibrated ten or twelve feet, and was violently dtiveii 
 against the rocks, to the great peril of those who were within j 
 and it was found to be impossible to place it. But at this 
 time there was nO want of oceapation on shore, for the strong 
 north-easterly winds tvhich had previously blown had much 
 ifijared oui.* huts, and rendered it necessary to give them a 
 thorough repair in both wood and thatching, which v*^as 
 done, and they were restored to a more water-proof condi- 
 tion. The Brazilian launch was employed in bringing tim- 
 ber from a distant part of the island^ which had previously 
 been cut; some hands were occupied in making rope nets 
 for shot, as M^'eights for tallies, with which to mark different 
 articles at ther bottom. Many of the purchases required 
 fleeting*, aad a new set of truscot pump-hoses which I had 
 received were prepared. 
 
 * The act of extending the blocks of the tackles to a greater distance from 
 each other. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 The whole of the derrick gear being of new rope, was 
 much affected by the heat of the sun, and from varying in 
 size, stretched so irregularly, that it required constant at- 
 tention and labour to rectify it. On the 6th it was at length 
 all brought to bear an equal strain, the derrick fixed for 
 working, the bell-purchase rove, and the large bell hung to 
 it. On the 8th we were again able to work, though the wind 
 was from the south-eastward, and there was a short bub- 
 bliug sea in the cove. On the 9th the stage was suspended 
 to the derrick-head, the bell weighted, and all other ar- 
 rangements were completed by the 1 1th, on which day we 
 made the first trial of this immense machine ; and in order 
 to put its expected advantages to the test, I first made an 
 attempt to work the small bell, but the state of the sea was 
 such that the launch surged, and the bell swung to and fro 
 so much that it was impossible to manage it. 
 
 The large bell-purchase was worked by the capstan on the 
 main cliff, which being too distant for the voice to be dis- 
 tinctly heard at all times, I devised a simple little semaphore 
 with one arm, as the medium of communication, three sig- 
 nals only being necessary; — they were these, — ^the arm 
 pointing upward, to heave up ; to the right, lower ; to the 
 left, hold fast. The bell was fitted with three span-guys 
 with a single whip * ; one from the derrick, at about sixty 
 feet within the stage ; one from the starboard, and the other 
 from the larboard head guys, at about the same distance ; 
 and these enabled us to shift the bell over a space of ground 
 gf about sixty feet one way, and thirty the other : it was my 
 intention afterwards to rig the Lightning's fore-topmast out 
 at the derrick head for a guy-boom, and this would have in- 
 creased the space to sixty feet square, without altering the 
 position of the derrick, I had also intended, had I been 
 
 • A rope rove through a single pulley. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 85 
 
 supplied with a sufficient number of hands, to work both 
 bells at the same time. 
 
 On examination of the bottom from the large bell, it was 
 found that the almost constantly agitated state of the sea 
 had filled up all our excavations ; many large rocks had 
 fallen into them, and there was no treasure to be seen. Our 
 first care therefore was to remove these impediments, and 
 the advantages of the derrick were immediately perceived. 
 One of the greatest obstacles to working the small bell was 
 the surging of the launch, by which the warps which secured 
 her in her position in the cove were frequently broken, to 
 the imminent danger of the bell-men. We now had the 
 benefit of a fixed point, from which the large bell was sus- 
 pended, and with the assistance of the guys, we could lower 
 it with considerable exactness to work on any part. This 
 stability enabled us to fix with ease the lewis iii the rocks, at 
 times when it was impossible to use the bell- boat. The der- 
 rick also, as a bridge, afforded us the facility of a ready com- 
 munication with the main platform, by means of the rope- 
 ladders placed to ascend and descend by, and there was also 
 the advantage of the greater capacity of the bell, which 
 would contain three men ; so that on the whole, this was a 
 machine which, viewing it in its combined nautical and me- 
 chanical construction, and considering the scanty means out 
 of which I had to produce it, was perfect in its kind, and in 
 every respect calculated for the purpose for which it was in- 
 tended, and to do great credit to all whom I had employed 
 on it. But while I thus looked on it, with some pride I con- 
 fess, and with much gratification, and notwithstanding the 
 strong test it had been put to on the 28th of April, I could 
 not divest myself of strong apprehensions on account of the 
 dangerous position in which circumstances had obliged me 
 to place it ; and my fears were, unhappily, too soon realized. 
 The first day on which it was brought into operation was 
 
86 NAKRATIVE OE THE 
 
 (J^YPted tp goring sonie large rocks whic}> were muqji in our 
 way, and were supposed to cover a large quantity gf tre^T 
 sure, and to preparing for their removal. On the fallowing 
 day we completed the boring of a rock estimated, by ad- 
 measurement, to weigh ^bput eight tons ; the \^wm wa,s 
 fixed, and the purchase bpipg brought \(i the capstan, it was 
 raised to a fe\!? fept frqm the bottom, and a guy of fiye-andT- 
 a-hi^lf-inch rope being made fast to it, and brought to a crab 
 on the south-east cliiF, it was drawn over in that direction 
 and released ; several others of a large magnitude were dis^ 
 placed in the same way, and some treasure thereby ^isca^ 
 ye^'ed, but the; ^yeathier civapgrng^ vvp w^^p^ prpyented from 
 taking up much of it. 
 
 On the 13th his ^ajp^ty's ship J^den, Capt. W. F. Owen, 
 arrived, bringing m,e qrd^rs from the Commander-ii^rCliief 
 to discl^arge the whple of the persons belonging to the Way- 
 spite, excepting Dew^ar and Littlejohns, and tp send thesm 
 with the launch to their ship, 
 
 0,n the J5th ptl^er rocks were tui^^ d pver, one of them 
 estiniated at thirteen tons weight, ^he^^ we found a large 
 mass of treasure, and continued raisii^g it with such great 
 success and rapidity, that pn t^e 17tb we tppk xip the imr 
 mepse sum pff 21,680 dollj^Si in value ;. ^d by ti^& morning 
 of the 18^h, althovigh tjbp derpck had bfien vprked on b,\it 
 eight days, from the great facility it afforded ijs, we had 
 taken up upwards of 50,000 dollars in valije in tba.t period. 
 
 Our constant liability to, accident, and the fea,? that, w? 
 might lose one of our air-pumps, induced mfi %p request 
 Captain Owen to supply me ^ith his ship's ftreT,e.9giiie, 
 yifhich hfi imniedialjely did, an^ I sent, it to Riq de Janeiro, 
 by Moore, to get i|t altered, to an airrpump, according tP thi? 
 method, I furnished him with. 
 
 We had now saved in the wh^e a,bovit 130,000 dollars in 
 buUiiOft and specie ; and as the Eden had come out for the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 8/ 
 
 purpose of carrying to England so much of it as was ready, 
 I made my first shipment by her to the amount of about 
 124,000 dollars, consigned to the Bank of England^ in the 
 name of myself and the rest of the salvors, and she sailed on 
 the same day. 
 
 During the sojourn of Captain Owen he evinced great in- 
 terest in all our proceedings, particularly in the constructiony 
 erection, and working of the derrick.. He denominated the 
 work, as being such as had never been equalled within his 
 knowledge ; and I felt much flattered in being thus compli- 
 mented by so competent a judge, and am induced to subjoin 
 an afladavit*, made by him on his arrival in England, and 
 put into the Admiralty Court, which will more fully show his 
 opinion.; and I cannot omit here acknowledging his great- 
 kindness and liberality during the time he was with uS. We 
 were taking up large quantities of treasure, and, being pre- 
 sent, and my superior oflScer^ he might, without any great 
 stretch of power, have taken charge of the enterprise while 
 remaining there, have employed all my machinery,, as well 
 as the resources of his own ship, and thereby have become 
 an actual salvor, and legally entitled to share salvage as 
 such I but it is with feelings of thankfulness that I state his 
 conduct to me to have been the very reverse. On his first 
 arriving, he, with the greatest consideration, told me that it 
 was not his intention to interfere' with me, but that if 1 
 wished for any assistance within his power to afford me, he 
 should be happy to give" it, without an idea of deriving any 
 benefit from so doing. I mention this conduct of Captain 
 Owen, not only from being impelled by gratitude, but alsoi 
 to bear testimony to the generosity of a really scientific per- 
 son, who, being on the spot, might have suggested ideas and 
 given orders in furtherance of the service, and thus have 
 
 * Vidfe Appendix No. II. 
 
88 NARKATIVE OF THE 
 
 legally established a claim both to a proportion of its merits 
 and rewards. 
 
 We continued working on the morning of the 18th until 
 past nine o'clock, taking up treasure as fast as we could dig 
 it from that part from whence the large rocks had been re- 
 moved, and there was every prospect of owr reaping an abun- 
 dant harvest, but the wind suddenly set in from the south- 
 ward, and we were obliged very hastily to quit the cove. 
 
 The bringing of the derrick into use had cost us a great 
 deal of labour and anxiety, and it was now rapidly compen- 
 sating us for both ; but scarcely had we time to congratulate 
 ourselves on the subject, than a sad reverse dashed the cup 
 of joy from our lips. Hitherto, notwithstanding it had oc- 
 casionally blown fresh into the cove, and the sea had beat to 
 a great height up the cliffs, yet the derrick firmly withstood 
 the shocks. We had never yet had a gale of wind from the 
 south-westward ; but on the afternoon of this day a strong 
 breeze arose, which gradually increased towards the evening, 
 by which time the sea was beating seventy or eighty feet 
 high J and the appearance of the weather being very threat- 
 ening, I dreaded the consequences, and placed a strong 
 party, of which of course I was at the head, to watch the 
 derrick during the night. Hour after hour passed, the storm 
 continued to increase, and with it my anxiety. At one 
 o'clock on the morning of the 19th it blew a perfect gale, 
 the cove was in a far more disturbed state than I had ever 
 seen it before, the sea rolled up the cliffs to an astonishing 
 height, and by daylight the cove was in a state of awful com- 
 motion ; the spray beat over the heights to such a degree, 
 that while standing on the main platform, at an elevation of 
 1&5 feet, I was completely wet, and could scarcely resist it; 
 every succeeding wave was heavier than the former one, and 
 struck the derrick with increased force, and shook it vio- 
 lently, while I was watching it with all the distressing feel- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 89 
 
 ings that a father would evince towards a favourite child 
 when in a situation of great and immediate danger. Still so 
 good and so equalized were the securities, that it continued 
 to withstand the assault. By six o'clock the wind had risen 
 to a heavy gale from the west-south-west, which not being 
 directly into the cove, threw the waves obliquely against the 
 south-east cliff, and caused them to sweep along its whole 
 length, until opposed by the north-east cliff, from which, as 
 each wave recoiled, it was met by the following one, and 
 thus accumulated, rose in one vast heap under the derrick 
 stage, beat it from under the bell, and washed away the air- 
 pump, air-hoses, and semaphore, which unfortunately had 
 been left there in consequence of the hurried manner in 
 which we had been driven by the weather from our employ- 
 ment on the previous day. The stage was suspended at a 
 height of thirty-eight feet from the surface of the sea, when 
 in a quiescent state ; from which circumstance an idea may 
 be formed of the state the cove was in on this occasion. 
 Nine o'clock arrived, and I hadj almost without intermission, 
 been watching for fourteen hours. The constant concussions 
 the derrick received had by this time caused the gear to 
 stretch, and it had become, with the exception of the top- 
 ping-lifts, much slackened and irregular ; our utmost efforts 
 were therefore given to rectifying it ; but notwithstanding 
 this, every blow from the sea caused the spar to vibrate to 
 an alarming degree. Nothing more could possibly be done 
 to save it ; and I saw plainly that unless the gale suddenly 
 ceased its destruction was inevitable : I therefore left an 
 officer to look out, and report to mie immediately the event 
 should take place, then quitted the cliff, went to my hut, 
 and arranged my parties for the work to be put in hand con- 
 sequent on the catastrophe. Scarcely had I done so before 
 I saw the officer coming down to me, and, anticipating his 
 report, went to meet him, and received it, which was to 
 
90 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 the effect that at ten o'clock a stupendous roller had rushed 
 in, struck the derrick on its side, and broke it off at about 
 twenty feet from the heel. Thus in one crash was destroyed 
 this child of my hopes, just after it had arrived at maturity ; 
 a disaster which never would have happened if I had had 
 suflBcient wood to make it long enough to be stepped high 
 up the cliffsj as was originally intended ; in a very short 
 time it was dashed into six pieces, forming, with the mul- 
 tifarious gear, one confused mass of wreck. 
 
 My constant apprehensions, from the period that I found 
 myself compelled to place the derrick step near the water's 
 edge, had induced me to mature a plan for a substitute, 
 should ever the disaster occur. This was a suspension cable, 
 to be extended diagonally from the north-east to the south- 
 east cliffs, with cross cable guys from the western peak to 
 the eastern corner. This device was entirely different from 
 that intended previous to my leaving Rio. My diagram of 
 it was prepared, and I had even gone to the detail of the 
 distribution of the oflBcers and men, therefore not a moment 
 was lost in going to work, and in a few minutes from the 
 period of the misfortune, all hands were actively employed 
 in the particular work selected for them to perform. A 
 party of hands were immediately set to work in excavating 
 the rocks on the south-east cliff, near the place where the 
 crew of the Thetis landed, to form a platform ; and another 
 party in preparing situations for the fastenings, as well as 
 other necessary measures for getting the cable across ; while 
 the rest had ample field for exertion in saving all the rigging 
 possible from the derrick. Mr. Delafons, the first lieutenant, 
 was directing on the north-west, and Mr. Pope, the master^ 
 on the south-east cliff, and myself on the main platform, 
 and occasionally visiting the whole of the parties. 
 
 On this occasion we very nearly lost the former officer. 
 The sea was roaring with terrific fury up the cliff where his 
 
OPEBATJONS AT CAPE FRIO. 91 
 
 gang was at work, and below was pne of the guys, on the 
 gaying of which depended a great deal more of the rigging. 
 To get down to make a rope fast to it was very haaaidoBS, 
 and I ha4 given him the caution that although it was essen- 
 tial in our present paucity of stores to recover all that we 
 could, yet the preservation of life was the first object of con- 
 sideration ; hut in his ardour to he conspicuously useful, he 
 ventured down to fasten tjie rope himself, and just as be had 
 accomplished it, the sea struck him and. beat him from his 
 position 5 he however fortunately caught hold of the guy, 
 and managed to cling fast until tbosic above threw him a rope, 
 which he made fast to himself, and was hauled up by them 
 and thus rescued. On the following day 1 sent him over- 
 land with a letter to the Commander-in-Chief, informing 
 him of the aC:Cident and the new plan I had devised. 
 
 Being deprived of tlie Warspite's launch, and no other 
 boat being supplied to me in lieu, I was obliged to have re- 
 course to the Brazilian launch fpr a bell-boat, and therefore 
 on the 21st hauled her up on the beach for the purpose of 
 fitting her as such. On the 22nd the wind shifted to the 
 eastward, the swell moderated in the cove, and we Were 
 enabled to go out with the pinnace to assist in clearing the 
 derrick-gear ; the greater part of which was saved by noon on 
 the 23ird, but mmy of the blocks were lost, some were split, 
 and all the rope much cut and chafed by the rocks. Several 
 pieces of the derrick were towed intg the harbour and hauled 
 up on the beach; and in the afternoon ^e attempted to 
 heave up the large bell, which had been sunk when the der- 
 rick W9S lost, but it was so jammed by th© ^ocks at the 
 bottom that the purchase-fall broke. By the evening the 
 people weje ygry much e^thaupted by their excessive exer- 
 tions since the I;9th% The carpenter's crew of th^ Warspite 
 being taken away, so^ae. of the I^ightniDg's being in the 
 sick-list, and the fittijpgolthe Brazilian launch requiring th^ 
 
92 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 whole of the remainder, I was very short of artificers,, and 
 was therefore under the necessity of seeking for Brazilian 
 carpenters, and was fortunate enough to obtain four from the 
 city of Cape Frio, about nine miles distant, who, although 
 they were by no means good workmen, yet relieved our 
 hands from some of the rough work, such as cutting timber. 
 We were for the present without the means of proceeding in 
 the recovery of treasure and stores, but it so happened that 
 the weather was such as to render it impossible to work if 
 we had had them. 
 
 During the whole of the 25th all hands, excepting the 
 artificers, were employed in overhauling, splicing, and re- 
 pairing the gear saved from the derrick, which was subse- 
 quently to serve as rigging for the suspension cable. On 
 the 26th the Br&,zilian launch was completed, and furnished 
 with the diving-bell and the small air-pump which I had 
 made at Rio previous to starting from thence. The swell 
 had much subsided, but it was still so heavy as to render it 
 very dangerous to work. Notwithstanding this we went out, 
 and the recovery of Fisher's pump and the air-hoses which 
 had been washed from the derrick being an important mat- 
 ter, we commenced searching for them. Fortunately, im- 
 mediately after they were lost, and before the accident to 
 the derrick, I had taken cross bearings, and was thereby 
 enabled to place the boat nearly over the spot. Dewar was 
 the person who volunteered to descend on l^e occasion ; the 
 launch surged frightfully, and the bell vibrated greatly, still 
 he succeeded in finding one length of air-hose, and this gave 
 us hopes of recovering the rest of them and the pump j but 
 scarcely had we congratuluted ourselves on this success than 
 we were doomed to another very serious and nearly fatal 
 accident : failing of seeing the pump, he made the signal to 
 move outward, which we did into eleven fathoms water, but 
 from the depth of water and consequent extended length of 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 93 
 
 hose, the action of the swell against it was greater, and 
 caused it suddenly to burst ; the bell instantly filled, and 
 poor Dewar was again obliged to emerge from it and swim 
 to the surface, and was taken up in a very dangerous state, 
 from the great distance he had to rise, and being severely 
 bruised against the rocks, the bell having been very near 
 the bottom at the time of the accident. 
 
 On the 27th we renewed the search, Heans volunteering to 
 go down ; and after removing the launch in various direc- 
 tions for several hours, he at length made the signal, previ- 
 ously determined on, that he had found the air-pump. A 
 large rope was immediately sent down to him, which he 
 made fast to it, and to our great satisfaction we soon had it 
 in the boat, and as a sort of palliative for the severe reverse 
 we had suffered, it happily had fallen between two large fixed 
 rocks, and therefore was not greatly affected by the actipn 
 of the sea ; but the break and delivering flange were lost, 
 and one of the cylinders was injured. We did not succeed 
 in recovering any more of the hoses, but fortunately I had 
 anticipated the probability of accident to them, and in March 
 applied for and procured others, which were prepared for 
 use. In the afternoon we found the large bell, got a hawser 
 fast to it, and hove it up to the main cliff; it had not fallen 
 in so favourable a situation as the pump, but amongst loose 
 rocks, amidst which it must have been cast about during the 
 gale, for it was smashed to pieces, nothing of it remaining 
 but the mere shell, some of the iron bars, and part of the 
 chain-cable which weighted it. This misfortune drove me 
 to the necessity of breaking in upon the Lightning's stowage, 
 and it was with the greatest regret that I was obliged to 
 take a two-ton tank from her to make another large bell, on 
 which the artificers were immediately employed. 
 
 The repairing of the air-pump afforded full employment 
 for myself, Mr, Jones, and Stebbing, during the greater part 
 
94 NARRATIVE bP 'HIE 
 
 of the night ; it was partially done by the iliorning, and We 
 were out with the small bell at an early hour, but, as before, 
 a great quantity of rubbish had been washed into Our exda- 
 vations and took us the gf eater part of the day to clear aw'ay, 
 which being done we recovered some treasure, and on the 
 following day a large quantity more, though during the lat^ 
 ter part of the afternoon the weather was very cloudy, with 
 lightning and every appearance of a change of wind. 
 
 Notwithstanding the loss of the derrick was a very serious 
 one to us, yet we had the satisfaction of knowing that we had 
 derived much benefit from it, not only in having been the 
 means of recovering a large quantity of property with great 
 tapidity, but also in removing some very large rocks which 
 had impeded us very much. We had the cable in progress 
 as a substitute, and had still our bell-boat and small bell to go 
 On with, and with which we were working Very successfully. 
 Every means we had brought into practice had succeeded, 
 so that on the whole, although the misfortune had caused us 
 a great deal of fatigue, our circumstances were not for the 
 present by any means desperate, and we went on cheer- 
 fully ; but another disaster awaited us close at hand. 
 
 Although the appearance of the sky on the evening of the 
 29th had been very threatening, it had subsided during the 
 night, and the morning of the 30th was very fine ; the wind 
 was from the north-eastward, and the cove unusually smooth, 
 with every prospect of continuing so. Mr. Pope was the 
 officer of the bell-boat for the day. We were out with all 
 the boats at an early hour, and continued working with great 
 success until half-past one in the afternoon, when, without 
 any kind of warning, the wind suddenly changed and set in 
 from the westward, and in a few minutes there was an alarm- 
 ing sea ; we immediately cast off all the warps, and all the 
 other boats took the launch in tow, myself leading in my 
 gig. By prompt exertion we succeeded in getting about 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 9& 
 
 two cables length* from the coast^ and altered our course 
 towards the gut, but here our utmost efforts to get further 
 were unavailing ; we could not even hold our own. In con- 
 sequence of the top-weight of the bell hanging to the 
 launch's davit, she foiled frightfully, and shipped water to 
 an alarming degree ; Mr. Pope employed all hands that were 
 not at the oars in bailing with buckets, hats, and shoes, but 
 it was all in vain, they could not keep her free, and he was 
 under the necessity of reporting to me that the water was 
 fast gaining on them. This was no time for hesitation ; it 
 at first occurred to me to steer the opposite way, and by 
 going round the island to reach the harbour by the eastern 
 entrance ; but on looking towards the south-east point, I 
 discovered that the opposing wind and current had caused 
 such a heavy sea, or rather race, that it would be impossible 
 for us to pass it ; my directions were therefore for the boats 
 to return to the cove with the launch, and place her as near 
 as possible to that part which was least under the influence 
 of the waves, to lower the bell to the bottom, to unreeve the 
 purchase-fall, leaving the preventer-runner as a buoy-rope 
 with a buoy to it, and then endeavour to return to the har- 
 bour ; but if they could not get the launch out of the cove, 
 she was to be made fast to the bell, the runner serving as a 
 cable, and her crew being first taken out she was to be aban- 
 doned, and the other boats were to make the best of their 
 way to the harbour with the people. As soon as the great 
 danger the launch was in became apparent, the saving of 
 the air-pump was an object of great importance to me, as the 
 being deprived of it on the former occasion had caused me a 
 great deal of uneasiness in consequence of our not having 
 any other of equal power ; we could not approach the launch 
 while she was rowing, because of impeding her progress. 
 
 * The length of a cable is one hundred fathoms. 
 
