In the Dutch newspaper the Leydse courant dated Wednesday 15 November 1780 appeared a news item written at Dublin, Ireland, 31 October. In this news item the journalist wrote that letters arrived from Cork captain Richard Pearsons, commanding the Amphitrite, 60 guns. Peasons was famous for his fight with the American Paul Jones. Pearson claimed to have captured the 74 guns Spanish warship Don Velasco 6 miles North West off Madera. The fight started 1.30 hour in the morning when Pearson sailed towards the Spanish ship arriving at 7.00 within musket shot range. Although his ship heavily suffered, losing topgallant sail, the Spaniard was forced to surrender with 16 men killed and 72 wounded.
Pearson was indeed famous for his (lost) fight with Paul Jones, but the value of above mentioned news item is quite questionable! The only available Amphitrite that year was a 24 guns sloop and I can’t trace a Spanish ship-of-the called Don Velasco in 1780.
Source
Collectie Bisdom XXXI no. 253.
Fellow researchers pointed out that there was none Spanish warship called Don Velasco captured in 1780, just as I already suspected due to the fact I couldn't trace the ship in mine own lists neither on other available weblogs and websites. I already pointed out that there wasn't a 60 guns British warship called Amphitrite in service that year. So I (still) wonder with which purpose this news was published in the above mentioned newspaper, while the journalist could have not known that it is was unreliable.
