Portland Gazette, And Maine Advertiser

Miscellaneous Selections.
NARRATIVE,
Of Captain BARTLETT HOLMES, of the ship Ariadne, which was captured by the U. States brig Argus, Captain SINCLAIR.
"THE ship Ariadne, under my command was cleared out at the port of Alexandria, for Cadiz, on the 26th of September last; on the 28th, she sailed, and on the 4th of Oct. she left the Capes of Virginia--At 12 o'clock on the 15th day of the same month in lat. 36, N. lon. 52, W. we were captured by the U. S. brig Argus, commanded by Capt. Sinclair.--It now remains to detail the manner of this capture, and the treatment which an American ship experienced from an American sloop of war--Fired at in the first instance, under English colors, I immediately brought to: and on being hailed answered from Alexandria for Cadiz. We were then boarded by Lieut. Chauncey, the first of the Argus, in the undress uniform of the British Navy; under this disguise he demanded our papers; but before he had examined them he declared us to be a good prize, and that he should send us to Barbadoes. He then took the papers and colors of the Ariadne on board the Argus, and some time afterwards returned with an armed crew from the Argus to take possession. On their return the Lieut. began by ordering my crew on board His Majesty's brig Arab, Capt. Thompson, (such he denominated the Argus) and while the boats were passing they began to plunder the Ariadne of a great variety of articles of provisions & furniture. I can recollect the following: quantity of cordage, about 500 lb of cabin bread; a quantity of beef; five pigs; the hen coop with about three dozen of Poultry; the greater part of the cabin stores; and nearly all the furniture of the cabin; two quintals of fish: ten bushels of corn; two kegs peas, painters' oil; the carpenters tools; all the yawl oars; and many other articles, together with all our private stores. I recollect whilst one of the men was attempting to rob me of my clothes, a great part of which indeed I afterwards lost, I spoke to him to forbid him, appealing to the Lieutenant who had promised to let me have my clothes; but he threatened to put me in irons if I spoke thus to his men. It was about 8 o'clock in the evening before my crew were all on board the Argus, until which time they persevered in the deception of their real character; and it was not until I went on board, which was after all the crew and supercargo had gone, that I discovered by what vessel we had been captured. I was detained in the Argus forty five days, during all which time I was treated in respect to my fare like a prisoner of war, and with insolent and aggravated language: Whilst we remained prisoners, the Argus boarded a Portuguese brig and brought back from her a quantity of poultry and fruit. The colors of the Ariadne were used on board the Argus, and our stores and provisions consumed; and I was threatened by Lieut. Chauncey, that in case I exposed the treatment which we had experienced, he would shoot me whenever he could meet me again. The crew of the Ariadne were replaced by a certain portion of that of the Argus who conformed in description of persons to my roll of equipage; & the purser of the Argus was made the prize-master, leaving not one of the original officers, crew or supercargo on board. My crew were threatened with being treated as prisoners of war in case they would not enter on board the Argus, and accordingly, in the course of a few days, in consequence of these threats they all did enter, excepting myself and the two mates. After this period, nothing material occurred in regard to my general treatment, until we fell in with a British brig called the Recovery, from Quebec, for Jamaica, and then myself and the second mate John Arundell, were put on board her to return to America. There were nine sick and disabled men, taken from the Argus to compose the crew of the Recovery and a prize-master, drunk, whose name is Charles Yates: I was ordered on board the prize with such remaining private articles as I had not been robbed of, but when the boat came along side the Recovery and I had jumped upon deck, she was pushed off with a part of my wearing apparel, which the American Officer in the boat refused to deliver up to me. After a passage of thirty nine days, we arrived at the Vineyard, and on the first of January instant, the prize master, Charles Yates, in a quarrel with one of his men, named Abel Brown, of Groton, Connecticut, both being drunk, killed him with a pump spear.
(Signed) BARTLETT HOLMES.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Suffolk, Ss.
Boston, on this thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, personally appeared before me the Subscribers two Justices of the Peace, for the county of Suffolk, quorum unus, Capt. Bartlett Holmes, subscriber to the foregoing Narrative and being duly cautioned to testify the whole truth and nothing but the truth, made oath that the foregoing Narrative or Deposition by him subscribed is true.
Taken at the request of Nathaniel Goddard, of Boston to be preserved in perpetual remembrance--we not knowing of any person living within twenty miles of this place of Capt. Holmes, interested in the subject of said deposition, did not notify any person to attend.
(Signed, FOSTER SWIFT, } Justices of the
WM. STEVENSON Peace Q U.

J. John Arundell. Second mate of the ship Ariadne, having read the narrative given by Capt. Holmes, do confirm the truth of his statement, in regard to the manner of our capture, the pillaging of various articles of the ship, by the Argus, the use and consumption thereof, the insolent treatment of our officers and crew. The following particulars relate to myself.--When the boat came from the Argus, I knew Lt. Chauncey, and called him by name but without having an opportunity to communicate with Capt. Holmes or any other person, was pushed into the boat, and was not even allowed to take with me any article of clothing on board the Argus. The midshipman threatening to stab me in case I refused. When the crew were all on board the U S. brig they were called aft, and Captain Sinclair demanded of them that they should give up their protections to answer for the crew which he had substituted for them; but I refused to comply, and all the rest of our crew followed the example.
(Signed)
JOHN ARUNDELL.
Sworn to before
FOSTER SWIFT, } Justice of
WM STEVENSON, Peace Q. U.