Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-09-30
CA'UGBER 81.

'oiordpie passenger had c0ntraband goods
on board ;when this worthy officer, says
The author, immediately reprobated him
puplicly on the quarterback, and limited
nus inclination OF throwing the snuggler,
along with his goods, overheard.
we are next presented with some traits
In the Character Off the honorable sir
Alexander Frrester Cochrane, K. b. who.
during the late war, commanded squad
ron oil ships on the American coast. In
the engagement with the French on the
9th OF February 1906, off st. Domingo, all
though his majesty's ships Superb, (sir
Thomas DuckwOrth'S flag Ship and Nor-
thumberiand, bearing the flag Of sir Alex
ander, sustained alone for nearly two
hours the whole brunt Of the French fire .
yet MIR. Mackenrot insists, that sir AlexI
ander's Laurels in this action, sprano from
compuision, aud not from spontaneous.
bravery IN short, that he lcas Obliged tn
Jtght, and would rather haze been excds-
ed from laying alongside the French admi-
ral's ship, which was three-decker. Sir
AieXander's meeting with the feet OF Je-
rome Bonaparte on the fatal 9th of July,
1906, says our author, presents one of
those melancholy and solitary instances
ioiIere the honor Of the British fng aoas
tarnisted. The admiral was here com-
mander in Chief, and his injudicious fears
got such an ascendancy over his mind. as
10 make him actually see double, when sur
yeying the enemy's force. The French
tect consisted OF one "a, and FIVE - run
ships the British otthree 74's, one e., and
two SO gun trisates and the former hav-
ing lost number OF men through sickness.
were but half manued--a circumstance
perfectly known to admiral Cochrane.--
The two fleets met off st. ThOmas,-when,
instead OF closing and attacking the rear
OF the French, the English squadron all of
sudden tackled 10 the southward, and
quietly suffered the French to coutinus
their course strsiglit,-tO the westward OF
Porto Rico. We need scarcely to add,
says the author, that tie sentence of adj
mtral 3yng was Immediately pronounced
against sir Alexander Cochrane By hum
dreds ofvOices of his indignant country
men at st. Thomas, whilst the French ex-
uitingty crowed In the momentary triumph
OF the pdcaiOn tricOLore, which so rarely
fell to their lot.
Slammon is the god of the greatest part
OF the Cochrane family, and there are but
few instances of their love of glory. After
tins affair the admiral returned with his
aquadron to Tortola, where, at dinner on
board the Northumberland, Mr.. Alackeu-
rot heard him acknowledge, that he ab.
stained from attacking fhe enemy. because
he saw the original French squadron,
which he had chased from of Tortoa. all
ready superior in numbers, form a iunc-
ton with three other line of battle ships
oFthe west end of the island OF st. Thorn
as!
Risum tensdiis arici2
Sterne says, {: the mind sits terrified a.
the o. jects she magnifed herself, and black
ened reduce EN- to their proper size and
hue, she oyerlooks thano Has, Ills was
admiral Cochrane's case; for t, csc preteu~
ded three line ofhatle ships, which the
panic-struck Knight imagined he saw 70
leeward joining the Frencl SQUADRON,
turned out TO be nothing more nor less,
than three harmless homs5cGrd 5oinm Ia
nish merchantmen. who had sailed that ve~
ry morning lrom the ha,bor Of st. Th5inaso
bound to Copenhagen.
The French fleet consisted of the follow
ing ships, viz.
LIE Fnudroyant, 81 guns ed. Willaumez
lie Veteran II guns Jerome Bona
parts