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SALEM, March 5.
A STATE of anxious uncertainty refperiling the fate
of the Brutus, and her cortforts, the Ulysses and
Volufia, has existed ever lince the firft report of their being
■wrecked on Gape Cod in the late severe snow florin, till
yefterdav, when a melancholy relief was afforded by let
ters froth, capts. S. and J. Cook. These three valuable
{hips failed from this port together on Sunday the 2iftult.
It appears from the letters that they kept company to
gether till 12 o’clock at night, when the weather was so
threatening thatcapt. S. Cook, of the Volulia, attempted
to return, but before they could get fight of Cape-Ann it
became so extremely thick of snow, and blew so very
hard, that it was importable to make the land. They
were then under the necefiity of wearing ship
and endeavoring to keep off’ fliore,, which they efferiled un
til 11 o’clock next day, under reefed topsails, Src. tire
wind at K*. n.'e., blowing extremely hard. The firft: thing
prelented to their view was the high land of Cape Cod un
der their lee. “ Finding it importable,” fays capt. S.
Cook’s letter, “ to weather the Cape, we wore ship,
thinking to get into the Cape harbor, which was the only
resource left us to prevent the fate which finally befel us.
It then blowing excertivelv hard, we parted our fore top
fail {licet, and split the fail in nieces, at the fame time
carrying away the flings of the fore vard, which brought
the vard down on deck, and of course rendered our head
fails totally useless. We then had no other alternative
but to get on shore in the bert wav we could for the pre
servation of our lives. In ten minutes the ship struck on a
bar about one mile from the rtiore, previous to which we
had cut away our mizen mart. As soon as rtie struck we
cut the main lanyards; the main mart went immediately
over the fide; and the ship then beat over the bar, and up
on the beach prettv high. We {laid by her till low water,
when, with fome artirtance from the inhabitants, we got
on shore all fafe. We little experiled the other two ships
would have fo’ soon followed us; but, painful to relate!
thev were both loft. The Brutus, capt. William Brown,
vessel and cargo are totallv loft; the captain and mod of
the crew perilhed. The Ulysses, capt. J. Cook, is gone
to pieces, the cargo will be partly laved, with damage.
The Volufia is not bilged, and should the weather be good
she may be got off again; the cargo will, I am in hopes,
be partly saved, blit with great damage.”
Since the date of the above letter the wind has blown
from the eastward, with a heavy sea, and we fear that not
much of the above property can be saved.
Capt. J. Cook, of the Ulysses, writes, that lie was
wrecked about a mile distant from his brother in the Volu
fia; that the goods from his ship might mostly be saved,
though in general damaged. “ Poor capt. Brown,” be
relates, “ is dead, and all his people but five, and his Ihip
and cargo loft.” It does not appear that anv of the hands
either of the Ulysses or Volufia have fuffered any material
injury.
In the death of the worthy capt. Brown the community
fuffer the loss of one of its molt valuable members, ami
his relatives and friends all that can attach to the heft of
characters. We do not learn the names of the individu
als who survived the fatal shipwreck. This fad dlfafter
~n -numerous mourners, and strongly excite the
public sympathy. The loft ty rs ur ‘be regretted.
both for the fake of the enterprising owners and the com
munity; but in the prelent case this is but a secondary
evil.
March 8.
Additional particulars of the loss of the above Jhips,
obtained from mr. Blair, an officer on board the LJ
lyffiss, and who arrived in town on Saturday las
from Cape Cod.
The weather was remarkably fine, and the wind favor
able, on Sunday, February 21 ft, when the ships failed
from Salem; the two former destined for Bourdeaux, and
the 1 itter for the Mediterranean. At sunsetting Cape Ann
lightboufe bore n. n. w. 3 or 4 leagues distant; the wind
at this time was s. E. a light breeze, and all the ships
Food to the e. n. e. in company. The ships about this
time spoke each other, and, upon a confutation between
all the captains, it was finally concluded best not to return
to Salem, but push out to sea as fart as poftible; they there
fore flood to the eastward, but made very little progress,
as the winds were flattering, and at times it was nearly
calm. Soon after midnight the weather grew very threat
ening, and it was found there was no chance of putting
back. At half part 2 o’clock 1. xr. (Monday morning)
the wind veered to the n. e. and it snowed fart, so that
the ships could hardly difeern each other; and at this time
i the ship Volufia separated from the other two. At half
I pall 3 o’clock capt. Brown spoke capt. James Cook, and it
was agreed, as the fufeft plan, to tack ship to the n. n. w.
