ther quarter. He immediately made sail in chase of us.

The wind being off the land, to the N.N.E., the enemy kept to windward, close along shore, in hopes of driving me off to leeward. Just out of sight of Charleston bar, there were stationed two brigs-of-war, but being aware of the trap laid for me, I resolved to hug the wind, and push boldly for the channel at the bar, at the entrance of the port, and defend myself the best way I could.

The chase from off Cape Roman to Charleston bar, lasted about four hours, during which time I had gained but little on the enemy. very When I hauled up for

the bar upon the wind, I brought the Englishman upon my weather beam, at long gun-shot distance. To ascertain whether I could reach him, I gave him a shot from long Tom, and though it did not quite hull him, I saw the shot strike so near him that it dashed the water all over his larboard quarter.

As the brig's guns were carronades, his shot could not reach us, while I should have annoyed him with our long Tom, had he thought it advisable to continue the action. Just at that moment, however, the famous privateer Decatur, Capt. Diron, and the letter-of-marque Adeline, Capt. Craycroft, of Philadelphia, were crossing the bar, and bearing down upon the brig, all three of us, with our ensigns flying. The Englishman probably thought it was most prudent to decline the combat, and speedily squared his yards, and ran out of sight to leeward.

The Decatur and Adeline steered on their course to the eastward, while I crossed the bar and proceeded up to Charleston. Soon after my arrival, I obtained a full freight for a port in France, consisting of 331 bales of cotton, at twenty-six cents per pound, with five per

cent. primage. The gross freight and primage on this small cargo of cotton amounted to twenty-three thousand dollars, which, for a pilot-boat schooner of 200 tons, certainly appears like an enormous freight on sea island cotton, when the article could at that time be purchased for twelve or thirteen cents per pound. But when the expense of sailing one of these letters-of-marque is taken into consideration, the freight is not too high. The insurance at that time was from fifteen to twenty per cent. and seamen's wages at thirty dollars per month, and other expenses in like proportion.

On the 18th of December, I finished loading, and got all the crew on board. The next day we were ready for sea, but unfortunately the wind blew fresh from the southward, with dark, disagreeable rainy weather.

The Congress of the United States had lately assembled at Washington, and great fears were entertained by many that an embargo would soon be laid. I was, of course, extremely anxious to get out of port, as such a measure would have been ruinous to myself and the other owners of my vessel; and as it was impossible to get over the bar while the wind was blowing strong, directly into the harbor, to avoid being stopped, and to keep my men on board, I judged it best to drop as low down the harbor as possible, and watch the first favorable moment to proceed to sea.

Fortunately the weather cleared up the next day, aud with a favorable breeeze and fine weather, I left the port of Charleston on the 20th of December, 1813, bound to Bordeaux. I had a good run off the coast, and met with nothing worth remarking until the 27th, about a week after leaving port, when I fell in with a small English brig, from Jamaica, bound to Nova Scotia. As it was about four o'clock in the afternoon, and at the time

blowing a strong gale from the N.W., with a high sea running. I did not think it safe to board him until the gale should moderate, and the sea become smoother, and therefore ordered him to carry as much sail as possible, and follow me on our course to the eastward until better weather. He reluctantly followed, and once before dark, I was obliged to hail, and give him to understand, that if he showed too great a disposition to lag behind, or did not carry all the sail his brig could bear, he would feel the effect of one of my stern-guns. This threat had the desired effect, and he followed kindly at a convenient distance, until midnight, when it became very dark and squally, and we soon after lost sight of our first prize, which I did not much regret, as I could not conveniently spare men enough to send him into port.

From this time until we got near the European coast we scarcely saw a sail, and did not meet with a single man-of-war. Thus, while the whole coast of the United States was literally lined with English cruisers, on the broad ocean there were very few to be seen: a clear proof that the risk of capture between Newport and Charleston, was infinitely greater than in going to France.

At this period we were not obliged to deliver the goods on freight at any particular place, but at any port in France, from St. Juan de Luce to Ostend. My bills. of lading were filled up on this principle, to "Bordeaux, or a port in France," so that on the arrival of the goods, the owners or agents were bound to receive them at any place where the vessel was fortunate enough to enter. My object was to get as near Bordeaux as possible; still I did not like to attempt entering the Garonne, as the English generally kept several frigates and smaller vessels stationed directly off the Cordovan Light, which

rendered it extremely difficult and hazardous. I therefore decided to run for the harbor of La Teste.

About a week before we got into port, while in the Bay of Biscay, namely, on the 19th and 20th of January, we encountered one of the most severe gales from the westward that I ever experienced. It commenced early on the morning of the 19th, and blew a perfect hurricane, which soon raised a high cross-sea; at 8 o'clock, A. M., I hove the schooner to under a double-reefed foresail, lowered the fore-yard near the deck, and got everything as snug as possible. At 12 o'clock noon, a tremendous sea struck her in the wake of the starboard fore-shrouds. The force of the sea broke one of the top timbers or stauncheons, and split open the planksheer, so that I could see directly into the hold. The violence of the blow, and the weight of water that came on board, threw the vessel nearly on her beam-ends. Fortunately the foresail was split, and the bulwarks torn away by the water, and being thus relieved, she gradually righted. We then threw overboard two of the lee-guns, water-casks, etc., and after nailing tarred canvas and leather over the broken plank-sheer, got ready to veer ship, fearing the injury received in the wake of the starboard fore-shrouds would endanger the foremast. We accordingly got ready to hoist a small piece of the mainsail, and then kept her off before the wind for a few minutes, and watched a favorable, smooth time to bring her to the wind on the other tack.

During the time that the schooner ran before the wind, she appeared literally to leap from one sea to another. We soon, however, brought her up to the wind on the other tack without accident; and thus, under a small piece of the mainsail, she lay to pretty well. As the gale contiued to rage violently, I feared