a long way from beach, and lost her foremast, she has since been towed to Marmorice Bay, by the Gorgon. Upon our arrival here, we found much to our surprise, the Commodore with all the Alexandrian squadron, except the Carysfort. It appears that they were respectable distance off that coast in the gale, lying to under a main-trysail without the bonnet The Commodore declares that he never saw it blow so hard before. The ships felt it a good deal. The sad tidings of the loss of the Zebra, at Acre, have just reached the Admiral; she parted from her anchors and went on shore a complete wreck, all saved but three men. The Pique also at Acre was forced to cut away her masts, and has since gone to Malta, under jury masts. The Benbow and one Austrian frigate (admiral's), and Hazard, the latter, I believe, from Sidon, where she must have been comparatively snug, have just arrived. I expect to hear of manifold disasters at sea caused by this gale of unexampled severity. We expect to go to Malta shortly for a thorough refit and caulking preparatory to going home to be paid off. We require two anchors and cables, a topsail yard, and many sails, and stores of all kinds. The oakum has been fairly worked out of her seams in many places. She is a lovely ship though, and I verily believe no liner could have made better weather of it. Another letter from the same officer dated 14th of December, says Now for scene No. 2-ship on shore, which we will call Zebra. Since I penned the hasty account of the loss of this little brig, I have heard more particulars regarding her, which may prove interesting to you if received in the absence of other information. It appears that during the day of the gale, in the course of the afternoon she was riding with four anchors down. About 4 or 5 PM. she parted two of her cables and drove. The masts were then cut away, and guns thrown overboard,-she still drove; when the captain and officers feeling assured that she must be inevitably lost on the beach in the night, if not run on shore in some other position before sunset, which was then at hand; it was determined to slip and steer away for the shoal water inside the rocks on the south-east side of the town. Their purpose was effected, and there she lay pretty snug all night, all hands on board save three who took away the gig before the brig had slipped her cables, and were lost. On the following morning the foreyard, the longest spar they had was got over the gunwale, and upon it the men walked to the shore in excellent order. It is said the brig might be got off, but the operation would be too expensive to render its execution desirable. Her stern post is much shaken. From the Malta Times.-The Pique reached this harbour on the 22nd instant, having sailed under jury masts from the coast of Syria, having occupied eighteen days on her passage. This frigate had been left in command of the bay of Acre for the winter, in company with the steamer Vesuvius, and had taken up an anchorage off Caiffa, as being the most sheltered part of the bay. On the 2nd instant it began to blow violent squalls, which lasted with occasional intervals for two days. On the 4th the wind shifted round the point of Carmel, which had hitherto sheltered the anchorage, and coming down with unbroken violence upon the shipping, drove two brigs from their anchors, and compelled the Vesuvius to put to sea, after losing both her anchors; of the two brigs, one her Majesty's ship Zebra, had cut away her masts early in the day, and made a signal of distress. To render her any assistance while the wind and sea raged so furiously was of course impracticable. The steamer made a fruitless attempt with this view, and herself hardly succeeded in getting clear of the coast and taking the open sea. The brig still held on by her remaining anchors, the seas breaking over her dismasted hull with resist less violence, and at last drove her again from her anchors. She drifted shorewards, and after striking repeatedly on the sandy bottom, was thrown by the violence of the sea high up on the beach, and her crew were thus providentially rescued from their apparently hopeless situation. Three men alone were drowned in an attempt to save their own lives by lowering a boat, which was swamped alongside. No other lives were lost. The frigate had meanwhile imitated the example of her consort, and cut away her masts, after breaking from two iron and hempen cables. She still held on by her last hempen cable, which was so much chafed by the wrecks of her masts, as to destroy any hopes of its holding the ship much longer under the violence of the tempest. Most providentially at this crisis the wind went down almost instantaneously, and she rode safe for the night. Early next day the steamer re-appeared, and having towed the frigate 140 miles out to sea, left her a mere hulk, to make the best of her way to Malta. She had lost all of her masts and bowsprit, six guns, and her four best anchors; her rudder was seriously damaged, and she was found leaky. In this condition she was juryrigged, and being favoured by temperate weather, she had reached Malta, eighteen days from the day on which she was towed out. Another letter from an officer of the Ganges shews that our ships have been keeping the sea tolerably well in the Levant : We got into a severe gale in which we knocked about not a little, even heeling 40°, and taking in water over our lee gangway, being light and wanting 300 tons of water. The commodore then decided on bringing us here, (Marmorice Bay,) when we arrived we had been just ten weeks without anchoring. We muster in full here thirteen line-of-battle ships; Asia and Hastings remain at Malta; the Gorgon, Dido, and Hazard are with us. The main topmast of the former was struck by lightning the other night. Since our arrival we have had almost uninterrupted rainy weather. This is the most romantic spot in these seas. Fancy a circular harbour, diameter about three miles, indented by several interesting little creeks, and surrounded by high bold well-wooded land having a great diversity of aspect and variety of colouring. The following extract from the Malta Times, throws some further light on these particulars.