USA > North Carolina > Historical sketches of North Carolina : from 1584 to 1851, Vol. I > Part 52
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During the same period he was a prominent member and distinguished speaker in the Conventions which sat at Hillsborough and Halifax. At the Convention which sat at the former place, in April, 1776, he reported an address to the inhabitants of the British Empire. This was, without doubt, the exclusive production of his pen, and it was, at the time, uni- versally admired. Many other public documents emanated from the same source.
On the most trying occasions, the loftiness and elasticity of his spirit were" strikingly manifest. Events which cast a gloom over the minds of others, had no effect in damping his ardor, or in depressing his hopes. The disas- trous result of the battle, of Germantown, which spread dismay among the Whigs, seemed to give fresh courage to his zeal. When the report of the battle reached Wilmington, he was among a party of patriotic friends, who were overwhelmed with consternation. He instantly started from his chair, with unusual animation, and exclaimed, " We have been disappointed ! No matter !. Now we have become the assailants, there can be no doubt of the issue."
Johnston sometimes endeavored to restrain in him what he considered an excess of zeal. "I have," said that great patriot and statesman, "I have resolved to stake my life and my fortune in the contest for liberty, but I am not without painful apprehensions of the result. I am indeed afraid that when independence shall have been achieved, talents and virtue may be thrown into the shade, and the mob may govern." In relating this anecdote to me, in May, 1802, Judge Johnston thought that his prediction was rapidly fulfilling.
In the early part of the Revolutionary war, Mr. Hooper's name was ex- tremely obnoxious to the British officers. The captain of a sloop-of-war stationed in the River Cape Fear, meanly descended to fire a house which he had built about three miles below Wilmington.
On his return to private life, his family resided at his seat at Masonbo- rough Sound, about eight miles from Wilmington. There he continued taking part as occasion required, in public measures, until January, 1781. At this time a force under Major Craig, arrived in Cape Fear River. Mr. Hooper found it necessary to remove his family : "and having no place to re- sort to less dangerous, he removed them to Wilmington, preferring to trust them to the humanity of an open enemy, rather than suffer them to remain exposed in a predatory warfare .* He sought for safety for himself by flight
* He had made arrangements for taking refuge in one of the French West India is- lands in the event of the success of the British arms. Mrs. Hooper understood him that an arrangement of this kind was projected by all the members of Congress, and that it was understood by the French minister. An exile such as this would have been less irksome to him than to many of his compatriots. His father, who was intimately ac- quainted with French, gave him a critical knowledge of that language, and it is probable that he would soon have acquired fluency in speaking it.
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into the country. His family remained at Wilmington without any outrage until October, 1781, when they with others were ordered at a short notice to leave the town. Mr. Hooper and his family returned to it immediately after its evacuation by the enemy in November of the same year ; and shortly after- wards removed to Hillsborough, in Orange County .. After this and, until about 1787, he continued to hold a distinguished rank in the councils of his country, and to maintain a very high station at the bar. Speaking of him, the late Judge Iredell observed that his latest exertions were equal to the most splendid of his meridian days. :
Meeting with opposition in his elections Mr. Hooper became soured,* and seemed inclined to retire. He gradually relaxed his exertions, and at length withdrew wholly from public' life. His withdrawal excited much specula- tion. Some ascribed it to a solicitude for the interests of his family, which had suffered much by his devotion to the public weal ; and others attributed it to disgust occasioned by some legislative measures of the State. It is pro- bable, however, from circumstances, that a union of both causes influenced him. The few years which he lived after his retirement, were spent in do- mestic enjoyment, for which, indeed, he was better fitted by his temper and sensibilities, than for public life. . He died October, 1790, in the forty-ninth year of his age, at Hillsborough, leaving a widow, two sons and a daughter, all of whom, except Mrs. Elizabeth Watters, of Hillsborough, are deceased. There survive also of his descendants three grandsons, children of his eldest son William, to wit: William, distinguished as a literary writer, was Pro- fessor of Languages of the University, a Baptist minister, and resides in Raleigh ; Thomas, a lawyer, and James, a merchant.
