musket,” and, in climbing the fence, fallen (from weakness, no doubt) "upon his back," was it manly in the two American horsemen to "discharge their pistols" at him? or did Mr. Hunter's conduct in stepping aside to allow them to do so, entitle him to "much and well-merited commendation"? Was it not a cowardly act in Mr. Hunter to borrow, and in general Stewart to lend, a sword to attack an unarmed, already wounded man?-And then, "a fortunate stroke" terminated the poor wretch's existence !-We envy not the feelings of the "young gentleman" who committed, or of the general and his party of cavalry and volunteers who abetted, this foul murder-for, what else can we call it? No truly brave man but would have set a highervalue upon the gallant serjeant's life, for the determination he evinced not to surrender. Why not have permitted him to remain in the swamp to which he had fled: what dire mischief could have happened to the republic by the presence of this unarmed individual? A day or two's residence in the woods might have lowered his lofty spirit ; and he would then, perhaps, have freely surrendered to a tenth part of those whom he so long kept at bay; and from whom he would, no doubt, have ultimately escaped, had he possessed another musket, or perhaps another load, even, for that which he had. Acquitting the American commanding officer of those accordant feelings which

would have prompted him to grant so brave à man his liberty, no alternative remains to account for the general's hot pursuit of him, but that he must have felt piqued, because Mayeaux's conduct was so opposite to that of the American captain of militia, who, in the same neighbourhood, and about a twelvemonth previous, suffered himself to be taken prisoner by a one-handed British lieutenant of the navy. In vain do we search through the different American works for any account of the capture of serjeant Mayeaux and his party; although the capture of a single individual has, on other occasions, been exultingly recorded by the whole of our three obsequious historians. It must be the wish of every staunch American, that the editor of the Alexandria newspaper had not been so officious: be it our task to give a yet more permanent form to the account of the intrepid behaviour, and the dastardly murder, of serjeant Mayeaux.

After quitting Benedict, captain Barrie ascended the river to Lower Marlborough, a town about 28 miles from the capital of the United States. The party landed, and took possession of the place; the militia, as well as the inhabitants, flying into the woods. A schooner, belonging to a captain David, was captured, and loaded with tobacco: after which, having burnt,

at Lower Marlborough, and at Magruders,* on the opposite side of the river, tobacco-stores, containing 2800 hogsheads, and loaded the boats with stock, the detachment re-embarked. The Americans collected a force, estimated at about 350 regulars, besides militia, on Holland's clifts;* but some marines, being landed, traversed the skirts of the heights, and re-embarked without molestation; the American troops not again shewing themselves, till the boats were out of gun-shot.

The blockade of commodore Barney's flotilla, and the depredations on the coasts of the Patuxent, by captain Barrie's squadron, caused great inquietude at Washington. At length, an order reached the American commodore, directing him to destroy the flotilla; in the hopes that the British, having no longer such a temptation in their way, would retire from a position so contiguous to the capital. The order was suspended, owing to a proposal of colonel Wadsworth, of the engineers; who, with two 18-pounders, upon travelling-carriages, protected by a detachment of marines and regular troops, engaged to drive away the two frigates from the mouth of the creek. The colonel established his battery behind an elevated ridge, which sheltered him and his men; and, on the morning of the 26th of June, a simultaneous attack of the gun-boats

*See Plate 5.

and battery was made upon the two frigates, Loire and Narcissus.* What with hot shot, the position chosen by the colonel not being commanded by the fire from either frigate, and captain Brown, the commanding officer's, having no force which he could land to carry the battery,† the Loire and Narcissus retired to a station near Point Patience; and the American flotilla, with the exception of one barge, which put back, apparently disabled by the shot from the frigates, moved out of the creek, and ascended the Patuxent. The frigates sustained no loss on this occasion; but commodore Barney admits a loss of a midshipman and three men killed, and seven men wounded.

We have here a fine opportunity of contrasting the difference in style, between a letter written by an adopted, and one written by a native American, upon the same subject. Commodore Barney writes: "This morning, at 4 A.M. a combined attack of the artillery, marine corps, and flotilla, was made upon the enemy's two frigates, at the mouth of the creek. After two hours' engagement, they got under weigh, and made sail down the river. They are now warping round Point Patience, and I am moving up the Patuxent with my flotilla." +

An officer on board the flotilla, writes thus:

*Wilkinson's Mem. Vol. I. p. 739.

Ilist, of the War, p. 226.

+ Ibid, p. 740.

"We moved down with the flotilla, and joined in the chorus with the artillery. Our fire was terrible. At six o'clock they began to move, and made sail down the river, leaving us masters of the field. Thus we have again beat them and their rockets, which they did not spare. First, we beat off a few boats; then, they increased the number; then, they added schooners; and now, behold the two frigates: all have shared the same fate. We next expect ships of the line. No matter, we will do our duty."

On the 4th of July, the Severn, of 50 guns, having joined the Loire and Narcissus, captain Nourse, of the first-named ship, despatched captain Brown, with the marines of the three ships, (150 in number,) up St. Leonard's creek. Here two of commodore Barney's barges were found scuttled, owing to the damage they had received in the action with the frigates. The barges, and several other vessels, were burnt, and a large tobacco-store destroyed. Soon after this, the British quitted the Patuxent.

On the 19th of July, rear-admiral Cockburn, in the Marlborough 74, having been joined by a battalion of marines, and a detachment of marine artillery, proceeded up the river Potomac, for the purpose of attacking Leonard's-town, the capital of St. Mary's county, where the 36th * Naval Monument, p. 240.