The owners of Lackham in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries ...

The Manor of Lackham IV : 19 th & 20 th century owners
• Friday, December 24 th .—At daylight, when the gates opened, I entered a
carriage, and drove up to our consul-general who ordered his agent to forward
my views in every way. sending his son to hurry matters, whilst, he
communicated with the Bey, who ordered his squadron to sea.’
' Whilst my boat was preparing (a Maltese speronara, with a crew of twelve
men. selected for their knowledge of the. coast I wrote two letters, one to
Malta, and the other to Lisbon, stating the loss of the ship Not having slept
for four nights, and being thoroughly tired, would account for the vague
statement I sent. I then breakfasted, and started about 2 P.M., having put
aboard such provisions as my hurried departure admitted of – tea, coffee,
biscuits and sprits in case I should be fortunate enough to save anybody ‘
‘ Saturday December 25 th , on my passage, and at daylight on Sunday I was
close to the spot where the Avenger was wrecked, although there was no
broken or discoloured water to mark it. I cruised about till satisfied she had
either broken up or sunk. Whilst here I saw two steamers (Lavoisier and
Pasha) come up and cruise about Galita together: a merchant ship, and a gunboat
of the Bey's, with which I communicated, asking them to take me to
Galita, which I wished to examine personally, as also to speak the steamers,
my own crew, with whom I had great trouble, refusing to do so. They declined,
when I asked them to take half my crew out, and lend me two men, to which
request I also received a negative; so I returned to Tunis, arriving at about 1
A.M. on the morning of Tuesday. December 28th. Sir Thomas Reade took all
to his house, and made it a home for us. I went on board the French steamer
Lavoisier, to thank the Captain for his assistance, and also waited on the
governor for the same purpose.'
During the summer of the present year, the French government directed
Captain Bouchet Riviere to make a survey of the Sorelle. In conclusion,
therefore, we will give the following extract from that officer's letter, as it
throws some light upon the circumstances which led to the loss of the
Avenger:—
' The English frigate, Avenger, was lost on the two Sorelle,; I saw between
the two heads of rocks, which are aptly named ‘Sisters,' her entire engine, two
anchors, a shell gun, and some loose parts of the wreck. I recovered and took
on board some pieces of iron from the bed of the engine, and a boarding
cutlass. The engine lies in a medium depth of ten metres (thirty-three feet) ‘
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