Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-05-29

this, perhaps, favorable opportunity OF
acquiring promotion, although at the ex-
pence of violating our neutrality and in
sulting our flag: accordingly with that
degree of repugnance Incident to feeling
equally determined neither to be the agg-
gressor, or to suffer the flag OF my colln-
try to be insulted with impunity. gave a
general order to fire /; the effect of which.
in from four to six minutes, rs near as
can Judge. having produced partial 81
lcnce of his guns, gave orders to cease
firing, discovering by the feeble opposition
that it must be ship Of very inferior
force to what h;''l supposed, or that some
untoward accident had happened to her.
NY orders in this instance however (ai-
though they proceeded alone from motives
of humanity and a determination not to
spill drop of blood unnecessarily l had
in less than four minutes some reason to
regret, as he renewed his fire, Of which
two So pound shot cut off one OF our fore
shrouds and injured our forc~mast. 1t
was now that j found myself r,ider the
painful necessity of giving orders for re-
petition Of our lire against force which
my forbearance alone had enabled to Go
us any injury of moment: our fire was ac-
cordingly renewed and continued from
three to five minutes longer, when per-
ceiving our opponents gaff and cclors
down, his maintop- yard upon the cap
and his fire silenced, although it was so
dark that | could not discern any other
particular injury we had done, or how far
he was in situation to do us farther
harm, nevertheless embraced the earli-
est moment to stop our fire and prevent
the further efftlsicn of blood. Here
pause of halfa minute or more took place,
at the end of which, our adversary not
showing a further disposition to fire. 1
hailed and again asked, "What ship is
tllat?" ! learned, for the first time, that
it was ship of his Britannia majesty's;
but, owing to its blowing rather fresher
than it had done, / was unable to learn
her name. After having informed her
commander Of the name Of this ship,
gave orders to wear, run under his lee
and haul by the wind Oh the starboard
tack, and heave to under topsails and re-
pair what little injury we had sustained in
our rigging, which was accordingly exc
cuted, and we continued lying too on diff
ferent tacks with number of lights dis
played, in order that our adversary might
the better discern our position, and com
mand our assistance, in case he found it
necessary during the night. At day light
on the 17th, he was discovered several
miles to leeward, when l gave orders
to bear up, and run down to him under
easy sail; after hailins him l sent
boa: on board with Lieut.. Creighton, to
learn the names Of the ship and her Com
rlander, with directions to ascertain the
damage SIZE had sustained, and to inform
her commander, how mucI, regretted the
necessity on my part, which had led to
such an unhappy result at the same time
to Offer all the assistance that the ship I'M
der nv command afforded, in repairing the
damages his had sustained. At nine A.
NJ. Lieut.. Creighton returned with infor-
nation, that it was his Britannia Majcs-
tvs ship Little Belt, commanded BY Capt.
Bingham who, in polite manner declin-
ed the acceptance ofany assistance say
ing, at the same time, that he had on board
all the necessary requisites to repair the
damages, sufficiently to enable him to re-
turn to Halifax.
This however was not the most unpleasant
part of Capt. Binshan's communication to
1t Creighton, as he informed him, that, in
addition to the injury his ship had sustained,
between twenty and thirty Of his crew had
been killed and wounded.
The regret that this information caused me,
was such, you may be sure, as man might
be expected to feel, whose greatest pride is to
prove, without ostentstion, Nv every public as
well as private act, that he possesses humane
and generous heart and with these scnti-
ments, believe me, sir, that such communi-
cation would calse me the most acute pain
during the remainder Of my lie, had | Tot the
consolation to know that there was no alterna-
tive left me between such sacrifice, and one
Noon still orratcr no,,,elv