Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

LONDON.
Dec. 16.

Extract of letter from Newcastle, Dec. 11.

SUNDAY morning a large fleet... About four o'clock in the afternoon, between Cromer and the floating light, a violent storm arose, with heavy rain, wind S. S. E. which separated the fleet : the gale increasing, split all the sails into shivers. So that it was impossible to work the ships, or keep them off the land, and many were drove on shore. Some ships were seen to founder at sea, the crews of which immediately perished ; and no doubt but many others have had the same miserable fate.

From Sunderland we learn, that on Monday morning about 30 keels were found sunk in the river, mostly laden with coals : Also several ships broke from their moorings, but received little damage: That day a sloop from Leith laden with barley drove between the piers ; the master and mate drowned, but two men, ship and cargo, saved. On Tuesday morning the coast wore an awful appearance, being covered with wrecks, and dead bodies : upwards of 50 sail being on shore between that part and Hartlepool, and about 16 between it and Shields.

We hear from Seaton, near Hartlepool, that the coast there presents a most melancholy and distressing scene of ships : some upon the rocks, others upon the sands, others at anchor some distance from the shore which appear in utmost danger, and the sea running so high, that it is impossible to give them any assistance from the shore. There are about 19 ships on shore near Hartlepool, one of which has no living creature on board, and appears to be light collier. There has been a great fall of snow in Cleveland, particularly on the mountains near Kirkleatham, Gainsborough and Stokesley.

Extract of a letter from a gentleman at Alnmouth to a gentleman at Leith, Dec. 4.

The effect of the late storm must be dreadful (from what I see here) beyond any thing on this coast perhaps in the memory of man—there are eleven vessels on shore in my sight, between this and Cocket island besides what is foundered, or gone to pieces among the rocks ; the lives of the crews of the eleven are providentially saved. There are fifteen ashore to the northward of this, and thirty betwixt the Cocket and Crewell Point. Since writing the above, I have seen a gentleman from Sunderland, who says there are upwards of 100 on shore betwixt Hartlepool and Newcastle; many seen riding without their masts.