Letters received from St. Helena, in 1802, give a most singular and affecting narrative respecting six deserters from the artillery of the island. Their extraordinary adventures produced a course of inquiry on the 12th of December last, when John Brown, one of the survivors, delivered the following account upon oath, before Captain Desfontaine, president, Lieutenant B. Hodson, and Ensign Young.

“In June, 1799, I belonged to the first company of artillery, in the service of this garrison, and on the 10th of that month, about half an hour before parade time, M’Kinnon, gunner, and orderly of the 2d company, asked me if I was willing to go with him on board an American ship, called the Columbia, Captain Henry Lelar, the only ship then in the Roads. After some conversation, I agreed, and met him about seven o’clock at the play-house, where I found one M’Quinn, of Major Searle’s Company, another man called Brighouse, another called Parr, and the sixth, Matthew Conway.

“Parr was a good seaman, and said he would take us to the island of Ascension, or lay off the harbour till the Columbia could weigh anchor and come out. We went down about eight o’clock to the West Rocks, where the American boat was waiting for us, manned with three American seamen, which took us alongside the Columbia. We went on board. Parr went down into the cabin; and we changed our clothes after having been on board half an hour.

“Brighouse and Conway proposed to cut out a whale-boat from out of the harbour, to prevent the Columbia from being suspected; which they effected, having therein a coil of rope and five oars, with a large stone she was moored by. This happened about eleven o’clock at night.

“We observed lanterns passing on the line towards the Sea-gate, and hearing a great noise, thought we were missed, and searched for. We immediately embarked in the whale-boat, with twenty-five pounds of bread in a bag, and a small keg of water, supposed to contain about thirteen gallons, one compass, and one quadrant, given to us by the commanding officer of the Columbia; but in our great hurry the quadrant was either left behind or dropped over-board.

“We then left the ship, pulling with two oars only, to get a-head of her. The boat was half full of water, and nothing to bale her out. In this condition we rowed out to sea, and lay off the island a great distance, expecting the American ship hourly.

“About twelve o’clock the second day, no ship appearing, by Parr’s advice, we bore away, steering N. by W. and then N.N.W. for the island of Ascension, using our handkerchie as substitutes for sails. We met with a gale of wind, which continued two days. The weather then became very fine, and we supposed we had run ten miles an hour. M’Kinnon kept a reckoning, with pen, ink, and paper, supplied by the Columbia, as also charts and maps.

“We continued our course till about the 18th in the morning, when we saw a number of birds, but no land. About twelve that day Parr said he was sure we must be past the island, accounting it to be eight hundred miles from St. Helena. We then each of us took our shirt, and with them made a small sprit-sail, and laced our jackets and trowsers together at the waistband, to keep us warm; and then altered our course to W. by N. thinking to make Rio de Janeiro, on the American coast. Provisions running very short, we allowanced ourselves only one ounce of bread for twenty-four hours, and two mouthfuls of water.

“We continued until the 20th, when all our provisions were expended. On the 27th, M’Quinn took a piece of bamboo in his mouth to chew, and we all followed his example. On that night, it being my turn to steer the boat, and remembering to have read of persons eating their shoes, I cut a piece off one of mine; but it being soaked with salt water, I was obliged to spit it out, and take the inside sole, which I ate part of, and distributed to the rest, but found no benefit from it.

“On the 1st of July, Parr caught a dolphin with a graff, that had been left in the boat. We all fell on our knees, and thanked God for his goodness to us. We tore up the fish, and hung it to dry: about four we ate part of it, which agreed with us pretty well. On this fish we subsisted till the 4th, about eleven o’clock, when, finding the whole expended, bones and all, Parr, myself, Brighouse, and Conway, proposed to scuttle the boat, and let her go down, to put us out of our misery. The other two objected, observing, that God who had made man, always found him something to eat.

“On the 5th, about eleven, M’Kinnon proposed, that it would be better to cast lots for one of us to die, in order to save the rest; to which we consented. William Parr, being sick two days before with the spotted fever, was excluded. He wrote the numbers out, and put them in a hat, which we drew out blindfolded, and put them in our pockets. Parr then asked whose lot it was to die—none of us knowing what numbers we had in our pockets—each one praying to God that it might be his lot. It was agreed that No. 5 should die, and the lots being unfolded, M’Kinnon’s was No. 5.

“We had agreed, that he whose lot it was should bleed himself to death; for which purpose we had provided ourselves with nails sharpened, which we got from the boat. M’Kinnon with one of them cut himself in three places, in his hand, foot, and wrist, and praying God to forgive him, died in about a quarter of an hour.

