Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-09-23
FRANCISCO NIoNrALvo.
DOMESTIC.
Communicated far TIE Colun5iaa.
YANKEE SPIRIT.


1t would be difficult matter, perhaps, topont
out more consummate proof of Yankee spir-
III, coupled in the result with a more daring IN
stance of the outrageous practice OF impressrnent
than the following selection from New York
paper, printed in 1904. Ii relates to the ce!e-
brated ship Leander, of New York, on her vow
age from Pert-au-PrRce to that city, during.
which she had the unexampled audachy to at
tack and drive back a British "A gun figate.-
The excuse offered for the apparent inactivity OF
he f-gate is utterly destitute Of Foundation I;
jince no instance has ever yet been known to oc-
cur Ola vessel Situated in all respects as the
For'unee was) having her guns, nay, all her guns
slowed away in the hold, in consequence OF the
violence ola gale of wind. Had she been doub-
Ing Cape Horn in beisterous weather there
might have been some reason TO believe that her
guns were thus slowed but in the wide Allan
tic ocean, with plenty of sea-room, it could not
possibly have been the case. Even in doubling
this most stormy point of South America in the
Essex, captain Porter did not think it Necessary
70 stow away all his guns in the hold But the
account Itself, which we ShallPresendy subioin,
contains more than one ample proof the falsity
of this meagre excuse
1t appears from the account, that the action
took place in the evening OF the third day after
the Leander left Port-au-Prnce. Now, if
his nale,' ofwhich mention is made as an excuse
in these three days, surely the Leander mast
have felt the effects oft as well as the Fortunee
and IT the Leander had had sufficient time since
the gale'-to put herself in proper state for
action, surely tae Fortanee, with full compile
nent of men, had precisely the same. If not
" thstandng AL this, the Fortunce was really
rnPrepared for action, we should consider Cap
tam Vans tart as guilty Of most rare and c,ri-
P1ble neSlect-s neglect that no doubt would
cause him 20 be instantaueously stricken from
therolls ofthe Royal Navy But why, if er-
iireiy unPrepared for action. why did the For
tunee continue to, approach the Leander, Light
her lamps, and give the necessary commands
with the trumpet3 Captain Lewis very natural
~ supposed that his intention was to board and
we can assure him that had any of the leuten-
ants OF the American navy then been in command
OF the Fortunee, with but halfthe crew at quar-
ters and every gun dismourted, he would have
been boarded and carried But il was captain
Fansttart of the royal navy of Great Britain,
who, IN trisate OF n guns, and with full com
PIGMENT OF men, shrunls from deep laden Ame-
rlan mefchTtmsn, with but sixty men and -
eighteen pound carronades II NAV be SAID
perhaps that IN estimating the force opposed to
the Fortunee, we neglected to notice the Lear-
der,s consort, the armed brig Dolly. The Dolly
'oweyer gave no assistance until the Fcrtunee
had fallen back from the Leantier's fire and be-
sides, seriously speaking, we should cons d er the
two togetherno more than decent frol.c for one
our Il gun hermaphrodite briggs
AS captain VansittaFt's soul however, was to-
tally destitute CT courage, Il viii very readily be
inferred that twas equally dest tute of other
honorable principle After barbarolisly impressin..
20 men from the Leander and Dolly, lie with the
Characteristic sord ness OF British officer. ex
torted from capt. Lewis " 500 dollars for the
wife of the man lied, and 1000 dollars to re-
PAIR the damages & this we presume was in
revenge for the nglorlous defeat lie had iust ex-
perIenced from thehands ola Yankee merchant
captain Really know of but one tar yoke
fellow to captain Yansitlart, and that is Che noto
n Gus Shorthand, OF Dartmo0r prison. Par no.
bile fratium' But We rietain our readers from
the account.