of valuable lives, and at the request of the surviving officers and men, I gave the painful orders for the colours to be struck.

Lieutenant Hicks, of the Finch, had the mortification to strike on a reef of rocks, to the eastward of Crab Island, about the middle of the engagement, which prevented his rendering that assistance to the squadron, that might, from an officer of such ability, have been expected.

The misfortune which this day befel us by capture, will, sir, I trust, apologize for the lengthy detail which, in justice to the sufferers, I have deemed necessary to give of the particulars which led to it; and when it is taken into consideration that the Confiance was 16 days before on the stocks, with an organized crew, composed of several drafts of men who had recently arrived from different ships at Quebec, many of whom only joined the day before, and were totally unkown either to the officers or to each other, with the want of gunlocks, as well as other necessary appointments not to be procured in this country, I trust you will feel satisfied of the decided advantage the enemy possessed, exclusive of their great superiority in point of force, a comparative statement (the account of the British force has not been trans. mitted) of which I have the honour to annex. It now becomes the most pleasing part of my duty to notice to you the determined skill' and bravery of the officers and men in this unequal contest; but it grieves me to state that the loss sustained in maintaining it has been so great; that of the enemy, I understand, amounts to something more than the same number.

The fine style in which captain Downie conducted the squadron into action, amidst a tremendous fire, without returning a shot until secured, reflects the greatest credit to his memory, for his judgment and coolness, as also, on lieutenants M'Ghee and Hicks for so strictly attending to his example and instructions; their own accounts of the capture of their respective vessels, as well as that of lieutenant Robertson, who succeeded to the command of the Confiance, will, I feel assured, do ample justice to the merits of the officers and men serving under their immediate command; but I cannot omit noticing the individual conduct of lieutenants Robertson, Creswick, and Hornby, and Mr. Bryden, master, for their particular exertion in endeavouring to bring the Confiance's starboard side to bear on the enemy, after most of their guns were dismounted on the other,

It is impossible for me to express to you my admiration of the officers and crew serving under my personal orders;

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their coolness and steadiness, the effect of which was proved by their irresistible fire directed towards the brig opposed to us, claims my warmest acknowledgments, but more particularly for preserving the same so long after the whole strength of the enemy had been directed against the Linnet alone. My first lieutenant, Mr. William Drew, whose merits I have before had the honour to report to you, behaved on this occasion in the most exemplary manner.

By the death of Mr. Paul, acting second lieutenant, the service has been deprived of a most valuable and brave officer; he fell early in the action. Great credit is due to Mr. Giles, purser, for volunteering his services on deck; to Mr. Mitchell, surgeon, for the skill he evinced in performing some amputations required at the moment, as well as his great attention to the wounded during the action, at the close of which the water was nearly a foot above the lower deck, from the number of shot which struck her between wind and water. I have to regret the loss of the boatswain, Mr. Jackson, who was killed a few minutes before the action terminated. The assistance I received from Mr. Muckle, the gunner, and also from Mr. Clark, master's mate, Messrs. Towke and Sinclair, midshipmen, the latter of whom was wounded in the head, and Mr. Guy, my clerk, will, I hope, recommend them, as well as the wh le of my gallant crew, to your notice. I have much satisfaction in making you acquainted with the humane treatment the wounded have received from commodore M‘Donough; they were immediately removed to his own hospital on Crab Island, and were furnished with every requisite. His generous and polite attention also, to myself, officers, and men, will ever hereafter be gratefully remembered. I have, &c.

DAN. PRING.

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BONBARDMENT OF STONINGTON.

Extract of a letter from Brigadier-General Cushing, command

ing military district No. 2, to the Secretary of War, dated Head-Quarters, New London, 10th August, 1814, half past 9 o'clock, P. M.

“During the afternoon of yesterday a British ship of 74 guns, a frigate, a sloop of war, and an armed brig, passed into Fisher's Island Sound, and anchored, the first off Long Point, about five miles to the eastward of this harbour, and two

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and a half miles from the main, and the other three at the mouth of Stonington harbour, and within point blank-shot of the town. A flag was then sent on shore to inform the inhabitants that in one hour. their town would be in flames, and to admonish them to remove the women and children.

“On receipt of this information, which was brought to me by a citizen of Stonington about 9 o'clock, I addressed the note marked A. to major-general Williams.of this town, who gave immediate orders for assembling one regiment of militia at Stonington, one at the head of Mystic river, a company of artillery and one regiment of infantry at Norwich Landing, a little to the rear of the public vessels, and one company of artillery, and one regiment of infantry in the neighbourhood and a little in advance of this town. This disposition was made under an idea that the menace at Stonington was but a mask to another object, and intended to draw our attention and our force from the forts at the mouth of this harbour, when a party of troops might be landed two or three miles to the south-east of fort Griswold, for the purpose of carrying that post by escalade (which if successful would give them the complete command of the harbour), or march direct to the shipping above, and there co-operate with another force to be sent up the river in barges.

