Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-10-19
UNCLE BEN'S STORY.
By GEORGE II. COoMER.

| 1872.
AT that time" he began, sailors
had more to dread than now, for they
were in constant dread of impressment
| by the British. Sometimes they would
be picked up while on shore in the
English ports, and whisked off on
hoard m2n-of-war; but oftener they
were seized on the broad ocean-taken
right off their own decks, and COM
PEELED to serve among strangers.
How would it look at this day for
British officer to come on board an
| American vessel and order the cap
tain to muster his crew, Just as slaves
are brought out for an auction sale in
the West Indies? Think of it! What
would the newspapers say? What
would the people say? What would
the President say? Wouldn't there be
call to arms from Maine to Cali
fornia? And wouldn't every man in
the county, capable of shouldering a
musket, be eager to volunteer for the
honor of our tlag?"
Uncle Ben looked full of enthusiasm
as he said this; full, too, of just in
dignation at remembered wrongs.
But habit" the old mariner re-
sumed, is everything. Our people
had got in the way of looking upon En-
gland rs having kind of ownership of
the ocean, and it took them a long while
to forget this inherited feeling.
Why, some of our vessels, brought
to by the British cruisers. would be
left with hardly men enough to work
them into port. And yet, our folks
| took it as a matter of course, seeming
to think that nothing could be done
about it. Wasn't England the mother
country?' they said, and the mistress
of the ocean,
Before going to sea, got what was
called protection telling where |
was born, how old, how tall L was, and
what color my eyes We're The very
| fact that an American sailor should he
obliged to procure such writing, with
such an object was enough to fill one
with shame. But, still worse, the
thing did no good.
a protection, in so far as regarded
the danger of impressment, was worth
just its weight of blank paper, and nc
more. 1t is true that the British pro
iessed to seize only their own country
men; but, in reality, they paid no at
tention to any affidavit of birth. I'VE
want men, and will have Them they
| said; and that ended the matter.
All my sea-going acquaintance had
the like passports, subscribed and
sworn to in proper legal form, and as
humiliating, under the circumstances
as if in so many words they had asked
John Bull to grant the bearers the lib.
erty of sailing on his big pond.
"The one 1 carried answered very
well for three years, simply because il
never happened to be called for, and
then, finding myself grown too tall and
robust to answer the description, / got
another.
AT that time l was going to Lisbon
in the ship Rebecca. The captain was
an excellent man, named Eddy, whose
family lived directly across the street
from ours, and who had known me
from my birth.
THE entire ships company was made
up of our townspeople, so that when
we went out of port it hardly seemed
like going away from home, we had SC
many familiar associations in common
"1he Rebecca reached Lisbon in
about thirty days, and our stay there
was very interesting, The foremost
hands being all sober and well-inform,
ed men, there became treasured up in
the forecastle a great deal of enter
tanning knowledge concerning the
Portuguese and their country.
I'VE had all heard the story of the
destruction of old Lisbon by the ire
mendous earthquake of 1855, and i'm.
agination wildly painted the scene as
we looked up and down the Tagus.
AT the time we were there Marshal
JInot, with French army, had pos
session Of the city, for Napoleon had
then just laid his hand upon Portugal
81 shall never forget the appearance
of those French troops. Every morn,
ing they used TO turn ont for exercise,
and | assure YOU they were no holiday
soldiers. The grenadiers, especially,
were very imposing, for they wore huge
bearskin shakos, and were, besides,
taller than the others.
When, finally, we had secured our
cargo of wine and dates, and were once
more at sea, every one thought how
much he would have to tell upon get,
ting home: for all of us had friends,
ana dear ones, too, who would be glad
enough to hear every little incident OF
the voyage recounted.
I'VE took the route usually followed
at this day by vessels from the south
of Europe. standing northwardly until
in the latitude of the English Channel,
although considerably to the west Of it.
Thence we headed nearly III direct
course for the United States.
Our west longitude was now fast
increasing, but We had not run long in
this direction when a sail was observed
bearing down upon us, and, as she
drew nearer, we discovered her to be q
brig-of-war.
"She fred shot ahead of us, and
Captain Eddy gave orders to haul
around the mainyard. He looked ter
ribly veXed and stern, but he was in
the lions mouth, and could not help
himself
$50 the Rebecca, with her fore. top
sail aback, lay tumbling in the sea,
with her headway entirely stopped.
The British cruiser also hove 10,