The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-07-27

Navy to repair immediately to Washington, 10
tie purpose of an enquiry into his conduct, in no,
returning the fire ftiic Mosells.
" On the path instant <Juue) an occurrence
took place which was equally unpleasant and un-
expected. The character OF the affair, howcv-
er, corresponds with the treatment which we
have SO often received from the British naval
commanders on former o occasions The Moselle,
% gun brig, carrying So Founders, WAS lying
at an anchor under the S,,rrup Ray, near the Ia
hsma Bank The Vixen approached her under
tul sail, with her pendent {: ensign hoisted The
commander OF the Moselle hoisied French co.
lors, and exhibited several private Signals. Capt
Irippe, on percewing boat which he supposed
wished to speak his vessel, hauled up and recew.
ed the oiiicer, who requested him u go down to
the British vessel With this rsQdest, Captain
Irippe declined 4 compliance, iu,nishiug the of.
hcer, at the same tins, with the Name of The
vessel, and her destination. Captain Boyce,
who cornmands the Moseiie. fired shot at us
AS we passed which Capt. Trippe considered as
all intimatlon, that he wished to speak with us
Several musket balls were fired from the boat
into the vessel and at the very moment the Bri.
fish officer YVES politely received on board the
Vixen, and before he had taken a memorandum
OF the reply, which was given by capt Trippe
to the message which was deliveret,-C aptain
Boyce fired a round shot, which cam. over the
quarter deck. and penetrated the main boom or
the Vixen. Capt Trippe Immediately discharg
ed the British officer, and prepared for action -
The English brig slipped her cable and pot I'm
der way, meHacing All attack on our vessel
SO soon as she approached within a proper dis
lance. capt Trippe despatched a boat, with his
hrs, Lieut.. to demand of the British officer an
| explanation of his conduct who sent his Iieut
on board the Vixen, with various Apologies.
which were not understood in a satisfactory
manner; and capt Trippe addressed note to
capt Boyce, requiring written statement of
the reasons which had induced him to fire two
shn at
answer, that he recognized, with pleasure. the
existing amity between the two countries. and
was extremely sorry TOR having fired n, us-tb,,
the reasons which induced him to fire. were
| that he could not distinguish our colors & saw M
preparations tor taking in sai-that he h ID been
informed mat TWO french Privateers were fitting
out in the u States, and supposed We m;pn'
| probably be one of them. II also pl.dp-d IN.
honor that, his sHot was not AIMED at our vessel
The explanation was deemed by capt Trppe
sufficient TO prevent any further conflict. and
| we instantly made sail, and proceeded on our
iurse Inc injury which we sustained wa.
| tr'fiing Mr.. Rodnoy's son was struck by a spLn
| ter from the BOOM which occssioned E;s nonu,h
| to bleed short time-no other person was touch
| ell.
The conduct OF capt Trippe in this affair was
highly honorable to himself to the American rs,
| Wy, and TO iiis country The Vixen was preps
| ed for action with the greatest pronptu,,d. and
| order, and the explanation demanded in , m IAN.
ner which LETT no doubt, as to his determination
to indicate the honor of the national flag or ne
rish in the attempt. The official assurances n,
captain Boyce could not be questioned in An of
hcai form, but feel the most perfect conviction
'na' he knew rns vixen to be AN American man
OF war-that he hired the second shot directly AZ
the vessel, with a view of prove king a return oi
the hire. and thereby furnish him with an .xru,a
for gong INTO action with vessel of inferior me-
,ai, ana theh shit the responsibility from himseli
oy declaring that his shot was fired through mis-,
take, and without any intention of in;,,r1,g ,ha
vessel L was on deck and saw the gun on the
iorecastle of the MoseIle leveiled direcly .t the
Vixen, and was not more than three feet from
| he place where the shot struck the bnom tn.
l'nso!ence OF this transaction is not more remark
able than the meanness displayed by the British
commanders' IN forging excuses fer his conduct !"
| Mar. Int.
NEW ,fORk: ALBANY, July II.
| On Friday evening, Francis James Jack
son, who Cannot a present be regarded m
any other light than tina. of British SPY.
arrived in this city, and took lodgings at
Gregory's. The movements of great men
are sc orally accompanied by some sort OF
noise ana sometimes with not little con
fusion, e % 1T happened in this case-for the
ci oeVant ambassador from the purleus of
grub street, iexalted men, let the reader
recolIect, have sometimes very low breed
ing) who insulted the American government
in the style of Wrapping landlady, had
| scarcely rested himself at the Hotel, when
the city was alarmed with the cry O. fire
the ringing OF bells, and the rafting of en-
gines over the pavement.
For short time, all was anxiety and a
larm--every body vocferating the CIV of
fire, but no body possessed of optics sharp
enough to discover The lurk, place of the
devourIng element-when 10! in the midst of
the hurley hurley, our apprehenslons were
suddenly Quoted by learning that the cause
OF 50 great an alarm was nothing more than
mere rush light blaze land about the
carcass of une of those men of straw. com
monty called offges, and which parceI of
young men haa been burning. by way of a
uusement, IN the same manner that our mi
Gus ancestors used to ofierup an annual sa
crihce OF the Image ofhis holiness the Pohe.
and as their descendants were won, To do
with that OF Benedict .drnoLd both during
and since the revolution, and 10 come near
er home, as certain Eng'ishmen and federal
ISIS of this city did with the imagr of Mr.
Jefferson on the 10Th of June last. But whe
Their the efhgy, whose conflA gra lion caused
tue alarm OF Friday night, was that of the
Pcfe or OF I'm0id, Of Satan or his faith
tut servant VINO once Occasiuned so great a
cry OF fire, and of murder 200, at Copep
hagen, or whether CaAbuH 20 Co. were en-
gagged III burning the efigy Of Madison, as
they dld That OF Jefferson, by way Of com.
pli'Hentlng their friend JGckson for his con
usSCeUSIOD in having tha,o , ,;,;, =. =,