the then senior officer. On the 28th of the same month, the captain’s steward of the latter ship was mortally wounded by a shot in the loins, when standing on the forecastle. “The circumstance at the time,” says Commander Glascock “occasioned a great sensation, – for we were then strangers to the assassinating system of murdering individuals, by musketry across the river, and of course had not calculated that lookers-on were as likely as others to lose their lives. The accident originated in a foolish frolic on the part of some of the Oporto watermen, who had, early in the morning, capsized from the cliff abreast of the British sloops, a number of empty pipes, which it had been supposed the Miguelites had there placed, for the purpose of building a battery. Encouraged by their morning’s work, these brave barcadoes were again induced to ascend the hill: but hardly had they reached the summit before they were seen scampering down, flying from a handful of armed guerillas.” Taking to their boat, they sought shelter under the lee of the Britomart, a British bark, moored close to the Childers, and thus brought upon that sloop and her consort a most galling fire, the merchant vessel having just before given great offence by discharging on the constitutional side a cargo of heavy guns. On the following day, Mr. Emeric, E. Vidal, purser of the Asia 84, was dangerously wounded whilst on shore viewing a desperate attack made by the Miguelites upon Don Pedro’s lines near Oporto.[1]
On the 11th Oct. three musket-balls were fired, and to all appearance purposely, at the Orestes, from the summit of a hill known by the name of the “Quarantine Ground.” The party firing were attired as soldiers. One shot fell close alongside. There being no object whatever then in the vicinity of the Orestes to provoke a fire, her commander was quite at a loss to conjecture the cause of such an egregious violation of neutrality – “particularly after the extraordinary forbearance which had been recently manifested by both of
- ↑ Naval Sketch Book, 2d series. Vol. II., pp. 159 and 165.
