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?V m ?^;~T [Vol.1.] . "III! Iiamri \\\ss9&masam=sssm . Attt&a. 1810. * . [V?. 10.] BY TH0MA3 W. LOHR'AJK^ MMM^tlUtANK, ANN *HT AnbvK CU^ Cftftl ilMOX KTNKilT. . ' Three Dollar* per annum, p?y* , e....No paper to l?e discontinued, but *t I of the Kditor, until nil iirrcaraflW aropald. pO not excccdinjf fourteen li?w? ln*crtc<l Tine for *evcnu?fivc cents wxl forty cent* |br wjUcnt insertion i wul in the utne proportion jtyMitunlirr of line*. ' ? /.r.,4 ...V. i ? J BIO?WAPH* 1 "'f ? ' ?*?* m r. X AT.il. crinoxir tr. CAPTAIN THOMAS MACDONOUGH. The writers of biography in legitimate mo* narchies possess great advantages over those of a simple republic, where a man must depend oil his own merits rattier than those of his ances tors, for .public admiration. lu writing, for in stance, too life of a nohlo lord, who never in his 1Mb did stiy thing worth recording, the true legitimate biographer alily resort* to the noble lord's ancestors, their ex|doits, intermarriages, attd other important events in the fiunilv histo* rv. By these means, aided by the legends of tfie herald's oflice, ho compiles a very interest* ingtnemoir, at least of the noble lord's ances tors, to whose exploits ho is fully entitled by the theory as well ob the practice of hereditary sucressiaii. For if it should happen (as cer tainly it may possibly happen) tlmt folly or knavery should succeed to the distinctions ori ginally bestowed,oii virtue ami genius, it can only be justified by means of somo mysterious extension of birthright., by which the great-great grandson becomes a party in exploits that hop pened long before ho was born. By this theory the true legitimate biographer obtains an un doubted right to decorate his tried hero with as many of those achievements as he can conve niently carry i and thus it happens in legiti mate governments, that family honors are ac cumulating by a sort of compound interest, not withstanding the degeneracy of the means, somewhat in tho same way that the riches of somo countries nre said to increase with the a ? mount of their debts and expenditures. This accumulation of family honors, which, like the rust on an old coin, increases with voars, and furnishes unequivocal proof of antiquity, makes it worth a man's while to perform great uctlons, since he thereby not only ennobles himsolf and his wife, but all the rogues and blockheads of his posterity forever and ever. Tho temptation to perform great actions is thus inconceivably heightened, and it is without doubt owing to this accelerating motive, that tho achievements of men in legitim*te anveroments are so much inov prodigious in simple republics, where all that a man can expect for his highest exer tions in the cause of his country, is Iioiioi-h that are exclusively paid to his own * merit, together with the admiration of his cotempornries, and tin: veneration of their poster ity. The highest reward the Roman republic ever paid to her most illustrious warriors, was a ride through the streets of Rome ih a chariot drawn by four white horses, together with a laurel crown, that might lie worth about one penny. The nutural result of all this was, that none of the Koman heroes of whom we have read so much, ever per formed an action that can bo put in competition with the burning of thccopitol of Washington, for which the renowned perpetrator was enno bled, together with all his posterity. Happily for us, however, the subject of our present notice, although most respectably de scended, does not require the assistance of any document* from the herald's oflice, nor to in trench himself under mngui limit in i a unibrtt.?~ "We will therefore proceed to a detail of the prominent incident* of his life, which havo gain ed him the notice of the world and the grati tude of his countrymen. Thomas Macdotiough, the father of captain Thomas Macdonough, whs an eminent phvsician who resided at a farm called the Trapp, *in tho county of New -( 'astle, Delaware. In the vear 17715, he entered the army and was appointed a major in u regiment raised in the state of Del aware, of which Mr. John Haslet t was colonel. Mnjor Macdonough, from wliat cause is not known, retired early from the armv and return ed to the Trapp. After the establishment of our independence, he was appointed a judge, and held that oflice till his death, which took place in ITOfl. He left several children, of whom three w ere sons. The eldest, Jamen, was a mid?hinman under commodore Truxton when he took the Insurgent, in which engagement ho received a wound from a musket ball, that reii dered the amputation of his leg u .lames." says, the gentleman who furnished us with these particulars, " was very bravo. Ilo was nl.iced in the tops when he was wounded, and he