It is true, new engagements had been made with many of the men, but others had declined making any. In this state of things, Campbell brought the ship down to Gibraltar, and waited anxiously for the appearance of his relief. She did not come, but, in her stead arrived the report of what had occurred to her. It now became necessary for some one to go aloft, and Campbell determined to move the good ship, once more, in that direction. All hands were called to get the anchors, when the men refused to man the bars unless the ship sailed for home. There was a moment when things looked very serious, but Campbell was nobly sustained by his officers, with Ludlow at their head, and after a crisis, in which force was used in seizing individuals, and the marines were paraded, and found to be true, the insubordinate spirit was quelled. No one was ever punished for this attempt at mutiny, for it was felt that, on principle, the men had a g—eat deal of right on their side. A law has since been passed to prevent the possibility of setting up a claim for discharge, until a ship is properly relieved.

At length the station was abandoned and Old Ironsides sailed for her native place, Boston. On her arrival in that port, it was found necessary, however, to send her to New-York, in order to he paid off. She reached the last port in November 1807, and was dismantled for repairs.

Thus terminated the fourth of the Constitution!s cruises, which had been twice as long as the three others put together, and a hundred times more momentous. She had now seen enemies, had fought them again and again, had witnessed the signing of treaties under her pennant, besides their dictation. In a word the good craft had been magna pars in many an important event. She was in some measure entitled to the character of a statesman, as well as that of a warrior.

The Constitution was now more than ten rears old, and some serious repairs had become necessary. America did not then possess a single dry-dock, and preparations were made for heaving her out. This was done, at Brooklyn Yard, in the spring of 1808, when her copper was examined and repaired. All this time the ship was not properly out of commission; many officers were attached to her; and as soon as she was righted, and got her spare aloft, Rodgers, who commanded on the station afloat, as Chauncy did the yard, showed his broad pennant in her again. For a time, Lawrence acted as her first lieutenant, as did Izard, his successor, when Lawrence was transferred to the command of a brig. Nevertheless, the ship lay near, if not quite, a twelvemonth at the yard, before she received a full crew. and began to cruise.

This was a period when all the active naval force of the country was kept on the coast. The Mediterranean been the only foreign station, after the peace with France, and that was broken up. Two home squadrons were maintained—one to the northward, under Rodgers, and one to the southward, under a different commander. The broad pennant of the commander-in-chief afloat was flying on board Old Ironsides. This gave the old craft an opportunity of showing herself. and making acquaintances, in various of the home ports. Until Campbell brought her round to New-York, in 1807, to be paid off, it is believed she had never entered any American harbor but that of Boston. Yankee born, and Yankee bred, she had had Yankee commanders, until Decatur got her; and in that day there was more of provincial feeling among us than there is at present. This was probably the reason that the Constitution was so often taken to Boston; out of which port she has sailed, owing to peculiar circumstances, on every one of her most successful cruises.

When Nicholson went on the southern coast, there was no port, in that quarter, into which he would be likely to go with so heavy a ship; and unless he did, we do not see when Old Ironsides could have been in any haven of the country, except Boston, until the close of the year 1807. This visit to New-York, however, broke the charm, and since that, nearly every important point of the coast, that has sufficient water to receive her, has had a visit. Rodgers kept Old Ironsides, until 18—, when he shifted his pennant to the President, under the impression that the last was the faster ship. Some persons fancied the good craft had lost her sailing.

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Deaths and resignations had made Rodgers the oldest officer afloat, and he did very much as he chose in these matters.