Finding that the enemy had it in his power to choose his distance, I now gave up all hopes of closing with him; and as the wind, for the moment, seemed to favour the design, I determined to endeavour to run her on shore, land my men, and destroy her. Every thing seemed to favour my wishes. We had approached the shore within musket-shot, and I had no doubt of succeeding, when, in an instant, the wind shifted from the land, (as is very common in this port in the latter part of the day,) and payed our head down on the Phoebe; where we were again exposed to a dreadful raking fire. My ship was now totally unmanageable; yet, as her head was toward the enemy, and he to-leeward of me, I still hoped to be able to board him. At this moment, Lieutenant-commandant Downes came on board to receive my orders, under the impression that I should soon be a prisoner. He could be of no use to me in the then wretched state of the Essex; and finding (from the enemy's putting his helm up) that my last attempt at boarding would not succeed, I directed him, after he had been about ten minutes on board, to return to his own ship, to be prepared for defending and destroying her in case of an attack. He took with him several of my wounded,*

* Thereby hangs a tale. The wounded men that Lieut. Downes took away in his boat were British subjects. This watchful care of Captain Porter, in the heat of action, over the English seamen fighting under his flag, will confront the story told of him by the Quarterly Reviewers, till they can support it by evidence less suspicious than their own. This story will be found in the 27th Volume of their venomous work, where, with a malignant and profligate industry, they have ransacked "Views, Visits, and Tours," for libels on a country that is the asylum of mankind. In their dissertation of twenty

leaving three of his boat's crew on board to make room for them. The Cherub had now an opportunity of distinguishing herself, by keeping up a hot fire on him during his return. The slaughter on board my ship had now become horrible; the enemy continuing to rake us, and we unable to bring a gun to bear. I therefore directed a hawser to be bent to the sheet-anchor, and the anchor to be cut from the bows, to bring her head round ; this succeeded. We again got our broadside to bear; and as the enemy was much crippled, and unable to hold his own, I have no doubt he would soon have drifted out of gun-shot before he discovered we had anchored, had not the hawser unfortunately parted. My ship had taken fire several times during the action, but alarmingly so, forward and aft, at this moment. The flames were bursting up each hatchway, and no hopes were entertained of saving her. Our distance from the shore did not exceed three-quarters of a mile; and I hoped many of my brave crew would be able to save themselves, should the ship blow up, as I was informed the fire was near the magazine; and the explosion of a large quantity of powder below served to increase the horrors of our situation. Our boats were destroyed by the enemy's shot, I therefore directed those who could swim to jump overboard, and endeavour to gain the shore. Some reached it, some were taken by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt; but most preferred sharing with me the fate of the ship. We who remained, now turned our atten

pages, as many lies is a charitable allowance; for the observance of truth towards America has never been the virtue of a Quarterly Reviewer. Hic niger est, hunc, tu Romane, caveto!

tion wholly to extinguishing the flames; and when we had succeeded, went again to our guns, where the firing was kept up for some minutes, but the crew had by this time become so weakened, that they all declared to me the impossibility of making further resistance; and entreated me to surrender my ship to save the wounded, as all further attempts at opposition must prove ineffectual, almost every gun being disabled by the destruction of their crews. I was further informed that the cockpit, the steerage, the ward-room, and the birth-deck could contain no more wounded; aud that the wounded were killed while the surgeons were dressing them. With a crew redued to men, 75 including officers, out of 260 at the beginning of the action; with 23 lying dead on the deck, who had not yet been consigned to the deep, and my few remaining shipmates falling fast, some at my side, and others in different parts of the ship; under these distressful circumstances, I, at twenty minutes past 6, P. M. gave the painful orders to strike the colours."

The gallant defence of the Essex against so superior a force, is recorded by Captain Hillyar. I insert an abstract of his letter to the Admiralty:

"After an anxious search, and still more anxious lookout for the Essex and her companion to quit the port of Valparaiso, we saw the former under weigh, and immediately, accompanied by the Cherub, made sail to close with her. On rounding the outer point of the bay, and hauling her wind for the purpose of endeavouring to weather us, and escape, she lost her main-top-mast, and afterwards, not succeeding in an effort to regain the limits of the port, bore up, and anchored so near the

Y

shore (a few miles to the leeward of it,) as to preclude the possibility of passing a-head of her, without risk to his Majesty's ships. As we drew near, my intention of going close under her stern was frustrated, by the ship breaking off; and, from the wind blowing extremely fresh, our first fire, commencing a little past 4, and continuing about 10 minutes, produced no visible effect. Our second, a few random shot only, from having increased our distance by wearing, was not, apparently, more successful; and having lost the use of our mainsail, jib, and main-stay-sail, appearances were a little inauspicious. On standing again towards her, I signified my intention of anchoring, for which we were not ready before, with springs, to Captain Tucker, directing him to keep under weigh, and take a convenient station for annoying our opponent. On closing with the Essex, at 35 minutes past 5, the firing re-commenced; and, before I gained my intended position, her cable was cut, and a serious conflict ensued; the guns of his Majesty's ship gradually becoming more destructive, and her crew, if possible, more animated, which lasted until 20 minutes past 6; when it pleased the Almighty Disposer of events to bless the efforts of my gallant companions, and my personal, very humble ones, with victory. :

The defence of the Essex, taking into consideration › our superiority of force, the very discouraging circumstance of her having lost her main-top-mast, and being

The Quarterly Reviewers, after having branded Captain Porter as a buċċanneer, affirm (proh pudor !) that he was taken by a ship of inferior force.". Whenever these men open, their lips, the cheek,. neck, and forehead of Truth are suffused with crimson.

twice on fire, did honor to her brave defenders, and most fully evinced the courage of Captain Porter, and those under his command. Her colours were not struck, until the loss in killed and wounded was so awfully great, and her shattered condition so seriously bad, as to render further resistance unavailing."

30. It was stated by Mr. Marryatt, two months ago, in his place in Parliament, from the record of Lloyd's' Books, that the number of British captures made at sea by the frigates and privateers of the United States since the commencement of the war, was 1175, of which number 373 were retaken, or given up, leaving 802 in the hands of the enemy. From a view of these facts, one is tempted to enter into a discussion of the formidable activity, the vigilance, and efficiency of American mariners; and if we reflect that the United States Navy did not exceed twelve or fourteen ships, and that her privateers, composed principally of schooners, amounted scarcely to a third of the number of British men of war in commission, the confession is extorted from every unprejudiced bosom, that Americans will do more with a given number of vessels, than any other people. A nation of this young, enterprizing spirit, with an incipient navy, whose home is on the ocean, is a more harrassing enemy, fitted out at the distance of three thousand miles, to the commerce of Great Britain, than the fleets of France, or the armadas of Spain, in her immediate vicinity. Allen, in the brig Argus, committed more devastation in the Irish and St. George's Channel than any hostile squadron