may here be only proper to remark, in refutation of Captain Garden’s wish to keep at long range, (which in the passage above Mr. James alludes to) – that on approaching the French frigates close to the batteries of l’Isle d’Aix, a gun accidentally went off, (when at long range), which drew forth from Captain Carden, a most severe reprimand, to those who had been guilty of such apparent want of caution, as compromising the dignity of a British man-of-war. – I am, dear Sir,
“Geo. R. Pechell.”
“To Captain J. S. Garden, R.N.”
“Dear Sir,– I have just received your letter of the 10th instant, in which you mention that Mr. James, in his Naval History, has stated that you knew the ship’s crew of the Macedonian were, for want of practice, deficient in gunnery. That statement is certainly totally unfounded; as in no ship in the British service could there have been more attention paid to the practical part of gunnery than was done by you to the crew of the Macedonian: the cruise previous to our unfortunate capture we were under the command of Sir P. C. Durham, in Basque Roads, and stationed in-shore, where we were almost every day engaged with the enemy. They were not only well-trained, but the greatest attention was paid to every department relating to the guns. The magazine was examined every week by the first Lieutenant, to see that the cartridges and powder were in good order, and ready for action; there was general exercise every evening before sunset; a division exercised through the day, and frequently fired at a mark; in fact, every thing was done to make the ship in all respects ready to meet the enemy.
“As to the state of discipline in the ship, that has been so strongly expressed by the sentence of the court-martial, where the evidence was examined upon oath, that any comment of mine would be unnecessary, were I not called upon by you to state my opinion. I now do so, as an officer who has served his country nearly twenty-eight years; and having been frequently in action with the enemy, in no instance did I ever see men more devoted to the honor and service of their country than the ship’s company of the Macedonian. * * * * * *.
“And you must recollect that circumstance, Sir, which happened towards the end of the action, when the United States was observed making sail to get from under our lee; and as we had not a yard standing except the foreyard, with a small piece of the foresail, the helm was put a weather as a last resource, to try and lay her on board on the weather quarter, when the fore brace was shot away, and the sail fell aback and prevented us. At that moment every man was on deck, several, who had lost an arm, and the universal cheer was, ‘Let us conquer or die’.
“David Hope.”
“To Captain J. S. Garden, R.N.”
