May. dent and 1813. the latter still commanded by captain Smith, sailed from President roads, Boston, on his third cruise. Presi- On the 2d the two american frigates fell in with and chased the british 18-gun brig-sloop Curlew, captain Con- Michael Head; but, by knocking away the wedges gress of her masts and using other means to increase her from sailing, the brig effected her escape. On the 8th, in Boston: latitude 39° 30′ north, longitude 60° west, the Conparts gress, whether by intention or accident is not stated, parted company. sail latter company. dent pro after a WestIndia fleet. The commodore now proceeded alone; pleased, Presi- no doubt, at the prospect thus afforded him, of rivalling his brother commodores in the capture, ceeds single-handed, of a "large-class" british frigate, and, like each of them, of being hailed on his return 'as one of the first of naval conquerors. The President. cruised along the eastern edge of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland, so as to cross the tracks of the WestIndia, Halifax, Quebec, and St.-John's trade. Having reached latitude 48° without meeting any thing, the commodore stood to the south-east, and cruised off the Azores until the 6th of June; when, learning from an american merchant vessel, that she had, four days previous, passed a homeward-bound WestIndia fleet, the President crowded sail to the northeast. Commodore Rodgers, however, was too late; and, even had the President got among the merchant ships, the admirable sailing of their escort, the Cumberland 74, captain Thomas Baker, might have made the commodore regret that he had acted upon the information of his countryman. Steers for the On the 13th of June, being then in latitude 46° North north, longitude 28° west, the disappointed commoSea. dore resolved to shape a course towards the North Sea, in the hope of falling in with vessels bound from St.-George's Channel to Newfoundland; but, to his "astonishment," no prize fell in his way. The President subsequently made the Shetland islands, and on the 27th of June put into North-Bergen for provisions and water. Water was all the commodore Puts into Bergen Sails could obtain; and, provided with a supply of that 1813. wholesome article, the President quitted North- July. Bergen on the 2d of July, and stretched over towards the Orkney islands; and thence towards the NorthCape, for the purpose of intercepting a convoy of 25 for the or 30 sail, which the commodore had understood NorthCape. would leave Archangel about the middle of the month, under the protection of two british brigsloops. panied teer, and and Spitfire On the 19th of July, when off the North-Cape, in Accomcompany with the privateer-schooner Scourge, of by a New-York, and in momentary expectation of meeting privathe Archangel fleet, commodore Rodgers was driven falls in from his station by, in the language of his official with, letter, "a line-of-battle ship and a frigate," but, from in the language of truth, by the british 12-pounder Alex32-gun frigate Alexandria, captain Robert Cath- andria cart, and 16-gun ship-sloop Spitfire, captain John spit Ellis. As the commodore is very brief in his account of this meeting, we shall take our narrative from the logs of the two british ships. On the day in question, at 2 h. 30 m. P. M., latitude at noon (the mean of the two ships' reckonings) 71° 52′ north, longitude 20° 18' east, the Alexandria and Spitfire, standing south-east by south, with a light wind from the northward, discovered a frigate and a large schooner in the north-north-east. The two british ships immediately hauled up in chase, and at 5 h. 30 m. P. M. tacked to the west-north-west, making the russian as well as english private signals. At 6 h. 15 m. the President and her consort, who had hitherto been standing towards the two british ships, tacked from them to the north-west, under all sail, followed by the Alexandria and Spitfire. At 7 h. 30 m. P. M. the Spitfire was within five miles of the President, who then bore from her north-north-west. In order that there may be no doubt of identity in this case, we subjoin a brief extract or two from the letter of commodore Rodgers. "At the time of meeting with 1613, the enemy's two ships, the privateer-schooner July. Scourge, of New-York, had fallen in company.""I stood towards them until, making out what they were, I hauled by the wind upon the opposite tack to avoid them." Scourge parts british ships The lightness of the night in these latitudes encompa- abling the british frigate and sloop to keep sight of ny and their enemy, no interruption occurred in the chase. On the 20th, at 4 h. 30 m. P. M., finding that the Conti Spitfire, as well as the President, was gaining upon chase her, the Alexandria cut away her bower-anchor. of Pre- At 4 h. 40 m. the Scourge parted company from sident. Spitfire out sails her consort and gets very near to dent. the President, who was now nearly hull-down from the leading british ship. A schooner being unworthy game when a frigate was in sight, the Alexandria and Spitfire continued in pursuit of the President. "Their attention," says the commodore, "was so much engrossed by the President, that they permitted her (the Scourge) to escape, without appearing to