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762 KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
feet two inches of water on the rock, but the draft of the frigate was fourteen feet three,
and it yet wanted four or five inches of low water, I immediately lafhed a tow-rope to a
dead-head, which was out with my anchor, and which ferved to fhew where to weigh it.
I pumped out my water, and heaved at the tow-rope, as well as the cable, but all in vain.
We were obliged to wait for the flood-tide. This accident would not have happened if
the Norwegian pilots had caft anchor more to the north, as 1 wifhed them in fixteen
fathoms water. It only occafioned us however a great deal of trouble, and owing to
the care of M. Duchatel and my officers, we had no confufion, which in fimilar cir-
cumftances is extraordinary. When afloat I heaved my main-anchor and got to the en-
trance of the port, my great {tream-anchor was in ten fathoms water, fand, and gravelly
bottom ; my bower-anchor, S. E. of the firft in fix fathoms, muddy bottom. Ifenta
tow-line a-fhore, which I moored to the poft of the Corps de Garde, and a fmall anchor
toN.E. Thefe precautions made me perfeétly fecure, but I was furrounded by a
number of merchant veffels, and that is not a proper mooring for a large frigate.
Ships of war in general anchor at Sandvick, they go entirely into port, where they ride
in four moorings ; but when defirous of going thus far into port, and get within the
citadel, it is required that the powder fhould be landed.
To avoid the rock on which I {truck, it is effential to notice “a buoy which points
out the place it laysin. What deceived my experienced pilots, was the buoy’s havin
been carried away two hours before by a Dutch veflel, which ftruck as wellas I did on
the fame rock ; but in cafe the buoy fhould not be feen, it muft be remembered that
the rock lays S. E. half a cable’s diftance from a buoy, which ferves as a dead-head to
moor to.
As foon as I had arrived, J fent an officer to pay my refpects to the governor of the
town, who lives in the caftle, and the next day accompanied by my ftaff I paid him a
vifit. We wentas well to fee Mr. Defchiel, grand bailiff of the city, and territory of
Berghen. He loaded us with kindnefs, and offered to render every fervice of which we
ftood in need. We did not meet with fo favourable a reception from the people. The
merchants, workmen, and all thofe to whom we had recourfe for what the frigate
wanted, treated us coolly. They fled before us in the ftreets, and even refufed in the
public markets to fell to my maitre d’hotel. We owed this reception to the bad con-
du€t of fome captains of privateers, who under the title, and in the uniform of his
majefty’s officers, which they had the impudence to take upon them, had during the laft
war committed fo many exceffes in this town, that the grand bailiff, fearing we might
meet with infult, thought right to publifh that we were truly poffeffed of the king’s
commiffion, recommending civility towards us. Our mode of acting and the difcipline
we maintained, foon fhewed them who we were. A failor having ftolen a filver fpoon
eut of anale-houfe in a fit of drunkennefs, I caufed him to be dipped from the main-
yard for three fucceffive days, and but for the interceffton of all the ladies at a grand
fupper given by Mad. Defchiel, his punifhment would have been of longer duration. I
gave a dinner on board the frigate to Mad. Defchiel, and all the principal ladies, to the
ftaff-major, the officers in garrifon, and all the principal perfons of the place. ‘This
dinner which was fucceeded by a ball, fpread a gaiety through every quarter of the
town, where the healths of the Kings of France and Denmark were drank, under the
difcharge of the cannon of the frigate; notwithftanding this, the people could with
difficulty forget, that a Frenchman, the captain of a fine veflel, or who reprefented him-
felf in that charaéter, had threatened upon a refufal of fome indifcreet demand, to fire
upon the citadel, and that upon feveral occafions their women had met with infult from
them.
I cannot
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