prizes from the enemy, and then proceed to Charleston for a cargo of cotton, and return to France as soon as possible.

As there were at this time quite a number of American seamen in Bordeaux, Nantes and L'Orient, supported by the government of the United States, through the consuls at those ports, it was desirable to take home as many of them as the schooner could conveniently accommodate. I took with me, as first officer, Mr. Pierre G. Depeyster, and left Bordeaux by diligence, for L'Orient. On our way we stopped a day or two at Nantes, where I engaged, with the consent of our consul at that port, forty seamen and two petty officers.

Mr. Azor O. Lewis, a fine young man, brother of the former owner of the Leo, was one of my prize masters, and to him I committed the charge of bringing about forty more seamen from Bordeaux to L'Orient. The residue of the officers and men were picked up at L'Orient, with the exception of four or five of my petty officers, who came up from Bordeaux to join the schooner at

L'Orient.

Early in November we commenced fitting her for sea. We found her hull in pretty good order, but her sails and rigging were in a bad state. I, however, set every thing in motion, as actively as possible, and put in requisition sailmakers, blockmakers, blacksmiths, etc., etc. ; while others were employed taking in ballast and filling water casks, in fine, hurrying on as fast as possible, before we should be stopped.

The English had so much influence with the new government of Louis XVIII. that I felt extremely anxious to get out on the broad ocean without delay, and therefore drove on my preparations almost night and day.

After ballasting, I took on board 3 tons of bread, 30

barrels of beef, 15 ditto of pork, and other stores to correspond, being enough for fifty days.

I got ready for sea on the 6th of November. My crew, including the officers and marines, numbered about one hundred souls, and a better set of officers and men never left the port of L'Orient. But we were miserably armed; we had, when I first took command of the schooner, one long brass 12-pounder, and four small 4-pounders, with some fifty or sixty poor muskets. Those concerned in the vessel seemed to think we ought, with so many men, to capture prizes enough, even without guns.

With this miserable armament, I was now ready for sea, and had dropped the schooner down near the mouth of the outer harbor, and was only waiting for my papers from Paris, to proceed on my intended voyage; when to my severe mortification, I was ordered by the public authorities to return into port, and disarm the vessel. The order was imperative, and I was of course compelled to obey. I accordingly waited on the commanding officer of the port, and told him it was a hard case not to allow me sufficient arms to defend my vessel against the boats of the enemy.

He politely told me he was sorry, but that he must obey the orders of his government, and that I must take out all the guns except one, and at the same time laughingly observed that one gun was enough to take a dozen English ships before I got to Charleston.

I, of course, kept the long 12-pounder, and in the night smuggled on board some twenty or thirty muskets. In this situation I left the port of L'Orient, on the 8th of November, 1814, and stood out to sea in the hope of capturing a few prizes. After getting to sea we rubbed up the muskets, and with this feeble armament steered for the chops of the British Channel. I soon found that

when the weather was good and the sea smooth, I could take merchantmen enough by boarding; but in rough weather the travelling 12-pounder was but a poor reliance, and not to be depended upon like the long centre gun that I had on board the David Porter.

It is true, my officers and men were always ready to board an enemy of three times our force; but, in a high sea, if one of these delicately Baltimore built vessels should come in contact with a large, strong ship, the schooner would inevitably be crushed and sunk. For this reason, I was compelled to let one large English ship with twelve guns escape while in the English Channel, because the weather was too rough to board her.

November 13th.-At six P. M. sounded in sixty-five fathoms water, the Scilly Islands bearing N.W. fifteen leagues distant. Light winds and variable through the night. At 6 A.M. saw a brig to windward. At 7 ditto she set English colors; gave her a gun, when she struck her flag. She proved to be an English brig from Leghorn, bound up the Channel. It now commenced blowing a strong breeze from the N.W., and soon there was a high sea running. Saw a large ship steering up the Channel; left the prize, made sail in chase of her. At 10 A. M. she set English colors, and fired a gun. Had the weather been smooth, I think we could have carried her by boarding in fifteen minutes, or had I met her at sea, I would have followed her until the weather was better, and the sea smooth: but being now in the English Channel with a high sea, it would have destroyed my schooner if she had come in contact with this wallsided ship. She showed six long nines on each side. After exchanging a few shot, I hauled off, and returned to our prize.

Nov. 14th.-Fresh breezes and cloudy weather. At

2 P. M. the weather moderated, when I took out of the English prize brig the captain, mate, and crew, and put on board of her a prize-master and seven men, ders to proceed to a port in the United States. At 4 P. M. saw a sale to windward, when we made sail in chase. At 8 ditto it became dark and squally; lost sight of the chase. At 8 A. M. saw our prize ahead; we soon came up with her, when I supplied her with two casks of water and a quantity of bread, and left her to proceed on her course to the United States.

Nov. 15th.-Fresh gales from the westward, with a rough sea running. Middle and latter part of these twenty-four hours, the wind continued to blow strong from the westward, with a high sea. As it was now the middle of November, and no prospect of much fine weather, and my schooner so badly armed, I concluded to leave this rough cruising ground and run to the southward, in hopes of finding better weather, where I could profit by a superior number of men in making prizes Lat. 47° 28' North.

Nov. 17th.-At 3 P. M. boarded the Spanish brig Alonzo, from Teneriffe, bound to London. On board of this vessel I put the late captain of our prize brig.

Nov. 18th.-Light winds and fine weather; a man-ofwar brig in chase of us, about two miles distant. At 8 P. M. light breezes from the southward; passed near a brig standing to the eastward; had not time to board her, as the man-of-war was still in chase. At midnight the wind became fresh from the W.S.W., with dark, rainy weather. Took in all the light sails, and hauled close upon the wind to the W.N.W. At 7 A. M. saw a small sail on our weather-bow; made sail in chase. At 10 ditto came up with and captured the chase; found it was

an English cutter, from Teneriffe, bound to London, with a cargo of wine.

Nov. 19th.-Strong gales from the northward, and a high sea running. At meridian took out of the prize twenty quarter casks of wine, together with her sails, cables, rigging, blocks, &c., and after removing the prisoners, scuttled her. At 1 P. M. she sank. At 7 A. M. saw a sail to windward; tacked ship to get the weather-gage. At 11 ditto got her on our lee beam, when I made her out to be an English brig-of-war of sixteen guns. I commenced firing my long twelve. At noon, after receiving about thirty or forty shot from the enemy, without any material damage, I hauled off. Some of his shot passed over us, some fell short; and only one hulled us this shot passed through our bends amid-ships, and lodged in the hold. I could outsail him with the greatest ease, and if I had had a long well-mounted centre gun, I could have annoyed him without receiving any injury by keeping just out of the reach of his carronades.

Nov. 21st.-Fresh winds from the N.N.E., and squally weather. At meridian saw a sail bearing W.S.W.; made sail in chase. At 4 P. M., she being directly to leeward, I ran down to discover the character of the chase; I soon made her out to be a frigate. When within three miles distance, I hoisted an English ensign. The frigate showed Portuguese colors, and resorted to every stratagem in his power to decoy us down within the range of his shot. Finding I could outsail him with ease, I hauled down the English colors, set an American ensign, and hauled close upon the wind, and soon lost sight of her. During the night we had fresh gales at E.N.E., and squally weather. At 7 A. M. saw a small sail bearing S.S.W.; made sail in chase. I soon came up with and boarded an English