Nelson & His World

In the Nicolas Edition, volume 2 Nelson mentioned privateers.

“An Austrian Commissary was travelling from Genoa towards Vado, with L 10.000 sterling, and it was known he was to sleep at a place called Voltri, about nine miles from Genoa. This temptation was too great for the French Minister, to keep his word of honour; and the Boats of that Frigate, with some Privateers went out of the Port, landed, and brought back the money".

I think privateers were pirates who were pirating with the governments approval.

Could any one please inform me what the difference is between a pirate and a buccaneer?

Could privateers be ordered to place themselves under command of the navy? Or was it voluntarily done, depending on how much there was to gain for them out of doing so. Nelson mentioned in one of his other letters that he wants to put some privateers under his command.

And were privateers allowed to keep all their price money for/to themselves, or did they have to give part of it to the government?
Sylvia

Could any one please inform me what the difference is between a pirate and a buccaneer?

In practice there was no difference - the term Buccaneer was applied to pirates in the West Indies; the term came from French and originally meant a hunter.

"Could privateers be ordered to place themselves under command of the navy? Or was it voluntarily done, depending on how much there was to gain for them out of doing so. Nelson mentioned in one of his other letters that he wants to put some privateers under his command."

They could not be ordered into service, but could and on the odd occasion did, place themselves alongside naval vessels, but it would be regarded as unusual. Privateers were private vessels of war, fitted out by merchants with the aim of making a profit - they aimed to capture enemy merchant shipping and their cargoes, and would avoid getting involved in a fight - no profit in that. Only if they could forsee good prize money would they get involved.

And were privateers allowed to keep all their price money for/to themselves, or did they have to give part of it to the government?



Nothing would go to the government - all the money from the sale of the cargo and the ship would go to the owners of the ship and the crew. The British government also paid "head money" - a bounty of £5 for every man on board a capture vessel at the start of any action, to encourage privateers

Thank you PhiloNauticus for your information. It is much appreciated.
Sylvia