BARRY BEAVER. 41 



violent. Thus, once in hoisting a foretopmast steering-sail a blunder was made 

 and twice repeated; Barry flew forward like lightning and struck the boatswain 

 with his trumpet; yet he was affectionate toward his men. In the case of the 

 boatswain whom he had hit with a trumpet, he later visited him in his cabin and 

 expressed sorrow for the violence of his passion. Barry liked fun, and often gave 

 the call, "all hands to play." It was his prompt decision and his intrepidity 

 that enabled him to attack and overcome superior forces of the enemy. 



Of Barry's relatives little is known. On his mother's side he is said to have 

 been descended from John Stafford, an officer in Cromwell's army. Barry married, 

 but left no children. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



MARTIN, I. J. 1897. The History of John Barry. Philadelphia: The American Catholic His- 

 torical Society. 261 + xiv pp. 



4. PHILIP BEAVER. 



PHILIP BEAVER was born at Lewkner, England, in 1766. At the age of 11 

 he wanted to go to sea, and shipped under Admiral Keppel, who in 1778 fought 

 that French squadron commanded by D'Estaing which had been sent to help the 

 American colonies. Beaver was in the battle between the two squadrons at St. 

 George's Bay. The lad studied navigation and naval astronomy with the ship's 

 mate. At this time his temperament was prevailingly buoyant, with sedate 

 spells. Later he cruised in the Windward Isles, destroying Spanish and French 

 vessels. At the age of 16 he was placed in charge of a prize American brig, but 

 this was recaptured and Beaver was taken prisoner and later exchanged. He 

 was placed on a naval privateer and navigated a prize to port; had a danger- 

 ous fever and was reported dead. At the close of the American war in 1783 he 

 returned to England and went thence to Boulogne to learn French. In his other 

 studies he was assisted by his brother, Rev. James Beaver, his preference being 

 for history and natural philosophy. In 1789 he was appointed first lieutenant. 

 He went on a colonizing venture to an island off the coast of Sierra Leone, but 

 this was a failure. He went on the Stately, 64 guns, to take the Cape of Good 

 Hope from the Dutch; his handling of his ship in a squall attracted admiration 

 and he was transferred to the flagship. He was with Keith in the Mediterranean, 

 watching the Spaniards in 1799, and was sent to carry five prizes to port. As 

 assistant captain under Keith, he had charge of the bombardment of Genoa, which 

 capitulated to him, but after he had sailed for England it was lost again. In 1801 

 he was sent to help expel the French from Egypt, and after that cruised in the 

 Mediterranean and made charts for the Admiralty. In 1810 he was one of the 

 squadron that captured Mauritius and as senior officer remained in command at 

 the Mauritius station, and in that capacity captured the Seychelles Islands. He 

 then proceeded against Batavia, in the capture of which in 1811 he played an 

 important part. Seeking mast timber in East Africa, he was taken ill and died 

 at Cape Town of "inflammation of the bowels." 



Beaver was a slender man, capable of great fatigue of body and mind. He 

 was scholarly rather than pugnacious. He knew well the science of navigation, 

 preferred reading and writing in his cabin to pacing the deck, and wrote an account 

 of some of his campaigns. On shipboard he was firm, almost austere; but gentle 

 and playful on shore. He was courageous in carrying out what he undertook. 



