George Glas (1725-65)
was a Scottish seaman and adventurer who commanded a ship which
traded between north-west Africa and Brazil. In 1763 he discovered
a river, possibly at Gueder, which went some way inland. Glass
made an arrangement with the Board of Trade to secure a grant
of £15,000 providing he could obtain for the British crown
the land he proposed to develop. Consequently, he signed a Treaty
with the Moors and named his settlement, Port Hillsborough.
In November 1764 during a visit to Lanzarote to purchase a barque
for river work he and his party were set upon by the Spaniards
and imprisoned at Santa Cruz. During his imprisonment the settlement
was attacked by natives and the survivors, which included his
wife and small daughter, were forced to flee to Tenerife. After
the British government interceded Glas was released from prison
and, with his wife and daughter, set sail for England on the
barque Earl of Sandwich. However, tragedy was the befall the
Glas family. It was rumoured that the ship was carrying bullion
and during the voyage the Spanish and Portuguese crew mutinied
slaughtering the captain and crew. Glas was stabbed to death
and his wife and daughter thrown overboard before the ship was
recaptured. When the ship arrived in Dublin the mutineers were
hanged.
Nathaniel Dance (1748
- 1827) was born in 1748, joined the East India Company
in 1759 at the age of 11 and was promoted to his first command
in 1787. In 1804, Dance was homeward bound from Canton as senior
master and, therefore, commodore of an unescorted convoy of
sixteen East Indiamen and twelve independent country vessels.
On 14th February, as the convoy approached the southern entrance
to the Malacca Strait it was intercepted by a squadron of French
warships commanded by Rear Admiral Linois. Although the ships
of the convoy was armed to a certain extent they were no match
for the French squadron which comprised a ship of the line,
three heavy frigates and an armed brig. The convoy was in great
danger and had Linois been determined to attack he could have
made an easy capture. However, Dance displayed more tactical
cunning and by manoeuvering his vessels deceived Linois into
thinking that the convoy was being escorted by three ships of
the line. The French made a half hearted attack which amounted
to nothing before withdrawing and fleeing. The merchantmen chased
him for two hours before resuming their course for the Malacca
Strait. The convoy eventually arrived safely back in England
where Nathaniel Dance was knighted and presented with a sword
of honour. He also received a service of plate and a sum of
money usually given to merchant officers who had save their
ships.
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