At noon on 7 January 1779 the British merchant ship Westmorland, en route from Livorno to England, was captured by two French warships off the Spanish coast. France having joined the War of Independence on the side of the Americans, the Westmorland’s captain, Willis Machell, was prepared for trouble. He had a crew of sixty and 22 cannons, but was outgunned. The ship was towed into Málaga and declared a legal trophy of war, whereupon the French set about selling the cargo while the crew and passengers were taken as prisoners to Cádiz and in due course exchanged and sent home. It was a civilised business for the most part, no more than a footnote in the history of the war.

LRB 19 July 2012 | PDF Download