employed in fixing buoys, intercepting and capturing the outward and inward bound vessels, and burning the bay craft. On the 16th of March, sir J. P. Beresford, the commander of the squadron, transmitted a letter to Lewistown, a small fishing town near the mouth of the bay, addressed to the first magistrate, requesting him to send twenty live bullocks, with a proportionate quantity of vegetables and hay, on board the Poictiers, for the use of the squadron, which should be immediately paid for at the Philadelphia prices. The request was accompanied with a threat, that, in case of a refusal, he should burn the

town.

This demand was positively, though politely, refused, as "a compliance would be an immediate violation of the laws, and an eternal stigma on the nation." To which Beresford answered, "that the demand he had made was, in his opinion, neither ungenerous, nor wanting in that magnanimity which one nation ought to observe to another with which it is at war. It is in my power," continues he, "to destroy your town, and the request I have made upon it, as the price of its security, is neither distressing nor unusual. I must, therefore, persist, and whatever sufferings may fall upon the inhabitants of Lewis, must be attributed to yourselves, by not complying with a request so easily acquiesced in."

Nothing further passed on the subject, till the 6th of April, when they renewed the demand, and fired several 32 pound shot into the town, previous to sending the flag on shore, to show that they were serious in their threats. In Beresford's letter on this occasion, he urges that no dishonour can be attached to complying with his demand, in consideration of his superior force. "I must, therefore," continues he, "consider your refusal to supply the squadron as most cruel on your part to the inhabitants. I grieve for the distress the women and children are reduced to by your conduct, and earnestly desire they may be instantly removed." To this letter merely a verbal reply was returned, that the commander, colonel Davis, was a gallant man, and had already taken care of the ladies. On the return of the flag, a cannonade was commenced from four launches with 24 and 18 pounders; two sloops, with 32 pounders and a mortar; a pilot boat, with six pounders; and a schooner with 12 twelve pounders, covered by the frigate Belvidera.

The town, being seated on a considerable eminence, sustained little or no injury; the rockets passing over, and the bombs falling short. The fire from an eighteen pounder on shore, which was supplied by shot thrown by the enemy, silenced one of their most dangerous gun-boats. Above 600 shot were fired at

the place, a great part of which was afterwards dug by the boys out of the sand, viz. 40 of 32lb., 96 of 18lb., 156 of 12's and 9's, with a large quantity of 6's and grape, besides shells and remains of rockets. Not a man was killed on the side of the Americans during this attack.

On the forenoon of the following day, a number of small boats approached the shore, apparently with the intention of landing; but, being gallantly met by the militia on the beach, they were recalled by a signal from the squadron.

3. In the Chesapeake, the principal part of the squadron began to move up the bay about the beginning of April. On the 3d they anchored off the mouth of the Rappahannock, for the purpose of attacking the Dolphin, a privateer schooner of 10 guns, and three letters of marque bound for France, which had taken shelter in the river on the approach of the squadron.

Their tenders and launches, to the number of 17, being manned and sent up the river, a furious attack was made on the vessels, which unfortunately lay becalmed. Two of the letters of marque were speedily taken, they making but a slight resistance; the third was run ashore, and most of her crew escaped. The Dolphin bore the brunt of the action. The whole force of the enemy was soon directed to her, and she gallantly sustained the contest for two hours, when, at last, they succeeded in boarding her. Even then, however, she did not strike. The fight continued for some time on deck, until, overpowered by numbers, the Americans were forced to submit, the enemy having previously pulled down the colours.

4. A few days previous to this affair, a most unfortunate action took place here between the American privateer Fox and the United States schooner Adeline and two gun-boats. The schooner and gun-boats were proceeding down the bay, under the command of lieutenant Sinclair, and at midnight made a harbour under Gwinn's island, near the mouth of the Rappahannock. After having anchored in a line across the channel, Sinclair was hailed by the Fox, and each taking the other to be an enemy, and consequently refusing to send a boat on board, Sinclair fired a musket ahead of the privateer, which she instantly returned with a broadside.

The schooner and gun-boats then opened their fire, and in fifteen minutes silenced the privateer. Being hailed, however, to know if she had struck, she renewed the action without answering, and in fifteen minutes more was again silenced. On being a second time hailed, she once more opened her fire, which she continued for half an hour, and then cut her cable, and escaped up the bay. On board the Fox the captain and five men were

badly wounded, she had one shot in her hull, and her sails &c. were very much cut. The damage on board the schooner, which bore the brunt of the action, was but small, only one man severely wounded, and the rigging a little cut.

5. The hostile squadron continuing to stand up the bay, on the 9th of April they reached Annapolis, and on the 16th appeared off the mouth of the Patapsco, twelve or fourteen miles from Baltimore. Both Annapolis and Baltimore were threatened with an attack, but nothing was attempted, the enemy carefully keeping their vessels at a safe distance from the guns of the forts.

6. But though the fortified towns escaped the vengeance which had so long been threatened, it was not the case with the unprotected villages, which skirt the rivers that fall into the head of the bay. Four of these were laid in ashes by admiral Cockburn, who gallantly led the barges which ascended the rivers for this purpose. These plundering and burning expeditions will long render his name famous in the neighbourhood of the Chesapeake bay.

