and compelled them to retire, out of reach of the battery. The enemy then attempted to land at the east side of the town, at a point which they supposed to be the most defenceless. This being discovered by the militia artillerists, the 6 pounder was immediately transported to that side of the town, and the barges were a second time compelled to retire. They returned to the shipping, with a determination to renew their attack with more vigour, at the dawn of the following morning. The bombardment, nevertheless, continued until midnight.

Before morning, the enemy's squadron was augmented, by the arrival of the Nimrod, 18 gun brig; and, at the dawn of day, the different vessels were stationed nearer to the town; the Despatch being within pistol shot of the battery. The barges approached the shore, in larger numbers, and met with as signal a repulse as on the preceding night. One of them was shattered to pieces, by the 4 pounder on the east side of the town; whilst a cannonade was kept up, between the 18 pounder battery and the gun brig, which resulted in her expulsion from her anchorage. She had received several shot between wind and water, and was obliged to haul off, and repair; the barges again returned to the shipping, and the five vessels drifted out of reach of the battery, made new anchorage, and continued to bombard the town, during that and the following day. On the 12th, commodore Hardy, relinquishing any further attempt to reduce the town to ashes, and having already lost twenty-one men killed, and upwards of fifty wounded, ordered his squadron to weigh anchor, and proceed up Fisher's Island sound. The inhabitants of Stonington, were released from their apprehensions about the safety of their dwellings; and, the women and children, some time after, restored to their homes. Notwithstanding the bombardment had been protracted to three successive days, and, upwards of sixty tons of metal had been thrown upon the shore, not a man of the militia was killed; and, the number of wounded, did not exceed six. Among them, was lieutenant Hough, who, as well as colonel Randal, and lieutenant Lathrop, greatly contributed, by their activity and skill, to the repulse of the enemy. Stonington contained, at the time of the attack, about one hundred houses; forty of these were injured by the shot-but ten only, materially-and but two or three entirely destroyed.

Not content with possessing Moose Island, and other islands of the bay, the British claimed, as a colony, all that part of the district of Maine, lying to the west of, and between, Penobscot River and Passamaquoddy Bay; and, instructions were also forwarded to sir John C. Sherbrooke, the governor of Nova Scotia, and rear admiral Griffeth, commanding the naval forces within that province, to take possession of all that territory. These commanders entered the Penobscot River, on the 1st of September; appeared before Castine, from which the garrison fled, after blowing up the fort, and which the British immediately occupied. A proclamation was then issued, by the governor and the admiral, in which they claimed, as the territory of H. B. M. that part of the province of Maine, east of the Penobscot, in which there were more than forty villages, and upwards of thirty thousand inhabitants. After possessing Castine, many of these villages were gradually occupied; and, ordinances were established, for the civil and military government of the people. Castine, also, remained in the hands of the enemy, until the conclusion of hostilities.

The United States' frigate Adams, captain Morris, had arrived in the Penobscot, from a successful cruise, a few days before the occupation of Castine; and, having run upon the rocks near that port, was obliged to be hove down, at Hampden, thirty-five miles up the river, to have her damages repaired. On the 3d of September, the British sloop Sylph of 22, the Peruvian of 18, and one transport and ten barges, ascended the river, manned, in all, with about one thousand men, from Castine, under command of commodore Barrie, with a determination to capture the frigate. Captain Morris erected several batteries, on eminences, near his vessel; supplied the militia, who were without arms, with the ship's muskets, and made every preparation to repulse the enemy. Notwithstanding these judicious arrangements, and the readiness of the ship's crew to resist the enemy's attempts, the militia could not be brought to oppose an inferior number of British regulars; and, flying precipitately from the ground, left no other alternative to captain Morris, than to surrender his crew, or to destroy the Adams, and retreat to Bangor, or Kennebeck. Under the direction of lieutenant Wadsworth, of the ship, the sailors and marines re

tired in good order, over a bridge which crossed a deep creek; but, captain Morris and a few men, who remained to set fire to the vessel, having succeeded in blowing her up, was cut off from this retreat, and compelled to plunge into the river, and effect his escape by swimming. Disappointed in the object of their expedition, the British returned to Castine, and conducted an incursive warfare against the towns in the vicinity of that port.

CHAPTER XVI.

The Navy-United States' Gun Brig Argus, captured by the Sloop of War Pelican-Boxer and Enterprize— Allen and Burrows-Commodore Rodgers and the Plantagenet-Constitution chased into Marblehead-Commodore Lewis-Cruise of the Essex Frigate-Her Capture-United States' Sloop of War Peacock, vanquishes the British Brig of War Epervier-Cruise of the new Sloop of War Wasp-Her Conquest over the Reindeer She sinks the Avon.

THE government of the United States, having deemed it expedient, in the spring of 1813, to send an ambassador to France, at which court they were not then represented; the American gun brig Argus, lieutenant commandant Wm. H. Allen, of 18 guns, was despatched to L'Orient, with Mr. Crawford, the minister plenipotentiary appointed to negotiate a treaty of commerce with that power. After having landed the minister, she was ordered to cruise in the vicinity of the British channel, where she arrived about the middle of June, and continued to cruise until the same time in August. During this period, she captured, in St. George's channel, upwards of twenty vessels, coasters and others; and excited a great degree of alarm among the towns upon the English coast. In consequence of her activity in making captures, and the danger to British vessels of passing through the channel, the insurance upon coasters could no longer be obtained in England, but at an amount very far ex

ceeding the double premium; and, though numerous vessels of war, of all rates and descriptions, were floating at the docks, the Argus was allowed to maintain her cruise in this neighbourhood for two full months. The attention of the admiralty was, at length, however, awakened; and, on the 12th of August, the sloop of war the Pelican, captain J. F. Maples, of 21 carriage guns, was ordered to cruise in search of the hostile stranger. On the 14th, at 4 A. M. by the light of a schooner then on fire, the two vessels were brought in sight of each other. The Argus immediately close hauled on the starboard tack, and made preparation to receive the enemy. Failing in every attempt to obtain the weather gage, captain Allen, at half past 5, shortened sail, and waited for the Pelican to close. A few minutes afterwards, the Pelican displayed her colours; the Argus hoisted the American flag, wore round, and, within grape distance, gave her a larboard broadside; which being returned, the action commenced within the range of musquetry. At the first fire from the Pelican, captain Allen fell. He was wounded severely in the leg, but remained on deck until several broadsides were exchanged; when, being quite exhausted by the excessive loss of blood, he yielded the command of the Argus to lieutenant Watson, and, was taken below.— Meantime the Pelican shot away the main braces, the spring stay, gaff and trysailmast, of the Argus. At 12 minutes past 6, her sprit sail yard, and most of the standing rigging on the larboard side of the foremast, were lost; and lieutenant Watson received a wound in the head, which made it necessary that he also should be carried below. The command of the Argus now devolved on lieutenant William H. Allen, jun. whose unre-mitted exertions, frequently defeated the enemy's attempts to get into a raking position. At 16 minutes past 6, the Pelican edged off, with an intention of getting under the stern of the Argus; but lieutenant Allen, by luffing close too, with his main topsail aback, and giving her a raking broadside, completely frustrated this attempt.But, in two minutes after, she shot away the preventer main braces and main top sail of the Argus, deprived her of the use of her after sail, and thus causing her to fall off before the wind, succeeded in passing her stern