Tales of an Old Sea Port: A General Sketch of the History of Bristol, Rhode Island, Including, Incidentally, an Account of the Voyages of the Norsemen, So Far as They May Have Been Connected with Narragansett Bay: and Personal Narratives of Some Notable Voyages Accomplished by Sailors from the Mount Hope Lands — John Shaqi
Tales of an Old Sea Port: A General Sketch of the History of Bristol, Rhode Island, Including, Incidentally, an Account of the Voyages of the Norsemen, So Far as They May Have Been Connected with Narragansett Bay: and Personal Narratives of Some Notable Voyages Accomplished by Sailors from the Mount Hope LandsMunro, Wilfred Harold
History
Tales of an Old Sea Port: A General Sketch of the History of Bristol, Rhode Island, Including, Incidentally, an Account of the Voyages of the Norsemen, So Far as They May Have Been Connected with Narragansett Bay: and Personal Narratives of Some Notable Voyages Accomplished by Sailors from the Mount Hope Lands
Munro, Wilfred Harold
Alaska -- Description and travel; Bristol (R.I. : Town) -- History; Fort Oyapoc (Guyana); Northwest Coast of North America; Potter, Simeon, 1720-1806; Siberia (Russia) -- Description and travel; Yankee (Brig)
The privateer sailed from Newport September 8, 1744, and arrived at
“Wiopock, twelve leagues to the windward of Cyan,” October 28. Up
to that time she had taken no prizes. Upon his arrival Potter took
thirty-two men and made a descent upon the town. They reached it
at midnight and were at once fired upon by its garrison, Captain
Potter receiving a bullet in his left arm. Of course they took the
fort; garrisons in the tropics were never equal to privateersmen
as fighters. They took some twenty prisoners (the other defenders
having promptly fled), six cannon and from sixty to seventy small
arms. They remained at Wiapock twelve days while they sacked the
town, taking from it everything of value. Some of the company were
sent up the river to plunder plantations. All things taken were
carried to Barbadoes and there condemned as French property, with
the exception of some slaves detained at Surinam and some personal
property which Potter sold at a “vandue” on his ship. Having stripped
Wiapock (the name of the place was Oyapoc but American and English
captains were never strong on spelling) to their hearts’ content,
they sailed to “Cyann” (Cayenne) and dropped anchor at that place
November 11. There they tarried four or five days, during which they
sent plundering expeditions up the river. One of these came to grief
on a shoal. The twelve men who manned the boat were attacked by one
hundred and thirty soldiers, three of them were killed, four were
wounded and the others carried to Cyann fort as prisoners. Thereupon
Potter sent a flag of truce to propose an exchange of prisoners. The
exchange was arranged and among those returned by the Americans was
“a priest,” Father Fauque. Then the Prince Charles sailed to Surinam
well satisfied with what had been accomplished. At Surinam Captain
Potter gave an entertainment to two English merchants and some
masters of ships that were at anchor in the port. Seamen of that day
were not always total abstainers and after the banquet the “vandue”
was had of which mention has already been made. The prices obtained
for the plunder were doubtless satisfactory for the most part to the
sellers, but not in all cases. The goods sold “to the value of thirty
or forty pieces of eight.” They belonged to the “company” and the
captain purchased many of them on his own account thereby furnishing
cause for the suit brought against him on his return to Rhode Island,
from which suit he came out triumphant. Immediately after the sale
the seamen demanded their share of the proceeds. Captain Potter told
them they were still in debt to the owners for advances made and as
his arguments were enforced by a drawn sword they were admitted to be
valid.
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