proceed with them. The "United States" and the "Delaware" returned to
Philadelphia September 21, 1798. Captain Barry had captured the French
schooner "Le Jaleux," of 14 guns and 70 men and also the "San Pareil,"
of 10 guns and 67 men, belonging to Guadeloupe. The "San Pareil," in
1794, captured the vessel on which Charles and Catharine, children of
Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, were returning from England. Proceeding
to the West Indies the "San Pareil" fell in with the "Pallas" bound to
the Kennebeck and compelled her to take the passengers and crew to
Boston. [Rowland's _Carroll_ II, p. 200.]

Now Barry had captured the "San Pareil." The crews were imprisoned at
New Castle, Del., until November 6th, where it was alleged, by opponents
of the Adams administration, they were cruelly treated by being
neglected and uncared for. "The government allowed nothing, though it
furnished blankets. The French Consul had neither funds nor orders to
give his countrymen relief." Secretary Stoddert, then resident at
Trenton, New Jersey, because of the yellow fever, wrote President Adams,
at Quincy, Massachusetts, that "Barry returned too soon. His reason,
apprehensions from the hurricanes in the West Indies at this season.
Upon the whole, it is better than to have kept the ships sleeping on our
own shore, though the result of the enterprise falls very far short of
my hopes."

Yet the Secretary had when reporting to the President that Barry had
been sent to the West Indies "to be employed while the French have but
little force" and that "the hurricane season" was near, had yet "hopes"
that neither Barry nor Decatur had been able to satisfy. By direction of
the President both were, on September 28, 1798, sent out again--"Decatur
to cruise from the Delaware to Cape Henry and Barry to cruise from the
Delaware along the eastern coast northward"--though the Secretary had
informed the President "it is not to be apprehended that our coasts will
be much molested by French cruisers," as they had no force in the West
Indies equal to ours "and it was not probable they could send a force
from Europe." Barry and Decatur were ordered to return about November
15th. Barry on the cruise was "to protect the trade from Delaware to New
Hampshire, while Decatur did the same from New York to the Chesapeake."

Barry sailed from New Castle on October 8th without "a single article
for the ship but ballast and," so he wrote Mrs. Barry, "my reason for
going