The Boston Massacre was an incident that occurred in 1770. In February 1770 at Boston. Massachusetts, USA. A press gang from the British frigate 'Rose' boarded a ship belonging to Hooper of Marblehead, and a riot followed. On the night of March the 5th, 1770, the ringing of fire bells brought together a large crowd which collided violently with English soldiers. The soldiers opened fire, killing three people and wounding several others. News of the killings spread and strengthened resolve among the colonists for independence from Britain. Research Boston Massacre
The Challenger Expedition was a scientific and exploring expedition carried out at the expense of the British Government by means of the ship Challenger, a frigate-built vessel of about 2000 tons, fully equipped with all the most improved scientific appliances for ascertaining the depth, temperature, currents, etc, of the ocean, and the character of the ocean bottom, and for amassing natural history specimens. The ship set sail on December the 7th, 1872, under the command of Captain (afterwards Sir) George Nares, Professor (afterwards Sir) Wyville Thomson being at the head of the scientific staff attached to the ship. In the course of the expedition the ship called at Madeira, Teneriffe, the Bermudas, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Cape Verde Islands, Cape of Good Hope, Kerguelen Islands, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Japan, Valparaiso, etc, returning home by way of the Strait of Magellan, and arriving on May the 24th, 1876. During the three and a half years of the cruise the ship traversed about 70,000 nautical miles, and a vast amount of highly useful information was accumulated, the results being published at government expense in a great many volumes. Several popular works on the expedition were also published. Research Challenger Expedition
During 1811, and for some time previous, British cruisers hovering about the American coast had captured many American vessels bound for France, and had made a number of impressments. In May, 1811, Commodore John Rodgers, commanding the American frigate USS President, was ordered to put to sea from Chesapeake Bay and protect American commerce. When thirty miles off Cape Charles, on May the 16th, Rodgers descried a vessel, which he supposed to be the British man-of-war HMS Guerriere. He decided to approach her and make inquiries regarding impressment.
This vessel was HMS Little Belt, a small British frigate. She allegedly showed no colours and sailed away, the USS President pursuing. Overhauling her at about eight o'clock, Rodgers declared she ran up colours which could not be recognized for the darkness, and fired upon the USS President. The fire was immediately returned and HMS Little Belt was disabled in about eighteen minutes. The dispute as to which ship was in fault was never settled. When Foster, the British Minister arrived, however, it was mutually agreed to drop the affair. Research Little Belt Affair
The frigate-bird is a tropical, web-footed bird of the family Pelecanidae. The male bird reaches one metre in length, including the tail, but the body is comparatively small. The bill is longer than the head, hooked at the end and sharp. The wings are very large, and the bird has a wing span of over two metres. Research Frigate-Bird
Charles Edward Stuart, called the Pretender, was the grandson of James II king of England, son of James Edward and Clementina, daughter of Prince Sobiesld. He was born in 1720 at Rome and died in 1788. In 1742 he went to Paris and persuaded Louis XV to assist him in an attempt to recover the throne of his ancestors. Fifteen thousand men were on the point of sailing from Dunkirk, when the English admiral Norris dispersed the whole fleet. Charles Stuart now determined to trust to his own exertions. Accompanied by seven officers he landed on the west coast of Scotland, from a small ship called the Doutelle. Many Lowland nobles and Highland chiefs went over to his party. With a small army thus formed he marched forward, captured Perth, then Edinburgh on September the 17th 1745, defeated an army of 4000 British under Sir John Cope at Prestonpans on September the 22nd, and advancing obtained possession of Carlisle., He now caused his father to be proclaimed King, and himself Regent of England; removed his head-quarters to Manchester, and soon found himself within 100 miles of London, where many of his friends awaited his arrival. The rapid successes of the adventurer now caused a part of the British forces in Germany to be recalled. Want of support, disunion, and jealousy among the adherents of the house of Stuart, some errors, and the superior force opposed to him, compelled Prince Charles Stuart to retire in the beginning of 1746. The victory at Falkirk on January the 28th, 1746 was his last. As a final attempt he risked the battle of Culloden against the Duke of Cumberland, on April the 16th, 1746, in which his army was defeated and entirely dispersed.
