entire month no coals had been landed, and even before that period the supply was much below the demand, the vessels not having been able to get round from the north. At length, however, Mr. Breeds’s “Wanderer” and “Milward” discharged their cargoes, and the Messrs. Burfield got a supply by rail.
The Mortality. That the low temperature and other discomforts to which the parishioners of All Saints were subjected would increase the death rate was but natural, hence the burials in that parish were exactly twice the number of those in 1852, and seven more than in 1853.
The Fishery. Mention has been made of the good catches of fish for a few nights in November, to which may be added that in January, ten of the Hastings boats were fortunate enough in the western waters to net from two to three thousand mackerel, which they landed at Portsmouth and sold for about £12 per thousand. After that the fishing industry was the reverse of prosperous, until the 11th of March, when some of the Hastings boats off Plymouth, caught from 1,000 to 6,000 mackerel, and sold them at the rate of 25/ per hundred. A wonderful fish was caught on the night of July 14th, by William Evans, of the “Bee” lugger, while fishing for mackerel. This fish, known as the “albacore”[a] was nearly 4 feet long, and weighed 45lbs. Another of the same species was caught in the same manner two nights later, and weighed over 60lbs. These finny specimens of the tropical seas are quite strangers in these parts.
Maritime Casualties
George Bumstead, a Hastings fisherman, who had been mackerel catching at Portsmouth, was accidently drowned, and his body was brought home for burial. His age was 29, and he was buried on the 10th of January.
About the same date, the ”Rock Scorpion” schooner, belonging to Mr. How, of St. Leonards, was dismasted, and towed into Rye harbour for repairs.
The Mary and Theodosia sloop, laden with granite for Messrs. Hughes and Hunter, at Leonards, having sprung a leak, the crew, after many hours’ pumping, were obliged to run her ashore in a heavy sea at the western end of Eversfield place. The sea broke over her in grand style, but she stood the buffeting with so little damage that in two days she was floated to Hastings for repairs.
Particular Deaths
A wrecking of boats took place on the 28th of November in consequence of an unexpectedly abnormal neap tide. At a little before 5 o’ clock in the morning a S.W. gale veered to W.N.W and impelled the sea furiously over the parades and among the boats which lay on the shore. A galley belonging to the “Active” cutter was dashed to pieces, one of the heavy ferry boats was carried away to Ecclesbourne, the Milward sloop was damaged, and two skiffs belonging to a boatman -
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