told me that when the men in tho tops were lowering him down, ho could distinct) v see the enemy aiming and living at him." The amputation of his leg rendered it necessary that he should retire from the service. After the death of his father, young Macdo* ntfttgli, the subject of this memoir, obtained a midshipman's warrant, and commenced his ca reer, with many other gallant vmmg men, who only want opportunity to distinguish thcnuelves like bun. Of the vessels in which ho served > t'lotimo of his promotion to a lieutfcnoncy, and other ordinary circumstances of tho life, of eve. rv naval officer, we know nothing, ami in truth t new tjufigs are of no extraordinary interest in tnemsflVb*. Ho followed the fortunes of our little fleet In the wjirs of Tripoli, Afid, like otlier voung ofllcer* who, oft that occasion, first met grim visaged war" faco to face, wu* frequent I y engaged in those conflicts where the Clids, tian and Mahometan prowess was sd severely lied, though at this time, grave* reserved, and hi a remarkable degree circumspect, we are .'jld he was then remarkable for a daring impc* tyhoslty, an Invincible chivdh-ous sort of perse verance in every kind of<advcn<ure. In tWKl fie was first lleutenantof the^ren, then lying at Gibraltar harbor, under the late captain John Smith. A. circumstance took place here, whieh as it stronglt displays that firmness which is the strong feature of his character, we will de tail particularly., Is is derived from the most undoubted autnqrfyy ) and when we consider what a Vast difference Is observable in oar feeU ings now and at that time, we canpot help great ly admiring the conductor the younglleutenant During the forenoon of a day, tn which captain Smith was on shore* a merchant brig, under the colors of the United States, came into port^and anchored a-hoad, and close the Siren. Soon after, a boat was sent from a British frigate then lying in the harbor, on board this brig. After remaining alongside a little while, the boat re turned with one more man than she went with. This ciroumstance attracted the notice of Mac donough, who sent lieutenant Page on board the brig to know tho particulars of the affair. Mr. Pago returned with information that the mail hail been proved by the boat from the British fri gate, although ho Imd a protection as an Ame rican seaman, Immediately on the receipt of this information, Macdonou'gh ordered tho Si rens* gig to bo manned and armed, and putting himself into her, wont in pursuit of the boat, determined to rescue his countryman. He o vcrtook her alongside the British frigate, just as the man at tho bow was raising his noat-hook to reach the ship, and todk out the Aiuericun by force, although the other boat had eight onrs and his only fourt and carried him on board the Siren. Whenitho report of this affair was made to the captain of the British frigate, ho came on board tho Siren in a great rage, and desired to know how Macdonuugh dared to tajl? a man from one of his iii4)esfy's bbato. "the , lieutenant, with great politeness, asked him down in the cabin ; this he refused, at the same .time repeating tho same demand with abundance of thteats. Mac donoughtoldhim with firmness, that he was not accountable to hinubutto captain Smith, for his conduct. Tho BnslUhmaii threw oat some threats that lie would take the mnu by force, and said he would haul the frigate alongside the Si ren for tlifft purpose. To this Macdonough re plied, " he Supposed bis shin could sink the Si ren, but as long as she could swim he should keep the mat^" The English captain said to Macdonough, " you arc a very young, an<t a ve ry indiscreet young man? -suppose I had been in the boat, what would you havo Uono ?" " I would taken the man or jtost my life." " What ! Sir, would jwu attempt to atop irte If I were to n 1 1 iiiimiI I fimn from that brig F" " I woulu, anoTO. convince yourself I would, you have only tdmikft the attempt/* Un thin the Englishman went on board his ship, and wa* shortly afterwars seen bearing her in a direc tion for the American merchant brig. Macdo nough ordered Ids boat manned and armed, got into nor himself* and was in readiness for pur suit. Tho Englishman took a circuit round tho Amorican brig, and returned again to the fri gate. When contain Smith caine on board, he Justified the conduct of Macdonough, and de clared his intcntionto protect the seaman. During the continuance of the TrinoHtan war, our ships occasionally visited the city of Syra cuse, once so famous but now mouldering away ur.dcr that wretched system of government which has blasted and withorcd one of the fair est portions of this earth. Of Sicily, once the resort of Gods? the cradle of fertility? 