62 Naval War of 1812 



30 i(/ W., she spoke and boarded the Swedish 

 brig Adonis, and took out of her Lieut. McKnight 

 and Mr. Lyman, a master's mate, both late of the 

 Essex, on their way to England from Brazil. 



This was the last that was ever heard of the gal 

 lant but ill-fated Wasp. How she perished none 

 ever knew ;* all that is certain is that she was never 

 seen again. She was as good a ship, as well 

 manned, and as ably commanded as any vessel in 

 our little navy; and it may be doubted if there was 

 at that time any foreign sloop of war of her size and 

 strength that could have stood against her in fair 

 fight. 



As I have said, the Wasp was manned almost ex 

 clusively by Americans. James says they were 

 mostly Irish; the reason he gives for the assertion 

 being that Capt. Blakely spent the first 16 months 

 of his life in Dublin. This argument is quite on a 

 par with another piece of logic which I can not re 

 sist noticing. The point he wishes to prove is that 

 Americans are cowards. Accordingly, on p. 475 : 

 "On her capstan the Constitution now mounted a 

 piece resembling 7 musket barrels, fixed together 

 with iron bands. It was discharged by one lock, 

 and each barrel threw 25 balls. . . . What could 

 have impelled the Americans to invent such extra 

 ordinary implements of war but fear, downright 

 fear?" Then a little further on: "The men were 



