Until now we had hopes of eſcape, but juſt before night we looked into the hold and ſaw the caſks floating about; this drove us to deſpair, and we forſook the pumps without a ray of hope but from the immediate interpoſition of divine Providence. Many of the people now began to pray, and I went into the cabbin and ſat upon one of the gun-carriages. I had not been there long before I ſaw cheſts floating about, and perceived that the tide was flowing on us very faſt; by direction of the Capt. all left the cabbin and came upon the quarter-deck. It is not poſſible to deſcribe my ſenſations at this period; death appeared inevitable, and we waited every moment for its approach! Even now, when I recollect my feelings it is difficult to ſteady my pen! And indeed I had ground enough for my apprehenſions, for we had not been long upon the quarter-deck before the water upon the main-deck was even with it. Our fore-maſt was ſtill ſtanding, which cauſed the veſſel to roll very much, but when we had cut that away ſhe lay ſtiller. The brig now lay ſunk; the tide was flowing faſt and the ſea broke very heavily over us. We were all upon the quarter-deck, and the water came in upon us ancle deep. There was a ſail in the netting upon the windward-quarter, which we contrived to laſh over us, but there were ſo many under it that we ſhould have been ſtifled for want of breath, if we had not cut places to let in the air. The tide was then about at its height but the ſtorm did not abate. There was nothing to be heard around but ſcreeches, groans and deep lamentations for themſelves and their families, and earneſt cries to GOD for mercy and relief! There was ſuch a croud upon the quarter deck we could not ſtand up without treading upon one another. Being in a ſtruggle I was thrown down and trampled upon as if the breath would be crouded out of my body: However I ſoon recovered my feet and trampled upon others in my turn; for the immediate regard which every man had to his own life prevented him from attending to the diſtreſſes of his neighbours! Struggling in this manner and trying to clear ourſelves from thoſe who fell down had pulled off moſt of our ſhoes, and the wet and cold ſoon froze our feet. Nature could ſuſtain it no longer and the people began to die all around me. Capt. _John Ruſſell_ of _Barnſtable_ was the firſt of thoſe with whom I was acquainted that died, but many others ſoon followed him. Fatigue and diſtreſs, added to the extreme cold and deſpair of relief, put a period to the lives of great numbers. Thoſe who were able to ſtand were obliged to huddle up cloſe together, and breathe in each other’s faces to preſerve them from freezing to death, while their comrades were dying around them all night. In the morning a moſt awful ſight preſented itſelf to us; 60 of our Comrades lay dead acroſs each other, and but 2 of my Townſmen were among the living!