Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-05-13

III Nnhtp VI man. ttFb' fEItf1V
(From TIC Neu York Express
TIE, LATE COMMODORE PORTER.
This gallant officer, one Of the bright
lumiparies That lend 10 the phge of Ameri-
ran history n %lostufe that reflects ut once
their country's glory and their own, wns
born in Boston. He WINS The son If n
a North Ender,' and sprang from that
hardy stock whence emanated Tho 'Llber.
ty Boys the Ten Party the Minute
Mem Of the ear'y revolutionary times.
The Sailors Home is the name Of II Ia
vern which now stands on the spot, near
Hancock's Wharf, where the future cOn-
rnodnre first drew breath.
The name Of Porter frat appears con-
apjc,1ouslv in the history Of the American
navy in tho year 1900. when, n n,idsh'p-
man on boarl The Experiment, under
The tH1lant Stewart, he slgna'lzed hInself
in the memorable action with The French
frigate L~'Insurgente. lis station IN TINT
encouragement was in The foretop md such
was his conduct TINT The lack OF lnflnen-
| iisl friends alone Ia enid TO havo prevented
his prefrrment. This. however, was not
long in coming. Merit like his could not
be disrernrled in ihat lnfnnt day OF our
ealIaf. navy. Upon commodofe Bnrron's
coming in.o the command Of the tons'el.
lat,on. Porter was made Iiautenant, and
was appointed to the Experiment under
Capt. lfaley, on tho West lnjla station.
On this station he signalized himself by
many exploits Of cool bravery aud Fal'an.
try. Receiving from Captain Talbot The
command Of the Arnphitrite, a prize
schooner Of five guns and fifteen men, he
captured a french privateer, heavily man
ned and armed, with much loss to ihe
enemv and none whatever 10 himself.
This give him n maine and a station IN
the navy which he hhs never lost, but
which in the rapid progress Of advance
mcnt, identified him with the most gallant
spirits in that service.
At The period of The declaration of war
against Great Britain in 1872, we find
Porter n captaIn, in command Of tho Us
sex frigate, 3. runs. After The glorious
CT capture of the Guerrero by Old lronsides,
Captain Buinbridge Captain Hull desir-
ing TO DO relieved from TINT ~comrnand)
was appointed 10 the latter, and n sgua-
dron was paced under bis command con
sisting of the Essex, Porter, and the Hor-
net Lawrence. This was IN September
1912. Rainbridge issued orders for lie
cruise, prescribing to Porter Il certain
course, at tho end of which, not meeting
the squadron at a specified point, he was
To act with discretion. Thus directed,
Porter smiled from tbs Delaware on the
27th Of October 1912, and commenced
one of The most glorious cruises recorded
in our navy'5% chronicles.
Under the letter Of his instructions. he
proceeded from the Delaware 10 The Bra
I'll coast, capturing by the way an English
packet, which yielded IA large amount IN
prize money. The vessel was sent TO the
United statcx. IIe thence secured the
coast to the In PLATA and thence to the
Pacific, arriving at Valparaiso, after a
long succession Of bad weather on the
l4th of March 1913. Thence he went
to the Chilian and Peruvian coasts, and
encountered a Spanish Corsalr. which he
took, and among whose prlsoross he found
twenty, four Americans, the crews Of two
whaling vessels taken or the coast of
Chill. Porter threw the pirates guns and
ammunition overheard and freed tie pri-
so,ers. He also recovered one OF the
ships AIKEN by the pirates, as she was going
into Lima. He then pursued his meteor
like course in the Pacific, doing immense
injury to the British commerce IN th;t
ocean, capturing many valuable cargoes,
sending some of the pTizos to tho United
States, and filling OFT others rs consorts
in his gallant cruise. With tho stripes
and STARS al his masthead, he carried his
little squadron in,o action, end became a
perfect! courage to the enemy IN those seas,
by the rapid and dating devastation com-
mitted upon thoir commerce. there. a
single frira.e, says asFecent Wflter' was
lording it over the Pacific, rowing about
the ocean in saucy defiance of a thousand
English ships; reyelling in the sPo'ls OF
boundiess wealth, and almost banisaing
the British flag from those regions where
1t had So long proudly waved %afedohi'-
nant."
In vain were vessels after Vessels sent
forth in pursuit Of him. HIS manner OF
cruising bafled all their attempts. No
traces Of his whereabouts did nc leave !,
as. now shooting into tbs open sea, aad
now lurking among the islands, keeping
clear Of the coast, he kept all research OF
the foe at bay, and vent en- all the time
With his brilliant exploits. He took pos
session Of an island in the Pacific, called
it Madison's, (after the then President
fought with the natives, reduced them, re-
paired his ship, and, having quite retltted
and restored her, sailed for the Chillan
coast in December, 1913. Thence he
went to Valparaiso. and there fl IN Nth
the British Commodore filllyar with tive
shirrs. As he went into the the harbor
one Of these vessels fell foul of the Essex,
and was at the mercy Of Porter. The
port was a neutral one and he did not
avail himself of this advantage. lie was
as m~arnanin,ous as brave, and this con.
daet earned him the warm a~ehno"ledg