Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-06-14

the blue lights ofthe FIRE ships were disco
yered. one of the enemy's signal ships
made the signal for the fire ships
which being also blue hight, the enemy
fell into great confusion, firing upon her with
very injurious effects and directly cut their
cables.
When Lord Cochrane had conducted his
explosion ships as nearsas was possible, the
enemy having taken the alarm, he ordered
his brave little crew into the boat, and fol-
lowed them, after putting fire to the fuse,
which was calculated to give them Is MI
snutes to get out of the reach of the explo-
sion. However, in consequence of the
wind getting very high, the fuse burnt too
quickly; so that WITH the most violent sex-
ertionss against wind and tide, this intrepid
little party was sixnainutes nearer than they
calculated to he, at the time when the most
tremendous explosion that human art ever
contrived took place, followed by the burst
ing at once in the air Of near 400 shells, and
5000 hand granades, pouring down a shower
Of cast metal in every direction! But fortu-
nately the boat reached, by unparalleled ex-
ertion, only beyond the extent of destrtc-
ton. Unhappily this effort to escape cost
the life OF the brave lieutenant, whom this
noble captain saw die in the boat, partly un-
der fatigue, and partly drowned with waves,
chat continually broke over them. Two OF
the four sailors were also SO nearly exhaust
ed thar their recovery has been despaired Of.
Such were the perils our hero encountered,
and which have hitherto been buried in ST.
lence. When they reached their ship, the
Imperieuse, it was known that lord Coch-
rane was the first to- go down to the attack,
and was for more than an hour the only En-
gIlsh man Of war in the harbor. His at
tack and capture Of the Calcutta, which had
one third more guns. than the Impcrieuse,
has been properly spoken Of.
The repetition of his explosions was so
dreaded by the enemy, that they apprehend-
ed an equal explosion in every fire ship, and
immediately crowding all sal, iran before the
wind and tide so fast, that the fire ships tho
at first very near, could not overtake them,
before they were high and dry on shore,ex-
eept 3 74's besides the Calcutta, which were
s'AtSi'H o no St4SoaeoSI, edASH olld DtlIAls SC.
ven went on shore, of which two three deck
ers afterwards got off, before our ships Of
the line got in. Two of the remaining were
on their beam ends before lord Cochrane
came away, and it was his lordships opinion
that with proper exertions they might be
completely destroyed.
Oar hero soon turned his attention to res
cue the vanquished from the devouring ele-
ments; and in bringing away the people of
the Vile de Varsoyie, he would not allow e.
ven a DOG to be abandoned, but took a
crying and now neglected little favorite up
in his arms and brought it away. But a
much greater instance of goodness was dis
played in his humanity to captain of a
French ~, who came to deliver his sword
to lord Cochrane lamenting that all he had
in the world was about to be destroyed in
the conaagration of ship. His lorelship in
stautly got into the boat with him, & pushed
off, to assist his prisoner in retrieving some
valuable loss, but, in passing by a "a, which
was ON fire, her loaded guns began to so off
shot from which killed the French cap
tain by lord Cochrane's side, and SO da-
mayed the boat that she filed with water,
and the restof this party were nearly drown
ed.