On the Lakes 295 



after her. The retreat of the commodore was most 

 ably covered by the Royal George, under Captain 

 Mulcaster, who was unquestionably the best British 

 officer on the lake. He luffed up across the com- 

 modore's stern, and delivered broadsides in a man- 

 ner that won the admiration even of his foes. The 

 Madison and Sylph, having the schooners in tow, 

 could not overtake the British ships, though the 

 Sylph opened a distant fire; the Pike kept on after 

 them, but did not cast off the Asp, and so did not 

 gain; and at 3.15 the pursuit was relinquished; 25 

 when the enemy were running into the entirely un- 

 defended port of Burlington Bay, whence escape 

 would have been impossible. The Toinpkins had 

 lost her foremast, and the Pike her foretopgallant 

 mast, with her bowsprit and mainmast wounded ; 

 and of her crew five men were killed or wounded, 

 almost all by the guns of the Royal George. These 

 were the only injuries occasioned by the enemy's fire, 

 but the Pike's starboard bow-chaser burst, killing 

 or wounding 22 men, besides blowing up the topgal- 

 lant forecastle, so that the bow pivot gun could not 

 be used. Among the British ships, the Wolfe lost 

 her maintopmast, mizzentopmast, and mainyard, and 

 the Royal George her foretopmast; both suffered 

 a heavy loss in killed and wounded, according to 

 the report of the British officers captured in the 

 transports a few days afterward. 



As already mentioned, the British authorities no 

 longer published accounts of their defeats, so Com- 



* Letter of Commodore Chauncy, Sept. 28, 1813. 



