Wreck of The Ship Mary Florence.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 64, 5 June 1851, Page 3

Wreck of The Ship Mary Florence.

(From the Times.) The annexed interesting details relative to the loss of the ship 'Mary Florence,' on the Arabian coast, have been furnished by Messrs. I lent y and Calvert Tmilmin, of St. Helenaplace, citv, owners of the vessel. Till! 'Mary I'lorence' lelt London for Aden on the lGth of February 1850, with coals, which she had taken on board at Shields. She was quite n new ship, copper bottomed, and this was licr first voyage, her cargo bcini for the depot of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company at Aden, ller master, Captain Christopher Short, it seems, had a small share in the vessel. lie was accompanied by bis wife, a liuly ol'very respectable connexions residing at lilythe, in Durham; tlm crew, consisting of iirsi and second officers, carpenter, steward, aiul 12 seamen. The ship, we understand, sighted tlie Comoro Islands, in the Mozambique Channel, on the 25th of May, j*u<\ Uupc Guardalui on the 3rd of June, The bitter is a hendland forming the extreme eastern poition of ihe African const, a few hundred miles south-east of the port of Aden and the entrance of the Ked Sea. It was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon when the c.ipe, as the master supposed it to be, was sighted, though, from what has since transpired, it is evident he was mistaken, and that he had taken tlio top of a high mountain inland for the headland at the point. The course of the ship was north-west by north, while the point of the land round which they had to bear stood north-north-west. She had her topsails single rerfed, topgallant iails set, and was running about nine miles per hour, with n smart wind blowing south-west. She continued in this course till about 20 minutes alter It) o'clock nt night, when the crew were startled by the ship striking heavily, and discovered, to their utter amazement, that sho had run ashore. The impression on their minds just before was that they had rounded the cape, and were bearing u;> for Aden. Attempts were instantly made to i>et the vessel oil' but without success. A heavy sea and a strong current running in from the Indian Ocean swept the ship in towards tliu land. Next morning some of the natives swam oil'to the vessel, and appeared friendly, oll'ering to render assistance}. The master, finding he could not get the vessel oil", accepted their aid, and with some of his crew contrived to get an anchor ashore; and bent n hawser to it, securing tlio other end to ths masthead. On the following day, the sth, the sea increasing and beating over the stern of the ship, the stores niul sails were got ready to send n>hore, and by means of the hawser tlie first officer gained tbe beach, and two seamen followed, when those on the deck commenced floating the stores to them. The natives exhibited every desire to assist, ntitl in the course of the afternoon large numbers c.ime down to the beach. Most of ihem were armed, and n cliiet headed them. The latter displayed the same feeling as the other#, and appointed a guard to protect the property that liad been i; o ' ashore. The next day the same friendly spirit being evinced, the master continued to send his stores asliort*, and in the afternoon it was determined to effect a safe passage along the hawser for Mrs. Short, rs the weather was I becoming boisterous. By means of slings j attached to the hawser she was conveyed to the shore in safety. Captain Short was aiinut to follow, when the unfortunate lady, notwithstanding the protection of the first officer and seamen, was ai once seized bj the Arabs, and apparently to those in the ship, was carried away, the natives at the attacking the crew with spears, and driving them into the sea. The chief ollicef £ot hold

