Narrative of a Voyage to India; of a Shipwreck on board the Lady Castlereagh; and a Description of New South WalesCramp, W. B.
History
Narrative of a Voyage to India; of a Shipwreck on board the Lady Castlereagh; and a Description of New South Wales
Cramp, W. B.
India -- Description and travel; Lady Castlereagh (Ship); New South Wales -- Description and travel; Voyages and travels
The men from fatigue and pain, from sleeping on the wet decks, and
continual pumping, came aft, and said the clouds threatened another
storm, and that the monsoons were growing very strong, and in case the
weather should alter for the worse, they had not strength left to
work the ship in another gale, from want of nourishment; and that
provided the officers did not think proper to remove to a place of
safety, they were determined to take charge of her and proceed to
Trincomalee, and deliver the vessel into the hands of the
under-writers. All our remonstrances to them were in vain, until the
chief mate pledged his word and honour, that if the captain did not
join her the next morning, he would, ill as he was, take charge of her
and proceed there himself.
On the following morning the captain joined her, with the hon. L. G.
K. Murray, secretary to the board of trade at Madras, when they
brought on board a quantity of provisions, which we stood very much in
need of, and immediately made sail and arrived the same day at
Pondicherry. The governor sent us on board a new anchor, as our own
was sprung. Pondicherry is a town of Hindostan, under the French
government, and situated on the coast of Coromandel, seventy-five
miles S. S. W. of Madras.
On the following day we run into Cuddalore, a little above the first
bar. Cuddalore is a town of Hindostan, one hundred miles S. S. W. of
Madras. Thirty of the ship's company being sick, they, with me, were
compelled to leave the ship, and forced to proceed on shore to the
hospital. I was about this time seized with a violent fit of the
cholera morbus. It is supposed to originate from the cold damp airs
which are very prevalent at this time of the season. A gentleman's
bungalow was humanely given up as a hospital, or friendly receptacle,
for our incapacitated seamen, during our sojourn at Cuddalore.
The possibility of visiting the native town was precluded by the
peculiar strictness of the regulations imposed upon us.
SECTION VI.
THE AUTHOR'S DEPARTURE FROM CUDDALORE AND ARRIVAL AT
PONDICHERRY--DEPARTURE THEREFROM, AND ARRIVAL AT MADRAS,
WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE SAME--ACCOUNT OF THE RELIGION,
CUSTOMS, AND MANNERS OF THE NATIVES--DEPARTURE FROM MADRAS,
ON HIS ROUTE TO NAGPORE,--ARRIVAL AT PONAMALEE, AND
DESCRIPTION OF THE SAME--HIS DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL AT
CUDDAPAH.
After I had thoroughly recovered, through the interest of a young
German widow, I obtained my acquittal from the ship, and then
proceeded to New Town for my passport. New Town lies about two miles
and a half E. N. E. of Cuddalore, and is the residence of the
Europeans in that neighbourhood; the houses of the Europeans are
generally built of brick and those of the natives of wood. The day
after I had obtained my passport I proceeded on my route and arrived
at Pondicherry the same evening.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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