The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-10-16

success OF this scheme than the veniurous
hero himself, or his affeciionate mother; one
whose pillow was nightly bathed in tears at
the bare apprehension Of the danger to which
her lover would voluntarily expose himself |;
while she esteemed him The more highly for the
courage and boldness he evinced in his noble
undertaking. She, the young, the beautiful,
and amiable, who had scarcely been willing
to make the slightest return for the passion
which he had so constantly cherished during
long and intimate acquaintance, now, that
danger approached in its most frightful form,
no longer scrupled to acknowledge her re-
ciprocal affection, and to beseech him by his
love and regard for her not to expose himself
to the perls of his project. But the noble
youth, while his eye beamed with tear of
tenderness, held more firmly his resolution
to make himself worthy of so grateful an at
tachment. AT length an evening ARR suita-
BILE for his fixed purpose. He had gwen .
parting kiss TO the maiden--had wept at his
mothers grief, and melted to tears at her ten
derness as he babe her farewell, perhaps for
ever the torpedo was in readiness, and he
descended with tremulous steps to the shore,
having before him the alternative Of death on
the one hand, or affluence and glory on the
other The night chosen as the most favora-
BILE TO success was dark and gloomy. Not
breath of air was stirring, and thick clouds
covered the face of the heavens, portending a
storm slowly approaching. few lights still
glimmering from the shallops, scattered thin
ly over the bay, and the hoarse cry of the
watchman was heard in the deserted streets
Of the city, ''ten O'clock and all's WE'LL" as
Halsey reached the place OF rendezvous A
boat, well manned, was in readiness to trans
port him as near to the enemy as could be
done with safety and having received him.
the oars were vigorously applied to the com
pletion Of this object. When they had ar
rived within the distance Of fourscore rods
from the enemy's ship, its towering masts ap-
peared family in the surrounding mist, their
direction was taken by the help Of a dark Ian
tern; the torpedo with its appended magazine
was loosened from the boat; young Halsey
took his place in the fatal machine, its en-
trance was closed, its ballast adjusted by the
men in the boat, and it gently sunk beneath
the water, and began TO move slowly in the
direction of the British ship. The boats
crew hastily but silently rowed towards
place Of rendezvous, previously appointed and
awaited the event. But hardly had they pro-
ceeded to double their distance from the enc
my's ships when the rain began to fall in tor
rents, attended by severe gust of wind, and
the waves dashed the sides Of their boat with
increasing violence. Constantly watching
the British ship, they at length saw unusual
lights moving upon the forecastle, and heard
a confused noise like the call Of "all hands
on deck" An alarm gun was fred, betray-
sha e, rT, Il 18Th h,t xhr,x oh Hal Il
covered the approach Of the torpedo. Rest
ing on their oars, the boatmen perceived that
the whole crew were engaged in sweeping
the ships bottom, and with direct foreboding
they concluded that the enemy had been in
formed Of their danger and prepared to escape
it, At length by the motion Of the lights il
appeared that boats were manned by the ships
crew, and they moved off from the vessel ir-
regularly, as If in pursuit OF the torpedo
They had proceeded some distance, and met
each other as if to seize upon some object in
the water, when bright glare Of light shot
over the horizon; an explosion louder than
the pealing thunder reyerberated on the wa
ter vast hollow was seen where moment
before the boats of the enemy were sailing
the ship reeled as if in hurricane the
waves suddenly rose above the lights of the
deck, and foaming as they advanced, tossed
the frail American bark like the feather in the
and soon dashed the distant shore
The torpedo had exploded; and the boats
which pursued it were blown to atoms and
sunk in the ocean; and darkness again CO.
vered the sky mid the peltings Of the increas-
ing storm. The crew Of the boat which car
ried out the torpedo. had been anxious spec
tators ofthe catastrophe; and CLEAN Of hope
still remained that Halsey had separated from
the magazine, and made his escape in the
torpedo before that explosion took place. IN
der this impression they returned to the place
Of rendezvous, and waited for his approach
but the hours glided by, and still he was not
seen. r,
AT length they procured a party Of friends
on shore, to look out at the rendezvous, and
went back in their boat to the vicinity of the
British ship. They rowed all around it, and
protected by the darkness called loudly for
Halsey but there was no answer. Morning
but he came not inquiries were
made on all the adjacent shores, but he had
nowhere been heard Of; the storm had passed,
and the morning sun shone out in all its glory,
but its brightest rays were gloom and dark
ness to the maiden who loved him, and the |
mother who bore him; for with those rays
came the news that he whom they loved slept
in watery grave. Still there was hope
days rolled away, and new inquiries were
made, but with the same result. He might
have been driven to sea by the storm, or have
been taken by the enemy; and under this be-
lief, inquiries were made in England after the
close of the war by his afflicted friends; but
never since he entered the fatal torpedo, has
Plowden Halsey been heard of: and the un-
avoidable conclusion is, that he persisted by
the accidental explosion Of the magazine, and
that his mangled limbs lie scattered in the