Farragut returns a deserter to British authorities

In the Nassau incident as recounted here, a sailor hailed a British vessel and asked to leave Ferret. Farragut had not known the man was a Royal Navy deserter; he disciplined him and then handed him to the British authorities. He could have removed the sailor without taking that additional step. The episode recalls the dispute over British deserters aboard American ships before the War of 1812, giving a small disciplinary decision a diplomatic dimension. It also shows Farragut using formal procedure to remove a troublesome crew member despite his own recent wartime service against Britain.