make the best of your way to windward. Here you must be cautious of tacking; for if you should be but a little distance from the enemy, and you on one tack and he on the other, you will give him the opportunity, if not of weathering, at least of getting within gun shot of you. But if the enemy steer quartering, or inclining to windward of the chase, then if he outsail you, and is far upon the quarter, bear away and get the wake upon the other quarter. If the enemy keeps his course designing to get in your wake, haul up gradually and try if you can get to windward upon that tack.

If the Chase is to Windward and beating to Windward.

Under this head the chase must be considered directly in the wind's eye, or a few points to windward. The chase being close hauled, it is evident that the enemy cannot lie in her wake, and it may be assured that his conduct will be to keep a parallel course, or sail with his contrary tacks on board till he fetches her wake.

Suppose, at first sight of the enemy, the chase keeps close to the wind, with her larboard tacks on board. Then suppose the enemy steers with his starboard tack on board, designing to fetch the chase's wake. In this case tacking will be of no avail, there being sea room enough and no current, even if she sail as fast upon one tack as the other, she will not make the chase longer, but rather shorten it; for each time she tacks she will lose as much way as she would have run miles in the time of tacking besides, a ship does not recover her way as soon as she is about.

In not tacking, this disadvantage is not only avoided, but you are in the way of many considerable advantages; for should a calm happen, the chase is so much further from the enemy. If the wind shift, the weather prove thick, or night come on, she would lose sight of him the sooner; and lastly, just as the enemy is in the chase's wake, she may bear away a point from the wind. This may not be at first noticed by the enemy, who will still keep his luff: by this means the chase will head reach on the enemy; and should the enemy perceive it, he will be nothing the better for the discovery; for being to leeward of the chase's wake he must sail close hauled to fetch her, while the chase steers a point from the wind. But should the enemy keep a parallel course with the chase, then the commander's best plan will be to tack immediately; and if the enemy tacks, as soon as the chase is about, and gains on her, then the commander must prepare for a fight, and discharge his duty to his country.

The best way for merchant ships to fight will be mentioned hereafter.

The Enemy a few Points to Leeward.

If the chase be a few points to windward of the enemy, and if the chase intends to beat to windward, she may sail on the tack that best suits. There is no difference, unless she sail better on one tack than on the other.

If the Chase be to Windward of the Enemy, the Conduct the Chase must pursue if he wishes to to get to Leeward.

If it is the wish of the chase to get to leeward of the enemy, it ought not to be done till the enemy is in the chase's wake; for if this be attempted before the enemy is in her wake, he will be running athwart her fore foot, and be sooner within gunshot; and when the enemy is in her wake, if she bear down at once, he may be within gunshot before you get to leeward of him; therefore it will be best not to bear away quartering till you have allured the enemy into your wake with the wind abeam.

To Avoid the Enemy's Boats Boarding a Vessel lying in a strong Tide's Way.

In the year 1806, in the river Bordeaux, near the mouth, there were lying two French corvettes, the lowermost one a ship, and the uppermost one a brig, two miles distant from each other. A British ship of war, being off the mouth of the river, sent in a number of boats, well manned and armed, to attack them. The boats were in two divisions. One division suc ceeded in capturing the ship; but the captain of the brig, perceiving the intention of the second division, and his vessel riding to a strong flood tide, previously had the ebb cable slacked out, and waited until the boats were near him, when the helm was put hard over, which gave the vessel such a broad sheer, that the boats failed in boarding her, and were obliged to pull in shore, before they could get to the other ship, (the prize.) The French corvette brig afterwards went farther up the river, for the purpose of keeping out of danger. (The tide in Bordeaux river runs five knots per hour.) If a good look out had been kept on board the ship, they might have avoided being boarded and captured, and the lives of many of her crew saved. I arrived at Bordeaux a short time after this took place, where I received this information. A good look out is necessary; and

the commander of a ship of war is justifiable in having all hands at quarters on the approach of a small boat, where there can be the least suspicion, for many reasons.

On having Springs on the Cables to Present a Ship's Side to an Object ahead, when either Wind-rode or Tide-rode.

Where there is a strong tide, letting a vessel come broadside to the tide, by a spring, may carry her adrift.

Where the tide does not run too strong, putting a spring on the cable is useful, for the purpose of bringing the vessel broadside to the tide, so as to bring the guns to bear on the enemy. This is performed by carrying the end of a good hawser or stream cable from the quarter, and having it made fast to the cable; and by making fast the hawser at the quarter, and paying out the cable, the vessel becomes broadside to tide. In time of war, in a tide's way, a hawser should be always on the cable, for fear of a surprise. I was on board the brig Revolution, of fourteen guns, Captain Stansberry, in the revolutionary war, lying in Wilmington river, North Carolina, when two row gallies from Charleston, then in possession of the British arms, stood up the river, for the purpose of attacking our vessel. As soon as they came within gun-shot they commenced firing; but we adopted this expedient, by which we succeeded in beating them off, The gallies were small, and, of course, their bow guns were short. If they had been large, with long heavy bow guns, they might have sunk our vessel, by keeping out of reach of our guns, which were short six pounders.

