26 LABRADOR 



of Noble and Pinson, "who have been my inveterate 

 enemies ever since I came to the coast/' and his buildings 

 were several times destroyed by fire. But the great 

 calamity which overtook him was the visit of the American 

 privateer Minerva in August, 1778. At one o'clock on 

 the morning of August 27 ; he was alarmed by a loud 

 rapping at his door; he opened it, and a body of armed 

 men rushed in; they were, they said, from the Minerva 

 privateer, of Boston, in New England, commanded by John 

 Grimes. They made Cartwright their prisoner, and took 

 possession of everything. At nine o'clock Cartwright 

 was taken on board, and received by Captain Grimes, 

 who was " the son of a superannuated boatswain of Ports- 

 mouth." Cartwright was not favourably impressed by the 

 first lieutenant and the surgeon, whom he describes as 

 "two of as great villains as any unhanged.' 7 He found 

 that his possessions at Charles Harbour and Ranger 

 Lodge had already been plundered. An expedition had 

 been sent off to Caribou Castle to plunder there; and it 

 was only by talking about a British frigate which he 

 expected that he frightened them from sending to Paradise 

 and White Bear River. They robbed him of everything 

 except a small quantity of provisions and a chest of bag- 

 gage, which Grimes returned ("but many things were 

 pillaged out of it"). Cartwright lost also about one-half 

 of his men. The Minerva was short-handed, and Grimes 

 offered a share of the booty to any who would enter with 

 him. Nearly thirty-five men, mostly Irish and Dutch, ac- 

 cepted his offer. It is needless to say, none of them ever saw 

 any prize-money ; when they reached Boston, they were all 

 thrown into prison, where they languished for several months. 



