The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-12-09

This kind of cruising went on SO proiiIa-
bly, aud agreeably that council OF war;
which assembled towards the end OF
November decided that they should await
the change of season in the bay, where the
Maurice then lay at anchor, some thirty
miles to the west of Manila BY this
time their numbers had fallen to eighty, of
whom twenty-five were on board the yacht.
But expecting no more formidable opposi-
ton than they had hitherto encountered,
they considered themselves quite strong
enough for any exerton that was likely to
be demanded of them. The Maurice could
make little way against the brisk north
west wind, SO she lowered her topmasts
and remained at her moorings, while the
| Concord. handy little craft, KEPT prow!-
ing about, making numerous prizes, all OF
which she brought to the anchorage. On
/ the 9th of December she carried one
thither, whose cargo. consisting of an
ardent spirit. distilled from species OF
cocoa nut, was peculiarly acceptable. There
was no lack of other good things either,
nor of dusky beauties from the neigboring
islands to share. So time sped delightfully."-
with the rovers until Tuesday the 14tl OF
December. Early that morning two YES
sells appeared in the otfng, But the Con-
cord had sailed over night on a cruise, and
therefore they excited no suspicion at first.
| As they drew nearer, however, it was clea"
that they were large and heavily armed
ships and that they were bearing down
under press of canvas for the Maurice
The Dutch were surprised; but there was
nothing very amazing in the occurrence
Manila was Il great commercial port, and
they had been making havoc of its trade
for the last six weeks. Their ravages,
indeed, had become intolerable, and
the Spaniards had determined to de-
stroy them, cost what it might. See
ing the character of the approaching
ships. the crew of the Maurice hurried their
visitors, male and female, into their boats,
beat to quarters and prepare for action,
running mp their topmasts in the first in
stance, and serving every man on board
with 4 liberal measure of spirits mixed with
gunpowtler in the second. The foe adj
vancetl too rapidly to allow them to weigh
anchor, so they slipped their cables and
stood out through fleet of canoes to meet
him. Before, however, the Maurice could
gather mu CHI Roadway, the Spanish admir-
al was upon them. He received and re-
turned a blOadside, and then the vessels
closed with u crash. They were dashed
together in swinkling, and 4 dense mass
of Spaniards, many of them clad in mail,
dashing on board the Maurice, quickly
cleared the deck. This achievement would
have closed the action in modern times, but
not so 300 years ago. The towers carried
fore and aft by the vessels Of that period,
much as they impeded their sailing, were
exceedingly useful as Gefences. Many
sea-fght then took place in which, thanks
to these towers, the ASSISTANTS were event
ually repulsed after having been masters
of the deck for hours. Van Morris battle
therefore did not really begin until it had
reached the point whereat the fights III
which Nelson and CochIanc won their
fame were wont to cease. The llollanders
retreated some to the poop, others to the
forecastle, and the remainder below. And
from these strongholds they kept up de
structive fire on the enemy. But the span
ish vice-admiral was rapidly approa ching
to sustain his chief, and had he been al
lowed to range alongside unchecked, 1t
would have gone hard with the Maurice.
At this iuncture the gallant little Concord
rounded a neighboring point and dashed
straight at the second Don. The latter
turned aside to meet the puny challenger.
with whom he was soon engaged in mortal
strife. Being farther from the shore, this
pair fell into current and drifted away,
involved in cloud of smoke. The fight
still ragged between the principals. While
one party ofthe Spaniards maintained the
deck of the Maurice. another battered her
with cannons, and to both the Dutch re-
piled with right goodwill. Their chiefest
contest however, lay with the boarders.
whom they pelted,, and who pelted them in
t,1rn, with an infinite variety of deadly
missiles and not few disgusting ones.
The assailants, being uncovered, fell fast.
But the disparity of numbers began to tell
at length on the weaker party, some of
whom even spoke of surrender. Van Mort
was applying the match to cunninsly-
prepared tirework, which promised to work
much destruction among the Spaniards
when the word reached his ears. Grim
with powder and bedaubed with blood as
he was, the admiral much resembled an
Indian in his war-paint. And not less
fiercely savage was the course he adopted.
"Surrender who talks of surrender?'
questioned he, starting up. Then, with
out waiting reply, he swung his match
into a flame, and rushing to the powder
magazine he swore, with voice that ont
roared the din of the battle, to blow them
"to deepest hell = the moment they relax
ed their exertions. Amen ~ yelled "the
CONSIDER of the Sick who was working
gun right Justify. Van MORT was emphat-
icallv a man of his word, so his crew resum-
ed tho fight with double fury. Seeing the
determination of their antagonists the
Spaniards in turn lost heart. Crewding
back to the galleon, they cast loose the
fasteninss which they had been so eager to
Irvine three hours before. But one of
their anchors caught the foreshrouds of
the Maurice, and the vessels maintained
their deadly proximity little longer
This, however, was not an impeachment
that could long restrain the panic-stricken
crowd. Some of the shrouds were cut,
others gave way, and the antagonists drift
ed asunder, both in wretcined plight, but
| the Spaniards in by far the worse condi-
ton, having been terribly mauled by can
non shot near the water-line. Hardly,
then, had she forged clear of the Dutch
man, than she lurched heavily to leeward,
| lifted her stern high in the air. and dived
bow foremost to the bottom, where she lay
with her mastheads above water. "Then,'
says the narrator of the voyage. " did we
see the surviving Spaniards, to the number