the Americans to entice them from their allegiance to their natural prince and country. God forbid that we should, in any manner, assist to sully the lustre of the boasted loyalty of the common British seaman; but (as we happened to have our own feet wet with salt water on a certain occasion) we have seen a little of English seamen, and English character; we have been used to think from what, in the course of many years, we have witnessed, that if there were a purgatory and a paradise in the high toned religious feelings of this virtuous and estimable class of men- -a British man-ofwar is the former, and the shores of America the latter.-In the particular instance before us, it is a well known truth, that as we were anxious to keep the prisoners for the purpose of exchange, they were landed at New-London, and the effervescence of their loyalty was so great as to burst down the side of the building they were quartered in—and, for several days, those who got free were to be seen along the highways making their best course to NewYork a port at that time more distinguished for the number of its privateers against the English trade, than for any trade of its own. It is highly probable, however, that those who were caught, and compelled to an exchange, gave the best account of themselves to the court; and it may be equally probable that the high-minded and honourable gentlemen, who composed the tribunal, had an abundance of testimony to support the opinion expressed in their decision-inasmuch as nothing less could have overcome their known national propensity, to believe the worst of their countrymen, and the best of foreign nations.

The capture of the Java soon succeeded that of the Macedonian; and the reader is referred to the statement of force in the action between the Guerriere and Constitution, as showing the difference in this engagement, with two exceptions :-Although the Java had the same number of guns, and carried the same metal with the Guerriere, she was not so large a vessel; but having a sloop of war's crew on board, she was much better manned, and in this respect her numbers rendered her, to say the least, equal to the Constitution. And the result goes fully to prove, that something more than English spirit, English loyalty, or English skill, is necessary to give victory to their efforts :-wood and iron, after all, assert their value in the contest; and we should consider this battle as conclusively refuting the favourite nautical opinion of the enemy, that their 38's were equal to any single decked ships that floated, -had not their own Admiralty, on learning the fate of the Java, admitted the error of their opinion, by ordering the commanders of their 38's, when meeting our 44's,-in plain English, to run away. We say ordering, out of respect to the English officers; for unless we are correct, as was stated openly at the time, it is pretty certain they did it without orders. The Constitution laboured

under heavy disadvantages in this action;-she was to leeward, and had her wheel shot away very early in the fight. Commodore Bainbridge was compelled to work his ship up under the guns of his enemy, and to steer his vessel by the wheel-ropes-passing his orders below by a chain of men placed for that purpose. It would be unjust to a man who lost his life in serving his country, not to mention, that the defence of Captain Lambert was a brave one, and the ship given up only when it would have been madness to attempt longer to defend her. Notwithstanding this acknowledg ment, the impression is irresistible on our minds, that in most of the actions during the war, the English were much more characterized by courage than skill: In this engagement, as in all the others we have spoken of, the disparity of loss was entirely disproportioned to the difference in force.

In the action between the Hornet and Peacock, which soon followed, this disparity was yet more evident. The vessels were nearly of a size: The former was a ship carrying 18 thirty-two pound carronades, and 2 long nines; the Peacock was a brig carrying 16 twenty-four pound carronades, and 2 long sixes; she had changed her metal, some time before, for channel service, and, her commander, perhaps entertaining the old opinion, of the little moment of a few pounds more or less of iron in small vessels, had neglected replacing her thirty-twos. Had her metal been fourfold, it would have made no difference-for we assert, on the best of testimony (that of our own eyes) not a single round shot of the Peacock touched the hull of the Hornet, excepting one that grazed her larboard bow. This was a complete triumph of gunnery and manoeuvring; and was perhaps sooner decided than any fight ever was in naval warfare, where boarding was not resorted to. In number of men the vessels were nearly equal-perhaps a dozen in favour of the Hornet. We know (for we heard them) that the prisoners affected to believe the Hornet was a much larger vessel, every way, than their own; and on their arrival in New-York, they found many proselytes to their opinions, by saying, she was so large they mistook her for the John Adams, a vessel they had been in company with before the war, and carrying 24 forty-two pound carronades, and 200 men. This kind of logic satisfied many people, -but, after all, it was not the John Adams, but the Hornet that whipt them; and the latter is a vessel about one third smaller and lighter every way, than the former. Now we confess our stupidity, perhaps, when we say, that we do not see what the belief of those gentlemen proved, unless it was, that (owing to circumstances we will not presume to intimate) they saw double :-We will not venture to say they were frightened—but this much we will say, that had they been so, their ship could not have been worse manoeu vred, nor worse fought than it was; and we humbly suggest to

them the expediency, under all circumstances, of omitting, in future, that part of their narrative which states their mistaking, within half musket shot, a medium sloop of 18 guns-for a razeed frigate.

So far our success had been uniform; and our national vanity rose in proportion. We began to exchange characters with our enemy to believe in our own invincibility—and imagine that Victory must ever be the accompaniment of Battle :-but a reverse of fortune soon taught us that we were subject to its vicissitudes. That ill-fated ship, the Chesapeake, has twice given a lesson to the navy, which renders her a vessel of more importance to our service, however humbling she may have been to our pride, than the Constitution with all her boasted victories. Let us endeavour to profit by them. She tarnished the reputation, and blasted the hopes of the gallant and injured Barron-and it was on her deck the high-souled Lawrence shed his blood, a victim to the overweening prepossessions of his countrymen. It is enough for us to say, here, that in every thing but circumstance, the combat was a fair one ;-the vessels of very equal force equally manned, and of equal size; she was desperately defended, and bravely carried :but we will leave to another pen the incidents of this unlucky action-linked as we were to the regretted Lawrence by no ordinary feelings. We have witnessed his coolness in danger—were familiar with his lofty and generous spirit—and have experienced his kind and liberal friendship, in too many instances-to speak of his services with that impartiality which the subject requires.

