He visited the coasts of Bergen, Norway, and the Shetland Isles, and returned to Newport, Rhode Island, on the 23d of September. In this cruise he captured twelve vessels, the crews of which amounted to 271 persons. In his absence from the United States on this occasion, the burning and sacking of Havre-de-Grace, Maryland, took place under the command of the renowned Admiral Cockburn, who never faced an equal foe. The dwelling of the Commodore shared the fate of those of the rest of the inhabitants. The Commodore was plundered of some of his Mediterranean presents, received for his merits in the Barbary warfare. The schooner Highflyer, a privateer out of Baltimore, a remarkably fast sailer, had been captured and converted into a tender, belonging to the British squadron on the New England station. This vessel the Commodore had the good fortune to capture by decoy, on the 22d of September, off Rhode Island, having obtained possession of the private signals of the British navy; and it is somewhat singular, if report be true, that the sword which the British Lieutenant commanding the Highflyer tendered to the Commodore on surrendering, was the Commodore's own sword, plundered from his house in Havrede-Grace, during the disgraceful and barbarous expedition of Cockburn, and which had been presented to him in Sicily, for friendly and humane services to natives of that Island.

Ever after the chase of the British frigate Belvidere, the Commodore could not find a British frigate of equal force with his own, unaccompanied with a seventy-four. Although in three cruises in search of the enemy, no opportunity presented itself to signalize himself in combat, yet from his unwearied exertions he rendered his country signal services, and his reputation stood, and yet stands, deservedly high in public estimation.

At the attack on Baltimore, he, with his seamen, was stationed in Fort Covington, and Commodore Barney's flotilla-men in the six-gun battery. These were the first, during the night bombardment, who descried and repulsed a body of the British, one thousand two hundred and fifty strong, who, in fifty boats, with muffled oars, under

the mantle of darkness, had passed Fort scaling ladders, for landing and attacking

During the siege, Commodore Rodgers ble in rendering all the aid of which he w which he received public acknowledgmen testimonials of respect, among which was vice of plate.

On the return of peace, Congress constitu Commissioners of the navy, to relieve the a part of his duties, by which it was judged vice would be benefited, of which the Comm pointed one.

AUGUSTUS C. LUDLO

THE biography of a young officer, who ha to chief command, is generally barren of ever attract public notice. The limited sphere must necessarily move precludes notoriety, un nal event brings him before the public.

Lieutenant Ludlow was a native of Ora New York, where his relatives reside. His m herself in a second marriage, to a Mr. W. Jon of Ireland, who followed the mercantile busine Ludlow, after having received his education, profession of a seaman, and very early entered man in the United States' service, where, by hi duct, he secured universal esteem, and rose to first Lieutenant of the United States' frigate Cl

The circumstance of the engagement betwe tish frigate Shannon and the United States' frig peake, the 2d of June, 1813, which ended in t of the latter vessel, more particularly belongs graphy of her commander, Captain Lawrence. tion, Lieutenant Ludlow was mortally wounded i

ing to repel the enemy's boarders, and died a few days afterwards. The Chesapeake having been carried into Halifax, Lieutenant Ludlow, in conjunction with his lamented commander, was buried with every mark of respect and honour due to a brave, but unfortunate foe. Their remains were afterwards disinterred, brought to the United States, and interred at New York, amid the tears of relatives, friends, and fellow citizens, who thus paid their last tribute of affection to the mortal remains of departed worth.

JAMES BIDDLE.

JAMES BIDDLE was the son of Charles Biddle, Esq., of Philadelphia, born on the 18th of February, 1783.‍ He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania. He obtained a midshipman's warrant in the year 1800-was on board of the Philadelphia frigate at the time she was taken by the Tripolitans, and suffered a rigorous confinement of nineteen months.

