Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-06-23


It was given to to Mr., Ludlow, purser
Of the Constitution, 10 examine, who
found the names to be 100 exclusive OF
nose which, they had erased.
If the Java bad only the men on board
whose names they suffered TO remain
without erasure, which was 409, there
mus. Of consequence been SO killed, fol
there were only 34l received Oh beard
the Constitution. But even if she had
only s96, the number admitted by lieut..
Chads: in that case the number Of her
killed would have amounted to SIS. As
the muster book of the Java was made,
and the muster Of all hands dated On the
lst Of November, and as the ship left
England the 26th Of October, and the
action was fought The 2sth December,
it is fair presumption that no parser in
the British navy would keep so or 40
men on his muster book for months after
they had been discharged, without max.
ing their customary marks OF denotation
against the names; particularly as two
months Of the time the ship was at sea,
where all hands are regularly mustered
cyery SUNDAY. II is therefore, in my
opinion, very rational constructions, that
the men whose names were erased from
the muster book, did actually compose
pam of the crew Of the Java, in which
case she had nearly 44O men. 1t may
aIse be observed, asa conclusive fact,
that the quarter bill of the Java, exhibit
ed on board the Constitution, proved that
she had Is men to each long gun, and
10 men to each carronade while the
Constitution had but ~ men at her long
guns, and at her cafronades.
The Misrepresentation and misstate-
ment Of facts, by the officers OF the java,
arc not singular Did not the e5fcial
communication of capt Bingham repre-
sent the action between tie Little Belt
and the frigase President to nave lasted
between and hours, when the officers
of the friga,e. President solemnly con
tradict the whole Of cap. Blnghan's
statement, AID dehose on outh, that the
action did not exceed Is minutes Aso
"as II not stated before the court mar
lal at HAiif,x, that the Guerrero had
b..Iy IA persons on board at the COM
;ngnoeuent Of The action with the Con.
stitu.,on, when the truth was, that the
CONSTRUCTION received from the Guer-
.iecc. as prisoners Of war, 40; and
capt Dacres acknowledged Il number to
have been killed
The f>"egoing statement of facts has
eco collected from undoubtsa .utheri.
ty. The only motive of giving them to
TIE pubic i. to do justice to our own of
i.ers, "iiaout wishing, although i, may
follow as consequence, that the il!ibe-
ally Of the officers of our enemy should
Iecoil upon themselves! There il one
fact worthy Of observation. which shall!
mcution before finishing thsse remarks:
Previous to the arrival of the ofiiccrs Of
the Java in England, the British prints
stated uncquivocally, that she Was one o.
their very best thirty.eight gun frigates
and it is we'll known that there is no SO
gun frigates in the British navy but what
carries at least 48 guns. And the same
prints in mentioning the capture, imput.
ed it to the Java's having had too many
men and presume that lieut.. Chads
would not have wished for more than.
were actually on board.
AN. AMERICAN.