96 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 and she was rolling so heavily that I was apprehensive she 
 would go down every moment ; we therefore waited until she 
 reached the situation I had pointed out in the cove, then 
 dashed alongside and took the air-pump into the gig, which 
 immediately placed her in a more dangerous state than even 
 the launch was, and we were obliged to make for the harbour 
 immediately. By this time the sea had become dangerous 
 for any small boat, and before I had reached half way to the 
 gut, I should have been heartily glad to get rid of the air- 
 pump, which but a short time before had been an object of my 
 greatest solicitude to obtain, but it was impossible. In con- 
 sequence of the quick motion of both the boats, and the 
 great weight, as well as inconvenient shape for handling, of 
 the pump, we could not place it in the centre of the gig, 
 and thus being unavoidably placed on one side it gave her a 
 considerable heel* ; and it is evident that any attempt to 
 throw it overboard, by bringing the weight of the men to 
 the same side, must inevitably have swamped the boat, par- 
 ticularly as she had now a great deal of water in her. In 
 this dilemma I was under the necessity of laying in the after- 
 most oar, and sending the man who had been rowing it 
 forward in the bow, so as in some measure to counterba- 
 lance the weight of the pump, whilst another of the boat's 
 crew with his hat, and myself with the boat's bailer, con- 
 tinued bailing : we had lost our rudder in towing the 
 launch ; and thus with only two oars to row, and much water 
 in the boat, we happily reached the harbour : had we swamped 
 not a soul could have escaped. On approaching the beach I 
 waved for assistance, and a party of hands came down to 
 receive us when we reached it, so that the pump was speedily 
 taken out by them, and I immediately dispatched every one 
 from the encampment to the summit of 'the cliffs, prepared 
 
 An inclination to one side. 
 
OPfiKATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 9/ 
 
 with ropes, to watch the boats in their progress along the 
 coast, and to render assistance should they be driven on the 
 rocks. While I was giving these directions the gig was bailed 
 out, and we instantly started again, my object of most painful 
 anxiety now being the safety of the people in the other boats ; 
 and it is they only who have been similarly situated that can 
 judge of the distressing state of mind I was in. On reaching 
 the gut we had to encounter a greatly increased sea, which 
 detained me for a full hour in the most agonizing suspense, 
 for we could see nothing of the boats with upwards of eighty 
 people in them. My fears had attained the highest pitch, 
 when a momentary lull enabled us to get round the point, 
 and in an instant we had the happiness of discovering that 
 they were, at any rate for the present, safe, but still main- 
 taining a doubtful contention with the waves and current. 
 On reaching them we were received with three cheers, and I 
 immediately resumed my situation of taking the lead in tow- 
 ing. On this occasion Mr. Pope had exhibited a sound judg- 
 ment : having got rid of the encumbrance of the diving-bell, 
 the launch towed much better, and he was enabled to get 
 further out seaward from the land than on our first attempt, 
 so that although he got into a greater strength of adverse 
 current he yet avoided a much worse impediment in the 
 bubbling short sea, increased as I have before mentioned by 
 recoil from the rocks, and the launch's oars were more effi- 
 cient. We still had to oppose our efforts against the sea and 
 current for several anxious hours, but as the latter is at this 
 place always more or less influenced by the wind, which on 
 the present occasion was in a great degree opposed to it, it 
 at length slackened, and enabled us to reach the bay before 
 dark ; a most happy conclusion to our day's work, for by 
 the time I rejoined the boats, the waves were raging so vio- 
 lently up the cliffs*^ that it was impossible for them to ap- 
 
 H 
 
98 NARRATIVB OF THE 
 
 proach the coast, and if they had been driven against the 
 rocks, every soul must have been lost. 
 
 I should do despite to my oven feelings, and withhold jus- 
 tice to my ofl&cers and crew, were I to pass this point of the 
 narrative without expressing my unqualified admiration of 
 their conduct under these perilous circumstances. Great 
 coolness and sturdy fearlessness were indispensablynecessary, 
 and were equally manifested on this trying emergency : the 
 critical nature of our situation seemed to infuse an additional 
 spirit into them all, and to have summoned them individually 
 and collectively to the exercise of their utmost efforts, which 
 happily resulted in safety. 
 
 On my first arrival at Cape Frio, an inspection of the 
 situation in which the operations were to be carried on, 
 enabled me fully to anticipate the peculiar dangers and ob- 
 structions to be encountered in the prosecution of the ser- 
 vice ; they had now come on us in rapid succession, and 
 seemed to occur in so connected a train, that in truth the 
 surmounting of one appeared to be but the introduction of 
 another, and it might have been thought that the series of 
 reverses which we had endured within the last twelve days 
 would damp our ardour, and I doubt not that it would have 
 checked that of any other men than British sailors ; but I 
 had under me a set of persons who had given such proofs 
 of firmness and resolution, that I could at no period hesitate 
 in pursuing with vigour the plan and measures I originally 
 adopted, convinced that they would rise superior to all ob- 
 stacles. 
 
 We were now without a diving-bell at all, and had as it 
 were to begin our work anew. The Brazilian launch was an 
 extremely fine boat, rowed well, and had other good qualities j 
 but she was low, and our recent misfortune proved that in 
 her present state, she had not sufficient stability to bear the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 99 
 
 weight of the bell in a much- disturbed sea ; I therefore de- 
 termined on endeavouring to improve her, and on the 31st 
 hauled her up on the beach for the purpose of raising her 
 an additional streak and applying bilge pieces and balking 
 to her bottom. 
 
 During the month we had several cases of cholera and 
 diarrhoea, besides catarrh and an increased number of ulcers 
 and some painful wounds. 
 
 June. — On the 1st of June there was a tremendous sea in 
 the cove, which put an end to all hope of ever seeing the 
 diving-bell whole again, and I therefore got a tank from the 
 ship ready to make another. 
 
 The fishermen had informed me that a piece of the derrick 
 was lying on a beach at a distance of some miles to the 
 northward, for which the pinnace was sent in search, and 
 returned with it in the evening. From the 1st to the 3rd 
 inclusive, the sea was so heavy that it was impossible to send 
 a boat to the cove, and we were occupied in getting the 
 bower cable from the ship, and carrying it up to the main 
 platform, ready for suspending across ; in conveying haw- 
 sers and lengths of the chain stream-cable to their respective 
 situations, and fitting dead-eyes, pendants, and purchases for 
 rigging it ; laying down fresh moorings for the boats in the 
 bay, and others just within the gut for warping the launch 
 in ; the carpenters were making bitts, shifting crabs, and 
 fitting "the launch ; blacksmiths were making bolts and other 
 iron- work, and repairing diving-bell instruments, and the 
 excavators were employed about the platforms and in sink- 
 ing bolts for fastenings. On the 4th we got the cable across, 
 and the sea having sufficiently subsided to admit of our 
 sending the pinnace to the cove, we made two hawsers from 
 the main and north-west cliffs fast to the runner of the small 
 diving-bell, and hove a heavy strain on both of them, but 
 could not move it in consequence of its being so jammed be-- 
 
 h2 
 
100 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 tween the rocks at the bottom : the sea having increased so 
 much that the boats could not remain in the cove, we made 
 fast both hawsers until the force of the waves removed the 
 rocks and released the bell. 
 
 On the 5th it blew hard from the south-westward with 
 thunder and torrents of rain, and the cove was in awful 
 commotion, while the sea heaved more than we had ever ob- 
 served it to do before, and the spray beat over the cliffs and 
 flew entirely across the island, reaching in trifling quantities 
 even down to our encampment. It was Sunday, and there- 
 fore divine service was performed, and the articles of vrar 
 read according to the usual routine. My people being com- 
 pletely fatigued from the incessant toil they had undergone 
 since the 9th of May, I hoped to let them have a day of rest, 
 but, as on the occasion formerly mentioned, my intention 
 was frustrated by the elements. At about noon, a heavy 
 swell set in on the beach, which washed the launch from the 
 chocks on which she was placed, and beat her broadside on 
 the beach, and broke the pinnace from her moorings, fur- 
 nishing us abundant occupation during the remainder of the 
 day to haul them up out of danger. The gale continued to 
 increase, and on the morning of the 6th the bell runner was 
 observed to slacken, and it was inferred that the bell was 
 rieleased ; all hands were immediately sent on the cliffs to 
 heave it up, in doing which a large rock was dislodged from 
 the upper part of the cliif, and falling on the north-west 
 hawser, cut it as with a knife, but the other hawser fortu- 
 nately holding, we were enabled to raise the bell sufficiently 
 high to be out of reach ,of the body of the waves. In the 
 afternoon the surf on the beach increased until it reached the 
 bank below the encampment, 150 feet above the ordinary 
 high- water mark ; it entirely altered the form of the heach, 
 and rendered it necessary to remove every thing from it ; and 
 it was only by the most prompt exertion that we were able to 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 101 
 
 get the launch and pinnace into safety, belong obliged to haul 
 the latter up on the bank, and indeed I was for some time 
 apprehensive that even it would be washed away, and that 
 our work-shop might be placed in danger, 
 
 The small bell was hove up on the main cliff, but, like the 
 large one, was so battered by the rocks, that there was no 
 part of it useful but the slings. The new small bell had been 
 put in progress on the 4th, and being determined that it 
 should be made forthwith, I took the superintendence of it 
 on alternate nights with Mr. Jones, his crew and Leary the 
 blacksmith working on the same plan, and by extraordinary 
 efforts in this manner by night, and by means of all of them 
 being employed on it by day, it was completed in the short 
 space of- six days ; and thus, as- there had not been any wea- 
 ther that would admit of our working since the loss of the 
 other, no time was lost by that accident. 
 
 The launch was also completed on the 10th, the bell hung 
 to her davit, and the large air-pump was completely re- 
 paired, and I had' now the satisfaction of possessing a boat, 
 diving-bell and apparatus, quite adapted to the service they 
 were to be employed on, and on the first opportunity we 
 resumed our work with fresh spirits. 
 
 The south-westerly winds were now prevalent and the 
 vicissitudes of weather particularly sudden, and the two 
 alarming dilemmas we had been placed in had already admo- 
 nished me to be very watchful of appearances, and also to 
 devise every means in my power to avert calamity; 
 
 The former diving-bells had been loaded with both chain- 
 cable and pigs of iron ballast, fixed within bars of iron ; but 
 in the new ones I made a great improvement by loading theni 
 with pigs of ballast only, placed within an iron frame, and 
 merely wedged in ; so that in the event of the bell-boat be- 
 ing placed in danger by a change . of wind as on previous- 
 
102 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 occasions, we could readily remove them, and thereby render 
 the bell so light that by a small tackle we could in a few 
 minutes get it from the davit to the centre of the launch, 
 and thus relieve her of the top weight : I also reduced the 
 size, so that much weight was saved in that way. 
 
 For two days after the completion of the launch we were 
 unable to go to the cove, and the people being very much 
 exhausted, I was glad to give them a few hours' rest on each 
 day to mend their clothes, which were wretchedly torn, and 
 to repair the huts, through which the rains constantly pene- 
 trated; and I took the opportunity to go to Praya de Anjou to 
 make better arrangements as to an occasional supply of fresh 
 provisions, and also of water, which from this time, during the 
 rainy season, we were able to -obtain whenever we sent for it. 
 
 By the morning of the 10th, the sea had much subsided 
 in the cove, and at daybreak we started as it were anew ; we 
 felt the benefit of the late short interval of comparative rest, 
 and commenced again with renewed vigour, when the advan- 
 tages of the increased buoyancy of the launch and decreased 
 weight of the bell were so obvious as to produce the most 
 gratifying confidence. The gale had washed away all our 
 surface buoys, and on descending we found that the bottom 
 was very much altered. By this time, however, I had taken 
 so many cross bearings that we could place the boat nearly 
 over any part of the bottom which we wished to examine, 
 and as some of the tallies at the bottom remained, and were 
 soon seen by the bell-men, we had not much difficulty in 
 finding our mine again, which, after a few hours' work in 
 clearing away the rubbish, we were again working, and had 
 a grand day of it having by the evening recovered to the value 
 of upwards of 36,000 dollars ; the following was also a very 
 successful day. On the 15th we devoted the forenoon to 
 taking up a large quantity of shot and rubbish, and removing 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 103 
 
 some rocks ; and in the afternoon of the 16th we recovered 
 a large amount of treasure, and this appeared to finish the 
 lode. 
 
 The greater part of the 17th was employed in searching, 
 by taking up large quantities of iron ballast, shot, bolts, and 
 other articles of copper and iron, and removing rocks ; and 
 in the evening we found a small quantity of treasure, which 
 was taken up. 
 
 For the last three days a great deal of rain had fallen, and 
 we had scarcely a dry article of clothing j and as the wet 
 did not merely extend to our articles of dress, but our beds 
 were to a great extent in a similar state, we were as may be 
 imagined in a pretty "miserable plight ; the grass with which 
 our huts were thatched being of a very coarse description, 
 and as we had been obliged to use it immediately it was cut 
 without drying it first, it shrank, and consequently the roofs 
 became very pervious ; in addition to this, the exposure 
 in the boats was very trying ; in the intervals between the 
 showers the sun struck so hot upon us as to make our 
 clothes steam, and the sudden gusts of wind which came 
 down on us over the cliffs caused most uncomfortable chills. 
 Under these circumstances I consulted Mr. Dabbs, the sur- 
 geon, on the propriety of giving the people an additional 
 quantity of spirits, and his opinion according with my own 
 as to the necessity of it, we spliced the main-brace* at 
 nine o'clock in the morning, and this I continued to do 
 every day to the end of the work, occasionally purchasing 
 rum for the purpose. I must here crave the favourable con- 
 sideration of our temperance societies, and they will the 
 more willingly grant it when I assure them that Mr. Dabbs 
 is one of themselves, never having drunk a glass of wine or 
 spirits in his life ; for myself I must acknowledge that I 
 
 * The giving a dram of spirits to each person. 
 
104 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 gave a direct sanction to the crime by taking some brandy- 
 and-water and a biscuit at the same time, and a great com- 
 fort it was. The whole of the 18th was devoted entirely to 
 taking up a quantity of shot, removing rocks and rubbish, 
 and carrying them out seaward, but no treasure was disco- 
 vered. 
 
 His Majesty's packet Calypso arrived on the I9th, and on 
 the following day I made my second shipment by her, 
 amounting to the value of about 127,000 dollars, with which 
 she sailed to England on the 21st. 
 
 From the 18th to the 22nd, the sea being too heavy to 
 admit of our going to the cove, we gave all our strength to 
 the preparation for the suspension-cable, to repairing the 
 boats, and making the large diving-bell; we also bestowed 
 some attention on our huts, and as our thatchers had by 
 experience become better workmen, they improved them 
 considerably ; indeed, we had from this time what might be 
 called a small village. It consisted of a hut for the crew, 
 about eighty feet long, with poles across at about six feet 
 from the ground for hanging their hammocks to. At a short 
 distance from this hut was the residence of the ofi&cers, at a 
 like distance from the other that of the midshipmen, and 
 below it M'as the guard-house and my clerk's office, which 
 formed one side of a square, my hut another, my steward's 
 hut and the mechanist's workshop another, and the remain- 
 ing side was the walk for the officer of the watch and the 
 sentry ; this square was denominated Treasury Square, from 
 the circumstance of the treasure being sorted, cleansed, and 
 packed in it, and the depository for it being at the end of 
 my hut ; which was also my dormitory. There were also 
 two large store-houses, one for the ordinary stores, the other 
 for those that required particular care, which was likewise 
 the workshop for the manufacture and fitting of air-hoses. 
 Immediately contiguous to my hut was the general workshop. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 105 
 
 a place of about sixty feet long, and near to this was the 
 provision store. We also had a small hut as the particular 
 depository for the air-pumps and hoses, and the materials of 
 which the latter were made, for it was extremely difficult to 
 prevent their being injured by the sand. The cooking place 
 was up above all. The whole, however, underwent some 
 trifling alterations on occasions of thorough repair. This 
 village, which the natives were pleased to compliment me 
 by denominating " San Tomas," was situate on a rather 
 steep acclivity at about a hundred yards from the beach ; in 
 the interstices between the huts were a variety of evergreen 
 shrubs and trees, with numerous creepers covered with blos- 
 soms entwining amidst them, amongst which the white and 
 yellow convolvuli and a brilliant scarlet passion flower were 
 conspicuous ; also many parasitical plants in beautiful bloom 
 adhering to the branches, while interspersed about was the 
 magnificent uca gloriosa from fifteen to twenty-five feet high, 
 with its thousand flowers, towering above the rest as if 
 claiming particular observation, and here and there agigan- 
 tic cactus of the crimson and yellow flower kinds, all in 
 wild luxuriance contributing a natural ornament to our 
 rude abodes, and rendering our village on the whole a pic- 
 turesque and interesting object. 
 
 On the 23rd we made two attempts to work the bell, but 
 the underdraught was so great that it was impossible. We 
 were enabled, however, by means of the pinnace to mark 
 the suspension cable for making fast the cross cable-guys, 
 it was then hove higher up, the south end made fast, the 
 guys were arranged on the cliffs ready to be attached, 
 and preparations made- for heaving them up also. On this 
 day an accident occurred, of a man being washed off the 
 rocks, who received such severe bruises as to deprive him of 
 his senses, but through the skill of the surgeon he ultimately 
 recovered. 
 
106 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 The swell having gone down on the forenoon of the 24thj 
 we succeeded in displacing a very large rock, and had the 
 satisfaction of finding a mass of treasure^ of which we took 
 up a considerable quantity, principally in large lumps, hav- 
 ing by the great pressure of the rocks and by oxidation 
 formed a hard concrete with the particles of granite, iron 
 nails, fragments of jars, glass bottles, pitch and paint, 
 and various other materials. When we ceased working 
 there was a prospect of a great deal more remaining 
 immediately contiguous to the place, but there was a large 
 rock in the way, by the side of which the bell-men had dug 
 to a great depth and thoughtlessly undermined it : this very 
 nearly cost them their lives, for while they were at work it 
 inclined over against the bell, but fortunately, being arrested 
 by another rock, not sufficiently to crush it. On the fol- 
 lowing day we made an attempt to remove this rock, but 
 although the weather was calm, the action of the sea at the 
 bottom was so great that we could not bore it for the pur- 
 pose of fixing the lewis, yet notwithstanding this failure I 
 had much reason to be gratified by the result of the day 
 from the following remarkable incident. Past experience 
 kept me impressed with the great danger which must always 
 arise from the wind suddenly setting in from seaward, and 
 I had constantly attended to every thing which I thought 
 could indicate change, such as the appearance of the sky and 
 sea, the particular roaring of the surf against the rocks, 
 echoes, the state of the atmosphere as it might cause much 
 or little refraction, congregating or dispersing of birds, ap- 
 pearance of porpoises, &c. &c. j yet in none of them could I 
 observe any thing that gave a sure warning 5 but on this 
 morning a circumstance struck my attention which from its 
 apparently trifling nature had till then been unobserved, but 
 which subsequently saved us many a fatiguing row. On the 
 south-east side of the cove near to the part where the Thetis's 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 107 
 
 crew landed, was a rock rising a few feet above the sea, and 
 detached at a short distance from the cliff, with very deep 
 water between them. I discovered that while the swell in 
 the cove, which was remarkably smooth at the time, did not 
 rise nearly to the top of the rock, the water occupying the 
 space between it and the cliff continued rising and foaming 
 over it, and that not simtdtaneously with the swell in the 
 cove J it therefore was quite clear to me that the two effects 
 could not be produced by the operation of the same cause. 
 As it was not possible to stand on the rock at the time, I was 
 obliged to defer the examination of this singular phenome- 
 non until a more favourable opportunity. A few days subse- 
 quently I stood on the rock, and having prepared a line with 
 a heavy lead, and a long piece of white rag tied to the line 
 about three feet above the lead, I suspended the line down 
 the fissure between the rock and the cliff, allowing the lead 
 to remain at the bottom ; whenever the water rose the rag 
 was forced upward, but on its receding the rag was drawn 
 downward and in a direction under the south-east cliff, which 
 rendered it quite evident that there existed a sub-marine 
 passage from a small inlet which was on the other side of 
 the cliff} and further observation proved to me that the 
 cause of the rise and fall of the water in the fissure was the 
 underset of the sea occasioned by a distant and approaching 
 south-westerly wind. Hence I derived an almost unerring 
 barometer, the state of which was for the future amongst the 
 subjects of observation by the ofi&cer of the watch, and formed 
 one of his reports to me at day-break in the morning. 
 
 Our constant liability to accident rendered it very im- 
 portant to have surgical advice near at hand, and it was 
 with great reluctance that I was now called on to give my 
 sanction to being for a short time without it at the island. 
 In addition to the numerous cases of severe catarrh, rheu- 
 matism, and ulcers, we were in this month visited by a fever 
 
108 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 of a severe intermittent character, and the sick list was 
 very heavy : the variable state of the weather^ and particu- 
 larly the pouring rains, much increased, if passible, our dis- 
 comforts at the island; and I therefore, by the advice of the 
 surgeon, sent him with the sick on board the ship, which 
 change was found to be beneficial, and I therefore subse- 
 quently had frequent recourse to it. 
 
 On the 29th we were again enabled to resume our work 
 in the cove, and succeeded in boring and removing the large 
 rock which impeded us on the 24th, and the result was, that 
 in two days we took up treasure to the value of 33,000 dol- 
 lars. 
 
 On the 13th we bored and fixed a lewis in the north-west 
 side of a large rock, which had before baffled all our efforts 
 to remove, although it lay on a considerable declivity ; but 
 as we were already working in a bed of treasure, we merely 
 attached a hawser to the lewis and led it to the south-east 
 crab, and having excavated a considerable cavity on the 
 south-east side of the rock, left it in that state, intendingj 
 on the first day on which we could not go out with the boats, 
 to endeavour to displace it from its situation ; and accord- 
 ingly, the following day, the weather being threatening, 
 and a considerable swell in the cove, afforded us the oppor- 
 tunity of making the ti-ial. The extraordinary effect which 
 experience had taught us the swell had on every thing at the 
 bottom, induced me to determine on availing myself of this 
 natural assistance to our artificial efforts. As much force as 
 the hawser would bear was applied to the crab, and a heavy 
 strain kept regularly on it ; the pressure being towards the 
 cavity mentioned, the less resistance was opposed to its 
 operation on the surrounding bed of pulverized granite in 
 which the rock was lying, which the motion of the swell 
 acting on at the same time, gradually dispersed, and the 
 rock was in a few hours, by slow degrees, drawn and turned 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 109 
 
 over for a distance of several yards ; but as we could not go 
 to the cove with the bell to release the lewis, of course the 
 hawser remained fast, aiid by a heavy sea which set in a few 
 days afterwards, was carried away, affording another proof 
 of the utter inntility of a net of small rope in such a situa- 
 tion to resist the effect of the sea, and particularly the im- 
 possibility that it could resist the force .of any weighty arti- 
 cles acted on by it. 
 
 During the month I derived much happiness from a di- 
 minution in the number of sick, but still the cases of ulcers 
 caused by the jiggers continued to increase, and occasioned 
 sympathetic glandular swellings ; and it really was very dis^ 
 tressing to see the poor fellows hobbling about at their work. 
 I never in my life was in a ship in which there was not a 
 "Jack of all trades," or ''Caleb Quotem;" in the Light- 
 ning we had a rare one, and his versatile talent was never 
 put to better account than on this service. There is consi- 
 derable art in extracting a jigger well, and in this he had 
 acquired great dexterity ; and often have I sat in my 
 gig near the bell-launch while the bell was at the bottom, 
 and watched "Jemmy," as he was called, administering to 
 the necessities of his. shipmates by his operating faculty on 
 their feet and toes, while they held the purchase-fall in their 
 hands, • their attention being divided between their duty 
 and the effects of the application of a rusty needle, or, as it 
 might be, the point of a clasp knife ; the grotesque counte- 
 nance of the patient exhibiting a good index of the torture 
 he was suffering, and the expectant looks of the rest of the 
 party patiently abiding their turns for the same kindly offices, 
 formed altogether a subject for Thomas Hood or George 
 Cruikshank ; and however much the cause of their suffering 
 was to be regretted, rendered it impossible to keep one's 
 risible muscles ; in - any thing like a state of discipline. 
 There were several others who were pretty good jigger doc- 
 
no 
 
 NARRATIVK OP THE 
 
 tors, but none equal to " Jemmy," as I can attest from ex- 
 perience. 
 
