against the Turks in the Black sea. He found fault with the conduct of the prince of Nassau, the admiral; became restless and impatient; was intrigued against at court, and calumniated by his enemies; and had permission, from the empress Catharine, to retire from the service with a pension, which was never paid. He returned to Paris, where he gradually sunk into poverty, neglect, and ill health, until his death, which was occasioned by jaundice and dropsy, July 18, 1792. His last public act was heading a deputation of Americans, who appeared before the national assembly to offer their congratulations on the glorious and salutary reform of their government. This was before the flight of the king.-Jones was a man of signal talent and courage; he conducted all his operations with the most daring boldness, combined with the keenest sagacity in calculating the chances of success and the consequences of defeat. He was, however, of an irritable, impetuous disposition, which rendered him impatient of the authority of his superiors, while he was, at the same time, harsh in the exercise of his own; and he was deficient in that modesty which adorns great qualities and distinguished actions, while it disarms envy and conciliates jealousy. His early education was of a very limited kind. It terminated when he went to sea, at the age of twelve; but he supplied its defects by subsequent study, so as to enable himself to write with fluency, strength and clearness, and to sustain his part respectably in the polished society into which he was thrown. In his letters, he inculcates the necessity of knowledge for naval officers, and intimates that he had devoted "midnight studies" to the attainment of that information which he deemed requisite in his situation. His memorials, correspondence, &c., are quite voluminous. He also wrote poetry, and, in Paris, was a great pretender to ton, as a man of fashion, especially after his victory over the Serapis, which, of course, gave him great éclat amongst the ladies of the French capital. At this period, he is described by an English lady then resident at Paris, as "a smart little man of thirty-six; speaks but little French, and appears to be an extraordinary genius, a poet as well as a hero."-Am. Enc. JAMES LAWRENCE James Lawrence, a distinguished American naval commander, was born at Burlington, New Jersey, in 1781. He early manifested a strong predilection for the sea; but his father, who was a lawyer, was anxious that he should pursue his own professi; and, when only thirteen years of age, he commenced the study of the law; but after the death of his father, he entered the navy as a midshipman, in 1798. In 1801, the Tripoli war having commenced, he was promoted, and, in 1803, was sent out to the Mediterranean, as the first lieutenant of the schooner Enterprise. While there, he performed a conspicuous part in the destruction of the frigate Philadelphia, which had been captured by the Tripolitans. In the same year, he was invested with the temporary command of the Enterprise, during the bombardment of Tripoli by commodore Preble, all the ships of the squadron being employed to cover the boats during the attack; and so well did he execute his duty, that the commodore could not restrain the expression of his thanks. He remained in the Mediterranean three years, and then returned with Preble to the U. States, having previously been transferred to the frigate John Adams, as first lieutenant In June, 1812, war was declared between Great Britain and the U. States, and Lawrence, at the time in command of the Hornet, a few days afterwards sailed with a squadron under the orders of commodore Rogers, for the purpose of intercepting the Jamaica fleet. They returned, however, at the end of the following month, to Boston, without having been able to accomplish their object. Lawrence then accompanied commodore Bainbridge on a cruise to the East Indies; but they separated near St. Salvador, on the coast of Brazil, the Hornet remaining there to blockade a British ship of war, laden with specie, till compelled to retire by the ar rival of a seventy-four. Feb. 24, 1813, the Hornet fell in with the brig Peacock, captain Peake, which he took after a furious action of fifteen minutes. This vessel was deemed one of the finest of her class in the British navy. In the number of her men and guns, she was somewhat inferior to the Hornet. She sunk before all the prisoners could be removed. The latter was con siderably damaged in the rigging and sails, but her hull was scarcely hurt. Lawrence returned to the U. States, where he was welcomed with the applause due to his conduct; but the most honorable eulogy bestowed upon it, was contained in a letter, published by the officers of the Peacock, expressing their gratitude for the consideration and kindness with which they had been treated. Shortly after his return, he was ordered to repair to Boston, and take command of the frigate Chesapeake. This he did with great regret, as the Chesapeake was one of the worst ships in the navy. He had been but a short time at Boston, when the British frigate Shannon, captain Brooke, appeared before the harbor, and defied the Chesapeake to combat. Lawrence did not refuse the challenge, although his ship was far from being in a condition for action; and, June 1, 1813, he