His presence at Washington gave rise to a | this was the fact. Captain Tucker then compublication of the following correspondence

QUINCY, January 18, 1816. SIR-Samuel Tucker, esq. a member of our Massachusetts legislature, has a petition to government for justice or customary favor to meritorious officers, which will be explained before the proper judges. I cannot refuse his request to certify what I know of his character and history. My acquaintance with him commenced early in the year 1776, when he was first appointed to a command in the navy, in which he served with reputation and without reproach, to the end of the year 1783.

His biography would make a conspicuous figure even at this day, in the naval annals of the United States. I can be particular only in one instance. In 1778, he was ordered to France in the Boston frigate. He sailed in February, and soon fell in with three British frigates, sent from Rhode Island expressly to intercept him. Fighting of one against three was out of the question. In a chase of three days and three nights, he baffled all the inventions, and defeated all the manœuvres of the enemy, and was separated from him, at last, in the Gulf Stream by a furious hurricane, which, for three days more, threatened him with immediate destruction. Nor was this his last danger from seas or from enemies. He had two other storms, and two other detach ments of British men of war to encounter; one

in the English Channel, and another in the Bay of Biscay. He arrived in Bordeaux in April. Nothing but vigilance, patience, and perseverance, added to consummate nautical skill, could have preserved that ship through so many dangers at that equinoctial season, and such a succession of irresistible enemies.

I heartily wish captain Tucker success; and beg the favor of you, sir, to communicate to any committee, who may be charged with the examination of his application, this letter from your friend and humble servant,

Hon. Mr. Crowninshield,

JOHN ADAMS.

Secretary of the navy of the U. S. The foregoing is a true copy of the original now in my possession.

MARK L. HILL.

Connected with this letter is an anecdote of the now venerable writer, which we do not recollect to have before seen in print. From the unaffected simplicity with which the letter is written, it would not appear that Mr. Adams was on board the vessel commanded by captain Tucker, in the cruise of which he speaks: but

manded the Boston frigate, and was charged with the important duty, at that difficult time, of carrying Mr. Adams out as ambassador to France. About fifteen days before their arrival at Bordeaux, there hove in sight a large English ship, showing a tier of guns. Tucker immediately held a conversation with Mr. Adams, assured him he could take her, and wished to obtain his consent to run down for her; this was granted.-The Boston bore down: Mr. Adams being a non-combatant, was desired to retire into the cock-pit, below water. He descended, at this request, into the cabin. Tucker returned immediately to his duty, and in fifteen minutes the Boston was within hail of the English ship, which proved to be the Martha, and had been lying to, to meet her enemy. Upon Tucker's hailing the British ship, she answered by a broadside, which shot away a piece of the mizen yard of the Boston, which fell upon Tucker's shoulder, and brought him flat on the deck. This, for a moment, prevented the order to return the fire; but as he leaped from the deck and gained his legs, he found the colors of the Martha hauled down; and looking forward, observed Mr. Adams among the marines, with a musket in his hand, having privately applied to the officer of the marines for a gun, and taken his station among them. At this sight captain Tucker became alarmed; for he was responsible for the safety of Mr. Adams; and walking up to the ambas

sador desired to know how he came there?

upon which the other smiled, gave up his gun,

and went immediately below.

COMMODORE JOSHUA BARNEY,

OF MARYLAND, CONTINENTAL NAVY. INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HIS CAPTURE OF THE BRITISH SLOOP OF WAR "GENERAL MONK," APRIL 8, 1782.

By a misprint, we presume, the late commodore Barry was said to have captured the British ship "General Monk," in 1782. The error brought forth in the Washington City Gazette, of June, 1820, the following explanations and remarks, in a letter addressed to the editor:

I have observed in your Gazette, taken from a Philadelphia paper, an account of a gallant action performed by the late commodore Bar. ney, during the revolutionary war. I allude to the action between the American vessel Hyder Ally, captain Barney, and his Britannic Majesty's

I can readily account why the name of сарtain Barry should have been inserted instead of captain Barney. Captain Barry, about the same time, commanded a brig of 16 six pounders, called the Hibernia, and was fortunate in capturing several British armed vessels. He afterwards commanded the frigate United States, now in our service, and then on the West India station, and was very successful during our short war with the French republic. He died in Philadelphia in 1803. I feel the more disposed to set this matter right, as commodore Barney was an intimate friend of mine. If you think these items of information worthy of insertion in your Gazette, they are at your service. I am, respectfully, yours, etc.,

Co.