 On the 30th Moore returned, having been absent upwards 
 of six weeks ; and I had the mortification of finding that he 
 had not succeeded in getting the fire-engine altered to an 
 air-pump, nor was it done until I subsequently went to Rio 
 and attended to it myself. 
 
 July. — The month of July commenced with south- 
 westerly winds and occasional rain and bad squally weather, 
 which continued until the 7th ; and as excess of exertion 
 both of body and mind had much impaired my health, I 
 took the opportunity during this period to go on board the 
 ship for a few days' change, and for the purpose of giving 
 attention to the exercise of my people at their guns and small 
 arms, airing the sails, overhauling the rigging, clearing out 
 the holds and cable tiers, semng out slops, and all other 
 such matters as were necessary to keep the Lightning in an 
 efl&cient state for the general service of the station. I also 
 received a capstan from Rio, sent by the Admiral^ which, 
 after much alteration and improvement, was placed on the 
 main cliff instead of the Lightning's, now removed to its po- 
 sition on board. In this week also great progress was made 
 in every thing connected with the suspension cable, and the 
 people got a tolerably good supply of fish, by means of a 
 large scan which the Commander-in-Chief supplied me with; 
 we also made our well on the beach at Praya de Anjou larger, 
 and consequently increased the supply of water ; in fact, 
 this may be said to have been a thorough general-service 
 week. 
 
 On the 8th the wind changed to the north-eastward, and 
 we again resumed our operations in the cove ; but the un- 
 der draught continued so great, in consequence of the long 
 period during which the south-westerly winds had blown, 
 that it kept the bell in such a constant state of oscillation. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. Ill 
 
 that some hours elapsed ere we could place it on the bottom : 
 having at length succeeded, and removed a large quantity of 
 iron ballast, rubbish, and stones, which had washed into the 
 place from which the large rock had been removed on the 
 1st of the month, we found a good deal of treasure. 
 
 And now I arrive at the most distressing part of my nar- 
 rative, in the relation of a circumstance which, even up to 
 the present moment, I cannot call to memory without grief, 
 although no foresight or pre-arrangement of mine could pos- 
 sibly have averted it. It had all along been the daily sub- 
 ject of delightful reflection to me, that notwithstanding the 
 unceasing and excessive danger that attended all our work, 
 through the exercise of extreme watchfulness and preventive 
 measures, up to the present moment not a life had been lost 
 from casualty ; but this source of happiness was now at an 
 end. On the morning of the 1 1th it was perfectly calm, and 
 the boats started for the cove as usual at an early hour ; but 
 very shortly after reaching it, the water in the fissure I have 
 before mentioned began to rise over the rock, the sky be- 
 came cloudy, and every thing indicated a change ; the boats 
 returned, and in a short time a breeze set in from the south- 
 ward, and by noon there Tvas a considerable surf on the 
 beach. The Adelaide was lying near the Lightning, and 
 her long-boat had been sent to the island for some plank 
 which had been sawed there for her use, and was returning 
 with it. Mr. Linzee, the mate of the Adelaide, two of her 
 men, a boy belonging to the Lightning, and Moore (as pas- 
 senger), being in her. When they left the beach the sea was 
 not breaking on the bar, and Mr. Linzee thought he might 
 safely venture across it ; but alas ! poor young man, he was 
 not sufficiently aware of its deceptive nature. By the 
 time he reached it the breakers began to roar on it, and the 
 wind increased so much, as to induce him to reef the sail. 
 Fortunately the attention of those on shore was at this mo- 
 
] \'2 MARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 meiit attracted by the dangerous situation of the boat, and 
 they were watching her with great earnestness. At the 
 moment the sail was lowered for the purpose of reefing, a 
 breaker rolled in upon them, and another immediately suc- 
 ceeding, filled the boat, and she sunk to the bottom in- 
 stantly. The misfortune being obsei:ved, there was a simul- 
 taneous rush of the ofiicers and people, who saw or heard of 
 it, towards the beach ; with the intrepidity of British sailors, 
 all vying with each other in their endeavours to render as- 
 sistance. By this time there was a heavy surf, but they 
 dashed through it and swam to the cutter, which was lying 
 at her. moorings a considerable distance off: a sufficient 
 crew, headed by Mr. Speck, volunteer of the first class, hav- 
 ing reached her, the moorings were let go,- and they were 
 soon at the scene of distress, and at the great risk of their 
 own lives endeavouring to save those of others ; but out of 
 the five persons only two,- a man and the boy, remained 
 floating. Poor Linzee was considered a remarkably good 
 swimmer, yet it appeared that he swam but a very short 
 time; Moore could not swim at all, and never made the 
 slightest effort, but merely clasped his hands together, raised 
 them up, and standing up in the boat, sank with her ; the 
 other man endeavoured to swim until he became exhausted 
 and then sank. The bodies were subsequently found, and 
 buried at the island, the funeral service being solemnly per- 
 formed over them. The appearance of Linzee indicated that 
 he had been seized with apoplexy. Poor Moore left a widow 
 and five young children ; I therefore immediately directed 
 that she should be paid ten pounds a month until the service 
 was completed ; a subscription was set on foot, and it was 
 really delightful to see with what good feeling all hands came 
 forward to contribute to her relief; the amount subscribed 
 was, I believe, forty-eight pounds. 
 
 On the 12th we took up a considerable quantity of iron 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 1]3 
 
 ballast and shot ; on the 13th we removed a large rock, and 
 on the 14th two others, and found some treasure ; but on 
 the 16th the weather again became unfavourable. From 
 some alteration on the station by the Admiralty, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief was ordered to the Cape of Good Hope 
 and the Mauritius, and sailed from Rio in the early part of 
 this month ; and previously to leaving the station gave me 
 directions to place myself under the orders of Captain Wal- 
 degrave, the remaining senior officer on the station ; but as 
 he was in th^ Pacific, and consequently could not reach Rio 
 for a long time. Captain G. W. Hamilton, of'H. M. ship 
 Druid, who shortly after the Admiral's departure arrived at 
 Rio, gave me directions to place myself under hia command, 
 and on the afternoon of the 23rd I had a proof of the neces- 
 sity of my precaution in having the ship always- ready for 
 any other service, for the Adelaide arrived, bringing infor- 
 mation of a revolution at Rio de Janeiro, and orders for me 
 to join Captain Hamilton at that place as soon as conve- 
 nient, leaving such a number of persons to ^uard the ma- 
 chinery and stores as I might think proper. Accordingly 
 the two following days were employed in hauling the bell- 
 launch and other boats up on the beach, making other ar- 
 rangements at the island, getting stores &c. on board the 
 ship, and preparing her for sea. It was not without con- 
 siderable concern that I was about to leave my machinery, 
 for the jealousy that the Brazilian Government had evinced, 
 and the correspondence which had taken place in consequence 
 of our remaining so long on the island, as well as the very 
 unsettled state of the country, led me to apprehend the pos- 
 sibility that every thing might not be left in entire quietude 
 during the absence of the ship. However, we had always 
 kept up a good understanding with the neighbouring natives, 
 and I had no doubt that should any inimical measures be 
 contemplated within their knowledge, they would give notice 
 
114 NARRATIVE OF THfe 
 
 of them to whomsoever I might leave at the island. Having 
 selected three of the young gentlemen and twelve of the 
 crew, I placed them under the command of Mr. Frederick 
 Read, the acting second lieutenant, appointed him to the 
 temporary charge of the enterprise, and supplied him with 
 the following instructions : — 
 
 " The public service requiring my temporary absence, 
 with the ship, from Cape Frio, it is my directions that you 
 rigidly adhere to the following instructions. 
 
 " You are to consider the whole of the stores left on the 
 island, whether public or private property, as in your im- 
 mediate charge for the time being, and you will, with all 
 convenient speed, make a correct list of them, and take especial 
 care thereof, so that no part be stolen or wasted ; and you 
 will also keep a correct account of whatever may be used 
 during my absence. 
 
 " You will correspond with me whenever opportunity 
 shall offer, keeping me informed of every particular relative 
 to your situation as for the present in charge of the enter- 
 prise in which the Lightning has been employed, directing 
 your letters to me, or in my absence to the senior offtcer; 
 and should any thing of particular importance occur, you will 
 not hesitate to send Mr. Jolly over-land with the communi- 
 cation, should there be no other immediate means of which 
 you can avail yourself. Your particular attention must be 
 given to keep up that good understanding which has hitherto 
 existed between us and the natives, and they are not on any 
 account to be molested in their fishing or other avocations 
 at the island. Look-out men are constantly to be kept, but 
 not on any account the appearance of an armed guard. 
 
 " It is not probable that you will be molested, but should 
 the Brazilian authorities at all interfere, you must not resist 
 beyond remonstrance, but that firmly, and refer them to our 
 Minister at Rio de Janeiro. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FBIO. 1 45 
 
 ^' You wHl proiceed in rigging the cable! ae<;»?dang to 
 the plan given you whenever the weather will permit, but 
 not on any account to attempt the use of the diving-bell. A. 
 rigid diacipHlne is to be kept up, and there is to be as little 
 absence from the island as possible, 
 
 " You will k6ep a correct journal of your proceedings as 
 well as of all occurrences during my absience, and forward 
 the same to me by every opportunity,^ always retaining a 
 copy thereof. The great value of the stores remaining on 
 the island rendering it necessary that you shoujd be left in 
 chaTge with a sufficient number of men to protect them as 
 welt as to carry on the duty above pointed ' out, the young 
 gentlemen and men named in tte margin will remain with 
 you accordingly." 
 
 We sailed on the 26th, and arrived at Rio on the 30th, 
 with 112,000 dollars on board, which on the 2nd of August 
 I sent on board his Majesty's ship Tribune, being my third 
 shipment. 
 
 Previous to our leaving Gape Frio the boats had suffered 
 vei"y much by the heavy work they were employed on, and 
 were too few in number for the service. We also wanted a 
 lapge and strong boat to convey to the harbour the guns, 
 anchfeirs, and chain cables, which I contemplated taking up 
 as sooTi as the suspension cable should be completed and the 
 fine weather season set in. With this view I demanded a 
 large piinraee which had been left at Rio by the Warspite, 
 and she was supplied to me by the order of Captain Hamil- 
 ton. This boait had been assigned to me in the month of 
 May^ but the Adelaide was unable to bring hef to us. I 
 also bought a whale boat, so that we were now pretty well 
 off. During the month of July a fever, of a severe remittent 
 character, again occurred, and there were many cases of 
 severe catarrh, besides rheumatism ; and ulcers continued to 
 be numerous. 
 
 1 2 
 
116 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 August. — Matters being arranged, and quiet being re- 
 stored at Rio, I received directions from Captain Hamilton 
 to resume my occupation, and sailed on the 23rd, and ar- 
 rived at Cape Frio on the 25th of August. We were ex- 
 actly a month absent, and the relaxation from incessant la- 
 bour thus afforded had done us all much good. My general 
 health, as well as that of all hands on board, was greatly im- 
 proved. We had got rid of the jiggers, and the ulcers were 
 healed; we were no longer lame in hands or feet, and the 
 rheumatism had in a great measure left us; in short, we 
 were considerably renovated. But with respect to the poor 
 fellows at the island, it is true that they had remained per- 
 fectly undisturbed; but I shall not readily forget their 
 wretched appearance when they came down to meet us as 
 we approached the beach ; they were in a most miserable 
 plight, every toe and foot, and almost every hand, was bound 
 up with rope-yarns and rags ; and on the whole they re- 
 minded me of a set of poor creatures whom I have tnown 
 removed from a water-logged vessel at sea, after having re- 
 mained on the wreck for a very long time, benumbed and 
 frost-bitten. 
 
 On leaving the island I had selected the most healthy and 
 effective of my crew to proceed in rigging the suspension 
 cable, which they had exerted themselves to do so long as 
 they could ; but latterly they were so lame as to be only 
 able to protect the machinery and stores. Of course they 
 were immediately removod to the ship, where, by the as- 
 siduity of Mr. Dabbs, they were restored to health. 
 
 The Lightning was placed in her former berth and state, 
 and, as before, three fourths of the crew landed at the island, 
 but we had a great deal of work to do before we could re- 
 sume our operations in the cove. 
 
 Our bell-launch and boats left at the island' were so af- 
 fected by the sun as to require calking and other extensive 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 117 
 
 repairs, the huts were in such a shattered condition as to 
 need almost rebuilding. The air-hoses had suffered from 
 the heat, and needed refitting ; and our wells, or rather 
 holes, from which we had before obtained water, were 
 filled up, and had to be dug out. We also dug others at 
 Praya de Forno ; so that in fact all this kind of work had to 
 be done over again. The three-quarter watches, however, 
 being landed as before, by the 31st we had the bell-launch 
 repaired and launched, the bell suspended to her davit, and 
 ready for working whenever the weather would permit, all 
 hands being anxious for a recommencement. The large 
 pinnace was hauled up on the beach, and put into a state of 
 preparation for work. 
 
 September. — On the 2nd of September we were again at 
 work in the cove, and, as had been expected, the whole sur- 
 face of the bottom, in the part in which we had formerly 
 worked, was completely altered, large rocks having been dis- 
 turbed by the sea had rolled down into our excavations, and 
 the interstices between them were entirely choked up with 
 small ones and rubbish ; but on this occasion we were re- 
 markably fortunate, for after employing the greater part of 
 the day in removing those impediments, and not at all ex- 
 pecting to find any treasure for a considerable time, for some 
 days at least, towards the evening, when the bell was de- 
 scending, it swung over a part whence a large rock had 
 rolled, and the bell-men espied a few dollars on the spot ; 
 and on further examination, by digging, they recovered se- 
 veral thousands, besides some bars of silver ; and on the 5th, 
 after boring, and by means of a hawser and purchase to one 
 of the crabs, removing some contiguous rocks, we obtained 
 a considerable additional quantity of treasure. 
 
 While at Rio I endeavoured to obtain a supply of truscott 
 pump-hoses, but there were none in store, and those I had 
 were so much used that I began to be apprehensive they 
 
] 18 NARBATIVK OF THE 
 
 would become worn out ; 1 therefore bought a qtiantity of 
 canvass and leather for the purpose of endeavouring to make 
 other air-hoses. With tlie leather I entirely failed, in con- 
 sequence of its quality being so bad, although I got the best 
 that could be procured ; but by particular attention in mak- 
 ing them, and saturating the canvass well with a composi- 
 tion, which after various expeiiments I had made by com- 
 pounding numerous ingi*edients, I succeeded tolerably well ; 
 those thus made being used on very favourable occasions, or 
 when the others required repair. On the 6th we boired and 
 fixed the lewises in a rock estimated to weigh twelve tons, 
 which, by means of the hawsers and purchases hove on by 
 two crabs, was turned over ; and in the afternoon we bored 
 two others, but did not attempt to remove theni, but em- 
 ployed the remainder of the day in taking up ballast and 
 shot, a qviantity of copper bolts and ii-on work, and some 
 treasure. 
 
 The improved health of my officers and crew, and the in - 
 crease in the number of boats, enabled me to put a strong 
 party to work on the suspension cable, and it was now fast 
 advancing towards completion i but thp finding of proper 
 situations for the principal fastenings was a work of infi- 
 nite labour and difficulty, and proved most vexatious and 
 disappointing, in consequence of the quality of the rock, 
 the exposure of which to the atmosphere caused it to split. 
 By blasting and other taeans, we had removed many hun- 
 dreds of tons of rock from the cliffs, and repeatedly found 
 what we considered to he perfectly solid parts, for the secu- 
 rities, and bored holes and fixed numerous bolts therein ; 
 but in a few days afterwards numberless cracks appeared 
 diverging in all directions from them, and it became neces- 
 sary to excavate farther and seek other places ; however, we 
 at length succeeded, had them completed, the cross cable- 
 guys attached, and the cable hove up to its situation, which. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 119 
 
 with the guys, formed a cross over the cove, one end of the 
 cable being secured to a bower anchor sunk on the north- 
 east cliff, and the other having a large thimble * spliced in 
 the end of it, with four parts of the Lightning's chain stream 
 cable for a lanyard, each part reeving through a separate 
 bolt, and two nine-and-a-half-inch pendants, hitched and 
 seized on below the thimble, with dead-eyes and lanyards, 
 the whole forming a sort of crow-foot f, and set up to bolts 
 fixed in the south-east cliff, a little outside the spot where 
 the Thetis's crew landed, contiguous to which a platform 
 was made, and a crab placed, for the facility of altering the 
 height or position of the cable if requisite ; the guys were 
 one of nine-and-a-half-inch, and another of eight-inch, 
 leading to the west peak, and two similar ones directly op- 
 posite to them; there being in each situation a platform 
 and crab for working them, so that the point of suspension 
 of the bell might be placed over any part we wished to 
 work in. 
 
 For the four following days, though the wind was from 
 the eastward, the sea was so disturbed that we were unable 
 to do any thing in the cove, but this gave us an opportunity 
 of putting our huts into a tolerable state of repair. On the 
 I2th we again got to work and succeeded in removing the 
 two large rocks we bored on the 6th, and recoi^ered some 
 treasure and stores ; but towards the evening the wind blew 
 very strong in gusts from the north-eastward, the ■ current 
 through the gut was more strong than I had ever known it 
 before, and the swell increased in the cove, which induced 
 me to leave it much sooner than usual. We managed to 
 tow the bell-launch into the gut and to lay out a warp, but 
 a sudden gust broke it, and in a very short time the current 
 
 * An iron ring, made concave on the outside for the rope to iit into, 
 f Numerous ropes diverging from one particular point. 
 
J20 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 and wind carried her out seaward to such a distance as 
 caused us great uneasiness as to her safety. The pinnace 
 was immediately directed to take the air-pump from her for 
 security, to proceed to the island with it, and after landing it, 
 to bring another grapnel and two warps, while all the other 
 boats took the launch in tow to enable her to hold her situa- 
 tion. As we had not any additional grapnel besides the 
 launch's moorings, the pinnace was considerably delayed in 
 taking it up ; she however returned before the launch had 
 got into a greater depth of water than forty fathoms, and 
 we fortunately were enabled to anchor her. The wind hav- 
 ing by this time increased to a gale, and the gusts through 
 the gut being very heavy, we were glad to be able to rest a 
 short time, after which we resumed our exertions, by tow- 
 ing and warping at the same time ; and the wind somewhat 
 abating, we got her to her moorings by half past ten at 
 night, all hands being completely exhausted by exertion, 
 and having had a very narrow escape ; for if she had drifted 
 out beyond the smooth water and the shelter the land af- 
 forded, the sea was certainly too heavy for her to have con- 
 tended against it ; and having no sail, for it was impossible 
 to encumber her with one while used as a bell-boat, she 
 must have been lost. On the following day, notwithstand- 
 ing it still blew a fresh gale, with heavy gusts from the 
 north-eastward, we were at work in the cove at an early 
 hour, and during the first part of the day took up shot, cop- 
 per bolts, and various other articles of stores, and in the af- 
 ternoon brought the suspension cable for the first time into 
 use in removing a large rock, under which was some trea- 
 sure. The wind continuing to blow strongly in the evening, 
 the bell-launch was left in the cove rather than run the risk 
 of having her driven to sea again. On the 14th we removed 
 another large rock, and. experienced the benefit of the cable, 
 for it afforded us great facility in this description of work. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 121 
 
 which, now that sickness had again so reduced our number 
 of working hands, was a material object to us. From being 
 more perpendicular to the weight, rocks were much more 
 easily turned over by a purchase from the cable than by one 
 from the cliffs at a greater distance; but in some cases, 
 when the object to be removed was of very great weight, 
 and required to be shifted far away, we used both at the 
 same time. 
 
 We had frequently, while in the cove, been amused by the 
 sight of numerous whales in the distance, none of them hav- 
 ing come near enough to cause any fear ; but on one occa- 
 sion, the close approach of one, which I estimated to be 
 eighty or ninety feet long, produced a feeling somewhat be- 
 yond amusement. This huge fish came to within a few 
 fathoms of the mouth of the cove, when, as I suppose, being 
 surprised by the abrupt impediment presented by the part 
 of the cliff below the water, he suddenly turned round and 
 went to some little distance off, but soon returned, and 
 crossed several times, as if endeavouring to find a passage 
 through ; this caused us considerable apprehension, for if 
 he had happened to enter the cove, on discovering that the 
 depth of water suddenly decreased, and that he was enclosed 
 on three sides, he might have become alarmed, and in his 
 confusion just as easily have smashed our boats to pieces and 
 set Tis all swimming as he could have dispersed a shoal of 
 herrings ; this would have been "no joke ;" he went away, 
 however, without offering any molestation to our peaceful 
 occupation. Having observed several large lumps on his 
 back when he rose to blow, I was induced to row after him 
 in my gig to examine their nature, and discovered that they 
 were large putrid ulcers, which I presume might have been 
 occasioned by wounds inflicted by a whaler's lance or har- 
 poon, or perhaps by disease, unless indeed there are such in- 
 sects as sea jiggers. Although we were not by any means 
 
122 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 desirous of the presence of such a visitor as the above, there 
 were others which were hy no means uninteresting. Shoals 
 of porpoises, bonito, and other large fish, constantly came 
 into the cove, and darted round about and between the boats 
 in pursuit of, and feeding on, the millions of small fry with 
 which the sea is replete ; while just without, hundreds of 
 boobies* were skimming above, and every minute darting 
 down from a great height and diving to obtain food from the 
 same source ; and the watchful and voracious man-of-war 
 birds awaiting their arrival on the surface to seize from them 
 the food they had thus procured. Besides these there was a 
 great variety of other sea fowl congregated in immense 
 numbers, and some of them of beautiful plutnage, each kind 
 approaching the coast at a particular season of the year ; 
 these afforded very agreeable, and indeed interesting, ob- 
 jects to the eye. 
 
 In consequence of the prevailing south-westerly winds, the 
 swell from that quarter had gained such an ascendancy that 
 it required several days of north-easterly winds to quell it 
 sufficiently to admit of our working in the cove j and conse- 
 quently at this period our progress in the recovery of the 
 stores and treasure was much more tardy. With the ex- 
 ception of a few hours on the 23rd, when we were fortunate 
 enough to get the stage hung to the cable; and a purchase 
 rove for the large bell, from the 15th to the 29th inclusive, 
 we were prevented going out with the boats, but we had no 
 want of employment during the intermediate time. The wear 
 and tear of our boats, stores, and implements for boring and 
 removing rocks, and digging for stores and treasure, was very 
 great, and the replacing some, and repairing others, kept the 
 artificers fully employed ; the air-pumps and hoses were ex- 
 
 * A sea bird, so named from the circumstance of its frequently alighting 
 on the ship and immediately falling asleep. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE PKIO. 123 
 
 ainined and put into good order ; the large stage, similar to 
 that lost with the derrick, was made for the suspension cable 
 and the gear fitted for it ; the cable was hove higher np and 
 the gUys regulated ; the great weights which had been re- 
 moved by them, and the effiect of the sun, having caused them 
 to stretch ; the boats' moorings were examined and regu- 
 lated; the store huts were cleaned out and the stores re- 
 arranged ; sawyers were employed in cutting plank for re"- 
 pairing boats and other necessary purposes ; a quantity of 
 i-ecovered stores was shipped on board the Adelaide and 
 sent to our Government store-house at Rio ; and the large 
 bell being completed, was taken down to the beach and placed 
 in readiness to be put into the boat to carry it to the cove ; 
 besides all which, there was the never-failing occupation of 
 repairing our huts. These were our employments at the 
 island, while those afloat were a general clearing and ex- 
 amination of the ship, and gun and other exercises of por- 
 tions of the crew. 
 
