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Journall.
In the ship Esperance Capt. Nicolas Carpentier from Ostend To Bengale & from thence back To Ostend in the Service of the General Imperial Company Established in the Austrian Netherlands. Kept by John Hume Secound Capt. beginning December the 30. N.S. 1725 and Ending
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Signals to be observ'd for the better keeping company with the Peace, Lyon, Eagle and Tyger.
By day.
To weigh. The Commondore will loose his foretopsail in the top & hoist his ensign & to get ready for sailing, hale his foretopsail sheets home.
To make sail. The Commondore will hoist a red jack at his mizon peak.
On seeing ships. He that first sees ship or ships shall hoist a white jack at his ensign staff & hoist & lower it as often as the number of ships seen, the rest of the ships answering the same.
Land. He that first sees land shall hoist his ensign on the ensign staff which the rest shall answer.
Sands, shoals or any danger. He that first discovers any sands, rocks, or any other danger shall hoist his Imperial flag & fire one gun.
Distress. He shall hoist a whiff & fire 1 Gun.
Speak with all the ships. The commondore will hoist a white pennant at his mizon peak.
With the Hope. A bleu Jack at his ensign staff. Lyon. An English Jack at ditto. Eagle. An Imperial pennant at ditto. & Tyger. A white pennant at ditto.
In case that the ships are in such a situation that they cannot perceive the signals made abaft they will be made for'ward in such a manner or to be discern'd to be the same. And if any ship wou'd speak with the Commondore he must hoist his own signal.
By night.
To weigh. The Comodore will shew one light in his poop lanshorn, another in his maintop & fire 1 gun the rest answering with the same lights but not firing.
To make sail. The Commondore will put out his top light & shew 1 at his bowspritt. The rest shall do the same & keep their lights outs 'till the Commondore is ahead then the lights shall be extinguished.
To tack. The Commondore will shew 2 lights one above another in his mizon shrouds which the rest shall answer with one & keep their lights out till the ships are gott together.
To lye short. The Commondore will shew 2 lights one above another in his fore shrouds, & one in his poop, the rest shall answer with a light in their poops.
Seeing ships. He that first sees ships or ships shall shew a light & darken it as often as the number of ships seen the rest shall answer the same.
Sands etc. or any danger. He that first sees any sands, shoals or any other danger shall show 3 lights one above another & fire a gun. Every ship shall do his best to avoid the danger.
Distress. In case of accidence happening to any ships let him show 3 lights on above th'other & fire 3 guns.
To come to anchor. The Commodore will shew a light in his poop, one in his maintop & fire 1 gun the rest shall answer with the same lights without firering.
In a fogg.
To weigh. The Commondore will fire one gun the rest to answer.
Make sail. The Commondore will fire 2 guns the reast answering one.
Tack. The Commondore will fire 3 guns the rest answering one.
Lye short. The Commondore will fire 4 guns the rest answering one.
Sands, shaols etc. He that first discovers sands, shoals, or any other danger shall fire 5 guns.
Distress. In case of accidens happening to any ship let him fire 7 guns the rest shall answer with one, & endeavour to give him assistance possible.
Come to anchor. The Commondore will fire one gun which the rest shall answer.
Note. That all the firerings are to be observ'd the same if done with musketts as with great guns when it is judged the ships are near enough to hear them.
Likewise. In a fogg, the ships shall keep as near as possible & from time to time fire musketts, ring the bells, & beat a drum to avoid being on board one another.
Also. In bad weather great care must be taken the ships dont come too near one another.
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Signals to be observ'd in company with the Peace, Lyon, etc.
In case of loosing company: to know one another by day: The ship to windward to hoist her maintopmast stay sail with the sheet flying & a blew flag or jack at her maintopmast head she to leeward to have her maintop gallant sail loose with the sheets clew'd up & the blew flag or jack at her foretopmast head.
Ditto for night: The Esperance to hoist 3 lights of equall height one on the shrouds of each mast, the Peace to show one on her ensign staff one at her bowspritt end, & one in her maintop lanthorne & if so near in the night to speak, the ship that first hales to say whence your ship the other to answer [antwerpe?] then the first to say well met with... naming her name & to keep company till morning.
In case of thick weather the Esperance to carry a sight at her bowspritt end.
If overprest with sail hang 2 lights at the bowspritt end.
Finis.
Ship Esperance in Ostend harbour.
Sunday. December 30. 1725. I enter'd on bord the Esperance Capt. Nicolas Carpentier commander, my self secound Capitaine.
Thursday. January 3. 1726. Received on bord 19 casks of beef A. n°. 11 a 16., B. n°. 8 a 14. & C. n°. 14 a 19. A. to be expended first.
Friday the 4. Received 8 barrels of pitch, 20. ditto of tarr. 6 1/2 hhds of vinager & 30 pieces of tuthenague. Likewise 3 large anchors one weighing 1460 lb. 2nd. 2325 lb. the largest no weight.
Saturday the 5. Received on bord 9047 lb. of bisket & 10 casks of pork containing 725 pieces.
Monday the 7. Received on bord 3081 lb. of bisket.
Tuesday the 8. Received 6 casks of butter, 9 ditto with oyle, put out 4 pigs of lead.
Wednesday the 9. Received on bord 43. casks markt. S.B.W. 12. WE. 12. GE. 6 AB. 10. SW. 1. G. sout 2. a large case from Mr. Vanderheyde 4 1/2 hhds of wine. I.B.D. two small bales.
Thursday the 10. Received on bord our boatswaine's stores, & 12 bundles of stockfish, said to containe 5500 lb.
Friday the 11. Received on bord, 36 casks of small beer, gt. about 12 or 13 tunns. Small cask of pruents. 6 cases markt [trade symbol?] n°. 1. a 6.
Saturday the 12. Received on bord 4 hhds of wine belonging to the Capt. & our coulers, a gunn from the shore in the roome of one that fell through the bridge.