Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner — John Shaqi
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master MarinerRogers, Woodes
History
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner
Rogers, Woodes
Privateering -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Including boatswains, gunners, carpenters, &c., there were on board
the "Duke" thirty-six officers, and of the rest of the crew, we are
told that "a third were foreigners, while of Her Majestie's subjects
many were taylors, tinkers, pedlars, fiddlers, and hay-makers, with ten
boys and one negro; with which mix'd gang we hope to be well manned
as soon as they have learnt the use of arms, and got their sea legs;"
which, says Rogers, "we doubt not soon to teach 'em and bring 'em to
discipline."
It was the 1st of September before the "Duke" and "Dutchess" left
the Cove of Cork with twenty merchant vessels, under convoy of Her
Majesty's ship "Hastings," "both of us," says Rogers, "very crowded
and pester'd ships, their holds full of provisions, and between decks
encumbered with cables, much bread, and altogether in a very unfit
state to engage an enemy, without throwing many stores overboard."
Nevertheless, on the 2nd, the two little frigates stand out from
the fleet to chase a sail to windward; and Rogers is glad to find
that they sailed as well as any in the fleet, not even excepting the
man-of-war, so that, he says, "we begin to hope we shall find our
heels, since we go so well tho deep and pester'd."
The chase, however, proved an inoffensive "French built Snow,[4] of
Bristol, joining our fleet from Baltimoor" (Ireland).
[Sidenote: _Captain Paul's civility._]
The weather being fine on the 4th of September, Rogers and Captain
Courtenay of the "Dutchess," in answer to a signal from Captain Paul,
of the Sherstone galley, make a morning call upon that gentleman, in
which they are joined by the commander of the "Scipio," and after being
"handsomely treated by Captain Paul," he proposes joining them in a few
days, privateering off that well-stocked preserve, Cape Finisterre.
A marginal note occurs here in Rogers' journal of "Captain Paul's
civility," referring to a present, or tip, "of some scrubbers and iron
scrapers for our ships' bottoms, together with a speaking trumpet and
other things we wanted, for which Captain Paul would accept nothing in
return."
[Sidenote: _The crew acquainted with our design._]
[Sidenote: _Leave Captain Paul._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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