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Article EXCERPTA ET COLLECTANEA. ← Page 4 of 4
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Excerpta Et Collectanea.
were to swallow the gold , they would embowel us to get at it . I only know , the bottom of the sea is where they will not go to seek it ; it is there that we must put it . When we have no more amongst us , they will leave us to our repose : for it is only that which makes them come from their own land . ' The expedient was approved of ; the caciques in mediately took all the gold they had , and threw it into the sea , at a great distance from the shore , and returned home , highly contented with having drowned their fears with their gold . This timid precaution , however , did hot prevent the Spaniards from appearing some time after .
BRITISH COURAGE . IN the year 1759 , Captain Tinker , who commanded his majesty ' s ship the Argo , a frigate of eight and twenty guns , being stationed , with some cutters , offOstend , to observe the motions of Thurot , sent a messenger to the governor of the pbce , importing , that as the king , his master , was not at war with the house of Austria , he expected to be supplied with refreshments from Ostendalthough it was
garri-, soned with French troops ; otherwise he would make prize of every vessel belonging to the place , that should presume to come out of the harbour . —No notice being taken of this message , he proceeded to put his threats in execution , and detained three fishing-boats . The governor , finding he was in earnest , sent out a flag of truce , with a compliment , assuring him , that he would comply with his request ;
and the captain received daily supplies from shore . In the course of this correspondence , the commander of a French frigate of 30 gunsj then lying in the harbour , sent notice to Captain Tinker , that if he would dismiss his small craft , and give his honour that none of the squadron under Mr . Boys should interfere in the contest , he would next day come outand ive him battle . Mr . Tinker desired the
, g messenger to tell him , that he would dismiss the cutters ; and not only give his word , but even an officer as an hostage for the performance , that he should not be assisted by any ship of the commodore ' s squadron , which lay seven or eight leagues to leeward ; but that he would engage him singly , at a minute ' s warning . He accordingly made the ship ready for the engagement next morning ;
when he weighed anchor , hoisted the British ensign , and stood in shore to the mouth of the harbour ; where he brought to , with his courses clewed , and his maintop-sail to the mast . In this posture he lay , with flying colours , as long as the tide would permit him to remain , almost close to the fortifications of the place , in sight of all the French officers , who were assembled to see the combat ; but Monsieur did not think proper to keep the appointment , though it was of his own makiii"' .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Excerpta Et Collectanea.
were to swallow the gold , they would embowel us to get at it . I only know , the bottom of the sea is where they will not go to seek it ; it is there that we must put it . When we have no more amongst us , they will leave us to our repose : for it is only that which makes them come from their own land . ' The expedient was approved of ; the caciques in mediately took all the gold they had , and threw it into the sea , at a great distance from the shore , and returned home , highly contented with having drowned their fears with their gold . This timid precaution , however , did hot prevent the Spaniards from appearing some time after .
BRITISH COURAGE . IN the year 1759 , Captain Tinker , who commanded his majesty ' s ship the Argo , a frigate of eight and twenty guns , being stationed , with some cutters , offOstend , to observe the motions of Thurot , sent a messenger to the governor of the pbce , importing , that as the king , his master , was not at war with the house of Austria , he expected to be supplied with refreshments from Ostendalthough it was
garri-, soned with French troops ; otherwise he would make prize of every vessel belonging to the place , that should presume to come out of the harbour . —No notice being taken of this message , he proceeded to put his threats in execution , and detained three fishing-boats . The governor , finding he was in earnest , sent out a flag of truce , with a compliment , assuring him , that he would comply with his request ;
and the captain received daily supplies from shore . In the course of this correspondence , the commander of a French frigate of 30 gunsj then lying in the harbour , sent notice to Captain Tinker , that if he would dismiss his small craft , and give his honour that none of the squadron under Mr . Boys should interfere in the contest , he would next day come outand ive him battle . Mr . Tinker desired the
, g messenger to tell him , that he would dismiss the cutters ; and not only give his word , but even an officer as an hostage for the performance , that he should not be assisted by any ship of the commodore ' s squadron , which lay seven or eight leagues to leeward ; but that he would engage him singly , at a minute ' s warning . He accordingly made the ship ready for the engagement next morning ;
when he weighed anchor , hoisted the British ensign , and stood in shore to the mouth of the harbour ; where he brought to , with his courses clewed , and his maintop-sail to the mast . In this posture he lay , with flying colours , as long as the tide would permit him to remain , almost close to the fortifications of the place , in sight of all the French officers , who were assembled to see the combat ; but Monsieur did not think proper to keep the appointment , though it was of his own makiii"' .