The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-04-09
OUR .N.lraL SUCCESS.
From the l.hiEadsLshia Register.

The b. iiant of our arms ON tl,e ocean Is
aproud lheme ct ,Suta,ion TO our country; 1t u a
SQUIRE. OK deep chagrtn AMI modification TO the enc
ny. Ever since The anhapPy aii,ir Of the Chesa.
peake, the English prints have been ia the u.ut,r-
rultvd prastiee oil speaking with mp and dis-
respect Of NAVY. Mr.. Broughani, tie Jealous
adyoeste tor the repeal OF the orders council rid-
cuSd tne idea OF our growing Importance Il rnl-
time power, and insisted that Single slocp % war
OF Eusland WAS competent to take our whole navy
Their periodical publications have disdaned 10 cow
pare the comfort aud the discipline { oue OF their
figics with. ours The characters 81 ou- officers
too have been most disgg !ly assaed. tnia uous
csulnni,s, under the title of biographical sketeh-
ehes. haze appeared in the English iris, * eireulat-
ed throughout their country. Bat the standing in
eicty Which oar officers had acquired was not 40 BE
mraif ed by ,he mpotent yul-arity OF saglish pub
hcst;ous; and 10 tde discipline snd state, OF our.
ships. can have evidence more satisfactory
thsr their performance ia eNery ~ which tie,
have encountered the enemy. Tie war bctw cen
this country aud Great Britain has .,,rea, :eosed
tsus ;his important fact that portion II east of
the fame Of the British navy is founded ~ exaggers-
ton. French naval accounts have been but seldom
published even in France; still more seldom haze
they be tran slated Into English IN France there
il no scnShility, enthusiasm among the people
ms the operations o. their navy; and not Leins
newspaper nation, no circulation is afforded the
statements Of their naval officers. Similar circum.
stances have had ike elect in Spain and the other
countries of Europe. aud hence have hea-, but
little from themselves OF their naval annals The Bri-
fish have not failed to take advantage OF Lis y the
tional vanity, qav- implicit belief 10 every thing
which thir officers stated. snd they had at erp II,
persuaded themselves TO think that their nary was
inIec, nvincihle, When this war was commence,
we ali remember what melancholy forbodings were
EXPRESSED the character OF the news We MELT
expec, from the seaboavl. There was scarcely nm
ndiviuaiin the community, except b, oico rs
and seamen themselves, who did not look with tear
fu apprehension 10 the result of a combat on the
ocean. Happily, with us, the Charm of Their invin.
cihility is iIeady dissolved the spell b, which oe
very were enehaned is now forever broke !;
and o,r navy las shcwn its inherent ability sup
rort its rights on IFS element We like the Rri.
fish. ewspaper ustinn &, Xix then,. erjoy the
advantages OF free press aUd being connected by
siolarity OF language ant habits whatsoever trans
pres here must reach and circulate there: and the
people o England must therefore sooner or Ia er be
eonypced, that, with regard to Iitr navy, they
have lnborrd under deiuSion. Already they seem
20 be convinced that they have misunderstood our
s'iaract-r.
Let rs see into British naval accounts us far as
they lave vet reached rs Captain Dscrcs. ia his
address the court-nartial, hy which ne was tried
states that lac ordered the cunrs OF the Guerrero to
he struck because OF the uumauaceas'. condition ct
the s' she being perfect wreck lie also states
that his ulainmaSt did receive a single shot, but
the heHvt nF the mast being cayed. it carried
awsy salsly by tie weight of tive foremost. lie O.
