_ ‘amt ‘wliose whole movements were stt‘spended_t_tn'-,
tilt Capt.,Downie declared himself ready" for" the
, undertaking: To undervalue an enemy, who,
had so olien ovevcottne l.th€II"1,,,'is a greater
Ffolly thanwvc can believe ‘them to ‘have been
guilty_ol'.- "n We believe, but wi‘th"out_ knowing it,
that'in;b0llt engage.xnent_‘s on the lakes, the ene-
my was,_t,0 say the least, 0ur.cquals‘_ in force,‘ and
and there are many things tlfconfirm this belief,’
,hesides‘t.he assertions of the honorable‘ men who
7led our-arms ‘on.tbosc_ memorable days, .» “
_ -Neither have we touchediupon-the loss of the
‘i-P_resident or the Essen‘, both vessels ‘having been
g~’~.‘-‘cap!-ut-etl by/more‘ than ‘onle'”t;l_tip. But‘ leaving
‘ the rifiicers of the Potnone‘ and Ettriytnion to quar-
rel about the \honor oftaking the ll)l‘fllt.'l‘ vessel,
' and the ofiicers of-_the_'i lilajestic -and Tenedos,
,..while they finger thcirtpx-ize‘money, to laugh at
Vjboilt, we will write ‘af‘l'cw'lines‘concerning the
;I;‘.s‘sex. ; It appears-by the official‘_letter of Capt.
.'fPort.er, that both the -Essex and the Phoebe moun-
tetl more guns, titan prob’ably_’be'long'e‘d to their
respective rates. He de_sct_ibe‘s the Pltutbe to
h'a‘ve had 46 guns in regular broadside, and 30 of
them tohave’ been long eightcens. To carry this
number, we presume she had guns in her bridle-‘
‘ ‘lports.a§n_d—'_gang-ways. ‘_ lint" the important point
ta.ber_efttemb’ered in-this engagement is, that the
Essex’ fought ‘,Cl!l¢§.fl)',,., with six twelve pound:-rs,
opposed, in'one ship alnne.»to 30‘eig‘hteens': he.-
ca‘:-ronades being .usel‘ess, from the distance at
‘ whfch‘th‘e enemy :chos‘e’to_k-—:‘ep his ships.‘ The
‘Ejssexin’-t:unning‘offthe coast, had lost her main-
, ‘tppginast in an squall, and consequently was at the.
l ‘ “_n‘ié‘:~‘ey of _(__)-aptaln llillyar, who was in full chaser
‘at iliet-i_'rn;,e‘fl"We not say, ‘we think it was the
" ‘dutyoft‘hé:l?;nglishnfli.:et- to run his vessel close
‘along-sit’;.§.:$3l';_?4lIe Essex, lznotving her to be a ship
cl‘ inl'_erior force, an-dfarmcd chiefly with.carron'_-
g¢¢.g;;.‘on_ the‘contrary, we think he was right ;
. ;°I'ii‘s,-nielthod was the best one to“‘ensure success,
‘ f§§{rl'that‘is altvays the primary object to‘ be con-
"sldered by an oflicer. But we do say, that when-
e-.-ev,a},_n Englishman boasts, in the extremely of-
_that unca_lcttlating andheadlonggallantry are the
,.chAaracteris“tics of his nation, and that every B:it.--
‘ ish officer remembers the standing order of Nel-
.. : M__....»s’on, that» "noca_ptain cap«be.wrong, that lays his
,. J‘ iSl1lp‘ylnt‘d-at‘-Iii:§n_d,y{lt?(l-taxi!!! with his cicemy,’ he
-3 A should be-reminded that capt. Hillyaris an exccp--
‘tiong: Capt.-Potzter has not gained great reputa-‘
tion as an author ; .-and, perhaps,-when we lake-ip.
to view tlielax morals detluciblej from his work_,
the'npinjo’n of-his countrynicn on his r_nsrit's with
the ‘pen-is just One; but cert:_ti_nly he is more ex.
e. ‘ _ p(-_\.r'[ oith his sword. No onehas been found har-
Vdy enough to say,‘ that his (lefencewas not brave-.
ly. contittued; but some have calletl it tlespeiaté.-i
‘ Nil desperantlum’ is a good ‘motto for. the com.
mantle: of" a ship, ‘under _any,,-pordinlu-y on-cum.
stancesof disatlvantage; and altliobglt we view
_ the C0ll(llllOl1 of the ‘Essex as‘ peciuliarly nnfo_tftu-
f;._ _naté,_tl;ere doesnut‘ seem a period atlwhich there
" ‘ was not soni‘_e'.hc-p_e of §_saviu‘g the crew, ifnot the
vessel, _ftotn-'c'apture. ‘- "l'he_ first object ofa com.
'mander'i's‘ victory ;»'._y_.vl‘»eti this is denied him, he
, should tnrn his 'th'oug‘hts to tbe‘b_est escape.‘ The
5': . resistance of t_he__Essex appears to us to have been
7 ‘ persey2:t‘étlé_n‘,t‘t{~tlté last ‘mo‘_tnent,' we admit ‘bitt-’
not‘..a'mot'netitt_ too long. The contents of thatof-
.. A _ -_1'icer’s boctlg disposed one_ portionof the commuui.
