305 



this ofience was conrlpmncd ; the Hero was seized because one of her 

 crew dressed some fish on shore ; the Hyder Ally was seized and con- 

 demned tor using nets within three miles of the coast ; the capture of 

 the Madison was solely upon the suspicion that her master had been 

 engaged previously in an aflray with the boat of a British man-of-war. 



^Ir. Towneau, a midshij)man of ihe Dotterel, in his examination, 

 irives the following account of the seizure of tiie schooners Reindeer and 

 Ruby: 



"i recollect while in Gull cove of having received information on a 

 Sunday, from some men and a Mr. Franklin, that several American 

 fishing vessels were at anchor in White Head harbor, and that they 

 anchored there the evening before; that on their anchoring one of them 

 fired three muskets, and said they were armed and manned and would 

 oppose our boarding them. I acquainted Mr. Jones with the informa- 

 tion I had received, who went immediately in the small boat to cruise, 

 and returned in the evening. He told me that he had boarded an Eng- 

 lish fishing schooner (Industry) near While Head, who gave him in- 

 f)rmation that several American schooners were at anchor at Two 

 Island harbor, and that they got their wood and water at White Head. 

 They fired several muskets on their anchoring, and told the crew of 

 the Industry they would not allow a man-of-war's boat to board them; 

 and after the}- completed their wood and water, they shifted to Two 

 Island harbor. We got the yawl under weigh about nine o'clock in 

 the evening and went towards Two Island harbor, and anchored about 

 two o'clock in the morning. At da3'light we observed several vessels 

 at anchor at Two Island harbor, and shortly after got under weigh, 

 when we chased them. Observed three of them lashed together, and 

 all the crews collected on board the middle one. We ordered them to 

 separate, which at first they refused to do, until Mr. Jones threatened 

 to fire on them. They dropped clear of each other. We boarded 

 them, and detained the American schooners Reindeer and Ruby." 



These vessels were rescued, as has been related, oil" Eastport. Mr. 

 Jones, the prize-master, in his report of the affray, states that — 



"It being fine weather, and they not being in want of wood or water, 

 I detained the Reindeer and Ruby, and put their men, with the excep- 

 tion of the masters, on board the two American schooners, with provis- 

 ions for a passage to Lubec, and made sail in the Reindeer and Ruby 

 for St. Andrew's, through East Quoddy. About C p. m., when abreast 

 of harbor De Lute, I observed two schoonc.-rs, and an open boat full of 

 armed men, muskets and fixed bayonets, hoisting American colors; one 

 of them went aloiiL'^^ide Mr. Towneau, in the Rubv, boarded, and took 

 the arms from him and his three men: the one abreast of" me was kept 

 off" for about a quarter of an hour, when they commenced firing into 

 us. Th(jugh with great reluctance, I thought it most prudent to sur- 

 render to such superior force, having but K^ur men, one musket, and 

 three cutlasses. 



"On delivering them up, I f)und there were in the two schooners 

 about a hundred armed men, (including the crews of tlie scii<K)ners, 

 about thirty in number.^ the rest having the appearance of militiamen,. 

 20 



