cut his cable and made sail, when the action continued for 30 minutes, close on board; soon after making way, the pilot was unfortu nately mortally wounded, and the schooner grounded; at this time their 2 largest barges were disabled, and about musket shot distance astern, when they retreated and have not since been seen. The Alligator's rigging and sails, from the topsail yard down, are literally cut to pieces, and but few shot in her hull, two men killed and two wounded, one severely, and the pilot (Mr. Hatch, a very respectable master of a vessel in this port, having a large family depending entirely on his exertions for support) mortally wounded. Great credit is due to sailing master Bassett, his officers and crew, for defeating a force so greatly superior in numbers, as there could not have been less than 140 men opposed to forty. The enemy, by the information received from the inhabitants immediately on the river, must have suffered severely, as there was great confusion on board them while retreating, and the largest boat appeared to be so much injured as to require the assistance of the others. I left the schooner last night in Wappoo Cut, and she will be here as soon as the weather will permit. When I receive Mr. Bassett's official report, I shall do myself the honour to forward it, for your further information. I have the honour to be, &c. J. H. DENT. Hon. Wm. Jones, Secretary of the Navy. Extracts of letters from general Floyd to general Pinckney. CAMP NEAR FORT HALL, February 2d, 1814. "SIR, "I arrived with the army at this place yesterday. I apprised you in my last of the necessity of falling back. The arrival of twelve wagons in the evening, the prospect of reinforcements, and the handsome terms in which you have been pleased to approbate the conduct of the army in the late affair with the enemy, I flatter myself will contribute to the accomplishment of my labors to preserve the honour and reputation of the army. I now entertain a gleam of hope that things will end well. No means on my part have or will be neglected to effect so desirable an object. Reasoning, seasoned with threats of the consequences, and the direful effects which followed the improper conduct of the New York militia, have been represented in strong terms; nor have I omitted to remind them of their pledges to the government to brave dangers, encounter toil and endure privation-to risk life and fortune in support of the common cause. You may rest assured that I shall employ all the means in my power to promote the public interest. Since my report of the battle of the 27th, I am well assured, that seven of the enemy's slain have been found in one grave in Canlibee swamp, and five others in an adjacent one. Accept my acknowledgments for the terms in which you have been pleased to approbate my conduct-my endeavours to continue to merit it will be unremitting." "February 3d, 1814. "I am informed that the enemy are in possession of our works at Camp Defiance, on their way to attack us, which in all probability they will attempt to night. We are well prepared, and will give a good account of them, if they attempt the execution of their designs, I this morning sent off the most of our wounded and sick." SIR, HEAD QUARTERS, FORT STROTHER, February 17th, 1814, Your two letters of the 8th and 14th instant, have been received, but from the continued hurry of business with which I am surrounded, I have not had time to answer them until now. The importance of the service you have rendered, and the deep interest you have taken in forwarding my views and the objects of the campaign, command my sincere thanks. I hope you will continue to aid in procuring the means and transporting the supplies to this place: the active exertions of a patriot of sixty-five years of age, will certainly stimulate the youthful soldier to his duty; such examples have become necessary; I find those who talk most of war and make the greatest bustle about our injured rights at home, are the last to step forward in vindication of those rights. Patriotism is an appendage which such men wear as a coquette does a fine ribband, merely for show, and to be laid aside or applied as necessity may require. I have the honour to be, &c. ANDREW JACKSON, Colonel William Cocke. Major general commanding. SIR, UNITED STATES FRIGATE PRESIDENT, I have to acquaint you that I arrived at my present anchorage last evening at 5 o'clock, after a cruize of seventy-five days, and now have the honour to detail to you the particulars In pursuance to your directions, I sailed from Providence the 5th December; and although I expected to have run the gauntlet through the enemy's squadron, that was reported to be cruizing between Block Island and Gayhead for the purpose of intercepting the President, I had the good luck to avoid them. The day after leaving Providence, I re-captured the American schooner Comet, of, and bound to, New York, with a cargo of cotton from Savannah, which had been captured by the Ramilies and Loire, and in their possession about 48 hours. In a few hours after recapturing the Comet, a sail was discovered to the eastward, which I felt inclined to avoid, from the circumstance of the weather being hazy, and knowing that I was in the neighbourhood of an enemy's squadron. From an advantage of wind, she was enabled, however to gain our lee beam at a distance of three or four miles, owing to which I was induced to shorten sail, with the intention of offering her battle in the morning, should nothing else be in sight, and she not be a ship of the line. The weather becoming more obscure at 2 o'clock, prevented our seeing her until day-light, when she stood from us to the north east, although the President was hove to, to let her come up. From this date until the 25th, we did not see a single sail, except the Recovery (a brig belonging and bound to Penobscot, from St.Bartholomew, in ballast) until after reaching the longitude of 35, and latitute 19, being carried that far eastward by a severe S. W. gale, accompanied by such a heavy sea, as to render heaving to impracticable without infinite risk, when two large sail were discovered standing to the northward, and to which I gave chase, believing, as well from the situation in which they were first discovered, as the manifest disposition they afterwards showed to avoid a separation, that one was a frigate and the other an Indiaman under her convoy; in this I was mistaken, for on a nearer approach I could discover the headmost was a frigate with seven ports abaft her gangway, and the other a ship of equal or little inferior force. On discovering their decided superiority, and supposing them to be enemy's ships, I endeavored, during the succeeding