sloop of war General Monk, captain Rogers, in | voted to captain Joshua Barney, for the gal1782. "Honor to the brave." My only object lantry displayed in the action with his Britanin addressing you this letter, is to correct an nic Majesty's ship General Monk. error as to the name of the commander of the Hyder Ally. It was not captain Barry, as is erroneously stated in the papers. It was the late commodore Barney who commanded the Hyder Ally, the same who received a severe wound at the battle of Bladensburg, and who | lately died at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I was then in Philadelphia, quite a lad, when the action took place. Both ships arrived at the lower part of the city with a leading wind, immediately after the action, bringing with them all their killed and wounded. Attracted to the wharf by the salute which the Hyder Ally fired, of thirteen guns, which was then the custom, (one for each state) I saw the two ships lying in the stream, anchored near each other. In a short time, however, they warped into the wharf to land their killed and wounded, and curiosity induced me, as well as many others, to go on board each vessel. The Hyder Ally was, as stated, a small ship of 16 six pounders. The Monk, a king's ship of large dimensions, of 18 nine pounders. The difference in the size and equipments of the two ships was matter of astonishment to all the beholders. The Gen. Monk's decks were, in every direction, besmeared with blood, covered with the dead and wounded, and resembled a charnel house. Several of her bow ports were knocked into one-a plain evidence of the well directed fire of the Hyder Ally. She was a king's ship, a very superior vessel, a fast sailer, and coppered to the bends. I was on board during the time they carried on shore the killed and wounded, which they did in hammocks.

I was present at a conversation which took place on the quarter deck of the General Monk, between captain Barney and several merchants in Philadelphia. I remember one of them observing, "why, captain Barney, you have been truly fortunate in capturing this vessel, considering she is so far superior to you in point of size, guns, men and metal." Yes, sir, he replied, I do consider myself fortunate when we were about to engage, it was the opinion of myself, as well as my crew, that she

would have blown us to atoms; but we were

determined she should gain her victory dearly.

One of the wounded British sailors observed― "Yes, sir, captain Rogers observed to our crew, a little before the action commenced, 'Now, my boys, we shall have the yankee ship in five minutes;' and so we all thought, but here we are." You will find, by recurrence to the journals of the old congress, that a sword was

THE

GENERAL MONK."

ACCOUNT OF HER CAPTURE.

On the 8th April, 1782, an action took place at the entrance of the Delaware bay, between an American sloop of war, commanded by captain Barney, called the Hyder Ally, mounting 16 six pounders, and carrying 110 men; and the British sloop of war General Monk, under captain Rogers, of 20 nine pounders, and 136 men. The former had four men killed and eleven wounded; the latter twenty killed and thirty-three wounded. In the navy department at Washington is a representation of this action. On the left of the painting appears Cape Henlopen light-house, and on the right, the point of Cape May. In the centre is seen the Hyder Ally and General Monk engaged, the latter in the act of striking her colors. In front is the frigate Quebec, which, not finding sufficient water in Cape May channel, was obliged to go around the Overfall Shoals to get into the bay. It was during this time that the action took place. To the right of the fighting ships, the English brig Fair American, of 16 guns, is seen chasing and firing at one of the Hyder Ally's convoy, which escaped under the Jersey shore. At a distance is seen the vessels convoyed by the Hyder Ally steering up the bay.

MISCELLANEOUS.

BOSTON ORATIONS.

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.

war, my father had attained the age when the mind yields most easily to the passion for military glory, and he was among the first who were enrolled under the banner of American liberty.

[These orations which will be found on pages 17 to 79 were inadvertently separated from this introductory notice. They were first The sentiment of freedom was electric, and collected and published in a volume, by Mr. no age or sex was exempt from its influence. Peter Edes of Boston, printer, son of the The fond mother who had shrunk from exposMR. EDES of that town whose press was so ing the darling of her bosom to the slightest notorious for its fearless devotion to the lib-personal danger, now beheld, with proud satiserties of America; both before the Revolution commenced and during the time of its continuance.]

TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF

BOSTON.

I hope my collecting, in one volume, the following orations, which were first severally printed at your request, but many of which have been long since not to be purchased, will be considered in the mild light of an attempt to please the public.

Americans have been reprehended for not preserving, with sufficient care, the various pamphlets and political tracts which this country has afforded during the late war.

Many of those productions which appear trite to us, who live on the spot where they grew, may, however, be considered as sources of curiosity to strangers. Many of these orations have been considered as the sentiments of this metropolis, from time to time touching the revolution; and as our earliest public invectives against oppression.

As the institution of an oration upon the fifth of March is now superseded by the celebration of the anniversary of independence, upon the fourth of July, I have given to this volume a general title, which will apply to both institutions: so that if hereafter there shall be a volume, containing the orations of that anniversary, this may be considered the first and that the second volume of Boston orations.

I am, with the greatest respect, your obedi

ent humble servant,

Boston, January, 1785.

PETER EDES.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SOLDIER'S
DAUGHTER.

faction, that son decorated with the knapsack her own hand had wrought, and cheerfully resigned him to the call of patriotism.

