four pounds; crew, four hundred and seventy- that he had conquered a vessel of inferior four; size, fifteen hundred and thirty-three force. This confession would certainly have tons. James mentions, among other proofs, been honest, but, then, it would have interthat a large proportion of the United States' fered with the Act of Congress of 28th June crew were British; the following fact,-"One 1798, which provided that, "if a vessel of supeof the officers' servants, a young lad from rior or equal force shall be captured by a London, named William Hearne, actually public armed vessel of the United States, the found among the hostile crew his own brother! forfeiture shall accrue wholly to the captors." This hardened traitor, after reviling the Brit- Two hundred thousand dollars, the valuation ish, and applauding the American service, of the prizes, was accordingly paid over to the used the influence of seniority in trying to American commander and his crew. The persuade his brother to enter the latter. The verdict of the court-marshall, puts the conduct honorable youth, with tears in his eyes, re- of Captain Carden and his crew, beyond quesplied: 'If you are a rascal, that's notion---the substance of the sentence is as folreason I should be one.'" Mr. James alleges lows:-"Having most strictly investigated that several of the Macedonian's men recog- every circumstance, and examined the diffenized their old shipmates; and "Captain Car-rent officers, and ship's company; and having den," says Marshall, "observing 'Victory' very deliberately and maturely weighed and 'painted on the ship's side over one part, and considered the whole, and every part thereof, 'Nelson' over another, asked Commodore De- the Court does most honorably acquit Capt catur the reason of so strange an anomaly; Carden, the officers and crew." he answered, the men belonging to those guns served many years with Lord Nelson, and in the Victory, and they claim the privilege of using the illustrious names in the way you have seen.'" The Commodore also declared, according to the same authority, publicly, that there were but few seamen in his ship, who had not served from twelve to fifteen years in a British man-of-war. After reading this, the reader will naturally like to know what the register, which has been already so useful to us, says of the birthplace of Commodore Decatur. This authority assigns, as might be expected, a birthplace, not quite so far north as Captain Hull's, to the Commodore-Maryland.

Great were the rejoicings throughout the Union, at their third naval victory, especially as it was the first of which the fruits had been secured,-and the arrival of the colors of the Macedonian at Washington was attended with illuminations and a public and most brilliant fête. The press, too, teemed with such rhapsodies as the one of which we give a specimen.* Had a faithful statement of the com

* With unutterable pleasure we record another most gallant naval achievement--a thing without precedent or parallel-an action sui generis, unique, incomparable—a British frigate di-masted and compelled to surrender in seventeen minutes, with 106 of her crew, one-third of her number, killed and wounded, by a vessel but little her superior in force-by a new people, unused to the horrid business of war; by strangers to the thun

der of cannon.

We are lost in astonishment at the effect of Decatur's fire--no wonder that the Britons thought he was enveloped in flames, and rejoiced, giving three cheers. Weak mortals!-they had yet to learn the great activity of Decatur's youth

ful crew, and feel the power of the vengeancecharged guns of the United States.

Thus it was with Hull, with Porter, with Jones, and with Chauncey, on the lake. Every shot had its private commission to revenge a private wrong

On the arrival of Decatur, with his prize, at New York, the Macedonian was purchased by the American Government, and was rated as a thirty-six gun frigate, of which class she was the smallest ship. The same ungenerous system of tampering with the prisoners, that prevailed in the case of the Guerrière, was carried on by the Commodore and officers of the United States, and in order that his attempts might be unrestricted by the presence some lashing at the gang-way of a British vesof the Macedonian's officers, they were sent on sel of war-some privation of food for refusing to labor for "his Majesty "-some personal indigshore on parole. The officers, however, benity which imperious Britons know so well to give coming acquainted with the honorable schemes of the American officer, returned on board. We look in vain in Commodore Decatur's official communications for any admission

to "Yankee rascals."

The gallant Rodgers, unsuccessful, vexes the deep. Like the bold bald eagle of his country, he darts over the region of waters in search of his enemy: groaning in spirit that the foe is not nigh.

on the walls of that festive hall, we scarcely think that there would have been found cause for such extravagant demonstrations of joy, or room, on the part of the press, for such vainglorious paragraphs. Justice and truth would rather have awakened a feeling of admiration, at the bravery with which British sailors had contended against such unequal and fearful odds.

parative force of the two vessels, been blazoned the affair pretty clearly before the reader. The late French frigate Renommeé, newly christened the Java, was under orders to carry out to Bombay the newly appointed Governor, Lieutenant-General Hislop, and suite, with a number of supernumeraries,-Marine Society boys. Finding, on joining, that out of a complement of two hundred and ninety-two, the whole number of petty officers and men, who had ever trod a deck or been present at an action, amounted to less than fifty, Captain Lambert loudly remonstrated against the inefficiency of such a ship's comany. The only reply was, that a voyage to

Java and Constitution, December 29th.

Another action, the result of which was even more disastrous to the British, yet remains to be chronicled, before closing the list of naval battles, for the year, on the ocean.

