Our ship lay in a channel between a small island and the north end of the island of Tackanova[40] on which was the town and our beche-le-mer establishment at a short distance from the ship. The 1st officer, three of the crew, the Manilla men and several English sailors, whom we employed, were on shore curing beche-le-mer, when an _excessive hard gale_ came on from E. S. E. about 8 P. M. on the 21st. At ten, all hands were call’d and the sheet anchor let go, but as the other cable was payed all out it could bring no strain until the ship began to drift. It continuing to blow very hard and every appearance of a hard gale coming, we proceeded to get our yards and masts down and at 3 P. M. having got the top-gall-masts and main-top-masts down we found the ship drifting and immediately let go the small chain-anchors, one of which was back’d with the ship’s kedge, and payed out a long scope on all the cables. We also got down the fore-top-masts and lower yards. At 9.30, the wind increasing and the ship having drifted so far as to be exposed to the sea, which had now become very high and confused, we payed out the bitter end[41] of all the cables. At 10 A. M. we perceived by the land, which could only be seen at intervals, that the ship had drifted 7 or 8 miles along the coast and was in a most dangerous situation, the current setting against us and the wind having increased to a hurricane, the sea running very high. Breakers were all round us and there seemed but little chance to save the ship, so we cut away the lower masts and with them went almost every moveable thing from the deck. The breakers were soon seen astern and at about 11 A. M. the ship struck on the shore reef, having drifted 10 miles from her anchorage. The sea soon drove her upon the reef where she bilged and fell over on her side, heeling in towards the land and protecting us from the sea which beat against her with great violence. We were fortunate in having a chief[42] on board of considerable influence with the natives, who advised us to land if possible and proceed to the town, as the mountaineers would come on board for plunder and would not scruple to take our lives which he could not possibly prevent. Accordingly the ship was delivered to the chief and we proceeded to clear away the boats. Our launch went adrift and was lost in the beginning of the gale and when we lowered a quarter boat it immediately went to pieces. In the two left, we, after much difficulty and danger, succeeded in reaching the shore in safety with no property but our clothes.