 On the 26th we were visited by a heavy storm, that blew 
 over the cutter which was hauled up on the beach for repair, 
 and also very much damaged our huts, and consequently in- 
 creased our work. At length, on the 3Gth, we got to the 
 cove and hung the large bell to the cable, and with the 
 small one continued removing rocks and rubbishy taking up 
 quantities of copper and iron bolts, iron knees, and various 
 other ^articles, such as ballast and shot, and some treasure- 
 During September the number of persons aA:tacked by ca- 
 tarrh was more than double that of the preceding mrinth, 
 and the complaint assumed a serious character, being fre- 
 quently aoooHipanied by enlarged toneils, from which t3ie 
 persons so aifected were very slow in recovering; there 
 were also many cases of inflammation of the liver, b6sid6s 
 bowel complaints and ulcers as usual. 
 
 October. — 'On the 6th of October we attempted to re- 
 
124 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 move a rock which we supposed to weigh ten tons, but after 
 breaking one five-and-a-half-inch hawser twice and another 
 once, we failed for the present. In the afternoon, although 
 the wind was off the land, a heavy swell suddenly set in to 
 the cove, and drojpe us from our employment there. 
 
 On the 8th all the gear immediately attached to the large 
 bell was completed ; and I made an addition to the rigging 
 of the suspension cable. In consequence of its being guyed 
 by the cross-cable guys from the western peak, the outer., or 
 south end of the cable was not exactly in a line with the pur- 
 chase-fall leading up to the main cliff, so that when a heavy 
 strain was hove on the purchase, the crown or point of suspen- 
 sion of the cable was drawn over towards the eastern corner 
 of the cove; now this change, of position was not of the 
 least importance in removing rocks or other heavy bodies, 
 but it is obvious that in working the bell it was very mate- 
 rial indeed, because when the cable became released from 
 the weight by the bell being landed on the bottom, the point 
 of suspension would immediately deviate, and therefore 
 whenever a strain was again brought on the purchase for the 
 purpose of raising it, the bell would be drawn partially on 
 its side to the great peril of the bell-men. To remedy this 
 defect, I attached the Lightning's hempen stream cable to 
 the suspension cable at a few fathoms distant from the 
 crown, the other end being carried out and set up with a 
 lanyard and dead-eyes to some bolts placed at nearly the 
 extremity of the south peak, and this acting as a jumper*, 
 was in a great measure a remedy for the evil I have de- 
 scribed. By means of span-guys attached to the bell, that 
 on the north side from the suspension cable, on the south 
 from the jumper, and on the east and west from the cross- 
 cable guys, it could be placed on any part of the bottom 
 
 * A rope fixed in the opposite direction to the one hauled on. 
 
B/rd's Eye F/'^^v 
 
 ^o)V[| 
 
 
 Scale of reLthoiTLs 
 
 
 Si'jn^jed O) 'U'^i, J'fiO' Jjic--u*uo7i ^S,Ji 
 
 A. AnxJwr, 
 
 Spot wb&re- Tbeluf CreM^ Lcu^id^^^ 
 
 H. Marli'^lCCo libh,2B, Lotus Aa 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 125 
 
 within a space of forty feet square without any alteration in 
 the position of the suspension cahle. In the course of our 
 work we had at various times discovered the anchors, chain- 
 cables, and many of the guns, but had no boats to spare that 
 were of sufficient strength and burthen to take them into the 
 harbour, and even if we had had one, the weather and state 
 of the sea had been so precarious and uncertain that we 
 could not have ventured to do so j but we were now much 
 better off: the suspension cable was admirably adapted for 
 the purpose of raising them, and the large pinnace which I 
 brought from Rio was strengthened and otherwise fitted for 
 carrying them. Thus we were prepared for taking them up 
 and bringing them into the harbour ; but it was also neces- 
 sary to have a convenient position for landing, and also for 
 shipping them on board any vessel that might be appointed 
 to take them to England. 
 
 From what I have already stated of the beach below our 
 encampment, it will be readily seen that if we had placed 
 the guns and anchors there, they very soon would have been 
 buried in the quick fine sand, as was the case with the rudder 
 and other articles ; I therefore determined on a spot about 
 midway between the gut and the beach, alongside of the 
 rocks, where the. water was sufficiently deep for the boats to 
 lie, and there was a tolerably flat part upon which to place 
 them ; but though this was the best situation that could be 
 found, still there were numerous detached rocks close to the 
 shore which rendered the placing of the boat between them 
 extremely dangerous whenever there was any swell. Hav- 
 ing long since determined on this place, I had amongst other 
 pre-arrangements cut down a number of trees high up the 
 hills, brought the timber down, and exposed it to the sun on 
 the upper part of the beach, and it was now seasoned. 
 With this I directed a derrick fifty feet long to be made, and 
 a party of excavators were immediately set to work to level a 
 
126 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 platform on the side of the hill above the landing-place for 
 placing a crab to. work the purchase, and for fixing the dif- 
 ferent securities, while the blacksmiths prepared the iron- 
 work. From the 9th to the 1 1th inclusive we recovered a 
 considerable quantity of treasure by the usual modes, but 
 the wind blew so strong from the north-eastward, and the 
 current ran so rapidly through the gut to seaward, that we 
 could not get the launch in, and were obliged to leave her 
 in the cove on each night ; but at half-past three oft the 
 morning of the 12th, the wind suddenly falling light, we 
 went hastily out with the other boats to tow her- in, and 
 during the remainder of the day the people were employed 
 in heaving the suspension cable higher up and regulating 
 the gear, as it had again greatly stretched from the effect of 
 the heat of the sun. 
 
 From the first moment that I had found it necessary that 
 we should live on shore, I had always- been apprehensive 
 of the jealousy of the Brazili^tn Government with regard to 
 our remaining long' on the island, and it had been my con- 
 stant study to avoid any thing likely to give offence. To 
 such an extent did I act on this feeling that I would not allow 
 even a flag of any description to be used, although a com- 
 munication by signal with the Lightning would have been 
 a great convenience to us on many occasions, and would also 
 have saved the tim^^e and work of sending a boat to or from 
 her I and so careful had I been, not to show the least appear- 
 ance of military possession, that I would not allow the sentry 
 guarding the treasure even to carry a musket or bayonet, 
 but merely a stick, and I had unceasingly and successfully 
 endeavoured by courtesy and kindiiess to the natives when- 
 ever we came in contact with them to conerliate their good 
 feeling. Notwithstanding all this foresight and precaution, 
 I had frequent communications from the Commander- in- 
 Chiefj and from the senior officer in his absence from the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 127 
 
 station, that a great deal of dissatisfaction was expressed to 
 our Minister at what was called the occupation of the island, 
 and I was called on for explanations. First I was accused 
 of interrupting the fishing and cutting the wood, and had tO' 
 show by charts and otherwise that the former could not be 
 the case, for the cove was not amongst the parts they were 
 in the habit of fishing in, and that they came to pursue 
 that avocation whenever they pleased, and sold a large quan- 
 tity of fish to us at a much higher price than they could 
 possibly obtain any where else. Then it was said that I had 
 built houses, and I was directed to explain whether they were 
 of wood or stone — many a shattered constitution bears tes- 
 timony on this point. Amongst the numerous orders I re- 
 ceived on this subject was the extraordinary one that I 
 should state " what were the private expenditures of myself, 
 officers, and crew*," and lastly was brought against me the 
 more serious charge of having " taken exclusive possession 
 of the island and built a fort." This was too important a 
 matter to be passed over without notice, the Brazilian 
 Government had therefore directed the municipality of the 
 city of Cape Frio, distant about nine miles, to come and see 
 if such were the case, and now in accordance with these di- 
 rections I was visited by some of them. Of this I had no pre- 
 vious intimation whatever, and was therefore completely taken 
 by surprise ; howevear, when their approach was announced to 
 me as " a number of respectable gentlemen coming," I im- 
 mediately suspected something of the kind, and hastened to 
 the beach to receive them, and as soon as they landed, im- 
 mediately attended them to my hut. The moment they 
 entered it astonishment was evident in every countenance, 
 for they had expected to find a village composed of comfort- 
 
 * I do not mention this in the tone of complaint. Captain Hamilton 
 considered it necessary, and gave the order with great courtesy. 
 
128 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 able houses. It was fortunate that I had by this time 
 acquired a slight acquaintance with the Portuguese language, 
 just sufficient to understand them, for there was not one of 
 them could speak a word of English ; and after loading me 
 with more " lUustrissimos " than I ever had lieaped on me 
 before, or perhaps ever shall again, they very soon let me 
 know who they were and their business, to the effect, that 
 it had been represented to the Government that I had taken 
 exclusive possession of the island, and prevented the person 
 who rented it of the Government from fishing, and obliged 
 him to quit it ; that I had constructed a fort, and had large 
 guns there ; and that they were directed to come and exa- 
 mine into those circumstances. 
 
 I told them that their arrival afforded me great satisfaction^ 
 as I could readily prove to them how utterly void of founda- 
 tion these statements were, and that I was rejoiced that the 
 inviestigation was confined to such competent judges as the 
 muuicipa,lity of the city of Cape Frio, and taking especial care 
 not to be outdone in " lUustrissimos," said, that after along 
 row in their boat in the sun, they would find the ascent 
 up the hill and descent over the cliffs fatiguing, and recom- 
 mended their taking some refreshment, which they readily 
 accepted, and we then proceeded to business on the different 
 points seriatim. In the first place on the subject of " exclu- 
 sive, possession" there was no difiiculty, for it happened 
 that there were some of the natives from Praya de Anjou at 
 the island at the time, to whom I appealed, and they imme- 
 diately bore a ready testimony that there had been no ob- 
 struction whatever to the fishing, or their coming to the 
 island for the purpose of selling their various commodities, 
 or on any other occasion, and that I had always been very 
 kind to them, so that that matter was at once done with. I 
 next conducted their "worships" to the platform on the 
 main cliff that they might examine vay fortification. Here they 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 129 
 
 were completely puzzled to know of what use, at such a 
 distance off, all the crabs, capstan, and such a quantity of 
 rope, could be in getting up money from the bottom 
 of the sea. In order to explain this difficulty, I urged 
 them to advance to the brink of the cliff, and look over at 
 the suspension cable, when they all approached just far 
 enough to get a sight of the diving-bell, which, as we were 
 not at work, was hanging to it, but they then simultaneously 
 halted ; it was in vain that I urged them to go further and 
 take a more satisfactory view, that they might be certain 
 there were no guns any where thereabout ; at length I took 
 hold of the arm of a little dark man who appeared much, 
 more anxious than the rest, and leading him to the breast- 
 work, persuaded him to look over while I explained the 
 machinery to him for the information of the whole, to whom 
 he frequently referred, and they were all much amused ; 
 but while he was looking over he was surprised by a pecu- 
 liar sound, and appealing to the rest of the party, said he 
 heard cannon, then looking at me asked earnestly where it 
 it was. 
 
 At the base of the cliff is a deep chasm, into which, when- 
 ever there was much swell in the cove, the sea rushed, and 
 caused a report which by a stranger to the place might readily 
 be mistaken for cannon ; this was heard by the crew of the 
 Thetis, and by them considered to be signal-guns, and on 
 this occasion it attracted the attention of my Brazilian friend, 
 and excited the anxiety which produced his inquiry ; I told 
 him what it was, but he was very sceptical, for he could not 
 at all make out how water could produce such an effect. I 
 was obliged to confine myself to the above simple statement, 
 for independently of my deficiency in the knowledge of 
 the language, one might as well have attempted to discuss 
 with him the best method of untying the Gordian knot, as 
 to explain philosophically to him the cause and effect. I 
 
 K 
 
130 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 however proposed to him to accompany me down the zig-zag 
 road and rope-ladders to near the bottom of the cliff, but this 
 was politely declined. I have already stated that the hawse- 
 pieces of the Thetis were fitted with rollers and fixed on the 
 brink of the cliff; it certainly had the appearance of a 
 battery in miniature, the hawse-holes being the embrazures ; 
 to this I called their attention, and assured them that it was 
 the only fort I had constructed at the island, which excited 
 their mirth, but set their minds quite at ease on that subject. 
 I now urged them to go round to the north-west and south- 
 east cliffs, and examine the other partg of our work, but when 
 they reached the south-east crab, which was near two hundred 
 feet perpendicularly above the sea, and the intervening de- 
 clivity between which and the south peak being very steep, 
 they declined going farther. Having satisfied them on this 
 point of their investigation, and found that they had.no objec- 
 tion to a joke, I told them that as they had seen a specimen 
 of my fortifications, I would now show them where I made 
 the cannoHj and they followed me to the workshop. Here 
 were boat-builders, carpenters, blacksmiths, and sawyers 
 employed at their various trades, and shoemakers and.diving- 
 bell-men making and repairing air-hoses, together forming 
 a very busy scene : they walked round the place, examining 
 every corner and merely, remarking that we were carrying on 
 all sorts of trades, expressed themselves satisfied, and were 
 about to retire ; I however expressed a hope that they would 
 not go until they had seen our great gun ; this, again excited 
 their surprise, and they looked round with scrutinizing curi- 
 osity and then at each other, as if to ask. Where can this great 
 gun be ? In order to give them ocular demonstration, I at- 
 tached to the large air-pump a length of hose, and drove a 
 wooden plug firmly into the other end ; then, by putting 
 four men to work the pump, the pressure of air became so 
 great as to force the plug out, and drive it with great vio- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FKIO. 131 
 
 lence against the end of the hut, and to cause a report some- 
 what louder than that of an air-gun ; the effect startled them 
 a little, but they were very much pleased with it, and laughed 
 heartily; I afterwards conducted them! to the different buts 
 and every other part of the establishment they wished to visit, 
 and having ordered dinner to be prepared during our peregri- 
 nations, invited them to partake of such entertainment as the 
 miserable accommodation of my hut would afford. Luckily 
 I had recently received a supply of eatables from Rio, and was 
 well off in niy stock of wine, b6er, &c. ; the fare, therefore, 
 was'by no means to be thought lightly of, and they gave good 
 proof that such was their opinion in their relish for Gamble's 
 preserved soups and meats, which they did not fail to wash 
 down with a proportionate quantity of champagne, port, ale, 
 arid porter ; in fact, I never saw a set of fellows enjoy them- 
 selves more. We drank "William the Fourth," "Pedro 
 the First," and " The Municipality of Cdbo Frio," sufficiently 
 uproariously, and having settled these and all other matters, 
 towards sun-set they expressed their perfect satisfaction with 
 the reception they had met with and the attention I had 
 paid thenrj declared there was not the least cause of com- 
 plaint against me, arid above all that I had not fortified Cape 
 Frio ; and after the exchange of many compliments between 
 us, they retired in at least as good humour and spirits as 
 when they arrived. It may readily be supposed that as I had 
 not much knowledge of the Portuguese language, I had ra- 
 ther a difficult task to perform ; however, by the help of a 
 good deal of Spanish, a little French, and less Portuguese, I 
 plumed ftiyself on having managed the business rather cre- 
 ditably. I subsequently heard that four of them had gone to 
 Rio de Janeiro, and made a favoui-able report. Amongst 
 other means of getting rid of the annoyance and trouble I 
 had experienced on this head, I had in the month of May 
 complained to the villagers of Prayade Anjou that there must 
 
 k2 
 
132 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 be some very mischievous persons amongst them, who had 
 made false representations to suit their own purposes, and 
 that if such conduct was continued we must decline any 
 further intercourse with them ; they expressed their sincere 
 regret at the circumstance, and immediately drew up a de- 
 claration as follows : " We, inhabitants of Praya de Anjou 
 in Cape Frio, declare that we have no grounds whatever of 
 complaint against the officers or crew of his Britannic Ma- 
 jesty's Ship Lightning, Captain Thomas Dickinson, nor 
 have we been in the least annoyed by them." This was 
 signed by twenty-five of the principal residents. I wrote to 
 Don Antonio Garcia da Rosa Terra, the Justice of the Peace 
 for the district, and inquired of him as to the complaints, 
 and he answered that none had come to him. I also found 
 out the Renter (Arrematante) of the island, and paid him the 
 amount of a year's I'cnt, which satisfied him ; and at length, 
 by these means and through the final inquiry of the munici- 
 pality, I was relieved from a most vexatious correspondence. 
 
 Up to the 18th the weather continued exceedingly unfa- 
 vourable, and we gave great attention to the repairing and 
 manufacturing of air-hoses, and on the IJth tried a new one 
 with the small bell in the harbour ; it answered tolerably 
 well, and was frequently used afterwards when the others 
 required repairing ; but I never succeeded in discovering a 
 composition that would render canvass thoroughly air-proof, 
 when under the sti'ong pressure of an air-pump. 
 
 On the 19th the large bell first came into use from the 
 suspension cable ; the sea was too much disturbed for the 
 small one, and I therefore chose the occasion in ofder that 
 the test might be the more decisive; we continued working it 
 until almost. noon, when the increase of swell obliged us to 
 discontinue. As we expected, the inferiority of the cable to 
 the derrick was obvious enough : thje pendulousness of the 
 former, occasioned by the swell acting against the bell-pur- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPR FRIO. J 33 
 
 chasCj and its elasticity, from the great distance between 
 the two ends, and the weight suspended from it, rendered it 
 extremely difficult, even with the assistance of the four guys, 
 to land the bell exactly on any particular spot required, but 
 which with the derrick could be done with considerable ex- 
 actness. We subsequently worked the large bell on four 
 other days, and recovered some treasure. On the 25th we 
 were employed in surveying the preventer net, and, as of 
 course would be the case, it was found to be destroyed by the 
 sea, never having been of the slightest utility ; even the 
 chain cable which was at the bottom of it was broken. 
 
 For a long time past I had been wishing to give the peo- 
 ple a day's relaxation from the routine of toil and danger, 
 and fixed on the 21st of October, the anniversary of the bat- 
 tle of Trafalgar, for a thorough holiday, should the weather 
 be such as to prevent our sub-marine operations ; a good 
 dinner for all hands was of course a principal object on the 
 occasion, and with this view I bought a large pig, which had 
 now been in course of fatting for about two months, and by 
 the contributions of all hands had been brought to excellent 
 condition, and weighed about thirteen score. Until within 
 about a week of the designed gala day I did not express what 
 my intentions were, and numerous were the spepulations as 
 to what the Captain intended to do with the " great hog ;" but 
 so soon as they were known. Piggy became a greater object 
 of attention than ever, and the anniversaiy was looked for- 
 ward to with a twofold interest. The day arrived, but dis- 
 appointment with it ; for the sea and weather admitted of 
 our working the large bell "from the cable all that and the 
 two following days, so that from these and other circum- 
 stances, we were xmder the necessity of deferring the feast, 
 though I rather, regretted it, for there was evidently' a little 
 excitement at the prospect ; but the calls of duty were pai^- 
 mount to those of amusement, and we continued our routifie 
 
134 NARaATIVE OF THE 
 
 until the 26th, when some unfavourable weather became the 
 harbinger of Piggy's death, and he was accordingly executed 
 shortly after daylight in the morning in the presence of all 
 hands. My great point jn the matter was to have something 
 out of the common way, and therefore I determined on a 
 barbieue, and told the people that they must manage to roast 
 the pig whole. This was a complete puzzler for them ; they 
 said little, but looked a great deal from me to the pig, and 
 from the pig to me, some with doubtful, others withinquisi- 
 tive countenances,, and some scratched their heads in a way 
 which indicated a greater feeling of despair than they ever 
 evinced under the most untoward circumstances during the 
 whole period of the enterprise ; finding, however, that I really 
 intended whati said, they, set theix he^ds tp work to get over 
 the difficulty, and after breakfast, commenced preparations 
 for roasting; it was amuging enough to see the numerous 
 shifts and contrivances they had recourse to : some were for 
 having two. triangles formed of sticks similar to those used 
 for culinary purposes by gipsies, but o.n a larger scale, with 
 a long pole between itheni to hang the. pig. to lengthwise, 
 while the fife was to be nii^de underp.eath him ; but this would 
 not answer because of thei difficulty of turning so heavy a 
 weight ; others ivished to hang him ,by tjie head to a single 
 triangle, but this would not do, because from the. great 
 length, tlxe nether end would be doubly done, before the other 
 end could be warmed by the fire. Many other ways were 
 thought of,, but all w^re unsuccessful, fpr they could, not 
 hit on any.that would ensure the pig being either, .wholly 
 dresse.dj or protected from the, sand which .pvery gust of wind 
 blew lip from the beach. .In this dileijima they announced 
 their failure, and appealed to me for advice, for they began 
 to think that delay was dangerous : but even in. this trifling 
 matter T»{e had, a resource. Although, as amusement was to 
 be the order of the day, I wished to p.ut their i ingenuity , a 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 135 
 
 little to the test (and there were several amongst them who 
 on other occasions had shown themselves by no means defi- 
 cient in that way), I had a plan in reserve for at once re- 
 lieving them from their double difl&culty, which, notwith- 
 standing it was very simple, was still equally efficacious. It 
 was this: the remains of the large diving-bell which was 
 sunk when the derrick was lost, but as before stated was 
 subsequently recovered^ was lying on the beach ; this was 
 beaten out into its original shape and a round hole made in 
 the head of it, it was then placed sideways on two rows of 
 iron ballast arranged for the purpose about two feet high ; 
 a triangle of stout sticks was fixed in the sand at a short 
 distance from the bottom of it, the bilboe bolt (happily very 
 little otherwise used in the Lightning), serving as a spit, 
 was thrust through the pig longitudinally, one end resting 
 on the triangle and the other in the hole in the head of the 
 bell, which formed a sort of case or oven, while at the same 
 time it effectually kept off the sand j arid a fire being made 
 under and on all sides of it, the heat struck through and 
 joasted the pig in a way that might be envied by any roaster 
 that was ever spitted by the hands of a first-rate cook, and I 
 may add that the celebrated Quin never ate his most deli- 
 cious cut with better zest than that with which our porker 
 was devoured. The object of my intention was accomplished : 
 the day was passed in fun and frolic; cheerfulness and festi- 
 vity pervaded every one, and our Gracious Sovereign never 
 had his health drunk with three more loyal or hearty cheers 
 than were given by the crew of the Lightning at Cape Frio 
 on that occasion. 
 
