The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-05-31


nsan@nvres to be anxious to prevent.as nc
were aud hauled ky the wind on d,fferen.
sacks TOUR times successfully, between this
period and the time of our arr,vi ny at the
position, which had ordered to be taken.
AZ hfteen or twenty inmates past eight. be-
ing little forward Of her weather beam.
ano instant rem seventy TO hundred
+" @!s::s.: s..::;ii: IS ::..::::: 30 l>
this enquiry no answer was given: but
was hailed by her commander. and asked
:. what ship is that ?" Having asked the
hrst question. of course conside red N.Y.
self entitled by the common rules OF polite
ness TO the first answer; after a pause os
ntteen or twenty seconds, reiterated nv
hrst enquiry OF "what ship is that" and
before had time 10 take the Il umpe. from
my mouth, was answered by shot. thar
cut OIL one OF our maintop mast breast bacs
stays, and went into cur mainmast-as
this instant Capt Caldwell (of marines. !.
who was standing very near to me Oh ths.
gangway having observed sir, she has FIR
eo at us, caused me to pause for momeut
Just as was in the act Of giving an order:
TO ire shot in return; and before had
time to resume the repetition OF the in. end
eu order. shot was actually fred tro,,
the second division of this ship; and was
scarcely ont OF the gun. before II was an.
swered from our assumed enemy by. three.
the resi- OF his -bieadside AND musquet,y.1
When the first shot was flied. beng under
IN IMPRESSION, that it might possibly have.
proceeded from accident ard without the,
orders OF the commander, had de,eru,in-
ed at the moment to fire only a single shoe
IN return; but the immediate. repetition
OF the previous unprovoked outrage induced
me to believe, that the .nsaIt was preme-.
aitated, and that from our adversary being.
4 G of
was OF his, he thought this, perhaps, a
favorable opportunity OF acquiring prnmss-
Zion, although at the expence OF violating
our neutrality aud insulting our flag: ac-
cordingly, with that degree of repugnancs
incident TO feelings equally determined nei-..
ther to be ths agsressor, or 10 suffer the iiae~
OF my Country 70 be nsuited with impuni-
~ gave geuesai order 10 fire; the effect
oil wmch,.in from four to six minutes as
near as can judge, having produced a par
etai si,ence OF his guns. l gave orders to-
cease hr!ng. discovering By the feeble OPP
position. that Ii must be ship of very inie-
rior force to what had supposed, or that
some nhsoward acciden, had happened to-
her.
MY orders In this instance however (al
though they proceeded alone from motives
VI humanity, and determination not TO spill
. aroP Oh oiooa unnecessarily had in less
/
he renewed hrs fire, OF which Two 81 pound
sho>cut of one of our fore shrouds. and m
Jured our fore mast. Il W as now tina, found
mysen under the painful necessity O. CIV.
ips orders tor repetition of our fire a.
sa'Dss force which my torbearance alone.
had enabled TO do us any injury OF moment .
our fre was accordingly renewed, ans cors
'mueo irom tnrec to tive minutes longer,
~nen Perceiying our opponents gaf ant. COS
lols oown' ms maintsP sail ard upon the
cap, and Ills fire silenced, althoneb !, w.e
SO dark, that Could not discern any other
particular injury we had done, or how tar
nc was III situation TO do US farther harm
nevertheless embraced the earliest mo.
ncnt to stop our fire, and prevent the fur.
ther effusion OF blood. Here a pause OF
haif minute OF more took place, at the end
OF winch. our adversary not showing a fur
ther disposition to fire, hailed, and again
asked, what ship is that % learned,
Tor the hrst time, that it was ship of his,
Britannia maze sty's; but, owing to it's blow
ing rather fresher than il haC. done. I was
unable to learn her Name. After having in.
FORMED her commander Of the name of this
snip, gave orders to wear, run under hia
zee and haul by the wind ON the starboara
TACK; and heaSe to under topsails, and re-
PAIR what little injury we had sustained in
our rigging, which was accordingly exc
SutSo o"u We Coh.inueo lying TO- on differ
ert tacks, with {, number OF lights display.
cd IN order that our adversary might the
better discern our position, and con,mand
our assistance. In case be found il nec.ssarv
d ring the hight
a; day Light on the 18th. be was Disco
Veied several miles to lee " ard when +
gave orders to bear up and run down to-
hip under easy sail after mailing him 3
sent boat Oh bosr1 Win Lieut. e. irIyhtnD-
10 learn the name. OF the snip and her COM
I'd 'nder, WIN dirs ions TO ascertain the da--
mage aue HAD sus aIped AID 10 inior., her
NOV much iegre ted tie ne
cessisy ON my part which had led 10 such
IN unhappy result al the same time 10 Of
ter all the assistance that the shin n,.der
ny Command afforded, IN repairing the da-.
images his mad sustained. A nine A M
Lieu. Creigh on relorned with iniurmat,on~
'nat IL ~as his britannia Majesty's snip Lit
lie Bet, cObmanded by CAPE. Bingham
VINO in foAie manner declined the aceeo-
lance OF any assistance /; saying, at IN, same,
lime, that he had on board all the n. cessa-
y requisites TO repair the damages, sufi-
clentiy TO enable him 10 return to Ha iiax.
This however was not the most unpiea.
SAINT part OF Capt Bingham's communicates
on TO LII. Creighton, as he informed him.
hat IN addition to the injury his ship had
sustained, between twenty aud thirty: olhis
crew had been killed and wounded
The regret that this INFORMATION caused