The battle of New Orleans, so disastrous to the English arms, would never have taken place if there had been such a thing as a cable in those days. Nor would there have occurred several smart actions at sea, including, sad to relate, the capture of the U. S. S. _President_ by a British squadron. There is no excuse, however, for the long detention of American prisoners in the hands of the British, when there was no longer any chance of their serving against her. On February 17th President Madison ratified the Treaty of Ghent, and hostilities practically ceased, although, of course, not knowing this fact, Captain Stewart, in command of the _Constitution_, captured the _Cyane_ and the _Levant_, two British sloops of war. And on the 23d of March, on a foreign station, the gallant Captain Biddle, in command of the _Hornet_, captured and sank the _Penguin_. But even so long past the time when the news might have been expected to be about the world, on April 27th, 1815, off the Island of San Salvador, the sloop of war _Hornet_ had the last hostile experience with the English of that eventful period. The little sloop was sailing in company with the _Peacock_, and together they made a pair of fighters that were not afraid of anything that carried in the neighborhood of their weight of metal. In a letter from Biddle, the senior captain, to Stephen Decatur appears the following: “The _Peacock_ and this ship, having continued off Tristan d’Acunha the number of days directed by you in your letter of instruction, proceeded in company to the eastward on the twelfth day of April, bound to the second place of rendezvous. Nothing of any importance occurred until the twenty-second day of April at 7 A.M., in latitude 38° 30´ and longitude 33´ east. The wind was from northeast by north and light through the day, and by sundown we had neared the chase considerably. It was calm during the day, and at daylight on the 28th he [Warrington of the _Peacock_] was not in sight. A breeze springing from the northwest, we crowded steering sails on both sides, and the chase was made out standing to the northward upon a wind. At 2.45 P.M. the _Peacock_ was about six miles ahead of this ship, and, observing that she appeared to be suspicious of the chase, I took in starboard steering-sails and hauled up for the _Peacock_. I was still, however, of opinion that the chase was an Indiaman, though, indeed, the atmosphere was quite smoky and indistinct, and I concluded she was very large. Captain Warrington was waiting for me to join him, that we might get together alongside of her. At 3.22 P.M. the _Peacock_ made the signal that the chase was a ship of the line and an enemy. I took in immediately all steering-sails and hauled upon the wind, the enemy being then upon our lee quarter, distant about eight miles. By sundown I had perceived that the enemy sailed remarkably fast and was very weatherly.” This letter was dated from San Salvador, June 10th, 1815.