The Loss of the Kent, East Indiaman, in the Bay of Biscay / Narrated in a Letter to a Friend

A senior officer narrates a first-person letter describing how a large East Indiaman, bound for the east, encountered a violent gale in the Bay of Biscay; a lamp ignited drifting spirit casks in the hold and a fire rapidly spread, forcing the captain to order scuttling and other emergency measures. Crews and troops worked to fight flames and save passengers but some sick people, a woman, and children died. The account details seamanship and evacuation, a later magazine explosion, and sustained reflections on divine providence and the emotional strain endured by survivors.