E . V -1y to t_q‘tlat:’tf“e‘l‘vs'itli every think hedoes; and there
is _ano‘ther portion always ready to quarrel with‘ 3.
. ‘very thing that endangers: the life ot*~.‘l1onor—ofan-
‘Englishman. Thanks to the European cities,‘an’d
our own arms, these sticklers forfthe farri: of Old
Albion have bccomevery rare.-We beg Capt.
Porter to be consoled, as,jif the accusation be ad-
mitted, tglzzing, too much is a more pat-donable
7:} _ ,_ Qfi'euceiliati,figliting too little.
‘ We will-iclose this glance at our naval conflicts
b‘yturtiing.gth_§ attention ofthe cotnrnunity, to an oc-
, ‘curt-e‘nc'e..b'ut little noticed at the time yet fraught
. "yriih consequences ofvastly.m“ore importance than
anythat resulted from the most brilliant of the
’ pi-eceding ‘actions, and ‘conspicuous for a3gallan-
___'tt_'y and self devotion, which should place the
"-iiilizte of 'l’hotn_as Ap."Cjatcsby Jones‘ on the fair-
.;,<".’st‘st"§’t‘tnll_‘of our.n‘avah'ccords. ‘ l‘his officer, then
yout»’g*ll,eut'ena'nt, _(now‘a master ‘com:nan,dant).
of a divisioniof ‘5 gun boats at New-Orleans. at
the time the enemy made his decent upon Louis.
iana.‘ The defenccless‘si';uation and hair-breadth
escape of that state areiwclllknotvn at the present
hour; but his not known that the manoeuvers of
this little‘ llotillar_e.t_ardcd the operations of the
;z.' 41»:
British forztwo days ;and that when compelled to
fight his defence was so obstinate and so fatal to
3‘. the ass-ai_lan'ts, as to _make. at strong impression
with regard to the kindof foetltey were to con-
tend with. In carrying these little gun boats by
boardln‘g, in whiclt they were much aided by"ac-
_" cidcnt, the enemy ilcknowledgetfa loss of about
_ one hundred, and ‘it is believed ztvlflf the truth
would have mote than doubled-thi number. ‘VVe
allknow.t‘hat:t'u_B day gained at t it eventful. period,
* enabletl the military commander to save the city._
1- We think it clearly etidettt, from this isuccint,
though cursory vie'w"of the principal naval actions,
A that ,3‘l1h.0'llgl| the physical and moral superiority
,5 upon vvhich "some among us are so fond of dwel-
.lln,';,..'are not tojbeg found so strikingly e>tettiplifi-
rd by .‘.h‘e,results, as snch"patriotic faith would
glcterriiitte ; ‘yet we met the cncnt.y,fairly; con-
‘ . vesselsj; and where thepltysicalstlrength‘ was in
‘ our favor. were always succesful ;' and, generally
so,’ with an effect Tar exce.ct[ing tl~.:.d'tll'cI’encc‘
which existed against our opponent. "1-‘o what
was this superiority owing? \Ve/tvili not enter
‘ upon any subtle deductions _which involve
a1’chat~a'cter,-or _nationa'l - en‘t'_e.rprise, xand apt‘iinde
for St:§",,¢‘¢‘:rt'1l,,(;;l;v9‘t\-‘e it;-’ai_'e__ s,t‘icli_’t'listitt_;‘:t ions for great.
' ‘. .,g3,;t- ingenf '_'ty,‘,t_l_;an‘tve ’pretet"ttl_Vtq‘;,but,will,, a
- .9?“-E»:.:-‘site our-='e_«s<.>ns ll”?--l.l?¥?3':i?“‘l’¢'l'
’ '-‘“ori’ty‘:we:;di.d~"~most‘evidently evince.‘ :Onwhat
, {lien t4l);l‘s7di?l_f£‘j_i‘ehce_l -A|l,'.(.l‘.“‘"‘.Ill‘l‘lt*-.t:('>n- .
" ““‘ti.n’t2e ?, Qu;t:.,,;pavy,, was _ttttta(|l,-;,1i_ts}Qliice.ft',:_3 .few"and
sele“ct\.and:,oiii' tutti,‘ ships adtnirablgy, equipped and
wt‘;-'l,l'\ fodht'....,, -, WT'cJ-hatl ~l5e_en taitinted "and ‘bl’lt:et_".'~(l
atby Jour enctny-'," as .21‘ peoApl'c';de’fi,cient" in ‘every
quality nepessarylto form 'fig’h.ting' men 0rp;fllC€l'5_.
