honour and generosity, and regardless of the rights of nations, attacked the Essex in her crippled state, within pistol shot of a neutral shore; when for six weeks I had daily offered him fair and honourable combat, on terms greatly to his advantage; the blood of the slain must be on his head; and he has yet to reconcile his conduct to Heaven, to his conscience, and to the world.

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I must in justification of myself observe, that with our six twelve pounders only, we fought this action, our carronades being almost useless.

"The loss in killed and wounded has been great with the enemy; among the former is the first Lieutenant of the Phoebe, and of the latter, Captain Tucker of the Cherub, whose wounds are severe. Both the Essex and Phoebe were in a sinking state, and it was with difficulty they could be kept afloat until they anchored in Valparaiso next morning. The battered state of the Essex, will, I believe, prevent her ever reaching England; and I also think it will be out of their power to repair the damages of the Phoebe, so as to enable her to double Cape Horn.

"In justice to Commodore Hillyar, I must observe, that (although I can never be reconciled to the manner of his attack on the Essex, or to his conduct before the action,) he has, since our capture, shewn the greatest humanity to my wounded, (whom he permitted me to land, on condition that the United States should bear their expenses,) and has endeavoured as much as lay in his power, to alleviate the distresses of war, by the most generous and delicate deportment towards myself, my officers and crew; he gave orders that the property of every person should be respected.

"To possess the Essex, it has cost the British

government near six millions of dollars, and yet, sir, her capture was owing entirely to accident; and if we consider the expedition with which navel contests are now decided, the action is a dishonour to them.

"During the action, our Consul-General, Mr. Poynsett, called on the Governor of Valparaiso, and requested that the batteries might protect the Essex. This request was refused, but he promised that if she should succeed in fighting her way to the common anchorage, he would send an officer to the British commander and request him to cease firing, but declined using force under any circumstances, and there is no doubt a perfect understanding existed between them. This conduct, added to the assistance given to the British, and their friendly reception after the action, and the strong bias of the faction which governs Chili in favour of the English, as well as their hostility to the Americans, induced Mr. Poynsett to leave that country. Under such circumstances, I did not conceive it would be proper for me to claim the restoration of my ship, confident that the claim would be made by my government to more effect. Finding some diffi culty in the sale of my prizes, I had taken the Hector and Catharine to sea and burnt them with their cargoes."

On Commodore Porter's return to the United States, he was received with that eclat to which the brilliancy of his actions entitled him. He assisted at the defence of Baltimore, and on the return of peace, Congress having established a Navy Board to assist the operations of the Navy Department, he was appointed one of the three Commissioners to whom its direction was con fided.

COMMODORE

WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE.

WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE, son of Doctor Absalom Bainbridge, a respectable physician of Princeton, New-Jersey, was born at that place, on the seventh of May, 1774. While yet a child, his parents removed to New-York, and he was left under the care of his grandfather, John Taylor, Esq. of Monmouth county, where he received his education, which, as he was originally destined to mercantile pursuits, was confined to the ordinary branches of English instruction, and the rudiments of the French language. At sixteen, he was placed in a counting-house at New-York, but was soon removed by his grandfather to Philadelphia, and placed as an apprentice to the sea service in the employ of Messrs. Miller and Murray, merchants, whom he was to serve for a certain time without indentures, and free of expense. In their employ, he made many voyages and soon rose to command. At eighteen years of age, while mate of the ship Hope, on her way to Holland, the crew, taking advantage of a vio lent gale of wind, rose upon the officers, seized the captain, and had nearly succeeded in throw→ ing him overboard, when young Bainbridge, hearing the alarm, ran on deck with an old pistol without a lock, and being assisted by an apprentice boy and an Irish sailor, who was attached to him from being an old shipmate, rescued the captain, seized the ringleaders, and quelled the mutiny. So satisfied were his employers with this as well as his general conduct, that before his term of service had expired, he received the command

of a ship in the Dutch trade when only nineteen years of age. From this time, 1793, till the year 1798, he commanded merchant ships in the trade from Philadelphia to Europe. In one of these voyages, in the year 1796, on his way from Bordeaux to St. Thomas, in the small ship Hope, with four small carriage guns and nine men, he had an engagement with a British schooner of eight guns and thirty-five men, commanded by a sailing-master in the navy, and after a smart action compelled her to strike her colours. As, however, the two countries were at peace, and he of course was acting only on the defensive, he could not take possession of her; but sent her off contemptuously to make a report of her action. The Hope lost no men, but the enemy had many killed and wounded.

In the month of July, 1798, while preparing to sail for Spain, he received unexpectedly and without any application on his part, an offer of the command of the United States' schooner Retali`ation, of fourteen guns, to be employed against France, between which power the United States had recently commenced hostilities. He accepted the appointment, on condition that he should have a commission as Lieutenant and Commander in the navy, and be placed first of that grade on the list of promotion. Having received this, he sailed in the Retaliation, and after cruising during the summer along the coast of the United States, accompanied the squadron, under Commodore Murray on a cruise in the West-Indies. While cruising to the windward of Gaudaloupe, the Retaliation was captured, in the month of November, by two French frigates and a lugger, and taken into that island, where she remained. three months. On board the frigate which cap

tured her, was General Desfourneaux, on his way to Gaudaloupe, to supersede Victor Hughes in the command of the island. This officer desirous, as it would appear from his conduct, of seeming to be the friend of the United States, proposed to Lieutenant Bainbridge to resume the command of his vessel, and return to the United States. This offer was accompanied by assurance of the respect and regard in which he held the American people. His conduct, however, rendered these plausible appearances but too suspicious. Whilst affecting an ostentatious generosity in giving up the Retaliation, other American ships, of far more value, were retained, and his assurances of respect were contradicted by the harsh and rigorous treatment of many Americans, whom he refused to regard as prisoners, but who were confined and treated with as much severity as criminals. Lieutenant Bainbridge replied, that he knew of no other light in which he could be regarded, than either as a prisoner or as entirely free that if General Desfourneaux returned him his ship and his commission, that commission required him to cruise against the commerce of France, an injunction which he dared not disobey. On the other hand, if he were a prisoner, the proper course would be to make his ship a cartel and send her home in that way. He remonstrated at the same time with great firmness against the treatment which his countrymen were daily receiving. General Desfourneaux insisted on his resuming his command, threatened him with imprisonment if he refused, and declared that if, on receiving the Retaliation he should cruise against the French, every American would be put to the sword. Lieutenant Bainbridge replied that no threats should induce him to act