Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p2.djvu/412

 summon the fiscal to surrender the island to me.’ In vain did the lieutenant represent the folly of such a proceeding; in vain did he point to the numerous batteries around the harbour: Captain Tucker went on shore, and made his proposal in form. The Dutch authorities had received no official account of the war; but they took the captain’s word, and not only his word, but his sword, and his ship, and all that were on board of her.

Knowing well what would happen. Lieutenant Fitton, in the mean time, had weighed and stood out; and the Gipsy was soon chased off the port by two armed vessels of superior force, which, in consequence of Captain Tucker’s imprudence, had been despatched in pursuit of her.”

In refutation of this statement, we shall first give an extract of a letter recently written by Lieutenant Fitton; and then lay before our readers Commander Tucker’s own account of the causes which led to his detention and subsequent imprisonment.

“H.M.S. Agincourt, Devonport, 20th Nov. 1831.

“Sir,– I this day received yours of the 15th instant, informing me of a statement made in James’s Naval History. I immediately sent for the volume to which you refer, and am sorry to find my name mentioned in an affair of which I never had any knowledge: – to the best of my recollection, I never saw the Surinam; and never, till this day, did I know the name of her commander: – the historian, therefore, is completely. * * * * * *

(Signed)“.”

“To Commander R. Tucker.”

“On the second day after my departure from Jacquemel,” says Commander Tucker, “the Surinam sprung her fore-top-mast, had all her lower-rigging stranded, and pitched with so much violence that the casks in the ground-tier literally fell to pieces, leaving all the other contents of the hold in dangerous motion. Thus circumstanced, I steered for Curaçoa, and was there busily employed in refitting my ship, when private information from the island of St. Thomas led me to believe that Great Britain and Holland would, ere long, be again declared enemies. I therefore redoubled my efforts; and, although not quite ready for sea, had warped the Surinam to the head of the harbour, in hopes of preventing any similar information reaching the Dutch governor, when a prize-schooner, in charge of Lieutenant Thomas Forrest, whom I had despatched to Commodore Hood, and who