Contempt isa’ danger-ons)w‘eupon_to him who us-
'_ es it,'and a p_owt:rful_ i_t,i‘ceVntivé‘to him “who is li__t.-rt
_-.~_ _ .. ..‘ 7.-t. __ .- »_xa_ _‘V_"
_ I ,_,,;,,-.hom,§h‘qtgtd -;t3xe"<;on,tz_a,;_tjtp; belong 'n‘qw‘,2‘
T ‘ AfN0‘."t“0t_t_S._h Policy,‘self-pft£s‘ervaticn gtnd,a‘b‘et‘tc‘r-.-‘
COul?tej_sy,“»_l'ol?l)lclit._' But the ',e"1rcite‘tiient shoulld
no W31‘, sleep. » “K-Veg must. llévqa navy, potverful,
in
F1»;
‘Q.
f~.nsit*e'7 manner so peculiar to ‘his countr_v_men, _
-q/t_tert-L_'il him frequently with eqnal and inferior ‘
. j_in»sotne't§measut'g, as our nation.‘ ltlature, J;
-‘y ‘ l- -4 1..
politicians," the navy of the ‘Un‘i_t'e_d' States must"
and will, at no distant . periotl“.'become'ou'r chief
defence against, foreign wrongs ant ciin nev;'i'
become dangerous to, ‘our:domestic..i'ijt;lrts.‘A it
restsntucli with those, who guide'i'ts1lest‘iniés at
the present hour, to ”confii- tn ‘it;s'*-‘chlittac‘t‘er‘,' ,"sr‘.-to‘
let that‘ stintultts» sleep, which .h.’a‘s" ‘given "it .its"
are warmly. though not bl'intll'y, J‘t‘lai':li’,t_:"<l“‘_tti 3i't's_ in‘-
‘terests; and heg,le_ave to lclolseour remarks ,\_\‘i1|.t.I
saying__ to those young nieni W110 0!5D5ll}l'"{ ll?
present pride and future lioj.~t—f,‘that the‘connexi"on_‘
between p_rivate virtue and public benefit is close";
that lhe discipline,subordinatidn,and confidence in
each other, which gave thcm'the_lanrel, can only"
pteserve it to them ;'and tltough we are no‘s’tI‘<3;r§I-'_
nous advocates for high soun‘d_in_g‘ dmottos at“‘t‘he“
main-tnasi, _or pompous displays" on the fore-top.
sight of the "words of the departed Lawrence,‘
‘Dfonff give up the ship.-’-; ' « ‘ . -' 4
.__-,¢u®-2'.’--zntv.-sue-954::-‘--——\‘ ~ ‘ ‘
e ' \’VHALE'Fl5llERY; " 3.‘
_1v'rom Scorrsb;/’s .x{ccoun‘t q/"the '.5‘!rcti'c Rrgz‘9ns.“
VVhen it is‘ known that a« Whale ‘seldoin abides
longer on the surface of the water than two min-‘"
utes--that: it‘generally_'rem_ain‘s‘ from ten ;-to»
teen’ minutes under vvatet‘--tliat-.in‘tAh'is 'ii1tétwal‘
it sometimes motics through tire space!"c‘i"7half‘a
mile, or 'm‘ore-‘--and that the ‘fisher has’ very t""a't"e-’
ply any certain intimation of the. place in‘ which it‘
"will re-appear ;. the difliculty and address ‘requi-
site to approach sufliciently near duiirig its 5h0l'l
stay on the surface,.g_t‘o harpoon it, will'be‘readily -
appreciated. .d It is therefore a pt'itnary._cansidera.
tiun with the liarpo’oner, always to place‘ his boat"
as near as‘ possible to the spot in which he expects
the fish to rise, and he conceives himself su‘cc‘ess-‘t
lul inthe attempt when the fish comes up tvitlfitr
200 yds---in all cases where a whale that is pm-sit-’l
ed has been but once seen, thefislter is consitler-“
ably indebted to chancegfot‘ a faverabl_e position";
but when the whale has been twice seen, and “its_
change of place noticed, the‘ lta'r_pooncr»isenabled‘
to anticipate the fish in its 'pr‘o‘gr‘c;-s"s,’antl placeshis
boa't accordingly, .so that when i_t tises to the sur-
face, there is a_ probability 'of‘its‘he'ing-within a fa-
vorable‘ ‘distance. A whale '1n'ovi_ng’ lorivard“ at a
"small distance beneath" the surface of theses,
leave-s_an' indication ofits'situ_ition,' in an ‘eddy, re-
s‘en_tbling _the wake ofa ship ; and in calm weath--‘
er, its change of position“is sometimes p_ointed
out’ by the birds, many of which closely follow it,
when at the surface, andhover over it when be-
low, whose kecner vision can discover it, when it
is totally concealed from human eyes. By these
indications mziny whales have been taken. » ~
A W/'lu_;¢never a whale lies on the sut'lace"of'tl_te'
water, unconscious of the approach ofits etre.-A
mies, the hardy fisher rows directly upon it ;‘ ’and
an i'nstant,be_fore the boat touches it", buri:s_"t'he
harpoon in’_its back. _
at a little distance, the whale shou_ld'it_1dical'e his
intention of diving, by lilting-its headnbove the
common level, and ‘then plungingit into the iwa‘-_-f
tel‘, and raising his body, ‘until it appear. like the‘
large segfntent of a sphere, the hat*poon‘”ts‘thtjo\vn"‘»
from the h‘a‘n‘d, or fired from a gun, the former» or-
which,’ when skilfully practiced, is efficient at"! the-‘l
space offeight orten yards, and thelatrer at the“
distance of 30 yards, or upwards. The wounded
whale, in the surprise~and agony of the monicnty
makesa convulsive effort‘ to escape. 'l'hen is’-the’
moment of danger. The boat is subjcctedto the-
most violent blows from its head-, or its fins, but
particularly from its ponderous tail, which some-__
times sweepsithc air with such tremendous fury,
that both boat and men are exposed to one coin-.‘
inon destruction. , . , _ g ._ _
The head of the, whale is avoided, because it
cannot be penctratetl with the‘ harpoon; but a_ny.,g
-part of the body, .bc_tween the headand tail; will.
admit of the full length of the instrument, Willi-:
out ,dasget~ of'.qbst__ructlQl1- .'1‘he harp.._oi.:_n,.l,h«;I:¢;;-,
well forward towards the fins, thus ail‘nrtlin'g the
cliancc,-when it happens to drag the plough’ a‘-l‘on‘g~_
the bacl-'.,‘of retaining ‘its 'hold"d_urin‘g,a longer
time than when struck in closer to‘ the tail.