night, to separate them by steering different courses, and occasionally shewing a light, but was unable to succeed, for the headmost was at one time so near that she fired a shot over us, whilst her consort was but a few hundred yards astern of her. I now directed our course to be altered, made sail, and continued the remainder of the night to shew them light occasionally, but to no effect, as at day-light they were discovered to be in a situation to unite their force. After this I shaped a course to reach a position to windward of Barbadoes, on a parallel of longitude with Cayenne, and did not meet another vessel till the 30th, when falling in with a Portuguese brig, and receiving information that she had been boarded 36 hours before by two British store ships, bound to the West Indies with 300 troops on board, I crowded sail to the westward in the hope of overtaking them; in this I was again disappointed, and after a pursuit of four days, hauled further southward to gain the latitude of Barbadoes; and in that situation, on the 5th of January captured the British merchant ship Wanderer, of 7 guns and 16 men, from London bound to Jamaica, partly loaded with plantation stores, and after taking from her such light articles as were of most value, sunk her. In the same position, on the 7th, I fell in with the British merchant ship Prince George, in the character of a cartel with prisoners, which, with 4 other British vessels, had been captured by two French 44 gun frigates, the Medusa and Nymph, the same ships I had fallen in with 14 days before. On board of the Prince George I sent the prisoners captured in the Wanderer to Barbadoes, on parole. On the 9th of January, while still to windward of Barbadoes, I captured the ship Edward, of 6 guns and 8 men, from London bound to Laguira, in ballast-which vessel I also sunk. Having learned from the master of the Edward as well as the Wanderer and Prince George, that they had been separated in the Bay of Biscay from their convoy, consisting of the Queen 74, two frigates, and two sloops of war, I was induced, owing to a belief that the convoy was still to the eastward, to remain to windward of Barbadoes until the 16th January, when finding they must have passed, I changed my ground and ran off Cayenne, and from thence down the coast of Surinam, Berbice and Demarara, though between Tobago and Grenada, thence through the Caribbean sea, along the southeast side of Porto Rico, through the Mona passage, down the north side of Jamaica, and other leeward islands, without meeting a single vessel of the enemy, or any other than four Spanish droggers and one Swedish ship, until I got near the Manilla reef; near which, after capturing and sinking the British schooner Jonathan, loaded with rum and dry goods (the most valuable part of which I took on board) I hauled over for the Florida shore and struck soundings off St. Augustine, and from thence run on soundings as far as Charleston, passing within 4 or 5 miles of Columbia island, and as near to Savannah as the weather and depth of water would allow, without meeting a single vessel except a Spanish ship from the Havanna bound to Spain, but steering for Savannah in consequence of having sprung à leak. Arriving off Charleston, (which was on the 11th instant,) I stretched close in with the Bar, and made the private signal of the day to two schooners lying in Rebellion Roads, and which, from their appearance, I believed to be public vessels. After remaining all day off the Bar, with colours hoisted, and the beforementioned signal displayed, without being able to communicate with the schooners, I stood to the northward, and at seven o'clock the next morning, discovered and chased a ship to the southward, which, after pursuing eight or nine miles, led me to a second sail, (a brig under her topsails, with her top-gallant masts housed, and her flying gib-boom rigged in), and from thence to the discovery of a third sail, represented from the mast-head to be a large frigate; on discovering the third sail, added to the manouvres of the first and second, I was induced to believe them part of an ene my's squadron, and accordingly hauled up and stood for the former, to ascertain her character; and after making her from the deck, perceived she was a frigate as reported. I now shortened sail, believing that towards night I might be able to cut off the ship, (which was either a small frigate or large sloop of war,) and brig, from the third or largest sail, at this time nine or ten miles to windward; in this, however, I was not able to effect my purpose, owing to the weather-sail (between sun-set and dark) bearing down for the others. Judging now from their manouvres, that after dark they would chase, I stood to the eastward, under short sail; believing that in the morning I might find them in some disorder; at day-light, however, owing to the haziness of the weather, they were not to be seen; consequently, I wore and stood back to the westward to make them again, and in a few minutes discovered two, one on the lee, the other on the weather bow, to which I gave chace, but after chasing them about half an hour, the weather becoming more clear, and two large ships suddenly making their appearance, one on the weather and the other on the lee beam, I changed my course to the eastward, when the four immediately crowded sail in pursuit; but owing to the weather, assisted by the enemy's manner of chasing, I was enabled to get clear of them without difficulty in a few hours. From this I pursued a course on soundings (except in doubling Cape Hatteras) to eighteen fathom water off the Delaware, where, in a fog, I tell in with a large vessel apparently a man of war. Shortened sail to topsails and cleared ship for action, but she suddenly disappearing, and in a few minutes she, or some other vessel near, being heard to fire signal guns, I stood on to the northward, from a belief I was near another squadron. From the Delaware I saw nothing until I made Sandy Hook, when I again fell in with another of the enemy's squadrons, and by some unaccountable cause was permitted to enter the pay, although in the presence of a decidedly superior force, after having been obliged to remain outside seven hours and a half waiting for the tide. Hon. Wm. Jones, Secretary of the Navy. I am, &c. JOHN RODGERS. BRITISH VERACITY. Surgeon Amos A. Evans to the Public. BOSTON, March, 1814. Having lately seen in the British Naval Chronicle, for May last, a publication signed Thomas Cook Jones, surgeon of his Britannic majesty's late ship Java; in which accusations of ill treatment towards the British wounded prisoners, whilst on board the United States' frigate Constitution, under the command of com |