Particulars refpeating the laft Illness and Death of the Emperor.

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unfavourable fymptoms began to alarm his phyficians.

On the 6th his majesty was thought to be rather better. Dr. Querin, his first phyfician, was created a baron; and, as a proof of his majefty's confidence in his skill, received a prefent of ten thousand florins.

It was on the 7th that the emperor was made fully acquainted with the danger of his diforder. It was on that day that the emperor fent for Querin, and infifted on knowing the doctor's real opinion of his cafe. The doctor replied, with tears in his eyes, "Sire, your diforder is incurable."-The monarch, feemingly not at all affected, faid, "I have mighty affairs on my mind that I wish to settle. Do you think I may be able to hold out a few weeks longer?"-"Your majefty may, it is poffible," faid the doctor; "but fuch is the nature of your complaint, that I fhould conceal from your majefty the truth, if I did not tell you, that, in cafes like yours, the patients are every minute in danger of being carried off." The emperor, on hearing this, was filent for fome moments. He then figned a dispatch which his minif ters had prepared for him. It was directed to his brother, the grand duke of Tuscany: the object was, to apprize his brother of his approaching diffolution, and to prefs his highness's prefence at Vienna. The dispatch was inftantly fent off. A fhort time after this interview, the emperor feemed more compofed, and inclined to rest.

He continued for fome days in a

ftate of great compofure, did bufinefs with his five fecretaries, rose in the morning, was dreffed, and walk

quently violent, and at those times he seemed in danger of fuffocation.

On the 13th he received the holy facrament in the royal apartments; at which time he called all his fecretaries before him, fpoke to each with great condefcenfion, recommending fidelity in their feveral departments to his fucceffor, and, as a proof of his approbation of their conduct to himself, ordered each a thousand ducats.

On the 14th he continued in the fame ftate of contemplative ferenity in which he had remained for fome days before. But on the 15th he grew worfe; and at eight in the morning, being thought by his phyficians to be in great danger, he received the extreme unction.

On the 16th he ftill continued ftruggling with death, as loath to leave a country convulfed and embarraffed as his dominions were, without being able to recommend to his fucceffor any practicable plan for their arrangement.

On the 17th his favourite niece, the archduchefs Elizabeth, who did not, expect to be delivered till March, being an eye-witnefs of the near approach of the emperor's death, was fuddenly taken in labour in the morning; at fix in the evening the was feized with ftrong convulfions; at nine was delivered; and at fix next morning expired.

The emperor, who had a truly paternal affection for this amiable princefs, whom he himself had chofen as a fit confort for his nephew, was inceffantly making enquiries after her health, after hearing the was in labour; and it was thought pro

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per at laft, that his majesty's confeffor fhould break to him the melancholy event, which probably accelerated his death by fome hours.

His majesty, the day after the death of the archduchess, sent to the countess de Chancos an order for 100,000 florins, as a mark of gratitude for the attention which she had fhewn to this beloved princess. The counters had been at the head of her royal highnefs's household.

ate.

About the fame time, finding death drawing near, his majefty fent for cardinal Migazi, archbishop of Vienna. When he arrived, My lord," faid the Emperor, "my life is drawing faft to an end: it is fit that I fhould die in Chriftian peace with all men. If I have of fended you, I intreat your forgivenefs; and through you the forgivenefs of all mankind." "Sire," faid his eminence, with tears in his eyes, "the offences you have committed against man, your death will expiFor thofe accountable to God, God is merciful." From ten o'clock at night on the 19th, till half after five on the 20th, his majefty continued in the agonies of death, and at that hour expired, in the 49th year of his age, and in the 26th year of his reign as emperor of the Romans, and the 10th as king of Hungary and Bohemia. He fucceeded to the imperial crown, on the demife of his father Francis, the 18th of Auguft, 1765; and to the hereditary dominions of the house of Auftria, on the death of his mother Maria Therefa, Nov. 29, 1780. He was twice married: rit, to a princefs of Parma, and, again, to a princefs of Bavaria; but, having left no iffue, the hereditary honours of his house devolve on his brother, Peter

Leopold Jofeph, grand duke of Tufcany.

Two days before his death, he wrote with his own hand a farewell letter to the emprefs of Raffia, who, it is faid, lies dangerously ill. He wrote likewife to prince Potemkin; as it is fuppofed recommending peace.

Account of the miraculous Escape of Captain Bligh, of the Bounty Sloop.