Having sufficiently signalized their prowess by the burning of Frenchtown, Havre-de-Grace*, Georgetown, and Fredericktown, and the farm-houses, mills, &c. adjoining, the squadron returned down the bay, destroying the oyster-boats, wood-shallops, and other river craft in their progress, and showing themselves, but at a convenient distance, at every fortification near the bay.

§ 7. The squadron, after returning down the bay, resumed their station in Hampton Roads, with the view of attacking Norfolk. Early on the morning of the 22d of June, they landed a large body of troops, from the accounts of deserters about 2500, on the west side of Elizabeth river, and marched them up towards Craney Island, the passage to which from the main land, is fordable at low water. Forty-five or fifty boats full of men, were then sent to effect a landing on the north side of the island, with whom the force on the main land was directed to co-operate. The whole force on the island at the time of the attack was 487, riflemen, infantry, and artillery, and 150 seamen and marines, forty-three of whom were on the sick list.-With this handful of men was the landing of the enemy successfully opposed, and they were forced to retreat to their ships, with the loss of several boats by the fire of the artillery.

* The burning and plundering of Havre de-Grace is perhaps the most signal of Cockburn's exploits. The houses being apart, had to be separately set on fire; and the labour bestowed in injuring the church must have been very considerable, every pane of glass in the building having been broken by stones and brickbats.

8. Foiled in their meditated attack on Norfolk by this repulse at the mouth of the harbour, the British again turned their attention to the easier task of laying waste unprotected villages, and that of Hampton, which lay nearly opposite, naturally presented itself. Here they landed a body of 2500 men, with but little opposition, there being only a small detachment of militia encamped near the town, who were soon forced to retreat under a heavy fire of artillery, musketry, and Congreve rockets. The British now took possession of the village; and here a horrid scene of barbarity ensued, which was characterized by plunder, devastation, murder, and rape. The British troops shortly after retreated to their ships, when a correspondence took place by means of flags between general Taylor, the commandant at Norfolk, and sir Sidney Beckwith, quarter-mastergeneral of the British forces, on the subject of these excesses. Šir Sidney attempted to justify them on the ground of inhumanity in some of the American troops on Craney island, whom he charged with having waded into the river, and shot at their unresisting and yielding foe, who clung to the wreck of a boat which had been sunk by the fire of their guns. This imputation was promptly repelled, and a board of officers was immediately appointed to investigate the charge. From the evidence adduced it appeared, that in the action at Craney island, two of the enemy's boats in front of their line were sunk by the fire of the batteries; the soldiers and sailors who were in those boats were consequently afloat and in danger of drowning, and being in front of the boats that were uninjured, guns were necessarily fired in the direction of the men in the water, but with no intention whatever to do them further harm; but, on the contrary, orders were given to prevent this, by ceasing to fire grape, and only to fire round shot; it also was substantiated that one of the enemy who had apparently surrendered, advanced towards the shore, about one hundred yards, when he suddenly turned to his right and endeavoured to make his escape to a body of the enemy who had landed above the island, and who were then in view; then and not till then was he fired upon to bring him back, which had the desired effect, and he was taken unhurt to the island. It further appeared, that the American troops exerted themselves in acts of hospitality and kindness to the unresisting and yielding foe.

But even if this charge had been founded on fact, it could not have justified the measures adopted by the British. The facts should surely have been first clearly ascertained and redress demanded, before any retaliation was resorted to, especially a retaliation so extravagant in its measure, applying not to the

perpetrators of the alleged offence, nor to their comrades, but to the unresisting, innocent, and helpless.

During the remainder of the summer hostile demonstrations were made by the British squadron in various points on the waters of the Chesapeake, particularly at Washington, Annapolis, and Baltimore, in which, if the aim of the enemy was merely to harass, they were certainly eminently successful. A part of the Chesapeake squadron, under admiral Cockburn, likewise appeared off Ocracock bar, North Carolina, where their barges destroyed two privateers, and landed a number of men at Portsmouth and Ocracock, who committed a number of wanton depredations.

9. The British squadron off New York confined themselves to keeping up a strict blockade. The American frigates United States and Macedonian, and the sloop of war Hornet, sailed from New York on a cruize in the beginning of May. Finding, however, that a much superior force lay off the Hook, they put back, and on the 25th, passed through Hell-gate, with the intention of putting to sea through the sound. This intention was frustrated by the superior force of the enemy in that quarter, by which they were several times driven back, and on the first of June they were chased into New London by two 74's and a frigate, which immediately anchored off that place, and in a few days were joined by the force that had been blockading off the Hook. As the movements of the British indicated an intention of attacking New London, prompt measures were taken for its defence. Six hundred militia were called out, and to insure the safety of his squadron, commodore Decatur landed a number of his guns, which were mounted in a battery, and the vessels, thus lightened, proceeded up the river, where they were secure from any attempt of the larger vessels of the enemy.

New London is situated on the river Thames, about 7 miles from Long Island sound, and can be approached by ships of any draught of water. The channel, however, is narrow, and completely commanded by the surrounding heights, which were so strongly fortified, as to deter the squadron from any hostile attempt. They contented themselves, therefore, with keeping up a blockade, which still exists, and making a few predatory excursions on Long Island and the neighbouring continent.

An act was passed by congress in the winter of 1812-13, to encourage the destruction of the enemy's blockading vessels, by a bounty of half the value of the vessel destroyed, if effected by any other means then by the armed or commissioned vessels of the United States, in consequence of which several abortive at