Western Sun, Volume 5, Number 18, Vincennes, Knox County, 28 August 1813 — Page 4

I rOKTICAL ASYLUM. YOUTH. Youth is 'he vifion of the nvun, That fiici the coming day ; It is the b;fion the thorn By r-jde winds fwpt awy 'Tis like the charming hu- that glow;, Soft Dpon a virgin's face, TiM car hs nipp-d htr fading rofej And wiiiicrcd cv'ry grace It is the image of the Iky, In gliiTy vvrrrc irrn ; When not cloud apprars to ly Acrofs ihe blue icrcne. But when the Wives hiin to roar And iil. tluir Coasting head, The n;imc ftrs ipprai no morr, V And -II the Keav'n ia 3 d. 'Tis like the dying- tonrs thai flow From an olifl Ivrr, When ptfitng fpirits feerti to throw jpoh mufick o'er the r;:re. Or like a rlound of flercy form, Seen on an April d.y ; That veers before the coining (iorrt:, Then weeps itfclf away. 'Tis fleeting as the palling ryi Ot' bright tl?5ruk rr, That ilds the pole with fudden blae, And in .iie blaze expire And tender as the filmy thrratb. Which in the dewy dawn, From Bowf rVrachne fpreads, Wide o'er the verdant iawn. It is the morning's gentle gale, That, as it fo Ftly blows, Scarce frcrr.s to figh acrofs the va!rf Cr bend the blu thing rofc. But fnon thr gathering trmprfl pour, And all the flcy deform ; The gale becomes the whirlwind roar. The Bgh, raging tlorm. F r a-e and forrowa mot hid gloom, And heait cartoding ft rife, And ficknefs, pointing to the tcn:b, Aait the "oon ot Torpedoes again j: U hen we have a fa v age rnemv at our ihrefhold, u ho is waging a mod ctuel and blood) war, not only upon ihoie v ho are arraj ed in arms gainfl him, but upon t he aged and i o ti i m, upon innocence & Virtue, it behoves us to acli)pt rneuturc tor meaturc, and re laliate upon his own ci ueities I his rentimetit we cannpi fupprefs, notwithftanding ou ah he rencc of multiply ion th evils and calamities of war Ami we exult lhat it is withii the (cope o our ingenuity, it not within fhe power o:

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our arms. to deal a more deadly blow upon tltc enemy, than he can poffiblyl

innict upon us. t ne diicovcry of fob marine explofion, as adapted to the deHruciion of (hipping, has been long treat ed i th ridicule and contempt by many. Poffibly a with to; difcountcnance any efforts to difcover a means of rendering the naval power of England i Itfs formidable cx lefs difficult ! to encounter with fuccefs, may have influenced thedecifions of many people refpect ing the Torpedoes; however th;s may he, yet certain it is, that congrefs did attract an unufual quantum of cenfiire, abufe and ridicule, becaule they voted a fum of money towards afcertaining the rAli cacy or impraclicability of uling them againfi a DaVal j armarheiiti The certainty that Torpedoes are Cdiilpcteht to eftedl all that their inventor has pro mifed, begiris to be eltablii'hed b experiment by pra!lice. I hat they may be rendered a zro'i formidable engine againft ihv enemy's lliipping, the (ubfequent iacls vvill mew and we make no doubt that with proper encouragement from government, enteprifes of the lame kind will muki ply, while our waters are in veiled with a hngle i irilh man oi war- Revenge for the barbarous. :he hendlike conduul of the enemy at Hampton, ek along our lirorts will impel many adventurers' ? o t!ie attempt even if iniet eit did not hold out a tufficient exc itetnent. Mr. E. Miv;, of ihe navy, a gentleman ot ingenuity and enteiprife, has been for ieveral weeks pa(t preparing tor pedoes, to attempt the explolion of fome of the enemy's iliipping in Lynhaven bay. I he I5i iti(h74 gun (hip Plan tagener, that lias tor a month been lying abreait of Cape Henry light houfe, and lias lately had the company of any other veflel, appealed to j nr. Mix as the moll favorable object for trying his er.peri tuent on. Accordingly, on the night of the I St h July, accompanied by capt Bowman, ot Salem, Sc midfliipman M'Gowiii of the U. Stares navv, who volunteered their afllttance during i he whole of the ent -r prize, he left his place ot rendezvous, and proceeded lown to the Plantagenet, yt n a large open boat, which ae calls the 'Chefapeaks Kc

