When the evening gun was fired and acknowledged, the Constitution put up her helm, and squared away to join her friend. The vessels joined a little after dark, the Englishman as the leeward ship, first rounding to. The Constitution passed under her lee, and threw her main-topsail to the mast. There was a boat out from the _, which soon came alongside, and in it was the English Captain and his cask of wine; the former being just as prompt to “pay” as to “play.”

The other occurrence was the cutting out of the Sandwich, a French letter of marque, which was lying in Port Platte. a small harbor on the Spanish side of St. Domingo. While cruising along the coast, the Constitution had seized an American sloop called the Sally, which had been selling supplies to the enemy. Hearing that the Sandwich, formerly an English packet, but which had fallen into the hands of the French, was filling up with coffee, and was nearly full, Talbot determined to send Hull in, with the Sally, in order to cut her out. The sloop had not long before come out of that very haven. with an avowed intention to return, and offered every desirable facility to the success of the enterprise. The great and insuperable objection to its ultimate advantage, was the material circumstance that the Frenchman was lying in a neutral port, as respects ourselves, though watchful of the English who were swarming in those seas.

The Constitution manned the Sally at sea, near sunset, on the tenth of May, 1800, a considerable distance from Port Platte, and the vessels separated, Hull so timing his movements, as to reach his point of destination about mid-day of a Sunday, when it was rightly enough supposed many of the French, officers as well as men, would be ashore keeping holiday. Short sail was carried that night on board the Sally and while she was quietly jogging along, thinking no harm, a gun was suddenly heard, and a shot came whistling over the sloop. On looking around, a large ship was seen in chase, and so near, as to render escape impossible. The Sally rounded to, and presently, an English frigate ranged alongside. The boarding Officer was astonished when he found himself among ninety armed men, with officers in naval uniform at their head. On demanding an explanation, Hull told him his business, when the English lieutenant expressed his disappointment, candidly acknowledging that his own ship was waiting on the coast to let the Sandwich fill up, and get her sails bent,in order to send a party in, also, in order to cut her out! It was too late, however, as the Sally could not be, and would not be, detained, and Hull proceeded.

There have been many more brilliant exploits than this of the Constitution in sending in a party against the Sandwich, but very few that were more neatly executed, oringeniously planned. The Sally arrived off the port, at the appointed hour, and stood directly in, showing the customary number of hands on deck, until coming near the letter of marque, she ran her aboard forward, and the Constitution's clambered in over the Sandwich's bows, led by Hull in person. In two minutes, the Americans had possession of their prize, a smart brig, armed with four sixes and two nines, with a pretty strong crew, without the loss of a man. A party of marines, led by Capt. Cormick, landed, drove the Spaniards from a battery that commanded the anchorage, and spiked the guns. All this was against law and right, but it was veryingeniously arranged, and as gallantly executed. The most serious part of the affair remained to be achieved. The Sandwich was stripped to a girt line, and the wind blew directly into the harbor. As it was unsafe for the marines to remain in the battery any time, it was necessarily abandoned, leaving to the people of the place every opportunity of annoying their invaders by all the means they possessed. The battery was reoccupied, and the guns cleared of the spikes as well and as fast as they could be, while the Americans set about swaying up topmasts and yards and bending sails. After some smart exertion, the brig got royal yards across, and, at sunset, after remaining several hours in front of the town, Hull scaled his guns, by way of letting it be known they could be used, weighed, and began to beat out of the harbor. The Spaniards fired a few shot after him, but with no effect.

Although this was one of the best executed enterprises of the sort on record, and did, infinite credit to the coolness and spirit of all concerned, it was not quite an illustration of international law or of justice in general. This was the first victory of Old Ironsides in a certain sense, but all men must regret it was ever achieved, since it was a wrong act, committed with an exaggerated, if not an altogether mistaken notion of duty. America was not even at war with France, in the more formal meaning of the term, nor were all the legal consequences of war connected with the peculiar hostilities that certainly did exist; but with Spain she had no quarrel whatever, and the Sandwich was entitled to receive all the protection and immunities that of right belonged to her anchored in the neutral harbor of Port-au-Platte. In the end not only was the condemnation of the Sandwich resisted successfully, but all the other prize-money made by Old Ironsides in the cruise went to pay damages.