On the Ocean 167 



states that 65 of their men were killed. James 

 ("Naval Occurrences") gets around this by stating 

 that it was probably a forgery; but aside from the 

 improbability of Commodore Bainbridge being a 

 forger, this could not be so, for nothing would have 

 been easier than for the British lieutenant to have 

 denied having written it, which he never did. On 

 the other hand, it would be very likely that in the 

 heat of the action, Commodore Bainbridge and the 

 Java's own officers should overestimate the latter's 

 loss. 88 



Taking all these facts into consideration, we find 

 446 men on board the Java by her own muster-list ; 

 378 of these were paroled by Commodore Bain 

 bridge at San Salvador ; 24 men were acknowledged 

 by the enemy to be killed or mortally wounded ; 20 

 were absent in a prize, leaving 24 unaccounted for, 

 who were undoubtedly slain. 



The British loss was 48 men killed and mortally 

 wounded, 102 wounded severely and slightly. The 

 Java was better handled and more desperately de 

 fended than the Macedonian or even the Guerriere, 

 and the odds against her were much smaller ; so she 

 caused her opponent greater loss, though her gun 

 nery was no better than theirs. 



88 For an account of the shameless corruption then exist 

 ing in the Naval Administration of Great Britain, see Lord 

 Dundonald's "Autobiography of a Seaman." The letters of 

 the commanders were often garbled, as is mentioned by 

 Brenton. Among numerous cases that he gives, may be 

 mentioned the cutting out of the Chtvrette, where he dis 

 tinctly says, "our loss was much greater than was ever ac 

 knowledged." (Vol. i, p. 505, edition of 1837.) 



