the tide ebbed and flowed inboard of her, evidently proceeding from a general bilge of her flooring or bottom; that her whole frame was hogged upwards in different parts, and her stern-post disunited from the wooden ends; that it appeared absolutely impossible to remove her in a perfect body from alongside the mould in the Nieuve Diep, where she was then lying aground; and that it would therefore be impracticable ever again to render her serviceable to his Majesty. The surveying Captains, George Bowen, Richard Worsley, and John Larmour, concluded their report in the following terms:–
“At officers we feel ourselves called upon to remark that, from the perilous state of the ship, as before described, not less our admiration than our astonishment is excited that she should have been navigated from the place of her disaster to her present situation; a circumstance which, in our minds, reflects the greatest credit on her commander, officers, and ship’s company.”
That the Blanche did not get on shore through any neglect or fault of Captain Ayscough, and that no endeavours were wanting to extricate her, will be further seen by the sentence of the court-martial assembled to enquire into the cause of that unfortunate accident, a copy of which sentence we shall now lay before our readers:
“The Court is of opinion, that the ship was ran on shore through the entire fault of the Pilot; that very peculiar exertions were made, and great professional skill shown by the captain, officers, and company of the Blanche, to get her off, and afterwards to save the lives of the people and the remaining stores, which redounds greatly to their credit; they do therefore most honorably acquit Captain Ayscough, the officers and crew of the late Blanche, and they are hereby so acquitted accordingly.”
Captain Ayscough’s trial took place, at Sheerness, Nov. 1, 1799; and in the course of the same month, the Board of Admiralty marked their approbation of his conduct by appointing him to the Inconstant 36, armed en flute, in which ship he was attached to the different expeditions that were afterwards undertaken against Quiberon, Cadiz, and the French army in Egypt[1]. On each of those occasions he volunteered to land with the army, and his offers were always accepted.
