Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-06-15
THE PRIV EER.

The European NATL e-field of this country,
man must now be well up in middle age
The young know nothing of arms bui IRON
history; and they can hardly persuade them
selves that the most pacific old man in En-
gland, is The same Iron Duke who command
ed at Waterloo, befWe they came INFO The |
world. The trade of soldering has no long
or any necessary copDecliep with fighting,
Its duties are merely The drill and parade,
aud the wearing of gay clothes. And al
though The officers, in their different grades.
ale hardly SO well paid as merchants clerks
still there is always a sufficient number
found for SO easy and amiabe a service. H.
is true they have chance of being drafted,
at some time or other, 10 the further East,
several thousand miles away; but they know
very well that in India they will not meet with
such equal enemies as were formerly Crap
pied with in Europe, while in China, il is a
mere amusement 10 bring down The bald
headed celestlals--ip fact, human shat
iue"
Under such circumstances, we look back
upon war as one OF The interesting or terrible
things of The past; and although somewhat
sicks Of the details Of bloudy struggles, from
their having been so frequently ob.Iuded up
un our notice, we regard The compostion OF
lis materials and character as legitimate or
jecIs of literary curiosity. One OF the sran-
gesi departments OF such a subject is the
priyateerIng system; and we nov proceed to
offer some illustrations OF class of be lger-
EMS who have moi as YET received due atIen-
lion either from history or romance. This
hill a., hU ~ Sc
ual porraiis-one French, aud one English
which may be taken as exhibiting, though
of course in higher relief than usual. the gen
eral features of the uIte.
/ AS for The system itself, il is relic of
the barbarisin OF The middle ages, organized
and legaIIzed by The folly OF depravity OF
modern governments. Ii is The piracy of The
northern barbaTiaus and Eastern in6dels
sanclioned.by letters ofmarque-a documen
which affects TO give the right Of reprisa.
but, in reality, invests the desperadnes oil
The country with the privilege to rob and
murder. This sort OF commission did uo
come generally into fashion all the end OF
the sixteenth ceninry, but ouce fairly sfloat
The priyateefs continued To maintain iheii
| flag in time of war, in spite ofthe bursts of
Indignation which their excuses called forth
| from The neutral nations. Various attempts
we're made 10 bring them under legal re
siralnl; but 10 impose any control bu that oil
force upon ruffians called into action by such
cordial motives was impossible. Sometimes
| the channel between France and England
was swept so clean by the sea guerrIlas oil
he two nations, that the poor privateers niusi
have starved il they had moi turned their arms
against neuirals. In 1858, ship belonging
TO Holland, with which country we were at
peace.) having on board The Spanish ambas-
sador, Oh his way to Denmark, was boarded
by three different squadrons of privateers,
and plundeted even of his excelency's bag
gage. A little hanging was had recon- Sc TO
ON this occasion; and in the following year,
The nuisance sill continuing undated, grea,
numbers Of The priyateers, as they yere 10
ken and brought into the English ports from
/ time 10 time, were consigned To the eallnws
The neglect of our internal police added To
the disorders ofthe period land the result, we
are informed by historians. was that an ngre-
dent ofsavage ferociiy mingled in The ma
iional character.
Forty years aier-in The first year or Two
OF the present century-wlIen The war ragged
bitterly between France and England. The
career of Two advenIurers commenced, one
on either side of The channel, who were des
tined 10 exercise some influence on The for
tunes of each side.
/ Jerome f1ar5of resided in a little seaport
on The coast of Brilanny-that is when he was
ON shore; for although now only twenty-four
years of age, he has been fourteen years
sailor, man and boy. He was little, fai, fair.
with short arms and round shoulders. His
face was the reverse of long; but his small
nose, small mouth, and small blue ewes. were
lost in its width. He was, in fact, ANYTHING
but the pirate Of poetry or romance in form !;
and in other respects he had nothing to dis.
tinguish him from the commnnest Of cnu,-
mon sailors, except his genius for sea tobber.
ry. When in his twenty fourth year, his un-
Gle, weayor, at Vannes, left hIn 10000
francs IA large fortune either in Normandy
or Brtanny; and after twelve months cogita-
tiOns, assisted by as much brandy as would
have gone well-nigh TO float a letter OF
marque, he determined 10 invest his money
in The purchase Of vessel, aud 90 priva
tsering.
TO present little surface;io keep hold oil
the wafer by length rather than brepth; to
keep The sea in any weather; and TO be able
10 run close in shore a, almost any depth
these were Jerome's req iiremenis in ship
And all these and more he found in long
low, narrow schooner, which, poiwiihsiand
4 ing, he cut down still further; shaving her of
almost TO the waters edge, 30 thai sue ran
constantly between two seas-one below heI
keel, and the other above her always we
deck. This vessel he rugged with single
sail of enormous proportions, with The weigh
of which The long, low, narrow craft rocked
like cradle, even in the harbtr. The as
founded spectators called her La Grenouille
as sigpiiyipg that she would soon seek he
n proper place at the bottom. BE il so,' sale
her owner; and presently the figure head o
A a frog, splendidly painted green and gold ap
:, peared at the bow. Jereme himself wa,
from that day called Captain Grenouille, ant
in the course ofa levy years was known OF
!. shore of The channel by no other name.
His commissioner, in The mean time, hal