The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1814-03-17

of Neyessick, Bearing ~. w. lie -. dis.:ni
leseues; talked ship and n ade sail tcwsids
il. Az so A. NJ. discovered a strange sail
on cur lee beam reported from he masthead
10 be topsai schooner, standing by the wind
10 the s. and W. AIS, A. M moderate and
pleasant weather, wind w. s. w. Al e4S,
sent boat on shore TO The Iisbt house for a
pilot sounding 10 fathoms. Al so, dis
covered the second strange sail bearing S s Z.
standing directly fer US hauled up The fore.
sail, backed the main and mizzen :opsails
beat 10 quarters, and rsde every prspsrstion
for battle. AT 10 80, hoisted an American
ensign at each mast head first strange sail
bearing ). ID L. and the second large ship
Of war, 5. by w. dptsDee miles-wind S.
w. by w. Meridian, New-Yo,k light house
bore N. Ia w miles {; the strange ship
having hauled by The wind on the lsrboard
tack, about miles from US, and We lying 10,
with our main anc mizzen topsaiIs aback AT
l, p. NJ. took reef in our topsails and fired
gun to windward, supposing the strange sail
10 be an enemy. AT Is strange sail bore
up and stood down for us--we wore and stood
to the south to meet him wind W.S.W. AT
/ 80 strange sail wore and stood from u.s. At
2 SO discovered our boat returning from shore,
wore ship and stood towards her, strange sail
also wore ship and stood after US. At rs
took the boat in tow, wore and stood for the
strange ship, who also Immediately wore and
made sail from US at this time within can
nan shot distance. AT 8 Is received a pilot
from the revenue cutter (; he, together with
the officers who came on board, declared tho
ship (thcn having made sail from us) was am
cnemy's "a, we wore ship and made sail for
the bar. AT came to anchor inside the bar,
tb Ia, h. honee hesripr q G
Remarks by Lieutenant
From the position of the two ships, for z
hours,it Is evident the enemy could have COM
PEELED US to action, at any hour within that in
terval for he had the weather gage, and tho
water on the bar was too low for the President
TO &c, over ill o'clock.
The weather was clear, but hazy close 10
the horizon-this circumstance prevented us,
at the time We fired the gun to windward,
| from ascertaining the real force of the enemy,
who we then supposed to be heavy friga,o
or razee. Nor was it until two or three days
| afterwards our observations in clear weather
| etlabled us 10 make out her true force ,neither
frigate nor razee but a complete -.
The President has been 38S days at sea,
| since the declaration of war, and traversed a
! vast extent of ocean, notwithstanding the ene-
| my has almost every sea covered with his
cruizers, in the proportion of nearly Fifty to
| one against our little marine, Yet has tho
! Commodore returned in safety, after up
preaching every sail he made until her force
could be ascertaned, and suffering no single
vessel less than ship of the line TO escape
him, His last man6uvre with "a, is the
most remarkable event IN the history of his
frigate. Two British gentlemen were amouS
the prisoners on board at the time, one for.
merly respectable officer of the army and
they both then aud since expressed their as
tonishment and modification at the conduct
of the "a in refusing battle, in the strongest
terms, and with remarks which respect to
their situation in this country forbids US TO re,
peat.
The brave Col. JOHNSON, who commanded
the Mounted Rifemen at the defcaat of Proc
tor, and was then SO severely wounded, arriv-
ed in Washington city, yesterday, and took
his seat as Representa,iec from Kentucky.
Although he receives. several wounds in vari-
Gus parts of his body, il gives as great plea
sure to state that his generafhealthis is perfect
1y raestablished, and he has the happy pros
pect of entirely recovering the use OF his left