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HIS fhip failed from England

in the autumn of 1787, on a voyage to the Society Inlands, for bread-fruit trees, intended for our Weft-India fettlements; in which climate, it was the opinion of Sir Jofeph Banks, they might be fuccefsfully cultivated, and prove a fuccedaneum for other provifions in times of scarcity.

The Bounty had made good the object of her voyage, so far as to have received on board a great number of these trees in various stages of growth; and there was every profpect of there being capable of prefervation.

The fhip, thus laden, quitted Otaheite, on the 4th of April, 1789, and continued her courfe in a wefterly direction, touching at one more island, and then meditating her progrefs through the Pacific Ocean, towards the Moluccas.

The fhip loft fight of the Friendly iflands on the 27th of that month, and every thing like good order was fuppofed to prevail on board; even the mid-watch was relieved without the leaft apparent diforder: but, at day-break on the 28th, the cabin of Captain Bligh, who commanded the Bounty, was forcibly entered by the

officer

officer of the watch, affifted by three others upon the watch, who dragged him inftantly on the deck, menacing his life if he attempted to speak. His endeavours to exhort and bring back the confpirators to their duty proved of no avail. Each of the defperadoes was armed with a drawn cutlafs, or fixed bayonet; and all their mufquets were avowed to be charged. Captain Bligh difcovered, when he came upon deck, feveral of the crew, and most of the officers, pinioned; and while he was thus contemplating their perilous ftate, the fhip's boat was let over her fide, and all who were not on the part of the confpirators, to the number of eighteen, befides the Captain, were committed to the boat, and no other nourishment afforded to them than about 140 pounds of bread, 30 pounds of meat, one gallon and a half of rum, a like portion of wine, and a few gallons of water. A compafs and quadrant were fecured by one of thefe devoted victims, as he was ftepping into the boat: and thus abandoned, the mutineers, after giving them a cheer, ftood away, as they faid, for Otaheite.

The captain, in this dreadful fituation, found his boatswain, carpenter, gunner, furgeon's mate, two midshipmen, and one mafter's mate, with Mr. Nelfon the botanist, and a few inferior officers, among thofe who were likely to fhare his fate. After a fhort confultation, it was deemed expedient to put back to the Friendly Inlands; and accordingly they landed on one of thefe, in hopes they might improve their fmall stock of provifions, on the 30th of April; but were driven off by the natives two days after, and purfued with fuch hoftility, that one man was killed, and several wounded.

It was then deliberated, whether they should return to Otaheite, and throw themselves on the clemency of the natives; but the apprehenfion of falling-in with the Bounty, determined them, with one affent, to make the best of their way to Timor; and, to effect this enterprize, aftonishing to relate! they calculated the diftance near 4000 miles; and, in order that their wretched fupply of provifions might endure till they reached the place of deftination, they agreed to apportion their food to one ounce of bread and one jill of water a day for each man. No other nourishment did they receive till the 5th or 6th of June, when they made the coaft of New Holland, and collected a few fhell-fish; and with this fcanty relief they held on their courfe to Timor, which they reached on the 12th, after having been forty-fix days in a crazy open boat, too confined in dimenfions to fuffer any of them to lie down for repofe, and without the leaft awning to protect them from the rain, which almoft inceffantly fell for forty days. A heavy fea and fqually weather, for great part of their course, augmented their mifery.

The governor of this fettlement, which belongs to the Dutch, afforded them every fuccour they required. They remained here, to recruit their strength and spirits, till the 20th of August, when they procured a veffel to carry them to Batavia. They reached Batavia on the zd of October laft; and from thence captain Bligh and two of the crew embarked for the Cape of Good Hope, and the rest of the crew were preparing to follow as foon as a paffage could be obtained.

Captain

Captain Bligh reached the Cape about the middle of December; and foon after took his paffage for England, which he reached on the evening of the 13th of March, and arrived in London on the 14th.

The leader of the mutineers is named Fletcher Chriftian; a man of refpectable family and connections, and confidered a good feaman: he was of the rank of nafter's mate of the Bounty, and ferved regularly the watch from the time the fhip failed from England. The command of the Bounty thus devolving upon him, there was no poffibility of defeating his purpofe; as not the leaft previous circumftance could be traced, from the teftimonies of the

faithful part of the crew after they

were in the boat, of a mutiny being on foot. The mutineers were to the number of 25; and those who remained firm to their duty 19; confequently, had the flighteft fufpicion been entertained of the defign, it might have been easily frustrated, as all the principal officers remained faithful to their commander.

