The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-05 00:00:00

THE .RECAPTUPE 611 111 E EMILY ST.
PIERRE'.

On Saturday the rooms of the Liverpool Mercantile
Marine Association were crowded almost to suffo-
cation by the merchants and mercantile marine
officers of Liverpooly to witness the presentation of
a gold pocket chronometer and silver tea and coffee
service to Captain William Wilson, of the British
ship Emily St. Pierre, for his gallantry in recap-
turing his ship, which had been seized by a United
States cruiser, and of two purses containing 20
guineas each to his cook and steward. Mr. J.
l3eazley took the chair. The Chairman said he
questioned if in the naval history of this or any
other country so brilliant an act had been performed
as the recapture of the Emily St. Pierre. Captain
Wilson's simple narrative would, he felt sure, make
the blood tingle in their veins with admiration for
the man whose head could devise and whose hands
could achieve such a deed. It was wonderful that
Captain Wilson should have been able to navigate
his ship a distance of over 3,000 miles, in the rough-
est season of the year for crossing the Atlantic, and
this with the additional help of only three hands of
the prize crew, with 13 men-of-year's men fast be-
low, and with the misfortune of his rudder being
carried away. He was authorised to state that the
owners of the Emily St. Pierre intended to present
Capt. Wilson with the sum of 2,000 guineas. Capt.
Wilson, who was received with loud eheers,warmly
thanked the 170 merchants of Liverpool for their
handsome gift. He gave the following narrative of
his exploit :—The Emily St. Pierre left Calcutta on
Nov. 27, with orders to make the coast of South
Carolina to ascertain whether there was peace or
war. If peace had been declared he was to take a
pilot and enter the port of Charleston; if there was
a blockade he was to proceed to St. John's, N.B.
March 18, 1862, he considered his vessel to be about
12 miles off the land, when he saw a steamer coming
towards her, which proved to lae the war vessel Jas.
Adger. She was soon boarded by two boats, whose
officers and crew took possession of her. Filling
the mainyard, they steered for the fleet. He was
ordered into the beat, and told by flag-officer Gold-
boursh that he had saltpetre on board, that hie ship
was a lawful prize to the Federal Government, that
he could take a passage on board to Philadelphia.
He replied that his cargo was not saltpetre and that
his ship was British property. He returned to his
ship in an hour, found his crew all taken away ex-
cept the cook and steward, and a new company on
board, consisting of Lieut. Stone, master's mate, 12
men, and a passenger-15 in all. They weighed
anchor and proceeded to sea. On the morning of the
21st of March (being Lieut. Stone's watch on deck)
he called the cook and steward into his state room,
about half-past 4, and said to them that he had
made up his mind to lose his life or have his ship.
He asked their assistance, which was obtained. He
then gave a pair of irons and a sheet to them, and
told them to follow him. The master's mate was
asleep in his berth. After handing out his revolver
and his sword Capt. Wilson grasped his hands.
The irons were fixed and the gag was in its place in
a minute. He then went to the passenger (an en-
gineer), and having taken the arms from his berth,
he secured him in the same way. He then went on
deck as if he had just turned out, and walked the
deck for about 10 minutes with Lieutenant Stone,
to whom he made remarks about the weather.
Soon after he asked him down to the cabin to
look at the chart, and induced him to go. He took
up an iron belaying pin on his way down. At the
door of the after cabin, where the chart was spread
out ready, he brought him up by holding the
belaying pin over his head, and telling him that the
ship should never go to Philadelphia. The cook and
steward were both ready, and before he could speak
the irons were on his wrists, the gag in his mouth,
and he pitched into a berth. He locked him up.
Three men were walking the deck ; one was at the
helm, and one on the look-out. He called the three
men aft, and, pointing to the hatchway of the store-
room near the helm, said that a coil of rope was
wanted up. He then shoved off the hatch, and pointing
to a corner where it was, they all three jumped down.
He immediately closed the hatch, and warned the
man at the helm of his danger if he moved or
spoke. The look-out was then called aft, and, as he
refused to help to work the ship to a British port,
he was put with the others. Wilson then called the
watch, and as sailors do not come on, deck all toge-
ther, they got two aft and secured before any suspi-
cion was aroused. The third man of the watch
below drew his knife at the steward, upon which
the letter fired, and the shot went through his
shoulder. The others were soon secured. He went
down and announced the fact to Lieut. Stone. He
told him he would take the gag out of his mouth
and the irons off his wrists if he contented himself
to remain a prisoner in his berth. He dined at the
table under guard. The crew were supplied daily
with bread, beef, and water. After consideration,
four volunteered to lend a hand rather than be in
confinement, but these were landsmen. He was
3,000 miles from home, without a helmsman. He
experienced a heavy gale of wind, and feared that
after all he would not make his passage, for his til-
ler was broken during the storm. When he wanted
to reef the topsails he had to take the reef tackles
to the capstan, and then lie aloft to pass the earings
and tie the points alone, at the same time keeping
his eye upon the ship's head, and waving to his
faithful cook and steward how to move the helm.
He arrived in the Mersey after a passage of 30 days
from the recapture. Capt. Sproule, addressing Cap-
tain Wilson, said that at a meeting of the Council
of the Mercantile Marine Service Association, held
on the previous day, they had resolved that a gold
medal should be presented to Capt. Wilson, and sil-
ver medals, with suitable inscriptions, to the cook
and steward. Capt. Henderson said the officers and
crew of the Emily St. Pierre, who had just arrived
from America, had deputed him to present a splen-
did sextant to Cept. Wilson for his noble conduct
and for his kindness to them during the voyage.