heard the repeated fhouts of the wretched beings clinging to it, callous to every impulfe of humanity, after the difcharge of a fingle musket, having weighed anchor, ftood over, without regarding their fituation, to the Island of Banca The weather continuing mild and the water fmooth, they fet to work about 11 o'clock in the forenoon, to make a raft of what pieces of timber they were able to pick up around them; to accomplish which they were fortunately enabled by means of the main-yard, which, lying alongfide the wreck, furnished them with ropes fufficient for lafhings: it alfo gave them cloth for fail, which they fixed to the maft of the jolly-boat, and they completed their tafk by making a platform upon it of fuch planks as they could find.

Add

From the fhock and fevere fcorching that one and all of the furvivors had experienced, they were unable to accomplish their work before one o'clock P.M. -in fact, four or five only of the number were left in any circumstances to bear a part in it, the united labour of whom was very intuthcient to iecure, as it ought, the raft they had thus contrived. to this, the folicitude they must have felt in their diftrefsful condition, to reach the hore before night, and this the more, as the piece of the wreck by which they clung would only bear the weight of two of the molt fhattered amongst them (James Sullivan and Robert Pulloyne, feamen,) and whom the compaflion of their comrades had agreed, accordingly, , to give the preference to, by mounting them upon it: a fingle pomkin being at the fame time the amount of all the fuftenance the whole party had to depend

*

on.

Having committed themselves to this raft, they made fail for the nearest shore, which was the low land of Sumatra, diftant about three leagues, and about fix leagues to the fouthward of the Dutch - fettlement of Palambang. About feven o'clock it came on to blow fresh, and the fea ran high, with a strong current now fetting in against them. They were yet a confiderable ditance from the land, when the lafhings of their raft began to give way, and itfelf to go to pieces. Not only every plank of the platform was presently washed off; but, to complete the milery of their fituation, their mast and fail were carried away. But refource, not defpair, is the character of a British feaman. Seeing an anchor stock, which had been lately a part of the raft, and

It was at this time one o'clock A. M. and clear moon light, eight poor fouls ftill remained by the raft (Pulloyne being dead), who feeing this part of their number, from whofe exertions alone a ray of hope might be included, thus confult their own fafety by the only poffible chance for it, bewailed their feparation bitterly.

The adventurers on the anchor-stock loft fight in another hour of the forlorn companions of their distress, of whom they never heard nor law more.

By means of two ipars, lafhed across to keep it from rolling, they continued to be borne in fafety upon this till about nine o'clock next morning; when the current, changing again, let them fatt towards the land; under the lee of which, though they had been driven out further' to fea than they were when they left the wreck, they fortunately arrived, with the help of a paddle, about nine o'clock the fame night (25th). Some furf running along the fore, they found it a matter of no lets difficulty, in their exhaufted and weakly ftate, after betaking themfelves to fwimming again, to reach the beach.

Having thus providentially effected their efcape from the dangers of the deep, others no less formidable stared them in the face upon this defert coaft; or a coast, if not defert, only preffed by the footsteps of men fcarce le's favage than the wild beats that roamed its adjoining thickets. The first care of the feamen, after their fatigues and fufferings, was to gather leaves and dry grafs, with which they made themfelves a bed, whereon to repose. On this they flept found till morning, when awakened by the call of thirst, they went to look for water, which they found at hand; but no manner of refreshment befides, not even a fingle fhell-fish, could they discover.

In this deplorable condition, and almoft naked (a fingle jacket and couple of fhirts being their whole stock of cloaths), they remained ftarving till about four o'clock the fame afternoon (26th), being a term of three whole nights and two days from the time of their being blown

