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292 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.

message to her so dreadfully mangled commander? Reader!
he did neither. Captain Warrington, in the words of the poor
sufferer, in his memorial to the Court of Directors, proved him-
self totally destitute of fellow feeling and commiseration ; for
during the time he retained possession of the ' Nautilus,' (which
was till two o'clock the next afternoon) he was not once moved
to make a commonplace enquiry after the memorialist, in his
then deplorable condition."*
* James examines at length the discrepancies in the statements of the British
and American officers, and we will give an extract from his acute analysis. " It
now becomes necessary to consider the facts attending this action, or more parti-
cularly the commencement of it by Captam Warrington, as they arise out of the
statements of the British officers, who had gone on board the ' Peacock,' and
remained in her during, and long after, the engagement. Captain Warrington
admits that the Master-Attendant at Anjier came on board a few minutes before
coming into contact with the brig. Mr. Macgregor, upon his oath, says, ' "Rather
more than a quarter of an hour.' The portion of credit due to any assertion of
Captain Warrington may be measured by the concealment and falseliood so con-
spicuous in his account of the ' Epervier's ' action. Nothing appears in Captain
Warrington's letters about the arrival on board the ' Peacock ' of the ' Nautilus's'
master, Mr, Bartlett, and who was the ' officer of the army,' that came in the
second boat ? Cornet White, a passenger on board the ' Nautilus,' who was
requested to accompany Mr. Bartlett in the gig to obtain information. Captain
Warrington had his reasons, no doubt, for concealing, in liis official despatch, that
he had any of the ' Nautilus's ' officers or crew on board his vessel. Scarcely had
Mr. Bartlett stepped upon the deck, than, without being allowed to ask a ques-
tion, lie was hurried below. Happily Mr. Macerregor met with rather better
success. The instant he arrived on board, he communicated to the ' Peacock's '
first-lieutenant, the most authentic information of peace having been concluded
between Great Britain and America, grounded on no less authority than Mr.
Madison's proclamation ; which Mr. Macgregor had himself received from an
American ship, passing the Straits on her way to China. What effect had this
communication ? Captain Warrington, whom the single word ' Peace ' ought to
have made pause, before he proceeded to spill the blood of his fellow-creatures,
ordered Mr. Macgregor ' to be taken below.' Had the Master-Attendant no
opportunity of communicating his important intelligence to any other of the
' Peacock's In his way below, Mr. Macgregor met tlie purser, who
' officers ?
was in superintendence of the magazine, and repeated to him what he had told
his first-lieutenant. The purser jocosely said : " I do not see how we can avoid a
little brush.' Almost immediately afterwards, Macgregor (according to Lieute-
nant Boyce's memorial) heard orders given to return the ammunition into the
magazine ; which showed an evident relinquishment of the intention to attack
the ' Nautilus.' But, while the orders were executing, they were countermanded,
and all hostile preparations resumed. It was then that Mr. Macgregor was
desired to retire into one of the side cabins : and very soon afterwards the firing
commenced. Captain Warrington, in his letter to Mr. Macgregor, says, ' In
consequence of the information received from you, and the several different
sources from which I have heard that a peace has been concluded, &c.' Here it
would appear as if Captain Warrington had received information of tlie peace
from other parties than those in the two boats, which, he admits, came on board
just previous to the action. But the official letter says : * The next day, after
receiving such intelligence as they (the Master-Attendant and officers of the
Army) had to commimicate on the subject (part of which was official), I gave
up the vessel, &c.' This proves that the source of all Captain Warrington's in-
formation on the subject ai'ose out of the communications of those very persons
wlio, as he says, 'were, with their men, passed below.' But Captain Warrington,
He saw
as the purser said, wanted to have a little brush with the British brig.
at once what a diminutive vessel she was, and accordingly ordered his men to fire
into her."