-When the gale commenced on the 1st inst the following ships were lying in St. Georges bay, Beyrout:-Princess Charlotte and Benbow, of the line, and the Gorgon, Hydra, Stromboli, and Prometheus (since arrived at Malta) steamers; the Bellerophon was off the town of Beyrout; two Austrian frigates (one with the flag of Admiral Bandeira, and the other commanded by his Royal Highness the Archduke Frederick.) The gale commenced on the afternoon of the 1st, and towards noon of the 2nd it became worse. Early on that morning the Bellerophon put to sea, and stood to the northward. She lost two boats, all her sails, and threw her quarterdeck guns overboard. The Powerful was struck on the larboard bow, which started her fore chains, and it was only by the quick evolution of wearing that her fore-mast was saved. A heavy sea took the Austrian corvette's fore-mast clean by the board. Eleven merchant vessels (names not reported,) went on shore, and a fine brig lost her masts and filled at her anchors; a number of lives must have been lost. The following are the particulars of the providential escape of the Bellerophon from total loss, and shows what courage and discipline can effect under the most difficult and trying circumstances :— The evening of the 1st of December was quite fine, with little wind, but it freshened up during the night to a gale. At half-past 5 in the morning one anchor came home in an awful squall of rain and wind; a second anchor was let go, but this was of no avail, the ship kept driving broadside on, never looking to the anchors. The only chance now was to slip and make sail; this was done very quickly, leaving the anchors in deep water. We got sail on the ship, carrying a heavy press, to keep her off shore; both the pinnace and barge were swamped while the ship drove. By nine in the morning it blew a hurricane; nothing could resist it,—the sea was running high, and no sign of a lull. The fore and main courses were blown clean away, also the foretopmast staysail, not leaving a dozen yards of canvas in the boltrope. The fore-topsail split soon after noon, and the main-topsail went to ribbons, only saving the part reefed, the main-trysail. The ship was now labouring heavily, and the mainmast complaining. We threw overboard the upper-deck guns and shot, which appeared to ease the ship much; all hands employed shifting sails, as well as the tempest would permit, which, during the storm of rain, hail, and wind, was no easy job. Towards sunset it became evident that nothing less than a miracle could save us. The ship kept dragging along shore-a shore presenting no place of refuge. We bent the cable to the spare anchor, and made every preparation for cutting away our masts, as by 9 o'clock at night every one was satisfied that nothing more could be done, and that our safety was utterly hopeless. At this time, during a most pelting storm of rain, the Captain sent for the ship's company aft, and told them the position of the ship,-saying, "that much depended on their coolness and conduct; and to the attention paid to orders given." The men went up, with a will to bend fore and main topsailsjust at this time the wind lulled for a moment-and the ship broke off two points, now heading right on shore, not more than five miles off it, some say only three. As our sole chance, we put the helm up and the Bellerophon wore where perhaps very few ships would; indeed, this fine ship behaved nobly through the whole way. After coming to on the starboard tack, the wind came aft two points, the ship coming up S.S.W., and sometimes a point higher. We made all sail we could carry,-rain and sleet still continuing, but wind a little abated. By four o'clock in the morning we were some ten miles off the land, and heading south-west. The watch was called, all hands had been on deck twenty-four hours. Upon the whole it was an extraordinary and very narrow escape from most imminent peril. Had the ship grounded, she would have gone to pieces, and all hands must have perished. Nothing was to be found dry on board, the ship leaking from the tremendous straining during the gale, and the previous heavy fire during the campaign on the coast. The coolness of our chief, and the steadiness of the men, during this trying occasion, were beyond all praise. Thank God we are now all safe, refitting and setting to rights in Marmorice harbour. WE are informed that the behaviour of Capt. Austin of the Cyclops in storming and capturing the castle of Sidon alluded to in Commodore Napier's report, was most noble and gallant, and that by his exertions in turning the guns of the castle on the town, the success may be mainly ascribed. (See also p. 878 of our last volume.) We are also informed that Mr. Hunt alluded to in the Commodore's despatches, as having vied with an Austrian midshipman, in being the first to plant the British colours at Sidon has disclaimed the honor attributed to him, and assigned it entirely to Lieut. Anderson of the Royal Marines. The condition of her Majesty's ship Pique, in the bay of Acre, during the gale alluded to in the letter from the Bellerophon, and also the Malta Times, is described in the following interesting letter from an officer belonging to her. We understand that under her jury-masts she presented a picture, which was the admiration of all who saw her on her arrival at Malta. H.M.S. Pique, Malta, Dec. 28th, 1840. You will be surprised to receive a letter from me, dated Malta-but thank God we are safe here, after a very narrow escape from shipwreck. Our poor unfortunate Pique is smack smooth fore and aft,—not a mast or bowsprit standing, having been obliged to cut all away to save her from going ashore. But I will endeavour to relate all as