PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
Was so excessive, that before we could get our broadside to bear, 
they were shot away, and thus rendered useless to us. My ship 
had received many injuries, and several men had been killed and 
wounded—but my brave officers and men, notwithstanding the un¬ 
favourable circumstances under which we were brought to action, 
and the powerful force opposed to us, were nowise discouraged 
—all appeared determined to defend their ship to the last extre¬ 
mity, and to die in preference to a shameful surrender. Our gaff, 
with the ensign and motto flag at the mizen, had been shot away 
—but free trade and SAILORS* rights continued to fly at the 
fore.—Our ensign was replaced by another—and to guard against 
a similar event, an ensign was made fast in the mizen rigging, and 
several jacks were hoisted in different parts of the ship. The 
enemy soon repaired his damages for afresh attack; he now plac¬ 
ed himself, with both his ships, on my starboard quarter, out of 
the reach of my carronades, and where my stern guns could not 
be brought to bear; he there kept up a most galling fire, which it 
was out of my power to return, when I saw no prospect of injur¬ 
ing him without getting under way and becoming the assailant. 
My top-sail sheets and haliards were all shot away, as well as the 
jib and fore-top-mast-stay-sail-haliards. The only rope not cut 
was the flying-jib-haliards; and that being the only sail I could 
set, 1 caused it to be hoisted, my cable to be cut, and ran down on 
both ships, with an intention of laying the Phoebe on board. The 
firing on both sides was now tremendous; I had let fall my fore¬ 
top-sail and fore-sail, but the want of tacks and sheets had render¬ 
ed them almost useless to us—yet we were enabled, for a short 
time, to close with the enemy; and although our decks were now 
strewed with dead, and our cock-pit filled with wounded, although 
our ship had been several times on fire, and was rendered a per¬ 
fect wreck, we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from 
the circumstance of the Cherub, from hei’ crippled state, being 
compelled to haul oft*. She did not return to close action again, 
although she apparently had it in her power to do so, but kept up 
a distant firing with her long guns.—The Phoebe, from our disa¬ 
bled state, was enabled, however, by edging off, to choose the dis¬ 
tance which best suited her long guns, and kept up a tremend¬ 
ous fire on us, which mowed down my brave companions by the 
