African Company, in command of a company of soldiers which was being sent
to garrison the fort. The merchants of Gambia were supposed to victual
this garrison, but the rations supplied were considered by Massey to be
quite insufficient. He quarrelled with the Governor and merchants, and
took his soldiers back on board the ship, and with Lowther, the second
mate, seized the ship and turned pirate. Lowther and Massey eventually
quarrelled, for the latter, being a soldier, "was solicitous to move in
his own sphere"--that is, he wanted to land his troops and plunder the
French West Indian settlements. In the end Massey and a few followers were
permitted to go off in a captured sloop, and in this sailed for Port
Royal, Jamaica. Arrived there, "with a bold countenance he went to the
Governor" and told a long and plausible tale of how he had managed to
escape from the pirates at the first opportunity. He deceived the
sympathetic Governor, and was sent with Captain Laws to hunt for Lowther.
Returning to Jamaica without finding Lowther, he was granted a
"certificate of his surrender," and came to England as a passenger.
On reaching London, he wrote a narrative of the whole affair--or as much
as he deemed wise--to the African Company, who, receiving the story with
far less credulity than the Governor of Jamaica, returned him answer "that
he should be fairly hanged," and very shortly afterwards he was, at
Tyburn on July 26th, 1723.
MAY, WILLIAM.
A London mariner. One of Captain Avery's crew, left behind in Madagascar
very sick. A negro, hearing that an Englishman was there, came to him and
nursed and fed him. This negro spoke good English, having lived at Bethnal
Green.
May was promoted afterwards to be captain of a ship in the Red Sea. He was
described by a shipmate as being "a true cock of the Game and an old
sportsman." Hanged at London in 1696.
MAZE, CAPTAIN WILLIAM, or MACE, or MAISE.
A notorious pirate; particularly mentioned in the royal warrant
authorizing Captain Kidd to go and capture certain "wicked and
ill-disposed persons."
Arrived in command of a big ship at New York in 1699, loaded with booty
taken in the Red Sea.
McCARTHY, CAPTAIN DENNIS.
Of New Providence, Bahama Islands.
This pirate and prize-fighter was one of those who refused King George's
pardon in 1717, and was eventually hanged by his late fellow-pirates. On
the gallows he made the following dying speech:
"Some friends of mine have often said I should die in my shoes, but I
would rather make them liars." And so, kicking off his shoes, he was
hanged.
MEGHLYN, HANS VAN.
A pirate of Antwerp, who owned a vessel of forty-five tons, painted black
with pitch, and carried a crew of thirty. In 1539 he was cruising off
Whitstable, on the lookout for vessels entering or leaving the Thames.
Cromwell had been warned by Vaughan to look out for this pirate ship.
DE MELTON.
A well-known pirate in the sixteenth century. Was with Kellwanton when he
was captured in the Isle of Man in 1531, but de Melton managed to escape
with some of the crew and get away in their ship to Grimsby.
MELVIN, WILLIAM.
This Scotch pirate was hanged, with other members of Gow's crew, at
Wapping in June, 1725.
MENDOZA, ANTONIO.
A Spaniard from San Domingo.
Mention is made of this unlucky mariner in a very interesting document
which Mr. A. Hyatt Verrill was fortunate enough to acquire quite recently
in the island of St. Kitts. It runs as follows:
"An assize and generall Gaole delivrie held at St. Christophers Colonie
from ye nineteenthe daye of Maye to ye 22n. daye off ye same Monthe 1701
Captaine Josias Pendringhame Magustrate &c. The Jurye of our Soveraigne
Lord the Kinge Doe presente Antonio Mendoza of Hispaniola and a subjecte
of ye Kinge of Spain for that ye said on or about ye 11 Daye of Apryl 1701
feloneousely delibyrately and malliciousley and encontrarye to ye laws off
Almightie God and our Soveraigne Lord the Kinge did in his cuppes saucely
and arrogantyly speak of the Governour and Lord the Kinge and bye force
and armies into ye tavernne of John Wilkes Esq. did entre and there did
Horrible sware and cursse and did felonoslye use threatteninge words and
did strike and cutte most murtherouslye severalle subjects of our
Soveraigne Lord the Kinge. Of w'h Indictment he pleadeth not Guiltie
butte onne presente Master Samuel Dunscombe mariner did sware that said
Antonio Mendoza was of his knowenge a Blood-thirste piratte and Guiltie of
diabolicalle practises & ye Grande Inquest findinge yt a trewe bill to be
tryd by God and ye Countrye w'h beinge a Jurie of 12 men sworne finde him
Guiltie & for the same he be adjuged to be carryd to ye Fort Prison to
have both his earres cutt close by his head and be burnet throughe ye
tongue with an Hot iron and to be caste chained in ye Dungon to awaitte ye
plesyure of God and Our Soveraigne Lord the Kinge."
