1813	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	238

ship's boats, as well as the captured vessel, to a considerable distance. The gun-boats that had grounded got off, and the whole, as if to renew the attack upon the change of tide, anchored within two miles and a half of the Martin, now weakened by the absence of 40 of her best hands. However, at 5 p.m., to the surprise of the Martin's officers and crew ; and, as it afterwards appeared, to the extreme mortification of the spectators on shore, this formidable flotilla weighed and beat up, between the Martin and the shore, without further molesting her, and arrived in safety, soon afterwards, at their station near the mouth of the river.

The force that attacked the Martin, consisted of eight gunboats and two block-vessels. The latter were sloops of 100 tons each, which had been coasters. Their sides had been raised, heavy beams laid across, and the whole planked in, on the top, on each side, and at the ends; leaving only loopholes for musketry (through which pikes might be used in repelling boarders), and three ports of a side : in these were mounted six long 18-pounders. The covering extended the whole length of the vessel, and was large enough to contain 60 men, the number stated as the complement of each. The gun-boats were sloop-rigged vessels, averaging about 95 tons, and mounted each a long 32, and a 4-pounder on traversing carriages, with a complement of 35 men, the exact number found on board the prize. Each gun-boat and block-vessel was commanded by an experienced merchant-master ; and the whole flotilla by Master-commandant Samuel Angus, of the United-States' navy.

On the 24th of May the frigate United-States, still commanded by Commodore Decatur, accompanied by the 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Macedonian, Captain Jacob Jones, and 18-gun ship-sloop Hornet, Captain James Biddle, all provisioned and stored for a cruise in the East Indies, quitted the harbour of New-York through Long-island Sound, the Sandy-Hook passage being blockaded by a British force. Having found in his ship a disposition to hog, Commodore Decatur had put onshore six of his carronades ; thus reducing the force of the United-States from 54 to 48 guns. It was, however, asserted, and, we believe, stated in the New-York papers, that the commodore had taken onboard eight medium or columbiad 32-pounders, and sent an equal number of 24-pounders from his four 'midship ports on each side to the Macedonian; and that, of the latter's eight long 18-pounders removed to make room for the 24s, two were mounted on board the Hornet in lieu of her 12-pounders.

Just as the United-States, towards evening, arrived abreast of Hunt's point, her mainmast was struck by lightning. The electric fluid tore away the commodore's broad pendant and cast it upon the deck : it then passed down the after-hatchway, through, the wardroom into the doctor's cabin, put out his

^ back to top ^