1813	Loire and President	283

When within half gun-shot, backed her main topsail. At this moment, all hands were called to muster aft, and the commodore said a few, but impressive words, though it was unnecessary ; for, what other stimulant could true Americans want, than fighting gloriously in the sight of their native shore, where hundreds were assembled to witness the engagement ? Wore ship to engage ; but, at this moment, the cutter being discovered coming back, backed again to take in the pilot, the British 74 (strange as it must appear) making sail to the southward and eastward. Orders were given to haul aboard the main and fore tacks, to run in ; there being then in sight from our deck a frigate and gunbrig. The commander of the 74 had it in his power, for five hours, to bring us at any moment to an engagement, our main topsail to the mast during that time."

" It was," adds the American writer who was so fortunate as to be favoured with a copy of this genuine American epistle, afterwards ascertained, that the ship, which declined the battle with the President, was the Plantagenet 74, Captain Lloyd. The reason given by Captain Lloyd for avoiding an engagement was, that his crew were in a state of mutiny. " Another American historian says: " Captain Lloyd, after returning to England, accounted for his conduct by alleging a mutiny in his ship, and had several of his sailors tried and executed on that charge. " � We are here forcibly reminded of the old Munchausen story, where one man declares that he drove a nail through the moon, and his companion, determined both to back and to outdo him, swears he clenched it.

To Captain Lloyd's regret, even had the Constitution been in company with the President, the Plantagenet (whose crew was one of the finest and best disposed in the service), at noon on the 18th of February, the day on which this " strange " event happened, was in latitude 25� 27' north, longitude 43� 45' west, steering east-south-east, or towards Carlisle bay, Barbadoes. No: it was the British 38-gun frigate Loire, Captain Thomas Brown, that lay off the Hook. At 9 h. 40 m. a.m. the Loire first descried the President in the north-north-west, and, with the wind from the west-south-west, made all sail in chase ; but at 10 h. 30 m., making out the President to be what she was, the Loire shortened sail and hauled to the wind. The fact is, that out of her complement of 352 men and boys, the Loire had 75 of her best men, including of course several officers and petty officers, absent in prizes ; and, of the remaining 277, nearly 20 were boys, and about 40 too sick to attend their quarters consequently, the effective crew of the Loire did not exceed 220 men. Had the Loire been fully manned, we may readily infer what course Captain Brown would have pursued ; and, as his complement was ample, and he had been particular in exercising

* Naval Monument, &c., p. 235. � Sketches of the War, &c., p. 240,

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