GENERAL HISTORY. 



[109 



all the gun-boats, and eight sail of 

 the convoy. 



Admiral sir J. B.Warren, being 

 of opinion that a flotilla of small 

 vessels might be usefully employed 

 in penetrating the rivers at the 

 head of Chesapeake bay, detached, 

 in April, rear-admiral Cockburn, 

 with a light squadron for that pur- 

 pose. This officer reported, on 

 the 29th, a successful attempt by 

 the Fantome and Mohawk on 

 French-town, a considerable dis- 

 tance up the Elk river, where was 

 a depot of stores. A resistance was 

 made by a six-gun battery, but it 

 was abandoned, and the town and 

 stores left to their fate. The lat- 

 ter, consisting of flour and army 

 necessaries, together with five ves- 

 sels, were burnt. Admiral Cock- 

 burne's second report, on May 3rd, 

 gives an account of an attack upon 

 Havre de Grace, a place at the 

 entrance of the Susquehanna, 

 where the Americans had erected 

 a battery. The attack was made 

 by two divisions of seamen and 

 marines, who drove the enemy 

 from the battery and town, set fire 

 to some houses of the latter, and 

 then proceeded to a cannon foundry 

 at some distance, which they en- 

 tirely destroyed, with a number of 

 guns, and also took 130 stand of 

 arms. A third report from Sassa- 

 fras river, relates successful attacks 

 upon George-town and Frederick's- 

 town. A body of 400 militiamen 

 by whom they were defended was 

 soon dispersed, and the villages 

 were destroyed, with the excep- 

 tion of the nouses of some peace- 

 able inhabitants who took no part 

 in the hostilities. Some other 

 places in which there were no 

 public stores or property, and no 

 preparations made for resistance, 



were spared ; and thus the expedi- 

 tion terminated. 



The capture of his majesty's 

 sloop of war, Vincejo, on the coast 

 of Britanny, by a French flotilla of 

 17 gun-brigs and luggers, on May 

 8th, after a vigorous, but unavailing 

 resistance, against so dispropor- 

 tioned a force, was another of the 

 small disasters of the British navy. 



The time, however, now ap- 

 proached, in which the British flag 

 was to recover a large share of its 

 accustomed honours from that foe 

 against whom its glory had suffer- 

 ed a temporary eclipse. Capt. P.V. 

 Broke, of his majesty's frigate 

 Shannon, whose station was off 

 the port of Boston, had been sin- 

 gularly assiduous in exercising his 

 men at great and small arms, and 

 bringing them into a state of the 

 most perfect discipline. In that 

 harbour lay the United States fri- 

 gate, Chesapeake, capt. Laurence, 

 a fine ship of 49 guns, 18 and 32 

 pounders, with a complement of 

 440 men. For this vessel, captain 

 Broke had long been watching, 

 desirous only of contending with it 

 on fair terms ; and that the enemy 

 might not be prevented from com- 

 ing out by the apprehension of 

 having more than one antagonist 

 to deal with, on the first of June 

 he stood close in with Boston 

 light-house, presenting himself as 

 a challenger to single combat. He 

 soon had the pleasure (to use his 

 own expression) of seeing the Che- 

 sapeake stand out of the harbour 

 for the purpose of accepting the 

 proffered contest. Captain Broke 

 took a position between Cape Ann 

 and Cape Cod, and then hove to, 

 that his antagonist might join him. 

 The Amerioan came down in a 

 very handsome manner, with three 



