07, the English Admiral Berkeley, in command of the
North American Station, issued instructions to commanders of vessels in
his fleet to look out for the American frigate Chesapeake, and if they
fell in with her at sea, to board her and search for deserters, as all
English seamen in the American service were regarded by England. With
the instructions, were the descriptions of four sailors, three negroes
and one white man, who were missing.

The persons who deserted from the Melampus, then lying in Hampton Roads,
were William Ware, Daniel Martin, John Strachan, John Little and Ambrose
Watts. Within a month from their escape from the Melampus, the first
three of these deserters offered themselves for enlistment, and were
received on board the Chesapeake, then at Norfolk, Va., preparing for
sea. The British consul at Norfolk, being apprized of the circumstance,
wrote a letter to the American naval officer, requesting the men to be
returned. With this request, the officer refused to comply, and the
British lost no time in endeavoring to procure an order from the
American government for their surrender. On receipt of the application,
the Secretary of the Navy ordered an examination into the characters and
claims of the men in question. The examination resulted in proof that
the three negroes, Ware, Martin and Strachan were natives of America.
The two former had "_protections_," or notarial certificates of their
citizenship;[8] Strachan had no "_protection_," but asserted that he
lost it previous to his escape. Such being the circumstances, the
government refused to give the men up, insisting that they were American
citizens, and though, they had served in the British navy, they were
pressed into the service and had a right to desert it.

The Chesapeake was one of the finest of the frigates in the American
Navy, and after receiving an outfit requiring six months to complete at
the Gosport Navy Yard, at Norfolk, Va., started for the Mediterranean.
The English frigate Leopard, which lay in the harbor at Norfolk when the
Chesapeake sailed, followed her out to sea, hailed her and sent a letter
to her commander, Commodore James Barron, demanding the surrender of the
deserters. Barron sent a note refusing to comply with the demand,
whereupon the Leopard fired several broadsides into the Chesapeake.
Barron struck his colors without firing a shot, and permitted the
officers of the Leopard to board his vessel and search her. The Briti