On this page

• Text (2)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    Untitled Article

  • 

    Untitled Article

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Untitled Article

    pfive us of it : we dmed on our beef and pork before they came , the pudding we foueht for . Being informed by the officer upon deck , that she was bearing " down with an English jack flying , we went up and soon saw what she was . Our captain ' s order was to heave in the cable : I told him we had not time , it

    would be better to bear away to the splice and cut : in the mean time loosed our top-sails and fore-sail and bore away large : had not time to get our top-s > ails hoisted—being then within gun- hot , we fired He immediately pulled down English and hoisted up French- colours , but did not fire at us . I told Capt , Bray his intent was to rake us , and desired

    to port our helm , which he gave orders for . Finding our hip to Jay in the same position , I ran to the wheei and found the helm a starboard , put it a port as fast as I could , the ship wearing very fast ., and he shearing towards us with fuH sail , could not prevent "boarding vs—seeing in what position

    she was coming , I told Capt . Bray she was our own , onl y make her fast , she would not be afrle to get a gun to bear on us . From that ! ran-to cut the pikes down , expecting they -had their men ready to board us , which they had , but receiving such a continual fire , they could not stand it . I called out to the

    pilot several times with anger , who had hold of the bobstay with his han , d , to make her fast ; I -kid down my musquet , ran forward for a tow-line , sent some of the main-deck idlers to hand the end up , ran aft with the end , reeved it through fris bob stay , brought it to the c . ipston stock a round turn witli the

    other part . in the mean time Capt Bray and the pilot had got the nuzen top-sail sheet passed and made it fast to a cleet on the mizen wast which came off . That being done , I returned . to the musquet , on which the action

    chiefly depended . About this time they made an attempt to rally their men , and to man their fdre-mstle and d opt their fore-sail , that we might not see them . One of the 4 pounders in the round-hou- e cleared a way for us by firing part of

    Untitled Article

    th ei r fore- ai 1 ; ren ew ? ng on t lyra c qti dry with more vigour from the quarter-deck and round-house , they -Red to a man for shelter , and 1 perceived their colours to be struck , which I called out accord * ingly ami fired my musquet in the air : four of us jumper ! upon their forecastle barracading for boarding them , amongst ;

    wh « m was ouf piiot , but unexpectedly they gave us a volley of sma ; l arms , on which we returned wi . hout any damage . The firing on both sides continued about io minutes longer with 3 or 4 threat guns , and so the action ended . Headlam

    My mite Mr . , who signalized himself equal to any , received a shot in his wrist , and one of our mariners a slight wound by a splinters these two were wounded after their colours were struck . One of our mariners was killed the fiist of the action .

    I am yonrs , £ cc . CHRISTOPHER ALLISON * . But we hasten to forget the gallant seaman in the Christian . After passing through various scenes of difficulty , danger and lo s , and considering the fruit of his exertions equivalent to the probable wants of the remainder of life ,

    he about 30 years ago retired from the bustle of the commercial world , and took shelter from its cares in the family of his only < vn . His active and intellectual powers however were as yet vigorous and his subsequent habits evince that , in seceding from temporal pursuit * , he was actuated in a

    considerable degree by a desire to devote his time less uninter uptedly to the service of God and the important bu-ines > of moral improvement , before the twilight of life should cast a dimness ou the pith of duty—before the shades of night hould c osein , when no man can work .

    He n

    ~ * , The . account of this memorable engagement is the second -article in ^ the Chro * fticle of the first volume of the Annual Register , ( Tor I 7 * > 8 ) iVTr . Allison , on whom the succes- of the action evidently depended , is not even named in it , though he is probaby referred to once , by mistake , as " the pilot . ' The cruel neglect that Wt . A experienced on tfri . occasion , is a $ tril $ Juig example of- — , ' < ¦¦ t ¦> The spun , 5 that patient merit of the unworthy takes . ' " ED .

    Untitled Article

    Qbituafy . 445

    Untitled Article

    Christopher Allison , Esq .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1808, page 445, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2395/page/45/