 On the 26th also I made my fourth shipment by the Lyra 
 packet, in value about 96,000 dollars. On the 31 st we brought 
 the large bell in from the cove, for we found that the cable 
 could be turned to a far more advantageous account, by using 
 it principally for removing very large rocks. I therefore 
 
136 NARRATIVE OF THK 
 
 began on the following new plan : — By means of the small 
 bell a rock was bored, the lewises fixed, and the large bell- 
 purchase, with a double pendant of five-and-a-half-inch rope 
 attached to one of them, and a five-and-a-half-inch hawser, 
 with a purchase leading from one of the crabs to the other. 
 The rock being first lifted from the bottom by the cable- 
 purchase, was guyed from its original position by the haw- 
 ser from the crab, then lowered down, and the lewises re- 
 leased by means of the small bell ; another rock was then 
 bored and prepared in the same way and the bell-men 
 commenced working in the spot whence the former one 
 was removed, while tliie cable was in operation in displacing 
 the latter, and in this way we worked very rapidly whenever 
 the weather would admit; and I always took care to have a 
 rock bored in advance, so that in prospect of a change of 
 weather M'e could fix the lewises, and attach the purchases 
 and remove it when we were not able to go out with the 
 boats. In pursuing these measures great caution was neces- 
 sary ; first, in ascertaining that the rock was not a fixed 
 one, and next, that it was not of greater weight than ouc 
 gear would bear ; I therefore always had it measured, and 
 calculated, as nearly as its position would enable me, the 
 number of cubic feet it contained, thence deduced the 
 weight, and deducted one-third from it for hydrostatic pres- 
 sure J I thus knew whether the strength of our gear was 
 equal to the weight, and avoided accidents which otherwise 
 might have happened j and it was through expedients of 
 this nature that in tbig most dangerous service so few oc- 
 curred ; but notwithstanding such precaution we sometimes 
 oarried away our hawsers, There was another respect in 
 which the suspension cable was of much importance to us, 
 3nd saved the people from a great deal of peril and toil, and 
 nie also from a great deal of anxiety, whiph a very declining 
 state qf health rendered necessary, Whenever the wind 
 
OPliRATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 137 
 
 blew strongly through the gut and rendered it difficult to 
 oppose it with the bell-launch, we always suspended the 
 small bell to the cable for the night, and the launch being 
 thereby relieved from the weight of it, the difficulty of row- 
 ing into the harbour in a great measure ceased. 
 
 During this month the number of persons suffering from 
 ulcers considerably diminished, but cases of catarrh and 
 liver complaints continued to occur, though the sick-list 
 was comparatively greatly reduced, as it amounted in the 
 whole but to eighteen. 
 
 November. — On the 1st of November we attempted to 
 remove a larger rock than any previously removed, but the 
 lewises broke, and on a subsequent day we made another 
 effort, with increased strength of gear, but failed from the 
 same cause. We were therefore obliged to be content with 
 merely turning it over, but our success was not by any 
 means commensurate with the labour, for but little trea- 
 sure was found under it ; and, indeed, for some time past, 
 there was not any great" prospect of our recovering much 
 more ; but we had so frequently found some in parts M'here 
 we little expected it, that there was not the slightest disin- 
 clination to perseverance in searchingi 
 
 By this time every one of us had suffered from disease in 
 some shape or other, and I, feel certain that all who read this 
 narrative, up to the present period of it, will readily admit 
 that the personal superintendehce of the multitudinous ope- 
 rations and occupations it sets forth, and the exposure and - 
 privation consequent thereon, together with the equally ne- 
 cessary duty of attending to the good order and discipline of 
 my ship and crew, were quite enough for the most robust 
 constitution 5 but however great I had felt the oppression of 
 bodily fatigue, and the distressing vicissitudes of weather, 
 they were by no means equal to the oppression I suffered 
 mentally. I was forced into a correspondence of a most 
 
138 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 troublesome nature with private individuals, which brought 
 on me such a quantity of writing as was impossible for me 
 to accomplish during the short intervals I could snatch from 
 duty in the day time ; and I was therefore obliged to devote 
 to it that portion of my time which should have been given 
 to refection and rest ; and it consequently frequently hap- 
 pened, that after rising at half-past three in the morning, 
 and directing and superintending the work in the cove, and 
 being employed otherwise until late at night, 1 have sat , up 
 writing until one, and even two o'clock in the morning ; 
 this excess of exertion, and the constant state of excitement 
 which by such circumstances I was kept in, was too much 
 for me ; and my health, which had for some tiirie been far 
 from good, at length yielded to their pressure. I became 
 quite incapacitated from continuing the personal attendance 
 of the fatiguing duties of the Operations, and by the advice 
 of Mr. Dabbs, on the 6th, went on board the Lightning, as 
 affording me a better chance of recovering than I could have 
 in a miserable hut on the island. A few days' quietude were 
 evidently beneficial to me, and I appeared to be recovering, 
 when I was attacked by a severe form of dysentery, which 
 for some days resisted all the measures employed for my re- 
 lief, and reduced me to a state of the most imminent danger, 
 in which I remained for four days, when a favourable change 
 took place ; I gradually recovered, and resumed my duties 
 at the island. On the 16th the harbour derrick was com- 
 pleted and erected in the place assigned for it, and we now 
 only waited for a favourable state of the sea to commence 
 taking up the anchors, guns, and chain-cables ; but at pre- 
 sent it was in so constantly a disturbed state, that we dared 
 not venture on them. 
 
 Notwithstanding we continued, whenever it was possible 
 to work, to remove a great many rocks, and persevered in 
 digging about in various parts, but little treasure was found. 
 
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OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 139 
 
 the whole of the 22nd was therefore devoted to a thorough 
 gurvey of the cove by the- first lieutenant' and master; on 
 which occasion Mn Delafons was particularly fortunate, 
 having found fi,veularge barsiof silver^ weighing 329 pounds, 
 in the depth of eleven.fathQins water, a^din a different part 
 from any in whichj.we had before , diiscoyered treasure 5 he 
 also dug down! by the side of a very large rock, and two 
 others of smaller magnitude, and found some dollars ; and 
 from other, circumstances, we considered tfeat there must be 
 a great many under Ihem. . , 
 
 1 Onthe 86tli we removed one of the smaller I'ocks and met 
 ,with,- a favourable res\ilt, ..and the large one was bored for 
 removing on Ae first favourable Qccasion. During the 
 whole month we, hadj bpt seven days on which we could 
 work in the cove, and I took the opportunity of refitting the 
 ship, examining and repairing the boats and gear, regulating 
 the suspension cable, examining and repairing the fastenings, 
 and giving our huts a thorpugh repair, which they were much 
 in want of. We unfortupately had now again an increasing 
 sifik-lis^, .there were several b?id cases of inflamed liver, and the 
 numbei; qf complaints before. meKtioqed, as being prevalent, 
 and with; which, we had, been less seriously affected, now 
 increased,: and assumed a very obstinate and troublesome 
 (Character. The number on the sick-list amounted to twenty. 
 PBCEBi3ER.-T-We were un3,ble to work until the 9th of 
 J)^Qeniber, on which day liieutenant Dechamps, who. had 
 i-ecently Joined,. descended in the, bell, and continued the 
 survey, copimenced. by Lieutenant, JDelafons and Mr, Pope, 
 and lifcipwise.foun^ some frea^ur^ ; however, our. great point 
 now wasi to remoye the laorge rock and. the smaller ones 
 examined by the latter officers; accordingly, the fol' 
 lowing day wei swcc^ded in ■■. displacing them, and found a 
 mass of treasure, on which we worked whenever, we were 
 able, a,rid on the 16th had taken up to the value of about 
 30,000 dollars from a space not more than eight feet square. 
 
140 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 On the following day we removed two other rocks and found 
 some treasure ; but in the course of the forenoon the »well 
 increased, and in attempting to lower the bell between the 
 rocks, it was forced violently against one of them, and a 
 hole burst high up in it, through which the sea rushed ; the 
 signal was immediately made for more air, and the greatest 
 possible force was applied to the air-pump, but still the sig- 
 nal was rapidly repeated, which, of course, indicated that 
 something was the matter ; orders were therefore given to 
 raise the bell, and on its arriving at the surface it was found 
 that the bell-men, with their accustomed intrepidity, had re- 
 mained until they were nearly up to their shoulders in water, 
 and had had a very narrow escape, as we were working in 
 very deep water at the time. The bell was repaired in the 
 course of the night. 
 
 On the 19th we had a thorough search in the cove, but 
 with comparatively little success. 
 
 The Commander-in-Chief having returned to Rio de 
 Janeiro from the Cape of Good Hope and the Mauritius, 
 sent for me, and on the 20th I proceeded to him in the Ade- 
 laide, being at the time in very bad health. I was absent 
 till the 30th, then returned in the Pigeon packet, and re- 
 sumed my duties ; and I should be glad could I add, under 
 more comfortable feelings. During my absence, although 
 every exertion had been made, little treasure was found, 
 but a considerable quantity of the ship's equipment had been 
 taken up. I had now to lament the loss, for the present, of 
 two important aids in our work ; namely, Mr. Jones, the 
 carpenter, and John Leary, the blacksmith, who were on 
 board the ship very ill, and continued so for a considerable 
 length of time. 
 
 On the 31st I made my fifth shipment by the Pigeon 
 packet, in value about 65,000 dollars. 
 
 During the month of December the numbers of sick 
 amongst the officers and crew increased to an alarming ex«- 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 141 
 
 tent, the complaints being of the same description as before 
 specified, but of a very severe character; the cases, in the 
 whole, amounting to the alarming number of forty. 
 
 For some time pastVe had been taking up a considerable 
 quantity of stores, such as ballast, shot, crow-bars, chain- 
 plates, hammock-stancheons, copper and iron bolts, &c., 
 which the removal of rocks, and of a great quantity of rub- 
 bish, had left exposed ; but no treasure was found at pre- 
 sent. The weather had hitherto been of a nature not to 
 admit of my venturing to send in the anchors and guns in 
 such boats as we had, even if we had taken them up, with- 
 out a much greater risk than their value would justify. 
 
 The whole of the suspension cable gear having recently 
 undergone a thorough examination, and having been regu- 
 lated so as to bring the purchases imniediately over one of 
 the anchors, we were quite prepared for this work whenever 
 a favourable opportunity should offer. The season of light 
 winds had arrived ; the current, which caused us so much 
 labour; and anxiety in getting the boats through the gut, 
 was consequently less rapid, and the unceasing heavy swell 
 which had from the first so much incommoded us, and had 
 been so dangerous to the bell-men, might now be expected 
 in a measure to subside. 
 
 January.— rOn the 10th of January, 1832, the swell was 
 very much less than heretofore, particularly the underdraft, 
 the wind was very light off the land, and in fact every thing 
 was favourable for the nature of the work ;' I therefore on that 
 day determined on commencing it, and succeeded in taking 
 up two bower-anchors, which were got safely into the har- 
 bour; one of them was landed by the derrick, but towards 
 the evening the swell increased so much that we could not 
 venture to place the boat between the detached rocks before 
 spoken of, and consequently could: not land the second, but 
 it was placed near the other on the following morning. 
 
1;42 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 , The enterprise^ from beginning to end, was one of expe- 
 dients and contrivances, and on this occasion we were quite 
 put to our shifts ; for the launch v/as not equal to the recep- 
 tion of an anchor while the diving-bell was suspended to 
 her ; we therefore managed in this way, — as soon as the an- 
 chor was hove up by the cable-purchase high enough for the 
 launch to be, placed under it, the diving-bell was lowered into 
 the large pinnace, the anchor was then placed in the launch, 
 the bell suspended to the cable, and the former boat was 
 thus left available to tow the latter. On the 11th we took 
 up two thirty-two-pounder carronades, when' our hoses be- 
 came leaky, and we were obliged to cease working at an 
 early hour in the afternoon, but they were repaired in the 
 course of the night and; following day. 
 , Although we occasionally had some heavy showers of rain, 
 yet the intense heat caused such a great evaporation that 
 our pool of water soon became very low, independently of 
 which, some animak, but of what description we never 
 could discover^ took the liberty of using it at night as a cold 
 bath, so that we were in a measure deprived of one of our 
 greatest necessaries, in consequence of which some hands 
 were employed in digging a small reservoir and cutting wood 
 for the purpose of covering it over. On the 22nd we made 
 an attempt at the chain cables, but they were so entwined 
 amongst the rocks, and entangled of themselves, that after a 
 most laborious day's work in endeavouring to' get them iip 
 entire, we failed. Towards the evening the diving-bell' be- 
 came leaky ; . in fact it was quite worn out by concussions 
 against, the rocks, and a new one was n6ce^sai*yj which I put 
 in handundqr Heans, and on which neither he nor his party 
 ever ceased working until it was finished, in thirty-six hours 
 from its commencement; the construction however was 
 greatly facilitated by the tank bineg in a measure prepared, 
 and the strengthening bars, slings, &c., of the old bell being 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO(, 143 
 
 available for the new one, which was brought into opera- 
 tion on the 26th, This was the fifth diying-bell that we had 
 constructed. < 
 
 In the evening of the 25th there was a good deal of distant 
 lightning to the westward, which usually indicated a change, 
 but the wind was so strong from the north-eastward that it 
 was impossible to get the launch into the harboui", and she 
 was as on former occasions moored in the cove with a watch. 
 The weather continued in this state until early in the morn- 
 ing of the 26th, when it became exceedingly threatening, and 
 our exertions were suddenly called forth to save the launch. 
 The wind fell light as it were in a moment, the sky became 
 as qmckly. completely .overcast, and thunder and lightning 
 rapidly approached nearer and nearer. All hands were im- 
 mediately called ; the launch's crew were sent over the cliiFs 
 to be conveyed to her by the dingy (which had been left in the 
 cove for tlie purpose of communication), to cast qff the warps 
 and get- up the moorings, while the other boats were manned 
 with all speed, and proceeded to the cove to tow the launch 
 in. By the time we got through the gut it was a perfect 
 calm, .and the night was so dismally dark, save during the 
 flashes of lightning, that it was impossible to judge how near 
 we were to the rocks excepting by guessing at the distance 
 from the line of white surf just distinguishable through the 
 deep gloom. We had not reached more than half way to 
 the cove when, a terrific storm burst over our heads; the 
 thunder reverberated in echoing peals along the stupen- 
 dous cliffs from one end of the island coast to the other, in 
 a continuous roar like hundreds of cannon, and the vivid 
 flashes of lightning following in rapid succession affected the 
 eyes to such a degree that we could scarcely see where we 
 were going, and caused the rocks to appear much nearer 
 than they really were, while every rising swell seemed 
 threatening to cast us against them. The whole circum- 
 
144 NARKATtVE OP THE 
 
 stances, taking into consideration the perilous situation in 
 which we were placed, rendered it the most awful and ap- 
 palling night I ever experienced. Fortunately, however, we 
 got the launch into the harbour by four o'clock^ where we 
 had scarcely reached before the wind blew very strong; this, 
 however, was of short duration, and the storm having sub- 
 sided, we were again at work before noon. 
 
 Finding it impossible to heave up the cables whole, I was 
 iuduced to adopt another plan, which was by unshackling 
 them at the bottom in lengths ; but this was a most irksome 
 job ; the forelocks and bolts had become so oxidized as to 
 cause the bell-men great labour in removing them, which was 
 much increased by the extreme difficulty of using a large ham- 
 mer in the confined space of the bell ; still they succeeded, 
 and by these means we were enabled to unreeve the lengths 
 singly from the mass, and they were thus recovered ; but the 
 taking up of the cables was decidedly, when the length of 
 time it occupied is taken into consideration, the heaviest 
 work in the whole undertaking, rendered the more so by. the 
 reduction of our force through sickness, which put me under 
 the necessity of leaving the Lightning with only six hands 
 besides the sick and convalescent to take care of her ; but by 
 the end of the month I had the happiness of seeing a great 
 improvement in the general health of both officers and crew, 
 the number of cases being reduced to fifteen. 
 
 February.— On the 5tli of February the Commander- 
 in-Chief arrived in his Majesty's sloop Pylades; he came to 
 the island two or three times, and walked up to the cliffs, 
 and also went to the cove and witnessed the operation of 
 taking up some chain-cable. He sailed for Rio in the Ade- 
 laide on the 15th. On the 16th we took up two eighteen 
 and one twelve-pounder long guns, which were carried to 
 the harbour in the pinnace and landed by the derrick. 
 
 Like all the other plans we had adopted, the harbour- 
 
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OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 145 
 
 derrick answered to admiratioiij but in landing one of the 
 guns, a rock on the side of the hill to which a tackle was 
 led became detached, and, accompanied by numerous frag- 
 ments, came rolling down amongst us, to the imminent dan- 
 ger of the whole party ; but on this, as on many other simi- 
 lar occasions, being constantly on the look-out, we were for- 
 tunate, and escaped without loss of life, the only injury oc- 
 curring from the accident being a few cuts and bruises. 
 
 The number of sick during the month of February con- 
 tinued to be comparatively small, and our general health to 
 improve, 
 
 March. — On the 1st of March I was deprived of the ser- 
 vices of a most assiduous and able officer, Mr. Dabbs, who, 
 although he had not been liable to the dangers incident to 
 our laborious occupation, yet had with the rest of us been 
 subject to the same exposure and the other evils of residing 
 on the island; and his unceasing attention to the sicli, 
 ■which he carried to such an extent as on some occasions to 
 visit them every hour by night and day, for the greater part 
 of the time without an assistant, had brought on what was 
 considered to be a complaint of the heart, which induced him 
 to apply for a survey on himself, and I accordingly sent him 
 to Rio for that purpose. 
 
 We continued on ail favourable occasions taking up guns 
 and other heavy articles, and by the 3rd we had reco- 
 vered twenty-seven guns, nearly the whole of the chain- 
 cables, and three bower-anchors, and continued recovering 
 ballast, shot, and other stores. Occasionally a little trea- 
 sure was obtained by their removal, but not nearly so riiueh 
 as from the previous course of our work might reasonably 
 have been expected ; still we persevered in our exertions 
 with spirit; perseverance was our motto, and the same 
 energy pervaded during our less profitable work as had ex- 
 isted during the greatest height of our good fortune. There 
 
146 
 
 NAKBATIVE OF THE 
 
 was, however, one spot in particular in which I had great 
 confidence of success. During the survey of Lieutenant 
 Dechamps he observed a few dollars between the rocks where 
 the capstan was lying ; those rocks had been displaced, and 
 some treasure discovered thereby ; four guns also were un- 
 covered, which we had now obtained, and on the 4th of 
 March the capstan was taken up ; on that and the following 
 day a quantity of rubbish was removed ; and on the 7th and 
 8th some more treasure was found in a part from which we 
 had removed several other guns ; the place from which the 
 capstan was taken was quite cleared, and here I had deter- 
 mined to have a thorough examination by digging, feeling 
 assured that the excavating of this part would produce all the 
 treasure that could be obtained ; and as nearly all the public 
 stores which had been seen were recovered, our labours were 
 drawing to a close ; but while I was enjoying the pleasing 
 anticipation of a speedy and successful termination to the 
 enterprise, on the 6th I was surprised by the arrival of his 
 Majesty's sloop Algerine, with orders from the Commander- 
 in-Chief to me to resign the charge to Commander the Hon. 
 J. F. F. de Roos, of that sloop. It appears that the Admi- 
 ralty had been led to think that no more property could be 
 rescued, and therefore ordered my removal. I could not but 
 feel this a most mortifying circumstance. I had been the only 
 person who had come forward to attempt the recovery of the 
 large property which was considered to be irretrievably lost ; 
 I had devised the whole of the methods by which a very large 
 portion of it was recovered, and in giving effect to them I had 
 endured peril, sickness, toil, and privation, during a peiiod of 
 more than a year, to the injury of my constitution ; and the 
 work was now reduced to a mere plaything compared with 
 what it had been, and yet I was not allowed to put the finish- 
 ing hand to it. Notwithstanding this, the deep interest I felt 
 in ihe undertaking remained unabated, and I was determined 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 147 
 
 that nothiug should be waating on my part to ensure a suc- 
 fseasful termination to it. On the 7th I ordered the necessai-y 
 survey on the stores previous to their being turned over to the 
 charge of othejp bands ; and while the proper officers were 
 performing this duty, I took Commandei- de Roos to examine 
 tfe© air-pumps and hoses, store-houses and stores, and on the 
 cliffs, to inspect the various fastenings and machinery, and 
 afford him every minute verbal explanation and information 
 Fespecting the operations that he should consider would be 
 advantageous to him, and offered him the perusal of my log-- 
 book, that he might abstract from it any thing that he might 
 think useful, in fact to make him thoroughly acquainted with 
 the whole establishment. Fortunately the 8th was a very 
 favourable day for pursuing our operations in the cove ; I 
 therefore ordered Commander de Roos to attend there with 
 his gifficeps and men to witness the mode of working the 
 bell, and receive various instructions thereon ; this was re- 
 peated on the 9th ; and being most anxious that there should 
 not be any information wanting as to the situation of stores 
 and treasure still remaining unrecovered in the cove, al- 
 though I was in a very ill state of health at the time^ I took a 
 beUtman with roe and descended to take a thorough survey 
 of the bottom. Immediately on reaching it we proceeded to 
 the plac-e from which the capstan, rocks, and guns, as be- 
 fore mentioned, had been removed; here we commenced 
 diggings and very soon found a great quantity of treasure ; 
 in fact, in a space of several square feet there was a la^rge 
 mass of it, deeper than, by loosening it, I could work my arm 
 down into. After having sent up several bucket-fuUs of 
 it I proceeded with my survey. With a feelings which 
 I thought would be properly appreciated by a brother 
 officer, I did not continue to take up this treasure, which I 
 was quite at liberty to have done if I had chosen, but left it 
 for the benefit of our successors, observing at the time that 
 
 l2 
 
148 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 " the world should not say that I had left them nothing to 
 do but the labour of removing rocks and rubbish." The 
 survey being completed, I devoted the remainder of the day 
 to a personal scrutinizing examination of every bolt, capstan, 
 and crab, bollard and other fastening, and in short every 
 part of the apparatus, to satisfy myself that they were secure 
 and in good repair. I selected twenty of my most useful 
 men, discharged them as lent to the Algerine, and drew up 
 the following letter of instructions, which I delivered to 
 Commander de Roos on the succeeding morning, and then 
 resigned the enterprise to his charge and direction. 
 
 His Majesty's Sloop Lightning, Cape Frio, 
 10th March, 1832. 
 
 Sir, — -Pursuant to orders from the Commander-in-Chief that I 
 should deliver to you a written account of the state of the enterprise 
 carrying on here, I am to call your attention to the following remarks. 
 
 It is necessary to a clear understanding of the cove and the posi- 
 tion of the various stores and treasure still remaining at the bottom of 
 it, to have some point from which all directions should diverge, and 
 I therefore consider the stage which is attached to the suspension- cable 
 to be the most appropriate for that purpose. Immediately under and 
 for a considerable space on the south-east, south-west, and north-west 
 sides of it, there are quantities of shot, ballast, and various other articles 
 of ship's equipment ; also many copper bolts strewed about, much of 
 which is recoverable, although apart is so jammed between, and partly 
 covered with huge rocks, that perhaps any attempt to take them up 
 ■would be unavailing. On the south-east side and lying in nearly a 
 direct line towards the cliff, is about twenty-five feet of the kelson, 
 near to which and on the sea-side is a part of the bower chain-cable, 
 which extends thence in a nearly direct line with the south-east side 
 «f the cove towards the outer point, it is much entangled amongst 
 the racksj and supposed to be attached to an anchor at the outer end. 
 The chain-cable to which the net was attached lies across about the 
 centre of the cove. At about twenty feet from the western corner are 
 two long guns and a carronade. These are all that are known of at 
 present, and I am disposed to think that but few more are recoverable. 
 The amount of treasure stated to have been in the Thetis when lost is 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 149 
 
 810,000 dollars, of which I have as near as I can calculate taken up 
 586,000, there therefore remain still 224,000, a considerable part of 
 which I think may be found in the spot we worked in yesterday ; for 
 I felt much, and have no doubt there is a great deal more within a space 
 of sixty feet square, taking the north-west side of the stage for the 
 south-east side of such square. 
 
 The feature of the bottom of the cove is very irregular, being strewed 
 with rocks from a small to a very large size, some of which I judge it 
 necessary to move, and for which purpose you will find the lewis and 
 purchase the most available means. After the conversation we had 
 together and ihe verbal explanations I have given you on the subject, 
 I know of nothing more that I can say far your guidance ; but should 
 any thing occur to you which will further assist you, I shall be happy 
 to attend to it at your suggestion. 
 
