Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-10-07

| dated
! US. Frigate President, Newport
Sept 27th, 1919.
! Your having been informed OF my
leaving Boston on the Esd OF AprIi last,
and of my departure from President
Road 10 company with the Congress, on
tbs 3oth of the same month. 1t now only
remains for me to make sou acquainted
with my proceedings since the latter
date.
In few hours after getting to sea,
the wind, which had been light from the
westward, shifted to the s. f. AID obllg.
ed mt TO beat, consequently prevented
our getting clear OF lhe bay until the Sd
of Nav, wien in the afternoon while In
chase Of British big OF war. near the
shoal of Georges Bank, we passed to
wlndward of three sail, two of which,
from tteir appearance and the intorma-
tien previously received. judged to be
the Ia Hogue "a, ana Nymph frigate,
! and the third merchant brig After
] getting clear of Georges Bank, the wind
yeercd 70 the north eastward, & We con-
/ tinued along east southerly; IN the dlrec-
T ton OF the southern edge OF the GuIph
Stream until the 9Th O! May, in long 60
w. lat. 80 80 n when parted co'npa'
F! ny with ;he Cprgress. Alter parting
compsny | shaped course as pear as
the wind would p rmit, TO int rcep. lhe
enemy West Indla commerce passing
TO ths southwark Of tho q ard Bank (;
not meeting with any thing N this di'
| rection except American vessels from
Lisbon and Cadiz ] next pursued route
20 the no,thw I'D on parallel With the
easterD edge OF the CT nd Bank 80 as
tn cross the track, Of his West India.
| Halifax, Quebec. d ST hn's trade
In thi: route experiencing constant tnl
fog for p number of days, aud not meet.
liz any thing, afer reaching the iauisude
of 4S N. | stcered to the S E-towards 1
The Azores, OFF which, in different d.
rections, continued until the 9Th OF
I June, without meeting single enemy's
vessel, or any others. cXrsPt two Arne I
,cans. AT Ills ilne falling in witt. an
American ship bound to Csdiz. and re-
ceivins 'ntorma ion that she had, tour
days before, passed an enemy's CONVOY
from the West Indies bound u Engiand
| | crowded sail to the n L and, altbo'
isappointed in falling in With the con-
voy. nevertheless made four captures,
between the 9th and Sth of June.
Being now in the lat. Of as n. ard
long. % w determined On going into
the North sea, and accordingly shaped a
course ltat afforded prospect of filling
N it'll vessels bound to Newfoundland
from ST Georges CbaDnel. BY the way
OF Cape Clear, as we'll as others that
might pass north about to tie Dorthward
of Ireland TO NV astopishmert, howe
yer. in all tins route did not meet with
single vessel until made the Shetland
Islands. apd even of there nothing but
Danish vessels trading to England %.
der BRITISH licences. At the time
reached the Shetland Islands, coDsi
derabie portion of my provisions and
water being expended, il became neoes.
sary to repienish these, previous to de-
| terminiDg what course to pursue next
ard / accordingly, for this purpose, pu:
into North Bergen OH the 9th of June /;
but. much 10 my surprise and disap.
pointment, was not able to obtain any
thisg but water, there being an unusual
scarcity of bread in every part Of Nor
way, and at the time not more in Der.
! gen than bare suficiency for IFS inha
bitants for four or five weeks. This be.
ing the case, after replepisbiDg my va.
ter departed on the I'd Of July, and
stretched over towards the Orkney L.
lands, and from thence toward tie
! North Cape for the purpose of inter
ceptiHg convo. of IS or 80 sail, which
it was said would leave Archsngel a.
bout the middle Of july under the pro.
lection Of two briggs or two sloops Of
war; and which was further confirmed
by two vessels captured on the 18th &
18th of the same month. In this object
however the enemy had the good for
tune to disappoint me, by line of bat.
tie ship and frigate making their sp-
pesrance off the North Cape Oh the 18th
of July, Just as was in momentary ex.
pectaiion Of saeeting Ike convoy: on
first discovering the eneny's two
ships of war, ms, being able, owing to
the haziness Of the weather, 10 as
certain their character with precision,
I stood towards them until making
out what they we're, l hauled BY the
wind on the opposite tack to avoid
them; but, owing to faint variable |
winds, calms, and entire day light (tbe
sun in that lat. at that season. appearing
at midnight several degrees above the