The Sun.
London, England, 1813-05-20 00:00:00

INT ERES;Tmr; nra.uLs

OP THE
LOSS• 'I'FIF4.: 41' A V A.
(Cootioucti from our Paper of '1 oemitiy.

LIEUTENANT CUADS'S DEFENCE.
]Jr. President, and Gentlemen of the Honour-,
dle Court,
Standing before • this Honourable- Court to
answer for the loss and capture of his Majesty's
late ship Java, by the. enemy, I .cannot but feel
myself deeply impeessednt the great 'responsibility
that attaches to 111., ,wl4ich. cannot but affect
mind with the deepest anxiety and solicitude, in-
creased to distress by the untimely 'ldiot' my ever,
to-he-revered aml lamented Conunander.. In this
situ:ll4,n, Sirs, I Contd. not bear up, di<l I not feel
the cheering, though still ati:Nions hope, that I
shall, with the surviving Qilieers and ship's
puny, be considered by this Honourable Curt
as having made, every.eifort within the power of
human exixtion.tO defend and .save his Majesty's
ship, I feel also great Consol'ation in believing,
that in the detail of the actinii, which I shall lay
before this Honourable Court, ,the'skill nod de-
termined bravery of our beloven Captain w-. 11 be
most conspicuous; and that in the last action of
10: life, although success has not crowned his ex-_.
ertions., dm; yet his character will be unsullied,
and his memory honoured and revered,
:My public :letter is before this-
.Hotionrable
COUrt ; but being written initnediately after the
aetio.n, and on board the enemy, it does not, or
indeed could the compass of a letter contain, the
*hole detail of so long an action, and which de
tail,, therefore, I now submit to this. Honourable
Court.

• .•
DETAIL :OF THE ACTION. • ,
At gA: M. elnse in with: the land. Wind at
N. E. discovered a„sail to the 8; S,. W.. and ano-
ther off 9te entrance of St-Sa*lvador. Cast off the
prize in tows and macre sail in 'chase-of the vessel
to leeward. At ten made the private. signal, which
wits not answered. At eleven hauled up, bring-
ing the wind on our larboard quarter; • tookin.ol
studding7.sails ; prepared for ' action, the stranger
standing towards its under 'easy apparently a
large frigate. A little after 110 Oil, when about
four milesalistant, he made a signal, 'which was
kept flying. about ten minutes; 12.15-he tacked,
and made all plane sail fanning just good
full, battled up the same as the- •chaSe, btu the
breeze, fresheningt could not carry our royals ; we
were going at least ten knots, and -'gaining very
fast on, the chase. At 1. 30 -lie hoisted American
colours, At 1. 50 having dined with the enemy
to within two wiles, be shortened sail to top-gal-
lant sails, jib, and spanker, and hided up in the
wind ' hoisted our colours,
.and. put. ourselves tin-
der the same sail ; bore dOwn,upon hint, -he be
ing at,this time about three points.. oir our lee
bow. At 2. 10, when- abont half a mile distant, be
opened his,fire from the larboard side, and gave us
about two brosdsides before We Seturned it, which
wary 110 dcine till within pistol shot on his wea-
ther bow, with our 'starboard gunS ; '-on the smoke
away,eleAring fotuia him.under all sail Before the
wind ;.made sail after him. At 2. 25 engaged him
with Our hirboard guns, received his starboard;
2. 35 wore,„ and raked him close under his stern,
giviutgliiin the weather gauge, which he die. not
take the, advantage of, but made sail free on toe
hirb't!ard tack ; hared- up, and gave him
_oar star-
board gunS raking,. but rather' distant ; made sail
after hint. At 2.,40 enemy gli6rtened sail ; did
the same, and engaged him close to windward ;
2. 50 he wore in 'the sttolte,: and Was not per-
ceived till nearly, round ; haVeng just list thehead
of our bowsprit, with the jib;,bonin,&e,
stays, in the hopes of getting round quicker,, and
preventing our being raked ; but the Ship hung. a
long -time, and we received a heavy raking broad-
side into our stern at arbour. -two. cable's Length
distant ; gave
,him our larboard gnus on falling
off. The enemy- mire inune!liately; '2. 55; did the
same, and .brouight cAuse aetion
within pis-
tol: shot, Afr, :Robinson, the MaSter; %vim' at this
time severely wounded, and taken .belati. 3. s',
finding the day.evidently. gone; faint all our.
, ging being eat, with bur fore and 'main-masts
badly wounded, Captain LaMbert detertnined'on
-boarding him, as our only -hope ;. bore up, and
should have succeeded in laying him aboard abreast
the main chains; but from the fall of our fore-mast,
the remains of oar bowsprit passing over hiy.
stern, and Catching his mizen riggiug, which alias
,• , •
a great- misfortune, as It brought us ur:to the
Willtd, and prevented our raking him. WhilSt un-
derthe enemy it;stern, attempting to-board„ there
Was not -a soul to be seen 4n her (leeks, • from' which circumstance 1 Out indileett to believe there
was. ,good,proSpect of
,success. This manmittvre
failing, we were left at the Mercy of the enemy.
which rte avaailiug. hiinself of, Wearing across Out
bows, raking us, and passed under out stern. At
.3. 20, he wore again ; lost oar. main topinast.
At 3. 30,, our gallant Captain was • wthin.rled,
and carried belmir, 'Front this time till 4,
15, when our mizen-mast was.. shot away, he laid
on our starboard quarter,:pouring in a tremendous,
• galling fire; whilst on taut' side we could iitve,r get
more than two or three guns to bear, and -fre..;
intently none at all, Atter this we fell. off, and,
the enemy shot, which gave ns the. chance
of renewing the action, -which" was done with
good spirits, broadside.and broadside, at
.about a
cable's length distant, till 4: 35-, ns A'ery frequent-
ly'on fire, from firing through the wieek, which
lay the side engaged. The enemy now, Made.
sail, and ,got out, of gun-shot, leaving us a 13k1.-
feet ivreck„ With our Wain-Mast only Ptail i g
and mainya`rd gone in the slings, - (leaved the!
wretk, and eadeavOirred to get the- ship bct'ure the
wend; by: setting a sail ..frorn the tairtaps of the
bpwSprit and-tore-mast ; got the' main tack „for-
ward., the weiither-• yard-arm remaining aloft.;
cleared away the'boonis, and got a top gallant mast
out, and cut nnerieed rigging it for ajury fore-mass,
and a loWer studding sail as a foie-sail;
.but'before,
we could get.this accomplishei, we were obliged
to cut avta our rnaiii--Mast, to preVeili
on board, flan-a the:heavy rolling of the ship.—
The enemy now bore ;up to renew the action ;
made every preparation-to ,receive Wins re-load

the guns %Adz' round and grape; mustered at
•
quarters, and found 110 Metz 'm ssiu soc guar-

fell by IVILLJA,M. AltMi r Smith linit C; - -on.strect, Grogv,tior,sii tilt
for the Paper, Utters for the Editor, (po=t .)91a)t mast be uddressett.