Diamond, and in consequence thereof, made so much water, that Captain Campbell was obliged to throw her guns and every weighty article overboard. During the following day it blew a tremendous gale at S.W., but the weather afterwards moderating, they gained upon the leak, which was under the fore-foot; and in the evening she steered for England with a fine breeze, accompanied by the Felix schooner. During the third night, however, it blew hard from the N.W. with a heavy sea, and the leak increased so much, that every exertion to keep it under proved ineffectual; she soon became water-logged, of course would not answer her helm, and drifted considerably to leeward. In this predicament, Captain Campbell determined to abandon her, and accordingly brought her to an anchor near the mouth of the Loire. At this time there was a prodigious swell running, and breakers in sight directly astern: happily the wind abated, or the crew must have perished. The officers and men were now removed to the schooner, and a Danish brig, which had been driven in near to where the Doris lay; after which the latter was set on fire. The after magazine soon blew up, (the fore one had been drowned previously) and the ship immediately went down.
A few days after this disaster, Captain Campbell had another narrow escape. The Felix having joined the squadron off Rochefort, he removed from that vessel into the Tonnant of 80 guns, commanded by Captain W. H. Jervis; that ship being about to proceed with despatches to the rendezvous of the fleet blockading Brest, where she arrived on the 26th January. Captain Jervis, eager to communicate the intelligence with which he was charged, left the Tonnant in his boat, accompanied by his guest, when still at a considerable distance from the commander in-chief. Unfortunately, when about half way between the Tonnant and St. Josef, the latter bearing the flag of Sir Charles Cotton, the boat was upset by a sea breaking into her; and notwithstanding every effort was made to save them, Captain Jervis and one of his men were drowned. The conduct of Captain Campbell and the coxswain on this melancholy occasion, deserve to be recorded: the latter, holding fast to his commander, kept him above water a considerable time, and brought him thrice to