MEYEURS.
A South Sea pirate, killed when taking part with Captain Williams in a
raid against an Arab settlement at Bayu.
MICHEL, CAPITAINE. Filibuster.
His ship, _La Mutine_, was armed with forty-four guns and carried a crew
of 200 men.
MICHEL LE BASQUE. A French filibuster.
In company with the butcher L'Onnais and 650 other buccaneers, he pillaged
the town of Maracaibo in Venezuela, in the year 1667. A very successful
but ruthless buccaneer.
DON MIGUEL.
In 1830 commanded a squadron of small pirate vessels off the Azores. After
seizing a Sardinian brig off St. Michael's, was himself captured by a
British frigate.
MIGUEL, FRANCESCO.
Hanged at Kingston, Jamaica, in 1823.
MILLER, JOHN.
One of Captain John Quelch's crew. Hanged at Boston on June 30th, 1704. A
broadsheet published at the time, describing the scenes at the execution,
tells us that Miller "seemed much concerned, and complained of a great
Burden of Sins to answer for, expressing often: 'Lord, what shall I do to
be Saved?'"
MILLER, THOMAS.
Quartermaster on the pirate ship _Queen Ann's Revenge_, and killed on
November 22nd, 1718.
MISNIL, SIEUR DU.
A French filibuster who commanded a ship, _La Trompeuse_ (one hundred men
and fourteen guns).
MISSON, CAPTAIN.
This unique pirate came of an ancient French family of Provence. He was
the youngest of a large family, and received a good education. At the age
of 15 he had already shown unusual distinction in the subjects of humanity
and logic, and had passed quite tolerably in mathematics. Deciding to
carve a fortune for himself with his sword, he was sent to the Academy at
Angiers for a year, and at the conclusion of his military studies his
father would have bought him a commission in a regiment of musketeers. But
young Misson had been reading books of travel, and begged so earnestly to
be allowed to go to sea that his father got him admitted as a volunteer on
the French man-of-war _Victoire_, commanded by Monsieur Fourbin. Joining
his ship at Marseilles, they cruised in the Mediterranean, and the young
volunteer soon showed great keenness in his duties, and lost no
opportunity of learning all he could about navigation and the
construction of ships, even parting with his pocket-money to the boatswain
and the carpenter to receive special instruction from them.
Arriving one day at Naples, Misson obtained permission from the captain to
visit Rome, a visit that eventually changed his whole career.
It happened that while in Rome the young sailor met a priest, a Signor
Caraccioli, a Dominican, who held most unclerical views about the
priesthood; and, indeed, his ideas on life in general were, to say the
least, unorthodox. A great friendship was struck up between these two,
which at length led the priest to throw off his habit and join the crew of
the _Victoire_. Two days out from port they met and fought a desperate
hand-to-hand engagement with a Sallee pirate, in which the ex-priest and
Misson both distinguished themselves by their bravery. Misson's next
voyage was in a privateer, the _Triumph_, and, meeting one day an English
ship, the _Mayflower_, between Guernsey and Start Point, the merchantman
was defeated after a gallant resistance.
Rejoining the _Victoire_, Misson sailed from Rochelle to the West Indies,
and Caraccioli lost no opportunity of preaching to young Misson the gospel
of atheism and communism, and with such success that the willing convert
soon held views as extreme as those of his teacher. These two apostles now
began to talk to the crew, and their views, particularly on the rights of
private property, were soon held by almost all on board. A fortunate event
happened just then to help the new "cause." Meeting with an English
man-of-war, the _Winchester_, off the island of Martinique, a smart
engagement took place between the two ships, at the very commencement of
which Captain Fourbin and three of the officers on the French ship were
killed. The fight ended by the English ship blowing up, and an era of
speech-making may be said to have now begun.
Firstly, Signor Caraccioli, stepping forward, made a long and eloquent
address to Misson, inviting him to become captain of the _Victoire_, and
calling upon him to follow the example of Alexander the Great with the
Persians, and that of the Kings Henry IV. and VII. of England, reminding
him how Mahomet, with but a few camel-drivers, founded the Ottoman Empire,
also how Darius, with a handful of companions, got possession of Persia.
