ld take command of the fleet
and of the operations.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1799, Captain Barry was at Prince Rupert's Island.
The Hibernian Society of Philadelphia for the Relief of Emigrants from
Ireland were, the same day, at dinner at Shane's Tavern and drank to the
toast of

"COMMODORE BARRY AND THE NEW NAVY."

On April 8, 1799, Captain Barry was at Bridgetown, Barbadoes. For that
port he had, as the youthful Captain of the schooner "Barbadoes," sailed
from Philadelphia on October 2, 1766, almost a third of a century
previous. What thoughts must have moved him we may conjecture at the
change in his own circumstances and in that of the country of his
adoption which had taken place. Then, at twenty-one, he was commander of
his first vessel, a trading schooner of 60 tons. He had since made
effective war upon the enemy of his native land and of his adopted
country. He now entered Bridgetown the commander of a squadron of the
chief armed vessels of his country. During the War for Independence he
had acted in cooperation with French naval forces, now he was protecting
the commerce of his country from the depredations of the French and
inflicting punishment upon such as came in his path. He had made war on
British naval vessels and taken captive many as well as those of
England's merchant marine. Now he and his country were acting in accord
with England in opposition to and in restraint of the French.

Friends had become enemies and enemies had become friendly, so much so
that a Barbadoes paper, on his arrival there, could declare: "Whatever
good fortune attends Commodore Barry will but increase the public esteem
which he already possesses, as to see merit rewarded is the generous
wish of every British bosom."

What a change!

This praise arose from the fact that Barry meeting the French privateer
"Democrat" took from her the British Letter-of-Marque, "Cicero," which
had been captured by the "Democrat." The darkness debarred Barry from
capturing the "Democrat" also. The "Cicero" was of 450 tons and 50 men.
Her Captain and three of the crew had been killed and thirty-six
wounded. She had been in possession of the French for thirty-six hours
when retaken by the "United States" with the prize crew of thirty taken
prisoners. These he left at Guadeloupe in French possession. As there
were no American prisoners there Barry thought it better to do so than
to have them on the "United States" frigate "to eat more than they w