GENERAL HISTORY. 



[903 



rules ; that there should be an im- 

 mediate discharge of American 

 seamen from British ships, and a 

 stop to impressments from Ame- 

 rican ships, with an understand- 

 ing that an exclusion of the seamen 

 of each nation from the ships of 

 the other should be stipulated, and 

 that the armistice should be im- 

 proved into a final adjustment of 

 all depending controversies. This 

 advance, the president says, was 

 declined, from an avowed repug- 

 nance to suspending the practice of 

 impressing during the armistice, 

 and without any intimation that 

 the arrangement proposed respect- 

 ing seamen would be accepted. 

 With respect to France, he com- 

 plains of the continued procrasti- 

 nation in finishing the discussions 

 between the nations ; and in no- 

 ticing the French decree, " pur- 

 porting to be a definitive repeal of 

 the Berlin and Milan decrees," 

 he says, that although made the 

 ground of the repeal of the British 

 orders in council, it isrendered, by 

 the time and manner of it, liable 

 to many objections. He concludes 

 with recommending proper mea- 

 sures for a vigorous prosecution of 

 the war, and with a solemn asser- 

 tion of the justice of the cause for 

 which it was undertaken. 



The correspondence between 

 Lord.' Castlereagh and Mr. Russell, 

 and between Admiral Warren and 

 Mr. Monroe, respecting an armis- 

 tice and negociation, was laid be- 

 fore Congress, and afterwards prim- 

 ed in the American papers. 



The balance of success in the 

 naval war continued to prepon- 

 derate on the side of the Ame- 

 ricans. Besides the numerous 

 captures made by their privateers, 

 actions took place between ships of 



war which tended to augment their 

 confidence. On the 18th of Oc- 

 tober, his Majesty's armed brig 

 Frolic, convoyuig the homeward- 

 bound trade from the bay of Hon- 

 duras, while in the act of repairing 

 damages to her masts and sails 

 received in a violent gale on the 

 preceding night, descried a vessel 

 which gave chase to the convoy. 

 She proved to be the United States 

 sloop of war Wasp, which the 

 Frolic gallantly brought to action, 

 though in her crippled state, in 

 order to save her convoy. She 

 soon, however, became so un- 

 manageable, that the Wasp was 

 enabled to take a raking position, 

 whilst the Frolic could not get a 

 gun to bear. The result was, that 

 every individual officer being 

 wounded, and not more than 20 

 of the crew remaining unhurt, the 

 enemy boarded, and made prize of 

 the brig. On the same afternoon, 

 however, his Majesty's ship Poic- 

 tiers re-captured the Frolic, and 

 took the Wasp. The respective 

 force of the two vessels is not men- 

 tioned, but Captain Whinyates of 

 the Frolic, represents his fire as 

 superior in the beginning, and at- 

 tributes his misfortune solely to 

 the injury done to his vessel by the 

 storm. 



A second action between frigates 

 of the two nations was of much 

 more serious consequence. The 

 Macedonian frigate, Capt. Carden, 

 being in lat. 29, long. 29°, 30' W. 

 on October 25, descried a ship 

 which proved to be a large frigate 

 under American colours. He did 

 not hesitate to close with her as 

 soon as possible, and the action 

 began at nine A. M. After an 

 hour's firing, on coming to close 

 quarters, he found his antagonist's 



force 



