Autobiography of Charles Biddle, vice-president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. 1745-1821

Front matter

Sifiata, Nr» lurk

BOUGHT WITH THE rNCOME OF THE

SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND

Chapter I

Birth and parentage, 1 — Letter from mother to Mrs. Lux, 2 — Boyish pranks, 3 — Goes to sea, bound to Spain, 6 — Bull fight at Cadiz, 7 — Sickness, 8 — Returns and sails for Fayal, 9, 10 — Shipwreck, 11, 12 — Burial of English merchant, 13 — Ships on board a Snow to return home, 14 — Lieutenant Nesmith takes command of a Snow ; goes as second mate in her, 15 — Sails for Antigua and Honduras, 16 — Apparition ; return to Philadelphia, 19, 20 — Sails with Captain McFunn, an old naval officer, to Jamaica and Honduras, 1765, 20 — Anecdote of McFunn; burning of a black, 21 — Shipwrecked on Northern Triangles, brother Nicholas with them, 23-27 — First mate to Charleston, as captain to West Indies and Honduras, 28, 29 — Adventures with cousin John Scull ; averse to keeping slaves, 32 — Embarks on board the King George for Philadelphia, 1767, 35 — Sails as one-quarter owner and captain to Grenada, 37 — Fights a duel at Chincoteague, 38 — At Lisbon, 1768, nearly shipwrecked, 39 — Arrives 2d of May at Philadelphia, 41 — Sails to Fayal ; a frolic, 41 — Present to him ; called Boy Captain ; arrives in Philadelphia, 43 — Refuses to carry slaves, 43 — Sails in the Ann to Honduras and back ; narrow escape from drowning, 44 — Goes again to Honduras ; trial of McCarty, " eye of the law" • duels ; Benedict Arnold, 46 — Arrives in Philadelphia ; takes command of ship for Port au Prince ; yellow fever, 47 — Sails for Philadelphia, 2d February, 1770, arrived 20th; bet with Hepburn, 49 — Makes another voyage to Port au Prince and returns, 50 — Takes command of " Charming Nancy" in 1772, and sails again for Port au Prince ; French deserters, 53 — Troubles with French officers, 56 — Resolves to leave ofif a bad habit of striking his men, 57 — 28th March, 1773, sails for Philadelphia, 58 — A Frenchman's grief, 59 — Sails again to Port au Prince ; refuses to haul down pennant, 60 — Difficulty with French captain, 61 — His resemblance to Captain T. Allen and consequences, 62 — Sails for Philadelphia ; another voyage to Port au Prince, and sails February, 1774, for Philadelphia, 65 — Saves Duffield's sugar from the Custom House officers, 66 — Discovers the robber of Benijah Liston, 67 — A voyage to Cape Franj ois, 69 — Sails in brig Swift for the Mole, and returns, 69 — In 1775 purchases part of brig Greyhound ; sails to Mariagalante and Dominica, 70 — From thence to Hispaniola ; Captain Stephen Decatur passenger ; returns to Philadelphia, May, 1775, 71,

Vlll CONTENTS.

Chapter II

Difficulties with Great Britain ; disorderly conduct of our people, 72— Shooting at a mark with Captain Graydon ; a child struck, 73 — Edward Biddle, his brother, 74— Sails with Captain John Craig for L'Orient to buy powder and arms, 75 — A man overboard; arrives at L'Orient, 76-^Goes to Nantes, 77 — Returns by land to L'Orient, 78— Sails for Philadelphia, 79— Stops at St. Eustatia ; meets Captain James Craig, brother of John, 80 — Detained by sickness sails in another vessel for Philadelphia ; dangerous voyage, 80 — ■ Arrives at Philadelphia 9th January, 1776 ; joins Captain Cowperthwaite's company of Quaker light infantry, 83— English ship of war Roebuck in Delaware Bay and River ; ship sent down to attack her ; volunteers as seaman, 83 — Reading of the Declaration of Independence ; Thomas Paine's Common Sense, 86 — Goes to Elizabethtown in the company, 87 — General Mercer, 89 — Judge Allen, 90 — Sailed for Port au Prince in brig Greyhound ; taken by the English frigate Antelope, and carried to Jamaica, 90 — Violence of the Admiral ; is ordered to be put in irons, 92-3 — Base conduct of Midshipman Crathorne, a Philadelphian, 93 — Escapes and is recaptured, 95 — Again escapes ; goes to Nicola Mole, 96 — Starts for any port on the coast in schooner Three Sisters ; goes into Beaufort, North Carolina, 98 — Meets for first time Miss Hannah Shepard; journeys to, Reading, 99 — Goes to Charleston, South Carolina, to see his brother Nicholas ; then to Beaufort, and starts home, 99 — Stops at Baltimore ; British fleet in the Bay ; then goes to Philadelphia, 100 — Battle of Braudywine ; goes to Trenton in his brig, canying refugees from the city, 101 — Mr. Riche and Mr. Kirkbride, 102 — Goes to Reading; starts for Charleston with CoUinsou Read ; anecdotes of the journey, 103 — -Meets his brother Nicholas ; takes a short cruise with him, 104 — Fire in Charleston, 105 — Goes to Newbern to fit out a vessel, 106 — Loss of frigate Randolph ; challenges Captain Morgan, 106— Notice of Nicholas Biddle, 109— A French adventurer. 111 — Sails in armed brig from Newbern, 23d September, 1778, 113 — Arrives at St. Eustatia, 114— Returns to Beaufort ; meets Miss Shepard, 116— Marries Miss Shepard November 35th, 1778, 117— Meets Mr. William Hodge ; his imprisonment in the Bastile, 117— Passes the winter at Newbern, 119— A prize case, 119— Sails from Beaufort 1st August, 1779, for St. Thomas 123— Proposed attack on Tortola, 134— Return to Beaufort, 135 — Narrow escape from drowning, 136— Death of brother Edward and character, 137— 6th October, birth of son called Nicholas, 1779, 127— Anecdote of Judge Peters, 128— Disturbance of Captain Gibbons, 138— Chosen captain of militia company, 128— Disturbances at Beaufort, 131— Drives Gibbons from the place, 134 — Elected to the Assembly from Carteret County, and goes to Newbern 134— Goes after an English privateer, 135— Returns to Newbern, 138— Sends out Joseph Biddle, son of his brother James, in command of a schooner 138

