The herald., 1896-06-21

thn nations concerned in the treaty of
Paris At that conference a declaration
Of principles was signed April TO- 1000.
PIenipotentiaries of many natlons were
there. Conspicuous among the powers
which refused to adhere to such an
sgraement were the United States. the
others were Spain, Mexico and Uruguay.
THE four countries which refused 10
recognize the phrase are therefore no.
bound by it, and in case OF war Woulo
be at liberty to do as they pleased re-
garding the fitting out OF prlVa'eers Vi
Of letters of marQue.
longing to a private owner, the subject
of a belligerent power, ana bearing d
commission from that power to SINK
burn and destroy" the commerce OF an
enemy. Privateers, says an autnoIl'y.
stand in the position of a public ship of
war and q merchant vessel. In order 10
encourage privateering, Great Brlta'!i
once ordered that prizes taken by q
nrivateer should be divided between the
owner and the captors. the rights OF the
crown being specially excluded III nu
s,rize act of 1864, which has not since been
abrogated, a prize made by privateer
belongs to the crown in its office OF ad- :
miraIfv. By the United States prize act
of 1864 the entire proceeds OF prize
made by a privateer go, unless otnerWise
nrOVtde0 III QeT COIIilllSoiOh' W e'AN
tors. and. in the absence of agreement,
are equally divided between the OWNERS
and the ships company.
OLD-TIME PRIVATEER1NG.
Privateering as it was in the OLD days
the days of smart maneuVer unuer SAIL
of yard arm to yard arm CONNECTS VI tne
carronade, swivel and boarding PIKE Is
now a thing forgotten. Ihe siap-uasn
atvle of climbing over a stranger pul-
warks. clearing his decks with nakeu
cutlass and splitting pistol, and then ask
ing his nationality and destination, Is
thing Of the past.
With the advance of civilization have
come different methods OF warfare on
sea and land, and the advent of steam
nronulsion and of the numerous other in
Ventions have wrought such changes
that II is doubtful if the priVateer, as
once known, will again figure in history
In the wars of the revolution ana OIL
1872 privateers played more important
mart than ever before. To this country,
with its then inconsiderable commerce.
the vast merchant fleets of the enemy
were an enticing prey, and the private
armed vessels proved most formldaple'
Hundreds of such craft were fitted out
and numerous We're the captures they
made and triumphs they achleVeo.
There is a fine blue-water flavor ana
a general air of ocean freshness about
the oId-time sea roVers, whose histories
have a distinct romance of their own.
First of all. they were seamen, ana IN
those days seamanship was a matter OF
essence. Skill in the handling OF SHIPS
and boats and the application of the re-
sources of sailor men when meeting WIN
accidents or disasters were then primary
considerations. There is something eX-
hilarating in the musty legends of how
those pig tailed seamen went out on
mans choicest mission-destruction
The sort of ships they sailed in are now
mainly extant in old prints. There is
nothing afoat to be likened to them,
and no nautical magination of the pres
ent day can resurrect them without the
aid of history.
FLEET AND RECKLESS.
Clumsy looking afioat no doubt, most
of them were, for the more slender ana
elegant wire rigging had not then dis
placed the rope shrouuS and stays or
the old-time sailing craft. But they car
ried a broad expanse of sail, especially
those that were constructed for the pur-
pose of uniting the perquisites OF COM
merce to those of capture. These were
built on such superb lines that they
would make their way to windward like
vessels propelled by steam, and on
wind, or before favoring breeze few of
the regular built cruisers could hold the
pace they set.
1t may be interesting to recall some of
the featS of these craft and their crews
in the days of maneuVerings under sail,
of yard-arm to yard d-arm encounters,
weather gauges. tacks and sheets, board
ingS over the rail with cutlass f1ashing,
while bell-mouthed carronades Were
grinning against the enemy's sides lis
tening to the fight as it stamped along
the decks and ebbed and flowed from
quarter deck to forecastle.
Prvateering made no great preten-
qiOnS when il was first iuanplIrated hV
the United States. According to some
veracious chronicles compiled by G. f.
Emmons. and reposing in the archives
of the navy department at Washington,
the first overt act of resistance in the
struggle for independence was the
equipment of eight boats by the colony
of Rhode Island for piivateering pur-
poses. The boats carried sixty men. and
were commanded by Captain a. Whip
pie. The crews of this formidable flo
tilla were armed with paving stones,
and June Is, 1712. they captured the
English schooner Gaspe, tender to the
British squadron, Oft Providence. which
had been run aground while in chase
OF the packet ship Hannah Captain Lin
zee. The schooner carried twenty-seven
men. She was carried by boarding, set
on fire. and destroyed
According to the same authority the
first sea fight after Bunker Hill took
place May II off Holmes bay, when a
prize sloop, carrying thirty-tWo men.
captured the British sloop Margaretta.
armed with four guns, fourteen sWivels
and thrty-siX men. The Margaretta
was carried by boarding. CAPTAIN j.
O'Brien commanded the attacking sloop.
which was fitted out by citizens Of
Massachusetts. The prize mounted
eight guns and nineteen swivels and
under command of her prize master.
she captured two schooners in the sue
ceeding June. These were each armed
with eight guns, ten swivels and fifty
men, and had been sent out expressly to
recapture the Margaretta CAPTAIN
O'Brien met both schooners in the Bay of
Fundy. attacked them separately, and
captured each by boarding.
A CENTURY AGO.
To go back a few years it is interesting
to note that in 1858 The Thurloe. a col
ony privateer, encountered and captur-
ed the French privateer Les Deux Amis.
of ten guns and ninety eight men after
an action of over two hours. during
which over 300 powder TASKS and sew
enty-two stink pots We're expended up-
on the enemy"
The encounter of the ship Hyder Ally.
privateer fitted out by patriotic citi-
zens of Pennsylvania, with the British
ship General Monk, fairly illustrates the
skill and strategy of the American p1i-
vateersman when he fairly found his sea
legs. The Hyder Ally was a merchant
ship converted into a privateer She was
pierced for sixteen siX-pounders and
carried a crew of 10. Lieutenant Joshua
RlrneV was in comma nd ap1 l,o1 n,