of General Preble. This gentleman belonged to one of the distinguished families of New England; his grandfather having been Governor of Annapolis, and his father having commanded the Massachusetts fleet in the expedition against Louisbourg, under Sir William Pepperell. Colonel Tyng possessed great purity of character, and benevolence of heart, and his kindness to the prisoners at New York should never cease to be remembered. He has been called another "Man of Ross." Certain it is, that he nourished the captives from his own resources, and as often as possible procured their release. And upon young Preble, who otherwise would have been friendless, and who fell sick and passed through a very dangerous fever, this conscientious adherent to the crown bestowed every attention, which could conduce to his comfort and recov ery. To a Tory, therefore, to one of a class of men who have been too often indiscriminately condemned, it has justly been said, that, "under Providence, this country is indebted for the life of one, whose heroic achievements will never be forgotten."*

Restored to his friends through Tyng's instrumentality, after an absence of nearly a year, Preble joined the Winthrop, another Massachu

* Mass. Hist. Coll. Vol. X. p. 185.

setts state ship, under Captain George Little, who had been first lieutenant of the Protector, and was subsequently a captain in the navy of the United States.

Preble was first lieutenant of the Winthrop. This vessel rendered great service in protecting our trade, and in making prizes of privateers under the royal flag. One of Preble's exploits, while attached to this ship, deserves particular notice. While cruising in the waters of Maine, Captain Little captured an American sloop, which an English armed brig had previously taken and fitted as a tender and cruiser. From persons on board of the sloop, it was ascertained that the brig lay at anchor near Castine, and under cover of the guns of the British post there. But, though thus apparently beyond the reach of an assailing force, the design was formed to run the Winthrop alongside in the night, and carry her by surprise. Preble was to lead the party of boarders, to consist of forty picked men, dressed in white frocks, that friend might be distinguished from foe. The bold measure was successfully executed. The Winthrop made good her part of the enterprise, so far as to allow her first lieutenant and fourteen of his force to gain the deck of the brig; but her way was SO rapid, and she passed the brig so quickly, that

the remaining twenty-six were unable to leap on board and join him; and he was thus left to contend with his enemy as he best could. Little, however, called to his officer to know if he would have more men. "No," was Preble's cool reply, "we have more than we want; we stand in each other's way." Deceived, probably, by this declaration, the crew of the brig were panic stricken, and some of them leaped overboard; while the officers were instantly sought in the cabin by Preble in person, who assured them, that, as resistance would be vain, submission alone would save their lives. The prize having been secured, the difficult duty of working her out to sea, under a severe fire from the shore, remained, but was gallantly accomplished, and she was safely taken to Boston.

This daring deed excited much admiration at the time, and obtained for its chief actor the reputation of possessing undaunted courage and great presence of mind; qualities of character, in which, as will appear in his after life, and on a broader theatre, few men have ever excelled him.

* Exaggerated accounts of this affair are extant; and the brig is represented as "of more than equal force" to the Winthrop; while an impression is given, that the sloop, not the Winthrop, went alongside the brig.

At the peace, the marine of Massachusetts, in common with that of other states, was no longer required for the purposes for which it was created, and its officers were generally dismissed, a few vessels and officers only being retained to protect the revenue. Preble, still devoted to the sea, after leaving the Winthrop, sought employment in the merchant service. He was now about twenty-two years of age. A year later, in 1784, he mourned the loss of his father. His mother, a woman who looked well to her own proper duties, charitable and kind to the sorrowing, skilful in business, and competent to manage her husband's concerns, and even to accumulate property, while he was abroad in military and civil stations, and of a commanding presence, survived her husband until 1805, when her son's fame had risen to its full splendor.

CHAPTER II.

Preble in the Merchant Service.-. ·Appointed a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Commands the Pickering. — Appointed a Captain. Sails to the East Indies in the Essex. -Returns.-Navy reduced. Ordered to join Truxtun. His Marriage. — Ordered to the Adams. Ill Health. On Furlough. Returns to the Service.

Or about fifteen years of Preble's life I can give the reader but a passing and an imperfect account. This period was devoted principally to commercial pursuits. The names of several schooners, brigs, and ships, which he commanded, in which he went abroad as supercargo, or in which he had an interest as owner or shipper, are preserved in the few business letters and accounts that now remain. To indicate his employments for the whole of these years with accuracy, is hardly possible. Yet it may be stated with certainty that he visited several parts of the world, and that sometimes he remained in foreign countries as a resident mercantile agent of the American house with which he was connected; and that, at other times, he was engaged in trading voyages along