The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-01-16

seaman OF the Wasp, Il gallart fellcw, who
uaN been once Impressed by bric'sh man
OF war, Jumped Ola gun wioh his cutiass,
ana was sprnging on board the Froiic
captain Jones, wishing to FIRE again before
boarding, called hun down but has impe-
! 1noSity could not be restrained. and he was
ALREADY or the bOwsprt of Che Frolic when,
seeing the ardour and enthusiasm ut the
WASP crew, lieutenant HdG!c, mounted on
the hammock cloth to board At this signal
thf crew followed buc lieutenant Hddie'S
lee. got enthrgied in the rigging of the enc
my nowSprit and lnidshipman Baker. in
ms ardonr to get on board, laying hold Oh has
co-t' he Tell back ON the LVasp's deck. He
sprang up, and as the next swell of the sea
Drought the frolic nearer, he got on he,
powSprit, where Lang aud another seaman
were already. lie passed them on the fore
castle and was surprised at seeing not 4
single man alive on the Frolic's deck, ex
| cePt the seaman at the wheel, and three
oihcers. The deck was slippery with blood.
ana s'rewcd with the bodies of the dead.
as ne went forward, the captain of the FREE
C, with two other officer, who were stand
ing on the Quarter deck, threw down their
swords, ana made an inclination Of their
oodics, eenotih5 that they had surrendered.
HAt this moment the colours were still fYiug,
as PROBABLY, none of the seamen Of the Fro
nc would dare To so into the rigging for fear
OF me musketry OF the Wasp. Lieutenant
b'au'c, therefore, jumped into the rigging
himself, and hauled down the British ensign
ana possession was taken Of the Frolic, in
i"rty-th minutes after the first fire. She
was IN shocking condition the birth deck
particularly, was crow ded with dead, and
wounded, and dying ; there being but a
small portion OF the Frolic's crew who had
escaped. Captain Jones instantly sent OF
board his surgeons mate, and all the blan.
kets OF the frolic were brought from her
slop-room fer the comfort OF TIE wounded
q increase this Confusion. both the Frolc's
Fnasis soon Tell, covering the dead and eve
~ thing on deck, and she lay complete
wreck.
1t row appeared that the Frolic mounted
sixteen thirty-two pound carronades, four
t"elVe-pounders on the main deck, and two
WE'VE pouna carrOnades. She was. there
tore superior TO the Wasp, by exactly Tour
twelve pculde;s. The number of men Oh
board, IS stated by the officers OF the Fro.
lie, was one hundred and ten--;hc number
OF seanen on board the Wasp, was one
hundred and two bat it could not be as
certained, whether IN Ibis one hundred and
ten, were Included TaTines and officers; for
the Wasp had, besides her enc hundred &
Two men, officers and marines, making the
whole crew about one hundred and thirty
ave. What is however decisive. as TO their
con parative force j., that the officers Of the
rrohc acknowledged that they had as ma
NJ men as they knew what 10 do with, and
in fact, the Wasp could have spared fifteen
men. The was therefore ON The mos. ia
Nourab!e view, at least an equality OF men,
q an inequality CT four guns. The disparity
OF loss WaSmuch greater. The e.lact'nuulbCr
OF Killed and wounded OIL board the I'rolic
could not be precisely determined, but
from the observations of our ofFicers, and
the declarations of those Of the Frolic, the
number could net be less than about thirty
Killed, including two officers, and of the
wounded between forty and fifty the cap.
tain and second lieutenant being of the
number: The Wasp had five men killed.
and tive slightly wounded.
All hands were now employed in clearing
she deck, buiying the dead. and taking care
OF the wounded, when captain Jones sem
orders to lieutenant Bidd!e to proceed 70
charleston, or any southern port Of The u
States and, As there was a suspicious sail
20 windward, the Wasp would continue
her cruise. The ships then parted. The
suspicious sail was now coming down very
fast. at first-it was supposed chat she was
one OF the convoy, who had all fed during
the engagement, and who now came Tor
the purpose of attacking the prize.
The guns eli tho Froiic were, therefore.
loaded, and the chip cleared for action; but
the enemy, as she advanced, proved to be
14-the Poictiere, captain Beresford. She
fred a Shot over the Frolic, passed her
overlook the Wasp, the disabled state OF
whose rigging prevented her from escap-
ing and then returned to the Frolic, who
could, of course, make no resistance. The
Wasp and Frolic were carried into Bermu-
da.