4ho seat of arts and luxury? the country of Archimedes and Theocritus ? the granary oV Koine, and the mo *t famous island or the most famous sea of tho world? who is ignorant ? It is associated with the earliest recollections oi the scholar j? its very name conjures up a thousand ideas of beauty, grandeur and fertility ; but the admirer of antiquity, in visiting the countries most fa mous in days of yore, and the cities most cele brated for their grandeur and exploits, is doom ed to have his enthusiasm chocked or destroyed by the miserable contrast of their present state with tho descriptions of the ancient poets and historians. The history of the world is but the history of man ; and as in the one ca?o the young succeed to the old, so in the other, new "citiea, and new empires, soring into existence, to take the lead upon the tuciitre of life, while those that preceded them, ?ink into io> ^nili cance, and are only preserved from oblivion by the writers, whose famo has long survived every vestige of the splendors they celebrated. Tho climato of Sicily has been the theme of praise iu every , and the hardy northern mail, who is exposed to the iiiclemencicN of win ter, three-fourth* of tho year, and whose toils ars repaid by a scanty subsistence, might per haps complain of the unequal distributions of Providence, wliilo reading of the genial airs, the flowery Inends, the ruddy skies and the deli ciouH vnlps of Sicily, where the earth yields .111 hundred fold. Hut when he finds in flio histo ry of all nations, that such a climate and. such a soil is ever the concomitant, or rather the pa rent of idleness, luxury, anil its inevitable pro duct, slavery ? when he read* how nations thus happily situated, sooner or later are ever the prey of tyranny? he becomes reconciled to frost* and snows, and wintry blasts, and barren hills, and i# grateful for being horn boyoud the reach of a luxurious indulgence, to he 'followed by such depredations as have prostrated the manly genius not only of Sicily, but of nil Italy. ItichiM may enslave a country, but will never make it frc.o f for it is only tho poor and the hardy that ran sustain the labors and privations by which t|jo struggle of freedom must be main tained. M ith the exception of the city of Home* the city of Mv recuse was the most celebrated in all Itafy, anil its islands. In its most flourishing state it extended twenty-two mile* iu circum ference, and maintained an army of one hun- 1 died thousand lout, ten thotifaml horse. with a navy of four hundred ships. It was Haiti of the Inhabitant* of Syracuse, that they were tho best of aitymen when virtuous? tho moot wicked when depraved by vicious nursuita. Unhappi ly they verify the truth of the latter position at tmatfme. Our officers all agree thai no com* iWi' iUy can be in a worse moral state than the people of . this city. 'Hie nobility are impover ished and corrupt ? monopolisers of almostev'e ry fmnloyraent? one nobleman ha* the monopo ly of baking bread for a city, and no ouo is per mitted to bake but himself j -and auot^r one has the rare privilege of supplying Messina, or some other place with fish, and it is not many years since this last city was obliged to live m> on tainted fish for several days, becauso the prince who had monopoly of tnat article, and who, if we remember riglit, claimed a descent from the Cyclops, who onco possessed {Sicily, choie to enrich himself at the expenso of 'the wretched populace. In short, cwry thing is myftopolv in Sicily ) and the peasant who has a surplus of grain to sell, cannot dispose of it until a price is fixed by ?\ certain chamber at Palermo. Certainly it is worth while to shed little blood for the restoration of such a system of government. Robberies and assinalioun are tho nightly amusements of Syracusans, and our officers in their evening rambles, were frequent ly assailed by soldiers, or fellows armed with linives or daggers. Their favorite mode of fighting is to blow out the candles, and in that situation their knives and daggers arc the most dangerous of all weapons. On some occasion which occurred ill Syracuse, Macdonougti was atturked by three of these desperadoes j with his back against a door, lie had tlic good fortune to wound two, and the other took to his heels. He was followed by the lieutenant, who pushed him so hard that ho climbed up to the roof of the barracks, whither Macdonough followed him still, and finding no other means of escape, lie jumped oft; with the loss of his life. In the interval between the Triiiolitan war I and that which commenced in 1812, no occasion occurred to our naval officers for siguali-/.iug themselves ; we shall pass silently over this pe riod of lieutenant Macdonough*# life, because itforiiishes no incident of sufficient importance io be interesting to the reader. 