venge,1 and from the previou j

oblervations found no difficu ty in afcertaining the politim of the fhip. When he got t within 40 fathoms of her, he dropped the I orpedo over, in the very in ft a m of doing which, he was hailed by one of the energy's guard boats. The machine was fpeedily ta ken into the boat again, and he made ins way oft in fafety. On the night of the 19th, he made another attempt, and was again difcovcred ere he could accomphfti his purpofeOn the night of the 20th he fucceeded in getting within 15 yards ot the (hips bow, and direct ly under her jib boom There he continued making bis preparations fori 5 minutes when a lent inel horn 1 he lore caflle haded, boat ahoy:' and he had to decamp. he centinel net being anfwered, fired his mufket, which was followed by a rapid difcharge of final! arms. Blue lights were made to find cut the boat, but failed, they then threw rockets in diiTei ent di reclioti-, which illumined the water for a confrderable width as far as they were thrown, and iucceeded in dlfcovcring their nbclurnal vifitor ; when the fhip commenced a rapid tire of heavy guns, Ihpped iter cables and made fome fail ; while her boats were dilpatch ed in put fuiti I be darino int uders, however, efcane r9 a unhurt. Ihe vifits was re p ated on the nights ot the 2 id, 22d, and 231. withou tucceis, as the ftup having: ta poution every mgnt. uti tne night of tb 24th, however, aw . iix Iucceeded in finding her out, and having taken hi polition within 100 yards dii tance, in a direction with ht larboard bow, he dropped the fatal machine into the water ju!t as the fentinel was crying ali's well.' It was fwepi along with the tide, & would have completely effected its errand but for a caufe not proper to be named here, but which may be eably guarded again!! in future experiments it exploded a few leconds too toon. I he fcene was awfully iublimc I It was like the cenci flion of an earth quake, attended with a found louder and more terrific than the heaviefl peal of thunder. A pyr amid of water 50 feet in circumference was thrown up fo . a . a . 1 r r r r mm - - n K ht of 1 teet ; its appearance was a vivid red, tinged at the fides with a beautiful purple. On

ifcendtng to !t5 greatefl height 1 bur it at the top with a trenendous explolion and fell in orrcnts on the deck of the fhip, which rolled into the v aw ning chafm below, and Irad nearly uptet impervious darknefs again prevailed. I he light occalioned by the explohon. though fleeting, enabled mr, Mix and his companions to difcover that the torechannel of the fhip was blown off, and a boat which lay along fide with feveral men v. as thrown up in the dieadful con vul ft oil of the waters. Terrible indeed muft

have beeti the panic of the ihips criew From the hoife and contuhoii which appeared to our adventurers to prevail on board ; and they are certain hat nearly the whole hip's crew haft i ly betook themfelves to the boars. I ho they did not fucceed on. this occafion in deftioytng one of the enemy's (hips, mr. Mix js rather encouraged thatt diflieartened. lie relolved to make another attenpt as foon as time & circumfiances will admit, and he appears confident from the experience which practice has given him, that he will be able to make future trials with a certainty of fuccels, o;t Her. Buffalo. July 27. Since our sii paper, there have been frequent fkirmifhei in the neighbourhood of fort Lieorge roraging parties cc h(j pickei guards have bren j repeatedly .attacked ; in oiie t thele att.iir the enemv ! lols w.s ve v lenous, (So or 70 re faid to have been killed. Sunday evening a cannonading; is heard in the direction ot loft George. 1 he pi. !ets of the enemy are within tight of ours beyond the light houfe u ar the place here our troops landed on the 27th of May. Chilli co Ll August it. No la;e news from our army fince the gallant defence which major Croghan and his brave little band m ide again ft the Indians and iriulh at Lower Sandulky. Congrefs adjourned on Monday the 2d infl. General YVilkinfon Ief: Milledgeville, (Georgia,) on the ninth ult. for Wafhington c i t y . i FROM THE PHF.SS OF E. S 7 o u r. PRINTFR TO THR TLHH ITORT AND Of TUE LAWS OF THK I7MITBO STATES.