CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF A BRITISH VESSEL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1735, 27 June 1862, Page 5

CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF A BRITISH VESSEL.

On the 21st of April , the ship Emily St. Pierre captured off Charleston Harbor 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 Philidelphia, as wus the intention of the prize crew. The Emily 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 of Charleston bar, to ascertain whether or not any blockade of that port existed. She had a cargo of gunny cloth, and was in charge of a crew of 13 or 14 men, under the command of Captain Wilson. While off the port of Charleston she I was espied and captured by the Fedeial vessel James Adger, one of the blockading squadron. The major part of the. crew of the Emily St, Pierre was taken on board the Florida, and the custody of the captured vessel was transfened 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 hei course for Philadelphia, were the people are still anxiously anticipating her arriral. But on the second day after her capture by the Federals, the Captain, with much courage aud considerable ingenuity, succeeded in regaining the management AfJns vessel, and he changed her course for iWSl'puol. The following is a 1 narrative of the^y in which this was accomplished: — Captain Wilson, who is a native of Scotland, states that the moment be was it ware 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 iv 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 bis 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 morning of 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 of the course they were to adopt. Some cloth was thrown over this officer's head; his arras were secured by captain Wilson, and irons placed upon his hands ; and he was also prevented from creating any -alarm by a gag being placed iv his mouth. Captain Wilson returned to the deck and in a familiar manner inquired from the master of the prize crew. " Well, Su>ne, what is the position of the atrip?" The officer replied that they were somewhere off Hatteras, and were about to change the course. The captain invited Lieutenant Stone into the cabiu to prick upon the chart the vessel's position. Lieutenant Stone accompanied the captain into the cabin ; the door was closed, and the cook and steward being also present, Captain Wilson drew a belaying pin — be did not take a pistol, as he was anxious to prevent any noise — and demanded that Lieutenant Stone should quietly consent to a pair of irons being placed upon his hands. In the presence of swell a force, the officer was compelled to submit to being placed in irons, and also a gag .being inserted in his mouth. The master prizemen being thus secured iv the cabin, Captain Wilson returned on deck, where he met three of the prize crew; nnd one being a tery powerful fellow, he was doubtful as to his tieatment 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 rope, of which Lieutenant Stone was represented as being in need. The three men, suspecting nothing, entered the scuttle ; but as soon as they were within, the batch was placed over the egress, and they were j thus imprisoned. In the mean time the forecastle door had been fastened up, and iv this manner the whole of the watch below was prevented from taking any part iv the affray. . Still the other meu of the prize crew were unconcious 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 watch below were brought out of the forecastle one by one, aud interrogated as to whether or not they would assist Captain Wilson in navigating the vessel. Three consented in the whole to this course, bul 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 there willingness to assist Capt. Wilson ; but one of the men was afterwards confined in consequence of violence, with this slender crew Captain Wilson was compelled to navigate his ship to Liverpool, and iv the course of the voyage encountered a furious gale, which broke the tiller; but in this emergency also the ingenuity of Captaiu 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 Emily St Pierre. In a couple of days 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, have sailed for New York.]