minutes was broken into pieces. Thomason himself happened to be up and dressed; he had just time to rush into his cabin and bring his wife and his son James on deck before the catastrophe. The ship's officers behaved with coolness and intrepidity; despite the loss of the first boat that was lowered, the second boat was launched successfully on a rough sea with squalls overhead. All the passengers and most of the crew escaped from the vessel before she sank. She was, according to the custom with Indiamen in those days, sailing together with companion ships. Her companions, however, were not at hand for the moment, though they ultimately proved to be within reach. After three hours rowing and sailing in an open boat, the shelterless passengers were met by the ships. They soon arrived at Calcutta, destitute of personal belongings and almost of clothing. But this destitution only served to evoke that generous and cordial hospitality for which the Anglo-Indian community has ever been distinguished. Thomas Thomason entered forthwith upon his duties as Chaplain of the Church then known as the Old or Mission Church, a name which it still bears. Thus, the little boy James, the future statesman, made his first landing in India after a narrow escape from mortal peril.
During the voyage Thomas Thomason had prosecuted his Oriental studies. Soon after landing in India he became proficient in the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages, attaining ultimately a high degree
