pany, and, during this interval, they feemed inclined not to infift upon his life; yet finding no alternative bot to perish with him, and having in fome measure lulled their fenfe of horror at the approaching fcene by a few draughts of wine, they prepared for the execution; and a fire was kindled in the fteerage to dress their first meal as foon as their companion fhould become their food. Yet ftill, as the dreadful moment approached, their compunction increased, and friendship and humanity at length became ftronger than hunger and death. They determined that Flat should live, at leaft, till eleven o'clock the next morning, hoping, as they faid, that the divine goodness would in the mean time open fome other fource of relief; at the fame time they begged the captain to read prayers, a task, which, with the utmost effort of his collected ftrength, he was juft able to perform. As foon as prayers were over, he lay down ready to faint, and the company went immediately to their unfortunate friend Flat. The captain could hear them talk to him with great earnestness and affection, expreffing their hopes that God would interpofe for his prefervation, and affuring him, that though they never yet could catch, or even fee a fish, yet they would put out all their hooks again to try if any relief could be procured. Poor Flat, however, could derive little comfort from the concern they expreffed, and it is not improbable that their expreffions of friendship, and affection increased the agitation of his mind fuch, however, it was as he could not fuftain; for before midnight he grew almoft totally deaf, and by four o'clock in the morning was raving mad. His meffmates who difcovered the alteration, debated whether it would not be an act of humanity to difpatch him immediately, but the first refolution of fparing him till eleven prevailed. About eight in the morning, as the captain was ruminating in his cabin on the fate of this unhappy wretch who had but three hours to live, two of his people came haftily down with uncommon ardour in their looks, and feizing both his hands, fixed their eyes upon him without faying a fyllable. The captain, who recollected that they had thrown Campbell's body overboard, notwithstanding their neceffities, for fear of catching his madness, now apprehending that fearing to eat Flat for the fame reafon, they were come to facrifice him in his ftead; he therefore difengaged himself by a fudden effort, and fnatching up a piftol, flood upon his defence. The poor men guefling his miftake, made shift to tell him, that their behaviour was merely the effect of furprise and joy, that they had discovered a fail, and that the fight had fo overcome them, they were unable to fpeak. They faid, that the fail appeared to be a large veffel, that it was to the leeward, and stood for them in as fair a direction as could be wished. The rest of the crew came down immediately afterwards, and confirmed the report of a fail, but faid that the feemed to bear away from them upon a contrary course. The account of a veffel being in fight of fignals, on whatever courfe fhe fteered, ftruck the captain with fuch exceffive and tumul tuous joy, that he was very near expiring under it. As foon as he could fpeak, he directed his people to make every poffible fignal of diftrefs; the ship itfelf indeed was a fignal of the most ftriking kind, but he was apprehenfive the people at a distance might conclude there was nothing alive on board, and fo ftand away without coming near it. His orders were obeyed with the utmost alacrity; and as he lay in his cabin, he had the inexpreffible happinefs of hearing them jumping upon deck, and crying out, She nighs us! the nighs us! fhe is "flanding this way!" The approach of the fhip being more and more manifeft every moment, their hope naturally incrcafed; but in the midst of this joy, they remembered their unfortunate fhipmate Flat, and regretted that he could not be made fenfible of his approaching deliverance. Their paffions, however, were fill characteristic, and they propofed a can of joy to be taken immediately. This the captain with great prudence ftrenuously oppofed, and at length, though with fome difficulty, convinced them that their deliverance in a great meafure depended pon the regularity of that moment's behaviour. All but the mate therefore gave up the can, which would have made them all very drunk before the veffel could come up with them, and he disappeared to take the can of joy by himself. After continuing to obferve the progress of the vefiel for fome hours, with all the tumult and agitation of mind that fuch a fufpenfe could not fail to produce, they had the mortification to find the gale totally die away, fo that the veffel was becalm ed at two miles diftance; they did not, however, fuffer long by this accident, for iu a few minutes they faw the boat put out from the ship's ftern, and row towards them full manned, and with vigorous difpatch. As they had been twice before confident of deliverance, and difappointed, and as they still confidered themselves tottering