1813	Boat-attacks, &c. in Chesapeake Bay	225

detached in chase. Shortly afterwards, on Captain Byron's making the signal, that the chase was superior to the boats, a fresh force of boats was sent, making nine in all, under the command of Lieutenant Kelly Nazer.

On seeing the boats approaching her, the schooner, which was the Lottery, of six 12-pounder carronades and 28 men, Captain John Southcomb, from Baltimore bound to Bordeaux, made all sail to escape ; but soon found herself becalmed. At 1 p.m. she opened from her stern-chasers a well-directed fire upon the headmost boats, or those first detached. These rested on their oars until their comrades came up ; when the whole rushed forward, and, through a very animated fire of round and grape, boarded the schooner, but did not carry her until after a most obstinate resistance, in which Captain Southcomb was mortally wounded, and 18 of his men also wounded, many of them dangerously. The British sustained a loss comparatively slight, having had only one man killed and five wounded.

This was a very gallant resistance on the part of the Lottery; and Captain Southcomb, until he died, was treated with the greatest attention by Captain Byron, on board of whose frigate he had been brought. Captain Byron then sent the body of the Lottery's late commander on shore, with every mark of respect due to the memory of a brave officer; and he afterwards received a letter of thanks from Captain Charles Stewart of the American 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Constellation, at an anchor in St.-James river leading to Norfolk, watching an opportunity to put to sea. The Lottery was a fine schooner of 225 tons, pierced for 16 guns, and afterwards became the Canso in the British service.

Just as Sir John Warren, with the 74-gun ships San-Domingo, bearing his flag, Captain Charles Gill, and Marlborough, bearing Rear-admiral Cockburn's flag, Captain Charles Bayne Hodgson Ross, accompanied by the Maidstone and Statira frigates and Fantome and Mohawk brig-sloops, had arrived abreast of the river Rappahannock, in their way up the Chesapeake, five large armed schooners were discovered, and were immediately chased into the river by the frigates and smaller vessels. It now falling calm, the boats of the two line-of-battle ships and frigates, consisting of the San-Domingo's pinnace, with 23 officers and men and a 12-pounder carronade, under Lieutenant " James Polkinghorne and midshipman Robert Amyett Newman, Maidstone's launch, with 21 officers and men and a 12-pounder carronade, under Lieutenant Matthew Liddon, Marlborough's barge and cutter, with 40 officers and men, under Lieutenant George Constantine Urmston and James Scott, and Statira's cutter with 21 officers and men, under Lieutenant George Bishop, total 105 officers and men were immediately detached in pursuit.

After rowing 15 miles, Lieutenant Polkinghorne found the four schooners, which were the Arab, of seven guns and 45 men,

^ back to top ^