the fleet on the coast of North America. During the summer of 1813, he commanded a squadron employed off New London, watching two frigates and a sloop of war belonging to the United States. On the 25th June a boat was sent from the Ramillies to cut off a schooner, which was making for that harbour. She was taken possession of about eleven o’clock, the crew having deserted her after letting go her only anchor. The officer of the boat brought the prize near the Ramillies, and informed Sir Thomas Hardy that she was laden with provisions and naval stores. Very fortunately for the ship he commanded, Sir Thomas ordered the schooner to be taken alongside a trading sloop which had been captured a few days before; for while they were in the act of securing her, about half past two o’clock, she blew up with a tremendous explosion, and a Lieutenant (Geddes) and ten valuable seamen lost their lives. It was afterwards ascertained, that this schooner, the Eagle, of New York, was fitted out by two merchants of that place, induced by the American government offering half the value of the British ships of war so destroyed, for the express purpose of burning the Ramillies; and hearing that that ship was short of provisions and stores, they placed some in the hatch-way hoping thereby to induce Sir Thomas Hardy to take her alongside. Under the provisions were deposited several casks of gun-powder, with trains leading to a magazine, which was fitted upon the same mechanical principles as clock-work. When it had run the time given to it by the winderup, it gave force to a sort of gun-lock. The explosion of the vessel, and the destruction of all that might be near it, was the end proposed. We shall not attempt to comment on an act, the success of which would have hurled so many hundred persons as were on board the Ramillies into eternity; every friend of humanity rejoiced at its failure.
Towards the conclusion of the war with America, Sir Thomas M. Hardy, in conjunction with a detachment of the army under Lieutenant-Colonel Pilkington, took possession of the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay. He also bombarded the town of Stonington, which had been conspicious in preparing and harbouring torpedoes, and giving assistance to the enemy’s attempts at the destruction of the British ships of war stationed off New London.
