Monk



An editorial Cartoon of John Bull eating American Ships

The Monk, a trader from Salem, was built in 1805 and was a ship with an unlucky history. Even before it was captured by the British during the War of 1812 http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing2/Contents.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812, it was seized in 1809 by federal gunboats during Thomas Jefferson's embargo on British goods http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embargo_Act_of_1807. William Orne, the owner of the boat, was opposed to the embargo, as it affected his trading business http://www.answers.com/topic/opposition-to-the-war-of-1812. It was one of many ships that were part of the East India trade and little other than its unlucky record is recorded. Below is a painting of a similar trader, which shows the structure of this type of ship. A note on why a ship that might be subject to attack would not carry guns. Cannon and shot were very heavy and would also take up space that could be used for more trade goods. Captains were known to throw cannon and shot overboard and attempt to run away from attackers. The capture of the Monk and the fate of iher captain are described here, as well as the blue borrowing card from the book in which it appears.





William Orne's portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart, whose portrait of George Washington hangs in George Washington Hall. The Orne portrait is part of the MFA Boston's collection. Attached is a file which describes a vessel similar to the Monk.



British privateers attcking an American trader.