, 1861-08-09
PRIV ATEERIN g..
Stories Of .Privateers in the Last
French War.


l44EAA HAdl MUD NS1Atu QilfAtktE HlAA,
that SOU something by something, which ena-
bled French 'p1iVateers to fash out Of Cher
eouIg, make loop line out at sea, snatch up |
all they met and bear it back, With yulture |
speed, to :Dunkirk, or some not too distant |
How well remember, forty years ago,
when vas articled to solicitor {the town |
clerk Of DGVer} being awake some murky |
morning by the neTs Of = pfivateer being IN |
sight Of the town. On one particular occasion |
Le Petit ReIard, 2 celebrated piratleal priva-
teer lugger, from Dunkirk, the terror Of the
Channel, attempted to cut out an Engl;shyes.
sci that she had been pursuing from under
the very gnns Of the batteries. AL the
town Was in state Of effer7escence. The
guns Of Archclif fort we're replying to those
cf further battery. Everywhere down the
etrct you saw running specks Of scarlet,
which Here soldiers hurrying to their posts.
There was no danger, Of course, but there was
all the Ep0rtsmau's anxiety for capture
Boom boom bang bang From the high
er cliffs you could see, every now aud then is.
sue, from rock gallery, . widening. puff Of
then, far sway on the gray wave you saw the
shet leap and plaEh in the direction Of the
saucy lugger that mas waiting like a shark for
But Lc Petit Renard WIS too aly q bird to
be caught. It was not going to run it's head
iLto wasp'6 nest for s1l Dover WIS worth, so
it sent shot at the town in impndent def
ance, and swept off home, amid the curses
and shouts Of our artluerymen. We heard no
mere Of lie Petit Renard till week after,
when she carried off Z rich merchant vessel
Her captain was one Of the vilest ofsea thieves.
H had two setg Of ships papers, one set Eng
lish, the other French. If he we're boarded
by q vessel Of Napoleon's he produced tri-
pmphantay his French papers If By one Of
King Georges, he produced his English
license, SO tfat none knew where to have him.
believe LIE Petit Renard brought in soma
Thousands Of guineas to her employers, and
was lying safe in Frsxch port the very day
tie peace was signed. d. not think the cap
tain committed many murders, hut he must
certainly hare Impoverished many merchants.
:. 4 lew days afterwards Something happened
that gave me sense Of the horrors Of war,
and especially Of WAT carried on by leealized
robbers, cruel and reckless. A privateer was
seen by q government cruiser lurking about
the harbor. Entangled in q fog, the French
Iobber WAS surprised by d2ybreak within two
miles Of Dover chalk-cllffs, and out few at
him our winged bn1l dog. Tna nEnat was stub
born. The enemy, when their shot was eE-
iron and tenpeIny nails-I am not quite sure
if even on this occasion the old story Of the
captain firing round Dutch cheese at us was
not revived. Our sailors were yexed at the
escape Of Le Petit Reuard and at the nu1aer-
ons murders and robberies committed by the
the kings highway, had groHn dangerous as
cut-throat lane near Baggshot, and our crul-
sera were to turn 'srunners' and brush off the
scum. Our seamen, too, were the crew Of a
prcyerhla!ly smart vessel and had the honor
Of their ship 10 maintain, and their pride wa.
hurt that the men Of La Petit Renard should
be able to brig over:their wine, in Dunklrk
cebarets, how they had been under cur very
noee and made rs burn tsn Of powder with.
out Killing FIenchman r5low1ng away even
an old sati. So they frst pounded the thief
well, crushed him up az hungry men do a
biecuit, ri6sled his sails, cut away luis figure
head, half stove in the stem, then poured In
the bo2Ttcrs with flood of cu:lasses. In ten
minutes the vessel vas theirs, and the captain,
found clcse to the powder magazine door, was
nailed to that door With boarding pike.
saw cur vessel, the Sea Swallow, return,
bloseoning with fsgs, and having the French
ehip in tow. went down to tue pier in the
clowd to cheer and to look. I shall never for
get that bright morning, with the sun burning
The fog away, 30 that 1t shrivelled from tne
sky like so much droas froM . csuldron Of
melting gold The SKY Was liquid blue; the
tTo TcsEe1s were close to the pier the Enc
1ish ship was little hurt; already the sails
were being pa ched and the rigging repaired.
but the French snip lay wreck, sails blown
to finder, ropes dangling in innumerabl.
kEoss snd haltt1s. There Was crimson
Elten On tic white sp1intered planks, and on
the white torn seams; the CABIN doors were
broken AID SPLIT; and the dead men, braialess
and battered, we're 1aid ready for rough sea-
burial, in red heaps. Suddenly some rough
voices treke INTO hesr;y French song:
'Oh! all NEST pas en- Paradis,
u est en- Purgatoire.a!''
