Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-08-16
A GOOD ONE!

a GOOD ONE
About n week before our line of battle
ship, the Independence, sailed for the Me-
diterranean, the venerable John Adams,
Eo.J four score years of age, was invited,
by the commanders, to visit his ship.-He
was accompanied by a number of gentle
men ofhis neighbOrhood, and among the
rest was Josiah Quincy, ESQ. Mr.. Adams
viewed and examined the ship with ad =
miTatiOn, contemplated her uncommon
strength Of structure, and had the false
story of her being too low In the water
cleared up to him and was convinced,
from his pretty thorough knowledge of
ships, the structure of which had been a
favorite study that she was, in several
respects, superior to any ship OF any other
nation. Beside the structure, and line ar
rangement of the Independence, he viewed
with delight her healthy, hearty, well
dressed and cheerful looking crew, as he
walked the gun d0cks. on which were ar
ranged six hundred brave and smiling
American sailors-the tear stole from his
eyes-when, after recovering himself,
ne turned round to the gentlemen ac-
campaigning, and said, with his character
istic emphasis: Let yHr. Strong san
IrhGt he 1oili, these are the BuiUar&c Of our
religion 20 On which . Demosthenes,"
who was at his elbow, blushed, and hem
med, and chOaked, and tried to speak
but could not :-whiie all The rest clapped
hands, and the sailors snickered from
stem to stern. We pledge ourselves for
the truth of this anecdOte. ID.
The attack on .Ne,o- Orleans, and retreat of
the English army.
We did flatter ourselves that we should
have been spared the pain of setting any
more accounts ofbloOd, and that the kind
interposltion of good fortune, would have
rescued the brave and gallant soldier from
the fate that has awaited him. England
has made another experiment on the cOur-
age and disciplineof American troops, and
dearly indeed has she paid for the trial.
The battle of New-0rleans is decisive OF
the question between the New and the old
World.-It has demonstrated to the Anne
cans their invincibility when united and
it dissipates the idle vision with which En-
glIshmen used to dazzle the understand
ings, that eight millions of men at three
thousand miles distance, would suffer
themselves to be dictated to even by the
conquerors of Bonaparte.-FataI and ca
iamitOus indeed has been the result to the
English army. Sir T.. Packenham, passed
through a course of brilliant achievements
as the aid-de-camp of the Duke of We'll
lington--he left Europe full Of honors, en-
joying the affection Of his brother soldiers,
and the confidence Of bis General. IL is
painful to be obliged to relate that SUCH a
man should have fallen in a conflict with
the freest nation on the earth-or that
$500 brave men have fallen in a struggle,
which the wisdom and moderation of the
of both countries had ter
minated. We have no experience Of any
engagement with America where the VIC
tory appears TO be so complete to the lat
Ter, and the calamity sodisastrous to the
former, as the late attack upon Ncw-Or
twelve days should have
been suffered to elapse from the 9Th De-
cember, to the 9Th January, before the at
tack was made, we cannot as yet discover
any satisfactory reason for. In all expe-
ditions of this nature, it is obvious that |
the most rapid movements promise the |
most probable success.-The fatal dexte. |
rity with which the American always takes !