Betty's Critters - & History Views

   This is the third post about the French privateer "Mariane," and her encounters with the "Charming Nancy" and the "Peggy," and the confluence of Captain John Baird, two of his crew, three passengers from the "Peggy," and the Captain of the "Peggy," William Grimes or Grymes.  Part one dealt with a letter reporting the privateer, and three affidavits from Captain Baird and two of his crew, along with an affidavit regarding Baird's character.  Part two was a rebuttal letter from two passengers on the "Peggy," then prisoners of the privateer, and then unwanted "crew members" of the release schooner.     This third part deals with an affidavit from Captain William Grimes (Grymes) of the "Peggy."  The following appeared in The Maryland Gazette  newspaper, of Annapolis, in issue #920, printed on Thursday, 23 December 1762, on page 2, in column 1:    "Annapolis, December 23.   ...   Last week, arrived a...

    In the previous post, I quoted the original article abut the French privateer "Mariane" attacking ships along the Atlantic coast from Delaware to the Carolinas and inside Chesapeake Bay.  There was the original letter, followed by three affidavits - one from Captain John Baird, one from two crew members of Captain Baird's, and one from seven citizens of Wilmington, Delaware, including the Chief Burgess, whom the affidavits were sworn before.  The Chief Burgess stated he had known Captain Baird for more than twenty years, and his character was upright, without a trace of fraud or dishonesty.    The following is a letter from two of the passengers of the schooner "Peggy," tomorrow I'll post the  affidavit from the "Peggy's" Captain, William Grimes  (also spelled Grymes).    From the newspaper The Maryland Gazette , published in Annapolis, Maryland, #915, on Thursday, 18 November 1762, on page one, column one:    "Oxford,...

 This is taken from The Pennsylvania Gazette , a newspaper of Philadelphia, #1755, printed Thursday, 12 August 1762, page 2, column 3 (carried to page 3, column 1).  The sub-heading under the name of the newspaper is "Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic."  (I will not be capitalizing some of the words, as is done in the original printing.)    "PHILADELPHIA, August 12.   The following is the substance of a letter wrote by a person in Snow-Hill [Maryland], dated the 31st of last month, viz.     'That he had just parted with three men who had been taken in a schooner, at Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of York River, on their way from Norfolk to some river in Maryland:  That in the schooner were goods to the value of six thousand Guineas:  That the vessel that took them was a sloop of 8 carriage and 12 swivel guns, and 75 men from Cape-Francois, commanded by Don Pedro Ordogriez:  That the Captain informed them;  a fe...