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hundred and twenty cartridges, thirteen powder horns (not sufficiently filled) and matches ready for action. All these were in the magazine, the keys in charge of the captain, as usual, and which are never delivered to any but the gunner, by the captain, for fear of accidents. In the cable ties, and around the foremast, one thousand wads and spunges; the guns loaded and shotted, but, of course, not primed. Round shots in the lockers were ready on deck, with a box of canister for each gun. At three the Leopard came within hail; at half past three the boat came on board, with a demand from captain Humphries for permission to search the Chesapeake for deserters; concluding his orders by saying, I inclose you the orders of the admiral on this subject; any comment from me would be superfluous. But I trust that your answer will be of a nature that will prevent me, in the execution of my duty, from interrupting the amity at present subsisting between the two nations.' The orders of the admiral were, You will offer to the commander of the Chesapeake a mutual search; and, in any event, take the men described, wherever they may be found.' Here was a demand which our commodore knew he must absolutely refuse. Why did he not order his men beat to quarters; detain the lieutenant and his boat until we were ready for action? But no! he gave a positive refusal, which, in composing, penning, and copying, detained the lieutenant half an hour. Our commodore did not order his men beat to quarters until the first gun was fired, nor until then was the key delivered to the gunner, all the officers remaining at this time in perfect ignorance of the contents of the note. I was at the galley (the camboose) and snatching a coal from the flames, fired the only gun, which went through the wardroom of the English ship. A shot came into us, and struck a man on the breast he fell at my feet, covering me with blood and splinters of bones. One of my guns suffered severely; one had his leg carried away, two an arm each, and two more were wounded severely-five out of eight. After one gun, one single gun was fired, we struck, by order of the captain, who then called his officers into the cabin, and asked their opinions. My answer was, "Sir, you have disgraced us.”

What the feelings of an officer of so nice a sense of honour must have been on this occasion, may without difficulty be imagined. Wounded pride and mortified ambition, combined with a sense of perfect self justification and conscious rectitude, must have been struggling together in his breast. Indeed all the officers of the ward room appear to have had but one feeling on the subject. With one voice, they called on their country to examine their commander's conduct and their own, and to wipe from their characters every suspicion of dishonourable cowardice, by consigning to infamy the name of Baron. The following is their manly address to the Secretary on this occasion. It is from the pen of Allen, and was composed by him at the request of his brother officers.

"SIR,

"Late United States' ship Chesapeake, Hampton Roads, June 23, 1807.

"The undersigned, officers of the late United States' ship Chesa peake, deeply sensible of the disgrace which must be attached to the late (in their opinion) premature surrender of the United States' ship Chesapeake of forty guns, to the English ship of war Leopard of fifty guns, without their previous knowledge or consent; and desirous of proving to their country,.. and the world, that it was the wish of all the undersigned to have rendered themselves worthy of the flag under which they have the honour to serve, by a determined resistance to an unjust demand, do request the honourable the secretary of the navy to order a court of inquiry into their conduct. At the same time they are compelled, by imperious duty, by the honour of their flag, by the honour of their countrymen and by all that is dear to themselves to request that an order may be issued for the arrest of commodore James Baron, on the charges herewith exhibited, which the undersigned pledge themselves to prove true.

"1. On the probability of an engagement, for neglecting to clear his ship for action.

2. For not doing his utmost to take or destroy a vessel which we conceive it his duty to have done.

"BENJAMIN SMITH, first lieutenant.

"WILLIAM CRANE, second lieutenant.

"WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN, third lieutenant:

"L ORDE CREIGHTON, fourth lieutenant.

* SYDNEY SMITH fifth lieutenant.

"SAMUEL BROOKES, sailing master.”

The feelings of Allen, during the pendency of this examina tion, may be learned from the following extracts from his private correspondences of that date. "To see so many brave men standing to their quarters, amidst the blood of their butchered and wounded countrymen, and hear their cries, without the means of avenging them! and when, in three minutes we could have avenged them! to have the flag of my country disgraced! Was it for this that I have continued so long in the service, contrary to the wishes of all my friends! To be so mortified, humbled, cut to the soul! Yes, to have the finger of scorn pointing at me as one of the officers of the Chesapeake ! But do not think, my friend, that I feel I have not done my duty. Perish the thought ! I proudly feel that I would have willingly given my trifling life, an offering for the wounded honour of my country." "Oh, when I act like this, may I die unpitied and forgotten, and no tear be shed to my memory. May I lie on some barren shore, and may my bones whiten in the sun, be pelted by the pitiless storm, and may the name of Allen be blasted with infamy.” « If I am acquitted honourably, (says he, while writing to his father,) in other words, if Captain Baron is condemned, you may see me again; if not, never? "We lay here ready, at a moment's warning, to wipe from our flag that disgrace that has been entailed upon it, by our blood. When I suffer my memory to dwell on this, I feel that I can trifle with existence at pleasure."

