portion of this profitable trade would have been discouraged through fear or lost by spoliation, had it not been for naval protection.

In estimating the degree of credit due the navy for its exploits in this contest, it should not be forgotten that the French navy at this period was in a demoralized condition. In the old navy of France, nearly all the officers were members of the nobility. When the service was reorganized under the republic, most of these officers withdrew or were driven out, and some perished by the guillotine. Their places were filled by inexperienced men from the merchant marine and privateersmen. The extreme republican ideas of the Revolution, moreover, were not conducive to discipline, and insubordination was prevalent. Unwise legislation seriously impaired the efficiency of the service, and mismanagement brought about deterioration of ships and equipment. Nevertheless, the national French ships with which the Americans contended appear to have been well and bravely fought. And the American navy also was organized under difficulties, notably the opposition of a large proportion of the people, the inexperience of the civil administrators, and the unmilitary character of large numbers of the officers and men.

In his speech to Congress, November 22, 1800, President Adams said: "The present Navy of the United States, called suddenly into existence by a 1 Mahan, ch. ii.

great national exigency, has raised us in our own esteem; and by the protection afforded to our commerce has effected to the extent of our expec tations the objects for which it was created.” 1

1 Nav. Chron. p. 175.

CHAPTER VIII

PRIVATE ARMED VESSELS

THERE were probably no American privateers, strictly speaking, at this time; that is to say, vessels devoted solely to purposes of war; but most merchantmen were armed for defense, and a large number of them were commissioned under the act of July 9, 1798, which permitted them to capture French armed vessels.1 As a rule they carried a light battery and a small crew; fighting was a consideration secondary to trade. A few vessels were more formidable. The China of Philadelphia was a ship of more than a thousand tons, and carried thirty-six guns and a hundred and fifty-one men; but Captain Preble says she was "too top-heavy to be safe in carrying sail." There were many spirited actions between American and French private armed vessels. The French, often true privateers, were generally much the more powerful, and sometimes succeeded in capturing the Americans; but in most cases the vessels separated after disabling each other more or less seriously.

Perhaps the earliest conflict between vessels of this class was that of the ship Eliza of Charleston with a French privateer of greatly superior force, 1 See above, pp. 58, 59. 2 Essex, pp. 75, 78.

1

in the Bay of Biscay, July 5, 1798. After fighting an hour and a quarter the Eliza was compelled to strike. December 31, 1798, the ship Perseverance of Salem was chased in the Old Bahama Channel by a schooner under Spanish colors, which later were hauled down and the English flag hoisted in their place. The schooner came up on the starboard quarter of the Perseverance and gave her a broadside, which she answered with her stern guns and then, coming into the wind as the schooner passed, returned the broadside. The privateer then tacked and fired another broadside. Soon after this she struck the English flag, hoisted French colors, and made off."

The schooner Charming Betsey of Baltimore, with twenty men and eight four pounders, off the harbor of Curaçao, March 8, 1799, fell in with the French privateer Revenge, with eighty men and nine six pounders. "At 3 P. M. discovered a French privateer bearing down on us. She hauled her wind in our weather quarter and hoisted a red flag; hailed us where from and where bound? We answered from Curracoa to Laguira. She then ordered us to haul down our colors, which Captain Conway refused. She then fired a volley of musquetry into the Charming Betsey, which was immediately returned. A close and warm action now commenced, which continued about three quarters of an hour,

1 Mass. Mercury, December 4, 1798.

2 Salem Gazette, March 5, 1799.

during which time the privateer made two attempts to board us. The Charming Betsey received considerable damage in her rigging, spars and sails and both topmasts shot away and the captain and three men wounded; bore away for the harbor of Curracoa, where she arrived and the privateer immediately after her. The privateer received considerable damage and had ten men killed and wounded, five of whom were thrown overboard previous to her arrival in port. The Charming Betsey would certainly have taken the privateer had her matches not given out, which prevented her from raking her twice, as her guns could not be got off." 1

On the same day that the Betsey fought the Revenge the ship Molly of Philadelphia, bound to Liverpool, "saw a cutter standing athwart us to the northward, we then steering an east course for Cape Clear. . . . At half-past eight she tacked and stood for us; at nine she was within gunshot, and on hoisting my ensign she immediately ran up a French national flag at her topmast head and fired a shot between our main and fore mast. She then tacked and reconnoitred us, giving us her stern chases in going about. We retained our fire and continued our course under our topsails. At a quarter past meridian she recommenced firing, and running under our starboard quarter attempted to board us, which was happily prevented and we immediately exchanged broadsides. She

1 Conn. Courant, April 15, 1799.