The Sun.
London, England, 1828-07-22 00:00:00

_ PIEACItti IN ThE ATLANTIC.

(EXTRACT FRO3t LLOYD'S.)
Having in my voyage from India, between the Cape of
GoOd Hope and the Western Isles, heard of several piracies
having taken place, I am induced to enlarge a little of the
subject,' for the purpose of showing to the world hew the
North Atlantic .continues to swarm with the abandoned
wretches who infest the sea, under the denomination of
Colombian privateen, which are in reality Colonibian
pirates. They range from the West Indies as far to
the northward and eastward as often to board vessels about
the Western Isles; they hover about the Cape Verde, and
from thence printipally in a track of about 30 to 48 deg.
W, long. The most prominent part of my subject, is a
circumstance respecting a Danish ship which I overtook,
named Blucher, Captain Peterson, from Bahia to Altena,
with a cargo of ' sugtir. On exchanging colours, I bore
down on him, and the usual question and answers being
exchanged, he
_informed me he left Bahia 17th May ; on
June 4th, in lit. 11 N. long. 32 W. 7 r. Si. of same day, he
was auddenry surprised by the appearance of a schooner, and
was presently saluted with a gun, with orders to Capt. P.
to surrender; being unable to defend the ship, having neither
arms or ammunition on board, he yielded to their request and
was presently boarded by a boat's crew, containing-II armed
menof various nations and colours. Their first request was
to know where the captain was, and on his stepping forward
to the officer, who, it appeared afterwards, was the boat-
swain, the captain was directed to order his people all
forward,, and hesitating to do so, two fellows, with their
faces covered'with beard and mustachios, Seized him, and
each presenting a double-barrelled pistol, with
.spring
bayonets, to his bowels, told him, if he did not instantly
comply, they would murder him. lie then requested his
people to go forward, and. on their retreat they were drivin
into the forecastle by heavy blows from the flats of sabrei.
This being done; 'they dragged him forward, and' with
heavy blows on the head and back, they flung him into the
forecastle. They then ordered the second mate to be in at-
tendance and furnish them with what they required.—
They commenced their havock by cutting away all their
main running rigging. the launch was next thrown into
the sea, which they soon loaded with casks of water. The
boat was constantly going from the schooner to the ship
all night. After they had been on board two hours, many
of them became intoxicated, and during the night Captain
Peterson supposed they exchaUged about twenty men;,
-taking care that those who . were on board the ship
'should be sober ; they plundered the Blucher of twenty-
five butts of water, and as.they got them on board, drove
'in their heads, filled up their casks, and then threw the
Blucher's casks overboard. 'they distressed them of their
bread, cordage, canvass, a handsome azimuth compass,
with two others, all their charts and navigation books,
either English or French, together with their watches,
spy-glasses, quadrants, and all their nautical instruments,
excepting, from oversight, the Captain's sextant and a nau-
'deal almanack, which were found on the deck the follow-
ing morning. They took all their clothes, only leaving
them what they stood in: They very carefully packed up
all the wine in oakum and sent it on board, together with
'a cask of sugar and one of butter ; they then killed all the
fowls and took them into the boat; with all their store of
pigs. A white hat, which the Captain lutd on, he was or-
dered to take off, and the fellow who
.dewanded it said, it
would do. _ _ .

