struck till she totally disappeared, far exceeded
anything that I thought could be effected by the
best discipline; and it is the more to be
wondered at, seeing that most of the soldiers had been
but a short time in the service. Every one did as he
was directed, and there was not a murmur nor a cry
among them until the vessel made her final plunge.
I could not name any individual officer who did more
than another. All received their orders and carried
them out, as if the men were embarking instead of
going to the bottom: there was only this difference,
that I never saw any embarkation conducted with so
little noise or confusion. One fact I cannot omit
mentioning. When the vessel was just about going down,
the commander called out, 'All those that can swim,
jump overboard and make for the boats.' Lieutenant
Girardot and myself were standing on the stern part
of the poop. We begged the men not to do as the
Commander said, as the boat with the women must be
swamped. Not more than three made the attempt."

A letter written by Cornet Bond, of the 12th Lancers,
another of the survivors, contains the following striking
particulars:—

"We left Simon's Bay at seven o'clock in the evening
of the 24th. At two o'clock the next morning I
was awoke by the vessel striking upon a rock. I
immediately dressed myself and went on deck, and
found all in confusion. I heard the captain give
orders to back her, which I hardly think was carried
into effect, as the fires were almost immediately
extinguished. He then gave orders to Major Seaton
to get the horses up, and throw them overboard,
and I, with a sergeant and some belonging to the
12th Lancers, succeeded in doing so. I then went
on the poop, where the captain was standing. He
told me to go and get the women and children up;
which I did by carrying up two of the latter. The
others followed, and were immediately lowered into
the boats. At this time the greatest order and
regularity prevailed. All the officers were then employed
with gangs of men at the pumps, and a number of
soldiers under the command of Mr. Brodie, the master,
were endeavouring to haul out the paddle-box boat
on the port side, which was nearly hoisted out when
the tackle broke, and it remained fixed in the
air. The forepart of the ship now broke off at
the foremast, and soon after she cracked in the middle,
and filled with water. A great many of the men on the
troop deck were drowned in their hammocks, not being
able to effect an escape. All those who could succeed in
reaching the poop now crowded there, and the captain
sung out to those who could swim 'to make for the
boats,' of which there were three, at a distance of 150
yards. They did not come nearer, for fear of being
swamped. A gig on the starboard side was then ordered
to be lowered, in which Mr. Rolt, of the 12th Lancers,
who was unable to swim, and several seamen, were seen
to enter; but, in lowering it, one of the ropes broke,
and she was swamped. Poor Rolt rose, but was unable
to reach the shore, and was drowned. The poop,
immediately afterwards, owing to the force of the water
rushing up, went down, drawing all those who were on
it, as well as myself, under water. I rose to the surface
almost immediately. I had one of Mackintosh's life-
preservers on, which may be filled in the water, which
I did. The sea at this time was covered with struggling
forms, while the cries, piercing shrieks, and shoutings
for the boats were awful. I swam astern, in hopes of
being picked up by one of them. I hailed one sixty
yards off, but could not reach it, as they pulled away, I
suppose for fear of too many attempting to get in. I
then turned round, and made for the shore, about two
miles distant, which I finally succeeded in reaching, at
a little after five a.m., by swimming only. Two men,
who were swimming close to me, I saw disappear with
a shriek, most probably bitten by sharks. I fortunately
hit on the landing-place, but, owing to the great quantity
of sea-weed I had to struggle through, and being
quite exhausted, I almost failed in reaching it. I then
walked up a sort of beaten track from the beach, in
hopes of finding some habitation. In doing so I
perceived my horse, at a short distance, standing in the
water on the beach. I got him out, and then returned
to the place at which I landed, when I saw a raft, with
about nine men on it, endeavouring to land, but they
did not succeed in doing so until they saw me on the
rocks standing opposite to the proper spot; they then
steered straight for me, and finally landed at seven a.m.
Lieutenant Girardot, of the 43rd Light Infantry, was one
of them. At the same time two or three other men
were thrown on the rocks off a spar, and landed, very
much cut and bruised, and entirely naked."

After describing their arrival at Captain Smale's
residence, and their kind reception there, Cornet Bond
speaks of what he saw on returning to the scene of the
wreck. He says:—

"On our way thither we met numbers of men who
had landed. Some came ashore in the paddle-box boat,
which had floated up; the one was full of water, and
the other keel uppermost. One of the ship's quarter-
masters told me that there were seven others in the boat
with him, which was full of water. They, however, all
died from cold, having been many hours in the boat,
and quite naked. He had his clothes on. We also met
Captain Wright, 91st, who had landed on the sponsoon;
he had been along the shore, and had picked up several
men. Some rafts reached the shore with bodies lashed
on them quite dead; other bodies washed up, some of
them dreadfully mangled by sharks. The time from
which the ship struck, to the period at which the poop
sunk, and those on it were precipitated into the water,
did not occupy more than twenty minutes."

Some light is thrown on the cause of this dreadful
catastrophe by the dispatches received by the Board of
Admiralty, from the commander, Wyvill. "It appears,"
says the commander, "that her Majesty's ship Birkenhead,
was duly pricked off on the chart at eight o'clock
on the night of the 25th, within False Bay, by the
master, Mr. Brodie, and officer of the watch, Mr. Spear,
second master; that the course was shaped SSE 1/2 E,
and Cape Hanglip giving a berth of about four miles.
The man at the wheel, J. Haynes, A.B., from ten to
twelve o'clock of the first watch, states that he steered
that course with directions not to go to the eastward of
it.  A leadsman was on the paddle-box, and look-out
men were placed. The night was fine, starlight, and
calm, but a long swell setting in on shore. The land
was seen all the night from three to four points on the
port bow. At about ten minutes before two o'clock, in
the middle watch, the leadsman, Abel Stone, ordinary
seaman, got soundings, in twelve or thirteen fathoms, of
which he gave notice to the officer of the watch, Mr.
Davis, second master. The ship was going about eight
knots. Before he could get another cast of the lead the
ship struck, and he found seven fathoms alongside;
there were two fathoms water under the bows, and
eleven by the stern. It appears that Mr. Salmond, who
was roused by the shock, went on deck, inquired the
time, a few minutes past two o'clock, and the course
steered; it was reported to be SSE 1/2 E, which he stated
was quite correct. He immediately ordered the engines
to be stopped, the small bower anchor to be let go, the
quarter boats to be lowered and lie off alongside the
ship, the paddle-box boats to be got out, and a turn
astern to be given by the engines. He ordered the
military officers, who were all in attendance (Major
Seaton, of the 74th regiment, and Captain Wright of
the 91st), to send the troops to the chain pumps; the
orders were implicitly obeyed, and perfect discipline
maintained. So soon as Mr. Salmond heard there was
water in the ship, he directed the women and children
to be put into a cutter, in charge of Mr. Richards,
master's assistant, which was done. In ten minutes
after the first concussion, and while the engines were
turning astern, the ship struck again under the engine-
room, bulging the side in several feet, and tearing open
the bottom; the water rushed in, drowned the fires, and
stopped the engines; the engineer, Mr. Renwick, and
stokers, making their escape to the upper deck. Instantly
the ship broke in two, abaft the mainmast, and sank,
leaving the maintopmast and topsail yard only visible
above water. Up to this awful moment the resolution and
coolness of all hands were remarkable. Mr. Salmond
gave his orders with much presence of mind to the last.
.....There is no doubt but the course of the ship
was shaped to hug the land too closely; and, as it does