COME TO LIFE AGAIN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 214, 31 August 1876, Page 2

COME TO LIFE AGAIN.

{Sydney Morning Herald) It will doubtless be in tbe reco'lection of our readers that some short time since tbe echoon r Vibilia arrived at Auckland in charge of tbe chief officer, who* reported that hn ciptain had been drcwned at Sunday Island The foilowing is a statement made by th© late roaster of the schooner, who arrived in Sydney by the Reconnai.s-mee yesterday Captain Bezer states : "On Saturday, tbe 6th May, being within two miles of Sunday Island, for which place I had Bteered for the purpo-e of procuring water, I left the vessel in company with my supercargo, Mr M'Gregor, the boatswain, and one able seaman at ab ut 9.30 a.m., leaving Hugh S. B. Ratsey, the chief officer, in charge of the vessel, with instructs n. to 6tand off and on the islan., telling and showing him where I was going, snd that in the event of my being ucusually Ion?, to come rounl into the weat bay, hewe-to, or anchor if he got good sounding The weather was fine and moaera.e at this time— barometer, 30-30. In the boat was half a small bottle of gin, two bottles of water, two biscuits, and about lib of meat; a double-barrelled gun, four charges of shot and powder. Owing to a strong current on rouuding the north point of the Island I did not resell the shore until about 3 pm. Aftes landing I hauled the boat up; I left her in charge of one man. _-*oon after getting to the watering phce I heard shouting .rom the beach, and proceeded down to the boat; the man left in charge had lost the rudder out of her, ao I concluded it would be b:tter to get afloat and return in the morning. Unfortunately, in launching her she was stove for about a foot Jong, and darkness coming on. I thought I wou'd remain on tbe island What clothes we bad were washed out of the boat, and after hauling her up, we walked the beach through the night At 8 o'clock next morning the vessel came round th? south side of the island. I then knew that if I had got off the night previous I should not have found ber, for she must have stood well to the S.E. to weather the south end. We made signals with a flag and fired two shots; she was about two miles or thereabouts from the beach; no notice was taken. She had all sail set but the forttop p .llant sail aid foresai . She ran to leewaid ,bu; ti rei miles, more or le-s, and left, ior 1 saw no more of her. I lurther, with, the others solemnly affirm that for ten days the weather was lig'it and moderate, the nights a fright moonlight, and that it was impossible for a vessel to come round either night or day, without someone seeing her; that we should have got on board, if the mate h.d made the slightest effort to assist, by heaving the vessel to, anchoring, or rem lining by the ieland. We lived on limpets, potatoes, aud vine leaver! with a few fish caught with a bent nail. No clothes but what we stood up in. We ail suffered from piins, and ths boatswain i B now suffeting eeverely. Ie wouli have b^tn impossible to have, (xihted'long on the island. On the 18th June we were taken off by the brigimtine Magellan Oiaud, ani landed in Tonga Tabu on the 15th July. All waa done by the master ol her to alleviate our wants We beg to txpre.s our sincere thanks to Captain P. Wais.n, ofthebarq.eKeoonnai-.ance for his uniform kindness aud attention on the passage from Tong . Tabu to this port."