till day’.)iek, and then to endeavor to run out of the south
channel. By 6 o’clock the gale blew exceflive hard from
n. E. and E. n. e. and the sea run very high. The Brutus
now wore fliip, and flood to the s. e. under a heavy press
of fail; but the Ulysses flood on towards Cape Ann till 8
o’clock, and then wore round, and stood out of the bay,
carrying all the time as much fail as tiie lhip could poftibly
support. The florin continued with increaftd violence,
and the ships were obliged to reduce their fail in the after- |
noon. At 5 o'clock capt. Cook, of the Ulvfl'es, thought i
lie saw the high land of Cape Cod, and immediately wore
ihip to the wefhvard; the wind was now blowing a furious
gale, the weather was dark and gloomy, and the fliip could
only carrv her tore fail and mizen top fails, and they ex
periled every moment to-go on fborc; one of their anchors
waftied aivav from the bows, and it took them more than
an hour to heave it up. At 10 o’clock in the evening the
Ulysses struck the bar on the northern pitch of Cape Cod,
and thumped very hard; the violence and force of the
winds and waves soon carried away the bowsprit and fore
mart, and these were soon followed with the loss of the
main mart and mizen mart, the boats, and every thing on
deck; the crew fled to the cabin for protection; tire Ihip
only lay upon the bar a few minutes, drifted over, and
soon struck the main shore; litre they remained in the fliip
all night, in the greatest anxiety and dirt refs, expecting
every moment would be their last, as the ship bilged, and
fiftvd with water, which came over the cabin floor; they
fortunately, however, were enabled to remain by the
till morning, when the tide left the ship, and they
all got on fhore,land soon got artirtance from fome of the
inhabitants of Ppvincetown.
With refpeclip the fate of the Brutus, and the un for
tunate capt. Bnjwn and his crew, it appears, from the best
accounts we cai collerii, that the fliip struck at about 8
o’clock in the evening, at a place about two miles on this
fide of the lighhoufe; fbe remained fome time on the bar,
ahd they lightened her by throwing overboard a large quan
tity of coffee, ihn she beat over, and soon afterwards run
upon the main btpeh. Capt. Brown now cut away the
mizen mart, and ilext the main mart; here a dreadful and
dirtrerting feene preferred; the fliip parted in two, and the
crew were driven to the hard necefiity of getting on shore
as well as they could; fortunately the main mart fell in
fliore, and affbr/ed a fort of ladder, upon which there was
a chance of hiving their lives; the intrepid capt Brow 11
offered to lead, and was the firjl man who got on fliore;
the two mates followed, and next the Teamen, and all but
one man got on shore in fafety, (one man had previously
fallen from the fore yard, while reefing the fore fail, and
was instantly killed by the fall.) Finding themselves in a
moft dirtrerting situation, being cold and wet, and almost
exhausted, it was necessary to take fome immediate steps
for their preservation; and thev determined to keep in a
body, and if poftible to crol’s the neck of land. Capt.
Brown happened to lie very thinly clad, having loft a com
fortable garment which he held in his hand at the very mo
ment lie was leaving the fliip, and he soon failed in his
strength. Mr. Rues and the hands afiifted him as much as
they were able, but it was to no purpose; be however iuc
ceeded so far as to get over to the western fide of the bay,
and there perished, at a place about one mile from Province
town, and between that and Truro; and, had the party
happened to have varied their course a little to the right or
left, it is more than probable that the greater number might
have been saved, as they muff have come into one of these
towns. By this time, which was towards midnight, meft
of the people began to give cut. Mr. Jacob Ayers, the
second mate, a very worthy and promising young man, per
iflied; and soon after several of the crew followed the fame
fate. 1 hey kept travelling about, and knew not whither
thev went, till about 4 o’clock in the morning of Tueiiiay
they efjiied the lighthouse; having wandered about upwards
of 20 miles backwards and forwards in the course of the
night; the party was now reduced to five perfotls only, and,
exhausted and worn down with fatigue, almost frozen to
death, they were just enabled to reach a final 1 house, situ
ated in the neighborhood of the lighthouse, where the in
habitants humanely alfirded them every necessary aftift
ance. Ti e fortunate ftirvivors are:
Mr. Thomas Putt, firft mate,"!
Joseph Ptiippen iun. i A „ rc ,
*T. r ,j. > All of Salem.
William Rowell,
Robert Martin, J
Daniel Potter, of Marblehead.
The bodies of all the deceased people were found the
next day, and nil decently interred. Capt. Brown was bu
ried at Province town, and the others at Truro, to which
refperihve places they happened to be neared.
‘Kcw York, March 10.
