ete.

Philadelphia, though not looked upon as a centre of privateering
activity, furnished one privateer that made a notable record. This was
the "Holkar," sixteen guns. In April, 1780, she captured a British
schooner of ten guns, and in May of the same year she fought a
desperate action with a British privateer brig, the name of which has
never been ascertained. Twice the Briton sheered off to escape the
telling fire of the American; but the "Holkar" pressed him closely,
and only the appearance of a second British armed vessel at the scene
of the action saved the Englishman from capture. This battle was one
of the most sanguinary ever fought by private armed vessels; for of
the crew of the "Holkar" six were killed and sixteen wounded,
including the captain and first lieutenant, while of the enemy there
were about the same number killed and twenty wounded. Three months
later this same privateer fell in with the British sixteen-gun cutter
"Hypocrite," and captured her after a sharp conflict.

Perhaps the most audacious privateering exploit was that of the
privateers "Hero," "Hope," and "Swallow," in July, 1782. The captains
of these craft, meeting after an unprofitable season upon the high
seas, conceived the idea of making a descent upon the Nova Scotian
town of Lunenberg, some thirty-five miles from Halifax. Little time
was wasted in discussion. Privateers are not hampered by official red
tape. So it happened that early in the month the three privateers
appeared off the harbor of the threatened town, having landed a shore
party of ninety men. Before the invaders the inhabitants retreated
rapidly, making some slight resistance. Two block-houses, garrisoned
by British regulars, guarded the town. One of these fortresses the
Americans burned, whereupon the British established themselves in the
second, and prepared to stand a siege. Luckily for the Americans, the
block-house was within range of the harbor; so that the three
privateers took advantageous positions, and fired a few rounds of
solid shot into the enemy's wooden citadel. The besieged then made
haste to raise the white flag, and surrendered themselves
prisoners-of-war. When the Yankee ships left the harbor, they took
with them a large quantity of merchandise and provisions, and a
thousand pounds sterling by way of ransom.

One more conflict, in which the irregular naval forces of the United
States did credit to themselves, must be described before dismissing
t