nt. The disparity was
so great that our Government, after looking at the situation and
discussing the matter, decided that it would be folly to fight England
on the ocean, and it was decided not to do so. When Captains Stewart and
Bainbridge learned of this decision, they went to President Madison and
his advisers and insisted that the American navy, weak as it was, should
be given a chance of showing what it could do. Consent was finally
given, and then opened the wonderful career of our cruisers and
privateers.

Among the frigates that had been built during our war with France was
the _Constitution_, which carried 44 guns. She earned the name of being
one of the luckiest ships in the navy, and because of her astonishing
record was named "Old Ironsides." The old hulk of this historical ship
is still carefully preserved in remembrance of her brilliant record,
which in some respects has never been equalled.

Sailors are superstitious, and the good name which the _Constitution_
gained made it easy to get all the seamen needed. When you come to look
into the matter you will find that the _Constitution_ was a lucky ship,
because it was always officered by the best men we had, and they were
wise enough to choose the finest crews.

The captain of the _Constitution_, when the war broke out, was Isaac
Hull, a nephew of General William Hull, who made the cowardly surrender
of Detroit. He was born in Connecticut in 1773, and died in 1843. He was
one of the brilliant young officers who received his commission in 1798,
and was commander of the _Argus_ during the war with Tripoli. He was
made a captain in 1806, and the following year was given command of the
_Constitution_.

Upon learning that the war had broken out, Captain Hull left the
Chesapeake, with orders to join the squadron under the command of
Captain Rodgers at New York. When off Barnegat, New Jersey, he was
sighted by the blockading squadron of Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke,
which gave chase. The ingenuity and skill displayed by Captain Hull in
escaping from the enemy, when all escape seemed hopeless, is still
referred to as one of the most remarkable exploits in the history of the
American navy. The chase lasted for more than two days and three nights,
and it is safe to say that very few commanders placed in the situation
of Captain Hull would have been able to save themselves from capture.

Captain Hull sailed on a cruise from Boston on August 21, just in time