The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1815-08-09
! M sII~ ARTICLES.

/. u :
Rssr4 " prsersssss, s,s fbs spiason AZ a, ce.rs a
.nqHng heai 81 syeidsbe q. $ sap hi,pfnGsece,,s
osss-" h'9or.' % .'dsr gfiie Sscystsy cj us .Ae-
's' " rrrsfsas re crsssss IF ne hss 5s cab,we.
% hes y Ssafes isctOeasrs SeoJi:a aaf sgycs.
-rf"' t9fsr ies coFsras sf III, Daajei 9,n,,.r, oS
"a n..ea Sss.ss r.Asns, oa Lake H~,,, ~ ia
n'ssh " Sspsst.esf. lSis
All tue evidence beng thus closed, tho
court trueeertcd to deliberate on the ,sstimo.
ny aadseed, and having fulyccnsidcrea tho
same, cams % ibe fpliowiog result ;--ThAs
INC scorpion, under tie cc,tn,anci,of Sailiurs
Master lnow Lieet9 Champlin, we,o left. Ca,
the \ 9Th Of .Angoss las,, 10 lGloaces syer Bny.,
ey coEpodore Sinclair, 10 blockade Malta.
,ssssy. 80, ,iss. M .aa. 30 arpisn had sasssy.
24-poaneer aad'dlIhooea u.erc was IL.
popnder on board, its> earrisgc had, been 60,
Mueh disabled as 70 rtneerfit, useless, end
that Lieut.. Turner had not The means of re-1
pairing It.. IL is in evidence, and is fully
proved, that the Scorpion had no ooardi as.
netting, and that she was de6cens in spare
cofdage ; that she had no signals, end thas'
her crew were composed Of mcn Of the moss
ordinary class. "a
5 The Coa,t find that the Tygress had ,wen-
'y'eigh, men, officers included, and mouo,ed
one 24.pounder that she had neither board
ing nctihgs nor signals. and was dcficien, III
co'dage. IL does not, however, appear that
tho armament OF these sehooners was dciici.
ent,except 10 pistols.
Inc court are OF opinion, that, ipasmueh !
as no anchorage was found Ia Gloucester Bay, 4.
aud II having become dapgc, oos 10 re main
there any longer, from the severity of tho
gales, WHICH were daily increasing, Lieut..
Turner was perfectly justified in raising tho
blockade OF Nauawasausa river and proceed p
iog 10 St Josephs tha, the position taken by
him while at ST. Josephs, and in the neigh
oorhood OF french river, were well calculate
cd to annoy the enemy IN his line OF cornmu- !.
nication with Msckinaw.
The court iind that, after Lieut. Turner
had proceeded to cruiso of French river, on
The night OF the Sd of September last, the !,
lygrcss was attacked by tho enemy in 6ve
large boats, Zone Of them mounting q 8 poun- |
der, and tho other 3 pounder) and by nine.
teen canoes, carrying about three hundted
sailors, soldiers, and Indians, under the com.
mand of an Enelish nay., az ann,,l they were
eaSS e'ose G wes eus, not snvy then dscoycr
ed but by the sound of their oars.
Alter they were discovered, every cxertion
was made by Lieut.. Champiin, his officers
and men, to defend his schooner, that brave.
ry and skill coulG suggest; and not until all
tho officers were cut down, did the over
whelming numbers Of the enemy prevail
The enemy having thus captured the Ty-
eress, and having mounted on her their and
s pounders, and placed on board a complc-
ment from seventy to one hundred Of picked
men, re maincd at ST, Josephs until the 5.h
Of September. On the evening Of that day
the court find, that the Scorpion returned
from cruizing OFF French river, aud came 70
anchor within five miles Of the Tygrcss,wilh-
out any Information having been received, or
suspicion entertained by 1t. Turner, OF her
capture. AT the dawn of the next day, II ap-
pears that the gunner having charge OF tho
watch, passed word TO the sailing masler,ihar
the Tygtcss was bearing down under Amen"
can colors. In few minutes after, she rau
alongside Of the Scorpion, fired, boarded,
aud carried her.
IL appears TO the court, that the loss OF the
Scorpion is, in great measure, to be attri-
butcd TO the want Of signals and owing TO
this deficiency, no suspicious wcss excited as
10 the real character Of the Tygrcss anu
from some Of the English officers ard men
on board OF her beipg dfosssd in the clothes
of her former officers and mep, and the resi-
due of the enemy's crew being concealed,
-surpiize was effected, which 2fccladed the
possibility obedience.
The cour, are, therefore, OF opinion, from
the whole testimony before them, that the
conduct of Lieut.. Turner was that OF dis
Greet and vgilant officer.
JOHN SHAW, Prcsidsnt.
VIZ. c. AYwYs, JRdge advocate.
A,nroycd,