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Updated: June 24, 2025
Last week Monsieur Thurot oh! now you are au fait! Monsieur Thurot, as I was saying, landed last week in the isle of Islay, the capital province belonging to a great Scotch King, who is so good as generally to pass the winter with his friends here in London.
In the year 1759, an imposing expedition was fitted out at Brest under Admiral Conflaus, and another at Dunkirk, under Commodore Thurot, whose real name was O'Farrell. The former, soon after putting to sea, was encountered at Quiberon by the English under Hawke, and completely defeated; but the latter entered the British channel unopposed, and proceeded to the appointed rendezvous.
"If so, the Frenchman will have to fight for it, for Captain Olding is not likely to let him go without questioning him," said Mr Ferris. "But where do you think, my friend, we shall be in that case?" asked Captain O'Brien. "Thurot will scarcely send us on shore first in one of his boats, and I see no signs of our own." "Could we not get him to make a signal for a boat from the shore?
The intention of Thurot was to make a descent about Derry; but before this design could be executed, the weather growing tempestuous, and the wind blowing off shore, they were driven out to sea, and in the night lost sight of the Marante, which never joined them in the sequel.
"I took the name of Thurot from my mother; my grandfather's name was O'Farrel and proud I am of a name which has never been disgraced. But I must not interrupt you, gentlemen. Go on with your writing; I will by-and-by, if you wish it, entertain you with my history. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
Being far to leeward, there appeared but little chance, unless the breeze should freshen, of the two ships meeting. "I only hope they may," said the captain, as he tugged away at the oars. "Thurot is a fine fellow, no doubt about that; but he deserves to be punished for his impudence, and if the Champion gets alongside him, he'll find that he's caught a Tartar.
Thurot received orders to sail from Dunkirk with the first opportunity, and shape his course round the northern parts of Scotland, that he might alarm the coast of Ireland, and make a diversion from that part where Conflans intended to effectuate the disembarkation of his forces.
The weather no sooner permitted Thurot to pursue his destination, than he sailed from Islay to the bay of Carrickfergus, in Ireland, and made all the necessary preparations for a descent; which was accordingly effected with six hundred men, on the twenty-first day of February.
"Now, gentlemen," said Captain Thurot, "you shall, if it is your desire, hear my history; it will serve to occupy some of the time till the return of the boat." "By all means, captain; we shall be glad to have an account of the life of one whom none of us are likely to forget in a hurry," said Mr Ferris. Others also expressed the same wish. The captain laughed.
After having been tempest-beaten for some time, and exposed to a very scanty allowance of provisions, the officers requested of Thurot that he would return to France, lest they should all perish by famine; but he lent a deaf ear to this proposal, and frankly told them he could not return to France, without having struck some stroke for the service of his country.
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