Rambles among the Channel Islands / by a Naturalist.

Date:
[1855?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Rambles among the Channel Islands / by a Naturalist. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    dispersed the fleet, and disabled several of the frigates composing it. The other ships, after the gale was over, safely reached Spithead; but the Victory, having on board the admiral, a splendid line-of-battle ship, carrying 110 brass guns and eleven hundred men, among which were about fifty gentlemen volunteers, was nowhere to be found. Two of the King’s ships were sent in search of her, and met with several pieees of a wreck, and part of a carved work which belonged to the stern. On making in- quiry at Alderney, it appeared that on the night in question they had heard upwards of a hundred guns fired, which they conceived to have been from some vessel in distress. At daylight the vessel was clearly seen making signals of distress, but the tremendous storm which was blowing rendered it impossible to render any assistance. The signal guns con- tinued to be fired during the next night, and ceased at the break of day, when probably the magnificent ship went to pieces. The inha- bitants of Alderney saw the sea covered with pieces of the wreck, and not a single individual of the eleven hundred on board escaped to give an account of the calamity. The Victory was the largest ship in the British fleet, possessed the finest set of guns, masts, and rigging, was manned by the flower of the navy, and carried