vour to gain the shore. Some reached it-some were taken by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt; but most preferred sharing with me the fate of the ship. We who remained, now turned our attention wholly to extinguishing the flames; and when we had succeeded, went again to our guns, where the firing was kept up for some minutes; but the crew had by this time become so weakened, that they all declared to me the impossibility of making further resistance, and intreated me to surrender my ship to save my wounded, as all further attempts at opposition must prove ineffectual, almost every gun being disabled by the destruction of their crews. I now sent for the officers of divisions to consult them; but what was my surprise, to find only acting Lieutenant Stephen Decatur M'Knight remaining, who confirmed the report respecting the condition of the guns on the gun deck-those on the spar deck were not in a better state. Act "Lieutenant Wilmer, after fighting most gallantly throughout the action, had been knocked overboard by a splinter, while getting the sheet anchor from the bows, and was drowned. ing Lieutenant J. G. Cowell had lost a leg; Mr. Edward Barnewell, acting-sailing master, had been carried below, after receiving two severe wounds, one in the breast and one in the face; and acting Lieutenant William H. Odenheimer had been knocked overboard from the quarter an instant before, and did not regain the ship until after the surrender. I was informed that the cockpit, the steerage, the wardroom, and the birthdeck, could contain no more wounded; that the wounded were killed while the surgeons were dressing them, and that, unless something was speedily done to prevent it, the ship would soon sink, from the number of shot holes in her bottom. And on sending for the carpenter, he informed me that all his crew had been killed or wounded, and that he had once been over the side to stop the leaks, when his slings had been shot away, and it was with difficulty he was saved from drowning. The enemy, from the smoothness of the water, and the impossibility of our reaching him with our carronades, and the little apprehension that was excited by our fire, which had now become much slackened, was enabled to take aim at us as at a target ; his shot never missed our bull, and my ship was cut up in a manner which was perhaps never before witnessed-in fine, I saw no hopes of saving her, and at twenty minutes after 6 P. M. gave the painful order to strike the colours. Seventy-five men, including officers, were all that remained of my whole crew, after the action, capable of doing duty, and many of them severely wounded, some of whom have since died. The enemy still continued his fire, and my brave, though unfortunate companions, were still falling about me. I directed an opposite gun to be fired, to show them we intended no further resistance; but they did not desist; four men were killed at my side, and others in different parts of the ship. I now believed he intended to show us no quarters, and that it would be as well to die with my flag flying as struck, and was on the point of again hoisting it, when about ten minutes after hauling the colours down, he ceased firing. "We have been unfortunate, but not disgrac+ ed-the defence of the Essex has not been less honourable to her officers and crew, than the сарture of an equal force, and I now consider my situation less unpleasant, than that of Commodore Hillyar, who, in violation of every principle of F honour and generosity, and regardless of the rights of nations, attacked the Essex in her crippled state, within pistol shot of a neutral shore; when for six weeks I had daily offered him fair and honourable combat, on terms greatly to his advantage; the blood of the slain must be on his head; and he has yet to reconcile his conduct to Heaven, to his conscience, and to the world. "I must in justification to myself observe, that with our six twelve pounders only, we fought this action, our carronades being almost useless. "The loss in killed and wounded has been great with the enemy; among the former is the first Lieutenant of the Phoebe, and of the latter, Captain Tucker of the Cherub, whose wounds. are severe. Both the Essex and Phoebe were in a sinking state, and it was with difficulty they could be kept afloat until they anchored in Valparaiso next morning. The battered state of the Essex, will, I believe, prevent her ever reaching England; and I also think it will be out of their power to repair the damages of the Phoebe, so as to enable her to double Cape Horn. "In justice to Commodore Hillyar, I must observe, that (although I can never be reconciled to the manner of his attack on the Essex, or to his conduct before the action,) he has, since our capture, shown the greatest humanity to my wounded, (whom he permitted me to land, on condition that the United States would bear their expenses,) and has endeavoured as much as lay in his power, to alleviate the distresses of war, by the most generous and delicate deportment towards myself, my officers and crew; he gave orders that the property of every person should be respected. "To possess the Essex, it has cost the British government near six millions of dollars, and yet, sir, her capture was owing entirely to accident; and if we consider the expedition with which naval contests are now decided, the action is a dishonour to them. "During the action, our Consul-General, Mr. Poynsett, called on the Governor of Valparaiso, and requested that the batteries might protect the Essex. This request was refused, but he promised that if she should succeed in fighting her way to the common anchorage, he would send an officer to the British commander and request him to cease firing, but declined using force under any circumstances, and there is no doubt a perfect understanding existed between them. This conduct, added to the assistance given to the British, and their friendly reception after the action, and the strong bias of the faction which governs Chili in favour of the English, as well as their hostility to the Americans, induced Mr. Poynsett to leave that country. Under such circumstances, I did not conceive it would be proper for me to claim the restoration of my ship, confident that the claim would be made by my government to more effect. Finding some difficulty in the sale of my prizes, I had taken the Hector and Catharine to sea and burnt them with their cargoes." On Commodore Porter's return to the United States, he was received with that eclat to which the brilliancy of his actions entitled him. He assisted at the defence of Baltimore, and on the return of peace, Congress having established a Navy Board to assist the operations of the Navy Department, he was appointed one of the three Commissioners to whom its direction was confided. COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE, son of Doctor Absalom Bainbridge, a respectable physician of Princeton, New-Jersey, was born at that place, on the seventh of May, 1774. While yet a child, his parents removed to New-York, and he was left under the care of his grandfather, John Taylor, Esq. of Monmouth county, where he received his education, which, as he was originally destined to mercantile pursuits, was confined to the ordinary branches of English instruction, and the rudiments of the French language. At sixteen, he was placed in a counting-house at New-York, but was soon removed by his grandfather to Philadelphia, and placed as an apprentice to the sea service in the employ of Messrs. Miller and Murray, merchants, whom he was to serve for a certain time without indentures, and free of expense. In their employ, he made many voyages and soon rose to command. At eighteen years of age, while mate of the ship Hope, on her way to Holland, the crew, taking advantage of a violent gale of wind, rose upon the officers, seized the captain, and had nearly succeeded in throwing him overboard, when young Bainbridge, hearing the alarm, ran on deck with an old pistol without a lock, and being assisted by an apprentice boy and an Irish sailor, who was attached to him from being an old shipmate, rescued the captain, seized the ringleaders, and quelled the mutiny. So satisfied were his employers with this as well as his general conduct, that before his term of service had expired, he received the command |