Er.tr a 8 from the log-book of the brhr Ranee ... cqbu In.
o-gj-frij rS sroTTf-tiw, J-A Ttfjvca &y Tide in -.tie, ivDo
sift it, and who arrived here this morning in the
febooner Roebuck , capt. Daw fen, from Gibraltar, j
December .15, i3oi, got under way from Portland j
harbor, bound to St, Lucia, in company with the fliip
Numa, bound for Liverpool. At 12 Cape Elizabeth bore
n. w. distance j leagues, from which-we took our depart
ure. 1
December 16, frefh gales from the it. w. and the latter
part of the 24 hours our vessel begin to leak, the wind
and sea very high. At 3 a. m. dole reefed tiie fore top
fall, and all hands went to work in throwing overboard the j
after part of our deck load, when the leak abated a little, J
the pumps continually going. By misfortune, in heaving 1
over our deck load, loft our axe; had nothing to help our
felves-wi.h but a carpenter’s adze; the wind increased, and
the leak gained upon us, while the weather was so thick
we could not take any observation.
December 17, the wind increaftd to a srale from w. n. w.
with much rain, tiie leak gaining fait upon 11s. Though
both pumps were kept going from 5 to 6 could- not free
her; then handed tiie tup fail, and hove to under two
reefed main fails; in the fiiace ol half un hour one pump
fucked, and the other would not free her. At 7 i>. ?.r. the
deck load Ihifted; the captain then took the adze and cut
away the lee lalfiings, and then the weather ones, the
boards then all going to leeward, the firft sea that struck
her flie upset; by the captain’s orders 1 cut away the wea
ther lanyards, the mafl Inapt ofF at the deck; in the space
of 15 or 20 minutes ffie righted, the main m:-ft tearing up
part of the deck, and carrying away the (larboard pump,
we then being in lat. 41.6. long. 56. 12. the boom being
laffied in the crotch I cut the hoops and lashings of the
tri-fail mart, secured the boom, main fail, and gait, and
got the tri-fail mail on board, and secured it; then went
to secure fome water and provisions, but found it very dif
ficult; 1 got niy chefl and the captain’s out of the cabin,
and 14 bags of crackers, when a sea came and waftied all
overboard. The cabin being full of water there was no
pofiibility of going below; all went forward. The keg of
rum wafiied up, so that we got it, and carried forward
with us, this and iix pieces of lalt beef. Now all our flock
of provisions confided of these fix pieces of fiilt beef and
fix or seven gallons of new rum. O Heavens! what were
our thoughts at this time? So ends the dav.
December 18. The firft part of these 24 hours got the
main fail forward, and made a she Iter to keep us from the
spray and rain, if porthole. This day Elijah Bangs died
with cold and drinking rum. A brisk wind and a bad sea.
We looked at each other with silent grief.
December 19. Nothing remarkable these 24 hours;
! the weather very rough, and we look at each other as near
j to death.
December 20. Rough blowing weather. I fixed the
companion way so as to sleep there, myielf and boy.
December 21. Saw a fail, which gives all a plea ling
sensation.. We had hopes that Providence would fend
someone to our relief; but the vessel was so far off as not
to fee our hull. It continued rough and cloudy.
Nothing remarkable till the 24th, when Lawrence died.
The weather very rough all these 24 hours. Oh! f„ -I
water! Wedefpaired o r life and wiftieft to di s . V
December 25. This day began to cat the ffln, .1
fellow fufferers, but could net keep it down. Th, ‘ft
very rough. This day Harry Thompfondeparted thrift
Water! Oh, for water! I die! this was the rrv v'’®
remarkable till ‘ °^ft
December 27. This day cant. Ingersoll depa- jft
life. The weather rough and blowing. V
December 29. This day more moderate, and I
rain. I got tlie tarpawlin fixed over the comnaihoifft
so that 1 caught aboat one quart of rain water \ v rft
immediately drank up, and in the morning I
thigh, and made a hearty breakfaft! ° 31,!31! ft
December 30. These 24 hours moderate, with J
so that we caught five gallons of water, and Jz;ftph p/jjft
drank so much that in the space of 12 hours he de ft
this life for a better to come. We ftiil continue to ft
on our fellow fufferers. The weather continued bly -ft
very heavy, with rain. w
January 10, at 3p. m. saw a fail, and at Pl M M
flood for us; but rtie being to leeward of us could ft
fetch us on that tack; but at 8 rtie came up with
Hie proved to be the Morgan Rattler of Danbury ’ c ft
Job Sampson, bound to Marftilles, who sent his “boat
board, this being in hit. 39. 3. long. 52. We continud
on beard the Morgan Rattler until the sth of Fcbruarv,
when we spoke the schooner Roebuck, capt. Bawf 1
from Gibraltar, bound for New York, in'lit. 33.
took us 011 board, and treated us in the moft humane ami
generous manner. The boy, John Green, whole feethad
been badly frozen on board the horrid wreck, was no *
taken great care of by capt. Dawson, so that he is able to
walk about.