8o^n after the declaration of war, in 181 S, a small naval force was created on lake Chain plain^fot* the three-fold object of affording pro tection to our frontier in that quarter ; facilitat ing military operations s and preventing, as far aa possible, the enemy from receiving those sup plies, whleh were continually furnished by the corrupt and treasonable agency of some of our own citizens. It became necessary, in propor tion as the operations of our armies were di rected to this quarter, to augment this force, as well because it could materially co-opcrate in offensive designs, as because it had become in dispensable, perhaps, from the augmentation of the naval force of the enemy, on lake Champlain. This contest of building was carried on from year to year, until 1814. when the relative forco of tho two nations stood as follows t AisntcAM. o uxs. aam ?h . Hamtoga, 36 VConfiancc, 39 F#?gle, 30 Linnet, 16 T.comlcrocrn, 1 7 Chubb, 11 Preble, 7 Pinch, % 11 10 gallics, 16 13 grilles, 18 Total, Hfl T0t.1l, 95 Thus stood aft'airs, whcnearlvin the month of September, it! that year* sir George Provost began hia march at the head of fourteen thou Hand men, with the intention of dlslodgim.; Gen. Macomb from Ida works at Plattshtr. g, and then penetrate into the heart of tho slate ol' N. York* There ia reason to suppose that Hum plan was connected with an attack on the city or N. York, by the force on our maritime frontier, had it succecded in the affair of Ualtimnre. Cer tain it in that this apprehension had drawn tho militia from the country above, and left it in a state very much cx|*>sed to the incursions of the enemy. Tho dostruetion of the American na val force on lake Cham plain was supposed by Sir Georgo Prevost to be essential to the suc ccas of his plan of operations | and t'ant. Dow* nie, who was at tho neid of the Drjtisli squad ron, was directed to attack the American naval force, which had been for somo timo under the command of Macdonnugh, then only a lieuten ant, at the same time that sir Georgo stormed the intronchinents at I'lattsbug. Aware of their intentions, and knowing of their approach, Macdonongh decided to await (Itc attack at anchor. At eight in the morning of the I tth of September, 1814, tho look-out boat announced the approach of the enemy' 's aqua* dron. At tnne the action was general, and we cannot do bettor than describe it in captain Mac donniigh's own word* : " At nine." sa ys tho captain, " the enemy an chored in a line ahead, at about three hundred yards distant from my line t his ship opposed to the Saratoga | bin brig to the Kagle, captain |io bert Henley ; his gallics, thirteen in number, to the schoniier, sloop, and a division of our gal lies? one of his sloops assisting their ship nod blip; ; the othei assisting their (rallies. Our re* maining gallics were with the Saratoga and Ka gle. In this situation, the whole force on l>oth Hides became engaged, the Saratoga su fieri no much from tho heavy lire of tho Confiance. I could perceive at the same, however, that our lire was very destructive to her. The Ticondc rnga, Hoiitciiauf-commaudant Casein, gallantly sustained her full share of the action. At half pist ten, the Kagle not being nhlo to bring her guns to bear, cut her cable, and anchored in a more eligible position, between ir.y ship ami the Ticouderoga, whero she vary much annoyed the enemy j but unfortunately leaving mo ex posed to a galling fiie from the enemy's brig.*** Our guns ou the ttarbvard side being neatly all dismounted, or unmanageable, a stern anchor was lot go, the bower cable cut, and tha ship winded with a fresh broadside on tho enemy'* jship* -which hooi? after atirrcndcrcd. Our broad side wan then sprung to boar on tho brig, which struck alraut fifteen minutes afterwards. Tho sloop which wna op|x/sed to tho Kagle, had struck soma tiino before, and dtiftcd down tlm line. * TJiesloOpthat wan with their gallics had also struck. Three of their gullies are said tp be sunk ) the other* pulled oft*. Our gallies were about obeying with alacrity tho signal to follow them, wlien all tho vosscl* wore reported to me to bo in sinking state. 1 1 then became ne cessary to annul the signal to tho gallics, and order their mon to the pumps. 1 could only look at the cneinv's gallics going off in ashai tercd condition) fur thero was not a mast in ei ther squadron that could stand to make vail on. il'be lower rigging being nearly oil shot away, bung down as though it hud just been placed o vcr tho mast heads. The Saratoga had fifty nine round shot in her hull ; the I'onfiance one hundred and five. The enemy's shut passed principally just over our heads, *as there were not twenty whoie hau.iv.oc!.-. in the nettn?rs, at the clone of the action, which lasted witho >t in termi.' sion two hours and twenty minutes. The absence and sickness of lieut.