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AND SEMI-WEEKLY

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INTHRULLIGEN

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“THis ls PRUs LIBekiyY WHEN FREre-BORN MEN—HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC—MAY SPEAK FREE.”—Miitos’s EURIPIDES.

New Series. Su The First Prize, OR

THE YANKEE MERCHANTMAN: BY CAPT. BOLTROPE.

It. was on a warm and sultry afternoon in the tropics, that a clean built rakish looking brig, of the Baltimore model, was’ slowly foaming her way over the bosom of the broad Atlantic on her homeward bound voyage.

The sun was just about quenching its fery heat beneath the blue waves of the ocean, throwing one last bright glare over the immense expanse of water,

All was quiet on board the White

loud, the kands had knocked off from their work, every sail was set that could catch a breath of wind, aad the long tapering yards were trimmed with au beautiful precision that gave evidence of skill and judgment in the inan who cominanded her, whom we shali take by the band and introduce te the reader, by ’ the name of Capt. Ben Boostey.

Capt. Bobstay was a very large muscu- Jar man, of fitty years of ege, and was cool, determined, powerful, and expe- rienced.

His mate wasa young man, @ native of Maine; but who, in addition to the natur- al enterprise and go-alead-ativeness of the Yenkee cheracter, had received the advantages of liberal collegiate educa- tion, at atime when his family were in wealthy circusestances ; a position which they had lost by the fraud aad machine- tions ef those who professed the most disinterested friendship for them At the age of twenty one Robert Renshaw found hunself penniless the only support of his widowed, affectionate and aimost heart broken mother.

Disgusted at the duplicity and faith- lesénces of hie former companions, the proud and sensiuve vouth, new proad because uf lis poverty, became almost a tisanturope ; ie visited nowhere, sheaned suciely, aud feit alone in the world, if this mode of mind, he saddealy formed ihe imtention of * following the sea,” as itis called, and shipped on board of a veasel bouad far the ast ladies,

At the tune that our story opens Rebert

Jenshaw was twenty-six years of age; he had travelled much, and bad stored his mind wiih a variety of practical and useful knowledge, which he every day found of iamense utility to hin, By a judicious disposition of various sdvet- ures which he had made from line to time on his voyages, he had acquired tufficieut property to place his beloved parent in'comfortable circumstances -be- yond want. ” As we lefore steied, the sun was just setting, brightemmg the horizon with its last rays, when all hands on board the brig we have just visited, were roused by the cry of sail ho! from the mast bead.

“ Where away ©” said the Captain. —

t Pour points on the weather bow, sir,”

jied the man. 1 can't see clearly sir; bat shouid judge she was a large two topsail schoo- wer, very rakish and with a great spread of canvass.”

“ Mr. Renshaw! take this glass, jump up if the rigging, and see what you can mate of her, sir!”

“ Aye, aye, sir?” and away§went the mate up the rigging to the mai-top east cross-trees. Attera long ana steady look he confirmed the report of the “look-out,” and gave it as lis opinion that sie was an armed craft.

‘She must have us sir,” said the mate, “for she has turned her course and Is standing for us.” j

“Very well,” replied the Captain, “with no more wind tian there Is D0”, |

‘CHARLOTTETOWN, DECEMBER 11, 1850.

he could not come to us before twelve o'clock ; there is no moon to-night; and I do not think it will breeze up aay, so we have plenty of time to prepare, if it should prove to be onr enemy.”

. “ Yes sir, said Renshaw ; but she may have sweeps !”

“True! { did not think of that: but then these Mexicans would be too lagy to use them if she has, unless it is to run away with.”

Niglit tell, and a thick mackerel sky gradually overspread the whole heavens, shutting out every star and betokening a lively breeze fur the next day.

“{ have a proposition to make if you |

please, sir;” said Renshaw, addressing the Captain.

“Qut with it, sir.”