 With the most sincere wishes that you may bring to a termination 
 this great undertaking with as much success and as little casualty a^ 
 it has been commenced and conducted up to the present time, 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) Thomas Dickinson (b),. Qommander. 
 
 The Hon. J. F. F. De Roos, 
 
 Commander H. M. Sloop Algerine* 
 
 P. S. I think it necessary for the satisfaction of the renter of the 
 island, that three of the best huts which I have built should be. left 
 standing when you quit the place,. 
 
 The suspension cable and all its, gear had lately undergone 
 a thorough examination and refit, and was in an excellent 
 state; all the boats were in good repair^ the diving-bells 
 were nearly new, and there were three air-pumps, which 
 with the air-hoses had recently been put in good condition. 
 Thousands of tons of rock had been excavated from the 
 cliffs • and roads and platforms formed, affording facility for 
 working the machinery, and innumerable bolts and other 
 fastenings had been placed in every situation requisite for 
 carrying on the work. Hundreds of tons of rocks, some of 
 
!60 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 them, of large magnitude, which presented serious impedi- 
 mentSj had been removed at the bottom and rendered the 
 working of the bell infinitely less dangerous than befote, 
 and a system of operations was matured which the experience 
 of more than a' year proved to be the best, and indeed the 
 only effectual one that could be pursued, and which was at- 
 tended with unexampled success ; and the most favourable 
 period of the year for continuing the work was commenced. 
 With all this information and all these means ready pro- 
 vided, together with the additional advantage of twenty ex- 
 cellent men who had, under my directions, teen trained to 
 the use of them, I could not but feel that if the same course 
 was perseveted in, a successful conclusion to the enterprise 
 must be the result. Still I determined on remaining in the 
 harbour for three days, in order to afford any further in- 
 formation or instructions that might be required, and to be 
 assured that every thing was going On well. Immediately 
 on Commander de Roos assuming the direction, his party 
 commenced working on the treasure I had discovered during 
 my survey, and continued during our sdjourn in the hatbour 
 to take up thence the value of about ten thousand dollars 
 a day, and on the retiirn of my people I had the grati- 
 fication of knowing that my anticipations were realized, for 
 they informed me that nearly the whole of the treasure they 
 recovered subsequently to my quitting was taken from this 
 spot. On the 1 1th I received a letter as follows from Com- 
 mander de Roos. 
 
 His Majesty's Sloop Alyerine, 
 
 Cape Frio, llth March, 1832. 
 
 Sir, — I beg to avail myself of the oflFer contained m your letter of 
 
 yestetday to attend to any suggestion or inquiry which may occur to 
 
 me in furtherance of the important service on which I have the honour 
 
 to be employed. 
 
 I have to request that yon will be good enough to furnish me -with 
 any plan or plans of the cove, which yon or any of your officers may 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 161 
 
 possess, pointing out such parts as have been worked by you, and the 
 spots where the most valuabk of his Majesty's stores and other pro- 
 perty may be supposed to remain. 
 
 I shall be obliged to you for an abstract from your journal of the 
 wind, weather, and swell in the cove, in the months of March, April, 
 May, June, and July last. 
 
 I shall also thank you to inform me of the name and residence of 
 the renter of the island ; and if any terms have been entered into be- 
 tween yourself and that individual. 
 
 I thank you for the kind wishes expressed at the end of your letter ; 
 I already feel much pleased with my present success, and I am very 
 sanguine for the future. 
 
 I have the honour to remain, 
 Sir, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 J. Fredk. F. De Rods, Commander. 
 
 To Commander Thomas Dickinson, 
 H. M. S. Lightning. 
 
 To this I replied on the 12th :-r- 
 
 Sir, — I have received your letter of yesterday, and am most willing 
 to afford you einy further information and assistance in my power ; 
 but it appears strange to me, after the clear description of the cove 
 which I have jgjven you, both verbally and written, that you should 
 still feel at a loss as to the situation of his Majesty's stores, and other 
 property which still remain in it. 
 
 In a state of health very ill adapted to such an undertaking, I de- 
 scended in the diving-bell, and surveyed the bottom, expressly for your 
 information, and in order to resign to you the direction of the enter- 
 prise under as advantageous terms as I possibly could, the result of 
 that survey as well as information derived from the bell-men is 
 contained in my letter of the tenth instant, and my having placed you 
 in the situation I did whence you might immediately proceed to the 
 recovery of a large part of the treasure as well as stores, is one proof 
 that the instructions and description I have given you thereon are sirf- 
 ficient for your guidance. With respect to the abstract you wish for, 
 I am surprised that you did not avail yourself of my offer of my Ipg, 
 from which you might have abstracted any thing you pleased, kxnp I 
 
]52 NARRATIVE OF THK 
 
 do not think any information you might have derived therefrom as to 
 wind and weather would be of any use, they are so uncertain ; and I 
 would therefore recommend you to guide your management by an un- 
 ceasingly anxious watchfulness ; this has been my system. However, 
 by a reference, I find that the north-easterly and easterly winds (which 
 are those during which I have been most able to work the bell) have 
 blown as follows : — in March seven, April seventeen. May seventeen, 
 June twenty, and July sixteen days, in 1831 ; but I wish to impress on 
 your mind not to take this as a rule for the present year. The Renter 
 (Arrematante) of the island resides at the village of Praya de Anjou; his 
 name is Miguel Boi^es ; I have never seen him but once and then for 
 a very short time. I have made inquiry, and believe he is perfectly 
 satisfied up to the present time; he bears a very bad character, and I 
 should therefore advise that whatever you may have to do with him 
 should be through the medium of the Jui2s de Pas (Magistrate) of the 
 district. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) Thomas IJickinson (b), Commander. 
 
 To Commander the Hon. J. F. F. De Roos, 
 H. M. Sloop Algerine. 
 
 ; Feeling that nothing more could possibly be wanting frona 
 me, I sailed on the 13th for Rio, and arrived there on the 
 14th, myself, officers, and crew, having suffered very much 
 in health, many with shattered constitutions ; and poor De- 
 lafons fell a victim to this most severe service. That excel- 
 lent and amiable young man died at the instant of letting go 
 the anchor, as if it had been the signal for his departure 
 from the world. On my return from Rio in December I 
 found him in a very weak state from excess of fatigue, and 
 repeatedly urged him to go on board to recruit his health, 
 but he evidently expected promotion would accrue to him 
 from his exertions in so arduous, hazardous, and important 
 a service, and always replied that he hoped I would not insist 
 on his quitting his duty at the island, as he felt that his 
 situation of first- lieutenant called on him to bear a conspi - 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 153 
 
 cuous part, and he should soon be better ; to this wish, so 
 zealously and urgently expressed, I for some time conceded; 
 but at length, seeing that he was fast declining, ordered the 
 surgeon to take him off to the Lightning, whence he never 
 was removed until taken to his grave, attended by the oflficera 
 of the squadron, and buried with the usual honours. 
 
 On the 23rd I made my sixth and last shipment, by his 
 Majesty's ship Maidstone, of the value of about 64,000 dol- 
 lars, making in the whole 588,801 , and the Algerine sub- 
 sequently recovered about 161,500, making about fifteen 
 sixteenths of the whole property sunk. We also recovered 
 a large quantity of Government stores, of the value of about 
 2000^. 
 
 Any officer of right feeling will readily acknowledge that 
 there cannot be a more agreeable act of a superior than that 
 of setting forth the meritorious conduct of those serving 
 under him, and on this point I had an ample field for gratifi> 
 cation ; but I felt that the magnitude of the enterprise, the 
 numerous difficulties encountered and overcome during the 
 space of fourteen months, presented so many instances of col- 
 lective and individual merit, that I could not compass them in 
 the space of an ordinary public letter sufficiently to do justice 
 to my officers and crew ; and being most anxious that their 
 deserts should be known where I did not doubt but they 
 would be appreciated, I drew up a concise narrative of our 
 operations and delivered it, accompanied by a letter {vide 
 Appendix, No. III.) to the Commander-in-Chief, to be for- 
 warded by him for the information of My Lords Commis- 
 sioners of the Admiralty, in order that they might be made 
 acquainted with the whole of the circumstances. This was an 
 agreeable public duty ; nor can I here resist the pleasure of 
 bearing testimony to the praiseworthy conduct of those per- 
 sons by whose extraordinary and united efforts this most 
 singular sei'vice was achieved ; which, notwithstanding the 
 
154 NABBA.TIVE OF THE 
 
 general impression of its hopelessness, they entered upon 
 in a spirit of undauntedness, which, throughout the whole 
 period of its continuance, never forsook them, and at all 
 times exhibited a resolution to contend against obstacles 
 which threatened difl&culty and duration, and required great 
 labour and perseverance to surmount j they underwent the 
 severest toU, fatigue, and disease with invincible patience 
 and unwearied fortitude; and during the whole protracted 
 period of such a complication of disasters and constant pri- 
 vation to which they were exposed, they demonstrated that 
 intrinsic firmness which was requisite for the consummation 
 of so hazardous and laborious an undertaking ; throughout 
 the whole signalizing that intrepidity of character for which 
 the naval profession has at all times been renowned. 
 
 As an appropriate illustration, I shall subjoin a list {vide 
 Appendix, No. IV.) of the quantities and varieties and esti- 
 mated value of the treasure recovered daily, also the affidavit 
 of the surgeon (Appendix, No. V.), which will exemplify 
 our sufferings from disease. 
 
 In this narrative I have, perhaps inadequately, but at 
 least faithfully, set forth the nature of the service, the 
 circumstances under and the means by which it was ac- 
 complished; and thereby shown how great results may 
 be attained by the well-directed and united eflforts of a 
 small body of men. So far my task has been an agree- 
 able one, and here would have terminated, were it not 
 that there remains a duty to myself, from the perform- 
 ance of which, however unpleasant, I shall not flinch 
 until I have made it clear to the members of my pro- 
 fession and the public that I am fully entitled to the 
 merit I have assumed as the originator and contriver of 
 the enterprise, and that I, and no other person, was en- 
 titled to that character ; nor until I have removed an im- 
 pression which I fear exists in the minds of some of my 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAFE FUIO. 155 
 
 brotiier officers, who have not made themselves fiufficiently 
 acquainted with the subject, that I could have prevented the 
 vexatious, tedious, and expensive litigation in which the 
 salvors were involved. In handling this subject I hope not 
 to be considered as being solely actuated by an angry spirit, 
 my great object being, by a fair statement of facts and re- 
 ferences to documents, to defend myself from the charge of 
 litigious feeling, and to prove that I was justified in taking 
 the position since legally confirmed. 
 
 With this view, I, in the first place, assert that salvage is 
 a reward for personal services exerted in the rescue or reco- 
 very of property ; and secondly, that salvage service differs 
 from the ordinary services of naval co-operation, such for in- 
 stance as joint capture, where the mere being in sight enti- 
 tles a vessel so situated to share with the actual captor j 
 for, " in respect of salvage services, there is not known in 
 " law any such principle as constructwe assistance ; but the 
 " principle adopted by the Admiralty Court in awarding sal- 
 " vage, has heretofore been unifoiaaaly in proportion to the 
 " fatigue, anjdety, determination to encounter danger, spirit 
 " of adventure, skill, and dexterity, and especially danger 
 " and hazard of life exercised and incurred by actual salvors 
 " and no others." Now this being the nature of salvage, as 
 I was advised, could I, without depreciating the services of 
 my officers and crew, no less than my own, consider myself 
 m any other light than as th'&princ^)^ salvor ? a title so in- 
 disputable that I surely cannot, by the most unprofessional 
 of my readers, be accused of presumption in assuming it, 
 particularly when that title has been since confirmed by two 
 solemn decisions : still it was denied me ; and, to my sur- 
 prise, I found a competitor, not merely for the honour, but 
 for the reward. 
 
 Immediately on our first success in the recovery of the 
 treasure, I received a letter from Messrs. Samuel, Phillips, 
 
156 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 and Co.j of Rio de Janeiro, of whom I had some previous 
 knowledge, offering to become my agents ; and shortly after^. 
 wards one of the firm came to Cape Frio on the subject. It 
 appearing to me to be necessary that there should be ap.- 
 pointed on behalf of the salvors some competent person at 
 Rio for the purpose of effecting insurances on the transmis- 
 sion to England of the property saved, and for general ob- 
 jects, we were induced to appoint Messrs. Samuel, Phillips, 
 and Co., as our agents at Rio, with directions to communi- 
 cate and act with our general prize agent, Josh. Woodhead, 
 Esq., of London. The first proposition of the firm was, 
 that the property saved should be sent to Rio, and thence 
 forwarded by them to England : and in the next place, that 
 their correspondents in London should be empowered to act 
 there on our behalf, both of which proposals met with a po- 
 sitive refusal ; it being my determination that for my own 
 justification, and for the security no less of the owners of the 
 property (whether the Crown or underwriters) than of the 
 salvors generally, no part of the treasure saved should be al- 
 lowed to enter the hands of third persons, but be shipped 
 from the place of recovery, so far as circumstances might 
 allow, direct to the Bank of England. These points being 
 settled, we calculated on the services of Messrs. Samuel and 
 Co., and for a short period, not doubting their utility (espe- 
 cially as we were apprized, by a letter from them of the 4th 
 of May 1831, that the business of effecting the insurances 
 had been commenced, in compliance with jwy wishes), I from 
 time to time furnished them with the particulars of our ser- 
 vices ; then indulging myself in the hope that they, or our 
 general agent, Mr. Woodhead, might find opportunities of 
 discovering the owners of the property, and of entering into 
 some arrangements for the settlement of the salvage ; not 
 foreseeing the complication of interests and circumstances 
 which afterwards rendered legal proceedings unavoidable. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 157 
 
 My first ground of complaint against Messrs. Samuel and 
 Co. arose on finding, that instead of effecting insurances 
 through Mr. Woodhead, they had, contrary to my express 
 directions, transferred the business into the hands of their 
 firm in London. This was followed by a total absence of 
 information as to their proceedings on our behalf. Other 
 circumstances led me to doubt of their zeal for our interest, 
 and on the 23rd of June I found myself under the necessity 
 of addressing them a letter expressive of my disapprobation. 
 According to my own notion and the tenor of my instruc- 
 tions, the enterprise had been undertaken as a matter of 
 public service, and apparently it so continued to be consi- 
 dered at head quarters, at least during the unprofitable services 
 of February and March : our subsequent success I need not 
 repeat, and here only refer to it, to introduce the following 
 fact : By a letter from the Admiral, bearing date 29th May 
 1831, and which was subsequently brought into court by his 
 legal advisers, I was informed that he had appointed Messrs. 
 Samuel and Co. to be his agents, and desiring me to under- 
 stand that the salvage had been originated by him on " pri- 
 vate account," and directing me to apply to those gentlemen 
 *' for such assistance of men or materials as might be deemed 
 advisable for the complete accomplishment of the work." I 
 ■simultaneously received a letter from these agents of the 
 Admiral in which they stated, " We shall attend to your 
 "wish, and not pay bills without your orders, having received 
 4he Commander-in-Chief's directions to that effect; this of 
 course applies in his absence only, and relates solely to the 
 part in which you are responsible, which is only for what 
 you sign; the rest remains vMh us as agents to the owners 
 and underwriters at Lloyd's, as before explained in his 
 absence." If my confidence in Messrs. Samuel and Co. 
 had been previously shaken, this correspondence justified 
 my doubting how far the interests of the salvors were 
 
158 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 likely to be served by them, for it was now but too evident 
 that they were attempting to act in the triple capacity of 
 agents to the salvors, of agents to the Admiral, and as agents 
 also to the underwriters, the latter wholly incompatible with 
 their duty no less to the first than to the second named 
 party ; not to mention the knowledge which in all pro- 
 bability they then possessed of the Admiral's intention to 
 claim and contest his precedence as principal salvor. On the 
 21st of July I again expostulated with Samuel and Co., and 
 again received an unsatisfactory reply ; and as a climax, on 
 arriving at Rio in July (the Admiral having sailed early in 
 the Hionth for the Cape of Good Hope and the Mauritius), 
 I foimd that Messrs. Samuel and Co., presuming on a letter 
 addressed to them by the Admiral on the 18th of May 1831, 
 had the audacity to assume an authority over me and my 
 ship, declaring that both I and my ship had been placed 
 under their control j and moreover refused to furnish me 
 with the copies of the policies of insurance which they had 
 already advised me had been eifected by my order. It can- 
 not be surprising that all further connection vnth the firm of 
 Messrs, Samuel and Co. was at once broken off, and having 
 given them due notice of our determination, our London 
 agent, Mr. Woodhead, was furnished with a detail of cir- 
 cumstances, and instructed to counteract what was antici- 
 pated might be the adverse measures of Samuel and Co. or 
 their correspondents, and in which foresight I had reason to 
 to be satisfied. It was early in August 1831 that the first 
 shipment of the treasure recovered by the officers and crew 
 of the Lightning arrived in England, and upon its arrest for 
 the Crown as property found derelict, Mr. Woodhead caused 
 an appearance to be entered in the Court of Admiralty on 
 our behalf by our proctor, Mr. Poynter, who alleged us to be 
 the salvors, and prayed a reward. This appearance took place 
 on the 13th of August. On the 18th, at the instance of the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 159 
 
 London firm of Messrs. Samuels, an appearance was entered 
 for Rear- Admiral Sir T. Baker, who was alleged to be " a 
 mhor." Thus matters stood until the 23rd of September, 
 when the same firm directed a second appearance to be given 
 for us, and which was accordingly entered by the proctor of 
 the Admiral. An expostulation was made as well by Mr. 
 Woodhead our agent, as by our proctor, against so unprece- 
 dented and unauthorized a procedure, which the London firm 
 justified by asserting themselves to be our agents, denying 
 the right of Mr. Woodhead and by inference the legality of 
 his acts, and at the same time withholding from him our 
 power of attorney, which in confidence had been placed in 
 the hands of the firm at Rio to be transmitted to him. I 
 have been necessarily led to dwell on these dates and cir- 
 cumstances, in order to show the perplexing situation in 
 which I and my agent were placed at the outset, and which 
 was the cause of much unnecessary litigation, in order to 
 obtain the annulment of the appearance which had been so 
 artfully entered for us by the London firm of Samuel and Co., 
 and no doubt intended to prevent Mr. Woodhead from pro- 
 tecting our interests. 
 
 It was not until the 21st of January, 1832, that the Court 
 annvilled ih& appearance which had been entered for us by the 
 Admiral's agents, upon which occasion the Judge directed that 
 the proceedings to be had on behalf of the salvors were to 
 be conducted by Mr. Poynter, our proctor. This order hav- 
 ing deprived the Admiral's agents of the power of taking the 
 lead under the pretended title of agents to the Lightning, 
 mark their conduct : On the 23rd of February they take a 
 new ground, an appearance is given for the Admiral alleging 
 him to be "principal salvor." This measure opened a se- 
 cond question for litigation, and which was unavoidable, 
 inasmuch as it was well known to my legal advisers that 
 at least up to that period the Admii'al had never been near 
 
160 NAURATiVE OF THE 
 
 Cape Frio from the commeiicemeiit of our services there. 
 Under such circumstances, then, can I or those to whom the 
 interests of myself and people were intrusted, be blamed for 
 denying the right of the Admiral to any such a title ? More- 
 over, the admission of it would not merely have been playing 
 the game of the underwriters, to which I shall have occasion 
 to refer, but would inevitably have reduced the expected 
 pecuniary reward of the hard services of the salvors, and 
 (what would have affected me much more) no less the 
 merit of the undertaking ; a concession to which no per- 
 son of spirit could possibly submit : my agent therefore most 
 properly resisted so serious an encroachment by all legal 
 means, and although ultimately successful in maintaining 
 my rightful position and overthrowing the pretension which 
 would have deprived me of it, the settlement of this, which 
 apparently involved little more than a preliminary question, 
 led in fact to much protracted litigation, and gave the under- 
 writers a manifest advantage over the salvors generally : an 
 advantage which unquestionably had the effect, both in the 
 Court of Admiralty and in the Court of Appeal, of reducing 
 the quantum of reward to which they were entitled. This 
 part of the subject I cannot quit without lamenting that the 
 question as to the Admiral's rights had not been conducted 
 on his part by the gentleman who I believe is his ordinary 
 prize agent, rather than by a mercantile firm and its solici- 
 tor : for I feel thoroughly persuaded that vdth the know- 
 ledge of the service and the right feeling which that gentle- 
 man possesses, the question, under his management, might 
 have been more readily and candidly brought to an issue. 
 
 It cannot be disputed that the services detailed in my 
 narrative had entitled the salvors of so large a property to 
 very considerable reward, and it was but natural to expect 
 from those to whom that property was restored a correspond- 
 ing liberality. This I had never doubted ; on the contrary, 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 161 
 
 feeling fully assured of it, I constantly cheered my people in 
 the most hazardous and trying situations, by setting before 
 them the prospect of the reward which was to crown their 
 labours, and was in some measure thereby enabled to excite 
 them to unusual perseverance in their more than arduous 
 exertions. The principal part of the bullion and specie hav- 
 ing been insured at Lloyd's, the Underwriters had an appa- 
 rent interest in it from the moment the Thetis was lost, 
 and upon the news of that disaster arriving in England, an 
 " especial committee was appointed to manage the interests 
 of that body," and was composed of the following persons : 
 Robert Dewar (chairman), John Peter Rosch, William 
 Leathley, Charles Richard Harford, and David Carruthers, 
 merchants. After proof had been given of the ownership of 
 the property .saved, the Crown-ofi&cers withdrew their claim, 
 and it was restored in due course to the representatives of 
 the owners, upon their first paying salvage : and having ar- 
 rived at that stage of the proceedings, Mr. Woodhead ex- 
 pressed a desire to come to such an arrangement with the 
 Committee in respect to the salvage as would have been alike 
 just to the salvors and creditable to those who so greatly 
 benefited by their exertions. This, had no other impedi- 
 ment intervened, yr&s prevented by the interference of the 
 Admiral's agents, who had already, as it would appear, been 
 negotiating as for the principal salvor ; and had, no doubt, 
 long before impressed the Committee (an impression most 
 willingly taken, as it was for their manifest interests so to 
 do) with the belief th?it the Admiral was so to be considered, 
 and as such alone to be negotiated with ; which will appear 
 from the following facts. It appears that shortly after the 
 commencement of my enterprise, a correspondence was 
 opened by the Admiral with the especial committee of 
 Lloyd's, the nature of which was unknown to me. I knew 
 from a rumour only that a vote of thanks had been forwarded 
 
 M 
 
162 NARRATIVE OP THE 
 
 to the Admiral as early as the 5th of April 1831, — a fact 
 which appears from a letter of his addressed to Mr. Dewar, 
 dated on the 7th of June 1831^ and filed in the Court on 
 behalf of the Underwriters. True it is that although my name 
 was hardly mentioned in the Admiral's published communi- 
 cation to Lloyd's, I still think it scarcely possible to doubt 
 of his having in some other parts of his correspondence ac- 
 quainted the Underwriters of the real origin of the enter- 
 prise, from which the Committee might have been made suffi- 
 ciently aware that the means by which their property was res- 
 cued had been invented by me, and put into operation under 
 my immediate directions. Be this as it may, no sooner was 
 the title of Principal Salvor assumed in Court on behalf of the 
 Admiral, than tiie representatives of Lloyd's re-echoed it ; 
 and in all the subsequent proceedings, although the Judge had 
 expressly, at the adjudication of the preliminary point as to 
 who was to be considered as the true representative of the 
 actual salvors, decided that our agent and proctor were 
 these persons, still, the legal advisers of Lloyd's adopted 
 a course of conduct in those proceedings not blamable, 
 perhaps, with reference to the pecuniary interests of the 
 Underwriters, but certainly reprehensible when viewed in 
 relation to a candid consideration of the main question, 
 which was simply that of a fair remuneration for services 
 rendered : and of this conduct I consider myself the more 
 entitled to complain, because, no sooner had the very extra- 
 ordinary intervention for the Admiral taken place^ than Mr. 
 Poynter, perceiving the injury which must inevitably be done 
 to the general interests of the salvors by any conflicting 
 statements as of services, and which obviously would weaken 
 the merits of the salvage, proposed to the legal advisers of 
 the Underwriters, to allow the main question between salvors 
 and owners of remuneration generally, to be first settled, 
 and leave the distinct question as of appropriations of the 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 163 
 
 reward, between the parties elaiming to be entitled as salvors, 
 to a separate decision. But this proposition was rejected, 
 and the Underwriters have therefore no right to complain of 
 having been mixed up with any extraneous question, since 
 it was in effect their own option : it was a course advisedly 
 adopted by them, and by which they no doubt have largely 
 profited, inasmuch as the value of the salvage service was 
 materially affected, to the prejudice of the actual salvors, by 
 the conflicting question of the Admiral's claim to the chief 
 merit of the enterprise. 
 
