The Rhode Island Republican

SILLIMAN'S TOUR.

Professor Silliman, of Yale College, has published an interesting and instructive volume, containing an account of his tour from Hartford to Quebec, in 1819. The following are extracts from the work:

"A British officer in Canada, of his own accord, spoke to me in the highest terms of the American navy and its officers.--He mentioned Captain Hull particularly, with a frankness of commendation that was equally honorable to himself and to the subject of his praise. He said that an officer of the Guerriere, who was on board of that frigate when she was captured by captain Hull, narrated the circumstances to which I am about to allude.

It will be remembered, that when the two frigates descried each other, Captain Hull was standing before the wind, and Capt Dacres upon it, under easy sail; the tracks of the ships were at lines converging at considerable angle, so that they would of course cross each other. When they were within long cannon shot, the Guerriere fired her broadside, but it was not returned by the Constitution. The Guerriere then wore, and gave her antagonist the other broadside: still the fire was not returned. But Capt. Hull, with his ship in fighting trim, continued to bear on his adversary, who finding that he was pressed, continued on his part to wear and to fire, first one broadside, and then another; to all this, however, Captain Hull paid no attention, but pressed forward, till he was now very near. The Guerriere then put before the wind, & the Constitution followed on, directly astern, till finding the Guerriere would outsail her, she spread more canvass, and then gained so fast upon the chase, that she was soon enabled to choose whether she would lie across her stern and rake her decks, or come alongside at very close quarters, and then be again exposed to her broadsides, from which as yet she had sustained but little damage. It was this crisis of the affair that excited so much admiration among the British officers; for Capt. Hull, instead of tearing his adversary to pieces, with comparative impunity, which by tacking and lying across her stern, he might (according to the opinion of the British naval officer) have easily done, waved his advantage, and did not fire, till coming upon the larboard quarter of the Guerriere, he shot alongside, and thus gave his antagonist an opportunity to defend himself. "It was the noblest thing (added the British officer with whom I was conversing) that was ever done in a naval conflict."

"From the authentic accounts of this action, it is manifest that the gallant American had it in his power to rake his adversary, and from whatever motives it might have been done, he actually waved the advantage. If we do not charge it to his magnanimity and generosity, it must at least go to the account of his bravery and his confidence (not unwarranted by the result) that he was able to subdue the hostile ship, without availing himself of the adventitious advantage which he enjoyed.

"A gentleman at Montreal, mentioned to us that a public dinner was given at Lachine, a small town a little below Montreal, to Commodore Barclay, after his signal defeat by Com. Perry, on Lake Erie. Barclay, who was sadly cut to pieces by wounds of which he was hardly recovered, his remaining arm (for he had lost the other before) being suspended in a sling, gave us a volunteer toast, "Com. Perry --the brave and humane enemy."

...Com. Barclay then entered into a detailed account of Com. Perry's treatment of himself, and of the other wounded and prisoners, who fell into his hands; and in narrating the story, he became so deeply affected, that the tears flowed copiously down his cheeks. The audience were scarcely less moved--and how could it be otherwise, when the speaker, who, a few weeks before, had, without dismay, faced the tremendous cannonade of his enemy, could not, without tears of admiration and gratitude, relate his deeds of kindness to himself and his companions, when suffering under wounds and defeat. O! this was a nobler triumph for Perry, than the victory which God granted to his arms."