Events which led to Hostilities between Great Britain and the United States. Conduct of the American and of the British Governments.
NINCE the affair between the Little Belt and the President, as related in book ix. chap. 9, much dissatisfaction was expressed by the American government, which was considerably increased by the artifices of Bonaparte, whose interest it was to engage Great Britain in a war with the United States. As these hostilities have been occasionally alluded to in the French proclamations, inserted in our preceding books, we shall here relate the events which led to them.
Captain Bingham, of his majesty's ship the Little Belt, declared, that the attack had been commenced by the American frigate, the President; that it was outrageous and unprovoked, and that be only resisted the violence first offered to him.
The following was the American official account of this affair, which was published as a copy of a letter from Commodore Rogers to the secretary of the navy, dated off Sandy Hook, May 23, 1811:"On the 16th instant, at 25 minutes past meridian, in 17 fathoms water, Cape Henry bearing S. W. distant 14 or 15 leagues, a sail was discovered from our mast-head, in the east, standing towards us under a press of sail. At half-past one, the symmetry of her upper sails (which were at this time distinguished from our deck) and her making signals, shewed her to be a man-of-war. At forty-five minutes past one, p. m. hoisted our ensign and pendant; when, finding our signals not answered, she wore and stood to the southward. Being desirous of speaking her, and of ascertaining what she was, I now made sail in chase; and by halfpast three, p. m. found we were coming up with
her; as by this time the upper part of her stern_ BOOK X14 began to shew itself above the horizon. The wind now began, and continued gradually to decrease, so as to prevent my being able to approach her sufficiently before sunset, to discover her actual force (which the position she preserved during the chase was calculated to conceal), or to judge even to what nation she belonged, as she appeared studiously to decline shewing her colours, At fifteen or twenty minutes past seven, p. m. the chase took in her studding-sails, and soon after bauled up her courses, and hauled by the wind on the starboard-tack; she at the same time hoisted an ensign or flag at her mizen-peak, but it was too dark for me to discover what nation it represented now, for the first time, her broadside was presented to our view; but night had so far progressed, that, although her appearance indicated she was a frigate, I was unable to determine her actual force.
"At 15 minutes before eight, p.m. being about a mile and a half from her, the wind at the time very light, I directed Captain Ludlow to take a position to windward of her, and on the same tack, within short speaking distance. This, however, the commander of the chase appeared, from his manoeuvres, to be anxious to prevent, as he wore and hauled by the wind, on different tacks, four times successively, between this period and the time of our arriving at the position which I had ordered to be taken. At fifteen or twenty minutes past eight, being a little forward of her weather-beam, and distant from seventy to a hun