Inflamed by this speech, young Misson showed what he could do, when,
calling all hands up on deck, he made his first, but, as events proved, by
far from last, speech. The result was a triumph of oratory, the excited
French sailors crying out: "Vive le Capitaine Misson et son Lieutenant le
Scavant Caraccioli!" Misson, returning thanks in a few graceful words,
promised to do his utmost as their commander for their new marine
republic. The newly elected officers retiring to the great cabin, a
friendly discussion began as to their future arrangements. The first
question that arose was to choose what colours they should sail under. The
newly elected boatswain, Mathew le Tondu, a brave but simple mariner,
advised a black one, as being the most terrifying. This brought down a
full blast of eloquence from Caraccioli, the new lieutenant, who objected
that "they were no pirates, but men who were resolved to affect the
Liberty which God and Nature gave them," with a great deal about
"guardians of the Peoples Rights and Liberties," etc., and, gradually
becoming worked up, gave the wretched boatswain, who must have regretted
his unfortunate remark, a heated lecture on the soul, on shaking "the Yoak
of Tyranny" off their necks, on "Oppression and Poverty" and the miseries
of life under these conditions as compared to those of "Pomp and
Dignity." In the end he showed that their policy was not to be one of
piracy, for pirates were men of no principle and led dissolute lives; but
_their_ lives were to be brave, just, and innocent, and their cause the
cause of Liberty; and therefore, instead of a black flag, they should live
under a white ensign, with the motto "For God and Liberty" embroidered
upon it.
The simple sailors, debarred from these councils, had gathered outside the
cabin, but were able to overhear this speech, and at its conclusion,
carried away by enthusiasm, loud cries went up of "Liberty! Liberty! We
are free men! Vive the brave Captain Misson and the noble Lieutenant
Caraccioli!" Alas! it is impossible in the space of this work to do
justice to the perfectly wonderful and idealistic conditions of this
pirate crew. Their speeches and their kind acts follow each other in
fascinating profusion. We can only recommend those who feel disposed to
follow more closely the history of these delightful pirates, to read the
account printed in English in 1726, if they are fortunate enough to come
by a copy.
The first prize taken by these pirates under the white flag was an English
sloop commanded by one Captain Thomas Butler, only a day's sail out from
St. Kitts. After helping themselves to a couple of puncheons of rum and a
few other articles which the pirates needed, but without doing any
unkindness to the crew, nor stripping them, as was the usual custom of
pirates on such occasions, they let them go, greatly to the surprise of
Captain Butler, who handsomely admitted that he had never before met with
so much "candour" in any similar situation, and to further express his
gratitude he ordered his crew to man ship, and at parting called for three
rousing British cheers for the good pirate and his men, which were
enthusiastically given.
Sailing to the coast of Africa, Misson took a Dutch ship, the
_Nieuwstadt_, of Amsterdam. The cargo was found to consist of gold dust
and seventeen slaves. In the latter Captain Misson recognized a good text
for one of his little sermons to his crew, so, calling all hands on deck,
he made the following observations on the vile trade of slavery, telling
his men:
"That the Trading for those of our own Species, cou'd never be agreeable
to the Eyes of divine Justice. That no Man had Power of the Liberty of
another; and while those who profess a more enlightened Knowledge of the
Deity, sold Men like Beasts; they prov'd that their Religion was no more
than Grimace, and that they differ'd from the Barbarians in Name only,
since their Practice was in nothing more humane. For his Part, and he
hop'd he spoke the Sentiments of all his brave Companions, he had not
exempted his Neck from the galling Yoak of Slavery, and asserted his own
Liberty, to enslave others. That however, these Men, were distinguished
from the Europeans by their Colour, Customs, or religious Rites, they were
the Work of the same omnipotent Being, and endued with equal Reason.
Wherefore, he desired they might be treated like Freemen (for he wou'd
banish even the Name of Slavery from among them) and be divided into
Messes among them, to the end they might the sooner learn their language,
be sensible of the Obligations they had to them, and more capable and
zealous to defend that Liberty they owed to their Justice and Humanity."