* Raymond Per ry left me without the assistance of that ?'\cel lent officer. Much ought Inirlv to he ttttri:> itcd to him fur his great care and attention in tiisci nliiiin:? the ship's crew, as her fust lieutenant. I (is place was filled by a gallant young nfficer, lieutenant Peter Gamble, w?to, I regret to inform you. w as killed early in the action.*' Captain Macdono'uch concludes his letter by stating that the Saratoga was twice set on liro during the engagement by hot shot from the c nemy's ship ; and expressions of gratitude for the able support he received from every officer and man in the squadron. The loss of the Americans in this hard-fought battle was fifty -two killed and fifty eight wound* ed : that of the Rritish eighty-four Killed and one hundred and ten wounded. Among tho kil led on the American side was lieutenant Peter tiamble. a gallant young officer, one of three K limit brothers who had devoted themselves to e service of their country. The other two brothers still survive, one a commandant in tho navy, the other a cantain of marines, and both ranking among the first officers of their grade in either service, lie who fell on the memorable 1 1th of Kopteml>cr is inseparably connected with an event which will never 1m? forgot in this nu tion, and will, we trust, bear with it the rccol lection uh well of the living as of the dead who were instrumental in (raining one of the most im portant victories of ti.e war. The American squadron carried two thousand and twenty three pounds weight of mctnl, and eight hun dred and twenty men ; that vr the Itritish nine teen hundred and fifty weight of metal, and one thousand and fifty men.* It wan in this action that tho far-famed ma noeuvre of coming down head first upon the ene my was first tried against the Americans, and the result was, what we will vehture to predict it always will be, when tried againata force an v way equal in skill, numbers, ami ctfurage. 'l'lio British vessels were cut to pieces before they were {ft 4 situation to bring their guns to hear against the Americans, and nothimr carrie? n stronger conviction to our minds, of the want of proper ntclll and self-possession in tlie officer* & tnen of tk^nf l!cct^ unit have been taken or de feated uy iliiit manoeuvre, than the fatal eft'ecU which reunited from the attempt in this instnnc**. Tho anxiety of the public had long drawn tho attention of ail that were cajpable of reasoning u|H?n tho probable effect of sir George Provost** operation*), or who Colt an interest in tho fate of this country,. It won justly feared that the ene my, after succeeding against the fleet on Lake t,'hamptain, and forcing the intrcnchincnta of general Macomb at Plattsburg, would penetrate into the heart of tho state of New*York, and per haps establish a communication, by means or tho Hudson. with tho Atlantic fleet and forces, should these succeed against the city ol New York. Hut the news of this victory, and the consentient precipituto retreat of hi- George, turned their gloomy anticipations into trium phant rejoicings. Kvcry soul slept in peace that night, and many a prnyer, wo warrant, w .u breathed for Macdonough, and his gallant asso ciates, who had thus saved the hopes of the peaceable fnrtner, and freed his innocent fold* from probable plunder and devastation. Inde pendently of the real magnitude of the ertWu produced by this victory, it derived a pccHar and picturcsnue character from the circumstan ess under which it was gained. It was fought in sight of two hostile armies, whose hopes of ultimate Success depended upon its i?sUc ; and in the view of thousands of people, who uatchcri in breathless anxiety the result of n struggle that was to decide whether thoy wero to be driven from their homes in beggary, or remain in tho peaceable eidoyir.cut of their firesides. Tho shores of the lake adjacent, the projecting points of land, and tho neighbouring hills were anima ted witlt spectators, and the victory was greeted by the nhoutings of multitudes. It is full bro ther to that of the gallant ami amiable l'erry ; and equally young, gallant, and fortunate, tho names of Perry and Macdonough will, wo trust, be associated together to the latest times, ns bro thers in deserving, and brothers in success. Amid the usual demonstrations on such occa sions, the state of New-York, which had been nlost peculiarly benefited by Mardouough's vic tory, gave m<?re solid testimonials of her grati tude. lie received a grant of land from the le gislature of ono thousand acre*, we think, which is* in itself, an independency, and must he don ? \Ve .no iwU-Vfii fit this latter iiPv**iiiSTlo7T ioTSiV Nib*.' It^tcr, which eotiii n* pa-hip-/ mor* vMusbla in^rnmt on ili?n any work now publish*! in this country