290 



Rantoul ; Chas. W. Tuttle of Boston ; N. E. Atwood of 

 Provincetown ; Daniel H. Johnson, Jr.; Iowa Historical So 

 eiety ; Jacob Batchelder of Lynn ; Editors of the Round 

 Table. 



W. P. UPHAM from a Committee appointed at a previous 

 meeting*, submitted the following statement : 



In making the recent alterations at Fort Pickering, about 

 half of a do/en twelve pound shot were taken from the 

 worth- cast and south-west corners of the old parapet facing 

 the harbor. They were found buried about three feet be 

 tieath the turf half way from the top of the parapet. There 

 is good reason to believe that these balls were thrown there 

 i>y the British Man of War Nautilus, when she chased the 

 Privateer Rattlesnake into Beverly harbor, Oct. 10, 1775. 

 An account of this affair is given in an old newspaper, the 

 *' New England Chronicle or Essex Gazette," ol Get. 12, 

 1775, also in Stone's History of Beverly, page <>4. 



The Privateer was chased in from the Bay and ran ashore 

 In Mackerel Cove near Beverly. The Man of War got 

 aground on Nathaniel's Ledge, south-east of Woodtmry's 

 point and in tin's position bombarded the town of Beverly 

 till the tide leaving her, she careened so that she was 

 unable to bring a single gun to bear. Thus she remained 

 tinder constant fire from the Salem people on Hospital point 

 and from Sharpshooters on the Beverly shore till dark, when 

 she cut her cable and got off, having been considerably dam- 

 aged. It is probable that as the Nautilus entered the har- 

 Jjor, she passed not far from Fort Pickering and fired a 

 broadside at it. 



The Fort has been repaired twice since then, once in 1798 

 and again in 180U. but from the accounts lately given of 

 these repairs and from the appearance of the place previous 

 to the present alterations, it is inferred that a part of the 

 old parapet where these balls were found has not been ma- 

 terially altered since the Revolution. 



OEORGE I). WILDES followed with some remarks relating 

 to the Forts and to the sailors and soldiers of the Revolution 

 and of the War of 1812 furnished by Salem, Newburyport 

 and other towns of the County. He made particular men- 



