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It is not my intention, in this paper, to recapitulate the various calamities of the siege of New Orleans. That the armament was utterly inadequate to accomplish the object of the expedition, is now generally admitted. Fitted out for the express purpose of besieging one of the strongest and most formidable fortresses of America, it was not only unprovided with a battering train, but without a single piece of heavy ordnance to assist in its reduction. Sir Edward Packenham, therefore, on his arrival at Jamaica, found himself under the necessity of awaiting the tedious arrival of reinforcements from England, or of undertaking the expedition with the very inadequate means at his disposal. Listening rather to the suggestions of his gallantry than his prudence, he decided on the latter. If he erred in undertaking the expedition, it must be owned that he displayed the most consummate skill in the conduct of it. On his arrival at New Orleans, he established himself immediately on the peninsula guarded by the fortress, and so vigorously did he push his operations, that on the third night he determined on giving the assault. The honour of heading the storming party was allotted to the 44th regiment, then under the command of the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Mullins, son to Lord Ventry, patron to our hero's father, and who did not at all congratulate himself, however, on his good fortune. The 44th regiment were driven back at the commencement of the attack; and on Sir Edward Packenham's inquiring for the commanding officer, inquiring for the commanding officer, it was discovered that both he and Ensign Odoherty had remained in the rear. On search being made for them, Colonel Mullins was discovered under an ammunition waggon, and Ensign Odoherty was found in his tent, apparently very busy searching for his snuff-box, the loss of which, he solemnly declared, was the sole reason of his absence. In consequence of these circumstances, Colonel Mullins was brought to a court-martial, and dismissed the service; and such, most probably, would likewise have been the fate of Ensign Odoherty, had he not, by the most humble intercessions, prevailed on the officers of the regiment to suppress their charges, on condition that he rid them of his presence, by an immediate exchange into another regiment. I am far from wishing to justify the line of conduct adopted in this instance by Mr Odoherty, in yielding to the prejudices against his character which the officers of the regiment appear so gratuitously to have entertained. Knowing him, as I do, to have been as brave a man as ever pushed a bayonet to the throat of an enemy, I cannot but sincerely regret that any change of circumstances should have occurred to give a different complexion to his character in the opinion of the world. But such regrets are useless. Who, when gazing on the brightness of the sun, can suppose his effulgence to be diminished, because, when viewed through a telescope, a few trifling spots are discernible on his disk!

Having entered into this arrangement, in order to effect his exchange, Mr Odoherty took advantage of the sailing of the first ship to return to England, and accordingly embarked in the Beelzebub transport for that purpose. On their voyage home they encountered a severe storm when off the river Chesapeake, which broke the bobstay of the Beelzebub, and did considerable injury to her mainmast. To crown the misfortune of this unlucky voyage, they were captured by the American frigate President, in lat. 35° 40', long. 27° 14', and carried into Boston as prisoners of war. Mr Odoherty bore his misfortunes with the greatest philosophy and calmness; and as a proof of the happy equanimity of his temper, I give the following extract from an extempore address to a whale, seen off Long Island on the 14th June 1814.