Portland gazette., 1805-04-29

cry PRINT III the uIAOh'
Cqpy Of letter tJon Coamodcys PRERLE 70 TIE
SECRETARY 9t the Marcy. . ~. 80.
SIR,
t- / HAD the honor to write you from Mefs
iina, under date Of the 5th July: then exPec-
ted to have failed the day following but was de-
;ained by bad weather until the 9th, when left
it with two imall bomb vefleS under convoy,
and arrived at Syracrufc where we were neceG-
larily detained four days. On the I4th / failed,
the ichoonerS Nautilus and Enterprise i'll com
pany, with fix gun boats and two bomb vehcls,
generouly loaned rs BY his oicilian majtity.-
The bomb vefels are about thirty tons, carry a
thirteen inch brais iea mortar, and forty men,
Gun boats twenty-five tons; carry long iron
twenty four voun5er on the bow, with a COM
plement Of thirty five men. They are all off
cered and manned from the lquadrOn, excepting
twelve Neapoitan Bomb ders, gunners and fai,
lors, alta he'd to each boat who were thipped
by permihon of their government. This itep
found necefary, as every vefel in the fquadror
was conliderably fhort of complement. The
gun boats are cOnitru6te for the defence Of har
tours they are fat b0ttomed and heavy, anc
do not il or row even toleraby well. They
were never intended TO 20 to lea, and hnc
cannot be navigated with iafe.y, unlefs alited
by tow ropes from age and better failing vef
fels; nor even then in very bad weather. how
ever, as they are the beit could obtain, have
thought il for the good Of our lervice to employ
them, particularly as the weather in July anc
Auguf is generally plealani and without then
my force was too iuaall to make any imprelIor
on lripoi.
On the 10Th of July we arrived at Malta
| where we were detained by contrary gales, un
til the 2 1T, when we lefI it and arrived III fgh
Of TriyoG on The 25th, and were Joined by tht
Syren, Argus, Vixen, anl Scourge, Ou
| fquadron now con6ited of the Contribution,
| brigs, three fchooners, two bombs and fix guI
| boats whole number Of men 1860. p-o
ceedei to make the necefary arrangements 70
! an attack on Tripoli. city we'll walled, pro
| tetted by batteries judiciouly conhrutaed, noun
! sing IIS pieces Of heavy cannon, and delendeC
BY 2s.ooo Arabs and Turks, the harbour pro
tt6ed by g gun boa S, two gal.ies, Two fchoo
| ners Of eight guns each, and q brig mountin,
ten guns, ranged in order Of battle, forming
ftrong line Of defence at ltcured moorings, in
f3de long range of rocks and ihoas extending
more than two miles 70 the eattward Of the towl
which form the harbour, protect them from th1
northern gales and render it impofll5ie for a vef
fel of the Contributors draft of water TO ap
proach near enough 70 deftroy them, as they ar
th-lttred by the rocks, and can retire under tha
lhelter 10 the fhore, unlcfs they choole to ex-
po(e themielves in the different channels anC
openings Of the reefs for the purpote cf annoy
ing their enemies Each Of their gun boat
mount a heavy 8 or 70 FOUNDER in the bow
and two brafs howitzerS on her quarters, anc
carry from 36 to 50 men. The gallies havc
each 100 men; ichooner; and brigs about The
fame number.
The weather was not favorable for anchorne
untill the 18th, with the wind E. S. L. tht
lquadron food in for the coat, anG at three
7. anchored per Ggnal TriPoli bearing iou;h
TWO and a hall miles diltant AT this moment
the wind fhifted 1uddenlY from Z. S. Z
20 N. ". w, and from thence to N. N Z. Al
five o'clock it blew arong with heavy Gea, iit
ting directly on fhore. ] made the fgnal tc
prepare TO weigh at fix, the wind and {ea hav.
ing coniidcrab increaled, the hgnal was made
for the fquadron 10 weigh and gain an sffing
the wind continued veering TO the eaitward
which favored our gaining fea room, wi hout
being h-iged to carry 70 great Pre(s Of farl,
as to looie any Of our gunboats, although they
were in great anger. The gale continued va
rying from NJ L. 70 E.. L. without inCreaiing
much un5il, the } 1T, when il blew away our
reefed forelail and clofe reefed main top fail
fortunately the fea did not rife in proportion to
the ftreneth o. the gale. or we mutt have loA
aIlour boats. AuEuf III the gale tubhdeG and
we food toward the ceaf every preparation
was made for an attack on the town and har-
bour. Auguf sd, plealant weather, wind eaft
food in with The fquadron toward Tripoli al
he &b-ea rOGrl .