Daily National Intelligencer

WASHINGTON
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24

Extract of a letter from an officer on board the U. S. Brig Enterprize.

"We remained at Malaga about two days and then returned to Gibraltar—here we were joined by all Commodore Decatur's squadron, excepting his own ship. Our fleet now consisted of the Independence, Macedonian, United States, Constellation, Congress, Ontario, Erie, Enterprise, Chippewa, Saranac, Boxer, Firefly, Flambeau, Torch, Spitfire, Spark and Lynx. It was a proud sight for an American to see in a British port just at the close of a war with her, which the English thought would have been the destruction of our navy, a squadron of seventeen sail, larger perhaps than our whole navy at the commencement of that war.

At Malaga the Governor waited on Commodore Bainbridge on board his ship, an honor which he had never deigned to pay to any Admiral before. On our arrival at Gibraltar the Commodore fired a salute of seventeen guns, which was returned with fifteen. Com. Bainbridge immediately sent an officer on shore to inform the Lt. Governor, that he had fired 17 guns and expected his salute to be returned gun for gun, and he therefore demanded that two more guns should be immediately fired. The Lt. Governor apologized and fired the other two guns. Thus you see, my dear --, that an American Commodore can now demand respect from those who formerly would scarcely have noticed him.

You have no idea of the respect which the American character has gained by our late wars. The Spaniards especially, think we are devils incarnate:—as we beat the English, who beat the French, who beat them, whom nobody ever beat before—and the Algerines, whom the devil himself could not beat."