Advantage to be Taken among Shoals.

When the chase is among shoals, and neither advantage of sailing nor of currents can be taken, if the vessel be of a light draft of water, the commander may draw the enemy out of his knowledge; and by this means escape, if not run the privateer aground.

Stratagems to be used in Escaping from the Enemy on Soundings, if not too deep Water for Anchoring, on a Lee Tide or in a Calm.

If the enemy should be too powerful for you, on soundings let go an anchor suddenly, at the very point of the enemy's vessel boarding you, which he, not at all suspecting, nor being prepared to do the like, if on a lee tide, or calm, will suddenly

come to leeward of you; so that he will not be able to recover your vessel, nor get to windward again, until the turn of the tide, in which time your retreat may be favoured by some lucky

event.

In the night it is not difficult to lose an enemy, especially in a tide's way, which may be done by clewing up the sails and letting go an anchor at once. Clewing up your sails will render you less visible, and bringing up at once will make you totally invisible; for the enemy, on a sudden shooting ahead, loses sight of the chase, and will not know what course to steer to recover her. In doing this the commander must take care, in anchoring, that he does not board his enemy. But, out of anchorage, only clew up the sails and heave to at once; and if you should be chased before the wind, run with the wind abeam; or, if chased with the wind abeam, either go before the wind some time, or bring to the other way; or, if close hauled, and the enemy to windward, haul to the other way, and sail with the wind quartering or before the wind. In all these cases the commander must be cautious not to get in the wind's eye too soon; because it being commonly clear to windward, you may see further.

How to proceed after having run a Ship on Shore.

The running a ship on shore is hazardous, as she may thereby bilge, so that the conduct to save her may lose her; yet it is better to lose her than to enrich your enemy, with the loss of your liberty. Though it is a thing a commander ought to consider, and not carelessly proceed to: for if he should run her on shore, at the sight of the enemy, when he is in a condition to engage, he violates his duty to his country, the interest of his owners, and the trust reposed in him; consequently he loses his reputation with his employ: but if the enemy be superior, and he has no hopes of defending his ship by fighting, or of escaping, it is then prudent to run her on shore, if there is no risk of lives, and bravely to defend her there.

But if you foresee a strong and numerous attack by ships of war, the best way is to take to your boats: but first you may make great fires in the forecastle, steerage, and cabin, in half hogsheads filled with ballast. Into the fires put old shoes, clothes, wet oakum, and whatever will make a smoke; shut all up, letting the smoke come up through cracks, loopholes, &c. or through the port holes, if the guns be carried between decks. This will intimidate the enemy from plundering your ship, or setting her on fire, especially if your powder chests and granadoes upon your quarters be all primed, and your matches laid, that they may fire at different times. Or, to prevent the ene

my's getting her off, you may sink her; or lay trains, with good firelocks to them, charged and cocked, and to their triggers tie pieces of marline, which may be fastened to the scuttles or doors, so that when the enemy pulls them open they may pull down the triggers, and blow up the ship; but it must be observed, that some weight must be tied to the piece, or some how made fast, or the musket will not remain stationary. Several muskets thus fixed will effectually do the enemies' business, if they board the ship.

In a high sea, and fresh gale, there is no occasion for running your ship on shore, nor surrendering to the enemy, though ever so superior; for the enemy may fire all the shot in the ship and not hit your vessel; and it may be laid down as a certain fact, that no man is so foolish as to board a ship in a heavy sea; and the captains of privateers to venture their slender sides against a hard sided merchantman; and perhaps an instance cannot be produced that the privateers are not the sufferers, when they have the temerity to board in such cases.

To make the Enemy enter his Men over your Quarter.

But if, after all, the enemy come up with you, and is resolved to board you, (which is usual upon the weather side or quarter,) when the attempt be upon your bow, bear away before the wind, (which answers in a light ship,) bring your enemy astern, and oblige him to enter his men over your quarter; which, if he refuses, bring to the other way, and give him the other broadside. If he wears ship to make a second attempt, serve him so again, unless you have an advantage of laying him athwart hawse, which rarely offers to the leeward most ship. Then, if the merchant ship be prepared with loop holes in the quarters, bulk heads, booby hatch, forecastle hatch, &c. if his men enter, they are exposed, upon their own forecastle, to the fire out of the loop holes in the quarters; and as they enter they are in no less danger from the fire through the bulk heads of the steerage, forecastle, &c.

But notwithstanding there is a great advantage in lying athwart the enemy's hawse, yet performing it is attended with a difficulty that ought to be considered before it is attempted; and it must be nicely performed, that, instead of being athwart the enemy's, he is not athwart your hawse. But this must be left to the discretion of the commanders.

Merchant vessels, in time of war, should have the cabin companion, steerage, booby and fore scuttle hatches, strongly built, and loop holes pierced through them and through the quarters. If the ship should have a round house, two pieces of cannon