up, when fraggling along the shore, and aimoft in utter delpair of all human iuccour, one of the party discovered a Malay prow, lying in a Bight, hardly a quarter of a mile from thein. Upon this they confulted what was best to be done; and it was refolved that T. Scott, being able to talk the Dutch and Malay tongues fluently, thould approach it tingly, while the reft kept out of light. And well it was for them that fuch was the plan and precaution they obferved; for, had they all advanced together, unarmed and de fencelets as they were, it is till almost a moral certainty that not a life would have been ipared. On a nearer approach he prelently dilcovered four more pirate prows with the firit, fome of the people belonging to which were at work on the thore, repairing a boat. On perceiving Scott, their head man immediately made towards him, with an uplifted axe in his hand; upon a loud fhout given by whom, a crowd followed, equally determined to put him to death. But falling upon his knees, and fupplicating for mercy in their own tongue, the Chief relented, and forbid any of his people to do their prifoner harm. They asked him earnestly what countryman he was? From whence he came? And what he wanted among them? He replied he was an unfortunate Englishman, one of a fmail remainder that furvived the accident which had lately betalen his hip. They repeated the queition, whether he was actually an Englishman? And charged him, if a man of the Dutch Nation belonged to the number faved, that he should discover him to them, at his peril. Being anfwered in the negative, the Chief (er Rajah as they ftyled him) enquired particularly whether their Captain survived? In which cafe he would undertake himfelf to convey them all fate to Malacca : but his people, as well as the Malay Chief himmelt, wowed that if the party that accident had thus put into their hands had been Duco, no confideration f:ould have induced them to thew quarter to a igle inan.

Some of the pirates were now directed to where the feanien were, who prelently returned with them, trembling under the moft alarming apprehensions, that they fhould be mailacred, as they conceived Scott had already been; for they had feen the latter furiounded by an angry and threatening crowd, theilelves undifco

vered.

On their arrival, all four were made to fit down, till they fully fatisfied their

curiofity, by asking a thousand questions relating to the hip, and their prisoners. The next step the pirates took, was to divide the captives: each of the Rajahs taking two into his own boat; the quarter.maiter and Hutton into one, the two Scotts into the other.

It was now pait fix o'clock P. M. when the almott famished feamen at last had the wants of nature relieved by a plentiful meal of fith and rice, which they had ferved to them in each of the boats.

The time allowed for this refreshment

being expired, the five prows immediately put off for the Kefftance's wreck; but after a vain fearch of two whole days, they returned without being able to pick up any part of the fhip, or of her contents. Some feamen's chefts, containing a few dollars and articles of little value, however, and a few of the bodies, continued to be washed on fhore, from time to time, for fome days after.

While thele five prows, which formed a part of a fleet of eighteen or twenty, that were distributed along the land, remained cruifing teparately up and down the Straits, on the look out for trading craft from China, Java, &c (which might be about three weeks), the Malays continued to behave to towards their pri foners, as to leave them no great cause to complain.

About the 25th of Auguft, the prow Rajah, or principal prow, in which the nariator was, at nine A. M. fell in with a floop from Java. The crew of this vefiel, under cover of the preceding night, had abandoned her, betaken to their boats, and efcaped to the nearest shore, making the belt of their way (probably with what fpecie they had) for the neighbouring town of Banca, to which they were believed to be bound, and where they were tecure of protection: for feeing this formidable prow, which carried one 12-pounder, two fwivels, and a pro. portion of mutketry, fwords, &c. lying at anchor to windward, and being well alcertained, from her trength and ap. pearance, what fhe was, as well as that no mercy was to be expected from the fanguinary band aboard her, they witely made this facrifice to their perfonal fe curity.

Before the prow Rajah boarded the floop, the English feamen had the promife of a small dividend of any cloth or pro. vifions that might be found on board. Being laden, however, only with falt and oil, a finall proportion of towis, rire,

and

and cocoa nuts, part of her flock, came to their fhare, in common with the other hands. The prow proceeded from hence, with the floop, for Penobang, a town on the Island of Lingan; which they reached in three days, and their prize fetched the captors 1500 rix dollars. Here the two Scotts were feparated, Jofeph being fent on in the prize to the town of Lingan, and Thomas remaining with the Rajah of the prow behind at Pencbang. The pirates have a mall fort or block house at this place, furrounded by water, mounting a good many guns, which are occafionally run out of their houses, and these are erected univerfally upon flakes or piles.

Thomas Scott remained as a slave here with the Rajah (of the prow) his matter four or five weeks, when he had the news of Quarter-mafter M'Carthey and Hut ton arriving in the fmall prow at Lingan; that the young Rajah who commanded that prow had very liberally and hu manely rejected any ranfom for his cap. tives, and freely prefented them to the

Sultaun.

