CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF A BRITISH VESSEL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1007, 5 July 1862, Page 3

CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF A BRITISH VESSEL.

On the 21st of April the ship Emilie St. Pierre, which, as we reported in our last, had been captured off Charleston Harbour by the United States'ship of war James Adger, arrived in the Mersey at Liverpool. She had been recaptured by her captain and a small part of her crew and brought to England instead of being taken to Philadelphia, as was the intention of the prize crew. The Emilie St. Pierre, a" fine vessel of 884 tons, owned in Liverpool, sailed a considerable time ago from Calcutta for St. John's, New Brunswick, with orders to call off Charlestonbar, to ascertain whether or not any blockade of that port existed. She had a cargo of gunny cloth, and was in charge of 13 or 14 men, under the command of Captain Wilson. When off the port of Charleston she was espied and captured by the Federal vessel, James Adger, one of the blockading squadron. ;■ The major part of the crew of the Emilie St. Pierre was taken on board of the Florida, and the custody of the captured vessel was transferred to the prize crew of 16 men of the man-of-war, under command of Lieutenant Stone, of the United States' navy. Captain Wilson, the cook, and steward, were alone allowed to remain on board their own vessel; and she was put on her course for Philadelphia, where the people are no doubt still anxiously awaiting her arrival. But on the second day after her capture by the Federals, the captain, with much courage and considerable ingenuity, succeeded in regaining the management of his ship, and lie changed her course for Liverpool. The following is a narrative of the way in which this was accomplished:— " Captain Wilson, who is a native of Scotland, states that the moment he was aware of the intention of leaving him on board the Emily St. Pierre he came to the determination that the vessel should not be taken to Philadelphia, and resolved that he would recapture her, if practicable, and bring her into a British port. He inquired of the cook and steward whether they would assist him in his efforts to retake her. One of them at once consented to do so, but the other deliberated upon his conduct. Afterwards, however, he also agreed to assist the captain. The captain turned over in his mind the best means of effecting his object, and soon came to a conclusion as to the best course to be adopted in the emergency. The prize master's mate was asleep. in the cabin on the second day after the capture ; and he determined to secure him in the first instance. The cook and steward were armed, and were instructed by Captain Wilson in the course they were to adopt. Some cloth was thrown over this officer's head; his arms were secured by Captain Wilson, and irons placed upon his hands; and he was also prevented froip creating any alarm by a gag being placed in his

mouth. Captain Wilson returned to the deck, and in a familia,r manner inquired from the master of the prize crew, "Well, Stone, what is the position of the ship?" The officer, replied that they were somewhere off Hatteras, and were about to change the course. The captain invited Stone into the cabin to prick upon the chart the vessel's position. Lieutenant Stone accompanied the captain into the cabin; the door was closed, and the coolc and steward being also present, Captain Wilson drew a belaying pin—he did not take a pistol as he was anxious to prevent any noise—and demanded that Lieutenant Stone should quiety consent to a pair of irons being placed upon his hands. In the presence of such a force, the officer was compelled to submit to being placed in irons, and also to a gag being inserted in his mouth. The master prizeman being thus secured in the cabin, Captain Wilson returned on deck, where he met three of the prize crew; and one being a very powerful fellow he was doubtful as to his treatment of these men, who were still, in common with the rest of the crew, in ignorance of the proceedings below. Captain Wilson's ready wit, however, soon suggested an expedient. He ordered them to go aft and get out of a scuttle a coil of rigging, of which Lieuteant Stone was represented as being in need. The three men, suspecting nothing, entered the scuttle; but as soon as thev were within, the hatch was pla,ced over the egress and they were thus imprisoned. In the meantime the forecastle door had been fastened up, and in this manner the whole of the watch below was prevented from taking any part in the affray. Still the other men of the prize crew were unconscious of what was going forward-, and the captain sent forward one of his men to ask whether they would assist in navigating the ship to a British port, as he was determined that she should not go to Philadelphia. One man consented to assist him; others, who refused, were placed with the three men in the scuttle. After the men on deck had been disposed of in this mpuer, the watch below were brought out of the forecastle one by one, and interrogated as to whether or not they would assist Captain Wilson in navigating the vessel. Three consented in the whole to this course; but only one of these was a sailor, the others being landsmen. In the course of a few days, however, two more of the prizemen expressed their willingness to assist Captain Wilson; but one of the men was afterwards confined in consequence ot violence. With this slender crew Captain Wilson was compelled to navigate the ship to Liverpool, and in the course of the Lyase encountered a furious gale, which broke the tiller- but in this emergency also the ingenuity of Captain Wilson was equal to the occasion ; the serious defect was remedied,. and the vessel was safely brought to Liverpool." ■ • A subscription is being raised on the Liverpool Exchange for Captain Wilson, and for the cook and steward"of the Emilie St. Pierre. In a'couple of davs 100 guineas were subscribed;: and further contributions are coming in. Lieutenant Stone and the other members of the prize crew who were brought to Liverpool by the Emilie St. Pierre, have sailed for New York.