Narrative of the sufferings and adventures of Henderick Portenger, a private soldier of the late Swiss regiment de Mueron, who was wrecked on the shores of Abyssinia, in the Red Sea / by R. De May.

  • Portenger, Hendrick.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Narrative of the sufferings and adventures of Henderick Portenger, a private soldier of the late Swiss regiment de Mueron, who was wrecked on the shores of Abyssinia, in the Red Sea / by R. De May. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/44
    NARRATIVE, $c. 8sc. %c. [Thefolioicing Narrative was taken down in Writing, from the verbal Account of Portenger, after his Return to his Regiment He was a Man of good Sense, and of a very reten¬ tive Memory ; not addicted to Exaggeration, and personally well known to the Writer of these Sheets, who was then an Officer in the same Regiment; the Public may, therefore, rely upon the Veracity of the Facts which are about to be related. The Narrative has been given in his own Words, as he gave the Relation to the Writer.] ON the 2d February, 1801, the regiment de Mueron being then in garrison at Madras, a detachment of the said regiment, composed of one serjeant, one corpora], and eighteen privates, of which I was one, was ordered to accompany Ge¬ neral Lake to Bengal, as a guard of honour. We embarked with him on-board the company’s packet-boat the Swallow, and left Madras on the 3d of February. We arrived at Fort- William on the 12th of the same month, and disembarked on the 13th. We remained at Calcutta until the 1st of April fol¬ lowing, and were extremely well treated. On the 1st of April we were sent down the river Hoogly, and embarked, on the 4th, on-board the company’s ship Weisshelm, a very large vessel of two decks, commanded by Captain Baer. We set sail on the 7th following, in the supposition that we were going to Madras to rejoin our regiment and our friends and com¬ rades, of which our whole detachment were naturally de¬ sirous; but a few days alter we were undeceived, in a very unpleasant manner, by learning that our ship was loaded with provisions, and destined to carry them to the British army in Egypt, without being allowed to touch any where on the way. • We sailed to the end of April, without seeing any land, when we came in view of the high land of Cape Comorin, round which we steered. VJ /W