About four o'clock, a boat, with an officer, came with orders from the
admiral to cease firing, as an attempt to destroy the Algerine frigates
was about to be made. Accordingly three boats pushed into the mole,
running the gantlet in gallant style; they boarded the outermost frigate,
which was found deserted by her crew; and in a few minutes she was in a
blaze; in doing this the boats' crews suffered severely. The smoke of our
last broadside had scarcely left us, when the Algerines renewed their
fire of musketry upon our decks, fortunately the men were lying down by
the guns, and the officers alone were marks for them, but one midshipman
was their only victim at this time. The masts began to suffer in all
parts, splinters were falling from them, and shreds of canvass from the
sails came down upon us in great quantities; traces, bowlines, and other
running gear, suffered equally; the shrouds, fore and aft, got cut up so
quickly, that the rigging men attempted in vain to knot them, and were at
last forced to leave the rigging to its fate.
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