' take her station in the line, according to orders). ' The Spitfire advanced, in a line with the Washing- ' ton ; and, with her, behaved well.

" We had as hot a fire as, perhaps, was ever known, ' for an hour and a half. The Washington, which I ' was on board, during the whole engagement, had ' the ledgings of her bow-guns knocked away, which ' prevented our working them, and was otherwise ' considerably damaged, being thirteen times hulled, ' had three shot in the waist, many of her oars car- ' ried away, etc. The Lady Washington, after hulling ' the Phcenix six times, had her bow, and only, gun, ' a thirty-two-pounder, on which we placed much ' dependence, split seven inches, and her gun-tackles ' and breechings carried away. The Spitfire was- ' hulled, several times, and received one shot between ' wind and water, which, not being quickly discov- ' ered, occasioned her making much water. The rest ' of the galleys received considerable damage in their ' rigging, sails, and oars. 1 Under these circumstances, ' our Commodore, Colonel Tupper, thought it pru- ' dent to give the signal for our little fleet to with- ' draw, after manfully fighting a much superior force, ' for two hours.

1 It will be seen that very little was said, in this Report, of the opera tions of the Connecticut galleys, the Crane and the Whiting : the follow ing correspondence will remedy that defect :