APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



9Ii 



board his Majesty's ship St. Law- 

 rence, at Kingston. 



September 24, 1814. 

 ■ Sir, — I have the honour to trans- 

 mit, for the information of the 

 Lords Commissioners of the Ad- 

 miralty, a copy of a letter from 

 Captain Fring, late Commander of 

 his Majesty's brig Linnet. It ap- 

 pears to rae, and I have good rea- 

 son to believe, that Capt. Downie 

 was urged, and his ship hurried 

 into action before she was in a fit 

 state to meet the enemy. I am 

 also of opinion that there was not 

 the least necessity for our squadron 

 giving the enemy such decided ad- 

 vantages, by going into their bay 

 to engage them ; even had they 

 been successful, it would not in 

 the least have assisted the troops 

 in storming the batteries ; whereas, 

 had our troops taken their batteries 

 first, it would have obliged the 

 enemy's squadron to quit the bay, 

 and given ours a fair chance. 



1 have the honour to be, &c. 



(Signed) James Lucas Yeo, 

 Commodore and Commander 

 in Chief. 



United Slates ship Saratoga, 

 Plattiburg Bay, Lake Cham- 

 plain, Sept. 12, 1814. 



Sir, — The painful task of mak- 

 ing you acquainted with the cir- 

 cumstances attending the capture 

 of his Majesty's squadron, yester- 

 day, by that of the Americans, 

 under Commodore M'Donough, it 

 grieves me to state, becomes my 

 duty to perform, from the ever-to- 

 be-lamented loss of that worthy 

 and gallant officer. Captain Dow- 

 nie, who unfortunately fell early 

 in the action. 



In consequence of the earnest 

 sohcitation of his Excellency Sir 

 George Prevost for the co-operation 

 of the naval force on this Lake to 

 attack that of the enemy, who 

 were placed for the support of 

 their works at Plattsburg, which 

 it was proposed should be stormed 

 by the troops, at the same moment 

 the naval action should commence 

 in the bay ; every possible exertion 

 was used to accelerate the arma- 

 ment of the new ship, that the 

 military movements might not be 

 postponed at such an advanced 

 season of the year longer than was 

 absolutely necessary. 



On the 3rd inst. I was directed to 

 proceed in command of the flotilla 

 of gun-boats to protect the left 

 flank of our army advancing to- 

 wards Plattsburg ; and on the fol- 

 lowing day, after taking posses- 

 sion and paroling the militia of Isle 

 la Motte, I caused a battery of 

 three long eighteen-pounder guns 

 to be constructed for the support 

 of our position abreast of Little 

 Chazy, where the supplies for the 

 army were ordered to be landed. 



The fleet came up on the 8th 

 instant, but for want of stores for 

 the equipment of the guns, could 

 not move forward until the 11th ; 

 at daylight we weighed, and at 

 seven were in full view of the 

 enemy's fleet, consisting of a ship, 

 brig, schooner, and one sloop, 

 moored in line, abreast of their en- 

 campment, with a division of five 

 gun-boats on each flank ; at forty 

 minutes past seven, after the offi- 

 cers commanding vessels and the 

 flotilla had received their final in- 

 structions as to the plan of attack, 

 we made sail in order of battle. — 

 Captain Downie had determined 



