Weekly Trinity journal., 1861-09-07

Privnteering Incidents in the French War

In the last French war all Dover used to dread
what was called " the privateer wind that SOU
something by something, which enabled French
privateers to flash out of Cherbourg make a loop
line out at sea, snatch up all they met and bear
it back, with vulture speed, to Dunkirk, or some
not too distant port.
How well remember, forty years ago when
was articled to solicitor (the town clerk of Do
ver), being awoke some murky morning by the
news of a privateer being in sight OF the town.
On one particular occasion, lie Petit Renard, a
celebrated piratical privateer lugger, from Dun
kirk, the terror of the Channel attempted to cut
out an English vessel that she had been pursuing
from under the very guns of the batteries. All
the town was in a state of ettervescence. The
guns OF Archclift Fort were replying to those of
further battery. Everywhere down the street
you saw running specks of scarlet, which were
soldiers hurrying to their posts There was no
danger, of course but there was all the sport
mans anxiety for capture. Boom boom bang
bang From the higher cliffs you could see now
and then issues from a rock gallery, u widening
puff of smoke, through which flashed "a thread OF
| fire then, far away on the gray wave you saw
the shot leap aud splash in the direction of the
saucy lugger that was waiting like q shark for
its food.
But Le Petit Renard was too sly a bird to be
caught. IL was not going to run its head into a
wasp's nest for all Dover was worth, SO it sent a
shot at the town in mpudent defiance, and swept
| off home, amid the curses aud shouts of our artl-
| lery men. We heard no more of lac Petit Renard
| till week after. when she bore off rich mer-
chant vessel. Her captain was one of the vilest
of sea thieves. He had two sets of ships papers.
one set English the other French. If he were
boarded by u vessel of Napoeon's he produced
triumphantly his French papers; if by one of
King Georges he produced his English license,
so that no one knew where to have him. | be-
lieve lie Petit Renard brought in some thousands
of guineas to her employer and was lying safe
in French port the very day the peace was
signed. | do not think the captain committed
any murders, but he must certainly have impo-
verishcd many merchants.
A few days afterwards something happened
! that gave me q sense of the horrors of war; and
especially of war carried on by legalized robbers,
cruel and reckless. A Privateer was seen by a
government cruiser lurking about the harbor.-
! Entangled in fog, the french robher was sur
prsed 10y daylight within two miles of Dover
chalk cliffs, and out flew at him our winged bul
dog. The fight was stubborn. The enemy, wheI
their shot was exhausted, loaded with poker
knobs, shreds OF iron tenpenny nails-l am not
quite sure if even on this occasion the old story
! of the captain firing roud Dutch cheeses at us
was not revived. Our sailors were veXed at the
| escape of the La Petit Renard and at the numer-
Gus murders and r0bberies committed by the
| French privateers. The Channel, once safe as
| lHe KING nlSuWdyt Hdu RIpWh uahSVioh7 40 y
cut throat lane near Bagshot, aud our cruisers
were to turn runners" and brush OF the scum
| Our seamen, too, were the crew of proverbs
ally smart vessel, aud had the honor of their shT
to maintain, and their pride was hurt that tho
men OF the La Petit Renard should be able t(
brag over their wine, in Dunkrk cabarets, how
they had been under our very nose and made u
burn a ton of powder without killing French
man or blowing away even an old sail So they
first pounded the thief well, crushed him up a'
| hungry men do biscuit ridded his sails, cut
away his figure. head half stove in the stem, then
| poured in the boarders with flood OF cutlasses
! In ten minutes the vessel was theirs, and the
captain, found close to the powder magazine
! door, was nailed 10 that door with boarding
pike.
saw our vessel, the Sea Swallow, return, bios
| somng with flags, and having the French ship in
! tow. | went down to the pier in the crowd tc
cheer and to look. | shall never forget that
bright morning, with the sun burning the fog
away, so that il shriveIed from the sky like SC
much dross from cadron of melting gold The
sky was liquid blue ; the two vessels were close
to the pier the English ship was little hurt al
ready the sails were being patched aud the rig
gIng repaired but The French ship lay a wreck
sails blown to tinder, ropes dangling in innumer-
! able knots and haters There was a crimson
sheen on the white splntered plauks and on the
white torn seams the cabin doors were broken
aud split aud the dead men, branless aud bat
tered were laid ready for rough sea burial in red
heaps. Suddenly some rough voices broke into
a hearty French song
" Oh sill nest pas paradi5,
| lestcu N uur