The two bomb-ketches, while throwing their shells into the town, were exposed to a direct fire from the bashaw's castle, from the crown, mole, and several other batteries. The commodore, perceiving their danger, ran his ship between them and the batteries, within musket shot. Seventy guns were brought to bear on him from the batteries. But he discharged eleven broadsides with so much effect, that he silenced the principal batteries, and injured the others, and also the town considerably. The wind veering to the northward, and it beginning to blow fresh, the commodore, at half past four P. M. gave signal to retire from the action under cover of the Constitution. Though the frigates and vessels were much damaged in this engagement, not a man was lost.

The bomb-vessel, commanded by lieutenant Robinson, had all her shrouds shot away, and was so much damaged in her hull, as to be with difficulty kept above water. The Argus received a thirty-two pound ball in her hull. It cut away a bower cable as it entered, which so completely destroyed its force, that it fell upon the deck without doing any injury.

Commodore Preble had for some time contemplated sending a fire-ship into the harbour, in order to destroy the flotilla, and injure the town. Captain Somers volunteered his services. He, with the assistance of lieutenants Wadsworth and Israel, fitted out the ketch Intrepid for the expedition. One hundred barrels of gunpowder and one hundred and fifty shells were placed in the hold. Fusees and combustibles were so applied as not to endanger a retreat.

On the evening of the 4th of September, captain Somers chose two fast-rowing boats, in order to bring off the people, after the vessel should be set on fire. His own boat was manned by four men from the Nautilus, and six from the Constitution, with lieutenant Wadsworth. At eight they parted from the squadron, and stood into the harbour. They were convoyed by the

Argus, Vixen, and Nautilus, until arrived within a short distance from the batteries. On entering the inner harbour, and near the point of her destination, the fire ship was boarded and carried by two galleys of one hundred men each. At this moment she exploded with the most awful effect. Every battery was silenced. Not a gun was fired during the remainder of the night. There is every reason to suppose that captain Somers, on perceiving no means of escape left, and that he should inevitably be doomed to an ignominious captivity, heroically resolved to die, and with his own hands set fire to the train, when himself, his companions, and the enemy, met a common death.

After this, nothing material occurred until September 9th, when the long expected squadron, under commodore Barron, joined the one before Tripoli. Here ended the command of commodore Preble, so honourable to himself and his country. All joined in praising his distinguished merit. The Pope made a public declararation, that "the United States, though in their infancy, had, in this affair, done more to humble the antichristian barbarians on the coast, than all the European states had done for a long series of time." Sir Alexander Ball, a distinguished commander in the British navy, addressed commodore Preble as follows :-" I beg to repeat my congratulations on the services you have rendered your country, and the hair-breadth escapes you have had in setting a distinguished example. Your bravery and enterprise are worthy a great and rising nation. IfI were to offer my opinion, it should be, that you have done well not to purchase a peace with the enemy. A few brave men have indeed been sacrificed; but they could not have fallen in a better cause; and I even conceive it advisable to risk more lives rather than submit to terms which might encourage the Barbary states to add fresh demands and insults."

After the junction of the two squadrons, commodore Preble obtained leave to return home. This he did with

the greater pleasure, as it would give the command of a frigate to captain Decatur. On his return to the United States, he was received and treated every where with that distinguished attention, which he had so fully merited. Congress voted him their thanks, and requested the President to present him with an emblematical medal.*

While Commodore Preble was humbling the emperor of Morocco, and maturing his plans for the Tripolitan war, general William Eaton, who had resided as one of the American consuls up the Mediterranean, and then on his passage home, conceived the plan of co-operating with the naval force, by repairing to Egypt, and forming a confederacy with Hamet Caramelli; and restoring him to his lawful possessions. As soon as gen. Eaton made known his plans, several marines volunteered from the American squadron and joined him in the adventure. He repaired to Alexandria in Egypt, made known his plans and views to Hamet, roused him from his despondency, and entered into an agreement with him that promised to restore him to his throne. This throne was then possessed by Jussuff, who had murdered his father, and his eldest brother, driven Hamet his youngest brother into exile, and usurped the throne.

Hamet on his part promised to maintain perpetual peace with the United States, and promote, by all possible means, the mutual and reciprocal interest of the parties.

As soon as this convention was signed, the parties proceeded to assemble an army, which was soon effected; and they commenced their march across the desert of Barca. After traversing the desert about six hundred miles, they arrived before Derne, the capital of a province of the same name, belonging to the government of Tripoli, which soon yielded to the arms of the conquer

ors.

*Clark's Naval Ilistory, vol. i. p. 148–163.

Alarmed for his own safety, the Bashaw of Tripoli strengthened his defence, by augmenting his garrison, and calling into the field an army of twenty thousand Arabs. Thus fortified, he set at defiance the army of Eaton, and the squadron of Preble, by demanding the sum of six hundred thousand dollars, and an annual tribute as the conditions of peace. But these terms were rejected with disdain, and the assailing squadron renewed the war.

Negotiations in the mean time were lingering and progressing, delaying and advancing in Tropoli.

Suffice it to say, that, the sum of sixty thousand dollars was paid to the Bashaw-thirty thousand dollars less than the gallant Preble, in the midst of victory, had offered; and five hundred and forty thousand dollars less than the insolent Bashaw, in fancied security, had demanded.

CHAPTER VI.

Causes that led to the late war with Great Britain, War declared.

Notwithstanding the war of the revolution had cost Great Britain more than 100,000 men, and more than 100,000,000 sterling; compelled her to do justice to her colonies, as far as justice could be done by a fair and honourable treaty, yet she by her folly had lost her colonies, and felt the wound so sensibly, that she made all possible efforts to continue to embarrass and distress them. She violated the 7th article of the treaty of Paris, 1783, by withholding the western posts, on the frontier; encouraged and promoted Indian wars, and depredations upon our N. Western frontier; and actu

ally furnished officers and men, arms and ammunition, money and other supplies for war. She also excited the Barbary powers, upon the shores of the Mediterranean sea, to commit depredations upon American commerce; impressed American seaman into her service, and compelled them to do duty on board her ships of war. She by her orders in council, commenced an unprecedented restrictive system upon neutral commerce, and by her arbitrary and despotic paper blockades, claimed the sovereign control of the ocean; all which not only greatly embarrassed, but almost annihilated all neutral commerce. In addition to all this, she claimed the right of searching neutral vessels, and not only impressing therefrom American seamen ; but of seizing and removing all goods, suspected of belonging to an enemy. Under the mask of the first of these assumed rights, the British frigate Leopard actually fired into the American frigate Chesapeake; compelled her to strike her colours, and took out of her four American seaman. This outrage caused great public excitement, and led to an immediate negotiation; but before the affair could be amicably adjusted, the British sloop of war Little Belt, commenced an attack upon the American frigate President, which was nobly repelled; and the Little Belt suffered severely.

This renewed outrage called aloud for war, and the government, and the nation were alive to the issue;, but before war had been declared, Great Britain added the finishing touch to her hostile system, by exciting the North Western Indians to actual hostilities, and on the first of December the President announced to Congress the memorable battle of Tippacanoe, near the Wabash, on the seventh of November, in which the Americans lost one hundred killed, wounded, and missing. The Indians in this action surprised Gen. Harrison, in time of peace, and notwithstanding they were routed and dispersed, their loss could not be accurately ascertained; but was undoubtedly much greater than that of the Americans.