 Much as I may have wished that legal proceedings could 
 have been altogether avoided, and which I certainly at first 
 thought was possible, I am now convinced of the contrary, 
 and cannot but concur in the advice originally given me, that 
 the salvors could not securely discharge themselves of the 
 treasure without the sanction of a Court of competent juris- 
 diction : at the same time, the proceedings merely necessary 
 for such a purpose would have been little more than formal, 
 and when the Court had pointed out the true owners of the 
 property, those owners might, one would think, have been 
 readily dealt with in respect of the quantum of the reward. 
 Passing over here, as I sincerely wish I could altogether have 
 done, the unfortunate collision (so injurious to our general 
 interests and mine individually in particular) with the Admi- 
 ral, which encumbered and mystified the proceedings, I pro- 
 ceed to show how impossible it would have been to have 
 avoided litigation with the Underwriters, — those very 
 Underwriters whose complaint it is that they have suffered 
 by my litigious disposition, and who boast of liberality and 
 straight-forward dealing. 
 
 The statement of our services up to my latest communi- 
 cation with England having been filed by our proctor, he 
 prayed the Court to pronounce for an adequate reward j and 
 what was the answer of the Underwriters ? Did they deny 
 
 M 2 
 
164 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 the facts ? No, not one fact was denied or attempted to be 
 controverted; on the contrary, — let me quote the very words 
 of their legal reply : " a meritorious service has been per- 
 formed in raising and recovering the bullion and treasure 
 which is the subject of the present question." Such an ad- 
 mission one would naturally suppose must have been fol- 
 lowed up by the offer of some specific sum, or portion of 
 the property saved, correspondent to their" view of the 
 services rendered ; but not so : on the reverse (and were it 
 not for tlie papers on the file of the Admiralty Court,'I could 
 hardly venture to assert the fact), they denied our right to any 
 salvage. Here are their words, " That all the several per- 
 sons engaged therein and now claiming to be salvors, as 
 well officers as men, were during the period referred to, as 
 they now are, in his Majesty's service and receiving pay as 
 such ; that it was the unquestionable duty of the said alleged 
 salvors to proceed in their public capacity upon any service 
 -which might call for the exercise of their skill and labour, 
 without reference to any private emolument to be derived 
 therefrom ;" an answer not to be forgotten by the navy of 
 Great Britain. Such being the avowed disposition of the 
 Underwriters, the mask being withdrawn, what chance I ask 
 would there have been in attempting to negotiate with them ? 
 nay, more, what security+ would there have been for us, had 
 we parted with the treasure or any part of it into their hands ? 
 This extraordinary reply of the Underwriters beingbeforeme, 
 I cannot avoid referring to another passage, in order to show 
 in how anomalous a position I found myself when placing 
 their view of my duty in contrast with certain expressions 
 of the Admiral, viz. the Underwriters say, " it was the duty 
 of Captain Dickinson to obey the orders of Admiral Baker," 
 inferring, as was the fact, that I acted under a public order 
 of the Admiral; and thence arguing, as before quoted, that 
 on that account the officers and crew of the Lightning were 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 165 
 
 not entitled to a reward. Now what says the Admiral ? 
 why, " you are employed on private account " ! ! Here was 
 I then between Scylla and Charybdis. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to assert, that there is no instance 
 in which a Commander-in-Chief, as such, has been admitted 
 to share in salvage ; at the same time, if Admiral Baker 
 conscientiously considered himself entitled to share (no 
 other arrangement being made), it would h^ve been quite 
 right in him to advance his claim; of this I never should 
 have complained; my complaint is, that he was set up 
 as the principal salvor, and whifch claim was persevered in 
 after it must have been known by his agents, his attorney, 
 and his proctor, — for all these were retained for him,-^ 
 that he had never been within seventy miles of the place 
 in which the salvage service was performed, from its com- 
 mencement until it had been in progress more than a year, and 
 that during that period he had been absent for about five months 
 at the Cape of Good Hope and the Mauritius. This position 
 having been claimed for the Admiral, it became necessary to 
 support it by statements of which also I have just cause to 
 complain, because, without advancing the merits of the 
 Admiral one tittle as a salvor, those statements were framed 
 with a view to reduce mine : a short-sighted policy when 
 viewed with relation to the main question, and in fact not 
 sustainable, while it furnished the Underwriters with abun- 
 dant arguments for undervaluing the general services. As an 
 instance, I will quote one clause : "Captain Dickinson having 
 mentioned to" the Admiral " an engineer named Moore" the 
 Admiral " had an interview with him ; and finding him very 
 intelligent in his profession, authorized Captain Dickinson 
 to benefit by his abilities and aid in the construction of the 
 diving-bell and its appendages, undertaking to remunerate 
 Mr. Moore for his labour. An air-pump for the bell was 
 made by M. Fleury, a French artisan residing in Rio de 
 
166 NABBATIVB OF THE 
 
 Janeiro at" the Admiral's " expense." Now without dis- 
 puting the Admiral's having made this arrangement with 
 Moore (although it certainly never came within my know- 
 ledge), I would askj why is not also stated in this document 
 this fact, that when I took him to the Admiral I stated that 
 he, Moore, was already engaged by me, and that the terms 
 were agreed on ? The truth is that Moore had been for some 
 time in my employ, and had received pecuniary assistance 
 from me before the Admiral knew there was such a person 
 in existence, and that he only knew him from the circum- 
 stance of my having taken him to his house ; the same remark 
 applies to statements of a similar character respecting 
 Fleury, who was paid for the air-pump by me on board the 
 Lightning, although I admit that the Admiral did repay me, 
 and so far the instrument was certainly made at his ex- 
 pense. Nor is it only of this method of glossing facts that 
 I have reason to complain. 
 
 Exclusive merit was claimed for individuals "in the per- 
 formance of particular duties which I assigned to them, and 
 this, not with a view that they might benefit beyond their 
 legal share of the general award, but apparently with this 
 intent, that so much merit as could be attached to them or 
 others might be deducted from my services, and though not 
 adding to the amount of assistance rendered by the Admiral, 
 might, by lowering mine nearer to the level of the Admiral's 
 services, diminish the relative disproportion : thus, in two 
 affidavits, the carpenter and boatswain of the Warspite are 
 stated to have been employed, the former in building, and 
 the latter in rigging the derrick ! Why, in the name of all 
 those who concocted the system on which naval duties are 
 performed, what would have been the use of either of those 
 officers to me but to be employed in such work ? But this 
 is not all as regards them. On their quitting Cape Frio, I 
 was induced to give each of them a certificate of his good 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 167 
 
 conduct and abilities, little thinking that this act of kindness 
 on my part, could ever by possibility be brought forward 
 against n»e : yet so it was, these very certificates were put 
 into Court, not by any means to serve those officers, but to 
 prove, that because I had the assistance of their abilities; 
 there was so much the less of talent shown by me, and con- 
 sequently less reward due, and proportionably the more to 
 the Admiral who placed them under my orders. In reply to 
 such statements, it was proved that they, forming a part of 
 a considerable force, were for nearly two months at Cape 
 Frio before my arrival, without having made any effort what- 
 ever towards, or even preparatory to, the recovery of the 
 treasure. I regret the necessity of making those remarks, 
 because the general conduct of those officers during the 
 short time they were with me, fully justified my approba- 
 tion. And now for a few words as tc Moore, to whose in- 
 telligence in his profession so much importance was attached 
 by the Admiral's representatives, and, of course, re-echoed 
 by the Underwriters. I have stated in my narrative, that 
 at the time I engaged him, I had an impression that we 
 should have a great deal of work of a purely mechanical 
 nature to perform. On my arrival at Cape Frio, I found 
 otherwise, and therefore employed him in making roads, 
 excavating rocks, fixing bolts, and such work. He soon 
 complained to me, that his affairs at Rio required his per- 
 sonal attention, and requested to go there, for which pur- 
 pose I furnished him with money, and gave him leave of 
 absence, and he was away for a week or ten days. On the 
 16th of May I sent him to Rio with the fire-engine supplied 
 me by Captain Owen of the Eden, to get it altered to an 
 air-pump, according to the plan I -furnished him with; on 
 this occasion, he was away upwards of seven weeks, during 
 which time the derrick and two diving-bells were lost, the 
 suspension-cable constructed, two other diving-bells made 
 
168 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 and brought into use, and the kind of work in which he 
 was most useful was greater than at any other period of the 
 undertaking. On the 1st of July he returned without the 
 air-pump, with which disappointment I could not but feel 
 angry : on my expressing myself so, I immediately disco- 
 vered a great change in his deportment. From the period 
 of my first engaging him, up to the time he left, he had 
 conducted himself as an humble individual, perfectly obe- 
 dient, and willing to be employed in any way that I directed; 
 but on this occasion, he assumed an air of consequence 
 which very ill accorded with my notions of discipline, and 
 on my calling on him to account for his change of behaviour, 
 and putting various questions to him, he expressed himself 
 very ambiguously, and being pressed for an explanation, he 
 said something about having been advised to write a letter ; 
 this conduct, combined with other circumstances, which had 
 not escaped my observation, and communications I had from 
 Rio, determined me on promptly putting an end to the 
 matter. I therefore told him, that as he had thought proper 
 to absent himself for so great a length of time during the 
 period of our gi-eatest difficulties, and when his services 
 might have been useful, and as I had not in the slightest 
 degree been inconvenienced by his absence, I could for the 
 future dispense with his services altogether ; and therefore 
 desired that he would not in any, the slightest way, interfere 
 with the work, but added, that I should fulfil my engage- 
 ment to him as to compensation; and, in answer to his 
 question, whether he was to remain at the island, I replied, 
 that assuredly I should not prevent his doing so, provided 
 he rigidly obeyed my orders as to the non-interference in 
 the work, and that if he wanted money for the purposes of 
 amusement, I would give it him ; he availed himself of my 
 offer, and continued with us until his death, as stated in the 
 narrative. 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FBIO. 169 
 
 Another afi&davit, sworn to by six persons upwards of a year 
 after the loss of the Thetis, contains twenty-one clauses, in 
 nineteen of which the expressions that they were " iilform'ed" 
 " and believe" occur, either separatelyor connectedly, twenty - 
 eight times. My only object in mentioning this is to show 
 the nature of the evidence adduced by the Admiral's repre- 
 sentatives in support of his claim. Another affidavit, on 
 which the Judge could not resist passing the censure of de- 
 claring, that expressions contained in it " were very impro- 
 per, and could apply to no one with propriety;" and that 
 the statement was " not proper to be put on the records of 
 the Court," I will not quote. Suffice it to say that the 
 course of proceeding, which was unfortunately adopted on 
 behalf of the Admiral, had a most prejudicial eifect on the 
 award of salvage, and materially assisted the object of the 
 Underwriters. 
 
 This lamentable course of proceeding having naturally met 
 with every facility and encouragement from the Underwri- 
 ters, at whose instance the Judge had' been induced to de- 
 cline to separate the two distinct questions, the one to ascer- 
 tain the amount to be awarded as between the salvors gene- 
 rally and the Underwriters, and the other that of the appor- 
 tionment of the award as between the Admiral and the actual 
 salvors ; the case, encumbered with the subordinate ques- 
 tion as of the Admiral's claim, at length came on to be ar- 
 gued, and the counsel for the Admiral, still claiming as prin- 
 cipal salvor, attempted to open the arguments : the inter- 
 ference of the Judge, however, gave the lead to the counsel 
 for the salvors of the Lightning, and from that time the 
 title of principal salvor being found mitenable was no longer 
 asserted for Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Baker, but it was 
 decided by the Court that I was the originator and di- 
 rector of the enterprise. Having heard arguments on all 
 sides, the Judge, after mature deliberation, on the 20th 
 
170 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 March 1833, pronounced the sum of 17jOOO/. to be due to 
 the whole of the salvors, including those of the Algerine, 
 amounting to near 400 persons. This award was so mani- 
 festly inadequate to the service performed, that, setting per- 
 sonal consideration entirely out of view, common humanity 
 towards persons who had, by excessive exertions and fatigue, 
 for the space of fourteen months, suffered so greatly in 
 health and constitution, rendered my duty on the occasion 
 obvious enough : I immediately determined on appealing to 
 the " Judicial Committee of the Privy Council." 
 
 However unjust the decision in respect of award, the true 
 position of the several parties had been ascertained, and be- 
 ing desirous of avoiding further legal proceedings, Mr. 
 Woodhead wrote to the organ of the Underwriters as fol- 
 lows : — " If you do feel desirous to make such offer of com- 
 promise as shall be creditable to yourselves as British mer- 
 chants and Underwriters, and equitable to those who have 
 saved you from total loss, I shall, with pleasure and promp- 
 titude^ make it my business to see Captain Dickinson and 
 to recommend his acceptance thereof." To this Mr. Dewar 
 replied — " The Committee, necessarily acting as trustees for 
 the parties interested, feel it to be quite out of their power 
 to make any offer to you of compromise." After this, no- 
 thing remained but to apply for the judgment of a higher 
 tribunal. The Admiral also appealed ; while the Agent of 
 Captain De Roos entertaining, no doubt, a very sound judg- 
 ment with respect to the services of his principal, remained 
 content with a decision which, by including the commander 
 and crew of the Algerine in the distribution of the 17,000/., 
 did ample justice to their services. To the latter circum- 
 stance 1 should not have alluded, had not the " Special Com- 
 mittee" availed themselves of the fact of the Commander of 
 theAlgerine abstaining from an appeal using itas an argument, 
 and produced an unsubstantiated statement of the services of 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FBIO. 171 
 
 the officers and crew of that vessel in evidence against me ; 
 insisting, that because the Commander of the Algerine rested 
 satisfied with the award, I and my party of salvore must be 
 held to be adequately compensated ; at the same time mag 
 nifying and lauding (on the ground of that statement, which, 
 be it remembered, was the only document in the cause which 
 was not sworn to) the exertions of the Commander of the 
 Algerine, avowedly in order to depreciate mine. In the un- 
 substantiated statement referred to, there are many points, 
 as connected with the proceedings, to which I might allude 
 more in detail, but from which I refrain, unless compelled by 
 future circumstances. To one fact, however, I think it here 
 requisite to refer, and it is this ; that although immediately 
 upon Captain De Roos taking charge of the enterprise, 
 namely, on the lOth of March, there were large quantities of 
 treasure taken up by his people from the very spot previously 
 discovered by me and pointed put to him ; and treasure con- 
 tinued to be thenceforward recovered from the same spot 
 for a considerable time ; yet the first mention made by Capt. 
 De Roos in the statement of his services, of his success in 
 recovering any of the treasure, is on the date of the 22nd of 
 May. For this omission or suppression it is not for me to 
 account ; but the inference drawn from it, and argued upon 
 -on behalf of the "Special Committee" before the "Privy 
 Council," was, that at the period of my delivering over my 
 charge, I considered that no more treasure was recoverable. 
 Of the fallacy of such an assertion my original letter of in- 
 structions to Captain De Roos is quite conclusive. But if 
 morebe necessary to disprovesuch and similar mis-statements, 
 a reference to the Lightning's journal of the proceedings at 
 Cape Frio for the 9th and 10th March, cannot fail to set that 
 question at rest. "Friday, March the 9th, 1832 5 wind 
 north-easterly ; A. M,, moderate breezes and fine, 6h. J5m., 
 out to work the bell ; worked it all day, and obtained some 
 
1/2 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 copper bolts and articles of iron. Employed sending ship's 
 stores on board, p. m, fresh breezes, with heavy gusts : 
 the Captain descended in the bell to survey the bottom of 
 the cove, previous to giving up charge of the enterprise to 
 the Hon. Captain de Roos of the Algerine. In the evening, 
 not being able to get the launch in, moored her in the cove. 
 Recovered to-day 517 dollars, 1891bs. Hloz. of bar silver, 
 2241bs. 8oz. of plata pina, 81bs. of old silver." " Saturday, 
 10th March; wind north-easterly ; a. m. fresh breezes with 
 heavy gusts; delivered over the charge of the enterprise 
 to the Hon. Captain De Roos, of H. M. sloop Algerine, 
 who immediately took possession; and at 'jh. 30m. com- 
 menced working the bell. Employed getting every thing 
 belonging to the ship on board, and seventeen boxes of 
 treasure. At the period of resigning the enterprise we were 
 working in a part in which there was a large quantity of 
 treasure." Such were the advantageous circumstances un- 
 der which the Algerine commenced her part of the enter- 
 prise, the whole of which are omitted in the statement. But 
 enough on this point. 
 
 The cause came on before the " Privy Council," on the 
 19th of June, 1834; on' the following day it confirmed the 
 decision of the Admiralty Court in all respects except as to 
 the amount of award to the appellants, decreeing the sum of 
 12,000Z. in addition to the 17,000/. already awarded. As 
 Captain De Roos and his party were not appellants, of 
 course they did not benefit by that augmentation. 
 
 From my Narrative and the few succeeding remarks, the 
 reader may have been enabled to form a judgment of the re- 
 lative merits of myself, the Admiral, and Captain De Roos. 
 I therefore proceed to advert to the subsequent treatment 
 which I received at the hands of the Underwriters. In the 
 United Service Journal for January 1835 the following state- 
 ment appeared : — " At a meeting of the Underwriters and 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO. 173 
 
 parties interested" " to receive a report from the Committee 
 to whom had been intrusted the management of their im- 
 portant interests in regard to the treasure saved from the 
 wreck of the Thetis, man-of-war/' " the following resolutions 
 were unanimously agreed to : " — 
 
 " 1st. A vote of thanks to Admiral Sir Thomas Baker, 
 for his zeal and exertions." 
 
 " 2nd. The same to Captain De Roos, of the Algerine, 
 and a grant of 2000Z. to himself, his officers, and crew, being 
 the amount they would have received had they been parties 
 to the appeal." 
 
 " 3rd. To mark the sense of the Meeting of Captain De 
 Roos's conduct, they further voted to this officer a piece of 
 plate, of the value of 100 guineas." 
 
 Although, abstractedly, I should not set a very high value 
 on the opinion of any body of men who -could have sanc- 
 tioned a course of proceedings such as were adopted on 
 behalf of the Underwriters against the salvors, yet the votes 
 to which 1 have referred, having been intended to convey 
 towards me a formal censure, I cannot pass that part of 
 their conduct without some short observations, and in the 
 first place, call to notice the evident inconsistency of their 
 conduct. According to the tenor of the second vote, it 
 acquiesces in the justice of the appeal of the salvors to ob- 
 tain a proper compensation for services, and for services 
 ceirtainly equal to those of theofficers and crew of the Alge- 
 rine ; it then places the latter, in point of pecuniary reward, 
 on the same footing as the appellants, and omits any men- 
 tion of the Lightning's officers and crewj presenting such 
 a specimen of petty feeling, and indeed of black ingratitude, 
 as is consistent only with a plea, which had in effect denied 
 one sixpence to be due for the salvage of 588,800 dollars. This 
 omission of the Lightning' sof&cers and crew I should not have 
 condescended thus to dwell upon, were it not that the public 
 
174 NARRATIVE OF THE 
 
 might be misled into a belief, that it was to the Admiral 
 and Captain De Rocs alone the Underwriters were indebted 
 for the recovery of their property ; a feeling which induced 
 me, in the following month, to address a letter to the editor 
 of the United Service Journal, stating, that, " I protested 
 " against the possibility of their present to the Commander 
 " for services rendered by him, as being contradistinguished 
 " from those rendered by me j for, most assuredly, if it had 
 " not been for the machinery invented, devised, and con- 
 " structed by me and those acting under my orders, direc- 
 " tions, and superintendence, and not by the suggestion of 
 '* any person at a distance from the scene of operations, he 
 " never could have recovered a dollar." This letter drew 
 forth a reply, in which the writer attempts to justify the 
 conduct of the Underwriters : " But, without detracting 
 from Captain Dickinson's merit in inventing the machinery 
 by which so large a share of the specie was saved, I will, with- 
 out fear of contradiction from any one but the complaining 
 officer, aver that Captain De Roos exerted himself in the 
 most praiseworthy way ; that he confined himself continually, 
 and for whole days, in the diving-bell, and persevered in his 
 endeavours in a stage of the proceedings that Captain Dickin- 
 son considered forlorn." 
 
 An acknowledgment of the merit of " inventing the ma- 
 chinery" which led to such important results, is certainly a 
 novel way of justifying the omission of the name of the in- 
 ventor, and the stupid and preposterous fallacies contained 
 in the last four lines of the quotation, are so palpable and so 
 completely refuted by common sense, and my letter of in- 
 structions to Captain De Roos and the Journal of Cape 
 Frio for the last two days, that it would be a waste of words 
 to remark on them ; at the same time, I am not by any 
 means disposed to deny, that the exertions of Captain De 
 Roos in the diving-bell were considerable. But mark what 
 
OPERATIONS AT CAPE FRIO, ]75 
 
 follows in the letter referred to : " Had Captain Dickinson 
 " relied on the liberality of Lloyd's Coflfee-house, he would 
 not have been a poorer man." Here, then, we arrive at the 
 development of the real feelings of the Underwriters : here 
 is exposed the head and front of my offending. 
 
 Rely on the liberality of Lloyd's Coffee-House ! of the men 
 who denied that the salvors were entitled to any reward ! ! So 
 that because I would not abandon my duty to my officers and 
 crew, or separate my interests from theirs, and place myself 
 and them at the mercy of the Underwriters, the initiation of 
 the enterprise and the services of fourteen months, besides 
 the rescue of nearly 600,000 dollars, are to be merged or con- 
 sidered as utterly unworthy of mention. Can it be necessary, 
 in order to entitle a British officer to honourable mention in 
 Lloyd's Coifee-House, that he should abandon a right, and, 
 succumbing to the feet of its mighty Committee, accept a 
 donation, doled out too with all the ostentation of a gra- 
 tuitous liberality, that very reward which legally took prece- 
 dence even of the ownership of the property rescued ! ! 
 