In the engagement between the Enterprise and Boxer, fortune soon after smiled upon our arms. This was, also, as nearly an equal fight, as can be expected to occur in sea-service :-it was well contested for the size of the vessels, and decided in favour of the one on whose side there was a small difference of force. The Enterprize had two guns more than the Boxer-the same metala few more men-and was rather a heavier vessel-sufficiently so, we think, to have made it discreditable not to have conquered. But we did conquer, and in the handsomest manner;-both commanders lost their lives in the contest-and there is no praise justly paid to the gallant Burrowes, which is not also due to his less fortunate rival. We will here allude to one circumstance, which, in its termination had an effect, the very reverse of brilliant, and which, we think, grew out of mistaken notions of duty and honour: Captain Blythe nailed his colours to the mast; and when necessity compelled his second in command to ask for quarters, he was de-. prived of the ordinary means of doing so by lowering his flag-but was subjected to the mortifying necessity of hailing, to ask mercy

a For we consider the difference of two or three guns in favour of the Shannon, as of little consequence in vessels of their force.

of his enemy with his voice-and of stating explicitly, for the satisfaction of his wary adversary, the reason of his keeping his colours aloft. Now, in addition to considering this as humiliating a situation as a ship could be placed in, we are averse to any forced exhibition of resolution, which may, in the end, reduce us to conduct very far from our duty as men and as officers. Had accident not killed Captain Blythe early in the engagement, the probability is, that many more lives would have been sacrificed to his pride of feeling, long after resistance would have been useless. We certainly think it always the safest for an officer to err on the side of resistance, and would advise our countrymen to adhere to their guns, so long as there is a remote chance of using them to advantage; but we dislike that kind of forestalling courage, which ties one up to do a duty, after the manner of the low Irish who forswear getting drunk, for it may compel one to acts his conscience must disapprove; or, as in the case before us, may sometimes make one look-extremely foolish.

But one other instance occurs to our arms, of unsuccessful combat in this war, where ship was opposed to ship, and this was the capture of the Argus by the Pelican. Both vessels were brigs,the Englishman an 18 gun sloop, carrying 18 thirty-two pound carronades, and 2 long twelves, with the usual complement of men: -The Argus was a much smaller and lighter vessel, having been built for, and until the commencement of the war, carrying, 16 twenty-four pound carronades and 2 long nines,-two more carronades had been crowded on her, by using the bridle ports;-in number of guns therefore the vessels were equal.-But in consequence of the crew of the Argus being weakened by the prizes she had manned, it is understood there was a material difference in the number of their men. The Pelican was undeniably a much heavier vessel than the Argus-and it was not to be expected that a brig of the description of the American vessel, could successfully contend against a heavy sloop of 18 guns, manned and equipped for the express purpose of falling in with her antagonist. At the same time that we assert the difference in favour of the enemy to have been at least as four to three, we acknowledge that the enemy did his duty manfully, and conquered the Argus in a very reasonable time; and in so doing, overcame a man who had no superior of his years in the American navy. We regret to add, that his own life was the forfeit of his defeat.

The action between the Peacock and Epervier was conspicuous for nothing, but the feebleness of the defence of the latter.-The Peacock was one of our new vessels built during the war: they were all corvettes of a larger size and more guns than vessels of their grade had been before in our service,-most of them carried 22 guns-thirty-two pound carronades-and from 150 to 170

men. The Epervier was much smaller, and had but 18 guns and 120 men, or thereabouts,-the metal was the same. On this action we will only remark, that the Peacock could not have done much more-nor the Epervier much less.

The two actions of the new Wasp followed soon after each other. The defence of the Reindeer, a brig of 18 guns-twenty-four pound carronades—was one of the best things of the enemy during the war, and the conduct of Captain Manners, her commander, conspicuous for judgment and personal intrepidity. It reflects the more credit on Captain Blakely, who maintained his superiority of force, by a corresponding superiority of effect. The battle lasted but 19 minutes, and the English ship was surrendered by a master's mate.

The Avon, though a heavier vessel and with heavier metal-being but little, if any, inferior to her antagonist-made a much less creditable resistance, as the Wasp received but little injury from her fire. It will be remembered that Captain Blakely was compelled to abandon his prize, by the coming up of the Castilian and Tartarus; and the Euglish government endeavoured so to use this circumstance as to inculcate the idea that the Avon had not yielded, but had, if any thing, forced the Wasp to retire. We should have thought this Little-Belt kind of victory would not have gone down with the people, after the number of combats which had been fought confessedly to their disadvantage-but it seems that if John Bull is ever to be choked, it will not be with any thing he swallows; -for a short time there was a faint murmur of rejoicing through the land, and the story was so much improved, that they sunk the Wasp by a broadside from the Castilian, added to the damages she sustained from the Avon. A cartel, however, soon dispelled. these high raised hopes; and an English merchant Captain, a prisoner on board the Wasp at the time, gave public vent to his spleen by certifying, that she received no injury from either of her enemies.

One more prize was sent in by this ship, and all afterwards is mystery. She was left near the Western Islands in high condition, and with her crew in good spirits, anxious for another trial with the enemy; and from that time we have no account of her.-She probably was lost in a gale, or ran under in a squall.

The Constitution was destined to add another laurel, to the wreath,' in her capture of the Cyane and Levant. The former of these vessels is a small frigate carrying 22 thirty-two pound carronades below, and 12 eighteens on her quarter-deck and forecastle. The Levant is a corvette of 22 thirty-two pound carronades. The reader will always bear in mind that every vessel armed with carronades, is provided with two or more long guns to use as chaseguns in cases of necessity, and which we include in our estimate of