II was h2l6ful Of the Frencb sailors who had
come sziel5 out Of it (iholgh feH had their
heads tied up); they were sitting round
the galley fire, cooking eOme soup and sing-
DE+ LgEs-htarted song birds, so soon to get
accustomed to their new cage!
NoEe Of cur family ever had a sharc in q
EslFoteer but one, aud he WIS not lucky. The
| Sea Hawk struck on the bar on her first trip,
t,em the harboT 1t jersey, and the second trip,
| after beiEE repaired at q great exaenee she
| was snaEptd d up ly Le Petit Renard, and never
hesrc Q: atterna-ds-aot even in that dark
fleet ot English merchant chips and small craft
| tcuLd III DunkirE harbor at the peace. NV
| hiIsiuan beiIg conscientious man. and q
| F1rcent nan, would never, therefore, have
| any thing mere to do with privatee1s. Taere
seemed to be, he thought, Z curse upon them.
a ffisld Of mire went tie other DAY to the
seaport where he Vas born; HI first1nquify
"Dead and goler' seid the old sea captain
| hc asked, looking thoughtfally at the bo ri o1
his pipe, ns ii it aided memory or reflection
| dead and gone, and his money all melted
from hin, like snow, too. He was the last ot
the men In our town who made priyateeripr
I
west CT nor vest, away it all went It is tras
enough, depend upon it, what he's been Otter
eaad in this ere town, that no good ever cam:
., pIiyateeIlrg money; there was innocen
TIE MODERN PIRATES.
Can ne wonder at the general exclamation
Of horror which arose in England when it va
were about to let fly their prlyateers at tn
North, and all without even special protes
frcm England on the folly and inhumgntty Q
the acts Any attempt TO partly blockade
Southern port, and keep in her cotton, Eag
e p1rste thipe many of 81 than s L. chsrtered ai1
the Ecu1n Of the North-men who would div
into an Atlantic full Of blood to pick out
dol]ar-as not even to be protested agaios
We 70 longer poison bullets or stab prison
their deyillsh calling, merely because thos
pirates choose to hoist Southern flag an
call themselves Southern priy1teers. Te d
not think that in future wars the toleratio
Of such inhumsnity viii not recoil on u
Who is there who can eow the wind aud "
1tfnse to 1eap the whirlRinde
Yet, thai statesmen should tolerate sue
thugs is no wonder. Those great-ninde
heinsmen are too busy in keeping their leg
to trouble themselves about ideals. The
have 10 laugh away popular wrath, to ,sni
away opposition, to SCOT awsy attscks, I
badinagc away reforms that they do nc
themselves originate. Tney do not want Ye1
tiors debates On abstract subjects. Wars Al
Tad things, but they employ officers and G.
! courage promotion they keep the opposite
quiet, and are excuses for taxes they po.
poIe returm and increase ministerial popu}a
1ty, But the hayonetDg, the shooting, Il
: burning, the rninlpg Of Homen, the dehcing
: Gc6's imagef :
Yez, al inconyen!ences-unG inco
ysnienees, but not to be thought of when +
ticnal welfate requires var to express
anger, to assert It's 1jghts,t retrieve Its hont
}. to extend its territory, or to augment
glory sid Of this iustilable war, IN go
caufe, piiTateefiDg is q necessary volunteer
jucct
But Jet me eketch the probable evils Tesul
II irg from this determination OF the South
let Loose her priYatee1irg mnrdercrs.
soon ne this uewa is telegrapaed from the
cekeioa capital Of Alabama TO tho so1the
EeapcxtB, ttat inBtant the worst Of the bar
1upt meTchsnte, the rich "roH0aes,' and {
e!sYe dealers, w!1 rake up every posslnle
- sttcoI er aud zaszirg clipper they can ind
Rcour tae seas, for IspiEo and plnadeE. Th
FlA buy scEe cd guns, which they VIII
1ihcd fhc3. .Btu1E IN GSSrc Ehot aad fon
y shot; arc tttn put up :ptacsrds IN tho
rcen5 ard. dam shops, and collect saEo
. ~to1gst-:he meEciful--:he br1vee No:
+. | .thicVtrE d1uuka1d--the homicide-the e.;
= T. dE;VcI-the s'avs-tante1-the runaway c'
. 1.c:-tae sWfn6te--the murdersr-1ae ees
94 Dexdt3 6t3H fsr et1ictIe, au the r sssicna
g ertw, sad Apcli,o On hiusSi for sa.ltaEE-u
= | Ter. =: =! -
II sr= zntro ntdhight mnrassess they Will 81
=: