Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-11-20
From the CHARLESTON COURIER.

I sta q 4.
In yesterdays paper we mentioned tee
captare of the British ship Esther the ar
: rival, Yesterday morning, OF the pilot boat
Delight, with the mangled remains OF that
gallant but unfortunate ships crew, has fur
nished us with the particulars OF the action,
and of the base and brutal massacre which
followed it. The leading facts are detailed
in the the following
Pr O TES
Tames Spriaks and John Smith, two OF
the seamen late of the British ship Esther,
George Irving, master. make oath, That
on Monday the 2Sth of October last, they
sailed in and with said ship frons this port,
bound to Londen, IN company with the
ship E.riel, captain Payne Minorca, trans
port, captain Wood and a schooner under
convoy of his Britannia Majesty's siaop OF
war Petrol, being tight, &c. manned with
IS men, two of whom shipped on board the
Petrol. That they continued in the prose-
cution OF their voyage without meeting with
any material occurrence, until Thursday
following, at TWO clock, A. M. when the
ship was taken aback and struck by very
heavy sea .underthe counter which theysoon
after discovered caused her to make IL Ia.
of W alter per hour. That they immediate.
" got the powder out Of the magazine on
deck and discovered the leak near the stern
post. That captain Irving asked the car
penter whether he could stop the leak, and
being answered no, that 1t was impossible
to stop il at sea the crew was called aft,
and thsy unanimously agreed TO bear up
aud speak the commodore. Tia, at merl-
dian they got within hail of the commodore
and informed him of their lesky condition,
and taking nto consideration the season of
the year and The bad weather, he recon-
nendsd that they should return to port.
That they accordingly bore away for this
port, and joined the Minorca which had
bore away some time before, also in very
lesky situation. That oniSaturday morn
ing at about O'Clock they arrived off The
Bar, and pilot was put on board OF
each ship, who informed that there was
French privateer 10 shore; they INN edlatev
ly cleared the decks for action. At about
nine O'Clock they saw the privateer bearing
down upon them. At ten she came within
gun-shot. The ship Esther Immediately
gave her broadsde, and she hauled her
wind and stood off, until between four and
Ave O'Clock in the afternoon; when she a.
gain run down upon the ship and reeeived
another broadside, fired one gun in return,
yeered round, and again stretched off
That on Sunday morning at about o'clock
she again returned, and fired one gun at the
| Esther, which was returned by breadside,
AMI the privateer sheered of third time.
That they did NOT come TO action after
that till Monday morning at O'Clock,
| when the privateer run down upon them
with an intention TO board, and received the
Esthers broadside. That after that Sc.
we're conflict was kept up By both parties
for about three quarters OF an hour; when
the privateer boarded with nearly the whole
of her crew. That they continued the fight
for about twenty minutes after being board
ed when having two killed and sever.
al wounded, and of consequence being
much reduced in numbers, Mr.. Lowden,
the third mate. by order of Capt. Irving,
struck the colours, and returning, was kill
led on the quarter. That AFTER the colors
was struck, the captain was Cat down in the
cabin, and mangled III a most iuhuman
manner; and the second mate was run
through the body with small sword. The
prisoners being below, were ordered Up bv
Ross, the leader of the privateersmen,
that they might be put to death but on
some remembrance, he ordered that his
men should FIRE down the hatchway upon
them, which they accordingly did, killing
the carpenter and wounding two men SO
severely that they died OF their wounds l07s
mediately on being put into the Plo'-boat,
that the said privater proved to be the Gre
ole, Capt. Pierre Buegman, from barracoa,