This speech was met with general applause, and once again the good ship
_Victoire_ rang with cries of "Vive le Capitaine Misson!" The negroes were
freed of their irons, dressed up in the clothes of their late Dutch
masters, and it is gratifying to read that "by their Gesticulations, they
shew'd they were gratefully sensible of their being delivered from their
Chains." But alas! a sad cloud was creeping insidiously over the fair
reputation of these super-pirates. Out of the last slave ship they had
taken, a number of Dutch sailors had volunteered to serve with Misson and
had come aboard as members of his crew. Hitherto no swearword was ever
heard, no loose or profane expression had pained the ears of Captain
Misson or his ex-priestly lieutenant. But the Dutch mariners began to lead
the crew into ways of swearing and drunkenness, which, coming to the
captain's notice, he thought best to nip these weeds in the bud; so,
calling both French and Dutch upon deck, and desiring the Dutch captain to
translate his remarks into the Dutch language, he told them that--
"Before he had the Misfortune of having them on Board, his Ears were never
grated with hearing the Name of the great Creator profaned, tho' he, to
his Sorrow, had often since heard his own Men guilty of that Sin, which
administer'd neither Profit nor Pleasure, and might draw upon them a
severe Punishment: That if they had a just Idea of that great Being, they
wou'd never mention him, but they wou'd immediately reflect on his Purity,
and their own Vileness. That we so easily took Impression from our
Company, that the Spanish Proverb says: 'Let a Hermit and a Thief live
together, the Thief wou'd become Hermit, or the Hermit thief': That he saw
this verified in his ship, for he cou'd attribute the Oaths and Curses he
had heard among his brave Companions, to nothing but the odious Example of
the Dutch: That this was not the only Vice they had introduced, for before
they were on Board, his Men were Men, but he found by their beastly
Pattern they were degenerated into Brutes, by drowning that only Faculty,
which distinguishes between Man and Beast, Reason. That as he had the
Honour to command them, he could not see them run into these odious Vices
without a sincere Concern, as he had a paternal Affection for them, and he
should reproach himself as neglectful of the common Good, if he did not
admonish them; and as by the Post which they had honour'd him, he was
obliged to have a watchful Eye over their general Interest; he was obliged
to tell them his Sentiments were, that the Dutch allured them to a
dissolute Way of Life, that they might take some Advantage over them:
Wherefore, as his brave Companions, he was assured, wou'd be guided by
reason, he gave the Dutch Notice, that the first whom he catch'd either
with an Oath in his Mouth or Liquor in his Head, should be brought to the
Geers, whipped and pickled, for an Example to the rest of his Nation: As
to his Friends, his Companions, his Children, those gallant, those
generous, noble and heroick Souls he had the Honour to command, he
entreated them to allow a small Time for Reflection, and to consider how
little Pleasure, and how much Danger, might flow from imitating the Vices
of their Enemies; and that they would among themselves, make a Law for the
Suppression of what would otherwise estrange them from the Source of Life,
and consequently leave them destitute of his Protection."
This speech had the desired effect, and ever afterwards, when any one of
the crew had reason to mention the name of his captain, he never failed to
add the epithet "Good" before it.
These chaste pirates soon took and plundered many rich merchant ships, but
always in the most gentlemanly manner, so that none failed to be "not a
little surprised at the Regularity, Tranquillity and Humanity of these
new-fashioned Pyrates." From out of one of these, an English vessel, they
took a sum of £60,000, but during the engagement the captain was killed.
Poor Captain Misson was broken-hearted over this unfortunate mishap, and
to show as best he could his regret, he buried the body on shore, and,
finding that one of his men was by trade a stonecutter, raised a monument
over the grave with, engraved upon it, the words: "Here lies a gallant
English-Man." And at the conclusion of a very moving burial service he
paid a final tribute by "a triple Discharge of 50 small Arms and fired
Minute Guns."
Misson now sailed to the Island of Johanna in the Indian Ocean, which
became his future home. Misson married the sister of the local dusky
queen, and his lieutenant led to the altar her niece, while many of the
crew also were joined in holy wedlock to one or more ladies of more humble
social standing.
Already Misson has received more space than he is entitled to in a work of
reference of this kind, but his career is so full of charming incidents
that one is tempted to continue to unseemly length. Let it suffice to say
that for some years Misson made speeches, robbed ships, and now and again,
when unavoidably driven to it, would reluctantly slaughter his enemies.