The Java, Captain Lambert, on her outwardbound voyage to the East Indies, with a number of passengers on board, besides a large body of recruits, on the 29th December, some forty miles from St. Salvador, in lat. 13° N. and long. 36° W., encountered, and was captured by, the American frigate Constitution. "The Java," according to Commodore Bainbridge's testimony, in a letter to a friend, bearing date January 29th, 1813, "was exceedingly well fought. Poor Lambert, who died, six days after the action, was a distinguished and gallant officer."

One can hardly credit that so much indifference could have been manifested by Government, as was shown in the case of preparing the Java for a voyage, in which the chances were so great that an enemy's vessel would be encountered. A little of the previous history of the Java will, however, place

the East Indies and back would make sailors of them. It was in vain to urge the matter further, but as some slight amendment to the Java's crew, eight men were allowed to volunteer. Manned in this way, with sixty Irishmen, who had never smelt salt water, except in crossing the channel-the rest of her complement made up from prison ships, Captain Lambert was despatched to sea. Is there room for wonder that with such a crew he and his vessel should have succumbed to a superior, unprepared as he was for a contest even with an equal, force? The great cause for astonishnment is that, with such a crew, the Java should have maintained a fight from a little past two till six, and that the colors should have been lowered from the stump of the mizen mast only when the Constitution had taken up a raking position athwart the bows of her then defenceless antagonist. The Java lost her masts and bowsprit, had upwards of twenty guns disabled, her boats shot to pieces, and her hull so shattered, that it was found necessary to burn her. Twenty-two were killed, and ninetytwo wounded on board the Java, in this murderous conflict; and the American loss, though trifling in comparison, was yet severe-ten killed and forty-eight wounded. This victory added no glory to the American flag, as, with the same difference of force as in the instance of the Guerrière, the crew, although nominally stronger, was in reality not half as effective; indeed, Mr. James remarks on this head: The Constellation, Captain Stewart, will soon be at sea, to claim her portion of the laurels; and "The Constitution captured the Java certhe Adams frigate, nearly fitted out at Washing-tainly, but in so discreditable a manner that, ton city, will bring to the recollection of our aged patriots the ardent zeal that distinguished her namesake in the times that tried men's souls." -Niles' Weekly Register.

But the time will come when he shall reap a rich harvest of glory.

Bainbridge, in the Constitution, with the sloop Hornet, commanded by the excellent Lawrence, was near the middle of the Atlantic, hunting British frigates, at the date of our last accounts from him.

Porter, in the little frigate Essex is,- -we know not where; but doubtless desirous of paying his respects to Sir James Yeo, of the Southampton; who, dubbed a knight by a king, wants to be drubbed into a gentleman by a Porter; and we venture to say that if they meet, the knight will get a lesson on good mauners.

had the latter been manned with a well trained crew of three hundred and twenty men, no doubt remains in our mind, and we have con

sidered the subject seriously, that, notwith- were covered with spectators, and an immense standing her vast superiority of force, the crowd filled the streets, so as to render it difAmerican frigate must either have succumbed ficult for the military escort to march. The or have fled." According to the same author, commodore was distinguished by his noble "the manner in which the Java's men were figure, and his walking uncovered. On his treated by the American officers, reflects upon right hand was the veteran Commodore the latter the greatest disgrace." One object, Rodgers, and on his left Brigadier-general however, the Constitution's officers missed by Welles; then followed the brave Captain Hull, their cruelty in manacling and pillaging their Colonel Blake, and a number of officers and poor captives-three only of the Java's crew citizens; but the crowd was so immense that entered, while the remainder, jail birds though it was difficult to keep the order of processionmany of them were, treated with contempt The band of music in the balcony of the State their reiterated promises of high pay, rich Bank and the music of the New-England land, and liberty. guards, had a fine effect." Here was a compliment to the British navy!

The verdict of the court martial held on the surviving officers and crew of the Java was, that "the action was maintained with zeal, ability, and bravery," and the compliment paid to Lieut. Chads, who commanded after Captain Lambert's fall, a very high one. Rear Admiral Thorn was the president, and, returning Lieutenant Chads his sword, he thus addressed him-"I have much satisfaction in returning you your sword. Had you been an officer who had served in comparative obscurity all your life, and never before heard of, your conduct on the present occasion has been sufficient to establish your character as a brave, skilful, and attentive officer." We think it but justice to bring these facts forward, to enable those who may have seen only American accounts of the war, to come to a more correct conclusion respecting the events we have been just detailing. We cannot forbear quoting from James a short account of the reception of Commodore Bainbridge by the citizens of

Boston:

"At this moment our eyes light upon a passage in a book before us, giving an account of the reception of Commodore Bainbridge by the citizens of Boston, and we cannot resist the

lic.

Effect of these suc

There is very little doubt but that the effect of these four actions on cesses on the American the American mind was people. most important, as the successive triumphs gave a tone and character to a war hitherto decidedly unpopular with the moderate portion of the community, and imparted a still greater confidence to the war party, already far from deficient in the language of pretension and vain glorious boasting.

The tone, even, of the National Intelligencer, previously moderate, if not pacific, was at once altered, and the repeal of the orders in Council, simple and unconditional as it was, "the American flag was now to secure all now failed to satisfy American demagogues, that sailed under it."

