This method, if Congress should think it expedient to fall into the way of sending fleets of merchantmen under convoy, would easily succeed.
The fort had not been taken, but five merchantmen were captured and towed out of the harbour, in spite of the hot fire through which they had to pass.
The seamen grumbled not a little at having to give up their booty: they could not understand why the merchantmen should have been cut out, and they not allowed to keep what they had picked up on shore.
But now our men-of-war were compelled to look silently on and see American merchantmen seized, while two nations, instead of one, claimed the right to plunder us.
Here and in the Irish channel, this daring commander pounced upon British merchantmen while almost entering their own ports.
The navy was to be shut up in port, leaving our seven thousand merchantmen to slip through the hands of British cruisers, and reach home as they best could.
It was a barren cruise, only seven merchantmen being taken during the whole seventy days the squadron was absent.
Not content with committing these outrages on the high seas, English vessels boarded our merchantmen and impressed our seamen in our own waters.
Worst of all, our cruisers had seized some Russian merchantmen coming out of French ports, and despite protests from St. Petersburg the legality of that seizure was maintained.
Four ships of war were also kept at St. Helena, and no merchantmen but those of the East India Company were to touch there except under stress of weather or when in need of water.
Another Order in Council (November 25th) allowed neutral ships a few more facilities for colonial trade, and Prussian merchantmen were set free (ibid.
The crews of British merchantmen on the coast were attacked, and some wrecked mariners were massacred.
As soon as the British fleet had passed the Sound, the Danes fitted out a number of small armed vessels, which made successful depredations on the English merchantmen in the Baltic.
In the mean time the British suffered a reverse, for de Guichen having formed a junction with the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, captured eighteen sail of British merchantmen and transports, bound to Canada and Newfoundland.
Dickson had a new grievance to store away in his rich remembrance, because he had been overlooked in the choice of prize masters to bring the two merchantmen into port.
A sharp fight ensued, during which many merchantmen succeeded in making good their escape, others were burnt or sunk.
Forty years ago, these merchantmen were nearly the largest in the world; and they still exceed the generality.
On the 23d of September he discovered the Baltic squadron of merchantmen in the convoy of the frigate "Serapis", and the "Countess of Scarborough.
Not twenty Egyptian ships in the year,” says a contemporary of Augustus, “ventured forth under the Ptolemies from the Arabian gulf; now 120 merchantmen annually sail to India from the port of Myos Hormos alone.
Such has been the fate of many unfortunate merchantmenin West Indian waters, with hardly a fragment left afloat to tell the tale.
Soon temporary sheds were erected, and such portions of the cargoes on board the merchantmen as would be likely to find a sale, were landed.
But, after all, their utmost was but little; the merchantmen being altogether too lightly manned to be able to do really effective work in the face of such a gale as was then blowing.
If President Wilson, knowing these provisions of international law, proceeds to arm American merchantmen he must assume responsibility for the eventuality that American seamen will meet the fate of Captain Fryatt.
These merchantmen got all of the men afloat in the water--or a vast majority of them--and took them to the naval station at Hoboken.
While there were many fine gunners in the naval force, there were not a sufficient number of them to enable the quick arming of merchantmen without handicapping the war-ships.
At length came the sinking of American merchantmen and the final decision by our government to place armed guards on all merchant vessels carrying our flag.
To proceed up the Parana to Santa Fe de Baxadar, and to convoy down a fleet of merchantmen which Rosas has shut up there," answered Adair.
Previous to this, numerous merchantmen had been for some time collecting at the mouth of the river, awaiting the convoy of the men-of-war up the Parana.
We are going to join them, as the Buenos Ayrians have treated some of our merchantmen in the same way, and Rosas dares us to do our worst, and declares that up the river we shall not go.
All this time the fleet of merchantmen had been gradually approaching.
All the British subjects you lately captured on board two merchantmen in the harbour of Sapote, two of them being officers of the Queen of England's navy, with other passengers, the rest being officers and crews of the two vessels.
It must, however, be stated that foreign merchantmen cannot be excluded from the passage through territorial straits only when these connect two parts of the Open Sea.
There is in especial no right of any State to require a salute from foreign merchantmen for its men-of-war.
Sidenote: Powers of Men-of-war over Merchantmen of all Nations.
And navigation, cabotage excepted, must be open to merchantmen of all nations, but foreign men-of-war need not be admitted.
Footnote 506: That men-of-war can on the Open Sea ask suspicious foreign merchantmen to show their flags has nothing to do with ceremonials, but with the supervision of the Open Sea in the interest of its safety.
It is a universally recognised rule[953] of International Law that every littoral State can exclude foreign merchantmen from the cabotage within its maritime belt.
After the destruction of two small Japanese merchantmen on the 11th of February nothing more was heard of Captain Reitzenstein's cruisers for more than two months.
But setting their teeth dauntlessly, intent only on gaining the fateful goal, the picked crews of the merchantmenpressed forward upon their desperate errand.
The Fortescues (a numberless clan) offered to furnish a ship; the Chichesters another, the Stukelys a third; while the merchantmen were not backward.
Yachts and merchantmen cannot be fairly compared in the matter of their sails.
The result was that trade was carried on in naval vessels, some of which had originally been built as merchantmen and others as men-of-war.
This will prevent any uneasiness among your navymen and ours, if the seamen of merchantmen are exchanged before them.
He felt, no doubt, that Parliament would have difficulty in enforcing this act, and he looked to the Dutch merchantmen to take off the tobacco.
In 1666, when a Dutch fleet sailed into the James and captured a number of English vessels, the Governor wished to sally out in person with a few merchantmen to punish their temerity.
The merchantmen of Amsterdam and Flushing found their way even to Maryland and Virginia, where their low freight rates and the liberal prices they gave for tobacco, assured them a hearty welcome.
One at least of the reconstructed forts proved of service in the hour of need, for it was under the guns of Nansemond that many of the merchantmen ran in July 1673, from the pursuing Dutch men-of-war.
The government could not spare war vessels enough to close the Virginia capes, and foreign merchantmen continued to sail unmolested into the James and the York, bringing goods to the planters and taking off their tobacco.
The bold Dutch mariners, angered at the injury done them by the Navigation Acts, preyed upon the English merchantmenin every sea.
Some of the merchantmen took refuge at Fort Nansemond, where the enemy dared not attack them, others retreated up the river towards Jamestown.
While some of the Dutchmen were securing the Elizabeth, the others turned upon the helpless merchantmen and succeeded in capturing the entire fleet.
She was undergoing repairs, however, having become "soe disabled in her Maste and Leaky in her Hull as that she could not keep at sea", and for the moment afforded little proctection to the merchantmen riding below.
In the upper James were three merchantmen and in the York nine.
Be assured, by their being armed, they have something on board them worth defending; for I take them to be merchantmen with letters of marque, and homeward bound.
The idea was simply that, as generosity was the chief object of Japan, she did not wish to search and make actual inspection in order to verify the character of escorted merchantmen and goods, trusting to the honor of neutral officers.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "merchantmen" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
