The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-07-16
CAPTAIN CLAPPERTON.
THE tFRIcAn rKAvELnEn.

ATTAIN CLAPPERTON,
THE sFRIcAH rKAVELnEn.
OR distinguished countryman, Captair
Hugo SClapperton, whose melancholy fate
was accorded in our last, was born at An.
nan, h the year 1888, where his father was
1 long established as surgeon, though his
habits latterly became irregular, and his
means not a little impaired. For consid-
cradle period he was the only medical mar
OF repute in Fhe place, and performed yari-
Gus operations and cures, that spread his
tame over considerable district. CAPTAIN
Clapperton'sg grandfather, who lived in Loeb
maben, waslalso surgeon of some emf
hence; and Ehe pains he bestowed on his
sons education proved so good a passport
TO public favir, that he might have acquired
an lndependincy, if not fortune. Unfor-
tunately, however, for himself and others. he
was careless rather than careful of money :
but, On the bther hand, it is due to him To-
state, that he married early-became a
wIdower-harried again, and was the ia
ther OF no fwer than 81 children. Ofthe
trult OF thetirst marriage, six sons and one
daughter gew to mans and woman's estate
and the younger of these were the celebrat-
ed African Traveller, the subject of the pres
ent memof. In his person, he resembled
his father greatly at least six feet
hlgh-had great breadth of chest and ex-
panslon OF shoulders-nerves of steel and
slnews OF ron-and was altogether hand
some, athhtic and powerful man.
At the ge of seventeen, Clapperton was
bound an apprentice to the sea, and be-
came fhn hn oohiya h0ry &c
OF o. the Potlethwaite, of Maryport. The
Postlethwate, a vessel of large burthen,
traded between Liverpool and North Amer
ica, and lnIher he repeatedly crossed the
Atlantic distinguished even when mere
youth,tor c'olness, dexterity, and intrepidty.
On one occasion, the ship, when at Liver
pool, was partly laden with rock salt, and.
as thaf commodity was then dear, the mis-
tress house which the crew frequent
S Si,-., ipT rev p6hAas oGfIfnqnsn anddeo
kerchie. After some entreaty the youth
complied, probably from the ignorance of
the revenue laws was caught in the act by
d custom house officer, and menaced with
the terrors of trial and Imprisonment, unless
he consented to go on board the Tender.
He Immediately chose the latter alternative,
andafter being sent round to the More, was
drafted on board the Clorinde frigate, com
manled by very gallant officer, the honor
able Captain Briggs. Here he was ranked
as aman before the mast, but feeling de-
sireto better his situation, he addressed a
letter detailing his mishap and recent hsto-
ry, to Mr.. Scott, banker, in Amman, who had
always taken warm interest in the family.
Mr.. Scott, as the likeliest channefthat occur
red to him, applied to Mrs. General Dirom,
of Mount Amman, who happened-to be relat-
ed to CAPTAIN Briggs, and through the in
fluence that lady, combined with his own
professional merit, the brave Clapperton
was speedily promoted TO the rank of mid
shipman-a circumstance which tended in
no meandegree to fix his destiny, and shape
his future fortunes in life.
PreviMs to 1913, our sailors, in boarding
used thecutlass after any fashion they pleas,
ed, and we're trained to no particlar method
| in the Management of that formidable wea-
pom. twas suggested, however, that was
a defect and, with the view of repairing it
Clapperpn and few other clever midship
men, wee ordered to repair to Portsmouth
Dock-yTd, to be instructed by the celebrat
ed ANGLO, in what was called the improve
ment culass exercise. When taught them
selves, hey. were distributed as teacher
over the fleet, and our countryman's class
i room WIS the deck of the Asia "a, the flag
shin of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Coch
rane, then lying at Spithead. At the periot
we speak of, an incident occurred strikingl
I illustrative of his GOODNESS and intrepidity.
One evening, the alarm was given that tn
ship was on fire; the drums immediatel
beat to quarters, and the firemen piped q
way to the gun-room, where an immens
quantity of luggage had been temperate
deposited, and from whence were issuin
huge and increasing volumes of smoke
The after magazine, containing some hun
dred barrels of gun-powder, was under tn
spot, and the appearance of the combustio
had become so alarming that every ma
awaited his fate in silence, under an in
preston that the ship would speedily
blown to atoms. At this awful moment, a
officer who had occasion to pass throug
the cockpit, observed midshipman in tn
larboard birth, sitting at a table and vel
quietly smoking his cigar. The sight su
prsed him, and, on discovering that II
smoker was his friend Clapperton, he cou
not help marvelling at his seeming apath
The other, however, was quite cool, and r
piled, that he was only supernumerar.
that no particular station had been assignt
to him; and that, if the ship blew up,
seemed very likely, it was Of little cons
quence where he was" But the seat oft
fire was fortunately discovered, and Il
flames subdued with that admirable ord
and presence Of mind which are never mo
apparent than in ships of war during m
! ments of danger: and on the lst of Febru
ny, 1914, the Asia and Superb weigh
thar oocbore and cfnod ont IN son