It would not become us to swell this article, by entering into any examination of the conduct of Commodore Baron, or any investigation of the causes, which produced the intemperate and unhappy proceedings, on the part of the British commander. It is sufficient to say, that the trial consequent on this request of the before named officers, eventuated in the condemnation of Baron, and he left the ship universally unregretted. Poignant, on this occasion, must have been his feelings, for in passing through the line of his officers, who were on deck to witness his departure, overcome by the magnitude of his disgrace, and stung to the soul, by perceiving in the cold repulsive looks of every one, that his cowardice had procured their fixed contempt, he

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fainted on the deck. What a contrast to this picture, do the proud, self-approving sensations of Allen, on leaving the same ship, present! "It is a gratifying reflection, (he says, in a letter to his friend,) to know that I leave the Chesapeake beloved by my messmates, and respected by all: they have all been forward in manifesting their esteem for me in the most unequivocal manner; it has been requited with my warmest gratitude. What can induce more self-satisfaction in any man, than to find that he is most beloved, by those who have known him the longest? It must silence forever the tongue of detraction; and believe me, my dear sir, the love of my friends, who are ever dear to me, will ever be an inducement with me to deserve their love, and to aspire to superior correctness."

During the embargo in 1808, his situation was, to a mind of so great sensibility, distressing in the extreme. He was employed in cruising off Block-Island in the frigate Chesapeake, for the purpose of intercepting and seizing such vessels, as were attempting a violation of that law. The delicacy and firmness, however, which he exhibited in the discharge of this duty, commanded at once respect and esteem, and prevented that odium from attaching to his character, which we so naturally feel to wards those, who are made even the innocent instruments of our injury. At his earnest request, he was excused from boarding and examining in person, any vessel, sailing from the ports of his native state. The reasons for this arrangement, he thus states in a letter on this subject. "I knew that I should be compelled to detain such vessels for the most trivial article, and this would have wounded my feelings. Even had I met those which I could have suffered to pass, I might have laboured under unjust suspicions, when other officers might be equally just without such imputations."

While employed in this manner, he received a letter from his father, soliciting his interference in behalf of several of his intimate acquaintances, whose property had been taken for suspected violations of the Embargo. The following dignified reply, presents to us his character, as a faithful officer, and a firm yet feeling man, in the most favourable light. "Nothing, my dear

sir, could give me more pleasure, than to have been useful or instrumental in serving those young gentlemen you speak of in your letter: it required no request of yours to induce it; but vain are our desires-impotent the will that exceeds the means of performance. This has often been my lot, and, I believe, that of many in the Chesapeake. Need I say that my feelings have ever been on the rack while sir, had this been your vessel, her situation would have been precisely the same. It is impossible that I can be of the least service to those young gentlemen."

cruising off the island! But,

In February, 1809, he received orders to repair on board the frigate United States, then equipping at Washington, and commanded by commodore Decatur. As Mr. Allen was the first lieutenant, and the commodore absent, so arduous and so constant were the duties devolving upon him, and so unremitting and faithful his exertions in discharging them, that, for two months, he never absented himself for one moment, from the navy yard. When the United States was fitted for sea, he proceeded in her on several short cruises, and passed the rest of his time at Norfolk, Virginia, where the ship was principally stationed, until the declaration of war in 1812. Hitherto the object of our naval officers had been only to make themselves respected and conspicuous, for good order, correct discipline, and complete subordination on board our national vessels. Now, the time so long expected, so ardently wished for by our brave tars, had arrived. They were now permitted to conflict on the ocean with the first naval power in the world, and glory awaited success. A spirit of determination pervaded the whole navy. Every officer pledged himself to support the honour of the national flag, even unto death. The result of this enthusiasm has been witnessed.Hull, Decatur and Bainbridge have covered it with glory by successive victories. Lawrence and Allen have dyed it in their blood, and borne it, equally honoured, to their grave. The former still live to fight their country's battles, and add to the list of her naval triumphs-the latter live in her mournful remembrance, and are embalmed with her tears.

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