Page 318 - INDIANNAVYV1

286 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
knowing that universal peace had been restored to Great Britain,
I despatched a boat in charge of iny master, Mr. Bartlett, to
obtain intelligence, which reached the stranger nearl}' at the
same time as the Master-Attendant's from the shore : and I
observed with my spying-glass, that the officers had no sooner
got up the ship's side than the crews were forcibly taken out and
both boats made fast astern. I prepared foraction.and thestranger
at once opened her tier of ports, and bore down towards us.
To prevent her crossing our hawse I tacked, then shortened sail,
hove to, and soon afterwards hailed the stranger, 'What ship is
that?' To which I received no reply until repeated four times,
and then merely 'halloo!' About this period the English blue
ensign was hauled down, and American colours hoisted. I then
asked, 'Am I to consider you in tlie light of a friend or an
enemy V The reply was, ' An enemy.' I then informed the
American captain that peace had been ratified between Great
Britain and the United States of America; also, that I had the
proclamation on board, and hoped that a due consideration of
this would induce him to spare bloodshed. I was tlien com-
manded, in a very loud and peremptory manner, to ' haul down
my colours,' which was immediately repeated still louder, and
\vith the addition of 'instantly ;' to which I replied, ' I shall do
no such thing.' The American then opened his fire upon us, by
which two men were killed at the gun near me, and I received a
grape shot, in a slanting direction, through the upper part of
the thigh. A short but brisk action ensued, and observing sonie
casualties, my First-Lieutenant, Mr. Robert ]\Iayston, and
several others, wounded, and being myself disabled by a
32-pound shot, which shattered njy right knee joint, and
splintered my thigh bone ; also considering the great disparity
of force, I deemed it my duty, although I must confess that it
was with no small degree of reluctance, to strike the British
colours to the American. Her first-lieutenant, about dusk, took
possession of us. She proved to be the United States sloop-of-
war ' Peacock,' Captain Warrington, carrying twenty 32-
pounder carronades, and two long 18-pounders. Her crew
is said to consist of two hundred and twenty men. Both
anchored for the night about six miles off Anjier, and in the
morning I was permitted to be taken on shore, as well as the
rest of the wounded, in compliance with my request to that effect.
About two p.m. on the day following the action, the Hon. (Jom-
pany's cruiser 'Nautilus' Avas restored, and Captain Warrington
addressed a letter to Mr. Macgregor, Master-Attendant at Anjier,
stating, that in consequence of the information received from
him, and the several different sources from which he had heard
that a peace had been concluded between the United States and
Great Britain, he felt himself bound to desist from hostilities,
and regretted that his reasonable command had not been complied