Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1805-1805, 1805-03-25
y'salr No SAL

ION relative 10 the " fccuritv Of our commerce
IN thar Tea, with the ssItLt rs syce r.tspcrat'
The crit important illuitraion of the foundn1ts
| ct TINS sr9aszaoai policy was the capture aid
lots Of tie higste Philadslphia, md the lu5le-
qn-nt favery OF her brave officers and men,
I lad The beenfupported ~ only ore If the fri
gates which were rotting in the water and mud
q the Potomack, this event could never have
u happened. From that time the fersice was Ian
guiihing for want Of force Till the 9TH OF Au ut
/ iSo4 when Capt ChaunceF arrived In the Iohn
Adams and informed the Commodore thar 4 re-
jinforcement OF four frigates might BE expected
every moment. Had they arrived a. they oughr,
Commodore Prebl- fays. I" the Gte OF Tripoli
NUT have been decided in a few hours
and the Baihsw completely BUNDLED" Bur,
ala: thes did not arrive. They were in tie
Navy yard at Warrington, where they were pla-
ced, as Mr. JeferioR informs Us, for the pur-
pole OF being @ a7drr tbe tye 2f Csagyst5," when
they ought TO have been under the eve Of fhia
carpenters. When orders were iiuei for them
| - fail, il was, FOR the ffh time difcovered
that theY f9NfS ~ fail and inecad Of dnpstch-
/ Ing tquadron 70 rhs Mediterranean, govern
ment dhpatehed metengers 10 Network, PEila-
delphia and Baltimore, 70 raifc recruits Of NIP
carpenters who, with their implements, wee
1 transported in wagons to the feat Of govern
\ ment at an immenfc expente, for the purpofe OF
1 refitting the frigates. This ooca6oned the delsy
Of which Commodore Preble 70 often complains
and the opportunity Of deciding rhe fate OF
lripoll and completely humbIng the Baihaw
was thus lett he fealon was rapidly advan-
eng when nothing more could be done with
gun-ho2tsS bomb ketches, and frrh other "i,laH
competent force" as Preble had az his difnofal.
he commodore, aware Of this, and anxious
IN Tome way 70 improve the precious moment
FOX the iervicc Of bis country, after waiting in
vain for the frigatss, he determined TO make ufc
of the John Adams, captain Chauncey, and
hazard another arrack-when behold ! this
frigate was perfectly ufelels " having left the
carriages for her gun deck on board The Con-
grefs and Conitellation. day or two previous
TO her failiag" Was there evcr~luch manage
ment III any other country The head Of the
naval department would be made 10 rue the day
that he ihohld fend Chip of war 10 the block
ade of an enemy's ports 4uittouf gnn rayriaeef.
/ Under thele extraordinary circumstances,
the commodore makes the following remark,
which oush to cover our administration with
confulion. al cannot but regret that our IA.
val efabliihed is % kn,itsS As TO deprive me Of
the means aud glory of completely fubdung
the naughty tyrant Of Gnpoli." De;crmin-
ing, however, Ike brave and active officer,
to DO ali in his power, and defpairing Of fen-
lercement, he concluded make the beit diff
petition he could Of his falaA incompetent force
and actually achieved wonders, conGdrrng his
means. Blu; the melancholy conftquencc has
been the untimely death oftomc Of the braycit
young officers and leamen thAt any fervicc can
boat. On the 10th Of September two fri
gates arrived Under the command ct commodo-
re Barron: but the (caion was too far advan-
ced, and the weather was too uncertain to haz-
ard any further operations againf Ttpoh.
Confequenty the bailav remains unhumblcd !,
and our brave tars,in captivity have the profpea
of dragging their mileEable chains for at leaa a.
mother icafon.
Is i, not aItonilnng that under fuch circun-
hanees congrels could refrain from calling with
one voice for an invettig alton or the con0uct az
administration, and telemn inquiry into the
cauies Of this complete failure of the expedition
under commodore Barrow
TTu.fsJ Sfgfgr Es,n,s.