of the hawser thr.t communicated xith the ship, and was tnaUnt nu attempt to gniii it, when tin? nativcj ni-licil forward nnd cut the rope. I Ii: const cpicntly precipitated I into the sen, ami must have perished had not ona of the seamen s'tam to his ns<is'ance, nml brought him into fliallo-.v water- Captain Short had ihe pinnace instantly launched, and was in the act of jumping in!o it with one or two of his men, to go to'liis wife's assistance, wlion (i sea struck the b - iat, and broke her nivav, and she wits carried ashore. The nioiue.ii the but touched the slion; it ttus seized bv tile unlives, who got into it, nnd endeavoured to push otl, as tt was supposed to board the v.s<el, but, owing to a very heavv gio'ind swell,as soon as they got oil, tlu* boat was earrh d hack further tip on the beach. Already had the plunder commenced. The s'e.rf! Mid tint lu'd been landed weie scattered in nil directions, and a general scuffle took place amonglhe natives in their cndenvoii'S to possess ihtinsolvrs of tile pro* pertv, amidst yolla and «■rics of e.viltation. Captain Short "was most anxious to nllbrd assistance to his unfortunate wile, hut it was impossible with the few haiidshe had with him, to make any endeavour to rescue her, nil the fir l- - nrin:> and ammunition having keen sent ashore. The captain and the men who r« mained on board were on deck the whole ni»ht in the hope of meeting with an oppur;unity to gain ihe beach in the longboat, but they were deferred from making the attrmiit in conseipiei.ee of the hostile attitude nrsitmcd by 'the natives. In the course of the shrieks were heard from the shore, uliich were supposed lo proceed from Mrs. Short and the men belnnuini: to the* ship. Next morning the chief .:,nd his followers was seen strutting abou' 'n the aiticles of European clothing they had "fofen from the ship's store.#. G\ipt. Short Cxpeciin«i an attack would he made on the vessel, resolved to launch the loni; huat am! abandon the truck. This was accordingly dov.o, mil puttii.g into tin; boat all the provisions lhai remained. the crew shoved off, and anchored aln.iU IJ'iO from the ship. The natives .soon a'U rw.irds oft lo the vessel in treat number?, rml boarding her, protruded to strip her of everything that was valuable Having completed this outrage, *i*ey attempted to | gain poss's>ion of the longboat, and would, have succeeded h d not th.- ttew immediately ! put out lo sua. Having a ftir wind f»r Aden, ( the brat in two days gained SO mib s up the coast, when, the wind ve<rin;_' to the N.AV., she was driven bat k. An ilhol was then, made to ob am fr *h w;ikr from a plate called Cape l'Vlix; but tie native came down to the beach and drove the helpless mariners away .—About 10 miles lout r do.vn, however thev succeeded in *r«-tt ten gallons of water at the price of a iiohl watch and oilier valuables. They their t»ok a course down the coast of [Allien, enduting horrib'c privations. The allowance of water was only one gill per day each man, with hardly an\ thing to eat. On the 19th of June they anchored about 300 yards from the shore, in a small bay about one hundred mio's south-east of | Cape Guardafni. In this bay, it appears, a vessel named the Dt v.cn was lying, though the crew of the *'M:iry were not aware of her proximity. - —'I he natives swam to the boat, and plundered tin: unfortunate seamen of their money, a chronometer, sextant, and oilier articles. One of tho natives who could speak a little English, offered to apprise the people of the Dewcti of the condition of the unfortunate sufkrers, Cnptair. Short immediately wrote a note, which the 1 native undertook to deliver, and on the following day the master (Mr. J. Jfftericsj came ovtr land to the assistance of his countrymen. In weighing the longboat's anchor a sudden squall capsized it, and one of tliecn w was unfortunately dimmed, Mr, Jefteiicsat once obtained a supply of lo.vl fur Short and his men, who were ridueed matly to a State of starvation* Mr* Jofleiie?, licaring of ihe in/ainous conduct of ihe native- 5 , sought out the chief and complained ; but he fount! the chief participated in the p'nr'M'- l"deed, jt was four.d ncctssaiy to p;-y n lao tnn ol for theboat before ihe natives would deliver it up. As soon as possible Mr. Jelleiies the 1 crew over to his vessel, and in a few days s.iled for Muscat. There Captain Short and his men received the greatest kindness and hospitality, the son «»f th« Irnauin placing 120 doliara ut their di^p f is.'ilt other parties affording eterv assistance that was desirable. . As soon ns Captain Short had partially recovered IVom the exposure and privation he bad endured for the 15 d->vs nnd ni'ihts In hail passed at >ca in tlm he obt n'iu d n pasface to lionibay, and on bis arrival there he at once, communicated the circumstances of the wreck to the Government authmitie«, and prevailed on tlieni to despatch n iteauier to rescue hi.s unfortunate wife ami the remainder of bis crew, whom he supposed to bo in the hands of the natives at Cape Gu irdafiti Just however, a. tiie sUvm-r was v-ltout attlit.

ill- Oil the cs|i' dition, intelligence arrive' 1 IVmn Aihn to the ellect that a portion of the crow had been taken oil'the co.isl by Captain liamsev, of the Columbia, on the l'Jth ol Aiuiist, lint that tie leimindcr, and also Mrs. Short. hail perUi;.l in an attempt to escape from tin* native?* A Idler received from Captain Uamsev o'isei vi s that wiieii his ves-el was oil the village of Al.-I i, near Cape IMix, on tin; Soow ill c ) 'St, he was hailed from a canoe, which proved to contain the steward of llic wrecked vessel. beaming fioai him that the ctiie f nflicer of (!i-» ship a.wl two so.uhimi wi re in the hinds of the r.a iws, i.'aptain Kauisev despa'e'ed his boat to In intln-ni on hoard, hut the chiefrefused to diliur them u,i unless h ' leceived 1 ; .0 rupee.*; ranynn moaiy. 1 demand was complied with, and the men we-" taken 011 l)'> ir-t, ami landed at A Jen. The owners of llie M.irV I'lo-ence hive lemm il ih names of lliose who peibhed witU tlit: captain's wile—uimely, Mr. Wisnart, second olliccr ; Snni'n 1 Williams and Thoni'S .Ion; s, seamen. Those I d:en 011 hoard the Colombia were the chief mate, Junius Perkins; the stewiud, David Huberts, a:id John .M'Kinnnii. 1. is now ascertained that p"or Sirs. Short, with llic other suit' rer, met their sail i'ale on the evening of the same day that tliey landed from the wreck. The natives stript Alts, .Short of hi-r ring's, and other jewellery, and also to.ili from her I'JO sovereigns. She managed afterwards to Iree liers- II from lllem, and nulling down lo llie lit aell i\here a poition of llie crew were assembled, thev managed 10 ;:ct to the boat, and although theie were 110 oais in it, at the ciriust entreati s of Mrs. Short, it was 1; •lermined to make a:i a't-mpl to regain tile ship. The boat was oil', but w.S swamped by the hca l V surl, an.l the feaiuen uho accompanied Iter met 'wilh a ivaury jjrave. The S, ot where the ship wis wricked is 011 :he same pail o! the co st where llie bast ladia Company's steamer Memiiun was lost Some years s-in e. The Mary i Inrence was nearly GOO tons burden, and Cost CIV'.OOO. fh: "as purlially m-jurctl itt lAoy'Si.