206     LIGHT SQUADRONS AND SINGLE SHIPS     1813

The accuracy of Captain Broke's statement of his ship's force is, indeed, worthy of remark : he even slightly overrated it, because he represented all his guns of a side on the upper deck, except the boat-gun, as 32-pounder carronades, when two of the number were long nines.

This will be the proper place to introduce an account of some of the extraordinary means of attack and defence, to which, in their naval actions with the British, the fears of the Americans had compelled them to resort. Among the Chesapeake's " round and grape " (the only admitted cannon-shot used on board an American ship, were found double headed shot in abundance ; also bars of wrought iron, about a foot long, connected by links and folded together by a few rope-yarns, so as, when discharged from the gun, to form an extended length of six feet. Other bars, of twice the length, and in number from three to six, were connected at one end by a ring : these, as they flew from the gun, expanded in four points. The object of this novel artillery was to cut away the shrouds, and facilitate the fall of the masts ; and the plan was, to commence the action with the bar and chain shot, so as to produce, as early as possible, that desirable result : after which, the American ship could play round her antagonist, and cut her to pieces with comparative impunity.

So much for the materiel of her opponent ; nor was his personnel forgotten. The canister-shot of the Chesapeake, when opened, were found to contain in the centre angular and jagged pieces of iron and copper, broken bolts, and copper and other nails. The musket-cartridges, as we formerly noticed, contained each three buck-shot loose in the powder; and several rifled-barrel pieces were found among the small-arms. As British seamen were well-known to be terrible fellows for getting on board an enemy, something was to be done to check them in their advance. Accordingly, a large cask of unslacked lime was brought on board the Chesapeake, and placed on the forecastle with the head open, in order that the American crew might scatter the lime by handfuls over the assailants. A bag of the same was placed in the fore top. We do not, however, believe, that Captain Lawrence had any hand in this contrivance. One of the Shannon's early shot struck the cask, and scattered the contents, as if in retribution, over the faces and into the eyes of the projectors. We ourselves saw the remains of the lime on and about the Chesapeake's forecastle : we recollect also observing, that the quarterdeck and forecastle barricades of the American frigate were lined with strong netting, to catch the splinters.

Lieutenant Budd, when called upon to certify as to the number of men with which the Chesapeake went into action, swore to 381 ; but even admitting his own account of the killed and mortally wounded to be correct, the Chesapeake certainly had five men more. For instance, the prisoners out of

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