Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1822-06-18

these gave different opinions, and caus-
ed great disputes among their several
adherents. But the man most looked
up to, and followed, and watched by the
crowd was Hans Van Pelt, an old Dutch
sea captain retired from the service.
the nautical oracle of the place. He
reconnoitered the ship through an an.
cient telescope, covered with tarry can
vas, hummed Dutch tune to himself,
and said nothing-a hum, however, from
Hans Van Pelt had always more weight
with the public than speech from a.
mother man.
In the mean time the ship became
more district to the naked eye, She was
stout, round, Dutch built vessel. with
high bow and poop, and bearing Dutch
colours The evening sun gilded her
bellying canvas, as she came riding
over the long waving pillows. The sem
tinel who had given notice of her ap-
proach declared, that he first got sight
of her when she was in the centre of the
bay; and that she broke suddenly upon
his sight, just as if she had come out OF
the bosom of the black thunder cloud.
The by ISLANDERS looked at Hans Van
Pelt to see what he would say to this
report. Hans Van Pelt screwed his
mouth closer together and said nothing;
upon which some shook their heads,
and others shrugged their shoulders
The ship was now repeatedly hailed,
but made no reply, and passing the fort,
stood on up the Hudson. A gun was
brought to bear on her, and, with some
difficulty loaded and fired by Hans Van
Pelt, the garrison not being expert in
artillery. The shot seemed absolutely
to pass through the ship, and to skip a.
long the water on the other side, but
no notice was taken Of it. What was
strange she had all her sails set, and
sailed right against the wind and tide,
which were both down the river.
Upon this Hans Van Pelt, who was
likewise harbor master, ordered his
boat, and set off to board her, but after
rowing two or three hours he returned
without success. Sometimes he would
get within one or two hundred yards of
Der, and then, in twinkling, she would
be half mile off. Some said it was
because his oarsmen who were rather
pursy and short wlnded, stopped every
now and then to take breath, and spit
on their hands; but this, it is probable,
was mere scandal. He got near
enough, however, to see the crew, who
were all dressed in the Dutch style; the
officers in doublets and high hats and
feathers. Not g word was spoken by
any one on board; they stood as mo.
tionless as SO many statutes; and the
ship seemed is if left to her own gov
erDment. Thus she kept on, away up
the river, lessening and lessening in he
evening sunshine, until she faded from
sight, like little white cloud, melting
away in summorsky.
The appearance of this ship threw the
governor into one of the deepest doubts
that ever beset him in the whole course
Of his administration. Fears were en-
tertained for the security OF the infant
settlements on the river, lest this might
be an enemy's ship in disguise sent 20
to take possession. The governor CAL
led together his counsel repeatedly to
assist him with their conjectures. He
sat in his chair of state, built of timber
from the sacred forest Of the Hague
and smoked his long jasmin pipe, and
listened to all that his councillors had
to say, on subject about which they
knew nothing; but in spite of all the
conjecturing ofthe sagest &oldest heads,
the governor still continued to doubt.
Messengers were dispatched to diff
ferent places ON the river, but they re-
turned without any tidings; the ship
had made no port. Day after day, and
week after week elapsed; bot she never
returned down the Hudson. As, how
ever, the council seemed solicitous for
intelligence, they soon had it IN abun-
dance. The captains of the sloops sell
dom arrived without bringing some re-
port of having seen the strange ship, at
different parts of the river. Sometimes
near the PALISADES; sometimes of Gro
ton Point; and sometimes in the High.
lands; but she was never reported as
having been seen above the highlands.
The crews of the sloops, it is true, ge-
nerally differed among themselves in
their accounts of these apparisions, but
that may have arisen from the uncer.
tain situations in which they saw her.
Sometimes it was by the flashes of
thunder storm, lighting up a pitchy