Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-07-19

laorels and promotion and Sat the ex.
pence of violating our neutrality and insult
ing our nag?" The commodore says that
when the 6rst shot was fred (it being 1 5 or
20 minutes past in the evening, and the
two ships distant from 20 to 100 yards from
each other) captain Bingham was as igno-
rant of the real force of the President as the
commodore was of that OF the LinIe Beh.
How then (upon the commodore's ideas)
should captain Bingham dream of acquiring
laurels and promotion by his attack, when
1t might turn out to be an attack on vessel
of much inferior force to his own! The
commodore will certainly Judge more cor
rcctly in his Own case, and not expect an
admiraps Gag for " Kidding" the little ship
Little Belt, and killing and wouuding thirty
of her crew. But how are we to account
for such strange ideas of captain Bingaam's
motives for his attack, gaining in mo-
ment the possession of the commodore's
minds He declares that 50 neither his pas
slons nor prejudices had any agency in this
Affairs" and yet he conceived that captain
Bingham, though necessarily taking him
for an enemy, intended, by attacking him,
" to violate the neutrality and insult the flag
of the United States ."-After the action
was over after the commodore had made
such havock among the crew of the Little
Belt, he again hailed, What ship that?"
and then "iearned, for the first time,
that it was ship of his Britannia Majes-
TVS" But had the commodore no misgiv-
ings, no previous suspicious as to the ma
tionai character of the ship he pursued If
ne had supposed her to be French or an
American ship land none other except the
British were to have been expected to be
off our COAST would he have given either
hard chase OF six or seven hours, purely to
CRAFTY his innocent curiosity g to speak her
and ascertain Joitat she zOas s'-Why
| should the thought have entered into his
head that the ship he had pursued and
come up with, meant, by the firing of
shot, to violate the neutrality and insult
! the flag ct the u. States, unless he believ.
ed her to be British vessel of war? Sure.
", neither the commodore nor any of his
political friends would entertain an idea
that public ship of our loving friend the
ty OF the United States or insult their flag
especially when she was afterwards to find
an asylum in our ports. 1t is true, indie ed
that the emperor had told our rulers that
they were miserable pack men with.
out Just political views, without honour,
without energy" aud the unresenting,
AFFECT submission with which they have
borne this gross and outrageous reproach,
proves that the emperor knew well their
character, and that his signaly contemptu-
Gus language was not misapplied. But still,
this did not violate our neutrality nor insult
the dignity of our flag. The commodore
states that previously he had reason to
feel incensed at the repeated outrages com.
naitted on our flag by the British ships of
war !" and very much lear that the read
ers of his own official report of his rencoun-
ter with the British ship Little Belt, will
be constrained to suspect, although the
commodore himselCdid nst, that during the
whole of this affair, he feli that Gin pursu-
ance of bis orders) he was chasing and
lighting BRITISH ship of war, and thus
avenging the {" outrages'' at which he had
been previously incensed and that strong.
ly impressed with this idea, though not
| himSe5 fazuare gift, the commodore thought
| that capt. Bingham likewise knew, ~or was
strongly impressed with the idea, that the
ship at which he fred belonged to the u.
States wishou. which impression capt.
| Bingham could not have Intended to violate
their neutrality and insult their flag. If
the commodore's own statement will ad.
NIT of an Interpretation different from that
have given, shall be very happy TO see
it. But let US look little further, and
consider his reason for giving chase.
! Let it be recollected that when first desert.
ed, the Little Belt was so many miles dis
tant as to be discerned only from the com.
modore's mast head, and standing towards
him--and he, Ipresume, standing towards