“Before he was quite cold, Brighouse, with one of those nails, cut a piece of flesh off his thigh, and hung it up, leaving the body in the boat. About three hours after we ate of it—only a very small bit. This piece lasted us until the 7th. We dipped the body every two hours into the sea, to preserve it. Parr having found a piece of slate in the bottom of the boat, he sharpened it on the other large stone, and with it cut another piece of the thigh, which lasted us until the 8th; when, it being my watch, and observing the water about break of day to change colour, I called the rest, thinking we were near shore; but saw no land, it not being quite day-light.

“As soon as day appeared, we discovered land right a-head, and steered towards it. About eight in the morning we were close to the shore. There being a very heavy surf, we endeavoured to turn the boat’s head to it: but being very weak, we were unable. Soon after the boat upset! Myself, Conway, and Parr, got on shore, M’Quinn and Brighouse were drowned.

“We discovered a small hut on the beach, in which were an Indian and his mother, who spoke Portuguese; and I understanding that language, learnt that there was a village about three miles distant, called Belmont. This Indian went to the village, and gave information that the French had landed, and in about two hours the governor of the village, (a clergyman), with several armed men, took Conway and Parr prisoners, tying them by their hands and feet, and slinging them on a bamboo stick; and in this manner took them to the village. I being very weak, remained in the hut some time, but was afterwards taken.

“On our telling them we were English, we were immediately released, and three hammocks provided. We were taken in them to the governor’s house, who let us lie on his own bed, and gave us milk and rice; but not having eaten any thing for a considerable time, we were lock-jawed, and continued so till the 23d, during which time the governor wrote to the governor of St. Salvador, who sent a small schooner to a place called Porto Seguro, to take us to St. Salvador. We were then conducted to Porto Seguro on horseback, passing through Santa Croix, where we remained about ten days. Afterwards we embarked; and, on our arrival at St. Salvador, Parr, on being questioned by the governor, answered, “that our ship had foundered at sea, and we had saved ourselves in the boat; that the ship’s name was the Sally, of Liverpool, and belonged to his father, and was last from Cape Coast Castle, on the coast of Africa, to touch at the Ascension for turtle, and then bound for Jamaica.” Parr said he was the captain.

“We continued at St. Salvador about 13 days, during which time the inhabitants made up a subscription of 200£. each man. We then embarked in the Maria, a Portuguese ship, for Lisbon; Parr as mate, Conway boatswain’s-mate, myself being sickly as passenger. In thirteen days we arrived at Rio de Janeiro. Parr and Conway sailed for Lisbon, and I was left in the hospital. In about three months Captain Elphinstone, of the Diomede, pressed me into his majesty’s service, giving me the choice of remaining on that station or to proceed to the admiral at the Cape. I chose the latter, and was put, with seven suspected deserters, on board the Ann, a Botany Bay ship, in irons, with the convicts. When I arrived at the Cape I was put on board the Lancaster, of 64 guns. I never entered. I at length received my discharge; since which I engaged in the Duke of Clarence as a seaman. I was determined to give myself up the first opportunity, in order to relate my sufferings to the men at this garrison, to deter them from attempting so mad a scheme again.”

“In attending to the above narrative, as simple as it is affecting, we cannot help noticing the justice of Providence, so strikingly exemplified in the melancholy fate of M’Kinnon, the deluder of these unhappy men, and the victim of his own illegal and disgraceful scheme. May his fate prove a memento to soldiers and sailors, and a useful though awful lesson to the encouragers and abettors of desertion.”

The following is an account of another famine, given by Captain Bradshaw, commander of the Andalusia, in a letter, dated Halifax, April 30, 1759.

On the 27th day of February, about two o’clock in the afternoon, we saw a vessel without masts, about three miles to leeward of us; and immediately bore down to see what she was: I found it to be the Dolphin sloop, Captain Baron, from the Canaries, bound to New York; they had been from the Canaries ever since September 11th, 165 days; 115 of which they had nothing to eat. I sent my boat on board to see what condition they were in; my people called to me and told me they were helpless and starving, and desired to know whether I would take them on board.—I ordered my people to put them in the boat, and bring them on board, which accordingly they did. When they came alongside our ship we were obliged to haul them in with ropes, they were so very weak: there were the captain and seven others; but such poor miserable creatures sure never were seen: had it been a week longer they must all have died. When I came to examine the captain and the people, they told me, that they had not any provisions for upwards of three months before they saw me; they had eaten their dog, their cats, and all their shoes, and in short, every thing that was eatable on board. On the 10th of January they all agreed to cast lots for their lives, which accordingly they did; the shortest lot was to die; the next shortest to be the executioner. The lot fell upon Anthony Gallitia, a Spanish Gentleman, a passenger; they shot him through the head, which they cut off and threw overboard; they then took out his bowels and ate them, and afterwards ate all the remaining part of the body, which lasted but a very short time. The captain told me, they were about to cast lots a second time, but it happened very luckily that he bethought himself of a pair of breeches, which he had lined with leather; he soon found them, took out the lining, and cut off for each man’s share a piece of about an inch and a half square, for the day’s allowance; that, with the grass that grew upon deck, was all the support they had for about twenty days before I met with them: the grass was in some places four or five inches high. The captain brought on board the remaining part of the leather lining, which I have got, and a piece of the same that was the allowance of one man for the day. No words in my power to express, are sufficient to describe the truly deplorable and wretched condition these poor unfortunate sufferers were in when I met with them.

