The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-12-09
DUTCH CRUISING
THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

DUTCH CRUISING
THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
Oliver Van MORT sailed from HOLLAND
not three hundred years ago exactly, but
says Cornhill Magazine, on the 18th o
September, 1893. with the ships Maurice
and Frederick Henry, of some 300 ton.
burden each, and the yachts Concord ant
Hope, of so to 60 tons apiece, the whole
carrying $50 men. These vessels were
excellent sea-boats in their way. They
could bear good deal of tossing and tum
bling, and even take the ground occasion
ally without suffering any particular dam
age. But their sailing qualities were mo-
brilliant. They made, in fact, the mini
and the maximum Of leeway when it hap.
pened to be abeam. So it was no uncom
mon thing for the best Dutch pilots to find
themselves erring i'll their reckoning by
more than 100 leagues in the course of :
moderately long voyage.
The character of Van Noort's expedition
will be the best explained by the instruc,
lions he received from his merchant own.
ers. which ran substantially as follows
"You will enter the Pacific through the
Straits of Magellan, and return to Europe
round the cape of Good Hope. Fill up if you
can, with Spanish treasure on the coast OF
Peru. If that be impossible, stretch across
to the Moluccas and trade for spices. Make
discoveries if they come in your way, but
waste TO time in hunting them up. Finally,
maintain discipline, keep an eye to the
profits, be as pious as circumstances will
allow, and God be with you. Amen
To enable the commander to carry out
his instructions, lie was provided with a
"consoler of the sicll'' chaplain large
stock of small wares, still larger stock of
arms, little money, and unlimited powers
over his crews. The last item was not at
all unnecessary. In those days voyages
round the world were desperate undertake
ings, and few but desperate characters
engaged in them. Maritime discipline
therefore, stern as it always was in the good
old times, was doubly stern in cases like
the present. 1t comprehended the harsher
rules Of the old Northern sea, codes, with
occasional articles borrowed from the usages
current in the Mediterranean; it multiplied
offences to an astonishing extent, and it
inflicted an endless variety of punishments
many of them as cruel as they were sim
gular. There was, for instance, plenty of
keel-hauling and spread eagling; there was
an ugly custom of suspending man by
the arms and loading his neck with weights,
and there were gagging for the insolent,
fasting for the obstinate, ducking for the
sloven, and whipping at the capstan for the
skulker. He who was detected in falsehood
had to serve for week as swabbler's assist
ant, and the swearer was liable-but only
under very Puritanic captains-to have his
tongue well scraped with rusty piece of
iron. Heavier crimes than these were visi-
ted with heavier penalties, such as maroon
lily dIlu uGdGE, GllC ldlICl iuiiiSeSu III
a great variety of ways.
The squadron called at Plymouth on
account of the English pilot. Near the
Behring'S, dangerous reef in the neighbor-
hood of Cape Rocca, all who had not pre-
viously passed the spot were triced up to
one of the yard-arms and dipped three
+;,,o. =, III, ea,. +b,t ie if common Sea
men: for an officer was always honored
with fourth immersion and gun. Cere-
monies like this, though now confined to
the tropic of Cancer, were observed in
many places by medieval shipmen, there
being hardly shoal or promontory roto-
rious for shipwreck in western Europe that
was not thus respected; no seaman being
accounted master of his craft and fitted to
take Office on shpboard until he had under
gone the custom.
We find the squadron, December 10th,
Blight of Biafra. This was small Portu-
guese Extraordinarily 4 little fort, a
sugar mill, few European soldiers, and
several Jesuits. The natives, however,
were numerous, and completely under the
control of the missionaries. Van MORT,
being greatly in want of water, sent a
party ashore with a flag of truce. The
natives met it under similar banner, and
behaved very amicably until they had
decoyed four Of the officers into the fort,
and thrown the rest of the company off
their guard. They then assailed botn par
ties, killing three of the officers aD d two of
the seamen, and driving the rest off to the
ships. In retaliation Van MORT laid the
Concord close under the fort, and landed
100 picked men to take it in the rear. The
however, were overmatched at
all points, and compelled to retreat with the
loss of one man killed and fourteen wound
ed. The squadron instantly made sail and
stood away amid the exulting yells of the
Jesuit neophytes. But this rejoicing was
a little premature. Instead of showing lis
stern to the islanders, he mannuvred Pong
the coast for the next thirty-six hou rs. A
mob of negroes in full war cost me fol-
lowed his movements with M. ach peril
nacity and more clamor. IT, lev INDUCED
in variety of ~ar-dances @ the various
headlands, and treated hi m to a volley of
arrows whenever he tac' 1ed within range,
but paused at length O. shausted and bewil-
lered, toward sunse, of the second day
Van MORT Seized y ,e opportunity, anchored
abreast of rivulet, and threw
[hlrf,y men ashore, who soon raised 4 toler
Die intrencb nent. 1t was midnight before
the natives discovered the work, and then
they mustered and assailed it. The assault,
however, encountered sharp repulse; it
was not repeated, and the water casks of
the squadron were filled at leisure. When
this was done, Van MORT put himself at
the head of $50 men and advanced into the
island. On the way he beat up an ambus-
cade with considerable loss to those who
lay in wait therein. He then burnt the
sugar mills and did as much other mischief