Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-07-15
Correspondence of the spv.

WORCESTER, July 10, 1856.
Gentlemen l spent couple Of DAYS last
week in the seaport town of Scituate, in Ply
mouth Co., for the sake of its wholesome sea
breezes. While there, schooner arrived in the
harbor. the "South Shore" Capt. Edwin Otis;
and it was soon noised abroad through the quiet
village that she had on board quantity of guns
which they had raised from the bottom of the
sea, and which had lain there ninety-eight years
| thought at once of the Frecnh and English
war; and found out from Capt. Otis, whom met
soon after, that these guns were raised in the
harbor of Louisburg, at the east end of the Is.
land of Breton, Nova Scotia. l accepted polite
invitation to go on board the South Shore with
other friends, and then we saw the monster guns
a part of them dashed on deck, and the rest
slowed away in the hold. They brought up
eighteen whole guns, the largest of them, seven
or eight feet long, and weighing five tons apiece
1hey obtained ALSO eighteen pieces of guns,
some of them being broken short off like pipe
stem, and one being split longitudinally, the
whole length of it, and precisely in halves. 1t
is difficult to account for this, but so it was Be-
sides the guns, they obtained balls of diff
ferent sizes; 4, 6, H. "a, and 4S Founders but
they did not collect many of these, for, being
poorer iron than the guns, they had become so
rusted to be nearly worthless. Some eIghty
tons of iron were obtained from this wreck,
| which was, as they supposed, that of the French
| "a gun frigate LIE BsefaiSance This was in about
/
was overgrown with luxuriant kelp and other sea
| plants, higher than mans head, so that the
diver could not be seen when he entered it.
Upon consulting the records of the seige and
| capture of LouisbWg, l am in doubt about these
! being the remains of the BieRtlSa7lte frigate,
because it is stated in the official papers of the
| British navy that the above named vessel was
| captured and towed away. But these guns and
other relics evidently belonged to ship that was
burned this we know, because only her keel and
Inv norr Tho.
works, and besides. Capt. Otis has one or two of
her lower " dead-eyes burnt to a char, and also
melted masses of copper Just as it flowed in the
| heat of the burning ship, -Four ships of the
| French feet before Louisburg were burnt, one by
! the English gunboats and three by accident:
and this must have been one of them. The four
ships bnrnt were lie Prudent, l. Entreprenant LIE
| Celebre, and lie Caprcieux, the two former being
"a and the two latter Ga gun ships.
The wood of these tmbers is in perfect state
OF preservation. If any of your readers would
like to examine piece of it, with a cannon ball,
and bit of rope which was part of the rigging
OF gun carriage, all of which have lain at the
bottom OF the sea just SO years this very month,
they will find them deposited in the Nat. His,
| department of the Lyceum and Library Assoeia.
ton, Bank Block. They were kindly presented
| by Capt. Otis.
was much interested in examining the diving
armor, air pump, lead Shoes weighing 25 lbs.
apiece helmet, gutta percha tubes, and other
parts OF this apparatus. 1t is very simple after
all. and is kept fully inflated from above as to
prevent the too great pressure of the water upon
the body of the diver.
Capt. o. with four companions, was gone elev-
en- weeks upon this trip. Meanwhile he raised a
sanken brig which is now being repaired. He
will return after discharging (without the help Of
powder,) the guns in Boston. They intend to go
next time up the ST. Lawrence little, Just above
the island of Antcosti, to try for some silUer-
plate which was sunk there at a comparatively re-
cent date. May they be as successful as they are
enterprising. Capt o. and his Scituate boys are
brave fellows. They go for free breezes free seas,
and Fremont, and we hope they will all become
rich from the treasures of the ocean. III.