Thus, after being 24 days, and fulfilling for ig onl®,
man flefh, without water, were tv o of us, my ft If aw
bov, mercifully preserved; the rest, five in number all
died.
r l he mate now begs leave to make bis own and his f c ft
low fufferer’s heartfelt thanks, both to capt. Sampson a aft
capt. Dawson, and to assure them that nothing can tvft
dhninifh their gratjtude. |
March 20. We are informed from a refperilable sourest
that mr. Dupont, (the son) who returned on Wednefdajft
fVoin the city of Wafliington, let out again cn Thurfdaft
from this city for the fame, for the purpole of obtaining a■
loan of fix millions of dollars for the use of the firft confulft
of the French republic. He intends, if poftible, to pro-1
cure three millions in specie, and take the relidue in (loresl
for the use of the fleet in the Weft Indies. 1
March 24. The following is an ext rad of a letter from ft
a member of congress at Wafliington, received ytfterday.B
“ -1 his day the French consul informs us that a French ft
fleet of 25 fail of the fine may be e>periled in the Chefa-ft
jieake in all next week. Their objerii is provisions for their I
army in the Wert Indies, but they hat e no money to pur- 1
chafe with.” 1
March 25. The fee ret ary of the College of Physicians
of Philadelphia lm inoculated 17 patients with the find!-
pox who had gone through the kine pox, without com
’'■"’yy.-C/ttil g the diieafe in a Ancle hjhr.cc,
1 /.’ HZilitflpv iiiurt)/ iTI rtvctl isl UIU JJUI 1. jvuw*
day afternoon, the French frigate Necessity, commanded
by Kergarion, in 16 da) s from Cape Francois. We are
unable to state upon wbat objerii this vessel has been dis
patched to the United States. The general impreflion is,
she is deffme-u to procure lupplies of provisions for the forces
at St. Domingo.
The pro sent inf cure situation of the French Vvt-ft In.
di i irtands must render all trade with them precarious, if
not dangerous. The American commerce of the Weft In
dies generally, we are inclined to believe, will fuffer, in
consequence of the neceflitous circumstances of the French
forces in that quarter; unlcfs, indeed, our government
iliould engage to guarantee the traffic. 1 lie immense bo
dy of men now at St- Domingo must be fed. It is well
understood that they do not possess any means to indemni
fy our merchants for their cargoes; of course lupplies will
be withheld. What will be the consequence? It will not
be nrefuniing to aver, that, in this predicament, tiie French
vessels of’ war will detain all American vessels, loaded with
provisions, which mav be found in thole leas. Lay, un
der such imperious circumstances, we cannot rest affurd,
bat that our ports, towns, and granaries, would become
the feenes violence and plunder.
March 23. In addition to the information given yes
terday, by the captain of tiie French vessel of war, we learn,
that, previous to*liis departure for Cape Francois, a ’ ( P ‘
ron from Cadiz, under admiral Linois, arrived there. **j
number of troops are not known. Several of the ft.ipao
war have left the Cape, on their return to France. _ i
Cbarlejlon , April 6. Arrived, fliip d vo lienas ’
M‘Niel, Bourdeaux, 32 days; ship John, Howe, - or ‘
don, <;4 days; brig Wexford, Doble, Bourdeaux,
days; brig Minerva, Kramp, Hamburgh, 54 and a W*
Capt. M‘Niel failed from Bourdeaux the sth of Marc-i
at w'iiicli time the negotiations were continued at Amiem
with the fame arilivity and secrecy as formerly, j ou
sand rumors were in circulation as to the caufcs of c a :-
but nothing was known certainly, no official ftatemem
having been made by either party of the progrets of ne s° l1 ’
ation. The Spanifli minister, M. D’Azzara, a i nveQa
Amiens about the lart of January; this, it stems, has
efferiled by the particular request of the firft confu , v
entertains a high opinion of his talents and integrity*
April 8. Yeftcrday arrived, the fliip Der Drag,
derfon, Bourdeaux, 38 days; fliip Ranger, Leveu,
don, 57 days. ,-.
April 9. Yesterday arrived, the fliip Elizabeth,
gent, Havre, 36 days. . B
April 12. Arrived, fliip Northern Liberties, e>
I.ondon, 36 days. __
H R IST ’SCHURCH.
THE Members of this Church are notifitd to meet --
the Church Lot, on Easter Monday, the iff 1 ,
ftant, to choose seven Veftrynien and two Wardens
the current year.
JOSEPH CLAY, 1 Wardens.
WILLIAM STEPHENS, J
iGth April, 1802.