The moment that the wounded whale. d_i‘sap-
pears, or leaves the boat, a jack or flag, elevated
on a staff, is displayed; on sightxof which, those‘
on watch in the ship, give the alarm by _stamping
on the deck, accompanied by a simultlancousdand
continued shout of‘ a fall.’ At‘th,ej.s,onnd of‘this
the sleeping crew are rousetl, jump from their
a string in their hands, and crowd into the boats._
With a temperature of Zero, should a fall occur,
the crew yvould‘-appear upon deck, shielded only
by their .dra‘w'ers, stockings, and shirts-‘,' or otl_te'_r__
habillments in, w hith they sleep. They general-
ly contrive to dress themselves, in‘-partfat least”
as the b‘oats‘.are lowet-ed“down’ ;r.but‘so‘inetiri'test
-they push oil‘ in the state in which they rise from’
their beds, rowaway! towards the 9 fast boat; and
have no‘ oppo‘rt,unity.of7:loathing-thernselves fora‘
lettgtlrof time iifterwards. The-‘-‘alarm of‘ a fall,’
hasa singular effect on the feelings of a- sleeping
person, unaccustomed.‘to the whale-fishing bust--.
ness. ‘ ’ It has often beenmistaken asa cry of dis"-'
.trcs‘s. ‘ ‘ . _~ ' ‘
The first effort of a ‘ fast fish,’ ova whale that
hasbeen struck. is-to escape from the lJ0itl,"l)y
‘sinlting under the pwat-er. ‘After. this, it pursues its
c‘ourse directly (l!J\Vnwat'(ls, or re-appears at a little
distance, and swlmswith great celerity, near. the‘.
surface of the water, towards any n_eighbour§ing
ice, among which ‘it may obtain -fan itnziginat-y
shel_ter ;_or it returns instantly--tot‘he‘su:-i}ice:, and
gives evidence of its agony, "by: the most convti«l-
sive: throes in ‘which itsfilins and t.a«i,l-'-are alter--.
nately displayed‘ in‘ the ‘ air.‘ and V daslied. »‘in.to -the"
water with tretnent-lou.s violence. 1’ ,- :3. - , "
A wha1e,struck near the edge of‘-at1y.largc:sl)ee-‘.:‘
of ice, and passittg guttdevncath it, wigil-l-sometiftnes‘
run the whole of:the line_o,u_t of. one:boat,,i'n- the
‘space of eight or ten, minnt_es.; [ This being the_
case,'wlt‘eti the ‘ fa_st'boatf is at a tlistancepbotlt
ft-om'the_. ship and front any.otherboat',it lrequcnt-
ly happens th‘at_th‘e. lines‘ all‘ i_vithdraw.befor‘e as-
.-sistance _"arrives,. and, with the fish, '.enti't:ely lost.-
In 's_tint‘i?q:ast':s,~ hovv"eve‘r,’ theyare recovered; - -To;
.r:tar.d,_tltet'efot-e, as ‘much-as-possible, the .;g_lliglt‘t‘
“or t‘he_'_‘wlta‘l'e, it is usual for the} ltarpoonet, who
.strike_sit, to cast one, two. 0t'_t;nore1t-urns;o(;.the
tin: i’rJ<t‘ti.xiéTst.l;-.i*'ti<l vi,-‘l?9‘§"cfilllifha-?’””‘V4’?.-:lY.l?i§h»
is‘ li;§edv»'within ten -‘or’ twelve— inchgs of the“sfetn of
J I
. .
K - ’ l"l'1_*-‘ii’
(crests, our safety ,se,_e,tnto require it ':'*‘An<l w'natt§,_-‘__f 2
var may‘be.jt'he..checl’§s its -ad»,a_nc,efit¢n_t.‘_ re’-‘.‘ ;
ceive _from« the con_tritcted;apolic_y, of tim'e"serving’1-
noble accomplished reI1o"tt'n.'-‘—‘-‘Fi'>il‘ <3\'J'l"S.€='1Vi:S{‘ ‘W¢'
sail, we would‘ recommend to them never to lose‘;
But if, while t"fi‘e"boat is yet".
fore, is always ‘stt"_ttckiittto.tlte back,.a'n§l_geite;t‘all.y, I
beds, rushupon deck,-with their ‘clothes tied by.a_,
t\_.
‘ .
