Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-11-30
Ma- coBeErr's LETTER TO Nix. JAMES.

BLK. COBBErr'S LETTER 70 Nix. JAMES.
(COECLUp~O.)
" Al about 30 minutes past o, the Cyane was with
ou, brare or how line, except the lari,oarJ fore
brace. Yet, seeing her consort exposed 10 a heavy
rak'ng he, owing 10 the Constitution having lie,
across her, she ga,nily stood In between Them AM
received the h6oadsde. The firing continued VI in
tcr'ais Tor lew minutes longer when the Cysns
turned The hands up TO 'eht the rigging Before tina
couldbe accomplished, the Constitution had taken \
position on her larboatd quarter, within hail. B.,oe
now totally anmAuageablr with most of her stanJ,nr
aud running rigging gone main and n,zen u,asi:
'o'ter'nS aud other principal spsrs wounded
shot IN the hull. uiue Of which were betwe.u
wind and water five carronades disabled chiefly n,
the d'a~ing of the bolts and starting Of the cbouks
ana The Lnvahi having bore up TO repair damages
sace q ~. and beiog Two miles 10 ieeward. s,,
bearing away the Clane fred lee gun, and bo;str,
light no s:susi vi submission (see D. f33 ~ ami
soon alter seven, was taken possession OF 10y the Con
s;itltun. w"
At8 10, which was az soon as The Teyaut had rove
new bracse, the gsiiaht hue ship again hauled hsr
WING TO ascertain The fate Of her coa,nanon, as well
as torencw the desperate contest. On approacL;ro
tine two ships, Captain Douglas with hoduess bor
cering on rashness, ranged close alongside the Con
situation, to leeward, beng unahe 10 weather her
aud tue Two ships, on opposite lacks, exchare red
hroadsdes. This, by the Americaa accounr. w,s q,
hah past g. The Constitution Immediately wore ur.
ueJ tue Levans stern, aad raked her with ,econd
5.otdsde. Al 20, Capt. Douglas, finding that The
COInrA 80,
before the wind IN doing which, the L.v.o, rece;y'
ed seyeral raking broadsides, had her wheel sho,
away, and her 'S;seI nass badly wounded To FIRE
her-sern-chase guns, and to steer che same line,
was iniposstme, OWING TO a sad mistake in The CON
sitocl,oB OF this new class of vesseIsi Saein, nh.
Constitution ranging upon the iarboard quarter tho
Levan', at ~ p g. ny The Amersosn, and a, 10 10
by The Brush account, struck her csIoro 10 tI,e o.,
gau.ic enemy o.
=" One could almost cry out shane sha.ss a, the
consIllu,'o" f''ng successive broasides into spch
.a,p as the Le,an .urprisng tina, she did moi
continued her course, she might have ESCAPED BIZ,
tnai would have appeared like deserving her consor
anu G e battle was the
7" HE reader has, no doubt, already discovered
fte Important sariaiion belween Captaiu Siewa,,,.
.s"elsl le'le, (App. No: 1867 and The Minuiss Of
Liundsr Of Inc A@ercaDs pa, s,s . %macsoan'ae
According 10 the later, the ships were capur.d
Tsuccessve periods, three hours and len p,nw,es
apart and the action, from first to last, conlinueJ
ihree hours and Oily Eve minutes vet. saws tie G'r
iner, DOTH Of which, afer spirited action of FORTY
MINI rs surrendered 10 the ship under INV com.
m"nd Alter this compliment TO BrIri>. gaIJ.o,rv
cou.o no. oe expected ye, the advance of the Le-
want at hall past eight and her ranging close un. and
exchanging Dro3dsdes, with such an adversary uoud
have ehc,ed admiration ironi the bssas of Tu,kl
i"e Le'ant 1851 seamen aud marines, killed.
ano an odnceI, and ID seamen and marines. wounded
The Cyahe had killed, and l3 wounded to,aJ 10
Killed, ana ~ wounded. Captain S,ewarf. to make
the cpupls'enls Of the ships appear greater than
they were, states % the Killed. of The farm, aim
aud i@, the latter. This il now hrcome q sf.. ,,;cE
aud scarcely deserves Doice. The smaIIosss of The
British loss IN this action Shove clearly ina, ,hs
Americans had already began 10 relax in their dsc.
pine. The Consiiiuiions Ere, CONSIDERING Tho iii.
parity oi force, ials far beneath the very worst Of
ours.
