Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-11-30

We bring no soErows 70 Thy throos;
We oome to The With no comrlafnt:
In Providence Thy will u done,
And that Is sacred TO the eaint.
8RAvE TARS.
No privateer of the war of 1912
was better known than the Yankee,
OF Bristol, r. l.. and many were the
prizes with which she enriched that
port. Previous to che war, and while
We were between the upper and meth.
er millstones of France and England,
her owner, Capt. James DeWolf, had
suffered somewhat at the hands of
the British, who confiiscated more
than one OF his vessels, caught in the
way Of trading with the French.
These confiscations were remember
ed and revenged by the old merchant;
but 1t required several Of the Yam
KEGS captures to set matters right.
At length, however, q large brig,
which she sent in, squared the long
standing account; and. a. new names
were always given to the vessels tax
en-, he very appropriately called this
craft the Balance.
The next-also q brig-he named
the Prize; because q new leaf of the
ledger had now been turned, and the
capture was.in excess of all demands,
John Bull Or. by one brig.
Those were days of marine enthus-
iasm and marine prosperity. On one
cruise of four months, the Yankee
cleared for her owner seventy-six
thousand dollars, and it is to be re-
membered that over and above this,
there were the shares Of the officers
and crew. Her other exploits were
scarcely less fortunate. Fully one
half her prizes were recaptHred by
the enemy before reaching port, or
her success would have been still
more remarkable than it was
One captured vessel came in ON q
Fourth of July, while the good peo-
pie were expanding their patriotism
in tue usual demonstrations of that
day. The name of this prize l do
not recall; but she brought letter
from Capt. DavOl, of the privsteer,
telling of the Yankees battle with
the Royal Bounty. a huge East India
man, which had been captured and
burned.
brig, mounting fourteen broadside.
mines, with q long twenty -four amid.
ships. She had prviously been q
SLAYER, and was very rOemy for YES
sci Of her size. Being of shallow
build, she was not good at beating to
windward, but, with free wind,
would skim to leeward like q swal
low, SO that nothing could overhaul
her. 1t was while away down on the
coast of South America, that she fell
in with the Roya! Bounty. The En-
glishmau, pefce iSiSgshsz in chase,
put his ship upon her best saifl9es
point, and. throwing out q cloud O
canvas, did all that he could to escape
But an English East Indiaman, will
bows like the side of q church, mus
have made poor figure, when he
sailing qualities were matched sgains
those OF an American privateer.
| The Yankee gained rapidly, an(
the British commander, perceiving i
impossible to avoid her, shortened
sail, determined to fight it out. Hi
ship was armed with twenty six guns
but. as opposed to her enemy, sh'
lsbored under the disadvantage of {
hawk in mid-air when attacked by I
kingbird. Nevertheless the brsv,
English captain hung out the union
lack at his spanker-peak, and stOoG
calamity to his arms. 1t is not otter
that British ship surrenders witt
her guns loaded; and he who strike.
blow at John Bull must look fol-
one In return.
i The fight then ragged with fierce
ness, and, Notwithstanding the havoc
made by the Yankees fire, the Brit
Usher still kept the cross of Old AL
bion at his spanker-gaff. and his gnns
going. Perhaps he thought Of Hawke
and Howe and Duncan, and wondered
what they would have done In his
place. Al all events he was q brave
man, and defended his ship to the
best Of his ability. 1t remained to
the merchantmen only to strike OF
sink; and. accordingly, the "meteol
flag" at last came ffuttering down to
the quarterback.
The ship proved . very rich prize.
but, a. she was considersbly damaged
and at q great distance from the coast
of tho United States, and as, more.
over, her unusual bulk would have
made her conspicuous object to the
English cruisers, 1t was thought best
not to attempt sending her into port.
Therefore, after securing small por-
tons of the lighter and more vslua-
BILE articles in her cargo, the priva-
teer's-men set her on fire. It seemed
= cruel waste Of property, but war is
war, and the enemy, with tho terms
reversed, would haye done the same.
A very stirring cruise. although
perhaps the least profitable of any
that she ever made, was that In the
| course Of which she followed . Brit
ish convoy for 1000 miles, or from
the mouth of the English channel to
the West Indies. The feet consisted
of eighty sail Of merchantmen.
guarded by Q considerable squadron
OF men-of-war; and when these. more
than four-score vessels, hove in sight,
coming down the channel. they must
have presented . most imposing ap-
pearance. Here would be seen .
number Of merchantmen not far
apart; there two or three mcn-of.war;
then. other merchantmen; and next,
more men-ofwar. And thus they
stood of from Lands End, while the
Yankee cautiously followed. ready to
swoop down. at the first opportunity,
upon any unhappy straggler. Be-
fore reaching the neighborhood Of the
Barbados. she had captured five Of
them in spite Of their formidable e.
cort; but of these, all except one,
were retaken on their way to the
United States, 90 that four-fifths Of
the expected prize-money slipped
through the fingers Of the brave cap