Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-10-04

| Over the heads of cd and meritorious
officers, then this unfit STRIPPING. as the au-
thor styles him, was early in 1906, found
in the command OF his maiesty's ship Ja-
son; on whose quarterback he had but
| very lately received the reprools, aud un-
dersone. at least deserved the puuishments
| incidental to the station OF midshlpman.
Ills conduct now became naughty, over
! bearing, and extremely tyrannicai Flng-
glng was the order of the day with him,
| and SO much did he delight in this cruel
part of naval discipline, that he often or
! dered the whole ships company to be fog
sed. when his whim and caprice invented
q general, imaginary and perhaps in itself,
| trivial offence. Fancy to Yourself. reader,
| full complement Of frigate, consisting
| OF 225 men, all brave veteran tars. being
ANONYMOUSLY dragged to gun, man by
man. stripped, bound and having their bare
backs tGceratsd dy lie lash ofn cat-of niHe-
| tdits and all this ST the nod of beardiess
boy, because, forsooth, this boy has, through
the interest CT a father and the corruption
OF the times,* been irresularly, illegally
and scandalously promoted to the rank OF
post captain, before he was fit to command
| Che crew Of a jolly-boat. Such mode sof
promotion, and such conduct. excited con-
tempt in the breasts of all independent Of
ficers. and richly deserved it. AS to the
seamen and marines, they were. by the
young captains tyranny and oppression,
worked up TO such pitch of irritation, as
6ordered almost constantly on state of
| mutiny.-While the Jason was living in
| the harbor of FortOla. the boatswain, be.
ing the captains HreShiRg- had
become so odious to the whole ships com
pany, that in one night he had both his
ears cat otP clean from his heed by sumo
unknown hand; and although the whole
crew was, In degree. put 10 the torture.
by general rounds of flceging, still ,the,per-
! petrator Of this act of vengeance was never
| oivuI9ed.
| Captain Cochrane was only strict dis
cip!inarian as far as concerned others.-As
/ to himself, he frequently slept out of tae
ship; q once in particular. when the Jason
rode out . gale in the harbOr Of Fortola.
| after repeatedly drifting, and his males
| TVS, brig Hart drove ashore for the want
| of anchors and cables, whom it was his du-
| " to have succored and supplied. Al
| though tie Hart burnt blue lights. fred So
nal, Of distress, threw her guns overheard
and laid on her beam end. CAPTAIN each
rane never ATTEMPTED to get off to her, hut
cOntented himself with looking at her from
our windows through night glass, When
ever the flashes OF the blue lights made
| darkness visible. ANY other officer would
have been tried by court martial for such
misconduct but so great was the compiai-
sance of the other officers towards this adj
| mira's son, that none burst ask an euqui-
~: indeed, they went so far as to allow
HIM TO share prize-mOney in the CAPTURE Of
three American vessels, although he was
day and night on shore, engaged in court
ship, and consequently neither aiding, nor
assisting in their capture
We have already mentioned the cOwar-
dice and cruelty of captain Cochrane
these two vices generally 90 hand i'm hand:
we now proceed to shew the dangerous
consequences Of cruelty. During the bur
ricane months in 1907, the Jason accom-
panied admiral Cochrane to Bermuda and
Halifax, on her voyage she touched at
New-Y0rk. After coming TO anchor in
that port, captain COchrane had his boat
manned and went on shore when. alas
his whole boats crew, to a man, coXswai1
aud all, ran away Immediately on his land
ing on the beach, and left their poor. dis
cOnsolate captain alone, exposed to the
groans aud bises of the American ponulace.
Upon his return on board, he mustnatural-
ly have been a little out Of temper. and
may have vented his spleen on the crew
which remained behind, as a kind of mutt
ny arose which was, however, duelIed,
aud some Of the ringleaders and recaptur-
cd descrters, were shortly afterwards
hanged at Halifax. There IS DrOvcrbial
saying among sailors, that a mau-of-war is
to a II intents and purposes a little hell
and this phrase probably owes its origin to
sucha demon Of a captain.
Towards the latter part Of the blockade
OF Martinique, captain Thomas John Coch-
rane commanded his rcajcsty's ship Etha-
lion of39 g1ns, and was stationed to su-
periutend the in-shore squadron Of lighter
vessels, and 70 watch the inets to Fort
itoyal--the line Of battle ships belonging
to the squadron being at a greater distance
from the land.-Whiist charged With this
important service, he suffered one night.
n French frigGfe, the PaIas, IT, get iiltD
p0rt. The officer, who had the watch up
on deck, called out 10 captain COchraue
in his cabin. that he Observed strange
sail, and advised him 80 make the private
signals to her but the captain declined
following this advice, saying he knew the
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