A conjecture not improbable is, that the plot was projected while captain Bligh was engaged on fhore at Otaheite and other iflands, collecting plants, and making charts. This officer only holds the rank of lieutenant in our navy. His merit pointed him out to the Admiralty as highly qualified for this expedition; and the diftreffes he has undergone entitle him to every reward. In navigating his little fkiff through fo dangerous a fea, his feamanship appears as matchlefs as the undertaking feems beyond the verge of probability.

We felicitate thofe who were companions in this hazardous voy age, that in the prefent Admi

ralty board exifts a difpofition to fofter and protect fuffering merit; and our dock-yards, it is hoped, will prove an afylum to most of them to the end of their lives.

We are forry to add, that Mr. Nelfon, the botanist, died foon after the boat reached Timor. This gentleman went out with his majesty's particular approval: and a fecondary object of the voyage was to collect curious plants for the botanic garden at Kew.

Account of the Difafter that befel bis Majefty's Ship Guardian, Lieutenant Riou, Commander.

THIS

HIS fhip was fitted out in a moft expenfive manner, and furnished with all forts of stores and provifions for the new fettlement at Botany-bay, and had a very profperous voyage till fhe arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, where fhe recruited her provifions, and increafed the number of her liveftock, beyond any former precedent.

On the 24th of December, 1789, being in lat. 44° S. and long. 41° 30' E. of London, the weather extremely foggy, we faw an ifland of ice about three miles to the S.W. Lieutenant Riou gave directions to ftand towards it, in order to collect lumps of ice to fupply the ship with water. This proceeding was judged highly expedient, as the daily demand of water was prodigious, owing to the great quantity of cattle on board. As the hip approached the inland, the boats were hoifted out and manned, and several lumps collected. During this time the fhip lay-to, and on the supply of water being brought on board, she

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attempted to ftand away. Very lit tle apprehenfion was at this time entertained of her fafety, although the monstrous bulk of the island occafioned an unfavourable current, and, in fome measure, gave a partial direction to the wind.

On a fudden the bafe of the island, which projected under water confiderably beyond the limits of the vifible part, ftruck the bow of the Thip; the inftantly fwung round, and her head cleared; but her ftern coming on the fhoal, ftruck repeat edly, and the fea being very heavy, her rudder broke away, and all her works abaft were hivered. The fhip in this fituation became in a degree embayed under the terrific bulk of ice; the height of which was twice that of the main-maft of a fhip of the fine.

At this critical moment, the captain and officers retaining their spirit, their example and vigorous exertion led the people to their duty; but it was with difficulty they were prevailed on to overcome the firft panic, and lend their affiftance to trim and fill the fails. This being at laft effected, and the fore topgallant-fail and ftay-fails between the fore and main-maft being fet on the fhip, fhe began to forge-off, and the fame inftant ftruck with greater force, if poffible, than before, nearly a-breaft of the main chains, kept crafhing for fome time along the ice 'under her, and at last shot entirely clear of it. The weather continued very foggy, and the wind blowing ftrong, we foon loft fight of the ice; our fpirits then gained new vigour, and ferved to fupply fresh ftrength, and to fupport as under the afflictions which were yet in embryo.

From the commencement of thefe misfortunes to this fhort interval of

better hope, includes about the fpace of half an hour; and the cheering profpect again vanished as a flath of lightning.

At about a quarter past eight the carpenter came up from founding the well, and reported two feet water in the hold, and that it was increafing very faft. The pumps were ordered to be rigged, and got to work, and all the officers and people joined in a diligent and fpirited compliance therewith. The chainpumps were at firft found to be much out of order, which caufed fome delay. Meantime all the hands that could be fpared were fet, to work to clear the deck of the cattle, &c. holding themselves in readiness, however, to man the pumps, which about nine o'clock were all at work; and three or four of the people were left between decks, to hoift up, and heave overboard, whatever they could manage. The water had at this time increafed to three feet and a half, and was ftill gaining on all the pumps. The few hands left between decks did almost more than their ftrength could be expected to effect: in the courfe of half an hour, they got up and hove overboard molt of the bags of flour, peale, wheat, barley, &c. received at the Cape of Good Hope, befides two hogheads of tobacco. At about ten, water had increased to five feet.

Since the first of our misfortunes, there had not been an officer or man unemployed. It was, however, impoffible that the few hands we had could hold out much longer, if employed together; a refervation was therefore made, by dividing the whole of the officers, feamen, convicts, &c. into two watches, to relieve alternately. About half past