“Tt is this:—we have no craft of that build in cur navy, neither have the Kng- lish or the French; she must then be a Mexican or a pirate; in either case she is well worth taking; the night is dark, let me take the boat and erght men well armed, you will have the second mate, cook, steward and two men on board the brig. I with board the. schooner in the dark, they will not suspect such a thing, end { hepe to carry her by surprise.”

Captain Bobstay pondéred a few mo- ments, and finally replied:—* Well this brig and cargo are mine, { am responsible to no one. Go ahead.”

In a few minutes Renshaw followed by eight able men, athletic Yankee satlors, ar.ced to the teeth, and eager for the fun, was pulling away in the barge with muted vars, in the direction where the schooner was last seen. As soon a8 he leit tue side, Captain Bobstay took in all sail but the main and foretopsails, which ne lowered on iheir caps, hauled out the reeftackies, hauled taut the buntlines and rounded through the slack of the clew- lines, he then braced up sharp, put the brig ou the wind and laid his maintopsall to the mast, Jashed his heim a-lee, armed the rest cf his men except the cook, got out Wis other boat and pushed off in the wake of his mate, leaving the vessel in charge of the cook, who had beeu a leng tume with him.

Renshaw, in the meantime, perfectly unconscious of the intention of his cap- tai, pulled silently and expeditiousiy for the schooner, the dim outlines of which in a short time he saw gradually nearing hia.

“ Avast pulling! lay on your oars and let her couse ; the fash of your oars inthe water might discover us.”

The joowms of the oars were tucked under the tiggings, and every man loos- ened his cutlass and shook the priming of iii pistols.

In x short time, Renshaw, who spoke the Spavisi language fluently, could hear the voice of the’ watch’ on board the schooner, threatening “ Muerte’ a las Maiditos Yankis,” or “ death to the infer- na} Yankees,” and congraiulating them- se\ves on this chance of “ Cortankando sus pesquizos,” or * cuiting their throats.”

As she was moving but slowly over the waters, Keashaw thought it advisable to beard over the stera, which would at once give him coutmuand over the quarter deck, and the officers; tow great an advantage to be lost. In consequence he Jet her zlide past, keeping just under the shadow of her bends wiihout touching, and count- sug her ports as she slid by; six ports were counted with the frowajng muzzler projeciing,--finally the Mexican standard with the Eagle sianding on the cactis and holding the serpant, turned its lazy folds to his keen gaze.

“ Now lads, caution and courage is the word.”

According to a preeoncerted arrange- pment, the bowman put his boat hou’ te

the gunnel of the Mexican boat hanging to the other davits, and held on, being towed by the schooner, wile Renshaw’s men carefully and silently deposited their oars on the thwarts of their boat. Luck- ily the sehooner like most others of her class, had no cabin windows tn the stern. Renshaw himself quietly climbed up the staff of the boat-hook the man was hold- ing into the sinall,boat above him, taking the painter of his own in his teeth. He arrived safely without creating alarm, being sheltered from observation by the taffrail and round-house of the schooner, made fast the end of his painter, and in a few moments was joined by his men. — He then raised his head above the taffrail and saw the man at the wheel and two officers leaning over the weather side of the quarter rail. , Silently he advanced, followed by his men, one of whom stunn: ed the helmsman by a blow delivered in true nautical style, under his ear. In a minute more the two officers found them- selves at the bottom of the cabin stairs. having performed sundry evolutions and convulsions in arriving at this terminus, half stunned, bruised, and in no way able io account for the manner of their get- ting there. Their first impulse was to rush on deck; but their progress was suddenly stopped by the eompanion hatch, which was hauled over and barred down,

In the meantime, our hero, at the head of his daring little crew, pushed boldly forward into the waist, conquering all before thein in their surprise, and would doubtless have succeeded in carrying the schooner by this coup de main, as bold as it was well conceived, had the officer in command forward not heard the disturb- ance, and -at a glance seen that the schooner was boarded.

