, 1842-10-15

I, "oius 1 otl QeteTiI1ileu 10 lISIt
them to day-but just then, the wind
came round to the southland and
east'erd, and we retained the wealth
engage, and slowly bore down upon
the enemy. They did all they could
to get the wind, but not succeeding,
hove into line, heading westward,
and CALAMITY waited for US a we
came down.
There lay their squadron, all light
sails taken in, just like a boxer, with
his sleeves rolled up, and handker-
ceIef tied about the loins, ready to
make a regular stand up fight. and
there wasn't a drawer man, nor a bet.
ter sailor, in the British navy nor that
same Carclay, whose broad pennant
f1oated in the a of that squadron.
Pretty soon, up runs our motto flag,
the dying words of our gallant Law.
rence-"Don't give up the ship" and
floats proudly from our main, and
then the general order was passed
down the line by trumpet. "Eeach
ship, lau your tn'my alongside"-and
If you ever seen a flock of wild gees
flying south'rd in the fall of the year,
vou'l have some idea of US, as we
went down into action. The men
was full of spirit, and painting for a
fight, and even them as was so sick,
as to be hardly able to stand, insisted
upon taking their places at the guns.
| recollects one in par,icular--he was
a carpenters mate, a steady man,
from Newpo-t--he crawls up when
we beat to quarters, and seats himself
upon the head of one of the pumps,
with the sounding rod in his hand,
looking as yellow as if he had just
been dragged out ola North Carolina
cvpress.swamp: but n of the Off
GERS comes up to him as he was sitting
there. and says-"You are too sick
to be here my man-there's no use
of your being exposed for nothing
you had better 90 below" 'lf you
please. SIR" SAYS the poor fellow, 'if
can do nothing else, | can save the
time of a better man, and sit here
and sound tie pump" Well, sir, as
we bore down. the English occasion
~ tried our distance by a shot, and
when we was Without about a mile of
'em, one M recochetting across
the water. bounds over the bu.warks,
and takes that mans head as clean
of his shoulders, If it had been done
with his own broad axe. | have heain
saw. ,ha. "everv bullet has its billet"
and that is sartin. that it's no use to
dodge a shot. FOR if you are destined
to fall by a shot. you will sarIain fall
by that same shot; and ! bears in
mind. that an English sailor, one of
our prisoners, told me that in a ship
of their'n a teller, as skulked in the
cable tier, during an action with the
French, was found dead with a spent
forty-two resting on his neck. The
ball had come in at the s,arn port
struck one of the beams ior'ard, and
tumbled RICH, in upon him, breaking
his neck, as he lay snugly cooled a.
way in the cable tier. No, no-mis-
forums and cannon shot is very much
alike--there's no dodging--every
man must stand up TO his work, and
take his chance--if they MISSILES
ready when they pipes to grog--lf
thew hit--,he P~urser's book is squared,
and no more charges is scored agin
him. But as | was saying, it wasn't
long before we began to make our
carronades tell, and then at it we
went hot and heavy, the Lawrence
taking the lead, engaging the Detroit,
and every vessel as she came up,
obeying orders and laying her enemy
alongside. in right good, arrest, ex-
cep, the Niagara. She>hung back
damn her-with her jib brailed up,
and her maintopsail to the mast
consequence was, the Charlotte, as
was her opponent, avails herself OF
her distance-runs up close under the
starn of the Detroit, and both ships
pours in their combined fire into our
ship, the Lawrence.
| hearn the master myself, and al
forwards two or three of the other
officers, go up to the Commodore dur
ing the action, and call his attention
to the Niagara, and complain of her
treacherous or cowardly conduct
Well. them two ships gin it to US hot
and heavy, and in three minutes we
was so enveloped in smoke, that We
onlv aimed at the flashes Of their guns,
Sn'y we s" might as we'll have tried to
trace , Aock of ducks in the thlckest
fog on the coast of Labrador as their
spars or hulls. | vas workinIng at
.nr a., Cord ouns, and as after