"foiit_iie,ptt.t‘licse
' §uch,~is;tl._refriction of
,-.§vtt_e,s= running -. _rpund‘the ‘bollard, _tha_t,i!-l
1%l';':eq5,.\/ntly-,e_n‘ve:o;ic§“ ‘the-‘-=harpoo_n‘e,r.;-.in ;
wood ‘we're--not _frequ,ently’; wet,.\i*i§lld
‘ probablyset fire ._t‘o‘the -beat.‘ . ‘.Duringj_the capture
ofon_e‘_vyh'al;-, a groocctis sometimcg c__t_1t'i'n.t.l!!=
bollardlnean a‘n_»incl‘i inI:c-lepth*; : and were itinott a
‘plate _ol7:‘bti'a'ss',-'iron,’;or .a..-block‘ “of ,-lignutnfj-.vi't.‘a,
"whi‘cli"c‘o‘vers the top ofthe stein wheré'tlie‘..lin¢
,'l‘3:5"9€,3 @""_¢‘|‘",.tlte action of the line_.on the maleygifil
"of the -boat‘, would cut it do\v.n.,to,the-twaterfsiedge
inlhfi co-arse oi?-,'one ,seasqn of ‘s_uccessl'ttlefishing.‘I
The approacbittgr-disrress= (1f.‘-l.l- boat, - for want of
't‘va'y'o1'.a -mast-., to _which.is.atlded asccond, athird
or e‘ven:aIfourth, -in»pro‘pnrtion to the nature oft‘he_
Vertigeirce-.-. The 'trtnto,st-cateand attentionare re-‘
‘quisinter on the part" of everypersnn in the boat,
‘ 'wh'en~-the lineszare running out‘; fatal consequen-
‘ ‘ce's-‘having been sometimes produced by tbemost
- tri‘-fling neglect. x, W he'n”the line happgns ‘ to run.
l'o‘t_I.l,-’ and cannot be cleared on the instant,it some-‘
{etirnes draws‘ tliebbat under water ; on which, if
—_; ~no_‘au'.~ti|.iary boat,‘or convenient piece ofit, be at
‘F -hand, thocrew are plunged into the sea, and are
‘obliged totrust to‘ the -buoyancy oftheit‘ oarszor
‘to’;t‘lteir skill-in s\\'lmITllng,'ll)l‘ supporting them-
,se'ives'on‘the- surface, . To -provide against such
‘an; accident, as 'well as to be ready-to furnish ,an
‘a‘dt'lilional supply -of-lines, iris usual, when boats
“are sent in pursuit, for two to go out in company ;
“anti j\v.hcn:a whale has been struck. for the assis-
“'-tingiboat,-.\‘vlticlt approaches,-to join the fast boat,
and to stay byit, until the fish reappears. Two
other boats likewise make towards the one car-
rying ailhtg, and surround it at various distances,
awaiting the appearance of the wounded whale. ‘
Bulky as ‘the -whale is, and inactive, or clumsy
as it appears to be, o.ne.might imagine that all its
motions would be sluggish and its greatest exer-
tions productive of no gteat celerity. The fact,
howevcr,is the reverse-—-for few a minutes whales
-are ‘capable of darting through the water with the.
‘velocity almost of the fastest ship under sail, and
‘of ascentll-ng with suclirapidity as tojedp entire-
-l‘y"outol'.tne water. This feat they sometimes
"Fperform as an amusement ‘apparently to-the high
Tveniuncler%su,uhzcircmnszances, are often_ordet'¢_d_
by‘ the fool-hardy.harpooner,_to ‘ pull-away" to the
attack. ' Somctimesthe whales throwthemselvcs
into St pe,rpent_licular »pos'ure,. with their . heads
rdmvnttards, antLrearing their tails on high in the-
.’air_, beat the water with awful violence.
Itbese cases, the sea is thrown into foam, and the
Fair filled with vapours ; the noise, in calm wtath-'
‘er ids‘-lteard to a great distance; and the concen-
tric waves produced by the concussion of thewa~
ter; are communicated abroad to a considerable-
-extent. -Sometimes the whale shakes its tremen-
dous-tail-in the air, which cracking’ like a whip,
‘t'es0lllld'.-i to the distance of two or three miles.-...
‘When it retires from the surface, it ‘first lifts. its
Iiead, then plunging it under water, elevates its
back like the segment of a Spltere, deliberately
*tg:_m(ls_its.\\-ay towards the extremity, throws its
tail outof the water,'and then elis‘appear,5._ _ g
In their.u.~.nal conduct, whales iemain" tit._thc_
surface to bt'eatl3e, about two rtilntllesfsc-ldom lon-
ger‘ ;duriug utbich tiznc, they ‘i)lOW'?'cigl]|’_ or
nine times, and zhvn Cc5i'.(;1lLl for anlintervial usu-
ally oflive or ten minutes." The depth to which
theyxcornmonly descend, is not known, though
'from the eddy occasionally 0bset‘\‘e(l on the water
it is evident, at times. only trifling. But when
struck, the quantity cflinevtheylsomeiimes take?
out -oftltc boats, in it perpendicular descent, af-
fords a good measure ofthedepth; By this rule,
they ‘havebeen known to descend a mile,andwith.
such velocity, that instances have‘ Ot:Cur_t':(l, in
_ which whales have been drawn up by the lines at-
tached, from a dept-h‘of_7 or 800 fathoms, and
have been found to hate broken theit-jaw-bones,
and sometimes crown-bones,"by the blow struck
against the -bottom. A ' ‘ "
._.;..».t....¢‘.;;;.1‘--———. ‘ 2 . -
‘.» 247.5 E .. ‘ ‘i\'-Ew-Yontt. ‘August l-5.