sailed out of the harbor, and ergaged his opponent. After the ship had exchanged several toadsides, and Lawrence had been wounded in the leg, he called his boarders, when he received a musket-ball in his body. At the ime time, the enemy boarded, and, after a desperate resistance, acceeded in taking possession of the ship. Almost all the officers of the Chesapeake were either killed or wounded. The last exclamation of Lawrence, as they were carrying him below, after the fatal wound, was, "Don't give up the ship." He lingered for four days in intense pain, and expired on the 5th of June. He was buried at Halifax, with every mark of honor —Ib. ADDRESS TO THE OCEAN. Likeness of Heaven! Agent of power! Man is thy victim, Shipwreck's thy dower! Spices and jewels From valley and sea, Are buried in thee! What are the riches With one heave of thy breast. From the high hills that view When like lambs in the tempest Or mews in the blast, How humbling to one, Yes! where are the cities Of Thebes and of Tyre The splendor of Rome, Like dew in thy fram. But thou art almighty, But hold! when thy surges EARLY AMERICAN HEROISM. During one of the former wars, between France and England, in which the then Colonies bore an active part, a respectable individual, a member of the society of Friends, of the name of commanded a fine ship which sailed from an Eastern port, to a port in England. This vessel had a strong and effective crew, but was totally unarmed. When near her destined port, she was chased, and ultimately overhauled, by a French vessel of war. Her commander used every endeavor to escape, but seeing from the superior sailing of the Frenchman, that his capture was inevitable, he quietly retired below: he was followed into the cabin by his cabin boy, a youth of activity and enterprise, named Charles Wager: he asked his commander if nothing more could be done to save the ship-his commander replied that it was impossible, that every thing had been done that was practicable, there was no escape for them, and they must submit to be captured. Charles then returned upon deck and summoned the crew around him he stated in a few words what was their captain's conclusion-then, with an elevation of mind, dictated by a soul formed for enterprise and noble daring, he observed, "if you will place yourselves under my command, and stand by me, I have conceived a plan by which the ship may be rescued, and we in turn become the conquerors." The sailors no doubt feeling the ardor, and inspired by the courage of their youthful and gallant leader, agreed to place themselves under his command. His plan was communicated to them, and they awaited with firmness, the moment to carry their enterprise into effect. The suspense was of short duration, for the Frenchman was quickly alongside, and as the weather was fine, immediately grappled fast to the unof fending merchant ship. As Charles had anticipated, the exhilarated conquerors, clated beyond measure, with the acquisition of so fine a prize, poured into his vessel in crowds, cheering and huzzaing; and not foreseeing any danger, they left but few men on board their ship. Now was the moment for Charles, who, giving his men the signal, sprang at their head on board the op posing vessel, while some seized the arms which had been left in profusion on her deck, and with which they soon overpowered the few men left on board; the others, by a simultaneous movement, relieved her from the grapplings which united the two vessels. Our hero now having the command of the French vessel, seized the helm, and placing her out of boarding distance, hailed, with the voice of a conqueror, the discomfited crowd of Frenchmen who were left on board of the peaceful bark he had just quitted, and summoned them to follow close in his wake, or he would blow them out of water, (a threat they well knew he was very capable of executing, as their guns were loaded during the chase.) They sorrowfully acquiesced with his commands, while gallant Charles steered into port, followed by his prize. The exploit excited universal applause-the former master of the merchant vessel was examined by the Admiralty, when he stated the whole of the enterprise as it occurred, and declared that Charles Wager had planned and effected the gallant exploit, and that to him alone belonged the honor and credit of the achievement. Charles was immediately transferred to the British navy, appointed a midshipman, and his education carefully superintended. He soon after distinguished himself in action, and underwent a rapid promotion, until at length he was created an Admiral, and known as Sir Charles Wager. It is said, that he always held in veneration and esteem, that respectable and conscientious Friend, whose cabin boy he had been, and transmitted yearly to his OLD MASTER, as he termed him, a handsome present of Madeira, to cheer his declining days. CAPTAIN G. VANCOUVER. Notwithstanding the valuable discoveries of Cook, further investigation was required of some of the southern regions, with which view a voyage was planned in autumn 1789, and the command destined to Captain Henry Roberts, who had served under Captain Cook in the two last voyages, Captain Vancouver being named as his second; and for this purpose a ship of three hundred and forty tons was purchased, in a state nearly finished, and on |