 Having, as I hope and believe that I have, succeeded in 
 showing my true position in the enterprise, and also that 
 litigation was not occasioned by me, it remains for a dis- 
 cerning public to decide to whom the merit of this extraor- 
 dinary and unique service is due : to its judgment I submit 
 my Narrative, and with its judgment I shall rest satisfied." 
 " Palmam qui meruit ferat." 
 
 In conclusion : Until my late collision with the Under- 
 wjriters, I was willing to believe that they maintained the 
 same feelings which did them, as a body, so much honour 
 during the late war, and out of which originated an institu- 
 tion never equalled in any other nation, — I mean the Patriotic 
 Fund, which is so intimately connected with the brightest 
 pages in the history of our country ; but so little of a simi- 
 lar spirit has been demonstrated towards the officers and crew 
 
176 NARRATIVE. 
 
 of the Lightning, whose application to Lloyd's was not for a 
 gratuity but for a compensation, not merely legally due, but 
 earned by services of an extraordinary nature, and crowned 
 too by so successful a result, that I think myself justified in 
 questioning whether with the ancient liberality of Lloyd's 
 its notions of equity may not also have evaporated. For the 
 honour of the modern Lloyd's, they may seek others to 
 court and truckle ; I am not ambitious of distinctions from 
 such hands, not because I, as an officer, undervalue the good 
 opinion and honourable notice of the merchants and ship- 
 owners of my country, but only because I am convinced that 
 the merchants and ship-owners of Great Britain are not duly 
 represented by any committee in Lloyd's Coffee-House, 
 which could have allowed personal feelings to mystify and 
 divert the current of common justice to the extent exempli- 
 fied in the case of the Thetis. 
 
 FINI8. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX, No. r. 
 (Referred to in page 21.) 
 
 " By Thomas Baker, Esquire, C. B., Rear-Admiral of the Red, and 
 Commander-in-Chief of his Majesty's ships and vessels employed and 
 to be employed on the South American station. 
 
 " You are hereby required and directed to put to sea to-morrow 
 morning in his Majesty's sloop under your command, and proceed to 
 Cape Frio for the purpose of relieving the Algerine in guarding the 
 wreck of his Majesty's late ship Thetis. 
 
 " After receiving from Captain Martin, of the Algerine, every in- 
 formation he has to communicate relating to the position and present 
 state of the wreck, you will lose no time in commencing operations 
 with the diving-bell and other apparatus with which you are furnished, 
 for recovering as far as practicable the public property and treasure 
 sunk in the Thetis, and which it is believed are still attached to the 
 remains of that ship. 
 
 " I feel that it would be superfluous for me, after what I have seen 
 of your persevering attention to this subject, to urge upon your zeal 
 and ability, on which I place entire reliance, the advantage of making 
 localities subservient as far as you possibly can in forwarding the inte- 
 resting duty upon which your are to be engaged ; but you will take 
 every precaution to avert those unforeseen disasters and accidents to 
 which your endeavours to accomplish so peculiar a service must be 
 liable. 
 
 " You will keep me constantly acquainted with your proceedings, 
 of which I would recommend you to form a distinct journal ; and you 
 will not fail to point out, whenever it may be advisable, any way by 
 which! can afford you Assistance. 
 
 N 
 
178 APPENDIX. 
 
 " In the mean time I have instructed Captain Martin to remain 
 with you a few days, in the event of your requiring any assistance 
 beyond what the Adelaide and the two launches can afford you, which 
 vessels you are to employ as you may find necessary. 
 
 " An account is to be kept in the annexed form of the property you 
 may succeed in recovering', making separate reports of what may prove 
 to belong to individuals from that belonging to the Crown : And you 
 are to continue on this service until further orders. 
 
 " Given on board the Warspite,^ Rio de Janeiro, 22nd January, 
 
 1831. 
 
 (Signed) " Thomas Baker, 
 
 " Rear-Admital and Cotamander-in. Chief. 
 " To Thomas Dickinson, Esquire, 
 Commander, his Majesty's sloop Lightning^. 
 
 " By command of the Commander-in-Chief, 
 
 (Signed) " Alexander Kant, 
 
 '■ Secretary." 
 
 APPENDIX, No. II. 
 
 (Referred to in page 87.) 
 Appeared personally, William Fitzwilliam Owen, Esquire, a captain 
 in the royal navy, and made oath, that beiiig in the command of his 
 Majesty's frigate Eden, he arrived in the harbour of Cape Fria on the 
 13th of May, 1831, in order to receive on board his Majesty's said 
 ship, treasure saved from the wreck of his Megesty's late frigate Thetis, 
 and convey the same to England, the deponent being bound thither : 
 That his Majesty's said frigate Eden on the said occasion remamed at 
 Cape Frio five days, during which time the deponent proceeded in a 
 boat to the cove in which the Thetis Was wrecked, and the deponent 
 afterwards ascended (from the land side) tlie cliffs which surrounded 
 the said cove : That the deponent thereby bad a full opportunity of 
 observing with accuracy, and did observe the derrick, which at that 
 time was stepped or fixed in a socket or excavation in the rocks within 
 the said cove, and a few feet above the water's edge, supported at its 
 other extremity by a chain-cable made &st above to the rocks at the 
 height of 150 feet or thelreaboirts, with Various other stays, whereby 
 the outer end of the said derrick was raised to the height of about 40 
 feet above the sea : That the deponent was at the time informed, and 
 
APPENDIX, 179 
 
 he believes, that the said derrick was of the length of 158 feet, and» 
 had been made up of 22 separate pieces of spars and put together in 
 a masterly manner : And that the summit of the cliff, being as afore- 
 said about 150 feet perpendicular height, had been levelled, and that 
 holes had been worked in the granite of which the said hills were com- 
 posed, and wherein capstans and crabs were fixed, the said crabs hav- 
 ing been formed, as the deponent was informed and believes, out of 
 the stumps of the topmasts saved from the wreck : That the deponent 
 during the same period observed the operation of a large diving-bell 
 which was suspended beneath a stage at the end of the said derrick : 
 That the said bell was raised or lowered by a capstan fixed on the sum- 
 mit of the said cliff: And [that crabs were fixed on the cliffs at other 
 points of the cove to which guys were led for the purpose of tnoving 
 the head of the said derrick from side to side : The persons emiployed 
 at such capstan being directed by a series of signals conveyed in the 
 first instance from the bell to the stage, and from thence to the plat- 
 forms on the said cliff, whereby the said bell was hoisted, lowered, or 
 moved in any direction at the will of the persons therein : That the 
 deponent also observed that the service of working in a diving-bell in 
 the said cove, and at a depth of between five and six fathoms, was one 
 of considerable risk, and always of great labour and exposure to dan- 
 ger, the action of the sea in the said cove being for the most part 
 heavy on account of the said cove lying open to the ocean : That the 
 construction, rigging, and w(»king, of the said derrick' greatly excited 
 the admiration of this deponent : Aqd the deponent, who has been for 
 forty-four years in continued and active employment in his Majesty's 
 service, is of opinion that the aforesaid works and operations do infi- 
 nite credit to the talent, zeal, and seamanlike tact of the individual 
 under whose orders and directions the said works and operations were 
 caried on and accomplished, and that the erection of the said derrick 
 as viewed by this deponent, under the great disadvantages, of the lo- 
 cality aforesaid and very limited means of effecting the same, forms a 
 work which under such circumstances could only have been performed 
 by British seamen, and certainly has never been equalled within his 
 knowledge : And he lastly saith, that he observed that every person 
 employed in the said salvage service gave his utmost exertions witii 
 admirable cheerfulness in furtherance of the same ; and that it ap- 
 peared to this deponent, and he verily believes, that the expectation 
 of a liberal reward for such their services, acted as a strong stimulus 
 to their said exertions. 
 
 N 2 
 
180 APPKNDIX. 
 
 And he further saith, that during the period before-mentioned 
 Thomas Dickinson, Esq., the Commander of his Majesty's sloop Light- 
 ning, was (save the deponent) the senior officer on the said island of 
 Cape Frio, and that the whole of the operations there carried on in 
 respect of the salvage of the treasure aforesaid during such period 
 were carried on by, or under the immediate orders and personal di- 
 rection of, the said Thomas Dickinson : And it is the opinion and be- 
 lief of the deponent, that the success of the service on which the said 
 Thomas Dickinson was then employed depended entirely on his own 
 great personal activity, and promptitude of mind and action in obvi- 
 ating and repairing those casualties to which the same was continually 
 and inevitably exposed and subjected ; and that it would have been 
 next to impossible for any person not on the spot to have given the 
 said Thomas Dickinson either counsel or instructions of such a nature 
 as to have been in any way serviceable to him in the aforesaid opera- 
 tions, depending as they did entirely on local and transient circum- 
 stances, and requiring his constant attention and instantaneous decision, 
 as well as a diversified application of his means, on every change of 
 wind or weather either moderate, or violent. 
 
 W. F. OWEN. 
 
 Sworn before me, on the 19th November 1832, 
 
 J. ADDAMS, Surrogate. 
 
 APPENDIX, No. III. 
 {Referred to in page 153.) 
 
 His Majesty's sloop Lightning, Rio de Janeiro, 
 10th April, 1832. 
 
 Sir : I have the honour to transmit you a narrative of my proceed- 
 ings at Cape Frio, while employed in the recovery of the public stores 
 and treasure sunk in his Majesty's late ship Thetis, which I request 
 you will be pleased to communicate for the information of my Lords 
 Commissioners of the Admiralty. 
 
 In describing the progress and the incidents of the enterprise, re- 
 plete with difficulties and dangers never exceeded, I have been as 
 concise as I could without the sacrifice of perspicuity. 
 
 It is impossible for me to speak in too. high terms of praise and 
 admiration of those under my command. Such an undertaking could 
 not have been carried on without a perfect unition of unceasing zeal 
 and exertion on the part of all ; where these have been so eminently 
 
APPENDIX. 18i 
 
 conspicuous, it is difficult to particularize a few without appearing 
 invidious to many, yet I cannot refrain from noticing Mr. Charles 
 Pope, the master, on whom a heavy share of the duty duty fell, with 
 the additional charge of the extra stores. He has throughout the un- 
 dertaking evinced ardent exertion and attention. 
 
 To Mr. George Henry Dabbs, the surgeon, we are all much in- 
 debted, myself particularly so. Every soul belonging to the ship has 
 'Suffered from disease in some shape or other ; his perpetual solicitude 
 and anxiety were never surpassed, and to them and his professional 
 talents may be mainly attributed the extraordinary little loss of life 
 that has occurred. 
 
 Mr. Frederick Read, mate in charge of a watch, is entitled to my 
 commendation; nor must I omit Mr. Jones, the carpenter, from 
 whose ingenuity and quickness and perception of my various plans, as 
 well as laborious exertion in adapting them, I have derived great 
 assistance. These officers, I trust, sir, you will be pleased to recom- 
 mend for the favourable consideration of their lordships. 
 
 The anxiety of my First Lieutenant Delafons to bear a large share 
 of the duty, induced him to persevere, when in a very ill state of 
 health, and to this I fear may be attributed his death. It was with 
 great reluctance he at length went on board the ship when I found it 
 necessary to order him there, where he suffered the greatest agony 
 for about eight weeks, and departed this life at the moment of letting 
 go the anchor in this port. He was a young man of amiable disposi- 
 tion and manners, and much esteemed not only by all his shipmates, 
 but also by all his acquaintances, and is greatly regretted. 
 
 The universally steady conduct, the indefatigable and laborious 
 exertions in periods of great danger and difficulty, and the willing 
 promptitude with which my people have cheerfully performed their 
 arduous dtities, cannot be too much admired ; and it has been thereby 
 that a mere handful of men have performed a work which I believe 
 may be placed on the list of the greatest undertakings performed by 
 the British navy, and which British seamen alone could have accom- 
 plished, 
 
 I have the honour to be. Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 Thomas Dickinson, 
 
 Commander. 
 To Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Baker, K.C. B. 
 Commander-in-Chief, &c,, Rio de Janeiro. . 
 
182 
 
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186 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX, No. V. 
 {Referred to In page 154.) 
 
 Personally appeared, George Henry Dabbs, Esq., a Surgeon in the 
 Royal Navy, at present belonging to his Majesty's ship of war Satel- 
 lite, and made oath, that he was the surgeon of his Majesty's sloop of 
 war Lightning, whereof Thomas Dickinson, Esq., was commander from 
 2Sth December 1830, when the deponent joined the same at Rio de 
 Janeiro, until the 12th day of September in the present year. That 
 in the latter end of January of the same year, this deponent pro- 
 ceeded in his Majesty's said sloop Lightning, under the command 
 aforesaid, to the island of Cape Frio, in the harbour whereof the said 
 sloop remained from the day of her arrival, to wit, the 31st day of 
 January aforesaid, until the 26th day of July following, when the 
 said isloop, commanded as aforesaid, returned to Rio de Janeiro, and 
 after remaining there for some time, again arrived in the harbour of 
 Cape Frio, where she continued imtil the 13th day of March in the 
 present year, the deponent having been on board the said sloop 
 during the whole of such period except two short periods in (he be- 
 lieves) January and March, when he went on duty to Rio, and fifteen 
 weeks when the deponent was living on shore in huts on the said 
 island for the purpose of attending the sick of the oflScers and crew 
 of his Majesty's said sloop. 
 
 And he further made oath, that previous to, and at the time of the 
 arrival of his Majesty's sloop Lightning at the island of Cape Frio, 
 in the month of January 1831 aforesaid, the officers and crew of the 
 said sloop, consisting of 130 persons or thereabouts, were generally 
 healthy, deponent not Tiaving more than five patients under his care. 
 That in order the more conveniently to carry on the operations requi- 
 site for the salvage of the treasure lost in his Majesty's ship Thetis, 
 the said Thomas Dickinson, on arriving at the said island of Cape 
 Frio, caused the greater part of the officers and crew of the Light- 
 ning to be landed with their bedding ; and tents were constructed in 
 which the said officers and men were for some time stationed, when 
 owing to the insufficient protection afforded them thereby, the said 
 tents were replaced by huts constructed of wood procured on the said 
 
APPENDIX. 187 
 
 island and thatched with grass. That the said tents and huts were 
 situated a few feet above a long sandy heech, which was the most 
 convenient landing-place on the said island for pursuing the opera- 
 tions in which the said officers and crew were employed. 
 
 And he further made oath, that during the whole of the periods of 
 the stay of his Majesty's sloop of war Lightning at the island of Cape 
 Frio aforesaid, the said Thomas Dickinson and his officers and crew 
 were, when not prevented by sickness, and exclusive of Sundays, 
 unremittingly employed in arduous and laborious services, far exceed- 
 ing the ordinary duties of shipboard, both in respect of fatigue and of 
 personal danger, whereby the health as well of officers as men was 
 much injured, and the numbers of sick very greatly exceeded the 
 average proportion of invalids among crews employed in the ordinary 
 course of duty in his Majesty's ships stationed in tropical climat«s, 
 except in those instances where epidemics have prevailed. That in 
 the month of February, 1831, there occurred among the officers and 
 crew of the said sloop, several cases of diarrhoea, and one of cholera, 
 while others were attended with rheumatism, and many were suflfering 
 from ulcers resulting from insects called chigres, which perforated 
 and buried themselves in the feet and hands ; and from wounds occa- 
 sioned by the accidents to which those employed on shore in the 
 island of Cape Frio were suhjeet, and which rendered numerous casual- 
 ties altogether unavoidable. That in the following month the cases 
 of rheumatism increased in number, as did those of cholera, and cases 
 of ulcers became more numerous and painful. That in the month of 
 April cases of diarrhoea became frequent, owing to the unavoidable 
 exposure of the people to the sun ; and the cases of ulcers occa- 
 sioned by the chigres continued numerous and troublesome. That in 
 the month of May the numbers of sick increased, among which were 
 several cases of cholera and diarrhoea, besides catarrh, and an in- 
 creased number of cases of ulcers, and some wounds ; the bowel com- 
 plaints and catarrh in particular, resulting from the severe labours and 
 privations to which the officers and crew aforesaid were exposed 
 during such time : That in the month of June the numbers of the 
 siek somewhat diminished, nevertheless the cases of ulcers caused by 
 the chigres continued to increase, and occasioned great pain to the 
 individuals suflfering thereby, frequently occasioning sympathetic 
 buboes of short duration : and in other respects, the general health 
 
188 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the officers and crew was, during; the same period, considerably 
 injured by the sudden changes of temperature occasioned by the gusts 
 of wind which arose in the cove (outside the harbour aforesaid) in 
 which the people were for the most part at work. 
 
 And he further made oath that during the month of July a fever of 
 severe remittent character occurred and affected several of the crew, 
 and one of the officers aforesaid, occasioning to those affected thereby 
 much pain and suffering ; and that there were at the same time many 
 cases of severe catarrh, besides cases of rheumatism, and the cases of 
 ulcers continued numerous and troublesome ; That in the next month 
 the cases of fever and catarrh continued numerous and severe, and the 
 ulcers continued prevalent, and the number of sick rather exceeded 
 that of the preceding month : That in the month of September the 
 number of persons attacked by catarrh were more than double that of 
 the preceding month, and which complaint assumed a severe character, 
 it being frequently accompanied with enlarged tonsils, requiring much 
 care and attention, and from which the persons affected thereby were 
 very slow in recovering ; that during the same time, many cases of 
 inflammation of the liver occurred, besides bowel complaints, as well 
 as many cases of ulcers, which still continued numerous : That in the 
 month of October, the numbers of persons suffering from ulcers di- 
 minished, but cases of catarrh and of liver complaints continued to 
 occur : That in the month of November, several cases of inflamed 
 liver and of ulcers remained, and the number of complaints before 
 mentioned as being prevalent, and with which the officers and crew 
 had been previously but slightly affected, now increased and assumed 
 a very obstinate and troublesome character. 
 
 And he further made oath that previous to the said month of No- 
 vember, the health of the said Thomas Dickinson had become very 
 much impaired in consequence of his exertions on this service, and 
 that on or about the 7th day of the same month, the said Thomas 
 Dickinson became totally incapacitated for service, and unable any 
 longer to superintend the operations in which, since his arrival at 
 Cape Frio, he had been employed, and accordingly he was, under the 
 advice of deponent, conveyed on board his Majesty's sloop Lightning, 
 in order to afford him a better chance of recovery than could be ex- 
 pected whilst residing in a hut on the said island : That when the said 
 Thomas Dickinson so came on board the Lightning, he was suffering 
 
APPENDIX. 189 
 
 from an attack of inflammation of the lower part of the windpipe, from 
 which, for a day or two, he appeared to be recovering, when he was 
 attacked by a severe form of dysentery, which, for several days, re- 
 sisted all the measures employed by deponent for his relief, and re- 
 duced him to a state of imminent danger : That the deponent very 
 much doubting of the recovery of the said Thomas Dickinson, wrote a 
 letter on service to Lieutenant Delafons, the first-lieutenant of the 
 Lightning, informing him of the condition of the said Thomas Dickin- 
 son, and reported him as incapable of carrying on the duty of the 
 said ship. 
 
 And he further saith that the said Thomas Dickinson continued in 
 a dangerous state for about three or four days, when a favourable 
 change took place, and he gradually recovered from his illness, and 
 resumed his usual avocations, although much debilitated. 
 
 And he furthei; made oath that in the month of December the 
 numbers of sick among the ofiicers and crew aforesaid very consider- 
 ably increased, amounting to no less than forty, of which the greater 
 part were attacked with catarrh of a most severe character, which for 
 many days incapacitated almost every person a£fected thereby : That 
 the cases of inflamed liver also increased, besides cases of ulcers and 
 other casualties ; and in the' following month the cases of catarrh con- 
 tinued very prevalent, and the diseases before mentioned were par- 
 ticularly troublesome ; after which month the health of the ofiicers and 
 crew underwent a gradual improvement, although in many instances 
 permanently injured, as will be hereinafter mentioned. 
 
 And he further made oath that the prevalence of disease and sick- 
 ness among the officers and crew aforesaid was occasioned in his 
 opinion by the almost incessant employment of the same, in. duties of 
 the most fatiguing and arduous nature, carried on in the open air, and 
 exposed to vicissitudes of temperature, almost without protection from 
 the climate ; and by their residence under tents and in huts on the 
 island of Cape Frio, which abounded with thick wood, and was hitherto 
 uninhabited, and which woods, retaining considerable moisture, 
 rendered the place exceedingly unfavourable to the conservation of 
 human health ; to which may be added the scanty supply of whole- 
 some water and of fresh provisions afforded to the said officers and 
 crew. 
 
 And the deponent -further saith that he was, during two periods of 
 
190 APPENDIX. 
 
 the time before mentioned, residing on shore in huts for the purpose 
 of attending the sick, and so resided for fifteen weeks, but found it 
 necessary twice to return on board the Lightning with those who were 
 attacked with severe catarrh as before mentioned, such cases requiring 
 more attention and care than could be afforded on shore, where, under 
 the circumstances aforesaid, a general want of comforts necessarily 
 prevailed, and where the sick were particularly annoyed by quantities 
 of fleas and chigres, the ceaseless irritation of which greatly impeded 
 their recovery, as well as by the clouds of sand, which, at all times of 
 high wind, penetrated the huts and mingled in the victuals of the 
 persons on shore, and also considerably aggravated the wounds and 
 ulcers before mentioned. 
 
 And the deponent further saith, that on the 14th day of March, 
 last past, Henry Percival Lewis Delafons, Esq., late the first'lieutenant 
 of bis Majesty's sloop Lightning, aforesaid, departed this life,' in con- 
 sequence of disease of the lower or lumbar vertebrae, and of inflamma- 
 tion of the spinal marrow ; and it is this deponent's opinion and belief, 
 that the disease of which he (Lieutenant Delafons) so died, was 
 excited in consequence of the exertion he made while employed on the 
 service. 
 
 And the deponent lastly saith, that the health of the greater number 
 of individuals who belonged to his Majesty's sloop Lightning, and 
 were employed in the operation of the salvage of the treasure aforesaid, 
 at Cape Frio, was in a greater or less degree injured thereby ; and 
 that the health of the said Thomas Dickinson is very materially in- 
 jured, and that he was still suffering from the effects of his illness 
 when deponent last saw him. 
 
 This deponent further states, that among the men invalided from 
 the Lightning, five cases are clearly attributable to the nature of the 
 service; one of them was a ease of diseased heart, which deponent 
 believes, from the reports he has heard, has occasioned the death of 
 the individual affected ; two of inflammation of the bronchia, or air 
 cells ; one of madness, which appears to have been excited earlier into 
 Eiction (than perhaps it would have been) from the exposure of the 
 person to the sun's heat ; and one case of injured knee joint, produced 
 by carrying water over the hills, on the island of Cape Frio. 
 
 The deponent further declares it as his opinion, and thinks it ne- 
 cessary to repeat it, that the service was throughout one of great toil 
 
APPENDIX. 191 
 
 and difficulty ; rendered more severe by the heat of the climate in 
 which the service was carried on, and deprived of the advantages which 
 more dashing and perhaps dangerous services acquire, from the no- 
 velty that attends them ; this being continued, with only one short 
 interval, for above' a year, and demanding from beginning to end un- 
 usual exertion of body and mind. 
 
 George Henry Dabbs, Surgeon. 
 
 Sworn at Devonport, in the County of Devon, this 
 24th day of October 1832, before me, 
 
 Walter P. Blackmore, 
 A Master Extraordinary in Chancery. 
 
 London: Prinled by Mills ami Son, 
 Gough.sqiiai'c, t'lcet-slu-ci.