At 11 A. as, the boatswain came forward, and told the
Captain to make his appearance, and on coming up found
him dressed in all his best clothes, the others were all
dressed in the Captain's and officers' dresses, some having
four shirts on, three pair of. trowsers, &c., and they
observed their Captain was so good a man, they were not
allowed to take any bundles with them, therefore this was
their plan. One among them observed, it is not . our
custom to take all, and immediately demanded Captain
Peterson to show them where his money was, telling him,•
we know you have money : at the same time they ex-
claimed, one and all, without the money we are deter-
mined to murder you and destroy the ship ; and on being
told that he had but a few crowns, they took all he had,
and after committing every nuisance in the cabin, too dis-
gusting to relate, they went on deck, and were preparing
.to hoist out another• boat belonging to the Blucher, for the
purpose of taking all her new sails, but daylight made its
appearance, and with it a strange sail. They were
instantly ordered on board the schooner, for the purpose
of running away. '1 he stranger seeing two vessels. exhi-
biting a disordered appearance, bore down• on them. The
_schooner, then made off, staving in the long- boat's side,
and sinking her. The vessel proved to be the brig Cale-
donia, of Guernsey, from Rio Janeiro, bound to Quern,
sey, Nicholas Gifford master, and fa•om him they were sup-
plied with a chart. The boatswain told Capt. Peteraon
they had orders to leave him only two casks of water; they
howeirer, left eight. Capt. Peterson says the boatswain
was a tall hideous figure, and wore round his neck a large
silver chain, attached to it his silver whistle, and his
fingers all decorated with tinge, on some of which were
two or three. On his passage out, off St. Antonia, Cape
Verde, he was hailed by a schooner, who demanded what
was his cargo. On being informed coals, he asked if lie
was, sure of it, and happily did not board her ; they had
at that time 24,000 dollars on board, the amount of his
homeward cargo. I was also informed of an English brig
laden with ordnance stores, having been .captured, and the
crew put on board another vessel. Capt. Peterson in-
formed me of his meeting a Danish vessel from Rio Jane-
rio, a friend of his, who told him he was compelled by a
schooner to take on board fifty men, and carry them to Rio
for 100 dollars, then a week's sail from it. They gave him
his choice to take that or nothing, the Danish Captain being
on board the schooner. Previous to his quitting the
schooner, the Captain of her desired the Dime to
step into the cabin, and presently wine being set on the
table, the Dane was solicited to take a glass, and, de-
claring he bad never tasted such good wine before, he ,
told the Captain it was intended for the Archbishop
at Rio, but to save him the trouble, they were making use
of it themselves; end come, said he, suppose we drink the
Bishop's good health. Having done so they parted. I
have been boarded twice on a Brazils' voyage by these ves-
sels, and though not plundered, was glad to give them
what they required. They were disguised as passing as
patriotic privateers in pursuit of Spaniards. I have been
trailing to the southward these eight years past, and never
met a Spanish vessel at sea; .and I believe it is well known
there are very few any where. The crews of these
schooners have no pay ; and was it not for the
depredations they commit, they could not exist.—
Had not the Dane been providentially supplied on
the following day with an abundance of rain, they
would have bad to have borne•for the West Indies, which
would have ruined his voyage. They had been` on an al-
lowance of 21b. of bread, a week per man, ever since up to
the day I fell in with him. The , Captain was Obliged to
wear one sif his people's old shirts, having only the one he
took off to get washed in salt water. I fortunately had a
good stock of provisions, and was thereby enabled to re-
lieve him with what're required in clothing and stores, on
the 29th of June, in lat. 33, 28; long., 10, 57. West.
P. S.—Same day passed a stout entire lower mast, with
the trusseltrees affixed to it. Spoke the brig Britannia,
William Ferrers, from Bombay. The Danish Captain very
innocently asked, where are all your English men-of-war?

If one half the reports which are in circulation
(some of which are of too delicate a nature to advert to) be
correct, the Duke of WELLINGTON must have difficulties
and anxieties to contend with of a more arduous nature
than any which our foreign relations can present.--I.lforn-
ing Herald:
PUBLIC. MEETING AT BIRMINGHAM.—A
public meeting, to form an auxiliary branch of the Society
for promoting the religious principles of the Reformation,
has been held in this town, Captain GORDON in the chair.
There was much speaking and some noise, but little or
nothing that calls for particular notice.
The Duke of SAN CA Rims, Ambassador
from Spain to France, died at Paris, on Thursday last, of
an aneurism of the heart. He was 65 years old. The
Duke ie succeeded by his eldest son, the Count
PUERTO, an officer in the •Royal Guards of Spain. Hi 4
Excellency is said to have declined very fast since the
death of his favourite daughter, the Countess de LESSINE.
The Duke was a native of 'Lima, but was very early em-
ployed in the Spanish army, and became shortly afterwards
the tutor of the present King of STAIN.
A farmer, on Thursday last, who brOughttha
bag of potatoes into Monasterevan for sale, was so ,mu
annoyed at the low price 'offered. for them, that he threw,
them into the Canal. For this act he was immediately
summoned before Mr. Cassmy, a Magistrate, and fined
10s.—Dublin Freeman's Journal,