Finally, Misson took his followers to a sheltered bay in Madagascar, and
on landing there made a little speech, telling them that here they could
settle down, build a town, that here, in fact, "they might have some Place
to call their own; and a Receptacle, when Age or Wounds had render'd them
incapable of Hardship, where they might enjoy the Fruits of their Labour,
and go to their Graves in Peace."
This ideal colony was called Libertatia, and was run on strictly
Socialistic lines, for no one owned any individual property; all money was
kept in a common treasury, and no hedges bounded any man's particular plot
of land. Docks were made and fortifications set up. Soon Misson had two
ships built, called the _Childhood_ and the _Liberty_, and these were sent
for a voyage round the island, to map and chart the coast, and to train
the released slaves to be efficient sailors. A Session House was built,
and a form of Government arranged. At the first meeting Misson was elected
Lord Conservator, as they called the President, for a term of three years,
and during that period he was to have "all the Ensigns of Royalty to
attend him." Captain Tew, the English pirate, was elected Admiral of the
Fleet of Libertatia, Caraccioli became Secretary of State, while the
Council was formed of the ablest amongst the pirates, without distinction
of nation or colour. The difficulty of language, as French, English,
Portuguese, and Dutch were equally spoken, was overcome by the invention
of a new language, a kind of Esperanto, which was built up of words from
all four. For many years this ideally successful and happy pirate Utopia
flourished; but at length misfortunes came, one on top of the other, and a
sudden and unexpected attack by the hitherto friendly natives finally
drove Misson and a few other survivors to seek safety at sea, but,
overtaken by a hurricane, their vessel foundered, and Misson and all his
crew were drowned; and thus ended the era of what may be called "piracy
without tears."
He was the mildest-manner'd man
That ever scuttled ship or cut a throat.
BYRON.
MITCHELL, CAPTAIN.
An English buccaneer of Jamaica, who flourished in 1663.
MITCHELL, JOHN.
Of Shadwell Parish, London.
One of the crew of the _Ranger_. Condemned to death, but reprieved and
sold to the Royal African Company.
M'KINLIE, PETER. Irish pirate.
Boatswain in a merchant ship which sailed from the Canaries to England in
the year 1765. On board were three passengers, the adventurous Captain
Glass and his wife and daughter. One night M'Kinlie and four other
mutineers murdered the commander of the vessel, Captain Cockeran, and
Captain Glass and his family, as well as all the crew except two
cabin-boys. After throwing their bodies overboard, M'Kinlie steered for
the coast of Ireland, and on December 3rd arrived in the neighbourhood of
the harbour of Ross. Filling the long-boat with dollars, weighing some two
tons, they rowed ashore, after killing the two boys and scuttling the
ship. On landing, the pirates found they had much more booty than they
could carry, so they buried 250 bags of dollars in the sand, and took what
they could with them to a village called Fishertown. Here they regaled
themselves, while one of the villagers relieved them of a bag containing
1,200 dollars. Next day they walked into Ross, and there sold another bag
of dollars, and with the proceeds each man bought a pair of pistols and a
horse and rode to Dublin. In the meanwhile the ship, instead of sinking,
was washed up on the shore. Strong suspicion being roused in the
countryside, messengers were sent post-haste to inform the Lords of the
Regency at Dublin that the supposed pirates were in the city. Three of
them were arrested in the Black Bull Inn in Thomas Street, but M'Kinlie
and another pirate, who had already taken a post-chaise for Cork,
intending to embark there on a vessel for England, were arrested on the
way.
The five pirates were tried in Dublin, condemned and executed, their
bodies being hung in chains, on December 19th, 1765.
MONTBARS, THE EXTERMINATOR.
A native of Languedoc. He joined the buccaneers after reading a book which
recorded the cruelty of the Spaniards to the American natives, and this
story inspired him with such a hatred of all Spaniards that he determined
to go to the West Indies, throw in his lot with the buccaneers, and to
devote his whole life and energies to punishing the Spaniards. He carried
out his resolve most thoroughly, and treated all Spaniards who came into
his power with such cruelty that he became known all up and down the
Spanish Main as the Exterminator. Eventually Montbars became a notorious
and successful buccaneer or pirate chief, having his headquarters at St.
Bartholomew, one of the Virgin Islands, to which he used to bring all his
prisoners and spoils taken out of Spanish ships and towns.
MONTENEGRO.
A Columbian. One of Captain Gilbert's crew in the pirate schooner _Panda_.
Hanged at Boston in 1835.
DE MONT, FRANCIS.