182 Naval War of 1812 



but were certainly very much behind their antago 

 nists in the other qualities which go to make up a 

 first-rate man-of-war's-man. Even James says he 

 "can not offer the trifling disparity of force in this 

 action as an excuse for the Penguin's capture. The 

 chief cause is ... the immense disparity between 

 the two vessels in ... the effectiveness of their 

 crews." 76 



16 After the action but one official account, that of Captain 

 Biddle, was published ; none of the letters of the defeated 

 British commanders was published after 1813. As regards 

 this action, every British writer has followed James, who 

 begins his account thus: "Had the vessel in sight to wind 

 ward been rigged with three masts instead of two, and had 

 she proved to be a British cruiser, Captain Biddle would have 

 marked her down in his log as a "frigate," and have made off 

 with all the canvas he could possibly spread. Had the ship 

 overtaken the Hornet and been in reality a trifle superior in 

 force, Captain Biddle, we have no doubt, would have ex 

 hausted his eloquence in lauding the blessings of peace be 

 fore he tried a struggle for the honors of war." After this 

 preface (which should be read in connection with the Hor 

 net's unaccepted challenge to the Bonne Cttoyenne, a ship "a 

 trifle superior in force") it can be considered certain that 

 James will both extenuate and also set down a good deal in 

 malice. One instance of this has already been given in speak 

 ing of the President' ' s capture. Again, he says, "the Hornet 

 received several round shot in her hull," which she did a 

 month after this action, from the Corniuallts, 74; James 

 knew perfectly well that not one of the Penguin' s shot hit 

 the Hornet' s hull. The quotations I have given are quite 

 enough to prove that nothing he says about the action is 

 worth attending to. The funniest part of his account is 

 where he makes Captain Biddle get drunk, lose his "native 

 cunning," and corroborate his (James'), statements. He 

 does not even hint at the authority for this. 