take any notice of her." At 6 P. M., when the Alexandria bore from the Spitfire full two miles south-south-east, the President bore north distant only six miles. From this time the american frigate continued gaining upon the Spitfire until 1 h. 10 m. P. M. on the 21st; when, thick weather coming on, the latter lost sight both of Presi- her consort and her chase. The discharge of four guns, however, by the Alexandria, enabled the Spitfire to close. The two british ships again making sail, the sloop, at 2 h. 15 m. P. M., again got sight of the President, in the west-south-west, and at 4 P. M. was once more within six miles of her; which, says the commodore, "was quite as near as was desirable." The chase continued, during the remainder of the 21st, to the advantage of the american frigate, until 8 A. M. on the 22d, when the Spitfire, a fourth time, got within six miles of the President; who again, by the most strenuous efforts, began increasing her distance. At 6 P. M., when nearly hull-down from the little hoists lours and runs her persevering sloop, and quite out of sight from the 1813. Alexandria, the President fired a gun, hoisted an July. american ensign at her peak and a commodore's Presibroad pendant at her main, and hauled upon a wind dent to the westward. Captain Ellis continued gallantly her coto stand on, until, at 6 h. 40 m. P. M., captain Cathcart, our who was then eight miles in the east-north-east of his consort, considerately signalled the Spitfire to close. As soon as the latter had done so, sail was ers out again made; and the chase continued throughout sight. that night, and until 10 A. M. on the 23d; when the President had run completely out of sight of both "the line-of-battle ship and the frigate," or, as an american historian says, of the "two line-of-battle ships,"* which had so long been pursuing her. pursu of mony prison board Among the prisoners on board the President at Testithe time of the chase, were the master and mate of of the british snow Daphne, of Whitby. According to british the journal of these men, published in the news-ers on papers, they, as well as many of the President's Presiofficers and men, were convinced that the chasing dent. ships were a small frigate and a sloop of war. They describe, in a ludicrous manner, the preparations on board the President, to resist the attack of this formidable squadron. During each of the three days, a treble allowance of grog was served out to the crew, and an immense quantity of star, chain, and other kinds of dismantling shot got upon deck, in readiness for the action. It appears also that, when the Eliza-Swan whaler hove in sight a few days afterwards, she was supposed to be a large ship of war, and the ceremony with the grog and dismantling shot was repeated. After a very cautious approach on the part of the President, the chase was discovered to be a clump of a merchantman, and made prize of accordingly. trasted In the above, as the american commodore accurately Constates it, "80 hours' chase," what a contrast appears in behathe gallantry of one party, and in the pusillanimity viour * Naval Monument, p. 230. 66 1813. of the other. Will any one pretend, that the flight July. of commodore Rodgers was all the effect of delusion? of the What! mistake a ship of 422 tons for a frigate,' ameri- and a frigate of 662 tons for a "line-of-battle ship"? Well was it for the commodore that he did not british belong to the british navy. Well was it, too, for captains. tains Cathcart and Ellis, that the Alexandria sailed so can and cap Presi dent return. ill; for it was physically impossible that she and the Spitfire should have come off victorious. Yet, that gallantry, which had urged their captains to the pursuit of so formidable a ship, a ship known by her ensign and broad pendant to be a similar frigate to those that had captured, in succession, the Guerrière, Macedonian, and Java, would have impelled them to stand by each other, until both ships had either been buried in the deep, or become the trophies of the american commodore. Overjoyed at his escape, commodore Rodgers sails on determined to quit a region where constant daylight her afforded an enemy so many advantages over him: he therefore crowded sail to the westward. On the 2d of August, after the President had been four or five days in a good position for intercepting the trade passing in and out of the Irish Channel, a rumour of "superior force in that vicinity," another "line-of-battle ship and frigate" probably, rendered it expedient for the commodore to shift his cruising ground. He then made the circuit of Ireland; and, getting into the latitude of Cape Clear, steered for the banks of Newfoundland. Here commodore Rodgers was near being gratified with the sight of a real line-of-battle ship and frigate, the Bellerophon 74, captain Edward Hawker, bearing the flag of vice-admiral sir Richard Goodwin Keats, and the Cap Hyperion 36, captain William Pryce Cumby. tures Highflyer and With this intelligence, the President bent her course towards the United States; and on the 23d arrives of September, when a little to the southward of Rhode- Nantucket, succeeded in decoying and capturing the island. british 5-gun schooner Highflyer, tender to the San at |