Old lronsdes, as, from her Strength and com.
pacthess sue Is very properly called 10 the United
States, was too successful in keeping out of CAIRO
nade-raoset 10 allow many shot TO reacI, her Some
however, lodged in her sides and few o,le,s I,
may De presumed, found their way ihrough /; or we
should not hear oil men Killed and uortaIly wovud-
cd, and y others wounded, severely and sIipb,Iy.-
That bo:h British commanders had drilled their men
81 the guns, 10 proved by the precision of their FIRE
during the short period that their csrronades would
Eeacb.
The Levant mounted 81 guns : eighteen car.
,o"aocs, % -pounuers, two long 9-poUnJers and a
fz-pound lancl,-canonade. Her established COM
plemeni was l55 mca and boys but she had in ,,s
action ii5 men and is boys total ISL Her marines
were young raw recruits, that scarcely knew Row In
handle their aiuskeis aud, although considered "a
cso service.
The Cysne was q p-wsisied or ftipsts bu;,t
ship and mounted IS guns twenty-five csrronadss.
e popnders, upon the main deck, eight carronaIss,
W pounuefs and l2-pound anclI-carTonade and two
long ypoupdes, Upon tho quarter deck and forecss
ile Not another gun did she mount; VET CANAAN
stewart has given her 40 additional I8-pouDd car
fonsde, and two long 12s in lieu Of 9s and in the
Sketches Of the War;, ali her lfiy.four egns, are
aescsibsd as ~ pound csrronsdes:
The established complement Of the evans wa.
,ol n,n, and "a (including 10 superoumes aiy) bows
pc, TO- But on Tue morning OF The action she was
yenc'ee, 20 iiy'oihcers and able seamen, u.s. and
psu sppiuso teo boys making her conn. y,ept
fbRs aouoo las men, aud 26 boys total III, OF
10 cymoer, meu we're sick, and NOT Al auar,ers |
oomm,Auing his Prisoners, Captain Stewsrt ha,
ios The lie mistake winch added 10 ina, respec,-
,p,teJ eomn,o OF The two British ships, makes ,Le;,
by 81 cuts appear greater Than ll,ey were.
o.,;eans ~, =, me ysnes men deserted "a IN.
repeated oasfs MAJ the two crews rssised the
my. il wac stated by tx sS's s,Hs' slh the enc
court martial, thai The crews r The omee,s, ~ the
ior Three weeks, KEEP, consasbs in IN sh'ps were,
hgIo, WIN both hands and legs IL ;roo ns', ,
no~ee Oui three pinis Of wafer dvriea W. there
. As's, 700, 10 tropical climatei IL wXsov's.
WO'eU 'ha', alter the expiration n tho three ''ne'
UPON 'be application OF Captain Douglas,
W we neD were SLOWED 10 be on deck lopr Layu /
ou' OF me ~, bat bad not the means OF walking h,
ns snN W IRONS thai, ON mastering the crews when
soey were landed st Mssanbam, Eve Of the Ieysa,'s
were missing that, upon application and search
w, mem, Two were found locked IN in the American
Uapa,n ~ msfi"es csbia that black nanat Ma
,S"n1nl was employed as crimp, sad eoticed one
m ''e LeVaeis boys 70 enfeg the American service
Spon 'nese lach, LEI the reader employ NJ. own
assd no Pto~ptsf." WIZ