The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-06-10
Gbe Gin1es, Mem Bloomfield, 1pa.

dependence was upon the kind offices of the
various British officials at the French ports,
who were informed of the circumstances.
In the meantime he had visited Barba-
does, and soon after, embarlsing thence on
the return to Jamaica, he was captured by
the Insurgente. She stood northward to
Montserra, where the guns of the Constel-
lation put full stop to her mischieyous
enterprises.
While listening to Captain O'Hara's
story, / felt for him more sympathy than
/ could well express--he was so earnest so
honest, and withal he SO stout-beartedly
bore up. Nothing he yet knew of pHiron-
dele, his wife, or Cathal, or bright-eyed
Cathleen. And now, the possibility of
their having gone down in the battle-torn
barque of the Frenchman became more and
more apparent
Standing to the northward, we were
nearly up with Hatteras, when the Con-
stellation made prize of a merchant ship
from New Orleans (then French port,
for Bordeaux. l was of the number sent
to take possession of her. 1t was evening,
and, in going up the side our midship-
man dropped the prize papers which Cap
tain Truxton had given him, a mishap that
left the young officer in command with no
written authority. For three days we had
that kind of weather which one is apt to
encounter off Cape Hatteras, cutting off all
communication with the frigate, until
finally we lost sight of her for good.
The storm at last subsiding, we stood on
out Of the Gulf Stream and headed for
Chesapeake Bay. Within two hours sail
of Cape Henry, we were brought to by the
Eurydice frigate. Her captain could have
hung us all handsomely, for we had no
papers, but he chose to act differently.
Taking advantage of our position, he claim
ed three other men and myself as British
subjects. Protestation availed nothing,
and in sight of Cape Henry, with the Ches-
apeake opening before us, we were trans
ferred to his ship. arnH
Had not accident left us at his mercy,
he would not, perhaps, have yentured to
impress American man-of-war's men I; but
though he doubted not the truth of our
story, inasmuch as he allowed the midship-
man to proceed with the prize, he knew
that the strict letter of maritime law was
against us, and that, therefore, he would
not be called to account for this outrage
on our navy. aN
On recovering from the despair of my
impressment from the American ship, l
had at first anticipated some excitement
from expected contests with the French
but such contests were not as frequent as
the romantic admirer of naval prowess may
suppose. The French sure to suffer de-
feat, had learned to give British ships a
wide berth and thus the six months of
my service ON board the Eurydice had
given no opportunity for battle
But it was now that off Barbados, in
company with the Agamemnon, seventy
four, commanded by Sir Edward Berry, we
fell in with four ships, mounting respect
lively, sixty, forty-six, forty and thirty-two
guns. The Agamemnon, although rating
but seventy-four, carried eighty-six guns
while the Eurydice, rating but thirty-six,
carried forty-four. Thus, we had two ships
mounting one numbered and thirty guns,
against four ships mounting one hundred
and seventy-eight guns.
This battle afforded spectacle worth
all the six months of enforced servitude
There was some maneuvering for advan-
tage of position, and the ships became
somewhat scattered, the Agamemnon, with
two opponents, getting mile from us. She
engaged the Vantur, sixty, and the Hector,
forty-six the two antagonists which closed
with the Eurydice being the Republique,
forty, and the Aigle, thirty-two. Our en-
emies endeavored to keep both on the same
side of the Eurydice, in order to divide
our broadsde, but we had crew enough to
man all our guns at once, though some
what scantily and, therefore, the old
British sea-dog, our commander insisted
on getting between the Frenchman Then
with the one on the starboard and the
other on the larboard, we poured full
broadside into each. And such roar,
such smoke and flame
Meanwhile the Agamemnon, mile dis
tant, was laundering from her castle-like
sides on the two heavy ships opposed to
her, her huge spars rocking to and fro
with the recoil of her loud batteries, and
the blood-red cross flaming out at her
mizzen.
The Eurydice suffered heavily for the
heroic courage of our two antagonists al
most redeemed their want of skill, Tbev