'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎27] (46/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
27
mitted, they received, through the captains of the cruisers,
presents from the Indian Government, such as mirrors, bales
of red cloth, double-barrelled guns, cutlery, and other useful
articles, thus showing that it was more to their advantage to
lead quiet lives, than provoke chastisement by lawless acts.
On the 6th of March, 1836, the 'Tigris,' Commander W.
Igglesden, left Bombay for Torres Straits, in order to inquire
into the fate of the survivors of the barque 6 Charles Eaton,'
which had been wrecked there, w T hen all the crew and passen
gers, over forty in number, had been murdered and eaten by
the savages, with the exception of five men who had reached
Timor, and two who were still in the hands of the natives.
Commander Igglesden's orders were to proceed first to Sydney,
but, on nearing Bass's Straits, it came on to blow so hard that
he bore up for Hobart Town, where he arrived on the 27th of
May. Here the officers experienced great kindness from
Colonel Arthur, the Lieutenant-Governor, and the officers of
Her Majesty's 21st Fusiliers, and, on the 7th of June, sailed
for Sydney. Very bad weather was experienced on the voyage,
which necessitated a stay of four weeks for repairs. At
Sydney they learned that the Government had despatched the
colonial schooner, 'Isabella,' to the scene of the wreck. The
6 Tigris' sailed, on the 10th of July, for Murray Island (lat.
90° 53' S., long. 144° 17' E.), where they anchored on the 28th
of July. Lieutenant Kempthorne, second-lieutenant of the
'Tigris,' in an interesting paper, published in Vol. VIII. of the
" Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society,'"'* says :—
" No sooner was the anchor dropped than the inhabitants
launched their boats, and immediately pulled off. In the space
of a few minutes the 4 Tigris' was completely surrounded by
about forty naked savages of both sexes; it was with the
greatest difficulty we could prevent them climbing up the sides
of the vessel, and, had not the precaution been taken of having
the boarding netting up, the decks would have been swarmed."
A few only were permitted on board, and a brisk barter of
articles was quickly instituted. A party landed from the
4 Tigris,' and were well received by the natives, who were
in puris naturalibus. The savages brought a letter from
Captain Lewis, commanding the colonial schooner 6 Isabella,'
dated the 26th of June, to the effect that he had purchased
from the Murray Islanders the two survivors of the 4 Charles
Eaton,'—John Ireland, an apprentice, aged ten, and Charles
D'Oyley, a child of three, son of Captain D'Oyley of the
Bengal Artillery, who, together with his wife, was a passenger
from Calcutta to Sydney. The native^ also, by signs, informed
* Commander Igglesden also published a " Narrative of the late Cruise of the
Hon. Company's brig-of-war 'Tigris,'" in Yol. I. of the "Transactions of the
Bombay Greographical Society."