Revised Jun 6 2021

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No. 35. Mr. P. Heywood to Miss N. Heywood

Hector July 16th. 1792

My dearest Nessy.

Let me hope this will find you at Douglas, having laid aside all Thoughts of your most affectionate Intention

(The Destruction of H:M:S: Pandora....August the 29th. 1791 at Day break)

(The surviving part of the Crew of the unfortunate Pandora
on the Sandy Key — at Noon the same day)

to see your unfortunate Brother. Alas! my love – an Interview with those most dear to me on Earth is for the present denied me! picture then to yourself how great wou'd be the Disappointment – to you more especially as it wou'd be altogether unexpected — to me t'wou'd be nothing more than what I have been long inured to; — yet the Anxiety I shou'd feel from having one so dear to me, near at Hand & unable to see her, wou'd be almost insupportable. — Let us therefore at present be resigned to our Fate — contented with this sort of Communication & be thankful to God for having even allowed us that Happiness. — for be assured my Confinement is Liberty compared to what it has been for the fifteen Months last past, when I am reading the dear & affectionate sentiments of my beloved Mother & Sisters in the long-wished for sight of their Hand-writing. It grieves me to think how unhappy such a Disappointment wou'd have made my Nessy & I shall still be in pain till I hear that my last Letter or one from Mr. Heywood has prevented it — long Absence my Love augments the Joy we feel at meeting! — I have not yet received the Box but shall Aug 29, 1791 expect it daily. — I send you two little sketches of the Manner in which H:M:S: Pandora went down on the 29th: of August & the Appearance we who survived made upon the small sandy Key within the reef (about ninety yards long & sixty athwart) in all ninety nine souls, here we remained three Days subsisting on a single Wineglass of Wine & Water & two Ounces of Bread a Day with no shelter from the Meridian & then vertical Sun. — Captain Edwards had Tents erected for himself & his People & we Prisoners petitioned him for an old sail which was laying useless Part of the Wreck, but tho in the Latitude of 11. South, he refused it — & all the shelter we had was to bury ourselves up to the Neck in the burning Sand which scorched the skin (we being quite naked) entirely off our Bodies as if dipped in large Tubs of boiling Water, we were sixteen Days in the same miserable situation before we landed at Coupang. — From this you may have some faint Idea of our wretched Condition — I was in the Ship, in Irons Hands, & Feet, much longer than till the position you now see her in, the Poop alone being above Water (& that Knee-deep) when Providence assisted me to get out of Irons, & from her. — With sincere Love & Duty to my dearest Mother, Brothers & Sisters.

I remain ever my Love

  your most affectionate Brother

    Peter Heywood