minutes, the British brig Epervier of eighteen guns and one hundred and twenty-eight men, having on board one hundred and twenty thousand dollars in specie. The loss on board the Epervier was eight killed and thirteen wounded; among the latter was her first lieutenant, who lost an arm and received a severe splinter wound on the hip. Not a man in the Peacock was killed, and only two wounded; and the injury sustained by the vessel was so trifling that in fifteen minutes after the Epervier struck, she was ready for another action.

When the enemy struck, he had five feet of water in his hold, his main-top-mast was over the side, his main boom shot away, his foremast cut nearly in two and tottering, his bowsprit badly wounded, and forty-five shot holes in his hull, twenty of which were within a foot of his water line. By great exertions, the Epervier was got in sailing order in the course of the day.

On the 1st of May, the Epervier arrived at Savannah; and on the 4th, the Peacock reached the same place, after having been separated from her prize and chased for four or five days by a superior force of enemy's vessels.

The Peacock shortly sailed again, and arrived at New York toward the latter part of October, from a cruise of one hundred and forty-seven days, having made fourteen prizes, valued at four hundred and ninety-four thousand two hundred and twenty-two dollars; twelve of the prizes were burnt or sunk, and two made cartels for prisoners.

CRUISE OF THE WASP.-CAPTURE OF THE REIN DEER.

On the 1st of May, the United States sloop of war Wasp, of eighteen guns and one hundred and seventy-three men, captain Blakely commander, sailed from Portsmouth, N. H. on a cruise, and on the 28th of June, in latitude 48 36, longitude 11 15 after having made several captures, she fell in with engaged, and after an action of nineteen minutes, captured his Brittanick majesty's sloop of war Reindeer, William Manners, esquire, commander. The Reindeer mounted sixteen twenty-four pound carronades, two long six or nine pounders, and a shifting twelve pound carronade, with a complement on board of one hundred and eighteen men. She was literally cut to pieces in a line with her ports; her upper works, boats and spare spars were one complete wreck, and a breeze springing up the day after the action, her foremast went by the board; when the prisoners having been taken on board the Wasp, she was set on fire and soon blew up.

The loss on board the Reindeer was twenty-three killed and forty two wounded, her captain being among the former. On board the Wasp five were killed and twenty-one wounded. More than one half of the wounded enemy were, in consequence of the severity and extent of their wounds, put on board a Portuguese brig and sent to England.-The

loss of the Americans, although not as severe as that of the British, was owing, in a degree, to the proximity of the two vessels during the action, and the extreme smoothness of the sea, but chiefly in repelling boarders.

On the 8th of July, the Wasp put into L'Orient, France, after capturing an additional number of prizes, where she remained until the 27th of August, when she again sailed on a cruise. On the 1st of September she fell in with the British sloop of war Avon, of twenty guns, commanded by captain Abuthnot, and after an action of forty-five minutes, compelled her to surrender, her crew being nearly all killed or wounded. The guns were then ordered to be secured, and a boat lowered from the Wasp in order to take possession of the prize. In the act of lowering the boat, a second enemy's vessel was discovered astern and standing towards the Wasp. Captain Blakely immediately ordered his crew to their quarters, prepared every thing for action, and awaited her coming up. In a few minutes after, two additional sail were discovered bearing down upon the Wasp. Captain Blakely stood off with the expectation of drawing the first from its companions; but in this he was disappointed. She continued to approach until she came close to the stern of the Wasp, when she haled by the wind, fired her broadside, (which injured the Wasp but trifling,) and retraced her steps to join her consorts. Captain Blakely was now necessitated to abandon the Avon, which had by this time become a total wreck, and which

soon after sunk, the surviving part of her crew having barely time to escape to the other enemy's vessels.

On board the Avon forty were killed and sixty wounded. The loss sustained by the Wasp was two killed and one wounded.

The Wasp afterwards continued her cruise, making great havock among English merchant vessels and privateers, destroying an immense amount of the enemy's property. From the 1st of May until the 20th of September, she had captured fifteen vessels, most of which she destroyed.

LOSS OF THE PRESIDENT.

On the 14th of January, the frigate President, the command of which had been assigned to commodore Decatur, sailed from New York on a cruise. Owing to a mistake of the pilots, the ship, in going out, grounded on the bar, where she continued to strike heavy for an hour and a half. Several of her rudder braces being broken, and other material injury sustained, commodore Decatur thought it advisable to return to port, which, however, he was prevented from doing by the strong westerly winds. Having succeeded in forcing her over the bar, he shaped his course along the shore of Long Island for fifty miles,

and then s. E. by E. At five o'clock, three ships were discovered ahead. The commodore passed two miles to the northward of them. At daylight he discovered four ships in chase, one on each quarter, and two astern, the leading ship being a razee, which commenced a fire upon the President, but without effect. At meridian he found that he increased his distance from the razee; but the next ship astern, which was the Endymion, mounting fifty guns, twenty-four pounders, on the maindeck, had gained and continued to gain upon him considerably. All hands were occupied in lightening the ship by starting water cutting away anchors, throwing overboard provisions, cables, spars, boats, and every article that could be got at, and keeping the sails wet from the royals down. At three o'clock the enemy was joined by a brig, and was coming up with the President rapidly. The Endymion had approached within gunshot, and commenced a fire with her bow guns, which was returned from the stern of the President. At five o'clock, she obtained a position on the starboard quarter, within half point blank shot, on which commodore Decatur could not bring either his stern or quarter guns to bear. He remained in this position for half an hour, hoping that the enemy would close with him on his broadside, in which case he had prepared his men to board. The enemy, however, kept his position, and every fire cut some of the sails and rigging of the President. In was now dusk, and commodore Decatur altered his course, for the purpose of bringing the enemy abeam; and although