Hastily summoning his crew which was now diminisued to some twenty-five men, since ten of them had been thrown overboard by the impetuous Americans, and five officers. locked up in the cabin without means of egress; he made a furious charge, and the intrepied little band now presented a small but solid front to their assailants.

The Yankees fought like tigers, mak- ing sad havoe with their enemies, whom nothing but their immense numerical superiority and the courage of their leader kept to their work. But over- borne with numbers they gradually gave ground,

The Mexican officer with some of his men had dragged ene of the bow chasers from its port, loading it with grape and cannister, and was about pointing it on our little band of heroes, when with a yell that made all ring, a gigantic form was seen coming over the bows followed by several others.

With one whoop of his herculean arm the head of the cannoneer, who was about to apply the match, rolled on the deck, anether sent the gallant officer to his last account, while the men who followed him attacked like furies in the rear of the astonished and panic stricken Mexicans; the surviving ones of whom immediately ran below, when the hatches were hauled over them and secured.

In half an hour more Captain Bobstay, who had thus most opportunely come to the rescue of his galfant mate, was In peaceable possession of the Mexican Privateer El Volador, or the Flying Fish. Ufon searching, nearly two hun- dred thousand dollars were found on board of her; funds sent by the Mexican Go- vernment to Havana to aid in the pur- chase of ammanition for carrying on the war. , '

“In ten days the brig arrived in Charles- ton with her prize, which was condemaed and sold, so that with the prize money and Juwful booty our: hego fouud himself

a Pe AY noe

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Vol. 1: No. 39

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at the end of his cruise, worth nearly forty thousand dollars.

Being comparatively wealthy, he mar- ried.a young lady to whom he had_ jong been attached, and who was every way worthy of him, but with whom his pover- ty had prevented his being previously united; he now dwells in Massachusetts, beloved and respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

WHS SLAW,

Wednesday, Becember 11, 1830.

THE ROYAL AGRICULTORAL SOCIETY. |

We beg of the Committee of the Agri- cultural Society—or rather of that frac-

tion of the Committee who regulate its

affairs—not to suppose that because we bave for a long time been silent.in refer- ence to them, we have therefore forgotten the shabby trick they played us in the matter of the Society’s advertizing.” We mean o bring it before the public again and again, whenever an opportunity for doing so is offered, until we shall have ample satisfaction for the injustice prac- tised towards us.

The reason alleged for not paying our Bill last Summer, as before intimated, was, that our Paper was not in exisience when the Secretary made an arrangement on behalf of the Society, with the other Printers in Charlottetown, to publish their advertisements ata stipulated and uniform price. The reason, evenif it were found- ed in fact, would be untenable. It is not founded in fact. The publication of Tux Examiner was suspended merely, from 27th February, 1849, till 12th Jan- uary, 1850; but it was not finally discon- tinued—was not out of existence, or it wouldnot have been re-issued. ‘The fact was well known to every body thatthe pub- lication would be resumed: notices to that effect were issued, and widely circulated. Now there is one circumstance which clearly shews that the reason alleged for refusing payment of our Account, was nothing but a subterfuge. At the time the so-called arrangement was made with the respective Printers, Mr. Pippy was engaged in the publication of the Review. At the expiration of six months from its

commencement that Paper was disconti-

nued, and Mr. Pippy, after the elapse of a few weeks, started the weekly suverii- ser. No new arrangement was made for the publication of the So@iety’s adver- tisements in the latter paper; Mr. Pippy continued to publish them 2s usual, under the notice and sanction of the Committee, Is not this fact, then, sufficient to shew, that it was the determination of this jun- ta, from the first, to deal unfairly by;us— to debar us unjustly from participating in the patronage of a Society, which is eup- ported by the public funds to benefit the island at Jarge, and is sapposed to have no personal or politica] bias?

But there is another circumstancewhick

oe ate — eek aes