At the conclusion of the peace with the Bashaw of Tripoli, in which the release of prisoners was stipulated, Mr. Biddle returned to the United States with Captain Bainbridge. They landed at Norfolk, and travelled thence by land to Philadelphia, where they arrived in September, 1805. From this period, Mr. Biddle, who, on his release, had been promoted to a lieutenancy, was engaged in various situations, until the breaking out of the war with Great Britain. He cruised for some time in a gun-boat on the southern coast, in company with the John Adams; was employed in surveying the harbour of Beaufort; whence he came to Philadelphia, where, after residing some time with his family, he obtained a furlough, and made a voyage to China in a merchant ship. On his return, he was employed under Commodore Murray in a flotilla of gun-boats, enforcing the Embargo. No other service than that of the gun-boats was, during this period,

open to our officers, as the Chesapeake was the only frigate in commission.

In the year 1809, however, the equipment of a number of vessels being authorized, and Commodore Bainbridge appointed to the President, Mr. Biddle was assigned as his second lieutenant. In consequence of there being no prospect of active service, Captain Bainbridge, in 1810, obtained a furlough, and in consequence relinquished the command of the President. Lieutenant Biddle was then ordered to take charge of the Syren from Philadelphia to Hampton Roads, where he joined the Constitution, Captain Hull. Thence, in expectation that an affair would occur between a British frigate and the President, he went on board the latter vessel, which was short in her complement of lieutenants. This expectation was founded on the irritation then subsisting, on account of that disgraceful event which is known by the appellation of the affair of the Chesapeake. The President sailed soon after, but met with no British frigate. This vessel being laid up for the winter at New London, Mr. Biddle made a voyage to Lisbon, and on his return carried out despatches to our minister at Paris, where he remained nearly four months.

Mr. Biddle returned to Philadelphia, and used various other efforts to obtain active service, but though government was aware of his talents, and well disposed to grant his wishes, no opportunity occurred, until the arrival of the Wasp, Captain Jones, with despatches from our minister in France. She was deficient in the necessary number of officers, and an order was forwarded from the navy department for Mr. Biddle to join her as first lieutenant. The Wasp proceeded to sea the 13th of October, 1812, and six days after fell in with six sail of British merchantmen, four of them mounting from sixteen to eighteen guns, and carrying from forty to fifty men each. It was immediately determined to attack the sloop of war under whose convoy they were.

On taking possession of the Frolic, Captain Jones placed her under the orders of Lieutenant Biddle, who was directed to rig jury masts, in the room of her main and foremasts, that had gone over very soon after the action, and

to make the best of his way to a southern port of the United States. Before they separated, however, they had the misfortune to fall in with the Poictiers of seventy-four guns, and as the situation of both vessels precluded every hope of escape or resistance, both were surrendered. The Captain and officers were carried to Bermuda, released on their parole after a short detention, and returned in safety to the United States.

On his being exchanged, Lieutenant Biddle was promoted to the rank of Master-Commandant in the navy, and assumed the command of all the gun-boats that were stationed in the Delaware. He afterwards succeeded Captain Lawrence in the command of the Hornet, which vessel was at first intended to join the Chesapeake in a cruise against the British trade to the Canadas. On the capture of that ever unlucky vessel, whose destiny outweighed even the valour and the fortunes of a Lawrence, Captain Biddle, pursuant to subsequent orders, joined the squadron under Commodore Decatur, which was blockaded in the harbour of New London, by a superior force of the enemy, until the conclusion of the war.

The squadron to which Captain Biddle belonged, remained in the harbour of New London, in the hope of getting out to sea during the season of heavy gales; but when this had passed away without affording any opportunity, the two frigates were moored as high up the river as possible, and dismantled; Commodore Decatur and his crew being transferred to the frigate President. When this arrangement had taken place, and the season favourable for the enemy to make an attack on those vessels, if they had such an intention, had passed away, Captain Biddle, for the second time, applied for and obtained permission to attempt his escape in the Hornet. He succeeded in evading the British squadron, and joined a force at New York, intended to cruise under Commodore Decatur in the East Indies. That officer went to sea in the President, on the 14th of January, 1815, leaving the sloops of war Peacock, Captain Warrington, and Hornet, to convoy the store ship, which was not in readiness to accompany them at that time. They did not sail until the 23d of