The prince now wandered about for a long time through the wilds of Scotland, often without food, and the price of 30,000 pounds sterling was set upon his head. At length, on September the 20th, 1746, five months after the defeat of Culloden, he escaped in a French frigate. He received a pension of 200,000 livres yearly from France, and of 12,000 doubloons from Spain. Forced to leave France by the terms of the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 he went to Italy, and in 1772 married a princess of Stolberg-Gedern, from whom eight years later he was separated.. He latterly fell into habits of intoxication, and he died Jan. 31, 1788, and was buried at Frascati. After his death, his funeral service was performed by his only surviving brother, the Cardinal of York, with whose death in 1807 the Stuart line ended. The cardinal received a pension from Britain of £4000 a year until his death. Research Charles Stuart
Edward Pellew (ViscountExmouth) was a British naval officer. He was born in 1757 and died in 1833. He went to sae at the age of thirteen, served as midshipman in the frigate 'Blonde' during the American War of Independence, and distinguished himself at LakeChamplain. In 1782 he was made a post-captain for a brilliant action in the 'Pelican', and on the outbreak of the war in 1793 was appointed to the command of the frigate 'La Nymphe', serving until peace in 1802. In 1804, on the redemption of hostilities, he was sent to take the chief command on the East India station, in the 'Culloden', of seventy-four guns; and there he remained until 1809, when he had attained the rank of vice-admiral. His next appointment was the command of the fleet blockading the Scheldt. In 1814 he was made BaronExmouth with a pension of 2000 pounds per annum. In 1816 he was sent with a fleet to punish the Dey of Algiers for outrages committed, and to force him to give up his Christian captives and abolish Christian slavery. Along with some Dutch vessels he bombarded the city for eight hours, and inflicted such damage that the Dey had to agree to the demands, three thousand Christian slaves were henceforth freed. LordExmouth was made a viscount and received honours from several of the European sovereigns and the Freedom of The City of London. He retired in 1821. Research Edward Pellew
Francesco Caraccioli was an Italian admiral. He was born about 1748 at Naples and died in 1799. In 1798 he entered the service of the Parthenopean Republic, and repelled, with a few vessels, an attempt of the Sicilian-English fleet to effect a landing. When Ruffo took Naples in 1799 Caraccioli was arrested, and, contrary to the terms of capitulation, was condemned to death, and hanged at the yard-arm of a Neapolitanfrigate, LordHoratio Nelson consenting to his murder. Research Francesco Caraccioli
Sir George Collier was a British vice-admiral. He was born in 1738 at London and died in 1795. As captain of the Rainbow he captured the American frigateHancock in 1777 off the coast of North America. Being appointed commodore and commander-in-chief he carried out the relief of Penobscot in 1779 and destroyed the enemy's squadron there. In 1781 he captured the Spanish frigate Leocadia. He became rear-admiral in 1793 and vice- admiral in 1794. Research George Collier
James Grant was a British soldier. He was born in 1720 and died in 1806. He met with a severe defeat in command of an expedition against Fort Duquesne in 1758. He commanded two brigades of British troops at Long Island, and was in command of New Jersey during the battles of Trenton and Princeton. He served as a major-general in the battles of Brandy wine and Germantown in 1777, and defeated Lee at Monmouth in 1778.
James Grant was a Scottish novelist. He was born in 1822 at Edinburgh 1822 and died in 1887. He lived in America from 1832 to 1839, in which year he returned to England, and was gazetted ensign in the 62nd Foot. He resigned his commission in 1843; began to contribute to periodical literature, and in 1846 published his first book, The Romance of War. A large number of works followed, most of them bearing marks of his military training, or based on historical events, Adventures of an Aide-de-Camp (1848), Bothwell (1851), Jane Seton (1853), Philip Rollo (1854), Frank Hilton (1855), Yellow Frigate (1855), Harry Ogilvie (1856), Lucy Arden (1859), Mary of Lorraine (1860), Dick Rodney (1861), King's Own Borderers (1865), White Cockade (1867), British Battles on Land and Sea (1873), Old and New Edinburgh (1880-1883), etc. He became a Roman Catholic in 1875. Research James Grant
Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville was a French sailor. He was born in 1661 and died in 1706. He was engaged in the Canadian expedition against the English forts on the Hudson, fought at Fort Mousipi and Fort Quitchilchouen, and in 1688 captured two English vessels. In 1690 he was one of the leaders against Schenectady. In 1694 he took Fort Nelson, and, in command of a frigate, captured three English ships, including the Newport. He destroyed Fort Pemaquid, and reduced nearly all Newfoundland. In command of the Pelican, in 1697, he destroyed several British ships, and captured Fort Bourbon. In 1698 he ascended the Mississippi and built Fort Biloxi, the first port on the river. In 1701 he transferred the colony to Mobile. In 1706 he captured Nevis Island. Research Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville
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