Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 2.djvu/137

ii s. VIIL AUG. 16, i9i3.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

131 Forestier Walker of the 60th Rifles. The sea, fortunately, was fairly calm, though the surf which beats against the Reunion rocks made landing very difficult. Many jumped into the sea and swam for their lives, and several heroic acts were performed, notably by Lieuts. Huddleston and Windham, who, I think, got medals from the Royal Humane Society in recognition. Only two lives, however, strange to say, were lost, and they were native seamen. Some 1,200 individuals presented a piteous sight seated or standing on the rocks in the rain and darkness, the bulk of whom had practically no clothing on of any description. In this condition some marched and others proceeded in mule-carts to St. Pierre, where the astonished French villagers showed them all the kindness and consideration in their power. From St. Pierre they were eventually conveyed by rail to St. Dennis, whence they finally proceeded to Mauritius in the steamer Lalpoora, specially chartered for the purpose. Capt. Prendergast's knowledge of French was of the greatest service.

The calamity was not devoid of humorous incidents. WTien the officer detailed to see that no one was left on board of the vessel (which had listed tremendously to the star- board, and soon became a complete wreck) called out from the upper deck, " Is there any one else below ? " a voice replied, getting rather high ? " It turned out to be that of a sentry in water up to his neck, but still loyal to his duty as a soldier, and resolved to stick to his post.
 * ' Please, sir, may I come up, as the water's

Another amusing incident was published in a French paper as follows :

" On raconte que le maire d'un petit village pres de 1'endroit oil la catastrophe a eu lieu, ^veille" en sursaut par les cris des villageois, et apprenant qu'il y avait des centaines de soldats anglais dans les rues, s'^cria : ' Je me rends I Je me rends 1 et ce diable de gouverneur qui ne m'avait pas meme preVenu que la guerre avait <$clat entre la France et 1'Angleterre 1 ' '

A full official report of this wreck and the correspondence with the French Govern- ment which ensued was laid before Parlia- ment in March, 1897 in case any one cares to peruse further details than those I have supplied in this letter.

WlLLOUGHBY MAYCOCK.

The name of the vessel that was wrecked on the island of Reunion was the Royal Indian Marine S.S. Warren Hastings, and the date of the occurrence 14 January, 1897. The troops on board were the head- quarters and half of the 1st Battalion

King's Royal Rifle Corps, and half of the 2nd Battalion York and Lancaster Regi- ment, which w"ere being conveyed from Cape Town to Mauritius : the former to re- lieve the head- quarters and half of the last- named battalion; and the latter to rejoin the remainder of their unit, and with it proceed to India for a tour of service in that country. There was no loss of life, and the shipwrecked passengers Were brought to Mauritius in other vessels. I was stationed in the latter island at the time of the occurrence, and feel fairly cer- tain that there were no Highlanders on the Warren Hastings. The 1st Battalion Royal Highlanders (the Black Watch), formerly the 42nd Foot, was distributed between the Cape Colony and Mauritius from 1894 to 1896, leaving for India in February of the latter year. S. BUTTERWOBTH.

" THE Two REYNOLDSES " (11 S. viii. 50). The allusion is to a story about John Rainolds. or Reynolds, the Puritan divine, and a brother. One version is given in Fuller's ' Church-History of Britain ' (1655), bk. x. pp. 47, 48 :

" This John Reynolds at the first was a zealous Papist, whilst William his Brother was as earnest a Protestant, and afterwards Providence so ordered it, that by their mutuall disputation Tohn Reynolds turned an eminent Protestant, and William an inveterate Papist, in which perswasion he died. This gave the occasion to an excellent Copie of Verses, concluding with this Distich : Quod genus hoc pugnse est ? ubi victus gaudet

uterque Et simul alteruter se superasse dolet."

In Dr. Featly's ' Life and Death of John Reynolds,' among the biographies in ' Abel Redevivus ' (sic), 1651, the brothers are John and William, and we are told of " a strange Duell, much like to that of Eteocles and Polynices, wherein both conquered one the other, yet neither enjoyed the victory .... Of these Bella plusquam civilia, among Brethren, W. A. a learned Divine, thus elegantly dis- courseth in English and Latine Verses [12 lines of each follow]."

Anthony Wood in his ' Athense Oxoni- enses,' ed. Bliss, 1813, vol. i. col. 613, after giving the story of John and William, proceeds :

" This is the reason commonly received among Protestants, for each others conversion, but false ; for the dispute was, if you will believe men that then lived, between John, and Edmund, Rainolds of C. C. coll., as I have told you else- where."

In Wood's ' Hist, and Ant. of the Univ. of Oxford,' vol. ii. pt. i. p. 224 (=' Annals,'