viii+300pp. Illus. in text. Dj very sl. scuffed and slightly faded on spine. Renato Beluche was born in New Orleans in 1780, the son of a recently emigrated Frenchman whose wig-making business was a front for smuggling. In 1802 Beluche went to sea as a pilot's mate and by 1805 was master of a merchant schooner. Flying the French flag, he captured Spanish and English ships and sent them to Grande Terre, Cartagena and New Grenada. In 1813 he became involved with Simon Bolivar and his rebels, spending the next decade in the service of the Venezuelan revolution, interrupted only by a brief period when he joined with Jean Laffite and the Baratarian smugglers. In tracing his career the author also presents the story of Caribbean during one of the most volatile periods in its history. Bibliography and Index.

True Crime Pirates Maritime Caribbean History