1*'ra_n-_kl'r'1t__S/1_?°[7 of. I'Va_r.--In common with thou-
sands‘ of ;my fellow citizens I was on Saturday,
‘highly‘gratilicd.with the procession of the seamen
..:<'
5.
' offthc Franklin ship. of war, from their boats to
\Viley 8: llalstcatl’-s book store,‘ for the purpose of
ieceriviog the Books, which the crew had direct‘-'
t:(l..‘l(')' he -»purcl:ascd for a Forecastle Library, as
mounting to more than .1000 volutncs,,consisting
principally of a_brid’g‘cments ofVoyagi;s, 'l'ravels,L
dablepurpuse of purchasing their library ; the
"g-_ood‘ results of which are incaleulable.
cession consisted of about 150 line looking Tars.
dressedin white. preceded by the elegant hand of
the Franl<li'n'._L-"1‘hey‘forntccl opposite. 'the—Book
’Stp‘re,' andthe Books tied up in bundles of about
10‘. each,,-were-then_ delivered to-them by the com-
.«mlttt:c',‘ in a(ltllt~lol‘l"-lU-Wlticlt they-‘were furnished
"witl‘i’a pair-of Globes, and-a
Nautical Instruments.’
?The pride’ and pleasure manifested by the sai-
' lors, .on‘receivin‘g their books, were _a'surc indi-
frcation that they duly appreciated their value, and.
that they ll ould not leave them unread. I am well
atvare that this exhibition received the sneers of
those wisc-acres, who appear to apprehend lhat
, he sailors and common people (as they call them)
of this country, will become too intelligent for the
situation‘ in -which they are‘ placed.. I have no
such ‘fears ‘; but on the contrary firmly believe
‘~ Ithat in order to mttl-;e“Mcn more . useful and to.
arm thetmwitli greater-energy, to sustain and atl-
vance t‘h.em‘in«flteir tespectixe callings, y.o;u;must
"raise tl1em_ in. the ‘scale of beings, convince them
that they are of some "value in the ‘community, :'
and as they--learn to tIu'ml,_ so my will‘, soon learn
.to fz'cit‘lik&:.: mEf1;’j~~ .. __, K ~‘ 7. ' - '
1 Great and exemplary exert-ions have been
made,; and -=ai‘e‘-still" making, -to pt‘0(.ltt:'t: » a moral
and _in_‘tellect‘u‘a;l-lrcfoiifnalion-’in almost -every class_
‘til’ o‘ur'cit‘izens‘;_‘ wl1y.the'n‘sliould our gallant tars
gbe neglected-—_why not extend to them. on whose
‘p’owers in time of trouble, we look with confidence.
to support our Commercial Rights and National
Glory, a_ potftiorr of that solicitude and-‘bounty that
.-have-distiin_gniVs|red our metropolis on other occa-
.‘r‘s«‘i_ons and other classes._
to depart:.l’t:otn‘ our ysltores without ’an._,attemptto:
:furnish:them‘5w,ith anrassortment of moral and in-
_t‘et‘e,sting:.books.§. ' Make your Seamen,inte'llige_nt,
y3§F.,,,:tltAen1‘..grtderstatttd the extent fof their ri'gh'ts,)
,1‘
‘line, lS'.ltl(ll'C3U‘»‘-(l by-the elevation of an-oar, in the,
-admiration of the dislaut spectator ; but to the no,
small terror ofthe lne:(p_el‘lt‘.nCt:(l fishers, who, e: _
In both .
l'~_lav_al,, Actions, History of America, Sic. The,
crew appropriated $650 oftheir wagesifor. the lau-;
T be pro-_
variety of charts and-
I hope this example will _
be followed, and thait no vessel will be permitted '
‘b
.3
the of ,..th=...G‘0tiernmen‘t- they
§_ll\t{8i and §l15V.¢‘3.ll.r;:l5t:tltem be~assb“re;l of the’ pro.
~te¢lis>ti-.0,l'._!lii!l‘ .G5§§€“‘m€nts -a'n_d iiutain.-will their
Opponents attepipt to trace —.tbeir-N_aval~De-featdt'o_
:at‘:.:;f:::;:.:t2§.‘..s:::;'.:::‘;». t
of battles du'r_ll?g',;‘tl_ie léte 1w'aI"'distil.-hisi:'lfii:,i;55j§dt ~
hunt-. otit, . excuses <le.!feat ; .6‘ Sétutiéui .vtiirt‘~at. ‘-
, once bc‘,fo,und ‘in.the7.eircuriistinfce-thattheiiiio .
--nents a}E_¢‘¢_.ljn_en‘ ofi.in(elligence,<_‘acquaint’e’dxwilih‘
‘;;their rights. proutl‘.of,tltéii' cbunti*y,..‘a'nd llete'rmin1'
. f g _
nu»-
frsemrév-, ..
d‘ g . V ' .. V _. . 5 -.4"-" .
