The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-05 00:00:00

THE MERCANTILE MARINE.

Daring spirits accomplish with ease that which would prove
impracticable to others of baser metal. Lennon's speech was
therefore received with acclamations, and the ship promptly
cleared fir action. At bh. 20m., as the enemy had almost
got within gun-shot, Lerrnon took in stay and steering sails,
rigged in the booms, brailed his courses, and trice(' up the
boarding-nettings. At sh. .50m. all hands were at quarters
exercising toe guns. " Stations" was now the word, and al-
though the cook's is commonly alleged to be the fore-sheet, yet,
upon this occasion, it was to see the poker sufficiently hot for
Lennon's alleged purpose.
At six the schooner shortened sail, although still in chase;
the Hibernia double-shotted her guns, loaded her small-arms,
and made every disposition to avert being boarded. At 7h.
30m., the enemy having closed, rounded to athwart the Hiber-
nia's stern, giving her several broadsides, and keeping up a
storm of musketry. This kindness was returned with a small-
arm fire, and from the ship's stern-chasers. At about 9P. M.
the privateer ranged up close upon the larboard quarter; to
baffle this intent, Lennon yawed to port, bringing his larboard
guns to bear, and, as Quashes says, giving his antagonist
toko for yam." From this time a close action of an hour's
duration ensued, Lennon evincing his coolness and skill by
twice raking the schooner—once with his larboard, and once
with his starboard guns. At about 10 the enemy sheered off
to repair damages. In some twenty minutes, however, he
again renewed the attack, the Hibernia all the while going
large, and drilling with her stern-chasers as he came up. At
about 10h. 30m. close action once more ensued, the schooner
taking his position on the larboard side, and pouring in a
heavy fire. At this stage of the combat the Hibernia had one
of her larboard guns disabled, four of her feeble crew were
wounded, and one killed ; this last was the poor cook, who had
gone to tie up a favourite dog of the captain's uneer the top-
gallant forecastle. Having accomplished his purpose, he was
returning to supply the captain with the hot poker, when a
round shot took him on the crown of the head and hurled him
upon the deck a mangled corse.
Finding the enemy's fire very destructive. Lennon yawed
athwart the privateer's stern, bringing his starboard guns to
bear, and firing with great precision. They continued thus hotly
engaged for above half an hour, when the schooner again
sheered off. At this time the Hibernia bad the mein-top-sail-
tie shot away—all her braces were gone, her gaff was down,
and she had sustained other considerable damage. Profiting
by the retreat of their foe, single braces were got upon the
yards, the gaff was hoisted, and the main-top-sail•tie re-
placed.
At I lh. 30m. the schooner was once more discovered draw-
ing up astern ; when she had got within reach, she received a
dose of double head and grape, most efficaciously administered
from the unswerving stern-chasers. To get out of range of
this unfriendly salute as speedily as possible. the schooner car-
ried a press of sale, that he might lay himself alongside. To-
wards midnight, having gained the Hibernia's larboard-side, a
close conflict of three-quarters of an hour's duration ensued.
At the expiration of that time, he evinced an inclination to
board. With the view of either running him down or carrying
away his mainmast, Captain Lennon ordered the helm to be
clapped hard a-starboard, issuing at the same time, the com-
mand, " Boarders to repel boarders. ' So well judged, and
so expeditiously was Lennon's manoeuvre effected, that he
barely missed the enemy's mast—her escape from that deci-ive
casualty being owing to the schooner shooting farther ahead
than Lennon expected. As it was, the Hibernia ran her jib-
boom through tie privateer's main-sail, tearing it away, al-
though with the loss of the spars. At this eventful period, the
privateer's men were clustering around the Hibernia's bows,
but Lonnon's tar. were a' their post One of the enemy had
gained the fore bumkin of the British ship, but he was flung
back into his own with a pike through his body. As the
vessels shot clear of each other, Lennon brought his starboard
guns to bear, and bestowed a heavy raking fire upon his ad-
versary, then jammed upon a wind, and in the act of sheering
off. besides the cook slain, the Hibernia had now her chief
mate, boatswain, carpenter, steward, and seven men, wounded.
The courage, however, of her dauntless captain and his nine
remaining men and boys, was still unimpaired. T heir strength,
indeed, was worn, but their si irits were unquenched.
The almost exhausted barky continued steering large, get-
ting fresh breechings for her guns, and repairing other da-
mages as best she might. At Ih. 30m. A. M. of the 12th, the
privateer, having bent another main-sail, was again discovered
to be coming up astern. Again the stern-chasers emitted
their deadly shower. About two the schooner had regained
her former favourite station upon the Hibernia's larboard
quarter ; broadside after broadside was poured into the inflexi-
ble ship, and a furious encounter was maintained until half-past
four. By this time every yard of the British ship was down,
every brace and rope attached thereto had been cut away, and
for the last two hours of the conflict she had been reduced to
two men and two boys, who with the utmost difficulty were
able to fight one gun. At 4h 30m., however, the enemy had
also evidently had enough. By way of parting benediction and
lasting remembrance, Lennon rammed one of his carronades,
filling it to the muzzle with all sorts of missiles and upwards of
500 musket-balls. Waiting until the schooner had payed
round off and exposed her stern, he then cast his fatal eye
along the gun—the red hot poker did its duty—the deadly hail
was evidenced by the yells of mortal agony which broke from
the schooner's deck, who now hauled off to return no more.
The discharge, which had carried so much of death and
doom to the foe, had nearly proved fatal to the chivalrous
Lennon. Every shot—and he threw none away—had been
fired by his own hand; but when this last gun exploded so
prodigious was the charge that it canted clean over, shaving
the hero of this nine hours' unequal, almost unparalleled
contest.
At daylight the schooner, which was afterwards ascertained
to be the Comet, of Baltimore, Captain Boyl, of 16 guns,
about 350 tons, " and a crew of one hundred and thirty men,"
was discovered about a mile to windward ( Virgingorda bearing
N., St. Thomas, W. N. W. ), a perfect wreck, like her oppo-
nent ; her decks were ripped up—her topmasts over the side—
and she had lost 48 men, killed acid mortally wounded, exclu-
sive of others severely and slightly. The Hibernia showed him
her colours, a compliment he was in no mood to return ; in
fact, during the whole encounter, he had never shown his
colours, and it was the impression of Captain Lennon that he
had struck. Had Lennon succeeded in his attempt to carry
away the Comet's main-mast it was his intention to have
placed the Hibernia to windward, and to have drifted down a
buoy, with a hawling-line attachrd to a hawser, which he
would have compelled him (under the threat of being sunk) to
lay hold of. This would, indeed, have been a triumph for a
merchantman. Her means, how ever, were too feeble to ac-
complish a purpose so spirited. As matters stood, Lennon
made for St. Thomas in the best manner he could, and ar-
rived there, without further casualty, on the afternoon of the
12th.

