1804. whose foul deeds excited indignation in every generous breast. The Americans cannot deny, that the complements of their ships in the tripolitan war consisted chiefly of british seamen, supplied by a scotch renegado at New-York, and by numerous other crimps in the different seaport towns of the United States; and that those complements were afterwards filled up, by similar means, at Cadiz and other ports of the Mediterranean. Was not commodore Preble, on account of being detected in some transaction of this sort, obliged to shorten his stay at Gibraltar, and to fix Syracuse, instead of Malta, for his next rendezvous? To such as know the facility with Native which, either in the ships, or or on the shores, of adoptthe United States, a deserter, or an emigrant, can ed Ame obtain his naturalization, the term "American" requires an epithet to render it intelligible. In recording the exploits of " Americans," it is but to lop off the qualifying adjunct "adopted," and every native reader feels a hero's blood flowing in his veins. On the other hand, should disgrace be attached to the deed, Mr. Clark (the american naval historian) and his brother-writers, anticipating the reader's wishes, seldom fail to state, that the parties were not american, but british sailors."* and ricans. counts. We must premise, also, that the only accounts Ameriwe have to refer to are those written by the Ame can acricans. The Tripolitans have no annalist to compile, no state-historiographer to magnify and blazon, the feats performed by themselves; nor have they any acute and patriotic writer, to expose the exaggerations, and disprove the mistatements, published by their enemies. With such a one-sided case before us we almost fear to proceed; and yet we should be sorry to omit recording, or, by doubting, to throw a slight upon, an act of genuine gallantry, achieved by Frenchman or American, christian or mahomedan. Feeling a laudable desire to prevent the Tripoli *James's Naval Occurrences between Great Britain and America, p. 73. Feb. Lieut. 1804. tans from making any use of the fine frigate which, by an accident so untoward, had fallen into their hands, lieutenant Stephen Decatur, of the United Deca- States' 44-gun frigate Constitution, submitted to tur and commodore Preble a plan for setting fire to and dePhila- stroying the Philadelphia in the harbour of Tripoli. delphia The commodore at first thought the enterprise too the hazardous, but at length gave his consent. On the 3d of February, having embarked with 70 volunteers, including lieutenant James Lawrence and midshipman Charles Morris, on board a turkish prize ketch, newly named the Intrepid, lieutenant Decatur sailed from Syracuse, accompanied by the 18-gun brig Syren, lieutenant Charles Stewart; whose boats, covered by the brig's fire, were to cooperate in the attack. On the 18th, in the evening, the Intrepid and Syren arrived off the harbour of Tripoli; but it appears that the two vessels " by a change of wind" separated, and that at 8 P. M. the Intrepid entered the harbour alone. The Philadelphia lay within half gun-shot of the bashaw's castle and principal battery, with two tripolitan cruisers at the distance of about 200 yards on her starboard quarter, and on the same bow a number of gun-boats." All her guns were mounted and loaded."* At about 11 P. M., just as the Intrepid had arrived within 200 yards of the larboard and outward side of the Philadelphia, the latter hailed and desired the ketch to anchor on peril of being fired into. The pilot of the Intrepid, as he had been instructed, and who, we imagine, was himself a mussulman, answered that they had lost all their anchors. Upon this the ketch was suffered to advance; and, so well was the deception kept up, that a rope was permitted to be made fast to the frigate's fore chains, by which the Intrepid hauled herself alongside. Lieutenant Decatur and his party now gallantly * Clark's Naval History of the United States, vol. i. p. 153. This wants confirmation. Burn delphia sprang on board, and, rushing upon the alarmed 1804. Tripolitans, killed about 20, and quickly subdued Feb. the remainder. Having thus, in a much easier manner than could have been anticipated, got possession ing the of the Philadelphia, lieutenant Decatur directed her Philato be set on fire; which was done so promptly and effectively, that the Intrepid herself was nearly involved in the flames. A fine wind from the land, however, at that moment sprang up; and the ketch, profiting by it, soon ran out of the harbour with the gallant party who had so fully executed the bold and perilous service intrusted to them. Although, as soon as the Tripolitans on shore had ascertained that the Philadelphia was in their enemy's possession, the forts and surrounding vessels opened a fire upon her, the Americans were so fortunate as to escape with only four men wounded. 