You will have the goodness, Sir, to inform Captain Stackpoole, that his letter was shewn to Captain Jones, according to his request; that Captain Jones is extremely desirous that a meeting should take place between the Statira and Macedonian, but is controuled by me for the reasons I have stated.* Whether the war we are engaged in be just and unprovoked on the part of Great Britain, as Captain Stackpoole has been pleased to suggest, is considered by us as a question exclusively with the civilians; and I am perfectly ready to admit, both my incompetence and unwillingness, to confront Captain Stackpoole in its discussion. I am, Sir, &c. S. DECATUR.† From Sir T. M. Hardy to Commodore Decatur. SIR, I have the honor to acquaint you, that I will communicate to Captain Stackpoole your letter of the 19th The crew of the American frigate are represented to have been so depressed in spirits at not encountering the Statira, that many of them refused their grog for the full space of twenty-four hours. + Decatur fell in a duel with Commodore Barron of the United States Navy, on the duelling-ground at Bladensburg, near the city of Washington, in the spring of 1819. It is a justice due to the memory of this great officer to record, that he abhorred duelling on the principle that it betrayed a vindictive spirit; and that he was never known to send a challenge, though his courage would not allow him to refuse one. instant, which I this evening had the honor of receiving by Captain Biddle; and I have nothing further to offer, in addition to my former letter, on the subject of the meeting between the ships of the United States, and those of his Britannic Majesty, but that I will give every guarantee in my power, in case of the Macedonian's success, should the meeting ever take place. I beg to assure you, Sir, I shall hail with pleasure the return of an amicable adjustment of the differences between the two nations. I have the honor to be, &c. T. M. HARDY. ACTION, OFF VALPARAISO, BETWEEN the ESSEX and the PHŒBE and CHERUB. Who does not know that Valparaiso is a port or bay on the coast of Chili, 130 leagues east of Selkirk's island? for who has not by heart Anson's Voyage round the World, a book read with more interest by the moderns, than Xenophon's Retreat of the Ten Thousand by the ancients. It was on his return to this port that Captain Porter in the Essex,* a frigate of the common class, sus * Porter, in the Essex, annihilated the spermaceti whale fishery, and captured the Nocton packet with 11007. sterling on board, without finding a British man of war in the Pacific to oppose him. This cruize was a bold plan of the American Executive; yet these are the men whom the Reviewers represent as the greatest simpletons that are any where to be found between the arctic and antarctic circles! tained a combat with the Phoebe and Cherub of two hours and a half; exalting the naval flag of Columbia by the defence of his ship, though he was ultimately compelled to strike it to his opponents. The slaughter on board the Essex must have reduced many mothers, wives, and daughters, to statues of breathing affliction; and her deck exposes war to the eye in its naked and mangled deformity. Captain Porter's Letter. "While lying at Valparaiso, the Phoebe frigate, Captain Hillyar, in company with the Cherub sloop of war, Captain Tucker, commenced a blockade of my ship and an armed prize, under the command of my first lieutenant, Mr. Downes, sedulously watching me from the entrance of the bay. Their appearance, however, did not prevent me from taking measures to put to sea; and, having appointed a rendezvous at the Marqueses for my consort, the Essex junior, I got ready for my departure, purposing to let the enemy chase me off the coast, in order to facilitate her escape. On the 28th of March, 1814, the day after this determination was formed, the wind came on to blow fresh from the southward, when I parted my larboard cable, and dragged my starboard anchor directly out to sea. Not a moment was to be lost in get ting sail on the ship. The enemy were close in with the point forming the west-side of the bay: but, on opening them, I saw a prospect of passing to-windward, when I took in my top-gallant-sails, which were set over singlereefed top-sails, and braced up for this purpose; but, on rounding the point, a heavy squall struck the ship, and carried away her main-top-mast, precipitating the men who were aloft into the sea, who were drowned. Both ships now gave chase to me, and I endeavoured, in my disabled state, to regain the port; but finding I could not recover the common anchorage, I ran close into a small bay, about three-quarters of a mile to leeward of the battery on the east side of the harbour, and let go my anchor. The enemy continued to advance with the evident intention of engaging me; and the caution observed in their approach to the attack of the crippled Essex, was truly ridiculous, as was their display of their motto-flags, and the number of jacks at all their mast-heads. I, with as much expedition as circumstances would admit of, got my ship ready for action, and endeavoured to get a spring on my cable, but had not succeeded when the enemy, at 54 minutes past 3 P. M. made his attack; the Phoebe placing herself under my stern, and the Cherub on my starboardbow; but the Cherub, soon finding her situation a hot one, bore up and ran under my stern also, where both ships kept up a hot raking fire. I had got three long 12-pounders out of the stern-ports, which were worked with so much bravery and skill, that in half an hour we so disabled both as to compel them to haul off to repair damages. The enemy soon returned to renew the action; he now placed himself, with both his ships, on my starboard-quarter, out of the reach of my carronades, and where my stern-guns could not be brought to bear. He there kept up a most galling fire, which it was out of my power to return; when I saw no prospect of injuring him without getting under way, and becoming the assailant. My top-sail sheets and haliards were all shot away, as well as the jib, and fore-top-mast stay-sail haliards. The only rope not cut was the flying-jib haliards; and that being the only sail I could set, I caused it to be hoisted, my cable to be cut, and ran down on both ships, with an intention of laying the Phœbe on board. The firing on both sides was now tremendous. I had let fall my fore-top-sail, and fore-sail, but the want of tacks and sheets rendered them almost useless to us; yet we were enabled, for a short time, to close with the enemy; and, although our decks were now strewed with dead, and our cockpit filled with wounded; although our ship had been several times on fire, and was rendered a perfect wreck, we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the circumstance of the Cherub, from her crippled state, being compelled to haul off. She did not return to close action again, although she apparently had it in her power to do so, but kept up a distant firing with her long guns. The Phoebe, from our disabled state, was enabled, however, by edging off, to choose the distance which best suited her long-guns, and kept up a tremendous fire on us, which mowed down my brave companions by the dozen. Many of my guns had been rendered useless by the enemy's shot; and many of them had had whole crews destroyed. We manned them again from those which were disabled; and one gun, in particular, was three times manned; fifteen men were slain at it in the course of the action; but, strange as it may appear, the captain of it escaped with only a slight wound. |