1812	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	126

deliver themselves up as Englishmen. Captain Smith, who though an Englishman by birth, was an American by education, cunningly answered, " Very well ; you shall go in the first cartel to Halifax, and be put on board the guardship there." The men replied, " Oh, no, we don't wish to be sent to a man of war, as we are nearly all deserters from the king's service ; but we wish for our discharge to go on shore." This the American captain refused, saying, " If you are Englishmen, you shall be sent to an English man of war." They added: " Rather than be punished for our desertion, we will remain where we are. " They consequently all took the oath of allegiance to America, except five, who, having never been in a British ship of war, departed with some prisoners which the two frigates had made in their cruise. Had those 20 men succeeded in obtaining their discharge, so as to have gone ashore and got to England in the best manner they could, it was understood that nearly 100 more on board the Congress would have immediately followed their example.

Aware of the injury that would accrue to British commerce by the presence of an enemy's squadron in the South Seas, the American government ordered Commodore William Bainbridge, in the absence of Captain Hull, who wished to attend to his private affairs, to proceed thither with the Constitution, and the Hornet, Captain James Lawrence ; calling off St.-Salvador, on the coast of Brazil, for the Essex, Captain Porter, who had been directed to join them at that rendezvous. On the 27th of October the Essex sailed from the Delaware ; and on the 30th the Constitution and Hornet sailed from Boston. Towards the latter end of December Commodore Bainbridge arrived off St.-Salvador ; and, not finding the Essex at the rendezvous, sent the Hornet into the port to make inquiries respecting her. On the 29th of December, at 2 p.m., latitude 13� 6' south, longitude 30� west, while lying to about 10 leagues off the coast, waiting to be joined by the Hornet, then seen approaching from the coast, the Constitution descried in the offing the British 38-gun frigate Java, Captain Henry Lambert, having in tow the American merchant ship William, which she had recently captured.

A little of the previous history of the Java may render more intelligible the details that are to follow. On the 17th of August, in the present year, the late French frigate Renommée , * under the name of Java, was commissioned at Portsmouth by Captain Lambert, in order to carry out to Bombay the newly appointed governor, Lieutenant-general Hislop, and suite, together with a supply of stores, particularly of copper, for the Cornwallis 74, and Chameleon and Icarus 10-gun sloops, building at Bombay. There was no difficulty in commissioning the ship, in talking her sides and decks, in fitting up her accommodations, in putting

* See p. 25.

^ back to top ^