66 Deca boats. In the course of the summer, at two or three dif- Capt. ferent periods, the american squadron, assisted by tur and some neapolitan gun-boats and bomb-vessels, bom- the gun barded the town and batteries of Tripoli; and lieutenant, or rather captain (for he then had been deservedly promoted) Decatur, who commanded a gunboat, again greatly distinguished himself. Captain Decatur," says Mr. Clark, "having grappled a tripolitan boat and boarded her with only 15 Americans; in 10 minutes her decks were cleared, and she was captured. Three Americans were wounded. At this moment captain Decatur was informed that the gun-boat, commanded by his brother, (lieutenant James Decatur,) had captured a boat belonging to the enemy; but that his brother, as he was stepping on board, was treacherously shot by the tripolitan commander, who made off with his boat. Captain Decatur immediately pursued the 'murderer, who was retreating within the lines; having succeeded in coming alongside, he boarded with only 11 men. A doubtful contest of 20 minutes ensued. Decatur immediately attacked the tripolitan commander, who was armed with a spear and cutlass. In par 1804. rying the Turk's spear, Decatur broke his sword close to the hilt, and received a slight wound in the right arm and breast; but, having seized the spear, he closed; and, after a violent struggle, both fell, Decatur uppermost. The Turk then drew a dagger from his belt; but Decatur caught hold of his arm, drew a pistol from his pocket, and shot him." Lieut. Trippe boats. An exploit fully equal to this is recorded of and the another american officer. "Lieutenant Trippe gun- boarded one of the enemy's large boats, with only a midshipman, Mr. Jonathan Henley, and nine men, his boat falling off before any more could join him. He was thus left either to perish, or to conquer 36 men with only 11. Though at first the victory seemed doubtful, yet, in a few minutes, the Tripolitans were subdued; 14 of them were killed, and 22 taken prisoners. Seven of these last were severely wounded. Lieutenant Trippe received 11 sabre wounds, some of them dangerous. The blade of his sword bending, he closed with his antagonist. Both fell. In the struggle, Trippe wrested the Turk's sword from him, and with it stabbed him to the heart."* Peace tween rica The american archives contain the records of be- several more such desperate feats between the ameAmerican and tripolitan officers and men. At length, and however, an end was put to all hostility between the Tripoli United States and the regency of Tripoli, by a treaty of peace concluded in June, 1805, but not, it appears, upon terms so advantageous as the Americans had anticipated. * Clark's Naval History of the United States, vol. i. p. 157. 429 BRITISH AND FRENCH FLEETS. THE most remarkable feature, in the abstract for the 1805. commencement of the present year, is the number of vessels that appear in the two "Built" columns. At no former or subsequent period have 87 british ships of war been launched within the year. All these ships, except the five principal ones, had been ordered to be built since the commencement of the war, and upwards of 50 of them since the commencement of the year in which they first took the water. Nothing can better demonstrate the exertions made by the new lord of the admiralty (the late lord Melville) to recover the british navy from the low state into which it had previously fallen. Of 87 vessels so launched in the year 1804, 80 had been built in the merchants' yards, a number amounting to nearly two thirds of all that had been similarly built during the whole nine years of the preceding war. Of the 88 new vessels ordered in 1804, 48 were gun-brigs, and 10 belonged to the N, or middling class of 74. The utility of the latter cannot be disputed; but the former would probably have better answered the intended purpose of their construction, had they been differently armed. Their light draught of water enabled them, certainly, to approach very near to an enemy's coast; but what effective opposition could 18-pounder carronades offer to the heavy long guns mounted by the french batteries and gun-boats? The new gun-brigs were of a size (180 tons) to carry with ease four 32-pounder carronades, fitted to throw shells, and two long 18-pounders on traversing carriages, one at the bow, the other at the stern. With this reduction in their * See Appendix, Annual Ab tract No, 13. |