A few days afterwards he heard that his namelake (Jofeph) Scott had been ranfomed of the Timo men on board the prize, where it was his fate to be difpofed of for 15 rix dollars; and, finally, that the Sultaun of Lingan had (with an alacrity and generolity which at once ftamps the natural disposition of his heart, and the regard and respect he bears in it towards the British Nation) provided all the furviving feamen, of which he appears to have had any knowledge, with a prow to tranfport them to Pinang. Thus did the national character of the land from which thefe poor fellows sprung become a blefling to its individuals, in the most trying and perilous fituations imaginable it would not become us to reverse the medal, and make the allufion, however it might apply, to any other country, whole conduct towards, and confequencely experience from, the MaJay Iuanders, have been fo widely dif ferent.

It was not till nine days after the liberation and departure of his comrades for Pinang, that Thomas Scott was brought up by his owner from Penobang to Lingan, about half a day's tail, and there lold in the market for 35 rix dolJars.

His purchaser was another Rajah (or head mate), who proved to him a kinder and more confiderate matter than the former; he had now a better allowance of

victuals, more liberty, the gift of a cloth to cover him, and a handkerchief. Lamenting the hard ip of his fate, in being the fole perfon of his countrymen left behind in bondage, his new mafter encouraged him by the affurance that whenever he. Scott, fhould be able to pay him back the original amount of his purchafe, he would immediately releale him. But his deliverance, and that from a quarter totally unimagined and unexpected, was in the difpenfation of Heaven, then in its turn, at hand; for the next day, to his unspeakable joy, he found the Sultaun had become his ranfomer alte from the Macaffar Rajah. Being ordered into the prefence of his benefactor, he was given to understand, that in confequence of a letter received by the Sultaun the preceding day from Major Taylor, commanding at Malacca, requesting the Sultaun's attention and relief to any of the crew of his Majelty's fhip which might be found in thofe parts (too certain intelligence of which had been given him at Malacca), he, the Sultaun, was happy to difcover that there yet remained another Englishman, of whom he before had no knowledge, on the island; and to whom he could have the pleature of be ftowing his liberty using several other kind exprellions.

Accordingly, after a delay of nine days of the prow dilpatched by Major Taylor to Lingan, Scott had the Sultaun's per. million to depart for Malacca; where the prow arrived with him on the 5th of December, after a tedious paffage of fourteen days, and where, upon official examination, he delivered in the above report to the commanding officer, offering to atteft the fame (to the belt of his belief and knowledge) at the time, or whenever he might be called upon. Officers, Ship's Company, &c. belonging to, or on board, his Majefty's Ship Refittance, when the blew up, as well as Scott can recollect :

Captain Edward Pakenham, Com.

THE

JOHN DUNNING (a name to which no title could add lustre) poffeffed pro. feffional talents which may truly be called inimitable; for, besides their fuperlative excellence, they were peculiarly his own; and as it would fcarcely be poffible to copy them, fo it is hardly probable that nature or education will give them to another. His language was always pure, always elegant; and the belt words dropped early from his lips into the best places with a fluency at all times aftonifh ing, and, when he had perfect health, really melodious: his style of fpeaking confifted of all the turns, oppofitions, and figures, which the old thetoricians taught, and which Cicero frequently practifed, but which the aufere and folemn fpirit of Demofthenes refused to adopt from his first mafter, and feldom admitted into his orations, political or forenfick. Many at the bar and on the bench thought this a vitiated style; but though diflatisfied as critics, yet, to the confusion of all criticifm, they were tranfported as hearers. That faculty, however, in which no mortal ever furpaffed him, and which all found irrefiftible, was his wit: this relieved the weary; this calmed the refentful, and animated the drowly; this drew fimiles even from fuch as were the objects of it, fcattered Яowers over a defert; and, like fun beams fparkling on a lake, gave ipirit and vivacity to the dulleft and leaft interefting cause. Not that his accomplishments, as an ad

