John Coustos was accused of the crime of freemasonry and in 1743 was imprisoned by the Inquisition of Lisbon, surviving the ordeal he documented what occurred. Refusing to divulge the secrets of his order, Coustos was taken to the torture chamber. Stripped of everything but his underpants, he was fixed on his back on the rack, his neck enclosed in an iron collar, and his feet attached to two rings. Two ropes the size of a man's little finger were wound around each arm and leg and passed through holes made for the purpose in the rack. The ropes were drawn tight by the executioners, cutting through the flesh to the bone, and causing blood to gush out from the wounds made. According to Coustos the 'executioners bent their strength to the task four different times' and at the fourth time their victim fainted through the loss of blood and pain.
After he was allowed to recuperate for six weeks, Coustos was again brought to the torture chamber. This time the procedure was somewhat different. He was made to stretch out his arms with the palms of his hands turned outwards. His wrists were tied, and then a machine gradually drew his hands together behind him until the backs of them touched. This was repeated twice more, and in the process his shoulders were dislocated and blood gushed from his mouth. He was taken back to his dungeon, and his bones were set by surgeons. Two months later Coustos was back in the torture chamber. This time a thick iron chain was passed twice around his body, crossing over his stomach. The chain terminated in rings which were fastened to his wrists. He was then placed against a thick wooden partition, at each end of which was a pulley. Ropes were fastened to the rings on his wrists and run through the pulleys, the other ends being fixed to a roller. This roller being set in motion, the ropes gradually tightened, pulling the chain tighter across his stomach until it bit into his flesh and pulled his wrists out of joint and dislocated his shoulders. The surgeons again set his bones, and after the wounds had healed Coustos was tortured the same way again. Through it all Coustos remained silent. Failing to get answers from him, the Inquisition sentenced Coustos to four years service as a galley- slave and banished him from the country. Research Torture of John Coustos
A Galley-slave is a person condemned to work at the oar on board a galley, being chained to the deck. This mode of punishment was common in France prior to 1748. Research Galley-Slave
St Vincent de Paul was a French priest. He was born in 1576 and died in 1660. He instituted the Lazarist Society and worked among galley slaves. He was canonized in 1737. Research St Vincent de Paul
The Raid on Cadiz took place during the English-Spanish Naval War. Commissioned by queen Elizabeth I to reconnoitre Spanish ports, Francis Drake made straight for Cadiz, the head-quarters of the Spanish fleet. With characteristic boldness he left twenty of his twenty-four ships outside, and entered the harbour with only four vessels. But Drake's apparent rashness was grounded on confidence. He knew that the heavily armed ships which Henry VIII had laid down, and which had been improved since, gave the English an immense advantage over the Spanish galleys. These galleys depended on their power to ram and sink their opponent with their steel- shod beaks; they were no match against Drake's broadsides. As the galleys dashed towards him he opened fire. A dreadful execution was done; the naked galley-slaves were mown down in hundreds, and it was impossible for the survivors to row towards the English ships. The victors of Lepanto were beaten by a weapon against which they were powerless; the slaughter at Cadiz in 1587 closed the era of galley warfare for ever. Research Raid on Cadiz
In printing, a chase was a frame used for holding the type for printing one whole side of a sheet of paper. The type was first set up letter by letter in a composing stick and then transferred to a device called the galley where it appeared in columns. It was next transferred to the chase where it was held tight by quoins or small wooden wedges. Research Chase
A galley was a rectangular tray, open at one end, used for holding set type in the printing industry. Later the term came to be a unit of measurement, 22 inches long, used in type composition. Research Galley
The British Aerospace Jetstream 41 is a British light corporate transport and regional airliner designed in 1989 as a lengthened version of the Jetsream 31. The Jetstream 41 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by two AlliedSignal TPE33114GR/HR turboprops providing a top speed of 547 kmh and a range of about 1430 km depending upon payload. The Jetsream 41 carries a crew of two and up to 27 or 29 passengers depending on whether or not a galley is fitted. Production of the Jetsream 41 finished in 1997. Research Jetstream 41
The Boeing VC-137B/C is a modified version of the Boeing 707 commercial intercontinental airliner used for the transportation of the American Vice-President, cabinet and congressional members, and other high-ranking US and visiting officials. The VC-137B/C body is identical to that of the Boeing 707, but has different interior furnishings and electronic equipment. The passenger cabin is divided into three sections: The forward area has a communications centre, galley, lavatory and an eight-seat compartment. The centre section is designed as an airborne headquarters with conference tables, swivel chairs, projection screen for films and two convertible sofa-bunks. The rear section of the cabin contains double reclining passenger seats, tables, galley, two lavatories and closets. Partitions may be placed throughout the cabin for added privacy. Research VC-137
Armada is the Spanish name for any large naval force. In English the term is usually applied to the Spanish fleet vaingloriously designated the Invincible Armada, intended to act against England in 1588. The Invincible Armada (popularly known as the Spanish Armada) was collected and equipped by Philip II, king of Spain, for the subjugation of England. It consisted of 130 ships, 3165 cannon, 8050 sailors, 2088 galley-slaves, 18,972 soldiers, 1382 volunteers and 150 monks the whole under the command of the duke of MedinaSidonia. The Armada sailed from Lisbon on the 19th May 1588 and was soon after dispersed by a storm, it recollected, was refitted at Corunna and sailed into the channel off Cornwall on the 19th of July 1588. It was to co-operate with a land force collected in Flanders under the Prince of Parma, and to unite with this it proceeded through the English Channel towards Calais. In its progress it was attacked by the English fleet under LordHoward, who, with his lieutenants, Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, endeavoured by dexterous seamanship and the discharge of well-directed volleys of shot to destroy or capture the vessels of the enemy.
The great lumbering Spanish vessels suffered severely from their smaller opponents, which most of their shot missed. Arrived at length off Dunkirk, the armada was becalmed, thrown into confusion by fire-ships, and many of the Spanish vessels destroyed or taken. The Duke of MedinaSidonia, owing to the severe losses, at last resolved to abandon the enterprise, and conceived the idea of reconveying his fleet to Spain by a voyage round the north of Great Britain; but storm after storm assailed his ships, scattering them in all directions, and sinking many. Some went down on the cliffs of Norway, others in the open sea, others on the Scottish coast, others on the coast of Ireland. In all, seventy-two large vessels and over 10,000 men were lost. Research Armada
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Abbreviations
Research Torture of John Coustos
