lowed so long, and with such devotion, abandons him in his dying moments. It then becomes a grateful country, entertaining an honourable jealousy of such noble feelings, to be kind to the ashes of such men.

WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN, whom it now becomes our painful duty to notice, was born at Providence, Rhodeisland, on the twenty-first day of October, 1784. His father, William Allen, on the breaking out of our revolutionary troubles, was appointed a first lieutenant in the army. He continued in the army until the restoration of peace, and commanded the Rhodeisland line of troops at the battle of Saratoga, when he was advanced to the rank of major. He was present and actively engaged in most of the battles which were fought during our revolutionary war; and, in 1786, was appointed, by congress, senior officer of the legionary corps raised in Rhodeisland. In the year 1799 he was appointed, by the legislature of that state, brigadier-general of militia.

Although it is not a subject immediately connected with the present biographic sketch, it may be not improper to state that major Allen had, for a short time, the charge of the unfortunate Andre. He sat up with him the whole night previous to his execution: Andre conversed with him on a variety of subjects, in which he uniformly spoke of the American character in terms of the strongest respect, and expressed his gratitude for the kindness and delicacy with which he was treated during his confinement. So affecting was this interview to major Allen,, that, to this day, he cannot relate the circumstance without great emotion.

The mother of William Henry Allen was the sister of the present governor of Rhodeisland. It was the intention of his parent that Henry should have received a liberal education; and he went through the preparatory studies. He panted, however, for more active life; and, notwithstanding the pressing remonstrances of his parents, he entered the navy, as a midshipman, in May, 1800.

In three months after his appointment he was ordered on board the frigate George Washington, commanded by captain Bainbridge, to carry presents to the dey of Algiers. On his de

parture he writes to his father, "I now bid you a short adieu; but should it be the last, you shall have the satisfaction to hear of my good conduct in my station as an officer and as a gentleman." This cruise was attended with peculiarity of incident. The demand of the dey of Algiers, that the frigate should be employed in carrying his presents to the grand seignior at Constantinople, and the unavailing reluctance and remonstrances of captain Bainbridge, are circumstances generally known. It was the first time that the flag of an American frigate had waved in the harbour of Constantinople. The fine order of the ship, and the excellent discipline observed amongst the officers and men, tended to impress very high ideas of the American character, in a quarter of the world where before it was unknown.

Commodore Bainbridge returned to America on the nineteenth of April, 1801, when a reduction of the navy ensued. In eight days after the return of the subject of the present memoirs, and while he was solacing himself in the hope of once more vi siting his family and friends, he was ordered on board the Philadelphia, under the command of captain Baron, to scour the Mediterranean sea again. He bade to his friends a cordial adieu, and entered on the service with that promptitude that ever distinguished him. Nothing material transpired during the cruise. The ship returned to the United States on the twenty-seventh of June, 1802. For the first time, after his entry into the service of his country, was he now enabled to enjoy the society of his friends, and to visit his paternal abode. This, however, was but a short repose allowed him from the fatigues of naval service, for in October, 1802, he sailed in the frigate John Adams, commanded by captain Rodgers, to visit, for the third time, the shores of the Mediterranean. From his letters, during this period, we shall make only two extracts:

"During our stay at Malta we had an opportunity of visiting most of the public buildings; and amongst the rest, the superb church of St. John. The floor is laid in different coloured marble, in Mosaic, representing tomb-stones of the different knights who distinguished themselves in fighting and in falling in defence of Christianity, against the infidels. On every side there is a Latin inscription, describing his death. The walls are hung

with the most superbly embroidered tapestry, representing the birth, crucifixion, and ascension of our Saviour. The death of the Saints are likewise represented in the same manner, and they appear like the most beautiful paintings. The wings are divided into chapels; and here they show us crosses and Saints in abundance, and the rich attire of the bishops and clergy, embroidered with gold. In an inner chapel we were shown a number of relics, one of which they declared was a fragment of the cross on which our Saviour was crucified; another was the palm of the hand of St. John. The body of St. Clement was exposed, lying in state. This was a room that the French soldiers did not penetrate: it is said that they robbed this church of half a million."

During the voyage, he was informed, by his correspondent, of a report, which afterwards proved to be unfounded, that a younger officer was advanced over his head. This is the manly reply of a boy of seventeen: "I am too well grounded in old principles to mind such assaults now. If the government decide thus, I can say amen, with all my heart."

Commodore Rodgers returned from this cruise in December, 1803.