vocate, confifted principally on volubility of fpeech, or livelinels of raillery: he was endued with an intellect, fedate yet penetrating, clear yet profound, fubtle yet ftrong. His knowledge too was equal to his imagination, and his memory to his knowledge. He was not leis deeply learned in the fublime principles of jurif prudence, and the particular laws of his country, than accurately killed in the minute but ufeful practice of all our different courts. In the nice conduct of a complicated caufe, no particle of evidence could efcape his vigilant attention, no fhade of argument could elude his comprehenfive reafon: perhaps the vi vacity of his imagination fometimes prompted him to port where it would have been wifer to argue; and, perhaps, the exactness of his memory fometimes induced him to anfwer fuch marks as hardly deferved notice, and to enlarge on fmall circumstances, which added little weight to his argument; but thofe only who have experienced can in any degree conceive the difficulty of exerting all the mental faculties in one inftant, when the leaft deliberation might lose the tide of action irrecoverably. The people feldein err in appreciating the character of speak. ers; and thofe clients who were too late to engage Dunning on their fide, never thought theinfelves fecure of fuccels, while thole against whom he was engaged were always apprehenfive of a defeat.

As a lawyer, he knew that Britain could only be happily governed on the principles of her conftitutional or public law; that the regal power was limited, and popular rights afcertained by it; but that ariftocracy had no other power than that which too naturally results from property, and which laws ought rather to weaken than fortify; he was

therefore

therefore an equal supporter of juft prerogative and of national freedom, weighing both in the noble balance of our recorded Conftitution. An able and afpiring ftatefman, who profeffed the fame principles, had wifdom to folicit, and the merit to obtain, the friendship of this great man; and a connection, planted originally on the firm ground of fimilarity in political fentiments, ripened into perional af, fection which nothing but death could have diffolved or impaired. Whether in his minifterial ftation he might not fuffer a few prejudices infenfibly to creep on his mind, as the belt men have fuffered, because they were men, may admit of a doubt; but, if even prejudiced, he was never uncandid; and, though pertinacious in all his opinions, he had great indulgence for fuch as differed from him.

His fenfe of honour was lofty and heroic; his integrity ftern and inflexible; and though he had a ftrong inclination to fplendour of life, with a tafte for all the elegancies of fociety, yet no love of dignity, of wealth, or of pleafure, could have tempted him to deviate, in a fingle inftance, from the ftraight line of truth and honefty.

He carried his democratical principles even into focial life, where he claimed no more of the converfation than his juft fhare, and was always candidly attentive when it was his turn to be a hearer. His enmities were ftrong yet placable, but his friendships were eternal; and if his affections ever fubdued his judgment, it must have been in cafes where the fame and in. tereft of a friend were nearly concerned. The veneration with which he con ftantly treated his father, whom his

fuccefs and reputation had made the happieft of mortals, could be equalled only by the amiable tenderness which he thewed as a parent. He used to fpeak with wonder and abhorrence of Swift, who was not alhamed to leave a declaration that he could not be fond of children; and with pleasure of Caliph, who, on the eve of a decifive battle, which was won by his valour and wifdom, amufed himself in his tent with feeing his children ride on his fcymitar and play with his turban, and difmiffed a General, as unlikely to treat the army with lenity, who durit re prove him for fo natural and innocent recreation.

For fome months before his death the, nursery had been his chief delight, and gave him more pleasure than the cabinet could have afforded him; but this parental affection, which had been a fource of fo much felicity, was prohably a caufe of his fatal illness. He had loft one fon, and expected to lofe another, when the author of this painful tribute to his memory parted from him, with tears in his eyes, little hope ing to fee him again in a perishable itate. As he perceives, without af fectation, that his tears now fteal from him, and begin to moitten the paper on which he writes, he reluctantly leaves a fubject, which could not fo foon have exhaufted; and when he alfo fhould refign his life to the great Giver of it, he defires no other deco, ration of his humble gravestone than this honourable truth:

With none to flatter, none to recom. mend,

DUNNING approv'd and mark'd him as a friend..

ON

to the prefence that a Frenchnian of rank had arrived. I fent for him, and he came; and when he came into the prefence, I was abforbed in bufiness; and when he came near unto the Mufnud, I perceived him, and I rofe up and embraced him. I caufed him to fit down and inquired after his health, and methought the Chriftian

D

faid,