on the verge of eternity, the conflict between their hopes and fears, during the approach of the boat, may eafly be conceived by a reader of imagination. At length, however, the came along-fide; but the appearance of the crew was fo ghaftly, that the men refted upon their oars, and, with looks of inconceivable aftonishment, afked what they were. Being at length fatisfied, they came on board, and begged the people to ufe the utmost expedition in quitting their wreck, left they fhould be overtaken by a gale of wind, that would prevent their getting back to their fhip. The captain being unable to flir, they lifted him out of his cabin, and let him down into the boat by ropes, and his people followed him, with poor Flat ftill raving; and they were juft putting off, when one of them obferved that the mate was wanting; he was immediately called to, and the can of joy had just left him power to crawl to the gun. nel with a look of idiot astonishment, having, to all appearance, forgot every thing that had happened. Having with fome difficulty got the poor drunken creature on board, they rowed away, and, in about an hour, reached the ship. She was the Sufannah of London, in the Virginia trade, comminded by Captain Thomas Evers, and was returning returning from Virginia to London. The captain received them with the greatest tenderness and humanity; promifed to lie by the wreck till the next morning, that he might, if poffible, fave. fome of Captain Harrison's cloaths; the wind however blowing very hard before night, he was obliged to quit her; and the probably with her cargo went to the bottom before morning. The Sufannah proceeded on her voyage; and though he was herfelf in a fhattered condition, and fo fhort of provisions, as to be obliged to reduce her people to fhort allow ance, the reached the Land's End about the fecond of March; from the Land's End the proceeded to the Downs, and Captain Harrifon, a day or two afterwards, proceeded to London by land. The mate, James Doud, who fhot the negro, and one Warner, a feaman, die during the paffage; Lemuel Athley, Samuel Wentworth, and David Flat, who was to have been fhot for food, arrived alive; Flat continued mad during the voyage, and whether he afterwards recovered, we are not told. When Captain Harrifon came on fhore, he made the proper atteftation of the facts related in this narrative upon oath, in order to fecure his infurers. And the whole is fo authenticated, that it would be folly to doubt of its truth. A circumftantial and authentic account of the memorable cafe of Richard Parfons, as tranfmitted in a letter from William Dallaway, Efq; High Sheriff of Gloucesterfhire, to his friend in London. O N the 20th of February last, Richard Parfons and three more met at a private houfe in Chalford, in order to play at cards, about fix o'clock in the evening. They played at loo till about eleven or twelve that night, when they changed their game for whift: after a few deals, a difpute arose about the ftate of the game. Parfons afferted. with oaths, that they were fix, which the others denied: upon which he wifhed, that he might never enter the kingdom of heaven, and that his flesh might rot upon his bones, if they were not fix in game.' Thefe withes were feveral times repeated, both then and afterwards. Upon this the candle was put out by one James Young, a ftander-by, who fays, he was fhocked with the oaths and expreffions he heard; and that he put out the candle with a design to put an end to the game. Prefently, upon this, they ad. journed to another houfe, and there began a fresh game, when Parfens and his partner had great fuccefs. Then they played at loo again till four in the morning. During this fecond playing, Paríons complained to one Rolles, his partner, of a bad pain in his leg, which from that time increased.-There was an appearance of a fwelling, and afterwards the colour changed to that of a mortified ftate. On the following Sunday he rode to Minchin Hampton, to get the advice of Mr. Pegler, Pegler, the furgeon in that town, who attended him from the Thurfday after February 27. Notwithstanding all the applications that were made, the mortification increased, and fhewed itself in different parts of the body. On Monday, March 3, at the request of fome of his female relations, the clergyman at Bifley attended him, and administered the facrament, without any knowledge of what had happened before, and which he continued a ftranger to till he saw the account in the Gloucefter Journal. Parfons appeared to be extremely ignorant of religion, having been accuftomed to fwear, to drink, (though he was not in liquor when he uttered the above execrable wish) to game, and to profane the Sabbath, though he was only in his 19th year; after he had received the facrament, he apppeared to have some sense of the ordinance; for he faid, "Now I must never fin again; he hoped God would forgive him, having been wicked not above fix years, and that whatever should happen, he would not play at cards again.' After this he was in great agony, chiefly delirious, fpoke