In person he was of the middle size, elegantly formed, delicate rather than robust. His countenance was pleasing and indicated intelligence. His manners were polite and engaging. With his intimates and friends, his conversation was frank and animated, enlivened by a vein of pleasing humor, and abounding with images of playful irony. It was sometimes tinctured with the severity of sarcasm, and sometimes marked by compre- hensive brevity of expression .; His father, himself a model of colloquial excellence, had cultivated this talent in his son with great assiduity.
From the same preceptor he learned the art, rarely attained, of reading with elegance. In this respect the grace and propriety which marked his manner, communicated, it is said, a pleasure even when he read cases" from the law reporters, or the ordinary documents of a suit in court. In mixed society he was apt to be reserved. Sincerity was a striking feature in his, character. He never practiced disguise. Hospitality he carried to excess.
In his domestic relations he was affectionate and indulgent. Failings he
* He was probably soured by finding himself in collision with some of his compatriots and best friends. Maclaine, who was one of these, became irritated by the difference of. opinion between them. After the ratification of the treaty of peace, Maclaine was anxious to shield the disaffected from persecution, and in the pursuit of this object he exercised no address. Mr. Hooper, who no doubt coincided with him so far as respected the justice and humanity of this course, thought that great prudence and circumspection ought to be observed; and this prudence and circumspection was the more necessary on his part, from the circumstance of all his connections having espoused the royal cause, Aware that his station was such that he ought to be above suspicion, he suppressed, on this occasion, the best and warmest feelings of his heart. In a letter to a friend, dated 18th February, 1785, Maclaine adverts to Mr Hooper's conduct in this respect, and in the asperity of his temper puts a construction on it which in his cooler moments he would have retracted. In this letter he speaks, in the style of complaint, of the superiority which Mr. Hooper's education gave him, of the deference paid to him by Iredell, and of the homage he received from Johnston, and adds, "I never pay him any compliments, but, on the contrary, have opposed him." -
t On his return from the Assembly, which met for the purpose of carrying into effect the State Constitution, many inquiries were made by the crowds which collected around him, relative to the powers confided to the several departments of the government. Mr. Hooper having satisfied curiosity as to other particulars, one of the crowd asked, "And what powers, sir, have the Assembly given to the governor ?" " Power, sir," re- plied Mr. Hooper, " to sign a receipt for his salary."
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certainly had ; but they were not such as affected the morality of his private, or the integrity of his public conduct.
As a writer we cannot fairly graduate his pretensions. The letters of Hampden, which would have furnished the best criterion for this purpose, have perished with the prints which contained them:
As a letter writer he was, I think, deficient in ease and simplicity ; but his " epistolary compositions must have been unequaled. . Major Craig in- tercepted one of these, which impressed him with such an exalted opinion of the writer, that afterwards, when Mr. Hooper, accompanied by Maclaine, visited Wilmington under the protection of a flag of truce, Craig scarcely noticed the latter, while to Mr. Hooper he paid the most marked and respect- ful attention.
On all important occasions he was called upon by the inhabitants of Wil- `mington and its vicinity to exercise his pen. A very flattering testimony to his talents, considering the number of eminent men who then resided in the same part of the country, some of whom had cultivated the art of composition with great success. Among these were Maclaine, Eustace, Lloyd, Penning- ton, and Moore.
In classical learning and in literary taste he had few superiors ; yet he was never ostentatious in the display of these qualifications. He possessed a talent for elegant versification, which he exercised in his moments of re- creation .: His ode on the birthday of Washington, which circulated only among a few friends, was pronounced, by a competent judge, superior to any which had been published .* I have never been able to procure the manuscript.
Among his friends were some of opposite political principles, but it pro- duced no change of regard towards them, nor did he in any instance depart from an inherent benevolence, by becoming the persecutor of any one on ac- count of his principles or prejudices.
In his private concerns his probity and honor were unimpeached. His es- tate was moderate, and he was not avaricious.
His religion was that of a sincere Christian, free from bigotry to any sect or denomination.
He appears to have been free from envy. In a letter to Maclaine he de- scribes the death of Judge Henderson in a strain of enthusiastic admiration of the talents of that extraordinary man.