“ From half past 9 to 11 o'clock last night, and from daylight to 11 this morning, a constant fire of shot, shells, and rockets, was maintained against the devoted village of Stonington, in which there were only a few militia and one six and two eighteen-pounders on travelling carriages; but the village is yet standing, and the ships have hauled off to a distance of from one and an half to three miles (the brig, from all appearances, very much injured in her hull, spars, and rigging), after expending an immense quantity of ammunition and rockets without killing a single person or firing a single building."

CAPTURE OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN THE PENOBSCOT AND

PASSAM AQUODDY BAY.

Downing-street, October 9, 1814. Major Addison has arrived with the following despatch from lieutenant-general Sherbroke, dated

Castine, at the entrance of the Penobscot, September 18. My Lord,

I have now the honour to inform your lordship, that after

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closing my despatch on the 26th ultimo, in which I mentioned my intention of proceeding to the Penobscot, rear-admiral Griffith and myself lost no time in sailing from Halifax, with such a naval force as he deemed necessary, and the troops as per margin*, to accomplish the object we had in view.

Very early in the morning of the 30th, we fell in with the Rifleman sloop of war, when captain Pearce informed us, that the United States frigate Adams had got into the Penobscot; but from the apprehension of being attacked by our

cruisers, if she remained at the entrance of the river, she : up as high as Hamden, where she had landed her guns, and mounted them on shore for her protection.

On leaving Halifax it was my original intention to have taken possession of Machias, on our way hither; but on receiving this intelligence, the admiral and myself were of opinion that no time should be lost in proceeding to our des tination, and we arrived here very early on the morning of the 1st instant.

The fort at Castine, which is situated upon a peninsula of the eastern side of the Penobscot, near the entrance of that river, was summoned a little after sunrise; but the American officer refused to surrender it, and imfinediately opened a fire from four 24-pounders, upon a small schooner that had been sent with lieutenant-colonel Nicholls (commanding royal ehgineers) to reconnoitre the works.

Arrangements were immediately made for disembarking the troops; but before a landing could be effected the enemy blew up his magazine, and escaped up the Majectaquadous river, carrying off in the boats with them two field-pieces.

As we had no means of ascertaining what force the Americans had on this peninsula, I landed a detachment of royal artillery, with two rifle companies of the 60th and 98th regi. ments, under colonel Douglass, in the rear of it, with orders to secure the isthmus, and to take possession of the heights which commanded the town; but I soon learned that there were no regulars at Castine, except the party which had blown up the magazine, and escaped; and that the militia which were assembled there had dispersed immediately on our landing

Rear-admiral Griffith and myself next turned our attention to obtaining possession of the Adams, or, if that could not be done, to destroving her. The arrangements for this service having been made, the rear-admiral entrusted the exe

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cution of it to captain Barrie, royal navy, and as the co-operation of a land force was nesissari, ivi, les ieutenantcolonel Johns, with a detachment of aruillery, the Alank companies of the 9th, 62d, and 98th regiments, and one rifle company of the 60th, to accompany and co-operate with captain Barrie on this occasion; but as Hamden is twenty-seven miles above Castine, it appeared to me a necessary measure of precaution first to occupy a post on the western bank, which might afford support, if necessary, to the forces going up the river, and at the same time prevent the armed population, which is very numerous to the southward and westward, from annoying the British in their operations on the Adams.

Upon inquiry I found that Belfast, which is upon the high road leading from Hamden to Boston, and which perfectly commands the bridge, was likely to answer both these purposes, and I consequently directed major-general Gosselin to occupy that place with the 29th regiment, and to maintain it till further orders.

As soon as this was accomplished, and the tide served, rear-admiral Griffith directed captain Barrie to proceed to his destination, and the remainder of the troops were landed that evening at Castine.

Understanding that a strong party of militia from the neighbouring townships had assembled at about four miles from Castine on the road leading to Blue Hill, I sent out a strong patrole on the morning of the 2d, before day-break. On arriving at the place, I was informed that the militia of the country had assembled there on the alarm guns being fired at fort Castine upon our first appearance, but that the main body had since dispersed, and returned to their res" pective homes. Some stragglers were, however, left, who

, fired upon our advanced guard, and then took to the woods; a few of whom were made prisoners. No intelligence having reached us from captain Barrie on Saturday night, I marched with about seven hundred men and two light field-pieces "upon Buckstown, at three o'clock on Sunday morning, the 4th instant, for the purpose of learning what 'progress he had made, and of affording him assistance if required. This place is about eighteen miles higher up the Penobscot than Castine, and on the eastern bank of the river. Rear-admiral Griffith accompanied me on this occasion, and as we had reason to believe that the light guns which had been taken from Castine were secreted in the neighbourhood of Buckstown, we threatened to destroy the town unless they were delivered up,