Thus do the sentiments of freedom elevate the mind above its ordinary exertions, and call forth the latent energies of soul, that have immortalized a Cornelia. My venerable grandsire, whom I can just remember as an old man with snowy locks, who used to pacify my infant clamors with tales of military prowess, was often heard to boast that he led five sons to the battle of Bunker-hill.

The third of these sons was he from whom I inherited that spirit of patriotism which has accompanied me through life. With feelings which neither time nor sorrow can obliterate, I

review the scenes of my childhood, and while my brave parent, bending with age and infirmity, is verging to the grave, a desire to snatch his memory from oblivion prompts me to record the following detail:

Some of the brightest years of my existence were passed in the vicinity of Bunker hill, and I was early taught to venerate that spot, as connected with a display of that magnanimous virtue. It was to that spot my gallant father led his family of sprightly boys, and, over the grave of Warren, inculcated lessons of heroism and virtue. Nor was I always excluded from the party, for though my father believed that nature had designed me for a domestic sphere, he did not believe that an ardent love of liberty and thorough estimate of its value, as purchased by the blood of my fathers, could unfit me for the discharge of the important duties which Providence has assigned to a woman.

It was a fine morning in May, and nature seemed to have communicated her smile to the heart, and diffused a joyous serenity over all its feelings, when my three little brothers and myself received the welcome summons to preAt the commencement of the revolutionary pare to attend our parent on his morning

FROM WOODWORTH'S LITERARY CASKET.

excursion.- —“Whither shall we walk?" said | but the next, not at all deterred by the fate of he, as we sallied forth with all the eagerness of his comrade, commenced the race, and got childhood-" To Bunker-hill" was the spon- over in safety. In like manner, most of our taneous reply of every little voice, and to Bun-heroic band succeeded, and one honest fellow, ker-hill my father led the way.

Days of artless innocence, alas! ye are fled forever. Never can I recal the sportive hilarity with which we lightly bounded over the adjacent hills, never regain the innocent gayety and improvident lightness of heart, that, under present enjoyments, shut the future from my view. Yet memory, busy memory, oft retards the flowery way, and, in the visions of the past, loses the sense of the present, and the anticipations of the future.

With that buoyancy of spirit which refuses to yield to weariness, we climbed the ascent, and found ourselves on the summit, from whence we were presented with a view of the whole peninsula, with the bay and harbor of Boston. My father pointed out the relative positions of the armies, and entered into a minute detail of events, which abler historians have recorded: they will not therefore occupy a place in this narration.

His own personal adventure, and narrow escape from a living grave, are all that filial piety will justify this feeble attempt to perpetuate.

as he bowed to the word of command, thus addressed me, "Captain, I see it is close dodging, but let me once get safely over, and I'll spend my heart's last drop for you, and bring you off again dead or alive, that I will."

"This honest fellow was a native of Ireland, and about six months previous was confined for debt in the prison of Salem, whence I released him on condition that he would enlist; and never man was blessed with a more devoted friend than Murphy M'Culloch proved to me.

"I was the last to make the adventurous attempt, and though the balls showered about my head, none were permitted to touch me, and we gained the entrenchment, and passed into the line of battle.

"On this spot as near I could recollect, I stood, and endeavored to do my duty as a soldier of liberty. I received a ball through the calf of my leg, and another through my left shoulder, but these were mere trifles, and I stood my ground in spite of them.

The gallant and generous Warren was on horseback, pressing from one end of the line to the other, animating the troops to a vigorous defence, and every heart hailed him with love and gratitude.

"He had ever distinguished me with peculiar marks of friendship, and as he passed the spot where I stood, he condescended to address me with words of cordial recognition. I know not whether any historian has recorded the last words of that hero, but believed they were addressed to myself. "My young friend, (said he, as he turned to leave me), do your duty, for the salvation of our country depends on this day's action."

side, and was thrown several feet into the air, and then precipitated violently to the ground.

"You see that narrow speck of land yonder that unites the peninsula of Charlestown to the adjacent country. Over that isthmus, it became my duty to lead the little band under my 'He had not moved ten paces before I saw command, to join the main army, in the in-him fall. At that moment a shell burst by my trenchment, where we now stand. You see how it is exposed to water-well there lay the Glasgow frigate, which kept up a continual fire of shot and bombs across that pass, while several floating batteries, and the fortification on Copp's hill, endeavored to annoy the troops on the hill, and drive them from the entrenchment.

"A fragment of the broken shell struck me in the breast, and caused a contusion of the sternum, and the violent shock my whole system sustained took from me the power of motion.

'Blood gushed from my mouth, nose and ears, and I lay covered with dust unable to speak or move, but for some time perfectly conscious.