After John Haywood, now Judge Haywood, appeared at the bar, and be- fore his faculties were developed, or perhaps even known to himself, he had to contend with men of great intellectual powers and profound legal science. Mr. Hooper sustained him in the unequal contest. This patronage of rising merit, if it arose from generous feeling, is worthy of mention ; and it is not less worthy to be noted if it arose from a sentiment of friendship, for that revered personaget who has rendered the name of Haywood dear to the people of North Carolina, whose boundless benevolence pointed him out as the Atticus of his native State, until more recent events presented him in the sterner aspect of Aristides the Just.
His penetration into character was obvious in the choice of his friends. He always selected them from the most worthy ; and he experienced in every instance, that warm reciprocal attachment which was due to the ardor and constancy of his friendship. .
The champion of that illustrious band, which in North Carolina first op- posed the encroachments of arbitrary power, no man ever entered into the public service on more correct principles, or with purer or more disinterested motives. When he engaged in revolutionary measures, he was fully aware of the dangers to which he exposed his person and estate ; yet in spite of untoward events, his enthusiasm never abated, his firmness never forsook him. In times the most disastrous he never desponded, but sustained his situation with increased intrepidity.}
* In 1789.
t John Haywood, Treasurer of the State.
# These papers were written in 1822. Many of the persons mentioned as then living have since died.
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ARCHIBALD McLAINE was a prominent member of the Committee of Safety, for Wilmington, in whom great confidence was reposed, and the author of several of the most important State papers. He was a man of learning, talent, and eloquence. He was a member of the Congress at Hillsboro', August 1775.
He was a member of the Committee of Safety, for Wilmington District, in'1776. In the Convention at. Hillsboro', which met June 1778, to delibe- rate upon the Federal Constitution. He had no superior, except perhaps Davie, Johnston, and Iredell. 1
From 1783 to 1786, he represented the town of Wilmington, in the House of Commons.
He left one daughter, who married George Hooper of Wilmington. Of his birth, family, and death, we have no further information.
. TIMOTHY BLOODWORTH is distinguished in the civil history of this County. Of his birth, education, life, or death, we know nothing but what we gather from the records. He represented this County in the House of Commons, in 1779, and North Carolina in the Continental Congress, in 1786, 1787 ; was Senator in the State Legislature in 1788, and in Congress under present Con- stitution, 1790, and 1791. Senator in Congress 1795 to 1801.
EDWARD JONES, who represented the town of Wilmington in 1788 to 1791, was a native of Lilburn, Ireland. He was brother to the celebrated William Todd Jones, the Irish patriot. He was bred a merchant, and early emigrated to the United States, and carried on trade in Philadelphia. In 1786, he came to Wilmington, and commenced merchandise,; but failed. He then turned his attention to the study of the law, and soon rose to distinction. His benevo- lent.temper, generous sentiments, and commanding talents, won for him the esteem of all. In 1788, he was elected a member of the House of Commons, and in which capacity. he served continuously until 1791, when he was elected Solicitor-General of the State. He died in Pittsboro', on the 8th of August, 1842. He was the friend and patron of
JOHNSON BLAKELY, late Captain in the United States Navy.
In the year of 1783, the father of Blakely, with his wife and two young . children, sailed from Ireland, and landed at Charleston. One of these chil- dren was Johnson Blakely, who was born at Leaford, in the county of Down, in Ireland, in October 1781. The next year after his arrival, his father moved to Wilmington, where in a short time he died. With that instinctive gene- rosity peculiar to the Irish character, Col. Jones took charge of the youth, and directed his education. By him he was sent to the University.
On the 5th of February, 1800, he was appointed a Midshipman in the United States Navy, and went with Commodore Preble to the Mediterranean, and by his courage, exemplary conduct, and assiduity, won the esteem of his officers and . associates. He soon was promoted. Early in 1814; he sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in command of the U. S. ship of war the Wasp; in June of that year he appeared off the English coast ; he fell in with his Majesty's sloop-of-war, the Reindeer, of eighteen guns, commanded by Captain Manners. A sharp action ensued, in which the Reindeer surrendered, her Captain being killed, and also her First Lieutenant, and many of the crew. The skill with which Captain Blakely worked his ship, the gallantry of his conduct, and his brilliant success, proves his value as a sailor. The following is the official dispatch :--
