the lakes of Upper Canada, the fair face of fortune was turned away
from the British. As yet the capricious lady had only frowned, but now
she was positively sulky. A serious and indeed dreadful disaster, which
could not be afterwards repaired, but entailed loss upon loss to the
British, occurred on Lake Erie. The British provinces were indeed
exposed by it to the most imminent danger. At one blow all the
advantages gained by Brocke were lost. On Lake Erie as on Lake Ontario,
both the British and the Americans exerted themselves in the
construction of war vessels. The great drawback to the British was the
want of seamen. Captain Barclay, when appointed to the command on Lake
Erie, in May, took with him fifty English seamen, to man two ships, two
schooners, a brig and a sloop, the rest of the crews being made up of
240 soldiers and 80 Canadians. Captain Perry, the American commander,
had two more vessels, an equal number of guns, double the weight of
metal, and was fully manned by experienced seamen. Captain Barclay
sailed from Amherstburgh and stretched his little squadron across the
entrance to Presque Isle. The American squadron, under Perry, was
riding at anchor, unable to put out, because the bar at the entrance of
the harbour prevented it from crossing, except with the guns out, an
operation not considered perfectly safe when done in the face of an
enemy. Captain Barclay was under the necessity of momentarily leaving
his station, and his opponent, Perry, crossed the bar. Barclay in turn
became the blockaded party. He made with all haste for Amherstburgh and
was shut in by Perry. Barclay practiced his soldiers at the guns, and
learned his Canadians how to handle the ropes. He was indefatigable in
his exertions to render his crew as efficient as such a crew could be
made on shipboard. He yet feared to meet Perry and his picked crews,
but his provisions fell short, and he was compelled to put out. The
result was a battle, the last thing to have been desired, where so much
depended on the issue. Victory was stoutly contested for on both sides.
At 11 o'clock, on the forenoon of the 10th of September, the American
squadron, consisting of nine vessels, and the British squadron,
consisting of six vessels, formed in lines of battle. At a quarter
before 12, Captain Barclay's ship, the _Queen Charlotte_, opened a
tremendous fire upon the _Lawrence_, the flag ship of Commodore Perry.
The _Lawrence_ was torn to pieces. She became