by the Shannon, and the great loss of her crew, all which took place before the boarding, warrant completely the opinion, that, but for the accidental loss of officers, the victory would have been with the Chesapeake."*

Mr. Crowninshield, of Salem, obtained a flag of truce for the purpose of conveying to the United States the bodies of Lawrence and Ludlow, which he performed. On his return to Salem, the bodies of the departed heroes were conveyed, with the most affecting ceremonies, from the cartel to the shore. From the time the boats left the brig, until the bodies were landed, minute guns were fired from the vessels in the harbour. When placed upon the hearses, they were covered with the colours, which they had so lately and so signally honoured, and moved to a convenient distance for the procession to form, which moved to solemn musick, to the meetinghouse. The corpses were then placed in the centre of the church, by the seamen who rowed them to the shore, and who stood, during the whole of the service, leaning upon them in an attitude of mourning. The church was hung with cyprus and evergreen. The names of LAWRENCE and LUDLOW appeared in letters of gold, encircled by festoons of evergreen, immediately in front of the desk. An eulogy was pronounced by the honourable judge Story. After the performances in the meetinghouse, the seamen conveyed the remains to the tomb, where the masonick societies and military corps, paid the last ritual homage to the illustrious dead.

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The bodies of the deceased, at the request of their relatives, were afterwards carried to New York, and interred with the respect due to brave men, sacrificed in defence of their country.

COM. DECATUR BLOCKADED IN NEW LONDON

In the early part of the summer, (1813,) commodore Decatur, in the frigate United States, accompanied by the Macedonian, captain Jones, and the sloop of war Hornet, put to sea from New York. But a very superior force, consisting of line of battle ships and frigates, hove in sight and gave chase immediately after he left port. The American squadron was fortunate enough to reach the harbour of New London, where, for the remainder of the summer, they were blockaded, without any thing interesting occurring except an attempt made to blow up some of the English vessels by a fireship. The fireship was called the Eagle, and fitted out for the purpose by John Scudder. It was supposed that on her being captured, she would be taken along side one of the vessels of war, when, in attempting to unlade her, a considerable quantity of powder and other combustibles would have been set on fire. The attempt was made in the month of June. She was taken possession of by the British; but blew up be

fore she got alongside any of their large vessels.

At

the time of explosion, four boats were seen alongside which were all, with the men on board them, destroyed. It is supposed that upwards of one hundred of the British perished.

CAPTURE OF THE EAGLE.

In the month of July, a fishing smack was sent by commodore Lewis, of New York, for the purpose of capturing by stratagem the sloop Eagle, a tender of the Poictiers, a British vessel of seventy-four guns. The smack was borrowed of some fishermen. A calf, a sheep, and goose were put on board. Between thirty and forty men well armed with muskets were secreted in the cabin, and fore peak of the smack. Thus prepared she, stood out to sea as if going on a fishing voyage to the banks. Only three men appeared on deck, dressed as fishermen. The Eagle, on perceiving the smack, gave chase. After coming along side, and discovering live stock on board, she ordered the smack down to the commodore, then about five miles off. The helmsman of the smack answered, "Aye, aye, sir;" and apparently

put up the helm for that purpose, which brought the smack along side the Eagle, not more than three yards distant. The watch word Lawrence, was then given, and the armed men rushed on deck from be

low; and poured a volley of musketry into the tender; which drove her crew below with so much precipitancy, that, they had not time to strike her colours. As soon as sailing master Percival, who commanded the smack, perceived the deck of the British vessel cleared, he ordered his men to cease firing. Upon which one of the Eagle's crew appeared on deck, and struck her colours, The Eagle was safely taken into New York.*

THIRD CRUISE OF THE PRESIDENT

On the 23d of April, 1813, commodore Rodgers put to sea from Boston, in the President frigate, accompanied by the Congress, commanded by captain Smith. On the 30th he took his departure from President road. On the 3d of May, while in chase of a British brig of war, near the shoal of George's Bank, they passed to windward of three sail, one of which was supposed to be the La Hogue, seventyfour; the others, the Nymph frigate and a merchant brig. After getting clear of George's Bank, they continued along southeastwardly, in the direction of the southern edge of the Gulf stream, till the 8th of May, when the President parted from the Congress. Commodore Rodgers then shaped his course, as near as the wind would permit, to intercept the enemy's * Clark's Naval History, vol. i. p. 209.

West India commerce, passing to the southward of the Grand Bank. Not meeting with any thing in this direction, except American vessels, from Lisbon and Cadiz, he changed his course to the northward. Having reached the forty-eighth degree of north latitude, he steered for the Azores, off which he con tinued in different directions till the 6th of June, without meeting any British vessels. Being informed by an American vessel, that four days previous she had passed a British convoy from the West Indies, the commodore crowded all sail in chase to northeast. Though disappointed in falling in with the convoy, he nevertheless captured four vessels.

Being then in latitude forty-six north, longitude twenty-eight west, he determined to proceed to the North Sea. He however did not meet with a single vessel until off the Shetland Islands, and those he there met with were Danish, under British license. His water and provisions being now nearly exhausted, he put into North Bergen, in Norway, on the 27th of June. A scarcity in the country prevented his obtaining provisions. After having filled his casks with water, he departed on the 2d of July, towards the Orkney Islands, and thence towards the North Cape, for the purpose of intercepting a convoy of twenty-five or thirty sail, which, it was said, would leave Archangel about the middle of July, under the protection of two sloops of war, This was confirmed by two vessels he captured on the 18th of the same month. In this, however, the commodore was disappointed by a seventy-four and frigate making their