The second schooner, seen by the Hibernia in company of
the Comet, turned out to be the Aemiral's tender, of 14 guns
and 65 men, which Boyl had captured on the 10th, after an
action of thirty minutes.
Scarcely had the Hibernia dropped her anchor ere the whole
island of St. Thomas, from Governor Maclean downwards,
rang with acclamations. Addresses, congratulations, subscrip-
tions, songs, odes, testimonials of every sort, poured in.
The subscribers consisted of masters of merchantmen. So
appropriate a tribute of his fellow-seamen's esteem was not the
only token of the admiration which Lennon inspired. The
colonists of St. Thomas were equally prompt to evince their
feelings ; 5501., with Governor Maclean first on the list, were
speedily subscribed-1051. to be expended in the purcha,e of
a piece of plate for the captain ; the residue to be divided
among the crew. I ennon's portion is contained in a superb
silver salver, now in the gallarr veteran's possession. It bears
the following apposite inscription :
" Presented to Captain John Lennon by the Merchants of
the Island of St. Thomas, for his distinguished gallantry in
defending and saving his ship, the Hibernia, of 6 guns and 22
men, of whom 12 were killed and wounded, after an action of
nine hours with an Americ..n privateer of 16 guns and 130
men, off the Island of Saba, on the lOth of January, 1814."
The Comet, even in worse condition than the Hibernia, put
into Port Rico, to repair damages.
With the true spirit of a noble and generous foe, Captain
Boyl wrote to his undaunted antagonist, intimating the plea-
sure it would afford him to see Lennon whenever times would
admit of an exchange of courtesies. Both commanders were
slightly wounded, each in the arm.
Lenr,on's official letter to the Admiralty was remarkable for
its modesty, but having given the details at large it would be
mere iteration to transcribe it. Upon his arrival in the Downs
he found an Admiralty order to protect his seamen against im
prcssment. The speedy establishment of pece rendered it,
however, of no value. The Hibernia's cargo was insured to
the amount of 40,000/., yet the underwriters (on the cargo)
would not contribute a shilling to the average of damage sus-
tained by the action. Those who had taken risks upon the
ship acted very differently. Two trials were the result, and a
verdict finally given against Lennon and his owners, entailing
thereby a loss of 5,0001., not one-half of which he would have
incurred by surrender ! What a contrast this presents to the
enthusiasm of the Thomasians, who were in no way implicated
in the matter.
't he actions of John Lennon well de,erve a bei ter chronicler
than he who thus endeavours to snatch them from the obscu-
rity of all-devouring time. No doubt many kindred spirits
have existed, and may again exist. We sincerely trust, then,
that they may have to fight their battles under better auspices.
The merchant-service is the indisputable cradle of our naval
glory; may it be fostered, encouraged, and advanced; and, we
again repeat—no way so sure to achieve so important an object
as by rendering " The Royal and Mercantile Marine alike
National."

