Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-09-07
THE MARENGO PRIyATEER.

THE MARENGO PRiN 4 1EEh.
ST.. THOMAS, Aug. s.
account Of the capture O the British snip
Exchange, James Johns, master, from
Curacao, bound to london.
We left Curacao on Thursday the Goth
of july. 1911. Passengers on board, ma
Tor general John Thomas Layard, late
lieutenant governor of Curacao: colonel
yande Spiegle, collector Of that island ;
and major Lyon. On the aSth July, be-
ing very fine weather, we observed pilot
boat schooner to leeward of us, and not
having any suspicion Of French pli'atecrs
being about the Mona passage. we allow
ed her to come very near US. when she
boisted Spanish kings colours and pen
dant which made us think she was Span
ish cruizer; however seeing her still
como near US. made us more suspicious,
and the captain perceivins him haul down
his Spanish colours, hOisted Immediately.
for the second time, his English ensign.
which was immediately answered by them
with a French flag: We then Immediately
pereeived orr critical situation. seeing =
very large schooner and full OF men. tie
captain Immediately prepared for action,
and fred the stern cbasers. which va. re-
turned frem them with grape shot. After
three quarters of an hours engagement.
which was conducted b. the captain. pas
seneers and crew with the greatest cool
ness, and finding she had ceased firing
and coming alongside to board us. We sur
rendered, and even after our colours were
struck. they fired a dozen rounds OF mus
kerry at Us; We were Immediately taken
possession of by the priyateer, who sent
on board prize master and II nten. when
we learnt her to he the Marengo priya-
teer, captain Ordronanx as they said, from
Nantz. with rs men and 10 guns and t9t
tons measurement, they ordered imme-
diately the captain and passengers on board
the privateer excepting major Lyon, hav
ing his little daughter with him. who was
very much alarmed, they therefore suf-
fered him to remain with herr after keep
ing the captain and passengers shor;
time on board the privateer, they suffered
them to return again on board the ship,
when she was brought to anchor that same
night about ii o'clock OH the south side
of the Mona Island; they then sent tn
whole of the crew on board the privateer,
and put them in irons; they thea demand
ed from the captain the manifest and bills
of ladng and letters. by which they found
there was large quantity OF specie Or
board. and which they informed us they
had informatiorl by the brig Coffee Plan
ter. captain jenkins, who they had taken
a few days before, and who was from Cur
acoa bound to London. and which the.
had ransGlIed for ten thousand dollars
and suffered them to proceed: they Oil
account of this intelligence were waiting
for us, knowing the specie to be on board.
After taking the money out, which We
believe to be about t!irt three thousand
dollars, they remained quiet for that
night the next morning. the 29th of Ju-
ly, they sent on board and took oat all the
provisions and water both belonging TO the
ship and passengers stock, all the guns.
cables, &c. in fact left tire ship destitute
of every thing, and informed us they
meant to send the ship and passengers to
France; however, after some converse
sation between the passengers and the
captain Of the privateer, and they request
ing him for Gods sake not to send them
in the ship, as she was then in such a bad
state not possible to proceed, as they must
certainly all perish if he persisted. he
then promised to take them on board the
privateer, and put them on board the first
vessel he could. or land them on the coast
Of Porto Rico at night time; accordingly
he ordered all the passengers, captain and
crew on board the privateer with their re-
spective baggage, and left the ship at an
Choir without any soul Cd board, and pre-