knowledgments; and I beg leave, most earnestly, to recommend them to the notice of

government. By the indisposition of Lieut. Stewart, I was deprived of the services of an excellent officer; had he been able to stand on the deck, I am confident his exertions would not have been surpassed by any one on board. should be doing injustice to the merits of Lieut. Shubrick, and acting Lieutenants Conner and Newton, were I not to recommend them particularly to your notice. Lieut. Shubrick was in the actions with the Guerriere and Java--Captain Hull, and Commodore, Bainbridge can bear testimony as to his coolness and good conduct on both occasions.

With the greatest respect, I am, &c.

Hon. W. JONES,

JAS. LAWRENCE.

Sec'y of Navy.

In April, Capt. Lawrence returned to port, and was promoted to the command of the Chesapeake, then lying at Boston, and ready for sea.

The British frigate Shannon, (Capt. Broke), with the Tenedos in company, appeared off the harbor of Boston, and invited the Chesapeake to the contest. Captain Lawrence accepted the invitation, promptly, and put to sea-June 1st. The Shannon manoeuvered for the combat, and the ships were soon in action, and along side. A short, but desperate conflict ensued ; Captain Lawrence was wounded early in the action, but kept his station until the fatal ball pierced his body, and he was carried below. He then exclaimed, “ Don't give up the ship."

Captain Broke seized the favorable moment; boarded the Chesapeake and carried her, after all her officers were either killed or wounded; and seventy of her crew were killed and eighty wounded. The Shannon had twenty-three killed and fifty-six wounded.

The Shannon sailed for Halifax, with her prize, where Captain Lawrence and Lieutenant Ludlow, were honorably interred, with the honors of war.

THE CHESAPEAKE TAKEN.

Copy of a Letter from Lieut. Budd to the Secretary of the Navy.

SIR,

Halifax, June 15, 1813.

The unfortunate death of Capt. James Lawrence, and Lieut. Augustus C. Ludlow, has rendered it my duty to inform you of the capture of the late United States frigate Chesapeake.

On Tuesday, June 1st, at 8, A. M. we unmoored ship, and at meridian got under way from President Roads, with a light wind from the southward and westward, and proceeded on a cruise. A ship was then in sight, in the offing, which had the appearance of a ship of war; and which, from information received from pilots, we believed to be the British frigate Shannon. We made sail in chase, and cleared ship for action. At half past 4, P. M. she hove too, with her head to the southward and eastward-At 5, P. M. took in the royal and top-gallant sails; and at half past 5, hauled the courses up. About 15 minutes before 6, the action commenced, within pistol shot. The first broadside did great execution on both sides; damaged our rigging; killed among others, Mr. White, the sailing-master; and wounded Capt. Lawrence. In about 12 minutes, after the commencement of the action, we fell on board the enemy; and immediately after, one of our armed chests, on the quarter-deck, was blown up, by a hand grenade, thrown from the enemy's ship. In a few minutes, one of the Captain's aids came on the gun-deck, to inform me that the boarders were called. I immediately called the boarders away, and proceeded to the spar-deck, where I

found that the enemy had succeeded in boarding us, and had gained possession of our quarter-deck. I immediately gave orders to haul on board the fore-tack, for the purpose of shooting the ship clear of the other, and then made an attempt to regain the quarter-deck, but was wounded, and thrown down on the girt-deck. I again made an effort to collect the boarders; but, in the mean time, the enemy had gained complete possession of the ship. On my being carried down to the cockpit, I there found Capt. Lawrence, and Lieut. Ludlow, mortally wounded; the former had been carried below, previously to the ship's being boarded-the latter was wounded in attempting to repel the boarders. Among those who fell, early in the action, was Mr. Ed. J. Ballard, 4th Lieutenant, and Lieut. James Broome, of Marines. I herein enclose, to you, a return of the killed and wounded; by which you will perceive, that every officer, upon whom the charge of the ship would devolve, was either killed or wounded, previously to her capture. The enemy report the loss of Mr. Watt, their 1st Lieutenant, the Purser, the Captain's Clerk, and 23 seamen, killed; Captain Broke, a Midshipman, and 56 seamen wounded.

The Shannon had, in addition to her full complement, an officer, and 16 men, belonging to the Belle Poule, and a part of the crew belonging to the Tene. dos.

I have the honor, &c.

Hon. W. Jones, Sec'y Navy.

GEO. BUDD.

In this action, we had 49 killed--97 wounded--total 146.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Naval Operations, Continued.

On the morning of April 29th, 1814, the United States sloop of war Peacock, fell in with his Britannic majesty's brig Epervier, of eighteen guns, and 128 men, captain Wales, and captured her, after an action of forty-five minutes, and took from her 120,000 dollars. The Epervier lost in the action, eight killed and fifteen wounded. The Peacock had none killed and only two wounded.

When the Epervier struck, she had five feet water in her hold, forty-five shot in her hull, and her spars and rigging very much wounded, and shot away; but the damages of the Peacock were repaired, and she was ready for action again, in fifteen minutes.

PEACOCK AND E ERVIER.

Extract of a letter from Capt. Charles Morris, commanding the U. S. Ship Adams at Savannah, to the Secretary of the Navy.

SIR,

Savannah, May 2, 1814.

I have the honor to inform you, that a fine brig of 18 guns, prize to the United States sloop Peacock, anchored here this morning. She is much shattered in her hull, and damaged in her rigging, having fought 45 minutes her loss 8 killed and 15 wounded. The Peacock, 2 slightly wounded. She was chased on the 30th April, by a frigate, but escaped by running close in the shore in the night. Lieut. Nicholson, prize master, will forward you a more detailed account of this handsome affair.--I am &c. C. MORRIS.

Hon. W. Jones &c.

Letter from Lieut. Nicholson to the Secretary of the Navy.

Savannah, May 1, 1814.

SIR-I have the honour to inform you of my arrival here, in late his Britannic majesty's brig Epervier, of eighteen 32 pound carronades, Capt. Wales, captured by the sloop Peacock, on Friday morning the 29th, off Cape Carnaveral, after an action of 45 minutes, in which time she was much cut up in hull, spars, rigging, and sails, with upwards of five feet of water in her hold, having the weathergague.

I am

She has lost 8 killed and 15 wounded; among the latter her first Lieutenant, who has lost his arm. happy to say, the Peacock received no material injury -her fore-yard and two men slightly wounded-she received not one shot in her hull. The brig had upwards of 100,000 dollars in specie on board.

I have the honor to be, &c.

Hon. WILLIAM JONES,

JOHN B. NICHOLSON.

Sec'y. of the Navy.

Copies of letters from Captain Warrington to the Secretary of the

Navy.

U. S. Sloop Peacock, at sea, lat. 27° 47', long. 80o 9, 29 April, 1314.

I have the honour to inform you that we have this morning captured, after an action of 45 minutes, his majesty's brig Epervier, rating and mounting 18 thirtytwo pound carronades with 128 men, of whom 8 were killed and 15 wounded (according to the best information we could obtain :) among the latter is her 1st lieutenant, who has lost an arm, and received a severe splinter wound on the hip. Not a man in the Peacock was killed and only two wounded; neither dangerously so.