IMPORTANT I.—Fanny Ellsler,arrived at New
Orleans, from Havannah, on the 28th ult., and was followed
by a great crowd to her lodgings. The Crescent City,
adds to the announcement of her arrival, that the cushion
on which she rode from the steam-ship Natchez to the St.
Charles Exchange, would be raffled for in the bar-room
of the hotel. One hundred chances at two dollars and
fifty cents. each.,

• Her Majesty has rewarded Captain Douglas,
late of the merchant ship Cambridge, by con-
' ferring on him the honour of Knigthood for his
patriotic conduct at Singapore and in the Canton
River; but praiseworthy as his conduct was, it
fell far short of that of Captain Lennon and the
crew of the Hibernian in the last American war.
The account subjoined is extracted from an ar-
ticle in the Colonial Magazine, just published.
We need not apologize for its length—the de-
scription is spirited, and the brave deeds of the
Captain and gallant crew surpass even those
ascribed by the poet to the " Saucy Arethusa."
The Hibernia, a merchant vessel, which had
been in action before under the same Com-
mander, carried six guns, with twenty-two men
and boys. Her opponent, the " Comet," an
American privateer, carried sixteen guns, and a
crew of 130 men :
From the period of his affair with Commodore Barney, Len-
non continued in command of the Hibernia. Denied the ad-
vantages of a running ship, he had landed all his guns save
four eighteen-pound carronades and two long 9's. At the
close of 1813, the Hibernia was once more on her passage to
St. Thomas, with a crew of seventeen officers and men, and
five boys. Having parted company with the convoy on the
1 lth of January, 1814, the Hibernia sighted Saba. At lh.
30m. P. M. the island bore N.N.E. seven or eight leagues
distant. At this moment two schooners were descried to the
southward—one of which was evidently a prize to the other.
At two, the headmost vessel was made out to be a large
schooner, with top• gallant-yards across, in full chase of the
Hibernia, with whom she was coming up very fast. Lennon
continued his course with every sail he could carry, but find-
ing an engagement or surrender inevitable, he called the hands
aft, and thus addressed them :
" My lads, I have called you together to ask you one simple
question, and to make you one straightforward proposal.
Thet eis no mistaking that fellow who is coining up with us
hand over fist. I know well that you are ad jolly dogs—and
if you will stand by me, why, 1 mean to show light."
A hearty cheer was the gratifying response.
I !iced not tell you, my lads, that a shot well Placed often
effects wonders. I know well that you are not men-of-war's
men, and that, in case of accidents, you have neither Green-
wich nor a pension to fall hack upon. All I can say, then, is,
that it you will stand by me, like the men I take you to be,
you shall each receive two months' additional pay, and the
entire of the prize, should we be lucky enough to take
her."