kvii 



of safety : and he will not shrink from any impar- 

 tial, unprejudiced award, that may be pronounced 

 upon his actions. But he does not choose to be the 

 silent sacrifice uf a literary bravo, whose ignorance 

 is equal to his f^rrogance, and whose wilful perver- 

 sions of the truth exceed either or both. He is will- 

 ing to take his chance with others, but not to be 

 selected as a scapegoat, or a victim. 



Another charge, of a nature similar to the fore- 

 going, is made by the Reviewer, on the ground of 

 Captain Porter having treated his prisoners with 

 undue severity. To expose the falsity of this, it will 

 be sufficient to lay before the reader the follov^^ing 

 extracts from letters now in possession of the author. 



Extract of a letter from Sir /. T, Duckworth, to 

 Captain Porter^ dated St. Johns. Neivfoundland^ 

 August 5th, 1812. 



" I AM sensible of the good disposition you have 

 evinced to alleviate the distresses of war, and would 

 gladly have embraced your proposal for an ex- 

 change of prisoners that we have respectively made ; 

 but I am sorry to say, that at the present moment, 

 and under the peculiar circumstances of the case, h 

 is not in my power to do so." 



Second extract of a letter from Sir J. T, Duckworth, 

 to the Secretary of the navy, dated St, Johns, New- 

 foundland, August 3 1 5^, 1 8 1 2. 



"Nevertheless, I am willing to give proof at 

 once of my respect for the liberality with which the 

 Captain of the Essex has acted, in more than one 

 instance, towards the British subjects who have 

 fallen into his hands," &c. 



