Liverpool Mercury. 1913
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A corner for antiquarians, 100yrs ago.
Extracts from the Liverpool Mercury
January 6th, 1813
18 British ships captured
It appears in the American papers that ships of war and privateers of the United States, had up to Nov 15th, captured, 18 British vessels, carrying together, 574 guns and 3106 men, among these are 2 frigates.
Mar 19th 1913
Proceedings at the House of Commons, tues last, £60.000 has been granted for, repairs, improvements and increase of the docks at Liverpool.
The magnificent plan of improvement exhibited in 1810 may be executed.
The old dock to be filled up, the Queen’s dock considerably enlarged, a new dock to be built to the south of the Queens dock, to be called, Brunswick dock and a new one to the north of St George’s dock to be called Princes dock.
Yankee privateer in the channel.
MARGARET of Hull is recaptured and brought into Plymouth, crew report they, with 6 others were captured by the TRUE BLOOD YANKEE, privateer of 18 guns and 170 men, which has been cruising in St George’s Channel.
Those captured were mainly from the north of England and taken for ports in Denmark and Norway, amongst them is the FAME of Belfast, with linen for London, and the brig GEORGE TAYLOR from Kinsale for Newport, and a letter of marque [name not known] mounting 14 guns from Liverpool for Spain.
The privateer was formerly the CHALLENGER gun brig the crew said to be chiefly British. The capture made between Holyhead and the Skerries.
Capture of a British frigate.
On 29th Dec in lat, 13. 6. S, long, 38. N. about 10 leagues from the coast of Brazil, the U. S. Frigate CONSTITUTION fell in with and captured his Britannic Majesty’s frigate JAVA of 49 guns, manned with upwards of 400 men. The action continued for 1 hr 55 mins, the JAVA was made a complete wreck, having her bowsprit and every mast and spar shot out of her.
The CONSTITUTION had 9 killed and 25 wounded, the JAVA 60 killed and 101 wounded, amongst the latter her commander, Capt LAMBERT, Mortally – a letter by one of the officers whilst on the CONSTITUTION, many must have died of their wounds before their removal, letter states, 60 killed, 170 wounded.
Desperate and gallant action.
The AMELIA, 38 guns, Capt IRBY, arrived on Monday at Portsmouth from the coast of Africa, on the 7th ult she fell in with two French frigates off the African coast, after a most desperate and gallant action with one of these vessels, the ARTHUSA, the French frigate sheered off to her consort, the RUBY, which could not come up.
The loss sustained by the AMELIA is immense, every officer on board, killed or wounded. The action lasted three and a half hours, during a perfect calm, and so closely were the two ships engaged, that the flashes from the guns scorched the sides of each. The enemy was a much higher built frigate and of superior class, their loss must have been severe but it has been impossible to ascertain the numbers. The crew of the AMELIA were so reduced that had the enemy struck, Capt IRBY would not have been able to spare hands to take possession of her, or a single officer to take command.
The action occurred at night and the enemy observed at a distance, after the battle firing signals of distress to her consort.
April 2nd 1813
In the house of commons Sir F BURDETT, after some observations respecting unnecessary and unwarranted degradation and punishment in the navy, and having instanced the case of Mr HANCOCK, Master’s mate, on board the DIADEM, Capt PHILLMORE, who had received 3 doz and 2 lashes for having remonstrated with his commanding officer on the impossibility of his crossing a plank, on account of him having broken his wooden leg, his leg and thigh being shot away at the battle of Trafalgar, moved that minutes of the court of inquiry, on the conduct of Capt PHILLMORE, be laid down before the house. After some explanation from Mr CROKER, Sir F. BURDETT withdrew his motion.
June 18th 1813
On Thursday evening Capt MC LEOD of H.M.S PRINCESS, stationed here, going on board his ship heard a man cry for help, he saved the man in his boat, he was a farmer and had fallen from another boat.
Silver cups presented by the Underwriters to:-
Capt John IRLAM of the ship MAXWELL, in testimony of his gallant and seamanship in defending his ship against the GENERAL ARMSTRONG, American Privateer, of 18, 18 pounders, and 1, 44 pounder, 130 men, on 29th Nov 1812, off the coast of Brazil.
Capt George HOWARD of the ship JOHN TOBIN, in testimony of his gallant and seamanship in defending his ship against the ALFRED, American Privateer, 21st, Nov 1812, off the coast of Brazil.
Capt Archibald KEENAN of the ship BRIDGET, in testimony of his gallant and seamanship in defending his ship against a heavy, American Privateer, 6th, Nov 1812, off the coast of Guyana
Jul 9th, 1813
Capture of American frigate
It is with great satisfaction that we find the capture of the CHESAPEAKE officially announced, she was taken by the SHANNON, of 33 guns, Commodore BROKE, who has under his orders a small squadron of frigates on the Halifax station.
July 30th, 1813
Court of common pleas, GRAYSON V QUIRK, this was the action for words spoken in defamation of the plaintiff. The parties shipbuilders at Liverpool
Jan last the defendant was at a coffee house there, frequented by foreign Captains and others, slandered the plaintiff.
“Charles GRAYSON knows more about shipbuilding than that fire, nor his father before him, he has no more timber in his yard that he can carry on his back, if you have any regards for the lives of your men do not have your ship repaired by him, for he seldom refits a ship that does not go down to the bottom, many families out to be laid at his door.”
These words were proven, but it does not appear any damage had resulted to the plaintiff from this slander.
Mr Sergeant LENS for the defendant allowed that the words were highly blameable, and not justified, but that they were mere idle splenetic expressions, never meant to be believed, as the flourishing condition of the plaintiff was well known in Liverpool.
They were spoken not long after an election, which divided the whole town into angry parties, and had never been repeated. He should not excuse the language, but it was not injurious to the plaintiff.
Sir J. MANSFIELD observed the words were fully proved.
The Jury in a few minutes returned a verdict for the plaintiff, awarded damages of 1001
Aug 13th, 1813
Blockade at New York
Intelligence from Quebec, The PLOVER, Capt Colin CAMPBELL, and the NIOBE, Capt LORING have arrived from Quebec in 27 days, and the latter has arrived with 30 sail of merchantmen, in the Downs, on the 9th ult, they spake with the WASP sloop, Capt EVERAND, in the Gulph, from which they learnt that Sir John WARREN had commenced the blockade at NewYork, with 4 sails of the line, several frigates, fireships and small vessels. The arrival of the ,marine battalions under Lieut Col WILLIAMS and MALCOLM, was hourly expected. It was believed to be Sir John WARREN’S intention when he had accumulated his force, to lay New York under contribution and attempt to take or burn the American frigates which lay in that and the neighbouring harbours.
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