1814	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	290

nothing could better evince the goodness of his heart ; but he soon found that he had praised the unworthy. As one proof among many that could be adduced, Captain Porter, in a letter dated in July, accuses Captain Hillyar of acting towards him with " perfidy. " Yet the conduct of this same slanderer of a gallant British officer, of this same Captain David Porter, of whom few in his own country will venture to speak well, is declared by our contemporary to have been " perfectly honourable." *

Early in the month of February the first launched of the American " 18-gun " ship-sloops, of which we formerly gave some account, � the Frolic, commanded by master-commandant Joseph Bainbridge, sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On the 20th of April, at daylight, latitude 24� 12' north, longitude 81� 25' west, the Frolic fell in with the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Orpheus, Captain Hugh Pigot, and 12-gun schooner Shelburne, Lieutenant David Hope. When the chase commenced, both British ships were to leeward ; but, in an hour or two, the schooner weathered the American ship. At a few minutes past noon the Orpheus, then on the Frolic's lee quarter, standing upon the opposite tack, fired two shot, both of which fell short. However, they produced as good an effect as if they had struck the American ship between wind and water ; and, in about half an hour, just as the Shelburne was closing her, down went the " star-spangled banner " and its stripes from the Frolic's mizen peak. As soon as the Orpheus, who was but an indifferent sailer, could get near enough to take possession of her, this fine American sloop of war was found with 171 officers and men, all " high-minded Americans," on board.

According to the report of the British officers, this gentle surrender was attended with a circumstance in other respects disgraceful to the Frolic's officers and crew. The locks of the great guns were broken, and the muskets, pistols, pikes, swords, bar and chain shot, &c., were thrown overboard, together with the pendant that was struck! A Nassau paper of the 25th of April, adds: " The purser's store-room was next sacked ; then the men got into the gun-room and the captain's cabin, and pillaged them. In short, the ship we are told, bore the semblance of a town given up to the pillage of soldiery." Perhaps these gentlemen were determined that as their ship had not behaved like a man of war, they would destroy all appearance of her having been one.

We should not have hesitated to call a French, or even a British captain, who had acted as master-commandant Joseph Bainbridge of the United States' navy did in this instance act, a but we will not again soil our pages with a name that, in the few instances in which it occurs, has not, we trust, been

* Brenton, Vol. v., p. 161. � See p. 148.

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