it happened. In my last, I mentioned we had shifted our anchorage over to Kaiffa, leaving Lieutenant Fellowes and forty of our men on shore at Acre. On the evening of the 1st of December it came on to blow fresh, but off the point, so there was no danger; but, about two in the morning, it veered round to north-west, and sent in a heavy sea. We then let go the second anchor,—at nine it came on most furiously from the west, sending in a most tremendous sea. We then got the lower yards and topmasts down, indeed everything we possibly could from aloft. About eleven the gale was fearful, and the sea such as I never before witnessed. At this time the Zebra brig made the signal of distress, by hoisting her flag union down,—but it was impossible to assist the poor creatures. About twelve she cut away her masts, and threw her guns overboard; at this time we parted our small bower and drove,—we let go the sheet and brought up again, shortly after our best bower went,-we then let go the spare anchor, and the gale continuing to increase, prepared to cut away our masts. At this period the Vesuvius having parted her cables, steamed out, scarcely making any headway, and the sea going clean over her. We had now drifted down very near the shore, where there was a most awful surf breaking. About two P.M. our spare hemp cable parted::-we now hung by one solitary hemp cable, and the gale not abating in the least, orders were given to cut away the masts,-and such was the fury of the gale, that directly the main stays were cut, the main-mast fell over the quarter, carrying with it the mizen and foremast, and bowsprit, on which there was one poor fellow, but we fortunately saved him. We now lay a perfect wreck, the foremast having fallen over our hempen cable; we expected every minute to see it go, when nothing could have saved us. It was now blowing so hard I could not stand upon deck, so was obliged to kneel down and hold on. At three we saw the poor little brig part and drive into the surf,-I never expected to see her or a soul belonging to her again. We now hove six of our upper deck guns overboard, and prepared to throw the main deck ones over, in case the cable should part. Such was the fury of the gale, that we scarcely heard the crash of our masts going overboard, and those employed below did not know they were gone. At four P.M. it moderated a little, the sea still tremendous, and a dirty night set in,—a miserable prospect for us; however, we secured the cable as well as we could, as you may suppose no one went to bed, and a wretched night we passed. It appeared to us daylight would never come, when it did arrive it discovered to us the brig almost high and dry on the beach, with her flag up the right way as a signal that all was well; she only lost three men, who ENLARGED SERIES.-NO. 1.-VOL. FOR 1841. attempted to get on shore in one of her boats. It appears that the surf drove her over the first bank into smooth water, which bank I am sure we should never have got over. The weather now cleared up, and the sea went down, and we turned all hands to clearing the wreck. About noon the Vesuvius hove in sight to our great joy, as we began to fear she was gone. She anchored alongside of us, and we got temporary jury-masts up, but the worst part of it was, that our mizen-mast in falling had injured our rudder head, so that we were obliged to steer by the rudder chains all the way to Malta. The next day the Vesuvius took us in tow 140 miles, and then left us not in the most agreeable situation ;-1000 miles from port, no masts, one anchor, and an injured rudder: however, all went to work with good will, and in two days were tolerably comfortable, going six or seven knots, and arrived here in eighteen days, after all not a bad passage. Providence kindly favored us, for next day it blew a gale. Our poor boatswain (Mr. Thomas Scott,) was the only man sacrificed, he, poor fellow, received a severe blow in the back, and died the following day,-a great loss to us. MARMORICE BAY. OUR present number is accompanied by a plan of this bay, which which although it does not equal the more finished survey just completed by Lieut. Graves, commanding the Beacon surveying vessel in the Mediterranean, is highly creditable to the memory of its author, the late Capt. Edmonds of the Navy. It was made at a period in our Naval History of the greatest interest, and the place itself is remarkable as having been the rendezvous of Lord's Keith's squadron previous to the famous battle of Alexandria, in 1801, in which Sir Ralph Abercrombie fell, and died on board Lord Keith's ship. Until that time it was entirely unknown to our ships, and on that occasion was the means of saving them from the effects of a gale on a lee shore. Mr. W. H. Hall, Master of H.M.S. Alfred, whose valuable remarks on Sidon appear in our present number makes the following observations on the Bay of Marmorice, which as being the winter rendezvous of our Mediterranean squadron will be interesting at the present mo ment. "Marmorice Bay is about three leagues in circumference, and may be considered one of the finest for a large fleet in the Mediterranean. The land all round like most parts of Asia Minor, is high and mountainous, and as the entrance is narrow, it is, in consequence, sheltered from all winds. There is deep water, from ten to nineteen fathoms, and good holding ground all over it. "The entrance, or narrows, is not a mile in length, and in some parts very little more than a quarter of a mile across, which leaves but very little room for a large ship to work in. The Alfred turned in twice, and found the wind very baffling, which must be expected, as well as sudden squalls off such high land. "Water may be procured here in abundance, likewise fine wood, and stuff for brooms. "The town, which is small and miserable looking, is situated at the north side, or head of the bay. Poultry, vegetables, and beef may be procured, the latter not good." |