2 tv;auua'ei5¢‘::, Pa'."VAug-‘. "
,c‘tl.io defe'n'd;net_' with “the c'l1tir‘actei-istii:‘etien;“y‘
7
.‘ Theft has V1’-Qthtlylappearcd in ibis plac'e“7 an 5
ext:-aordtnatfy pnatural phenom’:-‘no'n, \vltlClll:lltfs.é!-'- '
tracted the attention of the cut'io_us-of‘tl1e“wl'iole - L‘ .
~'— ‘rg » ..
neighboring country. "On the‘ margin of aismall .;‘
branclt of Cliat'tie,r’s' Creek, ' a few .miles‘di'$t-sh‘,
ft-urn this plate, aigentletnan has'bee‘p' boring fol. - . ., . A
.1’ ,i
salt, in the ntanner uSllal.l.ll.lhi's'_t:0tillttj'r‘, Hhhich
is by perforating the rock,(than"which"t'here-is lit,
tley-cl_se ‘--tet'wtth below thefsuiface,,)’perpendicu-
larly with an augur, of al)out.lliiee in_cltes;dia"im-.‘
ter, and had bored‘ to the depi_hol"50O feet‘ ; iihro‘ '
this hole a salinetvater, mixed with,jantl prgjpellgd
_b,ygaseous air, rushes violen_t__ly, and if a pip‘g*[,,_;,_ -
insertettinto.the,ltolc,“will_‘spout_pe.i-pghgpcupuv . ‘
30 0&1‘ 40 .fe_et, like ‘a fountain. ‘-By accident {ha
hole 'has._,been partially choked la: dlsI,an':c¢.‘t,,’:l,,‘§,-‘,
the sutfuce ofthe earth, and the gaéeods ah?
fuund'it_self n.im_tero.us small-vents in‘ tin;-"e‘arih‘atl-:~ '
lacent, frotn. 10 to ‘.lOO feet distant ft‘om'flte'tv’e‘ll; ‘ "
some of these arefrom the bottom‘ol-;‘, (";",;.,,‘ep,.~-,d.-ml,‘
show themselves by‘-a‘.continual“t~i‘ii, ‘~.“b' - - ‘,- :
of air-bubbles. By the applicatioif ofglffiz E
of the vents, whether on the earth or in thlew-V.-a_-i
..tct',it will burnwith a lively, brilliantflame, ';,p‘.
parently, without smoke,‘a_nd‘;.*I have «-s,e_e‘_r‘, ’,‘m,,-‘c
than a dozen, burning atthe same‘ 11,,-,.,»_.‘.~,,,,,,,,,
from the surface of the earth...-’ou',é ”§mO‘-ng ‘me
stones andigravel, and some ,from'. _ Lsmtface-‘cf
the creek, where the water isltwo‘ feefltlecp - iinil
I . - . ,_ — , 9 _
by placing a hollow tube tivemllc spot ft
the gaseous all‘ al‘lSt:S,3lld applying 3 yigllted Paper.
cm ‘which.’ ‘
to the top, it will flame like to‘a‘ candleor all-amé ' .5 ‘
. _ .o
beau. The proprit_:t"or ofthis well, sug'g,-ged the 2‘
practicability of concentrating the gaseous lluitf,
and make it not only useful, ‘asit now is-,‘ forillti-'
' .
‘mina_ti_on at “night, but also to boil me",",,‘.:,,‘.,‘!',.i‘{,«,‘,.‘- “ '
the muntgfactme ofst_tlt, an ~‘expe.'ti§‘,,-.5-.-pa,., of”-T6 -
wot k in the boiling of the saline w ater,‘ het'eto‘fo1'e ‘ 3
coal.’
-T’ . ,-,7" ' . ’ ‘
Ncvv-Onsaans, Ju1y*17_’ 9 '
Gm. Long and I/re Province of Texas":
' So far as we have been enabled to obtain iiifori
tnation oi, this subject, we believe the following to
be substantially the.‘fac'ts‘as to Gen:-V Long alid his"
location, at Galveston ; more recently called «mg -
Port. bf"l..-3,5 Casas. ‘ ' -‘ 7‘ .
_ Some time last ‘y¢ar_Gen.- Long was in the city
of New-Orleans, and collected Lugeghgr some 30.
or 40 persons, with the view, as ‘itiylftet-vvairds ap-
peared, of locating himself at Galveston ;' abomg-2f;
of his followers }Vct'c>.a1‘l“c$lé_d'by~.;h¢-civjyau-théri_A
ity, but afte_rw‘art_ls. (_li§c._hargfed for ',,-a,,€}‘,-)f.;smfi_l_.‘
perfot med by stone
cit-".r_tt‘ptoo‘l"as to the infrac_ti‘on o1"tlt‘e‘I;-.'r”i<r‘r~t«‘.2-sup‘-.‘
,pt',6.S‘s military enlet‘pt'i'zcs set on fo‘ot‘in. the mag;
ted States against'neuti‘al, powers. ’Thi‘s‘\t-as con.