During Lord Anson’s voyage round the world, the Spaniards fitted out a squadron of ships (to traverse the views and enterprizes of the English vessels), one of which, the Admiral’s ship, named the Asia, of 66 guns, when off Cape Horn, was reduced to such infinite distress, that after every kind of sustenance failed, the sailors gave four dollars a piece for every rat that could be caught; and some little time previous to this, a sailor who died on board, had his death concealed by his brother, who, during that time, lay in the same hammock with the corpse, only to receive the dead man’s allowance of provisions. In this shocking situation, they were alarmed (if their horrors were capable of augmentation) by the discovery of a conspiracy among the marines, which was to massacre the officers and the crew of the ship, that they might satisfy their hunger by eating their bodies. But their designs were discovered, when just upon the point of execution, by means of one of the conspirators, and three of the ringleaders were put to death. At length, though the conspiracy was suppressed, yet by the complicated misfortunes of sickness, fatigue, and hunger, which could not be alleviated until too late, the greatest part of the ship’s company died a lingering and painful death; so that when the ship arrived at the River de la Plate, out of nearly seven hundred men, only about fifty were remaining alive, and scarcely able to crawl for want of nourishment.

“We have also the following account of forty-two persons who perished by famine and shipwreck, near Spitzbergen, in the year 1746.”

John Cornelius, of Muniken, being ordered to Spitzbergen, to catch whales, he set sail in a galliot, on the 6th of May, 1746, and arrived on the 3d of June following near Spitzbergen, with an intention to anchor in the bay, but was by the vast floods of ice-shoals forced to keep out at sea. After having in vain cruised up and down among the ice-shoals, they got into the bay, but perceiving two whales farther at sea, they sent out their sloop in pursuit of them.

Whilst they were rowing up and down, to watch the motions of these creatures, they discovered at a distance a great ice-shoal, with something white upon it, which at first sight they imagined to be bears (they being generally white there;) but one Ellert Johnson, who was in the sloop to manage the harpoon, judging by the motion that it was something else, persuaded them to row that way, which being done accordingly, they not long afterwards perceived the same to be a piece of a rope belonging to the sails of a ship, which was held up by a man as a signal of the utmost distress; so they rowed up to it with all the oars they had, and coming near, found, to their great surprise, four living men, and one dead one, all Englishmen, upon the ice-shoal, who, upon their bended knees, expressed their joy and thankfulness for so unexpected a deliverance from the jaws of death. They were taken into the sloop, and carried to the bay aboard the ship.

These unfortunate men had cut a large hole, in the nature of a subterraneous cave, into the ice, and round the entrance thereof had placed the pieces of ice that were cut out of the concavity, to defend themselves against the violence of the winds and waves. In this hole they had spent fourteen days, it being so long since they had lost their ship. At first there were in all forty-two of them, and they had saved some victuals and tools, with their sloop. The commander, however, perceiving, after a little while, that it was impossible for them to hold out long on the ice-shoal, resolved to go ashore in the sloop, with seventeen of his men, and afterwards to send word back how matters stood there. This was done accordingly, but it blowing very hard, and they not having heard the least tidings of them since, they were afraid that they were drowned before they reached the shore.

There were twenty-four left upon the ice-shoal, but the want of provisions increasing daily amongst them, and they being reduced to a starving condition, and expecting nothing but present death, resolved to divide themselves, and to get upon several other ice-shoals, in hopes, by some chance or other, to come near the shore; but whether some of them got ashore, or were taken up by some ships, or swallowed up by the waves, they were not able to tell.

Certain it is, that four of them, the miserable remnants of forty-two, were found sitting together upon this ice-shoal, overwhelmed with affliction, without any hopes of being saved from the last extremity, which they were reduced to by frost and hunger, before the Dutch ship came in sight of them, having had nothing to feed upon for some time but a leathern belt, which they had divided and eaten, share and share alike, till it was all consumed.

After they were brought to the Dutch ship, the surgeon took all imaginable care for their recovery, notwithstanding which, three of them died in a few days after; so that of forty-two, wherewith this ship was manned, no more than one escaped with life, who arriving in September, 1746, in the galliot, the Delft, upon the Meuse; from thence he returned to England, his native country.