Copy of a letter from Captain Blakely, to the Secretary of the Navy, dated
U. S. SLOOP WASP, L'ORIENT, July 8, 1814.
SIR-On Tuesday the 28th ult., being then in latitude forty-eight degrees and thirty-six minutes N., and longitude eleven degrees and fifteen minutes
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W., we fell in with, engaged, and after an action of nineteen minutes, cap- tured his Britannic Majesty's. Sloop-of-War, the Reindeer, William Manners, Esq., Commander. Annexed are the minutes of our proceedings prior to, and during the continuance of the action. Where all did their duty, and each appeared anxious to excel, it is very difficult to discriminate.
It is, however, only rendering them their merited due, when it is declared of Lieutenants Reilly and Bury, first and third of this vessel, and whose names will be among those of the conquerors of the Guerriere and Java; and of Mr. Tillinghast, Second Lieutenant, who was greatly instrumental in the capture of the Boxer, that their conduct and courage on this occasion fulfilled the highest expectations, and gratified every wish. Sailing Master Carr, is also entitled to great credit for the zeal and ability with which he discharged his various duties. The cool and patient conduct of every officer and man, while exposed to the fire of the shifting guns of the enemy, and without an opportunity of returning it; could only be equalled by the animation, and ardor exhibited, when actually engaged, or by the promptitude and firmness with which every attempt of the enemy to board was met and successfully repelled. Such conduct may be seen, but cannot well be described.
- The Reindeer mounted sixteen twenty-four pound carronades; two long six or nine pounders, and a shifting twelve pound carronade, with a comple- ment on board of one hundred and eighteen men. Her crew were said to be the pride of Plymouth. Our loss in men has been severe, owing in part to the proximity of the two vessels, and the extreme smoothness of sea; but chiefly in' repelling boarders. That of the enemy, however, was infinitely more so, as will be seen by the list of killed and wounded on both sides. Six round shot struck our hull, and many grape which did not penetrate far. The foremast received a twenty-four pound shot, which passed through its centre, and our rigging and sails were a good deal injured. The Reindeer was literally cut to pieces in a line with her ports ; her upper works, boats, and spare spars were one complete wreck. A breeze springing up next afternoon, her foremast went by the board. Having received all the prisoners on board, which, from the number of wounded, occupied much time, together with their baggage, the Reindeer was on the evening of the 29th, set on fire, and in a few hours blew up.
I have the honor to be, &c.
Hon.' WILLIAM JONES, &c.
J. BLAKELY.
The prize was burnt for fear of recapture, and Captain Blakely repaired to L'Orient, in France, to recruit his men and refit his ship.
He sailed in August on another cruise, and in a few days fell in with his Britannic Majesty's ship the Avon, commanded by Captain Arbuthnot. Af- ter a severe action she struck to Blakely. He was prevented from taking possession of the prize by the appearance of several heavy English men-of- war. From the 1st to the 15th of August Blakely met and took fifteen ships of the English. In one of these, the brig Atlanta, he placed Midshipman Geizenger as prize master, with dispatches to the United States, who arrived safe at Savannah on the 4th of November, 1814.
This is the last authentic intelligence that was ever received from the gal- lant Blakely. From some heavy firing off the Charleston bar about the time he was to have come home, a naval battle occurred at night, and an American ship was sunk. This may have been the brave Blakely and his devoted crew, or he may have foundered at sea. Thus perished, at the early age of 33, this meritorious officer. His brilliant success, his chivalrie daring and generous character, and mournful fate, have thrown a halo of interest around his name.
Captain Blakely was married (Dec., 1813) to Jane, daughter of his father's old friend, Mr. Hooper, of New York, and left one daughter, Udney. On the 27th December, 1816, the Legislature of North Carolina resolved, unani- mously, that the child should be educated at the expense of the State. This
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act was worthy of the State. She was married a few years after to a gentle- man who resided in the West Indies, and there died.
The last official paper received from Captain Blakely :-
Copy of a letter from Captain Blakely to the Secretary of the Navy, dated United 1 States Sloop-of- War Wasp, at Sea, latitude 46 degrees north, longitude 16 degrees west, 11th September, 1814.
