Mr Thomas Macurich, mate of the Smeaton, and James Scott, one of the crew, a young man about 18 years of age, immediately went into their boat to make fast a hawser to the ring in the top of the floating-buoy of the moorings, and were forthwith to proceed to land their cargo, so much wanted at the Rock. The tides at this period were very strong, and the mooring-chain, when sweeping the ground, had caught hold of a rock or piece of wreck, by which the chain was so shortened that when the tide flowed, the buoy got almost under water, and little more than the ring appeared at the surface. When Macurich and Scott were in the act of making the hawser fast to the ring, the chain got suddenly disentangled at the bottom, and this large buoy, measuring about 7 feet in height, and 3 feet in diameter at the middle, tapering to both ends, being what seamen term a _Nun-buoy_, vaulted or sprung up with such force, that it upset the boat, which instantly filled with water. Mr Macurich, with much exertion, succeeded in getting hold of the boat’s gunwale, still above the surface of the water, and by this means was saved; but the young man Scott was unfortunately drowned. He had, in all probability, been struck about the head by the ring of the buoy, for although surrounded with the oars and the thwarts of the boat which floated near him; yet he seemed entirely to want the power of availing himself of such assistance, and appeared to be quite insensible, while Pool, the master of the Smeaton, called loudly to him: and, before assistance could be got from the Tender, he was carried away by the strength of the current, and disappeared! A signal of distress was immediately hoisted, when one of the boats of the landing-master’s crew instantly attended to Macurich’s safety, and picked him up in a very exhausted state, but he happily soon recovered. [Sidenote: His mother gets a small annuity.] The young man Scott was a great favourite in the service, having had something uncommonly mild and complaisant in his manner; and his loss was therefore universally regretted. The circumstances of his case were also peculiarly distressing to his mother, as her husband, who was a seaman, had, for three years past, been confined to a French prison, and the deceased was the chief support of the family. In order, in some measure, to make up the loss to the poor woman for the monthly aliment regularly allowed her by her late son, it was suggested, that a younger boy, a brother of the deceased, might be taken into the service. This appeared to be rather a delicate proposition, but it was left to the landing-master to arrange according to circumstances: such was the resignation, and at the same time the spirit of the poor woman, that she readily accepted the proposal, and in a few days the younger Scott was actually afloat in the place of his brother. On representing this distressing case to the Board, the Commissioners were pleased to grant an annuity of L. 5 to Scott’s mother.