This was a bold attitude to assume towards a nation whose seamen had beaten, in succession, every power in Europe into a confession of their superiority, more especially when we reflect that the Americans were to the full as much astonished as were the English at the unassumed. The various orders from Washington expected aspect which naval events had now to the Commanders make this sufficiently aptemptation of placing it before the British pub-parent, and supply a more correct index to the 'On the following Thursday (that succeeding the frigate's arrival,) Commodore Bainbridge landed at the long wharf from the frigate Constitution, amidst acclamations, and roaring of cannon from the shore. All the way from the end of the pier to the Exchange coffee-house, was decorated with colours and streamers. In State street they were strung across from the opposite buildings, while the windows and balconies of the houses were filled with ladies, and the tops of the houses

reality of American expectations than do the vapourings of a few individuals, who prepared a highly seasoned dish of self-glorification for a public by no means unwilling to swallow the regale seasoned for the national taste.

"No one" says one Historian* “ can compare the official accounts without acknowledg ing that accident or fortune had little to do with these battles, which were like nearly all

* Ingersoll.

This last paragraph is a fortunate admission, as but few laurels were added to the American naval wreath after the first year, and as the American Navy disappeared nearly altogether from the ocean when the British Government awoke, at length, from their delusion, and adopted such measures as they should have done at the beginning of the war.

We have just given a full account, not only of the exploits, but of the

Measures adopted by the British Government.

the other naval engagements throughout the 1572, the other 1556 tons; and they were both war, AFTER England had time to recover from constructed of very thin and inadequate scanther surprise, and endeavour to imitate or excel ling. The establishment of each ship was 30 her antagonist. More extensive or more nu-long 24-pounders on the first or upper' merous battles would add little to the creden- deck, and 26 carronades 42-pounders, and two, tials of the few gained." afterwards increased to four, long 24-pounders on the second or 'spar' deck; total, at first 58, then 60 guns, with a net complement of 480 men and boys. The Leander and Newcastle, therefore, in the disposition of their guns, perfectly agreed with the cut-down 74s; and yet they were officially registered as 'frigates,' but, by way of salvo for their anomalous structure with spar decks,' was superadded. If, by 'frigate,' is meant a ship with a single battery-deck from stem to stern, is it not a sufficient stretch of the term, to apply it to a vessel that has two additional short decks, upon which are mounted nearly as many guns as she carries on her whole deck? But must a ship, having two whole decks, upon each of which an equal number of guns is mounted, be called a single-decked vessel? And yet, in official language, the Leander and Newcastle are not two-decked ships, otherwise their lower battery-deck would not be called their upper deck, nor their upper, their spar deck; neither would their depth of hold be measured from the deck below the first battery-deck, nor the length of the same deck be registered as the length of gun-deck.' These are the only points, in which these frigates with spar decks differ from the cut-down 74s, and from the 56 and 54 gun ships already mentioned.

force in tons, men, and guns, of the American forty-fours, and we will now, as far as lies in our power, point out the steps that were taken by the British Admiralty, to put a stop to their further successes. Three of the small class seventy-fours, the Majestic, Goliath, and Saturn, were cut down, and thus armed: The first deck battery of twenty-eight long thirty-two-pounders was retained, but in lieu of twenty-eight long eighteens' on the second deck, an equal number of forty-two-pound carronades were carried, with two long twelve-pounders as chase guns; this, with a complement of four hundred and ninety-four men and boys, was judged a fair match for the American, nominally, fortyfours; as, however, no glory could have accrued from the capture of an American fortyfour, by what would have been styled a seventy-four in disguise, the policy or utility of this measure may be, and has been, very much doubted.

Besides the completion of these three razees, two vessels were built to answer the same purposes. They also merit a few remarks which we will take from James:

The command of the Leander was given to Captain Sir George Rolph Collier, and the command of the Newcastle, to Captain Lord George Stuart. Great difficulty was experienced in getting these two ships manned; and certainly the crew of the Leander, after it was obtained, was a very indifferent one, containing, besides many old and weakly men, an un"The Leander was constructed of pitch-fectiveness of the Leander's crew has recently usually large proportion of boys. This inefpine, from a draught prepared by Sir Wil-been contradicted; but we allude to the period liam Rule, the ingenious architect of the of the ship's arrival at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Caledonia, and many other fine ships in the British navy; and the Newcastle was constructed of the same light wood, from the draught of M. Louis-Charles Barrallier, then an assistant surveyor under Sir William, but now the principal naval architect for the French at Toulon. The first of these ships measured

"We were then on board the Leander several times, and not only witnessed the quality of her crew, but heard the officers complain, as well they might, of their great inferiority in that respect to the ships against which they were expected to contend.

"When she quitted Spithead, for Halifax, the Leander was so lumbered with stores, that the ship would scarcely have made the voyage, had she not received a refit in Cork; and even then it was fortunate, much as was to be expected from her captain and officers, that the Leander did not encounter one of the Ame-ing the proper number of guns, because she rican 44s.