ericans,
generally, and wishes for a lasting peace between the two contending
nations. His mate is the reverse of all this, especially when he is
overcharged with liquor.

As characteristic of some of our imprudent countrymen, I insert the
following anecdote. The _Bellecean_, (or _Bellauxcean_) prison ship,
lay next to us. She was filled with Norwegians, and were detained in
England, while Norway adhered to a king of their own choice. The
commander of her was a nettlesome, fractious, foolish old fellow, who
was continually overlooking us, and hailing our commander, to inform
him if any one smuggled a bottle of rum from the market boats. His
Norwegians gave him no trouble; they were a peaceable, subservient
people, with no fun in their constitutions, nor any jovial cast in
their composition.--They were very different from the British or
American sailor, who will never be baulked of his fun, if the devil
stands at the door. This imprudent, meddling old commander, of the
_Bellauxcean_, was forever informing the officer of the deck of every
little pickadillo of the American prisoners; and he, of course, got
the hearty ill will of all the Americans in the ship Bahama. He once
saw a marine connive at the passing a couple of bottles of liquor
through the lower ports, and he hailed the commander, and informed him
of it; and the marine was immediately punished for it. This roused the
_Americans_ to revenge; for the _British_ soldier, or marine, is so
much of a slave, that revenge never dare enter his head. _Retaliation_
belongs alone to the free and daring American. He alone enjoys the
_lex talionis_, and glories in carrying it into execution.

Fish and _potatoes_ constituted the diet of the following day. What
does our "dare devils" do, but reserve all their potatoes to serve as
cold shot to fire at the fractious commander of their next neighbor,
the Bellauxcean. Accordingly when they observed the old man stubbing
backwards and forwards his quarter deck, and stopping now and then to
peak over to our ship to see if we smuggled a bottle of liquor, they
gave him a volley of potatoes, which was kept up until the veteran
commander hailed our captain and told him that if the Americans did
not cease their insult he would order his marines to fire upon them;
but his threatenings produced no other effect than that of increasing
the shower of potatoes; so that this brave British tar was compelled
to seek shelter in his cabin; and then