CONTKNTS. IX

— ^Never heard of, 139 — William, son of his brother James, comes to Beaufort, 140 — Sends William to sea ; never heard of. 111 — Debates in North Carolina Legislature, 142 — Major John Stewart, anecdotes of, 143 — Opinion of the Indians ; comfort administered to his brother Edward by an Indian chief, 144 — Starts by land, with his wife, for Philadelphia 1st June, 1780, 145 — GoTernor Nash's certificate, 146 — Meets Baron DeKalb, 147 — ArrlTCS at Reading, 149.

Chapter III

General Richard Butler, 150 — Anecdotes of Captain Bowen , 151 — February, 1781, son born at Reading ; sails for St. Thomas in brig Active, 152 — Dr. Standley and the Hessian wounded, 153 — Fever on board, 155 — Taken by tjie Chatham, Captain Douglas, 157 — Opinion of British officers, 158— Ship on fire, 159— Lands at New York, 1782, 161 — Samuel Shoemaker, 161 — Jersey prison-ship, 162 — Goes on parole to Flatbush, 164 — Is exchanged and arrives at Reading ; Captain Furman, 166 — Roderick Random gave him first inclination for the sea, 168 — Prepares to take command of Friendship, large armed vessel, from Baltimore for San Domingo and Mediterranean, 169— Captain Wilson, 171 — Count de Benyowsky passenger, 172 — Suicide of Captain Craig, 172— Sails from Baltimore 15th July, 1782, with one hundred and thirty men, in company with French frigate Sybil, 173 — Quarrel with Benyowsky; arrives at Cape Franfois, 175 — Sells his vessel, 176 — Count Benyowsky ; purchases a, brig called the St. Patrick, 177 — Captain Whitehead's case before a judge, 181 — Sails from the Cape, September, 1782, 183 — Two French women passengers ; their ill manners, 184 — Arrives at Baltimore, 184 — Arrives at Reading with Mrs. Lux ; February, 1783, Mrs, Biddle has a son called James after his brother ; Yankee story ; goes to New York, 185 — His brother John, 186 — Sails as passenger to Port au Prince, June, 1783, 186 — Goes to Cape Francois by land, 187 — Sails from Cape Franjois AugUlst, 1783 ; arrives at Wilmington, and goes thence to Reading, 188 — Mr. James Collins marries Lydia Biddle, daughter of his brother James, 189 — Collins & Truxtun become bankrupt ; honorable conduct of Commodore Truxtun, 189 — Captain Thomas Allen lost at sea, 190 — Elected a member of the Supreme Executive Council from Berks County, 191 — Trial and execution of Welsh for robbery, 192 — Elected Chief Burgess of Reading, 194 — Leaves Reading for Philadelphia 20th October, 1784 ; John Dickinson President and General James Irvine Vice-President of Council, 194 — Election of Captain Graydon Prothonotary for Dauphin County ; Constitutionalists and Republicans, 195 — October, 1785, chosen Vice-President by Council, 197 — Arrival of Dr. Franklin from France ; he is chosen President, and Charles Biddle Vice-President ; their election confirmed by the Legislature, 198 — Execution of Elizabeth Wilson for child murder, though innocent, 199 — Republicans and Constitutionalists, 202 —

X CONTENTS.

Irish brogne, 203— Duel of Dean and Dr. Linn, 305 — Execution of an Indian and of John McDonald, 306 — Disputes between Pennsylvania and Connecticut settlers in Luzerne County, 207 — General Armstrong, 308 — Execution of two men for murder in Franklin County ; pardon to Mr. Mathias Aspden in 1786, and of Phineas Bond, 209— Ke-elected Vice-President October, 1786, 312— Tench Coxe, 312 — Breaks his knee-pan, 213— Executive Council meets at his Bouse, 216 — Captain William Craig, 216 — Disturbance in Legislature about Federal Constitution, 217 — McCalmont and Miley forced to attend, 218 — Removal of seat of government to Lancaster ; reasons for, 219.