CAPTURE OF THE JAVA. 483 
At 2, 10 min. P. M. commenced the action within good grape 
and canister distance ; the enemy to windward, but 
much farther than I wished. 
2, 30, Our wheel shot entirely away. 
2, 40, Determined to close with the enemy, notwithstand- 
ing the raking ; set the fore and main sail and luifed 
up to him. 
2, 50, The enemy's gib-boom got foul of our mizen 
rigging. 
3, 00, The head of the enemy's bowsprit and gib-boom 
shot away. 
3, 05, Shot away the enemy's foremast by the board. 
3, 15, Shot away his maintop-mast, just by the top. 
3, 40, shot away his gaff and spanker-boom. 
3, 55, Shot away his mizen-mast just by the board. 
4, 05, Having silenced the fire of the enemy completely, 
and his colors in the main rigging being down, sup- 
posed he had struck, then hauled aboard the courses 
to shoot ahead to repair the rigging, which was ex- 
tremely cut, leaving the enemy a complete wreck. 
Soon after discovered the enemy's flag still flying — 
hove to to repair some of our damage. 
4, 20, The enemy's main-mast went nearly by the board, 
4, 50, Wore ship and stood for the enemy. 
5, 25, Got very near the enemy in a very eflfectual raking 
position, when he most prudently struck his flag, for 
had he suffered the broadside to have raked him, his 
additional loss must have been extremely great, as he 
lay an unmanageable wreck upon the water. 
Capt. Lambert received a mortal wound at half past three 
o'clock, of which he afterward died at St. Salvador, January 
4th. On board the Java, says the official letter of Com. Bain- 
bridge, there were, " killed 60, and 101 certainly wounded." 
The truth is, the officers of the Java took great pains to con- 
ceal both the number they had on board and the amount of 
their loss, which, there is good reason to believe, considerably 
exceeded the official account, great indeed as it was by that 
representation. A letter written by H. D. Cornick, an officer 
of the Java, to his friend, and accidentally found, makes the 
number killed to be 60, the number wounded 170, who, per- 
haps, many of them, died before removal from the ship, in 
which there was great delay, all the boats of both ships, one 
excepted, having been destroyed during the engagement. 
The muster-book of the Java had 440 names, and the Consti^ 