of his companions by name, and feemed as if his imagination was engaged at cards. He started, had distracted looks and gestures, and in a dreadful fit of fhaking and trembling, died on Tuesday morning, the 4th of March laft; and was buried the next day at the parish church of Bifley. His eyes were open when he died, and could not be clofed by the common methods; fo that they remained open when he was put into the coffin: from this circumftance arofe a report, that he wished his eyes might never clofe; but this was a mistake; for, from the moft credible witneffes, I am fully convinced no fuch with was uttered; and the fact is, that he did close his eyes after he was taken with the mortification, and either dofed or flept feveral times. When the body came to be laid out, it appeared all over difcoloured or fpotted; and it might, in the most literal fense, be faid, that his flesh rotted on his bones before he died. Mr. Dallaway, having defired Mr. Pegler, the furgeon, to fend him his thoughts of Parfon's cafe, received from him the following account: "SIR, "You defire me to acquaint you, in writing, with what I know relating to the melancholy cafe of the late Richard Parfons; a request I readily comply with, hoping that his fad catastrophe will ferve to admonifh all thofe who profane the facred name of God. "February 27 laft, I visited Richard Parfons, who I found had an inflamed leg, ftretching from the foot almoft to the knee, tending to a gangrene. The tensenefs and redness of the fkin was almoft gone off, and became of a duskish and livid colour, and felt very lax and flabby. Symptoms being fo dangerous, fome incifions were made down to the quick, fome fpirituous fomentations made use of, and the whole limb dreffed up with fuch applications as are most approved in fuch defperate circumftances, joined with proper internal medicines. The next day he seemed much the fame; but on March 1, he was worfe, the incifions difcharging a sharp foetid ichor, (which is gene. generally of the worft confequence.) On the next day, which was Sunday, the symptoms feemed to be a little more favourable; but, to my great surprise, the very next day, I found his leg not only mortified up to the knee, but the fame began anew in four different parts, viz. under each eye, on the top of his shoulder, and on one hand; and in about twelve hours after he died. I fhall not prefume to say there was any thing fupernatural in the cafe; but, however, it must be confeffed, that fuch cafes are rather uncommon in fubjects fo young, and of fo good an habit as he had always been, previous to his illness." Abstract of the act for the better prefervation of timber-trees, woods, under-woods, c. ALL LL perfons, who from and after the 24th of June 1766, fhall be convicted of damaging, destroying, or carrying away any timbertrees, &c. or the lops or tops thereof, without the confent of the owner, forfeit, for the first offence, a fam not exceeding 2cl. with charges: and on non-payment to be com ceeding 5 1. with charges: and for the third offence are to be tranfported for seven years. The like for perfons cutting, damaging, or taking away any wood, underwood, poles, fticks, &c. or who have any fuch in their cuftody, without being able to account fatisfactorily for the fame, excepting that for thefe, they are, upon the third offence, to be punished as incorrigible rogues. Where the forfeitures fhall not be paid down on conviction, the offenders may be committed to hard labour; for the first offence, for one month, and to be once whipped; and for the fecond offence, for three months, and to be thrice whipped. Perfons hindering or attempting to prevent the feizing offenders, forfeit 101. and if not paid down, are to be committed to hard labour for any time, not exceeding fix months. Oak, beech, chefnut, walnut, ash, elm, cedar, fir, afp, lime, fycamore, and birch trees, to be deemed timber trees, and within the meaning of the act. By a fecond act, offences, when committed in the night-time, are fuba jected to penalties. Tis entitled, "An act for en Imitted for not more than twelve, couraging the cultivation, and nor less than fix months; for the fecond offence, a fum not exceed ing 30 1. &c. and on non-payment to be committed for not more than eighteen, nor less than twelve months and for the third offence are to be tranfported for seven years. Alfo perfons convicted of plucking up, spoiling or taking away any root, fhrub, or plant, out of private cultivated ground, forfeit for the first offence, any fum not exceed ing 40 s. with the charges: for the cond offence, any fum not exVOL. IX. for the better prefervation of trees, roots, plants, and shrubs ;" and enacts, "That from and after the zd day of June 1766, all and every perfon, or perfons, who fhall, in the night-time, lop, top, cut down, break, throw down, bark, burn, or otherwife fpoil or destroy, or carry away any oak, beech, ash, elm, fir, chefnut, or afp, timbertree, or other tree or trees ftanding for timber, or likely to become timber, without the confent of the owner [0] |