Early in the year 1804 he was ordered on board the frigate Congress, lying at Washington, of which he was appointed sailing-ma-ter. This frigate sailed on the first of July, under the command of captain Rodgers, for the Mediterranean. On the outward-bound passage, while the ship was lying to, in a violent gale, Allen was on the foreyard, assisting the sailors in taking a reef. Letting fall that part of the sail on which he had hold, he was precipitated headlong into the sea, to the depth of twenty feet, passing in his fall very near the anchor on the bows. Fortunately he arose near the mizen chains, and, by taking hold on them, narrowly escaped inevitable death as the ship was then drifting very fast. While cruising off the coast of Tripoli, captain Rodgers intended, if the command should have devolved on him, in consequence of the illness of commodore Baron, an attack on that place. He took Allen with him in the schooner to take the soundings, preparatory to the anticipated assault. They entered the harbour with muffled oars; and, after taking

a sounding, and complete survey, they passed so near the Tripoline gun-boats that they distinctly heard the men conversing below. They also heard the sentinels on the walls of the battery conversing together. As they were returning from the harbour, a heavy gale sprung up, and they had a narrow escape to the Nautilus, which vessel was then in the very act of leaving her position. During this cruise, which extended from 1804 to 1806, Allen thus writes to his correspondent:

"I was, while at Lisbon, witness to a very ludicrous ceremony. My ears were saluted by the hoarse chanting of some Portuguese sailors, and I perceived about twenty in number approaching, bearing a large topsail, barefoot, with their hats in their hands, into which the multitude would now and then drop a sixpence, to save their souls from purgatory. On inquiry, I was informed, that it was a custom amongst them, when overtaken by a violent gale at sea, instead of trusting to their own exertions, to offer up their prayers to their guardian saint, and to promise him the best sail in the ship if he would condescend to protect them from the dangers of the element. The topsail was then taken to the church in the manner described, laid at the foot of the altar, and dedicated to the saint. It was then appraised by an old friar, who, unwilling to distress the votaries of old mother Church, accepted, as an equivalent, in money, one half of its nominal value. The saint has, by this time, become perfectly well acquainted with the value of sailcloth."

In the month of October, 1805, captain Rodgers removed to the frigate Constitution, and assumed the command of the squadron, in consequence of the return of captain Baron to the United States. Mr. Allen was also removed to the Constitution, and promoted to a lieutenancy. In a cruise off Capanea, lieutenant Allen, in company with commodore Rodgers, visited Mount Etna. Ascending the south side of the mountain, the wind, while blowing from the north, covered that side of their bodies exposed to its violence, with frost, while the other remained perfectly free. Descending, they lost their way amongst fields of lava, but were found by the monks in the convents below. Lieutenant Allen likewise visited Mount Vesuvius, and the cities of Herculaneum, and Pompeia. He served as third

was favourably received, and a compliance promised. The secretary said that "their communication did them honour, and their request should be properly attended to." It is difficult to conceive of the excoriated state of lieutenant Allen's mind at this time. Let this youthful officer speak from the grave, and give utterance to his feelings. In two days after the action, he writes to his correspondent, "To see so many brave men standing to their quarters, amidst the blood of their butchered and wounded countrymen, and hear their cries, without the means of avenging them! and when, in three minutes we could have avenged them! to have the flag of my country disgraced! Was it for this that I have continued so long in the service, contrary to the wishes of all my friends! To be so mortified, humbled, cut to the soul! Yes, to have the finger of scorn pointing at me as one of the officers of the Chesapeake! But do not think, my friend, that I feel I have not done my duty. Perish the thought! I proudly feel that I would have willingly given my trifling life an offering for the wounded honour of my country." "Oh," he opinion) premature surrender of the United States' ship Chesapeake, of forty guns, to the English ship of war Leopard, of fifty guns, without their previous knowledge or consent; and desirous of proving to their country, and the world, that it was the wish of all the undersigned to have rendered themselves worthy of the flag under which they have the honour to serve, by a determined resistance to an unjust demand, do request the honourable the secretary of the navy to order a court of inquiry into their conduct. At the same time they are compelled, by imperious duty, by the honour of their flag, by the honour of their countrymen, and by all that is dear to themselves, to request that an order may be issued for the arrest of commodore James Baron, on the charges herewith exhibited, which the undersigned pledge themselves to prove true:

"1. On the probability of an engagement, for neglecting to clear his ship for action.

2. For not doing his utmost to take or to destroy a vessel which we conceive it his duty to have done.

"BENJAMIN SMITH, first lieutenant.

"WILLIAM CRANE, second lieutenant.

" WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN, third lieutenant. “L. ORDE CREIGHTON, fourth lieutenant.

"SYDNEY SMITH, fifth lieutenant.

“SAMUEL BROOKES, sailing master."