Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea Their rovings, cruises, escapades, and fierce battling upon the ocean for patriotism and for treasure

Public-domain ebook

Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea Their rovings, cruises, escapades, and fierce battling upon the ocean for patriotism and for treasure

Name: Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea Their rovings, cruises, escapades, and fierce battling upon the ocean for patriotism and for treasure
Author: Charles H. L. Johnston

by Charles H. L. Johnston

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Language: en7,515 downloads on Project Gutenberg

Subjects

Buccaneers Privateering

In: Pirates, Buccaneers, Corsairs, etc.·Adventure·History - Other

Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #26960.

About this book

Charles H. L. Johnston’s Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea is a nineteenth‑century compendium of naval folklore and biography that opens with a lively chorus of sea‑song verses, invoking the names of young Bill Jones, Thompson of Yarmouthport, and other legendary mariners. The introductory stanza segues into a dramatized portrait of the French corsair Jean Bart, whose early exploits aboard the Cochon Gras are recounted in vivid, dialogue‑rich narrative. Johnston mixes balladic excerpts, mock‑epic dialogue, and a detailed episode of mutiny and legal dispute aboard a privateer, setting the tone for a series of episodic sketches that celebrate the daring, the cruelty, and the evolving maritime law of the age of privateering.

The work is written in a florid, almost theatrical style characteristic of Victorian popular history, replete with archaic spellings, extensive quotations from contemporary ballads, and a moralizing voice that praises bravery while condemning tyranny. Readers who enjoy period‑specific storytelling, especially those fascinated by naval history, early modern law, or the colorful lives of buccaneers, will find Johnston’s blend of anecdote and moral commentary both entertaining and informative.

Who appears in this book

Bill JonesYoung sailor with bright cheeks, sun‑tanned skin, loose linen shirt, breeches, straw hat, rope‑tied hair
Thompson of YarmouthportWeather‑worn middle‑aged mariner, dark beard, navy coat, chart‑rolled under arm, keen eyes
Jean BartFrench corsair captain, broad‑shouldered, dark moustache, tricorn hat, leather coat, sword at side

Opening lines

L. Johnston. Say, sailors, what’s happened to young Bill Jones? Jones of Yarmouth; the bright-cheeked boy? Jones who could handle a boat like a man, Jones, who would grapple a smack like a toy? “ Fell o’er the sea-end with Raleigh. Ahoy! ” Well, sea-dogs, where’s Thompson of Yarmouthport dock? The chap who could outwit old Hawkins, they say, The man with th’ knowledge of charts and of reefs, There wasn’t his equal from Prawle to Torquay. “ Fell o’er the sea-end with Raleigh, to-day! ” Where’s Rixey of Hampton; Smith of Rexhill? Who’d coasted and traded from London to Ryde, Huggins and Muggins, all seamen of worth, Who could jibe and could sail, sir, when combers were wide? “ Fell o’er the sea-end with Raleigh. Last tide! …

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