stdered-‘as tcrtntnating Gen.L.ong’s military -91,. ‘
reer. . ‘ ‘ t‘ ‘ '
His enterprize of character, ~how‘eve.-, gee_m,_.‘3
p:'oo‘f:'aga_in.st ordinary di_flic‘u.lties, and not long art’ ' ‘
ter this Clvll arrest of his followers.‘ the Gen. \\ta'3- Y
issuing‘ military orderslt-om hishead q'ua,:e“rs‘in
the Spanish possessions from a placecaliled, is f
well as we recollect, Ca or 1_t'art.Bot'z‘uarL‘
The Qnly!tni‘«litat‘y achievement wasthc‘ sfirpfize '’
and (ll5f)t'l“8lUfl- of a -few naktzd, h'alf-starvefd"li{.‘7 "
di-ans; but fthcy were-' called Cannibals, 0,.‘ mm
eaters ; and this seemed the apology for this mil-
itary movement...‘ The ‘killed and .W0undc.d.- 0-”.
both sides, -were not, we believe, ¢.{-}‘,_¢;au,., ,.e‘po,.,;
.-led‘, but we understand Gen..Long had at le'a-.s’t’-“"
one man killed, and-a still greater n'ttmbei“tp‘m-,-,,‘..
ded.- From our knowledge of Gen."1'iong’s.cha’r-‘ ’
acter, we should suppose... he avould gladly e‘fi‘tict-.¥‘ : I
this.record‘ed honor from the annals of his milittt-‘. ‘.
ry career ; for there isa ‘boldness and’=preservcr--
‘ance in his put-suits, which should place him-:,-.~*‘ ‘3
bore the destruction cfa ’
foe: ' . » -‘ . I _
Shortly after this aifair, Gen, Lung locatedlliirm
self at or near‘ Galveston, where he still n,~ma'2‘n-:1 - “
vM’any of the fewwlto had-'l‘ol~lowed his'for‘tu‘nL¥*
left him a this place; his n‘ur"nbc‘rs
varying from 2.0 to 50 persons; '
‘“ Their situation at Galveston h‘as'be'en represe‘n“-
ted as not 'only~uncomf6rtable, butidisiressing ;‘- "of?-" ‘
tenbeing for weeks together without pro\:i’s‘,‘g',-,,,
ot'_any kind, save fruits and 7,fisp.- 1,,‘,-,,»a,;.,»‘-
counts we received from Calves,-,ton1¢‘,'b,, ,.,,1-yea
on, represented the numbers of -th¢~"(;ig§,{-tiara‘
settlement at about 50~pe_rsons of‘all7_d'éscriptions;
It is said the settlers have-’vet'ywisely‘ co‘rtvei'-tétl
-their’ spearsinto plottghsbares-a.t'-hat‘th’ey‘ivi‘lling¥‘ j ‘
ly yielded thepromises of military ‘fantefiirr this"
more solid and secure pursuits ofagri'<:u‘ltu'rali'sts';‘ ’
andjnstead of the belligerent ..opera-ions iwhich‘ ‘'
letter‘-wt-i'ters‘_cnrry on for the-.Gen. his sett‘lers''are' ‘
very l‘usy"v)eetling--their little patches‘ of corn. .
We ha.t-e"been assured’-from a ‘source entitled,‘ “‘
to conficlence, that Gen. Long is no 'lo'n'ger con-'
sidered as in command oftany military fo‘t‘ce, at1'd'N
that the‘ €XCl\l5l\e ohjectof the settler-s’l'no\v 5:‘
Galveston, is to cultivate the soil on which th‘esi-T‘
have scttleil; relying upnn‘ tlieit'-peaceful‘ and
pacific course of conduct for.st-¢‘,,',~;{,-. jvve 1,-me
undetstoocl, that tinting théiast, on or ‘(J0 d:iy‘s'; 7"
several small parties. have gtinc, or "attcmp‘tci:l‘ to‘
go to this settlcment':_and in one i-nstariceiwe.‘
heard, that a party had gl‘l]]c of 150 ,,,e,-,‘»,,,?._.,; but‘ rd
after-vvat't.ls‘\vere assured it consisted of onl'yl"six-l
teen._. T ‘
In no instance have we heard of any part-,* befnig ""
seen or found '-with arms orany ‘nwiilliiaty suppl‘ie'fs‘;1_ .
and in fact they ttéive not‘ the‘ means_'of«pu;¢~h'1,$~.“- ‘t
_tng these at‘t‘lClt:s, even if so Clisposeth ' ' " “ ‘ ‘
Ifthere ishany nt‘an'ot' body .01" men so 'tlelutlct24" ‘_
as to enter 'l‘_exas,v‘ith the hope ol Stctlrl-tiff any ‘'
benefit to. the country, or tlmnselves. by rnilitti,-." '
7.)‘ “P3’3ll°ll=‘: most woefully‘. will‘ they be"disa1-f-
pointed. - ' - “
v_ ["1-ornjlte ./Viutouol ddvocate.
' ,.. _CARACCA’_§‘. A .‘
The wltlgt p9pu_lation constitute ‘two difi'eren:_"_-'
classes : *those‘.se'n't out from Spaintto fill the put»!
lic ‘ofi_ices*,‘ and those ‘who are drawn lhi_lhét' ‘from
/
defenseless and unrcsis.” j‘ -_ -
si.'tc_e thattime‘ '
Norwalk Chronicler