gaged in the
blockade of the Bonne Citoyenne. Eighteen days since the departure of
the flag-ship had passed while her consort was thus engaged, waiting
till her expected prize should issue from the harbor, when the Hornet
was robbed of her chances of victory by the arrival of his majesty's
seventy-four, the Montague. Escape now became the policy of Lawrence,
who luckily managed to get from the harbor in safety, and turned his
course to the northward, along the coast. While cruising in this
direction, after capturing a small English brig, he fell in with, on
February 24, 1813, off the mouth of the Demerara, two brigs of war,
with one of which, the Peacock, Captain Peake, he speedily became
engaged. The American vessel on this occasion had somewhat the
advantage in armament. In the words of Lawrence's dispatch, which
gives a modest and forcible account of the affair, after mentioning
his attempt to get at the first vessel he discovered at anchor off the
bar, he says: "At half-past three P.M., I discovered another sail on
my weather quarter, edging down for us. At twenty minutes past four
she hoisted English colors, at which time we discovered her to be a
large man-of-war brig; beat to quarters and cleared ship for action;
kept close by the wind, in order if possible, to get the weather gage.
At ten minutes past five, finding I could weather the enemy, I hoisted
American colors and tacked. At twenty minutes past five, in passing
each other, exchanged broadsides within half pistol shot. Observing
the enemy in the act of wearing, I bore up, received his starboard
broadside, ran him close on board on the starboard quarter, and kept
up such a heavy and well-directed fire, that in less than fifteen
minutes he surrendered, being literally cut to pieces, and hoisted an
ensign, union down, from his fore-rigging, as a signal of distress."

The hull of the Peacock was so riddled that she sank, while every
exertion was made by her captors to save her by throwing over her guns
and stopping the shot-holes. Nine of her crew went down with her, and
three of the Hornet's men. Captain Peake was found dead on board. The
loss of the Hornet was trifling compared with that of her adversary;
but one man killed and four wounded or injured, one of whom afterward
died. This superiority is attributed by Cooper, who sums up the
testimony, "to the superior gunnery and rapid handling of the Hornet."

This victory brought Lawrence a harvest of honors,