SIR-After a protracted and tedious stay at L'Orient, had at last the plea- sure of leaving that place on Saturday, 27th of August. On the 30th, cap- tured the British brig Lettice, Henry Cockbain, master; and on the 31st of August the British brig Bon Accord, Adam Durno, master. In the morning of the 1st of September discovered' a convoy of ten sail to leeward, in charge of the Armada, 74, and a bomb ship; stood for them, and succeeded in cut- ting out the British brig Mary, John D. Allan, master, laden with brass can- non, taken from the Spaniards, iron cannon, and military stores, from Gibral- tar to England ; removed the prisoners, set her on fire, and endeavored to capture another of the convoy, but was chased off by the Armada. On the evening of the same day, at half-past six, while going free, discovered four vessels nearly at the same time, two on the starboard and two on the larboard bow, being the farthest to windward. At seven, the chase, a brig, com- menced making signals with flags, which could not be distinguished for want of light, and soon after made various ones, with lanterns, rockets, and guns. At twenty-nine minutes after nine, having the chase under our lee bow, the twelve-pound carronade was directed to be fired into him, which he returned ; ran under his lee how to prevent his escaping, and commenced the action. At ten o'clock, believing the enemy to be silenced, orders were given to cease firing, when I hailed, and asked if he had surrendered. No answer being given to this, and his fire having recommenced, it was again returned. At twelve minutes after ten, the enemy having suffered greatly, and having made no return to our two last broadsides, I hailed him the second time to know if he had surrendered, when he answered in the affirmative. The guns were then ordered to be secured, and the boat lowered, to take posses- sion. In the act of lowering the boat, a second brig was discovered a little distance astern, and standing for us. Sent the crew to their quarters, pre- pared everything for another action, and awaited his coming up. At thirty- six minutes after ten, discovered two more sails astern, standing towards us. I now felt myself. compelled to forego the satisfaction of destroying the prize. Our braces having been cut away, we kept off the wind until others could be rove, and with the expectation of drawing the second brig from his com- panions ; but in this last we were disappointed. The second brig continued to approach us until she came close to our stern, when she hauled by the wind, fired her broadside, which cut our rigging and sails considerably, and shot away a lower main cross-tree, and retraced her steps to join her con- sorts, when we were necessitated to abandon the prize. He appeared in every respect a total wreck. He continued for some time firing guns of dis- tress, until probably delivered by the two last vessels who made their appear- ance. The second brig could have engaged us if he thought proper, as he neared us fast, but contented himself with firing a broadside, and immediately returned to his companions.
It is with great satisfaction I have again the pleasure of bearing testimony to the merits of Lieutenants Reilly, Tillinghast, Maury, and Sailing-master Carr, and to the good conduct of every officer and man on board of the Wasp. Their divisions and departments were attended and supplied with the utmost regularity and abundance, which, with the good order maintained, together with the vivacity and precision of their fire, reflects on them the greatest credit. Our loss is two killed, and one slightly wounded with a wad. The hull received four round shot, and the foremast many grape shot. Our rigging and sails suffered a great deal. Every damage has been repaired the day after, with the exception of our sails. Of the vessel with which we were engaged, nothing positive can be said with regard to her name or force.
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While hailing him previous to his being fired into, it was blowing fresh (then going ten knots), and the name was not distinctly understood .* Of her force, the four shot which struck us, are all thirty-two pounds in weight, being a pound and three-quarters heavier than any belonging to this vessel. From this circumstance, the number of men in her tops, her general appearance, and great length, she is believed to be one of the largest ships in the British navy. I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
Your most obedient servant,
J. BLAKELY.
Hon. W. JONES, &c.
P. S .- I am told the enemy, after his surrender, asked for assistance, and said he was sinking. The probability of this is confirmed by his firing sin- gle guns for some time after his capture.
JOSHUA GRANGER WRIGHT was a native of New Hanover, and a member of the House of Commons from 1791 to 1808, and Speaker of the House.
. He was elected a Judge in 1808, of the Superior Courts of Law and Equity, in which capacity he served faithfully the State, until his death in' June, 1811.
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