Ints tell as Whist IL carried away his foremasi
lie tells us thai the mizen n,sst had knocked large
hole under her starhourd counter, but he omits To
tell us how The miLepmast BE- under the
counter. We would be glad ~ know it captain Da-
cres unotqu anted with this decay Of his masts
at the time he sailing about on our coast \, nh
The of his ship boas(ingly Imprinted upon las
sa's, and seeking contest with our frigato Presi
Dent. Did I've know nothing of this decay on the
11th OF August, only two days before the action
when he endorsed the register al the ship John
Adams beupd TO ~ Yor,s collecting the teie.a-t.t.
with this very Constitution, or Of suy of he large
frigates We 10 not approve oil this sending Of
ehai bu' the officer who assumes the high res
E0I>jh lity oi hall. ngius an enemy out him
at sea, ought, in opinion, To consider himself as
denied the privilege oi surrcnderng upon any
terms or upon any account. lie must ne vctnrisus
or he lose his fife, he must lose his eh.r.e-
ter II he tails in any OF these, he is deseryedy an
object O.! derison in society.
Captain Dacres asserts, that every art. by LicI
hounties and large promises used by the uer-
ican ofieersto encourage his ships company 10 tn.
ter service, and this they did, he says t'irec,
contradiction to declaration rsafe him. hal they
did not wish his This base calumny oaunut
fssten upon tli@ characters of officers The re.
prosch attempted to be passed uroa item, must
recoil upon tie enemy Such falsshoods csn have
TO other effect than to produce resentment Against
tIe English who credit the assertion of captain D,
c~es, aud 20 excite resentment and Indignation a.
eainst the enemy IL the minis OF the people oi this
COUNTRY, to whom ii is we'll Known that ih ssser-
tor is alike false aud base, anil thus p oraet the
war. But the Ir2imess nf our officers to part with
j Irish snca iS wen a.tfsted. Il is known t. eve.
~ one ,.i;s 60, ;!:ss si.@.iy lefc-.. t@ lV.e
sa,ic from the hviaworr, fifteen 81 her crew came
aud told captain jones t.s thsy were British SEQ.
men, and tat rH"fnfl Jones, without waiting
for tie orders Of his government, oEcc upon his
own suthoiiiy, gave al thcee men their .sehsrge
Cant. D9cres SAYS, Chat .wiihstq1ding the IN.
lucky issue OF iic contest, yet he IS so aware that
ale success OF ri. olFonent owing So fortune
thatit would be The hHNpicst period Of his lie to
Ie once more OPPOSED 20 I've Constitution With his
same oiT.rrs aul Ipcn, anl in fr.gate nj similar
force to tc CuerricTe, We do nos believe tIat
capt. Dleres s sincere 70 the opinion here ex
FyesIcd and csrta'ny doubt his sincerity as 4,
rs vishto be once more aipugsds o. the E0nstiu..
i0n. Capt Dacres, are very sure, kncws full
We'll that he you'd pot in suc| event &c. IT uu.
on better rms. Uut the motive Tor expressing this
belief aud ibis wish, is sufficiently obvious. Cant
Dacrcs knew that some explanation was necessary
in order tn satisfy t,je British nation. The caUtnre
oil an Tugtsh!tis - an enctuy's irgnte is some
what noys in their naval annals. aad as aiain Da.
eres wse not all u discover that the Conettutiou
vas y ~ IN disguise, tie opOocy which most readi-
" suggested itself ~2s L, attribute the capture %
accident This apoloey it thought would be re-
cuiycd iu Euslaud suce, according 10 the Encli-h
prints, al our f,igates had been bespoken by their
friCatts, and thus mere captures could be mad,
on our part and the t'usrriere consequently would
he single ease. We should sdmite niacnauioity
IN m enemy faisehs od aud subteriuse are alwa,
contemplate.
The news of the capture Of the Guerriere wss re-
Ne;ved IN England, AID spread gloom over the
public mind fhsy tad not lihefaty enough 10 sd
init that succeTswas owing in the reInutest de-
gree 20 any cool conduct on our part. h was sli
the effect O! acc tent Stil however, Tie ehar.ei
III erpt Bscres grossly ass iiled FOR surrender.
iug snd it IS Impossible to sayto what illumination
lie would have hecn subjected on lis arrival ia I'm.
t1~t. H. 4