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PRIVATEERS AND PRIVATEERING

[Illustration: THE "INVENTION," FRENCH PRIVATEER]


  PRIVATEERS
  AND PRIVATEERING

  By
  COMMANDER E.P. STATHAM, R.N.

  AUTHOR OF "THE STORY OF THE 'BRITANNIA,'" AND JOINT
  AUTHOR OF "THE HOUSE OF HOWARD"

  WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS

  London: HUTCHINSON & CO.
  Paternoster Row 1910




PREFACE


A few words of explanation are necessary as to the pretension and scope
of this volume. It does not pretend to be a history of privateering; the
subject is an immense one, teeming with technicalities, legal and
nautical; interesting, indeed, to the student of history, and never
comprehensively treated hitherto, as far as the present author is aware,
in any single work.

The present object is not, however, to provide a work of reference, but
rather a collection of true stories of privateering incidents, and
heroes of what the French term "la course"; and as such it is hoped that
it will find favour with a large number of readers.

While the author has thus aimed at the simple and graphic narration of
such adventures, every effort has been made to ensure that the stories
shall be truly told, without embroidery, and from authentic sources; and
it has been found necessary, in some instances, to point out
inaccuracies in accounts already published; necessary, in view of the
fact that these accounts are accessible to any one, and probably
familiar to not a few possible readers of this volume, and it appears
to be only fair and just that any animadversions upon these
discrepancies should be here anticipated and dealt with.

It has not been considered necessary, save in rare instances, to give
references for statements or narratives; the book is designed to amuse
and entertain, and copious references in footnotes are not entertaining.

It will be noticed that the vast majority of the lives of privateers and
incidents are taken from the eighteenth century; for the simple reason
that full and interesting accounts during this period are available,
while earlier ones are brief and bald, and often of very doubtful
accuracy.

Some excuse must be craved for incongruities in chronological order,
which are unavoidable under the circumstances. They do not affect the
stories.

There remains to enumerate the titles and authors of modern works to
which the writer is indebted, and of which a list will be found on the
adjoining page.




LIST OF MODERN AUTHORITIES


  "History of the American Privateers and Letters of Marque
  in the War of 1812," etc. By George Coggleshall. 1856.

  "Mann and Manners at the Court of Florence." By Dr.
    Doran. 1876.

  "The Naval War of 1812." By T. Roosevelt. 1882.

  "Studies in Naval History." By Sir John K. Laughton. 1887.

  "The Corsairs of France." By C.B. Norman. 1887.

  "Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Reign of Queen Ann."
  By R.C. Leslie. 1889.

  "Robert Surcouf, un Corsaire Malouin." Par Robert Surcouf,
  ancien Sous-prefet. 1889.

  "The British Fleet." By Commander C.N. Robinson, R.N.
  1894.

  "The Royal Navy." By Sir W. Laird Clowes, etc. 1894.

  "Old Naval Ballads," etc. The Navy Records Society. 1894.

  "A History of the Administration of the Royal Navy," etc.
  By M. Oppenheim. 1896.

  "History of the Liverpool Privateers," etc. By G. Williams.
  1897.

  "Naval Yarns, Letters, and Anecdotes," etc. By W.H.
  Long. 1899.

  "A History of American Privateers." By E.S. Maclay. 1900.

  "Sea Songs and Ballads." By C. Stone. 1906.

  "Les Corsaires." Par Henri Malo. 1908.




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER I

                                                             PAGE

  INTRODUCTORY                                                 1


  TWO EARLY INCIDENTS


  CHAPTER II

  ANDREW BARTON                                               19

  THE "AMITY" AND THE SPANIARDS                               28


  PRIVATEERING IN THE SOUTH SEAS


  CHAPTER III

  WILLIAM DAMPIER                                             35


  CHAPTER IV

  WOODES ROGERS                                               41


  CHAPTER V

  WOODES ROGERS--_continued_                                  60


  CHAPTER VI

  GEORGE SHELVOCKE AND JOHN CLIPPERTON                        75


  SOME ODD YARNS


  CHAPTER VII

  CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, OF THE "ALEXANDER"                        95

  THE CASE OF THE "ANTIGALLICAN"                              96


  CHAPTER VIII

  CAPTAIN DEATH, OF THE "TERRIBLE"                           106

  MR. PETER BAKER AND THE "MENTOR"                           111

  CAPTAIN EDWARD MOOR, OF THE "FAME"                         115

  CAPTAIN JAMES BORROWDALE, OF THE "ELLEN"                   117


  TWO GREAT ENGLISHMEN


  CHAPTER IX

  FORTUNATUS WRIGHT                                          123


  CHAPTER X

  FORTUNATUS WRIGHT--_continued_                             135


  CHAPTER XI

  GEORGE WALKER                                              149


  CHAPTER XII

  GEORGE WALKER--_continued_                                 171


  SOME FRENCHMEN


  CHAPTER XIII

  JEAN BART                                                  191


  CHAPTER XIV

  DU GUAY TROUIN                                             208


  CHAPTER XV

  JACQUES CASSARD                                            229


  CHAPTER XVI

  ROBERT SURCOUF                                             240

  CONCERNING THE FRONTISPIECE                                263


  SOME AMERICANS


  CHAPTER XVII

  CAPTAIN SILAS TALBOT                                       269


  CHAPTER